Ask for Identification from Police Officers
If you are approached by a police officer, insist on seeing photo identification.
At around 6:30pm on February 26, a man claiming to be a police officer approached a 19 year-old university student in the Amakubo area of Tsukuba and told her that she was riding a stolen bicycle. He showed her a business card that included his name and a police symbol and told her that she would have to come with him in his vehicle. He then put her in the back seat of his van.
He drove for about 13 km to a convenience store in the Numata area of Tsukuba and entered the store. While he was in the store, the student called her father. He told her to go somewhere where there were other people around, so she went inside the store and asked the man if he was really a police officer. When she asked him that, he got back in the car and drove away. The woman was not injured.
The suspect in this case is around 40 years old, about 170cm tall, average build, and short black hair. He was wearing a beige down jacket and black or blue trousers. He was driving a grey van. Call 110 if you have any information about this case.
A similar incident occurred in the late evening on the 25. A different woman was approached by a man who claimed to be a police officer in the Sakura area of Tsukuba.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun and the Ibaraki Prefectural Police Hibari-kun Crime Prevention Mailing List (ひばりくん防犯メール).
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Lecture by a Nobel Prize Winner
There will be a lecture by Dr. Robert B. Laughlin of Standford University this Thursday at Epochal Tsukuba (Tsukuba International Congress Center).
Lecture by a Nobel Prize winner Dr. Robert B. Laughlin
When: February 28, Thursday from 6:30PM
Venue: Epochal Tsukuba
Contact the Ibaraki Prefecture’s Science and Technology Promotion Office to register or inquire about this lecture.
・ Phone: 029-301-2532,
・ Fax: 029-301-2539
・ E-mail: kikaku7[at]pref.ibaraki.lg.jp
Ref:
Tsukuba Science Academy
http://academy.fureai.or.jp/news.cgi?mode=detail&num=20080212171108
Ibaraki Virtual Science Museum
http://www.kagakukan.pref.ibaraki.jp/cgi-local/news/newsview.cgi?dnum=0&category=news
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Kasumigaura Bird Rescue Meeting: Feb 28
There will be a Kasumigaura Bird Rescue meeting on Thursday, February 28 from 8:45pm at Hot Stuff. Avi and Maurice will both be there to discuss this problem and look for solutions.
To find out more about the Kasumigaura Bird Rescue operation, please click on the following links.
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Salsa in Tsukuba: March 2008
There is an active Salsa club in Tsukuba (appropriately named "Salsa en Tsukuba") and it offers classes and/or workshops almost every week. Here is the schedule for March 2008.
Saturday, March 8
Salsa Class
6:30pm to 21:30pm
Kasuga Kominkan
Sunday, March 16
Salsa Party
7pm to 10pm
Backyard Cafe and Antique
Saturday, March 22
Salsa Class
6:30pm to 21:30pm
Kasuga Kominkan
Sunday, March 23
Salsa Workshop by Ken
1pm to 3pm
Kasuga Kominkan
Salsa Class
3pm to 5pm
Kasuga Kominkan
These events are open to people of all nationalities, ages, and levels. Absolute beginners are welcome, as are veterans. Classes are held on the second and fourth Saturdays at Kasuga Kominkan. Also, a salsa party is held on the third Saturday (usually at El Torito or Backyard Cafe).
For more information:
salsa-tsukuba[AT]104.net
http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/salsa-en-tsukuba/
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Register your Bone Marrow to Help a Fellow Foreigner
Englishman David, a long-time resident of Japan and father of two children, received some shocking news late last year. He was diagnosed with a rare disease which leaves his bone marrow unable to produce white or red blood cells. His immune system has practically shut down and left him unprotected against all nature of germs and viruses. David was forced to quit his teaching positions at several local universities at the end of November and was hospitalized just before the New Year.
Fortunately, there is hope for David. Put simply, he needs a bone marrow transplant, a procedure which has now become fairly standard. All that is required is a compatible donor. After a transplant operation, the donor’s bone marrow will grow back normally, and David’s life will be saved.
There is a well-organized bone marrow donor system in Japan, but finding a compatible donor is the problem. A suitable donor must meet six compatibility criteria, which means that the chance of two people being compatible is extremely small. Moreover, physiological differences mean that it is extremely unlikely that local (Japanese) donors’ marrow will be compatible with David’s Caucasian bone marrow. As there are currently no donor exchange programs with Europe, America is the only possibility, but the search procedure is likely to be long and costly. In matters such as these, half a year more can be the difference between life and death. The obvious solution is to try and find a donor among foreigners living in Japan.
Read more: HELP DAVID by testing for bone marrow compatibility
You can have your bone marrow (骨髄, こつずい) tested and registered in Tsukuba at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center near Tsukuba Information Center and Nova Hall. Having your bone marrow tested involves a simple blood test. Your bone marrow does not have to be extracted in order for it to be registered.
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