ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The reason Gorbachev chose the United Nation as the forum to deliver the speech had something to do with the target audience. The UN summit brought the world’s leaders together as well as other important personalities, institutions, and media. Gorbachev’s topic of the speech was based on international relations and the need to change from ideology based relations to a more democratic environment (Gorbachev, 1988). The message was meant for the leaders of both powerful and weak nations. By choosing the United Nations summit, Gorbachev knew his message would be spread across the world. At the same time, the United Nations acts as a unifying body that brings all nations together in order to discuss and find solutions to problems facing the world. Therefore, by using the platform Gorbachev was giving a solution to one of the major problems that have created conflicts in international relations. The term “de-ideologizing relations among” depicted the major subject of the speech. This term refers to the international relations that are not based on ideologies. Over the years, the Soviet Union, the United States, and other major world powers have been using their preferred ideologies to influence the political and economic status of other countries. Based on differences in interests and social problems created by the ideological influences in foreign countries, Gorbachev asserts that ideological relations have created conflicts over the years. In that sense, he argues that it is wrong to try to change the course of people by imposing foreign ideologies on them. In a democratic environment, nations should be given the freedom to make their choices (Gorbachev, 1988). As a result, international relations should be based on mutual understanding rather than ideological influence. He explains that the world is changing and the major powers must embrace the idea of freedom and sovereignty of individual nations. When he said, “force no longer can be an instrument of foreign policy”, Gorbachev was condemning the use of military power in the modern world to influence foreign policies and international relations. Instead, foreign policies should be based on mutual understanding and the need to address human problems in a different way other than through military approaches (Gorbachev, 1988). The idea of eliminating military force as a way of solving political, social, and economic situations stemmed from Gorbachev’s need to create a democratic space for all nations in the world. Subsequently, the Soviets would give its allies the freedom to pursue their interests. This would lead to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the following years. Since its allies had the democratic space, they disintegrated into individual nations with unique interests and governance systems, which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In terms of the future roles of the superpowers, Gorbachev foresaw a new approach to addressing the international crisis. The superpowers would have to reduce military inf
Ask the Dust is a popular novel by John Fante about Arturo Bandini, an Italian-American writer who struggles with his determination in an attempt to write a story that would strike the audience and make him a recognized writer. He is in search of inspiration and all he is doing is rushing here and there to find a hint of something that would make him write at least several lines of his new novel. However, nothing seems to inspire him and his existence is confined to desperate searching. From the very beginning of the account, Fante focuses on existential issues and describes the protagonist from the first person to show that Bandini is his alter ego. The introductory part of the novel focuses on the daily routine in which the writer is involved. As a result, Bandini is attached to details and watches people surrounding him in the street. Probably, that is the only way to find the starting point. Arturo Bandini seems to be empty, lost, and pathetic. He is constantly observing each detail of human behavior to find out reasons why some people are exhausted and self-deluded. Most of the people described by the protagonist seem to be alienated from society. Bandini finally finds a Mexican girl Camilla Lopez who becomes the center of his obsessions, which played an important role in his writer’s career. Their relationships expressed by inner conflicts, racial bigotry, and mutual love and hatred deliver a dark comedy exposing the struggle for survival. The novel, therefore, is not about a writer who wants to write a book, but a man who is in search of self-identity and recognition. He wants to become a famous writer to get rid of the lack of self-esteem.
Summary The research “Social relationships, social assimilation, and substance-use disorders among adult Latinos in the U.S.” conducted by Canino et al. in 2008 have been published in the Journal of Drug Issues. The scientists measured the cases of drug abuse among the given group and explored factors that influenced socialization. The initial theory addressed the fact that Latinos born outside of the U.S. have lower rates of substance use disorders (SUD) than ones with a U.S. birthplace (Canino et al., 2008). Individuals’ social relations with their peers and families, language, and other assimilation practices were distinguished based on gender. The study included two main hypotheses that could be simultaneously tested on the data about SUD and Latino adults’ assimilation. The initial hypothesis is that adult Latinos with more social assimilation will have a greater prevalence of lifetime SUD (Canino et al., 2008). Moreover, representatives with worse family relationships will have higher SUD rates than ones with better family connections (Canino et al., 2008). The research’s data was studied separately for men and women, thus the hypotheses were tested with the same approach. To design the study, scientists used data from Latinos from the National Latino and Asian American Survey to retrieve the necessary group. Indeed, Canino et al. (2008) sampled “2,554 Latinos 18 years of age and older of Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Other Latino self-identified origin, living in the non-institutionalized population” (p. 74). The responses to surveys were received mostly via face-to-face interviews within participants’ homes. The SUD rates were assessed based on English and Spanish versions of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) and calculated according to the APA’s criteria for abuse and dependence (Canino et al., 2008). The survey also included questions about participants’ knowledge of English, their mother tongue, relationships at home, and certain family members. Statistical analyses were based on the tables with interviews’ responses and calculations of rates and patterns. Aside from the hypotheses testing, the results also revealed that the immigrants have lower educational levels, and their English fluency is significantly lower. Higher odds of SUD are more associated with individuals who use English more frequently than Spanish in their families. The research concluded that one in twenty immigrants had a history of SUD, while the rate for ones born in the U.S. is one in five (Canino et al., 2008). Furthermore, the participants who experienced drug abuse reported low rates of family support and harmony in their relationships (Canino et al., 2008). Consequently, both hypotheses stated in the research were submitted by the surveys’ results. The study’s results were presented separately by gender due to the difference in life experience and social roles of male and female representatives. Canino et al. (2008) concluded that “SUD was positively associated with problematic family r
Introduction The long history of art and architecture allows experts to compare and contrast existing styles to determine factors that influenced their inception. In order to do such an analysis in this paper, two styles were chosen. On the one hand, examples of the modernist movement will be explored. Modernism is an approach characterized by a wide-scale transformation of artistic, literary, and musical styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. On the other hand, to compare with Modernism, the Arts and Crafts movement will be examined. It appeared in the nineteenth century as a response to impersonal and mechanized directions in the art that the society took. In the paper, it will be argued that both Modernism and Arts and Crafts focused not only on aesthetics but also on the utility of their designs. However, there is a difference in the use of materials and the overall presentation of their features – modernist designs are streamlined, simplistic, and use a stark contrast of colors while Arts and Crafts items are more complex in implementation, warmer in the color palette and more substantial in shape. Importantly, several examples from both movements will be explored, including Bauhaus as a modernist art school and Voysey design as an example of the arts and crafts movement. Exploring Modernism The term modernism has developed a specific meaning when it comes to art and architecture. As defined by Harrison (1997), Modernism is related to a form of value linked to separate works of art to distinguish them from other styles. Today, critics view modernism as a breakdown of the traditional styles inherent to the Western culture that used to connect the appearance of works of art to the appearance of the natural world (Harrison 1997). Typically, such a breakdown is associated with trends and traditions in the use of shapes, materials, and colors in order to form new and unique combinations and yield a visual experience that has never been present. Therefore, a painting of a person that looks like nothing in real life is usually characterized as a ‘modern’ painting despite it being a half-century-old. This suggests that the modernist movement that developed in the twentieth century acquired a historical character inherent of that time. In particular, it was the inception of Cubism in 1907-1908 and the immediate aftermath that gave a start to modernism. Bauhaus as an Example As an example of the modernist movement, the Bauhaus school of design will be explored. Initially, the Bauhaus was associated with an educational establishment founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 in Weimar, Germany (Sudjic 2014). Despite the fact that the establishment existed only until 1933, art connoisseurs around the world consider it the home to the classical modern and Avant-guard styles in both applied and liberal arts. Even today, the Bauhaus is used as a synonym for rational and functional art, especially when it comes to architecture and furniture design. Most importantly, the aesthetic inherent to the sty
Introduction A human right according to the UN Organization (2010) refers to alienable rights if every human being which is inherent to them and upholds their dignity. Recognition of human rights is the foundation of peace, justice and freedom in the world. The declaration of human rights highlights the rights that every human being is entitled too despite the fact that in many instances people are not aware of these rights. Even in situations when people are aware of their rights, these rights can still be abused. Freedom from poverty is embodied in many of the rights stipulated by the UN declaration of human rights (UN Organization, 2010). Several articles pertain to poverty directly while others address situations that affect poverty. This paper will examine various thoughts on poverty as a right especially basing its argument on the international declaration of human rights. This is the basis upon which freedom from poverty can be understood and supported. The arguments will show that freedom from poverty is a fundamental right. Enabling people to have means to live dignify lives and is therefore a human right since poverty prevents them from reaching this end. Freedom from poverty is a human right in as far as many who are poor have had so many of their rights taken away. As a consequence, they cannot rise above poverty. When freedom from poverty is addressed and treated as a human rights, other rights are respected as well. Poverty in the world is largely as a consequence of denial of human rights in various ways. In the words of Louise Arbour a UN high commissioner “ …freedom from want is a right, not merely a matter of compassion” (UN News center, 2006). According to the (UNDP (2005) a right to development entitles people to the right freedom from poverty. This is one of the most efficient support for freedom from poverty as a right. The UNDP states that people have rights to the realization of “… cultural, social and economic goals .working… and life allowing the person to health and well being…” (UNDP, 1998) Type of right While positive rights obligate action negative rights require holding back or curbing actions. The right of freedom from pover
Introduction Australia and New Zealand, in terms of similarities, are two counties that have a lot in common. The foundation of the two countries as colonies has set a similar start, almost identical in terms of what could have made these countries united. However, the subsequent different paths of development showed many differences that outlined the initial differences that were present in the countries background that was not so apparent at first. This essay addresses the issue of differences between those two countries in the context of the contrasts in indigenous as well as immigrant cultures, divergent policies, and practices. Analysis Prior to starting the differences between the two countries, the apparent common factors should be mentioned. The first factor is the geographical position, as the two countries are positioned in the same part of the world, where the first apparent difference is the area, as Australia is a large country that occupies a whole continent with the same name, whereas New Zealand is an island country consisting of two major island and many smaller ones. Despite sharing a close position on the world map, the environment of the two countries is rather different where New Zealand is predominantly mountainous with some large coastal plains, and Australia is mostly a low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in the southeast. “(CIA, 2008 The World Fact Book) Another apparent similarity is the foundation of both countries as an attempt for Great Britain to expand its empire. However, the form of colonization is somewhat different as Australia was a convict colony, and due to the fact that Australia was colonized 50 years earlier than New Zealand, it cannot be said that New Zealand was settled by convicts as mostly it was the place where “a handful of absconders, traders, whalers and sealers and, of course, missionaries ventured” (Mclean 2) If talking about the indigenous population differences, at the present time, according to the CIA factbook, the aboriginal population in Australia is approximately 1% of 20 million of the overall population, and in New Zealand, this ratio is shown in 7.9% Maori of 4 million of the overall population. Talking about the indigenous population, it should be mentioned that both the Maori and Aborigine, in addition to the different apparent ratio that they have in the two countries they are different in almost every aspect of history, language, culture, and social organization. “Maoris have heavily imprinted themselves on the character of New Zealand, whereas Aborigines have not in respect of modern Australia. These issues have profound consequences for further development of the relationship between the two countries.” (Mclean 2) The existence of monoculture in the Maori race, i.e., one
Introduction Pop music can be defined as a form of musical entertainment that is recorded for business purposes and mostly targets the youths. It comprises of short love songs that are simple. Pop music is the short form of Popular Music. This form of entertainment has been developed over a long period of time from many popular dances. It is thought to have its origin from Europe (Scaruffi, 2007). Origin of pop music Pop music is thought to have started in 1679 at Napoli in Italy (Inglis, 2006). At around this time Alessandro composed his very first Opera that Francesco later coined its musical language. In Vienna, Americans caused a lot of revolution and development of factories. This brought a lot of cultural and social changes to the people in the 19th century. This new living style needed a new dancing style that was ‘popular’ hence the development of Waltz that was a folk dance from Australia at around 1800. Waltz was viewed as a good dance for the new living standard of people. In Paris, pop music started at around 1870 and this was after the end of the Terror and Napoleonic Wars (Scaruffi, 2007). These people had cafes that sold alcohol and food and the common form of entertainment was concert. With time the singers started to write down their presentations and they could sing severally. This lead to improvement and they started addressing issues that the audience could understand. They started with Cabaret around 1882 that was improved as lifestyle improved. Factors that promoted pop music Pop music is thought to have been an indication of the interaction of people and their environment. As the lifestyle of people improved a great improvement in the form of entertainment was as well noted especially among the well able people but for the poor this was not the case. Later, following the evolvement of industries and development of urban centers, also the lifestyle of poor people improved considerably and this lead to the improvement of music among the poor and the rich. Another factor that led to music improvement was the development of theaters where singers would dance as audience watched. Also in America, pop music advanced due to immigrants and slaves that brought diversity in language (Inglis, 2006). Colonization also greatly influenced musical entertainment especially pop music in different parts of the world. Comparison Comparing today’s pop music with that of the 19th century, great improvement can be noted. This is through the influence from other types of music example the current gospel, soul, blues, rock and ele
Introduction The idea of comparing the constitutions of different countries has become infectious in the present world. Scholars are asked to compare constitutions derived from a socialist country with constitution of capitalistic countries. With the advances in knowledge base, scholars have come up with ways that they can use to compare different constitutions. This article compares the constitution of the United States, the constitution of Russia and that of the state of Missouri. The American constitution, the Russian constitution and the constitution of the state of Missouri may appear to be remarkably similar in some aspects. However, the similarities in these constitutions mask the differences that exist underneath. Most of the similarities in the constitution are detected when the users look at the general constitutional provisions. However, when looking at the specific provisions in the constitutions, the differences start to emerge. Therefore, to clearly avoid misrepresentation of information some of the similarities should be taken at face value rather than their specificity. In the general sense, most of the constitutions address some basic issues. These basic issues can be used to determine the similarities among the aforementioned state and countries. Taking this into account, the United States constitution, the Russian constitutions, and the state of Missouri constitution, address matters to do with distribution of power in the government. These constitutions try to determine how the authority /power will be distributed among the different bodies of the government (Mannheimer 8). The constitutions try to provide for the element of power in order to ensure that power is not concentrated within one body. Therefore, these constitutions have separated powers among the various bodies (Mannheimer 8). Both the United States’ constitutions and the Russian constitution establish a federal government with three branches: the executive the judiciary and the legislature (Mannheimer 9). Moreover, in the question of power, all these constitutions advocate for election of a leader. This leader must be elected by a popular ballot. Therefore, they reject the English monarch system where power is inherited. Both the Russian and the US constitutions are similar in that they are made up of a bicameral legislature (Mannheimer 11). This means that there is smaller house with two representatives from different regions. Another area of similarity in the three constitutions is the question on relationship between government and its c
Introduction Stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines are still considered to be among the main reasons for killing civil population. The warfare tactics is efficient, but the post-war period points to the increased threat for the citizens to become the victims of landmines that had not been destroyed. Most of the countries are realizing the causalities of this weapon for their people. Therefore, they agreed to sign the Mine Ban Treaty, an international agreement that seeks to eliminate antipersonnel landmines through destruction of stockpiles and mine clearance. However, strong history of such power-state as USA, Russia, China and many other countries originating predominantly from the Middle and Far East excluded them from the list of signatory countries for a number of reasons. These strongly developed economies, therefore, create a serious challenge for ratifying the Treaty on their territories. Nevertheless, it is possible to introduce shifts to the American, Russian, and Chinese policy if the MBT achieves the status of international law imposing certain obligations on these countries in terms of their reputation as humanitarian nations, as well as their commitment to shaping a peaceful international community. Background Officially efficient on March 1, 1999, the Ottawa Treaty, or Mine Band Treaty (MBT), has become a threshold for the majority of the world’s community members (Good 220). It bans the production, trade and storage of anti-personnel landmines and seeks to eliminate the risks of the weapon for peaceful population. Since the Treaty reinforcement, the global rates of landmine stockpiles have changed rapidly. At the end of the 1990s, more than 130 countries stockpiled antipersonnel landmines. Currently, there are only 40 states stockpiling landmine, which led to about 4,000 causalities in 2009 (Good 221). As a result, due to the fact that over 75 % of the world’s communities are signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty, the non-signatory states have been so affected that they behave in accordance with the agreement goals and provisions. Main Discussion Rationale for Eliminating Landmines The failure of the U.S. authorities to sign the MBT at the very beginning was explained by ex-president Clinton’s assumption that “landmines’ limited military utility does not outweigh their humanitarian effect” (Good 223). The U.S. government policy, therefore, points to the American exceptionalism because it constantly resists the strategies introduced by the world community. Nevertheless, the international campaign should continue developing new policies and agreements that could undermine the reputation of power-state and make them recognize the inconsistency of their political and military ideology. Although landmines are not created for killing victims, the high rates of causalities prove that it is possible. In wartime, however, this weapon is supposed to cause extreme pain as well as physical and emotional pressure. These underground bombs are preferred during military actions because they are much cheaper than other weapon, but not less efficient (Hansen 365). However, clearance and stockpile destruction is another obstacle to eli