Thanks to a reader comment on Jupe's blog (Thank you, s.), I'm now familiar with the Genographic Project, a joint effort of the National Geographic Society, IBM, The Waitt Family Foundation and geneticist Spencer Wells. The five-year project will attempt to "map humanity's genetic journey through the ages." As a human in general, and an adoptive parent specifically, I'm immediately in love with the thought of the greater family... more

Continued from here ...

From Guatemala, the US Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs has been talking to reporters, saying that, "improvements need to be made before the U.S. ratifies the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions later this year." And a ... more

This article, titled, "Vietnamese Adoptees: Where Are They Now?" is just what it sounds like: a look at adults who were born in Vietnam, then adopted by US families. With more than 7,000 Vietnamese kids adopted in the thirty years between 1971 and 2001, there are many stories to be told, and the report takes a look at a few from the transracial angle. Although it's fairly negative on adoption in the past, it does give a bit of credit to present-day aparents... more

I have no way of knowing how people come to my blog -- by bookmark, direct link or from the "what's new" portal of adoptionblogs.com. This site has expanded a lot recently with the addition of bloggers and new categories. There's so much info there now that I'm having a tough time keeping up, and just keeping track of where my own posts ... both here and on the Older Parent Blog ... sit in relation to other new posts... more

Over on the adoptee blog, Jupe has issued a challenge I encourage all to read, think about, then either choose to accept or ignore at the peril of the planet. Starting from Jonathan Swift (You may recall me writing about his "Modest Proposal" a while back that suggested," ... that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted,... more

I thought to look today for fitting material for blogging ... something festive, but meaningful; heartfelt, but light.

Christmas Eve is special in my history, and the occasion deserves a special story.

Ask, and receive! (How lucky am I?) I've been side-swiped this morning by a story that has bells ringing a number of different tunes.

First, it comes from my oldest son's second home town, Baker City, Oregon ... a tiny... more

Here's a terrific resource for parents of transracially adopted kids:

Ask the Experts! Send us your question about transracial or transcultural adoption or foster care, and one of our experts on transracial adoption will give you an answer. All questions and answers will be posted to this website, without using your name.

Michelle Johnson, MSW is an African-American adult adoptee raised by white parents. Her Masters' thesis at the University... more

I received a press release today that I'm passing along in its entirety, as I'm anticipating some interest in this new organization ...

With its official launch confirmed by its first annual conference, the International Adoptee Congress (IAC) came into being in early November 2006 as the first organization of its kind -- a nationwide organization organized by, and populated by, and created for, adult international adoptees. International adoptees are adopted individuals who came to live in the United States from foreign countries. Among the numerous projects and initiatives IAC members... more

Talk about stepping up in a way that really helps ... stepping up, pulling out a boob, and giving from the deepest parts of yourself ... the International Breast Milk Project sent another 23 gallons of the breast milk of human kindness to the iThemba Lethu Orphanage. In oh-so-appropriate timing, it arrived at the Durban, South Africa facility on Thanksgiving Day.

The Project was started by ... Jill Youse, who discovered she was overproducing breast milk after... more

It was a rough weekend.

Although I did manage to fit a couple of hours of beach time in, most of both Saturday and Sunday were taken up with work, work, work. Now it's Monday, and I'm a dry well. Because I haven't the capacity to form more than a couple of sentences, and no creative juice at all, today's post is going to be a list of links I use a lot. Some are fun, some are for work, some are like Mt. Everest (there).

This one is... more