ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, the gaps are more than generational: they are also cultural, a misaligned mix of a past of which no remnant exists and a present which fails to reach the dream. The past in which the mother’s originated has vanished as massive change swept through China. The isolation of China has not made that apparent yet, and the censorship of news dating back many decades made the past that the mothers remember unbelievable to their daughters. By the same measure, the present of the daughters has failed to reach that dreamed of level which the mothers envisioned for their offspring. The novel spans more than two whole generations, yet it seems to be more, because the overlap is raw and painful. The factors which influence and intensify this illusion are:   * The mother’s expectations are totally unrealistic: “The major source of friction between Tan’s mothers and daughters is the mothers’ desire for their daughters to be successful by American measures while remaining culturally Chinese.” (Huntley, p. 62)   * Unfortunately, their American daughters do not feel the same connectedness to their heritage, and they do not recognize a symbiotic relationship between mothers and daughters; these second-generation Americans see only that their mothers appear to be trying to live through their children. (Huntley, p. 63) The Mothers’ Stories: How They were Distanced in Childhood from Family   * Separation: As a child, An-Mei is raised by her grandmother; she has only confused memories of her mother. One day, when her grandmother is dying, her mother appears and removes her to Shanghai; An-Mei is then adopted into a new family where her mother is the fourth concubine of a wealthy merchant.   * In contrast to An-Mei, Lindo is removed from her natal family through marriage, not adoption. At age two, Lindo is engaged to a young boy who is a stranger to her. A bride in an arranged marriage at sixteen, Lindo finally succeeds in freeing herself through a ruse by which she convinces her husband’s family to find a concubine for him. (Bloom, pp. 29-30)   * Like Lindo, Ying-Ying is chosen as a bride by a stranger, a man who associates deflowering her with the act of kai gwa (“open the watermelon”). A “wild and stubborn” girl in her youth, Ying-Ying’s spirit is destroyed in this brutal marriage. Later, when she is pregnant, her husband leaves her for another woman; she decides to get an abortion. (Bloom, pp. 29-30)   * Unlike Lindo and An-Mei, Suyuan Woo (June’s mother) sees her family dispersed as a result of cataclysmic historical events. During the Japanese bombardment of Kweilin during the war, she is forced to flee south without her husband; discarding her possessions along the way and desperate for food, she finally abandons her twin daughters on the road. Later in America, her new daughter, June, grows up with the knowledg
Oppression in the form of systematic violence against underprivileged communities causes individuals to live in perpetual fear of unprovoked and random attacks against them or their property. Some random attacks lack definite motives but cause destruction of property and humiliation of individuals from disadvantaged societies. Violence perpetrated against disadvantaged groups is widespread and takes various forms. In some parts of the American community, lesbians and gay men endure homophobic violence that may be physical or verbal in nature. Arabs, Asians, and Black Americans endure racial attacks that are committed in a similar manner. In other parts of America, Latinos, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Jews endure violence initiated by xenophobic tendencies. American society is not isolated in terms of violence meted out against underprivileged groups. In India, men subject women of lower caste to unmentionable torture and cases of women raped and killed in the nation are high. Underprivileged groups endure frequent physical violence, and the black community has experienced most of the violence. Law enforcement officers perpetrate some of the violence against innocent members of the Black American community. Police officers have maimed, raped, or killed several Black Americans. The recent killing of Michael Brown, a black teenager in Ferguson, encapsulates the conflict that subtly exists between members of the Black American community and the predominantly Caucasian law enforcement agencies in America. Most of the police officers indicted of committing crimes against Black Americans are set free or given lenient jail terms and this further complicates the relationship between the law enforcement officers and members of the Black American community. Such tendencies in violence between Americans of different religious, political, racial, or socioeconomic backgrounds is detrimental to the peace and development of the United States. For instance, the acquittal of the police officer accused of killing Brown sparked mass protests against the court ruling and enemies of America can use such opportunity seeds of terror within the society. Terrorists and drug dealers can use the confusion that arises during the protests to evade surveillance and cause havoc or sell drugs. During the riots, business owners close their premises for fear of looting, and this causes losses in revenue generation. Employees working under contract suffer due to such riots since they cannot work and therefore cannot earn their wages. Consequently, American society needs to address the conflicts that exist between various religious, political, and racial groups. Teenagers imitate the interactions they see between their parents and other people in society. Cases of gun-related violence perpetrated by teenagers have increased steadily in the recent past due to the failures of the social institution within America. Although members of different ethnic backgrounds perpetrate violence towards other racial groups, parents are also blamed for violent conduct against their children. Children respond to ill-treatment from th
Introduction Every country exports or imports something, for this to work effectively; there must be some form of exchange, like the popularly known barter trade. Furthermore, when a United States tourist goes to the UK with his/her country’s currency (dollar), the money needs to be converted to UK money, (sterling pound). To make this easier, there must be an exchange rate based on the values of each currency. This paper will try to forecast the spot exchange rate between United States $ and South Korean W in the next one year, under the conditions given below. Currency exchange rate Exchange rate refers to the rate of conversion from one currency to another. This may differ depending on one currency’s valuation compared to another. Factors such as inflation, political in/stability, government securities, and trading may appreciate or depreciate the value of currency, thereby defining its exchange rate as compared to another. This is why there is policy guidance to help in controlling these factors. South Korean Won This is South Korean Currency; it trades in major parts of the world as South Korea is a hub of goods and services for exports as well as imports. Its currency is fairly stable although it was also affected by the economic recession. United States Dollar The dollar is United States’ currency symbolized as $. It is one of the main currencies of the world that trades in almost every part of the world. Its stability has been questioned recently due to the high debt and U.S. recovery from economic recession. Calculation and Analysis The current exchange rate as provided in the question is $ 1 at W 1200. According to the provisions given, United States has a one year government security rate of 7% as well as an expected inflation rate of 5%. One the other hand, South Korea has a one year government security rate of 4% and an expected inflation rate of 2%. The simple way of calculating exchange rates for known values is Since the United States had government security of 7%, its maturity at the end of the year is expected to reduce their monetary value with respect to south Korean, that is, their value will be 1200*93%= 1116W; 1$ =1116W During the same period, South Korea had government security at 4%, this reduces their monetary value to the dollar by 4%, their value will therefore be 96%*1 $=1116W That is; 0.96$=1116W i.e. 1$= (1/0.96)*1116W=1162.5W Again taking inflation rates into account, since the United States had an inflation of 5%, this will lower their monetary value by 5%with respect to South Korean, i.e. 1$=1162.5*95%W, which will give a rate of 1$=1104.375W. On the other hand, South Korea had an inflation rate of 2% meaning monetary devaluation by 2% with respect to United States $ i.e. 98%*1$=1104.375W. Giving 0.98$ exchanging for 1104.375. Therefore, 1$ = (1/0.98)*1104.375W. i.e. 1$=1126.913265 in 6 decimal places. Conclusion Inflation reduces the monetary value of a country; this is similar to Government debts in form of securities which also leads to currenc
Introduction Intellectual disability is used when describing a person who has certain limitations in mental functioning. The conditions brought about by intellectual disability may limit a child or an individual to develop slower than the normal rate. It may limit the children on how soon they learn how to speak, walk and do some things on their own like eating (State Government of Victoria, 2010). Causes Intellectual Disability Intellectual disability is a condition that has varied causes. The most common causes of intellectual disability include genetic conditions. Abnormal genes inherited from parents bring about this condition. A good example of a genetic condition is the Down syndrome. The second cause of intellectual disability is through problems experienced during pregnancy. Cases where a baby does not develop properly in a mother’s womb can easily result in the baby being intellectually disabled. For example, a mother who drinks alcohol may give birth to a baby who is intellectually disabled. The third cause is problems experienced at birth. In cases where a baby experiences low oxygen supply at birth, he or she may have intellectual disability. Lastly, intellectual disability can be caused by health problems. Contracting diseases, like whooping cough, measles, or meningitis, may cause an intellectually disable condition if he or she is not well treated (US Department of Education, 2010). Consideration of a teacher or employer in working with someone with an intellectual disability In working with an intellectually disabled individual, a teacher or an employer needs to take some important considerations. In a school, for example, children who are intellectually disabled can be able to perform extremely well if guided properly through the process by individualizing the help given to them. The type of help that is given to examine children are divided into categories depending on the difference in ages, whereby children up to the ag
Introduction Dyslexia is a brain disorder that affects the learning skills ability of an individual especially reading, spelling and writing. Regardless of these individuals having normal intelligence like the other normal individuals their reading skills usually are very low than anticipated. Dyslexia Disorder characteristics vary from one individual to another, but these individuals usually share some common traits for instance spelling, writing and reading intricately. Brain injury resulting from an accident and dementia complications may cause dyslexia in adulthood. Some cases of dyslexia disorder are caused by inheriting bad genes from the parents hence in increasing the chances of an individual suffering from the disorder (Noel 2002). There are various kinds of dyslexia disorder that influence the ability of the child to read and spell in school. Trauma dyslexia is generally caused by brain injury or trauma that affects the region of the brain that occurs after some form of brain trauma or injury to the area of the brain that directs writing and reading. This type of dyslexia disorder is not very common in school age pupils. Primary dyslexia is a kind of dyslexia disorder which is caused by dysfunction of cerebral cortex of the brain (the left area of the brain) and the condition is not normally affected by change in growth development. Children with this kind of disorder might not read beyond the fourth-grade stage and hence in adulthood they normally have problems in writing, reading and spelling. The children who normally suffer from this kind of dyslexia inherit the disorder from their parents’ genes. Boys are normally mostly affected than girls by this dyslexia disorder. Developmental or secondary dyslexia is mainly caused by hormonal imbalance during fetal development in early stages of life. As the child grows this type of disorder vanishes. Developmental dyslexia usually affects boys more than girls. Dyslexia usually affects various body functions for instance; Visual dyslexia is typified by letter and number reversals and the incapability to put in writing symbols in the right sequence. Auditory dyslexia engrossed complexity with sounds of groups of letters or letters. These sounds are alleged as incorrectly heard or muddled. Dysgraphia is a type of dysfunction, where by the child is unable to hold and control the pencil well when making the paper. Characteristic of dyslexia disorder Hearing, Speech and listening Dyslexics’ victims normally have prob
Abstract Violation of international labor standards is a common occurrence around the world. However, it is more prevalent and severe in states of the Persian Gulf and in the Middle East. Cases of severe violation of labor rights have been reported in Qatar. Qatar was named as the host of the 2022 world cup. Therefore, preparations are underway in the country involving construction of infrastructure for the event. Migrant workers that are building the infrastructure are subjected to poor working conditions that violate their labor rights. The situation has been worsened by the kafala system that gives employers authority over their workers. It is important for the government and international labor unions as well as FIFA to intervene. Brief summary The article talks about the atrocities that immigrants in Qatar are facing as they work to develop infrastructure that will be used for the 2022 world cup games in the country. Qatar was a favorite among countries like the U.S, Australia, and Japan as the host of the 2022 world cup. According to Jim Murphy, the conditions under which migrant workers are working are inhuman and a violation of labor rights ( Qatar World Cup-Stadium Builders Working in Sub-Human Conditions , 2014). For instance, he cites the lure of big salaries that attracts migrants from countries such as Kenya and Bangladesh. Upon arrival in Qatar, employees take the migrants’ passports away ( Qatar World Cup-Stadium Builders Working in Sub-Human Conditions, 2014). This makes it impossible for them to leave the country. Murphy states that the situation of the workers is embarrassing both to the football federation and to the mother country. He gives an example of a Nepalese worker who has been stuck in Qatar for a period of five years. The worker is unable to leave the country because his passport was taken away by his employer. Murphy calls on FIFA, the Scottish FA, and the English FA to act and stop the violations of labor rights being perpetuated against migrants ( Qatar World Cup-Stadium Builders Working in Sub-Human Conditions , 2014). He also calls on football fans to observe the happenings in Qatar keenly because these actions are likely to affect the game of football globally. Personal opinion The material covered in the article is an example of the many cases of violations of labor rights of workers around the globe. The issue is a critical one because it affects one of the most famous sports in the world. Football is one of the sports that are played in almost all countries of the world. Therefore, any event or occurrence that affects its state in one country affects its global embracement and acceptance by fans. One of the possible causes of the poor working conditions is unfavorable work policies that protect immigrants. The kafala system monitors the activities of migrant laborers in various countries of the Persian Gulf (Lakhani & Yan, 2013). The statues of the system require all migrant workers to have a sponsor within the country. The sponsor is supposed to deal with all issues relating to their stay
The issue of whether animals posses an intelligence, which should hypothetically allow them to indulge in verbal forms of communications with each other, cannot be effectively discussed unless we establish a theoretical premise, upon which such discussion should be based. In its turn, this would require us to define the conceptual essence of evolutionary theory. What is biological evolution? It is the process of living organisms continuously increasing their existential complexity, for the purpose of remaining fully competitive with other living organisms in the same environmental niche. As of today, the specie of Homo Sapiens represents the most complex product of biological evolution, which explains the reason why people were able to attain an undisputed dominance over the animals. In its turn, this provides us with the insight on what accounts for the foremost difference between people and animals – it is namely people’s ability to operate with highly abstract categories, which came as the result of their minds’ evolutionary predetermined neurological complexity. However, this does not necessarily mean that animals do not posses a mind capable of performing simplest mental tasks. In their book “The Mind as a Scientific Object: Between Brain and Culture”, Christina Erneling and David Johnson make a perfectly good point while stating: “Descartes drew an absolute line between humans, on the one hand, and animals, on the other. Darwin erased that line, creating two new mutually exclusive alternative possibilities: Either animals had minds (albeit simpler than humans’), or no one, animal or human, had a mind, or at least a mind worth considering” (Erneling & Johnson 2005, p. 64). Such authors’ suggestion helps us to formulate thesis, which we will aim at substantiating, throughout paper’s entirety – despite the fact that animals’ mental capabilities appear as being significantly lower then that of humans, we cannot doubt the fact that animals possess a mind of their own, which in its turn, explains the phenomenon of a so-called “animal language”. Ever since the beginning of 20 th century, biologists were trying to define what should serve as a criteria for determining whether different species of animals posses mind capable of performing thoughtful tasks. At first, it was being assumed that such criteria should account for “intelligent” particularities of animals’ behavior. However, it did not take biologists to long to realize the conceptual fallacy of such an approach. In the book from which we have already quoted, Christina Erneling and David Johnson state: “The legitimacy of inferring mind from behavior was soon thrown into greater doubt as psychology expanded its scope and methods. Because animals could not introspect, their behavior had to speak indirectly for their minds” (Erneling & Johnson 2005, p. 65). If living organisms’ behavior could provide us with the insight on their mind, then insects would appear as being so much more intelligent then animals. For example, an ant colony functions with such a degree of utter precision that, upon being exposed to the sight of how ants go about performing their socially defined duties
Introduction Over the recent past, the world has witnessed pronounced changes in technology and consumer demands. Companies operating in all sectors have experienced the challenges advanced by these changes. As such, several companies are continually striving to develop and use measures that help them deliver the best products that match consumer expectations in terms of quality and price. Al Hosn Company is one of the companies that wish to employ a program known as the ‘excellence program’ using awards given to the best-performing employees and teams. From the awards, the company can enjoy enhanced product quality and high levels of development from human resources, who are motivated to work hard and deliver the best. To improve the understanding of the concepts incorporated by the excellence program, the case uses studies from MacDonald and Nokia companies. The case assesses how MacDonald and Nokia companies applied SMART and SWOT principles in implementing their excellence programs. It is within this backdrop that the case establishes the relevance of the EFQM Excellence Program and the RADAR Methodology and examines the importance of awards in the application of the excellence program at Al Hosn Gas Company. Overview of Al Hosn Gas Company, Excellence Program, and its Importance With its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, Al Hosn Gas Company deals with the development of reservoirs used in the storage of sour gas in the Arabian region. Some of the reservoirs that the company wants to develop include A, B, C, and D located in the Shah Fields. The principal focus of the company is to ensure that the services rendered in fields such as Shah meet high standards of technology, sustainability, engineering, and maintenance. Moreover, the company strives to produce environmentally friendly services. According to the Grünewälder, companies keen on issues regarding excellence and innovation advance and achieve their desired objectives (14). Imminently, the driving force behind the company’s intent to develop outstanding products and up to the required standards emanates from the ever-changing consumer dynamics and technologies employed by competing firms. On the other hand, the excellence program focuses on the development of products that are exceptional in terms of quality and price. The program encourages employees to deliver the best and employ high levels of innovation and creativity in an attempt to ensure that what the clients receive is satisfactory. Remarkably, the program uses components like product, price, customers, and production. Verity, Gautam, and Maenen highlight that with an excellence program, a company can effectively meet its expected quality under minimal cost usi