Continued from here ...

Nepal, on the other hand, started out the year very badly.

Before he was ousted in a democratic revolution, King Gyanendra had put the very existence of the independent press under threat. Several hundred journalists were arrested, beaten up, censored or threatened by rampant... 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

Continuing on the topic of antiziganism...

Have you heard of Borat Sadiiyev? If you're aware of the racial prejudice known as antiziganism, or if you have kids from Kaz, or Bulgaria or other Eastern European countries you probably have. Or, if you watch a lot of TV.

Here's how wiki introduces him:

Borat Sagdiyev... more

More Info from Kazakhstan, continued from the previous post... AIDS and kids. This tragic combination becomes more prevalent each year. We hear a lot about AIDS orphans and infected children in Africa ... especially these day, but I am NOT using the 'M' word again for a while ... but information from another part of the world is beginning to come in.

This article out of Kazakhstan titled, "Bad... more

From the US State Department to parents of kids adopted from Kazakhstan, this Public Notice:

The Government of Kazakhstan recently reported that as many as 61 children in the Shymkent region (southern Kazakhstan ) tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Kazakhstani government officials stated that the children were infected by contaminated blood transfusions and reusing medical equipment, such as needles for... more