FamiLee Life

DNA Testing and Immigration

I wonder whether I would be here today if my father had to take a DNA test to get his visa back in 1964. In the Washington Post, there is an interesting article about the rising number of cases in which immigrants seeking to sponsor their families are being asked to undergo DNA testing to prove familial relations. On the surface, this seems a reasonable advance in immigration procedures given the increased accuracy of DNA testing. However, it is equally troubling on a number of fronts.

First, it reminds me of the difficulties that were imposed on Chinese immigrants during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 when the U.S. government intentionally and forcibly sought to exclude Chinese from coming to America, even those with family here. A visit to Angel Island is a history lesson that is often not told.

Second, DNA testing takes a very narrow, very biological view of family. What about families formed through adoption or through second marriages? What about extended kinship families that may even include non-relatives who are raised as part of a larger family system (e.g., Hawaiian Hanai)?

Third, immigration is costly yet the return to American society is immeasurable. The cost of DNA testing makes it financially impossible for some families to be reunited. At $800 a pop, many people will not be able to afford to get the testing done, except those who are privileged and affluent.

Bicycling in Minnesota :: Cool Facts

In my search for an upcoming talk on Art and War, I came across this find on the Humphrey Institute website. It is a report on the state of bicycling in Minnesota with all sorts of lovely descriptive statistics. Check it out by clicking here. It is part of a larger project on Bicycling Costs and Benefits.

Some interesting conclusions...

About 1.1% of trips to work were made by bike.
About 61% of the bike riders are male, 39% female.
About 10% of households that don’t own a motorized vehicle make bike trips in a given day, compared to 4% of vehicle-owning households.
Among adults, college-educated people are about twice as likely to ride a bike on a given day as those with high-school educations

Strange Searches

Every once in a while, I will look to see how people have found my blog. It's usually quite mundane and predictable in terms of how folks come upon my blog. They either know me or know someone who knows me. It's that simple.

Then, there are the random keyword searches that lead folks to my blog. These can be informational, funny, racist, or depressing and scary! Here are some from recent days....

i got turned on by old men 50 plus when i was at school
Two-Spirited Aleutian Eskimos
life in North Korea today wikipedia
psychologist viewpoints on charles manson
nc asian massage parlors
bridgestone rb 2 1991
korean male public affection
chinese thoughts masturbation
asian female tourguide
men masturbating men pics

Learning to Use My Hands

For the past year or more, I have had some chronic overuse problems with my hands and arms. Mostly my right hand and arm. It progressively got worse to the point where (a) I bought a tennis elbow brace after doing my own internet sleuthing and determining that I might have tennis elbow (b) I went to the doctor who agreed that I had tennis elbow from overuse of the computer (c) I went to the chiropractor who gave me some good finger/wrist stretching exercises (d) I received an ergonomic consultation from the university ergo center (e) purchased some new equipment based on the consultation.

Most of the equipment arrived last week (sans the new chair). I have a new RollerMouse Pro and a Goldtouch keyboard. The new mouse is pretty cool and I think it is helping. The keyboard is also cool and helps to keep a better hand position by bending in half. That is, the keyboard can bend to various angle degrees. This is meant to reduce wrist stress.

What it all means in real time is that I have to relearn to use my hands when typing and mousing. Unfortunately, I never took a typing class in high school. For some reason, typing was only offered to non-honors students. If you were an honors student, you had to take substantive courses. But if you were an average joe or jane, you took typing. Go figure. Anyway, by college, I started to use a computer but my computer usage really amped when I got to grad school. Using what money that I had, I bought an Apple IIsi. I forced myself to not look at the keys, somehow memorizing all the letters on the keyboard. Problematically, I never learned correctly. That is, I can type fast and without error but it's a bit unorthodox. One undergrad student once observed me typing and commented that I was the fasted four finger typer (just my index and middle fingers). Thumb is just to hit the space bar.

Fast forward to today. I am having to learn to not use my right hand to type the letters "G" "T" and "B" (which are located on the left split of the keyboard). I also have to extend my left hand fingers to reach these said keys. It's a challenge but I am slowly learning.

I imagine what life must be like for a person who has completely lost the use of a dominant hand. I wonder if my father would have struggled more, if he had lost the use of his right arm which is his dominant hand. Or maybe, seeing that I have never asked him, he was at one time left-handed. Hence his natural creativity. Hm....

Bridgestone Porn

Just over a month ago, I bought myself a new/old 1991 Bridgestone RB-1 (see past post). The photo from that posting was not mine, rather it was from the ebay seller at the time of the auction. The bike came in great shape, although a few of the components needed to be replaced.

In two Hiawatha Cyclery installments, I first had the 7-speed Shimano hyperglide cassette replaced (due to a missing/broken part) and also got Hutchinson tires, a Brooks B-17 saddle (including a saddle cover) and MKS touring pedals. Next, I replaced the stem and handlebars (which were installed for the previous owner's wife) with a 44 cm Nitto Noodle bar and 9 cm Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem. I also got a bike pump and cool red cork taping to match the red trim. On a separate trip to REI, I purchased the Novara water bottle cage, along with a Bell Furio helmet that was on sale. At the university's pharmacy, I purchased Planet Bike LED front and rear lights for only $13! Last, on Velo Orange, I purchased the Japanese brass bell and MKS half toe clips.

Here is the finished product! I am not a great photographer, but I think these photos do justice to the bike.

Since all the pieces have been put in place, I have been riding to work once or twice a week (20 mile roundtrip commute), meeting the guys on Wednesday nights, and just cruising around the lake and town. What I have loved the most is the fresh air and the new perspective on the Twin Cities. Riding along the greenway and the miles and miles of bike paths, I am more attuned to what is around me. I must say it's been a blast and definitely a bonus workout. Since I have stopped running/jogging, I am glad to have a new way to exercise. Plus, so much less stress on my knees and feet! So inspired that I bought a Cycle-Ops bike trainer at REI to make sure that I keep riding my bike all winter long, even if indoors.

10,000 Memories and Hopes in North Korea

In 2001, I visited the Yanbian region of northeastern China as part of a research trip to study the lives of Chosun-jok , ethnic Koreans, living in this previously autonomous region bordering North Korea. I was there to conduct research at Yanbian University of Science and Technology with a collaborator from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. It was a fascinating trip, educationally and personally. I learned a tremendous amount about the history of this region, the lives of Chosun-jok and the state of affairs in neighboring North Korea.

Perhaps the most personal part of the visit was my visit to the Chinese-North Korean border along the Tumen River. According to Wikipedia, the word tumen means 10,000 (in Mongolian). To me, it represented 10,000 memories and hopes. Along with a tour guide and driver, we bribed our way into an area heavily guarded by Chinese soldiers but also populated with Chinese, Chosun-jok, and North Koreans buying and selling wares and food. The bridge spanning the river was lonely and stark and yet it was full of hope for tens of thousands of people who walk across each day, week, month, year.

There was a line painted on the side of the bridge to demarcate what part of the river was China and North Korea. As I wandered along the coast, I saw North Korean guards (just a few) patrolling the other side. I wondered at times what they were thinking, seeing, wishing. Were they relatives of mine? Were their families starving? Were they true believers of the Great Leader or simply trying to survive day by day. I noticed the water was quite shallow and receding, so I walked closely along the water. At one point, I even noticed that I had actually crossed into North Korean water, according to the line painted on the bridge.

Here I was, symbolically and literally, in North Korea. A dream of my fathers for the past 55 years since he left in 1951 during the Korean War. It was an odd feeling to be there. To see the poverty, the pollution, the isolation, the abandoned buildings, the absence of life. Was this the Korea of my father's memories and dreams? Was this the place from which I was from? Are my forefathers and mothers calling me from their graves in the town of Sariwon?

In today's New York Times, there is a lead article on North Korean refugees who are fleeing across this river. I also heard an interview on NPR the other day about LINK which is an organization advocating on behalf of the human rights of the people of North Korea.

In the midst of the fears of a rising nuclear crisis in North Korea, it's these people who are lost in the discussion. It is their lives that are hurting the most.

A Psychologist's Blog

If I were to write a psychology blog, I suppose it would be something akin to this one "We're Only Human" which is sponsored by the Association for Psychological Science (APS). I have skimmed its contents and it's pretty entertaining and informative.

Fortunately or unfortunately for everyone who read this blog, I don't. There is something refreshing about writing about much more random and sometimes personal things. I would hate to the kind of academic who only lives and breathes his/her work.

My advisor in graduate school (Steve Robbins) gave me very good advice on this matter. He said (in more crass language) that it's important to have a life. To socialize, to date, to have hobbies, etc. With such advice, I worked for a summer in between grad school at a coffee shop where I hung out with musicians and artists, learned to make various mocha and cappucino drinks, and pretended I was a normal guy.

Call Me"Excalibur" and Other Sleeping Stories

Apparently, according to The Secret Language of Sleep test, I am an Excalibur. Now, I have no idea how this conclusion was drawn from the zany questions asked (and my equally zany responses), but the survey says Excalibur and the description is sorta fitting, so I have to believe in it (aka The Barnum Effect).

Excalibur Traits and Tendencies. Excalibur couples may battle just as much as other couples (and participate in more than their fair share of public huffs), but they look so good together, it outweighs any other deficiencies they may share. It isn't that they're classically good-looking, or similarly sized (though certainly both those pairings are permissible). It's more that the aesthetic chord they strike satisfies in profound ways. Like gorgeously plated food or song filled with unusual harmonies, the wan and freckled hand-in-hand with the tragically tan, the pigeon-toed with the duck-walkers, these Excalibur couples achieve such perfection in their pairing that reminds the world that anything is possible.

Comfort Zone . Excalibur is in the Wind pose family. Other Wind poses you might enjoy include Softserve Swirl and The Ventriloquist.

Health Note . An unexpected rash or orthopedic adjustment can sometimes lead an Excalibur couple to fall out of balance. Physical adjustments may need to be made, or an entirely new pose could even be in order.

I came across this site while reading the Strib's article "Two On A Mattress" which describes the latest research by UMN faculty member in Family Social Science, Paul Rosenblatt. Now this is creative research!

Apparently though, other people have studied this issue too. A BBC Report described a study that linked sleep positions with personality. According to this research, I am a mix of a soldier and a starfish which means that I am prone to snoring and a bad night's sleep. I have to disagree with this last claim though because I only tend to sleep after imbibing a bit too much.

Soldier (8%): Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.

Starfish (5%): Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

Reflecting a bit more on my post-college/pre-grad school time as a sleep research technician, during this period, I wrote two entries for the Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming on sleep positions and daylight savings time. All I can remember from this writing was that people tend to move or turn about 8 times per night, even those who claim to never move once asleep, and that DST was enacted in the U.S. during WW-I as a means to conserve energy.

When not depressed or overly stressed, I am an easygoing sleeper. I don't have much difficulty falling asleep. I also like to rise early but not too early. My preference is to rise with the sun, so I leave my shades slightly up to get a glimpse of the morning sun. I have found that it's best to not drink too much fluid 2 hours before sleeping, lest you want to awaken in the night to use the bathroom. Instead, I just rest my head on the pillow with enough support under the neck, place my hands on my chest (not an option acc to these aforementioned studies!) and relax my body. It's a meditation technique that I learned in college and it works well. From there, I snooze. No snoring, though I do grind my teeth. Fortunately, I now wear a mouth guard which (though unattractive) seems to alleviate headaches, sore jaw, and the sanity of whomever is sleeping beside or near me.

Well, okay, that is probably a bit too much information for most people. Feel free to share your sleeping stories.

Discovering What I Did Before Psychology

After I completed my undergraduate education, I was literally scrambling to find work. I had only months before actually crafted a resume and only received one job interview (which I did not get). Pathetic, I know. Then again, I could not blame anyone but myself given my lack of direction at the time. Fortunately, I had been working at a group home for austic boys while in college and I was able to keep this job for the summer after graduation.

During the summer, I began a frantic soul search and realized that what I wanted to become was a psychologist. So, I consulted with a professor or two and recognized the need to gain research experience before applying to grad schools. Luckily, I lived in Boston and there were lots of hospitals around town to seek employment. I landed an entry level research tech job that actually paid a decent wage, allowed me to stay in Boston, and opened many doors to come (though I had no idea at the time). It was as a sleep research technician at Brigham and Womans Hospital and I worked directly for a professor of endocrinology at Harvard Med School. My job was to help recruit subjects, screen them for eligibility, and run them through our double-blind study on cholesterol lowering medication and its effect on sleep and daytime performance.

Fast forward to today....

I am scanning the ISI Web of Knowledge which is an academic search engine of sorts. I decide to see what kind of research has been done using psychological instruments that I have developed over the years. Lo and behold...I come across a reference with my name attached to it.

Roth, T., Richardson, GR, Sullivan, JP, Lee, RM, Merlotti, L, & Roehrs, T. (1992). Comparative effects of Pravastatin and Lovastatin on nighttime sleep and daytime performance. Clinical Cardiology, 15 (6), 426-432.

Abstract: Pravastatin and lovastatin, two HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors with similar cholesterol-lowering effects, differ in their lipid solubility. The hydrophilic characteristics of pravastatin may explain why the drug has not been detected in cerebrospinal fluid. On the other hand, lovastatin, a lipophilic compound, has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. Previous reports have suggested that lovastatin administration may be associated with insomnia, which reflects an action in the central nervous system. The effects of the two drugs on nocturnal sleep and daytime performance in young, healthy men have been assessed in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Computer-based performance tests were administered on two consecutive days before drug administration and at the end of a 3-week active drug or placebo treatment period. Results from both sites were combined for analysis. Neither pravastatin nor lovastatin significantly affected nocturnal sleep or daytime sleepiness in this study population, but lovastatin significantly affected daytime performance. In subjects treated with lovastatin, the results showed that two measures of performance, divided attention (p<0.05) and vigilance (p<0.01), worsened significantly from baseline as did global performance (p<0.01). Performance was not affected in the pravastatin and placebo groups. These results provide preliminary evidence of an adverse effect of lovastatin on daytime performance.

Finding this publication brought back lots of fond memories, carrying a beeper, watching people sleep, learning to use a computer, figuring out the ins and outs of research. It was an important turning point in my life. So, it's nice to see that I now also have a historical account of this time with this publication. Pretty cool.

Why Politicians Need To Stay Out of Research

I take the following political tactics to (bitter) heart because one of the federally funded research projected targeted by Republican candidates is directed by someone that I know and is a person whom I believe is doing noble, social justice oriented research. Under attack are some NIH funded research on the prevention of sexual disease and the sexuality and well-being of understudied and at-risk populations in the U.S.

In this Chronicles article, the following claims are made by Republican candidates.

The attacks, in advertisements that their Republican challengers have sought to air on television stations in North Carolina and Wisconsin, accuse the incumbents of voting to spend money to study "the masturbation habits of old men" and "to pay teenage girls to watch pornographic movies with probes connected to their genitalia" instead of authorizing appropriations for body armor needed by American troops at war.

However, Factcheck.org makes the following assessment of the reality of the research (click here for full analysis).

"Vietnamese Prostitutes": This study was an effort to find a way to prevent the spread of AIDS. It was proposed in 2001 by the University of California San Francisco, to “describe drug use and HIV-related behaviors among Asian female commercial sex workers at massage parlors” in the area. The study was awarded $1,726,536 from Fiscal 2002-2004 according to NIH documents.

“Two-Spirited Aleutian Eskimos”: This grant didn't just deal with "Eskimos," it attempted to gain a national picture of homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender and "two-spirited" individuals in the American Indian and Alaskan Native populations. The term "two-spirit" refers simply to Native Americans involved in same-sex relationships, according to a definition posted on the North East Two Spirit Society’s website . The proposal envisioned 400 interviews about sexual risk and drug and alcohol use. Between fiscal years 2002 and 2006 the project received $2,368,017. According to the proposal submitted to the NIH the grant ends May 31, 2007.

Thank goodness for Factcheck but ARGH!!!!!!! nonetheless.

An Evening of Sushi and Tengo

On Saturday night, Ken and I checked out the new sushi joint - Bagu Sushi - on 47th and Chicago (near Pepitos) in South Mpls. I heard about the place from Sarah and Mike, so I thought I'd check it out. Plus, it's close to my home. Double nice. The space is very hip and modern. Our waitress was Sarah whom I know from other restaurant gigs and as an acquaintance of my former grad student. Small world. The sushi was good. Some dishes were creative, others were standard but tasty. They have a sprinkle of Thai, Chinese, and Korean dishes thrown in the mix. We also spoke with the owner who seemed like a nice guy. We both suspected there must be some deep pocketed private backers. I'd check it out.

Later, Ken and I went to see Yo La Tengo with friends Sarah and Mike. We scored free comps from Ken's sister who works for the record label. Nice. YTL were playing at 1st Ave and we arrived during the middle of the set by the opening band - Why? As we worked our way through the crowd to Sarah's (and my) favored side of the stage, I bumped into a friend, Anne P, who was there with her friend.

What can I say about the show but excellent. YLT did not disappoint. They rocked for 2 hours including 2 encores. Not many bands play multiple encores, so it was very appreciated. Here are some pics from Anne's camera. Enjoy.

Basking in Reflected Glory

My neice (Morgan) is a 14 year old freshman at the same Catholic parochial high school from which I was asked politely to not return. Despite my bad luck at the school, my oldest brother seems to have more favorable memories and experiences. So, he decided to send the first of his three kids there. Fortunately, Morgan is a much better adjusted kid than me. It also does not hurt that she is a swimming phenom. Of course, my brother likes to remind me of her athletic ability - which is cool b/c it gives me a chance to remind him of the lack of such abilities in him (hehe). Okay, I am very proud of her too. Check out this article from the Hartford Courant about how she won her breaststroke race helping give her school their first victory over an archrival in 5 years. Go Morgan!

Growing Up Bionic

Check out this NYTimes graphic story on the development of a bionic foot. I find this sort of technological advancement fascinating because, well, I grew up in a bionic family. You might laugh when you read this statement but it's true. Okay, here is the complete story.

Around the time of the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea and prior to the outbreak of the Korean War, my father at age 13 years or so was in a train accident that led to the loss of his left forearm and hand. The incident that led up to this tragic event is an amazing moral story but it's not relevant to this story. Anyway, his left arm was amputed just below the elbow. Despite this handicap, my father made it through the Korean War, attended art college, got married and had a child, immigrated to America, and made a success of his life. It's truly a story of resilience.

A few years after immigration, my middle brother and I were born two years apart. For us, dad having one arm was just a fact of life. We never saw it as a disability and he never treated it as a disability. By all appearances, it never slowed him down. He cut the lawn, renovated the house, rode a bicycle, drove a car, went ocean fishing, and all the rest. Of course, that said, he did have some accomodations that made life easier, including some nifty gadgets oftentimes invented by him.

The thing that stood out the most, not surprisingly, was the prosthetic arm that my dad used. For most of his life (and still today), he just had a fake arm made of plastic and rubber that simulated the look of a real arm. It didn't bend or anything fancy. Nothing bionic at all. In fact, my father owned a few of these "arms" and I once played a joke on my brother using a spare arm. My brother was sleeping on the couch and I snuck up on him with the arm. I gently started to stroke his face with the prosthetic arm until he awoke. Let's just say he freaked out for a moment before he chased me into hiding in my bedroom. Ah, childhood.

Well, at some point during my adolescent years, my father found himself unemployed and we were living pretty tight. How tight? Ever see your breath form vapor clouds in really cold weather? Well, we used to go to bed seeing our breath because the heat was turned down so low. But I digress. During this economic downturn in my family, some government office related to disability services (SSI?) offered my father a new bionic prosthetic arm that could pick up on neural charges in the elbow to bend the fake fingers to make a grip. Well, not being one to turn down something expensive and free, my dad got one of these bionic arms.

I must say, it was pretty basic (by today's standards) but cool too. In the end though, he never used it much because he had gotten accustomed to just using one arm. Plus, the bionic arm was really heavy and it put an unnecessary strain on his back and shoulders. So after a couple of years of on and off again usage, he went back to the fake prosthetic arm.

Still, it was amazing to see a real life bionic arm after all those years watching the Six Million Dollar Man. After all, how many kids can say they had a bionic dad, even if only for a few years.

So, seeing this new graphic story about a new bionic foot is exciting and inspiring. I know my father won't be getting a new bionic arm at this stage in his life, but some other deserving man or woman will - likely returning Iraqi War veterans. Their children will surely have wonderful, reminiscent filled memories as I did growing up bionic.

Giant Robot at the Walker

From movie stars, musicians, and skateboarders to toys, technology, and history, Giant
Robot magazine covers cool aspects of Asian and Asian American pop culture. In 1994, Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong launched the publication with no budget, no bureaucratic meetings, and no excuses to anyone. Demonstrating know-how and attitude from the coeditors’ punk-rock zine background, the first Giant Robot was a stapled and photocopied digest in an edition of 240. Since then, it has grown more than 100 times larger, gaining accolades as one of the best zines from the L.A. Weekly, L.A. New Times, Wired, and Zine Guide as it tackles magazine racks around the world.

It must be karma because I just got my new Giant Robot t-shirt yesterday in the mail for renewing my subscription. Then, today, I was reminded about GR coming to the Walker. If you have time on Thursday evening at 7 pm, check out a talk by Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong, editors of Giant Robot, at the Walker Art Center. It's free! Followed by music by the Birthday Suits and MUte ErA.

Karaoke World Championships :: Where Was I?!

Argh, I learned about the KWC only today. It was held on a cruise ship traveling around Finland and Estonia on Sept 8-10. Learn more about it at this blog site. The winners (female/male) were Tham Hui Chyi (Malaysia) and Mark Wilson (Australia). Click on their names to hear their winning performances. The KWC will be held in Bangkok, Thailand next year, so people get ready!

Wing Young Huie Exhibit

Here is an upcoming gallery opening for everyone to check out. Wing is a good friend and an amazing photographer. Heck, he has a photograph on permanent exhibit at the Walker! Plus, Wing is a generous supporter of other young and emerging artists and a founding bedrock of the Asian American arts community in the Twin Cities. Okay, one more cool reason to check out Wing's show -- he may challenge you to a three-point shooting contest if you dare.