Skip to main content

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 rec
all 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.


* * *


Popular posts from this blog

Breen's column that outraged Samsung

“What People Got for Christmas” Michael Breen The Korea Times December 25, 2009 At this time of year when Seoul’s bare winter trees are wrapped in beckoning lights ― blue and white are the in colors ― and Merry Xmas signs at hotels and department stores are really saying come-hither-gentle-reveler-and-empty-your-purse, and when expensive restaurants belch noisy year-end office party groups onto every street and the karaoke rooms are full, it is tempting to declare that Christmas has lost its soul. But that would be a mistake. Christmas is a time for giving, and, before they can be given, gifts have to be bought. Commerce is good. Here, as proof, is a round up of some of the gifts given and received today by people in the news. Samsung, the world’s largest conglomerate and the rock upon which the Korean economy rests, sent traditional year-end cards offering best wishes for 2010 to the country’s politicians, prosecutors and journalists, along with 50 million w...

2015-01-09 Asia Liberty Forum (Kathmandu, Nepal)

I was pleased to be one of the speakers at the 3rd Asia Liberty Forum, held this time in Kathmandu, Nepal. Freedom Speakers International has presented at the Asia Liberty Forum several times. I was invited in 2014 and have been able to invite North Korean refugees to also speak at the forum. 2014, New Delhi, India Speakers: Chanyang Ju, Casey Lartigue Jr. https://caseylartigue.blogspot.com/2014/01/07-09-ALF-India.html http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2014/01/137_149698.html https://www.facebook.com/CaseyLartigue/posts/1308010646009594 2015, Kathmandu, Nepal Speaker: Casey Lartigue https://caseylartigue.blogspot.com/2015/01/2015-01-09-asia-liberty-forum-kathmandu.html 2018 Jakarta, Indonesia Speakers: Eunhee Park, Casey Lartigue FSI was named a finalist for the Asia Liberty Award https://caseylartigue.blogspot.com/2021/01/11-Asia-liberty-award.html https://www.atlasnetwork.org/news/article/organizations-from-afghanistan-nepal-south-korea-named-finalists-for-asia-l 2019, Colomb...

Michael Jackson & Prince

Michael Jackson, born August 29, 1958 Prince (Rogers Nelson), born June 7, 1958 Note: Originally posted 1/31/05; reposted in honor of Prince performing at the Super Bowl this weekend... Once upon a time, I wanted to be Mike. Michael Jackson was the lovable lead singer of the Jackson 5 during the 1960s and 1970s. His family had been poor, so it is no surprise that they were releasing at least one album a year. Michael was the family's lottery ticket. I was a big-time fan. I was a member of the Jackson 5 fan club. My brothers and I tried to be just like Mike. I'm the tallest of the three. Check me out, I was so C-O-O-L ! Look at that 'Fro. Could there have been a cooler Bible-carrying kid? I could have hid entire African villages under that cap. And the African villages that could not have fit in that Afro could have squeezed into my bell bottoms. You'd have to pay me money to wear those beads today, but I was stylin' then. But it was clear that I was destined to beco...

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

Does a flower turn to the sun?

I tend not to address points raised by people commenting on posts. In the back-and-forth of such discussions, people sometimes say things they don't mean or take extreme positions. In other cases they are just trying to be provocative, especially when they can remain anonymous. But a discussion on Greg Mankiw's blog caught my attention. That's because a couple of the folks suggested that parents don't really have the knowledge to make decisions about the quality of schools. Between 2002-2004 I was actively involved in the fight to get school vouchers for families in DC. I often heard the argument that parents don't know how to choose between good and bad schools and that, anyway, parents had enough choices with the school system's "out-of-boundary" options and charters (that had also been opposed). Without getting too deep into the out-of-boundary program, I'll point out that Woodrow Wilson HS, considered one of the best schools in the city, recei...