Bad planning...

According to the Korea Times: "Man robs homes to pay for plastic surgery."
By the way, I don't know if there is prison rape in Korea, but I would guess that a man might not want to have plastic surgery shortly before going to prison.

In a different story: "10% of Korean Men Wear Makeup."

* * *

Over 70% of Seoul students receive private education, according to the Korea Herald.

76% of parents said they are feeling pressured financially to teach their children.

Question: How long until some of those parents start robbing their neighbors to pay for private education? Back when I was in Korea in the late 1990s, there was a story about a Korean woman caught for prostitution explained that she did it to pay for private tutoring for her children.

* * *

CNN's John King apparently was the first to report that a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was a darker-skinned or black male.

1) CNN has re-learned the lesson that it is good to be first, but you want to be RIGHT! Was there anyone besides CNN reporting it was a darker-skinned or black male?

2) It seems that initial reports about such incidents are usually wrong. I recall the case in 1996 in which Richard Jewell, a white police officer working as a security guard at the Atlanta Olympics who discovered some pipe bombs, was falsely accused and much ridiculed as a suspect (someone in the FBI tipped off a reporter, the actual criminal wasn’t arrested until 2003).

3) It is a reminder that it isn’t only online media that spreads lies and misinformation. The traditional media is damned good at that, too.

On Facebook

* * *

The Korean government continues its push to increase growth.

Here's the latest crime report from the Korea Herald:

* Shinsegae vice chairman fined 15 million won for not attending parliamentary hearings over the company’s alleged infringement of small retailers. The Hyundai Department Store received a 10 million won fine.
* The Seoul Central District Court has ordered the heads of Hyundai Department Store, Lotte Group and Shinsegae Department Store, and the Shinsegae Group to stand trial as part of the government’s probe into large conglomerates dominating mom-and-pop businesses.
* And to protect mom-and-pop and traditional markets, the Cabinet earlier this week decided to slap higher fines on large retailers for violating rules on reduced operating hours.

On Facebook

* * *

An irrelevant statistic in American politics is that 90% of Americans support gun control. An irrelevant list is the names of Congressmen who opposed the gun control bill.

Here's something more important, gleaned from a National Journal article: " Three vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking reelection in 2014 joined most Senate Republicans in thwarting the bipartisan amendment mandating background checks for gun purchasers on Wednesday.

“Just four Republicans -- including one up for reelection in 2014, Susan Collins of Maine -- voted for the bill.

“Other Republicans voting for the bill are up in 2016: Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois, John McCain of Arizona and Toomey.”

http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2013/04/in-cycle-dems-baucus-begich-pryor-oppose-background-check-amendment-17

My point: national polls and full lists don't mean anything to politicians up for election in districts or states where polls either go in a different direction or that the issue is not as burning as the national media presents it.

* * *

"Yoegi Anjuseyo!"

* I have a short reflection in today's Korea Times about an encounter with an unfriendly looking Korean man on the subway. It was a reminder not to be too quick in judging people in Korea. 09-13-2011 16:47 'Yeogi Anjeuseyo!' By Casey Lartigue Jr. The recent incident in which an American English teacher bullied an elderly Korean man and other passengers on the bus reminded me of a more pleasing incident from years ago. I was on the subway, taking the train outside of Seoul for a work assignment. I have the habit of standing on the subway to strategically position myself near the doors in case my stop magically appears. On that particular day, there was a Korean man STARING at me. Not just looking at me, but intensely staring at me. He had an incredible frown on his face. Not just for one stop, but for several stops the guy just kept staring at me. If I had known more Korean then I would have been able to curse him ...

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

2020-07-24 Pandemic Tutoring

The question comes in various forms, as a request, a recommendation, a plea, an insinuation, an accusation, and sometimes (or most of the time) it is a demand and complaint at the same time. In my in-box yesterday: "And I wanted to know if TNKR also transitioned to online services as any other educational institutions globally under the pandemic." This was from a previous volunteer who is now in the USA, so I took more time to answer him, and will expand it now so I can share it with others asking. As context, TNKR started in 2013 as an informal volunteer group connecting North Korean refugees with volunteer tutors. In 2016, we became an official organization despite lacking funding. Mainly because we have limited resources we keep focused on our main mission, but try to expand based on the needs of North Korean refugee learners. We have developed a learner-centered organization that has a great reputation among North Korean refugees. That means we are not a social club or re...

Michael Breen discussion at 10 Magazine

Yesterday I attended a discussion with writer Michael Breen, hosted by Barry Welsh. Very often, when I attend a speech or discussion about a topic I know a lot about, I often think about ways the speaker/facilitator/discussant could have done better. But I didn't feel that way about Breen, it was one of those times that I really felt like I had a lot to learn and should listen more than talk. He's been in Korea for three decades, working as a reporter, commentator, communications specialist. He reminds me of Andrei Lankov in that his analysis seems to be based on observation of how things work rather than trying to get the world to fit his biases. I don't know him, so his friends may say he is a raging ideologue, but that's not the impression I had yesterday and based on his writings. Michael Breen (L) and Casey Lartigue I first read his book The Koreans about a decade ago. It was a delightful read, that was both warm to Koreans but also critical at times. Yes...

Humanitarian with a guillotine (Korea Times, February 1, 2013) by Casey Lartigue, Jr.

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, `` I’m from the government, and I’m here to help .” For many well-intentioned activists, politicians, and intellectuals, that should be updated as: ``We are here to help you. You’re under arrest.” For example, ``sex workers” around the world oppose anti-prostitution laws. Prostitutes may not know the theoretical arguments but they do know in reality that prohibiting prostitution means they lack protection in dealing with abusive pimps and madams, violent patrons and crooked cops. Locally, a Korean woman busted for prostitution recently appealed to the courts pleading , ``I cannot survive without this job. I don’t want to be treated as a criminal for making a living the only way I can.” How should someone who genuinely wants to help her respond? If you say ``arrest her” then you are qualified to be a “harmful humanitarian.” In your desire to help, you have elimin...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog