One Photoshop magician, one bus stop and lots of hidden cameras. For more creativity in action visit http://www.adobecreativedays.com/sv?s.

Speakers include Malik Bendjelloul, director of Searching for Sugarman, National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen, creative technologist Ellen Sundh, fashion designer Henrik Vibskov, and Adobe evangelists Paul Trani & Jason Levine.

The whole day of inspiring sessions can be seen On Demand from June 12.

Follow the event on Twitter: #CreativeDay

Adobe Creative Day – a part of Create Now World Tour

Agency: Abby Norm
Starring: Erik Johansson – Photographer & Retouch Artist
Music by: Hannes Lidén & Bessem Bedziri
Production company: We Are Digital Sthlm
Film production: Autoboys

The Park-
Glastonbury festival 2011.

I believe you’re looking at TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large, right? This was found in Amazon.com TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large I think that may be what you want. Because buying TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large on Amazon.com mind you, it certainly would have been. TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large with TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large Of course not. If interested, see the Terms and Conditions before buying. TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large every time.

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Description of TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House, Large

TRIXIE Nantucket Dog House | Product Features

• Weatherproof solid pine construction with draft resistant tongue and groove design
• Raised floor allows air to circulate below keeping the floor dry and comfortable; removable for easy cleaning
• Adjustable feet to level shelter on uneven ground
• Trixie plastic dog door sold separately (Item 39592)
• Suitable for large breed dogs weighing up to 70 lbs such as a Labrador

Give your pet a place to escape the elements with Trixie’s Nantucket Dog House. Our solid pine construction and use of the finest materials means this shelter will endure years of use with very little maintenance. Benefits include a draft resistant t…

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Feral Cat House-new and Improved | Product Features

• A waterproof, warm, loved by cats Feral Cat Shelter
• Cat Tested and Approved. Loved by thousands of cat to date
• Light weight at appx 12 lbs. Fully assembled and ready to deploy the day you get it
• Comes with free cat nip to entice kitty inside for a look see.
• 7 huge improvements since 12/15/2012.

Our New and Improved Feral Cat House comes ready to deploy. It is insulated with thick foam all around the inside. It has a waterproof green shell. It is dry inside and we aim to keep it that way. It the most advanced “Cat Heated” shelter on the mark…

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The second of the seven steps is ‘Inventory’.  The Encarta Dictionary associated with my word processor defines inventory as “the act or process of making an inventory, or the period of time when this is done”. Additionally, inventory is “a list of things, especially items of property, assets, or other resources.”

Once, while I was living in Sitka, Alaska, a Coast Guard HH-60J helicopter was forced to land on a remote coastline to deal with a small electrical fire and the associated smoke in the cockpit. All ended well, in that the crew was safe and the airframe was saved. It was noted in the report afterwards that (paraphrased) “upon extinguishing the fire and securing the aircraft, the crew reviewed the Seven Steps of Survival to plan the next action.”  They looked at where they were, who knew of their situation and location, what tools they had with them, and began to plan their next step. They utilized the step of inventory to assess their liabilities and assets.

We should run an inventory on the different facets of our emergency situation. Right now we’ll start with location. Is it safe or is it not. Can I reduce the risk to myself and those with me by moving? Is it safe to move or travel, or should I wait? For most of us this is an instinctive step that we carry out without much forethought. Is it unsafe and scary? Yes, run away.  O.K., all better. That thought process takes about .5 seconds. But this step, inventory, becomes more involved after that, and takes into account other important aspects of an emergency or survival scenario. What’s working for me, and what’s working against me? Am I too cold, or too hot? Am I injured, and how seriously? Can I treat the injury? Am I dehydrated or fatigued? What shape are my teammates in? Do I have all my team mates? Can I help without endangering myself? Is this situation long-term or short-term? And as your situation improves or deteriorates, you reapply this dynamic step, inventory. You update your information you’re using to build a plan.

In the Army manual FM 3-05.70, the step inventory is covered in ‘Sizing Up the Situation’. You are encouraged to check yourself for injuries and give yourself first aid. Then get a feel for what is going on around you. And finally, have a close look at your equipment and its condition. What is it designed for? Can I use it for something else? In my last article, I described the survivor of a car crash who survived three days before rescue; drinking rainwater she had collected using a steering wheel cover. So cameras with a flash become a signaling device; dental floss becomes shelter building material, etc. This is “Inventory”.

Gimee Shelter..

The third step of the 7 steps is ‘Shelter’. Let’s face it. If you are reading this, you are a semi-hairless bipedal mammal. You need to maintain a core temperature that hovers near 98.6˚F and aside from our fairly modest nature, we use clothing to make up for our inability to regulate our body temperature beyond a degree or two either side of that core temperature. So, I’ll ask you; what is your primary shelter? The textbook answer is, ‘whatever you are wearing. If that is so, what is your secondary shelter? Well, that would be anything else you can use to separate yourself from the elements that would rob you of your body heat, or overheat you, threatening your fragile body core temperature.

O.K., now let’s exercise the dynamic aspect of the 7 steps. Here’s my scenario; in my particular emergency, As evening approaches I recognize that I have become “disoriented” during a leisurely afternoon hike, and I need to extricate myself from an area now exposed to high winds and rain that were not  in the afternoon forecast. Because of my exposure, I’m wet and cold, and beginning to shiver.  I inventory my condition and I know I need shelter beyond what I’m wearing. I find some thick evergreen trees with low branches, forming a natural protected area, so far, so good.  I’m out of most of the rain and wind, so I run through the first steps again, Recognition. How has my situation changed?  Is it better or worse? Inventory. What’s working for me, what’s working against me? I’m out of the rain and wind, good. But I’m still cold, this is bad. I need a fire, because I don’t have any dry clothing. Do I have something to start a fire? Yes, a lighter, check. Now, what to burn? Small fallen tree limbs seem fairly abundant under these evergreen trees, and appear to be dry, even in this rain. Now I’m getting somewhere.

With a small fire started I’m warming up, slowly getting dried off. My attitude even seems to be improving. O.K., back to the first step, recognition. My situation has improved and upon further examination, I remember that I did tell my family where I was going to be hiking, and when I expected to get back. So depending on how my family feels about me, someone should be looking for me soon. So, what’s the next step?

When I post next week, you may be surprised by what comes next, if you’re not already familiar with the Seven Steps. As always, any comments, suggestions or questions are always welcome.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM CHEERLEADING – a couple of weeks ago a few of us BRAVE/DUMB? Moms created a Harlem Shake video for the graduating seniors of our home school co-op.  I wanted my costume to be something high-school-ish in nature so I donned my 1986 Greenville High School Cheerleading sweater and cheered away.  God forbid that video ever make it to the internet, but it did what it was intended to do and embarrassed the seniors.  In the days following I got to thinking about cheerleading.  I am a cheerleader by nature in that I LOVE encouraging people!  I love to see them dream and then take on their dreams.  It’s often tempting to be a downer on someone’s dreams because I also love the realistic/practical side of things, so I’ve done that too.  However, I LOVE to cheer.  I love to cheer even when it looks unlikely, impossible, or ridiculous.  I was thinking about this and wondering about what to do when someone loses – their dream doesn’t pan out, they get beat,  or they get hurt.  I was asking myself if I want to be the person that initially discussed all the negatives and reason why they shouldn’t dream, only to be able to say “I told you so” when it was over or didn’t pan out the way they thought.  No, I DON’T want to be that person.  Nope.  I want to be the person that says, “Man, that is a bummer and I am sad with you.  I was rooting for you the whole time and wished it had worked out.  Next time you’re on the field, I will cheer for you again.  I will hope for you again.  I will believe in you again.”  So, here’s what I learned from being a cheerleader – it really is an analogy worth applying to life:

1. Keep cheering, even when the team is losing.  Cheerleaders aren’t allowed to grumble, yell at the refs, complain, or tell the coach he isn’t doing his job.  Cheerleaders have to keep smiling and encourage the team, even in the face of loss.
2. Keep cheering, even when it’s raining.  Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to cheer someone on.  Sometimes it’s messy and not fun.  Sometimes you get wet and cold.
3. Unity.  Even when cheerleaders are in disagreement with each other off the field, they come to the game with a smile and act in union.  Movements are the same.  Goal is the same.
4. If the team loses one week, cheerleaders show up the next week smiling, hoping, yelling out encouragements.
5. To keep your hair in place you may have to use a whole can of Aqua Net….and that’s ok.

THREE FAVORITE BLUE THINGS – I follow Ann V. (author of One Thousand Gifts) and the other day she asked us to post 3 blue things/gifts we were thankful for.  Here are mine:

1. My husband’s blue eyes – they are filled with kindness and unconditional love for me.
2. My new blue throw pillows that match my new curtains.  Whenever I come down my stairs and see that beautiful blue on my brown couch, it makes me happy.
3. I love an October blue sky against a field of yellowing corn.  My favorite sky.

DEALING WITH ANGER – Some of my kids struggle with anger – understandably.  Unfortunately it’s something that REALLY pushes my buttons.  I don’t know why but I have never responded well to an angry child.  I’ve matched their anger and raised it a few notches.  They call me on it and raise it more, and-an-escalating-we-will-go!!!  I have had to increase/change my skill base in this area recently (and probably should have worked harder on it years ago).  It is important to me to keep attachment parenting principles in mind.  I found this really great article addressing anger/hitting in 4 year olds (my most recent issue) and what to do about it from an attachment point of view:

http://www.ahaparenting.com/ask-the-doctor-1/how-to-stop-4-year-old-from-hitting-mom

I would love to hear your thoughts or any strategies you have employed, particularly with hurting/traumatized children.

SUMMER – The first couple days of summer had me panicked!  So much down time for so many kids is a recipe for disaster.  I decided to break our week down into categories so that we have a plan of activities and I’m not asked a hundred times a day to do a hundred different things.  Here it is:

1. Sunday = family day
2. Monday = water fun day
3. Tuesday = friend day
4. Wednesday = library day
5. Thursday = park day (or Blazing Hope day)
6. Friday = sleep in forts, treat runs, movie night (also friend day for the older ones)
7. Saturday = day trips (if dad wants!) and/or home blessing (aka, work around the house)

What are your plans for keeping the kids busy this summer?

SCHOOL – I like to categorize.  It helps me stay on track.  I am thinking of doing this for our school year when it officially starts in August.  I am thinking of just doing one subject per day and just diving in full force into that subject – reading, worksheets, field trips, experiments, dvds, documentaries, hands-on-activities, etc.  It may look something like this:

1. Monday = co-op
2. Tuesday = math
3. Wednesday = Language Arts
4. Thursday = History
5. Friday = Science
6. Saturday = catch-up, extra-curricular, hobbies, etc.

What do you think?

Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about recently.  Hope your summer’s off to a great start!

Hi Catnap:

Wanted to tell you about an encounter I had with a visitor at my house yesterday.  The Lady’s friend isn’t a cat purrson, but I came over and rubbed up against her leg anyway and let her pet me.   After petting me for a few minutes, she told the Lady, “He must not like me, he isn’t purring.”

Purring!  I’ve been sitting on her lap for several minutes, lying down with my eyes closed just enjoying the petting and she complains because I’m not purring!  Well!  How indignant!  Didn’t she feel how relaxed my body was in her lap!  Didn’t she see my eyes were closed!   I was such a gentleman and she is annoyed because I’m not purring!  Hmmmph!

The Lady tries to explain to her, “Like your dogs, cats don’t always express themselves in the same way.  Yes a purr would be lovely, but he has such a look of pleasure on his face, almost smiling, and his eyes are closed.  His body is very relaxed and he hasn’t moved or tired to bite or scratch you.”   The friend still isn’t convinced.  And then the Lady asks, “You petted him for awhile, didn’t it make you feel good just like when you pet your dogs?”  And the friend finally admitted it did.

I hope people looking for a pet cat or kitten don’t think that they should only pick the one that purrs and that if the cat/kitten doesn’t purr that it’s not the one for them.  They need to look at our whole demeanor. Tessa, the old girl here, doesn’t purr.  Haven’t heard her purr once since I got here.  She just jumps up on the Lady and waits to be pet.  She doesn’t even close her eyes, but just lays on the Lady, usually on the Lady’s chest, with her head under the Lady’s chin, and pretty much demands to be pet.

Evie is even odder.  She cries like she is in pain and either sits in a cat tree waiting for someone to come over or rubs up against the legs, almost tripping a 2 legged, to get attention.  When the Lady does start to pet her, she cries even louder and rolls on her side if she is in the cat tree and crosses her paws, keeping them soft against her chest while she gets pet and if she wants belly rubs, she will roll over on her back.  If the Lady picks her up, she buries her head in the Lady’s arm and then wraps her paws around the arm and holds on, claws in of course, and cries some more.  If one didn’t know better, you would think Evie was frightened or upset about being picked up.  But she is just happy and content.

Well, that’s it for today.  Oh, and I am starting to fit in really well with the other 4 leggeds.  Still a little bit of hissing, but I have started to get in on the chase games and the Lady is happy about that, said I need to lose a little weight.  Hmmmph!  Oh, and I get wet food too!  The Lady only used to put down one plate as the others shared, but because I have that big, round, Tomcat head, no one else can fit in the bowl with me (hee hee) so I get my own bowl! 

Say hello to Polly and the others for me and tell them I hope this is their month to go home!

Love

Simon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma’s director of emergency management is making a push to put safe rooms in every Oklahoma school.

It’s a mission that follows the tragic deaths of seven children who died inside Moore’s Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 20.

It is an expensive project that is estimated costing each school around $500,000 to $1 million.

Edmond school officials said every school built since 1990 has had a safe room installed.

Many of the schools have safe rooms that double as a classroom.

When a storm threatens, close to 70 students could fill the room.

They are secured by two 400 pound steel, FEMA-approved doors with emergency latches locking students in and keeping them safe.

It’s a feature Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood would love to see in every school in our state.

WATCH: Okla. Emergency Management Director wants storm shelters in all Okla. schools.

Ashwood said, “The important thing is not look at it as some insurmountable task.”

Ashwood said while it will add up to make all of schools in Oklahoma safe, he said believes it’s possible if we combine local bond issues, grants, private funding and state dollars.

Ashwood said, “We all need to sit down and say,  ’What do we need to do to make this happen?’”

Most districts are now putting safe rooms in new schools; however, a bigger question has been how to make older schools safe.

It’s something Ashwood said he doesn’t have an answer for yet.

“I think we need to look at all options and I think it’s more than people with emergency management and the people with the weather service,” he said. “We are going to need to get engineers involved to talk about ways to retro fit and the options that are out there.”

Ashwood said schools are in the spotlight right now but he encourages all families to consider what it would take to put a safe room or shelter in their home to make sure they have somewhere to go when they aren’t at school.

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Description of TRIXIE Dog Club House, Large

TRIXIE Dog Club House Large | Product Features

• Weatherproof solid pine construction with draft resistant tongue and groove design
• Raised floor allows air to circulate below keeping the floor dry and comfortable; adjustable feet to level shelter on uneven ground
• Roof with 2 locking arms that opens from above and removable floor for easy maintenance
• Trixie plastic dog door sold separately (Item 39572)
• Suitable for large breed dogs weighing up to 70 lbs such as a Labrador

Give your pet a place to escape the elements with Trixie’s Dog Club House. Our solid pine construction and use of the finest materials mean this shelter will endure years of use with very little maintenance, and its off-center design provides additio…

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Description of TRIXIE Dog Club House, X-Large

TRIXIE Dog Club House X-Large | Product Features

• Weatherproof solid pine construction with draft resistant tongue and groove design
• Raised floor allows air to circulate below keeping the floor dry and comfortable; adjustable feet to level shelter on uneven ground
• Roof with 2 locking arms that opens from above and removable floor for easy maintenance
• Trixie plastic dog door sold separately (Item 39573)
• Suitable for large/XL breed dogs weighing up to 95 lbs such as a Retriever or Shepherd

Give your pet a place to escape the elements with Trixie’s Dog Club House. Our solid pine construction and use of the finest materials means this shelter will endure years of use with very little maintenance. Benefits include a draft resistant tongue…

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Thank you for everyone who participated! We still have another 2 weeks for fundraising. Please help support us in ending global poverty.

http://fundraise.worldpartnershipwalk.com/site/TR/2013WPW/General?team_id=2280&pg=team&fr_id=1230

On the recommendation of fellow animal advocate Peter Collins, Tamara sent an email to the Harmony Fund to ask for help. She was not optimistic. It simply felt like a lot to ask, but she had to try. So Tamara nearly fell off her chair when she received a reply from the Harmony Fund within the hour with just one question. “How can we make this project much, much bigger?”

Overwhelmed with surprise and relief, Tamara lowered her face into the palms of her hands as the tears began to warm her cheeks.

“I can’t stop crying, because I am so happy that you want to help us!” said Tamara who actually broke her ankle in an accident during her last mission to Romania. “I am so overwhelmed and flabbergasted that I don’t know what to say for the next minutes… I can’t stop jumping around on one leg.”

Here we are, three weeks later and the Harmony Fund is unleashing one of the most massive relief efforts ever attempted to impact the lives of thousands upon thousands of dogs and cats in Romania, one of the world’s hot spots for extreme animal cruelty and neglect. The mission begins with not just one, but two big rig trucks bursting with supplies to be distributed to more than a dozen animal shelters. And that’s just for starters.

In a 100-day dash, volunteers will come together to transform the lives of dogs and cats here in several ways. First, two dozen volunteers will converge on the shelter in Campulung where more than 1,000 dogs take refuge in a series of dilapidated buildings. Massive open holes in the roofs will be repaired to keep the snow and wind out. Three smaller buildings must be torn down and rebuilt elsewhere on the property because they flood with water to such an extreme that the dogs can’t lay their heads down to sleep without risk of drowning.

Two dozen volunteers will converge here to renovate this shelter to keep the dogs safe, warm and dry,

As you read this, a veterinarian is on his way to the shelter for a full multi-day marathon of examinations for each and every dog. He’ll finally be able to provide whatever health care treatment they need. This includes vaccines to prevent disease outbreak, which could spread like wildfire in a facility with such a large pack.

Next, the Harmony Fund will turn to the St. Francis Shelter in Bucharest, where we’ll help the cats who were drenched in rain and snow last winter under a roof that opens to the heavens. The roof will be repaired and we’ll buy food and veterinary care for the hundreds of dogs here as well.

For the full article: Care2

Join contemporary Indigenous artist Elisa Jane Carmichael in INVENTory and create your own sculptural artwork as she shares her knowledge of the flora of North Stradbroke Island.

Elisa Jane, who is a Ngugi woman from the Quandamooka Waters of Moreton Bay, will be sharing stories about the meaning of each plant, what the plants and flowers were used for, and their importance to nature and survival for the people of Minjerriba.

She has selected the wattle bush, used for soap and spears, and home of the witchetty grub, a big source of food; the coastal cotton tree, long bark used for fishing nets or fishing lines; and ti-tree paperbark, fibres used for bandages, protection from bad weather and building shelters.

Admission: Free
Where: INVENTory, Level 2, Queensland Museum South Bank
When: 8 – 12 July, 10.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3.30pm

It was one of those days today. I befriended this dog a few weeks ago. He was a cutie, a little nervous of his surroundings but nothing in my eyes that was major concern. Today was his day, to see if he would make it for adoption. Unfortunately he did not make it. I went to go find him, knowing in the back of my head it was not good for him. I found him in his kennel, in a pool of his own drool. He was anxious, he was nervous….. he knew.

As I sat outside of his kennel, with my hand on the fence, he placed his paw up onto my hand. We weren’t very close friends, but I was still his special someone who would take him out for a run every now and then. I told him to sit, he did, give paw, he did, lay down, he did. He kept licking my hand, still drooling. I took him out for one last run, it the dog park, let him off leash and he just ran around, happy.

They know, they all know. Dogs are not dumb. It’s sad to see, when they start doing things out of the ordinary for them. I always see something in those with issues. They have a life before they end up in a shelter, they didn’t just come from nowhere, they all came from somewhere, someones home, someones family, and now they are just a stray with a time limit, and no one comes looking for them….

My heart hurts for them. Especially those ones who are so scared, right up until there last moments. You just want to tell them it’s okay, tell them it is alright, and that you are there for them and not going to hurt them. I looked into the eyes of one of those dogs today. He finally came up to me, let me pet his nose. Those sad scared eyes looking at me. I told him it was going to be okay, he won’t have to be scared anymore, he will finally be at peace soon.

There is so much good that comes from an animal shelter, but behind the scenes there is all these sad moments, sad cases. Days where you just want to quit, because you can’t take it anymore. How do people treat animals so badly. How do you just lose your animal and not bother to look for it, how this and how that. You wouldn’t abandon your child, why is it okay to abandon an animal?

Now because monsoon has arrived here, in India, I would really like to make my place snug!

Can you guess the meaning? It’s quite simple.

Snug as an adjective means warm, cozy, comfortable, secured.
And as a verb, it means to make snug, i.e. to make warm, cozy, comfortable, secured.

So get yourself prepared for the rainy season!

1. The protest against the sale of animals by pet shops, has brought together the interests of both Animal Welfare and Animal Rights organisations. It is important to understand why these organisations do not support animal trading pet shops, and why they are protesting against all animal selling pet shops.

2. The majority of pet shops in South Africa, sell any animal to any purchaser, and that once the animal has been sold, these pet shops no longer have any responsibility relating to the welfare of that animal.

4. Animal Rights and Animal Welfare groups do not believe that pet shops should be trading animals. Pet shops do not promote responsible pet ownership for the following reasons:

3.1 animals do not receive permanent identification (e.g. Microchip);

3.2 pet shops often do not provide appropriate veterinary attention to the animals in their care;

3.3 pet shops promote and encourage impulse buying;

3.4 pet shops promote the indiscriminate breeding of animals, as these animals are not sterilized, and

3.5 it is without a doubt that pet shops contribute hugely to the domestic animal overpopulation crisis in South Africa.

4. The campaign against pet shops selling animals has been organised because:

4.1 municipal bylaws are not adequate and do not address sufficiently the over-breeding of animals;

4.2 there is no legislation that forces owners of pets to have them sterilized. The result is an explosion in the number of unwanted animals;

4.3 animal shelters and animal rescue groups in the Witwatersrand area, where this campaign has started off, cannot cope with the current numbers of abandoned and abused animals. There are simply too many animals who are sold in this area to persons who are not competent to care for them. These animals mostly end up in shelters (if they are lucky), and many of them have to be euthanised because there are not enough good homes. By selling animals, pet shops are contributing to a growing problem that animal welfare and animal rights organizations have to deal with.

4.4 It is irresponsible of animal selling pet shops to excite a market for animals to be bought when there are already thousands of abandoned animals in need of homes.

4.5 All shelters and animal rescue groups have well-administer ed adoption programs. These include requirements that all animals who are put up for adoption, must be sterilized; prior to any person being allowed to adopt a pet, the shelters and rescue groups conduct a home check to ensure that the applicant is fit and proper to adopt the animal and that the physical conditions where the animal will be kept, are adequate to ensure his/her welfare. Pet shops do not perform any of these functions.

6.6 Most pet shops do not subscribe to a code of conduct whereby they ensure that the 4nimals who are sold, are sterilized and that home checks are done before selling.

4.7 There is no guarantee that pet shops are acquiring the animals they are selling from responsible breeders. Pet shops often do not do any background checks on the people they buy from, and may be promoting the continuation and development of
puppy mills.

5. The protest against any particular pet shop is not aimed at supporting or advancing the competitors of that pet shop.

6. The principle that underlies the protest against one pet shop, applies with equal force to all pet shops that sell live animals.

7. The protesters aim to raise public awareness of the issues mentioned above.

8. The protesters would like to see a move towards the worldwide trend of animal free, socially responsible and ethical pet stores that supply responsible pet owners with all they need to properly care for their animal companions.

9. The protesters would like to offer their support to all the animal shelters and animal rescue groups that give unwanted animals a second chance.

10. The protesters intend taking these issues to the legislature.

Our first event is under the banner of Beauty Without Cruelty:

Please remember to share our posts with your friends.

Education hand-in-hand with Durban Animal Welfare – by members of the community.

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It was my third visit to the shelter. There was a happy atmosphere today which I later learnt always accompanied the arrival of a new baby. Shadia had come home with her new born after a C-Section the day before. I asked if I could go in to see her. I had never met Shadia before. I walked into the bedroom that housed 3 bunk beds and 6 single wardrobes, each padlocked. Shadia lay shaking in the middle of the well made bed. I panicked. I had never met someone with Parkinson’s disease before. My ignorance, both of the illness and of street children hadn’t prepared me that a child with parkinson’s could end up here. Shadia also had her left eye gauged out. But Shadia was beautiful.

I was new to my research with street children and still very unprepared for the heart ache that this work brought with it. I am, however, great at covering up my reactions so I smiled, asking Shadia if I could touch her new born baby Hannah. She smiles as her whole body convulses and nods that I can. How soft Hannah was! How content and calm this little pink human, wrapped in a clean yellow hand me down blanket, she lay next to her mother blissfully unaware of all that she was missing already. I told Shadia how beautiful her daughter was and wished her a life of happiness bringing her up. I look back at what I said that day and cringe.

I went out to speak with the incredible psychologist Shaimaa, who having realised I was shaken, tried to reassure me. She told me this was Shadia’s fourth baby. In her attempt to explain this was something Shadia was used to, I knew that this image of her laying there, me as an intruder, the lack of family around her, would be one that would haunt me for lifetimes to come. What I did not know, was that there was more to this particular street girl’s story that would plague my dreams, cause aching regrets and raise so many questions about the true value, or lack of, the work that I had gone there to do.

Leaving the shelter, stronger than I anticipated, I remembered who Shadia was. I had very briefly been given a summary of her circumstances; a street girl who left her abusive parents and prostitutes herself on the street for safety. Shadia has come to the shelter to receive care during each of her pregnancies and leaves four months after she gives birth, taking her baby with her. I am not a fan of statistics, but the shelter staff tell me only 20% of the girls that come to them are rehabilitated back into mainstream society. The rest, like Shadia leave back to the street and research is acutely lacking so that there is no comprehensive understanding as to why.

Shadia, in her incredible resilience to her parent’s abuse of their disabled child, ran away and has been living on the street for many years. This too is something I have found to be taboo. Again, the culture of ownership of children sheds an extraordinarily dangerous and disappointing shadow on the trauma disabled children in Egypt suffer. It is also frequently misattributed to poverty or illiteracy. This is not true. I know an outstanding engineer who suffers from a disability who comes from an extremely wealthy family of doctors. During his  childhood he was “hidden” away from guests, not allowed out on family visits to friends and though not physically abused like Shadia, the emotional and psychological abuse that resulted from his parents reaction to his disability is still crippling in many areas of his life.

In extremely difficult circumstances, I say that Shadia is much luckier than many other poor, disabled children who are so vulnerable they are unable to imagine an alternative life. Shadia made a series of decisions that led her to lay on this bed with a fourth child she knew she would not keep. But who is to judge her for this? In Egypt, there is no alternative child care system worth the letters typed and turning to the street that is more bearable to her, as it is to many children with all it’s risks and dangers, Shadia prostitutes herself for food and shelter. I wonder who it is that would sleep with a disabled child in exchange for a sandwich and safety? Are they the same men I am hoping will campaign with us for change, for protection of our most vulnerable children?

The shelter’s attempts to rehabilitate Shadia have been many, from giving her a micro loan to open a kiosk which she was not able to run, to trying to marry her to a man she bought back, to trying to convince her to leave her child in the Dreams shelter for under fives which other street girls leave their babies and come to visit them. All of these attempts had failed.

Despite my not having got to know most of her story from her, Shadia picked up that I could be a useful source to her, so she would ask me for deodorant, shower gel, mp3 headphones. I would oblige; the least I could do. But it was during my visit in Eid that Shadia surprised me with an unexpected request. She asked me to take Hannah. I lifted her into my arms thinking Shadia wanted to go put away her Eid money. But no, Shadia wanted me to take Hannah, for good.

I spent an hour talking at Shadia, telling her how well she takes care of her daughter. It was true, little Hannah and Shadia always smelt delightful, she was so well taken care of, always calm, always close to her. I told her how much Hannah obviously loves her, how she would grow to be her support. I was still so naive, months after living amongst them. The next time I visited, Shadia and Hannah were gone.

It was a few months later, on my three hour ride to the reconstructive surgeon with Taghreed that I find out Shadia had sold Hannah for £50, and that the couple who took her took Hannah and never paid Shadia.

Somewhere in all this, Hannah’s blood is on my hands for not taking her when Shadia asked me to. But society and government too are accountable for making it legally impossible for me to take her. And we are all responsible that our country does not offer monitored alternative care. Hannah will continue to haunt me and I pray that she weighs heavily on all Egyptians who have the power to have provided an alternative for Shadia and safety for her babies and did not.

It’s the same street babies that pull at the strings of our heart today, that grow into the thugs that pull the trigger to our heads tomorrow. And we would deserve it.