Spinky the Vexi-Cat

Something a little personal, before any blog posts are posted, our cat Spinky edits and censors appropriate material. Behind her head is the canton of stars from the American Flag - the 50 starred version. Spinky likes to fetch, chase her tail, and will stare you down in the eyes without flinching.  She also likes to sing before bed and loves lasers.

Why do we love pets?  In a world full of deception and people who want to sell us stuff, it is nice to see a sentient being that can only be honest and want our love. 

My Little Pony Michigan Flag by Amazome

A great flag I found while looking for a flag of Michigan, very funny and cute. The green tattoos on the horses are the shape of the state.

 Created by Amazome
http://amazome.deviantart.com/art/Michigan-Bronies-Flag-361636987

Pre-Centennial 1676 American Flag

This flag commemorates the era of time 100 years before the Declaration of Independence.  The patterns of the UK, Sweden, Spain, France, and the Netherlands can be found in this flag. Additionally the colours of the Pan-Africa Flag are present. It only has 12 stripes since only 12 of the original rebel colonies were in existence in 1676. Georgia was yet a twinkle in some English-man's eye.

Imagine traveling back to July 4, 1676?  What a weird and wondrous time.  None of the founding fathers were alive.  However the first cell of Benjamin Franklin was around and patiently waiting since 1667.

 
This flag honors the hand that the Kings and Queens of France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain who shaped America in her embryonic stage.  And without a doubt there were many Princes and Princess from Africa who were drafted into bondage so that America could find her footing and become a rich and abundant nation.

In 1676 the English Colonies were ruled by Charles the II as the restored King.  The Colonies just passed through the Kingless Decade of the Experimental Republic Commonwealth of 1650-1659, with Oliver Cromwell as the national leader.

The People having trouble with the King, started long before King George the III in 1776.  British Congress (Parliament) had King Charles the II executed for his tyrannical rule.  Note, only a few colonies were around to remember this part of their history.  The Pre-Revolutionary Kingless Phase of Colonial History is almost always skipped over in US Civic Classes as a kind of dirty secret, since the government murdered the King in 1649.

This flag commemorates the ancient colonies lost in the annals of time before 1676: The Swedish-American Colonies, Dutch-American Colonies, Spanish-American Colonies, French-American Colonies, and sweat and blood sacrifice of the African-American pioneers who were drafted by fate to help establish and ensure the stability of America during her infancy.   

Flags in the documentary "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" 1980

Carl Sagan starred in a public television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.  It was first broadcast across the nation in 1980.  This thirteen part series explained in simple words the complexity of the universe through the gifted talking talents of Carl Sagan.  This series made Carl Sagan a house hold name and added little bit of rock star magic to the spirit of science.


Flags appear in several scenes, in an episode that explains genetic diversity the red banners of a Japanese Butterfly feudal clan are shown along a beach.

In another part the flag of the Netherlands Kingdom can be seen flying in the background.  Similar to the current flag of the Netherlands, the only difference is that red is replaced by orange.  Yet in an Eastern perspective red and orange is also conceptualized as the same colour.  However the distinction of orange and red is a modern shift made more apparent due to the immigration of Western Ideas.   Easy it is to point out the Western Influence on the East, yet harder it is to notice the Eastern influence on the West.

The US flag sublimely appears as an arm patch on a US astronaut working outside of his or her space vehicle.

This television series was epic on shaping the mind of many a American and non-American, causing them to enter into careers related to science.

The great synchronicity of this series is that it rode along the wake of galactic imagination as a torrent of excitement about space and the future was first stirred with Star Wars.  Cosmos was a second delicious rational whammy for those interested in sci-fi and science.  Both Star Wars and Cosmos had memorable themes that penetrated into the soul with a cosmic forte.  The composition of John Williams was timeless and parallel to generations yet to come and those before, while Vangelis was perpendicular giving away its position with scientific accuracy as a photographic anthem of the 1980s. 

In the big picture Cosmos is a scientific poem that sung upon the graces of objective and rational thinking, with a hidden undertone to respect mother earth or Gaea. 

Cosmos asked us not to take science and technology for granted, and to appreciate the magnificence of technology.  It has put us on the threshold of a great social and mind expanding era unlike anything seen before.  For much care and respect must be taken, for strange days are set before us unlike anything imagined before. 

Display of the Fraternal Flag Partner Phenomena - 2007 Doylestown Arts Festival

It was on September 9, 2007 at the Doylestown, Pennsylvania Arts Festival that the general public at large was exposed to my fraternal flag partner concept.


With special permission from the Univest Bicycle Coordinator and renowned cyclist, John Eustice, I was able to hang my flags in pairs on the potted plant street lamps that line the streets of Doylestown, Pennsylvania.  Right in front of my old apartment on Ashland Street are the flags of Ghana and Ethiopia blowing in the background.   


In the upper right hand corner is the so similar pair of Italy and Mexico. People often compare the flag of Ireland to Italy, and its well enough.  But a more harmonious overlap exists between Mexico and Italy.  The only major difference are the national coat of arms on Mexico's flag. 

 It a bit of a challenge to see but on the left side street lamp are my flag pairs hanging on either side of the flower baskets.


The winner of the face was from Italy - Mattia Gavazzi.  I surrendered my Italian flag unto him as a congratulatory gift.








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The flag of Germany and Belgium are Fraternal Partners in the upper left side

If you participated in this race the link to the placing results are here
http://www.univestgrandprix.com/2007results.html

First Photo of Ghana & Ethiopia
http://www.mlkimages.com/2007-Sports/Univest-Grand-Prix/Univest-Grand-Prix-Criterium/i-m7SpfSj/1/M/MLK_0917-M.jpg

LINK TO UNIVEST BANKING AND INVESTMENTS
http://www.univest.net/ 

Link to the Doylestown Arts Festival Organizers
http://doylestownartsfestival.com/

Boo Boo Village - So That Other's May Party Flag

The Boo Boo Village flag was recently sent to me by a reader.  The flag is a play on a child's choice word for a physical injury - boo boo.  This flag belongs to a first aid group that helps people at social events. 

This flag was made by Nurse Obi Wan. Since this group operates under a First Aid setting, the Republic star is replaced by a Red Cross. Boo Boo Bear has a copyright tag to keep Warner Bros a little happier.  The bear is a symbol of strength, healing and family, which is what the medical teams strive for when serving festival communities. The motto is "So That Others May Party" which makes up the acronym S.T.O.M.P.

All the medics camp around the venue.  Allowing Boo Boo Village to be close at hand and support the participants and each other.  Generally they have their own cooking area, to dismis worries about any unwanted chemicals.  Boo Boo Village is a very real community of healing and hope.  So if you get a boo boo at a festival, look for the Boo Boo Village flag waving in the distance, they will help you! 

LINK TO BOO BOO VILLAGE ON FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/BooBooVillage

This blog post was co-written by me and Nurse Obi Wan.  If you have any flag ideas please send it to me!  I'll post it when I get the chance.   

Vexilloids in Cast Away - 2000

 In the year 2000 Tom Hanks starred in Cast Away.  Traditional flags do not appear in the film but vexilloids appear in non-traditional ways.The most noticeable vexilloid is the golden wind marker.  Like a flag this device communicates an idea for the observer.


The movie takes us to Russia, Tennessee, Texas, and Tahiti.  Cast Away is another grand slam hit from Robert Zemeckis  who can make opposite polarity 'Touch Stone-Disney Movies.'   Animated Disney movies are made for children on the surface, but adult themes give them an appeal for grownups.  Likewise Zemeckis makes movies for adults on the surface, but yet his movies often have an appeal for children and teens.


A close up of Chuck Noland examining the 'hoist' of his wind riding wind vexilloid.  It was originally made from a girl's dress.  It's purpose is for him alone to note the time for his exodus.


Another makeshift vexilloid in the film is Wilson's VHS video tape streamers.  In the movie Wilson is a volleyball that has become Mr. Noland's virtual companion.  Just as people talk to television during an athletic tourney, cars when driving becomes a challenge or toys, Wilson has become a virtual buddy of Charles.

Usually a mailbox has a metal red flag to indicate that something is ready to be picked up by the US Post Office.  However in this film it has been replaced with a metal feather.   In the background are the iconic feathers of hope that enchanted Chuck Noland to leave his dreadfully lonely tropical paradise.

Cast Away was more than just a survival film on a lonely island, it was a survival film for the human heart.  After the proverbial personal tower of the ego was smashed to pieces was Noland able to find an inner grace and strength to move forward.