public function clear_old_flash()
 {
     // if flash already cleared don't do anything
     if (self::$cleared_old_flash == true) {
         return;
     }
     $flash_vars = $this->get('flash');
     if (!empty($flash_vars) && is_array($flash_vars)) {
         foreach ($flash_vars as $var) {
             self::$flash[$var] = $this->get($var);
             $this->remove($var);
         }
     }
     $this->remove('flash');
     self::$cleared_old_flash = true;
 }