Jewish World Review Dec. 29, 2003 / 4 Teves, 5764
Jeff Elder
Can the colorblind see rainbows?; What causes moles? What's the difference between moles and freckles?
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Q: Can colorblind people see rainbows? I don't know if you're
colorblind, but if not, will you find out for me? - Shannon,
Charlotte, N.C.
A: Shannon, when I was a kid, my favorite color was plaid.
Unlike actual colors, it never played tricks on me. I always knew
when it was there.
I didn't know just how colorblind I was until an Air Force recruiter
gave me a test. (Pilots often need keen color vision because of the
many lights in a cockpit.)
He showed me cards covered with colored dots. Supposedly there was a
pattern in each one forming a number.
(To test your color vision, take a test online at
www.geocities.com/Heartland/8833/coloreye.html.)
"You really can't see any of these?" he asked, impressed.
"Is that a seven?" I said.
"Are you guessing?" he said.
We went through dozens of his cards before I clearly saw a number.
"Can I fly a plane?" I said.
"Son, you might not be able to drive," he said.
Yet I can see rainbows. I always rush outside and look for the white
arc.
Kiddin'.
I see the colors. But maybe not as many as you, or in quite the same
way.
Very few colorblind people see the world in black and white. Most
just have a hard time telling the difference between certain colors.
I seem to have trouble distinguishing green from gray and tan, and
red from purple and pink. Colorblind people often confuse greens and
reds or see them as more neutral than they actually are.
So what causes color-blindness?
At the back of the eye is the retina. About the size of a stamp, it
contains millions of cells that are sensitive to light. Some of the
cells are called cones. These let you see color by combining red,
blue and green to make thousands of colors. If you don't have the
correct chemicals in the cones, they may not let you see enough
colors.
Colorblindness is almost always inherited, and is much more common
in men than women. About one in 12 men is colorblind, to some
extent.
We see colors a little differently, but we do see rainbows, and the
colors of teenagers' hair. And I love to color with my little girl.
But I would find it comforting if Crayola made a plaid crayon.
Sources: Kim Rutherford, M.D., kidshealth.org
Q: What causes moles? What's the difference between moles and
freckles? If moles are created by sun exposure, how is it that I now
have moles in places that rarely, if ever, saw the sun? - Margaret
Dula, Lenoir, N.C.
A: Margaret, you and your moles are not alone. Everyone has them,
sometimes 40 or more.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, moles are caused
by an abundance of pigment cells in the skin. Sun exposure does
increase and darken them. But moles often appear where the sun don't
shine.
Some women get new moles, or their moles grow or darken as a result
of birth control pills or pregnancy.
Freckles are different in that they're smaller, and may fade
completely in the winter. Freckles ordinarily are limited to
sun-exposed areas.
So why is it that a small mole on the face of a great beauty like
Marilyn Monroe or Cindy Crawford seems to only add to her
attractiveness? "Beauty marks" and even piercings to give the same
effect have been fashioned by those wanting this look.
Experts say it's because our idea of beauty is based on symmetry -
everything is perfectly balanced. On a face like Monroe's or
Crawford's all the parts seem exactly even.
Then a sexy little dot slightly throws off that balance, adding
mystery and sex appeal. The mole becomes the dot below an
exclamation point.
The majority of moles are not cancerous. But you should see a doctor
about any spot that changes in size, shape or color, or that becomes
painful, or first appears after the age of 20.
Sources: Dermatologist Vail Reese, American Academy of Dermatology
QUICK QUIZ
1. In time, the Rockies may tumble, Gibraltar may crumble. They're
only made of clay. But these brothers' songs are here to stay.
2. Duke Ellington gave pianist Billy Strayhorn directions to his
Harlem apartment. Using that theme, Strayhorn wrote this jazz
standard.
3. My smile is my makeup I wear since my breakup with you.
4. She wrote "The Locomotion" for her daughter's baby sitter.
5. Time magazine says this gritty cowgirl poet is the best
songwriter in America.
6. This Michigander rapped: "You think I give a damn about a Grammy?
Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me."
ANSWERS
1. The Gershwins,
2. "Take the A Train,"
3. Smokey Robinson
4. Carole King
5. Lucinda Williams
6. Eminem
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Jeff Elder is a columnist for The Charlotte Observer. Comment or try to stump him by clicking here.
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