Safe & Sound...

...& already in my 'fat pants' & sans bra.

Uneventful flight, happy to be on solid ground, Ruby's a trooper & quite possibly the best kid in the WORLD!

We're all doing fine & Ruby, Gwen & Julia are all enjoying their together time.

More later, oh, and I didn't bring my camera so you'll have to be patient & wait for any/all pics that Karen takes & uploads to make it to the blog.

*hugs* to all!

-Us
(just a little south of normal)

Dreaming of...

...chicken & dumplins'!

Have Cheerios...

...will TRAVEL!

We leave in the morning & will arrive in NC shortly before noon
& will be enjoying a week's worth of much needed 'de-stressing' with our
beloved friends, Karen & Gwen & a host of other friends who just simply,
light
up
my
life.

More blogging from the south people... CIAO!

ps. Karen, that's your scarf hangin' on that bag... I'll be wearing it down!
*grin*

Easiest Recipe Ever...

...nuff said?

*laughing*

WOOOO HOOOOOOO
Sometimes, Tuesday's with Uncle Steve were meant for
BREAKIN' ALL THE RULES!


Man do I love Munchkins!
(Is that politically correct to say that? I don't think I can say that?? Am I supposed to call them "little donuts"? AHHHH SO CONFUSING!)
hehehehe
YUM!

Finally...

...remember a while back when I blogged about this?

Well, I only heard them talk about it that Oprah episode
yet never managed to get around to viewing it for myself...

...despite always having good intentions to do so.

Well, today as miss Rubes took her daily nap,
I curled up to a little 'on demand' &
FINALLY caught this amazing movie!

To say that it's a love story is an understatement...
...it's a soul mate story.
A forbidden love affair that tugs at your every heart string
until the instant the credits roll.

I was moved through the entire film & at the end was brought to tears.
Heath & Jake were flawless, period.

This, is a film, I absolutely intend to own,
just as soon as I find a job & can afford it.

Trust me, if you've never seen it, make a date night whether with someone else
or just with yourself, but one way or another, plan to see this movie very soon, if not tonight.

I only hope that I experience passion like that
at least once in my life.

Smiles & Cheeks...

Have Bangs - Will Travel...

Lazy Saturday Morning...

...one girl,

one bear,

& one couch.

Good times...

Reflections after 'Wit'...

...100 years from now, who knows what will be in this exact spot.
If this house will even still be here & if not, what will be in it's place?
Who really cares honestly, I won't be here, hell
most of the people I know probably won't be here.


Ruby & I will be together in an afterlife, who knows what it will be like
but I imagine that as long as we're together with our beloved Ebenezer,
we'll be fine regardless of time or circumstance.

Things have a way of working themselves out like that...

It's weird to think that the cemetery across the way, that is currently filled to capacity,
is but a drop in the bucket compared to 100 years from now.

Some of the oldest houses in this town are over 200 years old, twice as long as my 100 year ponderings... & hard to swallow such knowledge.

What did the people who lived in this house, in my house, over 200 years ago, what did they think? Did they ever sit & wonder what would become of this house so many years off into the future? I lay on my couch & wonder that exact same thing tonight.
What will happen?

All my things, well they're just things, so I imagine they'll be long gone.
Only a bleep on the map that is/was/will reflect,
my life.

It's funny, I have days when my MS hits me like a freight train.
Like an unstop able force determined to plow straight into me & leave me for dead.

Tonight, is one of those nights.

Cancer, sadly, is very much the same I imagine...

No cure, nothing to do but treat it, hope, pray & hope some more...

...& wonder.

I do alot of wondering these days.

I wonder how long I'm going to live...
I wonder if I'll live long enough to see Ruby blossom into a beautiful young woman with a life & a passion all her own that she can completely throw herself into & smile every day because of it.
Like me,
first with nannying...
...now, with mothering.

I cannot imagine another job so complete as to be Ruby's Mom.
It is my purpose, my reason for living.
My air & take into my lungs every day,
has her name on it.

I wonder if in the years I still have left in front of me, if I'll do right by her.
If I'll leave her enough of myself behind whether it be in writing,
or movies,
or stories,
or memories,
or recipes...

It's odd knowing that the thing you live with on a daily basis will most likely be the way you leave this place.
I'm not trying to be morbid, so you'll forgive me if this is how it's coming across but truly, I am reflecting on the movie I just saw, one of my favorites...

Wit with Emma Thompson.

Amazing film.
Heart wrenching story.
True guts tale of the persistent yet futile battle with an incurable disease.

Simply, Amazing.

Made me do alot of thinking tonight...
...100 years from now is quite a ways off & although it's inevitable, it's just as inevitable that in order to reach those 100 years, there are many steps that must be taken between here & then.

Steps that I myself must take.
Hopefully with my daughters hand in mine.

I am hopeful for many more years to proudly call myself Ruby Cate's Momma.
I am hopeful for a bright & happy future for my child filled with much love & laughter.
I am hopeful that perhaps, if not in my lifetime, but in my daughters, there will not only be found a cure for MS, but for Cancer as well.
Two little girls
(one clearly being my daughter)
might find those moments to be proud ones for them & especially,
for their mothers.

All we can do as humans, is to do our best to show our love.
Say what we feel, FEEL what we say, and always hug one another.
Always say I love you & MEAN it.
Always hold hands...
...always smile.

Life's too short to let stupid things get me upset.
I guess I'm emotional tonight not because I'm sad,
obviously I'm sad but it's more than that, I'm emotionally charged with an overwhelming feeling of hope for my daughter's future.
For my future.

For all of us that we leave our mark in the world, because truthfully...

...100 years from now it will not matter the type of car I drove or the amount of money I made, but what will be remembered is the difference I made in the life of a child.
And in this case, that child is my own.
I sure as hell don't want to mess that up.

Momma loves you Ruby.

To the moon & back,
and the Sun & back,
and the Stars & back...

... and to China & back.

XoXoXo

Men In Trees Deserve CHOWDAH...

...ESPECIALLY THIS ONE HOLY CHRIST SO GOOD!

Bacon, Veggie & Potato Chowdah!

Ingredients: 1/2 lb bacon chopped (I buy the low sodium bacon)
5 lg potatos cubed small
3 stalks celery chopped
2 T butter
1 Lg onion chopped (I use spanish onions)
3 T all purpose flour
2 & 1/2 cups milk
4 cups chicken stock
1 10oz pkg frozen mixed veggies of your choice
ground thyme
&
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste



Directions: In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter



& add bacon & celery.


Cook celery until slightly transparent, (a few minutes) then add onion & pepper.



Cook until onion now becomes slightly transparent & add few shakes of ground thyme.




Add flour in bottom of pot & create a roux.
(a thickneing agent to make it thicker, if it seems a bit dry, you may add more butter)
Slowly stir in milk & stock & blend well.



Cook & stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. (12-14 minutes)
Add potatos & frozen veggies & continue cooking until next full boil. (8-10 minutes)



Reduce heat to low & cook stirring often until potatos are fork tender. (6-8 minutes)



Shut off heat & let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.



We served ours with 'tastefully simple wheat beer bread' OMG SO GOOD!
& so COMPLETELY EASY TO DO!


(that's right, you KNOW you're JEALOUS!)

Normally I take a final shot of the finished dinner but you'll forgive me if tonight I was so hungry that I forgot to do that cuz I was too busy EATING IT! hehehe

Enjoy!
(& happy MEN IN TREES everyone!)
Mmmmmmmmmm JACK!
*drool*

MRI Results...

...as told to me from my neurologist earlier today on the phone.
(I typed it as he told me so it's probably messy & all over the map but I can type fairly fast
so you all will have to just try & get the gist of it... enjoy!)

first MRI in June of 04 had large enhancing lesion (something that is active at the time) that is now gone.

there is another lesion that is new that is in front of that that is not enhancing that it came sometime between then & now but it's not currently active.

and it's smaller in size.

the size of the ventricles in the brain are slightly bigger, that's not good. that means that my brain is shrinking a little bit
some of the previous lesions now actually look smaller but that's because where they were before, that part of the brain is shrinking because of the old MS lesions that weren't active in June of 04 are shrinking.

this is not normal and it's one of those things we look at in MS to try to determine how we're doing with treatment, sometimes there's nothing we can do about it but when investigators are looking at MS they look at a lot of things, how I'm doing , my MRI scan etc... & one of the things they're looking for is if the brain is shrinking & if it's not, they consider that good.

the shrinkage usually occurs where there are old lesions (old scar tissue) it's getting smaller cuz it's contracting a little bit, so it's area of previously damaged brain where there were old abnormalities & the fluid space next to that area gets a little larger.

It often happens with MS & when we have a medication that's working we expect to see less shrinkage then you would have if you were on no medicine.
So it's now a question of how much shrinkage.

It's in the area where there were old lesions & it's probably expected shrinkage, it's unfortunate but expected so not really to worry & nothing to do about it.

continue on the same meds

goal was to keep the new lesions down & have no new inflammation
so the medication is working but there is one new spot.

the one new spot means that the rebif is not working 100$ but that's not a surprise cuz we know that the meds never work 100%.

with an MRI we try to determine whether or not the spots are worrisome, & we don't think these are but we'd rather not see any obviously.

so overall synopsis: keep the same course & I'll see you in may.

My CC'd Copy Of A Letter To Anorexic Bitch From:

The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts
Executive Office Of Health And Human Services
Department Of Social Services.

Dear Madam, (Anorexic Bitch)

As you know, I have talked with you about the recent report of suspected child abuse and/or neglect in your family which was received by the Department of Social Services. After visiting with you and your children on December 28th, 2006 and talking to other people who know your family, THE DEPARTMENT HAS FOUND NO REASONABLE CAUSE TO SUPPORT THE ALLEGATIONS THAT YOUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN ABUSED AND/OR NEGLECTED.

If the report about your children came from a person who is required by state law to make this type of report (this could be a doctor, nurse, teacher or other professional), I will be informing her/his of this decision. If you would like to know more about any services which the Department can offer you or if you would like to apple for services, please contact:
Cape Ann Area DSS at (***) ***-****

If you have any questions about this letter or want to talk to me, please call me.

Sincerely,
Woman whose time you completely wasted.
Cape Ann Area Office
Blah blah blah street
Massachusetts.

The ABC's of Amy...

* A - available or taken: Available
* B- best friend: Jen
* C- cake or pie: Cake
* D- drink of choice: Water
* E-essential item you use everyday: Glasses
* F-favorite color: Red
* G-gummy bears or worms: Neither, don't eat candy
* H-hometown: Beverly, MA.
* I-indulgence: M&M's
* J-January or February: Both, I love WINTER!
* K-kid's names: Ruby Cate (Nearly 2 & 1/2 years old!)
* L-life incomplete without: My daughter, family & friends.
* M-marriage date: TBA
* N-number of siblings: One younger brother, Adam. He's 31
* O-oranges or apples: Apples
* P-phobias or fears: Heights
* Q-favorite quote: "In the lottery of my life, my daughter is the six numbers- and the bonus..." -Unknown
* R-reason to smile: Every moment spent with Ruby
* S-season: Fall
* T-tag 3 people: Open Tag, you wanna play, go for it, if not, so be it.
* U-unknown fact about me: I can & have talked to dead people... long story.
* V-veggie I don't like: Cabbage
* W-worst habit: I talk too much.
* X-xrays: MRI's every six months courtesy of MS.
* Y-your favorite food: Lobster when it's in season, OMG SO GOOD! (boiled with butter please!)
* Z-zodiac: LEO

FL. Kris is right...

...listen with your heart to this one, as many times as it takes to 'hear'.

Amen...

...just Amen.

& What Would Tuesday Night Be...

...without some after dinner ENTERTAINMENT!

*grin*


*Music is TOUGH WORK!*

Tuesdays With Uncle Steve...

...Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce over Chive Egg Noodles!
(click above for RECIPE!)

OMG SO GOOD!

For real, if Rachael Ray wasn't already married,
I'd PROPOSE because the woman is a FREAKIN' GENIUS IN THE KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so busy making this dish I didn't take the 'progress pics' I normally do, but I DO have the finished product & BOY WAS IT FANFRIGGENTASTIC!

For your viewing pleasure:

HYSTERICAL!

You know you are a child of the 80's if...

1. Your first date took you to the roller rink and you held hands for "Couples Only" skate.
2. You wore a banana clip at some point in your youth.
3. You carried a big colored comb in your back pocket.
4. You know what "Push Up" ice cream is.
5. You know the profound meaning of "Wax on. Wax off".
6. You know who Tina Youthers is.
7. You wanted to be a Goonie.
8. You know who Max Headroom is.
9. You ever wore fluorescent or neon clothing.
10. You could breakdance or wish you could.
11. You wanted to dress like the Hulk or She-Ra at Halloween.
12. You believed the "By the power of Greyskull," you had the power.
13. Partying "like it was 1999" seemed sooo far away.
14. You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
15. You wanted to be on Star Search.
16. You remember Michael Jackson when he was still black.
17. Your first Walkman weighed about as much as a brick.
18. You owned a doll with "Xavier Roberts" signed on its butt, or knew someone who did.
19. You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout".
20. You HAD to have your MTV.
21. You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
22. You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
23. You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool.
24. You actually thought "Dirty Dancing" was a REALLY good movie.
25. You have heard of the "Garbage Pail Kids" and possibly owned and traded them with friends.
26. You got a Little Professor calculator for Christmas.
27. You knew "The Artist", when he was humbly called "Prince".
28. You stared a SLAM book or wrote in one.
29. You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game.
30. You own any cassettes or records.
31. You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
32. You remember and/or owned any of the CareBear glass collections from Pizza Hut.
33. Poltergeist freaked you out.
34. You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an ET lunchbox.
35. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female Smurf.
36. You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish, or know someone who did.
37. You ever had a Swatch Watch, and a Swatch Guard for it.
38. You had a crush on one of the Corey's (Haim or Feldman).
39. You had to stay after class to scrub your desk because your silver Outliner pen leaked through.
40. You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
41. You were in Cub Scouts or Girl Scouts but now you have no idea what all the badges you got were for.
42. You know what a "Whammee" is.
43. You had a crush on Jon Bon Jovi, or know someone who did.
44. You thought eating Reeses Pieces would attract your own alien.
45. Your name is Jennifer or Jason.
46. You have ever called 867-5309.
47. You had a poster of Rob Lowe, Kirk Cameron, Michael J. Fox or Don Johnson on your wall.
48. You held the top score on PacMan.
49. You had MALL Hair.
50. You owned a T-shirt that said, "I shot J. R. " or know someone who did.
51. If you ever said "I pity the fool".
52. Your dream car was either: the A-team van, KITT or The General Lee.
53. You knew who Max's boss Jonathan Hart was.
54. You were sad when the "Where's the Beef" lady died.
55. You remember when Ricky Martin was a member of Menudo.
56. You wore a feather roach clip in your hair from the local carnival because you didn’t know what it really was.
57. You remember when cellular phones weighed 15 lbs. and had to be carried over your shoulder.
58. You had to come in the house when the street lights came on.
59. You still know the Big Mac song. "Two all beef patties, special sauce…"
60. You own a real Rubik’s Cube
61. You think there should be a Kids Incorporated original cast reunion.
62. You used to own a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine.
63. You have a tendency to turn the collar up on your Polo shirts.
64. You know what the "P" in Alex P. Keaton stands for.
65. You remember exactly where you were when you heard the space shuttle had exploded.
66. You know all of the words to at least one of the Schoolhouse Rock songs.
67. You could go through a case of Aqua Net hairspray in a week.
68. Your first computer was a Commodore 64 or an Atari 800.
69. You thought being a latch key kid was completely normal.
70. You were disappointed when an episode of 3-2-1 Contact didn’t include a Bloodhound Gang segment.
71. There were days that the homework just had to wait until the ABC Afterschool Special was over.
72. You know what movie the phrase, "Number 5 is alive!" is from.
73. You remember when Molly Ringwald was on Facts of Life.
74. You tried a can of clear Pepsi but hated it like everyone else did.
75. You wore the little bootie socks with the colored balls on the back.
76. You wrote your boyfriends name on the side of your canvas Keds.
77. You just had to have a Trapper Keeper to stay organized at school.
78. You remember when McDonald’s served their burgers in styrofoam boxes.
79. You remember when you could buy half cans of soda (great for field trip days!).
80. You like the guy who played Freddy Kruger better as Willie on "V".
81. You hid out behind the gym during recess to read "Are you there God, it’s me Margaret?" with your friends.
82. Four-square was THE playground game.
83. You were afraid of the Sleestacks on Land of The Lost.
84. You know who Derek Wildstar, Mark Venture, Captain Avatar, Nova and Desslock are.
85. You chewed Dr. Pepper bubble gum.
86. You remember Dirk Benedict as Starbuck long before he played Face.
87. You know who played Uncle Ned, Elyse’s brother, on Family Ties.
88. You skipped school on the day Luke and Laura got married on General Hospital.
89. You never thought they’d be able to top the special effects in TRON.
90. You freaked out a little when you realized you fall into the "26-50" category of most surveys.
91. You played with Lego’s when they were just blocks of various sizes, not any of the special little parts.
92. You made Star Wars shrinky dinks in your oven.
93. You know who Spuds McKenzie, The Noid, and Joe Isuzu are.
94. The TV movie "The Day After" still scares the heck out of you.
95. Pierce Brosnon will always be Remington Steele, not James Bond.
96. You owned at least one Choose Your Own Adventure book.
97. You watched Mary Lou Retton win the gold.
98. The Dark Crystal is still one of your favorite movies.
99. In many of your childhood photos you are wearing something plaid.
100. You still love to play Pong!

The following entries came from an e-mail I received from a friend entitled "Girl of the 70's". A lot of these apply as well so I thought I would add them to the list.

1. You owned a bicyle with a banana seat and a basket.
2. Your roller skates had metal wheels.
3. You begged Santa for the electronic game Simon.
4. You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.
5. You wore the Little House on the Prairie inspired high neck, ruffled, plaid shirt in at least one school picture.
6. You can sing at least one song from "Annie" by heart.
7. You would tape songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.
8. You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes.
9. You had the shoelaces with the rainbow or heart designs.
10. You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

The 'CRAFTY' Grin...

...means that she's usually up to something,
which means she's up to no good!
hehehehe

Because I Missed It When It Was On TV...

ZAHN: So how would you feel if someone told you you couldn't adopt a baby because you're not thin enough, not rich enough, nor attractive enough? We're bringing this story out in the open tonight because that's exactly what's about to happen when Americans try to adopt children from China, and some people say that is downright discriminatory. China is the most popular country Americans go to for foreign adoptions. Last year, nearly 6,500 Chinese children found parents right here in the U.S. John Vause is in Beijing tonight and he joins me live. So, John, what are some of these restrictions that are about to be put in place that we need to be aware of?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the Chinese government says these new measures are all about finding better homes for Chinese orphans, so as of this coming May, all foreigners, not just Americans, but anyone from overseas wanting to adopt a Chinese orphan must meet some of these following criteria.

They must not be morbidly obese, in other words, a body mass index of over 40, they must not have facial deformities, they must not take antidepressants.

On the other side of the equation, they must have a net worth of $80,000 or more. They must earn over $30,000 a year. They must also be, this is one of the biggest changes, they also must be a man and a woman who have, in fact, been married for at least two years, aged between 30 and 50. So in other words, no singles.

In the past, China was one of the few countries in the world who would allow singles to adopt kids. They've never allowed gay adoption but they have allowed singles in limited numbers to adopt kids but it seems that will be changing as well, Paula.

ZAHN: So what is the Chinese government officially saying about this, and why they want to institute these changes?

VAUSE: Well, the Chinese government is making no apologies for the new criteria. An official that we spoke to Friday told us in part, Quote, "Our job is to help the homeless children find warm families, rather than just children for childless families."

At the same time we're insisting there's been no change to the actual adoption policy. They're just introducing a preference system, because quite simply, there are so many foreigners who want to come here that they just outnumber the orphans who are available for adoption, and there are lengthy waiting periods for foreigners wanting Chinese kids. They can wait for a year, in many cases sometimes more, Paula.

ZAHN: John Vause, thanks so much for the update.

Joining me now, an attorney Sondra Solovay, an author of "Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based Discrimination." She also has a new book coming out later this year. Welcome back.

Some of these rules, I think, are a little bit easier for us to swallow than others. I think some people think it's probably pretty justified that prospective parents have enough money to care for a children, but what about weight restrictions, what about facial deformities, and how that could compromise someone's ability to adopt?

SONDRA SOLOVAY, AUTHOR, "TIPPING THE SCALES OF JUSTICE": These restrictions are definitely troubling. I certainly empathize with the difficult decision of figuring out which adoptive family is going to be the best for a child and the children we're most concerned about. But you simply can't tell by looking at someone if they're going to be a good adoptive parent. We don't have to rent "Mommy Dearest" to remember that a pretty face doesn't mean a pretty family.

And certainly you can't tell the amount of love a parent has in their heart by looking at the number on their bathroom scale.

ZAHN: But on the flipside of all this, doesn't china have the right to create whatever rules it wants to, no matter how unpalatable some of them might seem?

SOLOVAY: Sure, they have the right, they have the obligation to do what they think is best to look out for their children. That's absolutely true. It's an interesting point as well, because some of these agencies that are in the U.S. are going to be in quite a predicament, caught between two different rules, rules in the United States prohibiting them from discriminating based on disability, based on weight, based on marital status and the restrictions that China imposed so it's difficult for the agencies, too, but I think we need to bring our attention back to the children and the idea is to find the children the best, most loving homes they can, and those homes don't come in a particular weight limit or a particular size.

In fact, we have this idea, I suppose, of a traditional home. But when children come from China to the U.S., many will be placed in homes that are going to be mixed race or mixed ethnicity anyway. These aren't traditional homes and it's the diversity in the U.S. that makes those families understand that they have the same rights as any other family.

ZAHN: How many angry calls are you taking from prospective parents out there about these new regulations?

SOLOVAY: I expect my office is going to be absolutely flooded with calls not only from parents, but from the agencies themselves, wondering about their rights and responsibilities. For example, in San Francisco, you can't discriminate based on weight, so an agency in San Francisco is going to have a difficult time walking that line.

ZAHN: Well, Sondra Solovay, we're going to leave that there and get more reaction now. Thank you for your time. From our panel.

SOLOVAY: Thank you.

ZAHN: One more time. Cenk Uygur, Roland Martin, Solangel Maldonado.

Obviously the Chinese government is making it clear it wants to be more selective will prospective parents, it wants to place these children in the best family environment it can. Isn't that justified?

MALDONADO: Absolutely. I think we all know that China is a sovereign country. It has the right to place whatever restrictions on foreigners who are seeking to adopt their children that it wants. And adoption is really about supply and demand, and the reality is that there are many more Americans, many more Westerners seeking to adopt children from China than there are children available so the Chinese government can decide to do whatever it wants.

MARTIN: OK, why? What's the big deal with Chinese children? Enlighten me, please, help me out.

ZAHN: You understand this better than anybody. Why don't we see more Americans adopting black foster children?

MARTIN: That's my point. What's the big deal with Chinese children? Why the infatuation?

ZAHN: You think it's something with the color of their skin? Is that what you're driving at?

MARTIN: Maybe they think they can adopt a smart kid that is going to grow up to be a doctor? I don't know. They need to realize that's called training, not just inherent, it will happen when they're born.

Angel, help me out.

MALDONADO: Absolutely. This is something I've been looking into for a long time. Americans have this love affair with girls from China. There is this belief, this perception, irrational as it might be that if you adopt a little girl from China, she's going to be intelligent, she's going to be more lovable.

MARTIN: Like the porcelain doll.

MALDONADO: We definitely see that idea of the beautiful Chinese little girl, as compared to do, they really want to adopt a black boy.

ZAHN: What difference does it make if the prospective parent has a facial deformity and the prospective parent weighs 70 more pounds than the scale says they should weigh.

UYGUR: I love the idea of them weighing people. All right. So you know, first of all, okay, so gay parents are out. That's a clear rule, but then also Dennis Hastert's out because he's way too fat. They put him on the scale, sorry. But I'd probably be out.

I don't know, maybe I'd have to go on an exercise regimen, to do the body mass indexes they pinch you in all of these different places.

ZAHN: You can fake it, suck it in.

UYGUR: Not me.

MARTIN: Paula, you raise the question - China, first of all, they do have the right to do it, but the flipside is what is the infatuation by Americans and other foreigners when it comes to adopting Chinese children? That is a real issue there, and why do we avoid other children and not just -- children who are here in America, who are looking for homes, and who just like Chinese orphans want a nice place to live.

ZAHN: But realistically, how are you ever going to change that bias?

UYGUR: I think a lot of people are looking for Muslim children these days.

ZAHN: Yeah, right.

UYGUR: Because we started the Iraq war and there's so many orphans. I'm sure they're getting a lot of Iraqi children, right? No, of course, they think it's cute and they're smart and it's really dumb, actually, of course. Roland's right, it's all in the training and it's a shame because all over the world there's other kids that need to be adopted especially in Africa, but for once, the celebrities are doing the right thing there trying to foster that.

MARTIN: Call the queen of Africa, Angelina Jolie. She can hook you up.

MALDONADO: I think what we need to do is we need to break down some of the misconceptions. For example, people believe if they're adopting a child from China, the child is going to be healthier than a child they adopt in the United States and that is just not true. Even if the child is born ...

ZAHN: It defies logic. The quality of the medical care many of these kids have suffered through the first several months of life.

MARTIN: What also ignores logic is that China is having an explosion when it comes to obesity as well so maybe they should start their own million pound challenge like we started in Chicago to deal with Chinese folks who don't want to have overweight kids.

ZAHN: What are some of the other assumptions you think people in America make about the native intelligence of children based on whether you're Hispanic - We had a guest on the other night when you were with us suggesting that Hispanic parents don't take education as seriously as some other sets of our population. There's a very complicated picture here.

UYGUR: And America is changing and some of the assumptions are going to change because of that. What really happens isn't of course that Asians are smarter. Immigrant families foster a culture where they work hard and emphasize education so Jewish families went through that, Asian families went through that. But now Eastern European families are coming and doing the same thing and African families are coming and doing the same thing. So I can't wait for 10, 20 years down the line, everybody's like I've got to have an African child. Because they're all geniuses.

MARTIN: Remember, those are learned traits that you learn based upon how you have been raised.

UYGUR: Of course.

MARTIN: You are simply not born, hey that, kid will have a great work ethic because they were born to an immigrant family. It simply doesn't work that way because you got some lazy immigrant families. What do you think the assumptions Americans make about kids of Asian descent even here in America, they'll work hard, they'll own their store someday.

UYGUR: They'll be brilliant.

ZAHN: All right. Hispanic ...

MALDONADO: Well the idea about Hispanic kids, it's sort of mixed. I think the stereotypes about Hispanic kids are both positive and negative. They believe that Hispanic kids are likely to work harder than black kids, but they also believe that they're not going to be as intelligent as Asian kids.

ZAHN: Muslim kids.

UYGUR: They're going to grow up to be violent.

Who is adopting a Muslim kid? Has anyone adopted a Muslim kid in the last 20 years in America?

MARTIN: You've got somebody sitting there saying, keep the Muslim kid out of chemistry class. Keep them away.

ZAHN: How about black kids?

Do you think the average American out there makes the assumption they'll be lazy and never make it through high school?

MARTIN: I think they probably assume they're going to sing for them like Jay Z and play like in the NBC.

ZAHN: Anybody would love to have Jay Z's career.

MARTIN: I'd rather have Bob Johnson's. He's a billionaire and Jay Z isn't.

ZAHN: Thank you, Roland Martin, Solangel Maldonado. Thank you, all. Appreciate your time.

So on to another controversial question, who is smarter? Men or women? Coming up next, new scientific evidence that may leave you asking if you're as smart as you thought or just intolerant. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)


ZAHN: And that wraps it up for all of us here tonight. Thanks so much for being with us. On Monday night we're bringing out in the open the controversial story of parents who gave their severely disabled child drugs so that she'd stay small and be easier to take care of. They call her their pillow angel.

Once again, that's it for all of us here tonight. Again, thanks for dropping by. Have a great weekend. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com


To say that I'm disgusted is an understatement, I am sitting here slightly beside myself with anger & honestly, it's probably better that I didn't see that when it originally aired, I'd have thrown shit at the TV. Let's just say that Paula's lucky she's not my neighbor.

And in an email I received this morning, this news:


Subject: Paula Zahn Now to redress the issue of China Adoption 1/8 at 8pm ET
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 15:45:36 +0000


RE Paula Zahn Now Panel on China Adoption:

Here is an unexpected development: I received a call from a producer at the
Paula Zahn Show last night. She was very contrite, noted that they had received
MANY comments from adoptive parents expressing their anger and disappointment at
Friday's panel. The producer asked many questions to be sure they understood
our community's views.
She informed me that they had decided to run a new panel on China adoption "to
redress the issue." - which will air tonight.
(Paula Zahn Now AIRS: 8-9 p.m. ET on CNN)

We understand that they have invited new speakers, including someone from the
Great Wall Adoption Agency, the president of the Organization of Chinese
Americans (a national group with which FCC is forging ties), a Chinese
journalist, and someone from FCC or another adoptive families organization.

Thank you to all of you who sent such articulate feedback to CNN over the
weekend. You were heard!




I for one will be tuning in for sure...