ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
They say that humans are meaning makers, and we uniquely make meanings by means of our own creation and interpretation of codes and signs which take the form of words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts and objects. These forms of signs have no original meaning and actually become signs only when we invest them with meanings. We actually think in signs then transform them into language (Peirce 1931). Most of the signs and codes are recognised by all as living in one and the same society we seem to have the similar vision and interpretation of those signs. It is more difficult with the representatives of other cultures as they have other signs. One of the best examples of the signs and gestures and pictures which are able to tell us much without words. The example of the differences is signs between the cultures may be considered the following, all the nations in the world nod when they agree with something and only Bulgaria people shake head when they agree. The same is with the pictures. There are two forms of signs, iconic (the visual one) and indexical (either spoken or written), according to Saussure’s (1960) analysis. On the other hand, Saussure (1960) defines code as a system of signs each of which is distinct from each other. He believes that it is a systematic organization or structure of signs. On the other hand, he believes that codes may appear to be different from language, but in fact, they are both the same, although human languages clearly are among the most complex codes. My four classmates and I discussed all the pictures that were given to us. Among all of the images we have chosen to analyze the third image. We could not see indexical signs in the image, yet we could observe several iconic signs. First, we could notice a man, with eight well- dressed women behind him, all standing on a stage with a background full of lights. The signs in the image are quite comprehensible and straightforward that helps you form a clear image about the concept of the event. Furthermore, recognizing the man as a fashion designer named Karl Lagerfeld made it clearer to us and helped us create a meaning to the image we are looking at. The meaning that we have all agreed on the given the image is the following, Karl Lagerfeld is launching a new fashion line, and all those ladies behind him are the models who promote his fancy designs. The whole background adds to the impression that h
Abstract This article is dedicated to bioterrorism that implies devastating attacks using biological agents that may cause highly serious damage to human health in order to threaten people and pursue specific goals. Although bioterrorism is known from ancient times, its threat requires particular attention in the present day as more and more pathogens that may be used as a weapon are being discovered. Thus, the major purpose of this article is to raise people’s awareness of this phenomenon on the basis of specialists’ reliable researches, informing about its history, basic biological mechanisms, biological agents’ clinical manifestations, and what should be done in this sphere to provide a more effective response. In general, due to the cooperation of scientists, policymakers, and public agencies across the globe, the international community has recognized the potential of biological weapons and is prepared for the majority of threats. However, with the discoveries of new pathogens and new ways of their application for terroristic purposes, knowledge should be constantly updated. Introduction Over the last several decades, global events have indicated that biological warfare and its considerable threat is an inevitable harsh reality. Bioterrorism implies the use and dissemination of various biological warfare agents (BWA), including viruses, bacteria, fungi, rickettsiae, and biological toxins, by all types of groups, official states, and military or political actors, motivated by religious, ideological, and political objectives in order to cause panic and terror (Foxell, Jr., 1999). It is generally based on microbiological processes, mainly on the ability of bacteria to produce toxic proteins and antibiotics to kill other bacteria competing for resources. A particular threat of bioterrorism for people is determined not only by its mass destruction but also by the inability to control the spread of BWA and its unknown impact on populations in the future. That is why it is highly important for an international community to be prepared for it. In addition, the successive outbreaks of resurgent and newly recognized pathogens that may be used as hazardous agents in bioterrorist attacks indicate the necessity of improvement of public health management and control over highly infectious diseases. In general, as a use of infected samples and microorganisms to cause panic in populations, bioterrorism is known from ancient times, currently remaining one of the major threats to human existence that requires the immediate response of almost all structures of society for its prevention and mitigation in the future. History of Bioterrorism As a matter of fact, people started to use BWA in ancient times. According to B
Introduction Our society is characterized by people with different behaviors and varied economical abilities which make them have different preferences. It has been an order of the day to find women with unwanted pregnancies, therefore raising the question of what they should or should not do. On the other hand, it is not unusual to find teenagers as young as twelve being pregnant, and their parents especially the mothers feel that the age is not the right one to allow their children become parents. The above factors compel the concerned people, mostly the women, to choose abortion as the only best alternative to save the situation. However, there has never been an agreement as to whether abortion is really the best way to solve this problem that our women find themselves in, given that it amounts to taking of somebody’s life. Though women want the freedom to have absolute control over their bodies, other options should be used since abortion is murder and it deprives the child of its right to life. Abortion Is Against the Right to Life Many people have questioned the applicability of the right to life for everybody to the fetus that according to them should be considered as a human being (white 2008). Life starts at conception as this is the only way of procreation available to human beings and therefore the argument that the fetus is not a human being is not sustainable. The life of a human being should be taken care of no matter what stage it is in since it is still life. It should also be noted that, other scientific methods of reproduction are not effective hence pregnancy is the only known way that continuity of mankind can be assured (Kluge 1991). Given the stand, abortion is therefore murder of a young innocent and helpless child who deserves a chance to live. The Dependency Argument The fetus depends on the mother for every means of survival in the early stages of life when most of the abortions take place, and even after birth. It is thus senseless for one to willingly and without any health danger to her life eliminate the fetus which is just like one of her body parts (Kluge 1991). On top of that, it is irresponsible for one to avoid the duty of care that should be extended to the infant, who even after being born still requires the mother’s care to survive, and instead be the ones to end the life they are supposed to protect (Valenti 2007). Health Repercussions Non-feminists also argue that there are some dire health repercussions that come as a result of abortion, which sometimes exceed the benefits of abortion. Cases have been reported where those who have secured abortion have been unable to bear children again, either due to destruction of the womb or because of the increased chances of miscarriage associated with abortion. Abortion also is known to increase the probability of ectopic pregnancies and bring about the pelvic inflammatory diseases (White 2008). It is therefore not quite correct if one just argues that abortion is the solution to save people from unwanted pregnancies yet in the end, the same people who are supposed to be saved are being exposed to
When Consumption Reaches the Scale of a National Disaster: Consuming Kids and Its Underlying Ideas One of the most disturbing things about consumerism, however, is that it affects people’s perception of gender and, therefore, contributes to the creation of stereotypes that make the relationship between men and women even more complicated (Cherlin, 2009). There is no way to escape these commercials: “Kids are inundated with this. They are buried in this – buried in this media blitz” (Barbaro & Earp, 2010). Mass media coins new gender roles and new images of men and women, which children readily accept: If you set up five different accounts […] you will see five different ads. You will see five different worlds. Now, as a child, you don’t know that. As a child, you’re competing with MBAs. You’re competing with some of the smartest people out there. (Barbaro & Earp, 2010) Therefore, it is obvious that mass media creates false ideas of what a man or a woman should be like, what they should do, and what they should care about (Cherlin, 2013). It is obvious that mass media exploits girls’ maternity instincts by offering them a variety of dolls and the related gimmicks, therefore, using their instinct of nurturing others to come up with a perfect selling point for their new product. For boys, the idea of winning, being the very first at something, leading the pack is reinforced to the nth degree (Cherlin, 2013a). However, there is an even greater problem. While promoting motherly behavior can be considered a social norm, the idea of sexualizing young girls, which is also the infamously remarkable characteristics of modern media, is downright wrong: “You see now dolls with highly sexualized outfits and themes marketed to six-year-olds” (Barbaro & Earp, 2010). There is nothing wrong with educating children about sex; however, modern media does not educate – it exploits popular stereotypes by offering an overly sexualized image of a woman to young children West & Zimmerman, 1987). The ethical problem concerning the use of gender stereotypes in marketing is not new. Reinforcement of statements that lead to gender profiling or complexities in the personal lives of the people who have accepted the concept of gender offered in commercials as a social norm has been discussed a number of times in a number of contexts (Cabrera, Shannon, & Tamis-LeMonda, 2007). However, when it comes to relating the problems mentioned in the film to the recent researches on the related issues, one will see distinctly the similarity between the discussion patterns of the movie and the article Betwixt and between by Risman and Seale. In their work, the authors commented on the ways in which concepts adopted in early childhood affect the relationships between adults and young adults. One of the examples that the authors suggest considering is the function of stereotypical behavior in the mini-society of schoolchildren: “The conflation of gender and sexuality works to regulate boys’ gender behavior, leaving them afraid to cross gender boundaries for fear of the ‘gay’ stigma” (Risman & Seale, 2013). Much like Barbaro and Earp
Abstract The activities of Somali pirates and Al Shabab are causing concern among the international community as it affects business activities in the high seas of the Indian Ocean and insecurity in the East African countries. The United States needs to collect intelligence on how the terror group can be eliminated. As the United States National Security Advisor, Susan Rice should aim at determining the socio-economic and political forces behind the creation and existence of this group. Introduction The recent activities of Somali pirates’ shows that they have come back to the waters of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Yemen despite the efforts put by the African Union forces to paralyze their activities by fighting Al Shabab. According to Bahadur (2012), these pirates are an economic arm of the Al Shabab, and their operations largely depend on the ability of this terror group to gain control over the strategic territories along the Somali coastline. Since 2011 when the AMISOM launched an offensive against the terror outfit within the borders of Somalia, major progress has been made in reducing piracy in the high seas and paralyzing the operations of Al Shabab is a strategic Somali coastline. However, the recent turn of events strongly indicates that after staying in this country and fighting Al Shabab for over five years, the AMISOM has failed to find a permanent solution that can conclusively eliminate this terror group and all its activities in the high seas and other strategic locations within Somalia (Mukinda, 2016). Recently, the Al Shabab fighters infiltrated a Kenyan military camp in Somalia, killing over 180 soldiers and capturing the few who survived the attack. This gave them the power to take over control of strategic locations within Somalia. Their activities have also intensified in the high seas. They recently sunk the Greek fighter- Corinth Queen- when payment they demanded as ransom did not reach them in time. Iskadia, a Liberian tanker, was also set ablaze with its cargo and crew members when ransom demanded by these pirates delayed. As Conor (2016) says, the Somali pirates are back with vengeance, and they are swift and ruthless in their actions. Unless measures are taken by the international community to tame this group, the Indian Ocean waters may soon become too dangerous to sustain economic activities. As a country charged with the responsibility of providing intelligence to the international community fighting these terrorists, the United States’ National Security Advisor should find the most effective way of gathering intelligence that will help the forces at the battlefield to achieve success as they try to eliminate the
Concrete experience The first stage in the Kolb learning model is “concrete experience” (Kolb, 1984). It involves the learner experiencing a certain situation (Richlin 2006). A person is open-minded since one faces a new challenge. Learners rethinking their experience are usually very concerned about the decision they have made. Managers should always ensure that learners fully understand a given scenario. Freshmen should be very attentive at this stage as it is also called “sensing/feeling” (Richlin 2006). Reflective observation The second stage is called “reflective observation” or reviewing/watching (Richlin 2006). The learner holds back, thinks, obtains data, then analyzes the information, and finally makes a conclusion about the situation that has just occurred. At this stage, the one has termed a reflector (Clifford & Thorpe 2007) as the learner is very thoughtful and is more a listener than a speaker. Here, ideas start cropping in the learners’ minds, which will eventually lead to the third stage. Abstract conceptualization The third stage is called “abstract conceptualization”, also termed as “thinking/concluding”. The learner should go through the situation rationally using logic to think things through. The student will first consider the experience, come up with a decision tree while trying to think over it, and eventually come up with a logical way. The decision tree is the most used tool by the learner at this stage. Active implementation Finally, the fourth stage is called “active implementation” or coming with new ideas. Here the learner will try to come up with their own ideas to solve some problems. At this stage, the learner is usually done with trying to solve problems through other people’s experiences and thus come up with his/her own ideas. Those who reach the self-actualization stage are the most innovative in the organization as they are mo
Introduction In a country, people carry out their activities using money that thus they acquire the money from financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies in the mortgage institutions, and other financial institutions since they are a secure place to store the customer’s money and also they provide services such as loans, advances service’s, withdrawal and deposit services. The differences and similarities between the National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Toronto Dominion banks were: Operating and Management structure The National Commercial Bank (NCB) was a Saudi Joint Stock Company that was formed pursuant of the cabinets Resolution No. 186 on 22 Dhul Qida 1417 H on 21 st March 1997. The bank started as a partnership business, but on 1 st July 1997, the business was converted into a company that is now known as the National Commercial Bank (Saudi Joint Stock Company). The bank now operates 260 branches such as Saudi Arabia and overseas branches such as Lebanon and Bahrain. It had employed over 5,126 staff as of 31 st December 206 and its head office was in King Abdul Aziz, Street of Saudi Arabia. The Toronto Dominion (TD) bank had its headquarters in Toronto, Canada and it had its offices located in most cities of the world. The bank was formerly an independent company, but in the year 2000, it merged with Canada Trust and TD’s existing retail division. It had employed over 52,800 employees. The Toronto bank merged with the Dominion bank to form the Toronto-Dominion bank in the year 1955. The bank carried out its activities in retail businesses and transparent risk-reward oriented wholesale bank activities. The bank had over 58,000 employees who were qualified and they carried out their activities effectively since the bank had been experiencing high returns in the previous years. The management of the bank established organizational structures that would define the various responsibilities of the personnel in the company so that they could perform their assigned duties appropriately. Board of directors The Board of directors of a National Commercial Bank (Saudi Arabian Joint Stock Company) was charged with the responsibility of running the affairs of the company.. The powers and responsibilities of the directors of the companies were statutory and contractual in nature. They were conferred and governed by the Company Law as well as the Corporate By-Laws as the Memorandum of Association and the Articles of Association. The bank’s directors were also supposed to adhere to the Banking Control Law that stated that the Bank’s relationships with its directors’ conduct and their ultimate responsibility were not supposed to contravene the regulation of the bank. According to Article 66 of the Company’s Act, it stated that the Board of Directors was supposed to be appointed by the ordinary
How the advertisement distorts Obama’s views The television advertisement by the campaign team of Senator John McCain tries to portray Senator Obama as an individual whose values do not fall within the mainstream. To do this, the advertisement presents Mr. Obama’s beliefs on sex education in a distorted manner. One way this has been done is the reference to Mr. Obama’s support for a sex-education bill introduced in Illinois to claim that Mr. Obama prefers “comprehensive sex education” for students at the kindergarten level. The campaign team’s interpretation is that Mr. Obama would like conventional sex education to be taught to 5-year olds (Rohter, para.8). This interpretation is clearly indicated when the interpreter asks, “learning about sex before learning to read?” (Rohter, para.2). This is a misstatement of the bill’s purpose in that the bill proposed that the kindergarten students should only be taught how to recognize when they are being sexually abused and as Obama said, “exercise some possible protection against such abuse” (Rohter, para.7). The kindergarteners would therefore not be taught everything about sex issues. The more complicated issues like sexuality, intercourse and contraceptives would be taught at higher levels. The advertisement also asserts that Mr. Obama has only one accomplishment in the field of education and that accomplishment was during the Illinois sex education bill, which did not even become a law. From the advertisement, Mr. Obama therefore does not have a strong policy or commitment towards education. This is another indication on how the advertisement distorts the position of Mr. Obama on matters of education. Apart from this bill, other achievements by Mr. Obama indicate his commitment towards education. In the late 1990s, he helped in administering an education project in Chicago that was worth forty-nine US dollars (Rohter, para.10). In addition, he was also a sponsor in the measures that increased charter schools in Illinois and grants to summer school programs. According to Education Week magazine, he was considered by advocates of early childhood initiatives as innovative and progressive with regard to his promotion of early childhood education programs. Can this source be trusted and why? The article is an online version of the one printed on the New York Times newspaper. The New York Times can be trusted to provide truthful information and individually, I trust it. The simple fact that this source has a very good reputation for not spreading incorrect information plays a major role at shaping my view of it. It is usually cited by various other sources thereby portraying its broad acceptance as a reputable source of information. For example in the article, “Is McCain unable to use a computer due to war injuries?” (FactCheck, para.18), interviews by The New York Times are quoted. Although the author of the article may b