Interview and Modern World

‘You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly' – notes by E S Bhavani Following is the presentation notes on Perspective IV Semester lesson ‘You will be Hearing from us Shortly' a poem by U A Fanthrope. The presentation was made for II year JPEng class by E S Bhavani on 24 Nov. ————————————————————————————— Institutionalising the Individual An analysis of ‘You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly’ U. A. Fanthorpe (Click here for the text of the poem) A little bit about the author†¦ Ursula Aksham Fanthorpe was born in Kent. Having studied at Oxford she went on to train as a teacher becoming the Head of the Department at Cheltenham Ladies College (1962-1970) who dropped out after training as a councillor to become a clerk in a hospital for neuropsychiatry disorders. Her poems since then started reflecting experiences of the patients. Her first collection of poems were published when she was 49. Her poems seem to question authority and show compassion to people at the same time. Her most successful poems have been in monologue while others have a great deal of humour and dialogue in them unlike the usual structure of poetry we are used to. Most of her poems are of two voices. Other dominant themes in her writings are war and it’s effects on children, the nature of Englishness and the British character and history. It was in 1989 that she became a full-time writer who gives readings of her work mostly in the UK and at times abroad. She became the first woman to be nominated for the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry and has been awarded many fellowships. In 2003 she was awarded the 2003 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. An Overview: The underlying theme used to analyse the text is the concept of ‘modern’ or rather the factors that complete or contribute to a modern lifestyle. This particular theme has especially been chosen because personally I have been very fascinated with the word ‘modern’ as it has been something that quite frankly has not found an universally appeal. Ask a layman what it means to be ‘modern’ the answer can vary enough to drive a human being mad (unless that is what modernity intends to do), in a general sense perhaps one can classify being modern in terms of a time-span or choose to take another harder stance and explore. And it is in this intention that I hope to explore the text. Keeping that in mind, we will first look at the poem and try to summarize in relation to the world today with the underlying presumption that we are all evolved human beings living in a modern world. The summary will also lay the foundation to help better understand the different concepts and theories to be discussed. Having once given a common understanding of the text, it becomes necessary to find different means of being able to engage with the text and this is precisely what we shall be doing in different modes of reading. Of course, the different means provided here are not given as ultimatums rather hope to reveal scope for further models of interpreting the piece. With three different modes of reading established, our focus moves onto the dominant themes that revolve around the poem which will help appreciate the text in various forms. One of the major revelations of poetry-reading can be achieved by evaluating the title given to it from a generic sense, therefore we shall try and decipher what You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly refers to with emphasis on the word ‘shortly’ as it seems to stick to the original codes of understanding concepts of being modern in terms of time-relevance. It becomes inevitable but to look at the structuring of the text to find hidden meanings (atleast conceivable hidden meanings) once analysed focussing on the word ‘shortly’. Our concluding part of the analysis throws light on the different layers that exist within the piece aiming to break the traditional moulds of analysing a text. It seeks to prove that a particular writing can be highlighted in more ways than just one especially given the freedom in the Modern World. A Summarised Perspective: The poem showcases the concept of an interview, giving prominence to perhaps the negative aspects. The poet challenges fundamental concepts of interviewing and reveals it in a dialogic form. An interesting theory would be to understand that though it is presented in a dialogue form nowhere in the entire poem do we hear the interviewee’s voice although both their mind-sets and personalities are revealed to some extent. The interviewer focuses on several aspects of the interviewee that makes one wonder if this is the standard norms for how an interview is held. The interviewer somehow seems distracted as he goes about the interview in a manner that can be debated. Once we hear all the questions the interviewer asks we are left with a question ourselves – what is really important? And what does it take for a successful interview? Where is the emphasis given upon in this competitive world? When analysing these factors we come across the basis: that each one of them are very vulnerable to time. Every aspect that the interviewer focuses on the candidate could differ greatly at different time periods. Someone who graduated first in his class in 1996 could relatively prove â€Å"unintelligent† when compared to someone who graduated in 2006. When dealing with such a volatile situation it makes you wonder if Fanthorpe is really trying to project that these constitute the essence that makes what the modern world is and this very necessity to erase the lines drawn between one’s personal and professional life exposes domination of the modern world. We find this domination becoming crystal clear as the interviewer is able to convince the interviewee that his existence is a pity by the end of the poem. We shall understand this power-play better when we deal with the different themes within the poem but underlying modern concepts of functioning can be seen by psychological manipulation of many sorts. Modes of Reading: It often occurs to me that any text is usually dealt in one particular fashion ignoring all the other possibilities. So, starting with the basics I’m hoping to introduce ways of reading the same text in distinctive patterns. Attempting this, here are three patterns my mind was able to lay out. 1. A Monologue Reading Having established very confidently that this is a dialogic poem it would be rather hard to treat it as a monologue but not unimaginable. If one chooses to treat it in this manner we are again provided with two more options; to understand it as a monologue of the interviewer or the interviewee himself. If we are considering it as a monologue of the interviewer one can assume that social restrictions do not give him the liberty of saying the things out loud and thus it can be concluded as manifestations of his own mind. What we can focus around here are the social implications that could provoke an interviewer to wonder about. Another monologue perspective could be to analyse it from the point of view of an amateur and his apprehensions about the interview. This can simply be put off as nervousness or understand it by reflecting on the causes for such apprehensions. Both of these to some level show us an unrealistic perspective and irrational fears one might have. What is crucial here is that what one might consider unrealistic can turn out to be not so and perhaps we are moving towards a rather unrealistic future. 2. The Silenced Interviewee This mode has been especially chosen due to the lack of representation of the interviewee. We find that there is no voice given to the interviewee, we are left to believe the notions made by the interviewer as the ultimate truth. What does this signify? Giving absolute power to the interviewer who represents a major part of the organization whose words we blindly believe. This casual scenario exposes personal invasion made by the modern world, where individuals are given fewer opportunities to showcase themselves from their point of view rather forced to accept it in relation to societal norms. This of course leads to what I like to call â€Å"virtual representations† of each of us. Projection of ourselves in a corporate world changes from what we are to what we are suppose to be and this hopeful process of changing reflects the virtual representations that we make of ourselves every single day. And during this struggle to meet the ideal virtual representation we encounter a loss, loss of our personal identity that seems trivial in comparison to the large organization that exists. 3. From A Young Interviewee In a rather simplistic sense one can read it as nothing but apprehensions that a young interviewee has, a reflection of general concerns that one might have before his first interview. When analysing it from this mode we are forced to consider the social pressures that lead one to dwell under such tension. I have chosen to treat it in this specific manner mainly because the idea of the poem being apprehensions of an amateur does not seem absurd but what contradicts this simple explanation is the interviewee being –married, children- in the poem. This is the intriguing aspect of which I wish to explore where perhaps it is meant to show that everyone is treated as an amateur and it does not change much for an older experienced applicant or a new-comer and how both are treated in the same manner. Either that or it could simply be seen in terms of time-relevance as mentioned in the summarized perspective. Dominant Themes: Three themes have been chosen keeping in mind the most irrelevant concepts or rather the most ignored aspects of this poem. Not claiming that no one has understood this piece of text in this manner but attempting to bring together seemingly irrelevant pieces of information to form what can be called one important perspective. 1. Power Relations â€Å"Power is everywhere†¦becomes it comes from everywhere† – Michele Focault The above quote shall serve as the foundation for the rest of my argument. It seems only obvious to pick power relations as one of the dominant themes in the poem after having mentioned everything above. The entire concept of power requires no historical background or knowledge to analyse as in every sphere of human act there have been power; of course some more preferable than the others. And power can be understood in many ways, all of which can be applied to the text. In relation to the poem, power relations needs to be understood in terms of the corporate world where hierarchy and monitored functioning are in their zenith. It would seem rather stupid to ignore such a concept in the corporate world. Power relations become interesting especially while trying to relate to the corporate or modern world from the past, as we have evolved we have evolved within ourselves the very ideals of how we use or abuse power. One such understanding can be achieved by Alvin Toffler’s theory of power in historical sense; the beginning of power can be recognized as barbaric, where man could portray his domination only in primitive expressions or in other words through violence. This of course went through many changes although even today we find this dominates our impulse and history stands as the book of truth to reveal to us how exhibition of being powerful transformed from violence to wealth. Although one can argue very confidently that for quite a long period of time they both worked closely with one another to great lengths. As time passed by, we now arrive to our present state where power is displayed through a fluid concept termed as â€Å"intelligence† otherwise known as knowledge or information. The transformation that has taken place over the years makes power relations especially a delicate topic to engage with as it has now moved from a plain one dimensional model to a three dimensional functioning aspect of a society. Where at times all the three previously mentioned tools of power are used but in greatly differing indirect means. Another mode of looking at it comes from the Classic Study by French and Raven (1959) where they ntroduced five bases of power; positional (where power is issued based on the position you hold), referent (power understood as how influential or how convincing one is able to build loyalty around him), expert (power based on the expertise one holds over a subject), coercive (in terms of primitive means, violence) and reward (if one is able to give or withheld rewards of any kind). An additional base was added a little later rightly termed as the Informational base that reflects a society in the face of an aftermath of information explosion. Thus, information becomes power and power is very generously available to anyone who chooses to find it. Understanding power relations in this mode becomes increasingly difficult to define in precise terms. We can perhaps say Foucault’s quote finally establishes itself in modern society. When everyone has equal opportunities to find the power that they want, it becomes a universal characteristic of man. Now, it becomes dangerous as trends in power change drastically leaving man completely vulnerable to the dictates of the modern world.

Part Five Chapter III

III To Gavin's disappointment, it seemed that he would have to attend Howard Mollison's birthday party after all. If Mary, a client of the firm and the widow of his best friend, had asked him to stay for dinner, he would have considered himself more than justified in skipping it †¦ but Mary had not asked him to stay. She had family visiting, and she had been oddly flustered when he had turned up. She doesn't want them to know, he thought, taking comfort in her self-consciousness as she ushered him towards the door. He drove back to the Smithy, replaying his conversation with Kay in his mind. I thought he was your best friend. He's only been dead a few weeks! Yeah, and I was looking after her for Barry, he retorted in his head, which is what he'd have wanted. Neither of us expected this to happen. Barry's dead. It can't hurt him now. Alone in the Smithy he looked out a clean suit for the party, because the invitation said ‘formal', and tried to imagine gossipy little Pagford relishing the story of Gavin and Mary. So what? he thought, staggered by his own bravery. Is she supposed to be alone for ever? It happens. I was looking after her. And in spite of his reluctance to attend a party that was sure to be dull and exhausting, he was buoyed inside by a little bubble of excitement and happiness. Up in Hilltop House, Andrew Price was styling his hair with his mother's blow-drier. He had never looked forward to a disco or a party as much as he had longed for tonight. He, Gaia and Sukhvinder were being paid by Howard to serve food and drinks at the party. Howard had hired him a uniform for the occasion: a white shirt, black trousers and a bow tie. He would be working alongside Gaia, not as potboy but as a waiter. But there was more to his anticipation than this. Gaia had split up with the legendary Marco de Luca. He had found her crying about it in the back yard of the Copper Kettle that afternoon, when he had gone outside for a smoke. ‘His loss,' Andrew had said, trying to keep the delight out of his voice. And she had sniffed and said, ‘Cheers, Andy.' ‘You little poofter,' said Simon, when Andrew finally turned off the drier. He had been waiting to say it for several minutes, standing on the dark landing, staring through the gap in the door, which was ajar, watching Andrew preen himself in the mirror. Andrew jumped, then laughed. His good humour discomposed Simon. ‘Look at you,' he jeered, as Andrew passed him on the landing in his shirt and bow tie. ‘With your dicky-bow. You look a twat.' And you're unemployed, and I did it to you, dickhead. Andrew's feelings about what he had done to his father changed almost hourly. Sometimes the guilt would bear down on him, tainting everything, but then it would melt away, leaving him glorying in his secret triumph. Tonight, the thought of it gave extra heat to the excitement burning beneath Andrew's thin white shirt, an additional tingle to the goose-flesh caused by the rush of evening air as he sped, on Simon's racing bike, down the hill into town. He was excited, full of hope. Gaia was available and vulnerable. Her father lived in Reading. Shirley Mollison was standing in a party dress outside the church hall when he cycled up, tying giant gold helium balloons in the shapes of fives and sixes to the railings. ‘Hello, Andrew,' she trilled. ‘Bike away from the entrance, please.' He wheeled it along to the corner, passing a brand-new, racing green BMW convertible parked feet away. He walked around the car on his way inside, taking in the luxurious inner fittings. ‘And here's Andy!' Andrew saw at once that his boss's good humour and excitement were equal to his own. Howard was striding down the hall, wearing an immense velvet dinner jacket; he resembled a conjuror. There were only five or six other people dotted around: the party would not start for twenty minutes. Blue, white and gold balloons had been fastened up everywhere. There was a massive trestle table largely covered in plates draped with tea-towels, and at the top of the hall a middle-aged DJ setting up his equipment. ‘Go help Maureen, Andy, will you?' She was laying out glasses at one end of the long table, caught gaudily in a stream of light from an overhead lamp. ‘Don't you look handsome!' she croaked as he approached. She was wearing a scant, stretchy shiny dress that revealed every contour of the bony body to which unexpected little rolls and pads of flesh still clung, exposed by the unforgiving fabric. From somewhere out of sight came a small ‘hi'; Gaia was crouching over a box of plates on the floor. ‘Glasses out of boxes, please, Andy,' said Maureen, ‘and set them up here, where we're having the bar.' He did as he was told. As he unpacked the box, a woman he had never seen before approached, carrying several bottles of champagne. ‘These should go in the fridge, if there is one.' She had Howard's straight nose, Howard's big blue eyes and Howard's curly fair hair, but whereas his features were womanish, softened by fat, his daughter – she had to be his daughter – was unpretty yet striking, with low brows, big eyes and a cleft chin. She was wearing trousers and an open-necked silk shirt. After dumping the bottles onto the table she turned away. Her demeanour, and something about the quality of her clothing, made Andrew sure that she was the owner of the BMW outside. ‘That's Patricia,' whispered Gaia in his ear, and his skin tingled again as though she carried an electric charge. ‘Howard's daughter.' ‘Yeah, I thought so,' he said, but he was much more interested to see that Gaia was unscrewing the cap of a bottle of vodka and pouring out a measure. As he watched, she drank it straight off with a little shudder. She had barely replaced the top when Maureen reappeared beside them with an ice bucket. ‘Bloody old slapper,' said Gaia, as Maureen walked away, and Andrew smelt the spirits on her breath. ‘Look at the state of her.' He laughed, turned and stopped abruptly, because Shirley was right beside them, smiling her pussycat smile. ‘Has Miss Jawanda not arrived yet?' she asked. ‘She's on her way, she just texted me,' said Gaia. But Shirley did not really care where Sukhvinder was. She had overheard Andrew and Gaia's little exchange about Maureen, and it had completely restored the good mood that had been dented by Maureen's evident delight in her own toilette. It was difficult to satisfactorily puncture self-esteem so obtuse, so deluded, but as Shirley walked away from the teenagers towards the DJ, she planned what she would say to Howard the next time she saw him alone. I'm afraid the young ones were, well, laughing at Maureen †¦ it's such a pity she wore that dress †¦ I hate seeing her make a fool of herself. There was plenty to be pleased about, Shirley reminded herself, for she needed a little bolstering tonight. She and Howard and Miles were all going to be on the council together; it would be marvellous, simply marvellous. She checked that the DJ knew that Howard's favourite song was ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home', Tom Jones' version, and looked around for more little jobs to do: but instead her gaze fell upon the reason that her happiness, tonight, had not quite that perfect quality she had anticipated. Patricia was standing alone, staring up at the Pagford coat of arms on the wall, and making no effort to talk to anybody. Shirley wished that Patricia would wear a skirt sometimes; but at least she had arrived alone. Shirley had been afraid that the BMW might contain another person, and that absence was something gained. You weren't supposed to dislike your own child; you were supposed to like them no matter what, even if they were not what you wanted, even if they turned out to be the kind of person that you would have crossed the street to avoid had you not been related. Howard took a large view of the whole matter; he even joked about it, in a mild way, beyond Patricia's hearing. Shirley could not rise to those heights of detachment. She felt compelled to join Patricia, in the vague, unconscious hope that she might dilute the strangeness she was afraid everyone else would smell by her own exemplary dress and behaviour. ‘Do you want a drink, darling?' ‘Not yet,' said Patricia, still staring up at the Pagford arms. ‘I had a heavy night last night. Probably still over the limit. We were out drinking with Melly's office pals.' Shirley smiled vaguely up at the crest above them. ‘Melly's fine, thanks for asking,' said Patricia. ‘Oh, good,' said Shirley. ‘I liked the invitation,' said Patricia. ‘Pat and guest.' ‘I'm sorry, darling, but that's just what you put, you know, when people aren't married – ‘ ‘Ah, that's what it says in Debrett's, does it? Well, Melly didn't want to come if she wasn't even named on the invitation, so we had a massive row, and here I am, alone. Result, eh?' Patricia stalked away towards the drinks, leaving Shirley a little shaken behind her. Patricia's rages had been frightening even as a child. ‘You're late, Miss Jawanda,' she called, recovering her composure as a flustered Sukhvinder came hurrying towards her. In Shirley's opinion, the girl was demonstrating a kind of insolence turning up at all, after what her mother had said to Howard, here, in this very hall. She watched her hurry to join Andrew and Gaia, and thought that she would tell Howard that they ought to let Sukhvinder go. She was tardy, and there was probably a hygiene issue with the eczema she was hiding under the long-sleeved black T-shirt; Shirley made a mental note to check whether it was contagious, on her favourite medical website. Guests began to arrive promptly at eight o'clock. Howard told Gaia to come and stand beside him and collect coats, because he wanted everyone to see him ordering her around by name, in that little black dress and frilly apron. But there were soon too many coats for her to carry alone, so he summoned Andrew to help. ‘Nick a bottle,' Gaia ordered Andrew, as they hung coats three and four deep in the tiny cloakroom, ‘and hide it in the kitchen. We can take it in turns to go and have some.' ‘OK,' said Andrew, elated. ‘Gavin!' cried Howard, as his son's partner came through the door alone at half-past eight. ‘Kay not with you, Gavin?' asked Shirley swiftly (Maureen was changing into sparkly stilettos behind the trestle table, so there was very little time to steal a march on her). ‘No, she couldn't make it, unfortunately,' said Gavin; then, to his horror, he came face to face with Gaia, who was waiting to take his coat. ‘Mum could have made it,' said Gaia, in a clear, carrying voice, as she glared at him. ‘But Gavin's dumped her, haven't you, Gav?' Howard clapped Gavin on the shoulder, pretending he had not heard, and boomed, ‘Great to see you, go get yourself a drink.' Shirley's expression remained impassive, but the thrill of the moment did not subside quickly, and she was a little dazed and dreamy, greeting the next few guests. When Maureen tottered over in her awful dress to join the greeting party, Shirley took immense pleasure in telling her quietly: ‘We've had a very awkward little scene. Very awkward. Gavin and Gaia's mother †¦ oh, dear †¦ if we'd known †¦' ‘What? What's happened?' But Shirley shook her head, savouring the exquisite pleasure of Maureen's frustrated curiosity, and opened her arms wide as Miles, Samantha and Lexie entered the hall. ‘Here he is! Parish Councillor Miles Mollison!' Samantha watched Shirley hugging Miles as though from a great distance. She had moved so abruptly from happiness and anticipation to shock and disappointment that her thoughts had become white noise, against which she had to fight to take in the exterior world. (Miles had said: ‘That's great! You can come to Dad's party, you were only just saying – ‘ ‘Yes,' she had replied, ‘I know. It is great, isn't it?' But when he had seen her dressed in the jeans and band T-shirt she had been visualizing herself in for over a week, he had been perplexed. ‘It's formal.' ‘Miles, it's the church hall in Pagford.' ‘I know, but the invitation – ‘ ‘I'm wearing this.') ‘Hello, Sammy,' said Howard. ‘Look at you. You needn't have dressed up.' But his embrace was as lascivious as ever, and he patted her tightly jeaned backside. Samantha gave Shirley a cold tight smile and walked past her towards the drinks. A nasty voice inside her head was asking: but what did you think was going to happen at the concert, anyway? What was the point? What were you after? Nothing. A bit of fun. The dream of strong young arms and laughter, which was to have had some kind of catharsis tonight; her own thin waist encircled again, and the sharp taste of the new, the unexplored; her fantasy had lost wings, it was plummeting back to earth †¦ I only wanted to look. ‘Looking good, Sammy.' ‘Cheers, Pat.' She had not met her sister-in-law for over a year. I like you more than anyone else in this family, Pat. Miles had caught up with her; he kissed his sister. ‘How are you? How's Mel? Isn't she here?' ‘No, she didn't want to come,' said Patricia. She was drinking champagne, but from her expression, it might have been vinegar. ‘The invitation said Pat and guest are invited †¦ huge bloody row. One up to Mum.' ‘Oh, Pat, come on,' said Miles, smiling. ‘Oh, Pat, fucking come on what, Miles?' A furious delight took hold of Samantha: a pretext to attack. ‘That's a bloody rude way to invite your sister's partner and you know it, Miles. Your mother could do with some lessons in manners, if you ask me.' He was fatter, surely, than he had been a year ago. She could see his neck bulging over the collar of his shirt. His breath went sour quickly. He had a little trick of bouncing on his toes that he had caught from his father. She experienced a surge of physical disgust and walked away to the end of the trestle table, where Andrew and Sukhvinder were busy filling and handing out glasses. ‘Have you got any gin?' Samantha asked. ‘Give me a big one.' She barely recognized Andrew. He poured her a measure, trying not to look at her breasts, boundlessly exposed in the T-shirt, but it was like trying not to squint in direct sunlight. ‘Do you know them?' Samantha asked, after downing half a glass of gin and tonic. A blush had risen before Andrew could marshal his thoughts. To his horror, she gave a reckless cackle, and said, ‘The band. I'm talking about the band.' ‘Yeah, I – yeah, I've heard of them. I don't †¦ not my kind of thing.' ‘Is that right?' she said, throwing back the rest of her drink. ‘I'll have another one of those, please.' She realized who he was: the mousy boy from the delicatessen. His uniform made him look older. Maybe a couple of weeks of lugging pallets up and down the cellar steps had built some muscle. ‘Oh, look,' said Samantha, spotting a figure heading away from her into the growing crowd, ‘there's Gavin. The second most boring man in Pagford. After my husband, obviously.' She strode off, pleased with herself, holding her new drink; the gin had hit her where she most needed it, anaesthetizing and stimulating at the same time, and as she walked she thought: he liked my tits; let's see what he thinks of my arse. Gavin saw Samantha coming and tried to deflect her by joining somebody else's conversation, anybody's; the nearest person was Howard and he insinuated himself hastily into the group around his host. ‘I took a risk,' Howard was saying to three other men; he was waving a cigar, and a little ash had dribbled down the front of his velvet jacket. ‘I took a risk and I put in the graft. Simple as that. No magic formula. Nobody handed me – oh, here's Sammy. Who are those young men, Samantha?' While four elderly men stared at the pop group stretched across her breasts, Samantha turned to Gavin. ‘Hi,' she said, leaning in and forcing him to kiss her. ‘Kay not here?' ‘No,' said Gavin shortly. ‘Talking about business, Sammy,' said Howard happily, and Samantha thought of her shop, failed and finished. ‘I was a self-starter,' he informed the group, reprising what was clearly an established theme. ‘That's all there is to it. That's all you need. I was a self-starter.' Massive and globular, he was like a miniature velvety sun, radiating satisfaction and contentment. His tones were already rounded and mellowed by the brandy in his hand. ‘I was ready to take a risk – could've lost everything.' ‘Well, your mum could have lost everything,' Samantha corrected him. ‘Didn't Hilda mortgage her house to put up half the deposit on the shop?' She saw the tiny flicker in Howard's eyes, but his smile remained constant. ‘All credit to my mother, then,' he said, ‘for working and scrimping and saving, and giving her son a start. I multiply what I was given, and I give back to the family – pay for your girls to go to St Anne's – what goes round, comes round, eh, Sammy?' She expected this from Shirley, but not from Howard. Both of them drained their glasses, and Samantha watched Gavin drift away without trying to stop him. Gavin was wondering whether it would be possible to slip out unnoticed. He was nervous, and the noise was making it worse. A horrible idea had taken possession of him since meeting Gaia at the door. What if Kay had told her daughter everything? What if the girl knew that he was in love with Mary Fairbrother, and told other people? It was the sort of thing that a vengeful sixteen-year-old might do. The very last thing he wanted was for Pagford to know that he was in love with Mary before he had a chance to tell her himself. He had imagined doing it months and months hence, perhaps a year down the line †¦ letting the first anniversary of Barry's death slip by †¦ and, in the mean time, nurturing the tiny shoots of trust and reliance that were already there, so that the reality of her feelings stole gradually upon her, as they had upon him †¦ ‘You haven't got a drink, Gav!' said Miles. ‘That situation must be remedied!' He led his partner firmly to the drinks table and poured him a beer, talking all the while, and, like Howard, giving off an almost visible glow of happiness and pride. ‘You heard I won the seat?' Gavin had not, but he did not feel equal to feigning surprise. ‘Yeah. Congratulations.' ‘How's Mary?' asked Miles expansively; he was a friend to the whole town tonight, because it had elected him. ‘She doing OK?' ‘Yeah, I think – ‘ ‘I heard she might be going to Liverpool. Might be for the best.' ‘What?' said Gavin sharply. ‘Maureen was saying this morning; apparently, Mary's sister's trying to persuade Mary to go home with the kids. She's still got a lot of family in Liver – ‘ ‘This is her home.' ‘I think it was Barry who liked Pagford. I'm not sure Mary will want to stay without him.' Gaia was watching Gavin through a chink in the kitchen door. She was clutching a paper cup containing several fingers of the vodka that Andrew had stolen for her. ‘He's such a bastard,' she said. ‘We'd still be in Hackney if he hadn't led Mum on. She's so bloody stupid. I could have told her he wasn't that interested. He never took her out. He couldn't wait to leave after they'd shagged.' Andrew, who was piling additional sandwiches on an almost empty platter behind her, could hardly believe that she was using words like shagged. The chimeric Gaia who filled his fantasies was a sexually inventive and adventurous virgin. He did not know what the real Gaia had done, or not done, with Marco de Luca. Her judgement on her mother made it sound as if she knew how men behaved after sex, if they were interested †¦ ‘Drink something,' she told Andrew as he approached the door with the platter, and she held up her own polystyrene cup to his lips, and he drank some of her vodka. Giggling a little, she backed away to let him out and called after him: ‘Make Sooks come in here and get some!' The hall was crowded and noisy. Andrew put the pile of fresh sandwiches on the table, but interest in the food seemed to have waned; Sukhvinder was struggling to keep up with demand at the drinks table, and many people had started pouring their own. ‘Gaia wants you in the kitchen,' Andrew told Sukhvinder, and he took over from her. There was no point acting like a bartender; instead, he filled as many glasses as he could find, and left them on the table for people to help themselves. ‘Hi, Peanut!' said Lexie Mollison. ‘Can I have some champagne?' They had been at St Thomas's together, but he had not seen her for a long time. Her accent had changed since she had been at St Anne's. He hated being called Peanut. ‘It's there in front of you,' he said, pointing. ‘Lexie, you're not drinking,' snapped Samantha, appearing out of the crowd. ‘Absolutely not.' ‘Grandad said – ‘ ‘I don't care.' ‘Everyone else – ‘ ‘I said no!' Lexie stomped away. Andrew, glad to see her go, smiled at Samantha, and was surprised when she beamed at him. ‘Do you talk back to your parents?' ‘Yeah,' he said, and she laughed. Her breasts really were enormous. ‘Ladies and gentlemen!' boomed a voice through the microphone, and everyone stopped talking to listen to Howard. ‘Wanted to say a few words †¦ most of you probably know by now that my son Miles has just been elected to the Parish Council!' There was a smattering of applause and Miles raised his drink high above his head to acknowledge it. Andrew was startled to hear Samantha say quite clearly under her breath, ‘Hoo-fucking-ray.' Nobody was coming for drinks now. Andrew slipped back into the kitchen. Gaia and Sukhvinder were alone in there, drinking and laughing, and when they saw Andrew they both shouted, ‘Andy!' He laughed too. ‘Are you both pissed?' ‘Yes,' said Gaia, and ‘no,' said Sukhvinder. ‘She is, though.' ‘I don't care,' said Gaia. ‘Mollison can sack me if he wants. No point saving up for a ticket to Hackney any more.' ‘He won't sack you,' said Andrew, helping himself to some of the vodka. ‘You're his favourite.' ‘Yeah,' said Gaia. ‘Creepy old bastard.' And the three of them laughed again. Through the glass doors, amplified by the microphone, came Maureen's croaky voice. ‘Come on, then, Howard! Come on – a duet for your birthday! Go on – ladies and gentlemen – Howard's favourite song!' The teenagers gazed at each other in tantalized horror. Gaia tripped forward, giggling, and pushed the door open. The first few bars of ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home' blared out, and then, in Howard's bass and Maureen's gravelly alto: The old home town looks the same, As I step down from the train †¦ Gavin was the only one who heard the giggles and snorts, but when he turned around all he saw were the double doors to the kitchen, swinging a little on their hinges. Miles had left to chat with Aubrey and Julia Fawley, who had arrived late, wreathed in polite smiles. Gavin was in the grip of a familiar mixture of dread and anxiety. His brief sunlit haze of freedom and happiness had been overcast by the twin threats of Gaia blabbing what he had said to her mother, and of Mary leaving Pagford for ever. What was he going to do? Down the lane I walk, with my sweet Mary, Hair of gold and lips like cherries †¦ ‘Kay not here?' Samantha had arrived, leaning against the table beside him, smirking. ‘You already asked me that,' said Gavin. ‘No.' ‘Everything OK with you two?' ‘Is that really any of your business?' It slipped out of him before he could stop it; he was sick of her constant probing and jeering. For once, it was just the two of them; Miles was still busy with the Fawleys. She over-acted being taken aback. Her eyes were bloodshot and her speech was deliberate; for the first time, Gavin felt more dislike than intimidation. ‘I'm sorry. I was only – ‘ ‘Asking. Yeah,' he said, as Howard and Maureen swayed, arm in arm. ‘I'd like to see you settled down. You and Kay seemed good together.' ‘Yeah, well, I like my freedom,' said Gavin. ‘I don't know many happily married couples.' Samantha had drunk too much to feel the full force of the dig, but she had the impression that one had been made. ‘Marriages are always a mystery to outsiders,' she said carefully. ‘Nobody can ever really know except the two people involved. So you shouldn't judge, Gavin.' ‘Thanks for the insight,' he said, and irritated past endurance he set down his empty beer can and headed towards the cloakroom. Samantha watched him leave, sure that she had had the best of the encounter, and turned her attention to her mother-in-law, whom she could see through a gap in the crowd, watching Howard and Maureen sing. Samantha relished Shirley's anger, which was expressed in the tightest, coldest smile she had worn all evening. Howard and Maureen had performed together many a time over the years; Howard loved to sing, and Maureen had once performed backing vocals for a local skiffle band. When the song finished, Shirley clapped her hands together once; she might have been summoning a flunkey, and Samantha laughed out loud and moved along to the bar end of the table, which she was disappointed to find unmanned by the boy in the bow tie. Andrew, Gaia and Sukhvinder were still convulsed in the kitchen. They laughed because of Howard and Maureen's duet, and because they had finished two-thirds of the vodka, but mostly they laughed because they laughed, feeding off each other until they could barely stand. The little window over the sink, propped ajar so that the kitchen did not become too steamy, rattled and clattered, and Fats' head appeared through it. ‘Evening,' he said. Evidently he had climbed onto something outside, because, with a noise of scraping and a heavy object falling over, more and more of him emerged through the window until he landed heavily on the draining board, knocking several glasses to the ground, where they shattered. Sukhvinder walked straight out of the kitchen. Andrew knew immediately that he did not want Fats there. Only Gaia seemed unperturbed. Still giggling, she said, ‘There's a door, you know.' ‘No shit?' said Fats. ‘Where's the drink?' ‘This is ours,' said Gaia, cradling the vodka in her arms. ‘Andy nicked it. You'll have to get your own.' ‘Not a problem,' said Fats coolly, and he walked through the doors into the hall. ‘Need the loo †¦' mumbled Gaia, and she stowed the vodka bottle back under the sink, and left the kitchen too. Andrew followed. Sukhvinder had returned to the bar area, Gaia was disappearing into the bathroom, and Fats was leaning against the trestle table with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other. ‘Didn't think you'd want to come to this,' said Andrew. ‘I was invited, mate,' said Fats. ‘It was on the invitation. Whole Wall family.' ‘Does Cubby know you're here?' ‘Dunno,' said Fats. ‘He's in hiding. Didn't get ol' Barry's seat after all. The whole social fabric'll collapse now Cubby's not holding it together. Fucking hell, that's horrible,' he added, spitting out a mouthful of sandwich. ‘Wanna fag?' The hall was so noisy, and the guests so raucously drunk, that nobody seemed to care where Andrew went any more. When they got outside, they found Patricia Mollison, alone beside her sports car, looking up at the clear starry sky, smoking. ‘You can have one of these,' she said, offering her packet, ‘if you want.' After she had lit their cigarettes, she stood at her ease with one hand balled deep in her pocket. There was something about her that Andrew found intimidating; he could not even bring himself to glance at Fats, to gauge his reaction. ‘I'm Pat,' she told them, after a little while. ‘Howard and Shirley's daughter.' ‘Hi,' said Andrew. †M Andrew.' ‘Stuart,' said Fats. She did not seem to need to prolong conversation. Andrew felt it as a kind of compliment and tried to emulate her indifference. The silence was broken by footsteps and the sound of muffled girls' voices. Gaia was dragging Sukhvinder outside by the hand. She was laughing, and Andrew could tell that the full effect of the vodka was still intensifying inside her. ‘You,' said Gaia, to Fats, ‘are really horrible to Sukhvinder.' ‘Stop it,' said Sukhvinder, tugging against Gaia's hand. ‘I'm serious – let me – ‘ ‘He is!' said Gaia breathlessly. ‘You are! Do you put stuff on her Facebook?' ‘Stop it!' shouted Sukhvinder. She wrenched herself free and plunged back inside the party. ‘You are horrible to her,' said Gaia, grabbing onto the railings for support. ‘Calling her a lesbian and stuff †¦' ‘Nothing wrong with being a lesbian,' said Patricia, her eyes narrowed through the smoke she was inhaling. ‘But then, I would say that.' Andrew saw Fats look at Pat sideways. ‘I never said there was anything wrong with it. It's only jokes,' he said. Gaia slid down the rails to sit on the chilly pavement, her head in her arms. ‘You all right?' Andrew asked. If Fats had not been there, he would have sat down too. ‘Pissed,' she muttered. ‘Might do better to stick your fingers down your throat,' suggested Patricia, looking down at her dispassionately. ‘Nice car,' Fats said, eyeing the BMW. ‘Yeah,' said Patricia. ‘New. I make double what my brother makes,' she said, ‘but Miles is the Christ Child. Miles the Messiah †¦ Parish Councillor Mollison the Second †¦ of Pagford. Do you like Pagford?' she asked Fats, while Andrew watched Gaia breathing deeply, her head between her knees. ‘No,' said Fats. ‘It's a shithole.' ‘Yeah, well †¦ I couldn't wait to leave, personally. Did you know Barry Fairbrother?' ‘A bit,' said Fats. Something in his voice made Andrew worried. ‘He was my reading mentor at St Thomas's,' said Patricia, with her eyes still on the end of the street. ‘Lovely bloke. I would have come back for the funeral, but Melly and I were in Zermatt. What's all this stuff my mother's been gloating about †¦ this Barry's Ghost stuff?' ‘Someone putting stuff on the Parish Council website,' said Andrew hastily, afraid of what Fats might say, if he let him. ‘Rumours and stuff.' ‘Yeah, my mother would love that,' said Patricia. ‘Wonder what the Ghost'll say next?' Fats asked, with a sidelong glance at Andrew. ‘Probably stop now the election's over,' muttered Andrew. ‘Oh, I dunno,' said Fats. ‘If there's stuff old Barry's Ghost is still pissed off about †¦' He knew that he was making Andrew anxious and he was glad of it. Andrew was spending all his time at his poxy job these days, and he would soon be moving. Fats did not owe Andrew anything. True authenticity could not exist alongside guilt and obligation. ‘You all right down there?' Patricia asked Gaia, who nodded, with her face still hidden. ‘What was it, the drink or the duet that made you feel sick?' Andrew laughed a little bit, out of politeness and because he wanted to keep the subject away from the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother. ‘Turned my stomach too,' said Patricia. ‘Old Maureen and my father singing along together. Arm in arm.' Patricia took a final fierce drag on her cigarette and threw the end down, grinding it beneath her heel. ‘I walked in on her blowing him when I was twelve,' she said. ‘And he gave me a fiver not to tell my mother.' Andrew and Fats stood transfixed, scared even to look at each other. Patricia wiped her face on the back of her hand: she was crying. ‘Shouldn't have bloody come,' she said. ‘Knew I shouldn't.' She got into the BMW, and the two boys watched, stunned, as she turned on the engine, reversed out of her parking space and drove away into the night. ‘Fuck me,' said Fats. ‘I think I might be sick,' whispered Gaia. ‘Mr Mollison wants you back inside – for the drinks.' Her message delivered, Sukhvinder darted away again. ‘I can't,' whispered Gaia. Andrew left her there. The din in the hall hit him as he opened the inner doors. The disco was in full swing. He had to move aside to allow Aubrey and Julia Fawley room to leave. Both, with their backs to the party, looked grimly pleased to be going. Samantha Mollison was not dancing, but was leaning up against the trestle table where, so recently, there had been rows and rows of drinks. While Sukhvinder rushed around collecting glasses, Andrew unpacked the last box of clean ones, set them out and filled them. ‘Your bow tie's crooked,' Samantha told him, and she leaned across the table and straightened it for him. Embarrassed, he ducked into the kitchen as soon as she let go. Between each load of glasses he put in the dishwasher, Andrew took another swig of the vodka he had stolen. He wanted to be drunk like Gaia; he wanted to return to that moment when they had been laughing uncontrollably together, before Fats had appeared. After ten minutes, he checked the drinks table again; Samantha was still propped up against it, glassy-eyed, and there were plenty of fresh-poured drinks left for her to enjoy. Howard was bobbing in the middle of the dance floor, sweat pouring down his face, roaring with laughter at something Maureen had said to him. Andrew wound his way through the crowd and back outside. He could not see where she was at first: then he spotted them. Gaia and Fats were locked together ten yards away from the door, leaning up against the railings, bodies pressed tight against each other, tongues working in each other's mouths. ‘Look, I'm sorry, but I can't do it all,' said Sukhvinder desperately from behind him. Then she spotted Fats and Gaia and let out something between a yelp and a sob. Andrew walked back into the hall with her, completely numb. In the kitchen, he poured the remainder of the vodka into a glass and downed it in one. Mechanically he filled the sink and set to washing out the glasses that could not fit in the dishwasher. The alcohol was not like dope. It made him feel empty, but also keen to hit someone: Fats, for instance. After a while, he realized that the plastic clock on the kitchen wall had leapt from midnight to one and that people were leaving. He was supposed to find coats. He tried for a while, but then lurched off to the kitchen again, leaving Sukhvinder in charge. Samantha was leaning up against the fridge, on her own, with a glass in her hand. Andrew's vision was strangely jerky, like a series of stills. Gaia had not come back. She was doubtless long gone with Fats. Samantha was talking to him. She was drunk too. He was not embarrassed by her any more. He suspected that he might be sick quite soon. ‘ †¦ hate bloody Pagford †¦' said Samantha, and, ‘but you're young enough to get out.' ‘Yeah,' he said, unable to feel his lips. ‘An' I will. ‘Nigh will.' She pushed his hair off his forehead and called him sweet. The image of Gaia with her tongue in Fats' mouth threatened to obliterate everything. He could smell Samantha's perfume, coming in waves from her hot skin. ‘That band's shit,' he said, pointing at her chest, but he did not think she heard him. Her mouth was chapped and warm, and her breasts were huge, pressed against his chest; her back was as broad as his – ‘What the fuck?' Andrew was slumped against the draining board and Samantha was being dragged out of the kitchen by a big man with short greying hair. Andrew had a dim idea that something bad had happened, but the strange flickering quality of reality was becoming more and more pronounced, until the only thing to do was to stagger across the room to the bin and throw up again and again and again †¦ ‘Sorry, you can't come in!' he heard Sukhvinder tell someone. ‘Stuff piled up against the door!' He tied the bin bag tightly on his own vomit. Sukhvinder helped him clear the kitchen. He needed to throw up twice more, but both times managed to get to the bathroom. It was nearly two o'clock by the time Howard, sweaty but smiling, thanked them and said goodnight. ‘Very good work,' he said. ‘See you tomorrow, then. Very good †¦ where's Miss Bawden, by the way?' Andrew left Sukhvinder to come up with a lie. Out in the street, he unchained Simon's bicycle and wheeled it away into the darkness. The long cold walk back to Hilltop House cleared his head, but assuaged neither his bitterness nor his misery. Had he ever told Fats that he fancied Gaia? Maybe not, but Fats knew. He knew that Fats knew †¦ were they, perhaps, shagging right now? I'm moving, anyway, Andrew thought, bent over and shivering as he pushed the bicycle up the hill. So fuck them †¦ Then he thought: I'd better be moving †¦ Had he just snogged Lexie Mollison's mother? Had her husband walked in on them? Had that really happened? He was scared of Miles, but he also wanted to tell Fats about it, to see his face †¦ When he let himself into the house, exhausted, Simon's voice came out of the darkness from the kitchen. ‘Have you put my bike in the garage?' He was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. It was nearly half-past two in the morning. ‘Couldn't sleep,' said Simon. For once, he was not angry. Ruth was not there, so he did not have to prove himself bigger or smarter than his sons. He seemed weary and small. ‘Think we're gonna have to move to Reading, Pizza Face,' said Simon. It was almost a term of endearment. Shivering slightly, feeling old and shell-shocked, and immensely guilty, Andrew wanted to give his father something to make up for what he had done. It was time to redress balances and claim Simon as an ally. They were a family. They had to move together. Perhaps it could be better, somewhere else. ‘I've got something for you,' he said. ‘Come through here. Found out how to do it at school †¦' And he led the way to the computer.

Thematic essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thematic 2 - Essay Example In â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing,† a mother reflects on her struggle to raise her daughter Emily during the harsh years of the Great Depression and the World War. She questions the decisions she has made and their effect on her daughter. The mothers are the narrators in â€Å"Everyday Use† and â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing.† Another point of similarity in the two stories is the sibling relationships. Walker’s Dee and Maggie, and Olsen’s Emily and Susan, are sisters whose interactions play important roles in the development of the narratives. The two pairs of siblings experience similar treatment from their mothers, and have similar personalities and sibling relationships. Maggie in â€Å"Everyday Use† and Emily in â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† are treated in similar ways by their mothers. Maggie and Emily are the elder daughters in poor households. In these circumstances, they are called upon to share a significant part of the mothers’ domestic burdens. Maggie cleans the yard, stays back in the kitchen to wash-up after dinner and, unlike her sister, knows all the household tasks, including quilting. Her position is the family is â€Å"like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her† (Walker, 74). In the same way, Emily is obliged â€Å"to help be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper† (Olsen, 5). Maggie and Emily bear the brunt of the family’s poverty. ... Walker’s narrator placidly condones the selfishness of the successful Dee, who has carved a place for herself in the outside world, and takes for granted the stay-at-home Maggie, who stoically bears her modest lot. Similarly, Olsen’s mother admits that, unlike her younger siblings, Emily is â€Å"a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear† (Olsen, 7). It is clear that the younger siblings, Dee and Susan, receive preferential treatment from the two mothers. The mothers come to acknowledge this discrimination. Maggie’s mother makes amends by refusing to give Dee the quilts, while Emily’s mother hopes the Emily will â€Å"find her way† (Olsen, 7) in the future. The siblings in the two stories also share appearances and personalities. Maggie is â€Å"homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs† (Walker, 2). She shuffles and sidles up to people, is afraid to meet strangers and totally lacks self-confidence. Her mothe r declares, â€Å"She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passes her by† (Walker, 13). Similarly, Emily’s walk is nervous. Her skin is scarred by pock marks and she stammers in class. Her mother says â€Å"She was not glib or quick† (Olsen, 4). In contrast, the younger siblings are pretty and confident. Dee is â€Å"lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure† (Walker, 10). She is attractive, extroverted, confident and ready to take what she wants. Likewise, Susan is â€Å"golden and curly haired and chubby, quick and articulate and assured, everything in appearance and manner Emily was not† (Olsen, 5). The mothers themselves admit that the elder girls are inferior to their younger siblings in attractiveness and personality. The two pairs of siblings experience

What is the most important learning for you in the material on Essay

What is the most important learning for you in the material on Hinduism In other words, explain one thing you have learned and why it is important, in your view - Essay Example These explanations became â€Å"a way of life† to achieve enlightenment that influenced modern society all over the world that words like karma, guru, dharma became part of our modern vocabulary. I learned the application of this concept which is really to seek for love (not the romantic one but the love for humanity), enlightenment, avoidance of conflict and world peace which are all geared towards enlightenment to improve the karma which is really the cycle of birth and rebirth or an effort to perpetually improve. This also partially explains what is common among all religion, that it is just humanly constructed for us to be enlightened through the guidance of some divine ideas. Through this important lesson about Buddhism, I also learned that self-improvement, learning and the effort to be better is part of divine plan for us to achieve enlightenment and peace within ourselves the people around

Database Applications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Database Applications - Research Paper Example It mainly focuses on the safe management and maintenance of data, and providing access to multiple applications and users simultaneously. Despite its complexity as compared to flat text files and spreadsheets, it actually makes things easier considering the weaknesses of the latter (i.e. redundant information, outdated data, file size, complex protection of data from unauthorized use and from becoming corrupt), particularly when working with large-scale applications. These issues aforementioned are taken cared of Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), such that the flexibility and security of data outweighs the complexity of the system. Codd's idea was to break down a long row of data fields into smaller tables describing specific subsets of the data collected, ultimately reducing the data footprint and cost. Furthermore, it enforces data integrity by ensuring data type correctness (by using strong data types), eliminating redundant data (by saving data entities in just one p lace), disallowing harmful deletes (by using key constraints), and guarantees efficient retrieval and manipulation of data (by splitting up data into chunks). With SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, you get the advantages of RDBMS.

A Critique on the Kyoto Protocols Research Paper

A Critique on the Kyoto Protocols - Research Paper Example In the discourse, global warming was specifically defined as â€Å"climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere.   Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with human interference, specifically the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases† (ibid.). With the alarming levels of greenhouse gases continuing to increase at an unprecedented pace, scientists all over the world drastically made efforts to inform the international organizations in charge of environmental protection. An international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) deemed it of primary importance to address global warming issues through its governance and with the assistance of another international agreement, the Kyoto Protocol. According to the official website of UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol â€Å"sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These amount to an average of five percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012† (UNFCCC, 2010, par. 1). In this regard, the essay aims to proffer one’s personal opinion as to  what world leaders and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should agree on. Likewise, the essay seeks to address the following concerns, to wit: (1) is there a solution that they should commit to? If so, what is it? If not, then what should they do? (2) Why haven't the Kyoto Protocols worked? What has not worked and why? What has worked and why? (3) What should be the role of the US? And (4) what should be the role of China?   Diverse articles and publications on UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol reveal that their primary thrust is â€Å"to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will  prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.  

Intercultural communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Intercultural communication - Essay Example 465). Hall’s High and Low Context Cultural Taxonomy - is a cultural framework by Edward Hall that focuses how an individual attributes meaning to their manner of communication. Low-context communication is putting ideas into words, while high-context communication is implicitly placing meaning to words (Clausen 53). Hofstede’s Cultural Taxonomy - is composed of five dimensions, which include power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and Confucian dynamism. These dimensions are reflected by cultures which are also represented in the business environment. Power distance is considered as high in Latin America, wherein those who are less powerful accept the decisions of those in power (â€Å"National Cultures†). Schwartz’s Cultural Taxonomy - is composed of seven cultural values that can account for culture; these are conservation, hierarchy, intellectual autonomy, affective autonomy, competency, harmony, and egalitarian compromise. For example, in the light of intellectual autonomy, a person is given the full privileged and freedom in order to pursue or achieve his or her intellectual goals (Gouveia and Ros 26). The GLOBE Cultural Taxonomy - is a global project that uses nine cultural variables, in order to encapsulate the relationship between effective leadership and organizational cultures. The cultural variables are power distance, in-group collectivism, institutional collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, future orientation, gender egalitarianism assertiveness, humane orientation, and performance orientation (Javidan, et al. 62). Globalization has paved its way in influencing the economic, political, and social aspect of a state. With this, the establishment and maintenance of the identity of an individual has also been influenced by globalization. Also, identity is

Assignment 10 Chapter 9 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

10 Chapter 9 - Assignment Example Resource loading gives a project planner a rough estimate of the resources that are required for a given project. Resource loading is determined to a large extent by the time to be taken by each project activity. Resource loading differs from resource leveling in that resource leveling aims at appropriate resource allocation such that the activity is not over-allocated any resource. It also reduces any chances of under-allocation of resources. Resource leveling can be done by delaying or splitting an activity until when the required resource is available. Critical chain concept was developed to solve the problem of time wastage in project implementation. Critical chain is explained as the longest chain of project tasks that are logically dependent. Since the planner cannot be sure of the critical chain timeline, buffers are used manage and control any variations that might occur. Buffers ensure that the project finish date is not

Summary of article on human intelligence or memory Essay

Summary of article on human intelligence or memory - Essay Example How alcohol affects the brain and the impact of heavy drinking on the brain and memory has always been a topic of research. Well, there are several factors that determine the severity of the affect of alcohol on the brain. Some of the factors include the quantity of alcohol being consumed by a person, age, gender and his or her general health status. Alcohol consumption can have noticeable impairments in memory only after a few drinks. And as the amount of alcohol consumption increases, the degree of impairment also increases accordingly. If one consumes alcohol regularly in an empty stomach, it can create a blackout and the drunken person fail to recall the events, if any. Blackouts have been found to be a common symptom among social drinkers regardless of age, and sex. A survey conducted on college undergraduates revealed that 51 percent experienced blackouts in some point in their lives while 40 percent experienced blackout one year before the survey ("Alcohol’s damaging effects," 2004). Many students however, reported that they could not even remember events such as vandalism, driving and unprotected sex. Both men and women experience black outs. A new research study reveals that regardless the amount of alcohol consumed, women’s tendency to black outs is more than males. And the result also shows that there is a significant difference in alcohol metabolism in males and females. In addition, the result shows that females may be more susceptible to alcohol than males. Does the above outcome show that women are more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects on the brain? Well, many studies reveal that women are more vulnerable than men. Alcoholic women develop various problems including cirrhosis, heart muscle damage and nerve damage. However, studies regarding the sensitivity to alcohol-induced brain damage in men and women have not been as convincing yet. However, brain shrinkage

Bonchon Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bonchon Analysis Essay Banchan (pronounced bonchon) refers to the assorted sides served alongside a main course in Korean cuisine. About a half dozen banchan are served at any meal; the best known are kimchi — pickled dishes, made of either fermented cabbage (baechu), daikon radish (mu), or other vegetables like scallions (pa) — although they might also include japchae (glass noodles), marinated tofu, or even American potato salad. Typically served in small portions that are meant to be finished (and replenished if necessary) at every meal, banchan are shared amongst everyone at the table. My favorite banchan is ggakdugi, or kak tu gi, the spicy diced radish kimchi. BonChon is a Korean word meaning â€Å"original village†. Just as people yearn for their hometown, we hope that our customers will seek our amazingly crispy, juicy, and flavorful chicken wherever they are. As we grow and expand, we will make sure that he who seeks BonChon shall always find it. BonChon’s mission is to bring the most gratifying eating experience to people around the globe, and to be a company which cares for and grows with our franchisees and customers. Through a culture of hard work and loyalty, we aspire to be a reliable and constant source of quality food and service, dedicating ourselves to encouraging joy and positive energy in all those who encounter us.

Ecology of Public Administration

Ecology of Public Administration Ecology in public administration was primarily introduced by Professor John M. Gaus, one of the early pioneers of public administration. In his introduced concepts, he emphasized that the public administration including its development as well as its activities were influenced by its setting or ecology. According to Gaus, the plans, programs, policies, and design of public administration is influenced by factors concerning the physical environment or ecology, and that any structure and living thing existing in a given area has an interrelationship with the surrounding environment. In practice, this concept means that when building a structure, an individual must plan all aspects of the construction, from the materials needed for the structure, the actual area where it will be constructed in relation to the people residing in the area and the physical environment existing. This concept also means understanding the impact of the structure to the social relationships of people in that a rea and what specific technologies are being used and how it influences and impacts the inhabitants of that environment. Ecology thus pertains to interrelationships of living organisms and their environment. Ecological approach to public administration thus includes elements of the environment the place, the individuals, the physical and social technology as well as the relationships of these elements. It is essential to note that Gaus has translated ecology the complex structure and connections with each other of living things that are in a specific area of the public administration project into a lens by which to analyze the projects impact. And the means by which he applied this is directed to raise awareness of ecological factors that permits administrators to respond more wisely and appropriately to the demands and challenges of the external environment of their organizations. Gaus also viewed the ecological concept in public administration as a means to devise a new and renewed institutional pattern for individuals. With such concepts, the ecological aspect of administration reflects a crucial role in understanding and directing the forceful change in public administration. A more sensitive and conscious approach to ecological factors allow the public administrators to provide a more appropriate response to challenges within and beyond their organization. If applied properly, this approach can serve as a diagnostic tool for the public administrator and can provide standards for evaluating impact on an organization. Ecology can aid the practitioner in visualizing the major elements in the administrative processes and provide a specific standard for measuring impact in an organization. For Gaus, merging public administration with the concept of ecology helps in establishing a more novel way of conducting things and is actually related to the concept of change. He looked to public administration to find some new sources of content and opportunity for public administrators to emphasize some influence on the situation in which they find themselves. He believed in applied social science, that through an ecological approach to public administration, the new and renewed institutional pattern could be devised for individuals living in an age of change. Ecology in public administration became a vital instrument for comprehending, directing, and modulating the forceful change in the public administration. Through this application, public administrator can be active in the wider ecological approach to make change in strategic management and planning of public serving organizations. This practice is clearly manifested in the management of ecosystems. The fragility of ecosystems that are threatened by construction of buildings and other public administration projects are now systematically addressed using the principles laid out by Gaus. One aspect of this situation is the dwindling of some species brought about by the disturbance of their natural habitat and ecosystems. Another aspect of this case also reflects the industries that are conceptualized and built by man and which have led to the threat of climate change. The gravity of the perceived threat of global warming has moved scientists and policymakers to recognize that sufficient measures to sustain ecosystems must be ensured by substituting the governmental jurisdiction as the major institutional level for implementation. Due to this developments, the politics as well as the policy of natural resources management are experiencing drastic transformation. The dominant aspect of resource management has been focused around property ownership, or jurisdictional domain which is mainly concepts that originated from the West. But now, resource management is also organized around the parts of the whole ecosystems such as individual resources, wildlife, or commodities (Elfin 2004, 304). Hence, there is now a more comprehensive view of managing resources in the context of building public administration projects or even structures in general. Another factor that influences public projects from the point of view of ecology is the question of sustainability. Discussing resource sustainability reflects the issue as among the most poorly understood within the ecosystem planning and management process. The ecosystem approach confronts the political process by asserting a participatory process in which all interested k ey players are able to participate to achieve an effective and integrated ecosystem management while recognizing the role of individuals as part of the ecosystem. (Loomis 1993, 447-48)

A Response to Hubbard’s essay Science, Facts, and Feminism :: Hubbard Scientific Men Females Essays

A Response to Hubbard’s essay Science, Facts, and Feminism In her essay "Science, Facts, and Feminism" Ruth Hubbard makes many claims in relating her opinions about the relationship between men and women in society as well as the role science plays in this relationship and the balance of power in the world. One of her claims states that "the pretense that science is objective, apolitical and value-neutral is profoundly political because it obscures the political role that science and technology play in underwriting the existing distribution of power in society." In essence, she is saying that it is ridiculous to claim that science is an objective look at the world around us because science is constantly affected by society and the political establishment. I agree that it is impossible to claim that science is in every way separate from politics and power because those types of people who created the political world also created the scientific world to supplement and support it. For example, the government, a political and power establishment , created the Manhattan Project and put a huge amount of funding into a scientific project that produced the atomic bomb. Hubbard disagrees with the idea that science is immune to power and politics. To think that science is neutral one must assume that the scientist is able to remove himself from the test subject and the surroundings and simply observe without affecting the test in any way. In reality this is impossible. The scientist must design the test, perform it, and be prepared to fix it if it does not address the problem he has posed. Because human beings are imperfect, the tests are also imperfect. As a result, the conclusion the scientist reaches is no longer objective, but influenced by the type of results he is expecting. Furthermore, to think that science is immune to the power establishment, one must assume that it is in no way affected by government or companies with money to spend. This, like the assumption that science is neutral, is also incorrect. In order for a scientist to be funded in his research, he must submit proposals to those power establishments that have money. These powerful companies and governments will only fund those projects they deem important to their interests and goals. In this way, science is extremely political in its effort to obtain money and support because it must please those power establishments who are, by nature, political.

Russian-japanese War :: essays research papers

The Russian-Japanese war of 1904 was a European conflict that was fought because one country was becoming too strong. The conflict was mainly fought because two separate countries had their own special interests in far east countries like Korea, China, and Manchuria. Britain and Japan recognized the independance of China and Korea, but at the same time authorized each other to intervene in either territory if their own "special interests" were threatened by another power or by internal disorder. That power was now Russia. There was already a rivalry going on between Britain and Russia because of the Trans-Siberian railway but now there was another dimension. Russia now had access to the pacific. Her presence in Asia threatened already established Britain interests. China leased the ice-free Port Arthur to Russia and allowed them to store their war ships there. The two empires were set on a collision course. Britain was very reluctant to commit herself to a distant threat of war so she took a step to allying herself with the growing industrial power of Japan. In doing so, Britain found her soldiers in the east. At this time Russia failed to realize how powerful Britain and Japan had made themselves. Russia was unable to take Japan seriously even though they had many reports on how large the Japanese naval and military forces were. Unfortunately, Russia's constant penetration into Korea and Manchuria continued unabated despite the presence of numbers of Japanese immagrants and traders. Russia had succeeded in replacing the now defunct Chinese influence with her own. Russia now began taking over the administrative departments and had their officers train the Korean army to fight on their side. In April, May, and June of 1903, Russian's had told the Japanese that they would move out of China. They did not and continued to occupy the land. In July of the that same year, the Japanese Ambassador proposed that Russia and Japan were to recognize the independance of China and Korea. Both nations were to rcognize preponderance, the Japanese in Korea balanced by russians in Manchuria. They were to recall their troops from their respective area as soon as possible. In return, the Russians would protect the railways in Manchuria and the Japanese would do the same in Korea. It came to the attention of the Japanese that the Russians were building up their naval and military forces in the far east. They were also moving troops not only into Manchuria, but also into North Korea. It now became obvious to the Japnese that the Russians had no intention of releasing their hold on Manchuria and Korea. Nevertheless, the negotiations went on. On February 10th, 1904, both nations produced formal declarations of war. On February 8th, a large part of the Russian Pacific squadron lat anchor in

The Day :: essays research papers

On a frigid winter afternoon, James Peterson awoke, from his nap, to the sound of what he thought was a gunshot in the near area. He jumped out of bed and scurried to the window to see what happened. To his relief, he only saw two children playing with firecrackers. James decided to put off his Algebra homework and cuddled up on the couch and read one of his favorite books. James loved to read and often read several books a week. This particular book was about a cunning young man named Albert who always seemed to find himself in the most peculiar situations. James was so caught up in one of Albert’s adventures that he lost track of time and forgot he had to pick up his mother from the airport. The sudden shriek of the telephone made James fumble the book in his very hands. James answered the phone. â€Å"H-hello?† â€Å"James Hubert Peterson! Have you any idea what time it is?† His mother sounded as if she were about to explode. â€Å"Oh gosh, I’m really sorry mother, I was reading such an engaging part of my book that I guess I lost track of time!† â€Å"Well, you just get yourself down here right now mister!† â€Å"Yes, mother,† James promised. James proceeded to hop in the car, and drove down to the airport. When he arrived, his mother waved him over to the side of the road. She opened the door and got in with a hurry. â€Å"Well, what are you waiting for, James? Get out there and put the luggage in the trunk, it’s not going to put itself in you know.† James looked up in disdain. â€Å"Yes mother.† The entire car ride home, James tried to ignore the constant yapping of his mother. Every so often, he would think about his books and how he missed them, even though he had only been away for a short period of time. When they arrived home, James unloaded the bags from the car and took them to his mother’s room. He then crept as quietly as he could to his room, where he could escape to fantasy worlds with his books that he loved so much. Before he could take the final step into his room he heard his mother calling his name. â€Å"James come here!† James adjusted his glasses. â€Å"What is it mother?† He walked across the room and sat on the rocking chair, opposite his mother.

African Folktales Essay

In the actual Nigeria tribe African folktales, form a very important part of the African culture. There are different ways in how those folktales affect the African culture in general; one of this ways is that it’s used as a way of communicating. There is a rich, fertile legacy of folklore from Africa. On this vast continent, folk tales and myths serve as a means of handing down traditions and customs from one generation to the next. The storytelling tradition has thrived for generations because of the absence of printed material. Folk tales prepare young people for life, as there are many lessons to be learned from the tales from the history of this large continent, this includes the forceful transplanting of the people into slavery on other continents. In addition to the folk tales, there are myths, legends, many proverbs, tongue twisters, and riddles. In the African folk tales, the stories reflect the culture where animals abound; consequently, the monkey, elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra, crocodile, and rhinoceros appear frequently along with a wide variety of birds such as the ostrich, the secretary bird, and the eagle. The animals and birds take on human characteristics of greed, jealousy, honesty, loneliness, etc. Through their behavior, many valuable lessons are learned. Also, the surroundings in which the tales take place reveal the vastness of the land and educate the reader about the climate, such as the dry season when it hasn’t rained for several years, or the rainy season when the hills are slick with mud. The acacia trees swaying in a gentle breeze, muddy streams that are home to fish, hippos and crocodiles, moss covered rocks, and giant ant hills that serve as a â€Å"back scratcher† for huge elephants, give the reader a sense of the variety of life in this parched or lush land in this part of the world. There is wealth of folktales in the African culture of different kinds some examples of them are: Uncle Remus Tales, Tortoise and the Hare, Crocodile Tales, The voice of the Drums, The Kind of Lion, String Tales, The Sacred Vulture, Anansi, and Dilemma Tales. Those kinds of tales above are just some examples of the huge African folktales repertory, and the subcategories which take a major role in the African and Nigerian culture and society, reflecting the animals that abound there. In conclusion, I can say that folktales plays an important role in the African Society, even more than books or other kind of source, this is because in Africa are very few resources of written history, so they know more about their history via these folktales; without folktales, African history may be inexistent CITATIONS: Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Random house, Inc., 1995 http://www.teachervision.fen.com/folk-tales/resource/3716.html?page=1&detoured=1

Social Networking Is Bad for Teens

Imagine this: A utopian society that doesn’t have the dangers of cyber bullies or cyber bullying. No more headlines or news articles talking about the girl who killed herself because she was cyber bullied on a social networking site. In a society where you can relax and relinquish those thoughts at the back of your mind about what people think about you over that social networking site. Unfortunately, that’s fantasy, because teens are always using these sites, which can lead to a danger little by little every day.For those teens that abundantly use social networking sites, you may think it gives you jubilance and entertainment, but social networking sites are much worse than you think. Social networking is terrible for teenagers because it is distracting, it often leads to miscommunications and misunderstandings, and it is dangerous. To begin with, social networking is terrible because it is distracting to teenagers. Some teens that have homework to do are sometimes hoa rding the computer, social networking instead of doing their homework.When their parents would tell them to do their homework, they’ll say they’ll get to it. Do you think they were actually listening while commenting on their friend’s picture on Facebook? They were probably not. This distracting â€Å"obsession† can also have an effect on their English grammar. Some English teachers are disappointed to see some students use the â€Å"chat language†, which is commonly used in social networking sites. This includes: lol, btw, brb, ttyl, l8r, etc. Social networking can also lead to the loss of focus in school.According to News Today News, â€Å"[N]early half of the five hundred teachers surveyed believe that this [obsession] affects children’s ability to concentrate in class and follow the lessons. † Students can be distracted during a lesson, thinking about that person they sent a friend request to, or if anyone commented on their newly uploaded picture. This â€Å"obsession† about social networking is distracting to teens, and is preventing them to from getting back on track in school. Not only is social networking terrible because it is distracting, but it can also cause miscommunications and misunderstandings.Now imagine you have your birthday party coming up and you invite your new friend. The problem is that your new friend doesn’t know where your house is. Through Twitter, you give directions to your house. Your big day is here, and an hour later, your friend still didn’t show up. Eventually, you find out that she ended up somewhere else from the directions that were written in a kind of â€Å"chat language† that she couldn’t understand. The next thing you know is that you’re in a fight with your friend over a miscommunication through a social networking site.Fights commonly occur between teens through a miscommunication or a misunderstanding from a social networking site. Another conflict that could result in a fight is if you post a comment or upload a picture on a social networking site, and your friend takes it for something else and finds it offending. Maybe you were just trying to be sardonic, but that’s not how your friend saw it. One of the most common results for this misunderstanding is a fight between the two. There are so many miscommunications and misunderstandings that happen every day because of social networking sites.Besides social networking being terrible because of the many miscommunications and misunderstandings it causes, it can be terrible because it is very dangerous. The dangers of a social networking site can start with sending a friend request to someone that you don’t know. All you know is what’s written on their profile, but could all of that be true? Maybe they say they’re around your age and live near you, and you think they could be fun to hang out with. The reality is that they could be an ominous serial killer who’s three times your age, lives on the other side of the country, and is trying to track you down.That person can do this if you put too much information on your profile and make it public for everyone to see. On a social networking site, anyone can find you, if it’s either a family member or a complete stranger. Another danger is the dangers of cyber bullying. Very easily, someone at your school can post a comment about something embarrassing that happened to you for everyone to see. Once you know that everyone knows about that embarrassing incident, you don’t want to show your face anywhere anymore, and you just can’t go on. This can lead to suicidal thoughts, which is the dangerous part.Just because someone said something about you, it doesn’t mean that you should end everything right there. Still, many teens do try to end their life because of what people are saying about them through a social networking site, and they just can’t take in all of the bullying and cyber bullying from that. Social networking sites come in a package deal: either you get it with accepting all the dangers, or you don’t get it at all. Social networking is a big problem in our modern-day society, but there can be a solution to that. The problem is that many teens don’t try.That’s why social networking is terrible for teenagers; it is a distraction that they can’t get away from, it can cause miscommunications and misunderstandings that can’t be fixed because some teens don’t know how to deal with their feelings, and it has so many dangers that teens don’t know how to react to. There could be many ways to end the negative side of social networking, but many people don’t try. To those who abundantly use social networking sites, now is the time to face the facts. Try to put an end to the distractions, the miscommunications and misunderstandings, and the danger s.

Every Child Matters Act and the No Child Left Behind Act Essay

Robinson 3rd hour Flanders A barrier for ensuring that all children in our community receive a high quality education would be the Every Child Matters Act and the No Child Left Behind Act. Ed. Gov states, â€Å"President Bush made a commitment to ensure that all children receive a high quality education so that no child is left behind. In just one year after the president first took office, the No Child Lefty behind Act (NCLB) passed overwhelmingly. No Child Left Behind has led to higher standards and greater accountability throughout the nation’s school systems. No Child Left Behind provides the schools with more funding, gives states and school districts more control and more flexibility to use resources where they are needed most, holds schools and school districts accountable for results, and may provide your child with free tutoring and extra help with school work. When it comes to improving education in our state I believe our priority is to improve teaching, make better finical investments in our education systems, and coming up with better way to get students more involved and excited to learn. I believe we need to look at how much we’ve already spent and what were using the money for and evaluate what we are receiving in return. Opening college doors to more high school students who don’t have the funds to pay for it themselves is also another way in improving education in our state, allowing more students to have the opportunity to receive a decent education. Offering more and specific work related classes that interest the student and offering high more challenging courses for the students as well. But its not just about what the state and community can do, but its also up to the parents. Parents and Guardians play a big part in helping improve our education systems. The role of parent and parental involvement in improving education in our state is being involved. Regardless of the family income or background students with involved parents are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores attend school regular basis. Students with involved parents tend to have better social skills, improved behavior, and graduate on time and attend college. Children who have parents who aren’t there to push and motivate them don’t make it quit far. Parental support is always needed and a big part of parental involvement. If your parent doesn’t care about your education or is involved regarding you education you’re going to feel as if it’s not so important. Parents can become more involved by talking to their child and the child’s teachers, making sure they know who is giving their child the education and to be sure the child is working to their best of their ability. Physical environment affect school climate and student achievement by depending on what goes on inside or outside of school of the school will the feelings expressed by students, teachers, staff and parents about school. If the child is placed into a negative environment outside of school there’s a big guarantee that it will be brought back into school by that child. There’s also a chance that other students may pick up vibes from another student rather its negative or positive. When the child is placed into a good positive environment outside of school more than likely he or she will feel more better about themselves and bring that attitude back into the school as well. A well disciplined environment, learning environment, social environment, and school-community relations all affect the schools climate and the achievements of the students who attend. When students have to travel outside their neighborhood to attend a great school their family looses time, money, and energy. To put your child in a school that is better than their neighborhood schools probably cost more and is a bit embarrassing to the community or area you reside in. You’re using more gas to provide your child transportation to attend this school. It also takes up more time to take and pick your child up from a school that’s more than 20 minutes away from where you live. Now with a lot of students coming from poorly educated schools to attend the good schools they are making the â€Å"good† public schools in that particular area look bad. Most Africa-American communities don’t care about attending school or getting a good education. Everyone wants to make it out on their own but it seems as if the younger generations don’t want to make the first step in receiving a good education. They don’t take getting a education as serious as they should. But not all African Americans in a community feel that way. I believe the African-American communities stand beside other communities in America with the problems in the system. I believe the African Americans stand beside other communities because most of them don’t care. From the looks of things I believe most African-Americans have the wrong mentality about school and life.

Why Germany Lost the First World War

Why Germany lost the First World War The First World War ended with the triple entente as victorious (with help from the Americans). Some reasons to why the allies won the war were because of; Germany had to fight a war on two fronts, the unstable political situation in Germany, the allied naval blockade, German economy, failure of the schlieffen plan, interception of the Zimmerman telegram, the German naval blockade on Britain (sinking of American ships), development of the tank and anti-submarine weapons, the advancement of new technology that required new tactics. The Naval blockade The British blockade was a key factor in the defeat of Germany. Starved of supplies, the German army was weakened and the German people lost some of their will to support the war. The war at sea was one of the main factors that contributed to Germany’s defeat. To help the British navy survive against the German submarines the British used several different techniques to stop their boats from being destroyed. The British used mines and depth charges. Also to reduce the allied shipping losses all merchant ships travelled with a military convoy which provided protection to the merchant ships. When the convoy formation was applied the allied shipping losses decreased by 20%. Another technique used was Q ships. Q ships were merchant ships with disguised heavy guns. Q ships were the reason that German submarines stopped warning the enemy ship that it was about to attack. The effect of the British blockade of Germany was that there were 300,000 deaths that were related to malnutrition and starvation during 1914-1918 among civilians. The blockade also cut supply chain of nitrate that was used to make explosives and also used in fertilizers. Weaponry The tank was a British invention. It was first used at the battle of the Somme. The tanks advanced in front of the infantry, crushing barbed wire fences and spraying the enemy with machine-gun fire. Yet the tank was very unreliable since half of them broke down before reaching the German trenches, also the tanks were not very agile they moved at first only at a walking pace and the tanks were not very maneuverable. Also the Germans used poison gas (first used in Spain) to fight the enemy this weapon was very effective in the war, yet this weapon was unreliable due to its dependence on the direction of the wind. Since if there was a sudden change of direction in the wind the poison that was just released could be swept back against the Germans. Due to the circumstances of the war as it changed from a quick and rapid war to a static war with the use of trench warfare and competition of modern weaponry. Failure of the Schlieffen plan The German plan was to sweep towards France thinking that Russia would be very slow in mobilizing its troops. The plan was to sweep in through Belgium (Germany thought that there was not going to meet any resistance from Belgium and also not it did not think that it would be violating the treaty of London), then sweep in towards Paris and invade France. After France had been invaded they would direct their forces towards Russia whom they thought would be very slow mobilizing its troops. The Germans were wrong about the Belgians, the Russians and the English. The Belgians put up great resistance there by slowing the advance of the German troops. The Russian army was a lot quicker to mobilize than expected so now Germany was ending up doing what they wanted to do the least fight a war on two fronts. The Belgians slowed down the German troops long enough for the entente troops to arrive to meet the German troops. Due to the equality in strength this led to a race to water in effort to bypass the other army. This led to trench warfare. The Germans were not prepared to do this type of war, they did not have the resources to do this due to the british naval blockade. Concerning the Schleiffen plan there were a few severe miscalculations that led to gargantuan problems, the Germans had miscalculated the amount of soldiers, supplies and communication that required to be transported across the country from east to west and back. This miscalculation was not expected due to Germany thinking that Russia would be slow to mobilize and thereby give Germany time to first beat the French then later turn all their forces towards the east to face Russia. Weak Allies Germany had chosen her allies badly, they had allied themselves to the decaying Austrian Empire, Ottoman Empire and Italy. Germany had chosen badly when relying on Italy to help out in the war since as soon as war was declared Italy pulled out of the alliance. Also Germany had to constantly assist the Austrian Empire in protecting their own territory. This led to problems as this exhausted troops that would and should have been sent to fight the war in the trenches. Germany also sent supplies that should have been sent to the soldiers fighting on the front line. If Germany had stronger and more reliable allies then the outcome of the war would have been different. Political Unrest As the war went on and millions died Germany’s censored propaganda released only tales of glorious combat and victory. As this propaganda continued the nation was starting to suffer from the naval blockade. As thousands were dying the nation was releasing posters saying how well the war was going. The false propaganda started unrest inside the German nation, the unrest came from both outside the government yet also from inside. The socialists wanted to seize the power and take control of the nation, whilst this was happening inside the country soldiers were starting some unrest as arguments and some minor protests came up, these protests led to mutiny on the seas. The involvement of USA The Germans also tried to make a naval blockade of their own on Britain. They also included a policy of â€Å"unrestricted submarine warfare against all ships that they suspected were carrying supplies to britain†. This was very effective since the British were suffering from the shortages of supplies. Yet the germans also sank a great amount of American ships which helped bring the Americans into the war. When the Americans discovered the Zimmerman telegram about how Germany hoped to ally itself with mexico against them the final song had been sung. USA declared war on Germany on April 1st 1917. The war devastated Europe, it changed the geography of countries for a very long time, it destroyed empire such as; the Austrian Empire, The Russian Empire, the German Empire and later the Ottoman Empire.