Continued from previous posts ...

I've written before about shopping in Seychelles and how sparse our shelves can be. Even with shopping options as limited as they are today, the choice is so much wider than in Mark's youth. When he was growing up, most food on offer was local, and that meant fish, fish and more fish, with some cassava,... more

The train continues ...

Last night we had a family DVD session and Mark picked the Disney classic "Peter Pan" for our viewing pleasure. Sam's been watching it often and does some pretty good renditions of bits with voices and actions all straight from the film. Mark's heard his impressions, but never having seen the film he had no frame with which to reference "What ever shall we do?" ... and so on.

Throughout the movie, Mark asked questions and... more

When my husband, Mark, was growing up in Seychelles life was pretty basic. (Keep in mind that he was born in 1966, not 1926, so it wasn't all that long ago.) There was no electricity until after he left the nest, and my in-laws didn't have a phone until the mid-90s.

A small generator was used in the evenings in his later childhood, but kerosene lanterns provided most light, food was bought and used daily as there was no refrigeration, and washing was all done by hand.

One of the many long-lasting effects of this quaint, and in some ways idyllic, childhood comes... more

Today is Independence Day in Seychelles ... our 30th. On the 29th of June in 1976 colonial status under Great Britain came to an end and Seychelles began its history as an independent Republic.

That lasted days short of a year, when on the 5th of June of 1977 a coup d'etat replaced the first president's government with a one-party communist state that ruled for seventeen years. When the Soviet Union lost a lot of its Soviet umph, and just about all of its union, little and faithful countries like Seychelles found themselves without a benefactor; with no one lining... more

A lovely report from Santa Cruz, California has me pondering an issue that comes up often in the international adoption world.

The story is about Lisa and Jennifer, a lesbian couple who've adopted twins from Russia. Their tale is sweet and loving, and has, at this time, a happy ending.

"I had always envisioned having children," said Jennifer, sitting in their backyard and smiling, her dark hair curling softly around her face. "It had been my... more

Just how ingrained the Western idea of life of a grown-up in the world lives in my mind strikes me hard when I look around me here in Seychelles and have conversations with adults in this world.

Mark's good friend, Jovette (Who's real name is Michael ... but nicknames will be the subject of a different blog on a different day.) comes by every weekend to help with the never-ending construction that is our home. He's a carpenter by trade, and we have loads of carpentry work that needs doing, so we're always glad to see him.

Jovette turned fifty a month ago, and... more

Continuing from this post...

Asserting rights is killing the women of Pakistan, and where's the help? Not here:

Ghazala was set on fire by her brother in Joharabad, Punjab province, on 6 January 1999. According to reports, she was murdered because her family suspected she was having an 'illicit' relationship with a neighbour. Her burned and naked body reportedly lay unattended on the street for two hours as nobody wanted to have... more

Continuing from this post:

I'm only going to focus on one country here ... just Pakistan. To go any broader today will give me such a headache.

Keep in mind that Pakistan not only signed the UDHR (see previous post ), but also the "Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Hague Convention... more

Along with everything else I do, I write speeches. Right now, I'm working on one focusing on gender bias with the Chief Justice of our Supreme Court to be delivered in Pakistan later in the year.

My research has me shaking my head and climbing up on my soapbox ... yes, again.

My gripe ... yes, again ... the United Nations.

On 10 December, 1948, in response to the horrific evidence of man's brutality so undeniably exposed at the end of the Second World War, the UN General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the ... more

I've written before about the skewed perspective that can be forced when only one side of the adoption issue keeps getting harped on. The idea that there are so many more families wanting kids than there are children needing homes is quite popular in some circles.

I suspect much of this comes from the 'industry' that is supported by adoption, so invested in keeping a 'supply/demand' mentality that encourages prospective parents to feel inclined to pay whatever it takes by... more