Visiting the Past with Billy Joel

"Those who do not learn from history,
are doomed to repeat it."

                                            - George Santyana - 

Although there is a tendancy to think that connections to the past take place in only in history or religion classes, making connections to the present and the future is something that
can be done in any class.

One way to do this in regards to 20th century history is to explore the last half of the century
using Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". 

Reviewing all of the historical references allows both teacher and students to create
historical, political, social, entertainment and sports connections from the decades
of the forties through the eighties.  

Getting students to look at them from a six degrees of separation point of view helps them to see that nothing in this world is a stand alone. 

I complete the assignment by having students continue the song by writing verses for the decade of the nineties and the first decade of the new century.

Since I use this primarily in my environmental science class, I mandate that there must be line references within the verses about science and enviromental topics.

It is an eye opener, to see where students take this, what they focus on as important and where they make connections throughout the recent past and their present.  

We Didn't Start the Fire

(by Billy Joel )

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye"
Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Josef Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Zhou Enlai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California Baseball,
Starkweather homicide, Children of Thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land,
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning.
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on...

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it ........

Summer Read - The Disappearing Spoon

This summer I read The Disappearing Spoon (And Other True Tales of Madness Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements), by Sam. Kean.

Kean provides a wonderful new viewpoint of the elements of the periodic table through many different parameters.  He groups the elements in such a way that the reader can easily understand the format concept of the periodic table. Kean introduces the elements of greed Gold, Silver and Platinum as well as those used as weapons of war Bromine, Tungsten and Molybdenum to allow the reader to understand the chemical characteristics, similarities and differences that make these elements functional for each purpose. The book provides enough background of the development of the periodic table from Mendeleev to Seaborg. 

However, one of the better portions of the text involves the explanation of the Big Bang, the lives of stars and how "stuff" gets produced.  Kean's explanation of of "How we are all Star Stuff" and the process of this understanding offers a wonderful bridge for the link between Physics and Chemistry.   

For any science teacher The Disappearing Spoon provides those stories that will help to capture the attention and imagination of students at any level of science. Kean brings such an enthusiasm for the material that the reader is drawn in to reading more and more.  He makes chemistry real by tying the usually vague ideas of elements to very real historical events and people. Kean does an outstanding job of blending the history and science of the elements in everyday language. 

Movie Favorites - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

~ Dad always used to say the only causes worth fighting for were the lost causes.~

 

The story of Jefferson Smith, an idealistic young man from an unnamed state who is a local hero for having organized various boys’ camps while helping run the “Boy Rangers.” The Rangers are an educational,

outdoors and sports organization that is similar to the Boy Scouts of today.

After one of his state’s two Senators dies, Jeff is appointed to be the temporary replacement Senator by the state’s Governor. Soon, Jeff takes off for Washington in the company of the states other Senator, Joe Paine, who is a hero of Jeff’s and was a friend of his father. Jeff has high hopes, and is just grateful to be able to serve in the city he associates with the democratic ideals of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Yet soon after arriving, Jeff quickly realizes that Washington is a mean-spirited and often corrupt town, and that in fact, Senator Paine is one of the most corrupt people there.

After trying to write a law that would set aside some land at Wilet Creek for a national boy’s camp, Jeff accidentally discovers that this land has been secretly bought by Taylor and his political machine. He does this so that he can make a huge amount of money when he sells the land to the state after convincing it to

build a dam there. Yet rather than stay quiet , Jeff decides to fight both Senator Paine and Taylor in order to save the land for his camp and to expose the horrible corruption of his state’s politicians. Soon, the entire Taylor machine sets out to destroy Jeff and his reputation, but with the help of Clarissa Saunders, Jeff

fights back against long odds. He does so in order to save both his own reputation and to live up to the original ideals of American democracy.  (http://www.eslnotes.com/)

Although this movie is best suited to a US History or Civics class, I will show excerpts from this film in my science classes especially environmental science courses.  The movie provides great insight into the difficulties faced by individuals and groups who desire to create positive change against a political machine that serves special interests and individual greed.  However, the idea of the power of one man speaking out against such corruption is also a valuable lesson for students to understand.  That an idea married to passion can promote great response. That an idea concieved and believed in can be achieved.  

Civics and History teachers will find that the film provides tremendous insight into the inner working of the US Senate, The process of passing a bill, special interest groups, committees, the election process, succession and many others. 

The film also provides a look at Washington DC through the innocent eyes of an individual who still holds the basic ideals of this country as the most important principles upon which to base one'e life, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

~ I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain,

ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out

for the other fella, too.~