ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The US dollar has enjoyed hegemony in international markets for more than half a century. However, this status has not always been uncontested. In the 1980s and 1990s, a number of scholars proposed that Japanese yen or the German mark as a possible alternative. These countries were much less populated and had fewer resources than the US. Furthermore, the size of their economies paled in comparison to the US. The growth of the euro may possibly challenge US dollar hegemony in international markets because most of the problems prevalent in the yen and the mark are non existence in the Euro. Factors that make the Euro suitable for trade The Euro is a currency that spans across twenty three European countries. This implies that the GDP of all these nations are covered by the Euro. When compared to the US, the GDP of the Euro zone still falls behind the US’. Nonetheless, this might not remain constant for long. If growth rates in the European Union keep increasing, then chances are that the value of the Euro economy will become greater than the US’s. In the events that the UK or Denmark choose the Euro as their primary currencies, then this GDP increase is likely to occur sooner rather than later. The Euro is suitable for international markets owing to the large GDP that it accommodates and the potential for growth in the future. If the Euro were to dominate internal markets, it needs to have a home base that is open, greatly developed and free. International currency status must be supported by a well developed money market at home. New York has largely been recognized as the financial capital of the world. Currently, Frankfurt may be regarded as the home of the Euro. Analysts state that, as a financial marketplace, it still pales in comparison to New York. However, if the United Kingdom joins the Euro zone, then it could bring its highly developed financial markets in London and this could increase its chances of toppling the dollar as a dominant world currency. Perhaps one of the most critical factors that make the Euro desirable is the strength of the currency. The value of any international currency must remain steady over a relatively long period of time. This is largely because several central banks use it as a currency reserve. Alternatively, some businesses may invoice other international partners with the currencies, so they keep currency balances. Additionally, investors use international curre
A proper structure of an interview serves multiple purposes that are essential in content production. I have analyzed the interview with Lizzo conducted by popular radio host Terry Gross to examine the style of a speech and narration she used to create an engaging piece of content. The structure of this broadcast reveals how Gross makes her unique inquiries that seamlessly form a monogamous story from the answer of her guests. Throughout the interview, it is noticeable that Gross is focused on delivering content to her listeners instead of merely engaging in discussion with Lizzo. To provide the listener with a general idea of who the person being interviewed is, Gross begins her podcast with a sample of Lizzo’s music tracks from her last album, “Cuz I Love You.” She presents new information that is already known to the interviewee to the public to avoid any knowledge gaps. From the structure of the interview and its questions, it is clear that Terry Gross had been seeking a topic that will be the most engaging for a listener to follow. Gross had examined the biography of Lizzo and the recent events regarding her performances and personality. From this point onward, the host focused her efforts on leading the guest through a series of related topics until they have reached the foundation of Lizzo’s talent. The questions regarding Lizzo’s musical instrument of choice, experience from the streets, and religious journes appear to be prepared ahead of the interview. In this dialogue, Gross’s questions guide Lizzo into discussing the source of motivation for her career and life decisions. Gross started her questions from the current point of Lizzo’s career, slowly leading her into the past to discuss the origins of the extraordinary combo of Lizzo’s music and performance styles. Most of these questions were not baseless and stemmed from Lizzo’s statements regarding her career. Due to the data that Gross gathered prior to the interview, she was able to predict what topic will lead to new information. For example, Gross learned about Lizzo’s religious origins prior to the interview, and it was her intention to lead the singer toward this topic from the beginning. The host had shown her ability to understand when the case was exhausted and switched to auxiliary subjects immediately. However, the conversation does not seem to be staged or read from a script. It might appear so from a listener’s point of view when examined solely on how well articulated Gross’s questions are. In truth, Lizzo reveals the next step for Gross to take herself, for example, by stating, “when you come from a family church that your great grandmother and great grandfather founded.” Gross uses these revelations as starting points for her subsequent inquiry. It appears to have been n
Introduction Human beings form unique sub-cultural groups depending on their desires, expectations, and values. Such groups are common in every corner of the world. The media is also essential for informing more people about such subcultures. It is agreeable that “most of these subcultures embrace new ideas and practices that may not be supported by their mainstream cultures” (Albury & Crawford, 2012, p. 468). Scholars have described how such subcultures satisfy the needs of their members. The ideas, practices, behaviors, and norms embraced by these subcultures differ significantly from those of the wider society. A good example of these groups is the LGBT Subculture. This paper gives a succinct analysis of the social issues associated with LGBT Subculture. Analysis of the LGBT (Gay) Subculture Description of the Gay Sub-cultural Group Lesbians and gays form LGBT Subculture. Some “other members of the LGBT Subculture include transgender and transsexual individuals” (Goldberg & Allen, 2012, p. 18). This subculture consists of individuals from different backgrounds. The subculture has a long history. According to Bilodeau and Renn (2003), many historical documents have described the behaviors of lesbians and gays. This fact explains why this culture gets support from different people across the globe. Many people are currently identifying themselves with this subculture. Such LGBTs share their ideas and behaviors with individuals from different parts of the globe. The situation has encouraged these individuals to establish new social networks. Albury and Crawford (2012) believe strongly that many LGBT people do not identify themselves with this subculture. This “situation occurs because the individuals do not want to suffer the consequences of social stigma” (Bennett, 1999, p. 603). Society is unable to identify every member of the LGBTs Subculture. The number of people supporting this subculture is also increasing in every corner of the world. Some countries have permitted lesbians and homosexuals to marry. This development has encouraged many lesbians and gays to declare their sexual affiliations. Several countries in the developing world discourage their citizens from supporting the LGBT Subculture. According to these countries, the subculture stands a chance to threaten their social norms. Many individuals are unable to associate themselves with the LGBT Subculture. This “is the case because many gays are unawareness of the culture” (Goldberg & Allen, 2012, p. 18). Some movements and campaigns have emerged in an attempt to criticize this subculture. The pioneers of such campaigns disagree with the ideas and behaviors associated with the LGBT Subculture. Members of this subculture have established new communities called gay villages. Such villages tend to have a large number of LGBTs. Accordi
Introduction The question “What is metaphysics?” might guide one to be expect a universal discussion about metaphysics, but we relinquish that in order discuss one specific metaphysical question. This is into metaphysics, and the just a way to give metaphysics the possibility of properly introducing itself to us. Metaphysics is the subdivision of philosophy that investigates principles of actuality transcending those of any scrupulous science, traditionally, ontology and cosmology. It is also concerned with explaining the eventual nature of being and the world. Main text Many Metaphysicians investigate questions about the ways the world could have been. David Lewis, endorsed a view in “On the Plurality of Worlds,” called Concrete Modal realism, according to which facts about how things could have been are made factual by other concrete worlds in which things are different. The idea of necessity is that any necessary fact is true across all possible worlds; that is, we could not envisage it to be otherwise. A possible fact is one that is true in some possible world, even if not in the actual world. For example, it is possible that, cats could have had two tails, or that any particular apple could have not existed. But in contrast, certain propositions seem necessarily true, such as analytic propositions, e.g. “All bachelors are unmarried.” The particular example of analytic truth being necessary is not universally held among philosophers. A less contentious view
Students joining the 21st Century workforce face an occupational world literally unrecognizable to their parents’ generation. Industries, organizations, management and employees around the world are now interconnected in a truly Global Economy; a network that seems to ignore or subordinate geographic, political and even cultural differences for better or worse. Globalization has flattened the world (as author Thomas Friedman said) by enabling quicker and less-restricted flow of products, services, labor, capital and ideas across now-invisible borders (Sigala & Christou 2006). Globalization may be held simultaneously as good, bad and (occasionally) ugly, but it is undeniable that it is the dominant economic, political and social paradigm of our time. By and large, trade barriers are coming down; and new allies and competitors, markets, merchants and Maniacs are increasingly part of our vocational and social lives. Hand-in-hand with globalization are death-of-distance technologies such as the Internet, cell phones and other mediums that now enable a significant number of the world‘s population instant access to markets halfway around the world with a push of a button. Of course, technology wizardry isn‘t confined to blinking, buzzing communication gizmos and emerging mega- innovations including (and stemming from) Nanotechnology, the Human Genome Project (Bio-Informatics), the Green Wave, Robotics and others will fundamentally alter the landscape of 21st Century careers and marketplaces. The world is also finding unprecedented political, legal, economic and social considerations molding the new careers and the new modus operandi of conducting business. For example, what are the security terror risks physical and cyber of operating in a post 9/11 world? What are the economic costs and opportunities of aligning ourselves (by country, industry, etc.) with mutually agreed upon environmental constraints (i.e., global warming)? What are the intellectual property risks associated with lower trade barriers; for example, how do companies p
Ethics deals with the idea of deciding the right course of action that one should take. As a branch of moral philosophy, ethics entails defending, systematizing, and recommending concepts of wrong and right behaviors (Singer 2004). Ethics tries to pose the questions, “what do I do?”, or “what should I do?” Ethics enables us as human beings to categorize our values and also to make decisions on those values that we should be pursuing. Sometimes, we might be faced with a dilemma regarding our values and at such a point we call upon our ethics to help us decide on the right course of action to take under the circumstances. For example, while at the university, many students are responsible for ensuring that they plan their schedules accordingly so that they strike a balance between, on the one hand, their academic work and on the other hand, their personal lives. Most university students are often faced with a dilemma of whether to pursue happiness at the expense of their academic work or to sacrifice their free time and study for a greater cause. Because ethics allows us to decide on the kind of action to follow, as such, it gives meaning and order to our lives. Ethics allows us to remain disciplined enough to pursue our goals fully. For example, students who uphold high ethical values would not skip class to attend to his/her social life. Ethics helps to shape our beliefs as well. For example, some of us believe in the after-life once we die, while others do not harbor such beliefs. Also, ethics helps to shape our moral judgment as well. For instance, some of us condone homosexuality, terming it as an evil act, while other people are comfortable with the practice. As such, our ethical values regarding a certain behavior gauge our level of tolerance about such behavior. In the same way, some people are convinced that there is nothing wrong with giving a bribe while others are comfortable doing it. However, we need to be very careful not to identify ethics with our feelings or religious beliefs per se. this is because the issue of ethics is not just confined to say, religious people. You may be a pagan, but still have ethics. Other people claim to be staunch believers, and yet their actions reflect the lack of what is regarded by society as the ethical standard. In the same way, our feelings tend to deviate every so often, while ethics do not. Also, our laws may change with time, but ethics do not. Our laws usually entail ethical standards that we are expected to abide by as citizens. However, some of us end up breaking these ethical standards and are punished for it. Does it mean that such lawbreakers have no ethics at all? Perhaps it would be better to say that such people have low ethical standards. Even a society ma
Statement of the Problem The main research question that will be covered in my thesis is, ‘Does exposure to television or video media affect the development of infants and children aged 0-3 years?’ The impact of media exposure to infants below 3 years is an under-researched topic, despite the fact that more than 70% of infants in the age bracket of 0-3 years are exposed to television/video media on a daily basis. However, there have been concerns that such early exposure may have a negative impact on the development of infants, although such concerns lack a strong research backing. This research is important since it will provide an opportunity to answer this important question whilst providing recommendations for future research on the topic. Introduction Since the advent of television in the 1950s, the number of households that own a television set has reached more than 90% in the USA alone. Across the world, the figure is also high. A lot of research has focused on the impact of exposure to television media on various age groups. For instance, there is an overwhelming support on the potential benefits of educational and entertainment media content to pre-school children based on their cognitive and language development. However, for a longtime, research on 0-3 year-old age group has been ignored or has attracted little interest from researchers who assert that children at such an age cannot decipher the content of the media and that there cannot be impacts on their development. An extensive body of scholars reveals undesirable consequences of unproductive media material introduction to kindergarten and school-going kids on their future life results such as cognition, conduct, and accomplishment. In addition, emerging studies on the impact of media exposure to children below 3 years also suggest negative impacts, although researches are overly inconclusive and open for further research to strengthen their assertions. The researches have also failed to include detailed information on the correlation between media content and the impacts that occur on infants. As such, in order to understand the impacts of media exposure on infants below 3 years, there is a need to carry out more research that addresses specific questions of research that have not been addressed. These topics should include the impact of television and video media exposure on cognitive development and attention capacity. They should also clarify whether the content of media can be linked to specific developmental issues. This research is important since it strives to create an understanding of the potential impacts or lack thereof of media exposure on the three identified areas, namely cognition, attention, and content of the media on infants of 0-3 years. The research will also make important recommendations that will guide the way forward for further research in the given areas. Relevant Literature Although the bulk
Abstract Shoes are made up of different shapes and sizes in order to meet the need and tastes of different wearers. When buying shoes, the size of both legs is put into consideration because it might have a slight variation. Durability of the shoe is very important because once the shoe is bought it should be comfortable to use and last longer, the most preferred material is leather or shinny material that does not get stained easily. Quality of the shoe ensures that the sole if attached firmly and is not wearing out. Non-supportive shoes should be avoided because; they limit movement of joints making them not to function properly and may cause pain on the joint resulting to difficult in walking. Some people prefer to use non-supportive shoes because, they look good, they are in different styles, and they are in fashion and are very attractive because they come up in different shapes. Introduction Raised heel shoes have responded to the problem of the foot of the rider slipping forward while riding. The edge used to lead scanted forward to help in gripping the stirrup and canting trailing edge forward prevented elongated heel from catching rock when backing up. Simple heels for riding created way for stylized heels. Starting with French, height of heels in men crept up and become thinner, higher until they were no longer used while riding. Later, fashions of shoes came into being where elevated wooden shoes were used with both the toe and the heel rising up. High-heeled shoes caught into fashion very quickly and spread to most countries and were used by both men and women. Today, high-heel is worn typically by women and they vary from Cuban heel to spike heel. Shoes that are extremely high heeled are used for aesthetic reasons and are not practical. Court shoes have conservative styles and are used for formal occasions and work while styles for adventuring are used for dancing and evening wear. Many patients in hospitals have severe problems of the feet due to excessive use of high heeled shoes that are non-supportive for very long period of time. (Ledge, 1985 pp24-26) Non – Supportive Shoes Improper fitting shoes limit movement of joints, alter gait and constrict circulation. Poor fitting shoes inhibit foot orthotics that is custom made from functioning properly and these factors have negative effect on entire kinetic chain starting from the feet into pelvis and spine. In the long run, joints, muscles and connective tissues in the feet suffer and go through degenerative changes. In fact, the principle cause of disorders in female forefoot is the shoes which are uncomfortable to wear causing misery and spinal complaints. The design of shoes helps in protecting the feet and giving them support and mobility. In the past century, the original purpose of shoes which is protection from exposure and injury has been interfered with contributing to musculoskeletal disorders. Shoe fit combines both characteristics of shape and size. Proper sizes of the shoes accommodates and allow joints to function properly since there are different variations of toe length and a shoe that is fitted using overall length may become undersize.
Race, ethnicity, and culture are closely intertwined. Those are actually the latter two that create the intrinsic biological difference between the races. Ethnic clusters are people belonging to similar group, practicing common culture, and sharing similar traits. However, it is these similarities within the cluster that distinguishes them from other people. Audrey Smedley (2012) in his book Race in North America exposes the attitudes and discourse on the differences between races and does not talk of the biological difference between the races, against popular belief. Race, according to Smedley (2012), was developed from “folk classification” and is “a product of popular beliefs about human differences that evolved from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century” (24). In other words, Smedley believes that race is a means of social stratification and helps in creation of human identity and it is a construction that has evolved through a process of historical discourse. Consequently, race has been a dominant tool in creating a historical discourse to construct identity. The book presents a detailed account of Smedley’s point of view regarding race. Smedley (2012) believes that the ideology of “race” evolved in the sixteenth century in the North American colonies and expanded throughout the globe by means of colonization. However, the author points out that there was no clear meaning attached to the word “race” until the eighteenth century. During the era of slave trade, the term race was used seldom as slaves were usually characterized as “kind, type, variety, stock” and it was only after the eighteenth century that race was elevated to a “major symbol and mode of human group differentiation applied extensively to non-European groups and even to those groups in Europe who varied from the subjective norm” (Smedley, 2012, p. 38). A new form of definition evolved differentiating these biological disparities. The main aim of the book, according to Smedley (2012), was to present the reason behind the differences that were constructed by the society after the process of colonization in North America. In North America, with the colonization of the Native Indians by the Europeans, there arose a necessity to create a difference between the two races over and above the apparent biological and physical differences. Thus, the Irish settlers in North America who had a long history of enmity with the native Indians formulated “savagery” as a means to show the inferiority of the natives and helped in creating the image of the “other” (Smedley, 2012, p. 24). The image of “savagery” has, therefore, been embedded in the English consciousness and created the image of “civilized” Englishmen. Thus, the race difference between the natives and the Irish in North America was created through the formation of an image of savagery for the natives and civility for the Europeans. The book discusses how the idea of race developed ini