Something new has been added -

If people have a position on something and you try to argue them into changing it, you're going to strengthen that position. If you want to change people's ideas, you shouldn't try to convince them intellectually. What you need to do is get them into a situation where they'll have to act on ideas, not argue about them.

- Myles Horton

There's a new feed you can sign up for via Sojourners - "Verse and Voice" - go to http://www.sojo.net and sign up for it. The verse for today?

For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

- Psalms 94:15-19

Study subject? How do you determine the "wicked?" Discuss.

Uhhhhh yeah.

I have *counts on fingers* six email accounts I manage on top of this thing.

Something new has been added -

If people have a position on something and you try to argue them into changing it, you're going to strengthen that position. If you want to change people's ideas, you shouldn't try to convince them intellectually. What you need to do is get them into a situation where they'll have to act on ideas, not argue about them.

- Myles Horton

There's a new feed you can sign up for via Sojourners - "Verse and Voice" - go to http://www.sojo.net and sign up for it. The verse for today?

For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

- Psalms 94:15-19

Study subject? How do you determine the "wicked?" Discuss.

Uhhhhh yeah.

I have *counts on fingers* six email accounts I manage on top of this thing.

Something new has been added -

If people have a position on something and you try to argue them into changing it, you're going to strengthen that position. If you want to change people's ideas, you shouldn't try to convince them intellectually. What you need to do is get them into a situation where they'll have to act on ideas, not argue about them.

- Myles Horton

There's a new feed you can sign up for via Sojourners - "Verse and Voice" - go to http://www.sojo.net and sign up for it. The verse for today?

For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

- Psalms 94:15-19

Study subject? How do you determine the "wicked?" Discuss.

Uhhhhh yeah.

I have *counts on fingers* six email accounts I manage on top of this thing.

And to complement the previous post?

This stuff just fucking scares me.

Uh, detecting Evil at high noon. Yup.

And to complement the previous post?

This stuff just fucking scares me.

Uh, detecting Evil at high noon. Yup.

And to complement the previous post?

This stuff just fucking scares me.

Uh, detecting Evil at high noon. Yup.

Something sweet -

You want a really sweet story?

..that’s exactly what happened to Sarah Culberson. In 2004, 28-year old Culberson, a biracial woman who had been adopted by a white family in West Virginia as a baby—hired a private investigator to find her biological father. (Her mother, she had been informed a few years earlier, had died of breast cancer.) The investigator called back within three hours; the information he yielded was a shocker: her father was a member of the ruling family of the Mende tribe in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. She was, by birthright, a princess. “I just about fell off my seat,” says Culberson, an aspiring actress who had trained in San Francisco. “I mean, a princess. To be totally honest, it was really cool.”

If a bit frightening. Culberson was able to contact her father’s brother, who promised to pass on her contact information to her dad. Two weeks went by, time Culberson spent wondering if she’d be welcome in her father’s life—or his world. When he called, the first words he spoke to her were comforting: “He told me, ‘Please forgive me. I didn’t know how to find you,’” she says. “And then he said, ‘When can I meet you? I want you to come.’” In December, Culberson flew to his village, Bumpe. She brought along a filmmaker friend to record the reunion.

Culberson received a royal welcome. As she drove into the city, hundreds of villagers swarmed the car to welcome her. The women of the village, dressed identically in long, green dresses, sang and danced. And then she met her father, who—to her delight—had eyes similar to her own. “To look like some one is amazing,” says Culberson. “Most people take it for granted, but I grew up in a family where my sisters had blonde hair with green eyes. I stood out. For the first time to look like someone… it was the most beautiful gift in the whole world.”

And I am sure her parents are absolutely delighted for her. I'd love to hear from them - I know I would be!

The "I didn't know how to find you" bit? Absolutely. Having tred through the morass of what legalities are apparent in an adoption, I can vouch for him.

It surprised me a bit to discover that part of the appeal of an international adoption from China, is the total lack of any identifying information on the birth parents. What I am able to gather at the time of her adoption? I can claim with reasonable authority that that's all there is. And it's pitiful little, to be blunt. Most of the time, the birthdate is estimated. These are babies found abandoned - you might know where, but by whom? *shakes head*

And yes, there are reasons why I want Asian over Hispanic day care providers...please, someplace where she won't stand out. It may never even be noticed, but it would be fine with me, as the adult, to be the only cracker in the box. Yanno?

I love happy endings - but in this case, I'd also have to say - so far, so good. Not every story has this kind of resolution - they tend to be as individual as fingerprints.

Something sweet -

You want a really sweet story?

..that’s exactly what happened to Sarah Culberson. In 2004, 28-year old Culberson, a biracial woman who had been adopted by a white family in West Virginia as a baby—hired a private investigator to find her biological father. (Her mother, she had been informed a few years earlier, had died of breast cancer.) The investigator called back within three hours; the information he yielded was a shocker: her father was a member of the ruling family of the Mende tribe in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. She was, by birthright, a princess. “I just about fell off my seat,” says Culberson, an aspiring actress who had trained in San Francisco. “I mean, a princess. To be totally honest, it was really cool.”

If a bit frightening. Culberson was able to contact her father’s brother, who promised to pass on her contact information to her dad. Two weeks went by, time Culberson spent wondering if she’d be welcome in her father’s life—or his world. When he called, the first words he spoke to her were comforting: “He told me, ‘Please forgive me. I didn’t know how to find you,’” she says. “And then he said, ‘When can I meet you? I want you to come.’” In December, Culberson flew to his village, Bumpe. She brought along a filmmaker friend to record the reunion.

Culberson received a royal welcome. As she drove into the city, hundreds of villagers swarmed the car to welcome her. The women of the village, dressed identically in long, green dresses, sang and danced. And then she met her father, who—to her delight—had eyes similar to her own. “To look like some one is amazing,” says Culberson. “Most people take it for granted, but I grew up in a family where my sisters had blonde hair with green eyes. I stood out. For the first time to look like someone… it was the most beautiful gift in the whole world.”

And I am sure her parents are absolutely delighted for her. I'd love to hear from them - I know I would be!

The "I didn't know how to find you" bit? Absolutely. Having tred through the morass of what legalities are apparent in an adoption, I can vouch for him.

It surprised me a bit to discover that part of the appeal of an international adoption from China, is the total lack of any identifying information on the birth parents. What I am able to gather at the time of her adoption? I can claim with reasonable authority that that's all there is. And it's pitiful little, to be blunt. Most of the time, the birthdate is estimated. These are babies found abandoned - you might know where, but by whom? *shakes head*

And yes, there are reasons why I want Asian over Hispanic day care providers...please, someplace where she won't stand out. It may never even be noticed, but it would be fine with me, as the adult, to be the only cracker in the box. Yanno?

I love happy endings - but in this case, I'd also have to say - so far, so good. Not every story has this kind of resolution - they tend to be as individual as fingerprints.

Something sweet -

You want a really sweet story?

..that’s exactly what happened to Sarah Culberson. In 2004, 28-year old Culberson, a biracial woman who had been adopted by a white family in West Virginia as a baby—hired a private investigator to find her biological father. (Her mother, she had been informed a few years earlier, had died of breast cancer.) The investigator called back within three hours; the information he yielded was a shocker: her father was a member of the ruling family of the Mende tribe in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. She was, by birthright, a princess. “I just about fell off my seat,” says Culberson, an aspiring actress who had trained in San Francisco. “I mean, a princess. To be totally honest, it was really cool.”

If a bit frightening. Culberson was able to contact her father’s brother, who promised to pass on her contact information to her dad. Two weeks went by, time Culberson spent wondering if she’d be welcome in her father’s life—or his world. When he called, the first words he spoke to her were comforting: “He told me, ‘Please forgive me. I didn’t know how to find you,’” she says. “And then he said, ‘When can I meet you? I want you to come.’” In December, Culberson flew to his village, Bumpe. She brought along a filmmaker friend to record the reunion.

Culberson received a royal welcome. As she drove into the city, hundreds of villagers swarmed the car to welcome her. The women of the village, dressed identically in long, green dresses, sang and danced. And then she met her father, who—to her delight—had eyes similar to her own. “To look like some one is amazing,” says Culberson. “Most people take it for granted, but I grew up in a family where my sisters had blonde hair with green eyes. I stood out. For the first time to look like someone… it was the most beautiful gift in the whole world.”

And I am sure her parents are absolutely delighted for her. I'd love to hear from them - I know I would be!

The "I didn't know how to find you" bit? Absolutely. Having tred through the morass of what legalities are apparent in an adoption, I can vouch for him.

It surprised me a bit to discover that part of the appeal of an international adoption from China, is the total lack of any identifying information on the birth parents. What I am able to gather at the time of her adoption? I can claim with reasonable authority that that's all there is. And it's pitiful little, to be blunt. Most of the time, the birthdate is estimated. These are babies found abandoned - you might know where, but by whom? *shakes head*

And yes, there are reasons why I want Asian over Hispanic day care providers...please, someplace where she won't stand out. It may never even be noticed, but it would be fine with me, as the adult, to be the only cracker in the box. Yanno?

I love happy endings - but in this case, I'd also have to say - so far, so good. Not every story has this kind of resolution - they tend to be as individual as fingerprints.

And another thing -

Going to the dentist this week?

Means I got to read some really fiiiine Ladies Home Journal while in the waiting room.

I read this one story about the parents who teenager "just never came home." I mean, she had therapy in town, three hours away by train and so forth and so on? Yabbity yab yab?

And they went on...and on...AND ON. She just skipped school and *swoons* -

Okay.

The topper? She'd fallen into this exotic teen subculture!

Wait for it.

..

Uh, MySpace.com.

You can imagine how hard it was not to burst out laughing and toss the damn thing across the room. I mean, really.

Access to the internet and doing something pretty normal (at least, as far as I can see?), like finding people who wanted to spend time with her, experimenting (okay, not in a safe fashion, but HELLO) with identity and so on? Those are the issues - not the existence of MySpace.

I guess I can scratch one thing off the list of things I have to worry about when my kids are teens. I don't have any illusions about where they can find people to hook up with that Mummy Doesn't Know Herself. Or why they'd go looking.

And any kid who needs therapy that can't be found within a 20 - 30 min drive? That's serious stuff. You go to those therapy sessions, too. Keep them to a minimum, get the work done and get out of there. Kids in this much trouble don't get left to their own devices 100% of the time. That's not snooping - that's a clear indicator that something is broken in the relationship, and needs attention on BOTH sides.

A minor child under the age is 18 is still a child. Expect them to act like adults with training wheels and gee, don't be surprised if that's exactly what you end up with. OH, and BTW? You don't have to be into everything the kids are? But it helps if you at least know your kids and enjoy being a part of their lives.

Teenage sub-culture, my foot....

And another thing -

Going to the dentist this week?

Means I got to read some really fiiiine Ladies Home Journal while in the waiting room.

I read this one story about the parents who teenager "just never came home." I mean, she had therapy in town, three hours away by train and so forth and so on? Yabbity yab yab?

And they went on...and on...AND ON. She just skipped school and *swoons* -

Okay.

The topper? She'd fallen into this exotic teen subculture!

Wait for it.

..

Uh, MySpace.com.

You can imagine how hard it was not to burst out laughing and toss the damn thing across the room. I mean, really.

Access to the internet and doing something pretty normal (at least, as far as I can see?), like finding people who wanted to spend time with her, experimenting (okay, not in a safe fashion, but HELLO) with identity and so on? Those are the issues - not the existence of MySpace.

I guess I can scratch one thing off the list of things I have to worry about when my kids are teens. I don't have any illusions about where they can find people to hook up with that Mummy Doesn't Know Herself. Or why they'd go looking.

And any kid who needs therapy that can't be found within a 20 - 30 min drive? That's serious stuff. You go to those therapy sessions, too. Keep them to a minimum, get the work done and get out of there. Kids in this much trouble don't get left to their own devices 100% of the time. That's not snooping - that's a clear indicator that something is broken in the relationship, and needs attention on BOTH sides.

A minor child under the age is 18 is still a child. Expect them to act like adults with training wheels and gee, don't be surprised if that's exactly what you end up with. OH, and BTW? You don't have to be into everything the kids are? But it helps if you at least know your kids and enjoy being a part of their lives.

Teenage sub-culture, my foot....

And another thing -

Going to the dentist this week?

Means I got to read some really fiiiine Ladies Home Journal while in the waiting room.

I read this one story about the parents who teenager "just never came home." I mean, she had therapy in town, three hours away by train and so forth and so on? Yabbity yab yab?

And they went on...and on...AND ON. She just skipped school and *swoons* -

Okay.

The topper? She'd fallen into this exotic teen subculture!

Wait for it.

..

Uh, MySpace.com.

You can imagine how hard it was not to burst out laughing and toss the damn thing across the room. I mean, really.

Access to the internet and doing something pretty normal (at least, as far as I can see?), like finding people who wanted to spend time with her, experimenting (okay, not in a safe fashion, but HELLO) with identity and so on? Those are the issues - not the existence of MySpace.

I guess I can scratch one thing off the list of things I have to worry about when my kids are teens. I don't have any illusions about where they can find people to hook up with that Mummy Doesn't Know Herself. Or why they'd go looking.

And any kid who needs therapy that can't be found within a 20 - 30 min drive? That's serious stuff. You go to those therapy sessions, too. Keep them to a minimum, get the work done and get out of there. Kids in this much trouble don't get left to their own devices 100% of the time. That's not snooping - that's a clear indicator that something is broken in the relationship, and needs attention on BOTH sides.

A minor child under the age is 18 is still a child. Expect them to act like adults with training wheels and gee, don't be surprised if that's exactly what you end up with. OH, and BTW? You don't have to be into everything the kids are? But it helps if you at least know your kids and enjoy being a part of their lives.

Teenage sub-culture, my foot....