Random Thoughts: Zoomathon #1 on June 14th

What's crazier--that I did Zoom calls about Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) at 2 and 3 am in the morning on May 31st? Or that I did six hours of Zoom calls yesterday?

* If I worked as a staffer at a company, then idiot and lazy employees would accuse me of brown-nosing or sucking up to the boss. I am the co-founder of TNKR, so there is no one for me to brown-nose to, for or with. People who don't enjoy their work are baffled by people who do enjoy it. It was fun. TNKR is my favorite subject these days, so talking with people about it is enjoyable. Then when people hear how much I love what I am doing, I get to hear something else--people telling me not to work so hard. As I tell them: Talking, having meetings, planning? That is not hard work. I was a mover in college, that can be hard work. Manual labor or construction is hard work. Office "work" isn't physical labor. People might as well as warn me about the dangers of being alive as to warn me about the dangers of "office work."

* I was delighted that so many people logged on for opportunities to volunteer. That's right, volunteering! Not just chitchatting. When it is time to pet the puppies or wrestle with the kids, organizations can get plenty of people to come out. But to talk building an organization? That is amazing.

* Of course, some people are in a hurry. They don't seem to realize that we are an official organization, we don't just toss out volunteering opportunities. We need to get to know the people who want to volunteer, figure out how their interests and skills match with our possibilities and approach. Some people will filter themselves out, but some will get involved and make a difference.

* What's crazier? Leading six hours of calls as I did, or being a participant as Eben Appleton was for all six hours? That's right, Eben Appleton was parked at Zoom for all six hours, until 2 a.m. in Tennessee. She participated in two of the calls and observed another one. She was even logged on as soon as we logged on, so I don't know how much longer she had been waiting for the TNKR Show to come on!

* Eunkoo Lee was also there for all six hours! She disappeared for a while--to hold an orientation with a new volunteer joining a separate program that TNKR facilitates. So she wasn't exactly slacking off.

* It was a great day. I have decided to hold another TNKR Zoomathon. I proposed a number of things yesterday that I hope will become a reality. Of course, it will take team work to get them done. Hopefully we will start to organize into teams then.

https://lovetnkr.org/event/june-27th-zoomathon/

* Some people who know that I resist online tutoring for refugees may be surprised that I have embraced Zoom for meetings. That means they don't read closely. For one, we have tried online tutoring a few times, but as a refugee learner-centered organization, we must pay attention to what they want. If TNKR students are not asking for online education, and even saying they can get it from other places, then it would be a mistake for us to try to force it on them. Two, I have said for years that online is great for meetings and emergency situations. And three, I am a "Situationist." I warn people not to try to come up with eternal commandments from me, I look at the situation that decide what makes sense.

www.lovetnkr.org/donate

Common Sense on North Korea (Korea Times, April 2, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. As interesting as Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov’s writings are, there is nothing quite like attending one of his lectures. He can barely restrain himself behind the podium, often pointing and waving his arms. I also enjoy his unscripted speeches, but his answers in Q&A sessions are like the difference between watching Michael Jordan shoot baskets in warm-ups and an actual game. I have finally discovered the secret behind Lankov’s consistently solid analysis about North Korea: Use common sense. At an Asan Institute conference last summer, he argued that North Korea watchers should try to understand North Korea from its perspective. Don’t most people know that you must understand the mindset of others you are dealing with? Yet, common sense in theory gets ignored politically. From the North Korean perspective, nuclear weapons are the best thing they’ve got going. They will NOT give them up easily, even if President Obama ...

Freedom Factory Shareholder Meeting (2015-01-31)

Re: Building something out of nothing Freedom Factory is a very small company, of which I am a shareholder. Yesterday we had our annual shareholder meeting. Freedom Factory is allowing us to "incubate" TNKR until we can stand on our two own feet--or at least crawl on our four hands and feet. (Consumer Rights Watch is in the same position). I owe special thanks to FF CEO 김정호. He is a "true believer" in the cause of freedom, so he is allowing both projects to grow out of FF. That's even though Freedom Factory is a small start up with the CEO, staff and supporters wondering how we are going to achieve our dreams with such a tight budget. So when I say I am so thankful to the volunteers and donors of TNKR, it isn't just lip service. Volunteers--along with Freedom Factory, the Atlas Network, donors--are helping us to create something out of nothing, helping North Korean refugees find their own way and tell their own stories. Like the FF CEO, I also don...

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

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."

2018-09-28 Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens

Most of the people who contact us at TNKR naturally want to tutor North Korean refugees. Many potential volunteers are shocked shocked shock ed to learn that they can volunteer with TNKR in other ways. I tell many of them: "Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens. There are also delivery people, accountants, marketers, personnel, and a host of other positions." Earlier this year, we began developing the TNKR Volunteer Leadership Academy. I'm still waiting for someone to take over that little project. Until then, I will continue with developing it. And be developing it, I mean telling people, "Don't write me a long business plan about what you would like to do. Just start doing it, keep me updated and in the conversations, then let's talk and update." We have had a recent influx of volunteers who want to help TNKR in other ways. Jackie Cole is now running our Instagram. She constantly surprises me with the flyers and videos she posts. I made it clear from the ...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog