10 Roads That Will Scare You Stupid

We have all heard our fair share of urban legends, visited some “haunted” houses, been to these locations willingly. But what if we were simply trying to get from point A to point B? We had no intention of exposing ourselves to the paranormal, the supernatural. A lonely night time drive down the wrong (or right?) road is sometimes all it takes to end up with an encounter you were truly not expecting. The houses and castles seem to have been hogging all the ghosts lately, why not give the back roads and byways a chance to scare the pants off of us? Here are 10 roads that, according to legend, will more than deliver the goods.

10

A75 Kinmont Straight

South West Scotland

For over fifty years this road has been the scene of numerous hauntings. Reports ofparanormal activity have been frequent enough that the road has been nicknamed ‘the Ghost Road’ It is thought to be Scotland’s most haunted road and has received hundreds of reports of unexplained sightings. In 1957 a truck driver saw a couple walk in front of his truck and he thought he hit them. When the driver stopped to investigate the couple were nowhere to be seen. This is something of a typical “ghost story” scenario, but that is what Halloween is all about after all!

9

Kelly Road

Ohioville, Pennsylvania

A one-mile section of Kelly Road, Ohioville, Pennsylvania is an area that has had numerous reports of paranormal activity and bizarre happenings. Reports say that when animals have entered this haunted stretch of road they suddenly turn from peaceful and quiet to violent (think Cujo), chasing after other animals and even people.The road is surrounded by dark, thick and creepy forest where white apparitions and noises that can’t be explained have been seen and heard. No one is quite sure why this short section of road ishaunted but theories suggest that is could be somehow connected to cult activity that was once taking place in the area and curses that have been put on the land for some reason.

8

Dead Man’s Curve

Clermont County, Ohio

Dead man’s curve is a dangerous turning intersection in Clermont County–according to the most common reports, at the place where 222 meets State Route 125. The road was part of the Ohio Turnpike built in 1831, and it has a long list of victims. On October 19, 1969, five teenagers died there when their 1968 Impala was hit at more than a hundred miles an hour by a 1969 Roadrunner. There was only one survivor: a guy named Rick. Ever since that day, the intersection has beenhaunted by “the faceless hitchhiker,” whom Rick has seen five times. It is described as the pitch-black silhouette of a man, a “three-dimensional silhouette.”

According to Haunted Ohio III, Rick’s friend Todd said “Rick and I were heading home from Bethel to Amelia. I noticed a man’s shape on the side of the road. It turned like it was hitchhiking, with an arm sticking up. The thing wore light-colored pants, a blue shirt, long hair and a blank, flat surface where the face should have been. We looked back. There was nobody there. I’ve also seen the black shadow figure, walking its slow, labored, dragging walk by the side ofthe road.”

Due to rerouting, the actual location of Dead Man’s Curve is somewhat in doubt. They say it is at 222 and SR 125, near Bantam Road. As you head east on 125, 222 turns right towards Felicity and Bantam Road turns left toward East Fork Lake State Park. The spot is just below a carryout.

7

Boone County

Illinois

In the city of Belvidere in Boone Country, Illinois there is an intersection that has been the site of many hauntings, particularly the Bloodspoint Road. Otherroads included in this local haunting are Wheeler, Flora Church, Pearl, Poole, Sweeney, Cherry Valley, Stone Quarry, Fairdale, and Irene. It is believed that the hauntings on these roads are a result of a number of tragic and spooky events that happened there in the past. These events include hangings, suicide, various train accidents and the purported inhabitation of a witch.

6

Stocksbridge By-Pass

England

Stocksbridge By-pass is formerly part of the M67 motorway in England, it was then downgraded to a dual carriage way and today it is just a single carriage way.The road , which was finished being built in 1989, runs around north side of the Stocksbridge and its valley. It has been the location of many hauntings. Over time there have been sightings of children playing late at night under the bridge and a monk who just stands and looks out. One sighting of the monk prompted a police investigation which ultimately provided no explanation. Other people have heard the sounds of children singing in the vicinity when there are none to be seen. Perhaps most frighteningly are thereports of people driving who have suddenly noticed an apparition of the monk sitting beside them in the car!

5

M6 Motorway

England

To answer you question, yes, size does matter. Because in England, many people agree that the longest road is also its most haunted! Motorists making their way down this road have experienced unusual phenomena: Roman soldiers marching, an upset woman trying to hitch a ride, and lorry going the wrong way downthe road ! Apparently with 230 miles and 6 lanes, there is more than enough room for this parade of freaks. Next time you are utilizing the thoroughfare for travel, beware of a phantom pickup truck.

4

Tuen Mun Road

Hong Kong

Even if you don’t buy into the whole haunted roads business, you would be wise to exercise caution on this road. The road is very heavily used, yet it hasn’t been redesigned to take all of the modern traffic. It is notorious for it’s frequent traffic jams wrecks. And apparently,the ghosts are out to get you on top of this! Many claim that ghosts will suddenly appear in the middle of the road, causing the driver to swerve to avoid hitting the “person”. And to make matters worse, supposedly the ghosts of the crash victims are being added to the already high spirit count. Travel this road with caution, and keep an eye out for much less cautious “pedestrians”.

3

Highway 666

Utah, United States

Now known as Highway 191, the route (the sixth branch of the famous Route 66) is notorious for accidents, apparitions, and just plain bad luck. Linda Dunning writes on prairieghosts.com about an incident with her husband:

“He [author's husband] was alone and hadn’t seen a car for miles and miles. Suddenly, he saw a truck that looked like it was on fire heading straight for him, right down the middle of the highway. The truck was going so fast that sparks were flying up off the wheels and flames were coming from the smokestack. It scared him so bad that he pulled way off the road and walked 20 feet or so out into the desert away from his car and waited for the truck to pass him, going what he estimated was 130 miles an hour. He then got back into his car and continued on.”

If you aren’t careful, hell hounds will shred your tires. A young girl walking down the road will vanish if you try to help her. If you are alone, a ghost may just take up residence in your back seat. Dunning has this to say for you advice:

“Take a lot of people with you and don’t leave any space for unwanted passengers who just might decide to appear in your backseat. Pull offthe road if a huge diesel truck comes barring down on you from either direction. Don’t be curious to see if there is a driver in that single car passing you in the night. Don’t look for lights floating in the sky. Hope you don’t see any young girls in white dresses. Never stop if you spot something peculiar and don’t pick up hitchhikers. Lastly, if demon dogs approach you in the night, just keep driving.”

2

A229 from Sussex to Kent

England

“In November 1992 Ian Sharpe was heading up the A229 from Sussex into Kent. A girl in white with “beautiful eyes” stepped in front of his car and she disappeared under the front Wheels. In total despair Sharpe stopped the car believing he had killed her and was powerless to help.

On leaving the car he found nothing there. No girl, no body no white dress – or even any wildlife; a fox a badger or a rabbit. Not a sausage… I think you get the point.”

If you are faint of heart, this road is not recommended. Another contender for England’s most haunted road is A229. The local constabulary are not strangers to calls of people plowing into pedestrians, more specifically, a woman in white, only to lose track of the body. If you are passing Lower Bell pub towards Maidstone, don’t be too surprised if that hitchhiker vanishes before you reach your destination. The ghost lady is generally regarded as that of Judith Langham, who was tragically killed in a collision of her wedding day, still in her dress.

1

Clinton Road

Passaic County, New Jersey

“What is it about this road?” inquires the article on weirdnj.com. A question that has been on the minds of many. What causes all the weird happenings? While nobody can seem to answer the “why,” most can attest to the “what”.

If you are visiting the road at midnight, stop by the bridge at Dead Man’s Curve for a game of catch. Toss pennies into the water, and the ghost of a young boy will toss them back.

A gray wolf with red eyes will stalk you from the bushes.

Satan worshippers will hang hang up their bloody clothes to dry, right next to the mutilated animals.

The ruins of a castle reside in the woods.

If you find yourself in the wrong section of woods, expect to be chased out by Satanists or the Ku Klux Klan.

Weird animals, speculated to be survivors and interbred specimens from the abandoned nearby zoo, Jungle Habitat, from which most of the animals escaped.

A dangerous curve that has been the demise of many an unwary driver is rumored to be heavily haunted.

Phantom pickup trucks will gladly escort you from the road. Well, chase you.

Weird lights flying in the sky will draw you attention upward, away from the blood stains on the pavement.

This road is not a joke. Regardless of your stance on the paranormal, it is confirmed fact that many dangerous groups gather here for less-than-savory activities. And they do not like to be disturbed.

Source: http://listverse.com

Business going green

If you care about the environment and you own a business establishment – be it big or small, the most important question that you should ask yourself is – is your business going green?

While the final objective of setting up and running any company/ venture is to make money and be profitable, it should not be done at the cost of compromising a healthy environment.

Green technology not only helps contribute to eco balance of our planet, it also helps cut energy costs and improve the overall energy efficiency of any organization.

Leading companies like Google and Coca Cola have adopted green technology successfully and serve as a role model for any aspiring business going green.

Making You Business Going Green

Any business going green should follow these best practices in order to adopt green technology successfully.

These are time tested measures which not only help reduce your business costs but contribute to the well being of our environment.

Minimize wastage of paper – Print only whatever is required. Maximize the use of email and other collaboration tools which reduce usage of paper. Reducing paper usage is a great way of preserving trees and undoubtedly amongst the simplest ways of transforming a business going green.

Recycle – While it’s possible to minimize the usage of paper, it can’t be totally eliminated in any business. Therefore, it is crucial to have an efficient recycling program in place for your company. Recycling is a great way of preserving natural resources. The scope of recycling should not be limited to just paper but you should also recycle old computers, laptops and other electronic appliances. Most leading vendors like IBM, HP and Dell have a recycling program in place for small/ large businesses and you should make it a point to join it.

Green Cleaning - Use green cleaning products for your business establishment. Use green detergents, soaps and vacuum cleaners.

Green Electronic Appliances - Use eco-friendly electronic appliances like printers, photocopiers. When buying an air conditioner, consider buying a model with a higher energy star rating. The higher the star rating, the better your air conditioner is at energy conservation and the less environmental damage it causes.

Alternative Energy – If you have a manufacturing/ industrial business and you are located in an area which receives plenty of sunlight through out the day, switching to solar energy is a very effective way of making your business going greenBenefits of Your Business Going Green

Any business going green and adopting green technology gets these great benefits.

Reduced Energy Costs – Adopting green technology is a great way to lower your energy costs. Whether you switch to solar energy or you chose to switch to hybrid vehicles, all these measures are a great way of reducing your business’s energy expenditure.

Tax Benefits/ Sops – Green technology is being rapidly adopted worldwide and most governments are providing tax benefits/ sops to business going green. While you not only save costs, you also get the additional benefit of lowered taxes and other government incentives by switching to green technology.

Healthy Employees And Higher Productivity – Adoption of green technology transforms your office into a healthier work space, helps you employees maintain a healthy lifestyle and in turn improves their productivity and work efficiency. This in turn helps your business and profits grow.The bottom line is that any business growing green not only gets great savings and benefits, it also helps save the environment.

http://couplewriters.blogspot.com/2011/04/business-going-green.html

10 More Myths Debunked

Although it has nothing to do with the list, I consider this fact very interesting: Leonardo da Vinciinvented the sniper firearm. It was not a rifle, as its barrel was smoothbore, but he greatly improved its accuracy by bolting one of his refracting telescopes onto it, aligning it precisely, and used it, in the company of his employer, the Duke of Milan, to shoot enemy soldiers off castle walls from 1,000 yards. He claims the equivalent of 1,000 yards in his notes, but I doubt the distance was this great. He provides no explanation as to why this weapon never became popular. So now, after that moment of randomness, here is the list:

10

George Washington’s Teeth

President Washington never owned a set of wooden teeth. He did however own a set of hippopotamus ivory teeth, a set of horse teeth, donkey teeth, and human teeth (from various sources), a set of 18kt gold teeth (he tried 24kt but they were too malleable), and a set of lead teeth, which were not particularly good for him. These four sets of dentures (the human and animal teeth were mixed) are in the National Museum of Dentistry. No other dentures of Washington have been discovered.

9

The Ruler of Hell

Amazingly, many Christians believe that Satan is sitting on a throne in Hell, laughing at all the agony of the poor damned souls, while his imps and demons run around with pitchforks. None of this is Biblical. Satan is quite frequently described as living on Earth, and doing what he does best, corrupting mankind.

The tradition of a ruler in Hell comes from the Greek god Hades, at least, and perhaps even earlier with the Egyptians. Hades sits on the throne of the Underworld, just as Zeus, his brother, sits on the throne of Olympus.

The Biblical description of Hell is clearly anarchic. No one is in charge. Everyone is screaming and writhing, etc., in a lake of fire. Satan has never been there, and will not go until the end when he loses his fight against God.

The Christian tradition of Satan ruling Hell comes largely from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n,” Satan says, in Book I.

8

Express Your Anger

There is a very common myth about psychology in which people believe they will alleviate their anger by “letting it out”. This is such a popular concept that many therapies have grown up around it – things like punchbags, squeeze balls, etc. In fact, the opposite is found to be true. When a person expresses their anger regularly, it becomes habit forming. While there may appear to be a temporary relief from the anger when you smash a plate against the wall, ultimately your fits of anger will become an addiction and you will begin to seek out more reasons to become angry – in order to achieve that nice feeling. So ultimate, the best thing to do: bottle it up!

7

Don Knotts the D. I.

Don Knotts, who played the lovable Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show, is said to have been a Marine Corps drill instructor during WWI, on Parris Island, SC, of the savage caliber of R. Lee Ermey. Not true. Knotts enlisted in the Army, not the marines, and served as a traveling comedian, entertaining troops overseas, during WWII, but never trained anyone, and never fired a rifle at anyone.

6

Caffeine Stunts Growth

Caffeine will do a lot of negative things to you, but it will not stunt your growth. It has nothing to do with growth. Experiments have shown that children who consume caffeine do not grow any slower or less than children who are not allowed caffeine, over a period of years.

The myth was probably dreamed up by some clever parent who didn’t want his or her child drinking so much Pepsi.

5

Absinthe the Acid

Absinthe was never any more poisonous than whiskey. The myth goes back at least to the 1800s, and claims that it causes hallucinations, as potently as LSD, and fries the brain. Not true. Absinthe is manufactured from Artemisia absinthium, a plant which has no poisons in it. It is very bitter, like the Greek Ouzo, and the distillation process routinely results in absinthe proofs of 100 to 180 (50% to 90% alcohol by volume). This is significantly stronger than the average whiskey, but will not affect the drinker in any way other than drunkenness.

The truth, though, is that during the Moulin Rouge days of Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh, starving artists liked getting drunk, and couldn’t afford the good stuff. So they bought absinthe from cheap street vendors, who did not care to sell uncontaminated products. Cyanide and strychnine were found in this absinthe, and caused hallucinations.

Today, it is legal in the U. S., and perfectly safe to drink if bought commercially.

4

Tornado Myths

Opening windows will not spare your house, or any other building, from a tornado’s destructive power. The strongest on record measured 318 mph, which is more than sufficient to blast any building into pieces, except steel-reinforced concrete, and even then, the building must be short, or the wind will blow it over.

Do not hide under overpasses. The confined eaves in these places only increase the force of the wind, which has been reported as strong enough to drag F-250 pickup trucks out from under overpasses and throw them through barns 1000 yards away.

Tornadoes can, in fact, form in winter, and cause just as severe damage as during any other season. They have been seen traveling over snowfield, almost utterly white, and slamming into residential areas.

They can storm through large cities without any problem, as opposed to the belief that they will never damage Oklahoma City. Fort Worth suffered one in 2000, which killed 2 people, and destroyed 8 skyscrapers. 17 others were severely damaged. 60+, in all, had their windows blown out.

3

Shakespeare the Wordwright

The myth has gone on for years now that Shakespeare invented about 1,700 words still common in English. Not true. He Anglicized many Latin and Greek words, among other languages, thus coining new English words. But to beinvented, a word must have no etymology before a single person imagines it.

He is said to have invented “assassination,” but what he did was derive it from the Medieval Latin “assassinare,” which means “to kill an important person.”

All of the words he is reputed to have invented can be explained this way. He did, however, devise first name uses for quite a few words, including Viola, Jessica, and Adrian. The first is Latin, the second Hebrew, the third Greek.

Sidenote: Sir Isaac Newton Anglicized “gravitas,” which is Latin for “weight,” into “gravity.” As he was the first to discover the mechanism and its properties, how they work, he had to come up with a word for it. No one else had ever called gravity anything.

2

Darwin and the Origin of Man

Debaters on both sides are grossly misinformed. Darwin never states in his book On the Origin of Species that humans evolved from apes. He states, quite differently, that apes and humans both evolved from a common ancestor. This seems somewhat less offensive to fundamentalists, and if both sides were to consider it, it might smooth the relationship between fundamentalists and science.

1

Kangaroo

This story of how the kangaroo got its name is unfortunately not true. It states thatCaptain James Cook first landed on Australia, near modern day Sydney, and met the Gweagal tribe of Aborigines on the beach. At this moment, a kangaroo hopped out of the forest with its joey in its pouch and the Europeans, having never seen such a strange animal, asked the Aborigines, “What in the world is that?!”

The Aborigines turned to each other, then shrugged, and one of them said, “Kangaroo!” which is Gweagal for, “I don’t understand what you’re saying!”

Well, the truth is much more banal. “Kangaroo” is derived from the Guugu Yimidhirr (another Aborigine tribe) word “gangurru,” which means…”kangaroo.”

Source: http://listverse.com

Top 10 Controversial Flags

Flags are meant to be a symbol under which people unite – but in many cases a flag can cause division. Emotions run high when it comes to patriotism so it is not surprising that attempts to change a flag – or to fly a flag which identifies a minority of the members of a nation, can cause animosity. This list looks at 10 flags that are controversial.

10

The Rainbow Flag

The Rainbow flag or Pride flag of the LGBT community (also known as the gay pride flag) is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBTsocial movements in use since the 1970s. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in LGBT rights marches. It originated in the United States, but is now used worldwide. Designed bySan Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, the design has undergone several revisions to first remove then re-add colors due to widely available fabrics. As of 2008, the most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as the colors would appear in a natural rainbow.

9

The Angus Flag

In 2007 in Angus, one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, the Angus Council decided to scrap the Saltire (the flag of Scotland) and replace it with a new Angus flag. This move led to public outcry across Scotland with more than 7,000 people signing a petition opposing the council’s move, leading to a compromise whereby the Angus flag would not replace but be flown alongside the Saltire on Council buildings. The new flag was criticized as a waste of time and money, as well as a politically motivated move. The design consists of four quarters containing a crowned lion passant, a cinquefoil, a checked strip crossed with buckled belt and a depiction of the heart of Robert the Bruce to represent the four ancient earldoms of Angus.

8

The Sun of Vergina Flag

On August 11, 1992, the newly-independent Republic of Macedonia adopted a new flag to replace the old Communist “red star” insignia. The flag depicted a stylized yellow sun centered on a red field with eight main and eight secondary rays emanating from the sun, tapering to a point. This ancient symbol was known as the Vergina Sun or Vergina Star, named after the Greek town where it had been discovered in archaeological excavations of the ancient Macedonian city of Aigai. It had also been adopted by many in the then SocialistRepublic of Macedonia to symbolize historical connections between that country and ancient Macedon and had been paraded in demonstrations by ethnic Macedonians at home and abroad.

The flag, the new state’s constitution and its name all became the focus of a bitter dispute between the two countries, during which Greece imposed an economic blockade on the Republic from February 1994. In July 1995, Greece lodged a request with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for exclusive copyright to the Vergina Sun. Greek objections also prevented the flag from being flown at the United Nations Headquarters building in New York. The blockade was lifted in October 1995 when an agreement was reached to change the flag, modify the constitution and resolve the naming dispute through United Nations-sponsored negotiations.

7

The Pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian Flag

Like the country’s current flag, the former one contains horizontal bands of green, white and red, but the emblem in the middle contains a lion, sun and sword, rather than the four crescents and sword introduced by the Islamic regime in 1980. Recently, the appearance of the pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag at U.S. rallies against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stirred tension between two generations of protesters. While they all came out to express solidarity with protesters in Iran, each group views the flag very differently. Supporters of Iran’s deposed shah often bring out the flag at demonstrations, and some would be happy to see a constitutional monarchy restored in Iran or a secular democracy with no royal figurehead. Younger protesters do not want to give Iran’s rulers any excuse to accuse them of links to a movement that seeks to overthrow the current regime, and often plead with older protesters to put away their flags.

6

Japan’s Rising Sun Flag

The Rising Sun Flag is the military flag of Japan. It was used as the ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army until the end of World War II. It is also presently the ensign of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the war flag of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. It is also waved during the Japanese New Year and in sporting events. The design is similar to the flag of Japan in that it has a red circle close to the middle signifying the sun, the difference being the addition of extra sun rays (16 for the ensign) exemplifying the name of Japan as “The Land of the Rising Sun”. The flag was used in overseas actions from the Meiji period to World War II. When Japan was defeated in August 1945, the flag was banned by Allied Occupation authorities. However with the re-establishment of a Self-Defense Force the flag was re-adopted in 1954. The flag with 16 rays is today the ensign of the Maritime Self-Defense Force while the Ground Self-Defense Force uses an 8 ray version. This flag is often considered offensive in countries which were victims of Japanese aggression, particularly China and Korea, where it is considered as a symbol of Japanese imperialism.

5

The Patriotes Flag

The Patriotes flag is a politically charged symbol often used by hardline nationalists in Quebec. It was used by the Patriote movement in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) between 1832 and 1838. It is highly similar to the civil flag of the German bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia. Some theories about its origins pretend that the color green was adopted to represent the Irish of Lower Canada, the color white for the “French Canadians” and red the English of the territory. Some also say that the tricolor style was inspired by the French tricolor, symbol of the French Revolution that inspired the Patriotes. It became the national flag of the Republic of Lower Canada at the Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada in 1838.

Nowadays, it is used by contemporary Quebec independence supporters as a symbol of their movement and ideal. As such, it serves a purpose similar to the Estelada flags, symbols of the Catalan independence movement. It is often seen in crowds at Quebec National Day concerts and gatherings and was featured at the voting day assembly of YES supporters of the 1995 Quebec referendum on independence.

4

The Flag of Europe

The Flag of Europe is the flag and emblem of the European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CoE.) It consists of a circle of 12 golden stars on a blue background. The blue represents the west, the number of stars represents completeness, while their position in a circle represents unity. The stars do not vary according to the members of either organization as they are intended to represent all the peoples of Europe, even those outside European integration.

In 1985 the EU, which was then the European Economic Community (EEC), adopted it as its own flag (having had no flag of its own before) at the initiative of the European Parliament. The flag is not mentioned in the EU’s treaties, its incorporation being dropped along with the European Constitution, but it is formally adopted in law. Despite it being the flag of two separate organizations, it is often more associated with the EU due to the EU’s higher profile and heavy usage of the emblem. The flag has also been used to represent Europe in sporting events and as a pro-democracy banner outside the Union. Euroscepticism, a general term for opposition to the European Union or the process ofEuropean integration, however, makes its use controversial in some cases.

3

The Flag of Iraq

On January 21st, 2008, a new flag was confirmed by the Iraqi parliament. In this current version, the three stars were removed, while the Takbir (the words Allaahu Akbar, or “God is Great”) was left written in green Kufic script. The flag is controversial, as some Iraqis refuse to accept the legitimacy of a government whilst foreign troops remain active in Iraq. Some Sunni tribal leaders took offense at the purging of the stars, a symbol of the nation’s former Sunni regime. However, as of April 2009, Anbar province raise the new Iraqi flag as evident on the official site of Anbar province. The New York Times reports that the flag design recently imposed is designed to be temporary and mentions that Iraqis have “expressed varying opinions about the new flag.”

2

The Confederate Flag

The Confederate battle flag, also called the Southern Cross, Stars and Bars, Dixie Flag, or The Rebel Flag, has been described variously as a proud emblem of Southern heritage and as a shameful reminder of slavery and segregation. In the past, several Southern states flew the Confederate battle flag along with the U.S. and state flags over their statehouses. Others incorporated the controversial symbol into the design of their state flags. The display of the Confederate flag remains a highly controversial and emotional topic, generally because of disagreement over the nature of its symbolism. As a result of these varying perceptions, there have been a number of political controversies surrounding the use of the Confederate flag in Southern state flags, at sporting events, at Southern universities, and on public buildings.

According to Civil War historian and native Southerner Shelby Foote, the flag traditionally represented the South’s resistance to Northern political dominance; it became racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when fighting against desegregation suddenly became the focal point of that resistance.

1

The Flag of the USA

Also called the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner, the flag features fifty stars, representing the fifty states, and thirteen stripes, which represent the original thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union.

The American flag is to some a symbol of the freedom, liberty and opportunity found in the USA, while to others it represents America’s military presence around the world or economic dominance. While it is not uncommon to see news footage of the American flag being burned in protest in the Middle East, it is also sometimes burnt in protest within the country. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that, due to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is unconstitutional for a government (whether federal, state, or municipality) to prohibit the desecration of a flag, due to its status as “symbolic speech.”

In my opinion, the modern era of multiculturalism in America has brought with it a lack of appreciation for the value of American symbols. America’s earliest generations of immigrants actively assimilated into American culture and appreciated the liberty they were afforded that was often not part of the cultures they left behind.

Source: http://listverse.com