Sacagawea dollar

When, yet again, looking through some of my belongings, I found this:

It's a Sacagawea dollar and one of the first of its kind. The Sacagawea dollars were introduced in 2000, initially suggested as a replacement for the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which was one of the most unpopular coins in American history. In December 1997, then-President Bill Clinton signed the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act, which contained a section in its writing giving the United States Mint permission to create a new coin. That new coin became the Sacagawea dollar.

The Sacagawea dollar underwent a change in 2007 when then-President George W. Bush signed the Native American $1 Coin Act, which required the reverse side of the coin to undergo an annual redesign. The purpose? To celebrate and honor American Indians by featuring different images highlighting their cultures, achievements and contributions to the United States.

American Indians rarely get the respect and honor they deserve, which is why I find it disappointing that the Sacagawea dollar, as with the Susan B. Anthony dollar, is unpopular. Unlike too many other portrayals of American Indians, this coin respects them rather than uses them for comic relief.

Carnival 2013 (2)

Here are some pictures from yesterday's carnival. The carnival began at 2:00pm and lasted until about 6:00.

There was a parade that snaked its way through the town and this bunch of balloons was at the front. I recognise Buzz Lightyear, SpongeBob SquarePants, Hello Kitty, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Micky and Minnie Mouse in that mess.

Somebody dressed up as Tin Woodman from The Wizard of Oz. Normally I've seen this character portrayed with a smile!

This is the "Cowboys and Indians" float; at first this float bothered me because I thought it was something mocking American Indians, but I later learnt that it was supposed to represent harmony between cowboys and Indians.

I thought that this year's parade was smaller than last year's; my brother thought they were the same length but I recall more floats.

Another balloon, this time it's a unicorn with purple hair.

These are the targets for the archery stand; my brother was going to try the archery out but for some reason he changed his mind. I've only tried archery once and that was back in Patterson, California.

Two flags above the candy stand. While British flags were a common sight, I was surprised to see an American flag present. The couple running the stand didn't appear to be American, but then again, they could have lived over there as I once did!

One of the two ice cream vans present; this was the bigger of the two. My brother bought himself and me ice cream before I left; I had a double-caramel bar!

A closing shot, taken around 5:30. Most people had left by this time and the park was in the process of being cleaned up for daily use again; I left after I took this picture. I hope the carnival will return again next year.

Vandalism of history

The following article was on my newsfeed this morning; this sort of thing angers me:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20404856

Those petroglyphs had been there for thousands of years and were an important part of American Indian history; for hooligans to steal some and damage others is an insult to them. American Indians have suffered enough as it is without incidents such as this. The thieves may be able to obtain a few thousand dollars for the carvings, but it's the native peoples who will ultimately pay for this abhorrent act against them in the long run.

I am angered about this. I hope the perpetrators are caught and the carvings will be restored. If they are never recovered then Americans Indians will once again have something significant to them desecrated and a piece of history will be lost.