ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Fitna is the civil war in the early Islamic faith that resulted from the murder of Caliph Uthman by the Egyptian rebels. The Islamic religion faced a crisis in 656 CE after the death of the third Caliph that led to leadership controversy on who should be the successor of the Prophet Mohammed, aiding the First Fitna (Kim and Choi). The conflict that led to the civil war was between the fourth Rashidun Caliph Ali and Muawiya, the Syrian governor. Strong disagreements caused divisions in the Islamic empire, and how power was handed to Ali after the assassination of Uthman. The Umayyads criticized the transfer of power with Muawiya and other Muslims seeking vengeance from the Caliph. Ali failed to comply with them because of internal and political ordeals. This caused fights accompanied by hostile environments that lasted until Ali was overthrown from leadership and later assassinated by the Kharijites. This paper will deeply analyze the causes of the civil war between Ali and Muawiya that led to the most crucial battle in the history of Islam. Main body The prolonged armed struggle between Ali and Muawiya was rooted in history from the Hashemites and the Umayyads dynasties. The two groups were great cousins with rivalry and enmity during the reign of Abdul Muttalib. Leadership was passed from one dynasty to the other after every victory in battle. The Umayyads were the strongest dynasty because they were the first to rule the kingdom (Schubel). The power was passed from father and son, and the Quraish of the Hashemites handed power to the Umayyads after the murder of Muttalib. Muhammad continued preaching the importance of handing authority from one clan to the other and declared it his mission to the people. The people of the Umayyads opposed the mission because they never wanted to return the kingdom to another clan since Islam had gained more strength and acquired a considerable following. (Farooq). In addition, they were the wealthiest dynasty, and the leaders felt threatened by the changes in power and leadership that Islam was taking. Muslims conquered Makkah, and the kingdom had to be passed to the Hashemites, and Umayyads accepted. This marked the beginning of the fights because most Umayyads did not entirely agree and were hesitant to let the kingdom to the Hashemites. After the death of Muhammad, Abu Bakr calmed the crowds with talks and prepared the body for burial. He went and negotiated vengeance and later elected the Caliphate for his outstanding actions (Abbas). This was a critical situation when non of the clans was willing to let the leadership. The Umayyad kingdom was highly entrenched during the rule of the Caliph Uthman because he highly favored them. Favors and nepotism for his clansmen were the central allegations that led to the murder of Uthman. After his murder, Ali was raised to th
A positioning strategy for Arabic Perfume in global fragrance market When assessed in conjunction with what are the contemporary dynamics in the global market of fragrances, it will appear that just about any company that specializes in producing/retailing Arabic perfumes will be in the position to benefit from being able to provide consumers with a number of the strongly competitive business propositions. The main of them are as follows:   * Arabic perfumes are commonly assumed to feature some extremely unique scents. This assumption is thoroughly valid as the Arabian fragrance-makers have traditionally been using the oils of such exotic (as to the rest of the world) plants as Black iris, Ta’if roses, Frankincense trees, Casablanca lilies, Persian saffron (Dehghan par. 3).   * Arabic perfumes are sold at a much lower price, as compared to the prices of the world’s leading perfume brands, such as Chanel, Christian Dior, or Calvin Klein.   * The popular image of Arabic perfumes, closely associated with the notion of environmental friendliness, if fully consistent with the growing popularity of the concept of ‘ethical consumerism’ in the West. The above-stated presupposes that Arabic Perfume (as a brand name) should consider adopting the so-called ‘societal’ approach to defining its position strategy in the global fragrance market, concerned with establishing the objective preconditions for the targeted audience to think of the company’s products as such that represent a particularly high perceptual value. As a result, the positioning strategy in question should be concerned with taking into account the main provisions of the ‘post-industrial’ (or perceptual-value-based) approach to marketing. Brand image Arabic Perfume can develop in the global fragrance market The earlier mentioned considerations presuppose that while esta
Public speaking is never easy. Whenever addressing a certain sort of audience, one must take into considerations the key features of the people who the given speech is aimed at and, therefore, develop an elaborate speech strategy, combining different rhetoric strategies to win the audience’s attention. Analyzing examples of public speeches and specifying the means which are used in the latter to address the audience properly, one will be able to see the way in which different rhetoric strategies can be implemented and what effect these strategies have on people. The topic of the given paper is the analysis of major rhetorical strategies, taking Steve Jobs’ speech at Stanford Commencement as an example. Speaking of the goals which Steve Jobs pursued when having a public speech in front of the students of the Stanford University, one has to mention that these goals had nothing to do with Jobs’ company, product advertisement or anything of the kind. Quite on the contrary, it seems that Jobs was aiming at telling the students the secrets of how to succeed in their own life, sharing his experience with the youth. The first strategy to spot in Steve Jobs’ performance is the so-called argument from analogy. Jobs emphasizes from the very start that he is going to speak about three different issues, or, to be more exact, three different experiences in his life; however, as Jobs implies, these experiences are all aimed at conveying a single message to the students. Jobs claims that these are just three stories and nothing more: “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories” (Jobs); however, the fact that he picked three particular stories speaks for itself – it is obvious that these stories are somewhat tied to the fact that the speech is meant for students. Judging by the above-mentioned, one can claim with certainty that Steve’s here stories are supposed to help the students understand that life experiences can be hard, but it does not mean that, when encountering the first obstacle, they have no other choice but to lay down and die. And, to convey this idea, Steve uses all sorts of rhetorical devices, both entertaining the audience and getting his message across in a very successful way. Hence, argument from analogy was the first strategy which Jobs used in his speech. Another peculiar rhetorical strategy which one can track if following the chain of Steve’s arguments is narration. As it has already been mentioned, Steve te
The documentary Nova Killer Floods is based on the story of extreme flooding. Flood is a phase of the water regime of the river, which is repeated every year at the same time of year, is characterized by the highest water content, increased and prolonged rise and fall of water levels in the river. It is observed in the spring when the snow begins to melt, and the water level in the rivers gradually rises. The purpose of this documentary is to show that the power of nature is exceptionally tremendous, and no man will be able to withstand natural disasters. My prior knowledge of the subject is that, like any natural disaster, floods threaten the deterioration of environmental safety and sanitary and epidemiological situation. Outbreaks of mass infectious diseases may occur in the event of damage or destruction during floods of sewage treatment plants, cattle burial grounds, landfills, and storage facilities for epidemiologically hazardous waste. Flushing agrochemicals, biological waste, oil products from the soil surface and their ingress into the primary river cause surface water pollution. Because surface and groundwater are interconnected, toxic substances eventually enter groundwater and threaten to poison residents. This documentary covers the massive historical floods in Iceland, the French and British boundaries, and in Washington. Massive floods result from the rapid melting of glaciers, which could occur only during periods of severe frosts. Even the most devastating floods today are not beginning to be compared to previously seen floods on Earth. Washington State used to be a flat country until massive floods turned the environment into what it is today. More than 15,000 years ago, Lake Mazzola came ashore, draining an enormous amount of water into Washington. According to Killer Floods , this volume is almost ten times the volume of natural runoff rivers worldwide. The film states that the pictures of the Hollywood catastrophe never demonstrate the destructive truth of the flood. A vast flood caused the English Channel to divide Europe and France. After the retreat of the glaciers, the land bridge was destroyed, and then the English Channel was built. All mega-floods have one thing in common: large ice sheets melt quickly. Only during the ice age can the amount of ice needed to form mega-floods appear. Thus, even the worst floods on Earth today are much weaker than they were many years ago. Sound effects and special effects of the film were at a high level. The film showed excellent picture cl
Many psychologists argue that abstinence should be the ultimate goal for the treatment of people who are addicted to alcohol. It seems to be the safest and most cost effective way of dealing with the problem of alcohol addiction. A lot of money is used in buying alcohol, a substance that not only affects the emotion of a person but also alters the human behavior. In addition, the society incurs a lot of expenses trying to deal with the impacts of alcohol which include reduced productivity, increased demand for health services, violence, and accidents. According to many psychologists, abstinence seems to be the only feasible way to deal with this problem. However, some medical practitioners argue that abstinence is not the only way to deal with the problem of alcohol because alcoholics can be encouraged to control their drinking through guidance and professional support. Through moderate drinking, individuals can be able to deal with the problems that are attributed to alcohol drinking. This paper looks at both sides of the argument; it will look at abstinence as being the safest way to deal with the problems associated with alcoholism and the control of drinking habits. Facts for Each Side According to Patricia Owen, abstinence is the most honest goal for treating people who are addicted to alcohol. It seems as the most logical way of dealing with this problem given that most people who are addicted to alcohol find it easy to control their drinking habits. They feel contented with their behaviors. Some may be aware of the negative effects associated with addiction while others may be ignorant of the same. Most people live in denial of their habits and do not consider their behaviors as being problems rather they concentrate on the positive side of it and ignores the side effects. People do not take heed of the negative effects or the advice given by their peers. They feel that it is the best thing to do since it gives them self satisfaction. Such people can only be treated from the problem of addiction through abstinence. Owen further observes that more than half of the individuals in need of treatment can be able to abstain from drinking (Owen, 2001). On the other hand, Fetcher (2001) observes that moderate drinking should be the best treatment for alcohol. She notes that by allowing an individual to take at least one bottle of alcohol per week while providing him with professional counseling will help in reducing the problems of alcohol. According to her, once a person has identified a particular pattern of behavior he becomes addicted to it and any efforts to discourage him may be in vain. He has already adopted a certain way of life and believes that life should take that course. If one wants to be successful in influencing a person to leave his behavior then he has to give the person adequate time to think over his behavior. He should allow him time for self analysis and at the same time try to show him the risks associated with such a behavior. Opinion for Each Side Owen is
Introduction The advent of the internet has provided a chance for many forms of beliefs and discussions that now encompass the rebirth of the female deity. Together with the laying of the feminism foundation, politics and religion became the basis for the role of feminine spirituality which today has spawned great interest about the divine female. While written literature and historical accounts are rich with information regarding the goddess, the divine feminine could never be as controversial and popular as the case of Mary named as “Mother of God” in the highly contested prayer “Hail Mary”. This has been used as weapon by many offshoots of Christianity as “pagan” incorporation of Christian beliefs paving the way for many protestant sects that continue emerging until today. This theory was further supported by the insistence that there is no scriptural or Biblical basis for Mary’s divination (All About Religion, P 4- 8). Thesis Statement This paper will then proceed to discuss prevailing goddess worship with focus on the Sicilian ancient goddess worship prior to Christianity and before the controversial divination of Jesus’ mother Mary. It will also add that there could be a certain relation between the two. It will not however delve on the historical as well as philosophical discussion that this is an absolute truth and thereby avoid any recommendation on it. Discussion Ancient Goddesses The goddess since the establishment of Christianity as a global and prevailing religion has been conferred a negative role after the rise of Protestantism that signaled division not only in Christianity but also against all other religious beliefs (All About Religion, P 4- 8). It is to be noted, however, that primitive religion dates back to about 8000 BC after careful consideration of the mortality of the thinking man, and as early, the vegetative goddess was introduced as fertility meant man’s survival (Religious Tolerance, P 1). Since then, the life-giving belief closely associated with the female took a divine role as well as a continuing mystery. Shlain acknowledges the presence of the goddess of Lespugue ca 30-20,000 BC (Schlain, p 1) as an existing goddess statue indicated. Historians, however argue to the definitive role
Introduction Holland is popular for its reclamation of about 7000 square kilometers of land from the sea. This aspect attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. Their visits are aimed at witnessing the numerous windmills that have been in use since the seventeenth century for drainage. Current draining techniques employ electric pumping stations, dykes, dams, and flood gates; however, the drainage systems are incapable of managing the expected changes in sea level due to current climatic changes (Rotmans, 2008). The engineers predict that the draining systems may be unable to prevent polders from filling up, which will increase the risk for majority of its population that lives below the sea level. As a result, Netherlands has sought to find new and flexible ways of managing the fluctuating water levels within the polder areas (Akkermans, Gout, van Loon, Oladunjoye, & de Visser, 2008). This paper examines the hybrid system, which comprises a partly floating, partly fixed society that is being implemented as a replacement of the current draining system. The floating city of Ijburg is designed to float in various instances such as in the event of a rise in the water level due to storm surges or extreme precipitation. Background The current network of dykes, dunes and dams used to maintain dry land in Netherlands is adequate for the control of low risk flooding. However, the impact of global warming on climate change and sea level has threatened the conventional way of living in Holland. The government of Holland estimates that by the year 2100, there will be a one meter rise in sea level due to global warming alone, and an extra 0.5 meters due to storm surges and underground subsidence. Calculations show that an increase in sea level by over 0.5 meters significantly increases the risk of flooding (Mols, 2005). In addition, the population increase has continued to exert pressure on available land for settlement, which has made the need for new land more urgent than before (Anderson, 2000). This problem was acknowledged more than ten years ago, leading to the initiation of the idea to develop neighborhoods in the water. The floating city The Ijburg design project was designed as a series of man-made islands that could provide housing for over 50,000 residents of Amsterdam. The design of the floating city of Ijburg suggested that the construction process was to take place between 1997 and 2015. The city, which is in Ijmeer, covers 450 hectares. Ijburg has a close proximity to the city center, which will provide good public transport facilities. Its closeness to reliable transport networks is due to the nature of its high density housing, which limits commuting by car within the suburb. According to Geurs and wee (2004), the design includes six islands around the Ijburg bay that will be formed by building a “polder, Haveneiland, two Rieteilanden, Strandeiland and Buiteneil, which will then be leveled and filled”. The design of Ijbur
Pentti Kirstilä is an experienced detective fiction writer, who had written several short stories and novels, and one of the short stories Brown Eyes and Green Hair will be reviewed in this paper by carrying out literary analysis and evaluating the main parts of literature and the ways of how these parts relate to the main theme of the story. There are many elements of literature, which make the work really successful and captivating for the reader, and in this story, the author uses almost each part of literature in a proper way and creates an interesting story, full of events, sense, and mystery. “A lot of people don’t know what they want” (Kirstilä 510) – this is one of the central ideas of the plot in the story that allows to comprehend the true nature of the characters, their dreams, and goals. Human uncertainty and desire to have something that people are not aware about is one of the story’s themes, which the author perfectly describes by means of such characters like Timo Karvoven and Tiina Salmelainen, their points of view, and the setting of the short story under consideration. The use of parts of literature in the story is considered to be crucial for both the reader and the author. With the help of a proper choice of characters and the setting, the author gets a chance to create a captivating story that may attract readers’ attention. Pentti Kirstilä starts the story with rather a provoking statement that people can guess what they want, but “they usually guess wrong” (Kirstilä 510). The author makes a clear introduction that the plot of the story is not only about people and their actions, but also about the reasons of why people take this or that step and what the results can be expected. The point of view is strong enough and provokes the vast majority of people to continue reading in order to clear up what makes people so uncertain about own actions and thoughts. Uncertainty is one of the characteristics, which are inherent to many characters in the story. Karvoven with his desire to have melanin: “melanin was what he wanted, but he didn’t even know it” (Kirstilä 510), Tiina’s desire for “a new look” (Kirstilä 511), and Tauno’s hatred of own name. Even the element of uncertainty of the setting attracts much attention: the murder unites all the characters, and the reader becomes one more participant of the story, an observer, who should know everything, but by some reason, knows absolutely nothing till the end. “The world has sunk to the point where only exaggeration and irony work even to some extent. The rest is dross” (Kirstilä 518). This phrase by Hanhivaara is not taken seriously by the rest of the characters, and he called an ordinary philosopher. However, on my opinion, this very phr
Two decades ago many people thought the number of democratic countries would increase significantly in Europe. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was regarded as a potent impetus for countries of Central and Eastern Europe to develop into democratic Western-like states. People in Western Europe and North America as well as people of Central and Eastern Europe strived for democratic societies in the post-Soviet regions. However, now it is evident that Europe has hardly been ‘enriched’ by truly democratic states as countries of Central and Eastern Europe developed in semi-democratic or even authoritarian states. Researchers single out different political, economic, cultural and historical reasons for such trends. The future of these countries is also seen differently. Clearly, apart from political, cultural, historical and socio-economic factors, geopolitical situation will play an important role in the development of these countries. It is necessary to note that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have much in common. Roberts (2006) notes that Communist heritage affected the countries in quite a specific way making the states more centralized and people less politically active. At that, cultural peculiarities of the countries and economic factors resulted in different types of democracies which have been developed in this or that country of Central and Eastern Europe. Researchers suggest different classifications of the democracies in the region. However, it is possible to note that all of these classifications are based on the level of authoritarian rule in a country. It is possible to exploit the classification used in in the study implemented by Freedom House (Freedom House 2012). According to this study, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe can be divided into the following groups: consolidated democracies (Estonia, Slovenia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary), semi-consolidated democracies (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro), hybrid regimes (Albania, Bosnia, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova), semi-consolidated authoritarian regimes (Kosovo and Armenia) and consolidated authoritarian regimes