Wait, these U.S. Space Force unit logos are… metal af
Plus: Melania Trump’s new NFT raises money for kids in foster care
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Hello, in this issue we’ll look at…
Wait, these U.S. Space Force unit logos are… metal af
Melania Trump’s new NFT raises money for kids in foster care
Did you hear about the woman who bought an ancient Roman bust from a Texas Goodwill for $34.99?
Wait, these U.S. Space Force unit logos are… metal af
The U.S. Space Force is still very much a thing under the Biden administration. In fact, the newest branch of the U.S. military has locations in California, Colorado, and Florida, and it’s already grown a universe of some of the dopest unit insignias you’ve ever seen.
Gizmodo rounded up a list of the best unit logos and emblems, and my favorite is the skull in a plumed Roman-style space helmet from the 533rd Training Squadron, a California unit known as the “Centurions” and “Generation One of the United States Space Force.”
Other designs show a guardian lion peering out over the Earth, a glove that shoots lightning bolts, and a tiger with a sword. Incredible stuff.
It’s all an upgrade from the cartoon-style designs that former President Donald Trump’s campaign used to poll supporters on what they’d like to see on merch in 2019. The emblem that most closely resembles one of Trump merch designs, though, is for the 11th Delta Operations Squadron, which shows a delta blasting off with two red laser contrails (below, top left).
On Twitter, response to the insignias has been mixed, with reactions ranging from “f**king cool” to complaints they look like a high school mascot logos or ‘80s action cartoons. What do you think?
Melania Trump’s new NFT raises money for kids in foster care
May is National Foster Care Month, and former first lady Melania Trump is using her latest NFTs to raise money for her foster care initiative.
Her new NFT, “The MetaRose,” is an animation of blue diamonds that assemble into a flower, and it’s based on photos Trump took herself, according to her website. Each sells for $150, and 3,000 have been minted, with proceeds going to Fostering the Future, the former FLOTUS’ post-White House Be Best foster care initiative.
Trump also co-authored an op-ed calling on the U.S. to support foster care published on foxnews.com last week with Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.).
“Foster care protects children, strengthens families, and builds a better future for our nation’s youth,” Trump and Walorski wrote. “We must work together to build a framework for long-term economic stability and success—including for older foster youth and those aging out of the foster care system.”
In the piece, they also called on Congress to improve the child welfare programs set to expire this year.
In other Melania NFT news, the former first lady’s secondary NFT platform, usamemorabilia.com, launched its second collection last month for Earth Day. The National Parks NFT Collection featured eight rotating animations of National Parks, including Arches, Denali, and Grand Teton. About 99% of the collection remains unsold.
Did you hear about the woman who bought an ancient Roman bust from a Texas Goodwill for $34.99?
Texas art collector Laura Young specializes in finding undervalued art, and while shopping at a Goodwill in Austin in 2018, she made the buy of her career. Young spotted a marble bust on the floor under a table that she bought for $34.99. Turns out it was an actual ancient Roman bust that dates to as far back as the late 1st century B.C.
That’s according to the San Antonio Museum of Art, which is exhibiting the bust through May 2023. It’s unclear how the bust got to Texas, but the museum said it was likely brought to the U.S. by a returning soldier after World War II from Germany.
Young did her due diligence to find out the origin of the sculpture after her purchase, and a Sotheby’s consultant eventually IDed it as a bust that was once owned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. It heads back to Germany next year.
Young said in a statement “there were a few months of intense excitement” after finding out about the origins of the bust, “but it was bittersweet since I knew I couldn’t keep or sell [it].”
“He looked great in the house while I had him,” she added.
In other Goodwill art news, a college student in Illinois recently spotted Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s ashtray “Too Young To Die” (2002) on sale for $10, which he bought and resold for $2,860 on eBay. Umm… who wants to go art thrifting with me this weekend?
FLOTUS just opened two art exhibits, and one was at the Met. Read about what first lady Jill Biden said about fashion in last week’s issue >>
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