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- American Society of Plant Biologists
It has been known for decades that red light pretreatment has complex effects on subsequent phototropic sensitivity of etiolated seedlings. Here, we demonstrate that brief pulses of red light given 2 h prior to phototropic induction by low fluence rates of blue light prevent the blue light–induced loss of green fluorescent protein–tagged phototropin 1 (PHOT1-GFP) from the plasma membrane of cortical cells of transgenic seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing PHOT1-GFP in a phot1-5 null mutant background. This red light effect is mediated by phytochrome A and requires ∼2 h in the dark at room temperature to go to completion. It is fully far red reversible and shows escape from photoreversibility following 30 min of subsequent darkness. Red light–induced inhibition of blue light–inducible changes in the subcellular distribution of PHOT1-GFP is only observed in rapidly elongating regions of the hypocotyl. It is absent in hook tissues and in mature cells below the elongation zone. We hypothesize that red light–induced retention of the PHOT1-GFP on the plasma membrane may account for the red light–induced increase in phototropic sensitivity to low fluence rates of blue light.
Plants use light as an essential environmental cue. In the course of evolution they have acquired the capacity to respond to changes in light spectral quality, light intensity, light duration, and light direction. These responses regulate developmental and physiological processes in ways that maximize their photosynthetic potential and minimize the possibility of photodamage under unfavorable conditions. To this end, they use a remarkable array of known or putative photoreceptors. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, there are five phytochromes, three cryptochromes, two phototropins, three members of the ZEITLUPE/ADAGIO family (one of them still a putative photoreceptor), and additional putative photoreceptors for both UV-B and green light. These photoreceptors can act alone, in a cooperative fashion, or in an antagonistic fashion depending on prevailing conditions and developmental stage (see Schäfer and Nagy, 2006). However, we know little about how these interactions might occur and at what level. Phototropism provides us with one of the very first interactions investigated: an interaction between one or more phytochromes and a blue light receptor.
It has been know for over half a century that red light treatment of etiolated seedlings can dramatically alter their subsequent phototropic sensitivity (Briggs, 1963a). Curry (1957) first noted that red light strongly reduced the sensitivity of first positive and first negative curvature of oat (Avena sativa) coleoptiles to unilateral blue light, an effect confirmed by Briggs (1963a) for both maize (Zea mays) and oat coleoptiles. Zimmerman and Briggs (1963) showed that red light treatment decreased phototropic sensitivity for first positive curvature of oat coleoptiles to blue light by a factor of about 10 but simultaneously increased the sensitivity of second positive curvature by a factor of about three. Briggs (1963a) provides a detailed review of these early experiments.
Chon and Briggs (1966) subsequently demonstrated the same complex red light effect for maize coleoptiles and showed that it could be reversed by low fluences of far-red light. Higher fluences of far-red light, by contrast, mimicked the effect of red light, a phenomenon likely mediated by a phyA-activated high-irradiance response (Bae and Choi, 2008). The extreme sensitivity of the system to red light also implicated a phyA-mediated response in the very low fluence response range (Mandoli and Briggs, 1981).
The response to red light in either maize or oat is not immediate. Although it starts with little lag, it does not reach its maximum effect for between 1 to 2 h either in continuous red light (Briggs, 1963a, maize and oat coleoptiles; Zimmerman and Briggs, 1963, oat coleoptiles) or following a red light pulse (Chon and Briggs, 1966, maize coleoptiles). Briggs (1963b) also noted that continuous red light treatment reduced the total amount of auxin transported from maize coleoptile tips into agar blocks to ∼50% of the dark control level. Thus, red light was either reducing auxin synthesis or auxin transport, or increasing auxin destruction, or some combination of the three processes. The decrease followed the same time course as the red light–induced changes in phototropic sensitivity. However, except for the temporal correlation, the physiological relationship between the light-induced changes in auxin levels and phototropic sensitivity was unclear.
It was over a quarter of a century later that the Poff laboratory did the first experiments on phototropism with the model plant Arabidopsis, describing mutants that showed impaired phototropic responses (Khurana and Poff, 1989). Two years later, Janoudi and Poff (1991) reported that blue light alone, given either from above or bilaterally, desensitized etiolated hypocotyls of seedlings to unilateral phototropic stimulation with blue light, followed by a refractory period of insensitivity to blue light that lasted between 10 and 20 min. Pretreatment with red light did not cause the desensitization, but either blue or red light pretreatment from above enhanced the subsequent phototropic response to unilateral blue light (an enhancement seen only after the recovery from desensitization if the preirradiation was with blue light).
Second positive curvature in dark-grown seedlings is induced only after a certain time threshold of unilateral blue light stimulation in dark-grown seedlings. Janoudi et al. (1992) showed that this time threshold (15 min of blue light stimulation for Arabidopsis and 60 min for tobacco [Nicotiana tabacum]) was greatly reduced if the seedlings were irradiated with red light 2 h prior to the onset of phototropic stimulation (to 4 min of blue light stimulation for Arabidopsis and to 15 min for tobacco). An action spectrum for the enhancement effect over the wavelength range from 350 to 731 nm clearly implicated phytochrome (Janoudi and Poff, 1992). As the appearance of enhancement was gradual (as were the red light–induced changes described by the earlier workers), they imposed a 120-min dark period between the preirradiation and the onset of phototropic induction. Janoudi and Poff (1993) then showed that red light not only enhanced the subsequent phototropic sensitivity of Arabidopsis hypocotyls to blue light but also hastened recovery of phototropic sensitivity following blue light–induced desensitization.
The availability of both phyA and phyB mutants of Arabidopsis allowed Parks et al. (1996) to demonstrate that it was phyA and not phyB that mediated the red light–induced enhancement of phototropic curvature to low fluences of blue light. As with Janoudi and Poff, they used a 2-h dark period between preirradiation and phototropic induction. More detailed studies (Janoudi et al., 1997a) uncovered a more complex picture by investigating the effect of different fluences of red light on enhancement of first positive curvature. They found that the responses to low red light fluences were exclusively attributable to phyA, whereas the responses to higher fluences of red light were mediated neither by phyA nor by phyB (Janoudi et al., 1997a). Janoudi et al. (1997b) then studied phototropic responses in Arabidopsis in the absence of preirradiation in the phytochrome mutants. Neither phyA nor phyB mutants showed a reduced magnitude for first positive curvature, but first positive curvature was barely detectable in the phyA phyB double mutant. Thus, even without red light preirradiation, one or the other of these two phytochromes was required for a normal first positive phototropic response. Neither the phyA nor phyB single mutants showed an altered time threshold for second positive curvature. However, the time threshold was increased sixfold in the double mutant, and the magnitude of the response decreased, again indicating a role for the phytochromes in phototropic responses with no preirradiation.
Whippo and Hangarter (2004) revisited the role of the various phytochromes in Arabidopsis phototropism. The picture that emerged was even more complex. These workers confirmed that phyA is required for normal phototropism in response to very low fluence rates of blue light. At somewhat higher fluences, phyB and phyD function redundantly with phyA to promote the phototropic response. At very high blue light fluence rates, phyA alone is responsible for attenuating the phototropic response.
Until the identification of phototropin 1 (PHOT1) as a photoreceptor for phototropism (Christie et al., 1998), there was no obvious way to investigate the relationship between the phytochromes and the blue light receptor(s) mediating phototropism. The opportunity arose, however, when Sakamoto and Briggs (2002) transformed the null mutant phot1-5 (nph1-5) with a PHOT1–green fluorescent protein (GFP) construct driven by the native PHOT1 promoter. The transgene restored phototropic sensitivity to low fluence rates of blue light and, at the same time, allowed a description of the cellular and subcellular distribution of the PHOT1-GFP protein under different experimental conditions. Sakamoto and Briggs (2002) also demonstrated that blue light treatment of the transformant caused the transformant to lose some of the PHOT1-GFP fluorescence from the plasma membrane, a relocalization phenomenon explored in more detail by Wan et al. (2008). These authors demonstrated the phenomenon in epidermal and mesophyll cells of the etiolated cotyledon, epidermal and cortical cells of the hypocotyl, both elongating and mature, cortical cells of the shoot–root transition region, and elongating cortical cells near the root tip. Only developing guard cells failed to show the response. Kong et al. (2006) described a similar phenomenon for PHOT2-GFP.
Preliminary experiments indicated that red light pretreatment might interfere with this loss. Thus, this study was designed to characterize this effect of red light and investigate how it might be related to the complex physiological changes that red light pretreatment induces in the subsequent phototropic responses of etiolated Arabidopsis hypocotyls. The working hypothesis was that retention of PHOT1 at the plasma membrane as a consequence of phytochrome photoconversion by red light could cause enhanced phototropic sensitivity by retaining the photoreceptor on the membrane system responsible for auxin transport.
Effect of Red Light Pretreatment on Blue Light–Induced Relocalization of PHOT1-GFP
As blue light induces a loss of PHOT1-GFP from the plasma membrane (Sakamoto and Briggs, 2002; Wan et al., 2008), and as red light sensitizes the phototropic response to low fluence rates of blue light, we investigated whether red light treatment would affect the blue light–activated phototropin relocalization we previously described (Sakamoto and Briggs, 2002; Wan et al., 2008). We first determined how much blue light is required to saturate the blue light–induced PHOT1-GFP relocalization. Using an external light source, we administered blue light fluences ranging from 20 to 2000 μmol m−2 (given at a constant fluence rate of 20 μmol m−2 s−1 with time varied). We then examined the cortical cells of the elongation region of etiolated hypocotyls of Arabidopsis seedlings using the confocal microscope for any changes in PHOT1-GFP distribution after a 1-h dark period. As shown in Supplemental Figure 1 online, the response was not induced by 200 μmol m−2 (10 s × 20 μmol m−2 s−1) but was clearly detectable after exposure to 600 or 2000 μmol m−2, in agreement with our previous results (Wan et al., 2008). Thus, when we used an external light source in subsequent experiments instead of the microscope laser, we used 2000 μmol m−2 (20 μmol m−2 s−1 for 100 s) of blue light to make certain that the blue light response was saturated.
A time course showing the effect of blue light alone is shown by the projection images in Figure 1A . For this experiment, the blue light source was the laser in the confocal microscope (20 μmol m−2 s−1). At time zero, PHOT1-GFP is relatively evenly distributed at the plasma membranes of these cortical cells from the elongation region of an etiolated Arabidopsis hypocotyl. Within 10 min of the start of blue light irradiation, some reorganization and mottling of the label is evident, and this mottling increases over the course of an hour in all of the cells shown in the field. By 12 min after the onset of blue light, movement of PHOT1-GFP into the cytoplasm can be observed in single optical sections of the cortical cells (Figure 2 ). These results confirm our previous results (Wan et al., 2008) and provide a control for experiments investigating possible involvement of phytochrome(s) in the phenomenon (see below).
The protein gel blot shown in Supplemental Figure 2 online indicates that a fraction of the PHOT1-GFP released to the cytoplasm on blue light treatment is in the supernatant following centrifugation of seedling extracts for 1 h at 135,000g and is likely soluble. The experiment does not eliminate the possibility that some of the cytoplasmic PHOT1-GFP may still be membrane associated, but the results confirm previous observations by Sakamoto and Briggs (2002) that a fraction of the released PHOT1-GFP cannot be sedimented under the above conditions.
The blue light–induced movement of PHOT1-GFP into the cytoplasm is not a general property of plasma membrane proteins and is not indicative of a major endocytosis. Figure 3 shows the effect of blue light on three fluorescent-labeled plasma membrane proteins: YFP:PIP2 (yellow fluorescent protein:Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Protein 2), an aquaporin; BRI1-GFP (Brassinosteroid-Insensitive 1:green fluorescent protein), a brassinolide receptor; and GFP:SIMIP (Salt Stress-Induced Major Intrinsic Protein), an aquaporin. None of the three marker proteins shows a change in distribution even after 30 min of blue light treatment (20 μmol m−2 s−1) (Figure 3, top and lower left). These results are in sharp contrast with the dramatic effect of the same blue light treatment on PHOT1-GFP (Figure 3, lower right).
If a brief pulse of red light (50 μmol m−2) is given 2 h prior to the onset of blue light treatment, these dramatic changes in PHOT1-GFP distribution are almost completely eliminated (Figure 1B, projection images). The slight mottling seen in the red light–treated cells in Figure 1B after blue light treatment stands in sharp contrast with the extensive relocalization response seen without the prior red light treatment (Figure 1A). Thus, red light pretreatment appears to cause retention of PHOT1-GFP at the plasma membrane of these cells. The effect of red light in preventing the movement of PHOT1-GFP into the cytoplasm is illustrated in the single optical sections shown in Figure 4 . The 2-h dark period was chosen as it was the time period used in virtually all of the physiological experiments cited in the Introduction investigating the effect of red light preirradiation on subsequent phototropic responses.
Effect of Red Light on Phototropism Mediated by PHOT1-GFP
To test whether a brief pulse of red light affected phototropism under our growth conditions, we tested the phototropic responses of the PHOT1-GFP, gl1, and phot1-5 lines with or without prior red light treatment (Table 1 ). A 2-h dark incubation period followed the red treatment. In the PHOT1-GFP line, PHOT1-GFP is the only functional phototropin. In the gl1 line, both PHOT1 and PHOT2 are functional. In the phot1-5 line, only PHOT2 is functional. Furthermore, a blue light fluence rate of 1 μmol m−2 s−1 can only activate PHOT1, whereas 20 μmol m−2 s−1 activates both PHOT1 and PHOT2 (Sakai et al., 2001).
At blue light fluence rates of either 1 or 20 μmol m−2 s−1, red light significantly enhanced the response of the PHOT1-GFP line after both 8 and 11 h exposure (Table 1). When PHOT2 alone is functional (phot1-5, blue light = 20 μmol m−2 s−1) red light treatment also significantly enhanced the phototropic response. The gl1 line irradiated with 1 μmol m−2 s−1 of blue light (11 h) failed to show strong enhancement, possibly because both red light–treated and control seedlings had reached the saturation level for curvature. When the blue light fluence rate was 20 μmol m−2 s−1, some enhancement occurred, although the enhancement was less than seen in the other lines. The phot1-5 line failed to curve in response to 1 μmol m−2 s−1, as it lacked PHOT1, and the fluence rate was too low to activate PHOT2. We conclude that under the conditions we used to demonstrate a red light effect on blue light–induced PHOT1-GFP relocalization, the same red light treatment enhances the phototropic response mediated by PHOT1-GFP (and by PHOT2 alone).
Timing and Quantification of the Red Light Effect on PHOT1-GFP Relocalization
Since 50 μmol m−2 (5 μmol m−2 s−1 for 10 s) of red light administered 2 h prior to blue light treatment was sufficient to reduce blue light–induced relocalization dramatically (Figure 1B), we investigated how much dark time was required between red light pretreatment and a blue light pulse for the red light to be effective. PHOT1-GFP relocalization was then allowed to proceed for 20 min in darkness following the blue light pulse (2000 μmol m−2) prior to observation with the confocal microscope. The results are shown in Figure 5 . Red light administered 0, 30, or 60 min prior to blue light was essentially ineffective. In all three cases, blue light induced movement of PHOT1-GFP into the cytoplasm. However, by 2 h after red light treatment, the effect of blue light was eliminated. This effect of red light persisted at least for an additional hour. We next asked how much red light was required to prevent the effect of blue light on the subcellular distribution of PHOT1-GFP in the elongating hypocotyl cells. The results are shown in Figure 6 (constant 10-s exposure time for red light with intensity varied) and Figure 7 (constant fluence rate at 10 μmol m−2 s−1 with time varied). The red light effect was saturated between 40 and 100 μmol m−2 in both experiments. This range is well within that to be expected for a classic low-fluence phytochrome response (Schäfer and Nagy, 2006). Furthermore, the reciprocity law (Bunsen and Roscoe, 1862) holds under these experimental conditions.
Far-Red Reversal of the Red Light Effect
If the effect of red light is indeed a low-fluence phytochrome response, one would expect it to be fully far-red reversible. Indeed, 1260 μmol m−2 of far red completely reversed the effect of red light. Figure 8 shows that the effect of blue light (confocal laser) was diminished if 100 μmol m−2 of red light (administered 2 h before blue) was followed immediately by the far-red treatment (Figure 8, bottom right panel). The appearance of the cells 15 min after the blue light pulse is virtually identical to that of blue light without any red pretreatment (Figure 8, bottom left panel) and essentially indistinguishable from that seen in Figure 2A. As expected, red light alone almost eliminated the blue light response (Figure 8, middle panels). We next investigated how much far-red light is required to reverse the effect of red light. The results are shown in Figure 9 , which presents cells near the bottom of the hypocotyl elongation zone. Far-red light (1260 μmol m−2) was sufficient to reverse the effect of red light (Figure 9, center panel).
Finally, we investigated the time course for escape from far-red reversibility. The results are shown in Figure 10 . Regardless of when far-red light was given, the total dark period was always 2 h. With a 15-min dark period between red and far-red treatment, the effect of far-red light in reversing the red-light effect was diminished, and with a 25-min dark period after red light, far-red light was completely ineffective. Hence, the consequences of red light treatment become fixed relatively rapidly, although they are not fully expressed until 2 h has passed following red light treatment (Figure 5).
Localization of the Red Light Effect to the Elongation Zone
We were puzzled that we did not always obtain an effect of red light in preventing subsequent blue light–induced PHOT1-GFP relocalization. We identified two reasons for this variability: First, if the hypocotyls are handled a little roughly, some PHOT1-GFP relocalization occurred in the absence of any blue light treatment. We solved this problem by mounting the seedlings carefully on agar (see Methods). However, some variability still persisted. The effect of red light in blocking blue light–inducible PHOT1-GFP movement into the cytoplasm had a developmental component. We found that the standard red light fluence had little effect on blue light–induced PHOT1-GFP distribution in the hook (Figure 11A ) or in the mature cells, below the elongation zone (Figure 11C), but prevented the blue light effect in the elongation zone (Figure 11B). It was logistically possible in these experiments to observe two regions from the same seedlings, but not three. Thus, the images shown in the center and bottom panels of Figure 11 were taken from the same seedlings, but those in the top panel were from a different seedling. Experiments shown in Figure 1A indicate that substantial blue light–induced PHOT1-GFP relocalization can be observed well before 30 min from the onset of blue light treatment. However, no effect is detectable after 30 min in the elongation zone cells given prior to red light treatment (Figure 11, center panels). By contrast, by 40 min there is a strong effect of blue light both above and below the elongation zone despite red light pretreatment. Thus, the interaction between phytochrome and PHOT1-GFP develops as cells enter their elongation phase and is lost when they are mature.
Since the red light effect is restricted to the hypocotyl elongation zone, we were unable to detect a red light–induced decrease in the level of PHOT1-GFP in the soluble fraction. It is likely that a red-induced decrease in the amount of PHOT1-GFP released to the cytoplasm in the elongation zone in response to blue light treatment would be masked by its blue light–induced release in the cotyledons, hook, and mature hypocotyl tissues, especially given the large amount of PHOT1-GFP detectable in the cotyledons and hook (Wan et al., 2008). This latter release is unaffected by the red light treatment (see below).
Identification of the Phytochrome Mediating the Red Light Effect in Antagonizing Blue Light–Induced PHOT1-GFP Relocalization
We made crosses for plants carrying the PHOT1-GFP transgene in the phot1-5 null background with strong mutant alleles of phyA (phyA-211, Reed et al., 1994) or phyB (phyB-9, Reed et al., 1993) and with the phyA-211 phyB-9 double mutant to identify the phytochrome(s) that mediated the red light response described above. The seedlings were given 50 μmol m−2 s−1 of red light, 2 h of darkness, a blue light pulse (total fluence 2000 μmol m−2), and 30 min of darkness prior to observation with the confocal microscope. In the phyB mutant, red light still blocks blue light–induced relocalization of PHOT1-GFP (Figure 12B ), whereas in the phyA mutant, blue light induces normal relocalization despite the prior red light treatment (Figure 12A). As expected from these results, the response of the phyA phyB double mutant is no different from that of the phyA mutant: there is no red light effect (see Supplemental Figure 3 online). Thus, the red light–induced inhibition of blue light–activated PHOT1-GFP relocalization from the plasma membrane is mediated by phyA. From following subsequent generations, we identified the three classes of phytochrome mutant lines in which PHOT1-GFP was the only functioning PHOT1. Red light treatment still prevented the blue light–induced relocalization of PHOT1-GFP in the absence of wild-type phot1 (the null phot1-5 allele, Huala et al., 1997) as long as functional phyA protein was present (see Supplemental Figure 4 online).
The action of red light in preventing subsequent blue light–induced relocalization of PHOT1-GFP from the plasma membrane in etiolated Arabidopsis hypocotyls has the characteristics of a classic phytochrome effect. The response happens in the low fluence range, is fully far-red reversible, and shows typical escape from far-red photoreversibility during ∼30 min of darkness. The above results show that this response is mediated by phyA and not phyB (Figure 12; see Supplemental Figure 3 online). Although phyA phototransformation must bring about some changes at the plasma membrane to cause the retention of PHOT1-GFP, it is premature to ascribe this effect to a cytoplasmic action of phyA. The changes are gradual, requiring 2 h to go to completion, which is more than enough time for the intervention of changes in the transcription of nuclear genes and subsequent proteome changes at the plasma membrane.
PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE1 (PKS1) is a cytoplasmic protein that can interact with phytochrome and is phosphorylated by phytochrome (Fankhauser et al., 1999). Lariguet et al. (2006) recently demonstrated that the protein interacts physically with both PHOT1 and plasma membrane–associated NONPHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 (NPH3) both in vivo and in vitro. Both NPH3 (Liscum and Briggs, 1995) and PKS1 (Lariguet et al., 2006) are essential for Arabidopsis hypocotyl phototropism. PKS1 is fairly uniformly expressed in the hypocotyls of dark-grown seedlings but becomes concentrated in the root tip and hypocotyl elongation zone after 4 h in the light (Lariguet et al., 2003). Both red and far-red light induce an overall increase in PKS1 protein over a 4-h period, and a few short pulses of far-red light are sufficient to produce a measurable increase. These results suggest that the increase is a very low fluence reaction.
It is tempting to postulate that the light-induced increase in PKS1 in the elongation zone is related to the red light–induced retention of PHOT1-GFP at the plasma membrane after blue light treatment. Both occur over a few hours, both are mediated exclusively by phyA, and both are localized to the elongation zone. The correlation appears to break down, however, in the case of far-red reversibility. The PKS increase is actually induced by far-red light, either continuous or pulsed, whereas the red light effect on PHOT1-GFP localization after blue light is far-red reversible (Figures 8 and 9), and 5 min of far-red light alone 2 h prior to blue light treatment had no effect on PHOT1-GFP relocalization (Figure 9). However, Lariguet et al. (2003) regularly used longer light treatments than those in this study and did not report any results on the effect of single red light pulses or red/far-red reversibility. Hence, the role of PKS1 in the phenomenon described here remains open.
The conditions used here for the experiments in which the red light effect had gone to completion were very similar to those used by Parks et al. (1996), who exposed etiolated Arabidopsis hypocotyls to a brief pulse of red light followed by 2 h of darkness prior to phototropic induction with blue light. A reasonable hypothesis to explain the phototropism enhancement by red light is that by causing PHOT1-GFP to remain at the plasma membrane where blue light–induced lateral auxin transport is presumably taking place, there is more phototropin to impact auxin transport and hence a stronger phototropic response. However, there are other conditions where this hypothesis is not sufficient or where the results actually eliminate it as a possibility. For example, although the changes in phototropic sensitivity of etiolated maize (Chon and Briggs, 1966) or oat (Zimmerman and Briggs, 1963) coleoptiles induced by red light are exquisitely sensitive to red light, it is only the sensitivity of second positive curvature that is increased by red light. That of first positive curvature is actually decreased in both cases by almost an order of magnitude. It is not known at present, however, whether the effect of red light on the subcellular distribution of PHOT1 in Arabidopsis is also seen in maize and oat coleoptiles or indeed whether any PHOT1 moves from the plasma membranes in these organs.
The results of Whippo and Hangarter (2004) also suggest a far more complex picture: Even without red light pretreatment, a normal phototropic response to low-fluence-rate blue light requires the presence of either phyA or phyB. Presumably the small fraction of the far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome induced by the blue light is needed for a normal phototropic response. While phyA is essential for a normal phototropic response when the blue light fluence rate is 0.01 μmol m−2 s−1, for higher blue light fluence rates (above 1.0 μmol m−2 s−1), phyB or phyD can serve redundantly. Furthermore, under very high fluence rates of blue light (e.g., 100 μmol m−2 s−1), phyA actually attenuates the phototropic response. In addition, other work by Whippo and Hangarter (2003) indicates involvement of cryptochromes in modulating phototropic responses as well as phytochromes. Thus, PHOT1 and PHOT2 can both modulate phototropic responses directly and phyA, phyB, PhyD, cry1, and cry2 can do so indirectly. No simple model can account for this complexity.
A surprising finding is that the regulation of PHOT1-GFP localization and phyA, whether direct or indirect, is regulated during development. Red light has little or no effect on the subcellular distribution or redistribution of PHOT1-GFP in the hook tissues or in the mature cells below the elongation zone. The association develops just below the hook and is fully expressed only in the elongation zone. Hence, it occurs only in the phototropically sensitive tissue and not elsewhere in the hypocotyl. Since PHOT1 is well known to mediate a number of other responses (stomatal opening, chloroplast accumulation, chloroplast avoidance, rapid growth inhibition, leaf expansion, and leaf position), it will be interesting to determine whether phyA can play a role in modulating one or more of these responses mediated by PHOT1. If so, are these interactions developmentally regulated?
The light gradient across an Arabidopsis hypocotyl is steeper in the blue light than in the red region of the spectrum because of both stronger absorption of blue light (e.g., from flavins, carotenoids, and the Soret bands of cytochromes) and greater loss through light scattering. Hence, red light excitation of phyA should be more uniform across a hypocotyl than blue light excitation of PHOT1 if both are given unilaterally. Thus, red light–induced retention of PHOT1 at the plasma membrane is not likely to show a strong gradient across the tissue regardless of direction of the exciting light. If a small gradient exists for red light, PHOT1 retention at the plasma membrane would be slightly favored on the illuminated side. The response to subsequent blue light might then be enhanced if the blue light came from the same direction (i.e., more PHOT1 at the plasma membrane to excite and drive lateral auxin transport on the illuminated side than on the shaded side) and slightly inhibited if it came from the opposite direction (i.e., less PHOT1 at the plasma membrane on the illuminated side than the shaded side). Whether this hypothesis is correct would depend on whether the red light effect was cell specific or spread uniformly throughout the hypocotyl tissue. There is physiological evidence for at least a weak gradient of phytochrome photoexcitation across etiolated maize mesocotyls (Iino et al., 1984) and pea (Pisum sativum) epicotyls (Parker et al., 1988). In both cases, phytochrome itself was shown to mediate a weak phototropic response to red light, which suggests some cell specificity. These larger organs would be more suitable for testing the possible role of a gradient in phytochrome photoexcitation on phototropic blue light sensitivity than the Arabidopsis hypocotyl provided that the same relationship between phytochrome and phototropin exists in these species.
This work establishes a potential mechanism by which phytochrome might enhance phototropic sensitivity when both red and blue light fluences are low. The mechanism might be advantageous for seedlings exposed to the very first light as they break through the soil, maximizing growth toward the light source. Future study will be required to determine the nature and complexity of the pathways involved in the interaction of the two photoreceptors, PHOT1 and phyA. The possible physiological roles of the complicated interactions seen with higher fluence rates both of red and blue light also await further exploration to determine their cellular basis.
Plant Materials and Growth Conditions
We used the phot1-5 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana (Columbia ecotype, gl1 background) transformed with PHOT1-GFP, constructed by Sakamoto and Briggs (2002). Seeds were surface sterilized and plated onto half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.8% agar and 1% sucrose. The plates were held in darkness for 3 d at 4°C and then exposed to red light (22°C, fluence rate of 15 μmol m−2 s−1) for 2 h to induce uniform germination. The seedlings were then grown in complete darkness at 22°C for ∼2.5 d. The mutants phyA-211, phyB-9, and phyA-211 phyB-9, kindly provided by Peter H. Quail, were crossed with PHOT1-GFP plants. F2 seeds were selected under red (8 μmol m−2 s−1) or far-red (2 μmol m−2 s−1) light, and seedlings with long hypocotyls were screened for PHOT1-GFP fluorescence. To confirm the phot1-5 mutant background, we performed PCR genotyping with forward primer 5′-GCAGGTACATAGAGCTAGAGC-3′ and reverse primer 5′-GCTGTGAGTAATTAGTCCTCC-3′. The phot1-5 mutation deleted the primary site for the forward primer and therefore produced no PCR product. The wild-type PHOT1 gene yielded a PCR product of ∼1.8 kb, while the PHOT1-GFP fusion produced a band of ∼2.4 kb. We selected plants that only produced the 2.4-kb product.
Light Sources
The red light source to induce germination consisted of two 20-W red fluorescent tubes (Sylvania F20T12/R) filtered through one layer of Rohm and Haas 2444 red Plexiglas. The red light source used to treat the seedlings was a bank of LEDs (630 nm). The source of far-red light was a 12-V, 20-W tungsten halogen lamp filtered through a Rohm and Haas FRF Plexiglas filter. The different fluence rates used in the individual experiments are provided above. For certain experiments, the source of blue light was the laser in the confocal microscope (488 nm). For other experiments, except phototropism, it was a bank of LEDs (470 nm). Unless otherwise indicated, the fluence rate from blue light sources was 20 μmol m−2 s−1. For phototropism experiments, the blue light sources were either two fluorescent lamps (Philips F20T12/CW), with the light passed through a blue Plexiglas filter (Rohm and Haas) (1 μmol m−2 s−1), or a Kodak Carousel 4400 slide projector equipped with a Corning blue filter (20 μmol m−2 s−1).
Sample Preparation for Microscopy
As mentioned above, even slight physical damage could cause the loss of some PHOT1-GFP from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm. To avoid this physical damage, a layer of 1.5% agar dissolved in distilled water was allowed to solidify between two cover slips (22 × 22 mm). When it had hardened, the upper cover slip was slid off and the seedlings were gently placed on the remaining agar bed on the lower cover slip. A cover slip was then gently placed over the seedling and the assembly was turned over and transferred to the microscope upside down. Uniform plasma membrane distribution of PHOT1-GFP on initial observation with the confocal microscope was taken as evidence that no damage had occurred.
All images were acquired with a Nikon inverted fluorescence microscope equipped with appropriate Nikon water immersion objective lenses and a Bio-Rad MRC confocal head. All experiments were repeated three or more times with results similar to those presented above.
Phototropism Experiments
Phototropism experiments were performed as described elsewhere (Cho et al., 2007). Three-day-old seedlings were treated with red light (total fluence 100 μmol m−2) and returned to darkness for 2 h prior to blue light treatment. Blue fluence rates were either 1 or 20 μmol m−2 s−1, and exposure times were either 8 or 11 h. The plates of seedlings were scanned and the hypocotyl images were analyzed with NIH ImageJ 1.62 software. Representative data from four different experiments are shown. In all phototropism experiments, the curvatures of 20 or more seedlings were measured for each data point with similar results.
Protein Gel Blotting and Gel Electrophoresis
Total protein was extracted from control or blue light–treated seedlings under dim red light as described elsewhere (Cho et al., 2007). The extract was centrifuged for 10 min at 10,000 rpm in an Eppendorf 5415C tabletop centrifuge to sediment cell walls, larger organelles, and cellular debris not fully broken up. The supernatant was then centrifuged for 1 h at 135,000g .0 to obtain soluble and membrane fractions. Subsequent steps were as described (Cho et al., 2007).
Accession Numbers
Sequence data from this article can be found in the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative or GenBank/EMBL databases under the following accession numbers: BRI1 (NM 120100), FKF1 (NM 105475), LKP2 (NM 179652), PIP2A (NM 115202), PHOT1 (NM 114447), PHOT2 (NM 180881), PHYA (001,123,784), PHYB (NJM 127435), and SIMIP (NM 119676).
Supplemental Data
The following materials are available in the online version of this article.
Supplemental Figure 1. Fluence Requirement for Blue Light–Induced Relocalization of PHOT1-GFP from the Plasma Membrane into the Cytoplasm in Cortical Cells of the Hypocotyl of Etiolated Arabidopsis Seedlings.
Supplemental Figure 2. Protein Gel Blots Demonstrating Blue Light–Induced Release of Both PHOT1 and PHOT1-GFP from the Membrane to the Soluble Fraction of Etiolated Arabidopsis Seedlings.
Supplemental Figure 3. In the phyA phyB Double Mutant, as in the phyA Single Mutant, Red Light Does Not Prevent Blue Light–Induced PHOT1-GFP Relocalization.
Supplemental Figure 4. In phyA but Not phyB Mutants, Red Light Pretreatment Does Not Prevent Blue Light–Induced Relocalization of PHOT1-GFP in Lines Lacking Wild-Type PHOT1.
We thank Peter H. Quail for providing the three Arabidopsis phytochrome mutants and David Ehrhardt for providing the YFP:PIP2, GFP:SIMIP, and BRI1:GFP lines and for his help with the confocal microscopy. We also thank Margaret Olney for her careful review of the manuscript. I.-S.H. was supported by the Research Fund of Ulsan University. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant 0444504 to W.R.B. The authors are grateful for this support.
The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantcell.org) is: Winslow R. Briggs (briggs{at}stanford.edu).
↵1 These authors contributed equally to this work.
↵[W] Online version contains Web-only data.
- Received April 4, 2008.
- Revised September 30, 2008.
- Accepted October 10, 2008.
- Published October 24, 2008.


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Posts for Category "News"Back to all News
Posted on March 16, 2020 - 23 days ago
Posted on February 05, 2020 - 2 months ago
Posted on December 02, 2019 - 4 months ago
Posted on November 01, 2019 - 5 months ago
Wastewater System Independent Review
Two delegations to the Ma-Me-O Beach Council meeting of October 24, 2019, raised questions regarding the Ma-Me-O Beach wastewater system. Council requested that an independent review of the project be completed by a well qualified consulting engineer. The report is attached here for your information.
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Posted on September 20, 2019 - 7 months ago
Ma-Me-O Wastewater System Update Sept 19th
As of September 19, 2019 The contractor and our engineering firm completed their investigation of the reported wastewater leak in the 200 block of 1st Ave. in Ma-Me-O Beach. The source of the ground water and wastewater at this location was an abandoned septic field located in a low lying area on the resident's property that was disturbed when the service connection was being installed. This is not a system leak. The area has been hydrovac'd to remove any contaminated material. As...
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Posted on March 05, 2019 - about 1 year ago
Posted on December 21, 2018 - over 1 year ago
Posted on May 05, 2017 - almost 3 years ago
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subset: commoncrawl


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Guy Dammann MA (Oxon), MMus, PhD (London)
Guy Dammann received his PhD from King's College London in 2005 since when he has lectured on both music and philosophy at King's and University College London. He is currently a Research associate at the Institute of Musical Studies, University of London, working on questions concerning the relationship between morality, aesthetics and music.
As a journalist Guy writes as a critic and commentator for the Guardian, contributing also to The Observer, Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, Economist and others. He is married to the philosopher Elisabeth Schellekens and lives in London.


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| 11°C Dublin
WITH the New Year just a day old, it seems that two of Serie A's top stars have managed to put the spirit of Christmas well and truly behind them.
Roma legend Franceso Totti has been enjoying something of a renaissance this season. He also found time to get involved in a row with Lazio striker Mauro Zarate, claiming that the Argentine was "not a champion."
Zarate has hit back by claiming: "Totti talks too much, but he forgets that he is already finished. I think he hasn't scored in about 10 derbies."
But Totti has now responded, saying: "Congratulations to all the fans, all sports, and all the great champions of football. Since we are in the Christmas season and we should all be better people, I send 240 well wishes to Zarate. In 2010, I hope to get more goals and assists to become a record goalscorer.
"I guess I must hurry, because I am a finished player...come to think of it, I was also finished at the beginning of 2009!"
The number 240 is the number of goals Totti has scored in his career. Beat that, Zarate.
Irish Independent


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The Spirit Trail Run is a fun, beautiful yet challenging trail race through the Buena Vista Trail system, including portions of the River Park Trails, Whipple Trails, Broken Boyfriend, and Midland Grade trails! This race will be hosted on Memorial Day weekend, during the annual CKS Paddlefest. Come for the race, stay to watch all of the action on the river!
Spirit Trail Run Marathon
Sunday May 24, 2020
Spirit Trail Run Half Marathon
Sunday May 24, 2020
Spirit Trail Run 8k
Sunday May 24, 2020
Sunday, May 24th
Location: Start/finish @ Paddlefest in Buena Vista, Colorado. The race course is on single track trail in the Four Mile area
- Marathon ($85)
- Half-Marathon ($70)
- 8k ($55)
Start times:
- Marathon @ 7:00 am
- Half-Marathon @ 8:00 am
- 8k @ 9:00 am
Sunrise is 6:43 am
Aid stations, podium awards, finisher swag (custom hats), and finish line party guaranteed!
Get ready for a well-marked, fully supported race! At check in, you'll throw on your timing chip and head to the start line, where we will give a quick race briefing to cover course markings and a little bit of trail etiquette. Throughout the run, you'll be following pink flags, pink arrows, and avoiding the occasional wrong way sign! The trails are rolling and vary in technicality (everything from smooth road to rocky single track), but you're guaranteed some amazing views of the Collegiate Peaks across the valley. There will be two aid stations on the course and one aid station at the start/finish finish. At the finish line, you'll earn your finisher swag (a Spirit Run trucker hat) as the celebration begins!!
Buena Vista is located at an altitude of 7,965' and has about 2,700 residents. The town is situated in the heart of the Arkansas River Valley half way between the towns of Leadville and Salida. On the western side of the valley stands the imposing Sawatch Mountain Range, home to 15 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks including the famed Collegiate Peaks. The Sawatch Range also forms a significant portion of the Continental Divid and hosts well over 100 miles of the Colorado Trail in addition to hundreds of miles of national forests trails traversing large swaths of remote wilderness area.
The eastern side of the Arkansas valley is flanked by the smaller Mosquito Range(though it is still home to 5 of Colorado's fourteeners). The eastern side of the Arkansas River Valley is high desert landscape mostly under the purview of the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and hosts a broad range of outdoor recreation opportunities from paddling to mountain biking, to off road vehicle use of all kinds, hunting, and, of course, running! In fact, it is in the Four-Mile Area on the east side of the Arkansa River Valley, just above the town of BV, that we host the Spirit Trail Run!
Lodging is available at the Surf Hotel near the start/finish line or at any other hotel/lodge in Buena Vista. We also recommend Camp Elevation, a bead and breakfast and high altitude training camp for runners situated just above the town of Buena Vista. Camp Elevation is actually on the race course and you can take the trails from the driveway straight into town and the race start/finish area!


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By Colleen Smith
A Cloud Evolution
The rise of Software as a Service (SaaS), and more recently, the cloud, has brought both technology and business changes for service providers, developers and users but also for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
The SaaS business model enables ISVs to reduce costs, enter new market, and launch and run a future-oriented SaaS business in the cloud. But transforming an existing on-premises application into reliable, scalable software capable of supporting many customers simultaneously is not a small thing and the business changes are harder and still ongoing. In essence, the delivery method has changed, and therefore the business model of selling SaaS and cloud services needs to change as well.
A New Way of Doing Business
While traditional software vendors are primarily concerned with application functionality and their customers are responsible for operating and managing the respective environments in which they run the software. A cloud vendor, on the other hand, needs to be equally concerned with operating and managing the environment that supports all its customers.
SaaS has been around long enough that most ISVs understand this and the basics of what SaaS brings – the benefits of a scalable and flexible, multitenant computing platform, alongside the risks and challenges such as legislation, security and performance. The right SaaS/cloud enablement partner will help maximize these benefits and navigate the challenges.
ISVs tapping into these benefits are able to offer applications out to multiple customers, gaining economies of scale while allowing customers to only pay for what they use. They also have the ability to gain access to computing power when they need it and only pay for what they use and need and with the right deployment platform, it can be done in a public or private cloud environment.
Furthermore, doing this through the cloud also improves time to market and productivity, allowing ISVs to quickly build and deploy new cloud applications and services.
A New Business Model
This shift is happening throughout the software industry, delivering rapid technological changes, with new innovations and capabilities coming all the time. The introduction of a new computing paradigm (cloud) combined with reduced budgets, means that long-term licenses arent attractive to most customers anymore.
As a result, a new approach to selling means there needs to be a change to the way an ISV prices and markets its solutions. Similarly, moving from a traditional on-premises software business to a SaaS business can cause a significant amount of disruption to an established ISV.
One of the key changes to the business model is the shift away from this traditional licensing model, which has peaks and troughs of income, to a more stable and constant revenue stream.
This change can also help cut churn rates, as there isn't the periodic 'big spend' crunch time that comes with traditional relicensing contracts. However, this also can make additions and up-selling harder as these one-offs break the cycle of regular and predictable monthly payments.
New Requirements
From a delivery perspective, the move to SaaS and the cloud brings changes to the business requirements too. As such, priorities need to shift when looking at developing a SaaS application.
Where the traditional model was about maintenance and upgrades, ISVs have to get used to delivering a service, with SLAs in place that need to be maintained on an ongoing basis or face the possibility that customers could go elsewhere. ISVs also need to consider scalability, which is key to growth and fundamental to maintaining service quality as the volumes of users grow.
A New Remuneration Model
One of the biggest impacts this shift in business and payments makes is to that of sales staff remuneration. The sales compensation model of paying commissions for selling big deals crumbles when there isn't a big contract for the customer to sign or big renewals to negotiate.
Different ISVs are experimenting with alternate remuneration models and thus far it seems to vary depending on the company or industry, as well as the type of service being delivered.
Typical SaaS pricing also implies another important change in how organizations should think about their business. Traditionally, both sellers and customers view an ISV's fourth fiscal quarter as the most important, as that's when they're trying to land accounts and boost numbers for the year. However, with the SaaS business model, it is more about the length of the term of the contract, continuously driving new business and increasing the volume of the business.
The SaaS model, particularly when linked with a cloud delivery platform also enables an ISV to look at what's going on in the market and quickly address changing market conditions, as well as look to new geographies but once again this requires a change in how sales and marketing are perceived and executed.
A New Partnership
This level of change can be a daunting prospect for any ISV, and highlights the need for a partner that can not only deliver the technological underpinning to assist with this transition, but also provide consultancy and support on changing the underlying business too.
When eyeing the cloud, ISVs should look to partner with someone that will provide all of the benefits of multitenancy, scalability, security, data encryption and so on, to allow them to deliver the best and most secure and reliable cloud-based applications possible. The best partner possible will provide all of this as well as help shape the new strategy. This includes enabling the sales team to understand what the selling strategy is, how to change lead generation and marketing and use of the web and social media.
Getting the business model right is imperative to the successful migration to a SaaS model, but there are many factors to consider. As such, the right partner is key to successfully navigating the transition, not just of the software delivery, but of the business model.
From a technology perspective, it's about supporting web-based clients, multitenancy, data and access security, scalability and pay-as-you-go payment models, helping migrate over time without having to replace loads of hardware and intellectual property.
Colleen Smith is vice president, software as a service, for Progress Software.


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This guy is the truth! If you haven't heard of Armond by now, wake yourself up with a brisk slap in the face! Just kidding. Seriously though, Armond is becoming a colossal force in Hip-Hop. The Columbus, OH native professes his deepest thoughts and emotions with his own brand of prophetic music. In addition to putting out hit album after hit album, he is a renowned blogger and is the co-host of Clock Radio Speakers (a weekly podcast dedicated to great music) and a dedicated father.
Armond has been in the game for quite some time. He has ten mixtapes under his belt including his latest effort, "Three Day Weekend", an abstract journey into sound and thought which takes place over a nice long three day weekend. The production is different from what we're used to hearing from Armond's camp, but is dope in its own right. His moving concepts are relatable and continue to be a staple in his composition.
Armond is an artist to get familiar with real quick. Buy shares in his stock while you have the chance, for it won't be long before like his career, they begin to skyrocket. Always one to put forth his best effort, Armond dares to dream out loud for all to hear.
Appealing Jawns| Archie Stranger – Peter Franks Group – Kambridge
Acclaimed Jawns| Jodan Rakei – Michelle Blades – Elise Testone
Live in the Lab Ep 24 featuring Nick Waterhouse – Kelly Finnigan – JP Bemini and The Black Belts
Live in the Lab Wrap Up 2018
Live in the Lab Episode 13
Live in the Lab Episode 12
July 21, 2012 at 11:59 am
Testing it out
July 21, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Test 2


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Granite is molten lava that never rose above the surface of the earth. Granite is a very hard natural stone denser than marble. A geologist will tell you that it is an igneous or metamorphic rock that is highly saturated with silica. Silica when combined with oxygen makes the mineral quartz, and it has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. Suffice it to say there are not too many things that will easily scratch granite tile.
Granite Cleaning Campbelltown - Adelaide
We provide specialised cleaning , sealing & restoration solutions for stone tiles, particularly Granite tiled floors.
Tile Cleaners ® is Australia's leading tile care company. With years of experience in Marble restoration cleaning we provide one of the highest quality services in Australia. Our large product portfolio caters for most of your Marble cleaning needs. We provide a wide range of services that varies from cleaning, sealing and restoration your everyday marble tiles to regrouting any type of tiles that you have. Our large client base varies from small homes to the largest shopping centres in Campbelltown. Hotels, bars, lobbies, hospitals, medical centres, large to small offices and other various businesses in Campbelltown request our help for their Marble tile care needs. Our thorough and professional processes and using our unique state of the art equipment is what differentiates us. Utilising the world's best equipment with unique wash, scrub and dry technology. Using less water, power and detergents than other cleaning methods.
Granite is a hard wearing beautiful tile which is very popular laid in kitchens and bathrooms. Granite tile makes a stunning floor, wall covering or granite tile countertop. Granite is becoming the material of choice for today's homes and offices, synthetic materials are simply no match for granite's natural beauty and classic elegance. Granite is available in a wide variety of colors and can be shaped into straight or curved patterns to match virtually any requirement including beautiful kitchens, vanities and bath areas.
The most popular granite tiles are available in three colours, absolute black (pure black stone, minus any other colours), Black Galaxy (black tiles, with gold specks all over) and Kashmir White (White tiles with specks of different colours). They add an element of elegance wherever they are placed, and generally require very less maintenance. Further, they can be used at many different parts of a home (kitchen flooring and slabs, bathroom wall covering, patio, and so on) as well as an office (meeting room flooring/walls).
What is Granite?
Cleaning and Maintaining Granite Floor Tiles
Cleaning tiles to make them look pretty in order to maintain the beauty of your homes can be a difficult task at times. It is practically for this reason that granite floor tiles, happen to be the best choice in comparison to any other types of floor tiles. Granite floor tiles are extremely durable and are also very easy to clean and maintain. They are especially convenient to be used for kitchens, as the kitchen is a place where the maximum amount of spilling of food happens, and there is constant cleaning of tiles going on because of this. However, with granite floor tiles, the cleaning of tiles no longer remains a nightmare as granite is extremely durable and is capable of handling any type of damaging activities that occur in the kitchen.
Granite floor tiles are resistant to stains, and grease. And thus, they do not get affected when tea, coffee, fizzy drinks etc. fall on these tiles. Also, granite floor tiles are resistant to oil and acid and alkali chemical spills as well. Sweeping and mopping the granite floor tiles daily with warm water does the job of the maintenance of these tiles. Granite floor tiles are extremely easy to clean. Also, cleaning granite tiles once every week with stone soap helps to maintain the shine of the granite floor tiles. Though granite is a hard and non porous stone that is unaffected by most chemicals it still requires high degrees of care while cleaning. While cleaning, the use of harsh chemicals should be avoided.
We provide specialised cleaning, stripping & sealing solutions for Granite floor & wall tiles in Adelaide/Campbelltown.
Our equipment can handle both domestic and commercial cleaning jobs, leaving your floors spotless and hygienic.
Granite Tile Care Tips & Advice
- Regularly dust the surface.
- Keep floors swept or vacuumed regularly.
- Only use the proper stone care products.
- Use few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a mild liquid dish washing detergent or warm water.
- Use a clean rag.
- Use a coaster or gliders under chairs and other furniture.
- All products containing acids should be avoided. The acid in high concentration etches the surface.
- After using the soap solution, the surface should be rinsed properly.
- In the kitchen extremely hot pans should not be kept over granite slabs since it quickly absorbs heat and distributes it out.
- Take care and pride of your stone and it will give you many years of performance.
- Consult a stone restoration contractor prior to installation. These are the professionals who will suggest the proper materials and methods of installation.
Granite Stone Care Warnings!
- Don't use vinegar, soft scrub, windex, or your common household cleaners, especially in showers.
- Don't mix bleach and ammonia; this combination creates a toxic and lethal gas.
- Don't use powders or creams that may create scratches.
- Don't use too much cleaner or soap as this may leave a film and cause streaks.
- Don't use a vacuum that can cause scratching.
- Don't drag heavy objects across stone floors.
Don't hire an inexperienced contractor
We offer a wide range of services that will dramatically transform the appearance, market appeal and capital value of your property. We provide a single source service for the treatment of problems associated with Tiles, Grout, Natural Stone & Masonry Surfaces.
We provide specialised cleaning, stripping & sealing solutions for Granite floor & wall tiles.
Our equipment can handle both domestic and commercial cleaning jobs, leaving your floors spotless and hygienic.
Our Commercial Granite Cleaning Services in Campbelltown Covers
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We cover all Adelaide suburbs and all Campbelltown area . Our commercial client base includes a wide range of builders, real estate agents and insurance companies
Our Residential Granite Cleaning Services in Campbelltown Covers
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We cover all Adelaide suburbs and all Campbelltown area
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Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Solution & Analysis
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Help is currently one of the biggest food cycle worldwide. It was founded by Henri Note On Risk Arbitrage in 1866, a German Pharmacist who initially introduced "Farine Lactee"; a mix of flour and milk to decrease and feed babies mortality rate. At the exact same time, the Page brothers from Switzerland likewise discovered The Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. The two ended up being rivals at first however later merged in 1905, resulting in the birth of Note On Risk Arbitrage.
Note On Risk Arbitrage is now a transnational business. Unlike other multinational companies, it has senior executives from different countries and attempts to make decisions thinking about the entire world. Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Analysis currently has more than 500 factories worldwide and a network spread across 86 nations.
The purpose of Note On Risk Arbitrage Corporation is to improve the quality of life of individuals by playing its part and offering healthy food. While making sure that the company is being successful in the long run, that's how it plays its part for a better and healthy future
Nestlé's vision is to supply its consumers with food that is healthy, high in quality and safe to eat. Note On Risk Arbitrage pictures to establish a trained workforce which would assist the company to grow.
Nestlé's objective is that as currently, it is the leading company in the food market, it thinks in 'Excellent Food, Excellent Life". Its mission is to provide its consumers with a range of options that are healthy and best in taste. It is focused on offering the very best food to its customers throughout the day and night.
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Solution has a wide range of products that it provides to its clients. Its products consist of food for babies, cereals, dairy items, treats, chocolates, food for animal and mineral water. It has around 4 hundred and fifty (450) factories around the globe and around 328,000 workers. In 2011, Note On Risk Arbitrage was noted as the most rewarding organization.
Objectives and Objectives.
• Bearing in mind the vision and mission of the corporation, the business has set its goals and goals. These objectives and goals are noted below.
• One goal of the business is to reach no landfill status.
• Another goal of Note On Risk Arbitrage is to squander minimum food throughout production. Most often, the food produced is squandered even before it reaches the clients.
• Another thing that Note On Risk Arbitrage is working on is to enhance its packaging in such a way that it would assist it to decrease the above-mentioned complications and would likewise guarantee the shipment of high quality of its items to its consumers.
• Meet worldwide requirements of the environment.
• Build a relationship based on trust with its consumers, service partners, workers, and federal government.
Vital Issues.
Just Recently, Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Solution Business is focusing more towards the strategy of NHW and investing more of its revenues on the R&D technology. The nation is investing more on mergers and acquisitions to support its NHW method. The target of the company is not attained as the sales were anticipated to grow greater at the rate of 10% per year and the operating margins to increase by 20%, provided in Display H.
Situational Analysis.
Analysis of Present Technique, Vision and Goals.
The current Note On Risk Arbitrage method is based on the concept of Nutritious, Health and Health (NHW). This strategy handles the idea to bringing modification in the client choices about food and making the food things healthier worrying about the health concerns.
The vision of this method is based upon the secret technique i.e. 60/40+ which just means that the items will have a score of 60% on the basis of taste and 40% is based on its nutritional value. The products will be produced with additional dietary worth in contrast to all other products in market gaining it a plus on its dietary material.
This method was adopted to bring more yummy plus nutritious foods and beverages in market than ever. In competition with other companies, with an intention of retaining its trust over consumers as Note On Risk Arbitrage Company has gained more trusted by costumers.
Microenvironment Analysis (PESTEL Analysis).
The analysis used to measure the position of company in the market is done by utilizing PESTLE analysis, given up Exhibit A. Note On Risk Arbitrage works under the policies and guidelines directed by government and food authority. The business is more concentrated on its product or services to make sure about the product quality and safety. This analysis will help in comprehending environment of external market in the global food and beverage markets. (Parera, 2017).
The political effect on the business is considerably influenced by the government laws and policies. The company has to meet its requirements supplied by federal government otherwise it has to pay fine. Note On Risk Arbitrage is significantly supported by Government to fulfill all the requirements of requirements like acts of health and safety. In efforts to manufacture great food, Note On Risk Arbitrage is altering the standards of food and drink manufacturing. This may trigger the violation of governmental rules and regulations.
Initiation of the business where the capital earnings of each individual matters for the increased net sale as this differs country-to-country. The economy of the Note On Risk Arbitrage Company in U.S. is growing year by year with variable items launch specifically concentrating on the nutritional food for babies.
The social environment keeps changing with respect to time like the mindset of the customer along with their way of lives. Any product and services of any business can not be successful up until the business is not concerned about the living system of the consumer. Note On Risk Arbitrage is taking measures to satisfy its goals as the world remains in search of healthy and tasty food.
In the development of business, strategic measures are somewhat compulsory. Note On Risk Arbitrage is among the leading famous international company and by time it invests in different departments to take its products to new level. Note On Risk Arbitrage is investing more on its R&D to make its items much healthier and healthy offering customers with health advantages.
There is no such effect of legal elements of Note On Risk Arbitrage as it is more concerned over its regulations and laws.
Note On Risk Arbitrage, in terms of environmental effect is devoted to work in environment-friendly environment with conservation of the natural deposits and energy. If the resources used are recyclable or not, as due to the manufacturing of larger number of items there may be a threat.
Competitive Forces Analysis (Porter's 5 Forces Design).
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Analysis has acquired a variety of business that helped it in diversification and growth of its product's profile. This is the comprehensive explanation of the Porter's design of 5 forces of Note On Risk Arbitrage Company, given in Display B.
Note On Risk Arbitrage is one of the top company in this competitive market with a number of strong rivals like Unilever, Kraft foods and Group DANONE. Note On Risk Arbitrage is running well in this race for last 150 years. The competitors of other business with Note On Risk Arbitrage is rather high.
Threat of New Entrants.
A number of barriers are there for the brand-new entrants to take place in the customer food industry. Only a few entrants be successful in this market as there is a need to understand the consumer requirement which requires time while current competitors are well aware and has actually advanced with the customer loyalty over their items with time. There is low threat of new entrants to Note On Risk Arbitrage as it has rather big network of circulation globally controling with well-reputed image.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers.
In the food and drink market, Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Solution owes the largest share of market needing higher number of supply chains. In response, Note On Risk Arbitrage has actually also been worried for its providers as it thinks in long-lasting relations.
Bargaining Power of Buyers.
Hence, Note On Risk Arbitrage makes sure to keep its clients pleased. This has led Note On Risk Arbitrage to be one of the faithful business in eyes of its purchasers.
Danger of Replacements.
There has been a terrific threat of replacements as there are alternatives of some of the Nestlé's items such as boiled water and pasteurized milk. There has likewise been a claim that a few of its products are not safe to utilize leading to the decreased sale. Therefore, Note On Risk Arbitrage began highlighting the health benefits of its products to cope up with the substitutes.
Competitor Analysis.
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Analysis covers much of the popular consumer brands like Package Kat and Nescafe and so on. About 29 brand names among all of its brand names, each brand name made a profits of about $1billion in 2010. Its major part of sale is in North America making up about 42% of its all sales. In Europe and U.S. the top significant brand names offered by Note On Risk Arbitrage in these states have a great reputable share of market. Also Note On Risk Arbitrage, Unilever and DANONE are two large industries of food and beverages in addition to its main rivals. In the year 2010, Note On Risk Arbitrage had made its yearly profit by 26% increase because of its increased food and drinks sale particularly in cooking stuff, ice-cream, drinks based on tea, and frozen food. On the other hand, DANONE, due to the increasing rates of shares resulting an increase of 38% in its profits. Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Help lowered its sales expense by the adjustment of a brand-new accounting treatment. Unilever has number of employees about 230,000 and functions in more than 160 nations and its London headquarter. It has become the second largest food and drink market in the West Europe with a market share of about 8.6% with only a difference of 0.3 points with Note On Risk Arbitrage. Unilever shares a market share of about 7.7 with Note On Risk Arbitrage becoming first and ranking DANONE as 3rd. Note On Risk Arbitrage brings in regional clients by its low cost of the item with the regional taste of the products preserving its top place in the global market. Note On Risk Arbitrage business has about 280,000 staff members and functions in more than 197 nations edging its competitors in lots of areas. Note On Risk Arbitrage has actually likewise reduced its cost of supply by introducing E-marketing in contrast to its rivals.
Note: A quick contrast of Note On Risk Arbitrage with its close rivals is given in Exhibition C.
SWOT Analysis.
The internal analysis and external of the business likewise can be done through SWOT Analysis, summarized in the Exhibition F.
• Note On Risk Arbitrage has an experience of about 140 years, allowing company to better carry out, in numerous situations.
• Nestlé's has presence in about 86 nations, making it a global leader in Food and Drink Industry.
• Note On Risk Arbitrage has more than 2000 brands, which increase the circle of its target customers. These brand names consist of child foods, animal food, confectionary items, beverages and so on. Famous brand names of Note On Risk Arbitrage include; Maggi, Kit-Kat, Nescafe, and so on
• Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Analysis has large quantity of costs on R&D as compare to its rivals, making the company to launch more healthy and ingenious items. This innovation supplies the business a high competitive position in long term.
• After adopting its NHW Technique, the business has done big quantity of mergers and acquisitions which increase the sales growth and enhance market position of Note On Risk Arbitrage.
• Note On Risk Arbitrage is a widely known brand with high consumer's commitment and brand name recall. This brand name commitment of customers increases the possibilities of simple market adoption of numerous new brand names of Note On Risk Arbitrage.
Weak points.
• Acquisitions of those service, like; Kraft frozen Pizza company can offer a negative signal to Note On Risk Arbitrage clients about their compromise over their core proficiency of healthier foods.
• The development I sales as compare to the business's financial investment in NHW Method are rather various. It will take long to alter the understanding of individuals ab out Note On Risk Arbitrage as a business offering nutritious and healthy products.
• Introducing more health related items allows the company to catch the marketplace in which customers are quite conscious about health.
• Developing countries like India and China has biggest markets on the planet. For this reason expanding the marketplace towards establishing nations can improve the Note On Risk Arbitrage organisation by increasing sales volume.
• Continue acquisitions and joint endeavors increases the marketplace share of the business.
• Increased relationships with schools, hotel chains, dining establishments etc. can also increase the variety of Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Help customers. For example, teachers can suggest their trainees to acquire Note On Risk Arbitrage products.
• Economic instability in nations, which are the potential markets for Note On Risk Arbitrage, can produce several problems for Note On Risk Arbitrage.
• Shifting of products from normal to much healthier, leads to extra costs and can lead to decrease company's profit margins.
• As Note On Risk Arbitrage has a complex supply chain, for that reason failure of any of the level of supply chain can lead the business to face specific problems.
Division Analysis
Demographic Segmentation
The market segmentation of Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Help is based upon 4 elements; age, gender, profession and income. For instance, Note On Risk Arbitrage produces several products connected to infants i.e. Cerelac, Nido, and so on and related to adults i.e. confectionary items. Note On Risk Arbitrage products are quite affordable by almost all levels, but its significant targeted consumers, in terms of earnings level are upper and middle middle level consumers.
Geographical Division
Geographical division of Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Study Analysis is made up of its presence in almost 86 countries. Its geographical division is based upon two primary aspects i.e. average earnings level of the consumer as well as the environment of the area. Singapore Note On Risk Arbitrage Company's division is done on the basis of the weather of the region i.e. hot, cold or warm.
Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographic segmentation of Note On Risk Arbitrage is based upon the personality and life style of the customer. Note On Risk Arbitrage 3 in 1 Coffee target those customers whose life design is rather hectic and do not have much time.
Behavioral Segmentation
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Analysis behavioral segmentation is based upon the mindset understanding and awareness of the customer. For example its highly healthy items target those clients who have a health mindful mindset towards their usages.
VRIO Analysis
The VRIO analysis of Note On Risk Arbitrage Company is a broad variety analysis supplying the organization with an opportunity to obtain a practical competitive benefit versus its competitors in the food and drink market, summarized in Display I.
The resources utilized by the Note On Risk Arbitrage business are valuable for the company or not. Such as the resources like finance, human resources, management of operations and experts in marketing. This are a few of the key important aspects of for the recognition of competitive benefit.
The valuable resources used by Note On Risk Arbitrage are expensive or even unusual. If these resources are typically found that it would be much easier for the rivals and the brand-new competitors in the market to effortlessly relocate competitors.
The replica process is expensive for the competitors of Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Solution Business. However, it can be done just in 2 different strategies i.e. item duplication which is produced and manufactured by Note On Risk Arbitrage Company and introducing of the alternative of the items with switching expense. This increases the hazard of disruption to the current structure of the market.
This element of VRIO analysis handle the compatibility of the company to place in the market making productive use of its valuable resources which are hard to mimic. Frequently, the advancement of management is totally dependent on the company's execution strategy and group. Thus, this polishes the skills of the company by time based on the choices made by firm for the progression of its strategic capitals.
Quantitative Analysis
R&D Costs as a percentage of sales are decreasing with increasing actual amount of spending shows that the sales are increasing at a higher rate than its R&D costs, and permit the business to more spend on R&D.
Net Earnings Margin is increasing while R&D as a portion of sales is decreasing. This sign likewise reveals a thumbs-up to the R&D spending, acquisitions and mergers.
Financial obligation ratio of the business is increasing due to its spending on mergers, acquisitions and R&D advancement instead of payment of debts. This increasing financial obligation ratio position a threat of default of Note On Risk Arbitrage to its financiers and could lead a decreasing share prices. Therefore, in terms of increasing financial obligation ratio, the firm should not invest much on R&D and needs to pay its existing debts to decrease the danger for financiers.
The increasing risk of investors with increasing debt ratio and declining share prices can be observed by huge decrease of EPS of Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Help stocks.
The sales growth of company is also low as compare to its mergers and acquisitions due to slow perception building of customers. This sluggish growth also hinder business to further invest in its acquisitions and mergers.( Note On Risk Arbitrage, Note On Risk Arbitrage Financial Reports, 2006-2010).
Keep in mind: All the above analysis is done on the basis of calculations and Graphs given up the Exhibitions D and E.
TWOS Analysis.
TWOS analysis can be utilized to obtain different techniques based upon the SWOT Analysis offered above. A brief summary of TWOS Analysis is given up Exhibition H.
Techniques to make use of Opportunities using Strengths.
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Solution must present more innovative items by large quantity of R&D Spending and acquisitions and mergers. It might increase the marketplace share of Note On Risk Arbitrage and increase the revenue margins for the business. It might also supply Note On Risk Arbitrage a long term competitive advantage over its rivals.
The worldwide growth of Note On Risk Arbitrage ought to be focused on market recording of establishing countries by expansion, attracting more clients through customer's loyalty. As developing countries are more populous than industrialized countries, it might increase the customer circle of Note On Risk Arbitrage.
Techniques to Get Rid Of Weaknesses to Make Use Of Opportunities.
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Analysis should do careful acquisition and merger of organizations, as it might impact the client's and society's understandings about Note On Risk Arbitrage. It needs to merge and get with those companies which have a market track record of nutritious and healthy companies. It would improve the understandings of customers about Note On Risk Arbitrage.
Note On Risk Arbitrage must not only spend its R&D on development, rather than it ought to also focus on the R&D costs over evaluation of cost of different healthy products. This would increase cost effectiveness of its items, which will lead to increasing its sales, due to decreasing rates, and margins.
Strategies to use strengths to get rid of dangers.
Note On Risk Arbitrage ought to move to not only establishing but likewise to industrialized nations. It needs to expand its circle to different nations like Unilever which operates in about 170 plus countries.
Techniques to get rid of weaknesses to avoid threats.
Note On Risk Arbitrage needs to wisely control its acquisitions to avoid the threat of misunderstanding from the customers about Note On Risk Arbitrage. It ought to merge and acquire with those countries having a goodwill of being a healthy company in the market. This would not just enhance the understanding of customers about Note On Risk Arbitrage but would likewise increase the sales, revenue margins and market share of Note On Risk Arbitrage. It would also enable the company to use its potential resources efficiently on its other operations instead of acquisitions of those organizations slowing the NHW technique growth.
In order to sustain the brand in the market and keep the customer undamaged with the brand name, there are two options:.
Alternative: 1.
The Business must invest more on acquisitions than on the R&D.
1. Acquisitions would increase total properties of the company, increasing the wealth of the company. However, costs on R&D would be sunk expense.
2. The company can resell the acquired systems in the market, if it stops working to implement its technique. Amount spend on the R&D might not be restored, and it will be thought about completely sunk expense, if it do not provide possible results.
3. Spending on R&D supply slow growth in sales, as it takes long time to present an item. Acquisitions supply quick results, as it offer the company currently established item, which can be marketed quickly after the acquisition.
1. Acquisition of business's which do not fit with the company's values like Kraftz foods can lead the business to face misunderstanding of customers about Note On Risk Arbitrage core worths of healthy and healthy items.
2. Big spending on acquisitions than R&D would send a signal of company's inefficiency of establishing ingenious items, and would results in customer's dissatisfaction.
3. Large acquisitions than R&D would extend the line of product of the company by the items which are currently present in the market, making business not able to present new ingenious products.
Option: 2
The Business needs to spend more on its R&D rather than acquisitions.
1. It would allow the business to produce more innovative products.
2. It would provide the business a strong competitive position in the market.
3. It would allow the company to increase its targeted customers by presenting those items which can be used to an entirely brand-new market segment.
4. Innovative products will supply long term benefits and high market share in long term.
1. It would decrease the earnings margins of the company.
2. In case of failure, the whole spending on R&D would be considered as sunk cost, and would impact the business at large. The danger is not in the case of acquisitions.
3. It would not increase the wealth of business, which might supply an unfavorable signal to the investors, and could result I declining stock costs.
Alternative 3:
Continue its acquisitions and mergers with substantial spending on in R&D Program.
1. It would permit the company to present new innovative items with less threat of transforming the costs on R&D into sunk expense.
2. It would provide a favorable signal to the financiers, as the total possessions of the company would increase with its considerable R&D costs.
3. It would not affect the revenue margins of the business at a big rate as compare to alternative 2.
4. It would provide the company a strong long term market position in terms of the company's general wealth as well as in regards to innovative products.
1. Threat of conversion of R&D costs into sunk expense, higher than alternative 1 lesser than alternative 2.
2. Danger of misconception about the acquisitions, higher than alternative 2 and lower than alternative 1.
3. Intro of less number of ingenious items than alternative 2 and high variety of innovative items than alternative 1.
With the deep analysis of the above options, it is recommended that the company needs to choose the alternative 3 in order to preserve a competitive position in the long run. As the alternative 3 would enable the business to not just introduce innovative and brand-new products in the market it would likewise minimize the high expenses on R&D under alternative 2 and increase the earnings margins. It would enable the business to increase its share prices also, as investors want to invest more in companies with considerable R&D costs and boost in the overall worth of the company.
Action and implementation Strategy
Technique can be executed effectively by establishing specific short-term as well as long term strategies. These strategies might be as follows;
Short Term Strategy (0-1 year).
• Under the short-term plan Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Help ought to perform different activities to execute its NHW strategy effectively. These activities are as follows;.
• Get the audit of its brand portfolio done, to examine the core selling brands, which generate the majority of its earnings.
• Examine the existing target market along with the marketplace sector which is not include in the business's circle.
• Examine the current financial data to determine the amount that needs to be invested in the R&D and acquisitions.
• Analyze the possible investors and their nature, i.e. do they desire long term benefits (capital gain), or the desire early revenues (dividend). It would let the business to know that just how much amount needs to be invested in R&D.
Mid Term Plan (1-5 years).
• Get those companies in which the business has possible experience to handle. Acquire most beneficial companies with a strong dedication to health, to build the customer's perceptions in the right instructions.
• Focus more on acquisitions than R&D to develop the base in the customer's mind about Note On Risk Arbitrage worths and vision and to prevent prospective danger of sunk cost.
Long Term Plan (1-10 years).
• Obtain organizations with health in addition to taste factor, as the base for the Note On Risk Arbitrage as a business producing healthy items has actually been constructed under midterm plan and now the company could move towards taste factor also to grasp the consumers, which focus more on taste rather than health.
• Be more aggressive towards R&D than the acquisitions, as it is the significant time to develop new products.
Note On Risk Arbitrage Case Solution has developed considerable market share and brand name identity in the city markets, it is recommended that the business must focus on the rural areas in terms of establishing brand name awareness, equity, and commitment, such can be done by creating a particular brand allowance technique through trade marketing techniques, that draw clear distinction between Note On Risk Arbitrage products and other competitor products. This will allow the business to establish brand name equity for newly presented and currently produced products on a greater platform, making the reliable use of resources and brand image in the market.


text:
If you're a woman walking down the street
in Brooklyn, it's likely you have been or will be on the receiving
end of catcalls, men shouting remarks about the way you look.
While some of these comments may sound complimentary or possibly
one-liners for the amusement of other men standing around in
a group, men and women don't take away the same meanings from
these interactions.
In fact, most women feel threatened.
That was the case for Jenga Mwendo as she walked through Crown
Heights to Bedford-Stuyvesant last July. The experience was so
harrowing for Mwendo that she fired off an angry e-mail to her
colleagues at Red Clay Arts, a Clinton Hill non-profit arts organization,
with this suggestion: "We could open an exhibit where a
man could walk through alone, and hear [catcalls] while the eyes
of men leer at [him] from the walls."
At BRIC Studio in February, the "Red Clay Arts In Studio
Series: Practicum" unveiled "Cat Calls," a multimedia
installation exploring the what, where, when and whys of catcalls
– an answer to Mwendo's e-mail. The event was so successful that
plans are now in the works for an expanded version of the show,
which includes an art installation, poetry, theater, school programs
and dance, which will go on tour next year.
In the meantime, Brooklynites can feast their eyes and ears on
the latest version of "Cat Calls" at Smack Mellon Studios
in DUMBO on July 27.
Curated by Mwendo, the exhibit "examines the phenomenon
as a living environment, seeking to gauge its effects on women
and young girls and to expose men to catcalling from a female
The exhibit includes a "Walk of Shame," a type of hallway
with projected images of leering men who stare, lick their lips
and mouth profanities as the viewer walks through.
"Empathy isn't something you can learn by reading,"
said Mwendo. "You have to experience it."
The "Talking Heads Panel Discussion" is a series of
pre-recorded interviews edited to simulate an actual live discussion,
represented by a five-monitor display. The panelists – men, women
and teens from the Lower East Side Girls Club – discuss why men
catcall and how it affects women.
There is also a new dance work, "Women Navigating Through
Space" by Kwame Ross, the founder and artistic director
of Prophecy Dance Theater and associate artistic director of
Urban Bush Women. Ross' work details a woman's journey through
her daily life.
In addition, performance artist Liza Jesse Peterson will read
her provocative "Ice Cream" poem live, and actors will
perform a humorous skit recreating various catcalling scenarios
written and directed by Aminisha Ferdinand. The skit incorporates
her first-hand experience with daily catcalls on the streets
of New York.
"We jotted down a list of scenarios – catcalls from across
the street or from a car or walking past a group of men – and
we gave those to Aminisha," said Mwendo. "She took
them to the next level. It's hilarious. When you take something
so seriously, you see how idiotic it really is – that was [Executive
Director] Elissa Blount's idea."
Mwendo explained that the exhibit is "unconventional"
in its subject matter as well as its setup. There are no chairs
in the Smack Mellon space. The exhibit is open to be explored
and the dance, DJ b. rett's spinning and theater piece will happen
when they happen – spontaneous happenings.
Blount explained that her organization's "whole mission
is to expose vanguard art and art on the cutting edge. We're
particularly focused on new media and visual arts. We give a
platform to stuff that is not represented in mainstream places
like a museum. It's work that is usually marginalized.
"'Cat Calls' is a perfect expression of that kind of art,"
said Blount. "You don't think of an everyday experience
in an artistic context." She explained that when Red Clay
first unveiled "Cat Calls" in February, they didn't
have plans – artistically or financially – to expand it into
a large, traveling exhibition. Now the organization has to raise
considerable additional funds to expand the show and to take
it to a wider audience.
"A lot of the element is technology driven," said Mwendo.
"We need up-to-date computer and video equipment and video
editing services. It's a pricey exhibition."
But that won't slow Red Clay's mission to bring the show to new
locations. Next year, "Cat Calls" will travel to the
Ashe Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
"Jenga was able to tap into something every human has experienced
on one level or another – or at least witnessed," said Blount.
"We're kind of reacting to the success of the show. We're
making that the centerpiece for next year."
In brainstorming ideas for outreach components of the show, the
curators had business cards printed, "so whenever [a woman]
is catcalled, she can give the man a card," said Mwendo.
"And the phone number on the card is the number at Red Clay
Arts that will explain: if you got this card, you did one of
three things The voicemail will be ready by July 27th."
Another new outreach component was an online survey and questionnaire.
Mwendo said they would post the results at the show "in
a creative way."
The doors open at 6 pm, with a screening of Maggie Hadleigh-West's
1998 documentary "War Zone." Hadleigh-West was grappling
with catcalls for seven years, and her answer was to turn her
camera on the men who were harassing her. Her film about "street
abuse" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival
and had a run at Film Forum in Manhattan.
Because of these varied elements of the show, including school
outreach and the "conscious effort to not be heavy-handed
and preachy," Blount said she hopes the show "will
spark communication among the genders. It's almost sociological
the impact it could have."
Even a simple list hung on a wall proved to be an eye-opener.
"One of the elements of the February show was a log,"
said Mwendo. "During one week, I wrote where, when and what
catcalls were said to me. It was posted on the wall – this long,
long list. Women know, but during the Q&A, a man stood up
and said, 'I didn't understand the volume.'
"One of the men who stood up brought up that he gained a
sense of responsibility – he should tell other men why it's wrong,
why they shouldn't treat women that way or why it's disrespectful.
They think they're telling you that you have a nice ass and you
should be happy.
"But how are we supposed to know who's a nice guy and who's
going to rape me?" asked Mwendo. "These are complete
strangers. There is a threat of violence that underlies these
random street interactions."
"Cat Calls" is a response to the angry, exasperated
e-mail Mwendo sent to her colleagues a year ago. Underlying the
show's components are a bill of rights – a challenge to the exhibit
visitors and society at large – which she set forth in her e-mail.
"I would like to give and receive respect from all men,
regardless of their age or looks or marital status," wrote
Mwendo. "I would like to feel safe no matter what time of
day I walk in the street. I would like my sex not to be a danger
to me. I would like men to stop acting as though they cannot
control themselves, to stop blaming women for turning them on."
Red Clay Arts' "Cat Calls"
will be presented July 27 at 6 pm at Smack Mellon Studios, 56
Water St. between Main and Dock streets in DUMBO. Installations
will remain on view until Sunday, July 28. For directions, visit
on the Web. Admission is free. For more information, call Red
Clay Arts at (718) 398-1500.