Today we added the 500th case to our abuse case archive. This dubious honor goes to a case of sexual abuse of a ten-year-old girl adopted by Jon Paul Reid. Among the 500 cases we have archived over the past three years, this case, unfortunately, doesn't stand out as particularly exceptional. There have been many children like the Reid girl before, and since little is done to prevent these situations, we will likely have to document several similar cases in the future.

Not too long ago I discovered a sales-pitch found only in Adoptionland, and I openly admit, I find this pitch incredibly offensive, for reasons I will gladly explain later, if asked.  For now, I wish to re-showcase the marketing tool used by a hotel in China and the toy company, Mattel.  There is an exclusive give-away given only to adopters who choose to adopt from and stay in China.  What's the "free" give-away?  A white Barbie Doll, named,

In another post/thread, the cost of search-angels has been raised as an adoption issue worthy of further discussion.

A recent press-release shares the good news about the use of photos when appealing to the hearts of prospective adopters.

The shots were "uniformly bad," Granito said.

She knew they had to be better if people were going to be drawn to adopt the children.

Picture this scene:

Sitting outside in a nice street cafe, with some casual friends, small-talking about whatever.
Questions coming up, like: Jared, what have you been doing lately?

Jared admits that he´s been reading l o t s about adoption.
Gives lots of explanation as to why, and what ... Talking a bit about family matters and younger (adopted) brother's current crisis.

One of the friends knows someone who adopted internationally.

<Follows lively report on how the child's been doing.>

I was watching a movie with my twins today.  Readers need to understand, when it comes to spending time with my older kids, I struggle.  Parenting/mommy-ing was much easier when my annoying, demanding heathens were newborns, or at the very least, much much younger, when their very simple basic needs, were very simple, basic, and easy. 

<longing for for the long-gone 'easy' days... because the looks on their faces told me I was/am a good decent parent> coupled with <tired, frustrated, annoyed and really stressed-out sigh>

I usually take interest in the biographies of folks of my kind, especially in the all white environment I currently live. I like to collect stories from everywhere I stay, and I usually find this more absorbing than doing what I am supposed to. Both is  kind of a research. The second  generally goes unnoticed by others. But one or two of these stories are really worth telling.

More than a century ago, Mark Twain popularized the expression "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics". In this post we'd like to focus on the most egregious of these lies, statistics.

In 2007, we started collecting inter-country adoption statistics, which we present on our various country pages. Our first source for these statistics was the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which at the time, published the statistics of several countries for the years 2001-2004.

Recently my oldest (in highschool) had to create a family-tree for a history project.

As a parent, I thought these school-craft projects were limited to the first early years.  Alas, I was wrong.

My daughter has a good sick sense of humour, but when it comes to family identity issues, she gets a bit serious and sensitive.

I tried to help her as best I could, explaining, "It's best to do only Daddy's side of the family.  You can explain your family-tree starts with me because I was adopted."

That is how she created her project....

Can you believe that DHS/Lawyers told my daughter that if she wanted to keep her surving 4mo. old twin that she had  to sign her rights over to her firstborn. When I questioned as to why this was I was told "that's just the system". Lovely huh.

Christianity Today published a clever response to Kathryn Joyce's article, The Evangelical Adoption Crusade, published in The Nation, last week.

Whhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaattttttttt is Adam Pertman doing?

I ask this because there are a lot of serious significant adoption issues plaguing the USA.

Texas has the worst reputation of all of the states in the over medication of small children, while in state care.  A former Texas State Comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, went on C.B.S. news, New York, to raise public awareness.  Now I am here in Texas, looking for a sales job, so I can get my two month old baby grandson, Bryce, out of foster care.  My older two grandchildren were placed on multiple psychotropic drugs.  Texas C.P.S. refused to give them to me. Another C.P.S.

When I was 13 years old my parents an I flew out to colorado. Unbenounced to me I was going to go to therapy at the attachment center in evergreen colorado. My dr......neil feinburg. The first day I was there this man scared me worse than iv ever been scared in my whole life. He strattled me as I sat on the couch and screamed and yelled in my face. I was crying and begging for him to get off of me but he wouldnt. I cried for mama to get him off me because he was hurting and scaring me. But she wouldnt. This whole holding therapy is a bunch of BS!!!!