ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The process of making a decision is a complex system of interrelated aspects that are influenced by a variety of conditions and might lead to numerous outcomes. This phenomenon applies to many spheres of human life and determines the success or failure of people’s activities. Decision-making as a choice of an appropriate belief and corresponding actions is an essential element in the criminal justice system. Carrying out their daily responsibilities, the prosecutor decides to prosecute or plea bargain, the judge makes a choice if it is necessary to release a defendant pretrial or to sentence to prison, and the police make a decision whether to stop, search, use force, or arrest a suspect. Since the positions within the criminal justice system are of great influence and are powerful enough to apply the law and lead to severe consequences, the professionals provided with such responsibilities are encouraged to act according to the law and adhere to the applicable code. It is claimed that the police have a high level of accountability for their actions because they are involved in the initial process of justice administration where their decision to arrest or not to arrest a suspect might lead to the involvement of other subjects of the system. However, despite well-defined educational and assisting programs, which help a police officer to apply knowledge to practice, the interactions with the public are highly contradictory and complex, and cannot be planned thoroughly. Therefore, there exist a series of social, psychological, and other types of factors that might crucially impact the ultimate decision. Although this issue has gained a lot of scholarly attention throughout recent decades, it is relevant to examine and analyze what determinants influence police decision-making and how their choice of a course of actions affects the whole police system. In this paper, the general aspects of the police’s decision making will be presented with the following discussion of the possible factors impacting the decision to stop, search, use force, or arrest a suspect, including suspect characteristics and behavior, police officer’s characteristics and behavior, neighborhood-based influences, and organizational characteristics. The analysis of the decision-making process will be provided on the basis of the information retrieved from scholarly and official sources dated not older than five years. General Aspects of Police Decision Making As a phenomenon, decision-making is a complex system of intertwined cognitive processes, in a result of which a specific action is chosen. Due to such difficulty, the process of making a decision should be regarded with all earnest with special attention made to its elements. Often, the context of a situation, the personalities of those involved in it, there, cultural, educational, and psychological characte
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is an exceptional novel that conveys deep meaning. This objective is attained through the active use of symbols, which present profound ideas in a mesmerizing, thought-provoking manner. Such an effect corresponds with one of the primary functions of literature, which consists of inviting the reader on a long journey full of images, reflections, and contemplations. The novel vividly portrays two women whose lives eventually intersect despite the time and space between them. Nao is a young Japanese American who is taken out of her comfortable life and placed in a new, hostile environment. She manages to establish a strong connection with Ruth, who lives on the other side of the Earth, through her diary. The latter is a writer from Canada who finds both professional and personal inspiration in the diary of Nao washed up on an island shore. The novel describes the surprising connection, which arises between the seemingly separate worlds of the two characters. Ozeki manages to convey strong messages which render this bond tangible through the profound symbolism of her writing. A Tale for the Time Being benefits from an interesting style of narration. This format combines the perspectives of two main characters presented in different manners. Nao Yasutani is a young girl of Japanese ancestry born in the United States. Her father used to work for a software development company, but he had to quit in the fallout of a stock market crash. As a result, Nao’s family had to relocate back to Japan, where her parents were born. At the same time, the main character does consider herself Japanese. While Nao may share the same roots as the rest of her family, she retains an American spirit (Ozeki 45). Evidently, the heroine misses California and the United States, as she is not at all accustomed to the Japanese lifestyle. This situation pushes Nao toward an identity crisis, as she becomes stuck at the intersection of two worlds. In addition, her life in Tokyo is far from pleasant, as Nao’s American spirit prevents her peers from accepting the protagonist. Consequently, she suffers from intense bullying and even sexual abuse. The unpleasant experience launches a chain of destructive events in Nao’s life. Her father falls into a state of depression caused by continuous unemployment and attempts to commit suicide on several occasions. Simultaneously, the family’s financial situation rapidly deteriorates, which worsens their living conditions and has an adverse impact on Nao’s mental health. Following the abuse by her classmates, Nao’s deep emotional trauma prompts her to become an escort. As the protagonist’s prospects become even more daunting, she follows the example of her father and begins to consider suicide (Ozeki 141). Nao only manages to find a distraction from grim thoughts in her great grandmother Jiko. The latter is a Buddhist nun for over one hundred years. In a way, Jiko provides Nao with purpose, as the protagonist becomes det
In the book New Worlds for All, Calloway discusses conflicts and confrontations between Indians and Europeans coming to the American land. The author analyzes and evaluates different assimilation patterns and discusses cultural changes in both nations. He underlines that conflicts between Indians and Europeans are as old as the Europeans’ first encounters with the Americas. When Columbus returned to Spain from his first voyage, he carried with him nine Indians as living proof of his arrival in the Indies. Later voyagers conveyed natives to Europe, some to act as guides for future expeditions, and others to serve as hostages. In the book, Calloway writes that “Indians were becoming more like Europeans and Europeans were becoming more like Indians.” Calloway is right, stating that both cultures affected and influenced each other, bringing new ideas and values to an alien world. Thus, Europeans injected their value and traditions into a new world, paying no attention to the unique and authentic beliefs of native tribes. The strange and exotic creatures of the Americas, among them Indians, commanded interest for generations of Europeans. In North America, as in Europe, unfamiliarity heightened curiosity. As European settlements displaced the aboriginal occupants of the continent, and “civilization” after a fashion pushed back the “wilderness,” Indians came to reside as much in the imaginations of Americans living east of the Mississippi River as they did in reality in the western regions of the United States. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Indian
In the contemporary business environment, many companies are embarking on the corporate social responsibilities to not only enhance a positive public image but also show an act of social responsibility and moral obligation to the society. In particular, McDonald’s fast food company embarks on an aggressive social responsibility strategy. The company has suffered criticism over junk food. Nonetheless, the fast food giant continues to make substantial amounts of revenues notwithstanding the health issues raised regarding fries and junk. Should a company bear the social obligation to meet the demands of the society despite making profits from hazardous goods to consumers? Using the perspectives of such thinkers as Yukl, Machiavelli, Plato, Hobbes and Rand, this paper will focus on the analysis of the organizational dilemma. Standpoints of Various Thinkers on the Issue The moral challenges of power and self-interest raised by the above issue is dazzling. Judging the organization from Yukl perspectives of leadership, the leaders of McDonald’s have assumed various ways in which they exercise power not only on the employees and teams but also on the society (Yukl, 2006). Corporate social responsibility reflects reward power to the society where the company reaps benefits from sales and rewards the society through the initiative (Spence et al., 2004; Zaccaro et al., 2001). The use of reward power by McDonald’s has helped the organization to meet its objectives amidst calls for a paradigm shifts in eating habits. Further, the concept of power and self-interests elucidated by Plato could infer that McDonald’s has centralized power of influencing both the employees as well as the society. Plato sees no rationale for embarking on such strategy since it would imply that people have power. He distances himself from ‘people power’ and argues that the company, which in this case represents the ‘ Republic’ , should not bear any moral obligation for the society (Bostock, 2000). Due to the power of self-interests, McDonald’s should focus on its objectives, which is to increase the wealth of its owners rather than distributing its revenues to people (Annas, 1981). Contrary to the views of Plato, Hobbes could judge the dilemma from different perspectives. His perspective of power, which in this case is wielded by McDonalds, should be in relation to other people. In his masterpiece, The Leviathan, Hobbes says that power is relational to other people without whom there would be no any phenomenon referred to as power (Ellis & Harper, 1997). Hence, McDonalds has wielded relative power given that the consumers continue to have faith in the company. Niccollo Machiavelli would argue in line with his premise that human nature is typical of endless competition. In fact, the essence of life is to ensure that every person gets an edge over others. Applying this argument to the context of an organization, McDonalds should not relent on its current strategy whether or not the food they serve are healthy. Ant
Introduction The temperature of the globe is rising and its consequences are knocking at the door of humanity. Climatologists at NASA observed that 2005 was the warmest year since 1800s and 2004, 2002, 2003, and 1998 were the next four warmest years. Total warming in the past century was 0.8 degrees Celsius (C) or about 1 degree Fahrenheit. Climate change will affect every living species on this planet. In such a scenario, the business community should have a better understanding of global warming with some realistic goals in order to minimise the potential consequences of global warming (Gutro, n.p.). Main body Earth’s climate has been in constant change from time immemorial; however, today the term climate change refers to the changes in climate that have been taking from the beginning of 20 th century. Greenhouse gases have been playing a vital role in maintaining the temperature of the globe. These gases include Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Water vapours, Ozone, and Halo Carbons, etc. Economic and industrial advancement resulted in greater use of fossil fuels which released mainly Carbon dioxide, Methane, etc., into the atmosphere. That changed the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases; as a result, more heat is trapped (Greenhouse Effect, n.p.). IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has been established by the UN to analyse the change in global temperature and its causes. It has produced four comprehensive reports and the latest one published in November, 2007. These reports present the following evidences for Global warming (IPCC, n.p.) Eleven years from 1995 to 2006 were the warmest during the last 150 years. Average sea level is rising at an average rate of 3.1 mm/year. The rise in sea level is because of expansion of sea water, melting of glaciers, ice caps and polar ice sheets with increase in average temperature. Places where temperature always remained cool now experiencing unusually hot weather. Cyclones have become more violent and increased in their frequency since about 1970 (IPCC, n.p.). Glaciers have been melting and forming glacial lakes. Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems are showing a rapid change. There is a trend in animal and plants to shift themselves upward or pole ward due to change in temperature of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The report further states that earlier agricultural harvesting is commonly taking place. Pests have become more resistant and harmful to the crops. Frequency of forest fires due to dry weather in some areas has increased. Vector borne diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, previously seen in tropical areas have frequently seen in those places where they have never seen before. Heat related deaths have been increasing in Europe and other countries. Allergic reactions become more common (IPCC, n.p.). In future remains negative as well as positive consequences due to global warming. Surge in temperature will completely wipe out Glaciers and Icecaps in Northern and Southern poles. Water from melted-ice flows into rivers, lakes, canals, and finally moves into seas and oceans. An
This is a narrative by Booker Washington about his struggle to get an education. In this narrative, Booker uses a number of literary devices to bring out his message in a clear manner. In this narration, he identifies the challenges he had to face in order to save enough money to travel to Virginia. He uses flashback when he says, “As I now recall the scene of my first year… Many of them were as poor as I was, and, besides having to wrestle with their books…” (Gates and McKay 1394). There is uniqueness in the narration of Booker about events that took place as he struggled to get an education. Most of the individuals who came across his life are described in a favorable manner. General Lewis Ruffner is presented in the essay as a mean woman who dismissed any employee who failed to meet her expectations. However, Booker portrays her as an understanding person who played a major role in his life towards becoming an educated American. He uses a descriptive narrative to bring out this fact. He says, “Lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten” (Gates and McKay 1397). Miss Mary Mackie, the headmistress of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, was very stern, but Booker says that she became a rock in his college education. He used another descriptive narrative to paint a clear picture of her. He says, “Miss Mary F. Mackie, the headteacher to whom I have referred, proved one of my strongest and most helpful friends” (Gates and McKay 1399). As Gates and McKay observe, during that time, bullying was a common phenomenon, especially in boarding schools (1392). Booker was much younger than his colleagues. It is expected that he would mention the rough experience he had with them before they could accept him as a colleague. However, he gives very little credit to himself, his own effort that enabled him to be enrolled at this college. One behavior presented in this article that is still common today is social segregation in our modern society. During the era of Booker, segregation was based on race. This is changing as technology creates a global community where the geographical boundary is no longer a factor that hinders movement. However, a new form of segregation is emerging that can be equated to the racial segregation that was common in the past. According to Generals, a new social setting where the haves avoid the has not is becoming very common (215). This behavioral pattern may not be pronounced as it was during the era of Booker. However, there are places that the poor may not access simply because they social status. Tight security officers man the gates of many clubs in major cities in this country to ensure that the non-members are kept out of the compounds. Schools are emerging that are very expensive. Hence they can only be afforded by the rich. This is another form of segregation (Moore, 540). In the transport sector, this is a little more pronounced, but people have come to embrace it as a norm
The Princess de Broglie and Portrait of Gertrude Stein The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in New York and belongs to one of the best sightseeing places in this city with millions of people visiting it annually. The organization exists due to the financial help of sponsors and donors with little government support. The Metropolitan Museum, or the Met as it is called by locals, features a large and rich collection of pieces of fine arts. Many of them are portraits which is interesting and gives viewers an opportunity to watch how the genre changes in the course of time. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two pictures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art which were created by different artists and do not belong to the same period. Genre of Portrait Portrait is a special genre the task of which is to transfer with the help of artistic means, the inner world of a personality, and their abilities. At the same time, in portraits, artists convey their vision of the world and demonstrate the audience their moral experiences, aspirations, and hopes. Another important peculiarity of the genre described is the fact that portraits depict the essence of the era in which they were created. In fact, images of people have always played an essential role in fine arts. They allow to capture styles and moods of a particular period as well as to look at people who lived long ago. Thus, portraits of each era have their own individual characteristics. During the Renaissance, images of personalities were a hymn to man; in the era of the reign of great monarchs, they carried the ideas of absolutism. Democratization expanded the scope of artistic thinking and gave life to new ideas and creative searches. Although a period and public moods have an influence on portraits, it is the artist and their plan that ultimately define what the image would be like. The Princess de Brogli by Ingres The Princess de Broglie, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Oil on canvas, 1851-1853 The Princess de Brogli was painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a French Neoclassical Artist, on a canvas with the use oil paints. The image shows a respectable woman of rare beauty in her twenties who rests on an easy chair. The princess has tilted her head to the audience’s left; she is depicted in an evening dress and wears various accessories as if the woman were about to leave for a ball. The portrait is a typical artistic embodiment of the image of the Second Empire aristocracy. The light illuminating the lady on the right follows the compositional scheme that the artist liked. Ingres gives de Brogli a pose that emphasizes the nobility of her posture, and at the same time, imparts restraint to a dreamy and languid look, accompanied by a slight hint of a smile. The painter’s skills in depicting details and accessories are amazing. The jewelry, the brocade of the chair, the lace, the shining dress, and the blue ribbons in the lady’s hair that is tightly pulled back look like they have been photographed rather than painted. The effect of realness a person might get while looking at the image is strong. It feels like one might hear
The Nile River Conflict has been ongoing for several decades now, whereas Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan are yet unable to resolve it without an international confrontation. The only reasonable way to handle the conflict is to allow Ethiopia to build the dam due to the financial instability in this country. Since Ethiopia is militarily supported by the USA, Egypt should be interested in a non-conflict resolution to ensure that no major military conflict will arise between the nations (Nunzio, 2013). The Renaissance Dam is a potentially beneficial project for Ethiopia because it will support the development of the country via green and sustainable energy. Furthermore, with the help of these resources, Ethiopia will be able to provide Egypt with electricity, and Egypt has enough financial capital for desalination plants. It should also be noted that the Renaissance Dam can potentially provide Ethiopia with 6,000 megawatts of power (BBC, 2015). Ethiopia has welcomed Egyptian and Sudanese participation in the project, and it would be unreasonable for Egypt to worsen the conflict and not take part in the project. Egypt’s access to the ocean indicates that the country can rely on other resources, not only the Nile (i.e., desalination and water recycling).
The American Family is undergoing an evolution that will continue to redefine the way a family is defined and portrayed in the public eyes over the coming years. Due to the high rate of divorce, the choice to live together instead of getting married, unexpected pregnancies resulting in single-parent households, the American family has become a confusing mix of step-parents and step-siblings. Somehow, those children who come from married families end up in a shared custody lifestyle, while those with non committed families seem to have more permanent families to speak of these days. I believe that this trend should be looked into with greater detail in order for us to understand possibly why married families fail and step or nonformal families succeed. Does a stepfamily become a real family because the “replacement” parent has to work harder in order to be accepted by the child into the family? Is it the way the child feels about his existence in such a setup that will dictate the success or failure of the stepfamily? How do stepfamilies actually work? I hope that researching these questions will present us with an understanding of the early history of stepfamilies and how they successfully evolved into their current incarnation as a modern 21st-century family. Later on, we should also look at how the other countries deal with any emerging stepfamily trends that they have. How does it affect the children emotionally and mentally? Is there a difference in the way Western children deal with the situation? Are stepfamilies also an ideal way to create a new family in certain countries? Why or why not? These are just some of the topics that