Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, more than doubling the length of the alliance's border with Russia and drawing a warning of "retaliatory measures" from Moscow. "Finland is stronger and safer within the alliance, and the alliance is stronger and safer with Finland as its ally," said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Finland's President emphasized his country's desire to promote stability in Europe. Finland and Sweden began seeking expedited NATO membership – and the military support it can provide – within weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Sweden awaits approval. "The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end – a new era begins,” Finland's president said. This year is the 74th anniversary of NATO and Finland is its 31st member. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted congratulations to Finland on joining the "only effective security guarantee in the region amid Russian aggression."
Punk is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Songs were fast-paced with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often shouted political, anti-establishment lyrics. By late 1976, punk had become a major cultural phenomenon in the UK. It gave rise to a punk subculture that expressed youthful rebellion through distinctive styles of clothing, jewelry, safety pins, and hairstyles. In 1977, punk music spread worldwide. Punk bands rejected mainstream 1970s rock music and disco, and often shouted political, anti-establishment lyrics. It took root in a wide range of local scenes that often rejected affiliation with the mainstream. It also contributed to the rise of garage rock bands in the 1980s and 1990.
In the 1970s, the key counterculture of the 1960s, the hippie movement, was fading away. The economic prosperity of the previous decade had declined, and unemployment, inflation, and crime rates had soared. Political issues like the backlash from the Civil Rights Movement culminating in the form of race riots, the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and the Watergate scandal, left many feeling disillusioned and hopeless. The start of the '70s was marked by a shift in the consciousness of the American people: the rise of the feminist movement, identity politics, gangs, etc. These all shaped the disco era. Disco music and disco dancing provided an escape from negative social and economic issues. The non-partnered dance style of disco music allowed people of all races to enjoy the dance floor atmosphere.
Today we continued to examine the culture of the 1970s in America. In addition to hard rock and pop music, the dance and Disco era had an impact on culture that was international. We looked at how the Bee Gees, a classic rock pop trio, evolved into a different sound in the 1970s, providing the soundtrack to the 1977 film, "Saturday Night Fever." The popularity of their 70s sound was truly international in scope. We looked at and listened to some of their music and discussed its impact on American and international culture, going into the 1980s.
Today, Kaitlin was introduced to another genre of music in the 1970s: Disco Music. No other film and film sound track (one of the best-selling world wide of all time) demonstrates what a watershed moment this was for the 1970s disco era. The film and music had a tremendous impact on the popular culture of the late 1970s. The film helped to popularize disco music around the world. In 2010, the Library of Congress called the film and soundtrack "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the US in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the US and UK. This style of music drew directly from the rhythm and blues genres of African-American music and from country music. Rock also drew strongly from a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical, and other musical styles. Rock music has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass guitar, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political. Rock was the most popular genre of music in the US and much of the Western world from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Today we looked at protests in Israel where hundreds of thousands of people are rallying against changes to the country's legal system. The proposed judicial overhaul would give Israel's parliament more control, but critics say it threatens the country's democracy and removes checks and balances. Domestically, more wet weather is headed for California. The state was in a severe drought for years, but now record rain and snowfall have changed conditions. Kaitlin also learned about a News Hero who is a fitness instructor with very special students and a musician who earned a spot in the Guinness World Records.
Today we reviewed some current events. We looked at the destruction in Mississippi after powerful storms and a major tornado that pummeled the Southeast, leaving a wake of destruction. The storm destroyed some towns entirely and killed and injured residents. Then, CNN 10 is looking to the sky, to see a rare phenomenon called a "planetary parade." And a tech company wants to revolutionize home delivery through drones, but the Federal Aviation Agency has hampered plans in the past. Oh and yesterday, one of Kaitlin & her mom's favorite rock stars had a big birthday: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith turned 75!
