Japanese Internment Memorial

During our field trip to the Japanese Internment Memorial, I found one vignette to be especially interesting and memorable.

The vignette featured a man adding placing a Japanese flag and doll into a fire. Gripping onto the man is a little girl, probably crying over her burning doll.

This picture is extremely significant to the memory of the Japanese Internment.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 issued all Japanese Americans to be grouped together and sent away to camps.

In an effort to avoid being shot and harassed by soldiers, many Japanese assimilated and got rid of items significant to their culture, such as the Japanese flag.

Many of these efforts were in vain, and only created a deep loss of Japanese connection to their home land and traditions.

The Japanese have a very respectful manner and culture, so to see them disrespected so much is very saddening.

The crying girl could also represent the innocent children who knew nothing of their situation.

Burning his items also represents the distance that the Japanese made from their original country in order to comply with the American way of life.

Ironically, the purpose of America was always to accept people from all over the world and welcome immigration.

War, however, is always quick to raise suspicions and result in tensions, no matter the race.

Word of the Week #8

1.) Concretions

2.) "Blackbeard's Cannon Recovered From Ocean" article by Colleen Curry

http://abcnews.go.com/US/blackbeards-cannon-lifted-sea-north-carolina/story?id=14818314

3.) ""It was perfect. It's a beautiful day, the crews were out earlier this morning, several boats out there witnessed it," Woodward said. "It looks like it's covered in concretions, with cement all around it, and there will be lots of things attached to it."

4.) Noun; a solid or calcified mass in the body formed by a disease process.

5.) You better hope that necklace from that Titanic movie isn't ruined by concretions when you pull it up!

Word of the Week #7

1.) Dapper

2.) 'Twilight' Cast Talks Momentous 'Breaking Dawn' Moment article by Chrissy Le Nguyen

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/twilight-cast-talks-momentous-breaking-dawn-moment-014411502.html

3.) "Then, fans get quick glimpses of the "Midsummer's Night Dream"-themed wedding with Bella being escorted down the aisle by her father, the guests sitting in flowered pews, and the dapper-looking groom grinning ear to ear at the altar."

4.) Adjective; neat,trim,smart

5.) Many young people voted for Obama because of his dapper-like appearance.

IMHO

Just today, the Associated Press issued a brief article explaining that banks such as Chase, Wellsfargo and Bank of America plan on implementing fees whenever a cardholder uses their debit card.

My current bank is Wellsfargo, and I'll be damned if they try and take even three dollars away from me each month, just because I use my debit card to put gas.

I work a part time job as an after school leader for a non-profit and I'm struggling to pay for school as it is.

To have a bank tell me that they're going to charge me for using my own money is ridiculous.

I realize that debit transactions aren't as safe as cash sometimes, but I'm not very good with cash in my pocket.

If I know I've got twenty dollars in my wallet, I'm way more likely to spend it on something unnecessary, or something I see in a store window.

By having by money only in my checking account, it's easier for me to just say no to myself because the cash isn't physically in my hand.

Some consumers have the opposite problem, but I feel that imposing any sort of extra free is a direct violation of my right to have my money contained in a safe place.

It's bad enough that some stores charge you extra just for using a debit card instead of cash.

I certainly don't need my bank doing the same.

While the fees aren't ridiculous, that five dollars a month for Bank of America customers adds up to $60 a year, just to use your own money.

It just doesn't make sense to me in any way, shape or form.

If these banks do start issuing these fees, I'm interested to see how consumers, like me, will react.

I highly doubt that American's will simply avoid all debit transactions.

In life, there are just too many moments when the cash isn't there and you need to pay now.

People also need to realize that if the banks are going to start tacking fees on something like this, who's to say they won't start charging us to use their own ATMs?

I know I can't be the only customer who's shocked by this silly fee.

If they keep on charging for every little transaction, with this depressing economy, I wouldn't be surprised if consumers started stashing money in safes like the old days.

Word of the Week #6

1.) Deposed

2.) Photo caption for the article "Anti-Quaddafi Fighter's Face Stiff Resistance in Surt" by Kareen Fahim
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/world/africa/anti-qaddafi-fighters-vie-with-loyalists-for-control-in-surt.html?_r=1&ref=world

3.) "Anti-Qaddafi soldiers in Surt, Libya, the hometown of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the deposed leader."

4.) Verb; to remove from office, especially high office

5.) Many American's wish they could have called President George W. Bush, a deposed leader.

Mystery Character

Often dressed in a simple black turtleneck and casual jeans, this man carried himself with the utmost dignity.

His light brown eyes rested behind a pair of circular-shaped eyeglasses.

A scruffy, salt and pepper colored beard show years of hard work.

His sparse and receding hairline added a few years to his actual age.

A simple gold wedding band adorned his ring finger everyday.

Pale skin, and a thin, weakening body walked with caution.

His lingering and modest smile almost never revealed his teeth.

His grin left soft laugh lines along his mouth.

His voice was strong and yet easy to listen to.

It echoed with the sound of his perseverance and dedication.

His speech was articulate to say the least, and yet simple and thrilling at the same time.  

Word of the Week #5

1.) Conglomerate

2.) "Handicapping IAC's Investment in Chelsea Clinton" by Steven M. Davidoff
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/handicapping-iacs-investment-in-chelsea-clinton/scp=3&sq=conglomerate&st=cse

3.) "Ms. Clinton was appointed last week to the board of IAC/InterActiveCorp, the Internet media conglomerate controlled by Barry Diller."

4.)Noun; a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries,usually as a result of merger or acquisition

5.) Disney is one of the world's most infamous conglomerates.