#[this is a real story from china including the part about adopting the kid. i think it’s really funny.] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

derivativealigner · 4 years ago

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I rewatched the second season of South Park and took so many notes that I had to split them into two parts. Like seriously, I took so. many. notes. And pictures this time. I started rewatching just in case I’d find some cool little facts to sprinkle into my fanfic but I went way too far and now there’s a million facts under this cut (including gay stan, a domestic violence psa, and craig fucking dying)

Stan doesn’t like hospitals, he finds them gross and he gets sick 🤮. Also the hospital in South Park is called Hell’s Pass hospital. Early seasons have the name as Hells Pass but it gets fixed later

Cartman has to sing all of Come Sailing Away by Styx if he hears a part of it. After he says this, Kyle sings the first part and Cartman has to sing the rest. Kyle does it again later, which is kinda mean

Cartman’s mom tries to abort Cartman, who is an eight-year-old child and thus cannot be legally aborted. Later, after she slept with Bill Clinton to change the law and make 40th trimester abortions legal, it turns out she meant adoption

Kenny sacrifices himself to turn on the generator to the hospital and save Dr. Mephesto’s life along with others. He says “I’ll fucking do it” then does it and dies, absolute legend

Cartman gets way too into his deputy role. He goes undercover, pretends to be a prostitute, says “Respect my authoritah!” a lot and beats people up with his police stick

Kenny’s brother first appears when Cartman responds to a call about a disturbance at Kenny’s house. Apparently there are like 10 adult family members in the house at that time. Kenny’s dad has a black eye because Kenny’s mom punched him. She says he can’t hold a job

Token sits in the classroom in season 2

Cartman starts hating hippies in this season, like a lot

Chef tells the boys that the right time to do drugs is in college

Ike’s name is Ike Moisha Broflovski and he was born in 1996, making him 2 years old in 1998 when this season aired

This is probably obvious but yeah Kyle and Ike are circumcised

Kyle says family isn’t just blood, it’s who you care about, and he says “That’s why you guys are more than just friends, you’re my family. Except for Cartman.”

Craig’s finally sitting in the classroom in S02E04

None of the boys like dodgeball

Clyde gets a dodgeball to the face and he cries :( and he’s the only one who cries by the way

Pip throws a dodgeball in Kyle’s face and breaks Kyle’s nose

When Kyle’s mom tells the boys about conjoined twin myslexia (which isn’t a real term) and says anyone might’ve absorbed their dead twin in the womb, Stan and Cartman run away screaming but Kenny and Kyle stay to listen. Kenny even leans in to look at the book “Freaks A-Z!” that Mrs. Broflovski is reading from, and when she leaves, Kyle grimaces and Kenny laughs

Stan’s mom (Sharon) calls Kyle’s mom (Sheila) when Stan is all freaked out and trying to put an icepick through his brain, and Sharon tells Sheila to get run over by a truck. Sharon is pretty mean in these early episodes

Mr. Broflovski doesn’t really listen to what Mrs. Broflovski is saying, bad husband >:(

South Park’s team is always called South Park Cows no matter the sport

The school nurse, Nurse Gollum, went to Colorado State University

I just realized Butters exists. I think he appeared before S02E05 but I didn’t notice but yeah he’s there with the dodgeball team, injured

Here’s a picture to make up for my disgusting anti-Butters bias

Kenny’s dodgeball uniform number is 69 obviously. Kyle is 7, Stan is 4, Cartman is 325

Sheila smacks Gerald in the face so hard he falls off his chair, lots of violence perpetrated by women in this show. Remember, don’t do domestic violence no matter your gender, it’s not cool

I realized after this whole Butters thing that I should’ve made more notes about Pip, so I’ll make a note about his anger issues now. When people call him French, he gets angry and throws dodgeballs at them

The boys launch a jelly roll at Ms. Crabtree and make her crash the bus. They do it just for fun

The kids somehow go to China in the school bus

Cartman references Moby Dick, but he probably doesn’t know what he’s talking about

Kevin Stoley gets named in S02E05 and has his first speaking role when he says he has Chinese parents and after Cartman hears it he immediately says something racist. smh cartman, what a problematic fave

Cartman says “I love you guys 😊” but Stan and Kyle just stare at him and he goes 😐 “Eh, screw you guys 😠”

If Jimbo and Ned really fought in Vietnam, they youngest they could’ve been in 1998 is early forties, which means in the latest seasons they would be early sixties. Btw they met in Vietman

Jesus and Pals is a recurring TV show in seasons 1 and 2. Jesus just kind of lives in South Park

I just remembered that Terrance and Phillip are really old in canon, it’s so weird, like how can South Park canon still be changing, it’s been 20 years

Also the early seasons are casually racist who knew

Kenny flashes his ass on a tape the boys send to Jimbo and Ned’s TV show, which airs and at least 12 people see Kenny’s bare naked ass

Cartman really doesn’t like hippies in these early seasons. He throws a chair at Ned and yells, “Take that, hippie!” (Ned is in a catatonic state and did nothing to provoke this)

Jimbo and Ned live together I guess. Jimbo’s gonna take Ned home and show him some hardcore porn to snap him out of his catatonic state, good husband unlike Gerald Broflovski

Saddam Hussein is in hell and has a Canadian accent and is Satan’s lover in S02E06, I guess he died in Canada in the first episode this season but I wasn’t paying much attention since that’s the Terrance and Phillip episode that pissed a bunch of people off in 1998 because the audience wanted to know who Cartman’s dad is instead. It was kind of a boring episode so I understand why everyone was pissed, but it is funny that Matt and Trey did that so I’m not mad about it

Aww look at them!!! We’ve got background Style, the vaguest inkling of Crenny, and Cartman/Cake

I’d take more screenshots but it’s a pain since I’m watching legally and stupid legal websites block screenshots so I have to find youtube videos instead ughhhh piracy is the answer kids

Apparently there’s a huge waterfall and canyon somewhere close to South Park, maybe? At least in Stan’s dream

Mary Kay Bergman was an incredible voice actor. How the hell did she voice all the moms, Wendy, Shelly, principle Victoria, the mayor, Nurse Gollum, and fucking Ms. Crabtree??? Holy shit what a queen

Kenny has some feelings about death. He reimagines the episode where death boops him to death and in his version, he beats death the fuck up, then has ice cream and is happy 😊 But again, this is in Stan’s dream

S02E07 kind of establishes that nobody remembers Kenny dying because when Cartman tells a story where Kenny dies, Kyle questions how Kenny could’ve died then when he also died just a few hours ago when a giant monster took him

rip craig, he falls out the bus and into a canyon

But it’s okay because it was all Stan’s dream so everything in the episode is questionable. Everything after this is no longer a dream

Pip’s parents are dead and he has to go to summer school while everyone else is having a nice summer break

Officer Barbrady and the mayor are having sexual relations, I’m sure this is the most interesting note I’ve made so far. Idk I’m just writing everything down, this is how I enjoy things, I have no off switch

Ew summer bus stop, cursed

Kyle casually sings little tunes every once in a while, how cute

This is pretty obvious but Kenny likes dirty jokes, he laughs when Cartman innocently says he loves Chef’s salty chocolate balls (which are chocolate candy). Nobody else laughs

Cartman says “Screw you guys, I’m going home” or variations of it a lot in this season

So Stan throws up when he likes someone, right? Well, he’s watching an indie movie about two gay cowboys who start making out and he throws up, which is either a terrible homophobic joke or confirmation that Stan’s a little gay. I know which one I prefer

Kyle says Mr. Hankey is his best friend after Stan. Like I know it’s definitely canon that Stan and Kyle are best friends but it’s still nice to see confirmation, it’s very precious. Also Kyle is best friends with literal shit, so cute 😊

Kenny deaths:

S02E02 Kenny sacrifices himself by connecting a generator wire, which electrocutes him but brings power back to a hospital

S02E03 A tree falls on Kenny and crushes him

S02E04 Kenny falls in a grave and the gravestone falls on him

S02E05 The Chinese dodgeball team throws a ball at Kenny and he gets splattered against a wall

S02E06 Two guys pull on Kenny and tear him in half, as in one has the head and one has the legs

S02E07 A big scary monster plucks Kenny out of the school bus and carries him away. Also in Cartman’s fake memory of Fonzi jumping over cars, the motorcycle hits Kenny and crushes him against a brick wall. Kenny gets smashed against walls a lot, doesn’t he?

S02E08 Flashback: Baby Kenny has a firecracker and it explodes, sprinkling little baby Kenny parts everywhere. Later in the episode, current day Kenny dies when a giant firework snake bumps him off a stage and under a fence, which then crushes him.

S02E09 Kenny is playing with a yoyo outside a movie theatre when a bunch of people come outside and trample him to death. They say “Oh my God, I found a penny!” and “You bastard!”

I’ll post part 2 of season 2 in a couple days. I’m having way more fun writing these stupid notes than I thought I would (also gnomes is coming up soon and i am fucking ready for tweek)

#south park #sp rewatch #i thought i made way too many notes last time #oh boy #also sorry for my anti butters bias showing #i completely forgot to take notes about him until episode 5 #oops

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alliluyevas · 4 years ago

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Hi! I hope I don't bother you, but would you be so kind and share some historical middle grade fiction reading recommendations? I love reading those! Have a lovely day :)

this is absolutely not a bother, I love doing book recs and I love this genre! Some of my very favorites, in roughly chronological era by the period they’re focused on:

The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence

I happen to love good detective stories, and this series includes that, along with so much else. During the reign of the Roman emperor Titus, Roman preteen and enterprising amateur sleuth Flavia and her three friends Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus solve mysteries and experience historical events from the eruption of Vesuvius to the opening of the Colosseum. This series has really well-developed characters, both major and minor, and strikes a great balance between enjoyable fun and some pretty heavy dramatic storylines. There are also a lot of actual historical figures depicted, like Titus and Pliny the Elder.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by the always-wonderful Avi

One of the comparatively few children’s historical novels I’ve read and enjoyed with a male protagonist! In medieval England, young peasant Crispin is forced to go on the run for his life after the steward of the estate he lives on declares him an outlaw for mysterious reasons. With the help of a traveling musician who he meets and befriends, he attempts to clear his name and discover why there’s a price on his head to begin with. Beautifully written and thrilling.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Also set in medieval England! This book is written in a diary format by the narrator, Catherine/Birdy, a young noble girl who records her daily life, her struggles with becoming a proper young lady, and her fears about her upcoming arranged marriage. The narrative voice is really unique, snappy and humorous and deeply engaging.

The Tudor Women series by Carolyn Meyer

This is a four-part series focusing on the childhood/adolescence through young adulthood of women in the English Tudor dynasty: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. My personal favorites are/were the Anne and Mary books, but I think they’re all very worth reading. They’re quite well-written and the author has a real gift for characterization. These were my introduction to the wild world of the Tudors!

The Lady Grace Mysteries series by Patricia Finney

Another middle-grade historical detective series! (Technically, I think I’d consider both of the Tudor series middle-grade bridging to young adult, but I’m counting them both here). Lady Grace Cavendish is a bright, mischievous young maid of honor in the court of Queen Elizabeth I who solves mysteries, including plots against the queen. The world of the Tudor court is very well realized and a lot of the mysteries are very clever.

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Isabelle, the young daughter of a struggling family of lacemakers, visits Versailles to deliver lace and is stumbled across by Marie Antoinette, who selects her to be a playmate for her own daughter, Therese. As she travels between the world she once knew and the world of royalty, she has to decide who she is and where she belongs, as outside the palace the French Revolution is brewing. (Note: Marie Antoinette did actually bring ordinary children to play with her kids, but Isabelle is an invented character). I feel like this is a quite compassionate and nuanced take on the time period and the complicated friendship between Isabelle and Therese was very interesting.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

Maud, a difficult and awkward preteen orphan during the Victorian era, is finally adopted by a pair of spinster sisters who work as spiritualist mediums. At first, she is thrilled, but as she realizes the two are con artists who plan to use her in their rigged seances to scam grieving parents out of money, she has to decide whether this new family is worth having. I feel like this book really tapped into the spirit of Gothic novels for a middle-grade audience, it was really delightfully creepy as well as quite emotionally affecting.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza, a wealthy young Mexican girl, is left mourning and destitute after her father is murdered by bandits and her uncle forces her, her mother, and her grandmother off the family estate. Along with a family who formerly worked as servants on the estate, her family immigrates to America as migrant agricultural laborers in California during the Great Depression. Esperanza has to adjust to her difficult new life and find strength and hope where she can. This book is very captivating but is also absolutely beautifully written, very poetic. It also provides a very important look at a demographic of people who are not as frequently talked about when we discuss the period of the Great Depression.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Set in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist-era purges. Nine-year-old Sasha is an ardent admirer of Stalin and thrilled that he’s about to become a Young Pioneer--until his life is turned upside down when his father is accused of crimes against the state and arrested. As he struggles to make sense of these events, Sasha accidentally damages a bust of Stalin at his school and tries to cover it up with the help of other children of “enemies of the state”, who are outcasts at the school, as Sasha has now become. This is a really thoughtful book that combines acerbic, surrealist humor with deep compassion, and it’s a great look at a really horrible period in history that isn’t talked about much in the United States, tailored very well for the developmental level of middle-grade readers. Also, Sasha’s father is an NKVD officer who is later denounced and purged himself, which was a pretty common scenario at this time, and I appreciate the author’s choice to show how the lines between victims and perpetrators weren’t always very clear.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

This is a coming-of-age story about Louise, a tomboyish teenager living in a fishing village on a remote island on the Chesapeake Bay during World War Two. This is hands-down my favorite children’s novel (I think it bridges middle-grade and YA) and one of my favorite books after. It is an incredibly poetic and poignant story, both uplifting and heartwrenching, about a girl struggling to discover her own identity and carve out a place in the world, as well as a really captivating portrayal of an insular community that is both comforting and crushing.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

Nine-year-old Shirley Wong immigrates from China to Brooklyn in 1947 along with her parents. She struggles at first to fit in with her classmates and neighbors and misses her large extended family back in China, but she eventually finds ways to make friends and thrive in America while being true to herself. Also, she falls in love with baseball! This book is partially based on the author’s experience as a young Chinese immigrant. The way that Shirley navigates a very foreign and confusing world is depicted in a funny, poignant and accessible way and the clever, scrappy Shirley is a vividly written character who definitely goes against common stereotypes about Asian American girls.

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Eleven-year-old Penny feels caught in between the two sides of her family--her mainstream 1950s Anglo-American mother and grandparents, who she lives with, and her father’s relatives: a large, loud, very Italian, very Catholic immigrant family. As she grows up, she begins to uncover the family secrets that contribute to the tension between the two sides of her family, including uncovering the story of her father’s death when she was a baby. This is a really beautiful, moving story about love, trauma, and the things that families often find too painful to talk about, and it’s also a really vivid picture of 1950s Americana as a whole and Italian-American families in particular. Also, Penny is partially based on the author’s mother as a child and her own family history which I thought was sweet and pretty compelling.

#reference #book recs #thank you sooooo much!!!#a couple of these i havent read in a while but i have fond memories and others i have and they def hold up even to an adult reader

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kimyoonmiauthor · 4 years ago

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Myka and James Stauffer rehoming a disabled child--What more can you do?

I wrote this once, but then it wouldn’t post. So this is a second time, excuse it if it’s not as eloquent as it should be. I’m an international adoptee, so we’re more affected by this case than most because according to Reuters 2013 more of us are “rehomed” than others. Because of this, I’ve also been following the case since 2010. So all of the people “shocked” by this terminology needs to listen to adoptees. Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been collecting resources and things YOU as non-adoptees can do to help. This has included listening to Birth Parents, Adoptees, Adoptive Parents, Former Foster Youth, and basically using my Anthropology training to collect a list. I have to remind you that going after the Stauffers alone isn’t enough. We have to go after the systems that enabled them to do this in the first place so this does not happen to another child. I get it. Vigilante justice feels good. It’s short, sweet and you get results and to see the face of the individual. A system doesn’t have a face you can gloat over. But if you really do care, you’d go after prevention and long term change, otherwise your outrage--and I’m including all of those youtubers I had to sort through (which was painful at best, but so goes advocacy), is empty. You only care about your own self-satisfaction rather than the long term cause or the people involved themselves. (My anti-Cancel Crew objections are along this line of thought.) Since I’ve been asked what this looks like and re-pasting it over and over is a pain, I decided to centralize the post with the levels of justification for the action. I get this post is longish, but take the part you need to make that change you want to advocate for.

If you want to take parts of this post, you can take the links without credit, but not the specific words. And don’t take credit for work you didn’t do.

What is Rehoming?

The often legal, but immoral act of placing a child without oversight of the state or government by placing them on the internet or doing backyard deals. We adoptees have been battling facebook pages for years to shut it down. I am not naming them, because I don’t want to encourage the behavior.

This is separate from dissolution of adoption. This is done with home study and legal oversight.

Why is this a Problem?

Adoptive parents go through a long, long process call home study this can take anywhere from a few months to a year. This has evolved over the years. Since this specific case involves international adoption, I’ll do a run down of the evolution of how home study has evolved in the International adoption community. I know it’s dry and boring, but it’s important to understand why the Stauffer case is egregious and why I am holding Holt responsible.

Home study used to be, “Are you Christian?” as done by the Holts. To be clear, social workers and his translator at the time objected to this. His reasoning? He thought all Christians are good people. (Though if you check the qualifiers for genocide by the UN, this is loosely on the list.) Adoptees were lucky to even get half a page.

This resulted in children being put into sex trafficking rings and child slavery. Social workers and Adoptees legislated against the Holts and the restrictions went up. (The whole list of immoral, yet not illegal crimes the organization has done as a whole, is a whole other story. I know it backwards and forwards as an adoptee with dates and countries since I’ve been in the adoptee community since roughly 1999.) This took 20 years from the first children in 1940′s and 1950′s. The home study in the 1970′s was still thin, but the amount of abuse cases went down. By the 1980′s, there was pressure to actually care about the children, so ESWS (one of the Korean agencies) and the other agencies in Korea started pushing for more extensive home studies (at the behest of Adoptees). The packet and requirements were thin. This included things like checking the financials of the family in question. Giving the parents language lessons, and then a packet usually about an inch thick. They would also get family statements and recommendations. A social worker would come and check the safety of the home. By about the 1990′s the packet has increased, and psychological evaluations started to be put into place. There were lists of books added to the list. (I asked Adoptive Parents to help me with this.) These were “suggestions” but no one tested if the prospective parents read them. So the packets given were about 6 inches deep, with the books about a foot. The in-class studies, several honest Adoptive Parents called “laughable” there was no race training at all and most of it was hanging out.

By the early 2000′s, they started to finally let parents of color adopt in larger numbers. (I know) The rehoming had gotten far more decent. The psych evaluations got deeper. They started to exclude criminal activity, do background checks on the parents, and do deeper psych evaluations, requiring deeper studies. But the Adoptive Parents I talked to said they were not getting the support they needed. The agencies weren’t listening on what they needed to parent their child. This is about the time I started collecting a wishlist and sending it to agencies. As far as I’m connected, nothing has really changed since then. The problem with rehoming is that it sets us back to 1950′s rules. All of this progress that Adoptees, Social workers, and well-meaning Adoptive Parents have fought hard for is done in an instant. There is no home study and the former parents get away with it because Adoptees and Foster Kids are not protected by the same laws that children from birth are.

What does this have to do with the Stauffers?

The Stauffers, a few years ago, decided to adopt a kid from China. They are social influencers. So they asked to fund their child’s adoption. They opted to have a child with special needs and by reports “checked 99% of them.” They paid zero for the adoption, and then used him to boost one of their channels and Instagram follower’s accounts. Their channel boosted by a ton of money, such that they could move into a mansion, their “dream home”, go on several large family vacations, made off of publicizing his story for their own “disability savior” points. Some of the videos, however, were problematic.

He was later said to have autism, and was in speech therapy, by Myka who wanted to “save” money on him by bringing him to a cheaper therapist. Despite this, the channel grew.

Then suddenly the boy disappeared from the channel. After months of pressuring her, they released a video saying they had “rehomed” him. The internet was enraged by this and went after her and James Stauffer. They tried to push Myka to receive all the blame to protect James Stauffer’s channel. All of the videos of this little boy were still up and monetized. They came up with a petition to force all of the videos down. The monetized videos came down and a new petition started: https://www.change.org/p/youtube-shut-down-myka-stauffer-s-youtube-account?signed=true

I also started a letter writing campaign to the governor to make sure it was getting investigated. Everyone else posting about it was trying to go after Myka Stauffer, but I wanted legal change. With me and my network, we worked three days straight to finally get an answer and make sure that the boy they had adopted and “rehomed” was safe.

Is Rehoming New?

Internet Amnesia is real. No. It’s been happening to public knowledge since 2010.

There was the NYC case which got turned into a Law and Order Special Victims Unit episode: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/svu-shines-a-light-on-the_b_4735153

There was the Justin Harris case.

There was the Hart case. (They rehomed once and were able to adopt two more times.)

And if you didn’t think it was covered before then there is also:

https://www.today.com/parents/it-takes-more-love-what-happens-when-adoption-fails-918076

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/11/children-who-have-second-adoptions/575902/

https://mljadoptions.com/blog/adoption-rehoming-disruption-dissolution-20140520

I’ve been riding my own state to institute laws against rehoming, and they finally did it, after the Governor vetoed it once, and I chased him about it. You could be a person that does this too.

So What Can I Do to be a Part of the Change? Here is a PDF of the current anti-rehoming laws. Press for the ones in your state to be cleaned up/invented. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/custody_transfers.pdf Here's contacts for the city where they live if you want to make sure they get justice for him. http://www.delawareohio.net/agendas-motions-summaries-meeting-recordings/meet-city-council-2/ You can contact Governor Mike DeWine and ask him to do something similar to this law https://www.writing.ucsb.edu/sites/secure.lsit.ucsb.edu.writ.d7/files/sitefiles/publications/2010_Sho.pdf which would give Huxley 90% of the earnings in a trust fund and protect the other Stauffer kids: https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/contact The petition to take down their videos is here (They shifted their channels, but still have Huxley's content up.): https://www.change.org/p/youtube-demand-the-stauffers-remove-all-monetized-content-ft-huxley-from-their-youtube-channel?recruiter=1095019618

There is a more strict petition here: https://www.change.org/p/youtube-shut-down-myka-stauffer-s-youtube-account?signed=true There is a federal law that's been in the works since about 2015, when the Justin Harris case broke. Langevin has been trying to get it passed. It has bipartisan support. https://langevin.house.gov/press-release/bipartisan-bill-will-protect-adopted-children-rehoming He is the one that said that cats and dogs have more protections than adoptees or foster care youth have.

https://willbrownsberger.com/rehoming-of-adopted-children/

Send them love and support for working on this for so long. I think if people really, really did care, they'd call their Senators and make sure they are supporting this bill (It has bipartisan support): https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm

Why and How to Hold Holt Responsible

Holt wasn’t responsible for the placement of this young boy. However, he is still their charge. When they absorbed the other agency, they should have checked on their charges and made sure they were doing well. But they didn’t.

This seems like a mild crime in most people’s eyes, but case after case, their failure to give Adoptive Parents support and check on them has resulted in a huge list of them saying, “This is unfortunate.”, but then not changing their contracts and trying to clean up the system they perpetuate. Since they are the largest of the International Adoption agencies, they also could set an example, by say, not enabling people to adopt on repeat from them if they’ve rehomed a child. (Shouldn’t their records show that?) and creating a network of adoption agencies to prevent abuse and rehoming so the Hart case doesn’t repeat.

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/nyregion/chinas-adoption-scandal-sends-chills-through-families-in-united-states.html https://books.google.com/books?id=ABEoAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA224&lpg=PA224&dq=Holt+International+abuse&source=bl&ots=3tvNla8X2x&sig=ACfU3U00GO4BzWMLUnU9dnI_EYqy1VwilA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi546nirOvpAhV3HzQIHWTwCow4ChDoATAFegQIDBAB#v=onepage&q=Holt%20International%20abuse&f=false And this is the complete list: http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/6194

Their contact:

https://www.holtinternational.org/contactus.php

But what do I ask for?

I compiled this list with the help of Adoptive Parents who have dealt with Holt before.

- Psych evaluations to take out the Narcissistic people (though stop selling it as a Savior Project would also help.) - Check their parenting styles--some styles do and some styles don't work for adoptees because of the initial trauma. - Minimum Foster Care training.

Many adopters go the rehoming route because they believe the Foster Care system is broken and listen to the news. It is, but they should work with Social Workers because Backyard deals are less than that. Obama (no matter how you feel about him) suggested Foster Care training for all Adoptive Parents which is more rigorous than home study for most states (though this also needs revision). - Make them learn the language of the adoptee they are adopting for at least one year (where it applies and they would have to pass with a C or better.) This is mostly so they learn the cultural standards of the country and it helps cement ideas about socialization as well that is hard to describe otherwise. - Holt specifically forbids Adoptive Parents from contacting Foster Parents after placement--reverse that. Adoptive Parents had to work around them and those that did had better outcomes for their child. Often the Foster Parents were eager to help. - Adoption agencies would be required with any international adoption to give a run down from the foster parents of some basics of socialization (for the country), and maybe some basic training. This would be interactive. (as supposed to the next item)

- Give a basic rundown sheet of things to help the child transition from standard socialization practices. How to comfort the child? What specific foods was the child eating? Is there a brand of detergent that was used in their original home? Where does the child sleep? What are their sleeping hours? What type of clothes do they wear? Things people take for granted and think are universal. Anthropologists and Foster Parents could help with this. - For parents taking on disabilities, they should be required prior to encounter the disability and meet more seasoned parents currently dealing with the disability in question--especially adoptive parents. So they can ask questions, network and really, really see if they can handle it. Don't take their word for it. - Adoptees, PoC, etc and any other diversity labels involved with the child should be required to be in close contact with them. i.e. not the internet. Basic race, etc training should apply and they have to pass a test.

-Check on the Adoptee after placement.

After Adoption care. Several APs said they would have really liked this, but then they were left in the dark. In fact their agencies gave them zero support. And the baby would cry and cry and they were totally lost on what to do. They were lost on which experts to ask, and who they could contact. This is unacceptable. Dogs and cats get more checks and aftercare than human children.

On the consequences end,

Child trafficking and Abandonment--Holt should press for those laws. APs that care are for this. They said, why aren’t there these laws?

Also any adopters that rehome would be banned from adopting again, and they would be added to a general blacklist and spread that information to other agencies.

Through this dissolution of adoption should be the key.

If they break the contract, you can sue.

Lastly, don’t believe you are alone. Your anger can make change. At least let your anger last long enough to make this change to the laws so we adoptees don’t have to hear next year how people are shocked yet again by another rehoming case. Be the change the world needs. You aren’t helpless.

#adoption #rehoming #myka stauffer #james stauffer #rehoming should be illegal #international adoption

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thedcdunce · 6 years ago

Text

Green Arrow

“At my core, I wasn't a hero. I was a hunter.” - Green Arrow

Real Name: Oliver Jonas “Ollie” Queen

Aliases:

Chief Magic Bow

Gender: Male

Height: 5′ 11″

Weight: 195 lbs (88 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Abilities:

Acrobatics

Archery

Aviation

Cooking

Firearms

Hunting

Martial Arts

Peak Human Condition

Politics

Stick Fighting

Survival

Swordsmanship

Throwing

Weaponry

Equipment:

Custom Bow

Quiver

Arrowboat

Arrowcar

Arrowplane

Arrowsub

Jetpack

Katana

Trick Arrows

Universe:

Earth-One

New Earth

Base of Operations:

Star City

Seattle

Citizenship: American

Parents:

Robert Queen; father

Moira Queen; mother

Marital Status: Divorced (Dinah Lance; wife)

Occupation:

Businessman

Reporter

Education: College Graduate

First Appearance: Adventure Comics #250 (July, 1958)

Last Appearance: Green Arrow Vol 4 #15 (October, 2011)

Abilities

Acrobatics: He has displayed on many occasions that he is an expert in acrobatics, and often uses this skill while evading enemy fire.

Archery: Oliver Queen is perhaps the finest archer ever known. He claims to be able to shoot 29 arrows per minute. He has a wide-variety of trick arrows, ranging from bola arrows to time-bomb arrows to his infamous boxing-glove arrow. In recent years he has used these arrows sparingly, preferring the time-tested simple arrow. Green Arrow has shown the ability to shoot an arrow down the barrel of a gun, pierce a drop of water as it leaves a tap, and shoot almost any part of the human body; although he aims only to wound and not kill when he shoots. He once shot two arrows down two different gun barrels while upside down, in mid-flip while somersaulting off a building.

Aviation: He has some skill in flying different types of planes.

Cooking: Green Arrow's Chili is one of the hottest foods on the planet.

Firearms: Although not his preferred weapon, Oliver is very skilled in the use of firearms. He has displayed great accuracy with handguns and machine guns.

Hunting: Archery is by far Oliver's preferred method of hunting, however, the ability to hunt comes from years of training, patience and survival.

Martial Arts: He is proficient in several forms of hand-to-hand combat including Judo, Kickboxing and Karate. Proclaimed as a martial arts master, he has shown the ability to take on seven people at once. He spent several months dedicated to making himself a better fighter and trained with many of the world's finest martial arts teachers.

Eskrima

Judo

Kickboxing

Karate

Peak Human Condition: Oliver spent a fortune to hire the world's foremost martial arts masters to train him until he was in peak physical condition.

Politics: Ollie ran for office and became the mayor of Star City for a significant amount of time. He has since resigned from being the mayor and has continued to lean on political issues from time to time.

Stick Fighting: Oliver has shown to be a highly skilled stick fighter.

Survival

Swordsmanship: Ollie is also very proficient with a sword, though it is not his preferred weapon of choice.

Throwing: Oliver is a master marksman and possesses great aim with projectile objects such as darts, in addition to his skill in archery.

Weaponry: Oliver is proficient in the use of an array of weaponry, including archery, sticks, and various bladed weapons.

Equipment

Custom Bow

Quiver

Arrowboat

Arrowcar

Arrowplane

Arrowsub

Jetpack

Katana

Trick Arrows: Ollie wore three quivers holding thirty arrows each.

Personality

Oliver Queen has a very dynamic personality. His passion and intensity make him strong, although he has always had difficulty finding direction in life. Born into wealth, he didn't need to work for most of what he had and was raised with very little responsibility. His experience on Starfish Island taught him self-reliance and showed him there was more to existence, giving him an outlet. In the beginning of his career he has been portrayed as a thrill-seeker, fighting crime not for moral reasons but the sense of adventure. It wasn't until he lost his fortune that he developed his strong social conscience, and outspoken left-wing political viewpoints. This character development has made him much less egotistical in the way he deals with problems.

Romantic Relationships

His attitude towards women has been shown to vary over the years, although he is consistently more attracted to dangerous types. Oliver was originally shown to be a very faithful and enduring partner to his long-time love interest Black Canary, although he has committed infidelity, and retcons to his personality have made him more womanizing. This is something he has worked hard to overcome and eventually proves himself when he becomes engaged to Black Canary.

History

Green Arrow is a vigilante superhero who fights crime using archery, martial arts and technology. In his secret identity, he is Oliver Queen, living in Star City as a wealthy playboy and billionaire industrialist turned outspoken socially-progressive politician. He is the leader of Team Arrow; he has also been a member of the Justice League and the Outsiders.

Origins

As a young child, Oliver idolized his hero Robin Hood and was said to be a natural archer, frequently practicing with his bow and arrows. He was mildly traumatized the first time he accidentally killed an animal, but when his mother and father were mauled by lions in a tragic safari accident his hesitation to shoot cost them their lives. Afterwards he was raised by his uncle and eventually inherited the family fortune and business. Queen grew into a rich, thrill-seeking, and drunken playboy with no real sense of responsibility or direction in his life. Everything changed when he fell off his boat in the middle of the ocean and washed ashore on the remote isolated Starfish Island, clutching a bow – a memento from a Robin Hood movie – which he had used to keep himself afloat, where he was completely stranded. During this time spent without food or shelter, Queen developed his skills as a hunter to survive and gained mastery over his bow. Having previously taken everything in his life for granted, this experience taught him self-reliance and made him into a man. His second test of new character was the discovery of drug smugglers on the island run by the ruthless international crime lord China White. Using his new skills, he attacked and destroyed their heroin operation, then delivered them to the authorities before returning home. Realizing that he had found his destiny, he chose to use his abilities and resources as a crime-fighter. With a nickname coined by the press, he made it his mission to protect Star City. He took his cue from Batman and built his own "Arrow Cave," complete with an "Arrowcar" and allegedly a yellow submarine. He and Speedy fought with trick arrows that were designed to be non-lethal.

Speedy

A young man named Roy Harper idolized him. Harper was an incredible archer, having grown up on a Native American reservation. His mentor Brave Bow was dying and he needed someone to take care of him, so he wanted to become Green Arrow's sidekick. Proving his mettle by taking down several thugs faster than he could while they were both on the scene, Oliver adopted Roy as his legal ward. He would go on to fight crime taking the name Speedy. Speedy would later team up with a number of other costumed youths to form the Teen Titans, including Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin and Wonder Girl.

Justice League

Green Arrow would go on to become a member of the Justice League of America, although there are multiple versions of this story. Originally the Silver Age showed him joining after he rescued the League from an evil alien named Xandor. Post-Crisis stories retconned Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman out of this story, making several other changes. Queen Enterprises secretly funded the early League, never revealing his identity and speaking to them through Simon Carr. Eventually the team voted him in as their sixth member. Infinite Crisis brought back the League's original founders and beginnings. Green Arrow is shown to have joined at the same time as Black Canary, proving their value in combat against the League of Assassins. He would go on to have many further adventures with them.

Social Conscience

Green Arrow began developing a personal crisis about which of his identities was more important and doing more good, the crime-fighter or the politician. Giving himself a new look, he had a more modern costume designed. His entire fortune and control of Queen Industries was lost to a corrupt employee named John Deleon who stole everything from him through corporate fraud. The League fights manifestations of their inner darkness and he is confronted by his character failures in combat. Part of him has only chosen to be a hero for the thrill and glory, but he realizes that he defines himself by his ability to control those instincts for the greater good. Queen begins to reevaluate his priorities, and learns to focus more on the everyday problems of regular people.

Hard Traveling Heroes

In the ensuing year after losing his fortune, Ollie traveled the country with Green Lantern Hal Jordan while his left-behind ward dabbled with drugs that caused the two to go their separate ways.

Late one night while fighting an ambush under duress, Green Arrow's arm slipped an inch and he accidentally shot a criminal in the chest, killing him instantly. The experience was so traumatizing for him that he ripped up his costume, destroyed his equipment and decided to end his heroic career entirely. After destroying the Arrowplane, he went to live in a monastery to seek redemption and get back in touch with his roots for several months. A wise man named Master Jansen taught him the secrets of zen archery and encouraged him not to abandon his destiny, sending him home with renewed confidence in himself.

Longbow Hunters

Green Arrow and Black Canary relocated to Seattle, Washington where they set up a flower shop called Sherwood Florist. Having decided that years of reliance on Trick Arrows had made him weak, he returned to his basic roots as an archer and began using exclusively regular arrows again. He asked Dinah to marry him, but she believed that the strength of their relationship was in the independence they allowed each other. Although Oliver wanted children of his own, she did not want to bring children into the dangers of their world. Black Canary makes a new suit for Green Arrow and the first criminal he takes down is a serial killer known as the Seattle Slasher. There is an assassin named Shado targeting men for personal reasons that Oliver tracks down, fights with, and loses to. James Cameron is the police officer he chooses to work alongside and develops a relationship with. Black Canary went undercover to expose a drug ring, but was captured and interrogated. By the time he got to her she had been brutally tortured and they were planning to rape her, although he stopped them by shooting her assailant in the chest without hesitation. Shado appeared mysteriously and took down the other men in the building to assist him. They would go on to take down a conspiracy involving C.I.A. cocaine shipments to fund foreign wars, ran by men Shado had sworn vengeance against for her father Tomonaga.

Dinah's injuries were extensive; she lost her "canary cry" and was subsequently found to be unable to bear children. This marked a major turning point in Ollie's life. When Ollie was injured and being cared for by Shado, she proceeded to rape him while he was unconscious, conceiving a son she would name Robert. When Ollie found out about the son, Shado made it clear that he would have nothing to do with the child. It also caused a rift between Ollie and Dinah, since she despaired at not being able to give Ollie the one thing he had always truly wanted.

After many adventures around the globe, Ollie and Dinah began to grow more distant, resulting in her breaking up with him after she caught him kissing their assistant Marianne.

Cross Roads

Seattle had its first super-human conflict when Nuklon fought Shrapnel. Realizing there was nothing there for him anymore, Oliver decided to take a road trip alone to find himself again. A fighter named Rival fought him and forced him to truly take ownership of his bow again. Huntress teamed up with him to solve a series of murders. Mistaken for the mercenary Deathstroke in Las Vegas, Queen became a massive target and was on the run from dozens of hitmen after him. Losing his bow, he picked up firearms and killed bad men repeatedly for his own survival. Then he teamed up with Deathstroke to take down the syndicate responsible, learning from his style and attitude. This continued and he killed several thugs while on a mission with Catwoman. Oliver started killing criminals even when he didn't need to, and murdered a child molester in cold blood. A visit to see his old friends in the Justice League reminded him of his past as one of the world's greatest heroes; now, as a street-level vigilante, he didn't feel like he belonged anymore. Depressed and angry, he had a meeting with Anarky that changed his perspective and made him realize again the political reasons he had for becoming a hero. At the beginning of Zero Hour, he chased and took down a thug then witnessed an alternate timeline where he had missed a step in the fight and been shot to death. Oliver Queen was left standing over his own corpse. Looking at his own mortality, he realized that in his position he cannot hesitate at what he does, then Batman says they need him and he answers the call.

Zero Hour

Cyborg Superman destroyed Coast City, hometown of Green Lantern, and killed thousands of its citizens. This drove Hal Jordan temporarily insane and he dismantled the Green Lantern Corps, murdered the Guardians and absorbed the cosmic energy inside the Central Power Battery. At the time, he had been possessed by the evil Parallax entity. Seeing imperfections in the universe, Parallax decided to rebuild it in his own image, but first he had to destroy all of existence through the entire timestream, everything there ever was or would be. In the last pocket of reality at Vanishing Point before everything was consumed by entropy, Waverider of the Linear Men gathered the only heroes who hadn't been erased. Ollie refused to believe that Green Lantern, his oldest and closest friend, had indeed become the murderous Parallax. Ollie initially refused to fight against Hal, until the full depth of the former Green Lantern's madness became all too clear. In the final battle, Ollie shot Hal in the chest, being the crucial attack that stopped Parallax and saved the universe. Ollie was distraught, however, at the thought of having killed one of his best friends.

Connor Hawke

Distraught with grief at having killed his best friend, Oliver returned to the ashram he had visited after his last murder. Master Jansen counselled him again in finding inner peace after he swears off super-heroics. The National Security Agency had determined that they must eliminate him after the things he had seen in their employ, and assassins are sent after him. A young archer and martial artist named Connor Hawke who idolizes him helps fight them off, and the two leave together in search of answers about who set him up. Connor has his own costume and becomes the second Green Arrow, which Oliver is supportive of. They quickly find themselves entangled in a government conspiracy and Eddie Fyers is enlisted to help solve their problems. Hal Jordan reappears again at one point still alive, and wishes to rekindle their friendship although he is still clearly insane and obsessed with his cosmic energies. Before parting he accidentally lets Oliver know that Connor is actually his son by an old girlfriend named Moonday Hawke. Furious that the young man didn't tell him about their relation, Oliver has an argument with Connor and Eddie then leaves to be on his own again.

Death

The NSA was under new management and they offered Oliver a job as an agent. They needed him to go undercover and infiltrate the Eden Corps, an extremist eco-terrorist organization. On his first mission with them he was forced to fight his closest friends and allies; gaining their confidence he also started a romantic relationship with their leader Hyrax. He fought off Connor, Eddie Fyers, Arsenal and even the Force of July. Hyrax had a bomb named the Mutajek 9-9 and planned to destroy Metropolis with it. On the plane ride there was a massive firefight with another deep-cover agent, and most of the terrorists were killed. Green Arrow's arm was inside the detonation chamber for the bomb, which would activate if he released his hand. Superman tried to help but had no way of saving him other than tearing off his arm. Rather than allow himself to be crippled Queen let the plane explode, sacrificing himself to save thousands of people. Having been completely vaporized in the blast, there was no body. A small funeral gathering of his closest friends was held in Warriors. There was nothing to bury, so his son fired an arrow into the air and marked its landing as his final resting place, as in the legend of Robin Hood. Connor Hawke then decided to continue on his legacy.

Resurrection

This wasn't Oliver's end, however, as Hal Jordan returned to save the earth during the Final Night and used his godlike powers to bring his old friend back from the dead. Unfortunately, the reanimated hero was an empty vessel with no soul, whose memories were replicated from his earlier days when he had a stronger liberal conscience. Ollie's more experienced soul remained in a Heaven-like place for a time, until it was reunited with his body in order to defeat an evil warlock named Stanley Dover. Now, the original Green Arrow was back in action with a rare second chance at life to make up for previous mistakes with his loved ones, all while renewing his vows to be a defender of the downtrodden.

With the death of Stanley Dover, Ollie inherited Dover's estate. He renovated it, and established it as the Star City Youth Center. During this time, Ollie rescued fifteen-year-old Mia Dearden from a life of drugs and prostitution. He took her into his confidence, and into his home. Mia developed a crush on Oliver, and began emulating his actions. She even began training with a bow and arrow. Eventually, her extensive training paid off, and she became the new Speedy.

Identity Crisis

The superhero community was thrown into chaos when Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny was murdered. Green Arrow had been part of a conspiracy that covered up a mind-wipe performed by Zatanna on Doctor Light, altering his personality after he had raped Sue on the Justice League Satellite many years before. They hunted Light down and were forced to fight unprepared against Deathstroke as his bodyguard, who decimated them until Oliver leaped onto his back and stabbed an arrow into his empty eye socket. His memory triggered again, Light was able to escape. Having gotten into many compromising situations over the years, his was not the only memory erased, but altering his personality was the furthest they ever went. This is justified on the grounds that they did what needed to be done, despite what the opinions of others would've been. The shocking revelation is that Batman discovered what they were doing and tried to stop them, forcing the group to wipe his mind as well.

Deathstroke blew up his house as revenge for their earlier fight. Realizing that someone has discovered his secret identity, Oliver puts his family on lock-down and relocates to an underground bunker before teaming up with Black Lightning to take on Doctor Light again.

Infinite Crisis

During the Infinite Crisis, Ollie was engaging in a duel with Merlyn when Doctor Light triggered massive explosions. Critically injured by the attack, Ollie relocated to the Marshall Islands where they remained in convalescence for several months. Once healed from his injuries, Oliver spent a fortune to hire the world's foremost martial arts masters to come to the island. Over the course of many weeks, Ollie trained under the masters' tutelage until he was in peak physical condition. He further hired an assassin named Natas to mentor him in the killing arts – a decision met with great enmity by his son, Connor. During this period, Ollie met a political campaign adviser named Frederick Tuckman. As Tuckman detailed the state of affairs in Star City, Ollie decided to take his fight in an entirely new direction.

Mayor of Star City

One Year Later, Oliver Queen is the newly elected mayor of Star City, continuing his fight on the streets and through the system. He also has a new costume, which appears to be a combination of the classic Neal Adams costume and the Mike Grell Longbow Hunters costume. At the onset, it seems Mayor Queen is most interested in the "shock value" of his office, although his controversial decisions and statements are actually meant to draw attention to and benefit the devastated Star City. He uses an open interpretation of the town charter to perform same-sex marriages in Star City as both a political statement and a way to boost the local tourist economy. He also exercises the power of his office to do things such as blackmail corrupt businessmen, or have the Star City SWAT unit back up his actions as Green Arrow while publicly condemning his alter ego.

During the year-long hiatus, Queen also amassed a quite large personal fortune by manipulating stocks of companies he sees as unscrupulous. While never stated outright, it appears Oliver Queen is now worth billions. The former gangster Brick now fights crime in Star City and allies himself with Green Arrow, although he evidently still traffics in drugs and prostitution.

Before long however, Ollie faced problems from opponents who wore business suits as well as costumes. Deathstroke the Terminator, having been incarcerated at Alcatraz Island after a fight with Green Arrow, conspired with fellow inmate Constantine Drakon and Star City police commissioner Brian Nudocerdo to ruin Ollie politically.

Following the battle with Deathstroke and his subsequent imprisonment, Green Arrow began a battle with Red Hood that lead him to ally himself with Batman. Brick's friendship with Queen was short-lived as well, as it appeared that he had sided with Todd. The Green Arrow defeated Jason in a sword fight, however Jason escaped and kidnapped Speedy.

Brian Nudocerdo publicly revealed that Queen had been secretly financing the Outsiders – a team whose actions at the time were ethically questionable and tantamount to terrorism. In light of these facts, Nudocerdo demanded a recall election and cast his hat into the ring as Ollie's mayoral replacement. Queen had little defense against the charges. It was true that he had been financing the Outsiders, but his motives were so that the group would be financially stable enough to enable his former protégé, Roy Harper, to leave the team and join the Justice League.

In a private conversation with Hal Jordan, Oliver admitted that he missed the League "every damn day", but that he understood that Roy needed to be a member more than he did.

Marriage

In the midst of political scandal, Oliver Queen reignited his love affair with longtime paramour, Dinah Laurel Lance. After successfully fending off an attack by Deathstroke and Constantine Drakon, Ollie asked Dinah to marry him, but she was not prepared to give him an immediate answer.

Shortly thereafter, Ollie and Speedy helped Black Canary when Merlyn abducted Canary's "daughter" Sin. To save Sin's life, Ollie was forced to fake the young girl's death, keeping the knowledge of the plan between himself and Mia, even at the risk of losing Dinah forever. After Sin was placed into safekeeping, Ollie told Dinah what he had done. Recognizing that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness to save a life, Dinah finally agreed to marry him.

After a great deal of compromise and strife, Ollie and Dinah agreed to get married inside the Secret Sanctuary, the original cave headquarters of the Justice League of America. Wedding guests included nearly everyone within the super-hero community who were asked to attend the ceremony in-costume. The wedding was interrupted by a phalanx of super-villains who attempted to take out as many heroes as possible in one fell swoop. Nearly all of the villains were apprehended except for Deathstroke who managed to escape. Despite the interruption, the ceremony concluded and Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance were married.

Outsiders

Oliver joined a new incarnation of the Outsiders under Batman's guidance. However, when Batman disappeared leaving no trace behind, Oliver went to Wayne Manor to investigate and discovered the place empty and the Batcave utterly destroyed. Oliver then took some of Bruce's liquor and started drinking for his missing partner. Superman went to investigate as well and he found Oliver, who showed him the same scenario he just discovered and they come to the realization that Bruce might be gone for good. A few hours later at the Outsiders' headquarters, Oliver questioned the purpose of the team now that Batman was gone.

At that moment, the Outsiders received a video message from Batman giving them instructions. After the message ended, Green Arrow told the others that it was not the real Batman and he tried to block further contact with that enemy, but his judgement was challenged by Batgirl, who wanted to use the enemy's contact to locate the real Batman. This resulted in the death of REMAC, the destruction of the Outsiders HQ and Thunder's coma. Knowing that his experience and judgement are worthless inside the team, Green Arrow departed from the Outsiders.

Final Crisis

The prophet Libra and his Secret Society of Super-Villains execute Martian Manhunter, and Oliver goes on television to announce that whoever is responsible will suffer. Green Lantern has a conversation with him about how they wouldn't lose sleep torturing the bastards responsible. He is drafted into the new All-Star Squadron along with many other heroes to fight the increasing threat. Darkseid begins spreading his influence on Earth and enslaving humanity's minds using the Anti-Life Equation. Green Arrow is one of the last surviving heroes resisting the forces of evil and holding the Hall of Justice. As their defenses are breached he sends everyone else including Black Canary through the teleporters and makes a valiant last stand. He is captured by the mind-controlled Black Lightning and subjected to the equation, turning him into one of the Justifiers. His wife is also captured and he tries to turn her as well, but she rips the helmet off his head and helps him resist again. They've bought enough time for the Ray to mask the world with the life equation and fight off evil's influences and barely survived the conflict. Superman destroys the last of Darkseid's power.

Cry for Justice

Green Lantern decided it was time for an era of change in the Justice League, believing they had lost sight of their goals and the true meaning of justice. He set out to form his own League alongside Green Arrow as his partner, taking a less reactionary and more aggressive stance on crime-fighting. They spent weeks together hunting and tracking down super-villains. The team they assembled included the Atom, Captain Marvel, Congorilla, Starman and Supergirl. Prometheus, one of the world's most dangerous villains with a violent hatred for everything heroic, is revealed to be orchestrating a world-wide conspiracy with the intention of causing as much pain for the forces of goodness as he possibly can. There is an argument about how far they're willing to go to protect innocent lives, and whether or not the ends justify the means while they're torturing villains for information. Black Canary was mad at Oliver when they returned to ask the rest of the League for help, because he had ignored his responsibilities and turned his back on her. Prometheus gained access to the Justice League Watchtower and severed Roy Harper's right arm. Prometheus fights the entire League and defeats most of them until he is blindsided by Donna Troy, who beats him within an inch of his life. In the interrogation, he explains that he is going to destroy each of the heroes' cities, and his plans are already in motion, starting with Green Arrow's. A massive bomb is detonated and most of Star City is completely annihilated, killing thousands in the process. Speedy goes after the trigger-man, Electrocutioner, and Lian Harper is shown to be one of the many who died in the blast. Prometheus promises to detonate bombs in every other major civic area unless they release him, and reluctantly they are forced to when Oliver reminds them it's the only way to save millions of people. Green Arrow then hunts Prometheus down to his lair and shoots him right between the eyes with an arrow, murdering him in cold blood.

Blackest Night

Nekron attacks the universe using his Black Lantern Corps, an army of resurrected zombie heroes turned evil wielding power rings. Coast City is ground zero for his arrival on Earth, and many heroes are called in to wage war against the death constructs. Every person who's been brought back from the dead is zombified including Green Arrow, Animal Man, Donna Troy, Ice, Kid Flash, Superboy, Superman and Wonder Woman. Possessed by the death entity, he is forced to watch from inside his body as it attacks Black Canary, Connor Hawke and Speedy. He fights his loved ones and nearly kills them, taunting repeatedly about their deepest fears and insecurities, provoking an emotional response to feed upon. Determined not to sit back while his family is murdered, Oliver has enough willpower to make himself miss a kill shot and fires instead at a liquid nitrogen tank. Connor then grabs a hose from it and uses it to freeze him, stopping the Black Lantern in its tracks. Hal Jordan brings everyone back to life when he taps into the power of the Entity and brings them into the White Lantern Corps, then defeats Nekron.

Fall of Green Arrow

Following his murder of Prometheus, Green Arrow sets out to kill the Electrocutioner. Green Lantern and the Flash are the first to discover the corpse he left behind, and attempt to take him in. Black Canary tries to get him to listen to reason, but he pushes her aside. Now with his own community after him, he continues his personal vendetta for revenge. Connor Hawke gets into a heated argument with him about the troubles in their past with Oliver's fatherhood and how much of a bastard he's been, not sure if he can ever forgive him again. Mia Dearden is the only one of his allies in agreement with him, and she captures the Electrocutioner with the intention of murdering him in cold blood. Realizing that he can't drag a child into this, Green Arrow begins to regret his crimes and turns himself in. Finally, he's arrested by Brian Nudocerdo and publicly unmasked, revealing to the world that he's former Mayor Oliver Queen. Black Canary visits him in prison and returns her wedding ring, telling him their marriage is over. On trial, the jury finds him not guilty, but the judge overrules this and sentences him to a complete exile from Star City.

Brightest Day

Deadman uses his new power ring's connection to life energy and creates a massive forest in the ruins of Star City. Green Arrow now lives in this forest, helping his city wherever he can while staying underneath the radar. His company is bought out by a defense contractor named Isabel Rochev with a connection to his father, who supplies Mayor Altman with a specially trained police force ordered to attack him on sight. Fighting the corruption of a society that has turned its backs on the refugees, ignoring the tremendous human suffering, he robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Brian Nudocerdo is murdered by a mysterious assassin.

Fun Facts

Green Arrow's struggle with the usage of lethal force has led him to kill a total of 17 people on panel, although it is implied there have been several more. 14 of these deaths happened during the brutal Cross Roads storyline.

Nicknames for Green Arrow include Emerald Archer, Ace Archer and the Battling Bowman.

There is a running gag that Green Arrow bears a strong physical resemblance to Warlord. The two men actually team up when Warlord arrives in Seattle, and half the criminal population try to murder him under mistaken identity. Aquaman mistakes Warlord for Oliver when he travels to the mythical land of Skartaris. Deadman also makes fun of this during Quiver.

Oliver Queen's powers, if any, remain unknown. It has been rumored that Green Arrow may in fact be a metahuman. The Department of Extranormal Operations has a classified dossier on Queen, wherein they indicate such a possibility, but as of yet, this information has not been confirmed nor denied.

Ollie has a rare Rh-negative blood type, the same as his former lover, Black Canary.

Ollie's left arm can sometimes cause him pain due to an old injury. He once took an arrow to his left side, chipping his bone which never healed properly.

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mandi-cakes · 8 years ago

Text

Vampire Hunter D fanfic and character stuff

Since my 'Retribution' fic is already out there, it's a bit easier to share plot and characters outlines from my VHD fanfic scribbles, with emphasis on D and my oc. I'll try to make this spoiler free, at least for the major parts of my first story; all my other stories that come after 'Retribution' are either works in progress (The Noble Heart, and a prequel short story) or having their outlines worked on.

I dabbled in fanfiction when I a teen. It was shit, let's not speak of it. But I do like writing, as crappy as I am at it. With VHD fanfiction (which I liked reading when I was younger), I got slapped with an idea after reading volume 5 of the manga. I was like "this is my calling, I have to do this". Commence my fapping, slapping the fandom with my nonsense.

VHD: Retribution is the beginning of my Vampire Hunter Chronicles, where D meets another hunter, Nadia (my oc), whom he seems to have a connection with but can't think of why. Not too long after their initial meeting, Nadia is attacked and nearly killed by a jealous admirer. From there, as he helps take care of her, D discovers Nadia's past and how he knows her. To put it simply, Nadia had meet D as a little girl when he finds and returns a doll she lost, then met again in passing when she was a teen - although he didn't know it was her at the time. During that second encounter, when she finds out who D is, that's when Nadia decides she wants to be like him; she was absolutely star-struck and idolized him (hello, fellow fangirl).

Skip to the meat of the story...

Nadia hires D to help her with a hunting job, one she knows she can't pull off alone because she'd likely die in the process. It also means facing her past...oh, hey there skeletons in the closet! There's more to Nadia than meets the eye. She's more than some lost dhampir child adopted by a human who then grew up to be a hunter like her childhood hero...she's a runaway experiment meant to mimic the success that was D so her Noble father and the rest of her family could regain their ranks within the Greater Nobility. If that's not enough trouble, guess who's visiting when D and Nadia arrive to do some vampire slaying? A few old friends from D's previous hunts, and big papa Drac himself.

Imagine Drac musing to himself as D walks in, with Nadia making her own grand entrance later on, "Aw, how cute, he brought his girlfriend along..."

One big family introduction, hooray.

This is where it gets a little weird. It's kinda like VHD meets Doctor Who, a lot wibbly-wobbly, timey-whimey stuff.

Nadia didn't meet D first when she was a kid...D met her first. How?

I won't say more, I want people to find out by reading it. And don't mind the smut...I wanted to take a crack at it, and then, like with crack, I got hooked. It happens...

The rest of the Vampire Hunter Chronicles, chronicles (wow, *slow clap* I'm clever) D and Nadia's lives together, the trouble that comes along for the ride, as well as their kids (yep, mmhmm *nods*, they have kids...because of course).

Main Characters:

D - He needs no introduction. Vampire Hunter. Hot as fuck. Sassy, and a bit of prick. Has a big sword (*cough*) and a talking hand. Secret cinnamon marshmallow.

Nadia (my oc) - Vampire Hunter. Hot as fuck. Sassy, and a bit of prick. Not so secret cinnamon marshmallow. Also works as a foster mother and runs a children's home. My personal headcanon is that D is bi (specifically sapio, 'cause if no-one's gonna write then I will), 'cause come on...D can have anybody he wants, and probably has. But I don't focus that on him as much as I do Nadia who is the same. And of course I put her with D...she's my oc, I do what I want. But that comes with a price. What's does that mean, you ask?

Tragic past. BECAUSE OF COURSE.

Met D as a kid. Completely hero-worshiped him. When she meets him again as an adult, she realizes that heroes can have their flaws like everybody else. For awhile, thought D was a bossy jerk, but with a nice streak since he saved her life. Then he fucks up while trying to help.

Why?

Because he doesn't listen.

The issue?

Nadia has PTSD and has certain triggers.

Why?

Tragic past that includes child abuse (includes older vampire brother nearly drowning her out of jealousy (causes a fear of water)), and witnessing her mother and her first husband (and unborn child) being murdered.

However, yes, Nadia and D eventually fall for each other. Do they bone? Yes. Then something shitty happens. She feels guilty about it. Oh, hi there anxiety! And D being salty about it makes matters worse. Then commence bashing of the heads. At first she's in love, then thinks he's an even bigger bossy jerk. And then they're stuck traveling this way.

So much salt.

What's the cure?

More tragedy!

Won't say what that is 'cause spooooiiiiileeers!

Did I mention she has neat fire powers? No? Nadia has neat fire powers.

Nadia's background?

Child of a vampire and a human.

Her mother is Hispanic (both Latin American and European) while her father is a Noble of Russian descent - ancestry from the part of Russia that bordered China; so that side of her has some Chinese, as well as some Japanese (Ainu), in it. Her birth name is Anastasia Aurelia Drakonovich Indrikova.

I have all kinds of reasons for this, the main one being that I got hooked on Russian history as a kid after seeing the movie Anastasia - hence why I picked the name and made my own slight parallel of that legend.

Nadia's physical description?

I like girls with ample boobers and nice hips, athletic builds with secret muscles.

Like if Major Kusanagi did the fusion dance with Yoruichi Shihōin and had a baby with Avatar Korra.

And Avatar is where the idea for Nady's fire power comes from.

All that fire bending and the ass kicking that comes with it. Although, the fire isn’t like normal looking fire - it’s mainly black, and tinged with an orangey/gold (orangey?)

So yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Nadia's fighting style is a cross between D and Korra, with dual laser swords (Star Wars!! (and Defiance)).

Their kids?

A lot. A troupe of foster kids, a few being unofficially adopted. Then there's their biological kids: Devan (names after D, and Nady's adoptive father), Deana (named by combining D with Nady's real name), and the twins - Mari and Lio (short for Mariana (Nady's mother's name) and Aurelio). Devan and Deana will be expanded upon in my third story while the last two will come when I start writing my fourth. The twins are a bit complicated to discuss so I'll save them for another time. All in all...

D and Nadia...these two precious dorks, have utterly consumed my life. I fucking love them.

#Vampire Hunter D #VHD #original character #fanfiction #christ I will ship this two til the day I die and beyond #I feel better getting it all out #story time

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realtalkingpoints · 8 years ago

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Tough on Russia

Could we please get the Democrats and liberal media to tell us one more time what they want the President to do with Russia… You want him to be tough on Russia? Yes? Yes? You want the President to be tough on Russia, and the answer to that question is yes... Right?

Could you please write that down, so you will remember it the next time we ask you…?

I believe the President has every intention of showing Putin who’s boss, and that is probably not going to be easy. Vladimir Putin has a tight game, and that’s why he is treated with kid gloves around the world. For anyone who may have missed it, his recent successes include making arms deals with Iran and gaining strategic air base and seaport access in Syria. Putin likely had reservations about such moves, but calculated it would strengthen his position against Russia’s biggest foes, the US and NATO.

Add to that huge oil deals with China and much of eastern Europe, and Russia has done well for itself in recent years. Putin’s biggest move was the annexation of Crimea and the Crimean-peninsula. A covert operation, with unmarked, blank uniformed, masked soldiers appearing in Russian tanks to take control of Crimea, which included a strategic submarine base still located there from the former Soviet Union days. Crimea was designated part of Ukraine when the United Soviet Socialist Republic fell apart in the early 90’s. But in 2014, the strategically minded Putin wanted it back, and thought he could do it quickly, overshadowed by other world conflicts, and spoof the media so maybe no one would notice until it was too late.

It was a calculated move, based on a pattern of inaction, by the US, in other conflicts in the region. Pulling armies home from the Middle East, and little response amid provocations from China and N. Korea towards US allies, were clear signs to Putin, that the US wanted no involvement in foreign conflict, and likely wouldn’t do much to stop him if he went after Crimea. And he was right. Obama did very little to save Crimea from falling into the hands of the ambitious Vladimir Putin.

More might have been done, if the President’s own constituents, the Democrats, had been protesting in the streets to get tough on Russia. But the Democrats took little interest in the Russian annexation of Crimea. A military take-over, of a sovereign piece of territory, in a civilized nation that’s geographically connected to Europe, and the Democrats didn’t see how it would affect them… and didn’t care. And no one organized any protests (not that it would have mattered) and President Obama limited his aid to ‘non-lethal’ equipment for the Ukrainian people, in their own frail attempt to defend their nation against an invading Putin war machine.

President Putin basically had his way with President Obama. Obama era sanctions, for the Crimea annexation and other egregious actions, have badly hurt Russia’s economy, yet Putin’s military gains have remained in place. Possibly worse, is that he has built stronger ties with Iran, Syria, and China, as US relations with all 3 are in decline. Russia has also spent recent years widening surveillance and patrol routes in norther Baltic regions and around the globe, pushing tensions higher amid more frequent encounters with US and European patrols. And don’t forget Edward Snowden, having been granted asylum in Russia, carrying several hard drives packed with NSA intelligence documents. Let’s rest assured that Russia now has one of the most sophisticated cyber intelligence agencies in the world, thanks in part to US intelligence from Snowden.

Enter President Donald Trump, handing the Democrats their worst upset anyone can remember. America watched in disbelief, as even the News Anchors couldn’t hide their amazement while the numbers came in on election night. They had planned for a Hillary landslide, and got a Trump upset instead. A hurtful blame game began almost immediately. Blame the media, blame the DNC, blame the Hillary campaign, blame Wikileaks, blame Russia… Ruling out itself, and its support network which includes the DNC and Hillary campaign, the media cleverly blamed Russian hacking, a narrative quickly adopted by all Trump opposition and a conspiracy was born. The intelligence community had already concluded that the Russians attempted to hack into computer systems at the DNC and the RNC. While hacking successes at the RNC were limited to some older, less protected servers, the DNC hacks were quite successful, and resulted in many private DNC emails being made public. The intelligence community, then still under the control President Obama, concluded there was no evidence that the hacking had influenced the outcome of the election.

But the Dems and the media had found their scapegoat. If they are going to blame their embarrassing loss on someone else, it’s gotta be Russia. Suddenly, anything less than pure savagery towards Russia and Vladimir Putin is unacceptable. Any pleasant posturing toward Russia by President Trump, to open a civil dialogue with Putin perhaps, is seen as Team Trump in cahoots with Russia. And even though the Obama intelligence community had seen phone transcripts of Trump team officials speaking with Russians before leaving office, and determined no crimes had been committed, the speculative news stories continue to break about ‘new possible evidence’. Because once the Russia effect is disproven as the cause for Hillary’s loss, the Dems, the Hillary campaign, and the liberal media are back to facing the harsh facts, that their own attempts to cheat and manipulate the election were the real cause of their loss.

In all this, the Republicans in congress watch optimistically, in hopes that the President will in fact, get tough on Russia. They watched in dismay for many years, as Putin ran amuck unchallenged by President Obama, re-establishing his military super power status in conflicts throughout Europe and the Middle East. Many times, they would have welcomed a cry from the left to toughen up on Putin, and provide US leadership in those very conflicts. Times when filling voids and power vacuums before they were filled by Russia was still possible.

And still, cooperation and de-escalation with Russia, seem the ultimate end goal. President Trump finds himself faced with a complicated task. Send a clear message to Putin, and the rest of the world that cooperating with state sponsors of terrorism, unprovoked military takeovers of sovereign neighbors, and cyber espionage in US elections is unacceptable… But also convincing Putin that he should respect American strength at the negotiating table, and not pursue a military conflict, even though Putin is in much better strategic position to engage in one, than he was, say…, eight years ago.

And I bet, Trump will get tough on Putin. Which, again, is what we all agree we want, right? And I think he can do it. We saw what a stoner Harvard Professor from Hawaii got out of Putin… (not much!) Let’s see what a bully business man from New York can do. He might be just the man for the job. He’s going to need some cooperation from the media, and the Dems of course. When he takes his first position, he’s gonna take an obnoxiously one-sided, impossible position, and say it very loudly. He then needs the media to resist their yearning desire to painfully dissect his offer, and instead let Putin and the Russians do that. He needs to negotiate with Putin, not the liberal media.

All part of the art of the deal…

#politics #us politcs #trump #liberal media

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luckylq7-blog · 4 years ago

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We were pretty comfortably placed to beat Pakistan

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rrgupta · 5 years ago

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The Decade.... What's the decade 2010 to 2019 called? That's the first question I had when I tried to review this ... Guess what.. No name! The last century this decade was called the "Teens", but this name never caught on this century. Gen Y or the Millennials are now getting middle aged (sorry guys!). And the Gen Z guys are now also voters, so that's just for starters and context....! First, let me start with the "world view" , which is what a world class reviewer should do, right!? World peace, the one thing all beauty queens wish for was NOT acchieved. Despite the complete end to communism, peace is as elusive as moksha .. Wait, they mean the same, don't they??!! Anyways, the war on terrorism continues. Iraq and Taliban gave way to The ISIS or Daesh this decade, and that too was eradicated. Libyan Gaddafi was finished , but Syria, Yemen conflict and tensions remain. North Korea and Iran fortunately haven't attacked USA (or vice versa!) . With peace "non achieved", I think poverty is under control... The miss world beauties got 50% of their wishes! In the last 10 years famine and draught have not been in the news. Natural disasters I think the worst was right in the beginning of the decade ... The earthquake in Haiti, where more than 300,000 people died. Closer to home, the Uttarakhand deluge in 2013 and the Kashmir floods in 2014 are the worst that come to mind ... Probably because in both, close friends and relatives had a narrow escape. Leaving India aside, the biggest political news was the first Black President of the USA. Trump remains a typical American president, only more forthright. Putin is of course not going anywhere, has ruled Russia for last 20 years . Xi Jumping, president of life of China and paramount leader and core leader, since 2012 remains an enigma. No other world ruler ( remember.. I'm not including India in this section) is really now worth mentioning or one that we will remember in 10 years from now. The last 10 years have been , in my opinion, the decade when the most change has happened, technologically! I'm OLD, so I guess you've got to take my word for this! IPads were introduced ONLY in 2010 and since then everyone, and his pet has a smart phone. I remember that it took much convincing for my mom to get a smart phone, and now of course it's an extension of all our lives. Google Baba is the ultimate arbiter for all disputes from when a movie was released to any political jhagda. I think, if Pakistan and India ask Google to resolve their issues, it would be a great idea! Netflix, and the likes have replaced DVD, blu rays and laser discs totally. VHS was last century, but the others existed till 7,8 years ago. Similarly pen drives cane and went. Email remains, but I believe it's importance is reducing in our business lives , and it's eliminated from personal lives. (BTW I'm doing this whole blog on a smart phone) Streaming of music, movies , news has changed the world in more ways we can imagine, getting everyone closer. Film photography.. What's that? I'm sure many teenagers don't know about this. the world now takes more pictures , in a SINGLE MINUTE, than were taken in the entire 19th and 20th century put together. Every world leader tweets his private thoughts and technically we are capable of getting them to hear us! Influencers, tweets, instaworthy, food blogging, emojis are words which didn't exist , nor their concepts existed at the beginning of the decade. Internet of Things has given many lonely guys a new girl friend called Siri , but of course they cheat with her , by flirting with Alexa ! You can now feed your gold fish at home, sitting in Timbuktu, while your keyless home is watched by cameras you are monitoring on a phone. Drones are not yet delivering pizzas, but they'll get there in a few years. Robots have taken over factories, not yet our homes , and hopefully will not take over the world anytime soon. We are safe , R2D2 and C3PO! No need to FOMO , guys, you can JOMO!!! Ethanol as a fuel came into fashion and went! Cars are becoming engineless and battery operated. That's the biggest change,in my mind...! Still a long way to go but hey! I own one, and I'm as commoner as can be! Solar power is now as cheap as grid power. Around 25% to 35% of world energy increase consumption annually comes from New technologies, which if they existed in beginning of the decade, were definitely not commercially viable in 2010! Coming to India during the last 10 years... Obviously, the biggest story of the decade is the change in the politics. Congress and their likes are in the opposition , with BJP in power for last 6 years . This decade is the first time since independence, that Congress is so far away from politics. The decade should have been "young " Rahul Gandhi's , but Narendra Modi definitely is the story of the Indian decade. In my opinion, the biggest story in the last decade was when Indian IT industry became so powerful, but this year is the political upheaval. Last year ,2019, created more political changes..sec377, sec 370 , ram Mandir than since 1970's when Pakistan was bifurcated, or 1990s when Ram Mandir drama was on in full blast. The political agenda and direction of the country is undergoing a massive change, and that's defined India last decade, and will define India for next few years. It's the first time since 1989 Rajiv Gandhi government, where we have no real coalition government. If played sensibly, India can go onto becoming a world leader! Amongst other stuff-- God retired!! (Yes, Tendulkar reired in 2013), The Khan Trioka faded away...Amitabh is still going strong on KBC!! New HOTTIES of the types of Virat Kohli & Ranveer Singh are the new heroes of India & typify the New India in ways that are just PERFECT!! On the personal front... A lot happened this decade... First, I'm older, much older... Maybe wiser, but I guess you guys have a vote in this issue! My 25th wedding anniversary (2012) to Renu was a huge event , life changer in many ways. My kids , Priyanka and Madhur graduated. They grew up in the real sense , getting married to Harsh and Tulsi. All this happened in quick sequence of events ! Our family adopted Theo, the Yorkie, and Zoobie, the Goldie. This all made it easy to absorb some difficult times, and huge changes business wise, in the early part of the decade. Of course, one of the biggest changes to me personally, is the hobby of writing these reviews. @RReviews_etc As the new year and be decade begins, I can only be thankful to the Almighty that he's been kind to the world, to India, to my Family and to me. I pray that he continues this trend! How do u rate the Decade -- 6/5 for me, since God created time, & He is perfect!! Rajesh Gupta @RReviews_etc #TEENS #2009-2019 #Decadeof change #decade #HappyNewYear

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andrewdburton · 5 years ago

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How adopting two girls changed my money mindset

I’ll never forget the moment I got the text message from my wife: “Do you want to adopt two girls?”

I was at work. We'd been exploring adoption for the previous year but had hit some roadblocks. Adoption wasn’t really on my radar anymore, and we had never discussed adopting more than one child.

And if I’m being honest? Girls weren’t really on my radar either. We have two biological sons, and I thought one more boy would be nice. Adopting two girls wasn’t part of the plan.

But my response? “Sure.”

At that moment, regardless of my preconceived thoughts and dreams, I knew I was supposed to say yes. I felt it inside of me. I'm glad I did.

Our Adoption Story

Our adoption story is unique. All adoption stories are unique. No adoption is normal.

As I mentioned, we have two biological boys. They're pretty cool — most of the time. At the start of our adoption journey, they were ages five and two. The girls were ages eight and five.

We live in Ohio. The girls were from Florida. The eldest was born in Thailand (where their biological mom used to live) and the youngest was born in Florida, where their dad resided.

Their family suffered a couple of major health tragedies so that their parents were no longer able to care for them. They feared the girls would be taken away and put in the foster care system — possibly separated. As much as they didn’t want to lose them, they wanted to find a good family that would adopt them both so they could stay together.

I have so much respect for their parents and what they did for their girls, knowing it was probably the hardest decision they ever had to make. It turned out to be a smart decision. Both parents have now passed away.

Anyhow, the girls had come to visit cousins in Ohio for the summer. My wife, who is a teacher, heard about the girls' story through a colleague. It was then that she sent me the text message.

youtube

Adoption Costs

Because we didn't adopt through an agency or through overseas, our adoption costs paled in comparison to what many families pay. (This is another way in which our story is unique.) >We had costs associated with our home study as well as going through an adoption attorney in Florida.

What's a “home study”? Great question! A home study is one of the most important parts of the adoption process. They're required for almost every adoption.

A home study is just what it sounds like: a study of your life to assess if your family will provide a stable environment for adopted children. Home studies vary depending on the agency involved. Our home study included a criminal background check, interviews, references, training classes, a look at our finances, and a home inspection.

Shortly after gaining legal custody of the girls, we moved to a bigger house. We needed more room for our large family. For our home study, we had to update some of our house to meet safety standards. This included tasks like updating electrical outlets, installing new carbon monoxide detectors, and posting emergency contact info.

The average cost to use an adoption agency is $43,000. (Some agencies charge a sliding scale based on income.) An independent adoption through an adoption attorney can save families a few thousand dollars.

As you might expect, the cost of adoption can vary based on the child's home country. Adopting from China costs an average of $36,000. Adopting from South Korea costs an average of $48,000. It all depends on airfare, how much time you spend in the country, and the fees the country charges for adoption.

Some of these costs can be defrayed by government tax credits, but it's still a lot of money.

I wish the cost of adoption wasn’t such a roadblock or deterrent for adopting children, but often that’s the case. I've heard some crazy stories. We were fortunate to receive help from many people, which helped defray our adoption costs.

In the United States, about 428,000 children per year are placed into foster care. About 135,000 children per year are adopted.

Two Plus Two Doesn’t Always Equal Four

Caring for a child is expensive, even if you're frugal. Because we already had two children, we understood that the real cost of adoption would come after the girls became part of our family. This wasn't simply a matter of adding two more mouths to feed, two more children to clothe.

When you go from two to four kids, you don't just double costs. For us, it was way more than that.

It started with our cars. We couldn’t fit our newly-expanded family into our vehicles anymore! We had to purchase a minivan.

Plus, we'd already planned a huge family vacation with extended family for that summer. After just two weeks in our home, the girls joined us for that trip. The rented house at the beach had space, but we hadn't considered the hotels to and from our destination. Most hotels aren't set up for a family of six.

In fact, few things in this world are set up for a family of six!

That was just the beginning. Our family finances grew in many areas, including:

Clothing

Groceries

Education

Housing (we needed a bigger house!)

Medical bills and insurance

The increased costs that came from adoption weren't just financial. All four of our kids needed individual attention. Each had very different physical, emotional, and educational needs. It was a lot to learn on the fly.

And our oldest son, who had been first in the birth order, now found himself third. That was a tough transition.

A Change in Our Financial Mindset

When I was younger, my dad took me on a camping trip. He and I visited several pro baseball ballparks. We also spent a day at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where we toured the chocolate factory and rode roller coasters.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but that trip had a profound effect on me. It helped shape the way I view life and my role in the world. Now that I'm a father myself, I want to provide my wife and children with unique experiences that might help shape the way they view life and their roles in this world.

While this is a great goal, adding two more kids to our family makes the task much harder. As our family dynamic changed, so did our spending habits. Everything financial became tougher.

We had more food and clothes to buy.

We had more school, sports, and activity fees to pay.

We had more needs, which meant we had less money for our wants.

Until this point, I'd only given token attention to considerations like retirement, 401(k) accounts, college funds, and investing for the future. We weren’t broke and we weren’t living paycheck to paycheck. But we weren't really prepared for the future either.

As I began to take a more active role in our family’s financial future, my passion for learning kicked in. I read books and blogs, listened to podcasts, and managed our money more closely. I was constantly looking for ways to save, cut expenses, and get rid of debt.

I still wanted to find ways to provide great experiences for my family, though, and that led me to discover the world of credit card rewards. I was able to earn enough points and miles for a nearly-free week-long trip to Universal Studios in Florida!

New Opportunities

After a while, I realized that cutting expenses can save you money, but that only takes you so far. If you want to save more money, you need to earn more money.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve wanted to start my own side business for as long as I can remember. Because I love speaking, I thought I could do that as a second career. I took an online course on how to start a speaking business and was super psyched to get started. The problem is that I have a full-time day job and most speaking gigs conflict with that. I wasn’t ready to make that sacrifice. There had to be another way.

I’ve had a passion for writing since I was a kid. Because I was learning so much about personal finance and budget travel, I decided that maybe I could write about that in my spare time. With four kids, spare time is a precious commodity! But I managed to steal a few minutes here and there. That’s when Family Money Adventure was born.

Great! I had my own website…but I wasn’t making any money. A side gig isn't very good if it doesn't give you extra income, right?

I was already a fan of Holly and Greg Johnson at Club Thrifty. When Holly launched her course on earning money through freelance writing, I thought this could be my way to create some extra income for my family.

I signed up immediately and got to work. I continued to write for Family Money Adventure, secured some guest posts (including this one!), and took some low-paying gigs to build a portfolio. From there, I’ve been able to slowly build my writing business, develop steady recurring writing gigs, and land higher paying writing jobs.

Note: Holly was a regular staff writer here at Get Rich Slowly for several yeas. In fact, she has 77 GRS articles to her credit, making her one of the site's all-time top contributors.

The Sky's the Limit

Today, I still work full-time but I’m building my side business. I wake early to write before my workday begins, and I often stay up late to finish assignments. I’m still able to spend quality time with my wife and kids. I even coach my son’s basketball team!

Yes, expanding our family meant making sacrifices. But I’m happy to make these sacrifices if it means moving toward a more secure future. I want my wife and kids — all four of them — to know that they can find success in whatever they're passionate about if they put in the work. For me, it’s worth the late nights and sacrifice.

I didn’t know it at the time, but adopting two daughters was a catalyst that would start a new adventure. Without them, I don’t think I'd have felt the urgency to make financial changes. I was too complacent. I never would have learned to save. We never would have become more intentional with our finances. I never would have pursued writing — for Family Money Adventure or for freelance clients.

More importantly, if we hadn't adopted our two girls, we would have missed out on meeting two of the most special people on the planet. Our family wouldn’t have been complete.

The post How adopting two girls changed my money mindset appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

from Finance https://www.getrichslowly.org/adoption-costs/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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When 27-year-old Debbie Honaker went to her doctor in Lebanon, Virginia, after a routine gallbladder surgery in the early 2000s, she was prescribed “Oxy tens” — 10 milligrams of OxyContin. At her next visit, it turned into 40s. Then she graduated to Percocet. Soon, she began stealing pills, then buying them from Medicaid patients for $1. “At the end of your journey, you’re not going after drugs to get high; you’re going to keep from being sick,” she says.

Honaker’s story is just one of many in author Beth Macy’s new book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, which chronicles the 20-year history of the opioid epidemic, starting with the dawn of OxyContin in 1996 and ending with grim statistics: 300,000 Americans dead from opioid overdoses over the past 15 years and predictions that 300,000 more will die in the next five.

Macy’s first book, 2014’s Factory Man, underscored the toll of offshoring business on America’s rural communities. In Dopesick, Macy, a Roanoke-based journalist, continues to follow American workers, investigating how those who have lost factory and mining jobs have been hit especially hard by the opioid epidemic.

The villains of Dopesick are the pharmaceutical companies — namely Purdue Pharma, the company that sold OxyContin — corruptible doctors, and a lax Food and Drug Administration. The victims? The rest of America, especially those in economically distressed parts of the country.

America is sick, Macy argues, and too many people have looked the other way during the worst drug epidemic in its history.

I spoke with Macy to better understand the history of the epidemic, its real-world impact, and what is missing from our national conversation on opioids.

Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Hope Reese

You write about central Appalachia as “the birthplace of the modern opioid epidemic.” What are the characteristics that made a region like Lee County, Virginia — which began seeing teenagers overdose in the late ’90s — susceptible to the OxyContin epidemic?

Beth Macy

It’s the same thing if you look at the other initial hot spots. In Machias, Maine, a logging and fishing community, there were also many people already on painkillers from legitimate injuries due to these manual labor jobs. But in Appalachia, in particular, you had trade deals like NAFTA in ’94, and then China joined the WTO in ’01, and so you saw the furniture and the textile mills closing and the jobs going away — and at the same time, a huge rise in disability.

Now, 57 percent of the men of working age in Lee County are unemployed. As this is happening, this whole notion that we were horribly undertreating pain began being pushed by big pharma. Suddenly you couldn’t go and visit somebody in the hospital where there wasn’t a whiteboard where they would ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10, or draw a smiley face or a frowny face.

All these things sort of converged: the joblessness, the rapacious behavior of big pharma, Purdue Pharma in particular. One of the first cops I interviewed said, “Oh, yeah, people were walking down the street with green and orange smudges on their shirt.” Orange was the color of an Oxy 40 mg and green for the Oxy 80 mg. They had held the pills in their mouths to soften up the time-release mechanism coating so they could get the euphoric rush of an entire pill all at once, then wiped the coating off on their shirtsleeves.

Hope Reese

I’m also interested in how doctors were incentivized. They were basically taking bribes — going on Caribbean vacations, for instance, hosted by pharma companies. Has there been a crackdown on doctors? What kind of gifts are they allowed to accept from sales reps?

Beth Macy

That’s changed in more recent years. In the first decade, it was kind of like a Wild West of pharmaceutical sales tactics. Pharmaceutical ads were starting to air on TV. A good friend of mine who is a pharma rep broke it down for me: They would find out what the doctor wanted and they would show up with whatever that was. He was waiting for the doctor, a chain-smoking doctor in Bland, Virginia, and another rep has already beaten him — they were there with a carton of cigarettes with a Celexa sticker on it.

Purdue used similar techniques. They paid doctors to be spokesmen for them, saying: Come to a seminar in Boca Raton or Arizona, and we’ll pay you to go out and give speeches about [OxyContin].

Hope Reese

Many people who become addicted to OxyContin eventually move on to heroin, which is cheaper. How are we doing with the pill problem? And even if we have tackled that issue, isn’t it a bigger problem once people start taking heroin?

Beth Macy

The updated CDC guidelines in 2016 were a great improvement. It was kind of what those parents who initially lost their kids to OxyContin overdose wanted. They wanted the guideline to be that opioids were used sparingly, that doctors try pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin before prescribing the highly addictive pills, and that they give most patients only a few days’ supply — that opioid therapy for short-term pain last three days, and very rarely longer than seven. Overall, that’s good, but as soon as the OxyContin and the other pills got harder to get, you saw the drug cartels bringing in heroin.

Marijuana laws started becoming legal in states, and the drug cartels needed to make up their profit [from lost marijuana sales]. The doctors are doing better about not prescribing opioids out the wazoo, but we now have 2.6 million Americans with opioid use disorder. What are we going to do about that? You just can’t flip off a switch and it stops.

What I see on the ground are serious holes in the tapestry of treatment. The Roanoke Times finally did a story on medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, which combines therapy with medications like methadone or Suboxone. In it, they quote Steve Ratliff, adult and family services director for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, and he doesn’t believe in it. He told the newspaper that they only use buprenorphine if counseling has been attempted first and doesn’t work — and then they give them the option. This is not consistent with state policy, and in my view, it is just wrong.

Now, in an age of Fentanyl — dealers started cutting heroin with fentanyl heavily in 2015, and it became much stronger and deadlier — the risk of dying is much higher. We’re going to let them fail first?

Hope Reese

In the book, you point to evidence that shows that abstinence-based centers, a model of treatment in which people are cut completely off of the drugs, have not proven to be the best route to recovery. So why do they dominate the treatment landscape?

Beth Macy

I think it’s because the recovery industry developed largely as treatment centers for alcoholism. So the abstinence-only models put forth by [Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous] are historically what most of the recovery industry has been centered around.

Abstinence models may be better to treat alcoholism, but not opioids, since opioids, especially those laced with fentanyl, are deadly. [Many fewer people] OD on alcohol [compared to heroin]. What I see on the ground is families that can afford to send their children to rehabs — and most families can’t — end up spending thousands of dollars for treatment that is not what science says is the best way to treat opioid use disorder.

One family I know with two heroin-addicted sons spent $300,000 on an abstinence center. That wasn’t including the heroin-related legal fees that they had.

Hope Reese

More than 40,000 Americans died of overdoses from opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, and prescribed painkillers in 2016, and they are estimating even more in 2017. What about long-term consequences? If this has been going on for 20 years, what will the country look like in 20 more years?

Beth Macy

Think about the foster care system. In Lee County, one in three kids are raised in foster care now. And think about what are their kids going to be like? That’s really frightening.

Another long-term consequence that scares the dickens out of me is hepatitis C. There are centers, needle exchange programs, where you come and you turn in your dirty needles. There, you get clean needles and you get to know these people who want to help you and want to help you get you hooked up with social work and counseling and ultimately, when you’re ready, go on to treatment. That’s what’s missing in most of America right now.

I was visiting a needle exchange recovery program in Las Vegas recently that was only located on the outskirts of town. If you’re an addicted person and you’re homeless, you probably live near the downtown in these tunnels underneath the city, so the homeless people who are addicted have to save up their bus fare to go there. And it’s because they didn’t want the tourists to see the addicts.

The guy who runs it who has been in this world of prevention and harm reduction for a long time said that what keeps him up at night is in 15 to 20 years, we’re gonna have a tsunami of hepatitis C because so many people who are injecting are sharing needles.

I mean, it’s cultural. Our country’s way of thinking has been, “We gotta incarcerate our way out of this,” “We gotta be tough,” “We gotta just say no.” And that has not worked in other countries. Other countries that have adopted a treatment approach have done much better.

Hope Reese

This topic has finally become of part of a national conversation — but what’s still missing from the larger dialogue? What surprised you after spending all this time with addicts, dealers, and families?

Beth Macy

What surprised me is how this could happen to just anyone. It literally spares no one. And because it started out in these politically unimportant places, people didn’t pay attention to it. We’re basically leaving the institution of the family to deal with the worst drug crisis in the nation’s history.

You see these families in so much pain. They’re so weary; they’re so worn out. Many of them have these ideological divides within the family, because maybe they have somebody in AA or NA themselves — who maybe doesn’t see medication-assisted treatment as the best way for their addicted loved one to get better.

You see that colors a lot of family dynamics around medication-assisted treatment, and you see them worn out also because of bad behavior by the addicted people whose brains have been taken over by this drug, such as users who steal from their families to fund their next fix, for instance. Too often, the addicted person isn’t seen as someone worthy of evidence-based medical care until people are sitting in the pews at their funeral.

Hope Reese

I want to know how the book affected you, especially since a lot of the reporting was done in your own community. In particular, one of the women addicted to heroin who you spent a lot of time with ended up becoming a prostitute in Nevada, and was eventually found dead, in what appeared to be a violent murder.

Beth Macy

It was really hard to interview people who died before I had the chance to write up my book, but it was nothing compared to the pain that these families are going through.

I was constantly balancing that between anxiety and feeling hopeless about it.

I take things pretty personally sometimes. I have hundreds of text messages back and forth with many of the mothers in the book. But as a friend of mine said, “The only way I think you’re going to be able to protect yourself and write this book at the same time and survive it is to find the helpers.”

Hope Reese is a journalist in Louisville, Kentucky. Her writing has appeared in the Atlantic, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, Playboy, Vox, and other publications. Find her on Twitter @hope_reese.

Original Source -> The author of Dopesick on how we’re still failing opioid users

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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edivupage · 7 years ago

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106 Experts Share Their Thoughts on the Future of Education, Part 2: Edtech

“The future of education is digital. We live in an increasingly digital world, where technology is a part of our lives in so many ways. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we incorporate digital technology into education. To prepare students for higher education and future jobs, we must ensure that they are familiar with technology. Administrators who want to prepare their K-12 school for the future of education should look at the ways they use technology in the classroom. Schools that are future-ready are those that blend technology with learning seamlessly and include technology in nearly every lesson.”

I just shared my thoughts on the future of education, but what do my peers think? To find out, we decided to produce an expert roundup on the topic of the future of education. We asked 106 education experts to answer one question: “What are your thoughts on the future of education?” In part 2 of this series, we will focus on the future of edtech.

Edtech

*Numbering is for organizational purposes only, and does not denote a participants rank or level of influence.

1. Dr. Monica Burns

Author of Tasks Before Apps and Founder of ClassTechTips.com

2013 ADE North America Institute

“In the next year I think we will see an increase in scannable technology and virtual reality integration in PreK-20 schools. From augmented reality experiences where our youngest learners scan and watch a diagram pop off the page, to immersive 360 video where secondary students explore different corners of the world, the possibilities are endless!”

Twitter: @classtechtips

2. Krishna Vedati

CEO and co-founder of Tynker

“Google can solve basic and complex math equations in an instant, but only those students who are truly inspired have the power to enact real change, and this must begin at a younger age. For this reason, children should be taught soft skills such as mindfulness in public schools. Schooling should be disruptive, and needs to be flipped on its head to draw clear connections between general knowledge and higher purpose.”

Twitter: @kvedati

3. Kerry Gallagher, JD

Digital Learning Specialist, St. John’s Prep

“We are the midst of a digital revolution, both within and outside of education. It is our responsibility to recognize this and see it as an opportunity rather than something to be feared. My hope is that the future of education will bring more varied creative opportunities for teachers and students. We will see more and more students actively participating in and contributing to the world around them and we will no longer see school as merely “preparation” for that world.”

Twitter: @kerryhawk02

4. Katherine Manuel

SVP of Innovation at Thomson Reuters

“Technology will fundamentally alter education in three ways. First, technology will allow teachers to better assess children and customize lessons to provide higher quality education for each student. Second, technology (e.g. computer programming and networking) will become as ubiquitous across curriculums as reading and writing are today. Third, this ubiquitous technology education will enable gender and racial parity across the study of and output from Technology, leading to a far more diverse set of inventors and innovations.”

Twitter: @kgmanuel

5. Neil Jarrett

Year 6 leader at an international school in Shanghai, China.

“The future of education is very exciting. With the increasing use of tech in schools, the possibilities for creativity and innovation are endless! I am particularly interested to see how virtual reality will become a key part in lessons; its potential is huge. Furthermore, with collaboration becoming easier due to online tools, I can’t wait to work with others around the world on joint projects.”

Twitter: @edtechneil

6. Utkarsh Lokesh

CEO & Editor, EdTechReview

“Edtech startups bet that the future of education is going to be STEM learning, 3D printing, learning through VR/AR, teaching coding, and GBL; but I believe it is going to be all of that and more. I believe that the future of education will produce more creators, more problem solvers and more entrepreneurs – if we can teach students to become leaders, then we can build a brighter future.”

Twitter: @utkarshlokesh

7. Dr. Micah Shippee, Educator

The future of education will be shaped by our ability to meaningfully adopt emergent technology, rather than forcefully integrate. “Adoption” infers being more than just tacked on to a culture, it illustrates acceptance as part of the cultural norm. Here we will find ourselves in a paradigm shift where our learner-centered instruction will yield powerful experiential knowledge. The resulting shift will hold increasingly tangible learning experiences for learners to connect with places previously only available through static, one-dimensional delivery. Further, learners will be afforded opportunities to leverage emergent technology to create authentic products for their individual learning context.

Twitter: @micahshippee

8. Lori Gracey, CAE

TCEA Executive Director

“The future of education is amazingly bright! Our educators and leaders are doing more to foster true student learning than they ever have, and new technologies are helping. AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) additions to the classroom will become more prevalent in 2018 and help the learning to be even more interactive and engaging. Geographic and social/economic boundaries will continue to fall as the Internet of Things connects us together more and more. It is an exciting time to be both a teacher and a student!”

Twitter: @tcea

9. Matthew Farber, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor of Technology, Innovation & Pedagogy

University of Northern Colorado

“We need to start treating (or elevating) some digital games to be more than technology tools. Many are “new media” designed to tell narratives and to generate emotions from players. As a comparison, we don’t consider documentaries to be technology tools just because they may be played on a DVD player!

In my book, Game-Based Learning in Action, teacher John Fallon uses the game Her Story to teach literary devices (also see his blog post). Many good games tell open-ended narratives and should be examined the same as we analyze novels, film, and other “traditional” media.”

Twitter: @MatthewFarber

10. Steven W. Anderson, Digital Learning and Relationship Evangelist

Web20Classroom

“I believe we are in the most incredible time to learn and teach than at any other point in history. The near ubiquitous access to information, advanced devices and a growing network of connected educators makes the classroom an awesome place to be. While we cannot predict exactly what the future will hold I think we will see movements come and go, but what will continue its growth is a passion for helping kids (and adults) find meaning in their learning, new ways to connect and rapid innovation in the education profession.

Twitter: @web20classroom

11. Mark Engelberg

Creator of //CODE programming game series, ThinkFun

“Thanks to adaptive learning technologies, students will be able to learn at their own rate and repeat lessons as needed to gain complete mastery. This stronger focus on using technology to develop core competencies will free up teachers to use classroom time more creatively, providing fun experiences that reinforce and extend what the kids are learning. Computer science is the new literacy, and will be integrated into a wide variety of K-12 subjects.”

Twitter: @mark_engelberg

12. Jennie Maigiera

Chief Program Officer, EdTechTeam

“People always ask me, “What do you predict the classroom of the future will look like?” I always reply, if I could predict the future classroom, I’d be sorely disappointed. I love being surprised by new developments in technology and pedagogy. I love seeing the impossible become commonplace. The search for classroom innovation is an ongoing expedition, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s discovery brings.”

Twitter: @MsMagiera

13. Devorah Heitner

Author of Screenwise, Founder of Raising Digital Natives 3

“Huge question. I am excited about the role tech can play in empowering people to be lifelong learners and to find a community for what they want to learn. I am also excited to see student voice and choice and project-based learning become part of so many new and ongoing educational institutions. I am concerned about inequities in access to high-quality education and schools and I hope that that is rectified nationally and globally in the future. Empowering and encouraging students to become leaders and citizens and to participate in their local and national public spheres to identify and solve problems should be the mission of schools going forward.”

Twitter: @devorahheitner

14. Sotiris Makrygiannis

Cofounder of Eliademy

“AI helps teachers become better, not setting algorithmic limits to the brains of students. VR is used on daily basis from daycare to corporate environments, however, proper time limits are set and the danger of addiction is managed. Brain to PC neuron connectivity unleashes the human potential by helping us convert thoughts to actions. Big data are used to coach, mentor citizens, for those that opt-in of course Every citizen has the right to learn anything at a 0.99 cents cost but they understand as well the responsibility of doing so.”

Twitter: melsop74

15. Sari Factor, CEO of Edgenuity

“We are moving toward an era where all educators and students have access to tools and technology to help them achieve academic success. Engaging, personalized learning programs – powered by technology – are becoming more prevalent and impactful across K-12 education. Educators have the ability to identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling individualized instruction at scale. Students have the freedom to learn anywhere, at any time, and at their own pace, taking ownership for their learning. The days of ‘teaching to the middle’ are over.”

Twitter: @EdgenuityInc

16. David Lord

CEO, JumpStart Games

“The use of technology and gamification in the classroom is a growing trend – one that can be harnessed in multiple forms to enhance an instant digital interaction between the teacher and the student. Implementing technology into the curriculum also allows for parents to be more involved in their child’s education, thereby creating a 360-degree experience between parent, teacher and child. While technologies such as augmented and virtual reality are still emerging, I believe that game-based learning will eventually incorporate them as well, as they will allow children the chance to explore concepts they otherwise would not have access to.”

Twitter: @JumpStart_CEO

17. Erik Harrell, CEO, Kahoot!

“Teachers will become more important than ever before and continue to be critical potential “life-long” role models for students. The role of the teacher will evolve from a lecturer to a guide – helping students develop problem-solving and creative skills, innovation and project-based collaboration skills, and utilizing data and research to apply it in the real world. Teachers will capitalize on data on students to help them develop more individualized learning plans. As a leader in the gamification of learning, Kahoot! certainly believes that teachers will increasingly make gamification a central vehicle to help them achieve the learning outcomes they are seeking for their students.”

Twitter: @KahootErik

18. Stephania Savva

Research Associate, Cyprus University of Technology

“I believe in the promise for education to nurture social change and tackle some of the most challenging issues we deal as societies. In the future, there will be more steps towards bridging the gap between educational theory, research and practice worldwide. These should focus on systematic and meaningful technology-enhanced instructional approaches to maximize the learning potential for students in view of 21st century demands.

What I think will be instrumental, is effective professional development (PD). This requires Design-Based research and formative assessment to develop sustainable educational systems that will expand the literacy repertoires of students to include multiliteracies’ inclusive practices.”

19. Suzy Brooks

Director of Instructional Technology, Mashpee Public Schools, MA

Consultant and Presenter, TechnicallyInvisible.com

“Future students and educators will learn to see past their own perceptions by utilizing tools designed to accurately reflect strengths and weaknesses and facilitate meaningful growth. Accessible, mobile tools will allow us to be responsive as students and educators by anticipating challenges and implementing better practices to meet needs quickly and effectively. Technology will empower us all to be more connected, social and collaborative in ways that foster deeper empathy, curiosity and creativity. Ultimately, the essential skills of problem-solving and critical thinking will become more robust as we continue to work together redefining and revolutionizing education. “History starts now!”

Twitter: @SimplySuzy

20. Ahrani Logan

CEO & Cofounder Peapodicity

“The future of education will almost certainly include technology. The rise of tablet use in schools alongside the growing trend for interactivity to help build 21st Century skills means that technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) will gain more of a presence. Simple, affordable learning tools such as the award-winning AugmentifyIt®️ AR Card Quiz Games designed to encourage STEM and STEAM engagement are already gaining momentum and will become more commonplace in classroom activities to extend curriculum topic learning.”

Twitter: @AhraniLogan @Peapodicity @AugmentifyIt

21. Meagan England

Instructional Interventionist & Educational Consultant

“Teachers and students will lead the technology revolution in education and beyond. Teachers and students will create new uses for existing technology in the classroom and the workplace. Educators and learners will design and construct the technologies needed to meet the demands of the diverse student population throughout their learning career.”

Twitter: @oodlesofteach

22. Julie King

Director of Hedges Library, Baylor School and Doctoral Student @ UPenn

“The future of education sees students as more than consumers of information and media – but rather producers of knowledge and creators of stories. Beyond memorizing discrete facts, students will learn to sift through information to determine its value, then make their own connections and collaborations. Emerging technology tools, such as augmented and virtual reality have the potential to make powerful changes to the ways students demonstrate understanding of concepts and empathy for others – key elements for their engagement as participants in face-to-face and digital societies.”

Twitter: @libtechjules

23. Mark Espinola

CEO + Founder, GradeHub

No matter the delivery, online or in person, the best learning environments have a great teacher font and center. Instead of a dystopia of abandon buildings displaced by adaptive learning, bots, and AI, I see technologist ultimately learning to serve instead of aiming to replace educators.

Change often comes through cloaking technology in a “facade of the familiar,” EdTech companies will provide teachers familiar tools that employ radical advances in technology. Striking a middle ground of familiar and new will make large-scale technology adoption possible.

Twitter: @mespi

24. Dr. Jason Hlavacs

Division Chair for Applied Arts, Lyons Township High School

“Blended learning is the future of education. The combination of online digital content and classroom experiences will allow for deeper more meaningful learning. Blended learning allows for flexible instruction where a teacher may flip their class one day, then use station rotations the next day, or playlist completion another day. Blended learning allows for teachers to differentiate their instruction in a way that connects with students and gives students control they’ve never experienced. Blended learning will allow teachers to provide relevant context that has been missing in education while changing how the group instructional space is used.”

Twitter: @jhlavacs

25. Sedef Ozmen, EdTech Trainer

“Whenever you teach, you also touch the future! With the growth of technology, we as educators can touch the future even faster. So, I think innovative teachers are those that harness the power of education and those who follow the technological wave.”

Twitter: @EdTechSummit

26. Sharon Lynch, PhD

Research Professor of the George Washington Institute of Public Policy

Professor Emerita of Curriculum and Instruction

“STEM Education will lurch from the factory model to personalized approaches due to cultural shifts, new enabling technologies, and the diversity of students who want to learn individually, collaboratively, and experientially. Schools walls will grow increasingly porous as students connect with multi-age peers and STEM professionals to learn through games, maker spaces, clubs, and groups with STEM social action agendas. Coding and technology platforms will increasingly be used for creative expression and to demonstrate learning. New technologies will enable students learning English and those with different learning patterns and abilities.

Teaching will become more professionalized and collaborative, opened to individuals who have a range of STEM knowledge and skills and who can link students to STEM in the community. Equity issues could improve or be exacerbated, depending on policies on housing, school choice, school funding, and a recommitment to the American Dream.”

Twitter: @SharonJLynch

27. Dr. Nick Ceglarek

Superintendent, Hudsonville Public Schools (until June 30)

Superintendent, Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD beginning July 1)

“With the advances in technology, our role as educators is to facilitate learning, thinking, and problem-solving in a way which harnesses the incredible power at our fingertips. Instantaneous access to world events, scientific and research data, and creativity tools currently exist in the palm of our students’ hands. As educators, how do we use it in a way that is not distracting but enlightening? #educatorchallenge”

28. Dr. Richard Osborne, Catalysed Ltd.

“Should edtech be school led … or teacher led? Science teachers choose which experiments best suit their students, whilst Geography teachers choose the best places to explore. Maths teachers select the most apt problems, and Language teachers which grammar challenges. Why shouldn’t the same be true of edtech? I believe a personalised edtech pedagogy is the future – after all, it’s not what you use, but how you use it that matters. We all teach in our own special way, and it’s time to embrace digital technologies with the same ethos. “Right tech, right teacher” is the future of edtech.”

Twitter: @richosborne

29. Tim Green

Professor of Educational Technology and Teacher Education

California State University, Fullerton

“Despite the many challenges facing education, we live in a time of great promise for education. As an educational technologist and pedagogist, I see the vast potential technology coupled with effective pedagogy has to continue transforming when, where, and how teaching and learning takes place. We are moving from learning from and with technology to providing powerful learning anytime, anywhere through technology. This shift will provide learners with increased opportunities to take more ownership of their learning—allowing them to determine what they learn and how they demonstrate their learning to best meet their needs and goals. Teaching and learning will become increasingly less defined by formal learning contexts. I envision an increase in informal learning spaces—many facilitated through technology—where learners from around the globe can connect and learn from each other and from educators and experts. Learners will be part of numerous learning communities—formal and informal—that will help shape their educational experiences.”

Twitter: @theEdTechDoctor

30. Laura A. Pasquini, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Department of Learning Technologies, College of Information, University of North Texas

Researcher, The Digital Learning and Social Media Research Group, Royal Roads University

“The cultivation of digital literacy and information fluency development in education will help students become contributing members of our growing knowledge economy. We need to encourage learners to not only interpret and evaluate information, but also to produce and share creative content. By nurturing life-long learning practices, educators are preparing learners to be continuously engaged to support their future academic and career journey. Learning experiences should encourage students to ask critical questions, think deeply, collaborate cross-culturally, and encourage agility when faced with challenges or even professional opportunities that may not exist yet.”

Twitter: @laurapasquini

31. Lisa Nielsen

The Innovative Educator

“In the future, there will no longer be talk of banning technology so students pay attention to the lectures of their teachers. Instead, time together will be spent meaningfully with the teacher providing an environment for rich discussion and creation. Lectures can be viewed independently along side transcripts, notes, and presentation materials.

In the future, student work will no longer be locked inside a classroom or school building. Instead their work will be made for an authentic audience with a focus on contributing to making the world a better place in someway.

In the future, student work will no longer be represented by numbers, grades, and a few one-size-fits-all tests. Instead, there will be authentic methods of assessment that make learning more transparent including digital portfolios and transcripts that capture mastery and micro-credentials.”

Twitter: @InnovativeEdu

32. Bethany Petty

High School Social Studies Teacher and Educational Technology Blogger and Author

“This is such a fantastic time to be a teacher. The increasing availability of technology in the classroom allows teachers to create amazing learning opportunities our students, encouraging them to create representations of their knowledge, communicate and collaborate with their peers in the classroom and around the world, and think critically to solve problems. I’m excited to see these opportunities continue and increase in the coming years, as teachers work to create meaningful learning experiences for our students!”

Twitter: @Bethany_Petty

33. David Cutler (History and Journalism teacher at Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)

“In the near future, technology will play an even more fundamental role in transforming not only how we teach, but also how students learn. The role of teacher will have completely morphed into that of a coach or mentor, and teachers will place much more emphasis on self-directed, competency-based learning. In that setting, students will be assessed not on how much they know, but on what they can do with what they know.”

Twitter: @SpinEdu

34. Jerry S. Boyd

Superintendent, Putnam County School System

“All learning is personal today and in the future…at least anything that is authentic, lasting, and relevant. Technology in education, whether a device or a platform, is simply a tool that helps students make connections necessary to build knowledge; create and share ideas; and find solutions to complex problems. Technology solutions that will best enable teachers, schools, and districts to support seamless, high quality, and purposeful personalized learning pathways for all students will have the most value for years to come.”

Twitter: @jerrysboyd

35. Susan Genden, PhD

Learning and Performance Consultant

“My view: the future of education is rapidly changing, impacted by technologies, time, resources, and competition. In academia, quick access to content and increased technology use are key. Also included:

Computer skills and digital literacies for all levels

Educators increasingly integrate learning technologies

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) implementation enable powerful, engaging learning experiences

Use of video and massive open online courses (MOOCS) increases

Use of micro-learning, collaborative, and social/informal learning increases

More mobile use provides quicker access

Curated content grows and provides learning guidance

Deeper learning and self-directed learning outcomes increase

Emphasis on continuous learning”

Twitter: @susangenden

Conclusion

We would like to thank all our experts for contributing to this roundup. How is your school or organization working to prepare for the future? Let us know what’s worked and what hasn’t worked.

Click here to access all the parts of this roundup series.

The post 106 Experts Share Their Thoughts on the Future of Education, Part 2: Edtech appeared first on The Edvocate.

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