recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Faroe Islands

*"the flag so nice we included it twice"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy 1

*By Gregory Severin*

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago north of Scotland

Similar to Greenland, they are a self-governing entity in the Kingdom of Denmark and just sort of do their own thing

The Nobel laureate Niels Ryberg Finsen was Faroese, meaning that the sparsely populated Islands technically have the most Nobel laureates per capita

The Faroes are the most religious part of the Nordics

The Faroes earned notoriety in FlagVote after they were included twice in the tournament seeding, initially earning both the 37 and 95 seeds. Whether this was due to negligence or Cam's professed Nordic cross superiority complex, the world may never know

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

The Faroe Islands are a Danish archipelago located about 200 miles north of Scotland

Vikings arrived in the Faroes in the 9th century AD. There is some evidence of prior settlement, but not much is known about who had lived there

Though they are part of Denmark, they are mostly self-governing and they are allowed to conduct trade separately. They also have their own national soccer team which is really bad. In the most recent Euros qualification period, they went 1-9 and scored 4 goals while allowing 30. Their one win was a 1-0 victory over Malta

There are 18 major islands and 779 islands in total. The terrain is very rugged and rocky

The Faroese language has about 72,000 native speakers. Its most similar relative is Icelandic, and the two languages are very similar in written form even though they are not quite mutually intelligible

Though Denmark is part of the European Union, the Faroe Islands are explicitly not. The main reason is because the EU wants to set mackerel fishing quotas while the Faroese want to fish to their hearts’ content. There was a brief EU boycott of Faroese mackerel from summer 2013 to summer 2014 but it didn’t last

## Tournament

Faroe Islands were defeated by Sweden in Round 3 Matchup 24 of FlagVote after previously defeating Tuvalu and Kosovo. As the 37 seed, it was defeated by Fukuoka in Round 4 Matchup 10 of FlagVote 2. As the 137 seed, it was defeated by Tokyo in Round 3 Matchup 26 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating itself and Zealand.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Tuvalu 6-1

**Round 2:** Win over Kosovo 5-1

**Round 3:** Loss to Sweden 4-3

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (476) Libya (1977-2011) 6-1

**Round 2:** Win over (220) Senegal 4-0

**Round 3:** Win over (165) Hamilton 4-2

**Round 4:** Loss to (101) Fukuoka 4-1

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (137) 2 Faroe 2 Islands 6-5

**Round 2:** Win over (376) Zealand 9-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (120) Tokyo 6-5
Bulgaria

*"now I really want wine for some reason"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy 1

*By Gregory Severin*

bulgaria is a country in the eastern balkans

according to the extra credit lecture i just went to, it's arguably the oldest wine-producing country in the world

under comecon (not the nerd convention but stalin's economic alliance), it became known across eastern europe as having a highly industrialized, export-oriented wine sector

at one point in the 1980s, it was the 4th-biggest wine producer in the world

after the whole big thing where communism ended, the industry faced serious challenges in finding a footing in the global market, so lots of people don't know how legit bulgarian wine is

cam usually puts a sports fact here but this lecture was about wine so i'll just say that viktor krum, quidditch player and participant in the triwizard tournament, was from bulgaria

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Bulgaria is a country on the Black Sea in Southeast Europe

It may be the country in the Balkans I know the least about, and that includes Albania

The First Bulgarian Empire, which lasted for some 350 years before being conquered by the Byzantines, invented the Cyrillic writing system. You may know it as the Russian alphabet, but you best bet them's fightin words in Bulgaria

There was a second Bulgarian Empire too, but they got conquered by the Ottomans

Bulgaria was also the rare Axis country to have worked to prevent the deportation of Jews in their country

They really, really, really like yogurt in Bulgaria. Like, back in the day Bulgarian peasants were surprisingly long-lived for peasants, and an honest-to-god Nobel laureate doctor was like, "must be because they eat so much yogurt!" A popular Bulgarian soup is tarator, which is basically just tzatziki sauce

The women's world record in the high jump is held by Stefka Kostadinova, a Bulgarian. And yet the most famous Bulgarian athlete is probably the guy from Harry Potter

## Tournament

Bulgaria was defeated by Slovakia in Round 1 Matchup 61 of FlagVote. As the 190 seed, it was defeated by the African Union in Round 2 Matchup 67 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Friesland. As the 313 seed, it was defeated by Ayabaca in Round 2 Matchup 38 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Entre Rios.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (323) Friesland 4-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (67) African Union 4-3

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (712) Entre Rios 7-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (200) Ayabaca 5-4
Groichenstan Oblast

Groichenstan or Грӧйченшҫанн [Groeichenshthann] is an island oblast located in the northern part of Vontoir. It is named after the explorer Groichen, who first discovered the island in the early 10th century. The oblast is situated in the Arctic Ocean and has a shape similar to Greenland, but is much larger in size.

Groichenstan was purchased by Vontoir in the mid-13th century as a strategic location for trade and military operations in the North Greacesonaxe region. The island's natural resources, including oil, gas, and rare minerals, have made it a valuable asset to Vontoir's economy and military strength.

Today, Groichenstan serves as a major military port for Vontoir's naval forces, with several naval bases and airfields located on the island. It also serves as a hub for scientific research, particularly in the areas of climate change and arctic studies.

Despite its strategic importance, Groichenstan remains a relatively isolated and sparsely populated region. The oblast has a small indigenous population, who have traditionally relied on fishing and hunting for their livelihoods. However, in recent years, the growth of Vontoir's military presence on the island has led to concerns about the impact on the local environment and way of life.

Despite these concerns, Groichenstan remains an important part of Vontoir's strategic and economic interests, and will likely continue to play a key role in the country's future.

## Gallery

Mercator GroichenstanMercator Groichenstan and Gazern Comparison showing the distortion on the Mercator ProjectionEquiretangular GroichenstanGall PetersLegitimate Shape
Hamburg

## Eulogy 1

*By Gregory Severin*

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany

It is one of three German cities designated as "city-states"

Hamburg was an important port and member of the mercantile Hanseatic League, which dominated trade in Northwest Europe during the Middle Ages

The Beatles spent two years performing in Hamburg; it was there that they first adopted the infamous mop-top haircut

During the NHL lockout in 2012, Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn played 19 games for the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Hamburg is a city-state in northern Germany, which means that it is a city, and it is also one of Germany’s 16 states

It is the second largest city in Germany behind Berlin, and it is the largest non-capital city in the entire European Union. On the European continent, only Istanbul and St. Petersburg are larger non-capitals

It lies on the River Elbe and has long been an important port. It was a big trading city in the medieval Hanseatic League, which comes up often enough on *Jeopardy!* that I really should learn more about it

A 2019 quality of living survey ranked it as having the 19th highest quality of living in the world, tied with Ottawa and ahead of Perth and Montreal, which were also tied. This list ranks San Francisco as the most livable city in America, so clearly it is not to be trusted.

Hamburg made a bid for the 2024 Olympics, but they backed out due to it being extremely unpopular among the city’s residents. The games instead were given to Paris

Notable people from Hamburg include composer Felix Mendelssohn, composer Johannes Brahms, former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, former German chancellor Angela Merkel, and big band leader Bert Kaempfert, who hit number one in January 1961 with the song Wonderland By Night. The Barenaked Ladies namedropped him in their song One Week, saying “Bert Kaempfert’s got the mad hits.” Later in 1961, he signed some English insect band that was playing in Hamburg to a record deal.

## Tournament

As the 109 seed, Hamburg was defeated by Cuba in Round 3 Matchup 28 of FlagVote 2. As the 244 seed, it was defeated by Tokushima in Round 2 Matchup 82 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (404) Benin 7-0

**Round 2:** Win over (148) Ottawa 4-3

**Round 3:** Loss to (20) Cuba 5-0

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Loss to (269) Tokushima 7-4
India

*"India for the WINdia"*

*--Andrew Beaudoin*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

India is a really big country in South Asia. They named a subcontinent after it

It is the seventh-largest country in the world by size, and the second-largest by population

India was a British colony until 1947, when some dude named Gandhi starved himself until the Brits left

After the Brits left, British India turned into India and Pakistan. These two countries do not like each other very much

The Indian film industry, known as Bollywood, is the largest in the world. Bollywood films are known for being very long, very musical, and very much insane

The most popular sport in India is cricket. If you would like to learn more about the history of Cricket in India, watch the 2001 Bollywood film Lagaan. It is 224 minutes long, very musical, and very fun

## Tournament

India was defeated by Egypt in Round 2 Matchup 32 of FlagVote after previously defeating Western Sahara. As the 47 seed, it was defeated by Sierra Leone in Round 3 Matchup 59 of FlagVote 2.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Western Sahara 7-0

**Round 2:** Loss to Egypt 4-2

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (466) Central African Republic 7-0

**Round 2:** Win over (303) Suriname 4-3

**Round 3:** Loss to (175) Sierra Leone 4-3
Brunei

*"Down goes hands"*

*--Yuki Mori*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Brunei is a nation on the island of Borneo

Its full official name is Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace

Brunei declared its independence from the UK in 1981

The nation’s official language is Malay

Forbes ranks it as the world’s fifth richest nation, and it is one of two countries without any national public debt

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Brunei is the only country to be entirely located in Borneo

Technically it has been under martial law for over sixty years

Brunei was founded as a sultanate in the 1400s after converting to Islam and seceding from the Majapahit Empire

The British discovered oil in Brunei in the 1920s when it was a protectorate of theirs; much of its development since has been spurned by its oil reserves

Brunei is one of the few extant absolute monarchies in the world, having had only one Prime Minister - Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah - since its independence from the UK in 1983. After Queen Elizabeth's death, he has become the longest-reigning current monarch AND current head of state in the world

One of my professors was the US Ambassador to Brunei in the early 2010s

## Tournament

Brunei was defeated by Botswana in Round 1 Matchup 104 of FlagVote. As the 384 seed, it was defeated by Liechtenstein in Round 2 Matchup 2 of FlagVote 2 after previously upsetting Pakistan. As the 556 seed, it was defeated by Bolivar in Round 1 Matchup 200 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (129) Pakistan 4-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (128) Liechtenstein 5-2
Elblag

*"elblag is spanish for the blag"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Elblag is a city in northern Poland

The city’s history dates back to the year 1237, and it had a lot of castles built by the Teutonic Order

The city became part of Prussia in the 18th century, but it became part of Poland again after World War 2

The city is home to EB, the largest brewery in Poland, and Elblag Canal, one of the Seven Wonders of Poland

Elblag lost nearly 75% of its population in the second World War, but it has rebuilt to a population of over 100,000 people

## Tournament

As the 417 seed, Elblag was defeated by Kuwait in Round 1 Matchup 15 of FlagVote 3.
Hiroshima

*"the hiroshima flag is a faithful reenactment of the time three tildes got drunk and decided to hang out on top of each other instead of on top of an n"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Hiroshima is the tenth largest city in Japan

It was founded in 1589 but didn’t experience rapid growth until the late 19th century

The city was kinda sorta blown up in 1945

Following that whole big thing, it has been rebuilt into a major hub

The city’s Hiroshima Toyo Carp have won 3 Japan Series. Former Padres outfielder Jose Pirela is currently on the roster

Shingo Takatsu is the only major leaguer from Hiroshima. He saved 19 games for the 2004 White Sox as a 35-year-old rookie, but he returned to the NPB after a rough 2005

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Hiroshima is a city in the southwest of Japan's Honshu Island

It was a major imperial center following the Meiji Restoration, and in fact it was actually briefly the center of the Japanese government during the first Sino-Japanese War

Hiroshima was also a major hub of industrial activity during the 21st century wars that involved Japan. The Russo-Japanese War in particular played a major part in the city's development, and it also held some German POWs in WWI

All the industrial development came screeching to a halt after World War II, at which point the city got nuked and had to be rebuilt

Good news: it did get rebuilt! Today it is one of the largest cities in Japan, and global peace and non-proliferation conferences are held there regularly. It's also home to Mazda's headquarters and NPB's Hiroshima Toyo Carp, whose logo looks conspicuously like that of the Cincinnati Reds. Also their mascot looks conspicuously like the Phillie Phanatic

The Carp are named for the koi in the rapids near Hiroshima Castle, which symbolize the rebirth of the city following the aforementioned nuclear strike. Notable MLB players who got their start with the team include former Yankee Alfonso Soriano, former Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda and Kenta Maeda, and current Chicago Cub Seiya Suzuki

## Tournament

As the 173 seed, Hiroshima was defeated by Mexico in Round 2 Matchup 54 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating American Samoa. As the 195 seed, it was defeated by Split-Dalmatia County in Round 2 Matchup 198 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (340) American Samoa 4-2

**Round 2:** Loss to (84) Mexico 4-3

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Loss to (318) Split-Dalmatia County 6-4
Artsakh

*"armenia is mid, making artsakh mid with a few holes cut out of it"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

The Republic of Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, is a breakaway state in the Caucasus. The naming is confusing, but I think I have it down. The region is known as Nagorno-Karabakh, but the state is known as Artsakh, but also as Nagorno-Karabakh sometimes. It was formerly the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in USSR days. Artsakh is what the Armenians want it to be called and Karabakh is what the Azeri want it to be called. Nagorno means “mountainous.”

It is located within the borders of Azerbaijan, but it is predominantly populated by Armenians. Unlike Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria, the reason for the breakaway is not due to pro-Russian sentiment, but rather tension between the two nations

Due to tensions, Artsakh is pretty difficult to enter or leave. To go there, you must go directly from Armenia through the heavily armed Lachin Corridor. If you go to Artsakh, you will not be allowed to subsequently go to Azerbaijan. Please do not go to Artsakh.

Substantial Artsakh territory was lost to Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The region previously had a long land border with Armenia

The white pattern on the side of the flag is reminiscent of a traditional Armenian carpet

Artsakh’s national soccer team competes alongside other unrecognized nations in a FIFA replacement known as CONIFA. They hosted the 2019 CONIFA Euros and finished 5th. They once beat Darfur 12-0

There’s a street in Watertown Mass named Artsakh Street

## Tournament

As the 481 seed, Artsakh was defeated by Panama in Round 1 Matchup 16 of FlagVote 2. As the 570 seed, it was defeated by Caracas in Round 1 Matchup 166 of FlagVote 3.
Bonaire

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Bonaire is a Dutch island just north of Venezuela

Along with Aruba and Curacao it forms the ‘ABC Islands’ of the former Netherlands Antilles

It is a popular destination for snorkeling and scuba diving

The star on the flag represents the original six villages of Bonaire, while the compass represents its residents coming from all over the globe

Unlike Aruba and Curacao, Bonaire has not been a hotbed of baseball talent

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Bonaire is an island north of Venezuela and next to Aruba and Curacao

Its reefs make it a popular snorkeling and scuba diving location

The Dutch sent slaves there and forced them to mine salt. The cartoonishly evil tiny slave huts still stand on the island

Washington Slagbaai National Park, in the northwest corner of the island, is home to the island’s highest point as well as some endangered parrots

Windsurfing is very popular in Bonaire. 5 of the 10 top ranked windsurfers in the world are from Bonaire. Unlike its neighbors, Bonaire is not a hotbed for baseball

## Tournament

Bonaire was defeated by Wales in Round 3 Matchup 10 of FlagVote after previously defeating China and Malaysia. As the 248 seed it was defeated by Albania in Round 2 Matchup 17 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Wallonia. As the 190 seed, it was defeated by the United Kingdom in Round 3 Matchup 100 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Lithuania.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over China 7-0

**Round 2:** Win over Malaysia 6-1

**Round 3:** Loss to Wales 5-2

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (265) Wallonia 5-2

**Round 2:** Loss to (9) Albania 5-1

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (323) Lithuania 6-4

**Round 3:** Loss to (67) United Kingdom 8-2
Birmingham

*"why go to burning man if you could instead go to birmingham"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Birmingham is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom

Actually, it's technically the largest city in the UK since Greater London isn't officially a part of the City of London, which is a 1.12 square kilometer neighborhood housing only 8500 people

But you're not here for London facts, you're here for Birmingham facts. And here they are: Birmingham was considered the first manufacturing town in the world due to its substantial advances and development in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution

The city has more parks than any other European city, including the largest urban park in Europe

The heavy urban development Birmingham saw after being Blitzed in WWII led to a heavy multicultural influx into the city. Today it has the largest Sikh, Muslim, and Buddhist communities in the UK, as well as the second largest Hindu community

The Brummie (that's what you call people from Brum, as it is known to them) music scene is huge. Musicians from Birmingham include Ozzy Osbourne, the other fouding members of Black Sabbath, and Duran Duran. Other people from Birmingham include Richard "Top Gear" Hammond, Felicity "Star Wars" Jones, James and Oliver "Fred and George Weasley" Phelps, and Neville "Appeasement" Chamberlain

## Tournament

As the 434 seed, Birmingham was defeated by Germany in Round 2 Matchup 151 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Vatican City.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (591) Vatican City 6-5

**Round 2:** Loss to (79) Germany 8-1
Bahrain

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Bahrain is a small country located in the Persian Gulf

The ancient Dilmun civilization in the region was famed for its pearls

It has a very high human development index, and unlike other Arabian countries does not have its economy primarily centered around oil

Bahrain’s national soccer team very nearly qualified for the 2006 World Cup, but they lost 1-0 against Trinidad and Tobago to disqualify them in their final match

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Bahrain is an island country in the Persian Gulf

It is an archipelago consisting of 50 natural islands and 33 manmade ones

In antiquity, the upper classes of Bahrain spoke Greek and worshipped Zeus. A few Greek historians believed it to be the original homeland of the Phoenicians

Though Bahrain is more tolerant than many of its neighbors, it has still drawn criticism for discrimination against women and Shi'a Muslims, among other groups, and political repression has increased in the wake of Arab Spring

Thanks to heavy investment in its banking and tourism sectors, Bahrain developed the first post-oil economy in the Persian Gulf

Bahrain has won two Olympic gold medals, and four overall. All of their medals have been won by East African distance runners who became naturalized citizens; some of whom have drawn controversy in their native countries thanks to accusations of Bahrain offering financial incentives to compete under their flag

## Tournament

Bahrain was defeated by Guyana in Round 1 Matchup 36 of FlagVote. As the 354 seed, it was defeated by the European Union in Round 1 Matchup 243 of FlagVote 2. As the 618 seed, it was defeated by Zeeland in Round 1 Matchup 188 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Loss to (159) European Union 6-0
French Southern Territories

*"please andrew the children of french southern and atlantic lands are quaking in anticipation that their flag may be better than st vincent. only you have the power to shatter their dreams for good"*

--Gregory Severin

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

The **French Southern Territories** comprise of four sets of islands in the Indian Ocean as well as the French claim of Antarctica.

There are no permanent residents in the territories, although up to 300 scientists are stationed there at a time.

The Patagonian toothfish, found in the area, is under danger of overfishing.

   On July 5th of this year (2019), ostensibly as a celebration of my 21st birthday, the territories were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

## Eulogy 2

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands, also known as the French Southern Territories, are a group of French islands in the Indian and Southern Ocean, as well as France's claim on Antarctica

The whole political mess relating to claims over Antarctic territory has led to some dubbing the territories "French Southern Territories", as this name de-emphasizes the sliver of Antarctica France claims is theirs

One of its islands, Île Saint-Paul, is antipodal to Colorado's Cheyenne County, making Cheyenne County one of the few places in the US to have an antipode that isn't the ocean

The little TAAF logo thing on the flag stands for the territories' French name: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises

Nobody lives on these islands, and because of that the French Southern Territories are collectively considered one of the last remaining large wilderness areas on Earth

The largest population of king penguins can be found on the Crozet Islands, islands which fall under French Southern and Antarctic Lands administration

## Tournament

Competing as **French Southern and Antarctic Lands**, French Southern Territories was eliminated from FlagVote by Saint Vincent in Round 1, Matchup 3. As the 484 seed, French Southern Territories was eliminated from FlagVote 2 by Yaroslavl in Round 1, Matchup 113. As the 689 seed, it was defeated by Isle of Wight in Round 1 Matchup 24 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Loss to St. Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (336) Isle of Wight 7-2
Guinea

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Guinea is a country in West Africa

It is a majority Muslim country, and the primary language is French

It takes its name from the larger traditional region of Guinea, which includes most of west Africa

The economy is largely dependent on aluminium

The 2014 Ebola panic was largely centered around Guinea

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Guinea is a country in West Africa

It is sometimes called Guinea-Conakry (which is its capital) to distinguish it from the other West African Guineas, namely Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea

Guinea became independent in 1958 after spending some sixty years as a French colony. It was called French Guinea at this time, and a lot of people probably had a hard time telling it apart from French Guiana

In September 2021, ostensibly in celebration of my twenty-third birthday, the Guinean military orchestrated a coup d'etat to oust a leader who had recently been reelected to a third term under dubious conditions

The Ebola epidemic of 2014 is believed to have started in Guinea. It was likely transmitted to people by bats, which definitely didn't presage any other virus outbreak. No sir

## Tournament

Guinea was defeated by Kyrgyzstan in Round 2 Matchup 8 of FlagVote after previously defeating Equatorial Guinea. As the 319 seed, it was defeated by Eritrea in Round 1 Matchup 250 of FlagVote 2. As the 262 seed it was defeated by the Philippines in Round 2 Matchup 226 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Lofa County. It is the only flag to suffer a 9-0 clean sweep.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Equatorial Guinea 4-1

**Round 2:** Loss to Kyrgyzstan 9-0

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (763) Lofa County 11-0

**Round 2:** Loss to (251) Philippines 7-4
The ███

Where's the information?*Looks like this page is lacking information, is outdated, or has some information that is redacted. You can help Crimson Tietasc Wiki by adding more information..*

## Overview

### Goal

To protect the world from dangerous █████████.

The 🜅⎾⍧ is a █████████ organization dedicated to protecting the world. They have been doing so for as long as written history goes. It is unknown how this organization came to be or why the people felt the need to start such organization. There are rumors of a ██████ ███████████ ████████ somewhere between █████ ████████████ and Vontoir.

Many people have claimed to have spotted their base of operations, however, soon afterwards, these same people immediately ██████ the topic of their ████████████. Anyone who has "seen to much" is expected to be subject to immediate ██████ ██████.

## History

### Written History

There are many cases in written history in which The ቻረር was mentioned. The most notable being in the old tale: "Wqu is the new aqu". While sources cannot confirm whether the name mentioned is the same as the ᎦᏝፈ, due to the similarities, for example, the three redacted bars, it is assumed that these organizations are the same.

### Sightings

In the summer of 1628, an Archtopian citizen reported multiple █████ ███ entering his neighbors house. Both of these citizens have since gone ███████. There are no other known sightings of The ԲʅՇ.

### Cyber History

Multiple people report being sent "Cease and Desist" letters from an unknown email. The contents of this email are unknown. As it was observed that after viewing of these emails, the reader feels inclined to delete the email. Weirdly enough, the email does not go to trash, rather, it is immediately deleted and any trace of it will vanish.

## Known Partners

### Esoteric Innovations Unlimited

The ｷﾚᄃ has been listed on the list of contributors to EIU. Not much else is known about their affiliation with this group.

### Centum Laboratories

People who have survived as volunteers of Centum claim there are "visitors" from a different organization. These "visitors" were reportedly more well-armed than the Centum Guards themselves. Not much else is known about this interaction.
Austria-Hungary

*"if world war i was decided on which side had the most crown flags maybe austria-hungary would still be around today"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Austria-Hungary was a Central European monarchy that was established in 1867 when the Austrian Empire merged with the Kingdom of Hungary

All or part of the following countries were in Austria-Hungary's boundaries: Austria, Hungary (duh), Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Each kingdom had existed for a long time on its own, but since they were ruled more or less by the same people, forming a union just seemed like the right thing to do

Austria-Hungary was ruled by the House of Habsburg, an Austrian royal family that ruled pretty much all of Central Europe at one point and still exists today. In fact, the current Hungarian ambassador to the Vatican is a Habsburg

The country itself was divided into Austrian-controlled Cisleithania in the north and the west, and Hungarian-controlled Transleithania in the south and the east. Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was annexed in the early 1900s, was jointly administered, because at no point in the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina has anything ever been remotely easy or uncomplicated

Austria-Hungary kinda sorta started World War I after one of their archdukes got assassinated in Sarajevo, and though they didn't end up the worst off in the treaties that ended the war both states had to cede massive amounts of land and divorce each other. Hungarian nationalists are still very upset that they don't control half of the Balkans anymore

## Tournament

As the 177 seed, Austria-Hungary was defeated by Hawaii in Round 1 Matchup 27 of FlagVote 2. As the 580 seed, it was defeated by the Estonian Navy in Round 1 Matchup 72 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (445) Estonian Navy 6-3
Den Haag

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Den Haag, or The Hague, is the third largest city in the Netherlands

It is the seat of government in the country, but not the official capital

It is home to the UN’s International Court of Justice

Royal Dutch Shell Gas is headquartered in Den Haag

In the 1500s the city was raided by the Spanish as a part of the Eighty Years War, due to the lack of outer walls

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Den Haag, or The Hague in English, is the de facto capital of the Netherlands

Its name comes from an old Germanic language calling it *des Graven hage*, or "the Count's wood". Apparently some Count used it as a hunting ground

Due to all the old nobility estates in The Hague, it's much more spacious and greener than other Dutch cities. This is saying something, because the Dutch love their greenery

If the UN's managed to get their hands on a war criminal you can bet the trial will be here: a ton of international courts and tribunals are headquartered in The Hague, leading to its reputation as an "international city of peace and justice", and After Geneva, NYC, and Vienna, The Hague is the fourth-biggest hub for UN activity. God, no wonder everyone thinks Amsterdam is cooler

Blasterjaxx, aka two of the three people who wrote Edwin Díaz's entrance music, formed in The Hague. *RoboCop* director Paul Verhoeven wasn't born here, but his family moved there when it was still the Nazi base of operations for their occupation of the Netherlands. This has famously not had any impact whatsoever on his oeuvre

## Tournament

As the 411 seed, Den Haag was defeated by Dr. Congo in Round 1 Matchup 180 of FlagVote 2. As the 503 seed, it was defeated by Cambodia in Round 1 Matchup 178 of FlagVote 3.
Gadsden Flag

*"Snake has been stepped upon"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

This flag is known as the Gadsden Flag

It was designed by South Carolina Founding Father James Gadsden in 1775

The flag was designed as a warning to the British not to tread on the rights of the US citizens. The snake was a common symbol of the colonies during the revolution, most notably in Ben Franklin’s Join or Die comic. This guy has 13 rattles for the 13 colonies

In modern times, it has become a symbol of right wing libertarianism in America

## Tournament

As the 268 seed, the Gadsden Flag was defeated by Moldova in Round 1 Matchup 95 of FlagVote 2. As the 734 seed, it was defeated by Portugal in Round 1 Matchup 207 of FlagVote 3.
Finchfield

*"how can you not love finchfield? it's FINCHES in a FIELD. they promised us finchfield and that's what we got"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Finchfield is a suburb of Wolverhampton, in Western England

Many of its streets are named after trees and plants

There are two pubs there: The Chestnut Tree and Westacres

Most of Finchfield's news is stuff like "locals band together to save local library" and "area supermarket wants to tear down old house." It seems like a very idyllic, very boring place to live

After a few stores were robbed in 2012, residents set up a neighborhood watch to keep track of any incidents of theft, graffiti, or other antisocial behaivor. Presumably any transgressors were hunted down and killed in order to preserve The Greater Good (the greater good)

## Tournament

As the 527 seed, Finchfield was cleanly swept by Sweden in Round 2 Matchup 145 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Ohio.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (498) Ohio 7-4

**Round 2:** Loss to (15) Sweden 11-0
Iran

*"(so far away)"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Iran is a country in the Middle East

It is the region’s second most populous country after Egypt, and the 17th most populous in the world

It was home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the 4th millenium BC Elamites

It has some of the largest natural gas and oil reserves in the world

The emblem in the center of the flag is a stylized version of the word Allah in Arabic. The text on the flag is also in Arabic, despite the country’s predominant language being Persian

## Tournament

Iran was defeated by Dominica in Round 1 Matchup 119 of FlagVote. As the 105 seed, it was defeated by NATO in Round 3 Matchup 12 of FlagVote 2.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (408) Wiltshire 5-2

**Round 2:** Win over (152) Vietnam 5-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (24) NATO 5-1
Franco-Ontarians

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Franco-Ontarians are the largest Francophone community in Canada outside of Quebec

The term has been defined in two ways: either to describe the French-speaking residents of Ontario or to describe people born in Ontario who have French Canadian ancestry

Today's Ontario was actually briefly a part of the Province of Quebec after the end of the Seven Years War, though it split off to be its own thing after some 30ish years

Québécois have been rather snooty towards Franco-Ontarians. Politicians and writers alike from Quebec have called them "dead ducks" who are incapable of surviving on their own as a community

Ontario celebrates Franco-Ontarian day on September 25 to celebrate the anniversary the first time this flag was ever raised

Notable Franco-Ontarians include Alex Trebek, Jim Carrey, NHLers Evan Bouchard and Cal Clutterbuck, (sigh) Erik Bedard, and Alanis Morrissette. Yes, this does in fact make Alanis the greatest French-Canadian singer of all time. If you say Celine Dion i will fight you

## Tournament

As the 538 seed, Franco-Ontarians were defeated by Añasco in Round 1 Matchup 170 of FlagVote 3.
Franco-Columbians

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

This flag represents Franco-Colombians, or French speakers in the Canadian province of British Columbia

There are about 71,000 Francophones in BC and nearly 400,000 people who claim French ancestry

The neighborhood of Maillardville in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam is the largest Franco-Columbian community, with about 15,000 people

Like most of Western Canada, the first white people in the area were French-speaking Quebecois fur traders. It wasn’t until the Fraser Gold Rush of 1858 that English speakers came

When I search for Franco Columbians google wants to give me results for Franco Columbu, who was an Italian bodybuilder in the 70s. He took the title of Mr. Olympia from Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1975. Franco Columbu sadly is not a Franco Columbian

Notable people who are actually Franco-Columbiens include former NHL player and Thomas’ father Sebastien Bordelau, and Grimes

## Tournament

As the 419 seed, this flag was defeated by Thailand in Round 2 Matchup 207 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Birzebbuga.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (606) Birzebbuga 7-4

**Round 2:** Loss to (94) Thailand 6-5
Cesinovo-Oblesevo

## Eulogy

By Gregory Severin

Češinovo-Oblešovo is a municipality in eastern North Macedonia

It was invented when the municipalities of Češinovo and Oblešovo merged in 2003. The people in each municipality did not want to share one municipality, and citizens blockaded a road and burned the Macedonian flag in protest

Češinovo-Oblešovo is home to a popular thermal bath and hunting grounds. Those are two different attractions mind you

The municipality is also a notable eco-tourist destination due to its status as a leader in stork conservation

## Tournament

As the 226 seed, Cesinovo-Oblesevo was defeated by Isle of Skye in Round 2 Matchup 138 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Loss to (287) Isle of Skye 7-3
Cataño

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Cataño is a municipality on the north coast of Puerto Rico

The flag represents the coat of arms of Don Hernando de Cataño, a Spanish noble

It is known as “La Antesala de la Capital” or the foyer of the capital, as it is across a bay from San Juan

The city was heavily affected by an oil refinery fire in 2009

Three major leaguers were born in Cataño, including Rays backup catcher Michael Perez, who had a .345 OBP in 22 games this year

## Eulogy 2

*By Playground AI via Cam Cain*

Cataño’s flag is one of the most unique and recognizable flags in Puerto Rico. It is a horizontal bicolor of sky blue and white, with a red triangle in the center bearing a white five-pointed star. The flag was designed by Dr. Antonio Fernández-Carrera, and adopted in 1952. Cataño’s flag is a symbol of hope and pride for the people of Cataño. It represents the town’s history, culture, and values.

The blue and white colors represent the sky and the sea, which are integral parts of Cataño’s geography and economy. The red triangle represents the town’s courage and determination, while the white star represents Cataño’s bright future.

This flag has flown over Cataño for more than sixty years, and it will continue to fly proudly for many years to come. It is a symbol of Cataño’s strength, resilience, and spirit. It is a symbol of a town that is proud of its history and culture, and is determined to build a bright future for its people.

## Tournament

As the 410 seed, Cataño was defeated by Guernsey in Round 1 Matchup 205 of FlagVote 2. As the 726 seed, it was defeated by Franco-Manitobans in Round 1 Matchup 255 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (299) Franco-Manitobans 6-3
Albanian Navy

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

This is the ensign of the Albanian Naval Force

Albania has a 277 mile coastline along the Adriatic Sea

The Albanian Navy is headquartered in Durrës, which is the second largest city in Albania. It also has a base and naval academy in the third largest city Vlorë about 100 km down the coast

The navy was formed in 1925 shortly after the creation of the Albanian Republic. When the totally-not-an-alien King Zog made Albania a monarchy, the navy followed. Was this last sentence just an excuse to share that Albania’s first king was named King Zog? Yes, yes it was

When Italy occupied Albania during World War II, they ordered most Albanian ships to be destroyed. They slowly rebuilt their force before again having most of their ships destroyed during civil unrest in 1997. After this, they opted to retire many of their old boats, and their fleet is now just 19 patrol vessels

## Tournament

As the 121 seed, the Albanian Navy was defeated by Madison in Round 3 Matchup 18 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Digbeth.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (392) Digbeth 6-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (136) Madison 9-0
Gbarpolu County

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Gbarpolu County is a county in Liberia

It is the youngest county in Liberia, as it was split from Lofa County in 2001

It is the only Liberian county to not border another country or the ocean

The county is known for its large gold and diamond mines

Like many Liberian counties, its population took a hit during he Civil War, but many people are expected to return in the coming years

## Tournament

As the 501 seed, Gbarpolu County was defeated by St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Round 1 Matchup 96 of FlagVote 2. As the 750 seed, it was defeated by Royal Scotland in Round 1 Matchup 219 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Loss to (12) St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-0

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (275) Royal Scotland 9-1
Aimeliik

*"Aim and Lick makes me think of a pitcher who decides where to throw the ball and then licks it"*

*--Sahil Shah*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Aimeliik is one of Palau's 16 states

It's located in southwestern part of Babeldaob, which is Palau's main island

As of 2015 the entire state's population was reportedly 334 people

Aimeliik is home to the largest power plant in the country

Malsol's Tomb, a the burial site of a legendary warrior, is also in Aimeliik. According to legend, he was stoned to death by the women of Aimeliik for killing one of their sons, and the stones eventually formed his tomb

## Tournament

As the 638 seed, Aimeliik was defeated by Cabañas in Round 1 Matchup 196 of FlagVote 3.
Ingushetia

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Ingushetia is a republic in Russia

Located in the Caucasus region, it is one of the least stable republics in Russia

It is majority Muslim, which is uncommon for Russia

In 1944 Stalin deported and genocided many Ingush and Chechens in the area

The symbol in the center symbolizes the sun and also the spirit

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Ingushetia is a Russian republic north of Georgia

It is one of the poorest and least stable areas of Russia, due in part to an insurgency led by jihadists supported by the Islamic State. The fighting is nominally over, but counter-terrorism actions are still ongoing in the region

However, the life expectancy in Ingushetia is by far the highest of any Russian federal subject. For comparison, the WHO estimates its life expectancy to be comparable to Switzerland's

The republic is named after the Ingush people, who are predominantly Sunni Muslim and have a similar history to the Chechens. The Ingush language is supposedly ridiculously complex, to the point that one linguist took thirty years to comprehensively analyze its grammar

Musa Evloev, a Greco-Roman wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics, was born in Ingushetia

## Tournament

As the 106 seed, Ingushetia was defeated by Austria in Round 2 Matchup 106 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating the Austral Islands. As the 302 seed, it was defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy in Round 2 Matchup 222 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating St. Pierre and Miquelon.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (407) Austral Islands 5-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (151) Austria 4-3

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (723) St. Pierre and Miquelon 8-2

**Round 2:** Loss to (211) Iroquois Confederacy 8-2
Hong Kong

*"isle of man with flowers instead of legs"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China

The Qing Empire gave the city up to the British after the first Opium War, making it a Crown Colony

In 1997, the Brits handed it back to China, an event which is considered to formally mark the end of the British Empire

Hong Kong is considered one of the major global financial centers in the world, and its low levels of government intervention and taxation make it a libertarian's paradise

In the summer of 2019, a highly publicized series of protests against the mainland Chinese government erupted; these protests continued for months and caused a lot of ruckus in the international theater

Hong Kong has long held a reputation for its fantastic cinema, particularly its martial arts films. Acclaimed martial artists/actors from the city include Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, and Bruce Lee.

Director John Woo is also from Hong Kong, and got his start there before moving to the US to make Face/Off, a movie so *fucking insane* that if you haven't seen it you need to drop everything and watch it immediately

## Tournament

Hong Kong was defeated by Albania in Round 3 Matchup 31 of FlagVote. As the 18 seed, it was defeated by Barbados in Semifinal 2 of FlagVote 2.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Curacao 5-1

**Round 2:** Win over Tajikistan 5-0

**Round 3:** Loss to Albania 4-3

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (495) Bomi County 7-0

**Round 2:** Win over (239) San Marino 7-0

**Round 3:** Win over (111) Sikkim 5-0

**Round 4:** Win over (175) Sierra Leone 5-2

**Round 5:** Win over (50) Chicago 5-2

**Round 6:** Win over (2) North Macedonia 4-3

**Quarterfinals:** Win over (10) Jolly Roger 5-2

**Semifinals:** Loss to (3) Barbados 5-1
FlagVote

*Ok let’s go through the rules. Vote for the flag you think looks the best. Do not include personal feelings about the country/region/state in your voting criteria. Matchups will end after all votes have been cast, one flag has so many votes that its opponent is unable to catch up, or a certain amount of time, roughly a day, has passed. A matchup is not final until the next matchup has been posted. Have fun, everyone!*

-Cam Cain

**FlagVote** was the first flag tournament held in #vexillology.
Fuck Scott Boras

"I just wanna keep saying his name so it'll pop up"

--Sully Tomich

**Fuck Scott Boras** is a Slackbot command in the M-SABR Slack. The command responds "Fuck Scott Boras" every time the word "Boras" is mentioned on the Slack. It was created on April 19, 2019 by Gregory Severin as a response to then-Tigers outfielder Nick Castellanos hiring MLB super-agent Scott Boras to represent him, as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so that will make it a 4-0 ballgame.

An baseball agent since the 1980s, Boras has long held a reputation both for being able to negotiate exorbitantly expensive contracts and for using extreme hardball tactics, and this reputation has frequently drawn the ire of fans who dislike seeing their hometown players seemingly sell out to greed. Boras famously negotiated both of Alex Rodriguez's record-setting contracts, the former of which doubled the previous record for any North American athlete's contract and marked Boras as an enemy of Gregory Severin for life. It is likely this blood feud that was the impetus for Greg's creation of the Boras Slackbot command.

Not everyone shares Greg's blood feud with Scott Boras, however, and the command was removed without fanfare at some point in 2020 between July 6 and August 15. However, upon noticing the command's removal on August 15, Greg quickly revived the Boras Slackbot, and it has remained a mainstay on the Slack ever since.