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

"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 ...

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...

2020-11-26 My basketball story

This photo was uploaded today by my aunt Annette. This was back in the day, when 1) I had a head full of hair and 2) played basketball a lot. That first year of playing organized basketball, I focused on playing defense. It seemed that everyone wanted to shoot the ball, so I passed the ball and played defense. I probably led the league in steals, rebounds and blocked shots. I enjoyed taking on the best player from the other team, I felt like I would get better, quickly. The second year, I was a different player. I will never forget the first game that second year--we lost 29 to 26, I scored 18 points. I probably led the universe in scoring that second year, although we didn't win much. One thing I learned from that experience is that one great player 9 (at least in his own mind) can't beat a team. An eye injury ended my pro career before it began, to this day I still have floaters in my eyes because of the injury. I started wearing glasses, but the problem never went away. On t...

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

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 ...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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