ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Since a man is a social animal, being one presupposes integrating into the society efficiently; once failing to fit in, one is bound to bear the burden of an outcast for all his/her life. Depicted lively in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Persepolis , the life journey of an social misfit can twist in a number of ways, making it obvious that, despite there is a considerable similarity between Marjane and Arnold, each of them is a unique personality with his/her own vision of the world, life tracks and the ways to handle the complexities. Among the most obvious similarities between the two characters, the status of an outcast is what meets the reader’s eye first. Indeed, both feel complete strangers in the world which they live in, and both are unwilling to accept the fact that they are being looked down at. In addition, each character possesses his/her own system of values; for instance, Alexie evidently knows what power money can get him, which is why he shows a desire to become rich with the help of his art to draw: “That’s the only way I can become rich and famous” (Alexie 6). Meanwhile, Marjane does not consider money such a great driving force; when being told that her grandfather was a prince and that the shah confiscated his property, Marjane is unable to embrace the scale of poverty which her grandfather was subjected to;; in her vision of the situation, the riches were “the tiles in the bathroom” (Satrapi, P1 23). However, there is also a considerable similarity between the two characters; namely, each of them feels at certain moment that (s)he carries a heavy burden, being forced to force the behavior which the society approves of. In Marjane’s case, the strain is more obvious; the tension comes to its climax in the scene in which the girl “confesses” her “sin” to God: “I felt guilty towards God” (Satrapi, P1 9). In Arnold’s case, the idea that he is supposed to stamp on his own dignity and become what the people around want him to be is less expressive, yet still quite depressive: “Sure I wanted to go outside. Every kid wants to go outside. But it’s safer to stay at home” (Alexie 3). Unwilling to see the “loser” and intentionally shutting him out, his classmates finally turn him into a recluse. However, while Marjane only pretends that she accepts the common viewpoint, Alexie really stops socializing. However, several important differences between the two novels must also be addr
Introduction The Middle East can be defined as a region that includes part of the Asian continent and Northern African region. Arabs are the main inhabitants of this region. However, there are ethnic groups in the Middle East. The main religion in the Middle East is Islam. Nonetheless, other religions such as Judaism and Christianity can be found in this region. This region boasts of a great history. It is regarded as the birthplace of world religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Middle East is also associated with ancient civilizations. The discovery of crude oil in the region during the 20th century has changed the fortunes of the region. The Middle East is a region where the political, cultural, religious, and economic aspects have been integrated presenting a complex situation. This region is considered as strategic to the world’s economic, political and social integration (Cleveland & Bunton, 2009). This paper examines the nationalism and Islam in the Middle East region. The paper also looks at the various aspects in the region including violence, social and political factions, and the future of democracy in the region. Background information The Middle East is characterized by a complex situation in which religion is at the center stage. However, it is important to look at the Middle East from a historical perspective in order to understand the present situation. Essentially, the Middle East was under the Ottoman Empire. However, during the 18th century, the influence of the Ottoman Empire started wane. During the Firs World War, the Ottoman supported the Germans. The British and French army persuaded the Arab to rebel against the Ottomans leading to a collapse of the empire by the end of the First World War. The Ottoman Empire remained in Turkey after losing its control in other parts of the Middle East. In early 1920s, the last Ottoman elements were eliminated from Turkey as the country undertook a journey towards modernization (Fromkin, 2001). Modernization is an element that was also undertaken in other Middle East countries such as Iran during the first half of the 20th century. Arab nationalism and Islam During the First World War, the Arab nations were promised independence by the colonists. Indeed, France and Britain promised the Arabs of their independence once the war was over. However, the colonists continued to control Arab countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. This did not go down well with the Arabs, and they called for unity in liberating their respective countries. In 1932, Saudi Arabia was formed. The country was very poor until the discovery of oil in the 1930s (Cleveland & Bunton, 2009). Other regions in the Middle East such as the Palestine are controlled by foreigners. Palestin
Same-sex unions have been a contentious issue for an extended period, comparable to the struggle against racial inequality, and it has divided the USA in half. Some oppose gay marriage on religious grounds and others- on an individual or group basis, but some tussle against the inequitable portrayal of gay marriage with zeal, such as Senator Dianne Feinstein. Senator Savino also discusses the importance of treating everyone equitably. Additionally, Savino stresses that one must set aside their theological and interpersonal beliefs to make better judgments in pursuing equality. I concur with Senator Savino’s point that all unions should be regarded the same, regardless of whether they are between straight or gay partners. Therefore, when it comes to gay marriages, individuals should act reasonably and judge based on what is just to everyone, not on religious, interpersonal, or ideological beliefs. When someone attempts to use faith, personal convictions, or political ideas as a justification, that is prejudice. Individuals or organizations should not dictate people on matters about relationships. Love knows no ethnicity, creed, sexuality, or faith; it exists between two people who share a romantic emotion. People constantly associate gay marriage with the destruction of the establishment of a monogamous relationship, but this is entirely untrue. The majority of people are genuinely excited about preserving heterosexual marital connections. If so, why do we allow television programs that ridicule and disdain the concept of marriage and turn it into a complete joke, such as the Bachelor and the Bachelorette, to continue? And, as Senator Savino stated, I am envious of some gay couples who can maintain successful relationships. Therefore, every American citizen needs to respect the rights the constitution grants to gay married couples to not discriminate against.
Auction Websites Auction websites are online shopping sites for buying and selling goods and services. In this paper, two websites, eBay.com and Quibids.com, have been considered. From each site, the paper examines the bidding criteria based on an item of choice. The eBay.com website is among the most notable auction websites offering broad categories of products, including appliances, equipment, vehicles décor, and collectibles to furnishings between other products. On the other hand, Quibids.com is a renowned auction website for penny auction. As far as the eBay auction website is concerned, a brand of a wristwatch for ladies-Xmas Gift D1W is considered. On the other hand, for Quibids.com, a camera carrying case- Kata Ex-07 is considered. eBay.com What type of auction format was used, and what item did you choose to follow? The first item used to be a wristwatch, which was chosen from the eBay auction website. The auction format used was the auction-style listing. Did the item sell at a higher or lower price for the winning bidder than similarly priced items on the site? The wristwatch was sold at AU $ 5.50. Some items on the site were sold as expensive as AU $ 15.70 whereas, others were sold as cheap as AU $ 2.99. Therefore, the wristwatch was sold at a price between the most expensive and the cheapest items sold by the auction site. What tools do you have available as a consumer to determine price/value? As a consumer, one should look at the item specifications provided on the site while determining the price and value of the item. Also, eBay provides the product page that is aligned with tools like the value box, where product prices of all sellers are determined. How much did the winning bidder pay? The winning bidder paid AU $ 5.50 for the wristwatch. How many bidders participated in the auction during the time you observed it, did they change & could they use automated bidding, if so could you tell it was being used? Five bidders participated in the auction and who placed 9 bids. Among the bidders, some used automated bidding. In this case, the eBay company placed three automated bids. What features does each website use to protect both the buyer & seller from fraud? The issue of security is critical in online auctioning. In respect to the eBay auction site, the eBay toolbar allows customers to download accounts’ guards to protect their accounts and passwords. Besides, the toolbar has a feature that alerts customers on whether they are logged into the legitimate eBay website every time they visit the site. It helps customers to identify fake sites resembling the eBay site. Another powerful feature installed in eBay auction sites is the virtual feedback tool. This feature enables online buyers and sellers in creating a centralized feedback system that is independent of the site. The virtual feedback site provides a platform for effective communication that allows users to rate each other appropriately. It enables potential buyers to make a firm decision before engaging in a bidding process (eBay Inc, 2012). Quibids.com What type of auction format was used, and what item did you choose to follow? Th
Introduction At the time of globalization, it can be stated the classification of the world after the end of the cold war is strikingly different. The ideologies of east and west, capitalist and communist countries can be seen as outdated. In that regard, several authors provided different views on new classifications of the world. The differences in such views are based, not only on particular countries and/or parts of the world, but also on different criteria used in classification as well. Each classification can be used to explain the most important events that occurred after the end of the cold war. Two of the views of the world order that gained recognition are the ideas of Thomas Barnett, in which the famous strategist explains the strategies of new warfare, and Michael Klare, the author of the book Rising Powers, Shrinking Plane , for whom the criteria of the new classification are energy. The present paper will attempt to explain the views provided by both authors, comparing them to theories of international relations as well as the works of other political scientists. The paper states the presented views, of both Barnett and Klare are complementary to each other, rather than substitutes, and they can be used to explain different aspects of the same subject. Core and Gap Barnett’s lecture on the Pentagon’s New Map did not devote time to explaining the classification of the world system, rather than explaining the role the United States should have in it. Nevertheless, Barnett provided a simple system of classification, which is based on the degree of globalization. Simply put, United States along with other developed countries represents what Barnett likes to call the Core, i.e. globalized parts of the world, and the non-globalized parts of the world – the gap. Examples of the gap can be seen through countries with which the United States went into wars, e.g. Afghanistan and Iraq, or politically corrupt countries (Barnett video). Following the aforementioned description, other countries might include North Korea, which was mentioned by Barnett, and Iran, which was not. Energy and Natural Resources If the distinction provided by Barnett to classify the core and the gap are solely based on globalization and the corruption of the political system, the classification provided in Michael Klare is based on natural resources, namely energy resources. Unlike Barnett, whose position is more or less positive in his classification, with the “Leviathan force” the United States has, in the classification of Klare the position of the United States is quite pessimistic, considering the growing competition in such aspect. According to Klare, the criteria of energy resources are not about having such, but rather about controlling them (Klare). Such classification can complement the classification provided by Barnett, in which the United States enters into warfare with countries with politically corrupt systems. The complementary element, in that
Introduction The novel “Conviction” written by a distinguished American fiction writer Richard North Patterson in 2005 has sure caused deep resonance among the public, because it touches upon one of the most sensitive issues in the contemporary American society, the problem of capital punishment. Certainly, this moral dilemma has often been discussed and, it seems that this issue remains unresolved. The key peculiarity of this novel is that Richard Patterson incorporates the moral parable with a thriller and it produces indelible impression on the reader. Main body The novel is written mostly in third person, it is set in present day California. The author prefers a suspenseful tone, and the novel itself reminds some psychological quest or investigation, aimed at discovering whether the person is guilty of committing a crime or not. In this case, it becomes a matter of life and death. Although the author mostly prefers the form of dialogue, his descriptions have many realistic details, which give the reader a clear idea of court and prison life in the United States. In addition to that, it is quite possible for us to say that the Richard Patterson is renowned for his ability to penetrate into the inner world of the main characters. At first glance, it may seem that they are rather sketchy, however as the story progresses, we may see that a few subtle details a thee-dimensional image of people, described in the novel. The plot of the story evolves around the life of two brothers Rennell and Payton Price, who were sentenced to death for raping and killing a nine-year-old girl. The point is that the jury, convicting the defendants does not even want to go into the details of this case. People, who are chosen to decide the fate of Price brothers, are too eager to find scapegoats for this atrocity; naturally, they are inclined to jump into conclusions as to the guilt or innocence of the accused. Nevertheless, this is not the only story line. The novel also concentrates on the attempts of Teresa Paget, the defensive to delay the execution and avert the disaster, because the death a person who is probably innocent is always a disaster. The main character believes that Price brothers were not properly trialed and that the jurors were prejudiced against the accused. Teresa believes that such biased judgment is the most blatant mistake that a system of justice could ever make. The point is that as soon as the Rennell and Payton Price find themselves in the dock, people begin to perceive them not as defendants but as criminals, which violates the presumption of innocence. It seems that these people are doomed. One of the brothers Rennell Price is to be executed in fifteen days. It is worth mentioning that this man has spent fifteen years on the death row, suffering sexual assault from other inmates. Perhaps, it is a far-fetched statement, but this person has already been severely punished, because waiting death is much worse than the death itself. The thing is that he has already experienced it many times (in his ima
Case Description The patient in the presented case is a 25-year-old woman complaining about lower abdominal pain and bloating, as well as the absence of menses for eight weeks. The three differential diagnoses identified for this case are lower abdominal pain, bloating, and amenorrhea. This paper aims to outline the laboratory and radiology work-up for the mentioned differential diagnoses and provide a rationale and interpretation for them. Lower Abdominal Pain Abdominal pain is a frequent chief patient complaint in the primary care setting. It can be acute, for which patients tend to seek care within the first 24-48 hours after the symptoms occurred, and chronic (Dunlap & Patterson, 2020). For acute pain, diagnosis is made based on patient history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, but imaging is often needed to specify the diagnosis and determine treatment (Dunlap & Patterson, 2020). Before assigning any laboratory and radiology tests, it is necessary to collect patient history and perform a physical examination. The nature and location of the pain are significant for making a diagnosis. Lower abdominal pain in the right quadrant, combined with abdominal wall rigidity, may be a sign of appendicitis (Bickley, 2021). In women, acute lower abdominal pain can also signify ectopic pregnancy, ruptured ovarian follicles, or pelvic inflammatory disease (Bickley, 2021). Acute pain in the left lower quadrant may be a symptom of diverticulitis, especially when there is a palpable mass (Bickley, 2021). Since the given patient is a woman of childbearing age, it is necessary to exclude pregnancy first. According to Colucciello (2019), when diagnosing pregnancy, clinicians should not rely on patients’ menstrual history or reports of no recent sexual activity. Instead, they should require women to take a pregnancy test (Colucciello, 2019). Since ectopic pregnancy can be a possible diagnosis in this patient, transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasonography is a feasible choice of a diagnostic test (Colucciello, 2019). While ultrasonography may not always exclude ectopic pregnancy, it can help determine other early pregnancies (Colucciello, 2019). In addition, serial quantitative beta-hCG tests and serum progesterone testing should be performed to identify whether the cause of the patient’s symptoms is an ectopic pregnancy (Colucciello, 2019). If the lab tests result in a positive hCG that increases over time, combined with increased progesterone levels, it will indicate pregnancy. Bloating If the patient’s pregnancy is not confirmed, clinicians should consider other diagnoses based on the presented symptoms. In particular, bloating can be a symptom of ovarian cancer, lactose
It is almost second to nature to ask questions about one’s environment as one grows up from childhood to adulthood. Some aspects of the environment are very mysterious and appear as magical when view through a lay man’s eyes. However, hope has been brought through scientific studies and experiments. For instance, as I was growing up, I always wondered why the sky is blue. Does this mean that outer space is also blue? Or is it just a reflection of the oceans’ color? These and many other questions lingered in my head for years until I first entered a science class and realized that there is more to the blue light than just color. There are several opinions on why the sky appears to be blue. Some people believe it is the reflection of the oceans’ color while others believe it is the reflection of the blue portion of the light from the sun that is reflected on the surface of dust particles in the atmosphere. Others believe that both the sky and the oceans are intrinsically blue. The truth is, in fact, that all these opinions are just misconceptions. They can be easily disapproved. For example, if the sky and ocean water were inherently blue, why does the water look transparent? Why does the sky appear grey? These questions simply disapprove that argument. This was one of the phenomena I wanted to understand from the science class. As I came to realize, science addresses all my concerns when it comes to the sky’s color. Some of these explanations will dominate this document in the endeavor of finding out the most rational, relevant and realistic explanation to the blue color of the sky. The explanation starts by understanding the inevitability of solar radiation to the life on the Earth. The light and energy from the sun dictates a lot of things on earth like the type of vegetation, the climate of an area and resources available in different areas (Hoeppe 5). On top of all that, the sun also affects the appearance of the sky in different parts of the day. A summary of the whole phenomenon makes it simpler and easier to comprehend. Initially, the light from the sun travels in small ‘packets’ of light called photons (Hoeppe 5). Photons are particulate in nature, similar to atoms. As the light travels through space into the earth’s atmosphere, it collides with the numerous molecules in the atmosphere. The light from the sun appears white in color since it is a combination of several wavelengths of light. The consolidating of all these colors of the spectrum leads to a white light. Just as a prism splits white light into the colors of the spectrum, the atmospheric molecules split the light from the sun into the various constituents of the white light. The spectrum is not entirely visible to the naked human eye. In fact, human beings can only see the parts between the red and violet. These fall between the wavelengths of 380 nanometers (violet) and 720 nanometers (red). Between red and violet fall orange then yellow then green and finally blue. The blue portion of this white light is made up of ver