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ROB B KENDRICK
AS AN ICON
In 1865 John B. Stetson took $100 and a vision to a Philadelphia apartment, handcrafted a sharp-looking beaver-fur hat with a wide brim and a middle crease, and brand-named an enduring symbol of the AmericanWest. That’s one version, at any rate. Another is that the Stetson originated at Christy’s Hats of England. Either way, it doubled as a water vessel on long, lonely rides across the plains. Today, the Stetson Hat Company, based in Garland, Texas, sells 250-plus variations of its classic design, in everything from chinchilla fur to white wool.
In 1865 John B. Stetson took $100 and a vision to a Philadelphia apartment, handcrafted a sharp-looking beaver-fur hat with a wide brim and a middle crease, and brand-named an enduring symbol of the AmericanWest. That’s one version, at any rate. Another is that the Stetson originated at Christy’s Hats of England. Either way, it doubled as a water vessel on long, lonely rides across the plains. Today, the Stetson Hat Company, based in Garland, Texas, sells 250-plus variations of its classic design, in everything from chinchilla fur to white wool.
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SCOTT BARBOUR / GETTY IMAGES
AS A RARE BIRD
The world's priciest hat isn't made of mink or money. It does entail 12 marquise diamonds, three extra-long pheasant feathers, and dozens of handmade metallic florets, all stitched onto a rare platinum fabric by couture milliner Louis Mariette. Influenced by the exotic birds of the Seychelles islands, the designer created his "hat of love," valued at $2.7 million, for Harrods; it now makes an entrance at private parties and once commanded its own first-class airline seat.
The world's priciest hat isn't made of mink or money. It does entail 12 marquise diamonds, three extra-long pheasant feathers, and dozens of handmade metallic florets, all stitched onto a rare platinum fabric by couture milliner Louis Mariette. Influenced by the exotic birds of the Seychelles islands, the designer created his "hat of love," valued at $2.7 million, for Harrods; it now makes an entrance at private parties and once commanded its own first-class airline seat.
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© CROWN, WWW.DEFENCE IMAGES.MOD.UK
AS WEAPONRY
Military pilots can see right through their planes with this high-tech Helmet Mounted Display System, part of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program being tested by Britain’s Royal Air Force. The visor holds twin projectors that beam high-resolution images onto the faceplate from cameras mounted on the outside of the plane, essentially giving the pilot X-ray vision as well as a 360-degree view. “You’ll see the enemy before he sees you,” says John Smith of Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer. Airmen have multiple ways to get and give vital information: A microphone allows radio and voice-activated control; earphones convert computer data to audio. Price of one plane with gear (they're not sold separately): $49 million.
Military pilots can see right through their planes with this high-tech Helmet Mounted Display System, part of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program being tested by Britain’s Royal Air Force. The visor holds twin projectors that beam high-resolution images onto the faceplate from cameras mounted on the outside of the plane, essentially giving the pilot X-ray vision as well as a 360-degree view. “You’ll see the enemy before he sees you,” says John Smith of Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer. Airmen have multiple ways to get and give vital information: A microphone allows radio and voice-activated control; earphones convert computer data to audio. Price of one plane with gear (they're not sold separately): $49 million.
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BURHAN OZ BILICI / AP IMAGES
AS A PROTEST
In June the high court of the secular government of Turkey upheld a long-standing ban on religious headscarves at universities. Hundreds of women took to the streets (this girl’s sign reads "No to judicial despotism"). But the controversy isn’t new. A former member of the Turkish parliament, Merve Kavakci, was stripped of her citizenship for wearing a hijab to work in 1999 and is now living in the United States.Writing in Foreign Policy, she challenged Westerners and feminists who, like her former government, denounce the hijab: "They’re better off honoring a woman’s right to choose than trying to impose their prejudices on Muslims."
In June the high court of the secular government of Turkey upheld a long-standing ban on religious headscarves at universities. Hundreds of women took to the streets (this girl’s sign reads "No to judicial despotism"). But the controversy isn’t new. A former member of the Turkish parliament, Merve Kavakci, was stripped of her citizenship for wearing a hijab to work in 1999 and is now living in the United States.Writing in Foreign Policy, she challenged Westerners and feminists who, like her former government, denounce the hijab: "They’re better off honoring a woman’s right to choose than trying to impose their prejudices on Muslims."
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