ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The ancient Mayan culture started to evolve approximately 1000 BC, and it rapidly gained prominence in the world. Maya introduced a system of innovations in writing, mathematics, and astronomy including the development of a calendar, which is considered one of Maya’s major accomplishments. Maya occupied a large territory in southeast Mexico and Central America, and its geographical location influenced a lot the development of the local civilization. While people from the New World started inhabiting Mexico about 20,000 BC, American land has been isolated from Central America for many centuries. This is how different peoples with their own ethnic and cultural peculiarities formed the Mexican population with its unique culture. Mayas cultivated corn, had a calendar with 365 days, built pyramids, and worshipped gods, but it is their architecture that brought them fame, and the value of it continues to increase with time. To understand the role of architecture in Mayan society, one should view it in terms of the relationship between structures and the people who produced them. The most developed ethnicities Among the variety of native Mexican cultures, the most developed were the following six ethnicities: Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, Zapotec, and Mixtec with Olmecs being the first ones to establish a culture. This culture was very influential because the followers borrowed most of the elements from it including the studies on mystery and eternity of the soul. Teotihuacan, another tribe to influence the course of Mayan civilization, reached 200,000 people and founded the largest city of that time – Teotihuacan. Being the urban center, it shaped the political and economic systems in the Mesoamerican area. As to Toltecs, they lived in the northern part of Mexico and also contributed to the formation of the Mayan and Aztec cultures. The first ones to introduce the system of mathematics and astrology, Toltecs were much ahead of their time in scientific developments. Besides successful inventions, they were skillful traders, architects, and engineers. The finest artists and builders, though, belonged to the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, for they created temples and astonishing metalwork known all over the world. Interestingly, both of these cultures are still alive today. Another thing that survived centuries is Mexico City, which was founded by the tribe of Aztecs under the name of Tenochtitlan (Storrer 2001, p. 214). The Origins of Mayan Architecture The uniqueness of Mayan architecture is evident from constructed pyramids built approximately circa 1050 that relied on intricately carved stone to create a stair-step design. These pyramids were built to worship specific gods, whose shrines crowned the constructions. The decipherment of Maya script found on the constructions shows that Mayan artists attached their names to works created. Moreover, architects used complex materials, such as limestone structures and lime stucco, and decorated buildings with carved friezes and stone. As to the size of Mayan temples and pyramids, it
Tariffs on imported food and cars China is the second largest importer and America’s largest trade partner. Other partners include Japan, the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan, and ASEAN countries. Since the Chinese integration into the world economy, the amount of its imports has also increased significantly. Some of the major imported products in the country come from the energy sector and resource related products (Broughton and Walker 471). In a bid to maintain the national economic stability, the government sets high tariff rate to prevent people from importing goods from other countries and instead rely on the locally manufactured products. Tariffs facilitate in protecting domestic industries. When government imposes high tariffs on imported goods, the price of the products goes high, thus forcing the local consumers to turn to locally manufactured products, which are cheap (Broughton and Walker 473-475). By discouraging importation of products that wage competition on locally manufactured products, the government helps in developing the local industries. In China, the government imposed high tariffs on both imported foodstuffs and vehicles. Currently, imported foodstuffs and vehicles are sold almost as twice the price as they are in their home countries. Nevertheless, foodstuffs are still within the affordability to household purchase. As a way of protecting the local industries, China imposed tariffs on the importation of food products like rice, pork, and other grains (Broughton and Walker 477). In return, the tariffs cut down on the importation of these food products in the country. On the other hand, the demand for the products continued swelling up thus leading to the increase in their prices. China is capable of supplying meat to its entire population. Hence, as a way of discouraging importation of meat from other countries, the Chinese custom officials impose huge tariffs on meat products (Broughton and Walker 478). Besides the importation tariffs, China has also imposed other charges like value added tax (VAT) on all imported food products like vegetables oil. The current basic rate is at 17 per cent. This rate is high thus making it hard for the imported food products to sell at the same price as the locally manufactured food products. Increased tariffs on imported foodstuffs are making it hard for the Chinese to purchase the products. Consequently, many people are now relying on locally manufactured food produc
This article is entitled “Farm Households and Wage Labor in the Northeastern Maritimes in the 19th Century” written by Rusty Bitterman. Elementary, this article focuses on wage labor amongst farm households especially in the Maritimes in early 19th century. Primarily, resource-based economies were prevalent in the maritime and they included agricultural and non-agricultural practices. There was plenty of land and therefore any person would access the land and make a living out of it. “With a wife and axe, an industrious man might carve out a handsome competence and become truly rich and independent” (Bitterman, 1993, p. 14). However, apart from farm household labors, people got involved in waged labor. Bittterman points out that the main reason why people got involved in waged labor was to institute and maintain their own farms. Farming requires resources to run it. For instance, for a farmer to start farming, he or she requires farm inputs and seeds on top of labor to get the farming underway. This need to have money to support such events explains why many farmers assumed two roles; that is, being casual laborers or wage earners and at the same time being farmers tilling their own lands. The article points out that, the fact that most of the people around the maritime had two jobs, class distinction between wage earners and farmers was outstandingly missing. Consequently, there was no clear-cut class identity in those times and neither could the prevailing environment allow establishment of the same. The ideal of an independent farmer was to cultivate his or her land, raise families, and be independent. Independence, wealth accumulation and raising families was the dream of every farmer in the maritime. Bitterman (1993) says one would become “…truly rich and independent” (p. 14). However, despite the desire to become independent, these farmers had to become wage earners; a move that seemed to take away their most craved independence. So, how did wage labor fit into the lives of families striving to attain this ideal in the Maritimes? In this article, Rusty Bitterman gives a valid explanation of why farmers engaged in wage labor and how this fitted in their lives to attain the ideal farmer status in the maritime. During this period of early 19th century, most farmers were illiterate and amateurs in any profession. Therefore, to become independent and rich, these people had to work as wage earners to partly support their farming practices and supplement their earnings from the poorly cultivated lands. The fact that these farmers were not skilled in any filed implies that even the farming they did they did it poorly and consequently the production was low. On the other hand, in the wage labor, unskilled labor dominated the arena implying that production was poor hen
Veronica has symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a rape that occurred when she was 16 years old. She also engages in substance abuse in which she fails to acknowledge as a problem. The main therapeutic model to be used for her treatment is cognitive behavior therapy. This mode of therapy will be useful in eliminating the symptoms of PTSD and also in helping her realize that substance abuse is a common comorbid disorder in people with PTSD is likely to interfere in her recovery if not addressed. Therapeutic goals will be established depending on the behavior and symptoms of Veronica’s problems. Since a good environment and a relationship have been established by the therapist and the client, Veronica will be required to describe her feelings about the rape and Marijuana abuse. From this, she will express her feelings which lead to the grieving process, and also state what she expects from this therapeutic treatment. This will help in making sure that she participates in the formulation of goals by stating what she hopes to achieve from it, for instance, the elimination of symptoms of PTSD. Veronica will take an active role in the identification of the treatment objectives by stating how the problem affects her interaction with others and how it affects her functioning as a mother, wife, and sister. This will help in evaluating how she would like those relationships to be and hence the aim of improving functioning. Since Veronica is in denial about substance abuse, the therapist will inform the client of the possible effects of the abuse
Introduction Marriage is one of the important aspects of the Islamic culture. The Islamic law allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, but it does not encourage it. The Islamic rules state that a Muslim man can marry a maximum of four women. Conversely, Muslim women do not have the right to marry several men. Muslim men in polygamous marriages should be kind to their women. According to the Quran, a man should not marry many women if he cannot take care of them. Globally, majority of Muslim men are monogamous. The practice of Islamic polygamy is not homogeneous in all countries. For instance, many men in Saudi Arabia practice polygamy. However, Islamic polygamy is uncommon in Egypt. In Iran, polygamy is quite popular in the countryside. Shia Muslims practice polygamy more than the Sunni Muslims. Polygamy has been a contentious issue among Muslim men and women because they have different views about it. This essay argues that polygamy should not be encouraged because of the following reasons. Laws of Islamic Polygamy A Muslim man can become polygamous under the following circumstances. First, “if a man has a high sex libido, he can marry more women to avoid committing sexual offenses”. Second, he should have resources such as land and money. Third, he should be truthful and responsible. Fourth, he should be acquainted with Islamic laws. Last, he should possess good leadership skills because it is quite difficult to solve social disputes in polygamous marriages. Disadvantages of Polygamy The aforementioned requirements are important because they ensure that men provide enough social and economic support to their families. Nonetheless, many Muslim men in polygamous marriages cannot fulfill all these requirements. Failure to fulfill the aforementioned requirements often leads to many challenges. In the contemporary world, polygamy is increasingly becoming unpopular due to economic constraints. For example, food insecurity is endemic in most parts of the world. Hence, it is difficult for many men in polygamous marriages to provide enough food to their large families. Inadequate food and shortage of basic needs often leads to many quarrels in polygamous marriages. Moreover, many rich men in polygamous marriages become poor because it is expensive to maintain a big family. There are many social cha
Introduction Holistic care delivery models encourage practitioners to focus on their patients’ mental health and wellbeing. Social workers can introduce brain exercises to different beneficiaries depending on several factors, such as age, gender, and existing medical conditions. This paper describes several ways for encouraging older adults to experiment with new activities that are outside their comfort zones. Brain Exercises for Older Adults Since brain activities should be unfamiliar and outside a person’s comfort zone, practitioners can consider various strategies to encourage the elderly to experiment with new exercises. The first one is collaborating with them whenever targeting unfamiliar events. For example, clinicians and family members can be involved when playing untried computer games and puzzles (Jackson et al., 2015). The second strategy is ensuring that such beneficiaries are relocated to new environments or locations. This kind of change will encourage them to engage in complex brain activities. All participants should remain supportive throughout the period. Caregivers can consider the power of guidance and effective communication when encouraging older adults to try activities that are outside their comfort zones. Another evidence-based approach is identifying specific exercises that are unfamiliar but enjoyable. A good example is the introduction of painting activities or paper collages (Barnes, 2015). Finally, those involved can establish desirable environments that promote teamwork. When two or more elderly citizens cooperate in a given brain action, chances are high that they will record positive results. Conclusion The above discussion has explained why there is a need for family members and caregivers to allow older adults to
Introduction One of the foremost aspects of a post-industrial living is the fact that, as time goes by; the discourse on equality begins to affect socio-political dynamics in the world to an ever-higher extent. The validity of this statement can be well illustrated in regards to the rising popularity of left-wing Socialist parties in Latin America and Europe, for example. In its turn, this presupposes that the current state of affairs, in this respect, has been dialectically predetermined. There are several objective preconditions for the ideas of egalitarianism to continue growing increasingly attractive to more and more people. In this paper, I will aim to outline these preconditions, while promoting the idea that, even though the practical implementation of the equality-endorsing policies in many countries has proven counter-beneficiary in the past, there are no good reasons to believe that this will continue to remain the case in the future. After all, the very laws of history do predetermine people’s ever-increased preoccupation with the ideas of egalitarianism, as such that provide additional momentum to the pace of the ongoing socio-cultural and technological progress in the world. Body of the paper When it comes to discussing the concept of equality/egalitarianism, it is crucial to understand what accounts for the ontological ground, out of which this concept emerged, in the first place. However, for people to gain such an understanding, they will need to acquire an in-depth insight into the very essence of the representatives of Homo Sapiens species, as virtually hairless primates, whose existential modes continue to be sharply defined by some purely animalistic instincts. One of these instincts is the sense of irrational greed and the desire to be able to enjoy a comfortable living, while applying as less of an effort, as possible. In its turn, it explains why the professional careers of lawyers, diplomats and movie stars, for example, have traditionally been considered the most prestigious. Individuals that pursue these careers can be defined as nothing short of highly paid ‘social parasites’, whose material well-being has nothing to do with them being de facto better than the rest of the citizens. Just as it happened to be within the case in the societies of primates, where alpha-males preoccupy themselves with the bellyful idling, at the expense of exploiting others, people driven by their animalistic instincts do not have any other purpose in life, other than exposing their presumed ‘superiority’ socially. Most commonly, they do it by the mean of affiliating themselves with luxurious lifestyles or pretending to be in a position to afford to pursue such lifestyles – all for the sake of humiliating the society’s less fortunate members – hence, satisfying the subliminal desires of their animalistic ego. Very often, such their tendency assumes rath
Introduction Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) refer to short-lived, highly energetic explosions that occur in distant galaxies. According to scientists, they are the most energetic and brightest electromagnetic emissions that can last between a few milliseconds and several minutes. A gamma-ray flash is usually followed by a glow that occurs at longer wavelengths that include infrared, ultraviolet, and radio. Studies have suggested that the intense radiation generated during a burst originates from the collapse of a high-mass star, which results in the formation of either a black hole or a neutron star. GRBs are unique natural phenomena because they are partially understood and produce high amounts of energy. They release radiation stronger than the Sun’s and they occur billions of light years away from the Earth. History The history of gamma-ray bursts can be traced back to the 1960s. The United States had launched Vella satellites into space to detect gamma radiation released by nuclear weapons propelled into space during military tests (Zhang 14). The satellites were launched in fear that the Soviet Union would conduct nuclear weapons tests. In 1967, the US detected a burst of gamma radiation that surpassed the energy quantity that could be emitted by nuclear weapons (Zhang 14). Further studies and evaluations by the Los Alamos National Laboratory revealed that the intense energy emanated from distant locations on the universe, thus ruling away the possibility of a terrestrial origin. Causes Several theories have been suggested to explain the cause of GRBs. One of the theories postulates that the bursts originate from the explosions of massive stars that form black holes (Zhang 25). This hypothesis is based on the observation of afterglows that are associated with certain gamma-ray bursts, which occur at different wavelengths. They are characterized by distinct changes in light curves over time (Choi). This theory was confirmed after astronomers studied the afterglow of several bursts and observed traits of a supernova (Branch and Wheeler 72). Recent studies have led to insights that have advanced the study and comprehension of the phenomenon. For example, the variability of light curves suggests that not all GRBs are caused by supernova (Zhang 26). Another theory suggests that GRBs emanate from the merging of neutron stars, which are dense bodies that contain the Sun’s mass, and whose collisions result in the emission of intense radiation. In 2018, the Fermi satellite recorded gravitational waves that originated from the merging of two neutron stars, confirming the theory that short bursts of gamma rays can be caused by merging neutron stars. Emission Mechanisms Research studies are still underway to explain the mechanism through which energy emitted from gamma-ray bursts is converted into radiation. This phenomenon is poorly understood but astronomers a
Planning strategies for entering into new regions is a crucial task for most businesses since unique factors that create the conditions for entrepreneurial activities depend on specific financial legislation. In addition, particular criteria should be taken into account, which form the economic and political trends in a certain country. Much depends on the conditions of the business, its target audience, the relevance of the services offered, and other related aspects that influence entry strategies significantly. This proposal aims to describe the nuances of introducing Tropical Smoothie Cafe (TSC) in Canada and substantiating the choice of a specific strategy while taking into account the peculiarities of this company’s activities and the business environment in the region under consideration. According to a number of crucial indicators, Canada occupies a high place in the ranking of world powers with stable and developed economies. Based on the official data, the country ranks ninth in the world list, which makes it a favorable state for life and determines its success in regulating both financial and social spheres (“Canada,” 2020). Its GDP per capita is stably high, while the negative aspects of development, for instance, the unemployment rate, are decreasing gradually. As a result, due to a competent policy of regulating state spheres, Canada occupies a leading place in the Americas, surpassing the US and Chile in its development indicators (“Canada,” 2020). As a result, the market of this state is attractive but strict for foreign entrepreneurs, and planning an implementation strategy is a crucial task. Regarding the business that is planned to be introduced in this country, the activities of TSC will be reviewed. This company is a franchise and has been operating in the United States since 1997 when the first cafe in Florida was opened (“Our story,” 2020). This network offers public services for preparing tasty and wholesome food and drinks, and individual dishes have become a brand name, for instance, healthy rolls and fruit smoothies (“Our story,” 2020). The franchise is known outside the United States, but so far, new outlets have been opened only within the country, which explains the importance of the careful planning of the implementation strategy. The purpose of expanding the business is the desire for the brand globalization and creation of an internationally recognized corporation. The upcoming project involves opening one or more retail outlets in Canada, assessing sales stability, and expanding the influence subsequently in case of stable demand. The analysis of the business environment in question with its competitiveness and government regulation parameters will be compiled to justify a specific intervention strategy based on real growth prospects and evaluate the target country’s domestic development indicators. Country Evaluation Modern Canada is a highly developed country with significant resources to develop both domestic and foreign markets. A stable economic situatio