happy birthday amy d.

YES - Happy Birthday! forever twenty-nine . . .

OK, the birthdays are just rolling in a little too fast for me now. I have post dated this entry for posterity (today is really the 22nd). We are still trying to catch up from the holiday hangovers - and haven't even gotten our New Year's cards out yet . . .

So, it got me to thinking, the January birthday people kind of get the shaft (too). I am a December birthday - so I understand how it goes during the busy holiday season. But, I really am beginning to think that these January folks have it worse.

We have had both sets of parents visiting from out of town in the last two weeks, is that a good excuse?

happy B-day "B"

Dear B,
In honor of your birthday (the BIG THREE - OOOHHH!) and to celebrate "half-way through the MBA program" - I give you a little quiz . . .

What planet should you rule?

. . . and just for fun . . .

Could you pass 8th grade Spanish?

Feliz Cumpleaños!

completed

Last night, Paula Zahn Now did a follow-up show due to the enormous response they got from the international adoption community.

For my part, I did receive this enlightening e-mail from CNN thanking me for my comments:

From : Completed - Completed@cnn.com
Sent : Monday, January 8, 2007 2:17 PM
To : ME!
Subject : From CNN

Thanks very much for your email concerning the segment “China Tightens
Foreign Adoption Regulations” that aired on Paula Zahn Now on Friday, January
5th. We value your feedback and want to make sure you have the information
about our upcoming continued reports on this subject.
Tonight’s Paula Zahn NOW will again address the new rules for foreign adoptions of Chinese children. The coverage will include a new report by CNN’s John Vause in
Beijing, China. Paula will be joined by a number of guests to discuss the
issue, including David Youtz, President of the Greater NY Chapter of “Families
With Children From China”, and Ginny Gong, President of the “Organization of
Chinese Americans”.
Again, thank you for taking the time to express your opinion, and please tune in for this follow up report.
Regards,
CNN Public Information

COMPLETED? Ummm, sure, case closed - I'm satisfied with this non-committal form letter . . .

Unfortunately, I did not get to see the show - had to work. However, I did read the transcript. Although there were definitely some brighter spots (the president of Families with Children from China New York - FCCNY - for one), I am still extremely disappointed that CNN chose to turn international adoption into a race debate rather than focus on some real issues the US has with adoption in general - not to mention getting their facts straight.

Speaking of facts - another parent in the chinese adoption community has started a website for Adoption Information Accuracy. You can read Friday night's and last night's transcript from the show , an e-mail response from the woman on the panel from Friday night, Solangel Maldonado, and more.

I have a few things still stewing around in my mind - just might have to send some additional responses back to a few people to get this properly out of my system.

*however, i do feel the need to end this whole mess on a good note*
I am very happy and proud in the participation of the adoption community in making sure our voices were heard on this story. THAT is super cool and you gotta love democracy!

lucky 7

7 months down . . . how many to go?

i'm not done with cnn

I woke up this morning to a very large amount of e-mail, etc. from the adoption boards I frequent. Needless to say, I am not done with CNN yet. I have attached a post from another blog that much more eloquently explains the inaccuracies of last night's show and is also listing a big ol' list of e-mails and contacts (including sponsors) to which you can make your opinions known.

For those of you who think that this does not really pertain to you, think again. Remember that we caught these inaccuracies because it is something we know intimately about. However, ask yourself how many other topics are they covering that we are relying on their FACTUAL, SOLID and UNBIASED information. This is not just about the responsibility they have on a NEWS story about chinese adoption, this is about the responsibility they have for every NEWS story they decide to air.

the ignorance of CNN

I had never seen the CNN show, Paula Zahn NOW, until tonight. I heard she would be discussing the new regulations for China adoption and decided to tune in. Ummmm, did I miss something? Ummmmm, isn't CNN supposedly a SERIOUS news channel?

Although the show started off normal, somehow it disintegrated into a tabloid style discussion of racial issues in adoption. Never mind that none of the guests on the show (including the lawyer she interviewed as well as all three panelists) knew anything about china adoption - I don't think they knew much about adoption in general. Their comments were presumptuous, ignorant and extremely disrespectful to any adopting parent.

Although I hate the idea of calling attention to such ignorance for fear of "feeding the monster", I felt it important to speak out on this kind of wreckless journalism. And, while I do not have any people who think like this in "my world", I know that this story does nothing but fuel the misunderstanding many people have concerning this complicated issue. And, that is just sad.

I have attached the link to the transcript from tonight's story on Paula Zahn Now - (it is near the end so keep scrolling down).

I have also sent an e-mail to the show to voice my offense (never had such a reaction to do that before):

"I just finished watching Paula Zahn Now where she focused on the new
regulations regarding China adoption. As a waiting parent for a child from
China, I am COMPLETELY APPALLED AND OFFENDED at the story. Not only did it barely gloss over some very complicated new regulations, but the discussion also disintegrated into a debate about racial discrimination, stereotypes and moral character that was ignorant, insulting and very unnecessary.

The people on Paula's panel were obviously not experts in
adoption, not to mention they probably have not been through the adoption
process themselves. I assure you that it is not an easy decision for
anyone to embark on the adoption process. There are so many factors,
qualifications and restrictions in adoption – BOTH DOMESTIC AND
INTERNATIONAL. Prospective parents are put through a rigorous screening
process before being accepted and they often find their options much more
limited than one might think. I found it amazing that this roundtable did
not really engage discussion of these pitfalls and obstacles to most people’s
dreams of adoption (ironically what I thought this news piece was originally
about!)

CNN and Paula Zahn should be ashamed and embarrassed
to showcase the opinions of people that are not knowledgeable or at least
researched enough on a topic to discuss such complicated issues. I view
this group to be presumptuous, hypocritical and ignorant rather than a
legitimate roundtable discussion group. However, unfortunately, for many
viewers, the misinformed words these panelists spewed will be taken to heart and
considered accurate. As a so-called “News Leader”, CNN should take serious
consideration of each and every item that they air and give these topics the
utmost respect to do them justice."

babies!!!!! [aka REFERRAL DAY]

BRING ON THE REFERRALS! Better late than never - Referrals for December came a bit late this month - but they did get through quite a few days this time.

Today, the CCAA sent referrals for families that were logged in on the waiting list through September 27, 2005. Current wait is now around 16 months and expected to get longer (sigh . . . yeah).
__________________________________________________________________

and now for a special waiting parents tip . . . a funny/scary parental "oh sh*t" moment:
I was on the phone with my sister today while she was over at my Mom & Dad's house. All of a sudden, she freaks and puts down the phone screaming "GIRLS NOOOOOOO!" My nieces, N (4.5) & G (3) were "drinking PaPa's juice" (their words). PARENTS - LOCK UP YOUR LIQUOR CABINET! guess they wanted to celebrate referral day?

PLEASE NOTE: No children were harmed during this episode. All bottles remained intact with no caps removed. No alchohol was ingested during this "pretend" scenario. However, my sister probably lost a year of her life.

happy birthday wicked witch

PS. for everyone that doesn't understand this - just a little birthday prank for one of the awesome women in my adoption group - back to regular programming tomorrow!