The Emeralad & Ivory Coast: Ireland & West Africa

FLAG OF THE IVORY COAST
in WEST AFRICA

Several Years ago I was talking to my friend at a student involvement activity fair at Oregon State University. My friend Chris Lay was a part of the international student friendship club and had his booth decorated in the flags of the world. Suddenly an older man came up to Mr. Lay and told him that the Irish Flag was upside down and must place it right side up. At this point I didn't know much about flags but Lay said there is nothing wrong with this flag & that you have it confused with another country in Africa. The man ignored Chris's explanation and again demanded that 'his' flag be reversed! Lay decided to do it, and the strange man was happy. Five minutes after the man left, Lay put the flag back to it's original position. Lay then told me there was a girl from the Ivory Coast in the international club.


FLAG OF THE PROUD IRISH
If you live in the United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, then you may have noticed the colours of Ireland flying almost with equal passion of your nations flag. The Irish are proud of their flag even if they become hyphenated Irish-American, Irish-Canadian, Irish-Aussies, or Irish-Kiwis.

However the Irish flag is not unique. It has a special kind of twin. You can easily turn the colours of Ireland upside down and it will represent the nation of the Ivory Coast in West Africa!

So where is the Ivory Coast? Amazingly it is at the same longitude of Ireland. This means they are in the same time zone, which allows them to dream and live under similar stars at night, but during the day their heavens are as different as day and night. The sun in Ireland is present but weak and often overshadowed by clouds, making it a dark land allowing the natives to have a light complexion. While in the Ivory Coast the sun is strong and intense, blasting though the clouds with a preponderance of light, allowing the natives to have a dark complexion. Thus the Irish have a skin like the leopard while the Ivorians have a skin like the black panther.

Historically both nations are relatively new, born in the 20th Century. Ireland was the first of nations recognized free in 1922, while the Ivory Coast became a nation in 1960. African and Asian nations keenly remember their oppression from Europe, but the Irish also belong in the club of oppressed nations by the 'white man.' The Irish were under the thumb of the British Empire while the Ivory Coast was under the pinky of the French Empire. Although the Irish are white themselves, their oppression by the 'British Whites' has been by far the longest compared to any other nation 'colonized' by the British.

Much of America was enriched with Irish kin who came in search of a better dream. While much of America was forcibly fused with Irovian kin in the nightmare of the Atlantic slave trade.

Whenever an Irish-American marries into a African-American family (or vice verse) there is good chance that the combo maybe combining the Emerald and Ivory Nations.

Ireland and the Ivory Coast are a proverbial union of Ebony and Ivory.

No Flag is Henious

What is evil: the action or the word describing the action?

Dumb grasshopper think flag evil and is afraid.

Dumbest grasshopper can only see flag from one angle, either good or bad.

Smart grasshopper know it does not matter but of context.











Smartest grasshopper use flag to scare and manipulate dumb & dumbest grasshopper for money.

Cuba & Puerto Rico, Loyalty & Rebellion

FLAG OF PUERTO RICO

If you live in the NYC area you should be familiar with the Puerto Rico Flag. If you live the in Miami area you should be familiar with the Cuban Flag.

Cuba and Puerto Rico are what I call 'soul mate' nations. Their pattern matches exactly. They are inverses of each other.

If you ever get them confused don't worry! Here is a trick that will grant you immunity from making such a mistake. Both nations were at one time ruled by the United States. However Puerto Rico has maintained a loyalty to the US, likewise her stripes and star field mirror the US flag. The US and Puerto Rican flags have red stripes and blue star fields.

FLAG OF CUBA

Cuba's flag with respect to the USA Flag has reversed colours. Cuba has blue stripes and a red star field. It is ironic that the twin that looked less like the US flag also has a white star on a field of red & was the 'twin' that turned to Communism!

But here are some neat coincidences. Several US Presidents tired in vain to assassinate Fidel Castro of Cuba. But a US President was almost assassinated ironically by men from Puerto Rico! In 1950 right wing Puerto Rican nationalists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola tired to kill a US president at the Blair House in D.C., Harry S. Truman.

Both Cuba and Puerto Rico have some of the oldest cities in the Americas, older than anything in US and Mexico. In fact as an 'in-out' part of US, Puerto Rico can claim to have the oldest city in the US, out doing Jamestown VA and St. Augustine FL. The only older 'European Founded' city in the Americas exists in the Dominican Republic, next to Haiti.

FLAG OF OHIO: President McKinley
was from Ohio and acquired
both Cuba and PR during his admin.
Both Cuba and Puerto Rico were gained in the Spanish American War in 1898, during the McKinley Administration. Which oddly, Ohio has a state flag that looks like the flag of Puerto Rico and a lesser extent to Cuba.

Cuba is one of the most beautiful places in the Americas. Forget the image of long lines and wacky Communists. Remember that Cuba sits at nearly the same exact latitude of Hawaii! Thus the tropic beauty is astounding!


The US maintains military bases on both Cuba and Puerto Rican soil. The Cuban Base is by far the more popular or rather infamous base with Guantanamo Bay. Less famous is Fort Buchannon in Puerto Rico.

The US military presence on these islands are rather controversial. Most famously Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has been a flash point for the perpetual holding of terror subjects. While in Puerto Rico the island of Vieques is a sore spot for Puerto Ricans. Vieques is a rather large island off the south eastern coast, you can think of it as a transitional island next to the US Virgin Islands. Vieques has been used by the US Navy for weapons testing and bombing practice. This has adversely effected the land and some of the population, and caused the death of several innocent Puerto Ricans. The Naval Weapons testing ending in 2003, much to the relief of most Puerto Ricans. But by this time, 'international protest' switched from Puerto Rico to Cuba.

During the Cold War, Cuba has been the proverbial angry kitty towards the US and has scratched her eyes out, while Puerto Rico has been the proverbial loyal puppy standing by her master's side, except when it comes to assassination attempts!

So there you have it Cuba and Puerto Rico, Spanish speaking isles in the Caribbean nestled between North & South America. Another uncanny balance between nations.

The Lone Star State's Soul Brother, North Carolina

FLAG OF TEXAS


Texans are very proud of their state flag! And they should be it is quite striking and beautiful. Every visitor to Texas will become aware of this flag. It is distinguished, abstract, and bold...just like Texas. However it is not unique. There is another state flag which strikingly mirrors the flag of Texas, North Carolina. But for the record Texas's flag came first.

FLAG OF NORTH CAROLINA

The major difference is where the red and white panels are placed. The red panels coincidentally reflect their wars of independence. North Carolina fought the British-Canada in 1776 for independence from the North and the upper panel is red & up on map usually represents north. Texas's red panel is on the bottom and she fought for independence against Mexico to the south & down on a map typically represents south. So the position of the red panel, is directed to where they shed blood for independence.

Historically both states were witness to the age of Pirates! North Carlina's outer banks was famously a secret base for Black Beard, while wild Galveston, Texas was one of the biggest Pirate Ports until the United States shut it down.

North Carolina was witness to America's first fledgling flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk where some clever Yankee Ohio Brothers designed some kind of diddly doo'dah flying contraption. On the other hand Texas was first witness to the mastery of American flight when, once again a clever Yankee Ohio Man did some fancy dancy moon walking in 1969. After the lunar module landed on the moon the first intended message was broadcast to Houston, Texas and it was said, "HOUSTON, Tranquility Base Here the Eagle has landed."

Nobody knows what the Wright Bros. said when they became the first in flight at a North Carolina Beach. But here is an oddly interesting cosmic coincidence, worthy of an X-Files Episode. The geographic position of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is special. Kitty Hawk is directly aligned with the opening of the Mediterranean Sea at the straights of Gibraltar, in between Spain and Morocco.

Why is this special? Forgive me if you already know. The Mediterranean Sea is at the focal point for humanity. On her North Shore is Europe, on her Southern Shore is Africa, on her Eastern Shore is Asia, and to her west is an opening to the Atlantic Ocean. And this oh so narrow opening is directly aligned (Indian Jones music playing in the background) with America at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina!

An amazing political alignment is with presidents Johnson and Johnson. The first one, Andrew, from North Carolina became president after the assassination of Lincoln and had to lead America during the dreadfully painful Civil War Reconstruction Era. The last one, Lyndon, from Texas also became the big kahuna after the untimely exit of Kennedy and had to lead America during the bitterly divided Civil Rights Reconstruction Era.

Both Johnsons are considered poor presidents, but honestly I love them both. They may have had the most difficult jobs facing a president and neither had a map nor the guide book, 'How to Heal a Nation after Civil War or Integrate an Oppressed Minority for Dummies.' I think they both did a mighty fine job. They were keen Southern Gentlemen who did the best and followed their heart.

For a time North Carolina was the tallest state in the Union with Mt. Mitchell from 1790. It wasn't until that darn upstart Texas, that America had a new King of the Hill, with Guadeloupe Peak in 1845. But Texas only had the crown for 5 years until California entered in 1850 with Mt. Whitney. But since 1959 Alaska is King of Hill with Mt. Denali-McKinley.

However, both Texas and North Carolina retain indisputable titles. Texas is the Confederate King of Hill, she will always be remembered as the tallest state of the Confederacy. While North Carolina is the Original King of the Hill of the 13 Colonies!

Mexico & Italy a distant mirror

FLAG OF MEXICO

Tis' the season for red and green, and there is no better match than Mexico with Italy!

What are the chances of this happening? It's pretty solid, the design symmetry clearly links these two nations separated by the Atlantic. There is no need to explain why they are similar.

But the interesting note here is the cosmic historical connection these two nations are entrusted with. For starters both these nations were for time the paramount civilization in the old and new hemispheres: the Roman Empire and the Aztec Empire. During their reign as hegemonic Pagan Empires, they were the industrial leaders of their times, a kin to being the USA as it is of now in 2009.


FLAG OF ITALY



But the ending of their old faith was of the lion and lamb. First Pagan Rome was slowly Christianized like a sacrificial lamb. Christians made heroic efforts to ensnare the people unto a higher path. The iconic image being sacrificed in Colosseum and turning the other cheek.

In Mexico the old faith passed a way like the roar of lion, with the advent of Spanish Conquistadors and courtesy of Cortes. After witnessing literally heart wrenching ceremonies, these Christians who prayed to Rome, disestablished the old ways of the Mexico like the roar of Lion with steel, gun powder, and blood.

Thanks to Christianity people stopped watching people murder each other for entertainment and gambling purposes in ancient Italy, while in ancient Mexico, Christians stopped people from performing psychotic sacrificial human ceremonies.

Geographically Italy and Mexico both have peninsulas at the center of it all. Italy of course juts into the Mediterranean Sea between all continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mexico has the Yucatan that extends into the Caribbean Sea in between North and South America.

The United States went to war with Mexico in 1845 and passed her final international test before coming the dominant power in the New World that was followed by the 'Civil War.'

100 years later the United States in 1945 passed her final old world challenge after making war with Tokyo, Berlin, and Rome. Soon then she became the dominant power in the New World, that was followed by the Cold War, which was basically a global 'Civil War.'

When Mexicans and Italians get patriotic and wave their flag in a cosmic sort of way their formulas of national enchantment nearly match. They are birds of a feather, in colour and faith.

Ruissa & Serbia the Big & Little Bear

It's interesting to note that the flag of Russia and Serbia are strikingly similar. I have conjoined them in my mind as the Little Bear and Big Bear, kind of like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. If you take the flag of Serbia and rotate it 180 degrees you will get the flag of Russia, rotate another 180 degrees and it becomes the flag of Serbia. Unless either of them has their coat of arms on it!

FLAG OF SERBIA

FLAG of RUSSIA

Here is the neat part: their cultural coincidences. Both Russia and Serbia are traditionally rooted to the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople. Currently the world calls this place Istanbul. But don't tell that to a fundamentalist Eastern Orthodox Christian. Imagine if the Arabs had invaded Rome and renamed it Islamashad? You can imagine the angst and rivalry some Catholics would retain?

Both Serbia and Russia are Slavs in language and tongue. Although the languages are a little distant. Russians can understand Ukrainian and Belorussian, likewise Serbian is mutually intelligible with Croatian and Bosnian, and to some extent with Bulgarian.

Russia and Serbia were the dominant partner during their Communist phase in the 1900s. Basically the Soviet Union was run by the Russians while Yugoslavia was run by the Serbians. Yugoslavia was Communist-lite, while USSR was Communist-full bodied.

Because of their willingness to experiment with new forms of obtuse 'democratic' governments both nations had frictional relationships with United States and Western Nations. Both were allied with America during the Great Patriotic War. The Little and Greater B ear united to defend the world against Hitler and his buddies, both nations suffered immensely from the Axis Powers of Europe. After WWII the Bears became fierce social rivals with the Western Democracies.

RUSSIAN Coat of Arms

SERBIAN Coat of Arms

After sensibly and honorably surrendering the Cold War, Serbia and Russia had rough transitions to freedom. Unfortunately they both entered into new conflicts with their former underlings: Chechnya and Bosnia. Serbia and Russia had a technological and numeric advantage but Chechnya and Bosnia became the proverbial thorns in their paws, and quite frankly they still are.

Although NATO was primarily directed at the Soviet Union and Communism, it was quite an irony that 'free right wing' Serbia was bombed by 'leftist' NATO during the Bill Clinton Administration. Thus the US has interfered in both modern day Russian and Serbian 'Civil Wars.'

Unlike most European Nations, Russia and Serbia have a history of being dominated by Islamic Society. Russia was first over ruled by the Mongol Empire mostly under Islamic Khans. Who are sometimes called Tartars. There is a big difference between Tartars and Mongols, but the interchange of these terms is not strictly enforced. On the other hand, Serbia was ruled by Islamic Turks in the Ottoman Empire from the 1500s until the 1800s.

FLAG OF RUSSIA
with coat of Arms

Both Serbia and Russia get a lot of negative press in the US Media, no matter what they do. They see m to always be portrayed as the as bad guys. Even the Nazis got some good

positive press, Tom Cruise recently made an odd movie

about the 'good Nazis' in Valkyrie in 2008. Perhaps someday Hollywood will have to make a movie about the happy good Serbian and friendly Russian Communist?

FLAG OF SERBIA with coat of Arms

So when the Russians planted their flag at the bottom (or rather top) of the North Pole under the Arctic Ocean, I was informed by my Serbian Neighb or that it was actually an upside down Serbian Flag!

Link to 20 part series about Flag Symmetry with Russian Flags (on this BLOG)
zebratigerfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/russian-fraternal-twin-flags.html

The Taliban's Cosmic Banner Partner

It's interesting to note that the flag of the Taliban is a white flag with the Islamic daily prayer on it, the Shahada. This flag indicates a surrender to the God via a very narrow and a rather stiff path stretching out of Islam. White is the color of surrender, purity, and peace. The Arabic Calligraphy indicates a massive connection to Islam.

(((If you just tuned in, my thesis involves pairing up with flags, like yin and yang)))


TALIBAN FLAG

Thus the partner to the Taliban Flag is the flag of the Islamic Courts Union Flag of Somalia.

ISLAMIC COURTS UNION FLAG

It is the converse of the Taliban Flag. The Islamic Courts Union flag has a black background with an Islamic daily prayer written in white.


So what? Well, in a weird way the Taliban of Asia is connected "cosmically" to the Islamic Courts Union of Africa. Both nations were dreadful friction points during the Cold War, and are rather militantly Islamic.

So here is the prediction: if Obama with Joe Biden puts more pressure on Osama Bin Laden, make sure you keep you eye on Somalia. There is a good chance the Islamic Courts Union will mold another type of grouchy 'totally irrational' insurgent. Bottom line is, if you want a balanced approach with Afghanistan you have to spend at least as much on Somalia. So in a weird way to get peace in Afghanistan you will have to also get peace in Somalia, otherwise it will fester.

Perhaps Russia, UK, Italy, and US should team up with friendly Islamic Nations in this endeavor? If they are willing to spend billions on peace keeping tools of destruction, why not spend billions on friendly tools of construction?

Saudi Flag for comparison