We’re hearing more about Angels recently, perhaps as a hint that we’re ready for some heavenly intervention. “Christmas Box Angel” statues are popping up all over, a kind of somber variant of the Cancer Survivor Gauntlet franchise that was all the rage a few years back.
And a new human antibody as protective angel sculpture really does seem to blur the line between molecular science and religion.
Our favorite new angel statue, however, celebrates only the divinity of college athletics. It belongs to “Mr. Angel,” a bronze likeness of a bulldog that was recently unveiled next to a bank in Eastman, Georgia. The statue marks the presumed grave of Mr. Angel, who was the 1940s mascot of the University of Georgia — yet who had been completely forgotten until a photo of him with cheerleaders was discovered in an old yearbook.
Which will travelers prefer to visit this year: a happy bulldog angel or a scary cemetery angel? If we could track their relative popularity, perhaps we’d have a confidence indicator worthy of the gurus on Wall Street….