Wonderopolis ? Blog Archive ? What Does It Mean To Be Adopted?

Did you know?

Can you remember the day you were born? Of course not! None of us can. When we?re born, we?re too young to understand what?s going on around us. Most of us can?t remember much more than vague images of our first several years on Earth.

In your earliest years, you rely almost completely upon your family. All of us need people to take care of us when we?re young. As we grow, we learn that those people who care for us are our family.

Sometimes, those family members we know and love aren?t actually the people who gave birth to us. Many children eventually learn that they were adopted. Do you know anyone who was adopted?

Adoption is the process through which a person ? the adoptive parent ? assumes permanent legal responsibility for a child. Adoption requires the biological parents (the ones responsible for the birth of the child) to give up their legal right to custody of their child.

There are many reasons why biological parents might give up custody of their children. Sometimes they are unable to provide for their child, so adoption is a better option for the child. Likewise, adoptive parents may not be able to have a child of their own. Adoption allows them to start a family and share their love with a child who needs it.

Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parent is the legal parent of the child. There?s no legal difference between an adopted child and one who is born into a biological family.

Although adopted children don?t share the same genes as their adoptive parents (they share genes with their biological parents), they share all the same love and special moments like any other family. Children may not realize they?re adopted until their adoptive parents decide to tell them. This is a personal decision that varies by family and the ability of the children to understand.

Specific adoption laws can vary from state to state. Some states allow adoptive children to learn the identity of their biological parents easily. Other states protect this information and it can be very difficult to learn this information.

Some adopted children never learn the identity of their biological parents. Others learn their identities and may even establish a relationship with their biological parents at some point in time. Each child is different, but it?s not unusual for adopted children one day to become curious about their biological roots. Thanks to the Internet and modern technology, it?s much easier for adopted children to search for information about their biological relatives.

Of course, it?s not just babies that are adopted. Kids of all ages can be adopted at any time. They can be adopted by a new family or a relative or even a step- or foster-parent. Many adoptive families choose to adopt children from other countries, too.

Source: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-does-it-mean-to-be-adopted/

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Feds crack down on text-messaging spammers

Herb Weisbaum , NBC News contributor ? ? ? 1 hr.

The Federal Trade Commission has gone to court to stop companies from allegedly bombarding cell phone users with hundreds of millions of unwanted text messages that promised ?free? gift cards.

The FTC complaints, filed in courtrooms around the U.S., charge 29 defendants with sending more than 180 million of these spam texts.

"Today's announcement says ?game over? to the major league scam artists behind millions of spam texts," said Charles Harwood, acting director of the FTC?s Bureau of Consumer Protection in a statement.

If you have a wireless phone, there?s a good chance you got one. The text messages offer free $1,000 gift cards from big name companies such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy.

(Related: Warning: Bogus 'smishing' messages tell lies)

The FTC claims the texts were designed to get people to click on a link that would take them to deceptive websites that requested sensitive personal information ? supposedly needed for shipping ?before they could get that ?free? card.

The commission suspects the information collected was sold to other companies for marketing purposes.

But that was just the beginning. Once the personal information was gathered, people were directed to another site where they were required to sign up for a number of ?offers? in order to be eligible for the gift card.

The FTC?s investigation shows some people had to sign up for as many as 13 offers. This often meant providing a credit card number to sign up for some type of subscription. In some cases, they had to submit applications for a credit card, an action that would show up in their credit history and could affect their credit score.

(More information:FTC Cracks Down on Senders of Spam Text Messages Promoting "Free" Gift Cards)

In its complaint, the government claims the operators of these websites violated the FTC Act by not disclosing all of the conditions attached to that supposedly ?free? gift ? including the possibility that ?lucky winners? would be required to spend money to get it.

The FTC says its investigation shows the text messages were sent to random phone numbers, including to cell phone subscribers who did not have a text message subscription plan. These consumers paid the cost of receiving that spam text. While it may seem like everyone has a text plan, the FTC says as many as 12 percent of mobile phone users do not.

The FTC?s complaints target those who allegedly sent the unwanted text messages and those who allegedly operated the deceptive websites. The courts are being asked to stop the companies and individuals from continuing ?their alleged deceptive and unfair practices? and to freeze their assets.

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitteror visit The ConsumerMan website.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/feds-crack-down-text-messaging-spammers-1C8736229

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U.S., China reach tentative deal on North Korea sanctions

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and China have struck a tentative deal on a draft U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution that would punish North Korea for its third nuclear test last month, U.N. diplomats said on Monday.

Separately, the U.N. press office announced that Russia, which holds the presidency of the 15-nation Security Council this month, will convene closed-door consultations on North Korea at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) in New York on Tuesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the U.N. diplomats said they hoped to receive the draft resolution at Tuesday's council session. They added that they hope the council will vote on the resolution by the end of this week.

"I hope to see a draft tomorrow perhaps, but you know it's up to the Americans," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The details of the draft were not immediately available.

Council diplomats have said that they would like to strengthen the provisions in previous sanctions resolutions adopted after North Korea's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests, above all those related to the inspection and seizure of shipments of banned items and toughening financial restrictions.

The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's third nuclear test on February 12 and vowed to take action against Pyongyang for an act that all major world powers, including traditional ally China, denounced.

Pyongyang said at the time that the test was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility" and threatened stronger steps if necessary.

In January the Security Council passed a resolution expanding U.N. sanctions against North Korea due to its December rocket launch and warned Pyongyang against further launches or nuclear tests. North Korea responded by threatening a new atomic detonation, which it then carried out the following month.

North Korea's previous nuclear tests had prompted the Security Council to impose sanctions that include a ban on the import of nuclear and missile technology, an arms embargo and a ban on luxury goods imports.

There are 17 North Korean entities, including banks and trading companies, on the U.N. blacklist, and nine individuals - all linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. U.N. diplomats say many more entities and individuals could be subject to international asset freezes and travel bans.

Beijing has supported all previous sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang but only after working hard to dilute proposed measures in negotiations on the texts. It has been concerned that tougher sanctions could further weaken the North's economy and prompt refugees to flood into China.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-china-tentative-deal-u-n-north-korea-022644209.html

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Apple to unveil iPad 5, iPad mini 2 in April, says report

Apple could be planning to launch its iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 as soon as April, according to a new report.

In a report published today, iMore's Rene Ritchie claims that "sources familiar with the plans" expect Apple's new iPad models to arrive as early as April.

"An April-ish launch is getting serious consideration for the next generation iPads," he writes, adding that the recent leaks of iPad 5 casings indicate that the new tablet could indeed be imminent. He does note, however, that Retina iPad mini 2 leaks have been scarce, and that it doesn't seem likely that such device to launch next month.

SEE: New iPad 5 release date, rumours and leaked images

AND: iPad mini 2 release date, rumours and images

These rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt, though, as the publication itself says that it is "really not sure what to make" of them.

The sources also claimed that Apple's next iPhone will arrive this summer, possibly in August. This time frame differs from a report earlier today from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed Apple is likely to unveil its new iPhone in June.

In-keeping with Kuo's expectations, however, iMore's source says that the next iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, has the same design as the iPhone 5 but with an improved camera and a more advanced processor.

Despite the slightly shady nature of iMore's report, it's interesting to consider that an 'April-ish' product announcement could help Apple detract some attention away from Samsung's 14 March event, which is expected to see the unveiling of the Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Plus, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster have both predicted a March/April Apple event. A separate report today suggests Apple could be planning to launch a new Mac Pro in April.

Apple unveiled both its iPad 2 and iPad 3 in March, but the iPad 4 arrived in October last year, deviating from the traditional product cycle. Apple's October media event, which also saw the launch of the iPad mini, was the last media event hosted by the company.

See also:

Apple is experiencing a 'lull in innovation' needs a 'creative leap', Sculley

iPad mini 2's Retina display could add 30 % to component costs - report

Apple's thinner, lighter iPad 5 could look like this

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Sleds off as 41st Iditarod race begins in Alaska

The dog team of Mike Ellis round the corner at 4th Avenue and Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The competitive portion of the 1,000-mile race is scheduled to begin Sunday in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

The dog team of Mike Ellis round the corner at 4th Avenue and Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The competitive portion of the 1,000-mile race is scheduled to begin Sunday in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

Matt Giblin (64) leads Mikhail Telpin (63) of Russia, as they near the Cordova Street hill during the ceremonial start of the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The competitive portion of the 1,000-mile race is scheduled to begin Sunday in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, )

Michael Williams, Jr., greets fans along Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The competitive portion of the 1,000-mile race is scheduled to begin Sunday in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

Jan Steves of Edmonds, Wash. greets a fan on the trail adjacent to Wesleyan Drive during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The competitive portion of the 1,000-mile race is scheduled to begin Sunday in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill)

WILLOW, Alaska (AP) ? Dogs aching to run bolted out of the chute Sunday to launch the 41st running of Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Now 65 teams will be making their way through punishing wilderness toward the finish line in Nome on Alaska's western coast 1,000 miles away.

The Iditarod kicked off Saturday with an 11-mile jaunt through Anchorage, 50 miles south of the real starting line in the town of Willow. Sunday's event marked the competitive portion of the race.

Saturday's ceremonial start took place amid a party-like atmosphere. But Sunday's mood was charged with tension as mushers switched to the business of racing ? at least among top mushers like defending champion Dallas Seavey and four-time winners Lance Mackey, Jeff King and Martin Buser.

They are among six past Iditarod winners in the running. Mackey, of Fairbanks, is the only musher to win the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod races the same year ? accomplishing dual championships not once, but two years in a row. Mackey, a throat cancer survivor, has won both races four times and was hoping for a comeback to his last Iditarod championship in 2010.

Others are in the race for the adventure and never come close to winning, yet there they are, year after year. Among them was Cindy Gallea, of Wykoff, Minn., whose best finish was 33rd among 10 Iditarods so far.

"I love running the dogs, working with the dogs," she said before the start of her 11th race. "I love being in Alaska, being around the beauty."

But even past middle-of-the-packers felt the pull of competition.

Musher and Anchorage funeral director Scott Janssen, known as The Mushing Mortician, said, "Today's game time. Today we're going to rock 'n' roll."

To reach the finish line in the old gold rush town of Nome, the teams will encounter mountains to climb, and forests and frozen rivers to cross. They'll possibly do battle with fierce winds and temperatures that can plunge to 50 below.

Along the way, they'll stop at village checkpoints for a hot meal, to drop an ailing dog or to sit out mandatory rest periods. Sometimes they'll blow right through after a hasty check-in.

As always, by the time the first musher reaches Nome, some participants will have dropped out of the race. Even the last place finisher knows that getting to Nome is a feat in itself.

The winner gets a new truck and a cash prize of $50,400. The rest of the $600,000 purse will be split between the next 29 mushers to cross the finish line.

___

Follow Rachel D'Oro on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rdoro

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-03-US-Iditarod/id-adabb313c46b4d7f9afb8abdd2d776ff

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