CBFA: Fall Meeting 2016

Yesterday the Chesapeake Bay Flag Association met at Sparrows Point, Maryland. 

Thin Blue Line Fallen Officer Flag & More

The most popular flag for fallen officers is the Thin Blue Line flag.  The stripe that underscores the canton is colored blue in honor of police officers.

The Thin Red Line flag honors fallen firemen who died in the line of duty.

The Thin Green flag honors fallen military persons who died protecting our freedoms here and abroad.

The Thin Orange Line flag is for fallen personnel in the rescue, life guarding, and coast guard duties who have fallen in the line of duty.  

The Thin Yellow Line flag is for fallen road, construction crew, and persons who gave their lives in service to transportation services in the line of duty, which includes school bus drivers.  

The Thin Violet Line flag is a memorial flag for persons who died or suffered great injury while in political office from the local to federal levels, due to political violence.

Flag for Earth's Second Moon - 2016 HO3

2016 HO3, or rather Ho Ho Ho 2016, is a new moon.  Not a new-black, nor a new-empty, nor a new-non reflective moon; but rather a newly discovered moon!  A natural object placed in the heavens that is in orbit around Earth.  We humans became aware of this moon during the year of the Monkey and month of Taurus.  We could call it Monkey-Bull or just Monkey-Boo HO Cubed, or Mo-Bo Ho Ho Ho.  Note that it is the letter 'oh' and not a zero.  I know, so confusing that o,0,O can so easily get mixed up, especially when you write em'.

Note this moon will be in orbit around our humble abode for the next few centuries.  Interestingly, there is no lower size limit on moons.  A rock the size of your hand, could be a moon.  Perhaps the moon of an asteroid?  Yet there are size limits on planets.  Thus you'll never hear astronomers speak of a Dwarf Moon, or failed moon.  Sorry only planets and stars can fail.  Moons are special because they come in any size.  Unless... they get really big and become stars.  Thus the biggest moons are Brown Dwarfs, which are failed stars.

The colours of the flag and astrological associations are black, yellow, and blue.  Coincidentally the Astrological symbol for 2016 HO3 is in the canton area.  It is a fusion of symbols form the Western-Symbol for Year of the Monkey and the sign of Taurus.

Earth's neighborhood just got a little bigger this year. It used to be just the two of us: the Earth and the Moon.  But Earth also has a Trojan Moon and now an outer Moonlet.  How wonderful!

So here is the revelation, it not only orbits the Earth but also our Moon.  Thus our Moon also has a satellite, or rather 2016 HO3 is a moon of a moon!  Sort of, it does not directly orbit the moon but in follows an orbit around our Earth-Moon system.  Thus it does qualify as a type of a moon of our Moon, believe it or perhaps not!

The American Ethnic Flag, The Un-Hyphenated American Flag: Americans First Flag

Americans come in a variety of ethnic backgrounds and many people like to identify their American heritage as being of another nationality first, popular examples being Irish-American, German-American, Asian-American, or African-American.  This leaves the door open for just plain Un-Hyphenated Americans.

Un-Hyphenated Americans cherish their ethnic/religious backgrounds but primarily identify as Americans first, and yet they can enjoy their histoical heritage with pride and parades.   Since many American-hyphenated groups have flags, it makes sense to give Un-Hyphenated Americans a flag as well.

The official American flag should suffice, but the American Ethnic Flag distinguishes paramount identity to being American rather than some other nationality or a hyphenated-American.

The canton is a reflection of the legendary Betsy Ross Flag, the field of red indicates this person is a wholly red blooded American first.  Additionally the red field is an honor point to Native Americans, whose traditions, religions, and cultures are acknowledged and respected with this flag.

Persons of this American-first identity put America first in business, culture, politics, values, and of course rooting for the USA above all other nations even if they are at odds for the other team who just happens to be of their particular heritage. The white lower square under the blue canton brings balance to the traditional American colors, and represents the power of Providence or synchronicity.

This is not a flag for white-Americans, black-Americans, yellow-Americans, brown-Americans, peach-Americans, tan-Americans, or any other type of American...but for All Americans who identify as Americans first.

Oh My Dayum - Five Guys Logo in Augmented Video 2012

The Five Guys burger logo is visible on the cup that is being sipped.  This man, Daym Drops, has truly found a Cheeseburger in Paradise in the year 2012.  Although he was just making a simple Youtube simple critic video about a tasty burger joint, it turned into wonderful hit song on the Internet.

Red Cross Logo in Michelle's Song "Not Today- The Building is on Fire" January 2016

Who would have thought, you do a television interview and can become a musical pop star? Andy Warhol must be giggling in his grave? It's the 21st century and we are just getting a taste of the augmented reality that will make new stars, and drive new economies?

Here Michelle Dobyne, became a Youtube hit singer, by being her honest self. Consequently her hit Internet song is Not Today - The Building is on Fire.

Masters of the Universe: He-Man - Vexilloids from the Live Action Motion Picture

A tacky delight from 1987 are the vexilloids in Masters of the Universe - The Live Action Motion Picture.  A colourful cheesy fun film for kids, that somehow got its own big budget movie.  Although He-Man had a sword, Skeletor has a Ram's Staff of Power. 

Large Skeletor Banners are hanging from Castle Greyskull on either side.  They are coloured mostly purple and black.







Long yellow vexilloids are seen hanging from a doorway.  The purpose is never explained but they have original movie made alien writing upon them.









Here is the best picture of a proper flag, that is barely visible in the background of some wreckage of some sort.

Courtney Cox is a part of the He-Man universe.  Believe it or not!  Our friend here is standing in front of the band's stage in the gymnasium.  Certainly Courtney Cox could star in the remake, but on the other side ...working with darkness this time?

Amazingly the Star Trek and the Friends universes are united though He-Man.   Cox's boyfriend in He-Man-land is Star Trek: Voyager's Robert D. McNeil.  Surely McNeil could star in the He-Man 21st century reboot?

Halloween Pennants in E.T. 1982

Perhaps one of the hardest to see vexilloids is the orange Happy Halloween pennant streamer hanging along a house.  It is visible when E.T. just happens to run into a Yoda, while trick-or-treating.  The vexiolloids are hanging from what looks like an open door garage.

E.T. meets Yoda in E.T. 1982.  The E.T. and Star Wars universes intersect more than once.  Several times, Star Wars toys can be seen in movie E.T.  Eventually Star Wars would repay the cameo, when E.T.s appeared in Episode I.  But the most important link between these movies is through the musical score of John Williams. 

Music is often the most important character in any movie, and Williams' role is understated, otherwise these movies would have most liked had lackluster, tacky 1980s musical scores, no doubt.

Pennants in E.T. 1982

 

Small pennants appear in secondary media items in the movie E.T. 1982.  When E.T. is reading an ABC book, he just happens to be looking at pages with the Letters D and C.  On the Letter C page, a castle is shown.  Upon lower red tower is a storybook castle pennant.

Although the letter D is the dominant page in the shot, on the right you can infer the Letter C page is there due to the word 'cat' and 'castle' appearing.  Most importantly here, for vexillology's sake, is the castle pennant.

Coincidentally it happens again in another secondary media item, a newspaper, while E.T. is reading the comics.  In this case E.T. gets the idea to send a signal home, since Buck Rogers was able to build a device to send a signal for help. 

However the pennants are on the lower comic where it features a tent pole with the pennants on top.  It is only an amazing vexillological coincidence that pennants would appear twice in a similar fashion in this movie.

US Flag in E.T. 1982

The best image of the US Flag appears during the human-home invasion scene in E.T. 1982.  This is a classic counter juxtaposition to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, since it is a reversal of the child abduction by an A.T. (Aboriginal Terrestrial) than by an E.T.

The US flag also makes an appearance in the Elliott's classroom.  Just as the themes of Close Encounters deal with psychic links, so does E.T. In this case E.T. is linked psychically to Elliott.  The link becomes established when Elliott was cut, and E.T. heals him with his bioluminescent finger.

But Spielberg takes it an extra level deeper in this story about aliens, adding a synchronicity element into the mix of E.T.'s and Elliott's telepathic connection.  In this case, the chaos of the classroom just happens to be synchronized to a television program that E.T. is watching at home.

The theme of love is mixed with an animal rights message, by a strange sequence of 'funny' coincidences.  This is a common theme in many art house movies, but in E.T. it is weaved with humour and a charming kind of silly sitcom emotion.

20 Grand Palace Vexilloids - War Games 1983

Video game arcades were the it places for kids, teens, young adults, and people who loved computer gaming.  Arcades peaked in the 1980s.  In the film, War Games 1983 an arcade is showcased, 20 Grand Palace near Seattle, Washington.

Here the hero of the movie is seen here playing Galaga.  In the right bottom screen his is rank, which indicates that he is at level 7.   Galaga, was a ground breaking game where a player's ship could get captured by the enemy, and rescued by risk.  No doubt a cheesy Hollywood movie about the Galaga storyline is due to come out.  Where we learn the back story of the insectoid versus human drama.





Back then in 1983, many people thought video games were a fad, look at them now.  You will even hear about persons who say they have out grown video games, and see it as a phase.  Boy are they in for a shocker. It's like those same people in the 1980s and early 1990s who said that the Sun was the only star system with planets!  Videogames will only continue to grow and expand, especially in the next 25 years.

US Flag in War Games 1983

The US Flag appears several times in the movie that is smarter than its audience: War Games 1983.  War Games is the first hard core hacker movie, that was actually done well.  And it has aged well.  It successfully explains the Internet before it became a thing way back in 1983.  It is a smart movie, that dose not dumb down its story to the audience.  It's a mix of teenage-hacker and end of times movie.  It is a kaleidoscope of English teachers delight: since War Games elegantly weaves the themes of man versus machine versus man versus self smoothly into one story line, with a tiny bit of romance!

Trust me there are certain Baby Boomers and persons from the Greatest Generation who can out app and know code better than any whipper snapper Merllennerler or Gerneretion Erxer.   You don't have to be young to be good at technology.

The Original Life Hack - War Games 1983, How to Butter Corn & the UK Flag

Life Hacks are something of popular thing these days.  Life Hacks are short cuts and answers to small problems and challenges that arise in every day life.  The first most popular Life Hack video was posted in 1983 in movie theaters across America in the film War Games, starring Matthew Broderick.  The Life Hack deals with buttering corn.  Many people still use the stone age process of using a knife with butter.   But here are the steps listed below, as shown in the movie...on how to easily butter corn.  Coincidentally the movie was about hacking on the computer!

 Step 1: Butter the Bread

 Step 2: Place corn cob on the buttered bread.

Step 3: Roll corn cob on buttered bread. 



Step 4: Add salt if desired, or pepper.

Step 5: Listen to British Rock from the 1970s and early 1980s.  This step can be inferred from the UK musical compact disc in the background.  It features a UK flag on the cover, as to who the band is, we don't know who, but it may be the Who? Who knows?

Step 6: Enjoy the fruit of your labor on this most delicious vegetable, which is scientifically a fruit of a grass.

Also note this scene in the movie has a zinger-joke.  You'll have to watch to movie to get the joke.  Or just watch the video below.

Ace of Base Flag from "I Saw the Sign" video - 1993

Flags are often used for military and patriotic purposes.  But flags are also flown for artistic purposes.  In Ace of Base's smash hit The Sign 1993, flags are used as an enchanting artistic element in the official video, which you can see below.  Here the silhouette of a man carrying a flag can be seen upon a yellow background.  He later appears doing a flip with the same flag and with a purple background.

Throughout the video is a modified spinning computer generated Egyptian Ankh.  In the background are the national colours of Sweden: blue and yellow flapping as a fluid wall.   The four singers from Ace of Base are native to Sweden.  They were a quartet of male and female voices that heralded a new vibe of the 1990s.  Interestingly other successful Swedish groups in the US also consisted of gender balanced groups like ABBA and Roxette.  Certainly, we are over due for another duo, quartet or sextet of Swedish pop stars to rock the USA!? 

Here the Berggren sisters perform together in the video.  Note the oddly shaped cross known as the Ankh is a paradoxical symbol for life, death, transformation, or change.  As the themes of the song deal with loss of love and new beginnings, its appearance in the video is appropriate.  As for the particular 'Sign' that the songwriter became aware - of the heartbreaking loss of love in transition - it could have been anything.  But rest assured, The Sign was tinged with a heavy spell of synchronicity.