Here are some of the news stories that I am reading.

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PRISON

Similarly to Russia, most of them [former Soviet countries] also have high rates of female imprisonment.

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Ukraine is "quite high" at 6.1 percent.

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Russia's number "is quite high" at 6.5 percent..... the figure is too high, considering that there has been a reform of the penal system that prevents many women from... more

Here are the Ukrainian news stories that I am reading now.

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MILITARY

Ukrainian soldier shot for watching TV

The NATO military exercise in the Crimea was canceled back in June because of the protests. Many Crimean cities passed "NATO... more

Here are some news stories that I am reading now.

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BIRD FLU

H5N1 - Avian Influenza in Ukraine for the Third Time in June in Sumy. In December 2005 it showed up in Kherson.

And now it is the Crimea. Really bad news for the chicken farmers. Russia has... more

Yesterday's great news is that people are getting their appointment letters. There are many families (around 50?) who know an older child (hosting or met at an orphanage during their first adoption) and are adopting them. The SDA is giving these familiies priority which is why they are getting appointment letters first.

The first few families to get the appointment letters had to pay about $50. SDA sent them COD. However UPS seems to be billing... more

For all those Going Crazy Waiting for Your Ukrainian Appointment Letter, then is hope.

Three families who are adopting older children received their appointment letters today. They received them via UPS as "cash on delivery". The families had to pay about $50.00 to get the letter.

One family is adopting a child they hosted in 2004. Another family registered in March 2005.

GOOD NEWS.... Everyone... more

My computer died on me.. I have limited access but should be able to start posting again tommorrow.

But first I have to share my Zorse photo. Recently I went to the Omaha Zoo (World Class Zoo) and saw a Zorse.

A zorse is the offspring of a zebra stallion and a horse mare. It is a zebroid: this term refers to any hybrid equine with zebra ancestry.

The zorse is shaped more like a horse than a zebra, but has boldly striped legs and, often, stripes on the body or neck.... more

Picture: This is Methylphenidate which is a generic drug. Many people think of it as Ritalin but this is a brand name.

I am slow.. I just spotted this comment on my blog. And it made me think and do some research of my own. Interesting questions...

I adopted my son from Russia. He is now 5 1/2. He was diagnosed with ADHD last summer. We have been testing different meds and found one to be working well since Jan. I am also a special education teacher - I teach middle school students.... more

When I am looking for information or updates on Ukrainian adoption I normally look at these web sites first. These are official sources of information… I prefer them to the rumor mill.

Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago

There are 4 Ukrainian consulates in the United States. They all have pages on... more

I adopted my darling daughter Natasha from Kharkiv (Kharkov is the Russian spelling.

is the second largest city in Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kharkiv Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Kharkivsky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city is located in the northeast of the country at around 49°54′60″N, 36°18′60″E.

The current estimated population is 1.4 million (as of 2005).

From:... more

Picture: Natasha in Mama's Hat

I adopted my daughter Natasha from Ukraine in December 2000. She was 3.5 years old.

Natasha was full of anger and had every right to her anger. She was in the orphange system for 2.5 years. I believe that the adults did the best that they could. But Natasha was in an institution. She did not have a single item that she could call her own.

When you see underwear that you wore last week on someone else....

You have to know that you own nothing. Natasha had very little... more