ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
All of modern people heard much about beauty contests and Miss World, discussed pro and cons of such contests and their impact of the world. Thus, I am sure you have never heard about another type of beauty contests, provided among men, or better to say gay men. These contests are very popular in the Philippines and involve two classes of gay beauty competitions in Jolo and Zamboanga. These are community-level contests held in the open air, usually at the community basketball court, and municipal competitions such as the Miss Gay International, Jolo, which are usually held in large auditoriums such as the Notre Dame de Jolo College gymnasium (Atkinson 43). In Philippines, It is an official contest which gathers thousands of people, women and men, children and old people who value good taste and friendly atmosphere. In community contests, there is no admission fee. As a result, community-level competitions will usually attract a much more diverse audience, including those who might not otherwise pay to attend a downtown contest. With the exception of people on the extreme peripheries of towns and municipal centres the majority of people have attended at least one community-level gay beauty contest or similar event, such as a talent or fashion show (Atkinson 48; The Amazing Lady Boys of the Philippines2008). For gays , beauty contests are regarded as celebratory events or ‘happenings’ and are best expressive of what is for many, particularly younger gays , seen to be one of the defining characteristics of gay life, that is, being happy and having enjoyment. Beauty contests encapsulate the sense of empowerment and pleasure articulated in the notion of ‘exposing my beauty’ (Atkinson 49). There is another aspect to this, however, inasmuch as beauty contests are, as the name suggests, competitive events in which gays invest considerable time, energy and money preparing costumes, rehearsing dance routines, and perfecting recitations. In fact, while in the run up to a beauty contest gays will often help each other out by exchanging clothing, accessories and make-up, at the beginning of a contest, camaraderie gives way to fierce competitiveness (The Amazing Lady Boys of the Philippines 2008, See Appendix 1,2). There is nothing vulgar or rude in these competitions. Such performances are, of course, exaggerated characterizations, parodies of the stereotypically self-absorbed with which gays are commonly identified in mainstream culture. This sometimes extends to the way gays treat their customers, where exaggerated flattery, for example, of a boy’s manliness, are pointed parodies of the discourse of hypermasculinity. In part, these re-presentations of and (identif
Introduction A lot of attention has recently been given to fraud committed by business management and auditing. A lot of light has been shed on the ability of these public accounting firms on whether they are able to discover and report fraud. Fraudulent activities are available in large organizations not only in America, but also in the whole world. This necessitated the need for review and revision of the procedures that these firms use to detect fraud in present and future financial audit statements. Rollins and Lanza stated: “To meet this need and to serve as the cornerstone of its anti-fraud program, the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) issued Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, which supersedes SAS No 82 (which has the same title)” (56). Regulations in SAS 99 improve necessary procedures involved in the elimination of fraud in the accounting profession. The role of the auditor was not affected in the transition from SAS No. 82 to No. 99. It sheds light on the procedures the auditor should follow to detect fraud in financial statements. The main aim of this essay is to describe key requirements of SAS No. 99, and outline its importance on financial statement audits. Statement on Auditing Standards No. 99, as shall be seen is a crucial regulation that tries to prevent fraud in financial statements by auditors. Some auditors link up with clients in a bid to fraud the company. It is therefore duty of SAS 99 to outline the guidelines necessary to oversee this vice. Components of SAS No. 99 SAS 99 identifies fraud as a global act that yields a considerable misstatement in statements of finance. Two categories of fraud are discussed: misstatements cropping up from illegal financial coverage (e.g. faking of accounting reports) and misstatements cropping up from embezzlement of assets (e.g. asset stealing or illegal spending). SAS 99 outlines the triangle of fraud. Normally, three conditions are available when a swindle takes place. First is a pressure that gives a basis to engage in fraud. Then there is a chance for fraud to be downsized. Third, people involved in the swindle have an approach that makes them downsize the fraud. Fraud is serious no matter how less an evil it might seem in some situations. SAS 99 requires that there be a discussion of fraud involving all group members. This discussion involves professionals and specialists. The topic of discussion revolves around misstatements detected in the client’s financial statements. SAS 99 requires a rise in associate participation, in the scheduling process, and a much stress on professional skepticism. A new procedure is the completion of introductory analytical steps to discover unanticipated associations on revenues. These associations may show material misstatements because of illegal financial reporting. The key components are describing fraud, brainstorming, checks on risk in formation, evaluating entity programs and
Despite the fact that my predictions about the influence that Moose would be having on Natalie did not prove right, I came quite close to the truth. Although Natalie did not get into any trouble related to the prison or the criminals, her dependency on Moose is growing increasingly fast straight to the point where he tries to change her entire life by convincing her parents to send her to the school for disabled children (Choldenko Chapter 10). One must admit, however, that I still managed to predict the dynamics in the relationships between Moose and Natalie, particularly, the fact that Moose was growing quite attached to Natalie, while the latter was clearly becoming more engaged with his life – at least, as much engaged as an autistic person can possibly be. Defining what the friendship between the two hinged on, however, was rater easy – after all, Choldenko dropped a number of clues here and there in her novel. More to the point, she managed to create very realistic characters, whose decisions and choices were, actually, very easy to follow. For example, Moose’s personality of a no-nonsense leader truly shines through once he shows his appreciation for family values and family members, particularly, his mother: “You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you’re me. I came here because my mother said I had to” (Choldenko Chapter 1). The ability to communicate one’s ideas clearly and listen to others in order to acquire the necessary information is, perhaps, one of the most important skills that can be mastered by a student. Speaking and Listening Standards 3–5 (State Board 23). According to the existing instructions, students will have to “Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one‐on‐one, in groups, and teacher‐led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly” (State Board 23). The given skills can be tested with the help of a range of assessments; yet the idea of engaging two students in a discussion of a specific topic seems the most adequate means of testing their ability to acquire, process and use the information that they learn from various sources. Therefore, it will be reasonable to suggest that the assessment of students’ skills should begin with providing them with a short text to read and then suggesting that they should discuss a specific problem related to the text in question. Thus, not only their skills of constructing a logical and well flowing argument, but also their ability to interpret the provided data will be tested. As a text for evaluating students’ skills in reading and interpreting texts, Choldeko’s Al Capone Does My Shirts seems perfect. It has a perfect structure, dialogues leveling the lead character’s monologues, and the vocabulary is diverse enough to check whether students can understand complex concepts and the significance of stylistic choices. The concepts, however, are never overcomplicated; Choldenko discusses rather serious issues of friendship, disability and the necessity
The population of the world exists as a series of ethnic and racial groupings. These groupings form the building blocks for communities, nations, and regions, which in many cases share a common system of knowledge that defines their way of life. Varied as they are, there is no scientific criterion of pitching one culture as being superior to others as ethnocentrism would put it. One globally acclaimed endeavor to show the sustainability of different cultures is Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in which he depicts Africans as having been complete as pertains to the culture. This essay seeks to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the Igbo culture as portrayed in Things Fall Apart to assess the author’s success in achieving his main goal. The story is set in an Igbo clan, Umuofia, which consists of nine villages throughout which the protagonist, Okwonkwo, is well known for his wrestling prowess. Okwonkwo is portrayed as a violent man who has a no-nonsense attitude towards matters pertaining to the Igbo culture. Okwonkwo’s violent nature is a portrayal of a typical Igbo on the view of violence. Igbo’s position is rigid on violence in the introductory parts of the novel. Achebe notes, “To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was a strength” (p. 28), and to appease Umuofia for an accidental murder, a virgin, and a young boy are given as a sacrifice by the murderers. The same fate befalls Okwonkwo when he kills a boy accidentally at a funeral. The penalty is not compromised despite his standing in the clan. His homestead is violently brought down and animals are killed. On another occasion, Enoch, a convert to Christianity, unmasks an egwugwu in public. This action leads to the violent burning of Enoch’s homestead including the church where he fellowshipped. These examples pitch the Igbo as people whose culture took a rigid stand on culture. However, this position changes on different occasions throughout the book such as when Okwonkwo is punished due to breaking the week of peace by severely beating his wife. When the clan refuses to join Okwonkwo’s onslaught on the district commissioner’s messengers, this position is changed. On other fronts, the Igbo are portrayed as being an organized people. There exists a well-established democratic system in Umuofia where the ndichie, elders, gather all Umuofia to make important decisions (Achebe180). Through this move, the Igbo attempt to propagate an air of equal and fair treatment of all. Everyone who has something to say is given a chance to do so in the gatherings of the clan. Achebe posits, “Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered” (8). Okwonkwo strives to amass wealth and earn a place among the mighty and be completely delinked from his father’s weakness. Umuofia encourages hard work among its people. Contrary to popular belief that Africans were primitive and they would go to war without any reasonable cause, in Umuofia, the oracle
Gun control issue The issue of gun control raises a very contested debate whenever any act of violence is committed and a gun is involved executing it. Several stakeholders, including politicians, policy implementers, gun lobbyists, and the civil society have been engaging in the discussion for over a century, but an ultimate response is yet to be reached. Those suggesting that ownership of the gun is illegal and unethical observe that the local authorities and the federal agencies in charge of the gun control policy are not doing enough in terms of policy formulation because the rate at which people acquire guns and use them to destroy life is alarming. Indeed, it is a threat to the national security. For the advocates, they present a dissenting view by noting that the law goes too far, which amounts to infringement of individual rights. Opponents of gun control defend the argument that each American should be allowed to own a gun since introducing control measures prevent individuals from protecting their lives and property. For instance, hunters, sport shooters, and recreational gunmen should be allowed to acquire guns since their aim is not to harm anyone, but instead to enjoy their lives (Lavery & Hughes, 2008). The Second Amendment to the constitution allows free ownership of guns in the country. Since life is highly valued, any person should have the ability to protect it at any given time, irrespective of whether the state has an effective and sufficient security system or not. Major debate In this article, it is argued that gun control should be embraced in the country and stronger laws ought to be drafted to stop unnecessary loss of life. Proponents of gun ownership suggest that certain groups should not be allowed to acquire guns meaning that controlling the distribution and ownership of these dangerous weapons should be supported. For instance, the society would be unmanageable if criminals and the mentally challenged were allowed to acquire guns. Similarly, children should not be given an opportunity to own any form of a lethal weapon, including guns because they might use them to commit mass murder. Since the 1970s, a number of legal and social reviews suggest that the rates of gun-connected felonies have gone up in the country as compared to other industrialized states, such as Britain and Canada. New York City implemented the gun control policies and the result was positive since cases of crimes went down. The development of technological weapons poses a serious threat to the very survival in society, something that has forced legislators to reconsider their previous decision on gun control. Before the Supreme Court ruling in 1939, the constitution allowed several militias to own guns, as it was important in the preservation of the national and state security. If not managed in the right way, arms, weapon technology, gun possession, and regulatory laws have the potential of damaging the society. The establishment of the national gun registry could perhaps generate personal issues while utilization of invalid or ambiguous gun control rules could lead to loss of life and property. The truth is that a
Focus The thesis seems to be reasonably well stated. It appears to be that organ trafficking is an increasing problem involving largely Americans, that harms both buyer and seller, and which requires a solution to the organ shortage problem to resolve it. The thesis is reasonable because many problems with smuggling and illegal markets arise from shortages somewhere. It is certainly interesting because this is a problem that, as the writer noted, is not discussed often, but is gruesome. Organization The intro section is quite long. Perhaps some of the detail could be summarized in the introduction. Then the details could go into later paragraphs. The way that the second section is introduced is a little confusing. Saying “first” suggests that there was a question asked just before. This is not clear. This second paragraph discusses the people who are involved in organ trafficking. It also discusses the bad things that happen to the people involved in organ trafficking, both the sellers and the receivers. The third paragraph discusses why trafficking persists. It would have been nice to have a definition of hortatory. It would also maybe be nice to have some indication of what factors in those countries where this occurs contribute to such profound poverty that people feel the need to do this. The fourth paragraph talks about enforcement problems. The fifth paragraph discusses an example of organ trafficking by the Kosovo Liberation Army. The sixth paragraph gets into the question of why there is an organ shortage. This use of “second” is also a bit confusing. However, it is very interesting. The seventh, eighth, and ninth paragraphs discuss systems that do seem to work. The ninth paragraph concludes that the donation system should be changed to reduce the demand for illegal organs. The writer takes a stand on using the system now in use in Illinois for all US states. In general, the paper flows. The argument does seem to flow. The exceptions are where the writer uses numbers as a transition. This is confusing because this makes the reader try to look backward and forwards to find what came before and what would come later. It is not easy to figure this out. Maybe not using numbers would be better for transitions. Argument Yes, the paper uses at least three sources. All seem to be scholarly. It is not easy to figure out whether the writer is making an original argument without going back and doing the research for oneself. However, it seems like a clear statement of things that seem to make sense. A quick Google search turns up an abstract of an article that says something similar. However, the writer has taken a definite position on which specific system for organ donation could work, and why it would work, so even if it is not completely original, the paper lists good reasons for the conclusion and makes the reader think a bit about the topic. The writer has thought about the topic and came up with ideas that are wholly their own, for example, drawing a comparison between Jehovah’s Witnesses and door-to-door agents to explain organ donation to families. The paper does not seem to rely on one source only. However, determining this, too,
Introduction An industry environment is surrounded by various variables that operate within it. A steeple analysis of an industry environment is a framework that is used to identify external and internal factors affecting a business environment. The analysis is quite rooted to the factors that matter to the industry thus has so much impact on the business area. Most industries analyse their business environment using the PEST analysis which involves an examination of a company’s political, economical, social and technological environment (Beiske, 2007, p13). A steeple analysis is an extension of the PEST analysis which on top of the PEST environmental factors, it includes other factors such as educational, ethical, legal and environmental factors (Curtis, 2007, p357). Though most of the above forces are beyond company’s control, the importance of carrying out steeple analysis is to identify factors in the environment that have effects on the company taking into consideration that this type of analysis is capable of exposing the potential threats and opportunities (Soffe, 2005, p315). Steeple Analysis A steeple analysis combines the above mentioned factors that contribute to changes in the industry which include political, economical, social, technological, educational, ethical, legal and environmental factors. Identifying these factors, it becomes easy to summarize the whole industry environment and the operations of the business. The business is also able to counter act and respond properly to the influences brought about by the above factors (Score Card Report, 2010). Identification of the factors influencing the industry environment plays a great role in helping the industry identify the threats and opportunities there in. This makes it easier to distribute the important factors as well as interpreting them. Apart from the factors brought about by the steeple analysis, lifestyle changes also have so much impact on the external environment of any industry or business. Steeple analysis also checks on the global economy to determine its effects on the industry depending on the information and the knowledge of the corporation. It puts in to consideration issues to do with global warming and climate change that influences carbon emissions thus enabling the industry to focus on the wider changes in the environment. Technological factors The steeple analysis enables an industry to identify the technological efforts that are associated with the discoveries and the various developments that are associated with the highly advancing technology and the rate of technological obsolescence (Score Card Report, 2010). Technological factors have so much impact on the changes of IT, use of energy and accessibility of communication channels. Technology plays a vital role in the business environment of each and every industry. Every industry should keep up to date with the advancing technology in order to ensure delivery of efficient and timely services to its customers. If an industry fails to do so, its clients are likely to be lost to its com
Introduction According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), stress is the relationship existing between a person and the environment that compels the individual beyond resources and consequently endangering life. Stress in this context, has been defined in respect to the resources and the environmental demands. Each and every individual has a specific capacity to dealing with the challenges of imbalance between the personal needs and the environmental resources. Conversely, individuals have always learned the strategies of dealing with stress, which are known as the coping strategies. Healthcare professionals; especially nurses are often faced with stress and burnouts at work. The stress results from the compelling demands in the healthcare settings. In most cases, the healthcare professionals tend to show empathy making them to become irresistibly worked out. Burnout on the other hand results from extensive participation in service provision without adequate rest. The healthcare professionals like nurses and the physicians must have favorable conditions under which they perform their duties. The healthcare professionals must know how to tender the antecedents versus the environmental variables during their service provision (Jamal, 2013). The personal demands versus the environmental demands are the main basis for stress. Experiences that individuals go through are usually tough and emotionally challenging. Most people do not know how to apply the coping styles thus they end up experiencing the physiological changes as well as the physicall changes. The coping strategies often bring desirable changes to individuals. The theory by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) portends that the complex processes yield the contributory antecedents that purport to rejuvenate the occurrence of stress. Ideally, the personal factors that facilitate stress include personal commitments and beliefs amid the compelling environmental challenges. This theory identifies the demands of the profession as well as the constraints. Idyllically, threshold of stress is dependent on the mediating processes which are considered as the cognitive appraisals in the theory (Thomas & Lankau, 2009). The theory of stress and coping helps individuals to understand some of the best ways of dealing with stress. Stress has been labeled as a common feature; especially in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), where rigorous and demanding services are required. This theory explains how best the issue of stress can be addressed in the healthcare units. It also explains to what extent the coping styles should be practiced and applied. Assumptions The first assumption of this theory is that both the environmental and the personal factors act against each other. In this sense, the theorists contend that the forces reciprocate on one another creating a balance. Although the forces may not perfectly counter one another, it is evident that the conflict between the environmental and the personal factors in an individual lead to stress. Second assumption entails the rela