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Analysis of Welded Structures
1st Edition
Residual Stresses, Distortion, and Their Consequences
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Analysis of Welded Structures: Residual Stresses, Distortion, and their Consequences encompasses several topics related to design and fabrication of welded structures, particularly residual stresses and distortion, as well as their consequences. This book first introduces the subject by presenting the advantages and disadvantages of welded structures, as well as the historical overview of the topic and predicted trends. Then, this text considers residual stresses, heat flow, distortion, fracture toughness, and brittle and fatigue fractures of weldments. This selection concludes by discussing the effects of distortion and residual stresses on buckling strength of welded structures and effects of weld defects on service behavior. This book also provides supplementary discussions on some related and selected subjects. This text will be invaluable to metallurgists, welders, and students of metallurgy and welding.
Table of Contents
References Note
1. Introduction
2. Heat Flow in Weldments
3. Fundamental Information on Residual Stresses
4. Measurement of Residual Stresses in Weldments
5. Transient Thermal Stresses and Metal Movement During Welding
6. The Magnitude and Distribution of Residual Stresses in Weldments
7. Distortion in Weldments
8. The Strength of Welded Structures: Fundamentals
9. Fracture Toughness
10. Theoretical and Experimental Studies of the Brittle Fracture of Welded Structures
11. The Fatigue Fracture of Weldments as it Relates to Residual Stress
12. The Role of Residual Stress in Stress Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen Embrittlement
13. Effects of Distortion and Residual Stresses on Buckling Strength of Welded Structures
14. Weld Cracking and Joint Restraint
15. Effects of Weld Defects on Service Behavior
16. Further Discussions on Some Selected Subjects
- No. of pages:
- 654
- Language:
- English
- Copyright:
- © Pergamon 1980
- Published:
- 1st January 1980
- Imprint:
- Pergamon
- eBook ISBN:
- 9781483188430
About the Author
Koichi Masubuchi
About the Editor
D. W. Hopkins
Affiliations and Expertise
University College of Swansea, UK


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Dumbarton 50 Year Old 1964 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whiskey. Single cask refill hogshead #11592 expression of the lost distillery bottled May 2015 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series. 162 numbered bottles.
Tasting Notes
This burnished gold whiskey has a robustly sweet nose of fudge and custard at the beginning, with rich notes of dates and prunes giving balance. On the palate it has a buttery mouthfeel with vanilla and rich fruit flavours dominating, leaving a long dry sweet finish with a definite oak aftertaste.
Dumbarton Distillery
Dumbarton Single Grain Whiskey
Dumbarton Distillery is a lost Lowland grain distillery opened by Hiram Walker in 1938 on the site of the former McMillan shipyard. The distillery sat on the banks of the River Leven and River Clyde in Dumbarton and was equipped with one continuous still manufactured in Cincinnati. It was one of the largest grain distilleries in Scotland however it closed in 2002 with most of its buildings demolished by 2008. Spirit was produced primarily from maize with water originating from Loch Lomond with spirit destined for Ballantyne's blends. Single cask bottlings have been released by Hunter Laing & Co.


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Weight Loss Tip #24: Get Plenty Of Sleep
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We have all heard the 8 hour rule for the amount of sleep you should be getting a night, and due to many life disturbances we are not getting anywhere near that. From kiddos that are awake during the middle of the night to the spouse that snores, there are so many factors that can disrupt our precious zzz's each night. It is absolutely crucial that we try and get at least 7 to 8 hours due to some important hormones in our body. There have been many studies done on sleep depravation, and when the body doesn't get enough rest a hormone that increases hunger is amplified, and a hormone that tells your body it is full is decreased significantly.
Many people feel they can function on only a few hours of sleep a night, but research says differently. There are many negative side effects to not getting enough sleep, and those side effects are both minor and life threatening. You are more prone to getting into a car accident when you are sleep deprived, because your body cannot react as fast as it needs to when your brain is only functioning at 50%. Because the brain is slow in its response rate, your basic thoughts and creativity at work may also be slowed down significantly too, which does not help you get that promotion you deserve!
In regards to weight loss, when you are not sleeping your hormones get all outta whack, which does not do your waistline a favor. When the hormone Ghrelin is overproducing, it is telling your body you are really hungry (even when you are not). Likewise, the hormone Leptin which signals to the brain you are full and should no longer eat is hardly produced causing you to overeat even more. This can put you on the fast track to gaining weight, and taking on even more sleeping nights.
Lose The Lights
Our cell phones seem to be strapped to our hands almost 12 hours a day, and when they are not strapped to our hands we are most likely looking at a computer screen or television screen. Those bright, flickering lights are stimulating and will make it harder for your body to wind down for bed. Most health professionals suggest staying away from any luminous lights for at least 2 hours before bed, but if this is not realistic for you try and start with 30 minutes. Your brain will thank you!back to menu ↑
Take A Bath
Baths are almost as relaxing as massages (for those of you who like massages, you know what I am talking about). Because getting a massage every single night is not realistic, why not take a detox bath filled with Epsom salts, and essential oils like lavender. The salts pull the toxins from your body and the aroma of the oils will have you feeling relaxed in no time. This bath does not need to take up your entire night, but it is amazing what even 10 minutes will do for relaxing the body! Give it a try.back to menu ↑
Get Moving
It is important (not just for sleep) to get your body moving and exercising at least once a day. You will sleep better and you will feel better as a person overall, even if it is just for 30 minutes a day. Physical activity has a way of leveling out our hormones, and getting our bodies creating more new oxygen in our system for overall better wellness and wellbeing!back to menu ↑
Limit Daytime Naps, and Get on a Schedule
There is nothing worse than being so tired in the middle of the day that you have to pause and take a short nap. When they are short they are fine but it gets dangerous when they become too long, threatening your future night sleep. The worst feeling in the world is taking too long of a nap, and throwing your sleeping routine off completely. Limit those naps, and get on a daily schedule so that your body knows what time is sleeping time and won't confuse it throughout the day and night.
Whatever your routine may be, try and incorporate some of these helpful tips in for a better nights sleep. When you sleep more, your body will be rejuvenated and ready to take on the day with full force. It will not be sluggish, and your hormones will be in line with how you really should be feeling (full or not full). You will feel like a new person with a few more hours of sleep and a little less stress in your daily life! Go get some quality shut eye tonight, and track what routines work in your life!


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Epicor Launches Initiative to Help Automotive Aftermarket Businesses 'Find Your Next 20 Percent'
Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced a business consultation initiative designed to help automotive aftermarket parts manufacturers, distributors/jobbers and service chains increase sales and margins and improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The "Find Your Next 20 Percent" initiative will include free, no-obligation business growth consultations scheduled in conjunction with the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), Nov. 1-3, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nev.
Aftermarket professionals not attending AAPEX can participate in telephone and web-based consultations with Epicor professionals throughout November and December.
Business owners and managers who participate in "Find Your Next 20 Percent" consultation sessions will be entered into drawings for an array of attractive prizes, including Apple Watch Sport™ watches, Visa® gift cards and Epicor ListingExpert combination reseller licenses for Amazon.com and eBay® Motors.
"Many business owners are looking for that next breakthrough to help dramatically enhance their competitiveness and increase their bottom-line performance," said Scott Thompson, vice president, automotive, analytics and content, Epicor. "If it seems like you're working harder every year to achieve only modest growth, it's time to aim higher. We can help identify the best practices and corresponding technologies that are helping industry peers achieve faster, more profitable growth."
In addition to offering free technology consultations, Epicor will showcase at AAPEX an array of solutions designed to help drive growth for businesses at every level of the aftermarket. These solutions include:
- For Manufacturers
- Epicor Industry Data Analytics, including advanced parts demand analysis tools for production, marketing and sales planning
- Epicor Supplier Services, offering assistance to manufacturers that wish to add product information to the Epicor PartExpert replacement parts database
- For Distributors/Jobbers
- Full suite of enterprise solutions, including Epicor Vision and Epicor Eagle for the Aftermarket software and cloud-based technologies
- Epicor Parts Network auto parts eCommerce solutions
- Epicor PartExpert electronic catalog packages
- Epicor Industry Data Analytics, including inventory planning and category management
- Mobile apps for outside sales professionals
- For Service Chains
- Epicor Integrated Service Estimator web-based mechanical estimating solution
- Epicor PartExpert electronic catalog packages
- Epicor Parts Network auto parts eComerce solutions
To learn more about the Epicor "Find Your Next 20 Percent" initiative and to schedule a free, no-obligation business growth consultation, contact your Epicor sales representative, call 888.463.4700 or visit www.epicor.com/Next20.
About Epicor Solutions for the Automotive Aftermarket
For nearly 40 years, Epicor aftermarket solutions have helped empower motor vehicle parts and service providers through world-class technologies that drive sales, profits and customer loyalty. Epicor products and services for the aftermarket include parts data and related eCatalog content; industry analytics and category management solutions; enterprise software; B2B and B2C eCommerce solutions; and business optimization tools.
About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution―in the cloud, hosted, or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.
# # #
Epicor, the Epicor logo, Epicor ListingExpert, PartExpert, Epicor Vision, Eagle, and Epicor Parts Network are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.
Lindsay Ortega
Senior Specialist, Public Relations
Epicor Software Corporation
+1 952 417 5022
Drew Shippy
Pinnacle Communication Group, Inc. (on behalf of Epicor)
+1 330 688 3500


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Anime Boston 2011
May 2011 Edition by Todd
Douglass, John Sinnott, Neil Lumbard and Wen-Tsai
by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Neil Lumbard and Wen-Tsai
Hello again! It's just about time for another Anime Talk column, so I figured we'd throw something together. As usual the same rules apply with capsulated anime reviews being published here as well as a selection of anime bargains. Towards the bottom of the page we have included a figure review and a piece on Anime Boston, which was held in the latter part of April. For manga reviews, we are doing something a little different and posting them in the Anime Talk forum. Please feel free to follow our book reviews there!
Latest Anime Reviews:
The most famous anime series in the world gets a definitive release with FUNimation's Dragon Box series, and box five continues with the same high quality as the earlier sets. Covering the series high point, the Cell Games, this is collection has some of the best episodes from the show's run. There's drama, excitement, a world-shaking battle, and more than a little comic relief thanks to Mister Satan and (later in the set) the Great Saiyaman.
It's hard to keep a series, especially a comedy, entertaining for over 200 episodes. One Piece makes it look easy though. The series zooms pass the 200th episode in FUNimation's release of One Piece Season Three, Fifth Voyage. Still as entertaining as ever, the Straw Hat pirates find themselves in a bit of a pickle in this collection, trapped in the middle of a marine base with their ship, the Going Merry, impounded. Of course something as small as a naval base full of marines isn't enough to stop Luffy D. Monkey. The base will never be the same.
While fans are patiently (or not so patiently as is often the case) waiting for the further adventures of Sgt. Frog to be released here in Region 1, FUNimation has decided to put together the second season into one nice-sized boxed set. I would have much rather a set of new episodes, but this release is a good sign. At least they haven't forgotten about the diminutive alien and his mission to conquer Earth. Clever, witty, and hilarious, this show consistently delivers irreverent fast-paced comedy and is a 'must-buy' title.
Eden of the East fans have something to celebrate...kind of. The first of a two-part film conclusion to the series has finally arrived on Blu-ray here in the States. While the series ended on an appropriate note that left much to the imagination of the viewer, the creators wanted to milk the cash-cow a little longer and put together King of Eden and Paradise Lost. In this first half Takizawa has gone missing and Saki takes it upon herself to find him and save him before the other players of the game can kill him. There's more going on than meets the eye and Takizawa's wish to become King has made him a big target. It's a fascinating concept, but it's something exclusive to those who watched the show and it's only the first half of a story. I felt rather unsatisfied in the end.
And last, but certainly not least, is Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. That's right! Disney has remastered Miyazaki's classic and released it on Blu-ray in glorious 1080p high definition. This is an absolutely must all across the board. The film is a classic among classics and is timeless in its own right and the 1080p transfer is decidedly better than the DVD and a worthy upgrade. That means whether you own the film on DVD or not, you'll want to pick this release up. One can only hope films such as Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro will receive the same treatment.
For more anime bargains, please check out the monthly Official- ANIME Bargains! - Thread, updated by yours truly!
*Please Note: Product Availability & Prices are Subjected to Change! Updated on 5/8/2011!
When it comes to lines of figures and anime, there are few as prominent in the current market as ToHeart 2. Sure the anime hasn't been released here in the States yet, but in Japan there seems to be a new figure from the series being put on store shelves every month. From character versions found in the show, to alternatives from the games, ToHeart 2 is pretty darn popular. The latest example of a figure from the series is Sorceress Manaka, from the alternative PC game FINAL DRAGON CHRONICLE ~ GUILTY REQUIEM ~.
Top manufacturer and publisher, Kotobukiya, has been one of the largest licensees of the franchise, and FINAL DRAGON CHRONICLE ~ GUILTY REQUIEM ~ is their current focus. Recently I purchased the Tamaki Kousaka Samurai Version and I must admit that I'm quite smitten with it. Tamaki is probably the most popular character from ToHeart 2 that you're going to find, but today I received Manaka and she's got plenty of personality herself.
Standing roughly the same height as Tamaki, Manaka is a 1/8th scale PVC figure from her role as sorceress in FINAL DRAGON CHRONICLE. This figure catches her in mid skip and for all intents and purposes she seems to be floating in a way, as though she was captured in mid spell cast.
From top to bottom the figure is rather whimsically designed. Manaka's head is adorned with a frilly French maid-inspired headpiece that has been caught in the wind during her movement. Her expression is bright-eyed and the little smile really showcases her personality as she looks off slightly to the right, as though she were showing off for her friends.
Wonderfully proportionate in design, Manaka's left arm is outstretched in a flourish like she is saying "Tada!", while her right arm drapes to her side loosely clutching her magical staff. Her figure is rather...ahem...hourglass in structure. Her excessively large bust is spilling out of the top of her cocktail dress, and the mini-skirt end doesn't leave much to be desired on that side of things. It's tied off at the hips, but the raising of her right leg affords a slight glimpse at some black undies beneath. It's nothing too naughty, mind you, but it doesn't leave an awful lot to the imagination.
Manaka's legs are one of her more dynamic features. Her right leg is adorned with a large boot that glides up her thigh, while her left has a smallish shoe that barely crests her shin. That left foot is affixed to a rather gaudy base, but it's similar in style to the one used for Samurai Tamaki, so I suppose it's a part of the collection's design. It's rather unfortunate since it sticks out like a sore thumb, though I suppose it's not the end of the world.
The quality of the figure is quite solid all around. The build is virtually flawless with no wayward creases or markings. It showcases a clean production and the figure benefits greatly from that. Likewise the color scheme of black clothes, with blue and pink highlights also provides a nice contrast to her pale skin. Her attire matches the many jewels on her staff, and the color scheme of black and blue draws attention to her bright facial expression and eyes. It's a captivating piece that's a lot of fun.
In addition to the base being a flaw, I will say that Manaka's staff is a little too loose fitting in her hand. You kind of have to slide it in and position it. Once on the shelf the staff will not move, but if you jostle it or move the figure be prepared to have to readjust it. In the end those are minor complaints, however, and Sorceress Manaka is a wonderful addition to the shelf.
Whether you're a ToHeart 2 fan or not, and whether or not you've played FINAL DRAGON CHRONICLE, Sorceress Manaka is a worthwhile figure to add to the collection. She's a solidly built and whimsically designed figure that showcases the charm of the character while playing into its fantasy roots.
Sorceress Manaka has recently been released and is currently available from these retailers:
Amazon.com Hobby Search AmiAmi
Highly Recommended
Day One:
Like most years at Anime Boston, registration was something of a nightmare. Long lines, poor communication among volunteers, and disorganization are what one can expect upon arrival. Granted it's been getting better throughout the years, but it's definitely a controlled kind of chaos. Once my pass was in hand the convention center was an open playground of all kinds of anime goodies.
As with most conventions the first things you want to do is make an agenda and plan out what's where and when, so naturally that's what I did. With the day set I initially had some time to kill before the dealer's room was opened and panels I was interested in got underway. Walking around and checking out the good (and bad) cosplays is always a good time killer, though for a while I hit up the game room. This sprawling video game space was packed with Call of Duty and Halo system linked together. There were also Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom bouts, and plenty of other random gaming on the side. It was a lot to take in and the lines for each console was long, but this proved a perfect spot to kill some time and socialize a bit.
At noon time the dealer's room opened up and it was held in the same spot as last year. That meant the space was massive and there were more dealers than you could shake a cosplay stick at. The only thing is some favorite vendors of mine from previous years, such as Sasuga Books and Wizzywig, were not in attendance. There were still plenty of good deals to be had and naturally my addiction to gashapon trading figures was sated every time I turned around. I picked up a Queen's Blade Melona and a Gurren Lagann Yoko for myself, with a Hello Kitty and Dragon Quest figure on the side for my wife.
After hitting the game and dealer's rooms it was about time for lunch, and let me tell you, the Prudential Food Court is nuts during Anime Boston. Think about a mall swamped with cosplayers and non-anime fans looking on with confusion and ignorance. Listening to passers by make comments about "freaks" shows the tolerance level of mainstream America, but hey, we're a good bunch of people and it takes a lot to get under our skin. My only comment about lunch, aside from making the mistake of eating Panda Express, was using the Food Court's bathroom. I was uncomfortably sandwiched between crossplayed Haruhi Suzumiya and a Hatsune Miku at the urinals. Ugh.
At 2:00 the first panel I went to on Friday was "Who is Hatsune Miku". This panel was orchestrated by Rym and Scott, and it was a rather upbeat panel with all kinds of music videos of the world's first digital diva. Essentially it was a collection of ripped videos that were loosely tied to the concept of Miku and her popularity. It wasn't the greatest of panels, but there were some laughs to be had and it was worth it to see the crowd's reaction to Miku's version of the Sgt. Frog dance.
From there I hit up "Japanese Folklore: Kitsune, Oni & Yuurei, Oh My!" at 3:00. This panel by Jennifer and Samantha Yoo was a little on the dry side, but there were some interesting tidbits about Japanese folklore to be had. I'm not going to lie though, I left early to get in line for the "FUNimation.com Presents" at 4:00. This panel was more or less a promotion of the new FUNimation beta site, and it listed some content for people in the crowd to pick. It wasn't really for announcements and it seemed like an excuse to give out bumper stickers and keychains to people who asked questions. After FUNimation I had some time to kill so I sat in on "Convention Etiquette: How to Avoid Being "That Guy'", which was an entertaining panel that looked at some of the more annoying aspects of an anime convention. Shove that Marco Polo crap up your ass! I'm sick of it!
At 7:00 on Friday I made it to the Mari Iijima concert in the auditorium. Mari was made famous in the anime world for her role as Minmay in Macross. Her concert was rather lowkey with little more than Mari, a piano, and a picture of her sick bunny rabbit. She was entertaining and engaged the crowd in between songs, so I was very glad she came to Anime Boston. The dealer's room was closed by the point the concert ended, and the industry panels were done for the night so I hopped the train back home in order to get an earlier start on Saturday.
Day Two:
On Saturday the day started early with a 10:00 panel from "AnimeonDVD.com/Mania" panel. I know, I know, they are "technically" a competitor, but Chris is a local guy and he's an Anime Boston regular so I had to check his panel out. After that panel I got in line for the FUNimation Sneak Peak, which spotlighted some upcoming shows though in all honesty it wasn't anything I hadn't already known about. Then at 1:00 there was a State of the Industry panel, which pretty much just turned into another FUNimation panel with the conversation shifting that way.
In the same room at 2:00 there was the Sentai Filmworks panel, though I admittedly skipped that to get in line for the Okaido New England/Ten concert. Okaido New England is an American-based group of Taiko drummers based out of Massachusetts. Their style was rather traditional and the concert was pretty damn good overall. Ten, which opened for Okaido, was, well...not as good. I appreciated the music of the three person band, but wow, they need a lyricist. The guy that played bass and sang simply couldn't handle the latter half. I almost wished I had gone to the Sentai Filmworks panel at that point.
From the concert I booked it to the FUNimation panel, which marks the third (or technically fourth) panel by them at the convention. This was the one where they announced upcoming DVD releases and simulcasts. There wasn't anything outstanding showcased here, but it's all good regardless.
That pretty much wrapped up my time at the convention, at least as far as panels went. I spent the rest of my time wandering around the dealer's room again, checking out the incredible artist's alley, and popping in for autograph sessions and the occasional guest discussion. This was also my opportunity to snap picks of some cosplayers and the wife and I finished the day off with dinner at Fugakyu.
Day Three:
I worked. :-( No convention for me this day.
What do you think about the column? Like what you see? Don't
like it? Have a comment or suggestion? Drop us an e-mail
and let us know!
January 2015 Edition
2013 Q4 Top Anime Titles from RightStuf.com, Part 1
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Crunchy Roll, Lupin, and Bunny Drop
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Originally posted on CityStink
Friday, September 21, 2012
Evans, GA
By Al Gray
The author, Al M. Gray is President of Cost Recovery Works, Inc., a provider of Cost Avoidance and Cost Recovery for America's leading companies, businesses and governments desiring Superior Returns.
The fury in and surrounding the Columbia County Commission Chambers on December 6, 2011 sizzled and seethed. Citizens packed the room and the overflow could have surrounded the building. An incongruous and unwelcome subsidized housing development, to be known as Magnolia Trace, was coming to their midst. The county commission had invited the intruder in. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)was funding it. The only notice had been the real estate closing and starting of the building permit process. Revelations that the project's limited partner, Affordable Equity Partners(AEP) of Columbia, Missouri, had – through subsidiaries, related entities, and PAC's – liberally provided campaign donations to Georgia's governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house and local state legislators added to the combustible mix. Capping it off later was the discovery that the county attorney also had worn the hat of closing attorney for the developers.
Inside, the commission chairman, three commissioners, and that county attorney were stoic, but their white faces and knuckles spoke fear. Their position was one of relative comfort juxtaposed to the District Three commissioner, a man inopportunely appointed to the offending Department of Community Affairs board (albeit after DCA had approved the tax credit funding to AEP) and who had voted for the county's resolution to endorse the project. His business had been picketed, his phone ceaselessly chattered, a local talk radio show with 60,000 listeners was hostile, and real pressure was on. He was beet red and seemed to be near break down.
An epic meeting ensued that concluded an hour and a half later with the commission engaging an outside attorney charged with seeing whether there were avenues to void the deal. It was a fig leaf and seen that way. The project was too carefully planned and orchestrated for citizens to have a realistic chance of canceling it. After all, Affordable Equity Partners boasts of its long history of doing tax credit projects in multiple states and its role in encouraging states to provide the tax credits. From the company website: "By forging strong relationships with key government entities, AEP ensures a secure and favorable investment environment for our investor partners."
Who Done It?
The first stage in the development and investment process for a Low Income Housing Tax Credit project is said by AEP to be this: "A developer of an affordable property will admit AEP as its limited partner.." This portrays the circumstance of a group of local property developers gaining control of land, then engaging the AEP companies to structure the deal as a LIHTC financing. Who are the principals behind Magnolia Trace? They are hidden by the LLP structure, so that remains a mystery.
The birth pangs for this project came when an AEP entity named Peach Way Holdings LLC obtained an option on March 24, 2010 to purchase the land. Later the option would be exercised by Magnolia Trace LLP. Immediately the process began to submit an application to DCA for tax credits used to finance the project. Peach Way Holdings was the first entity publicly involved out of an AEP interconnected stable of companies who are very adept at carving out a lucrative niche.
Extraordinarily High Costs Meet a Stunning Reversal
The Magnolia Trace project was so astonishingly lucrative that the DCA staff initially refused to approve the application on December 14, 2010 (click link to view document) based on that fact and a host of other financial criteria. "Total development costs for this project are over $10 million dollars which translates into almost $141.24 (author used round numbers) per square foot. A similar project had total development costs of only $7,561,982. This translates to almost $2.5 million more of total development costs.", DCA wrote. Despite having slammed the numbers as entirely too high and the applicant being barred from updating or modifying anything upon appeal, DCA approved the credits for MagnoliaTrace in a letter dated March 14, 2011 (click link to view approval document) .Incredibly the approval notification letter has a DCA documents date stamp of January 7, 2011, 66 days before the document was dated!
A need to call upon AEP's "strong relationships" within government to gain approval before December 31, 2010 lay in the expiration of a key contract with Peach Way Financial Services. The vaunted "genuine advocacy for both developers and investors" worked wonders to speed approval, evidenced by what looks like an obvious post dating episode, over a period interrupted by Christmas and New Years.
Who might Magnolia Trace LLP/Affordable Equity Partners have called upon for help in this time of emergency? Lt. Governor Casey Cagle's campaign got $882.50 from AEP going back to 2008. Sister company Capital Health Management Inc. gave Cagle another $10, 453.50.Capital Health Management in October 2006 had given $40,000 out of the $40,500 total of The Fund for Georgia's Future (Filer # NC2006000414 ) who gave Cagle another $10,000 that same month. Capital Health Management in 2008 gave a whopping $100,000 to The Fund for Georgia's Future, who dispersed it to a raft of legislators. and the Republican Party.
Capital Health had also given the campaigns of Speaker David Ralston $5,000, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers $5,500 and Nathan Deal $6,300. Another PAC that AEP contributes to, albeit not as the dominant contributor, is the Committee for Affordable Workforce Housing (GAHC-PAC – Filer NC2008000070). This PAC gave another $6,100 to the Deal campaign in September 2010, $1000 to Ralston in December 2010, $5,973 for Deal in December 2011, and $3,000 for Cagle in March, 2012.
Nearly $200,000 in campaign funds wins friends. In this case did it reverse a project rejection and move a date?
The DCA application process requires disclosure of all related and controlled entities. Peach Way Financial Services, LLC , the Development Consultant, seems to fall within this category, as William A. Markel, Executive Vice President of AEP, is listed as Peach Way's Agent for its business registration with the Georgia Secretary of State with the listed mailing address in Missouri coinciding with AEP's office address. However, in the tax credit application filed with DCA, Peach Way Financial, the project Developer Consultant, was listed with an Atlanta address and was reported to "not have an identity of interest with any other entity in this chart." *(Click here to view Magnolia Trace parties document). It is noted that the "identity of interest" question applied to each and every entity in the chart.
A side note is that Peach Way Financial Services, LLC is shown to have filed its business registration with the Secretary of State for 2011, when the application process remained in play, but is reported to be in a state of noncompliance for 2012. According to its contract, Peach Way Financial Services gets fee payments in 2012 from Magnolia Trace.
"Inefficient financial structure"
Before Magnolia Trace LLP's sudden change in fortune, DCA had written this about the project: "….the financial structure is not an effective or efficient use of DCA resources." What might be the reason that the "financial structure is not an effective use…?" Could it be that multiple layers of AEP affiliated companies produced the $2.5 million more in costs cited by DCA?
Arguably the largest money tree in the AEP stable is that the tax credit financing process allows "AEP's ability to insert an experienced affiliate into every step of the tax credit process provides added security to AEP's investors." With Magnolia Trace, Peach Way Holdings secured the land option. Magnolia Trace LLP became the owner. MACO Development Company, LLC is the Developer. AEP itself is the State and Federal Limited Partner. MACO Properties, LLC is the Managing Partner. Peach Way Financial Services LLC is the Development consultant. Fairway Construction Co. Inc. is the General Contractor. Fairway Management is the management company. All are related and most stood to gain fees, directly or indirectly.
How much of the $2.5 million excess cost that DCA objected to might be found in having so many AEP companies involved? The land acquisition and construction 'costs' totaled $6,986,826, or a whopping $100 per square foot. The total development 'costs' of $10,152,634 were $145.45 per square foot. Of the roughly $3.2 million difference, fees, overhead, and profit of the AEP stable of companies were about $2.1 million, or 66%.
A Lot More than A Trace of Money
Once a subdivision is complete, the AEP companies begin to draw management fees from leasing operations. Magnolia Trace will join 17 previous AEP company developments in Georgia. Projected management fees to be generated from the Martinez complex are estimated at $1,160,885.
The approved tax credits were $1,065,849. If the DCA's figures and objections ifrom December 2010 are correct, the excess of tax credits over the norms would be about 25% or more than $250,000.
Magical Words to an Auditor's Ears
The application contained the language "Certification of Actual Cost" and the authorizing provisions in Chapter 42 of the tax code preserve the rights and capabilities of audit before the tax credits are issued. This could prove providential in protecting state and federal tax revenues, as there are new homes for sale in similar neighborhoods for sales prices in the low $70's per square foot. Upon audit can the $145 per square foot price supplied by the AEP companies be sustained?
The larger question is whether anyone will ever be allowed to audit this transaction.
Citizens of suburban, Republican Martinez, Georgia got an unwelcome subsidized housing project courtesy of unknown developers. If there is solace in this story it is that Martinez county commissioner Trey Allen got the Department of Community Affairs to reform its policy so that future locales will be notified beforehand of low income projects. The politicians got nearly $200,000 of campaign donations. The AEP stable of companies look to have secured a backdated approval of a project that DCA deemed excessive on the way to winning more than $1.5 million in development fees, $1.1 million in tax credits, and $1.1 million in management fees. Along the way, one entity looks to have been undisclosed as a related party and has fallen into noncompliance with Georgia's business registration unit.
The identities of the parties who launched this controversial project will be hidden behind opaque partnership structures, while a cash-strapped state government sees its revenues drained, not only by very lucrative tax give-aways, but also by layered on costs that the state agency found to be excessive.
Can this really be government by and for the people?***
—Al Gray


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Small Business Marketing
Native Advertising for Small Business: The Missing Link?
A cohesive, successful search marketing campaign is contingent on its content marketing strategy. Content is still king, after all, and its reign doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.
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Inocencia is a menswear retailer who opened it's doors in 1999, in the picturesque town of Shrewsbury. Their website www.purple-oval.co.uk, was established in 2005.
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Brands available include Pretty Green, Napapijri, Aquascutum, Lyle & Scott, Ma-strum, Farah, Baracuta, Weekend Offender, Carhartt, Edwin, Original Penguin, Luke 1977, Nicholas Deakins , Timberland and many more.


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For the first time, at least five of my websites/blogs has been filled with ads in their Nuffnang slots, including this one. This came as a pleasant surprise, I certainly did not expect it. My mistake was that I put up the large rectangle on only two of my sites
Time to expand on that, I guess. I won't know how much I am earning from these slew of ads until the end of the week, so I guess I would have to wait. I have a feeling that the RM22 short of getting my first Nuffnang cheque is going to be covered….


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- This event has passed.
Afrikaans Rock at Shimmy Beach Club
April 15, 2017 @ 5:00 pm - April 16, 2017 @ 4:00 amR225 - R500
Event Navigation
Back by popular demand, #Afrikaans Rock brings some of SA's biggest names in the genre of the same name to Shimmy Beach Club stage. Expect new and old hits from Jack Parow, aKING, Fokofpolisiekar, Francois van Coke and Die Heuwels Fantasties.
Cost R225 for General Access, R325 for VIP, R500 for Premier


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Brandon RobbinsPhone: (406) 626-2622Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Greetings from 6-Rob!! My name is Brandon Robbins and this is my first year in Frenchtown. The past two years I taught 3rd grade in Meeteetse, WY and also served at the Head Boy's Basketball coach. Originally from Columbus, MT, I have four brothers and come from educational roots. I am an avid sports fan, with the Florida Gators being my favorite team. I also enjoy being outside, whether it's fishing, hiking, running, or anything else fun and active. I feel especially fortunate to continue coaching here as well, as I am the Assistant Boy's Basketball coach. I could not be happier or more excited to be living and doing what I'm truly passionate for in this part of Montana. Within the door of room 106, our classes will be reading, spelling, writing, calculating, discovering, and expanding their knowledge every day. We will focus reading skills and strategies from our Journey's basil reader, as well as expand their author and genre appreciation through novel studies. We will have weekly spelling assessments along with periodical book reports and D.E.A.R. time to curve the absence of AR. 6th grade math perplexes the brain into realms of the ever-so-scary but not to be intimidated by, pre-algebra. Science this year will rock yours sock off, literally. Our main focuses revolve around the inquiry method related to areas of Earth science. Students will also get to showcase other talents with their specialist teachers in art, P.E., band, choir, and keyboarding. I would like to send thanks and appreciation to all parents and guardians for supporting the students and staff here at school. I am thrilled to be working with such an amazing team of teachers and wonderful young minds. #GoBroncsClass Description(s)I teach a Reading/Spelling section in the morning, as well as two sessions each of Math and Science. Our Reading/Spelling curriculum comes our Journeys Text, however I also incorporate several novel studies throughout the year. 6th Grade Math introduces and reviews concepts of the four basic properties, fractions, geometry, proportions, and data analysis. In Science, we will explore an array of units related to Earth Science and Biology.You can receive updates about the happenings in each class by joining the Remind app. All you need to do is download Remind on your tablet or smartphone or text the class code to 81010. These are the codes for the classes: Spelling- @gdcae Reading- @fk2kf Science- @dhf3 Math- @8bk2


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Karen Davey Stewart, 62, of Valdez, Alaska, died in an ATV rollover accident in the Valdez area on Sept. 7, 2015.
She was born in LaGrange, Ill., on Dec. 29, 1952, to Arlene (nee Meisgeier) and George Davey. Karen received a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Sociology from Fort Lewis College Colorado in 1976. She was employed by the Durango Colorado Ski Corporation at Purgatory Resort, during which time she met and married her first husband, John McCune. Photos of her amazing skiing exploits still remain in the Purgatory Resort Lodge to this day. Both ski enthusiasts, John and Karen left Colorado in 1988, for the mountains of Valdez, where they made their new home. In 1996, John was killed in an aviation accident while hunting in the Wrangell Mountains. In 2003, Karen met and married Brett Stewart of Valdez.
Karen helped pioneer helicopter skiing in Alaska as a co-founder of World Extreme Ski Champions (WESC) with her late husband, John, in 1990. As a tireless volunteer worker during the ten years of WESC, Karen championed skiing in Chugach Mountains statewide and internationally, serving as WESC President for five of those years. WESC subsequently created a lasting and positive economic impact in the skiing industry in Alaska.
At the time of her death, she was employed by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company as a compliance and documentation specialist, and had been an integral force in the company in various capacities since 1988. Her love and enthusiasm for her community was evidenced in all the time and effort she put into various civic entities. She was an active member of the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive Association, City of Valdez Economic Diversification Commission, Valdez United Way, Junior Achievement, Valdez Gold Rush Days, Friends of the Valdez Animal Shelter, Valdez Elks Lodge No. 2537, Food Bank of Valdez and KCHU Public Radio. She was honored with the Advocate for Victims of Violence "Woman of Distinction" award in 2008.
Upon learning of her passing, Governor Bill Walker said, "Having just seen Karen a few weeks ago at a Valdez Gold Rush event, it was shocking news. Karen was such an inspiration to all of us who had the privilege of knowing her. Her support for Valdez and her family was truly inspirational."
Karen got her spirit of adventure and love of the outdoors from her dad, George, and her tenacity and strength from her mom, Arlene. She was an avid participant in all types of outdoor activities including snow machining, fishing, hiking, 4-wheeling, and her first love: skiing. She was also a Master Gardener, having received her certification in that program in 2014. She chaired the Gold Rush Days Golden Rock Award Program for many years that recognizes outstanding gardens and gardeners in Valdez. The many beautiful gardens in Valdez today are a tribute to Karen's efforts.
To know Karen was to love Karen. She had a way of looking at the world that put a twist of humor, creativity, compassion and fun into every occasion. We will miss Karen but take comfort in the many, many "Karen Davey McCune Stewart Stories" and memories that will keep her alive in our hearts.
Karen leaves behind her loving husband, Brett; son, Ryan McCune (Gianna); daughter, Darcy (Mike) McCune Swymeler; stepson, Nick Stewart (Kristi); grandchildren, JonCarlo McCune, Quinn and Corbin John Swymeler and River Stewart; father, George Davey; brother, Jeff Davey (Pam); and nieces, Amanda, Carolyn, Kim and Laura Davey. Her mother, Arlene; first husband, John McCune; and beloved dog, Nutmeg, preceded her in death.
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Karen. Her family, friends near and far, as well as the community of Valdez will truly miss her.
Donations are being accepted at Wells Fargo in Karen's name to establish an annual scholarship for a Valdez High School senior demonstrating outstanding community involvement.
A tribute service and potluck will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at the Valdez Civic Center. Friends are also invited to join the family in a memory-sharing event immediately afterwards at the Valdez Elks Lodge.
By Lee Revis, Editor, Valdez Star,, Vol 27, Edition 37, Sept. 16, 2015
Published in Alaska Dispatch News on Sept. 15, 2015


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By Greg Parrott
Back in the 1960s I found a way to earn some money on my own. Walking with my big Radio-Flyer wagon I'd pick up soft drink bottles along roads of my small hometown of Brooks in south Fayette County.
The ditches and fence lines would become home to unwanted soft drink bottles. Just behind the road signs was another good place to find bottles as well. The bottle wielding Nazis of that era would use the signs as a target for their pleasure. I liked it when they missed; it was money for me.
Greg Parrott
Yesterday's Footsteps: Bottles and Pennies
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5 Reasons to Learn About Eating Insects with GirlMeetsBug
Image: Girlmeetsbug.com
Our recent report suggesting that eating bugs is the answer to reducing our protein footprint met with mixed response. That is why we are not suggesting that you check out Girlmeetsbug.com to learn how you can join the insect-eating revolution. Not at all. There are much better reasons to hop over to to Daniella Martin's website.
Reason 1: Talent in Front of a Camera
While an insect cooking/travel show bends the traditional format, if you enjoy the highly popular chef shows and dinner party game shows, you will like Girl Meets Bug. Daniella has presence and poise as she takes viewers step-by-step through the newest buggy meal plan.
You shouldn't miss Girl Meets Bug simply because it is great entertainment. Daniella writes with humor, flair, and panache. Her funny and flippant tone lures you to learn about adventurous eating. Her earnest interest in sharing her research in eating adventures deserves respect.
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You know how everyone just has to slow down to gawk at an accident? Watching Daniella's step-by-step videos on how to prepare delicious bug meals, you will enjoy the same sense of simultaneous repulsion and curiousity.
Reason 4: LOLbugs
Awwww cute. If your stomach is turning just a bit, you can relax with some cute bug pictures. Where do caterpillars find shoes to match their flamboyant outfits? Is this the buggy equivalent of those smiling pigs and chickens that grin at us from the sides of 18-wheelers on the road to the slaughterhouse?
Reason 5: Be Bold
There was a time when people would have considered a girl in a bikini an outrageous affront to civilized conduct. There was a time when bleeding with leeches by a doctor splattered in the blood of his many patients was considered great medical care. Fashions change over time. Bold people lead the new trends. Could it be that after watching enough episodes of an impressive talent sharing her fascination for insect cuisine, eating bugs could start to seem normal? Oops. Gotcha.
More on Edible Insects:
Is Eating Insects the Answer to Reducing our Food Footprint?
Eat Insects. Save the World?
Bugs are Back on the Menu
More on Livestock Footprints:
Study Finds Meat and Dairy Create More Emissions Than Miles
Pork Chops Won't Give You Swine Flu, But Here Are Other Reasons to Abstain
World Dairy Industry Equals 4 Percent of Man-Made Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Saving Civilization is Not a Spectator Sport


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Open Access This article is
- freely available
- re-usable
Polymers 2013, 5(3), 1068-1080; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym5031068
Electrochemical and Spectroelectrochemical Properties of a New Donor–Acceptor Polymer Containing 3,4-Dialkoxythiophene and 2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole Units
Milano-Bicocca Solar Energy Research Center—MIB-Solar, Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, Milano I-20125, Italy
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 30 May 2013; in revised form: 23 July 2013 / Accepted: 5 August 2013 / Published: 12 August 2013
A new heteroarylene-vinylene donor-acceptor low bandgap polymer, the poly(DEHT-V-BTD), containing vinylene-spaced efficient donor (dialkoxythiophene) and acceptor (benzothiadiazole) moieties, is presented. Electropolymerization has been carried out by several electrochemical techniques and the results are compared. In particular, the pulsed potentiostatic method was able to provide layers with sufficient amounts of material. Cyclic voltammetries showed reversible behavior towards both p- and n-doping. The HOMO, LUMO, and bandgap energies were estimated to be −5.3, −3.6 and 1.8 eV, respectively. In situ UV-Vis measurements have established that the presence of the vinylene group stabilizes the formation of polaronic charge carriers even at high doping levels.
Keywords:donor–acceptor–donor monomer; conducting polymer; electropolymerization; electrochemistry; 3,4-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)thiophene; 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole
1. Introduction
Low bandgap polymers are promising materials for their possible use in a wide range of applications, in particular as donor p-conducting layers in bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells, wherein they are commonly used in combination with fullerene derivatives such as [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as acceptor n-conducting materials [1]. In such application, the polymer energy levels need to be finely tuned in order to have efficient BHJ properties. In particular, optimized design rules dictate that: (1) the bandgap of the polymer should be equal or lower than 1.8 eV in order to efficiently absorb the solar radiation up to the low energy portion of the spectrum; (2) the energy of the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) of the polymer should be higher (with a minimal offset of 0.3 eV) than that of PCBM in order to ensure efficient charge separation; (3) the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) of the polymer should be as low as possible in order to have a high open circuit voltage, being this proportion to the difference between the energy of the LUMO PCBM and HOMO polymer. In order to reach an optimal trade-off between these requirements, recent design rules suggest that optimal donor polymers should have bandgap energies in the range of 1.3–1.9 eV [1]. One of the most promising approaches to induce these properties is a molecular design of monomeric precursors with donor-acceptor constituting units [2]. The resulting polymer will thus consist of alternating π-electronrich donor (D) and π-electronpoor acceptor (A) moieties along the backbone [3,4,5,6]. A large variety of D groups have been so far proposed. Amongst these, 3,4-ethylendioxythiophene (EDOT) has been often used due to its outstanding chemical stability and good transport properties [7].
In spite of the large variety of D–A polymers, relatively few examples are known for vinylene-linked (V) conjugated polymers, where the D and A fragments are separated by an ethenylic spacer. Indeed, superior photovoltaic performances in terms of both conductivity and control of the energy levels can be enabled by inserting vinylene spacers into the structure between the D and A groups [8]. We have recently designed and investigated new polymers starting from D–A–D monomers, wherein the D and A units were separated by a vinylene group [9,10]. In particular, we have used pyrrole [9] and EDOT [10] as donor heteroaromatic fragments and pyridine as the acceptor units. In these works we have shown how it is possible to reach optimal design requirements for BHJ devices starting from very simple and commonly used heteroaromatic units, with a fine tuning arising from the proper substitution pattern around the central pyridine ring. However, the electrochemical properties of our previous pyridine-based polymers did not show evidence of a full reversible electrochemical reduction process (n-doping). In order to increase the electron-withdrawing character of the central acceptor group, we have decided to design a new vinylene-spaced D–A–D monomer where the pyridine ring has been replaced by the 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BTD) ring, which has triggered a considerable interest in recent years as an acceptor unit due to its strong electron-withdrawing capacity and ready availability of commercial precursors [11,12,13]. As a donor unit we first turned our attention on the EDOT ring. Unfortunately, the corresponding (EDOT-V-BTD) monomer showed poor solubility in most solvents. For this reason, we replaced EDOT with a 3,4-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)thiophene (DEHT) ring, which has similar electronic properties but a larger solubility in organic solvents and improved filming properties thanks to the presence of two branched side alkyl chains [13]. We have thus designed and prepared the (DEHT-V-BTD) monomer (Figure 1). In the present contribution we report the preparation and characterization of the new monomer, its electrochemical polymerization, and the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of the resulting polymeric layers. In particular, the poly(DEHT-V-BTD) energy levels and the nature of the charge carries formed during the oxidation and the reduction of the layers are discussed in comparison with the poly(2,5-pyridine-V-pyrrole) [9] and poly(2,5-pyridine-V-EDOT) [10].
2. Experimental Section
2.1. Monomer Preparation
All reagents were obtained from commercial suppliers at the highest purity grade and used without further purification, except for POCl3 that was distilled prior to use. Anhydrous solvents were purchased from Sigma Aldrich and used without further purification. Extracts were dried over Na2SO4 and filtered before the removal of the solvent by evaporation. Flash chromatography was performed with Merck grade 9385 silica gel 230–400 mesh (60 Å).
3,4-Bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)thiophene-2-carbaldehyde (2). POCl3 (2.7 mL, 4.4 g, 29 mmol) was added dropwise to ice-cold DMF (1.2 mL, 1.1 g, 15 mmol). The solution was stirred for 20 min and the obtained white solid was dissolved in dry 1,2-dichloroethane (60 mL). A solution of 3,4-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)thiophene (1) [13] (5.00 g, 14.7 mmol) in 1,2-dichloroethane (10 mL) was then added dropwise and the mixture refluxed for 1 h. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature and then poured onto a saturated ice-cold solution of AcONa (50 mL). The resulting mixture was stirred at reflux for 1 h and then extracted with CH2Cl2 (100 mL). The organic layer were thoroughly washed with water, dried, and the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to afford the product as a yellow-brown oil (5.20 g, 14.1 mmol, 96%), which was used for the next step without further purification; 1H-NMR (CDCl3) δ 9.99 (s, 1H, CHO), 6.61 (s, 1H, thiophene), 4.28–4.18 (m, 2H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 3.86 (d, J = 5.9 Hz, 2H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 1.77–1.63 (m, 2H, CH of alkyl chains), 1.56–1.37 (m, 16H, remaining CH2 of alkyl chains), 0.96–0.84 (m, 12H, CH3 of alkyl chains).
3,4-Bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)-2-vinylthiophene (3). n-Butyllithium (2.5 M in hexane, 5.6 mL, 14.0 mmol) was added via syringe to a solution of methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (5.00 g, 14.0 mmol) in THF (100 mL) at 0 °C. A solution of aldehyde (2) (5.20 g, 14.0 mmol) in THF (20 mL) was added dropwise at −78 °C and the resulting mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature and stirred for 12 h. The mixture was then poured into water (150 mL) and extracted with CH2Cl2 (2 × 50 mL). The organic layer was washed with brine, dried, and evaporated to dryness to leave a residue which was purified by column chromatography (cyclohexane:dichloromethane = 7:3) affording the practically pure product as a yellow oil (4.55 g, 12.4 mmol, 89%); 1H-NMR (CDCl3) δ 6.84 (dd, Jtrans = 17.6 Hz, Jcis = 11.0 Hz, 1H,), 5.99 (s, 1H, thiophene), 5.45 (dd, Jtrans = 17.6 Hz, Jgem = 0.8 Hz, 1H, β-Z-vinyl proton to thiophene), 5.05 (dd, Jcis = 11.0 Hz, Jgem = 0.8 Hz, 1H, β-E-vinyl proton to thiophene), 3.99–3.92 (m, 2H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 3.87–3.81 (m, 2H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 1.77–1.69 (m, 1H, CH of alkyl chain), 1.69–1.61 (m, 1H, CH of alkyl chain), 1.61–1.25 (m, 16H, remaining CH2 of alkyl chains), 0.98–0.88 (m, 12H, CH3 of alkyl chains).
DEHT-V-BTD. A solution of tris(o-tolyl)phosphine (7 mg, 0.024 mmol) and Pd(OAc)2 (1 mg, 0.006 mmol) in dry DMF (5 mL) was added dropwise to a solution of 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (90 mg, 0.307 mmol), derivate (3) (250 mg, 0.683 mmol), and triethylamine (0.7 mL) in dry DMF (20 mL) at 80 °C under an argon atmosphere. After stirring for 12 h at 100 °C the reaction mixture was poured into water (25 mL) and extracted with CH2Cl2 (3 × 50 mL). The combined organic layers were treated with aqueous 1.2 N HCl (10 mL), washed with brine (3 × 10 mL), dried, and evaporated to dryness in vacuum to leave a residue which was purified by column chromatography (cyclohexane:dichloromethane = 7:3) to give the pure product (72 mg, 0.083 mmol, 27%) as a red jelly; 1H-NMR (CDCl3) δ 8.28 (d, J = 16.2 Hz, 2H, β-vinyl proton to benzothiadiazole), 7.55 (s, 2H, benzothiadiazole), 7.28 (d, J = 16.2 Hz, 2H, α-vinyl proton to benzothiadiazole), 6.12 (s, 2H, thiophene), 4.08 (d, J = 9.9 Hz, 4H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 3.87 (d, J = 5.4 Hz, 4H, diastereotopic OCH2 protons), 1.85–1.20 (m, 36H, CH and remaining CH2 of alkyl chains), 1.08–0.80 (m, 24H, CH3 of alkyl chains); HRMS-ESI: m/z calculated for C50H77N2O4S3 (M + H) + 865.50455, found 865.50515; calculated for C50H76N2NaO4S3 (M + Na) + 887.48649, found 887.4868.
2.2. Optical Characterization
Absorption and emission spectra were recorded using a V-570 Jasco spectrophotomer (Jasco, Easton, MD, USA) and a Jasco FP 6200 spectrofluorometer (Jasco, Easton, MD, USA), respectively. The spanned wavelength range was from 300 to 900 nm. The optical bandgaps of the monomer and polymer were calculated on the low energetic edge of the corresponding absorption spectra.
2.3. Electropolymerization and Electrochemical Characterizations
Thin films of poly(DEHT-V-BTD) were grown on Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO, 15 Ω/square) by electrochemical polymerization using cyclic voltammetry (CV), potentiostatic (PS), and pulsed-potentiostatic (PPS) techniques starting from saturated monomer solutions (100 mg in 25 mL) in the supporting electrolyte (0.1 M electrochemical grade tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate in anhydrous acetonitrile). Electrodepositions were performed in a three-electrode cell with FTO (area about 1 cm2), Ag/AgCl wire, and Pt flag, as working, pseudoreference, and counter electrode, respectively. A similar cell was used for the electrochemical characterization (CV) of polymers using the deposed layer as working electrode; all the CVs were performed at 50 mV∙s−1. The Ag/AgCl pseudo-reference was calibrated before each measurement using ferrocene solution and all the potentials are reported vs. the Fc+/Fc couple. All the electrochemical measurements were performed in an Ar filled glove box ([O2] < 1 ppm). The spectroelectrochemical measurements in the near-infrared/Vis range (1100 ≥ λ ≥ 340 nm) were performed using the same cell arrangement in a sealed optical cuvette. Each spectrum acquisition was performed under bias potential which was applied before the spectrum acquisition for a time long enough to drive the system into a stationary state. The HOMO-LUMO determination was carried out using the current onset of the stable CV traces [14] using a vacuum level of −4.5 eV for the Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE) [15] and a redox potential of 0.69 V vs. SHE for the Fc+/Fc in ACN [16].
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Synthesis and Optical Properties of the Monomer
The monomer DEHT-V-BTD was obtained according to the synthetic route reported in Figure 2. 3,4-Bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)thiophene [13] (1) was converted by Vilsmeier formylation to the corresponding aldehyde (2), which was then condensed with the methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide to give the 2-vinyl derivative (3). The desired monomer was finally obtained by the Heck palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between (3) and the 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole.
Figure 3 depicts the normalized absorption and emission spectra of the monomer DEHT-V-BTD. The monomer has two absorption bands, one at higher energies (peak at 326 nm) related to local transitions of the heteroaromatic units, and one at lower energies (peak at 480 nm) associated to the charge transfer (CT) transition from the electron-rich donor thiophene ring to the BTD acceptor. Upon excitation at the latter absorption peak, an emission band was recorded with a maximum at about 600 nm. The 0–0 transition energy (2.3 eV), calculated from the intercept of the normalized absorption and emission spectra, is slightly higher than the corresponding optical band gap (Table 1).
Figure 3. Absorption (continuous line) and emission spectra (dashed line) of monomer DEHT-V-BTD in CHCl3.
|Egapopt a
|Eonsetox b
|HOMO c
|Eonsetred b
|LUMO c
|Egapel d
Notes:a Optical bandgap (calculated on the low energetic edge of the absorption spectrum); bVs. Fc/Fc+; c HOMO and LUMO energies calculated as reported in the Experimental Section; d Difference between HOMO and LUMO energies.
3.2. Electrochemical Behavior
The electrodeposition process represents an efficient technique to prepare conducting polymers since it enables charge and morphology control. Figure 4 compares the three different electrochemical techniques that we have applied to growth poly(DEHT-V-BTD) at the FTO surface, namely cyclic voltammetry (CV, Figure 4a), the potentiostatic (PS, Figure 4b), and the pulsed potentiostatic (PPS) method (Figure 4c,d). The electrochemical characterization in monomer free solution of the resulting layers is described in Figure 5. The electropolymerization reaction was firstly investigated by the potentiodynamic CV technique (Figure 6a). During the first scan the onset of the oxidation process is around 0.33 V and the peak lies at 0.47 V. In the cathodic branch one peak appears at around −0.24 V, due to the reduction of the fresh formed layer. Since the oligomer oxidation takes place at lower potential than the monomer polymerization, the onset of the second cycle anodic process (around 0.06 V) is lower than in the first scan. Further cycling shows an increase of current due to the oligomers p-doping redox process, pointing out the cycle by cycle growth of the film at the electrode surface.
Figure 4. Polymerization of DEHT-V-BTD by different electrochemical techniques: (a) three cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles; (b) potentiostatic (PS) at 0.39 V for 100 s: current/time (black) and charge/time (red) profiles; (c) first six steps of the pulsed-potentiostatic (PPS): current/time (black) and potential/time (red) profiles; and (d) PPS: current/time (black) and charge/time (red) profiles.
Figure 5. CVs (20 mV/s) of different poly(DEHT-V-BTD) in monomer free solution: sample obtained by: (a) CV; (b) PS; (c) and (d) PPS.
Figure 6. Spectroelectrochemistry in different potential regions of a poly(DEHT-V-BTD) film prepared by PPS: (a) oxidation of the neutral polymer; (b) reduction of the oxidized polymer; (c) reduction of the neutral polymer; and (d) oxidation of the reduced polymer. OCP refers to the open circuit potential spectrum.
The electrochemical characterization of the resulting film in monomer-free electrolyte (Figure 5a) shows an oxidation process which becomes stable after the first cycle with an onset at −0.07 V. Upon inverting the potential wave, the current drops immediately to negative values, as expected for semiconducting polymeric materials. Forcing the potential to more negative values a second current wave can be observed at −1.80 V, attributed to oligomers reduction (n-doping) which appears as a partially reversible process when the potential is stepped back in the anodic direction. However, the film appears to be very thin (see also the current density value) and spread in a non-homogeneous manner onto the FTO substrate; the optical quality was not considered good enough for further electro-optical characterizations.
In order to improve the polymerization process and the layer homogeneity as well as to increase the amount of active material, both potentiostatic (PS) and the pulsed potentiostatic techniques (PPS) were carried out for the polymerization process. In the PS method a single potentiostatic pulse (0.39 V vs. Fc) was applied for 100 s. The corresponding current output is shown in Figure 4b together with the nominal charge density as calculated according to the Faraday law. The applied potential was chosen close to the peak position observed in the monomer CV (Figure 4a). The corresponding initial current density (>20 µA/cm2) is in agreement with the current observed by CV. However, the current drops to very low values (<5 µA/cm2) after few seconds and the corresponding charge growth results very slow. The obtained layers show electrochemical properties similar to the CV samples (Figure 5b) though thinner (see the corresponding current densities in Figure 5), and present an even worse homogeneous character than the polymer produced by CV. We have previously observed that vinylene-spaced monomers are more difficult to electropolymerize compared to conventional D-A-D systems [10]. Moreover, the polymerization of D–A–D monomers is intrinsically more arduous compared to simpler heteroaromatic rings, since the radical cation formed during the first oxidative step can delocalize the unpaired electron on the central acceptor group, causing an additional kinetic barrier for the successive chemical coupling step at the terminal sites. This effect increases as the electron-withdrawing power of the central acceptor unit is stronger. Indeed, the pyridine-EDOT donor-acceptor polymers were electropolymerized using the PS technique [10]. To overcome such problems and produce homogeneous and thicker layers, we have therefore decided to apply the pulsed potentiostatic method (PPS). A detailed discussion of the application of pulsed techniques to the growth of conducting polymers has been reported [17].
In PPS mode (see Figure 4c for the first six steps) the potential was first set to a value higher than the oxidation potential onset of the monomer (0.39 V, close to the current maximum in CV) for a specific period of time (5 s) and then switched to a lower value, where no monomer oxidation can take place (−0.66 V, 5 s). The lower potential value was chosen in order to change to oxidation state of the polymer and to promote morphological rearrangements in the polymeric backbone, which may be beneficial for the successive steps of polymer formation [17]. The process was iterated 100 times in order to grow a sufficient amount of polymer. Figure 4d shows the current output together with the nominal polymerization charge density as calculated from the Faraday law, considering that the polymer growths only during the higher voltage step, whereas the lower voltage step does not affect the polymerization charge. The calculated deposition charge is 13.7 mC/cm2 (100 iterations), which is much larger than that which would be achievable by a normal PS deposition. Figure 5c shows the electrochemical behavior in the full potential range. The current density is higher than the layers produced by CV or PS as expected from the larger deposition charge. The CV profiles stabilize after five cycles and clearly show the p- and n-doping processes which take place above 0.15 V (current peak lying at 0.36 V) and below −1.6 V (current peak at −1.84 V), respectively. During the first cycles, the p de-doping process (the polymeric backbone switches from the positive to the neutral state) shows a weak charge trapping effect at around −0.30 V. This peak disappears after five cycles, suggesting that a morphological rearrangement occurs in the layer. If the potential is scanned in the p- and n-doping regions separately (see Figure 5d), the CV profiles are stable since the first cycle and the charge trapping effect does not disappear. The reduction of the neutral poly(DEHT-V-BTD) towards the negative charged state and its re-oxidation is characterized by redox sharp peaks separated by ~100 mV, showing the localized character of the generated charged species and the efficient reversibility of the process. The charge related to the low potential process (<−1.5 V) is about 1.5 times higher than that of the high potential process (>−0.5 V). Albeit the value maybe is strongly affected by the measurement cutoffs, this finding may be due to the fact that the cathodic process requires one electron per each monomeric unit while the p-doping process involves more units. The hysteresis of the anodic process is usually related to the strong conformational change taking place when the neutral chain is oxidized, while the reduction has more molecular character being the inserted charge localized on the acceptor groups. The HOMO and LUMO values obtained from CV were calculated to be −5.3 and −3.6 eV, respectively, with a band gap of 1.7 eV. Table 1 summarizes the optical and electrochemical findings in terms of energy levels for both the monomer and the corresponding polymer obtained by PPS.
3.3. In Situ UV-Vis Spectroscopy
In order to better elucidate the nature of the doping processes of the polymers and get deeper details on the involved charge carriers, we have performed in situ UV-Vis spectroscopy (spectroelectrochemistry). When the neutral backbone organic chain is oxidized, polaronic species are firstly formed. In oligothiophene based systems, one polaronic transition is localized in the range 750–1000 nm, depending on the extensions of chain lengths [18]. As the oxidative process proceeds, bipolaronic states are obtained. The aforementioned transition decreases in intensity while a new absorption band appears at lower energies (>1500 nm). The spectroelectrochemical characterization was performed on the PPS obtained layer at various bias potentials (Figure 6) after several stabilization CV cycles in monomer free solution. The end point of the last CV cycle was chosen so to drive the polymer in the neutral state. In the corresponding spectrum (Open Circuit Potential, OCP, curve in Figure 6a) two main absorption processes were recorded in the Vis region at 515 and at a value below 340 nm. Both transitions are also present in the spectrum of the monomer. The high energy band may be attributed to the to a simple π-π* transition which is polarized along the chain axis of the molecule. As expected, the CT band is bathochromically shifted on going from the monomer to the oligomeric layer because of increased π-conjugation path and decreased HOMO–LUMO gap. However, the small shift of the long-wavelength absorption band from the monomer to the "polymer" suggests that oligomers with a low number of units have been generated during electropolymerization.
The optical bandgap, estimated from the low energetic edge of main absorption band (515 nm) in the OCP spectrum, is in agreement with the electrochemical value. When oxidative potentials are applied, a new band appears at 740 nm, ascribed to the formation of polaronic states inside the bandgap, and the CT transition at 515 nm decreases in intensity (Figure 6a). Curiously, further oxidation processes increase the polaronic rather than the bipolaronic bands. This behavior, not present in the case of conventional D–A–D polymers, has been previously observed though never highlighted [5,10,12,19,20]. Thus the presence of vinylene spacers either apparently inhibits the formation of bipolaronics bands or shifts them at lower energy. Anyhow, the absorption due to polaronic species does not decrease with the increase of the doping level. The optical change upon oxidation is reversible; in fact, upon reducing the oxidized layer to its neutral state the optical spectrum accordingly changes (Figure 6b). The reduction of the neutral layer at potential close to the CV cathodic current onset (−1.61 V) results in a lower intensity of the CT band located at 515 nm and in the formation of a new weak transitions at lower energies (690 nm, see Figure 6c), which is attributed to the formation of negatively charged polarons. As in the case of the p-doping process, the further reduction of the system towards the CV cathodic peak (−1.8 V) is followed by a significant increase of the intensity of this band, with no evidence of the formation of negative bipolaronic species. The reversibility of the process is also confirmed by the spectra evolution during layer re-oxidation (Figure 6d). The very faint color change observed (poor electrochromic properties, i.e., very low optical contrast) is due to two main reasons: the low layer thickness (the maximum relative change in the absorption values is just 0.03 in Figure 6) and the range (λ > 750 nm) of the largest optical changes.
4. Conclusions
A new monomer, containing an unprecedented combination of strong donor (DEHT), acceptor (BTD), and vinylene spacer, has been prepared to get insights into vinylene-linked donor-acceptor-donor low bandgap semiconducting polymers. The monomer showed an optical energy gap of 2.2 eV and an onset for oxidation at 0.33 V vs. Fc. The corresponding polymers were obtained by electrochemical polymerization using cyclic voltammetry either under potentiostatic conditions or by the pulse potentiostatic technique. The latter proved to be an efficient method to produce layers with sufficient amounts of material and reversible electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characteristics. The polymer shows HOMO, LUMO, and bandgap energies of −5.3, −3.6, and 1.7 eV, respectively. These values are promising for an efficient use as a p-conducting layer in BHJ photovoltaic devices in combination with PCBM. In comparison with vinylene-linked donor-acceptor polymers carrying the pyridine ring as the π-electron poor moiety, the new polymer exhibits a significantly lower LUMO level, thanks to the presence of the stronger acceptor BTD group compared the pyridine ring (see Table 2). The lower LUMO energy yields a more proper offset of 0.7 eV respect to the LUMO of PCBM (measured under same conditions), which thus results in a potential lower energy loss between the absorbed photon and the device voltage. In addition, the lower LUMO energy allows for a smaller bandgap, which might yield a more efficient light harvesting and, accordingly, a higher device current. Efforts are under way to synthesize via the chemical route and investigate the corresponding polymer in a BHJ photovoltaic cell in order to assess the promisingly good current and voltage parameters.
Table 2. Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO), Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO), and bandgap energies of poly(DEHT-V-BTD), in comparison with other D-A-D vinylene-linked polymers and PCBM.
|HOMO [eV]
|LUMO [eV]
|Bandgap [eV]
|poly(2,5-pyridine-V-PEDOT) a
|poly(2,5-pyridine-V-pyrrole) b
Spectroelectrochemical studies have established that charge polaronic species are formed at a low doping level and are stable in the full potential range during the layer oxidation and reduction steps, a behavior which seems closely related to the specific chemical nature of the monomeric building block.
Authors are grateful to Fondazione Cariplo for the financial funding (Grant 2007-5085).
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).


text:
28 Aug 2007
Design Delight(HKTDC Enterprise, Vol 09,2007)
Desktop Sets
|Art's Modern Stationery Mfg Ltd is a well-known manufacturer of stationery, household and gift items, photo frames and CD holders
Hong Kong firms have a way of surviving the ups and downs of specific industry segments, and somehow coming out bigger and better. This is certainly true of 1986-established Art's Modern Stationery Mfg Ltd.
Formerly known as Art's Stationery Mfy Ltd, the firm is today a well-known manufacturer of stationery items and office supplies. Its highly functional household and gift items, including executive desk sets, photo frames and CD holders, are exported to some 20 countries.
"By 1990, we were already a leading manufacturer of traditional stationery, producing back-to-school items, staplers, hole punches and so on," declares marketing manager Sherry To. "But we faced tough competition from factories on the Chinese mainland. As we simply could not compete at the low-end, management decided to change and diversify the lines of production."
Accordingly, the firm developed a vastly expanded range of desktop accessories. "We realised that more computer-related items were coming onto the market, and with that 'heads up' we began to focus on accessories that reflected the change in demand," To relates.
First results were good. "The change worked and soon led to healthy sales," she says. "The product range was now without boundaries, and we started to add different functions and decorative effects. We also paid special heed to producing multifunction items."
Some of the products were quite new to Art's Modern, such as its range of household products. Various racks also became something of a speciality, with CD racks proving especially strong sellers. Vases also featured, often coming complete with tall and elegant wooden stands.
The creativity that went into design also spilled over onto the company's bread-and-butter stationery lines, which began to benefit from the makeover in the form of new products and ideas.
"Today," says To, "we mostly deal with traders, importers and distributors from Europe and the Middle East. We offer premiums and desk sets, desktop accessories, household products, traditional stationery items and, most recently, dark wood premiums and desk sets."
She explains that in recent years, demand has turned from natural-coloured wood products to those with various coloured finishes, among which, the darker-coloured items are selling best.
"We use 3-4 types of Chinese soft wood for our wooden lines. Among the dark wood desktop accessories are some very nicely finished goods that are simple and elegant and look perfectly at home in the office on an executive desk. Plus, we offer a touch of humour," says To, referring to a rocking chair-like holder for a mobile phone.
The smart, multifunctional desk sets start with a basic trio of stapler, hole punch and tape dispenser, and builds to a set of 15 items including a staple-remover and tablecloth weights.
Punched metal accessories, including paper holders and penholders, have also proved popular, especially when combined with wood. "While the dark red wood items always sell well, there is healthy demand for darker hues with silvered ends or holding parts," To says.
These accessories include a flower vase, a letter holder, a tray set, a business card rack, a tape dispenser and even a photo frame where the pictures revolve inside their smart dark wood frame.
About 90% of sales come from buyers in Europe and the Middle East. "We usually produce new items in different ranges with variations just to test the market," says To. "The Middle East pays a bit less, while Europe pays more. Things tend to even out."
The minimum order value is US$5,000 per shipment, of assorted items, for delivery 40 days after order confirmation. Production takes place at an 18,000-square-metre, 300-400 worker plant in Foshan, Guangdong Province, on the mainland.
To cope with increased demand, Art's Modern invested in new machinery. "Labour shortages forced us to take a hard look at the production and assembly side of our business, and introduce more automation while retaining skilled workers," To relates. "Changing the worker-to-machine ratio retains the value of their experience while increasing productivity and ensuring the quality is consistent."
The company also designs packaging in-house. "Clear plastic packaging is used when we do ODM," To adds. "Our lines are very good-looking and almost sell themselves. However, if customers request us to produce promotional packaging then we can supply them with smart, printed gift boxes."
Looking ahead, To says she believes Art's Modern will continue to successfully develop "all-in-one" desktop items and household products, since the "Life-Quality" concept is driving consumers to more "high-value" purchases.
Art's Modern Stationery Mfg Ltd
Rms A401-A403, 8/F,
Tung Nam Fty Bldg,
40 Ma Tau Kok Rd,
To Kwa Wan,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-3188-6625
Fax: 852-2333-0618
Email: email@example.com
Web: www.arts-stationery.com


text:
Sunday, 22 September 2013
11 comments:
- Marti said...
Left the Catholic church at the age of 15 and my husband, raised in a Catholic orphanage is a non Catholic as well. My Spanish parents, I should say my devout mother for my father only attended mass at Christmas and on their anniversary and since he was friends with the local priest, who came to our house once a month for dinner and to drink my father's homemade wine, I thought my father was exempt from attending church services!
For me, my cathedral is right outside my door, wherever my door exists, my religion found in the dirt I hold in my hand, the sky, the wind, the trees, the birds, you get the idea. If I'm asked to define myself in religious terms, I speak instead of my spiritual direction, my Wiccan inclination to do no harm and my pantheistic belief that God/Goddess is everywhere in nature. BUT here is the dilemma that I have wrestled with all of my life in times of despair, fear, sorrow, I find myself on my knees reciting the prayers I learned from long ago so what does that say about me...
- 22 September 2013 at 20:33
- Saskia said...
well I guess Marti, it just means you lean on whatever is able to offer you support, no more no less
- 22 September 2013 at 21:05
- Julie S said...
I really admire your openness to look into what faith has that might be useful to a nonbeliever. And thank you for the video, it was great fun to visit Holland (or do we say the netherlands, I never know how to use the terminology?)
- 23 September 2013 at 12:22
- Saskia said...
well I'm glad it comes across like that, 'cos when I first started reading the bible I was much less tolerant; the reading and sharing of different points of view has really opened my mind to new ways of thinking and seeing, Julie
p.s. we are just as confused as you are when it comes to naming our country in foreign languages, we live in both Holland and the Netherlands and speak Dutch, which is very similar to Flemish, but that is spoken in Belgium, where they also happen to speak French...ah Europe a multi-cultural whatchamacallit
- 23 September 2013 at 21:10
- Mo Crow said...
the stories are a way of making sense of the world and we all each tell our stories to each other...
to quote Clarissa Pinkola Estes from her Letter to a Young Activist in Troubled Times-
"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires ... causes proper matters to catch fire.
To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these -- to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both, are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.
There will always be times in the midst of "success right around the corner, but as yet still unseen" when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it; I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate. The reason is
this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours: They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here.
In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But ...that is not what great ships are built for."
and you shine Saskia
- 23 September 2013 at 21:31
- Julie S said...
How do the Dutch refer to the country in dutch?
- 24 September 2013 at 03:55
- Saskia said...
wow Mo, I don't know what to say, except thank you
Julie, we live in Nederland and we speak Nederlands
- 24 September 2013 at 19:19
- grace Forrest~Maestas said...
you are a truly INTERESTING person.
and church, well, your video, to
me that is Church.
- 27 September 2013 at 14:49
- Saskia said...
thx Grace, and may I say you too are a very interesting person yourself; the sound of those trees is like a wordless poem, soothing, comforting, alive
- 27 September 2013 at 16:25
- grace Forrest~Maestas said...
i just read and then watched the
video again. i think it's interesting that you paired these.
because of how i have seen Living
to transpire, my own, and then
just Living in general, i find that
there is such an underlying thread
of Intelligence. and i feel that
as a well, Supreme Intelligence.
i have never really had a need to
interpret that into anything, really. i just so clearly see It there, over and over, showing Itself in a million ways. an example of which is you, gazing at the life in your immediate space, wanting to catch and hold it for
just moments with your camera, to
show us, who watch, from each our
own spaces. i think if Churches
would talk about that, their
ministers, would show these things,
it might be better than the bible.
- 27 September 2013 at 16:51
- Saskia said...
the desire to share what one experiences and has no name or word for, that is exactly what I have come to understand is why people continue to call themselves 'a believer'
I have come to recognize that as a valid viewpoint; I personally have no need for names or words, or even the urge to understand the perhaps underlying theme of all-there-is; I am HERE, breathing in and out and that is that until I stop....but life around me continues to appear and disappear and that is overwhelmingly beautiful and normal and as it should be.
What I am trying to express is that without our (human) understanding all would continue to change and evolve etc, without our naming or putting into words or form, life and death keep on happening, that is the mystery to me, as for the moment I do not have enough information to draw definitive conclusions
- 27 September 2013 at 18:16