Pictures will follow.
Les photos vont suivre.

One of my fellow blogger,Sandra, who writes very well and for whom I have tremendous respect put into words exactly what I wanted to say about the Madona scandal.

Below is part of her post and if you click on this link you will find the entire post...

Happy reading!
...

I think it's important to mention that the die-hard anti-adoption people LOVE this sort of situation. With the media being total pinheads about adoption in general, the anti-crowd jumps in immediately with their garbage to hijack the story and set the agenda in a way that they hope will cast all adoption in a negative light.

There are many out there ... look to Austrialia for some of the most vociferous ... whose entire goal in life is to remove the option of adoption from the world.

It is vital that those supporting adoption ... those of us who understand deeply the consequences of institutional life and hopelessness because our kids remind us every day of what could have been ... fight these nuts with everything we have and realize that the news we are getting has been manipulated to make adoption look evil, immoral, etc.

Remember this before swallowing news versions of events hook, line and sinker: people who would deny all children a loving adoptive family are hoping you'll take the bait.

...

Puisqu'elle s'est sentie un peu délaissée ces derniers temps...voici la plus belle dans la race canine...Notre Pashmina Nationale!


Since she felt a little left out these days...here she...the most beautiful of the K9 race...Our little Pashmina!

In this week's issue of the very "respectable" British weekly magasine called "The Spectator" there was an article about the "Richie's scandal" by what I call a "So-called journaliste" named Melissa Kite.

Never mind, the "Scandal", never mind what the gossip magasines have to say about these celebreties...I could not care less...

Below the quote of the last paragraph of her so called article:

"In years to come, when we in the West have evolved a little, we will come to see cross-border adoption as we now view the slave trade. In 20years' time, maybe a lot less, we will look back and say "do you remember when rich people used to get babies from Africa? My God, did that really happen?" It would be better still if we woke up to this outrage now".

Dans le très respectable hebdomadaire anglais le "Spectator" de cette semaine, il y a un article sur le scandal de la famille "Richie" écrit par la soit disant journaliste Melissa Kite.

Je m'en fou du scandal, je m'en fou des ragots sur les stars que les magasines doivent étaler pour vendre leurs torchons mais là...c'est autre chose. Ci-dessous la traduction du dernier paragraph de son soit disant article:

“Dans les années à venir, lorsque l’ouest aura évolué un peu, nous verrons les adoptions inter-frontières (internationales) de la même manière que nous voyons aujourd’hui la traite des esclaves ! Dans 20 ans, peut-être beaucoup moins, on regardera en arrière et l’on dira « Vous souvenez-vous lorsque les personnes riches allaient chercher leurs bébés en Afrique ? Bon Dieu, est-ce que cela c’est réellement passé ? »Il serait- mieux si l’on se réveillait aujourd’hui de cet outrage ».

Je souhaite des reactions de votre part...I would like some feedback from you guys!

THINK BEFORE YOU PINK!

I asked myself this morning what have I done to help apart from forwarding a few e-mails?

My Dear Dear Cousin Veronike, battled for years with Breast cancer and eventually lost the war last December at the young age of 42. We miss her so much. She left us far too early and I would like to see things move on this front…make women aware. So I thought I would check some few web sites of companies who sent me emails advertising and asking me to open my wallet and make purchases so proceeds can go towards breast cancer research. I thought that some of the stuff could be nice ideas for Christmas gifts but then again I also wondered what do these companies do the rest of the year? This site has been making the rounds and it's worth a look.

"Philanthropy or hypocrisy?" You decide.

The same question again!!!

If I help you wash my car will you help me wash mine?
Si je t'aides à laver ta voiture vas-tu m'aider à laver la mienne?

C'était magique pour Bhavishya samedi soir...devant toutes les bougies elle était en exstase et faisait "waow". Aussi elle a découvert les Bombay et Kashmiri mix et elle les adorent! Elle partage ce qu'elle a au point de présenter les plats aux invités en parfaite hotesse! mdr! Je suis fière d'elle.

It was magical for Bhavishya saturday night. In front of all the candles lite she would admire them and say "waow". She discovered Bombay and Kashmiri mix and adores them! She shares what she has to the point of passing the dishes to guests as a perfect hostess! LoL! I am so proud of her.

Pour info elle porte un habit traditionel du sud de l'Inde. FYI she wears a southern Indian traditional outfit.

Aujourd'hui nous avions rdv à la foire. Nous étions en retard dû à toutes sortes "d'exploits" de notre Princesses dont je ne citerai par pudeur (mdr!)

Mais avant cela, Mademoiselle c'est régalée...


Bref...Mademoiselle s'est littéralement E C L A T E E!!!

Pour commencer elle a reçu un cadeau de son nouveau petit copain, puis elle a essayé un nouvel engin.

Le Père Nöel a d'autres choses en tête pour cette année et pense qu'avec la magnifique coccinelle qu'elle a reçu de sa Tante Yolande et de son Oncle Mark ainsi que le bolide et le magnifique tricycle qu'elle a reçu de sa Tante Laurence, Oncle Michel, Louis et Paul c'est amplement suffisant pour le moment. Mais il avoue qu'il était tenté! mdr!!!












Puis notre Petit Rayon de Soleil nous a montré ces dons artistiques au stand du musée d'art moderne et a fait preuve de grands moments de concentration. Nous étions tous très impressionnés surtout qu'à ce stand, tous nous ont dit que nos bouts de choux étaient trop petits! FOUTAISE!

Et pour terminer la journée et pour se relaxer quoi de mieux qu'un bon bain!

I am still unsure how and what we are going to do to celebrate Diwali this year. We are having friends coming over for the evening.

Somehow I feel I need to keep certain Indian traditions for our daughter as well as introduce her to some of our familly traditions such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years eve...I guess I will need to speak to Bhavishya's God Father and his sister, who are Indians, and will see what we can come up with...

I know I shall cook some dahl, biryani, keema matar?, Moghklai spinach and tomato and onion cachumbar and Naan bread. I still need to find receipe for typical Indian sweets!

But what is Diwali anyhow?

Diwali is the festival of light that marks the Hindu new year. This year it falls on 21 October, but it depends on the lunar calendar.

How is it celebrate it?

Before sunrise, families anoint their heads with coconut oil and then wash their hair to rid themselves of any misortune from the previous year. They come together for prayer or pooja, when girls burn incense, ring little bells to evoke God and light camphor flame. They offer it to elders fro blessings and to make a vond with male relatives for protection.

In the evening, the family dress in new clothes and place small clay lamps filled with oil on windowsills and in doorways to welcome the Goddess of Prosperity, Lakshmi, into their home and to light the way for friends and relatives.



Once guests have arrived, the night becomes a coloufl, noisy night of gambling, firewords and biryani which tradionally was baked in a hole in the ground and then followed by a rich variety of homemade sweets.

Mark is in Sydney for a conference for a week! Gosh we miss him so much!

Mark please come home soon and safely!!!

We love you,

Your Chicks

Mark est à Sydney pour une conférence pendant une semaine! A qu'est-ce qu'il nous manque!!!

Mark reviens nous vite sain et sauf!

On t'aime

Tes Nanas

Whilst we were in India, both Pepsi and Coke in India have been accused of containing high levels of toxic chemicals, far above the acceptable global norm. Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment has spent much time and energy on making this known to the public.

The funny thing is that within days of the scandal, on August 14, 2006 to be precise, Pepsico Announced The appointment of a new female CEO, Indra Nooyi.Nooyi was born in Madras, India on October 28, 1955. She received a bachelor's degree from Madras Christian College and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and graduated from the Yale School of Management. According to Forbes magazine's 2006 poll, Mrs. Nooyi is #4 most powerful woman in the world. She has been named the #1 Most Powerful Woman in Business in 2006 by Fortune Magazine.


But Mrs Nooyi is not really the point of my post...the point is why is so much energy wasted in something like the Coke and Pepsi story when most water in India is contaminated? This is probably how our darling daughter caught her hepatitis A, not that it is a dangerous disease but not a very unpleasant one. And how many people die of dysentry in the world due to contaminated water?

Let's meditate on this one!

Here is to a Happy and positive week to us all!

...je délègue mais surpervise quand même!

...I delegate but still supervise!

Pas trop bruyant et sympa! Not too noisy and sweet!

In my previous post I mentioned I would mention more about Hepatitis in a next post so I have done a little research…

What is Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A (abbreviated HAV) is a liver disease caused by hepatitis A virus which is an enterovirus transmitted by the oro-fecal route, such as contaminated food. Most people think it is curable with antibiotics but it is not since it is a virus. It causes an acute inflammation of the liver, does not have a chronic stage, and will not cause any permanent damage to the liver. The patient's immune system makes antibodies against Hepatitis A that confer immunity against future infection. A vaccine is available that will prevent infection from hepatitis A for life and thank god both Mark and myself have had this injection (me 5 years ago before one of my numerous trips to Seychelles and Mark in July as I insisted he should have it done not knowing the sanitation conditions in the orphanage!).

How is hepatitis A transmitted?
Hepatitis A virus is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. This type of transmission is called "fecal-oral." For this reason, the virus is more easily spread in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or where good personal hygiene is not observed. However most infections result from contact with a household member or sex partner who has hepatitis A. Casual contact, as in the usual office, factory, or school setting, does not spread the virus

What are the symptoms?
People with hepatitis A virus infection may not have any signs or symptoms of the disease. Older people are more likely to have symptoms than children. If symptoms are present, they usually occur abruptly and may include:

Jaundice (showing up first as yellow eyes)
Dark urine
Nausea
Fever
Fatigue
Abdominal discomfort
Loss of appetite
Stomach ache
Vomiting

Few people are ill for as long as 6 months. The average incubation period for hepatitis A is 28 days (range: 15–50 days).

Interestingly enough only 3 out of 4 people with hepatitis A have symptoms, that would explain why my Mother-in-law was so sick with it and why one of my friend and co-blogger wasn’t even aware she contracted it until she had a blood test!

What are the treatments available?
There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the disease when the symptoms are most severe. People with acute hepatitis should avoid alcohol and any substances that are toxic to the liver, including acetaminophen (Tylenol). Fatty foods may cause vomiting, because secretions from the liver are needed to digest fats. Fatty foods are best avoided during the acute phase.

What to expect / prognosis?
Over 85% of people with hepatitis A recover within 3 months, and over 99% of people recover by 6 months.
The fatality rate is estimated at 0.1%, usually among the elderly and patients with chronic liver disease.
Hepatitis A infection does not become a chronic.

What complications can occur?
There are usually no complications. One in a thousand cases become fulminant hepatitis, which can be life threatening.

If one had hepatitis A in the past, can one get it again?
No. Once recovered from hepatitis A one develops antibodies that provide life-long protection from future infections. After recovering from hepatitis A, one will never get it again and one cannot transmit the virus to others.

How does one know if one suffers from hepatitis A?
A blood test (IgM anti-HAV) is needed to diagnose hepatitis A.

How to Prevent Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A can be prevented by good hygiene and sanitation. Vaccination is also available, and is recommended in areas where the prevalence of hepatitis A is high.
Ways to prevent hepatitis A include the following:

Wash hands with soap and warm water before preparing or eating food, after using the bathroom, changing a diaper and after sexual activity.
Keep bathrooms clean and disinfected after every use.
Cook shellfish thoroughly before eating.
Drink water from approved sources only.

There are two products used to prevent hepatitis A virus infection: immune globulin and hepatitis A vaccine.

Immuno globulin is sort of out dated…I had one done in 1989 whilst working in a hospital…not a nice injection and it had to be completed 5 years ago as my IgM’s were not high enough! Immune globulin is a preparation of antibodies that can be given before exposure for short-term protection against hepatitis A and for persons who have already been exposed to hepatitis A virus. Immune globulin must be given within 2 weeks after exposure to hepatitis A virus for maximum protection.

The vaccine is recommended (before exposure to hepatitis A virus) for people who are more likely to get hepatitis A virus infection or are more likely to get seriously ill if they do get hepatitis A. The vaccines currently licensed in Europe and the United States are HAVRIX® (manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline)

How do you kill hepatitis A virus (HAV)?
HAV can live outside the body for months, depending on the environmental conditions. HAV is killed by heating to 185 degrees F. (85 degrees C.) for one minute. However, HAV can still be spread from cooked food if it gets contaminated after cooking. Adequate chlorination of water, as recommended in the US, kills HAV that may get into the water supply.

Can I get viral hepatitis from an animal?
No. Hepatitis viruses are not zoonotic meaning that they cannot be transmitted between, or be shared by, animals and humans. No natural animal or insect hosts or vectors are known to exist. While humans are the only natural hosts, some non-human primates can be experimentally infected for research purposes.

I the near future I shall write about Hepatitis B&C

Bhavishya has hepatitis "A" / a l'hépatite "A".

Now we finally understand why she was so unwell / On comprend enfin pourquoi elle était si mal! Pauvre Puce! Poor little Darling!

More on hepatitis on some later post...Plus sur les hépatites dans un autre poste.

Good night / Bonne nuit

On a tous la bronchite et de la fièvre...pas facile de s'occuper d'un enfant malade lorsqu'on est mal fichu! Bref hier c'était la fête des Papas à Luxembourg j'ai fait un gâteau au chocolat et on a quand même réussi à prendre des photos avec l'ancien appareil photo de Mark qui a 6 ans et 2.8 mio de pixels, ce qui était énorme à l'époque ;-)

We all have bronchitis with temperature...it is not easy to look after a sick child when one doesn't feel well. Anyhow, yesterday was Father's day here in Luxembourg. I baked a chocolate cake and we still managed to take pictures with Mark's old camera - a 6 year old camera with 2.8 million pixels which was huge at the time ;-)

Avant de manger je me lave les mains...Before eating I wash my hands...




Je ressemble à un cachet d'aspirine avec mes 38.8 de fièvre! I am as white as an aspirin with my temperature!

Et voici la plus belle...en attendant qu'on tranche le gâteau...elle mange de l'eau!
Here is the most beautiful...whilst waiting we cut the cake...she eats water!

Eh oui mon appareil photo ne marche toujours pas ils me demandent 250 Euro juste pour l'envoyer à Sony! Ils se fichent un peu du monde. Je vais m'en racheter un nouveau mais je ne sais pas quoi...il faut que je me décide...sinon le père Noel va devoir le faire ;-)

My camera is still broken. They ask me 250 Euro just to send it to Sony! I am planning to buy myself a new one but I am not sure which one I should get...I'll need to decide otherwise Santa will have to do it ;-)

Can anyone recommend me one?