Crash Character Analysis

The film Crash is about a wide assortment of individuals of various races in Los Angeles, California and how they all interlace with one another. In the film Crash there are numerous characters that start to change their ways all through the film. One individual in the film that has changed the most is the character Sandra Bullock plays her name is Jean Cabot.The reason being the reason she has changed is on the grounds that one night in the wake of eating, her and spouse Rick Cabot are vehicle jacked at gunpoint by two dark men in an esteemed and rich condition of California. From this experience she is sincerely scarred and generalizations each race that isn't before her face. In one scene of the film, the Cabot’s are getting new secures their home after they were commandeered. The man who is changing the locks on the entryway is a Hispanic male who is generalized by Jean as a result of his shaved head, pants around his base, and his tattoos. Jean demands to Rick that when t he locksmith leaves that he will offer the keys to his â€Å"gang banger† companions directly as he leaves.The man caught Janet and leaves the keys before her. Janet felt regret for the words she had said about the locksmith due to her bogus indictments. In numerous different scenes of the film Janet is seen loudly manhandling her Hispanic house cleaner Maria. In one scene of the film, Maria arrived behind schedule to work because of driving her child to class. Janet comes down the stairs into the kitchen and finds that Maria didn't void out the dishwasher of all the perfect dishes from the prior night. Janet lashes out on Maria each possibility she gets and in the long run fires her.During the finish of the film, Janet Cabot has an acknowledgment of her conduct and activities towards any individual who isn't a similar shading as her. One scene of the film Janet is seen chatting on the telephone with her companion of ten years about every day occasions and parts of the bargai ns. After the discussion has finished, Janet tumbles down the steps and can’t move. Janet called her companion of ten years to come help yet she said that she was to occupied with getting a back rub and would not have the option to come. In distress Janet summoned Maria who came option to help. In a revelation, Janet understands that her house keeper that she obnoxiously mishandled ordinary was her closest companion. She at that point acknowledges what is in reality wrong and it is maxim due to her vehicle being taken it is becauseâ she is simply furious constantly.

Worship Of Hindu Gods Now And Then Religion Essay

Love Of Hindu Gods Now And Then Religion Essay Hinduism: Hinduism or Sanatan (which means an all inclusive religion) is viewed as the universes most seasoned religion that began on the Indian sub-landmass. As indicated by its Vedic records, its history of beginning is dated between to 6,000 to 10,000 years and that is the reason it is considered as one of the antiquated religions of the world. It is the local religion of India and it has neither a particular human organizer nor a solitary book of veneration yet rather established its frameworks on antiquated holy sacred writings that were passed down the ages by an informal exchange and later recorded into contents and messages structures (Zavos, 2001). Hinduism has countless supporters coming to up to one billion worldwide with lion's share of them (95%) being from Indian and the rest in United States ,Europe and different pieces of the world. Demographically, it is the world third biggest religion after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism establishes a mind boggling method of love going from the excellent celebrations like Kumbhela, which is a strict huge social event of up to 45 million individuals to the straightforward Darshan, the reverential finding in home hallowed places. Hindus revere in the various antiquated and contemporary mandirs and holy places. Hindus respect Vedas (old writings) as the most antiquated and the most legitimate writings of the religion and consequently they structure the establishment of all parts of Hinduism. Hindu has three trinity which incorporate Shiva, Brahman and Vishnu not at all like Christian who have just a single trinity. These divine beings speak to the pattern of resurrection and rebirth where Vishnu is mindful of saving the universe, Shiva crushes the re-maker of the universe and Brahman make the Universe. The three goddess are the second trinity of Hindu just as the divine beings spouses of the principal trinity. Be that as it may, all the goddesses and divine beings have their types of manifestations. Hinduism include the love of God and its various gods with the significant ones being Brahma (maker) Vishnu (the preserver) and Siva (the destroyer), so relying upon ones conclusion Hinduism can be supposed to be polytheistic, monotheistic or henotheistic (which includes commitment to a solitary God while tolerating the presence of different divine beings) (Zavos, 120). Current Hinduism is sorted into two significant gatherings: Vaishnavism (the individuals who revere Vishnu and all other living things compliant to him) and Shaivism (stream of Hinduism who adore Shiva and accepts that Shiva is the destroyer and the maker of the universe). Hinduism depends on the standard of Brahman that expresses that the universe is every last one truths are a solidarity, Devine substance that is at the same time at one with the universe who rises above it also. In Hinduism individuals are protected to be caught a Samsara which is an insignificant pattern of birth demise and resurrection with karma ;ones amassed whole of good and terrible deeds and these decides on which level in the rank framework will one be conceived in the home cycle life. Old Hindus adored and interfaced with their divine beings in a somewhat unique manner when contrasted with contemporary method of Hinduism. As per antiquated Hindu contents old In the Vedic religion, there were no sanctuaries of love when contrasted with contemporary Hinduism where there are a huge number of sanctuaries and mandirs work for love. Hindus revered in the open and sanctuaries were first built in Quite a while in 200 years and it denoted the progress of Hinduism from the Vedic religion of ceremonial penances to the religion of Bhakri or love and a dedication to an individual divinity. Old sanctuaries were developed of wood and block however in later occasions, utilization of stone turned into a favored structure material. Sanctuaries developed in the medieval time differed in structural styles and frequently represented the ruler at that point and his wealth and commitment. In antiquated Hinduism, the supporters adored nature and had divine beings that spoke to every component of nature for example the lord of wind, lord of fire, lord of the ocean and divine force of light. Progressively finished, Hindus loved bestial divinities (Sacred creatures that spoke to different gods).they accepted that creatures simply like human shad soul and soul. Sacrosanct creatures in Hinduism are bovines, monkeys, tortoises and elephants. As per old Hindu writings, Hindus loved mother goddess with incredible veneration than it is in present day Hindu religion. Contemporary Hindu adherents put an incredible respects in adoring of individual gods who speak to their God who is the general divinity. As indicated by antiquated Hindu writings, there is proof that proposes that old divine beings intermarried with people and that divine beings had human characters and would come to people in a few symbols. These divine beings had spirits not distinctive with that of people and associated uninhibitedly as the two of them adored the Brahma who is their general god. There is no such sort of connection between Hindu divine beings and its admirers. The kind of human associations with divine beings relied upon singular situation in the station framework and those in higher caster were respected to be more near divine beings than those in the lower standing levels. There was no clerical class in old Hinduism however today minister are the ones answerable for driving the admirers in sanctuaries. In old Hinduism, social versatility in the position framework was permitted however it was very trouble. The social rank framework was included of two powerful social frameworks one dependent on age (Varna) and the other Asrama that obviously characterized people jobs and obligations sin the general public. Every now and then individuals could move starting with one position then onto the next or set up another one. In the contemporary Hinduism, the developing rank got uncalled for to those in the most reduced request and was bit by bit ignored as it supposedly was prejudicial (Ghanshyam, 45). Rank framework however still plays a significant factor in present day in masterminding of Hindu relationships. The administration in 1947 canceled station framework and subsequently rank separation is presently unlawful in India. In present day Hinduism, the social framework has been debased and not, at this point a primary significant strict quality of Hinduism. Old Hinduism was not harsh to ladies and most researchers accept that ladies had to some degree significant jobs they played in the customs of the early Vedic period, however with time the Vedic ceremony turned out to be progressively mind boggling and the significance of jobs ladies played lessened step by step. Additionally during this period, there were other ceremonial customs that ladies were permitted to take an interest in. In antiquated Hindu religion, some consecrated customs and services for example the custom of terrified move and music offering were drilled. A portion of these conventional consecrated ceremonies (upacharas), changed with time. A great case of an adjustment in Hinduism antiquated conventions and ceremonies in the previous scarcely any hundred years, is the substitution of the music offering and moves which are sacrosanct which were endorsed by Agama Shastra, with the cutting edge contributions of rice and desserts. In antiquated Hinduism the Vedic customs of fire-oblation (yajna) were frequently polished yet are quite recently just periodic practice in the advanced Hindu religion, these practices are anyway are exceptionally worshipped in principle. As per Vedic contents, in old Hinduism, butcher of creatures was allowed yet this ceremonial has basically vanished in present day Hinduism. It is in the nineteenth and twentieth hundreds of years that, noticeable figures of Indian otherworldliness like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda and Ramana Maharshi stressed the significance of ahimsa. In antiquated Hinduism, the Brahmins never permitted individuals from the lower position to appreciate equivalent status benefits. There is little resistance generally for lower segment of the Hindu people group which in any reality their own kin. This has been the standard throughout the years that it is as of not long ago such lower areas of the network were permitted to peruse Vedas which was another significant strict sacred texts. Notwithstanding that, these people were not at all they were likewise not permitted to enter the sanctuaries, where Brahmins were adored, and revere god. These class of individuals didn't too permitted to attract water a similar well with others and neither would impart their nourishments to higher stations. This standards were material either in social or strict get-together. In old Hinduism, penances were offered to God through its subordinate divine beings yet in current Hinduism, food is rather offered to individual divine beings or people before eating. By offering of food to god and gods, disguise of penances were accomplished by eating what is being yielded, which is being accepted as making the people body being a penance to god. It is likewise generally accepted by Hindu people group that offering divine beings with food is an indication of commitment or self acquiescence. It is likewise accepted that the individuals who eat food being scarified to divine beings would not be hurt by any tamasic or rajasic which would be in the food. (Houben Et al, 45) In old Hinduism, there were a less number of Hindu factions and divine beings when contrasted with current Hindu religion where numerous organizations have developed with expanded opportunity on an individual venerating any god the individual wishes. A significant number of these are because of fluctuating has confidence in the understanding of the Hindu writings. Present day Hinduism include periodic particularly during strict celebrations going to sanctuaries for revere yet many incline toward loving at home where one regularly makes a holy place with symbols devoted to their picked structure or types of god. By and large, sanctuaries are devoted to a god that is essential while related gods to most various gods Hindus play out their love through symbols (murtis) which every symbol fills in as a substantial connection between the admirer and their incomparable God. The picture or the assigned is frequently viewed as an appearance of God, as God is intrinsic. As per the Hindu messag es the Padma Purana clarifies that the mã… Â «rti isn't to be thought of similarly as simple stone or wood however as a show type of the Divinity. In antiquated H

Why I Love Reading Literary Journals

Why I Love Reading Literary Journals Three years ago I began exploring the world of literary journals. What I found was a community of readers, writers, editors, and publishers with a passion for short stories, novellas, and essays. In a short time I went from being someone who was interested primarily in novels and long-form non-fiction to falling in love with the literary journal. What I love most about reading literary journals is that they seek out and publish new authors. To me, each new issue of a journal is like a wrapped gift. I never know what I will be reading. Of course, literary journals also publish short fiction by established authors. During the time that I’ve been reading Tin House, I’ve read new fiction by Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Joy Williams. If I hadn’t been a reader of Tin House, these stories would most likely have passed me by. Literary journals provide an easy and quick way to diversify my reading experience. In each issue, Tin House publishes insightful essays on topics I would never have come across if I had stuck to my usual ways of finding something to read. In Glimmer Train, I’ve read more stories about the American immigrant experience, war veterans with PTSD, and people with disabilities than I have anywhere else. I also love reading literary journals because of the author interviews. Here, The Paris Review reigns supreme with two extensive interviews in each issue and an archive dating back to the beginnings of the journal in 1953. A twist on the author interview is Glimmer Train’s feature Silenced Voices. In collaboration with the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International, Silenced Voices  profiles writers, journalists, and human rights activists from all over the world who have been imprisoned for speaking the truth through the written word. Because each literary journal is published according to its own publishing schedule, reading these journals makes me go to the bookstore more regularly. I see bookstores as communities teeming with activity centered on distributing good stories. That is why I have decided to buy my journals at the store instead of subscribing to them. A subscription would remove me from the community of the bookstore. Finally, I follow several literary journals on Twitter. Of these, The Missouri Review’s tweets are in a league of their own:  humorous, self-deprecating, often expressing affection for their interns as if they were the staff’s own children. What is your relationship to literary journals? ____________________ Follow us on Twitter for more bookish goodness!

Nuclear Energy Should Not Be The Solution For Our Energy...

Nuclear energy should not be the solution for our energy crisis problem because of the catastrophic possibilities it may cause. About 20% of our nation’s electrical use is supplied by nuclear power per year. It is a main source of energy because of how cheap and effective it is and the government has declared it â€Å"safe†. Several countries are starting to increase their dependence on nuclear energy because of its high energy output and the power to bring electricity to everyone’s home. Although nuclear power has conveniences like this, the dangers brought by it are eminent. The probability of another accident like Fukushima or Chernobyl are present in any nuclear plant and increase the risk of causing severe harm to those that live in a close range to these plants. Millions of people would die not only from the initial explosion, but also the after effects like nuclear fallout that would cause radiation sickness. In conclusion, nuclear energy should not be u sed because of the hazardous waste it produces, the unsafe storage of the hazardous waste, the possibility of fatalities, and the cost to produce these plants. Nuclear power plants discharge high-level nuclear waste that is lethal to humans. A typical plant generates 20 to 30 metric tonnes of high level nuclear waste annually. All this waste will continue to grow especially due to the government moving towards making nuclear power our only source of energy and eliminating our common sources like fossil fuels. More thanShow MoreRelatedSuper Hero Who Will Save The World1372 Words   |  6 Pagessave the world. Our planet is on the edge right now, soon we will be faced with very serious crisis. Energy crisis. We use energy every day and it’s very hard to imagine our world with out of electricity. Can you imagine, that one-day electricity may become as expensive as gold and we won’t be able to use it on regular basis, like we do now. 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Analysis Of Hester s The Scarlet Letter - 1874 Words

Throughout history, mental illness has been labeled as a defining deformity, that harnesses in its â€Å"victims,† into a box, parallel to the familiar â€Å"mime in a box† image. In a world where we glorify â€Å"normality,† a lack of illness, which by all means is a gift, the beauty of one mind takes away from the beauty of an outlier, even though, ironically people may not even recognize their differences. Hester, at a glance suffers from a literal scarlet letter, but an imprint on her brain may exist as well. Irrational actions, sudden emotional episodes, and destructive thoughts can only prevail for so long following sin; Hester’s persona has branches of self-defeating personality disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. No one of her time, however, will bring the issue to light, Hester will be left known as the mistress, a witch, or â€Å"A,† rather than to explore her â€Å"complicated† condition. As decades pass, Hester’s state will remain, as the â€Å"A,† the mark of the stigma on mental illness today. When left neglected, society rejects the possibility that under a visible coating, mental deformities may lie; those who are divergent, who require affection more, are made subordinate, marginalized with no quest for a cure. Haunted by the scarlet letter, Hester circles her life around its existence; it lights its way into her every passage, becoming a great fragment of her persona, shaping her every move, touch and†¦. sight. â€Å"A† warps a route into Hester’s life, to an extent where it’sShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Hester Prynne s The Scarlet Letter 1182 Words   |  5 PagesChapters 2-3 When Hester Prynne is first introduced in the novel, she comes off as a young woman who has lost all control of her life due to her adultery conviction. 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The last symbol that seemedRead MoreIs the Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel1510 Words   |  7 Pages21, 2012 Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel? â€Å"Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel?† The Scarlet Letter is a very well-known novel, between the scandals and lies. It starts off with a woman named Hester Prynne. Hester decides to leave her husband behind to migrate to Boston. A couple years later, Hester gives birth to a baby girl named Pearl in prison. Hester refused to reveal the father of Pearl. The town then forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter A upon her dressRead MoreSymbolism, Use Of Color, And Themes Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1657 Words   |  7 Pages and Themes in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American Literature for Nathaniel Hawthorne s skillful use of symbolism and allegory. The novel is also said to be the greatest accomplishment of American short story and is viewed as the first American psychological novel, which makes Hawthorne win an incomparable position in American Literature. Hawthorne’s â€Å"unique gift† for using this kind of skills taps into the roots of man s moral nature and givesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 972 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of The Black Man In The Scarlet Letter Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In the novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolism is the main feature of the story. Symbolism is used throughout the novel to describe every object in the story from the characters to the rosebush to the scarlet letter itself. One of the major symbols in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† is the black man, who can not only beRead MoreEssay on Pearl in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne771 Words   |  4 PagesPearl in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hesters daughter, Pearl, functions primarily as a symbol. She is quite young during most of the events of this novel—when Dimmesdale dies she is only seven years old—and her real importance lies in her ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention, and the readers, to the denied or overlooked truths of the adult world. In general, children in The Scarlet Letter are portrayedRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter - Character Analysis - Pearl770 Words   |  4 Pagesgeneral, children in The Scarlet Letter are portrayed as more perceptive and more honest than adults, and Pearl is the most perceptive of them all. 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These aspects all mirror Hawthorne s emotions and hardships of his early life through the literary element of characterization. The analysis of Pearl emphasizes how The Scarlet Letter is a reflection of Hawthorne s life, and how the feelings he has towards

The Golden Lily Chapter 5 Free Essays

WORD OF MY UPCOMING DATE spread fast. I could only presume Trey had told Kristin and Julia, who had in turn told Jill and Eddie and God only knew who else†¦. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got a call from Adrian just after dinner. We will write a custom essay sample on The Golden Lily Chapter 5 or any similar topic only for you Order Now He started talking before I could even say hello. â€Å"Really, Sage? A date?† I sighed. â€Å"Yes, Adrian. A date.† â€Å"A real date. Not, like, doing homework together,† he added. â€Å"I mean like where you go out to a movie or something. And a movie that’s not part of a school assignment. Or about something boring.† â€Å"A real date.† I figured I wouldn’t give him the specifics on the Shakespeare play. â€Å"What’s the lucky guy’s name?† â€Å"Brayden.† There was a pause. â€Å"Brayden? That’s his real name?† â€Å"Why are you asking if everything’s real? You think I’d make any of this up?† â€Å"No, no,† Adrian assured me. â€Å"That’s what’s so unbelievable about it. Is he cute?† I glanced at the clock. It was time for me to meet my study group. â€Å"Gee, maybe I should just send you a picture to review?† â€Å"Yes, please. And a full background check and life history.† â€Å"I have to go. Why do you care so much anyway?† I finally asked in exasperation. His answer took a long time, which was uncharacteristic. Adrian was usually ready with a dozen witty quips. Maybe he couldn’t decide which one to use. When he finally responded, it was in that usual sarcastic way of his – though the levity sounded a little forced. â€Å"Because it’s one of those things I never expected to see in my lifetime,† he told me. â€Å"Like a comet. Or world peace. I’m just used to you being single.† For some reason, that bothered me. â€Å"What, you don’t think any guy would ever be interested in me?† â€Å"Actually,† said Adrian, sounding remarkably serious, â€Å"I can imagine lots of guys being interested in you.† I was certain he was teasing me and had no time for his jokes. I said goodbye and headed off to my study group, which, thankfully, was pretty dedicated and got a lot of work done. But when I met up with Trey at the library later, he was less than focused. He couldn’t stop going on and on about how brilliant he was in getting Brayden and me together. â€Å"This date hasn’t even happened, and I’m already tired of it,† I said. I spread Trey’s lab paperwork out on the table before us. The numbers and formulas were comforting, far more concrete and orderly than the mysteries of social interaction. I tapped the lab assignment with my pen. â€Å"Pay attention. We don’t have a lot of time.† He shrugged off my concerns. â€Å"Can’t you just finish it?† â€Å"No! I left enough time so that you could do it yourself. I’ll help, but that’s it.† Trey was intelligent enough to figure out most of it on his own. Using me was just another way for him to dodge looking smart. He let the date go and focused on the work. I thought I was free of Brayden interrogation until, just as were wrapping up, Jill and Micah came strolling by, hand in hand. They were with a group of other people, which didn’t surprise me. Micah was easygoing and popular, and Jill had inherited a large circle of friends by going out with him. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as someone in the group told a funny story that made them all laugh. I couldn’t help a smile myself. This was a far cry from when Jill had first come to Amberwood and been treated as an outcast for unusual looks and odd behaviors. She was thriving with this new social status. Maybe it would help her embrace her royal background. My smile faded when Jill pulled Micah away from the group and hurried over to our table. Her eager expression worried me. â€Å"Is it true?† she asked. â€Å"Do you have a date?† â€Å"For the love of – you know it’s true! And you told Adrian, didn’t you?† I gave her a pointed look. Their psychic bond wasn’t active 100 percent of the time, but something told me she knew about his earlier phone call to me. When the bond was â€Å"on,† she could see into his mind, observing both his feelings and actions. It only worked one way, however. Adrian had no such insight. She turned sheepish. â€Å"Yeah†¦ I couldn’t help it when Micah told me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I heard it from Eddie,† Micah added quickly, as though that might get him off the hook. He had red hair and blue eyes that were always cheerful and friendly. He was one of those people you couldn’t help but like, which made it harder to undo the tangled web Jill had woven by dating him. â€Å"Hey, I did not tell Eddie,† said Trey defensively. I turned my gaze on him. â€Å"But you told other people. And they told Eddie.† Trey gave a half shrug. â€Å"I might have mentioned it here and there.† â€Å"Unbelievable,† I said. â€Å"What’s this guy like?† asked Jill. â€Å"Is he cute?† I thought about it. â€Å"Pretty cute.† She perked up. â€Å"Well, that’s promising. Where’s he taking you? Somewhere good? Night on the town? Fancy dinner? Micah and I had an awesome time at Salton Sea. It’s so pretty. You could go there, have a romantic picnic.† Her cheeks turned pink and she stopped for breath, as if realizing she was talking too much. Rambling was one of Jill’s most endearing traits. â€Å"We’re going to see Shakespeare in the park,† I said. That got me silence. â€Å"Antony and Cleopatra. It’s good.† I suddenly felt the need to defend myself. â€Å"A classic. Brayden and I both appreciate Shakespeare.† â€Å"His name is Brayden?† asked Micah in disbelief. â€Å"What kind of a name is that?† Jill frowned. â€Å"Antony and Cleopatra†¦ is that romantic?† â€Å"Kind of,† I said. â€Å"For a while. Then everyone dies in the end.† Jill’s horrified expression told me that I wasn’t really improving matters. â€Å"Well,† she said. â€Å"I hope you have, um, fun.† A few moments of awkwardness ensued, then her eyes lit up again. â€Å"Oh! Lia called me tonight. She said you two talked about me modeling for her again?† â€Å"She what?† I exclaimed. â€Å"That’s not quite how I’d put it. She asked if you could do some print ads. I said no.† â€Å"Oh.† Jill’s face fell a little. â€Å"I understand. From what she said†¦ I just thought. Well. I thought maybe there was a way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gave her a meaningful look. â€Å"I’m sorry, Jill. I wish there was a way. But you know why you can’t.† She nodded sadly. â€Å"I understand. It’s okay.† â€Å"You don’t need a modeling campaign to be beautiful to me,† said Micah gallantly. That brought a smile back to her face that faded when she saw a nearby clock. Her transient moods reminded me of Adrian’s, and I wondered if some of that was the effect of the bond. â€Å"Ugh. Curfew’s coming. We’d better head out. You coming, Sydney?† I glanced at Trey’s lab. It was complete and, I knew, absolutely perfect. â€Å"I’ll leave in just a couple minutes.† She and Micah left. Glancing over at Trey, I was surprised to find him staring at her retreating figure intently. I nudged him. â€Å"Hey. Don’t forget to put your name on this, or it was all for nothing.† It still took him several seconds to drag his gaze away. â€Å"That’s your sister, isn’t it?† His dismal tone made it sound more like a statement than a question, as though he were revealing some unfortunate fact. â€Å"Um, yeah. You’ve seen her like a hundred times. She’s gone to this school for a month.† He frowned. â€Å"I just never thought much about it†¦ never got a good look at her before. I don’t have any classes with her.† â€Å"She was front and center in that fashion show.† â€Å"She had a mask on.† His dark eyes studied me. â€Å"You guys don’t look alike at all.† â€Å"We get that a lot.† Trey still looked troubled, and I had no idea why. â€Å"You’re smart to keep her out of modeling,† he said at last. â€Å"She’s too young.† â€Å"It’s a religious thing,† I said, knowing Trey wouldn’t quiz me for many details on our â€Å"faith.† â€Å"Whatever it is, keep her out of the public eye.† He scrawled his name on the lab and shut his textbook. â€Å"You don’t want her plastered all over magazines or something. Lots of creepy people out there.† Now I was the one left staring. I agreed with him. Too much exposure meant the Moroi dissidents could find Jill. But why would Trey feel that way, too? His claims that she was too young were sound, I supposed, but there was something vaguely unsettling about the exchange. The way he’d watched her walk away was too weird. But then, what other reason aside from concern could he have? The normality of the next couple of days was welcome – normality being relative around here, of course. Adrian kept sending me e-mails, asking me to rescue him (while also offering unsolicited dating advice). Ms. Terwilliger continued her passive aggressive attempts to teach me magic. Eddie continued in his fierce dedication to Jill. And Angeline continued her not-sosubtle advances on Eddie. After watching her â€Å"accidentally† spill her water bottle all over her white T-shirt at practice with him one day, I knew something would have to be done, no matter what Eddie had said about his personal life. Like so many awkward and unpleasant tasks in our cohort, I had a feeling I was the one who would have to do it. I figured this would be some sort of stern, heart-to-heart talk about the proper way to solicit someone’s attention, but on the night of my date with Brayden, it was soon made clear to me that I was apparently the last person who should be giving dating advice. â€Å"You’re wearing that?† demanded Kristin, pointing an accusing finger at the outfit I’d neatly set out on my bed. She and Julia had taken it upon themselves to inspect me before I went out. Jill and Angeline had tagged along without invitation, and I couldn’t help but notice that everyone seemed a lot more excited about this than I was. Mostly I was a tangle of nerves and fear. This was what it must feel like to go into a test without having studied. It was a new experience for me. â€Å"It’s not a school uniform,† I said. I’d had enough sense to know wearing that would be unacceptable. â€Å"And it’s a color. Kind of.† Julia held up the top I’d selected, a crisp cotton blouse with short sleeves and a high, button-up collar. The whole thing was a soft shade of lemon yellow, which I thought would score me points with this group since everyone accused me of not wearing colors. I’d even combined it with a pair of jeans. She shook her head. â€Å"This is the kind of shirt that says, ‘You’re never getting in here.'† â€Å"Well, why would he?† I demanded. Kristin, sitting cross-legged in my desk chair, tilted her head thoughtfully as she studied the shirt. â€Å"I think it’s more like a shirt that says, ‘I’m going to have to end this date early so I can go prepare my Power Point presentation.'† That sent them into fits of laughter. I was about to protest when I noticed Jill and Angeline going through my closet. â€Å"Hey! Maybe you should ask before doing that.† â€Å"All your dresses are too heavy,† said Jill. She pulled out one made of soft, gray cashmere. â€Å"I mean, at least this is sleeveless, but it’s still too much for this weather.† â€Å"Half my wardrobe is,† I said. â€Å"It’s made for four seasons. I didn’t really have a lot of time to switch to all summer stuff before coming here.† â€Å"See?† exclaimed Angeline triumphantly. â€Å"Now you know my problem. I can cut a couple inches off of that, if you want.† â€Å"No!† To my relief, Jill put the dress away. A few moments later, she produced a new find. â€Å"What about this?† She held up a hanger carrying a long white tank top made of light, crinkly material with a scoop neckline. Kristin glanced at Angeline. â€Å"Think you could make the neckline lower?† â€Å"The neckline’s low enough already. And that’s not a shirt you wear on its own,† I protested. â€Å"It’s meant to be tucked in under a blazer.† Julia rose from the chair. She tossed her hair; this was serious business. â€Å"No, no†¦ this might work.† She took the shirt from Jill and laid it across the jeans I’d set out. She studied it for a few moments and then returned to my closet – which was apparently free game for everyone. After a quick search, she pulled out a skinny leather belt with a tan snakeskin pattern. â€Å"I thought I remembered you wearing this.† She laid the belt over the white shirt and stepped back. After a bit more scrutiny, she gave it a nod of approval. The others crowded in to look. â€Å"Good eye,† said Kristin. â€Å"Hey, I found the shirt,† Jill reminded her. â€Å"I can’t wear the shirt alone,† I said. I hoped my protests covered up my anxiety. Had I really been that off on the yellow shirt? I’d been certain it was date-appropriate. How was I going to survive tonight if I couldn’t even dress right? â€Å"If you want to put a blazer on over it in this weather, be my guest,† said Julia. â€Å"But I don’t think you have to worry about it showing too much. This wouldn’t even be worth Mrs. Weathers’s notice.† â€Å"Neither would the yellow blouse,† I pointed out. They decided my clothing was a done deal and moved on to hair and makeup advice. I drew the line there. I wore makeup every day – very nice, very expensive makeup applied to make the most of my features in a way that made it look as though I didn’t even have makeup on. I wasn’t going to change that natural look, no matter how adamantly Julia swore pink eye shadow would be â€Å"hot.† None of them put up much of a fight on my hair. It was currently in a layered cut that went just past my shoulders. There was exactly one way it could be styled, worn down with the layers carefully arranged with a hair dryer. Any other style looked messy, and of course, I already had it in the perfect configuration today. No point messing with a good thing. Besides, I think they were all too excited that I’d agreed to wear the white tank top – once I’d tried it on to verify that it wasn’t transparent. My only nod to jewelry was my little gold cross. I fastened it around my neck and said a silent prayer that I’d get through this. Although Alchemists used crosses a lot, we weren’t exactly part of any traditional Christian faith or practice. We had our own religious services and believed in God, that He was a great force of goodness and light that infused every bit of the universe. With all that responsibility, He probably didn’t care much about one girl going on a date, but maybe He could spare a second to make sure it wasn’t too painful. They all traipsed down the stairs with me when the time came for Brayden to pick me up. (Actually, it was a little earlier than the appointed time, but I hated being late.) The girls had all come up with reasons for needing to meet him, from Jill’s â€Å"It’s a family thing† to Kristin’s â€Å"I can spot an asshole in five seconds.† I wasn’t confident in that last one, seeing as she’d once speculated that Keith might be a good catch. All of them were also full of unsolicited advice. â€Å"You can split the cost of dinner or the play,† said Julia. â€Å"Not both. He needs to pick up the whole bill on one of them.† â€Å"Better if he pays for everything, though,† said Kristin. â€Å"Still order something, even if you don’t want to eat it,† added Jill. â€Å"If he’s buying dinner, you don’t want to let him off cheap. He’s gotta work for you.† â€Å"Where are you guys getting all of this?† I asked. â€Å"What does it matter if I – oh, come on.† We’d reached the lobby and found Eddie and Micah sitting on a bench together. They at least had the decency to look embarrassed. â€Å"Not you guys too,† I said. â€Å"I was just here to see Jill,† said Micah unconvincingly. â€Å"And I was here to, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Eddie faltered, and I held up a hand to stop him. â€Å"Don’t bother. Honestly, I’m surprised Trey isn’t here with a camera or something. I figured he’d want to immortalize every moment of this debacle of a – oh. Hey, over here.† I put on a smile as Brayden stepped into the lobby. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who liked to be early. Brayden seemed a little surprised that I had an entourage. I couldn’t blame him since I was kind of surprised I had one too. â€Å"It’s nice to meet all of you,† said Brayden, friendly, even if a little bewildered. Eddie, while uncomfortable with Angeline’s advances, could be perfectly outgoing in less bizarre social situations. He played up the brotherly role and shook Brayden’s hand. â€Å"I hear you guys are seeing a play tonight.† â€Å"Yes,† said Brayden. â€Å"Although, I prefer the term drama. I’ve actually already seen this production, but I’d like to watch it again with an eye toward alternative forms of dramatic analysis. The standard Freytag method can get a little cliched after a while.† This left everyone speechless. Or maybe they were just trying to figure out what he’d said. Eddie glanced at me then back to Brayden. â€Å"Well. Something tells me you guys are going to have a great time together.† Once we were able to extract ourselves from my well-wishers Brayden said, â€Å"You have very†¦ devoted family and friends.† â€Å"Oh,† I said. â€Å"That. They just, uh, happened to all be going out together at the same time we were. To study.† Brayden glanced at his watch. â€Å"Not too late for that, I suppose. If I can, I always do my homework right after school because – â€Å" â€Å"If you put it off, you never know if something unexpected might happen?† â€Å"Exactly,† he said. He smiled at me. I smiled back. I followed him to visitor parking, over to a shiny, silver Ford Mustang. I nearly swooned. Immediately, I reached out and ran my hand along the car’s smooth surface. â€Å"Nice,† I said. â€Å"Brand new, next model year. These new ones will never quite have the character of the classics, but they certainly make up for it in fuel economy and safety.† Brayden looked pleasantly surprised. â€Å"You know your cars.† â€Å"It’s a hobby,† I admitted. â€Å"My mom is really into them.† When I’d first met Rose Hathaway, I’d had the incredible experience of driving a 1972 Citroen. Now I owned a Subaru named Latte. I loved it, but it wasn’t exactly glamorous. â€Å"They’re works of art and engineering.† I noticed then that Brayden had come with me to the passenger side. For half a second, I thought he expected me to drive. Maybe because I liked cars so much? But then, he opened the door and I realized he was waiting for me to get in. I did, trying to remember the last time a guy had opened a car door for me. My conclusion: never. Dinner wasn’t fast food, but it wasn’t anything fancy either. I wondered what Julia and Kristin’s opinion would be on that. We ate at a very California type of cafe, that served all organic sandwiches and salads. Every menu item seemed to feature avocado. â€Å"I would’ve taken you somewhere nicer,† he told me. â€Å"But I didn’t want to risk being late. The park’s a few blocks away, so we should be able to get a good spot. I†¦ I hope that’s okay?† He suddenly looked nervous. It was such a contrast to the confidence he had shown when talking about Shakespeare. I had to admit, it was kind of reassuring. I found myself relaxing a little bit. â€Å"If it’s not, I’ll find a better place – â€Å" â€Å"No, this is great,† I told him, glancing around the cafe’s brightly lit dining room. It was one of those places where we ordered at a counter and then brought a number to our table. â€Å"I’d rather be early, anyway.† He’d paid for all of our food. I tried to make sense of the dating rules my friends had bombarded me with. â€Å"What do I owe you for my ticket?† I asked tentatively. Brayden looked surprised. â€Å"Nothing. It’s on me.† He smiled tentatively back. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. So, he was paying. That would make Kristin happy, although it made me a little uneasy – through no fault of his. With the Alchemists, I was always the one picking up the bills and handling the paperwork. I wasn’t used to someone else doing it. I guess I just had trouble shaking that feeling that I had to take care of everything because no one else could do it right. Academics had always been a breeze for me. But at Amberwood, learning how to hang out with people my own age in a normal way had been a much more difficult task. I’d gotten better, but it was still a struggle trying to figure out the proper things to say to my peers. With Brayden, there were no such problems. We had an endless supply of topics, both of us eager to put forth all we knew on anything and everything. Most of the meal was spent discussing the intricacies of the organic certification process. It was pretty awesome. Trouble came when, as we were finishing up, Brayden asked if I wanted to get dessert before we left. I froze, suddenly in a dilemma. Jill had said to make sure I ordered enough to not come across as a cheap date. Without even thinking about it, I’d ordered an inexpensive salad – simply because it sounded good. Was I now on the hook to order more so I’d seem like someone Brayden had to work for? Was this worth breaking all my own rules about sugar and dessert? And honestly, what did Jill know about dating etiquette anyway? Her last boyfriend had been homicidal, and her current one was oblivious to the fact that she was a vampire. â€Å"Uh, no thank you,† I said at last. â€Å"I’d rather make sure we get to the park on time.† He nodded as he rose from the table and gave me another smile. â€Å"I was thinking the same thing. Most people don’t seem to think punctuality is that important.† â€Å"Important? It’s essential,† I said. â€Å"I’m always at least ten minutes early.† Brayden’s grin widened. â€Å"I aim for fifteen. To tell you the truth†¦ I really didn’t want dessert anyway.† He held the door open for me as we stepped outside. â€Å"I try to avoid getting too much sugar.† I nearly came to a standstill in astonishment. â€Å"I totally agree – but my friends always give me a hard time about it.† Brayden nodded. â€Å"There are all sorts of reasons. People just don’t get it, though.† I walked to the park, stunned. No one had ever understood me so quickly and easily. It was like he had read my mind. Palm Springs was a desert city, filled with long stretches of sandy vistas and stark, rocky mountain faces. But it was also a city that mankind had been shaping for a long time, and many places – Amberwood, for example – had been given lush, green makeovers in defiance of the natural climate. This park was no exception. It was a huge expanse of green lawn, ringed with leafy deciduous trees instead of the usual palms. A stage had been set up at one end, and people were already seeking out the best spots. We chose one in the shade that had a great view of the stage. Brayden took out a blanket to sit on from his backpack, along with a worn copy of Antony and Cleopatra. It was marked up with notes and sticky tabs. â€Å"Did you bring your own?† he asked me. â€Å"No,† I said. I couldn’t help but be impressed. â€Å"I didn’t bring many books from home when I moved here.† He hesitated, as though unsure he should say what he was thinking. â€Å"Do you want to read along with mine?† I’d honestly figured I would just watch the play, but the scholar in me could certainly see the perks of having the original text along. I was also curious about what kind of notes he’d made. It was only after I’d said yes that I realized why he was nervous. Reading along with him meant we had to sit very, very close together. â€Å"I won’t bite,† he said, smiling when I didn’t move right away. That broke the tension, and we managed to move into positions that allowed us both to see the book with almost no touching. There was no avoiding our knees brushing one another, but we both had jeans on, and it didn’t make me feel like my virtue was at stake. Also, I couldn’t help but notice he smelled like coffee – my favorite vice. That wasn’t a bad thing. Not bad at all. Still, I was very conscious of being so close to someone. I didn’t think I was getting any romantic vibes. My pulse didn’t race; my heart didn’t flutter. Mostly I was aware that this was the closest I’d sat to anyone, maybe in my life. I wasn’t used to sharing my personal space so much. I soon forgot about that as the play started. Brayden might not like Shakespeare performed in modern clothing, but I thought they did an admirable job. Following along with the text, we caught a couple of spots where the actors messed up a line. We shot each other secret, triumphant looks, gleeful that we were in on something others didn’t know about. I kept up with Brayden’s annotations too, nodding at some and shaking my head at others. I couldn’t wait until we discussed this on the ride home. We were all leaning forward intently during Cleopatra’s dramatic death scene, intensely focused on her last lines. Off to my side, I heard the crinkling of paper. I ignored it and leaned forward further. The paper crinkled again, this time much louder. Looking over, I saw a group of guys sitting nearby who appeared to be about college-aged. Most of them were watching the performance, but one was holding an item wrapped in a brown paper bag. The bag was too big for the object and had been rolled down several times. He glanced around nervously, trying to be discreet and unroll the paper in small batches. It was obvious that was actually making more noise than if he’d just gone for it and unrolled it all at once. This went on for another minute, and by then, a few others nearby were glancing over at him. He finally managed to open the bag and then, still in slow motion, carefully lowered his hand inside. I heard the pop of a cap and the guy’s face lit up in triumph. Still keeping the object concealed, he lifted the bag to his mouth and drank out of what was very obviously a bottle of beer or some other alcohol. It had been pretty apparent right away from the bag shape. I clapped a hand over my mouth, in an attempt to smother my laughter. He reminded me so much of Adrian. I could absolutely see Adrian smuggling in alcohol to an event like this and then going to all sorts of pains to be covert, thinking that if he just did everything slowly enough, no one would catch on to him. Adrian, too, would probably have the misfortune of opening the bottle right in the middle of the play’s most tense scene. I could even picture a similarly delighted look on his face, one that said, No one knows what I’m doing! When, of course, we all knew. I didn’t know why it made me laugh, but it did. Brayden was too focused on the play to notice. â€Å"Ooh,† he whispered to me. â€Å"This is a good part – where her handmaidens kill themselves.† The two of us had plenty to debate and analyze on the way back to Amberwood. I was almost disappointed when his car pulled up to my dorm. As we sat there, I realized we’d come to another critical dating milestone. What was the correct procedure here? Was he supposed to kiss me? Was I supposed to let him? Had that been the real price of my salad? Brayden seemed nervous too, and I braced myself for the worst. When I looked down at my hands in my lap, I noticed they were shaking. You can do this, I told myself. It’s a rite of passage. I started to close my eyes, but when Brayden spoke, I opened them quickly. As it turned out, Brayden’s buildup of courage wasn’t for a kiss, so much as a question. â€Å"Would you†¦ would you like to go out again?† he asked, giving me a shy smile. I was surprised at the mix of emotions this triggered. Relief was foremost, of course. I’d now have time to research books on kissing too. At the same time, I was kind of disappointed that the swagger and confidence he’d shown in dramatic analysis didn’t carry through here. Some part of me thought his line should’ve been more like, â€Å"Well, after that night of perfection, I guess we have no choice but to go out again.† Immediately, I felt stupid for such a sentiment. I had no business expecting him to be more at ease with this when I was sitting there with my hands shaking. â€Å"Sure,† I blurted out. He breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"Cool,† he said. â€Å"I’ll e-mail you.† â€Å"That’d be great.† I smiled. More awkward silence fell, and suddenly, I wondered if the kiss might be coming after all. â€Å"Do you†¦ do you want me to walk you to the door?† he asked. â€Å"What? Oh, no. Thank you. It’s right there. I’ll be fine. Thank you.† I realized I was on the verge of sounding like Jill. â€Å"Well, then,† said Brayden. â€Å"I had a really nice night. Looking forward to next time.† â€Å"Me too.† He held out his hand. I shook it. Then I left the car and went inside. I shook his hand? I replayed the moment in my head, feeling dumber and dumber. What is wrong with me? As I walked through the lobby, kind of dazed, I took out my cell phone to see if I had any messages. I’d turned it off tonight, figuring if ever there was a time I’d earned peace, this was it. To my astonishment, no one had needed anything in my absence, though there was one text message from Jill, sent about fifteen minutes ago: How was your date with Brandon? What’s he like? I unlocked my dorm door and stepped inside. His name is Brayden, I texted back. I pondered the rest of her question and took a long time in trying to decide how to respond. He’s just like me. How to cite The Golden Lily Chapter 5, Essay examples

Stock market free essay sample

Although privatization may reduce the value of BCE but may increase liquidity for BCE. * Consumers- Interested in maintaining services with BCE. Privatization may result in an improvement in quality since the new owner(s) would attempt to improve the company after takeover. * Employees- Interested in maintaining their jobs. Winning or losing is unknown as intentions of the new owner(s) are unknown. Strategic Oversight Committee- Interested in maximizing shareholder value and would be considered a winner if privatized. Examine and comment on the reaction of the stock and bond markets to the various key events in the litigation time line. In the early part of 2007 BCEs stock had been trading around $30 per share and the value of the bonds were around $122. In April 2007, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan(Teachers’) filed a Statement of Beneficial Ownership (Schedule 13D) notifying the Securities and Exchange Commission of their intentions to attempt a leveraged buy out of BCE. We will write a custom essay sample on Stock market or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Once it was made public that BCE was a LBO target the stock and bond markets reacted drastically and inversely of each other. The stock price soared to $39 per share, a 21% increase in value. Meanwhile the bonds suffered a sharp decline going from $120 to $109, a 10% decrease in value. This is typical of a situation in which a company is threatened with a hostile takeover because the target firm is struggling and the potential buyer will add value to the target firm. The added value will drive the stock prices up as investors expect an upswing in the value of the target firm. These trends were expected to continue to fluctuate until a purchaser won the auction process. On June 26, 2007 it was announced that Teachers’ won the auction process with a winning bid of $42. 75 per share. The winning bid would entail Bell Canada to take on $38. 5 billion in debt that would result in a downgrade of the BCE bonds credit rating to below investment grade. Bond prices fell from $109 to $105 during this time period while the stock price rose slightly to $41 per share. During the time period between the approval of the bid and the injunction filed by the bondholders with the Quebec Superior Court prices for stocks and bonds varied. This was to be expected with the uncertainty surrounding the Courts decision as to whether or not they would allow or suspend the sale of BCE to Teachers. By the time the Court made their decision on March 7, 2008 to allow the sale of BCE to resume, the bond values fell an average of 18% from April 2007. Meanwhile the value of the stocks remained about 20% higher than when the LBO process initially started. Following the Superior Courts decision the bondholders filed an appeal in a last ditch effort to reverse the Courts decision. Though the appeal process would not stop the decreasing value of their bonds. The bondholders were hopeful they would win their appeal and prevent the bonds from being downgraded, which would return value to their bonds by not increasing the debt of Bell Canada. While the process of appeal was being heard by the Court of Appeals, the value of the bonds decreased even further trading at a low of $90. At the same time BCEs stock was trading between $35-$39 per share. The Quebec Court of Appeal decision came on May 2008 and shockingly sided with the bondholders. The Court stated that the Strategic Oversight Committee did not consider the unfavorable effect a downgrade in credit ratings would have on BCE bondholders that would be forced to sell their bonds at a severe loss. Following the Quebec Court of Appeals’ decision to overrule the Superior Courts decision the value of BCEs stocks suffered a severe decrease, dropping from $39 per share down to $33 per share (a 15% loss in value). Meanwhile the bondholders’ expectations were met and it showed in the increased in value of the bonds, as they rose from $93 to $104 (a 11% increase). 3. What were the major differences in the Revlon case and the Quebec Court of Appeal’s approaches to how the board should weigh the various stakeholder interests? The case of Revlon, Inc. v MacAndrews amp; Forbes Holding Inc. led to a revolutionary decision in regards to hostile takeovers. The responsibility of the board of directors is typically to act in the best interest of the corporation. However, the U. S. Supreme Court of Delaware determined that when the sale or breakup of a firm is inevitable, the fiduciary obligation of the directors of the target firm change considerably. The court deemed that the fiduciary obligation, when firms’ are â€Å"in play† as a takeover target, must now be merged with the best interest of a firms’ stockholders by securing the highest purchase price possible. Thus a firm would enter into an auction process whereby they would obtain the maximum price available, which Revlon did not do. Ronald Perelman, CEO of Pantry Pride, initially approached Revlon Inc. in regards to a negotiated or if need be a hostile takeover at a price range of $42-45 per share. The initial offer was rejected and when Pantry Pride revised their offer, it was apparent that Revlon would be sold or broken up. Prompting Revlon to take defensive measures such as a poison pill, adopting a Note Purchase Rights Plan, and the repurchase of five million out of thirty million shares to help prevent/delay the takeover. Revlon then entered into negotiations with Forstmann and eventually approved the leveraged buyout via Forstmann by means of providing inside financial data, a lock up and a no-shop agreement. Revlon’s’ fiduciary responsibility to shareholders was violated by failing to receive the maximum price per share possible as it was known that Pantry Pride would exceed any offer by Forstmann. These actions destroyed the bidding process for Pantry Pride, prompting them to file an injunction with the Delaware Supreme Court. Where the Delaware Supreme Court found Revlon’s’ agreement with Forstmann was insufficient in attaining the maximum price possible. Though the cases against BCE and Revlon have similarities there were major differences in the actions taken by each firm. BCEs leveraged buyout was opposed by debenture holders from one of its subsidiaries (Bell Canada). While in the case of Revlon, Pantry Pride a potential buyer of the firm challenged the buyout deal by Forstman arguing that they would have provided a better offer for the shareholders. Meanwhile Bell Canada’s debenture holders argued that the buyout would devalue their bonds by lowering the credit rating of these bonds to below investment grade. Creating a problem since the majority of Bell Canada’s debenture holders were restricted to investing in investment grade bonds. The resulting downgrade in the credit rating of said bonds would force these debenture holders to sell their bonds at a loss, to the tune of an eighteen percent loss. At the same time the value of stockholders investments increased by forty percent, wherein lied the problem for BCE. Under the precedent set by the Revlon case the winning bid (for BCE) would be recognized as fair and acceptable. Though in light of the conflicting claims from Bell Canada’s bondholders, the Quebec court of appeals perceived the acceptance of the buyout as biased towards the stockholders. Also, the Court of Appeal found the process to be flawed by disregarding the interests of the bondholders by not considering the thirty million dollars of debt taken on by Bell Canada. So, the Court held that, â€Å"there is no principle that one set of interests — for example the interests of shareholders — should prevail over another set of interests. †3 Thus the court rejected BCEs assumption that they were protected under the preceding Revlon line of cases that supports the interest of shareholders prevails when conflicted with the interest of creditors and other stakeholders of a firm. Ultimately the Quebec Court of Appeals determined that merging the interest of a corporation with shareholders was not enough. They reasoned that the best interest of all stakeholders of a firm should be considered when a company is an LBO target. Implying that bondholders and other stakeholders of a firm must be considered by the board of directors in determining the best course of action during a takeover. Another major difference in the LBO’s was process of guiding the firms through the hostile takeover attempts. Revlon was in exclusive negotiations with only two firms and they took defensive measure to ensure that Forstmann would be the purchaser of the firm. While BCE conducted an auction where the highest bid was granted the right to purchase firm. 4. As a member of the BCE’s board, what course of action would you recommend? As members of the board of directors, we would recommend a restructuring of the traditional focus for conducting business in the best interests of only the shareholders. Many corporations have many stakeholders who are affected by the decisions made by the board of directors for the corporation. At BCE we learned that the best outcome for shareholders can negatively affect the bondholders, not to mention employees, suppliers, consumers and so on. We should attempt to work out a sale of BCE but find a suited buyer which can accommodate the interests for a majority of the stakeholders, If not a perfect overall solution for all stakeholders, sort of a win-win strategy. With our current situation, we should create a decision tree of sort and identify the stakeholders affected, whether negatively or positively and determine the best course of action. Next we should determine how to accomplish such an action. Maybe a refinancing of debt or even a chapter 11 reorganization (although this may devalue the stocks of the corporation by increasing risk exposure). In following such an approach, the board can justify their decision in front of any court of law, and prevent any potential lawsuits. BCE is a publicly traded company and should make their decisions as such†¦ as how it would affect the public.

An Introduction to Inti and the Inca Sun God

An Introduction to Inti and the Inca Sun God The Inca culture of Western South America had a complex religion and one of their most important deities was Inti, the Sun. There were many temples to Inti and Sun worship affected many aspects of life for the Inca, including architecture, festivals and the semi-divine status of the royal family. The Inca Empire The Inca Empire stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile and included most of Peru and Ecuador. The Inca were an advanced, wealthy culture with sophisticated record-keeping, astronomy and art. Originally from the Lake Titicaca area, the Inca were once one tribe of many in the high Andes, but they began a systematic program of conquest and assimilation and by the time of their first contact with Europeans their Empire was vast and complex. Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro first encountered the Inca in 1533 and swiftly conquered the Empire. Inca Religion Inca religion was complicated and incorporated many aspects of the sky and nature. The Inca had a pantheon of sorts: major Gods who had individual personalities and duties. The Inca also venerated countless huacas: these were minor spirits that inhabited places, things and sometimes people. A huaca could be anything that stood out from its surroundings: a large tree, a waterfall, or even a person with a curious birthmark. The Inca also venerated their dead and considered the royal family to be semi-divine, descended from the Sun. Inti, the Sun God Of the major gods, Inti, the Sun God, was second only to Viracocha, the creator god, in importance. Inti was higher-ranking than other gods such as the Thunder God and Pachamama, the Earth Mother. The Inca visualized Inti as a man: his wife was the Moon. Inti was the Sun and controlled all that implies: the Sun brings warmth, light and sunshine necessary for agriculture. The Sun (in conjunction with the Earth) had the power over all food: it was by his will that crops grew and animals thrived. The Sun God and the Royal Family The Inca royal family believed they were directly descended from Apu Inti (Lord Sun) through the first great Inca ruler, Manco Capac. The Inca royal family was therefore considered semi-divine by the people. The Inca himself - the word Inca actually means King or Emperor although it now refers to the entire culture - was considered very special and subject to certain rules and privileges. Atahualpa, the last true Emperor of the Inca, was the only one observed by the Spaniards. As the descendant of the Sun, his every whim was fulfilled. Anything he touched was stored away, later to be burned: these included everything from half-eaten ears of corn to sumptuous cloaks and clothing. Because the Inca royal family identified themselves with the Sun, it is no accident that the greatest temples in the Empire were dedicated to Inti. The Temple of Cuzco The greatest temple in the Inca Empire was the temple of the Sun in Cuzco. The Inca people were rich in gold, and this temple was unrivalled in its magnificence. It was known as Coricancha (Golden Temple) or Inti Cancha or Inti Wasi (Temple of the Sun or House of the Sun). The temple complex was massive, and included quarters for the priests and servants. There was a special building for the mamaconas, women who served the Sun and even slept in the same room as one of the Sun idols: they were said to be his wives. The Incas were master stonemasons and the temple represented the pinnacle of Inca stonework: parts of the temple are still visible today (the Spanish built a Dominican church and convent on the site). The temple was full of golden objects: some walls were covered in gold. Much of this gold was sent to Cajamarca as part of Atahualpas Ransom. Sun Worship Much Inca architecture was designed and built to assist in the worship of the Sun, Moon and stars. The Inca often built pillars which marked the position of the Sun at the solstices, which were celebrated by grand festivals. The Inca lords would preside at such festivals. In the great temple of the Sun, a high-ranking Inca woman – generally the sister of the reigning Inca, if one were available – was in charge of the cloistered women who served as the Sun’s â€Å"wives.† The priests observed holy days such as solstices and prepared the appropriate sacrifices and offerings. Eclipses The Inca could not predict solar eclipses, and when one occurred, it tended to trouble them greatly. The diviners would attempt to figure out why Inti was displeased, and sacrifices would be offered. The Inca rarely practiced human sacrifice, but an eclipse sometimes was considered cause to do so. The reigning Inca would often fast for days after an eclipse and withdraw from public duties. Inti Raymi One of the most important religious events of the Inca was Inti Ramyi, the annual festival of the sun. It took place in the seventh month of the Inca Calendar on June 20 or 21, the date of the Summer Solstice. Inti Raymi was celebrated all over the Empire, but the main celebration took place in Cuzco, where the reigning Inca would preside over the ceremonies and festivities. It opened with the sacrifice of 100 llamas selected for brown fur. The festival lasted for several days. Statues of the Sun God and other gods were brought out, dressed up and paraded around and sacrifices were made to them. There was much drinking, singing and dancing. Special statues were made of wood, representing certain gods: these were burned at the end of the festival. After the festival, the ashes of the statues and sacrifices were brought to a special place on a hillside: only those disposing of these ashes were ever allowed to go there. Inca Sun Worship The Inca Sun god was relatively benign: he was not destructive or violent like some Aztec Sun Gods like Tonatiuh or Tezcatlipoca. He only showed his wrath when there was an eclipse, at which point the Inca priests would sacrifice people and animals to appease him. The Spanish priests considered Sun Worship to be pagan at best (and thinly-disguised Devil worship at worst) and went to great lengths to stamp it out. Temples were destroyed, idols burned, festivals forbade. It is a grim testament to their zeal that very few Andeans practice any sort of traditional religion today. Most of the great Inca goldwork at the Cuzco Temple of the Sun and elsewhere found its way into the melting fires of the Spanish conquistadors - countless artistic and cultural treasures were melted down and shipped to Spain. Father Bernabà © Cobo tells the story of one Spanish soldier named Manso Serra who was awarded a massive Inca sun idol as his share of Atahualpas Ransom. Serra lost the idol gambling and its eventual fate is unknown. Inti is enjoying a bit of a comeback lately. After centuries of being forgotten, Inti Raymi is once more being celebrated in Cuzco and other parts of the former Inca Empire. The festival is popular among native Andeans, who see it as a way to reclaim their lost heritage, and tourists, who enjoy the colorful dancers. Sources De Betanzos, Juan. (translated and edited by Roland Hamilton and Dana Buchanan) Narrative of the Incas. Austin: the University of Texas Press, 2006 (1996). Cobo, Father Bernabe. Inca Religion and Customs. Roland Hamilton (Translator), Paperback, New Ed edition, University of Texas Press, May 1, 1990. Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro. (translated by Sir Clement Markham). History of the Incas. 1907. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1999.

Peroxisomes - Eukaryotic Organelles

Peroxisomes - Eukaryotic Organelles Peroxisomes are small organelles found in eukaryotic plant and animal cells. Hundreds of these round organelles can be found within a cell. Also known as microbodies, peroxisomes are bound by a single membrane and contain enzymes that produce hydrogen peroxide as a by-product. The enzymes decompose organic molecules through oxidation reactions, producing hydrogen peroxide in the process. Hydrogen peroxide is toxic to the cell, but peroxisomes also contain an enzyme that is capable of converting hydrogen peroxide to water. Peroxisomes are involved in at least 50 different biochemical reactions in the body. Types of organic polymers that are broken down by peroxisomes include amino acids, uric acid, and fatty acids. Peroxisomes in liver cells help to detoxify alcohol and other harmful substances through oxidation. Key Takeaways: Peroxisomes Peroxisomes, also known as microbodies, are organelles that are found in both eukaryotic animal and plant cells.A number of organic polymers are broken down by peroxisomes including amino acids, uric acid, and fatty acids. At least 50 different biochemical reactions in the body involve peroxisomes.Structurally, peroxisomes are surrounded by one membrane that encloses digestive enzymes. Hydrogen peroxide is produced as a by-product of peroxisome enzyme activity which decomposes organic molecules.Functionally, peroxisomes are involved in both the destruction of organic molecules and the synthesis of important molecules in the cell.Similar to mitochondria and chloroplast reproduction, peroxisomes have the ability to assemble themselves and reproduce by dividing in a process known as peroxisomal biogenesis. Peroxisomes Function In addition to being involved in the oxidation and decomposition of organic molecules, peroxisomes are also involved in synthesizing important molecules. In animal cells, peroxisomes synthesize cholesterol and bile acids (produced in the liver). Certain enzymes in peroxisomes are necessary for the synthesis of a specific type of phospholipid that is necessary for the building of heart and brain white matter tissue. Peroxisome dysfunction can lead to the development of disorders that affect the central nervous system as perioxsomes are involved in producing the lipid covering (myelin sheath) of nerve fibers. The majority of peroxisome disorders are the result of gene mutations that are inherited as autosomal recessive disorders. This means that individuals with the disorder inherit two copies of the abnormal gene, one from each parent. In plant cells, peroxisomes convert fatty acids to carbohydrates for metabolism in germinating seeds. They are also involved in photorespiration, which occurs when carbon dioxide levels become too low in plant leaves. Photorespiration conserves carbon dioxide by limiting the amount of CO2 available to be used in photosynthesis. Peroxisome Production Peroxisomes reproduce similarly to mitochondria and chloroplasts in that they have the ability to assemble themselves and reproduce by dividing. This process is called peroxisomal biogenesis and involves the building of the peroxisomal membrane, intake of proteins and phospholipids for organelle growth, and new peroxisome formation by division. Unlike mitochondria and chloroplasts, peroxisomes have no DNA and must take in proteins produced by free ribosomes in the cytoplasm. The uptake of proteins and phospholipids increases growth and new peroxisomes are formed as the enlarged peroxisomes divide. Eukaryotic Cell Structures In addition to peroxisomes, the following organelles and cell structures can also be found in eukaryotic cells: Cell Membrane: The cell membrane protects the integrity of the interior of the cell. It is a semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cell.Centrioles: When cells divide, centrioles help to organize the assembly of microtubules.Cilia and Flagella: Both cilia and flagella aid in cellular locomotion and can also help move substances around cells.Chloroplasts: Chloroplasts are the sites of photosynthesis in a plant cell. They contain chlorophyll, a green substance that can absorb light energy.Chromosomes: Chromosomes are located in the cells nucleus and carry heredity information in the form of DNA.Cytoskeleton: The cytoskeleton is a network of fibers that support the cell. It can be thought of as the cells infrastructure.Nucleus: The cells nucleus controls cell growth and reproduction. It is surrounded by the nuclear envelope, a double-membrane.Ribosomes: Ribosomes are involved in protein synthesis. Most often, individual ribosomes have both a small and large subunit.Mitochondria: Mit ochondria provide energy for the cell. They are considered the cells power house. Endoplasmic Reticulum: The endoplasmic reticulum synthesizes carbohydrates and lipids. It also produces proteins and lipids for a number of cell components.Golgi Apparatus: The golgi apparatus manufactures, stores, and ships certain cellular products. It can be thought of as the shipping and manufacturing center of the cell.Lysosomes: Lysosomes digest cellular macromolecules. They contain a number of hydrolytic enzymes that help to break down cellular components.

Book report on hiroshima by john hersey. the full edition Essay

Book report on hiroshima by john hersey. the full edition - Essay Example Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a youthful clerk, fractured her legs in the explosion. Her wound deteriorated due to the infection, and she got no medical assistance for weeks following the explosion. The blast kills over half the physicians in Hiroshima and hurt a large number of the remaining doctors. For instance, Dr. Masakazu Fujii becomes incapable of helping others. Therefore, he only manages to maintain himself. On the contrary, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki remained the only uninjured medical practitioner amongst Red Cross Hospital. Weeks after the bombing, Mrs. Hatsuyo is a widow bringing up her young children. She is caring and dependable, and a committed statesperson. As side from that, Nakamura is an obedient person. Luckily, she and her offspring survived the explosion with no bodily harm. However, Nakamura and her daughter fall victims of a radiation sickness and struggle with the problem for years. Consequently, Nakamura succumb to poverty since the war causes a destruction of her properties. In the narrative, Nakamura is an ordinary casualty of an extraordinary occurrence. Surprisingly, she holds no vengeance for the Americans in spite of the agony they caused to him. Interestingly, she secures a job that leads to her financial liberation. Dr. Sasaki is a twenty-three years old surgeon working at Red Cross Hospital in Japan. Additionally, he is hardworking, ingenious, ambitious and selfless. His kindness comes into play after he risks penalties for attending to ill patients in the villages before getting permission. Sasaki ends up treating thousand if victims since he is the only available doctor in the hospital. Consequently, after the bombing Sasaki makes an advancement in the treatment and studies of radiation illness. Therefore, Dr. Terufumi spent his post-bombing years in attempting to remove Keloid. Later, he leaves the city for a far area in order to stay away from the gruesome

Making an out line of essay.(Cinema studies) Essay

Making an out line of .(Cinema studies) - Essay Example Thus the inner emotions and desires of a lesbian spectator can be made visible to the audience through the movies. The main concept underlying the idea of cinephilia is fetishism. The author discusses a number of video artists, photographers and filmmakers who utilizes glamour photography, film clips and stories and myths from the stars. The essay highlights the idea of fetishism, lesbian culture, cross-dressing and composite portrait, all of which contributes towards making the lesbianism in cinema more vivid. The exploration of the idea of lesbian spectatorship unfolds several sensitive facts that usually do not come out to the forefront but the artists mind can read into all kinds of perversion, which is not confined, only to the gays. The idea here is to emphasize upon the fact that the heroine Bette Davis would prefer something special and not the usual heterosexual intimacy, which is apparently rejected. Ultimately it is desire that the Hollywood relies upon. The celebrities came out in the 1990s self-identifying themselves with the lesbian audience and previously it was thought of losing their credibility in the process. However time has proved that many lesbian audiences do buy tickets. The female homosexuality has contributed to the appeal of the star system mainly to women. However, the lesbians in the society were not really conspicuous but the lesbian fandom has been extensively documented. Works on spectatorships emphasizes on the need for privileged relationship between the women audience and the female stars. The works also focus on the crushes on female stars and how they represent their relationship with the stars, which goes beyond imagination. The lesbian audience identifies their desires through the stars in the movies. This section discusses about the works that explore lesbian adolescents’ views on their favorite stars. The teenager lesbians are interviewed and the idea is mainly to deal with the adolescent awakening rather

Research into Cancer Stem Cells

Research into Cancer Stem Cells Cancers are composed of a heterogeneous mix of cells with varying differentiation, proliferation and tumourigenic properties. In vivo studies have demonstrated that within a cancer population, only percentage of cells are able to initiate tumour development [1]. It is widely believed that the heterogeneous groups of cells include a small population of cancer cells with stem cell properties: the cancer stem cell (CSC). These cells have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate asymmetrically and give rise to bulk populations of nontumourigenic cancer cells. Current cancer treatments may eradicate the tumour bulk but spare the populations of stem cells which are able to restore tumour tissue causing recurrence of the cancer. This may explain why initial tumour regression does not necessarily translate to improved patient survival in many clinical trials. Identification and characterisation of these stem cells may offer means of targeting cancer at its root. Cancer Stem Cell Definition The AACr workshop in 2006 defined a cancer stem cell as: A cell within a tumour that possesses the capacity to self-renew and to cause the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumour. Cancer stem cells can thus only be defined experimentally by their ability to recapitulate the generation of a continuously growing tumour.[2] Therefore the stem cell definition requires that cell possess 2 fundamental properties. Self renewal, the process whereby at least one daughter cell of a dividing stem cell retains stem cell properties Potency, the ability of cells to differentiate into diverse cells that comprise the tumour. [3]. It was agreed that defined CSCs may not necessarily derive from normal tissue stem cells, indeed one important and unanswered question is whether tumours derive from organ stem cells that retain self renewal properties or whether tumour stem cells are proliferative progenitors that acquire self-renewal capacity [2]. Normal Tissue Heterogeneity The continuous replacement of differentiated, functional cells by proliferation of more primitive cells in human tissue is a normal homeostatic process. Organs are composed of collections of differentiated cells that perform discrete functions [4]. The total cell population is regarded as constituting a cell division hierarchy [5]. The stem cell is central in the renewal hierarchy and has two functions within this model. It can act as the initiating cell in a cell division and differentiation process, producing a large family of differentiated descendants, a process known clonal expansion. Another function is for the cells to undergo division to produce two stem cell daughters identical to the initial stem cell and to replace the stem cells used in clonal expansion. This process is called self-renewal [6] and is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. As cells move down the hierarchy they acquire the differentiated features associated with tissue function and the proportion of differenti ated cells increases. In this way the stem cell has the ability to maintain organ life [4]. This concept predicts the existence of three categories of cell within the population: Proliferating, self renewing stem cells; Proliferating non-renewing transitional cells (transit amplifying); Non-proliferating, differentiated end cells. Following division the stem cell can give rise to a transit amplifying cell that will undergo further rapid proliferation to produce offspring which expand the populations of cells arising from the initial division and progressively commit irreversibly to differentiation along one or several lineages[4]. An important feature of a stem cell is their ability to undergo asymmetric cell division giving rise to a progenitor cell and to a new stem cell. Somatic SCs reside in confined tissue compartments referred to as the niche. Here the microenvironment suppresses SC proliferation, resulting in a quiescent SC population. This population maybe triggered to proli ferate and differentiate in response to injury (Ghotra, 2009). Seven common and distinguishing features of stem cells have been described [4]: Stem cells comprise a small subpopulation of a given tissue. Stem cells are ultra-structurally unspecialized, with a large nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio and few organelles Stem cells can be pluripotent Stem cells are slow cycling but may be induced to proliferate more rapidly in response to certain stimuli Stem cells have a proliferatve reserve that exceeds an individuals lifetime An intermendiate group of transit amplifying cells exists The microenvironment plays a critical role in the homeostasis of the stem cell and the differentiation of its progeny. The stem cell is capable of division and clonal expansion. As cells differentiate they lose their proliferative potential. The stem cell can self renewal or divide to produce proliferative transitional cells. Tumour Heterogeneity It has been recognised for many years that tumours exhibit morphologic heterogeneity but they are also functionally heterogeneous in terms of cell proliferation and tumour forming capacity based on transplantation assays [7]. Heterogeneity within tumours is seen within individual tumours in terms of morphology, cell surface markers, cell proliferation kinetics and response to therapy. In vitro and in vivo observations suggest that most cancer cells do not proliferate and that loss of capacity to divide is a feature of the tumour. Only a small proportion of cells have the ability to form tumours in vivo, referred to as tumourgenicity. The cancer stem cell theory posits that neoplasms, like physiological tissue can be hierarchically organised, and that CSCs at the apex of this of this cellular hierarchy and seem to comprise of only a subpopulation of tumour cells are essential for its initiation [8, 9]. Two models have been proposed to explain tumours heterogeneity Stochastic and Hiera rchy, summarised in Figure 2. Both models account for the existence of a cell with stem cell properties, but only the hierarchy model predicts the existence of a stem cell at the top of a hierarchy, which the potential to produce all other cell types within the tumour. Stochastic Model The stochastic model predicts that a tumour is biologically homogeneous and the behaviour of the cancer cells is influenced by intrinsic (eg signalling pathways, levels of transcription factors) or extrinsic factors (eg host factors, immune response, and microenvironment). It is suggested that the randomness and unpredictability of these factors result in heterogeneity in many aspects of marker expression and tumours initiation capacity [10]. A key requirement of the stochastic model is that all cells are equally sensitive to such influences and that the cells can revert from one state to another. For this model to be functional all tumour cells are not permanently affected and all have equal capacity to be induced to one state or another and the changes upon the cell are not permanent [11]. A growth fraction of Hierarchy Model The second model is the hierarchy model which predicts that the tumour is a caricature of normal tissue development and a hierarchy where the stem cell is at the tops is maintained (Pierce) [7]. The cancer stem cell maintains itself and its clones by self-renewal. The cells also mature to produce differentiated offspring which form the bulk of the tumour and lack stem cell properties. As in normal tissue only a small percentage of the tumour population maintain the capacity for long term proliferation while most cells proceed forward down the differentiation pathway resulting in aberrant terminal differentiation [4]. Due to differences in characteristics, stem cells can be selected and enriched for. Variations in tumour growth rates may be due the effects of normal homeostatic mechanisms that regulate stem cells and transit amplifying cell reproduction or alterations of the stem cell niche microenvironment [4]. Much of the evidence for this comes from clonogenic and tumourgenic assay s, which will be discussed further. Hierarchy model contains cells that are composed of biologically distinct cells including cancer stem cells which are all have different functional properties. The stochastic model predicts that all cells are equal the cell heterogeneity is due to intrinsic and extrinsic influences upon the cells which result in heterogeneity of cell function. Experimental Evidence Early Work The first evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells came from functional cell proliferation studies in the1940s 1960s. Radiolabelling cells and autoradiography enabled measurements into the proliferation, lifespan and hierarchical relationships in normal and neoplastic tissues [10, 12]. From these studies came the proposal that tumours are caricatures of normal development including the existence of stem cells [7]. Much early work was on the cancer of the haematopoietic system. In the 1970s Clarkson and other groups carried out pioneering studies that established cancers exhibited functional heterogeneity [10, 13]. These include cytokinetic studies carried out in cell lines, murine models of the acute leukaemias and in vivo examination of leukaemia blast proliferation kinetics in human AML and ALL patients. The data showed that the majority of leukemic blasts were post mitotic and needed to be continuously replenished from a relatively small proliferative fraction. Only a smal l number of leukemic blast cells were cycling in vivo and of these two proliferative fractions were observed: a larger, fast cycling subset with a 24 hour cell cycle time and a smaller, slow cycling, with a dormancy of weeks to months. From this data it was suggested that the slow cycling fraction was generating the fast cycling fraction thought to be the leukemic stem cell population because they had similar kinetic properties to those observed for normal haematopoietic stem cells. This was a clear suggestion that tumours exhibit functional heterogeneity in terms of proliferative potential. Following the identification of these slow cycling cells it was predicted the inability to kill the leukaemic stem cells (LSCs) was the cause of relapse and failure of chemotherapeutic therapies. Whilst combining treatment with in vivo cytokinetic studies, investigators observed that LSCs respond to the depletion of the of the leukemic cell mass by go into cycle after chemotherapy. It was sugges ted the way to eliminate dormant LSCs was to find the window when they are cycling. Identifying and assaying the potential LSCs was a major stumbling block and characterising them was impossible. This was when attention focused on the clonogenic assay was adapted by several groups to assay AML which identified phenotype of AML cultures in vitro with differing proliferative potential, providing the further proof for hierarchy in AML [14-16]. Clonogenicity Definition of a clone A clone is an operationally defined as a group of cells derived from a single ancestor cell. Clonogenicity is the ability of a given cell population, when plated as single cells, to produce one or more clones. This can be measured by the clonogenic assay which can quantify the proportion of colony forming cells, as a percentage of plated population, referred to as colony forming efficiency (CFE). It has been suggested that colony-forming cells possess two fundamental properties of progenitor cells: the ability to give rise to differentiated descendents and the capacity for self-perpetuation [17]. Therefore the ability to measure the capacity of cells to form clones is a useful tool in the study of the cancer stem cell concept. Quantitative measurement of clonogenicity Development of the clonogenic assay. Puck and Marcus The first clonogenic assay In 1956 Puck and Marcus published a paper describing a cell culture technique for assessment of colony forming ability of single mammalian cells [18]. Plated in culture dishes with a suitable medium human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) were supplemented with a large number of irradiated feeder cells and the number of colonies formed was counted. Their technique was a simple rapid method for growing single mammalian cells into macroscopic colonies with a colony forming efficiency of 80 100% . The authors developed this assay further to enable quantification of the effects of high energy radiation on cell populations in vitro [18-20]. They plated HeLa cells and measured their response to x-rays, producing the first in vitro radiation cell survival curve [21]. This assay has since been used for a wide variety of studies with many cell types using improved culture conditions, and for the testing of many potential chemotherapeutic agents. Till and McCulloch Following the work of Puck and Marcus, Till and McCulloch generated the first in vivo survival curves [22, 23]. They showed that when mouse bone marrow cells were injected into recipient mice that had been given total body irradiation to suppress endogenous haematopoiesis, visible colonies developed in the spleens that derived from cells in the graft. This work demonstrated that the cells injected into the mice were capable of self-renewal and it was speculated that these cells were stem cells. The evidence for this conclusion was that the curve from the number of marrow cells transplanted proportional to the number of colonies developed within the spleen. In addition, the radiation survival curve of cells that form colonies closely resembled survival curves developed by Puck and Marcus for in vitro cells [21]. This, however, was only indirect evidence and did not prove that the colonies originated from single cells, so the group carried out further experiments to determine the singl e cell origin on the colonies within the spleens [24]. Heavily irradiated bone marrow was transplanted into heavily irradiated recipient mice. The idea was that some cells containing genetic abnormalities caused by irradiation in the donor bone marrow cells would retain the ability to proliferate and produce clones containing this abnormality [24]. This worked to some extent, with a small number of colonies containing cells which all showed the same chromosome abnormality within that colony. It was hypothesised that if the capacity to form colonies is to be considered as a criterion to identify stem cells, then cells must lose this capacity upon undergoing differentiation. This hypothesis was tested by applying hypoxia as a differentiating pressure to mouse bone marrow, which resulted in a reduction in colony formation in the spleens of hypoxic mice [17]. They described how the number of colonies form in the spleens of mice in hypoxic conditions is reduced. This was thought to be du e to hypoxia stimulating erythropoiesis which stimulates erythropoietin, indicating that erythropoietin reducing colony forming production in the spleen. This data suggested that an increased demand for differentiated cells reduces the number of stem cells, resulting in the reduction of colony forming ability. Later Developments Since its development, the in vitro clonogenic assay has become a valuable tool in the study of cell growth and differentiation. [25]. Several adaptations to the original method have been made including immobilising cells in a top layer of 0.3% agar to avoid formation of tumor cell aggregates by random movement which might be confused with colony growth [26]. Agar has also been replaced by some groups with agarose, which is easier to handle (Laboise 1981) or methylcellulose which allows better recovery of the colony for replating. Others have simplified the culture medium and omitted the need for feeder cells. The exact protocol depends largely on cell type, but the basic system remains the same. The development of a protocol for secondary plating efficiency has proved a useful tool for the measurement of self-renewal and has the advantage of being able to identify cells that are able to undergo a large number of cell divisions [26]. This involves selecting specific colonies to deter mine their proliferative potential over a number of passages. Clonogenicity and Cell Renewal Hierarchy Clonogenic assays have been used to identify and morphologically characterise the three cell types above. Barrandon and Greens [27] work identified the clonal types of keratinocytes and linked this to their capacity for multiplication. They defined colonies as Holoclone, Meroclone or Paraclone. The Holoclone was described as a colony with a larger smooth nearly circular perimeter containing many small cells, which it has been suggested that these cells represent the proliferating self renewing stem cells. Paraclones were described as differentiated end cells which are more elongated and flattened in appearance, however paraclones can divide quite rapidly therefore classification of clonal type cannot be deduced form the study of growth rates alone or morphology alone. Meroclones were described as a combination of holoclones and paraclones. Relating morphology and colony size to clonogenicity can be used to further identify potential stem cells within the clonogenic assay and give mor e detail to the fate of their descendents. The differences in growth unit size may reflect several properties including different proliferative capacities and clonogenic cell kinetics. However, clonogenicity in vitro alone, does not define a stem cell, and other subpopulations, such as transit amplifying cells may also be able to produce a colony size of 32 or more cells. Although ability of a cell to form a colony implies substantial proliferative capacity, this does not unambiguously identify a stem cell [28]. Tumor Cell Heterogeneity and Hierarchy Certain characteristics have emerged from clonogenic studies on cells derived from human tumors. It was noticed that a few cells in each tumor were able to give rise to colonies in culture, whilst some colonies contained transit amplyifing cells undergoing a limited number of terminal divisions. Other cells (usually the majority) were non-proliferating stem cells. Looking at CFE and colony size of human tumors and replating experiments has demonstrated the heterogeneity of a wide range of tumor types including neoplastic human urothelium [29], melanoma [30, 31] and squamous carcinoma [32]. This supports the idea that cells within solid tumors consist of cellular hierarchies, which will be discussed further. The cancer stem cell model accounts for heterogeneity within a primary cancer by proposing that each cancer consists of a small population of cancer stem cells and a much larger population of cells which have lost their self-renewal capacity [5]. The clonogenic assay has been used explore this cellular heterogeneity present in human tumors, lending support to the stem cell model of tumor growth. Multiple myeloma has served as a valuable model in early clonogenic assay development. This was studied by Hamburger and Salmon in 1977 [33], who created an essentially selective system which restrict proliferation to cells capable of anchorage independent growth, thought to be a characteristic of stem cells [34]. They described an in vitro bioassay for human myeloma colony-forming units in culture which was applied to the study of patients with multiple myeloma and related monoclonal bone marrow derived B cell neoplasm. Bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma and normal volun teers were cultured in the presence of an agar feeder layer prepared by either human type O+ washed erythrocytes or adherent spleen cells of BALB/c mice. They found a linear relationship between colony formation and the number of nucleated bone marrow cells plated. Multiple myeloma patients exhibited much higher numbers of colonies formed compared to normal volunteers. It was shown that the number of colonies was proportional to the number of colonies plated, suggesting that colonies were derived from single myeloma stem cells. This was the development of the human tumor stem cells assay. The Human Tumor Stem Cell Assay clonogenicity and cancer stem cells The ability to grow human solid tumors in two-layer soft agar culture was developed for the clinical application of testing in vitro tumor sensitivity or resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. It is a possible means by which anticancer drugs can be selected for activity against tumor cells from a patient [35] as a way of tailoring chemotherapeutic regimes to individual patients and of testing new cytostatic agents [36]. The assay assesses treatment effects of stem cells by a testing their ability to reproduce and form a colonies of cells. Using semi-solid agar with enriched medium supports colony growth from cell suspensions from a variety of human tumors. A semi-solid medium suppresses the growth of most normal cells and there is evidence of the malignant nature of these colonies [33] . An important consideration is the relationship between the response of clonogenic cells to drugs in vitro and the response of the tumor to the same drug in the patient [10]. The stem cell model of human cancer suggests that cure or duration of remission after clinical treatment should correlate only with killing of stem cells. Assessment of treatment effects on an unselected cell population (eg on the basis or morphological criteria) is therefore likely to be misleading since the effects on a small population of stem cells will be masked by those on the large population of stem cells. Human tumors of a single histological type appear to have a pattern of response in vitro that is similar to their clinical behaviour. Within a histological type, tumours are heterogeneous in response both in vitro and in vivo. Studies directly comparing the response in vitro with the subsequent clinical response have shown important correlations. The proportion of human tumors that grow with a plating efficiency sufficient for assessment of drug activity (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥30 colonies per 500,000 cells plated is frequently less that 50%. Usually only a proportion of these tumors will manifest in vitro sensitivity [37]. There have been a wide range of predictive value positives reported for the human clonogenic tumour cell assay when applied to a patient population with an expected clinical response rate of 15-49% [38]. This value could be misleading and in practice may only be workable for cytotoxicity testing for only one third of specimens tested. The limitation exits that not all sam ples will produce clones in vitro so those that do may exhibit a treatment bias [35]. Other problems with the use and interpretation of human tumor clonogenic assays include low plating efficiency and small proportion of tumors available for testing; difficulty in preparing single cell suspensions, production of only small quantities of data, and problems defining drug sensitivity and response criteria [35]. Factors influencing size of sub-populations It has been proposed that as in normal cell populations, human tumor cell populations are also heterogeneous and comprise stem cells, non-stem transitional cells with limited proliferative capacity and end cells [6]. MacKillop suggested that four factors may influence the relative size of these subpopulations: The probability of self-renewal (Psr) of stem cells (producing two daughter stem cells). The distribution of cells within the system can be treated mathematically by assuming probability functions. The potential of the transitional cells for further cell division, as defined by clonal expansion number (n=number of generations between the first generation non-stem cells and the end cells.) The relative effect of cell loss on each subpopulation (Stem cells, transit amplifying, end cells) as described by cell loss factors (ÃŽÂ ¦s, ÃŽÂ ¦t ÃŽÂ ¦ ec). The number of generations of cell proliferation following initiation of the tumor cell population for individual stem cell. Stem cell division in normal tissue must provide a supply of differentiated functional cells to compensate for physiological losses and at the same time maintain a constant stem cell population. A probability of self-renewal in which two stem cells daughters Psr =0.5, would yield a steady state [28]. If no cell loss occurs, it has been modelled that the number of stem cells will increase exponentially with Psr > 0.5 [6]. For the simplest case in which all non-stem cells are end cells (n=0) the proportion of stem cells increases linearly with increasing Psr. and the proportion of stem cells in a tumor decreases as the extent of multiplication of the transitional cell compartment. This results in the stem cell being the less common cell type numerically than transit amplifying and differentiated end cells. These scenarios are affected by cell loss which may occur through necrosis, migration or differentiation, of which only differentiation is selective of cell type. A selective loss th rough differentiation increases the population of stem cells. The modelling of tumor cell growth has implications for the use of clonogenic assays as predictors of the stem cell fraction on human tumors, especially in regards to cut-off points in terms of colony size and determining which cells represent the stem cell fraction [6]. Between studies there are differences between how colonies are scored morphologically and numerically and how long cells are allowed to grow [31] and considering this evidence may be an important issue when comparing data between different studies. Clonogenicity in cell lines and stem cells in cell lines Clonogenicity has recently been used to identify stem cell properties of cells in long term culture cancer cell lines. The colony forming efficiency and secondary plating efficiency of carcinoma derived cell lines including head and neck squamous, breast [39] and prostate [39-42] were investigated and considered to contain potential stem cells. These studies show that cell lines show clear differences between clonal types (holoclone, meroclone, paraclone) and have similar properties in this respect to normal epithelial cells [39]. The proportions of clonal types between the carcinoma cell lines vary greatly. DU145 colonies were evenly spread in number between the clonal types, whereas PC3 cells produced mainly meroclones and LNCaP cells produced mainly paraclones [41], all based on colony morphology. These studies have also looked at the relationship between potential cancer stem cell markers and clonogenicity. CD133 enriched DU145 cells were assayed for clonogenicity, but no difference was found between the positive and negative cells [41], but when isolated CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1+ CD133+ sorted cells were compared against CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1low CD133low a higher CFE was observed in conjunction with a marked difference in morphology to CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1-/low CD133- in DU145 MACS sorted cells [40]. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that different clonal types showed varying levels of expression of CD44, ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1 integrin and ÃŽÂ ²-catenin in PC-3 [42] and DU145 clones [39]. There is further evidence to suggest the presence of cells with stem cell behaviour such as dye-exclusion and higher clonogenicity, in several human epithelial cell lines [39, 43-45], which further supports the idea that cell lines contain stem cells. The ad vantage of cancer cell lines that contain cells displaying stem cell characteristics would facilitate the study of molecular pathways and the properties that define the cancer stem cells in vitro. Recent Developments Much progress has been made in the modelling of the leukemic diseases, where the level of heterogeneity was first and most thoroughly explored. Human cells fulfilling the properties expected of drug resistant cancer stem cells were initially isolated from blood cancers [2]. Improvements in the genetics of recipient mice have led to the definition SCID-repopulating cell (SRC). Many improvements to the NOD/SCID murine model continue to be made by using recipient mice that are engineered to be deficient in natural killer (NK) and macrophage activity; part of that innate immune system. It has been demonstrated that a small subpopulation of acute myeloid leukaemia cells with an immature immunophenotype possess the ability colonise immune deficient NOD/SCID mice to give rise to more differentiated leukaemia cells and to recapitulate the heterogeneous phenotype of the bulk tumour [46]. The phenotypically more mature cells failed to engraft in mice, suggesting the presence of an identifiable tumour cell hierarchy. These cells are referred to as tumour initiating cells. Cancer Stem Cell Identification CSCs have been defined on the basis of their ability to seed tumours in animal hosts, to self renew and to spawn differentiated progeny (non-CSCs)[47]. Pioneering work in this area originated from studies on leukaemia stem cells and later included demonstrations of CSCs in solid tumours, particularly breast and brain cancers. However, work in solid tumours has proved challenging. The frequency of CSCs in solid tumours is highly variable [48]. Difficulties with tumour CSC identification Evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells in solid tumours has been more difficult than in the haematopoietic system to obtain for several reasons: 1) The cells within the tumour are less accessible. Tissue has to undergo mechanical or enzymatic digestion to obtain a single cell suspension which can be analysed. 2) There is a lack of functional assays suitable for detecting and quantifying normal stem cells from many organs. 3) Only a few cell surface markers have been identified and characterised. Of these there is no one marker which is specific for a stem cell or cancer stem cells and for selection they often have to be used in combination. Cancer Stem Cell Markers Stem cells are most commonly identified by staining for cell surface markers, exclusion of fluorescent dyes or labelling with tritiated thymidine [3] . The technology to develop monoclonal antibodies to specific molecules and flow-cytometery based sorting and analysis has been a big driving force in recent CSC developments. Much work has been done to define cell surface markers. It has been shown that two distinct subpopulations can be separated from a single tumour that differ in their cell surface markers and their ability to seed new tumours in vivo. Most of the currently used markers do not recognise functional stem cell activity. By using combinations of cell surface markers, the homogenous purification of stem cells can be obtained [3]. Table 1 below reviews the current suggested markers for some tumour types. The use of animal models has allowed identification and assessment of markers that are expressed by cancer stem cells. The most convincing demonstration of identity CSC s elected by biomarkers comes from serial transplantation of cellular populations into animal models. The CSC containing fraction should re-establish the phenotypic characteristics of the original tumour [48]. In 1997 Bonnet et al showed that the ability to transfer human leukaemias into NOD/SCID mice was retained by a small proportion of cells with the CD34+, CD38- phenotype [46]. The CD44 and CD133 markers have emerged as potential markers of immature epithelial cells for isolating CSCs in several tissue types including brain and prostate. Cells have been isolated from several tumour types and serially transplanted in xenograft models: Breast CD44+ CD24-/low established tumours in recipient mice. Brain CD133+ enriched cells. Prostate Side population CD44+ enriched. In these experiments small numbers of selected cells produced tumours in recipient mice. In this instance CSCs can on