ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The article “Second Life and The Sacred: Islamic Space in a Virtual World” attempts to analyze how Islamic spaces become religious artifacts in the online space. Derrickson (2008) described how Muslims created their own spaces, the popular multi-user virtual environment Second Life. The game allows a very high degree of customization, allowing players to create all sorts of content. There are several mosques in Second Life that were created by players based on real-life prototypes. The central cultural artifact discussed in the article is a recreation of the pilgrimage route, Ka’ba, and the rituals that come with it. The author makes the case that these virtual mosques and pilgrimages are a religious experience, and are somewhat sacred. They are not, nor will they ever be as sacred as the actual Mecca and the actual Hajj, the author acknowledges, but there are some aspects of how these places are run, which make them religious. The players are encouraged to remove their avatars’ shoes and wear appropriate clothing while in the mosque. They are urged to behave as they would in an actual mosque, and there are particular actions available to them that play an animation of, for example, praying. The simulated Hajj works similarly: the avatars are given special clothing items, they are directed to walk in the correct direction, and they can perform animations of kissing Ka’ba. There is absolutely nothing wrong about creating these spaces, imitating prayer, or talking to other Muslims and non-Muslims that visit the virtual mosques. Some people prefer to perform rituals that way
Introduction In Jihad Versus McWorld , Benjamen Barber states that tribalism and globalism are oppositional in every way, but that both threaten democracy. Tribalism separates all factions into tribes in the name of narrow-minded principles. The other drives them together into one homogenous group using lures like fast food, computers, and music. In some countries, like Yugoslavia and India, both of these are at work. The dissolute Soviet Union states are banding together with each other or other countries. The forces of Jihad and the forces of McWorld are fighting for sovereignty and neither supports democracy. Main body With four imperatives, Barber says that McWorld has won many victories over nationalism: market resource information-technology ecological imperatives. The market imperative offers transnational markets useful free trade factors. Multinational or Omni-national organizations erode national sovereignty. Markets are functionalists, seeking only efficiency. The fast depletion of national resources pushes interdependence among states. Technology drives the seeking of open communication, common language adoption, collaboration, information exchange, and rationality, but may be controlled by power mongers. Technical convergence can potentially interconnect every human being in the world, and science requires open societies within which to flourish. The allure of branding pulls people together. However, this commercial global community is not as democratic as it is manipulative and material-driven, and the greater awareness of ecological problems widens the gap between rich and poor nations, while market forces homogenize cultures. Sectarian forces are working against McWorld with equal fervor as small cultural factions fight globalization and create wars everywhere to defend their identities. Nations are breaking into ever smaller parts. The main players are ethnic minorities which hate all others as religious fanatics drive people to small intolerant fundamentalist groups. It is not one Jihad, but many, like a huge international gang war in Barber’s opinion. Neither Jihad nor MacWorld needs or promotes democratic rule. Globalization can deliver peace, prosperity, and relative unity at the cost of individuality and choice. Money, markets, and monopolies bulldoze everything in their paths. Jihad delivers local identity, community, and solidarity at the cost of individual freedom and choice and to the exclusion of all others. It is fundamentally anti-democratic and tribal. Conclusion It is the decentralization of confederations that may save democracy, according to Barber. Each member of any confederation can opt for its type of rule locally, preserving tribalism where citizens want an
Introduction Social networks are credited for many positive things that have taken place in the last decade. The networks largely depend on the internet as a platform for communication. The networks bring people from all global locations to relate in one way or the other. Friends and family members can be reached in a short time upon the click of a button. Main Body Inherently, social networks offer people the opportunity to interact virtually. The emergence of the internet was a significant development in human advancement. The internet has had considerable influences on social setup and the manner in which politics are conducted. The influence of social media on social identities Social networks are identified as an effective method for maintaining contact with family and friends. The networks enable individuals to correspond regularly and candidly than the individuals would away from the internet. The most famous of these social networks include Facebook and Twitter. Facebook has more than 900 million users globally. Regardless of the huge number of users, academicians have just started to comprehend how individuals utilize social networks for interaction. They are also studying how diverse types of communication in social networks influence the emotions of social bond and psychosomatic well-being. To some extent, how we handle social relations in social networks is similar to the way people develop and maintain social links offline. The necessity for relations is a primary and fundamental objective underlying how people behave. Social networking involves two aspects namely direct and indirect actions. Direct actions entail messaging, chatting, posting on walls, commenting, tagging snaps, tweeting, re-tweeting and liking content of friends in ones social circles. Indirect actions in this context regard the user reading the content of a group member or friend without commenting. It also includes viewing a friend or group member’s profile, tweets and updates. Majority of social network users instigate a series of direct and indirect actions once they use social network sites. In order to maintain a relation with friends and group members, people ensure that they post updates and tweets regularly. This action captures the attention of friends and followers 1 . When other users comment, like, re-tweet the content, the person’s motivation to create social identity is met. Apparently, when such updates are ignored or attract little attention from other users, the persons often feels that they are losing their social identity. Thirty-one percent of individuals who have managed to create social identity on social networks have been observed to post content more than thrice in a day 2 . The contribution of social networking in the creation of social identity has not been fully explored. However, the benefits of these relationships are evident as the number of users increase. Observation from the users of social network indicates that those who frequently use the networks as a way of connecting with friends and families feel more conn
Introduction Allegedly, one can hardly find interpersonal communication concepts in Hollywood films. However, this notion is misguided because of recent literary analysis on most Hollywood films has annulled this assumption. Apparently, the kind of love, romance, and relationships promoted in Hollywood movies are unrealistic due to its flawlessness. In reality, individuals in a relationship go through challenges due to differing opinions, tastes, and preferences. In addition, such movies oversimplify the impression that love should be attained easily. Research shows that supporters of such films such as Mrs. Doubtfire and When Harry Met Sally mostly fail to communicate efficaciously with their partners. Many people believe the notion that if someone is meant to be your rightful partner, then s/he should know what you need even before telling him/her. The issue here is that while it is clear that the possibility presented by the films of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, film portrayal still affects more individuals than initially believed. In Mrs. Doubtfire and When Harry Met Sally chef-d’oeuvre movies, one shared construct of interpersonal communication stands out throughout the film, viz. relationship repair and relationship deterioration. This paper expounds on these concepts, their effectiveness, usefulness, and consequences in relationships. Relationship deterioration in Mrs. Doubtfire film Relationship deterioration is one of the most visible concepts in Mrs. Doubtfire ‘s film. Relationship deterioration is defined as the duration that a relationship experiences a weakening of the ties between the involved parties. This point also signifies the end of the relationship progress. Just after the father decides to throw a birthday celebration for the son without informing the wife, the audience sees that the mother is unhappy with her marriage. She openly tells the husband that they have grown apart, they share nothing, and they are different. In this case, the audience clearly sees the deterioration of a relationship. The above reference shows that the characters’ marriage is falling apart. In addition, it shows that they appreciate the situation, and thus they can communicate with each other that their relationship is in danger. In addition, this construct is perfectly used in the film hinges on the view that the audience can witness how the fallout affects the characters as a couple. In addition, it highlights how the separation affects the individuals close to the couple, which in this context are the children. The children’s dreams and future prospects are shattered in the face of their parents’ divorce. Their woes are compounded after realizing that their father can only see them rarely.
1) A. A resume is a critical element of the job application process. People create and submit resumes, to provide the fullest information about themselves, their educational and professional background, as well as their job expectations and motivation to accomplish everyday workplace tasks. More often than not, a well-organized, professionally written resume paves the way to becoming a prospective employee. However, as people change, so do their resumes. It goes without saying that a resume and cover letter written immediately after graduation will differ from those written 10 and 25 years later. The circumstances of application, changes in personal qualities, the desired job characteristics, increased professionalism, extensive job experience, and other internal and external factors will predetermine the content of each resume. In the meantime, professionalism, concise and comprehensive language, and appropriate structure will remain the main commonalities for all resumes written during one’s lifetime. Constructing a resume is not an easy task. How resumes are written and presented depends on a variety of circumstances (Lesikar, Flatley & Rentz 245). A resume is a brief written representation of individual qualifications, job expectations, and achievements (Lesikar, Flatley & Rentz 245). As a result, preparing and submitting a resume is virtually the same as submitting a sales document, since resumes help individuals to sell their ability to work (Lesikar, Flatley & Rentz 245). No two resumes are the same. Resumes submitted by one and the same person immediately after graduation and 10-25 years later will be different, too. These differences are justified by changes in individual experiences and professionalism, changes in job expectations, as well as different circumstances of the job application case. All resumes will differ by their content: personal qualities, work experiences and special qualifications will differ, depending on the applicant’s age and the specifications of the job, for which he or she is applying. How the resume is structured may differ, too, as the rapid advancement of communication technologies is turning digital resumes into the main instrument of job application. It is possible that, in 25 years, paper resumes will become obsolete. Nevertheless, professional language will remain the defining feature of successful job application for years ahead, and resumes will have to reflect our commitment to the effective presentation of our qualities, qualifications, and achievements in various professional fields. B. As digital communications are conquering the global business landscape, job applicants search for new ways to differentiate t
Fallacies are errors in reasoning better known to as misconceptions that arise as a result of incorrect reasoning particularly during argumentation (Rottenberg, 2004, p. 13). Consequently, fallacies arising by accident or design can influence certain emotional triggers in persons listening to such statements or they can also exploit the social interactions between the listeners. Furthermore, fallacies are statements used by people in order to avoid, confuse, or oversimplify certain issues, and finally, to deceive others. Accordingly, fallacious arguments are constructed in such a way that the use of rhetorical arguments obscures the sound arguments, and thus making them difficult to detect (Rottenberg, 2004). In this essay, we will take an extensive look at the use of fallacies in argumentation. Here, the essay utilizes examples in real life to describe those fallacies that are used commonly and those that seem difficult to diagnose. The Bandwagon Appeal is one of the most common fallacies, propagandas, or smokescreens used in several occasions. This fallacy is employed by most politicians to lure the masses into voting in their favor. For instance, “Barrack Obama-The Change that We Desire” forms a good example of the bandwagon appeal. Furthermore, most TV ads present large numbers of people using a particular brand or product in order to influence the attitudes and actions of consumers. Here, the bandwagon appeal implies that if you cannot join the masses, then you are bound to be left in the dark (Rottenberg, 2004). Another common fallacy involves changing the subject or the red herring fallacy. This fallacy entails instances where people use irrelevant information to justify the meaning of unsound statements or arguments. For example, one can say that, “There is the paramount need to increase our funding in education. And just because our neighbors are pumping a lot of money into buying military equipment, does not imply that we should also do the same. This is because the future of our country depends on the youth of the present day.” Commonly, this fallacy is used by most mystery writers in order to conceal the truth from their readers (Rottenberg, 2004). Further, fallacies occur during instances whereby one uses part of the argument in order to support the rest of the argument. This form of error in reasoning is known as circular reasoning. For instance, “Mr. Dominic is an excellent writer because he writes excellently.” Here, it is worth noting that the statement takes the reader in circles by using the same reason as the conclusion (Rottenberg, 2004). Moreover, some fallacies occur when one makes an assumption that if two items are similar in one way, then they should be simil
Buddhist Philosophy by Nagarjuna There is no use denying the fact that Buddhism is one of the most ancient religions in the world and it has a great influence on people and their minds. Additionally, it is possible to say that it is not just a religion, however, it is the way of life and philosophy. A great number of ideas peculiar to Buddhism are nowadays popular all over the world and people try to understand their inner sense. There are many different sacred texts which are taken as the main source of this religion and philosophy, which, additionally, help people to get to know more about the main sense of Buddhism. Written many years ago, these works, however, are very often reviewed by different people and philosophers who try to find another or hidden sense in these words. Nagarjuna was one of these people. He is very often taken as the most important person for Buddhism after Buddha. He deserves such attitude by his great work devoted to the development and investigation of the philosophy of Buddhism. He is also famous for his philosophy of the middle way which centers around the notion of emptiness. Being rather influential, the work, devoted to the discussion which is based on this issue, triggered the appearance of a great number of different debates all over the world. Moreover, in Tibet, it became part of the official religion. That is why it is necessary to analyze Nagarjunas work connected with his vision of emptiness to understand his ideas better. Moreover, analysis of the work can help to understand Buddhism better. First of all, it should be said that the main concept of Nagarjunas work and philosophy is emptiness and all arguments are connected with it. Under this term, the absence of something is meant. However, the English word emptiness cannot express all complexity of the term which is used by the philosopher. There are at least two fields or dimensions to which this concept can be applied. The first one refers to how the object exists and the second one refers to a way in which an object is taken by people. In his work, the philosopher tries to investigate different dimensions and ways in which emptiness can be seen and cogitates about the nature of this phenomenon. Moreover, he tries to suggest his vision of the given text. Nagarjuna does not argue with Buddha, as he accepts his vision of the world and religion, however, he tries to show his vision of the ideas peculiar to Buddhism and suggests his cogitations which main aim is to make the main concepts of Buddhism more understandable to common people and explain to them how the world functions. Another important part of his work is devoted to the vision of action, its nature, and its aftermath. The traditional Buddhist approach has its image of actions. According to it, any act
Introduction The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consisting of the six states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates came into being in 1980. In the recent past, the countries making up the GCC have agreed to initiate the historic step to have a single currency in place of the many national currencies, similar to what was seen in the European Union. The targeted date for this single currency for the GCC is 2010. (1). This initiate of the GCC has been criticized by a senior academician from Saudi Arabia on the main grounds that the GCC countries do not constitute an ideal zone for a single currency, nor are any of the criteria for an ideal currency zone met by the GCC. (2). This raises the question of the applicability of monetary unions in the GCC. Applicability of Monetary Union in the GCC All the countries in the GCC are politically stable with no apparent current threats to their stability. All these states have a similar structure and are in a similar state of development. They share the same language and culture. Though unemployment varies among the member states it is at a low rate. All these countries have strong foreign exchange reserves and stable and similar interest rates. All the national currencies are currently pegged to the U.S. dollar. This strength of similarities in aspects that are important for a unified currency suggests that monetary union in the GCC will proceed without problems that cannot be resolved easily. (1). However, a key issue that is emerging is the critical decision on the choice of the right exchange rate regime for the new single currency of the GCC. Currently, all the national currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar and it would be natural for the new currency to be pegged to the U.S. dollar, but the depreciation in the U.S. dollar and the disparities in the economic cycles raises doubts on the appropriateness of pegging the single currency to the U.S. dollar. The exchange rate options besides pegging to the U.S. dollar are managed float, basket peg, and pegging to the export price of oil. In the perspective of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a basket peg of the major countries is the best option to introduce flexibility in the exchange rate for the new single currency and mitigate the impact of swings in the value of the major currency. However, such an option may not be feasible for the GCC because of the complexities involved in the understanding of the mechanisms involved. Instead, it would be better to have a basket peg made up of the U.S. dollar and the Euro for the new single currency to reduce the complexities involved. (3). Barriers to Applicability of Monetary Union in the GCC Despite the many common features that the GCC shares there is hardly any economic integration between the member countries. This lack of economic integration can be seen from the lack of free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor between the member countries. In addition to the economic issues, there are political issues in the lack of political integration and the lack of political institutions that transcend the national political institutions, raisi
Introduction Organizations across the globe pursue different managerial styles. Consequently organizations differ in the manner they undertake their operations and the way they handle their employees. Obviously this results in a difference in organizational performance at various functional levels. The current business world demands a lot of shrewdness in the manner managers manage their organizations’ operations because the current business environment is very demanding, volatile and unpredictable (King 1997, p. 223). However, a number of organizations are still known to lag behind in light of these changes and many still adopt archaic organizational practices. This study will explore organizations and managerial practices through a case study of two companies namely Watson’s Engine Components and H&M Consulting . Watson’s Engine Components essentially deals in the manufacture of vehicle spare parts and operates in the Northeastern part of England. It employs approximately 200 people with a majority of them being semiskilled while the rest are categorized into groups of clerical workers, technical staff, and managers (in the order of the number of employees in each group). Unlike Watson Engine Components, H&M consulting operates globally. The Company is essentially a global management, engineering and development consultancy firm which has a market presence in over 120 countries around the globe. The company was born as a result of the merger between two companies in the year 1989 (a process which has seen the organization grow in leaps and bounds). When critically analyzed, the company has grown organically through an increase in its human resource staff and in operations (through the acquisition of new businesses). Complimentary to the spirit of growth, the company recently embarked on an effort to empower its functional areas through the acquisition of auxiliary companies across the globe. This included the acquisition of an environmental plant in Netherlands, an educational consultancy in Romania, and a power engineering plant in USA; all of which constitute three additional plants meant to reinforce its foothold in the market (and at the same time increase its overall operational efficiency). The company is currently home to more than 13,000 employees who essentially work on a number of projects around the globe, ranging from health, educational, consultancy and the likes. Considering the above company profiles, as mentioned earlier, this study seeks to evaluate the two organizations with respect to their managerial practices, organizational structures, teams/team working, and organizational culture. These four functional areas will constitute the body of this study and the analysis will be done sys