ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Robin Givhan’s article Shifting Beauty, published in 2020, examines the changing perceptions of beauty in the fashion industry. The article delves into the purported change in the standards of beauty that have come about from the inclusivity of darker-skinned women, plus-size women, and any other women that do not fit in the traditional description of beauty (Givhan). The shift is vastly explored. The first instance that exemplifies the change in traditional conventions in the article is the appearance of Alek Wek, a Sudanese model, on the cover of Elle magazine in November 1997. According to Givhan, Alek Wek represented a shift from the traditionally held standards of beauty in the United States since she was dark, while most of those who appeared before her were lighter in complexion. Alek Wek set a precedent for acceptance of diversity, and more than twenty years later, the barriers of beauty have been continuously broken. Cover images have changed, and even women in hijab have come into the picture. However, Givhan exposes her own bias, and it almost appears as if she would prefer that the beauty industry discard the mantra that all are beautiful in their own way. On further examination of the content in the article, it becomes apparent that the sentiments expressed exhibit inconsistencies that are detrimental to her stand. Although the author adequately demonstrates the increasing diversity in the fashion industry, the criticism on shifting beauty standards is blemished since the justification for the criticism is inadequate, the beauty standards established before were innately discriminatory, and the premise upon which the criticism is founded is fallacious. Flawed justification for criticism of shifting beauty standards The author tries to justify her criticism of the shift in beauty standards through two main arguments. First, the author argues that changes in beauty standards have been unwarranted. The importance of magazines in the fashion world of years gone by cannot be overstated. Magazines have been used to create brands and develop products. Fashion magazines also project individuals into the limelight and propel them to fame. The discourse created by the fashion magazines shapes public perception, and often a controversial take or fashion trend in a magazine will reverberate throughout the fashion industry. Magazines are an integral part of fashion, and the interlink between the two is exemplified by the pop culture icons who appear in the magazines. Therefore, the appearance of Alek Wek is rightly not a light matter. According to Givhan, Alek Wek represented the departure from the conventional beauty standards. Increasing variance on magazine covers clearly demonstrates changing perceptions by individuals but does not demonstrate the change in the public consensus on beauty. To many individuals with ingrained perceptions of beauty, the appearance of
Bacterial resistance is a condition whereby certain microorganisms are resistant to effects of drugs as they portray an inherent ability to withstand exposure to antibiotics. This state of affairs can thrive in conditions whereby a gene is shared and also develops resistance through a process of natural selection. These same genes can be relocated among bacteria in a horizontal manner through conjugation, transduction or transformation. It is reported that many of the resistant genes exist in on plasmids making it easy for the facilitation of propagation. The main cause for resistance is through application of medicine which can also include veterinary drugs. It has been discovered that resistance to the antibiotics increases with more exposure periods to the drugs (Bhutta, 2008) Causes of Bacterial Resistance Bacteria and other resistance genes are known to be transmitted at a high rate and travel much farther. This makes the spread of epidemics much faster hence endangering the lives of many. As the population of the world increases on a daily basis, it is becoming more and more important for researchers and other stake holders such as government bodies and members of the medical community to come up with solutions to reduce the resistance of antibiotics. Opportunities involved in the fast spread of bacteria from person to person are compounded by the increasing number of individuals in public places such as stadiums and parks. Globalization ha also contributed to higher resistance of antibiotics as distribution of food from one continent to another greatly increases the chance of the citizens of either country’s to contract bacterial infection (Bloomberg, 2007). Reduction of Bacterial Resistance by Medical Community The medical fraternity should be at the forefront in educating patients and the general public on methods and techniques of reducing bacterial resistance. It is widely accepted that the connection between antibiotic use and resistance is compound, whereby there have been different findings in regard to the research studies conducted in the past. Several findings have concluded that a decrease in antibiotic resistance can only take place when there is a subsequent reduction in the utilization of antibiotics. Researchers have discovered that the period required for the frequency of antibiotic resistance to drop is generally higher than the period obligated in order for resistance to build up under selective pressure (Okeke, 2009). Success by medical practitioners in mitigating bacterial resistance have not been successful due to the lack of information on mortality rates as well as morbidity rates that are attributed to resistance. The medical community should furnish the public and themselves with data relating to the number of deaths blamed on resistance to bacteria. The medical community should also adhere
Executive summary The two couples going on the Venetian excursion have different interests. It is important therefore that the trip sufficiently covers these interests. For this reason, the whole one week shall be made up of diversified excursions which shall accommodate the different interests. There will be different excursions which will include sightseeing as well as learning more about the heritage and the culture of the Venetian people. Several service marketing strategies that shall be employed are also explained in this report. These strategies include product promotion as well as incorporating physical evidence in any information that is to be passed to the couples prior to their flight to Venice. The honeymoon for couple A shall be a blend of romantic outings as well as party filled outings such as clubbing and going for dances. For couple B, the excursion will not involve noisy and very vigorous activities. Their excursion will give them a chance to explore the Venetian culture and history. They shall go to the museums as well as restaurants serving traditional food. Apart from that there are some excursions that will allow both couples to meet and mingle with the Venetian people. All these activities are going to be fun filled and accord them a holiday to remember. The report shall include day by day activities that the couples shall go through. The Venice Excursion Plan Italy is a culture rich country. Apart from that it has several resorts that are both exotic and romantic. The First Couple is looking for a romantic setting that they can enjoy their honeymoon and serenity. Apart from that they are seeking to enjoy what Italy has to offer. They are young and therefore are on a budget. The second couple is a bit old. They are interested in the historical side of the city. Among the 7p is the use of physical evidence (Hunt, 2007 p. 279). Prior to their flight, the tourists shall be treated to photography as well as videos shoeing the places that they should expect to visit once they get to Venice. Apart from that the potential tourists shall be allowed to talk to other people who have been on some of these excursions. This is a way of marketing the services that shall be offered. A good marketing plan is one which entices the potential customer to really want to be part of the experience. Therefore in the marketing, there is need to stress how the product (in this case the holiday and the honey) shall be one of a lifetime. Personal promotion shall also be involved in the marketing of the product (Webster, 2005; Bambale, 2011). The two couples shall be given tour guides. The tour guides shall be carefully chosen. Couple A shall have a young tour guide. While couple B shall be given an older tour guide. This is important as each tour guide shall be in the age brackets of the different couples. Through this, the tour guides
Introduction The following essay will show how the Stalingrad battle, ordered by Hitler, was just but the turning point of war in World War II. This is because it was the end of a perception the world had, that Germany was the most powerful nation and could win every war. This will be into comparison with other instances when Hitler had attacked other parts of the world. The Stalingrad Battle By mid 1942, Germany had cost Russians tremendous losses in terms of resources and work force given that the former had managed to kill over three million Russian soldiers and putting almost a similar number in captivity. Were it not for winter that pushed them back a bit, Germans had captured around ninety percent of Russian land and resources. By the beginning of summer, Hitler was again ready to attack Russia taking advantage of their weak status due to the tremendous losses he had cost them earlier on. The Stalingrad battle began in September 1942 during the winter, led by the “German commander of the sixth army, General Paulus and assisted by Fourth Panzer Army”; indeed, General Paulus was ordered by Hitler to take Stalingrad whose initial target was to capture the oil fields at Caucasus and their final target was Baku [1] , which supplied seventy-one percent of all the oil the Soviets used during Word war II. Hitler’s other reason for capturing Stalingrad was due to its association with Russia as well as its connection to the south waterway. Thus by seizing Stalingrad, he would have paralyzed Russia by a great deal. All his interest on Stalingrad was accelerated by the fact that he was interested in damaging the name of his enemy Stalin who was the Soviet dictator and the city was named after his name. For a long time, the world was convinced that Germany had the best and strongest army, meaning they could win any war. The contrast of this began during Red Verdun war in 1918, two years before World War I ended [2] . In 1916, the cream of Germany army engaged French in a battle that failed terribly and since then, problems began since most its followers withdrew, divisions in the army began which finally collapsed, thus it had no future. Their enemies “Anglo-American-French bloc,” did not realize that they were approaching victory and they “continued believing that the German army was still the most powerful” [3] . The Stalingrad battle is different in nature from Red Verdun battle since it was the Germans last expression of a desperate struggle. The Soviet army won this battle and it was not only the turning point in the World War II but in the history of humankind. Sixty five percent of all casualties in the war were Russian. It was Russia blood, machinery, resources and will which brought Hitler down. This is evident from the fact that, when Stalin appointed the two best military commanders, they vowed to either liberate Stalingrad or die with so much determination. Millions of people in the world followed the proceedings of Stalingrad carefully and every step the Soviet army made brought to them anxiety and stirred elation throughout the world [4] . After this defeat, the German army was in full retreat because it had lost a lot thus it w
Introduction Planning is a very important element for the success of an organization. Many organizations are not able to plan effectively as evidenced by a large number of failed organizations. Planning is a challenging task since planners are expected to oversee future situations in order to prepare their organizations to cope with the situations. Role of Scenario planning Although planning has always been challenging, frequent change in a business environment has made it even more difficult to attain (Fiol, 1994, p. 137). According to De Geus, the success of an organization is highly influenced by the ability of an organization to learn. He asserts that the faster an organization learns, the more it is able to cope with the changing business environment and thus gain a competitive advantage over other organizations (De Geus, 1988, 70). De Geus advises that the secret to success in the frequently changing business environment is increasing the pace of institutional learning. According to De Geus, senior managers must be able to understand what is happening in the business environment of their organizations and take appropriate steps at the appropriate time. He associates the failure of many organizations to failure of decision-makers to make appropriate decisions in good time or failure to understand the trend of the business environment of their organizations. This shows the need for organizations to learn. Institutional learning is challenging as De Geus warns. Unlike individual learning, institutional learning is slow as it involves many individuals (De Geus, 1988, 72). De Geus advocates for scenario planning in order to help an organization adapt to changing business environment. This, unlike teaching, enables decision-makers to learn easily and apply their knowledge to make timely moves. He cites effective scenario planning as the reason for Shell’s success in otherwise tricky business. Appropriate scenarios helped the organization’s management to be prepared for the future business environment. The scenarios were able to capture the future business environment thus enabling the decision-makers to make timely decisions. De Geus warns that institutional learning is slow. This implies that for a good decision, an institution should have adequate time for preparation (Mintzberg, 1994, par 5). Since business environment change frequently requires the fast decision, scenario planning enables the management to be prepared. Although institutional learning is important to all individuals in an organization, it has more effect when it takes place in top management. Facilitating institutional planning is the most important role of planners. Planners should ensure that an organization is prepared for any adversity (Ringland, 2006, p. 58). De Geus asserts that planners fall into various traps in their quest for institutional learning. One of the major traps is where planners start with mental models that are not easily recognized by their audience. Th
Moliere is one of the most brilliant talents in neoclassical French theatre. This kind of theatre developed in the sixteenth century, when France was under the reign of Louis XIV, an absolute monarch. A lot of factors influenced the appearance of neoclassical trends, and one of them was political. Religious plays were prohibited, that is why secular theatre got a new breath. Louis XIV supported arts and liked all kinds of entertainment: performances, balls, ballets, operas. In his palace of Versailles all talented men of arts were accepted with much interest and order to make the life of Louis even more eventful and sparkling. The court required “that the scenic stage, and its presiding stage engineers, present the visual aspect of the almost divine omnipotence which is attached to the figure of the King himself” (Mccarthy 124). Neoclassical theater at first indulged into the study of antique plays of Latin and Greek authors, then plays written in French, and certain regulations, known as “unities”, began to predominate. The basic features of neoclassical plays became unity of time, action and place, verisimilitude and decorum. Verisimilitude required the reality of life, depicted in the play. That is why fantastic characters, soliloquy, chorus, and unusual scene were prohibited. Morality was to be found in every play, so that good prevailed evil, and the task of the performance was to teach and to please. Decorum represented a convention that characters should behave appropriately to their social rank. Three unities were three pillars the theater was grounded on. They were called to maintain verisimilitude. The unity of time meant that all the events, depicted in the play, should take as long as they would take in reality: a few hours up to twenty four hours of real life. The unity of place required an unchangeable place of action or at least places could be reached during above mentioned twenty four hours of action. And the unity of action, introduced by Aristotle, an inspirer of neoclassical theatre, was represented in verisimilar actions and their duration. Comedies were presented in such genre as didactic comedy, farce. The most popular classical playwrights were Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine and Moliere. There was something like a struggle between them to attract a larger audience that consisted mostly of wealthy young men and women. They came not to see the performance, but to be seen by others, and arrived often two hours earlier. Such public was not sophisticated, it longed for a show. Moliere is a prominent figure in neoclassical theater; he was one of the favorite playwrights and actors of His Majesty. Illustre Theatre under the rule of Moliere became one of the originators of the famous Comedie Francaise. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (a real name
Knowledge has been undergoing constant change over the course of time along with human development. The interpretation of knowledge is not a recent development, because much debate was being carried out and logical explanations given from the time of Aristotle (and likely long before him). The philosophy of Lao Tzu and Rene Descartes was developed around 5 th century B.C. in China and 16 th century A.D in France respectively. Even with extreme difference in their schools of thinking and gap of about 2000 years in their respective beginning these two philosophical branches carry most similarity in understanding knowledge, which is much relevant even today. Taoism is based on the way of nature, as humans evolved from nature they are finally dependent upon nature for their survival and Descartes developed a ‘mechanistic view of knowledge,’ which has been explained in detail by Descartes in the articles titled ‘Meditation’. Though there are similarities in explaining different paths of understanding knowledge it is presumed that old ma
Organizations today are constantly facing increasing global competition in the marketplace that demands more frequent innovation of goods and services that are of a high quality. The challenge such organizations face is to be more customer focused, responsive to their needs and provide goods and services that are cost effective. This can be achieved by value delivery and creation where value delivery entails order fulfilment by ensuring the flow of materials, products and services through production and distribution while value creation entails new product or service development activities that identify the customer’s needs in the form of new products or services (Handfield, et al. 2000). The new product development process is a series of interdependent and often overlapping stages during which a new product or service is brought from the idea generation stage, business or technical assessment, product or service conceptualization, product engineering and design, to the readiness stage for production or manufacturing. As the product or service concept moves through these various stages, the idea is refined and evaluated for business and technical feasibility where the design is fine tuned and prototypes are developed for testing. The design is then finalized and preparations are made for the full scale production of the product or service (Handfield et al, 2000). The new service development process which is derived from new product development is mostly concerned with the development and marketing of services instead of goods. A service is an act carried out to a customer that is intangible, inseparable and heterogeneous (Luteberget, 2005). Customer Involvement in New Product/Service Development Customer involvement in the product or service development process is the interaction or collaboration between the users of the product or service and the employees of a company during the period of product development to actualize it into a commercial product. The customer’s involvement in the development process entails an active engagement in the process with the developing company (Pinegar, 2000). As Pinegar (2000) states, the customers role in the product or service development process is viewed in terms of their expressed wants and desires, the satisfaction that the good or service offered to them, their relationship with the developing organization and their response to previous product and/or service innovations. The customer is seen to be critical in the product or service development process because he/she is viewed as an integral component in the business str
Companies receive very many applications because many people are looking for jobs. Unfortunately, these companies do not have the vacancies to satisfy this high demand for jobs. Consequently, human resource managers and other hiring officers are compelled to select a suitable candidate from the many applications they receive anytime they have a vacancy. However, the selection process is not easy and there is the risk of going against the law if care is not taken. Therefore, human resource managers and industrial organizational practitioners should take into consideration the legal and ethical issues related to employee hiring. It is important to follow these legal and ethical issues to avoid the sanctions that may be issued for not following them. On the same note, the ethical and legal frameworks outline the best processes to follow hence alleviating the difficulties that are encountered when selecting candidates. Moreover, legal an