Bear Flag Republic

Magnet #699 - California Republic

I picked this magnet today because it's been ages since I've mentioned my obsession about bears seriously, dudes, what is going on with California weather?

I'll be thinking good thoughts for all of ya'll, but I'm telling you, this is the precise reason why I've not moved my East Coast Girl self over there. I'm convinced, as most disaster movies would have me believe, that the left coast will eventually fall off the continent. For serious, yo. Be safe, ya'll!

Back to this flag, though...I think I've mentioned before how utterly fascinated I am about the fact that while we all study United States history growing up, there are kids in our 50 individual states are learning 50 different sets of statehood history. So like, I know a thousand things about North Carolina history, but absolutely none about say, California. C'mon! That's kinda cool.

To wit: I didn't even know there was such as thing as the Bear Flag Republic, or their revolt (!) which took place during the Mexican-American War, in 1846 in Sonoma, when 33 settlers said, "Nu-uh, you'll not make us yours, Mexico!" and created the California Republic. Whiiiiiich lasted 26 days.

What's crazy, is that they staged this rebellion in June, and they didn't know that the US had declared war against Mexico back in May, and they didn't find out until July! That's a TV-movie right there.

I had a whole thing written here about the original flag designed by Mary Todd Lincoln's first cousin, and had a statant (standing) black bear, versus the modern, en passant (walking) grizzly, who was modeled after Monarch, the last California grizzly in captivity. But, the State of California's written a whole booklet on the flags that have flown over California.

A. Whole. Booklet. Here.

But, if you get a hankerin', apparently, Monarch was preserved, and now hangs out over at the California Academy of Sciences. Sniffle.

Long may she wave

Magnet #478 - Fort McHenry, Baltimore, MD

Ya'll know I have a thing for visiting national parks, and historic places. A couple of months ago we visited Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, MD. It was always one of those placesigns along I-95 that you just drive past on your way north or south, and you just never stop. This time we did.

Here's the thing. You grow up with the national anthem, the American flag (and apple pie, I suppose), but you don't necessarily think about from whence they came. So to see the flag flying, and to stand in the very fort where the star-spangled banner waved, and to walk o'er the ramparts, is something pretty cool.

That same weekend, we also went to the newly renovated Smithsonian National Museum of American History in DC, where we could see the same flag from the song. And you think Fort McHenry was cool, seeing the actual flag itself is even more awesome.

Both places gives you more historical context more than any history book ever could - so it's highly recommended.

The flag itself and the journey it's been on since the War of 1812 is quite extraordinary. You can learn more about it through the Smithsonian's fabulous interactive demo - definitely check it out. I love this magnet because it really shows a couple of details that I find fascinating. Heh, so fascinating that I totally did their little quiz thingy and got this cute certificate.

The original flag was about 30 x 42-feet - which is insanely large. At the time that Mary Pickersgill sewed it, there were 15 stars on the canton (the field of blue on the flag), and it's the only time there were 15 stripes - one for Kentucky and one for Vermont just admitted to the Union. (Of course, they had to stop the extending the flags by the stripes, because they realized that the flag would become too cumbersome if they kept adding stripes. Really, imagine the flag with 50 stripes?)

After the War of 1812, the flag remained in the possession of the Armistead family (the husband was fort commander)...and over time, they would give away pieces of the flag as souvenirs or remembrances to people. That's why there's a star (the white halo'd one on the magnet) and about 8 feet of flag missing. You'll also see what they believe is a little red A sewn into a white stripe - sewn onto the flag by Louisa Armistead, the commander's widow.

Still, if there's one thing I love about this country, it's our recognized need to preserve our relatively short history. And this flag is no exception - the Preservation Project shows how workers have toiled painstakingly to help this national treasure survive.

You think you tear up now, when you hear the below words being sung? I promise, the below words will take on so much more meaning once you've visited both Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled Banner in DC. Happy Flag Day!

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The boundaries of space and time

Magnet #169 - American Museum of Natural History

I've never been a big dinosaur kid. In fact, my only real memories of dinosaurs from childhood was helping my sister learn her school play songs - Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex.

So, really, there's no reason for me to be watching that new show on BBC-A - Primeval. Except that I have to admit to a certain amount of brainwashing. I watch tons of BBC-A, so every darn commercial break, there's at least one Primeval ad in the pod. And, if it's not a commercial, it's a behind the scenes look at the characters or their CGI work. But even when I'm not watching BBC-A, I just have to walk down the street in Manhattan, to see them taking over vacant storefronts. And really, how many times can I hear that one guy say that some. force. out. there. ripped the boundaries of space and time!

So, in case you've missed all the hoopla, it's all about this weirdo broken shards of glass anomaly in some weirdo forest in the UK. Oh, and weirdo dinosaurs coming through the weirdo broken shards of glass anomaly. And the weirdo mix of weirdo individuals that they've thrown together to investigate. A university professor, his assistant, a student of his, a zookeeper and then the rogue government agent determined to help them out with her boss fighting her the whole way. Oh, and the missing wife of the uni prof, whose camera they found when they went through the anomaly to investigate. The prof, by the way, went through the anomaly with naught but the clothes on his back and a special forces soldier. WTH?

The writing's kinda cheesy, the plotting isn't all that much better, the CGI's actually not bad, and I kept waiting for them to call Torchwood. That's all I got, having seen only the pilot so far. I'll keep watching for an episode or two more, because there's at least one or two cuteboys to keep me occupied. How sad is it that I recognize only the chick from S Club 7, and the guy who played the chaperone from The Prince & Me?

I don't really have a great track record with pilots...which is why I end up watching at least the first few episodes before adding or deleting from my TV dance card. So for now, it stays...after all, how will I learn it's not the Doctor himself who ripped the boundaries in space and time!

(Goodness, maybe now a whole new set of Primeval commercials will air!)

Elephant walk

Magnets #128a & 128b - Elephant Magnerine

How cool are these guys.

Last year, some friends and I visited the American Museum of Natural History here in town, and I saw these in the little shop. (There I go again, with the little shop.)

And, of course, the second I saw these, I fell promptly in love. It's like twice the magnetic goodness! It's two magnets, that become one 3-D figurine that stands all on its own.

It's called a Magnerine, which is just the most clever name to ever clever. Seriously, I raved about them for days and days after I saw them. In the interest of full disclosure, I've actually been in touch with these folks, hoping to work with them on a project for work. But I was thrilled to see all the different types of magnets they've produced - including, one I've already blogged about - the Monet tube of paint!

As it turns out, apparently, there's several of these Magnerines - just in the AMNH shop alone was a gorilla, a polar bear, and even the giant blue whale (a la the newly refurbished blue whale room at the museum). And, the Met has them as well, for their Egyptian collection and their Met store bags, which are also supercute as well.

But I have to say, I think this little guy's my absolute favorite. I mean, look how cute is he!!!