In honor of Independence Day, we asked 21-year-old Amanda Gorman the inaugural youth poet laureate of the United States, to write a poem. The Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart, performs one of the most famous July Fourth concerts each year. We asked them to bring music to her composition, “Believer’s Hymn for the Republic.” Watch “CBS This Morning” HERE: http://bit.ly/1T88yAR Download the CBS News app on iOS HERE: https://apple.co/1tRNnUy Download the CBS News app on Android HERE: https://bit.ly/1IcphuX Like “CBS This Morning” on Facebook HERE: http://on.fb.me/1LhtdvI Follow “CBS This Morning” on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Xj5W3p Follow “CBS This Morning” on Instagram HERE: http://bit.ly/1Q7NGnY Get new episodes of shows you love across devices the next day, stream local news live, and watch full seasons of CBS fan favorites anytime, anywhere with CBS All Access. Try it free! http://bit.ly/1OQA29B Each weekday morning, “CBS This Morning” co-hosts Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil deliver two hours of original reporting, breaking news and top-level newsmaker interviews in an engaging and informative format that challenges the norm in network morning news programs. The broadcast has earned a prestigious Peabody Award, a Polk Award, four News & Documentary Emmys, three Daytime Emmys and the 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast. The broadcast was also honored with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award as part of CBS News division-wide coverage of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Check local listings for “CBS This Morning” broadcast times.
Amira Willighagen – Ave Maria (HD Quality) – Semi-Finals Holland’s Got Talent – 21 December 2013
Also watch Amira’s Rendition of “Nessun Dorma” which she sang during the Finals and made her Win Holland’s Got Talent 2013: http://goo.gl/ts3HpV Only 9-years old, Amira sang Ave Maria in the Semi-Finals Liveshow of Holland’s Got Talent on 21 December 2013. Amira also sang Nessun Dorma during the Final Liveshow of Holland’s Got Talent on 28 December 2013, and won Holland’s Got Talent 2013 ! As the Winner, Amira will travel to Las Vegas to perform on The Strip in 2014, so all Americans can enjoy her qualities ! “Nessun Dorma” (English: “None shall sleep”) is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known arias in all opera. It is sung by the unknown prince, who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. However, any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded. So tonight, Amira acts like a real Princess falling in love with a Prince. The name “Amira” means “Princess” in Arabic.
katherine bolaños3 weeks ago
I didn’t like opera until I heard Amira singing, and now I love it
Billy Macey3 years ago
Just discovered her.Can’t stop listening to the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.
StationOfdreams4 years ago
This version of Ave Maria by Amira is the most brilliant performance I have ever heard of that song. I get goose bumps every time I listen. The power in her voice is amazing, and it seems to happen so easily. Wonderful. Long live Amira.
Adrian Larkins6 years ago
Unbelievable voice for a 9 year old, I just hope and pray fame does not destroy her as happens so often with child stars. May God protect this little angel.
airbornmobo747ma4 years ago
do you notice her eyes right at the end …..she was in another world…and snap back here at the end…wow!
Margaret Zamorano1 week ago
Music touches the heart in relaxation, love… my statement is, “Treasures of the heart”. I have always loved music and singing… at the age of two… I would sing with the birds… they called me Marking Bird. I have sang all through my life and through school. I was performing… after the program, a young lady came to me staying you should sing opera. Music of the arts touching the heart… there you find satisfaction in listening, learning and performing… Thanks be to God for all talents!
David parkin3 years ago
Better, in my opinion, than the Nessun dorma that won her the title….one of the best versions of ave Maria I have ever heard!fantatic performance!
victor ramirz2 years ago
an angel has taken a little girl form.
Veronikurt Wolff5 years ago
Amira sings really beautiful, she has a incredible voice, I love listen you!!
This 9 year old girl blows the jury away in Holland Got Talent
Michael Kaiser5 days ago
I have watched this video a 100 times and I never get tired of watching the pure joy of Amira and listening to that voice.
Andrew Morgan6 days ago
Brought tears to my eyes 💕 beautiful 👏🏻Shame the judges wouldn’t keep quiet during her performance…
Darcy Brummett3 weeks ago
How do you say “beautiful” in Dutch?
Judit Tabi7 months ago
Thank you very much! Du bist einfach die Beste! Du hast sehr schöne lange Haare! Eine wunderschöne Stimme hast du! Das geht ins Herz!
blueoceangurl281 month ago
I cry every time I hear this performance 😭 Beautiful and angelic ❤😇
Rollin McKim2 months ago
Bravo, Bravo, Bravo! Amira always calms my soul……
gala xies4 months ago
Im never search opera song on youtube before this. dank je amira
Margaret Cunningham3 weeks ago
Can’t stop listening since I found u beautiful Amira.love u❤️💖🌹🎀🌺💝
Each year on July 4th, the United States celebrates Independence Day. This federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
For nearly 250 years, the country has been celebrating a day in history that inspires us still today. On July 4th, communities host speeches and ceremonies across the nation. Across the country, people crowd cities for parades and festivals. Cities deck the streets in red, white, and blue bunting and flags.
Families and friends also gather for some of the most mouthwatering food – large picnics and barbecues, local fairs provide a taste of culture and mom’s home cooking, too. With so many converging on their hometowns, family and school reunions take place.
Fire Works
Before the day is over, many communities hold spectacular fireworks displays re-enacting moments of victory. Patriotic music accompanies the performance while spectators view the show from blankets strewn along capital lawns or from boats floating in bays. Whether our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “God Bless America,” many will sing along. In some locations, music will be played by a live orchestra or band, while in other areas it’s pre-recorded. Some of the most popular on the playlist are “America the Beautiful,” “My Country, Tis of Thee,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “God Bless the U.S.A.,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie.”
In some parts of the country, people will shoot their own fireworks while children delight in the bright colors and sparklers. They roast marshmallows and make s’ mores.
HOW TO OBSERVE #IndependenceDay #July4th #4thOfJuly #FourthOfJuly
Spend the day celebrating independence. Attend local events or travel the nation to see friends and relatives.
At noon, a “Salute to the Union” is fired, each July 4th, by any capable military base. This is a salute of one gun for each state in the United States.
In 2009, New York City hosted the largest fireworks display in the country.
Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island, is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.
Share your celebrations using #IndependenceDay, #July 4th, #4thOfJuly, FourthOfJuly on social media. Grab some Patriotic clothes you can wear year-round.
INDEPENDENCE DAY HISTORY
July 4th
1777 – The First Anniversary – Bristol, Rhode Island, fired thirteen gunshots in salute: once in the morning and once again in the evening. Philadelphia hosted an official dinner for the Continental Congress. There were also toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.
1778 – General George Washington gave his soldiers a double ration of rum and an artillery salute. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin hosted a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
1779 – Since the holiday fell on a Sunday, celebrations were held on Monday, July 5th.
1781 – The Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4th as a state celebration.
1783 – Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, celebrated with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. The work was titled “The Psalm of Joy.”
1791 – The first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
1820 – Eastport Main held the first Fourth of July celebration, and it remains the largest in the state.
1870 – The United States Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
1938 – The United States Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
“Sometimes it is hard for me to remember… will my Birthday be today… or will it be another day this week… or will we let it pass a few days… because the 4th of JULY is more important than my BIRTHDAY… and since so many other things and or happenings… that just may be on the calendar… this same and very special week… so we will all celebrate and get together this weekend… and celebrate my Big Birthday and the FOURTH of JULY… all in one day…just because… this big and wonderful world is spinning around … just a tad too fast for little ole me, ALAN?”
I only hope that everyone knows that I am getting a big headache …over a maybe now and or maybe later this week.
Think that… if I remember what and how I did in my younger days…. you know those days when I would get too much on my plate to handle… I would sit at my very own special table… and sometimes big brother Billy would join me… as we would have a very good time eating a refreshing snack or two!
Those were the days… when I was a little tike… sitting so nice and straight at my play table… always had big brother Billy to tell me what we were going to be doing… as he would get that Firstclass information from Mommy… herself… and we would just follow orders… everything just had a way of happening… and I never had a care in the world… in those good ole days.
Seems to me… that there are so many days on the calendar… and my BIRTHDAY just has to proceed the BIG Fourth of July… by just a couple of days… and every year the days move around… and in some years… we Americans… could end up having a whole week to celebrate and enjoy… the BIRTH of AMERICA… I am just one happy and lucky little kid!
“Hurrah for the flag of the free! May it wave as our standard forever.” – Stars & Strips Forever by John Philip Sousa
June 14 is Flag Day! In honor of the occasion, here are 13 facts about the flag of the United States, one fact for each stripe on the flag (which represents the nation’s first 13 colonies).
1. My tween asked yesterday why Flag Day is observed on June 14. I had her look it up. Turns out that the Second Continental Congress first approved a national flag on June 14, 1777.
2. The idea of Flag Day is believed to have first originated in 1885 in Fredonia, Wisconsin when a school teacher began celebrating Flag Birthday.
3. Flag Day did not become official, however, until 1916. That year, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that established a nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14.
4. The colors of Old Gloryhave meaning. Red stands for hardiness and valor. White symbolizes purity and innocence. Blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.
5. Speaking of Old Glory, Captain William Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, coined that term in 1831 after some friends presented him with a 10-by-17-foot flag. At that point, there were twenty-four stars on our national banner.
6. There are specific rules for the display of the flag, including:
The flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset. If the flag is displayed at night it should be illuminated.
Never allow the flag to touch the ground or the floor.
When displayed on a wall or window the blue field should be in the upper left corner.
The flag should be raised quickly and lowered ceremoniously.
7. There are exceptions to the sunrise/sunset rule, though. The U.S. flag is flown 24 hours a day by either presidential proclamation or law at select locations, including:
Fort McHenry, National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, MarylandFlag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland
United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia
On the Green of the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
The White House, Washington, D.C.
United States Customs Ports of Entry
Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge State Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
8. In 1909, Robert Peary placed a flag at the North Pole. His wife had sewn that flag. He also left pieces of another flag along the way. It is the only time a person has been honored for cutting the flag.
9. That’s not the only interesting location of the American flag. There are 6 American flags on the moon. They were planted by crews from Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
10. Many sources I checked would not definitively say that Betsy Ross was officially the one who made the first flag. PBS says, “While no one knows the exact origin of the first American flag, some historians believe it was designed by Congressman Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross.” Did you know that was up for debate?
12. The military folds the flag with 13 folds, each with symbolic meaning.
13. Flag Day is observed nationwide, but Pennsylvania is the only state that recognizes it as a legal holiday.
We started our day by putting out our flag and lining our walk with smaller flags. Then we had red, white and blue pancakes. Do you have any plans for Flag Day?
Listening to radio station 91.5 FM, “The Complete Story” for their July 4th, program, was once again a terrific program, that I just had to hear each time, each day as scheduled this week.
This year’s program emphasized the importance of using the correct name for the “4th of July” as it is our “Independence Day” and we should be proud to say so!
In the first few minutes a song, that we should be singing more often was performed by someone whose name I am sorry I did not write down but his rendition of “America the Beautiful” – with those powerful words we need to sing, “God shed His grace on thee” is for sure a prayer. The whole song and the words are really a prayer, that as a kid, I remember singing in grade school, but never much, again? Why is that?
The finishing touch of the program was absolutely the best, as it was the year before.
I just love to hear, “Sandi Patty” sing the “Star-Spangled Banner!” Her rendition of our National Anthem is the absolute best of all the singers, that I have heard! Her voice is so beautiful and she hits those notes, right on, a most perfect gift from our Almighty Creator, himself!
When I was listening, the “goose-bumps” and hair standing on end, just so “spine-chilling” just a most wonderful voice, a “GIFT” from the “Almighty” and to be able to make such beautiful music. I will have to make an effort to find my tapes, that I purchased some time ago, with the above songs, and play them more often!
“God Bless America” another favorite song of mine, and may the Almighty continue to BLESS all of the AMERICAN people – Now and Forever, who will continue to sing “praises to your Name!” D.V.
To start the PARTY, one must have guests, and who else would you start with but, the best in the FAMILY, and so, we will start off with “Alan, for today, and two months back was for JAIME and then to start the NEW YEAR, Alyssa will start with Daddy O” just the very best “Grand-children and their terrific DADDY”, that, I could have ever wanted!
What would you need that everyone likes and will usually ask, “Will there BE CAKE?”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY to YOU – ALAN”
…. and many more….
And to be sure they will like what you like, the question will be, “What kind of CAKE is your FAVORITE?” This is where we have to consider, some may like this and some may like something just a little off the ordinary, so as to please everyone, “Let’s have two CAKES, so all can for sure, have what they like, and if, there are any leftovers, then the “BIRTHDAY PERSON” will be in “7th Heaven” finishing all of the Delicious left-overs!”
“So, how would you like this extra special cake for your “BIRTHDAY” if it is so close to the “4th of July?” Looks like just the right kind of “Fire-Cracker” to eat and really enjoy each and every bite – just so yummy looking – can not wait to eat!”
Let us all start getting busy with the table setting!
Just so we can start the PARTY, take a look at this “Birthday Party” table, all set and ready to go. There may be one or two things we need to add, but we are still preparing and we will be adding more, as we pull more items from the closet, the real big surprises!
So grateful and THANKFUL for all of the tips that are given, as we start our second childhood, still remembering all those “Birthday Parties” when the “Grand-Children” were small – so we still have to continue with lots of flair, because everyone knows, that when the second childhood starts setting up camp in us “Grand-Parents” we muster up all that wisdom and put it to work, getting ourselves back into PLAYING games like never before! We can NOW, do whatever we like, just to make up for not getting to do everything and any thing that we did want to do, a hundred years ago! D.V.