[poochee]

Have a Happy Flag Day!

No Breeze Required
A Flag That Waves Itself, Complete With Patriotic Songs

By Margaret Webb Pressler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A21

There's probably no image that more typifies American patriotism -- now in peak season, with today being Flag Day -- than the Stars and Stripes waving in the wind. Unfortunately, getting that magical effect takes work. You have to hoist the flag up a pole, handling it ever so gingerly, and then, of course, you need a breeze.

Not anymore.

Richard Levy of Bethesda is a prolific inventor who has produced what he calls the world's first self-waving flag. You may know Levy, even if you don't realize it. His somewhat unusual mind is behind about 200 toys for adults and kids, including the mega-hit Furby, which he co-created.

Called "The Wave Stars and Stripes," Levy's flag looks deceptively simple in the box. But press a button and -- voilà! -- the banner undulates gracefully, as if Mother Nature herself had descended on your desk and powered up a gust. In the background, take your pick of patriotic anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner," "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" or "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

For Washington, it's the ultimate office toy. And it's showing up in some high-profile offices here.

Levy has sent the flag to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), among others.

"Letters have started to come back," Levy said, including personal missives from Rumsfeld and Lieberman. In exchange for the gift, Rumsfeld said he would make a donation to honor those killed in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

His outreach has worked. The product has only just hit stores and it's already got fans. When a reporter tried to reach former ambassador Richard H. Solomon, president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, his assistant initially referred the inquiry to the press office. But then she found out what the call was about.

"Oh, you're calling about our little wavy flag? Hang on," she said.

Moments later, Solomon was on the line, expressing his love for his self-waving flag.

"Visitors, whether American or foreign, walk in and we have a talk about world affairs, and as they're walking out I say, 'Oh, by the way, just press that button.' And they all break up," Solomon said.

"Some people might find flag-waving a little over the top, but most people respect the flag, and it's an unusual way, and a lighthearted way, to show it," he said.

The Wave flag idea came to Levy from California inventor Ron Milner, who co-created the Atari 2600, the hugely popular 1975 video-game console.

"I loved the idea," Levy said.

A video of the waving flag can be found at www.washingtonpost.com/fedpage.

Rest of article at: www.washingtonpost.com

[bill.aam]

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[Ciberblade]

Originally Posted by Ciberblade

Oh yeah....and today's flag day


Or in honour of CivDeb:

[DiSaidSo]

Flag Day in the United States



And maybe even more appropriate:

Flag of the United States

[linskyjack]

Geeze, no wonder I was getting all this spam from flag manufacturing companies for the last two weeks. Its almost like Mother's and Father's Day!

[Gabriel]

Does that mean I won't get any mail today

[Wino]

My version.

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[Mulderator]

Mulder's version!

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation, with tons of really hot chicks and liberty and justice for all (except white men!).

[Ciberblade]

............one Nation, under Canada, Above Mexico.....

[LANMaster]

Originally Posted by Wino

My version.

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Hippie.

[Gabriel]

I used to think the word indivisible, was invisible...I remember trying to picture an invisible nation.... I just kinda figured if God was invisible, then we could be too

[Gabriel]

No wonder I'm so confused

[Wino]

Originally Posted by LANMaster

Hippie.

You left out stoned, happy, mellow and laid back hippie, you uptight right wing Arkansas transplant! What'd the liberals do? Kick you out of SoCal?

[poochee]

Originally Posted by Gabriel

No wonder I'm so confused

I guess we are indivisible in some things. Certainly not politics.

[Ciberblade]

Originally Posted by Wino

You left out stoned, happy, mellow and laid back hippie, you uptight right wing Arkansas transplant! What'd the liberals do? Kick you out of SoCal?

You do sound awfully laid back and mellow