Dichotomic Press

I discovered two news stories this morning that caught my eye, but each one for very different reasons.

The first is a story about the two women who were used as pawns by the Iraqis to bomb a pet market on February 1st. I blogged about the event the day that it happened. Now US officials are making sure that we know the women did not have Down Syndrome as originally reported, but rather were suffering from mental illness. Excuse me, but what the hell difference does it make what their disabling conditions were? Does it make the act any less reprehensible that women with mental illness were used and not women with Down Syndrome? Why did the US and certain Iraqis feel it important to point out this distinction to us? I don’t understand.



Fortunately, the other story I read brightened my day and made me say “Wow”! According to the British TimesOnline, a color-blind artist who could only recognize black and white shades has learned how to paint with a full palette by “hearing” the hues he cannot see. Neil Harbisson, a Dartington College student is completely color-blind and has been fitted with a camera attached to a laptop, which converts color to sound. Absolutely amazing! I am not color blind nor am I an artist, but the geek in me covets this technology in an unhealthy way!