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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Anyone know how many national flags have the southern cross on them? so, why did NZ opt to use only four stars where the others all use five?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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which lists several more!
Flags that fly the Southern Cross
Depicted either as four or five stars, the Southern Cross features on the national flags of New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. It also appears on the Australian flags of Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory, and on the flag of Chile’s Magallanes region. The flag of the Southern Common Market, the South American trading bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, also depicts the constellation.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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so, why did NZ opt to use only four stars where the others all use five? Somewhere, the flag designer needed glasses ?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
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"Under the Southern Cross" is the motto of the US Army 23rd Infantry Division, nicknamed Americal, for "Americans in New Caledonia" where it was first commissioned in 1942. See their emblem/crest here , along with more information about its history than you want to know, or to be reminded of. By a curious quirk, the Division's museum is located about two miles down the road from my home.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Good site, interesting, I am going to spend some time there,
thanks.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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old hand
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old hand
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so, why did NZ opt to use only four stars where the others all use five? It was an option for consideration at the time but it was decided that the four stars could also be interpreted as compass points. 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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and our Australian flag was born in 1901, when Federation occurred. The Flag denotes our global position by the use of the Southern Cross. The brightest star in the Southern Hemisphere. The Federation Star (sometimes referred to as the Commonwealth Star) directly under the Union Jack has seven points representing the States and Territories of Australia.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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so, why did NZ opt to use only four stars where the others all use five? It was an option for consideration at the time but it was decided that the four stars could also be interpreted as compass points. And in the days when ships used the stars for guidance, that is a really interesting point for a flag. Thanks. I really like the way the red stands out.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
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and our Australian flag was born in 1901, when Federation occurred. The Flag denotes our global position by the use of the Southern Cross. The brightest star in the Southern Hemisphere. The Federation Star (sometimes referred to as the Commonwealth Star) directly under the Union Jack has seven points representing the States and Territories of Australia. But not the Federal Capital Territory???
----please, draw me a sheep----
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old hand
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old hand
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And in the days when ships used the stars for guidance
In the Cook Islands where I am from Celestial navigation is alive and well.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Celestial navigation. olly that is poetry!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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As, I am sure are the stars in the night sky.
If only......wish.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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old hand
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old hand
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My to do list now includes "to see the southern cross in the night sky". I wonder why so many flags contain stars? (In the Indian flag also the wheel in the middle is from a sun temple in Konark.) Maybe we all know deep down that's where we come from. I remember some one saying on TV (carl sagan?) "We are all made up of the material of stars".
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Stars were very important on 'coats of arms' distinguishing
one knight from another, on his shield, from the earliest
days. Probably a hang-on from then.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Looking through APOD, I came across this interesting story.... 'A new constellation has taken hold of the sky, much to the surprise of many sky gazers. The constellation of Ollie the Owl has suddenly started dominating the southern hemisphere' 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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APOD usually does something "strange" on 1 April, also on
the anniversary of their launching their site.
How well I remember that one.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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olly, it looks just like you, Hon!
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old hand
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old hand
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Yep, those are my claws alright.
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old hand
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old hand
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I remember some one saying on TV (carl sagan?) "We are all made up of the material of stars". Carl Sagan is my hero. My sister was his secretary for a number of years, until her death in 1992. I never got to meet Carl.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I don't know of Carl Sagan, but I believe what he said is true.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I remember some one saying on TV (carl sagan?) "We are all made up of the material of stars". Carl Sagan is my hero. My sister was his secretary for a number of years, until her death in 1992. I never got to meet Carl. I'll bet she learned a bundle of things, just by association.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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My sister was his secretary !!!!!!!!! 
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old hand
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old hand
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I don't know of Carl Sagan, but I believe what he said is true. He was an American astronomer/planetologist (and philosopher) who made great and successful effort to make science popular and even romantic through books and television. He died in (I think) 1996. His primary motivation was a sense of wonder.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Thanks Peter...I did google him after I posted that.
You should have made the effort to meet him, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I was lucky to attend a lecture once. Remarkable.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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he was a brilliant, kind man, who is sorely missed. we need him more than ever.
formerly known as etaoin...
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old hand
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old hand
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Thanks Peter...I did google him after I posted that.
You should have made the effort to meet him, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded. On those rare occasions when I got to the eastern part of the country to visit my sister, Carl always seemed to be off gallivanting somewhere. When you're in Alaska it limits the number of people your can drop in on. From what I've heard of him, he would have been as honored as I would have been.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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he was a brilliant, kind man, who is sorely missed. we need him more than ever. Unfortunately, as with so many, we miss and lament them more after they are gone, than appreciate them when they are with us.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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he was a brilliant, kind man, who is sorely missed. we need him more than ever. Unfortunately, as with so many, we miss and lament them more after they are gone, than appreciate them when they are with us. while I agree, I totally appreciated Mr. Sagan while he was living.
formerly known as etaoin...
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