Cameroon & Senegal: West Africa

Senegal Flag
with Green Star
Cameroon and Senegal have flags of matching colours and centered with a star. They are the beginning and end of the West African Coast. Although the colours are similar these people are distant neighbors with parallel and intersecting histories.

Cameroon Flag
with Yellow Star

Focus on Stars so they look more distinguished

SENEGAL CAMEROON

Aland & Orkney Flag: Isles of the North Sea

Flag of Orkney Islands
A Scottish Flag

These islands in the North European Sea have a special kind of symmetry that connects them in a colourful way that was their destiny. They are islands at opposite ends of the cold seas of Northern Europe.

Orkney is in the West next to Scotland and and Aland in the heart of the of the East in between Sweden and Finland.

Flag of Aland Islands
A Finnish Flag

Aland is under rule of Finland while Orkney is under rule of the Scotland.

Their flag's are reflective of the Scandinavian Cross.

Year of the Tiger 2010

Since it's the new year of the Tiger, it is only natural we talk about a flag with a Tiger on it!

The flag with Tiger on it represents the ill fated Tamil Tiger nation that almost was in Sri Lanka. It pitted 'Hindus' against 'Buddhists' and the war was finally concluded last year in 2009 or in the year just before the Tiger, the Ox.

Many people compared this conflict of East Asia to the conflict in West Asia between 'Israelis' and 'Muslims.'

Flag of Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka
just defeated last year in 2009
notice it looks like a sun
This flag makes a nice pairing with the flag of Kalantan, a state in Malaysia next to boarder on Southern Thailand. Just as the war between Buddhists and Hindus died down a new war in Southern Thailand erupted in the wake of September 11, on the Malay-Thai Border, it's kinda like the Afghani-Pakistan border but less the madness. But in this case it's Buddhists versus Muslims.

The state of Kelantan is not directly involved in the conflict but it is likely they are sympathetic to the Islamic Thai fighters dominated in a Buddhist nation in Thailand.

Flag of Kelatan State in Malaysia
notice it looks like a moon

These flags are similar in design and both have weaponry. The Tamil Tiger flag has machine guns with an arc of bullets, while the wavy krises swords of Kelatan are meant to cut down the enemy or defend the homeland.


But please be aware that no part of Malaysia is at war with Thailand. They are relatively happy neighbors. But another break away group with in a Buddhist nation has resorted to terrorism in their arsenal for independence, and if they won they may just join up Malaysia. But most likely these Islamic Siamese will suffer the same fate at the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka.

Oregon & Nebraska

Flag of Oregon
Ancient Ox Pulled Wagon & Sail Boat
last state before heart break of Civil War
Just in time for Valentines day is Oregon! This state was 'born' on February 14, 1859. It was the last state to join the union before the United States would have her heart broken by the Civil War. Oregon's outer seal even looks like the shape of a heart!

Nebraska on the other hand joined the union right after the Civil War ended on March 1, 1867.

Flag of Nebraska

Modern Fossil Fuel train & sail-less boat
first state after heart ache of Civil War

Their flags represent a change in times and technology. The flag of Oregon has the ancient sail and animal pull cart that Biblical characters wouldn't bat and eye at, but Nebraska has the modern fossil fuel technological wonders: a boat that needs no sail and carts that need no animals. If the ancients saw the machines on Nebraska's flag they surely would have been awe struck by these technological wonders, or run away screaming by such 'strange black magic' of the devil.

These flags echo of shift in culture as much as technology. Before 1859 owing another man or woman as property was in line with the rest of ancient history, but after 1867 this ancient institution was seen as uncivilized and reprehensible.

America would have a proverbial broken heart for 50 years, until the map of America was completed. The last interconnected state joined the Union February 14, 1912: Arizona. Arizona was originally christened by the Confederate Government as Arizona Territory (Admitted in the Confederacy February 14, 1862) but by 1912 much of the old heartache of that bygone war had healed up pretty darn good. In an odd way I reckon' it made America's heart beat even stronger.

Happy Valentines Day 2010

Close up of flags so you can see balance and harmony

Ancient Sail Boat & Ox Wagon
of OREGON FLAG

Train & paddle boat of the
modern fossil fuel age
that we are still in of
NEBRASKA FLAG

ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY

MODERN TECHONOLOGY

1859 OREGON....SLAVERY OK

(1861- CIVIL WAR -1865 )

SLAVERY NOT OK....NEBRASKA 1867

Georgia & Northern Cyprus, pressure points of Eurasia

Flag of Georgia

(a nation with break away regions)

These nations skate along the edges of Asia and Europe. Many atlases categorize Cyprus as a part of Europe, others as Asia, the same thing also happens with Georgia as well.

These nations are totally in the twilight zone-pressure points in the game of global politics. Georgia recently suffered from war in 2008 which saw two rogue nations break away, Ossetia and Abkazia with aid from Russia. While Northern Cyprus broke of away from Cyprus with the aid of Turkey in 1974.

Flag of Northern Cyprus
(a nation that is a break away region)

Only a minority of nations view Georgia's break away republics and Northern Cyprus as real nations. Because of this disagreement, the issue is very contentious and mentally painful. If not handled with care people start screaming and beating each other up, it's kinda' like the abortion debate in the USA.

Basically Northern Cyprus is a break away nation because the inhabitants are Muslim and speak Turkish, while Georgia is a nation with break away nations because of old ethnic and linguistic divisions. Their banners are like yin and yang reflective of the two most holy books born of West Asia: the Holy Bible and Holy Koran.

Panama & Dominican Repub; foster children of the USA

Flag of Dominican Republic

Nation of the Divided Island East by West with Haiti

Panama and the Dominican Republic have flags of striking similarity. Both of their flags are divided into quadrants. The colours of red, white, and blue catch the eye.

Interestingly you can think of these nations as being 'foster' children for the United States. Puerto Rico & the Philippines were adopted by the US but Panama and the Dominican only made it to 'foster parent' status.

The Dominican Republic actually offered herself up to join the United States, but the US congress rejected this opportunity to get more land! Racial issues of the time may have been a factor. But since then, when every so often business interests are threatened the US military has been deployed to help out and keep things from running a muck or going too lefty schmefty!

The US Government prefers it righty and tighty.

Flag of Panama
Nation that is divided by North & South America

Panama actually had territory that was a part of the USA, the Panama Canal Zone, which gladly gave us John McCain!

Like the Dominican Republic the US Military had a wonderful run of operations in a tropical climate for several decades. Most families that had the lovely Panamanian assignment were very grateful, but most local Panamanians were unfortunately rather resentful of the US presence.

Panama and the Dominican were so close with the United States and almost a part of her. The US government is intimately knowledgeable about these nations and had to fight several forgettable mini-wars within these nations. But the US never had resounding maternal ambition to incorporate these 'foster' nations in the love of American pie, yet her mark on the lands is deep and wide, especially for Panama.

Sweden & Finland

Flag of Sweden

Sweden & Finland are nations of Scandinavia. They are all to familiar with the harsh personalities of winter and both have lands in the Arctic Circle. This gives them a natural advantage in the Winter Olympics.

Although they are neighbors their languages are very distant and can not understand each other.

Flag of Finland

Sweden was pretty neutral during the WWII and as well during the Cold War, but they were already used to the cold anyways.
But long before WWI Sweden was one of the imperial warlords who made the effort to establish colonies in the Americas. They got started in Delaware and New Jersey but the Dutch terminated their efforts, who were then terminated by the British, who was finally terminated from within by the colonists.

The important thing is that when the Swedes were in the Delaware Valley they were also united with Finland. Some people argue that the log cabin really originated in Finland not Sweden, but Sweden gets all the credit.