FamiLee Life

I am African....huh?

So, I was poking around a discussion forum trying to learn more about adoptions from Ethiopia when I came across a posting about this new ad campaign to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Africa. It is from the organization, Keep A Child Alive, and the ad is called I am African. the "I am African" campaign includes a number of celebrities who proclaim "I am African" including Richard Gere, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lucy Liu, Alicia Keys, David Bowie, Liv Tyler, Kenny Kravitz. I believe the spokesperson is Iman. She says:

"As we live our lives in the West, perhaps we forget our origins. It is well known that each of us originated from Africa from our African ancestors. Indeed it was these incredible people who traveled far and wide and whose genes are in all of us...I have appealed to various celebrities to show their African roots in the I AM AFRICAN campaign...to appear in a modern take of African tribal make up."

It's an interesting and problematic take and use of race because the genetics of race remains hotly debated. It is not so much an issue of whether the evolution of humans (homo sapiens) starts in Africa. It is more an issue of what is race and how is race currently constructed, socially and politically.

Take for instance, the following NYTimes article from a few months ago on the use of DNA testing to determine race/ethnicity. I was surprised to read (and listen on the audio) about a White family who discovered that their children have 10% Native American and 10% African genes -- whatever that really means, as it is still extremely difficult to identify specific genetic variations tied to one ethnicity or one race. The father goes on to say that this is a chance for the children (who are apparently privileged and not disadvantaged or oppressed) to compete for minority-based scholarships and academic honors.

So what does it mean to say I AM AFRICAN? It seems (on the surface) noble and impressive to align with this image but what else does it convey/imply? Yes, we need to do more to raise awareness and to increase effort toward HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and treatment in Africa. However, is it necessary to really utilize the notion of the genetics of race in this manner? Would it not be better to address the issues of racism and racial privilege instead? Why not call it like it really is, instead of co-opting race and genes in this manner?

To me, it unfortunately trivializes and downplays one issue (racism) in order to provide a token of gravitas to another issue (HIV/AIDS).

What do others think?

Alvin Is Still Hanging Around -- RatZapper!

I have not had any chipmunks inside my house since my last posting back in June. But I have had continued chipmunk problems in my garage and eventually had to resort to some rat poison. Alas, it was not pleasant to smell dead chipmunks and then have to search them out in my garage. Gross and sad. Afterwards, I sealed up the holes and hoped no others would show up.

But I still have chipmunks scampering all over my yard, especially my backyard. Lately, they have started to tunnel again near my home's foundation. Argh! So, this time, I broke down and ordered the RatZapper Ultra! I have read good things about this device - clean, efficient, humane, fast.

I have not used it yet but plan to this week. I need to first create a rainproof shelter for it, so it does not short circuit if it rains. Then, I will see if this thing works. Stay tuned....

UPDATE -- I should note that it's not my intention of eliminating all the chipmunks in my yard -- that would be plain mean. I just want them to stop digging burrows next to my foundation which then leads to (a) water seeping into my basement and damaging the foundation wall and (b) access into my basement/house, as chipmunks have a tendency to chew into wood trimming near the house (e.g., windows, doors, etc). Otherwise, I find them quite lovely creatures with their shrilling chip, chip sounds. Land loons, you might call them.

Busy, Busy...CRACK!

Man, it should still be summer and time should be moving slowly, allowing me to appreciate the warm sun, bad tv reruns, and walks along Lake Harriet. Instead, I feel the bustle of the new school year beginning. I find myself overloaded at work but struggling to get organized. Ah. The madness of Fall.

So what do I do all day? I spend my day mainly sitting in front of my computer and (from this position) write and respond to emails, read and research articles, write when there is a moment, and more. Consequently, I have developed the nasty, much talked about, repetitive stress problems in my hands and arm. Not quite carpal tunnel but annoying, achy, numbing, painful.

So, I went to see an internist at my health clinic and she said nothing new. Lots of "yup, yup, yup, you diagnosed the problem already" kind of talk. She said to continue to monitor it for another month. If it does not get better, I should return to the clinic for a hand therapy referral. Well, not much help.

Then, I decided to go to a chiropractor for the first time in my life. I love getting massages and often thought about getting a chiropractic adjustment. I just never got around to it. It is sort of pricey and always seems a bit of a luxury item. But for whatever reason, I finally got enough motivation to schedule an appointment. I went yesterday to a person who was referred by a friend.

Now, I have to confess that I am a bit skeptical about the beneficial claims of chiropractic treatment, but I do believe it has some benefits. It is more the way in which they tend to sell the benefits that bothers me. I am just a rationalist and skeptic at heart and it's best to avoid holistic talk with me.

So, there I am in the office of Dr. S. I am a bit nervous and excited. My arm is feeling a bit numb and tingling with pinched nerve pain. My hands are achy. After a brief medical history, she asks me to sit on the table. The first helpful comment is that I have bad posture. Specifically, I have weak abdominal muscles and need to learn to straighten my back and neck. Then, I am asked to lay down on the table. After feeling my spine and shoulders, she makes an attempt at adjusting my upper back (near the shoulders). No go. Too tight maybe. Then, she moves to my mid-lower back and makes an adjustment. CRACK! Whoa. Feel some pressure relief and my rib (which I sadly had pulled a few months ago from a coughing fit) aches a bit. Then, she moves to my neck. Feels around for a bit and then CRACK! One loud crack. Satisfying. Then, she move my neck the other way and CRACK, CRACK, CRACK. Ah...very satisfying. She ends the session by doing some deep tissue massage and muscular manipulation on my arm.

I left feeling a bit better. My neck motion was better and my arm felt okay from the massage. Later, my rib hurt more which I am not sure is a good or worse thing. As the evening progressed (and into today), I have found my neck cracking quite easily when I turn my head side to side. Dr. S. told me to not force any neck cracks but these just seem to happen more readily. My hand and arm still hurt some when I type but not as much tingling today.

So, it seems like it was helpful. I will go back on Tuesday for a follow-up and hope to see more improvements.

Meanwhile, back to being busy, busy......CRACK!

State Fair (day 1) and Flaming Lips

A group of us made our way through the torrential downpour and tornado warnings to the first day of the MN State Fair. We arrived in the evening to attend the grandstand concert by the Flaming Lips, along with Sonic Youth and the Magic Numbers. Because of the rain, Magic Numbers did not perform. Instead, an hour later, Sonic Youth opened and was great, although it was weird to see the band still performing after all these years. As I sat in the stands, I remembered seeing them perform back in 1986 at Bard College. 20 years ago! Still, they were tight as ever and very energized. In fact, they were better than when I first saw them. Of course, back then, Kim Gordon was so wasted that she had a hard time even standing. This time, she was looking fit and jumping/dancing all over the stage.

After a long intermission, the Flaming Lips came on stage and did not dissappoint. Wayne Coyne is a great frontman and he entertained the crowd with his antics and banter. To start the evening, he entered a giant see-through balloon and rolled out into the waving arms of the fans. It was a great sight. The art rock, psychedelic band from Oklahoma played a couple of song and then brought the Magic Numbers on stage for a couple of songs. It was a nice moment of professional courtesy. Their overall set was short but entertaining. They played their hits and made the audience feel the love. Then, they closed the night with their hit "Do You Realize." A great, great song. In fact, here are the lyrics for you to rehearse for the next big karaoke night.

Do You Realize by the Flaming Lips

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize - Oh - Oh - Oh
Do You Realize - that everyone you know
Someday will die -

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize

Chinese Twin Adoptees - Separated, Adopted, Reunited

My friend in Amsterdam sent me the following story about two Chinese girls who were adopted separately as infants by a family in Chicago and another family in Miami. By chance encounter on an adoptive family website, the two families put together pieces of a puzzle to determine that the two girls were in fact fraternal twins!

MN State Fair :: An Auto-Ethnographic Fair Guide Service

These are photos taken last year from the Minnesota State Fair. It was my first time to the fair, even though I have lived in Minnesota since 2000. Truth be told, I am not a fair lover, of any kind. I have a strong distaste for amusement parks, monster truck rallies, and any other large, open air event that involves thousands of people crammed in a confined space. Many childhood years of such experiences have left a bad, bad taste in my psychic memory.

So why did I go last year? Well, I have a friend, Peter Haakon Thompson, who is a fair devotee. His vast experience, knowledge, and saavy helped me feel sane and safe and allowed me to enjoy the fair without feeling crammed in a sardine can and overwhelmed by too much stimuli.

Fortunately, Peter is now offering Peter Haakon Thompson’s Auto-Ethnographic Fair Guide Service for others to enjoy the fair experience. Click on read more to, well, read more!

Peter Haakon Thompson’s Auto-Ethnographic Fair Guide Service

Have you never had a good time at the Great Minnesota Get Together? Did you know that the Fair encompasses 320 acres and over 1,762,976 visitors? How could one be expected to find their way around such a place, let alone find everything that makes the Fair such a unique and amazing experience? If you go fishing in Alaska you would hire a guide, why not at the State Fair?

Peter Haakon Thompson has spent his entire life visiting the Fair with parents who believe in arriving at 8 AM and leaving at 10pm. Have you seen the Butterheads, had breakfast at the Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall, been to the State Fair and MN Newspaper Museums? Gotten a truckers belt, collected a years supply of free pencils, eaten the ice cream of the future? These are just a few of the things you will see on the Peter Haakon Thompson tour of the State Fair.

Just added: See Peter’s photo in the Fine Arts Exhibition at the Fair!

Details:

Maximum group size is 5 plus me

Pricing:

4-5 people $125
1-3 people $100

- Each person is responsible for admission, food, & etc.
- For reservations before August 22nd, I can purchase $7 discount admission tickets.
- Everyone will receive a handmade souvenir T-shirt
- So far most of the dates are open, August 24th to Labor Day
- For questions and to schedule call or email Peter at 612 205 6710, phaakon@bitstream.net

Weddings:

Also, Peter Haakon Thompson is a Reverend of the Universal Life Church and is authorized by the State of Minnesota to perform weddings. Imagine, your special day at the Fair, the reception and honeymoon are built in, a dinner of Pronto Pups followed by a funnel wedding cake.

Testimonials:

I was a little dazed when we first got to the Fair; it's just so…big. But Peter had this great plan for getting it all in. Under Peter's super guidance, I saw everything I wanted, plus he showed me a bunch of groovy stuff I'd no idea was there and he's totally up on all of he best food, classics and new additions. -Rebecca Ditsch

Having had the unforgettable opportunity to take the PHT Fair tour for a couple of years now I can tell you that the excitement and wonder continues throughout the years, Peter has been perfecting his course, studied and mastered the art of the food and 4H circuit. mapped and reviewed the building locations. I mean, the way he moves throughout the crowds is enough reason to sign up in itself. Don't let this amazing gift pass you by. -Kari Reardon, PHT fair tour-ee since 2002

Spitting Cupcake Image

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and Holly and friends threw me a party on the weekend. Holly made a great cake with this spitting image of me (photo courtesy of Bao Phi). I'm tempted to consider getting a new tattoo based on this caricature or create a new cartoon show featuring this character. As for the cake, it's actually a dozen chocolate cupcakes arranged in a cake pan and smothered with frosting to look like a regular cake. Ingenious.

Silent Library (viral video)

Okay, I have to admit it. I love viral videos, even though I don't watch them too often (really). I came across this one on boingboing and laughed out loud. It is from a Japanese reality tv show called Silent Library and features a well known mixed martial artist, Ernesto Hoost, as a participant. In the show, contestants must endure silly but torturous pranks without making a sound. Later, Hoost ends the show singing karaoke (in Japanese)!

From boingboing....

Silent Library is a Japanese game show where the players have to remain silent as they are forced to eat a huge wad of wasabi, get slapped in the face by a machine, get their ear gummed by a dour old man, get hit in the butt with a baseball bat, or -- shown here -- inhale "bad smell air."

Illegal Immigration and International Adoption

A colleague sent me an interesting article on the paradox of the illegal immigration debate and the rising popularity of international adoption. Click here for the article in Spanish. The writer is editor of Nuestra Comunidad, a Spanish-language weekly published by the Courier-Post - a local newspaper in South Jersey.

A couple of quotes from the article.

What a paradox. While the children of undocumented immigrants are faced with a situation in which their only choice is expatriation, thousands of Americans try hard and spend millions of dollars to adopt children from Latin America and other underdeveloped nations.

Perhaps most importantly, these [adoptive] parents' humanitarian efforts give opportunities to poor children to be raised and educated in the United States and actively engage in this society. Yet, the children of undocumented immigrants born here also have that right. Why should we deny them this right with a treatment so close to cruelty?

BWCA -- Here we come!

I won't be blogging for a few days because I left yesterday for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) where I will be canoeing, portaging, camping, fishing, and sitting under (hopefully) a moonlit sky!

Second Best Job...

My colleague sent along this link from Money magazine (in conjunction with Salary.com) which ranks the best jobs in America. Yes, according to their magic with numbers, the BEST jobs in this country. We were both surprised (and not surprised) to see that College Professor is ranked #2! (...as an added bonus, Psychologist is ranked as the #10 best job!). For a list of the top 50, click here.

Why is a college professor ranked #2? Here is their explanation and then I will follow with my take on it all.

Their explanation

Why it's great While competition for tenure-track jobs will always be stiff, enrollment is rising in professional programs, community colleges and technical schools -- which means higher demand for faculty. It's easier to break in at this level, and often you can teach with a master's and professional experience. Demand is especially strong in fields that compete with the private sector (health science and business, for example). The category includes moonlighting adjuncts, graduate TAs and college administrators.

Education Master's or professional degree; Ph.D. for most tenured jobs.

My take

I had a colleague at another institution once say to me that being a college professor was the 2nd best job in the world. She quickly went on to say that, in her opinion, the best job in the world is a Supreme Court justice because they have no boss and they can never get fired. Plus, increasingly it seems their clerks do more and more of their research and writing. Ha!

As for me, I often have said that being a college professor is the best job, so I was secretly pleased to see others recognizing the merits. At the same time, it's sort of like letting out one of the best kept secrets. Alas, we can't have it both ways.

The ranking stated that job growth was good and, to them, creativity and flexibility were tops. In general, I have to agree. I love the fact that I can ponder a question and then spend time trying to find the answer to it. I can read to my hearts delight, write creatively as well as scientifically, spend time talking with others about big and small ideas, teach and learn from others, and (when time and money allow) travel all over the world. Plus, when I want, I can work from home, a coffeeshop, in my office, or sitting on a park bench.

However, what is not calculated into this "equation" of sorts is the years of education to pay ratio. Academics spend at least 5-7 years post-college to secure a Ph.D. in a given discipline. Upon completion, pay is, by and large, no better than it would have been if we entered the corporate world straight out of college. When I finished college in 1990, my friends entered the business world with starting salaries from the high 30s to high 40s. When I finished graduate school (and a year of post-doc), my first faculty position at a top research university in the country had a starting salary in the mid-high 30s. That was 6 years later during the high point of the tech boom when salaries all over were sky high. Alas... Still, I don't think salary is what makes a career choice (or it should not).

Also overlooked is the level of stress and pressure that a professor experiences, especially pre-tenure when you need to prove your salt as a scholar. The pressure to produce is very high and there is a lot of on-the-job learning. Additionally, being a professor is not simply a matter of teaching a few courses and writing a few articles. It requires that we serve on endless committees, engage in community service, and do a lot of work pro bono. Regarding the latter, we spend much of our time reviewing, critiquing, and providing feedback on other colleagues' work as part of our responsibility to the scientific/academic community. We also serve on committees at the local, national, and international levels. We handle our own budget accounts, manage employees, etc. Unlike in the corporate world where a job is very circumscribed and specialized, in academia, you are a specialist in your field and then a jack of all trades to make sure your office/dept is running. It's 2, 3, 4, 5 jobs in one when compared with corporate jobs.

Ok, that all said, I still agree that it's a wonderful job and I am fortunate to say that it is my job. I'm lucky that I fell into it (or made my way through the cornucopia of career options to find this one).

How They Picked the Top Jobs

To find the best jobs in America, MONEY Magazine and Salary.com, a leading provider of employee compensation data and software, began by assembling a list of positions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects will grow at an above-average rate over 10 years and that require at least a bachelor's degree.

We then ranked the jobs, giving double weight to compensation and percentage growth. Data for the top 50 appear here. Any job that fell in the bottom third of two job-satisfaction categories, or in the pay or growth category, was removed from consideration for the top 10.

Eat Duk and Other Important Food Stories

I had an action-packed weekend. On Friday, Holly took me out for a birthday dinner to the 112 Eatery in downtown Mpls. I had been wanting to eat there for a while and so opportunity finally presented itself. They call it the chef's chef's restaurant and now I understand why. It was an amazing meal and possibly the best restaurant meal of the year. I had very generous pours of Spanish wine (rioja, tempranillo, ramon bilbao, spain 2001), the sweet and sour crab salad, berkshire pork tenderloin w/a hash made with chanterelle mushrooms, a side of cream corn, and tres leches cake. Yum! The railroad car narrow space is intimate with great wood decor, tin roof, mirrors, and low lighting. Staff was very friendly and they just let you take your time with each course. A perfect birthday dinner.

On Saturday, we awoke to run errands in preparation for a birthday bash at Mike and Sarah's who were kind and generous enough to host. A stop at Costco's, the liquor store, the Korean grocery store (Kim's on Snelling), and the regular grocery store (Lunds). Holly made a tasty but hilarious cupcake cake with an uncanny caricature of me on the frosting. Later, we celebrated and sang till late in the night with my great friends.

On Sunday, it was the day of rest. I marched back over to Mike and Sarah's in order to pack in advance for our trip to the Boundary Waters on Thursday. Nate, Brad, and Peter also arrived and we laughed about the missing 7th man, whom I will call Camp Boy. After a short trip to REI with Nate and Brad, I stopped by the Wedge for some groceries to cook dinner.

I bought a whole chicken and just started to make broth with celery, carrots, radishes, lots of garlic, onions, ginger, and potatoes, plus a big dash of sea salt and black pepper. For some reason, I just started to make it without knowing what I was making for dinner. It just seemed that my soul was calling for broth. Maybe it was the rainy day. Maybe it was my Korean soul. Then, it called me -- Duk (or Ttok). I decided to make my own version of Duk Kuk (or Duk Guk or Ttok Kuk). There are other recipies out there (click here and here), but I will share mine.

- Boil a whole chicken (organic, if possible) in a pot of water.
- Chop and add 3-4 sticks of celery, 3-4 carrots, a whole onion, a whole garlic head, a half-inch of ginger, some radishes, and one potato.
- After chicken is nearly fully cooked, add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Season till you can just taste the flavors.
- Simmer for over 1-2 hours or until the chicken meat falls off the bone.
- Remove chicken and shred meat.
- If you want, you can strain the cooked vegetables from the broth or leave it in (I left them in).
- Put 1/2 to 2/3 of meat back into broth.
- Optional - drop a raw egg into the broth and stir it up quickly.
- Soak oval shaped rice cakes and then add to broth (don't put in too many cakes b/c they will expand).
- Cook for maybe 10 minutes till rice cakes (the "duk") is soft and chewable.
- Ladle soup into a big bowl
- Top with slices of seaweed, egg, extra chicken meat, green onions, a thin slice of red pepper, etc. to make sure 5 colors are represented (black, red, yellow, green, white).
- Eat with kimchee!

Duk kuk is usually eaten on New Year's Day to celebrate a good year and to wish for long life. I've usually had it on my birthday because it has the same symbolic function. This year, I had completely forgotten and it was (I think) my Korean soul calling for it. I must have unconsciously heard the call. Or maybe it was my mother sending me a birthday wish from Heaven. After all, she is the one who taught me how to make it. She also taught me the importance of making things your own. That is, being creative with ingredients and learning to make do with what you have in life. So here is to another year!

Hit and Run

Last night, per every Wednesday, I spent the evening with group of my guy friends but this time it was to celebrate my birthday. Because the weather was so beautiful (after the grey storm clouds passed through), we elected to ride our bicycles in the city. I was excited because I had my new/old bike and we planned to ride to Cedar Lake for a midnight swim. After making a few stops around town and singing some karaoke at the U Otter, we rode out to Cedar Lake and swam under a full moon. It was a perfect end to the evening. Afterwards, some of us grabbed a late night bite to eat and others headed straight home.

Awakening this morning, I checked my email and learned that one of my friends on the ride, Christopher (aka CC), was struck by a car as he was riding back home. It was a hit and run, in which the car turned right and struck CC who was riding on the right shoulder of the street, knocking him hard to the ground. Like an idiot, the driver didn't stop and just drove off. Fortunately, CC was okay, albeit seriously banged up. The ambulance came, the medic checked him out, and he was able to go home to sleep/rest/recover. CC also was very lucky because he was not wearing a bicycle helmet.

It is yet another reminder for us all to wear helmets and use lights/reflective gear when riding our bicycles. I know helmets mess up hair and make us hot/sweaty but they do save lives. I think my generation is more averse than younger generations to wearing helmets because it was just not done when we were kids. No one wore helmets growing up. These days, most children do wear helmets and just grow accustomed to it. Much like wearing seat belts when in a car.

I'm thankful CC is okay and thankful to have a great group of friends to celebrate my birthday. But please everyone, wear your helmets!

Birthday and Bicycle

Today, like one year ago (gasp! shock!), is my birthday. According to the NYTimes On This Day, I was born on the exact day that...

Actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered in Los Angeles; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

Hm...not a very happy thought. Let's see, it's also the anniversary of the publication of Walden by Henry David Thoreau, the nuclear bomb being dropped on Nagasaki, Richard Nixon's resignation, and famed developmental psychologist Jean Piaget's birth. So, it's a mixed bag of anniversaries.

On to some more pleasant news!

After my recent trip to Holland, I was even more inspired to buy an upright touring bicycle. My other two bicyles (Bridgestone MB-3 and XO-3) are great retrogrouch bikes but they require me to lean far over the handlebars. Frustratingly, I bruised my ribs about 4 months or so ago and it still hurts to lean over for a prolonged period (note - I'm definitely getting old because I am not healing fast anymore). So the Bridgestones have been quietly sitting in my garage and I had been searching for used bikes on Craigslist.

I came across a Schwinn bicycle for sale on Sunday and Holly and I went out to Plymouth to check it out. The guy who was selling it has a slew of bikes in his garage. He finds/buys old bikes, fixes them up, and sells them. Holly bought the bike as a birthday gift for the reasonable price of $60. Very sweet of her. Best gift for sure.

Here is a photo of my new/old 1966 (made in April based on the serial number) Schwinn Collegiate Tourist bicycle! The Schwinn is sweet. It's a 5-speed and rides smoothly, 40 years later. It has Weinmann cantilever brakes, a Mesinger seat, and a Sprint shifter and derailer. Plus, it's a great sky blue color with white trim. The white handlebar bag is a NOS (new old stock) from the 1970s. It's cute but not super functional because you can't put anything too heavy in it. It seems the bike is from the St Cloud area based on the bike registration decals that date back to 1967 when the bicycle was probably first purchased. I love this sort of history.

Funny enough, I searched online for info on the bicycle and found the original 1966 Schwinn bicycle catalog with photos and pricelist. In 1966, this bicycle cost $59.95! If you want to read the specs (why? who knows!), click here to view the image. Amazingly, it has retained it's exact sticker price.

Can't wait to get off work to ride around the lakes and about the city tonight for a late evening birthday ride.

Blog Anniversary

It was one year ago today that I began FamiLee Life as a blog experiment. Here are my first two posts (here and here). Since its humble beginnings as a means to distract myself from studying for the EPPP psychology licensure exam and as a means to get all the random thoughts out of my head, it's gradually evolved as another way for me to communicate about academic life, psychology research, race and culture in American society, and the art world. Plus, I often just ramble about absolutely nothing. Well, I hope some of you have enjoyed it. Happy Blog Day!

Usually This Time of Year...

I am heading off to back-to-back psychology conferences. Specifically, I usually attend the very cozy, intimate Asian American Psychological Association Convention and the much larger, diverse American Psychological Association Convention when August rolls around. Until this year, I had attended every AAPA and APA convention since the summer after my first year of graduate school (the summer of 1992). Fourteen straight years of conventioneering. But I decided to take this year off because I just returned from a three-week conference/vacation trip to Europe and wanted to give myself a needed rest. Conferences are enriching, enlivening, and oftentimes fun, but they also can be completely exhausting.

I started graduate school in 1991, after working for one year post-college. I enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University to pursue my Ph.D. in Psychology and completed my degree five years later. But it was not such a neatly composed experience as that. In those five years, I grew up exponentially as a man. I also learned so much that it has taken about 10 years since graduation to digest it all (and everything else that I have since ingested).

And truth be told, the first year of graduate school was rough. I was in a new environment, a new culture, a new level of academic rigor. In effect, I had a new identity in a new land. It was an acute level of acculturative stress. I applied to graduate school really wanting to conduct Asian American mental health research, but somehow I managed to pick a university/city in which there were few Asian Americans and a graduate program in which no one was conducting ethnic minority research. As I figured my way through the first year of graduate school, I felt lonely.

By chance, I happened upon a small notice in the APA Monitor which announced an upcoming conference for the Asian American Psychological Association in Washington, DC. I was intrigued, excited, and surprised. Why had I not heard of this organization!? It was being held the day before the much larger and much more publicized APA convention in the same location, so it was an easy trip for me to make.

Booking myself into the local youth hostel, I hustled over to the convention hotel where AAPA was held. I was very nervous. As I entered the room, I was shell shocked. Honestly, as a New Englander who grew up in predominantly White communities, I had never been around so many Asian Americans except at church! Plus, most of these people were not Korean. They were mostly Chinese and Japanese Americans. I was excited and became more excited as I sat through talk after talk. It was the comfort food that I had been craving all through my first year of graduate school. I was so hungry for this knowledge that I didn't realize how hungry until I listened to presenter after presenter. Slowly, my anxieties about graduate school subsided as I finally found what I was looking for.

At AAPA, I had the fortune to meet a number of other Asian American graduate students, mostly from the West Coast, mostly working with the man, the legend, Dr. Stanley Sue (then at UCLA, now at UC-Davis), who was one of the few tenured Asian American professors of psychology at a major research university. It was this initial core group of Asian American graduate students (which gradually expanded each year) that has come to serve as a bedrock of my academic support. Many of us have gone on to academic positions at top research universities and we have been each other's support and inspiration. We have been peer mentors and have become good friends.

In subsequent years, I have come to find myself recharging each summer by attending this convention and meeting up with old and new friends. So, it is a bit odd to be staying home this year. It's like missing an anniversary. Fortunately, I know I will be returning next year.

Check Out DJ Apah Tonight!

Remember how hot and humid it was just a week ago? You didn't want to go outside except to make your way into some air conditioned room. Well, the weather has been much better the last few days and today is turning out gorgeous. Why not enjoy the evening with some music and movie at Loring Park. My good friend Hapa9 (aka DJ Apah) is spinning tunes as part of the Walker Art Center's Summer Music and Movies (30th Anniversary). Pack a light dinner, bring some cool summer drinks, and unfurl your blanket under the city sky. Music starts at 6:30 pm. [note - it's 6:30, not 7:00 as originally posted]

Music: STNNNG
Remember when punk was scarydirtyrude and relevant to boot? Don’t lose hope, hometown heroes STNNNG certainly haven’t, and they’re here to make you care about the past and future of the form once again. Building on the legacy of broken wailers like the VSS and Nation of Ulysses, this hard-charging fivesome plays lightning quick songs riddled with tight guitars and even sharper lyrics that accuse but never abuse, and definitely, always, have an opinion.

Movie: Bringing Up Baby
Directed by Howard Hawks
Hawks ramps up the zany antics in one of the most endearing comedies of all time. Uptight paleontologist Dr. David Huxley (Cary Grant) is bewitched by the accident-prone, eccentric Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn). After his precious dinosaur bone goes missing at her country house, it’s George the dog and Baby the pet leopard who top the list of suspects. And then things get a little crazy. 1938, U.S., BW, 16mm, 102 minutes.

Ethnic and National Identities: The Case of Korea

Here is a newspaper article published in the Korea Herald, as sent to me via SKAS. It's a great must-read. I really don't have much to add to it. Enjoy.

KOREA'S NEW MULTICULTURALISM
By Shin Gi-wook
The Korea Herald
August 2, 2006

Koreans have developed a sense of nation based on shared
blood and ancestry. The Korean nation was "racialized"
through a belief in a common prehistoric origin, producing
an intense sense of collective oneness. Ethnicity is
generally regarded as a cultural phenomenon based on a
common language and history, and race understood as a
collectivity defined by innate and immutable phenotypic
and genotypic characteristics.

[[This article is the fifth of a 10-part series dealing with multiculturalism in Korea.]

Ramblings on The Hague :: Where Adoption and Beach Intersect

Here is the latest news from the U.S. State Dept on efforts to ratify the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions. Click here to read the news briefing. Also, here is a link to Bastard Nation's response to the latest U.S. efforts with the Hague Convetion. It really is quite thought provoking stuff and worth a read. Hopefully, the U.S. will move quickly but effectively in its implementation. Oversight and standardization of the adoption process is crucial.

For those curious, Bastard Nation - beyond its provocative name - has a worthwhile mission. From their website...

Bastard Nation advocates for the civil and human rights of adult citizens who were adopted as children. Millions of North Americans are prohibited by law from accessing personal records that pertain to their historical, genetic and legal identities. Such records are held by their governments in secret and without accountability, due solely to the fact that they were adopted.

Bastard Nation campaigns for the restoration of their right to access their records. The right to know one's identity is primarily a political issue directly affected by the practice of sealed records adoptions. Please join us in our efforts to end a hidden legacy of shame, fear and venality.

In effect, BN serves as an advocacy group run by adoptees and for adoptees. It is a needed voice within the adoption dialogue. Too often, we allow one dominant group to define a population or determine the fate of a population. BN ensures that more voices (i.e., the voice of adoptees) to be heard.

While on my trip to Holland, I had a chance to meet with Korean adoptees who are actively involved in the adoption community. Our Korean-Dutch friend Hilbrand - a Korean adoptee whom I met a few years earlier in Copenhagen during an international conference on Korean adoption - took us to Den Haag (The Hague) for a day at the beach. If you are like me, you might be scratching your head thinking "beach" in Holland? I know. But it's true. Nestled by the North Sea, Scheveningen is a seaside neighborhood/resort.

It was consistently hot, hot, hot while traveling in Europe and Holland was no exception. By our fifth day in Holland, it was finally starting to 'cool down' to a humid 90+ degrees or so. The beach was a calling and we abided. To my surprise, the Scheveningen beach was a perfect respite from the heat. The beach was sandy, the water was warm, and the beer was nice and cold. We were joined by his friend, Angie, and had a great time. Most folks travel to Amsterdam, but I encourage folks to really take the train to The Hague for a day at the beach.

Later in the evening, we met up with some other Korean adoptees who live in Holland for a Korean dinner (my comfort food). Of course, as often is the case, we all had mutual friends from around the world. The Korean community is so small and the Korean adoptee community is even smaller! It was the perfect meal and a great evening of enlightening and often funny conversation.

Having previously consulted with adoption scholars in Holland, I was able to learn one side of the adoption experience (from academics and adoptive parents). At dinner in The Hague, I was able to learn the other side of the adoption experience (from adoptees themselves). Much was similar but there were some notable differences in opinion too.

To me, as an outsider studying adoption (i.e., neither an adoptee nor an adoptive parent), I am always struck by the lack of dialogue between adoptive parents and adoptees. I also have found it typically to be the case that many adoption researchers rely upon adoptive parents as sources of information without due consultation with adoptees, particularly adult adoptees who can offer guidance, criticism, and suggestions. What I hear from many adoptees is that they feel their viewpoints are minimized and invalidated, often portrayed as extreme and not realistic, by adoption scholars/adoptive parents.

As I listened to the Korean adoptees talk of their ignored experiences in Holland, I mentioned that their experience reminds me of early U.S. civil rights efforts in which Black whose protests against inequity and racism were dismissed as radical and extremist. The 1950s and 1960s dominant discourse on race prevented dissent from emerging as a legitimate voice. Of course, nowadays, we largely look back at those radicals needed heroes in our efforts to establish racial justice.

Perhaps in due time, Bastard Nation and other adoptee rights organizations will emerge in a similar light. In the short term, I hope the U.S. finally ratifies and institutes the Hague Convention and pushes forward more legislation that protects the rights of all members of the adoption triad.

The Korean Dream

A few years ago, Bao Phi coined the term Korean Dream to describe Ed Bok Lee and it seems Ed is trying his hardest to live up to this moniker. Here is the latest cover spread of Ed, promoting his book Real Karaoke People in Seoul, South Korea, from the magazine SEOUL.

Okay, enough about KD. I've promoted the man's book enough.

MTV turns 25 today

I was 11 years old and just over a week away from hitting 12 when MTV first aired on cable television with the Bungles "Video Killed the Radio Star" video. As I recall, I was lying on my tummy on the shag carpeted family room floor of my next door neighbor Pete's house when MTV came on screen with the astronaut planting the MTV flag into the moon. Back then, disco was dead and it seemed John Denver and Ann Murray were battling it out with arena rock like Foghat and Bad Company on the radio airwaves. The only bands willing to make music videos seemed to be obscure European bands and college circuit bands looking for fame. The music was modern rock. The hair was pure 80s. In it all, I found music which saved my soul. Even though all the bands were White, somehow, the music gave my Korean soul a chance to express itself.

Check out more Minnesota memories of MTV at the St Paul Pioneer Press.

Race in the Media and in Europe

Here is an interesting story in the NYTimes about the use of certain Black images in the media. This story follows on the heels of the controversial new Sony Playstation ads which depict Blacks in a submissive role with a dominant White (click here for story). These Sony ads are appearing (I believe) only in Europe where there seems to be little uproar.

While in Europe, I was struck by the general lack of racial awareness and understanding by people with whom we encountered. A sense of national identity is quite strong in these countries and it often times seems to be used as a means to avoid discussing racial politics. That is, folks will say "we are just Dutch or English." Or "race is not as important as being French." Even some racial minorities made these comments. Clearly, assimilation reigns supreme in parts of Europe.

However, I wonder how well White Europeans would feel if Blacks, Indians, Indonesians, Koreans, etc began to speak out against race. My initial impression (based on actual conversations) is that people tend to minimize racism and counter that things are much worse in the U.S. However, I find this sort of language troublesome because it invalidates true experiences.

For example, we encountered racialized moments in each country. In some places, they automatically assumed we were Japanese (or Chinese) tourists, even if we were speaking in fluent English. Other times, we were referred to as Oriental Americans (which is a first for me!). In Amsterdam, some white Dutch teenagers were panhandling tourists. When my Korean Dutch friend said No to them, they called him a Chinaman in Dutch.

In the U.S., there is definitely more discussions about race. And even though race relations may be problematic in this country, I am greatly appreciative of the fact that race can be discussed and debated. To me, it is the willingness to see and discuss these issues that reflect true freedom. We may not always get things right in this country but true dialogue is appreciated and valued. In other words, my (your) experiences are validated.