2015
Deutschland Über Alles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojWfD34HZO4 The national anthem Das Lied der Deutschen (the Federal Republic of Germany now only uses the third verse). In 1841, the German linguist and poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the lyrics of "Das Lied der Deutschen" to Joseph Haydn's 1797 melody. Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, Über alles in der Welt, Wenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze Brüderlich zusammenhält. Von der Maas bis an die Memel, Von der Etsch bis an den Belt, Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, Über alles in der Welt! Germany, Germany above everything, Above everything in the world! When for protection and defense, it always takes a brotherly stand together. From the Meuse to the Memel, From the Adige to the Belt, Germany, Germany above everything, Above everything in the world! Deutsche Frauen, deutsche Treue, Deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang Sollen in der Welt behalten Ihren alten schönen Klang, Uns zu edler Tat begeistern Unser ganzes Leben lang. Deutsche Frauen, deutsche Treue, Deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang! German women, German loyalty, German wine and German song Shall retain in the world Their old beautiful chime And inspire us to noble deeds During all of our life. German women, German loyalty, German wine and German song! Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit Für das deutsche Vaterland! Danach lasst uns alle streben Brüderlich mit Herz und Hand! Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit Sind des Glückes Unterpfand; Blüh' im Glanze dieses Glückes, Blühe, deutsches Vaterland! Unity and justice and freedom For the German fatherland! Let us all strive for this purpose Brotherly with heart and hand! Unity and justice and freedom Are the pledge of happiness; Bloom in the glow of happiness, Bloom, German fatherland!
2013
Shifting View of Japanese History
Japan’s conservative government is considering a requirement that school history textbooks nurture patriotism and include nationalist views of World War II, a departure from the current mainstream texts. A Shifting View of Japanese History - NYTimes.com.
White Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=w9QLn7gM-hY#t=0 Bing Crosby performed Irving Berlin's melancholy White Christmas for the first time on his weekly NBC radio program, The Kraft Music Hall. It went on to become the top-selling single of all time until being surpassed by Elton John's Candle in the Wind in 1997. Crosby's October 1942 recording of White Christmas was played frequently on commercial and Armed Forces Radio and became the #1 pop hit. The song returned to the Hit Parade pop chart in every subsequent Christmas season for the next 20 years. Jody Rosen, author of the book White Christmas:The Story of an American Song, noted on an NPR interview: "It's very melancholy....And I think this really makes it stand out amongst kind of chirpy seasonal standards [like] 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' or 'Let It Snow.'....I think that's one of the reasons why people keep responding to it, because our feelings over the holiday season are ambivalent."
O my soldiers, my veterans
The moon gives you light, And the bugles and the drums give you music; And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans, My heart gives you love. - from Walt Whitman "Dirge for Two Veterans" in Leaves of Grass 1867. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war
2012
Star Spangled Banner
The lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner are from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. The tune is from the popular British song Anacreon in Heaven written by John Stafford Smith in the 1760s. The Star-Spangled Banner was used by the U.S. Navy in 1889, by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and became the national anthem on March 3, 1931.
Mother’s Day
In honor of various goddesses, ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated mothers on a special day, as did Christians (during Lent in honor of Mother Mary). The holiday became known in England as Mothering Sunday. In the United States, the designation of a special Mother's Work Day began in late 19th Century Appalachia as an effort to increase awareness of poor health conditions. In 1914 Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May, became a national holiday.