TidbitsMOV Issue #1251 Color Blind

The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read™

TIDBITS® IS COLOR BLIND

by Janet Spencer

It’s estimated that there are about 300 million color blind people worldwide, nearly equal to the population of the U.S. Come along with Tidbits as we look at the facts!

COLOR BLIND FACTS

• Color blind people are more accurately called “color deficient.”

• There are many different severities of color vision deficiency, from nearly normal color vision up to complete color blindness.

• It’s estimated that 98% of those with color blindness have red-green color blindness. Of those, 75% have trouble seeing green, while 24% have difficulty seeing red.

• The recessive gene for red-green color blindness is carried on an X chromosome. Women have two X chromosomes, whereas men, with XY chromosomes, have only one. Therefore, women need two of the color blind gene in order to be born color blind. Men, on the other hand, need only one

• Women are often carriers of the trait without suffering from it themselves. Female carriers pass it down to sons (who will be color blind) and daughters (who will be carriers). A father cannot pass red-green color blindness on to his sons. But any woman who is herself red-green color blind will pass the trait on to her sons. (cont)

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COLOR BLIND (cont)

• Red-green color blindness is far more prevalent in men than women, with 1 in 12 men having the condition (8%) while only 1 in 200 women do (0.05%). This means that 95% of color blind people are male.

• Another type of color blindness is blueyellow. This type is rare. Both men and women carry this genetic anomaly, and they experience it at equal rates.

• Babies are born color blind, with vision improving as they age. Color perception is usually fully developed by the age of 6 months. This is due to the fact that the cones are not yet fully developed at birth, meaning all the colors cannot yet be fully seen.

• It’s possible but rare to be color blind in one eye while having normal vision in the other.

• Specially tinted glasses can help some people distinguish between certain colors, though they will not restore normal color vision, or help pass tests for color blindness. There is no cure for color blindness.

• Color blindness does not improve with age, nor does it get worse.

• Strongly color blind people might only be able to tell about twenty hues apart from each other, while people with normal color vision can see over a hundred different hues and thousands of shades.

• People with red-green color blindness cannot tell when their skin is sunburned or recognize a blush. It’s hard to tell when a banana is ripe, or when meat is thoroughly cooked. They may have difficulty matching socks or recognizing the colors on a stoplight.

• Some countries bar the color blind from certain professions, such as doctors or electricians. In the U.S., pilots cannot be color blind. In some countries, they cannot get a driver’s license. The U.S. military considers some of their jobs off-limits to color blind recruits. (cont)

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COLOR BLIND (cont)

• A railroad accident in Sweden in 1875 which killed nine passengers was thought to be caused by a color blind conductor who was unable to read a signal. Afterwards, a method of testing color vision was developed and applied to railroad workers.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

• The back of the eye, called the retina, is made up of rods and cones. Rods are found around the outer edges of the eye. They mainly see in black and white, while also serving as motion detectors. Rods work better in the dark than cones do.

• Cones are located in the center part of the retina. They pick up color, and register detail.

• There are three kinds of cones. Each type picks up a different wavelength of light, which registers in the brain as colors. The Scones register short-length (blue), M-cones register medium-length (yellow-green), and the L-cones register long-length (red).

• The cones are not evenly divided. There are more L-cones collecting red light (65%) than M-cones collecting yellow-green hues (33%). On the far end of the scale are the Scones, which see blue wavelengths (2%).

• A human with all three of these cones working correctly is said to have trichromatic vision, meaning “three-color” sight. A person with only two of the three types of cones is said to have dichromatic vision.

• A color blind person has cones that are either missing entirely or defective on some level, on a scale from slight to severe. The cones are not uniformly defective from one color blind person to the next, leading to myriad different levels of color blindness. But the more cones that aren’t functioning correctly, the worse the color blindness will be.

“COLORBLIND ISLAND”

• Complete color blindness, denoting someone who can see in only shades of black, white, and grey, is rare in normal populations. It’s called achromatopsia, from the Greek “without color.” This is a recessive disorder where both parents need to be a carrier for offspring to inherit it. It’s caused when only rods are present in the eye, without any cones. The disorder affects about one out of every 33,000 people, or 0.003% of the population, in the U.S.

• However, there’s a tiny atoll in the South Pacific called Pingelap Island, where about 10% of the 250 inhabitants have it. This is due to a typhoon that swept the island in 1775, leaving only 20 survivors. One of those survivors was the tribal leader, who carried the gene, though he did not have it himself. As the generations passed, more and more descendants inherited it due to inbreeding. In 1997, a neurologist studied the genetics of Pingelap, and wrote a book called “The Island of the Colorblind.”

TESTING TESTING

• One common test consists of a series of circles containing colored dots. The dots are arranged so a person with normal vision can read the number hidden among the dots, while a color blind person cannot. Called the Ishihara test, it's named after the Japanese ophthalmologist who designed the test in 1917. Many people with normal color vision can’t pass this test with a perfect score.

• Another test is the anomaloscope, which shows cards of various colors, and a second card with a slider bar allows the user to adjust the color to match the first card.

• There’s also the Farnsworth-Munsell 100Hue Test. This test consists of 85 pastelcolored chips of similar but slightly different colors, which must be arranged correctly

of these tests are available online.

•

Spice Up Your Cinco de Mayo with Flavorful Posole Soup

Posole soup is a traditional Mexican dish that is enjoyed by many on Cinco de Mayo. This hearty and flavorful soup is typically made with hominy, pork or chicken, and a variety of spices, and is often garnished with lime wedges, shredded cabbage and fresh cilantro. The combination of tender pork or chicken, chewy hominy and spicy broth creates a delicious and satisfying meal that is perfect for celebrating the holiday.

Posole has a long history dating back to ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations, where it was considered a sacred dish and was often served during religious ceremonies. It was believed to have both spiritual and nutritional significance, as it was rich in protein and vitamins. Over time, posole spread throughout Mexico and evolved into different regional variations, each with their own unique ingredients and flavors. Today, posole remains a beloved and popular dish, especially during special occasions and celebrations.

Why is it called posole? Technically, "posole" is Spanish for "hominy." But it usually refers to this traditional soup. It can be green (verde) or red (rojo), determined by the peppers used. Pork posole is most common, but today we're using chicken.

What the heck is hominy? Hominy is dried corn that's been soaked in a mineral lime bath in a process called nixtamalization. This alkali process loosens the hulls and softens the kernels themselves, causing them to double in size, which is why hominy looks like giant mutant corn.

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Without hominy, we wouldn't have masa, or ground corn. No masa means no tortillas, tamales or tacos. Hominy is easier to digest, thus more nutritious, and makes an excellent alternative to potatoes or beans, especially in soups like this.

EASY POSOLE VERDE DE POLLO

This green Mexican hominy and chicken soup is ready in just 45 minutes on the stove, or you can let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. Add jalapenos if you like heat. You can use leftover or rotisserie chicken to make it even quicker.

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 cups mild chiles, roast, seeded and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced, optional

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 3-4 cups cooked shredded chicken

8 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 (110-ounce) can hominy, drained

Garnishes: sliced avocado, cilantro, cotija cheese, thinly sliced radishes, lime wedges, shredded cabbage, tortilla chips

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent. Add the peppers and garlic and saute for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Add chicken stock, 2 cups water, cumin and salt, and bring to a simmer. If you're not using pre-cooked chicken, add the raw chicken and cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and shred. Add the hominy. Return the chicken to the soup. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for at least

5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with your desired garnishes. The moral of the story is: If you want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo like a pro, remember, with posole soup, it's all about the garnish. So pile on those toppings and make it rain with diced avocado, cilantro, cotija cheese, thinly sliced radishes, lime wedges, shredded cabbage and tortilla chips! Just be warned, you may need to make extra for your friends who will undoubtedly show up once they hear about your posole-making skills. Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos! ***

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the pennypinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime- Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com (c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Posole Soup.

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COPS & DONUTS

• The New York Times once said, “No profession is as closely identified with food as police work is with doughnuts.” The correlation between doughnuts and cops began long ago. What started as a simple convenience grew into a symbiotic relationship. Here’s the story of how that happened.

• Often, police are on duty overnight while most citizens are asleep and nearly all businesses are closed. Nighttime food options were limited in the days before gas station convenience stores became common. Allnight restaurants and fast food joints such as Denny’s, IHOP, McDonalds, and Taco Bell were not yet on the scene. It’s been estimated that in the 1960s, only 10 percent of restaurants in the U.S. were open all night.

• If they needed a place to get out of the weather, have a bathroom break, or sit and rest for a while, cops generally had the choice of a donut shop or an all-night diner at a truck stop. Even after squad cars became the norm, officers often required a quiet table to complete paperwork, fill out forms, and write reports. Sometimes, they just wanted a peaceful corner to decompress from stressful events on the job, or a place to meet with other cops to discuss the day’s events.

• Donut shops were either open all night or were the first to open at dawn. A single baker might be on the job, toiling all night to have a fresh batch of pastries ready for the 9to-5 crowd to pick up on their way to work. This made them prime targets for robberies.

• Bakeries encouraged the patronage of police because who’s going to rob a place where cop cars are constantly pulling in? Often, the bakeries provided the donuts and coffee free of charge. Some bakeries even set aside special spots for police officers to gather. It was cheaper than hiring security.

(Continued page #7)

Home Renovations and Pets Just Don't Mix

DEAR PAW'S CORNER: We have a contractor coming soon to renovate our kitchen. I plan to keep my cat, "Freya," out of the way and in a separate room during the day. But at night, she'll want to wander the house. How do I keep her out of the kitchen? Jim in Portland, Maine

DEAR JIM: Cats are pretty wily, and I'm sure Freya will try to find a way around any barriers you set up to keep her out of the kitchen.

The best way to dissuade her from exploring the construction area, therefore, is to tempt her away with better distractions. That means moving her food and water to a new location far from the construction area (but out of heavy foot traffic) and giving her treats and attention whenever she opts to stay in the living room with you or near her bedding and food. At night, tighten the barriers around the kitchen if there's a door, close it. If there is plastic sheeting up, tack it to surrounding walls and tape it to the floor. Put a sheet of plywood across the entrance if necessary.

Inside the work area, make sure that the contractors put away all sharp tools and cover any containers tightly. They should clean up any debris at the end of each day and use a wet-dry vacuum to pick up sawdust and dirt. Any spills need to be cleaned completely. This will reduce the risk to Freya if she manages to get into the kitchen, and it's just good practice.

Readers, how did you keep your pets safe during home renovations? Tell me at ask@pawscorner.com (c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

My color blind uncle was feeling down so I encouraged him by saying. "Don't worry! The grass is always grayer on the other side!"

COPS & DONUTS (cont)

• Just at this time, two national chains of donut shops began gathering steam, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts. William Rosenberg, founder of Dunkin’ Donuts, instigated a copfriendly policy and credited the relationship with boosting the business’s success.

• Carbs and caffeine provide a perfect pick-meup to break up long hours on duty. The coffee pot is always hot. It’s easier than ordering at an all-night diner, where a sudden call might interrupt the meal at a moment’s notice. If a call comes in, donuts are highly portable. For all these reasons, the cop/donut relationship blossomed and held fast through the years.

• What started as a cultural touchstone morphed into a derogatory Hollywood caricature. However, this cops-and-donuts stereotype is mainly limited to the U.S. and Canada, where donuts are popular. In other countries, cops may favor chips (fries) as in the U.K., or noodle shops in places like the Philippines.

• The cliché is so engrained that protesters at riots have dangled donuts on fishing poles to mock the police. In an episode of the crime show Law and Order terrorists left explosives in a donut box as bait for the police.

• In 2001, an Albuquerque cop was reprimanded for landing a police helicopter in a field next to a donut shop. He was returning to the hangar at the end of a shift. Landing around 2:00 a.m., the officer bought enough donuts to take back to the precinct to share but faced disciplinary measures afterward.

• In short, donut shops provide social, physical, and emotional sustenance for those tasked with the responsibility of keeping the community safe. In return, cops provide the bakery with cheap – or free – security. This reciprocal relationship has served its purpose well. The New York Times reports that donut shops have the lowest rate of robberies among other retail businesses.

* "My best friend recently had her first child. For her shower, we decided to get together and cook her several meals that could be frozen and go right from the freezer to the oven. This way, she has many meals to grab in the first few sleepless weeks."

E.S. in Mississippi

* Need to save money grocery shopping? Studies show that if you shop when the store is least busy, you'll make smarter decisions. Try shopping at off-peak hours, such as later in the evening or early in the morning. Or try your store on Wednesday, traditionally the least busy day of the week.

* "I was making cookies last week and needed to roll out the dough. I couldn't find my rolling pin anywhere. In a pinch, I pulled a bottle of wine off my wine rack and wrapped it tightly in plastic. It did the trick. I'm thinking I might just save the next empty bottle and clean the label off of it to use. I can store it right there in my rack!" O.V. in Oregon

* Add shredded veggies to tomato sauce to up the veggie quotient. Many vegetables can be added without adding many calories and will

not change the taste that much. Try carrots, squash or sweet potatoes. You can even add a tablespoon or two of canned, pureed pumpkin.

* "I like the smaller size of kids' meals at the drive-thru. I save the toys in a box, then I drop them off with a teacher friend to use as rewards in her classroom." via email

* "I found a bunch of guttering at a garage sale super cheap, and was inspired to bring it INSIDE my house. I purchased end pieces at my local hardware store and cut the gutters to fit inside my closet. They line the wall all the way up in horizontal rows. I use them to keep shoes, purses, even small baskets of accessories. It's wonderful. T. in Tennessee

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(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.