The news is almost all business this week.

As expected, British energy company BP sold its stake in a Siberian natural gas field to Russia's state-owned Gazprom. The reported $900 million price tag, which was labeled cheap by The Moscow Times, covers both the Kovykta gas field and the East Siberian Gas Company.

The agreement has been all... more

Ella’s Re-Adoption Day was yesterday! It was relatively quick and easy, which surprised us. We decided against hiring an adoption attorney and I did all the paperwork myself; I figured that after compiling a dossier I could do anything! It was a wise decision because our documents were flawless and the meeting with the judge went smoothly; we certainly did not need a lawyer there to represent us.

I didn’t know what to expect going in, so I was pleasantly surprised at how it all was handled. My county must set aside... more

I think it must not be clear, so let me shout.

I AM NOT AGAINST ADOPTION. I DO NOT THINK IT IS A BAD THING. I DO NOT SEEK TO END THE PRACTICE. I AM VERY AWARE THAT PEOPLE FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE TRIAD HAVE BEEN WELL-SERVED BY ADOPTION.

(Everyone hear that? Good, because I'm a quiet person by nature, and I don't like to yell.)

Why do I feel the need to clarify? Because it seems that anyone who brings up the negatives in adoption is seen as a troublemaker who wants to bring the entire... more

Hooray-- we passed! The girls are ours!! This morning, showing my typical extreme (lack of) patience, I emailed my agency director at exactly 7 am, her time. Yes, I realize that the agency's business hours do not begin until 8 am. But I know from past experience that Merrily is an early bird. Within about ten minutes I had an email back. No, she hadn't heard any court news from the Ethiopia director yet.

For the next hour and a half I did a bit of writing and a bit of chatting with another waiting mom who was also eagerly waiting for news, jumping eagerly to check my email for good news every time that little mailbox icon popped open on my computer screen. time after time I... more

My brain hurts this morning. We talk about the advances that have been made in thought and process. We talk about the continuous changes that we want to make within the adoption system so that things are done in an ethical manner that protects the rights of all involved. We don't want women who can parent their child(ren) to be unnecessarily separated. And then some moron like this comes and takes a tragic case and turns it into a platform for mothers to place their babies.

The film-critic turned... more

Since my last post touch a little bit on trans racial adoption, I thought it only fitting that we devote an entire blog to this subject.

There are many books available. The Adoption Shop has a few titles, but can’t begin to scratch the surface of what’s available. Amazon.com... more

An ethical adoption is not a cut and dried agreed upon entity. Although there are many items that most of us agree on, there is no total agreement on exactly what an ethical adoption entails. These are some random thoughts I feel might help people who are concerned about ethical issues in adoption.

1) Do not support unethical agencies. Be suspicious of agencies that promise a newborn in a short amount of time, and brag that none of the pregnant women who come to their agency change their minds.

2) Do not show up at an agency and demand a white... more

Have you ever given much thought to what the biggest problems are in adoption? Your response will most likely be highly affected by your role in the triad (or the adoptive plane as my friend Wraith likes to describe the connections). The life experiences that you have had will also reflect how you view what problems are most pressing. Apparently, there is a great deal of disagreement as to what are the worst problems. For instance, Lawrence... more

I don’t watch Ellen, but over on the Christian Adoption blog, Marie wrote about a statement that Queen Latifah made on the Ellen Degeneres show. It seems that Queen Latifah (aka Dana Adams) wants to adopt children. OK, not really newsworthy these days, lots of celebrities are doing it.

Part of what makes this newsworthy is that she wants to adopt from the states, and that she wants to adopt children “from the hood”. From the news clips... more

When I was a practicing veterinarian, I had no aspirations to own my own practice. It occurred to me how out-of-character that was for me in some ways, because I have always been assertive and a go-getter. But I had no desire to order drugs or hire and fire employees, or pay light bills and deal with water in the basement of a clinic. I just wanted to see clients, treat pets, and have the drugs in the cabinet when I needed them!

So it was when I started ATN. I was far more interested in the service... more