A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
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The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers.
If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links.
If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version.
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Do you see colors correctly or not?
A bunch of months ago I did a diary about color blindness which is caused by a faulty gene on the X chromosome that results in a lack of properly working cones in the retina. Since it's on the X chromosome, men are afflicted by it in far greater numbers than women. Because women have two X chromosomes a faulty gene on one X chromosome is usually cancelled out by properly functioning one on the other.
I was driving back from my office last week while listening to a fascinating show on our local NPR radio station. It was about cones and color. Different animals have different numbers of cones. The more types of cones an animal has, the more colors can be seen. Humans have three cones. They are called red, green and blue cones, but that is actually a simple way of talking about them.
What our cones do is let us see the differences between colors. Normal human eyes can differentiate between red and green, between blue and yellow, and between black and white. Being able to distinguish the colors within each continuum of these three color axes allows us to see all the colors we are capable of seeing.
Color blind guys have fewer cones working properly. Most commonly they can't distinguish the differences between reds and greens as well as folks with normal vision and are therefore dubbed "red-green color blind." Rainbows to humans have seven colors from red through orange and yellow to green and blue to purple because our three cones can differentiate the wavelengths of light that make those colors visible to us. But there are a lot more colors out there than we are capable of seeing.
Dogs have only two types of cones. They have blue and green cones but lack red ones and so dogs cannot see any shade of red. A rainbow to a dog looks green and blue and possibly a bit purple. It has no red, orange or yellow. Dogs see the world as blacks, grays, whites, blues and greens. If you had a plate of tomatoes that ranged from being green to being red, a dog would only see various shades of green tomatoes from yellow-green to blue-green. Most mammals see the world the same way dogs do.
Cats see the same color as dogs since they too have only blue and green cones. Both dogs and cats do see many more shades of greys and blacks than humans because they can see in about 1/6th the light that humans need to see. Another thing about dogs and cats is they have better peripheral vision. Humans can see about 180 degrees of the world in front of them. Dogs and cats see up to 270 degrees around them. Birds can see up to 360 degrees around them. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Birds have four cones and can see colors far beyond what humans can. They have the best vision of any vertebrate being able to see well into the UV range. So the world is a lot more colorful for birds than it is for mammals including humans. Some colors glow for birds.
Butterflies have 5 cones. We can't even imagine what the world looks like to them. The sky is likely not simply blue but a myriad of different colors. Flowers look totally different to butterflies than to us. For instance, to us a Black-eyed Susan flower has yellow pedals and a dark brown center. To butterflies they are bright, glowing silver and blue with a lot of variation of those colors. They may very well be able to see color differences in flowers that have nectar vs. those that don't when to us they all look the same. We can only dream of all the colors they see because we have no capacity to even imagine colors we can't see ourselves.
The animal with the best vision hands down is a type of snapping shrimp. You've seen them in action I'm sure on some nature show. They snap their huge claw so forcefully that the shock waves stun little fish nearby which they then consume. They have 16 cones. The world has got to be made up of countless colors to them. As a matter of fact they are so attuned to color that an individual color causes them to mate while another color causes them to fight and yet another color causes them to hunt. Apparently they are slaves to colors of the world. Seeing certain colors causes them to just instantly react without thinking.
Here's an very interesting thing. They know we evolve as does every creature (sorry you non-believers of evolution). Humans should be evolving to having a fourth cone. They looked for that in women since women have two X chromosomes and thus have more capacity to visually evolve compared to men. They can do a simple blood test and check the chromosomes to detect it. They found a couple women in the USA and even more in Britain that indeed have four cones in their retinas. Since we normally have RGB cones (and hence the reason TV's and computer screens put out color in the RGB mode) they needed to call the fourth cone something. They've named it the yellow cone. So these women have red, green, blue and yellow cones (RGBY).
What do they see? Here's the problem with that. The entire world of humans is made up of colors for normal-seeing eyes with RGB cones. Every paint color, every piece of clothing, every manufactured item is made in a color that we can see and not in colors we can't (duh). It turns out these women with a 4th cone see the same colors as all the rest of us because the entire human world is made of those colors. They didn't see anything differently in the world around them compared to normal visions folks. Why?
Seeing is dependent both on the machinery we have to see and how our brain processes what our eyes see. Every one of these women saw only the same colors as RGB folks with one exception. The exception was a women in Britain who's career is interior decorating. Her whole life is about color. She was the only one they found that could literally see colors normal humans can't because her brain worked differently in interpreting colors compared to those of us who's lives don't revolve around being able to really see subtle differences in color.
http://discovermagazine.com/...
http://www.popsci.com/...
http://www.bbc.com/...
The way they tested for this was by creating cloth swatches in various shades of brown. To normal RGB eyes, all of the shades of brown look exactly the same. Only a person with the 4th yellow cone would be able to see differences. This women saw every single swatch as being a distinct shade of brown different from all the rest. So they proved that indeed women with a yellow cone have the potential of seeing the world in more colors than us regular RGB models.
What color is your world? How about your parachute?
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
by AndyT ♥ for Dallas Kossacks
For our first Meet-up we kept it social for the most part. We discussed our histories in activism and what got us involved. Our lurker, CJ, had some questions about how Daily Kos works and we were happy to explain the basics. Some of the topics discussed were fracking, trans teens, LGBT activism, police violence, increasing the minimum wage and income inequality. We also got to know each other a little bit.
It's always a treat and privilege to meet fellow progressives. I personally feel right at home with them almost immediately. I had a great time and I believe everyone else did as well.
So come see us on May 23rd at Ojeda's!!!
Texnance, dalfireplug and Andyt photographed by lurker CJ
Please visit
AndyT's diary. You can still REC it. You can join
Dallas Kossacks by sending a
Kosmail to AndyT.
by randallt ♥ for DKos Asheville
DKos Asheville brought its eighth community meet up to life this past weekend with a historic appearance of a civil rights icon, Dr Fergie Reid, in Roanoke Virginia.
As reported by Roanoke's NBC Station, WSLS10:
A living legend was honored in Roanoke on Saturday. A special event was held at Hotel Roanoke recognizing William Ferguson Reid. Dr. Reid was the first African-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly in the twentieth century.
In March of this year, Reid celebrated his 90th birthday. In an effort to continue his long history of expanding voters' rights, people are taking part in a campaign called "90 for 90." The goal is to register new voters for the election. People across the state are working to register 90 new voters in each of Virginia's precincts.
randallt (Connect! Unite! Act! State Leader for North Carolina), Chris LaGrant (Campaign Manager for Virginia State Senate candidate Mike Hamlar), Dr. William Ferguson Reid, Sr. (Civil Rights Leader & 90 for 90 Icon), Freeda Cathcart (Democratic Activist), Dr. William Ferguson Reid, Jr. (Son of Dr. Fergie, Sr.) and Gordon20024 (DKos Meet-up Benefactor)
Please visit randallt's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join
DKos Asheville by sending a
Kosmail to randallt.
by Chris Reeves ♥ for Kansas & Missouri Kossacks
&
by navajo ♥ for Connect! Unite! Act!
More than 140 readers of Daily Kos and friends came together in Kansas City to discuss the future of Kansas, Missouri and the Democratic Party - as well as what they can do about it. All of the speakers were excellent and many of the attendees loved meeting the writers at Daily Kos and underlining the fact that we are there for them. We had a great day starting with a continental breakfast and enjoyed the spaciousness of a really swell theater for the presentations. There was a greeting by navajo, a presentation by Chris Reeves and Reuben Eckels, a speech by David Nir and a talk by Joan McCarter. We had a casual pizza buffet for lunch. We resumed with Markos giving a preview of DK5 and then an Ask Me Anything session. Next up was an interview by Monique Teal of Patricia Bynes, Dr. Jacob Wagner spoke next and then we finished off with a Meteor Blades's summary of the purpose of the event and then we Skyped in the Roanoke event and an address by Dr. Ferguson Reid, Sr.
Markos addressing the crowd
Markos chatting during a break
Please visit Chris Reeve's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Kansas & Missouri Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Chris Reeves.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Saturday, May 16th
Colorado Community Caffeinating Liberally Meet-up
TIME: 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Common Grounds Coffeehouse
2139 W. 44th Ave (Vallejo) • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Leftcandid
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: DENVER: Come Have Coffee On Saturday May 16, Because It'll Probably Be Raining.
Saturday, May 16th
NYC Kossacks Welcome Peregrine Kate!
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (corner of Ludlow) • NYC
ORGANIZER: Send kathny a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. kathny
2. peregrine kate
3. belinda ridgewood
4. asterkitty
5. ericlewis0
6. Design the Future
7. mattc129
8. blue jersey mom
9. rubyr
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Maybees:
Its the Supreme Court Stupid
wader
NancyWH
garth
joan brooker
thirty three and a third
followyourbliss
Catskill Julie
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Latest diary: REMINDER: NYC Meetup May 16 - Can you help PEREGRINE KATE find a place to stay??
Saturday, May 23rd
Dallas Kos Meet-up, Let's Build Community!
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Ojeda's Mexican Restaurant
4617 Maple Avenue • Dallas
ORGANIZER: Send AndyT a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. AndyT
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Dallas Kossacks Meetup Report and Next Event
Saturday, May 30th
Houston Kos Monthly Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Fadi's Mediterranean Grill in Meyerland Plaza
4738 Beechnut Street • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send Chrislove a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. scott5js
3. cosette
4. NoBlinkers
5. Baby NoBlinkers
6. Mary
7. JJR1971
8. TDDVandy
9. Blood
10. jmbar2 |
Maybees:
Mr. cosette
Mr. NoBlinkers
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Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: Meetup Scheduled for May 30 (RSVP Today!)
Saturday, May 30th
Seattle Puget Sound Kos Meet-up with Guest Speaker Yoram Bauman
Connect, Unite and help plan Action for 2015!
Cost: $20.00 with selected menu
LOCATION: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send John Crapper a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. John Crapper
2. John Crapper's SO
3. bleeding blue
4. LarisaW
5. momomia
6. Eagle Keeper
7. Piren
8. Flamingogrrl
9. doing business as
10. Gemina13
11. TBone Apollo |
Maybees:
tenayaca
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Latest diary: S&PS Kos - Take the Initiative with Yoram Bauman
Sunday, May 31st
Los Angeles Kossacks Potluck
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Private Home
[Address given privately to RSVPers] • North Hills
ORGANIZER: Send susans a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. susans - vegetarian main dish
2. Otoelbc
3. matts2
4. Mrs. matts2
5. Joshua Bloxom - dessert
6. Shockwave
7. Santa Susanna Kid
8. gmats
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Maybees:
philipmerrill
jakedog42
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Latest diary: Potluck in Los Angeles on May 31st
June 26, 27 & 28th, 2015
EPIC Glacier National Park Meet-up II
ACTIVITIES:
June 26: TBD
June 27: TBD
June 28:
Day - TBD
Evening - 5:00 PM, BBQ potluck with Jen Hayden at the lower picnic area at the Historic Tamarack Lodge, 9549 U.S. 2, Hungry Horse, MT 59919. Entertainment at 6:00 PM by Truckstop Honeymoon
TIME: 24/7
LOCATION: Exact location inside park TBD
[Address] • Glacier National Park
ORGANIZER: Send Ojibwa a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Ojibwa
2. state of confusion
3. Thinking Fella
4. side pocket
5. Mrs. side pocket
6. navajo
7. jakedog42
8. Jen Hayden for 6/28 only
9. Joan McCarter
10. mcmom
11. peregrine kate
12. BoiseBlue
13. Mrs. BoiseBlue
14. figbash
15. MTmofo
16. woolibaar
17. markdd
18. Mrs. markdd
19. Earthling1
20. Earthling2
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Maybees:
NormAl1792
winifred3
dharmasyd
foresterbob
714Day
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Latest diaries:
• A 2015 Glacier National Park Meetup?
• The 2015 EPIC Glacier Park Meet Up: Travel and Lodging
• The EPIC 2015 Glacier National Park Meet Up: Camping
• The 2015 EPIC Glacier National Park Meet Up: Tours
• Glacier National Park: Red Rock Falls (Photo Diary) and Meet Up Stuff
Announcing Asheville, North Carolina as the location
for our next Regional Event! 9.26.15
Asheville, N.C. is the destination for September 26, 2015! DKos Asheville, the In-Real-Life group under the leadership of randallt, has been setting the example for other IRL groups across the nation regarding registering people to vote, getting out the vote, having a state open thread and setting up strategy conferences for their region. Because of this impressive leadership we've asked randallt to be the State Leader for all of North Carolina. We've got important work to do on the ground there and randallt has shown he's the person to make that happen.
All states are welcome to attend this event and if you do you can expect to meet Markos Moulitsas in person, as well as some of the Daily Kos staff. More details regarding this regional event will be shared in the future so please stay tuned to Connect! Unite! Act!
For now, SAVE THE DATE and spread the word!
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.