Accidental Adoption

From the APC archives, message #70961 (August 4, 2001):

Have you ever noticed that you hear all the time about 'accidental' pregnancies, but never about couples who experience 'accidental' adoptions? Can you imagine:

Honey, sit down. I have some news for you.

What is it?

Well, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come right out with it. I went out to the mailbox today and ... well, we got an I-171H.

A what?!? An I-171H? As in, we're going to have another baby?!? It looks that way.

But how? We've been so careful! I put away all the blank I-600A forms. Didn't you hide our homestudy update?

Of course I did. But don't forget, there was that one night.

What night? (pauses) Ohhhh, that night. But it was only once. We were just messing around. I didn't print clearly. I didn't even use ink! (pauses again) But it was kind of fun.

(giggles) It was, wasn't it? I'll never forget how cute you looked getting your fingerprints.

So now we've got our I-171H, eh? But that doesn't always mean you'll adopt, does it? I mean, shouldn't you see the agency or something, make sure everything's okay?

I already did.

And?

I'm five documents along.

Five documents?!? And they're all notarized, certified and authenticated okay?

Just great. There was one small scare when the agency couldn't see the notary's middle initial, but it showed up just fine under the magnifying glass.

Thank God. And you, honey? Are you feeling okay?

I'm feeling fine. As long as I know you're happy about this.

Happy? I'm thrilled! It's alway a shock at first when something like this happens, but of course I'm happy.

(Thanks to Bethany and Carol from APC!)

News

Chinese Theme Park in Florida Closing: A theme park that displayed miniature replicas of China's historic landmarks will close Wednesday after a 10-year run, a victim of bigger competitors and a tourism slowdown. Florida Splendid China drew only a few dozen visitors some days, while bigger and flashier parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Florida were attracting tens of thousands.

Chinese Communities Shifting to Mandarin: When she first arrived in San Francisco and walked through Chinatown's streets speaking Mandarin, people muttered under their breath. They called Rose Pak a Chinese person who didn't speak Chinese.

China likely to be "Mad Cow" free: China's prevention and monitoring system against the deadly Mad Cow Disease is likely to keep the country free of the disease, thanks to the country's continuous efforts in strengthening related work, said an official from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) here Saturday.

Hong Kong's 'Madonna' dies, aged 40: The Chinese-speaking world was yesterday mourning the death of the woman known to many as Asia's greatest diva—the singer and actress, Anita Mui.

News

Largest Giant Panda Park Opens: The world's largest park for giant pandas has opened in southwest China's Sichuan Province with an initial group of 20 animals. Located at Bifengxia Base of the China Giant Panda Research Center (CGPRC), Ya'an City, the park will cover an area of 400 hectares, of which 71.4 hectares has been completed.

Chinese woman kills daughter to escape neighbour's scorn: A woman killed one of her daughters because her neighbours were making snide remarks about the fact that she had three children.

Local Stories

With an arsenal of love, woman fights for world's children: Everyone talks about the fire. The day in October 1997 when Janice Neilson came home from China to find the Lacey home in which she and her husband, Scott, had raised five children, in ashes.

Espy pair adopts Chinese orphan: An 11-month-old Chinese girl abandoned on the steps of a sports complex in her infancy was baptized here Christmas Eve and welcomed as the newest member of Jim and Jeannine Roberts' family.

World events come to bear on Fleming couple's adoption of Chinese baby girl: The screams 'Baba, Baba,' greet Tom Davenport whenever he comes home. His eyes light up and sparkle almost as much as Sarah's, the little girl whose voice greets him each day.

2003 in Review

2003 in Retrospect—Ups and Downs of China's Tourism: For China's tourism, 2003 is definitely an impressive year. The ups and downs of tourism affected by the happenings of some major events of this year showed that tourism is a very vulnerable industry. Because of the Iraq war and SARS plague, China's tourism output had decreased to zero in a short time in the first half of the year. However, the industry recovered soon and eventually went through the hardest time, regaining its vigor and momentum.

Top 10 China news stories in 2003: China's Xinhua News Agency has selected out the top 10 domestic news stories in 2003, including election of new leaders, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, successful spaceflight of Shenzhou-5 and the latest gas field blowout in southwest China.

Top 10 China's economic news for 2003 : The fact that the Chinese economy maintained strong momentum despite the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has placed all eyes on China in 2003. Minimized SARS effect on growth was voted as one of the top 10 domestic economic news makers in 2003 by China Daily and 14 other news organizations, as well as some renowned economists and entrepreneurs.

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Beautiful China

News

Space project is East-West first: Europe and China launch a joint space mission on Monday to study how the magnetised and charged particles streaming off the Sun affect Earth.

Beijing kicks off construction of two more Olympic venues: Beijing laid the foundation of a shooting range and cycling velodrome for the 2008 Olympic Games on Sunday following the start of the construction of two centerpiece venues.

New Book

Assignment Shanghai: Photographs on the Eve of Revolution

Shipping out to China in December 1947 with three ten-year-old German cameras and a plum assignment from Life magazine, Jack Birns was fulfilling a boyhood dream. The reality was something else: refugees and prostitutes, soldiers and beggars, street executions and urban protests photographed in difficult and often dangerous circumstances amidst the poverty, corruption, and chaos of an expanding civil war. By then the ruling Nationalist Party had been battling the Communist threat for more than two decades, and Birns focused his camera on the human drama unfolding as war pressed ever closer to the country's financial, cultural, and commercial capital. His effort to show China's misery up close ran afoul of Time-Life publisher Henry R. Luce's fervent anti-communism, and for half a century many of these historic photographs lay unpublished in Time-Life's archives. Printed here for the first time, they offer a graphic vision of a great city, Shanghai, poised on the precipice of political revolution.

Seen through the lens of hindsight, Birns's photographs give us a sense not only of what China was like more than fifty years ago, but also of why the warfare, weariness, and desperation of the time proved such fertile soil for communist revolution. Today these everyday scenes of ordinary people--pedicab drivers, street vendors, bar girls, police, politicians, prisoners--tell a story of national resilience and dignity in the midst of enveloping poverty, repression, and fear. Birns's stark black and white photographs capture the dramatic end of an era, but they also look forward, letting us glimpse how Shanghai's past prefigures the city's commercial and cultural revival in the 1990s.

News

Beijing alert to newly-found suspected SARS case: Beijing public health departments have responded quickly to the latest suspected SARS case found in south China's Guangdong Province and issued emergency measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

China gas well blowout, toxic fumes kill at least 191: Fumes spewed from a gas well in China's southwest, killing at least 191 people and forcing the evacuation of people in the area. The blowout occurred Tuesday night at a natural gas field in Kaixian County, outside the city of Chongqing.

Beijing raises minimum wage: The minimum wage rate in Beijing is to rise by 30 yuan (3.6 US dollars) to 495 yuan (59.8 US dollars) per month, the Beijing Office of Labor and Social Security announced Thursday.

New Book

It is with great pleasure (and a little relief) that I'd like to announce the publication of "Sing Song Girls", the third book in the Autumn Jade Mystery Series.

Taking up from the second book, "The Emperor's Pendant", Autumn Jade and her friends Vanessa and Adam return to Mayne Island to work on a horse ranch. But overheard conversations and a strange creature on the hillside soon have Autumn convinced that there is a zhi (Chinese unicorn) somewhere on the island. Vivid dreams of Shanghai in the 1930s interweave once again with the present day mystery to lead Autumn and her pals on another thrilling adventure.

The book includes a foreword by Jane Brown, M.S.W. and the eye-catching cover artwork of children's book author and illustrator Trevor Lai.

"Sing Song Girls" is available by itself for $7.99 or as part of a specially priced three book gift set for 21.99 (plus shipping & handling). All three Autumn Jade Mystery books are available directly from our web site: http://www.autumnjade.com/.

News

China to protect private property: Members of China's National People's Congress have introduced a proposed amendment to the constitution, which will legally protect private property rights for the first time since 1949.

In China—Profit at your own peril: On the last Tuesday in May, a local Communist Party official invited Sun Dawu to lunch. But when Sun, a prominent businessman, reached the restaurant, he found the invitation had been a ruse. Entering the lobby, he was greeted by a small army of plainclothes police officers.

Influence of Mao's "little red books" lingers on: Though no adorer of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong like her father and grandfather, Chen Di, 20, has still found occasion to turn to Mao's famous "little red book". A computer science student at the prestigious University of Wales in Britain, Chen said that Mao's indoctrination to "study hard and make progress every day" was worth following.

Chinese courts buy mobile execution units: China's courts are buying mobile execution units to speed up their proceedings. Supreme Court has urged courts nationwide to equip themselves with special execution vans that can put convicted criminals to death immediately after sentencing.

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

News

China rejects US religious freedom report: China rejected the US State Department's annual report on religious freedom Sunday with "strong displeasure" and "resolute objection". Commenting on the International Religious Freedom Report 2003 released by the US State Department, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the criticism on China's religious policies and freedom situation in the report defied facts and was "extremely unfair and absolutely unreasonable".

Chinese get life for arranging sex tour for Japanese: A Chinese court sentenced a hotel employee and a brothel keeper to life imprisonment yesterday for organising what was described as an orgy for hundreds of Japanese tourists.

China's love of records: It has been a record-breaking year for China. It set a new national record for setting records this year, having 19 new records verified in the Guinness World Records. A tiny teapot measuring just 6.8 millimetres and a dragon dance made up of 3,200 people are among China's new world records.

Beautiful China

Adoption Article from China

Abandoned Chinese babies find love from foreign parents: Statistics show that more than 50,000 Chinese abandoned babies have been adopted by foreign families since the 1990s, and the number is keeping rising. Foreign-related adoption not only helps release the burden of Chinese orphanages, but gives family love to the children who badly need it. . . . Lissick, the mother and a free-lancer, said: "We don't care whether our children are of our own blood. What we do care is that they need a family, and we need children. All children have the right to enjoy a lovely family no matter where they live. We prefer offering our love to the children who are already presented in the world and longing for a family, rather than bringing another baby to the world."

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Beautiful China

Sale -- Chinese Dictionary for Palm

If you have a Palm OS PDA and are interested in learning Chinese, this is a must get product. It includes the entire Oxford™ Concise Chinese Dictionary (both Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese, as well as some powerful features such as pinyin search, handwriting recognition for characters, and flashcards. (Additional features can be found on the product page.)

I found the most utility with the character input. Never again will you have to count strokes and look up a character in a table to find its meaning. Simply input the character (as best you can) and this software will suggest possible matches. Select the correct one, and jump to its definition!

If you are serious about learning Chinese, this product alone will justify the purchase of a Palm Pilot.

"For slightly under a week, lasting through next Tuesday the 16th (Eastern Standard Time, GMT-5), Pleco.com be offering an unprecedented FORTY percent discount on the Oxford E&C for Palm, bringing the price to far and away the lowest level it's ever been, $29.97. In order to receive this discount you must enter the coupon code "daliuzhe" when ordering."

News

Bush warns Taiwan over referendum: US President George W Bush has warned Taiwan against any steps towards independence, after talks with the Chinese prime minister in Washington.

Group of uninhabited South China Sea islands for sale: A group of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea are for sale to be developed for tourism and industrial purposes, state media reported.

Ladybugs for the Crib

Dealsdepot.com is selling a Doodle Bugs 3 Piece Crib Bedding Set. It includes a Comforter, Crib Sheet , and Bumper Pad with an easy care machine washable polyester cotton blend. (Fits standard size crib mattress.)

(Thanks Lisa from APC!)

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

News

China trademarks astronaut: Chinese businesses hoping to cash in on the country's first man in space are to be sorely disappointed. Space officials in Beijing have registered the image, name and signature of Colonel Yang Liwei, as a trademark. They are seeking to prevent the use of Colonel Yang to sell products, although he has already been used in advertisements, and on calendars and playing cards.

Toyota car ads belittle dignity of the Chinese nation: Toyota lately roused resentment from Chinese people when it makes two stone lions, a traditional symbol of power in China, salute and bow to Toyota's Land Cruiser and Prado GX in two ads respectively. The two ads had drawn widespread indignation and criticism from China's netizens.

Beijing 2008 Olympic logo's rights stir debate: The "Dancing Beijing'' logo—the emblem for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games#151;has triggered heated debate among officials and experts regarding who is the legal proprietor of its trademark and intellectual property rights.

News

Miss China takes third in Miss World: Nineteen-year-old Miss Ireland, Rosanna Davison, daughter of singer Chris de Burgh, was crowned Miss World 2003 on Saturday in China's first international beauty pageant. It was China's first time hosting an international beauty pageant . . . Host country's Miss China, Guan Qi, took third. . . . Tickets sold briskly, though the prices between $80 to $2,000 were hugely expensive in a country where the monthly urban salary averages $100.

Hollywood movies enjoy great popularity in China: Following the debut of the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" in China last week, another movie, "The Italian Job" has also been a hit, as Hollywood movies conclude their 2003 run in China, gaining another impressive annual box office revenue.

Profile—Wen Jiabao: Wen Jiabao, who as China's Premier is charged with overseeing the country's economic reforms, has a reputation as a strong administrator and technocrat.

Beautiful China

News

My grandma was a missionary in China: Joy Davies tells how bandits and bound feet were all in a day's work for her grandmother, a missionary in 1890s China.

China Opens Doors for Miss World Pageant: It looms above the palm trees, gleaming like a tiara—the $12 million convention hall built for a Miss World pageant that this picturesque but poor Chinese city hopes will put it on the global tourism map.

China sets its sights on the Moon: China has outlined plans to land a man on the Moon by 2020, the country's chief space official said in comments broadcast on state television.

Shopping Ideas

At Uncommon Goods, you can find various China-related items, like this silk dragon diaper bag.

(Thanks Christine from APC!)

Local News

Family in an 'instant': Christy and Wayne Borton recently adopted their daughter, Brooke, from China. Christy is also pregnant with twins after countless miscarriages and two failed adoptions.

Surprised by Joy: Mary Beth Chapman never dreamed she'd travel to China to adopt two little girls, or that they'd help in her journey toward healing from depression.

Adoption—hopes fulfilled: Framed pictures of Chinese characters translated into English hang in the foyer of Bruce and Robin Stephens' home, expressing the sentiments of one family and two culture.

Adoptive couple earn recognition: With a nod from Ginny Brown-Waite and adoption efforts everywhere, a pair prove that love is thicker than water.

Identity elusive for some adopted kids: When Donna and Mark Walton traveled with their daughter from Milford to China earlier this year, it was for more than a vacation. Besides touring Beijing and seeing the Great Wall, the Waltons visited the orphanage where 8-year-old Lauren lived before they adopted her in 1996. And they adopted their second daughter, 17-month-old Lily.

News

President details missile threat: Chen Shui-bian, looking to win support for a 'defensive referendum' on sovereignty, said China has 496 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan.

China's Secrecy Syndrome . . . : It has become almost a cliche to talk about the fact that China is changing rapidly, and therefore doesn't require the kind of pressure that was needed with the Soviet Union. But to the thousands who are locked up in prisons and in mental institutions for their beliefs, that is cold comfort.

China plans to ease rapid [economic] growth: China is set to touch the brakes in 2004, taking the edge off wildfire growth.

China issues report on wife abuse: Sixteen percent of married women in China have reportedly been beaten by their spouses.

News

Baby smugglers sentenced to death: A court in China has sentenced two people to death for selling 118 babies to smugglers.

PlayStation braves Chinese waters: The PlayStation 2 console is being launched in China next month, despite concerns about widespread piracy.

China's first spaceman breaks the Great Wall fallacy: Elementary school teacher Xiao Chunlan is puzzled by a sudden jolt to her long-held belief that she thought was as rock solid as the Great Wall. Namely, the Great Wall is one of only two man-made structures that astronauts can see from space with their naked eyes

China Teaches HIV Prevention on AIDS Day: Health workers hit the streets of China's capital Monday, marking World AIDS Day by teaching prevention in a country whose leaders have promised an aggressive fight against the disease - and a new openness learned during the battle against SARS.

Beautiful China

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.