PotW 7/25/12

Hi Everyone--

Are you getting ready for the opening of the London Olympics?  We have all become accustomed to the merchandising that goes along with most major sporting events these days.  Apparently, the Olympics are not immune to the big money lure of commercialization.  

In recent months, weeks, days, I have seen a marked increase in the offerings of "British"-themed merchandise....from coffee mugs to clothing to re-usable shopping bags.  Among these items I have spotted the frequent appearance of the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On"---and I found this odd because when I visited London and toured around the English countryside I never saw this posted anywhere.  I certainly never heard anyone say it. (I didn't hear anyone say "Pip pip, cheerio!" either.)  But I've been wondering what the history of the saying is, so I looked it up:

The History of the Keep Calm and Carry On Poster The British Ministry of Information created the Keep Calm and Carry On poster in the spring of 1939 to allay the fear of the English population should Germany invade Great Britain. The poster was printed but never issued. No one seems to know for certain why the poster was never issued, but a look at the history of the British Ministry of Information gives us some clues. The British Ministry of Information was created in 1918 by Lord Beaverbrook, a newspaper owner. He wanted it to be a central office for news, censorship, and propaganda but it was primarily used to disseminate propaganda to other countries during WWI and it was therefore disbanded right after the war. In 1935, when the British observed the power of Germany's propaganda machine, spearheaded by Goebbels, they decided to ressurrect the Ministry. A combination of civil servants, advertising and public relations experts were recruited but the efforts were said to be quite disorganized at the beginning. This may explain why the Keep Calm and Carry On poster was never issued. In fact it is amazing that the Keep Calm and Carry On poster was even created. Apparently the history of the agency from WWI was that it generated posters that were "rather drab in color, short on humour and sex appeal, and with a tendency towards wordiness and over-full explanations." Quite the opposite of the simple and colorful Keep Calm and Carry On poster. It was not until June 1941 when Churchill instructed all public relations officials to work as a team for the Ministry that things shaped up. In July 1941, when Churchill's advisor, Brendan Bracken, was hand-picked to become the Minister of Information, that the department was said to start to meeting its objectives. It was said that Bracken had excellent press relations, a very close friendship with the Prime Minister, bustling confidence in tackling the Ministry's adversaries, and scorn for the exhortations of the British public.  Perhaps if the Keep Calm and Carry On poster had been created a few years later, it would have been as well known during the war as it is today.  (keepcalmandcarryonusa.com) So--there you have it, and now you know.  File this little factoid away for your next round of pub trivia!  In the meantime, check out the Piece of the Week, made with Labradorite...a stone believed by the original inhabitants of the Labrador peninsula to "increase energy and reduce stress and anxiety".   Or, said another way: "Keep Calm and Carry On!"  Until next week-

Kim

Two Willows Jewelry

http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com