FamiLee Life

Immersion Journalism (vs. Safety of Blogging)

I just read a fascinating story about a 16 year old boy (Farris Hassan) who was taking a class on immersion journalism at a prep school in Florida when he decided to do it for real as part of a class assignment. His choice of location? Baghdad, Iraq! No joke! Click here to read the full story. It is pretty amazing in terms of gonzo journalism, risk taking, and pure luck. Boy, it makes blogging about the comfort of bi bim bop seem pretty small in comparison.

The Comfort of Bi Bim Bop!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and break. I just returned to Minneapolis after a visit to Connecticut to celebrate Christmas with my father, grandmother, and brother's family, along with a slew of extended family and friends. As it turns out, it was not only Christmas, but my father's "never the same date" birthday.

You see...my father celebrates his Korean birthday which is based on the Chinese lunar calendar. My brothers and I never know when this date will be, as it can land anywhere between late November and early January. This year, it was this past Monday, but we celebrated on Christmas eve (Saturday). Actually, it was an impromptu celebration because my father didn't explain to us that it was his birthday until the day of. He just simply suggested that we eat out at a local Korean restaurant as a family.

At the restaurant, which is a combination Korean-Japanese place, we ordered our "usual" dishes. For me, it was hwe-dop-bop which is basically a Korean version of the chirashi, a Japanese sashimi and rice dish, except the Korean version includes lots of vegetables and spicy pepper sauce. My brother ordered bi-bim-bop which is the same dish except with beef instead of sashimi.

Bi bim bop was and remains one of my favorite Korean dishes. It is classic Korean comfort food. I recently found a recipe online which is a version used by Linda Sue Park - a well-known children's author (click here). What I love about bi bim bop is that it offers everything needed for a very tasty nutritious meal - vegetables, rice, meat (or vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein). Another cool thing about bi bim bop is that it is quite colorful and these colors mean something. A well made dish of bi bim bop will be white (rice), yellow (egg), red (peppers, kimchi), black (seaweed, mushrooms), and green (lettuce, scallions). I once learned that many Korean dishes are made with these five colors (natural, not artificial) because it ensures that the food will be nutritious and medicinal (click here for an overview on Korean food). Specifically, the five colors represent the five elements of life (earth, water, fire, wood, metal). Read an article on this topic by clicking here.

Some day very soon, I really must learn to make a good bi bim bop. I was terribly spoiled in the past because I just relied on my mom to cook it up whenever I visited home. But things are different now and it's time for me to learn. I know it is not difficult to make. Rather, it just takes a bit of time because it's best to make all the ingredients from scratch.

Maybe I will attempt it this New Years weekend because it is quite the festive dish to usher in the new year. Hm...it's a tempting thought. Stay tuned.

Hello Dr. Lee, Ph.D. -- What's In A Name

A friend of mine from high school mentioned long ago that there was a Beastie Boys song titled "Dr. Lee, Ph.D." Since then, it's become one of the many nicknames that I've accumulated over the years (note - I've actually never listened to this song, though I have read the lyrics). I bring this random bit of bio-trivia up because I came across an article in the Buffalo News about another Richard Lee who also could be called Dr. Lee, Ph.D. Of course, I realize that there are many Richard Lees out there who fit this nickname, but this story is a bit different.

You see, we phenotypically share very little resemblance, but we both identify as Asian American. The Richard Lee in the photo above is not the man on the left (who is Bruce Chan) but the man on the right (seated). The Buffalo New article describes the tale of how this Richard Lee who looks racially White learned that he was one-quarter Chinese and his quest to understand the role that his grandfather played in early Chinese American immigration history. It turns out that his grandfather was one of 120 boys who came to America as part of the Chinese Educational Mission. They were sent by the Chinese government to learn about the West and to bring back this knowledge and education to China to help in its modernization. The story goes on to nicely detail the complexities of racism in early America history as it affected Asian Americans, including Dr. Lee's families.

Don't Give Up (Inspiring)

I came across this amazing song and video performed by Bono and Alicia Keys. It is the beautiful song "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel. Visit www.keepachildalive.org to view the music video. The haunting photograph montage is by Kristen Ashburn.

Keep A Child Alive provides life-saving AIDS medicines directly to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and other impoverished countries

As we approach Christmas, let's all take a moment to think of and pray for those struggling to just live another day.

Holiday Humor

Well, I leave tomorrow to visit mi familia in Connecticut. It will be my first visit back home in two years. I spent last year traveling in Asia (South Korea and Indonesia during the tsunami!). I am looking forward to spending time with my dad and brother's family, especially my niece and nephews who are all probably taller than me now (which is not a significant feat but still odd to have a 13 year old looking eye to eye with you). So, I am not sure if I will have frequent access or time to update the blog.

But to keep you all happy and preoccupied while I am away, I encourage you to check out AngryAlien which is a funny website dedicated to 30-second summaries of movies as played by Bunnies Troupe. For the holiday, I recommend their rendition of A Christmas Story.

Happy Holidays!

A Plug for Kulture Klub

I have to give a quick plug for Kulture Klub which was featured today in the Star Tribune (click here). My good friend, Mike Hoyt, is the director of the nonprofit organization.

What is Kulture Klub?

Kulture Klub Collaborative is an independent nonprofit arts organization that brings together artists and homeless teens at YouthLink/Project OffStreets, a crisis drop-in center- located in downtown Minneapolis. Through workshops, open mics, cultural presentations, and "art views," homeless teens develop their creative expression, receive exposure to artistic excellence, and enter into a group of peers, supportive adults, and diverse social communities. (from their website)

If you are in the giving holiday spirit, consider an end of the year donation to Kulture Klub! Donate here.

Wages of Blogging Redux

There is an op-ed piece in the Chronicle Careers section of the Chronicles of Higher Education on the perils of blogging for new faculty job seekers. The pseudonymous author recommended against faculty having blogs even if the content is "safe" and shares his/her college's recent search experience. It seems even search committees are now googling the names of job candidates to see what is "out there" in cyberspace about this person. (Ah...I thought I was among the few who snooped around in this manner.) I understand the concern but I still don't think faculty should stop engaging in blogging for reasons that I have already shared in a previous post (see Wages of Blogging).

To me, it seems blogging can cut both ways. On the one hand, faculty may learn something new about the person which makes the candidate more appealing. The candidate might use blogging as a teaching tool for undergraduate students or as a mentorship vehicle to reach underserved populations. On the other hand, it is a way to vet out job candidates with questionable boundaries or professional behavior. For example, the academic who chooses to rail against colleagues or espouses extremist views is probably not someone you would want as a colleague, but this person might come off as quite charming in the interview process. Alas, the narcissistic academic has this talent. It should be added that sometimes search committees can overreact to a new job seeker who blogs about his or her personal or professional life and the person may never get an interview. This would be an unfortunate situation because the person might make a wonderful scholar and colleague.

In the end, blogging is a risk but I believe a worthwhile one, as long as perspective and maturity are part of the process. I know that I have stopped myself from posting certain thoughts or comments on occasion because they don't seem appropriate to share publicly. Some might argue that I have posted comments that have crossed the line, but it is a judgment call that I need to make each time. I hope my colleagues and students who read my blog can let me know when this boundary has been crossed.

I'm Back!

I was never gone, but I finally had some time to tinker with movabletype to fix my blog page. I don't know what I did exactly to restore things but I somehow did it. I followed the instructions provided by our UThink guru (Shane), but it was still not working. Most likely because I know so little about this software (rather than his instructions). Then, I took a gamble. Clicked a few buttons and whammo! Back into action. Amazing. Thanks for tolerating the hideous blue template for the past few weeks.

Open Source (Wiki) Science (Part 2)

I was going through my daily morning readings of online news and came across an article in the Chronicles of Higher Education on a proposal to establish a Wikiversity -- that is, an open-source university or school of higher education. Clicking on various links, I came across a related piece from Meta-Collab on the role of open-source research!

In this latter piece, they distinguish between two forms of research - original and literature. Specifically, "There is "original research" in which investigators try to discover something new about the world. There is also "literature research", which is fundamental to many forms of scholarly activity, including textbook writing...The distinction between "original research" and "literature research" is blurry and mainly a matter of emphasis. " The proponents of a Wikiversity go on to write, "With respect to "original research" such as that conducted in expensive research laboratories (example: human genome project) or in the field (example:space exploration) there is no reason why Wikiversity could not host a wiki "virtual research space" that would hold information about every research project that exists in the world. Eventually, some researchers are going to open up their research laboratories to the world and put everything they do into wiki format. Wikiversity could strive to become a "host" for virtual labs through which research becomes open to the world."

Hm...this sounds strikingly similar to my idea of open-source science...

As I thought a bit more about it last night (though not too much more), I pondered the definition of wiki. So I went straight to the source - Wikipedia. Accordingly, a wiki is drawn from the Hawaiian word wiki which means fast, quick, or to hasten. In computer terms, it refers to "a type of website that allows users to add and edit content and is especially suited for constructive collaborative authoring."

Hm...how to use wiki technology to conduct open-source science...Some psychology ideas...

1) To collaboratively generate universally accepted operational definitions of personality traits (e.g., neuroticism) or behaviors (e.g., selfishness)
2) To collaboratively generate self-report items that reflect the aforementioned operational definitions
3) To download survey research data conducted at multiple sites to then share with wiki-researchers
4) To post research findings based on this shared open-source data and allow others to replicate the findings using the same open-source data

Okay, well, now if we only had lots of extra time on our hands and could convince department promotion and tenure committees, as well as college deans, to provide release time to get such a project off the ground. Actually, this is something that perhaps NSF (National Science Foundation) would fund, as it would be a great research portal for high schools and colleges.

Caveat -- I agree with previous poster Peter on the need to resolve to some degree the the intellectual debates surrounding open-source research and scholarship.

Open Source Science -- Wikipedia Style?!

The British science journal Nature recently compared the quality and accuracy of content in Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica, as reported in BBC. In short, the researchers found few differences between these two reference sources. Just as a refresher, what makes Wikipedia so unique is that it is "based on wikis, open-source software which lets anyone fiddle with a webpage, anyone reading a subject entry can disagree, edit, add, delete, or replace the entry" (BBC).

I find this latest comparison to be quite fascinating as an academic because it leads to a broader question of "open source science." The latest debate surrounding the South Korean stem cell researcher Dr Hwang Woo-suk highlights this very same issue (see BBC news article). That is, for science to progress, there needs to be an openness to the process. There needs to be room to challenge traditional conventions as well as recent innovations.

I can imagine a day when psychology research, for example, becomes more open-source. Imagine allowing the public to become a part of the research project from the beginning. Let's take the study of international adoption. Rather than relying on advisory boards of adoptive parents, adoptees and adoption experts, we could create an open-source that allows input from everyone with interests in the topic. It might be unwieldy at first to manage all this input but there could be an oversight or meta-advisory group that monitors and edits.

Research then could be conducted online (which is already occurring in a more limited way), but it can be designed to self-correct (or self-evolve) based on sample responses and queries. Over time, large amounts of data can be amassed from around the world. Additionally, preliminary results can be published in real time, thereby reducing the lag between data collection and publication. Knowledge generated about a problem and answer will then evolve over time. Interpretations of the findings also will evolve, as more experts and lay scholars contribute to the process.

A current half-example of such research (or as akin as possible without wikis) is the Implicit Attitude Test which can be taken online. The IAT assesses unconscious bias toward various social groups. Unfortunately, it does not allow readers to modify the demand characteristics. This is a key methodological aspect of open-source science that needs to be worked out.

Obviously, there would be lots of methodological and ethical problems to overcome with this type of open-source science, but the possibilities are intriguing.

Commencement Ceremony

On Sunday, I attended the CLA Commencement Ceremony for undergraduate students who graduate this Winter semester. I elected to attend as a faculty representative because I know two students who would be in attendance. One student has worked with me as a research assistant for the past year and the other student is someone whom I know from the local Korean American community.

This was my second commencement ceremony (I went last year). In the past, I avoided attendance because I was busy with other activities, out of town, or simply not very motivated to attend. It seems the vast majority of faculty loathe the graduation ceremony, unless they have a particular reason to attend, such as an advisee who is graduating, or it is their "turn" to represent the department.

I confess to sometimes being one of these latter people. Graduation occurs on the weekend, which is a precious time to relax (and watch NFL football - hehe), and it's hard to motivate professors (and probably any working stiff) to come back into the office on the holy day of rest.

That all said, I was glad that I attended Commencement. I actually enjoyed it (as I did last year too).

First, I have discovered that I love wearing the cap and gown! I had not worn a cap and gown since I had graduated from graduate school in 1996. When I put it on, I feel special and honored to be among colleagues who have gone through the similar labors of love to achieve their degrees and distinctions. For just these few hours, I feel like a faculty member at Oxford wandering around campus.

Second, I find it a tremendous privilege to be sitting on the stage and to represent the department and university. So often, as faculty, we feel like just a cog in the well-oiled machine of higher education. But on this day, we hold ceremonial power in the conferring of degrees. What an honor.

Third, as I looked around at the other faculty in attendance, I realized that I was one of only a few racial minority faculty. Yet as I saw students walking across the stage, so many were students of color. At that moment, I really understood the importance of reflecting the student body and to be a role model for the students and families in attendance.

Fourth, it was a great joy to be able to personally congratulate the two students whom I knew, as they walked across the stage to receive their degrees. I got to stand up, walk over to them, and give them a handshake and a hug in front of the whole auditorium. I was quite proud of them and wanted to acknowledge them in front of everyone.

So, for those faculty who are reading this blog (or graduate students who will some day be faculty), I encourage you to reconsider Commencement and join me in future years.

Australian Race Riots Continue

Again, nearly no coverage in the US related to the race riots in Australia. Read NYTimes for an update, as the riots spread to other cities. I checked CNN and BBC online and there is only minimal coverage of the events there too. Of course, the local Star Tribune website has nothing posted on the front page. You have to scroll to the International News section to find only a brief AP report, but it is not on the headline of that section either.

First France, Now Australia

I was surprised by the lack of coverage in the American media on Sunday and even this morning regarding the race riots in Austrailia [see NYTimes article and BBC news report]. What is unique in this case is that the initial rioting and violence was committed by thousands of White Australians (against people of Arabic and Mediterranean background). In response to the violence, an Australian government official was quoted as saying "It's certainly not the Australian way."

Hm...really? That is, what is the "Australian Way?"

I have never visited Australia, but I have spoken with Asians who have traveled or lived in Australia, as well as with Asian adoptees and adoptive parents who live in Australia, and all have commented on the racial tensions that underlie Australian society. Some have commented that it is much worse in Australia than in the United States because of its close proximity to Asia. This proximity has led to a significant amount of transnational migration, especially after the handover of Hong Kong and the influx of Chinese immigrants, as well as migrant workers from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In turn, the recent waves of immigration have posed a threat to White Australians (who ironically migrated to Australia and quickly displaced and killed the aboriginals on the island).

Of course, the Bali bombings that killed many Australian tourists only fuel the racial rage. Interestingly, it seems that many of these Australians do not stop to consider their own behaviors as tourists in Bali. When I visited Indonesia last Winter, I heard many warnings to avoid going to Australian tourist spots because they are very drunk and rude to the locals who quietly seethe from behind their shop counters as they still need to solicit business from these very same people.

It seems cultural and racial misunderstandings, fears, and violence are now coming to a head in all corners of the world where Whites have colonized, oppressed, and displaced indigenous people.

Thinking Outside the Box Redux

I had posted an entry a few days ago about the value of thinking outside the box (and lamented a bit about the lack of such outside the box thinking in psychology). In timely fashion, today's NYTimes Magazine published their 5th annual Year in Ideas. Among the interesting findings from 2005 is an explanation for why people yawn after seeing another person yawn [Yawn Contagion]. This research was conducted by a cognitive neuroscientist (aka a psychologist). Another psychologist (Elizabeth Loftus) also was highlighted for her pioneering research on false memories [False-Memory Diet]. So, I stand corrected!

Hm...perhaps I am suggesting that my research is not very "outside the box." Or more likely, I think I am feeling a bit over-worked lately (a bit burned out) and in need of a refresher. That is, I need something to recharge me in my work which I truly love. I am hoping the semester break will be just the thing to get me going again.

Ice Man Cometh

Last Winter, my friend Mike Hoyt, who is a multimedia artist, created this piece as part of the Art Shanty Project on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN. Year 2 of the Art Shanty Project will take place this Winter in mid-January. In addition to ice scuptures, Mike has created a Norae Shanty (otherwise known as the Karaoke Ice House) for this new show. I encourage folks to mark it in your calendar and check it out. The Project will run for 5 weeks.

Wages of Blogging is Death!

The biblical headline is a bit over the top but I don't think too far off the mark given the latest news on the perils of blogging. For example, a dental student at Marquette University recently was suspended from school for posting comments about professors and classmates on his blog [see Kansas City Star article]. And a while back, I had read on the Freakonomics blog about a political science professor at Chicago (Daniel Drezner) who was denied tenure and there was speculation that perhaps his blogging was a contributing cause [see Chicago Tribune article]. As reported in the Tribune article,

The concern, as elucidated by Drezner on his blog and in an August Tribune article on the dangers of blogging, is that maintaining a Web log will be seen as a diversion from the real scholarship an academic ought to be doing. It could also be viewed, a widely discussed opinion piece published in the Chronicle of Higher Education argued, as a sign that this person, once tenured, is likely to tell tales out of school. And it could allow one's other work to be interpreted, in light of the blog, as glib or frivolous.

Hm. This all gets me thinking about the purpose and function of blogging (and indirectly about the first amendment). Read on for more musings...

Why do I blog? Honestly, I began to blog out of curiosity. As I mentioned in my first blog entry, I was prompted by my senior colleague and mentor, Hal Grotevant, who has blogged for a while longer than me [see Inner Geek]. At first, I thought I would use blogging as a means to get out extraneous thoughts that clutter my mind. The blogging process and purpose has since evolved.

First, I have always fancied a second career as a newspaper columnist a la Dave Barry from the Miami Herald. Writing a blog on a daily or semi-daily business, however, has somewhat assuaged me of this dream, but I still don't rule it out.

Second, I have discovered that my students (or some of them, at least) enjoy reading my blog. In this regard, I have learned that blogging can function as another means to educate and mentor students. If I can teach a life lesson through my own life experiences, then great!

Third (and related to my second point), blogging is a way to encourage students to think critically and socially. Too often, formal education emphasizes a career and less and less emphasis is placed on using education to build character and citizenry. I think a balance is necessary and blogging is another means to encourage the latter goal.

Fourth, blogging is a great way to reach out to the public which is especially relevant for a land-grant institution. My research interests and study findings can get communicated to a wider audience over the Internet. I know that some adoptees and adoptive parents, as well as children of immigrants, have visited my website which means a lot to me because my work is meant to advance the welfare of these very people.

Fifth, I am hoping that blogging will be a very efficient means to attract and recruit applicants (particularly minorities) for graduate school. By posting a link from my department webpage , I provide visitors to my website with a way to learn more about me as a person and as a researcher-scholar. A bit of truth in advertising.

Last, to blog is to live. Okay, a bit melodramatic. I just want to make sure you are still following me. More accurately, blogging has sparked my curiosity about life and renewed my love for what I do, what I study, what I teach. It gives me a creative outlet to generate new ideas and perspectives in psychology and its application in everyday life.

All said, I hope my department and college view blogging in a similar way. I know some of my colleagues read my blog from time to time, so it would be interesting to hear their perspectives. Oh one last thing...people often ask how long it takes me to write a blog entry. On average, I spend about 30 minutes writing a blog entry. To me, this is time well spent given it's multiple functions and utility. I see it akin to holding office hours electronically.

TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko

Isn't this an amazing photograph? It is an image of the drummers of Mu Daiko - who are based in Minneapolis, MN. The drummers were actually leaping in the air when the photograph was taken (during their fundraiser event in the Summer of 2005). My friend, Holly, is the ethereal spirit on the right. The photograph was taken by professional photographer Marc Norberg who is most known for his photography book "Black and White Blues."

Mu Daiko is performing this weekend at the Southern Theater with special guest, Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble. The shows are sold out but you might be able to buy tickets at the door. Performances are Fri. & Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm.

Thinking Outside the Box

You have to hand it to Bill Gates. He is a risk taker and innovator who has been using his money (a lot of it) to encourage scientists and researchers to think outside the box and thereby to save the world (or at least try to improve humankind). As described in today's NYTimes article, titled Better Bananas, Nicer Mosquitoes, Gates has awarded $450 million to scientists and researchers who responded to his Grand Challenges in Global Health which he issued in 2003. These individuals are working on ways to make mosquitoes not smell humans, dried vaccines, HIV-resistant prostitutes in Kenya, and other imaginative solutions to pressing world problems.

Thinking outside the box is not something we do very well in psychology. We tend to take a more methodical, practiced approach to human behavior. We identify a problem, describe the problem, place the problem within a larger context, develop measures and methods to study the problem, collect and analyze data, and interpret the findings in light of what we already know about the problem. We repeat these steps over and over again.

When I was in graduate school, I felt that I was at my creative best -- that is, thinking outside the box. I had all sorts of ideas and wrote many review papers that challenged traditional views on ethnic minority populations. At the time, my professors (all of whom were White) gave minor critiques but never encouraged me to pursue these ideas. On occasion, I did pursue some of the ideas. I even submitted papers that demonstrated contrary findings. For example, I had found that at-risk first year college students who reported a very strong sense of connectedness and belonging in their lives did poorly in their first year of college. I interpreted the findings as suggesting that students who are overly social neglect their school work. However, this finding is contrary to prevailing theories of retention and success in higher education which suggests the opposite. I submitted this pilot study to a journal and they rejected it because they felt the findings were too anomalous. As a graduate student, I was too naive and too discouraged by the rejection to challenge them or to pursue the idea further.

Nowadays, I am more willing to challenge traditional conventions, even though I simultaneously feel the tugs of normativity all the time. For example, my graduate students and I have begun a series of studies that examine the protective function of a positive and strong ethnic identity. It's often posited that ethnic identity protects individuals from the negative psychological consequences of discrimination. Yet this proposition has not been well studied. Moreover, some of our research findings suggest that ethnic identity may actually exacerbate the effects of discrimination because individuals who are fiercely proud of their ethnic heritage will be more sensitive to discrimination. On the one hand, this idea is counter-intuitive. On the other hand, it makes practical sense.

I am not suggesting that my research is anywhere as "out of the box" as the challenges put forth by Bill Gates. I am suggesting that psychologists do need to work harder at thinking outside the box to find new solutions to age old problems and to challenge the status quo. I believe that this is particularly true in the area of ethnic minority mental health.

Maybe we need to get Bill Gates to create similar grant funds for the behavioral sciences. Great idea...I will get right on it :)

Webpage Design Messed Up

As you are reading this entry, you have probably noticed the new blog design. I was trying to add some new options to my blog page and somehow got this hideous new design (so generic!). In the process, I lost my photos and links and am trying to figure out a way to recover them. Please be patient.

APA Monitor Cover Story on Adoption

The cover story of the December issue of the Monitor on Psychology -- APA's monthly journal on professional issues -- is about the 21st century family and includes an article on adoption in which I, along with my UMN colleague and mentor Dr. Hal Grotevant, are quoted. Check out the featured article titled Adopting a New American Family. If you just want to know what I said, I've excerpted the passage below.

Among those striving to fill the adoption research gaps is UM associate professor of psychology Richard Lee, PhD, who participates in the university's multidisciplinary International Adoption Project, a large-scale survey of Minnesota parents who adopted internationally between 1990 and 1998. In the project, led by developmental psychologist Megan Gunnar, PhD, UM researchers surveyed more than 2,500 parents about their children's health, development and adjustment. They also asked participants whether their employers offered leave for the adoption, how their kids have fared academically and how they managed adoption costs, among other topics.

"We presume that if parents socialize kids in a certain way, those outcomes will be protective factors," says Lee. "But there is actually very little research on that."

In Remembrance of My Mother

My mother died three years ago today – in the early morning hours of December 3rd. She was just shy of her 62nd birthday and was seemingly as healthy as can be only 10 days earlier.

When I first heard the news of my mother’s illness, I was on the plane the next day, heading home to Connecticut. It was a few days before Thanksgiving.

As it turned out, my mom had cancer in her bile duct, liver, stomach, and abdomen. When we first heard the diagnosis, we could not believe it because my mom showed no signs or symptoms of being seriously ill. But it seems that, among all cancers, this type grows fast and aggressive with few serious signs and symptoms until the cancer has advanced to a point of no return. In medical parlance, her cancer was in Stage IV which means that it had spread to other organs and her time left on this earth was short. It also happens to be the case that this type of cancer has the highest prevalence rate among Koreans.

For the last week or so of her life, we spent each waking hour at the hospital…sometimes everyone there together and other times in rotating shifts. She had so many friends and family visit her at the hospital that the room was overflowing with flowers and we gave flowers to other patients and to the nurses.

My mother never lost her spirit and continued to care and love each of us even in her weakest, most painful moments. Her faith in God and her love for family eased much of her pain and she was able to pass away peacefully knowing full well that she had led a good life and was richly blessed.

My mother was a beautiful woman who lived life to the fullest. Like most immigrants who have lived through a war, she had experienced her fair share of heartache and hardship. No one said life was going to be easy for her and she never expected an easy life. Still, my mother took risks. She grabbed the bull by the horns and willed her way into the American Dream. Along the way, she made sure that she brought along the rest of our family, including her sisters, nieces/nephews, and grandmothers, and as many friends and strangers as she could. She was a tour de force. Thank God for mom!

In the last hours of her life, my mother was unconscious and was breathing hard. She had what is known as the death rattle. It was hard for us to bear, but she seemed at peace. Then, in the early hours around 2 AM, she took one last breath, opened her eyes, whispered clearly “I Love You” to my father, brothers, and me, and died. Amazingly, my mother was my mother until the end.

I love her deeply and miss her terribly.

The Good and Bad of Things that Stink

As I've mentioned in past entries, I like to check out new, random facts on the Wikipedia website and came across this fascinating bit of WWII history. Now, I am not a big war history fan, but this one was too bizarre to pass up. It is called the Who Me? and it refers to a nonlethal weapon that was designed by the American military to be used by the French resistance fighters against the Germans. In technical terms, the Who Me? is a malodorant. In lay terms, it is an odor that smells like crap! No kidding. I wonder which military personnel came up with this idea. It is truly brilliant. Unfortunately, the military had to give up on this idea because the smell also got on the sprayer. In other words, he who smelt it dealt it.

Now, it just so happens that stinky smells also are studied by psychologists. In a 2002 article from the American Scientist (titled Science that Stinks), an experimental psychologist (Pam Dalton) has been working with the Dept of Defense on new stinky nonlethal weapons. Her research has confirmed that the most universal worst smell is that of decaying flesh or organic matter. Another interesting findings from this research is that the brain can trick us into finding something stinky as less stinky.

Her research suggests that odor perception is surprisingly context-dependent. Butyric acid, a common ingredient in vomit and foot sweat, for example, evokes an unpleasant reaction from volunteers—unless they "have been clued to think about food," Dalton says. Butyric acid is also present in certain strong cheeses, and when volunteers developed expectations of food, they typically found the odor more bearable, she says. [excerpt from American Scientist article].

Now I know why people can tolerate really stinky cheeses and even come to love the smell and taste! It also explains why some things are viewed as stinky in some cultures, but not in other cultures. It turns out that smell (specifically, what is considered malodorous) is largely learned.

"There's no evidence that babies from birth naturally prefer one smell over another," Dalton notes, "although they do prefer certain tastes." In the past, marketers had looked into which good odors crossed cultures, and discovered that the smell that signifies "clean" in South America was not the same as a "clean" smell in Asia. [excerpt from SFGate article]

This stinky smell phenomenon also gets me thinking of ethnic cuisines and, in particular, it reminds me of growing up. My grandmother and mother used to make their own Korean condiments because there was no Korean grocery store where you could easily buy such things. Well, actually, my parents owned the Korean grocery store, so we had to make the condiments that we then sold! Anyway, one of these condiments was a soybean paste (in Korean, it is called doen-jang [or dwen-jahng]).

To make this paste, you had to create these patties made from dried soybean powder and then ferment them. To facilitate the fermentation, my grandmother would lay these patties down on the porch and driveway to heat up in the summer sun. Okay, so imagine literally hundreds of these patties (see above photo) in the driveway of a typical Connecticut suburban neighborhood. They literally looked like pieces of dung (aka crap). And, as they fermented, they would crack open and release gas that also did smell like dung! After they were properly fermented, the patties would be mashed up, mixed up, and made into soybean paste! This paste is used in many Korean soups and dishes and does not smell as bad anymore. In fact, following the context-dependent nature of smell, it smells and tastes quite yummy (tho' I am sure it is an acquired taste).

Supposedly, soybean paste has medicinal powers as well. Once, my mother told a story of my oldest brother getting stung really bad by a nest of bees when he was little. They had just moved to America, so my mother and brother spoke no English and had no access to a car. It was pretty bad, I guess, as his face was completely swollen. In a panic, my mother recalled that soybean paste could be used to reduce swelling, so she slathered my brother's face in this stinky soybean paste. Poor kid. Can you picture an immigrant kid covered with what looks like dung! Amazingly, the bee swelling did subside by the time the ambulance arrived. I am not sure what medicinal quality is found in soybeans but perhaps it is akin to applying potato juice on burns (which scientists have discovered to work effectively).

Ah, so the beauty of things that stink. On the one hand, it can be used as a weapon. On the other hand, it can be used to heal. The mysteries of God's creations.

American Idol for Professors

Imagine an American Idol sort of show for university professors. TVOntario has a reality show called Big Ideas in which Canadian professors give lectures and the tv audience votes on who gives the best lecture. The winner from this past season was Arne Kislenko, a professor of History at Ryerson University. Check out the actual video lecture on WWII: The Soviet Experience.

I don't teach very much these days, but I think this is a novel idea. I wonder if PBS is willing to give it a go? I doubt it would be successful in America, unless the concept was snazzied up a bit. Perhaps starting with a brief bio of the professors' lives, their struggles and heartaches. Then moving on to a charity which will receive the prize money. Instead of 50 minute lectures, the professors must try to explain their research to various lay audiences (5 year old children, senior citizens, foreigners, juvenile delinquents) who then rate the effectiveness of the lecture. Last, the professors must debate each other on the merits of each other's scholarship. Oh, imagine the nerd factor each step of the way.