Thursday, November 29, 2012

Talking foster care and adoption with Iowa KidsNet: Bonnie's Story

In addition to a supportive home, sometimes additional resources, such as counseling or skill-building, are needed to help children in foster care gain stability or build new skills for success. That's part of the reason why Iowa offers a unique post-adoption support service to help families and children weather challenges long after an adoption is finalized. For today's National Adoption Month story, an adoptive mother shares her family's journey of patience, advocacy and love to provide a trusted environment for a child to succeed.

Bonnie's Story

"When our little girl ?came to us, she was only three years old. Her diagnosis of severe Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) was soon substantiated. This little girl did not want to be touched, held, or rocked. If we tried to read her at bedtime story, she would push us off her bed. It took us a bit of time to figure out her boundaries and the triggers that would cause her huge meltdowns. We soon learned that transitions were very hard for her ? whether it be shutting off the TV, taking a toy out of her hands when it was time to clean up, or basically any change in activity. At times, these triggers would send her into repeated screaming fits that could last up to an hour. I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times that I considered giving my 10-day notice. Her behavior helped explain why I was home #4 in the short 18 months she had been in foster care.?

However, there was something about this little girl that immediately captured our hearts. Day by day we began to learn more about her and see the sweet little innocence that laid beneath her thick exterior wall. I soon discovered that she was ticklish so I would swoop her up, blow on her tummy, and immediately set her back down so I wasn?t in her personal space too long; she loved our new little game and would giggle every time I repeated these actions. ?This is how she began learning that our touch was ok. I also began researching RAD and attending as many foster care trainings as I could find about this disorder. It simply broke my heart to think how this little 3-year-old gorgeous blue-eyed child was fearful of close relationships and letting anyone into her tiny little world to love her.?

But we did fall in love with her and as an experienced parent with years of parenting under my belt, I also knew that emotionally she would not survive another move.? Although I knew that she came with many challenges (including some developmental delays and ADHD), it didn?t take us long to decide that we wanted to adopt her once discovering that she would need an adoptive home.? We wanted to be her forever family and home. I remember approaching this then 4-year-old with the idea of becoming part of our family and having me be her new mom.? She looked at me with some apprehension in her eyes but still said she thought that would be ok (which I think was the best she could do). I promised her that I would always love her and that we would always take care of her. Then I held my breath until the adoption was final.

I cannot even begin to tell you of all the joys this darling little girl brings to our lives! This now 11-year-old is bright, loving, compassionate, and displays a terrific sense of humor. We give many thanks to the private Christian school we chose because the teachers and staff have been outstanding. We knew she needed a small student teacher ratio and teachers who were willing to build a close loving relationship with her because of her RAD and general trust issues. She has done so well that I many times forget where she started.??

Medication management is still a part of our daily routine and certain challenges can still arise but these are small prices to pay for the many blessings we receive. Two years after her adoption, we adopted another foster child who is as much her younger sister as any biological sister could be. Both of these girls are not just a part of our family; they are part of our hearts just as if I physically bore them myself. Don?t ever doubt what a loving home, proper medication management, counseling, and a trusting safe environment can do to heal the hearts and lives of these wounded children. Our lives would not be complete without these special children in our lives and in our hearts."

- Bonnie

Source: http://potentialforgreatness.blogspot.com/2012/11/bonnies-story.html

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Friday, November 23, 2012

Facebook proposes to end voting on privacy issues

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2011 file photo, a magnifying glass is posed over a monitor displaying a Facebook page in Munich. Facebook is proposing to end its practice of letting users vote on changes to its privacy policies, though it will continue to let users comment on proposed updates. The world's biggest social media company said in a blog post Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012, that its voting mechanism, which is triggered only if enough people comment on proposed changes, has become a system that emphasizes quantity of responses over quality of discussion. Users tend to leave one or two-word comments objecting to changes instead of more in-depth responses. (AP Photo/dapd, Joerg Koch, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2011 file photo, a magnifying glass is posed over a monitor displaying a Facebook page in Munich. Facebook is proposing to end its practice of letting users vote on changes to its privacy policies, though it will continue to let users comment on proposed updates. The world's biggest social media company said in a blog post Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012, that its voting mechanism, which is triggered only if enough people comment on proposed changes, has become a system that emphasizes quantity of responses over quality of discussion. Users tend to leave one or two-word comments objecting to changes instead of more in-depth responses. (AP Photo/dapd, Joerg Koch, File)

(AP) ? Facebook is proposing to end its practice of letting users vote on changes to its privacy policies, though it will continue to let users comment on proposed updates.

The world's biggest social media company said in a blog post Wednesday that its voting mechanism, which is triggered only if enough people comment on proposed changes, has become a system that emphasizes quantity of responses over quality of discussion. Users tend to leave one or two-word comments objecting to changes instead of more in-depth responses.

Facebook said it will continue to inform users of "significant changes" to its privacy policy, called its data use policy, and to its statement of user rights and responsibilities. The company will keep its seven-day comment period and take users' feedback into consideration.

"We will also provide additional notification mechanisms, including email, for informing you of those changes," wrote Elliot Schrage, Facebook's vice president of communications, public policy and marketing, in the post.

Facebook began letting users vote on privacy changes in 2009. Since then, it has gone public and its user base has ballooned from around 200 million to more than 1 billion. As part of the 2009 policy, users' votes only count if more than 30 percent of all Facebook's active users partake. That did not happen during either of the two times users voted and it's unlikely that it will now, given that more than 300 million people would have to participate.

Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum, an industry-backed think tank in Washington, said the voting process was a "noble experiment" that didn't lead to informed debate.

Facebook said in June that it was reviewing how to get the best feedback from users on its policies.

Facebook is also proposing changes to its data use policy, such as making it clear that when users hide a post or photo from their profile page, the "timeline," those posts are not truly hidden and can be visible elsewhere, including on another person's page.

Polonetsky called Facebook's data use policy "kind of a good handbook" and a "reasonable read" on how to navigate the site's complex settings.

But most people don't read the privacy policies of websites they frequent, even Facebook's.

"I certainly recommend that people read it, but most users just want to poke someone and like someone and look at a picture," Polonetsky said.

Facebook's task, he added, will be to continue to evolve its user interface ? the part of the site that its users interact with ? so that answers to questions are obvious and people don't need to wade through the policy.

__

Online:

Blog post: https://www.facebook.com/fbsitegovernance/app_4949752878

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-22-Facebook-Privacy%20Vote/id-3623cf9111404ff6a1fa3746c4aa4077

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Classes

Ace Trainer Branch
These trainers are such dedicated battlers that they have studied how to maximize battle experience. They can maximize their pok?mon?s attacks and find weaknesses in a foe?s pok?mon normally immune or resistant to their pok?mon?s attacks. They teach their pok?mon as much as they learn from each of their pok?mon?s battles. Each battle is filled with passion and each pok?mon trained by an Ace Trainer can realize their full battle potential and be the very best.

Ace Trainer Classes

Stat Ace
These Ace Trainers hold loyalties only to ability. They find pokemon who are the fastest, or the strongest, or the smartest and then, the Stat Ace further improves those superior abilities. The Stat Ace can bring a slow pokemon up to speed, or make a weak skinned pokemon have an iron-plated body. Their abilities in bringing out a specific skill of a pokemon are unparalleled. No other Ace Trainer can make a Slowbro out run a Shedinja.

Tag Battler
Tag Battlers can multitask and keep track of multiple pokemon to attain victory. They make their pokemon work not only as a team, but as one combined unit that can defeat any amount of foes they come up against. Each of their pokemon blend well with each of their other pokemon and together they can end all foes.

Underdog
For various reasons, some trainers don?t like giant bulky pok?mon. Underdogs recognize the power in their unevolved pokemon, and prefer that their Totodile never become a Croconaw, they like carrying it around on their back. However, they are Ace Trainers, so they can still bring out the very best in their little allies, to defeat anything twice, three times, or ten times their size.

Breeder Branch
Some trainers realize the value of raising a pokemon from a young age in order to build a better bond with their allies and friends. Breeders emphasize the importance of raising a pokemon from birth, not as a friend, but as their own children. Breeders hatch eggs very quickly and can actually coerce their pokemon to produce multiple eggs. The most noticeable talent a breeder shows is the fact that their pokemon are naturally born with more power then the average pokemon. Some even grow more powerful then any other in its species. Their pokemon are born with the courage and strength to pull them through any situation.

Breeder Classes

Botanist
The Botanist is a Breeder who finds joy not only in raising Pokemon, but in raising plant life as well. They find way to grow plants that are larger then those grown in the wild, more potent and best of all, more flavorful.

Chef
The Chef is a talented culinary master. This Breeder loves to make food for their friends and their pokemon. They are talented poffin mixers, making high level cakes not even a full team of mixers could make. They are also talented poke block crushers, making vitamins unlike any a normal trainer would make. Food comes easy for a team traveling with a Chef; they can use the world around them to provide for everyone.

Evolver
Some Breeders intuitively know what kind of motivation a pokemon needs to evolve a pokemon at an unnaturally low level of power. The Evolver can coerce their pokemon to grow up at a young age and allow a pokemon to rapidly reach its final level of evolution, increasing its basic level of power without putting as much time into a particular pokemon that a normal trainer would. It is through evolution that a pokemon can reach full maturity; the most mature pokemon make the best partners.

Groomer
Some Breeders take interest in pokemon contests. A Groomer can prepare their pokemon for a contest and even defeat an inexperienced Coordinator because of it. In addition to preparing pokemon for a debut on stage, their grooming techniques greatly increase the happiness of their pokemon, or any pokemon they
practice on.

Hatcher
The Hatcher takes a great deal of pride in their pokemon?s eggs. They practice warming eggs in an unrivaled fashion, which can hatch a newly acquired egg in less than a few days. Their care for their eggs greatly influence the potential of their baby pokemon and can prove to make the Breeder?s babies greatly stronger as they grow up.

Medic
When battling, a pokemon is commonly injured which requires a visit to a pokemon center shortly afterward. Breeders who start practicing basic medical work can find a warm welcome to any traveling party. Routes that last a few days can see no form of medical attention for a trainer?s pokemon, which can potentially kill a severally poisoned or injured pokemon. A Medic can treat wounded and afflicted pokemon at the cost of some medical supplies and herbs that earth gives them from the surrounding area.

Move Tutor
It is not common knowledge how Technical Machines came to be. The Move Tutor is aware of their origin and can use their knowledge to push their pokemon into learning a move, normally only learned through the injection of a TM, during level up. Even further, a pokemon may learn a move, which it is undocumented to have learned when trained by this variety of Breeder. It can be a deadly surprise to encounter a foes? Charizard who suddenly lets loose a Water Pulse from its mouth.

Capture Specialist Branch
The capture specialist is a talented mechanic. They intimately know the technology implemented in any type of Poke Ball and can improve their capture rates with a small bit of tweaking. Even after a wild pokemon breaks out of a poke ball after a failed attempt at capture, a Capture Specialist can quickly rebuild a poke ball with very little effort or expense. A Capture Specialist?s natural and one true calling is finding every wild and adding them to his or her collection. The mastery of poke ball knowledge makes it easier for a Capture Specialist to catch them all.

Capture Specialist Classes

Apricorn Smith
Capture Specialists all know the origin of the Pok?ball. Apricorns are fruit with reflective skins that served as the first modern Pok?balls. An Apricorn Smith utilizes his knowledge to make various Pok?balls at a much cheaper price then a Pok? Mart would offer. With the access to all of the self made Pok?balls a Smith does, it?s much easier to catch many pokemon.

Artificer
The Artificer is an inventive Capture Specialist who creates items for pokemon to hold, or use in battle. They ensure their pokemon an extra boost in power, or a special consumable that can heal pokemon in different situations. From vision improving goggles to bands which increase experience gain, the Artificer can make it all to help catch it all.

Collector
The Collector needs to catch them all. This Capture Specialist doesn?t dream of the Pokemon League or any spotlight on stage, they have a list of pokemon that exist and they need to capture every single one. They utilize their desire to capture everything to improve their rate of capture but even after they?ve checked a monster off their list, they can?t stop until they have each and every different species.

Engineer
An Engineer expands their technological ability to machinery larger then a Pok?ball. They create their own equipment to better help them through the world. They can modify the Pokedex, improve PC abilities and even create vehicles. It is through the Engineer that technological advances are made. The inventors of the Pokemon world need to find ideas somewhere, while traveling the world many new machines can easily come to mind.

Pok?ball Designer
A Capture Specialist sometimes focuses on the technology aspect of their profession. A Pok?ball Designer is an inventor who comes up with his or her own original Pok?ball designs and properties.

Martial Artist Branch
(Characters here would excel at Martial Arts more than the others)
Some trainers physically exceed some pokemon in hand-to-hand combat. Their mastery of the Martial Artist is unparalleled by the untrained, random attempts of assault performed by any other trainer. They can take out other trainers with little effort, and their pokemon benefit from their exploits as well. The Martial Artist has a natural affinity for the Fighting, Steel, Rock and Ground types of pokemon and can better train them to use their attack to their full potential.

Martial Artist Classes

Aura User
(Only two allowed - 1 Spot remaining)
A trainer who becomes one with the world surrounding them can use Aura. A Martial Artist who can read the psychological auras of strangers can know the intentions of a person without any conversation. They can emit bursts of energy, and create force fields around their body. An Aura User also has the ability to hear the thoughts of other who want their thoughts to be heard by the Aura User. The Aura User is a rarity in the pokemon world, a blessing in any traveling party.

Black Belt
(Pick which Martial Art they've mastered - Just 1)
At the top of every martial art is the Black Belt, the finest fighters of their respective martial art. The Martial Artist who reaches this pinnacle of talent can easily combat any other trainer, and possibly powerful pokemon.

Juggler
The Juggler takes their dexterity to the streets to make some monetary gain. They perform tricks that involve slight of hand and are excellent street scammers. This may seem like abilities unrelated to pokemon training, but while battling those quick fingers can turn into a quickly delivered potion ? from across the field. Even switching pokemon can be done in a few seconds when this Martial Artist is battling. With a keen eye and attention to how any situation, or any thing, is always handled well by the Juggler.

Massage Therapist
When a Martial Artist studies all of the pressure points on a human being, they can therapeutically relax that friend with massage. With further study, they can master those pressure points on a pokemon. This is useful to increase the happiness of a pokemon or relax them before a contest. Due to most pokemon evolving based on their relationship with their trainer, the Massage Therapist is key to building a bond between pokemon and trainer.

Ninja
These Martial Artists do not rely on the straight-forward, brute-force combat of other paths. Instead, the Ninja refine themselves with training in potent poisons that can bring the strong to their knees, the speed to evade the most dangerous of assaults, the use of dangerous traps, and the art of stealth. Combined, these turn them into deadly, feared warriors.

Weapons Master
The Weapons Master is a deadly Martial Artist who uses weapons as an extension of their body. They can use various bladed, blunt, or pointed weapons to improve the damage they deal to foes. It would be nearly impossible for another trainer untrained in such arts to take on a Weapons Master without their pokemon?s help.

Psychic Branch
(Exclusive to the Psychic Chosen Ones)
Not every human in the Pokemon World is born with equal natural abilities. Psychics are born with supernatural powers. Psychics have a natural affinity for the Dark, Ghost, and Psychic type pokemon. They can telekinetically move objects and telepathically enter the minds of others. They can emphatically figure out exactly what their pokemon need, telepathically negotiate with people or enter the minds of pokemon to communicate with the wild itself.

Psychic Classes

Clairsentient
Telepaths who can enter the philosophical mind of the inanimate are weird in ways unlike any other Psychic. The Clairsentient can look at an item and know its history in the past hour, day or even week. They can stand on a spot of land and realize what stepped over it recently, then follow the ghost of what was there. With their excellent detective powers, they can be a handy utility on any team.

Empath
The Empath is a highly sought after traveling partner in the Pokemon world for healing, understanding, or guidance. Empaths can actually read the minds of pokemon, and through this medium communicate with their allies and friends. Empaths can feel what others feel and relieve pain in pokemon and humans, by physically healing with their psychic abilities, or sharing the burden with them.

Fire Breather - Open to the Fire Types
These Psychics can hone their telekinesis to ignite oxygen in the air and turn it into fire. A Fire Breather is both pyrokinetic and photokinetic. Pyrokinesis is the ability to create and control fire mentally while photokinesis is the ability to create and control light.

Hex Maniac
This Psychic is a medium who can spiritually summon the aspect of affliction to cast status effects on a wild pokemon. The Hex Maniac can also target other humans, inflicting curses, confusion, or sleep on another human being. They are considered recluses by most because of their mental state that is influenced by the spirits they summon but it is their eccentric abilities that can help their party capture any target.

Researcher Branch
(Characters would have a University degree in their class of research)
While most trainers aim to be the best, Researchers aim to know the most. While they lack the physical advantage other trainers might, they have studied for many years prior to the beginning of their journey and have retained a vast amount of knowledge relating to most pokemon all over the world. They know many things relating to a pokemon?s natural moveset, their habitat, and even the location of several pokemon ? just by name. A powerful trainer can help a pokemon find the power that?s inside; a Researcher knows the power that?s inside before he or she even captures a pokemon.

Researcher Classes

Petrologist
Researchers who master petrology are rare item hunters. They can find areas where wild pokemon will yield more items drops. The Petrologist is also an expert excavator. They can dig up evolutionary stones, fossils, or various rare items found underground. In addition to their vast knowledge in the finding and use of these rare items, they are also very adept explorers underground, in caves and in ancient ruins. This variety of
Researcher is very useful for the navigation of land.

Photographer
This Researcher can take pictures of wild pokemon in their natural habitat, to capture the nature and habits of a pokemon in their frame. Even if people are surrounded in day-to-day life by Pokemon, the Photographer knows there?s always value in being able to capture them in photos. Whether using their photos as a steady income to supplement their research, or using them to study battle techniques to the point of imitation, the photographer?s sharp eyes pay off.

Professor
The Professor is a Researcher who has mastered the knowledge surrounding all pokemon known to the masses. They can identify things about a pokemon such as its level of power, its complete move set, its specific home?s location or anything else factual about a pokemon with less then a glance at its silhouette. Professors are unparalleled kings of intelligence and use their vast amount of knowledge proves it. They are unrivalled field commanders and utilize their strategy to ensure their party?s victory.

Scientist
A Researcher who practices the creation of various concoctions is a Scientist. They mix various materials together to make repels, potions, and other items used for whatever they can think up. A Scientist doesn?t always have the right materials for their desired product, but maybe a few experiments will prove to create a new potion unlike any seen before.

Watcher
The pokemon Watcher is a Researcher very in tune with a pokemon?s natural habitat. They can identify facts about a wild pokemon?s living conditions such as the amount of pokemon they live with, which nearby spot yields those family members and how easily they can tackle the foe at hand, just by looking at the wild pokemon. Another talent a watcher has, unseen in any other trainer type, is that ability to locate and track down shiny pokemon who make great pageant competitors or grand auction items.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/mSyEPO4qMNI/viewtopic.php

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