A musical collaboration with Joey G. More coming soon.

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 the JET scheme, 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.

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

Nippon Club
June 26, 2010

Keynote speech by playwright and JET alum Randall David Cook

Loving the new Purpose office, where Chinatown meets Little Italy (Ni hao you doin’?).   Our building was formerly known as Odd Fellows Hall.  A fitting name indeed. 

More about Odd Fellows Hall.

Odd Fellows Hall by epicharmus, on Flickr

Arturo invited a bunch of folks from ITP up to his place in the country over the weekend. We had a splendid time camping, swimming, and communing with nature and each other. Here are some of my favorite photos; the full set on Flickr.