Metaphors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metaphors - Assignment Example In other words, mediation helps in predicting the behaviors and attitudes of hosts. For instance, when a mediator applies the metaphor that â€Å"conflict is war†, then the conflicting parties are likely to behave aggressively to win the war, which may never be reaching a conclusion (Smith, 2005). Similarly, when the mediator adopts a metaphor that â€Å"being in a conflict in not being in a war†, then the parties will strive to make an assumption and find a solution to their problem. Smith also presents that metaphors work by structuring and evaluating an individual’s experiences by positioning them to the problem (Smith, 2005). Through this process, it is possible to discover an individual’s hidden assumptions, needs, behaviors, emotions, facts and intuitions, and bring them working as a whole. As a psychotherapist, I feel that the use of metaphors can successfully reconcile conflicting parties. This is because metaphors can highly influence and work effectively to promote a negotiation problem. The use of metaphor offers a mediator an opportunity to treat each viewpoint as a ration argument, making him or her take a neutral stance in the dispute being resolved. This also improves the mediator’s influence to avoid hostile confrontation. Lorig Charkoudian, in his article, identifies that police officers are frequently called to solve neighborhood disputes, which range from minor conflicts to violent confrontations. However, police interventions usually stop the conflict just for some time. Additionally, police response is usually inadequate, and successive calls to solve the same problems can be expensive to the police department. Police are currently encouraging the community to resort to dispute resolution centers to prevent repeat calls, reduce time spent on solving disputes and limit police work in processing lawsuits (Charkoudian, 2005). I agree with the author, over these

Effects of Exercise Essay Example for Free

Effects of Exercise Essay In this assignment I will be reviewing the different effects of exercise on the body system including the acute and long term using the pre-exercise, exercise and post-exercise physiological data which I collected based on interval and continuous training method. I will also be including the advantages and disadvantages of these, also the participants’ strengths and areas where they can improve on. -Effect of exercise on the musculoskeletal system As Andre began to exercise, this had an effect on he’s bones; this is because he was putting more stress on them than usual which resulted in them getting thicker. Also exercise had an effect on he’s joints because the joints now became more flexible and he wasn’t getting anymore pains during or after exercising which was an improvement for him. A short term effect that Andre was capable of noticing is that his muscles was getting more flexible as he continued to exercise, this prevented him from getting any injuries, also it helped he’s performance. Another effect is the range of movement; this is because as he continued to exercise his body got used to the stress it was being put under which led to the synovial fluid becoming less viscous. Additionally for the long term effects, Andre’s muscles was capable of tolerating lactic acid; this effect was noticed when Andre stopped complaining about the stitches he got in his legs while exercising. He stopped complaining because his muscles were using fat as a source of fuel when there wasn’t any oxygen available for the muscles. Also Andre’s muscles weren’t getting bigger but it was increasing in its strength; this is because of the training methods used for his six week training programme. -Effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system When Andre was exercising, a lot of he’s energy was getting used up quickly. This energy is gained from the oxidising glucose; this means that not only oxygen must be delivered by the blood but it has to deliver glucose too. This resulted in Andre’s heart having to work twice as hard in order to pump more blood around the body. As Andre continued to exercise his heart muscle and cardiovascular system became more efficient which resulted in him improving he’s endurance because he was capable of running longer as more blood was circulating the body quicker than before. Additionally a short term effect which affected Andre while he was exercising is that he was gasping for more oxygen which led to him inhaling more oxygen than usually which caused carbon dioxide to be exhaled rapidly. Plus another short term effect that was noticeable was his heart rate which increased rapidly; this is because he was exercising harder than he normally does, also he was doing these exercises for a long period of time. Whereas the long term effect which was noticeable was the way Andre’s heart rate was decreasing quickly; this was because his heart was getting used to the regular exercise, also his heart was getting healthier and fitter. Another effect is that Andre was capable of increasing his aerobic capacity as his body adapted to the regular exercise which resulted in his heart and lungs becoming more efficient. -Effect of exercise on the respiratory system Andre’s respiratory system is affected by exercise because when he was actually doing the different exercises, his muscles needed more oxygen and for carbon dioxide to be produced so that he’s heart can work quicker and he would be capable of breathing faster and deeper to let the carbon dioxide exit quicker and the oxygen enter and be pumped around quicker. A short term effect that was noticeable is when Andre’s breathing rate increased; this is because of the chemoreceptors which are found the blood vessels and sensed a sudden rise of the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. This also caused the depth of Andre’s breath increased. Another short effect is the increase in tidal volume; this is because Andre is breathing more as more air passes through the lungs. In addition to that, the long term effect has also had an effect on Andre for example he has increased the vital capacity which means that the lungs are capable of supplying more oxygen to the muscles with vital nutrients and this results in the lungs to expand. Also he’s oxygen diffusion rate has increased due to the more oxygen which is absorbed by the alveoli and then circulated around the body. Before the training programme Andre’s fitness level was not poorly but it wasn’t at he’s best though and in order for him to improve on he’s cardiovascular endurance, I created a six week training programme in which involved different exercises and training methods that he should use to improve on this skill. Also before he started this training programme, I tested Andre on some tests which are: Multistage fitness test Stage 5.9This result shows that Andre is not at he’s best fitness level because after this test was conducted he was struggling to breathe and he kept commenting that he’s legs was in pain. 35 metre sprint 5.25 SecondsThis result shows that Andre’s is just below average, and therefore he is unfit as he did not even reach the average stage of this test for someone at he’s age. Illinois agility test 17.3 SecondsThis result shows that he bad with he’s coordination as he only reached the average result because this was he’s best result after trying this test 3 times. After the training programme Andre could clearly see that he’s fitness level has improved because he could now run for a longer time as he worked hard to improve he’s cardiovascular endurance. After Andres training programme, I conducted the same tests before he started the training programme and this are the results for them: Multistage fitness test 35 metre sprint Illinois agility test Stage 6.5 4.82 Seconds 15.2 SecondsComparing both pre and post tests, I can clearly see that there is a change between the level of fitness Andre is working at; this shows me that hes good with training programmes as he was capable of following the 6 week training program which led to him not only improving hes on hes multistage fitness test but also hes 35 metre sprint and agility test. Advantages and disadvantages of the tests: -Multistage fitness test The Validity of the test is that there are published VO2 max score equivalents for each level reached the correlation to actual VO2 max scores is high. The Reliability of the test would depend on how strict the test is directed for example the coach can be very strict by not allowing the athletes to make any mistakes, also it depend on how the athlete is motivated to do the test. Furthermore, the advantage of this test is that it can be performed in large groups of athlete. Also the test really tests the athletes compared to other tests of endurance capacity. These are advantages because it ensures that the athlete knows exactly how healthy and fit they are and they can use that to their advantage. However, the disadvantage of this test is that the athlete would be less motivated and won’t practice for the test; this therefore can have an influence on the athletes overall score. Also the test should be done indoors to avoid environmental conditions which could possibly have an effect on the score of the athletes. -35 metre sprint Reliability is greatly improved if timing gates are used. Also weather conditions and running surface can affect the results, and these conditions should be recorded with the results. If possible, set up the track with a crosswind to minimise the effect of wind. Also the validity of the test refers to how the test is actually measured; this test provides means to monitor the effect of training on the athletes physical development. Furthermore, the main advantage for this test is that it measures the speed and acceleration of an athlete in any particular sport. This is an advantage because if every athlete done this test then they would know their own speed and for an athlete this would help them on how to improve more on their speed level. Additionally, there are several disadvantages for this tests for example the poor reaction time and starting techniques, also the timing errors. These are disadvantages because they all have a large impact on the result of the test., so therefore this test can be done as many times as possible but there wouldn’t be a correct result as the athlete would be extremely exhausted. -Illinois agility test The validity of the test refers to how the test is actually measured; this test provides a means to monitor the effect of training on the athletes physical development. Also the reliability of the test would depend on how strict the test is conducted and the individuals level of motivation to perform the test. Furthermore, the advantages of this test is that it’s very easy to set up and conduct as not a lot of equipment’ are required, also it can be conducted anywhere e.g. sports hall, playground. Whereas, the disadvantage is that an assistant is required to administer the test. The strength of the tests is that we done them in pairs; this allowed us to measure one another which was good as we got to see how our partners were performing and if they were excelling or not. Also these tests allowed us to know our actual fitness level and what we would need to do in order to increase our fitness level and the way we perform. Whereas, when conducting the tests, I think that areas for improvement is to have better heart rate monitors; this is because the ones that we were using something didn’t work which caused the work to be inaccurate as we have to guess the heart rate of the participants. Also the facilities could have been better; this is because we had to use the cage, astroturf, and sports hall but 2 of these areas weren’t always free whenever we wanted to use them. Additionally, the weather was really cold; this had an effect on the overall performance of the athlete as they could not concentrate due to the bad weather condition as we had to do all of the exercises outdoors including the tests. Plus the tests results would have been better if he had done them at Brunel University because they have the correct facilities and monitors that would give accurate results. Bibliography Books: -Adams, M., Barker, R., Gledhill, A., Lydon, C., Mulligan, C., Phillippo, P. and Sutton, L. (2010). Sport level 3 Book 1 BTEC National Pearson Educational limited. Websites: -Interval training http://www.intervaltraining.net/[Assessed on 26/03/12] -Brian Mac http://www.brianmac.co.uk/conintrn.htm[Assessed on 26/03/12] -2003 2012 Conjecture Corporation http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-continuous-training.htm[Assessed on 26/03/12] -BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/health_and_fitness/4270714.stm[Assessed on 26/03/12]

Feminist Pedagogy: Not Just for Women Anymore Essay -- Education, Femi

Your responsibilities as teachers at this community college are very important in educating the dedicated students that attend your school. As an aging baby-boomer approaching retirement, no doubt like some of you in this room today, I recognize the importance of providing opportunities for growth and experiential learning in our young adults that will affect not only their lives, but those of everyone else around them. It is this distinguished group of graduates that will become our leaders, policy makers, doctors, lawyers and business people. The focus on learning moving towards a learner-centered approach and away from a teacher based will become increasingly important to this new generation of learners. Critical pedagogy is defined by philosophical education scholar Henry Giroux (Critical Pedagogy, 2011), as â€Å"an educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive action†. Many of us who were students of days gone by only know of traditional methods of schooling. What a critical pedagogy approach can do is create a learning environment for those individuals who have been disenfranchised by a traditional teaching methods because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or cultural beliefs. Such an environment fosters the capacity for critical thinking and reflection. One method of critical pedagogy is the feminist approach. I will explain the root of critical pedagogy in the feminist approach. I will then discuss feminist pedagogy and its practical applications in the classroom. Lastly, I will demonstrate that it is not exclusively for or about w... ...gress: Education as the practice of freedom, London: Routledge. Hudalla, J. (2005). Transforming My Curriculum, Transforming My Classroom. EdChange and the Multicultural Pavilion. Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.EdChange.org/multicultural Shrewsbury, C. (1997). What is feminist pedagogy? Women’s studies quarterly, 25 (1,2), pp.166-173. Smith, M.K. (2002). Paulo Freire and informal education. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm Stage, F., Muller, P., Kinzie, J, Simmons, A. (1998). Creating learning centered classrooms: What does learning theory have to say? George Washington Univ. Washington, DC. Waller, A. (2005). What is feminist pedagogy and how can it be used in CSET education? Retrieved November 27, 2011 from http://fie-conference.org/fie2005/papers/1585.pdf Feminist Pedagogy: Not Just for Women Anymore Essay -- Education, Femi Your responsibilities as teachers at this community college are very important in educating the dedicated students that attend your school. As an aging baby-boomer approaching retirement, no doubt like some of you in this room today, I recognize the importance of providing opportunities for growth and experiential learning in our young adults that will affect not only their lives, but those of everyone else around them. It is this distinguished group of graduates that will become our leaders, policy makers, doctors, lawyers and business people. The focus on learning moving towards a learner-centered approach and away from a teacher based will become increasingly important to this new generation of learners. Critical pedagogy is defined by philosophical education scholar Henry Giroux (Critical Pedagogy, 2011), as â€Å"an educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive action†. Many of us who were students of days gone by only know of traditional methods of schooling. What a critical pedagogy approach can do is create a learning environment for those individuals who have been disenfranchised by a traditional teaching methods because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or cultural beliefs. Such an environment fosters the capacity for critical thinking and reflection. One method of critical pedagogy is the feminist approach. I will explain the root of critical pedagogy in the feminist approach. I will then discuss feminist pedagogy and its practical applications in the classroom. Lastly, I will demonstrate that it is not exclusively for or about w... ...gress: Education as the practice of freedom, London: Routledge. Hudalla, J. (2005). Transforming My Curriculum, Transforming My Classroom. EdChange and the Multicultural Pavilion. Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.EdChange.org/multicultural Shrewsbury, C. (1997). What is feminist pedagogy? Women’s studies quarterly, 25 (1,2), pp.166-173. Smith, M.K. (2002). Paulo Freire and informal education. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm Stage, F., Muller, P., Kinzie, J, Simmons, A. (1998). Creating learning centered classrooms: What does learning theory have to say? George Washington Univ. Washington, DC. Waller, A. (2005). What is feminist pedagogy and how can it be used in CSET education? Retrieved November 27, 2011 from http://fie-conference.org/fie2005/papers/1585.pdf

Comparative analysis of political participation Essay

The change in political participation is currently a hotly discussed topic. Low turnouts in the 2001 and 2005 UK general elections, along with falling membership of political parties have led political organisations to discover the reasons for this (BBC, 2006). One method is to use comparative analysis. This â€Å"is about comparing aspects of countries’ political systems† (Dobson, 2005, p.140) to try to understand why a phenomenon occurs in one country or time period but not in another. This essay looks at two factors, which evidence suggests affect political participation: gender and socio-economic standing. It examines whether comparative analysis is a useful tool for studying this topic. It concludes that whilst comparative politics is helpful at identifying participation trends, it is too simplistic to provide practical answers and that further studies are required to reveal useful outcomes. Historically, conventional ways for citizens to participate in politics were by voting in elections and joining a political party. The decline in these activities has led some to believe there is political apathy in Britain. However Helena Kennedy (cited by White, 2006, p.4), chair of the Commission which produced the Power to the People report (2006) denies this, saying that despite â€Å"no longer want[ing] to join a party or get involved in formal politics,† people instead take direct action by raising money for charities, joining protest marches, signing petitions and undertaking volunteering work within their communities. The possibility for differing definitions of key outcomes is a disadvantage for comparative analysis. A study that defines participation in terms such as voting or contacting politicians will conclude that political participation has decreased and supports the political apathy theory, whereas, a study such as the Citizen Audit (2001), using â€Å"unorthodox† definitions, such as membership of political organisations (anything from trade unions to community groups) or financially supporting activist organisations, find that participation is still strong. The Citizen Audit â€Å"found that approximately 40 per cent of adults belong to at least one political organisation† (Smith, 2005, p.83)  and â€Å"there is little evidence of widespread apathy† (Smith, 2005, p.84). When trying to create policies to increase political participation, these conflicting results are unhelpful. Following a 2002 European Union directive, which required member states to â€Å"promote equality in relation to sexual orientation, age and religion in addition to race, gender and disability† (Squires, 2005, p.119), European governments began to initiate changes to the way women were represented within parliament. Governments did not necessarily choose the same initiatives and comparative analysis is useful to identify quickly the comparative success of each government’s initiatives. (See table 1, Appendix). Political systems are hugely complex and as Dobson states; â€Å"Each day most of us find ourselves describing, explaining and predicting something. Comparative politics is no more, then, than carrying out these apparently basic human activities in the context of what we are calling ‘political worlds’ † (Dobson, 2005, p.143). Comparing what happens in different countries or different political systems enables the analysis of differences and similarities and thereby, identifying factors that can be applied generally to simplify complex systems. For example Table 1 shows that Nordic countries have significantly higher levels of female participation in comparison to the UK. A policy maker, looking to increase participation by UK women, can then look at why there is such a large disparity between the two countries and whether there is something the UK could learn from Nordic policy. This illustrates another advantage of comparative study; it gives opportunity to expand one’s knowledge of political worlds. For comparison there must be at least two things to compare which must be evidently different. In political comparison, this is often two different countries and even if one is one’s own, the other will not be and â€Å"if we assume that knowledge of others is a prerequisite for finding our way around, and managing, a globalizing world, then comparative politics seems to be of increasing practical importance† (Dobson, 2005, p.143). Expanding one’s knowledge is generally auspicious and simplifying complex  information is usually advantageous although over simplification is a risk. Table 2 shows the same information as table 1 but for the elections that were held closest to the time of the aforementioned EU directive. Figure 1 shows the percentage point difference between both elections. Using this information, that same policy maker may feel that focussing on France’s policies would be of much greater value than that of the Nordic countries as, in only 10 years, France has almost doubled the amount of women who hold parliamentary seats. Comparing and ranking countries can be useful but, as illustrated here, it is only part of a story and great care must be taken when interpreting comparative data. Oversimplification is a distinct risk of comparative analysis. It is possible to mitigate the risk by undertaking more study, producing more data and a more sophisticated and detailed analysis to guide forecasting or policy change. It is important that one considers this potential issue when working with conclusions drawn from comparative analysis. In 2005 the Electoral Commission produced a research report, Social Exclusion and Political Engagement. Its aim was to explore â€Å"why those experiencing social disadvantage tend to also be the most politically excluded in society.† (Electoral Commission, 2005) Looking at the aim of this report highlights an advantage of using comparative politics but also a disadvantage. The advantage is that it allows testing of hypotheses; in this case, those who experience social disadvantage are more likely to be politically excluded. By comparing different circumstances, one can find out what factors affect the political situation in a country, giving an idea as to what particular social/financial or other conditions might give rise to say, reform or revolution in the future. The possibility to predict outcomes is especially important for politicians; â€Å"the possibility of knowing that under certain social conditions, policy X will produce outcome Y† (Dobson, 2005, p.144) all ows them to make informed policy decisions. The disadvantage is that in research, subjectivity and objectivity can sometimes be lost. Baxter, (cited by Dobson, 2005, p.146) points out; â€Å"Research is not a wholly objective activity carried out by detached scientists. It is a social activity powerfully affected by the researcher’s  own motivations and values.† In this case, the researcher(s) has(ve) already taken on the axiom that those with social disadvantages are politically excluded. This does not necessarily mean that conclusions drawn by social scientists are useless it just means that it is important that anyone working with these conclusions is aware that they â€Å"might be ‘contaminated’ by their [comparative scientists’] own motivations and values† (Dobson, 2005, p.154). The report drew together much information on the subject and found that the ‘working class’ (C2DEs) were 21 percentage points less likely to vote than the ‘middle class’ (ABC1), 60% to 41%. It also found â€Å"ABC1s twice as likely as C2DEs to take advantage of the opportunity to contact their elected representatives: two-thirds of those who present their views to their councillors or MPs are ABC1s†¦ Political activism is higher among ABC1s than C2DEs (23% as compared to 7%). Across a range of different activities which could still be defined as ‘political’, there is a correlation with class and income†¦ those in the lowest social class, the poorest in society and the less educated were less likely to be politically active than those who are in a higher social class† (Electoral Commission, 2005, p.9). This gives a lot of interesting information and seems to make it clear that there is a correlation between social class and political participation but then it could be argued that it does not really say anything useful. It illustrates a difference but it does not give any reason for this difference. It does not give any principles that one could draw from the comparisons to enable one to make wider or more generalised conclusions about what would lessen the gap. Anyone using the data runs the risk of putting their own interpretation on the results, as stated by Lewis (cited in Dobson, 2005, p.157) â€Å"the development of the comparatives’ tools seems to involve the interpretation of political reality rather than its simple and problem-free observation†. The other difficulty with this is that people interpret things in different ways and one person’s interpretation of these results might not be another’s. This runs the risk of further confusion rather tha n clarifying issues. To conclude, Dobson asks; â€Å"Whether, despite their peculiarities, we can build  theories for comparing political worlds that will enable us to offer general truths about them. Or are we only ever able to tell stories about them – stories rich in specific detail but devoid of generalizable truths?† (Dobson, 2005, p.140). Comparative analysis is a key tool in identifying trends in participation. It also allows for the testing of hypothesis and for simplification of complicated data, with the possibility of expanding ones knowledge; all notable advantages. However, the disadvantages of contamination and misinterpretation along with the possibility for over simplification reveal crucial limitations, meaning that comparative analysis offers little in the way of definitive predictions about or practical answers which could influence political participation. References BBC, 2006. Political system faces ‘meltdown’. BBC UK Politics. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4753876.stm [Accessed 3 December, 2014]. Electoral Commission, 2005. Available at: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/63835/Social-exclusion-and-political-engagement.pdf [Accessed 4 December, 2014]. Dobson, A., Story telling and theory building: comparing political worlds. In: Lewis, P ed. 2005. Exploring Political Worlds. Milton Keynes, The Open University Smith, M., Taking part in politics. In: Lewis, P ed. 2005. Exploring Political Worlds. Milton Keynes, The Open University Squires, J., Common citizenship and plural identities: the politics of social difference. In: Lewis, P ed. 2005. Exploring Political Worlds. Milton Keynes, The Open University White, I., Power Inquiry, 2006. Power to the People: the report of Power, an Independent Inquiry into Britain’s Democracy. – Commons Library Standard Note, Power to the People: the report of Power, an Independent Inquiry into Britain’s Democracy. – Commons Library Standard Note. Available at: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN03948/power-to-the-people-the-report-of-power-an-independent-inquiry-into-britains-democracy [Accessed 3 December, 2014]. Whiteley, P.F., Pattie, C. and Seyd, P., Citizen Audit of Great Britain, 2000-2001 [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive [distributor], March 2005. SN: 5099, http://dx.doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-5099-1

Executive Summary Victoria Chemicals Essay

Problem Definition: The organization, Victoria Chemicals, must determine whether or not to improve engineering efficiency through facility improvements at its production plant Merseyside Works. Relevant Facts: The Merseyside Project was evaluated with respect to the following criteria: (1) Impact on earnings per share (2) Payback (3) Discounted cash flow (â€Å"DCF†) and (4) Internal Rate of Return (â€Å"IRR†). The initial assessment of this project was based on assumptions challenged by the experts at Victoria Chemicals. This analysis reflects a more conservative approach that includes potential risks of cannibalization, loss of sales following reconstruction of Merseyside and the purchase of rolling stock in 2010. Analysis Summary: The Merseyside Project met Victoria Chemicals’ internal criteria for consideration of projects despite the introduction of potential risks into the analysis of the projection (Exhibit 1). The NPV was GBP 9.24 million with an IRR of 20.2%. The payback period is 5.5 years and the average annual addition to EPS was minimal but positive. The cannibalization of sales from Rotterdam was included by reducing sales volumes by 5% for the first five years (Exhibit 2). Further, the affect of closing the factory for construction was modeled by reducing sales volumes to 99% for the first five years to reflect the fact that certain purchasers (approximately 1%) may be lost during this time but eventually recovered. Lastly, the purchase of rolling stock in 2010 was included because it reflected the anticipated growth of the firm in other areas that were included in the projection and as such neglecting to include this cost would be false representation of the anticipated growth. Factors that were ignored in the initial projection that increase the attractiveness of the project were added to this analysis including the inflation rate of 3% and the removal of preliminary engineering costs. Conclusion/Recommendations: It is recommended that Victoria Chemicals go forward with the Merseyside Project. This project meets the specified performance hurdles despite the inclusion of potential threats. One major concern of the project is that the payback period is delayed to over 5 years under this assessment and the average annual addition to EPS is minimal. The declining EPS during the initial stages of the project make the organization more vulnerable to a corporate raid. However, polypropylene is priced as a commodity and as such, the only way to improve financial performance is to improve manufacturing cost efficiency. Further, the educated shareholder will recognize that the declining EPS is due to investment in capital assets and is not necessarily a reason to sell shares. Thus, while the capital investment in this project and shutdown for construction may be damaging in the short-term to EPS, in the long-term it will improve profit margins significantly has potential to earn an NPV of GBP 9.24 mill ion.

About the Influential Henry Hobson Richardson

About the Influential Henry Hobson Richardson Famous for designing massive stone buildings with semicircular Roman arches, Henry Hobson Richardson developed a late Victorian style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Some people have argued that his architectural design is the first truly American style- that up to this point in American history, building designs were copied from what was being built in Europe. H.H. Richardsons 1877 Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts has been called one of the 10 Buildings That Changed America. Although Richardson himself designed few houses and public buildings, his style was copied throughout America. No doubt youve seen these buildings- the big, brownish red, rusticated stone libraries, schools, churches, row houses, and single-family homes of the wealthy. Background: Born: September 29, 1838 in Louisiana Died: April 26, 1886 in Brookline, Massachusetts Education: Public and private schools in New Orleans1859: Harvard College1860: Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris Famous Buildings: 1866-1869: Unity Church, Springfield, Massachusetts (Richardsons first commission)1883-1888: Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh, PA1872-1877: Trinity Church, Boston, MA1885-1887: Glessner House, Chicago, IL1887: Marshall Field Store, Chicago, IL About Henry Hobson Richardson: During his life, cut short by kidney disease, H.H. Richardson designed churches, courthouses, train stations, libraries, and other important civic buildings. Featuring semicircular Roman arches set in massive stone walls, Richardsons unique style became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Henry Hobson Richardson is known as the First American Architect because he broke away from European traditions and designed buildings that stood out as truly original. Also Richardson was only the second American to receive formal training in architecture. The first was Richard Morris Hunt. The architects Charles F. McKim and Stanford White worked under Richardson for awhile, and their free-form Shingle Style grew out of Richardsons use of rugged natural materials and grand interior spaces. Other important architects influenced by Henry Hobson Richardson include Louis Sullivan, John Wellborn Root, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Richardsons Significance: He had a superb sense of rather monumental composition, an uncommon sensitivenss to materials, and a creative imagination in the way to use them. His stone detailing especially was unusually lovely, and it is not strange that his buildings were imitated far and wide. He was an independent planner as well, continually feeling for greater and greater originality....Richardsonian came in the popular mind to mean, not sensitivenss to material, nor independece of design, but rather the indefinite repetition of low, wide arches, intricate Byzantinelike ornament, or dark and somber colors.- Talbot Hamlin, Architecture through the Ages, Putnam, Revised 1953, p. 609 Learn More: H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works by Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, MIT PressLiving Architecture: A Biography of H.H. Richardson by James F. OGorman, Simon SchusterThe Architecture of H. H. Richardson and His Times by Henry-Russell Hitchcock, MIT PressThree American Architects: Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright, 1865-1915 by James F. OGorman, University Of Chicago PressHenry Hobson Richardson and His Works by Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, DoverHenry Hobson Richardson. A Genius for Architecture by Margaret H. Floyd, Photographs by Paul Rocheleau, Monacelli PressH. H. Richardson: The Architect, His Peers, and Their Era by Maureen Meister, MIT Press

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds The odds that one vote can make a difference in an election are almost nil, worse than the odds of winning Powerball. But that doesnt mean its impossible that one vote can make a difference. Its actually happened. There have been cases in which one vote decided the election. Odds That One Vote Can Make a Difference Economists Casey B. Mulligan and Charles G. Hunter found in a 2001 study that only one of every 100,000 votes cast in federal elections, and one of every 15,000 votes cast in state legislative elections, â€Å"mattered in the sense that they were cast for a candidate that officially tied or won by one vote.† Their study of 16,577 national elections from 1898 through 1992 found that only one had been decided by a single vote. It was the 1910 election in New York’s 36th Congressional District, won by a Democrat who claimed 20,685 votes to the Republican candidate’s 20,684. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 22 percentage points and 18,021 actual votes. Mulligan and Hunter also analyzed 40,036 state legislative elections from 1968 through 1989 and found only seven that had been decided by a single vote. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 25 percentage points and 3,257 actual votes. In other words, the chance that your vote will be the decisive or pivotal one in a national election is almost zilch. The same goes for state legislative elections. Chances That One Vote Can Make a Difference in a Presidential Race   Researchers Andrew Gelman, Gary King, and John Boscardin estimated the chances that a single vote would decide a U.S. presidential election to be 1 in 10 million at best and less than 1 in 100 million at worst. Their work, titled Estimating the Probability of Events That Have Never Occurred: When Is Your Vote Decisive? appeared in 1998 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Given the size of the electorate, an election where one vote is decisive (equivalent to a tie in your state and in the electoral college) will almost certainly never occur,† Gelman, King and Boscardin wrote. Still, the odds of your one vote deciding a presidential election are still better than your odds of matching all six numbers of Powerball, which are smaller than 1 in 175 million. What Really Happens in Close Elections So what happens if an election really is decided by a single vote, or is at least pretty close? It’s taken out of the electorate’s hands. Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, who wrote Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, pointed out in a 2005 column in The New York Times that extremely close elections are often settled not at the ballot box but in courtrooms. Consider President George W. Bush’s narrow victory in 2000 over Democrat Al Gore, which ended up being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. â€Å"It is true that the outcome of that election came down to a handful of voters; but their names were Kennedy, OConnor, Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas. And it was only the votes they cast while wearing their robes that mattered, not the ones they may have cast in their home precincts,† Dubner and Levitt wrote. When One Vote Really Did Make a Difference The races won by a single vote, in addition to the new 1910 Congressional election in New York, according to Mulligan and Hunter, were: A 1978 race for Rhode Island state Senate was tied at 4,110 votes, and decided by a second runoff election. So was a 1980 race for New Mexico state House, at 2,327 votes for each candidate.A 1982 state House election in Maine in which the victor won 1,387 votes to the loser’s 1,386 votes.A 1982 state Senate race in Massachusetts in which the victor won 5,352 votes to the loser’s 5,351; a subsequent recount late found wider margin.A 1980 state House race in Utah in which the victor won 1,931 votes to the loser’s 1,930 votes.A 1978 state Senate race in North Dakota in which the victor won 2,459 votes to the loser’s 2,458 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be six votes.A 1970 state House race in Rhode Island in which the victor won 1,760 votes to the loser’s 1,759.A 1970 state House race in Missouri in which the victor won 4,819 votes to the loser’s 4,818 votes.And a 1968 state House race in Wisconsin in which the victor won 6,522 v otes to the loser’s 6,521 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be two votes, not one.