Up close: Andy’s “selfie”.
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Today is Indonesian Independence Day! Happy Independence Day to my friends in Indonesia on their national day!
HARI KERMERDEKAAN, INDONESIA!
For more information on the meaning of the device over the national flag of Indonesia, look up Pancasila on Wikipedia. I tried to select a link with the touch pad – my new mouse hasn’t arrived yet and I have difficulties getting the touch pad to do what I try to get it to do.
I believe Indonesian flag etiquette or law makes imposing images on the flag illegal, much like the US Flag Code does the Stars and Stripes. I regret that the only image of the Indonesian flag I was able to get to download, then, is this one with the Pancasila imposed on it. I tried to download images of both separately. Again, I was unable to get the touch pad to let me select and attach the link to another bit of interesting Indonesian history. Look up Flag of Indonesia on Wikipedia for the history of their flag, which goes back hundreds of years!
A beautiful selfie, Andy! And thank you for the lesson on Indonesia, Doug. Wishing your friends a happy Independence Day!
I regret that I wasn’t able to visit the country in 2000 as planned. It was an interesting thing to write an Indonesia boy from the time we were 11 and 13 till we were in our late 50s. I’ve lost contact but remember a lot about his country from the correspondence times.
I had a nice talk with my sister this morning and let her know she needed to check my blog since there are many greetings for her here.
It’s also Black Cat Appreciation Day !
Yes! So some of us get to celebrate on two levels!
Terrific “selfie” and a fascinating history of Indonesia.
When the Queen of the Netherlands made a state visit a few years ago, she had to avoid being there on August 17th because the Dutch didn’t accept the 1945 independence declaration but a later date in 1949. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution
Interesting – thank you for this tidbit.
Politics, but after lots of lost fortunes and lives in war. My Indonesian friend’s father, a tailor by trade, was a fighter for Independence in the 1940s in the Surabaya mess.
It makes me reflect on how truly isolated we had been from the world, with all the news of the world events that trickled down to us heavily altered to fit the party line.
How true, Dolly. I used to listen to Radio Nederland and an Australian shortwave station on a regular basis. I also listened to RFE, Voice of America, BBC, and any other stations from wherever. I always felt more informed back then since I got more than just the US point of view as well as the slant our stations were putting out. I ended up not listening to shortwave when it seemed only evangelical pastors were broadcasting during the times I listened. I feel the loss of independent newspaper, magazines, television, and radio outlets for news has made all of us less aware of what affects our lives (mostly politically). On top of that, the heavily slanted and outright lies of certain popular media has created a level of civic ignorance and division that makes me wonder where the future will land us.
We used to Call Voice of America “the muddy waves,” because the broadcasts were so heavily suppressed that we couldn’t get more than about one word in ten, and that at a great risk – listening to “dirty capitalist propaganda” carried an 8 – 15-year sentence.
I also heard an official station out of Bejing that was OK when they talked about non-political things, though one still put a filter on for the whole broadcast. I think the fall of the Iron Curtain diminished shortwave radio broadcasts.
P.S. I completely agree with the last statement.
A great photo. Andy! ❤️😊
“Eye” see you!
Where are you? 😂🤙🏻
LOL!
you are an eye catcher, we got the mesage LOL… a happy national holiday to indonesia….
I can’t see the image reflected in his eye, but it must be me.
Terrific selfie of Andy! Happy Independence Day to Indonesia!
Thanks, Leah!