Cool, non-traditional men’s wedding ring:
On August 3, 2010, In Symbols, By Wes
On July 13, 2010, In Symbols, _______vs._______, By Wes
We mentioned in an earlier post that our homestate was Georgia. While driving through the northwest part of the state last weekend, I saw a large state flag, the new one, flying from the roof of a roadside fruit stand (watermelonohmygodohmygodohmygodsogoodgivemenow). We felt proud. The new flag looks like this:
A few miles later, predictably, we saw the old flag, the one that flew above the state house from 1956 to 2001. It looks like this:
The flag was controversial from the start. Many state groups lobbied for the Georgia legislature to keep the old design, a simple but attractive flag that had flown between 1920 and 1956:
Some even asked for the return of the flag flown until 1879:
The little fellow in the middle represents the defense of the constitution. But back to the ’56 flag. Instituted and voted in as part of a package of bills aimed at fighting federal attempts to integrate Georgia schools, and specifically targeting the effects of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision two years earlier, it incorporated into it’s design a carbon copy of the CSA flag – the Confederate States of America. For over a century, the flag represented to many treason, racial hatred, institutionalized slavery, and a war that killed more Americans than every other international fracas we’ve engaged in. A war capable of slaughtering more than 50,000 men in a single battle. For others, it represented nebulous notions of “culture,” “tradition,” and “history, not hate.”
The flag was a bitter point of contention for decades. When the Olympic Games came to Atlanta in 1996, many participant countries and American business owners and athletes complained about having to play under such a flag. At the time, Democratic Governor Zell Miller attempted to make a change but got soundly defeated in the legislature. It would not be until 2001, when another Democratic Governor occupied the mansion (Roy Barnes) that the flag finally got changed. And boy did it ever, to this monstrosity:
Several survey tagged this flag as the worst in the country, in terms of design and aesthetic appeal. It also gets bad marks for compromise, with a strange an nowhere-near appeasing inclusion of the ’56 flag under the “Georgia’s History” banner. Many Georgians were furious, and the new Governor, Republican Sonny Perdue, was elected in part due to a campaign promise to put the flag issue up for referendum; he would allow Georgians to to vote on which flag they wanted.
Of course, when Sonny won, he was put in a bit of a pickle; follow through on his campaign promise and reinstate a symbol of racism, shameful history and hatred on top of the state house, or keep the flag the way it was and be considered a liar, coward and same-old politician?
In the end, Perdue pulled off a pretty neat trick. He did hold the referendum, but the voters were given but two choices; the current flag, seen at the top of this post, or the hideous flag, seen at the bottom. Again, indignation and relief rose in equal manner.
As for now, the issue is settled. However, it’s interesting and revealing to note how much design can mean, even when (or especially when) divorced from aesthetic consideration. It’s not just furniture, color and clothes.
On June 25, 2010, In Sport, By Wes
In all the excitement of this enthralling and (for us Americans) inspiring World Cup, one thing that finds little mention is the astounding ugliness of the World Cup itself.
Just no good at all. But what about some of the other major sports? Here we have the Larry O’Brien Trophy, awarded each year to the NBA champion. It’s okay; a little slick perhaps.
Kobe, of course, is holding the Finals MVP Trophy. Let’s look next to the Lombardi Trophy, the NFL Super Bowl winner’s prize. It’s certainly a major improvement over the World Cup and LOBT, but there’s still a bit to be desired.
Now here’s one I like, and it gets big points for originality; the Commissioners Trophy, given to the winner of the World Series (MLB).
Ivan appears happy.
Okay, the best of the best, my favorite, and the best looking to boot; The NHL Stanley Cup. There’s just nothing better; the size of it, the way the players get to keep it over the offseason, the fact that there’s only one, it’s age and wear – it’s a classic.
On June 22, 2010, In furniture, By Wes
Tacky, or awesome? You decide.
On March 30, 2010, In Symbols, By Wes
Some of the best, some of the most famous, but the best first:
The signatures of Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Calvin Cooldige. Not our most accomplished Chief Executives; too much time perfecting their signatures, perhaps.
Now the famous:
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John F. Kennedy.
The American flag has remained the same for decades, aside from the addition of a few stars here and there. But there were many versions of the flag before the one we’ve come to know and love(?) today. These include flags with no red white and blue, flags made up on the spot by John Paul Jones to avoid charges of piracy by Dutch statesmen, flags featuring disgusting reptiles, etc., etc. Here’s a sampling of some of the coolest and most surprising.
One of the very first American symbols, this flag flew over American shipping vessels c. 1775. It was a message to the British, and a nationalistic ode to the new world. It was called the Liberty Tree flag.
And now we’ve moved to the first type of flag flown by the fledgling American Navy, c. 1775. It’s still flown today on the oldest naval ship. The rattlesnake is ominous, poisonous warning. Also, disgusting.
We all know the (probably) mythical story of Betsy Ross sewing the first real American flag in 1776. Here’s the (probably fictional) representation of the woman herself presenting her work to Washington.
The flag flown by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys at the Battle of Bennington, 1777.
The actual flag flown over Fort Sumter in 1861 – the first battle of the Civil War, won by the Confederacy.