Japanese American Internment Memorial

At the Japanese American Interment Memorial, there are multiple vignettes that portray the ordeals Japanese American citizens faced in the internment camps.

The vignettes started by showing the migration of Japanese Americans through the end of their internment depicting how their lives changed.

There were two sides of the memorial that showed the lives of Japanese Americans before internment and how their lives were during internment.

The vignette I wanted to discuss more was on the side depicting how the lives of Japanese Americans were at the internment camps.

The dining hall or ‘mess hall’ was a place where families would come together to eat their meals assisting each other in feeding the younger children and sharing what food they have.

I noticed that in this depiction there is not enough for room for everyone to sit, men line the walls waiting for their turn to eat.

I am guessing that in the interment camps there was an order of who ate and when, and this reflected the homes the Japanese Americans lived in.

With limited space, those in the camp must have gotten to know each other quickly which made the mess hall depiction a strong sense of community for the camp.

This must have been an important place for all to gather at least three times a day to be together and be a real community in a place that the Japanese Americans faced many challenges just to survive.

Word of the Week #8

STAGNANT

I found the word stagnant in an article on Yahoo! News titled “College costs shot up 8 percent this year”.

“College tuition costs have nearly tripled since 1980, accounting for inflation, even as median wages have remained stagnant over the same period.

stag·nant adjective characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement.

Students have been greatly affected by the stagnant economy.

Word of the Week #7

BESET

In an article about the funding cuts community colleges have received from the state and local communities from the San Jose Mercury News.

“Some schools are holding off on tax and bond measure because voters beset by their own financial troubles simply can’t afford to pay more, said Kris Voburg, executive director of the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.”

be·set verb to attack on all sides, assault.

Promoters beset students the first week of school promoting organizations and events on campus.

In My Humble Opinion

For weeks the movement, Occupy Wall Street, has protested against where the wealth of America lies in our economic state.

From New York City to the Bay Area, protesters have been in front of banks letting the nation, government and bank systems know they are unhappy with the unemployment rate and foreclosure rate on homes.

In my opinion, the recent protests have reminded us of how the government set to fix the economy through economic bailouts.

In 2008, when the bailouts were given many experts supported the actions but soon after reality set in and banks were winning and home-owners were losing.

The bailout were meant to protect home-owners from losing their homes but according to Father Eduardo Samaniego he ha seen nearly one in eight homes foreclosed in his community since 2008.

Banks are supposed to be on the side of their customers but it is evident that these protests are correct in bringing up how the banks are not protecting people and their homes.

The economic downward spiral has only increased the separation between the wealthy and those that go without.

These protests are attempting to create a change in the corrupt and mismanaged U.S. capitol to better protect the 99 percent.

Protesters hope to create a change that will let the majority be the voice and face of our nation, changes have to be made in Washington for there to be any hope for change in our economic state.

It seems as though more arrests have been made because of these protests and fewer actions have been made from the government or banks.

I feel that the number of protests occurring across the nation should be garnering enough attention for law-makers and bank officials to start thinking on how they can protect the 99 percent.

We must be the change we want to be and these protests are pointing out that our economic situation can be controlled and influence by the 99 percent.

Sources:
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19100787
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-sachs/occupy-wall-street-and-th_b_1007609.html

Word of the Week #6

CONSORTIUM

In an article honoring the Sutro Tower found in the New York Times, Bay Citizen column.

“Owned by a consortium of four media companies, the 3.5-million-pound tower has been plagued with controversy: accusations of skulduggery, media blackouts and lawsuits.”

con·sor·ti·um noun any association, partnership, or union (of companies)

The event was being hosting by a consortium of charities hoping to build a homeless shelter in San Jose.

Blog #5 Mystery Character

I am short, round and my skin is a lovely shade of burnt orange, I am commonly compared to an Oompa-Loompa.

I wear a lot of make up because it is always party time with short dresses and high heels, a must for a night looking for a tan, Italian man.

My hair is teased to be larger that it is and is dyed black and it adds about 4 inches to my height.

When you hear my voice, you a hear a slight raspiness that can be hard to listen to after a while.

Word of the Week #5

Word of the Week #5

VIRTUOSO

In an article posted online by the Associated Press titled “Folk legend Bert Jansch dies at 67”.

“Jansch, who died of lung cancer Wednesday at the age of 67, was a virtuoso, hailed by the likes of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Canadian rocker Neil Young and Johnny Marr of the Smiths as a force to be reckoned with, and learned from.”

vir·tu·o·so adjective a person who excels in musical technique or execution

The virtuoso performance by the pianist moved many members of the audience to tears.