A New Friend and Perspective free essay sample

I picked up the phone, slowly dialing the number to her house. All I could think was, What could we possibly have a conversation about? Nothing! I didn’t think I could have anything in common with someone who is 50 years older than me. â€Å"Your grandmother won’t be around forever,† my mom said. So I just did what she told me and painfully called my grandmother. What I didn’t know was that phone call would change my perspective on life and my grandmother. When she answered the phone, I planned to have a small, 10-minute exchange and be done. Instead, she invited me to lunch so we could catch up. Hesitantly, I replied with a, â€Å"That sounds great.† When I hung up the phone, I immediately regretted agreeing to the lunch date. How was I going to fit this into my busy schedule of homework, lacrosse, and friends? There was no way of getting around the lunch date with my grandmother at The Olive Garden at 11:30a. We will write a custom essay sample on A New Friend and Perspective or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page m. It was not my ideal Saturday, but I sucked it up and went anyway. Me and my grandmother†¦ nothing to talk about. Surprisingly, my Saturday morning wasn’t agonizing. I hadn’t seen my grandmother for a few months and surprisingly, it was nice to see her. I lost track of time listening about her recent trip to Europe and how she saw the renowned Eiffel Tower. She told me stories about her sewing class and the latest gossip on her friend Sherry and her new boyfriend. I wasn’t aware that 60 year-old people had a social life. It turned out that her life wasn’t as mundane as I thought. For once, I was content without friends, without my cell phone, and without my iPod. We planned to meet again at her house. This time, my mom didn’t have to beg me. This time, as I drove to meet her, I didn’t feel the gloom of last Saturday. Questions I wanted to ask were building up in my head: What was my mom like as a child? What was grandpa like? What did you do when you were my age? As we looked through pictures, I was in awe. I had never seen, nor imagined, my grandmother as a young girl. She reminded me of myself. I learned that as humans, we share human experiences, no matter what age. She told me about the time she and her friends snuck out and went swimming in the lake late at night. â€Å"I was really good at not getting caught.† She laughed. I listened to the story about the first time she met my grandfather. â€Å"You would have adored him. He was the funniest man I’d ever met.† We sorted through three shoeboxes of photographs. There was a fascinating story for each one. Ever since that first phone call to my grandmother, we have talked at least once a week. I regret not calling her earlier. Her advice has taught me things that can’t be learned in a textbook. She taught me to be open to new things, to enjoy the simple things, and to appreciate what life has given me. I have gained a friend, a mentor, and a new perspective.

About Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and Portmeirion, Wales

About Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and Portmeirion, Wales Architect Clough Williams-Ellis (born May 28, 1883 in Gayton, Northamptonshire, England) is best-known as the creator of Portmeirion, a village in Wales, yet as an environmentalist he also helped establish the British National Parks system and became knighted for his services to architecture and the environment. Son of the Reverand John Clough Williams-Ellis, young Bertram Clough first moved to Wales with his family when he was only four. He went back to England to study mathematics at Trinity College in Cambridge, but he never graduated. From 1902 to 1903 he trained at the Architectural Association in London. The budding designer had deep Welsh and English connections, being related to the medieval entrepreneur Sir Richard Clough (1530–1570) and the Victorian poet Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861). His first designs were numerous parsonages and regional cottages in England and Northern Ireland. He inherited some property in Wales in 1908, married in 1915, and raised a family there. After serving in World War I, he designed a number of war memorials and travelled to architecturally rich countries like Italy, an experience that informed his sense of what he wanted to build in his homeland. In 1925 Clough Williams-Ellis began building in Portmeirion in northern Wales, and he didnt finish until 1976. Located on Sir Cloughs private peninsula on the coast of Snowdonia, Portmeirion first opened in 1926. That year, Sir Clough also founded the CPRE (Council for the Protection of Rural England). He established the CPRW (now Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales) in 1928. Portmeirion was not a continuous project, however. He continued to design residences and in 1935 he designed the original summit building on Snowdon, which became the highest building in Wales. Forever the conservationist and environmentalist, Sir Clough helped establish the British National Parks in 1945, and in 1947 he penned On Trust for the Nation for the National Trust. He was knighted in 1972 for services to architecture and the environment.   He died at his home in Plas Brondanw on April 8, 1978. Portmerion: A Lifelong Project The flamboyant and largely self-taught Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis devoted his life to the cause of environmental preservation. His work on the resort village of Portmeirion, Wales represented his efforts to prove that it was possible to build beautiful - and colorful - housing without defiling the natural landscape. Sir Clough was 90 years old when  Portmeirion was completed. Portmeirion is riddled with anachronisms. Greek gods mingle with gilded figures of Burmese dancers. Modest stucco bungalows are decked with arcaded porches, balustraded balconies, and Corinthian columns. Its as though the designer tossed 5,000 years of architectural history along the shore, without a care for symmetry, accuracy, or continuity. Even American architect Frank Lloyd Wright paid a visit in 1956, just to see what Clough was up to. Wright, who also boasted a Welsh heritage and a concern for conservation, praised the innovative combinations of architectural styles. Portmeirion became an exercise in historic restoration. Many of the structures were pieced together from buildings destined for demolition. The village became known as a repository for fallen architecture. Portmeirion designer Sir Clough Williams-Ellis didnt mind when visitors called his quirky village Home for Fallen Buildings. Architect Clough Williams-Ellis moved amongst artists and artisans. He married the writer Amabel Strachey and fathered the artist/potter Susan Williams-Ellis, originator of Portmeirion Botanic Garden dinnerware. An Italian Resort in Northern Wales Viewers of the 1960s television series The Prisoner will find some of the landscapes eerily familiar. The bizarre prison kingdom where actor Patrick McGoohan encountered surreal adventures was, in fact, Portmeirion. The vacation village of Portmeirion nestles on the northern coast of Wales, but theres nothing Welsh in the flavor of its architecture. No stone cottages here. Instead, the hillside overlooking the bay is dotted with candy-colored houses which suggest sunny Mediterranean landscapes. There are even swaying palm trees around the tinkling fountains. Portmeirion village in Minffordd has become a destination vacation and event venue in northern Wales. It has accommodations, cafes, and weddings all within a Disneyesque community. Vacationing within a fanciful, planned community was big business in the 1960s, after the success of Californias Disneyland in 1955 and before the 1971 opening of Floridas Walt Disney World Resort. Sir Cloughs idea of fantasy, however, took on more Italianate tone than Disneys mousechitecture. The Unicorn Cottage, for example, was a British-Italian experience in the Welsh countryside. Since 2012, Portmeierion has been the site of an arts and music festival called Festival No6 - named after the main character in The Prisoner. For one long, exhausting weekend in early September, Sir Cloughs village is home to the quirky fringe who seek poetry, harmony, and a Mediterranean refuge in northern Wales. Festival No6 is billed as a festival unlike any other  - no doubt because the fanciful Welsh village is itself a fantasy. In the TV show, the sense of geographical and temporal displacement suggests that this village was created by a madman. But there was nothing crazy about Portmeirions designer, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. His lifelong concern was with environmental preservation. By building Portmeirion on his private peninsula in Snowdonia, Wales, Sir Clough hoped to show that architecture can be beautiful and fun...without defacing the landscape. Despite these high-minded intentions, however, Portmeirion is, most of all, entertaining. Clough Williams-Ellis was a master of illusion, and his designs confuse, delight, and deceive. Highlights of Portmeirion The Piazza Originally the Piazza was a tennis court, but since 1966 the area has been a quiet paved area with a blue tiled pond, a fountain, and lavish flower beds. Along the southern edge of the Piazza, two columns support gilded figures of Burmese dancers. A low stone stairway climbs to the Gloriette - a playful structure named after the grand monument at the Schà ¶nbrunn Palace near Vienna. Built in the mid-1960s, Portmeirions garden room or gloriette is not a building, but a decorative facade. Five trompe loeil windows surround the open doorway. The four columns are the work of 18th century architect Samuael Wyatt, salvaged from the colonnade of Hooton Hall, Cheshire. The Bridge House Built between 1958 and 1959, Bridge House seems larger than it really is because of its tapering walls. When visitors pass through the archway from the parking area, they encounter their first breathtaking view of the village. Bristol Colonnade Built in about 1760, the Colonnade stood in front of a Bristol bathhouse in England. It was falling into decay when Portmeirions creator moved the structure to Portmeirion - piece by piece.in 1959. Several hundred tons of delicate masonry were disassembled and transported to the Welsh village. Every stone was numbered, and replaced according to precise measurements. Promenade Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, today recognized as one of the United Kingdoms first conservationists, wanted to show that the development of a naturally beautiful site need not lead to its defilement. An assortment of urns and columns line the flower strewn Promenade atop the Bristol Colonnade - rebuilt in the Welsh hillside, overlooking The Piazza and the village. The integration of walkways atop, over, through, and into Sir Cloughs designed village ties together the themes of community and harmony within an Italian Renaissance architecture. The dome at the Promenades end replicates the famous Brunelleschi dome in Florence, Italy. Unicorn Cottage In this miniature of a stately Chatsworth home, architect and Portmeirion master planner Sir Clough Williams-Ellis creates the illusion of a classic Georgian estate. Elongated windows, long pillars, and an undersized gate make the Unicorn seem tall, but in fact it is a dressed-up bungalow built in the mid-1960s...and only one story high. Hercules Gazebo Several cast iron mermaid panels, salvaged from the Old Seamans Home in Liverpool, form the sides of the Hercules Gazebo, built in 1961-1962. For many years, the Hercules Gazebo was painted shocking pink. The structure is now a more subtle terra-cotta shade. But this playful facade is yet another example of architectural illusion - as a space to house mechanical equipment, the Gazebo disguises a generator. Cottages Hotels and cottages dot the planned landscape of Portmeirion, just as they would in any village. Chantry Cottage, with its red-clay tile Italiante roof, sits high atop the hill, above the Bristol Colonnade and Promenade below. Built in 1937 for the Welsh painter Augustus John, Chantry Cottage is one of the earliest structures built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and today is a self-catering cottage sleeping nine. But it all began with legendary mermaids, real or not. Dating from the 1850s, the Mermaid house was present on the peninsula when building began at Portmeirion. For many years it was used to house village staff. Sir Clough dressed up the cottage with an imposing metal canopy and the welcoming palm trees sprinkled throughout the village. Landscape design and Italianate architecture is how Sir Clough created the illusion that we are in sunny Italy...not in wet and windy North Wales. And it works. Visual Elements for Portmeirion The Piazza Village Center - VisitBritain/Britain on View/Getty Images Bridge House - Martin Leigh/Getty Image (cropped) Bristol Colonnade Bathhouse from Bristol, England - John Freeman/Getty Images (cropped) Promenade - Charles Bowman/Getty Images (cropped) Unicorn Cottage Behind Colorful Iron Gate  - Paul Thompson/Getty Images (cropped) Hercules Gazebo on Day 2 of Festival No6  - Andrew Benge/Getty Images Bristol Colonnade Beneath Chantry Row  - John Freeman/Getty Images (cropped) Sources Chronology, https://www.portmeirion-village.com/visit/clough-williams-ellis/chronology/ [accessed March 17, 2018]ocal Legends, BBC, bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/wales/w_ne/article_7.shtml [accessed March 17, 2018]Snowdon summit centre hits the peak of success, WalesOnline, https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/snowdon-summit-centre-hits-peak-1913101 [accessed March 17, 2018]Photo credits: The Resort Village of Portmeirion, Wales by Martin Leigh/Photolibrary Collection/Getty Images (cropped); Bridge House by John Freeman/Getty Images (cropped); The Colonnade by Ben Pipe Photography/Getty Images (cropped); Promenade atop the Bristol Colonnade by John Freeman/Getty Images (cropped); Unicorn Cottage by Paul Thompson/Getty Images (cropped); Cast Iron Mermaid Panel by Scott Wylie, scotbot via flckr.com, Creative Commons 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Risk and return Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk and return - Essay Example Risk and return are two inversely correlated concepts. A person or a corporation that is risk adverse will not take chances. Lower risk lead to lower returns and higher risk leads to higher returns. The general rule of higher risk leading to higher returns is not set in stone. One of the problems with higher risk is that it can lead to financial catastrophes. For example imagine a person that invests in a penny stock. Penny stocks are considered the most risky of all types of investments. The person decided to invest in penny stock X because he wanted the possibility of earning a higher return. Due to the risk associated with penny stocks the stock ended up defaulting due to the fact that the company went out of business. In this particular case instead of obtaining a higher return the investor ended up losing all his money. 2. Return on investment can be defined as a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments (Investopedia, 2011). The formula to calculate return on investment is (Gain from investment –cost of investment) / cost of investment. Companies are always looking to maximize their return on investment. Corporations able to obtain above normal returns on investment are more profitable than the competition. Return on investment can be manipulated when determining projects by changing the expected return of the company. For example a company may establish new financial policy of only accepting projects that achieve a return on investment of 10%. ... The firm lost approximately $15,000 from this project. To me this experienced proved that higher risk can lead to operating losses. 4. The concept of higher risk leading to higher profits is real and in my personal experience it has paid off dividend. When I took my first finance course the professor gave the class a stock market simulation project. I like the project so much that I decided to turn the project into a reality. I opened up an investment account with Scottrade. I invested $2000 to build up a portfolio of stocks. The portfolio was composed of about six stocks including several blue chip stocks and a penny stock. The penny stock was VTSS. I invested about $350 in the VTSS penny stock. After two months the penny stock when up from $0.35 to over $1.50 cents. I made over $1000 dollars from the purchase of the stock. When the class ended I decided to cash out my portfolio. I utilized the earnings from my portfolio to purchase a 1994 Eclipse automobile for my sister. 5. In the corporate world companies have to take risk in order to obtain a return. A risk that a lot of multinational companies are faced with is the decision to penetrate new marketplaces. There are regions in the world that are susceptible to huge risk such as the Middle East. In the Middle East the risks associated with terrorism are very high especially for American companies. Taking chances is a part of the business process. Even when a company has a successful product line the constant changes in the marketplace forces companies to take risk such as introducing new products into the marketplace 6. People take risk in their regular everyday life without even realizing they are doing it. For example a person