Oh I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR!! Halloween!!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Americans arrested taking children out of Haiti --ABOUT TIME

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30148851.htm


Americans arrested taking children out of Haiti
30 Jan 2010 22:15:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
* U.S. suspects deny wrongdoing
* Haiti minister says their activities "totally illegal"

By Joseph Guyler Delva PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Haitian police have arrested 10 U.S. citizens caught trying to take 33 children out of the earthquake-stricken country in a suspected illicit adoption scheme, authorities said on Saturday.

The five men and five women were in custody in the capital, Port-au-Prince after their arrests on Friday night. There are fears that traffickers could try to exploit the chaos and turmoil following Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake quake to engage in illegal adoptions.

One of the suspects, who says she is leader of an Idaho-based charity called New Life Children's Refuge, denied they had done anything wrong.

The suspects were detained at Malpasse, Haiti's main border crossing with the Dominican Republic, after Haitian police conducted a routine search of their vehicle.

Authorities said the Americans had no documents to prove they had cleared the adoption of the 33 children -- aged 2 months to 12 years -- through any embassy and no papers showing they were made orphans by the quake in the impoverished Caribbean country.

"This is totally illegal," said Yves Cristalin, Haiti's social affairs minister. "No children can leave Haiti without proper authorization and these people did not have that authorization."

U.S. authorities could not be reached for immediate comment on the arrests.

But Laura Sillsby from the Idaho group told Reuters from a jail cell at Haiti's Judicial Police headquarters, "We had permission from the Dominican Republic government to bring the children to an orphanage that we have there."

"We have a Baptist minister here (in Port-au-Prince) whose orphanage totally collapsed and he asked us to take the children to the orphanage in the Dominican Republic," Sillsby added.

"I was going to come back here to do the paperwork," Sillsby said. "They accuse us of children trafficking. This is something I would never do. We were not trying to do something wrong."

In addition to outright trafficking in children, authorities have voiced fears since the quake that legitimate aid groups may have flown earthquake orphans out of the country for adoption before efforts to find their parents had been exhausted.

As a result, the Haitian government halted many types of adoptions earlier this month.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of parentless and lost children at risk in Haiti's quake-shattered capital. (Editing by Peter Cooney)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

FOXMOOR A. H. -- Compassionate Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Maria Fjerstad

Thanks to Foxmoor Animal Hospital
http://www.foxmooranimalhospital.net

RIP Sesame--My sweetheart

I am going to MISS this little bird. I raised her from a tiny pink ball of fluff and I already miss hearing her sing with me.

When I came home home last night I think she was still ok, I heard her squawk when I walked in. At some point a while later I went to let her out to sit by me she was obviously not well. I stayed by her cage for a while, and also tried to find on line some information about what could be her condition. IN the morning (which was not so far off -- I think I only slept about 4 hours) it was clear that I needed to find somewhere to take her to let her finally rest. I called many different vets and wound up at the usual one I take my felines to. "We dont care for chickens" Well they took a look at her and said the doc would be able to care for her in between surgeries. I was still in my car just leaving the parking lot (had been talking to mother--how tiring!) when they called back and said she is ready.





























I can't yet believe that she wont be sitting on the back of my chair anymore. I held her next to my cheek, then let her sit back in the carrier and she pecked at my hands, feisty to the end!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday in my town Week Three

This is the area around Gropp Lake in Yardville, on the border of Hamilton Township. The school pictured is on the east side of the lake.




















http://poppetree.blogspot.com/2009/10/entry-for-marsh-photo-contest.html
The above area is across Rt 524/South Broad Street. The lake continues under the roadway and empties out into Crosswicks Creek, which one can see through the trees in these photos below (second and third from the bottom), I followed it back in the neighbourhood across the road. Crosswicks creek continues south and meets up with the Delaware in Bordentown, see the above link.








VALENTINE GIFT TAG UPDATE--LISTED IN ETSY

NEW ITEMS LISTED http://www.etsy.com/shop/jdenitto1966?section_id=6737815&view_type=gallery











Wednesday, January 20, 2010