Just when you thought that pre-natal exposure to alcohol couldn't cause any more problems, comes this: A new study that suggests that it could predispose children to become alcoholics.

The new research comes courtesy of the State University of New York system, specifically its SUNY Upstate Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center in Syracuse. Steven Youngentob, a professor of neuroscience and physiology, and his team found that rats exposed to alcohol in the womb learn to like its taste and smell, and will drink more of it later on than rats who... more

When my oldest was still at his Russian-run preschool, he came home one day and told me he had eaten "fish eggs" for lunch. "Don't you mean chicken eggs?" I asked. "No, not yellow eggs," he replied. "They were brown." A check with the school's director the next day revealed that she had, indeed, served the kids a bit of caviar for lunch, which she extolled for its healthful properties.

Me, I've never been much of a fan of the stuff. Price was--and is--one big reason, but being the eco-freak that I am, I was disinclined to add demand to a market that has been seriously... more

This week, we learned who the next president of Russia will be and who will be his prime minister.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin--who cannot run for a third consecutive term--named First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as his choice for president. One day later, Medvedev returned the favor by saying that Putin was his choice for Prime Minister. Yes, there will still be a presidential election on March 2, but given the strong win by the pro-Putin United Russia party in the December 2 parliamentary elections, Medvedev seems to have a lock on the presidency. ... more

Score one for common sense in New Jersey.

Yesterday, a state parole board denied releasing Robert Matthey, who, together with his wife Brenda, has been serving time for manslaughter and child abuse in the death of a child that they adopted from Russia.

That child was a little boy named Viktor, who was adopted from the Siberian town of Svobodniy with his younger twin brothers in December 1999. Less than a year later, Viktor was dead, having been starved, beaten and locked in an unheated basement room. His death and the senselessly light sentences handed... more

Some numbers are lucky, some numbers are not. Some numbers are happy, some numbers are sad. And some numbers are just plain depressing, which is perhaps why all I've managed for a headline on this post is 2,305.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is likely to be the number of Russian orphans who began new lives as American citizens this year.

Let me put this in context for you: In 1999, when I adopted my older son from Russia, 4,348 Russian orphans were adopted. In 2005, when my little guy came home, he was one of 4,639 Russian children adopted by U.S. families... more

We got a bit carried away at a cranberry festival a few weeks back. So I've been on the lookout for recipes that use them in new and interesting ways. But I was pretty surprised when, reading my favorite Russian cookbook for something else, I came upon recipes for not one, but two Russian cranberry desserts, kissel and klyukvenniy muss.

I had always thought of cranberries as being uniquely American, but it turns out that there are several different species of cranberries, and they can be found across almost the entire Northern Hemisphere, which,... more

From time to time since I took over this blog in January, I have seen stories around the Internet of families who found, and adopted, the biological siblings of the first children they adopted from Russia. You might remember that, back in May, I alerted you to a re-broadcast of the Dateline NBC piece about Lisa and Hythem Salem. The couple adopted two Russian siblings, only to discover that there were four more siblings still back in Russia. They went back and brought all four back... more

The big news for the week was, of course, the big win by President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in the December 2 legislative elections. According to a preliminary tally, United Russia won 64.3% of the votes cast and A Just Russia, a party loyal to the Kremlin, won 7.7%. The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party won 8.1% of the vote, while the Communist part won 11.6%. Among those elected: Andrei Lugovoy, a businessman sought by British police in connection with the murder by radioactive poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006.... more

If you live or work in New York City and you want to get involved in a new philanthropic effort for Russia's orphans, head to the Times Square area today or Saturday.

St. Malachy's Church/Actors' Chapel Square is hosting a two-day exhibition and sale of art work created by orphans in Saratov. The church is located at 239 W. 49th, which is between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a piano concert from... more

Today's look at Russian food is for Steve and Stefanie, the proud new parents of boy born in Novosibirsk. You may remember that Steve was the creator of the snowsuit swap I wrote about back in September. He and Stef had just made their first trip to Novosibirsk and were expecting a winter court date. They went back for trip two last week and are now a family of three.

I can't post a glass of Champagne on this blog (except... more