La Marsellaise versus the Star-Spangled Banner

We have a very important topic of battle ahead of us today...the national anthems. Let's first take the case for the Star-Spangled Banner:
-catchy tune.
-great at sporting events because of the comedy which ensues when somebody can't quite hit the "by the rockets red glare" part a la Roseanne Barr.
-a good history (Frances Scott Key during the War of 1812, to refresh your memory).

And now the Marsellaise:
-catchy tune.
-awesome, gore-filled lyrics that would make Quentin Tarantino proud (sample of English translation: "The howling of these fearsome soldiers/ They are coming into our midst/ To cut the throats of your sons and consorts."
-a good history (the lyrics were written by somebody who supported the monarchy, but the song was adopted by French revolutionaries).

Know what? I think the two are amongst the best of the world's national anthems, and I can't choose one. Besides, I'm tired of having to write the "0.5" with each score. We'll call it a tie of national anthems and that brings us to U.S. 10, France 9.

French for the Day: the word for "jack-of-all-trades" (e.g., somebody who knows how to do a lot of random stuff, often but not necessarily related to home improvement projects) is "un homme à tout faire".

Today's pics: of the Holocaust Memorial at the tip of the Ile de la Cité, right in the back of Nôtre Dame. I never knew it was there.