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On Wed, Mar 13, 2002 at 09:01:37AM -0800, sudog wrote:
> Well, perhaps a better logo then would be a swastika. After all, with
> that line of reasoning, it really doesn't matter which symbol ends up
> on the front page because keeping offense to a minimum is no longer an
> issue.  Okay that's a bit over the top..=20

Swastika

 Swastika is derived from su (well), asti (is) and ka (a noun ending). It
 means 'it is well' and hence signifies happiness, pleasure and good
 luck.SWASTIKAIt is a mystic symbol or figure, which is sacred to most
 Indian sects. The symbol is shaped like a Greek cross with the extremities
 of the four arms bent round in the same direction. A swastika is of two
 types: the right-handed or male, representing the vernal sun and the god
 Ganesha. In this Svastika, the extremities of the arms of the cross bend
 clockwise. It is considered auspicious. The left-handed or female cross
 represents the autumnal sun and the goddess Kali. Its arms are bent in an
 anti-clockwise direction and it is believed to be inauspicious. The
 auspicious symbol is used by the religiously inclined on the opening page
 of account books. It is also used in ceremonies related to marriage,
 tonsure, the worship of SvastikaLakshmi and during the invocation of the
 nine planets (see Janmapatri). It is worshipped as a symbol of the sun,
 Ganesha and the serpent kingdom (see Snake Worship). According to the Vayu
 Purana, serpents bear the sign of a swastika on their hoods. In festivals
 and on auspicious occasions, the swastika is drawn on the floor of the
 house. A yogasana (see Yoga) is named after this symbol, and is considered
 to signify or evoke good luck. Many theories have been propounded about
 the swastika. It has been described as the emblem of Zeus, the god of sun,
 fire and rain, the Trinity (see Trimurti) and also the Supreme Being,
 Brahman. Most scholars however regard it as a fire or solar symbol and
 hence it is called the solar or fire cross. It is believed to be derived
 from the chakra, which is symbolically reduced to four spokes and set at
 right angles. It also represents the fire-making apparatus of old times,
 used for kindling the sacrificial fire (homagni). In the Vedas it is
 referred to as 'the wheel of the sun'. It indicates cosmic procession and
 evolution around a fixed centre. It also represents the principle of life
 and movement that transfers the dwarf to the giant and the microcosm to
 the macrocosm, named rkvam, the rhythmic movement.
                                      =20
 This symbol has been in use since the time of the Indus Valley
 Civilisation (c. 3000 BC - 700 BC). A large number of seals discovered in
 Harappa, one of its prime sites, bear swastika designs. Since then, it has
 represented good luck. Panini, the great Indian scholar, used this symbol
 as the name of a sign in his grammatical treatise, Ashtadhyayi ('Eight
 Chapters', 450 BC).                  =20
                                      =20
 The symbol is not exclusive to India and is known all over the world.
 Proof of its widespread use has been found in archaeological discoveries
 in Egypt, China, Greece and Mexico. Curiously, the inauspicious
 anti-clockwise swastika was used by Hitler as the Nazi emblem.
                                        =20
> Why not use a giant mushroom cloud and the word "Nagasaki" with an
> arrow pointing to the base? The current image is a level of
> abstraction beyond that, sure, but with the war still pretty fresh
> even a generation later, reminding them that we were the ones who
> horribly mangled their relatives doesn't seem very "nice" to
> me--political correctness or no.

i've *never* seen any of japanese NetBSD developers (and there are quite
a lot of them) complaining about the logo. isn't it interesting?

regards,

--=20
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