Belize & Haiti, Seals on the Banner

FLAG OF BELIZE
The distinguishing element of these flags are their national seals upon their banners of red and blue. Belize is the Circle and Haiti is the Square.

Belize is your more typical coat of arms with a central shield supported by two men. On the other hand, Haiti has a little drum where the shield of arms usually sits. But next to the drum are two hatchets facing left and right. Belize also has two hatchets on their flag, one is carried by the bronze man on the left and the other is on the upper right side of the the shield of arms behind a saw.

FLAG OF HAITI
*national seal is expanded for viewing purposes

Belize has a mahogany tree on a patch of grass, while Haiti has cabbage palm tree on a top of hill.

Both flags have what look like red pennants blowing in the wind. Belize has three red pennants on the top of the masts of the sailing vessel in the lower section of the shield. Haiti has two red pennants on flag poles just above the cannon and anchors.

close up of Belize Shield of Arms
so you can see 'Red Pennants'
Haiti was a part of Hispaniola which was the first island permanently settled by the Old World. But French Buccaneers put an end to the Spanish domination of the island and subsequently imported cheap outsourced labor from Africa, thus giving Haiti its dominant African element.

Belize too, was a part of New Spain in Mexico, but British Pirates took advantage of Spain's over stretched empire and were able to plant one last English Colony in the heart of Hispanic Central America.

A close up of Haiti's complex coat of arms
Red Pennants are on the far left and right sides

Finally there are '25 leaves proper' on Belize's flag while there are 24 cannon balls on Haiti's flag.

Australia & New Zealand, who is the copycat?

Flag of Australia

These flag are nearly identical twins. The main difference are the stars. Kiwis have fewer red stars with a dash of white, while Aussies have more stars that are all white.

Like two siblings born nine months apart their sibling rivalry is intense. Aussies are the older sibling 1901, making Kiwis the younger 1907. They are very close and yet so far away.

Flag of New Zealand

Both Have:
Union Jack
Southern Cross
Blue Filed
Stars
Southern Hemisphere
Unique Animals and Plants
Aboriginal people
Strong British Heritages
Love of Rugby
Sailors


Watch the Lord of the Rings to get a feel of New Zealand, in a fanciful past that never existed.
But watch the Road Warrior series to get a feel of Australia, in a fanciful future that never existed.

AUSSIE STAR

KIWI STAR

Currently the Hollywood Stars of Aussie and Kiwi Pride are in a sweet alignment. Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine in the X-Men Movies is the current top Action Aussie Hero while Russell Crowe is the top Action Kiwi Hero, best known for his role in Gladiator.

Although Australia is the much larger landmass, little New Zealand towers over Australia by several hundred meters!

OFFICIALLY MATCHING FLAGS

AUSTRALIAN FLAGS...................................... NEW ZEALAND FLAGS

NATIONAL FLAG PROPOSALS
that look a like

As Aussies and Kiwis struggle to create a new national flag it is almost inevitable that as soon as Kiwi proposes a flag, an Aussie will by chance also propose a nearly matching flag.

Pakistan and Tukmenistan: Stars & Stripes plus moons

Flag of Turkmenistan

As the last moon of 2009 finally disappears on January 14th. It only seems appropriate that two flags with emblems of the moon take center stage.

Pakistan and Turkmenistan both have crescent moons on their national banners. The symmetry is subtle. Islamic green forms the background. Pakistan has a plain white stripe on the left, while Turkmenistan's stripe is a vibrant complex embroidery.

Flag of Pakistan

By chance alignment the moon of Turkmenistan seems to be a waxing-growing moon, while Pakistan has a waning-decaying moon as the sliver of the moon is on the left hand side.

The position of these nations is balanced too, they are on opposite sides of Afghanistan. Turkmenistan on the north west side and Pakistan on the south east side, relative to Afghanistan.

During the age of European Empires they were adopted by the great Empires of Europe on the fringe. Russia on the eastern fringe adopted the Turkmen, while the UK off the western fringe settled into Pakistan. Because of this Russian has become a secondary language in Turkmenistan while English is nearly known to all Pakistanis.



Turkmenistan and Pakistan's flags are reflective of the Islamic month at the beginning and the end. A moon cycle begins with a crescent moon on the right side as it is with Turkmenistan's moon. While the moon cycle ends with a crescent moon on the left side as it is with Pakistan's moon.

The 15th of each Islamic Month is always a full moon or nearly so. Please note some Islamic months last 30 or 29 days. It's also interesting to note that Arabic is written in the same direction of the glowing of the moon, from right to left. Hebrew also does the same and uses a different kind of lunar calendar. Chinese when written in columns follows the pattern of moon light going from right to left. The Chinese also use the moon to calibrate their New Years which always falls on a new moon.

Yin and Yang is also reflective of their stripes. The stripe of Turkmenistan is full of colour and intensity as we begin each new month, while the stripe of Pakistan is empty of colour, distilled of its complexities.

US Flag with 46 States & 4 Common Wealths

Every once in a while a Mr. Smarty pants will ask you, 'How many states are their in the USA?' A normal response is 50. But then Mr. Smarty Pants will say, "Your Wrong!, there are 46 States and 4 Commonwealths." Form a certain point of view Mr. Smarty Pants is correct. So in honor of Mr. Smarty Pants across the world, I have created a version of an accurate USA Commonwealth-State flag.


ACCURATE USA 46 Starred State Flag
4 Stars of David represent the 4 Commonwealths: Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, & Kentucky. Three Blue Stripes for the three Original Colonial Commonwealths: VA, PA, MA.













Red stripes represent the four states completely south of the Mason-Dixon Line: Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The white stripes represent the states north of the Mason-Dixon Line: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

There are only 46 stars for the official 46 states. Plus 4 stars of David. Stars of David were chosen because according to the official flag folding mantra, "American Eyes" see the world with one "Hebrew Eye" and one "Christian Eye."

OFFICIAL 46 Starred FLAG OF USA

The USA did indeed have an official 46 Starred Flag for six years when Oklahoma became a state in 1907. 46 Stars graced the flag until 1912 with the entry of New Mexico and Arizona.

And to stick it to Mr. or Mrs. Smarty Pants here is an Accurate Naval Jack for the 'official 46 States and 4 Commonwealths of America'
USCA (United States and Commonwealths of America)

For Vexillological Vets: the Bottom Star of David represents Virginia, since Virginia is the 'Root' and oldest colony that gave rise to the presence of Anglo-Celtic American peoples (English & Scotch, Welsh, Irish). The lower blue stripe also represents Virginia.

The top Star of David represents Massachusetts, as Mass is the most northern Commonwealth and is also represented by the top blue stripe. She is the highest star because she represents the North and wish of freedom for all mankind.

The middle right Star of David represents Pennsylvania, since she is the 'Keystone Commonwealth' in between the North and South. Pennsylvania is East and the original Commonwealth to host the first capital where congress declared their independence from the Crown of England in 1776. The middle blue stripe represents the Commonwealth as well.

Finally the Star of David on the left represents Kentucky. Kentucky was the first 'State-Commonwealth' along the original west coast, when it was the Mississippi River. Kentucky represents both states born free and in bondage.


If Mr. Smarty Pants asks 'What about Puerto Rico, it's a Commonwealth too!?' You have my permission to give the boot to Mr. Smarty Pants the pants.

Laos & Cambodia, Heaven and Earth

RED, WHITE, & BLUE these COLOURS DON'T RUN

Flag of Laos
White Moon
an object that travels all of Heaven

These two nations have been on similar historical tracks. Just recently they were drawn in and heavily bombed by the US during the Vietnam War of Independence.

Before then they were colonized by the French. Before then, they were subject to domination by the Siamese Kingdom.

But long, long before the arrival of the white people, Buddhism was the chief religion that held its sway.

Although both are dedicated Communists, most economists believe they are really 'In the Closet Capitalists' just like China, spiked with a splash Commie dictatorial bitters. It seems only North Korea and Cuba have kept the idea of a dry metallic workers paradise alive.

Flag of Cambodia
White Temple of Divine Nature
an object resting on the Earth
Laos and Cambodia are guarded by Thailand on the East and Vietnam on the West.

Although they are right next to each other Cambodian and Laotian are very different, they can not understand each other. Oddly Laotians can mostly understand their Thai neighbors.

The Mekong River runs along these nations and they are both of the Pacific Ocean, ruled by a perpetual summer interspersed with a rainy season. Rice paddies and tropical forests are abundant in both.

They are union of Heaven and Earth. The ancient temple of Cambodia rests solidly on the Earth while, the Moon of Laos glides across the Heavens during the day and night, and every so often she can eclipse the power of the Sun.

Aboriginal Aussies & Native Kiwis

Aboriginal Australian Flag
looks like a Sun in the Middle

The most popular flag of Native Australians is black and red with a yellow sun, while the Native New Zealander flag is black and red with a crescent moon like shapes.

New Zealand Maori Flag
reflective of a dynamic
white moon in constant motion

The Australian Aboriginal flag is static and masculine, centered like the constant Sun. While the New Zealand Maori flag is dynamic and feminine, off centered and like the ever changing moon.

The Marori and Aboriginals are peoples of the Southern Hemisphere that colonized these truly southern lands. Both peoples were forcibly adopted by the British Empire and were treated as disdainful second class citizens. It was not until after the Anglo-Saxon Cultural Revolution of the 1960s that Aussies and Kiwis made major changes in their attitudes towards their indigenious or rather 'first nation peoples.'

In the USA they call pre-European peoples Native Indian Americans, in Canada First Nation Peoples, in Australia Aboriginals, and finally in New Zealand Maori. It's sort of like the general definition of a Hurricane, Typhoon, and Cyclone. So what's the difference between these three types of storms? There are official differences but generally speaking they all mean the same thing.


These two flags represent the cosmic balance of the Sun and the Moon. And are posted here because tis' the season for 'Lunar Twilight.' During the day it is 2010, but at night is is 2009.

Why!? Well we are still in a transitional phase of the years. The current moon started it's brightening period (waxing) before the winter solstice and New Years Eve. Thus when you look up at the moon tonight or anytime before January 14, 2010, your looking at a moon that was created in 2009. Since the Moon is the 'ruler of night,' after the 2010 January Sun goes to bed, a 2009 Moon rules the sky! Thus the term Lunar Twilight.

Thus you still get a little more time to make amends and finish off promises of the heart you missed in 2009.

Lunar twilight lasts until the next moon. The first moon to be created in 2010 comes into existence on January 16, 2010!

But hold on to your garters, the East is still waiting until the next next moon to come into existence. AKA...Chinese New Years has yet to begin!!!

According the Chinese oriented Asians they year has not yet changed. It won't be next year, the year of the Tiger until Valentines Day February 14, 2010.

Until then, only then, Eastern and Western Cultures will both agree that the New Year has indeed started!

Tiger 2010!

Guinea & Mali, aka.. da' BIG GM

Flag of GUINEA
'left end of a rainbow'
Guinea is more East of Mali & G is before M

West African flags that look so much a like, on purpose. Both are French Speaking and have multitudes of Islamic Peoples. Yet are totally different nations as much as New Zealand and Australia. Actually much more different than those two southern nations born of the British Empire.

Flag of MALI
'right end of the rainbow'
Mali is WEST of Guinea and M follows G

Be sure not to confused Mali
with Malawi
(one French the other British).

Likewise do not confuse Guinea with Guinea-Bissau
(one French the other Portuguese).

Yin and Yang always has a tendency to make things sound confusing: like some fun geographic sniglet based"confusi-nyoms"

Balkan & Baltic
Malacca & Moluccas
Slovenia & Slovakia
Ohio & Iowa
Barents & Bearing Seas