BAPCPA Man #17: BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua – Part 5 – Mortgage Cramdown Fail


BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
Do you work in bankruptcy or restructuring? Now you can join the JET Alumni Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group on LinkedIn.
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
JET Alum Liz Sheffield interviews “Love In Translation” author Wendy Nelson Tokunaga


Author, manuscript consultant and blogger Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) has a great post on her blog Motherlogue about a new book out titled Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga. Here’s Liz’s explanation of the background:
About a year ago I read Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s debut novel, Midori by Moonlight. I was thrilled to see that she had a new release out in November — Love In Translation. Both of her books cover topics near and dear to my heart: Japanese culture, the expatriate experience and cross-cultural romance.
Love In Translation intrigued me because the story is told from the perspective of a foreign woman living in Japan, something with which I have personal experience! As I read the book, I had a wonderful sense of being reconnected to my own experiences in Japan — from the visits to a ryokan (Japanese hotel) to eating delicious shu-cream to blunders in communication through a foreign language. I was also reminded of what I learned about myself thanks to the joy and hardship of navigating a culture so different from my own.
In my interview with her at Motherlogue, Wendy offers insight about her experiences in Japan, about publishing two novels and combining her vocal talents with her husband’s musical talents to create an enka song (“Nozomi No Hoshi“) as the soundtrack for Love In Translation. Details about how to request a copy of “Nozomi No Hoshi” on CD, are included in the interview.
- Read the interview with Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of “Love in Translation.”
- Read an interview with fellow JET alum Suzanne Kamata about Suzanne’s book Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering.
- Follow Motherlogue here: http://motherlogue.wordpress.com
Roland Kelts’ Japanamerica reviewed by Fan-to-Pro blog


Here’s a nice review of Japanamerica (by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) on the blog Fan-to-Pro: The Blog of Professional Geekery, which describes itself as “a blog about jobs, career and economics for ambitious fans, progeeks, Otariimen and other members of the Modern Literati.”
http://www.fantopro.com/blog/2009/12/book-review-japanamerica.html
Just in time for the holidays, in case you’re looking for that special gift for that special JET friend or Friend of JET!
Just heard from Aaron Woolfolk (Kochi-ken, 1991-93), writer and director of the film The Harimaya Bridge (starring Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, and Danny Glover, who is also the Executive Producer), that the film is now available on DVD in Japan.
JetWit would love to have a copy of the DVD for JETAA NY purposes, so if you’re in Japan and can get a hold of a The Harimaya Bridge DVD, let me know. (jetwit [/at/] jetwit [/dot/] com.)
Meanwhile, the Aaron has continued showing The Harimaya Bridge at film festivals around the U.S. and reports that the film is due out in theaters in the U.S. in the spring.
JET Alum Writing: Jonathan Golub – Private Fund Investment Advisers Registration Act of 2009



Jonathan Golub, Esq. (Saitama-ken, 1996-97)
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For JetWit readers working in law or financial services, you may be interested to know that attorney Jonathan Golub (Saitama-ken, 1996-97) was a major contributor to a recent article on the topic of hedge funds and a proposed law that would require many hedge fund managers to register with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
Jonathan is a senior financial services associate at Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP. He advises investment advisers on a wide variety of matters including private investment fund formation and compliance with securities and commodities regulations.
Roland Kelts article in PaperSky–in Japanese–on hybridization and travel


Here’s a column by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, in the Japanese-language travel magazine, PaperSky (http://www.paper-sky.com/blog/). It’s a “mediation on hybridization and travel” and includes photos of the Tokyo, Sydney and NYC skylines.
BAPCPA Man #15 – BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua Part 4 – Mortgage Cramdown!


BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
Do you work in bankruptcy or restructuring? Now you can join the JET Alumni Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group on LinkedIn.
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
JET-Popp: Yokohama Children`s Book Conference


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Laura Popp (Mie-ken, 2009-Present) is a current JET who writes fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults, and is an occasional playwright/film maker. Her short work includes a short story titled “In theShadow Realm” and a documentary she made in Malawi. To read about her amazing adventures all over Japan, go to her blog at laurajanepopp.blogspot.com. (And check out the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library for a list of more writers in the JET-o-sphere.)
Hello again! This week I would like to report on the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in Yokohama. It actually occurred on November 14th, but, alas, I have been ill with swine flu and other “opportunistic infections” so I was unable to report. But now you get to hear all about it!
For those of you who don`t know, SCBWI is a great group to get involved with if you write for kids. They have lots of events, critique groups, contests, and resources. Here is their website: http://www.scbwi.jp/
A note on transportation. There are many events for writers and translators in Japan, but most are confined to the big cities. For those of you who live in a small town like me, you may be wondering how you will ever get to this wonderful career-building opportunities and still stay within your tight school-teacher budget. Fear not!
There is a wonderful, often overlooked form of transportation in Japan called the night bus. It may seem like a pain, but the bus I took from my home in Nabari to Yokohama was very comfortable. The bus ride was about eight hours, so if I were more accustomed to sleeping on a bus, I probably could have been well rested when we arrived very early in the morning. The earliness gave me plenty of time for sightseeing before the conference, and since my bus home didn`t leave until 11:00pm. Plus it cost less than half than taking the shinkansen, and there`s no need to pay for a hotel!
That said, I was very tired when I arrived back in Nabari at 7:00am. Fortunately it was Sunday, but I would not recommend taking the night bus if you have to go to work the next day. Also, be warned, not all night buses are created equal. Check to see if the bus you want to ride has reclining seats or not, and if there is a bathroom on board or if they stop ever few hours, turn on the lights, and have people jostling past you trying to get in and out constantly. If you are interested in taking a night bus somewhere, I would recommend contacting the main bus station in your town. Most of them don’t speak English, but a Japanese friend helped me get the information and make reservations over the phone. You may be surprised how many places offer night buses to common destinations such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, etc.
(FYI, Yokohama is famous for its Read More
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (November 2009 #2)


The November 2009 (#2) issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online. In this issue:
Tasting with Mr. T
Did You Know? Sake Brand Name Characters
New Section: Sake Basics – Junmai-shu
Guided Sakagura Tours
Sake Professional Courses in Japan: Last Call!
Holiday Gift Idea: Announcing The Sake Dictionary!!!
Odds-n-Ends
Additional links:
Sake World Website
More About Us
Archive
Roland Kelts article in “Psychology Today”


Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, wrote this story about Japan’s unique generation gap for Psychology Today. According to Roland, “things keep changing, but the fundamentals remain the same. Japanese youth are enacting a kind of Bartelby Rebeillion–checking out, passively, to check in.”
Here’s the link to the post: http://japanamerica.blogspot.com/2009/12/psychology-today.html
Video: Roland Kelts keynote speech at U of Missouri


Here are two videos of Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, from a keynote speech he gave at the University of Missouri in St. Louis back in October.
In the first, he talks about the connection between manga and anime and traditional Japanese line-based aesthetics–or what Takashi Murakami now calls “Superflat”:
And in the second video, he discusses the fundamental differences between American visual iconography and Japanese sensibilities, with a reference to Pokemon in America and McDonald’s in Japan:
JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a former English-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works in online marketing in New York and relishes her constant hunt for the best cheap(ish) eats in the city.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend and that you’re all enjoying autumn. Let’s take a peek at what our favorite JET bloggers have been posting lately.
JET alum Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) at Gaijin Mama shares a decidedly Japanese first in twenty one years of living in Japan, as well as an eye opening take on a day with a wheelchair in Japan.
Kevin Kajitani (Kyogo-ken, 2006-07) over at iSpeakJapanese has moved to Japan – check out the first video from his new home here.
JET alum Lars Martinson finishes up his series on the beauty of East Asian calligraphy. Check out part one and part two.
Here’s another delicious recipe derived from a productive bout of insomnia from Elizabeth White (Toyama-ken, 1995-98), adventure writer.
Just in time for the holidays – JET alum Chen Reichert has new holiday cards at botodesigns.
BAPCPA Man #14 – Happy Thanksgiving from BAPCPA Man!


BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
Do you work in bankruptcy or restructuring? Now you can join the JET Alumni Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group on LinkedIn.
(Click image above to see larger version.)
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
Roland Kelts Daily Yomiuri column: Soft power evolution from Perry’s day to Obama’s


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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20091120TDY13001.htm
FYI, images below are 1) Commodore Perry’s bow, 2) Obama’s bow and 3) Political commentary from Perry’s day.
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JET alum and technical writer David Kowalsky has a nice book review on the book Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods in the latest edition of Sound Views, the newsletter for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Writers.
Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/3hix5A.
Have a look and feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter as well. Also, you can follow JetWit via Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetwit.