recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Galicia

*"i’ll pay for you to visit my catholic parents and tell them that’s the ball in the cup game"*

*--Andrew Beaudoin, to Cam*

## Eulogy 1

*By Gregory Severin*

Galicia is an autonomous region in northwest Spain

It has its own .gal internet domain suffix, which usually reserved for nations or German/Belgian cities

Most Galicians are bilingual: about 51% of Galician citizens speak Galician more often on an everyday basis, and another 48% speaks Spanish more

Galicia sometimes fields a separate Galician national football team in international play; their most recent match was a 1-0 victory against Senegal in 2015

Actor Martin Sheen's father was Galician, and so were both of Fidel Castro's parents

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Galicia is an autonomous community (equivalent of a province) in northwestern Spain, due north of Portugal

Like Catalonia and the Basque Country, it has its own distinct language and culture from the rest of Spain

The famed Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across western Europe ends at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia. 200,000 pilgrims a year traverse their way to the reputed burial place of Saint James

Since Celtic times, the Galician city of A Coruña has celebrated the summer solstice by setting massive bonfires to ward off witches. The land is often called “Terra Meiga,” which means “land of witches”

Empanadas are believed to have originated in Galicia. They are first mentioned in a Galician cookbook from the year 1520

Notable Galicians include Francisco Franco, 1960 Ballon d’Or winner Luis (not the current one) Suarez, former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Bajoy, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean, Enrique Iglesias’ grandfather, and Fidel Castro’s parents

## Tournament

As the 68 seed, Galicia was defeated by the United Kingdom in Round 3 Matchup 31 of FlagVote 2. As the 474 seed, it was defeated by Scotland in Round 2 Matchup 173 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Geneva.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (445) Maldives 4-2

**Round 2:** Win over (189) New Milford 4-3

**Round 3:** Loss to (61) United Kingdom 5-2

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (551) Geneva 7-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (39) Scotland 8-2
Kurdistan

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Kurdistan is a loosely-defined region in northern Iraq and Syria, as well as parts of Turkey and Iran.

Iraq has recognized the region’s autonomy since 2005.

Frankly, there’s no way to do the whole Kurdish conflict justice in a series of fun facts, so here’s a pretty picture.

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Kurdistan is a loosely defined area in the Middle East that is the home of the Kurds

It includes much of southeastern Turkey as well as parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. There was supposed to be an independent Kurdistan following World War I, but Turkey hung them out to dry

There have been lots of people who want to establish a Kurdish state in the area now, particularly in response to the Kurds being persecuted in their own countries. Iraq’s part of Kurdistan does have autonomy

Kurds in Syria have also been sort of able to establish a self-governing administration in the northeastern part of the country during their Civil War

Kurdistan is very rugged and mountainous, being right in the middle of the Zagros and Taurus mountains. There’s a saying “Kurds have no friends but the mountains.” Mount Ararat is very prominent in Kurdish folklore, as it is in Caucasus folklore

One of the largest cities in Kurdistan is called Batman

## Tournament

As the 212 seed, lost 7-0 in Round 1, Matchup 106 of FlagVote 2 to 301st-seeded Wichita and was a victim of the tournament's only upset clean sweep. As the 229 seed, it was defeated by Albania in Round 3 Matchup 53 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Kainuu.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (284) Kainuu 7-4

**Round 3:** Loss to (28) Albania 10-0=
Skierniewice

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Skierniewice is a city in central Poland, located within Lodz Voivodesip (sp)

The city dates back to sometime prior to 1359, as the oldest record shows that a group of bishops were already living in the city at that time. No one knows when they got there, but presumably they got there diagonally

The city was invaded by Sweden in the 18th century and later annexed by Prussia. It was later annexed by the Russian and German empires, and its train station and hospital were bombed by the Nazis in World War II.

Following the war, the textile industry boomed in the city, and its population doubled

Chopin is listed on Wikipedia as a “person connected with the Skierniewice region.” I can find no evidence that he was, other than the fact that a girl he had a crush on when he was young later moved there

## Tournament

As the 477 seed, Skierniewice was defeated by the Bahamas in Round 2 Matchup 77 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Kiel.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (548) Kiel 7-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (36) Bahamas 11-0
Libya (1977-2011)

*"Honestly it’s a great shade of green"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

This was the flag of Libya from 1977 until 2011.

It was chosen by president Muammar Gaddafi. It was inspired by his political philosophy and book, The Green Book, which in turn was inspired by Mao’s Red Book, but with green to represent Islam.

The official name of the country during this period was the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. That is, until 1986, when the name was changed to the *Great* Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya because they were really great

After Qaddafi was overthrown and murdered during the Arab Spring in 2011, the pre-Gadhafi flag was reinstated. However, Kadafi loyalists still use the green flag

## Tournament

As the 476 seed, the old flag of Libya was defeated by the Faroe Islands in Round 1 Matchup 73 of FlagVote 2. As the 670 seed, it was cleanly swept by Batken in Round 1 Matchup 205 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Loss to (37) Faroe Islands 6-1
Greece

*"the whole democracy thing is pretty cool... but tzatziki sauce is probably my #1 too"*

*--Sully Tomich*

## Eulogy

*By Andrew Beaudoin*

Greece is a country on the great continent of Europe.

The early Greeks were not unified, and their city-states would periodically make alliances and break them. In the 5th century BC, the Persians (led by Darius and later Xerxes) attempted to conquer Greece, as this was a point in time where empires loved conquering as much as possible.

In 490 BC, the battle of Marathon effectively put an end to the Persian invasion, but soon afterwards came the dreaded Peloponnesian War, the famous conflict between Athens and Sparta. Spoiler: Sparta won.

Anyways that's as far as we've gotten so I'll go over a couple of major accomplishments Greece has had since 407 BC. The invention of Tzatziki sauce, one of my personal favorites for Mediterranean eating. Tourism. Poor economy. Archaeological digs and incredible history. Greece really is a wonderful place and it's a shame it's flag got a bad draw.

## Tournament

Greece was defeated by Cuba in Round 2 Matchup 5 of FlagVote after previously defeating Macau. As the 83 seed, it was defeated by Chilliwack in Round 2 Matchup 75 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Somaliland.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Macau 4-0

**Round 2:** Loss to Cuba 7-1

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (430) Somaliland 5-2

**Round 2:** Loss to (173) Chilliwack 5-1
Ngaraard

*"You got a friend in me"*

*--Alex Fischer*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Ngaraard is, according to Wikipedia, the eighth state of Palau. It does not elaborate on what that means

There are 413 people in Ngaraard

There are five villages in the state, hence the five pointed star on the flag. Some versions of the flag have a blue background instead of purple

It is thought that the original inhabitants of Ngaraard came from the island of Angaur when they ran out of room over there

Lots of taro is grown in Ngaraard

## Tournament

As the 558 seed, Ngaraard was defeated by India in Round 2 Matchup 221 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Reunion.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (467) Reunion 6-5

**Round 2:** Loss to (46) India 8-2

## Controversy

Ngaraard was one of the more divisive flags during FlagVote 3. It was often compared, favorably or unfavorably, to the Toy Story ball. Lexy, who gave it a 2 during Flagpoll 2, remained one of its fiercest critics during the voting period. On April 25th, 2023, Greg posted a matchup between Ngaraard and the Netherlands Navy, with Ngaraard prevailing in a fiercely contested 6-5 matchup. However, once the eulogy had been written, Cam noticed that a mistake had been made. The Dutch Navy had been meant to face Palau, not Ngaraard. With surprisingly little dissent, Ngaraard's win was wiped and the matchups proceeded as intended, with the Dutch Navy losing to Palau and Ngaraard losing to India.
Mississippi

*"if mississippi were spelled with o's instead of i's it'd be 'mossossoppo!'" -william joyce*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Mississippi is a state in the southeastern United States

It is named after the great river which forms its western border. That great river takes its name from an Ojibwe word which means ‘great river’

Mississippi ranks dead last among US states in just about any metric you can think of. There’s a staying in the southeast: “Thank God for Mississippi,” as in thanks for Mississippi because otherwise our crummy state would be in last

The Mississippi Delta in the state’s northwest corner is the birthplace of Delta Blues, a precursor to rock and roll. Legend has it that the great guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads for his guitar playing talent. The cities of Clarksdale and Rosedale both claim to be the home of the mythical crossroads, and Clarksdale has a cool monument for it

This flag was adopted in January 2021, replacing one which had a large Confederate flag in the canton. It features a magnolia blossom, the state flower of Mississippi

Notable people from Mississippi include Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell, the greatest football player of all time Jerry Rice, Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers, mean girl Lacey Chabert, *The Hateful Eight* actor Channing Tatum, news anchor Robin Roberts, top-2 singer named Elvis Elvis Presley, and the lead singer of Blind Melon. A surprising number of famous people were born in Mississippi but moved away when they were young, including Fred Armisen, James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Britney Spears, and Jim Henson

## Tournament

As the 248 seed, Mississippi was defeated by Greek Macedonia in Round 3 Matchup 25 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Tokelau.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (265) Tokelau 7-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (9) Greek Macedonia
Nimba County

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Nimba County is the largest and second most populated of Liberia’s 15 counties

It is named after Mount Nimba, the highest peak in the Nimba Range

Nimba County borders the countries of Guinea and Ivory Coast

Iron Ore is extensive in the county

The city of Ganta is the second largest city in Liberia

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Nimba County is a county in central Liberia

It borders both Guinea and the Ivory Coast, making it one of two Liberian counties to border two other countries

The first Liberian Civil War began in Nimba County, when current president/future kidnap and murder victim Samuel Doe sent the army to meet current warlord/future president Charles Taylor's Ivorian-trained army in the area

Nimba County's capital Sanniquellie was the site of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, a predecessor to today's African Union

Remember how I mentioned the old Liberian president was kidnapped and murdered? The guy who killed him is now the senior Senator for Nimba County

During the Ebola epidemic in 2014 it was reported that two patients in Nimba County had been resurrected. To my knowledge there has been no follow-up on these reports

## Tournament

As the 499 seed, Nimba County was defeated by Japan in Round 1 Matchup 160 of FlagVote 2. As the 756 seed, it was cleanly swept by Tokushima in Round 1 Matchup 83 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (269) Tokushima 11-0
Poltava Oblast

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Poltava Oblast is a province in central Ukraine

The city of Poltava is the capital, home to 300,000 people

It was once part of the Cossack Hetmanate of the 17th century

It is a center of the country’s natural gas industry

It also produces iron ore and sugar beets

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Poltava Oblast is a region in central Ukraine

It is a center of Ukraine’s oil and natural gas industry. It also produces a bunch of sugar beets

The capital and largest city is Poltava. It is believed that Poltava was founded around 1174, but the city also celebrated its 1100th anniversary in the year 1999, so who knows

There was a big battle in Poltava in 1709 in the Great Northern War against the Swedish Empire. The victory for Russia in this battle effectively ended Sweden’s military dominance and began Russia’s

Lyudmila Rudenko, the best women’s chess player of the early Cold War era, is from Poltava Oblast. She was the first woman to be given the title of International Master and later Grandmaster. There was a Google Doodle for her on July 27th 2018

## Tournament

As the 263 seed, Poltava was defeated by Hokkaido in Round 3 Matchup 13 of FlagVote 2. As the 263 seed, it was defeated by Norway in Round 3 Matchup 81 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (409) Tyumen Oblast 6-1

**Round 2:** Win over (153) Ireland 5-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (25) Hokkaido 4-2

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (762) Bomi County 11-0

**Round 2:** Win over (250) Algeria 8-3

**Round 3:** Loss to (7) Norway 8-0
Kazimierski County

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Kazimierza County is a county in the southern part of Holy Cross Voivodeship in southern Poland

It is located southeast of Buski County, which has a similar flag

The county seat is Kazimierza Wielka, which with 5800 people is the smallest county seat in Poland

In 1845, one of Poland’s first sugar refineries was built in Kazimierza

The only other town in the county is Skalbmierz. A timeline of Skalbmierz’ history shows that it was destroyed by a fire in 1807 and 1808, but it is unclear if this is one event or two separate events

## Tournament

As the 415 seed, Kazimierza County was defeated by Pocatello in Round 2 Matchup 139 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Netherlands Antilles.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (610) Netherlands Antilles 7-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (98) Pocatello 7-3
Munster

*"munster is in ireland you clod"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy 1

*By Gregory Severin*

Munster is an Irish province composing the southwest part of the country

Its largest city is Cork, second only to Dublin in population size

Munster is host to several notable Irish attractions, most notably the Blarney Stone

Muenster cheese does NOT originate from Munster, Ireland; rather, it is from the Alsatian city of Munster

Notable MLB players from Munster province include Joe Cleary, who pitched 0.1 career innings and gave up 7 earned runs in 1945 for an ERA of 189.00 (the highest of any pitcher to have recorded an out), and Tony Mullane, a Reds Hall of Famer who won 284 games in his career and could pitch with both hands

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Munster is a province encompassing the southern chunk of Ireland

Through the early middle ages, Munster was its own kingdom. It then became part of various kingdoms before joining the kingdom of Ireland in 1565. It is believed that the three crowns on the flag represent three kingdoms of which Munster has been part. Munster has no political power now, as the counties of Ireland are just symbolic

Cork and Limerick, the second and third largest cities in the Republic of Ireland, are both in Munster

The sport of Hurling is incredibly popular in Munster. Three of Ireland’s four most successful clubs are in Munster

There is no linguistic correlation between the province of Munster and the German city of Münster.

Notable people from Munster include soccer player Roy Keane, Actor/Tyler Glasnow doppelganger Cillian Murphy, comedian Jimmy Carr, president Michael D. Higgins, and the Cranberries

## Tournament

As the 205 seed, Munster was defeated by Molossia in Round 3 Matchup 26 of FlagVote 2. As the 507 seed, it was defeated by the People's Flag in Round 2 Matchup 225 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Dominica.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (308) Comoros 5-2

**Round 2:** Win over (52) Guyana 4-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (180) Molossia 5-2

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (518) Dominica 6-5

**Round 2:** Loss to (6) People's Flag 8-2
Quebec

*Not to be confused with Quebec City*

*"if you put a gun to my head and (for some reason) asked me my favorite flag i would probably say quebec"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

Québec is the largest province in Canada

It was a French colony until the Seven Years’ War, and it still maintains its French influence as it still speaks the language

The majority of the population lives along the St. Lawrence River between the cities of Montréal and Québec

An independence referendum very nearly passed in 1995, failing by less than 1% after a record 93% turnout

There used to be a MLB team in Québec from 1969 to 2004

48 Major Leaguers come from Québec, including Cy Young winner Éric Gagné

## Tournament

Quebec was defeated by Estonia in Round 5 Matchup 7 of FlagVote. As the 134 seed it was defeated by South Korea in Round 3 Matchup 48 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating St. Petersburg Florida and Tokelau.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over San Marino 5-2

**Round 2:** Win over Friesland 7-0

**Round 3:** Win over New Mexico 4-3

**Round 4:** Win over Marshall Islands 5-2

**Round 5:** Loss to Estonia 4-3

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (379) St. Petersburg Florida 6-0

**Round 2:** Win over (123) Tokelau 4-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (6) South Korea 4-3
Macau

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Macau is a city and special administrative region of china

It was a Portuguese colony until Portugal handed it back in 1999

It has become a major gambling destination and its revenue from gamblers is equivalent to seven Las Vegases (Lasses Vegas? It's already pluralized)

2/3 of the territory is built on land fills. No, not landfills, but land filled in on top of the sea bed

Income inequality in Macau is among the highest worldwide

The entire city receives the ninth-most tourism revenue in the world

## Tournament

Macau was defeated by Greece in Round 1 Matchup 10 of FlagVote. As the 90 seed, it was defeated by the Jolly Roger in Round 6 Matchup 7 of FlagVote 2.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (423) Reunion 6-0

**Round 2:** Win over (167) Rwanda 5-1

**Round 3:** Win over (39) Arizona 4-3

**Round 4:** Win over (26) Slovakia 4-3

**Round 5:** Win over (58) Washington DC 4-3

**Round 6:** Loss to (10) Jolly Roger 4-1
Cuba

## Eulogy

Cuba is an island nation south of Florida

They used to be friends with the US, but that ended when Che Guevara and the Brothers Castro overthrew the corrupt president and installed a communist government

A lot of people didn't like this, so they either fled or were exiled to Florida. This is why Miami has such a strong Cuban influence

Soviet missiles being placed in Cuba almost started WWIII back in 1962

Baseball is the most popular Cuban sport, and many Cuban baseball players have defected to the US to play in the MLB. These include Yasiel Puig, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Aroldis Chapman, and Rusney Castillo

## Tournament

Cuba was defeated by Scotland in Round 3 Matchup 3 of FlagVote after previously defeating Spain and Greece. As the 20 seed, Cuba was defeated by Mexico in Round 4 Matchup 14 of FlagVote 2.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Spain 3-2

**Round 2:** Win over Greece 7-1

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

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (493) Bong County 6-0

**Round 2:** Win over (237) Liberia 5-0

**Round 3:** Win over (109) Hamburg 5-0

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

*"Perry County is just Arby’s with a sunburst"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Perry County is a county in central Ohio

Its largest city is New Lexington, or “The City with Values”

It is named after Oliver Hazard Perry, a hero of the War of 1812

Despite the flag, I found no evidence of any oil or mining or wheat or whatever that is in the top left corner

   I also could not find a single notable person from Perry County; great pitcher Jack Taylor was born in the county but was raised outside the county

Perry is one of the poorest counties in the state

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Perry County is a county in the middle of Ohio

Its namesake, Oliver Hazard Perry, was a US naval commander who won several battles in Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Perrysburg, an Ohio town near Toledo, is also named after him

You may also be familiar with O.H. Perry's brother, Matthew. No, he's not the guy from Friends, he's the dude whose gunboat diplomacy ended Japan's isolationist period under the Tokugawa shogunate

If you couldn't tell from my brief digression into Japanese history, there isn't a whole lot in Perry County to write about. However, a Boston Braves outfielder named Dizzy Nutter was born there in 1893. Sure, he only had 11 hits in less than a month in Major League Baseball, but his name was Dizzy Nutter

Part of Wayne National Forest, the only national forest in Ohio, is in Perry County

## Tournament

As the 510 seed, Perry County was defeated by Barbados in Round 1 Matchup 129 of FlagVote 2. As the 766 seed, it was defeated by East Germany in Round 1 Matchup 195 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (259) East Germany 11-0
Lincolnshire

*"Lincolnshire Posy was my favorite band piece in grade school so I hope it goes far"*

*--Yuki Mori*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Lincolnshire is a county in England’s East Midlands

The name Lincoln comes from the Latin Lindum Colonia. Colonia means colony, and Lindum comes from the old Brittonic Lindon which means pond. So Abraham Lincoln translates to Abraham Pondcolony

The town of Boston is located in Lincolnshire. In 2016, Boston was named as the most murderous place in England and Wales. Ya fuckin’ dickhead

Notable people from Lincolnshire include Isaac Newton, Margaret Thatcher, and John Hurt

The Lincoln Imp is the symbol of Lincoln, particularly Lincoln’s largest city Lincoln. According to legend it was sent by Satan but turned to stone by an angel, and it has stood on a wall of the Lincoln Cathedral for centuries since

## Tournament

As the 320 seed, Lincolnshire was defeated by Uruguay in Round 2 Matchup 6 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Franco-Newfoundlanders.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (705) Franco-Newfoundlanders 9-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (193) Uruguay 7-4
Latvia

*"darkmode austria"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Latvia is one of the Baltic States in northern Europe, sandwiched between Estonia and Lithuania

The Latvian language, along with the Lithuanian language, is one of only two surviving Baltic languages (Estonian is in the Finnish umbrella.) These languages share similarities with Slavic languages but with a lot more vowels, particularly vowels with lines over them

It was part of the Russian Empire for much of its history, as well as the Teutonic Order and the Swedish Empire. In 1918, it became independent from the German Empire, but that didn’t last long, as it was absorbed into the Soviet Union at the outset of World War II. It became independent once more in 1991

Latvia has the highest percentage of women in power among any European country

The name Latvia comes from the Latgalians, a Baltic tribe who date back at least to the 5th century. They converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism in the 13th century and eventually assimilated with other tribes to become modern day Latvians

Joe Zapustas is the only major leaguer to be born in Latvia. His family moved to Southie when he was 5, and he lived in Mass for the rest of his life, becoming the longtime athletic director at Randolph High School. He played in 2 games for the 1933 Philadelphia A’s and went 1-5. That same year, he became the first of two Latvians to play in the NFL, getting into two games for the Giants and getting a 26 yard reception.

Basketball and hockey are much bigger sports in Latvia. Kristaps Porzingis is from Latvia. Notable Latvian hockey players include Sandis Ozolinsh, Elvis Merzlikins, Zemgus Girgensons, and Matiss Kivlenieks (rip)

## Tournament

Latvia was defeated by Pakistan in Round 1 Matchup 74 of FlagVote. As the 390 seed, it was defeated by Tokelau in Round 1 Matchup 189 of FlagVote 2. As the 201 seed, it was defeated by Vietnam in Round 2 Matchup 54 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Loss to (312) Vietnam 7-4
Pewsey

*"Pew pew"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

Pewsey is a village in Wiltshire, England

King Alfred the Great owned land in the area, and today a statue of him stands in the town center

The horsey on the Pewsey flag is the Pewsey White Horse, one of several hill figures cut with chalk into the Wiltshire countryside

A previous white horse was cut on the same hill the Pewsey White Horse currently stands back in the late 18th century, but it fell into disrepair and was re-cut in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of King George VI

Bobsledder Shelley Rudman, who won Britain's only medal in the 2006 Turin Olympics and was named the UK's flagbearer for the Vancouver Games, is from Pewsey; the town held a charity canoe event to buy her a new sled before her trip to Italy

## Tournament

As the 650 seed, Pewsey was defeated by Seychelles (1977-1996) in Round 1 Matchup 181 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (375) Seychelles (1977-1996) 8-3
Ecuador

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Ecuador is a country in South America

It takes its name, as you may have guessed, from the Equator, which bisects the country

The capital city of Quito is located 9350 feet above sea level at the base of the stratovolcano Pichincha

It was part of the Inca Empire for much of its history

Ecuador has one of the lowest homicide rates in the Americas

Ecuador claims the Galapagos Islands, home to a high number of endemic species. Studies on these islands were crucial as Darwin developed his theory of evolution

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

The Republic of Ecuador (*Republica del Ecuador* in Spanish, literally "Republic of the Equator") is a country in northwest South America

If you couldn't tell from its name, Ecuador is very proud of being on the Equator. Its capital city Quito is the closest world capital to Earth's midpoint, with its northern city limits ending less than a mile south of the line

Along with Krakow, Poland, Quito was the first World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1978, and its beautiful Historic Center is host to over 100 monuments and monumental buildings

The farthest point from Earth's center is the summit of Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador. This is thanks to the planet's equatorial bulge, as though Chimborazo exceeds 20,000 feet in elevation it is only the 39th-highest peak in the Andes mountains

In 2019, a series of protests against reductions in government spending forced the country's government to temporarily relocate to Guyaquil, their second-largest city

Mike Judge, the creator of the MTV series *Beavis and Butt-Head*, was born in Guyaquil

## Tournament

Ecuador was defeated by North Macedonia in Round 1 Matchup 6 of FlagVote. As the 292 seed, it was defeated by Åland in Round 2 Matchup 60 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Boyacá. As the 368 seed, it was defeated by Lahej in Round 1 Matchup 28 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (221) Boyacá 4-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (36) Åland 4-3
Palestine

*"you know it's a wild day when the least controversial topic is palestine"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

**Palestine** is a Middle Eastern nation recognized by 138 nations.

Once again I am woefully unqualified to discuss Palestine in a series of short blurbs.

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Palestine is a… um… well it’s complicated

## Tournament

Palestine was defeated by Afghanistan in Round 1 Matchup 70 of FlagVote. As the 331 seed it was cleanly swept by Jayuya in Round 1 Matchup 166 of FlagVote 2. As the 325 seed, it was defeated by Przemysl in Round 2 Matchup 104 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Samoa.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (700) Samoa 10-0

**Round 2:** Loss to (188) Przemysl 7-3
Dominican Republic

*"the only dr i support is dr congo"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean

It shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti

Santo Domingo was the first permanent European settlement in the Americas

It is home to both the highest and lowest points in the Caribbean

760 major leaguers come from the DR, including three Hall of Famers in Pedro Martinez, Juan Marichal, and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. Pujols and Beltre will soon join them

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

The Dominican Republic is the Spanish-speaking part of Hispaniola

Its capital of Santo Domingo was the first permanent European settlement in the New World, making it the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the Americas

Outside of the Spanish, the country has also been occupied by a few other nations. Originally it wanted to be a part of Bolivar's Gran Colombia after getting independence, but then Haiti annexed it for a couple decades. Then the Spanish came back, then the Americans showed up to collect on debts, and after a few other failed invasions by the Haitians the country has remained sovereign, if not exactly stable

Today, the Dominican Republic boasts the most developed economy in the Caribbean thanks to strong manufacturing and agriculture sectors. It is also the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean

The country is also famous for its baseball prowess. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2013, and earned bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Cam noted that three MLB Hall of Famers were Dominican in his previous eulogy; since then, David "Big Papi" Ortiz has joined his former teammate Pedro Martinez in donning a Sox cap in Cooperstown. Vlad Guerrero and Juan Marichal are also there, and will soon be joined by Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, and Robinson Cano If He Never Took Steroids. There are a ton more baseball players I could and probably should mention, but this paragraph has gotten too long so I'll say Julio Rodriguez will also be in Cooperstown some day and leave it at that

Notable non-baseball Dominicans include actress Zoë Saldaña, fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, author Junot Diaz, baseketballer Al Horford, and evidently John Lithgow. I would never have guessed Joseph Gordon-Levitt's dad in 3rd Rock From the Sun was half-Dominican, but there you have it

## Tournament

The Dominican Republic was defeated by Papua New Guinea in Round 1 Matchup 69 of FlagVote. As the 304 seed, it was defeated by Richmond in Round 2 Matchup 12 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Herzegovina-Neretva. As the 298 seed, it was defeated by Hungary in Round 2 Matchup 190 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Fiji.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Loss to Papua New Guinea 5-2

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (209) Herzegovina-Neretva 4-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (48) Richmond 4-3

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (727) Fiji 9-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (215) Hungary 7-4
Luang Prabang

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

The Kingdom of Luang Prabang was a kingdom in modern-day Laos and maybe a bit of Vietnam? The map's a bit unclear

It formed in 1707 after the Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang collapsed

The monarchy weakened pretty quickly, though, and it soon became a vassal to Burmese and Siamese monarchies. Then the French arrived in the 1880s, and after a war with Siam it established the Protectorate of Laos

The name "Luang Prabang" translates to "Royal Buddha Image" in Lao

There is also a city called Luang Prabang, and it was the center of the Laotian government until the Communists took over. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its many Buddhist monasteries and multicultural architecture and heritage

## Tournament

As the 412 seed, Luang Prabang was defeated by Cedar Rapids in Round 2 Matchup 107 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Outer Baldonia.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (613) Outer Baldonia 6-5

**Round 2:** Loss to (101) Cedar Rapids 9-2
Prussia

*"prussia looking like a crackhead chicken killed it, let's be real"*

*--Gregory Severin*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Prussia was a German state that existed from some time in the medieval period until German unification in 1871. Or did it last until 1918? Maybe 1932? Could it have been 1947? Anyway, it consisted of parts of modern-day Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Russia

By "German state" I mean "a state consisting of Germans" and not "a subdivision of Germany", because Germany had not yet been invented

The original capital of Prussia was Königsberg, which is today's Kaliningrad. Königsberg was supposedly a very nice place to live and had many bridges, which in turn inspired Euler to invent the terrifying mathematical practice of graph theory. I refuse to learn anything further about graph theory so I'll let you draw your own conclusions

Prussia was originally founded in the 1200s after the King of Hungary evicted the Teutonic Knights from Hungary and they had to find a new place to live. Through a series of medieval events I don't know enough about to recount and don't care enough about to learn, they buddied up with the Hanseatic League and the Holy Roman Emperor and then all of a sudden Prussia was a thing

So the 1700s and then all of a sudden Prussia becomes a Kingdom, and the capital was moved from Königsberg to Berlin. Along with Austria it became one of the two most powerful states in the Holy Roman Empire, but they also had territory outside the HRE. Not sure how that worked out but that's not my problem. Then some other wars happened, Napoleon tried to take over the continent, and by the end of it all Kaiser Wilhelm and Otto von Bismarck established the Second Reich, aka the German Empire. Prussia was still a state in the Empire, but it was also still a kingdom, and it also also kinda controlled Germany? German history is weird, dude

So WWI happens, Germany loses, and Prussia loses a ton of territory. The German Revolution happens and ends the monarchy, but it continues to exist as a state. There's even a bit of East Prussia that's not connected to Germany anymore because Poland wanted to exist again. Then the Prussian state gets dismantled thanks to a coup d'etat and a certain party of very naughty people centralizing power in a third Reich. After they lost WWII, the Allies decided Prussia was too militaristic to exist and declared it illegal

So, there you have it: Prussia. It did a whole lot of stuff for a long time, and now it does nothing anymore because it tried to do too much stuff. There's a lesson in there somewhere, but I'm too confused to figure out what it could be

## Tournament

As the 314 seed, Prussia was defeated by Iraq in Round 2 Matchup 166 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Magdalena.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (711) Magdalena 8-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (199) Iraq 6-5
San Antonio

*"Have you all remembered the alamo today?"*

*--Lexy Lee*

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

San Antonio is in Texas

It is the 7th biggest city in the United States

The spurs and alamo are there

Other people who are from there are the guy who directed spy kids, the guy who played robocop in robocop, mlb pitcher randy choate, and shaq

One time Ozzy Osborne pissed on the alamo

## Tournament

As the 707 seed, San Antonio was defeated by Split-Dalmatia County in Round 1 Matchup 199 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (318) Split-Dalmatia County 10-1
Alabama

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Alabama is a state in the American South

It was originally a Spanish colony, and though the northern bit was acquired by France and Britain before the Revolutionary War, Spain continued to hold Mobile as a part of Flordia's extra-long panhandle until the US annexed it in 1813

Alabama was a major focal point of the Civil Rights movement; Activists led by Martin Luther King marched to the state's capital Montgomery from Selma as a part of their campaign for voting rights, and it was in Montgomery where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man

The aerospace industry is a major part of Alabama's economy, and NASA's research center is headquartered in Huntsville. Its first mission was developing the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo program, and they've had a major hand in testing American spacecraft ever since

The first ever 911 call happened in Haleyville, Alabama, when the state Speaker of the House called a US Representative in a public test of the system

Even more important to Alabamans than space exploration, however, is sports. Alabama state universities have some pretty good football teams, and the state has produced some pretty good football players, most notably quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Bo Jackson, and wide receivers Terrell Owens and Julio Jones. Some great baseball players have also come from the state, including home run king Hank Aaron and other legends like Ozzie Smith, Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, and Bo Jackson

Despite writing a whole song called "Sweet Home Alabama," Lynyrd Skynyrd are actually from Florida

## Tournament

As the 300 seed, Alabama was defeated by Malawi in Round 1 Matchup 87 of FlagVote 2. As the 421 seed, it was defeated by Chilliwack in Round 2 Matchup 111 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Sverdlovsk Oblast.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (604) Sverdlovsk Oblast 7-4

**Round 2:** Loss to (92) Chilliwack 8-1
Kingswinford

*"la’s hockey team has won a car"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Kingswinford is a town in the West Midlands of England

Its name is shortened from Kingswineford. This name is very silly and very literal. It refers to a ford in the river for the king’s swine. King swine ford. Kingswineford. Kingswinford. As such, the flag shows a swine with a crown

Health food store Julian Graves was headquartered in Kingswinford until it went out of business in 2012

There was a glass museum in Kingswinford until 2015

It was a big mining area for years before becoming more suburban in recent years

## Tournament

As the 395 seed, Kingswinford was defeated by Denmark in Round 2 Matchup 243 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Friesland.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (630) Friesland 7-4

**Round 2:** Loss to (118) Denmark 6-3
Karakalpakstan

*"The Karkalpakstan flag just looks so crisp"*

*--Sahil Shah*

## Eulogy

*By Cam Cain*

Karakalpakstan is a region in northwestern Uzbekistan, hence the similar flag. It encompasses about 1/3 of Uzbekistan’s area with about 1/18 of its population

It was a thriving and fiercely contested area around 0 AD due to its irrigation agriculture at the time. There are over 50 intricate fortresses still standing in the region

The name comes from the Karakalpak people who forewent their nomadic lifestyle and settled in the region in the 16th century. Karakalpak translates to black hat, and naturally the people are known for a traditional black hat called the Karakul. The hat became very popular among Soviet leaders, and for some reason it also became very popular among African Americans (ones who were born in Africa) in the United States in the 1960s. It’s the hat that Eddie Murphy later wore in Coming to America

It has autonomous status within Uzbekistan and its own legislature. This autonomy dates back to the early Soviet days. There was a plan to remove that status in 2022, but those were scrapped after widespread protests

The Karakalpak language is mutually intelligible with Kazakh, and it has just shy of 600,000 native speakers

Karakalpakstan lies on the Aral Sea, but its rapid evaporation has caused drought and crop failures in the region. There’s lots of disease now, and all in all it’s not a great place

The Red Army tested chemical weapons in the Karakalpak capital of Nukus for years, which I’m sure contributed to the disease. In better news, it’s also home to a world class art museum featuring local folk art and lots of avant-garde Russian art that had been banned by Stalin and was thought missing

## Tournament

As the 363 seed, Karakalpakstan was defeated by St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Round 2 Matchup 252 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Central African Republic.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (662) Central African Republic 7-3

**Round 2:** Loss to (150) St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-4
Leninogorsk

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Leninogorsk is a town in the Tatarstan region of Russia

It has a population of about 60,000

It is listed as a “town of republic signifigance” within the district of Leninogorsky

Much of the industry, such as radios, collapsed following the end of the USSR

The flag is supposed to represent a tulip

## Eulogy 2

*By Cam Cain*

Leninogorsk is a town in Tatarstan, eastern Russia

It has a large number of hot springs and 68 species of birds

This flag represents the town (pop. 64,000) and the surrounding district (pop. 82,000). The flag and the coat of arms it’s based on were designed in 2005, but it is still up to interpretation according to Wikipedia. Some experts believe it depicts gushing oil, while others think it’s a system of roads

As the flag maybe implies, Leninogorsk is a big producer of oil. The local government is trying to diversify into wheat though

It’s named after a guy named Leninogorsk, not Vladimir Lenin, which is why it didn’t change its name after the fall of the Soviet Union

## Tournament

As the 99 seed, Leninogorsk was defeated by Morocco in Round 2 Matchup 71 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating South Arabia. As the 151 seed, it was defeated by Cairo in Round 3 Matchup 94 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Andrew.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (414) South Arabia 7-0

**Round 2:** Loss to (158) Morocco 4-3

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (362) Andrew 6-5

**Round 3:** Loss to (106) Cairo 7-3
Scooter Fact

*"I need a scooter fact in this trying time"*

*--Cam Cain*

**Scooter Fact** is an iconic Slackbot command in the M-SABR Slack. It was created by Cam Cain over the course of the evening of 3-30-18. When "Scooter Fact" is commented, Slackbot will respond with a randomly selected fact about former Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett. It was removed sometime in July 2019 as Gennett's time with the Reds was coming to an end. Much later, members expressed dismay at the disappearance of the Slackbot. Finally, on 5-8-22, when the second Slack Pro trial began, Greg compiled the old Scooter facts and revived the bot for good.

## Responses

* Much like Shohei Ohtani, Scooter Gennett has both pitched and batted.
* Scooter Gennett's nickname comes from the character 'Scooter' in the Muppet Babies.
* Scooter Gennett's first career home run was off of Bronson Arroyo.
* Scooter Gennett was NL Player of the Week during the week of June 11, 2017.
* Scooter Gennett was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 16th round in 2009, one slot ahead of Andrew Susac.
* Scooter Gennett played 6 different positions in 2017, including pitcher and DH.
* Scooter Gennett hit 27 home runs in 2017.
* Scooter Gennett and his wife drove their RV to training camp in 2018.
* Scooter Gennett made his debut for the Brewers in 2013.
* Scooter Gennett slugged .531 in 2017.
* Scooter Gennett is listed at 5'10''.
* Scooter Gennett is a cool dude.
* Scooter Gennett batted .324 as a rookie in 2013.
* Scooter Gennett was worth more fWAR in 2017 than Javy Baez.
* Scooter Gennett went 4-4 on Opening Day 2018.
* Scooter Gennett recently switched from wearing uniform #4 to #3.
* Scooter Gennett is eligible for free agency following the 2020 season.
* Scooter Gennett graduated from Sarasota High School in Florida in 2009.
* Scooter Gennett allowed 2 runs in a relief appearance on August 14, 2017.
* Scooter Gennett is one of two players to pitch in the same game they hit their 20th HR of the season. Babe Ruth is the other.
* Scooter Gennett has more 4-HR games than Mike Trout, Barry Bonds, Giancarlo Stanton, and Mark McGwire combined.
* Scooter Gennett's real name is Ryan.
* Scooter Gennett's wife is named Kelsey.
Kainuu

*"Loving the charlie brown shirt but trees here"*

*--Yuki Mori*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

Kainuu is one of Finland’s 19 regions, or maakunta

It is located in Northeastern Finland and borders Russia

The flag depicts the boreal forest that dominates the region

There are three ski resorts in Kainuu

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

Kainuu is a region in eastern Finland roughly the size of New Jersey

It borders North Karelia, which you monsters voted out earlier this week, and North Savonia, which you monsters have yet to vote out. It also borders a part of Russia called Karelia, which is very unconfusing

Kainuu is a sparsely populated and heavily forested region, mostly consisting of pine, spruce, and birch trees. For comparison's sake, it is 25 square miles larger than New Jersey, while New Jersey has roughly 128 times the population

There is apparently a lot of historical and linguistic controversy over what the origin of the name Kainuu is. Some think it's from a hypothetical proto-Germanic word for "swampy land", others think it means "hole", and still others say its origins come from a Sami word but they're not sure which one

A film production company that styles itself as the Finnish Hollywood is headquartered in Kainuu

## Tournament

As the 363 seed, Kainuu was defeated by Derbyshire in Round 1 Matchup 176 of FlagVote 2. As the 284 seed, it was defeated by Kurdistan in Round 2 Matchup 106 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Bermuda.

## Results

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Loss to (150) Derbyshire 6-0

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Win over (741) Bermuda 7-0

**Round 2:** Loss to (229) Kurdistan 7-4
Rybnicki County

## Eulogy

*By Gregory Severin*

Rybnick County (Polish: powiat rybnicki) is a county in southern Silesia

The name Rybnick comes from the Czech word for "pond"

It was first created by the Prussian King in 1818

The county itself is mostly suburban and rural, but its seat of Rybnick is a tourism hub and major regional commerce center

Thomas Godoj, who won Germany's equivalent of American Idol in 2008, is from Rybnick

## Tournament

As the 521 seed, Rybnicki County was defeated by South Arabia in Round 1 Matchup 49 of FlagVote 3.

## Results

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** Loss to (504) South Arabia 7-2