Some beautiful architecture at the Department of Commerce.
The Herbert C. Hoover Building (HCHB).
They don’t make them like they used to. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Category Archives: Flag
@4th of July Parade, Washington D.C.
(Credit Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
Nike Is A National Disgrace
Nike recalled their sneakers from retailers with the Betsy Ross American Flag.
And they did it right before Independence Day this Thursday.
NIKE is a national disgrace!
Nike, should be standing strong to proudly display the American Flag, but rather they are like the Evil Axis, Iranians, that put it on the heel of their shoe–step on it and spit on it.
This is what we get as a nation when patriotism is turned on it’s head, and people that want to bring down this country and destroy it are instead elevated as spokespeople and even fraudulent politicians for it.
Who would’ve thought after 9/11 that America would self-destruct from enemies within rather than from without. 😦
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Beauty of Words
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “The Beauty of Words.”
Before Amos Oz could read the words themselves (by sounding our the letters), he learned to read by shapes! Amazingly, he saw the words in a whole new way. The “S” in “Snake” looks like a snake. Similarly the “F” in “Flag” looks like a flag on a pole. Again, an “eye” looks like a pair of eyes with the bridge of a nose between them.
“Language arts” really is an art that is poetic in sound, meaningful in thought, and even beautiful to look at–no different than a work of art by Picasso or Mozart. 😉
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
Wow 4th of July Flowers
Wow, these flowers were made for 4th of July, right?
How amazing that G-d (maybe with some man adjustments) made these beautiful red, white, and blue flowers–all-in-one!
Go USA!
It’s truly fantastic to have independence, freedom, human rights, democracy.
We have so much to be grateful for.
And there is so much that the world can learn and benefit from America.
We’re not perfect–nobody and nothing (but G-d) is.
But we stand for some really amazing things–and these values are worth sharing and defending. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Memorial Day Stars and Stripes
Loved this lady’s sweater of the American Flag.
So cool with the stars on the sleeve like that.
I thought this was especially nice for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
As we remember those that have sacrificed so much, and the many that have fallen making the ultimate sacrifice, so that all we could be free.
“In the olden days,” they used to say America was the “goldene medina”–the golden country–the land of opportunity!
But really, the gold itself is just fools gold, the real greatness of being here is the freedom to be who you are and to have the human rights and protections to pursue whatever your dreams are.
Maybe that’s what the stars on the flag are really all about–we can all reach for the stars–whatever stars we want–and many will actually be able to achieve the impossible. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The UNITED States of America
Continuing the theme of unity…
I really liked this amazing American flag.
Instead of stars, it has the abbreviations for all 50 states.
Imagine what we can accomplish if we all learn to love each other and band together again.
And know for sure what will happen it this hate and infighting continues.
Unfortunately, there seems to be selfish forces of corruption and evil at play.
Put the country first.
By all means disagree and constructively criticize.
Influence things for the good.
Work together and solve problems.
And let’s try to be the UNITED States once again!
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Beautiful Bartholdi Fountain
I tool this picture of beautiful Bartholdi Fountain.
This statue and fountain sits between the U.S. Botanic Gardens, the American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial, the Rayburn House Office Building, and the Department of Health and Human Services (in the background).
French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who designed this amazing fountain, is the same artist who made the Statue of Liberty.
This 30 feet tall, 15-ton, cast-iron statue sits marvelously at the base of Capitol Hill.
Next to the American Flag, this stands out as another shining symbol of our democracy, liberty, and national strength.
If as a nation we can once again unify, emulating the 3 women figures who are together holding up the massive fountain bowl over their heads, we too can accomplish great feats for the American people and our nation. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Love The Flags
So while we were in Florida, we went into one of the many art galleries.
And on the wall was this painting of the Israeli Flag with the Star of David and inside was a beautiful red heart.
Out of curiosity, I inquired how much this was and the lady says, “Oh, that is $55,000!”
While we were impressed with the painting of the Israeli flag and what it represents as one of America’s greatest allies and friends, we must’ve looked really puzzled at the price, because the lady goes, “Well, of course it’s worth it! It’s by Peter Max, the most famous artist in the world.”
My wife and I nodded and left the store, and immediately were asking each other why every gallery says with a straight face that the artist that they represent is the “most famous in the world.”
Anyway, at the same time this was going on we were following in the news about the controversy with people burning the American flag and the question of whether this is just an expression of free speech or something more that should be prohibited as disrespectful and unpatriotic or even traitorous to the country.
In that respect, the flag that represents our values, beliefs, and patriotism is valuable beyond pure artistic sense or money, it is who we are and what we love. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
All American Chair
Got to love this all American chair.
Red, white, and blue.
And stars and stripes everywhere.
The only thing that I seriously wonder about is whether this chair was manufactured in the U.S.
With the U.S. losing 35% of it’s manufacturing employment between 1998 and 2010 (from 17.6M to 11.5M), due in large part to outsourcing, there is a good chance this chair was made overseas.
Now manufacturing makes up less than 9% of total U.S. employment.
Also noteworthy is the loss of 51,000 manufacturing plants or 12.5% between 1998-2008.
Together, agriculture and industry make up only approximately 20% of the entire U.S. economy.
Manufacturing are agriculture are strategic capabilities for this country and any country.
It’s not just what you know, but what you make!
Sure we can make things faster and easier with automation, but at this point there is a serious skills shortage (with millions of jobs going unfilled), and we need to safeguard the strategic knowledge, skills, capability, and capacity to make things vital to our thriving existence.
We need to be a more self-sufficient nation again and not a one-trick service pony.
We need to use information to be better innovators, creators, developers, and builders.
Information is great, but you can’t live by information alone. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
andyblumenthal