Recent Comments

1. 5 days ago on Luann

   I’m sorry, bebe, but I still don’t understand. Perhaps I’m lacking some foreign cultural reference. On the other hand, one commenter here pointed out the woodworking term “fluting”, rendering those who carve such decorative features as being eligible to be called “fluters” — though I’ve never heard any woodworker called by such a specific term. He or she would have to be almost a full-time specialist to merit such a label. In any case, this meaning doesn’t fit the musical context that Tiff was addressing.

2. 6 days ago on Luann

   What was the double entendre for “fluters”? I missed it. Perhaps I was preoccupied with Tiff’s apparent ignorance of the proper term “flautists”.

3. 6 days ago on Luann

   He could have participated in marching band during halftime performances, and still returned to the field as a player during the game.

4. 7 days ago on Luann

   Thanks for your clarification. But are you so thoroughly familiar with the financial operations of blood collection organizations that you can be certain where the funding comes from? I appreciate that they may attempt to balance their books by charging the end users for blood products — but is this enough? Is there no charitable tax-deductible component?

   On your other note about blood sugar: where do you think the “juice and cookie” energy boost comes from? The energy supplied for immediate demands in the body comes from glucose sugar, which is replenished after just a bit of rapid processing of the sugar supplied by the juice and cookies.

5. 7 days ago on Luann

   People who come to a blood drive come to contribute blood, not to be entertained. Apparently, Tiff has never done so. Someone else here posted that a live band would likely be so loud as to interfere with the ability to hear instructions from the medical people to the donors. In any case, giving blood really ought to be done in a quiet relaxed atmosphere. Loud music might raise blood pressure in the donors, though it could have the opposite effect among those who have just donated and are a pint low. Since a wide range of ages among the donors would likely represent different preferences in music, no single selection performed at a given time would be pleasing or relaxing to all. In short, the band is a bad idea unless it is kept at a distance from the actual donation of blood. Even the availability of food should be limited to light meals, because digesting a full meal induces the stomach to demand blood and may cause lightheadedness in those whose blood pressure will be lower than normal until the body replenishes its quantity. Hence, even a discount coupon offer to entice contributors should be limited to light meals or a different date.

6. 8 days ago on Luann

   Nancy has an excellent point. It’s one thing for people to contribute a pint of their blood. It’s quite another to obtain financial contributions to pay for entertainment, unless the entertainers are willing to contribute their efforts gratis also. Organizations that actually collect the blood are usually publicly funded, meaning from taxpayer dollars, which is how they can supply the equipment and manpower, including juice and cookies to replenish blood sugar. Any other food supplied gratis would have to be declared as a tax write-off by The Fuse. In any case, all these elements would need to be recorded, in order to meet IRS accounting standards for tax deductibility.

7. 11 days ago on Luann

   Could be an animal laughing its head off.

8. 11 days ago on Luann

   Yay or Nay about what? This story arc? The relationship between Phil and Luann? The overall collection of characters in this soap-opera comic strip and the relationships between them? The lack of character development and passage of time in the Luanniverse?

   I’ve recently read comments citing Luann’s age as 19. It seems to me that she must be 20 by now, because she must be already in her second or third year of college. She was in college prior to summer vacation and holiday events like Halloween and Christmas, and that did not seem to be her freshman year even then. But I have lost track of the time, so it might still have been her first year, rendering this one her second. Nonetheless, it still seems odd that she has no plan for her educational goals and is starting over as a blank slate.

   Meanwhile, there is Phil, who is already a medical support professional. Have we had any inkling about his age and education? Is he actually Luann’s peer, or is he several years older? Have we a maturity discrepancy between them for that reason?

   Then we have the time positioning of Luann’s actual peer Bernice, who was a TA during a prior college year, which is not a freshman position because it requires familiarity with procedures and facilities that a freshman hasn’t experienced to be able to advise new freshmen. Hence last year must have been a sophomore year for both her and Luann, rendering the present year a third or Junior year for both of them. Again, this is an odd time for Luann to be starting over as a blank slate who doesn’t know what she wishes to learn or to become. So far, her aptitudes have shown a flair for writing and for childcare; while Bernice has a long way to go to become a psychologist. In some ways, her aptitude and motivation seem more suited to becoming a lawyer — perhaps even a prosecuting attorney.

   This analysis could go on for the other characters, but enough has been said to provide some sense to select a yay or nay evaluation.

9. 15 days ago on Luann

   Obviously it was designed by someone trying to resolve this argument. I wonder how it would respond to a cat waving its paws in front of the sensor?

10. 15 days ago on Luann

    No, Mort, I am a systems engineer. I analyze all sorts of things to understand how they work or don’t work, the consequences of the latter, and to consider how they might be fixed or improved. That’s my natural inclination, not a psychological syndrome for a therapist to critique; and it’s a very useful inclination.