ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Sources Four news organisations will be used in this study. The first two may not be as well known as the others so before going any further it is important to clarify the credibility of these sources. The first one is the Jerusalem Post and it was founded in 1932. In their official website it claims that it is Israel’s best-selling English daily and most-read English website. 1 The second one is the Haaretz Newspaper in Israel. It is an organisation that “provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East” and everything that occurs within these regions including defence policies, Arab-Israeli conflict and even the peace process. 2 The other sources comes from the BBC News and CBC News Canada . Jerusalem Post The article from taken from the Jerusalem Post provided the most in-depth discussion of the Palestinian refugees problem. Using this article as the point of comparison, the other three sources will be studied on their treatment of the said subject matter. Going back to the Jerusalem Post it has to be pointed out that the article was written by a guest columnist. His name is Alon Ben-Meir and it can be presumed safely that he is an Israeli who happens to be a Professor of International Relations at New York University. Ben-Meir identified key elements of the refugee problem such as the idea of resettlement, homeland, and coming home to the State of Israel. Ben-Meir argued not only on the urgency of the problem but also discussed a possible solution. Ben-Meir clarified the issue even further by saying that this is not just a political problem but also a humanitarian concern because there are at least 4.5 million refugees according to UN records. 3 The author also said that it is imperative that the surrounding nations, the UN and the nations all over the world should assist in one way or another in order to resolve this issue once and for all. Ben-Meir added two crucial statements, he said that refugees cannot afford to wait for the peace talks to be finalized and then he said that the European Union should take the lead. He cited the economic and political clout possessed by the EU as the main reason why they should initiate the final solution to the problem. He also pointed out the propensity of the Arab States to gravitate towards the EU and not the United States because of the perceived close ties t
Voter turnout simply refers to the fraction of eligible voters in any country who cast their ballots during an election. This percentage representation varies widely from country to country, depending on a host of factors. It is therefore important to note that voter turnout does not represent the population of a country, and the two might not be related in any way. Notably, voter turnout is considered to be an element of a fair election and has been sometimes used to measure the level of democracy in a given country or region in the world (Brooks, 2009). Based on this, there are several reasons, which explain voter turnout in any system, ranging from nation to nation. While this is case, there has been a general trend of low voter turnout in recent years among most established democracies around the world, including the United States. This sounds strange and ironical since most people believe that a developed democracy should promote higher voter turnout in any given system. This may denote the fact that voter turnout does not necessarily depend on the level of democracy of a country; it encompasses a wide range of intertwined factors, which have to be analyzed in taking a fair stance towards voter turnout in the United States (Roberts, 2009). What does history tell us about voter turnout in America? The United States has historically registered an inconsistent voter turnout trend, which keeps on falling and rising, depending on a host of factors, and not merely the level of democracy as perceived by some people. Regardless of the level of increment, it has been noted that America’s voter turnout has never reached or surpassed that attained by well-established democracies around the world. Despite the fact that there have been signs of increase in voter turnout as experienced since 2000, America is rated position twenty out of twenty one developed democracies around the world. Based on the fact that the U.S. is ranked among established democracies in the world, it suffices to mention that its level of democracy might not be the only determining factor for its low voter turnout throughout history (Brooks, 2009). As indicated earlier, there are several factors which have continuously contributed to low voter turnout in America, ranging from social, technological, econom
This essay opposes the use of the death penalty as deterrence against homicides. Abrahams argues that the death penalty is an ineffective deterrence from homicides because it has failed to bring down the number of homicides, but has proved to be very expensive compared with long term imprisonment (1). A report by Radelet and Lacock shows that the death penalty is prone to the identity problem, which is why the justice system has in many occasions wrongly convicted and executed a significant number of people (6). That has not only failed to bring down the number of homicides committed in many states but has increased the cost incurred by the criminal justice system to administer justice, prompting a lot of people to campaign for a paradigm shift for long term imprisonment (Nagourney 1). The death penalty was widely accepted as an effective form of capital punishment for many years to deter criminals from homicides. A survey conducted in 1996 to determine people’s attitudes towards the death penalty showed that 62% of the respondents regarded the death penalty as effective deterrence from homicides. However, later studies conducted in 2000 showed a significant decline in the number of people in favor of the death penalty. Deterrence Statistical evidence shows that 88% of the top criminologists of the United States do not regard the death penalty as the best deterrent against homicide (Abrahams 1). Different studies on the subject of executions and murders conducted by leading criminologists to determine the effectiveness of the death penalty against murders have proved the adherents of the death penalty wrong. In an article which was published in the Washington Post in 2002 titled ‘Murderous Pardons?’ It was shown that for every execution done in the United States between 1977 and 1997, there was an increase in the number of homicides by five. In the same report, it was shown that for each person removed from the list of the death penalty row, there was only a single act of murder. Other studies on the subject showed that when the death penalty was applied, no corresponding deterrence or homicide was reported, but for each execution, there was an increase in the number of murders. Recent studies support the findings that the death penalty does not lead to a decrease, but leads to an increase in homicides. Researchers have st
Identifying a Current Practice that Needs Change Practice Description At the hospital I work for, there is a problem of high nursing turnover. The hospital’s authorities do their best to reduce turnover and increase retention. The most common ways of promoting employees’ desire to stay with the facility are monetary awards, such as bonuses and differential pay. Another approach to promoting nurse retention is offering summers off and winters off programs to the staff. Finally, there is a special offer for newly-hired nurses that is represented by a longer orientation period upon request or based on the chief nurse’s decision. However, despite all these efforts, the rates of retention are still rather high at the hospital where I am employed. Hence, the current nursing practice that requires change can be identified with the help of a PICO model. The problem is nursing retention, the intervention is a mentorship program, the comparison is no mentorship, and the expected outcome is the increased retention rate. The issues of retention and turnover are closely interrelated both in practice and research. Scholars emphasize the negative aspects of the nursing profession, which lead to high turnover. Nei, Snyder, and Litwiller (2015) report that turnover can increase due to such factors as personal characteristics, working environment, the leader’s treatment of staff, and attitudes of colleagues. The authors note the significance of arranging a positive working environment and maintaining good relationships with the team of hea
The saying goes that those who don’t remember history are condemned to repeat it. The last few years have proven that is far more than just a cliché. History encompasses every other subject that is taught and every lesson that is learned. The danger of avoiding knowledge is far greater than the effort it requires to learn. Those who avoid studying history because it is boring or doesn’t affect them today are only setting themselves up for an avoidable failure tomorrow. History can enrich one’s life far more than most of the entertainments that take people away from it in contemporary society. An excellent example of how history can be a benefit to one—could even possibly save one’s career or even one’s life—is being played out on a world stage. The fallout from the current war in Iraq, both political and otherwise, could have avoided. The deterioration of the situation there could have been predicted by anyone who has cracked open a history book. The fall of Saddam Hussein as the ruler of Iraq is eerily analogous to the situation that befell the Balkans following the death of communist dictator Marshall Tito. Like Iraq, Yugoslavia was a nation of warring factions that were held together primarily through the strong arm of a ruthless leader. When Tito died the country disintegrated into a civil war that claimed millions of lives. Iraq, to anyone paying attention, held the same promise. Had someone inside Pres. Bush’s White House merely done an internet search on Yugoslavian history, Bush’s career as well as the lives of thousands might have been saved. History also enriches one’s life by giving a sense of place and heritage. Unless you know where you came from, you can’t know where you are going. It is important to understand the structure of time that has led us to where we are. Too often people make foolish statements while claiming to have great knowledge. It may be as meaningless as saying they know who originally sung a popular song when in fact they are referring to a later cover version, or it can be as vital as knowing the history of the Middle East so you no longer make the ridiculous claim that Islam is responsible for all the horrors and violence that are taking place today. Without knowing the history of the Crusades and the religious intolerance of the Christians, too many people today live under the delusion that the violence of Muslim terrorists is occurring in some kind of vacuum. Learning history helps to connect the dots to better
“A Raisin in the Sun” was the first play by an African American woman to be staged on Broadway. This play was written by Lorraine Hansberry fifty-four years ago and its plot borrows heavily from her own experiences. This play addresses the hottest topics of the 1950s including white skin privilege, gender roles, patriarchy/matriarchy, and poverty. This thematic content is one of the reasons why this production has continued to garner critical success. The play also acts as a teaching aid to the later day “hip hop” generation. The story’s plot revolves around the Younger family. The family is living in a shabby South Chicago apartment and each of the family’s members is on the pursuit of his/her dream. There is Travis who dreams of opening a big business that will change his life. His wife Ruth takes care of their little boy while Travis spends most of his time either complaining or dreaming. Beneatha is his sister who dreams of becoming a doctor although everybody else thinks she has better chances of getting into nursing. The matriarch of the Younger family is Lena whose only goal is to provide her family with a foundational home. Lena’s husband Walter is recently deceased leaving behind a substantial life insurance check. All the family members’ dreams are pegged on this ten thousand- dollar check. Lena is the one who has the responsibility of adjudicating over this insurance money. All the players in “A Raisin in the Sun” are African Americans except for Karl Lindner the neighborhood association chairman. Beneatha attracts two suitors in the characters of Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. The family’s life is turned upside down when Lena decides to use the insurance money to purchase a house in an all-white neighborhood. When this play first debuted in 1959, it had a significant political message. However, half a century later this political message is no longer a hot topic. The recent staging of this play under director Bill Duke took on a new dimension by reminding the audience about the black culture. The first producer of this play had a hard time raising funds for its production because most people felt that only African Americans were able to relate to the themes of the play. However, when the play finally made it to Broadway it was able to attract sizeable crowds from all races. Duke fashioned his production in such a manner that the play was able to maintain this original momentum. The play features very prolific actors whose expertise is a major attraction during the staging of this play. The actors give a stage presence that cannot be compared with any other visual media. Dan Glover who plays the character of Walter Lee the patriarch of this family delivers a convincingly isolated performance. As an experienced actor, Glover shows a strong sense of direction. In the scene where he gets down on his knees to beg for money, he is able to capture the audience with his portrayal of immense tension. Glover is charged with
The war on drugs in the US has been raging for several decades (Frontline). Similarly, the war on terror was proclaimed at the beginning of this century (Brookings). However, the US seems to be losing both of them (Brookings; Foreign Affairs; Stanford). The outcomes of the war on terror include discrimination and violence in America, as well as other parts of the world (Brookings; Corrie 608-610). The results of the war on drugs also involve bloodshed in the US and other countries, including, for example, Mexico, and very little progress in reducing the use of drugs has been made (Frontline). These facts can appear surprising, but one of the potential explanations is that the two wars pursue incorrect targets and goals (Brookings). In particular, their objective may have never been a safer and healthier America. The term “war” implies the possibility of victory. However, both wars do not involve battlefields or a specific, concrete enemy (Brookings). As a result, determining their goals may be difficult. However, it is possible to analyze the two wars for potential reasons. For instance, the logical explanation for the war on drugs would consist of a healthier America. However, as pointed out by Kurt Vonnegut, the war on drugs does not involve the ban on alcohol, which is the most dangerous substance (620). Similarly, nicotine, which is extremely unhealthy, is not outlawed. If the war is guided by the idea of improving the well-being of the people, it seems to o
Belbin Team Roles Inventory was created to define the main roles that an individual can perform according to his or her characteristics, interests, and personal qualities. It allows a person to understand and identify the designation better to be more functional in the work of the team (Gopee & Galloway, 2013). Moreover, the awareness of the specific role an individual could perform helps to understand the particular personal qualities as well as to determine the part of assignment or activity in which a person would be the least useful and functional. It can be argued that the application of the Belbin test to healthcare settings could enable improving the quality of teamwork and make the environment safer. Reflection According to the evaluation results, I am a team worker . The main features of this team member are diplomacy, the ability to listen to the views of others, and sensitivity towards people and various occurrences. Moreover, the importance of such a player in the team is reflected in the idea that he or she can ameliorate or prevent conflicts within the working group effectively and is responsive to the current situation. Also, the main function of this member is a supportive role in the team. This designation involves orientation on relationships between people within the group to maintain a favorable internal atmosphere. In its turn, this is one of the most important aspects as effective cooperation brings positive results due to the team’s cohesion (Jelphs, Dickinson, & Miller, 2016). Also, the team worker assumes the role of direct support to the formal leader. By eliminating the possible conflicts, the team worker helps the leader to achieve tasks faster and more sufficiently. However, this part involves some complexity. For instance, a team player may be indecisive in the moments of crisis. Apart from that, due to integral characteristics, this type of team member might not always be liable for executing autonomy. Thus, team workers need to learn the methods to become more autonomous and initiative. Nevertheless, people belonging to this group successfully furnish the support of fellow workers and can perform supervision when necessary. Quality and Safety in Healthcare Belbin Inventory is a useful tool to be applied to healthcare working teams to critically evaluate and enhance their performance for the care provider to be quality and safe (Mitchell, 2013). It should be noted that if members of the working unit are not knowledgeable of their responsibilities or assume them to be different, it can result in miscommunication or consequences including poor patient outcomes (Jelphs et al., 2016). The delegation of tasks and responsibilities is a complicated task, which requires the accountability of each member and commitment. Therefore, the results of the Belbin test could improve the performance of teams in a way that
The case in which hackers invaded Sony Corporation suggests that businesses should consider including strategic plans to deal with any internet-dependency risk, as well as protect private data that might interfere with their images in the market. In the 2011 issue, fraudsters targeted Sony because it had removed Linux from the Playstation 3. The company had no specific strategy to deal with the problem given the fact it took it over seven days to respond. The organization had to stop the hackers and ensure information did not flow freely but it was unfortunate, as the company sought the services of the California court because it had no capacity to deal with the hackers. The court invoked Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as well as the Fraud and Abuse Act to resolve the problem where users had lost money through fraudulent activities. Analysts noted that the company was never keen on security issues when designing the product. Sony had to inform its clients that cyber criminals had stolen their personal data and credit card information after several days of scrutiny and evaluation. It was unfortunate because the organization could not establish the extent of theft after six days because it only claimed that customers’ birth dates, their email addresses, their nationalities, and user names were unsafe. This raised political temperatures in the United States, with a number of experts questioning the capability of the company to safeguard the interests of customers (Won-Kim and Jeong 11). Intruding into people’s private information is illegal under the US constitution because the act entails intruding into people’s privacy and secrecy. The company ought to have prevented the occurrence of crime where people lost their money to online fraudsters who exploited the weaknesses in the organization’s structures to steal from people. The hackers made sensational claims that the company conducts communication between the server and the console through a non-secure web protocol, which is further unencrypted. In May 2011, the company guaranteed its customers that it would restore network on the play station and promised to improve customer security by developing superior technologies, augmenting supervision on the software, carrying out susceptibility testing, increasing encryption, applying additional firewalls, and adding an early-warning system for normal prototypes to facilitate detection of the violations before they occur. The company made another mistake while addressing the disaster when it responded six days later. This means the fraudsters had access to people’s information for more days given the fact thieves continued to access their purchase histories, billing information and credit card information. The company made a decision to hand over the role of detecting the extent of crime to an independent firm, but it lost loyal custo
Introduction For the past several decades, the world of industrialisation and globalisation has progressed extensively with dynamic organisational leadership and behavioural traits proving a hotly contested matter in the management literature. Organisational planners and policy makers have continuously noted issues related to organisational performance. In whatever circumstances leadership and management form an imperative background into understanding several aspects related to organisational governance and relative organisational development. Since the replacement of agrarian epoch by the technologically advance industrial regime numerous decades ago, the attention of scientists, philosophers and researchers has shifted dramatically from unknown convoluted leadership systems of confined traditions to dynamic transformational leadership and management strategies. This study analyses the case of Ricardo Semler and Semco companies to provide insight into this leadership-problem. Semler’s background Could the father, Antonio Semler, have changed the organization, why or why not? The case of Ricardo Semler and Semco companies reflects typically on the transformational leadership from the traditional Brazilian company’s organisational leadership structure that involved pyramidal headship. In the 1950s, a young Australian man, Antonio Curt Semler fall into the attractions of the Brazilian rapidly expanding economy, and migrated from Australia to Sao Paulo in Brazil to venture in businesses. Antonio Curt Semler was an engineer by profession and his interest in developing the career grew exponentially into business related to this field. Having a well-built management experience obtained from considerable time running a plant in Argentina, Antonio founded Semler & Company and began manufacturing centrifuges. Antonio adopted the autocratic and tyrannical leadership system that was common in several Brazilian organisations in that era. The company grew exponentially for a period of one decade and become a market leader at Sao Paulo in Brazil, principally because of the acquisition of worthwhile business indentures involving the provision of marine pumps to the Brazilian military. Since all things went well, the father became arrogant and found no reason to employ new management techniques apart from the common paternalistic leadership that existed during that moment. Are external factors the only reason to change an organization’s structure? Semler & Company reached its peak as Antonio extended the company’s operations by investing extensively in providing the marine pumps to the government. Overwhelmingly, Semler & Company in the end became a successful company. Antonio’s son named Ricardo Semler studied overseas but after graduating with an MBA, he joined his dad back in Brazil and joined the company. Initially, Ricardo’s father continuously practised management style based on historical Latin American system that entailed paternalistic and pyramidal autocratic lead