New Delhi Ink

Getting a tattoo of your favorite national flag is not anything all that special but getting all the flags of the world tattooed on your body certainly is.

A man from India has embarked on a destiny to certainly go where no man has gone before, to cover his body with every national flag of the world.

They call him Guinness Rishi. Born in 1943, that makes him older than many of the world flags, especially of Africa.


Rishi's mantra must be, 'love the world and it will love you back.' He took this to heart. Rishi is carrying the world proverbially on his back, but literally on his belly.

Covering your tummy with flags is also the perfect excuse to justify a big round belly. Furthermore you can always have the whole world within your grip, or rather in your abs.

One suggestions is that he should leave a little extra space, as flags change every so often, especially in Africa. Rishi is a living work of vexillological history.

A bow and greeting taken literally
"Top of the world to you sir or mam!"

Flag Staff County Canada

In between Edmonton and Calgary is county called Flagstaff in the province of Alberta.

Flagstaff must be city with divided loyalties during the hockey season: you must choose to be a part of the traditional proud Oiler fans versus the upstart counter Flames? It's sort of like the NY Giants fan vs. a NY JETS fannery.

Flag Staff War, New Zealand

From 1845 unto 1872 this part of New Zealand history is known as the New Zealand Land Wars. It was basically a conflict between British Colonials and indigenous peoples. The first year of conflict opened with the vexillologically romantic Flag Staff War.

The Flag Staff War took place on the more tropical Northern Island. As had happened in Canada, US, and Australia, a cultural clash between European settlers and a technologically primitive peoples inevitably led to war.

In 1840 New Zealand was formally annexed to the British Empire. However as relations between 'aboriginals' and UK settler's evolved in an unbalanced way, a Native Chief Hone Heke chopped down a British Flag on 'Flag Staff Hill.' But the colonists managed to erect it at least three more times, each time it was chopped down.

The colonists won the war but gave up on raising a flag pole. They found it prudent to swallow their pride rather that incite more conflict and death. The colonists had the advantage of high technology and were also allied with other rival Native Kiwi peoples.

The Flag Staff War is also called the Northern War and Hone Hoke's Rebellion. Nearly 200 persons were killed in this war. This conflict wasn't simply about flags, but the vexillological escapades are what is best remembered.

Long after the conflict had subsided a flag staff was put in place which you can see today.


Ironically the HMS North Star participated in this war, but since New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere one can't see the North Star. For Aboriginal Maroi the concept of a constant North Star had to be taken on faith.

Flag Staff Arizona

(UNDER CONSTUCTION)


What a great name for city. Hopefully one day a Vexillological meeting will take place. Maybe NAVA 69, in the year 2035?

The seal of Flagstaff Arizona appropriately has a flag in it and it breaks the seal, literally at what seems a little past 1:00 O'clock.


There is also an abandoned Flagstaff Maine, which is now a ghost town. Coincidentally, Arizona is full of ghost towns due boom and bust of mining colonies.

Finally there is a Flagstaff Mountain, but it is in Colorado next to Boulder. Apparently Flagstaff Mountain can is a preemo spot for a grand view of Boulder, Colorado.

Saudi Arabian Flag Explained

The Saudi Arabian flag is essentially an Islamic prayer flag. On it is the Shahada prayer, it is a very common and supposedly powerful prayer. Just click on the video to see it in 'action' with a special kind of translation in English and Japanese.

Saudi Arabia has a deep Yin-Yang, love-hate relationship with the United States. As much as some people may have you believe that Arabians 'hate America' there are many in Saudi Arabia whose love for America counterbalances the misguided passion of the sorrowful knuckle-headed.

Saudi Arabian Flag Explained in English & Japanese

The Australian Rebel Yell

Eureka Stockade Flag 1854

All the nations born of the UK have at one time or another experienced a phase of rebellion, ethnic tension, and anti-government movements. 'Down Under' in Australia two interesting rebellious events took place.

First in 1854 in Victoria, Australia the famous Eureka Stockade gold miners revolt occurred. The 'Jefferson Davis' of the Eureka Stockade revolt was Peter Lalor, originally born 'Up Over' in Ireland in 1827, died in 1889. Conflict arose between miners and perceived injustices and issues with the Australian government.

Miners Swearing Allegiance to the Flag

A fight broke out at Ballarat, Victoria. For those of yous living in the Northern Hemisphere that's about at nearly equal apparent converse latitude of Richmond, Virginia: the primary capital of the Confederate States of America.

The spring of 1854 was a pressure cooker for Australia. From October 17 to December 3, a particular group of Southerns from Victoria left a lauded super sized footnote in Australian History, that necessitates a movie remake every generation. Some of the underlying issues were religious, racism, labor, money, land ownership, and politics that involved the perpetually underdog Irish-Catholics vs the Protestant phat cats in power.

Modern Rendition of Roll up Banner
as a vexillologically 'GOOD FLAG' without text

Several years later when the US Civil War began, another historically charmed event was born in Australian consciousness that stemmed from the Roll Up Banner. Although this banner did not represent a rebellious government. It represents a movement and juicy part of Australian history with a sharper focus on the interplay of immigration and racial issues.

This historical event took place in New South Wales in the winter of June 1861. As in the US and Canada there were many a Chinese Immigrant who were attracted to mining operations. As communications and political correctness were still as yet a twinkle in some white woman's eye, racial relationships of that era were rather abrasive.

Original Roll Up Flag
with Anti-Chinese Sentiment

In June 1861 a mob of white Australians drove nearly 3000 Chinese miners off the Lambing Flat. The whites then received news that an anti-Chinese immigration bill was defeated and a rumor that thousands of more 'Chinamen' were on their way. The Australian police eventually arrested the leaders of the Lambing situation. A few days later on July 14, 1861 a platoon of anti-Chinese insurgents attacked a police encampment next to where the Chinese has sought refuge. One 'white' miner was reported killed. Eventually the Chinese miners were segregated and Chinese immigration was halted as it did in the US and Canada.

Although neither of these flags were intended to represent new nations, they are uniquely Australian Heritage Flags that capture essential and important events in Australian History, as much as do US Civil Wars flags do today.

One can speculate by some odd twist of fate, if these tense situations were to have gotten out of control and certain hot heads of that bygone era had their way, Australia might have become a continent with more than just one nation?

'Australian Feds' engage 'Aussie Rebels' at Burrangong-Winter July 14, 1861

(Rebels on the left Federals on the right, one 'Mellie Reb' is killed)

Montgomery County, Alabama

City of Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery County Alabama has a very distinct flag that exhibits the 'Yin-Yangic Phenoptype.' The left-host side is dominantly gray, while the right-fly side is mostly red. In the center is a diagonal blue stripe with 11 stars, which accidentally reflect the 11 official states of the Confederacy and 11 stripes of the Liberian Flag. Most of the founders of the African country of Liberia were born in the United States.

Two crossed golden olive branches form an apparent circle, and within this circle the opposite colours of red and gray are juxtaposed with their opposite halves.

On the Seal of the City. On the outer golden ring is written:
'CITY OF MONTGOMERY AL - GREAT SEAL.'

On the inner white ring is written:
'BIRTHPLACE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT'

In the center is a gray six pointed star, on it is written:
'CRADLE OF THE CONFEDERACY'

The first official Confederate congress met in Montgomery, AL in February 1861. Rosa Parks also challenged the American Apartheid system in Montgomery, giving birth to the Civil Rights Movement in December 1, 1955.

Like Yin and Yang there is a delicate balance within the spirit of Montgomery, AL that accordingly manifested itself in the city flag. This city has two special histories as the cradle to the civil rights movement and birthplace of the Confederacy. Usually people of colour can more easily tune into the tragedy and triumph of the civil rights movement, while many sons and daughters of the Confederacy can tune into the romantic and forlorn wish of the an aborted Nation of the South. However, there a is minority of coloured and Southern non-coloured who go against this supposed point of view.

City of Montgomery in red, within Montgomery County