Here is an email from the US Embassy in Kyiv on the July 3 press conference. It confirms what I heard from various translators.... and it has some more information.

Ukraine is focusing on domestic adoption. Every year a thousand or more Ukrainian citizens adopt children, but it has been decreasing. The number of disrupted domestic Ukrainian adoptions has been increasing.

And the government is trying to get rid of any corruption from the adoption system.

And a very interesting change..... Adoptive parents can no longer bring their own translator with them... more

The Korespondent Journal created this richest Ukrainian list. I cannot find an on-line link to this story. I got this information via The Action Ukraine Report.

Continuing the list... Here is the 8th richest Ukrainian.

8. Dmytro Firtash

Korespondent estimates his assets at USD 1.4 billion.

He is 40 years old and owns a Kiev basketball club.

Firtash is in a very interesting position. He is in the middle of a very shady deal.

Firtash has ties with Ukrainian... more

The Korespondent Journal created this richest Ukrainian list. I cannot find an on-line link to this story. I got this information via The Action Ukraine Report.

It is interesting that Forbes can only find 3 Ukrainian Billionaires. The Korespondent Journal found 9 of them.

Kespondent says that it encountered secrecy and complicated business structures involving offshore companies during compilation of the list.

Korespondent... more

Picture: Chernyshova Yevheniya Rodionivna, director of the Centre

The old NAC web site (down now) had photos that several people are looking for. This blog entry is for them. These are government photos and from what I can tell aren't copyrighted.

About the NAC in the Ukrainian government's own words.

In support of UNO Convention on children's rights that was ratified by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on February 27, 1991, our state recognized importance and necessity to give priority to the placement of orphaned children and children... more

Yuri Pavlenko is the Minister for Family, Youth and Sport. The State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights (SDA) is in this Ministry. SDA has all authority over Ukrainian adoption. Everyone was hoping he would announce when adoptions will start up again.

Pavlenko held a press conference this morning about adoption and future plans to reduce the number of homeless children.

For anyone who is wondering.... Pavlenko is safe and won't be leaving. With the coalition government forming this means that some Ministers will be replaced.

Ukrainian... more

The Korespondent Journal compiled a richest Ukrainian list. The Kyiv Post and analysts from Dragon Capital investment bank helped with information to generate this list.

I only found this information via The Action Ukraine Report. The Ukrainian News Agency released the top 30 richest Ukrainians on June 30, 2006. They got the list from the Korespondent journal. I cannot find an on-line reference for them. It could be that they... more

Picture: An Open Air Market in Kharkiv from 2000. Everyone lays their goods on the sidewalk.

I know this is a very basic question. But I forgot poverty isn't always defined by lack of money. I assume others folks fall into this thinking too.

try this definition [of poverty] from Benjamin I. Page and James R. Simmons, political scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, respectively

...............

"A person deprived of things that everyone around him has is likely to suffer... more

As the ball turns...

At the beginning of Ukraine's world cup experiences... They were creamed by Spain; 4 to 0.

Many theories were put forth on why Ukraine Lost to Spain. Some of them were very amusing.

Then Ukraine won 3 matches... more

Part 1 was on Third World Guilt.

Families traveling to Ukraine... especially families adopting older children will have read stories about human trafficking. It used to be called slavery.

This is a major problem for Ukraine. It is a source and a destination for human beings who are used and abused. Many children, men and women (49% of Ukraine) are vulnerable to trafficking.

29% of Ukrainians live under the poverty line (Isn't the line about $50 per month?... more

Adoptive parents should be prepared for a very emotional experience in Ukraine and not just because of the adoption process.

Have you ever traveled to a third world country? Seen poverty up close and personal? Been/are connected with people who struggle to find food to eat? Lived in an area where clean water isn't easily available?

There is something known as "third world guilt" that many adoptive parents people in the land of plenty may feel. My younger brother has traveled the World. He first ran into true poverty in Turkey. His comment was,... more