Bruce Springsteen - Old Dan Tucker (Live - Indianapolis)

This post is meant

a.) to establish a "immidiate-response-to-comments" doctrine for this blog (Dont't rely on it, though, as I change my doctrines on an almost daily basis.)

b.) to thank commenter Don for the pointer to "springsteen + seeger" - youtube vids and

c.) to try out youtube's "Blog Video" feature

(Update: It works! I only had to fix the entry title.)

My last Springsteen session was 17 years ago. Looks like "the boss" deserves a second chance.

In the video, Bruce Springsteen, addresses the audience in Indianapolis by saying:

We are few, but we are mighty!

Applies for this blog as well, me thinks.

Flag Day With Johnny Cash

During my youtube-sessions with "johnny+cash"-videos, I came across an outstanding work featuring "Ragged Old Flag" by Johnny Cash. I decided to leave that one for the next U.S. Flag Day. Since my numerous calendar add-ons (U.S. edition) are telling me that today this day has come, here it is:

Ragged Old Flag

By John R. Cash, © 1974 House of Cash, Inc.

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."

He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing Say Can You See.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Pakenham and Jackson tuggin' at its seems.

"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She was sent where she was by her Uncle Sam.

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.

"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning, take her
down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag."

By John R. Cash, © 1974 House of Cash, Inc.

And here is the youtube-video. Really a great job!

I really love this song. Isn't it like "American history in 3 minutes"? Let me end this post with JC in his own words (hat tip Steven Menke):

There was one [song], "Ragged Old Flag" that I didn’t even have any control over. It came out faster than I could write it down. You’ve heard of people who write song in ten minutes. "ragged Old Flag" was one of those songs.

A Glimpse Of My World - Three Links From The Standard

Hi there!

I'm still up to my eyeballs in work, but this morning I came across three links in The Standard from Hongkong, which provide a glimpse of my world and the three countries this blog is meant to deal with in the first place (once I get my priorities straight - or my time management working):

Racism reports overblown, insists Merkel

German chancellor Angela Merkel has pleaded with tourists not to believe the hype about racism in Germany.

(As almost always with Merkel quotes: Don't hold your breath, folks!)

Hillary Clinton falling victim to her icy image

Five years ago, Al Gore was on his way to near-pariah status within the Democratic Party, scorned for losing the 2000 presidential election and then avoiding the public stage. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton was the toast of the party.

(Al or Hillary? Between a rock and a hard place...)

Beijing airs fears on impact of growth

China has warned that its goals for economic growth are in direct conflict with environmental protection and said degradation is worsening despite official efforts to curb pollution.

(That's my story of the day. I wrote a piece about it (in German) over at Bissige Liberale, with more state owned links on that issue in English.)