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

Continued from here, where I've been posting bits and pieces of news that have been cluttering my desktop ... Mel comes into it down the page a bit ...

From Lisa, a report from Guatemala about life there for many children.

Guatemala has the highest rate of malnourished children in the Western Hemisphere, even higher than... more

News regarding adoption in Guatemala is making it all over the world these days. This story came to me via Pakistan, and although it's from a couple of weeks back, the fact that it's getting global coverage should be enough to have anyone involved in adoptions from the country paying close attention.

The United States threatened to suspend adoptions from Guatemala unless the country enforces an international treaty meant to guard against child trafficking.... more

The Cricket's Song

Once upon a time, a little yellow cricket lived beneath a tree in a tiny village. Every day, just as the sun began to set, the cricket bounded to the wheat fields at the edge of the village, alighted on a stalk and rubbed his forelegs together, producing what sounded like a song.

The cricket sang different songs on different days. When a storm was brewing, the cricket chirped of the coming storm so that the women knew they ought... more

This morning I received a response to my post from last Saturday about an article called, 'Baby Hotel: The Gateway to Guatemalan Adoption'.

The mail is from the author of the piece, Jacob Wheeler, and I'm quoting it in its entirety, as the writer claims to welcome dialog:

First of all, I want to thank you for reading my article on WorldPress.org about Guatemalan adoption and the Baby Hotel. And I also want to thank you for writing me or posting online with your reactions and comments... more

Guatemalan adoptive families may find something familiar in this story titled, "Baby Hotel: The Gateway to Guatemalan Adoption", although some of it may grate.

In addition to accounts of beaten babies passed off by attorneys as having birth defects and allegations of trafficking, the portrayal of the process is ... interesting?

... But in Guatemala, of course, it is the profit-driven lawyers who all but run the show.

The lawyers are well... more

An interview about international adoptions and Ukrainian orphanages is available on line. Ukraine's Minister for Sport, Youth and Family Yuri Pavlenko answers questions such as, "US citizens complain that their reports have been lost. Is this a real problem?" Part of his long answer:

... we cannot comment unambiguously on every report as we have been given the general information by the Centre of Adoption attached to the Education and Science Ministry of Ukraine.... more

Neil Sedaka, revisited ...

These days, it's the same song over and over ...

Yesterday, I wrote about this year's report from the Global Corruption Report focusing on corruption in the healthcare sector. Today, a report... more

Here's a story from Guatemala that adoptive families tied to that country should take a good look at.

It starts out all sweetness and light:

With an estimated 22,000 orphans living in Guatemala, Buckner Orphan Care International has worked since 2002 to provide abandoned children like Juan Pablo hope for the future by providing for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

What began with... more