ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The history of civil rights in the United States traces its roots back to the arrival of slaves in Virginia in1619. The first person to raise the issue of civil rights was Lucy Terry when she published the poem titled “ Last American Indian attack” in 1746. She inspired other black people in her village, Deerfield, Massachusetts, to rise against the defective production system. However, the publication was not made official until 1855 when it was included in the poem Bar’s Fight . In 1773, Phyllis Wheatley contributed to the fight for freedom by writing the poem titled “ Various subjects, religious, and moral,” and she was considered as the first African-American woman who made her literature public. Because of continued conflicts with slave owners, the legislature made forced labor illegal in the Northwest Territory in 1787, but the constitution was amended to legalize slave trade, and it was not be abandoned until 1808. Eli Whitney’s discovery of cotton gin intensified slavery, and as a result, it enhanced the need for slaves in various states in 1793. In the same year, the Congress instituted constitutional amendments that made changes to the Fugitive Slave Law. This gave local and federal authorities the power to capture and return slaves who tried to escape from their respective places of work. In 1800, Gabriel Prosser, who was one of the slaves engaged in trade, marshaled Africans to resist forced labor and instructed his fellow blacksmiths to march to Richmond, Virginia. However, the plan was unsuccessful since it was revealed and the perpetrators were sentenced to death. The government ordered the tightening of the law to prevent the occurrence of the same case in the future. In 1809, the major part of the parliament voted for a bill that outlaws additional importation of slaves from Africa and other parts of the world. In 1820, an agreement was reached between slave owners and the government, popularly referred to as Missouri Comprise, which banned slavery in the northern part of the country. In 1822, Denmark Vesey, a carpenter who bought his liberty at a considerable value, encouraged slaves to rise against their masters in South Carolina. Unfortunately, the racket was unraveled, and Vesey together with his supporters was hanged. In 1831, Nat Turner, who served as an Africa preacher, sacrificed his life when he volunteered to lead an uprising by launching a rebellion in Southampton country, Virginia. The state militia dealt with the situation and defeated the activists. The preacher and his followers were sentenced to death while the state legislators instituted tighter laws to prevent resistance in the future. In the meantime, William Lloyd Garrison was preparing an article titled “Liberator,” which was published in the weekly paper. On 2 July 1839, slaves, revol
Introduction Background Information The bicultural paradigm, which is adopted in this paper, is derived from an individual’s coexistence in a setting that has more than one cultural inclination. According to Kagawa-Singer (93), this form of a paradigm focuses on a number of areas. The areas include the language, behavior, and even emotional aspects of an individual presenting such conditions. I am writing the current paper against this background. In the paper, I will explore the paradigm from a personal point of view. It is important to mention that I was born in China and currently reside in the United States of America (USA). In this paper, I seek to illustrate that a bicultural paradigm does not create conflict with one’s identity. On the contrary, a harmonious co-existence can be established. Thesis Statement The current paper revolves around one major thesis statement. The thesis statement is stated below: A bilingual paradigm reinforces one’s identity in a society Notwithstanding the thesis statement, the paper provides a critique of the paradigm by evaluating emotional response to outsiders’ opinions. In addition, the critique extends to how the paradigm affects inter-cultural marriages. Marriage is an important element in the society. It is noted that people from different cultures in a diverse society can come together to establish a family. Such inter-cultural unions are very significant in such a community. The third critique in this paper is on the aspect of racial stereotypes. The racial generalizations analyzed in the paper are those brought about by the bicultural paradigm. One of the major objectives of this paper is to analyze the various stereotypes associated with bicultural identity in the society today. I will review this scenario from my point of view as a ‘Chinese American’. A Review of Bicultural Paradigm in a Contemporary Society A bicultural paradigm elicits various attitudes and opinions from outsiders. The realization is one of the reasons why sociologists and other scholars find this field very appealing in their studies. One such scholar is Callister (as cited in Tucker 375). The author uses the New Zealand society to illustrate that identity is the main attitude that outsiders fixate upon. As an American of Chinese origin, my experience in the society is very unique. For example, I often get questions from my friends and strangers on my exact identity. They are not sure whether I am Chinese, American, or a mix of both. They also wonder whether my family still observes traditional Chinese practices. In addition, outsiders view a bicultural paradigm as an example of coexistence in spite of the apparent diverse backgrounds of different members of the society. There is a common perception in contemporary society that an individual with a bicultural heritage destroys their identity. The perception is far from the truth. Tucker (375) argues that an individual may have changed their nationality at one point in their life. However, such persons
The perspectives demonstrated in these stories The two short stories narrate the experiences of two individuals’ natives of the Caribbean islands. John Stewart’s story ‘the old men used to dance’ shows us how Simon’s experience in his native country after studying abroad is different. He was raised in Trinidad and left for university studies in North America. He comes back home with the idea that nothing has changed and expects to find all the intriguing things about his home the same as he left them and to his disappointment, nothing is as he pictured, “he sees the same hand mingy with space, the atmosphere armed with an aggressive narrowness” (Stewart 510). Simon is disgusted at the increased population since the home he used to know people knew each other and if not anyone you meet for the first time became an immediate friend. Stewart describes how disturbed he is by the contrast in infrastructure between Miami city and the towns in Trinidad. The nauseating open drainage system and the unsightly garbage state is not how he remembers his home. On the other hand, Olive Senior tells of a happy young girl living with her relatives as her father takes no responsibility for her. Becka is described as an inquisitive and intelligent person through her we learn that Jamaicans are friendly people. This is demonstrated by how she is happy interacting with Cherry and how her aunt has taken them in despite the burden of supporting a child that is not hers. Despite the constant gossip by a neighbor who tries to dissuade her from accommodating Beccka, her aunt proves that family values still exist when she says “I accept that this is the crosses that I put on this earth to bear ya Miss Katie” (Senior 485). What is the difference in their perspectives upon their own culture? While Senior focuses on family experiences as the pillar of any culture and she narrates these family interactions to help us understand the Jamaican culture better. She also involves religion in her story as an important part of a culture. Religion is respected and people related to it accorded much more respect. John Stewart’s story details the people’s lifestyle, their properties, their music, and their interactions to giving us a better understanding of culture “people in their graceful country walk taking time to stop here and there and talk to one another” (Stewart 510). How do Senior and Stewart look upon cultural heritage in their stories? Stewart values his cultural heritage and he is annoyed that no one remembers Pompey and his ice cream store. He mentions Gregory the drummer who was a vital pe
Introduction The Old Testament has five major sections namely law, history, wisdom, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets. The work of prophets in the Old Testament was to guide people towards accepting God and believing in his ability to fulfill their needs. They also prophesied about the second coming of the messiah and provided insight on issues that Jews faced as they desperately tried to know God (Hindson & Yates, 2012). Three issues addressed by the prophets in their teachings included idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism. They predicted how people would slowly drift away from God’s commandments, create their own religions, and start oppressing the weak. The prophets taught the Jews a lot about God, religious rituals, and the expected way of life. In addition, they taught them how to transfer their knowledge to subsequent generations for continuity (Bullock, 2007). Their teachings were practical, and Christians draw a lot of wisdom from them in contemporary society. Prophets on idolatry Old Testament prophets were inspired by the spirit of God to foresee and tell his people about things that would turn them away from him. The bible explains idolatry as the practice of worshiping images that are not God. God uses his prophets to explain this practice to his people (Hindson & Yates, 2012). One of the people who deliver this message is prophet Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 2:1-3, God compares Israel with a young bride who is very faithful and committed to him. However, for those who dislike and harm the bride for her devotion get punished by God for their mistakes through a disaster inflicted on them (Bullock, 2007). In Jeremiah 2: 23-25, the prophet talks to people in a powerful and confronting manner asking them to wake up and follow God like they do to their idols. Another prophet who talks about idolatry is Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 8: 17-18, God asks him whether he has seen the idolatry temple that signifies how much people have replaced his presence in their lives with idols (Loken, 2010). In the same verse, God also speaks of his huge dislike for this practice that provokes his anger. God swears not to pity people who turn away from him, and continue to disregard his purpose in their lives. God always used prophet Ezekiel to preach and prophesy against worshipping idols (Hindson & Yates, 2012). Prophets on social injustice During the days of Old Testament prophets, there was a serious problem of social injustices among the people. According to the Bible, Israelites had turned away from their governing laws, thus resulting to widespread injustices and failure (Bullock, 2007). This issue is widely addressed in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy among others.
Introduction The peculiarities of countries’ political courses largely determine the sustainability of its different areas, including social, economic, and other aspects of development. In view of this, following a certain movement plays a significant role for both the ruling elites and the population. The concept of federalism is a well-known political trend, and the emphasis on its promotion is the practice that leaders of many states adhere to and develop. This movement has unique features, and its assessment, along with a comparison with other systems of power organization, will make it possible to identify the key strengths and weaknesses that are inherent in it. As a justification base, a variety of sources will be used, including both findings from academic literature and online resources. In general, federalism has more advantages than disadvantages in the case of the competent organization of state institutions’ activities, but some existing shortcomings are significant obstacles to preserving countries’ integrity. Background Information Federate government systems are more typical of the modern world than confederate ones. According to Hueglin and Fenna (2015), the mechanism under consideration acts as an intermediate form between confederation and a unitary state. Therefore, this principle embodies a compromise between the provisions of unity and regional diversity of the country, between the need for effective central power and the necessity to limit it. Nevertheless, despite this explanation, each federal system is unique since relations amon
Introduction MS better known as multiple sclerosis is a very acute disease which affects the central nervous system because of the attacks by the immune system on the central nervous system. The disease causes many physical and mental symptoms. Young adults are more prone to this disease and especially women get affected by this disease. The disease mainly affects the brain and the spinal cord and this is known as white matter. The causes of the disease are not very clear till date; some believe it happens because of a virus called Epstein-barr, while the others believe that the disease is a metabolically dependent disease. Body Tysabri is the medication used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, “TYSABRI is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to delay the accumulation of physical disability and reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. TYSABRI is generally recommended for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, alternate MS therapies.” (Tysabri, 13 September 2008). The medication was released in a joint effort by Elan Pharmaceuticals and Biogen, Tysabri was previously known as Antegren. The medication was first launched in USA at the end of 2004. The medication was seen as a big breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, but at a later stage it was realized otherwise. “At the end of February 2005, the drug was voluntarily withdrawn after three patients developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but often fatal nervous system disorder.” (Drug Development, 2008). The medication was reintroduces in the USA in the year July 2006 but this time came with warnings that it may affect the brain of the patients; the reintroduction of the drug was soon given clearance in Europe too. The drug was withdrawn because three people suffered from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, which a fatal nervous system disorder. “Safety issues continue to haunt Tysabri with recent warnings from regulators in both the US and Europe of a potentially higher risk of liver damage (elevated hepatic enzymes and bilirubin) among patients taking the drug. As a consequence, patients taking Tysabri are required to have regular liver function tests and treatment discontinued in any patient judged at risk.” (Drug Development, 13 September 2008). The manufacturers voluntarily withdrew Tysabri from the market; it was never made mandatory by any governing organization. Because of the three fatal cases which occurred upon using the medication, it was quite a sensible decision taken by the company to withdraw the medication from the market. The prevention of the withdrawal would have resulted in further problems for the companies, the goodwill of the people ones broken can never be got back, had the company prevented the withdrawal of the drug from the market, it would have had very few chances of re- launching the drug in 2006. When the drug was launched, the price of the stock Biogen Idec Inc increased because the medication was very promising, after the three cases were r
Introduction South County is a non-charter county, which has been enjoying healthy fiscal years under stewardship of devoted, skilled and diligent board of commissioners. The country is under direct jurisdiction of county administrator as well as the director in the Office of Management and Budget. This year’s low revenue returns has caused South County to face financial problems thus hindering funding of the multi-million dollar budgeted county projects, which include library programs, rural fire protection units and parks management. Major causes of South County budgetary problems South County has been protecting it natural resources such as limestone and pure water sources for a long period by choosing the type of industrial development to be set up in the county. This has minimized the county’s ability to attract more business investments in the area that would have lead to increased realisation of Ad Valorem revenues. Secondly, Ad Valorem revenues in South County are low because of the fact that 75 percent of properties in the county are tax exempted. Therefore, this indicates that private property and businesses on the remaining 25 percent is responsible for revenues used in maintenance, construction and basic operating expenses of the county. Due to the growing unplanned and unbudgeted projects passed by the board, the county has been using General Fund Contingency thus resulting to a shortfall of property tax revenues in the previous five years. “This general Fund Contingency has dropped from a healthy $16 million to $9million, the bare minimum amount permitted by county policy (Groves, p.172)”. Fourthly, the other cause of financial problems at South County has emanated from the county’s board commissioners. They have been holding the yearly property millage rate and probably reducing it in the same five-year range. This has negatively affected the growth of revenue base of the county. Ways of curbing the South County’s financial problems In order to increase revenue, the county should come up with policies to attract investments that are more industrial. They also ought to ensure preservation of the county’s natural resources and environment rather than limiting the type of industrial activities. Private sector investment will result in more employment and subsequently more spending during paydays thus leading to more revenue realisation. The diverse industrial engagements would guarantee the county increased revenue, which will consecutively ensure timely funding of projects. On the same note, there will be a boost on Ad Valorem’s returns due to increase in private and individual property ownership in the county. Thirdly, the Office of Management and Budget should inform the board how holding of annu
Introduction The issue of the incompatibility of moral values and wealth goes constant leitmotif throughout the history of humankind. This topic is also relevant in the new decade since, over the past ten years, economists have observed an unprecedented income gap between the rich and the rest of the population. This review of the literature will consider works on moral values and their relationships with the factor of wealth. Moral Values First of all, the fundamental question is what is meant by the term moral values. Hartmann (2017), in his book, identifies such concepts as goodness, nobility, the richness of experience, purity, justice, wisdom, courage, and self-control as moral values. Connors (2017) defines such essential moral qualities, the ultimate goal of which is to achieve happiness, like honesty, fire, hard work, confidence, and perseverance. However, can wealth, along with the social environment, nurturing, and life experience, be one of the determining factors in the formation of moral values? Wealth as a Determining Component of Moral Values There are two conflicting opinions regarding whether wealth is a decisive basis for the emergence of moral values. Adermon, Lindahl, and Waldenström (2018) believe that wealth does determine the ethical aspect, in particular in the matter of inheritance, “because grandparents are more important in the younger life of parents and grandchildren” (p. 503). Greaves and Ord (2017) agree with it, in their work they believe people are in a state of “moral uncertainty” and everything determines the context, since “we are forced to act now” (p. 164). Nevertheless, the results of both Sherman’s interviews, published in the New York Times (2017) and the Guardian (2017), show that wealth does not affect the formation of the moral component. Another important iss
Myrrh and incense filled the carcass of a bull sacrificed to Isis in ancient Egypt. In honor of the sun god Ra in the same sunny city, Heliopolis, incense was lit three times a day: at dawn amber, at the time of the solar zenith – myrrh, at sunset – a complex mixture consisting of many ingredients, which included incense – kifi (Litke 311). The Periplus states “that incense was in use is sufficiently clear from the early ritual” (120). As in honor of the gods, on special occasions, incense was incensed in honor of the pharaohs. Incense and myrrh were used, including in embalming. The office Sebni said, “descended to Wawat and Uthek, and sent on the royal attendant Iri, with two others, bearing incense, clothing, one tusk, and one hide” (121). Since ancient times, incense has been used in religious ceremonies. It was believed that it contributes to immersion in prayer and detachment from worldly problems and that it is the scent of meditation and immersion in the inner world. A person feels peace and tranquility with the assistance of the given plant (Mukherjee 109). Aromatherapists use not only the resin of incense but also the essential oil, which is a dense yellowish liquid with a resinous balsamic aroma. It is obtained by steam distillation from incense. The Egyptians often mixed incense with oil of brown frankincense and rubbed the mixture to relieve pain in the extremities, and also included incense in rejuvenating masks. The Chinese considered it an effective remedy for scrofula and leprosy. Nowadays incense is used in the manufacture of perfumes as a fixative. (Schoff 119) In the Bible, a substance called pure frankincense is incense in the modern sense. From the origins of Christianity, the smoking composition was four-component, where incense was one of the equal parts (Litke 291). Over time, the frankincense in the Christian church was called in one word which is incense. Thus, the name has become unifying for a large group of different substances and complex compositions. The Romans used incense not only in religious ceremonies but also for state and household purposes. When making important government events incense was smoked: it was thought that its smell “opens” the soul. This is an important component of oriental incense and an anti-inflammatory component of medicines mentioned in the ancient texts of Ayurveda. Incense, sandalwood and myrrh are already mentioned in the Old Testament. Gold, frankincense and myrrh are described in the Bible as gifts of the Magi to Jesus (Mukherjee 101). Christianity has significantly increased the market for this incense, where it is widely used in religious ceremonies. Ayurvedic texts recommended the Bosai “salai gugul” adhesive exudate for diseases and funerals (Mukherjee 97). The Periplus states “likewise in funerals were its virtues required” (124). In the first century, Pliny referred to incense as an antidote to hemlock. Pliny said, “it is the luxury w