WW2 Internment of Japanese-Americans

The United States has much in its history for which it can be justifiably proud.  On the whole I believe the World is a better place because of the United States and I am proud to be an American.  But there are also things in our history which are shameful - certainly slavery and the treatment of the original native population come immediately to mind.  I believe it's important that we remember the bad as well as the good - that we always be cognizant of what we are capable of, and be prepared to resist those among us who would appeal to our basest instincts.

The internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War 2 is another shameful incident in American history. While it may have been argued that it was a means of protecting Japanese-Americans against widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in the country, and there likely was some question as to the loyalties of a few,  the blanket imprisonment of American citizens without suspicion or cause solely because of their race is totally unjustifiable.

This new YouTube video from the Unknown World War 2 in Color channel shows views of Japanese-Americans before and during internment and the US Army 442nd Regiment; composed entirely of  Japanese enlistees who fought in Europe during the war with great distinction.

Jump! Jump! - The Wisconsin Jump Around

I believe college provides an ideal transition to adulthood. Naturally students are expected to act in a mature manner most of the time, both in one's studies and in the conduct of personal relationships with faculty, staff and peers. But, as opposed to those entering the 'real world' immediately after high school, they enjoy the privilege of acting like five year olds in certain conditions - and that behavior is perfectly acceptable; sometimes even encouraged. One can gradually morph into adulthood while still occasionally enjoying the comforts of childhood and its attendant irresponsibility - at least that's the way I view it.

I thought about this, recalling my own experiences in college, when I watched the YouTube video below. During the break between the third and fourth quarters of football games in Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin, all the students seated at one end of the stadium, numbering maybe 20,000 or more, and anyone else who gets caught up in the enthusiasm, commences to jump up and down throughout the loudspeakers blaring "Jump Around" by the band House of Pain. The marching band, all down on the field leads this mass silliness. Engineers insist that the structure can withstand this activity, but it has to be a bit scary to be there and feel the entire stadium vibrate. I know if I ever attended a game there I would obtain seats as far from the student section as possible.

The lunacy starts in this video at approximately the 45 second mark. You will see that even some of the opposing players can't stop themselves from joining in. To fully appreciate this I recommend viewing the video full screen at at least 720p resolution.

Cute Mascot

Here is one of the cutest and funniest mascots in action.  The person inside has to be rather small because he or she completely turned around inside the costume twice during the routine.

Drum Major Tryout

I never thought much about drum majors, even though I love marching bands.  I noticed them strutting in front of their bands and occasionally tossing batons.  And I knew they had major leadership responsibilities.  But it was the band's marching and music that always drew my attention.

This video of a try out for Ohio State University's Drum Major was among the related videos highlighted with a band performance video I watched, so I clicked on the link out of curiosity.  This guy's talent talent blew my mind.  Incidentally, he won the try outs.

Berlin (1936) in Color

This fantastic video shows Berlin in 1936, the year of the Olympics, in color and excellent resolution. I found it on YouTube in the UnknownWW2InColor channel maintained by the Romano Archives. That channel, which I subscribe to, contains hundreds of color films from the WW2 era made by government, press and private photographers of all the participants.

This video was remastered in high resolution, so it looks great in full screen.

Giggles

                                                               WORLD PEAS! 

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

I first saw this newsreel of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse when I was very young. It is most likely the reason that I am always a wee bit nervous whenever I drive on a bridge The bridge, which crossed Puget Sound in the state of Washington, opened on July 1, 1940 and collapsed four months later, on November 7, 1940. World War 2 caused postponement of plans to replace the bridge. The new bridge opened in 1950.