State of Washington and the 42 Star Flag

On November 11, 1889, (right after Montana and shortly before Idaho) Washington proudly became the 42nd state in the Union. For a brief period of seven months and twenty-two days, our nation proudly had forty-two states.

However, because a new flag design does not become official until July 4th, there should not have been a 42 star flag. Since Washington was admitted as the 42nd state on November 11, 1889, the 42 star flag would have become official the following July 4th, but Idaho became the 43rd state on July 3rd, so the new official flag would have had 43 stars.

But do you think something like that could stop 42 from having it's own flag?

Low and behold, the public outcry for the 42 star flag was so great that many manufacturers took it upon themselves to produce, in bulk, the coveted yet unofficial 42 star flag seen below.

Love: All Heart - 42 cent stamp

On June 10, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ issued a 42–cent, Love: All Heart commemorative stamp.

The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. Illustrator Paul Zwolak of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, created the design for the 2008 Love series stamps. Entitled All Heart, the design focuses on a large, bright red heart that is transporting its owner to an unseen beloved who will be gifted with this heart full of love.

Chris Crocker - S - Cincinnati Bengals

Chris Crocker (not to be confused with the crackpot Britney Spears fan of The Soup infamy) signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent on October 30, 2008.

Crocker entered the NFL as the third-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns in 2003 out of Marshall and played for the Browns through 2005. So given that he has now played for both the Browns and the Bengals, wearing The Number maybe the highlight of his career.

To the right Croker is shown posing for the camera while his teammate breaks up a pass to the Eagles' Kevin Curtis during the Bengals 13-13 tie with the Eagles on November 16, 2008. The tie was the first in the NFL since 2002. (Photo by Ron Cortes)

Crocker did get his head in the game in the fourth quarter, sacking Donovan McNabb. Crocker ended the game with a respectable, Number-inspired four tackles, one sack and one interception.

Photo by Steven M. Falk

Rule 42

In Chapter XII of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll the King interjects Rule 42, which states, “All persons more than a mile high to leave the court.”

Everyone turns to Alice, who denies she is a mile high and accuses the King of fabricating the rule. The King replies that Rule 42 is the oldest rule in the book, but Alice retorts that if it is the oldest rule in the book, it ought to be the first rule.

An intriguing conundrum....

Connect Four

How many cells do you think there are to slide your disks into? Go ahead and count them.

Connect Four was published under the famous Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley in 1974; however, the much older original version is known as "The Captain's Mistress".

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB - New England Patriots

Spurred on by The Number, BenJarvus Green-Ellis has moved from being an undrafted free agent to the starting running back for the New England Patriots (sort of a mixed blessing).

BenJarvus was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2008 after a stellar career at the University of Mississippi. As a senior in 2007, he became only the second Mississippi running back to reach the 1,000 yard single season mark twice in his career, gaining 1,137 yards rushing. He was born on July 2,1985 and attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Seen above, Green-Ellis runs against the New York Giants in a 2008 preseason rematch of Super Bowl XLIII. Green-Ellis ran for 28 yard on 6 carries for the Patriots to help them complete their winless preseason.

42nd Annual CMA Awards

This morning we wanted to call your attention to the 42nd Annual County Music Association Awards (certain to be the biggest and best county music award show ever).

The reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists of the Year, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will unite to host the show. This is the first time that either artist will have hosted “Country Music’s Biggest Night™.” “The 42nd Annual CMA Awards” airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 8:00 PM/ET on the ABC Television Network.

Ryan Torain - RB - Denver Broncos

The latest Denver Bronco to sport The Number is Ryan Torain. Torrain was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Arizona State.

Before moving on to Arizona State Ryan played two seasons at Butler Community College, where he rushed for 1,396 yards on 228 carries with 20 touchdowns. Previous to that he received first-team all-state honors at Shawnee Mission N.W. High School in Kansas.

One Barrel

Did you know? One barrel of crude oil contains 42 gallons. Now did that really surprise you?

Terrence Holt - DB - Carolina Panthers

In March of this year The Carolina Panthers signed free agent safety Terrence Holt, a former North Carolina State standout and brother of Rams wide receiver Torry Holt. He was a second-team All-American at NC State as a senior in 2002 and was picked by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. The Panthers then waived Holt at the end of the preseason.

In late October the Bears signed Holt to the active roster to replace Zackary Bowman, who underwent season-ending surgery for a torn biceps. Holt has however, seemed to abandon The Number in Chicago where he is now wearing number 32. This does not seem to be a good career move for Holt.

Photo by Getty Images

During his stint with the Detroit Lions Holt proudly displays The Number as he celebrates his fumble recovery against the New England Patriots on December 3, 2006 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Photo by Paul Connors

Here Holt and The Number pull down Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander as he tries to fall into the end zone for a touchdown during the Arizona Cardinal's game on September 16, 2007, in Glendale, Arizona against the Seahawks. The Cardinals won 23-20.

Charley Taylor - WR - Washington Redskins

The Number is unofficially retired in our Nation's Capitol thanks to one Charles Robert Taylor.

Born on September 28, 1941, in Grand Prairie, Texas Taylor was the Redskin's number one draft pick in 1964 out of Arizona State. He went on that year to be named the NFL's Rookie of the Year. At retirement, Charley Taylor was the all-time leading receiver for the Redskins with 649 catches for 9,110 yards and 79 TDs.

Charley is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1984.

2008 USPS Holiday Stamps - The Nutcrackers

The U.S. Postal Service dedicates the Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative stamps Thursday, October 23, 2008 during the Fall Postage Stamp Mega Event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Four eye-catching nutcracker designs are featured on the stamps. Santa or “Father Christmas” has a lantern in one hand and a snowflake-topped staff in the other. There is a gold and ruby-crowned king, a yellow-jacketed military captain, and a green-garbed drummer with a red drum.

These nutcrackers were custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn A. Crider of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Crider based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut, who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. The art director for the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker stamps was Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C.

In addition to the Holiday Nutcrackers stamps, four additional holiday stamps will be available nationwide as well: Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp was also issued today; Eid, the Muslim Holiday stamp was issued Sept. 23; Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture; and Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, stamps will be issued Oct. 24.

The Postal Service printed 2.171 billion holiday stamps: 1.486 billion Holiday Nutcrackers, 600 million Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, 25 million Eid, 35 million Kwanzaa and 25 million Hanukkah.

The 42-cent Holiday Nutcrackers stamps go on sale nationwide in late October 2008.

2008 USPS Christmas Stamp - "Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist"

Working from a detail of a painting titled “Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist” by the Italian master Sandro Botticelli, designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, created the Postal Service’s 2008 Christmas stamp. The painting, tempera and oil on wood, dates to around 1490 and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art. Botticelli’s beautifully rendered figures capture the tender relationship between mother and child and at the same time suggest Mary’s foreknowledge of Christ’s fate. The facial expression of John the Baptist, seen standing to the side in a prayerful gesture, also suggests a heightened awareness.

Minnesota

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 150th birthday of Minnesota’s statehood May 17 with the issuance of the 42 cent Minnesota Statehood Stamp. The ceremony was held in St. Paul on the grounds of the State Capitol.

T.J. Duckett - RB - Seattle Seahawks

After years of trying out lesser numbers, T.J. Duckett finally saw the light in 2008 and began to sport The Number. Here he is indicating a first down in Week 3 of the 2008 season against the Saint Louis Rams. It is unclear if he had ever experienced a first down prior to his number change.