ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction We live in a world with a plethora of religions. However, there is no doubt that religions play a significant role in the lives of people. Even those who do not subscribe to the tenets of any religion, at least they have something to say about religion. There are three major religions in the globe, which are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Each of these three religions has its own history that dates back very many centuries ago. Interestingly, people subscribing to the teachings of these religions have one thing in common: they believe in one God. The paper mainly dwells on Islam as a religion, and the views of Muslim worshippers about the world. The word Islam comes from the Arabic language and it simply means submission. In other words, those following the religion have to submit to certain powers—God. Those who subscribe to the teachings of Islam are Muslims and they always submit themselves to God. It is also important to note that even Christians and Jews refer the one they submit to as God. Just like Christians and Jews, the Muslims also believe God created the universe and all that harbors in it. They all consider God as all-powerful and only Him that every creature should bow down to worship. This meticulous monotheism together with the teachings of these three major religions provides the foundation of having a common loyalty to God, and it surpasses race, group, ethnic group, and even different religious views. In other words, people of the same religion belong to one community irrespective of their ethnic background, color, nationality or tribe. Revelation of the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad We cannot talk of Islam minus mentioning Prophet Muhammad. The historical accounts as mentioned in Hadith and other companions, starts by revealing the identity of Prophet Mohammad. These stories depict that at 40 years of age, Muhammad devoted much of his time doing solemn prayers and trying to unravel the facets of creation. Islamic experts believe that Muhammad was a man of concern especially by what was going on in the world such as injustice, pervasive bigotry, tribal animosities, corruption, social unrest and many more. He therefore chose to intercede to God on behalf of the people. Muhammad could go up the mountains, or in serene places and mull over in seclusion. However, Muhammad never deserted his family, as he would join them later. In other words, he did not choose asceticism or monasticism, but instead, he choose to perform what he thought was right. In fact, if he went for many days up the mountain without returning soon, his wife, Khadija, would take him food and water. Sometimes, he invited those leaving by the mountainside to share the food with him. According to Muslim scholars, the reve
Executive Summary The Saudi Arabian economy is among the biggest economies in the Middle East. Buoyed by oil revenues, the country enjoys among the most advanced industrial and service sectors in the Middle East. Investments in education and infrastructure are among the most significant achievements of the Saudi Arabian government. This paper analyses key macroeconomic indicators that propose a positive economic outlook for the oil-based economy. The main arguments in this report appear below   * The stock market should continue to provide high dividend yields through the improved performance of key economic sectors, such as the real estate, construction, and hotel sectors;   * Saudi Arabia should enjoy increased budget surpluses even in the wake of increased expenditures in the 12 months. Most of the public expenditure aims to reduce unemployment rates and increase the growth of the non-oil sector;   * The fiscal and monetary policies should maintain a steady money flow in the next 12 months because of low interest rates and the sustenance of economic subsidies;   * Government restrictions could limit the vibrancy of the private sector. The growth of the non-oil sector could equally be stifled by these restrictions because it depends on the vibrancy of the private sector;   * The extensive public expenditure on investment projects should reduce the unemployment rate, marginally, in the next 12 months to about 4%. Economic Indicators Stock Market Based on strengthening consumer confidence and increased project financing, the Saudi Arabian stock market presents a positive trajectory for the next 12 months. This trajectory should boost dividend yields, initial public offerings (IPOs), and growth rates, as seen in December 2013 when the main index increased by 2.5% (Tadawul, 2014). Concerning IPOs, CMA (2014
Abstract Based on the insights highlighted in this report, there is nothing wrong with providing students with luxury housing. In fact, it provides parents and students with comfort and security. However, a problem arises when there are too many luxury developments that make it difficult for most students to get affordable housing. Similarly, there is a problem when the line between education and luxury is increasingly blurry because of too much emphasis on luxury, as opposed to learning, and when Columbia’s heritage is undermined through the destruction of old historical buildings. Furthermore, the inability of the city’s infrastructure to cope with the rapid rate of luxury housing developments in Columbia compounds this problem. The City Council has not helped to alleviate this issue either because it has stakes in the problem through the collection of new taxes from developers. From a student’s perspective, this report is an appeal to the City Council to stop further approvals of luxury development complexes because they only compound the housing problem in the community. Introduction Columbia, Missouri is largely a relatively small town that thrives on the back of a dynamic education sector. For a long time, three educational institutions have made a huge impact on the community – Columbia College, Stephens College and MU (Columbia University 1). These colleges have had a long-term impact on the community by attracting more than 40,000 post-secondary students in the metropolis (Maneater Editorial Committee 2). However, the city and its education institutions have had trouble housing all these students. One would think that since Columbia, MO, is an old college town, the City Council would have preempted the housing needs of these students and solved them, but it has not done so effectively. Some observers characterize the state of the housing sector in the jurisdiction as “dismal” and “embarrassing” (Maneater Editorial Committee 2). Others also say profit and expansion needs have surpassed quality concerns, as authorities struggle to address the housing problem of students in Columbia. Luxury housing is an emerging trend in Colombia’s student housing sector that has come up to solve this trend. For example, recently, developers built three new student luxury housing units, which include Aspen Heights, The Domain and The Lofts at 308 Ninth (Seldin 2). Some of the luxury amenities that these housing units have include pools, wood floors, and full swing gold simulators. The provision of these amenities has forced some developers and property owners to charge students higher than average rents. This paper argues for the deceleration, or the complete stop, of new luxury housing developments in Columbia, MO, because it disrupts the student community, destroys the city’s heritage, and strains its infrastructure. Particularly, this report appeals to the City Council to stop this trend by preventing the issuance of new permits to property developers. It also advocates for the increased awareness of the impact of luxury house development not only to the student community of Columbia, but also to the wider resident community. Be
Religion, though neglected in political circles plays a significant role in the eliciting conflicts and bringing peace in the world. Powerful countries have been continually undermining the role of religion in bringing a lasting peace in the world especially in issues related to terrorism and stability of governments because they perceive that religions are prime root of conflicts. Such perceptions emanate from the fact that wars in Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan have religious dimensions and orientations. “All of these cases demonstrate that while religion is an important factor in conflict, often marking identity differences, motivating conflict, and justifying violence, religion is not usually the sole or primary cause of conflict” (Smock 3). Religion integrates into political, economic and social spheres that are determinants of the nature and extent conflicts, thus perceived as sole cause of conflict. This implies that religion plays a significant role in the international conflict and peace, hence need special consideration in resolution of conflicts that threatens stability of nations and entire world. For instance, how do Jewish and Islamic religions contribute to conflict and peace in the world? The difference in religion between Israelites and Palestinians is the main factor that causes conflict in Gaza Strip and West Bank while continually threatening to trigger conflict between Christians and Muslim in the world. Although there are economic, ethnic, political and social aspects concerning the Israeli and Palestinian conflict; lasting peace can occur in Gaza Strip and West Bank if Jews and Muslims engage in dialogue. The peace meeting between Muslim and Jewish leaders has demonstrated that religion play a significant role in the resolution of the conflict in Israel and Palestine The religious conflict between the Jews and Palestinians is volatile issue that may lead to international confl
Human resource is one of the major departments in any given company. Its major role is to manage the human capital in order to facilitate effective and timely production for the company and to meet the ever-changing market demands. In efforts for companies to get the best human-resource model to adopt, many models have been developed but a few have been used successfully. Among the many models that have been in use, Lincoln Electric Company is one company that used one of the models and the results of this company’s application of the model is a subject of discussion in this paper. The discussion is carried out in the form of answering a set of questions as follows. Give an Overview of the Key elements of the case The incentive system based on piece rates “flatten the hierarchical structure and eliminate middle management positions” (Borton, 2011, p. 1). This worked out well by creating an open office where the executives and the workers in the production unit could interact freely and using the executive board that had representatives from the production unit, the needs of the employees could be aired, and solutions sought after before situations got out of hand. This also improved production as ideas were shared on how the best production processes to be adopted. Maximizing output and reducing cost of production was brought in through annual bonuses. The employees could work hard by utilizing so little resources in order to increase production with the aim of getting a good package of bonus out of the numerous profits made at the end of the year. This created a sense of ownership from the senior most members of staff to the least since the more the company would make the more each individual could take home at the end of the year. This also created competition within workers as the best was getting rewarded for output, quality, dependability and cooperation. To increase productivity per worker, the company allowed innovation and creativity in the company. This fostered team work and competition where employees had to think about how well they could improve production and do it in time thus bringing out the best quality possible. Explain why Lincoln Electric is successful in the United States and what role its HRM practices have in this success The success of the company was majorly before James. F. Lincoln, the vision bearer, died. He embraced the original vision “to continuously improve product quality while continuously reducing unit costs of production and distribution and passing the cost savings on to the customer” (ANBHF, 2011, p. 1). Worke
Gas turbine engines Gas turbine engines have a wide variety of applications and the most common are automobile engines. They work on a simple principle of compressing an air-fuel mixture at high pressures than igniting it. The explosive force that is produced acts as thrust and it is used to induce mechanical motions on the pistons of the engine which rotate the wheels. The same principle is used in aircraft but the major difference is the thrust is used to turn the blades of a propeller which pushes the plane forward. Its other uses are in generators and some water pumps. (Treager, p. 36) How it Works When you turn on the ignition key in your car, an electric motor that is powered by the car battery immediately starts spinning. This motor has fans and starts drawing air from the atmosphere pushing it into the chambers of the engine. This air passes through the blades of the fans at a high velocity and enters the compression chamber which is of lower volume than the surrounding atmosphere. The decrease in volume according to Boyle’s Law increases the pressure of the air. (Pressure is inversely proportional to the volume in which it is contained). The turning on of the ignition also subsequently causes the petrol in the tank to start moving towards the combustion chamber in the engine. The fuel passes through a narrow nozzle before it mixes with the air. The sudden decrease in volume as the petrol passes through the nozzle causes it to “change phase into an almost vapor phase by a process called atomization” (Kerrebrock, p. 124). Now the fuel in the vapor phase starts mixing with the compressed air and the mode of ignition of the fuel depends on the type being used. For diesel-powered engines, they work on the principle of compression ignition whereby the pressure itself of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber causes the diesel fumes to self-ignite hence initiating the combustion phase. For petrol engines, the atomization of the petrol at the nozzles creates a “fuel-air mixture (flue gas) and almost immediately the spark plugs release a spark which ignites the petrol and marks the beginning of the combustion process.” (Kerrebrock, p. 125) It is worth noting that the entire process from turning the ignition key to the combustion of the air-fuel mixture takes a matter of seconds. The ignition of the air-fuel mixture is an explosive process and a lot of power is released. This power is converted to mechanical force by the pistons that are attached to the combustion chamber. The pistons have an up-down motion and they work opposite to each other such that when one pa
Greek gods are part of the remarkable Greek mythology that forms part of the heritage of humanity. The gods had a life of their own and they preceded humans. In fact, the gods are responsible for the creation of humanity. The multiplicity of gods in Greek mythology, coupled with their diverse personalities and capabilities created a very rich set of characters for explaining natural occurrences and for teaching moral lessons. This is why the relationships between the Greek gods and human beings was complex. This paper explores the complexities. Greek gods demanded worship from human beings, which usually included the offering of sacrifices. In the Homeric hymn, one of Greek gods called Demeter, expressly directs people to build a temple and an altar in her honor. Demeter was the god associated with agriculture hence worshiping her assured people of good harvests. Other gods also demanded human beings to worship them for various favors. For instance, soldiers paid tribute to Athena who was the goddess of battle strategy, military skill, and wisdom. Humans worshipped these gods depending on personal or community needs based on the attributes of the god. The second aspect of the relationship between the Greek gods and humans is that the gods sought to influence human action to achieve their own “divine” ends. Part of this influence was meting out punishment to human beings who defied divine orders. A famous case in point is the demise of the Odysseus crew that came about after the crew ignored warnings from the gods. In the same vein, the gods played out the role of rulers of the cosmos, ensuring that the earth worked, as it should have. The gods ensured that justice ensued and that humans related with each other well. An interesting question relating to the activities of the gods is whether they allowed human beings to operate using free will. The gods gave humans free will, but at various times, they sought to direct the course of history. Usually the gods sought to convince human agents to do their bidding. For instance, Athena went to Ithaca to convince Telemachus to go on a journey to find his father. Their interaction did not include any coercion or force from Athena. Telemachus took the trip on his own volition. However, the gods had the power to take action when they pleased. Consequently they had the ability to enforce their wishes. The Greek gods seem to represent various projections of human experiences. Just like all ancient societies, the Greeks used these gods to develop a sense of eternity. The multiplicity of gods reflects not just the social realities of the Greeks but their philosophy on the creation of the world, and their perception of divine order. According to Greek mythology, first there was chaos, then Gaea (earth), and Eros (desire). Gaea brought Uranus (heaven) and Puntus (The Sea) to the world. This was the attempt by the Greeks to explain the origin of the earth and later the human race. In addition, the myths are full of the passions humans deal with. Each God seems to have a weakness such as jealousy which is a human trait. Uranu
Introduction George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language is an essay in which the author has criticized certain techniques that make the language redundant, the message unclear, and people confused or manipulated into believing in insincere information. Orwell has highlighted that the ways in which language is being manipulated are through vagueness, complex phrasing with no significant meaning, changing an idea through less offensive wording, and a lack of a specific essence that the writer wants to express. This is not only damaging for the reader but also for the language itself as it becomes less meaningful and more easily altered to fit a particular agenda. It is especially critical nowadays since people have been drawn to shorter, simpler, and more direct texts, as exemplified through the language used in the most popular social media posts. Politics and the English Language are still relevant today, and my personal teaching style, as well as the teaching style of my former teacher, would become more efficient if certain concepts addressed in the essay were to be integrated and practically applied. Vagueness One of the arguments highlighted in the essay is that authors often resort to vagueness due to the techniques that they apply when writing texts. Thus, the content not only becomes unnecessarily complicated for readers to follow but also loses its overall meaning. Orwell partially links vagueness with the addition of pieces that can easily be avoidable without losing the primary idea of the passage (Orwell 6). Some works have entire sentences that do not have a role other than creating the illusion of complexity while being virtually pointless. On the other hand, such techniques may be deemed attractive for readers seeking more elevated texts, which can be simulated through the use of complicated words that, in reality, do not have a major role. In terms of teaching the English course while applying Orwell’s strategy of increasing meaning by being direct, this may be implemented through paying attention to content more than the word count. Thus, students who are to describe Orwell’s 1984 are to give direct examples of how the totalitarian regime inhibits freedom instead of having to write a 3000-words essay in which 2500 words could have been erased. Asking direct questions, having straight conversations on certain literature pieces, and applying a less vague approach to examining texts are the techniques that can be integrated based on Orwell’s principle. Needless to say, this does not imply that creative writing during assignments, the use of figurative speech, and the illustration of emotions felt while reading a poem or a book is to be avoided. The aim is to reduce vagueness, which is why students can be more direct and less unclear while still being fully honest and open during such tasks and interactions. Insincerity It is vital to mention that manipulating a text by either adding complexity through unnecessary words or formulating the idea based on an agenda may c
The issue The reports of any organization should reflect the position of the company as it is. However, regardless of this requirement, managers may at times choose to manipulate the books of the organization to reflect the organization, as they want. Such is the case with Diamond Foods. Referring to the contradicting information presented by both the management and representatives, there seems to be an evident manipulation of the accounting procedures if the authority of the representatives is reasonably within their jurisdiction. Based on the given information, it is possible that the company has shifted the previous year’s cost to this year’s by booking the payments of the past year as payments in the present year to pad last year’s earnings. Such a presentation would be a violation of the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPs). Techniques used A close examination of the report establishes two possible techniques that the management seems to have used to manipulate the income of the organization. These are “Cookie-jar” Reserves and Operating activities. Any of the above methods would affect the financial statements consequently. “Cookie-jar” Reserves In accounting, the accrual of expenses is to reflect the period in which the expense accrues as opposed to the payment period of the bill (Wood and Sangster 136). For instance, if a company bought a vehicle in 2010 and paid in 2011, the accrual of expenses requires that the accounting for the payments accrued for 2010. Firms when faced high earnings and thus high liability may accrue future expenses to reduce the liability if those expenses are important to the organization in the future. The phrase “taking a cookie from the jar” applies when referring to this strategy of reducing strong earnings by the organization. Operating activities Managers have the ability to influence the operating activities of the organization n a way such that the accounting system will record those activities at the time most convenient to the management. In such a case, the activity affects only the comparability of statements and not the long-term profitability of the organization (Wood and Sangster 142). In this particular case, the management seems to have used this method to shift last year’s costs to this year thus padding last year’s income. Violation of GAAPs If these allegations prove to be true, the management will have breached the requirements by the GAAPs. More precisely, it will have breached the Principle of periodicity and the Principle of prudence. The first principle requires that all entries must be entered in their respective periods and if t