Chicago JETAA

Thursday, August 12, 6:00PM to 9:00PM

Join Room to Read’s Chicago chapter for pizza and beer at Piece Brewery & Pizzeria this August!

For every Piece beer or soft drink you purchase between 6 and 9 p.m., Piece will donate $1 to Room to Read — and for every dollar we raise, Room to Read can buy one book for children in developing countries.

Whether you’re looking to get more involved with Room to Read, want to learn more about what we do, or just want to toss back a few beers for a good cause, this is the event for you. First-timers to Room to Read events are especially encouraged to attend.

Pass on this invite to anyone you think might be interested in attending; all are welcome! Let’s toast literacy!

We suggest a $10 donation at the door, which automatically enters you in our raffle for prizes. 100% of your donation goes to Room to Read.

Can’t make it to the event but still want to make a donation? You can donate on Room To Read’s website and reference the Chicago chapter:

Stick around after our event for karaoke at Piece beginning at 9 PM!

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As part of Japan’s efforts to grapple with its massive public debt, the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Program may be cut. Soon after coming into power, the new  government launched a high profile effort to expose and cut wasteful spending. In May 2010, the JET Program and CLAIR came up for review, and during the course of an hourlong hearing, the 11-member panel criticized JET, ruling unanimously that a comprehensive examination should be undertaken to see if it should be pared back or eliminated altogether.  The number of JET participants has already been cut back by almost 30 percent from the peak in 2002, but this is the most direct threat that the program has faced in its 23-year history.

We are asking JET Program participants past and present, as well as other friends of the program to speak out and petition the Japanese government to reconsider the cuts.  Please sign this petition in support of the grassroots cultural exchange the JET Program has fostered and write directly to the Japanese government explaining the positive impact the Program has made in your life and that of your adopted Japanese community.

Be sure to add your JET placement (ALT/CIR/SEA and City/Prefecture, or “Friend of JET” in the petition letter below).  This is not just any ordinary petition.  We have been told by contacts in the Japanese government that feedback from JETs and JET alumni will be taken seriously when considering these matters.

For more background on this issue, please refer to “JET Program on the Chopping Block” by Jim Gannon on jetwit.com.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE!

Hello all you JET Alumni!

JETAA is having another excellent dinner party and we’d love for you to come. We’re going to meet at Restaurant Sakura in Mount Prospect!

It’s one of the most authentic Japanese cuisine restaurants in the Chicagoland area! Please check out their website:

http://www.sakura-restaurant.com/

Tatami rooms.. Nabe, udon, soba, sushi.. Natsukashi!

We’re going to meet at the restaurant (105 S. Main Street, Mt. Prospect IL, 60056) this Saturday, the 10th, at 6:30 PM.

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Please let us know if carpooling is required for you to get there, we’ll try to get you a ride.

We have reservations for as many as 15 people on the 10th at 6:30. These spots are first come, first serve, so please RSVP!

Also, what we’re ordering MUST be communicated to the restaurant by the 8th, so please check out the menu from the website and give us your food requests in your RSVP! If we don’t have your RSVP for headcount and food requests by the 8th, you won’t be reserved for!

Please email your RSVP to Christine O’Reilly at oreilly.christine {at} gmail dot com.

Bill will be split among the group Japanese style.

Thank you everyone, we look forward to seeing you there!

–Chicago JETAA

Just wanted to give a heads up to our learners of Japanese out there that if you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch you should definitely check out a new app I came across – Japanese Flash – I have been using it for a couple weeks and so far it’s been a really intuitive flash card program for studying words and phrases in Japanese. I remember in college carrying around dictionary, number of workbooks and flash card sets etc… This app seems to have more than all of that. I have tried some other Japanese learning apps for my phone, but it was hard to find one that fit my skill level, this one seems to be very good at striking that balance in usefulness for both beginners and advanced learners at the same time. Someday I hope to pass that darn JLPT and the study sets in this app will hopefully help me with that too. Anyway, if you’re interested, there is a more through feature list on their site and the video below covers most of the basics.

http://longweekendmobile.com/apps/

頑張って！！

Kevin Greene
Technology Chair

Click here to view in PDF format – http://www.chicago.jetalumni.net/newsletter/2010_Summer_Newsletter.pdf