Friday 22 May 2015

Big Bang MADE Concert HK


The kings are back! Big Bang is having their MADE concert in Hong Kong in the Asiaworld Expo on 12-14 June (Friday-Sunday) after 3 years!!! The excitement is real!

Unfortunately, (here comes the bad news; brace yourselves) I could not get the tickets :( No! Such a disappointment. The cheaper tickets (i.e. $488,$788) had all been grabbed by other people within a few hours. *Cries and hides in a corner*
'I didn't get Big Bang tickets...'

Ticket Prices
The prices for the tickets range from $488, $788, $988, $1,888, $1,388, to $1,888 as the most expensive. 

Seating Plan

Big Bang's New Comeback
The reason for their having world tour in Hong Kong this time is to promote their new comeback for 'Loser' and 'Bae Bae'. They have already held a world tour in Seoul as their first stop, as well as Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, and Wuhan. They will, later on, travel to Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka once again to bring the world tour to an end. 

Their new song 'Loser' won many awards in a matter of a few weeks and has topped the charts within days of their release.

'Bae Bae' was also released on the same day as 'Loser' and adds a fun yet sexual twist to their style. 

The idol group will release more songs on the first date of every month and releasing their full 'Made' album in September. The next song is to be released on 1 June. 

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THEIR NEW SONG I THINK I WILL CRY NOW!!!Alright excuse my craziness but they are my baes and they all look pretty even if they're dressed up as girls. (Here you go) Bingu T.O.P is back with his very own bingu-ness showing fully on stage, Seungri looks a very hot anime character with his gold hair, GD looks like a gangster with suspenders, Taeyang looks pretty much the same except for a cool split in his eyebrows, and I don't think Daesung can't really see with his hair covering his 'already-very-small' eyes (I'm sorry, Daesung.) 
Daesung looks so cute here :)

And here's our ever changing T,O.P; from being hot and mature,

...to cute,


...and now totally crazy with his 'crown-hair'. 

How I Study for Exams/Tests

Some people find the idea of studying for tests or exams very burdening and frustrated with the fact that flipping through pages and pages of a text book takes a lot of time. Me too, that's why I invented my very own personalized way of revising!

This method works for most subjects. I always did this for math and I'm currently doing this for science as well (I'm really bad at science).

So basically I go back to the syllabus which is being tested and then I create a 'revision sheet'. I would put sub-headings and notes for that (maybe some pictures as well).

I soon realized that I am also, in a way, revising while I making this revision sheet and when I'm flipping through it. Double revision! :) :)

Here are some examples:
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What method do you use to study? :)

Thursday 7 May 2015

Bye Hong Kong :( Hello Caterham School

For some of you who I may not have already told, I will be leaving Sha Tin College and Hong Kong in the coming August for the UK :( I will miss you all but I will continue to update this blog! So don't worry! We're still connected by our hearts <3 <3 <3

The school I will be going to called Caterham School and is in the area of Surrey, UK. Caterham School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Caterham and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
HMC Logo new.png

Awards/Scholarships
If the applicant performs particularly well on the entrance exam test tests, the school may award a scholarship, which in my case, was rewarded to me :) 

Academic results
Caterham School has always performed very well over the years and was always within the top 100 ranking. These results have improved significantly these few years. In the latest GCSE results, around 50% of its students received A* and 78% passed with A*-A, setting a new school record. 112 pupils took Biology or Human Biology and 101 of them achieved an A* with the remaining 11 pupils achieving an A grade. 


A majority of the Sixth Form go on to university studies. At A-Levels, pupils who were rewarded with A* took on a total of 28%. 

University Destinations
For the year 2014, 85% went to 'top tier' universities, including some of which are overseas. These universities include:

- Cardiff University    - Imperial College London    - Newcastle University    - Bristol University    
- London School of Economics and Political Science    - University of Oxford
- University of Cambridge

...and more.

Pay a Visit!
I have actually already went to visit this school during March and I really like it! I personally prefer Caterham School's boarding house more than Epsom College's (I have been to Epsom College to visit during February). But anyways, I have taken my decision to go to Caterham School.
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Does the Media Influence Body Images?

Over the years, as television and computers slowly take over our lives, the image of perfection in both males and females has taken over at the same time. As the internet develops, websites with the idea of ‘thinspiration’ and ‘dieting’ has promoted young teenage girls, women and men that thin is the way to beauty and charm. Many of those images have valued and appreciated the look of youth and, somewhat, childlike. Experts believe that there are over 10 million females suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or other types of eating disorders and that the ultra-thin models and actresses on TVs and magazines have a big impact on the still-developing minds of young girls and boys.

First of all, there are many different types of eating disorders. The most common one is anorexia nervosa, or just anorexia for short. It mostly occurs in teenage girls who often think they are ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’. They will become fixated on becoming thin in ways such as self-starvation, self-abuse, and obsessive exercising routines. The second type is bulimia nervosa, from the Greek word boulimia, which means ‘great hunger’. People with bulimia would gorge food, followed by forced vomiting. Both eating disorder victims are trying to achieve bony, fatless, bodies amongst themselves.

On many fashion magazines and ‘thinspiration’ websites, there will be numerous pictures of unattainable body types on many fashion models and unhealthy weights that are marked ‘pretty’. These will often become inspirations for young teenagers to want to become thin and ‘pretty’. If not by the pictures the media sends out, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, victims of bullying, or girls with ‘perfectionist’ personalities can also be the main causes. These teenagers will always try to fit in by wanting to become thin and start dieting. Since anorexia is largely psychological, many become starved to death because of anorexia nervosa or, for the lucky ones, are found out and able to seek help from psychologists.


Barbie dolls are considered a ‘must have’ in a little girl’s life, but these thoughts of having ‘beautiful’ body shapes similar to Barbie’s is not possible. Statistics show that a girl would usually have her first barbie by the age of three, and will collect a total of seven dolls during her childhood. Barbie dolls are often blamed for eating disorders that have developed later on in a child’s life. These dolls with fictionally proportioned body sizes have since been planted in many little girls’ young minds that give them the concept that being thin equates to happiness. We can prove that having barbie body shapes are impossible because if barbie was a real person, she would stand to be six feet tall, with a 39” bust, 18” waist, 33” hips, and would wear a size 3 shoe. She would also weigh 110 lbs and have a BMI of 16.24, thus fit in the weight criteria for being anorexic. Due to her weight, Barbie would most likely not menstruate. She would also have to walk on all fours due to her proportions. Is this what the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. wants to send out to young ladies out there who buy their barbie dolls?

However, many also say that these eating disorders were not just influenced by the media, but by many other different factors; that the media influences are not a direct cause. Early childhood development builds up the child’s self-esteem as he/she grows, but as the obesity numbers of children around the world continue to increase, many parents belittle their child’s little minds by manipulating over their intake of foods and controlling their body appearances. These can set problems along the lines of the child’s growth.

Genetics in the family can also play a big role in whether the child would or wouldn't have an eating disorder. A research led by Dr. Michael Strober at the Neuropsychiatric Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), proves that an individual is twelve times more likely to develop anorexia if a close relative has also suffered from the disorder, and four times more likely to develop bulimia.

Going back to the barbie doll factor, many artistic and enthusiastic young men and women are fighting the idea of ‘thin is beauty’. Nickolay Lamm, an artist known online for his digital visualizations, took measurements of average American women and compared them with the normal barbie doll. He decided to make a barbie doll that would better off represent a healthy, ordinary body type. Lamm’s collaborating campaign for Lammily, the average barbie doll, is now up and running. He hopes to produce 5,000 dolls. Nickolay Lamm wants to bring out to young boys and girls that average is also beautiful.
Healthy Barbie Doll: Lammily

In conclusion, eating disorders are a very serious factor amongst 7.046 billion people in the world. This can be caused by both the photos that the media sends out or by the genes that have passed on from earlier generations. Which are they caused by? Well, I myself would not be able to answer this question. On the good side, we can at least try to prevent this by stopping the media from telling all their models that they are ‘overweight’ and ‘not fit’ to be photographed. If this was taken into action, the number of eating disorders would most likely drop immensely.

References:
Fettner, Ann Guidici. “Britannica School/ anorexia nervosa”. 17 March, 2014. School Database. http://school.ebonline.com/levels/middle/article/272888

Ballaro, Beverly. Wagner, Geraldine. “Body Image & the Media: An Overview”. 10 March, 2014. School Database. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?sid=e1bb71b6-9958-4e13-8896dfd90ef40b10%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9cG92LWxpdmU%3d#db=pwh&AN=28675178

Maine, Margo. “Get Real Barbie” Fact Sheet*”. 17 March, 2014. PDF. http://www.chapman.edu/students/health-and-safety/psychological-counseling/_files/eating-disorder-files/13-barbie-facts.pdf

Lamm, Nickolay. “Lammily- Average is Beautiful”. 17 March, 2014. Website.
https://www.lammily.com/average-is-beautiful

Driscoll, Sally, Campbell, Tamara. “Counterpoint: Body Image is Influenced by Many Factors, not Just the Media”. 20 March, 2014. School Database.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?sid=c578a509-1ff1-4ecf-a1f7-7ed4964f350f%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=128

Wednesday 6 May 2015

3 Things I Don't Like Since I Was a Kid

There are a few things that I have not been particularly fond of since I was very young. I will reveal them ALL to you today!

Fluffy Dolls
Do not ask me why I don't like these things, because there is no reason for that. I wasn't really able to find the comfort that teddy bears or fluffy dolls brought to me, unlike my other friends. Most of them would even have one by their bedside or hug one when they went to bed. 

I tried to see if, maybe, I could be like that as well and have a doll which would accompany until I grew up, but I quickly abandoned the teddy bear after a maximum period of one week (I think I still have it...).

Barbie Dolls
One thing I didn't really understand (and still don't) why girls would like to hold a Barbie doll and braid her hair and dress her in different clothes. I really don't! Someone once gave me a Barbie doll and I opened the packaging, but soon abandoned it (as well) because it was totally boring and I didn't find the point in what I was doing. 
 

P.S. I liked toy guns. I remember holding them and pretending to shoot at the wall at home all day long :) The one I liked the most had plastic bullets and shooting noises!!! My mom told me later on that she was afraid I wouldn't act like a girl even after I grew up. 

Coca Cola
This is weird for me to say this, but I REALLY dislike Coca Cola. This might be because we don't actually have any soda at home, which makes it really weird for me when I actually drink Coca Cola. I think it leaves a acidic taste in my mouth and I feel like my mouth is going to sizzle and burn....

If someone were to give me Coca Cola for free, I might give it to my friend or someone else but I would DEFINITELY NOT pay for a can of Coca Cola. 
 

Sunday 3 May 2015

Facts about Shi Huang Di

Early Life
- Born in 259 BC (210 BC - death, aged 49)
- Father was king of Qin state
- At the time Ying Zheng (original name for Shi Huang Di) was born, China divided up into 7 major states
- Zheng had good education
Becoming King
- When Zheng was thirteen, his father (Zichu- grandson of emperor Chin Shaodi) died
- May have been the son of a lowly merchant, not certain
- Zheng became king at young age, thirteen
- Defeated army who wanted to overthrow him / Set his mother into prison
- For a few years, a regent (someone else) helped him to rule the land together
- When Zheng’s 22, he took full control
- Very ambitious, wanted to conquer other Chinese states and unite China

Uniting China/ Becoming Emperor
- Once had full control, set out to conquer other six Chinese states
- Took them on one by one
- First state conquered : Han state
- Then Zhao and the Wei also conquered
- Then took on powerful Chu state
- Once Chu state was defeated, remaining Yan and Qi state fell easily
- Finally King Zheng was leader of all of China
- Declared himself emperor, changed name to Shi Huang (meaning ‘first emperor’ or ‘Son of Heaven’)
- There were many assassination attempts in his life, which made him want to live forever

Organizing the Empire
- Government : Qin didn’t want the states to think of themselves as independents, so divided country into administrative units. There were 36 “commanderies”, were further divided into districts and counties. Also had government positions appointed according to people’s abilities
- Economy : Qing also unified China, establishing a common money and standard units of measure. The economy ran smoothly because everyone was using same money and measurements units
- Writing - There were many ways of writing in China at that time. Emperor Qing ordered everyone to teach and use the same type of writing.
- Construction : Qing made many improvements to the infrastructure of China. Made many networks of roads and canals built throughout the country. This help to improve trade and travel. Also began building the Great Wall of China. Had many existing walls throughout the country connected to form a long wall that protects China from invaders to the north

A Tyrant
- Although Qing was a skilled leader, was also a tyrant, even at a very young age
- He outlawed most religions and required people to be loyal/obedient only to government
- Ordered most existing books burned
- Wanted history to begin with his rule and the Qin dynasty
- Thought his family would rule China for thousands of years
- However empire collapsed three years after death
- Scholars who didn't bring their books to be burned, were killed

Building a Tomb
- Shi Huang Di most famous for his tomb
- Had over 700,000 workers construct his tomb throughout his life
- Built a large terracotta army of 8,000 soldiers/horses/chariots that ‘he thought’ would protect him in afterlife
- Each of the six-foot tall soldiers had individual faces
- Was obsessed with trying to live forever

Death
- Died traveling on tour of Eastern China in 210 BC
- Second sun, Huhai, was on trip with him
-Huhai wanted to be emperor, so hid his father’s death and forged letter from father to older brother telling him to commit suicide
- After brother killed himself, Huhai became emperor

Saturday 2 May 2015

A Life in the Day

I wake up to the call of my mom’s voice shouting, ‘Vivien! Wake up and wash yourself!’ I swing my legs off the bed and wear my slippers. They weigh a ton. Half asleep, half awake, I put one foot in front of another- and I drag my dozing body into the fluorescent lights of the bathroom. I don’t eat breakfast- I just drink a box of milk.

I finish washing my face and brushing my teeth, and then I go and change into my school uniform. Our school uniform is a white short-sleeved blouse with our school logo embroidered on the breast pocket and a navy coloured skort. Our skorts are awfully short, it’s literally a miniskirt. Though I like it that way because wearing short skirts has the effect of longer legs- I’m not particularly six-foot tall so I need it.

At exactly 7:30 each day, I get in the car. My parents drive me to school and I’m so thankful for loving parents. They are like chocolate- I can’t live without them and they are as sweet as can be.

I usually arrive to school at 7:55, though most people arrive at 8:10. I like to be earlier, even if I have nothing to do in our form room; except reading. I’m currently on ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. I have heard from others that it’s an excellent book, and there’s a movie version for it too. Even better, it was nominates for Golden Dragon Book Awards, and I’m in the club as well. I look forward to watching the movie; to see how bad the movie is. Good books usually go with bad movies.

Our form room for this year is on the first floor, so luckily, I do not have to walk a bazillion flight of stairs.

The bell rings, and we all go off to our first lesson- math. To be honest, math isn't so bad for me, because I understand everything the teacher is talking about. I am often doing exercises way ahead in the chapters than everyone else, though I don’t tell the teacher I am finished with the exercise because he will just give me more work to do; I learned this over time. If the teacher comes along to see how we’re doing, I’d put on furrowed brows, pick up my pen, and pretend to write. That’s why I don’t have to study for math tests much.

Next is English lesson, and it’s library lesson today! I absolutely love library lessons. I look forward to them every lesson, hoping that the teacher will say, ‘Alright class. Let’s head down to the library and read!’ Some of the others moan, but my heart jumps a little at hearing this. I smile from the inside and out.

We get to stay in the library for an entire hour and simply read! I adore reading; it’s as if going on a new adventure every time you start a book and taking a sneak peek into someone else’s life. Reading is like watching a movie; you see the scenes that the author is describing to you through words. The only difference: you’re part of the casting team and you get to visualize an imaginary actor.

Finally! The long awaited break-time! I eat like a chick. My friends say that I eat too little, and that the amount I eat is not equal to my size. I agree. I’m not even hungry, so why stuff myself at lunchtime? I bet my metabolism is slower than a snail.

Two hours and six minutes to go; I think to myself Be strong, you can do it. Only two more periods to go. You can do it. You can do it. This cheers me up instantly and gets my spirit up.

Yay! End of school! Time for home! I used to have millions of activities after school, but starting from this year on, my mom decided to cut in down a little. I used to have four hours of ballet each week, but because of my knee injury, I stopped for three months. It still hurts when I run or climb stairs. I do not think I will start again. It is a loss after 8 years of ballet.

My mom picks me up from school, and she drives to City One, which is quite near to my school. There is fried chicken, bubble tea, egg waffle, McDonald’s, anything you can think of. My mom always drinks bubble tea. She says she’s addicted to it, like being addicted to drugs. She loves bubble tea and has to have it at least once everyday. Her record for bubble tea in one day: three.

I am so jealous of my mom; she never gains weight with all that bubble tea in her.

Our teacher once asked us to think of imaginary gifts that we can give to people around us. Some of my friends thought of video games, my best friend wished for a good knee for me. I wrote down that I would buy the entire branch of Gong Cha (bubble tea shop) for my mom and become the boss. If my mom saw a Gong Cha shop anywhere in Hong Kong, she could get as much bubble tea as she wants for free. Absolutely no cost at all for VIPs. Sadly, there will only be one VIP in the whole world: my mom.

I do not like bubble tea as much as she does, but I do quite like it. Sometimes if I am feeling full, then I’d pass. At times, mom would buy fried chicken wings as well. I once saw her bring three of them back to the car!

‘Why are you eating so much chicken wing?!’

‘It was twelve dollars for one, and twenty-eight for three! Of course I am buying three! It’s cheaper for three!’ She just doesn't ever gain any weight, does she?

I step into our front door, and fling my bag onto the floor. I head upstairs for a comforting shower after a long, tiring day. I put the music on full blast. I hate being all dirty and sweaty; I am a total clean freak.

After a meal of delicious dinner, I watch television. Every so often, I read quietly. I like to do homework while watching television at the same time, although I know I work slower like this. Music does not help me concentrate as it would for others; I work better quietly with no noise to distract me. 

I have to finish practicing piano before 10pm, because it's a kind of 'restriction' our neighborhood has set, or maybe it's just my mom's restriction: no more piano playing after 10:00pm.

I watch some K-pop videos or browse the net before going to bed, then get in bed at 10:30 on the spot. I fall asleep by 11:00. I can’t really stay up for very late. I drool off into the dreams of wonder and imagination. 

Sha Tin College IB Results (May 2011-May 2014)

Some of you might be curious as what the word 'Sha Tin College' exactly represents or the story behind it all. This is an infographic I have created to present you all with our IB Results for the few recent years :)              (You might to zoom in to be able to read some of the information.)

Friday 1 May 2015

Sharing the Knowledge: K-Pop

This is a tiny video that I created to explain more thoroughly to others exactly what K-Pop is. I hope you like it!



Were the Japanese-American internment camps justified?

A Plan of the investigation
This investigation will examine whether the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was justified or not. This essay will look at both sides of the argument of the establishment of the Japanese-American camps during World War II. The source of evidence that I will be assessing is a sections from a letter written by an eyewitness who has experienced the camps. I will be assessing its origin, purpose, strengths and weaknesses, the author, and reliability. I will point out that the most important reason the Japanese-American camps were not justified was because many of the Japanese-Americans were innocent and had not done anything wrong.

B Evaluation of source
‘We saw all these people behind the fence, looking out, hanging onto the wire, and looking out because they were anxious to know who was coming in. But I will never forget the shocking feeling that human beings were behind this fence like animals [crying]. And we were going to also lose our freedom and walk inside of that gate and find ourselves…cooped up there…when the gates were shut, we knew that we had lost something that was very precious; that we were no longer free.’

- Mary Tsukamoto, 1942 

This source is useful to answer the investigation as this is a first-hand witness account of a prisoner who lived in the internment camps. This is a first-hand account eyewitness by Mary Tsukamoto, a Japanese prisoner who was imprisoned in one of the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. Her family was sent to one of the temporary camps in Florin, California for six months. From there, they were then sent to another camp in Jerome, Arkansas. She was aged 27 when she was put into the internment camp. The source is taken from a personal letter and was written in 1942. Its purpose was to tell people how it was living inside the camps.

In the witness account, Mary Tsukamoto talks of the appearance and restrictions of the internment camps itself. Tsukamoto said that the people in the camps were constantly looking out through barbed wires, nervous to know who was coming into the camp. The other prisoners were crying and wailing behind the fences like animals and they knew they had lost everything they had; even their freedom. She was able to express the feelings and thoughts of being a prisoner inside the camp.

This is quite a strong source as this is a first-hand account and likely to be reliable because it is not a rumor passed on by other people. It was written in a personal letter which is more likely to include actual information.

Even though she is speaking in the perspective of a Japanese prisoner, this source would still contain limitations and weaknesses as it might possibly be biased and untrustable because Tsukamoto might want to mock the Americans so that shame would fall upon the future generations of US citizens. She might also be exaggerating the situation so that she could gain more fame and thus, earn more money. Furthermore, we are not certain of Mary’s mental and physical health when she was writing the letter. She might have been very ill and the information would not have been accurate.

I feel that this source is useful for this investigation as it is more likely to be truthful and not biased because this source was taken from a letter which was supposed to be sent to the people who were not situated in the camps. This is from Mary Tsukamoto’s perspective of the situation at the time.
C Analysis

Many Americans argue that the imprisonment of the Japanese-Americans was correct and, ultimately, justifiable. Dr. Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, who was a former US Senator from California, sent a letter to the White House justifying the confinement of the Japanese-Americans. In his letter, he wrote that the Japanese and Japanese-Americans were relocated for ‘their own safety’ and that the relocations were ‘in no way punitive’. Furthermore, Hayakawa believed that the internment camps were used to protect the Japanese-Americans from ‘what might happen to them if a hostile Japanese invasion force was to land on our shores’. He clearly affirms that the camps were established to ‘protect’ the Japanese all along. Here is one section from the letter:

‘Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the Western states were relocated
during World War II for their own safety at a time when the U.S. and
Japan were at war. The relocation was in no way punitive. It was to
remove the Japanese from the coastal areas for fear of what might happen
to them if a hostile Japanese invasion force was to land on our shores.’

This means that the relocations were acted as a protection for the Japanese-Americans from the danger of further Japanese invasions and were in no way used as a punishment for them.

Moreover, the internment of the Japanese-Americans was justified because it was to guarantee safety for American and to prevent sabotages by the Japanese living in the US area. The government had to make sure that no confidential military plans were to be leaked out to the Japanese. They had to get rid of anyone who could possibly be a Japanese spy. If they didn’t, it would potentially cause the country to lose. The US citizens believed that moving the Japanese away from critical areas would prevent them from seeing any movement of Americans ships and plans. These areas included naval air bases, shipyards, and oil wells. These camps were located in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Canada, and Arkansas. Rumors started to spread, mostly due to racial prejudice, that the Japanese-Americans were coming together to form a sabotage plan to destroy the United States. This proves that the evacuation was necessary for the victory of USA because no one could be certain that the Japanese would not act as spies for Japan.

The Japanese, in a way, admitted that they were unwilling to be loyal to the United States by not taking the oath of loyalty. The oath of loyalty was a questionnaire which was offered to the Japanese as a chance to volunteer in the segregated U.S. Army unit and leave the camps. They required all those who were 17 or older to answer this questionnaire which would later be known as the ‘loyalty questionnaire’. Two questions were posed: ‘Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?’ and ‘Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States of America from any and all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance to the Japanese Emperor or any other foreign government, power, or organisation?’ These two questions were used to put apart the internees who were ‘loyal’ and ‘disloyal’ to America.

As a result, a large number of people answered ‘no to both questions. Many of whom were still loyal to Japan and some children who were forced to answer ‘no’ or else they would be separated from their parents. Those who answered ‘no’ would then be sent to the worst camps in America and looked down upon in the American society. This is able to prove that the Japanese were not loyal to the US and this is shown through their response to the questionnaire.

To add to this, the government eventually decided to provide the internees a chance to leave the camps if they enlisted for the U.S. Army. Only 3,600 did so. This validates the fact that the US government was not harsh to their prisoners and offered them a chance to leave, but they did not take the offer and wished to rather stay in the camps.

On top of this, the internment the Japanese-Americans were justified because the Japanese were actually known for they clever plan in spying and coding. The breaking of the the Japanese’s military code, MAGIC, affirms this point. ‘MAGIC’ was the codename for the breaking of the Japanese’s military secret code. During that time, the ‘Combat Intelligence Unit’ was the most significant US Navy group to break the code. The name ‘JN-25’ was given to the name of the code by codebreakers. JN-25 was quite easy to break, taking in the fact that the Japanese only changed their code systems once every few months, meaning that they would be reused. John Rochefort, the commander of the unit, led his team to create a code decipher table to break the JN-25. They broke the Japanese Foreign Office’s top secret code and was alarmed of their plans. The information obtained from the code revealed that the Japanese were planning an attack on Port Moresby. So the breaking of JN-25 was able to prove that the Japanese were skilled at coding and could lead of the possibility of having put Japanese spies in the US.

Although this may be true, a multitude of the people believed that the camps were not justified. Mostly this would be that most of the Japanese who were put in the internment camps were innocent civilians. They might not even have been to Japan in their entire life. So, they would have been more loyal to the US than to Japan as many were born and grew up in Japan. Their life would have been devoted to the United States and obviously would have no connection or contact with Japan. The chances of them risking their lives to become spies for Japan was unlikely.

As a matter of fact, there were no acts of sabotage or any evidence showing disloyalty committed by the Japanese during the war. Only ten spies were suspect of being potential informants, all of whom were Caucasians. This shows that none of the Japanese had ever thought of being spies for Japan and none were caught in the act of it either. They should not have been put in the camps.

Linking back to the loyalty oath, another point is that the prisoners should have been released if they swore loyalty to the US. This is shown when even though not many people said ‘yes’ to both questions, some still did so. The Japanese-Americans should have been released from the camps if they said ‘yes’ to the oath and return to their homes. This proves their loyalty to the United States of America and should have been given back the freedom that they lost.

Along with this, the poor conditions in the camp itself were unfair for the prisoners living inside the internment camps. The camps were overcrowded and unsanitary. Food was scarce and rationed out at an expense of 48 cents per person with a diet of around 600 calories per day. They were expected to work side by side to build a 260 mile railroad by hand, with ten days on and one day off. Prisoners constantly suffered from malnutrition, ulcers, and cholera. Around 61,000 prisoners were put to work on the railroad construction and 13,000 of those died. This is inhuman treatment for all internees and should not have been like this.

Many families were even assigned to live in one barrack, living together with no privacy at all. This shows that there was absolutely no respect or attention paid to the prisoners to be comfortable living in the camps. The United States of America did not care about their internees and this is wrong.

In fact, the imprisonment of these guilt-free citizens was illegal. The plain act of forcing the Japanese out of their homes violated the 4th amendment, which is the right against search and seizure. The Japanese were bruntly pull out of their homes, which was totally against their will. Federal agents also ransacked their homes, in an attempt to look for evidence for possible spies. This was illegal and against the law and hence, wrong.

Another key point to acknowledge was that the American Government later recognized that they had done the wrong thing and attempted to atone for the things that they did. In 1988, which is approximately 40 years after the Japanese-Americans’ imprisonment, the US Congress awarded restitution payments of USD$20,000 for each survivor of the camps and provided an apology for each of the internees who were still alive. This means that the US Congress eventually realized that what they had done to the Japanese-Americans was wrong and paid the compensation to the Japanese for the violation of their liberty rights.
D Conclusion 

All things considered, I believe that the camps were, after all, not justified because the Japanese-Americans who were put into the internment camps were proven to be completely innocent. It was not fair towards these citizens; they were merely forced into these camps because of they were Japanese. They had to very little time to pack, which means that they had to leave behind many things that they owned to thieves and other people who would take the items to the market to sell. The Japanese-Americans were taken out of their lives and placed into an entirely new area, with people they have never met or spoken to before and separated from family and friends. Even though the US Congress eventually rewarded the prisoners who were still surviving with USD$20,000, the treatment of the internees were still not acceptable.
E Bibliography

Ann Gravells. AnnGravells.co.uk. “Assessment methods and activities: strengths and limitations”. PDF. http://www.anngravells.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/samplea9051.pdf

Children in History. “World War II: Country Code Breaking Efforts- The United States”. 11 March 2015. Web. http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/code/ncb/w2ncb-us.html

Darl Bravo and Tyler Hirohata. HD Japanese Internment. “Japanese Internment Camp”. 11 March 2015. Web. http://hdjapaneseinternment.weebly.com/diplomatic-failures.html

David Rojas and Andrew Eppes. edb.utexas.edu. “Participant Accounts”. 18 March 2015. Web. http://www.edb.utexas.edu/faculty/salinas/students/student_sites/Fall2005/japaneseinternment/participant.html

Debate.org. “Should Japanese Americans have been released from internment camps during World War II if they swore a loyalty oath?”. 11 March 2015. Web. http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-japanese-americans-have-been-released-from-internment-camps-during-world-war-ii-if-they-swore-a-loyalty-oath

Debate.org. “Were the Japanese-American internment camps morally right?”. 26 February 2015. Web. http://www.debate.org/opinions/were-the-japanese-american-internment-camps-morally-right

Densho and The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University. “The Japanese American Legacy Project”. 11 March 2015. Web. http://www.densho.org/learning/default.asp?path=spice/lesson5/5reading5.asp

Eric Foner and John A. Garrty. History.com. “Japanese-American Relocation”. 5 March 2015. Web. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation

Greg Goebel. “[7.0] US Codebreakers In World War II”. 11 March 2015. Web. http://www.vectorsite.net/ttcode_07.html

History on the Net. “World War Two- Japanese Internment Camps in the USA”. 4 March 2015. Web. http://www.historyonthenet.com/ww2/japan_internment_camps.htm

Was the dropping of the Atomic bombs justfied?

Introduction
On the month of August 1945, the US army dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The first bomb was code-named ‘Little Boy’ and the second with the code-name ‘Fat Boy’. ‘Little Boy’ was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and ‘Fat Boy’ on the city of Nagasaki. Opinion are divided as to whether the dropping of the bombs were justified or not. The US government and military argue that the dropping of the bombs was justified because it ended war very quickly as Japan surrendered soon after. They also added that the bomb-dropping act was used to test the power of their newly invented atomic bomb. However, many people in Japan and around the world say that the bomb caused so many deaths and destruction that the bombs should never have been dropped. While both sides of the argument are considered, the dropping of both bombs were necessary.

Justified
One of the reasons to prove that the bomb was justified was because the Japanese were unwilling to surrender. The US government altered their surrender agreement terms so that Japan could keep their emperor even after they surrender, but the offer was backfired. The Japanese did not take the offer and became even more determined that the US army were weak and that they would fight to their death for their country. At the same time, the Japanese were training kamikaze pilots that would be suicide bombers who were willing to die for their emperor and fight to their death. The Japanese Prime Minister, Suzuki, reported that around 100 million people were prepared to shield their emperor and protect him. School children and young girls were taught to kill with gardening tools and bamboo sticks. There was no weakening in Japan’s determination to fight; this supports the idea the Japanese would never surrender without the use of an extreme US weapon.

To further backup the point that the Japanese would only surrender if an extreme weapon was used, Japan surrendered on the 14 August, 1945, which was only 5 days from the 2nd bombing of Japan. This is clearly linked to the fact that the atomic bomb forced and led to Japan’s surrender.

Not Justified
Meanwhile, many were arguing that the Japanese were actually very close to surrendering and different options could have been taken as an alternative. If the option of blockade was taken to stop Japan from new trades, bereave them from food sources, and then wait for them to surrender, the Japanese could soon run out of weapons and food very quickly and the Americans would have won without the use of the bomb. Moreover, the demonstration of the bombing impact could have been made on a desert for the Japanese to witness. Japan could then be asked to surrender once they have recognized the impact of the weapon. Besides, Japan had no allies, and its navy was almost destroyed. This shows that US could have made Japan surrender successful without the use of the bombs and created so much destruction to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The bombing of Hiroshima was also used to end World War 2 quickly without losing thousands of American lives through the invasion of Japan. The bomb could also save American resources as they would not need to spend anymore money on purchasing new weapons for their soldiers to fight with. To prove this, on the 15 August 1945, Japan surrendered and on the 2 September , World War 2 officially ended. Japan’s surrender was the way to the end of war.

The atomic bomb was originally tested in New Mexico in a desert with no town or people there. Thus, the Americans stated that they could not see the true impact of the bomb. They chose Hiroshima for the place of bombing because Hiroshima had never been bombed before and thus, would allow the Americans to see the full impact of the atomic bomb. The Americans had already spent a huge amount of money and years on inventing this new weapon, which was around USD$2000 and 2 years of innovation, and they might as well test it out. The bomb would not cause any US deaths and use further resources. Additionally, General Groves, engineer director of the Manhatten Project, was desperate to see the fruits of his labours before the end of the War. This meant that the bombing of Hiroshima was done with a clear purpose of testing this new weapon.

Furthermore, the Americans believed that other options of making Japan surrender were severely flawed and had a lot more downsides than the effect that they could induce. These options include invading Japan, where the Americans would be on Japan’s land but would cost a lot of money, take a lot of time and an estimate of 5 thousand to 1 million US deaths. A blockade would deprive the Japanese of food and trades and there would be fewer US deaths, as well as take years to accomplish. Bombing Japan was not a good option because the US had already used this tactic for many months and the Japanese still had not surrendered. These options all take years to and cost lots of deaths. America could potentially lose Japan to the USSR as well. Fighting would be fierce and losses are heavy. Whereas the atomic bombs would involve no extra costs as they already have the bomb and no US deaths. The dropping of atomic bombs would be quick and easy and the Americans believed that this would be their only option.

Above all, US believed that the use of A-bombs was considered revenge towards the Japanese. This was because during war, the Japanese were particularly cruel to the prisoners of war and some Americans believed that the Japanese deserved to be ‘taught-a-lesson’. To add to this, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a result of Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941 and that the atomic bomb would not have been dropped if not for the attack on Pearl Harbour. The Americans were convinced that the Japanese deserved to be bombed because of their first attack on US.

The high civilian death toll that resulted from the bombing of Hiroshima was horrifying. The amount of energy ‘Little Boy’ generated was equivalent to 15 kilotons of TNT explosion. This wiped out every industrial target, as well as destroying huge areas in the city. The wind speed on the ground when the explosion occurred was believed to have been 980 mph; this speed generated pressure that was equivalent to 8,600 lbs per square feet. The hypocentre of the explosion (directly beneath the centre of the explosion) rose to about 7,000°F. The heat caught people’s clothes on fire and left them with burnt, raw skin. People suffered greatly from injuries and make-shift hospitals were packed with patients. More than 50,000 people were killed and corpses discarded before diseases could spread.

‘Fat Boy’ had an explosive equivalent to 2,000 tons of high explosion which was about the same as ‘Little Boy’. Radiation sickness later claimed ten thousands who weren’t killed by the blast of the bomb. 40 years later, people were still dying from the effects of the bomb. The impact of the bomb was massive and it should never have been dropped to cause such destruction and so many deaths.

Conclusion
To conclude, I believe that the both bombings were justified. ‘Little Boy’ was used to test the Americans’ new atomic bomb and used as a tactic to end World War 2 quickly. The dropping of the two bombs was a good idea because a Japanese invasion would have caused 2 million allied deaths and 3 million Japanese deaths. Also, the Japanese attacked Pearl Habour first when the US had done nothing to provoke them- the bombs were simply a payback towards the Japanese for what they have done. Besides, the Japanese’s belief of having to fight to their deaths forced the Americans to decide on the idea of dropping the atomic bomb. The choice was either to drop the bomb, kill a few thousands of lives or to not drop the bomb, have the war linger on and even more lives killed. Even though the bomb did actually kill many lives, but if it didn’t happen then more deaths would occur. Last but not least, the US military had dropped leaflets through air on the two cities a few days prior to the atomic-bombings, warning them of what was to happen and advising them to leave the city immediately. The Japanese chose not to listen and put their family and friends in danger of the bomb.

Bibliography:http://hiroshimatessa.weebly.com/revenge.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/atomic_bomb.htm
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http://www.debate.org/opinions/was-the-u-s-justified-in-dropping-bombs-on-hiroshima-and-nagasaki