ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Given the fact that the realities of living in the post-industrial world are being closely associated with the escalation of ethnocultural violence in Third World countries and also in Western countries that become increasingly multicultural, it comes as no surprise that the growing number of sociologists and anthropologists seek to define the metaphysical roots of this violence. In its turn, this brings them to indulge in conceptualizing the subject of culture and on those socio-political factors that account for the establishment of one’s existential identity. In this paper, we will aim to briefly outline the foremost ideas, in regards to the methodology of conflict resolution, contained in articles “The Culture Question and Conflict Resolution” by Kevin Avruch and Peter Black, “Conflicts as Traps and Imagined Entrapments” by J.P. Linstroth and “Identity in Mashpee” by James Clifford, while providing readers with the critical assessment of these ideas, as we believe that neither of the articles offers a truly comprehensive insight onto the very essence of ethnocultural violence since authors had intentionally made a point in avoiding the discussion of particulars of people’s racial affiliation as such that define people’s ability to possess cultural capital in the first place. Analytical part In their article “The Culture Question and Conflict Resolution”, Kevin Avruch and Peter Black suggested that, given the fact that there is no universally accepted definition of culture, it is utterly inappropriate to refer to culture as “thing in itself”, which is being capable of manifesting its operational subtleties within the context of indulging in confrontation with other cultures: “The reification of culture leads to the notion that it is a thing that act, rather than a property of human consciousness” (1991, 29). Therefore, under no circumstances can the culture be referred to as homogeneous sublimation of people’s existential uniqueness: “Perception is structured socially, that it, it differs from family to family, group to group, tribe to tribe, and nation to nation” (1991, 28). Neither can we refer to culture as being simply a custom. In its turn, this suggestion has led authors to reject the idea that the ultimate solution to cultural conflicts should be concerned with the process of “getting to know” other cultures. According to the authors, conflicting parties should simply seek to assess their grievances from the opponent’s perspective in a rationalistic manner. Avruch and Black refer to this approach to dealing with ethno-conflicts as “intercultur
Acquisitions of Corporations The element of corporate acquisition is a commonplace phenomenon in the business arena. It is one of the business strategies used by an organization to buy another company in the same or different industry depending on the objectives of the acquisition (Harwood, 2009). This paper takes an inquisitive stance which seeks to attain the following aims; benefits of acquisitions, whether firms pay too much for the acquired corporation and finally, reasons why so many acquisitions lead to shareholder losses. Benefits of acquisitions Starting with the first aim, which seeks to identify the benefits of acquisitions, the following reasons can adequately address the aim; diversification, synergy, pricing advantages in the supply chain and reducing competition. Diversification is one of the major reasons why firms purchase other corporations. It enables an organization to increase its product or service line and hence target more consumers in the market. Diversification may be pursued in a related or unrelated industry with the main objective of enhancing market presence (Fleuriet, 2008). The next reason is a synergy which enables the purchasing firm to expand its business activities and enjoy high volumes of operation at a low cost (Aharon, 2010). Firms also purchase other companies to increase their pricing privileges in the supply chain. This mostly happens if a firm purchases one of its supplier companies. In such a case, the organization can reduce the cost of material acquisition, delivery, and all other cost elements associated with logistics. Ultimately, purchasing another firm reduces competition in the industry and in the marketplace. The purchasing organization enjoys autonomy of brand preferences from the consumers and hence sales more of its products or services (Rosenbaum & Farley, 2010). Whether firms pay too much for the acquired corporations The next aim of the study is to establish whether firms pay too much for the acquired corporation especially given the belief that purchased companies do overprice their net worth during the acquisition. In this light, it is therefore cognizant to identify the reasons that lead to excess payments for the acquired corporations. Most purchased firms tend to give unrealistic valuation which sometimes includes obsolete assets and redundant employees (Mergers and Acquisitions Essay, 2011). The other reason is that most firms to be purchased do not have a standard pricing method, for instance, pricing decisions during purchases are made by the managers who are driven by their own selfish gains. During purchase transactions, most managers disregard shareholders’ interests and therefore quote prices which earn them extra savings at the expense of shareholders’ money (Fleuriet, 2008). Reasons why so many acquisitions lead to shareholder losses Drawing from the aforementioned problems, the last aim can therefore be introduced, which seeks to identify the reasons why so many acquisitions lead to
The technologies of the modern world open up new opportunities, including the market for current professions, which introduces new directions and expands existing industries. One of the most relevant vacancies today is video game development: the laborious process of the project’s implementation involves creating a new reality. Physicists and philosophers discuss a related issue by understanding the mechanisms behind the creation of video games. Drawing parallels between the real and the virtual world, one can admit the unreality of the existence of the planet and people and compare everything that happens with the simulation in which we are. Some scientists consider humans can be programmed by a higher intelligence and compare the Universe with the simulation and plot of “The Matrix.” A theoretical physicist uses the same codes to correct browser errors that work for “quarks and electrons and supersymmetry,” which gives him reason to draw similar conclusions. (Moskowitz, 2016, par. 5) Refuting the point of view, scientists who disagree with it argue that this may be “just the fad of the moment.” (Moskowitz, 2016, par. 6) It is emphasized that the given hypotheses sometimes sound existential and cannot be verified in practice. It is impossible to get evidence that we are not in a simulation because any evidence can be simulated. The controversial issue provides food for thought but predominantly skepticism. As the gaming industry evolves, specific mechanisms for creating video games can be repeated and give rise to analogies. Working with game design, a person does not have the opportunity to feel in the place of a great creator, but this is “a way to gain control” over specific actions or situations in virtual reality. (Animation Arena, 2021, par. 3) If a failure occurs, the system’s error can be corrected, which cannot be applied to the real world in which we live. A life simulation can be created by a specialist whose desire and skills are sharpened to develop video games and virtual reality, but it is impossible to admit our reality is simulated.
Introduction The book Letters on England is a series of twenty four letters by Voltaire and is a reference of his experiences in England between 1722 and 1734. The letters were originally published in 1734 in both French and English and most of today’s texts rely of the French translation. This paper reports on the six main concerns of Voltaire in the 24 letters in letters on England which include religion, politics, trade and commerce, science, famous Britons and art. Voltaire’s short biography Voltaire or Francois Marie Arouet was born in 1694 and experienced the break out of the great French revolution in which he was a leader of a thought movement before the revolution. Voltaire attended Jesuits College Louis-le-grand where for seven years he gained his interest in literature, public speaking and writing. He would later leave the college after seven years complaining that he has gained only Latin and stupidities. Voltaire then joined the law schools wrote his first lovely poem ‘Ode on the Misfortunes of Life’. In 1731, his Lettres sur les Anglais were published and appeared in 1733 volume from which the letters analyzed in this paper are adopted. In the book, Voltaire addressed the issue of religion in his first seven letters. The first four letters talk of Quakers, the fifth of Anglicans, the sixth of Presbyterians and the seventh of Socinians. The first letter starts by setting pace for the interest Voltaire had on religion and he writes, “I was of opinion that the doctrine and history of so extraordinary a people were worthy the attention of the curious” (Voltaire 1). From there on Voltaire gives a deep description of Quakers’ history, beliefs and customs. He appreciates the way their rituals are rendered in simplicity and acknowledges their lack of baptism. This is seen when a Quaker he was interviewing told him that, “… to be good Christians…we are not of opinion that the sprinkling water on a child’s head makes him a Christian” (Voltaire 2). The writer is seen to express concern on the nature of organized religion and the way it can be manipulated. In letter five, Anglican religion is compared favorably with Catholicism. However, he criticizes Anglicans for maintaining attachments with catholic ritual and he says that, “The English clergy have retained a great number of the Romish ceremonies and especially that of receiving…their tithes” (Voltaire 17). However it is in letter six where Voltaire unleashes attacks on Presbyterians when he describes them as intolerant and over strict in their way of doing things and he says the Presbyterians; …affects a serious gait, puts on a sour look, wears a vastly broad- brimmed hat and a long cloak over a very short coat, preaches through the nose, …where the people are weak enough to suffer this, and to give them the titles of
Lumpen Bourgeoisie The term “lumpen bourgeoisie” gained prominence sometime in the mid-20th century to describe the middle class composed of people with little or no collective bargaining or self-awareness. Additionally, the individuals who fall under this class do not have any economic base to create wealth or own capital. In other words, lumpen bourgeoisie depended on owners of capital or colonial masters for their survival. These people did not have social benefits for working for their masters, as they would be paid based on the amount of work done. They functioned as independent contractors. The technological revolution of the 21st century and the financial meltdown that occurred in 2008 have created an environment that increased the size of the lumpen bourgeoisie, which precipitated the tragedy of the commons associated with author William Forster Lloyd. In this tragedy, individuals working independently exploit shared resources for personal gains without considering the good of others. The emergence of the gig economy associated with companies such as Uber along with shrinking economic growth has forced workers to become independent contractors without benefits. According to Reich, after the 2008 economic crisis, many people decided to become entrepreneurs after they were laid off as companies struggled to survive. Additionally, some companies started rehiring the former employees as independent contractors with low wages and zero benefits. In the case of Uber, the company offers an opportunity for unemployed people to make a living by becoming independent contractors to offer transport services using their cars and labor. The company takes between 25% and 30% of the drivers’ earnings (Hill). The tragedy of the commons stands out clearly in this case. The common resource in the case of Uber is the environment. People, acting as independent contractors to Uber and forced by low wages elsewhere, join the industry. Ultimately, the number of unsafe and environmentally unfriendly cars increases. In addition, such a scenario does not offer incentives for the development of public transportation and consumerism increases due to the need for people to travel more. The shared resource, or the environment, is depleted in the pursuit of personal gains, thus creating and worsening the tragedy of the commons problem. The gig economy is also reshaping the world of work. As people compete for the few available opportunities, they are willing to work for low wages under poor working conditions, which is ultimately a race to the bottom. In the gig economy, workers lose their benefits and there is no job security. Consequently, social inequalities and class differences grow exponentially as wealth is concentrated among a few technocrats. For instance, the owners (and many shareholders) of Uber are millionaires, while the millions of independent contractors, working as drivers, struggle to afford a decent lifestyle. Motherhood Penalty The concept of “motherhood penalty” is associated with author Shelley Corr
Social work is an essential element of society, which ensures that people in need can get aid and assistance from skilled professionals. It is important to understand the main directives of its development and potential, which leads to the formation of certain ideas about it. In this regard, understanding the essence of social work from the standpoint of social philosophy is relevant. The starting point of the analysis is expedient to accept the immanent property of a person, where experience is one of the most valuable components. One of the key elements of a social worker is his or her ability to work with families and veterans, regardless of their diverse set of backgrounds. In my own experience, I had limited exposure to veterans, but diversity-based counseling was conducted during my work in foster care and aiding people with disabilities. The majority of cases involved individuals with various educational, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences. Another essential skill of a social worker is the capability of identifying and assessing the needs of psychosocial functioning. In addition, he or she must be able to formulate and integrate effective treatment procedures for veterans. In my own limited experience with veterans, I only had a chance to provide assistance with finding their needs. They primarily consisted of adapting to the conflict-free life in the United States and developing strong coping skills in regards to any form of psychological issues, such as PTSD. During my foster care provision period, I regularly was in a position where I needed to analyze the psychosocial functioning of the clients. Moreover, a social worker needs to be able to implement treatment modalities, which requires judgment and skill in problem-solving and crisis interventions. I had this type of experience when I was aiding people with disabilities who struggled with a wide range of issues. The treatment plan integration was required, and it revolved around finding solutions based on the individual set of problems. Depending on the type of the issue, it was essential that I utilize a correct set of crisis intervention techniques, which was the most suited to the case. One should be aware of the fact that a social worker must possess an ability to maintain and establish effective working relationships, and it goes alongside communication with representatives, staff, and clients. Although the given requirement is necessary at any aspect of social work, in my experience, it was most needed when I worked in foster care. The involvement of minors made the communication process highly important in order to ensure the effectiveness of work relationships. The last critical element of a social worker is knowledge of fundamentals in regards to disabiliti
The concept of security in the global security structure is of paramount importance, and the underlying dynamics of interactions of different states can be viewed through a wide range of perspectives and lenses. Realism in international relations, especially security, can be understood as an assumption or belief that all states are motivated primarily by their own interests only, which can be disguised as a moral concern. For example, China is a threat to the United States is mainly due to the former’s economic rise, and not human rights abuses or oppression of smaller states, such as Taiwan (Ed, 2017). In other words, the US backs Taiwan due to interests of American security rather than the liberation of the latter. Liberalism is deeply rooted in the concept of diplomacy and mutual benefit as well as cooperation. It is a perspective through which any conflict can be resolved with prosperity to both sides. In other words, even extreme cases, such as North Korea, can be resolved with mutual benefit and diplomacy. Therefore, by being secure against North Korea’s aggressive politics, global security is achieved where all parties benefit to a certain extent (60 Minutes Australia, 2021). However, constructivism focuses on identity rather than material elements. The tensions between US and China or North Korea are the result of different ideologies and identities, which are manifested in democracy and capitalism being against communism and dictatorship (60 Minutes Australia, 2021). Therefore, the concern for security is rooted in preventing the spread of communist ideology rather than economic or military dangers. Lastly, human security views such matters as a problem of poverty, health, education, political freedom, and democracy (“Critical security studies (CSS),” n.d.). In other words, it calls for partnerships to increase human dignity and quality of life.
Task Analysis of Adding Two Double-Digit Numbers with Carrying Learning to add two double-digit numbers is a highly important step in the elementary school curriculum. This new knowledge brings students to the next stage of their acquaintance with the world of numbers. They come to understand the complexity of mathematic operations and learn logical reasoning. In the long run, it is also crucial to make emphasize performing mental calculations without resorting to paper or a calculator. Even irrelevant to its practical implementations, this skill is one of the best ways to enhance one’s attention and precision. It develops the sense of number interactions, which is essential for further introduction into more complicated calculations. Thus, proper task analysis is required for teaching children how to add two double-digit numbers first on paper and then in the head. First and foremost, it presupposes determining long- and short-term objectives. Long-term goals of learning how to add double-digit numbers:   * school students must acquire more knowledge and comprehension of mathematic operations;   * they must come to understand the principles of mathematic reasoning and communication;   * children are going to become more confident through applying mathematic knowledge in practice (e.g. adding product prices in a shop);   * they will start solving real problems by using the methods of mathematic reasoning;   * they should learn to generate ideas themselves with the help of formal logic. Practical short-term objectives:   * to learn how to generate diversified lists of numbers for further analysis;   * to understand how to divide these numbers into groups using digit classification principle (differentiating between single and double-digit numbers)   * to see the difference in the process of addition of single-digit and double-digit numbers;   * to learn how to make up your problems and solve them;   * to demonstrate the acquired knowledge by describing the invented problems to their classmates and analyzing the steps required for their solution;   * to check comprehension of the topic successfully coping with a home assignment and handing it into the teacher for corrections. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary or redundant steps (the task depends on the particular abilities of the students):   * in case students show a complete understanding of single-digit numbers addition, revision stage can be considerably shortened or skipped to save time for practicing new material;   * if students have no problems with understanding the difference between single and double digits, the teacher can skip lining them up on graph paper;   * the number of elementary tasks can be reduced if full comprehension is achieved. Sequence steps for learning (e.g. 27+15=?):   * start with adding numbers in one’s column (7+5=12);   * check if the resulting number is bigger than ten;   * if it is, the tens must be carried to the column of tens;   * add the numbers in the column of tens (2+1+1=4);   * combine the results to get the total (27+15=42).   * repeat all the steps usin
Even though it does its best to appear to be presenting news in a non-biased way, the media has a large tendency to slant stories to reflect their viewpoint, either consciously or unconsciously. There is a great deal of danger in assuming that the information provided in the media, even information provided in a 24-hour real-time scenario, is the only ‘true’ understanding of what is happening. It was this sort of understanding Napoleon Bonaparte had of the ‘Orientals’ of his day causing him to vastly misunderstand the ‘Orient’ as it truly was at that time. Despite this seemingly impossible-to-miss discrepancy in understandings, Western people entering the true Orient were already convinced of what they knew regarding an unchanging and already defined system. They locked everything labeled ‘Oriental’ into a concept of a passive, unresisting object for study with no identification of its own. This caused them to see only what they wished to see because they focused on those elements that proved their assumptions and ignored elements that challenged them. Comparable linguistics was the basis for many of these assumptions. This had, and continues to have, a negative effect upon the Western world’s perception, understanding and appreciation of a multitude of cultures that were erroneously grouped into a single identity. A look at how the media coverage of the same sequence of events, the trial and execution of Saddam Hussein, was handled by two different media sources can illustrate the ways in which the same event can be portrayed in entirely different ways. These concepts can be traced in the ways in which the Muslim society, and Iraqi people as a whole, have been portrayed in the Western media, especially since the Twin Towers were attacked in New York on September 11, 2001. In Western media outlets, the people of the Middle East have continuously been portrayed as either unjustifiably threatening or somehow inferior to Western cultures. For example, a picture of a large group of Hajj pilgrims kneeling at their prayers is used to illustrate a feature story regarding their protest on the timing of Saddam’s execution on the first of one of their holy days (Fig. 1). The title of the story is “Hanging anger Arab hajj pilgrims” but none of the anger can be seen because the picture is taken from so far above the crowd. There is no chance to see any detail of the men’s faces or even any understanding of what they are doing. Instead, the viewer gets the impression that this ‘angry’ crowd is no more threatening than a flock of sheep, an image reinforced by the mass of white-robed backs bent in reverent prayer pictured. Figure 1: Hajj pilgrims at prayer Discussing the same story, the image published by the Iraqi Al-Jezeera network depicts a more active image brought into equal status with the viewer by being taken at near street level (Fig. 2). At this level, the camera can focus more on the emotions of the people involved. The photo captures a moment during a traditiona