ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction As Buddhism was gaining recognition in different places across the world, the Chinese were figuring out how it could be of value to their beliefs and practices. They wanted to determine how Buddhism could help them in achieving their desires, as the socio-political life across the country during that time was not stable. The religion was associated with super powers and the potential to prosper, and thus many people were challenged to learn and experience it since it had compatible aspects with the Chinese Daoism. From the third to sixth centuries, Buddhism had gained popularity in China. This paper will show that China practiced Buddhism widely. Focusing on literature about Chinese Buddhism history from the third to the sixth century, the paper will analyze events and experiences by the Chinese society supporting the thesis. These encounters were deemed extraordinary and sometimes they involved spirits displaying unusual abilities. Practices and beliefs Buddhism is defined as awakening and developing intellectual capacity to understand values of love and kindness. A Buddhist country practices values of peace, kindness, and unity coupled with teaching everyone live as a friend to all beings. The social practices of the society are highly reflected in Buddhism teachings in the Chinese society; for instance, worshiping Buddha by offering sacrifices and expecting favors in return. The members of the Buddhism clergy were expected to shave their heads (De Barry & Bloom, 1999). Although this rite was not practiced in China before the introduction of Buddhism, it penetrated the society seamlessly as shaving did not cause any harm to the people. Celibacy was also practiced amongst the clergy; however, before the introduction of Buddhism, staying childless was not encouraged. Having a child or a wife was a choice and property was a luxury that people could live without. Simple life
Introduction The people attic trust is a complex storage and retrieval project featuring widely varying forms of media spanning several decades’ worth of information embedded in different forms of technological media. Some of them feature single modes of data storage while some contain many forms of media. Some of it is text, while a lot of it falls under the multimedia category. The challenge of organising it into retrievable formats and subsequently availing the information to a wide audience through an Information Retrieval mechanism is daunting. Fortunately, several tools already exist to tackle this kind of challenge. The primary goal of the project is to document the existence of the media, to describe them adequately and to make their future retrieval possible. This report focuses on the retrieval issues of the project. It presents the range of options available for organising the retrieval system and, evaluates them, and finally recommends the most appropriate configuration for the system. Different types of IR systems Components of an Information Retrieval (IR) system An Information Retrieval system has four basic components. They are a database, a search mechanism, a language, and an interface to provide interaction between the user and the system. According to Chu (2005, p.15), databases “comprise information represented and organised in a certain manner”. In other words, a database is an organised storage system that allows for the searching of items in it using preset criteria. The search mechanism is the system that allows for the searching of the database for the retrieval of the information stored in it. The degrees of complexity of query methods applied vary depending on the technical capacity of the user accessing the database. The third component of an Information Retrieval system is language, which can be either the “natural language or a controlled vocabulary” (Chu, 2005, p.16). Chu (2005, p.16) notes that, “information relies on language, spoken or written, when being processed, transferred, or communicated”. The final component of an Information Retrieval system is the user interface. This is the point of interaction between the user and the system. Its user friendliness will determine in many cases the propensity of users to apply it. More than anything else, it determines the usefulness and eventual success of an Information Retrieval system. Categorisation of items in attic Items in the attic are of various forms, which fall into four categories. There are text-based items, image based media, streamed media applications and multimedia applications. Text-based items use words as the basic mode of information storage. Text based media in this collection include poems, manuscripts for performance art, and newspaper clippings. Image based applications rely on picture elements to store information. Each picture element, called a pixel, has a different identity describing its color and its intensity, which
Introduction The maintenance system under consideration will consist of various types of repairs. Some will be routine, others will preventive while others will be scheduled. In case of an emergency or breakdown then maintenance will still be necessary. This system will consist of the staff needed to carry out maintenance and it will outline their respective schedules. It will also specify materials and equipment needed in order to carry them out and the criteria used to make those choices. Cost accounts, environmental concerns as well as future renovation projects will also be part of this system. Types of maintenance Leysin hotel will carry out scheduled maintenance as part of its general maintenance system. This will consist of all those repair and maintenance works that require long periods of time. It will involve immense planning of all tools and staff needed as such kinds of maintenance are interdisciplinary. A typical example would be erecting a wall or getting rid of a ceiling and replacing it. The hotel will also need to prevent occurrence of certain dangers by carrying out preventive maintenance. Here, the company will inspect and identify areas within the premises that require simple adjustments. The major aim of carrying this out will be to ensure that all hotel equipment lasts longer such that the company reaps maximum benefits from it. This maintenance system will also involve room maintenance. In that process, staff will inspect guest rooms, identify and report potential problems. These deficiencies will then be corrected according to a time schedule. Normally, reports should be made during peak times such that the hotel can purchase all necessary material for the repairs. Those activities ought to be carried out during the off peak season so as to minimise guest interruptions. Usually, room attendants are in charge of these activities. Despite all the care that the hotel can exercise, there may still be a possibility of a breakdown. Some equipment can breakdown without detection and the firm needs to act quickly in order to correct this. It should then take note and keep watching those things that easily breakdown so as to prevent future incidences. Leysin will set some money aside for this purpose so as to ensure that they can be accountable for future challenges. People involved and time schedule An administrative assistant will be crucial in this maintenance system because he will be responsible for keeping records about repairs that have been detected. He will also order the parts that are needed in the repair after liaising with other members of the team. The administrative assistance will also be in charge of repair inventory and will deal with payroll for contracted maintenance experts. The maintenance system will consist of a shift engineer. Such a person will be at the beck and call of the hotel as he will respond to the repair alerts made by housekeeping, guests or any other staff member at Leysin. Usually, these may occur on a daily basis. Howeve
Lianne George is a reporter and a senior editor of Macleans, Canada’s magazine specializing in current affairs. Her article “Why Are We Dressing Our Daughters Like This?” raises a question of modern tendencies in fashion for little girls and adult women that started to worry certain circles of society because of their overt sexuality. The main point of the author is that in the modern society too much attention is paid to nymphet’s cult inspired by porno movies and Japanese cartoons. The main audience for this article includes parents of little girls and teenagers, all women, feminists, members of religious societies, and specialists in fashion. The rhetorical strategy of the author includes detailed examples from the pop culture, description of the goods provided for kids in retail and online shops, and historical analysis of modern tendencies in fashion. She also explains negative impacts of the cult of a body on the development of children’s outlook. George’s strategy is successful and gives her audience an opportunity to muse over the modern tendencies in fashion and perspectives for the future generation. The author states that young, immature girls tend to wear clothes that emphasize their sexuality and even six-year-old kids are extensiv
Introduction The American Civil War has been a subject of intense study by historians, political scientists and scholars over the years. The reasons which led to the civil war are many but some historians have favored the approach that sectional divisions or political divisions were the main causes which led to the war. David M. Potter is the proponent of the former approach while Michael F. Holt favors the latter. This essay aims to explain the main points of the argument of both the scholars with a view at arriving at an objective analysis of the most likely causes for the American Civil War. Main body Potter believes that the main cause for the country to divide into two sections was over the issues of slavery, taxation of imports and exports and the assumption of state debts amongst other aspects of governance. Potter states that “From the outset, slavery had been the most serious cause of sectional conflict” (Potter, p. 378). While the Northern states had abolished slavery, the Southern states propounded it as their right. Within these two opposing views, lay the role of the Federal government, which had to consider whether the question of slavery was to be decided by the Federal government or be left to the states. Through the years 1846 to 1861, debates raged all over America to decide the validity of each view. These arguments crystallized into four main formulae. The first position was formulated by David Wilmot who opined that the Congress had the power to abolish slavery leading to the declaration of the Ordinance of 1787, also known as the Wilmot Proviso stating that “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted” (Potter, p. 379). Based on the Wilmot Proviso, Presidents Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Monroe and Jackson held that the Congress had constitutional powers to prohibit slavery in all territories. The Congress however, did not uniformly apply this principle to all territories, allowing some territories to the South of the Ohio River to maintain slavery rights while abolishing the same to the North. Consequently, a compromise between the proslavery and antislavery interests based on territorial divisions became the second formula for resolving the dispute. This approach typified the admittance of Missouri as a slave state and dividing the rest of the Louisiana Purchase along latitude 36 o 30’ to the North being slavery free. This ‘Missouri Compromise’, according to Potter, was free of ambiguity even if philosophically and morally untenable as each side knew what it would gain or lose. The third formulation was the doctrine of ‘popular sovereignty’. According to this doctrine, the citizens of a state would decide whether they wished to abolish slavery or not. This doctrine was very popular as it allow
IT architecture is a program that systematically directs sub-structural technologies and data as postulated in policies and touchstones to ensure that a firm reaches its business strategies. Enterprise IT architecture expresses indirectly certain capabilities of IT (Ross 2003, p.32). The IT capabilities implied by the enterprise architecture specify the objectives of this IT architecture. Simply IT capabilities connote what the IT architecture is able to achieve. Some of IT capabilities include, enhancement of secure data handling and processing, manipulation of existing processes of a system, provision of e-services and enabling data handlers to access certain or specific information. IT architecture incorporates the capabilities that are important for the business realization of its critical strategies. Enterprise IT competency Enterprise IT competency underscores the firm’s capability to formulate IT systems that are in line with the firm’s business strategies. In other words, the IT systems become an integral part of the firm’s business strategies by aligning with the already laid down structures that underscore the firm’s strategies. This is the ability of a company to develop an IT system in which, the firm mutually relates and aligns its business strategies to the IT capabilities. Simply put, it is the ability of the IT architecture to perform the required functions as per the business strategy. The importance of maximizing IT architecture competency is to ensure that the IT capabilities are in phase with the firm’s strategic objectives that leads to the realization of the firms’ strategic plans. Process of developing IT architecture and increasing competency In order to develop a competent IT architecture, the firm should follow three basic steps. First is to define the strategy of the business; in this step, the analyst needs to identify the objectives rather than promises of the management. Once the firm identifies the objectives, it should define the IT capabilities required to achieve the strategy objectives. Experience has established that, the objectives require interdependent and contradictory IT capabilities, which if not keenly identified may result into confusion. It is indeed a difficult step. While some capabilities are readily achievable, most of them are not immediate. According to Ross (2003), the final step involves identification of the key “policies and technical choices” (p.33). These policies should represent reality of the business strategy of the firm. The process of developing IT architecture however, depends on the strategic objectives of the firm. The process is complicated; therefore, the process deployed lies on the onus of the firm. Various stages in IT competency According to Ross, the IT competency places an organization in four stages namely  1. Silo architecture consisting of individual applicants  2. Standardized technology architecture  3. Rationalized data architecture  4. Modul
Review on Bartlett and Goshal’s research article (1994) In their research article, Bartlett and Goshal (1994) addressed the idea of following certain organizational structures. They evaluated the second half of the 20th century and came to the conclusion that high-growth environments presuppose the presence of structure and strategy. Regardless, they are certain of the fact that the existing business environment is different. Markets are now global, the lines that separated businesses are now gone, and overcapacity has become a commonplace event. In addition to this, Bartlett and Goshal (1994) point out that even an early entry in the market is not as beneficial as before. The author of the article explained that a new approach to management is necessary if businesses expect to become successful. The researchers conducted a study that involved numerous companies from all over the world and concluded that change is necessary, especially in the roles of top management. Bartlett and Goshal (1994) claimed that senior managers should be subject to changing their way of thinking and going out-of-the-box. In other words, there should be a definite organizational purpose that will allow them to focus on the development of core business processes. Review on Dees’ research article (1998) In his research article, Dees (1998) addressed the question of behaviors which contribute to the development of social entrepreneurship. He was certain of the fact that such behaviors should be remunerated and stimulated because they led to the advent of capable teams that were led by a passionate leader. However, Dees (1998) explicitly stated that not everyone could become a social entrepreneur because not everyone possessed the qualities that were necessary to ensure that an entrepreneurial leader would be born. He applied the same concept to the business environment and hypothesized that entrepreneurship is not something that every leader should pursue. Even though the entrepreneurial approach is beneficial, we need to consider the idea that our society is functioning on the basis of a huge variety of leadership styles and forms. D
The history of the United States from the period of Reconstruction to the Progressive Era between 1877 and 1900 involved the rise of industrialization within the country which saw an increase in economic growth, enabling the United States to be the world’s economic and industrial super power. The end of the Civil War in 1865 saw the country moving into a period of reconstruction which would see an end to slavery and the granting of citizenship to immigrants and slaves within the country. The period of Reconstruction in the United States took place between 1863 and 1877 after which the national government seized control of all the states in the southern parts of America. The political setting during this period was mostly dominated by Republicans and the presidential administration was that of Abraham Lincoln up until his assassination in April 1865. President Lincoln developed plans that would be used to reconstruct the country after the Civil War and also reintegrate the ex-Confederate states into America (Carlisle, 2008). Lincoln also developed the Thirteenth Amendment which would abolish slavery in America and to help the ex-slaves adapt to their new found freedom, he established the Freedman’s Bureau in March 1965. The bureau would be used to provide employment, educational opportunities and health care to the slaves. Lincoln’s motives were however opposed by the Republicans who were afraid of the belief in slavery by the ex-Confederate states as well as Confederate nationalism. President Lincoln tried to impose restrictions that would prevent Confederate rebels from voting or holding positions of office within his administration as they would advocate for the reintroduction of slavery into the country. After President Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865, President Andrew Johnson took over the presidential office until the radical Republicans won the critical election of 1866. The Republicans introduced new constitutional and federal legal protections into the Freedman’s Bureau, most of which would be vetoed after the white southerners regained control over all the Southern states in 1877 (Carlisle, 2008). The presidential win of Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes marked the end of the Reconstruction period in America during the year 1877. As part of his presidential campaign, President Hayes vowed to end army control over the remaining three states that were under Republican law. This promise came true with the end of the Civil War where the Northerners accepted that there was no further threat from the Southern states. The end of Reconstruction also signaled the end of the civil rights and liberties accorded to the African Americans by President Lincoln. Many of the ex-slaves who had migrated to the South after the abolishment of slavery began to experience racism and racially motivated violence (Carlisle, 2008). The Reconstruction period was mostly marked with a lot of bitterness and anger especially from the white Southerners who wanted to be a Confederate state. A group known
Thomas Stearns Eliot, one of the acclaimed poets of the twentieth century, was not only one of the major authors of his time but a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His poems are monumental to the modernist style, with many of his works laying the foundation for further development of the movement. The modernists, war influenced and dealing with the terrors the First World War had inflicted upon people, attempted to transfer the general attitude of society through their work. The literary characteristics of the style stem from horrors experienced in the First World War, which brought to life a distrust of authority, secular and religious, as well as a disassociation between soul and body. Effectively outlined in a paper by Palmer and Minogue, “from a fragmented modern world arose the fragmented subject of self” (228). “The Hollow Men” is an apt example of the modernist style in Eliot’s work, demonstrating all the core characteristics of it. Eliot develops the theme of fragmentation and broken things in the poem by describing anything surrounding the hollow men as damaged. From their voices characterized as “rats’ feet over broken glass” (Eliot I) to their idolatry in “Lips that would kiss / Form prayers to broken stone,” (Eliot III) the men exist in a fractured world. This scene of destruction indicates the spiritual devastation of the men, as the depiction of death and the afterlife connect with the Christian idea of the soul. A profound sense of loss, through its direct experience, created a society that was disposed to questioning any authority, which sent them to their death, the most substantial being God. The poem, written in 1925, “emphasizes spiritual emptiness, entropy, despair and hopelessness” (Stolarek 235), which are all feelings typical of the interwar period. Displeasure towards religion shows in the portrayal of the afterlife, as the men reside “In this valley of dying stars / In this hollow valley / This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms” (Eliot, IV). This image is not paradise, and the poem ends with the men unable to finish the Lord’s Prayer, as their voices fade “For Thine is / Life is / For Thine is the” (Eliot, V). Written two y