Nov
20
Veteran’s Day
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Did you know there are several different names for Veteran’s Day?
Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November, 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.
Poppies
The poppy’s significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields. The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red color an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare. An American YMCA Overseas War Secretaries employee, Moina Michael, was inspired to make 25 silk poppies based on McCrae’s poem, which she distributed to attendees of the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries’ Conference. She then made an effort to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance, and succeeded in having the National American Legion Conference adopt it two years later. At this conference, a Frenchwoman, Anna E. Guérin, was inspired to introduce the widely used artificial poppies given out today. In 1921 she sent her poppy sellers to London, England, where they were adopted by Field Marshall Douglas Haig, a founder of the Royal British Legion, as well as by veterans’ groups in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Some people choose to wear white poppies, which emphasizes a desire for peaceful alternatives to military action.
Veterans Day in the United States
Veterans Day is commemorated in the United States on 11 November, and is both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states. However, the function of the observance elsewhere is more closely matched by Memorial Day in May. In the United States, and some other allied nations, 11 November was formerly known as Armistice Day; in the United States it was given its new name after the end of World War II. Most schools, particularly more middle and high schools than some elementary schools, throughout the U.S. usually hold assemblies on a school day prior, with various presentations recognizing teachers and staff members who served in one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, as well as remembering the U.S. troops who died in past and present wars, and some patriotic music by a school choir, band and/or orchestra, including songs from a musical used as a tribute to the troops (e.g., “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables).
Article excerpts taken from Wikipedia.org
Nov
5
Barack Obama elected president, FlagandBanner.com supplies
Filed Under AFB on TV, AFB in Print, Current Events | Leave a Comment
President-elect Senator Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha wave to supporters at his election night rally after Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 presidential campaign in Chicago, November 4, 2008. Standing proud behind President-elect Obama are the American Flags, bases, and ornaments purchased from FlagandBanner.com.
Get your 2008 Election souvenirs at FlagandBanner.com today while supplies last!
Nov
3
History of Voting
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Article from ActiVote America
Early Voting
Did you know Ancient Greece had one of the earliest forms of democracy, since at least 508 BC? Each year, the Greeks had a negative election — voters were asked to cast a vote for the politician they most wanted to exile for ten years. Votes were written on broken pots, ostraka in Greek, and from this name comes our present word to ostracize. If any politician received more than 6,000 votes then the one with the largest number was exiled. If no politician received 6,000 votes then all remained. If there was a fairly even spread of votes, nobody would get over 6,000 and no one would get exiled — hence only very unpopular politicians were ostracized and exiled.
Voting Rights
The history of voting in America is a story of ever-increasing voting rights. The rules for eligibility have changed substantially since America’s founding, and continue to change today. When America was young, only white males over the age of 21 were allowed to vote. Some of the landmark changes since then:
Black Suffrage
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were passed following the Civil War, in the later 1860s. They outlawed slavery and extended civil rights and suffrage (voting rights) to former slaves. The LEGAL right to vote for African-Americans was established, but numerous restrictions kept many blacks from ACTUALLY voting until the 1960s Voting Rights Act.
Direct election of Senators
The 17th Amendment made it so U.S. Senators were directly elected by popular vote. Prior to 1913, Senators were appointed. The President, of course, is still not elected by popular vote, but by the Electoral College. For example, in the presidential election of 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote but George Bush won the electoral college vote.
Women’s Suffrage
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. This amendment resulted from an international movement of “Suffragettes”. Women still lacked the right to vote in Switzerland until the 1970s, and as of 1990 women could not vote in Kuwait.
18-year-old vote
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. This occurred in 1971, amid the Vietnam War, when 18-year-olds were routinely drafted and sent to war without the right to vote.
Voting
Systems
The system in use in the United States is by no means the world standard. For that matter, voting systems differ from state to state. Some voting systems you may not be familiar with:
Parliamentary System
The American voting system elects legislators based on one geographical district, by majority or plurality (whoever gets the most votes in that district wins). The districts are whole states for Senators and parts of states for House members. This is known as the “First-past-the-post” system.
In the parliamentary system, all legislators are elected at-large, meaning from the entire country’s electorate. Voters choose one party, and the party’s total votes determine how many legislative seats the party gets. The legislators are pre-determined on a list of party candidates. The Prime Minister is the person who is first on the list of the party which got the most votes.
The first-past-the-post system tends towards two parties, as we have in America. The parliamentary system favors multiple parties, since any party getting enough votes for even one seat, gets a voice in Parliament.
Instant Runoff Voting
I.R.V. is a system intended to help third party participation in a two-party system. Voters choose a first choice, second choice, and third choice. If their first choice loses, their vote transfer to their second choice candidate. For example, in 2000, voters might have voted first for Nader and second for Gore — allowing more expression of political preferences while eliminating the “spoiler effect”.
I.R.V. systems are in effect in several nations abroad, and also in numerous municipal elections in the U.S.
Fusion Voting
Fusion voting allows candidates to run under several party labels in one election. The largest example is New York State. Candidates often run as both Democrats and Liberal Party nominees; or as Republicans and Right-To-Life Party nominees. Third-party participation is encouraged because voters can choose a person AND a party, since the person’s name appears once under each party. Much negotiation occurs to get the third-party nominations by major-party candidates, which is absent in states without fusion voting.
Voting equipment
The Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore in 2000 highlighted the inadequacies of Florida’s voting equipment. Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to address some of the problems. Now voters have the right to cast a provisional ballot if their status is disputed; and people with the same names as felons are not routinely removed from voting rolls. Future controversy may center around electronic voting equipment because of the lack of a paper trail for manual recounts.
Future of Voting
World Democracies
What’s the world’s largest democracy? It’s NOT America!
In the 2004 election in India, 380 million people voted — more than the entire population of the United States. India conducts its voting on multiple days, moving thousands of voting machines from one province to the next.
Perhaps America will take some ideas for future electoral reforms from other democracies around the world. Some ideas follow.
Ballot Box and Donor Box
Voting was not secret in the United States until the mid-1800s. Prior to that, voters would be sworn in and announce their choices by voice. The secret ballot box was seen as a means to increase voter participation (because voters would not be scrutinized for how they voted) but also has problems with fraud (because there’s no direct verification that the voter’s intent was followed).
Some reformers want to apply the secret ballot box to campaign donations. Campaign finance reform is an ongoing debate in the U.S. Congress — with the McCain-Feingold rules taking full effect in 2004 — and this area is open to further reform. One such reform idea is to hide all donor information from the candidates, like votes are hidden, so that elected officials never know from whom their donations come, and hence cannot inappropriately reward their donors. The opposite reform for he same goal is to make donors as public as possible, to allow scrutiny of elected officials and their donors.
Future Voting Reforms
Many reformers in America call for multi-day voting as a way of increasing participation. Other reforms include:
* Same-day registration: In Minnesota, people can register to vote on election day. This greatly increases turnout and was widely credited with Gov. Jesse Ventura’s 1998 electoral victory.
* Weekend voting: Why do we vote on Tuesdays? Changing to Saturday and/or Sunday voting would increase turnout substantially.
* Mail-In Voting: In Oregon, all voting is conducted by mail. In many other states, absentee voters must sign a statement that they were unable to get to the polls on election day. Removing restrictions against absentee and mail-in voting are coming in several states.
* Non-partisan primaries: Why can’t Democrats vote in Republican primaries? Independent non-party-aligned voters are the majority in some states now. Cross-over voting in primaries would transfer power from the parties to the people.
* Under-age voting: 17-year-old voting in municipal races would get candidates to campaign in high schools, and students could get used to voting before setting off on their own.
* Immigrant voting: Several communities with high immigrant populations allow Green Card holders (non-citizens) to vote in municipal elections. Municipal immigrant voting increases civic participation at a level that matters to residents, whether citizens or not.
* Controversy over voting rights: Increasing voting rights is always controversial, because incumbent politicians are always weakened by having more voters (and hence more potential challengers’ power bases). For example, in Cambridge Massachusetts, the voters approved immigrant voting rights, but the State Legislature declined to enact the approved bill.
Sources
* Black suffrage: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/1870_black.html
* The history of voting: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Voting.html
* Women’s Suffrage: http://www2.worldbook.com/features/whm/html/whm010.html
* African-American Voting rights: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/golrec.html
* Voting equipment: http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Voting.html
* Voting history: http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/intro.html
* India voting: http://www.neoncarrot.co.uk/h_aboutindia/india_election_stats.html
* HAVA Act: http://www.fec.gov/hava/hava.htm
* Instant Runoff Voting: http://www.massirv.org
ActiVote America is a non-profit grassroots organization committed to a non-partisan approach that EDUCATES adults, new citizens and children in our country about the function and process of government; provides resources for learning about political candidates, understanding political issues and how these issues may affect their lives; and reminds Americans of the significance of using their voice to make a difference by exercising their RIGHT TO VOTE in local and national elections.
Don’t forget to VOTE!
Oct
29
Presidential Elections and Other National Commemorations Make November a Month For Patriotism
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LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas— If ever there was a month for patriotism, November is that time. Not only are national elections held every November, with a presidential election held every four years, but other noteworthy patriotic milestones are also commemorated.
Presidential Elections
We start this November with a historical presidential election. Kerry McCoy, President of Arkansas Flag and Banner, wants everyone to get into the electoral spirit. Her business now offers collectible “VOTE Democratic” or “VOTE Republican” shoes by TOM. For every pair sold TOM gives a pair to a needy child. www.flagandbanner.com/fab/ftsearch.asp?keywords=tomsshoes&x=14&y=15&searchtitle=TOMS+Shoes. More election merchandise is available onsite.
Marine Corps Birthday
November 10th marks the two hundred and thirty-third birthday of the United States Marine Corps which has been officially celebrated since 1921. Each year Marine Corps Birthday balls are held throughout the country to honor the Marines. Tradition has it that the oldest U.S. Marine present is given the first piece of cake and the second piece is given to the youngest Marine present. Flag and Banner has a lovely selection of gifts for the honorees, as well as patriotic dishes, serving trays and Marine Corps flag kits.
www.flagandbanner.com/holiday/viewholiday.asp?hid=121
Veterans Day
November 11, Veterans Day, honors all those who have fought in defense of the United States. The day commemorates the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, which ended World War I. To respectfully honor those who serve and have served, Flag and Banner carries special grave markers, license plates, hats and flags. During the month of November, FlagandBanner.com will be offering a 25% discount to all veterans with military ID (in store only). www.flagandbanner.com/holiday/viewholiday.asp?hid=23
Thanksgiving
It was O. Henry who called Thanksgiving “…the one day that is purely American,” and it truly is. From its colonial origins as an autumn harvest feast to the present, it is the day that Americans set aside to give thanks for all manner of things in their lives. Flag and Banner has autumn and Thanksgiving banners and flags that depict this time of year.
www.flagandbanner.com/holiday/viewholiday.asp?hid=24
For more information on flags or to purchase patriotic items, visit www.FlagandBanner.com.
Other information on the Flag and Banner website includes:
Half Staff E-mail Alert
To register for a free email alert notification when the President calls for the flag to be lowered to half staff, register at http://www.flagandbanner.com/mlsubscription.asp
Oct
23
Awakening Dreamland
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Arkansas Times
October 23, 2008
Flag and Banner owner wants to bring ballroom back.
Ninth street businesses like the Gem Pharmacy, Children’s Drug, the Elite Barber Shop, People’s Undertaking, the Vincennes Hotel, dentist Dr. Charles Hill, the Gypsy Tea Room, and others filled the African American community’s everyday needs. But Dreamland Ballroom, on the third floor of the Taborian Hall at Ninth and State streets, fed the spirit, with the music of “Fatha” Earl Hines, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, and later Ray Charles and B.B. King, to name just a few of the famed musicians who played there.
Dreamland fell silent in 1970 as did neighboring businesses. But the music was back last month, when contemporary acts played a benefit concert to help in the restoration of the ballroom by Taborian hall owner Kerry McCoy.
McCoy renovated Taborian hall in 1991 for her business, Arkansas Flag and Banner. She’s completed the first and second floor, and has now turned her attention to a $1.2 million project to renovate the 8,000-square-foot ballroom, with its peach-painted balcony and box seats and stage, as an events center.
Architectural and engineering drawings are done, but McCoy laughed, her timing on getting a loan - in the midst of today’s backing crisis - has been off. But, she said, “I ain’t giving up yet. I get e-mail every week from someone wanting to rent it.” She hopes to have it open by this time next year.
Taborian Hall like the Mosaic Templars building, was built to house an insurance company run by a black fraternity, the Knights and Daughters of the Tabor. It opened in 1918, and like the Mosaic Templars building, housed a pharmacy along with doctor’s offices and the Ritz Beer Garden. during World War II, it housed the black USO club. It was built as an addition to a 19th century building that faced State Street.
McCoy has been working with a freelance historian to compile information and artifacts that tell the story of Taborian hall. “The focus of our building,”McCoy said, “is going to be just the things that happened in the buliding, the great acts that played here.” The Mosaic Templars will offer the rest of the picture of Ninth Street.
Oct
22
Race for the Cure 2008
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The 15th Annual Race for the Cure took place on Saturday, October 11th, and once again, Arkansas’ Flag and Banner was there. The Flag and Banner showroom opened at 7 a.m. to greet racers with free parking, and 50% off all Pink Ribbon products. As in the past, Flag and Banner fielded it’s all-star team of racers, consisting of Meghan Pittman, Susan Crotts, Carolyn Crocker, Billie Miller, and Kristin Hart. Nearly 46,000 women took part in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Little Rock Saturday.
After warming up as a lone singer performed a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, our all-stars began the race after calling the Hogs with the other 46,000 participants in a massive show of female Razorbacks support. During the Race, Kristin Hart waved hello to customers that purchased flags from FlagandBanner.com. As they waved back, the flags waved, suspended in the air by the scissor lift they stood in. After completing the race our all-star team of racers returned to Flag and Banner and enjoyed a well-deserved southern-style breakfast prepared by our personal chef, Sam Rutherford. The rest of the day was spent selling all things Pink Ribbon as a percentage of all items sold went to support the Susan G. Komen foundation.
Oct
20
Supporting TOMS Shoes
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When Kerry McCoy heard about TOMS shoes for tomorrow and their new line for the upcoming election she was intrigued, until she found out more about the company. “When I heard that for every pair of shoes sold, they give a pair to children in need, I told my employees to sign us up.”
TOMS shoes was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. The original TOMS shoe has a unique slip-on design comprised of clean lines and lightweight fabrics in vibrant colors and prints. The idea for TOMS was inspired by Blake’s trip to Argentina where he saw the traditional Argentine alpargata. Struck by the poverty and health issues of the country, he set out to reinvent the alpargata for the U.S. market. His goal was simple: to show how together, we can create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action by providing shoes – One for One.
To realize this purpose, Blake made a commitment to match every pair of TOMS purchased with a pair for a child in need. There are no complicated formulas- it’s simple: If you buy a pair of TOMS, the company will give a pair on your behalf. “I was overwhelmed by the spirit of the South American people, especially those who had so little,” Mycoskie says. “And I was instantly struck with the desire – the responsibility – to do more.”
During his first year in business, TOMS sold 10,000 pairs of shoes and Blake returned to Argentina to lead his first Shoe Drop during which he gave to the children who had inspired him. In November 2007, TOMS had its second Shoe Drop, hand-placing 50,000 pairs of shoes on children in South Africa.
Ms. McCoy said, “I was so inspired by this story. I couldn’t help but want to sell these shoes.”
FlagandBanner.com offers TOMS’ Vote Democrate and Vote Republican shoes. We hope that you will know for every step you take, a child you’ve never met is better off.
If you would like to participate in a shoe drop off, please contact Friends Of TOMS, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to give further aid to communities by the TOMS One for One mission.
Sep
26
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas— It seems the landscape of political campaigning has changed, literally! In looking around Little Rock, it appears the political yard signs that use to adorn so many lawns have pulled up stakes and left.
Yard Signs
It used to be that yard signs were the mainstay of any political campaign and were handed out for free by any given candidate’s office. Today, however, chances are that if you ask your local republican or democratic party campaigners for a yard sign, they won’t have any to give. Kerry McCoy, owner of FlagandBanner.com in Little Rock, Arkansas, knows this first hand. She is getting so many requests for political merchandise that her flag company has had to branch out into political decals, buttons, and yes, yard signs, to meet the demands of her customers. www.flagandbanner.com/holiday/viewholiday.asp?hid=22
Presidential Candidates and Other Hopefuls
“I am shipping political yard signs all over the country,” McCoy said. “I guess the candidates are spending their advertising dollars on TV ads rather than yard signs.”
www.flagandbanner.com/fab/productpage.asp?id=MCCAINSIGN
www.flagandbanner.com/fab/productpage.asp?id=OBAMASIGN
In Virginia it’s been reported that there is a lawn sign war raging over voters who are frustrated because it’s nearly impossible to get a lawn sign for their preferred candidate and they fear their candidate’s efforts will be harmed because of it.
Political strategists have long contended that a yard sign is worth several hundred dollars of almost free advertising. Whether or not candidates adhere to this contention or not, McCoy sums up the situation best. “It is a sign (or not) of the times.”
For more information on flags or to purchase patriotic items, visit www.FlagandBanner.com.
Other information on the Flag and Banner website includes:
Half Staff E-mail Alert To register for a free email alert notification when the President calls for the flag to be lowered to half staff, register at http://www.flagandbanner.com/mlsubscription.asp.
Sep
16
United States Constitution Day
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The United States Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution, and also recognizes all who have become citizens due to either coming of age or naturalization. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.
On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine brave men who changed the course of history. Now Constitution Day is a time for us to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans.
On February 29, 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill establishing September 17 as Citizenship day replacing the May observance and moving the date to the one on which the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. The intent of the bill was to give recognition to those who had become American Citizens during the preceding year.
Today we consider Constitution Day as a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation. The Act that passed the holiday also states that federally funded schools are required to provide lessons on the U.S. Constitution during the holiday.
Our American flag gifts are great citizenship gifts for your friends and family members who have recently become US citizens! We have a variety of American citizenship gifts such as eagle bookends, US flag purses, American flag bikinis, US flag lapel pins and much more!
To find out more information on Constitutions and Citizenship see the following links:
Sep
11
7th anniversary of 9/11
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Partners of Maria Ramires, who was killed in the 9/11 attacks, wait outside the former World Trade Center site before ceremonies marking the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York September 11, 2008.
REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES)
The flag hanging on this gate is a Flag of Heroes in honor of those who died on 9/11.
Gene Stilp, of Harrisburg, unfurls a memorial flag at the Flight 93 Temporary Memorial outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, September 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary of the attacks on New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
REUTERS/ Jason Cohn (UNITED STATES)