St. Paddy's Day 2012

A day for luck and gratitude for all the luck to come your way! It's St. Paddy's Day 2012.

Apocalypto Mayan Temple Flags - 2006

Notice Long Flags with Mayan writing

In 2006 Mel Gibson's Apocalypto enchanted audiences across the world. The film centers on a semi-fictional Mayan culture of Central America at the dawn of Spanish Exploration of the New World.

Before the arrival of Spain human sarafice was a common spectacle deeply engrained in few of the Central American cultures. Here warriors of the city attacked the 'jungle' people to be used as slaves and religious offerings to the Gods.



A Long flag decorated with a warrior?













Several Long Flags all of similar styles





















the flag in the upper right shows Mayan writing

Spring Forward Flag

Muppetland - Baby Land Flags 1987

Baby Land
Muppet Babies 1987

It's often the case, a successful television show gets a popular momentum to smash open the gates of Hollywood, but there are many instances where the movie hops the fence back to TV land. This happened to the smashing 1984 Muppet movie The Muppets Take Manhattan - it became the inspiration for a Muppet television show Jim Henson's Muppet Babies.

During the movie after Miss Piggy gets into a fight with Kermit the Frog, they make up and she sings him a song that she'll always love him and dreams about an alternate reality where they meet as babies. The over the top cuteness of this adorable dream scene inspires the creation of a CBS cartoon series featuring the Muppets as babies with similar theme of letting dreams and make believe mix.

In the fourth season 1987 the baby Muppets TV show they dream up a theme park for babies. Like all theme parks flag and pennants are to be found all over - as waving flags are the daylight counter for lights at night.












Baby Land commercial 1987
Jim Henson's the Muppet Babies



The inspiration for a TV show from the movie
The Muppets Take Manhattan - 1984

Flags of Heraldry of Marry Poppins - 1964

Mary Poppins
notice the arms of the Teas restaurant

Mary Poppins is the ideal nanny who orginated in the dreamworld down under from the southern celestial skies. Poppins adds charm and perspective to help little children see the lighter side of life

Before J.K. Rowling their was P.L. Travers - the author of Mary Poppins. Ms. Travers was born down under in Queensland Australia 1899. But her writings from fantasia took to the silver screen in 1964 with the magical working of Walt Disney.

In the film Mary Poppins 1964 they stop at the "Teas" restaurant with penguin waiters. The lovely hole in the wall or rather crack in the sidewalk uses the traditional art of heraldry as its business logo. The consists of a red swan facing right - dexter - on parted in pale shield of arms. A motto is in the compartment on a scroll.

The Poppin's Merry Go Round with flags

Flags are common decorations at theme parks, even in magical sidewalk chalk art. If you should ever gain the chance to travel to such a mysterious place, take note of the flags! The flags in this manner act as decorative icons rather than symbols of nation. Perhaps the nation of fun? In this case the colours flags and pennants at amusement parks are the colourful complement to the blinking lights at night.

Watch the Restaurant scene here

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 1989

The opus magnus key note that captures, closes, and yet opens the spirit of the 80's - Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - 1989.

"Be excellent to each other," Bill S. Preston Esquire
"Party on" Theodore - Ted - Logan

Notice pennants and arms
Sandimus water park

The film centers on two fun lovin' high school students with big dreams. Their hearts are in the right place but their heads are way off the beaten path. But a glimmer of their destiny unfolds at the foot of the Circle K convenience store where past, present, and future collide. They are given a choice to go forward or be left behind - they choose to go forward and time travel hijinx is the result with historic proportions.



In Sandimus 1989 the US flag is flown with the Spanish flag

Ted and Bill are fated to unite the earth in peace and harmony so people-kind can get true meaningful contact between extraterrestrial and house hold pets. With their cosmic grooves the Nations stop fighting and people chill. But before any of that happens, the boys must pass their oral history report on great historic figures in the past.

The result - an out of sight gimme more input presentation and an A+. This shows that even the smallest seemingly most mundane of things can have great consequences.


Big hair, rocking music, and wild mind expansion on the learning historical front. History effects us all.

Is it so hard to be excellent to each other?

Flag of the northern most isle of Earth - "Septrallia"

Kaffakelubben Island
Greenland/Denmark

This is the flag of the northern isle of earth. First sighted by an American in 1921 - Robert Perry. But it was a Danish explorer who first to set foot upon it - Lauge Koch.

The recognition of this land as being the most north of north was in 1969. But there is some debate that their might be an even more northerly portion of earth - Oodaqq. But Oodapp is more like a gravel bank and often covered by ice or under the ocean. This makes Kaffkelubben the most northern permanent island of earth.



The flag is composed of three colours - red, black and white. The colours red and white are taken from Greenland and Denmark. The background is black with the constellation of Ursa Minor - the little bear. There is a triangle with fleur de lis pointed towards the north star. On traditional map making the fleur de lis is associated with the direction north.

Arms of Bushwood Country Club - Caddyshack 1980

Arms of Bushwood Country Club

Probably the most memorable film about Golf - Caddyshack 1980 was a rip roaring comedy about Golf with deep meaning. The movie took place at the fictional Bushwood Country Club.

Like all respectable country clubs it carries its own coat of arms. To the left of Judge Elihu Smails - wonderfully played by Ted Knight - we can see the coat of arms of Bushwood.

The image consists of a six pointed fimbrated cross. Along the saltire portion are two crossed golf clubs. Along the fess portion of the cross are the letters C, B, C - with the letter B superimposed over the crossed golf clubs. In the top-chief is the Country Club name "Bushwood." Finally their is a border.

Danny Noonan as the Caddy

The 'hero' of the movie Danny Noonan a young college bound youth who is having a devil of time committing to a future is a caddy. In this picture we can see the colours version of the arms of Bushwood. The colours include red, green, yellow, and white.








Close up of BUSHWOOD Arms












Notice American Flags on the tables of Bushwood Country Club
Al Czervik roasts some of the guests at the country club

Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge Flag, Harry Potter - Order of the Phoenix 2007

Minister of Magic Banner
Cornelius Fudge

During adventures in the Order of the Phoenix, a visit to the ministry of magic is in order. For Harry Potter must explain his illegal under age use of magic in front of a muggle. The spell that Harry uses is a patronis spell - a defensive spell against dark magic. A magician casts this spell by allowing his or her spirit to be filled up love and something near and dear to the heart. The result is a positive thought force vortex that pushes away the dreadfully fear mongering essence of whatever is attacking, its especially useful against tormentors.

Before the hearing in front of the Minister of Magic - Potter passes by a flag with the chief minister of magic upon it. The flag is has a white background with a magically printed image of the standing minister - Cornelius Fudge.

In the upper left hand corner of the flag is the symbol for the Ministry of Magic. It is the letter 'M.' Along the left, right, and bottom are three stars with seven points.


Before Potter's hearing the badge of the Ministry of Magic can be seen on the shirt of the lift operator. It features an eagle in the crest facing dexter with wings in full spread with an arc of dashes around the letter 'M.'

Space Ace - 1983 insignia of STAR PAC

Star Pack insignia
features a four armed whirlpool galaxy

Here a ship being piloted by Dexter 'Ace' the Space Ace. Space Ace was a part of the break though video game released in 1984 as the second movement to Dragon's Lair.

Don Bluth studios was responsible for the games design. This game is set in the future where a blue skinned alien - Commander Borf - is planning to attack earth with an 'infanto ray' which causes an organism to revert to younger state of being.



Star Pac Flag

But Space Ace the defender of justice, truth, and planet earth stands in Borfs way.

Dragons Lair - arms and the livery of Drik the Daring

Shield of Arms around the room












Dirk the Daring
Orange and Yellow were his colours

Flags in the X Files Movie, 1998 Texas

The X-Files started out as a television show and later moved on to Hollywood. It was created by Chris Carter, a British Filmmaker. The shows explores the mysterious, taboo, and fringe elements of culture. It follows the investigations of an FBI agent - Fox Mulder. Agent Mulder is assigned to the bowels of the FBI for his unconventional work on taboo subject matter. Agent Mulder takes the unconventional seriously and consequently is seen as a pariah, yet a pariah with some success. The driving force in agent Mulder's propensity for the fringe and less than logical cases stems from a not so friendly close encounter of the third kind childhood memory.

Agent Mulder, Agent Scully and the Flag of Texas
X-Files movie 1998

The film begins with a bomb threat against a federal building in Texas. In this scene Mulder and Scully are climbing the rooftops.

Interestingly, an X-Files episode also successfully anticipated a terror threat of flying an airplane into the world trade center before it happened on 9/11.

Made in the USA with Tony Lee from Massillon Ohio - A tale about a true "Lord of the Rings"

Made in the USA Flag Stamp
thanks to Tony Lee of Massillon Ohio


Proof that the American Worker can walk the walk.In Massillon, Ohio a man brought an ounce of validity to the American Dream. Tony started out as a janitor and eventually become an owner. His factory was about to fall apart, but his faith and dedication to his fellow workers and family saw that this ring factory wouldn't run out of business.

Flag of Massillon, Ohio

It has an orange background with a Tiger running with an helmet and roaring smile. The name of city is up top with the state name underneath. Near the lower fly in quotes is "City of Champions. "

Tony Lee is a true 'Lord of the Rings.'

Frogger Check Point Flag, and a proposal for a new holiday - Leap Day! Frogs and Rainbows oh my!

Check Point Flag from the Frogger Universe

It's leap day 2012! Coincidentally it is in sync with the Summer Olympics and US presidential elections. It's kinda' odd that Leap Day hasn't become a more fun filled action packed business booming holiday!

Maybe next time in 2016? Let's get started, you have four years to plan people!

You can decorate the restaurants and bars in a swamp frog theme and or celebrate Kermit the Frog or any other famous frogs that leap out into our consciousness from fantasia. Rumor has it Kermit was born on Leap Day - February 29th.

The action packed LEAP DAY festivities would include mandatory dancing and jumping? Think of it as a pre-spring cleaning before the official arrival of spring? Or maybe just a day off to sit in your lily' pad and contemplate the cosmos!?

A new holiday that comes once every four years? Think of the business opportunities! The game of the day would be of course - leap frog! Perhaps a competitive adult leap frog playoff? People can set a new records for longest and fastest leap frog set? Leap Frog teams by age and weight? Public reading of the Frog and Princess? A national day to celebrate our amphibian neighbors who switch hit from water to land?

WE NEED A NEW HOLIDAY
HAPPY LEAP DAY - Once Every 4 years

The only flag I could find for Leap Day 2012 that is remotely related to Frogs was found in the Frogger video game, which leaped out of the imagination of Japan back in 1981. Since then their have been over 30 video game sequels. The check point flag is taken from Nintendo's Gameboy Color.

Happy Leap Day & "hopping" Leap Day 2016 leaps into your imagination.


Holiday "LEAP DAY" Music would be based on the game Frogger



A day a positive thinking and joy - RAINBOW!


UP and Up and UP!

The Ultimate Leap Day Holiday Song - by Kermit the Frog

Caddyshack Flags, the classic 1980s golf comedy

Caddyshack Ball with flag logo

Golf is a choice game for vexillologists, since flags play a critical role in the game. Players take aim at a flag after all. Their hope is to get closer and closer to the flag. Eventually players or caddies are allowed to lift the flag. Golf certainly is a vexillological delight.

Starring Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield Caddyshack became the iconic Country Club comedy of the decadent 80s. Caddyshack lampoons the various personalities that convene around a country club golf course - the fancy pants snobs, old farts, new money, arrogant jerks, gifted geniuses, spoiled brats, and of course young and ambitious rascal caddies. This movie proves that rich people are funny too.

A victory dance around the 18th hole!

Derby County F.C. Flag

Derby County Flags and Banners
real footage recycled into a film

Everybody loves the tale of an underdog. Here the football club of Derby County in England rose to great heights.

The incredible story of this romantic team was portrayed in film.




Derby County Ram Logo

9 to 5 Princess Flags, 1980

Liberated 9 to 5 Office
notice flags of the peasants

9 to 5 was a comedic epic for the working woman in 1980s America. Starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin. During one scene the girls fantasize about putting the old boy's school style of sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigoted management out of service.

In Violet Newstead's dream the boss gets poisoned and shoved out the window. Afterwards the office is liberated and the workers and cartoon townsfolk celebrate the three queens victory over the jerk wad chauvinistic boss way of life.

Close up of flags and Princesses

The flags waved by the townsfolk workers are pennants that vary in solid colours - from left to right purple, yellow, sky blue, green and red.





Happy Forest Critters Encourage a rise up against jerky bosses?


The forest critters encourage Violet to permanently fire her boss with smiles. The bunny seems to be knitting a vexilloid of some sort - that has a tombstone with R.I.P. written on it with a green helmet.

Free of sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigoted
work environment flag inspired from 9 to 5

Here is a flag inspired by 9 to 5 that symbolizes the hope for a work environment that is free from sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigots. The colours are based upon the pennants found in the fantasy scene that are being waved to the liberating queens of the office.

Annin Flag Company

Annin Flag Company is one of the oldest and largest flag companies based in the United States. Manufacturing flags since 1847, based in New York. Flags from this company have flown during the US Civil War, Great London Exhibition of 1851, inauguration and burial of President Lincoln. Recently Annin was one of the few selected companies chosen to fly a flag on for the Apollo 11 mission.


link to company website
http://www.annin.com/

Phils Green "Go for It" flag - Hercules 1997

Philoctetes with "Green Go for it!" Flag
Disney Studios 1997

In 1997 Disney released a modern tale about the epic story of Hercules. Before he becomes a hero, Hercules is sent for training under the watchful guidance of Philoctetes, better known as Phil. Phil is a Satyr, man up top and goat on the bottom.

Here Hercules is about to run his final test before he can set himself on his quest to become a true hero. To the right of Hercules is Pegasus and Phil to his left with the "Green Go for it" flag.

The Satyr Green Go for It Flag

The "Green Go for it Flag" is composed of four colours - three shades of green and black. The main field is composed of light green. Along the top and bottom are two green stripes, and along the fly is a dark olive green colour. The olive green section is a full horizontal stripe of the same length as the vertical stripes. There is also a portion that extends slightly into the middle with a geometric design.

12 Tribes of Israel Emblem Symmetry - Rueben and Dan, part 6

The final segment in the 12 Tribes of Israel string. The Tribe of Dan the Snake is aligned to the Tribe of the Mandrake - Rueben. Snakes and a 'magical' root? Snakes and hallucinogenic plants certainly have seductive and dangerous elements that rouse our curiosity. But in the wrong hands, it can lead to big trouble. This post is a poem, so enjoy! Who said poetry in American is dead?

Part VI - Dan and Reuben

Dan is represented by the fearful Snake
House of Slytherin Arms from the Harry Potter Universe

Mandrake and the snake are the final pair. Something of magic, like a white hare. Twelve tribes in all, are matched in this cosmic electronic fair hall.

Together we see Reuben and Dan, represented by a snake and the mandrake. Sometimes Reuben is water or a man, it makes no difference to the younger Dan. Dan is a judge, whom can smell false fudge. So be warned do not cheat, or your horse may be bitten at its feet.

Reuben to the north, who belittled his father's worth is balanced with Dan. Whom stands towards the south and can, watch every word to come out of your mouth. If deception is your perception, you will hear him hiss and then you will feel a sweet bitter kiss.

The mandrake can cast an enchanting spell, a warning to tell, it can also make you regrettably unwell. Often considered a witches brew, yet it can make two people come together like glue. As you can see, it was a lover's potion, for it set into motion, the expansion of a great family tree.

The Mysterious Mandrake
is an emblem for the House of Rueben

Mandrakes as depicted in Harry Potter Land

Don't be scared or petrified, there is no need to run and hide. Like a gentle dove, kindness and love will rescue all from above.


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link to part 1 (Aslan & White Fang)
link to part 6 & 1/2 (What about Levi, Joseph and the other symbols?)

12 Tribes of Israel Emblem Symmetry - Simeon and Manasseh, part 5

At least now in 2012, when you do an Internet search on the emblems for the 12 Tribes of Israel, it's not all that consistent. Almost every tribe has at least two and sometimes more distinct and differing icons. Furthermore different tribes are listed, due to the substitution of Joseph's two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which usually put out Levi and Joseph. On top of that, their listing in the holy texts are inconsistent. There are actually 14 names which can make up the 12 Tribes of Israel. Sometimes Manasseh is listed twice as East and West Manasseh. Consequently this has led to wee bit of diversity.

Part V - Simeon & Manasseh

Flag of Astrakhan
used here to show sword emblem of Simeon

It is the less popular emblems of Simeon and Manasseh that align with a harmonious design, the sword and arrows. Ancient yet modern weapons known to all the ancient kingdoms of earth put a certain kind of gravity between the tribe of Simeon and the tribe of Manasseh.

In many portrayals of the Twelve Tribes of Israel the other emblem associated with Simeon is a castle gate or tower. The castle in particular is thought to be at the City of Shechem. Sword or castle? Which is correct? It all depends on ones point of view. Nonetheless the union of the sword with arrow is an appropriate militaristic match of self defense.

The totem of the sword like the other emblems arise during their final blessings from father Jacob, who chastises Simeon for the cruel and deadly use of weapons. The totem of the castle is based on later chapters. Although the symbol of a castle may be a popular symbol for Simeon, his association with weapons comes much earlier.

The two grandsons of Joseph - Manasseh and Ephraim - are blessed as being as a son rather than a grandson to Jacob. Meaning that the blessings given to Joesph pass on to his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Coincidentally the promotion of Joseph's sons as brothers equal to their paternal uncles Reuben and Simeon, happen right before Jacob blesses the twelve founding fathers of Israel. Jacob also specifies that he is giving Shechem to Joseph and not his brothers with his sword and bow.

Flag of Adygea
used here to show arrow emblem of Manasseh

In any case a bundle of arrows have become one of the many emblems associated with Manasseh. It's beyond me to say where and when this happened. Suffice it to say its been forgotten in the sands of time.

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link to part 6 (Snakes on a plane!................................................................NOT!)
link to part 1 (Which do you prefer cats or dogs?)

12 Tribes of Israel Emblem Symmetry - Asher and Ephraim, part 4

Each tribe within the Twelve Tribes of Israel has a totem, but some tribes have more than one. It's like in the Western Zodiac since some people refer to Capricorn as a goat while others picture Capricorn as a mermaid goat. Which is correct? I suppose it's in the eye of the beholder. The emblems for the 12 tribes of Israel arose in the wake of Jacob's final blessing to his sons, who became the twelve founding fathers of Israel.

Part IV - Asher & Ephraim

The emblem of Asher is fairly consistent - an olive tree. While the emblem for Ephraim varies. But a harmonious totem par excellence for the olive tree of Asher is the grape. Although the grape is a lesser less popular symbol for Ephraim it balances with Asher's olives figuratively and literally. The totem of grapes can also represent the tribe of Joseph. That's fine, since Ephraim was blessed as one the same footstep with his father - Joseph - in the wake of Jacob.

With the match of two treasures from mother earth, a vine and a tree connect the tribes of Asher and Ephraim. Likewise their fruits have deep sacramental significance. Olive oil is painted in a divine light in all of the branches that sprouted forth from the Great Patriarch - Abraham. Olives are mentioned all throughout the Torah and New Testament, even in the highest of Islamic Holy Books. Even before the birth of Christ olives were associated with the realm of the divine in Ancient Greece.

So what's so special about olives? One amazing fact is that these little trees can live for millenia, and still produce fruit. Their root systems are something of a kind of magic, that go deep into the earth. If the upper parts get damaged or cut off, new shoot can arise from the roots, making the olive tree a hardy little tree. The bark of these trees are also totally gnarly, intricate and paradoxically ancient and post modern.



The grapevine too, is seen with holy glory. The paramount Biblical plant par excellence is the grapevine. It is a work of art, decoration, delicious appetizer, religious sacrament and a narcotic. The history of this vine was intricately memorialized in Egypt long before the rise of the Great Pyramids.

Imagine if you had never seen an olive or grape before? You would see two fruits of a similar size and shape. However their ripe flavors contrast like night and day. The grape can be sweet and succulent, while the olive is meaty and sour.

The roots of the olive tree match in magnificence to the vines of the grape....(more to come)

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link to part 1 (a Howling Roar)
link to part 4 (Don't point those things at me!)

Grape Pic By eflon October 11, 2012 http://www.flickr.com/photos/eflon
Olive Pic by Nick Fraser 2005. en:User:Nickfraser by the Dead Sea in Jordan. March 4, 2006. en:Image:Olivesfromjordan.jpg