ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
It was not difficult to notice that the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” caused a lot of reviews, both positive and negative. Meryl Streep who plays the leading role in this movie is known as the actress who never gets enough credits for her comedian skills. She plays Andy Sachs, a very smart girl with journalism major at Northwestern University who, planning to get a job someday at “The New Yorker”, one of the most popular American magazines, applies for the job as Miranda’s junior assistant at Runway magazine. Miranda is a very arrogant woman who thinks that the boss has a right to ask even for something impossible which she actually does with Andy, who trying to fulfill her boss’s most unbelievable orders does her best to show that she is worth the job she is doing. Coming across a lot of different reviews on this movie, the one which is the most fair seems a review written by Mike Goodridge, a journalist of the London’s Quality Newspaper “The Evening Standard”. The name of his article is “Fashion Quakes When Meryl Wears Prada; Streep Insists That Her Magazine Editor in the Devil Wears Prada Isn’t Based on American Vogue’s Anna Wintour. She Has Drawn on Other Friends in the Industry, She Reveals”. Unlike the notes of the authors of other reviews on this movie, for example: “The Devil Wears Prada may not be top of the wish list for a lot of blokes looking for a night out, but if they take the chance they’ll have a real laugh. If you wanted to be overly critical you might wish that with such a solid piece of material the filmmakers could have taken a few more risks. But in the end the key thing is this is a well-made movie that draws you in, makes you laugh and sends you home happy” (Mark Adams, p. 34), Mike Goodridge has an objective take on things, he doesn’t show his criticism or support in any way, he just gives a brief summary of the movie and quotes the actors and other people who have been
Sprawling from Grace: Driven to Madness Sprawling from Grace: Driven to Madness is a documentary that puts forwards a strong argument: that the car culture along with the suburban sprawl has reached the dead end. In the documentary, the city planners warn the public that the insufficient growth and the development of the suburban areas threaten both the economy of the country as well as its community. The issue of the fuel scarcity is also explored. Moreover, there is a deep review of why the alternative fuel will fail to arrive before the fossil-fuel crisis starts. There is a clear and concise critique of the sprawl in the movie, although the narrative is quite sympathetic to the story of how the nation has found itself in this critical situation. According to Sprawling from Grace , living outside the city was a dream everyone wanted to accomplish, it was appealing and affordable for some, so the population’s gravitation towards it was completely understandable. However, a question arises: what should be done now? It is speculated in the documentary that “our love affair with the car is fading” (Edwards, 2008). Although, this is not a grounded observation but a positive or wishful thinking. At least in the United States of America, an average individual that drives still loves his or her vehicle because of its convenience and the degree of liberation it offers. What car drivers really detests are the tedious traffic jams, rude drivers on the road, repair or maintenance bills, and, last but not least, the high prices on gas. To sum up, an average American cannot imagine the life without a car because the current arrangement of living makes it very hard to imagine. The Biotech Revolution: Visions of the Future The Biotech Revolution: Visions of the Future is a second
Introduction Cultural background is essential in determining how an individual interact with others. The United States comprises of many different cultures. These include Whites, Africans, Mexicans, and Latinos, among others. Cultural heritage has influenced each of the races in different ways. Consequently, the cultural mix has been met with suspicion as cultural conflict dominates. For a long time, mainstream whites have dominated cultures in the United States. Their culture has become a lifestyle. However, most communities have continued with essential aspects of their culture. In this paper, I will explore my family’s cultural background. I will also relate it to other cultures in the United States. The African American heritage experience Culture has different facets. It includes aspects such as language, morals, art, traditions, customs, and beliefs. These aspects are essential in shaping an individual’s habit (Hunter, 1992). Moreover, they differ from one place to another. It is essential to note that cultural background defines an individual. The behavioral pattern in individuals is a direct result of cultural aspects. African Americans have a rich culture. They derive their culture from a mixture of West African and American cultures. Notably, African Americans have a strong cultural foundation which is fostered from generation to generation. They form more than 14% of the United State’s population (US Census Bureau, 2011). They have a unique culture that is characterized by a unique parenting style, structure of the family, the role of gender in the family, and their views on marriage. Moreover, they utilize their unique cultures to manage adversities. However, it is also necessary to note that their experiences during slavery integrated foreign culture that greatly affected family structures in African American society (McGoldrick, 2005). Moreover, slavery also brought with it poor economic status, inequality, and racism amongst other complications to African American society. Previously, these cultural norms were derived from West African families. West African cultures, just like other African cultures, valued strong family relations. Nuptials were also regarded highly in African societies. Marriage was considered special and specific to given individuals at a certain age (McLoyd, Hill &Dodge, 2005). Notably, children were associated with women which is in contrast to current views. Moreover, whenever a woman could not give birth, she was solely to blame. This trend has persisted in most West African societies even with the advent of technological advances in the health sector. In this regard, African Americans borrowed much of their heritage from West Africa. Besides, paternal parents were not responsible for their children. For instance, this happened in my family too. For instance, my family developed a rebellious attitude after he was deserted by his father and other members of his extended family. Nonetheless, it is im
The concept of employee relation is both a philosophy and practice that has been embraced for long. It is a philosophy in the sense that it motivates employees to perform better in organizations. As a practice, it has been used by organizational managers to initiate processes that tend to boost productivity (Armstrong, 2008, p.195). The practice and philosophy of employee relation is best put under the philosophy of Human Resource Management. Hence, the model in Human Resource Management that constitutes the concept of employee relations include self drive for strong commitment that focuses on winning the hearts and minds of employees (Armstrong, 2008, p. 195). As a matter of fact, employee relations explore the nature of relationships that exist in organizations. There are three major types of relations in organizations that are closely related to employees. These are employer-employee relations, employee-employee relations and employee-work place/organizational relations. Components of Employee Relations There are myriad of essential components that constitute employee relations. These include performance management that is aligned with the goals and objectives of an organization, significances attached to employees in organizations, tactics of administering the performance of employees, the link between performance of employees and rewards in addition to job design. Finally, discipline of employees and employee counseling are also vital components in employee relation. According to Gennard and Judge (2005, p. 14), anything that pertains employee relations must consider management aspect of solving problems that are identified among employees. This management must be designed in a way that it captures the tacit knowledge of the employees and how this can be transited to the organizational performance. However, the overall interests of the organization, which to some extent are the interests of the employer, must be looked into (Gennard & Judge, 2005, p.14). Theoretical framework of employee relations The concept of employee relations is like a survey on what motivates the employees. Zagelmeyer (2004, p.20) points clearly that employee relations or workplace industrial relations must be determined by the governance structures. Therefore, the theoretical framework of employee or industrial relations must look at the determinants of structures of governance of the organization (Zagelmeyer, 2004, p.19). There are two major theories that helps understand the concept of employee relations. These are the Employment Relationships System (ERS) theory and EIR theory The ERS theory According to Kaufman (2004, p.62), the Employment Relationship System looks at the integration of various systems in the work place. Essentially, it is an implication that goes together with the importance attached to labour in the organization. Kaufman (2004, p.62) add
Introduction and Foundation of the Research Project Various types of vaccines have been developed in the United States and Europe to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Among them are Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, and Johnson & Johnson. These vaccines are developed from complex and extensive processes that should ideally take many years to complete. However, the Coronavirus vaccine was developed in less than two years. Hence, it is important to understand the technology and biochemical properties of the vaccine development process that made this happen. The Emergence of a New Threat Few clinical problems could become so urgent and relevant to the global agenda that their emergence led to radical changes in all spheres of human life. One of the main threats to the international health system is the recent COVID-19 caused by the pathogenic virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease should be considered new because of the mutational phenomenon, resulting from which the pathogen was able to acquire unique and persistent evolutionary characteristics. In turn, the formation of new coronavirus varieties made it impossible for the existing healthcare systems to respond promptly to the emerging threat due to the lack of experience in dealing with this pathogen. Therefore, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 was a significant challenge to the global agenda, demonstrating the poor performance of health systems against the emergence of new threats. It is not only the medical industry that has been severely affected. The severe pressure on health systems has hurt virtually all areas of public life. Unable to cope with the dramatically increased flow of crisis patients, hospitals were overwhelmed and ineffective in helping to deal with the unrelenting pace of the pandemic. In turn, most governments have had to impose severe restrictive measures banning social contacts, public facilities, and significant events (Disantara, 2020). This led to the ruin of small and medium-sized businesses, forcing many commercial organizations to close and disrupt supply chains. Moreover, to contain the rapid rate of infections, many countries hastily closed borders and suspended the issuance of visas, justifying the decision on national security grounds. As a result of the new threat, all spheres have come under pressure, which means that public life, based on the principles of globalism, has been hindered. Information about the Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a well-studied group of viral particles containing RNA molecules as genetic material. The name of this family was given to viruses solely beca
Introduction “The Ancient Greeks referred to stigma as a ‘bodily sign to expose something unusual and bad about the moral status of a person’. These marks were generally burnt or cut into the body to advertise the bearer was a slave, criminal or traitor, ‘a blemished person ritually polluted, to be avoided especially in public places’ (Goffman, 1963). Mental health in the United States has boiled down to the discovery of new diseases and medical issues. The social ramifications vary from drawing wrong conclusions about the state of mind, to the exclusion of social and health benefits. The development of stigmas in American society has created rampant generalizations about mental illness. The most prevalent of these is the association of mental illness and crime or imprisonment. Professionals believe there are solutions to the uneducated views of the public towards those people being diagnosed with a mental health issues. As a foundation, the general public must be more informed about the myths of mental health issues. The most efficient way for this to happen is through the media. The overall goal is for the general public to realize that psychology is part of daily lives, not the remedy for juvenile delinquency. Main Issues Mental illness affects many aspects of suffers’ life, the most important is that the diagnosis of mental illness comes with the additional burden of a negative label. The term stigma refers to any persistent trait of an individual or group which evokes negative or punitive responses. Goffman (1963) has made the salient point that it is not the functional limitations of impairment which constitute the greatest problems, but rather the perceptions of negative difference and their evocation of adverse social responses. He argues that a person is not a deviant until his acts or attributes are perceived as negatively different. Arboleda-Florez (2003) explains: Stigma develops within a social matrix of relationships and interactions and has to be understood within a 3-dimensinal axis. The first of three dimensions is perspective; that is, the way stigma is perceived by the person who does the stigmatizing (perceiver) or by the person who is being stigmatized (target). The second dimension is identity, defined along a continuum from the entirely personal at one end to group-based identifications and group belongingness at the other. The third dimension is reactions; that is, the way the stigmatizer and the stigmatized react to the stigma and its consequences. This stigma has become the standard, not the exception, with mental health cases in America. The psychological underpinning to this appears to be that so called normal people exaggerate the difference between those that are mentally ill and themselves, because disability symbolically represents fear of what could be. Corrigan (2004) adds, “Mental illness strikes with a two-edged sword. On one side is the psychological distress and psychiatric disabilities that prevent people from accomplishing and enjoying life goals. On the other hand, is the public’s reaction to mental illness; a plethora of prejudicial beliefs, emotions, and behaviors
The double circle problem would require a creative divergent thinking approach. This is a type of thinking that results in the production of several ideas from one single entity. All the ideas may not be workable, but from amongst them, one can find a new and refreshing solution. It requires ‘thinking outside the box’ since the conventional route will not yield desired results. In the case of the double-circle problem, one is required to draw two parallel circles- one small one inside a large one- without lifting the writing instrument. Clearly, this is not a problem that one can solve using conventional methods of thinking. One needs to consider all possible ways of handling the problem. The instructions state that one cannot lift one’s pen, but they do not state that one cannot rearrange one’s paper. Through creative thinking, one immediately realizes that the problem is easily solvable when one changes the paper. Therefore, one can start by drawing the inner circle; that is, start with a line from one point and then go round and back to the starting point. After drawing this first inner circle, one should keep the writing instrument (pen) at the starting point and then use the other hand to fold the paper on which one is drawing the diagram. It should be noted that for this method to work, one should draw the circles near any of the four corners of the paper. After folding one corner of the paper into a triangular shape, the tip of the fold should meet the pen or drawing instrument. One can then move the pen outward through the folded bit and when one gets to the unfolded part, one can draw a bigger circle around the small one. However, this will leave some space, in the outer circle, equal to the folded bit. To overcome this problem, one should unfold the corner (while still keeping the pen on the paper) and then complete the outer circle. Types of organizational problems that require this type of thinking Organizations often deal with scenarios where they have to solve difficult problems even after exhausting all logical avenues. In such scenarios, they will need to use creative thinking to get out of such dilemmas. For instance when a battery manufacturing company has made and sold a whole line of batteries that leak, it could face the possibility of loosing all its clients owing to this error. However, if members of the firm think of creative ways to correct the problems, then they can turn that disastrous event into an insignificant one. They may think about changing the name of the battery and recalling all the faulty ones. Besides this, they can implement a new quality system and then remarket the new ones as fault proof. Additionally, organizations require creative thinking when introducing new products in the market or when starting up. Entrepreneurs use divergent thinking methods in order to determine new ways of generating value from available resources. One person may look at stockings and think of nothing new about them; however, the entrepreneur may create something significantly different by introdu
Author’s Background William Theodore de Bary was a prolific Sinologist who worked as a professor for almost 70 years at Columbia University. De Bary was born in 1919 in an immigrant family. After his parents divorced, he added “William” to his name to separate himself from his father. His interest in Asian cultures began at an early age before any extensive and modern research was performed on the subject. In 1937 he began studying Chinese at Columbia University, but when the United States entered the war, he was approached by the U.S. Navy due to his topic of studies before being able to graduate. He served in World War Two as an intelligence officer during the Pacific campaign where he had to learn Japanese which enabled him to further study the Asian countries. After the war, he continued his studies in Chinese and received a Master of Arts degree as well as a Ph.D. in the following years. After completing his Ph.D., he became a professor at Columbia University where he saw great success with both the students and his peers. He received some prestigious awards and honors for his teaching and research. He was an author of a large number of books on the topic of Asian countries with a large focus on China and Chinese history. De Bary continued his work at the Columbia University even after turning 90. He stopped only a few months before he passed away in 2017. He was 97 years old when he died and was considered one of the longest-serving professors in the country. The Joei Code The Joei Code is one of the Japanese administrative codes that is described in the book. This specific code was used by the Kamakura shogunate around the 1230s. It was designed to manage vassal regions of the country. It contained several rules for the courts of the shogun and included articles about the resolution of land disputes, matters of religion, upkeep of religious sites, and how to deal with criminal activity in the area. Some of the more interesting elements of the Joei code are described in detail by De Bary. The first element concerns the matter of property ownership by women. Unlike previous and following administrative codes, women were granted the ability to own a considerable amount of property due to the equal division of inheritance between siblings. Female heirs could receive and own land and wealth which were previously given only to male siblings. Another interesting element of the articles lies in the text of Article #3 which describes a situation in which constables were exploiting their power for personal gain in various provinces. Instead of protecting the people and apprehending murderers, they began to interfere in the administration of provinces and collecting money from people and landowners. This behavior is considered completely unacceptable by the Joei Code. A certain level of independence is also