ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction It is strongly believed that print books will be considered preferred medium for readers, but there is also a widely accepted assumption that technological change will touch upon the transition from transitional book production to digital one. A technologically driven society, therefore, will provide a favorable ground for reducing substantially the print material and engaging the development of technologically driven education. The emergence of e-books has provided society with a number of advantages and has introduced alternatives of acquiring education. Expanding reading and learning possibilities, therefore, is an attractive option created by online technologies. However, it is hard to predict whether e-book development can become an honorable substitution for traditional books which value is defined not by its content, but by its cultural and historical affiliations. In this respect, key question arises concerning the future trends in development of e-books, as well as how technologically developed society influence the preservation and perception of traditional book as part of history and culture. Background The statistics shows significant increase in e-book sales during the period from 2002 to 2006. Thus, in 2002 the sales of e-books amounted to $ 5.8 million whereas this figure rose up to $ 20 million in 2006 (Nelson, 2008). The highlighted trends, therefore, provides many technology providers and publishers with substantial marketing grounds for triggering the adoption of virtual books in the future. By 2012, it is expected that the sales will grow up to $ 5 billion and, therefore, scientific and professional publishing in libraries will be replaced with digitized variants of books (Nelson, 2008). Such a perspective will significantly influence reconstruction of existing libraries and will threaten the extermination of traditional books. While exploring the demographics in correlation with the sales rates, it should be assumed that people under the age category of 30-44 years are the most frequent users of e-books (about 40 %) (Special Reports on E-Book Production and Digital Printing Technology, 2011). Other age categories are less interested in e-books technologies. The prevalence of e-books over their hardcover versions is also evidence from the survey revealing augmentation from 38.1 % to 49.6 % of people who would rather wait to buy electronic version than buy the print book right away, where the percentage rates range from 18.9 % in September 2011 to 12.7 % in August 2011 (Special Reports on E-Book Production and Digital Printing Technology, 2011). Aside from statistics, the popularity growth of e-books is evidence because of the increasing rates of adoption of electronic material in colleges and universities. According to Foasberg (2011), “…both e-reader owners and other e-book users we
Consumer protection has always been a special domain for numerous agencies and non-profit organisations. These organisations and agencies provide consumers with legal and information support, as they are building their relationships with sellers and suppliers. However, any violations of consumer laws and rights can easily result in criminal charges. This is why a police department can and should be actively involved in consumer protection. The police department often receives consumer complaints, and many of these complaints are valid and demand thorough criminal investigation. It would be fair to say that the police department is in a better position to investigate such cases than consumer protection agencies and non-profit organisations providing legal support. At times, the boundary between administrative and criminal law violations is extremely blurred, and only a law enforcement professional can help determine the scope of the issue, its gravity, consequences and potential solutions. One of the most common consumer protection cases involving police is that of identity theft. At times, consumers make purchases from unreliable suppliers, who use their credit card information for fraudulent purposes. In this situation, filing a complaint to the local police department is the first step to resolving this criminal issue. The police will have to examine the customer’s credit card report and identify fraudulent inaccuracies and the criminal’s identity (herself). Very often, consumers receive fraudulent messages about awards and lottery prizes, especially by phone. At the same time, they are asked to make a purchase or donation, in order to get their prize. This is a sophisticated scheme of fraud, which crosses the boundary of administrative and consumer protection law. Apparently, only the police department can help protect the rights of the consumers, who have been defrauded of their possessions in this way. The police department may also get involved in cases, when trade solicitations become a huge pressure for the potential customer. A reputable business owner will never insist that the customer makes an instant purchase decision. In case of threats, the local police department will react immediately, because consumer rights are violated, and the consumer’s life and health may be put under risk. Certainly, if consumer rights violations lead to injuries or death, they become a matter of the local police’s concern. For instance, some police departments assume a responsibility for checking and monitoring non-licensed chimney contractors. Overall, any consumer rights violations, trade violations and deceptive practices, false pricing and advertising, as well as consumer frauds that contain the signs of crime are to be investigated by the local police department. This is also the case of consumer extortion. Consumer
Introduction The American civil war is a conflict that was experienced in the United States in the 19 th century. This war was fought between the Northerners and the Southerners in which the fate of slaves was the bone of contention. The Northerners were against the slavery institution in the South, and this was resented by the Southerners. This paper will provide an analysis of the American civil war with particular reference to slavery as the main cause. Slavery as the cause of Civil War Slavery was a very sensitive issue in the United States during 19 th century. The United States Constitution was relatively tolerant in respect to the slavery institution for the sake of uniting the country. The Constitution included a clause on slavery so as to avoid questions related to America’s peculiar institution of African slavery. Slavery was regarded as the appropriate status for the Africans by the slave-holding states. Stephens observed that slavery “was an immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution” [1] . Even though it was included in the Constitution, Jefferson predicted that African slavery was “rock upon which the old the old union would split” [2] . Jefferson and other statesmen of the time were of the view that African slavery was illegal and ideally wrong. What was clear is that these statesmen did not have a clue on how to handle the situation but they hoped that in some way or the other, this vice would diminish. This idea was not entrenched in the Constitution despite dominating the minds of many people at the time. In fact, the Constitution secured essential guarantees to slavery for as long as this institution lasted. Without a Constitutional backing, the ideas held by the various statesmen that slavery would diminish with time were not to be realized. The government that was put in place entrenched the concept of African slavery in that the Africans were regarded as lesser humans and unequal to the whites. The position of the Africans as slaves was justified as being in line with nature [3] . The constitutions of various states in the United States included clauses that entrenched the enslavement of African Americans. However, on many occasions, the Federal Government would step in to act in violation of these provisions that emphasized on slavery. The states that encouraged slavery saw this as an encroachment of the Federal Government to the rights of the states. This prompted many of the states to contemplate withdrawing from the Federal Union [4] . South Carolina’s case States like South Carolina became frustrated with the encroachments that were being advanced by the Federal Government and opted to secede when it could take no more. South Carolina held on the principles that it had the rights like any other state to govern itself without interference from outside. Also, it was asserted that
The Beatles is an English rock group whose contribution to world music cannot be overestimated. They were famous all over the world and each of their albums was a success from the point of view of popularity, commercial level and artistic significance. One of the brightest albums of this group is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band . It is the eighth album of the group recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London during the period of nearly four months. This album is of great value for the music fans and professional musicians; for the first, it represents the diversity and harmony of different music styles connected with rock, and for the latter, it highlights the opportunity of becoming a successful musician by way of experimenting with different styles and techniques; “The use of sound collage – crowd noises, the band tuning up – functions both as a narrative source and as a psychological way of creating a mood of shared festivity” (Whiteley, 1992). The key production personnel include all the four members of the rock group The Beatles , but they’re also were some additional musicians involved in the production of the album, because the album is a mixture of various styles and techniques, such as rock and roll, jazz, and the traditional music of Indians. Thus, a great number of new additional instruments were used. Thereby hired musicians were responsible for playing some new instruments. They are Geoff Emerick (responsible for mixing and recording tracks, and introduction of different sound effects); George Martin (the producer of the group; was playing harpsichord and many other extraordinary instruments such as glockenspiel and harmonium); Neil Aspinall (played harmonica and a special instrument named tamboura in order to achieve truly Indian sounds); and other different hired musicians who played uncommon instruments in order to make the songs sound in some international tone. The album of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is of great artistic significance. This album was called the best album of all time according to the list of the 500 greatest albums by Rolling Stone magazine (Wenner, 2003). “Incredibly, the RSO Sgt. Pepper soundtrack debuted on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart at Number 7 in August. The following week the album rose to Number 5, where it remained for six straight weeks. The album initially received an enormous amount of pre-sale airplay, which trailed off as radio programmers became cautious” (Denisoff, 1991). It had success due to its brightness and diversity of styles mixed with the basic rock style of the group. During the recording of the album, many new techniques were used, but the most di
The environmental statement made by Chief Seattle is the disrespect and exploitation of the earth and its resources by the white man. The earth should be perceived not as the horn of plenty that can always share its resources with people but as an entity that requires respect. The sacredness of the earth is forgotten by the white man and exploitation results in damage and waste that lead to contamination and death. The repetition is used in this speech to emphasize the major themes that Chief Seattle uses to draw the listener’s attention: the sacredness of the earth, the difference between the white man and the Indian, the pricelessness of nature, and the relatedness of all people to each other. Additionally, the repetitions also serve as rhetorical devices that fuel the pathos of the speech, making the idea of buying and acquiring a land pointless. At last, the Chief uses repetition to support the main idea of the statement: the importance of nature and respect for it. The repeating length of the sentences, the use of the same words and similar phrases make the speech sound like a prayer or a chant. The use of phrases such as “I do not know”, “the Indian does not understand”, “we are connected/brothers” makes the tone of the statement both melancholic and hopeful, with the underlying tone of uncertainty and concern (both for the future of the tribe and the earth). At the same time, short sentences make the statement look like an appeal, possibly to other, future generations. While the white man’s religion (Christianity) is monotheistic, the religious views in the speech relate to animism, the belief that objects, places, and creatures have spiritual essences. Chief Seattle emphasizes that although they do not understand the deeds of their God they do not want to own him; owning, in this case, means believing that the God approves of the actions the white man takes. Unlike the white man, the Indian understands that each creature, place, and object has a “soul” that should be respected and that connects each living being to another. It seems that today Chief Seattle would notice that the earth already revenges the white man for his actions using catastrophes and hurricanes to respond to exploitation. He would also emphasize that the white man will eventually suffocate in the waste, as he predicted, and destroy others (animals, other tribes) with him. Chief Seattle would also disapprove of the lack of faith among white people and their inability to believe that God, not the white man, is the master of the earth. Chief Seattle appeals to the white ma
Introduction The following essay will look into the two main perspectives of industrial relations that is the unitary and pluralism. The essay will also delve into the recent adaptations of these approaches which are the human resource adaptation and the neo institutionalism, and what these approaches advocate. The final aspect of this essay will look into the conflict and cooperation situations that arise because of these perspectives. Industrial relation refers to the payment and the working conditions set by the employer or the employee. It is how the labour and the industry interact based on two traditional approaches namely the Unitarian approach and the Pluralist approach. Unitary approach The Unitary perspective is based on the view that the organization is a harmonious place, which exists for the achievement of common objectives. It assumes that the employees and the organizations have similar objectives, which are congruent. The perspective also reinforces the fact that management’s contribution to the organization is critical. This is because the management need to provide strong leadership and show the direction where the organization should follow (Davenport, 1998). This approach is based on the premise that employee loyalty to the management and organization objectives is very important. Therefore, employee loyalty is critical to the performance of the organization. In addition, this approach assumes that the employer employee conflicts need to be minimal as the objectives are clear. Everyone in the organization is working towards those objectives, and therefore conflict can only be a consequence of poor communication especially on the employee side. The communication failure is because the employee has not understood instructions. This perspective also views the labour unions as competing entities, which compete for employees’ loyalty and commitment (Ehrenberg, 1994). The approach was viewed as industry oriented and tended to favour the employer more than the employee. This caused misunderstanding between labour and the industry due to these conflicts. It also led to low level of trust between the employee and the employer especially due to their unexpressed conflicting interests, which were not in line with the mutual objectives (Ehrenberg, 1994). This view received criticism for its inability to solve industrial conflicts that arise due to its narrow approach to conflict. It tends to deny and ignore conflict that reduces the organizations effectiveness. It does not explain the reasons why there is unequal dissemination of powers between the employers and the employee. This makes the approach
Introduction This essay will analyze the connection of three short stories to this quote, “a gain in knowledge is a loss of innocence…a greater learning about social reality destroys old vertities, and induces uncertainty. Learning about the social world can be a threat”. The three stories are: a good man hard to find, the lottery, and the story of an hour. This quote has relevance in all three tales. (O’Connor, 24) Body The quote speaks about the effect of knowledge. It asserts that a gain in knowledge will destroy innocence and perhaps replace it with guilt or wrongdoing. It further asserts that this will destroy tradition and create confusion. In a good man is hard to find, the character called The Misfit questions the existence of God. The Misfit looks at the social reality that Christ did not leave any lingering physical evidence to prove his existence. This reality has caused him to adopt the philosophy that, “There’s no pleasure but meanness.” (O’Connor, 12) This gain in knowledge has made The Misfit doubts the value of Christian morals and the result is social anarchy as he kills innocent people. In The Story of An Hour, the above quote maintains its relevance. Louise is first saddened by the news of her husband’s death. She quickly realizes that she has become a free woman, “Free, free, free!” (Chopin, 9) The reality of her husband’s death creates a renaissance in her. She realizes that there is no more a “powerful will bending her.” (Chopin, 14) This gain in knowledge disrupts her innocence. She realizes that she rarely loved her husband. She questions the meaning of love if it is not constant. This is uncertainty. Her greater learning disrupts the stability of society. Instead of being in grief she is overjoyed. She decides to cry at the funeral for the sake of putting on a good display. The third story is The Lottery. This tale clearly exhibits a struggle between tradition and civility. Information that some towns have dropped the tradition of the lottery creates a sense of disorder. “Nothing but trouble in that,” (Jackson, 25) Old Man Warner said stoutly. “Pack of young fools.” (Jackson, 25) This knowledge of social reality causes some of the town’s members to doubt the relevance of the lottery. “Some places have already quit lotteries.” (Jackson, 26) Mrs. Adams says. This creates anarchy as Tessie Hutchinson is selected as the sacrificial offering. The crowd is hesitant to stone Tessie Hutchinson. Tessie goes against her humble position as a woman. She objects to the lottery tradition. Her friends stone her as she protests at the unfairness of the tradition. This is a threat to the stability of this town. (Jackson, 30) Conclusion All three short stories are relevant to the main quote. The Story of an Hour shows the danger that can come with the challenge of tradition. Louise Mallard is overjoyed at her husband’s death. She drops dead when she sees
Introduction The banking sector was primarily blamed for the 2008 financial crisis. Particularly, weak leadership and poor governance have been isolated as the primary cause of the crisis. Many countries utilised the opportunity of the crisis to work on improving corporate governance and leadership to avoid similar crises in the future. In the UK, Sir David Walker was tasked with coming up with measures that would enhance accountability at the institutional level. The result of Walker’s recommendations was the UK governance code of 2010 that stipulates the expected conduct for financial institutions. The guidelines contained in this Code are binding to financial institutions in the public sector. Besides the UK, several other countries have introduced leadership and governance codes. An example is the Netherlands where the Netherlands Banker’s Association adopted a standard banking code that took effect as from January 2010. These governance codes have transformed how financial institutions are led, especially at the board level. This paper will compare two banks Lloyd Banking Group that is based in the UK and the ABN AMRO , which is located in the Netherlands. The comparison will be focused on how the two financial institutions are being led and governed during the post-2008 financial crisis era. Because both institutions operate in the public sector, they are bound by the regulations contained in each country’s leadership and governance codes. According to O’Connell (2016), leadership and governance have since been identified as a critical area in the economy of any country. Hence, governments are not leaving to chance that the banking sector is more sensitive compared to the mainstream corporate world. Therefore, stricter rules are in place to guide banks compared to the situation in ordinary companies. As such, no country can prosper without the proper regulatory mechanisms being put in place to address issues of leadership and governance. Overview of Financial services institutions Lloyd Banking Group Lloyd Banking Group (LYG) is the primary UK domiciled financial institution, which provides a wide array of services, both to corporate and personal customers. Presently, the company boasts of having the most significant private shareholder base in the UK, as well as over 30 million customers. LYG is the UK’s chief provider of banking services such as current accounts, personal loans and savings, and mortgages. Its leading brands are Lloyds Bank , the Bank of Scotland , and Halifax . Combined, these three brands operate over 2000 branches across the country with over 7500 employees. Also, the banking group has been at the forefront in facilitating the change from traditional to online/internet banking. Currently, the bank has over 11 million online banking customers. As such, LYG is of utmost importance to the UK financial sector. It will continue to be the leader shortly. Before 2009, the banking group was known as Lloyd TSB. In the same year, Lloyd TSB acquired HBOS. The new business was renamed Lloyd Banking Group. However, the comp