Audio: Robert P. Weston Reads from Zorgamazoo
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Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) has just posted an audio file of his reading from Chapter 1 of his rhyming novel Zorgamazoo on his blog wayofthewest.wordpress.com.
Have a listen! It’s fun, and you’ll feel younger too.
When you’ve finished hearing ’bout Zorgamazoo!
(Sorry, Rob. I couldn’t resist. :-)
Bankruptcy Bill #10 – Natural Order
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Bankruptcy Bill is a cartoon created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. To see more strips as well as original bankruptcy haiku, go to bankruptcybill.wordpress.com.
JetWit would like to extend a big omedetou gozaimashita to professional translator and writer Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999) who was recently named Assistant Director at the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia Unviversity. The position was previously held by Miho Walsh, former JET Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan (NY) who left the Donald Keene Center to become Associate Director at the Asian Cultural Council.
JetWit is happy to see that JET alums are movin’ on up (movin’ on up), to the West Side.
Video: Roland Kelts on Studio360 with Kurt Anderson
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A sampling of what’s to air on NPR’s Studio 360 Goes to Japan on Saturday at 10 am, featuring Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99):
Job: Curatorial Intern Position – Clark Center (Hanford, CA)
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Via a JET alum who saw this rather nifty listing:
Curatorial Intern Position (Clark Center, Hanford, CA)
The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California, is accepting applications for its curatorial intern program. The internship will begin on an agreed date in August 2009 and will last for one year.
The program offers a tremendous opportunity for training and hands-on experience in multiple aspects of museum management, including art registration, handling and storage, record keeping and research,
acquisitions and loans, installation and presentation to the public, maintaining a reference library. Interns will be exposed to a wide range of subjects and media, broadening and deepening their knowledge of diverse aspects of Japanese art usually not taught at university. The internship will culminate with the intern’s production of an exhibition around the end of the internship.
The internship is a 12 month position, and offers on-site housing with utilities included, a car for local use, an $18,000 stipend and a $3,000 research grant. Read More
Roland Kelts special on NPR’s Studio360 to air Saturday morning
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JetWit just received the official press release from WNYC’s Studio 360 regarding their exclusive Studio 360 Goes to Japan program, featuring a segment written and hosted by Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), which will air this Saturday on NPR stations nationwide. Content, including video, will go live on the Studio 360 web site (http://www.studio360.org/) starting at 6 p.m. today (See the full press release below.)
The segment Roland wrote and hosted is focused on Japan’s Youth Culture and its various pathologies, especially the struggles of haken, or temporary workers, amid the imploding global economy.
Additionally, JetWit has learned that Roland is booked for an interview tomorrow afternoon with Nippon Television for their nightly news and entertainment program, News Zero. He will be interviewed by pop idol and actor Sho Sakurai of the band Arashi, and director Takashi Miike, both of whom are in town to promote the latter’s forthcoming live action film version of the 70s anime series, Yatterman. The interview will be about the Japanese pop culture juggernaut. Read More
MyShigoto.com – Jobs in Japan
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I just found out about a new job site for jobs in Japan called MyShigoto.com started by a guy named Daniel Davis. There’s now a box in the sidebar of JetWit with the RSS feed from MyShigoto.com, so you can see the latest listings as well.
Japan Trends: Bras for Boys
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I’m not going justify this with the pretense that it somehow ties in to JET alumni. I’m just posting the video.
Elizabeth Friedman (Shimane-ken, 2003-04) recently took over the role of Newsletter Editor for JETAA Chicago. But how did she find herself in this position? And what else do we know about this woman who Chicago’s JET alums have entrusted with such informational responsibilities? JetWit decided to get to the bottom of things, and this is what we learned.
Residence: Chicago, IL
Job: Sales representative at Nippon Steel Sales and part-time Asian Art History Instructor at Triton College
What she does all day at work: Listen to people complain about why their steel has, or has not, been shipped
Job she would really like to be doing: I would like to Read More
Jobs: Two Bilingual IT Job Listings
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Marc Hitzig of the Japan-America Society in Washington, D.C. shared these two job listings with the JETAA DC group list. If you are interested in the positions, please contact them directly and let them know that you found out through Japan-America Society of DC.
Job1: Mainframe Engineer – Bilingual 1245
Job2: Telecom Network Specialist – Bilingual 1242 Read More
WIT Life #26: Yen-pinching
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Stories regarding ways to save a few yen just keep on coming. Today’s news polled eating and drinking establishments in the Tokyo area to see what effect the recession is having on them, and 7 out of 12 said that there hadn’t been much of an impact. Whether being hit or not, these days they are forced to come up with a variety of ideas to stay in business and keep customers satisfied.
One spot featured was a tachinomi (stand and drink) place that largely relies on self service. Here you can buy beer and other drinks from vending machines for as low as 150 yen, and small dishes such as sausage can be purchased from a kiosk for 60 yen. This one-man shop saw Read More
Jobs: International Education (Arizona and Qatar)
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Via Chronicle of Higher Ed international program jobs:
2/4/2009
- Cultural Experiences Abroad (Arizona) : Director of Academic Affairs
Learn more in our Employer Profiles - Georgetown University (D.C.) : Interim Director – Graduate Program – SFS Qatar
JET Alum Business Beat: Yvonne Thurman starts Dolly Bella Bakery
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Yvonne Thurman (Kagoshima-ken, 1994-95), former JETAA NY President, recently left her position as Director of the Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB) to start her own baked goods business, Dolly Bella Bakery (www.dollybellabakery.com). Read below as she explains what led her down this path and how it’s all going.
I have enjoyed my career at Columbia Business School , directing its Center on Japanese Economy and Business with Professor Hugh Patrick. After 10 years of working there, I was searching in the corporate sector for business development positions but couldn’t find something that really excited me. So I pushed myself to think outside of the box, and really took a good look at my strengths and skills, work experience and education, and analyzed what I really enjoyed doing.
I was fixated on keeping my career in the international organization/international business arena, but I had to explore all options. I had solid management skills, a degree in finance and business, international experience (same as so many…but wait!)…liked boating as a hobby…loved baking. Hmm. I started to put all that together. Read More
Job (via MAX Consulting): Marketing Specialist for Manufacturing Company (NYC)
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Job Number: F6142
Title: Marketing Specialist
Industry: Manufacturing
Salary: 45K – 50K
Job duties: Under the general direction of Marketing Manager, the Marketing Specialist is responsible for a broad range of marketing related projects based on e-commerce initiatives. The Marketing Specialist will be responsible to provide clear marketing messages about the benefits of our services to our customers.
Location: NYC
Please email your resume to info @maxjob.com and mention that you saw the listing on JetWit.
Michael Auslin on Obama and U.S.-Asia Relations
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JET alum Michael Auslin, a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has the lead item in the February 2009 Issue of AEI’s Asian Policy Update. (I can’t find a link to the issue on the AEI website, so I’m just copying and pasting the item below.)
Obama and U.S.-Asian Relations
President Barack Obama has made clear his commitment to maintaining, deepening, and fortifying America’s presence in Asia. Yet many in Asia are still curious about the extent of his interest in and knowledge of the region and the vision he holds for its future.
Leaders from India to Japan know that the new president is overwhelmed with the economic crisis at home and two wars abroad. They also know that what he does to fix America’s economic woes will have an impact on faltering global economies. Still, Asia is more interested in whether Obama will pursue his campaign promises to restrict free trade, end America’s pursuit of ballistic missile defense, and to get North Korea to end its nuclear program.
To a large degree, Obama’s Asia policy will be determined by the region itself. If Asia appears to be stable and without the need for immediate action, the president is likely to keep his attention focused on Afghanistan and the U.S. economy. Should he take that path, Asia might look very different when Obama runs for reelection in 2012. In the intervening years, North Korea could develop a fully reconstituted nuclear weapons program; China could continue to increase military spending to deal with Tibet and may achieve the capability of preventing American air and naval forces from moving freely throughout the East China Sea and beyond; tensions between India and China might grow commensurate with their clashing interests; and Japan may find itself increasingly isolated in a region that is becoming more heavily armed.
We are a nation with territorial, trade, and political interests that bind us inseparably to this most dynamic region on earth. America must continue to promote freer trade, democratic governance, and interstate stability. Otherwise, we may find ourselves with problems that dwarf anything we face in the Middle East.
