So, would you exterminate all the mosquitos, flies, and gnats if you had the chance?

[azurelunatic]

That was the question that our new science teacher, Mr. Bird, posed to us. "Raise your hand if you would."

My hands, of course, stayed down, not even daring to scratch the mosquito bite soveniers from my family reunion trip.

"So why wouldn't you?" Mr. Bird asked, turning on me suddenly.

"Because I like robins," I replied.

That was evidently the right reply. Mr. Bird went off on a lengthy discourse about how he hadn't even mentioned robins, but he had -- just a little down the ecological cycle. He gave the example of an island that had gotten the bugs wiped out on purpose, and how the lizards had died, and so forth up the web, and the rats overran the place, causing a consequent influx of imported cats, which were then impossible to herd...

I finished my first assignment for the class today, later in the afternoon, and sent it Mr. Bird's way via e-mail. (He takes assignments either way: hardcopy or electronic.) I got a notice of recipt back with near-immediacy, and somewhat later, just before I set out for dinner, got the following:

Very nice! Well done. I'm going to enjoy your intelligence in the class.

Rick Bird

Happy Lunatic.

Comments

[spacemummy.livejournal.com]

Reminded me of something (http://www.e-sheep.com/jain/).

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

Go you! It sounds like you've got a good teacher, too. By the way, have you read Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer? It's a wonderful story about predator/prey balance, love, keystone predators, lust, coyotes, aging with or without grace, honeysuckle, love, and goats. The author is a biologist turned writer. I think she's a very good writer, and in this book her bio background really shines through. There are a couple of areas where things seemed a littled forcedly pat, but on the whole I loved it.

[azurelunatic]

I haven't read it, but I'll put it in my reading queue.

smart lunatic

[votania.livejournal.com]

I keep telling you that you're a genius! believe me yet?

D.E.

Re: smart lunatic

[azurelunatic]

Well, the lady who wrote a lot of my personal philosophies wrote that geniuses are only that way part of the time; in fact, it only takes once to be a genius.

Re: smart lunatic

[votania.livejournal.com]

only once... hmmm.. .will my one day ever come SIGH....

D.E.

Re: smart lunatic

[azurelunatic]

You have your moments.