Gettysburg’s Great Lincoln Statue

The seventh graders at St. Martha’s always went to Gettysburg for their class trip. (They could still do it now.) But what my teachers did not show us — or showed us and I forgot, or they showed us and I didn’t know who Perry Como was — was this Gettysburg statue of Abraham Lincoln next to Perry Como:

Further investigation (done by RJ) reveals the statue might just “look like” the crooner, and it’s apparently supposed to be Lincoln with “the everyman.” But whatever: This is the best thing ever. How random, how awesome.

For those of you who don’t know who Perry Como is, author Andrew Ferguson (Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe’s America) explains: “People have forgotten Perry Como, this is awful to say the least. He was a crooner, a sort of a Frank Sinatra without the overtones of danger and sexuality but anyway, so he just looks like every man, which was Perry Como’s appeal and he’s in a cable neck sweater and Lincoln is talking to him.”

I would be remiss if I did not note Pennsylvania-born Perry Como also appeared with Superman. Let’s hope in 100 years somebody puts up a statue of Barack Obama talking to Celine Dion or something.

Time travel or feverish hallucination? [of Battles and Bibliophiles]

New Penny Designer Is Abraham Lincoln Reincarnated

Are you in to coin collecting yet? No? Well, the U.S. Mint is going to try again: In 2009, there will be four new designs on the back of pennies.

As you can see from the two examples in the photo, they’re lavishly detailed; one of them features a 50-foot tall Lincoln that kinda looks like a young Ralph Nader! (I think I’m the only one who thinks it looks like him.) The other has Lincoln as a young railsplitter, reading a book (Infinite Jest, most likely). But, as the Inquirer’s Peter Mucha explains, that particular penny was designed in Philadelphia!

As a teen, Charles Vickers, a sculptor/engraver for the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, had to split firewood using a wedge and a wood-headed hammer called a maul.

So, a few years ago, when the mint assigned him to submit one of four new designs for the penny, an image immediately came to the Jenkintown gentleman’s mind: Lincoln’s reading a book while taking a break from splitting logs with a double-banded maul.

I’m pretty sure this guy actually is Abraham Lincoln. I have to imagine there’s a way to get from president to mint engraver in two or three reincarnations. FYI: Pennies now cost more than a penny to mint; our nation’s only hope for fiscal solvency now is the collected wealth of coin collectors buying mint condition pennies at premium prices.

New penny designed partly in Philadelphia [Inquirer]

Honest Slobo

Today’s Daily News contains a letter that makes a comparison between two people who I never really thought had much in common until now:

WILL the press stop the lies about Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic?

He was a hero who fought for Christian Serbs against Muslim Albanians and Croats.

Milosevic and the Christian Serbs fought to keep their country together in spite of crippling sanctions and numerous attempts by the British and United States to take Serb land and give it to Muslims.

I guess Abe Lincoln was a war criminal. Didn’t more than 600,000 boys die trying to keep his country together?

Mike Franklin, Marlton, N.J.

You know, Mr. Franklin, I think you’re right. Slobodan did always wear a stovepipe hat, too.

Letters | In praise of Slobodan [DN]

Obvious one-liner ahead; tread lightly

Geeze, I knew Union League members were rich old white guys, but I didn’t know they were that old.

Union League Remembers Abe Lincoln [KYW 1060]

Blogicized: Lincoln logs

• I do a whole morning of puppies last Thursday, Philebrity does a whole day of Belle & Sebastian. Seems about right. [Philebrity]

• A question that I’m surprised hasn’t been answered before: Does the violence in the riots over cartoons adhere to the same laws of cartoon violence from Looney Toons? [iFlipFlop]

• In addition to being gay, Abraham Lincoln was also now depressed. Man, what won’t we find out about our nation’s 16th president? Did he enjoy watersports? Did he know any magic tricks? Did he hide a totally killer bong in that stovepipe hat of his? [The Trouble With Spikol]

• Found the Super Bowl boring? Blame Conservatives! Because, without conservatives, the NFL would never have hired those obscrure right-wingers the Rolling Stones. [dragonballyee]

Lincoln blog

While I was out at lunch today, I spotted this book at Borders:

Can’t see what award it won? Let’s zoom in:

Lincoln, winner of the Lincoln Prize. In related news, I’d like to congratulate myself for winning the Philadelphia Will Do Award for Excellence. Great job!

Lincoln : A Life of Purpose and Power (Hardcover) [Amazon]