ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Thousands of years past, the Chinese belief system from the ancient times has been carried over through dynasties, transferred from one generation to another, distilled by crossing of cultures and modified through time. These covers how people think and behave, philosophically and religiously. Too see and appreciate its complex nature, is to be able to relate accounts from then and now, find out about its similarities and meeting points and be able to identify which among most present are the ones that will make us learn to understand which among them have helped shape China’s behavior and history. Despite its continuing transmutations, ancient Chinese traditions remain exotic, bizarre, attractive and colorful. Analyzing how Dutch scholar Jon Jakob Maria de Groot saw China in the in near end of the century and the accounts of historian and writer Justus Doolitle, will help narrow down some similarities to customary behaviors exercised by the Chinese, then and now. As the traditional Chinese believed that the human body has two souls, the soul that ascends at death (HUN) and the one that stays with the corpse (PO), the veneration of the dead is one of the common practices that live to this day. Since it is believed to be the meeting ground for the past, present and future, there are many rituals for the dead are still exercised to this day. Like the white cloths to cry with, the numerous offerings for the Gods of the hills and to the Spirits of the Beggars, and how the undertakers are called upon to care for the dead are just but a few but important manifestations of how the Chinese keep to this date the strong affirmation of how the HUN is guided to be the heavenly breath. (Yu, 1973) In relation to seeing how the Chinese gave extraordinary attention to how the Chinese paid so much effort in the rituals of the dead, the beliefs then in ghost spirits are also fortified and with it also come the rites and sacred rituals like performing the ceremony for the repose of the spirit of the dead, or the burning of incense in the doorway of the house so the mourners will be purified and the seasonal offering of the roast pork, fowls and candles and incenses for the spirits of the dead. During autumn, the ritual of burning paper clothes are done to honor the ghost spirits. Another prevalent tradition that is very much in common from de Groot’s and Doolitle’s chronicles are the role of the charms and omens. Various charms, such as coins, jade, mirrors in different colors, shapes and sizes carry repr
One of the ways to develop an optimistic outlook in clients or families is to develop trusting relationship. People often tend to feel constrained in conversations with counselors as the former sense the latter as strangers, which adds to the problem clients have come to solve (Hutz-Midgett et al. 3). A counselor has to make a client feel comfortable in their presence because establishing comfort is a first step towards optimism. The next method of making a client feel optimistic is to set up realistic goals for him or her. Proposing achievable objectives seems to inspire self-belief and the desire to try. The role of a counselor is to help a client or a family to find a direction. Another way is outline the opportunities that lie beyond the resolution of the problem (Hutz-Midgett et al. 3). Almost each client has a sensation of intractability of the issue he or she is having. If shown what post-conflict environment is like people may develop optimism due to having a clear motivator with a pleasant image around it. Positive thinking should derive from everyday speech. Inspiring positive language in a client is one of the strategies to create a healthy and productive orientation towards issue resolution. By showing an example and encouraging to follow it, a counselor should serve as a client’s guide to the goal. Realization of self-importance is yet another step towards optimism (Hutz-Midgett et al. 5). Indicating strengths in behavior and skills is one of the ways to alter a person’s perception towards the problem through finding the inner leverages he or she could use to alleviate the situation. A counselor should help a client realize his powers and stress them. Inspiring a client to see the bright side of every problem is another way to foster his or her optimism. In a way, this method relies on developing positive language techniques with a difference being that this way requires certain creativity. A counselor is to exemplify this on a few client’s problems to indicate a way to do it. Counselling resilience into clients and families is another side of tackling their issues (Lee et al. 2). One of the working methods is building awareness of control. Inspiring the client to feel able to orchestrate events and people in a way that positively influences the resolution process is one of the primary goals for a counselor. Fostering a calm attitude towards stressors is paramount to build up energy reserves for further conflict settling and relationship building. Initial overreaction is often the cause for piling up problems instead of dealing with them. Therefore, a counselor is to show the techniques and demonstrate them. Embracing change is another step towards building resilience (Slade et al. 15). Teaching clients to stay open-minded to various events is pertinent to the cause of building toughness to react to problems should they arise in future. Being able to produce an adequate reaction is the way t
Introduction Iran has turned out to be one of the major players as regards to the Gulf security and stability. This means that its role as a key player in the region can no longer be disregarded. Scholars observe that the 1979 revolution that took place in various states in the Middle East shaped the geo-politics of the region. Iran emerged strong from the revolution, which gave it an advantage in terms of political influence. The state was able to export its ideas to other countries, which threatened the survival of other powerful states in the region, such as Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the region was transformed by the Iran-Iraq war, as well as the nuclear crisis witnessed in Iran (Jorisch 12). In 1971, Iran acquired three islands belonging to UAE and it is reluctant to negotiate over the islands. As one way of flexing its muscles, Iran has been trying to influence the region politically, culturally and socially through vigilant restructuring and scheduling. Through this, it has been attempting to spread its ideas in the Gulf region. The state has been mobilizing the revolutionary agents and coordinating the activities of sleeper cells in the neighbouring states such as Syria and Lebanon. These activities took effect after president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took power in 2005. It should be noted that by 1979, the Shah, who enjoyed close diplomatic ties with the US, ruled Iran. In the same year, the Shah was overthrown by an Islamic radical group, which turned Iran into an Islamic state ruled by a spiritual leader referred to as the Ayatollah. The spiritual leaders were keen to spread Islamic values all over the region. Since then, Iran has been reluctant to accept western values, which insist that women are to be treated in the same way as men. Therefore, the state has always assisted other groups trying to fight the west. It is not surprising that Iran has been funding illegal groups and unpopular regimes that are undemocratic. This paper will therefore evaluate the interests of Iran in the Gulf region and its position in the international system. The paper will analyze how Iran has been funding and supporting the activities of the Hezbollah, which is against the wishes of the international community. In this case, it should be noted that Iran does not fund the Hezbollah out of good will but its main aim is to achieve the national interests. In this case, states are always interested in national interests implying that in whatever they do, they must satisfy their wishes and desires. The Syrian Ally For many years, Iran has always sided with Syria over important issues affecting the region and the world. Furthermore, the two states have always shared strong military and financial links. Through this partnership, the two states have been able to achieve similar goals such as resisting the requests related to democracy from the international community (Ranstorp 31). The two states have been accused variously for violating human rights and freedoms but nothing has changed si
In the last two decades, development in communication technology has been widely experienced especially in those countries that are rich, developed and has knowledge regarding its enhancement. The global economy that has been brought about by development in communication technology is largely evident in those countries that are greatly civilized and densely populated. Neoliberalism, which is the philosophy for globalization has lead to the development of education system that best meet the needs of these developed countries. Education has been in the center of the economy steering the prospectus in the practical and professional direction with an emphasis on business studies, computer, science, mathematics as well as encouraging the development of entrepreneurial skills. Economic competition has lead to the developed countries switching from input or process principles to performance and results principles, with occasional evaluation and recording of the results to be used in comparing their performance with those of other nations (McCann 168). Of late there has been an emergence of a western culture that accepts famous soft drinks, fast-food chains and pop music, Hollywood movies as well as novels and other forms of entertainment. This culture tend to pervade in all parts of the world posing danger to home-grown educational and cultural values that are mostly concentrated in third world countries as well as those countries that are developing. Globalization, neoliberal instructive program together with urban enriching ideals emphasized by this culture tend to offer minimum solution to problems experienced by most developing and third world countries. To help these countries in solving their problems, there is need for improvement in terms of material property. There is also need for these countries to be provided with better schools, textbooks and other facilities necessary for them to develop. Globalization has resulted to the emergence of economic and social disparity especially between the north and south. There is no hope for this disparity being corrected in the near future. This has lead to the cropping up of international movements that are opposed to the culture of globalization. Various demonstrations have been staged in opposition to international capital and its representations. Various grass-root organizations that are opposed to various aspects of worldwide projects have also come up. The World Social Forum is making effort to bring together these organizations to come up with a program aimed at nurturing socioeconomic justice as well as ensuring equal education. This is in resistance to globalization of worldwide resources that is market oriented. This offers hope for the realization of a more impartial future (McCann 169-72) Every human being who is critical enough would agree with Zygmunt Bauman’s assertion that in-stead of globalization uniting t
Introduction In the Amcor site, there is an open land on the east side used as for residential purpose. Initially, the site had vast green land with native flora and fauna. However, this is gone and little vegetation remains due to urban encroachment. The site has been earmarked for development based on either of two proposals. These two proposals are construction of medium density housing or establish an educational park. As shown in Part B of the Sustainability Project, each of these proposals has pros and cons based on economics, environment and social sectors. Nevertheless, based on analysis one of the proposals seems the better option. Context Taking carbon footprint context as the bases of deciding between the two projects proposals, (that is, the medium density housing and the educational park as discussed in Part B); the former (the educational park) is the better option for implementation. The common baseline to understand the carbon footprint hinges on the amount of gaseous emissions that are relevant to climate change and linked to human productivity and consumption activities. From a broad perspective on environment sustainability, the medium density housing proposal and allied infrastructure will lead to increased carbon emissions as well as competition for resources, while, the educational park will further acts as carbon sinks (SUNY Geneseo, 2011). Scale analysis Both spatial and temporal scales are influential in arriving at the final argument. By having the medium density housing proposal in place, this means there will dramatic rise in the number of residents occupying the available housing space. The demand for resources will also increase. This will constrain the carbon footprint per person. The amount of resources available to the current residents remains significantly the same even after inclusion of the medium density housing, this will over the time develop into a supply-demand phenomena and eventually influence the business economics of the area. In the temporal scale, waste products and the overall net carbon dioxide emissions per hectare from the residents will increase with the extra residential units causing pressure on the sustainability of the area. As discussed in Part B, the net carbon dioxide emissions is as result of consuming fossil fuels, animals, human, bacteria and water vapour (Conversations Network, 2011). Scientific facts show that the constant earth’s temperature rise (commonly known as global warming) is as a result increased release into the atmosphere of the GreenHouse gases of which carbon dioxide is a component (Wiedmann and Minx, 2007). Global warming measurements are done on annual bases. In the spatial scale, the educational park proposal provides green spaces and conservation areas. This provides an ecological environmen
Introduction The L.&J.G. Stickley furniture company has been around since 1900. It started as a family business and was established by two brothers Leopold and George Stickley. Its headquarters can be found in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York. The said furniture company focuses on manufacturing furniture made from fine cherry, white oak, and mahogany. Its specialty is mission oak furniture. However, the company also experienced major setbacks and it was sold. From a small operation with just a handful of full-time employees, Stickley now employs 1350 employees. It has showrooms in New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina but on a national scale, the company is in partnership with 120 dealers. Production Processing Stickley utilizes a repetitive production process. This is in conformance with their needs, the type of products that they are manufacturing, and the volume that they need to produce at a given time. Since 50% of their revenue comes from mission oak furniture they know what to focus on. Thus, the business requires the manufacturing of a relatively few numbers of standardized products. In addition, the volume of products that is required already reaches the level of mass production. It also requires long production runs as well as an assembly-line type of production. In other words, the company is well-aware of the market and how it should respond. It is not unusual to receive an order of 40 mission oak dining room sets. The moment this type of order is received the factory floor knows the specific steps required from handling materials, sawing, and crating. With 120 dealers all over the country and the need to produce a large volume of oak furniture with little variation calls for a repetitive process. The people working on the factory floor have a clear idea of the demand. A repetitive production process is also needed when precision tools are used. In the case of Stickley, they use an “optimizer” saw that enables them to maximize the use of wood and on a daily basis this computer-controlled saw can give them 20,000 board feet worth of materials. Management can keep track of job status and location during production because the factory workers carefully maintain records using bar codes as well as recording the numbers stamped on every item in order to determine the location of each piece in the production process. Although the company utilizes a repetitive type of production process, there are instances when this system is combined with a batch type of production process. This can
A political economy system is present in any form of the social system, which includes gender relationships and kinship. The exact nature of the system may vary depending on the cultural and political factors representing different degrees of oppression. In many societies driven by the patriarchy, a woman’s role is diminished to that of a mere element of an economic system. The purpose of this paper is to examine the politics of kinship as a reflection of economic logic. Over the history of anthropology and social sciences, kinship theory has been the focus of several studies. According to McKinnon (2001), while there are recent works that reflect on the economy of kinship, their logic can be traced back to older fundamental research. Henry Lewis Morgan begins his description of the human evolution stages with a period when people were practically indistinguishable from animals and “mated just as spontaneously as they ate the fruit from the trees” (McKinnon, 2001, p. 279). At some point, maternal and later paternal relations acquired a more significant role. However, according to Morgan’s theory, it was “the growth of property and the desire for its transmission to children” that became the prime incentive for promoting monogamy and having legitimate heirs (McKinnon, 2001, p. 287). Therefore, monogamy and marriage became an effective instrument of securing one’s legacy, which consisted of continuing the lineage and transferring the property accumulated during one’s lifetime. The system mentioned above suggests men’s primary role in the kinship system, as they were in charge of acquiring the property for the family. Meanwhile, a woman’s role in society was gradually reduced to procreation, which is a process defined by Rubin (1975) as the domestication of women. The Marxist theory of class oppression translates well to gender relations, as it describes capitalism as a “set of social relations—forms of property, and so forth—in which production takes the form of turning money things, and people into capital” (Rubin, 1975, p. 36). As capitalism aims at fulfilling people’s needs and desires through a mutually beneficial exchange, gender relationships fit the Marxist theory as well. Rubin (1975) notes that capitalism follows an old tradition, according to which women neither inherit nor lead. This system derives from older forms of social relations, which were described by Morgan in his evolutionary trajectory, and leads to women being oppressed by the old customs. Rubin (1975) refers to this paradigm as patriarchy and states that it may take different forms. In less ad
When cryptocurrencies became very popular in the fin-tech industry, the professional and scientific community started thinking of new ways of applying blockchain technology. Although blockchain is generally associated with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other virtual currencies, its applications go beyond financial transactions. Many governments are introducing this technology to their processes. Internet of Things, insurance, real estate, supply chain, and even the music industry can benefit from the advantages offered by blockchain. A sufficient amount of research has been conducted to assess the possibilities of using this technology in the healthcare industry. Some companies are already working toward ubiquitous integration of blockchain into medical services. One of the most significant works on blockchain in healthcare is the study of Khezr, Moniruzzaman, Yassine, and Benlamri (2019). In their comprehensive review, the authors cover the current state of blockchain in healthcare, and how this technology is being leveraged to meet the industry demands. The paper goes from explaining how blockchain fits into the workflow of healthcare applications to listing the present usage scenarios. They conceptually organize blockchain and associated healthcare technologies and stakeholders into a layered architecture. The authors stress that this technology can even be used to improve the quality of health education (Khezr et al., 2019). Although their work is thorough and covers most of the concepts related to blockchain, it does not talk about how blockchain works, why it is suitable for healthcare, and why companies and governments need to make enormous amounts of investments to develop blockchain applications that target the healthcare industry. The researchers also claim to provide directions for future research. However, they failed to meet this goal because the paper only presents a list of potential applications of blockchain. No predictions and forecasts are given to direct the prospective researchers on what should be enhanced to meet which goals. Iansiti and Lakhani (2017) claim that blockchain is able to reduce the cost of data verification and transactions, which is relevant to the healthcare industry because of rising prices. Therefore, the research community should consider this technology as a potential solution for current challenges. This paper aims to fill the gaps in current literature by summarizing the material from the most relevant articles and adding missing details. Notably, this literature review provides extensive information about