Search Results for: blog a memorial day thank you to those who served

North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Il Dies – Part 1

About seven years ago, I wrote an article about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, i.e. North Korea. Despite the fact that my uncle had been in the Korean conflict, I really didn’t know much about the country. After doing research for that article, I became more interested in what was going on in North Korea. I ave watched many documentaries since then and when you talk about human rights, or rather, lack thereof, you cannot ignore North Korea. North Korea is one of the most reclusive countries in the world. The rest of the world really has no way … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving and the Occupy Movement

Whether you support the Occupy Movement, are against it, or are somehow unaware of its existence, one thing remains true. This is a historic event. Generations from now, genealogists will wonder if any of their ancestors were part of the 99%. This year, Thanksgiving was celebrated in a different way. Holidays, and the way we celebrate them, are important. Thanksgiving is usually a day that people spend with their families, in a warm and comfortable home, surrounded by plenty of good food. It is a day to give thanks for everything that we have. Genealogists can learn a lot about … Continue reading →

Remember Your Ancestors On Memorial Day

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Memorial Day was once called Decoration Day. One of the ways to celebrate Memorial Day is to visit a graveyard, and decorate the graves of your ancestors who were in the military. This gives a genealogist the opportunity to record the information that is found on their gravestones. If you are unable to travel to a cemetery on Memorial Day weekend, you might still be able to obtain the information on a grave from an online resource. If you are visiting a cemetery this Memorial Day weekend, it is traditional to decorate the graves of your ancestors who served in … Continue reading →

Who Wants a Bouncing Baby Boy?

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My last blog told about the much-longer wait times experienced by couples adopting from China. I mentioned that one reason is that most adoptive parents wish to adopt a girl. Most adoptive families, even those who want girls themselves, are surprised to hear how many other adoptive families want girls also. Some theories on why this preference exists are: that it’s mostly the prospective mother who drives the adoption process, and she may want a girl like herself, or that single mothers may feel that they can more effectively provide a role model to a child of the same gender. … Continue reading →

Lest We Forget: U.S. Troops and Families were Pioneers of International Adoption

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As we remember our servicemen and women, past and present, on this Memorial Day, it is worth noting how much the landscape of adoption in America was changed by servicemen and women. U.S. soldiers fighting in Europe, participating in the post-war occupations of Germany and Japan, and later serving in Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries helped to familiarize their families back home with the needs of the many orphans they encountered. Although some of the armed services discouraged their personnel from adopting during their service, there are several stories about units informally taking on the cause of one or … Continue reading →

Peace on Earth?

I’m an idealist. I go to church and sing of peace and tolerance; I come home and get teary-eyed every Memorial Day and Fourth of July reading about American ideals. How then do I wrap my brain around the fact that there are people in this world who would throw acid in a child’s face because she has the same gorgeous cappuccino-colored skin as my daughter? I’ve been reading Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High, by Melba Patillo Beals, a journalist who was one of the “Little Rock Nine” who were … Continue reading →

Doing D.C.

Happy Veteran’s Day! To all the men and women who have sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice) their lives to help protect our freedoms–a heartfelt thank you. In honor of the holiday I am devoting an entire day’s worth of blogs to Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. It is one of the most visited places on the planet and a trip to the area’s monuments and attractions goes a long way to aid in the understanding of the history and development of the United States. The White House No trip to D.C. is complete without visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. However, to … Continue reading →

Not So Far Away

Proponents of adoption are right about one thing. Adoption links you to people and countries you never dreamed you’d be connected to. Sometimes this connection is difficult, and thus easy to ignore. In fact, sometimes we have to push this awareness into the back of our minds so we can enjoy our children and the family life we’re blessed with. But the fact is, we can’t just ignore the reality of life in our children’s birth countries. I recently blogged about sending countries’ efforts to reach out to adoptees, and said that the best way for the sending countries to … Continue reading →

Norris Hall Reopens At Virginia Tech

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As many of you recall, Virginia Tech experienced a great tragedy not too long ago. Seung-Hui Cho took the lives of 32 people and himself. The victims included students and faculty and staff members. The main sight of the devastation was the engineering building known as Norris Hall. Since the horrific occurrences at Virginia Tech, faculty members, students, alumni, and other concerned citizens have called the campus with suggestions on what to do with the building where the killings took place. Suggestions have ranged from tearing down the building to reopening it and using it for classrooms as it was … Continue reading →

Remembering Animals Who Served Our Country: Abel and Baker

Happy Memorial Day! A few months back, my husband and I took a trip down to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. One of the exhibits told about two rhesus monkeys, Abel and Baker, who were the first animals to successfully be recovered after a launch into space. I knew when I saw this exhibit that I was going to write about them in the Pets Blog, but I decided to save it for May 28, because it was on May 28, 1959 when they made their historical journey. (An altitude of 300 miles for a distance … Continue reading →