Welcome to Day Four of the U.S. States and Territories Flag Tournament!!!
The Rules: Anyone can play. For each of the pairs of flags pitted against each other, simply indicate your favorite. Explication, derision, and/or analysis will not affect the scoring, but is nevertheless encouraged. Each winner will of course advance to the second round.
In the first round only, you may select one of your six preferred flags as especially favored; for that flag only, your vote counts double.
West Regional Voting Deadline: 11:59 p.m., Monday, March 7.
North Regional Voting Deadline: 11:59 p.m., Sunday, March 6.
South Regional Voting Deadline: 11:59 p.m., Saturday, March 5.
East Regional Voting Deadline: 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) TONIGHT, Friday, March 4.
Nevada vs. Northern Marianas
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| Nevada |
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| Northern Marianas |
Washington vs. Idaho
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| Washington |
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| Idaho |
Hawaii vs. Utah
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| Hawaii |
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| Utah |
Arizona vs. American Samoa
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| Arizona |
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| American Samoa |
Colorado vs. Guam
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| Colorado |
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| Guam |
California vs. Oregon
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| California |
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| Oregon Front (sigh) |
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| Oregon Back |
Make your votes in the comments, of course.
19 comments:
1. No doubt about it--the stupid cravat on the Marianas wreath is deadly. NEVADA
2. IDAHO. Despite being a bit busy, there is some appeal in the enlivening colors. Washington's colors are awful.
3. HAWAII by a mile. Plus I'm sentimental about it.
4. Although I like a jet-propelled Eagle as much as the next person, ARIZONA's flag is more graphic. But what's up with the color of that star? Neither of these will last long.
5. GUAM. Colorado's corporate- logo-look is boring.
6. Despite the fact that the beaver's tail has gone kind of platypus on us, I like OREGON's flag more than California's Ode to the Bear. If, that is, you promise to remove that tacky fringe.
Oh, and my extra vote to HAWAII, please.
1. NV
2. WA
3. HI
4. AZ
5. CO
6. CA
Most-favorite flag goes to AZ -- the star signifies copper, one of the state's resources.
1. N. Marianas
2. Washington
3. Hawaii -- at least is looks like a flag
4. Arizona -- originalish; double points
5. Colorado
6. California; the Bear Republic image is venerable; and what's with the unreadable crests anyway!
Nevada - I like the design, but they should ditch the state name and come up with a better slogan. The Northern Marianas flag is just hard to figure out.
Washington - As an Idaho native it pains me to say it, but Idaho has a boring flag. Washington isn't much better, but at least you look at it and say "Hey - that's Washington". And somehow they ignored the blue-background memo, which makes it stand out (or blend in, I guess, depending on what's behind it.)
Hawaii - Hawaii wins for looking like a flag is supposed to look, though having a Union Jack on an American state flag is strange.I'm sort-of surprised they just kept the colonial flag rather than coming up with something new.
Arizona - Poor American Samoa - they'd win in most matchups, but Arizona's hard to beat - original, good colors, recognizable, simple - everything a flag should be.
Guam - Colorado is so close to being a good flag - but something about t just doesn't work for me. Guam, on the other hand has a charming flag, though once again, I would remove the name. (My bonus point goes to Guam, too, because I'm in a New England winter and that little stretch of beach looks so appealing.)
California - After looking at all the other state seal flags, I like the Oregon one quite a bit, actually - the decision to just use one color was a good one, and I like the beaver on the back. That said, California has a much more distinctive and evocative flag.
Northern Marianas - love the spooky departing hooded figure
Idaho - nice curlicues!
Hawaii - a flag flag!
Arizona, although I'd pick Northern Samoa over all the other flags in this division
Guam. Wow do I dislike the flag of the great state of Colorado
Two votes to Oregon!
N. Marinaras. I prefer the central element and the big star is a nice touch.
Washington. This is a close match, but Washington wins for the colors.
Hawaii. The striped pattern is nice. That part of the flag was derived from the original Hawaiian flag, before America annexed it.
Am. Samoa. Jet powered eagle is cool, I like the triangle. Am. Samoa's flag probably won't win, but I'm going to use my DOUBLE vote here, just to stop Arizona's horrible colors from advancing.
Colorado. This was a close call on my bracket, but it becomes a clear win for Colorado here now that I can see Guam's red outlines clearer. Ugh.
California. Recognizable, and even though the back of Oregon's flag would beat California, the front is less excellent, and it averages out to slightly worse that California's.
Nevada - despite the ridiculous slogan
Idaho - the worst part of living in Washington was looking at his head on everything. Let the guy rest in peace!
Utah - love the beehive! Though they could have just ditched all that other stuff and kept the hive.
Arizona - Excellent flag. Should probably take the whole bracket.
Guam - tough decision with two good flags here.
California - I don't like the idea of a two sided flag and the front seal is way busy. If Oregon would just leave it to the beaver they'd get my vote.
1) Northern Marianas
2) Washington
3) Hawaii
4) Arizona
5) Colorado
6) California
Extra Vote: Colorado.
1. I vote for the lei-encircled marital aid. I haven't even looked at the other flags yet but this one gets a big starry extra vote. Sex beats violence any day.
2. Washington, for interesting redundancy.
3. Oh, Hawaii, I think. Are they British?
4. American Samoa is definitely in contention for the kickass eagle competition, but I'll go with Arizona here.
5. Hmmmm ... Colorado, I think.
6. ORYGUN
Nevada. Humbled to learn that I have never heard of "Northern Marianas".
Washington.
Hawaii.
Arizona (even though I always think it's Hawaii before I remember)
Guam.
Definitely California. Sorry, Oregon.
1 Nevada... it's pretty without being too terribly fussy.
2. Oh this was a close one, but Idaho loses for having a shield within a seal and too many words. If you have to say your state name twice... it's not a good flag! Washington!
3. Utah wins. Throw off the shackles of oppression Hawaii!
4. Arizona... and that gets my double vote. It evokes Wonder Woman and that's a win in my book.
5. Somehow Colorado's flag looks like a 3rd world country flag. I have no idea what I mean by that. Guam has a beach. =) Guam!
6. Oh tough call. The thing I don't like about the Oregon flag is that you always see the outline of the patch on one side or the other. But I have mixed feelings about the California flag too... a bear? I lived in CA for six years and never saw a bear. Also, they're hanging on a little too tightly to the 'we could be a country if we wanted to' thing. I'm calling this one a draw.
Northern Marianas
You do know how to pair them up. Northern Marianas scored the points for being a US possession I'd never heard of, and for having a big visible star in the middle, even if it is on a grey necktie wreathed in bananas and purple-spotted parsnips. Nevada has a beautiful blue colour and would have taken it if they'd manage to avoid writing their name and motto on the flag. Here's an idea, guys, make a distinctive flag that people can recognize without having to read it.
Idaho
Do states copy one another? Right next door and they both have the round seal in the middle of blue-green field. Given that requirement, it's a choice between a quasiphotorealistic portrait of a guy who died before photography, and the classic tiny, busy seal full of symbolism. Oh my, it's a seal within a seal, with a decapitated deer, Justice with a toque on a stick, inspecific head-equpped mammals, wheat, bushes, mining (or possibly ditch digging), a latin motto and two cornicopias. They're right: it is a great seal. This flag would be the best thing to have in a school or a courtroom if you were bored. You could spend hours just looking at it and trying to figure it out.
Hawai'i
No contest. I must admit to having the same but opposite reaction to the Union Jack as some people do to the stars and bars, as it's the flag of my country's Queen, but I'm giving it the win for the same reason I gave Mississippi the win in that contest. Red white and blue stripes with a snappy red white and blue <word that means square emblem thing on a flag&rt; in the <word that means top left corner of a flag&rt; looks great while an eagle attacking a beehive with a tangled quiver of arrows, a couple of flags, unspecified white blobs, two dates and the name of the state. Yo Utah, I know you like flags, but did you put flags on your flag so you can flag while you flag?
Arizona
Hey! Arizona has a nice flag. If I didn't know I would guess it was flown by a short-lived communist regime in Asia in the 1950s-1960s, but it has appropriate symbolic colours and fine composition. It's just as well, as Arizona is the state that is forging its own foreign policy, so it needs a flag that could belong to a real nation. American Samoa has a bold composition too, and its armed eagle would have beaten Utah, plus hey, does that eagle have thumbs?
Colorado
Colorado actually looks like a hockey jersey on a stick, but it beats out Guam, which looks like the view through a keyhole in a beachside prison.
Oregon
What a horrible choice. I'm came close to sending them both back to the locker room and disqualify them both. California! Putting a fierce animal on your flag is good, and while depicting it in full colour with realistic fur texture and three dimensional shading is a non-tradititional choice, I'm not diapproving of that. But California, there is such a thing as too much realism, specifically, don't include bear poop on your flag, okay? Oregon! If you're going to feature a bizarre pastiche of state symbols, have the courtesy to do so in at least fourteen colours so they're easier to see. And who the hell has a back of a flag? Fortunately for you, the beaver is my favourite animal, so it just won you the match.
P.S. Hawai'i for the double points. I do love me my Queen.
1. Northern Marianas over Nevada. NM's flag is distinctive, even if the imagery is confounding.
2. Washington over Idaho. Washington's dimensions and colors are better.
3. Hawaii over Utah. What's with the partially obscured date on Utah's flag?
4. Arizona over American Samoa. Arizona's flag seems very 1980s, but it's distinctive!
5. Guam over Colorado. Colorado's logo seems very corporate to me.
6. California over Oregon. Sorry, home state, but your flag is probably one of the worst in the union.
Aviatrix... you almost made me spit tea on my computer with your Guam comment.
Northern Marianas
Washington
Hawaii
Arizona
Colorado
California. Because it has a bear on both sides, no?
so much fun I can't stop
Northern Marianas
Idaho
Hawaii - aloha spirit for all!
Arizona
Guam - sorry Sue; yours needs more palm trees
California - one more for the bears
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