Here we go again ...

Or not.

It's the is she or isn't she tempest in a Quanlong teapot, the cash cow that is the media mania of yet another possible adoption by the mom everyone loves to hate, Madonna.

Yes, rumor is rife that a little girl named "Mercy" ... and boy won't that come in handy as the frenzy hits the fan? ... should be coming home in April.

At least at this point the reports are mentioning that legalities are being adhered to, and a time frame of eighteen... more

Before getting to anything else in today's world o' news I'm posting this link to a BBC piece on booby-trapped links hackers are placing in fake entries on Blogger sites.

Apparently the gang out to make life miserable for millions has already managed to hijack hundreds of thousands of PCs by infecting them through booby-trapped fake links to what look like greeting card sites, YouTube links, and European storm-watch sites.

So, if you have a blog on Blogger, watch out!

My ... more

I so totally loved this article that I had to pass it along.

Written in reaction to the recent recall of toys ... a very serious issue ... it puts a twist into the topic that cracked me up. The title, "Can't they recall a toy because parents hate it?" should give a clue as to why.

I'll admit that many of the toys she talks about might as well be from Marsmart for all I'd know of them ... Polly Pocket Pollywood Limo-Scene, for example, I have no clue about, although I will admit to a slightly queasy feeling over the name... more

The next sound you hear will be that of me tooting my own horn. It will be a short, subdued toot, but a toot nonetheless.

Reason for a tiny toot? This news item on adoption that quotes me.

When contacted by the Agence France-Press for information, my immediate inclination was to ask that any report on the present adoption climate be balanced, and I think including my comments may have added a bit to that.

If you're following the ... more

I wrote yesterday about steps being taken in Kentucky to improve the lot of children in foster care in the state, and added a suggestion for urging your state to follow suit.

Today, it's South Carolina in the spotlilght, as Gov. Mark Sanford appoints people to his Children in Foster Care and Adoption Services Task Force, a group he created to find ways to improve the foster care and adoption systems in the state.

If you're in South Carolina and want to get involved, write... more

Before I get to any other news, I'd like to ask that you take a minute to read Deb's blog from yesterday on the ribbon campaign starting up in support of the Socklaufer family.

Gary and Cynthia Stocklaufer have been denied the adoption of a relative's child ... a relative who chose them in her adoption plan ... because Gary is fat.

If you're interested in getting involved and wearing a baby blue ribbon to show your disapproval of such blatant prejudice, please do.

In a very interesting report a ... more

In what probably means diddly-squat to the children involved, Members of the Belarusian Parliament are contemplating issues of orphans.

Supposedly, the Council of Ministers has submitted some amendments to the law on "social security of orphan children and children left without parental care" that address compensation of foster and guardian families and "family type" children's homes.

Yes, it's all about reimbursement for heating bills and such since, "the expenses on raising a child are quite high and they need to be compensated ... ".

Adoption... more

For a completely different take on the reports out of Britain claiming that too many children are being removed by officials from families, here's one that says MORE children should be taken away from their parents.

Focusing on beatings and killings of innocent victims by uncontrolled youths, the story strongly ties the issues together.

There was an outcry at the recent news that 2,120... more

Thirty-Nine families in Seneca, Ohio are quite unhappy about a recent slip up by the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services. A new computer program, which is known as the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System was given to the county by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, in the hopes of making the system easier for workers to use …that apparently was not the case.

A breakdown in communication as to how the system should be used, caused thirty-nine children’s medical cards to be issued with... more

Dominating adoption news, this story out of the UK about a pregnant woman recording social workers as they threaten to take her child away shortly after birth and attempting to intimidate her and her husband, then posting the recording on YouTube.

Adding insult to injury and really shooting themselves in the foot in the process, the powers-that-be set their sights on having the recording removed from the public site, then succeeded. (There's a link to a site where you can access the recording listed below.)

The recording includes conversation that has a social worker... more