ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The article discusses issues about religion as well as its traditions in the Indian community. One example discussed is Haridwar, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. Religious ideas and ceremonies practiced here are unique and considered consecrated (Yardley and Kumar 1). Indian historical and geographical structures have changed over time, causing rifts in their religious beliefs, hence the development of ‘sects’ purporting to serve their interest and eventually rain disorder in Kumbh Mela. The plunge involved in Kumbh Mela is significant because of its historic reverence to the fight between spirits and demons over the drink of life, believed to have sprinkled in four main spiritual locations, Allahabad, Ujjain, Nashik, and Haridwar, which stands as places for spiritual renewal. However, its logistical problems, which among others, include thousands of people and rival groups intending to dip first, will rigorously increase the victims of stampede and disorder. Being the holy men they call themselves, discipline and order are highly expected of them, which they still lack. Discussion The author narrates how religious practices took place in Haridwar, India. Countless men who were considered holy matched in a formal style heading to a specific place, Ganges, and a spot, known as, Har Ki Pauri, ordained to be holy, where rituals took place. Many Hindu religious believers supposed that a plunge in this spot on the selected day would permit them to rupture the series of recreation. Their presentations also mattered, in that, they were to walk bare and be painted with a sacramental powder. They were the most spiritualists during that season of ritual performing. This is quite a sign of their religious practice. It was quite necessary, in fact, a must for a spiritualist to present himself in that order for him to perform the ceremony. The legend of the ceremony, called Kumbh Mela, embraces justification that demons and spirits fought over a carafe or Kumbh, which held the drink of life. It further explains that, as the spirits raced headed for heaven, drops of the blessed nectar fell away onto four locations on the river. The locations were believed to be Allahabad, Ujjain, Nashik and Haridwar. These places were considered to be ceremonial myths by Indian spiritualists. At present, the Kumbh Mela is apprehended after every three years, revolving amongst the four cities, denoting that each hosts it, every 12 years (Yardley and Kumar 1). Since Kumbh Mela was considered a consecrated sacrament, whenever catastrophes happen at some phase in the ceremony, demonstration was blocked and an instantaneous action was to take place. If possible, the matching was not to be stopped, instead, a different spot for bath was chosen. Though the Kumbh Mela ceremony was considered holy, it provoked many quarrels within the spiritualist on the matter of who was to dip first. Therefore, there were so many disagreements during the ceremony. Kumbh Mela festival was n
Introduction Ethnic groups have many differences and similarities that can either bring them together or tear them apart. When differences outweigh the similarities, often, a conflict develops out of numerous disagreements (Harvey, 2013). Ethnic conflicts are characterized by differences within an ethnic group or differences between two different groups. There are three theories used in explaining the concept of ethnic conflict. First, there is the primordial’s theory that argues that ethnic groups exist because there are certain customs that make people believe in kinship and other biological features. This means that conflict within ethnic groups develops from external forces. Secondly, there is the instrumental’s theory that the existence of ethnic groups is not dependent on the kind of perceptions people develop about ethnicity (Harvey, 2013). However, the theory states that when people have different perceptions about the concept, then conflict is likely to erupt. Thirdly, there is the constructivist theory, which argues that ethnic groups grow and acquire an identity through accommodation and assimilation. Construction and transfer of knowledge to people happen through processes that eventually result in a group of people different experiences but operating under a similar framework (Harvey, 2013). This can easily lead to conflict. Various ethnic groups have conflicted with each other for a very long time. A good example of such conflicts is the Rwandan Civil War between Hutus and Tutsis that led to the infamous 1994 genocide (Thompson, 2007). This essay will explore the concept of ethnic conflict concerning the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda. Similarities and differences between Hutus and Tutsis The venerable conflict between Hutus and Tutsis remains a mystery to conflict management experts around the world. The conflict, which started in the 20th century, has resulted in deaths of more than one million people, yet both groups share very close ethnic ties (Thompson, 2007). In the 1994 Rwanda genocide, Hutus targeted Tutsis in a war that lasted for over three months and resulted in a death toll of more than 800,000 people. Hutus and Tutsi are Bantu ethnic groups found in Rwanda and Burundi. The two ethnic groups speak French and practice Christianity as their religion. The most notable ethnic difference between the two groups is that Hutus are generally shorter than the Tutsis. This is because Tutsis are originally from Ethiopia, while Hutus originated from the central African nation of Chad (Thompson, 2007). However, Tutsis are wealthier and belong to a higher social class than that of Hutus. The animosity between these two groups stems from a supremacy battle for social status. This started in 1919 when Belgian colonialists who had conquered the country created social tensions between the two groups. Of the two ethnic groups, Hutus are the majority in terms
Although the concept of a balanced scorecard has been known for a comparatively short time period, it has already proven to be one of the most groundbreaking concepts of the century. Because of the opportunity for embracing the key elements contributing to the organisation’s sustainability and the tools for evaluating it, which a balanced scorecard provides, the specified framework must be considered one of the key inventions in economics. Owing to its focus on the creation of sustainable environment for business evolution, the balanced scorecard approach contributed to bolstering the progress of Kaplan & Norton. The development of the concept of the BSC and the introduction of the personal element into its general framework can be viewed as the first step towards improving the original idea. The specified stage of the concept evolution is also market by a significant reduction in the controversy, which the BSC approach used to be characterised by: “Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a strategic performance measurement system devised after a yearlong multi-company research project” (Coe & Letza 2014, p. 63). While at first, the emergence of the BSC was linked closely to only four perspectives, from which the performance of a company could be assessed, the further introduction of new factors allowed for a more adequate assessment and, therefore, a more precise location of the key problems that an organisation could face. The incorporation of the personal scorecard element into the overall framework along with the
Artificial Intelligence: Article Review In their article, Vinyals, Gaffney, and Ewalds (2017) discuss a collaboration in which Blizzard Entertainment, a video game developer, and DeepMind, an artificial intelligence (AI) company, have been using video games as a platform for AI design and testing. The research environment is based on StarCraft II, a highly popular real-time strategy (RTS) video game (“StarCraft AI competition,” 2018). DeepMind’s researchers worked with Blizzard to design a machine learning API that would allow the AI developers to use the game to test their agents. The education of these agents took the form of missions where the AI acted as players, collecting materials, completing campaigns, and playing mini-games (DeepMind, 2017). The mini-games, however, have served mainly as a basis for further exploration, and players as well as researchers have been encouraged to create new games and missions for the agents to complete. This opportunity to make use of games with a heavy focus on strategy and long-term planning has allowed AI developers to test their current knowledge and abilities in an area requiring multiple agents to complete various interrelated tasks. According to Peng et al. (2017), such environments as StarCraft are better suited for complex testing than games that have been previously employed such as Atari. Here, the concept of collaboration is leading to an increased quality of communication and scalability for agents (Peng et al., 2017). This joint effort between the companies is of interest as it introduces the gamification of research in an environment with a large number of human players (Blizzard Entertainment, 2017). Therefore, in contrast to settings that have been designed for agents only, StarCraft and Blizzard can offer DeepMind an enormous amount of data gathered from playing time which teaches the AI to perform a set of complex tasks. From an AI perspective, the concept of utilizing games for development and testing of machine learning holds tremendous potential which made this article inherently interesting. The complexity of overlaying game elements such as map awareness, unit health, and strategic movement can be compared to the intricacy of real-world scenarios. Application of AI mechanisms in various industries ranging from economics to military requires analysis of big data in real-time with consequent decision-making. The utilization of the DeepMind in combination with SC2LE tools holds promising results in AI research such as sequence prediction and long-term memory which can expand possibilities in AI applications for highly complex tasks.
The recent financial crisis that was witnessed all over the world initiated in the United States of America as a result of the house bubble. Thus, Florida was not exception and therefore it was greatly affected by the United States of America housing crisis. Consequently, there are several people in Florida that are fighting hard to avoid loosing their houses through foreclosure. In an attempt to resolve these crises many such people in Florida are opting for a short sale of their homes. They are considering short sale option since it results to great profits to both the seller and lenders. Nevertheless, short sales in Florida are currently highly prone to fraudulent issues and thus not often accepted by banks. One instance where fraudulent happens in short sale is where realtors give several bids for a home that is up for a short sale. Unfortunately, the real estate agent does not reveal all the necessary information required. In such cases, the real estate agents provides only the higher offers, but does not give out the lower offers. Subsequently, the short sale of the exchanges hands at a lower price. This gives the buyer of the house an opportunity to buy the house at a lower price. The person who buys this house becomes the new owner of the house and is therefore at liberty to resell the house whenever he opts. In most cases, the new owner of the house opts to sell the house the same day at a higher price and gets quick profits that he/she shares with the agent (Sackrin and Tolchinsky Par.3). In mortgages sometimes the property owner may opt to do short sale on the property. Through this process the lender willingly accepts to receive lesser amounts than the balance owed on the mortgage at sale. When this happens, the deficiency balance is ignored. According to the federal government, a creditor is expected to file a 1099C whenever it forgives a loan balance that is over $ 600. This translates to a tax liability for the former property owner since the loan balance that is forgiven is regarded as an income and should be taxed. In some cases, the mortgage owners are asking borrowers to agree to accept liability for the deficiency balance. This should not be the case in the normal situation because the lending party in this case the mortgage company should be the one that should take the responsibility for the liability of the deficiency balance. These mortgage companies are asking the borrowers to take the responsibility of the liability for deficiency balance as a strategy to make sure that they do not incur extra expenses through taxation when the mortgage company opts to sell the houses at a lower price than the balance owed by the mortgage at the time of sale. The mortgage considers reselling a house when the borrower fails to pay
In his graphic novel, Spiegelman uses a literary device known as anthropomorphism to show the difference between races, including Americans, the Germans, and the Jews. This device makes the severe issue seem simpler to understand, and the readers pay more attention to the ideas expressed by the author. In Maus , Spiegelman portrays the horrors of the holocaust and reminds the readers that the holocaust’s victims and survivors also had their own lives and dreams. The first section to be discussed is Chapter 1 – “The Sheik.” In this section, the main character Artie asks his father Vladek to tell him about his life during the war. Instead of describing the horrors Vladek faced during the holocaust, he prefers to tell his son about his happy and careless life in 1935 (Spiegelman, 1980, pp. 13-23). This desire to recall the good old days proves that the victims of the war prefer to remember the pleasant times. The second section is Chapter 3- “Prisoner of War.” In this part of the novel, Vladek talks about the first events he witnessed as a soldier. Interestingly, Vladek remembers the name of a soldier he killed, and this detail show
Diversity in classes is typical of many regions of the world, including Hong Kong. In this context, much attention should be paid to developing and proposing effective educational practices for English learners in multicultural environments with a focus on students with learning needs (Poon-McBrayer, 2014). Ronny is a six-year-old boy who lives with the family in Hong Kong. His mother is a Chinese woman, and his father is a White American. Ronny was born in the United States during the period when both parents worked here as programmers and IT specialists. The boy speaks fluently Cantonese and English because they are actively used at home. Two years ago, the family moved to Hong Kong, and when Ronny was five years old, he was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of the combined type. The parents do not use medications to address Ronny’s hyperactivity and impulsivity. Individual Differences Parents reported that Ronny was always more energetic and active than other boys, and they decided to consult the therapist when they noticed Ronny could not concentrate on any activity for some time, could not sit or stay without excessive movements for a long period, and had problems with sleep. ADHD is associated with such signs and behaviors as an individual’s inability to concentrate on a certain stimulus, the demonstration of excessive motor activity and nonfunctional movements, impatience, inattention, and impulsive behaviors (Rief, 2016). The majority of the signs were found to be typical of the boy, and they were not caused by external or physical factors. While focusing on the individual differences of this student in the classroom, it is possible to state that Ronny is usually positive and friendly, and he likes to interact with other children, but he also demonstrates behaviors that are typical of ADHD. Ronny quickly becomes involved in examining handout materials, but he cannot concentrate on the task or instructions that the teacher provides. Thus, the student prefers to work on new interesting assignments that involve using some physical objects and colorful materials prepared for lessons. When the teacher explains new tasks for the group of students, Ronny usually does not listen to the teacher, he can tear handouts or break some other materials without waiting for instructions from the adult. Moreover, the student often interrupts the teacher and peers to ask questions that can be unrelated to the topic of a current discussion or activity. If Ronny is engaged in working on lesson assignments, he usually patters, knocks on the table, rocks back and forth in his chair, and frequently stands up. When Ronny participates in group activities with other children, he is concentrated on speaking to peers rather than on p
Undoubtedly, slavery that thrived during the first several centuries of American history is a dark chapter, and abolishing it is celebrated as the true definition of liberty. However, how aware are we of life conditions African Americans were forced to experience? Do we understand why the modern generations protect their rights and value equality? One book written long after slavery ended reveals the hard truth about violence towards the enslaved. Kindred is a science fiction novel created in 1979 by Octavia E. Butler, an African-American female author. The book significantly impacted American literature due to the writer’s roots and the problems of slavery addressed in a detailed manner (Guo 553). This paper aims to analyze Kindred ’s plot, discuss the issues raised by Bulter, and describe the book’s influence on American literature. Kindred’s main character, Dana, was born and grew up in the United States long after abolishing slavery. However, under extraordinary circumstances, she went through the experience of being a servant on a Maryland plantation with ruthless masters. The novel’s plot takes place in two dimensions – Dana’s reality of 1976 and the period of the early 1800s, where she appears as a slave. After the two time-traveling occasions, the main character understands what was going on and involves her husband, Kevin, in the process. They lost each other in the 1800s dimension because Kevin was white and could leave the plantation. Each time she arrived at the 1800s dimension, she helped Rufus, the masters’ son, survive, and if a life threat appeared, the woman was thrown back to her reality. Dana was kindred with the masters’ family and with one of the enslaved women, as their child named Hagar was the character’s grandmother. The plot is based on the relationship between the Weylin family and their slaves, showing how closely tied they were in various ways and how violently the latter were treated. The African American characters, Nigel, Sarah, Carrie, and Alice, experience unreasonable punishments, and their lives depend on the masters’ moods and desires. As a female slave, Dana faced mistreatment, harassment, and emotional abuse, for example, when she was beaten for not saving Mr. Weylin’s life during the heart attack (Butler 215). Life at the plantation changed her character, as she claimed that “pain had never been a friend to me before, but now it kept me still; it forced reality on me and kept me sane” (Butler 113). Detailed descriptions of these actions provided by Butler make a reader question how people could be so cruel to one another. Alice, a slave from Maryland’s plantation, was a significant character of Kindred because her destiny reveals the most harmful sides of slavery. Rufus, the master’s son, was in love with Alice and allowed himself to treat the young woman as his property (Butler 70). Dana witnessed the moment when Rufus found out that Alice committed suicide: “I saw tha
Rosalind Krauss dwells upon the evolution of sculpture as well as its three-dimensional form. She claims that this medium has become more flexible as compared to its traditional forms because nowadays a lot of things can be named sculpture. The major works that mark the transition from the classical to the modern period that she cites are Gates of Hell and the statue of Balzac by Rodin. Both sculptures abandoned the pedestal, on which traditional sculptures commonly resided making the sculpture lose its ‘site’. Gradually, monuments were becoming more and more abstract and ‘nomadic’, which put an end to the traditional period. In the 1950s, sculpture became a ‘combination of exclusions’, which implied that it turned from statement to negation. Varying between ‘not landscape and ‘not architecture’, sculpture used both to define its own meaning (e.g. Robert Morris’s Green Gallery Installation ). In its current state, sculpture, according to Krauss, can be anything at all including a whole variety of media such as books, mirrors, photos, etc. This makes it rather challenging to give a definition of this modern form of art. However, the major benefit the present-day sculpture provides to artists is freedom of choice as it rejects all the previously accepted boundaries and canons.
The business narrative advanced by Bloom’s and Kolb’s theories relates very perfectly to my work as an office manager of special initiatives in Galveston Independent School. According to Bloom, there exists three spheres of influence in experiential learning which are the cognitive that involves the mental skills or Knowledge, the affective which involves growth in feelings or emotional areas relating to attitude, and the psychomotor which deals with manual and physical skills. All the said aspects are related to my work. On the other hand, (Kolb 17) acknowledges experiential learning work of other writers like Rogers, Jung and Piaget who wrote books on psychology. Thus in his writing, Kolb’s theories relate very much to my work as a director manager. These are aspects that I will expound in the following paragraphs. In understanding human behavior and helping others to learn, Kolb’s concepts have helped me to perform my duties as a facilitator by running meetings and setting round robin discussions and conference calls. My work has also been enhanced by Bloom’s theories and they have also enabled me to use my cognitive, affective and psychomotor capabilities. In the end I have become effective in my communication skills. In essence the mastery of these two theories has provided the basis for this paper. It is by understanding Bloom’s work that I used his concept on cognitive operations and engaged with taxonomy in categorizing people. This was because I understood various principles that affected behavior and perceptions. Bloom’s concepts are still used and accepted today in taxonomy as it identifies six levels of learning which are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Kottke and Schuster, 23; Granello, 18). (Kolb’s 26) theory on the other hand forms the foundation that one’s experience is an important method in influencing certain concepts which can be used by an individual for inference and active experimentation. In relation to my work, Bloom’s concept of taxonomy has empowered me. This has been through my experience of creating purchase orders and purchasing stuff, undertaking budget reconciliations and financial statements. It has enabled me analyze it, synthesize and finally evaluate all that I have done. The method has really made me a competent director and thus I have become a value adding employee to the school. In addition to my professional competence, Kolb’s theory brought me to an understanding of myself in relation to how I work with others. Using his four phases in his learning cycle, I have grasped the concepts of what I learn. It has helped me know how to maximize my discoveries in the work environment. It taught me how to solve work problems and work as a team member, manage conflicts and misunderstandings and thus improve personal and professional relationships and finally make informed choices in my career. In reviewing Kolb’s explanation that naturally people’s pr