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Helping a Loved One After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
People in recovery from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may need assistance from family members and friends in a variety of ways. You may help your loved one for several weeks during recovery with a number of tasks, including shopping, cleaning, and driving. You can also help support your loved one in making healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy foods. Also, he or she may rely on you for emotional support.
If you have a family member or other loved one who has just returned home from the hospital after CABG surgery, you may want to know what you can do to help. Your loved one may not be able to do normal activities and may also need a great deal of encouragement and emotional support.
Day-to-day activities
Your loved one who has just had open-heart surgery may have considerable physical limitations. So he or she may rely on others for help with relatively simple but important tasks. You and your friends and family may choose to assume a large role in managing his or her day-to-day life. You can help by:
- Shopping for and preparing food. Many people recovering from surgery cannot leave their homes on their own to shop for food. Buy and prepare heart-healthy foods including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.
- Cleaning. Simple cleaning tasks can be too physically demanding during recovery. But a clean house is crucial to both mood and health (to avoid infections). So you can consider helping to clean house regularly or hiring a maid service.
- Driving. Your loved one will not be able to drive for 4 to 6 weeks after CABG surgery. It is important that his or her chest bone heals properly, and sudden arm movements or an accident while driving could cause serious injury. But your loved one will need to go to frequent doctor appointments during recovery. He or she might also need to go to cardiac rehab. You may need to drive him or her to these follow-up appointments as well as to any other destination.
- Medicines. Your loved one will probably need to take several medicines after CABG surgery. You could help him or her by organizing the medicines. You can get a special pillbox (with one or more compartments for each day of the week) or mark a calendar as a memory aid.
- Walking. Taking daily walks is part of recovery. You can help your loved one by taking a walk with him or her and being encouraging. Your loved one will take short walks at first. Then he or she will try to walk a little more than on the day before. Bit by bit, your loved one will walk farther. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation.
Providing emotional support
Being a full-time caregiver may be an unfamiliar role for you. Maybe you never imagined yourself spending most of your time taking care of a loved one. There are several things you can do to help provide the emotional support needed.
- Offer encouragement. Adopting the lifestyle changes that doctors recommend for heart disease can be difficult. If your loved one is having trouble or becoming frustrated, encourage him or her to start slowly and build up to the overall goal gradually. You may also offer to change your own lifestyle to encourage healthy behaviors.
- Offer help, but encourage your loved one to remain active. He or she should try to stay as active as possible. As recovery progresses, moderate exercise and doing simple tasks around the house can be safe. This can help your loved one feel better both physically and mentally. If you are concerned about what activities are safe, speak with the doctor who has been the most involved in your loved one's care.
- Ask if you can participate in doctor visits. You can offer support by sitting in on doctor visits and taking notes. This can help your loved one remember important instructions and help him or her feel less alone during the recovery experience.
Looking after yourself
Being a caregiver can be mentally and physically challenging. There are things you can do to help make the situation more manageable for yourself. Remember that you will only be an effective and loving caregiver if you are in good physical and mental shape. Try to find ways to reduce the stress of caregiving.
- Enlist help when you need it. If possible, don't take on all the responsibilities yourself. You may be able to involve other family members or a visiting nurse or even hire a food delivery or housekeeping service to help with the shopping and cleaning.
- Take time for yourself. Being a caregiver can be stressful and time-consuming. To avoid burnout and to continue to provide care and support, it is important to save some time for activities that you enjoy.
- Seek emotional support if you need it. Being a caregiver to a loved one who is recovering from major surgery can be emotionally difficult. If you are having trouble coping with your feelings, you should not feel ashamed or embarrassed about seeking advice and counseling from appropriate sources, such as other family members, trained mental health professionals, or religious advisers.
Related Information
Current as of: February 26, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board: All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
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MUMBAI, India – It took two months of preparation and could take more than four years of treatment, but doctors are determined to help the person believed to be the world's heaviest woman survive.
The Times of India reports that Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty was flown Saturday from her home in Egypt to Mumbai, India, where in March she'll undergo a weight-loss surgery called sleeve gastrectomy, which reduces the stomach to a fraction of its size.
In the interim, medical staff hope to spur Abd El Aty—whose family thinks she weighs more than 1,100 pounds and who suffers from a litany of conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hypertension—to lose more than 100 pounds beforehand by feeding her a protein-heavy diet and giving her meds to help curb water retention.
It wasn't an easy endeavor to transport Abd El Aty, who the Hindustan Times says is 36, to India, a trip that that ran around $125,000 and required her to leave her home for the first time in a quarter-century.
The Times and the Hindu describe the arduous process, which involved flying her via cargo plane from Alexandria to Mumbai, then transporting her from the airport in a custom-modified truck to Saifee Hospital, into which she was lowered by crane.
After her eventual surgery, Abd El Aty will still follow a years-long regimen, including more operations and specialized diet plans, to continue losing weight while doctors try to figure out what caused her obesity in the first place.
"If it is [a] genetic abnormality, medicines can help," says the bariatric surgeon who's been lobbying to get her treatment. (The onetime heaviest man in the world died at age 48.)
This article originally appeared on Newser: Cargo Plane, Crane Move 'Heaviest Woman' to India
More From Newser:
- Kids Share Photo of Parents Before Both Died of Cancer
- Boy's Broken Bones Mystified Doctors
- Rare Disease May Have Struck Its 1st Female

subset: commoncrawl


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Last updated June 12, 2020
Wars, Including the So-called "War on Terror"
Palestine (& the Part of it called Israel)
Mass Refusal to Vote for President
John Spritzler's blog#1 and blog#2
Interesting Links:
The elite agenda for social transformation, by Richard Moore
The Solari Report (published by Catherine Austin Fitts)
Substance News: Defending the Public Schools for Over 30 Years
Guy Brandenburg's Blog (about education)
ROAR (Reflections on a Revolution)
The Polemicist (Jim Kavanagh's blog)
Claritypress.com edited by Stephen Lendman
Webster Griffin Tarpley's website
The Mind Renewed: Thinking Christianity in a New World Order
Redneck Revolt (FB page)
U.S. Census Guide to Getting the Most Out of Census.gov
FB Censorship #1
Most newer articles are now only at PDRBoston.org
These two books are about how we really can remove the rich from power to have real, not fake, democracy with no rich and no poor. It's not easy, but it is possible. If you would like to see this goal achieved then you really must read these two books before you decide it is impossible.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ANY BOOK FROM AMAZON.COM (Note that the book about Israel is also contained as a chapter in Divide and Rule.)
You can also borrow them for free from your local library
The People As Enemy: The Leaders' Hidden Agenda in World War II
by John Spritzler, challenges the "Good War" myth about WWII.
Revolution for a more equal and democratic world is both necessary and possible.
Editor: John Spritzler (firstname.lastname@example.com), who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. All material was written by John Spritzler unless otherwise indicated.
CLICK HERE to see links to my newer articles that are at PDRBoston.org
(partially backed up here)
People are signing this statement (online or hard copy) to let others know they are not alone in wanting a revolution for an egalitarian world with real equality--no rich and no poor--and real, not fake, democracy. The signatures are being displayed in public on large posters like this one and this one. Most of the people who stop and read the statement on the sidewalk outdoors, where we collect signatures, sign it. Try it and see for yourself how many people agree to sign it in your community. (Here is a version using smaller font size with room for more signatures.) Here are photos of people collecting signatures on a sidewalk.
Thinking about Revolution(pdf)
A pamphlet by John Spritzler and Dave Stratman, with supplementary articles here
Please download, print, share and discuss "Thinking" with your friends, neighbors and co-workers. (Also feel free to distribute these related leaflets: From Occupation to Revolution and an "advertisement" of Thinking about Revolution.)
We CAN Change the World (the book as pdf)
New Democracy works for democratic revolution. Welcome to our website! We hope you will explore it and share what you find with friends, family and coworkers.
Most Americans want a society based on real democracy and equality and on the solidarity and friendship that already exist among ordinary people. But ordinary working people do not run the show.
We live in a dictatorship of the rich. Our world is dominated by a wealthy elite who control the big corporations and the government. The elite few enjoy unlimited wealth and privilege, while the majority live in constant fear of losing their homes, their livelihoods, their health, their freedom in a growing police state. There is no such thing as democracy in a society where money is power and most people don't have any.
We need a revolution to defeat this undemocratic elite and build a better society. Revolution is possible because most people despise the values of inequality and greed and domination that characterize the powerful. Most people believe in equality and solidarity and democracy. Ordinary people already try to change the world when they defend and promote these values in their everyday lives. The constant effort of ordinary people to do the right thing--to stick together, to share what they have, to listen to and help others, in spite of the persistent messages of capitalism to just "look out for number one"-- is the realistic foundation for a new world.
Billions of people around the globe are already in motion to make a new world. The struggle for revolution will define the 21st century.
Contact the editor of this web site, John Spritzler, at email@example.com
TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN: John Spritzler's blog #1
END CLASS INEQUALTY: John Spritzler's blog #2
REAL DEMOCRACY = ORDINARY PEOPLE MAKE THE LAWS: a blog to replace the state Legislature with 100 randomly selected adult residents of the state serving terms of just one year, designated the Commonwealth Jury, that will have all the legislative and other powers of the current Legislature. [This was an attempt in 2008 to use a ballot question to promote discussion by the general public about the lack of real democracy in our current fake democracy. The solution it proposes is not as good as what is discussed in "Thinking about Revolution" written more recently. On December 2, 2012 the Boston Globe promoted the idea of a randomly selected legislature, as discussed here.]
Click here to read about the inspiring Christmas Truce during World War I
Some thoughts about the Christmas truce
Click the tree to read about the amazing WWI Christmas Truce
Listen to a new song about it here.
German and Russian soldiers fraternise on the Eastern Front
Thinking about Revolution (pdf)
by John Spritzler and Dave Stratman
with important supplementary articles here
People for Democratic Revolution at PDRBOSTON.ORG
Socialism and Communism? NO! Democratic Revolution? Yes!
How Progressive Ideas Protect Inequality
Old-Fashioned Political Activism Doesn't Work
The Despicable Values in Obama's State of the Union Speech
A Misunderstanding about Democracy
True or False: An Injury to One Is an Injury to All?
Drones Create Hatred of the U.S., Which Is Their Real Purpose
A Realistic Solution to Illegal Immigration
What Should American Workers Do About Illegal Immigration? (.pdf) A New Democracy leaflet
A Misunderstanding about "Patriarchy"
Misandry: An Obstacle to Solidarity Between Men and Women
Israel/Palestine: "It's Complicated!"...Or Is It?
Three articles on Palestinians' Right of Return
DEAR FELLOW OCCUPIERS (articles written during the 2011-12 Occupy Wall Street days, and still topical):
Let's discuss 1) Our message to the American people, 2) demands versus no demands, 3) what to do when the cops say clear out, 4) race, 5) leaders, 6) From Occupation to Revolution and 7) persuading Republicans to support OWS, on John Spritzler's blog
From Occupation to Revolution by John Spritzler and Dave Stratman
Quick guide on group dynamics in people's assemblies (prepared by the Commission for Group Dynamics in Assemblies of the Puerta del Sol Protest Camp [Madrid])
Haaretz article: Polish-Jewish Sociologist compares West Bank separation fence to Warsaw Ghetto walls [This famous academic tells the truth--that Israel's leaders are "terrified of peace" and are "taking advantage of the Holocaust to legitimize unconscionable acts." But why are they afraid of peace? See The Great Fear of Israel's Leaders for an explanation.]
Reform Congress?, by John Spritzler
Israel/Palestine: "It's Complicated!"...Or Is It?
Israel Charny, director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem and former editor of the Encyclopedia of Genocide, acknowledges that Zionists committed genocidal massacres and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by John Spritzler (this includes a copy of The Jewish Daily Forward article reporting on Israel Charny's views.)
The Lockerbie Fraud Again by Dave Stratman
Egypt and the China Syndrome, by Dave Stratman
Inside Job is an Inside Job: A Misleading View of the Economic Crisis, by Dave Stratman
The Root of the Mid-East conflict and the reason our government supports Israel's government, notes for the speech given by John Spritzler at the Watertown public library
Moral Debts and Ethical Deficits by Frank Scott
BP Lays Waste to the Gulf. Corporations Lay Waste to America
She Spoke Truth to Power, by Dave Stratman in defense of Helen Thomas
Goodbye to Social Democracy? by Dave Stratman
PTSD, infertility, and other consequences of war by Bob Nichols
Assassination by Government: An Exchange by Dave Stratman
Refuting Israel's "We don't kill civilians on purpose" argument by John Spritzler
Stop Iran's Execution of Three Gay Teenagers by John Spritzler
Whose Side Are Richard Goldstone and Bill Moyers On? by John Spritzler
Liberalism's Contempt for the Welfare of Children by John Spritzler
Race and Class in Civil War Mississippi by John Spritzler
The White Cop and the Black Professor by John Spritzler
Beware of Cost-Cutting Health Care Reform by John Spritzler
Whom Should We Support in Iran? by John Spritzler
Bank Credit Versus Solidarity by John Spritzler
"Two State Solution" Equals Racism: Palestinians and Jews CAN Live Peacefully as Equals in One Democratic State by John Spritzler
Obama's Afghanistan War: Morally Wrong, or Incompetently Waged?, by John Spritzler
Is It Realistic to Demand the Right of Return of Palestinian Refugees? by John Spritzler
The Israel Lobby's Power Comes From the American Ruling Class by John Spritzler
Banning Cigarette Sales, and Class Inequality by John Spritzler
Public Comment at the Hearing of the Energy & Utility Regulation Committee of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, February 17, 2009 to accompany power point presentation: Nuclear Power – Health and Safety Issues by Morton Skorodin, M.D.
The Madoff Ponzi Theft: Schadenfreude, Not Anti-Semitism by Daniel McGowan
Addiction and Control, by Morton Skorodin, M.D.
The Great Fear of Israel's Leaders by John Spritzler
Why Israeli Leaders Love Qassam Rockets: A Reply to Michael Neumann by John Spritzler
Why Is Israel Killing Gazans? by John Spritzler
A New Path For Israel? by John Spritzler
"Why They Voted For Obama But Against Same-Sex Marriage" by John Spritzler
Paulson's Bailout and the Great Tradition by John Spritzler
Jimmy Carter: Friend or Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? by John Spritzler
U.S. Nixes Israeli Attack on Iran: Dog Wags Tail? by John Spritzler
There is no evidence that Muslims hijacked planes on 9/11 by Elias Davidsson (see this too)
"Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage: What is at Stake?" by John Spritzler
The Tactic of Calling People Anti-Semitic by Amy Hendrickson
Help Put Question X for Real Democracy on the Ballot in 2008 (pdf)
The Israel Lobby and the "National Interest" by John Spritzler
Israel/Palestine: "It's Complicated!"...Or Is it? (pdf) by John Spritzler
Somerville Divestment Project's leaflet: Why Our Government Supports Israel's Government and Why We Shouldn't (pdf)
WHY LIBERAL REFORMERS FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE ALWAYS LOSE, by John Spritzler
How Can We End the U.S. Government's Pro-Israel Foreign Policy?, by John Spritzler
Unethical Media Coverage of UK Events, by Elias Davidsson
Democracy in the United States? Fugetaboutit! by John Spritzler
Azmi Bishara and Muslims Worldwide Say No to Attacks on Non-Combatants, by John Spritzler
Why Israeli Anti-Zionists do NOT "recognize the right of the State of Israel to exist as a Jewish state" by Henry Lowi
Video of Zionist ethnic cleansing going on today in Palestine, carried out by the Israel government that once claimed to have "made the dessert bloom" but now uproots trees Palestinians depend on for their livelihood.
One State is Not Snake Oil: A Reply to Michael Neumann by John Spritzler
"Affirmative Action -- or Class Solidarity?" a New Democracy flyer
Why Our Government Supports Israel's Government and Why We Shouldn't, (.pdf) a New Democracy leaflet (intended for distribution in Massachusetts)
Albert Einstein Quotations Opposing a Jewish State,
Rocket Attacks on Israeli Civilians
Why "Pick On" Israel? Here's Why


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Simply put, Pierre Hardy has one of the top Spring 2012 collections. The two major standouts are the teal & tan striped platform sandal & the muti-colored canvas wedge (available on pre-order at LuisaViaRoma). This wedge was also featured on my Top 10 list. Leighton Meester, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman & Katie Holmes are all fans of his shoes and I know he will pick up even more red carpet love this spring.
I also encourage you to check out the mens shoes; he makes amazing sneakers. I had to get the limited Poworama for Mr.ShoeRazzi (available for pre-order at LuisaViaRoma).
Images from Style.com


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The Lady and Sons Lasagna
2 cups canned, diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup green bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons The Lady's House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
6 to 9 Long strips lasagna noodles
12 ounces cottage cheese, mixed with 1 beaten egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
2 cups cheddar, grated
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup mozzarella, grated
To make the sauce, in a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Crumble the ground beef in a saucepan. Cook until no pink remains, then drain off the fat. Add the ground beef to the stockpot. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions (if sauce is too thin, for your taste, you can thicken it up at this time by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and a 1/4 of a cup of cold water. Bring sauce back to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly). Remove bay leaves.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To assemble lasagna, place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan. Layer 1/3 of each, noodles, cottage cheese mixture, Gruyere, Swiss and cheddar cheeses. Pinch off small pieces of cream cheese and dot over other cheeses. Add another layer of sauce. Repeat layering 2 to 3 times ending with sauce.
This may be covered and refrigerated at this point. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mozzarella and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: If lasagna has been refrigerated, bake for 40 minutes total.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Paula Deen


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This is the 9th pair of socks I've made this year. And, if I'm trying to finish one pair per month, you can see that I'm one pair behind. I can get caught up because I have one pair of socks that has one sock completed — a purple Zora. On another pair, I have one sock completed and am down to the heel on the second sock – using the Simple Skype Sock pattern. I should work on the Simple Skype socks tonight and tomorrow and then have them done by the weekend. Maybe I will.
There are the blue/yellow socks that I'm working on and I've probably knitted about three or four inches down the leg on those.
But, the Circle Socks are completed. They were fun to knit. These are a gift and I'll probably make another pair for myself.
That's it for Soctober, 2012 for me. I made two pairs.
If you made socks during Soctober and want to share a link, feel free to do so. If you made several pairs and they're all on separate blog posts, add as many links as you need so we can see your accomplishments.


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I was so distracted by the lovely weather that I overshot my first stop of the morning- compost dropoff. I was 4 blocks past the Whole Foods on a one way street, but I didn't think my office mates would appreciate a bag of partially rotted food sitting in the corner all day, so I turned back.
The area where they have the compost bins at the back of the parking lot is being maxed out for employee parking and storage, but Gilbert could squeeze in just fine.
We headed out through the construction zone again..


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By Allison Barrow and Joyce Brayboy
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Fuel is the second largest transported item in the field next to water. As a result, fuel truck convoys that deliver fuel are vulnerable to enemy attacks, which have resulted in loss of money, time and lives.
To combat this problem, scientists and engineers from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command are working to lessen the reliance on fuel truck convoys by reducing the amount of military fuel, called jet propellant 8, or JP-8, the Army needs in theater and improving the efficiency of its use.
One way they are doing this is through reforming JP-8 so that it can be used in efficient portable energy systems, like fuel cells and other novel power sources, which primarily operate on hydrogen or other cleaner fuels.
"The goal is to take the logistic fuel that's already all over the battlefield, that's there and available to the Soldiers, and convert it to something that can be used in smaller and renewable systems," said Steve Slane, RDECOM's communications-electronics center, or CERDEC, Command, Power and Integration (CP&I) Directorate, Power Generation and Alternative Energy Branch chief.
Engineers and scientists from CERDEC, along with RDECOM's Army Research Laboratory and Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center are working to reform JP-8 and integrate it into systems so it can be converted seamlessly and locally.
"Fuel reforming is one of those leap-ahead technologies that could allow JP-8 to be transformed into valuable fuels that can be used and generated on the battlefield forward. So instead of shipping propane and methanol and kerosene and gasoline, why not reform JP-8 locally to power those systems?" said Slane.
The process of reforming fuel entails high-temperature catalytic reactions that covert a liquid fuel, in this case JP-8, into a lighter, gaseous fuel.
This comes with two main challenges because of the sulfur contained in JP-8 and its complex composition, said Dr. Terry DuBois, subject matter expert in fuel reforming and combustion in CERDEC CP&I's Power Division.
First, sulfur can deactivate catalysts, which means it can limit the life or poison catalysts during the reforming process and make it inoperable. Second, sulfur can accelerate carbon formation, where solid carbon particles form in the reactor, clog the flow of the reactor or deactivate catalysts and cause it to fail, said DuBois.
"Those are two big challenges for us in reforming; how do we transform JP-8 to a hydrogen-rich stream and deal with the two mechanisms for killing the reactor?" said DuBois.
This fuel transformation effort is a main focus for CERDEC, TARDEC and ARL.
The challenge is developing a practical fuel reformation process for better energy conversion that would have to be portable, quick and easy to use, said Dr. Zachary Dunbar, an ARL fuel cell team member.
Dr. Dat Tran, ARL fuel cell team lead, has tested at least 300 different combinations of materials during the last four years while he has been investigating fuel reforming with the team, he said.
"JP-8 is a complicated and dirty fuel. The sulfur is a huge problem because it can hurt the fuel cells," Tran said. "Sulfur has many different compounds that behave differently. The compounds in sulfur make it hard to find an agreeable material."
While ARL conducts the basic research of fuel reforming, CERDEC integrates the basic research into a system and evaluates it, while also performing further research and development of fuel reforming materials.
"Both of the efforts that we have ongoing are focused on addressing desulfurization of JP-8, and ARL is pursuing complimentary R&D on unique materials for sulfur absorption. In addition, ARL is looking at membranes that can selectively separate hydrogen from the gaseous reformed fuel stream so that you have a pure hydrogen stream," said DuBois.
"CERDEC's in-house program is looking at catalytic materials. So we have ongoing research work evaluating different catalytic materials and how well they stand up to chemical compounds found in JP-8. We are also evaluating sulfur absorbent materials and processes on a long-term basis," said DuBois.
TARDEC also works in fuel reforming by integrating it into fuel cell power systems.
"The main applications are combat and tactical vehicle Auxiliary Power Units, silent propulsion for unmanned ground systems and extending the silent range of electric vehicles for scout or reconnaissance missions," said Kevin Centeck, TARDEC Nonprimary Power Systems team lead.
"TARDEC is also investigating the requirements for a fuel reformation system to be integrated with a commercial automotive fuel cell stack, which could help reduce cost and increase reliability of fuel cell power systems," said Centeck.
CERDEC, ARL and TARDEC collaborate on their fuel reforming efforts for the Army through fuel cell test and integration working groups with other Defense Department partners through quarterly program and design reviews.
CERDEC is taking fuel reforming one step further by working to integrate its efforts into its Energy Informed Operations, or EIO, initiative, which aims to make power systems "smart" by enabling "smarter" monitoring on the systems as well as integrating them into a smart tactical microgrid.
This smart technology will enable and inform Soldiers with data such as, "How much fuel do I have left? When are the fuel trucks coming next? What's my energy status?" said Slane.
"The efficiencies gained by using grid data to control power and inform operations will increase availability and reliability of power while reducing the burden of fuel logistics, storage and cost," said Slane. "CERDEC CP&I is uniquely qualified to cover all this because we have our mechanical engineers who are working fuel reformation and combustion but we also have engineers within the mission command community here working on intelligent micro-grids through EIO."
RDECOM will continue to work to address the challenges with fuel reforming and integrate it into a full power system that can then be transitioned to the field.
"Reducing the amount of fuel is really a goal of what this organization is about," said Slane. "Fuel reforming is one of the key technology areas that will enable us to reduce fuel on the battlefield, reduce the amount of truck convoys, the amount of storage needed and the cost of operating in austere environments."


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This girl—the glasses-obsessed, won't buy anything unless it has a pattern or brightly colored rims kind of girl—is proud to say she now owns a pair of black glasses. Success!
I currently own pink, yellow, coral, tortoise shell, purple, rhinestone, and white lace-inspired glasses—they all stand out in their own ways and can be switched out to match pretty much any of my work-week outfits. Before marching on down to Basic Training with a pair of frilly glasses that would certainly garner some unwanted attention, I ordered a pair of plain black frames that I knew would not get me any grief—or extra push-ups.
I'll tell you what, I'm super pleased with these glasses. The prescription, which I snagged from my optometrist, is perfect. The frames are lightweight and while these glasses are very simple, they're also really affordable (under $15!). I know I'll be issued two new pairs of glasses down at Basic Training, but for right now and the first weeks down there, I'll be more than comfortable in these ones.
Anyway, just thought I'd share some love for my new online glasses retailer friends. I shouldn't hoard all the good deals, should I? If you're looking for a new pair of glasses or sunglasses (summer's on the way!), here are my two favorite options for affordable glasses online:
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. The glasses featured in this post were provided to me by SelectSpecs. As a Firmoo affiliate, I may receive a referral commission based on products purchased through links to their page.


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Learn About the Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw's Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you're ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
By section 13 of the act of congress approved July 12, 1882 (22 Stat. 162, c. 290), it is provided:
The indictments charged that Spurr, being the president of the Commercial National Bank of Nashville, Tenn., willfully violated the provisions of section 5208 of the Revised Statutes, by willfully, unlawfully, and knowingly certifying certain checks drawn on said bank by Dobbins & Dazey, well [174 U.S. 728, 730] knowing that Dobbins & Dazey did not have on deposit with the bank, at the times when the checks were certified, respectively, an amount of money equal to the respective amounts specified therein. They were consolidated and tried together, and a verdict of guilty returned as follows: 'Came the United States attorney, and also the defendant in proper person, and came also the jury heretofore impaneled, and upon their oaths do say that they find the defendant guilty as charged in the indictment, and recommend him to the mercy of the court.'
Motions for new trial and in arrest of judgment were made and overruled, and judgment entered on the verdict in these words:
The several counts of the consolidated indictments charged the certification by defendant of four checks, drawn by Dobbins & Dazey between December 9, 1892, and February 13, 1893, both inclusive, on the Commercial National Bank, aggregating $95,641.95. The bank was organized in 1884, and [174 U.S. 728, 731] defendant was its president and one Porterfield its cashier from its organization to its failure, March 25, 1893. Dobbins & Dazey were engaged in the purchase, sale, and exportation of cotton, and their financial standing and credit were excellent. When the four checks in question were certified by defendant the account of Dobbins & Dazey was overdrawn, and the evidence was that their account was continuously and largely overdrawn during the period dovered by these checks, except on one day, and that 'this fact was known to Porterfield, the cashier, and all the employees of the bank under him in authority.' But 'there was also evidence tending to show that Porterfield misrepresented the real state of the Dobbins & Dazey account to the defendant, and the committees and the directors of the bank, by statements made to them, and also in his sworn reports to the comptroller of the currency, wherein the overdrafts in the bank were very largely understated.' There was also evidence on behalf of defendant to the effect 'that he had no knowledge of the fact that the account of Dobbins & Dazey was overdrawn on the books of the bank at the time of the certification of any of the checks upon which he is indicted, nor at any time during the period covered by the dates of the checks'; that, when he certified these checks, he inquired in every instance, either of the cashier or of the exchange clerk, and in every instance received information that sufficient funds and credits of Dobbins & Dazey were then in the bank to cover the checks certified, and that he never at any time certified a check without receiving such information, and that he relied upon it as true; that, if the cashier was in, he inquired of him, and, if not, he inquired of the exchange clerk,-these being the appropriate sources of information. The evidence on this head is given in much detail in the bill of exceptions.
The bill of exceptions also stated:
Sentence having been pronounced as before stated, the case was taken on error to the circuit court of appeals for the Sixth circuit, and the judgment was affirmed (59 U. S. App. 663, 31 C. C. A. 202, and 87 Fed. 701 ), whereupon the cause was brought to this court on certiorari.
John A. Pitts and Albert H. Horton, for petitioner.
Ed. Baxter, Sol. Gen. Richards, and Asst. Atty. Gen. Thompson, for the United States.
Mr. Chief Justice FULLER, after stating the facts in the foregoing language, delivered the opinion of the court.
It was not denied that defendant certified the checks, and that the account of Dobbins & Dazey was overdrawn when the certifications took place. The questions for determination were defendant's knowledge of the state of Dobbins & Dazey's account when the checks were certified, and his intent in the certifications.
Section 5208 made it unlawful for any officer, clerk, or agent [174 U.S. 728, 734] of any national banking association to certify any check drawn upon it, unless the drawer of the check had on deposit, at the time such check was certified, an amount of money equal to the amount specified therein, and provided the consequences which should follow on a violation of the section. Then came section 13 of the act of July 12, 1882, which made a willful violation of section 5208 criminal, and denounced a penalty thereon.
These sections were under consideration in Potter v. U. S., 155 U.S. 438, 445 , 15 S. Sup. Ct. 144, and the court said:
The wrongful intent is the essence of the crime. If an officer certifies a check with the intent that the drawer shall obtain so much money out of the bank, when he has none there, such officer not only certifies unlawfully, but the specific intent to violate the statute may be imputed. And so evil design may be presumed if the officer purposely keeps himself in ignorance of whether the drawer has money in the bank or not, or is grossly indifferent to his duty in respect to the ascertainment of that fact.
The defense was that defendant had no actual knowledge that Dobbins & Dazey had not sufficient funds in the bank to meet the checks, nor knowledge of facts putting him on inquiry; that, on the contrary, he believed that they had such funds; that this belief was founded on information he received from the cashier or the exchange clerk, the proper sources of information, in response to inquiries which he made in each instance before he certified; that he honestly relied on that information, and that he had the right to do so. Defendant was entitled to the full benefit of this defense, and, in order to that, it was vital that the meaning of 'willful violation,' as used in section 13 of the act of 1882, should be clearly explained to the jury. [174 U.S. 728, 736] It appears from this record that, after the case, had been committed to the jury, and they had had it under consideration for some hours, they returned to the court room, and asked the following question, which was written out: 'We want the law as to the certification of checks when no money appeared to the credit of the drawer.' The court then read to the jury the first part of section 5208 of the Revised Statutes, and inquired: 'Does this answer your question?' To which the foreman replied: 'Yes, sir.' The court again read that part of the section, and made certain observations,-among other things, that a false certification 'is the certifying by an officer of a bank that a check is good when there are no funds to meet it.'
The record shows that then, 'as the jury were retiring, counsel for the defendant said to the court that he thought what the jury wanted was the act of 1882, making it a misdemeanor to willfully violate the section of the Revised Statutes which the court had read to them, and that the court ought to read and explain that act to the jury. The court asked if counsel referred to the act prescribing the penalty for false certification, and, on being answered in the affirmative, stated that the jury had nothing to do with that.' Exception was taken to the reading twice of the part of section 5208, and the failure to read and explain the act of 1882, and to the additional instructions given by the court.
We think that the learned circuit judge clearly erred in declining the request of counsel in respect of section 13.
It is true that it was not part of the function of the jury to fix the penalty, and the remark of the court, 'that the jury had nothing to do with that,' undoubtedly referred to the penalty only, though, as the matter appears in the record, the jury may well enough have understood it differently. But it the act of 1882 that made the certification of checks, if in 'willful violation' of section 5208, a criminal offense, and the word 'willful' 'implies on the part of the officer knowledge and a purpose to do wrong,' and plainly it was in relation to the point of 'willful violation' that counsel wished the court to read and expound that section. It seems to us that it [174 U.S. 728, 737] was the duty of the court to do so, if the question put by the jury was answered at all, since 'the law as to the certification of checks when no money appeared to the credit of the drawer' involves civil consequences under section 5208, and criminal consequences under section 13, unless it is to be held that every certification where funds are lacking constitutes a willful violation of section 5208. We cannot accept the view that because, when the court asked the jury whether the first part of section 5208 answered their question, the foreman replied in the affirmative, therefore there was no error in the failure to call their attention to section 13. If the court was satisfied that the law applicable to the case was embodied in the first part of section 5208, the jury were bound to be satisfied also; but we are of opinion that that was an insufficient definition, and was therefore erroenous. However, the court went further, and said:
We fear that these instructions, following in direct connection with what had passed in reference to section 5208, may have led the jury to understand the law of the case to be that the false certification thus defined constituted a criminal offense under the statute, and that that impression was not renderd harmless by the admonition that what was then said was to be taken with what had been said before.
At all events, we think it would be going too far to hold [174 U.S. 728, 738] that that caution operated to obviate the error in failing to explain section 13 at this particular juncture. The jury had been considering their verdict for several hours, and had then, in effe t, requested a more complete definition of the offense. This the courts assumed to give, but it was incomplete, and what was omitted cannot properly be held to have been supplied, under the circumstances, by the reference to prior instructions. The court had, indeed, in the original charge, used the words 'willfully' and 'willful' in the following instructions:
The court had also said that, 'in general, if the defendant acted in good faith in making these certifications, believing that the state of the account of Dobbins & Dazey justified it, he is not guilty of the offense charged. Mere negligence or carelessness, unaccompanied by bad faith, would not render him guilty.' And other passages of similar purport might be quoted.
But the jury desired further advice as to what constituted criminal certification, or willful violation of section 5208, and preferred a request which required a comprehensive answer. The response was in the nature of a separate charge, and we are unable to conclude that the error in declining at that time to call attention to section 13 was cured by the bare reference to the original charge.
Many other errors were assigned, and pressed in argument; but, as the particular points may not arise in the same way on another trial, we prefer to refrain from expressing any opinion upon them.
The judgment of the circuit court of appeals is reversed. The judgment of the circuit court is also reversed, and the cause remanded to that court, with a direction to set aside the verdict and grant a new trial.
Mr. Justice BROWN and Mr. Justice McKENNA dissented.
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Department Of Interior
|Office of the Secretary
|For Immediate Release:,2004
Good morning. I am pleased to be here today before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to discuss the fiscal year 2005 budget for the Department of the Interior. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight our priorities and key goals.
The Department of the Interior's mission is complex and multi-faceted. We provide recreation opportunities. We provide access to resources. We protect some of the Nation's most significant cultural, historic, and natural places. We serve communities through science, wildland firefighting, and law enforcement. We fulfill trust and other responsibilities to American Indians, Alaska natives, and the nation's affiliated island communities.
Interior's mission is also challenging. It is challenging because the world around is increasingly complex as expectations evolve, new technologies emerge, and our responsibilities to the American people increase.
Above all, our mission is inspiring. We have close connections to America's lands and people, whether American Indians and naturalists, hikers and hunters, ranchers and recreation enthusiasts, or environmentalists and entrepreneurs. Our responsibilities touch the lives of individuals across the Nation. How well we fulfill our mission influences:
By fulfilling Interior's mission, we can leave a legacy of healthy lands and waters, thriving communities, and dynamic economies. That legacy depends on our ability to work together across landscapes and with communities. It depends on the efforts of our 70,000 employees, 200,000 volunteers and thousands of partners.
Budget Overview
Our 2005 budget request for current appropriations is $11.0 billion. The Department anticipates collection of $10.1 billion in receipts in 2005, equivalent to 92 percent of our current appropriations request.
The 2005 request includes $10.0 billion for programs funded in the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, an increase of $228.4 million or 2.3 percent over the 2004 enacted level.
Our budget also includes $1.0 billion for programs funded in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, an increase of $21.8 million, or 2.2 percent above 2004.
Interior's 2005 budget request provides the single clearest statement of how we plan to work toward our goals in the upcoming year. Our budget fulfills the President's commitments to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund; address the backlog of park repair and maintenance needs; fix Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; and re-establish healthy forests and rangelands.
Our 2005 budget also advances other key goals. It accelerates the cleanup of abandoned coal mine lands; expands opportunities for cooperative conservation; advances trust reform; seeks to mitigate water problems throughout the West through Water 2025; and supports the goals of the National Energy Plan.
Addressing Long-standing Challenges
Abandoned Mine Lands: Since enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in 1977, the Department has partnered with States, Tribes, local governments, and others to reclaim over 225,000 acres of damaged and dangerous lands. Despite these accomplishments over the past two and a half decades, dangerous abandoned coal mines remain within one mile of the homes of more than 3.5 million Americans. Since 1999 a total of 100 people have died in incidents related to abandoned coal mines.
The primary impediment to completing reclamation of abandoned mines is the fundamental imbalance between the goals of the 1977 Act and the requirements for allocating funds under the Act. The statutory allocation formula limits the ability of the Office of Surface Mining to meet its primary objective of abating the highest-priority abandoned coalmines. The majority of funding in the program is distributed to States on the basis of current production. Yet there is no relationship between current production and the number of priority sites in each State, which is a function of pre-1977 production.
Over the past 25 years, the allocation formula has enabled some States and Tribes to complete reclamation of all abandoned coal mines. Others are decades away from completing work on the most critical, high-priority sites. We estimate it will take 60 years to reclaim dangerous abandoned mine sites in Pennsylvania and 50 years in West Virginia.
Our 2005 budget proposal seeks to correct this problem. We propose to direct reclamation grants to sites where the danger is greatest. The reauthorization proposal will allow all States to eliminate significant health and safety problems within 25 years and would remove 142,000 people from risk annually. At the same time, by shifting funds to speed resolution of serious health and safety problems, the proposal will reduce fee collections and spending by $3 billion over the life of the program.
Under our proposal, States and Tribes that have certified completion of high- priority projects will be paid their accumulated State share balances in the abandoned mine lands fund as of September 30, 2004. These payments will be made over a ten-year period. Going forward, the grants would be distributed for high priority mine reclamation projects.
The 2005 budget proposes an appropriation of $243.8 million for the abandoned mine lands program, including $53.0 million for the initial State share balance distribution to certified States and Tribes.
Indian Trust Programs: Fulfilling the Department's trust responsibilities continues as one of our highest priorities and greatest challenges. The assets of the trust today include over 56 million acres of land. On these lands, the Department manages over 100,000 leases for individual Indians and Tribes. We collect approximately $194 million per year from leasing, use permits, sale revenues, and interest for 260,000 open individual Indian money accounts. About $378 million per year is collected in 1,400 tribal accounts for 300 Tribes. In addition, the trust manages approximately $2.9 billion in tribal funds and $400 million in individual Indian funds.
For 2005, we are seeking $614 million for our Unified Trust budget, a net increase of $161 million.
In 2003 we began to reorganize trust functions in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The new organization is based on a detailed analysis and a year-long consultation process with tribal leaders. Our reorganization reflects a synthesis of the views heard during the consultation process. When fully implemented, the new organization will better meet fiduciary trust responsibilities, be more accountable at every level, and operate with people trained in the principles of fiduciary trust management.
To support continued implementation of the new organization, the 2005 budget proposes a net increase of $7.2 million, including funding for 85 new trust-related positions at the local level. We request an additional $4.0 million to quicken the pace at which probate cases are resolved.
Improving our trust organization will not by itself resolve the issues that we face in managing the trust. A still greater challenge remains. That challenge is the fractionation, or continuing subdivision, of individual Indian interests in the land that the Federal government holds in trust. Indian trust lands are primarily transferred through inheritance. With each passing generation, individual interests in the land become further subdivided among heirs, each of whom holds a smaller and smaller interest in the land. Many acres of trust land are already owned in such small ownership interests that no individual owner will derive any meaningful value from that ownership. Without corrective action, this problem will grow exponentially.
As the number of interests grows, we expect the cost to the Federal government for managing, accounting for, and probating these interests to increase substantially, possibly to as much as $1 billion at the end of the next 20 years.
The Indian Land Consolidation program, which acquires small ownership shares in allotted land from willing sellers, is a critical component of trust reform. We have conducted this program as a pilot for several years. The pilot has taught valuable lessons about the need to target purchases to maximize return of land to productive use and allow closure of accounts associated with fractional interests.
The 2005 budget proposes an unprecedented amount of $75.0 million for Indian land consolidation, an increase of $53.3 million. This funding will support an expansion beyond the seven pilot reservations to include additional reservations with the most highly fractionated lands. On a nationwide basis, we are targeting opportunities to purchase the most fractionated interests. Interior plans to use contractual arrangements with Tribes or private entities to acquire individual interests.
This commitment to end fractionation will also require legislative action to provide for workable probate reform, disposal of unclaimed property, and partition of land. We want to continue to work with the Congress to find meaningful and constructive solutions to these issues.
The 2005 budget also proposes funding to address the issue of accounting for past transactions in the trust. As the Committee is aware, the American Indian Trust Management Reform Act of 1994 requires the Secretary of the Interior to "account" for "the daily and annual balance of all funds held in trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian Tribe or an individual Indian which are deposited or invested pursuant to the Act of June 24, 1938."
The Department is currently involved in a major class action, Cobell v. Norton, and 25 tribal suits over the Department's management of Indian trust funds. On January 6, 2003, as ordered by the District Court in the Cobell litigation, the Department filed The Historical Accounting Plan for Individual Indian Money Accounts. This plan provides for an historical accounting for about 260,000 individual Indian accounts over a five-year period at a cost of approximately $335 million. The accuracy of the transactions would be verified by reviewing support documentation on a transaction-by-transaction basis for all transactions over $5,000 and by statistically sampling transactions under $5,000. The sampling methodology would be designed to provide a 99 percent confidence level at any error rate.
On September 25, 2003, the Cobell court issued a structural injunction directing a far more expansive accounting and requiring that it be completed under more constrained time lines. We estimate that the cost of compliance with the structural injunction would be between $6 to $12 billion. An appeal from the September decision is pending. The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has stayed the structural injunction. In addition, the 2004 Interior Appropriations Act provides that the Department is not required to commence or continue an accounting for IIM accounts until 2004 or the Congress amends the Trust Management Reform Act to delineate the Department's historical accounting obligations or until December 31, 2004, whichever occurs first.
The 2005 budget includes $109.4 million for historical accounting. This increase of $65.0 million over the enacted 2004 appropriation is targeted to provide $80.0 million for IIM accounting and $29.4 million for tribal accounting. The budget for IIM accounting is based on the estimate of the Department's costs to continue implementation of its historical accounting process. This amount may be revised depending on how the Court of Appeals rules with regard to the structural injunction in the Cobell case and on whether Congress acts to delineate the specific historical accounting obligations of the Department as suggested in the 2004 Appropriations Act. The Department will continue to work with the Congress and trust beneficiaries to consider settlement of the historical accounting and related issues.
Investing in Conservation
Healthy Forests and Rangelands: A significant, ongoing challenge we face is that of wild land fire and the risks that catastrophic fires pose to communities. The fires in California last fall were a poignant and tragic reminder that we must care for our forests and rangelands. Our Nation's communities must not continue to experience the unnatural, catastrophic fires that have devastated homes and habitat in recent years.
This past December, President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Developed with the help of this Committee, this landmark bipartisan legislation will help to restore forest and rangeland health and reduce threats from destructive wild fires. It will also encourage public participation in selecting and implementing projects to reduce unnaturally high levels of brush build up and overly dense tree stands.
As part of our $743.l million wild land fire proposal for 2005, the budget includes $209.3 million, a $25.0 million increase over 2004, to conduct fuels reduction projects and to monitor the results. In combination with forest and range improvement activities funded in other Interior programs, the 2005 budget includes over $300 million to advance the goals of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Including funding for the Forest Service, the 2005 budget includes $760 million to meet the goals of the Act.
The 2005 request for the wild land fire program also includes $221.5 million, an increase of $28.6 million, to fund suppression activities, based on the ten-year average, and an increase of $6.5 million for preparedness to address increasing costs in aviation contracts and for the fire program analysis system.
Cooperative Conservation: Among Interior's most inspiring roles is its mission to conserve lands and waters across America. As we are all aware, nature knows no jurisdictional boundaries. Conservation in the 21st century depends increasingly upon partnerships across a mosaic of land ownerships. At Interior, we recognize that we cannot manage federal lands successfully unless we are able to work with adjacent landowners, States, Tribes, and communities. We also recognize that the nation cannot achieve its conservation goals solely by relying upon-and adding to-the federal dominion of lands.
These two perspectives underscore the importance of cooperative conservation. Through a variety of conservation partnerships, Interior's land managers are joining with citizen stewards to remove invasive species, reduce stream bank erosion, and enhance habitat for threatened and endangered species. Through these partnerships, the Department is building the new environmentalism of citizen stewards called for by President Bush. These partnerships leverage federal dollars by a factor of two or more. They engage Americans in conservation. They help us work with citizens to find common ground and simultaneously achieve healthy lands, thriving communities, and dynamic economies. We look forward to working with members of Congress and their constituents in these conservation successes.
The 2005 budget proposal expands opportunities for conservation partnerships with citizens, organizations, and communities throughout the Nation. The budget proposes to spend $507.3 million, a 20 percent increase, to expand opportunities for conservation partnerships with citizens, organizations and communities.
A cornerstone of our conservation partnership budget is the Cooperative Conservation Initiative. The Department has a long history of working cooperatively with others to achieve its conservation mission. Yet the resources available to land managers to foster innovative and collaborative conservation have fallen short of the demand. Across the nation, citizens are working to overcome conflict and, instead, work together to maintain healthy lands and waters. Our Cooperative Conservation Initiative seeks to address this growing, giving managers the support necessary to leverage funds with private citizens, States, Tribes, communities, and businesses to protect and restore habitats, wildlife and plants.
Our Cooperative Conservation Initiative builds on existing conservation partnership programs that have established productive relationships with local communities and citizens. In total, we propose that this initiative will provide $129.5 million, an increase of $25.5 million, for a suite of seven programs: the challenge cost share programs in the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service; the FWS Coastal program; FWS Migratory Bird Joint Ventures; FWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife; and Take Pride in America.
The budget proposes $29.6 million for challenge cost-share activities, an increase of $8.4 million over 2004. This request will enable land managers to undertake additional natural resource restoration and species protection projects on or impacting Federal lands. Dynamic partnerships with individuals, Tribes, State and local governments, non-profit organizations, and others will support an array of projects to restore damaged habitats and lands and achieve the conservation goals of the Department's land management agencies. Projects require a one-to-one match or better, thereby at least doubling the benefits of Federal dollars. The request for the bureau traditional challenge cost-share programs is $24.4 million.
In 2003, challenge cost-share programs funded 256 resource restoration projects with more than 700 partners in 40 States and Puerto Rico. The ratio of matching non-Federal funds to Federal funds was nearly two-to-one, with the Federal portion at $12.9 million and total funding at $36.0 million.
The 2005 budget includes $50.0 million for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program. Through the Partners program, the Fish and Wildlife Service has established productive relationships with communities and over 30,000 landowners, providing financial and technical assistance and restoration expertise to private landowners, Tribes, and other conservation partners. Since its inception in 1987, the Partners program has restored 677,000 acres of wetlands; nearly 1.3 million acres of prairie, native grassland, and other uplands; and 5,560 miles of stream and streamside habitat.
In 2005 the Partners program will leverage $5.0 million in the High Plans region through a public/private initiative that will restore grassland habitats and declining species over an 11-State region. In cooperation with landowners and other partners, the Fish and Wildlife Service will focus conservation efforts on restoring, enhancing, and protecting two million acres over the next ten years. The 2005 Partners budget also includes $6.2 million for partnership efforts in the Upper Klamath basin.
Augmenting our partnership achievements is the work of over 200,000 volunteers who provide over eight million hours to Interior's programs and projects throughout the Nation. These volunteers help repair and maintain trails, restore habitat, participate in monitoring and research programs, and assist our land managers in many other ways. To promote this spirit of volunteerism, the Department has reactivated the Take Pride in America program. In California, volunteers enlisted through Take Pride pledged 400,000 hours of service to help restore areas devastated by wild land fires. The 2005 budget includes $1.0 million for the Take Pride program as part of the Cooperative Conservation Initiative.
Also funded within the Cooperative Conservation Initiative is the Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal program, for which we propose a funding increase of $2.9 million, bringing total funding to $13.1 million. The Coastal program leads FWS conservation efforts in bays, estuaries, and watersheds around the U.S. coastline and leverages Federal funding at a rate of 4:1. We also propose to increase funding for the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures program by $1.2 million for a total of $11.4 million. The funding increase will allow FWS to enhance 15 existing Joint Ventures and fund the Northern Great Plains and Central Hardwoods Joint Ventures.
Endangered Species Grant Programs: The Department's cooperative conservation efforts also include a number of grant programs that provide expanded opportunities for State, tribal, local and private partners to participate in conservation and protection of endangered, threatened, and at-risk species. These programs will help this nation invest habitat protection and recovery of species-the ultimate goal of the Endangered Species Act. Through these investments, we can achieve on-the-ground conservation results and help avoid the conflicts, land management stresses, and procedural workloads that ensue when species become endangered.
The Landowner Incentive Program provides competitive matching grants to States, Territories, and Tribes to create, supplement, or expand programs to protect and manage habitats on private lands that benefit listed species or species at risk. The 2005 budget includes $50.0 million to assist private landowners in conserving and restoring habitat for endangered species and other at-risk plants and animals. This is an increase of $20.4 million over 2004.
The Private Stewardship Grants program provides grants and other assistance to individuals and groups engaged in local, private, and voluntary conservation efforts that benefit federally listed, proposed, candidate or other at-risk species. A panel of representatives from State and Federal government, agricultural and private development interests, and the scientific and conservation communities assess and make recommendations regarding these grants. The 2005 budget proposes $10.0 million for the program, a $2.6 million increase over 2004.
The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund provides grants to States and Territories to participate in projects to conserve candidate, proposed, and threatened and endangered species. Grants to States and Territories allow them to participate in an array of voluntary conservation projects for candidate, proposed, and listed species. These funds may in turn be awarded to private landowners and groups for conservation projects. The CESCF grants include funding for States and Territories to implement conservation projects to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans and to acquire habitat for threatened or endangered species. The 2005 budget proposes $90 million, an increase of $8.4 million, for the appropriated portion of this program.
Our grant programs also aid a wide variety of other wildlife. The 2005 budget proposes $80.0 million for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program. These grants help develop and implement State and tribal programs for the benefit of wildlife and its habitat, not limited to species that are hunted or fished. The program exemplifies our cooperative conservation vision, allowing States and Tribes to tailor their conservation efforts in a manner that best fits local conditions. A $10.9 million increase for the program in 2005 will significantly advance efforts of State and tribal fish and game agencies to address on-the-ground wildlife needs. Based on the high level of interest in this program, we expect this program will have lasting benefits for fish and wildlife, while fostering stronger working relationships between Federal, State and tribal governments.
Full Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund: Our cooperative conservation programs are an important component of the 2005 Land and Water Conservation Fund budget request. Overall, the Department's budget seeks $660.6 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for 2005, including $153.3 million for land acquisition and $93.8 million for the State grant program. The Department's request, combined with the request for the U.S. Forest Service, brings total government-wide LWCF funding to $900.2 million.
The 2005 LWCF budget includes the same mix of programs proposed in 2004. This mix strikes an effective balance between Federal land acquisition and cooperative efforts to fulfill LWCF goals.
We believe effective conservation of lands and natural resources cannot rely primarily on expanding the Federal estate through land acquisition. Such acquisitions remove lands from the local tax base. Equally significant, each time we acquire more Federal lands, future operations and maintenance costs ensue in perpetuity. Supporting local recreation and conservation through partnership programs enables us to leverage Federal funding. In many cases, these programs match Federal funds at a ratio of more than two to one. They give us an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with States, communities, and local landowners to build support for long-term conservation.
Maintaining Parks and Preserving Heritage
Park Maintenance Backlog: President Bush pledged to improve the condition of National Park Service facilities and resources and committed $4.9 billion over five years for park facility maintenance and construction. The 2005 budget continues to fulfill this pledge, investing $1.1 billion for maintenance, rehabilitation, and road repair. The National Park Service's budget includes $724.7 million for park facility maintenance and construction, a $25.0 million increase over 2004. An additional $310.0 million for park roads is included in the Administration's legislative proposal to reauthorize the Highway Bill.
In addition to providing additional resources for park stewardship, the 2005 request continues to provide critical tools to improve accountability. Utilizing data from annual condition assessments, which have been completed for almost all of its regular assets, the Park Service has developed an estimated facility condition index, an industry standard for quantifying the condition of facilities. This baseline provides a launching point for monitoring and addressing the maintenance backlog. In 2005, $8.2 million of a $13.2 million increase in the repair and rehabilitation budget targets improving the condition of priority buildings to good condition. By focusing on one asset category, the Park Service will be able to monitor improvements to the facility condition index and evaluate the performance and efficacy of maintenance programs. The Park Service is committed to bringing all assets up to acceptable condition on average with funds provided through 2009.
Historic Preservation: March 4, 2003 President Bush and the First Lady announced the Preserve America initiative to enhance the Federal government's assistance in protecting and supporting the contemporary use of historic properties. Developed in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Department of Commerce, this initiative promotes heritage tourism and wide-ranging partnerships for the use and preservation of historic properties. Currently, 26 States have some form of heritage tourism program, an economic development tool that enhances education, creates jobs, and increases property values and tax revenues.
The 2005 budget includes $10.0 million for Preserve America grants to support community efforts to demonstrate sustainable uses of historic and cultural sites and provide economic and educational opportunities related to heritage tourism. Grants will be awarded competitively to preservation entities, such as State and tribal historic preservation offices and designated Preserve America communities. The Save America's Treasures program, which helps preserve nationally significant buildings and cultural artifacts, with proposed funding of $30.0 million, complements Preserve America.
Included within our LWCF Federal land acquisition request is $5 million for partnerships with States and local governments to preserve Civil War battlefields, many of which lie amid areas of rapid development in the eastern States.
Land Management Challenges
Invasive Species: Invasive species threaten the ecological and economic health of the Nation. The total national costs associated with invasive species may exceed $100 billion annually. An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 invasive species have already become established in the United States. The most effective strategy to protect native species and their habitats is early detection to prevent the establishment of additional invasive species.
The 2005 budget includes $58.3 million for a multi-agency effort to address invasive species challenges. Funding will be used to control invasive species such as salt cedar in the southwest and control of the brown tree snake population on Guam to prevent its establishment on other Pacific islands and the U.S. mainland. In addition, Interior agencies will focus on early detection and rapid response and conduct research to develop test methods and control strategies. The priorities for the use of invasive species funding are established by the National Invasive Species Council.
Wild Horses and Burros: Approximately 39,000 wild horses and burros occupy public rangelands. Projected levels of removal and adoption are not keeping pace with the growth in the populations of these animals. The Bureau of Land Management predicts an unsustainable and unmanageable rise in the population based on current management regimes, creating the likelihood of ecological imbalance and degradation of rangelands, forage resources, and wildlife habitat. The 2005 budget proposes increased funding for a long-term strategy to bring the number of horses to an appropriate management level. The budget includes an increase in appropriated funding of $10.5 million for the wild horse and burro program to undertake a collaborative program of population and habitat management. This increase is offset with decreases to programs that benefit from achieving appropriate management levels and with reductions to lower priority activities.
Managing Resources
Water 2025: Chronic water supply problems in the West will continue to challenge the Nation to find effective approaches to long-term management of water resources. Recent crises in the Klamath and Middle Rio Grande basins, where water shortages have affected American Indians, farmers, urban residents, and fish and wildlife vividly demonstrate the consequences of failing to address strategically the problem of competing demands for constrained water supplies.
The 2005 budget includes $21.0 million for Water 2025 to minimize future western water crises by fostering conservation and interagency coordination, enhancing water supplies through improved technologies, and managing water resources in cooperation with others. Collaborative approaches and market-based water transfers will help address emerging needs. Federal investments in research and development will improve water treatment technologies such as desalination.
A Water 2025 increase of $12.5 million for the Bureau of Reclamation will build on the 2004 Western Water Initiative, providing a total of $20.0 million to retrofit and modernize existing facilities, promote conservation and more efficient use of existing water supplies, improve water management by using excess capacity at Federal facilities, and facilitate research to provide alternative water supplies.
The U.S. Geological Survey's 2005 budget includes $1.0 million for Water 2025 to conduct groundwater availability assessments, develop tools and techniques for protecting biological resources while meeting water supply needs, and to improve methods to characterize aquifers.
Klamath Basin: The Department's partnership efforts are bringing about change in the Klamath Basin. Interior bureaus, partnering with other Federal agencies, are restoring habitat, removing fish migration barriers, acquiring land, using water banking, and researching the ecology of the federally-listed fish species. Through these partnership efforts, the Department is seeking long-term resolution of conflicts over water and land management.
The 2005 budget includes $67.6 million for this effort, a $17.9 million increase over 2004 funding levels. Other government agencies will provide an additional $38 million, bringing a total of $105 million to this effort. In addition to the $6.2 million increase in the FWS Partners program mentioned earlier, the budget includes funds to remove the Chiloquin Dam, which impedes passage of endangered suckers to 70 miles of spawning habitat on the Sprague River, and to acquire lands adjacent to Agency Lake Ranch to increase water storage and fisheries habitat restoration. Additional funding will also support water banking, water supply enhancement, and water quality improvement.
Energy: Lands and waters managed by Interior produce about 30 percent of the Nation's energy supply. Approximately one-third of the natural gas, coal, and oil, one-half of geothermal energy, 17 percent of hydropower, and 20 percent of wind power are produced in areas managed by Interior. We are committed to implementing the President's National Energy Plan, a part of which focuses on a long-term strategy for producing traditional and renewable sources of energy on Federal lands while maintaining environmental protections and involving all interested persons in open decision-making processes.
The 2005 budget request will help meet the Nation's energy needs by focusing on timely access to oil and natural gas resources on public lands, consistent with publicly developed land-use plans. We propose to maintain Bureau of Land Management oil, gas, and coal programs at the 2004 funding level of $104.4 million through a combination of appropriated funds and $4.0 million in additional user fees generated through a proposed rulemaking to bring fees closer to costs for certain services. This funding level preserves significant increases that were appropriated over the last few years to continue making significant progress in reducing permitting backlogs and expediting access to energy resources. The budget also includes an $800,000 increase to enhance permitting of renewable energy development and processing of rights-of-ways for both renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
As electric power plants shift from coal to clean-burning natural gas, the demand for natural gas is expected to increase significantly in the next 10 to 15 years. Gas hydrates present promise as an additional domestic source of natural gas to meet this skyrocketing demand. The 2005 budget for the Minerals Management Service proposes an increase of $200,000 to begin a tract-specific hydrate assessment to determine fair market value once production is practical. The Minerals Management Service proposes $400,000 to complete phase one of a two-year study to examine the potential environmental impacts of the recovery of this energy source.
The 2005 MMS budget includes an increase of $4.3 million for the Outer Continental Shelf Connect e-government initiative. The request represents the third year of a six-year project to dramatically reform and streamline offshore business operations by improving connectivity between the government and the public. The initiative will create a citizen-centered web presence and build an e-government infrastructure across agencies. Total funding for the initiative in 2005 will be $16.0 million.
To ensure that the government receives optimal value on lease permits, technology used by MMS must keep pace with the private sector, which has embraced and developed new technologies to meet the increasing challenge of competition in exploring for petroleum resources. The 2005 budget includes $1.9 million for a 3-D visualization room, additional geological interpretive tools training, workstation-ready well logs, and seismic data management. All of these technologies have been routinely used by the private sector since 1995 for making fair market determinations on lease sales.
Monitoring and Science-Keys to Performance
Monitoring for Results: Central to Interior's resource protection and resource management efforts is an emphasis on results. The 2005 budget proposes to increase monitoring programs to strengthen the Department's capacity to assess program results and use that information to improve management. The budget requests $77.6 million for the NPS Natural Resource Challenge, an increase of $4.4 million over the 2004 level, to enhance the Park Service's capability to track ecosystem health and water conditions. The increase will fund six additional vital signs monitoring networks, bringing the total networks to 28. The increase will also fund the remaining seven of 32 water quality monitoring networks.
The 2005 budget request for the Bureau of Land Management includes an increase of $4.0 million to strengthen and enhance resource health monitoring. Information on the health of resources and trend data help land managers develop and revise long-term resource management plans and guide day-to-day operational and permitting decisions. Monitoring programs provide information needed to ensure that land use plans and management decisions are having their intended effect. Monitoring also identifies changes in the status of resources on public lands. The 2005 increase, which builds on the $1.9 million provided in 2004, will allow BLM to increase monitoring of oil and gas activity, rangeland management, and overall implementation of land use plans.
We also propose additional increases for monitoring in the Fish and Wildlife Service to strengthen migratory bird programs and in the wild land fire program as a component of the Healthy Forests Initiative.
Science: Scientific research provides information needed to understand and resolve many of the complex issues faced by the Department. The U.S. Geological Survey is the Department's primary source of scientific research, earth sciences data, and other geologic information and conducts research on earth and biological processes, including natural resources and natural hazards. The 2005 budget request includes $919.8 million to continue the Department's science programs in the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Department is increasing the role of science in improving the effectiveness of Federal resource management decision-making. We are also avoiding duplication in our science efforts. The 2005 budget requests an increase of $1.2 million for "Science on the DOI Landscape" to address priority bureau science needs.
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, coastal storms, erosion, and flooding pose threats to lives and property and undermine local and national economic health. The Department is enhancing the quality and timeliness of information provided to communities so they can improve their warning systems, planning processes, response efforts, community education, and building modifications. The 2005 budget maintains the 2004 funding of $4.4 million for the Advanced National Seismic System. During 2005, USGS will continue to upgrade and install new seismic monitoring stations. Information from these stations will support real time earthquake shake maps for emergency response in five metropolitan areas. The 2005 budget requests an increase of $800,000 to expand pilot high-technology radar investigations to develop a national monitoring capability. This capability will provide increased tracking of the behavior of volcanoes, including Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park, Three Sisters volcano in Oregon, and four to six Alaskan volcanoes.
Improving Law Enforcement and Security
The Department is second only to the Department of Defense in the number of facilities it manages and operates. Stewardship of the Nation's parks, refuges, public lands and facilities requires law enforcement and security expertise to ensure safety and security for employees, visitors, and facilities. Our 2005 budget request includes an increase of $39.2 million over the 2004 level for law enforcement and security.
The 2005 budget for the Bureau of Reclamation budget includes $43.2 million, an increase of $15.4 million, to continue security modifications at priority dams. To enhance security at major National Park icons, the budget includes operational increases of $2.1 million for the National Park Service and $2.0 million for the U.S. Park Police. We request an additional $2.0 million in construction funding to complete security improvements at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The 2005 budget contains increases totaling $5.3 million in the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and the Departmental Office of Law Enforcement and Security to improve law enforcement efforts in border areas. The Department's land management agencies manage and protect public lands along the Nation's borders that comprise 39 percent of the southwest border, 31 percent of the southeast border (Texas to the Florida coastline), and 14 percent of the Canadian border. While primary responsibility for border security rests with the Department of Homeland Security, Interior agencies have an obligation to protect employees, visitors, natural resources, and agency facilities.
The 2005 budget also continues to implement a Secretarial order for 25 law enforcement reforms recommended by the Office of the Inspector General to improve accountability and efficiency. Key reforms include implementation of an off-the-shelf reporting system for law enforcement incidents to be used by all agencies within the Department. We request $5.2 million for this new system. Increases totaling $2.8 million in the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service will support law enforcement management reforms in those agencies.
The 2005 budget includes an increase of $7.8 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to operate eight new detention facilities serving Indian populations. These facilities, constructed through a joint initiative with the Department of Justice, will be completed by 2005. These new facilities meet current detention standards and alleviate conditions such as overcrowding and mixing of juvenile and adult detainees.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes
Congress passed the PILT Act in 1976 to provide payments to local governments in counties where certain Federal lands are located within their boundaries. Local governments incur costs associated with Federal lands within their boundaries, but are unable to collect taxes on the lands. PILT payments are made to local governments in lieu of tax revenues and to supplement other Federal land receipts shared with local governments. Local governments use PILT payments to improve local school, water, and road systems, as well as for other necessary infrastructure. The 2005 budget proposes $226.0 million for PILT, a $1.3 million increase over the 2004 enacted level, and the highest level ever for the program.
Management Excellence
Behind all of Interior's programs, out of the limelight, rests a management foundation that is vital to the accomplishment of our mission. The environment in which the department delivers services and carries out its mission is changing, driven by the same forces that are reshaping the Nation. The American people are demanding more from their public servants and calling for better business management practices, improved efficiency, financial transparency, and mission accountability. Management challenges facing the Department are increasingly complex, requiring more sophisticated approaches in human resource planning, organizational governance, facilities management, and technology security. Legislated requirements and government-wide innovations call for increased management rigor. In the past decade Congress has enacted extensive legislation including the Government Performance and Results Act, Government Management Reform Act, Chief Financial Officers Act, Federal Financial Improvement Act, Debt Collection Improvement Act, and Information Technology Management Reform Act.
With a solid foundation of employees, volunteers, and partners working toward a common set of goals, we have made significant advances in our quest for management excellence.
In 2005, the Department will continue to support the President's Management Agenda and build on this foundation for management excellence. The 2005 budget includes increased funding for management priorities including two that are highlighted here, the Financial and Business Management System and the Enterprise Services Network.
Our budget proposes $18.6 million for the Financial and Business Management System, a $7.0 million increase over 2004. This system will replace a combination of systems for processing financial and related transactions and meet the Department's needs for business management information. It will revamp administrative processes throughout the Department by modernizing and integrating financial management, acquisition, property management, grants administration, and other subsidiary systems.
The Enterprise Services Network will integrate and consolidate the Department's networks, systems, and computing environmental to provide secure and robust telecommunications within the Department and to customers. The 2005 budget includes $8.0 million for this initiative.
The 2005 budget also requests funding for bureau-specific improvements, including $2.7 million to address material weaknesses in the U.S. Geological Survey's financial management practices. The USGS budget also includes $1.8 million to modernize and centrally support key information technology management practices to enhance service and eliminate critical deficiencies in the bureau's information technology security infrastructure.
The budget plays a key role in advancing our vision of healthy lands, thriving communities, and dynamic economies. Behind these numbers lie people, places, and partnerships. Our goals become reality through the energy and creativity efforts of our employees, volunteers, and partners. They provide the foundation for achieving the goals highlighted in our 2005 budget.
This concludes my overview of the 2005 budget proposal for the Department of the Interior and my written statement. I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Selected News Releases


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Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 23 March 2010.
Google France SARL and Google Inc. v Louis Vuitton Malletier SA (C-236/08), Google France SARL v Viaticum SA and Luteciel SARL (C-237/08) and Google France SARL v Centre national de recherche en relations humaines (CNRRH) SARL and Others (C-238/08).
References for a preliminary ruling: Cour de cassation - France.
Trade marks - Internet - Search engine - Keyword advertising - Display, on the basis of keywords corresponding to trade marks, of links to sites of competitors of the proprietors of those marks or to sites offering imitation goods - Directive 89/104/EEC - Article 5 - Regulation (EC) No 40/94 - Article 9 - Liability of the search engine operator - Directive 2000/31/EC ('Directive on electronic commerce').
Joined cases C-236/08 to C-238/08.


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Lower Body Lift
Belt lipectomy or trunkal body lift is a circumferential removal of loose hanging skin and fat from around the waist or "belt" line of an individual. It could be considered an extensive tummy tuck that continues around the sides to remove the loose "love handle" skin that continues onto the lower back. The advantage to this extensive removal of skin is that the looseness above the buttocks is removed which has the effect of lifting the buttocks as well. Sometimes the fat in this area is used to augment the buttocks during belt lipectomy, restoring the flattened buttocks to a more youthful and projecting shape. The surgery typically begins with the patient in the prone position (belly down) and requires the body be turned onto the back once the initial posterior buttocks and lower back area surgery is completed so that the stomach or abdominal area "tummy tuck" can be performed which completes the "belt" lipectomy.
Three and a half to five hours.
Typically general anesthesia but spinal anesthesia is also an option.
Because of the extensive nature of the procedure an overnight stay is usually required.
Possible Side Effects
Breakdown of the suture line above the buttocks (because of patient's tendency to bend at the waist when performing normal hygiene which strains the suture closure pulling it apart). This usually leads to a wider scar in the posterior surgical area. Some numbness of the area above and sometimes below the incisions, residual looseness and irregularity of the skin, and all the usual common side effects of any surgical procedure.
Risks of surgery are the same as with conventional abdominoplasty.
Recovery is prolonged because of the requirement of avoiding bending at the waist for a month until adequate healing has occurred.
Results are typically very gratifying.