FamiLee Life

The Atom : An Asian American Comics Hero!

When I was a kid, I used to collect Captain America and Plastic Man comic books. My oldest brother got me started by giving me a subscription to Captain America for a birthday present. I enjoyed reading them for a few years but my interest slowly faded. Then, in college, I got into Lonewolf and Cub which was about a rogue samurai and his child. I liked the different art style and the fact that it was about an Asian man defending his honor and child! Again, after a while, my interest faded as I moved on to novels and nonfiction writing. Still, a part of me has yearned to return to comic book reading. After all, I still watch cartoons from time to time, even checking out the latest Minoriteam on Adult Swim. I also have recently read some graphic novels that are entertaining (e.g., The Epileptic and History of Violence), but there is something about a serial comic that is satisfying.

In BBC yesterday, I read about the return of Batwoman as a lesbian superhero. Cool and interesting, I thought. In the same article, it also talked about DC Comic's attempt to diversify it's superhero characters. I was particularly struck by The Atom who may be one of the first Asian American superheroes! Click here for a synopsis of the 1st issue. Also, Wikipedia has an entry for the All New Atom! From the above and below images, he looks bad-ass tough.

I am excited but a tad wary at the same time. For example, it is interesting that among all the superheroes they chose The Atom to be Asian American. I mean, come on, people! The stereotype of Asian Americans is that they are small and this seems to hold for superheroes too. Plus, they made his alter ego (Ryan Choi) to be an university professor! Hm...a model minority superhero? Wait...before I jump on this one... a reality check - I am an university professor! (thought to self -- am I a superhero yet to discover my super power?)... But seriously, you get my point.

Well, I guess I will have to purchase the first few issues to make a determination. Then, if all is well, I plan to get subscriptions for my niece and nephews! I think it will be better than getting new subscriptions to Captain America and Plastic Man.

WORD! The Rise of Ed Bok Lee and Bao Phi

A wonderful article on two of the Twin Cities hottest spoken word artists appeared in the Sunday edition of the Star Tribune. Check it out here. Way to go boys.

Creating New Educational Pathways: Are You Reading This, Bill Gates?

Can't Complete High School? Go Right to College is an article in today's New York Times on the growing number of college students who never graduated from high school because they have skipped their final years of high school in favor of early entrance to college or failed to graduate with passing grades.

I know a thing or two about this sort of pathway, having finished my junior year at a parochial catholic high school with a blunt request by the vice principal (in charge of discipline) to not come back. Amazingly, I was not too upset by this request, which I attribute to a combination of teenage angst, depression, stubbornness, and post-punk attitude.

Being resourceful and fortunate to be lucky, I stumbled across a college brochure from a small liberal arts school called Simon's Rock College of Bard. SR was founded by Elizabeth Blodgett Hall who believed that many students were simply bored or understimulated by the high school curriculum and were prepared/capable of a college education as 15 and 16 year olds. With this belief, she founded the first and still only four year college specifically for high schoolers who have completed only their freshman, sophomore, or junior years of high school. Many were talented individuals with troubled pasts -- what developmental psychologists now refer to as "adolescence limited" problem behaviors. We now know that many such children simply are understimulated and need greater challenge. Ms. Hall was ahead of the curve on this revelation and I am a proud beneficiary of her wisdom.

But there are many other kinds of students who are ready for college but without a high school diploma. Overlooked in the NYTimes article are the many thousands of immigrants and refugees who arrive in the US without formal education but who clearly are intelligent individuals. There needs to be a college (or plural) for these individuals because they are the future of America's economy. In order to avoid an hourglass economy in which people are either stuck in the bottom or top of the bottle with only a select few passing through, we need to open up the educational system to allow for more people to achieve their potential. In an era where apprenticeships and trades are dying and replaced by technology and science, greater opportunity for higher education is necessary.

It is no longer the case that immigrants will achieve success in successive generations. Straight line assimilation is no longer the norm. Such thinking originated back in the late 19th century when European immigrants began to flood the streets of eastern cities. The times have changed but our political/educational thinking has not. We stubbornly hold onto the belief that hard work pays dividends. Sometimes it does, but more often it does not. Increasingly, we are seeing poverty cycle over and over again. A recent report by the UMN Institute on Race and Poverty, for example, shows a direct correlation between segregation and poverty in schools.

So, I hope a few philanthropists with Hall's vision, affluence, and influence will take the lead to create such opportunities for today's immigrants and refugees who could benefit from higher education and thus contribute even more to today's economy. Incidentally, Bill Gates through the Gates Foundation has funded some efforts toward increasing early college experiences. Now, I hope he considers such funding and resources for older adult immigrants.

Bill Gates - are you reading my blog entry?

Crib Candy is My New Drug

Folks who know me and who have been to my home know that I am a home decor consumer. A bit on the haute side perhaps, but more importantly a lover of functional yet elegant design.

I have recently come to love this site called Crib Candy. It definitely satisfies my sweet tooth de la casa.

An Adoptive Parent's Critical Consciousness Awoken

As I have noted elsewhere, I am not an adoptee nor an adoptive parent. Yet I have come to study certain aspects of international adoption, particularly adoption from Asia. During this journey, I have had my sense of critical consciousness challenged as too myopic, broken down as insufficient, rebirthed as more inclusive, and reshaped by new awakenings many times over. Quite honestly, it is part of the joy of academic research. Nothing is sacred, in a sense. To pursue Truth, we need to be willing to falsify what we believe to be true. In my study of adoption, this has definitely been the case -- willingly and unwillingly.

In recent years, I have learned that this type of birth and rebirthing of critical consciousness also is occurring for many families involved in international adoption.

Yesterday, I picked up my mail and saw that a magazine, to which I am not subscribed, was inadvertently sent to my home. Right address, wrong addressee. Or maybe it was a long ago owner. Either way, I could not forward the magazine, so I kept it. It is Sojourners Magazine. I am somewhat familiar with this magazine (or at least had heard of it) from back in my college days. As I understand it, it's considered a moderately liberal, social justice group of Christians.

Anyway, I came across a very informative commentary titled "Can Buy Me Love?" by Ivy George, a sociology professor at Gordon College in Massachusetts. The essay addresses the larger, global dilemma posed by international adoption which is ignored by many involved with international adoption. She referred to this problem as the privatization of international adoption. It's a wonderful commentary written by an Indian American who adopted internationally from India. It's the awakening of her critical consciousness as an adoptive parent.

The article can be found in the June 2006 issue of Sojourners. I tried to get the link but it might require a free registration to the site, which I am just too lazy to do. However, it's accessible for free to those interested.

Update :: I have copied and pasted the article, click on Continue Reading to read the article.

Commentary
Can Buy Me Love?

The First World becomes a one-way destination point for children from the global South.
by Ivy George

As an Indian American, the adoption of my daughter from India has been a defining experience in our family’s life. It has brought deep joys and hopes—and a simultaneous sense of sorrow, not only on her behalf, but for our underlying complicity in a world that makes adoptions necessary.

Long before we adopted, I sensed that adopting a child was one of the most ennobling acts humans undertake in their personal and public lives. Nothing seems more important than giving life a chance. However, in my exposure to international adoptions in the U.S., I realized that this presumably sacred and primal tie between adult and child was subject to the same corruptions to which other social relations are vulnerable.

The international availability of children lays bare the axes of power in the forms of choice, entitlement, class, and racial privileges located in the global North and West—and those of the powerlessness stemming from massive economic disadvantage, inhospitable cultural and political environments for women, and the effects of human rights abuses from foreign and civil wars in the global South and East.

It is against this backdrop that international adoption takes place. The number of international adoptions in the U.S. rose from 7,093 in 1990 to 22,728 in 2005. More children are adopted into the United States than into any other nation. This dynamic reinforces patterns of dependence and obscures more complex global relations. The “Third World” stands as a ready reference to mean poverty, squalor, human abuse, and hopelessness. The child is seen as the one in need and the parents are the rescuers. “Saving” a child out of this milieu becomes automatically understood as a sacrificial act. The First World becomes a one-way destination point for children from the global South. There is little effort to understand or affect the local conditions that move people to relinquish their children.

I have been struck by the utmost sincerity and earnestness of parents of international adoptees, but too often they personalize and privatize their choice. They set out to study Spanish or cook Korean food, even as they work hard to mainstream their children. Indeed, “rescuing” a human being is a laudable act, but we must be clear-eyed about the context in which we engage in such action. In the global nexus of power relations, Third World societies stand by as a cafeteria—with its produce and people—for satisfying First World needs. It is time to ask hard questions: What is the connection between the availability of children for our adoption and our trade policies that drive their parents into poverty? How do arms sales to the Third World or drug pricing policies create populations of orphans?

IT IS DIFFICULT to acknowledge that these children provide for some of our deepest human needs at great cost to themselves. The bodies of both the adopted child and parents bear the text of devastating disparities between two worlds. The parents, by sheer membership in Western society, manifest racial, cultural, and national privileges. International adoption assures complete severance from the child’s native family. The avoidance of any claims from birth parents allows for the total displacement of the child, giving her a “global persona.”

Adoptive parents often underestimate the racialized nature of their transaction, especially with the adoption of children who don’t resemble them. Many adoption agencies advertise the prospects of forming a “multicultural family”—placing the cultural value of the parents over the effect on the child. Grand visions of “multicultural” families are further complicated by the influx of Asian and Russian children into the U.S. while African-American children are adopted into Canada and Europe because the U.S. cannot provide a home for them.

Here are some considerations for anyone contemplating adopting a child from abroad: International adoption may exploit family poverty and gender oppression in the global South and East. The interruption of a child’s identification with her racial, ethnic, or national group will have consequences. Many children are made available through abduction, sale, or trafficking. Prevailing trends in international adoption and the construction of the “global child” besmirches an ancient and beautiful response of human beings to protect and provide for the smallest among us.

Ivy George is a professor of sociology at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

Marvels of Kimchi (But Beware!)

A lot has been publicized lately about the virtues and health benefits of kimchi, the national spicy dish of Korea. The LA Times has a story on kimchi that summarizes much of this information, but it also warns of the dangers of eating too much kimchi. Yes, the dark side to this delicious, spicy, make your breath scare away mosquitoes cabbage dish. Because kimchi is made with a large amount of salt, it is believed that it increases the risk of gastric cancers. In fact, Koreans (along with Japanese) are 10 times more likely to get gastric forms of cancer. Eating a heck of a lot of kimchi makes a person 50% more likely to get cancer. Yes, I know, eating too much of anything is not a good thing. True, true. But the truth also is that lots of Korean dishes are so tasty because of the salty seasoning. So, once again the motto is that moderation is the key, no matter how dang good the it tastes!

Mikasa and Momma's Casa

Here is a plate, specifically a Mikasa Tangent Black L9121 edition by Bob Van Allen. It was produced for a limited time between 1978-1981. I am excited about this plate because I own bits and pieces of this dinnerware and want to complete the set. Fortunately, I have found some of these pieces on ebay.

I "inherited" the dinnerware from my mother when she passed away in December of 2002. I didn't really inherit the dishes though. I simply took them when we were packing up all the furniture and accessories from my parents' home of 20+ years to move my father and grandmother into a smaller retirement home. My father no longer needed to have a set of dishes for 10+ people and the idea was originally to give the dishes away. Actually, my grandmother had already decided to give them to a particular family when I got wind of this idea. I said, whoa! I claimed them as mine. Neither of my brothers were interested in them but I was. To me, the dinnerware are a family heirloom (and immigrant families have so few heirlooms!). Plus, the dishes, including dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls, and coffee cups, remind me of my mom.

My mother was an amazing cook and she loved to entertain. When we moved into the Tumblebrook home (that's the street name), she bought these dishes to use when hosting parties. My parents hosted a lot of parties. They were quite active in their church and our home became the ancillary church kitchen and reception hall. We had big dinner parties for every major holiday and important event. Dozens and dozens of people would show up -- often strangers to me -- to enjoy friendships, food, and drink. Okay, not much drink because my parents had given up on alcohol by then. Food, as it is for many immigrant families, was the center of our social lives.

So, after a couple of years of sitting in my brother's garage in a water damaged box, I finally had the dishes shipped out to Minnesota. I always thought it was a complete setting for 12 people but I was wrong. As I unpacked the dishes, I learned that there were 15 cups, 11 plates, 7 soup bowls, etc. In other words, a little of this and a little of that. I actually laughed to myself because it was just like my mom. I am certain that she probably bought the dishes at an outlet store and bought whatever was available. Inevitably, some dishes broke and she never bothered to replace them. Instead, they started out as and remain an incomplete set.

I guess life is sort of this way too. Incomplete. Yet just because something is incomplete, it does not mean that it is useless or unworthy. It's still good to use; still pretty to look at; still worth something. Being an immigrant means that a lot of things in life are incomplete. But you can't let incompleteness hold you back. You can't wait for all the pieces to fall perfectly into place. You can't spend all your time waiting and waiting for completeness. Instead, you move forward. Always move forward. Eventually, maybe you find that there is wholeness in the incomplete.

So, these days, I surf ebay from time to time, looking for more of these plates. Lucky for me, I have found some plates and soup bowls. But I'm learning that it's okay if the set is never complete. I can still use the dinnerware and still appreciate all they mean to be (past and present).

The Aftermath

(photo courtesy of Kurt)

Sometimes a photo does say it all. In this case, here is the aftermath of a Korean foodfest in NYC. Enough said. I'm hungry now.

Where Are You From? A POC Revision

Lately, I have been going to another locally owned coffeeshop on my way to the office (see earlier post on other coffeeshop). Espresso 22 is a fairly popular shop located in the mini-famed Dinkydome. When I first arrived at the U, I went there a couple of times but found it's location in the dome to be a bit depressing which led me to other coffeeshops. I also had found the owner to be a bit enigmatic and gruff, so I went elsewhere. Then, just recently, for some unknown reason, I started to go back there. The first time on my revisit, I ordered my usual morning wake-me up, a double americano. He asked me how much water I wanted because, he noted, most people want too much water. So I said, make it the way you want. He put in much less water and said that an americano should have equal parts water and espresso. Look at the perfect foam on top, he said. Ah, I replied. For some odd reason, this exchange sold me on the 22.

Okay, fast forward to today. Mr. 22 (I don't know his name yet) now knows what I want to drink, so he makes the order without even asking. I love that sort of service. It was not busy, so he leans over, elbows on the counter, and asks me the prrennial question - Where are you from? I respond, do you mean what's my ethnicity? He says, yes. I say, Korean. I ask him the same. He says, Iranian. Then, we proceed to have a great discussion about South Korean culture. Mr. 22 mentions that he has watched a lot of Korean movies and notes that they are so violent. He understands why so much violence given Korea's history of occupation and oppression (my inside smiles at this astuteness). However, he is more puzzled by their addiction to videogaming. He also says that it's a shame Korea is losing it's appreciation of ancient culture and beauty in its move toward modernization and globalization. Then, he adds, prior to 1990, Korean students were the most active protesters and it's a shame that they have lost this edge. As we start to engage deeper in this great dialogue, another customer approaches and the moment is lost. He's off making another drink. I leave with a smile on my face.

Sometimes, Where Are You From? when asked sincerely by a fellow person of color leads to wonderful engaging moments.

Traveling as a Posse

Just over a month ago, the Wednesday night guys spent the weekend in NYC in support of Ed's book release party at the Asian American Writer's Workshop. We also went simply to karaoke like rock stars and stay up way too late for our ages. Ken snapped this photograph of us departing the subway, either heading down toward or back from the World Trade Center. The trip was a first for this posse of Asian American men and a trip to remember for sure.

Around this same time, I had guest lectured in the undergraduate course "Cultures of Korean Adoption" at the UMN. Toward the end of the lecture, I began to talk about racial socialization within families and the importance of learning social skills and strategies to combat personal, everyday kinds of racism and discrimination. I was recounting stories of dealing with an ignorant White grocery store clerk who starts speaking to me in Chinese and Vietnamese and confronting a drunk White guy outside the VFW hall shouting out "Hello Asia!" as I walked passed him. As I shared with the students my approach to handling these situations, hands quickly shot up, asking what is the best way to handle these situations. Then, one woman in the back asked the question: don't you get tired of having to educate these idiots?

My answer was simple -- "Yes, it is tiring but if I don't do it - who will? It's also a good reason to travel in posses."

The Asian American posse... Quite honestly, I never had this sort of luxury in my life. My White friends, by virtue of being in the majority, always travel in a same-race posse. It's the privilege of Whiteness in this country. But for me, growing up, I never had such a posse. Sure, I have had groups of friends in the past with whom I often traveled in packs. But these groups were usually comprised of mostly White friends. Oddly enough, it has been living in the Midwest that has allowed me to find an Asian American posse.

When my boys and I were walking through NYC, I felt the difference. Having grown up just across the border in CT, I've been in NYC many, many times, so I can say with some surety that this time was different. There is a social reassurance that comes with being with others who are similar to you, who can relate to your experiences, who pick up on the same things as you do. And importantly, when confronted by a person who makes an ignorant racist comments, it does help to have a posse surrounding you -- for safety and support but also to respond to the racist when you don't want to do it yourself.

Yes, yes, the posse is a basic group phenomenon -- true for Whites as it is for Asians or Blacks -- but it takes on a different form and function when one is a member of the minority in this country. If you are White, there is a de facto similarity with everyone around you. It's not the case for ethnic and racial minorities.

So, this photograph is a reminder for me. Mostly it reminds me of the value of friends, of having a posse to call your own.

Peter Haakon Thompson on Public Art

It's a week of art on FamiLee Life. In the midst of grading papers, holding end of the semester meetings, and trying to find some time to write articles that are way past due, I find tremendous respite in the art of my friends.

Today, I was sent a link to The Morning News which features a Q & A story about my friend, Peter Haakon Thompson, creator of the A Project and the Art Shanty Projects. I met Peter a couple of years ago thru my friend Mike and he's become a regular on the Minneapolis Karaoke Tour with the rest of the Wednesday night boys. Aside from being an amazing artist, he also happens to be my go-to handyman who has helped me keep my home sturdy and usable.

To me, Peter's photographs echo the point of contact between man and nature. Between physical and ethereal. Between belonging and loneliness. Between home and afar.

Check out the gallery of photographs that accompany the article and tell me what you think.

Dan Bruggeman Exhibit

I missed the opening for this exhibit but it's a great one. Check out some amazing paintings by another of the Tuesday night basketball crew -- Dan Bruggeman. Dan is a Lecturer in Art at Carleton College. The exhibit features painted layered images from ornithology (birds) texts. The show is running till June 3rd at the Groveland Gallery which is just behind the Walker Art Center (atop the hill).

Wing Young Huie Exhibit

One day about 5 years ago, I met this guy by the name of Wing Young Huie. I had met him at some Asian American function (maybe a book reading or maybe a Korean adoptee event) and quickly learned about his local fame. Wing is a Twin Cities photographer from one of Minnesota's most famous Chinese American families. Apparently, you can find a photo of him as a young boy (standing beside his mother) at the Duluth Aquarium. I also happened to find photos of his family in the book, titled Chinese in Minnesota. At any rate, over the years, I've had the good fortunte to become friends with him, playing basketball on Tuesday nights, grabbing a drink and watching ESPN on other nights, and attending various art functions on weekends.

On Saturday evening, he is having an art show to exhibit some of his photography. Come check it out. It's great stuff. In fact, I just bought one of his photographs last week!

Monday Funnies

This video is just plain funny. Thanks to TEDblog for the link. It's the sort of empowerment humor that we need more of.

Falling Birthrates and A Possible Ban on Overseas Adoption

The birthrate in South Korea is falling (see article). This news has led one lawmaker to propose a ban on overseas adoption (see below story). More importantly, it has led the government to begin to consider ways to improve the social welfare system which provides services to ensure the well-being of children and families.

As many couples abandon thoughts of having children because of soaring education and childcare costs, the government allocated a bigger share of the budget to fund the welfare measures. As part of efforts to address the population problem, about 30.5 trillion won ($31 billion) will be spent over the next five years to strengthen the country's social safety net. Budget planners expect to channel the money into the expansion of day care services and preschool education for infants and improving childcare facilities.

ADOPTION: A MAJOR SHIFT?
The Korea Herald, May 9, 2006

Lawmaker pushes ban on overseas adoption

As the country's birthrate keeps plunging, an opposition
lawmaker came up with a desperate measure: an outright ban
on international adoption of Korean children.

Rep. Ko Kyung-hwa of the Grand National Party said yesterday
she plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit
adoption of Korean children by foreign parents outside Korea
while systematically supporting domestic adoption..//..

To promote domestic adoption, the lawmaker also proposed a
state subsidy for the child's foster care during the adoption
process, an integrated database for adoption agencies and a
reasonable adoption fee, among others..//..

Korea has long had a reputation as a "baby exporter,"
producing a population of 157,000 adopted Koreans over half
a century. Although domestic adoption has been growing
steadily in recent years, the number is still less than that
of overseas adoptions.

Of 3,562 children that found homes through adoption last
year, about 41 percent, or 1,461 kids, were adopted by
Koreans while 59 percent, or 2,101, by foreign parents,
which is the third largest number after China and Russia.

The Attraction of a Baby Face

I just read about a new evolutionary psychology study that found that women - just by looking at the faces of men - can detect which men are more "child friendly." These men tended to have less testoterone than men who were less "child friendly." Not surprisingly, when women were asked about which type of men they preferred to have a short-term fling and a long-term relationship, they chose the men with a masculine face for the short term fling and the baby faced men for the long-term relationship. Click here to read more about the story. This research is consistent with a long line of research in evo-psych. Other related studies, for example, have found that women who are ovulating prefer the smell of men with more symmetrical faces and, if I recall correctly, greater testosterone.

Hm....I think I'm a baby face.

4 Things Meme...

I was tagged by Made in Korea a few days ago. I thought I could whip out some responses, but it took longer than I expected. As in, I actually had to stop for a moment and think about my answers. Here they are...enjoy.

Four people you would like to meet and the questions you'd ask them:
1. Maternal grandfather – Did you defect to North Korea or were you a POW?
2. Malcolm X – What would you say about race relations today?
3. Jesus/Buddha – What would you say to Buddha (and vice-versa)?
4. Cal Ripken, Jr. – What life lessons did you learn from baseball?

Four places you have seen and would like to see again:
1. Bryce Canyon, Utah
2. Lanikai, Oahu, Hawaii
3. Seoul, South Korea
4. Kyoto, Japan

Four favorite words:
1. Moist
2. Crisp
3. Filth
4. Two things…

Four things that annoy you:
1. Filth
2. Body odor
3. Ignorance
4. Being stuck in the middle seat on an airplane

Four books you would recommend:
1. The Martyred – Richard E. Kim
2. America Is In The Heart – Carlos Bulosan
3. The Stories We Live By – Dan McAdams
4. Surprised by Joy – C.S. Lewis

Four mild fears you've had:
1. Large crowds
2. Angry drunks
3. Poverty
4. Being attacked by squirrels

Four quick answers:
1. Insomnia — clearing one’s mind and relaxation techniques
2. Allergies — neti pot plus generic versions of claritin and flonase
3. Road rage — wishing I had a device that could flash messages at other drivers
4. Daydreams — a 20 minute nap

It's the end of the semester, so I don't think I will tag anyone else (unless you really want to be tagged).

A Win for Chinese Buffet Owners And Other Restaurant Musings

Every couple of days, I peruse Asian American News Journalism Unlimited which searches out and summarizes daily news items that involve Asian Americans. A few days ago, I noticed a post titled "Family Kicked Out of Buffet Restaurant" about a family in Des Moines, IA who was asked to leave and not return to a Chinese buffet restaurant because they repeatedly were wasting food and going up for more food (often the same food that they discarded uneaten).

What I love about this story is that it is a good example of Asian immigrant empowerment. Rather than allow this family to abuse the notion of "all you can eat," the owners stood ground and asked the family to not return. Was it embarrassing for the family? Sure, probably. However, were the owners within their rights? Yes. Plus, it's just common courtesy to not waste food in such a manner. Parents should teach their kids to just get a little bit of food at a time. It's not like the buffet is going anywhere.

These restaurants are not turning huge profits. In order to stay competitive, they often have to offer low prices for buffet meals. The hope, of course, is that people (such as me) will only go up once and be full. Quick turnaround meals mean more people in a short span of time. Makes good business sense, because owners can save money on hiring fewer waitstaff and buying ingredients in larger purchase orders.

My parents used to own and run a Chinese restaurant back in the day when they were not on every town's street corner. It was the 1970s and my parents, along with my aunt and uncle, worked long hours cooking Chinese American food, plus a few Korean dishes. I don't have many memories except of the bar stools at the counter. I remember these orange stools because I spent many hours spinning, spinning, spinning on them -- after school and on the weekends. I also remember playing with the live crabs that were delivered from NYC and used in various dishes. The restaurant was fairly successful and they definitely had their regulars, including Gayle King (Oprah's best friend) who was a TV news reporter/anchor in Connecticut. But the work was hard. Long hours and not enough cash flow.

Eventually, they closed up shop (I think they sold it but can't remember) and opened up an Asian grocery store across the street. Actually, it was an oriental market called Arirang and the sign was written in the chopstick/bamboo style font like the one on the above photo of take out boxes. It was a good business decision because it allowed us to basically get most of our personal/home groceries at cost and we served an important resource for the growing Korean community. It was a gathering place after church and a place to advertise for handy work and other odds/ends jobs.

I share these childhood stories because we often forget (even as children of immigrants) that life was/is hard for immigrants. Owning a Chinese buffet restaurant is hard work. Profit margin are usually small and labor is intensive. Hours are long and customer appreciation is rare.

So, I have to admit that I smiled wide when I read the story about the family getting kicked out. A victory for the small immigrant business owner.

It Is Minnesota (sort of)! :: Annual International Adoption Per State Capita

A commonly tossed around statistic is that Minnesota has the highest per capita of Korean adoptees in the country. I am not sure where this statistic originated, but I often here that it is based on estimates drawn from the total number of Korean adoptions facilitated by Children's Home Society of Minnesota (~12,000) and the Census report which reports about 12,000 Koreans living in Minnesota. Somehow, these numbers get melded together to arrive at the conclusion that Minnesota has the highest per capita of Korean adoptees in the country.

Well, I have yet to verify this statistic using national databases, but I did get a step closer today!

Using data sources from the 2003 U.S. Census Population Estimates and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, I was able to estimate the percentage of the total state population that is comprised of internationally adopted children from one given year -- 2003. Unfortunately, this statistic is limited in a few important ways. Most notably, it only estimates those children adopted internationally in one year (2003) and does not tell us the percent of the total population comprised of all international adoptees.

Here is what I found :: It is Minnesota (sort of)!

In 2003, Minnesota ranked #1 when we look at the number of newly arrived international adoptees in relation to the total estimated state population. New international adoptees in 2003 made up 1.5% of the total population in Minnesota. Only 10 other states (including District of Columbia) had more than 1% of the total population made up of international adoptees who arrived in 2003.

To see a pdf of the total state rankings of 2003 international adoptions, click here

Willing Spring

Downloaded photo courtesy of OnFocus.

It is early May in Minneapolis and the temperature outside is a cool 45 degrees (F). It is Spring (at least it is supposed to be).

Sometime around March, you notice a change in the clothing attire of Minnesotans, particularly college students. Maybe it is the effect of Spring Break vacation when students flock to warmer climate zones and return all tan and revigorated. Maybe it is our weariness of Winter and a last ditch effort at self-help therapy to get us through the last bit of snowfall and freezing temperatures. Maybe some of us northerners are just plain crazy.

What I am talking about is the Willing of Spring that you see occurring in increasing numbers, as people begin to (gasp!) put away the big fleece and down jackets and put on the shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops.

You see it happening even on days that are still dang cold. Take today, for instance. It was around 35 degrees last night (that's just above freezing!). This morning, it was/is around 45 degrees. If this were the Fall, folks would be wearing fleece jackets and some might even put on a knitted cap. But it is May and, dang it, people are going to pretend it is warm outside. Heck, on my walk over to the office just now, I saw one guy wearing shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops like he was simply taking a morning stroll on the boardwalk in Malibu or Honolulu.

You have to hand it to Minnesotans for being a hardy bunch. Willing Spring....yep, that sums up the Minnesota personality for you.

Condi and BC :: An Update

Today, in the Chronicles of Higher Education, I learned that two theology professors at BC wrote an email letter to the entire BC faculty protesting the decision to confer an honorary degree to Condoleeza Rice during the Commencement ceremony. Click here to read the Boston Globe story on it.

I was not aware that commencement speakers were awarded an honorary degree. Maybe some are and some aren't...not sure. However, I have got to give it to these professors (and the growing number of BC students) for standing up for their convictions. Hm...if she does speak and is given a degree, it would be a strong message for students to stand up and turn their backs on Ms. Rice during the entire commencement address.

To read their email, continue reading...

Condoleezza Rice Does Not Deserve a Boston College Honorary Degree

We, the undersigned members of the faculty at Boston College, strongly disagree with the decision of the university's leadership to grant Condoleezza Rice an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and to invite her to address the 2006 commencement. On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values that inspire the university's work.

As a matter of moral principle, Rice maintains that U.S. foreign policy should be based on U.S. national interest and not on what she calls the interests of an "illusory international community." This stands in disturbing contrast with the Catholic and humanistic conviction that all people are linked together in a single human family and that all nations in our interdependent world have a duty to protect "the common good of the entire human family."

On the level of practical judgment, Rice has helped develop and implement the strategic policies that have guided the United States in the tragic war in Iraq. Pope John Paul II and the United States Catholic bishops opposed initiating this war on ethical grounds. We also believe the policies that have shaped the war's ongoing conduct cannot be justified in light of the moral values of the Catholic tradition or the norms of international law.

For these reasons, we object to Boston College honoring Condoleezza Rice at its 2006 commencement. Doing so contradicts the university's Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic identity.

Condi as a Commencement Speaker

The Chroncle of Higher Education (which is the NYTimes for academics) has been posting the commencement speakers for different colleges and universities for the past couple of months. Each week, I have been checking in to see who was selected for my alma mater, Boston College. I found out today that it will be Condoleeza Rice - U.S. Secretary of State. Hm...my heart sank just a bit because I was hoping for someone like...say...Angelina Jolie (j/k)! (sidenote - I found this photo of Angelina and Condi on Google Image from a post on World Refugee Day.)

I graduated from BC 16 years ago (gasp) as a wide eyed, idealistic 20 year old with no real career aspirations beyond finding a summer job. I remember wandering through the commencement ceremony without much on my mind, except trying to grasp the fact that I was finished with college and reminding myself that it is okay to let go of college. It was a big year in world history - the Soviet Union was collapsing thanks in part to the efforts of Gorbachev and glasnost, the Berlin Wall fell uniting the two Germanys, and Nelson Mandela was freed signalling tthe end of apartheid.

Our commencement speaker was Tom Brokaw, former NBC anchor and author of The Greatest Generation. Quite honestly, I was a bit disappointed when I learned that he was going to be our speaker because I was hoping for a politically liberal politician or activist. However, I must say that he gave a wonderful commencement speech. Summing up all the world events that occurred in 1989-1990, he told us that our generation was at a turning point in world history and that we needed to think carefully and intentionally about our future. How did we plan to go out into the world to make it a better place? How did we plan to capitalize on these changing world events? He reminded us of our privilege to receive an outstanding higher education and that we needed to do something good with this education. We needed to think beyond ourselves. For me, it was quite inspiring.

I am not sure what to think of Secretary Rice. As a public figure, there are some things that I admire about her. Yet, there are many things that she has said and done that leave me scratching my head in wonder. Ironically, she was mentored by the same person as Madeleine Albright - Josef Korbel who was Ms. Albright's father. However, she is clearly a different type of leader with a different vision of the world.

What I hope is that Secretary Rice leaves conservative politics out of her speech and instead focuses on the future of our nation and the world and the role that these young graduating seniors will play in it.