For breaking news on adoption from Vietnam and Guatemala, please see Rebecca's latest post and Lisa's, respectively.

The situations in both countries are volatile right now, and following their blogs will keep you up to date on present happenings. Don't forget to get involved in whatever ways you can, as protecting the option of adoption for... more

As usual for a Monday, there's loads of reading to be done on many different international adoption-related topics for anyone interesting in keeping abreast of the latest.

Starting with Vietnam, if you have not yet seen the most recent announcement put out by the US Embassy's adopted children immigrant visa unit, the link is here.

Explaining the present situation as the US sees it and going into some detail on the process of denying a petition, this is pretty gloomy material.

Continuing with countries taking hits for corruption, ... more

For some great shots of the Independence Day celebrations, check out Mongkol for a good bit of the feel of the day.

This year marks fifty-four years since gaining independence after 90 years of French rule.

Here's the message sent from the White House in... more

Some stories repeat on you like last week's chicken tikka masala. No matter how many times the things get regurgitated, someone is swallowing it all over again even though there most likely was nothing of substance there in the first place and the whole mess has grown progressively more unappetizing.

Occasionally, however, it is the illusive conjecture of deja vu all over again that prompts an unpleasant comeback, and that appears to be what we have here.

Back... more

It's Adoption Week in the UK, and with that information is pouring out around the country aimed at dispelling myths that may keep people from considering joining the ranks of adoptive parents.

The BBC is saying that adoption rights are 'misunderstood', and given the news that has come out of that country over the past months, that seems a bit of an understatement. The present circumstance sees the British Association for Adoption and... more

My son Sam will be five-years-old on Saturday, and along with that reality hitting me upside the head like a sack full of nickels ... OMG! It's all going too fast! He's only minutes away from driving and shaving! ... the constant and utter amazement at the person he is becoming and fall-on-my-knees gratitude for his good health and our great fortune comes the realization that he rapidly approaches the age of contemplation of the big picture and the questions that come with.

Being prepared giving multiple options for handling (Forewarned is forearmed -- FOURarmed?... more

As expected, National Adoption Month, also known as National Adoption Awareness Month, is not only generating pages and pages of informative content, it is egging on the anti-adoption crowd and spawning the production of even more than the usual amount of tripe designed to bat all helpful and beautiful aspects of adoption into muck.

In addition to a plethora of blogs cautioning everyone to lurid attention over adoption BEWARENESS, articles dressed... more

First thing on the International Adoption agenda for today ... do not hesitate, but go immediately to Virginia's Russian Adoption Blog and read about the mess that is Russian adoption at the moment. She has information and ways to step up, including a template for a letter to legislators.

Although the immediate focus is for parents hoping to adopt from Russia specifically, everyone with an interest in intercountry adoption from anywhere should inform themselves of the recent turn... more

The Times of India is reporting s significant drop in the number of adoptions from that country, saying that both domestic and international adoptions have seen a reduction of almost 40 percent between 2001 and 2003.

A recent report is cited that researched information collected from more than twenty-two countries that have added internationally adopted children to families of citizens and found that only 0.034%... more

With Rebecca, Erin and Mary all writing recently about adoption travel, this story out of the UK on "The 25 Most Bizarre Travel Insurance Claims Ever" seemed appropriate blog fodder for the day.

Anyone who has traveled far or often or both... more