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Western Montana Mental Health Center is Montana's largest community mental health center. We serve well over 15,000 clients per year with almost 800 staff in 16 counties. We offer a broad continuum of care from community-based services to outpatient services to inpatient addiction recovery services. We offer children's programs, adult programs and addiction services. Both the Recovery Center Missoula and Flagship After School Program are wholly-owned departments of Western Montana Mental health Center.
Western Montana Mental Health Center accepts Medicare, Medicaid, Healthy Montana Kids Plus, Healthy Montana Kids (CHIP), most health insurance, and payment based on a sliding fee. Services will not be denied due to race, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or inability to pay.
Governance: Western Operates as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, public purpose corporation (501)(c)(3). The Board of Directors meets monthly to assure effective governance and administration of all Center interests. The public is invited to attend meetings. Participating counties include: Flathead, Sanders, Lake, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, Granite, Powell, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Gallatin, Madison and Park.
Services: Western Montana Mental Health Center provides services in 15 counties in western and southwestern Montana. Programs include case management, crisis response teams in the major population centers, crisis stabilization facilities, adult and youth group homes, day treatment, drop in centers, vocational services, outpatient, medical outpatient, independent living and chemical dependency outpatient treatment. Western has moved in recent years to development and operation of various housing programs to help insure adequate and affordable housing options for the consumers it serves.
Programs are increasingly dedicated to the following service populations:
• adults with a serious mental illness
• adults with substance use problems
• youth with serious emotional disturbances
• youth with substance use problems
• veterans eligible for mental health care under a special VA contract
• individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems
School-Based Programs: Western also offers school-based programs, prevention services and comprehensive school and community treatment programs in multiple public school districts. The largest segment of the Center's finances come from Medicaid and contracts with the Montana State Department of Public Health and Human Services. County government remains integrally involved in the governance of Western and is a significant funding source for local programs.
Western Montana Addiction Services: In 2001, the Board of Directors chartered a separate subsidiary corporation for purposes of oversight and development of substance abuse treatment services called Western Montana Addiction Services(WMAS). WMAS provides services in Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral Counties. In addition, Western opened Recovery Center Missoula as an inpatient and outpatient addiction recovery program.
The board has authorized the establishment of two client housing development corporations (Garden City Community Housing Development Organization and the Flathead-Lake Community Housing Development Organization), which continue to operate as subsidiary corporations of Western.
History: Originally, the State Department of Institutions funded and administered five community mental health clinics in the state. One of the clinics was located in Missoula and was housed in the basement of the Student Health Center at the University of Montana. This clinic, with a staff of six, was responsible for serving the counties of Western Montana. Services were almost exclusively outpatient and, due to the limited staff, outreach efforts throughout the Region were very minimal. The expectation was that clients would commute to Missoula where services would be provided within the clinic. There are old records suggesting that the clinic opened in 1942. Employees of this clinic were all staff members of the State of Montana and they answered directly to the superintendent of the Warm Springs State Hospital. There was considerable isolation of the staff as direct contact with the State Hospital was minimal.
Federal Involvement: Montana's interest in the development of comprehensive community mental health centers was sparked by the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health that was established by Congress under the Mental Health Study Act of 1955. Montana received funds to study its mental health needs and resources, and for a five-year period, effort was devoted towards the development of a plan which would provide effective services to the residents of Montana. With the passage of federal staffing and construction grant programs by Congress in 1963, the Montana State legislature passed complementary bills which enabled the State to become a responsible partner with the federal government in the establishment of regional mental health centers. Five mental health regions were established within the state and Boards, comprised of a county commissioner from each county within the Region, designated as the authority for governance of the community-based mental health programs. On July 15, 1969, the Western Montana Regional Community Mental Health Center Board submitted to the National Institute of Mental Health an application requesting federal staffing grant funds under the provision of Public Law 89-105. The program was approved on September 1, 1969. Western initiated services on January 1, 1971, utilizing local, state, and federal funds. Offices were opened in Ravalli, Lake, Sanders, Flathead and Lincoln Counties, in addition to the existing Missoula-based outpatient office. The original (1971) staff numbered 20 including: 11 clinicians; 7 clerical workers; a business manager, and regional director.


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The sun is shining! When we were younger, we used to go out n the sun and play all day, all while waiting for manong's kariton to come. No need to look, we can hear the all familiar batingting. Ice scramble! The sweet, tasty ice concoction that gave us a break from the heat and the exhastion from running all day long. What a nostalgia!
Tritop Ventures introduces Ice Crumble! Ice Crumble is our newest addition to our food cart concepts. Combining nostalgia with delicious food, this will appeal both to the children and the adults (especially to the 90's kids).
Ice Crumble is P30,000.00 to franchise.
Inclusions are:
. Usage of the Trade name, Logo
. Food Cart – Measures 3 x 2 x 7 ft.
. Complete Set of Equipment (varies on the concept you want)
. Crew Uniform and P1,000.00 Sample Food Products (to get you started!)
Did you know that you can add Ice Crumble to a 2-in-1 and 3-in-1 food cart? You can maximize the profit and save money on franchising!
Interested in franchising? Call or text me,

subset: commoncrawl


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Nonton Movie Vengeance Subtitle Indonesia
( High Quality )
Nonton Movie Vengeance Subtitle Indonesia
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Hong Kong, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.
FILM DETAILS 4 years ago
Genre: Action
Release: 2009
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Director: Johnnie To
Cast: Conroy Chi-Chung Chan, Chi Ping Chang, Gwendolyn Chen
940 views
817 views
COMMENTS Would you like to comment?


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Different Types Of Psychics
Psychics communicate with the spirit world. This does not mean that what all of them do is the same. There are variations in the abilities of the psychics, and according to these abilities, there are different types of psychics. Broadly they are categorized into physical and mental psychics.
Physical psychics
These have the ability to channel spirits. Rather, the spirits communicate through the medium using physical acts such as telekinesis (moving objects without touching them) or loud sounds. The best part is that not just the psychic but also the people who are with the medium can sense what is happening. They can hear audible sounds, and see figures. The psychic mediums who can do this usually give private séances since this is not something that should be open to the public.
The mental psychic
These communicate with spirits using their minds rather than using their bodies. This means they can hear, see, or sense the spirit. People who are with the mediums cannot be part of the process. That is, they cannot see or hear the spirit themselves. All they can do is use the psychic to communicate. There are different types of mental mediums.
The mediums or psychics who can see the souls are said to be clairvoyant. They not only can see the spirits but also can sometimes see objects, scenes, colors, people, and symbols. You should know that they do not use the natural eye for these visions but rather use the mind's eye. The mediums or psychics who can sense the spirit's thoughts or emotions are called clairsentients. Clairsentience does not cover as wide a range as clairvoyance. Still, it is a great ability when you want to communicate with spirits.
Tarot psychics
Tarot fortune-telling does not require a lot of psychic reading skills. In this method, a pack of seventy-eight cards is utilized for reading and deducing certain aspects of an individual, such as love, career, relationships, and health.
Psychic reader
Psychometric reading involves the reading of an object or a possession that is very close to an individual. It says that these objects due to their proximity to the person gain some amount of energy from that individual. Hence, by reading the characteristics of that particular purpose, the expert compares it with the individual's who was in possession of that object. It is usually utilized for finding details of a missing person.
The other type of psychics is called clairaudients. They can hear what the spirits say, or hear sounds that are communicated over the spiritual realm. The sense they use is their mind and not the physical ear. While not all psychic mediums have all of these abilities, some may have more than one. Some use both clairvoyance and clairsentience to communicate while others use only clairvoyance. It depends on the spirits as well as mediums themselves.


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Vintage Fox
Vintage Fox Stuffed Animal
The Vintage Fox recordable stuffed animal kit includes a 15" soft fleece fox and a heart-shaped recorder to capture your baby's heartbeat during an ultrasound. This fox is perfect for snuggling and has a velcro closure on the back so that you can insert the recording. My Baby's Heartbeat Bear kits make excellent baby shower gifts or pregnancy keepsakes. Also available at many 3D/4D ultrasound studios.


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Autumn Leafcomments (2) November 2nd, 2010 in gallery
Using super saver yarn, the leaf on the left I added two extra stitches to the first round so I could spread out the massive amount of stuff you put in the top st of the pattern. The leaf on the right follows the pattern exactly, and was done with the suggested size hook of F. I usually crochet a little tight, so I bumped it up to an H (5.00), for the one on the left, to see if I liked that better, and I DO! This pattern was pretty easy, I really like it!
Pattern or design used: How to Crochet Autumn Leaves to Decorate Your Table
Comments (2)
Posted: 10:05 am on August 28th
Posted: 9:49 am on November 6th
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Veterinary Care
Summit Ridge Farms is committed to providing the animals whose care we are entrusted with a quality of life and health care that meets or exceeds recommended animal welfare guidelines. Summit Ridge Farms considers the use of our animals to further enhance and improve the life of companion animals a privilege, not a right. With this in mind, it is our goal to ensure that our animals receive the highest quality of care that we can provide. Routine veterinary procedures not only improve the health of our animals, but are also a perfect opportunity to provide additional one-on-one, hands-on attention. Dogs and cats have routine ear cleanings and nail trimming on a regular basis. Grooming of dogs and cats is encouraged and performed as much as possible. All procedures and animal interaction is overseen by our veterinary staff.
Primary Health Care
Dogs and cats have routine ear cleanings and nail trimming on a regular basis. Observations and rounds are performed twice daily by qualified veterinary technicians in accordance with defined standard operating procedures. If a problem with an animal is discovered by an employee at anytime, the veterinary staff is immediately informed and corrective action is taken. All animals are vaccinated and dewormed as per procedures established by our staff veterinarian. Extensive veterinary technician training ensures the quality of daily care and enhances the veterinarian/animal interaction.
Dental Care
Teeth are assessed and dental care is performed on a routine basis for all animals. An oral health care database allows us to continuously update individual dental scoring in order to keep track of historical differences as well as prioritize oral health care throughout our colony. Dogs and cats are given dental chews on a rotational basis. The efficacy of our dental program has been proven to reduce the required number of dental cleanings and thus has improved the overall health of our colony.
Veterinary Data Assessment
Information pertaining to all routine veterinary procedures is collected in a custom database developed by Summit Ridge Farms. Any and all procedures are documented and tabulated for scheduling and reporting of information pertaining to each individual animal. Specific trends, such as dental health, can be monitored over time in order to provide the highest quality of veterinary care.


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Reviewing suggested edits, I see a button with the following wording:
Approve Edit(1)
And, having checked reasonably slowly, I click it, which gives me:
This edit was already approved.
Does this mean that someone else approved the edit while I was reading or does it mean that I have brought the count of approvals to the accepted level? If it is the second, I think the wording needs to be modified.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/8/2011 (3069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The first thing Mark Scheifele felt upon arriving in Winnipeg was the blast-furnace heat, but that was soon superseded by a feeling he's been getting from people all over our city in his first visit since being drafted by the Jets.
"Enthusiasm. That's the thing I've noticed most since arriving here. It's only been a few days but everywhere I go and everyone I've talked to is enthusiastic about the Jets," said Scheifele, drafted in the first round by the Jets this summer at the NHL Entry Draft and in Winnipeg to take part in the Dale Hawerchuk Charity Classic golf tournament.
"It's been unreal. The people are unreal and the town is really nice. It's exciting to go to a place that is so excited about its team. It makes you feel so good to know you are wanted."
Scheifele, along with current Jets centre Bryan Little, represented the future and present at the Hawerchuk event while former Jets Ray Neufeld, Thomas Steen, Kris King, Dave Ellett, Dean Kennedy and Dave Manson filled the old guard role.
King, now working for the NHL as a vice-president of hockey operations, has been a regular in Winnipeg since his playing days but arrived in town Monday for the first time since the announcement of the Jets return.
"I noticed right away, especially coming down Portage Avenue. There's a different feel. I was surprised to see the Moose logo still up at the store. It didn't take long for me to see the excitement in the city. The doorman at the Fairmont, he filled me in right away. Everyone it seems wants to talk about the Jets. This city has some great leaders and they've done everything right. The fans, they bought those tickets up in a hurry, they've spoken. Everyone is glad to have the NHL back in their town."
Hawerchuk believes Winnipeg is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.
"There's a lot of buzz. The Jets are back. The town is growing, everything is happening at this particular moment and it's a great thing for the town," said Hawerchuk. "Anyone who played here is glad to have the team back and if you talk to guys around the league, they think Winnipeg should have a hockey team if they can support it. Winnipeg has proven itself."
As for Scheifele, Hawerchuk thinks the Jets have a keeper.
"He was such a treat to coach and whether or not I get to coach him again is up to him," said the the Barrie Colts coach, who had Scheifele on his team last season. "That's the thing with Mark, he gets so much better so fast. He's a humble kid and he loves the game. He's a good fit for Winnipeg and the people are going to love him. His potential is straight up. He was the best forward for Canada at the under-18s. He's the real deal."
Manson says the return of the Jets is good not only for Winnipeg but the whole country.
"The city is electric. So many positive things. The Bombers are winning, the Goldeyes are winning. The Jets are back," said Manson. "It's good for Canada. I know how bad it was for people when the team left, so now to see the smiles people have on their faces — it's a great thing."
Little is now in town for good and will begin skating with local pros as his new teammates begin to trickle into Winnipeg.
"I've been here a day and a half and all I've had is people coming up to talk to me about hockey. You can feel the excitement," said Little. "It's been growing with the players all summer. We're excited too. It started out when you saw how excited people here were when they announced the team was coming back. Then they were at the draft. It's nuts. And now we all just can't wait for opening night. Guys are going to get here early because they're excited to get going. We're coming."
The 18-year-old Scheifele played last season for the Colts and will come to camp with the Jets in September looking to join the big club. If not it's back to the OHL's Colts and likely a spot with Team Canada at the world juniors.
"My goal is to make the team. I've been working hard all summer and will work even harder at camp to prove myself," said Scheifele, who had 22 goals and 53 assists last season which was his first in major junior.
Eric Fehr shapes up /C4
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By submitting your comment, you agree to abide by our Community Standards and Moderation Policy. These guidelines were revised effective February 27, 2019. Have a question about our comment forum? Check our frequently asked questions.


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Nothing is more comforting to eat on a cold wintry rainy day than a bowl of creamy leek and potato soup with soft buns and mustard chicken to go with. The smooth texture of the soup with the flavour of leeks is so soothing to the senses and highly delectable. It is such a hearty, healthy and nutritious soup and so easy to make in no time.
1 large Leek
2 Yukon gold potatoes
2 tbs Butter
2 Garlic cloves
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 cup Chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
Chives or spring onions finely chopped(optional)
Salt to taste
1. Clean and wash the white and light green parts of the leeks and cut them into small pieces. Peel, wash and cut the pototoes into small pieces as well. Finely chop the garlic.
2. In a soup pot melt the butter on medium heat, toss in the garlic, give it a stir and add the leeks and potatoes.
3. Turn over and saute in the melted butter till they sweat and soften a bit.
4. Add 2 cups hot water and the 1 hot cup chicken stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Let it cook on medium heat till the potatoes and leeks and very soft. Switch off the stove and remove the bay leaf.
5. Using a hand held immersion blender, puree the cooked leeks and potatoes until smooth, adding a little water if too thick. I also added the shredded chicken pieces from the chicken soup stock and blended everything together.
6. Add half and half or heavy cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper if necessary. And if the soup appears to be thick add a little water and if it is too runny, leave it on simmer for sometime till it thickens.
7. Garnish with chopped chives or spring onions and serve hot in soup bowls. Enjoy with bread, buns or dinner rolls.


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Church Blues
by Father John
I spoke at Synod one year about my depression, and it was surprising to have some clergy come up afterwards to say thanks, and to tell me of their own 'hidden' experiences.
It was a very dark three years, brought on partly by my inability to cope with conflict. Except for six months leave, I kept working, and even during the leave, stayed in the parish, helping with unofficial things, and stuffing envelopes at the local welfare agency, though the authories, with good intentions, wanted me to go away - the worst advice.
I tried a series of anti-depressants, some worse than the disease, finally finding one that helped, although it had undesireable side-effects. In my case though I had no great problem eventually taking myself off it.
What I discovered helped were the company of friends, plus light (!) and every night, however black things had been, writing down 10 things for which to give thanks!
It did all help me in my understanding of what others were going through, and in my work in hospital chaplaincy in particular.
Mind you, the indifference of some in the Church nowadays to chaplaincy of any kind, and some of their alternative obsessions sadden, but don't burden me. All of us just need to get a life.
Depression PoemsGod is light, and there is no darkness at ...depression-poems.php
Giving Up AntidepressantsNo matter which anti-depressant you take, aft...giving-up-antidepressants.php
Getting Through DepressionLet me just say starting out - I am not ...getting-through-depression.php
The Loneliness Of DepressionI have never been under the illusion that dep...the-loneliness-of-depression.php
Will I Ever See Daylight AgainSometimes I just want to die. A lot of times really....will-I-ever-see-daylight-again.php
Depression And SexualitySometimes I just want to die. A lot of times really....depression-and-sexuality.php
Christians With DepressionChurches tend to be places of happy, smiling, well-healed people, which is a pain in the neck when youre depressed....christians-with-depression.php
Manic DepressionMy undergraduate degree in Psychology informs me that no one can cause us to do anything, we must make the choice,...manic-depression.php
Post Partum DepressionMy name is Narelle, I am a 41 year-old married Christian woma...post-partum-depression.php
Overcoming DepressionIn the early 1970s I embarked upon a career in the film and television industry. The hippy movement ha...overcoming-depression.php
Depression And SuicideOur lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can...depression-and-suicide.php
Life After AntidepressantsI was standing at the door of the Youth Centre office, smiling and laughing. In the kitchen, a...life-after-antidepressants.php


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of an order is a court ordered change. This change is a result of a substantial change in circumstances since the original order was rendered. A Review is a procedure to look at an existing child support order. The review is done by the county child support agency upon request of either parent. A review can be requested by any party to the case at any time. Every three years, the child support agency will notify both parents of their right to ask for a review of their child support order. An Adjustment will be pursued IF the review shows a substantial change in circumstances (for example, the paying parent's employer closes down, or the paying parent has a new job and is making a lot more money). The change in the child support amount must be greater than 15% of the current order, or the difference must be more than $50.00 each month, to be deemed substantial by our agency. An adjustment of an order requires a new order. This can be done by
PRO SE Stipulation and Order
, which is an agreement between the parties of a case. The form is available to download free. A
Order requires a motion of the court, which can be done by the Child Support Agency or by a party of the case (PRO SE motion). You may request a PRO SE Modification Packet by contacting the Washington County Clerk of Court at
(262) 335-4341
, or by coming to the Clerk of Court's office in person. The parent requesting the Motion must pay a fee of $30.00 to the Clerk of Courts.
To get the fee waived, the parent can fill out a Petition for Waiver of Fees . Remember, the responsibility for supporting a child rests with the parents of the child. A step-parent has no legal duty to support the children of his/her new spouse. A court cannot make a step-parent responsible for the costs of raising your child.


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Haws Paint & Body Repair
- 1013 E. Belknap
- Fort Worth, TX 76102-4518 | View Map
- (817) 335-3616
- http://www.hawspaintandbodyshop.com/
Business Description:
- auto body repair & painting
- Request an appointment
David's Review
I think they're fine.
Well, I felt like Haws Paint & Body Repair were very fair in their charges. They don't overcharge or gouge you. They are very responsive, cooperative, and pleasant to work with. I can't think of any time they've had a problem. I recommended them to other people, and a couple of those that I referred went in and left very satisfied.


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Help your patients reclaim their sleep with the Narval CC™ oral appliance
Narval CC is a clinically-proven mandibular repositioning device (MRD).1 Unlike other oral appliances, Narval CC is custom-manufactured by a sleep therapy expert rather than a dental manufacturer.
See how we've put our innovation to work for greater patient comfort.
A recent comparative study demonstrated that a custom-made oral appliance is twice as effective in reducing snoring than non-custom, thermo-plastic MRDs.2
It has a higher compliance rate – 94% over 69% -- and patients are more likely to prefer it (82%).2
Discover how ResMed's custom design and manufacturing techniques lead to comfort and compliance.
Small and discreet, lightweight and strong, Narval CC makes it easy for patients to wear nightly.
- Discreet and easy to use
- Custom-made for comfort
- A clinically-proven1 alternative to CPAP
Narval CC is a first therapy choice for
Get details on who are potential candidates for Narval CC — and who are not.
Successful treatment is dependant on a close collaboration between a efficient network of healthcare providers. Narval CC is a medical device that's prescribed after a sleep test and whose usage follows a well-established clinical protocol. It requires expert dental evaluation, precise fitting, monitoring of the patient's condition, and periodic adjustment of the device's advancement levels in order to maintain treatment efficacy.


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Rosara returns to Cheltenham market
After a successful visit to Cheltenham Market earlier this year, Rosara has been invited back to run another pop up shop, just in time for Christmas.
Having enjoyed a successful first year, Rosara are very excited to finish on a high with another week in Cheltenham. If you would like to see the range for yourself, and find your perfect Christmas Gift, the store will be open between Saturday 17th and Friday 23rd of December, on 252 Bath Road.
Store Information
Cheltenham Market @252 Bath Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7NB
Open 17th – 23rd December: 10.00am – 5.00pm


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Cheer on the Kentucky Derby with a Mint JulepEdit Post
Contributed by on Apr 26, 2018
Three readers love this post.
Did you know that the biggest day in horse racing is just around the bend on May 5th? Of course you did, and you also know that means it's time for Mint Juleps! To celebrate the Julep's versatility beyond one day of racing and to raise awareness about the overuse of plastic straws, Maker's Mark is celebrating Mint Julep Month from April 5 ~ May 5, 2018. The Mint Julep dates back to the late 1700s, and unbeknownst to many, it's the drink that birthed the modern-day straw which has evolved from a necessity to a heavy contributor to environmental pollution. Throughout Mint Julep Month and beyond, Maker's Mark encourages you to enjoy this classic cocktail and swap your plastic straw with a paper or metal straw ~ or even go straw-less! Bars and restaurants around the country are joining #MintJulepMonth efforts and should everyone else. We all live on this planet together, so let's all do our part!
Whether or not you watch The Kentucky Derby, you can certainly enjoy a great tasting cocktail. So, get together with good friends and family and cheer for your favorite horse or join the celebration, but whatever it is you're doing on May 5th, enjoy yourself!
Maker's Mark Mint Julep
- 1 – ½ parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
- Fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup* muddled with mint
- Splash of distilled water
- Powdered sugar
- Mint sprig for garnish
- 1 cup granulated sugar*
- 1 cup distilled water*
Mix together simple syrup muddled with mint, Maker's Mark® Bourbon and distilled water. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour mixture over top. Sprinkle top of ice with powdered sugar. Garnish with a mint sprig. *Simple Syrup: Heat to dissolve sugar, stirring constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
Sallie Gardner
- Created by Matt Lofink, Bartender at Cure in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1½ parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
- ½ part B. Lo Nardini® Amaro liqueur
- 1 tsp. orgeat syrup
- 7 mint leaves
- 1 dash Regan's® orange bitters
- 1 lemon swath
- 1 fresh mint sprig
Put all ingredients except lemon swath into a julep cup, fill halfway with crushed ice, and stir until outside of tin becomes slightly frosted. Express the lemon swath and drop into cup. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.
Nature's Sweet Restorer
Created by Ryan Casey, Beverage Director at The Dewberry hotel in Charleston, South Carolina
- 8 parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
- 3 parts Strega® liqueur
- 1 part Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.® tonic syrup
- 1 lemon peel
- 1 orange peel
- 7–10 mint leaves
- 1 tsp. aperitif
- Fennel frond
- Mint
- Dehydrated lemon coin
- Fennel pollen
- Dried roses
Place all ingredients except Maker's Mark® bourbon and orange peel into a julep cup. Muddle to combine. Top with Maker's Mark® bourbon. Fill cup with crushed ice. Express orange peel over drink and discard. Garnish with fennel frond, mint, dehydrated lemon coin, dried roses (optional), and fennel pollen
A Study in Pink
- Created by Kellie Thorn, Beverage Director Empire State South in Atlanta, Georgia
- 5 parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
- 1 part macerated strawberry, raspberry, and mint syrup (recipe below)
- 1 part Lustau® "Los Arcos" Amontillado Sherry
- 1 part filtered water
- Ground pink peppercorns
- Strawberry and raspberry castor sugar (recipe below)
- Bouquet of mint leaves
Combine syrup, sherry, water, and Maker's Mark® bourbon in an 11-oz. collins glass or an 11-oz. julep cup. Fill the vessel up halfway with crushed ice. Stir until the outside of the vessel is frosted. Top with more crushed ice. Top crushed ice with a dusting of strawberry and raspberry castor sugar and ground pink peppercorns. Garnish with a bouquet of mint. *For the strawberry, raspberry, and mint syrup: In a container (a mason jar works), combine 1 cup of chopped strawberries, 1 cup of chopped raspberries, and a handful of mint. Coat with sugar and allow to sit at room temperature until a syrup forms. Strain the syrup to remove any remaining fruit. Do not heat. *For the strawberry and raspberry castor sugar: Castor sugar (also called baker's sugar) is superfine but not powdered. To make the fruit-flavored castor sugar, place a handful of frozen organic berries into a clean coffee grinder and grind until it is the same consistency as the castor sugar. Mix the two ingredients. Use a small metal spoon to dust the top of the drink.


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If you are preparing to train your child in the near future, you have probably looked at the potty exercise chairs.
Latrine can be an alarming thing for toddlers, with its scary size and ability to rinse out problems that are never seen again. Young men who figure out how to draw a train requires more than a comfortable place. They need to emphasize helping young men figure out how to carefully control each future latrins client. Potty fitness chairs achieve this goal.
You have many choices, right?
Fancy, plain, a piece, hand-painted, versatile, sexually and portable just to begin.
Because you have definitely decided to buy one of each, you decide on the one or two that works best for your child.
That is a good question. Let us take a look at several types of potato chairs and see what benefits it is to use each.
Potty exercise chair or pot seat.
First things first; You must decide if you want to go with a potty chair a child-sized toilet stuck on the floor or a pot seat a child-resistant toilet seat that fits on an adult-sized toilet.
A pot seat means you never have to clean the bowl from the pot bar that sounds good, but you have to know that many young children are not comfortable to climb the toilet size from get-go.
Multi-purpose pots refer to potty chairs that can come apart and be pottery places as well. Pretty smart, huh? Some of these can also be turned over for a chair. Just be sure and look for a tight fit for the pot seat when it is on an adult toilet and no sharp edges when the pillow comes apart.
Gender-specific or not.
Most pillow chairs will work well for both boys or girls, but some are designed to be used only by a gender.
Frankly, while these potatoes work ok, if you plan to have more than one child you run the risk of having another pot next time. Things to watch are sprinklers that are high enough to do their job for little boys but easy to stretch for both boys and girls. Some splash guards are removable for girls, but look sharp edges when protection comes off.
A piece or removable bowl.
The simplest pillowcases are a part, easy to clean underwear. They are stylish and rounded and no edges to pinch a little thighs.
But many parents, including myself, prefer a removable potato bowl. That means there is a little more to the pot chair to clean, but it is well worth it when you dump the pot several times a day for months.
Look for a bowl that is easy to remove as well. If you can do it by hand, the better. Eventually you will want your child to do this task for himself, so you do not want anything complicated or easy to spoil.
Travel and portable pots.
After potty training, four children myself, I can tell you, you would like to consider getting a travel or portable potty fitness chair to go in your car.
Then it is still how grungy the public toilet is or if it is not available at all, the pot continues training. You can have potty chairs folded up, single liners or even the entire pot chair are available.
You can also have folding pot seats to fit the public toilets to help the kids feel safe and comfortable.
Special pottor.
These are the fun kidding chairs. You can get musical pots some do music when a sensor detects wetness, others simply have a button that your child can press to play a song, character pots and hand-painted pews that become beautiful rocking chairs when your preschool child has done pot training.
When shopping for potty exercise chairs, remember how to train plus your childs own personality. Keep in mind that you should clean this thing a lot and your child needs to feel comfortable and motivated when using it.
There are no errors or correct choices between these pillowchairs. You may need one in each bathroom hass bathroom and one in your car. Or you can decide that a single pot seat that can notice everywhere you go is the best choice for your family.
It is all good. The main part is to keep the pot training positive and positive because you and your child are navigating this important growing milestone together.


text: In 1999, during his time with Win Ben Stein's Money, Kimmel co-hosted (with Adam Carolla) and co-produced (with Daniel Kellison), Comedy Central's The Man Show. Kimmel left Win Ben Stein's Money in 2001 and was replaced by comedian Nancy Pimental, who was eventually replaced by Kimmel's cousin Sal Iacono. The Man Show's success allowed Kimmel, Carolla, and Kellison to create and produce, under the banner Jackhole Productions, Crank Yankers for Comedy Central (on which Kimmel plays the characters "Elmer Higgins", "Terrence Catheter", "The Nudge", "Karl Malone" and himself) and later The Andy Milonakis Show for MTV2. Kimmel also produced and co-wrote the feature film Windy City Heat, Festival Prize winner of the Comedia Award for Best Film at the 2004 Montreal Comedy Festival.


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E! Finds Its Michael Jackson
Edward Moss will portray Michael Jackson in E! Entertainment Television's re-enactments of the "King of Pop's" court case, the network said Wednesday.
Moss has appeared on MADtv, Politically Incorrect, The Steve Harvey Show and Nip/Tuck, as well as feature films Scary Movie 3 and Don't Be Scared.
"Edward Moss brings experience and skill to the role of Michael Jackson," E! Networks senior vice president of production Jeff Shore said in a prepared statement.
"All of the components of our production, from casting to the re-creation of the courtroom set, will be vital to our re-enactment series, The Michael Jackson Trial, which we believe will be one of the most memorable court cases in history," Shore added.
The Michael Jackson Trial will air on E! Monday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST/PST) with a weekend wrap-up show airing each Saturday.


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About two weeks ago I got an email from reader Amarillo Jeff saying that he had a couple Robin Yount Topps Sterling cards to send and would I be interested? I jumped on that one right away and said "sure, send them along" not really giving much thought to what the cards would actually be other than they would have The Kid on them. They arrived this past weekend and what can I say other than WOW. To all those who hate Sterling just quite your belly aching for a few minutes I've got something great to look at:
Well Jeff, I don't quite know how to repay you yet but I'll figure something out. Thanks again for the great cards!
Plus here's a bonus Green Robin as a belated nod to St. Patrick's Day.


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Meetings get a bad rap. They're time-consuming, labor-intensive, and they can easily get off-topic.
But it's difficult to run a business without getting the team together, at least once in a while. If you want to improve your meetings in 2017, take some advice from Seattle-area tech execs.
We asked 13 leaders in the Pacific Northwest how they run their meetings, as part of our regular Working Geek feature. Continue reading for their tips and strategies for more efficient and effective collaboration. To see each exec's full Working Geek profile, click on his or her name.
Elissa Fink, CMO of Tableau: "Start with a laugh or some reminder that we're all just people working together trying to make something happen. Then get right to it. At the end, summarize and confirm next actions and the person responsible."
Peter Hamilton, CEO of Tune: "Something I'm working hard to do is ask good questions in meetings. It is my job to help teams think through problems and own them. Great questions can open that up. I try not to "run" as many meetings as I once did, and if I do, it should be strategic. I have two amazing general managers and so many leaders across the organization that I trust to collaborate, establish action items, move the needle, and measure results. When I am running a meeting I ask what we're planning to get done in the meeting, drive toward that goal, and do everything I can to finish the meeting early. If you meet with me, you'll also notice that I use Google's calendar feature to keep meetings brief and have some time between by making 30-minute meetings only 25 minutes. We can probably accomplish the same tasks and make sure we get to the next thing in time and ready to be productive."
Julie Larson-Green, Chief Experience Officer at Microsoft: "I think it is important to bring in people with different viewpoints so you get fresh ideas. I tend to start working meetings with the problem statement that we need to discuss and ensure everyone has a chance to share their thoughts and approach to address the issue. I also leave time for the conversation to go on a tangent. These are often the conversations that lead to big breakthroughs because everyone is contributing from a different angle."
Aman Bhutani, President of Brand Expedia Group: "With patience. Patience is about getting a group to make themselves more efficient over time versus having a single set of rules for running meetings."
Adrienne Gemperle, VP of Partner Resources at Starbucks: "The notion of effective meetings seems to be elusive…I do my best to make sure the purpose is clear. The reasons to meet are geared toward discussion, collaboration, alignment and because those in the room are needed to positively impact the outcome. I try to avoid status reporting and big presentation decks."
Tim Porter, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group: "Try to focus on the important and not just the urgent. Be intentional about managing your calendar. From a work perspective, I try to prioritize portfolio companies first, entrepreneurs/prospective investments second, everything else third — with the overarching mindset that Madrona exists to provide great returns to our limited partners (investors). I also try to leave some time to read, think about trends and how I can be more strategic and proactive, and not just react to the flow. This last part is the hardest. Our strategy is to meet and invest in the best entrepreneurs attacking the biggest markets in the Pacific NW and I'm on 10 boards. There are fortunately a ton of interesting things happening in our region these days. So there is a lot of flow."
Michelle Broderick, CMO of Simple: Like it's my job. Meetings get a bad reputation because few people see it as a way to practice the craft of leadership. When you put time into creating an agenda, defining a clear purpose, and committing to outcomes you can get an amazing amount of work done in a meeting. If you add on a sense of ritual, and an opportunity for the group to practice some form of gratitude, it becomes a gathering that the whole team looks forward to.
Scott Porad, CTO of Rover: "First, keep it short — I schedule meetings for 25 or 45 minutes. Usually, you can get done in 20 or 45 minutes the same amount of stuff you can get done in 30 or 60 minutes. Second, I try to be clear at the start about the purpose of the meeting. Third, I have repeatable agendas for recurring meetings — following the same pattern each time presents opportunities for optimization. Fourth, I take notes — I'm terribly forgetful, so I write stuff down."
Sarah Bird, CEO of Moz: "We have a rolling agenda for our team meeting in a Google doc that we send out ahead of time to collect topics for discussion and record who is responsible for bringing the discussion. There are some recurring topics for high-visibility initiatives. During the meeting, we capture notes, decisions, and action items right in the agenda doc. The document becomes a running history of our team activities. Occasionally I'll look through it for trends or things that we've 'dropped' and should revisit."
Justin Beals, VP of technology at Koru: "I love short meetings! I tend to only schedule 30 minutes for any one discussion to keep the team focused. I like our meetings to have a specific and immediate solution. If it can't be reached in 30 minutes then we break out research tasks. We tend to finish discussions very quickly. I'm much happier spending 15 minutes discussing a single specific issue than wasting an hour with formal meetings. While this is my preference it doesn't work for over 50 percent of the meetings I attend where longer collaborative sessions are required.
Brianna Wettlaufer, CEO and Co-founder of Stocksy: "Collaboration is really important to me, as well as well-crafted strong opinions. I would never want to be in a meeting where everyone wasn't willing to share his or her opinion in a totally blunt and honest way. Candy-coating just wastes everyone's time and tends to be ambiguous. Our meetings typically focus on brainmeld through whiteboarding, challenging understandings (just to be sure) and building on top of them — laced with wit, banter and a lot of laughs."
Gary Cowan, COO of Peach: Four key guiding principles: One, be clear as to the purpose of the meeting and what you are trying to achieve; two, make sure to only invite those that are necessary for the meeting and ensure that their focus is on the meeting, not their phones, laptops etc; three, be aware of the dynamics of the meeting and ensure that less assertive attendees are encouraged and given room to participate while more assertive members don't just dominate by virtue of their personalities; four, if it's a meeting that is intended to drive action (as opposed to say, informational), make sure to specify and reiterate next steps then follow up by sending these out in writing so there is no confusion about expectations.
Jared Nieuwenhuis, Marketing Director of Her Interactive: "I make the objective of the meeting clear, I only invite those that are critical to the objective and I stick to the agenda. I start the meeting on time and end it on time. I respect people's time and never want to waste it. Lastly, I follow-up with an email within 24 hours that confirms action items, deadlines, tasks, etc. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page after the meeting."


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Hopefully, you know about Botox treatment that it is an injectable that works by relaxing the specific muscles that lead your skin to develop wrinkles and frown lines. Allergan has made this treatment for more than 20 years. When it comes to the safety and efficacy, the treatment is highly safe and effective.
Hence, in 2009, a competitor of Botox has entered the market. FDA has also approved this treatment that is known as Dysport. A company named as Medicis has marketed this treatment. Earlier, this treatment was named as Reloxin.
Knowing the differences between Dysport and Botox allow you to get a clear idea regarding these treatments. In this way, it will be helpful for you to decide which one is better for wrinkles. Different discussions have been made among physicians regarding the differences and following are some of the variations that came out.
Well, some of the physicians are really very happy as at last there is a competitor of Botox in the market. Hence, there is not much difference in the price. Furthermore, most of the people don't want to try a new treatment and they go for the famous one. No doubt, Botox is the famous procedure regarding safety and effectivity, so most people still go for it.
As you know all differences and facts regarding both treatments so now it should be your decision to know which treatment you need to get as per your desires. Furthermore, you should discuss it you're your doctor. He will be better able to suggest you in this regard. Both of the treatments are effective when it comes to the treatment of wrinkles. However, you need to be careful while choosing your practitioner. You will get the best results only when he will be able to perform the treatment in an expert way. The skin of every person is different from the other so your doctor needs to be well-experienced so that he can provide you treatment as per your desire.
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Reason 1: Lack of Data Collection for Proper Choice of Stream Restoration Site
Reason 2: Proposed Site is "High Risk"
Reason 3: Address Root Causes of Stream Degradation First: Watershed Restoration before Stream Restoration
Reason 4: Proposed Site is "Low Benefit"
Reason 5: Destruction of Tree Canopy and Park Property
Reason 6: Poor Maintenance History on Other Projects
Reason 7: Permanent Loss of Historical Resources
Reason 8: Lack of Citizen Input and Transparency
Details for each reason and important background information follow…
The City of Richmond has proposed a $1.3 million project to perform a stream restoration on Reedy Creek between 46th Street and Roanoke Ave. The project would also include a smaller stream restoration on Crooked Branch, a small tributary of Reedy Creek that runs through a forested, passive park. After months of deliberation, the Reedy Creek Coalition expressed its opposition to the project last September. (See posting on this website from Sept. 24, 2015) We then attended a presentation on the project at the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association meeting in October and participated in a meeting with Richmond Department of Public Utilities staff in December. After these meetings, we are more convinced than ever that the proposed stream restoration project is bad for Reedy Creek and the citizens of Richmond. As a result, we will explain our reasoning in more detail over the next week by providing the rationale for each major point.
The Reedy Creek Coalition would like to stress that we have made many positive contributions to our watershed in the last seven years. This is the first time we have found ourselves in the uncomfortable position of opposing a proposed city project for Reedy Creek. But for the reasons we will be presenting over the next week, we have no choice. Our mission is to do what is best for Reedy Creek and the proposed stream restoration project simply does not measure up at any level.
Reason 1: Lack of Data Collection for Proper Choice of Stream Restoration Site
What would you think if the city traffic department solved a congestion problem by putting up a new traffic light at a location that was "most convenient" without doing a traffic study to understand the source of the bottleneck? In essence, that is what the city has done with the proposed stream restoration in Reedy Creek. Let us explain.
On the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality website, there is a link (http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/Water/Publications/BMPGuide.pdf) to a document called "The Virginia Stream Restoration & Stabilization Best Management Practices Guide". Within that document, there is a section devoted to site selection for stream restoration. The document states:
"A site selection study is composed of three steps:
- Conducting an assessment to identify specific stream reaches which exhibit degraded functions and values…
- Ranking the stream reaches based on the magnitude and severity of the problems identified in the assessment.
- Prioritizing the candidate sites based on feasibility constraints."
The city never did the basic first step in site selection – a systematic assessment of stream condition. Instead, the city chose a site that was "most convenient". At the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association meeting in October, DPU officials explained the proposed site was chosen because the city owned all of the property and would not have to obtain easements from private property owners. To be fair, city officials also noted that the banks in the proposed area are badly eroded and that is absolutely true. However, the Reedy Creek Coalition has walked almost the entirety of Reedy Creek and there are many other stretches of the stream that are in equally poor condition. (See below.) And in some cases, the city has performed work in the area and has obtained the necessary easements in the past.
In addition, the city spent many thousands of dollars to an environmental consulting company for a document titled "Reedy Creek Watershed Plan" that was finalized in November 2012. This document suggests that a stream condition assessment be performed for the following purpose: "Identify candidate reaches on large tracts of land (preferably industrial/commercial) for stream restoration, stream enhancement, or bank stabilization…" The city ignored the recommendations of the hired specialists on two fronts: 1) the stream condition assessment was not performed and 2) rather than looking at industrial/commercial tracts of land where the surrounding riparian area is already degraded, the city opted for city land that is forested and already has some connection to a good floodplain.
Reason 2: Proposed Site is High Risk
Stream restoration is still a relatively new best management practice and stream restorations based on good planning and execution can still be damaged due to ill-timed weather events. To minimize risk, stream restoration efforts usually start with the upper sections of a damaged creek and move downstream over time. This strategy also maximizes the potential benefits of a stream restoration because it improves the water quality throughout the downstream sections of the stream.
By contrast, the proposed Reedy Creek stream restoration is located in the lower third of Reedy Creek – nowhere close to the headwaters which extend to Chippenham Parkway. And to make matters much worse, the proposed segment is immediately downstream from approximately 1.0 mile of concrete channel that concentrates the stormwater draining a large part of the commercial district along Midlothian Turnpike. The volume of stormwater that blasts through the proposed project area is enormous and that is what makes the proposed project much higher risk than potential sites upstream.
To handle the large volume of stormwater, the project will involve clearing a 100 foot wide swath along Reedy Creek (information provided at the October Forest Hill Neighborhood Association meeting). Most of the area that would be cleared is forested; essentially all of the mature trees are native; and much of the impacts will be on park property.
There are two levels of potential risk:
- Catastrophic Failure in which large sections of the reconstructed banks are damaged by a flood event. This could occur due to a mistake in design, poor execution by the contractor doing the installation, or bad timing of a Tropical Storm Gaston-like event. The consequences of a catastrophic failure would be horrific because the mature trees that were helping to protect the banks from rapid erosion will be gone. It is impossible to speculate on the level of risk of catastrophic failure; but why would the city take on this risk when there are stream segments that would obviously present a much lower risk?
- Limited Failure in which small sections of reconstructed stream bank/floodplain are damaged during storm events. While the environmental consequences would be less severe, any damaged sections need to be repaired as soon as possible before the next storm creates bigger problems. This sort of limited damage over a project area covering more than 2,000 linear feet is not a rare occurrence in projects that start with good site selection – never mind starting with bad site selection. Going back to repair damaged sections over a period of several years while the new vegetation becomes established could be a constant drain on limited resources that could be spent elsewhere. Once again, why accept this risk when there are degraded stream reaches upstream that would present a much reduced risk of repeated, small scale failures?
Reason 3: Address Root Causes of Stream Degradation First: Watershed Restoration before Stream Restoration
If you discovered a drip from your living room ceiling during a rain shower, would you call a roofer to repair the leaky roof or would you repaint the ceiling after the rain stopped? Of course, this sounds like a ridiculous question. You would deal with the source of the problem by calling in a roofer to repair the leaky roof and then you would worry about repainting the ceiling. But the city's proposal to perform a stream restoration in Reedy Creek is analogous to repainting the ceiling first.
When it comes to the degradation of urban streams, everyone recognizes that stormwater is the primary culprit. There is even a name for the poor condition of urban streams used in the scientific literature: Urban Stream Syndrome. There are two components to the problems associated with stormwater: 1) The large volume of stormwater coursing through an urban stream after rain events erodes the banks, scours the bottom substrate, and removes the rocks and woody debris that fish and aquatic insects use for cover and reproduction. Imagine living in an environment where the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane pounds your home every month or two – that's what the aquatic life in Reedy Creek is up against. 2) Stormwater carries pollutants such as excess plant nutrients, sediment, petroleum products, toxic chemicals, fecal bacteria, etc. All of these pollutants (except the fecal bacteria which is primarily a human health hazard) harm aquatic life in a stream. And most of these pollutants start out on the land before being washed into Reedy Creek with the stormwater.
So if we want to address the root causes of stream degradation, then everyone in the watershed needs to act to reduce stormwater volume and minimize the pollutants on the land that are picked up by stormwater. There are many ways to reduce stormwater volume such as harvesting rainwater from downspouts (rain barrels and cisterns) and increasing the infiltration of rain water through best management practices such as tree/shrub planting, rain gardens, and Bayscapes. By using native plants adapted for our climate and soils, we can also reduce the use of nutrients and toxic chemicals. Addressing stormwater issues at the source is what we mean by watershed restoration.
The Reedy Creek Watershed Plan from November 2012 suggests a variety of green infrastructure projects on city-owned lands such as schools, parks, and vacant lots that would reduce stormwater volume at the source. These projects could also provide multiplier effects by helping watershed residents learn about steps they could take on private property to improve Reedy Creek. The Reedy Creek Coalition fully supports these proposed projects. Why has the city ignored this report in favor of a stream restoration project that does not address the source of stream degradation?
Another advantage of reducing stormwater volume at the source is that it reduces the inherent risk associated with any future stream restoration work. Here is a quote from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration webpage (http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/techniques/srrestoration.html): "Correcting upstream problems is the first priority before any channel modifications are implemented." In other words, watershed restoration before stream restoration.
Reason 4: Proposed Site is "Low Benefit"
Let's first deal with the potential benefits to Reedy Creek because that is our primary concern as the Reedy Creek Coalition. A well-planned stream restoration has definite benefits for local water quality. Repaired banks and expanded access to a healthy floodplain helps remove nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants from the water. In addition, stream restorations are usually designed to have features that slow down the water as it moves through the area which allows extra time for nutrient removal by the newly planted vegetation and other stream processes. As a result, the water quality downstream can be improved.
However, the poor site selection for the proposed stream restoration minimizes the benefits to Reedy Creek in two ways. First, as noted previously, the proposed stream restoration is in the lower third of the watershed and immediately downstream of 1.0 mile of concrete channel that drains Midlothian Turnpike. One can only slow down that volume of stormwater so much and there will simply not be enough time for significant pollutant removal to take place. One could argue that the expanded access to a floodplain will help a lot. But the reality is that Reedy Creek already has access to a good floodplain on the north side of the creek for a significant distance along the project area. And the stormwater moves through the floodplain so fast that there is clear evidence of scouring of the floodplain due to the high volumes of stormwater.
Second, the downstream benefits to Reedy Creek are minimal because there isn't much "downstream" left. Remember that most of Reedy Creek lies upstream of the project area. The length of stream segment that can benefit from improvements due to stream restoration is about 3,600 feet and part of this is the concrete channel at Roanoke Ave. (The 3,600 feet estimate is the distance from the downstream end of the project area to the top of Forest Hill Park Lake which acts like a large retention pond to trap nutrients and sediment. It is not anticipated that the stream restoration would have any discernible impact on the small segment between the lake and the James River.)
The last issue with regard to Reedy Creek is whether the stream restoration would improve the aquatic ecosystem. The Reedy Creek Coalition has collected data on the macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects, snails, crayfish, worms, etc.) in the project area and determined that Reedy Creek is severely impaired for "aquatic life use". This is consistent with many studies over the last several decades which led to the concept of the urban stream syndrome. Although stream restoration is still a relatively new tool, there are also scientific studies showing that stream restoration alone does not improve the health of aquatic communities (Stranko, S. A., Hilderbrand, R. H., and Palmer, M. A. 2012. Comparing the Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity of Restored Urban Streams to Reference Streams. Restoration Ecology 20: 747-755). There is no reason to think that the proposed Reedy Creek restoration would be any different, especially since the problem of stormwater volume is not being addressed. In addition, a lot of mature shade trees will be removed which will increase water temperatures in the summer and create additional stress on the aquatic animals for decades.
That brings us to the issue of whether the proposed stream restoration will have much benefit for the Chesapeake Bay which is the main reason the project was proposed in the first place. The answer is a resounding "NO". As noted above, the proposed project is upstream from Forest Hill Park Lake. Currently, the lake acts as a retention pond to trap sediment and nutrients coming from more than 3.0 miles of Reedy Creek including the project area. The single most cost-effective thing that could be done for the James River and Chesapeake Bay is to routinely dredge the forebay of the lake on a routine basis to remove sediment and nutrients and prevent the entire lake from filling in again. (The forebay is at the upper end of the lake and was designed to trap sediment and provide easy access for routine dredging. The forebay has not be dredged since the entire lake was dredged over six years ago. )
Reason 5: Destruction of Tree Canopy and Park Property
At our December meeting with DPU, we were told that the proposed stream restoration project would disturb 6 acres of land. This includes a 100 foot wide swath along Reedy Creek, a strip of unknown width along Crooked Branch, and an access road through Crooked Branch Park. All current vegetation on these 6 acres would be totally removed. Nearly all of the cleared area is currently mature forest and the larger trees are all native trees that have grown up naturally – a nice diversity of oak, maple, beech, holly, pine, etc. Some areas of the understory contain a disturbing level of invasive plants such as kudzu, English ivy, privet, etc.
Most of the land that will be disturbed on the south side of Reedy Creek is part of Crooked Branch Park and the land on the north side is floodplain owned by Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW). Since no specific plan has been unveiled, we do not know the exact percentage of the 6 acres that will be on park property and what percentage on DPW property. However, we know that a substantial amount of destruction will occur on park property since the main access road will run from Crutchfield Avenue to Reedy Creek through Crooked Branch Park. In addition, much of the DPW property is essentially an extension of the park and the land use is exactly the same – undisturbed forest.
Mature trees are an incredibly valuable natural resource and also provide many benefits for humans as well. Trees improve water quality, filter out air pollution, reduce the urban heat island effect, provide food and shelter for a diversity of animals, and create educational and recreational opportunities for neighbors. At a time when the city is attempting to increase its tree canopy, it is unthinkable that it would destroy 6 acres of forest for a project that offers so little value and so much risk.
Furthermore, the city has proven to be a negligent steward of this land on which invasive plants are now thriving. The Reedy Creek Coalition has sponsored several invasive removal projects in Crooked Branch Park and several of our members routinely remove invasive plants during visits to the park. Meanwhile, the city has done nothing. Although the proposed stream restoration project would involve planting new native plants including trees, they are all too likely to be overwhelmed by invasive plants from the surrounding area and from seeds carried by stormwater from upstream. Currently, the shade provided by the mature trees at least slows the advance of the invasive plants. Given its history, there is little reason to believe that the city will provide the level of maintenance and diligence that would be required to allow the new plantings to thrive.
Reason 6: Poor Maintenance History on Other Projects
Successful stream restoration projects require a high level of maintenance and surveillance. Stream banks need to be monitored after every significant rain event for several years to ensure the banks are not eroding. If any sign of erosion is observed, it must be immediately fixed or a small problem can quickly become catastrophic with the next rain event.
Aside from fixing stormwater damage to banks, successful stream restoration projects require other routine maintenance tasks such as watering newly planted vegetation and removing invasive vegetation that can smother the native plants. In the case of the Reedy Creek project, these routine maintenance tasks are much harder than usual. First, the chosen site is quite inaccessible for an urban site. One cannot simply drive a water truck up to each tree that needs water. Second, invasive plants will quickly take over the new plantings if not continually removed. There is already an invasive plant problem in parts of Crooked Branch Ravine Park and the increased sunlight (due to demolishing the tree canopy) will only make the problem harder to control. Keeping invasive plants out of 7+ acres is a daunting, expensive enterprise.
What is the City of Richmond's history on maintenance of "environmental" projects? Forest Hill Lake was dredged 7 years ago and a "forebay" was installed at the head of the lake where Reedy Creek enters. The purpose of the forebay is to collect much of the sediment and pollutants that travel down Reedy Creek so the sediment doesn't reach the main body of the lake and fill it back in. This strategy only works if the forebay is dredged routinely and City staff promised citizens that the forebay would be dredged regularly. It has never been dredged.
A more recent project (summer 2014) on Albro Creek behind the new Bellmeade/Oak Grove Elementary School is also relevant. This project involved restructuring and stabilizing streambanks on a short segment of Albro Creek where there is easy access to the creek from both sides. Shortly after installation, a rain event blew out one of the newly "stabilized" banks. The city dumped in some riprap and never fixed the damage properly. There are also other smaller areas of erosion damage along the project site; most of the trees planted along the banks died from lack of water; and invasive plants are rapidly moving in.
Given the current state of delivering basic services in Richmond, there is no reason to believe that the City would properly maintain the proposed Reedy Creek project (or any of the other four stream restoration projects to be installed soon).
Reason 7: Permanent Loss of Historical Resources
The proposed project area in Reedy Creek is located within the Forest Hill Historic District. Local history buffs in the Forest Hill area found and registered two new archeological sites (residential site and granite quarry) that would be completely destroyed or severely damaged by the proposed project.
In addition, there is historical evidence (maps and correspondence with the General Assembly in the late 1700s and early 1800s) that at least one mill was constructed in the proposed project area before 1862. Due to summer vegetation, it has not been possible to adequately look for physical evidence of an old mill.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for review of the permit application for the proposed Reedy Creek project. Last May, the Army Corps of Engineers (with the compliance of the Virginia Department of Historical Resources) had closed its review of historical resources and concluded there would be no significant impacts. The historical review had to be reopened after the discovery of the two new archeological sites; but it is very possible that the new sites will also be considered "insignificant".
Reason 8: Lack of Citizen Input and Transparency
There has been a consistent lack of public engagement on Reedy Creek issues:
- The city never contacted the Reedy Creek Coalition while the 2012 Reedy Creek Watershed Plan was being developed and the plan is not available on the city's website.
- The city applied for grant money for the proposed Reedy Creek project in October 2014. Local residents found out about the project in April 2015 when workers from Timmons (environmental company responsible for design of the proposed project) were seen tromping around behind our homes. The grant application is not available on DPU's website.
- The only public meeting hosted by DPU on the project was held on February 23, 2016, when the plans were 90% complete. At that meeting, DPU staff said the proposed project was a "done deal".
- The city chose to use a permitting program (nationwide general permit) of the Army Corps which requires NO public participation. They could have used a permit program (individual permit) that includes a full public participation process.
Thank you for you time. Please contact us if you have questions.


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Well, that's one way to get an ab workout.
A South African man named Chris Bertish has just become the very first human being to cross the entire Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard.
He made the fierce 4,050-mile journey alone at sea over 93 days, The Guardian reports, crossing from Agadir, Morocco to Antigua's English Harbor.
He stood, he paddled, and he prevailed, traveling an average of about 43 miles a day and pulling through an incredible 60 miles on one of the last days.
Of course crossing the second largest ocean in the world doesn't come without its challenges. Upon arriving in Antigua, Bertish said at a press conference that his last night was so intense, he didn't know if he'd survive. Read more…
More about Surfing, Chris Bertish, Sports, Water Sports, and Paddle Board


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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State was limited to just four kills and a .000 hitting percentage in the fifth and final set as Idaho State defeated the Hornets, 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-9), in a Big Sky Conference volleyball match Friday evening at Colberg Court.
The Hornets (5-11, 1-6) recently completed a two-week, four-match road trip, and returned home to face a Bengal squad that has now won 11 of its last 12 matches. Two weeks after dropping a five-set match at home to first-place Portland State, Sacramento State fell in five to the second-place team as ISU improved to 13-4 and 7-1 in the conference.
The Hornets have dropped six straight matches, and will look to get back on the winning track when they host Weber State tomorrow evening at 7 p.m.
After Sacramento State and Idaho State split the first four sets, the Hornets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth and decisive frame. However, that marked the Hornets' only lead as ISU went on a 10-4 run to take a commanding 10-5 lead. Sacramento State got no closer than within four points of the Bengal lead the rest of the way. Idaho State hit .300 (9-3-20) in the fifth set while the Hornets had four kills and four errors in 16 attacks. No Sacramento State player had more than one kill in the fifth frame while Tressa Lyman (3), Breanne Van Every (3) and Alydia Fields (2) combined for eight of ISU's nine kills in the set.
Overall, the Bengals held healthy advantages over the Hornets in kills (64-52), hitting percentage (.202-.149), assists (61-48) and digs (81-61). Sacramento State did have 15.0 team blocks, but were limited to zero stuffs in the fifth set.
For Sacramento State, rightside hitter Kayla Beal had a team-high 15 kills while freshman outside hitter Sloan Lovett added 12 kills. Middle blocker Olivia Moss had seven kills, six blocks and a team-best .438 hitting percentage, and middle blocker Ashley Newcomb posted nine blocks. Newcomb has now combined for 20 blocks over the last two matches, raising her season average to 1.27 blocks per set.
Three Hornets had double figures in digs, comprised of libero Sydney Kordic (17), outside hitter Janelle Currey (15) and defensive specialist Katelyn Ivy (season-best 13). Ivy also added a match-high tying three aces.
Idaho State's Van Every (16), Lyman (16), Fields (13) and Jaclyn Hone (13) combined for 58 of the Bengals' 64 kills. ISU used eight players in the match, and Hone (13 kills, 10 digs, 8 blocks) fell just two blocks shy of a triple-double.
April 18, 2013 VOLLEYBALL SIGNS WEST VIRGINIA TRANSFER KENDALL LaVINE
November 22, 2012 VOLLEYBALL'S BEAL AND KORDIC RECEIVE ALL-BIG SKY ACCOLADES
November 19, 2012 MONTANA STATE BEATS MONTANA; VOLLEYBALL ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFFS
November 16, 2012 VOLLEYBALL SIGNS MORGAN STANLEY AND COURTNEY DIETRICH
November 10, 2012 WITH BACKS AGAINST THE WALL, VOLLEYBALL POSTS HUGE WIN AT WEBER STATE
November 3, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FALLS AT HOME IN FOUR SETS TO NORTH DAKOTA
November 1, 2012 NORTHERN COLORADO STORMS BACK, KNOCKS OFF VOLLEYBALL IN FIVE SETS
October 25, 2012 BEAL AND GENGER LEAD VOLLEYBALL TO THREE-SET SWEEP OF SOUTHERN UTAH
October 22, 2012 VOLLEYBALL COMPLETES LONG ROAD TRIP WITH LOSS AT EASTERN WASHINGTON
October 20, 2012 VOLLEYBALL DROPS FOUR-SET MATCH AT PORTLAND STATE
October 16, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN THREE SETS AT SANTA CLARA
October 13, 2012 VOLLEYBALL TURNS BACK SIX SET POINTS, BEATS MONTANA STATE IN FOUR
October 12, 2012 VOLLEYBALL LETS FOURTH-SET LEAD SLIP AWAY IN 3-1 LOSS AT MONTANA
October 5, 2012 VOLLEYBALL RETURNS HOME, BUT FALLS IN FIVE TO IDAHO STATE
September 29, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN FIRST-EVER TRIP TO NORTH DAKOTA
September 27, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FINDS IT TOUGH IN GREELEY AGAIN, FALLS AT NORTHERN COLORADO
September 22, 2012 VOLLEYBALL DROPS ROAD MATCH TO SOUTHERN UTAH
September 20, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN FOUR TO NORTHERN ARIZONA
September 18, 2012 VOLLEYBALL ENTERS SECOND WEEK OF LEAGUE PLAY, BEGINS A FOUR-GAME ROAD TRIP
September 13, 2012 VOLLEYBALL OPENS CONFERENCE PLAY WITH SWEEP OF EASTERN WASHINGTON
September 12, 2012 VOLLEYBALL OPENS BIG SKY CONFERENCE PLAY THIS WEEK AT HOME
September 11, 2012 FREE ADMITTANCE TO SATURDAY'S VOLLEYBALL MATCH WITH FOOTBALL TICKET STUB
September 8, 2012 VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN THREE TO UTAH VALLEY
September 8, 2012 VOLLEYBALL TAKES THE FIRST SET, BUT FALLS IN FOUR TO UC DAVIS
September 7, 2012 VOLLEYBALL OVERCOMES 13-8 FIFTH-SET DEFICIT, KNOCKS OFF FRESNO STATE
August 25, 2012 VOLLEYBALL HITS OVER .400 IN THREE-SET SWEEP OF JACKSONVILLE
August 25, 2012 LATE COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT IN VOLLEYBALL'S LOSS TO NC STATE
August 24, 2012 VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON WITH 3-1 LOSS TO COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
August 23, 2012 VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON TOMORROW IN SOUTH CAROLINA
August 22, 2012 2012 VOLLEYBALL WALLPAPER IMAGES NOW AVAILABLE
August 20, 2012 2012 VOLLEYBALL MEDIA GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE
August 16, 2012 Q&A WITH HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH RUBEN VOLTA
August 10, 2012 2012 VOLLEYBALL SEASON OUTLOOK


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Join us for 1 or 3 modules on a journey of re-imagining and co-creating free learning communities
How long? 80+ hours of training (including 25+ hours of direct facilitation and contact with children)
Structure and Dates: 3 Modules
Module 1: Foundation: July 12 – 15 (residential module in Fayoum – full days)
Module 2: Practicum: July 17 – 26 (you complete 25 hours of facilitation at your own convenience with available coaching)
Module 3: Reflection, Collaboration and Integration: July 27 – 29 (residential module in Fayoum – full days)
Last day to apply?
July 7th
(rolling admissions, we respond first to applicants on a first come basis until spaces are over)
Sounds Good? Here are more details…
Click to expand the panels below to know more details about the program
Are you a …
- Key member of a co-learning/alternative education space (founder and potential founder, facilitator, administrator, parent, student, etc.)?
- Social/Education Entrepreneur interested in starting self-organized, free learning spaces or alternative education communities?
- Education activist and/or changemaker?
- Teacher interested in bring Self Directed Education (SDE) into her/his classrooms?
- Parent group leader (e.g. leader of a homeschooling/unschooling cooperative)?
- A non-formal education facilitator looking to expand your tools and resources and join new programs?
And would you like to …
- Build relationships within the free, alternative, self-directed education community in Egypt and our partners across the world?
- Create your own free learning space?
- Join existing programs to facilitate for self-organized and free learning in Egypt?
- Learn and practice with simple tools for creating a micro-culture and that supports self-directed education, community collaboration, and trust-based relationships?
- Access mentorship and support from a local community and an international network to equip yourself for your own education project?
- Stretch, grow, live joyfully and experience the learning community you wish to create?
- Have an enormous amount of fun and good Egyptian food?!?!
If your response is \"YES\" to one or many of the above, then Yalla! come on board!!
Note: It is preferable to have previous facilitation experience with children (at least 1 year), since this program does not start facilitation training at the basic level, but rather adds to facilitators\' tools and practices of self-directed education. However, if you love and trust children, if you feel there is a true call for you while reading this – then just go ahead and fill an application! Also, we had several previous participants who facilitate with adults and adolescents who have benefited from this program.
⚓ Module 1: Foundation
July 12 – 15
This is where we get into what Self Directed Education (SDE) is and what Self-Organized Learning Environments are and, how to do it!
We will:
- dive in together, get to know each other and build our community.
- engage with the philosophy, theoretical foundations, tools and practices that are fundamental to the self-directed education model and the creation of free, self-organized learning communities.
- re-imagine education, mainly focused on SDE, inside and outside Egypt.
- honor emergence by self-organizing around projects, conversations, activities, games and other interests arising from the group.
- explore topics like: self-organization, deschooling/unschooling and intentional culture creation.
We highly recommend attending the full program. If you can only attend three days, then the "Foundation" part of the program is for you.
Module 2: Practicum
July 17 – 26
In this part of the program, participants join already existing spaces that work with children and teens using the philosophy, values and tools of Self-Directed Education. These spaces are part of the Mesahat Network of Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLEs). The energy level gets a serious upgrade for when participants start to directly interact with children of of all ages (5 – 16 years old) for a Self Directed Education Summer School!
This is an unparalleled chance for both kids and adults to build a powerful learning culture, to create the learning community our hearts have always yearned for!
Here's where the learning really starts as we practice, fail, learn, reflect and share together!
- Participants will be asked to facilitate 25 hours of direct work with children at one of two designated spaces as part of the Mesahat Network of Self-Organized Learning Environments.
- Participants will organize their own schedules and time to be able to finish their 25 hours of practicum requirement at their convenience, as long as it is within the working hours of the spaces where the summer school is held.
- Participants will receive coaching and supervision on their practical facilitation from both peers and program trainers.
- Throughout this module, an optional weekly reflection meeting will be held for participants to reflect on their work with children, lessons learnt, the challenges they face and how they can handle it.
- Participants are requested to document their practicum project and produce a shareable output that captures their learning and growth. The form of this output can be discussed with trainers and supervisors.
- We will invite program participants to take leadership roles, side by side with experienced facilitators from the organizing partners at Mesahat and Agile Learning Centers (ALCs) to get real world experience by facilitating with children.
- Children and adult participants will co-create the summer camp program using playful and agile tools of self-directed education, expanding their learning beyond classrooms or traditional knowledge to learn from life and its vast resources
✌ Module 3: Reflection & Integration
July 27 – 29
- We will reflect and share what we have learned through self-organizing to facilitate a transformative educational experience for children as part of the summer school.
- Participants will present their shareable outputs from facilitating 25 hours of practical work with children.
- There will be feedback and evaluations for participants on their facilitation experience.
- We will hold sessions to support participants who particularly want to start a program or a communal learning space in making actionable plans, and real world connections.
- We set up ways to stay connected to the Self-Directed Education Community we created together.
- We'll walk away with Self-Directed Education projects moving forward powerfully.
If you want to feel SDE and Intentional Culture Creation in your bones, build the foundation of the free learning and the SDE movement in Egypt, and/or launch your own educational project, you'll want to participate in the full 3 modules of the program.
We can try to explain to you what this experience is like, but it is never like hearing it from people who lived it.
Module 1
July 12 – 15
Residential module, participants are asked to sleep over for the full duration of the module. The module takes place at Zad Al Mosafer guest house in Fayoum, Egypt which is a 100 minutes from Cairo. It is child friendly space.
Module 2
July 17 – 26
Happens inside Cairo, at Mesahat in Moqattam and Fernas in 1st Settlement – these are self-organized communal spaces. Participants schedule their 25 hours of practicum during these days at their own convenience.
Module 3
July 27 – 29
Residential module, participants are asked to sleep over for the full duration of the module. The module takes place at Zad Al Mosafer guest house in Fayoum, Egypt which is a 100 minutes from Cairo. It is child friendly space.
Financial Investments
How Much?
So far, we do not have any funding partners. Participants financial contribution is the only way we cover the program cost of: materials, venue rentals, facilitator honorariums, logistics, accommodation, and meals.
Below is the exact cost per participant (only to cover our costs), and a sliding scale of contributions depending on which part of the program you attend.
You decide your contribution along the ranges of this sliding scale. As we are sharing an education model founded in trust, we trust you to offer a contribution within the range of this sliding scale that feels generous and responsible! That's the only way it is going to work!
Module 1
July 12 – 15, 2018
Expense per participant: 2,770 EGP
Requested: sliding scale of contribution from min. 1,000 to max. 3,500 EGP
Full Program: Module 1, 2 and 3
July 12 – 29, 2018
Expense per participant: 3,670 EGP
Requested: sliding scale of contribution from min. 2,000 to max. 6,000 EGP
If you require a scholarship to contribute within the range of the sliding scale, please let us know in your application. We will do our best to make sure finances are not an obstacle to your participation. The more some participants contribute towards the higher end of the sliding scale, the more we will be able to offer slots for other participants who cannot afford the program expenses.
We always recommend attending the SOLE Facilitator & Founder Program in its entirety to get the most value. Hence, we give priority to participants who can join us for the full duration of the program.
Timeline: What will happen and when?
June 15 : Application opens
July 7: Application closes – (rolling admissions)
June 22 and 28: An open, online Q & A session with an organizer on our Facebook Page
July 7: Announcement of final list of invited participants
July 5– 9: Financial contributions paid for the program.
July 5 – 9: Online introductions and orientation
July 12 –15: Module 1: Foundation (outside Cairo)
July 17 – 26 Module 2 : Practicum (inside Cairo, 25 hours for each participant)
July 27 – 29: Module 3: Integration and Collaboration (outside Cairo)
Logistical Details
During the residential modules (module 1 and 3) we stay in comfortable housing facilities. Participants and trainers co-live and co-learn. Separate facilities for genders are available. The venue is Zad Al Mosafer Guest House in Fayoum which is a 100 minutes away from Cairo and transportation (round trip) is available at an extra cost. Otherwise, you can drive to the venue or carpool with other participants. Our residential modules will have delicious, healthy and locally sourced food for 3 meals a day ( breakfast, lunch and dinner) cooked with love. Also, beverages and fruits will be available throughout the day.
The main language of the training program will be Arabic, with a mix of English sometimes and a possibility of having English translation all the time, if needed.
A good level of understanding and comfort in reading English is preferred since all reference materials are in English. In all cases, participants are highly encouraged to express using the language they feel most comfortable with.
Meet the Team
This program is facilitated by Nariman Moustafa and co-facilitated by Amira Saad and Sarah Sallam. We have a hardworking team of organizers that is putting everything together for you – our organizers are all participants of last years\' programs and they are: Lamiaa Alkhatib, Nairooz Mahmoud, Heba Adel, Amira El-gohary, Noha Salem and Mohamed Basher; this is besides other volunteers and supporters of the idea, these are: Shuruk Mohamed and Ibrahim Abdelghany. You can know some of the facilitators stories and read more about them by expanding the tabs in this section.
I am an Agile Learning Facilitator with Agile Learning Centers, a global expanding network of Self-Directed Education schools. I am also the founder of Mesahat Al Taalem Al Hor. My goal, with this project, is to create a community of inter-connected self-organized learning spaces and societies in Egypt, starting by turning Cairo into a learning city, where parents, teachers and children experience the possibilities and alternatives that lie ahead of us in the world to un-stuck ourselves.
Having gone through the formal/mainstream education system and experienced its failures, I bunked my Dental studies college degree and later-on practice to go on and pursue my passion for social changemaking in a self-designed manner.
As a self-directed learner for most of my life, I am passionate about re-imagining learning experiences, resources and pathways. I consider myself good at creating network connections, facilitation of conversations and learning journeys, as well as starting up and sustaining social projects and supporting others to do as well. The overarching vision for all the community work I do is a desire to empower humans so that we can reclaim our lives and free will from the ready-made pathway that our global system is leading us down to in all fields of life.
My past career experiences involved working with social entrepreneurs through the organization Ashoka. It also involved designing and facilitating education experiences with organizations like the Arab Thought Foundation, Soliya, Education Square, the American University in Cairo and Dawar for Arts and Development. My latest stop before founding Mesahat was consulting with Hippocampus Learning Centers, an education-focused social enterprise in India on areas of operations management, program design and impact assessment. During my time in India I joined Shikshantar: the People Institute for Rethinking Education and Development (a 20-year old alternative education think tank and self-organized learning community) through their Hacking Education Fellowship where I created projects and learnt along side some of India\'s most enthusiastic education hackers. I traveled across the country documenting stories of and getting inspired by self-designed learners (children, youth and parents) and experiences of alternative schools.
I love theater, traveling, storytelling and connecting with people over coffee and good conversations.
I started authentically discovering a new life with the birth of my only daughter, Retal. With this new birth, that was mine and hers, I decided to live the life I want and to give my daughter the chance to be her authentic self. According to the pre-decided societal pathways, I was a media director, not really a track I have chosen for myself. I worked in the media field for 3 years during which I learnt loads. I shifted my career and interests to education when my daughter came to life. I discovered that learning is like breathing and so should be education. The latter should not be what we think of as a depressed child with a bent back.
I started playing with my daughter and documenting our experience on my blog Moka3abat. I decided to homeschool my child and in that journey I learnt tremendously, with love and passion, about alternative education philosophies. During my own self-directed journey in the field of education, I took a specialized Montessori Diploma and became a Montessori teacher.
Four years ago, I started my journey to take what I do with my kid to develop other kids intensively. I discovered my own dynamic ability to communicate with mothers, reach their hearts and influence them. For this reason, I opened a parents' skills development center (with another cofounder). I trained more than 500 mums on Montessori parenting techniques and I still continue to work with parents.
I participated in organizing the first edition of the Self-Directed Education Facilitators and Founders training program; which is a program that opened new avenues of love, joy and learning for me. I look forward to connecting with people who want to challenge themselves and open their perceptions and visions to new worldviews.
I love nature; I adore listening to the voice of the sea waves and walking barefoot on the ground, feeling the earth on my soles. I like reading and being calm and witnessing beauty. I always want to feel free and in connection to people.
I started my journey as a high school student tutor, where I assisted in arts teaching while still working on my BSc. in Pharmacy & Biotechnology. Graduating with a medical background, I felt the need to back my practice with theory. I then shifted to education and started with a STEAM Professional Educators Diploma followed by a masters in International & Comparative education.I have been exploring the field of education for 10 years now, between extracurricular and non-formal educational services, I became a firm believer in the importance of autonomous decision making in the process of learning and I take great pleasure in creating and being in surroundings that harness, incubate and accelerate such freedom in learning.As for me, curiosity is an innate driving force we are all born with, and it is an integral part of the human experience. I became focused on creating self-directed learning spaces for early childhood, where I was able to deepen my understanding of different components that comprise a meaningful learning experience.I have come to adopt a critical view of traditional learning, choosing instead, educational practices that depend on drawing the links between early developmental needs and our later longing for safety, acceptance, belonging and significance as human beings. I believe the need is rising for solutions that suit different lives and different communities. In learning, one size does not, and could not fit all.You could most probably find me observing nature or listening to music while sketching or reading.
This program is offered in partnership with Agile Learning Centers (ALCs), a U.S. based non-profit organization and global network of Self-Directed Education schools and facilitators.
There are many models of Self-Directed Education applications around the world, facilitators and participants will hold open space sessions to present other models and modalities.
We will use ALC's model as the main application during our program, which is designed to be easily adapted to different communities in different cultural contexts.
What is Agile Education?
Self-Directed: Humans are natural learners. When children get to follow their passions, they engage deeply, learning more quickly and thoroughly – covering years of content in weeks at the time they choose to learn it.
Intentional Culture: At ALCs children feel they are heard, they belong, and they make a difference. As social creatures, we thrive in this kind of vibrant community which builds our confidence, heightens our communication skills, and calls forth our best selves.
Agile Management Tools: We use practical and concrete tools to make these lofty-sounding ideals real and reliable. These tools and practices provide visible feedback, effective self-management, explicit culture, clarity of purpose, and easy integration of new patterns as needs change.
Mesahat, founded in August 2016, aims to introduce alternatives to the current formal education paradigm. The idea opens the doors for communities to self-organize around reclaiming and reimagining education for children and adults. We are a launch pad for projects, programs and spaces that connect learners to learning from life experiences as well as from our local wisdom and knowledge.
The vision for Mesahat is to create learning cities whereby cities become networks of online and offline inter-connected and inter-dependent communal learning spaces that employ the values, principles and practices of Self-Directed Education (SDE)* and life long learning. We envision taking learning from the confinement of classroom walls to life and its vast resources.
Mesahat creates a culture of self-directed education and life long learning. We promote citizen self-organization to create online and offline collaborative learning communities where learners are supported by the right structures, agile educational tools adapted from the technology world, experienced facilitators and inter-generational resource people to create their own learning journeys. We create alternative educational pathways where learners design their fully customized learning journeys based on their intelligence, learning style and passion.
At Mesahat, we support learners using agile education tools, the previous are tools adapted from the technology world to allow children to set their learning goals, manage their time, plan their learning schedules, reflect on their achievements, share outputs of their learning and finally tackle their conflicts with other learners towards a culture of collaboration. These agile education tools allow children to fully customize their learning experiences to their passions, interests and style of learning; it also allows the learning environment and resources to become agile and adaptable according to learners' needs.
With these agile educational tools and our educational philosophy, we allow learners to acquire the most important skill of the 21st century, that is "self-learning" or "learning how to learn".
Hence, we prepare learners to respond to change effectively, to acquire whatever knowledge and skills they need as the world progresses.
With an ever evolving world, we are uncertain what we are preparing children for tomorrow. Hence, the need to equip them with tools and methodologies so they can always respond to change effectively, when they know how to learn and acquire whatever knowledge and skills they need as the world progresses. With our work, we also open up knowledge and education resources to life and a variety of sources beyond textbooks.
We implement our mission through 3 streams so far:
1- Annual Facilitators training to prepare new facilitators to use agile education tools and SDE principles
2- Offline colearning space that works directly with children as a model space
3- Mini-incubator service program for groups of parents and youth who want to start their own communal learning spaces
We are opened to having more and more people in our network who use our space as a launch pad for creating and self-organizing around other programs and projects that advance values of free and lifelong learning for children, adolescents and adults.
Checkout Insights from Previous Program Participants
Sounds interesting, but I have a question or two.
Please direct your questions to our team here or feel free to whatsapp us on: +2 010 00928951