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The Friday Quiz: Red, the Blood of Angry Men!

Home from the hospital for the night, and off to bed in a minute. But, since next week the wombat will be on a brief but well-earned vacation, it was decided that even at the close of this tumultuous week, some kind of quizlet was in order. Please accept this scrap of a fragment of a mind-muddler, and though most of you will divine the answer in an instant, know that we at least made a gesture toward providing the usual Friday distraction.

This flag of this nation resembles, in some important points, the flag of the United States of America. It has fourteen horizontal red and white stripes -- to reflect the fourteen states that at one time made up the country. It has a blue upper-left-hand corner field, which contains two emblems. One of these two emblems is common to many different kinds of flags, but one -- while not unusual -- is unique among flags that sport the red, white, and blue color scheme.

What is the country, and what is the emblem? For a bonus point – what part of the country split off in 1965, making the fourteen stripes something of an anachronistic symbol?

First correct answer posted to comments wins three goddamn acorns that I've been carrying around in my bag since Helena started picking them up off the street and forcing me to hoard them like some kind of enormous, balding squirrel. Who knows what kinds of invisible filth coats each and every one? No Googling or calling up the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song and hoping that the current song just happens to contain the answer to this particular question. One guess (at each part) per comment, though you may waste your day away commenting and commenting. Nothing would please me more.

Posted by BT on August 17, 2006 11:59 PM |

Comments

Country is Malaysia, emblem is the crescent moon, and the breakaway was Singapore.

Posted by: Rory [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 03:29 AM

And have a well-earned rest on your vacation!

Posted by: Rory [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 03:30 AM

Rory wins the disgusting bits of oak in a pre-dawn (from the U.S. perspective) rout. I should have figured that a student of the political history of the southern pacific might just have that answer ready to hand.

Just so the fun isn't all used up in advance -- name the anti-heroic comics character created by Bill Everett in 1939 for Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, a planned giveaway comic that never took off the ground. However, he soon found a home in his own named comic, which ran from 1941-1949. His original modus operandi was as a Nazi-battler with a misanthropic bent. He was brought back to comics life, with varying sorts of alterations to his character, in the fifties, then again in the sixties and beyond.

Posted by: BT [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 09:54 AM

Plasticman?

Remember having the goofy ones back in the 70s and my dad grousing: "He used to be serious! And kind of mean!"

In my day, he was kinda-proto-The-Tick.

Posted by: hackly_fracture [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 11:28 AM

Nope. Here's a hint -- he can fly.

Posted by: BT [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 12:18 PM

I'm going to have to guess the Green Hornet in honor of Pierce Rice, former illustrator and friend of the Mrs.

Posted by: james [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 12:41 PM

and follow up with the Green Lantern.

Posted by: james [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 12:42 PM

Also, I seem to have started a lively geek discussion about post WWII comic book characters. I have a new answer but it is not my own, so I shall not enter it here.

Posted by: james [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 12:45 PM

Nope...

Posted by: BT [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 01:21 PM

Misanthropic, huh? Hm. Nick Fury?

Posted by: Scraps [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 01:32 PM

Nope -- even MORE misanthropic (at least in his later incarnations -- can't speak to the original) than Fury. And while in a sense he works for a government, in another sense he's a free agent.

Posted by: BT [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 01:44 PM

The Sub-Mariner? Did he get his start sinking U-Boats?

Posted by: Scraps [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 02:11 PM

Indeed he did! Alongside the original Human Torch, who was actually some kind of android or something. And, of course, good old Captain Republican.

Mini-congrats to Scraps, and thanks to all for playing!

Posted by: BT [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2006 03:19 PM

I shall plant those acorns high on the nearest hill and in fifty years cut down the resulting oaks and fashion them into a modest but endearing coffee table in memory of this week's quiz.

Posted by: Rory [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 24, 2006 04:34 AM

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