LilSugar

Approaching Adoption: The International Option

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:00:32 PDT

Every child deserves a place to call home and loving parents to raise it. Sometimes the parties must travel thousands of miles to meet each other. International adoption is a process which can take anywhere from nine months to several years depending on the child's country of origin. Unlike domestic adoptions, international ones usually involve children that are placed in orphanages or have been made legally available by their parents.

Each country has its own set of guidelines and having an understanding of the culture can help before bringing the child into your home. Most families interested in international adoption work with an agency to help them through the process. Among the most popular countries Americans adopt from are Russia, China, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, South Korea and Kazakhstan. Last year, 17,438 children were adopted internationally.

Qualifications: Like the domestic adoption process, families register with an agency and attend information sessions. They then go through the home-study process, which involves criminal and medical background checks, fingerprints, a safe home and stable living environment inspection, a financial records review, references, interviews with adoption counselors and monitoring of marital status. The family must then receive approval from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before submitting their paperwork to the country they are interested in adopting from.

To see the rest of our look at international adoption,

Would You Adopt Locally or Abroad?

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:00:16 PDT

Celebrities have become the poster children for adoption. Meg Ryan and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt created families from children from around the world while Sharon Stone built her brood by adopting American babies. Mothers and fathers have reasons for making their choices as lil ones everywhere are in need of parents that love them.

If you were to adopt which option would you pursue?

INF

International Adoption Sanctions Affect Many in America

LilSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:00:54 PDT

While international adoption investigations hope to end corruption, what happens to children in need of families? According to a New York Times report placing suspensions and more stringent guidelines on the process has had a major impact on American couples seeking to adopt kids from countries like Vietnam and Guatemala. It said :

A major change in the adoption landscape is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, a treaty involving more than 70 countries and recently signed by the United States. It establishes new accreditation requirements for adoption agencies and protections against child trafficking. Many in the adoption field expect the treaty to stop the commercial industry that boomed in many countries as demand for international adoptions rose. Ultimately, the regulations are expected to benefit the children and those wanting to adopt them.

The rights of the biological parents and their offspring should first and foremost be protected, but in looking into adoptions on a case by case basis, many potential adoptees and families hoping to welcome them will wait in limbo. It said:

The world began watching as international adoptions more than tripled from early 1990, reaching as many as 22,884 in 2004 in the United States, which registers more international adoptions than all other countries combined. But the number of such adoptions has steadily decreased over the last three years, to 19,400 in 2007, and adoption experts expect the decline to continue for several years.

Source

90210 "O Holly Night": Most Scandalous Moments

Molly Goodson — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:11:19 PST

90210 is not holding punches in this week's episode and we ended up with one bloody nose and one bloody a whole lot more. But those aren't the only injuries we're looking at in this cliffhanger - there are broken bones and broken hearts by the night's end. Plus, Annie is at a crossroads and Silver's new man has a secret.

Dixon betrays Adrianna's trust to further his music career and Naomi is juggling her new friendship with Holly and internship with her high-powered party planning mother. Let's get down to the details, so keep reading

Angelina and Brad Bring Pax Back to Visit His Native Vietnam

Molly Goodson — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:22:15 PST

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and their six kids touched down at Con Dao Island Airport in Vietnam this morning on the latest of their international travels. The Jolie-Pitt family arrived in Vietnam off a flight from Japan, where Brad Pitt premiered Moneyball on Wednesday. This stop off is especially significant to one member of the family, Pax, who was born in Vietnam and adopted by Angelina and Brad in 2007. This is reportedly Pax's first visit back to Vietnam since he left four years ago, and local news outlets are saying that the family is expected to visit Pax's orphanage while there.

Shiloh, Maddox, Zahara, Vivienne, and Knox also came along for the adventure, but today Pax got some solo time with mom and dad to explore the city. Over the years Angelina and Brad have spoken about making sure their adopted children are familiar with their native countries, and last Spring Maddox got to accompany Angelina to Cambodia where she shot her Louis Vuitton campaign.

HTC Introduces Rhyme to the Color-Loving Masses

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:30:00 PDT

Smartphones these days are getting a little dull, wouldn't you say? Looking out across the offerings, it's an endless sea of black (and sometimes white) casings. HTC seems hell bent on trying to avoid this trend with its newly announced Android device called the Rhyme. The plum metallic casing on this Android-running phone is stylish indeed, but are the innards as impressive as the outside shell?

Announced today, the HTC Rhyme will be exclusive to Verizon Wireless and will hit shelves in the coming weeks (possibly as soon as Sept. 29) alongside some bonus accessories. Early adopters can preorder the Rhyme at Target starting tomorrow through Sept. 26. First, let's learn about the specs:

Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and HTC Sense UI
3.7-inch WVGA LCD screen
5MP rear-facing camera with auto focus, power LED flash, instant shutter, face detection, action burst (takes five consecutive shots in a row), and panorama, and a 0.3MP forward-facing camera
1Ghz single core processor, 4GB of internal memory, only 768MB of RAM

There are some other cool features coming with the latest version of HTC Sense, including 12 new wallpapers, a preview tab that lets you see all of your incoming and missed calls, emails, messages, and the like, and a photo auto-upload feature that will let you send images taken from your phone straight to a designated Facebook album. This could put you in some sticky situations, so be sure to address whether you want that feature enabled or not from day one!

Find out more about the HTC Rhyme's accessories - including a doc, tangle-free headphones, and an interesting charm - and our thoughts on the device in the gallery.

Why You Might Feel Lousy When You Lose Weight

Shape — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:37:21 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

I've had a private practice for a long time, so I've coached many people on their weight-loss journeys. Sometimes they feel fantastic as the pounds drop off, as though they're on top of the world and have energy through the roof. But some people struggle with what I call weight-loss backlash, the physiological and psychological side effects of weight loss that are powerful enough to make you feel downright miserable. Here are three you may encounter (do they sound familiar?) and how to get through the rough patch.

Toxin Release
According to research published in the International Journal of Obesity, environmental pollutants trapped in fat cells are released back into the bloodstream when you lose weight. The data collected from 1,099 adults looked at blood concentrations of six pollutants as people lost weight. Compared to those who reported gaining weight over a 10-year period, those who had lost significant pounds had 50-percent higher levels of pollutants in their blood. Scientists say the release of these chemicals as body fat is lost may account for feeling ill as you shrink your shape.
Advice:
This study highlights why it's particularly important to eat a "clean" diet that boosts immunity and optimizes health as you lose weight. In my experience, low-calorie diets comprised of processed foods or ultra-low carb diets that omit antioxidant rich fruits and whole grains can add to feelings of sluggishness or symptoms like headaches and irritability. My best advice is to eat on a regular schedule to give your body consistency, which plays a major role in regulating hormones, and focus on the quality of your food by building meals made from nutrient-rich balanced portions of veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, plant-based fats, and antioxidant-rich seasonings.

See how to cope with the other negative side effects of weight loss after the break!

Kristen Stewart Lands Her Prince and Takes Robert Pattinson's Dog Bear Out in NYC

Lauren Turner — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:50:00 PDT

Kristen Stewart stepped out of the Bowery Hotel in NYC this afternoon. She was carrying a few bags and holding a leash on Robert Pattinson's rescue dog, Bear. Rob adopted the pup earlier this year and it looks like Kristen is taking care of the new pet while her boyfriend is overseas promoting Water For Elephants. Kristen was there to support her man for the big Manhattan premiere of the movie, though she hasn't joined him on any of the international stops. She was busy herself with Monday night's star-studded Met Gala, where she wore a Proenza Schouler gown and was among the sexiest ladies of the night. When the couple are reunited, they'll have plenty to celebrate including the success of Rob's drama and their recent MTV Movie Award nominations. Next up for Kristen will be a starring role in Snow White And The Huntsman, and she's apparently now set to star alongside another English actor, Sam Claflin, who will play her prince.

Remembering Jane Russell

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:52:33 PST

Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but when it comes to sex symbols, brunette Jane Russell was one of the greats. The actress, who passed away on Feb. 28 at age 89, more than held her own alongside Marilyn Monroe, challenged movie production codes with her bra (or lack thereof), and generally made being a smart, tall, curvy woman look good.

Howard Hughes signed Jane to a seven-year contract when she was only 19, and in 1943 she made her debut in The Outlaw, a movie that notoriously defied the Hollywood Production Code because it showed "too much" of Jane's cleavage. It looks like modest amounts of chest on display these days, but it set the stage for women in film (and real life) to wear more daring clothing.

Jane may, however, be best known for her role as sarcastic, sexy Dorothy Shaw opposite Marilyn Monroe's classic "dumb blonde" character Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane was also one of the first actresses to wear a bikini on film for 1954's The French Line, although in the final cut she wore a one-piece since the bikini was so risque that it had "horrified" the production crew.

Outside of film, Jane was also a great philanthropist and founded the World Adoption International Fund (WAIF), which placed children with adoptive families and pioneered international adoptions. For her daring in the face of censorship, her humor, and her unique beauty, she will be missed.