Skip to main content

Bringing back this blog

Making a guest appearance, at his desk....

Casey Lartigue​ Jr.! That's right, he has had so many meetings, but he is now back at his desk. I mean, he was "here" yesterday for about 45 seconds, to pick up something for a meeting. And  he was here on Thursday or so because he happened to be passing by and thought it might be polite to stop in to say hello, dust off the cobwebs off his desk...

Years ago, I came across a quote from H.L. Mencken that was something like: "Editorial writers need to get out of the office at least once a week." I have been living that way for quite a while.

That's why I tell people that I'm on Facebook, but I'm not *into* Facebook. I prefer living Facebook--connecting, talking--then sometimes I take a break to post on Facebook what I have done. Then when someone asks me, "What have you been up to?" I can say, "Let's check Facebook so I can remember."

* * *

Social media downdate

It should be an update, but...

I have deleted two of my other blogs, 3 meetup groups, Twitter.

I did join Instagram, it has grown  by 100% since a colleague helped me set it up in late January. Yes, from 1 to 2 photos posted.

I was going to kill this blog, then decided to leave it as a museum. I have decided to start posting my random thoughts on the passing scene here, but my more professional activities at CaseyLartigue.com

* * *

I can prove it

A few days ago a friend of mine told me that she was hearing the same excuses most of us have heard in job searches. Either she is (a) underqualified or (b) overqualified. I told her that it sounds like BS, in my many years of experience that is just a diplomatic way to say they don't want to hire you.

Whenever potential employers told me that I was overqualified for a position, I would tell them, "Just watch me work for a week, you will stop saying that."

* * *

North Korea studies drama queens

Those talkers and stalkers in the North Korea studies field are now predictably freaking out about two main stories:

1) Whether or not North Korea has executed a defense minister. They are trying to prove that the media is incompetent (as if that needs to be proven) and that this is part of a propaganda war (is it a surprise that people searching for propaganda find it in every story, the way Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton even seem to see R-A-C-I-S-M spelled out in their alphabet soup).

Last fall, those alleged experts were falling all over each other to prove the same things about the reporting about Kim Jong-Un when he was out of sight for a while.

2) A peace march by some loony leftists. Let them have their march. There are, of course, some people opposed to that march. My suggestion to them: Stop bitching about what the others are doing, and hold your own counter march.

* * *

Mini-me KC

Guarding my desk while I was away.



* * *

Father time marches on update

"I know my time is winding down, so I'm enjoying it more."
--Tim Duncan, about  his NBA career, but I would add, that's about life in general.

Popular posts from this blog

Manufactured cases

My former Cato Institute colleague Bob Levy is profiled by the Associated Press for his role in the challenge to the DC gun ban. One great thing about Levy is that he tells it like it is. As the article quotes: And Levy freely admits the case is manufactured, not one that bubbled up by chance from the district's steady flow of criminal cases involving guns. He wanted presentable plaintiffs to make a case for gun rights, not criminals. "We didn't want crack heads and bank robbers to be poster boys for the Second Amendment," he said. Is there a problem with this case being manufactured? I heard a talking head on the radio complaining a while ago that this case wasn't from real DC residents, that it was from outsiders. What's wrong with that? There may be some times that it takes an outsider to challenge an injustice or bad law. Did DC residents claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was an outsider who should have minded his own business? And about the case being ...

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."

"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 ...

2014-02-14 Yeon-Mi Park`s debut

Yeonmi Park, February 14, 2014, making her debut! Yesterday I was one of the speakers at a special session on North Korean refugees at the Canadian Maple International School. Wow, it was a wonderful time! * Yeon-Mi Park delivered her first major speech in English. She was wonderful! She told her story (35 minute speech without notes), discussed different aspects of North Korea, and then handled questions from students for more than an hour. She did seem to be nervous at the beginning-she took a deep breath just as she started, looked at me, then told her story from her heart. * Returning from the speech, I told Yeonmi that she had star potential. She told me that she didn't believe it, but I told her that the way she handled Q&A and told her story, I would be lucky to have her still returning my phone calls within a year. * The students had many questions. They have been learning about North Korea. They are now reading "Escape from Camp 14" featuring Shin Dong-h...

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

  National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube