Connor

=**Peace Quotes:**= "In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war fathers bury their sons." -Croesus

"Peace is the only battle worth waging" -Albert Camus (1913-1960)

"There was never a good war or a bad peace" -Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." -Moshe Dayan (1915-1981)

=**Pictures:**= "One of the most impressive sights in Hiroshima are the innumerable brightly colored paper cranes at the Children’s Peace monument. I was told that the origami cranes had become a powerful peace symbol because of the story of a little Japanese girl who developed leukemia 10 years after the nuclear bomb had been dropped.She had begun to fold 1000 origami cranes but died before she could complete her task. Others continued for her and there are thousands and thousands of new cranes every year." -Laurenz Bobke. I was amazed at this picture because these cranes represent so much. Hope, peace, understanding are all symbols of the cranes. Japan, needs these cranes remember the day their country was ravaged by the atomic bomb. If you want to see more pictures of Japan visit: http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/category/photos/japan/

A women named Dana Clark makes cd's to promote peace. She gives a large part of the profits to charity and sings in concert to children. Her cd //Increase the Peace//, is designed to inspire peace in people's hearts. I chose this picture because I was inspired by the fact that people use all of their talents to promote peace. Musicians, athletes, businessmen, and artists are some of the people that can be seen promoting peace. What I enjoyed about Dana Clark's music is that she is targeting children, and the world needs to start promoting peace as early as possible. For more information on Dana Clark visit: www.danaclarkmusic.com

Titled //Middle Peace//, this picture shows the countries involved in the Middle East and how people should strive for peace. Made by a group of students from the Pittsburgh area, they hope to open dialogue between people affiliated with the conflict in the Middle East. I chose this picture because I was interested in the fact that not just adults want to help the world. Kids in all grade levels are being exposed to the world's problems and are now trying to do something about it. To learn more about these group of students visit: http://middlepeace.googlepages.com/

=Peace Video:= Formerly known as Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam was a Christian who converted to Islam. His most famous song is Peace Train. It is a song with lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon and became a Multi-Platinum hit. Growing up I heard a lot of different songs on the radio. I always loved the songs I heard and they stayed embedded in my brain, although I could not remember the artist or lyrics. I searched "peace" on YouTube and found this video and when I played Peace Train, I instantly remembered the song and where I had heard it. It brings back good memories. Yusuf is singing about how in the darkness is coming and how the peace train is coming and everyone should jump on. This is one of the most famous songs about peace and will be remembered for generations to come. To learn more about Yusuf Islam visit: http://www.yusufislam.com/ media type="youtube" key="kaI5M9coflg" height="353" width="425"


 * Lyrics for Peace Train:**

Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one And I believe it could be, some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again

Now I've been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder Glide on the peace train Come on now peace train Yes, peace train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the peace train Come on now peace train

Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too Cause it's getting nearer, it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living, it's not so far from you And it's getting nearer, soon it will all be true

Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again = = =Reflection:= I learned a lot of surprising things about my topic: War in the Pacific. I was discussing the topic with my father, when he told my entire family (on my father's side) was involved in the War in the Pacific. My grand-father had earned a purple heart by dodging and surviving a Japanese Kamikaze on his ship the USS Hornet. Engaged in a fire fight, my grandfather killed a Japanese officer and took his sword and flag. Also, his plane was shot down in the Philippines, he abandoned his plane and was stuck there for a year fighting with the ragtag Filipino militia. After radioing his commanding officer, he was picked up a year later by plane and returned to the fight in the Pacific. My grandfather's best friend was the gunner on the landing craft boats. He told my dad that for some men, his friend was the last person they saw when they jump, swam or walked of the boat. My grandfathers uncle, my grand uncle, was the bombardier on bomber planes. He targeted and pressed the launch button that dropped bomb. He would drop the bombs and my grandfather would fly the plane.
 * -What was the most significant or surprising thing you learnt about the topic?:**

I never knew why Japan invaded the Pacific. After doing research I believe I have developed a good understanding as to why Japan invaded. They needed resources. The Pacific, being bountiful in resources was ripe for Japan's picking. Scared that America would get retaliate for Japan's invasion of China they led a preemptive strike on America on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America retaliated and eventually dropped two atomic bombs in Japan specifically in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I have many questions that are left unanswered. -What was life really like for a typically Japanese person before and after their surrendered and the American occupation? -How were the Japanese influenced by the Americans, in turn how were the Americans influenced by the Japanese?
 * -What questions you are left with?**
 * -**If Japan did not have such militaristic generals, would Japan ever invaded any part of the Pacific?

=Sources:= __Peace Train__. Dir. Yusuf Islam. November 17, 2006. Island Records, A&M, Polydor, Mountain of Light, Jamal, October 9, 1971. __YouTube__. 25 Sept. 2007 <[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaI5M9coflg>.]
 * Video:**

Bobke, Laurenz. "A Photo a Day: Japan." __Travel Photo Net__. 21 Feb. 2007. 29 Sept. 2007 .
 * Pictures (In order)****:**

Clark, Dana. "CDs for peace." __Dana Clark Music__. 2005. 29 Sept. 2007 <[|http://www.danaclarkmusic.com/opening.html>.]

__Middle Peace__. 11 Sept. 2006. University of Pittsburgh. 29 Sept. 2007 <[|http://middlepeace.googlepages.com/home>.]

"Peace Quotes." __Nuclear Age Peace Foundation__. 2007. 29 Sept. 2007 .
 * Quotes:**