ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
“Are you going to sit like that all day long?” My dad came into my room his hands in the pockets. “It’s already 9:10 pm. You cannot continue like this!” “No, of course not,” I said, starting a game from the very beginning, “Just a couple of minutes. Let me win!” “I said it’s too late!” my dad pulled the wire from the socket, and the screen turned black. My birthday was a week ago. I received a new PlayStation from my parents and enjoyed the quality of my favorite games. I was able to spend more than five hours in a row playing them even without noticing it. That was awesome! My best friend Jack was jealous because he wanted to have the same console, but his folks said that if he had already had PlayStation 3, there was no necessity to buy a new version. I understood his feelings because there was nothing better than my present! However, unlike his parents who allowed him to spend as much time playing as he wanted, mine was constantly unsatisfied with this fact. This case did not differ from the tens of previous ones. It was the second or third time my father came into my room, emphasizing that it was high time for me to go to bed. My mother did the same. I guessed both of them were nuts about timing. I had to get up at 7 am even on the weekends and go to sleep at 9 pm even if I still had lots of energy just because they considered such a schedule to be healthy. However, I did not share their opinion. All I wanted was freedom. Freedom to do everything as I wanted and when I wanted, just like Jack. The sun was shining brightly, and its streams prevented me from watching my dream until the end. I screwed up my eyes and got under the blanket. Something was strange, but I was not able to understand what. I lied like that for several more minutes and then got up. No one called me for breakfast. I thought that I could have got up too early, but it was already 10 am. “Mom? Dad?” I went downstairs and entered the kitchen. It was empty just like the rest of the rooms. I became anxious and scared. What could have happened? Where were my parents? It was Sunday, so there was no school or work, and my parents had to be at home. I started calling our relatives and friends, but no one answered. There was no result even when I called 911! Having no idea what to do, I took my backpack and ran to Jack. My parent would have visited him as soon as they realized that I was absent. However, he was not at home, as I came, as well as his mother. It seemed that I was the only person in the whole city! I went back home slowly, trying to find out what I was supposed to do in the occurred situation. On the one hand, I was free to do everything. I could even get to the bank and rob one of the money storage facilities without any punishment because there was no police! But, on the other hand, there was no reason for this action. There was no way for me to spend them with pleasure, as I wanted to share it with my nearest and dearest people. “Mike, dear! What would you like to eat for breakfast today?” “Corn flakes are fine, thank you,”
The article of Hamari and Lehdonvirta discusses the promotion of virtual goods; specifically, it concerns the issue of online games design and selling. Before presenting the study, the authors prove the importance of the matter. For instance, the authors present an objective analysis of literature related to the topic. The critical approach to literature review suggests that not only achievements but also gaps in the sphere of virtual goods promotion are shown. To be specific, the authors accentuate the one-sided nature of the previous studies, which focused solely on consumers and did not consider manufacturers. Therefore, the authors developed a new marketing strategy, which focuses on product design. Thus, the objective of the article is to study the interdependence between game design and its demand. The research questions are clearly defined. The defined objective of the study allowed the authors to present a clear argument. The authors predicted the new directions, which may appear in the flow of the study; however, the points that can possibly contradict the argument of the study were not studied. Nevertheless, the importance of the study, research objectives, and the study itself are logically connected and justified in terms of research value. Concerning the research method, the study is based on a qualitative approach. The use of this approach is justified, as well as the presented issue needs a deep analysis, rather than statistical data. The author chose several most popular online games and studied their design, trying to define which of its elements contribute to the product demand. What is more, the authors study the connection between the design and other branches of marketing, such as segmentation, scarcity, differentiation, etc. Due to the proper organization of the study, it presents findings, which can be considered important in the sphere of marketing. For instance, the study showed that there is a need of designing different online games of both high and low quality, which is explained by the diversity of the consumers and their financial possibilities. Among the other findings of the study is the discovery of special factors that increase the demand for new virtual goods, such as the inconvenience of the old ones, holidays, and others. The presented findings are undoubtedly relevant to the research objectives, and thus leave the reader satisfied with the results of the study. The authors managed to prove their argument about the interdependence of game design and its success in the market. The
In the article “Haiti, I’m sorry,” the author brings up the crucial topics of the Haitian Revolution and the forming of the Black International. The author claims that the Haitian Revolution drove out slavery, colonialism, and white supremacy, the three foundational institutions of the post-Columbian era in America. The fundamental transformation at Saint-Domingue ended slavery in society; it was the first such act of universal liberation, considering all human experience. Thus, the author is convinced that the Haitian revolution left a deep mark on world history concerning all spheres and orders of society. The slave revolt, which turned into a revolution in Saint-Domingue, was the most catastrophic and transformative event of its time, which was not adequately reflected in the literary works of that era. Emphasizing it, the author clarifies that this problem needs to be made public. According to the author, Haiti’s symbolic value to black internationalism was the main reason for the hostility and isolation from slaveholders and white powers everywhere. However, the historical narrative of the black International has primarily ignored the Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution became a pivotal moment in the evolution of black internationalism, clearly delineating the two main paradigms of black internationalism that emerged during this era: revolutionary and revival traditions (West & Martin, 2009). The author draws readers’ attention to the fact that most of the African historical science could remain silent at an epic moment in the formation of the black International. In summarizing, the author notes that the Haitian Revolution was the culmination of decades of armed struggle by enslaved Africans. This, in turn, marked the desire of the colored people for universal liberation. The impact of these events on the institution of slavery challenged long-standing European beliefs about the perceived inferiority of blacks and the ability of enslaved people to achieve and maintain their freedom. The revolution became one of the largest slave uprisings in history and could not remain silent; the restored field of African diaspora research remains to reclaim the record and reaffirm the international greatness of blacks. Reference West, M. O., & Martin, W. G. (2009). Haiti, I’m sorry: The Haitian Revolution and the forging of the black international. In M.O. West, W.G. Martin, F.C. Wilkins (Eds.), From Toussaint to Tupac: The Black International since the Age of Revolution (pp. 72-104). The University of North Carolina Press.
Introduction An examination of the current system of education based on my experiences in the U.S reveals three distinct factors: that there is discrimination even though the system says there isn’t, opportunities for social advancement are only for a select few, and that the system needs to change in order to accommodate a new reality that encompasses minorities as well as immigrants into the country. If an outsider were to examine the current state of education within various high schools within the country they would notice that students within the same grade level are often separated into different tracks. This particular process labeled “tracking” is due to the fact that students within a particular grade level often have varying levels of intelligence resulting in some of students with higher intelligence being places in the higher tracks while students with lower grades are often placed in lower tracks. A closer examination of the track system reveals that a large majority of students in the higher level tracks are often composed of Caucasians while students at the lower level tracks are usually composed of minorities. While various schools may argue that it isn’t discrimination but rather a result of low grades the fact remains that the tracking system is in fact a precursor to discrimination since it propagates the notion that students from various minorities are in fact unintelligent and thus not capable of handling higher level methods of education or work for that matter. The reason why such disparities exist is due to the fact that Caucasian students are often part of higher income families who are able to provide a far higher level of financial and educational support for their children as compared to children from minorities. In fact I observed that the inherent problem that most minorities faced especially those Latin American or Mexican descent was the language barrier that existed since the language most often spoken at home was not English but Spanish. Even while I was at school I often noticed that teachers paid more attention to Caucasian students more so than other ethnicities within the school. While it is true that some Caucasian students do in fact outpace various members of the minority this is only due to the fact that barriers to education such as language and socio-economic status exist which actually delays the progress of other students. In cases that I have observed where minorities were on equal footing with their Caucasian peers, minorities often parralled or even exceeded the capabilities of the Caucasians. It is due to this that I came to the realization that success and intelligence in such a system is often propagated along lines of ethnicity and race. Examining the Differences between Private and Public Education Over the course of my educational experience I have been fortunate to have been part of both the public and private sectors of this country. This is due to the fact that once I experienced the level of education found in the public sector of the current U.S. system of education I couldn’t help but want to get out
What evidence of foreshadowing is there in either the story or the movie? In his masterpiece work, The Birds and Other Stories, Daphne Du Maurier uses foreshadowing in numerous occasions throughout the story. Conventionally in literature, foreshadowing is used to highlight some plot developments, which occur later on in the story. In the story The Birds, Du Maurier posits, “The birds had been more restless than ever this fall of the year” (312). Normally, birds are peaceful and admirable creatures especially whilst in their natural habitats. Therefore, the restlessness noted by Du Maurier foreshadows something bad, which is about to happen. Normally, foreshadowing does not necessarily imply that bad things are about to happen, as it can be used to foretell good things. However, Du Maurier uses foreshadowing to hint at the bad things about to happen in the story. Nat’s daughter wonders, “Will it snow, Dad? It’s cold enough” (Du Maurier 317), but Nat answers, “This is a black winter, not a white one” (Du Maurier 317). The use of black in this context points to an impending disaster. In literature, black is associated with misfortunes, while white signifies fortunes. Normally during the winter, snow falls and given that snow is white, it signifies that the winter comes with good things. Unfortunately, Nat points to a black winter; hence, bad things would happen. At another point, the author notes that the gulls “were circling, hundreds of them, thousands of them, lifting their wings against the wind” (Du Maurier 325). Normally, gulls fly in a coordinated harmony with one bird taking the lead and the rest following to form a streamline in a bid to counter air resistance. However, the gulls in this context are circling, which foreshadows that something wrong is about to happen. Which is more apocalyptic: the story or the film? Which is more frightening and why? Which is more believable? The story seems more apocalyptic as compared to the movie. The story gives avid description of scenes and the reader can almost tell what is about to happen. In the story, the author posits, “There are birds in there, dead birds, nearly fifty of them” (Du Maurier 328). The death of birds here symbolizes doom, which is normally associated with a
Globalization is a complex phenomenon which came into existence in the end of the twentieth century. Several decades ago it took days or even weeks for companies located in different countries to make a deal. Now it can be a matter of several hours. Interestingly, the word globalization is not new for people living in the twenty-first century, but sometimes the word is misused or misinterpreted. Therefore, it is crucial to define the notion. Ukpere (2011, p. 6072) notes that globalization is “a state whereby national boundaries turn totally porous with respect to the movement of goods and capital and, to an extent, porous with respect to people, which is viewed… as cheap labor or, in some cases, cheap human capital”. In other words, globalization presupposes no boundaries to business activity. The business activity is not confined to purely running business worldwide. Globalization also penetrates in such spheres of people’s life as education and even politics. The development of technology has enabled people to share information without paying any attention to location. Many companies located in the developed countries shifted their facilities to developing countries. On the other hand, people from developing countries can look for jobs in developed countries. Basically, globalization has made the world smaller and more accessible, so to speak. However, there are quite many negative effects. For instance, many people argue that globalization led to the global financial crisis in 2000s. These people state that various economies have become too interrelated. It is argued that some countries simply ‘shared’ their financial constraints with the rest of the world. There are many more challenges associated with globalization. In the first place, people discuss problems developed countries face due to globalization. Thus, Rattner (2011) states that many people in developed countries lose as availability of workforce across the globe (e.g. China, India, Mexico, etc.) contributes greatly to the increase of unemployment within the country. Rattner (2011) provides an example of the impact of globalization. The author focuses on such manufacturers as General Motors and Volkswagen. These giants shifted their capacities to other countries to reduce their expenditures. Admittedly, Americans are forced to work for lower wages as they understand that manufacturers can easily operate abroad. Rattner (2011, n.p.) estimates that some workers will get $30,000 per year which can hardly be “the American dream of great middle-class jobs”. In fact, this is the major challenge for developed countries. Businesses are under constant pressure as growing economies of developing countries become more and more competitive. Seemingly, developing countries benefit from globalization, but in reality globalization leads to great disproportions. On the one hand, many plants a
Introduction Every business’s main aim is making profits. Indeed, competing business ventures may attain this goal despite following different business models. Nowhere is this concept better illustrated than by three bookselling companies namely, Barnes &Nobles, Border and Amazon. The three bookstores are all competing for the same market share of book readers, except that Amazon has diversified to other consumer products, but still keeps books as one of its major products. Amazon has always boasted of being the number one book store. However, this claim was shadowed by the financial strains that the company faced in the early 2000s. Lately, though, the company is back on its footing and has devised ways to keep it afloat amidst the growing competition. One such way is by working with publishers to create a search-inside-the-book function, which allows customers to have a peek of what the book contains before finally deciding whether to buy it ( [email protected] , 2006). Amazon has book reviews posted on its website along with corresponding books. This makes it even easier for the customer to decide if the book suits their reading preferences or not. Additional features that develop customer loyalty in Amazon are the shopping suggestions offered to customers and the one-click purchasing. Overall, Amazon has succeeded in creating an easy and pleasant online shopping experience for customers ( [email protected] , 2000). This not only draws new customers but also builds brand loyalty. Amazon, just like the other bookstores spends a huge budget on marketing and advertising strategies in an effort to draw more clients to its customer base. Borders bookstores on the other hand have a business approach that focuses on customer satisfaction. As such, the book stocks on the store shelves are mainly determined by demand. Before 2000, Borders had a sophisticated program that traced reader behaviour and was thus able to predict demand. This enabled the staff at Borders to have immense buyer knowledge that helped them in decision making. They were then able to stock the right books. This in turn ensured that their name as a bookstore that has just the right books was entrenched with many book buyers. As a result, their sales grew and the profitability objective was attained ( [email protected] , 2000). This business approach persists to date In Barnes &Nobles, the business approach mainly targets selling volumes
Introduction Written by the American historian Eric Foner, the book “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” provides a detailed biographical portrait of Abraham Lincoln and his stance on slavery. Foner states that his purpose of writing the book was to examine what was Abraham Lincoln’s thought about slavery 1 . The author focused on Lincoln’s public life and the speeches he made in regards to slavery and his position during the Civil War. In particular, Foner avoids engaging or referring to the previous works by historians. Instead, he focuses on the speeches and writings by Lincoln. In this book, Foner states that the book is important in history classes as well as creating knowledge for the Americans about their history, especially by appreciating the important role that Abraham Lincoln played during the abolishment of slavery and the civil war. The Author states that the American people have a reason to thank God for Abraham Lincoln, despite the deficiencies that the president had, because he was willing to grow. It is worth noting that the book has been written in a scholarly approach, suggesting that it was meant for scholarly work. By the time of the book’s publication in 2010, Eric Foner was a professor of History at the Columbia University. He specializes in the American History, especially in the social, economic and political aspects of the country during the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras 2 . Summary The author’s main argument is based on his review of Lincoln’s speeches and writings as well as his biography. By digging deep into Lincoln’s history, times, speeches and writings, Foner has attempted to examine the President’s stance on slavery in the United States and his reaction to the issue that greatly affected the American society and economy. From these sources, Foner’s general argument (thesis) is that Abraham Lincoln had a moderate approach to the issue of slavery and expressed the willingness to ‘grow’, which changed his attitudes with time. Foner further argues that Lincoln’s hope was to see the slave-holding states choose preservation of the States’ union rather than defending slavery. Foner argues that Lincoln’s speeches and writings indicate that he initially supported the idea of colonizing the freed slaves back to Africa, but eventually abandoned the idea and supported the new id
“ We have a clear vision of success through a balanced approach towards our corporate culture, a set of enhancing support activities and good intentions “. (The Savola Group, 2009) Introduction E-business activities provide new opportunities for medium and small enterprises in their attempts to bring economic prosperity to the world through their enormous potential. E-business sphere forms new standards for systems emergence ensuring public confidence and establishing new e-commerce networks stimulating international cooperation. (Schneider, 2008) One of the most important steps in successful business running is to develop appropriate strategies and steps to follow; e-business can widen the company opportunities and become the beneficial method of cooperation with the partners. (Turban & King, 2000) The Savola Group is referred to the leading Saudi Arabia’s industrial companies being well known on the international level through its cooperation with African and Asian regions. E-business activities of this company are on the developing stage being considered additional field of its business operations. The Savola Group Overview The company was established in 1979 as the first leader in oil industry; its initial capital was about SR 40 million and it subsequently grew up to several billion. The company is one of the most well developing and successful business leaders among multinational food groups being specialized in such businesses as packaging, sugar, franchising, edible oils and real estate. It is important to underline the fact that the company has about 80 retail outlets in Saudi Arabia and one supermarket in Dubai, UAE. The Savola Group provides about 68% of sugar and 62% of edible oils for the Kingdom. Besides, the company is considered to be a pioneer in the spheres of CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, Values and Ethics. The company business operations are preserved in the way to encourage its employees behaving in the ethical manner and considering the stakeholders’ interests in company activities development; the company opportunities in the sphere of e-business operations can become the strong background market enlargement with its products and services. The Savola Group and E-Business activities Development The development of e-business activities is an integral part of future strategic plans of the company. It should be noted that the Savola Group performs its business operations through the functioning of four principle sectors:   * Foods Sector (sugar, foods and edible oil);   * Real estate sector;   * Plastics Sector;   * Retail Sector. The business running of the Savola Group is basically concentrated around balanced cooperation of its key sectors combined with Franchising Unit activities; besides, the company has more than 160000 shareholders and 16000 employees. The Savola Group is referred to the list of 20 top companies accordin