America

A New Symbol For The South.

I’ve never lived in the South. I have cousins that live there and my brother moved to Alabama a few months back, and that is about as deep as my relationship to the southern United States gets. I know the south has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and I know that the confederate flag is a symbol of controversy for many living there and not living there. It is a symbol that has long been divisive and polarizing, occasionally popping up in the news when there is a call to ban or abolish it from public use by a state or local government. So I can’t imagine the challenge of designing a new symbol for the south that would be inclusive, embrace the traditions and heritage of the region, and not spark arguments from those that believe the confederate flag is sacred.

Last year PRI and WNYC asked 70k ft to do just that, and they did. Below is the imagery that they created and some of the thinking that went into the redesign. The embedded links go to the South website and to the PRI site where the team discusses in detail the process, the thinking, and the reaction to the new symbol for the southern portion of the United States. It is an interesting read and listen if you have the time. I have mixed feelings about the end results. I like the new symbol better than the tired old confederate flag, but I’m not sure it will resonate with southerners. It’ll be interesting to see if this new symbol takes hold and develops traction in the future.

Fireworks, or Bombshells. You Choose.

Well, it’s Fourth of July weekend here in America and that means people are blowing up their hard earned money with fireworks. I like fireworks, well the professional ones that is. Don’t get me wrong if you want to blow shit up in your backyard to show the world how patriotic you are that’s fine. I’m not going to stop you. I just prefer to spend my money on things that aren’t going to go up in smoke, or run the risk of causing me pain and possible dismemberment. So you can celebrate the nation’s birthday with fireworks, or you can feast your eyes on pin-up girls sporting the red white and blue and in some cases holding fireworks. Frankly, I think I prefer looking at leggy gals sporting an outfit made from old glory and holding explosives. So here we have movie stars, models, and illustrations of just that. By the way, 1960’s bombshell Raquel Welch, and 1940’s Broadway star Anne Miller seem to have been very popular icons for the 4th.

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“Seven Days”, April 1968.

This video is a masterful blend of archival footage, newly captured video, animated stills, and CGI. it encompasses one of the greatest tragedies for America in the 20th century, and one of our greatest triumphs. If you are old enough to remember April 1968, this will bring back plenty of memories for you. If you weren’t around, or to young, hopefully it will inspire you to learn a bit more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Fair Housing Act, and the state of politics and race in America in the late sixties. We’ve come a long way since then, but have miles to go.

The 1 MIllion American Jobs Project.

I can get behind the “Made in America” craze that seems to have made huge progress in just the last two years. As a matter of fact I was behind this movement decades ago when RCA, the company my younger brother worked for, closed down one of it’s TV factories in Indiana. They closed because one of their largest purchasers wanted the wholesale price of TV’s to be lower, and RCA decided to send manufacturing to China to cut costs. There is a grass roots movement taking place to bring jobs back to the USA. Watch the video below, take note of a few facts, and then share it with your friends.