The photo was created by the Soviet Union. It shows the Sarcophogus being build around what remained of Chernobyl's reactor 4. The primary goal of the Sarcophogus is to keep all the radioactive materials (fuel, equipment, dust, etc..) contained.

In Part 1 I asked:

Why are Ukrainian adoption experiences are all unique? And why does a translator's job seem to be more then translation?

Then I discussed "institutional... more

For those of us who need a bit of inspiration I encourage you to re-read or purchase the book Heartsongs, by Mattie Stepanek.

I’m watching Larry King right now as I write. Former President Jimmy Carter is being interviewed about the impact Mattie had on his life.

For those of you not familiar with Mattie, he first started writing at age three and published many books before he reached his twelfth birthday. Mattie was an incredible child, - self-proclaimed peacemaker, poet, and New York Times best-selling author for his book of poetry, Heartsongs.... more

"Let the atom be a worker, not a soldier."

This phrase was once grandly emblazoned across an apartment building in what was Pripyat, USSR, proving that the days of the Cold War were over and progress and a better life for everyone was top the agenda. If only ...

Proud Pripyat, a municipality specially built for gallant workers of the Grand Soviet with gardens, wide streets, leading-edge Soviet architecture, restaurants, shopping areas and a central square for passing the time with neighbors, is a ghost town, and has been for twenty years.

Nothing... more

Ok, the posts under this category "ADN Conference" may sound like shameless plugs for the Attachment Disorder Network's (ADN) upcoming Parenting Traumatized Children conference, but they are much more than that.

First off, it is hard for me not to blog about one of the most important events in my life at the moment (right there behind LuLu's due process hearing). And it is much more fun to write about this conference, than the due process hearing - because, let's face it, that's down-right depressing. I mean, who wants to read about a school system denying a disabled child the chance at an appropriate education? And parents who are, perhaps foolishly, pushing... more

Much of the discussion about the mental health needs of adopted children revolves aroud serious emotional and behavioral disorders such as Reactive Attachment Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and others. The way these kinds of issues are discussed on blogs, forums, and other venues may make it seem like a problem with your adopted child will be so obvious that it would be impossible to miss. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case.

It is true that sometimes, a child's behavior can be so unusual or disturbed that there is no question that... more

Talk about your crisis pregnancy! In the news today is a story about a young woman who gave birth in the Arizona desert and used nail clippers to cut her umbilical cord.

Probably she was attempting to cross the border illegally, but in the end, this is not the important part of the story to me.

Instead, what strikes me is the desperation that leads a new mother to perform terrifying and sometimes heroic acts in order to safely deliver her child. I have heard this sort of thing many times.

In fact, I know a birthmother... more

Well with approximately six more weeks of school left for the 2005-2006 school year. We need to get our summer guidelines in place.

That means we need to review our summer safety rules and our house hold chore charts. We also need to re-establish our rules for curfew and boundaries to our children of various age ranges. All of this should be clearly posted some where in your home.

Posting all the rules and guidelines will help save time and energy when there is a dispute. It will also allow you to ask your child if he or she has read the chart and if they understand it or have any questions about it.

This year I added one more rule to our family guidelines.... more

The Hilton Hotel in Addis is on of the two nicest hotels in Addis, topped only by the Sheraton. Many people say its amenities are nearly as nice as at the Sheraton, but at a more affordable price. Rooms at the Hilton are around $150 a night, as compared to the Sheraton's $230-$260 per night for a room.

Though we did not actually stay at the Hilton, we did spend one morning there, and I have to say I was quite impressed with the hotel. Staff was friendly, things appeared to be very clean, and it was a pleasant place to spend some time.

There are 5 restaurants, 3 bars, a gym, an internet cafe, a clothing shop, a duty free shop, a supermarket selling imported Italian... more

This past weekend we went to Shakori Hills Music Festival and a very good time was had by all. We needed a break, even if we only went 10 miles up the road. Despite all my protests we even slept there two nights, although believe you me, we came home for a couple of hours mid-day to clean up and take a break from our mini-vacation!

The second morning we were there Little J and I got up really early and walked over to the coffee bar to get me some joe. Little J had slept pretty well, despite the fact that we had camped right next... more

As Foster and I wrapped up our conversation, I reminded him that without his Love and Logic method, and without having been handed his book, Hope for High Risk and Rage-filled Children, my family and I would probably still be lost. Although I am still disgusted that I had to work so hard to get some answers, I am sure glad he didn’t hang up the attachment piece of his work before I learned about it.

We again discussed the difficult climate in America today for families with extremely disturbed children, and Foster reiterated,

I think that... more