Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 23, 2005 The mythical "state" of Jefferson is outlined in red. Since You Asked: You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers ... 1. What exactly is the State of Jefferson? 2. What causes the leaves to change color in the fall? 3. Why do the wheels on a vehicle appear to turn backward as it moves forward? — Mary F., Ashland The State of Jefferson was the goal of a failed secessionist movement that took off in November 1941 that would have included the counties north and south of the Oregon-California border. The main beef was a lack of investment in things like roads in the rural region. Advertisement A Crescent City, Calif., judge was elected governor Dec. 4, 1941, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor three days later, essentially killing the movement. Coincidence? You decide. Leaves change in the fall essentially because the green chlorophyll, one way or another, departs the leaves. What’s left behind are carotenoids (yellows, oranges and browns), which were already there, and anthocyanins (more vivid and deep colors like reds and purples), which are generally produced in the fall with bright sunny days and excess sugar in the tree’s leaves. Essentially, the change is brought on by shorter days. Or longer nights. Scientists are torn. As for that optical illusion, we’ll try to explain it. We’ve seen it on fans in our fluorescent-lit office and in movies showing old wagons with the big spoke wheels. A "strobe effect" causes that — from the frames in the film and from the very rapid strobe of fluorescent lights. But when a spinning wheel does this in constant sunlight, you’re witness to your brain fighting with itself to make sense of what it sees; it’s called perceptual rivalry. Neurons that detect right and left motion are both being fired off when looking at a spinning wheel — every once in a while the wheel appears to spin backward, because your brain decides that’s what’s happening. So, as they say, perception is everything. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since You Asked: You�ve got questions, we�ve got answers ... ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Advertisement s