Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with articles on Egypt and Ghana, are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #297: "Jerusalem Folly", the last vignette by FAN maestro Noel Maurer, and a companion piece to #296: "Red Sea Morning". Next is my own #303: "Buque Nights", another visit with King Fernando and Queen Sophia of New Granada, in February 1981.
"Jerusalem Folly" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 23 September 2004, and "Buque Nights" on 30 November 2010. "Buque Nights" was also posted to this blog on the same date.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Go slow
As we approach the finish line of the For All Nails vignettes, it's time to pause for another embedded music video. Today the Johnny Pez blog presents "Crystalised" by The xx.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
FAN #302: "Legal Challenge" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Philip Halliwell, are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #296: "Red Sea Morning" by Jonathan Edelstein, a sequel to Jonathan's #251: "The Armenian Quarter", and also a sequel to Noel Maurer's #280: "Sallah Bread". Next is my own #302: "Legal Challenge", the first new For All Nails vignette to be written in five years.
"Red Sea Morning" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 23 September 2004, and "Legal Challenge" on 12 September 2010. "Legal Challenge" was also posted on this blog on 11 September 2010.
"Red Sea Morning" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 23 September 2004, and "Legal Challenge" on 12 September 2010. "Legal Challenge" was also posted on this blog on 11 September 2010.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
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Friday, September 28, 2012
FAN #299: "Patience" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #291: "The Packer" by Jonathan Edelstein, in which a German smuggler finds himself in the North African nation of Numidia in August 1980. Next is my own #299: "Patience", a sequel to Noel Maurer's #277C: "Handover", featuring King Fernando and Queen Sophia of New Granada.
"The Packer" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 29 March 2004, and "Patience" on 16 February 2005.
"The Packer" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 29 March 2004, and "Patience" on 16 February 2005.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Thursday, September 27, 2012
FAN #293: "I Will Make You Hurt" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First, from January 1980, is #290: "Joining Up is Hard to Do" by Jonathan Edelstein, in which Queen Alexandra of the Cape pays a call on the High Commissioner of the European Union. Next, from July 1978, is my own #293: "I Will Make You Hurt", a sequel to #292: "I Will Let You Down".
"Joining Up is Hard to Do" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 19 March 2004, and "I Will Make You Hurt" on 23 April 2004.
"Joining Up is Hard to Do" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 19 March 2004, and "I Will Make You Hurt" on 23 April 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
FAN #292: "I Will Let You Down" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #289: "Attending Union College" by Noel Maurer, a sequel to yesterday's #282: "My Empire of Dirt". Next is my own #292: "I Will Let You Down", a sequel to Noel's sequel.
"Attending Union College" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 March 2004, and "I Will Let You Down" on 1 April 2004.
"Attending Union College" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 March 2004, and "I Will Let You Down" on 1 April 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
FAN #282: "My Empire of Dirt" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #282: "My Empire of Dirt" by yours truly, in which King Frederick of Poland finds his new job as Chief Executive of the European Union a trying one. Next is #283: "Ségou is Worth a Mosque" by Jonathan Edelstein, a historical FAN vignette from 1912.
"My Empire of Dirt" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 February 2004, and "Ségou is Worth a Mosque" on 10 February 2004.
"My Empire of Dirt" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 February 2004, and "Ségou is Worth a Mosque" on 10 February 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Monday, September 24, 2012
FAN #280: "Sallah Bread" by Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on the Victoria Canal, are two For All Nails vignettes. First is #280: "Sallah Bread" by Noel Maurer, in which Sebo Quezadas, now with Mexican Naval Intelligence, reports on an imminent war between Egypt and Arabia in June 1981. This was the last FAN vignette to feature Noel's author avatar. Next is #287: "Palace Full of Fantasy" by Mike Keating, the final vignette in Mike's series on the Samuel Adams Brotherhood. You can tell we're getting near the end, can't you?
"Sallah Bread" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 30 January 2004, and "Palace Full of Fantasy" on 10 March 2004.
"Sallah Bread" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 30 January 2004, and "Palace Full of Fantasy" on 10 March 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Sunday, September 23, 2012
FAN #277C: "Handover" by Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with articles on San Antonio and the National Financial Administration, are two For All Nails vignettes. First is #277C: "Handover" by Noel Maurer, the final installment of Private Nabo and Operation Cold Phoenix. Next is #286: "You Say You Want a Revolution" by Mike Keating, the continuing story of the Samuel Adams Brotherhood.
"Handover" was first posted as the final section of "Waging Peace" on the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 8 January 2004, and "You Say You Want a Revolution" on 9 March 2004.
"Handover" was first posted as the final section of "Waging Peace" on the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 8 January 2004, and "You Say You Want a Revolution" on 9 March 2004.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
History,
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Saturday, September 22, 2012
FAN #277B: "Waging Peace" by Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Bogotá, are two more* For All Nails vignettes. First is #277B: "Waging Peace" by Noel Maurer, continuing the story of Private Nabo of the Mexican Army. Next is #285: "Death of a Governor-General" by David Mix Barrington and myself, looking at the aftermath of an airmobile crash in the C.N.A. in October 1977.
"Waging Peace" was the second section of a vignette that first appeared under that name on the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 8 January 2004, and "Death of a Governor-General" on 8 March 2004.
"Waging Peace" was the second section of a vignette that first appeared under that name on the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 8 January 2004, and "Death of a Governor-General" on 8 March 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
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Friday, September 21, 2012
FAN #277A: "Military History" by Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. Or rather, to be more accurate, one and a third more For All Nails vignettes. Noel wrote a sequel to #274: "A Call to Barms", and it was even longer than the epic "Easter Rising" -- and that was a collaboration between three people. I decided that Noel's original vignette, #277: "Waging Peace", was just too bloody long. So, by the power vested in me as lord and master of the Sobel Wiki, I've broken it up into three sections. Up today is the first section, #277A: "Military History", in which Private Nabo is assigned to read captured British documents in February 1978.
Also up is #284: "And This Bird You'll Never Tame" by David Mix Barrington, a look at C.N.A. politics heading into the 1978 Grand Council elections.
"Military History" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup as the first section of "Waging Peace" on 8 January 2004, and "And This Bird You'll Never Tame" on 26 February 2004.
Also up is #284: "And This Bird You'll Never Tame" by David Mix Barrington, a look at C.N.A. politics heading into the 1978 Grand Council elections.
"Military History" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup as the first section of "Waging Peace" on 8 January 2004, and "And This Bird You'll Never Tame" on 26 February 2004.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
History,
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Thursday, September 20, 2012
FAN #274: "A Call to Barms" by Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are three more For All Nails vignettes. First is #270: "O Joy O Rapture Unforeseen" by the FAN Cabal troika of Henrik Kiertzner, Noel Maurer, and David Mix Barrington, a sequel to #267: "Easter Rising". Next is #274: "A Call to Barms" by Noel Maurer, a sequel to "O Joy O Rapture Unforeseen" that introduces Private Nabo, an aimless young Mexican philosophy major who is called up in 1977 to take part in the Mexican occupation of New Granada. Finally we have #281: "Mawlid al-Nabi" by Jonathan Edelstein, a sequel to #245: "Laylat al-Ragha'ib".
"O Joy O Rapture Unforeseen" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 4 January 2004, "A Call to Barms" on 8 January 2004, and "Mawlid al-Nabi" on 2 February 2004.
"O Joy O Rapture Unforeseen" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 4 January 2004, "A Call to Barms" on 8 January 2004, and "Mawlid al-Nabi" on 2 February 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
FAN #267: "Easter Rising" by Henrik Kiertzner, Noel Maurer, and Dan McDonald
Up today at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #267: "Easter Rising" by the FAN Cabal troika of Henrik Kiertzner, Noel Maurer, and Dan McDonald. "Easter Rising" is a 6500-word epic telling the tale of an uprising in British-occupied New Granada in April 1977. Any resemblance to our own world's Tet Offensive is entirely intentional.
"Easter Rising" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 November 2003.
"Easter Rising" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 November 2003.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
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And I think I need a little poison
It's been way too long since the Johnny Pez blog had an embedded music video, so we're reaching deep into the YouTube back catalogue for Throwing Muses performing "Bright Yellow Gun" live on the Channel 4 series The Word on 9 December 1994. Take it away, Kristin . . .
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
FAN #271: "And You Could Have It All" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #271: "And You Could Have It All" by yours truly, a sequel to #244: "Look for the Union Label", featuring two of my favorite characters, King Frederick of Poland and Premier Yvette Fanchon of France.
"And You Could Have It All" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 January 2004.
"And You Could Have It All" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 January 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
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Monday, September 17, 2012
FAN #265: "Turncoats and Telephones" by Mike Keating
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are three For All Nails vignettes. First is #265: "Turncoats and Telephones" by Mike Keating, the latest installment in the life of Mexican spy Harold Pickett. Next is #276: "The Power of Pointlists" by David Mix Barrington, the last (chronological) vignette with Mexican mathematician Bobby Contreras, and finally we have #278: "Kaffeeklatsch" by David Mix Barrington, in which Mayor Miriam Levine meets with former space pilot Christine Lillehammer.
"Turncoats and Telephones" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 11 October 2003, "The Power of Pointlists" on 21 December 2003, and "Kaffeeklatsch" on 23 January 2004.
"Turncoats and Telephones" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 11 October 2003, "The Power of Pointlists" on 21 December 2003, and "Kaffeeklatsch" on 23 January 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Sunday, September 16, 2012
FAN #261: "Thunderstruck" by Mike Keating
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #261: "Thunderstruck" by Mike Keating, in which the Samuel Adams Brotherhood resorts to misdirection in its war against the C.N.A. Next is #273: "Graduation Day" by David Mix Barrington, in which space pilot Christine Lillehammer gives a graduation day speech at her alma mater.
"Thunderstruck" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 21 September 2003, and "Graduation Day" on 6 December 2003.
"Thunderstruck" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 21 September 2003, and "Graduation Day" on 6 December 2003.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Saturday, September 15, 2012
FAN #256: "It's the Real Thing" by Mike Keating
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are another two For All Nails vignettes. First is #256: "It's the Real Thing" by Mike Keating, a Statist article from April 1976 (another article from the same issue, by the way, was quoted in #253: "Paper Trail"). Next is #257: "Crash of Civilizations" by David Mix Barrington, an article from the 10 September 1976 issue of Britannia Renewed, the official publication of Great Britain's National Renewal Party.
"It's the Real Thing" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 24 August 2003, and "Crash of Civilizations" on 26 June 2003.
"It's the Real Thing" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 24 August 2003, and "Crash of Civilizations" on 26 June 2003.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
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Friday, September 14, 2012
FAN #251: "The Armenian Quarter" by Jonathan Edelstein
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #251: "The Armenian Quarter" by Jonathan Edelstein, about an Armenian baxter in Alexandria, Egypt in September 1976. Next is #260A: "East or West: Minsk at the Crossroads" by Randy McDonald, the latest (and so far, last) dispatch from Quebecois journalist Andre-Philippe Maeterlinck, from February 1975.
Those of you who are following the For All Nails saga closely (assuming anyone is) may be wondering why #260, a vignette featuring Joan Kahn in 1978, is followed by #260A, a vignette featuring Maeterlinck in 1975. The answer is that when I was assembling the For All Nails page at the Sobel Wiki, my only guide to the vignettes after #250 was the soc.history.what-if archive at Google Groups. I would do a search for "all nails 263" and up would pop vignette #263: "Lost in Space" by Dave MB, and I would add that to the list of vignettes. However, when I did a search for "all nails 260" nothing came up. I figured the Google Groups archive must have lost #260, or else it had never been posted, so I stuck in a replacement: my own vignette "Be My Guest" which I wrote in 2004 but never got around to posting. However, Dave MB either has superior Google-fu, or else he remembered what I had forgotten: that the reason there was no #260 was because Randy McDonald had begun a second series of Maeterlinck vignettes with #260A. As it happens, Randy never got around to writing any more, so #260A is all there is. For now, anyway. (Hint hint, Randy).
"The Armenian Quarter" was posted to shw-i on 22 May 2003, and "East or West? Minsk at the Crossroads" on 5 August 2003.
Those of you who are following the For All Nails saga closely (assuming anyone is) may be wondering why #260, a vignette featuring Joan Kahn in 1978, is followed by #260A, a vignette featuring Maeterlinck in 1975. The answer is that when I was assembling the For All Nails page at the Sobel Wiki, my only guide to the vignettes after #250 was the soc.history.what-if archive at Google Groups. I would do a search for "all nails 263" and up would pop vignette #263: "Lost in Space" by Dave MB, and I would add that to the list of vignettes. However, when I did a search for "all nails 260" nothing came up. I figured the Google Groups archive must have lost #260, or else it had never been posted, so I stuck in a replacement: my own vignette "Be My Guest" which I wrote in 2004 but never got around to posting. However, Dave MB either has superior Google-fu, or else he remembered what I had forgotten: that the reason there was no #260 was because Randy McDonald had begun a second series of Maeterlinck vignettes with #260A. As it happens, Randy never got around to writing any more, so #260A is all there is. For now, anyway. (Hint hint, Randy).
"The Armenian Quarter" was posted to shw-i on 22 May 2003, and "East or West? Minsk at the Crossroads" on 5 August 2003.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
History,
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
FAN #255: "Grits, Interrupted" by Johnny Pez and Noel Maurer
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are four, count 'em, four For All Nails vignettes. First is #254: "A Farewell to Kings" by Mike Keating, in which the leadership of the Samuel Adams Brotherhood reacts to the Viceroy crisis. Second is my own #255: "Grits, Interrupted", in which the C.N.A. and U.S.M. agree on a joint military operation in the South American nation of Grão Pará (part of Brazil in our own timeline) in May 1976. Third is #266: "No Oil for Blood" by Noel Maurer, a series of magazine articles on the British occupation of New Granada. And finally we have #288: "A Statement of Principles" by Andrew Barton, in which the government of Quebec reacts to the Viceroy crisis.
By an interesting coincidence, the addition of these four vignettes brings the number of articles in the Sobel Wiki up to 1776.
"A Farewell to Kings" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 19 June 2003, "Grits, Interrupted" on 20 June 2003, "No Oil for Blood" on 19 October 2003, and "A Statement of Principles" on 7 March 2004.
By an interesting coincidence, the addition of these four vignettes brings the number of articles in the Sobel Wiki up to 1776.
"A Farewell to Kings" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 19 June 2003, "Grits, Interrupted" on 20 June 2003, "No Oil for Blood" on 19 October 2003, and "A Statement of Principles" on 7 March 2004.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
FAN #241: "Games Without Frontiers" by Mike Keating
Up today at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #241: "Games Without Frontiers" by Mike Keating, which carries the story of the Samuel Adams Brotherhood forward to December 1975.
"Games Without Frontiers" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 April 2003.
"Games Without Frontiers" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 April 2003.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
Monday, September 10, 2012
FAN #244: "Look for the Union Label" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is my own #244: "Look for the Union Label", in which a major political reorganization of Europe is discussed in April 1976. Next is #250: "Guy Walks Into a Bar" by David Mix Barrington, a final visit with Felipe and Astrid Jackson in January 1976.
"Look for the Union Label" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 May 2003, and "Guy Walks Into a Bar" on 21 May 2003.
"Look for the Union Label" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 May 2003, and "Guy Walks Into a Bar" on 21 May 2003.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
History,
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Sunday, September 9, 2012
FAN #236: "Fox in the Henhouse" by Johnny Pez
We follow up our venture into vexillology with two more For All Nails vignettes at the Sobel Wiki: my own #236: "Fox in the Henhouse", a sequel to yesterday's #230: "The Last Straw"; and the sequel's sequel, #253: "Paper Trail" by David Mix Barrington and myself, featuring the final resolution of the Viceroy crisis.
"Fox in the Henhouse" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 5 June 2003, and "Paper Trail" on 6 June 2003.
"Fox in the Henhouse" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 5 June 2003, and "Paper Trail" on 6 June 2003.
Labels:
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Sobel Timeline Vexillology
When Greenhill Books reprinted Sobel's For Want of a Nail in 1997, whoever did the cover design came up with a very elegant way of representing the book's contents: two cross flagstaffs bearing the flags of the Confederation of North America and the United States of Mexico. The C.N.A. flag is the Continental Colors of 1776 with the British Union Jack in the canton and the thirteen red and white stripes that still appears on the American flag today. The U.S.M. flag has a coiled snake with the words Don't Tread On Me, implying that the ex-rebels who settled in Jefferson adopted the Gadsden flag of the Revolutionary War era, while the circle of stars suggests the Betsy Ross flag.
Although the two national flags were created by a graphic designer at Greenhill Books in the 1990s, and thus were not a "canonical" part of the Sobel Timeline, the members of the For All Nails cabal decided to accept them, thus making them For All Nails Timeline canon. In the course of FAN, both flag designs were changed, with the U.S.M. flag adding two more stars in 1975 with the addition of the states of Jackson and Antillas, and the C.N.A. flag dropping the Union Jack in favor of a white six-pointed star on a dark blue field in 1976 following the Viceroy controversy.
When you think about it, though, neither flag seems likely. When the C.N.A. was established in 1782, the last thing the British would have wanted was to have the new dominion represented by a symbol of the Rebellion, which was what the Continental Colors were. Most likely, the C.N.A. would not have had its own flag; the colonies would have returned to the pre-Rebellion practice of flying the Red Ensign.
With the adoption of the Second Britannic Design in 1842, the resulting upsurge of North American nationalism would have resulted in the adoption of a Confederation flag, but it would not have been the Continental Colors. Most likely, as in the case of Canada in our own history, the C.N.A. flag would have been the Red Ensign with the Coat of Arms of the C.N.A. added. What the C.N.A. Coat of Arms would have looked like is anyone's guess. To give you some idea, here's what the C.N.A. Red Ensign would look like with the 19th century Canadian Arms added. (If any enterprising readers would like to come up with their own versions of the C.N.A. Arms and create their own C.N.A. Red Ensign, go ahead. I'll be pleased to post the results here.)
Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed that the Union Jack in this version of the Red Ensign doesn't include the Cross of St. Patrick. Sobel never mentions the 1801 Act of Union, and opinion in the FAN cabal was that there wouldn't have been one absent the French Revolutionary Wars, so Sobel Timeline Britain keeps the pre-1801 flags.
As for the Mexican flag, that's stepping into deep waters. In the Sobel Timeline, the Mexican War of Independence began after Spain's defeat in the Five Years' War in 1799, though Sobel never says why the Spanish dominions in America rose up. (FAN canon is that the American uprisings were due to the Bourbons being replaced on the Spanish throne by a cadet branch of the Prussian royal family.) In the Sobel Timeline, the Mexican War of Independence was not led by a Mexican, but by a Spaniard: the Count of Revillogigedo, the former Viceroy of New Spain. As for what the Mexican flag would have looked like under his leadership, it might well have incorporated the eagle and snake of our history's Mexican flag, since that bit of iconography was already deeply embedded in Mexican culture at the time of our 1777 point of divergence.
As for the State of Jefferson, they might indeed have adopted the Gadsden flag, but most likely they would have chosen the Stars and Stripes. (If they did use the Gadsden flag, then the symbolism of a Mexican eagle devouring a snake would have been particularly unfortunate.) After the union of Jefferson and Mexico in 1819, Andrew Jackson would have wanted a flag that represented both nations, so perhaps the flag of the U.S.M. wound up with the old Mexican flag in the canton, on a field of 13 red and white stripes:
I'll be the first to admit that my own versions of the C.N.A. and U.S.M. flags aren't as striking as the ones the graphic artist from Greenhill Books came up with, but I do think they're closer to what would have resulted from the history of the Sobel Timeline.
If anyone from my vast global blogging audience happens to disagree, feel free to let me know in the comments.
UPDATE: More Sobel vexillology goodness here.
Although the two national flags were created by a graphic designer at Greenhill Books in the 1990s, and thus were not a "canonical" part of the Sobel Timeline, the members of the For All Nails cabal decided to accept them, thus making them For All Nails Timeline canon. In the course of FAN, both flag designs were changed, with the U.S.M. flag adding two more stars in 1975 with the addition of the states of Jackson and Antillas, and the C.N.A. flag dropping the Union Jack in favor of a white six-pointed star on a dark blue field in 1976 following the Viceroy controversy.
When you think about it, though, neither flag seems likely. When the C.N.A. was established in 1782, the last thing the British would have wanted was to have the new dominion represented by a symbol of the Rebellion, which was what the Continental Colors were. Most likely, the C.N.A. would not have had its own flag; the colonies would have returned to the pre-Rebellion practice of flying the Red Ensign.
With the adoption of the Second Britannic Design in 1842, the resulting upsurge of North American nationalism would have resulted in the adoption of a Confederation flag, but it would not have been the Continental Colors. Most likely, as in the case of Canada in our own history, the C.N.A. flag would have been the Red Ensign with the Coat of Arms of the C.N.A. added. What the C.N.A. Coat of Arms would have looked like is anyone's guess. To give you some idea, here's what the C.N.A. Red Ensign would look like with the 19th century Canadian Arms added. (If any enterprising readers would like to come up with their own versions of the C.N.A. Arms and create their own C.N.A. Red Ensign, go ahead. I'll be pleased to post the results here.)
Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed that the Union Jack in this version of the Red Ensign doesn't include the Cross of St. Patrick. Sobel never mentions the 1801 Act of Union, and opinion in the FAN cabal was that there wouldn't have been one absent the French Revolutionary Wars, so Sobel Timeline Britain keeps the pre-1801 flags.
As for the Mexican flag, that's stepping into deep waters. In the Sobel Timeline, the Mexican War of Independence began after Spain's defeat in the Five Years' War in 1799, though Sobel never says why the Spanish dominions in America rose up. (FAN canon is that the American uprisings were due to the Bourbons being replaced on the Spanish throne by a cadet branch of the Prussian royal family.) In the Sobel Timeline, the Mexican War of Independence was not led by a Mexican, but by a Spaniard: the Count of Revillogigedo, the former Viceroy of New Spain. As for what the Mexican flag would have looked like under his leadership, it might well have incorporated the eagle and snake of our history's Mexican flag, since that bit of iconography was already deeply embedded in Mexican culture at the time of our 1777 point of divergence.
As for the State of Jefferson, they might indeed have adopted the Gadsden flag, but most likely they would have chosen the Stars and Stripes. (If they did use the Gadsden flag, then the symbolism of a Mexican eagle devouring a snake would have been particularly unfortunate.) After the union of Jefferson and Mexico in 1819, Andrew Jackson would have wanted a flag that represented both nations, so perhaps the flag of the U.S.M. wound up with the old Mexican flag in the canton, on a field of 13 red and white stripes:
I'll be the first to admit that my own versions of the C.N.A. and U.S.M. flags aren't as striking as the ones the graphic artist from Greenhill Books came up with, but I do think they're closer to what would have resulted from the history of the Sobel Timeline.
If anyone from my vast global blogging audience happens to disagree, feel free to let me know in the comments.
UPDATE: More Sobel vexillology goodness here.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
FAN #230: "The Last Straw" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with articles on Malcolm Kitteridge, Simon Cardenes, the 1884 Kitteridge-Cardenes Treaty, and the Viceroy, are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is my own #230: "The Last Straw", in which the British government seeks to bring the North American government to heel. Next is #279: "Flyers and Fulcrums" by Andrew Barton, continuing the story of Quebecois fantascience writer Alan Fairfax.
"The Last Straw" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 5 June 2003, and "Flyers and Fulcrums" on 26 January 2004.
"The Last Straw" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 5 June 2003, and "Flyers and Fulcrums" on 26 January 2004.
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Friday, September 7, 2012
FAN #238: "These Are the Journeys" by Johnny Pez
In honor of the 46th anniversary of the premier of Star Trek, today the Sobel Wiki gives a permanent home to For All Nails vignette #238: "These Are the Journeys" by yours truly, consisting of an excerpt from the Space Saga Concordance, a reference book on the Australian fantascience series mentioned in #104D: "The Gun Room", and #132: "Confido in Fabolositate".
Also up is #252: "The Waitress is Practicing Politics" by David Mix Barrington, a sequel to yesterday's #246: "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed". This is the last FAN vignette to feature CBI agent Clarissa Forster. Or, at least, it is now. Having successfullybadgered persuaded Dave MB to start writing FAN vignettes again, we just might be seeing more of both Clarissa and her alter-ego Abby Bartlet.
"These Are the Journeys" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 18 April 2003, and "The Waitress is Practicing Politics" on 12 June 2003.
Also up is #252: "The Waitress is Practicing Politics" by David Mix Barrington, a sequel to yesterday's #246: "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed". This is the last FAN vignette to feature CBI agent Clarissa Forster. Or, at least, it is now. Having successfully
"These Are the Journeys" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 18 April 2003, and "The Waitress is Practicing Politics" on 12 June 2003.
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Thursday, September 6, 2012
FAN #229: "The Tailor of Panama" by Noel Maurer and Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First up we have #229: "The Tailor of Panama" by Noel Maurer and yours truly, in which Sebo Quezadas finds himself taking part in the operation discussed in #228: "Now We All Did What We Could Do". Noel started writing the vignette, but found that he couldn't think up an ending for it. I was able to come up with an ending, so Noel allowed me to finish writing it. Feel free to try to guess where Noel's writing ends and mine begins. Noel's original title for the vignette was "Useless Tory Brats"; I forget who came up with the final title. It may even have been me.
Next is David Mix Barrington's #246: "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed", in which CBI agent Clarissa Forster discovers that her cover identity refuses to remain submerged.
"The Tailor of Panama" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 June 2003, and "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed" on 7 May 2003.
Next is David Mix Barrington's #246: "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed", in which CBI agent Clarissa Forster discovers that her cover identity refuses to remain submerged.
"The Tailor of Panama" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 June 2003, and "So I Wouldn't Get Weighed" on 7 May 2003.
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
FAN #227: "Freedom" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is my own #227: "Freedom", in which Yvette Fanchon discusses the future of France with General Eric von Gellmann in December 1975. Next is #245: "Laylat al-Ragha'ib" by Jonathan Edelstein, in which Carmen Valenzuela finds herself working in the North African nation of Ouadai in July 1975.
"Freedom was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 March 2003, and "Laylat al-Ragha'ib" on 6 May 2003.
"Freedom was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 March 2003, and "Laylat al-Ragha'ib" on 6 May 2003.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
FAN #226: "Rise Up, Gather Round" by Mike Keating
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is #226: "Rise Up, Gather Round" by Mike Keating, in which the Army Brotherhoods take part in a demonstration in Boston in November 1975. Next is #272: "The North Lakehead By-Election" by Andrew Barton, a sequel to yesterday's #264: "Rising Moon and Falling Star".
"Rise Up, Gather Round" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 24 March 2003, and "The North Lakehead By-Election" on 30 November 2003.
"Rise Up, Gather Round" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 24 March 2003, and "The North Lakehead By-Election" on 30 November 2003.
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Monday, September 3, 2012
FAN #232: "Strange Bedfellows" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with articles on Clem Brook, the New York Herald, and Starkism, are two more For All Nails vignettes. First is my own #232: "Strange Bedfellows", a sequel to my #217: "When Love Comes to Town" (and a prequel to David Mix Barrington's #233: "Shootout at Black Rock"). Next sees the first vignette by Andrew Barton, a late arrival to the FAN Cabal, #264: "Rising Moon and Falling Star", featuring Quebecois fantascience writer Alan Fairfax.
As I've noted before, tt was Andrew's posting of the 301st FAN vignette on his blog Acts of Minor Treason in March 2010 that started the For All Nails revival that has since spawned 12 additional vignettes by four different authors, with more on the way. I found Andrew's vignette six months after he posted it; a Google search for Ezra Gallivan led me there, ten days after the founding of the Sobel Wiki. The timing was not coincidental; after I created the Ezra Gallivan article, I was curious to know where it would show up on a Google search, and Andrew's vignette was the tenth search result.
I'll also take this opportunity to note that I coined the word "fantascience", the Sobel Timeline's name for science fiction. I picked the word for the sake of its abbreviation FS, a reversal of the common abbreviation for science fiction, and because I found it rather euphonious. Incidentally, regular shw-i commenter Raymond Speer was of the opinion that the Sobel Timeline would have no analogue to our own Romantic period, and hence no development of an analogue (pun intended) to science fiction. Speer's opinion met with some disagreement, and anyway, by then it was too late, fantascience was FAN canon.
"Strange Bedfellows" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 13 April 2003, and "Rising Moon and Falling Star" on 8 September 2003.
As I've noted before, tt was Andrew's posting of the 301st FAN vignette on his blog Acts of Minor Treason in March 2010 that started the For All Nails revival that has since spawned 12 additional vignettes by four different authors, with more on the way. I found Andrew's vignette six months after he posted it; a Google search for Ezra Gallivan led me there, ten days after the founding of the Sobel Wiki. The timing was not coincidental; after I created the Ezra Gallivan article, I was curious to know where it would show up on a Google search, and Andrew's vignette was the tenth search result.
I'll also take this opportunity to note that I coined the word "fantascience", the Sobel Timeline's name for science fiction. I picked the word for the sake of its abbreviation FS, a reversal of the common abbreviation for science fiction, and because I found it rather euphonious. Incidentally, regular shw-i commenter Raymond Speer was of the opinion that the Sobel Timeline would have no analogue to our own Romantic period, and hence no development of an analogue (pun intended) to science fiction. Speer's opinion met with some disagreement, and anyway, by then it was too late, fantascience was FAN canon.
"Strange Bedfellows" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 13 April 2003, and "Rising Moon and Falling Star" on 8 September 2003.
Labels:
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For All Nails,
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Sunday, September 2, 2012
FAN #240: "Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are three, yes three For All Nails vignettes. First are a pair by yours truly, #240: "Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks", and its sequel, #225: "The Puppet Masters". Why was the sequel posted first? Because that's the way we did things at For All Nails. Together, the two vignettes show an important moment in the American War in November 1975. Next is Noel Maurer and David Mix Barrington's sequel to my sequel, #228: "Now We All Did What We Could Do", showing the North American government's response to the events in my vignettes (which was also the way we did things at For All Nails).
"The Puppet Masters" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 23 March 2003, "Now We All Did What We Could Do" on 15 April 2003, and "Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks" on 26 April 2003.
"The Puppet Masters" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 23 March 2003, "Now We All Did What We Could Do" on 15 April 2003, and "Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks" on 26 April 2003.
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Saturday, September 1, 2012
FAN #234: "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Montagu" by Johnny Pez
Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes: first is my own #234: "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Montagu", a sequel to yesterday's #224: "Houseguests". The title, of course, is based on a joke I stole from "Blackadder the Third". Next is #263: "Lost in Space", featuring the return of Captain the Honorable Evangeline Gilmore.
"A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Montagu" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 15 April 2003, and "Lost in Space" on 6 September 2003.
"A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Montagu" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 15 April 2003, and "Lost in Space" on 6 September 2003.
Labels:
Blogtopia,
For All Nails,
History,
Sobel Wiki
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