Flag of Baker Island

Flag of Baker Island

This is the flag of Baker Island, a lonely speck in between the New Worlds - Australia and America. Although in the northern hemisphere, Baker Island is closer to Australia - making it from one geographic rule Australian Territory. Thus Baker Island is a tiny part of the Australian Sphere under US control.

The colours are red, white, blue and indigo. In the central position is a hermit crab. Along the upper fly is a triangular canton. The star pattern is based upon the 'Betsy Ross Design.' There are five stripes - three white and two red representing the five US states with a Pacific Ocean coast line - California, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, and Hawaii.



Along the bottom hoist side is another triangular canton with five stars modeled on the star field of the current Australian flag. The canton is separated by a long version of the English flag that balances to the five American Stripes. Elements of the US American and Australian flags are included because Baker Island is mid-way between these two continents.

In the middle is a large indigo dexter blend with the drawing of a hermit crab. The charge is universal-substitutive which means that the hermit crab drawing is non-standard. Thus any image that remotely looks like a hermit crab can be substituted even Mr. Krabs from the SpongeBob Sqarepants television show.

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added May 20, 2012

After careful consideration and professional feedback from the 2012 Spring CBFA Meeting, thanks to Voron Xarya, a redesign is in order. No more skinny English Flag, rather it's replaced with a five stripe bend. The five stripes symbolize the five parts of the USA that are closest to the Australian Continent: American Samoa, Baker Island, Howland Island, Guam, and Rota of the Northern Mariana Islands. Believe it or not those five 'territories' of the USA are arguably geographically a part of Australia. There are a total of "13 divisions" so to speak - 4 red, 6 white, 1 indigo and 2 blue.

The southern cross is appropriate. America like Australia has native marsupials! I'm talking about opossums, no joke. The central crab is still "universal-substitutive" - meaning it can be anything that remotely looks like a hermit crab. I invented this term so children could make up their own Baker Island flag while learning a little bit about geography.

Baker Island Flag 2.0
"really, any crab will do"

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Added July 23, 2012

I, Christopher Maddish, the designer of the Baker Island flag release the above design/images of Baker Island Flag into the public domain. May any user feel free to print, copy, or share the image. However note that the crab is 'universal substitutive' meaning that the image of the central crab is non-specific and can be redesigned in any manner of the would be artist. However note the Kursty the Krab nor the biotech hermit crab are my own images to release.

PHOTO CREDIT
BAKER DAY BEACON
Joann94024 at en.wikipedia. English: Day Beacon, Baker Island, Pacific Ocean. 18 August 2008. Own Work

Original Black and White drawing of the hermit crab by http://d-r-a-y-a-s-h-a.deviantart.com/
http://d-r-a-y-a-s-h-a.deviantart.com/art/Biomech-Hermit-Crab-147651478?moodonly=1

Jarvis, Baker, & Howland Island Flags a Flying

Baker, Jarvis, and Howland Islands have richly colourful flags.  Far off in the South Pacific, these isles are home to no one, currently.  But there were attempts at colonization in the early 1900s, and they were attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII.


Unlike the other 50 States of America, Baker and Howland Islands were uninhabited and discovered by Americans.  In the same year the US flag became codified by law into its modern design, 1818, Baker Island was discovered by Captain Elisha Folger from Nantucket.  Note that Folger is the Maiden-Mitochondrial name of Benjamin Franklin.

In 1822 Captain George B. Worth, also from Nantucket, sighted Baker Island, and was smart enough to document the event. Most likely there were other mariners, European and South Pacific Islanders, who sighted and may have even landed on these islands but they never recorded the event, or it was lost in the watery wake of time.

Jarvis Island was not discovered by an American, but rather by the British.  On August 21, 1821 the HMS Eliza Frances sighted the lonely island.  In 1858 Minnesota's temporal twin down under was formally annexed on February 17, 1858.  Remember that Minnesota was made a state on May 11, 1858.  Thus it is fitting that Minnesota does indeed have a slightly older twin of sorts.  Likewise Minnesota has a small slice of her territory above the United 48, in accord Jarvis is a small part of America just below the equator.
 
Jarvis Island is closest to the continent of North America, yet is south of the Equator.  But Howland and Baker Islands are closest to the continent of Australia, yet are north of the Equator.  Consequently Jarvis Island is the part of America Down Under, while Howland and Baker Island are a part of Australia, yet are up and over.


These precious new lands were legally made a part of the USA just before the start of the US Civil War with the 1856 US Guano Act. 

image source: 
http://www.tmealf.com/digital/digital_flying.htm

Baker Island Flag 2.0 - a reboot

Baker Island Flag - rebooted

After careful consideration and professional feedback from the 2012 Spring CBFA Meeting, thanks to Voron Xarya, a redesign is in order. No more skinny English Flag, rather five stripes. The five stripes by the lower hoist symbolize the five parts of the USA that are closest to the Australian Continent: American Samoa, Baker Island, Howland Island, Guam, and Rota of the Northern Mariana Islands.Believe it or not those five 'territories' of the USA are arguably geographically a part of Australia. America even has a small native marsupial population just like Australia - "Opossums!"
The five stripes by the upper fly represent the five US states with a pacific coast line.
But the central crab is still "universal-substitutive" - meaning it can be anything that remotely looks like a hermit crab.

























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photo crab credit
Pagurus bernhardus - Stavern, Norway. On board the boat, it left it's house.

‪Norsk (bokmål)‬: Eremittkreps - Pagurus bernhardus. Den ble med ei sjøkrepsteine opp fra dypet ved Stavern, og krøp ut av huset.15 May 2011 Arnstein Rønning

US Flag for all 74 American Sub-Federal Districts: 50 States, 16 non-states, 8 undecided entities

Officially speaking there are 50 States.  But there are additional sub-federal districts that are not represented on the official flag.  The most popular sub-federal non-state of the USA is the District of Columbia, Washington.  However there are more, 15 more to be exact.  Thus this flag gives total representation to all official 66 sub-federal districts.  

The badge is a shield of arms that has sixteen stars, to represent the sixteen sub-federal non-state districts.  The stars only have four points since they do not represent fully fledged states.  The official sixteen sub-federal districts are:

51 - Washington, DC
52 - Puerto Rico
53 - Guam
54 - American Samoa
55 - US Virgin Islands
56 - N. Mariana Is.
57 - Wake Island
58 - Palmyra Atoll
59 - Midway Atoll
60 - Navassa
61 - Johnston Island
62 - Baker Island
63 - Howland Island
64 - Swains Island
65 - Jarvis Island
66 - Kingman Reef



Additionally there is a white diagonal that has eight smaller red four pointed stars that represent the undecided parts of the world with an unresolved US Claim or are in a Compact of Free Association with the United States.  The C.F.A is up for congressional renewal, if it is not renewed then this flag will have to be altered minus a few red stars on the bend.


67 - Serranilla Bank 
68 - Bajo Nuevo Bank
69 - Ducie Island
70 - Antarctica
71 - Alto Velo Island 

C.F.A. - Regions

72 - Palau
73 - Micronesia
74 - Marshall Islands


Thus this US flag has noted symbolism that represents all 74 sub-federal areas of the USA: the 13 original colonies, via the 13 red and white stripes; 50 official states, via the 50 five pointed stars in the canton; 16 sub-federal non-states, via the four pointed white stars; and finally 8 four pointed red stars in the white bend of the badge that represent the five undecided land claims and three nations that are under the C.F.A.

New Inclusive US Flag for All Americans

Happy Flag Day 2018!

Finally a new inclusive flag that reflects of the diverse geographic regions that make up the USA, no one is excluded.  Just like the current flag there are 50 stars for 50 states.  However, there is also a badge with 16 stars which only have four points, since they do not represent fully fledged states.

Can you guess the other non states of USA?  Most people know that Washington DC is a part of America, yet it does not get a star in the official banner.  But the problem is solved with this flag.  You probably know of Puerto Rico?  More off the grid is the US Virgin Islands. Further down the limelight of the USA is Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.  They are two similar yet very different places.  Perhaps you heard of Saipan?  Well, it's an island within the Northern Mariana Islands.

Now we are getting seriously off the grid.  Only a few people know about the others, like American Samoa.  After that you are entering the TOP SECRET level of American geography.  Only a handful of people know these places by heart, including yours truly.  And these places are not always inhabited, yet, they are as much a part of America as Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and Independence Hall.

The hidden bits of the USA are Navassa, Midway, Wake Island, Baker Island, Howland Island, Palmyra Atoll, Johnston Island, Kingman Reef, Swains Island, and last but not least my favorite, Jarvis Island.

Thus we have a total of 66 stars; 50 five pointed stars in the canton that represent the states and 16 four pointed stars in the badge that represent the external territories and Washington DC.  Although some places are void of people, they do have rich histories to tell, especially during  WWII.  There was a racially charged slave-labor rebellion on Navassa.  There was a juicy murder mystery plot on Palmyra Atoll.  It really is fascinating.

It's high time that the United States acknowledges her Asiatic, Caribbean, and lands down under.

Now every one in America is represented with a star!

Flag for the possible Future 13 States of the USA - State #53 to #69

Currently the United States in composed of 50 States, but in the near future more states can be added.  If technological progress continues, it is possible the 'unorganized parts of the USA' could become more habitable.  Perhaps underground Sealabs-Seacities will become the wave of the future?

This flag is for the possible 'Future 13 States' of the USA; theoretical states #53 unto #69.  The flag has a blue canton with 13 stars. In totality there are 66 official sub-federal entities in the United States. 

Official 16 'Bonus USA Territories' are:

51. The District of Columbia, Washington
52. Puerto Rico
53. Guam
54. US Virgin Islands 
55. Northern Mariana Islands
56. American Samoa
57. Wake Island
58. Midway Island
59. Palmyra Atoll
60. Navassa
61. Johnston Atoll
62. Baker Island
63. Howland Island
64. Jarvis Island
65. Kingman Reef
66. Swains Island

The last part of the United States to celebrate New Years - Howland and Baker Island

The last part of the United States - and the world for that matter - to celebrate the new year are Howland and Baker Islands. They are 12 hours behind Greenwich Time in London. Amazingly they are also 26 hours behind Tokelau! This means that in Tokelau and Eastern Kirabati when it was January 2, 2012 at 1:11am it was still December 31, 2011 at 11:11pm!

What this means is that America gets last dibs on the new year.

Also the last moon of 2011 will keep shining until January 24, 2012! So that means we have three more virtual weeknights of 2011 - keep it a secret!

Proposed Flags for Howland and Baker Island
the tail time gunners of America and the world
both islands are in the LAST time zone of the earth minus 12 GMT

Unorganized Territory Heritage Flag of the USA

Unorganized Territory Heritage Flag - USA

There are parts of the United States that existed in limbo. They were not officially a part of a state or working territory. Rather they were classified as 'Unorganized Territory.' Thus this flag is for those regions of the US that were put in the 'other-whatever' category for a while.

This flag is post-historical and modern. It is based upon the fusion of the Federal Banner with the flag of Washington DC - since the federal government, Washington D.C, was in charge.

The 13 stars in the canton reflect the original 13 colonies and the shape of a cross reflects the Christian Heritage of America's Founding Fathers.

However, right now Palmyra Atoll, Midway, Johnston Island, Baker Island, Howland Island, Kingman Reef, Wake Island, and American Samoa all actively hold an Unorganized Status within the United States.

As for states that are no longer unorganized the states initials are to be written in between the canton and red stars. Also in middle of the red stripes, the years of when it was unorganized. But if a state had more than one unorganized time period then all relevant dates should be written. Thee second white lower stripe can also be used for dates.

After New Midnight News Years Twilight Flag

After the ball drops in your time zone, this flag goes up.  It is an indicator that the Old Year is still here!  An official day for the entire planet lasts more than 24 hours.  Thus the transition period between the New Year and Old Year is the summation of all its time zones.  Naturally there are 24 time zones but Kiribati jumps the gun and two hours ahead of everyone else.  Likewise UTC time is a zero time zone as well.

Think of it this way, one hour before the ball drops in Times Square, the New Year has already begun in London and Tokyo.  Consequently the Old Year is still hanging around, some where on planet Earth.   Then two hours later after the ball drops in NYC, Los Angeles is still in the past...with only two hours to go.  Bottom line is that the Old Year does not officially disappear until high noon at London.

Basically each time zone has a different hour upon which the echo of last year if officially over on January 1st for: NYC it is at 7:00am;  for Chicago and most of Texas it is at 6:00am; for Denver it is at 5:00am, for the West Coast it is at 4:00am, for Alaska 3:00am,  for Hawaii 2:00am, for American Samoa 1:00am.  The only place that can fly this flag with the 'dropping of a ball' is the last time zone...which just happens to belong to the USA: Baker and Howland Island.  They are the proverbial tail end time gunners, thus it is the USA that gets the last word in for Old Year.

Thus the last place to celebrate the New Year is in the USA.  If you want to be that Omega Wolf of sorts you have to travel to Baker or Howland Island.  No doubt in the near future, these two places will host New Year Eve parties for the special and extremely wealthy.

Is to be flown anywhere just after New Years, until the last time zone drops the ball so to speak.  The field is a violet twilight with a black hour glass with yellow embers glowing on the sides to represent the passing of the Old Year is not complete, rather that we are on the cusp of Old and New Year on a planetary level. 

If you want to really be dead last officially, the party should be held on Howland, since it is a little be further east than Baker.  It is like the difference between twins, which the older twin is older by few minutes.   Thus the east end of Howland Island is the last place on planet Earth to say goodbye to the New Year.

Instead of ball as in NYC and conch as in Key West, the dropping of the New Year on Howland Island is big Glowing Pineapple.

Tears in the Rain - Blade Runner 2019

The final night of Lunar Twilight is upon us, for the last sliver of 2019's final Moon shall pass tonight.  The last cycle of 2019 started on December 27, 2019.  Almost at a maximum of Lunar Twlight, which happens when there is a New Moon (Empty Moon or Black Moon) on a December 30th.  There is no Lunar Twilight when the New Moon falls January 1st, because the first Moon of 2020 and the solar cycle are in sync.  The shortest Lunar Twilight happens when there is a New Moon on January 2nd; the Candlemast will only have one candle upon, which should be lit after midnight until the last time crosses into the New Year: Howland and Baker Island of the USA.

The electric glow on neon acts like a flag, to signal awareness and attention.  If attached to a corporation, the neon lights have specific colours and specific design, like a flag code.

In the closing scene, where the artificially cloned human is set to expire, the neon lights are visible in the background.

This powerful scene reminds us of the precious gift we receive each year of our living.  The protagonist of the story Harrison Ford, has normal, long, and free life compared to industrially created short lived slave unit.  The long lived normal human was assigned to terminate the rouge  units, but he, the repo-man lost the fight.  When the repo-man is about to fall to his death, he chose  scorn and contempt as to spit in the face of the genetically altered humanoid.  However the humanoid slave unit chose to save the repo-assassin man's life.  This scene demonstrates the mechanism of salvation with regard to the wake of mercy, and hope of holding grace at the moment of one's death.  Such grace in legend or reality is always worthy of honor within our collective memory.

HOWLAND ISLAND - Dropping the Pineapple on New Year's

2020 will be the year that we make BIG MONEY!

Baker and Howland Islands are the last place on planet Earth to say goodbye to the Old Year and last to say hello to the New Year.  These tail time gunners belong to the USA, so the USA always gets the last word in...of the day, year, and decade.

Chesapeake Bay Flag Association Meeting - Spring 2012

Chesapeake Bay Flag Association meeting held its first meeting for 2012 in Columbia, Maryland.

CBFA Meeting
Spring 2012

The meeting followed the usual vexi-bit like presentations then lunch, what vexillologists are doing, up coming events, and an auction of vexillological treasures. The CBFA meeting was certainly the forum of freebies. Rick Wyatt of CRW flags kindly provided the group with free flags in randomized order so everyone was a winner where the lowest number got first choice on a flag.

Speakers included Dale Grimes who spoke about US Navy Flags, Chris Bedwell who showed us a collection of flags, Peter Ansoff, Nick Artimovich, and Dan. CBFA welcomed Voron Xarya who presented his simple yet intricate flag designs.

Proposed Flag for King George's County
by Voron Xarya

Voron presented a four coloured flag for King George's County. The colours match with the state flag of Maryland - red, yellow, white and black. Its unique design is a mix of the four quarters with a black dexter pile rooted at the hoist. The quartered portion captures the essence of the Maryland State flag - but with stars and solid colours. There are a total of five stars - two black, two red, and black and red checkered at the cross point.


I presented to my designs for Howland, Baker, Jarvis, and Kingman Reef. The official flag of these islands is the US national ensign but none of these islands have flags of their own. If you research these islands only fictional, alternate reality flags can be found. Furthermore these flags represent a group of islands and none are specific for a particular island. I also presented proposed flags for Australian and New Zealand islands that did not yet have the like.


Our delicious lunch consisted of white chili, Texas chili, sandwiches, salad, fruit, and the regular fan fare of crackers, chips and other yummies. Interested in flags - please join us!


Flag sheet for un-flagged islands under Aussie and Kiwi control



























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http://www.crwflags.com/