A16
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ
Best friend feels uneasy
as wedding approaches
FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
B.C.
PICKLES
BEETLE BAILEY
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
BY MASTROIANNI AND HART
BY BRIAN CRANE
ing. She goes on and on describ-
Dear Abby: My best friend,
ing at length the minutiae of her
“Sophie,” just became engaged
activities and, worse, the lives of
to her longtime boyfriend, “Bri-
her friends (who we don’t know
an.” I want to be happy for her,
or have any interest in). We no
but he doesn’t deserve her.
longer enjoy her company, but
I may very well be asked to be
we hate to lose the connection
maid of honor at her wedding,
with Charles. Any suggestions?
and I dread the idea of having
J EANNE
— Bored In Missouri
to write a speech about their
P HILLIPS
Dear Bored: It may be time
relationship. How do I write
ADVICE
for you and Charles to see each
a speech when I have nothing
other without wives in tow — for
good to say about it? — Reluc-
lunch or a sporting event. That
tant Friend In Indiana
Dear Reluctant Friend: When you way you will be off the hook having to
write your speech, start by saying how tolerate Claire, and your wife won’t have
long you and Sophie have been friends to put up with her because she can so-
and how close the two of you are. Share cialize with friends whose company she
a couple of anecdotes about what a car- enjoys. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I
ing, loyal, fun friend Sophie is, and state have a strong hunch you and your wife
how lucky “Brian” is to be marrying her. won’t be the first to do this.
Dear Abby: I met a very nice guy
Then toast the happy couple, wish them
a lifetime of happiness together (even if while I was at a bar. Because I was
you feel it won’t turn out that way) and slightly drunk, he drove me home. We
“drop the mic.” You do not have to sing exchanged numbers and, since then,
Brian’s praises. That privilege should be- we have been out once. I’m pretty
sure we will be going out again. The
long to the best man.
Dear Abby: My wife and I have friends problem is I have no idea what his name
— a married couple — we socialize with is! We didn’t exchange social media con-
every few weeks. “Charles” is kind-heart- tacts. I feel awkward asking his name
ed, pleasant and enjoyable, always with now. Any suggestions? — Unknown
a good balance between speaking and In The West
Dear Unknown: Yes. The next time
listening during conversations. His wife,
“Claire,” on the other hand, isn’t inter- he gets in touch, ask him for the correct
SPELLING of his first and last names
ested in hearing about our lives.
When we try to initiate a conversation, “to enter into your contact list.” It may
Claire cuts us off and switches the subject manage to get you off the hook without
to a nonrelated, self-centered topic. She embarrassing yourself, unless his name is
also interrupts Charles while he’s talk- John Smith.
BY MORT WALKER
DAYS GONE BY
100 years ago — 1922
GARFIELD
BY JIM DAVIS
Under the protecting care of two deputy
sheriffs from Mutnomah county, 29 members
of the Hip Sing tong arrived in Pendle-
ton yesterday afternoon and marched to
the Chinese quarters where they expect to
remain until the tong war which is raging on
the coast has ceased. This action on the part
of the Portland officials is being taken as a
means of combatting the tong war. Local Hip
Sings will bear the expense of the visit of their
brothers while the strangers are here, it is said.
50 years ago — 1972
BLONDIE
BY DEAN YOUNG AND JOHN MARSHALL
A motorist who was struck by a rock fall-
ing from a cliff above Highway 730 near the
mouth of Juniper Canyon lost her lawsuit
against Oregon Highway Department person-
nel. A jury in Umatilla County Circuit Court
voted 11-1 in favor of the defendants at the
end of a three-day trial. The plaintiff, Elaine
Leonard, 44, Las Vegas, Nev., was severely
injured by the 15-pound rock that plunged
through the windshield of her car on Dec. 17,
1967. She asked for damages of $257,957. Mrs.
Leonard’s suit was filed against members of
the Oregon Highway Commission as well as
specific state highway engineers and mainte-
nance supervisors, accusing the defendants of
negligence in not keeping the rock from fall-
ing onto the highway. “The rimrocks rise step
on step for thousands of feet for several miles,”
defense attorney Malcolm Marsh, Salem, said.
“It is impossible to screen them all.”
25 years ago — 1997
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla will
be hosts for a free friendship dinner banquet and
author signing at Wildhorse Casino Friday to
raise awareness of Native American culture.
Athena native Steven Ross Evans, author of
“The Voice of the Old Wolf,” Ann McCormick,
a contributing writer in the anthology “A Song
to the Creator,” and Ron Pond of Pendleton, a
curator of the “Song to the Creator” exhibit,
will be the guest speakers in a special presen-
tation. Copies of the books and video tapes
of the exhibit, which was held at Washington
State University last year, will be available for
purchase. The video takes viewers through each
of the 300 artwork items in the “Song to the
Creator” exhibit, borrowed from museums,
artists and private collectors throughout the
Northwest and including brilliantly colored
cornhusk bags, beaded dresses, intricately
woven baskets and splendid horse regalia.
TODAY IN HISTORY
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY PARKER AND HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
On Feb. 22, 2021, the
number of U.S. deaths
from COVID-19 topped
500,000, according to
Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity.
In 1630, English colo-
nists in the Massachusetts
Bay Colony first sampled
popcorn brought to them
by a Native American
named Quadequina for
their Thanksgiving cel-
ebration.
In 1732, the first presi-
dent of the United States,
George Washington, was
born in Westmoreland
County in the Virginia
Colony.
In 1784, a U.S. mer-
chant ship, the Empress
of China, left New York
for the Far East to trade
goods with China.
In 1935, it became il-
legal for airplanes to fly
over the White House.
In 1959, the inaugu-
ral Daytona 500 race was
held; although Johnny
Beauchamp was initially
declared the winner, the
victory was later awarded
to Lee Petty.
In 1967, more than
25,000 U.S. and South
Vietnamese
troops
launched Operation Junc-
tion City, aimed at smash-
ing a Vietcong stronghold
near the Cambodian bor-
der. (Although the com-
munists were driven out,
they later returned.)
In 1980, the “Miracle
on Ice” took place in Lake
Placid, New York, as the
United States Olympic
hockey team upset the So-
viets, 4-3. (The U.S. team
went on to win the gold
medal.)
In 1987, pop artist
Andy Warhol died at a
New York City hospital at
age 58.
In 1997, scientists in
Scotland announced they
had succeeded in cloning
an adult mammal, produc-
ing a lamb named “Dolly.”
(Dolly, however, was later
put down after a short life
marred by premature ag-
ing and disease.)
In 2010, Najibullah
Zazi, accused of buying
beauty supplies to make
bombs for an attack on
New York City subways,
pleaded guilty to charges
including conspiring to
use weapons of mass de-
struction.
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE