TheCleaners.net

We're passionate about our freedoms in this country. We tend to be more rebellious and outspoken than people in some countries in our efforts to protect what we hold most sacred -- our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Turn on the TV these days, and you won't have to go far before you find a channel featuring someone going ballistic about something some candidate said (or didn't say), did (or didn't do), and what needs to be done about it.

So why doesn't all that passion translate into actual foot traffic to the polls on election day? It's a mystery. We have the freedom to show up or not -- and many of us exercise that freedom by staying home and complaining about the results. Voting doesn't take long, you meet interesting people in line, and you get the chance to remember what this country was founded on when you step into that booth and cast a ballot instead of just bowing to a monarch or dictator.

Make a plan now to strut your stuff at the polls, and why not make it a day to celebrate by wearing red, white and blue? We've got tips on how to do that in this newsletter.

See you at the polls!

Jim Nixon

Voting Factoid

• As a nation, the US ranks 139th out of 172 countries in terms of voter participation.
• In 2000, just 54% of those eligible to vote in the US actually made it to the polls.

-- Source: Now with Bill Moyers on PBS

Seeing RED Coupon!

You know you're afraid to clean it at home, lest you be stuck with pink underwear and towels for years as a result. So bring us your red stuff! We'll professionally clean and finish a predominantly red garment for just $2 when you have $15 in drycleaning done. Exclusions include red wedding gowns and red leather coats. (Just include first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer expires November 13, 2004. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

No such thing as color!

No, that's not a misprint. There really is no such thing as color. What we call color is actually just certain parts of the light spectrum bouncing off particular items. Something we say is "blue" is actually just reflecting blue and absorbing the other parts of the spectrum.

Interestingly, how you see color and react to it is a product of your background. Different countries have different meanings for colors. For example, a white wedding dress is what all little girls in Western nationsdream of... but in China, white is for funerals! (Their happy color is red.) And only the USA seems to brand babies at birth with either blue or pink garments and accessories; other nations don't have that association with those colors.

Strong colors draw the eye and cause us to react in emotional and physical ways. The colors red, white and blue are three that have very tangible emotional content.

What they mean.

• Red is a passionate color, of course. It's a power color. People who wear red tend to be confident and outgoing -- especially if they wear whole garments of it. However, it's also a bit menacing to some people and comes on strong. Psychologists suggest you not wear it if you're heading into a negotiation or a job interview (that old wave-the-red-cape-at-the-bull syndrome.) Looking at quantities of red actually makes a person's heart rate increase, respiration rate rise and causes people to make quick decisions. (Aha! Now we know why the cars in the show room are usually red!) Red on products increases expectations. It's so noticeable, though, that if you wear red or have red furniture or a red car, it should be perfect -- everybody will be looking. Oh, and it can make things look bigger, so be careful which area of your body you wear it on.
• White is such a neutral color that just looking at it causes us to calm down. We feel cooler looking at it. White symbolizes purity and cleanliness, which is why medical professionals used to wear nothing but white. It's a great color to wear or use to set off other colors, though the ease with which it gets dirty (and the difficulty getting it truly clean) can limit its functionality.
• Blue is one of the favorite colors universally. We tend to relax when blue is around. We also do better (people taking tests do better in blue rooms, weight lifters hoist more weight when their surroundings are blue, and we retain more information if we read it in blue print.) Dark shades of blue can be cold to us, but medium and light shades are tranquilizing. We don't like it in food, though! People tested with food that had been dyed blue quickly lost their appetites. (And this is probably why Blue Plate Specials were so popular -- the cook knew you wouldn't eat as much!)

Red, White and Blue facts

• Red cars are stolen more than other colors.
• People wearing blue are perceived to be loyal. (Good for interviews and meetings.)
• Words printed in Red gets people's attention fastest.
• White objects actually reflect ALL colors, which blend to make white.
• Red rooms cause people to lose track of time (and so it is used frequently in bars, casinos and other places where the longer you stay, the more you spend.) It's also an appetite stimulant.
• When people look at blue, their bodies produce tranquilizing chemicals that calm them.
• With respect to rate of eye blinking, heart rate and respiration, when people were tested with each of the three colors, red caused the highest rates, white was lower and blue was lowest.

• Read more about the psychology of color here.

How to wear Red, White and Blue tastefully.

We've all seen it -- people who look like walking flags. Sometimes they even wear garments that have stars and stripes on them. Red, white and blue together can make a crisp, powerful visual statement, but in the everyday working world, it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

Guidelines for Red, White and Blue

• Determine what image you're trying to convey (power/passion, loyalty/tranquility, lightness/purity) and then make the color associated with that perception the dominant one in your outfit. If you're going for strength and volatility, by all means make the largest piece of the outfit red! If a more subdued strength is called for, go for blue.
• Play the colors off against each other, with white for a pleasing eye-break. A blue suit with red shirt and blue tie is probably hard to look at -- just too much color! Give the eyes of those who will look at you a place to rest that is more neutral, such as a white shirt under that red tie, inside that blue jacket.
• Use the jazzier color of red as your accessory color. (White is also a great accessory color.) Spread spots of the vibrant colors around -- a belt, shoes, tie or scarf, jewelry, even eyeglass frames.
• In the business world, wearing a garment (other than a tie or scarf) that closely emulates the flag is both too casual and too controversial. Business tends to be conservative -- don't stir up controversy needlessly.

Garments that are a blend of red, white and blue (polkadotted, striped, with a bold print on white, or with dramatic trim colors) are often a challenge to clean. Manufacturers want you to be draw to the bright red and the deep blue, so they overdye those components of the garment to be sure the color is deep. With the first several cleanings, the dye can "migrate" and end up on lighter-colored areas if care is not taken. Generally, red is not something you want to clean at home -- unless you really like a pink laundry load, that is! We take special care with reds, and often do entire loads of nothing but red to prevent mishaps. We'd be happy to keep your patriotic wear looking crisp enough to salute.

Thank you for voting!