Q: My favorite comic strip seems to have disappeared from the AJC. “Stone Soup” hasn’t been in the newspaper this week. What’s going on? Is it no longer written or has the AJC canceled it?
—Killian Smith, Decatur
A: Jan Eliot, who created and writes "Stone Soup," ended the daily comic strip on Saturday after 20 years, she stated on its website (www.stonesoupcartoons.com).
The daily deadlines were “herculean” she wrote.
“Every Monday morning, there it is, the blank paper that represents the seven comic strips that need to be created,” Eliot wrote. “The pressure to be good enough, funny enough, to create interesting-enough drawings, live up to the standards of great cartoonists I admire and share the comics page with is not a small thing.”
Eliot will write one “Stone Soup” a week to be published on Sundays.
“I have reached a point in life where I’d like to be free of these daily deadlines — free to travel more, spend more time with family and friends, pursue other creative projects,” she wrote. “Who knows what might be on my horizon? It is exciting to think about the possibilities.”
More information about Eliot and “Stone Soup” can be found on the website.
Q: I recently heard a BMW advertisement talk about its cars’ 50/50 weight distribution. What does that mean?
—David Dickey, Decatur
A: In that alignment, a vehicle's weight is evenly distributed on its front and rear axles.
“Well-balanced weight distribution is the basis for neutral self-steering properties, high agility and good traction even with heavy loads,” BMW states on its website.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
