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|USDOJ Homepage
|Strategic Plan Homepage
|A Message from the Attorney General
|FY 1999 Annual Accountability Report
|FY 2001 Performance Plan
|Table of Contents
|Chapter I
|Chapter II
|Goal One
|Goal Two
|Goal Three
|Goal Four
|Goal Five
|Goal Six
|Goal Seven
|Chapter III
|External Factors
|Appendix A
|Appendix B
|Appendix C
|Appendix D
|Appendix E
|Appendix F
Goal 4: FAIRLY AND EFFECTIVELY ADMINISTER THE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES
Responsibility for administering the nation's immigration laws primarily rests with the Department's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). INS deters, apprehends, and removes persons who violate our immigration laws. It works with the U.S. Attorneys to investigate and prosecute violators of immigration statutes, including purveyors of fraudulent documents. At the same time, INS provides an array of services and benefits to those who legally enter and reside in the United States. These services range from providing employment authorization to processing applications for citizenship ("naturalization"). The Civil Division defends immigration laws and policies, as well as class action law suits or immigration judgments involving individuals. A separate component organization within the Department, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, provides for the independent administrative adjudication of immigration cases.
Strategic Objective 4.1 IMMIGRATION INFORMATION SERVICES - - Provide accurate, easy-to-use, readily accessible, and up-to-date information which meets the needs of internal and external customers.
The Immigration and Nationality Act charges the Commissioner of INS with collecting and disseminating immigration information to Congress and the public. During the course of this planning cycle, the INS culled the input of more than 3,000 of its stakeholders. Accurate, easy-to-use, readily accessible, and up-to-date information was reported as a priority by a significant number of these stakeholders, including benefits applicants, other government agencies, and businesses. The demand for good information is also reflected in the large volume of visitors at INS information counters, the increasing demand placed on the INS telephone center, and growing use of the INS web site. But maintaining and providing good information does more than improve customer service; it also facilitates INS business processes. Well-informed customers make case processing easier, quicker, and often cheaper. In addition, data serves as the raw material that allows INS to make informed policy decisions, identify opportunities for improvement, and demonstrate success.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Determine the informational needs of customers and ensure these needs are addressed through design, development and deployment of programs and systems.
Before developing data collection systems, INS needs to inventory and assess the data it needs to ensure it collects what is both necessary and sufficient to manage operations and to meet the needs of internal and external customers. This type of review will be conducted periodically to ensure that the data INS collects are still relevant. When new ways of doing business are instituted, data collection will also be reassessed. National case management and tracking systems will be designed to automatically collect and easily report key performance indicators. Existing case management systems will be reviewed and improved as necessary to ensure they meet this standard. To supplement these systems, data warehousing and intranet solutions will be developed which pull key data from various sources and provide them through a single, accessible, real-time system.
Define data quality standards and build quality mechanisms directly into data collection and reporting processes to ensure reliability of data reported.
INS must ensure it collects and uses quality data. To guarantee data quality, it must first ensure that the right data for collection have been identified. It must also clearly define quality standards. Lastly, it must build quality control mechanisms directly into its collection, review, and reporting processes.
Create informational materials that are written or voiced in plain and understandable language, are easy to use and meet the needs of customers.
INS stakeholders indicate that giving useful information to its customers is one of the most important services INS can provide. Customers indicate that this information should be accurate, consistent, and helpful and provided in a variety of languages.
Continue to enhance and expand use of communication and information technology to make this information easily and readily accessible to customers.
INS customers indicate that there are a variety of methods by which they would like to receive information from the INS, but that they particularly value easy and quick access to this information. The majority of INS customers have used or indicate they would be willing to use tools by which they can access information from INS remotely as long as they can be assured of the quality and accuracy of this information. To this end, INS will continue to enhance the features of its Internet site and its telephone services to increase the amount of information available via these sources and to increase the speed at which this information is provided.
Coordinate and develop partnerships with other agencies and organizations on data requirements, effective collection, and reporting, and expand the electronic exchange of data with mission partners, including federal, state, and local agencies as well as private sector organizations.
INS partners with many government agencies and private sector organizations to share data important to their missions. Concurrent to developing systems and programs to collect and analyze data, INS will work with other agencies to coordinate data collection efforts and reporting and to develop mechanisms by which data that are essential to more than one agency or organization are collected and exchanged electronically.
Provide employers and benefit providers with the information, assistance, and tools needed to allow them to comply with the laws while safeguarding the civil and privacy rights of citizens and aliens alike.
INS is the sole repository of status information on aliens and is called upon to provide status verification for aliens seeking benefits or employment. INS will continue to pursue means of verification which are user-friendly, secure, accurate, and timely. These enhancements will be made through improved integrity of data on aliens and their status in the United States and increased use of electronic verification methods for secondary verification. INS will continue to test and evaluate these enhancements as it continues to implement congressionally-mandated employment verification pilot projects.
Create a culture in which everyone values performance and demographic information and effectively uses data to make decisions, identify opportunities for improvement, and recognize successes.
INS will create a culture in which all employees understand how important performance and demographic information are and in which all managers effectively use performance data to make decisions, identify opportunities for improvement and celebrate successes. From a cultural perspective, information will be viewed as an organizational asset.
Key Crosscutting Programs
IDENT/IAFIS Integration. INS is working with the FBI on the integration of the INS' automated biometric identification system (IDENT) and the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). The goal of this collaboration is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of criminal identification. This initiative will ensure that thousands of persons entering the U.S., both legally and illegally, can be promptly checked for the existence of criminal records maintained by the FBI.
Strategic Objective 4.2 IMMIGRATION BENEFITS - - Deliver services to the public in a professional and courteous manner and ensure that correct immigration benefit decisions are made in a timely and consistent fashion.
INS has experienced substantial increases in applications for benefits since the early 1990s. To succeed at this work, INS must ensure that correct decisions are made - - that people who are eligible for benefits receive them and those who are ineligible are denied. To ensure that the right decisions are made, INS must ensure that the right processes are in place and documented and that INS employees adhere to these processes. In addition, before, during and after the adjudication process, INS must ensure that excellent customer service is provided. Timely, consistent, professional, and courteous treatment are service priorities that are important to all of INS customers, including benefit applicants, the community-based organizations who represent them, and businesses.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Establish quality assurance, timeliness and customer service standards for all immigration benefits applications processing, and ensure that mechanisms are in place to meet these standards.
INS stakeholders indicate that the integrity of benefits processes, including naturalization, is particularly important, especially with regard to the outcome of these processes. Nearly all INS stakeholders also report that the speed with which INS processes cases is a high priority as well as the courtesy and respect they are given as they navigate benefits processes. This includes cultural sensitivity on the part of INS employees. To meet the needs of its stakeholders and customers, INS will create standards and mechanisms by which to meet those standards in the areas of quality of processing, timeliness, and customer service.
Maintain fair and timely refugee and asylum case processing that denies meritless claims quickly without discouraging legitimate seekers of refuge.
INS will continue to build on the successful reform of the asylum system implemented in 1995. Due to the urgency of many refugee and asylum cases, it is imperative that INS maintain a system by which cases can be processed quickly and fairly. However, the process must also preserve the integrity of the refugee and asylum programs by ensuring that only those who are eligible for such protection receive it.
Complete reengineering of the naturalization process, redesign processes for immigrant and non-immigrant applications processing, and institute documented standard operating procedures nationwide.
In 1997, INS undertook a reengineering of the naturalization process to improve the way in which services are delivered to the customer and enhance the integrity of the process. INS will document and monitor compliance with this new process. It will also apply lessons learned from the naturalization reengineering to the redesign of other benefits processes in order to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction. To ensure consistent application of these redesigned procedures on nationwide basis, INS will document the new processes and monitor compliance.
Introduce electronic filing for applications processes.
Consistent with stakeholders' expressed interest in timely and user-friendly processing, the INS will develop an electronic filing capability. This will enable processing to be conducted more quickly, at a lower cost and with fewer errors.
Create a culture of customer service as an integral, permanent component of INS benefits application processing.
Customer service is one of the highest priorities of INS customers and stakeholders. INS will continue to move toward creating an organizational culture that supports customer service by providing employees with guidelines, training, and adequate tools and resources to provide high quality service to customers.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Alien Status Verification. In providing alien status verification services to employers under the new pilot programs authorized by Congress, INS is working closely with the Social Security Administration (SSA) on two of the three prototype approaches being piloted. Additionally, INS provides information on alien status to SSA under a longstanding agreement to assist SSA in processing benefit applications under their legislation.
Strategic Objective 4.3 BORDER ENFORCEMENT - - Secure the ports-of-entry, land border and coast of the United States against unlawful entry.
Sovereignty presumes the right of all nation-states to defend their borders and regulate the people and commerce that cross them. Increasing sophistication of alien smuggling and the threat of international terrorism require a comprehensive, coordinated approach that begins beyond U.S. borders and follows through to the interior of the United States. It also requires the flexibility to tailor an enforcement response to the unique situations of each border area. To be truly effective, aggressive border enforcement calls for a careful balance between control and compassion and an ongoing commitment to personal and community safety.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Prevent and deter illegal entry by phased implementation of a comprehensive border enforcement strategy that concentrates resources to control corridors of illegal entry.
This strategy extends the multiyear effort initiated in 1994 to strengthen enforcement of the nation's immigration laws and to disrupt the traditional illegal immigration corridors along the nation's southwest border. Under the strategy, new personnel, backed with equipment and infrastructure improvements, are deployed in targeted areas, starting with the most vulnerable areas. INS will continue to tailor enforcement approaches to the unique situations of each border area, including the northern border.
Pursue border safety initiatives that create a safe border environment.
Seeking to avoid detection, smugglers often lead migrants to dangerous terrain, where they may become lost or are abandoned. In cooperation with the Government of Mexico and state and local officials in border communities, INS will continue border safety initiatives aimed at educating migrants about the dangers associated with illegal crossings and assisting those who do not heed these warnings.
Strengthen the capabilities of host and transit countries to combat illegal migration and prevent and deter illegal immigration at the source.
In keeping with the international crime control strategy of the U.S. Government announced in May 1998, INS will build its first line of defense beyond U.S. borders. It will work with other governments to prevent illegal entry by identifying and intercepting mala fide travelers and migrants before they enter the United States. This includes assisting with offshore prosecutions and providing assistance to foreign governments in prosecuting cases within their own judicial systems.
Enhance and maintain an effective intelligence capability through coordination with other agencies and integration of INS worldwide intelligence resources.
Recognizing that the first line of defense is beyond U.S. borders, intelligence on activities planned abroad before they occur is critical to accomplishment of this objective. INS can build upon the intelligence efforts of other U.S. Government agencies as well as international agencies and organizations in order to obtain intelligence information. Intelligence will allow INS to make more informed decisions on where and when to concentrate resources. To this end, INS will pursue partnerships with these agencies and organizations.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Operational Alliances. In accomplishing its border management mission, the INS has relationships with other federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies where operational initiatives are crosscutting among various entities. Such initiatives include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DEA, particularly with respect to a delegation of legal authority to enforce drug laws under Title 21. A similar MOU is in place with the United States Customs Service (USCS) where cross-designated authority is provided to both INS and Customs officers to enforce their respective laws.
The INS also is involved with a number of federal, state and local joint-agency task forces with missions such as antiterrorism, drug interdiction, alien smuggling, fraud, and other illegal activities. On the international front, the INS coordinates its border enforcement efforts with its land neighbors to both the north and south through such special programs as Operation Alliance with Mexico and Project Northstar with Canada.
Information Sharing. INS agents in offices worldwide work closely with the Department of State, the USCS, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the DEA, and the FBI, as well as with foreign governments, in order to exchange information with their foreign immigration counterparts, and to better identify and disrupt organized alien smuggling activities.
Maritime Smuggling. INS personnel support the maritime interdiction activities of the USCG by providing investigatory assistance and conducting asylum interviews. Maritime interdictions reduce the chances that illegal immigrants will successfully entering the United States. Moreover, interdiction and a quick repatriation by the USCG saves in detention and processing costs and helps to deter future attempts.
Strategic Objective 4.4 BORDER FACILITATION - - Facilitate lawful travel and commerce across the borders of the United States.
In an era of growing interdependence of economies and ideas, border integrity involves a proper balance between controlling movement and facilitating exchange. Because the vast majority of individuals who enter the country do so legally, it is incumbent upon INS continuously to seek improvements in its facilitation function. In addition, our expanding global trade obligations require innovative ways to facilitate the movement of international personnel across the nation's borders without compromising border security.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Promote the expeditious movement of travelers by conducting critical enforcement functions prior to the primary inspection process.
INS will expand the use of prescreening approaches for passenger and vehicle traffic at both land and airport venues through the early review of passenger information, using techniques such as pre-enrollment programs or pre-arrival information review. This is critical to the improvement of traveler service at land borders and international airports and the enhancement of our ability to identify and prevent criminal and other illegal aliens from entering the United States.
Maximize the use of techniques and technologies that promote and expedite lawful entry and exit, including cooperative strategies with local authorities, the travel industry and foreign governments.
INS will continue to develop and test automation and other technologies that facilitate lawful traffic and commerce as well as enhance our ability to identify and prevent criminal and other inadmissible aliens from entering the United States.
Continue to develop, improve and integrate alternative inspection processes.
INS has successfully implemented alternatives to traditional inspection processes and will continue to improve these processes and integrate them at ports-of-entry (POEs). These automated processes will contribute to increased efficiency and decreased wait times at the borders and ports-of-entry.
Work cooperatively with other federal agencies at POEs to create a secure and seamless federal inspection process.
INS shares responsibility for inspecting foreign travelers at the borders with other federal agencies including the Department of State, the USCS, and the Department of Agriculture. INS will continue to develop partnerships with these agencies to improve traveler service and enhance enforcement. This will include data sharing approaches, such as the DataShare Initiative with the Department of State which improves the identification of fraudulent visas and enhances the visa issuance process.
Establish traveler service standards and ensure mechanisms are in place to meet these standards.
First-class customer service requires that travelers are processed within acceptable time frames and in a courteous and professional manner. To this end, INS will develop standards for timely service and treatment of travelers at the borders and ports-of-entry, as well as mechanisms to ensure that those standards are met. INS will work with its partners in the travel industry to identify strategies to ensure that appropriate resources are available to support their common interest in meeting these standards.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Data Sharing. At land POEs, INS collects data on processing times and shares the information with the USCS. At air POEs, USCS and INS receive passenger data from the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), which allows the agencies to perform enforcement checks and identify high-risk passengers before they arrive in the United States.
Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI). INS coordinates with the USCS and the General Services Administration on port modifications and construction necessary for the SENTRI system. INS also coordinates with the Government of Mexico on construction of access roads for SENTRI. INS works with local airport authorities to open enrollment centers and kiosks for the INS Passenger Accelerated Service System (INSPASS).
Strategic Objective 4.5 INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT - - Preserve the integrity of the legal immigration system and promote public safety and national security by deterring illegal immigration, combating immigration-related crimes and removing individuals, especially criminals, who are unlawfully present in the United States.
Interior enforcement complements the global and border components of the INS enforcement strategy. INS' interior enforcement strategy concentrates resources on investigations of cases having the broadest impact on the criminal networks and the infrastructure supporting alien smuggling, fraud and illegal employment. This strategy also emphasizes internal coordination among the various INS enforcement functions and forging closer ties with other federal agencies and state and local law enforcement.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Identify and expeditiously remove criminal aliens and develop approaches to minimize recidivism.
Illegal immigrants who commit a crime during their stay inside the country pose the most significant risk to U.S. communities. By identifying and removing these aliens, INS can significantly lower the number of incarcerated criminal aliens and their associated costs to local communities. INS will continue to identify and remove criminal aliens who are in the criminal justice system and will concentrate resources on high-volume areas in order to achieve the greatest impact. INS will also continue to use the Institutional Removal Program (IRP) which identifies and processes deportable inmates prior to their release from federal, state, and local institutions. Criminal aliens who are removed from the United States are more likely both to return to the United States and to commit more crimes. In recent years, prosecutions of re-entry after deportation cases have increased. INS will work with the U.S. Attorneys to prosecute these cases and will expand use of the IDENT fingerprint system and the INS Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to identify repeat migrants and repeat offenders.
Disrupt and dismantle alien smuggling and trafficking organizations.
The INS will concentrate on disrupting and dismantling the criminal infrastructure that encourages and benefits from illegal migration in order to achieve a greater long-term impact on the consequences and effects of illegal migration. INS will focus on smugglers, counterfeit document producers, transporters, and employers who exploit and benefit from illegal migration. INS will also introduce innovative tactics such as wiretaps, made possible by new law enforcement authority.
Support global and border enforcement efforts to intercept illegal immigration-related activities before they occur.
In keeping with the international crime control strategy of the U.S. Government announced in May 1998, INS will coordinate its enforcement activities, beginning overseas in source and transit countries and continuing inside the United States, to create a seamless web of immigration law enforcement. This includes such initiatives as building partnerships with other U.S. Government agencies as well as international agencies and organizations to coordinate intelligence information and investigations; assisting with offshore prosecutions; and working with other governments to reduce recidivism by monitoring and controlling foreign travel of deported aliens.
Respond to community reports and complaints about the negative consequences of illegal immigration and build partnerships to help address these concerns.
INS will continue to respond to stakeholder concerns in the communities it serves. This includes building partnerships with other federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations to prevent crimes involving illegal aliens. In addition, INS will continue to maintain a law enforcement presence in every state, utilize Quick Response Teams (QRT) to respond to the impact of criminal alien and smuggling activity on local law enforcement, and contribute to joint investigations and task force projects with other agencies. INS will also use input from the offices of the U.S. Attorneys, local government and law enforcement officials, community leaders, and advocacy groups to develop local threat assessments and action plans to address local problems and their impact on the community. Finally, INS will maintain a continuous dialogue with communities to evaluate the effects of its enforcement actions.
Minimize immigration benefit fraud and other document abuse.
In order to maintain the integrity of the legal immigration system, INS will employ an aggressive investigation and prosecution strategy against benefit fraud and document abuse. Priority will be given to investigating and prosecuting complex fraud schemes and other cases having the broadest impact on criminal networks and the infrastructure supporting benefit fraud and document abuse. In addition, INS will take advantage of new technology and methodologies, such as data mining and biometric identification, to identify criminal fraud schemes.
Block and remove employers' access to undocumented workers and help reduce worker exploitation.
INS will pursue a comprehensive approach to deterring unauthorized employment that will include building relationships with employers, openly conducting audits and surveys, inviting employer cooperation and continuing to work with employers after unauthorized workers are removed to ensure continued compliance with immigration laws. Based on institutional experience and current data, INS will also identify and target notorious and egregious violators. In addition, INS will concentrate on removing aliens with criminal convictions, many of whom hold jobs that could be held by citizens or legal residents.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Removals. To facilitate removals and repatriations, INS works in conjunction with BOP, USMS, state and local law enforcement, and foreign governments. INS also works to develop additional agreements with foreign governments to facilitate repatriation.
Investigations. INS conducts international investigations to prevent, identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal organizations that facilitate illegal migration. INS' anti-smuggling strategies are coordinated with the FBI. In addition, INS works with the U.S. Attorneys to prepare cases and receives information on work-site enforcement activities from the Department of Labor.
Strategic Objective 4.6 IMMIGRATION INFRASTRUCTURE - - Ensure the effective and efficient operational capability of the INS workforce.
The INS experienced unprecedented growth and change during fiscal years 1994-2000. These changes include major reforms of the immigration laws, dramatic increases in workload, a doubling of the agency's budget, and a 50 percent increase in the size of the INS workforce. As a result, INS is facing unique and pressing infrastructure needs. For example, the growth in the size of the workforce and the budget has been targeted at very specific areas, and over time these changes have resulted in backlogs, shortfalls, imbalances and inconsistencies in the infrastructure that supports the INS workforce. In addition, these changes have created a need to redefine the corporate culture to ensure that all employees share a common vision of the INS mission, values and goals. This Immigration Infrastructure Strategic Objective provides a focal point during this strategic planning period to address these critical needs.
Strategies to Achieve the Objective
Develop and maintain a high-quality workforce.
The rapid growth of the INS workforce and the competitive employment market pose a challenge for INS in attracting and retaining capable employees and in providing the initial and ongoing training that is essential for employees to meet their responsibilities. INS will continue to pursue innovative approaches to streamline the hiring pipeline and to attract and retain a highly qualified workforce. In addition, INS will increase its training capacity both through conventional training facilities and through the use of alternative delivery methods.
Balance the workforce for effective utilization of mission-essential operational personnel.
The growth of INS has largely emphasized the front-line mission workforce with the result that the mix of mission and support personnel no longer represents an efficient or effective balance. Mission operations are hampered because of inadequate support staff. This includes administrative, technical, legal, compliance and performance review support as well as a strong supervisory structure needed to oversee INS operations. To improve the effectiveness of the workforce, INS will provide sufficient administrative staff and technical support so that mission-essential operational personnel may perform their mission-related duties instead of being diverted to handle administrative tasks or waiting for them to be done. In addition, INS will provide training and other management support to supervisory personnel to ensure the agency has a highly qualified, cohesive and accountable leadership team.
Provide adequate physical and technological environment, support and equipment.
Rapid growth has also created imbalances in the physical and technological environment. INS has significant backlogs in facilities, equipment, and information technology architecture needed to safely and effectively to support the workforce and people INS serves. In the area of facilities and equipment, overcrowding and inadequacies pose a problem both for mission accomplishment and for retention of qualified employees. With respect to information technology (IT), system development and operation have not kept pace with needs. This includes not only mission-based systems but also other management information systems, such as a sound financial management system. To address these imbalances, INS will acquire, modify and maintain facilities that support a safe, quality workplace and a productive workforce and will provide vehicles and other equipment that are acquired, maintained, repaired and replaced in a safe and cost-effective manner. INS will also continue to develop an adequate, cost effective and architected IT environment comprised of standards, equipment, telecommunications links, and security to ensure reliable and secure access to INS' electronic information.
Establish and reinforce INS core values.
To understand how their role, performance and conduct contribute to the INS mission, employees must understand the INS objectives, strategies, policies, procedures and practices that bear on their work and, more importantly, share a common vision of the underlying corporate values. To that end, the INS will prepare and widely disseminate a statement of its professional and ethical values. Through a variety of communication vehicles, including a central electronic repository available to all employees, it will improve information at all levels of the organization. It will improve its effectiveness through internal and external performance and compliance oversight, and ensure individual accountability at all levels.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Strategic Objective 4.7 ADJUDICATION - - Adjudicate all immigration cases in a timely manner while ensuring due process and fair treatment for all parties.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) provides for the review and adjudication of immigration cases. EOIR's mission is to provide a uniform and timely interpretation and application of immigration law. Although EOIR is an independent agency, its workload is largely determined by the activities and initiatives undertaken by the INS. Similarly, EOIR's ability to process cases in a timely fashion directly affects INS goals to remove criminal or inadmissible aliens expeditiously and to efficiently use limited detention space.
Strategy to Achieve the Objective
Adjudicate priority cases within specified time frames.
EOIR has identified three adjudication priorities and set specific processing time frames for each. The first priority is the adjudication of alien inmates incarcerated in federal, state and local institutions as a result of convictions for criminal offenses. The aim is to adjudicate these cases prior to the inmate's release so that those found by EOIR to be removable may be removed from the United States by the INS. The second priority is the adjudication of expedited asylum cases within 180 days. The third priority is the adjudication of cases involving detained aliens within 30 days. EOIR continues to look for ways to streamline the adjudications process and make more effective use of its resources.
Key Crosscutting Programs
Despite significant progress, the Department continues to face major challenges in the management of its immigration programs. Many of the objectives and strategies described above are aimed at meeting these challenges by focusing on a strong customer-orientation, the provision of reliable and timely data, reengineered business processes, and infrastructure improvements.
INS is heavily dependent on information technology and significant resources have been devoted to the development and deployment of new systems. INS has had difficulty, however, in managing its automation programs effectively. To help remedy this situation, INS has established an Information Technology Investment Review Board to oversee the selection, control and evaluation of information technology investments and instituted related improvements. Nevertheless, information technology management within INS remains a management challenge carefully monitored by the Department.
Improving INS financial management systems is another significant challenge. Despite progress in this area, INS continues to experience problems in meeting federal accounting standards. To correct these problems, INS is in the process of implementing new accounting systems and procedures. This issue, too, is being carefully monitored by the Department.
Another management challenge is in the area of identifying and removing persons who are in the United States illegally, including the monitoring of alien overstays. INS is adopting new policies and procedures to improve the effectiveness of the Institutional Removal Program, a program designed to identify and remove criminal aliens by means of administrative or hearing processes before their release from custody. In addition, INS has developed a new system to aid in collecting arrival and departure information necessary for tracking possible overstays. When fully deployed, this system will provide information on individuals who arrive and depart through air ports-of-entry. Additional improvements in coordinating with the State Department's visa issuance process are still needed to fully address the alien overstay problem.
FY 2000 -- 2005 Strategic Plan
U.S. Department of Justice


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CINCINNATI (MarketWatch) — The S&P 500 Index, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, have notched all-time highs to start August — bullish price action.
Against this backdrop, the technical support points are well-defined, as detailed below:
Before detailing the U.S. markets' wider view, the S&P 500's hourly chart highlights the past two weeks.
- Actionable trading strategies
- Easy-to-follow guidance
- Weekly market navigational tool

subset: commoncrawl


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Today I thought I'd post a weeks worth of bento lunches to give you some ideas. As you can see, I didn't have that many veggies in the house for side dishes so there are a lot of repeats. This is a bit less variety than usual but there is no reason to pretend that this doesn't happen sometimes. Plus, the repeats are some of my favorite veggies so there was no feeling of monotony. No one, aside from bento bloggers, makes a completely different bento every day. (Note: I cannot actually back up this statement with data but I'm pretty sure it is true)
Monday: A black olive and spinach omelette topped with parmesan cheese, red rice with green peas and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
Tuesday: A homemade hamburger patty over daikon radish matchsticks, curried carrot slices, cherry tomatoes and salt pickled cucumber and rice topped with aonori and sesame seeds.
Wednesday: Pan fried salmon, cherry tomatoes, salt pickled cucumbers, steamed broccoli and romanesco, black olives and rice and green peas topped with sesame seeds.
Thursday: Beef and mushrooms fried in a sesame yakiniku sauce, cherry tomatoes, black olives, salt pickled cucumber and rice topped with aonori.
Friday: beef and cabbage simmered in tomato sauce (the previous night's dinner), cherry tomatoes, black olives, salt pickled cucumbers and half a large sweet potato.
So after looking at these pictures all together, I went shopping for veggies. This is what I got at the veggie market that sells locally grown goodness.
That's right, you do see purple cauliflower. It looks pretty steamed.


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In a startling development at Stanford University in California, Political Correctness may no longer be PC. There may be a grass roots backlash against trigger warnings, safe spaces, and the political police. The Stanford Review is sponsoring a petition to restore Western Culture studies to the curriculum. This seems to be a movement among the students themselves to remove the oppressive progressive cultural that insists upon a liberal only agenda. That this movement has arisen on the Left Coast is remarkable enough. Hopefully it will be able to withstand the withering and vile attacks it will certainly receive.
Stanford Students Want Western Civilization Studies Back as the PC Backlash Begins
Stanford students are voting on a plan to reinstate the controversial Western Civilization curriculum more than 25 years after Jesse Jackson helped kill it.
In 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson—then a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination—joined students at Stanford in chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western Civ has got to go!"
With that spectacle, the university promptly dropped required courses in Western Civilization. Fifteen texts—a "core list" that included Plato, Voltaire, St. Augustine, and Marx and Engels—were replaced by a more diverse canon.
It was the beginning of a wave of protests against Western culture on college campuses in the 1990s that, today, has seen a resurgence in the form of trigger warnings on syllabi, safe spaces, and policed speech.
At Stanford, a backlash against this censorious student culture is taking shape in the form of a petition to reinstate the university's Western Civilization curriculum.
In the next two days, students will vote on a referendum proposed by the Stanford Review, an undergraduate political magazine, urging the Stanford's Faculty Senate to require a two-quarter course for freshman "covering the politics, history, philosophy, and culture of the Western world."


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Foreskin restoration deviceDownload PDF
- Publication number
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- member
- inner
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- A61B17/00—Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets
- A61B17/32—Surgical cutting instruments
- A61B17/326—Circumcision apparatus
- A61B90/00—Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges
- A61B90/02—Devices for expanding tissue, e.g. skin tissue
This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Serial # 60/200,119, filed Apr. 27, 2000.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to gripping or clamping devices, and more particularly to devices which grip or clamp the skin. It also relates generally to stretching devices, and more particularly to devices which stretch the skin. It also relates to devices which promote expansion of skin through new skin growth.
2. Description of Prior Art
Although the idea of restoring foreskin may seem bizarre to some, there are many good reasons for doing so. Human beings show remarkable hubris in blithely cutting off something which it took mother nature millions of years to design. Some of the reasons for the existence of foreskin can be seen by comparing intact men with circumcised men. The foreskin of intact males produces pheromones—sexual stimulants—which have been proven to increase the man's attractiveness to others. Removing the foreskin also removes its natural gliding, "lubricating" function. Of women who expressed a preference, 90% favored sex with intact, rather than circumcised, men. Women are 40% more likely to have multiple orgasms with intact men. Not only his partners, but the male victim of circumcision himself also has greatly reduced sexual pleasure as the result of losing his foreskin. Besides losing millions of sensory nerve endings in the cut off skin, his unprotected glans is converted from a moist, glassy smooth, highly sensitive mucoid surface into a rough, dry, cornified structure with greatly reduced sensitivity.
Although routine infant male circumcision is still commonplace, its frequency is declining. This trend has been hastened, in part, by positions taken recently by two prestigious medical bodies in the United States. Although it had been claimed in the past that circumcision prevents many deaths from penile cancer, this research has been found flawed, and the American Cancer Society website currently has the following statement: "The consensus among studies that have taken these other factors into account is that circumcision is not of value in preventing cancer of the penis. It is important that the issue of circumcision not distract the public's attention from avoiding known penile cancer risk factors." Also, "As representatives of the American Cancer Society, we would like to discourage the American Academy of Pediatrics from promoting routine circumcision as preventative measure for penile or cervical cancer."
In 1998, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a new policy statement which states, ". . . data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision. In circumstances in which there are potential benefits and risks, yet the procedure is not essential to the child's current well-being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child.
At present, there is no medical organization anywhere in the world which recommends routine male circumcision.
Although female circumcision has long been viewed with alarm as being a form of genital mutilation, the corresponding male genital mutilation of circumcision is often considered inconsequential, or even desirable.
The United States is the only industrialized nation which routinely circumcises male infants for non-religious reasons. The widespread American practice of routine infant male circumcision began between 1880 and 1920. In the widespread anti-sex atmosphere of that period, circumcision advocates pushed infant circumcision, claiming that it would prevent boys from masturbating, and further claiming to believe that by preventing masturbation, then one would also prevent many cases of brain tumors, epilepsy, diarrhea, etc. Although circumcision didn't stop masturbation, it did leave many males with a lifetime of impaired sexual enjoyment for both them and their partners. These are some of the reasons that some men have decided to restore their foreskins.
The methods of foreskin restoration presently available are quite limited. One method has been the creation of a new foreskin through surgical techniques. Donor skin is usually taken from the scrotum and attached to the penis so as to form a somewhat natural-appearing foreskin. This method has many disadvantages, which have caused it to fall into disfavor. Its use is discouraged by groups of men interested in restoration because of the following disadvantages. It is quite expensive, costing several thousand dollars. It has all the risks associated with surgery, including scarring, infection, hemorrhage, and risk of reactions to anesthesia. The transplanted skin does not have the characteristics of normal foreskin: It is wrinkled rather than smooth, has hair growing where it doesn't belong, and, being deprived of nerves, it lacks sensation. After surgery, there is a period of recovery during which the man cannot engage in sex. But the greatest disadvantage is that the surgically restored foreskin does not have the normal gliding action of the natural foreskin.
Organizations of men interested in foreskin restoration are unanimous in their recommendation that restoration be achieved through the application of tension to the skin of the penile shaft. Tension on skin does not merely stretch the skin, but, more importantly, it actually induces growth of new skin tissue.
Foreskin restoration through tension avoids the disadvantages of surgery and produces a foreskin which is nearly normal in both appearance and function. But, as generally employed, restoration through tension is very time consuming, generally taking several years to complete. It also has many other disadvantages, to be described below.
The most commonly employed method of restoration through tension involves applying tape to the skin of the shaft and pulling on it—via either an elastic band or by small weights hung from the tape. Since this method involves tape left on the penis for days at a time, it causes problems with spontaneous sex or showers in public places. Also, since stress is concentrated along the edge of the tape, skin tears are common. Furthermore, repeatedly applying and removing the tape is very irritating to the skin. The most commonly used tape configuration, called T-tape, requires that one get an erection before applying the tape. Needless to say, this greatly increases the inconvenience and time required for applying the tape.
In a search for foreskin restoration patents, the only patent found was U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,396, "Device for stretching the foreskin of the penis." This device has many disadvantages compared to this current application because:
1. It uses adhesive tape to secure the foreskin to the device, with all the above-mentioned problems with tape.
2. The device is essentially a large, cumbersome metal weight which would swing around while one walked, making it inappropriate for use in any public setting.
3. The device is so large that it would be very conspicuous under most clothing, and so, again, not suited for public use, and not suited to use during sleep because of discomfort if one rolled over on it during the night.
Another patent which has some superficial resemblance to the current application (although it has nothing to do with foreskin restoration) is U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,923, "External urinary drainage device." This device does have an inner member which fits over the glans, and an outer member which covers the pulled-up foreskin, which are features of the current application. However, there are many differences, specifically:
1. The "External Urinary Drainage Device" is used to collect urine, not expand foreskin.
2. The inner member is described as a "condom," or, alternatively, as being semirigid. In my device, the inner member is rigid.
3. The "External Urinary Drainage Device" is intended for use only with uncircumcised penises. My device is used only with circumcised penises.
4. In the "External Urinary Drainage Device," the outer member is firmly attached to the central drainage tube. In my device, the outer member is completely unattached to the central means for applying tension.
5. In the "External Urinary Drainage Device," the outer member is inverted and everted for application and removal of the device. In my device, the outer member is not inverted nor everted; it is simply slid onto the skin.
In my patent search, I found no other patents which even deserve comment, as they have no similarity to the present application.
There are several restoration devices described in the literature and websites devoted to restoration. These all require that there be more than enough skin so that it can be pulled down over, and at least one-quarter inch beyond, the tip of the glans, so that there is enough room for taping the drawn-forward foreskin with a ring of tape. At this stage, one device being used is a portion of a baby bottle nipple. The large part of the nipple is placed over the glans, the skin is drawn up over it and along the smaller nipple part. The skin is then taped with a tape ring. An elastic cord or small weight can then be attached to the nipple to provide gentle tension. As the foreskin progressively lengthens, the thin cap can be replaced by progressively thicker versions, often made of foam rubber, until one has a high domed structure between the glans and foreskin. Again, this method incurs all the disadvantages of tape, and allows only very low tension to be applied to the skin.
Another alternative involves a tiny dumbbell-shaped device, in which one end of the dumbbell is taped inside the foreskin, with the other end outside for some added weight. This device is sold commercially as "Foreballs."
There are a few other commercially available devices to aid foreskin restoration, in addition to the Foreballs mentioned above. These include the PUD (Penile Uncircumcision Device), which is a roughly cylindrical stainless steel device in which one end is hollowed out, to be positioned over the glans. The skin is then pulled up around the PUD and taped to it. Besides having the disadvantages involved with tape, this device is quite visible inside pants and swings around while walking. It is recommended that it not be worn at night, so tape must be applied and removed daily. It is also rather expensive.
Another device available commercially is called the RECAP EZ. It consists of a small plastic cone which sits on the glans, with the skin pulled up over the cone. An elastic band is then stretched and placed over the skin to hold it in place. To the tip of the cone is attached one end of a rubber tubing, the other end of which is attached to a sort of splint. (See attached photograph). The splint, which is made of rigid plastic, surrounds the base of the penis, extends along the bottom of the penis and several inches beyond its tip to where the end of the rubber tubing is fastened.
In use, this device is very uncomfortable unless it is allowed to project out from the body, so it cannot be worn in public or at night. It is uncomfortable to use, in part because of the elastic band. The elastic band is rather narrow, being only about one-quarter inch wide, and so it exerts rather high pressure because of its narrowness. To compound the problem with pressure, the elastic band must be stretched to apply it over the skin, so that it exerts pressure even when no tension is applied. Also, because the elastic band stretches more and more as more tension is applied to the rubber tubing, if more than about one pound of tension is applied, the cone pulls out through the hole in the elastic band, and the device simply falls off. Furthermore, in part due to the cone shape of the inner member which is placed over the glans, the device does not tolerate varying levels of tension, as would occur if the rubber tubing were attached to the leg, for example. It easily falls off under such conditions.
Another device, the Dual-action Incremental Longitudinally Expanding (DILE) Insert provides a mechanical method for providing mild tension by increasing the space between the glans and the foreskin, which is taped over the device (see diagram). As with other such space-filling methods, there are all the disadvantages of the tape, as well as the fact that the penis is made to at least appear to be smaller due to its being pushed back by the device.
The chief disadvantages of these devices include the time required for restoration (usually years), and the need to apply tape to the skin, with all the attendant disadvantages of tape mentioned above. Sometimes an elastic band is substituted for the tape, but this has the disadvantage that, if it is tight enough to hold the skin securely, then it cuts off blood flow. Also, these devices allow only minimal tension to be applied to the skin because, with higher tension, either skin tears occur along the tape edge, or the device slips off, or both.
There exists another, far more rapid method of skin expansion which is used by plastic surgeons to provide large amounts of skin for reconstructive surgery and to cover skin defects resulting from removal of large skin lesions such as cancer. When used surgically, a heavy rubber balloon is first implanted under normal skin where the expansion is desired. Then saline is injected under pressure into the balloon, and left in place. Perhaps every two days, more saline is injected. Responding to the skin tension over the balloon, new skin cells grow, creating additional skin tissue, with a consequent lowering of tension on the skin. Using this method, providing an amount of skin similar to that needed for foreskin restoration takes only a few weeks, rather than the years generally required for restoration using current techniques.
It would appear that if one could more closely duplicate the parameters of tension and time involved in surgical skin restoration, then foreskin restoration should be dramatically accelerated.
In accordance with the present invention, a skin gripping device, consisting of an inner and an outer gripping member, for applying tension to the skin of the shaft of a circumcised penis. The space formed between these two gripping members is approximately uniform and approximately the thickness of the double layer of skin which they grip when they are pressed together. In response to the stimulus provided by skin tension, new skin grows, and the result is a new foreskin which approximates the original in structure and function.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
a) Extreme ease and speed of attaching (10 seconds) and removing (2 seconds) the device from the penis.
b) No tape or anything else remains on the skin, which allows showers in semi-public areas, as well as spontaneous sex.
c) In contrast to T-tape, no need to get an erection before applying the device.
d) Much more comfortable than other methods because the gripping force is distributed over a larger area.
e) No taste.
f) Can be worn day and/or night.
g) Inconspicuous with ordinary loose-fitting clothing.
h) The inner gripping member provides an occlusive covering for the glans, thereby creating a moist environment which encourages the transformation of the cornified epithelium back to its natural state of being a mucous membrane with a thin, sensitive epithelium.
i) The gripping force automatically changes with need, being stronger with greater tension, and weaker with less tension, and virtually zero when no tension is applied.
j) Because the outer gripping member undergoes very little expansion when tension is applied to the inner member, quite high tensions (up to fifteen pounds for short periods) can easily be achieved, without having the inner member pull out through the hole in the outer member.
k) More rapid foreskin expansion is possible because greater tension is both feasible and comfortable.
l) By applying counter tension to the strut, the gripping pressure is automatically reduced. This can even be done through one's clothing to relieve any discomfort or to remove the device quickly.
m) Due to the attached wings, it is easy to push or pull on the end of the strut, either directly or through one's pants. Pushing on the strut reduces clamping pressure, to ease removal or relieve discomfort. By intermittently pulling strongly on the wings, one can achieve high skin tension, which has recently been shown to greatly accelerate skin expansion.
In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a circumcised penis and the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 2 shows the device in use, applied to the penis, with a double layer of foreskin clamped between the inner and outer gripping members.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show what happens when tension is applied to the inner member 11 via the wire strut 16. In FIG. 3A, the inner member 11 has been placed upon the glans 13, the double foreskin layer is pulled up against the inner member, and the outer member is placed lightly upon the skin. Index marks show the position of the inner and outer foreskin layers. In FIG. 3B, tension has been applied to the wire strut and inner member This causes the inner layer of foreskin 15 to be drawn to the left and to become more everted, while the outer layer of foreskin remains stationary against the outer member This causes the inner member and foreskin to be pulled tightly into the outer member, thereby producing a clamping pressure upon the foreskin.
FIGS. 4A to 4D show in detail how the device is applied and operated. In FIG. 4A, the inner member 11 has been placed upon the glans. In FIG. 4B, skin from the shaft 14 has been pulled up and laid upon the inner member 11. In FIG. 4C, the outer member 12 has been placed upon the skin. In FIG. 4D, tension has been applied to the wire strut, and the skin has been pulled to the right, beyond the glans.
FIG. 5A shows the alternative embodiment of hemispheric inner and outer members. FIG. 5B shows the alternative embodiment of conical inner and outer members.
FIGS. 6A through 6C show the alternative embodiments of solid and partially solid inner members.
FIGS. 7A and 7B show the alternative embodiments of narrower outer members.
FIG. 8 shows the alternative embodiment of a thicker outer shell.
FIG. 9A shows roughened gripping surfaces (the outer surface of the inner member and the inner surface of the outer member).
FIG. 9B shows ribbed gripping surfaces (the outer surface of the inner member and the inner surface of the outer member).
FIGS. 10A through 10C show compound shapes consisting, respectively, of a truncated cone and paraboloid, a hemisphere and cylinder, and a paraboloid and cone.
FIG. 11 shows wings, 20, attached to the free end of the strut.
In FIGS. 1 through 4D are shown the inner gripping member 11 and outer gripping member 12 of the device. The inner member 11 has approximately the size and shape of one half of the shell of a very small hen's egg and is relatively rigid. At or near the tip of this inner "shell" is attached a rigid or semirigid rod or strut 16. At the end of the strut can be attached a cord or band as a means of applying tension to the inner shell. The device in actual use is shown in FIGS. 2 through 4D.
The open end of this half shell 11 is placed over the glans penis 13, FIG. 4A, so as to partially or fully cover it. The skin 14,15 of the penile shaft just below the glans is then pulled part way up against the outer surface of the shell, FIG. 4B and held in place with the fingers. The second, outer gripping member 12 is also approximately the shape of half an egg shell, but is flexible, minimally stretchable, and a little larger so that it will fit snugly over the skin which has just been pulled up to cover the lower portion of the inner shell. This outer shell has an opening (from approximately one-fifth to three-quarters inch in diameter) at its small end, through which the wire strut can move freely.
When in use, the space between the two gripping members is, at least in part, approximately uniform and equal to the thickness of the double layer of foreskin between them. The result is a nearly uniform pressure over a relatively large area. This reduces the chance of pressure points and increases comfort.
The outer shell is actually detached from other parts of the device; however, it functions in a rather surprising manner when it is placed snugly over the skin which was pulled up over the inner shell and tension is applied to the wire strut. By applying increasing tension to the strut, the outer shell of the clamp is actually drawn ever more tightly against the skin, so that as the tension increases, so too does the clamping pressure.
This rather unexpected result can be explained as follows. First of all, both of these two clamping surfaces 11,12 which hold the skin 14,15 between them (the outer surface of the inner shell and the inner surface of the outer shell) have surfaces which do not allow easy sliding of the skin over them (they may be rough, FIG. 9A, covered with rubber, or ribbed, FIG. 9B, for example). Now, let us suppose that the inner shell has been placed over the glans, FIG. 4A, the double layer of skin has been pulled up over it, FIG. 4B, and the outer shell placed snugly over the skin, FIGS. 3A and 4C.
Now consider what happens when the wire strut (attached only to the inner shell) is pulled, FIG. 3B. [The crucial point here is what happens along the distal edge 18 of the skin lying on the inner shell, where the skin is folded back.] The way in which the skin moves can be seen by observing the index marks on the two layers of skin in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The outer layer of skin 14 on the upper surface of the penis extends back to the abdominal wall, where it is firmly attached 19. Due to this attachment, this outer layer of skin, along with its covering outer shell, does not move significantly when the wire strut is pulled; yet, at the same time, the inner shell, along with its covering inner layer of skin 15, does move distally, away from the body. This causes the index mark on the inner skin layer 15 to move distally relative to the outer skin layer 14.
This progressive eversion allows the inner shell to move distally into the stationary outer shell, so that the outer shell forms a sort of stationary socket into which the inner shell, along with its covering skin, is pulled by tension on the strut. And, because of the tapered shape of the two shells, this results in an increased clamping pressure. In other words, the harder one pulls on the strut, the more strongly the clamp grips the skin.
The reason that a shape for the shells which approximates half an egg shell is preferred is seen in practice because it stays in place well, even if there are wide variations in the amount of tension on the strut.
The strut attached to the inner shell serves the following purposes. The primary purpose of the strut is to provide a means for applying counter traction to the inner shell when the device is in use. This causes an immediate relaxation of the gripping pressure upon the skin, to facilitate removal of the device or to relieve discomfort resulting from too much tension. The strut also facilitates application of the device to the skin by stabilizing the inner shell so that the skin can more easily be pulled up over it. In addition, by bending a strut made of stiff wire, one can relieve pressure points which can occur on the skin between the strut and the outer shell.
Instead of being simply the shape of a paraboloid, cone or hemisphere, the outer, clamping surface of the inner member could be some combination of these, as well as being partially cylindrical. Since there are an infinite number of possible variations resulting from such combinations, only a few representative examples will be shown, and these only in outline, FIGS. 10A to 10C. FIG. 10A shows a compound shape consisting of a truncated cone plus a paraboloid. FIG. 10B is a hemisphere plus a cylinder, and FIG. 10C is a paraboloid plus a truncated cone. Rather than being a thin shell, the inner clamping member could be either solid or partially hollowed out, FIGS. 6A to 6C. It could be rigid or semirigid.
The outer member could be thicker than that described for the preferred embodiment. It could, for example, consist of a flexible foam cap having an opening of the proper shape to fit over the skin which has been laid upon the inner shell, FIG. 8.
The strut attached to the inner element could be provided with an attached protuberance at its free end to facilitate pushing or pulling on the strut, which could even be done through one's clothing. Pushing on the strut allows one to both relieve discomfort resulting from too much tension and to remove the device more easily. Pulling on the strut allows one to temporarily apply increased tension in order to speed skin expansion. The protuberance attached to the end of the strut could take on the form of small wings, FIG. 11, which would lie flat against the underlying skin during use. The strut could be made of various materials other than insulated electrical wire. It could, for example, be an uninsulated metallic wire or rod, or made of plastic or wood. Alternatively, the wire strut could be eliminated entirely, and a cord or band could be attached directly to the inner shell.
The several components of this invention can be manufactured in a rather straight forward manner. The relatively rigid inner member can be injection molded from such thermoplastic materials as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), polycarbonate, or even polystyrene (although the brittleness of polystyrene may be a disadvantage), or molded, for example, from rigid polyvinyl chloride or polyester or a thermoset rather than thermoplastic. It could even be machined from such materials as wood or metal. Because of its toughness and relatively low price and ease of molding, ABS would seem to be the preferred material.
The semi-rigid strut which extends from the tip of the inner member could be made from such materials as plastic, wood, or, preferentially, from a length of insulated electrical wire. The preferred configuration consists of a 6½ inch length of 14 gauge insulated electrical wire. Approximately ½ inch of the insulation is removed from each end, the wire is folded at its middle, the ends are twisted one turn about each other, and the tips are then curved into a ¼ inch spiral. The doubled-over end is then inserted through a hole drilled in the tip of the inner member from the inside, so the twisted tips are inside the small end of the member. To hold the wire in place and reinforce the tip of the member, a small amount of adhesive material such as epoxy resin is poured into the member's tip and allowed to harden with the member placed small end down. The twisted wire ends are entirely covered by the epoxy, which occupies only about ¼ of the member's length at its tip.
After the entire inner and outer surfaces of the inner member, as well as the surface of the reinforcing epoxy resin, are roughened by sanding, a slip-resistant coating may be applied to the member in several possible ways, such as dipping, brushing, or spraying on such materials as latex, urethane rubber, or soft vinyl such as Plasti-Dip.
The outer member, which is thinner and more compliant than the inner member, is preferentially dip, injection, or rotationally molded from soft vinyl or a vinyl plastisol. Although it could be molded from an elastomer such as latex, urethane or silicone rubber, its elastic compliance must be carefully controlled, so that it will stretch very little when the inner member is pulled by the elastic cord, and be sufficiently rigid to prevent the inner member from pulling out through the opening in its small end. In its preferred configuration, the opening in the small end of this member is approximately one-half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter. In other configurations, it may be as small as {fraction (3/16)}″ in diameter.
The other parts of the invention can readily be purchased at stores. The elastic cord could preferentially be made from, for example, ⅛″ or {fraction (3/16)}″ shock cord, available from marine supply stores. A flat elastic band of the type used in sewing could also be used, as could a plain rubber cord. The elastic cord can be attached to a stocking or garter by means of a device called a "drop loop," sold at sewing supply stores, or by a suspender clip. The wings at the end of the strut could be made of metal, plastic, wood, or similar materials. Due to its high strength and toughness, polycarbonate would probably be the preferred material for this structure.
Claims (19)
Priority Applications (2)
|Application Number
|Priority Date
|Filing Date
|US20011900 true
|US09844956 US6579227B2 (en)
|Foreskin restoration device
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
|Application Number
|Priority Date
|Filing Date
|US09844956 US6579227B2 (en)
|Foreskin restoration device
Publications (2)
|Publication Number
|Publication Date
|US20010049468A1 true US20010049468A1 (en)
|US6579227B2 true US6579227B2 (en)
Family Applications (1)
|Application Number
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|US09844956 Expired - Fee Related US6579227B2 (en)
|Foreskin restoration device
Country Status (1)
|US6579227B2 (en)
Cited By (4)
|Publication number
|Priority date
|Publication date
|WO2008019419A1 (en) *
|Rodney Rowell
|A clamp to restore the foreskin
|US20080195116A1 (en) *
|Karim Mansour
|Circumcision clamp and surgical kit
|CN102525599A (en) *
|Auxiliary device for circumcision
|US9144435B2 (en)
|Covidien Lp
|Clamp for male circumcision and related method of use
Families Citing this family (2)
|Publication number
|Priority date
|Publication date
|CN201642242U (en) *
|Glans penis fixing apparatus
|WO2013173804A1 (en) *
|Krieger John N
|Male circumcision device and associated systems and methods
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|Frank J Santora
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|Leon C Dwoyer
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|Harold A Hinckley
|Circumcision instrument
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|Harry O Maryan
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|Gomco Surgical Mfg Corp
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|Frank J Santora
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|US2533373A (en) *
|Harold A Hinckley
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|US2620800A (en) *
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|US2646046A (en) *
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Cited By (5)
|Publication number
|Priority date
|Publication date
|WO2008019419A1 (en) *
|Rodney Rowell
|A clamp to restore the foreskin
|US20080195116A1 (en) *
|Karim Mansour
|Circumcision clamp and surgical kit
|US9144435B2 (en)
|Covidien Lp
|Clamp for male circumcision and related method of use
|CN102525599A (en) *
|Auxiliary device for circumcision
|CN102525599B (en) *
|Auxiliary device for circumcision
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text:
Not much to report this week except for we were super busy bringing meals to friends, having the inlaws stay with us one more time before New Baby is born, and helping friends move. PHEW. It was exhausting. Which is probably why I've taken on a perma-puffy eyed, just-woke-up-from-a-deep-sleep look lately. Either that or it's because I still don;t go to bed at a proper time. Just trying to maximize all the free time I have until I am getting only 4 hours of broken sleep a night. You know.
This week's pregnancy facts:
- Major bladder kicker and sciatic nerve bother-er. So much on-and-off shocking nerve pain making me look like an idiot with all my flinching and gasping. Glamorous.
- And don't forget about me having the world's puffiest feet. So much so that Sonora said, "puffy feet wike Mommy!" for some reason and a friend gasped at the sight of them. I am a vision.
- On the plus side…Ryan gave me THE MOST GLORIOUS foot massage in the world one night. It took some convincing because he didn't want to hit any pressure points that would induce labor but man, when he finally agreed…it was like I was floating on the biggest puffy clouds while eating chocolate lava cake and sleeping the deepest sleep all at once. That good.
- Did I mention it was 45 minutes long? I married waaaaaaaay up.
- I finally designed/laid out artwork for baby's room (how frames & such will be on the walls) and I think it's going to look really cute. I plan to have New Baby sleep in the Pack N Play bassinet next to my bed like I did with Sonora so there is no pressure for me to hurry on the decor, but now I'm feeling like I just want to Get It All Done Right Now. Nesting. Hard.
- A lot of little things/baby comments are annoying me lately (hormones) but all I truly care about is a healthy baby. Nothing else matters.
- At my 38-week dr appt I decided not to get a cervical check since it means pretty much nothing anyway. I feel good about this decision because last time I got too excited too early. I'm totally chill about when this baby gets here.
- For a while I wasn't sure, but I can say this week that I believe I've officially dropped based on the new & lower location of my belly button.
Well, that's all she wrote.


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Wynn Second-Quarter Profit Jumps on Macau, Vegas Recovery
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN) said second- quarter profit more than doubled, beating analysts' estimates as the owner of the Wynn and Encore casinos expanded in China and benefited from a recovery in Las Vegas.
Net income climbed to $122 million, or 97 cents a share, from $52.4 million, or 42 cents, a year ago, Las Vegas-based Wynn said today in a statement. Profit excluding some items was $1.60, beating the $1.03 average of 23 analysts' estimates.
Macau is booming while Las Vegas recovers from its steepest gambling and convention decline. Wynn opened Encore Macau in April 2010, doubling its presence in the world's biggest gambling market, where casino betting surged 58 percent last year and 45 percent in the six months ended June 30.
Second-quarter cash flow, measured as adjusted property earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, jumped 59 percent to $447 million, beating the $353.7 million analysts estimated. Ebitda for Macau climbed 45 percent to $314.3 million and for Las Vegas, the biggest U.S. casino city, doubled to $132.7 million.
Wynn rose $2.27 percent to $164.89 at 4:30 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Wynn Macau Ltd. rose 25 Hong Kong cents to HK$26.45 in Asia. Wynn listed part of the Macau unit in October 2009.
Macau Resorts
Revenue jumped 37 percent in Macau and 23 percent in Las Vegas, boosting total sales 32 percent to $1.37 billion and beating the $1.27 billion analysts projected in a Bloomberg survey.
Gambling in Macau has surged since the government ended Stanley Ho's 40-year monopoly and let other companies, including Wynn, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) and MGM Resorts International (MGM), build resorts that attract Chinese mainlanders.
Overall Las Vegas Strip gambling revenue climbed 29 percent to $580.4 million in May, according to data from the Nevada Gaming Commission. Visitation rose 4.7 percent in the first five months of 2011, led by an 8.1 percent increase in convention attendance, which has increased room rates and occupancy, according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.
Wynn said its Las Vegas average daily room rate rose 22 percent in the second quarter. Occupancy fell to 89.2 percent, from 92.6 percent a year earlier.
To contact the reporter on this story: Beth Jinks in New York at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at firstname.lastname@example.com


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MSGP Toolbox
Reference Documents
MSGP Impaired Waterbody Reference Table (PDF) (60 KB) - This table lists the impaired waterbodies throughout New York State that are specific to the MSGP Permit. The waterbodies are listed in alphabetic order with the designated pollutant(s) of concern causing the impairment.
Reference Maps
Map of Permitted MSGP Facilities--Map of Permitted SPDES Multi-Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (leaves DEC's website) shows the locations of facilities permitted under the MSGP and facilities that have a Conditional Exclusion for No Exposure. The map information includes: facility address, the location of the stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), receiving waterbody, and sector. The information used to generate the map was provided by the facilities. The map only displays the location of facilities that have gained coverage under the new GP-0-12-001 that became effective on October 1, 2012. Facilities have 90 days from the effective date to submit the new NOI; the map will be updated as NOIs are submitted.
Google Earth map of Impaired Waterbodies Applicable to MSGP--The map of Impaired Waterbodies Applicable to MSGP shows impaired waterbodies on the 303(d) list or in a watershed for which a TMDL has been developed. These waterbodies are subject to additional requirements in the SPDES Multi-Sector General Permit. The map may be used to help facilities answer question 6(a) on the Notice of Intent. In addition, the map may be used to determine the facilities geographic coordinates to complete question 7 on the Notice of Intent.
Map of Impaired Waterbodies Applicable to MSGP Instructions (PDF, 1.8 MB)--This document provides guidance on how to download Google Earth and instructions on how to answer questions 6(a) and 7 on the Notice of Intent using the map of Impaired Waterbodies Applicable to MSGP in the Google Earth application.
EPA MyWATERS Mapper--The EPA MyWATERS Mapper can be used to determine the nearest surface waterbody(ies) which your facility's site runoff will discharge to. The map can be used to help facilities to answer question 3 on the Notice of Intent. The link to EPA MyWATERS Mapper is located in the right hand column under "Links Leaving DEC's Website".
Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR)
Instructions for completing DMRs (PDF) (465 KB) - Instructions for completing DMRs.
No Exposure Information
NYSDEC's No Exposure Exclusion Information Page
No Exposure Certification form (PDF) - 2005 (47 KB)
EPA No Exposure Guidance - a link to EPA's No Exposure Guidance is located on the right hand side of this page.
Additional Resources
Use the links on the right hand side of the page to access the following resources:
Identify/Confirm Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code
- OSHA SIC System Search - OSHA Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code System Search
Developing a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
- EPA MSGP Web Page - EPA's MSGP SWPPP Template and Additional Documentation Template
- EPA Industrial Fact Sheets - EPA's Industrial Fact Sheet Series
- EPA Industrial BMP Publication - Storm Water Management for Industrial Activities: Developing Pollution Prevention Plans and Best Management Practices 1992 EPA Publication Number 832R92006
Learn to Collect Stormwater Samples
- How To Do Stormwater Sampling - A guide for industrial facilities - A concise and straight forward guide to collection of stormwater samples from Washington State Department of Ecology
- NPDES Storm Water Sampling Guidance Document - EPA 832-B-09-003
Find an NYS Approved Laboratory
- ELAP Laboratories - Link to NYS Department of Health Wadsworth Center's NYS Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP) certified laboratories by county
Resources for Marinas
- EPA Marina Topics - EPA's Compliance assistance web page for marinas
- Sea Grant Marina BMPs - Stormwater Runoff Best Management Practices for Marinas - A Guide for Operators by Northeast Sea Grant Extension Program
Contact Information
Questions regarding the content of the general permit can be directed to the following individual:
Steven McCague, P.E.
Bureau of Water Permits - Stormwater General Permit Section
625 Broadway - 4th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-3505
(518) 402-8108
Email the Bureau of Water Permits


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This is an updated version of my original Trolls Doorway. I have added two layers of photos for texture, and adjusted the contrast to give it more of an enchanted feeling. This is the original.
Following is the original description:
There is no way to tell if he's home, so watch your step. He cares not whether you've been good or bad; only that you pay the toll to cross his bridge.
Taken off the trail of a metropark in NW Ohio. Antique lens filter applied in post editing.


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Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica
Print version ISSN 0102-7972On-line version ISSN 1678-7153
CABRAL, Maria do Carmo Carvalho and KASTRUP, Virgínia. Receptive reading: an experience of becoming aware. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. [online]. 2009, vol.22, n.2, pp.286-293. ISSN 0102-7972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722009000200016.
This work discusses the experience of reading literature in silence and solitude, focusing its effects on the reader. The starting point is the enlargement of cognition as presented in Varela's enactive approach and the concept of inventive cognition as formulated by Kastrup. Then, it proposes the reading as an experience of becoming aware. The work is also based on Chartier's ideas about reading practices and uses the theory of Larrosa regarding the transformative aspect of reading as well. The idea that reading literature provides a meeting with otherness is developed. It may constitute an opening for the unknown and an opportunity of inventing oneself.
Keywords : Reading; Literature; Cognition; Invention.


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The thyroid gland and thyroid hormones in sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) during early development and metamorphosis
Schnitzler, Joseph ; ; Mariavelle, Emeline et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2016), 42(2), 607-616
The sheepshead minnow is widely used in ecotoxicological studies that only recently have begun to focus on disruption of the thyroid axis by xenobiotics and endocrine disrupting compounds. However ... [more ▼]
The sheepshead minnow is widely used in ecotoxicological studies that only recently have begun to focus on disruption of the thyroid axis by xenobiotics and endocrine disrupting compounds. However, reference levels of the thyroid prohormone thyroxine (T4) and biologically active hormone 3,5,30-triiodothyronine (T3) and their developmental patterns are unknown. This study set out to describe the ontogeny and morphology of the thyroid gland in sheepshead minnow, and to correlate these with whole-body concentrations of thyroid hormones during early development and metamorphosis. Eggs were collected by natural spawning in our laboratory. T4 and T3 were extracted from embryos, larvae and juveniles and an enzyme-linked immunoassay was used to measure whole-body hormone levels. Length and body mass, hatching success, gross morphology, thyroid hormone levels and histology were measured. The onset of metamorphosis at 12-day post-hatching coincided with surges in whole-body T4 and T3 concentrations. Thyroid follicles were first observed in pre-metamorphic larvae at hatching and were detected exclusively in the subpharyngeal region, surrounding the ventral aorta. Follicle size and thyrocyte epithelial cell heights varied during development, indicating fluctuations in thyroid hormone synthesis activity. The increase in the whole-body T3/T4 ratio was indicative of an increase in outer ring deiodination activity. This study establishes a baseline for thyroid hormones in sheepshead minnows, which will be useful for the understanding of thyroid hormone functions and in future studies of thyroid toxicants in this species. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 41 (20 ULiège)
Cortisol is responsible for positive and negative effects in the ovarian maturation induced by the exposure to acute stressors in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus
Gennotte, Vincent ; ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2012), 38Detailed reference viewed: 85 (25 ULiège)
Relationships between circulating androgens, aggressive behaviour and breeding tubercles in males of the common bream Abramis brama L. in an aquarium environment
Poncin, Pascal ; Nzau Matondo, Billy ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2011), 37(3), 533-542Detailed reference viewed: 56 (5 ULiège)
Egg and whole-body amino acid profile of African bonytongue (Heterotis niloticus) with an estimation of their dietary indispensable amino acids requirements
; Wathelet, Bernard ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2009)Detailed reference viewed: 21 (2 ULiège)
Dynamics of total body fatty acids during early ontogeny of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) larvae
; ; Mélard, Charles et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2004), 30(2), 129-136
The fatty acid composition of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) was determined according to their physiological status, during starvation (10 days) and feeding (28 days). In starved larvae, polyunsaturated ... [more ▼]
The fatty acid composition of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) was determined according to their physiological status, during starvation (10 days) and feeding (28 days). In starved larvae, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids were utilized as metabolic substrates until day 9. At day 10, all fatty acid levels remained stable or, at least, increased in larval body. Among fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid 22:6 n-3 was used preferentially (20.3% from total fatty acids utilized) followed by palmitoleic acid 16:1 n-7 (13.9%) and then by oleic 18:1 n-9 (12.3%), linoleic 18:2 n-6 (10.1%), linolenic 18:3 n-3 (9.7%) and eicosapentaenoic 20:5 n-3 (9.1%) acids. On the other hand, arachidonic acid 20:4 n-6 was utilized very lowly (0.3%). In fed larvae, no utilization of body fatty acids was observed during the experiment. It seems that energy requirements (and others) of fed larvae were satisfied by feed. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 80 (3 ULiège)
Quantifying spontaneous swimming activity in fish with a computerized color video tracking system, a laboratory device using last imaging techniques
Ylieff, Marc ; Poncin, Pascal
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2003), 28(1-4), 281-282Detailed reference viewed: 37 (6 ULiège)
Dynamics of total lipids and fatty acids during embryogenesis and larval developpement of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatlis)
; ; Mélard, Charles
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2000), 23Detailed reference viewed: 26 (2 ULiège)
Cathepsin L in eggs and larvae of perch Perca fluviatilis: variations with developpement stage and spawning
; ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (1999), 21Detailed reference viewed: 8 (0 ULiège)
The effect of gonadal development and sex steroids on growth hormone secretion in the male tilapia hybrid (Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus O;
; ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (1995)Detailed reference viewed: 14 (1 ULiège)
Hormonal profile of growing male and female diploïds and triploïds of the blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus, reared in intensive culture
; ; et al
in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (1994), 13Detailed reference viewed: 3 (0 ULiège)