FSI staff and volunteers

We still have four full-time staff members, downsized from 6 shortly before and shortly after the pandemic. However, we have been joined by three volunteers working in the office. The schedules are staggered so different volunteers come in on different days. Most of them were complaining about the photo, but I got everyone to briefly pose for a photo. Next time, I will herd hungry cats instead.

Sharon first joined Freedom Speakers International in March 2015 as a student and speaker. She contacted me on her birthday. So that means I was a wonderful birthday gift for her.

I believe she joined us as a part-time staffer in 2018. She is now working full-time as an accountant with FSI. She has joined every program in FSI history--studying history, public speaking, career development, and she is now our North Korean Refugee Keynote Speaker Network.

I had a special reason to buy her flowers, and it isn't only because she bought me lunch last week when I insisted that she not do so. It also isn't because she calls me "Sir." But those things also help.

Here's her fundraiser for FSI.

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Last week, Hope joined us as a volunteer staffer in the office. She is always ready to help out. Her first couple of days I was throwing all kinds of editing assignments at her, and she was throwing them right back to me without complaint. Her first day at the office, within five minutes, she was joining a (rare) staff meeting that I had called.

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Brooke originally joined FSI as an English language tutor back when we were TNKR. This time around, she returned to South Korea joining us as an intern. She will continue volunteering with us even after her term officially expires.

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We have one more office volunteer, a translator, who so far has somehow evaded taking a photo with me. She is one of my former students at the Seoul University of Foreign Studies, I will be sure to catch her the next time she is in the office.

Plus, Songmi Han wasn't in that day.

Human Resources Manager Daniel Cashmar has a day job.

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Thanks to donors and fundraisers, FSI:

* Has paid staff.

* An office to have volunteers and staff.

* Enough money for a deposit and to pay the rent every month.

Some donors want their money to only go into programming, which is a nice thought, but that would be like a construction company saying they only wanted to pay for shovels, but not the workers to move the shovels.

www.fsi21.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...

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

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

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Weekend roundup

Kim Heung - sook asks: " Who Needs New Bills ?" When I first saw the headline, I thought: I AGREE!!! In fact, I don't want or need ANY bills, whether old or new! I have a dream job now...After a couple of days at work, one of the managers here told me to give him all of my bills, the company would take care of my expenses. So I say...Who needs new bills!!! Who needs old bills!!! Her essay is about the new 50,000 won bill. That's about 40 bucks. The next largest bill? 10,000 won. That's about 8 bucks. * * * Get a job! In an LA Times piece trying to guilt California taxpayers and the governor to spend more on higher education in the state , Vincent J. Del Casino Jr. concludes by asking how he should explain spending cuts to his students: "Governor, any good one-liners I might use?" I've written some speeches for some prominent people over the years, I'll give this one to the governor for free, "Get a job!" * * * The next borrowed word? ...

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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