ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction David Wallace was one of the most important postmodern authors in America. He had already gained attention with his first book, “The Broom of the System.” Still, his second novel, “Infinite Jest,” catapulted him to national prominence and made him one of the most respected authors of the modern American era. ‘This is water,’ his book, was essentially an expanded version of Wallace’s commencement speech to a group of graduating students. Unlike other books, which were panned for being overly long for their own sake, this commencement speech was generally praised, and even named one of the top 10 best commencement speeches in history by ‘Time’ magazine. In his speech ‘This is water,’ Wallace’s goal was to stress the importance of perceptiveness, and awareness of others. He felt that through combining awareness, and education, people would become well-adjusted to their surroundings. To achieve his argumentative goal for his audience, he used a personal, and comic tone. This essay will focus on giving a summary of David Wallace’s ‘The Water’. Freedom in Decision Making After greeting and praising the students for their hard work, Wallace opened his address with a remarkable parable based on a fish story. The significance of the fish story, he continued, was simply that the most significant realities were frequently the most difficult to see, and discuss. In other words, people were living in water but could not see, and were completely oblivious of its presence. On the other hand, Wallace felt that most people were mistaken and that it was the mission of liberal arts education to tell them they were wrong Liberal arts education was designed to make people aware of the water in their surroundings rather than filling their heads with unimportant information. Wallace’s main point in his speech was that often the most obvious things were the most difficult to comprehend. He stated, in particular, that negative thinking was not a choice but a natural setting, and that individuals needed to start thinking cognitively, and beyond the box. Wallace delivered his commencement address to Kenyon College’s 2005 graduating class intending to prepare the students for the future life they were about to embark on after college. He used a grocery store example in his speech so that the students could relate since they had been in the situation. Wallace was also able to connect with his audience by using this grocery example. He further highlighted that, while individuals believed they were trapped in a ‘rat race, they had the option of choosing between two options: looking at the situation negatively and getting a bad result, or looking at it positively and feeling better about the situation. Wallace exemplified this point by stating that the inability to make a conscious decision about what to pay attention to would irritate them every time they went shopping. He also noted that many people were narrow-minded, and loved evaluating others. However, each possessed the capacity to change a situation by making it cheerful and hopeful. Meaning and Importance of Education In his address ‘This is Water,’ David Foster Wallace reminded Kenyo
Written by Benjamin Domenech, the article, “The truth about a mass shooting and the gun control”, unravels the mysteries behind mass shootings and the ever-controversial topic of gun control. Gun control defines the regulation of who can sale, own, and/or use a gun. Domenech strongly opposes the killing that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school; however, he does not support the gun control campaign. He is opposed to the politicking of the issue to bring back the gun-control movement that existed in the 1990s. He further points out the ruling of the Supreme Court in the District of Colombia, which gave the right to individuals to own arms. The changing of the Second Amendment according to the author will deny the American people the right to own arms for the purpose of self-defense. He feels that politicians take advantage of the current situation to voice their opinions; for instance, Obama used the issue during the 2012 presidential elections. The media has been blamed at large for exaggerating the occurrence and coverage of mass murder events, thus overstepping their rights to report. Christopher Uggen compares mass execution to a deadly disease that is much feared, but the effects are not so devastating. Domenech also blames politicians due to their role in blowing the debate on gun control out of proportion. Domenech strongly believes that crimes involving guns have decreased while there is an increase in gun ownership. Using statistical data, he points out that crime rates involving guns have dropped drastically even with increase private gun ownership. Critique The article is well balanced, and even though the author is against gun control, he is indifferent in his arguments. The route to mass slaying typically involves geezer hood of disappointment and nonstarter, which produce a “mixture of profound hopelessness and deep-seated resentment. Socially or psychologically isolated, mass murderers lack emotional support and encouragement from any person” (Domenech 26). In most instances, mass shooters are very specific to their targets. Sometimes their grudge is directed to a class of masses such as “feminists, minorities, or immigrants who are believed to be stealing all the good job opportunities” (Domenech 26). If mass shootings were viewed through the lenses of a breakdown in relation to thought or emotion, then one would expect to find extreme mental illness in many mass murder cases. Had these people been successful in their educational or career pursuits or “benefited from a strong support network comprised of family and close friends, then their professed mental illness would have been manifested in far less violent ways” (Domenech 27). It would be unfor
Introduction Brands have a significant impact on an individual’s purchasing decision. Product brands can be considered to be culturally-based symbols with differing advantages associated to them. Currently, the automobile industry is characterized by a high degree of competitiveness (Gorman 2). One of the reasons for the intense competition is the large number of brands within the industry. Some of the main car brands within the industry include BMW, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Playmouth and Mercedes. One of the general rules of the car industry relates to consumer perception. If a particular car brand appeals to the consumers, there is a high probability that its sales volumes shall be stronger. Consumers have developed different perceptions regarding these brands. In order to determine the competiveness of various brands relative to one another, it is important for the respective management team to incorporate positioning mapping (Auster, Wylie and Valante 23). Brand positioning entails emphasizing a product’s distinctiveness in relation to certain characteristics which the consumers considers most relevant. Product positioning enables a firm to compare and contrast its brand against competing brands. Through a position map, it is possible for a firm’s management team to develop a positioning strategy. The strategy can either be through product differentiation culminating into the firm attaining a relatively high competitive advantage. There are various dimensions through which a firm can consider when developing a product map. This paper is aimed at analyzing the concept of position mapping in relation to the car industry. Bases of positioning in the car industry With regard to the car industry, some of the key dimensions which consumers consider include   * Classy/affordable   * Sportiness or conservative The graph below gives an illustration of a position map in relation to BMW, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Playmouth, and Mercedes car brands according to consumer brand perception. From the illustration below, it is evident that consumers consider Porsche to be the most classiest and sportiest of all the cars. This is illustrated by Porsches location on the top right corner. Some of the characteristics which make consumers consider Porsche as very classic and sporty is its make. The car has a rear wheel drive characteristic and a capacity of 6 vacuum controlled flaps. This increases the cars output and hence the power generated. The close position of BMW to Porsche indicates that consumers consider the two brands
History of Judaism Judaism is not only a religion, but is a way of life for the Jews. It has had a history over of over 4000 years, with its origin found in the creation story. Judaism has founded other religions like Islam and Christianity. Abraham has been noted to be the first Jew after declining of his ancestral polytheist way of life. As a result, he was promised many blessings from God and among them a child (Isaac) and a promised land (Canaan). As was stated to Abraham, the children of Israel were exiled but finally redeemed by Moses. After being saved from slavery in Egypt, Moses led the Israelites to Mt. Sinai where God gave them the Torah before proceeding to Canaan, the Promised Land. God chose Aaron, Moses’ brother to officiate at the tabernacle, before the descendants officiating at the temple. After some time, the Israelites demanded for a king like the other nations, something that God was against. However, with their persistence Saul was anointed as their first king by Samuel (James 2010 pp 56). After committing a sin, David was appointed as the next king. Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem during his reign. The kingdom split into two after Solomon’s death, to form Israel and Judah. With so much idolatry, God caused Assyria to attack and take Israel into exile. The temple was invaded and destroyed by the Babylonians after increased idolatry. The Israelites were taken to captivity in Babylon but as per the promises of God, they redeemed after seventy years under the leadership of Ezra, who also rebuilt the temple. The second temple was however destroyed by the Roman emperor, Titus. Traditions of Judaism Orthodox Judaism It is a historic Jewish faith whose main emphasize is the observation of traditional customs of the religion. It claims that both the Torah (comprising of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and Oral Torah (interpretive Talmud) are fixed with authoritative laws. These laws are to be followed as they are, with no alterations. Their observations include dietary laws, daily worship and study of the Torah as well as gender segregation. A strict code of dressing is also observed. Reform Judaism This tradition was formed to modernize the faith of the early 19 th century. It believes that the heritage of the faith has embraced change over the centuries and will continue to change. It is committed to Judaism but adapts to the changes that come along. Gender equity especially for women is highlighted. They are committed to social justice and to the principle of inclusion and not exclusion. Conservative Judaism It was formed as a result of a dissatisfaction of both Orthodox and Reform Judaism. The movement, organized by Dr. Schenter, had an aim of some implementations. It wanted to implement K’lal Yisrael (whole Jewish community) as well as to incorporate the experiences of the North America into the Jewry. A modern living and Torah –devoted were to be implemented too. Flexibility was emphasized since they believed that all the scripture came from god but transmitted by humans. Beliefs of
It is surprising that developed nations are the ones which are nowadays most affected by harsh financial crisis. The United States is on its way recovering from a financial crisis it experienced in 2008. In less than 5 years European Union Member Countries are in great economic problems with an unemployment rate of 10.7%. Spain is the most affected nation with approximately 5.3 million unemployed that represents unemployed rate of 23.3%. Greece is also equally affected by the menace with a 40% rate of unemployed. The issue of unemployment in Europe is greatly affecting the residents much more than the effects of inflation. Most Europeans are nowadays more worried by the issue of t employment deficit than they care about the huge budget deficit. Appropriate use of the fiscal policy is very instrumental in regulating, aggregate demand, economic growth as well as employment. One of the most common measures of economic performance of countries is the level of employment. For a country to develop and have a strong economy, it should be in a position to create enough jobs for its residents. A country that has a low unemployment rate is in a position to get adequate revenues through direct taxations and indirect taxes that it receives from taxable income and Value added tax respectively. From the revenue generated from taxation the government is in a position to use it to spur economic acuities during instances of economic downturn. European Union Member Countries are experiencing an ec
Introduction The automobile industry is characterized by impulsiveness and indecision due to constant political, social, technological and economic transformations. Consequently, automobile companies find themselves in dynamic situations that call for steady adjustments. In such circumstances, the companies require effective leadership to help in identifying the most feasible and productive changes. Brown (2007) maintains that car companies should transform their operations in order to remain competitive. Hence, they need transformational leaders who can identify emerging opportunities and restructure the companies to exploit the opportunities. The success of General Motors is credited to its effective leadership. In spite of General Motors having numerous competitive advantages over other automobile companies, it relies heavily on its transformative leaders. The leaders are responsible for formulating operation strategies and establishing appropriate structures to facilitate implementation of the plans. This paper will discuss the effectiveness of leadership in General Motors. Besides, it will identify various growth strategies that General Motors can pursue. General Motors’ Leadership According to Bayou and De Korvin (2013), the current state of automobile industry calls for transformative leadership. It underlines the reason General Motors hires transformative chief executive officers (CEO). Through the transformative leadership of Mary Barra, General Motors has been able to restore order in all its global units. Bayou and De Korvin (2013) allege that the most critical role of a transformative leader is to re-establish order and shrewdness into the messy whirl that is the modern day’s business atmosphere. Prior to Barra assuming leadership of the company, General Motors’ product development processes were in absolute confusion. The company had at least 30 distinct platforms. Besides, the company offered inefficient services and manufactured inferior cars. There were needs to align operations and enhance organizational efficiency (Fogel, Morck & Yeung, 2014). Barra embarked on these vital transformational objectives and within one year she managed to downsize the product line. In addition, she improved the quality of cars and ensured that employees were
Digital Advertiser Limited is an advertising agency that began its operations two years ago located in New York City with an initial workforce of 10 employees which has steadily grown to 100 employees currently. With this expansion has come an increased information requirement. Digital Advertiser has contracted Blue waves Consultants to propose and design their current and future computer network topology requirements. It is envisaged that the company needs will require an increased workforce of up to 200 people within two years. This proposition is based on the three-layer hierarchy model of the network topology, which is an improvement of the initial non-redundant flat topology. The diagrams below depict the various scenarios proposed. The proposed network topology must be scalable and make use of the latest in internetworking technology (Oppenheimer, 2010). Its foreseen that the future of the network topology expansion process majorly depends on the technology used. Wireless technology is becoming more reliable in terms of scalability and cost through the issue of a full-proof security solution on such networks remains debatable. These propositions have depicted both wired and wireless technology to some extent. Reference Oppenheimer, P. (2010). Top down network design (3rd ed.). Indianapolis, Indiana: Cisco Press. Appendix 1 Network topology supporting the initial environment of 10 employees Appendix 2 Network topology supporting the current requirement of 100 employees Appendix 3 Network topology supporting the future requirement of 200 employees
Case Description Patient M was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with severe symptoms of psychosis. M is 26 years old and single. M exhibited slowly increasing (and possibly leading to death or severe functional impairment) deterioration of health as a result of mental inability to take care of oneself is also quite dangerous. M was diagnosed with methamphetamine abuse which started approximately 4.5 years ago. Despite the fact that the physical examination data are not specific to drug abuse, a thorough medical examination is additional confirming to clinical diagnosis and allows one to create guidelines in determining the severity of the condition. Thus, patient M showed traces of intravenous injections along the superficial veins. In addition, examination of the neurological state (pupillary reaction, nystagmus, tremor) and somatic state (including percussion of the liver, kidneys, heart auscultation, measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, NPV) also showed the presence of prolonged drug addiction and general intoxication of the body. Enzyme immunoassay at primary urine screening for psychoactive substances and mass spectrometry confirmed the diagnosis. M also reported disturbances in mood, sleep and exhibited decreased mental performance. Despite the systematic use of the drug and an increase in tolerance, as well as withdrawal symptoms, M denies his dependence on a psychoactive substance. Identification of the Aspect Targeted For Rehabilitation Patients with a combination of mental and drug addiction pathology adapt much worse in society and are relatively more likely to have low compliance (Maruta et al., 2016). Substance addicts have a fairly well-developed sense of reality that allows them to navigate the world around them, but in cases of severe frustration, they do not use adaptive ways to resolve conflicts and overcome difficulties (Russo et al., 2021). The predominance of primitive mechanisms of psychological defense (denial, splitting, regression), the effect of which is traced in their reactions to frustration, does not allow them to maintain mental balance and provokes the use of psychoactive substances (Rivera et al., 2017). Patients cannot withstand emotional stress that exceeds the usual level. Even relatively minor difficulties cause them to increase symptoms and behavior regr
Introduction Model organisms can be described as organisms that are capable of being used in laboratories studies to conduct certain research or experiments. “ Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant that belongs to genus Arabidopsis , a member of the Brassic a (mustard or crucifer) family in the tribe Sisymbriae” (Meyerowitz, 1994). It has emerged as a model plant for studies in classical and molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, and functional genomics (Meyerowitz, 1994). The plant has been suitable for studies in molecular, cellular, and genetic biology because of its several unique features. The small sizes of Arabidopsis make them easy to grow since they take less space hence lesser cost. It has a relatively small genome and has a short non-seasonal generation time of about 5 weeks. “Arabidopsis is readily transformed by vacuum infiltration with Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing T-DNA based binary vectors; and mutants can be readily generated with many different chemical and biological mutagens” (Keck and Craver, 2010, p.1). This paper concentrates on three characteristics, which include those listed below. A Relatively Small Nuclear Genome “The nuclear genome of Arabidopsis Thaliana is unusually small for a flowering plant. It also has a remarkably little dispersed repetitive DNA,” (Meyerowitz, 1994, p.21). “These properties facilitate a series of
Introduction The essay is an attempt to investigate how customers shopping at MetroCity differ from those shopping at the Kanyon, two of the leading shopping malls in Istanbul, Turkey. The writer deemed it appropriate to investigate these two malls in particular because of their unique situation: the two shopping malls are situated side by side. In order to achieve this, the essay shall endeavor to assess the differences in the shopping characteristics of customers visiting the two malls, and how these variations could influence the choice of the shopping mall. Having lived in Istanbul for several years I have witnessed the constant development of new shopping malls around the city. The development of these malls in Istanbul is a result of urbanization, leading to growth in population, and hence an increase in demand for easily accessible and compact leisure centres such as malls. Malls do not only provide various shops but also leisure facilities such as gyms and cinemas. However, In Istanbul, almost none of the several malls are located in the same region and as such the fact that Kanyon and MetroCity are not only in the same region but only a couple of hundred meters apart grabbed my attention. In this essay I will be looking at the various features of a mall that attract customers, including the differences in the design of the two malls, the services offered, as well as the similarities and differences in goods sold. Ultimately the study endeavors to reveal whether the two malls target certain groups of customers. Kanyon has been designed with the high socio-economic group in mind, while MetroCity mainly targets the middle class consumers. Kanyon has been designed as an open-air shopping mall and started its operations 3 years after MetroCity. History of Levent Prior to embarking on an evaluation of the different factors that influence the decision by consumers to either shop at the Kanyon or MetroCity, there is need to first understand the background of the area where these malls are located. Levent is located on the European side of Istanbul and is one of the main business districts of the city. It is home to large clusters of skyscrapers and private mansions in Istanbul. There are also many businesses located in the region and as such, the area has managed to attract a wealthier crowd. However, Levent was not always a densely populated business district. In fact, until around the 1960s, the area was a “residential settlement outside of the city” 1 . Figure 2 clearly shows how the area has changed visually and in function from a residential area to a business district in 40 years. From the 1960s onwards there was a dramatic rise in the construction of high-rise buildings and mansions in Leve