Flag logo

[John Bridge]

Hey, nobody's said anything about my new flag display at the top of the page. Am I the only one who can see it? Anybody got any bitches? Position? Size? :)

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[Harry]

Actually John ... I took notice today. Very impressive and gives your visitors a bit of insight to the traffic you get here.

[John Bridge]

Thank you for noticing, Harry. :) That's exactly it. Eventually, I intend to make the American flag the same size as the rest, keeping it on the left, of course. Then I can add a couple others, maybe. One comes to mind . . . we occasionally get a post from the Irish Republic.

It has also occurred to me that the Canadian flag is the only one there that does not incorporate the color blue. Seems to me when I was a kid your flag had a Union Jack on it. Not sure about that, though.

An interesting feature of the current arrangement is that if you stare at the four flags on the right and imagine them sky blue, you can see the Cross of St. George, which is the actual flag of England.

[Bri]

Hi
I noticed it a couple of days ago...but felt like a dummy because I didn't know where the bottom two flags were from...is it Australia and ??. Other than that I thought it was great. Is there a world flag I wonder?

Brian

[flatfloor]

I noticed also, but had to verify (in my mind) who's flag was who- Australia and New Zealand. Anybody care to enlighten me as to the symbols on the flags?

[John Bridge]

Yeah, Australia and N.Z. Both incorporate the constellation "Southern Cross." [Rob is going to come on here and tell me the Southern Cross ain't a constellation, probably.]

New Zealand threw in a couple extra stars, I would imagine simply to distinguish itself from Australia. :) No, I know that's not true.

I'll tell you, though. I was on R&R in VN down on the South China Sea. Everybody had civvies down there. I walked into a bar in the early afternoon -- not too many people there.

Four guys down the bar speaking funny English. Right away I figure them for Aussies, and I told them so. Thought I was gonna have to fight. Guy says to me, "We ain't Aussies, we're Kiwis."

Apologized for being so thoughtless and couldn't buy a round the rest of the evening. "Your money's no good, yank."

For an American it's hard to tell them apart, but don't get in the middle of one of their "football" matches.

Oh, one other thing. Australia and New Zealand seem to have a very high proportion of "big guys."

[cx]

Actually, I noticed when you pewt the American flag up. Then I thought there were us and the Canadians and the Brits, but I didn't notice until just now that there are four others. I like it, and meant to tell you so, John.

Have stories about Aussies and Canadians we sometimes trained with back in my USCG days. Didn't know any Kiwis back then. Maybe they had different kind of airplanes or something. I do know they wouldn't let me emigrate to their islands in 1973.

For crazies, I gotta vote Austrailia, though. It was years before I realized they did something besides drink and fight down there. Can't recall what else it was though. Never a finer bunch to have around when push comes to shove, be it in SAR, labor disputes, or likely anything else I figure, including war.

[Rob Z]

John

I'm gonna stay away from all the astronomy things from now on.

CX

A former Army buddy was telling me about a training mission he and his unit went on a few years ago-many countries there, mostly NATO types.

He said after the training was over everyone would go out for (surprise) beer and other intoxicating liquors. He said the biggest drinkers, hands down, were the Aussies. Everybody was passed out and barfing, and the Aussies were going for extra rounds.

The next morning at PT...guess who led the group? The Aussies.

Drinking actually makes them stronger Down Under, I guess.

Z

[John Bridge]

C'mon, you blokes. Can't you hear us talking about you?

[JC]

John there is a cool flag in this forum, steal it, it is a small .gif and waves around. It's in there somewhere I got to get moving right now lots to do.

[John Bridge]

Okay, where in this forum, J.C.? This forum is gettin' to be kind of a big haystack you know.

[JC]

oops I forgot the the link, not this forum but in this forum:

http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/84302

[Rob Z]

JC

How do you find this stuff??

Rob

[JC]

Years of sitting on my lazy butt surfing is how.

wannanother one:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/fbi_violations.htm

[JC]

itsa bout time:


http://www.iviews.com/scripts/news/stories/default.cfm?id=653902

http://www.iviews.com/scripts/EmazeForums/program/confHomePage.cfm?confid=1


http://www.soundofegypt.com/cgi-bin/Ultimatebb.cgi?action=intro


heres a good one:

http://www.bigeye.com/042901.htm

[JC]

ok last one:

http://www.mideastfacts.com/

I personally think we should be declaring a war on over-zealous,manipulative and covert 'foriegn policy' instead of terrorism...


Terrorism: since half of those governments over there are bought and paid for by the U.S. it leaves the citizens no choice but to form groups that act as a form of vigilantism(sp?).

Draft goes up to age 34, so I got 6 months left.

Don't think I will be much help trudging my whizzing,bald-kneed, folically impaired, out-of-breath,"buy I could go for a cold one right about now" lazy ass around in 15,000ft tall mountains, But hey if I am needed I'm going to at least do whatever I can do(hopefully a deskjob).

[flatfloor]

Desk jobs are taken!

[John Bridge]

Yeah, I was a desk jockey in the army, and if they need one now, I'm available. Of course, the rest of you will have to kick in and support Patti in the manner in which I've spoiled her.

[Sonnie Layne]

No insult intended, JP, but I think we'll all be shipped out before they call on you. Your boys'll do a fine job, tho'. I'd love to be on the Kitty Hawk right about now.

Give me a flag to fly
high
on the mast.
Laughing in a gentle breeze.

Then give me her bow
drinking salt.
Better strap down mates,
it's heavy seas!

[Sonnie Layne]

Sorry, I didn't comment on the flag logo. I noticed it right off, and am proud for you, John.

As I remember, the NZ flag is actually more astronomically correct as far as what's seen by the eye. I waited for years to see the southern cross, and finally got the chance one dark night atop the Bunya mountains. She arose between two pines (uhh, that would be towering Norfolk Island Pines, actually Auracarias). Somewhere I have a photo, but what's etched in my brain is more vivid.

Now, undoubtedly I'm wrong and there's probably more of a significance than just astronomy. I wouldn't argue with them over it!

Sonnie (the easily amazed) Layne

[John Bridge]

Got a couple of those Norfolk Island Pines groing in pots here. Beginning to wonder what I'm going to do with then. If I put them in the ground they'll catch a frost and die, but they're getting too big to move around easily.

[JC]

Frost do you guys have frost..hehe

How deep is the frost line down there John...1/2 inch?

Ours is 30 inches in Pittsburg.....sucks pouring concrete. One time a zoning guy told me that all state roads(this was a brick one lane side street that was classified as a state road from 1920? or something) had to be dug 36 inches deep for the curb...Yea right...think I cheated a little?

[John Bridge]

Our frost (and only on rare occasions) comes in the night and is gone by 10:AM. What's a frost line?

[JC]

Serious?

Ok I'll bite, a frost line is how deep the frost goes in the ground. So when you pour a footer or post support or likewise if you do not go below the frostline it will get jacked up from freezing...alias it is a code.
You knew that though did'nt ya

[flatfloor]

Frost lines make for tough digging.

[cx]

JC, I guess I didn't re-cognize that you was a Yankee in Pittsburg. Me, I myownself grew up just 60 or so miles E. of you, near Johnstown. Actually, my property was in Somerset County.

As a lad I had at least one occasion to verify that the frost line was AT LEAST 30 inches deep. Dug with my little pick to about 36 inches through the frozen ground to find the equally frozen water pipe that served out crude and humble abode. Temp hit -30 at least one night that winter. Coldest I've ever seen, even unto this very day. Weird stuff happens at those temps, no?

Anyway, down here is a real bitch like John says. My concrete foundation exterior beams are required to extend a minimum of SIX INCHES into undisturbed soil - or to bedrock, of course, whichever is first. And ABSOLUTELY NO variances are granted! Can you imagine? :D

[JC]

Heck you guys don't even need a shovel..maybe a spoon.

Not sure if Somerset would have a differant frost line but it is colder there than where I live(mountians) so quite possibly.
Actually I live on the outskirts of Pittsburg in New Brighton(next to Beaver Falls). Hop on the turnpike takes about an hour to get to Somerset(exit 10?)

[John Bridge]

JC,

Yeah, I was kidding. But frost lines, like many other things, are an elusive commodity. Some winters your frost line might be a little further down. Mean frost line is what you're talking about, and listening to CX's account, I'd probably go down, if not to China, at least to Trenton.

I've used this one before, but the best place to dig footings for a house is in Southern Arizona. Scrape the brush away and dump your mud. That desert just doesn't ever move.