BAPCPA Man #9: BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua – Part 2
Blogs, Cartoon/Illustration, Humor, Translating/Interpreting, Writers 
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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.
Click here to see a larger image of the cartoon.
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.
Japan Society (NY) Weekly eNewsletter – Sept 21-27
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J-News Mini-Roundup: Prime Minister Hatoyama Leaves Japan for the First Time
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese and Chinese language learning options.
In early September Prime Minister Hatoyama and his party the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) won a historic election. For the first time since the second world war, the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) is no longer in power, and the DPJ is now in the driver seat in the Japanese government. How things will change, and what this means for Japanese diplomacy, has yet to be seen.
Prime Minister Hatoyama left Japan with his wife last night for the United States, and for the G20 summit. Each Japanese newspaper reported something different about what policies and goals the Prime Minister would have on his first diplomatic mission.
Asahi “Prime Minister Hatoyama Leaves for the U.S. for his Speech at the G20” The Asahi describes in their first paragraph how the Prime Minister sees this trip to the U.S. as…
Click here for the rest of the article, including other Japanese language and culture articles
From the JETAASC newsletter:
WEN CHAO CHEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES
The Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Fellowship
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Application deadline is January 15, 2010. Fellowships begin June 1, 2010, and conclude May 31, 2011. For further information and application materials please visit Next Generation Fellowship:
http://nbr.org/about/nextgenfellowship.aspx
JETAA New York Softball Tournament – PHOTOS!
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JET alum Francis Lee took a whole bunch of great photos from the JETAA NY Softball Tournament, held last Saturday, September 12. The winners in the two divisions were Kintetsu and Docomo. (Though JETAA NY was one error away from holding the lead in that game! :-) Special thanks to JETAA NY Vice-Prez Monica Yuki for organizing, to Liz Wanic for captaining the JETAA NY squad and cheering with extreme genki-ness, to Ito-en for once again providing cold, yummy tea drinks, and to all the teams for coming out, having fun and keeping the tradition alive!
Teams (in no particular order):
- JETAA New York
- Japan Local Government Center (JLGC) + Consulate General of Japan in New York (i.e., the parent organizations of JETAA)
- Columbia’s Center on Japanese Economy & Business (ably managed by Jennifer Olayon)
- Kintetsu
- Mitsubishi (featuring Zack Ferguson)
- Docomo
- QUICK USA
- TV Japan (starring Scott & Keiko Hiniker :-)
Dozo shyashin wo mite kudasai!
http://www.columbia.edu/~fl104/Softball
Learning Kanji – Beginner Concepts and Simple Strategies
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The Japanese Doctor is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com).
Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese and Chinese language learning options. Their main service is private one on one language lessons in the NYC area.
The most daunting yet fulfilling to learn alphabet in Japanese is Kanji. Kanji literally means “Chinese character,” because literally the alphabet derived from Chinese characters. In English, it’s similar in that the roman alphabet came from Latin, however Japanese Kanji words and Chinese words are actually quite similar. So much so that Japanese speakers can look at a Chinese newspaper or book and get at least a general understanding of what’s going on, I myself could do a job search in Chinese without ever learning how to speak a word of the language. Unlike learning latin however, Kanji is central to the Japanese language and must be learned if a Japanese language learner is to attain any form of reading fluency. This article will touch on some basics of learning Kanji, and hopefully get readers started in the right direction to learn Kanji efficiently.
Before diving into Kanji it’s important that the reader know…
(CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article)
AKB48 U.S. Debut Concert In NYC
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ALL-FEMALE MUSIC GROUP
US DEBUT WITH FREE FULL CONCERT @ WEBSTER HALL NEW YORK CITY
New York – Tokyo is happy to announce the US debut of Japan’s popular music group AKB48. AKB48 will perform at a full concert at Webster Hall in NYC on Sunday, September 27.
AKB48 is a very unique, theater based, all-female music group created by famed songwriter/producer Yasushi Akimoto in 2005. AKB48 consists of 66 female members ranging from ages 14 to 26 (as of Sep. 2009). The group is divided into four groups – A, K, B, and Trainee. With the concept of “Idols you can meet everyday”, the group practically performs almost every day at their own exclusive AKB48 Theater in Akihabara, Tokyo. Their stage presence is an eye candy to the fans due to their multiple costume changes throughout the show. These busy pop stars take on diverse challenging work by hosting their own TV show and appearing in movies and commercials. Not to mention their multiple collaboration work with artist Takashi Murakami. (Their recent single CD cover was illustrated by Murakami).
AKB48’s first international appearance was at the Japan Expo in Paris this past July. Now they are set to arrive in NYC with select members preparing for the best possible US debut! They will show what Tokyo girls are about in show business. In addition you will get to experience their cute fashion and full smile power.
AKB48 Official Website: www.akb48.co.jp
AKB48 in NY website: www.newyork-tokyo.com/wp/akb48
Media contact: taeko@newyork-tokyo.com
New York – Tokyo Music Night: Fashion Week After Party
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To celebrate Fashion Week and the coming of Fall New York – Tokyo is hosting a Fashion Week After Party this Friday, Sept. 18th with guest DJ/Model Ansoni!
There will also be a photo shoot by Mayu. The party wouldn’t be complete without the open bar from Asahi Beer from 10PM-11PM would it? Join us this Friday for a good time! RSVP for the party below.
SEPTEMBER 18TH (FRI.) 10PM – 4AM
PLAN B: 339 E. 10TH STREET (AVE. B), NYC
GUEST DJ/MODEL: ANSONI
DJ KEIICHIRO AND DJ SHINNOSUKE
FREE ASAHI BEER 10PM-11PM
PHOTO SHOOT BY MAYU
FREE WITH RSVP: www.newyork-tokyo.com/wp/nytmn4
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JetWit knows that a lot of JET alums are interested in working in the fields of international education programs and student services, so we asked future international ed expert Pam Kavalam (Shiga-ken, 2007-09) to talk to some JET alums in the field and share her conversation for the benefit of the JET alumni community:
Spotlight on University Administration
by Pam Kavalam (Shiga-ken, 2007-09)
Are you looking for a career that can utilize some of the skills you learned over in Japan- cross-cultural exchange, working with students, and (for the truly lucky) the offer to travel again? Think about working at a university- either in international exchange or student affairs. I sat down with Shannan Spisak (Kawasaki-shi, 96-98) to talk about her experience from the JET Program to higher education administration.
Tell me about your journey into the field of international education.
Shannan: After I came back from JET, I moved to New York City with a friend and worked at a private Japanese company for 2 years. I decided to switch careers to move into the international arena; the United Nations in particular interested me. I went on a number of informational interviews with fellow former JETs working in the field and they all recommended graduate school. I decided to study Peace Education and International Exchange at Teachers College, Columbia University. In order to finance my education, I took a job working as Assistant to the President of Barnard College while attending classes part-time. During the process of completing my M.A., I realized I had grown more interested in the education component of my degree than its relation to UN work. Consequently, my focus shifted towards seeking a career in international exchange in higher education.
What do you do now?
Shannan: I work at the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the Global Scholarships Division. The IIE is a 90 year-old non-profit organization that runs over 200 programs around the world, including the Fulbright. I manage three international scholarship programs through the GE Foundation and the Chubb Insurance Foundation. I organize the review and selection of applications, notify finalists, award grants, and manage special components of the scholarships such as Leadership Development Seminars and Career Workshops. I also coordinate Read More
Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) will be well represented at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (16 West 32nd Street, 10th Floor btwn Broadway & 5th Avenue) on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 7-9pm when author Todd Shimoda will be read from his latest illustrated novel, Oh! A mystery of mono no aware. He will be joined by poet Hoa Nguyen, author of Hecate Lochia, and Paulo Javier, author of 60lvboembs.
The event is open to the public and a $5 donation is suggested.
Here’s the book blurb:
Shimoda’s Oh! is a fast-paced story about a young Japanese American whose quest for a richer emotional life sets him on a journey to discover the essence of the Japanese appreciation of beauty (‘mono no aware’), the dark past haunting his psychologist-and-poet mentor, and ultimately involves him in the tragic phenomenon of Japan’s suicide clubs.
Also, in June, Oh! was chosen as one of NPR’s Summer Reading Picks:
“The book itself is a fine work of art, with a gorgeous, embossed cover, rice paper-thin pages, and textured paper inserts with illustrations that offer clues to Zack’s fate — a triumphant kick in the pants for anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books.” — NPR
See previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge here and a Japan Times review of Oh! here.
Interesting side note: One other Chin Music Press employee, designer Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken, 2005-07), is also a JET alum.
Roland Kelts appearances at upcoming New York Anime Festival starting Sept 25
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The New York Anime Festival has announced its bookings for Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, for this year’s event, which commences at the Javits Center on September 25.
Roland will be on with Yoshiyuki Tomino (GUNDAM creator) on Friday, pop sensations AKB48 Saturday, and Yui Makino (voice of TSUBASA) on Sunday.
Here’s the official announcement: http://www.mediumatlarge.net/2009/09/roland-kelts-comes-to-nyaf.html
Job: Manager of Student Services (Sophia University, Tokyo)
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A great job opportunity for job-seekers currently in Japan:
Position: Manager, Student Services for the CIEE Study Center.
CIEE is looking to hire a Manager, Student Services in our Study Center located at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. This individual is responsible for all general aspects of program operations including: student affairs and support, and general office support. This person will also be responsible for the day-to-day management of the summer program. The Manager, Student Services is responsible for ensuring the highest levels of program quality and customer satisfaction. The position includes but is not limited to the responsibilities described and is subject to change. Read More
Job: Full-Time English Teaching Position in Gunma
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Interested parties must apply through Gaijinpot’s job listings:
One full-time teaching position is available in Numata , Gunma with Griff-Eagle: An English conversation school department of a school tutoring company. We are a casual yet professional school in the countryside of Gunma. This area is close to ski resorts, river-rafting, hiking trails and famous hot springs. Numata city is a quiet place. This position is most suitable for someone who likes to live away from the hustle and bustle of a big city and who will find contentment in exploring Japanese culture and lifestyle. Tokyo is three hours away by regular train or one hour and fifteen minutes by bullet train.
Job details: Read More
Event: Why Haven’t They Called Me? What Happens After You Submit Your Picture Book to a Publisher?
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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:
Why Haven’t They Called Me? What Happens After You Submit your Picture Book to a Publisher
with Kerry Martin, Senior Designer, Clarion Books
Time: Saturday, September 26, 19:00-20:30; portfolio reviews 17:30-18:30
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; non-members 1,500 yen
Additional fee for Portfolio Review.
This event will be in English. Japanese interpretation will be available.
Private Portfolio Reviews are available from 17:30 to 18:30. Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your ten-minute slot. Portfolio Reviews must be paid for in advance: SCBWI members 3,500 yen; 4,000 yen non-members.
You’ve submitted your book dummy, sketches, or art samples and wonder why the phone isn’t ringing yet. Kerry Martin, Senior Designer at Clarion Books in New York City, will discuss the process of creating a picture book from initial sketch stage to the finished product, including what goes on behind the scenes while you wait for a response. Also discussed will be the dos and don’ts of sending unsolicited art samples. Private portfolio reviews will precede the discussion.
Kerry Martin grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from Parsons School of Design, New York City, in 2001. After graduating, she worked at a design studio, a letterpress print shop, and several magazines. She has been designing children’s picture books, novels and nonfiction for young adults with Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in New York, since 2002. She travels to Japan as often as she can to visit her husband’s family in Tokyo and Yokohama.
www.scbwi.jp info@scbwi.jp
