I am the adoptive mother of a 12 year old girl. The adoption had been open, I took custody of my daughter when she was 4 days of age. Initally the birth mother had frequent contact and phone calls during the first two years of my daughter's life. Gradually, she has withdrawn, it became too painful for her, she had to go on. She was very committed to giving her child a life that would be "easier" than hers, a life without poverty, a life with opportunity, a life with the advantages she had not received. That was our contract of sorts. She would allow me to parent this child, to love her, to be her everyday mother, so that this baby girl could have a chance to fully engage in a hopeful life. I have such gratitude for her choice. The joy of being an everyday mom to my daughter is beyond that which I have ever had. I have such reverence for her strength, to make such a sacrifice for her child. And yes, I do feel some guilt about her needing to make this decision:being forced to choose because of the utter poverty and lack of opportunity she had endured. Yet, somehow the guilt increases my firm commitment to keep the contract. It has allowed me to focus on loving this child, on teaching her responsibility, compassion and empathy for others who are without advantages, without opportunities, without hope. She is very wise and very kind. The contract has expanded my world as I have tried to expand the world of this amazing child. It has made me far more aware of the responsibility we all have in parenting the children in this world, not only our birth children. It has allowed me a glimpse into the culture of poverty, to try in my local way to alleviate some of the suffering it brings to all of us. For truly, through my child with her two mothers, poverty affects us all.

Why not turn him over to the World Court for war crimes? That would perhaps improve our standing with other countries in the world. George Bush is a war criminal: his support of torture, attack without provocation, the civil war that has caused in Iraq, the instability to the Middle East that has resulted, the unlawful detentions in Guatanamo and who knows where else? I think these are sufficient to arrest him for war crimes.

True, impeachment is the second best option: He has violated the Constitution, lied to the American people so consistently that some now believe those lies ( reminiscent of the early days of the third reich), spied on our phone calls, violated our first amendment rights, put our nation in peril, both econonomically and defensively........... I think that's a start. Yet, with his Republican cronies in the majority, that will not happen any time this year.

The World Court sounds like a plan. It is time for a visit the Hague, Mr. Bush!

It is refreshing to see a designer stand up to the fashion industry's tunnel vision of women as clothing hangers. It is disheartening to see the response of Vogue: deleting photos of real women in swim wear.

As a school nurse, I have had 7 year old girls refusing lunch because they thought they were fat... they were not. The fashion industry and the gossip mongers of the press bear much of the responsibility for these messages that bombard young girls. It perpetuates the myth that girls are less than boys, only as good as they look. Discounting their thoughts, intelligence and emotions. It would seem that we have not come as far as we once believed when it was noted:' You've come a long way baby". These messages of the fashion industry and gossip magazines objectify these little girls, and hinder their emotional development. It is about time to stop these messages, this covert child abuse, and truly embrace the whole child, girl or boy. As consumers we can tell the fashion industry to stop these destructive messages. If we don't buy their product, they may get the message. Boycott fashion magazines, especially Vogue.