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Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for Congressman Mike Rogers in Huntsville, Alabama
Von Braun Center, North Hall
Huntsville, Alabama
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Senator. And I want to thank all of you for that warm Alabama welcome this morning. I've been looking forward to this opportunity to come back to Huntsville. I bring greetings to everyone here this morning from the man that Alabama helped put in the White House, George W. Bush. (Applause.)
A lot of people don't realize that I'm really a product of the United States Senate. As Vice President, I don't have any official duties down in the executive branch. When they wrote the Constitution, they created the job of Vice President. And then decided at the end of the conference, or the convention, that they had to give him something to do. So they made him the presiding officer of the United States Senate.
And my predecessor, the first Vice President, John Adams, also was given floor privileges. He was allowed to enter into the debate and go down into the well of the Senate and address the day. And then he did a few times, and they withdrew his floor privileges. (Laughter.) And they've never been restored.
The point of all of that is I get to spend a lot of time in the United States Senate. And it's my great good fortune there to get to work with two outstanding Senators that you've elected from Alabama -- Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. They do a superb job for all of you. (Applause.)
And I'm delighted Richard could join us today, and I look forward to serving with him because I know he's going to win reelection here in Alabama this year overwhelmingly. We'd love to see that happen.
I'm here today specifically because President Bush and I both believe that it's absolutely essential that Mike Rogers be reelected to Congress next year. Mike's working hard for the people of Alabama. He's a fifth-generation resident of East Alabama. And he's working with President Bush to help make Alabama and America safer, stronger, and better.
Mike's a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he's devoted himself to strengthening America's military and to strengthening Alabama's role, with respect to the U.S. military. And he's a member of the House Agriculture Committee, where he's been a reliable friend to the Alabama farming community. Mike understands the best way to help small businesses and create more jobs is to cut taxes. He's been a strong and consistent supporter of tax relief. He's championed the jobs and the growth acts that the President signed last May. When he came to Congress last November after a close election -- and of course, the opposition is doing everything they can to try to recruit candidates to run against him next year. But Mike knows the best thing he can do to get reelected is to be a great congressman and represent the people of Alabama well, and that's precisely what he's been doing. President Bush and I highly value Mike's work in the 108th Congress. And we look forward to working with him for a good many years to come.
Now, I spent some time in the House of Representatives myself over the years. I served there for 10 years, got elected six times. And I actually arrived in House at the same time that Richard Shelby did, that same 1978 election -- although he was in a different faith in those days. (Laughter.) We managed to work together very ably, and, of course, he came to see the light, which we all deeply appreciate. (Laughter and applause.)
Of course, Wyoming was unique. We had a small delegation. We only had one member of Congress -- one member of the House. It was a small delegation. But it was quality. (Laughter.) And it's been now about three years since the President talked to me about becoming his running mate. When he asked me to sign on, he said it wasn't because he was worried about carrying Wyoming. He got nearly 70 percent of the vote in Wyoming. But I remind him, from time to time, that those three Wyoming electoral votes came in pretty handy in the final count. (Laughter.)
I think the fact is some pundits expected that having won a close election, that the administration might trim its sails once we got into office. You know, we'd move forward with a more timid agenda than we'd campaigned on. From the very beginning, the President made it clear that he'd gone to Washington to get something done, and that we were going to do absolutely everything we could to move ahead with our priorities.
That very first year, we achieved two of our biggest goals -- tax reform and education reform. On the tax front, we lowered income tax rates, reduced the marriage penalty, and eliminated the death tax. The President also moved aggressively and successfully to build a bipartisan coalition to reform our education system. It was a milestone reform, ushering in an era of high standards and responsibility. It's truly been a turning point, and we believe that it will set American education on the path to significant improvement.
The defining moment for our administration and the President, clearly, was the attack on our country on September 11th, two years ago next week, a day none of us will ever forget. Suddenly, we understood how vulnerable we are as a nation; how it was possible for terrorists to take advantage of our open borders and our open society and use them against us. It was, without question, a watershed event in American history.
We saw that it was relatively easy for a small number of terrorists to launch an attack and to kill almost 3,000 of our fellow Americans in a couple of hours in New York City, Washington, and Pennsylvania. We also began to understand -- particularly from the evidence that we uncovered in the caves and tunnels and training camps in Afghanistan -- that our enemies are determined to acquire weapons of mass destruction -- chemical and biological and nuclear weapons. And we have every reason to believe that if they succeed, they will use them to launch an attack far more deadly than anything we've ever experienced.
To counter these threats, we've been forced to think anew about how to defend our country, about what constitutes an effective national security strategy for our nation. We've come to realize that if we are to protect the American people against determined enemies, we cannot rely on the old Cold War remedies of the past.
The kind of strategy we used against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, where we held at risk the things they valued in order to deter them from ever launching attacks against the United States simply will not work where terrorists are concerned. There's nothing they value highly enough that we can hold at risk to keep them from launching an attack against the United States.
So no treaty, no arms control agreement or strategy of deterrence will end this conflict. We needed a new strategy, and that's precisely what we've developed. We've begun working aggressively to toughen our defenses here at home. We've created the Department of Homeland Security, the largest reorganization of the federal government since the late 1940s, when the Department of Defense was created. We deeply appreciate Mike's strong support for our efforts to ensure homeland security.
But good defense is not enough. The problem with terrorist organizations is that even if you build defenses that are 99 percent successful, the 1 percent that gets through can kill you. We need a strategy that takes us on offense, as well, that lets us go after those who pose a threat to the United States, and to our friends and allies, a strategy that allows us to destroy the terrorists before they can launch further attacks against the United States. We cannot wait to act until after another day like 9/11 or a day perhaps with even far greater casualties.
A good part of our new strategy is based upon the President's determination to change the way we think about states that sponsor terror. Prior to 9/11, all too many nations tended to draw a distinction between terrorist groups and the states that provided these groups with support, sanctuary and safe harbor. They were unwilling to hold terror-sponsoring states accountable for their actions. After 9/11, President Bush decided that the distinction between the terrorists and the sponsors could no longer be permitted to stand. The Bush doctrine asserts that those states which support terrorists or provide sanctuary for terrorists are just as guilty as the terrorists themselves. So in addition to going after the terrorists, in addition to dismantling their financial networks, and their logistical support, we're also taking on states that sponsor terror.
I'll never forget that Friday after the attack when the President went to Ground Zero in New York. He stood up on a pile of rubble with a bullhorn in his hand. And when the men in the hard hats who were working there said they couldn't hear him, he responded, "Well, I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked down these buildings will soon hear from all of us."
He's been a man of his word. In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime harbored al Qaeda and brutalized an entire population. That regime is no more. In Iraq, where a brutal dictator threatened the peace and gave support to terrorists, the United States launched one of the most extraordinary military campaigns in history. And that regime is no more.
Some people have questioned our strategy. They suggest that somehow it's wrong for the United States to strike before the enemy strikes us. But I would argue that on 9/11, we were struck. We lost more people that day than we lost at Pearl Harbor. And I ask you, if we'd been able with preemptive military action to defeat that attack before it ever occurred, would we? And the answer is, you bet we would. Make no mistake, this President is going to act to protect us against further attacks, even when that means moving aggressively against would-be attackers.
The war on terror continues. It is a war being fought all around the globe. Look at the attacks that have already occurred in the last two years, not only in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, but in Bali, Mombassa, Riyadh, Casablanca, Jakarta, Jerusalem, Bombay and Baghdad. And the war will continue, perhaps as long as we're in office, perhaps even longer. In this global war on terror, U.S. forces are heavily engaged when and where they need to be -- especially in Afghanistan and Iraq. We will stay in Afghanistan and Iraq to make absolutely certain that the job is done before we move on. We'll stay until we've wrapped up all the weapons of mass destruction and eliminated all of those who are enemies of the United States.
This war is not without sacrifice. More than 300 of our troops have already given their lives during the war on terror. There will surely be more casualties ahead. But remember, we lost some 3,000 Americans here at home on 9/11. We're going to be in much better shape long-term if we're aggressively going after the terrorists and after the nations and the mechanisms that support them, than if we lay back and wait for them to strike us again here at home in the United States.
In the battles of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in other fronts in war on terror, we've depended on the skill and the courage of our men and women in uniform. They've faced enemies who have no regard for the rules of warfare or morality. They've carried out urgent and difficult missions in remote and hostile parts of the world. And they've done all of this with the bravery and the honor that we've come to expect. As a former Secretary of Defense, I've never been more proud of our men and women in uniform than I am today. (Applause.)
Waging and winning the war on terror is only part of our responsibilities. There is great work in this world that only America can do. In the Middle East, we're encouraging free markets, democracy and tolerance because these are the ideas and aspirations that overcome violence and turn societies to the pursuits of peace.
Under President Bush, America acts in the world according to both our fundamental interests and our founding ideals. We believe in the dignity of life and the right of all people to live in freedom. And all who strive and sacrifice for the cause of freedom will have a friend in the United States.
Here at home, we'll continue with an active and aggressive agenda. We've made major progress on the economy. When we took office, America was sliding into recession. Too many people who wanted to work couldn't find a job. To help create jobs and to get the economy growing again, we've cut taxes each of the three years that we've been in office. In the bill we passed this year, not only did we cut income tax rates, we also significantly cut taxes on dividends and capital gains, fundamental reforms in the tax system that contribute to long-term growth in our economy. We've delivered the largest tax relief since the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
Some in Congress want to repeal the tax relief and raise taxes on the American people. But raising taxes will hurt the recovery and encourage more wasteful spending. Long-term, the solution to deficits is greater economic growth, generating greater revenue for the federal government. Now is exactly the wrong time to talk about a tax increase.
We've also had action, both in the House and the Senate on an energy bill. As the people in New York, Ohio, and Michigan experienced firsthand during the recent blackout, our nation's electricity grid and system needs repair, upgrade and expansion. We're hopeful that Congress will work swiftly to move the bill through the conference committee and produce a plan that will improve our nation's energy infrastructure, and promote energy efficiency and conservation, develop cleaner technology and help us explore for more energy in an environmentally friendly way, and finally reduce our dependence on foreign oil -- a must for the sake of the national security.
After many years of inaction, we are making progress on bringing Medicare into the 21st century. Last January, President Bush submitted a framework for Medicare reform to Congress that would give seniors access to prescription drug coverage and offer them better choices under Medicare. Both houses have taken historic action. And the President and I appreciate Mike Rogers' support for including prescription drug coverage as part of a modernized Medicare system. Now Congress must complete its work and send a bill to the President that provides seniors with better health coverage and relief from rising costs of prescription drugs. We're also looking forward to working with the Congress to help small business provide affordable health care to their employees.
We also need to fix the judicial confirmation process. Right now far too many nominations for the federal bench are being held up under threat of filibuster. Our friends on the other side of the aisle refuse to allow nominees of great merit to even have a vote on the Senate floor. Well qualified nominees like Alabama's Attorney General, Bill Pryor, who represents the mainstream of American law and value, who enjoys the support of Alabama's two senators -- Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby -- and who has outstanding credentials to serve on the federal bench, have been attacked by Senate Democrats who have blocked and up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate.
Yesterday, we saw the withdrawal from consideration of Miguel Estrada, a very talented young man with outstanding credentials, who had been nominated by the President to serve the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, who after waiting more than two years for an up-or-down vote, finally decided that he couldn't wait any longer, that he needed to get on with worrying about his family and his career. But he was never allowed to have a simple up-or-down vote in the United States Senate, where we had a majority to support him for confirmation as a member of the federal bench.
This is unfair not only to the nominees and their families but also to Americans who are forced to deal with courts handling a growing caseload without the judges they need. It's time to restore dignity and civility to the judicial confirmation process by making certain that every person nominated to the federal bench gets a timely up-or-down vote. (Applause.)
We've achieved a great deal in these two-and-a-half years, but there's much left to do in Washington and around the world. We need to enact Project BioShield to help protect the American people against the threat of biological warfare. We need legal reform because the strength of our economy is undermined by frivolous lawsuits. And while there are encouraging signs that the economy is picking up steam, the President and I will not rest until everyone who wants a job can find a job.
The campaign season will come in due course. Some might say it has already started. And when it does, we will run hard and take absolutely nothing for granted. President Bush and I know that the key to victory is to do the work we've been given and to do it well. We intend to make good use of every day that we have the honor of serving the American people.
Long before I took this job I had the good fortune to work with other Presidents whom I greatly admire. A White House staffer in the aftermath of Watergate, I saw Gerald Ford restore confidence in government out of the sheer decency and force of his character. As a congressman during the decisive years of the Cold War, I saw the conviction and moral courage of Ronald Reagan. And as a member of the Cabinet under former President Bush, I saw the ideal of public service in its purest form and came to know a leader of honor and integrity.
Along the way, I learned a few things about the presidency and the kind of person it takes to do that job well. It takes the finest qualities of character, conviction, personal integrity, good judgment, compassion and courage in times of testing for the nation. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the kind of man we have in the White House today. (Applause.)
I'm honored to work with George W. Bush. And he and I are both honored by your confidence and support you've placed in us, by your support for outstanding leaders like Mike Rogers and Richard Shelby, who serve Alabama and America so well, and by your commitment to this great and good country of ours, the United States of America. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Richard B. Cheney, Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for Congressman Mike Rogers in Huntsville, Alabama Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/281809


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'Epigenetics' Means What We Eat, How We Live And Love, Alters How Our Genes Behave
- Date:
- October 27, 2005
- Source:
- Duke University Medical Center
- Summary:
- A mother rat withholds nurturing licks from its pup and elicits a brain change that impairs the pup's response to stress as an adult, researchers in Canada found. A pregnant woman's dietary deficits increase her offspring's risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life, researchers in England have shown.
- Share:
DURHAM, N.C. – A mother rat withholds nurturing licks from its pup and elicits a brain change that impairs the pup's response to stress as an adult, researchers in Canada found. A pregnant woman's dietary deficits increase her offspring's risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life, researchers in England have shown.
These startling scientific discoveries illuminate the emerging field of epigenetics, in which single nutrients, toxins, behaviors or environmental exposures of any sort can silence or activate a gene without altering its genetic code in any way.
Rather, the environmental exposure triggers a chemical change in the body or brain that mobilizes a group of molecules – called a methyl group. The methyl group attaches to the control segment of a gene and either silences – or alternately activates – the gene. Either way, the gene veers off its intended course of activity.
Duke scientists describe methylation as putting gum on a light switch. The switch isn't broken, but the gum blocks its function.
"We can no longer argue whether genes or environment has a greater impact on our health and development, because both are inextricably linked," said Randy Jirtle, Ph.D., a genetics researcher in Duke's Department of Radiation Oncology and initiator of the upcoming epigenetics conference. Co-initiator of the conference is Fred Tyson, Ph.D., at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). "Each nutrient, each interaction, each experience can manifest itself through biochemical changes that ultimately dictate gene expression, whether at birth or 40 years down the road."
Such stealth changes often occur in embryonic or fetal development, but they set the stage for an adult's susceptibility to a host of diseases and behavioral responses, the data suggest. Moreover, epigenetic changes – so named because they sit on top of the gene and leave its sequence unchanged – can also be passed down from one generation to the next, said Jirtle.
The good news is that methylation is potentially reversible, he said. Unlike defective genes, which are damaged for life, methylated genes can be demethylated. And, methyl tags that are knocked off can be regained via nutrients, drugs, and enriching experiences.
The fact that gene behavior is far more malleable than once believed has critically shifted the scientific community's course in mining the human genome, said Jirtle. No longer are mutant genes sought as the sole cause of disease. The dramatic rise in obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other conditions of prosperous nations are increasingly pegged as epigenetic in nature, and may well claim their origins in faulty embryonic development, he said.
In one example, Jirtle showed that four common nutritional supplements – B12, folic acid, choline and betaine from sugar beets – fed to pregnant mice actually altered the coat colors of their offspring. One or several of the nutrients methlyated the mouse agouti gene and gave rise to mice with brown coats instead of yellow coats. More importantly, he said, the supplements lowered the offspring's adult susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and cancer as compared to the unsupplemented offspring.
"Nutrition isn't a fleeting affair," said Jirtle. "We are, quite literally, what we eat as well as what our parents and even grandparents ate.
"In countries like India and China, undernutrition in one generation is followed by fat-laden fast foods the next," said Jirtle. "Children are set up in utero to experience an environment of low nutrition and find themselves in the land of plenty. The epigenetic software is programmed for one scenario but encounters another, often with disastrous results."
Seismic shifts in food sources, geographic locations, chemical exposures and even weather patterns can alter gene expression through epigenetic changes, he said.
In Finland, researchers have linked an infant's low birth weight to the adult prevalence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and even osteoporosis. David Barker's longitudinal studies have shown that low-weight newborns are biologically different for life than their bulkier counterparts. Smaller infants have fewer kidney nephrons, altered metabolism, and are more insulin resistant, said Barker, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Sciences University. These deficits reflect a fetus' response to being undernourished, and they wire their genes to respond differently to the environment that follows outside the womb.
"The notion that heart disease is solely about middle-aged men's behavior is obsolete," said Barker, one of 70 speakers presenting data at the upcoming conference. "A huge body of evidence now supports the notion that these diseases are linked to poor fetal growth followed by adequate or even an excess of food in childhood. While we are not doomed by our prenatal and early nutritional exposures, they do make us more vulnerable to disease," said Barker, whose latest results will be published in the October 27, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Nutrition is only one player in the epigenetic repertoire. Behaviors have a direct impact on brain wiring, said Moshe Szyf, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University in Montreal and a presenter at the conference. Maternal care, for example, has long been known to affect behavioral outcomes of children, as exemplified by orphans who grow up neglected or impoverished. But Szyf and his collaborator Michael Meaney at McGill University have linked maternal grooming behaviors in rats to a specific brain change in the glucocorticoid receptor, which controls the level of stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. Rats that were not properly licked -- a rodent's form of nurturing -- produce more stress hormones as adults. Syzf identified the mechanism behind this effect as a loss of methylation in the part of the glucocorticoid receptor gene that controls its expression.
"We're showing that it's the maternal behavior that counts, not just the genetic baggage," he said. "Behavior can clearly affect the chemistry of DNA."
Szyf's team was able to remethylate the glucocorticoid receptor gene by injecting an essential amino acid, methionone, into the brains of well nurtured rats. The scientists successfully turned the good stress responders into less healthy stress responders, and vice versa by injecting a different compound into the brains of poor responders.
The reversible nature of epigenetic changes has its down sides, as well. Exposures to pesticides, toxins and synthetic compounds can methylate genes in adulthood and give rise to a host of diseases – such as cancer and asthma -- whose prevalence has soared in recent decades, said H. Kim Lyerly, M.D., director of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Pesticides encountered in utero might be dormant in the fetus, only to cause cancer ten, 20 or 50 years later, he said.
Even the lowest detectable limits of a chemical can have dire effects on a living organism, added William Schlesinger, Ph.D., Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke. Atrizine is a prime example. Less than one part per billion of this widely used corn herbicide de-masculinizes developing frogs or causes dual male-female genitalia. Yet often the Environmental Protection Agency's instrumentation doesn't record such minute levels of chemical exposure, he said.
"If Atrizine is having this effect in animals, we question its effects on humans," said Schlesinger. "Are the current standards of exposure high enough to protect the organisms exposed to select chemicals? Our role as environmental scientists is to assess the potential impact of each compound on native organisms and develop models that physician scientists can apply to humans."
At the NIEHS, scientists have embraced epigenetics as a major frontier in their scientific exploration of the environment, said David Schwartz, Ph.D., the institute's director.
"Epigenetics represents a huge opportunity to study an alternative pathway that explains why individuals respond differently to environmental cues," said Schwartz. "This field provides the missing link between the environment and the development of diseases that goes beyond many of the subtle changes in DNA that explain only a fraction of the diseases humans develop."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Duke University Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Facilitated by Yo Dunn
Yo is a trainer and consultant who works across the public sector (primarily in social care and education) with specialisms in autism and law. She is experienced in working closely with professionals in local authorities, care providers and in schools. She creates and delivers high level training on the legal framework of adult social care, safeguarding and autism for many English local authorities and other clients, including sector organisations such as OPG and ADASS. Yo provides training on all aspects of the Care Act; Adult Safeguarding law and practice; Mental Capacity law; DOLS; SEND law; and specialist autism courses for social care and education professionals. She has a thorough and up to date working knowledge of public law and professional practice issues in both adult and children's services and a multi-faceted perspective on a range of issues affecting all client groups, but particularly autistics both with and without intellectual disabilities.
To support practitioners in applying learning from SARs and case law to complex adult safeguarding cases.
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Who should apply for this course?
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You will be informed of the outcome of your application by email from the TSAB Business Unit. Places are not confirmed until this point. If you are unsuccessful your name may be added to a waiting list.
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Meet More of Our Recent VIP Winners
We gave away a Samsung Chromebook, a pair of Bose headphones, $500 in cash and more last month in our VIP program. Check out the complete list of winners here. Congratulations to the most recent winners in our VIP program! The winners are:
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We have already contacted our winners, and they're pretty excited. They'll be receiving their prizes soon, but there's always next time! Our VIP program has tons of great contests happening right now - from the hottest gadgets, shopping sprees, cash, trips and more. Plus, play games, access exclusive content and share your feedback.


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I visited the Bike To Work Day breakfast station at Mollie's Country Cafe in Scotts Valley, CA this morning, but first, take a look at this gas station sign I biked past on the way there.
Shortages in California have forced retailers to boost prices as the demand continues to outstrip supply. A huge fire two months ago has forced the largest supplier in Northern California, Chevron's 240,000 barrel per day Richmond refinery, to operate at a much reduced capacity. Conoco Phillips refineries near Santa Maria and in the Bay Area are shut down for maintenance. A Chevron pipeline that delivers oil from fields in Kern County failed in September and remains shut down as the pipeline operator "assesses the situation." Finally, Exxon Mobil's refinery in Torrance California shut down Tuesday after a power failure. Exxon says it will take them about a week to bring the refinery back online.
This perfect storm of shutdowns has resulted in gasoline prices jumping 40 cents per gallon literally overnight throughout California, and gas stations are beginning to close because they're unable to get any from their suppliers. The shortages in California have forced gas prices up in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, too, as suppliers work to import gasoline from other regions.
I don't have current data on Pacific Rim energy prices, but if history is any guide, we can expect fuel prices to rise in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and Japan as California importers pay higher prices to ship refined product from those countries.
(Note to those of you in Europe in Asia: Yes, we've heard your prices are at least twice that, and in litres to boot. Your high prices are driven in part by higher taxes, so fuel purchases benefit the public. In the USA, very low taxes on fuel purchases mean record profits for suppliers.)
Bike To Work Day
The autumn Bike To Work Day (BTWD) in Santa Cruz County seemed much busier than what I've seen in past years, or maybe word is getting out at Mollie's Country Cafe excellent free breakfast.
That's an egg, ham and cheese English muffin sandwich with breakfast potatoes, and the portions are generous.
I shared a table with Pete and Gary.
Pete (the younger guy on the left) works at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. He biked up from Santa Cruz to Scotts Valley to teach a group of 3rd graders at Vine Hill Elementary School about coastal lagoons.
Gary (the white beard) used to be the BTWD site coordinator for Scotts Valley, but now he shills for People Power, encouraging people who stop by for the free breakfast to join. Gary rides a recumbent bicycle.
I also met this group who work for Fox Racing Shox and biked up from Santa Cruz because they heard about Mollie's awesome breakfast sandwich.
Fox is headquartered south of where I live in Watsonville, CA, but they opened up an engineering office in Scotts Valley earlier this year. Fox's new office is located about three blocks away from Giro / Bell Sports design center here in town.
Finally, I also ran into Andrew, who owns Scotts Valley Cycle Sport. He and his crew biked walked to Mollie's to enjoy breakfast.


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Pink Bug Life Children's Cotton Jersey Leggings
Pink Bug Life Children's Cotton Jersey Leggings
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In 1994, frustrated by five years of failed reforms, the Illinois Legislature granted to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sweeping authority over the Chicago Public Schools. Accountabilitythe new reformers hopedwould come from the publicity generated by the success or failure of the city's top official. In his recent State of the State address, Governor John Engler called for similar legislation in Michigan, with his primary target being Detroit.
Should the Michigan Legislature grant power to mayors to seize control of poorly performing schools? Let's take a look at what actually happened in Chicago.
Much to Mayor Daley's credit, he appointed a crack management team which weeded out tens of millions of dollars of waste and corruption. The Mayor had an excellent reputation for assembling teams of good managers and his appointment of budget director Paul Vallas to lead the Chicago education reforms was no exception.
Vallas decided that the nation's third-largest school district ought to concentrate on education issues, and education issues only. He and his assistants eliminated a $1.3 million budget deficit in part by contracting with private companies for transportation, janitorial, and food services. In three years, the Chicago Public Schools saved $20 million simply by privatizing busing. The savings enabled more money to be directed into after-school and summer school programs for struggling students.
So on the finance side, the mayoral takeover in Chicago was quite helpful. The educational progress, however, has been modest. Test scores finally bottomed out and have improved for three years running, but only by the most humble amounts, leaving them well below their levels of just six years ago.
Most of the improvements in test scores that have taken place can be attributed to making kids practice test-taking skills (when to skip difficult questions and when to guess, for example) and teaching to the tests. This means the reformers will soon squeeze out all the marginal improvements that the takeover can deliver, and will then have to come up with some other scheme to make further progress or try something genuinely new and innovative.
Could Mayor Dennis Archer duplicate even the limited success of Chicago if he were to take over the struggling Detroit Public Schools? That depends critically on the resolve of the board and the CEO he appoints to implement and sustain changes that the Detroit Public Schools have consistently rejected for years. The board must be willing to persevere against an entrenched bureaucracy that keeps poor financial records and resists attempts by the public to find out what's going on. And the board must reach out to Detroit parents by acting on their concerns and seeking their support and involvement.
Mayor Archer must be much more open to privatization within the schools than he has been within his own city administration. Other than to keep the unions happy, there's no reason to deprive classrooms of resources just so more money than necessary is spent on busing, janitorial, and food services.
The chances of at least minor success will increase greatly if the takeover boards are empowered to relax teacher tenure and certification rules. Good teachers must be rewarded and placed where they can do the greatest good; bad teachers must be moved out.
Ultimately, a mayoral takeover of schools is a short-term Band-Aid. Something more fundamental is required when only one-third of the students entering the ninth grade are able to graduate, and of those who do, fewer than one-half can read at the eighth-grade level or solve sixth-grade level math problems. The really substantive and lasting changes that are needed will occur only when families are empowered with the ability to leave a failing school and choose another.
The fact that a reform-minded governor now proposes exchanging one set of politicians for another as a "bold" maneuver suggests we've reached the outer limits of what can be done to improve the schools within Michigan's constitution. Detroit parents instinctively know this, as reflected in a recent Detroit Free Press poll that showed 77 percent of them support amending the constitution to allow for tax credits for tuition at nonpublic schools. Parents seem to be saying they would rather pick their children's school rather than pick the politicians who run the schools.
Until we allow for genuine school choice through such mechanisms as tuition tax credits, well-intentioned but desperate measures like takeovers may help, but they will still come up short.


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Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe that this is the last Friday before Thanksgiving? Oh my goodness, I'm so ready to start getting out Christmas decorations, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for Christmas to already be around the corner! I'm honestly contemplating doing some hybrid Christmas cards so I need to get some cute pictures of the kids put together. Oy! Just another item on the "to-do" list!
Well, for the last hurrah before the Thanksgiving holiday, Taylor has another challenge sketch for you....
And I totally had to get out my What's Cookin'? set along with coordinating apron and accessories dies to make a "thanks for dinner" card. I used that adorable matching Bon Appetite paper from Doodlebug to begin with and the rest of the card just practically put itself together. Don't you just love it when that happens? :)
I also pulled out my new yellow gingham fabric tape which was just AWESOME to use!! It is exactly as it says...tape, and therefore easy as pie to make a nice ruffle without having to fuss with stitching, or red tape, or any of that business!
Now be sure and check out what the rest of the super talented Sketch Crew has to show on their takes of the sketch.
Have a super fabulous weekend and hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in one more project before the upcoming holiday!
Friday, November 19, 2010
4 comments:
- Jami said...
Love the way you pieced that apron and dang I really need to find some doilies! Super cute Melissa!
- November 19, 2010 at 10:43 AM
- Monika/Buzsy said...
Such a cute card Melissa. Love the apron and the cute mitten/measuring spoons... fun colors. :o)
- November 19, 2010 at 1:28 PM
- Taylor said...
Super cute, Melissa! Love the patterned apron and the doily and the cute little cutout charms!
- November 19, 2010 at 8:06 PM
- Karen said...
Oh this is soooooooo super cute Melissa! I just love that little dress die! Great job!
x - November 22, 2010 at 1:30 AM
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In addition to standard rolling (which returns results instantly based on a random number generator), Roll20 also features the ability to roll 3D Dice. When you enable this feature, anytime you perform a roll (including rolls in macros), a real-time 3D physics simulation will be shown to you, and the results of the simulation will be used to determine the results of the dice roll.
Note: 3D Dice rolls are insured by our Roll20 QuantumRoll dice engine.
Video Overviews
Here are two quick videos that show you how 3D Dice work in Roll20:
Auto-Rolling 3D Dice
Rolling 3D Dice with Dice Agency
Enabling 3D Dice
By default, 3D Dice are disabled. To enable this feature, go to the My Settings tab in the Sidebar. After the Master Music Volume Level Slider is a series of feature check boxes, you will find a checkbox allowing you to "Enable 3D Dice."
Note: If your computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements to show 3D Dice (e.g. your browser or graphics card do not support WebGL technology), you will receive a warning message letting you know that it can't be turned on.
After 3D Dice have been enabled, all dice rolls you perform that use the standard d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100 (percentile) dice will be shown in 3D and dice will stay on the tabletop after you roll them until you either a) interact with the tabletop (e.g. clicking), or b) make another roll.
To disable 3D Dice, just uncheck the same checkbox.
Automatically Roll 3D Dice
You can toggle the Automatically Roll 3D Dice checkbox in your Game's My Settings tab for Dice Agency options.
Dice Agency
Dice Agency is on when the box labeled "Automatically Roll 3D Dice" in your games "My settings" tab is unchecked. With Dice Agency enabled, you will have complete control over how dice are rolled in game. You'll be given the ability to click-and-drag to indicate the direction and force with which the dice are thrown. Check the Automatically Roll 3D Dice box to use the old "auto roll" method.
3D Dice Color
The color of the dice you roll is determined by your player color. You can set your player color by clicking the color swatch to the right of your name across the bottom of the Roll20 window.
3D Percentile Dice
When you roll a D100 you'll see two D10's roll on the tabletop, one labeled 00-90 and one labeled 0-9.
Viewing Other Player's Rolls
In addition to your own rolls, if you have 3D Dice enabled, any other players who also have the feature enabled will see your rolls in real-time as you perform them, and you will see theirs as well.


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1. Child
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At the timeof arrival
Select the desired travel period and the number of nights.
Select your desired departure date. Cancel
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Along with the documentation that comes with Logic Pro, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more.
Each application offers detailed documentation that covers new or changed features and functions. This documentation can be accessed in the following location:
Click the Release Notes and New Features links in the application Help menu.
For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Logic Pro, go to:
For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, go to the general Apple Support webpage. You'll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles.
For software updates, documentation, discussion forums, and answers to the most frequently asked questions for Logic Pro, go to:
For discussion forums for all Apple products from around the world, where you can search for an answer, post your question, or answer other users' questions, go to:


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The number 69 is an sexual reference of the 69 sex position, which appears as a recurring joke throughout the Grand Theft Auto series.
This page lists some of its appearances:
- The game Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (although this may be incidental).
- Runways at all airports in the GTA III Era being numbered 69.
- Shipping containers bearing the number 69.
Grand Theft Auto III
- The advertised play 69th Street.
- The offical GTA III website description of Francis International Airport says "Fares Starting as Low as $69 Each Way".
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- On the Bloodring Bangers in Vice City.
- On the Hotring Racers in Vice City.
- Some of the Firetrucks have "69" written on them.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Area 69 military base in San Andreas.
- 69 Cents used as prices and the name of a chain of discount stores.
- The San Fierro 69ers American Football team, also a reference to the San Francisco 49ers.
- Pier 69 in San Fierro, a reference to Pier 39 in San Francisco.
- On the side of the aircraft carrier in Easter Basin Naval Station in San Fierro.
- A Burger Shot menu has "Everything is 69 cents" written on it.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- The mission in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Crazy '69'.
- Officer '69', the generic police officer and a multi-player character of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
- Marquis in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories had "Marquis 69" written on the rear of the boat.
Grand Theft Auto IV
- The 69th Street Diner in Grand Theft Auto IV. Similar-looking "60 Diner" restaurants are also seen around the city.
- There is a cuban cigars brand called 69 Brand.
- On the side of buses in Liberty City.
- The strippers have $69 bills strapped to their body.
- The Pump Shotgun has etching on the gun reading "Model no. 69."
- The Fire Trucks in Grand Theft Auto IV have the numbers 69 written on the side of them.
The Lost and the Dammed
- Malc has 69 sown on his jacket.
- The achievement and trophy Get Good Wood(which is also a sexual reference itself) in The Lost and Damned is earned by knocking 69 bikers off of their bikes with a bat during Races in The Lost and Damned.
- The Grenade Launcher is based on the HK69A1.
Grand Theft Auto V
- There are 69 missions in Grand Theft Auto V


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Ingrediants for Puran/filling: (makes 6-8 polis)
Rice flour : 2 cups
Water: 4 cups
Ingrediants for the skin/outer cover layer
Chiroti Rava : 2 cups
oil (I prefer to use Sunflower oil. Any oil that is in use at home for day to day cooking can be used)
Most of you know to make Chutney and Potato Palya so I will not be blogging them.
How to make it:
1. Mix Chiroti rava and salt. Add enough water to make a dough. Dough should be soft like chapathi dough. Pour some oil and knead again till some of the oil is taken in by dough. Pour extra oil on the dough cover it with a lid and leave it aside for 30 mins.
2. Bring 4 cups of water to boil with salt. When water starts boiling add rice flour and let it boil for 7 mins on low flame.
8. Apply some oil on the closed ball and press it gently to make it flat.
9. Roll them off with a rolling ping pin like chapathis/polis on a laminated paper. Smear oil to the rolling pin to roll them easily.
10. Place the rolled poli on the hot tava with the paper as shown in the pic. Take the paper away and use it for next poli.
11. Fry it on both sides and serve with chutney and Potato Palya/sabji
12. You can make masala poli like masala dosa too...like this
13. Eat and Enjoy!!!! :-)
14. Forgot to post this picture :(
Check out other authentic Karnataka cuisine on my blog too. To name a few Akki Rotti, Chitrana, Badanekayi bajji, RiceFlour Pooris, Mysore Bonda, Hurulimalake Huli, Hurgalu.
Happy Cooking for RCI-K.


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Direct Sow Seeds
It's the miracle everyone wants: You plant a seed in the soil, add a little water and sunshine, and soon you're eating what you grew. For many vegetables in many places, that actually requires starting the seeds indoors in winter or early spring to get a head start on a too-short growing season and then moving the plants outdoors when the air and the soil are warm enough. (See Seed Starting Indoors article.)
But some vegetables really can be sown directly in garden soil and produce a flavorful addition
to the dinner table. No indoor seed-starting, no lights, no transplanting.
These are great crops for introducing children to gardening. Children are
overjoyed to see the results of their planting and watering, and a child will eat the most
amazing things if she grew them herself.
Direct-sown plants have the same basic needs as all vegetables: full sun (eight hours a day);
rich, well-drained soil into which you've dug lots of organic matter such as compost;
appropriate amounts of nutrients, from compost and, if needed, fertilizer; and water.
Follow the directions on the seed packet. In order to do that, you'll need to know your "last
frost date." This is the date when, on average, the last frost occurs in your area, and most
planting instructions revolve around it. Call your local cooperative extension office (find an
office here) or ask an experienced
gardener in your neighborhood. It's important to get advice from nearby because the last frost
date can vary quite a bit over a short distance. For example, it's May 1 in Chicago, near Lake
Michigan; just 20 or 30 miles west in the city's inland suburbs, it's about May 15.
Direct-sown vegetables will take a
week or two to sprout ("germinate"), depending on the weather, so don't despair if you don't
see any action for a while. Just keep a close watch on your garden for the first hints of
It's a good idea to direct-sow vegetables in straight rows. That way, you know that anything
that sprouts outside the row is a weed.
Leaf Lettuce. These salad greens usually
can be sown in the garden starting a week or so before the last frost date. Don't sow all the
seed at once; sow three or four batches about two weeks apart in different sections of your
lettuce plot. As the different batches get big enough to eat in sequence, you will keep salad
coming over a longer period. In southern areas of the country, lettuce is an early spring, fall
or even winter crop; it does not do well in hot weather. Crisphead or iceberg varieties of
lettuce are much more difficult to grow than leaf lettuce and best left to commercial
Carrots. Have kids sow these edible
roots about a week or two before the last frost date. They should wait six or seven weeks
before pulling one up to see whether the root is ready to eat; most varieties mature in 55 to
70 days. But don't leave carrots in the ground so long they get big and woody. Like most root
vegetables, they are most yummy when young. And like all root vegetables, carrots do best in
very well-drained soil free from rocks, which can make them crooked. Amend dense, sticky clay
with lots of compost and perhaps even some sand. You can plant a second crop of carrots in late
summer for fall harvest.
Radishes. These little roots are zippy in more ways
than one: They have a peppery taste, and they mature to eating size faster than anything--in
three to four weeks. Some people have negative associations with them, having encountered too
many too-pungent old radishes at the salad bar. But there are very mild varieties of radishes,
and they come in white, pink and pale purple as well as the familiar ruby red. You can cook
radishes as well as eating them raw in salad or as a snack. Sow in batches, starting about two
weeks before the last frost. You can replant starting in late summer for fall harvest, but
don't try to grow radishes in hot weather.
Peas like the cool weather of spring, or, in the far South, they can be grown in winter. For a
spring crop, sow in the garden about two weeks before the last frost date. Peas are a clinging
vine, so be sure to provide a trellis, a pyramid of bamboo stakes, a wire fence or some other
support for each vine to clamber on. Or else buy varieties labeled "dwarf," "compact" or
"bush"; they will produce fewer peas, but won't need support. Sugar peas and snow peas are two
kinds with edible pods. Young pea plants have sensitive roots, so avoid weeding around them
until they have a good start.
Corn needs warm soil to germinate, so don't sow it until about a week after the last frost
date. In short-season areas, look for a variety labeled "early" that will mature relatively
quickly. You need space for a block of at least 12 plants to ensure that corn flowers pollinate
each other; plan on getting one to two ears per stalk. Tradition holds that before European
settlement, Indian farmers planted the "Three Sisters": Corn seeds in a hill of soil (for good
drainage); beans planted next to the corn a few weeks later, to climb the cornstalk as it grew;
and squash between the hills, so its sprawling vines and big leaves would shade out weed seeds
(like peas, corn has delicate roots near the surface than can be damaged by weeding). Be
warned: This "Three Sisters" arrangement takes up a lot of space in a garden.


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Enthronement is the liturgical rite by which a ruling bishop is installed in his cathedral. At the enthronement, his rule of his diocese officially begins and he is accorded the title appropriate to his new see. During the time between the election and the enthronement of a bishop, he is referred to as "bishop-elect" of that see.
Services of the Orthodox Church |
Eucharist: Divine Liturgy | When the Eucharist cannot be served: Typika |
Daily Cycle (Divine Office) |
Vespers | Compline | Midnight Office | Matins |
Little Hours (Prime,Terce,Sext,None) | Royal Hours | Mesorion |
Other Services |
Akathist Hymn | Paraklesis | Moleben |
Great Blessing of Water | Artoklasia |
Baptism-Chrismation Service | Holy Unction |
Ordination Service | Marriage Service |
Funeral Service | Memorial Service |
The enthronement is usually presided over by the primate of the region or by another senior bishop on behalf of the primate. In the case of the enthronement of the new head of an autocephalous church, the most senior member of the Holy Synod (other than the candidate himself) will usually preside over the enthronement.
Enthronement is a separate rite from the consecration of a bishop, in which a priest is made a bishop.


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Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Government of India
01-January-2015 15:41 IST
Government constitutes National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
Press Note
The Government has replaced Planning Commission with a new institution named NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). The institution will serve as 'Think Tank' of the Government-a directional and policy dynamo. NITI Aayog will provide Governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy, this includes matters of national and international import on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support.
The following is the full text of the Cabinet Resolution:-
Mahatma Gandhi had said: "Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position". Reflecting this spirit and the changed dynamics of the new India, the institutions of governance and policy have to adapt to new challenges and must be built on the founding principles of the Constitution of India, the wealth of knowledge from our civilizational history and the present day socio-cultural context.
2. The Planning Commission was set up on the 15th of March, 1950 through a Cabinet Resolution. Nearly 65 years later, the country has transformed from an under-developed economy to an emergent global nation with one of the world's largest economies.
3. From being preoccupied with survival, our aspirations have soared and today we seek elimination, rather than alleviation, of poverty. The people of India have great expectations for progress and improvement in governance, through their participation. They require institutional reforms in governance and dynamic policy shifts that can seed and nurture large-scale change. Indeed, the 'destiny' of our country, from the time we achieved Independence, is now on a higher trajectory.
4. The past few decades have also witnessed a strengthening of Indian nationhood. India is a diverse country with distinct languages, faiths and cultural ecosystems. This diversity has enriched the totality of the Indian experience. Politically too, India has embraced a greater measure of pluralism which has reshaped the federal consensus. The States of the Union do not want to be mere appendages of the Centre. They seek a decisive say in determining the architecture of economic growth and development. The one-size-fits-all approach, often inherent in central planning, has the potential of creating needless tensions and undermining the harmony needed for national effort. Dr. Ambedkar had said with foresight that it is "unreasonable to centralise powers where central control and uniformity is not clearly essential or is impracticable".
5. At the heart of the dynamics of transforming India lies a technology revolution and increased access to and sharing of information. In the course of this transformation, while some changes are anticipated and planned, many are a consequence of market forces and larger global shifts. The evolution and maturing of our institutions and polity also entail a diminished role for centralised planning, which itself needs to be redefined.
6. The forces transforming India are many and include:
a. The industry and service sectors have developed and are operating on a global scale now. To build on this foundation, new India needs an administration paradigm in which the government is an "enabler" rather than a "provider of first and last resort". The role of the government as a "player" in the industrial and service sectors has to be reduced. Instead, government has to focus on enabling legislation, policy making and regulation.
b. India's traditional strength in agriculture has increased manifold on account of the efforts of our farmers and improvements in technology. We need to continue to improve, and move from pure food security to a focus on a mix of agricultural production as well as the actual returns that farmers get from their produce.
c. Today, we reside in a 'global village', connected by modern transport, communications and media, and networked international markets and institutions. As India 'contributes' to global endeavours, it is also influenced by happenings far removed from our borders. Global economics and geo-politics are getting increasingly integrated, and the private sector is growing in importance as a constituent within that. India needs to be an active player in the debates and deliberations on the global commons, especially in relatively uncharted areas.
d. India's middle class is unique in terms of its size and purchasing power. This formidable group is increasing with the entry of the neo-middle class. It has been an important driver of growth and has enormous potential on account of its high education levels, mobility and willingness to push for change in the country. Our continuing challenge is to ensure that this economically vibrant group remains engaged and its potential is fully realised.
e. India's pool of entrepreneurial, scientific and intellectual human capital is a source of strength waiting to be unleashed to help us attain unprecedented heights of success. In fact, the 'social capital' that is present in our people has been a major contributor to the development of the country thus far and, therefore, it needs to be leveraged through appropriate policy initiatives.
f. The Non-Resident Indian community, which is spread across more than 200 countries, is larger in number than the population of many countries of the world. This is a significant geo-economic and geo-political strength. Future national policies must incorporate this strength in order to broaden their participation in the new India beyond just their financial support. Technology and management expertise are self-evident areas where this community can contribute significantly.
g. Urbanisation is an irreversible trend. Rather than viewing it as an evil, we have to make it an integral part of our policy for development. Urbanisation has to be viewed as an opportunity to use modern technology to create a wholesome and secure habitat while reaping the economic benefits that it offers.
h. Transparency is now a sine qua non for good governance. We are in a digital age where the tools and modes of communication, like social media, are powerful instruments to share and explain the thoughts and actions of the government. This trend will only increase with time. Government and governance have to be conducted in an environment of total transparency – using technology to reduce opacity and thereby, the potential for misadventures in governing.
7. Technology and information access have accentuated the unity in diversity that defines us. They have helped integrate different capabilities of our regions, states and eco-systems towards an interlinked national economy. Indeed, Indian nationhood has been greatly strengthened on their account. To reap the benefits of the creative energy that emerges from the Indian kaleidoscope, our development model has to become more consensual and co-operative. It must embrace the specific demands of states, regions and localities. A shared vision of national development has to be worked out based on human dignity, national self-respect and an inclusive and sustainable development path.
8. The challenges we face as a country have also become more complex:
a. India's demographic dividend has to be leveraged fruitfully over the next few decades. The potential of our youth, men and women, has to be realized through education, skill development, elimination of gender bias, and employment. We have to strive to provide our youth productive opportunities to work on the frontiers of science, technology and knowledge economy.
b. Poverty elimination remains one of the most important metrics by which alone we should measure our success as a nation. Every Indian must be given an opportunity to live a life of dignity and self respect. The words of Tiruvalluvar, the sage-poet, when he wrote that "nothing is more dreadfully painful than poverty", and "gripping poverty robs a man of the lofty nobility of his descent", are as true today as they were when written more than two thousand years ago.
c. Economic development is incomplete if it does not provide every individual the right to enjoy the fruits of development. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya had enunciated this in his concept of Antyodaya, or uplift of the downtrodden, where the goal is to ensure that the poorest of the poor get the benefits of development. Inequalities based on gender biases as well as economic disparities have to be redressed. We need to create an environment and support system that encourages women to play their rightful role in nation-building. Equality of opportunity goes hand in hand with an inclusiveness agenda. Rather than pushing everyone on to a pre-determined path, we have to give every element of society – especially weaker segments like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes - the ability to influence the choices the country and government make in setting the national agenda. In fact, inclusion has to be predicated on a belief in the ability of each member of society to contribute. As Sankar Dev wrote centuries ago in the Kirtan Ghosh: "To see every being as equivalent to one's own soul is the supreme means (of attaining deliverance)".
d. Villages (Gram) continue to be the bedrock of our ethos, culture and sustenance. They need to be fully integrated institutionally into the development process so that we draw on their vitality and energy.
e. India has more than 50 million small businesses, which are a major source of employment creation. These businesses are particularly important in creating opportunities for the backward and disadvantaged sections of the society. Policy making must focus on providing necessary support to this sector in terms of skill and knowledge upgrades and access to financial capital and relevant technology.
f. Responsible development implies environmentally sound development. India is one of the mega-diverse countries. Our environmental and ecological assets are eternal, and must be preserved and safeguarded. The country's legacy of respect for environment is reflected in our reverence for trees and animals. Our legacy to future generations must be sustainable progress. Each element of our environment (paryavaran) and resources, namely water, land and forest (Jal, Jameen evam Jungle) must be protected; and this must be done in a manner that takes into account their inter-linkages with climate (jal vayu) and people (jan). Our development agenda has to ensure that development does not sully the quality of life of the present and future generations.
9. The role of the government in achieving 'national objectives' may change with time, but will always remain significant. Government will continue to set policies that anticipate and reflect the country's requirements and execute them in a just manner for the benefit of the citizens. The continuing integration with the world – politically and economically - has to be incorporated into policy making as well as functioning of the government.
In essence, effective governance in India will rest on the following pillars:
a. Pro-people agenda that fulfils the aspirations of the society as well as individual,
b. Pro-active in anticipating and responding to their needs,
c. Participative, by involvement of citizens,
d. Empowering women in all aspects
e. Inclusion of all groups, with special attention to the economically weak (garib), the SC, ST and OBC communities, the rural sector and farmers (gaon and kisan), youth and all categories of minorities.
f. Equality of opportunity to our country's youth,
g. Transparency through the use of technology to make government visible and responsive.
10. Governance, across the public and private domains, is the concern of society as a whole. Everyone has a stake in ensuring good governance and effective delivery of services. Creating Jan Chetna, therefore, becomes crucial for people's initiative. In the past, governance may have been rather narrowly construed as public governance. In today's changed dynamics – with 'public' services often being delivered by 'private' entities, and the greater scope for 'participative citizenry', governance encompasses and involves everyone.
11. The institutional framework of government has developed and matured over the years. This has allowed the development of domain expertise which allows us the chance to increase the specificity of functions given to institutions. Specific to the planning process, there is a need to separate as well as energize the distinct 'process' of governance from the 'strategy' of governance.
In the context of governance structures, the changed requirements of our country, point to the need for setting up an institution that serves as a Think Tank of the government – a directional and policy dynamo. The proposed institution has to provide governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy. This includes matters of national and international import on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support. The institution has to be able to respond to the changing and more integrated world that India is part of.
An important evolutionary change from the past will be replacing a centre-to-state one-way flow of policy by a genuine and continuing partnership with the states. The institution must have the necessary resources, knowledge, skills and, ability to act with speed to provide the strategic policy vision for the government as well as deal with contingent issues.
Perhaps most importantly, the institution must adhere to the tenet that while incorporating positive influences from the world, no single model can be transplanted from outside into the Indian scenario. We need to find our own strategy for growth. The new institution has to zero in on what will work in and for India. It will be a Bharatiya approach to development.
12. The institution to give life to these aspirations is the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). This is being proposed after extensive consultation across the spectrum of stakeholders including inter alia state governments, domain experts and relevant institutions. The NITI Aayog will work towards the following objectives:
a. To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in the light of national objectives. The vision of the NITI Aayog will then provide a framework 'national agenda' for the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers to provide impetus to.
b. To foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis, recognizing that strong States make a strong nation.
c. To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government.
d. To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of national security are incorporated in economic strategy and policy.
e. To pay special attention to the sections of our society that may be at risk of not benefitting adequately from economic progress.
f. To design strategic and long term policy and programme frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their progress and their efficacy. The lessons learnt through monitoring and feedback will be used for making innovative improvements, including necessary mid-course corrections.
g. To provide advice and encourage partnerships between key stakeholders and national and international like-minded Think Tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.
h. To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative community of national and international experts, practitioners and other partners.
i. To offer a platform for resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues in order to accelerate the implementation of the development agenda.
j. To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource Centre, be a repository of research on good governance and best practices in sustainable and equitable development as well as help their dissemination to stake-holders.
k. To actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes and initiatives, including the identification of the needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success and scope of delivery.
l. To focus on technology upgradation and capacity building for implementation of programmes and initiatives.
m. To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to further the execution of the national development agenda, and the objectives mentioned above.
13. The NITI will comprise the following:
a. Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson
b. Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories
c. Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure. The Regional Councils will be convened by the Prime Minister and will comprise of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories in the region. These will be chaired by the Chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee.
d. Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister
e. The full-time organizational framework will comprise of, in addition to the Prime Minister as the Chairperson:
i. Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the Prime Minister
ii. Members: Full-time
iii. Part-time members: Maximum of 2 from leading universities research organizations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part time members will be on a rotational basis.
iv. Ex Officio members: Maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
v. Chief Executive Officer : To be appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
vi. Secretariat as deemed necessary.
14. Swami Vivekananda said "Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." Through its commitment to a cooperative federalism, promotion of citizen engagement, egalitarian access to opportunity, participative and adaptive governance and increasing use of technology, the NITI Aayog will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the governance process. This, along with being the incubator of ideas for effective governance, will be the core mission of NITI Aayog.
Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India
New Delhi, 1st January 2015


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SimplePractice launched in 2012 as a practice management solution, largely for scheduling appointments. As the company grew, its team realised that challenges like billing and accounting were particularly time-consuming for clinicians. "The payments part of running a small business is critical," says Fletcher Dennison, COO of SimplePractice. "If our customers don't get payments right, their business won't be operating."
SimplePractice wanted to help these clinicians eliminate inaccurate and cumbersome paper-based processes for accepting payments. In order to launch payments on the SimplePractice platform, the company needed to be able to manage money movement between clients and clinicians without having to focus internal resources on building software from scratch or integrating multiple new systems.
SimplePractice chose Stripe because it easily integrated with its platform to bring powerful payment management tools to the SimplePractice mobile app. Within weeks of choosing Stripe Connect, SimplePractice rolled out patient billing and payments to users, fully integrated into the SimplePractice suite of tools. This meant that clinicians could collect client payment information once and then let SimplePractice and Stripe take care of management payments and billing.
With Stripe, SimplePractice also launched an autopay feature, which
allows clinicians to set up automated payments for regular clients and receive a payment summary every evening via email that lists the day's client payments to be charged.
SimplePractice's co-founder and CTO, Ralph Zimmermann, notes that Stripe's flexible, unified API has made maintaining SimplePractice's high bar for product quality and building new products markedly easier. "Stripe allows us to enable health and wellness professionals to start accepting credit cards within minutes instead of days, and without Stripe Connect, we would likely have to create a four-person team just to handle credit card payments."
SimplePractice's new autopay offering also received a positive response from clinicians. Over 30% of SimplePractice's health and wellness professionals were using autopay shortly after launch. "The great thing about automated payments is that SimplePractice and Stripe are working while clinicians are sleeping – taking care of all the tasks they had to do after caring for clients," Spector says. "It gives back time to clinicians, so they have the freedom to work with more clients or go home to their families, even as they're receiving payments."
By integrating Stripe into the SimplePractice platform we've built a product that allows practice owners to stay focused on their powerful work without losing time to payment management.


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Mayhew, Richard, (Untitled)
Mayhew, Richard, (Untitled)
"Untitled" by Richard Mayhew
9.5 x 13.5 inches original watercolor painting on paper --framed
Richard Mayhew was born in 1924 in Amityville, New York. He was born to Alvin and Lillian Mayhew, whose common African American and Native American descent would become important to Richard. At a young age, his grandmother, Sarah Steele Mayhew, instilled in him a deep reverence for nature as she taught him "the nature lore, ways and attitudes" of American Indians. His appreciation for art also started at a young age, when each summer artists from New York City would come to Amityville to capture and paint the seashore. Mayhew was fascinated by these artists and started experimenting on his own using his father's paints and brushes. When he was 14, one of the artists asked to see what he could do, which opened the door for Mayhew to join them regularly to paint and receive encouragement. In his late teens, Mayhew would frequently visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he studied Rembrandt and many American landscapists. He continued to learn about painting in an English magazine, Apollo, and, by the time he turned 17, he decided he wanted to be an artist.
In 1945, Mayhew moved to New York City and became a freelance medical illustrator and was mentored by James Wilson Peale. In 1951, he started taking classes at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. He studied under many teachers, such as Reuben Tam, Edwin Dickson, Victor Kandel, Gregorio Prestopino, Hans Hofmann and Max Beckman. During this time, Mayhew also took classes at the Pratt Institute and obtained a degree in art history from Columbia University. To survive as an artist, Mayhew was an illustrator for children's books and designed lamps and china ware. He also had jobs singing with jazz combos and performed in the theatre.
In 1955, Mayhew had his first solo exhibition at Brooklyn Museum and two years later his second solo exhibition at Morris Gallery in Greenwich Village. His early shows received high critical praise. The critics admired his use of light, color, and form, as they compared him to Claude Monet and Winslow Homer. Sidney Tillum of Arts magazine, said Mayhew's landscapes are "poised in their nostalgia are painted with…a sense of period, American style, with out being able to place it." Mayhew has a talent to suggest his landscapes in a spiritual and mystical way, rather than depicting specific places.
In 1959, Mayhew received the John Hay Whitney Fellowship, which enabled him to attend the Academia in Florence, Italy. After spending one year there, his teachers encouraged him to broaden his horizons and increase his influences. "They told me that being away from my own environment would enable me to be more objective about who I was and where I was." Upon receiving The Ford Foundation Grant, Mayhew traveled to Europe to visit Museums and study a variety of artist's works. Through this experience, Mayhew acquired a sense of how artists interpret their environments and lifestyles at that time. He studied color, composition, and design, and found his identity as an artist.
In 1962, Mayhew returned to the States and started teaching courses at the Brooklyn Museum. During this time, the civil rights movement had begun its political challenge against racism and discriminatory policies, which left Mayhew feeling unsure of his own identity. So Mayhew and fellow African-American artists formed the Spiral Group. Together the group challenged and stimulated one another's thinking through debates over how their artwork assisted the struggle for civil rights. Mayhew was enriched as an artist through this group, as he learned how to identify with other African-American artists and how their identity influenced their art.
During this time, Mayhew began identifying his feelings through the use of color. He used a new technique to apply color, where he applied opaque paint over paint that allows underlying colors to show through. This resulted in different intensities of color that changed in different lighting. This new style was described by Bearden and Henderson, when they said it "adds new luster to the American vision in this field, with paintings that have poetic serenity and illusive quality of light. In Arts magazine, Mayhew's landscapes were described as "incredible color abstractions…stunning and unexpected."
From 1963 to 1977, Mayhew taught at many schools, including the Pratt Institute, the Art Students League, Smith College, Hunter College, San Jose State University, and Sonoma State University. During this time, Mayhew received the National Institute of Arts and Letters grant in 1965 to further his creative work of outstanding merit. He also received the National Academy of Design Merit Award in 1977, for his distinguished paintings.
From 1977 to 1991, Mayhew was a professor in the visual arts at the Pennsylvania State University. During his time at Penn State, he took a sabbatical to study the American landscape. His time in Mexico, Arizona, and California stimulated and challenged his imagination, since there was always new lighting, new space and new inspirations for his paintings. When returning he created 20 paintings in three months, making it the "most artistically prolific period of his life." Working only from memory, he relives his experiences to recreate the landscapes on canvas. According to Mayhew, his "art is based on a feeling…of music and mood and sensitivity and the audio responses of sound and space. I want the essence of the inner soul to be on the canvas."
After retiring from Pennsylvania State University, Mayhew returned to Santa Cruz, California, where he now lives. Santa Cruz's terrain reminds him of his home in Amityville and stimulates his imagination to continue to create. Mayhew's style today is best described as neo-American impressionism.
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[Editor's Note: Late last night, we received a note from Ajay Gabriel Sathyan – a longtime member and activist in the LGBTQ community and a friend and ally of Gaysi. With unimaginable courage given the recency of these events, Ajay wrote up, and requested we share, his telling of the trauma he underwent a mere week ago.
Read Ajay's story. Share it. Make some noise. Tell your friends, neighbors and anyone who used #YesAllWomen in the recent past – because misogyny is NOT independent of homophobia or misandry. They are all evils that must be stamped out and no one – I repeat – Not One Human Being deserves to be bullied, harassed or molested regardless of gender, sexuality or mindset.
We hope you will support Ajay in any way you can – drop him a note, share your voice, just think about him and hope he finds his way through his dark memories. We also hope this encourages other people to share their stories because if the only way towards change is to horrify people with the cruelty we witness in this world – so be it. ]
I've mustered every bit of courage that is left in me to write this.
To finally write about the darker side of Chennai. By doing this I know I'm risking a lot, but I'm not going to be just another victim who is not going to show his face, who is not going to share his name or tell his story. I want tell everyone that violence against LGBT people is real and it exists even in Chennai.
It may come as a shock to many Indians and expats who have lived in this city for a considerable time. You may have known that Chennai is the most tolerable and one the most hospitable cities in India. You may have heard that it is a city that harbors the friendliest of people and the smartest of minds. But there are exceptions to the rule; I've experienced those exceptions – horrific. painful. and haunting exceptions. Experiences that have left me traumatized and damaged to the extent that I wake in the middle of the night screaming in agony. Here is one such incident that has deprived me of my sleep, my peace, my strength, my sprit, my faith; an incident that pushed me to take my life – once again.
It was one of the worst days of my life – Friday, 6th June 2014.
Earlier in the evening, I was laughed at an interview yet again. The HR was convincing me that I will never get a job anywhere as long as I existed and I had to wait till 8:30 PM to listen to her yap after clearing rounds of interviews and tests. I was so close to telling her my hindrances. So close to telling her about my learning disabilities and that I'm obviously gay and that these factors have cost me my career. But I decided not to tell her. I knew she would not understand, I knew she would judge me because she is ignorant and I didn't want to be embarrassed all over again in this company too. Crestfallen, I was on my way to my parent's place where I stay these days. I had to take a bus and a train to reach my destination and then walk another 40 minutes in the dark, crossing a cremation ground, a lake, and a few creepy deserted places. Every day when I step out, I always hope and wish that I don't get molested or hurt.
On that blessed Friday, my hopes were meant to go down the drain.
I got off the train late in the evening around half past 10 and began to walk towards my parent's place. I always wear earphones listening to music and swiftly walk to avoid anything near or around me. When I was 20 minutes away from my destination I noticed around 8-10 cops standing near a police jeep. Almost all of them were not in their uniforms from their waist above. I was able to confirm that were cops by the khaki pants and the brown shoes that they were wearing. I saw three policewomen and five -six policemen. One of the policewomen, as I quickly passed them pointed to me and yelled "Why are you wearing that thing that women wear? Why are you wearing leggings?" I picked up my pace and walked faster pretending not hearing her. She immediately signaled two policemen to grab me. The two policemen ran to me, grabbed me by the back of my neck and dragged me to the group, as I kept protesting and fighting. One of the men hit me in my shin with his stick for not stopping and instead, walking away. The women kept saying "Ai ombothu (offensive term for a hijra), pottai (offensive term for an effeminate man) can't you hear me? Are you deaf?". She then asked why I was wearing leggings. I kept quiet and I didn't respond. She then said "Your kaai (offensive term for breasts) are really big." As I'm chubby and as I have a fleshy chest she was referring to my chest as breasts. The two policemen who held me, immediately felt my chest and when I protested a third policemen with a stick hit me on my knees. Then the two policemen felt my ass and commented on how big and plump it is. They said I may be taking a lot of dick up my ass. The policeman with the stick commented about my face. He said "I can fuck your pretty face as long I live." and then tried to put the wooden stick in my mouth. When I turned away from him a fourth cop walked to me and slapped me right across my face.
I cried out to them to stop this and asked them why they were doing this.
They said that all the ombothu and pottai men have become a nuisance which is unacceptable. I told them that I'm not a hijra. One of the policewomen looked at me and said "Your face is prettier than ours, you're a ombothu." The policewomen looked at the policemen and then looked at me and asked if I underwent an operation. When I kept quite one of the policemen lifted my kurta and felt my crotch and then he laughed out loud and asked the others to feel me up. There were suddenly a lot of hands feeling me up and vandalizing me. I struggled and protested and one of them slapped me again across my face, another punched me in my stomach and then I was hit with a stick again on my knees.
While all this was going on, they took my bag and ransacked it, they found my address book, my id cards and took down my address and my phone number. One of the policemen warned me to behave and said that I should visit them whenever I was called. They warned me never to speak of this to anyone as they know where I live and that they will hurt me and my family, that they will book me in a false case and incarcerate me and my family if required. They warned me that they will strip me naked and force a man on me, take obscene photos and incarcerate me under IPC section 377. One of the policemen said "Since IPC section 377 has been criminalized which makes your kind illegal, we can do anything we want and nobody will question us, even the government will support us." They said that they have strong political support and influence from both the national and regional ruling parties and said that any wrong move from my end will lead to my ruin.
This is the city I live in.
I live everyday waiting for something hurtful to happen to me. I live a life with imminent threats. This is what they did to me and it wasn't the first time I've experienced horror like this. Late in the evening in 2013 after attending a Film Festival, I dropped my friend at his place and was waiting for a train at the Nungambakkam railway station. I managed to catch the last train and the compartment that I was in was completely deserted. As the train neared Saidapet, 4-5 men got in the train and they didn't look friendly. I could smell cheap alcohol and I knew that they were drunk. The men noticed me and quickly walked towards me. One of them complimented my kurta and asked me where I got it from. I immediately moved away from him and walked closer to the door. The men came closer to me asked me to join them to drink and have sex with them. When I tried to get away from them they grabbed me and hit me. Then they tore the back of my kurta, turned me around to face them and tore the kurta from my neck to my waist as another guy tore my sleeve off. I struggled hard and pushed them away and tried to run to the end of the compartment. One guy tripped my leg and I fell crashing down on the floor.
One of them grabbed my legs and another tried to pull my jeans down.
I kicked the guy who was holding my legs and hit the other with my bag and quickly pulled myself up and as I tried to run, one of them tore some more of my kurta. The train slowed down at Guindy and I quickly jumped out of the train. All I heard was a railway police whistling but I didn't want to wait to tell him what happened to me and I ran out of the station and to the road covering my body with all the torn pieces of my kurta. There were few rickshaw drivers who immediately without questioning put me in one of the rickshaws and rode away.
I was able to defend myself from those men now that I'm grown, but I couldn't do that when I was 13. When my face was smashed in a urinal and when eight men raped me. I couldn't defend myself, I couldn't but try to scream even though I was muffled and took the pain. The scar on my right eyebrow reminds me of that horrid day till now and it doesn't stop there, it's been 15 years and I still ache with phantom pain in my nightmares waking up screaming in horror reliving them again and again. I still do. I don't know when they will stop. I've now shut myself away from all human contact, except my family. I'm now too scared and damaged to even meet my acquaintances. Unable to deal with all of this hurt I tried to stop it all last Saturday. I tried to take my life but I was saved yet again. Now that the moment has passed – I'm too afraid to take my life. I will have to relive my horrifying past again and again and again; hoping for an even horrifying future ahead of me.


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Dear Friend of Drug Policy Reform:
I am pleased to announce our newest offer for donating members, the reprinted drug policy classic The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States. Originally published in 1974, this amazing work by professors Richard Bonnie and Charles Whitebread was the first comprehensive history of marijuana use and its prohibition in the United States. Bonnie and Whitebread's historical overview examines the origins and history of marijuana prohibition as well as the laws' unintended consequences.
Thanks to a generous donation from our friends at the Drug Policy Alliance, we are able to offer this 368-page volume, which retails at $32.49, for $22 including shipping. (Add $2 for Canada or Mexico or $8 for overseas.) Donate $22 or more to StoptheDrugWar.org and you will be eligible to receive a complimentary of The Marijuana Conviction. Click here to make a donation online by credit card or PayPal. You can also donate by mail -- info below.
As a reader of Drug War Chronicle you know that it is a challenging time in drug policy reform. Medical marijuana is under attack; draconian sentencing bills are getting heard in Congress; drug testing bills are spreading from state to state. To help us fight back as hard and as well as we can, I hope you'll consider donating more than $22 if you can afford it, or to supplement your $22 with a continuing monthly donation. If gift items like The Marijuana Conviction are not important to you, I hope you'll consider sending a donation that's entirely for our work. (We are grateful for donations of any size -- don't feel bad if $22 is what you have to spare and you want the book!)
Donations to StoptheDrugWar.org can be made online at http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate, or they can be mailed to: DRCNet Foundation (tax-deductible), P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036; or Drug Reform Coordination Network (non-deductible for lobbying), same address. (Contact us for information if you wish to make a donation of stock.) Be sure to indicate if you are requesting The Marijuana Conviction or another of our current gift items.
Thank you for standing with us to stop the drug war's cruelties and meet the opportunity this time offers to make a brighter future. And don't get discouraged by the challenges our movement and the cause are currently facing: Time, and the truth, are on our side!
David Borden, Executive Director
Washington, DC