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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2016)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016 Discover missing pages in your family’s story HVXPSWLRQ WKLV ZHHN RQ 3%6 RI ³)LQGLQJ<RXU 5RRWV´ ZLWK +HQU\ Louis Gates Jr. will inspire more Americans to become involved in per- VRQDOJHQHWLFVD¿HOGRIIHULQJXQSUHFH- dented insights about who our ancestors were and how we became who we are. R ,Q RXU QDWLRQ RI LPPLJUDQWV ZKR RIWHQ relocate great distances from one generation to the next, it’s easy for the threads of mem- ory to break, severing us from even the rela- tively recent past. $QG WKDW¶V MXVW ¿QH with many. They either are habitually incurious, too busy just getting by, or certain their families did nothing of interest. 0DQ\KRZHYHUSRV- itively hunger for such NQRZOHGJH 3HRSOH LJ- norant of their family’s Matt past are like pages torn Winters from a long and compli- cated book. They might be interesting, but they have no context, nar- rative or plot. You can’t understand who the characters are or why they behave as they do. Being part of long, messy stories is what makes us human. Without your family’s tale, you’d just as well be a rabbit hiding in its hole. Daniel Bradley/Trinity College Dublin This 5,000-year-old skull of a female farmer recovered in 1855 from a Neolithic tomb near Belfast provided DNA that helps reveal the deep ancestry of the Irish people. Fleshing out these stories takes old-fashioned genealogy What it can and can’t do Fleshing out these stories takes old-fash- ioned genealogy — genetics technology isn’t DPDJLFDOVKRUWFXW2QO\ZLWKH[FHSWLRQDOOXFN will a genetics test prove a link to some long- lost relation who has already accurately recon- structed part of your family narrative. What genetics testing can reliably do: • Find cousins you didn’t know about. 6RPHWLPHVRYHUFRPHJHQHDORJLFDO³EULFN ZDOOV´ ² JDSV LQ WKH SDSHU WUDLO EHWZHHQ D known ancestor and someone further back. • Tell whether you, a parent or more distant ancestor was adopted, or born as the result of an out-of-wedlock affair. • Determine an approximation of your ra- cial composition. 2IIHU VROLG FOXHV DERXW ZKDW QDWLRQV RU regions some of your ancestors lived in. 3URYHRUGLVSURYHUHODWLRQVKLSZLWKVRPH- one with the same last name. • Find out what percentage Neanderthal you are. These uses will be incredibly meaningful to some and completely boring to others. The fact is, though, that even someone who is 100 percent certain they know all there is to know about their family is likely to be in for surpris- HV,I\RXGRQ¶WZDQW\RXUDVVXPSWLRQVFKDO- lenged, it’s best to not ask questions or take tests. Genetics sounds scary to many. They fear it is too technical to understand, or too ex- pensive, or that their personal data may be KLMDFNHG RU EDFN¿UH LQ VRPH ZD\ ,I \RX¶UH genuinely interested in answers to compel- ling questions, don’t let these concerns get in your way. Testing companies and hoards of enthusiasts stand ready to help interpret results, tests are becoming steadily more af- fordable and thorough, and the types of DNA tested for ancestry are rarely susceptible to misuse. Company reviews ,¶YHEHHQGHHSO\LQYROYHGLQJHQHWLFVIRUD dozen years and have answered questions for many friends and family members. For what it’s worth, here are brief reviews and recom- mendations about testing and DNA-interpre- WDWLRQ ¿UPV ,¶YH XVHG $OO DUH SHUFHQW reliable in terms of doing accurate tests, but they differ greatly in value and the services they offer. Testing procedures are painless and easy. They are listed in order of usefulness, in my subjective opinion. )DPLO\ 7UHH '1$ ZZZIDPLO\WUHHGQD FRP7HVWVFRVWIURPWRWKHZHEVLWH offers good explanations about the differenc- es between them. There are occasional sales, IRUH[DPSOHRQ'1$'D\$SULO²VRPH other companies do the same. FTDNA is one RIWKHEHVWDQGODUJHVWSHUVRQDOJHQHWLFV¿UPV 3HUKDSVLWVVWURQJHVWVXLWLVWKHGHSWKRILWVGD- tabase, with hundreds of thousands of testees being able to compare results and learn from one another. DQGPHDQGPHFRP2ULJLQDOO\DI- ¿OLDWHGZLWK*RRJOHEXWQRZIUHHVWDQGLQJ,WV RQO\WHVWZKLFKFRVWVLVDJUHDWYDOXHD VRUWRI³RQHVWRSVKRS´IRUSDWHUQDOPDWHUQDO DXWRVRPDO PL[HG JHQHWLF OLQHV DQG VRPH health-related information. %ULWDLQV'1$ ZZZEULWDLQVGQDFRP IRUPHUO\(WKQRDQFHVWU\7HVWVFRVWDERXW IRUPHQDQGIRUZRPHQ2QHRIWKH¿UVW RXW¿WV , XVHG WKLV FRPSDQ\ KDV XQGHUJRQH corporate transitions since then, but still is a credible choice, particularly for we with main- ly British ancestry. $QFHVWU\'1$DQFHVWU\FRP%DVLFWHVW 7KH ELJ GRJ LQ RQOLQH JHQHDORJ\ $Q- cestry also offers DNA tests. A large testee GDWDEDVHDQGJRRGFRUSRUDWHVXSSRUWEXW,¶YH found their suggested genetic matches to be useless. <)XOOZZZ\IXOOFRPIHH$5XV- sia-based interpretation service, they take DNA raw data obtained by clients from other FRPSDQLHVDQGFUXQFKLWIRU\RX3UREDEO\QRW terribly helpful for beginners, but worth bear- ing in mind if you become as obsessed with the topic, as many do. ,QDGGLWLRQWKRXJK,KDYHQ¶WXVHGWKHP for this purpose, National Geographic has been a major player in DNA testing via its *HQRJUDSKLF3URMHFWQRZVRPHZKDWWLHGZLWK )DPLO\7UHH'1$,WVWHVWSURYLGHVLQWHU- esting results about ethnicity, but is less useful for other purposes. 2[IRUG$QFHVWRUVZZZR[IRUGDQFHVWRUV FRP$ERXW$SUHVWLJLRXVQDPHEXWORZ value for the money. , FRXOG ZULWH D ZKROH DGGLWLRQDO FROXPQ DERXW UHFHQW VFLHQWL¿F ¿QGLQJV DERXW WKH JH- QHWLF FRPSRVLWLRQ RI WKH %ULWLVK ,VOHV DQG other places. For one, much to their mutu- DOFKDJULQDVWXG\¿QGVWKDW)UDQFHZDVWKH biggest source of DNA for most in England’s SURVSHURXV VRXWKHDVW VHH ZZZWLQ\XUOFRP 'DLO\0DLO'1$ )RU DQRWKHU WKHUH LVQ¶W D VLQJOH XQL¿HG W\SH RI ³&HOWLF´ DQFHVWU\ )RU H[DPSOHW\SLFDOO\,ULVK'1$RULJLQDWHGIURP SUHKLVWRULF PLJUDWLRQV IURP WKH 0LGGOH (DVW DQG (DVWHUQ (XURSH VHH ZZZWLQ\XUOFRP *XDUGLDQ,ULVK'1$ This is the golden age of genetic and ge- QHDORJLFDOOHDUQLQJ,WZLOOPDNH\RXDZLVHU PRUH SKLORVRSKLFDO SHUVRQ ,W¶V DV FORVH DV we’re likely to get to having a time machine. So get after it. —M.S.W. Matt Winters is editor and publisher of the Chinook Observer and Coast River Business Journal. Cornering the anger market Trump seems to feel abso- There’s something a little re- lutely no compunction to ex- freshing in a candidate who does plain how anything would work. all his bragging upfront. And let’s His defense program is basically, et’s talk for a minute about Bernie acknowledge that the number of ³:H¶UHJRLQJWRPDNHRXUPLOL- typical American voters who Sanders and Donald Trump. WDU\UHDOO\UHDOO\UHDOO\VWURQJ´ want to listen to a call for the re- Both of them were in New York this turn of the Glass-Steagall Act is He’s going to get rid of all the week. immigrants here illegally — the not as large as the number who actual procedure for making this Sanders made a speech about Wall want to hear Trump rant against happen is hazy — and then force Street to a large and boisterous crowd. They environmental regulations by WKH0H[LFDQJRYHUQPHQWWRSD\ FKHHUHGKLVLGHDRIWD[LQJ¿QDQFLDOWUDQVDF- GHVFULELQJ KLV DI¿QLW\ IRU KDLU Gail IRUWKDWZDOO³7UXVWPH0H[LFR tions and using the money to make public spray. Collins ZLOOSD\´$QGKH¶VJRLQJWRUH- But Sanders has such better college tuition free. They booed Wall Street executive bonuses, and loudly joined in to YLOODLQV,QKLV:DOO6WUHHWVSHHFKKHWDONHG GXFHWKHWUDGHGH¿FLWZLWK&KLQD³WKHVLQ- ¿QLVK VRPH RI 6DQGHUV¶ VHQWHQFHV ³&RQ- about businessmen who get away with the gle greatest theft in the history of the world gress does not regulate Wall Street ... WALL ¿QDQFLDO HTXLYDOHQW RI PXUGHU :DFKRYLD ´$WWKHHGLWRULDOERDUGPHHWLQJ7UXPS an American bank later acquired by Wells said he’d use his stupendous deal-making 675((75(*8/$7(6&21*5(66´ ³6HFRQGELJJHVWFURZGVLQDOOIDLUQHVV´ )DUJR³DLGHG0H[LFDQGUXJFDUWHOV´6DQG- SRZHUVWRIRUFHWKH&KLQHVHWRUDLVHWKHYDO- said Trump at a meeting Wednesday with ers said, by laundering billions of dollars in ue of their currency. $QGZKDWLIWKH&KLQHVHGRQ¶WFRPSO\" The Times editorial board. He added, of WKHLUFDVK³<HWWKHWRWDO¿QHIRUWKLVRIIHQVH course, that his were way, way, way bigger. was less than 2 percent of the bank’s $12.3 Trump said he’d impose a tariff. How much Both men’s campaigns are about out- ELOOLRQSUR¿WDQGQRRQHZHQWWRMDLO1R RIDWDULII"0D\EHSHUFHQW This seemed like a new number. A few rage. Sanders wants the country to rise RQHZHQWWRMDLO´ That seems a lot more outrageous than \HDUVEDFN7UXPSFDOOHGIRUDSHUFHQW up against the special privileges that keep making the richest 1 percent richer. Trump 0H[LFDQZRUNHUVVQHDNLQJDFURVVWKHERU- WDULII RQ &KLQHVH JRRGV DQG HDUO\ LQ WKH der — even the ones who FDPSDLJQKHPHQWLRQHGDSHUFHQWWD[RQ rocketed to the top of the are portrayed, in Trump’s 0H[LFDQEXLOWFDUV'R\RXWKLQNKH¶VEHHQ polls by railing about illegal ‘So who 79DGE\D¿OPFOLSRI$I- UHUXQQLQJ WKH ¿JXUHV GXULQJ FDPSDLJQ immigration. The saddest ULFDQVWU\LQJWRÀLQJWKHP- ÀLJKWV"$QRWKHUSRVVLEOHDQVZHUZRXOGEH thing about this presidential race so far is that the Trump knows? It’s selves across a fence out of that he just makes this stuff up as he goes 0RURFFR+DUGWREHOLHYH along. approach has gotten way a theory.’ 7KHUHLV7UXPSVD\V³DJUHDWDQJHURXW that less than two years more attention. DJR , ZDV PDNLQJ IXQ RI there. ... A lot of people say that my cam- To be honest, Donald Donald Trump a candidate for the Senate SDLJQKDVSLFNHGXSRQWKDWDQG,GLGQ¶WGR Trump as a presidential who ran an ad in which an WKDW LQWHQWLRQDOO\´ 3HUKDSV WKDW¶V WUXH LQ candidate is fascinating, in a perverse way. The effect is sort of like being RI¿FHZRUNHULQ6RXWK'DNRWDZDVLPSHU- the sense that he never sat down and wrote at a cocktail party listening while a half-tipsy sonated by a French model. We’ve come so RXWDQ$QJHU3ODQ+HMXVWNHHSVUHSHDWLQJ whatever seems to get a rise out of his lis- celebrity blathers on about his stupid co-star IDU 0D\EHWKHSUREOHPZLWK6DQGHUV¶VSHHFK teners. He always was a great marketer. DQGWKHZD\WKH$FDGHP\$ZDUGVDUH¿[HG ,W¶VQRWDOOWKDWVWXQQLQJWKDWKH¶VVRIDU Trump doesn’t drink, but his speeches do was that after he warned Wall Street and have that sloppy off-the-cuff quality. He’ll FRUSRUDWH$PHULFD³LI\RXGRQRWHQG\RXU ahead in the national polls, given the qual- start to talk about an issue and then abruptly JUHHGZHZLOOHQGLWIRU\RX´KHVHHPHG ity of the Republican competition. But it’s DQQRXQFH³6RZKRNQRZV",W¶VDWKHRU\´ to feel compelled to say how he would do depressing that he’s cornered the anger fran- 7KHQKHERDVWVDERXWKLVSROOV³,FRXOGWDON that. Which did require some discussion of chise when his targets exclude America’s the Federal Reserve and banking regulation. own wealthy and powerful. DERXWWKHVHVXFNHUVDOOQLJKWORQJ´ By GAIL COLLINS New York Times News Service L Jim Cole/AP Photo Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves to a cheering crowd during a campaign stop Tuesday in Claremont, N.H. Mikayla Whitmore/Las Vegas Sun Michaela Lash is held up by her mother Elana Lash at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ber- nie Sanders, I-Vt., at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday. STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Founded in 1873
