Flags of the World

[dr_mabeuse]

Due to the lack of any images of the train tragedy in North Korea, TV's been showing the North Korean flag.

I've always been into flags and all that heraldry kind of stuff, but I hadn't seen the North Korean flag before, and I have to say, it's just terrible. It's got to be one of the worst national flags in the world. It looks like a logo for a gas station!

That started me thinking about the aesthetics of national flags, some of which are truly terrible, and I found this site:

http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/~josh/flags/alpha.html

This guy objectively rates all national flags based on appearance. He gives the USA a C+ (too busy and too many stars) and the UK a B (too busy). It's a pretty funny site.

---dr.M.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Doc,

What I like most is his total inconsistency when it comes to the number of stars. China, Singapore, Honduras, and the Solomon Islands, all with five, are judged to have too many. Meanwhile, several other five star flags receive no condemnation and Venezuela's sever star flag gets a "B" for good color with no star comment.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[ABSTRUSE]

First off, I've never even heard of half of those countries. I do like his use of icons as part of his ratiing system, the vomiting one was quite original.
While very insightful, it makes me sad to think that this poor soul has nothing better to do than create a website dedicated to rating flags of the world.
Then again, I'm here everyday looking for someone to find stuff like that and share it!!!
Thanks Doc.

~A~

 

[minsue]

Not just inconsistant on the stars, he's inconsistant on the colors, too. I loved it. Especially the comment on Libya: Did you even try?



Thanks for sharing, Doc!!

 

[raphy]

Flags should have this, flags shouldn't have that, I think he's so full of bullshit his eyes are brown, personally. Please tell me this site isn't supposed to be serious?

 

[snooper]

SHAME!

Once AGAIN, Wales has been omitted.

 

[raphy]

Re: SHAME!

Once AGAIN, Wales has been omitted.

Oh god, I'd hate to see what he'd say about Y Ddraig Goch ..

 

[SnoopDog]

Well I'm not quite agreeing on the site's ratings.

My personal rating would be:
1.) US of A
2.) Canada
3.) Brazil

I'd never give germany a B. It's too boring.

But I've always been into national anthems. I think there are some cool anthems out there. I don't know too much of them but the most common ones (like USA, Germany, Italy, France, Britain, Canada, Turkey, Spain, Brazil)
My most favourite anthems are:
1.) US of A
2.) Italy
3.) France
4.) Canada

Snoopy

 

[herecomestherain]

I love flags too, only in the same why as I love neck ties, a nice bit of fabric. I'm hurt, how can the Aussie flag have too many stars? It's a real constellation for goodness sake. There are too many stars in the sky? I'm pouting.

 

[shereads]

Flags should have this, flags shouldn't have that, I think he's so full of bullshit his eyes are brown, personally. Please tell me this site isn't supposed to be serious?

I'm onto you.

You've broken the sarcasm barrier.

 

[Liar]

Re: SHAME!

Once AGAIN, Wales has been omitted.

I'd like to put in a word for the Shetland flag:

http://www.shetlandtourism.com/_borders/shetlandflag.gif

I bought that blue hue to paint a wall recently.

#L

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Doc,

What I like most is his total inconsistency when it comes to the number of stars. China, Singapore, Honduras, and the Solomon Islands, all with five, are judged to have too many. Meanwhile, several other five star flags receive no condemnation and Venezuela's sever star flag gets a "B" for good color with no star comment.

Rumple Foreskin

Yeah, he's inconsistent, and I totally disagree with some of his assessments. (He gives the N. Korean gas-station logo an A!) But he's right more than he's wrong. I always thought Brazil's flag looks more like a beer-bottle label. Could you imagine going into battle beneath the big blue beach-ball?

And Rwanda? How feeble is that? Having to monogram the first letter of your county's name on the flag, as if you might forget it. And the letter's not even symmetric.

It's cool, because we all take our country's flag so damned seriously and so much for granted that we never even see it when we look at it anymore. We just see it as a symbol. And besides, some of them are just awful.

BTW: Maryland has the best State flag in the US, with Arizona next on the list. New Mexico is up there too. Bet you don't even know what yours looks like (I know what they should look like: a picture of one hand putting cash into another.)

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Mab., this was fun. I don't think it's too-too serious, the inconsistencies are too apparent. I think the peep had fun, and it was fun to see.

Perdita

p.s. I know the CA flag too well, it's all over the place

 

[steve w]

Doc,

The British flag is total pants, because it's a conglomeration of other flags (though yes, the Welsh got left out on that one, as well!). Also, it usually appears upside down, although you have to be a major anorak to realise it, and a sad little pedant to mention it in public.

Anthems reflect nations because they are the anthems we are prepared to tolerate. So -

USA - bullish and confident
Australia - sunny and goes on about youth a lot
Italy - a bit confused but ultimately charming
France - boisterous and full of pomp
South Africa - three different ones in three different languages but all equally valued and respected, I'm sure
British - slow, ponderous, and full of obsequious references to a class structure

As we're on St George's Day, I'd just like to add that, since no-one else in Britain sings our anthem, it should be ditched, and the English should adopt "Land of Hope and Glory". It was used in the last Commonwealth Games and went down a storm.

 

[Guest]

Hola, Steve W. Welcome. I like your thinking and style.

best, Perdita

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

BTW: Maryland has the best State flag in the US, with Arizona next on the list. New Mexico is up there too. Bet you don't even know what yours looks like (I know what they should look like: a picture of one hand putting cash into another.)

---dr.M.

Why'd you have to go and say that? Now you're going to get the Texas delegation all stirred up (I live in Dallas, which doesn't really count as Texas).

But truth be told, I was thinking about state flags while looking at that guys list. He'd probably love Texas, (one star) but have a coronary over some others, such as California with its bear and Louisiana with its words "Union, Justice, Confidence" (I think) plus a brown pelican feeding its young.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[minsue]

BTW: Maryland has the best State flag in the US, with Arizona next on the list. New Mexico is up there too. Bet you don't even know what yours looks like (I know what they should look like: a picture of one hand putting cash into another.)

---dr.M.

I definitely like New Mexico's more than Arizona's, but Maryland's always looked like the back of a deck of playing cards to me. Never did like Cali's flag, 'Dita. It's the bear. Somehow it does not seem a fitting symbol, though it may have been at the time it was created. And Texas' is unoriginal.

Alaska has my favorite state flag.

(I've always had an opinion on just about everything, but never would have guessed I would take it to the length of posting multiple opinions on state flags. A new personal low, methinks. )

 

[pop_54]

Just look left folks

 

[pop_54]

Doc,

The British flag is total pants, because it's a conglomeration of other flags (though yes, the Welsh got left out on that one, as well!). Also, it usually appears upside down, although you have to be a major anorak to realise it, and a sad little pedant to mention it in public.

Anthems reflect nations because they are the anthems we are prepared to tolerate. So -

USA - bullish and confident
Australia - sunny and goes on about youth a lot
Italy - a bit confused but ultimately charming
France - boisterous and full of pomp
South Africa - three different ones in three different languages but all equally valued and respected, I'm sure
British - slow, ponderous, and full of obsequious references to a class structure

As we're on St George's Day, I'd just like to add that, since no-one else in Britain sings our anthem, it should be ditched, and the English should adopt "Land of Hope and Glory". It was used in the last Commonwealth Games and went down a storm.

Ello mate, "Land of Hope and Glory" is the 'English' national anthem and has been since Elgar wrote it, that shit boring repetetive thing we have to stand up to is the 'UK' Anthem and a pandering to royalty of days gone by. It is widely reported that QE II actually prefers 'Hope and Glory' and were it her choice, she'd change it, but it's a constitutional thing not her decision.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I remember doing something like this when I was in - hmm - the 4th grade? We had all the flags up in the wall at school, and while I didn't exactly grade them, I did try to determine which were the best, by a process of elimination. I think my favourites at the time were Australia and Canada. Greece and South Korea were in a good spot also.

I'll make no comments on the Portuguese flag. I think things went terribly awry on that department in 1910

As for national anthems, the Portuguese is a bellicose march that can't be beat when sung in a packed stadium. Most of the rest, especially the Brazilian, look like sissy lullabies in comparison.

 

[oggbashan]

Alternative Australian National Anthem

The present Australian National Anthem is 'Advance Australia Fair'.

It was chosen by committee and sounds like it was.

C J Dennis, one of Australia's bush poets, entered a competition in 1908 for a new national song (to replace God Save the King) he produced this:

A real Australian Austra*****laise.

Fellers of Australier,
Blokes an' coves and coots,
Shift yer ******* carcases,
Move yer ******* boots.
Gird yer ******* loins up,
Get yer ******* gun,
Set the ******* enermy
An' watch the ******* run.

Chorus:

Get a ******* move on,
Have some ******* sense.
Learn the ******* art of
Self de-******* -fence.

Have some ******* brains be-
Neath yer ******* lids.
An' swing a ******* sabre
For the missus and the kids.
Chuck supporting ***** posts,
An' strikin' ******* lights
Support a ******* family an'
Strike for yer ******* rights.

Chorus again and five more verses.

C J Dennis suggested that this should be sung to the tune of "Onward Christian Soldiers" and that the asterisks should be replaced by 'blessed' or 'blooming' or any other suitable word. (It was 1908).

His anthem was sung by the Australian troops at Gallipoli in 1915.

It won a special prize from the newspaper that organised the National Song competition.

Og

PS. How about a competition for a Literotica anthem (to be sung only by consenting adults behind closed doors)?

 

[lewdandlicentious]

Re: SHAME!

Once AGAIN, Wales has been omitted.

That's as maybe, but assuming, for saying that, that you're a Welsh nationalist, you would only have looked for the Welsh flag.

You didn't, in your haste, notice that the English and Scottish flags were absent there also.

Luv & stuff,

An ENGLISHMAN!

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: SHAME!

That's as maybe, but assuming, for saying that, that you're a Welsh nationalist, you would only have looked for the Welsh flag.

You didn't, in your haste, notice that the English and Scottish flags were absent there also.

Luv & stuff,

An ENGLISHMAN!

Good point!

Awww, here ya go, I'm making up for it.

Luv & stuff (LOL!)

An ENGLISHWOMAN!

 

[Liar]

But, aren't those just, like, provinces?

*braces myself for the ass-whooping*

#L

 

[lewdandlicentious]

Doc,

The British flag is total pants, because it's a conglomeration of other flags (though yes, the Welsh got left out on that one, as well!). Also, it usually appears upside down, although you have to be a major anorak to realise it, and a sad little pedant to mention it in public.

As we're on St George's Day, I'd just like to add that, since no-one else in Britain sings our anthem, it should be ditched, and the English should adopt "Land of Hope and Glory". It was used in the last Commonwealth Games and went down a storm.

I have to disagree on your view of the Union flag.

My history is loads rusty, but I do seem to remember that the Union flag was constructed from the amalgamation of the English, Scottish and Welsh flags of the time.

Which would make your statement incorrect.

By all means correct me if I'm wrong. I'm sure someone will look it up.

I do agree however that the "old" National anthem is boring.

I've not sung it for years, even when I was a serving soldier. But that's because of the reference to god, and me being a non-believer!

"Land of Hope and Glory" would be a huge improvement!

Luv and stuff,

An ENGLISHMAN!