Published : Friday, May 18, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 149 Written by : PERSIDA ACOSTA

Dear PAO, My father adopted my sisters son when the latter was just 7 years old. Now, the adopted child is already 30 years old. My father wants to reverse the adoption because of family dispute. He does not recognize my father as his father and has never lived in the same house. What should my father do? Tita Zenny

Dear Tita Zenny, Adoption is a process where a child becomes a legitimate child of the adoptee. There are certain requirements before a court issues a decree of adoption. Under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8552, entitled An Act Establishing the Rules and Policies on the Domestic Adoption of Filipino Children and for other purposes otherwise known as the Domestic Adoption Law, the court shall require proof that the biological parent (s) has been properly counseled to prevent him/her from making hurried decisions caused by strain or anxiety to give up the child, and to sustain that all measures to strengthen the family have been exhausted and that any prolonged stay of the child in his/her own home will be inimical to his/her welfare and interest. Moreover, no petition for adoption shall be set for hearing unless a license social worker of the Department, the social service office of the local government unit, or any child-placing agency has made a case study of the adoptee, his/her biological parent (s), as well as the adopter(s), and has submitted their report and recommendations on the matter to the court hearing such petition. Finally, no petition for adoption shall finally granted until the adopter(s) has been given by the court at least six (6) months within which the parties are expected to adjust psychologically and emotionally to each other and establish a bonding relationship (Sections 10, 11, 12 R.A. No. 8552). To this end, the court shall determine if the adoption shall be for the best interest of the child.

We regret to inform you that your father cannot reverse the adoption of his adopted child because under R.A. No. 8552, adoption may only be subject to rescission by the adoptee and not by the adopter considering that adoption laws were created for the best interest of a child. But even if your father cannot rescind the adoption, he may disinherit his adopted child.

Disinheritance under the Civil Code refers to the deprivation of legitime of a compulsory heir for caused expressly stated by law. Disinheritance can be effected only through a will wherein the legal cause therefor shall be specified. Since adoption has the effect of vesting upon the adoptee the status of a legitimate child, the following, under Article 919 of the Civil Code shall be sufficient causes for the disinheritance: (1) when a child or descendant has been found guilty of an attempt against the life of the testator, his spouse, descendants, or ascendants; (2) when a child or descendant has caused the testator of a crime for which the law prescribed imprisonment of six years or more, if the accusation has been found groundless; (3) when the child or descendant has been convicted of adultery or concubinage with the spouse of the testator; (4) when a child or descendant by fraud, violence, intimidation, or undue influence caused the testator to make a will or to change one already made; (5) a refusal without justifiable cause to support the parent or ascendant who disinherits such child or descendant; (6) maltreatment of the testator by word or deed, by the child or descendant; (7) when a child or descendant leads a dishonorable or disgraceful life; (8) conviction of a crime which carries with it the penalty of civil interdiction.

Please be reminded that the above legal opinion is solely based on our appreciation of the problem that you have stated. The opinion may vary when other facts are stated or elaborated.

Editors note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorneys Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Adoption cannot be rescinded; adopted child may be disinherited

SampleMD Adoption Increasing

Brian Marckx, CFA

Q1 Results

OptimizeRx Corp ( OPRX ) filed their 10-Q for the first quarter ending 3/31/2012 on 5/15/2012. While revenue was slightly lower than what we had modeled, this was more than offset by lower than estimated operating expenses. The net result was net loss coming in slightly better than our number. Our outlook remains largely unchanged and reiterate our Outperform rating on OPRX.

On the operational side, indications are that management continues to make meaningful headway with adoption of SampleMD by clinicians and in partnering with additional eprescriber services. Management reiterated its goal of expanding the SampleMD reach to 100k (i.e. – triple their current base) physicians by the current year end. OptimizeRx also continues to refine SampleMD and increase its functionality, which recently included the integration (currently still in a beta phase) of eRep scheduler, which allows physicians to schedule meetings with drug reps.

Q1 revenue was $329k compared to our $397 estimate. Operating expenses were $630k, well below our $781k estimate, the difference mostly related to lower than modeled professional and advertising expense.

Q1 net income and EPS were ($301k) and ($0.02) compared to our ($384k) and ($0.03) estimates.

OPRX exited Q1 with $798k in cash, compared to $960k at the end of Q4 2011. Cash used in operations was $128k in Q1. Ex-changes in working capital, cash used in operations was $135k. As a reminder, OPRX pays for some services with stock and options which, coupled with only moderate operating expenses, helps keep its cash burn to a minimum. Another $34k was used in investing activities in Q1, the majority of which is related to capitalization of web-development costs.

Recent Points of Interest;

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

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SampleMD Adoption Increasing – Analyst Blog

SALT LAKE CITY A group of women posing as birth mothers met with a handful of Utah adoption agencies to hear their pitch on why they should place their child for adoption and how they can keep the birth father from knowing.

“I was dumbfounded when I went in,” said one pregnant woman posing as a birth mother from out of state. “The stuff that they were telling me, I really almost couldn’t believe it.”

KSL News was given audio recordings to listen to after these women met with adoption agencies over the last few weeks.

undercover birth mother

Some of the tapes are chilling, giving a behind-closed-doors look at what can happen inside an adoption agency when a birth mother clearly states she wants to cut the birth father out of the adoption process.

In one recording, the adoption agency employee says, “Because Utah’s so adoption friendly, a lot of families want to adopt out of Utah.”

“OK,” the undercover birth mother replies.

“Because if a child is born here and placed here,” the employee continues, “Utah law stands.”

Some of the adoption agencies interviewed openly tout the benefits of adoption and adoption laws in Utah. Others are a little more explicit.

“You don’t have to even identify him,” one agency employee told the birth mother. “You don’t have to notify him because he’s not a legal.”

Continued here:
Utah adoption agencies working to keep birth fathers in the dark

Read more:
Levels of smartphone adoption highest in the UAE says study

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

What makes a house feel like a home? asks Jordans Furniture CEO Eliot Tatelman. Its not furniture, comes the surprising answer, Its family. But thousands of kids living right here in Massachusetts are waiting for all the comforts of home AND family, he added.

Thats why Jordans Furniture, a long-time champion for children in state foster care, is hosting A Walk Home: the Walk for Adoption this Sunday morning, May 20 at the Jordans Furnitures Taunton facility.

The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), in partnership with Jordans Furniture, is organizing the 3rd annual Walk for Adoption to benefit its work to recruit adoptive parents for children and teens in state foster care. Over 2,000 local children are currently growing up in temporary foster care while waiting for permanent, safe, loving homes.

Jordans President/CEO Eliot Tatelman will be in attendance to welcome guests and kick-off the Walk at 9:30am.

The Walk for Adoption is a fun-filled celebration of adoption, featuring a 5K (or shorter) non-competitive walk as well as childrens activities, entertainment, raffles, games, and refreshments.

Walk participants can register online at www.firstgiving.com/mare by noon Friday, or in person at the Walk. Registration starts at 9:00 am at Jordans Furniture, 450 Revolutionary Drive, E. Taunton, MA. Prizes will be awarded for top fundraising individuals and teams.

MAREs Walk for Adoption is sponsored by Jordan’s Furniture, StoneTurn Group, WebsterOneSource, WickedLocal, Brookline Bank, Hannaford Supermarkets, and Kohls Cares for Kids.

For more information on A Walk Home, MAREs Walk for Adoption, or to learn about adoption from foster care, contact MARE at 800-882-1176, 617-54-ADOPT, or visit www.MAREinc.org.

MARE is a private, non-profit organization, working since 1957 to find a permanent place to call home for youth in foster care, including sibling groups and children who are traditionally harder to place.

See original here:
“Walk for Adoption” to Help Local Children Find Permanent Families

By Brian Marckx, CFA

Q1 Results

OptimizeRx Corp (OTC: BB:OPRX) filed their 10-Q for the first quarter ending 3/31/2012 on 5/15/2012. While revenue was slightly lower than what we had modeled, this was more than offset by lower than estimated operating expenses. The net result was net loss coming in slightly better than our number. Our outlook remains largely unchanged and reiterate our Outperform rating on OPRX.

On the operational side, indications are that management continues to make meaningful headway with adoption of SampleMD by clinicians and in partnering with additional eprescriber services. Management reiterated its goal of expanding the SampleMD reach to 100k (i.e. – triple their current base) physicians by the current year end. OptimizeRx also continues to refine SampleMD and increase its functionality, which recently included the integration (currently still in a beta phase) of eRep scheduler, which allows physicians to schedule meetings with drug reps.

Q1 revenue was $329k compared to our $397 estimate. Operating expenses were $630k, well below our $781k estimate, the difference mostly related to lower than modeled professional and advertising expense.

Q1 net income and EPS were ($301k) and ($0.02) compared to our ($384k) and ($0.03) estimates.

OPRX exited Q1 with $798k in cash, compared to $960k at the end of Q4 2011. Cash used in operations was $128k in Q1. Ex-changes in working capital, cash used in operations was $135k. As a reminder, OPRX pays for some services with stock and options which, coupled with only moderate operating expenses, helps keep its cash burn to a minimum. Another $34k was used in investing activities in Q1, the majority of which is related to capitalization of web-development costs.

Recent Points of Interest;

Read the original:
OPRX – SampleMD Adoption Increasing

SampleMD Adoption Increasing

Brian Marckx, CFA

Q1 Results

OptimizeRx Corp (OPRX.OB) filed their 10-Q for the first quarter ending 3/31/2012 on 5/15/2012. While revenue was slightly lower than what we had modeled, this was more than offset by lower than estimated operating expenses. The net result was net loss coming in slightly better than our number. Our outlook remains largely unchanged and reiterate our Outperform rating on OPRX.

On the operational side, indications are that management continues to make meaningful headway with adoption of SampleMD by clinicians and in partnering with additional eprescriber services. Management reiterated its goal of expanding the SampleMD reach to 100k (i.e. – triple their current base) physicians by the current year end. OptimizeRx also continues to refine SampleMD and increase its functionality, which recently included the integration (currently still in a beta phase) of eRep scheduler, which allows physicians to schedule meetings with drug reps.

Q1 revenue was $329k compared to our $397 estimate. Operating expenses were $630k, well below our $781k estimate, the difference mostly related to lower than modeled professional and advertising expense.

Q1 net income and EPS were ($301k) and ($0.02) compared to our ($384k) and ($0.03) estimates.

OPRX exited Q1 with $798k in cash, compared to $960k at the end of Q4 2011. Cash used in operations was $128k in Q1. Ex-changes in working capital, cash used in operations was $135k. As a reminder, OPRX pays for some services with stock and options which, coupled with only moderate operating expenses, helps keep its cash burn to a minimum. Another $34k was used in investing activities in Q1, the majority of which is related to capitalization of web-development costs.

Recent Points of Interest;

Zacks Investment Research

Visit link:
SampleMD Adoption Increasing

My second and third Mother’s Days must have been uneventful because I don’t remember being mad.  My fourth Mother’s Day is one for the books.  My sister-in-law and I went on strike and decided our husbands were taking us and Mom out to eat.  At that time, I had an adorable 3-1/2 year old, and an almost two-year-old.  As I was fixing breakfast, my little one woke from her night in my bed (I know), came running out to meet me yelling “Happy Mudder’s Day”, slipped on the tile, and knocked out her two front teeth.  Yes, you read that right.  That is how we got to meet our beloved Pediatric/Adolescent dentist who we use to this day.  It’s also how I happened to go to Mother’s Day dinner at a nice restaurant in jeans, my husbands t-shirt, flip flops and blood stains.  In the pictures, we all look a little shell shocked.

After that, every Mother’s Day was a good one.  How could it be otherwise?  The hardest was the one after my Sister-in-Law passed away.  The best, last year.  2011 was my first year as mom to 5.  All my life, I’d dreamt of having a large family.  I’d given up in my mid-30s on being a mom at all and now, look?  Mom to five!  It was almost unbelievable.

This year, we were blessed to celebrate with my mom.  (I’m not sure entirely how blessed she feels.  We call ourselves “The Tischler Invasion.”  It’s like bringing a small, war-torn country to your neat and tidy Switzerland.)  Anyway, she is in her late 70s and I haven’t spent Mother’s Day with her in 27 years.  We were able to get my siblings here too, except my dear London-based brother.

It was another great Mother’s Day, and I am, indeed, richly blessed.  (Full disclosure — this is LAST year’s Mother’s Day picture;  technical difficulties)

Photo credit: Dreena T

Source:
http://fost-adopt.adoptionblogs.com/feed

A joke about adoption in The Avengers isn’t funny, say the organisers of a petition.

Contributed – Zade Rosenthal, Marvel

A PETITION has been launched over an adoption joke in the new Avengers movie that organisers have slammed as “insulting”.

The petition, which has 247 signatures, is over a line muttered by Chris Hemsworth’s character Thor, after Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow tells him his brother Loki – a villain – has killed “80 people in two days”.

Thor replies: “He’s adopted.”

Petition organiser Jamie Berke said scriptwriter Joss Whedon should have thought about how the line would impact on viewers who were adopted themselves.

“According to your scriptwriter, the fact (Loki) was adopted is the reason he is a bad guy,” Berke said.

“Being adopted is not something to use for the butt of jokes. Marvel, immediately cease using adoption as the butt of jokes and issue a public apology to the adoption community.”

As MSNBC.com reported, Hemsworth admitted to Moviefanatic.com he didn’t get the joke when he first read it.

“The line where I say, ‘He’s adopted’ – I had no idea that would be funny,” Hemsworth said.

Original post:
Avengers adoption joke 'hurtful'

Anthony DelMundo for New York Daily News

Dr. Yasemin Osman wanted to spend Mother’s Day with little Mehin from Azerbaijan, but red tape is preventing that.

A bureaucratic logjam prevents this mom from being with her adopted baby daughter on Mothers Day.

But dont look for a black hat here. Just sticky red tape in the story of Dr. Yasemin Osman, a Brooklyn-born, Queens-raised dermatologist who three years ago set out to adopt a baby and become a single mom.

I applied with Adoption Ark, a Hague-approved adoption agency, says Osman in her office in Douglaston, Queens. Id heard horror stories about domestic adoptions. Long waits, biological parents reclaiming children, problems with single motherhood.

Her parents are Turkish immigrants, her father a cabbie who hacked three kids through college, including Osman, who became a doc via CCNY and Stony Brook University and now teaches at Columbia University.

I chose Azerbaijan because they accept single women and are culturally similar to Turks, she says. Azeri is very similar to Turkish, which I speak fluently.

In July 2010, I received a video of adorable 18-month old Mehin, born with a cleft palate, she says. She would need further surgery and speech therapy. I fell in love.

Then she heard nothing until 2011, when she was told she had a court proceeding in Azerbaijan in February 2012.

I flew to the beautiful capital city of Baku with my mom, she says. I visited Mehin in an orphanage the day before the hearing. I gave her dolls and a bunch of colored balls. She was scared at first. She warmed up when she started playing with my iPhone, playing Beatles songs and looking at every photo. I just wanted to take her home and mother her.

Read more:
Doctlor's adoption heartaches

The rest is here:
'Avengers' Joke Ignites Adoption Community to Petition

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The 20 Million Minds Foundation(20MM) in partnership with Akademos today announced the launch of a non-profit faculty-focused Textbook Search Tool to help determine affordable peer-reviewed textbook options that will be run on the non-profit’s 20MM.org website.

Akademos, a leader in integrated online bookstores and marketplaces for educational institutions, will power the 20MM search engine. Akademos is tackling skyrocketing textbook costs and recently launched its own Akademos Textbook Adoption Tool which offers a comprehensive online portal for faculty to choose textbooks based on quality and value.

In addition, 20MM will ensure that the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development’s newly announced initiativethe Open Academics textbook catalog which will make available to faculty worldwide a library of high quality publisher-grade open source textbooks that have already been adoptedwill be included on the 20MM faculty search engine.

The 20MM adoption search engine becomes a single source for adoption information that streamlines and makes more efficient the communication of adoption choices.

“The 20MM faculty adoption search engine allows professors or course coordinators to view, contrast, and compare textbooks and other course materials within a given subject area,” said Dean Florez, former California State Senator and president and CEO of Twenty Million Minds Foundation. “Our goal is to provide faculty with the information they need to make an informed decision, including reviews and testimonials by verified faculty, the cost of the book (in new, used, rental and digital format) through an affordability index, links between old editions and new editions, links between bundled and unbundled versions, alternative high quality open source content, national adoption information, and other critical factors.”

“For the first time, faculty have access to the most comprehensive library of course materials sourced from both traditional publishers and open source providers,” said Brian Jacobs, founder and president of Akademos. “Our aim is to provide the right platform for faculty to easily discover the best course materials for better learning outcomes.”

“There is a growing need to make higher education more affordable for all students, which is why we created the Open Academics textbook catalog,” said David Ernst, Director of Academic and Information Technology in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. “The Open Academics catalog will help faculty find and adopt more affordable textbooks for their students.”

“The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) is very interested in providing faculty with options for textbooks, whether those be online or hardbound,” said Jonathan Lightman, Executive Director of FACCC. “The whole discussion on textbook options is increasingly pronounced as college costs continue to escalate. Faculty members are an integral part of this discussion and will play the central role as the options for college textbooks grow in the next few years.”

The 20MM Faculty Adoption Tool will reduce textbook costs by allowing faculty to access and compare more than 2 million books across 3,600 subjects from small and large publishers including traditional, digital and eBooks, as well as 84 Open Educational Resource (OER) textbooks and open educational resource content.

20 Million Minds is a non-profit organization dedicated to greatly reducing textbook costs. The foundation is currently leveraging leading-edge technologies to create more affordable, engaging and effective educational materials for college students throughout the nation.

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Faculty Adoption Portals Announced: Enhanced Online Search for Textbooks Pushed by Non-profit 20 Million Minds …

Adoption body still refers tracing clients to unaccredited agency

By Conall Ftharta

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Adoption Authority is still referring adopted people tracing their natural parents to an agency that is not legally allowed provide any related service.

St Brigids Adoption Society in Dublin holds the records and personal information of more than 1,000 people whose adoptions it arranged.

St Brigids is no longer an accredited agency, and the AAI confirmed that it was “no longer offering an information and tracing service.”

However, a number of people adopted through St Brigids have told the Irish Examiner the AAI was still directing people to contact St Brigids with tracing and information enquiries.

The AAI has stressed it referred people to St Brigids simply so it could be recorded that they wished to start a trace.

“Referrals made are not for the purpose of tracing, since the former society is not entitled to trace, but simply… to record that the person wishes to commence a trace when the files are transferred to the HSE. This position is made clear by the AAI to persons enquiring,” said a statement.

Along with Sacred Heart Adoption Society in Cork, St Brigids caused outrage amongst adopted people when it emerged it declined to apply for accreditation under the Adoption Act last year. They were not compelled to do so under the legislation.

Read the original here:
Adoption body still refers tracing clients to unaccredited agency

Steve Schwartz, whose family has adopted two daughters from China, likes joking with his accountant that filling out tax forms is nothing.

“The adoption process is like doing your taxes 10 times over in terms of documentation,” said Schwartz, a partner at Inovo, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based innovation consultant. He understands all that paperwork is necessary to protect children.

Yet Schwartz’s advice to adoptive parents is to create even more of a paper trail. Track every expense and keep every receipt possible during the adoption process. Those slips of paper can help in calculating the adoption credit.

The tax break for adoption costs isn’t well-known, even among families who have adopted children. People who adopt are emotionally focused on the joy and challenges of building a family, and they’re not generally studying the tax code.

Schwartz first found out about the credit from his accountant.

“When the refund came, we put the money toward an education-savings account,” Schwartz said. The family received an adoption credit of $4,907 in 2009 and $7,243 in 2010. The two years of credits were based on previous rules that allowed a carry-forward.

Nationwide, 96,949 tax returns in 2010 claimed the adoption credit for $1.2 billion, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

For adoptive parents, the tax break is helpful in recovering a portion of the costs. For some families, an international adoption can run well above $20,000. Some families use the tax-break money to pay back loans taken from family or friends during the process.

For the 2011 tax year, adoption credits are worth up to $13,360 per child. And adoption credits are refundable for 2011, which is a better deal for many families.

A refundable credit means that money is available for taxpayers even if they don’t have enough taxable income. In that case, you’d get a tax refund even if your tax liability ended up at zero.

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Adoption tax credit can recoup costs

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Despite Romney Claim, Same-Sex Adoption Laws Vary

THE success of the adoption system in Wales will hinge on the support given to parents, a leading charity said a day after the UK Government unveiled plans to accelerate the process.

Welsh Government ministers will be asked if they want Wales to be included in Westminster legislation that would help prospective parents adopt children from ethnic minority backgrounds by stopping councils waiting for the perfect match.

The NSPCC warned that the focus should be on the welfare of children and not the speed of the system and Ann Bell of Adoption UK said support for parents is the critical factor in Wales.

She said: It is fair to say that ethnicity is less of an issue in adoption in Wales than it is in England. In Wales at the moment there is a very serious shortage of any adoptive parents coming forward of any ethnicity whilst the numbers of children predominantly white being taken into care continues to rise.

There are significant delays at each stage of the process due to a range of causes and the Welsh Government is currently consulting on some major proposals to address these problems and has set up an expert group on adoption to work on proposals for a single national adoption service.

Adoption UK is clear that a national service will only achieve its aim of increasing the number of successful adoptions if post-adoption support is an integral part of the adoption arrangements.

In 2011 there were 5,415 children in Wales in the care of local authorities but only 250 were adopted, the number as half a decade earlier.

Des Mannion of the NSPCC said: We welcome the UK Governments action plan to improve the adoption system… However, we need to ensure that the welfare of the child is central to these reforms. There is a risk that a sole focus on speed means that this critical issue is sometimes overshadowed.

The Government needs to put in place safeguards to ensure this is not the case… We must remember that adoption is only an option for a small minority of those in care.

The NSPCC supports measures in the Welsh Governments Social Services Bill to improve the adoption process.

Link:
Support for parents key for Wales' adoption system, say campaigners

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

According to the new Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012 study from healthcare market research and advisory firm Manhattan Research, physicians device and digital media adoption are evolving much faster than anticipated, especially when it comes to tablets. The study surveyed 3,015 U.S. practicing physicians online in Q1 2012 across more than 25 specialties.

Striking key findings from the Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012 study include:

Physicians are evolving in ways we expected only faster, said Monique Levy, Vice President of Research at Manhattan Research. The skyrocketing adoption rates of tablets alone, especially iPads, means healthcare stakeholders should revisit many of their assumptions about reaching and engaging with this audience.

Upcoming Webinar! Taking the PulseU.S. 2012 Thursday, May 17 at 3pm EST

Vice President of Research Monique Levy is hosting a webinar Thursday, May 17 at 3pm ET for those interested in learning more about Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012 as well as highlights from the new data. For more information about the webinar and to register, please visit https://decisionresources.webex.com/decisionresources/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=769853887.

About Taking the PulseU.S. 2012

Taking the Pulse U.S. is Manhattan Researchs annual market research study and syndicated advisory service focused on how U.S. physicians use the Internet, digital media, mobile devices and other technologies for professional purposes and patient interaction. Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012 was fielded online among 3,015 U.S. practicing physicians in Q1 2012. The data can be segmented across a variety of target specialist audiences, including PCPs, pediatricians, cardiologists, oncologists, gastroenterologists and OB/GYNs. For more information, please visit www.manhattanresearch.com/ttp.

About Manhattan Research

Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources Group company, conducts annual research studies covering digital health trends among healthcare professionals and consumers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Broad research can be segmented by target specialist and therapeutic audiences. For more information please contact sales@manhattanresearch.com, call 1.888.680.0800, ext 2, or visit www.manhattanresearch.com.

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New Study Reveals Physicians’ Device and Digital Media Adoption Rapidly Evolving

BEAVERTON, OR–(Marketwire -05/10/12)- The proliferation of personal computers and home networks, along with UPnP Forum’s ongoing efforts in device standardization and certification, is leading to a surge in growth of the adoption of UPnP technology. UPnP Forum is now seeing record levels of activity in its certification program, with over 1,000 device implementations now certified as compliant with UPnP standards.

Standardization is at the forefront of the technology adoption and is demonstrated by 30 additional UPnP standards attaining worldwide recognition from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The UPnP Device Architecture Version 1.1 and an additional 21 UPnP Device Control Protocol specifications were newly adopted and published by the ISO and IEC as International Standards in fall 2011. Eight specifications were also published as updates to previously published ISO/IEC International Standards.

With a long history of successful collaborations with other standards organizations, UPnP Forum is an approved ISO/IEC JTC 1 (Joint Technical Committee 1) PAS (Publicly Available Specification) submitter, and has previously submitted 72 specifications for PAS transposition, published by the ISO and IEC in 2008.

Dr. Alan Messer, UPnP Forum President and Chairman, said: “Global standardization fuels the adoption of UPnP technology and emphasizes how the industry is continuing to react to market demand for the interoperability of all networked devices. This is highlighted by the fact that we are seeing tremendous growth in home networking, be they consumer electronic AV devices, internet gateway devices, computers, or home automation devices.”

Testing and validating UPnP interactions between devices is also a crucial growth area for the UPnP ecosystem, particularly as it becomes more vigorous, as exemplified by the growing features of UPnP Forum’s UPnP Certification Test Tool (UCTT 2.0). Purpose-built from scratch UCTT 2.0 is rigorous and has already been adopted by the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) for DLNA control point pre-certification.

Architected for device certification, UPnP Forum’s UCTT 2.0 is able to certify both UPnP devices and control points in one tool, supporting deeper test penetration and leading to more credible results.

Nidhish Parikh, Chairman and President of DLNA, added: “UPnP Forum’s more accurate testing, combined with the advancing capabilities of the UCTT2.0 certification tool, sets the stage for further UPnP technology growth. As new consumer technologies become available, DLNA expects to continue leveraging UPnP certification to help overcome the challenges of digital compatibility.”

“The compliancy level and developed ergonomics of our UCTT 2.0 test tool provides confidence in the certification process and subsequently strengthens assurance in UPnP technology as a whole,” concludes Dr. Messer.

UPnP Forum expects future additions and updates to UPnP specifications to meet market needs. To search the ISO Catalogue for the outlined specifications (ISO/IEC 29341-x), please visit http://www.iso.org/iso/store.htm. These documents are also available on the IEC website at http://webstore.iec.ch/.

For further information about UPnP Forum please go to www.upnp.org. Alternatively, if you have any general questions please email upnpfeedback@forum.upnp.org

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UPnP Technology Adoption Continues to Soar With New Areas of Growth

Excerpt from:
Romney Supports Gay Adoption, Says He Doesn't Recall High School Bullying Incident

10 May 2012 Last updated at 23:48 ET By Angela Harrison BBC News

Council leaders have criticised new adoption scorecards which are being introduced in England in an effort to speed up the adoption process.

The government has begun ranking local councils on how long children in their care wait to be adopted.

It says the scorecards show “the extent and seriousness” of delays.

But three bodies representing senior council figures have attacked them, saying they could cause “unnecessary concern” and put people off adopting.

A joint statement from the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives says the data “fails to provide a sound basis for comparison” between local authorities.

“Councils are passionate about helping children and take their responsibilities towards those in their care extremely seriously,” it said.

“The adoption scorecards have the potential to cause unnecessary and avoidable concern in communities where there shouldn’t be any, and may put prospective adopters off.

“Councils simply cannot risk shifting their focus from the quality of placements to the speed of placements.”

The government has made it a priority to try to shorten the time it takes for adoptions to go through, and to remove barriers to them.

Here is the original post:
New adoption scorecards attacked

Disney

Thor of “The Avengers” attempts to disassociate himself from adopted brother Loki in a joke that has some in the adoption community upset.

By Courtney Garcia, msnbc.com contributor

Disneys The Avengers has earned almost universally positive reviews and made $200 million in its first weekend. Yet for some in the adoption community, a joke in the film goes too far.

The joke is at the expense of Loki, the film’s villain andadopted son of the god, Odin. Loki’s brother Thor defends him to fellow Avenger Black Widow, who then points out that Lokis killed 80 people in two days. Thor thenreplies, hes adopted.

As noted in a petition created by Jamie Berke on Change.org, According to your scriptwriter, the fact(Loki) was adopted is the reason he is a bad guy!…Being adopted is not something to use for the butt of jokes! Marvel, immediately cease using adoption as the butt of jokes AND issue a public apology to the adoption community!

Berke points out that she is not asking for a boycott of the film,though others have suggested it.Instead, sheis requesting an apology.

In an interview with MovieFanatic, actor Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, admits he didn’t get the joke at first.

“The line where I say, Hes adopted. I had no idea that would be funny,” Hemsworth told the site.”When we shot that, I went, Is this really funny? But, thats the thing. Joss is hilarious. The whole film, I was surprised how the comedy in it played so well.”

But did the joke go too far? Chuck Johnson, president and CEO of the National Council for Adoption, says it’s not clear-cut.

Continue reading here:
'Avengers' joke cruel to adoption community?

May 11, 2012 7:59am

Mitt Romney has consistently opposed same-sex marriage, but he again expressed support for gay adoption on Thursday, calling it fine and noting that its legal in his home state of Massachusetts. But he also stated his preference for every child to have a mother and a father.

I believe marriage has been defined the same way for literally thousands of years by virtually every civilization in history and that marriage is literally by its definition a relationship between a man and a woman, he told Fox News Neil Cavuto. And that if two people of the same gender want to live together, want to have a loving relationship and even want to adopt a child, in my state individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view thats something that people have the right to do, but to call that marriage is, in my view, a departure of the real meaning of that word.

Romney has made statements in the past in support of gay adoption, something social conservatives oppose. He has been consistent in supporting it, but has called for an exemption for religious institutions that have adoption services.

At a debate in Arizona in February he defended the Catholic Churchs stance in Massachusetts that would only place children up for adoption in homes with a mother and father. The state law declared it discrimination and the church stopped its adoption services.

We have to have a president whos willing to say that the best opportunity an individual can give to their unborn child is an opportunity to be born in a home with a mother and a father, Romney said at the CNN debate. We battled, for instance, to help the Catholic Church stay in the adoption business. The amazing thing was that while the Catholic Church was responsible for half the adoptions in my state half the adoptions they had to get out of that business because the legislature wouldnt support me and give them an exemption from having to place children in homes where there was a mom and a dad on a preferential basis.

In the past and even Thursday, Romney has made statements that are more open to the idea.

In October 2006, CNNs Wolf Blitzer asked Romney if gays and lesbians should be able to adopt children.

Romney answered, Well, they are able to adopt children, before Blitzer followed up and asked if he thinks thats good?

Romney answered, And Im not going to change that.

Read the original here:
Romney on Gay Adoption, Marriage

Visit link:
Romney Consistent in Support of Gay Adoption, Supports Letting States Decide

That said, both our families constantly amaze me.  They have not only welcomed our children with open arms, they’ve been great cheerleaders and advocates for them.  You can not see any difference in how the family treats my kids verses all the bio kids out there.  It’s truly heartwarming.

We are en-route to visit my parents right now.  It’s a trip of some undertaking and I will be glad when we finally get there!  The wonderful thing is that once we arrive, my parents, my sister, one of my brothers, my nieces and nephews (and their children) will embrace my kids in a cocoon of family love.  It’s going to be amazing.  Even more amazing is that at no time will my kids feel any different than the “born to” kids in the family.   We will celebrate Mother’s Day, a niece’s confirmation, and Tinker’s birthday.  We’ll visit family in the mountains, we’ll see the sights and have sleep-overs.  We’ll go to church, pull weeds, and bird watch.

The other thing I am hoping to do on this trip is make contact with my half-brother.  He is my bio-dad’s child, raised apart from me and we are virtually strangers.  We’ve met 3 times in 50 years, the last time at our bio-dad’s funeral.  All of my kids have birth half-siblings they don’t know.  I am hoping that seeing me work through the issues in order to make contact with him will help them in later life.  Both my half-brothers parents are deceased now, and I think the family ties have become important to him.  He’s a fisherman and an expedition leader, so who knows, maybe we will have an adventure too!

Although as a mother, family gatherings can be a little stressful because you never know how dis-regulated your kids may become, as an adoptive mother it does my heart good to know that Dear Hubby and I are not the only ones wrapping our arms around these kids and loving them unconditionally.   I think it does them a world of good too!

Now  if we could just hurry up and get there . . .!

Source:
http://fost-adopt.adoptionblogs.com/feed

One of these avenues can be adoption through foster care. Like adoption of a domestic newborn or adoption of a child from another country, adoption through foster care begins with a home study. A home study includes personal information about you and your family as well as a physical inspection of your home. Many states will also require additional training. This training is usually offered through state agencies and gives adoptive parents a perspective of the specific needs of kids in foster care as most children in the foster care system have experienced some degree of abuse or neglect.

Children of every age are available for adoption through the foster care system, however, most children are at least school-aged. Younger children are often available as part of sibling groups. Most states have two options for adoption. You can be a foster parent first, then adopt or you can adopt directly.

Children may be legally at risk or legally free to adopt. States often begin the adoption process before birth parent rights have been revoked in anticipation that those rights will be terminated. In this case, children are considered legally at risk. When birth parents’ rights have already been terminated before the adoption process begins, these children are considered legally free to be adopted. If you’ve experienced a miscarriage, you’ll likely want to decide what your tolerance might be for things potentially falling apart. This is true of any adoption.

Often, lots of family histoy and medical information is available for these children. Some states will run adoption events where potential adoptive parents can meet children who are available for adoption.

Adoption through foster care differs from other types of adoption in one huge regard and that is price. Adoption through foster care is generally inexpensive. Although there are still fees for homestudies, much of the rest of the process is low cost or free. In fact, the state may even provide financial stipends when special needs children are adopted.

As I said, children do tend to be older so if you have your heart set on a baby, this may not be the best route for you. Many states provide photo listings of children who can be adopted.

Continued here:
Adoption from Foster Care After Miscarriage