Flag of the Day

Today is Independence Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flag of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Vanuatu.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Taiwan Flag at World Masters Games has Chicoms seeing red

The flag of the Republic of China on Taiwan was marched into Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton along with 83 others on July 22, drawing a strong rebuke from the communist government of China. The organizers of the games have promised the reds not to allow the Taiwanese athletes to appear under their own flag again during the games. Eighty-two Taiwanese athletes arrived in Edmonton for the Games, compared to 13 competitors subject to the communist government of the mainland.

Flag of the Day

Today is St. Olav's Day in Norway.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

A Texan soldier's flag

A Texas flag that once flew over Texas National Guard Master Sgt. Michael Young's bunker in Vietnam now soars over the Task Force Raider Tactical Operations Command tent in Romania. The flag flies one last time before the fifth generation Texan retires from his 38-year military career in February.

Flag of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Peru.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

New Zealand Campaigners Abandon Petition to Change the Flag

A petition to change New Zealand's flag to better represent the country's national identity has been withdrawn after it failed to get enough signatures.

Flag of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Belarus.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Liberia and the Maldives; and Ratification Day in New York.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Revolution Day in Egypt.

Because I won't be able to post Sunday or Monday, here are those days' flags:



Sunday is Simon Bolivar's Birthday in Ecuador; and Pioneer Day in Utah.



Monday is Flag Day in Argentina; Battle of Isted Day in Denmark; Constitution Day in Fiji; St. James Day in Spain; and Republic Day in Tunisia.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

British schools should fly Union Flag

Liam Fox, the Conservative Party's shadow foreign secretary, believes that British schools should be required to fly the Union Flag. Fox said that flying the flag would remind pupils of their shared values and ensure that future generations did not become alienated from society.

The move would be a way of fostering "a sense of unity" in an increasingly diverse and multi-cultural society, said Dr Fox.

Ohio County, Kentucky will not ban flags

Wednesday I posted a story about a proposal to ban from the schools of Ohio County, Kentucky, clothing which displayed Confederate flags. Yesterday the school board voted against the ban.

Flags of the Day

Today is National Day in Belgium; and National Liberation Day in Poland.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

A 48-star mystery

The Courthouse in Grant County, Minnesota was built in 1905. On June 24, 2005, in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Courthouse, the time capsule placed in the corner stone was removed and opened.

What the people who opened the time capsule found has presented a mystery: a 48-star flag. In 1905 there were only 45 states in the United States, meaning that the U.S. flag would only have had 45 stars on it.

A new flag in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan has adopted a presidential flag:

The president's standard (flag) is a red banner decorated with gold ribbon and gold fringes. There is a gold circle in the center, and inside there is stylized depiction of the state emblem. The flagpole holds a silver brace with the president's full name and the dates of his term in office engraved on it in the official state language.

Flag of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Belgium.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Returning Japanese flags

As the World War II generation is passing, there is an increasing interest in returning Japanese flags to the families of the men who carried then into the war. These flags, sometimes referred to as prayer flags, "were reminders of home as well as patriotic symbols. When a Japanese man was drafted during World War II, neighbors and family would wish him luck and sign their names to the flag. He would carry the folded flag under his uniform for good luck."

H.K. Edgerton is on the road again

H.K. Edgerton is former head of the NAACP in Asheville, North Carolina. In recent years he has lead a campaign to protect the display of Confederate flags. A few weeks ago he was in Maryville, Tennessee, to protest a plan to oppose a plan to ban clothing with images of Confederate flags from the schools of that city. He is now in Ohio County, Kentucky, opposing another proposed flag ban.

Flags of the Day

Today is Presidents Day in Botswana; and Independence Day in Columbia.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Laos; Martyr's Day in Burma; Liberation Day in Nicaragua; and Flag Day in the Swedish region of Scania.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross; Scania Flag courtesy of Flags Of The World.

Another flag-related editorial cartoon

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Flag of the Day

Today is Constitution Day in Uruguay.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flag of the Day

Today is Flag Day and Constitution Day in Norway.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flag Maker Retires After 64 Years

Frances Major began working for Valley Forge Flag Company in 1941. Friday was her last day on the job. She is retiring after sixty-four years as "a modern day Betsy Ross."

Dual Flag law adopted in Macedonia

Yesterday the Macedonian parliament enacted a law that allows the Albanian flag to be hoisted on public buildings alongside the Macedonian flag in areas where Albanians make up more than half the population. This applies to 16 of the country's 84 municipalities.

Flag of the Day

Today is La Paz Day in Bolivia.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Bastille Day in France; 14th of July Revolution Day in Iraq; and Day of Association in Senegal.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is State Day in Montenegro; and General Forrest's Birthday in Tennessee.

Animated flag provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Kiribati and in São Tomé and Príncipe.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

The London Bombings

There have been a lot of flag related responses to the London bombings. An example is the following from the July 5th edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The British Union Flag is shown here upside-down, I suspect unintentionally.

I have also noticed a revival of the so-called Grand Union Flag, the original flag of the United States (1 January 1776 until 14 July 1777), as a sort of Anglo-American solidarity flag. The Grand Union Flag, whether coincidentally or by design, was nearly identical in design to the flag of the Honourable East India Company as it existed in the 18th century.

My personal favourite as an Anglo-American solidarity flag is the 19th century version of the East India Company flag, with the British Union Flag canton in its current configuration.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in the Bahamas; and Statehood Day in Wyoming.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in Argentina; and Constitution Day in Palau.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in the Solomon Islands; and Saba Saba Day in Tanzania.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.

India to allow wider flag use

A few years ago, citizens of India were not permitted to fly the flag of India. That changed, but the Indian Flag Code still did not allow wearing the flag, which caused some controversy when Indian athletes were told to remove the flag from their helmet or caps.

Yesterday, the Indian cabinet approved proposals to amend the Flag Code, withdrawing the ban on use of the Tricolour on "costumes and dress material" ? that is on clothes or accessories (such as caps, helmets) worn above the waist.

But it laid down that ? unlike many countries in the West, such as the US ? the national flag cannot be used either on undergarments or on clothing worn below the waist, such as shorts, jeans or swimming trunks.

Flags of the Day

Today is Independence Day in the Comoros and Malawi; Battle of Fredericia Day in Denmark; Statehood Day in Lithuania; and the Dalai Lama's birthday in Tibet.

Animated flags provided courtesy of Pascal Gross.