ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
What Is Project HOPE and What Are the Goals of The Program? Project HOPE (Healthy options Promoting Esteem) was a state-sponsored, community-based project that was implemented between the years 2004 and 2005 in the State of Florida (The Florida Legislature, 2004). It involved participants from the Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The main goal of the project was to break the cycle of prostitution and solicitation by helping prostitutes and people who solicited them to break the cycle and change their unethical ways (The Florida Legislature, 2004). Besides, it aimed to help the participants change their perceptions about prostitution. These objectives would be achieved by helping the individuals identify and correct the mental and behavioral cues that preceded their actions (The Florida Legislature, 2004). All the participants in the program were referrals from law enforcement officials: jail staff, state attorneys, judges, probation officers, and public defenders. According to the laws of Florida, people who had prior convictions for prostitution were qualified to take part in the project (The Florida Legislature, 2004). Several interventions were taken to ensure the success of the program: case management, urinalysis tests, psychosocial assessments, short-term counseling, and drug treatment. Also, participants underwent a vigorous process of drug screening and training. Project HOPE was created by the Department of Corrections and contracted to the counties for successful implementation. In that regard, Pinellas and Hillsborough countries were hired by the department. The counties further subcontracted the program to non-profit providers. In Pinellas County, the program was run by Operation PAR while in Hillsborough County, it was run by Tampa Crossroads Incorpora
Sandy Baum and Jennifer Ma published an article about the rising cost of college tuition in the United States of America. The article, which was fully sponsored by College Board, examines the historic trend in college education with the aim of explaining why the country has experienced a consistent rise in tuition fee at rates higher than that of median income. The two authors are experts in the field of education with many years of experience both as consultants and educators at various institutions. It is no doubt that their current employer, the College Board, has influenced the content of this article, making it very biased. This is not only seen in the precise topic chosen for article but also the content provided. Instead of pointing out the rapid increase in the cost of college tuition, they have provided a trend in college pricing with a series of justifications why these increases were necessary. The biasness is obvious given that this board is an interested party. It is one of the bodies in the education sector that are directly responsible for the rising costs of higher education, especially its unnecessary exams and other requirements for individuals who are planning to join colleges. In this paper, the researcher will critique this article and use it to confirm that rates of college tuition in the United States are high. According to Kelly, college education in the United States is increasingly becoming unaffordable. It is becoming a preserve for the rich and if measures are not taken to address the problem, then things may become worse in the near future (87). Campos believes that one of the major reasons why this cost is increasing is due to unnecessary programs that students are subjected to before joining college (par. 3). The scholar points out College Board as one of the examples of bodies that are becoming redundant and inflating the cost of college tuition for no good reason. The board has exceeded its mandate by introducing a myriad of exams that should be sat by candidates who are planning to join college. The cost of sitting for their exams has been increasing consistently over the years, something that has been criticized by students, parents, and human rights activists. The institution was established as a non-profit making organization meant to enhance entrance into college. However, its top executives currently earn massive income from the proceeds of the services they render. By sponsoring this articl
Why and how does the world change? What causes all these changes and how they affect our future and present? These and many other similar questions bother so many people day by day, and it turns out to be not very easy to find the proper answers all the time. Changes take place in each sphere of life: politics, science, education, business, religion, etc. The world of business is one of those spheres, which undergo certain changes at first, and when people entered the new millennium not long time ago, they faced certain challenges like fear of something new and unknown, generation gap between the employees, necessity of communication between employees and their managers, this is why people have to be ready to catch every detail at their working places, process it, and use in accordance with the requirements. It is impossible to avoid or neglect changes, which are inherent to the sphere of business, this is why it is crucially important for both employers and employees to comprehend why this or that change takes place and what should be done to correspond to new demands. “Change can be friendly for people who embrace it. But in this environment, you’ll have to be alert and move fast to capture the opportunities that change creates” (Bossidy and Charan, 57). Without any doubts, changes make people worry, be anxious, and even start panicking, so, to cope with any challenge, people should be able to evaluate the situation, even try to help each other, and comprehend that only two things matter for out society – capital and knowledge. Nowadays, capital means a lot for managers, and they try to enlarge it as quickly as possible and have enough reasons to improve it day by day. Together with the new millennium, new generation of workers comes as well, and managers should find ideas to unite the already working employees with those, who just come. If the managers fail to do so, numerous misunderstandings and miscommunications can happen and spoil the results of the whole work. In fact, “the meaning of work has changed over the centuries” (Smola and Sutton, 363), and any worker should be able to define work values in accordance with current changes and demands. To my mind, maturity is one of the issues, which are always overestimated. Elder people truly believe that their experience always plays a significant role at work, and new comers with their fresh ideas should disturb them with possible innovations and changes. It is better to provide new generation with a chance to improve work and conditions to evaluate the results and come to conclusion that certain innovations may be rather beneficial and helpful. Another change that was brought by Millennium is communication that happens between workers an
The Big Dig Boston, Massachusetts, faced a road congestion problem; namely, an elevated 6-lane freeway, called the city’s Central Artery (I-93), ran through the city center and caused persistent traffic congestion. In addition, the given road was beginning to fall. The problem was unavoidable since initially, in 1959, it was projected to pass 75,000 vehicles a day. In the early 90s, this number increased to 200,000, making the freeway one of the most congested in the USA. As a result, the traffic flowed at a low speed for over 10 hours a day, which led to a deteriorated environmental situation additionally. Furthermore, accidents on the crumbling elevated freeway were four times more often than the national average for city and federal highways. The Big Dig was projected to replace the 6-lane elevated motorway with an 8/10-lane underground freeway that runs directly below the existing one and becomes 14-lane at its northern ends. The Ted Williams To connect the Ted Williams tunnel to interstate 90, engineers were required to build a 10-lane highway beneath Boston’s Fort Point channel. That meant crossing over a subway and passing the city’s largest factory and its commuter rail lines. Furthermore, the location had the weakest soil in the entire highway alignment to the greatest depth. If engineers could not discover a solution to harden the water-saturated soil, the whole construction would be impossible. The solution was borrowed from Japanese engineers who developed efficient and economic reclamation of weak lands utilizing a technique called soil mixing. The method implied mixing existing soil in place with cement. Therefore, engineers decided to strengthen 750 thousand cubic yards of land; enormous blades penetrated 30 feet deep into the channels and mixed earth with cement. It needed to wait for three years before the soil would harden. Critical Problems While constructing the last missing link of the highway to connect the tunnel beneath the channel to interstate 90, the engineers encountered two critical problems, namely, the daily train moves and the soft soil beneath the tracks. Concerning the latter problem, the soft soil made the tunnel building impossible. Moreover, there was another challenge – how to strengthen the soil without disrupting New England’s train service. The solution was found by the contractor who offered to freeze the soil. Pipes were inserted around the tracks and filled with saltwater chilled to minus 30 degrees. After several months, with a constant circulation of coolant, the ground became solid enough to support construction. The plan implied building sections and then pressing them beneath the tracks using an innovative technique know
Introduction Officer Barton faced great challenges among them adapting to a bigger town and most importantly fitting into a new police work culture. He could not escape the need to abide by an obligation to observe behavioral and psychological processes in order to achieve recognition. Individuals within a group react to circumstances in a similar manner. They acquire similar perceptions and are expected to respond in a similar manner. Adopting new behavior is usually difficult as it requires a person to reconsider personal values, beliefs, and morals (Forsyth, 2009). Barton tries to find a balance between preserving his personal values and conforming to the expectations of a police officer working for a particular unit. He wants to improve security within his jurisdiction. However, at times, affiliation to his work group stands in his way. A group structure existed within the Joint Gang Task Force. There were norms that castigated thus refusing to offer help to other officers in distress. Similarly, a communication pattern is characteristic of the group structure. Officer Barton vows to ensure that his next sergeant would be his most valued individual in the police force. In trying to balance all these factors, he eventually decides to sacrifice his values for the sake of staying loyal and protecting the group. This was an end in itself. When Group Cohesiveness Cease To Be Positive and Become Pathological Group cohesiveness is evident when members of a group develop a bond with each other and acquire similar behavior for the purpose of fitting and avoiding conflicts with other group members (Forsyth, 2009). Cohesiveness starts becoming negative when the traits and personalities of group members lead to conflicts. Similarly, when the social role of members or leaders starts becoming underestimated, the importance of cohesiveness is eroded. Excessive cohesiveness starts becoming pathological when members are afraid of losing power and are increasingly becoming isolated. Group cohesiveness kills independence, critical thinking, and creativity. Pathological effects are a characteristic of similar ways of thinking and behavior in a group. This is observed when members aim at coming to an agreement instead of solving a problem. The goal is to achieve cohesiveness as an end result which is not the reason why police officers are employed. The downside of cohesiveness is also evident when members of a group begin viewing an outsider’s input as irrelevant when indeed the ideas provided are good. This is a point where a notion of ‘us versus them’ is created. In this case, ‘them’ refers to people who are not part of a group. Group thinking creates a feeling of invincibility (Forsyth, 2009). Subcultures in Police Force Subcult
Aging is one of the social problems that are currently affecting U.S citizens. This problem has affected the social institutions and the lives of people. The social challenges of the old people are further worsened by the economic constrains, and labeling. When we assess the issue of aging from a functionalist point of view, we realize that it is one of the social problems. This is because the modern society does not have proper institutions and strategies that can enable the elderly individuals to cope with life effectively. Integrationists contend that people stigmatize elderly individuals since they are not able to adjust to the youthful culture. On the other hand, conflict theorists contend that problems experienced by the elderly occur since there is no effective power that can be used to streamline social institutions so that they can support the elderly. Ageism Ageism is another social challenge and it refers to a situation where people look down upon the elderly people in the society. In this case, people become biased against the elderly. This problem stems from the fact that some individuals perceive the elderly as worth doing nothing good that can benefit the society. For example, they are not able to do any productive work or chores, and they are also incapable of reproducing. This kind of perception prevails in many places of work and even in the government institutions. The youthfulness that is common in U.S also makes people to develop some negativity toward the aged. The erosion of the extended family system has also partly contributed to this challenge in which the elderly are not given kinship support. Apart from them being neglected, old individuals do endure the following challenges. They are susceptible to chronic illnesses, yet most of them are not in a position to cater for such expenses. They are also victims of both mental and physical abuse. Since many families are not properly equipped to handle the old people properly, they always end up being institutionalized and this not good enough for them. Primary aging occurs due to cellular changes in the body. Secondary aging is an expedited type of the usual aging and it occurs due to environmental challenges. For example, stress and poor diet can expedite aging. Modernization Modernization is the progressive development of a society from traditional systems to a modern set up. U.S.A actively became modernized in the twentieth century. They had much focus and trust in science, education, and technology as the viable means of solving their societal challenges. They also had interest in solving economic and social challenges. Besides this, they also encouraged urban-industrial society. “When modernization increases within a society, the individual becomes more important, and it eventually replaces the family or community as the fundamental unit of society” (Kornblum and Julian 179). As modernization increasingly becomes wide spread in a society, it normally dominates the cultural practices and religious believes. Age Stratification Age stra
Introduction There are many reasons for choosing the Complex of Sultan Hassan for analysis. It is always educative to enjoy the beauty of the Old City. It is a good chance to learn the peculiarities of Egyptian architecture and understand a true cultural essence. The Complex of Sultan Hassan is a marvelous building of the Mamluks period. The mosque contains many tragic and mysterious facts (“The Rough Guide to Cairo” 102). People of that epoch were not able to give the answers to several questions. The current researchers and philosophers continue making attempts and face a serious challenge analyzing its peculiarities. Scratch The current paper aims at investigating the Complex of Sultan Hassan, its general view, and religious importance. It is not enough to develop some historical perspective and prove its significance. It is more important to analyze the reasons why the building was created in the form of a rood (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 458) and if its creators succeeded in their goals and needs. The Complex of Sultan Hassan contains several religious, philosophical, and political messages that should be defined by the current locals to study from the mistakes made in the past. Description If a person gets a chance to look at the mosque from above, it may become the beginning of a wonderful trip to the Complex of Sultan Hassan. From the sky, it looks like a rood with four defined endings that symbolized four different schools included in one construction. The general view of the complex does not differ considerably from other mosques of Egypt. However, look at it, a person may feel a kind of protection, power, and a piece of kindness. Is such a combination of feelings possible? If it is about the Complex of Sultan Hassan, it is possible. The building looks like a massive giant within the tiny streets of Cairo (Ansah 13). People, who look at it or go inside, feel comfort and protection that they may need. Many researchers define the complex as one of the most compact monuments in the Islamic culture (El-Khateeb and Ismail 109). It is impressive indeed as it was inherent to the majority of buildings introduced during the Mamluks style. The Mamluks were able to survive and flourish even during the political or economic declines (Behrens-Abouseif 13). The representatives of the epoch attempted to change the meaning of the religious message they could leave: religious foundations were not ordinary foundations but the funerary memorial they could create for themselves and memorize their impact for a long period (Behrens-Abouseif 14). History The history of the complex is long and even tragic. During the seven years of building, first, the case of plague took the lives of many workers, and then, its creator, Sultan Hassan died two years before the building was finished. Some people said that he was betrayed and assassinated by his sl
Introduction Such meteorological phenomena as hurricanes are quite relevant for the United States, and they are comparable to earthquakes in their destructible effects. Hurricanes can be attributed to emergency events with a moderate speed of propagation, which allows for the implementation of preventive measures. Nevertheless, the consequences of hurricane Sandy have shown that the strategies adopted do not allow for effective hurricane risk reduction (Haraguchi and Kim 134). The consequences of Hurricane Sandy make it possible to formulate a thesis that society and infrastructure need to be adapted to such natural disasters as frequent hurricanes and measures at the community level are necessary. Discussion Hurricane Sandy covered the northeast coast of the United States, leaving behind a mark in the form of floods, fires, fallen trees, and millions of people left without electricity. In particular, this was the most massive blackout, which occurred as a result of a natural disaster. On the East Coast, about 8 million people were left without electricity (Haraguchi and Kim 134). The streets were littered and almost deserted, about 76 municipal shelters in New York had to accept thousands of people. In addition to the fact that this spontaneous phenomenon caused great material damage, it also led to human casualties. One of the main solutions that would help address the current challenges is the greater inclusion of communities in risk reduction programs. The main questions to be researched are as follows:   * What measures are needed to ensure community preparedness?   * Which modern warning systems could be introduced as part of risk reduction programs?   * Are outreaches for individual preparedness effective in increasing community readiness? Large-scale restoration in the region continued for many months, and the embankments were among the first to be restored to attract potential tourists. Research suggests that several months after the devastating Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, almost 40 thousand people still could not return to their homes. In addition, nearby territories were also affected by the destruction of the power supply system (Haraguchi and Kim 133). The functional interdependence of areas was not included in the disaster resilience before Hurricane Sandy. In order to avoid such situations in the future, it is necessary to study how direct and indirect losses in critical infrastructure sectors can be avoided. The effects of Hurricane Sandy brought to the forefront the importance of preventive and protective measures. Preventive measures and works should be carried out to avert significant damage before the hurricane, and they can cover a l
Introduction Research problems form the center of studies initiated to solve certain gaps that exist as regards to knowledge in a field. Devising a research problem determines the admissibility of a study. Thus, initiating worthy research problem remains significant in completing studies. However, certain difficulties seem to emerge while researchers describe these study problems. Further, identification of setbacks necessitating seems to raise concerns regarding executing it thereafter supporting it or vice versa. Finally, revising problem statements also avail challenges to researchers. This paper tends to discuss these three facets regarding research. Challenges in Describing Researchable Problem Apparently, describing research problem for a study remains a challenge to many scholars. The difficulties emanate from dissimilar issues ranging from technical and administrative concerns. Describing researchable problem necessitates accessing necessary information and statistics about the problem under study. The need for sufficient information for describing researchable problem overrides all (National Research Council, US, 2003). This is because justifying the research problem permits a researcher to continue with the study. Thus, any happening that hinders researcher’s access to information avails challenges to describing researchable problem. Notably, researchers experience challenges while collecting