ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Cryptocurrency has become popular in recent years, and its application has found a place in the global financial niche. Even though bitcoin trading has been unstable, its use has taken shape this year. Consequently, financial experts have suggested that the technology is likely to survive and have a meaningful impact going forward. Additionally, as more individuals embrace the use of digital currencies and related technology, financial organizations and governments are noticing the trend. The developments in cryptocurrency have created new opportunities and barriers to various players in the global economy. For instance, small businesses have found an alternative platform to grow while larger firms are beginning to appreciate the security and speed of distributed ledger systems. PayPal is one of the latest financial companies to embrace Bitcoin as a currency in its services, a step that has potential benefits to the institution and its clients. Integrating Digital Currency into PayPal’s Operations It is important for companies to carefully analyze financial trends in order to grow, and PayPal has done so by paying attention to developments in digital currency. The company currently has 300 million active clients, and in October this year, it announced that the customers will be able to make bitcoin transactions using their accounts (Salzman, 2020). This is a good decision because it will not only improve the experience of current PayPal users but also attract new clients who are more inclined towards cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, formalizing this type of currency in the company’s platform implies that users could have the opportunity to purchase items from 26 million merchants registered by PayPal. Early November 2020, the company introduced bitcoin services to its American customers and plans to extend the same to its users all over the world in due time. The PayPal news to embrace cryptocurrency came at a time when the bitcoin prices were at $12,000. However, since the company’s decision, the cost has maintained a forward trajectory and as of November 20, it stood at $18,997, the highest figure to be recorded in the past three years. Furthermore, financial experts have predicted that if the growth is maintained, PayPal will be buying close to all of the new bitcoins within short periods. This fact implies that the company made the right choice and is already noticing the technology’s huge impact. According to Smith (2020), PayPal chose the right time to make the move because bitcoin is now more stable than it has been in recent years. Aside from the company, interest from other similar entities, such as Robinhood and Cash App, has led to the cryptocurrency’s rise in popularity because individuals can now buy bitcoins easily. Previously, the process of purchasing and using bitcoins was quite technical and time-consuming because the interested parties had to take photos of themselves and wait for days before their accounts were activated (Salzman, 2020). However, the situation has changed because an applicant can now gain access to digital currency in less
Despite the fact that the characters from the Ancient Greek plays might seem somewhat naïve and clichéd, the female character from Euripides’ Medea displays considerably unique features and is, in fact, a breakthrough in writing female characters. While the character shares certain features with some of the female leads in other Ancient Greek plays, Euripides’ Medea stands on her own as a character and represents a new set of qualities, which used to be considered as incompatible with the idea of a female heroine. One of the most evident changes that Euripides made to an Ancient Greek female character is making her more independent and considerably more motivated. Comparing her to another character written by the same author, one must admit that Euripides has added much more depth to Medea. Taking Clytemnestra as the closest example, one will see that the development of a female character is truly huge. Also willing to kill her husband, Clytemnestra is yet less threatening because of two reasons. First, she does not have as much motivation as Medea does; as a matter of fact, Clytemnestra’s motives are rather vague. Clytemnestra claims that her motivation was also revenge: “He killed my child because of Helen’s lust” (Euripides), and at the same time it is stated in the poem that Agamemnon was standing in the way of her relationships with Aegisthus: “O father, you now lie in Hades, / Agamemnon, thanks to that murder / committed by Aegisthus and your wife.” (Euripides). Comparing Medea to Jocasta from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, for example, one will necessarily see that Medea is much more cruel, vengeful, passionate, and, therefore, more interesting character than the mother and wife of Oedipus. While the latter is best known for unwillingly sinning against nature and, thus, being a rather passive character, the former, on the contrary, fights against all odds, disregarding the moral side of the question. Jocasta’s despair and shock which she displays as she learns that her husband is actually her own son: “Oh, you unhappy man! / May you never find out who you really are!” (Sophocles) contrasts sharply with Medea’s passion and disregard for any moral issues whatsoever: Chorus leader: But, lady, can you stand to kill your children? Medea: Yes. It will be a mortal blow to Jason. (Euripides) Therefore, Medea is portrayed not only as a much more ruthless, but also as a more calculating person than any of the women in Greek mythology. Not only does she plot her revenge, but also implements it without a single moment of regret, which makes her a much stronger and well-rounded character than any of the ones mentioned above. Vengefulness is the key feature that makes Medea stand out of all the female characters in most Ancient Greek plays. However, Medea must not be viewed as a goddess of revenge; she also has a number of character features which make her humane and, thus, even more, terrifying: “As for Medea, / that poor lady, in her disgrace, cries out, /repeating his oaths, recalling the great trust” (Euripides). While being chased by a demonic cr
Introduction The US global hegemony is among the great realities of our times. Since emerging from the Cold War, its growth has been fast than any other country in the world. Thus, it dominates the international stage without fear of counterbalancing some of its competitors. Benefits of US Foreign Policies Democratization of International Trade The US is regarded as the most powerful state in the world. Other nations depend on it for maintaining global peace and order so as to cultivate the principles of free market, freedom and transparent democracy. Stivachtis, (2008) indicate that the rise of US as an icon of democracy is not a recent phenomenon, its global standing as a mature democracy was a result of the systems established by the founding fathers that were anchored on power and moral ideals (Stivachtis, 2008). Economically, the US ideals of supporting other nations through provision of resources, enabling free trade and liberalizing the economy has, over the ages, grounded on the US economic and political principles. Thus, active involvement in trade and economic aid has been the pillar the Americans are using to help other nations especially the third world to gain economic growth and ultimately support open democracies. Though the economic boost has been beneficial and served as an opportunity for economic growth to most developing nations, the US, on the other hand, has tied it with sanctions and trade boycotts for nations not yielding to its interests. Similarly, the US ideals are tied on the principle of equal economic opportunities for all. Thus, this principle has seen the US champion for regimes which are rigid in creating an enabling environment where all people can participate in the economic growth and uplift their living standards. It has facilitated this process by engaging governments directly, signing and ratifying treaties and stipulating moral guidelines for mutual engagement in trade (Stivachtis, 2008). Favorable Global Economic Environment To protect the global business against any potential threats, the US has constituted elaborate security mechanisms with an aim of pre-emptying attackers before they strike. Though it has done this alone most of the time, partnering with its allies has been instrumental. The US, through NATO and other allies contributed significantly in liberating authoritarian regimes such as Libya, Tunisia, Iraq and Egypt. Currently, it is playing a critical role in devising ways of liberating Syrians from autocratic rule of President Assad. Measures which it has taken include; applying stringent economic sanctions to Syria and some Middle East countries which d
The market mechanism in determining the demand and supply of goods is driven by changes in price. But that is in a situation when citrus Paribus is assumed. Further, the demand and supply of the good also affect the overall revenue of the company. The article about the stagnant DVD demand and the reducing profit of entertainment companies has been highlighted in the article (Barnes). In this essay, we will discuss the influence of changing demand of DVDs and high definition disks and their prices in the market, and how their price reduction and sagging demand have affected company revenue. The demand for DVDs has been declining since 2005. This is the case even with declining prices of the product. Hence, we see the demand curve for DVDs has shifted leftward which implies one of the factors that remained constant had changed. One reason for this could introduction of alternatives i.e. increased competition. MP3s and MP4s are strong competitive forces to DVDs. MP3s have become cheaper and so are digital downloads. So an increase in competition for DVDs is driving down demand. Another reason attributable to this shift is the economic recession in the United States. This has shifted the demand for DVDs. Diagrammatically we see the as the demand curve shifts to the left, at a price P, the demand for DVDs declines from Q 0 to Q 1 . Figure 1: Shift in demand for DVDs Further, in the case of DVDs, there has been a decline in the price of the product too. This is because of increased supply. As reported: “Media companies, desperate for revenue, are dumping more obscure titles on the market, leading to downward pricing pressure, according to Distribution Video and Audio, a home entertainment overstock company in Burbank, Calif. Consumers are being more selective.” (Barnes) This shows that an increase in the supply of DVDs has pushed the price of the product. As figure 2 shows the sale of DVDs had reached equilibrium at price P 1 and demand Q 1 but as the supply from the producers went, up to Q s the demand for DVDs fell to Q2 and the equilibrium position was disturbed. Further, due to changes in the cetirus paribus assumption, the quantity demanded at the current supply fell further down to Q d . Hence, there was a decline in total revenue from P 1 Q 1 to P 2 Q 3 . Figure 2. DVDs propel profits The article clearly shows that, as there is an increase in the supply of DVDs, the prices are pushed down due to the interplay of the market forces. The quantity demanded dropped further due to a leftward shift of the demand curve due to changes in demand for its substitutes. This demand and supply mechanism demonstrates why there has been a slump in the demand for DVDs and how an increased supply had brought down prices of the product. Now cost structure remaining same, the cost of making of one DVD will remain same, it is sold at a lesser price than earlier. As the revenue from one unit of DVD falls the profit from one unit of DVD falls. Clearly, there is a decline in the profit of the DVD producers. This also explains the statement in the article: “DVDs propel profits these days, and there is a creeping dread in the movie capital that buyer interest is plu
George Simmel’s article on the metropolis and the specifics of the mental life was written in 1903 during the Dresden cities exhibitions. The article was a product of rethinking the lectures by experts in different fields concerning various topics and aspects of life in the city. Many theorists have discussed the issue of urban life, which can be considered better or worse than rural life. Karl Marx, Max Weber, and George Simmel are among these researchers. These theorists accentuated that social interactions and society play an important role in shaping the emotions and behavior of individuals. However, persons struggle to maintain their individuality and independence of existence. It is a struggle against the social values, historical heritage, and life techniques, and this struggle is characteristic for the person living in the city. For example, human beings have suffered from social ties originating from religion, politics, and morality that set them back. Although George Simmel, Karl Marx, and Max Weber focus on the negative impact of the persons’ living in the urban society determining the reasons for people’s antagonism as a result of the social interactions in the city, the city life has no direct impact on forming the negative individuals’ qualities and cannot be discussed as the cause for people’s becoming worse. According to Simmel, any society consists of those people who continuously interact with one another. Interactions are the result of social forces that originate from the influence of techniques of life, external culture, and historical heritage. Thus, the sociologist states that the person’s nature as “originally good and common to all, should develop unhampered … the nineteenth century demanded the functional specialization of man and his work; this specialization makes one individual incomparable to another, and each of them indispensable to the highest possible extent” (Simmel, 2010, p. 113). Human beings experience multiple impressions in cities. The metropolis man is considered to be a differentiating person. Simmel describes this type as a discriminating creature who is in conflict with nature and develops antagonism (Simmel, 2010, p. 114). The ability of the person to see various impressions attracts him to urban life. As the rhythms of life in the city cross one’s mind, he develops the habit of liking. However, many people do not like following different rhythms. Such people do not like urban life. Life in the cities is meant to liberate one from the confines and prejudice developed in different small communities. Living in the city, a person has better chances of defining himself. Most people are very objective in cities, and they interact freely with one another. They develop critical skills that enable them to become better intellectuals. At the same time, people develop rational skills in their reasoning (Simmel,
Nelson Mandela states, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (qt. Ennis-Smith 104). Education is a necessity in the modern world, but sometimes its value is underestimated. The primary goal of the causes’ essay is to focus on the benefits of pursuing education due to the fact that it is able to have a positive influence on the living conditions on different levels while enhancing the working opportunities, offering emotional stability, and contributing to the economic development at the national level. Firstly, the role of education cannot be underestimated, as it implies providing better career opportunities and financial stability. Firstly, it opens new horizons about the existence of particular jobs and contributes to career development, as the organizations tend to provide 65 days of career advice (Hooley par. 1). In turn, the employment rates are higher for the individuals with the bachelor degree was approximately 80% in 2014 (“Institute of Educational Sciences: Employment Rates of College Graduates” par. 3). These matters improve the financial stability of the graduates. In turn, pursuing education offers emotional and psychological stability, as it contributes to gaining confidence and independence. In this instance, approximately only 12% of the workers with 13 to 16 years of education tend to die due to the high-stress levels at work (“Stanford Graduate School of Business” par. 5). In turn, education has a positive contribution to the self-esteem and self-consciousness of a person while highlighting his/her essence in society (Gurney 64). Lastly, education is one of the major principles, which provides a benefit to the economy due to the possibility of the research of various economic factors such as enhancement of GDP. Education is positively correlated with information, and the expansion of knowledge contributes to research and development. For instance, China recognizes the necessity of this matter and devotes significant attention to innovation, information, and education (Barta, Tatnall, and Juliff 48). In turn, the countries with the higher educational planning, such as Finland and the United States of America, have a higher GDP than the countries with the majority of private institutions (Pillay 2). Pursuing education has a beneficial influence on the development of the individual while affecting the functioning of the world nationally and internationally. In this case, it tends to enhance the possibilities for working opportunities, as people with the education receive better job offers and live in prosperity due to the improved level of confidence. It is advantageous for the functioning of the economy, as it cultivates the necessity of research and can be a potential cause of GDP improvement. In this case, the government should actively promote the value of education as it is one of the drivers for the well-being of the nations by expanding the possibility of free education opportunities. Finally, education cannot be underestimated as it has a positive influence on different spheres of life, and the development of this trend will make th
Introduction The nursing workforce is facing a lot of challenges in terms of meeting the right percentage of nurse-to-patient. The shortage of the nurse is the leading cause of this decrease in the ratio. The deficit is rising every year and employers need more nurses than that did in the past years. Although the employers are actively looking for qualified nurses, the students joining nursing have reduced. Employers want nurses who will do most of the work in the hospital. This is the reasons why the number of nurses is decreasing. The nurses do not get an opportunity to express their expertise in to practice. Instead, the employers need people who will fill the void with dealing with the extra work, ( Joel 2006). This causes dissatisfaction among the nurses as they feel overregulated and overworked. Employers are asking for a qualified nurse who will do all the duties of a nurse, but do not get the payment a certified nurse deserves to receive. Trends in the marketplace A key factor in the market place is the age of the nurses who are currently practicing. The nurses in the United States of America are mostly older nurses. The cause of this situation is the high population of older people than the younger generation. The elderly nurses’ work for a few hours in a day compared to the young nurses. Majority of the nurses who are currently working is at the age of 45 years. The retirement age for these nurses is 65. This meaning that the market will face an even higher shortage of nurses than it is currently facing. The employers are also looking for nurses who can launch programs. An experienced nurse will not go and work under the wing of someone else. The change in attitude is the desire to work in a free environment where no one pushes one around. Nurses are focusing their attention on the different nursing practices. In this policy, the nurses decide on the working hours, their place of work and the number of income they are going to get. This means that the market place is offering the nurses a chance to create their own fate. They have a chance to determine under which conditions they will operate. The market place allows the nurse to set up a business. The business allows the nurse to be in control of his or her work. The nurse will be in charge of the enterprise. He or she will develop the policy to use in the day to operations. The policies
Introduction The chosen piece is a ‘No 5 Chanel’ perfume advertisement. It is a relatively recent poster that offers a great platform for semiotic analysis. Questions such as “How does body language convey the intended meaning of the advertisement?”, “Is facial expression an important part of the sign system?”, “What concept is signified by the clothes worn in this advert?”, and many more must be examined in order to know how meaning is created. Semiotic Analysis Meaning making in semiotics occurs through a combination of signs and codes. Signs include signifiers and the signified; that is, forms shown and concepts represented respectively. However, since codes are derived from particular societies, then social and cultural patterns must be well understood before creating a certain message (Danesi, 2002). Advertisements in general tend to reflect societal values, and this particular ad is no exception. The advertiser who was responsible for its creation clearly knew the predominant cultural codes in his or her target audience. He or she was acting as a transmitter of these sign systems to consumers. The poster depicts particular values that operate in society today. In this perfume ad, the manufacturer needs to reach out to consumers regardless of the competition out there. The image in the poster has been created so that the concerned product can act as signifier. At first glance, one is instantly struck by the beauty and the elegance of the female model. If one has a western background, then one immediately recognises that this is the face and body of a famous actress – Nicole Kidman. The advertisers wanted to convey the message that their product represents those same values of beauty and elegance. It can be said that the No 5 Chanel is a signifier of these ideals. Elegance and beauty now become ‘the signified’ concepts (Metz, 2005). Customers are supposed to buy the product in the hope that they will acquire those characteristics. The primary signifier in this advertisement is a chic woman. The clothes she has on are intended on conveying a particular message about her social status and class. One can deduce that she is an upper class lady merely from the dress she is wearing. This is something such women wear to corporate functions or elegant dinners. Her jewellery is subtle; yet another status symbol. She is wearing a bracelet, earrings and a necklace with “No 5” engravings placed on it. The necklace acts as a link between this model and the product she is endorsing. Nonetheless, the woman’s clothing also has a sexual element in it. It is a low cut dress that exposes a significant portion of her back. People who may be looking at the ad will instantly be drawn to her body’s flawle