[Rick Steil]

 

 

One of the most interesting facts from the lecture was the suicide committed by the warriors, which represented an honorable way to die. This was not an option for common criminals but reserved for those who had fought honorably. I believe this is one of the examples that made its way to the west and is one of the reasons we think of Japan placing a high emphasis of honor. We know of the pilots committing suicide by flying their planes into battleships during World War II. We have all seen these images in the movies made about the war with Japan and how honor played such an important role in the battles between the USA and Japan. I really enjoyed this lecture and Professor Yamashita’s ability to deliver stories that were interesting and contained great details made this lecture entertaining as well as knowledgeable. 

[Rick Steil]

I loved the story from Professor Yamashita that told of the general who when summoned to attack the eastern army instead turned his men against the western army and helped defeat the westerners because of the vendetta he had held against this man. It is in stark contrast from the image that I had held of the loyal Japanese mentality of always being loyal to their superior. 

[Rick Steil]

WOW that was one hot session. I was not sure if it was on purpose to let us feel how hot it can be in a learning environment in North Korea. I enjoyed learning all of the statistics and information delivered at the begining of class. I had no idea that North Korea would be that dark from an aerial view compared to South Korea. The geographic information on Japan was also mind opening. I did not think of Japan running from Canada to Florida. The differences in climate as well as dialect were something I had not considered before. Looking forward to more speakers and hope we may get into a little more visual, entertainment and cultural talks and facts as compared to America.

 

[Rick Steil]

The article about the water and pollution problems in China was fascinating. It was interesting to see that the Chinese used 8o Billion dollars on the Danjiangkou, Dam project which will only give them some short term relief from the water shortage that exists in Beijing. This project has created a tremendous amount of pollution because of the construction and aftermath of this project. This has created a false sense within Beijing that they do not have a shortage and residents are not conserving how they use water. On top of the water shortage the Chinese groundwater in the North are polluted and can not be used for drinking water putting even pressure on the water supply. There has been some advances in cleaning the polluted water for some of the villages that are being challenged by the water problems that exist. It is interesting that China has signed on to the Paris Accord but the United States has not. This is very different from what existed only a few years ago.

 

[Rick Steil]

My name is Rick Steil and I am currently the photography teacher at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades. I am 58 years old and I am married and have 2 sons ages, 24 and 20. I was born in Dubuque, Iowa and worked as a fashion photographer for 30 years and lived in New York, Paris and Sydney, Australia. 

[Author]

Posts