Monday, September 30, 2019

Digital Fortress Chapter 47

â€Å"A billion-dollar code?† Midge snickered, accompanying Brinkerhoff back up the hallway. â€Å"That's a good one.† â€Å"I swear it,† he said. She eyed him askance. â€Å"This better not be some ploy to get me out of this dress.† â€Å"Midge, I would never-† he said self-righteously. â€Å"I know, Chad. Don't remind me.† Thirty seconds later, Midge was sitting in Brinkerhoff's chair and studying the Crypto report. â€Å"See?† he said, leaning over her and pointing to the figure in question. â€Å"This MCD? A billion dollars!† Midge chuckled. â€Å"It does appear to be a touch on the high side, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah.† He groaned. â€Å"Just a touch.† â€Å"Looks like a divide-by-zero.† â€Å"A who?† â€Å"A divide-by-zero,† she said, scanning the rest of the data. â€Å"The MCD's calculated as a fraction-total expense divided by number of decryptions.† â€Å"Of course.† Brinkerhoff nodded blankly and tried not to peer down the front of her dress. â€Å"When the denominator's zero,† Midge explained, â€Å"the quotient goes to infinity. Computers hate infinity, so they type all nines.† She pointed to a different column. â€Å"See this?† â€Å"Yeah.† Brinkerhoff refocused on the paper. â€Å"It's today's raw production data. Take a look at the number of decryptions.† Brinkerhoff dutifully followed her finger down the column. NUMBER OF DECRYPTIONS = 0 Midge tapped on the figure. â€Å"It's just as I suspected. Divide-by-zero.† Brinkerhoff arched his eyebrows. â€Å"So everything's okay?† She shrugged. â€Å"Just means we haven't broken any codes today. TRANSLTR must be taking a break.† â€Å"A break?† Brinkerhoff looked doubtful. He'd been with the director long enough to know that â€Å"breaks† were not part of his preferred modus operandi-particularly with respect to TRANSLTR. Fontaine had paid $2 billion for the code-breaking behemoth, and he wanted his money's worth. Every second TRANSLTR sat idle was money down the toilet. â€Å"Ah†¦ Midge?† Brinkerhoff said. â€Å"TRANSLTR doesn't take any breaks. It runs day and night. You know that.† She shrugged. â€Å"Maybe Strathmore didn't feel like hanging out last night to prepare the weekend run. He probably knew Fontaine was away and ducked out early to go fishing.† â€Å"Come on, Midge.† Brinkerhoff gave her disgusted look. â€Å"Give the guy a break.† It was no secret Midge Milken didn't like Trevor Strathmore. Strathmore had attempted a cunning maneuver rewriting Skipjack, but he'd been caught. Despite Strathmore's bold intentions, the NSA had paid dearly. The EFF had gained strength, Fontaine had lost credibility with Congress, and worst of all, the agency had lost a lot of its anonymity. There were suddenly housewives in Minnesota complaining to America Online and Prodigy that the NSA might be reading their E-mail-like the NSA gave a damn about a secret recipe for candied yams. Strathmore's blunder had cost the NSA, and Midge felt responsible-not that she could have anticipated the commander's stunt, but the bottom line was that an unauthorized action had taken place behind Director Fontaine's back, a back Midge was paid to cover. Fontaine's hands-off attitude made him susceptible; and it made Midge nervous. But the director had learned long ago to stand back and let smart people do their jobs; that's exactly how he handled Trevor Strathmore. â€Å"Midge, you know damn well Strathmore's not slacking,† Brinkerhoff argued. â€Å"He runs TRANSLTR like a fiend.† Midge nodded. Deep down, she knew that accusing Strathmore of shirking was absurd. The commander was as dedicated as they came-dedicated to a fault. He bore the evils of the world as his own personal cross. The NSA's Skipjack plan had been Strathmore's brainchild-a bold attempt to change the world. Unfortunately, like so many divine quests, this crusade ended in crucifixion. â€Å"Okay,† she admitted, â€Å"so I'm being a little harsh.† â€Å"A little?† Brinkerhoff eyes narrowed. â€Å"Strathmore's got a backlog of files a mile long. He's not about to let TRANSLTR sit idle for a whole weekend.† â€Å"Okay, okay.† Midge sighed. â€Å"My mistake.† She furrowed her brow and puzzled why TRANSLTR hadn't broken any codes all day. â€Å"Let me double-check something,† she said, and began flipping through the report. She located what she was looking for and scanned the figures. After a moment she nodded. â€Å"You're right, Chad. TRANSLTR's been running full force. Raw consumables are even a little on the high side; we're at over half a million kilowatt-hours since midnight last night.† â€Å"So where does that leave us?† Midge was puzzled. â€Å"I'm not sure. It's odd.† â€Å"You want to rerun the data?† She gave him a disapproving stare. There were two things one never questioned about Midge Milken. One of them was her data. Brinkerhoff waited while Midge studied the figures. â€Å"Huh.† She finally grunted. â€Å"Yesterday's stats look fine: 237 codes broken. MCD, $874. Average time per code, a little over six minutes. Raw consumables, average. Last code entering TRANSLTR-† She stopped. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"That's funny,† she said. â€Å"Last file on yesterday's queue log ran at 11:37 p.m.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, TRANSLTR breaks codes every six minutes or so. The last file of the day usually runs closer to midnight. It sure doesn't look like-† Midge suddenly stopped short and gasped. Brinkerhoff jumped. â€Å"What!† Midge was staring at the readout in disbelief. â€Å"This file? The one that entered TRANSLTR last night?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"It hasn't broken yet. It's queue time was 23:37:08-but it lists no decrypt time.† Midge fumbled with the sheets. â€Å"Yesterday or today!† Brinkerhoff shrugged. â€Å"Maybe those guys are running a tough diagnostic.† Midge shook her head. â€Å"Eighteen hours tough?† She paused. â€Å"Not likely. Besides, the queue data says it's an outside file. We should call Strathmore.† â€Å"At home?† Brinkerhoff swallowed. â€Å"On a Saturday night?† â€Å"No,† Midge said. â€Å"If I know Strathmore, he's on top of this. I'll bet good money he's here. Just a hunch.† Midge's hunches were the other thing one never questioned. â€Å"Come on,† she said, standing up. â€Å"Let's see if I'm right.† Brinkerhoff followed Midge to her office, where she sat down and began to work Big Brother's keypads like a virtuoso pipe organist. Brinkerhoff gazed up at the array of closed-caption video monitors on her wall, their screens all freeze frames of the NSA seal. â€Å"You're gonna snoop Crypto?† he asked nervously. â€Å"Nope,† Midge replied. â€Å"Wish I could, but Crypto's a sealed deal. It's got no video. No sound. No nothing. Strathmore's orders. All I've got is approach stats and basic TRANSLTR stuff. We're lucky we've even got that. Strathmore wanted total isolation, but Fontaine insisted on the basics.† Brinkerhoff looked puzzled. â€Å"Crypto hasn't got video?† â€Å"Why?† she asked, without turning from her monitor. â€Å"You and Carmen looking for a little more privacy?† Brinkerhoff grumbled something inaudible. Midge typed some more keys. â€Å"I'm pulling Strathmore's elevator log.† She studied her monitor a moment and then rapped her knuckle on the desk. â€Å"He's here,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"He's in Crypto right now. Look at this. Talk about long hours-he went in yesterday morning bright and early, and his elevator hasn't budged since. I'm showing no magno-card use for him on the main door. So he's definitely in there.† Brinkerhoff breathed a slight sigh of relief. â€Å"So, if Strathmore's in there, everything's okay, right?† Midge thought a moment. â€Å"Maybe,† she finally decided. â€Å"Maybe?† â€Å"We should call him and double-check.† Brinkerhoff groaned. â€Å"Midge, he's the deputy director. I'm sure he has everything under control. Let's not second-guess-â€Å" â€Å"Oh, come on, Chad-don't be such a child. We're just doing our job. We've got a snag in the stats, and we're following up. Besides,† she added, â€Å"I'd like to remind Strathmore that Big Brother's watching. Make him think twice before planning any more of his hare-brained stunts to save the world.† Midge picked up the phone and began dialing. Brinkerhoff looked uneasy. â€Å"You really think you should bother him?† â€Å"I'm not bothering him,† Midge said, tossing him the receiver. â€Å"You are.†

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Disney World Essay

Looking out the window of the airplane as we landed in Orlando, Florida, I felt anticipation, excitement, and exhaustion. It was July 2003 and we were on a family vacation to Walt Disney World. The plane had departed from Philadelphia International Airport at 8 a.m. My parents slept soundly and my younger brother and sister were so excited because like me, it was their first trip to Disney World as well, that they couldn’t even sit still on the plane. Soon, we would all be experiencing the thrill of the Magic Kingdom. My siblings could barely contain their enthusiasm as we drove in our rented Ford minivan to the hotel. After freshening up at the hotel, all five of us climbed into the minivan and headed to Walt Disney World. After maneuvering through a maze of on ramps and off ramps, we were finally at the Magic Kingdom. By the time we were actually inside the theme park, it was lunch time so we decided to eat first before going on our adventures. We were told there were some very nice restaurants outside the Magic Kingdom, a boat ride away; but since my siblings and I were so eager to go on the rides, my parents decided to go with fast food within the theme park. The greatest disappointment of the day was the missing rides. Hannah’s favorite ride is Alice in Wonderland; she can and has ridden it ten times in a row at Disneyland. It doesn’t exist at the Magic Kingdom. Megan’s favorite Disneyland ride was also absent, Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon spin. After all the anticipation, to have the two rides which mattered most to the twins missing, was quite a let down. We couldn’t find Indiana Jones or Star Tours, either, so Bill asked an employee about the missing rides. It turns out, you can experience those â€Å"movie type† rides at Disney’s MGM studios, for a separate admission price. We were stunned. Bill and I found our mounting discontent compounded by the physical discomfort we felt standing in lines in 90-degree temperatures with 90% humidity. Disneyland with its California location has dry, comfortable weather most of the year. Disneyland is also blessed with a wonderful sea breeze during the hot summers. The Magic Kingdom is located inland with muggy, hot conditions year round. We felt the Magic Kingdom was a waste of time and money. Disneyland is far superior to the Magic Kingdom. I think it was insulting to the customers to charge more in admission than Disneyland and offer significantly less in the form of entertainment. I felt Disney management was greedy. The kids did enjoy themselves, but we adults left the theme park feeling â€Å"ripped off†. As a general rule we never take the kids to Disneyland more than once a year. But so much was missing from the Magic Kingdom Experience; we took them three months later to Disneyland and had a great time. On the first day in Disney World, my dad and I went on all of the Mountain rides like Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain. My favorite was Space Mountain because the ride is inside, and there are no lights so you cannot see at all. I also won a stuffed dog at a game stand.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Management of Information & Knowledge Strategically Essay

Management of Information & Knowledge Strategically - Essay Example Further on, recommendations have been made such as having a knowledge management system that is comprehensive and accessed to everyone, including customers and one that has fully searchable and one that can be used to access a great deal of information by attaching multiple files. Currently, Baby Boomers are heading off into retirement. In the United States of America, Baby Boomers who were born between 1946 and 1964 and are now over 50 to 55 years of age and make up one third of the country’s workforce and they are rapidly leaving the boardroom (Foster 2005). In Europe alone, most workers are aged between 36 and 44 years of age and this is expected to reduce by 19 per cent as most of them move into retirement (Foster 2005). And yet most American, Canadian and European firms do not have plans to manage and transfer knowledge and for this reason, there is a great risk of loss of experience and knowledge on an unprecedented scale (Thompson 2004). Ryanair does not have a comprehensive knowledge management system to manage its knowledge assets (Creaton 2007). This poses a huge threat for the company with the current and future problems for this being the risk of reinventing the wheel in terms of innovation, lack of customer responsiveness to products, lack of knowledge on the competitors’ moves and strategy which may result to poor pricing, loss of intellectual property after employees leave with essential knowledge, poor employee relations and time wastage in training and developing workers. A knowledge management system is important in solving and avoiding these problems in a number of certain ways. A knowledge management system comes in handy as it enhances Ryanair’s value proposition of operational excellence whereby the company focuses on creating operational efficiencies to keep costs low so as to maintain its position as a low cost airline. A knowledge management system is

Friday, September 27, 2019

Exploration of drug in a specific sport springing from Why should Essay

Exploration of drug in a specific sport springing from Why should Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport - Essay Example I plan to explore the need to use performance enhancing drugs in sports. Performance enhancing drugs have been used by athletes for a long time. Among these drugs are steroids whose use has attracted a lot of controversy and criticism (â€Å"Position Statement†). Steroids decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) while increasing the level of lower-density lipoprotein (LDL) (â€Å"Anabolic Steroid Abuse†). Excessive use of steroids causes physiological feminization of male athletes and physiological masculinization of female athletes (â€Å"Steroids Vs Human†). There is lack of sufficient research regarding what are the safe levels of consumption of performance enhancing drugs in sports. For this research, I shall choose a particular sports i.e. swimming and find out the benefits of using performance enhancing drugs for the swimmers. This research will also identify safe levels of consumption of performance enhancing drugs for swimmers. Another outcome of this research will be testing the reliability and validity of information in the literature regarding the medical disadvantages of drug use in

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Unemployment in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unemployment in Europe - Essay Example A survey conducted in 2006, an assessment of the unemployment rates in various countries in Europe was carried out. As per the results of that survey, unemployment in Europe in general is currently as high as 4% to 17%. (Kurten, 2006). Not only this, the rate of unemployment was assessed to decrease further in the coming years, which is the biggest cause of concern among the youth of the European nations. The same study by Kurten (2006) revealed that till 2004, people below 25 years of age belonging to the European Union faced unemployment in the percentage of over 18.6%. What particularly raises a lot of difficulties in the way of young Europeans getting employed is a lack of sufficient experience that would get them qualified for the jobs. Any journey has to start from a point. Unfortunately, young Europeans can not start because the employers expect them to have considerable experience that is not possible without at least one employer having compromised upon lack of experience and accepted a fresh graduate. Moreover, employers in Europe conventionally judge the skills of a person through his/her CV. This way, many potential employees fail to be even considered for selection simply because the CVs are not convincing enough in terms of experience. In addition to that, employers in Europe generally tend to evaluate the proficiency of an individual through his/her experience with the first job. This can prove very unfortunate for an individual in that even if he/she remained employed with some infamous and unrenowned company for a considerable length of time in the start of his/her career, he/she might have extreme difficulty searching another job after leaving the first one. The consequences can be even worse if the individual got expelled from the first job for some reason, even if he/she was not at fault at all. On the other hand, employees themselves feel demotivated by repeated rejections and expulsions

Public Realtions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Realtions - Essay Example In case of any issues arising, the businesses have to ensure that the specialists are using their expert knowledge and skills of communications to deal with the stakeholders to maintain the healthy relationships. Usually the need for specialists arises when businesses go through controversial issues (Travis, 2013). McDonalds is a multinational fast food restaurant and apparently the world’s largest hamburger sellers. McDonalds operate in more than 119 countries and serve up to 68 million customers every day. A survey of their recipes in 2004 in United States showed that they use trans-fat, artificial sweeteners and petro chemicals in their products. This was a controversial issue since it said to harm the lives of the customers. Trans-fat is used to enhance the taste of their meals and make it addicting for the customer so that he spends more money on McDonald meals. The food containing trans-fat can damage DNA, arteries, bad cholesterol and raises the risk of coronary heart d iseases. This issue was a major reason why McDonalds sales and market image was affected. Many controversies still exist today and campaigns are done to ban products that include trans-fat. Moreover, the United States governments started many campaigns in 2004 and 2005 demanding the fast food restaurants to reduce the use of trans-fats in their products and stop risking the lives of customers. By the 2007, many of the state governments had signed the regulation for the ban of trans-fats and made it a law to cease the products made in trans-fat oil. This issue had major implications on the organization and the society at large (Sriramesh, 2003). Due to the campaigns about trans-fats, many people in the United States had started knowing about the harms that trans-fat is likely to cause to the health. Thus, having revealed that McDonalds uses trans-fats in their products, the customers were furious and the organization delivered a negative image that they had to control before it hit t heir sales and profits. Since trans-fats were used in products which were consumed by the customers, they were the stakeholders largely affected by this issue. Because of this many customers stopped eating McDonalds and shifted to other competitive brands. McDonalds would not only lose their customers to their competitors, but also suffer loss in sales revenue and profits (Kincheloe, 2002). The implications of this issue to the other stakeholders would also be great. Since the market value and business image will be affected, many of the investors would refuse to invest in the business which is likely to go into losses because of this controversial issue. Moreover, the suppliers would also focus on other profitable organizations to supply their goods. The employees are an important part of the business and it is wrong to say that they would not be affected by this issue. The employees will be affected in an indirect way. Since this issue involves the government regulations, the empl oyee’s jobs would be threatened and insecure. Working in an organization undergoing an ethical controversy can also have a bad impact on the career of the employee. Most employees would avoid working in such an organization. It is at this time when the business needs its specialized managers and experts to deal with the stakeholders in order to retain their trust in the business. Usually a large scale business such as McDonalds would

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Writing Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Assignment - Research Paper Example This is called bounded rationality. We all know that NASA from very long wants to send a man to Mars. But, since this would be the very first time a man would be going to Mars, we have only limited information available about that planet. So, this first visit to Mars might not lead to a definite success for NASA. According to Simon, to satisfice means to take a decision which is good-enough for the present situation. The term Satisficing is also called Muddling Through. The word Satisfice was coined by Herbert Simons. It refers to a sub-optimal choice made by the decision maker which he considers to be good enough. Satisificing, therefore, is a decision making process which leads to a near optimal solution and not the optimal one. Satisficing is not a form of rational actor behavior, since the rational behavior would lead to the most optimal alternative available as the decision. But, satisficing considers the sub-optimal decision. Satisificing is more closely akin to bounded rationality since both these approaches lead to a decision which is not the most optimal or rational one. Simon wished to replace the economic assumption of global rationality since he strongly believed that it is not possible for human beings to behave rationally because of their computing limitations, and also time and information accessing limitations. Simon believed that the way humans ‘actually’ make decisions is by following the approaches of bounded rationality and satisficing (Newell, 1972). I strongly agree with Simon on his approach to decision making. His approach does make sense because human decision making has a lot of challenges in terms of selecting the best alternative. I would like to enlighten this with the help of an important recent happening which is the law enforcement in recent London riots. The laws were enforced in a way such that the riots are deterred immediately. Even if the culprits could not be caught of immediately, it

Monday, September 23, 2019

Black Feminist Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Black Feminist Thought - Essay Example Black feminism thought refers to a contemplation which argues that class oppression, racism and sexism are inextricably bound as one. Black feminist thought can as well be described as an idea meant to show that women should all be treated equally and fairly regardless of race and sex. The manner in which all these three issues relate to each other is referred to as intersectionality. There are forms of feminism that strive to do away with class and sexism but tend to ignore race. In this case, discrimination against people especially women through racial foundation is high. Combahee River collective is a union which supported the black women by arguing that their liberation would do away with sexism, racism and oppression of class. From research in the past, it is clear that black women experienced oppression from the black women giving the impression that they could not live with the whites without having issues among them (Carby, 1982, 92). Alice Walker is one among many women who has contributed to fighting for rights of women by forming a movement that supports their rights. This movement was known as Alice Walker’s Womanism.... This is not the case with the white women as this is not how they are positioned. With this in mind, it is clear that black women are not treated fairly. There are black feminist organizations that have been formed since long ago but they have faced many challenges. These challenges faced are mainly implicated by other Black Nationalist political unions or white women. This is yet another factor showing that black women have had a rough time with the white ones in the past (Collins, 1990, 85). The main reason as to why this organisation was oppressed by other larger organizations is because most members moved from the large organisation joining it. The other reason explaining why the black women were oppressed is the stereotype that was attributed to them. In this case, sex was the main issue as black women were referred to as whores and bulldaggers. This is one issue giving a clear impression that they were considered to be useful in the society (Davis, 1981, 56). At this point it w as even more serious because black men were involved in oppressing them as well. At this point they did not face oppression from the whites only but also from the blacks. The blacks who oppressed the ladies in this case were men. There are three main challenges that black women had to face from the whites and these larger unions. These challenges are: i. Prove to their fellow black women that feminism was not for the white women only. ii. They had to make the white women share power with them equally which they had to do it by force. iii. They had to fight misogynist propensities of Black Nationalism. Over the years, many feminist movements and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Illegal Immigrants - A Strain on the US Economy Essay

Illegal Immigrants - A Strain on the US Economy - Essay Example Following discussion aims to illuminate the reality of the claim that â€Å"although illegal immigrants contribute to the US economy to a certain extent, it is important for the government to strictly control or regulate social services granted to them as demerits spawned by illegal immigration outweigh a few merits.† Social services received by illegal immigrants should be strictly controlled by the US government. This is because they have always proved a significant strain on the budget which is a fact of monumental importance particularly in current times marked by economic contraction. Illegal immigrants constitute a large part of the working class. Employers like to hire illegal immigrants because of the tendency to benefit from the option of cheap labor. Research conducted by the Department of Labor also proves that more than half of the workers who are assigned the task to pick crops to happen to be illegal immigrants (Finnegan). An increased labor class based on illegal immigrants poses damage to local workers. Research claims that â€Å"migrants perform tasks, at rates of pay, which most domestic workers would be unwilling to work at† (The Economic Affairs Committee 100).This suggests that many such jobs which should be given to locals are offered to illegal immigrants as they agr ee to do the same tasks for far lower prices. This benefits the employers but generates problematic issues for both locals and the federal government. As mentioned already, many rules and regulations were formulated in response to a rising rate of illegal immigration. â€Å"The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986† or IRCA is one such act worth mentioning here which clearly warns against hiring people residing illegally in the US (Fuqua 214). All employers are required to check the legal documents of their employees before selecting them. However, illegal immigrants still continue to be hired because they provision of myriad social services serves to encourage them.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Promoting Health Internationally Essay Example for Free

Promoting Health Internationally Essay Developing countries are beset with health crises to a greater extent than their more developed counterparts. The lack of resources and the presence of numerous demanding needs causes the insufficient allocation of such resources for the addressing of health issues. In other countries, there is simply no technology to produce the necessary cures for the bigger diseases besetting their populations. Whereas in more developed countries with greater storehouse of resources there is a greater capacity to address health problems, particularly with a more developed technological platform to work from. Not only this, but developing countries have a marked decline in addressing sanitation concerns thus making for environments more prone to diseases caused by bacteria, worms, and viruses.1 With more hygienic living conditions, this is not the observed case in developing countries. Thus, a combination of non-hygienic conditions and low access to healthcare creates atmospheres for developing nations making them more prone to experiencing severe health problems. The first concern regarding health problems in developing countries is the possibility of a disease to develop which is easily transmittable from person to person. The fear of infectious diseases, particularly the fear of such diseases causing a pandemic, has had significant impact on the manner in which the global community addresses global health problems. International agencies have come up with surveillance systems to enable member countries to report incidents of infectious diseases and to better equip non-affected nations against contamination.2 The mechanism of report requires member nations to define the nature and extent of infection of the disease. This is not particularly attractive to infected nations as the reporting of diseases would adversely affect the economy of the said country. With a fear of infection, foreign investors would lower their rates of importation. This would serve to lower the economic growth of the said country. Not only this, but tourists would be fearful of visiting said foreign country and income from such investments would also decline. The stigma against the affected country would translate to a decline in the status of their economy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is in this regard that health issues of individual nations affect the global view on health. The slightest change in the ability of individual countries to provide basic resources or to contribute to the global economy would affect all other countries as a result of global interconnectedness. 3 The dependence of nations, one to the other, cannot sustain the devolution of production of goods in any one nation. Apart from moral responsibilities, this is the weightiest argument to a global perspective on health promotion. The global market favors the ensuring of wealthier nations that less affluent nations will be able to participate fully in the global trade of goods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is not considered in this model are non-infectious diseases plaguing the developing countries around the globe. There is little incentive for global agencies to address such problems since there is no showing that the same would affect citizens of foreign nations. Although the argument for providing aid for the same due to global trade considerations still stands, there is little to no initiative from private drug companies. The primary aim of such companies being profit, they are not drawn by the clamor for lower prices required in developing countries. Thus, the trend remains for drug companies to produce drugs and cures that will answer the needs of developed countries whom they can charge higher prices for the products and services they offer. Diseases plaguing impoverished nations such as malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis and the like are given little attention although they may present greater threats than hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This is an unfortunate as developed nations should take it upon themselves to promote health in developing nations as well. The international community would benefit to a greater extent with the improvement of all component nations. The nations in the international community should not only consider giving aid to developing nations when the diseases may spread into their own localities but even so when the diseases may be contained domestically. The interest then should not be for global regulation of domestic plagues but it should be for international interest in holistic global health.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although drug companies refuse to focus on answering the needs of the major diseases in impoverished nations this is not to say that no organized action is being undertaken for the same. Certainly there are individuals and groups who recognize the importance of promoting health on a global scale. The World Health Organization, for example has collaborated with large pharmaceutical companies in order to bring drugs for the cure of prevalent diseases into levels of access for developing nations.4 The proposed plan is to decrease drug prices for developing nations, if the free delivery of the same is not probable, by increasing prices in affluent countries. Such a scheme would permit the subsidization of drugs by developed countries. There would thus be an equitable division of required resources in order to gain access of available cures in the market. There has also been an observed trend in scientific laboratories. Scientists capable of performing research investigating cures for diseases of poverty have shown greater inclination for the same. Funding may be an issue in the matter however, more and more charities are focusing on the aim of global health and even domestic governments are supporting the bid for finding cures for large health issues. Not only this, but movements have been made to have pharmaceutical companies share the process of production if the matter of marketing drugs at a no-profit price is not possible. Local governments or corporations could then work on producing their own drugs using the process and information shared by foreign corporations. These matters are currently being pushed by advocates worldwide. However, the international community still has much ground to cover. The problem of international health is still a major issue receiving small priority in the global scale. The problem of politicking and bureaucracy hinders advances that could be made in this field. Thus, in order to more aptly answer the problem, local policies should first be reshaped and made to realize the importance of health in the governmental platform. Furthermore, local governments should not limit themselves to addressing only their own separate needs. Garrett aptly captures the issue: Tactically, all aspects of prevention and treatment should be part of an integrated effort, drawing from countries’ finite pools of health talent to tackle all monsters at once, rather than dueling separately with individual dragons. 5 Given limited resources, in the international sense as well as in the domestic, the pooling of these same resources is the best solution to the problem of both global and local health. The vision of individual nations should be enhanced to not only address their own problems but they should start to realize the relevance in investing in a global perspective in answering health issues. Certainly, with a view of the same, advances will be made not only for short term goals of fending off singular diseases in certain nations but more so the long term goal of eradicating debilitating diseases that could potentially reappear in similar conditions or in evolved forms. The answer then is to prepare internationally for the problem of global health as the strengthening of individual platforms in individual nations will address the root issue of recurring conditions. This will serve not only to strengthen the global health system but even other sectors of concern such as trade and global relations as more and more countries invest in programs reflecting amity and gratuity. BIBILIOGRAPHY Check, Erika,â€Å"Quest for the Cure,† Foreign Policy, (2006): 28-36. Garrett, Laurie, â€Å"The Challenge of Global Health,† Foreign Affairs 86(1), (2007): 14-38. Naim, Moises and Brundtland, Gro Harlem, â€Å"The FP Interview: The Global War for Public Health,† Foreign Policy 128, (2002): 24-36. Osterholm, Michael T., â€Å"Unprepared for a Pandemic,† Foreign Affairs 86(2), (2007): 47-57. Zacher, Mark W., â€Å"Global Epidemiological Surveillance,† in Inge Kaw, Isabelle Grunberg, and Marc A. Stern, â€Å"Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st Century (eds.),† (1999), NY: UNAP.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Transformational corporate leaders

Transformational corporate leaders Introduction Leadership is a practice that has been around for very many years though there has been no single definition to completely describe it. This could be due to its continuously evolving nature and variations depending on context. Leadership is generally a complicated concept that can be applied in many areas while the results that it creates are highly dependent on the context in which its being applied. The term ‘transformational leaders was first formed by J.V. Downton in 1973. During his study of political leadership, James Macgregor introduced for the first time the concept of transformational leadership. According to Macgregor, transformational leadership is a not just a set of specific behaviours but a continuous process through which leaders and followers uplift one another to high states of motivation and morality (The transformational leadership report 2007). Transformational leaders provide a purpose that goes beyond the short term goals looks at the higher order intrinsic objectives. These leaders will always raise the bar by engaging to higher ideals and values of their subordinates. This way, the leaders are able to model the values themselves as well as use appealing methods to lure people to the values and to the leaders themselves. Transformational leadership requires high level of self actualization and self esteem in order to be an authetic and transformational leader. Essentially the work of a transformational leader is to induce people to be conscious of their feelings, to feel their true needs strongly and to meaningfully define their values so that they can be moved to a determined action (Chance Chance 2002 p.79) Macgregor was among the first scholars to insist that true transformational leadership does not just create change and attain goals within an organization but also changes the individuals involved and makes both the leaders and followers to be ennobled. According to () transformational leadership is also defined in terms of how the leader impacts his subordinates who are in turn supposed to respect, admire and trust the transformational leader. Transformational leadership has evolved from elements of preceding types for instance behavior and trait theories, situational, charismatic and transactional leadership. Transformational leaders are actually natural leaders. They automatically take charge of group of workers with great confidence and authority and they motivate their followers to do things with ease. Such leaders who are admired and envied for their natural qualities in leadership skills are actually born with leadership qualities in them. Astrologists argue that qualities of leadership are given at birth. For instance they believe that individuals born under the Aries zodiac sign are usually natural leaders and will always find themselves in leadership positions as adults. According to ( ), its not doubtable that certain people are born with natural characteristics and traits that make it easier for them to inspire and have power over others. Some people are born with natural confidence which is an advantageous characteristic for leaders. Such people are therefore more attractive for their determination and drive which creates an impetus that other people find easy to follow. Those people with proper communication skills and empathy which are generally admired by people, and the ability to relate well with people even in stressful situations, attract a sense of respect and liking from other people. This paper evaluates the characteristics of transformational leaders and how they are made. The paper tries to illustrate that transformational corporate leaders are actually born and not made. Theories and models of transformational leadership According to Gosling, Marturano Dennison (2003), transformational leadership is procedure in which organizational leaders take actions to enhance the awareness of their associates on what is right and crucial (p.16). These leaders raise the motivational maturity of their followers which makes them to go beyond their own individual interests for the betterment of their group as well as the whole organization. Transformational leaders provide their followers with a feeling of purpose that exceeds a simple receiving of rewards for their efforts. Transformational leaders are unique leaders whose leadership qualities are believed to be natural. These leaders not only optimize the general performance of their associates but also the development of an organization. Organizational or business development involves the maturation of values, ability, attitudes and motivation (Gosling, Marturano Dennison 2003 p.16). Transformational leaders are aimed at developing the maturity level of their f ollowers needs from the basic security needs to the needs of self development. Theories A number of recent theories on leadership have tried to describe leadership effectiveness according to how leaders transform or change an organization (Chance Chance 2002 p.94). One of the theories in leadership is the transformational leadership theory also known as the leadership theory. This theory states that leadership is interlinked or can not be separated from the needs and goals of the followers, and that its as a result of interaction between the followers and the leaders. According to Chance Chance (2002), there are two important forms of leader follower interaction which are transformational and transactional (p.94). In transactional relationship the leader influences the follower through an exchange of something valued by both of them. Transformational theory assumes that the main focus of leadership should be the capacities and commitments of organizational individuals. Their should also be higher level of individual dedication to organisational objectives and greater capacities for fulfilling these objectives. According to Bush T. (2003), transformational leaders succeed by acquiring the followers commitment to such degree that the higher levels of accomplishment become a moral imperative (p.77). The transformational model is for instance broad in that it gives normative approach to school leadership which aims basically on the process by which leaders endeavour to manipulate the school outcome and not the nature of those outcomes (Bush T. 2003 p.77). Transformational leadership has the capability of becoming autocratic because of its well-built heroic and charismatic features. According to Chance Chance (2002), transformational leadership stimulates others to look at their work from new dimensions while creating the awareness of the mission and vision of the organization (p.95). Transformational leaders stimulate others to be creative and innovative. This creativity and innovation is promoted through looking for new ideas from others. These leaders attend the needs of their followers and help them in growth and development by acting as their mentors. The underlying principle of these leaders is their commitment to personal values and moral purpose which are important in bri nging about organizational change. Models in leadership Models on leadership assist us to understand what makes leaders to operate the way they do. The different types of behaviours discussed in models help us to understand that every situation calls for a specific approach. One of the models is the four framework approach where leaders illustrate behaviours in leadership in one of the four types of frame works. These frame works are the structural, political, human resource or symbolic. The leadership style can either be effective or not depending on the behavior chosen in certain situations. In a working leadership situation the leader is usually a social architect whose style of leadership is analysis and design. On the other hand leaders in failing leadership are just tyrants whose styles of leadership consist of mere details. Structural leaders put more emphasis on strategy, structure, environment, experimentation, implementation and adaptation. In the human resource framework, the leader in the effective leadership conditions is a catalyst and servant whose style of leadership is support, empowerment and advocation, while in a non working leadership the boss is a pushover whose style of leadership is fraud and abdication. Human resource leaders hold believe in people and they communicate that believe. They are accessible and encourage increased participation and sharing of information. These leaders involve everybody in the organization when it comes to decision making. For a political framework the leader in effective leadership circumstances is an advocate whose style of leadership is a coalition and building while in the ineffective condition the leader is a hustler whose style of leadership is manipulation. Political leaders indicate clearly what they can get and build relationship with other stake holders. They first apply persuasion then coercion and negotiation only if necessary. In symbolic framework, the leader in working leadership is a prophet whose style of leadership is inspiration while the leader in a non performing situation a fool whose style of leadership is smoke and mirrors. The other model in used in leadership is the managerial grid. This model uses two axes whereby ‘concern for people is plotted using the vertical axis while the ‘concern for task is plotted on the horizontal axis. The managerial behaviour is then described using the two dimensions that are drawn as a graph. Both axiss are plotted on a range of 0 to 9 and the leaders are then grouped depending on what they score on both sides. Those who score 9 points on the task side and 1 on the people side are authoritarian, those who score 9 on both sides are team leaders, those who score 1 on both sides are impoverished while those who score 1 on task and 9 on people are country club leaders. Authoritarian leader are more task oriented and are tough on their employees. These leaders are very tough on schedules and expect the workers to do everything without question. Team leaders lead by good examples and are concerned in promoting a team environment. They encourage their followers to attain their goals effectively and to strengthen the bonds between employees. On the other hand the country club leaders mainly use the power of reward and recognition in maintaining discipline among their employees while the impoverished leader uses delegation of duties as a management style (Chance Chance 2002). These leaders are neither concerned with maintenance or task accomplishment. References Bass B. M. Riggio R. E. (2006) Transformational leadership London: Routledge. Hacker, S, Roberts, T (2003) Transformational leadership: creating organizations of meaning American Society for Quality. Avolio B. J Bass B. M. 2002 Developing potential across a full range of leadership: cases on transactional and transformational leadership Routledge: New York. Gosling, R .B, Marturano, A Dennison, P. (2003) A review of the leadership theory and competency frameworks. Centre for leadership studies: Dunsford Hill. Schwartz M. K. , Gimbel K. G. 2000 Leadership resources: a guide to training and development tools Center for Creative Leadership. Chance, P. L. Chance, E. W (2002) Introduction to educational leadership organizational behavior: theory into practice Eye on Education. Bush T. 2003 Theories of educational leadership and management SAGE. The transformational leadership report (2007) (http://www.transformationalleadership.net/products/TransformationalLeadershipReport.pdf)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Struggling Economy: Jamaica and U.S. Relations Essay -- Essays Paper

A Struggling Economy: Jamaica and U.S. Relations Introduction: In â€Å"Jamaica : a guide to the people, politics, and culture† Marcel Bayer asserts that almost every country in the Caribbean since colonialism has been affected, in one way or another, by the rule of the United States. According to Bayer, the United States’ influence on the Caribbean has been perpetuated by four American interests: 1) the encouragement of trade, 2) the protection of U.S. investments, 3)the formation of alliances to prevent intervention and 4) the promotion of regional support for U.S. international goals (Bayer, 39). In alignment with Bayer’s statement, many historians, politicians and economists alike have traced the history of the United States in the Postcolonial Caribbean and have shown how U.S. affairs through trade and policy have differed from island to island. For instance, due to the fear of communist expansion, the United States has invested a considerable amount of time and energy in countries, like Jamaica, that have seemingly sh adowed Cuba’s â€Å"oppressive† government. As a result, this paper will provide a historical examination of how Jamaica’s economy has been influenced by U.S. relations during the postcolonial era. Within this essay, I will address the following sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, emigration, textile and entertainment. In addition, to further my analysis of Jamaica’s devastating economy, I have also included responses from three Jamaican members of Stanford’s Caribbean Student Association (CSA). To protect my informants’ right to confidentiality, I will not include their names in this essay. Yet, before addressing this topic any further, I will now give a brief overview of Jamaica’s history of colonization, i... ...ersity of California, Los Angeles, 1979. Reckford, Mike. â€Å"White Reggae: Cultural Dilution in the Record Industry.† Popular Music and Society. Spring 2000. Rodriguez, Clara E. â€Å"The Shifting Color Line† Changing Race: Latinos, the Census, and the History of Ethnicity in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2000. Self, Sayida. â€Å"Rastafari: An Ethos of Black Resistance.† (Ecology and the Conservation of Natural Resources, 3) Last Modified Friday, 12-Dec-2003 01:57:47 CST http://www.utm.edu/departments/ed/cece/ecology/Q4.shtml World-Aluminium.Org Home of the International Aluminium Institute. ***http://www.world-aluminium.org/production/index.html World-Aluminium.Org Home of the International Aluminium Institute. http://www.world-aluminium.org/environment/economic.html Self, Sayida. â€Å"Rastafari: An Ethos of Black Resistance.†

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

What It Means To Be Australian :: essays research papers

What It Means To Be an Australian Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But familiar landmarks and also the unfamiliar ones aren't the whole make-up of Australia's heritage. It's the people that make a difference. Australia is made up of people from all walks of life who have migrated here for different reasons. Among these, the most common migrants are from Greece, Italy, Russia and Asia. Australia is made up of material culture: the places and objects, but also Living culture: In forms such as Music, Crafts, Literature etc. It is an interplay between international cultures and beliefs, the claims of nationalism and ethnic and religious traditions, as well as the local and community priorities that’s make up the unique Australian heritage. The Aboriginal people of Australia were here thousands of years before European settlement and we forced them to adapt to the changes of environment around them. This change might be for better or worse, but we will never find out. But with the European settlement came the birth of industry, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacture, electricity, gas and water just to name a few.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Acid Rain in Europe :: Papers

Acid Rain in Europe Introduction ============ The atmosphere is like a film of gases, which makes the planet habitable. If this layer was not present there would be no life on earth. It is a fact that the health of plants, animals and humans depends upon a very important factor 'pollution'. Although, all kinds of poisonous waste is continuing to be put into the atmosphere. These poisonous gases are being produced when fossil fuels are burnt, as a result of this acid rain forms which further more results in numerous problems damaging forests, lakes, rivers, land, plants and animals. The main culprits of burning fossil fuels are MEDC's, which insist on maintaining their high standards of living. What is acid rain? Rain is naturally acidic but the term 'acid rain' is usually referred to as rain, which has been made more acidic than it should be due to the atmosphere absorbing the gasses emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. The gases are oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. Nitrogen oxide is usually given Nox as there are many of them, sulphur oxide SO2 and water H2O When these mix together they form acids such as sulphurous acid (H2SO3). Acid rain can be deposited in three ways: * Wet deposition - The deposition of pollutants in rain and snow mainly affects upland areas. * Dry deposition - The deposition of gases and particles directly onto terrestrial surfaces. * Cloud deposition - The capture of cloud droplets that contain concentrated pollutants. We can measure how acidic the rain actually is by the pH scale, 7 is neutral, below that is acidic above that is alkaline. A 'log scale' can be used for example pH 6 is ten times more acidic than pH 7, so pH 5 is one hundred times more acidic than pH7. Case study: An investigation to show how acid rain is affecting Europe. What are the causes of acid rain? Acid rain was first found in Scandinavia in the late 1950's and at

Quality Improvement Plan Essay

Executive Summary Chattanooga Cares is a privately owned, not-for-profit HIV/AIDS clinic located in downtown Chattanooga. Owned and operated by Dr. Jay Sizemore, it was founded in December 2003 to provide medical needs for the underserved HIV positive patients in Chattanooga, Tennessee and 22 surrounding counties. Although its staff is small, consisting of a full-time work force of less than 30, they serve their community by offering AIDS testing, counseling, HIV treatment plans, and assistance with employment, housing, transportation, and childcare. Chattanooga Cares has one very important goal – reducing the levels of sickness in HIV/ AIDS patients. Therefore, the management team has designed a Quality Improvement Plan to tackle this goal. This aspiration has two components; the first concerns itself with the education of the community, and the second revolves around reducing the levels of sickness in already affected patients. Implementation begins with education of the staff in areas of HIV/AIDS protection, treatment, and counseling. Outreach programs, taught by the staff, will be offered to guide the community in AIDS awareness. Data collection tools such as patient tracking system and disease specific flow charts will be utilized to scrutinize the effectiveness of the program. The plan-do-study-act approach to collecting data, monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting will be used to ensure that constant changes can be made to reach our goals. Chattanooga Cares will use competitive benchmarking to determine if their levels of sickness are in line with other clinics in the area. Finally, each person will compile his set of data and report to the management team for evaluation of the plan. The team will use the information collected to make adjustments going forward. This collaboration will be completed on a monthly, quarterly, and annually basis. Chattanooga Cares Quality Improvement Plan Quality improvement cannot be implemented without setting the performance standards needed to determine how improvement can succeed. Chattanooga Cares, a non-profit HIV/AIDS clinic, bases its quality improvement plan around the consumers of their services. Chattanooga Cares is a privately-owned AIDS and sexually transmitted disease clinic in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. It consists of a small staff of medical personnel, counselors, administrative staff, and volunteers. The staff offers HIV/AIDS testing, medical treatment plans, counseling, life coaching, and economic assistance through various housing, childcare, and financial institutions. The clinic derives its funding from government grants and community fund-raising events. Chattanooga Cares (2013) mission statement is, â€Å"Our focus is AIDS: education, prevention and support for all people affected by HIV† (About Us). Since the patient, and the patient’s network of friends and family, are the central elements in Chattanooga Cares’ mission statement, the role of the patient is integral in quality improvement plans. There are few goals that do not involve the client. Although the clinic is privately-owned, it proudly displays its goals to the public. Because of its grant status, the treatment center must supply statistical information to the governmental agencies that provide the grants. All this information is readily available to the clients that consume their services. Goals and Objectives Some of the quality improvement goals of Chattanooga Cares are reducing the number of new patients infected by AIDS each year; lowering the economic hardships on their clients; maximizing efficiency and cost effectiveness within the office; and increasing training and education of staff. The clients play a major role in what performance standards are chosen. A few of the quality indicators that consumers use in regard to Chattanooga Cares are health outcomes and length of survival rates, screening and treatment frequencies, and satisfaction evaluations. Using feedback from stakeholders effects the way in which future services are conducted and funding is attained. In order to begin a quality improvement plan, certain quality performance standards need to be determined to measure the levels of improvement. Performance standards concern themselves within a health care organization. Palmer (1997) suggests that clinicians must set performance  standards on their individual practices and offer feedback to health care authorities. Two examples of these standards are defining the rate of re-admittance after completing a procedure and setting a limit for number of patients seen daily. Once the standards are determined and goals are set, compilation of everything is developed into the quality improvement plan. The quality improvement plan is the all-encompassing strategy while the performance standards are the steps needed to achieve it. Scope, Description, and Quality Improvement Activities The first part of the improvement goal of Chattanooga Cares is one of reducing the current levels of HIV/AIDS in the 23 counties the organization serves (â€Å"Chattanooga Cares†, 2013). By reducing the number of people affected by the disease, the overall health status of the community will improve and the economic effect on the health care system will be positive. Since 65% of current patients (â€Å"Chattanooga Cares†, 2013) cannot currently obtain health insurance due to their health status, a decline in the infected population will mean less public monies are needed to support the health care of the indigent population infected by the AIDS disease. The best outcome of reaching this goal is a suppression of the AIDS infected population. Education in the community improves the knowledge base of the community as they learn the risk factors of AIDS contraction and hopefully use that wisdom to make wiser choices in sexual partners and intravenous drug usage. Through careful management of current patients’ progress, the team at Chattanooga Cares can evaluate and adjust the health regimen and assure that proper techniques and medication are being used. Data Collection Tools The main goal of Chattanooga Cares revolves around reducing the level of sickness in patients. The data needed are tracking patient progress through the treatment process, and current information of HIV/AIDS manifestation and control. Following patient progress is achieved through the usage of a reminder tracking system. As soon as a new patient is entered into the electronic medical records of the clinic, a tracking system immediately forms to trace the medical journey of the client (Hashim, Prinsloo, & Mirza, 2013). The system sends out emails, automated phone messages, or  texts to patients reminding them of doctor and counseling appointments. It prompts the case manager to contact the patient personally and ask them questions about their general health, response to medication, mental state, and other factors such as housing, employment, and childcare status. By entering information into the tracking system, adjustments can be made to assure that the patient does not degrade in physical and mental health status. This tool can help prolong the lifespan of the patient and help them get better. Over long periods of time, as a patient has developed an effective health regimen, the system stills tracks their progress and reminds the case manager to touch base from time to time. The strengths of this system are that a patient does not drop out of the program and their health status is continually monitored and improved upon. The weakness is that the ongoing information must be entered into the system to be effective; if the staff is too busy or forgets to follow up, then the health of the patient may be compromised. The measurement and display of this tool could be shown through weekly reports which show the number of patients whose contact reminders have not been completed. The last data tool used to track current information on HIV/AIDS is a disease specific flow sheet (Hashim, Prinsloo, & Mirza, 2013). This chart contains information on the steps needed to test and treat people affected by HIV/AIDS. It allows clinicians to follow a prescribed course of medication and counseling for patients and permits changes in the course of health management. The benefits of using this flow chart is that treatment is spelled out for virtually every type of AIDS related illnesses and gives doctors a reference to follow. The only detriment is that the clinic must make sure to have current flow sheets which show new drugs and regimens for patients. If the clinicians are using outdated materials, then best practices are not being put to use. Quality Improvement Processes and Methodology The plan-do-study-act (PDSA) approach to quality improvements is one of small cyclical changes between processes and outcomes. It focuses on making little changes instead of large, broad strokes that can sometimes be too large to tackle at one time. Hughes stated (2008) that the purpose of PDSA is one that tries to â€Å"establish a functional or causal relationship between changes in processes (specifically behaviors and capabilities) and  outcomes† (p. 33 Chapter 44). The PDSA cycle begins by defining the disposition and extent of the issue, what modifications can and should be made, a strategy for a specific change, who should be participating, what should be gauged to comprehend the effect of change, and where the stratagem will be directed. Change is executed and data and materials are collected. The results are studied and clarified by using key measurements that show the levels of success or failure. New steps are developed based on the results and the process begins again (Hughes, 2008). This approach to quality improvement is positive in that allows extensive problems to be disentangled at a rate not overwhelming to those involved. Because PDSA is readily achievable and results are easy to decipher, almost instant gratification can occur. This makes a monumental task easier to tackle – much like eating the proverbial elephant one bite at a time. The drawbacks to this approach are that it is reactive and relies on people to accept constant change in their facility that can result in change fatigue (Hughes, 2008). To achieve the QI goal, the clinic must review continually the data retrieved from the tracking system of patients’ progress through the treatment process. Therefore, the methodology chosen for Chattanooga Cares’ QI plan is PDSA. Because this system focuses on small, continual changes, it will be helpful in staying on track. Another reason for this choice is that the clinic is small and is used to a frantic pace, therefore change is commonly accepted and a part of the norm. Comparative Databases, Benchmarks, and Professional Practice Standards  Hughes (2008) describes benchmarks in health care as â€Å"the continual and collaborative discipline of measuring and comparing the results of key work processes with those of the best performers in evaluating organizational performance† (p. 38, Chapter 44). Competitive benchmarking can be used to compare Chattanooga Cares’ levels of sickness to other organizations offering the same services (Kay, 2007). By using reports from other HIV/AIDS clinics, Chattanooga Cares can compare their levels of sickness to the patients serviced by other treatment centers. Authority, Structure, and Organization The authority structure of Chattanooga Cares is straightforward and simple. Because it is privately owned, there is no board of directors. Instead, Dr. Jay Sizemore, the physician who owns and runs the clinic is the head of the organization (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). Five other positions comprised of a registered nurse, a medical assistant, an LPN, a patient health coordinator, and an office manager, finish out the authoritative staff at the clinic. Although the doctor leads the team, the other five mentioned have equal standing in decision-making and quality improvement implementation. QI issues are discussed within the confines of these six people and all decisions are handed down from them. Each holds their own position within the organization, however, out of necessity, all of them work interchangeably within other people’s job duties. Communication Because of the intimate nature of Chattanooga Cares, quality plans are shared among all the staff. If a particular strategy involves essentially one person’s performance, that person will hold most of the responsibility for implementing, measuring, and ultimately, evaluating the effective of the plan. For instance, one goal is to improve the levels of sickness in the HIV/AIDS patients the clinic serves (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). A tool for implementing and measuring this is a patient tracking system that follows a patient’s progress through the system. The person responsible for this quality improvement device would be the case manager for that patient. This person would monitor the tracking system, collect data through reports, assemble data for team review, evaluate the effectiveness of the QI plan, and ultimately, apply needed improvements. Each person is responsible for his part(s) in any given QI plan as well as gathering data and reporting such data to the team. Education All medical staff must be board certified and all case managers must have a background in social work and be at a minimum a licensed LPN. All education and prevention staff must be state certified in HIV/AIDS testing and prevention counseling (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). Annual training and certification is required by all employed and volunteer  staff to meet conditions of state and federal grant programs. To implement the patient tracking system quality improvement plan, each person working with patients will be included in the introductory training of the software program and be introduced to the goals of the QI plan. This will be communicated by the person overseeing the process, most likely the case manager. Because staffing at the clinic is minimal, this training can take place efficiently, with little loss of productive medical time with patients. The process will be covered from the initial contact with a patient and will continue as long as the patient wished to be under the clinic’s health care plan. Therefore, it is ultimately the responsibility of the entire staff and not just the case manager, to ensure that current information is uploaded to the tracking system, and that prompts by the system are met in a timely manner. Annual Evaluation The evaluation of the QI plan for improving sickness levels in patients’ is done on monthly, quarterly, and annually bases. Because continual evaluation is needed for the plan to succeed, data must be collected before it becomes overwhelming in numbers. If this plan was left entirely to an annual evaluation, it would take weeks, if not months, to assemble, evaluate, and implement changes. The factors gauged are made of up several items – reports showing the follow-up times of patients, data indicating how many patients did not receive required contact during the time period, and the time frames of between the system prompts and response intervals. When complied, this data shows the breakdown in interaction and allows the team to make changes to ensure that patients do not lack in communication between themselves and the clinic. Monitoring the data on a weekly, if not daily basis, allows the QI plan to be more effective by making changes using the PDSA approach. References Hashim, M. J., Prinsloo, A., & Mirza, D. M. (2013, Spring). Quality Improvement Tools for Chronic Disease Care – More Effective Processes are Less Likely to be Implemented in Developing Countries. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 26(1), 14-19. DOI:10.1108/09526861311288604 Hughes, R. G. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/ Kay, J. F. (2007, February). Health Care Benchmarking. The Hong Kong Medical Diary, 12(2), 22-7. Retrieved from: http://www.fmshk.org/database/articles/06mbdrflkay.pdf Palmer, H. R. (1997, October). Using Clinical Performance Measures to Drive Quality Improvement. Total Quality Management, 8(5), 305-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/219816031 www.chattanoogacares.com (2013). Retrieved on September 3, 2013 from: http://www.chattanoogacares.org/about-us.html

Monday, September 16, 2019

On the Sidewalk Bleeding

Jean De La Fontaine once said â€Å"Beware- so long as you live of judging men by their outward appearance,† and this idea is reinforced continually in the short story, â€Å"on the sidewalk bleeding† written by Evan hunter. The important idea was judgment and how we should not judge a book by it’s cover. I think this idea is worth learning about because too often in society we judge people without knowing them. The author wants to communicate that you should not prejudge somebody for their looks and consider what is inside of them first. In the short story â€Å"On the side walk bleeding† the author has employed many techniques such as symbolism to help convey the idea ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. The main symbol in this short story was the purple jacket with ‘The Royals† imprinted on the back which symbolized Andy’s loss of identity. Wearing the jacket meant that he was judged not as Andy but as a gang member in â€Å"The Royals†. He was not seen as his own person but judged based on those he associated with. This is shown when the couple noticed Andy lying helplessly on the ground, Freddie was prepared to help Andy but after he realized that he was a gang member, due to his fear and preconceived ideas, his willingness to aid Andy instantly perished, as he did not â€Å"want to get mixed up in this†. I found this interesting because the couple based all their opinions on Andy’s jacket and not for who he really was. Freddie and Angela’s response when discovering Andy as â€Å"A Royal† also interested me because no matter what group he is from or what type of clothing he wears, if somebody in front you is suffering from pain, it is a wise idea to call for help as it may result in their death if they fail to do so. I could not understand how these people could be so inhumane and cold because of their personal feelings towards a particular group. This showed me how the jacket symbolizes judgment and illustrates how society judge people without knowing them at all. I think this idea is worth learning about because we should not base our opinion on what people wear and whom they associate with. This should not be what defines them; it should be what is inside of them that counts. Another technique the author has used to portray the idea â€Å"Don’t judge a book by it’s cover† is though the use of characters. When the policeman discovered who Andy was at the scene his attitude changed, â€Å"A royal huh? † Regardless of what had happened to Andy and despite Laura’s insistence that â€Å"his name is Andy† the first thing he did was open up a blank page on his black pad and wrote down â€Å"A royal†. This clearly supports the idea that the police officer was judging Andy based on his jacket and therefore felt no pity or emotion towards him. He did not regard him as an individual and viewed him as just â€Å"A Royal†- a gang member who cause trouble and who is harmful to society. I found this extremely interesting and I think it is worth learning about because it shows that often people like the policeman in the short story can give up on seeking justice for a crime simply based on the judgment they make. This makes me think of all the crimes that may have gone unsolved simply because people have made incorrect judgments. The key message, which has been communicated in â€Å"On the sidewalk bleeding† was that, it is not enough to form an opinion on someone based on the way they look or who they mix with. What is inside and their personality is what really matters. It is important that person gets to know a person before making any prejudgments. Andy may have seemed like a typical gang member who trashes the town with bottles of alcohol and blood stains but in reality he is nothing more than an average sixteen year old boy who wants to marry the girl he loves and have a lot of kids and move out of the neighborhood. These people need to realize that Andy is also a human being and it is immoral to judge somebody for what they wear and who they hang out with. It interests me because as I read the story I realized that I often stereotype people for their outer appearances. If I saw somebody walking towards me with leather jacket on with images of skulls and tattoos all over their body, I would instantly react and stereotype them. However after reading Andy’s story due to stereotyping and prejudgments, I have become conscious of the fact that you should never judge the value of a person before you know about them well. It is their personality and what is inside that matters the most. Everyone should respect a person for who they truly are and not discriminate them for their outward appearances. It may turn out that the people you thought was () might turn out to be one of the nicest people you have ever encountered.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Honesty Is a Best Policy

It is true that honesty is the best policy. Today, we see many things around us which are not honest. Many persons are dishonest. Dishonesty may shine for some time. It may earn money, power and men. But all this is for a short time. Honesty is courageous, dishonesty is a coward. Honesty is bound to shine after the night of dishonesty. There is no place for dishonest people on the earth. They lose the battle in the end. An honest person only can win a place in the hearts of people. Double-faced men get temporary response but they are thrown out of people's hearts.Dishonesty cannot face the reality. It has to say hundred lies to hide one act of dishonesty. Therefore honesty is the best policy. Honesty truly is the best policy. Honesty is the best policy†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It is a widely recognized saying of Benjamin Franklin and it is considered one of the wisest sayings. It means that honesty was an important trait even several centuries ago. Benjamin Franklin wrote Poor Richard's Almanac k, which consisted of wise aphorisms, or sayings. â€Å"Honesty is the best policy† is one of his sayings that is universally recognized and encouraged.This phrase signifies the importance of being a moral and truthful person Honesty is an important and admirable characteristic that a person can have. I agree with the statement honesty is the best policy. Everyone, to succeed in his or her life, should follow it. Though we can make money by improper ways, it would not give us good status in society. I believe that honesty is important for both personal life and business life. As we go through the history of the great leaders, they all succeed in their life mainly by their life style. They all followed the truth and honesty.Honesty is very important in many aspects of our life. If we are honest, everyone will believe us. Generally, honesty is the best policy in any situation. Some people are very reliable and they hate those who tell lies for any reason. Other people accept â €Å"white lies† when situation arises, even if they usually do not like lying. I strongly agree that being honest is the most important consideration in a relationship. Honesty is the foundation of any well-working relationship. Whether it is with parents, friends, or any one else, honesty is important.No relationship can be successful without trust, which is gained from being honest. Many people learn this the hard way. I learned this harsh lesson in a way that really made me understand the importance of honesty. It was over the summer going in to my sophomore year. I had just received my driver’s license and I was driving everywhere, hanging out with friends, and taking advantage of being away from my parents. My parents had planned a trip out of town for the weekend and specifically told me not to have anyone over to the house.As I told a few of my friends about the trip and being by myself, we plotted to throw a party. We went through with the plan; we had a few fr iends over and hung out for awhile. A few of my close buddies spent the night as well. The next day we spent an hour or two cleaning up the house but it still looked quite suspicious. There were a few minor details that I over looked and my parents noticed. I made a few excuses to cover up the situation, but they didn’t completely believe me. The truth finally surfaced; I was in trouble.As I came clean on the events of that night I could see the trusts diminish from their faces. Before, they had great trust in me and I had many privileges. After the party I had those privileges taken away and my parents were more aware of my actions. The night when the honesty policy truly engraved itself in me was when they told me that the worse part about the ordeal was me lying and trying to cover it up. The actual party itself is just a minor problem because everyone makes mistakes. That night I really grew up as a person.I still make mistakes and bad decisions as everyone else, but the difference is by admitting them, it makes my conscience clear and my parents respect me. The consequences are not as great when you are honest. Through my experiences with being dishonest, I have learned a great deal about being honest. Being honest only helps bad situations and being dishonest only hurts them. Through honesty I have gained stronger relationships with my friends and family and become a better person. I have concluded that to lead a successful well-rounded life, honesty is the best policy.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

She Stoops to Conquer

————————————————- She stoops to conquer ————————————————- ————————————————- Characters * Charles Marlow  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The central male character, who has set out to court the young attractive Kate Hardcastle. A well-educated man, â€Å"bred a scholar†, Marlow is brash and rude to Mr. Hardcastle, owner of â€Å"Liberty Hall† (a reference to another site in London), whom Marlow believes to be an innkeeper. Because Marlow's rudeness is comic, the audience is likely not to dislike him for it.Marlow is sophisticated and has travelled the world. Around lower-class women Marlow is a lecherous rogue, but around those of an upper-class card he is a ne rvous, bumbling fool. Thus, his interview with Kate exploits the man's fears, and convinces Miss Hardcastle she'll have to alter her persona drastically to make a relationship with the man possible. The character of Charles Marlow is very similar to the description of Goldsmith himself, as he too acted â€Å"sheepishly† around women of a higher class than himself, and amongst â€Å"creatures of another stamp† acted with the most confidence. George Hastings  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A close friend of Charles Marlow and the admirer of Miss Constance Neville. Hastings is also an educated man who cares deeply about Constance, with the intention of fleeing to France with her. However the young woman makes it clear that she can't leave without her jewels, which are guarded by Mrs. Hardcastle, thus the pair and Tony collaborate to get hold of the jewels. When Hastings realises the Hardcastle house isn't an inn, he decides not to tell Marlow who would thus leave the premises immediately. * Tony Lumpkin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Son of Mrs.Hardcastle and stepson to Mr. Hardcastle, Tony is a mischievous, uneducated playboy. Mrs. Hardcastle has no authority over Tony, and their relationship contrasts with that between Hardcastle and Kate. He is promised in marriage to his cousin, Constance Neville, yet he despises her and thus goes to great effort to help her and Hastings in their plans to leave the country. He cannot reject the impending marriage with Neville, because he believes he's not of age. Tony takes an interest in horses, â€Å"Bet Bouncer† and especially the lehouse, where he joyfully sings with members of the lower-classes. It is Tony's initial deception of Marlow, for a joke, which sets up the plot. * Mr. Hardcastle  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The father of Kate Hardcastle, who is mistaken by Marlow and Hastings as an innkeeper. Hardcastle is a level-headed countryman who loves â€Å"everything old† and hates the town and the â€Å"follies† that come with it. He is ve ry much occupied with the ‘old times' and likes nothing better than to tell his  war stories  and to drop names, such as the  Duke of Marlborough, into conversations.Hardcastle cares for his daughter Kate, but insists that she dress plainly in his presence. It is he who arranges for Marlow to come to the country to marry his daughter. Hardcastle is a man of manners and, despite being highly insulted by Marlow's treatment of him, manages to keep his temper with his guest until near the end of the play. Hardcastle also demonstrates a wealth of forgiveness as he not only forgives Marlow once he has realised Marlow's mistake, but also gives him consent to marry his daughter. * Mrs. Hardcastle  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Wife to Mr.Hardcastle and mother to Tony, Mrs. Hardcastle is a corrupt and eccentric character. She is an over-protective  mother  to Tony, whom she loves, but fails to tell him he's of age so that he is eligible to receive ? 1,500 a year. Her behaviour is either over-th e-top or far-fetched, providing some of the play's comedy. She is also partly selfish, wanting Neville to marry her son to keep the jewels in the family; she's blissfully unaware however, that Tony and Neville despise each other, and that Constance is in fact planning to flee to France with Hastings. Mrs.Hardcastle is a contrast to her husband, which provides the humour in the play's opening. She loves the town, and is the only character who's not happy at the end of the play. * Miss Kate Hardcastle  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Daughter to Mr. Hardcastle, and the play's stooping-to-conquer heroine. Kate respects her father, dressing plainly in his presence to please him. The formal and respectful relationship that she shares with her father, contrasts with that between Tony and Mrs. Hardcastle. Kate enjoys â€Å"French frippery† and the attributes of the town, much as her mother does.She is both calculating and scheming, posing as a maid and deceiving Marlow, causing him to fall in love with her. * Miss Constance Neville  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Niece of Mrs. Hardcastle, she is the woman whom Hastings intends to court. Constance despises her cousin Tony, she is heir to a large fortune of jewels, hence her aunt wants her to remain in the family and marry Tony; she is secretly an admirer of George Hastings however. Neville schemes with Hastings and Tony to get the jewels so she can then flee to France with her admirer; this is essentially one of the sub-plots of  She Stoops to Conquer. Sir Charles Marlow  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A minor character and father to Charles Marlow; he follows his son, a few hours behind. Unlike his son, he does not meet Tony Lumpkin in the Three Pigeons, and thus is not confused. He is an old friend of Mr. Hardcastle, both of them once having been in the British military, and is quite pleased with the union of his son and his friend's daughter. Sir Charles enjoys the follies of his son, but does not understand these initially. However, he is quite upset when his son t reats Kate as a maid. [1] ————————————————-Short summary of she stoops to conquer? Answer: She stoops to Conquer is a comedy by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith. The play was initially titled as Mistakes of a Night and the events in the play, indeed, happen during the time frame of one night. Mr. Hardcastle, a rich countryman plans to marry his daughter Kate to the son of his old friend, Sir Charles Marlow. Hardcastle's second wife is determined in marrying her spoiled son, Tony Lumpkin to her niece, Constance Neville in order to keep her fortune, a casket of jewels within the family.But Miss Neville has plans to marry Hastings, a friend of young Marlow. While Hardcastle's family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Marlow and his friend, Hastings, the friends stop at the village Inn to inquire their way. Tony Lumpkin, who is present there, realizes their identity and plays a joke by telling them that they are far away from their destination and asks them to stay at an inn, recommending Hardcastle house as the best Inn around there. Thus the friends arrive there and treat Mr. Hardcastle as mere Inn keeper.This enrages Mr. Hardcastle and is convinced that Marlow is not suitable for his daughter. On the other hand, Young Marlow who is nervous in the presence of ladies of his own social status, yet quite the quite opposite with lower-class women doesn't look properly at Kate on their first meeting. Kate realizes this and stoops to conquer him, by posing as bar maid and putting Marlow at his ease so that he falls for her in the process. However, he changes his mind when he realizes the truth behind Marlow's behaviour. The play concludes with Mr.Hardcastle realizing the truth behind Marlow's behaviour and changing his mind; Kate succeeding in her plan and getting engaged to Marlow; Tony Lumpkin discovering he is of age and receives his entitled money, whic h his mother hides from him. He refuses to marry Ms. Neville, who then gets her entitled jewels and gets engaged to Mr. Hastings. So all is well that ends well. Summary She Stoops to Conquer  opens with a prologue in which an actor mourns the death of the classical low comedy at the altar of sentimental, â€Å"mawkish† comedy.He hopes that Dr. Goldsmith can remedy this problem through the play about to be presented. Act I is full of set-up for the rest of the play. Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle  live in an old house that resembles an inn, and they are waiting for the arrival of  Marlow, son of Mr. Hardcastle's old friend and a possible suitor to his daughter Kate. Kate is very close to her father, so much so that she dresses plainly in the evenings (to suit his conservative tastes) and fancifully in the mornings for her friends. Meanwhile,  Mrs.Hardcastle's niece Constance is in the old woman's care, and has her small inheritance (consisting of some valuable jewels) held un til she is married, hopefully to Mrs. Hardcastle's spoiled son from an earlier marriage,  Tony Lumpkin. The problem is that neither Tony nor Constance loves the other, and in fact Constance has a beloved, who will be traveling to the house that night with Marlow. Tony's problem is also that he is a drunk and a lover of low living, which he shows when the play shifts to a pub nearby.When Marlow and  Hastings  (Constance's beloved) arrive at the pub, lost on the way to Hardcastle's, Tony plays a practical joke by telling the two men that there is no room at the pub and that they can find lodging at the old inn down the road (which is of course Hardcastle's home). Act II sees the plot get complicated. When Marlow and Hastings arrive, they are impertinent and rude with Hardcastle, whom they think is a landlord and not a host (because of Tony's trick). Hardcastle expects Marlow to be a polite young man, and is shocked at the behavior. Constance finds Hastings, and reveals to him th at Tony must have played a trick.However, they decide to keep the truth from Marlow, because they think revealing it will upset him and ruin the trip. They decide they will try to get her jewels and elope together. Marlow has a bizarre tendency to speak with exaggerated timidity to â€Å"modest† women, while speaking in lively and hearty tones to women of low-class. When he has his first meeting with Kate, she is dressed well, and hence drives him into a debilitating stupor because of his inability to speak to modest women. She is nevertheless attracted to him, and decides to try and draw out his true character.Tony and Hastings decide together that Tony will steal the jewels for Hastings and Constance, so that he can be rid of his mother's pressure to marry Constance, whom he doesn't love. Act III opens with Hardcastle and Kate each confused with the side of Marlow they saw. Where Hardcastle is shocked at his impertinence, Kate is disappointed to have seen only modesty. Kate asks her father for the chance to show him that Marlow is more than both believe. Tony has stolen the jewels, but Constance doesn't know and continues to beg her aunt for them. Tony convinces Mrs.Hardcastle to pretend they were stolen to dissuade Constance, a plea she willingly accepts until she realizes they have actually been stolen. Meanwhile, Kate is now dressed in her plain dress and is mistaken by Marlow (who never looked her in the face in their earlier meeting) as a barmaid to whom he is attracted. She decides to play the part, and they have a lively, fun conversation that ends with him trying to embrace her, a move Mr. Hardcastle observes. Kate asks for the night to prove that he can be both respectful and lively. Act IV finds the plots almost falling apart.News has spread that  Sir Charles Marlow(Hardcastle's friend, and father to young Marlow) is on his way, which will reveal Hastings's identity as beloved of Constance and also force the question of whether Kate and Ma rlow are to marry. Hastings has sent the jewels in a casket to Marlow for safekeeping but Marlow, confused, has given them to Mrs. Hardcastle (whom he still believes is the landlady of the inn). When Hastings learns this, he realizes his plan to elope with wealth is over, and decides he must convince Constance to elope immediately.Meanwhile, Marlow's impertinence towards Hardcastle (whom he believes is the landlord) reaches its apex, and Hardcastle kicks him out of the house, during which altercation Marlow begins to realize what is actually happening. He finds Kate, who now pretends to be a poor relation to the Hardcastles, which would make her a proper match as far as class but not a good marriage as far as wealth. Marlow is starting to love her, but cannot pursue it because it would be unacceptable to his father because of her lack of weatlh, so he leaves her. Meanwhile, a letter from Hastings arrives that Mrs.Hardcastle intercepts, and she reads that he waits for Constance in th e garden, ready to elope. Angry, she insists that she will bring Constance far away, and makes plans for that. Marlow, Hastings and Tony confront one another, and the anger over all the deceit leads to a severe argument, resolved temporarily when Tony promises to solve the problem for Hastings. Act V finds the truth coming to light, and everyone happy. Sir Charles has arrived, and he and Hastings laugh together over the confusion young Marlow was in. Marlow arrives to apologize, and in the discussion over Kate, claims he barely talked to Kate.Hardcastle accuses him of lying, since Hardcastle saw him embrace Kate (but Marlow does not know that was indeed Kate). Kate arrives after Marlow leaves the room and convinces the older men she will reveal the full truth if they watch an interview between the two from a hidden vantage behind a screen. Meanwhile, Hastings waits in the garden, per Tony's instruction, and Tony arrives to tell him that he drove his mother and Constance all over in circles, so that they think they are lost far from home when in fact they have been left nearby.Mrs. Hardcastle, distraught, arrives and is convinced she must hide from a highwayman who is approaching. The â€Å"highwayman† proves to be Mr. Hardcastle, who scares her in her confusion for a while but ultimately discovers what is happening. Hastings and Constance, nearby, decide they will not elope but rather appeal to Mr. Hardcastle for mercy. Back at the house, the interview between Kate (playing the poor relation) and Marlow reveals his truly good character, and after some discussion, everyone agrees to the match.Hastings and Constance ask permission to marry and, since Tony is actually of age and therefore can of his own volition decide not to marry Constance, the permission is granted. All are happy (except for miserly Mrs. Hardcastle), and the â€Å"mistakes of a night† have been corrected. There are two epilogues generally printed to the play, one of which sketche s in metaphor Goldsmith's attempt to bring comedy back to its traditional roots, and the other of which suggests Tony Lumpkin has adventures yet to be realized. Suggested Essay Questions 1.Explain the meaning and significance of the title  She Stoops to Conquer. Even without reading the play, the irony of the title is obvious, since the â€Å"she† in question is lowering herself in order to prove herself superior. In context of the play, the title could be argued to refer both to Kate's plan to trap Marlow and to Goldsmith's purpose of using â€Å"low comedy† to convince his audience to embrace it. The former is a good description of the irony of Kate's plan: in order to convince herself she is a worthy match for Marlow, she has to first convince him she is of a low class.However, the title also describes Goldsmith's purpose: he wishes to convince an audience to embrace this â€Å"low† or â€Å"laughing† comedy, and by indulging in it, he might convince them that it is superior to â€Å"sentimental† comedy. Regardless of which description one uses, the irony of the title expresses Goldsmith's view of humanity: while we pretend to be of impeachable high class, we all have a â€Å"low,† base side that we should celebrate rather than try to ignore. 2. How is Kate an example of moderation?Explain how her personality stands as the way of life Goldsmith most recommends. The play is organized into a series of conflicting philosophies: high-bred aristocrats vs. low-bred common folk; city life vs. country life; wealth vs. poverty, etc. Much of the absurdity that fuels Goldsmith's comedy comes from exploiting the way most people engage in contradictions even when they pretend to be examples of virtue. The best example is Marlow, and his bizarre contradictory attitudes towards women depending on their class.Kate stands at the center of most of these, and as such is the best depiction of Goldsmith's message. As a country girl wh o has spent time in town, she is an example of what Marlow calls â€Å"refined simplicity,† and knowing as much as she does about humanity, is able to also enjoy and be amused by the contradictions rather than disgusted by them (as most of the elder characters are). 3. In what ways is Tony Lumpkin a hero in the play? Use historical/social detail to explain why this heroism is unconventional. Tony Lumpkin would traditionally have been considered nothing but comic relief.Consider most Shakespeare plays, where the poor, common characters might have wisdom, but are primarily used to comedic effect, and are rarely engaged in the main plots. Tony is presented this way initially in  She Stoops to Conquer, but we quickly see that there is a great wisdom to his lifestyle, which prizes enjoyment of life over heavy considerations of it. When his parents discuss the way to live in Act I, Tony takes off quickly for the Three Pigeons, where he sings a song that expresses a desire for tru e life rather than the hypocrisy of overly-educated or overly-religious lifestyles.Tony perhaps has more agency than any other character in the play, setting in motion the confusions that ultimately allow everyone to be happy. The message, of which Tony is the best representative, is that by engaging in the confusions and contradictions of human nature, we can find our best happiness. 4. For a comedy,  She Stoops to Conquer  has a serious vein of commentary of class. Explain. In a traditional sentimental comedy, money would ultimately be shown to be irrelevant in the face of true love, so as to stress the characters’ virtue.Of course, the characters would have almost all been high-bred and money not a serious issue in their lives. In this play, there are characters, like Tony or Constance, who really do need money if they want a strong future. Even in what is perhaps the most cliche romantic subplot – that between Constance and Hastings – money becomes an in escapable force, and in the end they turn to the virtue of asking Hardcastle's permission not because of some innate virtue, but because they acknowledge that they will need money.In another way, Marlow's class contradictions are certainly meant to be amusing, but there is a serious criticism in the way that a class system has led him to despise what he enjoys. He considers himself inferior for his love of unpretentious women, and assumes that he ought to love a â€Å"modest† woman. Part of the lesson Kate teaches him is that the substance of a person is what matters, and not the way one gauges her behavior as high or low class. 5. How does the device of dramatic irony facilitate the play's major themes and comedy?The play is a masterpiece of dramatic irony, which is a device where the audience has information and knowledge that the characters do not. From the moment Tony plays the practical joke on Marlow and Hastings, the audience learns secrets that will grow more complica ted and hence create confusion that leads to hilarious situations. The best example is perhaps the way Marlow and Hastings treat Hardcastle, because they think him a landlord. Because we understand the details of the confusions, we understand the jokes whereas the characters only grow more offended.However, the behavior wrought by the dramatic irony reveals much of Goldsmith's view on humanity and class. The same example listed above is funny, but also shows the cruelty that comes from a rich man's entitlement. Throughout the play, much of the class commentary derives from the behaviors people show when they don’t' realize they are being judged. Kate exploits this to try and find out what kind of person Marlow actually is. 6. In what ways are the characters of the play comic archetypes? How does Goldsmith deepen these stock characters?At the beginning of the play, it seems as though all the characters fall into traditional comic patterns. Hardcastle is the old curmudgeon who hates modern life, Mrs. Hardcastle a vain old lady, the young men are handsome heroes, Kate is the pretty young heroine, and Tony is the comic drunkard. Very quickly, Goldsmith explores the depth of class, money and human contradictions by putting those qualities in broader contexts. Hardcastle turns out to be not entirely incorrect about the impertinence of the young (which he discovers because of Tony's trick), but turns out to be forgiving.Mrs. Hardcastle is frankly never deepened, and stays who she is throughout. Hastings remains a valiant young man, but Marlow is obviously full of absurd contradictions very much connected to the very aristocratic virtue that seems to define him in the beginning. And Kate, of course, is perhaps the deepest and fullest character of all, not a simple heroine to be won by the young man. 7. Does the play's ending undercut Goldsmith's attempt to write a â€Å"low† and not â€Å"sentimental† comedy? Explain. Mrs.Hardcastle perhaps speaks to Goldsmith's own concern over the ending when she remarks that â€Å"this is all but the whining end of a modern novel. † It is clear from both the prologue and his â€Å"Essay on the Theatre† that he wishes to write a play that mocks vice rather than praises virtue. And yet the ending of the play finds not only all the characters ending up happy, but happy because of very clear-cut lessons. In a way, even the most grievous characters (like Marlow, whose contradictions lead him to some rather unsavory behavior) are forgiven for their vices.However, one can argue that Goldsmith provides an entertaining end for his audience while not diving fully into the conventions. For one, Constance and Hastings's realization about the necessity of money adds a pragmatic reality to the otherwise sentimental end. Further, the play's end does not suggest that the absurd contradictions of humanity will go away, which could lead to the belief that such problems will never go away, eve n if the play wraps up nicely within its five acts. 8. Define what â€Å"town† and â€Å"country† mean in the context of this play, using characters as examples.There is a strong conflict between town and country set up from the very opening of the play, when Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle argue about the virtues and vices of town and country. The town is associated with several elements: wealth and pretension, education, style, and in the broadest sense, living life for itself. The country is associated with simplicity and a slower, more considered way of life. The characters who come from town are certainly to be admired, and would be by Goldsmith's audience.And yet they are shown to have serious faults, particularly in terms of their pretensions and cruelty towards Hardcastle when they think he is a landlord and not their host. Likewise, while the theatre audience at the time would probably consider the country characters to be overly simple, there is a great kindness reve aled in the way Hardcastle is willing to forgive everyone despite how he is treated. The best character overall is Kate, who shows a moderation in her way to find â€Å"refined simplicity† by embracing the best of both worlds. . Explain how much of Goldsmith's comedy relies on his ability to set-up a joke. Most of the comedy in  She Stoops to Conquer  comes from the deep dramatic irony wherein characters do not realize quite who one another are. However, for the audience to clearly understand all the complications, Goldsmith has to set up the details of the jokes to come. He does this masterfully in Act I. For instance, it is set up that the old Hardcastle home resembles an inn, important so that we believe Marlow and Hastings could believe as much.Further, the strange behavior whereby Kate dresses plainly in the evenings is important so as to understand Marlow's confusion over her class standing. Throughout the play, elements are introduced, or â€Å"set-up,† so t hat our expectations can be manipulated later. The use of the jewels, of Tony and his mother's relationship, and of who is lying to whom are all examples of set-ups that produce great comic dividends. 10. How can one make a Freudian analysis of this play?Though it is folly to suggest an explicitly Freudian intent in this play (since it was written so much earlier than Freud's day), the same could be said about  Oedipus Rex  or  Hamlet, both of which stand as seminal texts in Freud's theories. There are definitely Freudian undercurrents in the Oedipal complex suggested as existing between Tony and Mrs. Hardcastle, and more implicitly between Marlow and his mother. The former is expressed in Tony's professed hatred of his mother, though it is a hatred that makes him insistent on constantly waging war with her.If he truly despised her, he could simply blow her off, but he takes too much pleasure in wickedly tormenting her through his tricks and behavior. Many characters remark on how they spoil one another, which parallels a sort of destructive romantic relationship, all of which can be interpreted through a Freudian lens. In terms of Marlow, his strange behavior can be linked to a self-hatred, an inability to appreciate his own love of â€Å"immodest† woman and inability to speak to â€Å"modest† woman whom he feels he ought to appreciate.At one point, he mentions that his mother was the only â€Å"modest† woman he could ever speak to, which could suggest that their relationship has polluted him somewhat, led him to compare other women to her and hence to grow into a bumbler when attempting to woo them romantically. Quotes and Analysis 1. â€Å"Let school-masters puzzle their brain, With grammar, and nonsense, and learning; Good liquor, I stoutly maintain, Gives genius a better discerning. † Tony Lumpkin's song, Act I, pg. 6 This opening to Tony's song helps to establish one of Goldsmith's aims – to properly appreciate â €Å"low† behavior.Here, Tony sets two different lifestyles in opposition: proper life versus base life. While the play has a conservative streak that keeps it from entirely embracing baseness as the key to life, it does propose that moderation ought accept that a life of â€Å"good liquor† can grant us a perspective into human absurdity and folly, whereas a life solely dedicated to proper education would not provide such insight. 2. â€Å"So I find this fellow's civilities begin to grow troublesome. But who can be angry at those assiduities which are meant to please him! † Hastings, about Hardcastle, Act II, p. 8 Hastings speaks this to himself about Hardcastle, whom Hastings still thinks is the landlord. Hardcastle's attempts to speak with Hastings and Marlow are annoying the latter two. To some extent, the quote is a great indication of the dramatic irony that gives most of the weight to the play's comedy. However, it also touches on the confusion of class, be havior, and expectation that is central to the play's themes. What Hastings asks could be argued to be true of all aristocratic folk who are particular and picky about what is â€Å"acceptable† to their standard of living.Goldsmith suggests a view of humanity that is far more complex, contradictory, and nuanced, and finds amusing and absurd the nature of humankind that leads high-class folk to look down upon the fun part of life that is meant to please them. 3. â€Å"Pardon me madam. I was always willing to be amused. The folly of most people is rather an object of mirth than uneasiness. † Marlow, to Kate, Act II, pg. 20 Marlow speaks this in his first meeting with Kate, the conversation in which he cannot look her in the eye.This quote is very much a statement of Goldsmith's perspective on the world, and a defense of his purpose in vaulting â€Å"laughing comedy† above â€Å"sentimental comedy. † Part of what both defines Goldsmith's perspective and mark s Kate as the heroine is the ability to laugh at folly, rather than judging harshly a person's lapse from virtue. 4. â€Å"True madam; those who have most virtue in their mouths, have least of it in their bosom. † Marlow to Kate, Act II, pg. 22 Marlow speaks this in his first meeting with Kate, the conversation in which he cannot look her in the eye.It is a straightforward yet profound declaration about the hypocrisy and contradictions of people. While Goldsmith finds these contradictions and the absurdity engendered by them amusing (consider Marlow's different behaviors and how so much comedy comes from them), he equally finds the hypocrisy of sanctimony unattractive. It is this sanctimony that offends him about sentimental comedy, and which also infects his â€Å"high†' characters. The truth is that Marlow and Hastings love pub food over more refined fare, or that Mrs. Hardcastle's virtue hides greed for her son. . â€Å"It's very odd, I can read the outside of my l etters, where my own name is, well enough. But when I come to open it, it's all – buzz. That's hard, very hard; for the inside of the letter is always the cream of the correspondence. † Tony, about the letter that's arrived from Hastings, Act IV, pg. 45 Tony cannot read the letter that arrives from Hastings (bearing the news that Hastings is waiting for him in the garden). However, this quote produces a great symbol for one the play's themes: the absurd contradictions that truly define people.Where high-minded folks (and the sentimental comedy Goldsmith believes they prefer) tries to praise their superficial virtue, he believes that people deep down are actually full of contradictions and attractions to more â€Å"low† interests. In the same way that the outside of the letter is recognizable and suggests an easy identity, while the inside is more complicated and harder to read, so it is that the characters in Goldsmith's play are recognizable comic types at first but far more complex when investigated. 6. â€Å"Ha, ha, ha, I understand; you took them in a round, while they supposed themselves going forward.And so you have at last brought them home again. † Hasting, to Tony, Act V, pg. 53 Literally, the quote concerns the way Tony drove Mrs. Hardcastle and Constance around haphazardly so that they wouldn't be too far from the Hardcastle home. However, it is a great symbol for the structure of the play as well. At the beginning, everyone's goal is clear: Marlow and Kate are meeting to judge each other as potential mates; Hastings wants to see his beloved; and the parents are interested in securing favorable matches for their children.The one exception is Tony, whose conception of life is that fun and liveliness are the guiding principles. However, Goldsmith wishes us to see that such a philosophy is more than just hedonism, but rather can lead to greater happiness and truth. Because of Tony's tricks (the biggest of which is that which he plays on Marlow and Hastings), everyone has a crazy night of mistakes but ends up â€Å"home† again, grounded and happier than they otherwise would have been. 7. â€Å"Prudence once more comes to my relief, and I will obey its dictates. In the moment of passion, fortune may be despised, but it ever produces a lasting repentance.I'm resolved to apply to Mr. Hardcastle's compassion and justice for redress. † Constance, to Hastings, Act V, pg. 56 In Constance's idea of how she and her beloved should proceed, we get a glimpse of the pragmatism that keeps Goldsmith's play from ever veering into cliche sentimental territory even if the ending is somewhat a conventional â€Å"happy ending. † The truth is that, while in plays and entertainments lovers will happily choose one another at the expense of money, Goldsmith wishes us to see that in real life, fortune cannot be so easily written off for those who lack sufficient income.Constance cannot run off into the sunse t with Hastings – life requires money – and so she must apply to Hardcastle for help. It's a pragmatic truth that colors and deepens the play. 8. â€Å"I have lived, indeed, in the world, madam; but I have kept little company. I have been but an observer upon life, madam, while others were enjoying it. † Marlow, to Kate, Act II, pg. 20 Marlow speaks this in his first meeting with Kate, the conversation in which he cannot look her in the eye.Though Marlow is stammering, he touches upon one of the central questions of the play: whether it is better to stay removed from life, judging it, or to live in all of its complexity and absurdity? Obviously, Goldsmith answers with the latter option, though his full response values moderation more than a simple choice. The best option is to live life but also to be able to judge and laugh at it. Kate is able to do this because she appreciates both the country and the city way of life, whereas most other characters pay for vee ring too strongly in one or the other direction. . â€Å"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no fibs. I procured them by the rule of thumb. If I had not a key to every drawer in mother's bureau, how could I go to the alehouse so often as I do? An honest man may rob himself of his own at any time. † Tony, to Hastings, Act III, pg. 29 Literally, Tony is explaining to Hastings how he was able to steal the jewels he passes on to them. But this quote further illustrates his philosophy of life, which espouses a more complex idea of virtue and vice than that assumed by the high-class characters.For Tony, a man is allowed to â€Å"rob himself,† which could mean more than just taking money or jewels, but also engaging in baseness for oneself (such as he does at the alehouse). In fact, to engage in our baser nature is not only acceptable but preferable since it acknowledges a truth of who we are. He would not go so far as to harm or â€Å"rob† others, as he says, meani ng he engages in such behavior not to harm anyone else, but just to enjoy his own life. Many of the characters play around with this theme, in coming towards their acceptance of their real human, base natures.Tony stands as the central proponent of this philosophy. 10. â€Å"Pshaw, pshaw! This is all but the whining end of a modern novel. † Mrs. Hardcastle, Act V, p. 59 Mrs. Hardcastle snidely makes this observation as both couples are arranging their happiness in the play's final moments. It is a useful observation to consider, since it also serves as a bit of commentary on the play itself, perhaps sculpted by Goldsmith to provide awareness that his play is veering into the very territory he professed it would eschew: that of the sentimental comedy that praises virtue rather than mocking folly.Whether or not his play is guilty of the trespasses it seeks to condemn is open to interpretation, but the fact that Goldsmith is deliberately confronting these questions of how to cra ft an entertaining, satisfying work while trying not to undercut his message and theme is undeniable, as this quote shows. He is aware that the end could be construed that way, and is attempting to address it. Having this complaint come from the least discerning character in the play shows that Goldsmith might believe a more discerning audience would see his ending is not quite so sentimental. She Stoops to Conquer is a master piece in using dramatic irony . Explain? The play is a masterpiece of dramatic irony, which is a device where the audience has information and knowledge that the characters do not. From the moment Tony plays the practical joke on Marlow and Hastings, the audience learns secrets that will grow more complicated and hence create confusion that leads to hilarious situations. The best example is perhaps the way Marlow and Hastings treat Hardcastle, because they think him a landlord.Because we understand the details of the confusions, we understand the jokes whereas the characters only grow more offended. However, the behavior wrought by the dramatic irony reveals much of Goldsmith's view on humanity and class. The same example listed above is funny, but also shows the cruelty that comes from a rich man's entitlement. Throughout the play, much of the class commentary derives from the behaviors people show when they don’t' realize they are being judged. Kate exploits this to try and find out what kind of person Marlow actually is. 2. discuss humor in she stoops to conquer The second play of Goldsmith ‘She Stoops to Conquer' was produced in 1771. This play marks a departure from the first play and practically introduces the reign of humour in comedy. The entire play with its fun and humour, its intrigues and sparkling dialogues, its mischievous tricks and roguish attempts by Tony Lumpkin deals a direct blow on the sentimental comedy. A piquant observation, elements of ingenious and new realism, a welling froth of pleasantry that nev er dries up, bathe even the rare movements when emotion could rise all go to make this charming comedy an unalloyed source of amusement.The principal characters of this comedy are Mr. Hardcastle who loves everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine etc. Mrs Hardcastle and Miss Hardcastle their daughter; Mrs Hardcastle’s son by a former marriage, Tony Lumpkin, a frequenter of ‘The Three Pigeons’, idle and ignorant, but cunning and mischievous, and doted on by his mother; and young Marlow, one of the most bashful and reserved young fellows in the world except with barmaids and servant-girls.Marlow’s father, Sir Charles Marlow has proposed a match between young Marlow and Miss Hardcastle and the young man and his friend, Hastings accordingly travel down to pay the Hardcastles a visit. Losing their way they arrive at night at ‘The Three Pigeons’, where Tony Lumpkin decides to play a prank on them. He directs th em to a neighbouring inn, which is in reality the Hardcastle’s House. The fun of the play arises largely from the resulting misunderstanding, Marlow treating Mr Harcastle as the Landlord of the supposed inn and making violent love to Miss Hardcastle, whom he takes for on of his servants.This contrasts with his bashful attitude when presented to her in real character. The arrival of Sir Charles Marlow clears up the misconception and all ends well, including the subsidiary love affair between Hastings and Miss Hardcastle’s cousin, Miss Neville, whom Mrs Harcastle destines for Tony Lumpkin. The play is a charming one in which the rough edges of the world are ground smooth, in which faults turn out to be virtues and mistakes to be blessings. Its characters are particularly delightful. Tony Lumpkin is a genuine child of the soil and is said to be a monitor.Tony Lumpkin is loved by the readers of the comedy for his pleasant fun and nice jokes. Mr Hardcastle is another charac ter whom we all like because he loves everything that is old. Mrs Hardcastle who appears more like a sentimental mother becomes pathetic because of the way in which she is treated by her son, Tony Lumpkin. Young Marlow and Miss Hardcastle come out as fine lovers and this pair of lovers is well matched by Hastings and Miss Hardcastle’s cousin. In ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ Goldsmith succeeds in introducing the humour of the finest type.The plot also is well-knitted and the characters have everything of comedy about them. The old mawkish sentimentality is driven out and sense of pathos is supplanted by mirth and delight. Tony’s treatment of his mother, particularly when he drives her round and round the house, would have been extremely pathetic. Goldsmith drives out pathos from the scene and makes it truly comic. Thus everywhere in ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ Goldsmith introduces the qualities of a true comedy. 3. She stoops to conquer is a comedy of m anners. DiscussThough it is only explicitly referred to in the prologue, an understanding of Goldsmith's play in context shows his desire to reintroduce his audience to the â€Å"laughing comedy† that derived from a long history of comedy that mocks human vice. This type of comedy stands in contrast to the then-popular â€Å"sentimental comedy† that praised virtues and reinforced bourgeois mentality. Understanding Goldsmith's love of the former helps to clarify several elements of the play: the low scene in the Three Pigeons; the mockery of baseness in even the most high-bred characters; and the celebration of absurdity as a fact of human life. . Compare between Marlow and Hasting? Marlow is a shy young man, who has a hard time communicating with ladies. He's a gentleman and considered to be honorable, but when put to the task of proposing to a young woman of quality†¦.. he becomes tongue tied and unable to speak. Note†¦.. he has no trouble speaking to those he believes are not up to his own standards. Hasting, on the other hand, is a confidant and well-spoken young man, no matter who he speaks with. He could charm just about any woman of any class†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. he might want to give marlow some lessons. Major ThemesClass While the play is not explicitly a tract on class, the theme is central to it. The decisions the characters make and their perspectives on one another, are all largely based on what class they are a part of. Where Tony openly loves low-class people like the drunks in the Three Pigeons, Marlow must hide his love of low-class women from his father and â€Å"society. † His dynamic relationship with Kate (and the way he treats her) is defined by who he thinks she is at the time – from high-class Kate to a poor barmaid to a woman from good family but with no fortune.Hastings’ and Marlow’s reaction to Hardcastle is also a great example of the importance of class—they find him impudent and absurd, because they believe him to be of low class, but his behavior would be perfectly reasonable and expected from a member of the upper class, as he truly is. Money One of the factors that keeps the play pragmatic even when it veers close to contrivance and sentiment is the unavoidable importance of money. While some of the characters, like Marlow and Hardcastle, are mostly unconcerned with questions of money, there are several characters whose lives are largely defined by a lack of access to it.Constance cannot run away with Hastings because she worries about a life without her inheritance. When Marlow thinks Kate is a poor relation of the Hardcastles, he cannot get himself to propose because of her lack of dowry. And Tony seems to live a life unconcerned with wealth, although the implicit truth is that his dalliances are facilitated by having access to wealth. Behavior/Appearance One of the elements Goldsmith most skewers in his play's satirical moments is the aristocratic emp hasis on behavior as a gauge of character.Even though we today believe that one's behavior – in terms of â€Å"low† versus â€Å"high† class behavior – does not necessarily indicate who someone is, many characters in the play are often blinded to a character's behavior because of an assumption. For instance, Marlow and Hastings treat Hardcastle cruelly because they think him the landlord of an inn, and are confused by his behavior, which seems forward. The same behavior would have seemed appropriately high-class if they hadn't been fooled by Tony.Throughout the play, characters (especially Marlow) assume they understand someone's behavior when what truly guides them is their assumption of the other character's class. Moderation Throughout the play runs a conflict between the refined attitudes of town and the simple behaviors of the country. The importance of this theme is underscored by the fact that it is the crux of the opening disagreement between Hard castle and his wife. Where country characters like Hardcastle see town manners as pretentious, town characters like Marlow see country manners as bumpkinish.The best course of action is proposed through Kate, who is praised by Marlow as having a â€Å"refined simplicity. † Having lived in town, she is able to appreciate the values of both sides of life and can find happiness in appreciating the contradictions that exist between them. Contradiction Most characters in the play want others to be simple to understand. This in many ways mirrors the expectations of an audience that Goldsmith wishes to mock. Where his characters are initially presented as comic types, he spends time throughout the play complicating them all by showing their contradictions.Most clear are the contradictions within Marlow, who is both refined and base. The final happy ending comes when the two oldest men – Hardcastle and Sir Charles – decide to accept the contradictions in their children. In a sense, this theme helps to understand Goldsmith's purpose in the play, reminding us that all people are worthy of being mocked because of their silly, base natures, and no one is above reproach. Comedy Though it is only explicitly referred to in the prologue, an understanding ofGoldsmith's play in context shows his desire to reintroduce his audience to the â€Å"laughing comedy† that derived from a long history of comedy that mocks human vice. This type of comedy stands in contrast to the then-popular â€Å"sentimental comedy† that praised virtues and reinforced bourgeois mentality. Understanding Goldsmith's love of the former helps to clarify several elements of the play: the low scene in the Three Pigeons; the mockery of baseness in even the most high-bred characters; and the celebration of absurdity as a fact of human life. Deceit/Trickery Much of this play's comedy comes from the trickery played by various characters.The most important deceits come from Tony, including his lie about Hardcastle's home and his scheme of driving his mother and Constance around in circles. However, deceit also touches to the center of the play's more major themes. In a sense, the only reason anyone learns anything about their deep assumptions about class and behavior is because they are duped into seeing characters in different ways. This truth is most clear with Marlow and his shifting perspective on Kate, but it also is true for the Hardcastles and Sir Charles, who are able to see the contradictions in others because of what trickery engenders.