gunmajet.net

The link is here (Japanese only, video and text): http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00138849.html
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Essentially some people were doing pot and ecstasy and were arrested. There is no mention of them being foreign so they were probably Japanese, but keep in mind that even smoking pot means jail time in Japan, and for foreigners it would also mean deportation.
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Party hard but party safe.

I have really enjoyed my 3 years in Gunma, 2 as a high school ALT and the last 1 year as the ALT Adviser. Many of you came to me with your problems and I hope I was able to help you. Thanks to the hard work of some great ALTs, both JETs and privates, the conferences of the past year have been very successful and I am sure they will continue to improve in years to come.
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Today, schools in Gunma have begun recieving the IRS scam by FAX.

Please let me know if you recieve it. (IF you recieve the actual FAX, not if you recieve the example of what the fake FAX looks like with the notice of warning in Japanese attached.)

Refer to this post for more information: http://www.gunmajet.net/node/1224

Fukui-ken has been targeted by a scam which sends FAXes claiming to be from the IRS.
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There has only been one case of this in Gunma that I know of, but please be aware that more schools in Gunma could recieve this fake IRS document.
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The IRS would not ask you for bank account information, and the only time you would ever give the IRS your account information is when you file your taxes and fill out the "deposit my refund by direct deposit section". Please do not give them your bank info or other personal information that could lead to identity theft.
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Here is the official notice about this scam from the IRS webpage: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=123621,00.html
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Please contact Judith (li-j at pref dot gunma dot jp) or I (sm-bahia at pref dot gunma dot jp) if you recieve this kind of FAX.
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Read below for more specifics:
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I found this post recently and I thought those of you leaving JET might find it interesting.
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Content quoted below.
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Just a reminder to everyone: the dress code for the conference on June 13th is the same as always - professional/business style.
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Please be sure to wear professional attire, such as suits for guys and girls, or blouses, skirts, and dresses for girls (sorry guys, you can't wear the dress you've been saving for that special occasion).
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Please DO NOT wear jeans, t-shirts, sweatpants, flipflops, hello kitty slippers, white sneakers, etc.
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You do not need to bring indoor shoes. Outdoor shoes are allowed in the kencho.

Supreme Court opens door to unwed foreign moms' children
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20080605a1.html

Check out these reviews of different Spaced Repetition Systems. For Mac users you probably have to go with Anki, for others, Mnemosyne is recommended as the best:
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http://nihongoperapera.com/mnemosyne-anki-review.html
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http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/what-is-an-srs
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http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/
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http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/khatzumemo-like-supermemomnemo...
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http://ichi2.net/anki/

I hope that everyone has received the official letter about the Recontracting/Returner's Conference by now. If you have not, please let me know ASAP. Attached to this post are the official letters your school should have received from the BOE.

This year, the conference will be for all JETs, regardless of what year on the program (though this will likely change next year when it merges with the 2009 Mid-Year Seminar). Recontracting JETs will arrive at 9:30 am, and Returning JETs will arrive at 1:00 pm. Please see the letters for more details.

If there is a school event which conflicts with the conference please contact me by email at sm-bahia at pref dot gunma dot jp or use the email function on this site.

Editorial about the rise in cost of school lunches in some areas of Japan: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20080518a2.html