ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Natural disasters have tremendous force, and no human-made device or phenomenon is able to stop or at least predict them. The eternal conflict between a man with nature very often turns out to cause horrible consequences, with lots of human lives taken and everyone else looking for the ones to blame. What Hurricane Katrina did was one example of such horror. People were taken aback by the disaster’s incredible force and speed of development and were finally left alone with their problems and needs after the hurricane. The documentary When the Levees Broke by the famous American director Spike Lee (2006) is the film that tells the story of the city of New Orleans after the natural disaster destroyed the very urban areas and lives of thousands of the city’s inhabitants. Film Information Plot The very plot of the film develops in the city of New Orleans three months after the tragic events caused by Katrina (Lee, 2006). The initial episodes of the documentary feature the pictures of the city before and once after the hurricane with the soundtracks by famous American jazz and blues performers, including Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino (Lee, 2006). The director of the film follows his idea of interviewing as many various people dealing with New Orleans issues as possible, and the list of the interviewed persons ranges from Hollywood stars and politicians to journalists and ordinary people who have experienced personally what it is like to be left with no accommodation and no means for living and fighting diseases (Lee, 2006). Sean Penn, Kanye West, etc. express themselves in the documentary and make its main point obvious – the flood and damage to the city could have been prevented, but the failed levees constructed wrongly by the American Army Engineers led to the tragedy (Lee, 2006). Implicit Ideas Accordingly, the main ideas of the documentary are all explicit, saying that ordinary people suffer most of all from Hurricane Katrina, and those responsible for fighting its consequences do not fulfill their duties in this respect (Lee, 2006). However, the implicit idea of the movie lies somewhere deeper, probably in criticizing the very political and social way of living in America, where there are powerful and powerless people, and discrimination on the basis of race is still observed. Kanye West’s speech blaming George Bush, Jr. for not caring about black people is one of the best expressions of this idea in the film by Spike Lee (Lee, 2006). Film Assessment Strengths Needless to say, the film under consideration, as well as any other piece of art, has its own strong and weak points. Beginning from the former, such ideas should be mentioned as the comprehensive approach to the issue, focus on all the social groups involved in the tragedy, interviews not only with either ordinary people or statesmen but with all parties concerned, the comparative analysis of the city before and after the flood, etc. Spike Lee (2006) has the goal to show in this film the course of the tragedy and reflect on the lives of ordinary people and the effect of the hurricane on them. As well, the author is interested in the viewpoints of politicians an
According to financial terms, goodwill is defined as the net difference between the actual value of the business as a whole, and the fair value of the inseparable net assets. Given the fact that the goodwill figure does not result from accounting transactions, it is not normally recognized on balance sheets. The most interesting fact about goodwill is that it is usually in existence at all times in the company but difficult to measure objectively. For instance, during the valuation of goodwill some assets that form part of a company’s goodwill such as employees, business reputation, and customers among others are normally not recognized hence giving the wrong figure. There are two categories of goodwill distinguished as purchased and internally generated goodwill. Just as the name suggests, purchased goodwill arises from transactions involving the sale of business ventures. For instance, when one company buys another company at a value higher or lesser than the actual value, the resulting difference in price is normally regarded as goodwill. On the other hand, internally generated goodwill also referred to as non-purchased goodwill arises from all other sources excluding that obtained through purchase. The difference in the two types of goodwill comes about during their accounting treatment. That is under SSAP 22 ‘Accounting for Goodwill’, whereby business entities have two options for the treatment of goodwill: capitalization or have it written off to reserves.When goodwill is purchased, it is treated as a non-current asset in the balance sheet, on acquisition. The only exception for this is when an associate company purchases the goodwill as an investment. If the company losses goodwill during purchase/sale, it is treated as an expense at the time of acquisition. Alternatively, the goodwill could be written off against the company reserves during acquisition (Australian Accounting Standards Board 8). In addition to this, purchased goodwill is in most cases viewed as a future benefit of the company in accordance to FRS 10. The treatment of purchased goodwill in the aforementioned methods has several effects on the company’s financial statements. For instance, writing off purchased goodwill against the company reserves, is normally viewed as unacceptable since it does not discern the acquired future benefits of the company. Given the fact that internally generated goodwill is normally generated by the business entity, it should not be recognized by the entity (Australian Accounting Standards Board 7). This goodwill is therefore not recognized as an asset of the business entity because the transactions behind the accumulation of the goodwill are difficult or rather impossible to identify. Nevertheless, even if it were possible to identify the transactions leading to the accumulated goodwill, the values would not be measurable in a reliable manner. In that case, if the internally generated goodwill is not recognized as a company’s asset as per IAS 38, it means that it is recognized as an expense. In other cases, it goes unrecognized in the financial statement. This has the effe
Depending on the goals set by the project designers, the areas of interest, and the specificities of the involved audiences, different types of evaluation can be used. According to Piskurich (2015), for major types of evaluation can be defined based on the areas they are intended to analyze: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. At this point, it is important to understand that evaluation is commonly used throughout the instructional design process to ensure the consistency of knowledge delivery. However, it is more readily associated with the evaluation that follows the process, either immediately after its completion or after a certain period. The former is expected to illustrate the observable effects of the project and match it with the predicted outcomes. The latter is used to measure the long-term effects and estimate the sustainability of the effect (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2008). It should also be clarified that both the goals of the evaluation and the choice of methods depends on its type and level. Reaction The first level of evaluation corresponds to the reaction of the participants to the project. At this level, the evaluator wants to know what the participants think of the intervention. This can be done for a variety of reasons, but the most popular ones revolve around the possibility of improvement (Reigeluth, 2013). For instance, the goal of the project’s educator may be to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the intervention before it can be administered in a different setting. Alternatively, the results of the evaluation can later be used for developing unrelated projects that incorporate some of the same tools. On other occasions, an unrelated party (e.g., the employer) wants to find out whether the audience accepts the selected educator. Finally, in some organizations, the perception of the trainees must be used to report the outcomes (Brown & Green, 2015). The most common approaches to measuring reactions are surveys, questionnaires, and interviews administered after the project’s completion. According to Piskurich (2015), the data collection instruments need to be specific and focused enough to exclude ambiguity and eliminate redundant information that would dilute the clarity of results. Depending on the intentions of the researcher, the level of detail can be adjusted by introducing multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and adding an opportunity to provide details, both in written form and orally (during the interviews). Finally, it should be acknowledged that this type of assessment is compatible with the technological means of delivery, with online surveys being among its most widely recognized iterations. Such form offers significant time and resource savings and can be considered more convenient in some settings
Many independent films getting mainstream release and some big budget Hollywood films are using non-linear narratives in service of stories about time travel and movement between alternate realities The surge of mainstream films comprising complex narratives has been one of the most fascinating developments that have occurred in the film industry in the past decade. Consider Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry, Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, or Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, for instance. Each of these technocrats is analyzed by David (1987) who observes that they tend to ask much more from their audiences by employing certain narratives. This is much more than the Hollywood film productions, which critically and commercially became more successful. Another film with controversy is Memento (2000) by Christopher Nolan. Although designed as a small budget film, Memento has managed to draw fame as a highly narrative film structure. This set of trends has aroused eyebrows from scholars in the early 20 th Century prompting them to raise unique set of questions. These are questions of categorization: Do these art films cross over into the main stream, or do they represent something else? If so, what do they represent? Do these films represent variations on a theme or a new form of cinema? Since its inception, film has always been seen as part of cultural activity with the capacity to transcend culture. The mode of fascination it creates is readily accessible and engages the audience in ways independent of their linguistics. Throughout the years, Hill and Gibson noted that the world’s culture and history have comprised much of the film with its purpose varying from entertainment tool to a campaign tool that raises awareness of certain issues in society (Buckland 2009). The catch phrase in the movie industry seems to be ‘indie films’ at the moment due to numerous changes in technology. It is difficult to classify films such as Memento (2000) by Christopher Nolan or Eternal Sunshine (Laass 2008). Though a small-budget narrative, Memento is a highly narrative structure that is both confusing and quite radical. It is an independent film with its radicalism which is focused on one of the Hollywood’s most useful action-film tropes that are based on the rape-revenge narrative. This structure has been an idolized means of justifying the American violence from the reign of John Ford’s westerns to the recent George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ (Bordwell 2006). It is used in the film with an objective of closely aligning the audience with a serial killer. This serial killer, with personal conviction, wilfully deceives himself aiming at committing a cold-blooded murder. Memento involves the audience into a dubious activity of its character by turning the “the narrative of rape-revenge upside down”. It seems closer to
A website has already become an irreplaceable digital instrument not only in the business world but in almost all spheres of human activities connected with the Internet. Thus, web design is highly important in the creation of efficient websites, and it is necessary to follow particular rules in order to make them favorable, functional, and easy to use. First, a website’s general concept should be elaborated on before its creation. In other words, a designer should initially decide what his or her website will be about and what information it will include. Sometimes, specific knowledge and skills, for instance, related to SEO and SEM, should be obtained before the content’s creation to make a professional website. Moreover, it is essential to define its target audience as, in the majority of cases, customers and their preferences and needs determine a website’s design (Dianat et al., 2019). In addition, a designer should think about how to improve the accessibility of the website for all categories of people, including individuals with color blindness or poor vision. The website’s navigation should also be developed in the most appropriate manner. It should be comprehensive and clear – people who will visit the site should see where they can find information. The home page should be served as an entrance that both attracts, catches visitors’ attention, and provides all necessary information at the same time. Moreover, language plays a highly important role in the site’s favourableness – both too informal and too scientific terms and expressions should be avoided. In this case, it will be comfortable for customers to visit the website as it will be understandable, well-structured, and people-oriented. Reference Dianat, I., Adeli, P., Jafarabadi, M. A., & Karimi, M. A. (2019). User-centered web design, usability and user satisfaction: The case of online banking websites in Iran. Applied Ergonomics, 81 , 1-9.
The introduction: the fundamentals of medical billing problem Medical billing problem is often the most difficult part of a disease. When the employees from the billing department can’t cope with numerous tasks, and many problems appear, there is a need to create a problem-solving team to resolve the issue. First of all, it is necessary to point out that getting employees to act in teams is one of the key factors to succeed. However, the basic skills of the employees are also of primary importance. For this reason, while creating a team for the billing department, the head of the branch is to understand that the employees are to define their goals, identify the difficulties or the barriers, define the root cause of various problems, develop solutions, create workable plans, and perform the plan. The thesis statement The head’s main aim is to provide the team with the necessary knowledge or with the fundamentals of operational problems. In other words, the effectiveness and profitability of the billing department depend upon the strategies the team relies on. The body: the integral parts the team is based on There are the so-called general rules, which are to be applied to all spheres of human activity, including health care services. So, let’s consider the general points. The communication strategy the employees of the billing department are to use is an important point, which is to be discussed. Thus, there are ten basic steps the employees are to follow to succeed. As far as the employees should show their benevolence, they are to smile. The use of kind greetings is another important step the team is to keep in mind. The employees are not only to ask the patients/the clients how they are but also to be sincere when asking. It is necessary to ask in what way the employees can help the clients. When the requirements are expressed, the employees should immediately begin on that need. If there is a need to spend more than a few minutes to cope with a task, the clients are to be informed about the reasons for the delay. In this case, the employees should offer the clients some sort of entertainment. The task is to be performed ASAP. Finally, the employees are to thank their clients and bid them goodbye. The organization of the team as well as its structure is considered to be a specific point. The type of my team is a problem-solving team. In other words, it is a frequently cross-functional team. I want to point out that the type of team is to be created when there is no opportunity to resolve the problems or some contradictions through the ordinary organizational structure. The structure of the team is to be based on the functions approach. It means that there are task functions and interpersonal functions the team is to be based on. Task functions mean the employees are to concentrate on the problems of the billing department they are to resolve; while interpersonal f
The Abbasids rule could be considered one of the turning points in the history of the Islamic world. They came when the Umayyad rule was weakened by numerous inefficient Caliphs who were not able to unite the state and contributed to its further defragmentation and collapse. Additionally, Umayyads provided Arab Muslims with more powerful positions which resulted in the growth of peoples dissatisfaction and anger. In such a way, Abbasids managed to seize power by using the country’s weakness and cultivating the idea of their right to rule the Islamic state in which both Arab and Non-Arab Muslims had same rights and privileges. In general, the Abbasids rule could be divided into two central periods. The first one, the Golden Age, is the most important age in the history of Islamic states. Powerful Caliphs initiated the rise of industry and the agricultural sector to guarantee the stability and growth of their state. Moreover, they also cultivated religion, art, science, medicine, and many other significant fields of human knowledge. For this reason, Muslims managed to enrich the worlds history by numerous inventions and discoveries. The second period is characterized by the gradual decline. Abbasid rulers lost their ability to govern the land efficiently and devoted little attention to social and military aspects of their state. For this reason, having faced the Mongolian invasion, they had to move from their traditional lands and were finally destroyed by the Ottomans. However, the importance of the Abbasids rule could hardly be overestimated. Islamic nations still associate this dynasty with the age of their unification and blistering rise. Islam had turned into one of the most powerful world religions which created the basis for the further development of culture, trditions, and relations. Altogether, the Abbasids shaped their state and stipulated crucial changes in peoples mentalities.
Introduction Background The staggering economic growth witnessed in China has increased the median income of the average citizen and had an unintended consequence of increasing the demand for higher education (Zhang & Fagan 2016). The rise in wealth and the increase in demand for high-quality education mean that there is a strong need to bridge students’ needs with currently available education services not only within China but around the world as well (Perez-Encinas & Rodriguez-Pomeda 2018). However, students in China have experienced problems seeking the right partners who understand their personal and educational needs. The language barrier that exists between prospective Chinese students and most western universities has compounded this problem. According to Huang, Wang and Li (2015), China is among the leading sources of international students for many western universities. Relative to this view, it is estimated that up to 500,000 Chinese students leave the country in search of better educational opportunities in western countries (SML 2019). Therefore, it is not a surprise that China is an attractive market for setting up a recruitment agency to facilitate student travel and provide educational resources for pursuing international education (SML 2019). Furthermore, there is competition from many recruitment agencies that are increasingly targeting Chinese students to study abroad because of the strategic importance of China as a source of international students (Perez-Encinas & Rodriguez-Pomeda 2018). Nonetheless, most of these foreign international recruitment agencies have failed to make a significant impact on the Chinese economy because of language barriers or poor strategic choices (Perez-Encinas & Rodriguez-Pomeda 2018). Most international students in China encounter difficulties choosing their preferred majors and identifying the best universities to study (Zhang & Fagan 2016). Notably, most of them who leave their high schools and have aspirations of seeking higher education internationally have little or no understanding of the global education system or variations of it (Chankseliani 2018). Consequently, there is a need to educate them about best practices and inform them about available educational opportunities that would enable them to achieve their personal and career goals. The main goal of students to seek higher education (internationally) is to give them access to all materials and knowledge available, subject to their respective fields of study (Özoğlu, Gür & Coşkun 2015). Educational agencies serve the purpose of linking students with universities that would help them to achieve their personal and career goals (Perez-Encinas & Rodriguez-Pomeda 2018). Therefore, educational agencies play an important role in reducing the stress associated with selecting and gaining admission to higher institutions of education (Perez-Encinas & Rodriguez-Pomeda 2018). According to Popkewitz, Feng and Zheng (2018), a good educational agency should offer students with a wide variety
The desert is an inseparable part of nature dominated by sands. It is characterized as a flat land with a minimal or absolute absence of any plants or living organisms. Even though it might seem empty some plants and animals have acclimatized to the harsh conditions and can survive. It is not uncommon for rivers to flow without drying up but with some change in direction and volume. It might seem unusual but some deserts are covered with snow which makes an excellent source of water for many living organisms. The largest desert on the Earth is the Sahara which is located in the northern part of Africa. In total, all deserts cover about 16.5 million square kilometers which are about 11% of all dry land. The most common locations for deserts are the North, subtropical and tropical belts of southern and northern hemispheres. The desert is characterized by a minimal amount of yearly water which is generally accepted to be less than 200 mm. Some regions have as little as 50 mm of water while the most extreme places do not have any water for years. One of the key characteristics in the formation of deserts is the temperature and the distribution of heat versus water. Also, the geographical location and the specific zone of the planet play a significant role. The dry type of climate leads to the very low humidity of air which in turn, makes very poor protection of the surface from the sun’s radiation. The temperatures reach +50 degrees Celsius while the night temperature dramatically falls. It is not unusual for the temperature to drop below zero at night which makes the desert’s environment even more difficult to survive. Nonetheless, there are many types of animals and plants that have adapted to the driest environment. Insects, cacti, camels, kangaroos, and even bats can find food and water for survival. It is a well-known fact that many human civilizations have also adapted to the desert’s conditions and used it as a transit line.