2016-10-08 Jazz and Fireworks

Dear David and Renee Cummins,

Wow! Thanks so much, your party and fundraiser were absolutely incredible. You have helped (TNKR) Teach North Korean Refugees more than you probably realize.

We have had a lot of challenges with starting and now expanding this little NGO without corporate or government backing. We truly rely on volunteers and supporters to help us build a community around NK refugees so they can study in a safe-zone, find their way, tell their stories. We don't charge the refugees anything, we don't want financial need to be a barrier for them to join. And we adapt the program by trying to understand their needs, based on the 1,900 reports we have received from tutors and coaches, from observing classes, and by being directors and co-founders who are engaged.

We occasionally reflect on the wisdom of this approach, especially when we had something like 37,000 won in the bank. Eunkoo and I put our own money into TNKR, with the dream and hope that we could eventually build it into something special. We are now being more open about our financial challenge, since then we have had more people support us, including refugees, who have offered donations. The media coverage and praise that we receive has apparently fooled some people into thinking that we are rich. Behind-the-scenes, things are rarely as smooth as they may appear to outsiders, as the old saying goes, a duck smoothly gliding across water is furiously paddling its little feet. Even from this first experience dealing with such an event, I have learned some lessons about how to manage things.

Many people praise TNKR, but no one has done what you have done: Opened your home, network and wallet to us. Your party gives us a financial cushion, allowing us to exhale, to focus on making this a high-quality organization.

The last few days have been busier than usual for me. Thanks to the support we receive, I can spend time trying to build up TNKR, get a better understanding of how we can help refugees, and try to raise awareness of what we are doing so we can attract others. We are, to quote Eunkoo Lee, "the hands and feet" for people who want to help refugees, and we thank you for helping us focus on that task.

Regards,

Casey Lartigue Jr.
International Director
Teach North Korean Refugees
www.lovetnkr.org/donate

How not to get your ass beat by the police

The black president of the United States stupidly commented on the arrest of a black Harvard professor in his own home by a white police officer. Some random thoughts and memories: * I'm sure most people are still trying to figure out who Prof. Gates is. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote: "Journalism consists largely in saying 'Lord Jones is dead' to people who never knew Lord Jones was alive." * Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Gates' arrest was "every black man's nightmare." Perhaps. But having a criminal in my house is even more of a nightmare. Also, having the president of the United States talk off the cuff about me about something he doesn't know is pretty bad. And getting shot by a cop after I escalated a situation would also be worse than getting arrested. Anyway, I have had my own dealings with the police over the years: * Back when I was a college student many many moons ago, one of my brothers and I got stopped by police in Bro...

2015-10-09 TNKR tutor flies from Jeju to Seoul

Today is a holiday in Korea, but that didn't mean that studying in Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) had a day off. TNKR co-directors Eunkoo Lee and Casey Lartigue joined a class by the tutor in TNKR who has won the "Came the Longest Distance" award. Afsha flew from Jeju Island to Seoul to tutor one of the learners in TNKR. The only way anyone will be able to top her will be if the person flies from a different country! Her student today has been in our program for several months, all of his tutors talk about what a great student he is! Focused, friendly, eager to learn.

Teach North Korean Refugees--directions to Mulmangcho Human Rights Institute

DIRECTIONS to Mulmangcho Institute=Easy, easy, easy. Almost like they chose the location for the people who get lost within a block from home... * Bangbae station on line 2, exit 1. Walk to the top of the stairs. * Look to your left. There will be a Woori Bank teller machine. * Standing, looking directly at the teller machine location, walk inside the building to the right of it, under the navy blue sign with the telephone number "587-4145-6..." Walk up to the 3rd floor, room 305. That's it. After you leave the subway exit, it will take you about 5 seconds to get to the building. I don't have a Naver map for it, but if you are driving, use the Bangbae subway as a landmark. Bangbae station (line 2) exit 1 Woori Bank Bd (우리은행건물) #305호 I know people won't believe me, they have been lied to so many times by people in Korea who said a location was "easy to find." I have learned that "easy to find" in Korea means: “Sure, just go down ...

Happy Birthday post!

for this fundraiser: https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/casey-bday

Walter E. Williams on Rush Limbaugh

Professor Walter E. Williams will be hosting the Rush Limbaugh Show 8/24/10 from noon-3 p.m. EST. Thomas Sowell will be his featured guest the second hour. In case you can't hear the show or can't wait, you can listen to me interview him back in 2007 (hit the free user button, wait for countdown, then download). We discussed reparations for slavery during one show and the minimum wage on another. By the way, I was really thankful that he agreed to be on my show twice during the three months I was on the air. I interviewed him another time when I was a guest host and he interviewed me on the Rush Limbaugh about a paper I wrote about education in Washington, D.C. When I contacted him and told him that I was going to have my own show and that I would be delighted if he would come on from time to time, he hesitated at first. I waited. He then said it would be okay. I know he won't do anything if it is inconvenient for himself, so I asked if there was a conflict. He said he had...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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