ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction This reflective treatise attempts to explicitly present a summary of my experience without the internet for twenty-four hours. Besides, the treatise relates these experiences to functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interaction theories. Internet blackout experience The introduction of communication via the internet has liberated communication and made it efficient and cost-effective. Reflectively, it has come with a series of benefits such as reliability, privacy, and personalized control. At present, by a click of a button, an individual is in a position to communicate with the entire world. Last week, I spent 24 hours away from the internet. During the blackout, I was not able to visit Facebook, fashion, and e-newspaper sites, which have become part of my daily activities. The internet blackout was a disturbing experience. Before the outage, I did not know that mass media had a powerful influence on the scope of my interaction, exchange of information, and expressing freedom to my peers. Despite turning my attention to the newspapers in the house, I could not think upright since I was procrastinating on my daily activities on Facebook and the fun I was missing. After four hours into the blackout, I decided to pass the time by engaging some older family members in a conversation. I realized that the age gap presented a considerable challenge in my interaction with them since I could not identify myself with their stories. The rest of the day dragged by, and I was convinced that the internet is an essential tool of communication. It has a significant influence on personal identity and group culture. Theoretical reflection Symbolic interaction The development of the internet over the years is an expression of revolutionary inspirations of a mass society to quantify the role of symbolic interaction in the exchange of information. Therefore, the development of internet communication in the community is inspired by the ideas that the mass society considers essential and promotes the system of informal groupings in society. The story of the internet has eventually culminated in the creation of a culture that I found very difficult to live without during the blackout. Functionalism The internet media play a significant role in the process of defining and forming social consciousness and its limits towards achieving social change in the modern world characterized by informal interaction. In theoretical conception, functionalism believes that mass media revolution and solidarity as agents of communication would facilitate the occurrence of revolutionary modes of reception and functioning of different target audiences. In fact, I could not relate the stories of my seniors during the blackout since the internet had created a comfortable peer culture with friends of my age group. Conflict theory Through embracing the internet blackout period, it was tough for me to identify the aspects of self-disclosure, positivity, and social networking. I lacked the assuring factors that promoted the effectiveness of mass cultural modes across the gen
Introduction The short story, The Storm by Kate Chopin depicts life and destiny of a middle class woman, Calixta. Her son Bobinôt and her husband decide to wait while a storm come down and Calixta retain at home alone. Suddenly, Calixta sees her old love, Alcée who appears in front of the door. The article related to this short story, “Looking at setting and Atmosphere” analyses and demonstrates the importance of minor details in a short story. In addition to these qualities, the short story is restricted in time and place; and pays attention of readers to a very small number of characters; and move toward a single dramatic conclusion. The article is interesting and well-thought reflecting the main ideas of the short story. I agree with the author that readers perceive and understand the meaning of a story thought atmosphere and settings rather than dialogues and monologues. Main body The sophistication of the reader (whether young or old, or mentally incapacitated) matters, as does the cultural background of the reader, and the literary sophistication of the reader. Readers are not exposed to many details; thus they grasp the atmosphere and settings such as storm and coming of a stranger. But they may not be cognitively competent to make sense of subtle distinctions or grasp complicated story narrative. In this case, the writer involves details and gives readers some hints to understand the story. Alcée asks: “”Do you remember — in Assumption, Calixta?” he asked in a low voice broken with passion. Oh! she remembered; for in Assumption he had kissed her” (Chopin 108). This setting is extremely important for the whole story development as it gives readers the main idea of the story: sexual desire and romantic relations between Calixta and Alcée. Situation is like the single image in the series. It is linked with what precedes it and what follows it. The link between the situations which make up the story is provided by the words of the dialogue which is its medium, as the photographic image. The author of the article is right that the story is based on settings and atmosphere. As the story is built up of settings and exhibits a series of linked situations involving persons represented on the stage, through which the playwright expresses his experience and ideas, the simplest mode of understanding the latter would be by trying to discover what the situations reveal. The author of the article should examines the situations for clues to the dramatist’s intention. There are similarities, repetitions, contrasts, emphases which force themselves on our attention. Breaking up the story into certain selected situations readers can make it a task to see whether there is any significance in these, and whether their analysis enables them to reassemble the whole in such a way that they do not leave out anything which belongs to the story. Chopin writes: “The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems” (Chopin 109). This sentence symbolically ends the passion and romantic relations between Calixta and Alcée. In sum, the short story and the article allow to understand importance of minor details,
Introduction As pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies announced the completion of clinical trials testing the vaccine against COVID-19 and got emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, all states started introducing it. Like any other vaccination, the shots against the SARS-CoV-2 are voluntary, meaning that individuals cannot be forced to get them. Although many people in the United States received their vaccinations, the U.S. has not attained herd immunity yet. The recent data state that 60% of the U.S. population is vaccinated while the recommended number is above 70% to create collective immunity (Brailovskaia et al. 2; Share of the Population Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 ). However, the recent enforcement from the White House was blocked by district judges in most states, preventing vaccine mandates for workers (Hals). This issue is of national importance because population health and the country’s development are at stake since the continued spread of the infection will not allow the economy to recover properly. Thus, the government should introduce vaccine mandates to create protection for those who cannot receive immunization due to medical contraindications since this virus damaged the economy and killed millions of people worldwide. The White House’s Proposed Legislation About Vaccination Against COVID-19 President Biden’s administration decided to enforce this legislation due to the growing concern about the new coronavirus mutations. The government is concerned about the omicron variant that became more infectious than alpha and delta forms (Hals). The fear is that it may result in a second global lockdown, which will harm the economy and result in a surge in mortality from the consequences of this infection (Hals). If the government wants to prevent the rise of COVID-related deaths and help businesses enter the recovery phase from the recession, this mandate should be implemented to reduce the incidence of this disease. Introducing this mandate would mean that people who were not vaccinated would not be able to have access to specific organizations and activities not to expose other people to a potential risk for infection. Still, it does not suggest that they will be forcefully immunized. Thus, the White House enforced the vaccine mandates in early November of this year, but this initiative was blocked by district courts (Hals). The President’s team had specific reasons to implement the new policy that seemed to be ignored by the opposing side. The Mo
Introduction Environmental conservation is the new trend that organizations are taking as their corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is a method which organizations use to be self regulating to prevent the firm from adversely affecting the environment or the society which they are operating. It ensures that the firm obeys the law, maintains ethical standards and has a positive impact on the society. Many multinational firms have taken up this to ensure that their activities do not harm the environment (Harding, 2012). Panasonic is the firm I will focus on because of its many initiatives in maintaining the environment. Panasonic is a leading producer of electronic devices around the world having begun its operations in 1918. The firm has branches around the world producing electrical appliances and semiconductors. Panasonic is placed fifth in terms of production of its electronics. It is ranked ninth in terms of environmental conservation among its rivals around the world. This ranking was done by Green peace guide to greener electronics organization. This is a ranking of electronic manufacturers who have policies and practices that are aimed at reducing impact on climate. It shows the firms which produce green products that make their operations sustainable to the environment. Panasonic is one of the firms that produce green products. These products have a good life cycle and have a reduced quantity of polyvinyl chloride plastic in them. Its products especially TVs are energy efficient and consume lower than the level of energy conservation needed (Kun-min Zhango 2008). In their plan to reduce the green house effects of the manufacture of its products Panasonic has come up with various initiatives. These initiatives are presented as corporate social responsibilities by the firm. Panasonic has developed an environmental strategy that will see it achieve the goals it. The strategies cover ways to reduce Carbon dioxide emissions, recycling resources and proper manufacturing processes. The main policy is recycling oriented manufacturing. This has an impact of making a lasting effect on the environment and is in line with the laws that were developed in the world forums on environment. Many competitors also implement policies that are environmental friendly (Harding, 2012). Recycling resources and environmental conservation The firm has ensured production of products that have zero emission levels. These products have an efficient energy performance. These two factors reduce the energy consumed. The firm ensures that there is energy recreation and storage. The products being developed are eco-conscious and offer all ways of conserving energy. One strategy that Panasonic has adopted is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions both in its products and when manufacturing the products. This is in line with the world set standard of reducing green house gasses emissions by 50% by the year 2050. This strategy has been set for attainment by 2018. Panasonic will have been able to reduce emission of green house gasses in its manufacturing activities and in the use of its products. The main way t
Abstract Leadership is a paramount element in every organization since it determines the success or failure of a company. Organizations in the Middle East use various leadership styles such as authoritative, transformational, bureaucratic, charismatic, and participative ways of leading employees. In order to find out how the leadership styles are employed by organizations in the region, the researcher had a face-to-face interview with G&M Middle East’s manager and carried out secondary research with the help of reputable journals. Introduction This research aims at identifying the characteristics of leadership styles used in the Middle East. The identification will assist in assessing whether organizations in the region offer an employee-friendly environment. Literature Review Leadership is a process that an individual or group uses to influence and guide their followers to achieve common goals (Khan, Aslam, & Riaz, 2012). Companies in the Middle East mainly use authoritative, transformational, bureaucratic, charismatic, and participative leadership styles to manage their employees (Greaves, 2012). Perhaps due to their societal culture, managers in the Middle East usually use the authoritarian leadership style (Iqba, Anwar, & Haider, 2015). The subordinates of an authoritarian leader are rarely trusted with crucial activities and are not involved in decision making (Gonos & Gallo, 2013). Besides, authoritarian leaders offer minimal or no guidance to their followers. Autocratic leaders coerce their employees instead of persuading them to work hard to achieve organizational goals (Zhang et al., 2015). Additionally, such leaders usually supervise their followers closely, but without participating, to make sure they meet the set goals and deadlines (Von Krogh, Nonaka, & Rechsteiner, 2012). Authoritative leadership is supported by transactional leadership theory where leaders punish or reward employees to promote compliance and desired work performance. In this theory, leaders are task and result-oriented. Primary Research The researcher approached G&M Middle East’s manager for a face-to-face interview to find out the type of leadership style that the company uses and its influence on the organization’s employees and operations. Some of the questions posed to the manager required information about: the type of overall management style that the company uses, the form of leader that the manager thinks he is, the involvement of the manager in employees’ activities, the kind of supervision offered by the manager, and ways of inspiring the workers. The manager who participated in the interview responded that G&M Middle East’s management used the autocratic leadership style to manage all its employees. He added that he always wanted to see tasks completed quickly and that he leads by example. Concerning the way he supervises his juniors, the manager responded that he allowed the independent employees to work on their own as teams but closely monitors the dependent employees to keep them on t
Trend Forecasts Modern Masters Modern Masters relies on the Bespoke Construction Trend last year with an emphasis on the talent of deluxe workmanship and care for features. Serious mentions of historical antiquity will be obvious as we by this time have observed inventors of Haute Couture mentioning “ancient Rome, Flemish masters and the 19th century – pulling these references into ‘reality’ and making them look modern” ( Trend Forecast , 2015, par. 3). Leisure Luxe Leisure luxe is founded on king-size lux activity; it is a mixture of vacation and sporty features combined with oversize coverings. Sporty natures in deluxe constituents depend on the importance of surface, which is a primary emphasis on the excellence of mixtures of loungewear and characteristic clothing attaches ( A comprehensive guide , 2015). Latin Glamour Effervescent to the beat of vivacious color, a blatantly female tendency arises for the next season. Congenital from orientations to Cuba and the Caribbean, the tendency is magnificent in its simple exotica of glasshouse plants and audacious shoulder see-through shaping highlighted with big distresses. Comfortable yet fashionable, the observers will perceive an active and regal retro appearance with as antique feeling as well, highlighting glasshouse plants, palm designs and flowing perturbs in an exciting mixture of patterns and color. Graceful Edge Ladylike and dreamy, the Graceful Edge tendency reflects antique inheritances originated in Granny’s attic, distorting the outlines from one era to another. Lenient yet contemporary, the creators will put on sun-bleached pastels and ladylike materials to current shapes. Encrusted ties, detailed creases, and pure constituents enhance subtle particulars in washed-out natures, producing a renewed appeal. The ladylikeness will be highlighted with a lenient emphasis in scattered pales. Splashed denim will be a primary element in unattached fits while sentimental designing will pervade the tendency with a mixture of lace, soft flowers, and original peculiar color blends. Motifs will reflect keepsakes with an eastern outlook as well. Culture Club Culture Club is a progress of the 1980s. The generation without the World Wide Web motivates a renewed young-looking creation prejudiced by street philosophy and the electro-rock music section. This tendency mentions a previous era, during which the projects are characteristically new and maneuvering. The appearances are pierced with high-octane tints that are supportive for a young-looking verge. This is self-confident, refined allure with the appearance and sensation of the digital era. Color Forecasts Prejudiced by the framework of art, new worldwide gates opening and the wish to separate from machinery and relax, the designers of the following season have relied upon a palette that is rather consoling. Material Forecast Environment and natural materials are believed to gain more recognition, but because of the require there will be an invasion of down-to-earth artificial materials to recompe
Introduction Lawyers must not banish their evil side, but must look for ways of reconciling it with the good within them. Failure to do so may result in deep public hostility towards the profession. Jekyll v Hyde Esq. was indicative of humanity’s inner conflict of good and evil. Humans have a dual nature that represents both good and evil. However, if they do not accept these tensions, then the evil nature may become too powerful to control. Lawyers possess a Jekyll and Hyde quality about them. On one end of the spectrum, they provide a much needed social service that is designed to enhance liberal values, promote justice and protect the innocent. On the other hand, lawyers are sometimes regarded as communication corruptors, strife fomenters, and even economic predators. Unless these professionals can reconcile both sides, then hostility towards them will continue to increase. Lawyers as demons Lawyers have been regarded as communication corruptors. They sometimes take ordinary facts and complicate them. A number of them will make black and white facts appear multifaceted, and will mystify issues through legal jargon. The result is decadent disorder in the courts. Lawyers act as demons when they behave as strife fomenters. These are people who perpetuate strife or conflict through self interest rather cooperation. For instance, a vast number of tort laws arise from pursuance of self interest. After listening to their lawyer’s advice, patients will sue doctors to promote their monetary interests. However, this advances defensive medicine; doctors perform unnecessary surgery or medical procedures to protect themselves. Lawyers may also be viewed as economic predators. They often charge their clients exorbitant fees for their services. Alternatively, one can question the very notion of charging clients for some common rights cases. These professionals will mystify legal rights to manipulate them to their advantage. The government passed Intellectual property laws to protect creative individuals; however lawyers have manipulated these laws to support cartels in the software and technology industries. Personal injury litigations and class action lawyers are quite wealthy legal professionals because of rechanneling funds meant for injured plaintiffs. Lawyers as saint
The film Touki Bouki tells the story of two young people who do not want to live in Senegal and try to gather money in order to move to Paris. On the whole, this movie explores various issues related to the experiences of people who live in a post-colonial country. This paper is aimed at discussing the main themes and inherent tensions explored in the authors of this film. It is possible to argue that the main characters wish to discover a place where they can have more opportunities for intellectual and economic development, but at the same time, the protagonists understand that their future is full of uncertainly. So, they are also overwhelmed by the feeling of anxiety that is difficult to overcome. This argument is important for understanding the main ideas and tensions of Touki Bouki. One of the themes that should be examined is the inability of the characters to make any progress in their own country. In fact, they see no reason for staying in Senegal. Anta and Mory start their journey to Paris because, in this way, they can escape the dilapidation of their own country. This is the main motive that drives these individuals. However, there is a certain inner conflict that should not be overlooked. In particular, one can speak about the tension between the familiarity and the unknown. This conflict is particularly relevant if one speaks about Mory who eventually finds the money for his trip to Paris, but at the very end, he becomes afraid of the world about which he has practically no idea. This is why he decides to stay in Senegal even despite the fact there are not many economic opportunities for him in his home country. So, this tension is vital for explaining the behavior of Mory and other people who do not want to leave their home country even in spite of its drawbacks. The feelings experienced by Mory can be familiar to many individuals. This is why this inner conflict is vital for this movie. Apart from that, one should speak about the culture of post-colonial countries that incorporates traditional elements, but at the same time, it is influenced by Western art. To a great extent, one can describe this phenomenon as a cultural hybrid. This theme plays an important role in Touki Bouki. Additionally, it is possible to mention the tension between tradition and novelty. This issue is examined by the authors of this film. For instance, the movie includes the sounds