Space Shuttle Flags

Last US Space Shuttle

Today the last US Space Shuttle flight went off without a hitch. It was the shuttle with the most ancient names and yet highest of technologies - space Shuttle Atlantis, a proverbial Alpha & Omega.

Interestingly each space shuttle has its own flag. The shuttle flags were all of the same basic design. Along the top is a thin blue trapezoid and along the bottom a reversed red trapezoid. In between is a broad white gap tilted downwards.

Although the Space Shuttle Enterprise never made it into space, here is my imagined design

Each shuttle had its name in the center printed in blue, with an outline of a shuttle. In the 'canton' is a red logo that reads, 'Space Flight Awareness NASA,' with the planet earth and an orbital path extending into space.

The End of an Era

Link to NASA
http://www.nasa.gov

Penn & Teller Burn the American Flag

Penn & Teller folding
the US flag in order to burn it

Penn & Teller are one of America's cheekiest duos of magic. The traditional duo of magic was previously co-ed. The primary magician does the talking and set up, while an eye stunning assistant 'magician' makes the illusions come to life.

However Penn and Teller are both men. Perhaps someday in the future, there will be a female magician with a male assistant? Or maybe a girls only magic show? Anyways Penn is the dominant, bigger, yang element of the show while Teller is the shorter, lesser, yin element of their classic all American magic act that fuses itself with standup comedy.

Old Glory up in flames?

Penn & Teller are passionate about the free market and the libertarian vantage point. So much so, that a 'burning the American flag' was bound to become one of their many spectacular illusions.

Link to their website - http://www.pennandteller.com/

Watch the daring illusion that is a tribute to freedom

The Iron Maiden Mascot Eddie
often holding a British Flag

Rockin from the 80s, the roots of metal charge out of England with a class in their own - IRON MAIDEN. Besides the heavy rocking riffs, the art associated with this band was an essential aspect of this group.

Iron Maiden is a British Rock Group. Like the Who, Beatles, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin they were cutting edge sounds of their times.

The mascot of their band is Eddie the undead cybernetic time traveling solider from the future or is the past? It seems with all this technology the time is ripe for an Iron Maiden movie?









LINK to Iron Maiden's Website http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Happy Canada Day 2011

Happy Canada Day, 2011!

One version of the Retired

Canadian Red Ensign

If you haven't noticed, the flag of Canada looks a lot like the flag of Peru. This uncanny match of red and white is what I have termed, 'Flag Symmetry.'

But most people (Americans and younger Canadians) don't realize that the Canadian Flag is a 1960s love child flag, so to speak. Since it was made official in 1965. The current design is fantastic but I hope Canadians never forget the UK Canadian Red Ensign, this flag is richly seeped in history. During the 1900s Canadians proudly fought under the red ensign during the Cold War, WWII, WWI, and Boer War.

The Retired
South African Red Ensign

Coincidentally the partner of the Canadian Red Ensign is South Africa's Red Ensign.

Both nations are spiked with a dynamic tribal rivalry between their two leading 'white tribes.' South Africa has been bitterly divided between her British and Dutch elements, while Canada is nearly in perpetual friction with her British and French states of mind. Canada is were the sons and daughters of London and Paris live in harmony, while South African is were the daughters and Edinburgh and Amsterdam live in a steady symbiosis.

Shield of arms Canada
still official

The four most powerful tribes of the Canadian Nation. Starting from the one o'clock position - Scottish (red lion), French (triple lily), Irish (harp), and English (triple yellow lion).

South African shield of arms
retired

Previously (1910-2000) it represented the four most powerful tribal states - Cape (woman by rock), Natal (two horned cows), Orange Free State (orange tree), and Transvaal (Boer Wagon that looks like baby carriage or old time race car). To get a better grip of the tension in the former arms of South Africa imagine a nation solely composed of Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and South Carolina.

New Shield of Arms for South Africa
since 2000

South Africa changed her arms in 2000 since it represented a minority of white tribes. No doubt in the near future, as diverse Canadian ethnic identities that do not associate with England, Scotland, France, and Ireland grow stronger, Canada will follow in the footsteps of their South African cousins and change her arms.

But not all is negative. It is through these challenges that give Canada and South Africa their unique powers and grand view of the what it means to be human.

South Africa and Canada are cousins by Mother Britannia but have radically different 'in laws.' The relations with the first nation's peoples have been challenging but recently amended for the better.

It is a cosmic union of the Canadian Musk Ox with the Great South African Buffalo. Although worlds away their histories have similar parallels, as do their retired red ensigns. They are a combination of fire and ice. Canada has a region that is in perpetual winter, while South African has a region that is in perpetual summer.

The Paleolithic Wooly Ox Lives on in Canada
(it it were extinct it'd be more popular)

The Eocenic South African Buffalo
these curly long horns are meant for fighting

This means South Africans can be polite as a Canadian and Canadians can fight with the ferocity of a South African. Respect the Canadian and South African. Finally, hockey^ is to Canada to what rugby^ is to South Africa.

July is Cancer Month

Courland Crab Flag

This is the flag of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in the Americas. It was perhaps the meekest of European Colonial powers to plant a colony in the Americas. Corulandians and Semigallians may sound like something from a Issac Asimov book but they were real people. They were mostly Latvian and German. But the Duchy was officially a part of the 'bi-national' Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth during its American adventure. Thus Poland and Lithuania get a wee bit of credit as Imperial Powers in America during the 1600s.

Basically Latvians left a fleeting mark on Tabago and perhaps Trinidad. Before the 1600s ended, this far out semi-Polish/Lithuanian colony under the Duchy of Courland-Semigallia was abandoned.

The important point is that since July is the month of Cancer, a flag with a crab is a must!