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Take a sneak peek at the new NIST.gov and let us know what you think!
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In This Issue...
Editor: Michael Baum
3d Nanostructures with Magnetic Materials
Materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a process to build complex, three-dimensional nanoscale structures of magnetic materials such as nickel or nickel-iron alloys using techniques compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing. The process, described in a recent paper,* could enable whole new classes of sensors and microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices.
The NIST team also demonstrated that key process variables are linked to relatively quick and inexpensive electrochemical measurements, pointing the way to a fast and efficient way to optimize the process for new materials.
The NIST process is a variation of a technique called "Damascene metallization" that often is used to create complicated three-dimensional copper interconnections, the "wiring" that links circuit elements across multiple layers in advanced, large-scale integrated circuits. Named after the ancient art of creating designs with metal-in-metal inlays, the process involves etching complex patterns of horizontal trenches and vertical "vias" in the surface of the wafer and then uses an electroplating process to fill them with copper. The high aspect ratio features may range from tens of nanometers to hundreds of microns in width. Once filled, the surface of the disk is ground and polished down to remove the excess copper, leaving behind the trench and via pattern.
The big trick in Damascene metallization is ensuring that the deposited metal completely fills in the deep, narrow trenches without leaving voids. This can be done by adding a chemical to the electrodeposition solution to prevent the metal from building up too quickly on the sides of the trenches and by careful control of the deposition process, but both the chemistry and the process variables turn out to be significantly different for active ferromagnetic materials than for passive materials like copper. In addition to devising a working combination of electrolytes and additives to do Damascene metallization with nickel and a nickel-iron alloy, the NIST team demonstrated straightforward measurements for identifying and optimizing the feature-filling process thereby providing an efficient path for the creation of quality nanoscale ferromagnet structures.
The new process makes it feasible to create complex three-dimensional MEMS devices such as inductors and actuators that combine magnetic alloys with non-magnetic metallizations such as copper interconnects using existing production systems.
* C.H. Lee, J.E. Bonevich, J.E. Davies and T.P. Moffat. Magnetic materials for three-dimensional Damascene metallization: void-free electrodeposition of Ni and Ni70Fe30 using 2-mercapto-5-benzimidazolesulfonic acid. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 155 (7) D499-D507 (2008).
Media Contact: Michael Baum, email@example.com, (301) 975-2763
Exposing the Sensitivity of Extreme Ultraviolet Photoresists
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes now under development are twice as sensitive as previously believed. This finding, announced at a workshop last month,* has attracted considerable interest because of its implications for future manufacturing. If the photoresists are twice as sensitive as previously thought, then they are close to having the sensitivity required for high volume manufacturing, but the flip side is that the extreme ultraviolet optical systems in the demonstration tools currently being used are only about half as effective as believed.
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is a process analogous to film photography. A silicon wafer is coated with photoresist and exposed to EUV light that reflects off a patterned "photomask." Where the light strikes the resist it changes the solubility of the coating. When developed, the soluble portions wash away leaving the same pattern exposed on the silicon surface for the processing steps that ultimately create microcircuits.
The drive to make circuits with ever smaller features has pushed manufacturers to use shorter and shorter wavelengths of light. EUVL is the next step in this progression and requires developing both suitable light sources and photoresists that can retain the fine details of the circuit, balancing sensitivity, line edge roughness and spatial resolution. NIST researcher Steve Grantham says that optical lithography light sources in use today emit light with a wavelength of about 193 nanometers, which borders on optical wavelengths. EUVL sources produce light with wavelengths about an order of magnitude smaller, around 13.5 nanometers. Because this light does not travel through anything—including lenses—mirrors have to be used to focus it.
Until recently, EUV photoresist sensitivity was referenced to a measurement technique developed at Sandia National Labs in the 1990s. Late in 2007, scientists at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., used a NIST-calibrated photodetector to check the standard. Their detector-based measurements indicated that the resist's sensitivity was about twice that of the resist-based calibration standard.
Following on the intense interest that these results generated when the Berkeley group presented them at a conference in February, the Intel Corporation asked scientists at NIST to make their own independent determination of the EUVL resist sensitivity to validate the results. Measurements conducted at the NIST SURF III Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility agreed with those of the Berkeley group. The fact that the photoresist is now known to be twice as sensitive to the EUV light implies that half as much light energy as had been expected is arriving at the wafer.
"These results are significant for a technology that faces many challenges before it is slated to become a high-volume manufacturing process in 2012," Grantham says. "It should open the eyes of the industry to the need for accurate dose metrology and the use of traceable standards in their evaluations of source and lithography tool performance."
* S. Grantham, C. Tarrio, R. E. Vest, T. B. Lucatorto, A. Novembre, M. Cangemi, V. Prabhu, K.W. Choi, M. Chandhok, T. Younkin and J. S. Clarke. SEMATECH EUV Source Workshop, Bolton Landing, N.Y., May 12, 2008.
Media Contact: Mark Esser, email@example.com, 301-975-8735
'Electron Trapping' May Impact Future Microelectronics Measurements
Using an ultra-fast method of measuring how a transistor switches from the "off" to the "on" state, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently reported that they have uncovered an unusual phenomenon that may impact how manufacturers estimate the lifetime of future nanoscale electronics.
The transistor is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics, and the life expectancy or reliability of a transistor is often projected based on the response to an accelerated stress condition. Changes in the transistor's threshold voltage (the point at which it switches on) are typically monitored during these lifetime projections. The threshold voltage of certain types of transistors (p-type) is known to shift during accelerated stresses involving negative voltages and elevated temperatures, a characteristic known as "negative bias temperature instability" (NBTI). This threshold voltage shift recovers to varying degrees once the stress has ended. This "recovery" makes the task of measuring the threshold voltage shift very challenging and greatly complicates the prediction of a transistor's lifetime.
As semiconductor devices reach nanoscale (billionth of a meter) dimensions, measuring this device reliability accurately becomes more important because of new materials, new structures, higher operating temperatures and quantum mechanical effects. Many NBTI studies show that the accuracy of the measured threshold voltage shift (and consequent accuracy of the lifetime prediction) depends strongly on how quickly the threshold voltage can be measured after the stress is finished. So, NIST engineers began making threshold voltage measurements at very fast speeds, leaving as little as two microsceconds (millionths of a second) between measurements instead of the traditional half-second interval. What they observed was surprising.
"We found that NBTI recovery not only returned the threshold voltage to its pre-stressed state but briefly passed this mark and temporarily allowed the transistor to behave better than the pre-stressed state," says Jason Campbell, a member of the NIST team (that includes Kin Cheung and John Suehle) who presented this finding at the recent Symposium on VLSI Technology in Hawaii. The NBTI effect generally is believed to result from the buildup of positive charges, he explained, but the new observations at NIST indicate the presence of negative charge as well. NIST's ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive measurements revealed that during recovery, the positive charges dissipated faster than the electrons, giving the system a momentary negative charge and heightened conductivity.
To date, Campbell says, transistor manufacturers only consider the accumulation of positive charges to predict the longevity of their microelectronics devices. "But as these systems get smaller and smaller, the electron trapping phenomenon we observed will need to be considered as well to ensure that transistor lifetime predictions stay accurate," he says. "Our research will now focus on developing and refining the ability to measure that impact."
Media Contact: Michael E. Newman, firstname.lastname@example.com, 301-975-3025
Oxygen Ions for Fuel Cells Get Loose at Low(er) Temperatures
Seeking to understand a new fuel cell material, a research team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, has uncovered a novel structure that moves oxygen ions through the cell at substantially lower temperatures than previously thought possible. The finding announced this month in Nature Materials may be key to solving fuel cell reliability issues and lead to reduced operating costs in high-performance stationary fuel cells.
Electricity is produced in fuel cells from the electrochemical reaction between a hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen that produces electric current and water. Research on small fuel cells for cars has dominated the news, but stationary fuel cells are the Goliaths—operating at up to 70 percent efficiency and providing enough electricity—up to 100 megawatts—to power small cities, hospitals, military installations or airports without relying on the electric power grid. Smaller versions are being considered for auxiliary power units in such applications as refrigeration trucks to reduce engine idling.
They are called "solid oxide" fuel cells (SOFCs) because the heart of the cell is a solid electrolyte that transports oxygen ions extracted from air to meet with hydrogen atoms. This alchemy traditionally requires high temperatures—about 850 degrees Celsius in conventional SOFCs—and therefore long startup times, ranging from 45 minutes to eight hours.
The high temperatures necessitate more expensive materials and higher operating costs, so stationary fuel cell research is focused on lowering operating temperatures as well as shortening startup times. The U.S. Department of Energy's goal is to slash the startup time to two minutes.
Chemists at the University of Liverpool fabricated a new oxygen ion electrolyte material of lanthanum, strontium, gallium and oxygen and sent it to the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) to investigate with collaborators from NIST, the University of Maryland and University College London. Neutrons provide an atomic-scale view of materials so scientists can "see" what is happening at that level.
The oxygen ions in the new materials become mobile at 600 degrees C, much lower than previously studied materials. Researchers suspected the reason lay in the location of the oxygen ions in the crystal framework of the compound. The neutron probes allowed them to determine the basic crystal structure that held the lanthanum, strontium, gallium and oxygen atoms, however the exact nature of the extra oxygen ions was unclear.
NCNR researchers recommended borrowing a method from radio astronomy called maximum entropy analysis. "When astronomers are not able to visualize a specific part of an image because it constitutes such a small part of the total information collected, they utilize a part of applied mathematics called information theory to reconstruct a sharper image," explains NCNR researcher Mark Green. "The combination of neutron diffraction and maximum entropy analysis not only allowed us to determine the location of additional oxygen ions outside of the basic framework, but revealed a new mechanism for ion conduction."
"It allows us to take a fundamentally different approach in the design of future materials, so that we can harness this new mechanism for oxide ion conduction and produce lower operating fuel cells," says Green. "This type of work is very important to us, which is why as part of the NCNR expansion we are developing a new materials diffractometer that will greatly enhance our capabilities in energy related research."
* X. Kuang, M.A. Green, H. Niu, P Zajdel, C. Dickinson, J.B. Claridge, L. Jantsky and M.J. Rosseinsky. Interstitial oxide ion conductivity in the layered tetrahedral network melilite structure. Nature Materials, June 2008
Media Contact: Evelyn Brown, email@example.com, 301-975-5661
Standards Set for Energy-Conserving LED Lighting
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for solid-state lighting in the United States. This new generation lighting technology uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of incandescent filaments or fluorescent tubes to produce illumination that cuts energy consumption significantly.
Standards are important to ensure that products will have high quality and their performance will be specified uniformly for commerce and trade. These standards—the most recent of which published last month—detail the color specifications of LED lamps and LED light fixtures, and the test methods that manufacturers should use when testing these solid-state lighting products for total light output, energy consumption and chromaticity, or color quality.
Solid-state lighting is expected to significantly reduce the amount of energy needed for general lighting, including residential, commercial and street lighting. "Lighting," explains NIST scientist Yoshi Ohno, "uses 22 percent of the electricity and 8 percent of the total energy spent in the country, so the energy savings in lighting will have a huge impact."
Solid-state lighting is expected to be twice as energy efficient as fluorescent lamps and 10 times more efficient than incandescent lamps, although the current products are still at their early stages. Ohno chaired the task groups that developed these new standards.
In addition to saving energy, the new lighting, if designed appropriately, can produce better color rendering—how colors of objects look under the illumination—than fluorescent lamps or even incandescent lamps, Ohno says.
NIST is working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support its goal of developing and introducing solid-state lighting to reduce energy consumption for lighting by 50 percent by the year 2025. The department predicts that phasing in solid-state lighting over the next 20 years could save more than $280 billion in 2007 dollars.
The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) published a documentary standard LM-79, which describes the methods for testing solid-state lighting products for their light output (lumens), energy efficiency (lumens per watt) and chromaticity. Details include the environmental conditions for the tests, how to operate and stabilize the LED sources for testing and methods of measurement and types of instruments to be used.
"More standards are needed, and this will be the foundation for all solid-state lighting standards," Ohno says. The standard is available from the IESNA.
The solid-state lights being studied are intended for general illumination, but white lights used today vary greatly in chromaticity, or specific shade of white. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published the standard C78.377-2008, which specifies the recommended color ranges for solid-state lighting products using cool to warm white LEDs with various correlated color temperatures. The standard may be downloaded from ANSI's Web site. www.nema.org/stds/ANSI-ANSLG-C78-377.cfm
DOE is launching the Energy Star program for solid-state lighting products this fall. NIST scientists assisted DOE by providing research, technical details and comments for the Energy Star specifications. The Energy Star certification assures consumers that products save energy and are high quality and also serves as an incentive for manufacturers to provide energy-saving products for consumers.
The solid-state lighting community is continuing to develop LED lighting standards for rating LED lamp lifetime and for measuring the performance of the individual high-power LED chips and arrays. NIST scientists are taking active roles in these continuing efforts.
Media Contact: Evelyn Brown, firstname.lastname@example.com, 301-975-5661
NIST Releases Preview of Much-Anticipated Online Mathematics Reference
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a five-chapter preview of the much-anticipated online Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF). In development for over a decade, the DLMF is designed to be a modern successor to the 1964 "Handbook of Mathematical Functions," a reference work that is the most widely distributed NIST publication (with over a million copies in print) and one of the most cited works in the mathematical literature (still receiving over 1,600 yearly citations in the research literature). The preview of the new DLMF is a fully functional beta-level release of five of the 36 chapters.
The DLMF is designed to be the definitive reference work on the special functions of applied mathematics. Special functions are "special" because they occur very frequently in mathematical modeling of physical phenomena, from atomic physics to optics and water waves. These functions have also found applications in many other areas; for example, cryptography and signal analysis. The DLMF provides basic information needed to use these functions in practice, such as their precise definitions, alternate ways to represent them mathematically, illustrations of how the functions behave with extreme values and relationships between functions.
The DLMF provides various visual aids to provide qualitative information on the behavior of mathematical functions, including interactive Web-based tools for rotating and zooming in on three-dimensional representations. These 3-D visualizations can be explored with free browsers and plugins designed to work in virtual reality markup language (VRML). Mouse over any mathematical function, and the DLMF provides a description of what it is; click on it, and the DLMF goes to an entire page on the function. The DLMF adheres to a high standard for handbooks by providing references to or hints for the proofs of all mathematical statements. It also provides advice on methods for computing mathematical functions, as well as pointers to available software.
The complete DLMF, with 31 additional chapters providing information on mathematical functions from Airy to Zeta, is expected to be released in early 2009. With over 9,000 equations and more than 500 figures, it will have about twice the amount of technical material of the 1964 Handbook. An approximately 1,000-page print edition that covers all of the mathematical information available online also will be published. The DLMF, which is being compiled and extensively edited at NIST, received initial seed money from the National Science Foundation and resulted from contributions of more than 50 subject-area experts worldwide. The NIST editors for the DLMF are Frank W. J. Olver, Daniel W. Lozier, Ronald F. Boisvert and Charles W. Clark.
The DLMF preview can be accessed at http://dlmf.nist.gov/.
Media Contact: Ben Stein, firstname.lastname@example.com, 301-975-3097
Micromagnets Show Promise as Colorful 'Smart Tags' for MRI
Customized microscopic magnets might one day be injected into the body to add color to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while enhancing sensitivity and the amount of information provided by images researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. The new micromagnets also could act as "smart tags," identifying particular cells, tissues or physiological conditions for medical research or diagnostic purposes.
As described in the June 19 issue of Nature,* the NIST and NIH investigators have demonstrated the proof of principle for a new approach to MRI. Unlike the chemical solutions now used as image-enhancing contrast agents in MRI, the NIST/NIH micromagnets rely on a precisely tunable feature—their physical shape—to adjust the radiofrequency (RF) signals used to create images. The RF signals then can be converted into a rainbow of optical colors by computer. Sets of different magnets designed to appear as different colors could, for example, be coated to attach to different cell types, such as cancerous versus normal.
"Current MRI technology is primarily black and white; this is like a colored tag for MRI," says lead author Gary Zabow, who designed and fabricated the microtags at NIST and, together with colleagues at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of NIH, tested them on MRI machines.
The microtags would need extensive further engineering and testing, including clinical studies, before they could be used in people. The initial prototypes were made of nickel, which is toxic but relatively easy to work with, but Zabow says they could be made of other magnetic materials, such as iron, which is considered non-toxic and is already approved for use in certain medical agents. Only very low concentrations of the magnets would be needed in the body to enhance MRI images.
Each micromagnet consists of two round vertically stacked magnetic discs a few micrometers in diameter separated by a small open gap in between. Researchers create a customized magnetic field for each tag by making it from particular materials and tweaking the geometry, perhaps by widening the gap between the discs or changing the discs' thickness or diameter. As water in a sample flows between the discs, protons acting like twirling bar magnets within the water's hydrogen atoms generate predictable RF signals—the stronger the magnetic field, the faster the twirling—and these signals are used to create images. The magnets could make medical diagnostic images as information-rich as the optical images of tissue samples now common in biotechnology, which already benefits from a variety of colored markers such as fluorescent proteins and tunable quantum dots.
NIH support for Zabow's work was funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) through the NIST/NIH-NIBIB National Research Council Joint Associateship Program. NIH has filed a provisional patent application on the micromagnets.
To read more about micromagnets, see "NIST/NIH Micromagnets Show Promise as Colorful 'Smart Tags' for Magnetic Resonance Imaging."
* G. Zabow, S. Dodd, J. Moreland, A. Koretsky. 2008. Micro-engineered local field control for high-sensitivity multispectral MRI. Nature. June 19.
Media Contact: Laura Ost, firstname.lastname@example.com, (303) 497-4880
Physicists Produce Quantum-Entangled Images
Using a convenient and flexible method for creating twin light beams, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UM) have produced "quantum images," pairs of information-rich visual patterns whose features are "entangled," or inextricably linked by the laws of quantum physics.
In addition to promising better detection of faint objects and improved amplification and positioning of light beams, the researchers' technique for producing quantum images—unprecedented in its simplicity, versatility, and efficiency—may someday be useful for storing patterns of data in quantum computers and transmitting large amounts of highly secure encrypted information. The research performed at the NIST/UM Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) was described in the June 12 edition of Science Express.*
Conventional photographic films or digital camera sensors only record the color and intensity of a light wave striking their surfaces. A hologram additionally records a light wave's "phase"—the timing the crests and valleys in the wave. However, much more happens in a light wave. Even the most stable laser beam brightens and dims randomly over time because light has inherent quantum level "uncertainties" in its properties. Controlling these fluctuations—which represent a sort of "noise"—can improve detection of faint objects, produce better amplified images and allow workers to more accurately position laser beams. Researchers can't completely eliminate the noise, but they can rearrange it to improve desired features in images. A quantum-mechanical technique called "squeezing" lets physicists reduce noise in one property—such as intensity—at the expense of increasing the noise in a complementary property, such as phase. In addition to noise reduction, the quantum manipulations open new applications for images—such as transferring heaps of encrypted data protected by the laws of quantum mechanics and performing parallel processing of information for quantum computers.
The quantum images produced by the JQI team are in "entangled" pairs, transmitted by two light beams originating from the same point. Look at one quantum image, and it displays random and unpredictable changes over time. Look at the other image, and it exhibits very similar random fluctuations at the same time, even if the two images are far apart and unable to transmit information to one another. Together, they are squeezed: Matching up both quantum images and subtracting their fluctuations, their noise is lower—and their information content potentially higher—than it is from any two classical images. Each image is made of up to 100 distinct regions, akin to the pixels forming a digital image, each with its own independent optical and noise properties. A pixel on one image forms a partnership with a pixel on the other image—one could predict many of the properties in the second pixel just by looking at the first.
Previous efforts at making quantum images have been limited to building them up with "photon counting"—collecting one photon at a time over a long period of time—or having very specialized "images" such as something that could only be constructed from a dot and a ring. In contrast, the new method produces an entire image at one time and can make a wide variety of images in any shape. A next goal for the researchers is to produce quantum images with slowed-down light; such slowed images could be used in information storage and processing as well as communications applications.
For more details, read "Physicists Produce Quantum-Entangled Images".
* V. Boyer, A. Marino, R. Pooser, and P. Lett. Entangled Images from Four-Wave Mixing. To Appear in Science Express, 12 June 2008.
Media Contact: Ben Stein, email@example.com, 301-975-3097
High Rise Fire Fighting—Effective Use of Positive Pressure Ventilation
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers recently released a two-disk DVD set that demonstrates how Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV), a technique in which powerful fans force smoke and heat from corridors and stairwells, can increase the effectiveness of firefighters and survivability of occupants in high rise structures.
The DVD collection of PPV videos, reports and a narrated slide presentation are the result of more than six years of NIST PPV experiments and computer simulations. A user-friendly graphic menu allows simple access to all the videos of the high-rise experiments. Users can select single and multi-camera views of events in the rooms of the different apartments. The multimedia presentations as well as the extensive discussion of appropriate PPV techniques for different high-rise building fires makes the DVD set a useful tool for firefighter training.
NIST's PPV work has been supported by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the United States Fire Administration, as well as fire departments across the country. The DVD set, titled "Positive Pressure Ventilation Research: Videos & Reports" by Stephen Kerber and Daniel Madrzykowski, is free. To receive a copy, send a request with a name and mailing address via e-mail to Yalasha Redd at email@example.com or Steve Kerber at email@example.com.
Media Contact: Michael Baum, firstname.lastname@example.com, 301-975-2763
2008-2009 Commerce Science and Technology Fellows Announced
Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that 17 individuals have been selected to participate in the Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship (ComSci) Program. Established in 1964 and later enacted by Congress, ComSci is a 10-month policy study and leadership program that is open to career senior federal employees from any government agency. The ComSci Program takes its participants behind the scenes to learn about science and technology policy-making and management from the brightest minds in government, industry and academia.
"This year marks the induction of the 40th class of ComSci Fellows," said Gutierrez. "The individuals selected to participate in this esteemed program will have the opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of science and technology policy at the national and international levels. The insights that ComSci Fellows pass on have and will continue to ensure that the technical and scientific leadership of the United States will endure."
For a list of the 2008-2009 ComSci Fellows see "Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Announces Selection of 2007-2008 Commerce Science and Technology Fellows."
For more information on the ComSci program, go to www.comsci.gov.
Media Contact: Michael Baum, email@example.com, 301-975-2763


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Getting ready by dishwasher1910Watch
©2012-2016 dishwasher1910
holy cheese and crackers. i finally finished it . took WAY longer than i expected. so yeah. i kinda used that style of "dramatic coloring" that i normally done with my other paintings ..soo ..its really ....eye poping. not that much happy with the background though. im short on ideas so i just went for a simple one. well hope you like it . tell me wat ya think
it pwetty.
I really admire the colors used in this picture You're a great artist!
come on luna we will be late for the party
It's so shiny! I love the colors and lighting.
uhhh getting ready for what? what's going on here?....
Thats so cute and adorable.
What an absolutely lovely piece! Cutest princess sisters ever! If an episode ever features Celestia brushing her sister's mane before she goes out, I will die of happiness.
Wow, your use of colors is marvelous! I bet this is the time when Luna was preparing for her first public appearance after a thousand year absence. She look so nervous! Aww...
Beautifully done! ^-^
Love it! ^^
Damn those ponies are adorable
Not... Entirely sure what's going on in here but... IT'S SO GOD DAMN COLOURFUL I HAVE TO SAVE/FAVOURITE IT!
Only two comments? I'm shocked. This is really good. Favorited and watched.
Beautiful! The coloring is awesome!
Really clean sketch here, I like it. Celestia's right arm (leg, w/e) looks like it's detached from the body however (maybe I'm seeing this wrong). Other than that, everything looks good. The eyes and saddle stood out to me, they're very well done. Nice job
This must be the missing scene from this comic strip: [link]
This must be the missing scene from this comic strip: [link]

subset: commoncrawl


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Tax dodgers are on the run
- Better Business Held in trust for grandchildren
- Better Business VAT under the spotlight
- Better Business HMRC pilot scheme for disputes
More on Your Business
Q. It seems that HM Revenue & Customs are currently announcing a new initiative to tackle tax evasion every month at the moment. Are these actually effective or are they merely high profile "scare tactics"?
A. Since 2010, HMRC has started to use "taskforces" targeting a broad range of different business sectors from doctors and dentists, plumbers and electricians, restaurant owners through to landlords, to name just a few.
The taskforces are part of the £917m funding which was ring-fenced in 2010 from the government spending review in order to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud from 2011/2012. The target is aimed at raising an additional £7bn each year by 2014/2015.
HMRC has stated that it considers this to be a smart use of resources and a wise way to spend the allocated funds. Many accountants and tax advisers broadly agree with HMRC's statement but there is certain doubt as to whether returns from the campaigns are worth the effort. Some accountants, however, think that a general tax amnesty could potentially recoup more tax.
More than 20 targeted taskforces have been launched since the beginning of 2011 with HMRC planning a further 30 more during 2012/2013.
Each specialist team will do intense research and tax investigations to uncover businesses which owe the government tax.
HMRC said that it has raised more than £500m to date from taskforces over the past five years (including "offshore disclosure facilities") but this figure does not reflect the results of the latest round of taskforces that have been announced in the last 12 months.
While the £500m recouped to date may sound impressive, it only accounts for approximately 2 per cent of the total estimated £35bn tax gap - the difference between the tax that the HMRC thinks should be collected and the amount which has actually been collected. Some professionals dispute this figure and think that the tax gap could, in actual fact, be much higher than HMRC's estimate. The amount of tax each taskforce collects varies but, to date, it has been typically between £2m and £15m.
So far the taskforces, which use software to help inspectors track down tax evaders, are aimed at parts of the economy where HMRC has evidence of tax evasion. People who approach HMRC at the start of each targeted taskforce and make voluntary disclosures about their financial affairs along with any undeclared income typically receive more lenient treatment.
As part of the current initiatives to tackle evasion and avoidance, HMRC has also used tax amnesties and criminal and civil prosecutions. Offshore tax amnesties, such as the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility, and a deal made with the Swiss government to tax money held by British citizens in "secret" Swiss bank accounts are expected to raise billions and are considered by most professional advisers as having been a great success.


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Definition of chaotic in English:
1In a state of complete confusion and disorder: a chaotic jumble of spools, tapes, and books
More example sentences
- People are very confused in this chaotic world about what is really the right thing to do.
- From its neat grid of streets which parallel the long waterfront, a more chaotic jumble of lanes wriggle up the hillside.
- How can any sense be made of what may appear to be a chaotic jumble of attitudes?
disorderly, disordered, in disorder, in chaos, in disarray, disorganized, topsy-turvy, in pandemonium, in turmoil, in an uproar;
in a muddle, in a mess, messy, in a shambles;
anarchic, lawless
1.1 Physics Relating to systems that exhibit chaos.
Example sentences
- They occur as the foundations of what is now known as chaotic systems.
- Smale discovered strange attractors which lead to chaotic dynamical systems.
- Many natural chaotic systems form fractals in the patterns that record the process.
- Example sentences
- Swinging chaotically between mindless lethargy and eruptions of unbridled emotion, he is barely able to think rationally or arrive at any sort of decision.
- His playing was as chaotically brilliant as ever.
- It was a day of stray dogs howling in the streets with fear, flocks of birds flying chaotically in the sky - trying to escape the horrible noises and smoke.
Early 18th century: from chaos, on the pattern of words such as hypnotic.
Words that rhyme with chaoticabiotic, amniotic, antibiotic, demotic, despotic, erotic, exotic, homoerotic, hypnotic, idiotic, macrobiotic, meiotic, narcotic, neurotic, osmotic, patriotic, prebiotic, psychotic, quixotic, robotic, sclerotic, semiotic, symbiotic, zygotic, zymotic
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: cha·ot·ic
Definition of chaotic in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
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= trending


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Poll: Politics Will Influence Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling
Everyone's gearing up for the upcoming debate on the health-care law before the Supreme Court at the end of March. Turns out, not a lot of people have faith the case will be decided on its merits.
Three-quarters of Americans say the Supreme Court will be influenced by politics when it rules on the constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, according to a Bloomberg National Poll. Methodology and poll questions can be seen here.
Breaking down the results by political party, more Republicans than Democrats believe the court will be guided by politics, by 74% to 67%. Eighty percent of independents say the court won't base its decision on just legal merits. The poll also noted that among Tea Party supporters, 81% said politics will play a role in the decision, the highest percentage of any subgroup. In the nine-month term that began October 2010, the justices divided along party lines in a dozen cases, Bloomberg noted.
In a preview of the case, the American Bar Association recently polled academics, journalists and lawyers who follow the court, and found that 85% said the act would be upheld, due to a belief the court would find the insurance coverage mandate to be constitutional. Most of those polled also said that if the court were to strike down the individual mandate, they'd likely leave the rest of the law intact.
The most recent ex-justice, John Paul Stevens, who retired from the court in 2010, said earlier this year that the Supreme Court has "a wonderful record of trying to decide things on the merits rather than on the basis of our own particular views." Stevens also said controversial decisions like Bush v. Gore — which he called "a mistake" – "had an adverse impact on the public's regard for the independence of the court."


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Vermont State Police said troopers responded to Nichol's General Store on Saturday night for a reported armed robbery.
Troopers said a woman came into the store around 6:30 p.m. and handed the clerk a note demanding money.
The woman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a peace symbol across the front, police said. She was also wearing blue jeans and a mask, police said. She is described as being slender and no taller than 5 feet 4 inches.
The clerk told police the woman was carrying a black gun. The weapon was never removed from her pocket, police said.
The woman got away with cash and is believed to have fled via car.
A similar description was given by police following an armed robbery in West Rutland on Wednesday.
Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Rutland at 802-773-9101. Anonymously tips can be submitted online at www.vtips.info or by texting "CRIMES" to VTIPS.


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Chad Henne did not meet the Miami Dolphins' expectations in what was a rough 2010 NFL season.
As a result, the Dolphins were seemingly on the prowl for a quarterback in free agency.
Kyle Orton from the Denver Broncos is the name that has predominantly come up in talks. But once the Orton trade fell apart, the Dolphins cut their losses and instead signed former Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore.
Now, Dolphins fans want blood. Or more specifically, they want Orton.
Via ProFootballTalk:
The fans started booing every underthrown Chad Henne pass, then chanted, "We want Orton!"
With the obvious struggles of second-year quarterback Tim Tebow, Denver may be forced to keep Orton so as not to anger their fanbase.
Check it here for all the latest on the Chad Henne situation in Miami and what some possible solutions could be!


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One of the bids received for the former Cardiff man came from their opponents abut Clark revealed it did not come close to the club's valuation.
"Chris Burke is back to his form of last season when he was the best player in the Championship.
"In the last seven or eight games he has been fantastic and I am glad we turned down what wasn't the biggest of bids for him from Nottingham Forest.
"I am enjoying it at the moment because we have a lot of pace in the team when we break.
"I just wish we could have got that elusive clean sheet," he said.
"I'm not disputing the penalty but if that was a penalty then Chris Burke's one 10 minutes earlier was probably a penalty. In the last four games we have had three penalties against us.
"I was disappointed we didn't win by a bigger margin with the chances we had particularly in the second half."
The Blues manager also commented on goalkeeper Jack Butland's performance, after he snubbed a move to Chelsea in favour of joining Stoke, before being loaned back to Birmingham for the rest of the season.
Clark added: "He isn't bad for a lad on loan! Not only is he a magnificent goalkeeper, I think the way he has conducted himself about the whole business has been top draw. Really mature."
- Sports & Recreation
- Soccer


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I was born in Australia but have lived in the UK since I was 10 years old - hence the rather Northern Stockport accent.
I completed four A Levels at Aquinas College in Stockport, and then went on to study Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire which earned me a BA Hons Degree.
Straight after University – I applied for 2 jobs in news reading, the first at Hallam FM in Sheffield and the other at what was, Century FM in Manchester. Luckily I received job offers for both openings on the same day. I opted to stay closer to home and took the job at Century Radio.
I worked weekends managing and reading news for three stations for 18 months before being asked to work with Tony Horne on the Breakfast Show. After a year the show host changed to Darren Proctor and I continued to work on it – presenting more and more.
After 4 years I was headhunted by Key 103 and asked to join Mike Toolan hosting the Breakfast Show across the other side of the City.
10 years later I'm still there. The chemistry between us is something that's won us several awards. We've won the prestigious Sony Radio best Breakfast Show Award twice and our on air competition 'Sell me the Answer' bagged the Best Competition Award – winning Sony Gold. Mike and I also won Gold at the New York Radio Awards and have been nominated for Best Presenters and Best Breakfast Show at the Sony's and the Commercial Radio Awards, the Arqiva's. We have also been awarded Best Breakfast Show at the Bauer Awards.
I've also done plenty of work for the Trafford Centre, presenting for the Big Screen each month, all of their in house adverts, hosting their exclusive Fashion Shows on a regular basis and my voice can often be heard booming out across the Orient Food Hall as their voiceover artist. Apologies!
I'm also a dedicated patron for St Ann's Hospice and have been for the last ten years, and proud to host events for them throughout the year. Events include hosting and judging their Young Citizen of The Year Awards, and a regularly hosting their Ladies Lunch which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds. I usually warm up the crowd and walk the 10K in their Midnight Walk event. Carrying on with the charity theme, I am also the patron of Beechwood Cancer Care in Stockport hosting their lunches, Butterfly Ball & Christmas Light Switch On's. I've been proud also to be involved in raising cash for The Christie as well as helping the Society for Abandoned Animals in Sale.
I have transferred my planning and hosting skills to Key 103, where I came up with the idea of a Ladies Lunch. The Lunch has just taken place in June for the 9th year raising in excess of half a million pounds for Cash4Kids and the last was the most successful to date raising over £58,000 alone.
I have also hosted an audience with Gok Wan at Manchester 235 and hooked up with him again to host the Above Average Underwear Party in conjunction with Simply Yours. I've just hosted the second LABC Awards at the Macron Stadium in Bolton for 500 and am very excited to be hosting the 4rd Stockport Business Awards in October.
I'm also a regular host in the Platinum Suite for Manchester United for their sponsors on match days.
Other corporate clients include Bupa, NUS, Alexandra Hospital, Living Ventures, JD Williams, Didsbury Hale & Bowden Magazine, Village Hotel Cheadle, Marks and Spencer, Living Ventures, Hilton Hotel, Key 103, Manchester Opera House, The Cooperative, Kensington Finance, Alderley Edge Hotel, Greater Manchester Police, Clinique, Manchester City, The Lowry Outlet Mall, The Triangle, Selfridges, Journey 9, Pet's at Home, Blemain Finance, RRG Toyota, and many more.


text: Avishi Organics offers natural skincare products for new and expecting mothers. Founded by a mother during her first pregnancy, Avishi products are chemical free and void of harmful additives to protect both mother and child. They are all made from 100% natural ingredients to regenerate skin and develop glowing good-health. Whether you worry about stretch marks or want to find alternative, natural ways to take care of your sensitive skin, Avishi products are perfect for you.


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Links Sort by: Hits | Alphabetical
|The Osprey the trike that rules them all - http://www.4strokeppgtrike.com
TheOsprey is the latest PPG Trike module developed by Terry Lutke in Michigan and Dr Girish Herekar in CA The trike module is made from high grade steel, allowing it to be very strong, yet easy to repair. the osprey uses is a 31- 35 hp 995cc 4-Stroke engine, far more reliable than the 2-stroke motors common to most paramotors. www.4strokeppgtrike.com -
|slots - http://www.playingexpert.com/slots
Get online poker room and online casino reviews, plus pro player advice on game rules, tips and strategy at PlayingExpert.com -
|3d computer animation - http://www.arenamohali.com
You can join any multimedia institute which will help you to learn 3D computer animation which you can use to sketch and implement a realistic model. -
|Cell Phone Directory - http://www.mycellphonedirectory.com/
Use Cell phone directory online to look up and search phone number by name. Reverse Look Up feature also offered, to search unknown numbers. -
|Apogee - http://www.i4-muzique.nl
I4-Muzique biedt alle mogelijke elektronica die muzikanten, DJ's en producers nodig hebben. Bij ons vind je bijvoorbeeld synthesizers, studio processorsen, monitoren, software en DJ gear van professioneel niveau. -


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On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:35:22 +0200, birre
>I will just know if the restore really restore everything, so I can use all
>downloaded games (demos+paid), and login with my saved users and passwords.
Paid for DLs can be re-DLd from the Sony site as they know who you are,
by your login data, and you have the right to DL them into more than one
PS3, IIRC, and the PSP as well as for reasons of lost data. I think the
limit for re-DLing is like 4 times.


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Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas, Sao Paulo
- Free WiFi
Main amenities
- 144 guestrooms
- Restaurant and bar/lounge
- Outdoor pool
- Breakfast available
- Fitness center
- Self parking
- Business center
- 24-hour front desk
- Air conditioning
- Laundry service
- Meeting rooms
- Multilingual staff
What's around
- In Santo Amaro
- U.S Consulate General (1.1 mi / 1.8 km)
- Shopping Market Place (1.2 mi / 1.9 km)
- Morumbi Shopping Mall (1.3 mi / 2 km)
- Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge (1.7 mi / 2.8 km)
- Alfa Theater (1.9 mi / 3 km)
Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas, Sao Paulo
Hotel Info: 020 3027 9803from £49
- Superior Room, 2 Single Beds
- Superior Room, 1 Double Bed
- Superior Room, 3 Single Beds
- Standard Apartment, 1 Double Bed
- Standard Apartment, 3 Single Beds
- Standard Apartment One Double Bed
- Luxury Room, 1 Double Bed, Kitchen
- Standard Room, 3 Single Beds
- Classic Twin Room, 2 Single Beds
Also popular with travellers from the UK
At a glance
Key facts
Hotel size
- This hotel has 144 rooms
- This hotel is arranged over 15 floors
- Check-in time starts at noon
- Check-out time is noon
Required at check in
- Credit card or cash deposit required
- Government-issued photo ID required
- Minimum check-in age is 18
Travelling with others
- One child (7 years old and younger) stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding
- Parents must have child's birth certificate and photo ID *
- Pets not allowed (service dogs only)
- Free WiFi in public areas
- Free WiFi in rooms
- Self parking *
Nearby Three Star Sao Paulo hotels
In the hotel
- Buffet breakfast (surcharge)
- Restaurant
- Bar/lounge
- 24-hour room service
- Outdoor pool
- Fitness facilities
- Sauna
- Business center
- Number of meeting rooms - 3
- Meeting rooms
- Conference space size (feet) - 753
- Conference space size (meters) - 70
- 24-hour front desk
- Concierge services
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Luggage storage
- Multilingual staff
- Elevator/lift
In the room
- Air conditioning
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Iron/ironing board
- Turndown service
- Shower only
- Hair dryer
- Premium TV channels
- Desk
- Free WiFi
- Phone
- Microwave
- Kitchen
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- In-room safe
Top Sao Paulo hotels
Recently reviewed hotels in Sao Paulo
- Novotel Sao Paulo Center NorteFrom
"We were stopping over for one night in Sao Paulo and Novotel was perfect. Within 30 mins from the airport, the hotel is modern, good internet and facilities and very comfortable…"Aug 24, 2016
- Monreale Hotel GuarulhosFrom
"Near all the shops and airport with free bus, great breakfast, clearner etc"Aug 19, 2016
- Mercure Guarulhos Aeroporto HotelFrom
"Stayed at the Mercure as an overnight stop before flying out from Sao Paulo. Room was clean and comfortable. Breakfast was excellent if a little pricey. English speaking staff…"Aug 1, 2016
- Slaviero Executive Guarulhos AeroportoFrom
"Too cold air conditioning, no heating available. But, nice experience, very central, easy access in Guarulhos."Jul 27, 2016
Nearby hotels
Special features
DiningBello Antonio - This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can order drinks at the bar and enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting). Happy hour is offered. Open select days.
Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas, Sao Paulo's small print
Also known as
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas Hotel
- Unidas Sao Paulo
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas Brazil
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas Hotel
- Mercure Nacoes Unidas Hotel
- Mercure Nacoes Unidas Hotel
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas
- Mercure Nacoes Unidas
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas Brazil
- Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas
- Nacoes Unidas
- Nacoes Unidas Sao Paulo
- Sao Paulo Mercure
Parents or a legal guardian traveling with children under 18 years must present the child's birth certificate and an identity card with photo (passport, for example) at the check-in. For international travels from Brazil, if just one of the parents is traveling with the child, she/he must present – in addition to the child's certificate of birth and identity card with photo – a letter authorizing the trip signed by the other parent with a notarial certification of signature. In case the parents or the legal guardian, as applicable, cannot or are unwilling to give this authorization, a judicial authorization is required. People who intend to travel to Brazil with children must consult with the Brazilian consulate before traveling for more information.
Optional extras
Self parking costs BRL 20 per night
Valet parking costs BRL 15 per day
Buffet breakfast is offered for an extra charge of BRL 27 per person (approximately)
We have included all charges provided to us by this hotel. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.
Is the description of this hotel not correct? Tell us


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An Operating Lease is a tax efficient plan if you need a vehicle or machine for a specific period - for example, a customer contract.
The fixed monthly payments are low because we take all of the residual value risk. At the end of the agreement you can simply return your Volvo to us (provided that the return conditions are met).
For more information about financing your Volvo, contact your dealer through the my finance solution menu on the right of this page.
document: operating lease


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It's a quiet Monday, so far, so let's catch up on some observations of recent events:
— Rockets playoffs on TV: We know the Rockets are in the playoffs, but we probably won't know which team will be their first-round opponent until Wednesday night. Oklahoma City probably would draw a couple of national broadcasts on TNT, ABC or ESPN. Ditto Rockets-Clippers. I'm not sure how much national play Denver-Houston or Memphis-Houston would get. I think Spurs-Rockets probably would be the least attractive to national carriers, although it would get good numbers in the state.
I mention this because, as you recall, NBA TV gets a certain number of playoff games, and those games will be blacked out in Houston. So Rockets playoffs may be the next best chance for Comcast SportsNet Houston, which will carry every Rockets first-round game that isn't on ABC, to kick up some carriage noise with DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse.
CSN has to be careful in terms of being too strident in its "I Want CSN" promotion, since the carriers have agreed to meet with the network and with Houston Mayor Annise Parker at a date to be determined. And a few basketball playoff games may not make a major difference to carriers and to viewers. But the playoffs also could represent CSN's best chance to reach an agreement before the beginning of the next NBA season.
— University of Houston play by play: Judging by your blog replies, a lot of people are disappointed by the decision not to retain Tom Franklin on UH football and basketball. Some fans have even started a petition seeking to overturn the decision.
The only name that comes to mind that likely would calm aggrieved listeners would be for IMG to hire Matt Thomas as the once-and-again voice of UH athletics. Thomas, as you may recall, called UH games in the mid-1990s and has a daily talk show on KBME (790 AM), the school's flagship station.
The logic in favor of hiring Thomas is overwhelming, and the goodwill it likely will generate among UH fans would be considerable, too.
If IMG and UH want to go another route, Brett Dolan is available. He's done plenty of college work in addition to the Astros. Chat board traffic, however, seems to favor somebody with a UH connection, but who knows if that will figure into the decision.
— Larry Miggins: I had a grand time last week talking with Larry Miggins, who played third base for the Jersey City Giants during Jackie Robinson's 1946 debut game with the Montreal Royals, and with his wife of nearly 60 years, Kathleen. The story appeared on the Chronicle's premium website but was picked up by the Associated Press, so you can read it here for free.
A couple of additional notes: When Miggins and Vin Scully were students at Fordham Prep high school in New York, they daydreamed about Miggins hitting a home run in the majors and Scully calling it on radio. Sure enough, that happened in 1952, when Miggins was with the Cardinals and Scully was getting established alongside Red Barber as the radio voice of the Dodgers. That story and others are included in Miggins' baseball instructional book, titled "The Secret of Power Hitting."
The premiere of the Robinson biopic "42" last weekend also reminds me of the late Ed Stevens, the Galveston native who was supplanted at first base by Robinson with the 1947 Dodgers. Stevens got a raw deal from Dodgers GM Branch Rickey and never was able to be a success in the majors, but he was a longtime scout and played and coached long enough in the majors to get his pension. Alas, he died last July.
— Bob Allen: At a time when a lot of local TV stations are downsizing sports departments, I find it interesting that KHOU (Channel 11) is bringing in the former KTRK (Channel 13) sports director beginning next week as its weekday sports anchor. Bob insisted all along that he wasn't retiring when he left Channel 13 earlier this year, but I don't think he expected to be back on TV so quickly, and certainly not at another local over-the-air station.
This may be in large part a ratings grab by Channel 11, but I think Allen will be motivated in his new position. Channel 11 airs most Texans games, so it should be interesting to see if it expands its sports programming in an effort to take advantage of Allen's longtime association with the team.


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Nostalgic song with guitar. Translated English title - "My mother weeps." Further details refer ILAM field card (C6C1)
Magomero, S. (Composer/Performer)
Sitivini Magomero (Composer/Performer)
78 RPM acetate record
Sound Forge v.8
Technics SP-10 MKII direct drive turntable
Studer Revox interface SP 10-8
Vestex BDT-2500 belt drive turntable
Tape number 142
International Library of African Music
International Library of African Music


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Monday practice update
Monday, 02.11.2013 / 1:37 PM CT / News
By Mark Stepneski
After a three-day break between games, the Dallas Stars are hitting the road again for a key three-game trip to Western Canada.
"We're healthy, we're ready and we've had a couple days of practice to work on a couple of things," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "We want to get back on the road."
The Stars are healthy except for left wing Ray Whitney, who remains out with a foot injury. Michael Ryder, who didn't practice on Sunday, was back on the ice Monday.
The Stars have three games in four days, including a back-to-back to start the trip. They play Tuesday in Edmonton, Wednesday in Calgary and then Friday in Vancouver.
To read more, visit StarsInsideEdge.com with Mark Stepneski


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As the top of Tibet's peak tourism season, July and August of Tibet offer tourists both fascinating picturesque natural scenery and rich Tibetan festive activities. Especially Shoton festival, the most important festival throughout Tibet, attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to Lhasa. Making a Tibet tour in July and August can experience profound Tibetan culture and the festal atmosphere of Tibet. The grassland of northern Tibet also welcomes its golden time with thousands of flowers in bloom and blue Namtso lake like a blue pearl on the Tibetan plateau. The annual Nagchu Horse Racing Festival held in August attracts thousands of Tibetans and tourists to the grassland to have fun together.
July and August are also considered as the best time to visit Tibet because the weather is fine and you can go anywhere of Tibet. But it is best to book train/air tickets in advance since it might be difficult to get one due to the large demand.
Tibet Shoton Festival 6 Days Tour
Shoton Festival. It starts on the last day of the sixth month in Tibetan Calendar. You will enjoy a big feast of Tibetan performances, Tibetan Buddhist activities and Tibetan food.
|Group Size
Lhasa Impression – 4 days Tour
Aug 07 – Aug 10
Aug 17- Aug 20
Aug 26- Aug 29
Lhasa and Everest Base Camp - 8 days Tour
Aug 07 – Aug 14
Aug 29 - Aug 05
Aug 17- Aug 24
Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland - 7 days Tour
Aug 07 – Aug 13
Aug 29 - Aug 04
Aug 17- Aug 23
Jul. 2, 2016 Tashi Lhunpo Festival
With a history over 500 years, Tashilhunpo Monastery Festival, also known as Buddha Exhibition Festival in Tashilhunpo Monastery enjoys high popularity among local Tibetans and tourists. The festival usually erupts for three days in the middle of the fifth lunar Tibetan month, from May 14th-16th in Tibetan Calendar every year. The highlight of this festival is that thangkas of different Buddhas would be unveiled on each day during this festival, Dipankara (Buddha of the Past) on the first day, Shakyamuni (Buddha of the Present) on the second day and Maitreya (Buddha of the Future) on the third day. Cham dances are also performed on this festival.
Both the lamas and the followers of Tibetan Buddhism would show their respect to the Buddha and pray for blessing by kowtow or some other religious activities
During this festival, local Tibetans would stop hunting and abstain from meat and wine, and also free captive animals and do some kind works. Thus, tourists are highly advised to respect their traditions.
Jul. 12, 2016 Samye and Trandruk Cham Festival
The cham dance, also spelled tscham or chaam, is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with some sects of Buddhism, and is part of Buddhist festivals. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan instruments. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to compassion for sentient beings and are held to bring merit to all who perceive them.
Cham dances are considered a form of meditation, and an offering to the gods. The leader of the cham is typically a musician, keeping time using some percussion instrument like cymbals, the one exception being Dramyin Cham - where time is kept using dramyin.
The Cham festival at Samye and Trandruk would be held from the 15th for two or three days. Special ceremonies and cham dancing in front of the utse are the main attractions. Pilgrims and monks from distant monasteries would journey to Samye to watch masked dances and obtain the blessing of Buddha who descends to earth bringing peace and happiness.
Jul. 20, 2016 Chokor Duchen festivals
Chokor Duchen Festival is one of the four great seasonal festivals (Losar, Saga Dawa, Chokor Duchen and Lhabab Duchen) celebrated by all Tibetan Buddhists. During those times, it is believed that the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied ten million times.
Chokhor means "Prayer Wheel" or "Dharma Wheel", the common religious objects in Tibet, and Duchen means "great occasion" in Tibetan. This festival held in Lhasa on the 4th day of the 6th month of Tibetan calendar celebrates Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi in India. Many pilgrims climb the Mt. Gyambu Utse, the peak behind Drepung Monastery, and also the ridge from Pabonka to the Dode Valley, to burn the incense and hang prayer flags. The festival is also called Drukwa Tsezhi.
Tradition has it that Buddha was not convinced through his own reflections that teaching what he had discovered through his meditations would be of any benefit to others. It took the intercession of the great gods, Brahma and Indra, to persuade him to do so for the benefit of all sentient beings. The Buddha then addressed the five people who had been his companions during the time spent with the forest yogins concerning the Truth of Suffering, and the other Noble Truths.
July 31, 2016 Ganden Thangka Festival
The Ganden Festival is held on the 15th day of the sixth lunar month of Tibetan Calendar in memory of the enlightenment of Tsongkhapa, a well-known Tibetan religious philosopher. During this festival, Ganden Monastery would display its 25 holiest relics, which are normally locked away. A large offering ceremony accompanies the unveiling.
The highlight is that Ganden's monks would hang enormous thangka from the special wall at the northern corner of the monastery where it can be seen from the surrounding countryside. Thousands of people would circle the monastery, enter inside to view the Buddhas, pray, and get blessed, and then they go outside to sit on the hill or try to get close to the wall where the big and vividly woven thangka is displayed. Some poor people would walk for weeks to get to the place before sunrise that day.
Aug.14, 2016 Shoton Festival or Yogurt Festival
Shoton Festival is one of the grandest traditional festivals for all Tibetan people. It is a celebration to mark the end of the monks 'Yarné, their hundred day summer retreat. This festival starts on the last day of the sixth month in Tibetan Calendar and lasts for a few days. "Shoton" in Tibetan means sour milk banquet. As Tibetan operas are performed and Buddha paintings are exhibited at this time, it is also called "Tibetan Opera Festival" or "Buddha Exhibition Festival".
Early in the morning, Drepung and Sera monasteries will hang a piece of huge thangkha and then after that most of the Tibetans will go to Norbu lingkha to watch Tibetan opera dancing and then spend the rest of the time with their families by having a picnics. The festival is a great occasion for both Tibetans and tourists.
Aug. , 2016 Nagqu Horse Racing Festival
The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival is the grandest annual event in northern Tibet. Tens of thousands of herdmen gather on the vast grassland dotted with tents to enjoy the horse riding competition, yak race, tug of war, stone-lifting and Tibetan operas.
August is the golden season for tourists to sightsee the vast and beautiful green grassland covered by flower. During this time, the grass is the tallest and the weather is most accommodating to those who enjoy the great outdoors. This festival is also an exhibition and trading of local stuff among Tibetan people.
Few days before the opening ceremony of Horsing Race Festival, traditionally dressed and decorated Tibetans living on this immense grassland gather at Naqu County to set up their tents around horse racing track, hundreds of tents stand and are packed there within a few days, as if a crowed temporary city suddenly appeared on grassland.
August, 2016 Ong Kor Festival
Ongkor Festival, also known as Bumper Harvest Festival, is held in August according to Tibetan calendar when all crops are waiting for harvest. "Ongkor" in Tibetan means "surrounding the farmland." This festival originated in the valley at the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The initial form is offering sacrifices to gods by natural villages to pray for a good harvest. Nowadays, the celebration activities are enriched to horse racing, shooting, dancing and singing, Tibetan traditional Opera, stone lifting and wrestling. People show all their contentment and happiness on bumper harvest during the festival celebration.
The "Ongkor" is also a good time for farmers to have a rest. Since crops ripen in different times, the festival is held accordingly.


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by Dan
2007 Thunder Mountain Durango Chopper Motorcycle with blue paint color
The 2007 Thunder Mountain Durango Chopper Motorcycle for Sale could be just the ticket to the adventure of a lifetime..and for a cheaper price than you might have ever dreamed!
This chopper has a beautiful, edgy design and the blue paint color looks amazing.
The mileage on this wicked two-wheeler is currently at 37,230 miles..will you take it higher?
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to CHOPPER Main.


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Peacocks to Paperdolls: Two Refreshing Boutiques Open in Omaha
Chocolate Peacock
Fall is in the air, ladies, and local boutique Chocolate Peacock came prepared. In fact, they just placed a cozy, chunky-knit charcoal grey sweater and a camel-colored fleece cape on their shelves. Best guesses estimate these pieces as nearly sold-out when this article goes to print.
Why, you ask? Because Chaley Chandler, owner of one of Omaha's hottest new boutiques, knows women.
"We carry...
Fash Flood's Fall 2011 Fashion & Style Guide
Fash Flood's guide to fall fashion and style includes everything from retro styles reborn to the bondage inspired eccentricities that hit the runways this past spring. Join us on a journey through the most buzzed about trends in womenswear, hair and cosmetics.
Fur Real From shaggy faux fur jackets at Prabal Gurung to thinly strapped sandals with bursts of fox fur grazing the toes at Alexander Wang, fur in...
Local Designer Spotlight: SnapSac
Let's face it, many reusable bags aren't stylish. In fact, most are fairly hideous. The trunk of my car is filled with royal blue, grocery store-branded bags that could never be used for any purpose other than transporting groceries.
Enter local designer Lisa Vitale, the face behind Brand Hero Creative and Lisa Foster, Owner of reusable bag company 1 Bag at a Time. "In...
A Fashionable Reminder: Fashion's Night Out takes place September 8th and it is not to be missed. Boutiques worldwide are keeping their doors open late and providing one night only deals for their customers such as trunk shows, cocktails, in-store live music and more. Be sure to check out the event Fashion's Night Out Omaha on Facebook to see if your favorite boutique is participating to support local fashion...
In the wake of another thriving Omaha Fashion Week (Is anyone else exhausted?) there are several upcoming events to keep Omaha's style community on their toes.
Amid an eclectic mix of vintage clothing and one-of-a-kind locally crafted accessories, Old Market boutique Coriander will add an artistic collection to their space Friday. Coriander invites style and art fans to attend an opening reception for Omaha...
Page 13 of 20 pages ‹ First < 11 12 13 14 15 > Last ›


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DOJ: T-Mobile is an Important 'Challenger Brand'
Citing T-Mobile's role as a mobile technology innovator, the Justice Department, in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that AT&T's $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile would lessen competition and violate antitrust law.
Contrary to AT&T claims that a merger with T-Mobile would accelerate innovation, the Justice Department said that the opposite would occur, reducing the "competitive incentive to invest in wireless networks to attract and retain customers." AT&T, the number two mobile carrier, with 98.6 million connections, has said that the merger would improve use of the spectrum, a driver for innovation.
In its complaint the Justice Department cites the indispensability of mobile wireless communication, citing its role in creating jobs, increasing productivity. As such, the complaint says, "Vigorous competition is essential to ensuring continued innovation and maintaining low prices."
Key to this argument, according to the complaint, is an independent T-Mobile.
The complaint paints as a picture of T-Mobile as a spunky innovator that is crucial to the industry. The third largest of the big four mobile players with 33.6 million connections, T-Mobile is a "self-described 'challenger brand,'" according to the complaint. The complaint also cites a T-Mobile document prepared for an investors conference where the company viewed itself as "the No. 1 value challenger of the established big guys in the market."
The Justice Department complaint present several innovative T-Mobile actions that improved the overall health of the industry. Among the DOJ's examples:
- Price. The mobile carrier's lower price points not only benefitted its customers, but according to the Justice Department, they spurred Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint of push more attractive offerings to their customers. T-Mobile was also the first, according to the complaint, to offer unlimited service plans.
- Innovation. The "firsts" pushed by T-Mobile include: the first Android handset introduced in September 2008, the Sidekick handset–a T-Mobile exclusive first released in 2002 which encapsulated phone and messaging services–and national Wi-Fi 'hotspot' access, a service soon offered its competitors.
- Infrastructure. T-Mobile was the first to roll out a super fast network based on HSPA+ technology. The Justice Department complaint quotes a 2010 internal AT&T document that shows how worried AT&T was about its rivals network: "The more immediate threat to AT&T is T-Mobile…The one-two punch of an advanced network and the backhaul required to support the additional data demands should be taken seriously." The complaint also quotes a January 2011 remark by an AT&T employee saying that they added HSPA+ devices "in reaction to potential loss of speed claims."


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Definition of byrnie in English:
Entry from British & World English dictionary
A coat of mail: the byrnie could not withstand solid blows with the axe
More example sentences
- He said that his armour was almost useless, his byrnie broken, his helmet burst open.
- In common we all share sword, helmet, byrnie, the trappings of war.
- The mail byrnie of the Vikings had been sufficient to give reasonable protection to the fighting man at close quarters from the sword-blows of his adversary.
Middle English: from Old Norse brynja.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: byr¦nie
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Stetson freshmen Tyshawn Patterson (Orlando, Fla.) and Ridge Graham (Stuart, Fla.) added 10 and nine points respectively to the visitors' totals.
Mercer opened up the game building a 13-5 advantage and then Stetson scored the next two baskets on a layup by Graham and a break away dunk by Smith to get the Hatters to within four points at 14:28. Mercer answered with a 20-6 run and led by 16 at 2:23. The final seven points of the period came on a 3-pointer by Smith, and then a pair of free throws and a layup by Patterson with four seconds on the clock to cut the differential to nine points.
Mercer came out of the locker room on fire and shot 63.3% in the second half to keep the Hatters down. After hitting a respectable 42.3% in the first half, Stetson went cold and could manage just 26.5% in the second.
In the game Jeff Smith led the offensive charge for the Bears with 25 points after shooting an impressive 8-of-11 from the field, 7-for-8 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the line. Daniel Emerson added 18 points and led all players with 12 rebounds.
Next up for Stetson is a trip across Georgia to take on Kennesaw State Monday at 7:30 p.m. Stetson fell 75-59 to the Owls last week in DeLand. Monday's game can be seen on A-Sun TV at www.atlanticsun.org.


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FEB 06, 2014 - Forbes
A Must Read - Share
I was one of the first users of Google+ Hangouts on launch day and still use it for personal purposes, but very infrequently for business use. Why primarily for personal use? It's simple- most of my advisory, research and consulting clients use voice and video conferencing systems from Avaya, Cisco Systems, Lifesize, Polycom, and Vidyo. Vidyo announced today that they worked with Google to solve this problem and launched a cloud offering called "VidyoH2O for Google+ Hangouts".
I want to tell you more about why this is more than "just another video
Read More
Editor's Picks
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© 2011 Comunitee, Inc.


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Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on this board. I have a two-year-old son who is a miracle. He was not expected to live, neither as a fetus nor as a preemie/newborn, due to birth defects and other illnesses, but he amazed his doctors and we eventually were blessed enough to take him home! He has always been motor-delayed due to his complex medical history, but he has never had any congnitive concerns.
Anyway, when he was around 18 months we started noticing that he was doing things a bit differently than the average 18 month-old. We had been so focused on making sure that he could sit up, crawl, walk, etc, that we one day realized that he knew numbers 1-10 (in and out of order) and the entire alphabet (upper and lower case; both in and out of order). He quickly learned all colors, and all shapes (including complex ones - octagon, pentagon, cone, pyramid, etc.). He seemed to have a photographic memory. He would (and still does) spot every car on the road (exact make and model) that each family member drives, and will spot it on the road, even if its over 500 meters away on the other side of a divided highway at twilight. Insane. By two-years-old, he could count to 20, both forwards and backwards, recognize numbers to 100, knows his address, and can read at least 40 words (he may know more, but since he's a bit language delayed, we're not sure how many more he knows).
So... here are my questions:
1. I only mentioned a few highlights above, but do these things sound like he might be gifted? My husband and I were both in gifted and talented programs growing up, but what he's doing is way beyond what we ever did as a toddler.
2. He's too young for gifted testing, right? We have a pretty strong feeling that he is (his afinity for numbers and letters, along with his extensive and precise memory, all seem to be non-typical), but we aren't sure at what age we should have him tested.
3. Since he is developmentally delayed, he works with lots of therapists (OT, Speech, etc.) and has an IEP. When people see what is going on cognivitely with him, they start to ask lots of probing questions (without explaining why they are asking them), which I know are related to being on the spectrum. (Questions about socializing, eye contact, etc.) For those of you you have 2E kids who have been tested gifted and diagnosed ASD, when did you receive that diagnosis? All of my son's delays are related to his past medical issues, but now these questions have me going crazy - is he just gifted, or is there something else going on. What kinds of things should I be looking for?
4. What do I do about preschool? He's been in a mom+tot class for the past two years, but next year he'll be elligible for a young 3's class. Montessori seems extreme at 5 days a week at this age, although he loves to go to school, and says, "back to school!", about a dozen times a day. Our school system also offers a special preschool program for IEP kids where he'd get his OT and Speech, but I don't think he'll be intellectually challenged (their goal is that all kids by the end of the year can identify the first letter of their first name - he is already spelling his whole name and it is a LONG name!) And what about beyond? He is still young, but I am such a planner and am already worrying about sending him to public school vs. finding a private school. How do you find a good school for these kids?
5. How on earth do you bring up "I think my kid is gifted" to (necessary) people without having the test scores? The response is always, "All parents want to *think* their child is gifted ..." It's awkward to bring up as it is, let alone having to provide evidence for your suspicion. And what do you say when other parents see what your kid is doing and say, "oh, I need to teach my kid that!" Also uncomforable.
Thank you so much!!!! :)


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Columbia Horse Barn – Columbia, South Carolina
South Carolina | SC Picture Project | Richland County Photos | Columbia Horse Barn
This lovely horse barn is said to be more than 100 years old! It is located at Wescott Acres, a pet resort in Columbia. The barn has been renovated over the years, and has four large stalls and a hayloft.
William Stuart Morgan, III of Columbia, 2006 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent
Wescott Acres describes their tranquil location with rolling pastures and century-old oak and pecan trees as a "Country Resort in the City".
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Updated Climate Change 101 Series Released
Kicking off the new year, we released an update of its Climate Change 101 series. Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change is made up of brief reports on climate science and impacts; adaptation measures; technological and business solutions; and international, U.S Federal, State, and local action. Last released in January of 2009, the updated reports highlight the significance of the global negotiations, climate-related national security risks, local efforts to address climate change, the most recent predictions on global temperature changes, and more.
Updated Website, Climate Change 101 Series Deliver Credible Information to Advance Climate Action
Press Release
March 3, 2011
Contact: Rebecca Matulka, 703-516-4146
Pew Center Updates Website and Climate Change 101 Series
WASHINGTON, DC – Public opinion continues to be divided on climate change and its causes, and as a result, public access to credible, digestible information about climate change is more critical than ever. To help advance a constructive dialogue that leads to climate action, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change refreshed its website and updated its landmark Climate Change 101 report series.
"Now more than ever, the public needs straight answers about climate change," said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "The Pew Center is continuing its work to demystify the issue, and our updated website and report series present straightforward and useful climate change information."
With a fresh new design and easy-to-navigate organization, the Pew Center's website provides access to the center's first-rate analyses and publications of key climate issues. One new website feature is the publications library, which allows users to search for and order free copies of Pew Center reports. The website puts the Center's Climate Compass blog front and center, and presents timely ideas and insights from science and policy experts on topics critical to the climate debate.
The fast-reading Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change includes nine brief reports and helps inform the climate dialogue by providing a reliable and understandable introduction to global climate change. The updated reports highlight the significance of the global negotiations, climate-related national security risks, local efforts to address climate change, the most recent predictions on global temperature changes, and more.
For more information about global climate change and the activities of the Pew Center, visit www.c2es.org.
# # #
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change was established in May 1998 as a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization dedicated to providing credible information, straight answers, and innovative solutions in the effort to address global climate change. The Pew Center is led by Eileen Claussen, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
An Excellent Return on Investment: Protecting Human Health through the Clean Air Act
Congress is debating whether or not to limit EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA), and many are wondering if these environmental regulations are creating a burden to our economy. EPA has released a report that answers that concern head-on, and the results are nothing short of astonishing.
This report takes a hard look at the actual costs and benefits of the regulations implemented under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA), from 1990 through 2020. The report finds that while CAAA regulations have indeed imposed costs on society, estimated to be $65 billion in 2020, the benefits from cleaner air in 2020 will total $2 trillion – 30 times higher than the estimated costs.
Hearing on the Energy Tax Prevention Act: Truth vs. Fiction
Last Wednesday's House Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing on the Energy Tax Prevention Act lived up to its billing as being the first clash between the new majority and minority on the committee. For eight hours, the Members opposing regulation argued that EPA was overstepping its authority in regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They asserted that such action would kill jobs and harm the economy. Members supporting regulations argued that EPA is required to act and is doing so in the interest of public health.
The Energy Tax Prevention Act, a draft proposal jointly released by Rep. Upton (R-MI), Rep. Whitfield (R-KY), and Sen. Inhofe (R-OK), would prevent EPA from regulating GHGs, remove GHGs from the Clean Air Act, and specifically repeal all actions related to climate change, including the scientific Endangerment Finding, the Tailoring Rule, New Source Review regulations, reporting requirements for GHG emissions, and proposed New Source Performance Standards. The lone exemption is the Clean Car rule, which would remain untouched.
Barack Obama's EPA hit for what George W. Bush's EPA wanted
February 15, 2011
By Eileen Claussen
This op-ed first appeared in Politico
A vocal contingent in the House is now attacking the current Environmental Protection Agency administrator for the very thing her predecessor in the Bush administration wanted to do.
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson wrote a letter to President George W. Bush laying out the legal and scientific rationale for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Johnson explained steps that the EPA would take to begin to do so.
Johnson's letter surfaced last week at the House Energy and Power subcommittee hearing on proposed legislation to strip EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Remarkably, it proved that Bush's EPA administrator had reached the same conclusions and planned almost identical actions to what the current EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, has begun implementing.
What exactly does Johnson tell Bush? He insists that the EPA must respond to the Supreme Court's 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA with a finding that greenhouse gases represent a risk to public health or welfare. This is EPA's "endangerment finding," which would be overturned by legislation now being proposed in the House.
Johnson also noted, "the latest climate change science does not permit a negative finding, nor does it permit a credible finding that we need to wait for more research."
What is most telling is that Johnson states that a positive endangerment finding was "agreed to at the Cabinet-level meeting." Apparently senior Bush administration officials agreed that climate change poses a risk to our nation's public health and welfare.
Johnson describes his plan as "prudent and cautious yet forward thinking," and says it "creates a framework for responsible, cost-effective and practical actions." Sound familiar?
Jackson, in her statement at the hearing last week, called EPA's actions a "reasonable approach," one that "will reflect careful consideration of costs and will incorporate compliance flexibility."
Indeed, the step-by-step plan of action spelled out by Johnson could be a checklist for the EPA's recent actions — largely the same actions being aggressively attacked today by some in Congress.
These actions include the endangerment finding; a joint rule-making with the Transportation Department to require more fuel-efficient cars; rules to modify the agency's requirements for new sources to reduce the number of facilities that would be covered (EPA's tailoring rule), and proposals to respond to specific petitions (EPA has acted on ones for the utility and oil refinery sectors).
Given these striking similarities, attacks on current EPA actions — that the agency is "an instrument of job destruction" and would "put the American economy in a straitjacket" — now resonate as particularly empty political rhetoric.
How could the right thing to do in the Bush administration suddenly become the wrong thing to do in the Obama administration?
Eileen Claussen served as assistant secretary of state for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. She is now president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
Saving Oil and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through U.S. Federal Transportation Policy
This white paper is a follow up to the report Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation
About the Authors:
Cynthia Burbank is Vice President of Parson Brinckerhoff (PB). She joined PB in 2007 as National Environment and Planning Practice Leader. She provides strategic and tactical advice to PB's clients on planning and environmental issues, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), air quality, and global climate change (GCC).This includes advising transportation clients on climate change strategies, analyzing greenhouse gas (GHG)-reduction potential of alternative transportation strategies, reviewing state climate action plans, and developing GHG reduction scenarios for transportation.
Cindy joined PB after a 32-year span with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) that encompassed key roles in highway, transit, aviation, and national transportation policy and legislation. Cindy served as Associate Administrator for Planning, Environment, and Realty for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). She also served as FHWA's senior executive with responsibility for FHWA's implementation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for transportation, NEPA policy, environmental streamlining, metropolitan transportation planning, statewide transportation planning, and international transportation planning. Prior to joining the FHWA in 1991, Cindy held positions in the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Transit Administration, the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, and the U.S. Navy. A member of the FHWA Senior Executive Service since 1991, she was designated in October 1998 as one of five core business unit leaders for FHWA.
Nick Nigro is a Solutions Fellow at the Pew Center.
Make an Impact: Working with Businesses to Save Energy, Save Money and Save the Planet
Make an Impact is featured in Environmental Leader's 2011 Insider Knowledge Report, which provides lessons learned from corporate environmental, sustainability, and energy decision-makers.
Below is one of the two articles on the program in Environmental Leader.
Make an Impact is a unique employee-focused energy efficiency program of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and three corporate partners. Founded by Alcoa in 2006, the partnership now includes Fortune 500 companies Bank of America and Entergy Corporation and reaches more than 350,000 employees worldwide. A clear program benefit is the opportunity for collaboration, innovation and best practice sharing.
Successful employee engagement in sustainability efforts differs for each corporation, but there are a few constants:
- Leadership from the top and a strong implementation team are critical.
- Employ multiple engagement strategies. Make an Impact includes a customized website, workshops with experts and local advocates, community volunteering, and a best-in-class carbon calculator that provides a personal analysis and recommendations to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Scale globally, implement locally. Use local experts and services to ground the program in the community; this also increases the opportunity for behavior changes.
- Successfully reinforces business relationships with community stakeholders.
- Back it up with data. Employees like to know their efforts are meaningful. Make an Impact provides corporate partners the ability to track engagement in a variety of ways.
- As part of its commitment to address climate change, Bank of America introduced MAI to associates in the US and UK in 2010. In its first six months, the program has attracted more than 2,400 visitors to the website and identified 5 million pounds of potential carbon savings by employees. In 2011, the company plans to introduce the program to employees in additional markets and double potential carbon savings and calculator usage.
- Entergy Corporation uses the program to engage both customers and employees and has customized the program so that it offers benefits to local non-profits and disadvantaged consumers. Entergy has also added an offsets component to its program - including a commitment to double pledges made through its website.
- Alcoa has a goal to reach 50 percent of its workforce with the program by 2012; to date it has introduced the program in 16 states and two countries and this year will launch a community/schools engagement module in five states, roll out in two additional countries and five additional states.
- Employee engagement is a key component to corporate sustainability efforts. One Alcoa employee attending a workshop in Washington was inspired to suggest improvements to plant operations that saved the company nearly $120,000 in auxiliary power costs. When employees make the efficiency connection, the results can be unexpected and significant. Visit http://makeanimpact.c2es.org and learn more.
To receive a full copy of Environmental Leader's 2011 Insider Knowledge Report, click here.
Download a copy of our ads from Environmental Leader's 2011 Insider Knowledge Report
Climate Change 101: Overview
Climate change is happening and it is caused largely by human activity. Its impacts are beginning to be felt and will worsen in the decades ahead unless we take action. The solution to climate change will involve a broad array of technologies and policies—many tried and true, and many new and innovative.
This overview summarizes the eight-part series Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change.
Science and Impacts discusses the scientific evidence for climate change and explains its causes and current and projected impacts.
Adaptation discusses these impacts in greater depth, explaining how planning can limit (though not eliminate) the damage caused by unavoidable climate change, as well as the long-term costs of responding to climate-related impacts.
As explored in greater depth in Technological Solutions, a number of technological options exist to avert dangerous climatic change by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions both now and into the future.
Business Solutions, International Action, Federal Action, State Action, and Local Action describe how business and government leaders at all levels have recognized both the challenge and the vast opportunity dealing with climate change presents. These leaders are responding with a broad spectrum of innovative solutions. To address the enormous challenge of climate change successfully, new approaches are needed at the federal and international levels, and the United States must stay engaged in the global effort while adopting strong and effective national policies.
For more information, be sure to listen to our Climate Change 101 podcast series
Climate Change 101: Business Solutions
The response of business leaders to the problem of climate change is undergoing a major transformation. Just over a decade ago, the corporate sector was almost uniformly opposed to serious government action on the issue. But increasing certainty about the science of climate change—and an ever greater understanding of the risks and opportunities it presents for businesses and society—have contributed to a willingness among corporate leaders to help shape solutions. In addition to acting on their own to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and explore new, low-carbon market opportunities, a growing number of businesses are calling on the government to provide investment certainty through clear climate policy.