SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS : All the evidence against the accused Kabuo Miyamoto

The trial started one day before the anniversaire of the bombing of Pearl Harbour, on the 6th of december 1954. It all happened on San Piedro island, Kabuo Miyamotos place of residence.
He's a Japanese-American fisherman on trial for the murderer of another fisherman, a white man, named Carl Heine. All the people there assume that Carl was the victime of a murder.
A trial followed in which the community an the court want to discover the true causes of the victims death. Kabuo, the father of three children, is in the dock. Of particular increst in the trial is a batterey that was found on the boat of the death - what wouldn't be extraordinary; but they found out that it's definitely not that type of battery Carl uses normally, it's of course the type of battery Kabuo uses on his boat! Which naturally lead to a motive for Kabuo. By examining the corpse it became sure that Carl died from drowning but they found no appearances for an agony. They also noticed a strange wound on Carls head, which looked quite similar to wounds they noticed during the war against Japanese soldiers which used kendo - an art of stick fighting, and Kabuo was known as one of the best kendo fighters on the whole island.
But also others had motives to be the murderer. For example his wife or the racist mother of Carl. Many years ago, Kabuos parents leased acre from the Heines but because of the war they weren't able to pay the last two rates and so the Heines reclaimed their acre. There was still a conflict between them - but one day before the victims death, Kabuo said that Carl has already agreed with selling the acre to him (Kabuo). But afterwards, by searching the boat of Kabuo the sheriff discovers a blood-covered gaff - Kabuo got arrested directely!
The relatively rare type of blood matched with Carl Heines. Kabuos type is 0 negative and so they suspectet that the gaff could be the weapon that caused Carls headwound.
Now Kabuo was definitely decried as a murderer. But there was the reporter Ishmael Chambers, the school day friend of Kabuos wife Hatsue. He found out that it wasn't a murder and although Hatsue said she hates him, he helped them, told the court the true story and that Kabuo didn't told the truth from the beginning on out of fear of being judged unfairly because he's Japanese. All the evidence against Kabuo were a contretemps, it wasn't a murder.
It was a accident. Carl Heine had tied a latern to his mast because there was no electricitiy; but then a wave came and he fall off the mast.
So Kabuo, by contrast, was the villain but also the victim of the story. In the end the new facts changed the original evidence, the truth came out and Kabuo was acquitted of the murder.

Correction of the first exam

For me art is something, which conveys feelings, emotions. I think art is something quite relative, something you can't really describe. Yet, I think that nevertheless not everything can be art.

I don't think that this picture is art. Maybe it's art for some people, but not for me!
I think that art has to be something that not everyone is able to do. It's the same as when you cook something: not everyone has got the talent to cook but anywhere there surely is a person who likes the meal. I think that's quite comparable with art. It's very alike. For my taste, there aren't enough points in the picture, which you can think about. It's nothing special to me. It's a photo that anyone could take and so it isn't art for me!

Life after death...? What happens when we die???

I believe in reincarnation! For me this life is just a kind of preparation for the life that will come next. I think that we were born, to experience what it means to 'live'. We get problems to solve them and primarily to LEARN OUT OF THEM! - For me the purpose of life. And if you're not able to do this, you'll get an other chance in your next life. I can't visualize that if you die your life is finished and there is nothing else. I don't know if there is a beyond, a purgatory or something else but I'm quite sure that death is not the end. BUT I don't think that all people reincarnate - only those, who haven't solved their problems. I don't agree with people who say that the life after death is like the life now... I've got a notion that maybe it will be the opposite - for example that we're going to be reborn as an animal. Maybe...
I'm really glad that we CAN die and that we don't have to live forever and so I'm absolutely not scared about death, but maybe a little bit scared about how we're going to die.
For me the perfekt way of dying would be to softly fall asleep and never wake up again!

Dear Adam

I read this article about and I briefly want to say my opinion about it and about art common. I principle think that art is difficult to describe.
Art is something different for everyone and so I think that you can't really say, whether an artwork is justified to be exhibit in an art museum, or not!
I mean, nowadays there are so many artists in the world and they all use different kinds of materials.
Sometimes they create things, which often lead to row and controversial actions (like the row between the British museum and R. Giuliani)!
When they use excrements or blood, not everybody thinks that that’s ok.
There are art exhibitions, museums and shocked people who don't accept such "creations".
On the other hand, there are people, who say that's a restriction of artistic liberty!
So what’s art and what’s not art?

Yours Anja

MY FIRST LOVE

It was the time when I worked at Thornfield. I was about sixteen years old.
It was a great time there… I had much to do there, much work, but Thornfield was absolutely the place I like best from all the places I’ve ever worked. I liked the surrounding there and also the people. At first, my life at Thornfield was quiet. My only companions were my pupil, Adele, the young French ward of the absent Mr. Rochester, and Mrs. Fairfax; which I would describe as a kind, simple and unimaginative elderly widow. She was Mr. Rochester’s housekeeper and I really liked her. She was always very frank to me and I liked the friendly way she treated Adele and me. That was something new and special to me. But all changed, as one day Edward Rochester, the owner of the manor, arrived. At that time he was about thirty-eight, dark haired, dark eyed, and ruggedly athletic.
First I hadn’t much to do with him, he was finally my employer. I liked him since I’ve seen him the first time but all the time he seemed to me a little bit mysterious. I don’t know why.
But one day, as Mr. Rochester sought out my company more frequently, I came to understand and respect him even more and we became good friends. The days, months and finally years in Thornfield died away. But one day, I found myself falling in love with my own employer.
I felt this already a long time ago, since I saw Edward the first time, but I even did not wanted to disavow my feelings for him. Finally my lovesickness for him got even stronger, from day to day. I decided to stop living like this way for a longer time; the feelings for Mr. Rochester made me sick. But I could not say to my own employer that I love him, in no way!!! Never!
And furthermore I was sure that he does not feel the same for me! It was such a horrible time…and it became even worse! A month later, I tried to commit suicide. I was at the end of my energy! But I couldn’t accomplish it!!! My love for him was much stronger than myself! The only way I still had was, to admit him my feelings.
I wasn’t scared anymore. I felt free…
I sat in my room for three days… only drinking, eating and sleeping. I thought about how I can say Mr. Rochester what I have to say him… but before I could say anything I heard a voice out of my door, the voice shouted:” Jane! I LOVE YOU! I know everything! Please, come out of the room… I LOVE YOU!!!!!”
I can remember this scene very well.
A few minutes passed, and I wasn’t sure if I dreamed or not! I thought I’ve heard him… but I was also sure that this was not possible. First I did not believed my ears, all seemed to me like a long dream, like one of those many I had every night, one of them who made me sick, who slowly sucked me out internal!
I kept shut my ears. I did not believe but my eyes showed me the opposite!
It was essentially Mr. Rochester! I asked him again a few times, he always answered the same!
He loved me the whole time and I idiot didn’t recognise it.
I got a proposal of marriage and about a week later we married…
I hope our love will never end… I will love him until I close my eyes forever…

This was the story about my never ending first love.

[about 615words]

PROSTITUTE KILLED BY HER OWN PIMP

Mysterious killing of a young prostitute

London (same). There has been a mysterious murder of a prostitute in one of London’s poor quarters yesterday night. While the sacrifice Nancy P. was sleeping, she was probably waken up by her criminal pimp and brutally killed afterwards.
This was surly no common murder. The corps of her showed sign of brutally killing, it is assumed that this was not roughly a “normal” murder, no; it was a murder with many coherences.
It was the night of the 1^st of August, when Nancy P. was killed. The police assume that her lover, Bill Sikes, was the murderer because he is the only one who eventually had a reason to kill her. The detectives mean that because of Sikes, Nancy P. had also contacts to a most wanted burglar-gang.

Her dead body was found by Rose, also a prostitute and a good friend of Nancy.
She shocked told reporters:” It was at around eleven o’clock in the morning, as I wanted to visit Nancy, like I do it every morning! She was a very, very good friend of me. First all was like every day. I came upstairs and wanted to open the door…, it was locked and I wondered. I called Nancy, Nancy…, but nobody opened the door. I temporized… suddenly I saw blood running out of the room. I was so shocked. In all my life I have never had a more horrible feeling like in this moment. First I absolutely did not realized what had happened and what all this means. Panic came over me… for a short moment I thought about, what would be the best to do in this harrowing situation, but my feet’s already run away. It was so horrible there, and it’s even more horrible to remind this horrid situation again and again, every night I dream about it that will make me sick somewhere along the way! I am not able to support this still longer…! I firmly believe it was Bill, I am sure, I never trusted him, he always seemed a little bit mysterious to me!”
Sam Pope, seemingly a neighbour and good friend of the two told:” I can not believe this all! I know Nancy and Bill about five or six years… they were always very friendly to me. I have never heard them quarrelling… and I have also never heard some bad things about Bill, least of all that he is a pander. That all seems to me unbelievable… I really don’t think that it could be Bill who killed Nancy, no…not on any account.”

The police are not sure who the murderer of Nancy is, they are still searching for more information and witnesses. The crime is not cleared yet, but the scientists even examine after more references to clear it up and to ensure who the real murderer is. Also the famous criminologist Peter Heltford is going to make graphics and analyses about this strange incident.

More about this in the following issue (6^th of September)

[ about 480 words]

An Interview with Mrs. Leoni Millouir and her childhood in the Victorian Britain

• Hallo Mrs. Milliour! I am Sandra Brown from the ucp-news and I would really like to ask you a few questions about your childhood. I heard that you were brought up in the time as Queen Victoria reined Britain... would you please answer me a few questions about this?

• Yes, of course. I don't mind if I do!

• Thank you, Madam! First of all, I would really like to know some things about work and how it was in this time, secondly, how playing was and then how school was. But let me begin by asking you a few questions about work in this time. Who had to work, where...

• Who had to work? ALL had to work!!! At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign also children, poor children had to work, because their parents really needed the few money for living! Many people in this time hadn't enough money to eat enough every day. These were very hard times and you had to fight for life every day!

• Have you also been forced to work already as a child?

• Oh yes, sure! Like all others also. I was five years old when my parents first sent me away from home to work on a farm. There was often very bad weather and I was nearly the whole year sick or I had a cold, but nevertheless I can say it was a "good" job.

• A good job?

• Yes! I had three sisters and six brothers, the most of the boys had to work in coal mines! They often had to push trucks of coal to the surface or they had to open and shut doors to allow air to circulate through the dark tunnels... they told me often horrible stories... Many of the jobs my siblings had to do were unpleasant, unhealthy and also very dangerous! I had luck. But I haven’t worked long at the farm, only one year. Then I was sent to a big factory where I worked as a piecer. I had to repair broken threads in cotton mills. It wasn't a very good job, but I think even better as working in mines! But it wasn't easy, we also had to do very hard work! Many of us fell ill or had bad accidents which often left us with dispiteous injuries.

• Oh my god that’s horrible!

• Yes, exactly, it was horrible in this time! There were no laws, how they have to protect us there. We were made to work long hours with very little pay!

• In 1841 Victoria passed the new law, to make it illegal to employ young children and many other betterings, was the work better then, when child work finally was forbidden?

• Yes, but however there were still many children forced to work, when Queen Victoria died in 1901!

• Yes, how awful!!! You had so much to work every day, did you also had any time to play (with other children etc.)?

• No, not really! We hadn't much free time. My day always began at six o’clock, when all the factories opened and it always ended at eight to nine o’clock in the evening - we only had lunchtime from twelve to quarter past twelve, so we had to work often fifteen hours a day! After that we were (logically) very tired and we had to go to sleep, so there wasn't much time to play. We also didn’t had the money to buy toys. If we played, we had to make our toys ourselves! We shared all things with kids in the same street.

• And which toys had the kids?

• We had hoops, marbles and skipping ropes. Sometimes we made footballs out of old rags which we found or we made bats from pieces of wood, only easy things! Occasionally street musicians came; they often had some monkeys with them that was always very funny! At the weekend our family often went into the surpal-park, because on Sundays there always played bands, which was really great!

• In this time also the railways were built, did the families made holidays or did they travel?

• Our family not. The railway was mainly for rich people or for people from the town. For normal families like us it was too expensive! But every two years my family went for one or two days to the seaside that was great! I'll never forget this time, there was nothing better. We all saved our money and prayed every day, in hope, to go there again in two years. These two days were always something special, always something unforgettable... I really like to remember these times, only THESE times, all others were horrible!

• I believe you! Only all two years? That’s very less, but it was even better than nothing! That's sheer madness, for families in our time that would be unthinkable to go swimming only all three years! Leoni, you have told me now quite a lot of things but I think, I have never heard something about school, not one word. I think you've missed this point. Wasn't this up-to-date in this time? Please tell me also a little bit about this theme.

• That's possible that we haven’t spoken about this already. But there isn't much to say about school... In this time there still wasn't a compulsory schooling. My siblings and I only went to school one day a week. That was always different and depended on the money we children earned that week, but school was mostly on Saturdays, I think. If we've earned to less money that week, we weren't allowed to go to school, our parents forbid us to go.

• That would mean that only a few children regularly attended school at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign?

• Yes, right! But in 1870 finally the new law was passed that all children had to attend school regularly, every day!

• That was surly a great day for you all?

• Yes! That was the best law Queen Victoria ever passed! From this time on we hadn't to work as much as before. In the afternoons we always went to school and after that we had to work for our parents. This were as many working hours a day as before in the factory and in the mines, about ten hours, but this was always a good alternation and it seemed to me that I haven't to work as long as I had to work in the factory! This first year was nevertheless the hardest year of my whole life. Our family was completely peaked. It was horrible!

• Were there strict rules in a classroom?

• Yes! It was extremely! We often got hit and punished by the teacher.

• What subjects did the pupils had in this time?

• The girls mainly learned needlework and housework, the boys other things. That was good, I think.

• And what about the rich children? Did they went in the same schools and classes like the "normal" kids?

• No! They were sent into good private schools or they had their own teacher called a `Governess`!

• Really very interesting what you tell us Leoni! I would still talk to you for a long time but I really have to come to the end! Thank you for this much information, for this long, intensive and interesting interview with you about your past! All the best for your future Leoni! Thank you very much, bye!

• My pleasure! Your welcome! Thank you too Sandra, bye!!