text:
Ruby Street
Jill Jones takes poetry for a walk
Monday, December 23, 2013
Not to forget last year's book
And it is a book I am fond of. It was born of a more specific project than The Beautiful Anxiety, in fact, developed from a manuscript which was shortlisted for the 2011 Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize. To that idea I added three slightly older poems which had not found a place in a past book. It gained a few good reviews, mainly online, but seemed to pass most people by. I suspect this was due, partly, to issues of distribution. Although these days you probably won't find it in a bookshop, now it is available easily online, including from The Book Depository, at a decent price, as well as from the publisher if you live in Australia, or overseas.
Interestingly, this time around, mostly the reviewers got it, in a positive way. Ali Alizadeh had it as one of his Best of 2012 at Overland and said: "It is not only due to the freshness and intelligence of her very modern voice, but also due to her ability to produce so much consistently outstanding, original and incisive poetry, that I feel Jill Jones is one of the best poets writing in Australia today. In Jones's oeuvre, quality and quantity are not at loggerheads; and her latest full-length volume ... is a collection of terse, evocative ruminations on contemporary life that turns linguistic conventions into malleable matter for Jones's unique engagements with reality."
Michael Farrell commented on the speediness of some of the poems, yet ended up liking the longer ones even more. He said: "The book ends with three long poems in a section titled 'Hang the Ash!'. These are, I think, the book's best poems; they function at a different order from the shorter poems. … 'Where We Live', extracted from its original context of a collaboration with photographer Annette Willis, is the payoff of the book. Even without visual reference there is a strong sense of framing, of a focal point for the subtitles, prose and verse that make up this poem. Though I feel like I know this approach from Jones, what I think of as her geopoetic affect, the poem reads like a peak of this take: 'Heaven, if you look up, isn't as black as it used to be'. She even manages to do something new with ending the poem on the word 'light': the use of repetition makes the light meta-critical rather than faux-transcendent."
In her review in Cordite, A. Frances Johnson noted that: "Jones' polyphonic, visual, 'broken' language draws fierce attention to the way language constructs meaning: life's stages, love, death, past, future, culture, place. But there is a driving emotional core at the heart of this fine collection that anchors formalism to universal human desires for narrative and insight. The beauty is in the lack of resolution between these two impulses."
Lucy Alexander in Verity La, also remarked on the speed of the work, saying: "The poems come in fast – they swerve, they flash you with the scent of 'Blood Bones & Diamonds' they catch you, distracted by their songful voice and plunge you among the lanes and backstreets of the city. They turn your eyes to the graffiti on the walls and make it meaningful, then up to the 'ghost moon bitten apple'. Jones writes better lyrics than those pretty boys with guitars strapped to their groins. But there are also poems here that move at walking pace: that grieve and grieve again for that 'you' that puts the poet in perspective."
As I noted, the book was pretty much ignored by mainstream print media, where I've usually had some notice, but it received two mentions in print-based literary magazines. One mention of it made it into an overview article in Westerly, thanks to Michelle Cahill, who noted: "Jill Jones's urban dystopia Ash is Here, So are Stars is rife with cops, bailiffs, the ministry, the extras, speed cameras, dud freeways, libertarians, mimics, and arsonists. Not all the poems are anarchic, but the free play and associations, the rhetoric of an anti-poetic language is more than quietly subversive. Jones writes in hieroglyphics, inventing a code that exposes the debacles and corruption of contemporary life, of the literati, where 'Each word is a tip off' and 'Each translation a form of waiting.' Irony and anger walk hand in hand with interrogative poem titles and their indicative mood: 'There were votes in airplanes & trampolines, teacake/for dolphins & yogis.' " - 'Aspects of Australian Poetry 2012', Westerly 2013.
And another longer review in Southerly, from Nicola Themistes: "Jill Jones ... demonstrates her ability as a consummate stylist in her latest verse collection, Ash is Here, So are Stars. ... There is a certain freeflowing energy to the tone of these works, but one carefully constructed and grounded in a consistent mode of linguistic and conceptual play. I am reminded of Lyn Hejinian's poetry in Jones's artful execution of sentence structures and the ease with which she delivers abstract phrasing ... Jones has a measured voice, gripping but subtle; a careful and experienced voice that revels in the depths and ambiguities of language, in the flux of concepts that seep through the imagery; and a voice which luxuriates in a consistent flow of rhythm and sound. Among the jewels of this collection is the long poem, "My Fugitive Votive" which, like Milton's "Lycidas", delineates a fertile landscape of the poet's sense of her own art ...".
A listing: top Australian literary titles
The full list is available on the Agency's website. Lot's of classic and contemporary Australian titles to consider.
New book: The Beautiful Anxiety
As the back cover says:
The Beautiful Anxiety continually breaks across boundaries of the intimate and the global in an invigorating and unsettling mix of materialist and speculative writing on the interconnectedness of life amidst the environmental and cultural turmoil of the 21st century. The poems are in turn provocative, tender, impatient, playful, and swerve through the world, awake to its lostness as well as its 'flesh and spark'.
As well as being a work focused on the material, it is, in an odd way, a metaphysical work. I know that one is not allowed to talk in such terms these days but I've never been one for doing what I'm supposed to do. I've also taken a chance on using the word 'beautiful' in the title, for which I also expect to be castigated by the poetry and theory police. If one has always been a maverick, one may as well continue being so. No matter. I presume readers see past all that burble and will make up their own minds about it, and, I hope, some will like it. It's been a book long in the making; a few poems were published almost a decade ago. On the other hand, a few poems were written late last year or early this year.
And some readers have made some kind comments on the book:
"This is surely a break-through book. Jill Jones has compressed her lyric awareness into an exacting and low-key brilliance: alert, astute, unsentimental, and with a linguistic intelligence so sharp in its inner and outer registers I kept asking myself: how is she doing it? There is incisive balance between the sensory and the fugitive, yet her images and figures are so crisp they feel more real than so-called reality."—Philip Salom
"Jill Jones' The Beautiful Anxiety, dedicated to the memory of her mother, joins elegiac witness to 'another flow'. Her sparse, 'ruined lyrics', 'barely words', expand into 'something planetary': 'figures/atoms/curves/droplets'. Sensate poesis unfolds 'genres of dust', 'the clash of pasts'. With Jones as our guide, we search 'the ephemeral world' for a 'green name': 'awakened/again we walk in the depth/of field'. The ghosts of Voss and Messiaen appear; 'a fragment from a fragment of Sappho' brings 'possibles, rain on earth'. Dreams, signs and portents are 'not like your mother/said'. The Beautiful Anxiety dwells in the imminence of loss, its 'vast frontier' and scope. And if you think the work of mourning is done, 'Urn' replies, 'I don't know/where to put you': 'Never end, never end'. As Jones writes in 'What's Coming Next': 'All bets are off./You have to go through it'. You do, and you'll be glad you did ."—Kate Lilley
"Jill Jones' poetry attains a Newtonian clarity by occasioning objects to collide with displaced emotion, breaking new ground through the estranging effect of coupling wonder with wryness. This book is an intense celebration of that subcutaneous disturbance often only present in the most acute poetic sensibilities."—Brian Castro
My thanks to David Musgrave and the team at Puncher & Wattmann for taking it on and making a beautiful space for the words.
Monday, July 29, 2013
A few years living not in my home city have led to various rethinkings of place, position, worth, work. For starters.
I recently had an argument with a friend (I rarely argue with friends) about how a place like Adelaide is seen in the 'big scheme of things'. He admitted (we were talking more broadly of 'the yartz', not poetry specifically) that, well, the east coast (ie Sydney and Melbourne) are where the money and activity is and, the implication being, why fund much where not much is happening. Which is correct if you're talking purely about profit and bang for buck, ie treating the 'yartz' as a profit-generating activity. There's no bang for buck here. Not much bang anything, apart from the loud construction noise going on in my street at the moment (Adelaide has finally decided to electrify its train system - welcome to the 20th century ... oh, wait...).
All this as a way of saying that social media was one way I kept in contact with 'things' for some years since I've been here. A way of talking to people in other places, the conversation I can't have here. And, thus - am getting to the point - why this space was neglected.
But social media has its limits and this diaristic space works in other ways. So, I will tinker with the look and feel of this - not greatly but a bit. And return to some of these thoughts as I go ... as well as adding some new poem ideas and the usual potage of stuff.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
letter to a friend
there is no here there
the night has completely cured me
or just behind closed
doors, I shudder to think
look forward to frosty trees
southern light sounds fine
I'm working something
old themes happened
will probably see me
box again, happy
maybe I mentioned it
becoming real, in the hand
glad book, be interesting.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
the slippery thing - prose poem
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
'mashed with'
I hadn't thought of the newer poems in those terms, exactly. And another reviewer has pointed out the 'violence' in some of my work, overall. But it's apparent that Michael has noticed a newer mode in my work, that there are things 'up with which I will not put' any longer. A new assertiveness, rather than the previous assertiveness (which is there, if you look). He says: "It's a broader, more assertive platform for Jones's brand of projective verse, and one that bodes well for a midcareer future."
Parts of the poem, 'Misinterpretations ...' certainly were written out of a frustration with some not-well-thought-through ways critics were taking with my work, that, for instance, what I've been recently writing was a form of comfortable ecopoetic with some fancy philosophic or metaphysical flourishes. Living inside and out on the planet, where you are, and writing it, isn't easy, and it involves some thinking and some emotion - gee whiz, how hard is that to divine? But I'm not interested in being obscure, amorphous, or hermetic (though when did that become a negative?) - then, language is never straight forward (and, hey, isn't that kinda PomeWritin 101?).
As an aside, it's something I've noticed a bit with some poet reviewers, that they want someone else's work to be as clear as, easy to 'get', while they themselves, in their own writing, are difficult, in the good sense. But Michael has got how I am working on a new level.
Frustrations can be good drivers, I'm learning to use the good side of that. Couple that with, mostly, the benign (or other) neglect most poets experience, and it means you can be free-er to move around language, and be bolder amongst the messiness of it all.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Best Australian poetry 2011
This year's editor, John Tranter, says in the foreword (one presumes): 'What a rich, strange and diverse lot these poems turned out to be … I suspect that these baroque and potent imaginings can only have come into existence as fragments of dreams or nightmares.'
This focus from the editor indicates that this year's anthology won't just be the sameold sameold. A look at the list of contributors also indicates that the spread of poets offers more of the newer and more innovative writers on the scene, as well as a number of anthology regulars. The anthology also picks up on work that has either been published overseas or was fresh but unpublished, an organisational model that can give a sense of what is happening now in a broader, more realistic, sense. The other, now defunct, annual anthology issued by UQP for a number of years modelled itself on the US Best American series which only took poems published in journals for the year in question. This meant that the UQP book would always miss work that did not appear in Australian literary journals. In the 21st century when publishing models have changed and online international venues are often where the more interesting work is being featured plus the focus of many Australian-based poets being not so parochial, this was starting to look very old school.
Another reason I am looking forward to seeing the poems that John has chosen is that we are being flooded with conservative (ie. trying to conserve, as well as the more perjorative sense of that word), historically and generationally focused anthologies which, it seems, almost deliberately ignore the fresher and more exciting work happening now. They seem to be caught up in some kind of mid 20th century idea of canon-making which I suspect even the Americans and Brits have left behind. Apart from anything else, there are so many poets now doing many different things with language that to pretend that a couple of, in most cases, old blokes, have some magical insight into what is 'best' in all of this, is faintly ludicrous.
I've said a bit more about this as part of a recent interview Mike Brennan published on the Poetry International website. And I speak as an anthologist. All an anthologist or editor can or need do is provide a focus, rather than make exclusive or hierarchical claims, which only sets you up for failure. I realise in the Black Inc case, and UQP's before, that the 'best' thing is a marketing strategy. It is an unfortunate one, but JT's apparent focus on (to quote the publicity blurb): "the vigorous, varied and interesting poems of the last year ... the phantasmagorical ... that range from the playful to the melancholy by way of exuberance and satire" certainly makes the 2011 annual seem like a poetry book worth reading.
Notwithstanding that, wouldn't it be great to have a couple of varied contemporary Australian anthologies edited by younger female as well as male poets, or a mix of generational and practice perspectives. And what about an anthology edited out of Australia or NZ that had an international focus on a specific form of poetry but came from here, not out of the north. OK, tell me I'm dreamin.
Monday, October 03, 2011
new poems: blackbox manifold
Plus reviews, and a translation section, co-edited by Sam Ladkin, Robin Purves & Adam Piette.
My poems from a sequence entitled, Senses Working Out, a series of untitled poems which have been appearing all over.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
or left it for morning
and if joy arrived
in flicker, DIY laser prancing
there was plenty too much
O summer hoedown
after the party run someone
delivered bitter crust
and for limp dicks, the gaudy
you miss the festering
the gear sings
as it climbs
a small city horn
jump guns, exciters
star blear and goon noise
bring you closer
each crack in the ether
cry cry green lichen
taking mould for comfort
into overcast hollows
back with sandstone night
Friday, September 30, 2011
fear of fire
burning among cautions
so when you wake
sufficient clouds flame
you were floating in
what you haven't done
seek to tongue and carry
remembered chora
heavy moon
will not let you sleep
Monday, September 26, 2011
negative breathing
on the lam. Maybe I was carted with mimics and homeopaths
to the tune of a trice bawdy ballad as exchange.
Then I was a debtor living in jalopies with some new kickback.
I know I swallowed piranhas, and something more confusing.
After that I didn't speak about the libertarians for a long time.
The mimics wandered, catcalls were exposed.
When rampage reigned, I'd write in multiples. If they were
bad seeds, I couldn't tell, but they were absorbed.
I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
There were votes in airships and trampolines, teacake
for dolphins and yogis. I did not lose out though the yields
were all under-reported. If the calories were faulty, it was always
blissful in negative space, and the heavy breathing.
Friday, September 23, 2011
what sort of creature
extinct, quarry,
the way they are
anomola, lurks
from shales
eyes of rock
could I be capable
of such patience?
the rear view
the tinkle on line
the benchmark is
a dumbcluck again
— wrong, it's a coyote vibraphone
a layette, a kitchen filled with
fireworks and lobbyists
so, avoid the normal, the natural
it's not as if it's a subcommittee
of outcasts
they play, dudes, they play
at the roadblock again among
passersby, robins, leatherette
rampages, the essentials
of the lost, the sum
of being a superstar or
you've lost control again
AU/UA: two-way street
Australian poets include Susan Bradley-Smith, joanne burns, Michelle Cahill, Susan Hampton, Andy Jackson, Kit Kelen, Cath Kenneally, Anthony Lawrence and Peter Minter, and photographers include Cath Phillips and Annette Willis. Ukrainian poets include Serhiy Zhadan, Pavlo Hirnyk, Iryna Shuvalova, Natalka Bilotserkivets, Kateryna Babkina, Vasyl Makhno and Yuri Andrukhovych.
The book is available as a pdf download. It's free, it's easy and it's good.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
runnin' amok in po'try
I have yet to see my copy but caught a glimpse online as it appears to have had a first outing at the Sound Eye festival among some other terrific publications, as shown on this blog. I had hoped to act on an invitation to this year's Sound Eye but fate had other things in store for me.
Friday, September 16, 2011
-- but not Enclosure
I could not stop for that - My Business is Circumference - An ignorance, not of Customs, but if caught with the Dawn - or the Sunset see me - Myself the only Kangaroo among the Beauty, Sir, if you please, it afflicts me, and I thought that instruction would take it away.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Whitmore Prize shortlist
B. R. Dionysius
Paula Green
Dominique Hecq
Jill Jones
Jo Langdon
Laura Jean McKay
Eddie Paterson
Nathan Shepherdson
Lucy Todd
Corey Wakeling
The organisers say: "With 116 entries received, a number of other very worthy submissions did not make the shortlist on this occasion. We found the entries to be of a very high standard. ...."
Part of the condition of submitting to the award was to only put forward unpublished work of up to 150 lines and to have a longer work, for the complete chapbook, in mind. As Anne Kellas points out on her blog, these conditions may be what resulted in the 'very high standard'.
The winner, whose work will be published in a limited edition chapbook in early 2012, will be announced before the end of September.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
the nerve of
If you can accept working the flux, and not being branded.
Disregard may save you. If you have the nerve.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
the misinterpretation thing
Though it's of little matter what people think anymore - recent events have got me beyond the whole 'Australian poetry' thing - but to note that all kinds of irritants are good for getting the poetry machine working.
no titles
Both are, essentially, untitled, but a 'title' was needed for publication. Oh, the limitations of coding. They are part of a longer series of untitled poems I've been working. It's odd, as I've always championed poets paying close attention to their titles but for this series I have simply capitalised the first three words of each poem. Magazine editors, either online or in print, really don't like it. Interesting.
the flight of poetry
There are poets on line. There are poets I know, a flight or two away.
Poetry things, poetry 'stuff' happens here - quite obviously - but it does not seem to synch with my stuff, with how I get with poetry. This is not a criticism or, if it is, it is a self-criticism.
In recent times I've been somewhere else to talk poetry (Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland) but can't, quite, get to what's here. I'm too much of an alien, an east-coast klutz, with no history here. I am in the midst of accepting that.
unter den linden?
But my real point is that the poems are very much out of living in this place (ie Linden Park). I would have called the sequence 'The Linden Park Tapes' but I wanted to keep a little mystery in these essentially suburban songs (yes, all 14 liners). Linden Park is a very suburban place in a very suburban city. I feel as though I am back where I started, the very suburban Australia I was born into. Unsettling.
I'm not sure if there are any linden trees here. I presume there must be, somewhere. Plenty trees, plenty birds, however.
the 'where?' thing
It raises a lot of questions about place - physical and virtual. And writing, too. Writing involves place, where you sit, where you write or type, what's out the window or down the street.
I don't know where I am at the moment.
It's not a bad thing, it's not a good thing. It is simply 'the thing'.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
poetic infiltrations this july
Participants include: Jill Jones and Annette Willis, Patrick Jones, Kit Kelen, Chris Song Zijiang, Leung Ping Kwan, Iris Fan Xing, Heidrun Lohr, Yvette Holt, Chris Mansell, Johanna Featherstone, Andrew Slattery, Amanda Stewart, James Stuart.
Saturday 23 July
Boyd Education Centre, Riversdale
Poetry workshop with Jill Jones, 9.30am–1.30pm
Cost: $65 (includes morning tea and entry to afternoon event)
Poetry Readings, Conversations and Book Launch, 2.30–6pm
Cost: $20 per person
Lunch available for purchase
Bookings 02 4422 2100 or firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Certain hydrazodicarboxylates, namely polymers or oligomers made by reacting hydrazine with polyfunctional haloformates, especially difunctional haloformates, cyclized forms of said oligomers and condensation products of hydrocarbyl carbazates with polyfunctional, especially difunctional, haloformates are useful as chemical blowing agents for expanding gas-expandable polymeric materials. These compounds are novel.
Claims available in
Description (OCR text may contain errors)
United States Patent Hunter et al.
[451 July 15,1975
HYDRAZOIDICARBOXYLATES USED AS BLOWING AGENTS TO FORM GAS EXPANDABLE POLYMERIC MATERIALS Inventors: Byron A. Hunter, Woodbridge;
Gerald J. Hollmann, Naugatuck,
both of Conn.
Assignee: Uniroyal, Inc., New York, NY.
Filed: Apr. 1, 1974 Appl. No.: 456,994
Related US. Application Data Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 354,818, April 26, 1973, abandoned.
u.s. Cl 260/25 R; 260/25 N; 260/25 H; 260/25 HB; 260/25 HA; 260/463 Int. Cl. C08j 1/20 Field of Search 260/25 R, 2.5 HA, 2.5 HB
[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,554,937 l/l97l Cadus et al. 260/25 N Primary Examiner'Mor'ton Foelak Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert J. Patterson, Esq.
57 z ABSTRACT 5 Claims, No Drawings I-IYDRAZOIDICARBOXYLATES USED AS BLOWING AGENTS TO FORM GAS EXPANDABLE POLYMERIC MATERIALS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 354,818 filed Apr. 26, 1973, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the production of gasexpanded polymeric materials with a new class of chemical blowing agents, namely certain hydrazodicarboxylates. These compounds are novel.
2. Description of the Prior Art Blowing agents which decompose at relatively high temperatures are not new. US. Pat. No. 3,235,519 discloses using sulfonyl semicarbazides as blowing agents for polymeric materials which soften above 170C. These blowing agents are particularly suitable for expanding high density polyethylenes, and many other rubbery and plastic polymers.
US. Pat. No. 3,554,837 discloses the use of certain dihydrocarbyl, especially dimethyl and diethyl, hydrazodicarboxylates, as blowing agents in polyamide type pelyrrier s. However, this patent does not suggest the particular bydrazodicarboxylates of the present invention or the unexpected advantages thereof which are discussed below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a new class of blowing agents which begin to decompose non-explosively, and controllably, at temperatures not lower than 200C, and preferably not lower than 225C, but have high heat stability at temperatures below 200C. Thus, they are useful for expanding polymeric materials that soften at, or below, these high temperatures. These new compounds are particularly suitable as high temperature blowing agents because of their especially low rate of sublimation even at elevated temperatures.
Broadly, the new class of blowing agents of the present invention includes certain hydraizodiearboxylates namely polymers or eiigomers made by reacting hydracine with polyf'un'ctional haloformates, cyclized forms of such oligomers, and certain condensation products of hydrocarbylcarbazates with polyfunctional haloformates. Upon decomposition, these blowing agents produce olefins, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and alcohols, and smaller amounts of nitrogen.
The method of the present invention comprises incorporating in a gasexpandable polymeric material at least one blowing agent which is an oligomer, cyclized form thereof, or a condensation product of the types fully disclosed below, and then heating the resultant composition to a temperature above the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent to cause it to liberate gas and thereby expand the polymeric material. The techniques employed to effect the expansion and formation of the final expanded product will be obvious to workers of ordinary skill in the art from the following disclosurev The term polymeric material" as used herein means homopolymers, intcrpolymers, graft polymers, and mixtures and blends of two or more of these, and includes thermoplastic, thermosetting and rubbery polymers. In particular, the new blowing agents of the invention are useful for expanding polymers that have high processing temperatures such as the polycarbonates, phenylene oxide-based resins, poly(arylsulfones) the various nylons, polyesters, certain polystyrenes, polypropylene, poly (styrene-acrylonitrile), polyacetals, urethane elastomers, polyvinyl polymers; poly(- phenylene sulfide), poly( methylpentene),'certain polyethylenes, polyimides, poly(aryl ethers), ABS polymers, polyacrylics, cellulosic polymers halogenated polymers, especially the fluoroplastics, poly(ethylenevinyl acetate), and polymer alloys. 7
Generally, the amount of blowing agent used will depend on the nature of the polymeric material to be expanded, and the desired density of the foam to be produced. Usually, 0.05 to 15, and, most often, 0.1 to 5.0 parts blowing agent are employed, based on parts of polymeric material by weight. The blowing agents can be used alone, or in combination with other .blowing agents. Activating substances can be used to increase the gasreleasing efficiency, or to lower the normal decomposition temperature, of the blowing agents of the invention. Other additives-such as plasticizers, fillers, nucleating agents, and the like, can also be added to the polymer to be expanded.
The addition polymers or oligomers of the present invention are made by reacting hydrazine with polyfunctional haloformates, and'preferably by reacting hydrazine with difunctional haloformates, especially chloroformates, and have the formula (I):
H EN-N--CO--AOC x I I II II (n H H O O n where n is a number in the range 1 to 100, preferably 2 to 50, X is chlorine, bromine or iodine, and A is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of alkylene radicals having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, arylene radicals having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, oxydialkylene radicals having 4 to 12 carbonatoms, oxydiarylene radicals containing 12 to 20 carbon atoms, alkylenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylene group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and alkylidenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylidene group has from I to 6 carbon atoms. Examples of these radicals are: methylene, ethylene, propylene, isopropylene. butylene, isobutylene, pentamethylene, hexamethylene, phenylene, tolylene, naphthylene, biphenylene, oxydiethylene, oxydipropylene, oxydibutylene, oxydipentamethylene, oxydihexamethylene, oxydiphenylene,, oxyditolylene, oxydinaphthylene, methylenediphenylene, ethylenediphenylene, propylenediphenylene, methylidenediphenylene, ethylidenediphenylene, n-
propylidenediphenylene. and isopropylidenediphenylene. lfcyclization of these oligomers occurs, the terminal hydrogen and halogen radicals will not be present. The cyclized forms of these oligomers are equally useful as blowing agents.
The second group of blowing agents of the invention are the condensation products of hydrocarbyl carbazates with polyfunctional haloformates, and preferably with difunctional chloroformates. These compounds have the formula (II):
where A has the meaning given above in reference to formula (I), R and R are the same or different, but preferably the same, and are hydrocarbyl groups such as primary, secondary or tertiary branched-chain and straight-chain alkyl radicals having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl radicals containing 5 to 8 carbon atoms, especially cyclohexyl; and aryl groups having 6 to carbon atoms and aralkyl and alkaryl radicals containing 7 to 10 carbon atoms, such as phenyl, benzyl, the tolyls and the xylyls.
Among these compounds are the reaction products of ethylene glycolbis(chloroformate) or diethylene glycolbis(chloroformate) with an alkyl Carbazate such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec. butyl or tert. butyl carbazate.
The compounds of formula (II) can be made by reacting a difunctional haloformate with a hydrocarbylcarbazate. schematically, this process is represented as follows:
2 ROOC-NNH XCOAOCX In practice, this process is carried out at temperatures of to 100C, and atmospheric pressure, in a1- coholic or aqueous media, and in the presence of an acid sequestering agent such as an alkali metal carbonate. Compounds of formula (11) include those listed below, such as ethylenebis(-methyl hydrazodicarboxylate)* I! II n-propyl isopropyl n-butyl isobutyl sec-butyl tert-butyl amyl isoamyl hexyl heptyl octyl cyclopentyl cyclohexyl phenyl tolyl benzyl also may be named ethylcnehis(3-carhomethoxy Carbazate) and oxydiethylenebis( methyl hydrazodicarboxylate) ethyl n-propyl isopropyl n-butyl isobutyl sec-butyl tert-butyl amyl isoamyl hexyl heptyl -Continued octyl cyclopentyl cyclohexyl phenyl tolyl benzyl Also isopropylidenebis( 3-carbomethoxy phenylcarbazate carboethoxy carbo-n-propoxy carboisopropoxy carbon-butoxy carboisobutoxy carbo-sec-hutoxy carbo-tertbutoxy carboamyloxy carboisoamyloxy carbohexyloxy carboheptyloxy carbooctyloxy carbocyclopentyloxy carbocyclohexyloxy carbophenoxy carbotoloxy carbobenzoxy "May also be named isopropylidcndiphcnylcncbis (methyl hydrazodicarboxylatc) DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following examples illustrate the preparation of some of the hydrazodicarboxylate addition polymers and condensation products of the invention, and their use as blowing agents for producing expanded polymeric material.
EXAMPLE I Reaction of Ethylenebis(Chloroformate) with Ethyl Carbazate CARBAZATE A l-liter flask was charged with 104 g (1.0 mole) of ethyl Carbazate, 53 g (0.5 mole) of sodium carbonate, and 250 ml of water. To this mixture was added 93.5 g (0.5 mole) of ethylenebis(chloroformate) over a period of 45 minutes, while agitating, during which the temperature rose to 65C. The mixture was then heated to reflux for 1 hour. The oily layer was separated, poured into hexane, and a product crystallized. The product was filtered, washed with hexane and with hot benzene, and the remaining crystalline solid weighed 109 grams and melted at 132C. The product began to decompose at 227C. Dumas analysis gave 16.84% nitrogen; the calculated value is 17.39%. The product has the following structural formula:
EXAMPLE II Reaction of Ethylenebis(Chloroformate) with Methyl Carbazate A l-liter flask was charged with 90 g (1.0 mole) of methyl Carbazate, 53 g (0.5 mole) sodium carbonate and 250 ml ethanol. The temperature was adjusted to 60C., and 93.5 g (0.5 mole) of ethylene bis (chloroformate) was added dropwise over a period of one-half hour as the temperature rose to C. After addition was complete, the mixture was refluxed one-half hour,
. sodium chloride crystals werefiltered off, and the ethanol filtrate evaporated to one-half its volume. Upon standing overnight, a product crystallized, was filtered, washed with hexane and dried. The product Weighed 130 g, melted at l22126C, and decomposed in the range 250-300CI Dumas analysis gave 18.57% nitrogen; the calculated value is 19.05%. The 'produc tihas this structural formulaf I EXAMPLE III .1 Preparation of Addition Product of Ethylenebis:
(Chloroformate) with Hydrazine A 2-1iter reaction flask was charged with 106 g (1. mole) of sodium carbonate, 33 g (1.0 r'no1e) of anhydrous hydrazine, and 750 ml water. To this stirred'mixture, 187 g (1.0 mole) of ethylenebis(chloroformate) was added dropwise over a period of 1.5 hours while the reaction temperature was held below 509C. After stirring overnight, a white solid formed, was filtered,
washed well with water, and driedat 60C. The yield was 116 g, or 80% of theory. The product melted at 166-l83C., and decomposed to produce blowing gas in the range 240 to 290C. Upon complete decomposition, this product yielded 169 cc of gas per gram.
Analysis of the compound gave these datez pe rc'ent nitrogen calculated, 19.18, found 18.33; percent carbon calculated, 32.87, found 31.55; and percent hydrogen calculated, 4.10, found 4.31. l I
Preparation of Eyhylenebis(n-Propyl hyydrazodicarboxylate) A three liter flask was charged with:
500 ml ethanol 260 g (2.2 mole) n-propyl carbazate 176 g (2.1 mole) sodium bicarbonate 'The mixture was stirred as 187 g (1.0 mole) of ethylenebis(chlorof0rmate) was dropped in over 45 minutes. The temperature increased as the chloroformate was added and a water bath was applied to keep the temperature under 40C. Carbon dioxide was evolved in a rapid stream during the reaction.v Finally,
vthe mix was stirred an additional hour and a liter of cold water was gradually added. The diluted mix was stirred and cooled for an additional two hours, whereupon the product separated as a white crystalline solid. This was filtered off, washed with water and dried.
Yield 245g m.p.: l07lO8C EXAM LE i a Preparation of Oxydiethylenebis(methyl hydrazodicarboxylate) A 2 liter flask charged with:
53g sodium carbonate 250 ml ethanol 99g (1.1 mole) methyl carbazate Mix was stirred as 115.5g (0.5 mole) of oxydiethylene(chloroformate) was added dropwise over onehalf hour, holding the reaction temperature under 50C. Following the addition the mixture was stirred and warmed to 70C. for 1 hour. The separated sodium chloride was filtered off (60g) and ethanol was evaporated from the filtrate. The oily residue was crystallized in hexane. f '7 m.p.: 100-125c This product was recrystallized in benzene 7 Calculated Analysis Found EXAMPLE v1 Preparation of Oxydiethylenebis (ethyl hydrazodicarboxylate) Into a 2 liter 3-neckflask was charged 53 grams (0.5 mole) sodium carbonate 250 ml ethanol 4 1 14.5 1.1 mole) ethylcarbazate The mixture was stirred as l 15.5g (0.5 mole) of oxydiethylenebis(chloroformate) was added dropwiseover one-half hour, holding the temperature under, ,50C.
After the additionwas completethe mix was warmed to 70C for 1 hour. The separated sodium chloride was filtered off-and 'then ethanol was evaporated from the filtrate. The oily residue was crystallized from benzene.
Yield 187g" F I Analysisc 5 Calculated Found %C 39.34 39.47 i H 6.01 6.04 N l5.30 15.28
EXAMPLE v11 crystallized from a /50 mix of benzene and hexane.
Yield 173g m.p.: 101104C This material decomposes to produce gaseous products at 205270C.
I j 7 8 i. Table Analysis Calculated Found %C 42.64 4266 Blowing Agent Sample Weight (g) Weight Reduction H 6.60 6.80 None 50 N 14.27 I422 EEHD 93 3g EIPHD 90 40 ElBHD 90 4o OIPHD h d74 d be 51 EEHD=ethylenebls(ethyl y razo icar xy ate EXAMPLE VI ElPHD ethylenebisfisopropyl hydrazodicarboxylate) EIBHD ethylenebisfisobutyl hydrazodicarboxylate) Preparation Of 4,4'-lsopropyl1deneb1s 1O OlPHD oxydiethylenebis(isopropyl hydrazodicarboxylate) (N '-carboisobutyoxyphenyl oarbazate) The above results indicate the efficiency of the com- Imo a 2 met flask was Introduced: pounds of the invention in effectively expanding a ther- 500 ml ethanol moplastic resin. 145-7 g mole) s y carbazate The new blowing agents of the present invention 7 g mole) soidlum blcafbonate have an unexpected advantage over simple dihydrocarh m r was stirred as 76.5g (05 mole) f byl hydrazodicarboxylates in that the agents of the inphenol A bischloroformate was added over one-half vention undergo less sublimation or heat loss when hour, holding the temperature under 50C. Then the heated to elevated temperatures. This is demonstrated mixture was stirred for one-half hour as the temperaby the data in the following table. ture was increased to 70C. The separated sodium chloride was filtered off (60g) and the ethanol was removed Heat Loss(% by weight) of Blowing Agents from the filtrate (topped to 150C. 12mm). The clear C EXPOSure 250]:
ompound l hr. 2 hrs. 3 hrs. 4 hrs. yellow 01] was poured from the flask and allowed to cool and harden giethyl hydrazodicarboxylate 3.3 32.; 33.3 l-n- TO Yield 3 llght yellow Yesm misogmfiii 23.6 43.0 62.5 99.9 m.p.: 65-70C, dec 2l0-300C Diisobutyl 9.6 16.9 30.3 99.4
Ethylenebis (2-carboethoxy carbazate) 0.3 0.3 0.6 8.1 EXAMPLE IX 30 L g g g r Ethylene blsmthyl Heat loss measurements on homologues of ethyleney razo oxy ate) bis (2-carboethoxy carbazate) such as the 2- carbomethoxy carbazate, the 2-carboisopropoxy car- Ethylene bl.s(ethyl hydrazodlcarboxylat?) was mmbazate and the 2-carboisobutoxy carbazate gave very bleblended with pellets of polysulfone resin, coded P- Similar results 1700 and made UmOn Carb'de Company Thes e The heat loss test used was the standard one known pellets were fed mto an extruder (Laboratory Elastic to the art for measuring the degree of Sublimation or f w m y Wayne Machine & heat loss of chemical and polymeric materials. The C and Pavmg a mch d1ametef and a 40 temperature in the air oven used was 250F(ca. 121C). /d1ameter ratio of 20:l under the conditions shown in The lower degree f Sublimation or heat loss f the Table l. The density measurement of the expanded exblowing agents f the invention i advantageous tru tfi that the blowing agent of the cause it indicates a significantly lower loss of blowing vention expands the polysulfone effectively, and lowers agents f th invention d i th t f d i g the its density significantly. polymer-blowing agent mixture which commonly pre- TABLE 1 Expansion of Polysulfone with Ethylenebis(ethyl hydrazodicarboxylate) Blowing Extruder Temperature C. Screw %Density Agent by Weight Rear Front Die Stock Speed Density Reduction Blowing Agent None (Resin alone) l.22265 Ethylenebis(ethyl hydrazodicarboxylate) EXAMPLE x Expansion of Polycarbonate Polymer A 5% glass-filled polycarbonate polymer (Lexan F L 900. product of General Electric Company) was injection molded, using 1 part of the blowing agents listed below per 100 parts of resin, employing a 4 k ox. Battenfeld reciprocating screw injection molding machine.
cedes the shaping or other processing operation.
What is claimed is: 1. A composition comprising at least one gasexpandable polymeric material, and at least one member selected from the group consisting of oligomers of the where n is a number in the range 1 to 100, X is chlorine, bromine or iodine, and A is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of alkylene radicals having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, arylene radicals having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, oxydialkylene radicals having 4 to 12 carbon atoms, and oxydiarylene radicals containing 12 to 20 carbon atoms, alkylenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylene group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and alkylidenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylidene group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; cyclized forms of such oligomers; and condensates of the formula:
HH HH where R and R are the same or different, and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl radicals having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl radicals containing 5 to 8 carbon atoms; aryl groups having 6 to carbon atoms; aralkyl and alkaryl radicals containing 7 to 10 carbon atoms; and A has the meaning given above.
2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein n is a number in the range 2 to 50, and A is selected from alkylene and oxydialk iene.
3. A composition according to claim 2 wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, interpolymers, graft polymers and mixtures and blends of two or more of them.
4. A composition according to claim 3 wherein the polymeric material is thermoplastic, thermosetting or rubbery 5. A method comprising incorporating in a gasexpandable polymeric material at least one blowing agent selected from the group consisting of oligomers of the formula HNIII-(fiOA-OC x [L H O l n where n is a number in the range 1 to 100, X is chlorine, bromine or iodine, and A is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of alkylene radicals having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, arylene radicals having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, oxydialkylene radicals having 4 to 12 carbon atoms, and oxydiarylene radicals containing 12 to 20 carbon atoms, alkylenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylene group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and alkylidenediphenylene radicals in which the alkylidene group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; cyclized forms of such oligomers; and condensates of the formula:
HH HH where R and R are the same or different, and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl radicals having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl radicals containing 5 to 8 carbon atoms; aryl groups having 6 to 10 carbon atoms; aralkyl and alkaryl radicals containing 7 to 10 carbon atoms; and A has the meaning given above; and then heating the resultant composition to a temperature above the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent to cause it to liberate gas and thereby expand said polymeric material.
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In this video research assistant Zoe Adams explains how specimens are mounted on to slides to be examined under a microscope.
Zoe studies blow flies, and as part of her research she needs to be able to identify which species she is dealing with. The genitalia vary between species so are often mounted and studied as part of the identification process.
Zoe first has to remove the soft tissue around the genitalia to leave the hard exoskeleton. She then arranges the genitalia on the slide so that all structures are displayed. The slide has to be dryed in an oven for two weeks before it is ready.


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Another Bike Move, More bike lane fail.Posted by greg in Opinion, utility cycling, tags: bike lane, bike move, cargo biking, Comm Ave, utility cycling
It's that time of year: College Move In. This past May I moved out all my belongings from my Myles Standish dorm room in Kenmore Square into my summer apartment in Allston using only my bike. Here's what that looked like:
This is my homebuilt Xtracycle longtail cargo bike, whose inadequate axle actually broke after carrying the load seen below:
So I used my mountain bike outfitted with wald rear baskets to tow my crippled longtail to my apartment which in turn carried my snowboard:
From then on I used my rear baskets and a baby stroller turned makeshift bike trailer to carry more of my junk:
And here's my bike carrying my office chair:
It took a total of thirteen trips to move all my belongings out of my dorm and a bit of creativity to affix some irregularly sized items to my bike.
As you can tell I am a huge fan of cargo biking, but less obvious is my fanaticism for the video game Katamari Damacy, so I was less than thrilled to miss last weekend's Katamari-cat, a Katamari Damacy Themed Alleycat bike race/scavenger hunt that required riders to carry irregularly sized items with them on their bike. Needless to say, that Alleycat would have been right up my alley 😛
Since the BU semester starts in a few days, I've decided to bike-move again back into my new dorm room in Myles Standish. What's a senior doing in a predominately underclassmen dorm, you ask? Why, enjoying the luxury of a spacious single to house me and all my bikes, of course. So for the past few weeks I've been borrowing and using an electric powered bike since my knees have been giving me trouble. After attaching my Wald baskets to the rear rack, I began round one of my slow but steady bike move back to the dorm today using my camping dry bags and some bungee cords:
Unfortunately, I almost forgot that college move-in day meant a nightmare of traffic and illegally parked vehicles. While I didn't see cars parked in the bike lane outside Warren Towers, there were two moving trucks hogging the lane:
It only got worse when I got to Kenmore Square, where the outbound bike lane, the only place I've personally ever been doored, was lined with parked cars:
But the real nightmare was the intersection of Comm. Ave and University Rd, where during rush hour even with a green light the bike lane and the green linewas blocked by cars coming off the Carlton St. Bridge trying to get onto the BU bridge and Storrow Drive. Over the summer this was less of a problem since less people were in town, but seeing this intersection today as the new school year takes off was a stark reminder of what I am likely to see on a daily basis all year unless something changes:
As you can see, the cyclist above is not very happy about dangerous mess she has just waded through. And as school will soon be in full swing and swarms of bicyclists and pedestrians pass through bu BU bridge intersection, we can only hope to see something done about it soon, especially when actual BU Bridge renovation begins.
Farther down Comm. Ave at Agganis Arena, Cirque Du Soleil was scheduled to perform, and Boston Police detail was making sure traffic was running smoothly. Giant electronic traffic alert displays were also displaying messages to drivers to expect delays. What if those displays also said to watch out for cyclists? Wouldn't that be nice?


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MOORE, Okla. – The streets of Moore and other communities devastated by the May 19 and 20 tornadoes are filled with residents who have yet to process the mental toll those storms took.
"This lady was saying 'My husband won't cry, I need him to cry.' Well, maybe it's not time for him to cry," Jackie Shipp said, with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS).
Shipp wants to hear more of those stories while walking the streets of Moore.
She's offering the simplest of things, water and food, hoping people will open up and let her offer them psychological first aid.
She said, "They need someone to ground them and say, 'What are the two things you need to do today? Did you eat today? When's the last time you had something to drink?'"
It's an effort by more than 400 mental health professionals and volunteers from across Oklahoma and several states to help as many people as they can.
The ODMHSAS opened an emergency response center at the Cleveland County Health Department (424 S. Eastern Ave) in Moore to coordinate daily searches for anyone who needs mental help.
At the ODMHSAS main office in Oklahoma City, volunteers are learning what to say to victims and what not to ask.
"(Like) 'How do you feel?'" Instructor Stacy Sayre said to her class. "'My house was blown away, how do you think I feel?'"
Gwen Downing is one of many state employees wearing a green shirt in Moore.
"It really is about giving hope," she said.
She said it's important to let tornado victims know what they're feeling is normal after a traumatic event and they're here to help in any way possible.
"Some of the places we went in, they put us at a table, like, 'this is the mental health team,'" Downing said, "and I'm like 'no, give us a broom. Give us a shovel.'"
Sayre said about 30% of tornado victims will need some sort of mental help to deal with the trauma, and roughly a third of those victims will develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For more information on services available or volunteering, contact the ODMHSAS at


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N.B. Farmer Sues Canadian Government
Its been more than a year since a New Brunswick potato farmer was jailed in a Lebanon, accused of KNOWINGLY exporting rotten produce to Algeria. And although he's home, his ordeal is far from over. As a lengthy lawsuit and court battle with the Canadian government has been launched. HENK TEPPER, is back home in Drummond, New Brunswick. But the nightmare he lived in a Lebanese jail is one he says he still can't escape from. On his lawyer's advice, he wouldn't go into detail on the 16.5 million dollar lawsuit against the Canadian government he just launched in federal court yesterday…but his actions DO SAY they should be held accountable for his rights being violated and his incarceration. Shawn Cunningham reports one on one with the farmer.
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Teaser Trailer For 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' Released
Benedict Cumberbatch is featured heavily, but still no character reveal
Fans are waking up Thursday morning getting their first look at the latest film featuring Capt. Kirk, the Enterprise, and, of course, Benedict Cumberbatch.
Paramount Pictures released a teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Into Darkness," the highly anticipated sequel to 2009's "Star Trek," starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban. The only voice heard in the trailer is that of "Sherlock" star Cumberbatch, but despite his prominent role in the advertisement, his actual role in the film is still not revealed.
(See the trailer right here)
"You think your world is safe," Cumberbatch says in the opening voiceover. "It is an illusion. A comforting lie, told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace."
The trailer features a number of stunning visuals, including some screams, some spectacular building collapses, and what appears to be the Enterprise itself crash-landing into a body of water near a city at the end.
Director J.J. Abrams hasn't totally kept fans in the dark about who Cumberbatch's character is (although many are still strongly believing he's playing Khan Noonien Singh, last seen played by Ricardo Montalban in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.") There seems to be some clues in the voice over.
"For I have returned," Cumberbatch said, "to have my vengeance."
Those clues seem to be an almost dead giveaway for Khan, the fact that he "returned" and that he is seeking revenge. The original Khan character was a key figure in the Eugenics Wars in the 1990s, was sent to space in suspended animation, and then woken up by the Enterprise crew in the original "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed."
Even more, the original title for "Star Trek II" was "The Revenge of Khan." This was changed because at the time, George Lucas had intended to name the third installment of his Star Wars franchise "The Revenge of the Jedi." Both sides would actually change their names to "Wrath of Khan" and "Return of the Jedi" respectively.
While these statements might be obvious, they could also be used as a way to divert fans from the true character -- something Abrams enjoys doing. He may be leading fans toward Khan, only to yank the carpet out from underneath everyone with a reveal of someone totally different. Other names like Gary Mitchell are still being bantied about, but there are some who speculate that this might be a completely new bad guy that is not part of Star Trek lore.
There is one last tidbit that fans should be aware of. Apple has released more than a dozen versions of the trailer, mostly for international audiences. The Japanese version has a bit of an easter egg at the end: An additional voiceover by Cumberbatch.
"Is there anything you would not do for your family?" Cumberbatch says at the very end of the trailer. With the voiceover, we end up seeing a very key (and familiar) scene: Glass separating two hands, trying to touch each other ... one of the hands giving the Vulcan hand salute. That begs the question: Is Spock's death from "Wrath of Khan" back on the table?
Either way, more is likely to be revealed in the next few months as additional trailers are released, and more information about the storyline itself is released. Ultimately all will be revealed when the film makes its premiere in May.
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Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2012-2013
Home > Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2012-2013 > Degree Course Descriptions > Course Descriptions > Spanish Courses > SPAN 1002 Elementary Spanish II
SPAN 1002 Elementary Spanish II
Prerequisite: SPAN 1001 or one year of high school Spanish
Continued listening, speaking, reading, and writing, in Spanish with further study of the culture of Spanish speaking regions. Not open to native speakers of Spanish.
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Xunlight finds market for photovoltaics in EuropeWritten by Duane Ramsey | | email@example.com
Executives of Xunlight Corp. returned from the European Photovoltaic Energy Conference held last week with potential markets for the company's lightweight solar energy products being manufactured at its Toledo operations.
"Our product was very well-received by attendees who showed a lot of interest. We're very pleased with the attendance, the reception we received and our entire experience in Spain," said Matt Longthorne, vice president for corporate development and strategy at Xunlight.
Longthorne attended the 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Conference in Valencia from Sept. 1 to 5 with Xunlight founder and CEO Xunming Deng, Li Wei Xu, vice president of finance and administration, Michael Yang, vice president of manufacturing, and product engineer Jim Young.
"We met with several potential customers and found a significant demand for the products we're making. Roofing material suppliers and systems integrators in Europe can't get enough flexible photovoltaic products," Longthorne said.
Many roofs can't take the weight of the glass solar modules currently on the market today. The European markets are looking for building integrated photovoltaic, he said.
Europe comprises 75 percent of the global market for photovoltaic products, with Germany consuming 50 percent of that market.
"Our product is the perfect fit for that application. It's the same product that is in the process of pilot production," Longthorne said.
Xunlight is operating a two-megawatt roll-to-roll pilot production line and is building a 25 megawatt roll-to-roll line to manufacture flexible and lightweight photovoltaic products. A recent investment of $11 million in financing from new and existing institutional investors is funding the expansion of its manufacturing facilities.
The company expects to sell commercial products by the middle of 2009. The process of getting the photovoltaic product certified in both Europe and the United States requires time.
"Europe has been very aggressive in supporting photovoltaic for alternative energy, much more so than the U.S.," Longthorne said. "We expect to sell our products where the market is strong."
Xunlight is not the only solar energy company expanding in the Toledo area.
First Solar Inc. is enlarging its manufacturing operations by adding about 500,000 square feet of production, research and development, and office space to its facilities in Perrysburg.
The expansion is expected to add 134 new jobs to its current work force of 700 in Perrysburg, according to the company.
"Scaling our manufacturing facility while taking advantage of existing infrastructure will incrementally lower the manufacturing cost per watt at a rate comparable to our lowest cost facility in Malaysia," said Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar. "The expansion of our operations in Ohio is the direct result of the outstanding achievements of our associates and a strong, ongoing partnership with state and local leaders."
The expansion will add a fourth production line and reconfigure the company's original pilot line to bring the manufacturing facility to the same four-line layout at its five other plants in Germany and Malaysia. It is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010 and will increase the annual capacity at the Perrysburg facility to approximately 192 megawatts.
The entire solar energy industry is concerned about the federal solar tax credit that offers a 30 percent credit for investment and is set to expire at the end of 2008, according to Longthorne.
The solar tax credit is part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that was set to expire at the end of 2007, but was extended through 2008.
Proposed legislation to extend the renewable energy credits beyond 2008 suffered a setback in July when House Bill 6049 was blocked by Senate Republicans. Without another extension, the credits would drop to 10 percent in 2009 and to zero after next year, losing $1.7 billion in solar energy tax credits per year.
"It's very critical to get the tax credit extended," said Monique Hanis, spokesperson for the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). "Without those credits, investments in companies like Xunlight and First Solar could be stymied due to an unstable market for expansion in the U.S."
First Solar is not counting on the federal tax credit for the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, but does use it when building solar installations for large customers, according to a company spokesman.
SEIA president Rhone Resch unveiled the U.S. Department of Energy's new photovoltaic energy system installed on the roof of its headquarters in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9.
"Solar energy is the only domestic energy technology available that can be widely deployed by the federal government to lower energy costs for taxpayers while improving our energy security," Resch said.
"Now, Congress must do its part to accelerate the growth of the solar industry by passing an eight-year extension of the solar tax credits, which expire at the end of the year. This modest, common-sense tax credit has helped expand the U.S. solar industry and put Americans back to work. Congress should not leave for the campaign trail without addressing this important national priority."
Hanis said energy has become a popular public issue since Congress came back from summer recess. Republicans insist on a tax package that includes a much broader support of energy to reduce the cost of oil and gasoline.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Polosi and another group of Democrats and Republicans are trying to put together new energy legislation, according to Hanis.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur confirmed the House passed HR-6049 that included extension of the federal energy tax credits, but the Senate has not acted on the bill.
Kaptur reported that the Senate's proposal, S-3125, would actually extend the tax credits for eight years, compared to the six-year extension in the House bill. That Senate bill would apply tax credits for additional forms of alternative energy, such as geothermal, wind turbine and others, for businesses and public utilities.
Another Senate Bill, S-3335 which includes energy tax credits, is still on the Senate's calendar and could come up for a vote before Congress recesses for the November elections.
The Senate majority and minority leaders agree that the energy tax credits need to be renewed and are trying to reach a compromise on the larger issues of S-3335, according to Sen. George Voinovich's office.
"We need something to clear the Senate to extend energy tax credits for businesses and homeowners," Kaptur said. "Our country needs to become more energy-independent at home. The solar market has grown in Toledo and it needs the tax credits to continue that growth."
The SEIA thinks Congress could pass legislation before it recesses for the elections, but it is expected to adjourn in early October, so time is running short.
In a survey conducted by Solar Power International, 43 percent of nearly 4,000 respondents were confident the federal tax credit will receive a long-term extension before it expires. Thirty percent were not so confident and afraid it won't happen, while 16 percent are not all confident and don't believe it will happen.
The Solar Power International will hold its 2008 conference Oct. 13 to 17 in San Diego when Xunlight will be exhibiting its photovoltaic product.


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Imam Bayhaqi
The Prophet (s) pointed to Abu Musa al-Ash`ari in relation to the verse: Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him (5:54) saying: They are that mans people, due to the tremendous merit and noble rank attributed by this hadith to the imam Abu al-Hasan al-Asha`ri. For he is part of Abu Musas people and one of his children who have received knowledge and were granted discernment, and he was singled out for strengthening the Sunna and repressing innovation by producing clear proofs and dispelling doubts. It is most likely that the Prophet (s) named Abu Musas people a people beloved by Allah because he knew the soundness of their religion and the strength of their belief. Therefore, whoever leans towards them in the sciences of the foundations of Religion and follows their position in disowning tashbih while adhering to the Book and the Sunna, is one of their number.
Al-Bayhaqi is the last of those who comprehensively compiled the textual evidence of the Shafi`i school including the hadith, the positions of the Imam and his immediate companions. Imam al-Haramayn said: There is no Shafi`i except he owes a hurge debt to al-Shafi`i, except al-Bayhaqi, to who al-Shafi`i owes a huge for his works which imposed al-Shafi`is school and his sayings. Al-Dhahabi comments: Abu al-Ma`ali is right! It is as he said, and if al-Bayhaqi had wanted to found a school of Law for himself he woul dhave been able to do so, due to the vastness of his sciences and his thorough knowledge fo juridical differences. Among al-Shafi`is legal positions reported by al-Bayhaqi is the following in his book Fafail al-Awqat:
© 2012 As-Sunnah Foundation of America
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Get into music Video Stream
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Rachel McDonald: The Return Of Soul
It's no secret that Rachel McDonald a/k/a "The Quick Hotness" can sing. But her latest video, "Return of Soul" gives Ms. McDonald a 5-minute opportunity to show off her acting talents as well. Looking like a short version of a 70's era blaxploitation film, the video features McDonald, director Biblical Jones, and a cast of characters acting out a Kung Fu themed intro. As the music plays, scenes coincide with the lyrics taking us back to a time when humankind was much...well, kinder and soul music was society's soundtrack. Winding up with a visual and vocal tribute to the long-running music show 'Soul Train,' Rachel McDonald's video is just as captivating as the artist herself.


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Tail Wags Helmet Covers has recently launched the MothersAgainstNakedRiding.com campaign. It's FUN & edgy but, more importantly, deals with an important topic! Please feel free to share the…Continue
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Does the UW-Madison Graduate School offer "conditional admission"?
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|147 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 4/10/09
Originally posted by drivendawn
Yes they did.
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Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/09/08
If you played the first release it basically took you 6 hours to sort out the selling/buying of things.
I don't mind if the gameplay approaches WoW. WoW is really relaxing to play in terms of UI/controlling your character.
Elite Member
Joined: 2/12/12
Originally posted by GoldenArrow
As for ARR being a WoW clone. As we learn more about the gameplay, that's beginning to be my fear as well. I've been getting the feeling as I read new interviews with Yoshida that they're basically using WoW as their touchstone for everything. Not just the UI and controls, but the overall game design (pacing, progression, heavy use of instancing, etc).
That worries me, because, well... what has been the increasing complaint and request over the past several years? That MMOs are too much alike, sticking too much to the "WoW template" and that players want to see something new. A revolution in the genre, not just an evolution of it.
Funny enough, it seems the one place this might be happening (and I emphasize might, considering the source) is SOE. Whether anything he's saying is worth a thing remains to be seen - he certainly doesn't have a reputation of keeping his word - but John Smedley, at least in terms of what he's saying for EQNext, seems to get it. He's said that while each MMO offers its own twist on the theme, all modern MMOs are basically the same. They play the same, they have the same kind of progressioni (kill mobs, get rewards; kill bigger mobs, get bigger rewards, wash and repeat). He includes SOE's own EQ1 and 2 in that category, so he's not just pointing at "every other game".
He's put SOE's money where his mouth is, at least in so much as trashing 2 previous designs for EQNext and starting from scratch on the new, sandbox/emergent gameplay direction it's taking.
He also very correctly points out that the current "standard" for MMO design centered entirely around pre-designed content is unsustainable. A developer spends 1+ years and a large sum of money to develop an expansion that players burn through in a month, become bored and either complain, or leave. His argument - one I can agree with, because it's actually been proven already in other games - is that in order to remain enjoyable, relevant and sustainable for the long haul (several years), they have to be built around systems that are on-going. He uses the term "emergent gameplay", which is something that's born out of such gameplay systems.
This has been proven correct in MMOs like Lineage 2, where the game (prior to Goddess of Destruction, anyway), was primarily about PvP centered around clan warfare, castle sieges and territory control. It was never big on quest content. Sieges, territory control, clan wars and such, are all on-going, because it's something players can, and will, continuously compete for. It's player-driven, and the players themselves are the content. There's no questlines necessary. There's no trackers or '!' and '?' required. There's no story dialog needed. The entire system takes care of itself. And it works. Now, PvP is just one example of this, not the only one. It's just the first one I thought of, and the easiest to describe.
FFXI had/has some similar systems. Conquest is a semi-passive competitive system where players of each nation can fight to gain control/influence over a given zone or region for their home nation. Doing so gains them certain benefits and, if they control enough, and get their home nation rank 1st in the rankings, they get additional benefits. It's not a "forefront" system, but it is one that people would actively work toward influencing because the benefits of being in the lead did affect them. And this system played out on a weekly basis. There was also Campaign Battles, which is a kind of "system" in FFXI - although due to some poor decisions SE has made in the past few years (-cough- Abyssea -cough-), it's become all but irrelevant...
That actually brings me to another benefit emergent gameplay/systems have over static content. Static content is "finished", out-leveled and becomes obsolete. Emergent Gameplay systems never do.
So, my point in all that is that I think, if SOE and others who are trying to go that route now (and I applaud them for it - this genre needs a serious kick in the ass) do it well and pull it off, it's going to leave SE effectively stuck in an increasingly out-dated and undesirable approach to gameplay. I just get the feeling that they're hopping on the "WoW Standard" bandwagon near the end of its run. Will the game "fail" because of it? Probably not, and they could remedy it by adding in more emergent systems to augment the static story-driven content. But the game's design is firmly centered around very "WoW era" design, pacing and mechanics, and that could come back to bite them in the ass in the next couple years.
Just my opinion.
Novice Member
Joined: 9/04/09
I think people are misinterperating what SE are trying to get across.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 10/11/06
Final Fantasy MMO can stand on it's own legs, unlike any other generic MMO out there that feeds off of WoW. That's because the franchise already has a demographic existing outside the MMO space.
All they have to do is cater to that demographic, and it won't matter whether the game is a WoW clone or not. Said demographic is only interested in an FF MMO at best.
Though the demographic demands a lot from the company, features that they connect to the franchise. Impressive audiovisuals, engaging stories and familiar elements that only a Final Fantasy can have, like summons, jobs, moogles and chocobos. SE is making sure that their demographic can identify this game as a Final Fantasy, while making sure that it isn't bashed by others for being inferior to the other games in the genre.
"Housing is standard in most mmo's."
Advanced Member
Joined: 12/20/06
The problem with what you say is that in order for a sandbox MMO to function you need pvp. Player driven content = pvp. And let's face it.. Lots of people hate pvp in their MMO. Players are just opposed to having their enjoyable night of questing ruined by being ganked over and over by some 2 -3 people. Some people like it, most people do not.
The reason WoW or EQ did so well was because very large groups of players enjoyed challenging PvE content, they liked working out a new mob strategies and group/raid content. But that leads to bigger mobs and more stuff. It's pretty much the back bone of Themepark games. And as long as you have a level based system then things levels will go up, mobs will get harder and repeat
I'm not sure you can name a working sandbox game that isn't based at its core with pvp. I have been playing EVE for years and even though they have dozens of "expansions" it's more or less mass Player on Player content that drives the game. Look at Planeside and PS2 it is 100% player content. But you can't sell a game to the masses based on PVP.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 5/31/10
Originally posted by Magiknight
I love how ambitious they are. Lol.
"We don't want to be inventive or creative, we just want to copy WoW & previous FF games"
It's pitiful.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 4/17/11
All mmos copy others if you dont like it dont play.
Novice Member
Joined: 11/07/10
Originally posted by Magiknight
Wow obviously your not keeping track of final fantasy ARR like me i was in in 1.0 since a year ago and trust me you got your dam sources wrong likeseriously? Yoshi ISNT GONNA MAKE A CLONE WOW are you seriouse? if that was the case half of the community would've raged and quit the game. yosh is just taking some idea from wow not the whole dam game and just making it with final fantasy world are you slow? Dont understand why people cry and whine like wtf? if your gonna cry about it dont follow the game but if your gonna be guessing of what you think might happen is dumb. Look just seriously dont even make dam topic about false things you hear watch the dam video if you call that wow jump off a building couse your slow.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 5/31/10
Originally posted by Hamger8
Grammar, please.
I've followed this game all along, through 1.0 to 2.0. Every step of the way since Yoshi's appointment to turn FFXIV around, he has mentioned time and time again about "bringing FFXIV up to standard" and "making FF feel". This translates to "World of Warcraft with a FF skin". Wake up.
The proof is everywhere. Look at the alpha leak videos. ARR doesn't really even resemble our current game beyond the character models. The tone is completely differet. They changed the aesthetic of the game to be much less serious.
Anyway, WoW is basically a quest-based progression system with raid endgame. That's what FFXIV will be with fluff content tacked on the side (housing,chocobo raising), and with the armory system (ffxiv's only saving grace thanks to Tanaka).
Advanced Member
Joined: 10/15/12
Originally posted by alyosha17
I've followed it from start to fininsh got legacy status as well.
Simple thing is if you don't like it don't play it, no one is going to force you to play it but something tells me you will.
No MMO out there is a WOW clone. Do you know the meaning of a clone because that would mean that we would have many MMO that have the same lore, races, classes and skills world as WOW.
a person or thing regarded as an exact copy of another:
a computer designed to simulate exactly the operation of another, typically more expensive, model:
make an identical copy of:
There are no WOW clones but some MMO use the same type of system which apllies to most MMOs. If you don't like it then it's time for you to stop playing MMOs altogether.
Novice Member
Joined: 11/07/10
Originally posted by alyosha17
To be honest i don't care about grammer but let get to the chase here have you not seen the gameplay? because it isn't like wow i don't care if they take some ideas from WoW as long as it doesn't mess with the battle system. You guys making it sound like hes copying and pasting? obviously he just taking some ideas and putting it in XIV don't go second guessing it because you think its a clone without evne seeing a full gameplayt? it only Alpha for crying out load and you guys are just saying "OMFG IT A WOW CLONE"? really? because wow sucked and so far i think FFIX:ARR is awesome like seriously wait for a full gameplay or even beta for that matter.
HERE AN IDEA OF A CLONE YOU REMEMBER TERA? Have you played Raiderz it is exactly like tera only thing that isnt the same are the characters. If your saying Final Fantasy:ARR will be exactly like wow with only Final Fantasy skin without even seeing alpha your just dumb. It 7 days in alpha and the only thing the jp complained about is....... that they didn't make enought hair style that all. If they haven't complained about it being a WoW clone maybe it isn't a WoW clone?
Apprentice Member
Joined: 3/08/07
Sorry to say, but every game out there has some kind of "WoW Clone" In it., minus the sandboxes (don't quote me on that. Not a big fan). Just because they take ideas from a successful MMO doesn't mean it's a clone.
Like he said, it will still feel like a Final Fantasy game. Last I checked, WoW doesn't have any Final Fantasy feel.
Novice Member
Joined: 10/28/11
Originally posted by BadSpock
Sheeit. I'd marry that game.
Advanced Member
Joined: 2/10/09
i'm pretty sure theres another post similar to this, if you dont like FF dont play, trust me they wont starve if you dont play it, im excited as a long time FF fan to see what this game can bring. Haterade, for that deep down player hater!! haha
Apprentice Member
Joined: 7/15/08
After the first one was such a disaster what did you expect??...Of course they are going to try and copy as much of the game that has 10+ million customers.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/29/03
Whatever you do, do NOT speak ill of Asheron's Call 2...
Compaining about Chocobos? Have you ever PLAYED a Final Fantasy game?
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
Advanced Member
Joined: 2/10/09
you sir are correct, gotta give em credit for the effort, i mean trying to satify there displeased customers by remaking the game, even though it might be a copy of anoter games style.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/06/11
I'm actually quite excited at the possibility of 2.0 being a WoW-clone. My MMO career has spanned 3 decades having spent the majority of my time in UO, FFXI, and now LoTRO. I loved the sandbox of UO and the uniqueness of XI, but the themepark just isn't a tired model for me. Creating such a game with the look and feel of my favorite franchise is just pure win, imo.
On the otherhand, I would have loved essentially XI part 2 with updated graphics, the new armory system, and a UI tailored for the PC user versus the console, which is what I thought 1.0 was going to be. Based on the 2.0 Alpha footage that was floating around, the game already seems to look, feel, move and interact a whole lot better, which has me pretty excited either way.
Elite Member
Joined: 2/12/12
Originally posted by iatesand
On Topic: FFXI would very much be considered a themepark by most people. Some would consider it a sandbox/themepark hybrid, but I think that might be pushing it. F
The thing about FFXI, though, is that it had your classic "theme-park" style progression, in a number of different ways. What it also had, though, were "game systems", which is - I believe - what helped it do as well as it did, for as long as it did.