Search Results for: blog a story about kai part i

This Week in History – July 5, 1998

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It was the week of July 5, 1998 – were you getting ready to party like it was 1999? Let’s see what was happening in the world of pop culture. In national news, Dow-Corning finally reached a settlement with women who had received silicone breast implants. The company was ordered to pay more than 170,000 women $3.2 billion dollars. In international news, Hong Kong’s Kai Tak airport closed after 73 years in service to make way for a new $20 billion dollar facility. In computer news, the introduction of USB ports had computer users very excited. The USS Harry S. … Continue reading →

Landmark Dates in Adoption History

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Two notable dates in adoption history were the 1955 adoption of eight Korean War orphans by Harry and Bertha Holt, who later facilitated the adoptions of many Korean children. Although later accused of automatically assuming life in America was better for the children and of not doing proper background checks or follow-up on their adoptive families, still the Holts were absolutely instrumental in publicizing the needs of children around the world, especially in Korea. Another landmark date in international adoption was April 1975. At the order of U.S. President Gerald Ford, military planes and jumbo jets loaded with hundreds of … Continue reading →

Adoption Blog Month in Review: August 2007

A major theme for this month in the adoption blog was discussions—especially discussions with your child, but also discussions with others. I began the month sharing my four-year-old daughter Regina’s questions about her droopy eyelid in Talking With Kids About Special Needs, and in Principles for Talking with Kids About Special Needs I discuss how I tried to use the same tenets for talking about her eye that I use when talking about adoption issues. Regina also figures prominently in the next blogs. She told me, “I Don’t Like My Skin”. I stumbled through a response, shared in I Don’t … Continue reading →

The History of Huskies

The Siberian husky was bred by the Chukchi people of northeastern Asia to be an endurance sled dog. The Chukchi were semi-nomadic people who traveled to hunt; when changing climate forced them to expand their hunting grounds, they developed the huskies to help them survive. Huskies can travel long distances in low temperatures at a moderate speed; they can pull a light load with only a modest energy expenditure. In 1909, the Siberian husky made its first appearance in North America at the All Alaska Sweepstakes Race, prompting a massive import of the breed. A year later, John “Iron Man” … Continue reading →

A Story of Kai (Part III)

Hey there! This is Heather checking in with an update on my Kai’s progress. A member of our family for a little over 11 weeks now, Kai just graduated from his introductory level training course at Pet Smart. Our Pet Smart trainer, Sue Doyle, provided us with a lot of commentary, individual instruction and friendly support as we helped Kai overcome some of his issues, worries and drawbacks. For those of you just joining in the Story of Kai, you can see how we acquired our new family member and what happened in the first few weeks by visiting A … Continue reading →

How a Transgender Couple Became Parents

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When a couple is ready to become parents, they will do almost anything to make that happen. The desire to produce children who carry the parent’s DNA is strong. The Bowsers are a couple who wanted to have children and were able to produce two healthy sons that are biologically their own. The thing that makes this happy story a little different is that both parents happen to be transgender. Bianca and Nick Bowser were featured on 20/20. Their story is, in many ways, similar to thousands of other couples. They met. They fell in love. They eventually decided that … Continue reading →

After Much Bickering, Mississippi Begins Work on Exchange

A total of 20 states have had their plans for a health insurance exchange approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. The state of Mississippi has had their application put on hold, until the state’s Governor and Insurance Commissioner managed to agree about the type of exchange Mississippi will have. The Affordable Care Act requires all states to have a functioning health insurance exchange that is ready to go by January 1, 2014. A total of 20 states have gained approval. (or conditional approval) for their plans for an exchange. The majority of them selected a state-based health … Continue reading →

New Laws for Health Insurers have been Released

The Department of Health and Human Services has released information that private insurance companies have been waiting to hear. It gives them more specific details about how to comply with the regulations set forth by the Affordable Care Act. Here is how this information will help you and your family. The Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010. Small portions of it have gone into effect, little by little, since then. The Department of Health and Human Services has released the next piece of the puzzle. This is something that private insurance companies have been waiting to hear. The new … Continue reading →

The Medicaid Program in Maine Has Problems

The Medicaid program in Maine is full of difficulties. The state has a history of asking the federal government for waivers from certain portions of the Affordable Care Act, some of which result in changes to Medicaid. The Medicaid program in Maine is not as robust as the programs in other states, but it does still exist. Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low income and who cannot afford to purchase a health plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by … Continue reading →

House of Representatives Voted to Repeal ACA – Again

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Today, the House of Representatives has, once again, voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is the thirty-third time that the House of Representatives has voted to repeal all, or portions of, the ACA. Nothing will change as a result of this vote unless the Senate also votes for it, and that is unlikely to happen. This pattern keeps repeating. The Republican-led House of Representatives keeps creating bills that are designed to repeal all, or part of, the Affordable Care Act. The House of Representatives has a majority of Republicans right now, and since the Republican party wants to … Continue reading →