ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Social capital refers to connections between and within social networks. This term is a key concept in economics, business, political science, organizational behavior, sociology, public health, and natural resource management. The first usage of this term is traced back to 1899 when John Dewey made the first direct mainstream use of the term social capital in the book, ”The school and the society”. Though he mentioned this term he did not offer a definition. L.J Hanifan made use of this concept in 1916 when he wanted to put across the importance of involving communities to have successful schools. Hanifan offered the first definition when he wrote that it referred to tangible substances that mostly count in the daily lives of people. He gave examples of such tangible substances as, fellowship, goodwill, social intercourse, sympathy among families and individuals who make up a social unit. He argued that if an individual interacts with his neighbors then the accumulation of social capital that satisfies his/her needs piles up and it may bring about improvement in the living conditions to the individual and the community as a whole. The modern usage of the term social capital is traced back to the 1960s when Jane Jacobs used it in an article where she referred to the values that accrue from networks. In this article, Jane Jacobs did not explicitly define the term but in 1969 a political scientist Robert Salisbury made a great advancement to the term as an important component of his interest groups information article,” An Exchange Theory of Interest Groups” in the political science of Midwest journal. In 1972, Pierre Bourdieu used this term in the outline of a theory of practice and he clarified the term several years later in contrast to economic, cultural, and symbolic capital. In 1977, James Coleman adopted Glern Lourn’s definition in popularizing and developing the concept. The world bank focussed on this term in the 1990s where it used it in research programs. The concept was also used in 2000 by Robert Putman in his book ‘Bowling alone’ and in 2003-2004 Patrick Hunout further developed the usage of this term in his work ‘erosion of social links experienced in economically developed countries. The social capital foundation that aims at promoting social capital and therefore social cohesion was formed in 2002 in Brussels. The foundation has held a number of conferences such as the 2004 conference in Brussels where the topic ‘The future of family’ was discussed, the 2005 Malta 1 conference in Buggiba where the topic ‘social capital was defined, application of it and measurement were also discussed. The Malta 11 con
Presentation of economic data for three countries(Australia, China, and Greece ) in charts Economic data refers to statistics for variables that are the key indicators or determinants of economic growth. The following charts represents the economic data for Australia, China, and Greece. Both of these three countries have experienced global financial crisis (GFC) which destroyed many countries’ economy as a result of inflation. The charts below are illustrated as per the data obtained between 1999 up to 2012, being the most recent one. Interest rates   * Australia interest rate   * China interest rate   * Greece interest rate GDP   * China GDP   * Australia GDP   * Greece GDP Annual GDP growth rate   * Australia annual GDP growth rate   * China Annual GDP growth rate   * Greece annual GDP growth rate GDP per capita   * Australia GDP per cap   * Greece GDP per capita   * China GDP per capita Government budget   * Australia Government Budget   * Greece Government budget   * China government budgeting Unemployment rate   * Greece unemployment rate   * Unemployment rate in Australia   * China unemployment rate Inflation rates   * China inflation rate   * Greece inflation rate   * Australia inflation rate Comparison of the economic data in charts for each three countries The comparison of the three countries based on the data above shows that all countries, since 1999 have experienced an increase of their GDPs proportionately up to date. The countries of Greece and Australia have experienced proportionate increases until 2009 when they started to decrease. On the other hand, China experienced growth throughout this period under study. When it comes to inflation, Australia’s inflation rate was high at the beginning of the period, but due to control measures that were put in place to deal with this skyrocketing rate, it reduced significantly (Gary 2009). As for China’s case, there was boom and recession showing times in which the country was facing inflation that affected its economy negatively. Unemployment rates for the three countries show a rise in job at the end and a decrease at the middle of the period. As for China and Australia, there was frequent fluctuation of the rates but for Greece the rates started from a higher level before they decreased and finally, they returned to high levels. It’s worth noting that the interest rates for China and Australia were fluctuating from the beginning due to changes in the economy brought by factors like global financial crisis (Taylor 2008). This indicated some decreases at the end in both of the countries justifying the presence of challenges towards the lapse of the period. There is much of increase of GDP per capita in each country as shown in the charts above. The real GDP growth rate is fluctuating in both countries from the beginning bu
Introduction Although the events of WWI and WWII are history, they must be remembered and analyzed to prevent similar mistakes in the future. While WWI and WWII are typically viewed from a political perspective, Edward H. Carr dissects the political and economic factors that have contributed to the development of the conflict, at the same time exploring them through the perspective of ethical and moral standards. Although the phenomenon of WWI and WWII seems to have been explored extensively, there seems to be a range of blank spots in understanding the connection between the factors that have led to the development of the identified confrontation. Particularly, the sociocultural issues related to the enhancement of the Maxi and Fascist movements in Germany and Italy have been studied thoroughly, 1 yet the connection between the political and economic factors that may have served as the platform for developing the problem could use a more profound analysis. In his book, The Tw
Across the globe, the use of video games has been on the rise since they first hit the market. These video games are designed on various platforms thereby targeting their usage amongst children, teenagers as well as young adults. Playing video games occupies a big part of the way they spend their free time and some have even ended up being addicted to playing video games. This has raised an alarm especially considering the influence they might have on the young minds. Video games that involve violence and combat have elicited reactions from different circles like the regulatory bodies and experts on mental issues who argue that they should be restricted since they might have a negative influence on the kids prompting them to engage in violent crimes. Upon this concern being raised, various studies have been conducted seeking to show a relationship between video games that involve violence and existence of violent behavior amongst the young people. Video games hit the market in 1970’s but the graphics were very simple and were not as combative. Games such as Pacman were built on a simple platform that would not be termed as excessively violent. The video gaming field was later to be revolutionized in the 1990’s as technology advancements allowed for more descriptive and detailed graphical images most notable being the ability to view blood as fluid and making killing look as it happens in the real world. This marked the entrance of video games such as ‘Mortal Kombat’ which allowed the video game player to enter a killing mission. The alarming nature of the violent video games elicited reactions from the law makers prompting the U.S congress to issue a regulation seeking to have the game developers come up with a way to rate them in the basis of age limit. This did little to halt the developers’ efforts to come up with advanced video games with the next innovation being more interactive 3-dimensional violent scenes where the user was able to be placed in the middle of the battle as the ‘first person shooter’. The trend has since continued with more and more combative video games being invented and used by the young people and the situation has further been fueled by the rise in the usage of internet. Studies conducted on this field in the past resulted in arguments with some showing that there is a relationship in playing violent video games and aggressive behavior while other studies showed mixed outcomes. Most of the research however showed that violent video games brought about aggressive personalities. These studies were backed by recent cases of violent cases in schools e.g. the 1993 case of Columbine High School where two students (Eric and
The NAFTA treaty, which was signed two decadesago, has immensely promoted trading relations between the US and Mexico. Prior to the NAFTA agreement, Mexico imposed high import tariffs and trade restrictions on American goods. Mexico’s protectionist policies changed during the late 80s when the country was hit by a severe economic crisis. Since then Mexico has ratified several free trade agreements with the EU, Japan, and most significantly the NAFTA treaty with Canada and the US. The 1994 NAFTA treaty between Mexico and the US phased out several taxes,particularly on the products traded between these countries.In addition, it called for elimination of other tariffs. Despite the fact that there have been calls, particularly from America’s labor unions such as Teamsters to suspend the treaty, it remains clear that both countries have greatly leaped more from open trading relations. This was evident when American officials defied conservative views that Mexican trucks’ presence in the US could lead to job losses and unwarranted competition between Mexicanand American truck drivers. For some time, the question of free movement of goods by road transport between these two countries was dominated by political battles despite the fact that two-thirds of cross-border trade between the US and Mexico goes by road. Shermanargues that according to the NAFTA treaty, “transport companies from both countries weresupposed to have unrestricted access to highways on border states by 1995 and full access to all American highways by January 2000” (Sherman). However, America’s Teamsters fiercely fought against this provision, arguing that Mexican trucks were unsafe and lacked the necessary pollution control gear. In addition, they claimed that Mexican drivers were inadequately trained and unqualified to drive in American highways. American courts and the NAFTA dispute-resolution panel rejected these allegations claiming that they violated the NAFTA agreement. This forced the NAFTA dispute-resolution panel to give Mexico the green light to impose retaliatory tariffs. Nevertheless, Mexico decided to put the decision on holdto give the US time toappreciate its commitments. The grace period passed when US Congress “approved measures setting 22 new safety standards for Mexican trucks” (Sherman). After that the first Mexican truck recently crossed the border amid celebrations from both sides hence fulfilling a long-delayed provision of NAFTA, which had stalled for more than a decade because the US feared that Mexico could jeopardize i
Introduction Credit card is a system of payment used by the holder to purchase goods and services on credit, with holders promising to pay for that service later. The company that issues credit cards grants credit services to a group of consumers while purchasing and the holder can also borrow some cash from any finance lending institution or individual. The card holder pays the money back with some interests to the card issuer (Clark, 2009). The interest rates charged on the credit differ from one card to the other. Risk compensation Those with bad credit cards lenders tend to charge more points and higher interest rates than those with good credit cards. Loans offered to borrowers with poor credit are said to carry more risks to the lenders. In return, the lenders charge a higher interest rate as a way of creating a compensation for this risk. Those borrowers with good credit cards control themselves from entering into a contract over a loan with rates based on a bad credit loan (DeFranco, et al., 2008). This is because the points they pay and their rates are determined on the basis of the risk carried by their cards. In most cases, charging good borrowers a bad interests rate and points in the same manner as the bad credit borrowers is one of the most common fraudulent loan practices recorded. The law guarantees those people who have worked hard for good credit to enjoy their benefits which they deserve. Bad credit leads to higher rates of interest as well as origination fees for the holder’s of these cards. Moreover, even though they are charged a higher interest rate there are limits above which the mortgage industry should not go beyond (DeFranco, et al., 2008). The points charged on loans equals one percent of the total amount of the loan. Most of the time, holders of the good credit cards end up paying no points while holders of the bad credit cards end up paying four to six points. Loan brokers take advantage of the customers who have little knowledge about the mortgage industry and they are charged as much as ten points. However, charging many points as much as ten is considered justice (Maurice & Thomas, 2008). For instance when one is borrowing a loan of about 15000 dollar a charge of ten points is considered as a small fee in relation to the total dollars charged. FICO scores In addition, another determining factor for charging a higher interest for bad credit and less interest rate for good credit is the credit scores (Hirt & Ferrell, 2006). Credit scores help lenders to measure the likelihood of settling the debt on time. These scores are based on the borrower’s credit report information. The scoring system used currently to determine the scores of a borrower is the FICO scores which was developed by fair Isaac Corporation. The FICO scores fall between 300-850. The FiCO scores are counted on the basis of the borrower’s payment history, the amount of money that one owes, how long is the
It is usually believed that literary works should have definite conclusions that need to summarize the main idea of the reading and make sense of the events. While analyzing different works of literature, readers can notice that some endings may be incomplete, controversial, or challenging but at the same time, they provide individuals with food for thought. “The Persian Expedition,” “Erec and Enide,” and “Herakles” are three ancient works that differ in their contexts and meanings. All of the following readings are adequately structured and aim at delivering specific information to the reader. Therefore, the conclusions of these three examples of literature are also contrasting and include essential details. The following paper will discuss their endings and outline the distinguishing features so that the reader could compare them easily. The fourth book of “The Persian Expedition” concludes some of the events that happened and encourages people to continue reading this piece of art. The reading, divided into seven books, tells a story about Xenophon’s experience of working in the army of Cyrus, who planned to seize the throne of his brother by starting a huge battle (Xenophon). Throughout this work of literature, readers learn about different obstacles the army had to face to get back home safely after the death of Cyrus. The fourth book is not the last one; thus, its conclusion does not create a sense of closure. The story is not finished yet; however, the resolution creates a feeling that a stage of their travels is completed – the army reaches one of the cities and takes a long rest. The conclusion of “Erec and Enide” is complete and brings an end to all the issues that the couple met during the poem. The romance is established around the themes of chivalry and love, highlighting the idea that two people have to trust each other to go through difficult circumstances. While the knight has to be courageous and full of love for his woman, the wife should continua
Introduction Studies have indicated that a Smile is a natural way of keeping away stress especially in the modern world where people are faced with numerous problems stress. This paper expounds the benefits that a smile can bring to one’s mental and physical health. A smile is defined as an upward stretch of the mouth that occurs without vocal sounds, it can, however, be followed by loud exhalations, especially at its inception (Chapman & Foot; 2005 p158). It is an indication of happiness and a state of well being. Often people smile when they are aroused by some stimuli, which can either be a joke, humor, praises by others on them or meeting friends. There are two categories of smiles, namely; a sincere and an insincere; a sincere smile is uncontrollable, where the subject finds him or herself smiling as a result of being aroused by some stimuli. An insincere smile is one that the subject forces on his or her face often to please people. Either way, smiling can easily be developed into a habit by those who often smile. Benefits of a smile on the physical health It is good that people develop the smiling habit because of the benefits that it has both on our physical and mental states. It is an outer expression of our inner feelings; this means smiling, is an indication of our inner state of well being. A frowned face, on the other hand, indicates a frowned inner state as well. One significant reason that encourages us to smile at others even if it means expressing an insincere smile to them is that people will tend to react to us the same way we react to them. When you smile to someone, they will equally tend to smile back just like they are likely to do when we scowl at them. A smile shared between two people is an indication of peace and mutual respect between the two people (Malone, 1997 p186). Developing this as a habit can have several social benefits, especially when interacting with people. Successful marketers, politicians, managers, or receptionists have learned to show a smile to people. A smile instills confidence in those they serve or interact with. It is common to see people gravitating towards a smiling face for a service or inquiry than towards a frowned face. Offering a service with a smile is self-fulfilling as it leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you offered the service to your best. Self-satisfaction, especially at the workplace helps to reduce stress and motivates you to do the work even better. Studies point to a smile as a natural pain killer; most people reduce body pains emanating from fatigue, hard work, and stress using medical pain killers. Medical pain killers often have side effects such as dependence on the drug and other body reactions to the drug. It is easy to avoid these effects resulting from the use of medical substances for purposes of pain reduction by adopting a smile as a habit. By smiling, the body is made to release endorphin, serotonin, and other natural pain killers that make the body feel good (Greenwald & Loehr, 2007 p98). Adopting this as a habit can save one from the costs of buying the medical pain killers and the negative effects that the medicated
Depression is a psychological disorder that results from traumatic experiences that people encounter in life. National Institute of Mental Health explains that, “when a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her” (2010, p.1). Depression interferes with the normal life of a person as it results into lose of interest in activities, pessimism, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, persistent aches and feelings of hopelessness amongst other symptoms. Although there are many attributes of depression, traumatic experiences are the major causes of the depression in most people. For instance, law enforcement officers experience traumatic incidences in the course of their duties such as frequent shootings, deaths, intimidation from the media and public, risking their lives, dangerous working environment and humiliating domestic violence amongst many other stressors. Since traumatic experiences relate with depression, does the trauma that law enforcement officers endure over the years make them susceptible to depression? The traumatic experiences that the police officers encounter and endure during the course of their duties make them susceptible to depression. Depression is a psychological disorder that occurs mainly due to the traumatic experiences of life. Law enforcement community frequently encounters traumatic experiences that have contributed to high incidences of depression among the police officers signifying that trauma is the cause of depression. Prevalence study carried out in Taiwan showed that about 21% of the law enforcement officers experience trauma. The study further revealed that the prevalence rates of depression are higher in men as compared with women because men have more responsibilities in terms of marriage and policing duties. However, the trauma and stressors that are inherent in the police profession contribute significantly to the police officers’ depression. Leeds argue that, “police officers experience frequent and ongoing stressors in their work that range from cumulative stress – constant risk on the job, conflicting regulations, and public perceptions that may be inaccurate – to critical incidents: violent crimes, shootings and mass disasters” (2009, p. 4). All these stressors and traumatic experiences are potential causes of depression that have made police officers become susceptible to depressive trauma. The police profession is emotionally stressing and physically dangerous thus eliciting depressive feelings that expose police officers to depression. Anderson argues that, “police have been tuned to dissociate from their emotions or suppress their emotions in order to be able to endure the scene, but chronic, long-term a