ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Ursula Le Guin is a famous American author, most known for her fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories. Her short story The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas , however, can be best described as a piece of dystopian fiction. This paper aims to briefly summarize the plot and the themes of this short story and relate it to the current problem of homelessness in the United States. To do that, the paper utilizes the total of five academic articles presented by the college. Summary and Themes The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas paints a picture of an idyllic town celebrating a summer festival. All is well, and no discomfort, poverty or other problems threaten the habitants of Omelas. Yet, as it frequently is in utopian-appearing settings in literary fiction, the town hides a dark secret. All of this happiness is hanging on the constant suffering of a one child, subjected to the eternal torment. Sooner or later everyone in Omelas learns about the existence of this child, and several decide to leave Omelas, unable to continue living in such degree of privilege. Others, however, stay nonetheless, and proceed to enjoy a carefree life where they do not need to worry about where their next meal will come from. In the short story, the child acts as a scapegoat (Collins 525), the one martyr, whose suffering is, metaphorically speaking, paying for the prosperity of everyone else. Le Guinn pointedly calls out the casual social hypocrisy and relative morality of the consumerist Western society. “To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement” is unimaginable for most of the town’s population (Le Guinn 3). Yet the reader is never allowed to forget, that the child has not chosen such fate and is being abused by the powerful majority. Thematically, he represents the fate of all the underprivileged who have to remain in the shadows of the world that is perceived as prosperous. Dystopia and Reality It is a common occurrence for the dystopian fiction to feature heavily parallels with the horrors of the real life. Dystopia reflects an imagined state of society based around a great injustice or suffering. Although both of these are frequently product of author’s imagination, few imaginary societies have absolutely no base in reality. In fact, the opposite is often the case, with writers taking inspiration in the social atrocities prevalent in their time. The society of Omelas appears to be not only functioning, but perfectly happy on a surface level. Yet learning that all of the residents have discovered the existence of a child at some point is a chilling realization. The semblance of real-life metaphors and the analogies between more and less privileged groups of population becomes evident when one relates Le Guinn’s short story to the problem of homelessness. Like many topics tied to social welfare and poverty, homelessness is widely stigmatized and often blamed on its victims. The homeless are perceived as deserving of their state for their supposed financial irresponsibi
Introduction This paper looks into tattoos used by the people of western America as compared to the Polynesian tattoos. The paper critically looks into the meanings and purposes of tattoos in the two communities as used in the past in juxtaposition with how the tattoos are used today and associated meanings. The comparison will help bring out clearly differences between conceptions and understanding of tattoos in the two communities over time. Thesis People today wear tattoos largely for decoration purposes and to a lesser extent as a mark of identity e.g. among criminal gangs. Although tattoos worn in the past and those worn today resemble or have some similarities, most of these tattoos meanings and purposes have changed with time. No matter the meaning or purpose, tattoos and body arts don’t affect how people work and individuals do not change by wearing tattoos. Therefore, modern societal disdain for tattoos or looking cynically at people who wear tattoos, without understanding what the tattoos mean to the individuals, is not justified. Tattooing Tattooing is described as the art of decorating the body using a sharp instrument like a needle of ink or any other colored pigment. The sharp instrument is inserted under the skin and a design is made. It is a permanent decoration of the body and it is an art that has been practiced since old days. Different people from different tribes and cultures worldwide have used tattooing for different purposes. Tattoo is a word borrowed from the Polynesian ‘tatu’ or ‘tatau’ which means ‘mark’. This practice has been exercised in the West since the Neolithic era [1]
Introduction Quality management activities in organizations are undertaken to ensure that quality in its products is achieved and maintained within an unacceptable budget 1 . It is an activity that is closely dependent on the feedback from the organization’s clients, thus the quality management concept involves establishing channels for relaying customer feedback for which it requires that they function properly through out 2 . As a part of quality management, the feedback is taken and incorporated in the design of new products that are aimed at raising customer satisfaction. Quality management spans from creating a design and lifecycle plan for a product or service to its production and distribution. The activity involves identifying and measuring process elements, doing performance analysis and applying continuous quality improvements on the products, services and systems of production and distribution. Problem and Motivation In this paper, Google, the Internet search giant, is analyzed, and recommendations are made on how it can maintain as well as improve the quality of its products. This is important for the company in maintaining and enhancing its exemplary performance as its pursues its mission, which is to create an Internet resource from which you can access any kind of information disregarding geographical borders 3 . Thus, the problem and motivation in this paper are quality and quality enhancement respectively. Provisional title The provisional title that describes the contents of this paper best is “Safeguarding and enhancing quality at Google”. Brief Review of the related literature As stated above, quality management activities in organizations are undertaken to ensure that quality in its products is achieved and maintained within an unacceptable budget. 4 The Quality management concept is enriched by eight management principles that are fundamental in improving the performance of an organization. 5 One of these principles is customer focus, which emphasizes to an organization its dependency on its customers and, therefore, highlights the need for it to understand and appreciate their current and future needs for which it should set out to meet. 6 When an organization achieves customer focus, it implies that it is necessary to know not only both its internal and external customers, but also their needs and quality standards. Another principle is leadership, which facilitates the establishment of unity of purpose among the personnel in an organization. 7 Unity of purpose in an organization is critical in the achievement of its quality objectives and goals. Involvement of people is another principle that enriches the quality management concept. 8 In an organization, there is the need for its personnel from whatever level to be involved fully in benefiting the organization. The next principle is a process approach, which develops the idea that an organization’s objective is better realized when its activities and allied resources are managed as an organizational process. 9 The following principle is approaching management as a system so that
Introduction Recently I was lucky to visit one of the most sacred places in the world and one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past – The Parthenon. Constructed between 447 and 432 BCE this temple survived within the centuries, lost a lot of its wonderful monuments and initial features, but remains a symbol of present-day Greece, commemorating Athenians’ victories in Persian Wars and implementing the achievements of the ancient architecture. The origin of the temple name is one of its mysteries The origin of the temple name is one of its mysteries. The Greek word “Parthenos” may be translated as “virgin”, while “Parthenos was indeed one of the titles given to the virgin goddess Athena” (Beard 44). The linguists delving into every detail noted that more precisely the word “Parthenon” is to be translated as “virgins” and this fact “prompted a whole range of disparate speculations about the use of part of the temple for housing a group of prepubescent girls employed in weaving the sacred textiles used in the worship of Athena”(Beard 44). All these versions are only hypotheses, while the true answer is lost in the centuries. An earlier temple, known as Older Parthenon, was begun in 490 BCE after the victory at Marathon, but it was incomplete when Persians ruined it in 480 BCE. Architects Iktinos and Kalikrates designed a new temple and it was erected at the same site, marble from Mount Pentelicus and the materials derived from the older temple were used. As the Athenians constructed their new temple on the site of the Older Parthenon, using materials derived from it, they could imagine that the ruined sanctuary had been reborn, larger
Issue of Acne Acne (acne vulgaris) is a common chronic multifactorial disease of sebaceous hair follicles with a genetic predisposition. They are observed in 3.9%-9.4% of the population and occupy the 4th place in the structure of the overall incidence. Acne is especially significant for adolescents, in whom the frequency of registration reaches 72.3% -95% (Marzano et al., 2019, p. 64). Over the past decades, there has been an increase in the number of patients with late acne among women under 25 (12%-51.4%), as well as patients with moderate and severe acne (20%-35%) (Marzano et al., 2019, p. 79). The problem of acne treatment affects the interests of doctors of various specialties (dermatologists, pediatricians, gynecologists, cosmetologists), therefore it has interdisciplinary significance. In this regard, a retrospective analysis of the frequency of registration of various forms of acne in the structure of dermatological pathology in a statistically significant sample of patients and an analysis of the effectiveness of previous therapy is relevant. It is significant that the number of relapses, the duration of the course of therapy, and the increase in the number of patients with moderate and severe forms of acne directly depend on the adherence of patients to therapy (Marzano et al., 2019). The maximum effect of treatment is achieved if the doctor is able to convince the patient of the need for therapy, and the patient fulfills all his appointments. In developed countries, only 50% of patients with chronic diseases adhere to the doctor’s recommendations (Marzano et al., 2019, p. 109). The formation of adherence to therapy in patients is one of the main conditions for successful treatment. Therefore, it is relevant to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy with the maximum compliance rate in patients with moderate and s
Introduction Considering the labor form as important stakeholders is central to success during merger processes. Indeed, there has been several cases of failed mergers because respective companies had failed to meet employees’ expectations. This paper shall use the ongoing negotiations between Delta Airlines and Northwest to illustrate the importance of using best practices of managing organizational change during the merger. The paper is divided into five sections, each dealing with a specific issue. The first part will provide recommendations on how pilots unions could be encouraged to support the merger. the second sections highlights ways of winning over rest of stakeholder groups especially Northwest employees. The third part provides an advice on how both companies regarding processes to be followed in case of hub closures, whereas the last sections highlights factors to consider when developing the new organizational culture. Obtaining Pilot Unions’ Support Pilot unions from both airlines are proving to be the harshest critics of the merger, meaning that respective management should do an extra job of convincing the pilots to embark on supporting the merger. There are several measures that can be undertaken in improving this process. First, the management should consider including employee representatives in decision making processes. Most importantly, both companies let pilots take center stage in re-designing the new seniority charts that would be used once the merger plans are complete. This process should further be as transparent as possible, which would increase chances of being accepted by either parties. Secondly, management in both airlines should embark on illustrating their seriousness in matters regarding to the 2.4 percent stake that pilots. Negating from this promise, or showing lack of commitment could lead to diminishing support from the pilots. The stake that pilots would be getting from the company would lead to them looking at the merger as part owners, not employees
The Author’s Main Argument In his article, Flannery (1972) presented the discussion of how ancient societies developed in the context of analyzing two opposite views associated with ecologists’ and humanists’ approaches. The author’s main argument is that humanists’ views regarding the ecological approach are not appropriate, and these researchers should also refer to ecologists’ ideas, as well as ecologists should accept the importance of culture because the ecosystem approach covers both natural and cultural phenomena in societies’ development. Thus, in his article, the author promotes the idea that a multivariate model of developing the state in the context of ecological views is most appropriate. The Development of the Main Argument It is important to note that Flannery (1972) started the development of his key idea by emphasizing the debates around the topic of complex societies’ progress. Thus, he provided the background for his argument while stating that researchers usually view the ecological approach as inappropriate and inadequate for analyzing the variety of complex societies. As a result, this method of developing the discussion allowed the author to present his argument as a response to the existing debates. Flannery (1972) also defined the key concept of civilization that he actively applied in his study. This approach helped the author to build a conceptual framework for his analysis. As a result, it is possible to state that the introductory part of the article was effectively used by the author to present his key idea and then concentrate on its development and support with the help of evidence. Following the key stages of developing his thought, Flannery (1972) continued his discussion by describing types of societies from the simplest ones to complex states. Thus, the author focused on describing egalitarian societies concerning the specifics of bands and tribes in the context of the ecological approach. Then, the researcher provided a detailed discussion of chiefdoms and the problem of hereditary inequality concerning various cultural theories. The next step was the discussion of complex forms of societies, including stratified societies or states. At this stage, it was important to accentuate prime movers that are traditionally viewed by researchers as triggers for the development of states. However, Flannery (1972) criticized these movers while supporting his key argument and stating that the actual process of developing a higher society is complicated, and it involves both ecological and cultural aspects. As a result, he introduced the idea of multivariant causality. After analyzing the evolution of societies from the simplest forms to more complex variants, Flannery (1972) referred to the idea of multivariant causality as the model for developing the state that can include both ecological and cultural components. The author developed the idea while discussing such important processes as segregation and centralization among other ones because they can potentia
Cuba’s revolution began after the seizing of power by Batista, a former army sergeant who grabbed power in 1952. From 1940 to 1944, Batista had served for one term as the president of Cuba. In 1952, after noticing that he was unlikely to win the presidential elections, Batista seized power and cancelled the elections. This made many Cubans angry. Among the disgusted Cubans was Fidel Castro. He was contesting for a Congress seat and many people expected him to win it due to his popularity. Fidel therefore started planning Batista’s downfall. Castro’s first assault was on Moncada, a barrack in which Castro and his group of rebels hoped to get weapons. About 138 rebels were involved in the Moncada assault, which turned out to be a fiasco with most of the rebels getting shot or beaten to death by federal soldiers. Fidel, his brother Raul and other rebels got captured by federal soldiers (“Batista, Castro and Che Guevara” par. 6). The Batista government put the captured rebels, including the Castro brothers in public trial. It was during this trial that Fidel made speeches explaining why it was his civic duty to organize rebellion against Batista. He famously said “History will absolve me” (Minster 1) during one of the long speeches he made. Castro became a hero to his fellow countrymen despite being handed a prison sentence of fifteen years. After three years, Castro, Raul and some rebels were released after Batista gave in to international pressure. The brothers then went to Mexico and recruited exiled Cubans like Cienfuegos. They also recruited Che Guevara, an Argentine medical doctor. Castro and his group of rebels named themselves “the 26 of July Movement” (Minster 1). This was the date when Fidel and his supporters attacked the Moncada Barracks. By November 1956, the men were ready to continue the revolution. They therefore boarded Granma, a small yacht, and headed for the Cuban highlands (Richards 2). Although some of them did not make it there, Batista could not completely eliminate them. They kept on recruiting new members, getting weapons and attacking the military in Cuba. During this time, they also talked to international press and the revolution was published world over. The victory of the Cuban movement began with the popularity of the “26 th of July Movement” (Minster 1). The number of rebels in the mountains was constantly increasing. Other allied groups of rebels in the cities started carrying out sporadic hit-and-run attacks. These groups nearly assassinated the president in one of their attacks. During the summer, Batista sent troops to the mountains to flush out and eliminate the rebels. Some troops feared the guerrilla attacks by the rebels and deserted. Some even switched sides. At the end of the year, Fidel sent Guevara and Cienfuegos to the plains and divided his army. These men went with small armies and captured towns on their way. Guevara captured Santa Clara while Cienfuegos captured the Yaguajay garrison. This enabled them to get munitions that were valuable to the revolution. After these defeats, Batista started negotiating with Fidel. After realizing that they had been defeated, “Batista an
Salinity of different water bodies vary based on myriad of factors. Globally, the most saline location is found on the water surfaces and shores of the Dead Sea. Interestingly, it is the deepest hyper-saline lake in the entire world with a depth of about 1,237 feet (Katz & Starinsky, 2009). It borders West Bank as well as Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. Most importantly, animals and plants can hardly survive and flourish in this saline sea due to harsh environment created by high percentage of salt. Being an endorheic lake, Dead Sea is located right in the Jordan Rift Valley with its only water source being the Jordan River. It has no outlet. However, it is imperative to note that around the Dead Sea, there are numerous perennial springs that create quicksand pits and pools. This area records scarce rainfall every year of about 4 inches in the northern part while in the south, it barely reaches 2 inches. On the other hand, an area with the lowest salinity is the Arctic Ocean region. Its location is in the arctic North Polar Region in northern hemisphere. When considering the five major divisions of oceans, Arctic Ocean is the shallowest and smallest (Lique et al., 2011). It is engulfed by North America and Eurasia. Due to the freezing and melting of its ice cover, it experiences variation of salinity and temperature. In fact, compared to other water bodies, it has the lowest level of salinity. Reports from the international Hydrographic Organization (IHO) points out that this is due to quite a number of factors that include limited outflow and connections from high saline waters from lakes that surrounds it, inflow from heavy freshwater streams and rivers as well as low evaporation. The top layer of the Arctic Ocean is relatively stable and has lower temperature and salinity (Lique et al., 2011). Its stability is attributed to the effect of temperature density which is lesser than its salinity effect. It obtains its fresh water from Canadian springs such as Mac-Kenzie, Lena, Yenissey and Ob as well as from Siberian springs. Reasons for fluctuations The level of variation of salt in salt water bodies is controlled by diverse factors such as differences in geographical location, seasons and climate as daily changes in weather and sea currents (Jacobs & Giulivi, 2010). The reason for fluctuation between the two mentioned locations is that Dead Sea has a different mineral content from that of the Arctic Ocean. The composition of its water varies with temperature, depth, and season. As such, the ionic species concentration on it surface (in g/kg) is high above 35.2 in Mg 2+ , 6.2 K + among others adding up to over 276 g/kg of salt content (Katz & Starinsky, 2009). This indicates that the fluctuations in salinity in the Dead Sea that mea