Posted on 09/04/2003 5:28:15 PM PDT by dts32041
Threat Level Remains at Gray
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge admitted today that he is "completely color-blind," but assured the American people that his condition in no way impairs his ability to fulfill his duties as steward of the nation's security.
"Color-blind or not, here at the Department of Homeland Security, it is business as usual," Mr. Ridge said. "The threat level remains at gray."
For Secretary Ridge, the admission that he is color-blind brought with it a tremendous sense of relief, he said.
"In the past, every time I picked up a pointer to indicate the latest threat level on that darned chart, I was always scared to death I would mess up somehow," Mr. Ridge said. "I can't tell you how good it feels to let each and every one of you know that I can't tell one threat level from another."
While Mr. Ridge acknowledged that he found the color-coded threat-alert chart "confusing," he added, "I'm sure I find it no more confusing than anyone else in the country does."
Even as he admitted his own color-blindness, Mr. Ridge announced a bold new initiative that would urge high-fashion designers to color-coordinate their fall collections with the current threat level, yellow.
"I hope they will be showing a lot of yellow this fall," Mr. Ridge said. "Here at the Department of Homeland Security, yellow is the new black."
Carson Kressley, fashion guru of Bravo's hit series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," bemoaned Mr. Ridge's fashion alert, saying that "Yellow makes me look like a stick of I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Butter," but added, "I'll do anything that beefy dreamboat tells me to."
Roger that ... how about "one finger" ... "two fingers" ... "three fingers" ...
We'll leave it to the imagination WHICH LEVEL and WHICH FINGER we'll use for the *highest* level ...
Or we could use our toes, like in "this little piggie." Is the little piggie having roast beef, or will it go "wee, wee, wee," all the way home?
Like when the muslims are just blustering, we're at Threat Level Bluto.
If they start get their hands on some airplanes, we move to Threat Level Witchiepoo.
If they get ahold of some WMDs, we move up to Threat Level Blackula.
http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/education/eyefacts/ColorBlindness.htm
What are the types of inherited color vision defects?
There are three groups of inherited color vision defects: monochromacy, dichromacy and anomalous trichromacy. The last two groups are subdivided into red-green and blue-yellow types of defects. Inherited red-green color vision defects are more common in males (1 to 8 percent depending on race) than in females (about 0.4 percent). Inherited blue-yellow defects are rare in either sex.
Monochromacy—Rod monochromats, or complete achromats, are truly "color blind" since they cannot distinguish any hues (e.g., blue, green, yellow and red). They see only different degrees of lightness. For them, the world appears to be shades of gray, black and white. They also have poor visual acuity, aversion to bright light and nystagmus (an involuntary, rapid movement of the eyes).
To have rod monochromacy, someone must inherit a gene for the disorder from both parents. This condition occurs in approximately 1 in 30,000 of the population.
Dichromacy is a less severe form of color defect than monochromacy. Dichromats can tell some hues apart. Dichromacy is divided into three types: protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia.
Protanopia and deuteranopia are red-green defects. Persons with red-green defects have difficulty distinguishing between reds, greens and yellows but can discriminate between blues and yellows. Protanopes often can name red and green correctly because green looks lighter to them than red.
Males have red-green defects if they inherit a defective gene from their mother. Affected males pass the defective gene to all of their daughters but none of their sons. Females who inherit only one defective gene are carriers of that gene. Females who inherit the gene for red-green defect from both parents are affected.
Hereditary tritanopia is a blue-yellow defect. Persons with blue-yellow defects cannot see the difference between blues and yellows but can distinguish between reds and greens. Tritanopia is somewhat rare (affecting between 1 and 15,000 and 1 in 50,000) and occurs equally in both sexes. Triatnopes usually have fewer problems in performing everyday tasks than do those with red-green dichromacy.
Anomalous Trichromacy—The ability of anomalous trichromats to distinguish between hues is better than dichromats but still not normal. Red-green anomalous trichromacy is subdivided into protanomaly and deuteranomaly. Both types are inherited in the same way as for red-green dichromacy. The severity can range from mild to extreme. Some persons with the mildest forms may not even realize their color vision is abnormal.
A third type of anomalous trichromacy is tritanomaly. This condition is more often acquired than inherited.
My vote goes to the 'pucker factor' system!
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