The Casey Lartigue Show!

My next speech, 11/29 7pm near hongdae. I will be discussing libertarianism. RSVP at Facebook.  http://tinyurl.com/cmvq5n6  

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. Shin Chul-ho's " Racial discrimination in hiring teachers " reminded me of a pleasant Korean-American teacher I worked with in the 1990s who said she was delighted to meet me. The reason? She said she couldn't wait to meet "the black man who wasn't really black." Educated, good credentials and not a criminal is what she and the Korean employees in a special three-day program I had designed were told about me. "He's black, but not really black,” my recruiter friend told them and other clients. “When you meet him, you won't even remember that he's black." Because Koreans I talk with almost automatically tell me that things are similar in other places, I gleefully concede without argument that Koreans aren't alone in tripping over racial language or of being outright prejudiced. Back in America, I would occasionally have Caucasians tell me that I "just happen to be black." Just...

Directions to New Millennium Hall for fundraiser at Yonsei University 6:30 pm 11/20 for the Mulmangcho school for refugee children located in Yeoju. 10,000 won donations, find out more info here https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/403227543084175/ . Starting from the Sinchon subway near Yonsei University. I would suggest taking Exit 3. Walk straight towards Yonsei University.     You'll pass a lot of stores and people along the way, then arrive at the front gate.     Walk in, on your right you'll see a map of the campus.     Look closely at the map, you'll see the route that you can take to arrive easily. The route I took kept me walking on the right side until I arrived at the building. That meant passing buildings 83, 82,78,77,40,41,58,59, to arrive at 61.

Harvard admissions process  ( Korea Times , November 9, 2012 ) By Casey Lartigue, Jr. Outstanding Korean students who are now agonizing over the college admissions process at top North American universities should take a moment to curse Abbott Lawrence Lowell, president of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. Concerned that there were too many Jewish students at Harvard, Lowell first tried to implement a quota . Later, he and the Harvard Board of Overseers agreed on a more subjective standard that included recommendations, interviews, and “ geographic diversity ” (thus, reducing the number of Jewish students from New York). The admissions process that is so common today has a sordid history ― and it bedevils Korean students applying to Harvard and other top universities. A few years ago when I looked into the statistics, about 5 percent of Korean students who apply to Harvard College were getting accepted (compared to about 7-8 percent overall for others). ...

By Casey Lartigue, Jr.       A recent Korea Times editorial  advised American-retail store Costco to recall the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Sage advice, sure, but its expiration date has come and gone. That old saying needs to be updated as, “Rome has come to you.”   "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" allegedly goes back to ancient Rome when St. Augustine, on a visit, was advised by the bishop of Milan: "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the Church where you are." It has been shortened to: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."   That is practical wisdom for those who enjoy staying out of jail or avoiding an embarrassing faux pas. But should one "do as the Romans do" or turn a blind eye when the locals engage in barbarism, oppression, or just plain old stupidity? Literally doing as the Romans did could...

The rich talk back: Lee Gil-ya Sometimes the messenger, not the message, is the problem. Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart recently caused a bit of a controversy when she wrote: "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire. 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." On the other hand, Lee Gil-ya, president of a foundation in South Korea , is so "no excuses" that I feel like I've been slacking off even though I have been working all day today. " Lee is constantly questioned how she did it. She answers she has always had dreams and strived to reach them. Specifically, she advises people to sleep no more than four hours; stay focused; set clear goals; and have a dream. " That's right. Sleep no more than four hours. I have done that a few times in my life, but I wo...

At my Facebook page, a friend thanked me for directing him to CafeHayek. Well, speak of the devil, CafeHayek and its cohost Don Boudreaux are even featured in a syndicated column in Saturday's Korea Times . Here's an interview I did with Don Boudreaux in May 2007 on the topic of immigration. A few behind the scenes things about the interview: 1) I kept talking to Nate--he was the technical producer of the show who made many mistakes. Nate became a four-letter word to keep myself from cursing on the air. So when you hear me saying his name, just imagine that I was cursing--because I was. 2) I had a different technical producer show me how to run the board so I could do so in case Nate had a heart attack--or I strangled him during one of the commercial breaks. 3) Eliot and Prof. Boudreaux were both good-natured about the many mistakes. 4) I was both the host and producer of the show. Meaning, I booked my own guests, prepared the audio clips, selected the topics and even...