Frazz by Jef Mallett for September 24, 2020

Now, commenters, weigh in and tell us how wrong Jef is. You know you want to…

I do remember a December a few years ago in New Jersey when it was so warm the cherry trees started to bloom.

People don’t want to learn random facts, which is a pity. I know it clutters up the brain to an extent, but the pleasure of understanding things, even momentarily, is something I have always cherished. It’s surprising how often things come back from memory when we need them. It has helped me immensely over my lifetime.

Caulfield, or maybe Jef M. clearly doesn’t like science. When the dialog got to “abscission layer” I could feel my heart pumping a little faster. I’m always amazed and gratified at how complicated  it all is… and how much we get to enjoy the results. Of course when I think about how I’m thinking about it, I begin to realize that there’s no WAY this system was designed…

I love Mrs. Olsen. She is always there to answer Caulfields questions, wether she wants to or not. Hats off to all teachers especially in these trying times.

Sad but true. The american people have gotten pretty stupid . They disdain education. The dumbest lot are republican. Remember when Republicans were calling Democrates the Elit party because most democrates were college educated. Repubs were trying to convince people that being educated was a form of elitism. and not to be trusted.Why do you think repubs have been trying to defund public education. A dumb populace is easier to control. just look at trumps base. They will believe any bullshit trump tells them.

Mrs. Olsen is being a bit of a jerk here (Caulfield deserves it). What she could have said in the second frame is that …. temperature and rainfall also affect colour change by slowing the chlorophyll production process resulting in the predominance of anthocyanins and tannins that are responsible for Fall colors.

Ouch! Ouch! Long words! They hurt my brain! I… I… I.. might LEARN something! Oh… oh! That one word has FIVE SYLLABLES! The pain… the pain…. Save me, Donald!

German has a word that covers all that. Zeitgeber.

It’s much easier than analysis and critical thinking!

Go, Mrs Nelson! Got him!

One way to encourage smart kids like Caulfield is to occasionally overwhelm them with what they don’t know but could learn. You never know what will spark interest or maybe even desire to dig deeply into a topic. Plant the seed, add water & feed, and watch it grow. It’s called hope.

I think the science behind this is more magical than Jack Frost

But Jack Frost is a pretty cool guy.

People fear what they do not understand, so they seek to replace it with something else—-even if the replacement is wrong as two left shoes!

So basically they are just the opposite of lobsters. One turn red when it gets cold and the other turns red when it gets hot. Science is simple, really.

Growing up, this was my preferred way to welcome Autumn. https://www.rogerebert.com/features/injun-summer-by-john-t-mccutcheon

First…learn to read.

Ah, Caufield – you disappoint. Be willing to learn something.

Herd Mentality.

“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman

Actually, he is spot on.

I had a young lady tell me that she had two moments of absolute clarity in her life.

.

The first was when her mother told her that the leaves changing color was magic,

The second was in college chemistry, when she realized people could control magic.

.

This explains why teachers normally simplify things to match the student’s background knowledge. No need to do that for this kid, though. Go, Mrs. Olsen!

“It explains why people bag the science and go with stuff like Jack Frost.”

“Intellectual laziness?”

And before you know it, they’ll all just disappear. Just like magic.

She describes it all so poetically.

Here in SoCal it doesn’t really get cold enough in October to get those brilliant colors seen in, say, New England. But in late November the cold snaps begin, and some trees show off bright reds, golds and purples. I can’t remember which trees they are.

Jack Frost IS science! Just like Santa’s time-warping sleigh and the Easter Bunny’s incredible range and stealth. Not to mention the Tooth Fairy. DUH… ;-)

Oh yes, another anti-science DUMBSTER TRUMPSTER. ISN’T AMERICA LUCKY?