2019-10-17 When can I start?

TNKR's co-founders had three hours of interviews yesterday with North Korean refugees joining TNKR.

We welcome North Korean refugees into the organization with an initial interview. The main point of it is to explain TNKR's approach and make sure they understand it, to confirm that they understand this is a self-study project, and that students looking to make foreign friends need to go somewhere else.

One challenge is when we have returnees. One of the refugees returning to us studied in TNKR back in 2014. TNKR was much less developed, we were still trying to figure out the best way to engage North Korean refugees.

We have made some decisions!

Such as, English-only. No socializing. Studying, not hanging out. No separate contact outside of studying in class. Much more monitoring.

It took a bit of time for the student yesterday to understand that we really meant that things had changed. After she understood, she was enthusiastic. Her classes had fallen apart quickly in 2014, and she wasn't sure why. Doing a bit of investigation, it turned out that she had talked to her tutors about her personal story, had tried to be friends with them, and had allowed the bilingual speakers to use Korean. As it is easy to predict, once it becomes a buddy relationship, then there is less focused studying. We will check to see how things go this time with her.

All three students who came by yesterday asked one similar question: When can I start?

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Evaluation process

In addition to three hours of interviews with refugees, we also had a long meeting with a young South Korean studying education who wants to join TNKR. We are now trying to develop an evaluation process that can have another upgrade to its education process.

Obama debating Keyes, 2004, education excerpt

PONCE : Thank you. Let's move to the question of education. Mr. Obama, you've said that you consider education as the most important civil rights issue facing America today. Currently, your children are in private schools. If you're elected to the Senate, will you send them to public schools? OBAMA: Well, my children currently go to the lab school at the University of Chicago where I teach, and my wife works, and we get a good deal for it. But, so - - (laughter, applause) OBAMA: - -it depends on whether we move or not. And that, obviously, hinges on the election and what's gonna happen. We're gonna choose the best possible education for our children, as I suspect all parents are gonna try to do. And that's part of the reason why, consistently when I've been in the state legislature, I've tried to promote those kinds of reforms that would improve what I think is an inadequate performance by too many public schools, all across the state. PONCE : But yo

2019-10-18 Active, not busy

I recently got a call from a person in media who was surprised that I answered the phone. He follows me on Facebook, he and his team had planned to call my office, connect with an assistant, then arrange a time to talk to me directly. Instead, I answered the phone, throwing off his schedule. It isn't difficult to meet me--if you let me know the purpose. Many people say that I am busy, but I don't believe it is true. I am ACTIVE. Busy means you have no time in your schedule. But if you want to help TNKR in some way, then I can make time to meet you. If you want to chitchat, talk about memes on the Internet, talk to me about talkers who don't do anything except talk or analyze,m or debate with me? Then I will put you through to an assistant.

Thank God for the Atom Bomb

Paul Tibbets , the pilot who dropped the first A-bomb on Japan in 1945, just died at the age of 92. I agree that the dropping of the A-bombs was a proper and effective way to end WWII. The best defense I've read is Paul Fussell's "Thank God for the Atom Bomb." A couple of random thoughts about Paul Tibbets . 1) His certainty is striking. It is now so hip to be a moderate or wishy -washy. The media in particular seems to enjoy stories about American soldiers torn over the need to obey orders to fight. Tibbets would be loved today if he had expressed anguish over what he had done. In today's climate, he might even be Time Magazine's Man of the Year if he dropped the bomb in an ocean rather than obeying orders to drop it on the enemy--except that the environmentalists might then protest glorifying such an environmental hater.. 2) Soldiers who actually do their jobs—that is, eliminate the enemy—seem to play second fiddle to soldiers who get captured and must be

2017-02-12 Speech at camp (Seongdo)

I'm in Seongdo (suburbs of Seoul) this afternoon giving a speech at a leadership camp. The teacher in charge had them do research about me in advance, so the students were already familiar with TNKR! About 30 middle school students know TNKR. The best question: What's my ultimate goal with TNKR? She is one of my big fans! She invited to speak at this event and a few others. She later became a monthly donor to TNKR and never forgets to remind how great she thinks I am! He drew this for TNKR, I used it for years. I hope I can get him to draw one for FSI! www.lovetnkr.org/donate

Why I won't go to North Korea (Korea Times, December 27, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. “Have you ever been to North Korea?” This is the question I am almost always asked here in South Korea when people learn that I have become an activist for North Korean escapees. My response is curt: “No.” “Do you plan on going?” they ask next. My answer remains the same: “No.” When they start to ask a follow-up question, I cut them off: "No." People are often just trying to make conversation, I know, but I am blunt for a reason: I am not interested in going to North Korea as long as North Koreans are held captive. I could go one day, but for now, I can do without a government-guided tour by " men-stealers and women-whippers ," to borrow a phrase from American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. I don’t mean to criticize people who have gone to North Korea for political, educational, business, religious reasons or just plain curiosity. However, some people push me on the issue, ― and I push back. A good friend wh

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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