ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The term Agricultural Revolution is commonly referred to the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering societies to settled agrarian ones. This revolution is also known as the Neolithic revolution occurred in various independent prehistoric societies 10, 000 years ago. At that time people elaborated a new way of livelihood in various parts of the world. Crops cultivation replaced people’s mere reliance on nature. This enabled people to provide themselves with vegetable foodstuffs and to domesticate animals. When sedentary food production replaced hunter-gathering people realized that it was more profitable to breed animals close at hand. Animals were brought to people’s settlements, they were chosen according to their abilities to provide products, to work (plowing or towing), or to serve as a source of food. Besides, animals could provide leather, wool, and hides. People learned how to use such factors as animals’ size, temperament, feeding to get more profit. Fourteen species of animals became domesticated for agricultural purposes. Domestication of animals was an innovation that influenced the whole way of living. Over two or three millennia people became accustomed to various climatic changes as they had supplies of wild plant food. They were settled now as they did not have to be continually on the move as before. Settled people could live in the same places year after year, their former rough camps were modified into permanent village settlements with a greater population. In these settlements, people stored foodstuffs in stone and accumulated several sophisticated stone tools. Gradually, people managed to combine the low workloads that distinct foraging societies with the achievements of fixed village life. The invention of the plow made agricultural production more efficient than before as far more lands were farmed by fewer people. This resulted in extra food and gave people an opportunity to get involved in other types of work. The agricultural revolution could not but have social changes as its consequence. Hunter-gatherers could not carry more than one child at a time which led to spacing the children for four or more years. A settled way of life enabled people to have more children. The death rates decreased. The birth rate increased and social classes emerged. Familial wealth was passed from one generation to the next. During the period of the agricultural revolution, stratification became a typical characteristic of social life. Food surpluses led to the emergence of the social elite who were not involved in agricultur
In 1998, the leaders of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP) faced the necessity to resolve the ethical problem related to the significant environmental pollution, which could lead to the ecological catastrophe. Thus, the BHP owned 52% of shares in the Ok Tedi copper mine located in Papua New Guinea. The problem is in the fact that the mine discharges the great amounts of tailings and waste into the Ok Tedi River during the decades of the mine’s development. As a result, the waters of the Ok Tedi River cannot be used by the local inhabitants, who are dependent on these resources necessary to farm. However, inhabitants are also dependent on the Ok Tedi copper mine’s development because many local people work there. That is why, the ethical problem is in the necessity to provide the morally appropriate solution to address the environmental and social issues and respond to the interests of employees, local inhabitants, and authorities. It was agreed in 2001 that the Ok Tedi copper mine would operate till 2010 while continuing to dredge into the waters of the Ok Tedi River, without constructing the facilities for storing dangerous tailings. In this case, the agreement achieved by the BHP and the government of Papua New Guinea cannot be discussed as ethically appropriate and effective because the decision to continue operations without the significant changes in the process cannot address the needs of the local inhabitants who are also employees at the mine, cannot contribute to decreasing the negative effects on the environment, and cannot prevent the ecological catastrophe associated with the changes in the ecology of the forests near the Ok Tedi River. From this point, the proposed agreement and decision cannot meet the interests of the stakeholders and community in relation to providing a safe environment for working and development; cannot respond to the idea of sustainability and environmental protection; and cannot satisfy the needs of the local inhabitants and employees related to the limited possibilities for farming and fishing. Following the ideas associated with the principles of the professional ethics, it is possible to note that the decision of the company and government is characterized by a lot of weaknesses and direct violation of the ethical ideas. That is why it is reasonable to take the position against the decision. The BHP and the government of Papua New Guinea did not demonstrate the interest in those stakeholders’ needs, which are not associated with the material outcomes for the company and country. In spite of the fact that the authorities proposed the decision to support the social and economic spheres with references to continuing operations and preserving the profits, the decision cannot be discussed as ethical because its implementation leads to violating such norms as the environmental protection and the guarantee of the community’s welfare. Referring to the ideals of Utilitarianism, it is possible to state that the consequences of the decision cannot be positive for the community because the absence of
Abstract Arab music and cinema have gone through shifts of rapid progressional changes particularly because of the influence of modernity. Stemming from a purely religious framework, the two art forms have made radical turns in their development in order to compete effectively with other musical and film developers. With most of the Western artistes tending to portray the Arabic culture, the Arab musicians and film makers have in recent days come out strongly to challenge such opinions through their works. This project seeks to analyze the development in both Arabic music and cinema. To this end the research shall cover all elements of progress covered in both the historical development of the two art forms as well as highlight on the modern day challenges being faced by the artistes in the field. Historical background Music has played a fundamental role in the development of the Arabic culture since time immemorial. The works of anthropologists in various Arabic regions have unearthed different music instruments collected from both religious and secular environments, revealing that music has definitely been part of many Arabic rituals (Barakat 206-238). Unfortunately, from research conducted by various scholars in the field it has been revealed that most of the traditional forms of Arabic music did not have a well laid down system of notation. As such, most of the musical transference only happened through a generational inheritance in which children learn from their parents. Arab music can easily be traced back to the 3 rd Century With the entry of modernity and civilization, Arabic music has had to borrow some elements from other cultures, a factor which has led to the development of such genres as Arab pop and Arab rock. The commercial prospects of the music industry have seen various individuals such as Ilham Al Madfai, Fairouz, and Magda El Roum develop music that appeals to the younger generation. They have learnt to package their products professionally including going the extra mile of producing music videos to further attract more audiences. However, even with all the developments going on in the trade, modern day musicians still play allegiance to the masters of Arabic music including Umm Kulthum and Mohamed Al- Qasabji. Even though some musicians have chosen to stick with traditional Arabic melodies, the influence of Western conventions has necessitated the development of pop cultures which are indicated by the development of competitive forms of ranking popular hip and urban music (Lughod 135-161). However, these changes have not been without controversy as some of the developing younger-generations musicians have from time to time been accused of being negative influences to their peers. Syrian musician Abu Khalil Al-Qabani, for i
The picture expressed in words by Mosionier depicts a miserable story clashing between cultural ups and downs that revolve around the issues of discrimination, social isolation, and poverty. The narration involves two sisters April and Cheryl Raintree, who under tremendous racial pressure are oppressed by emotional and physical torture. While they are being raised in different foster homes, they experience the maltreatment of various institutions particularly with those who are deprived of having a native and rich social and family situation in Manitoba. The novel is a story of victimized sisters whose childhood and adolescence rests on the success of its ability to emotionally engage readers as to its consideration of familiar themes, values, and ideas. It reveals the socialization of how Metis children put their efforts to continue their struggle with others and how the sisters under suffering and pain manage to maintain their quest for identity. The novel depicts the vulnerability behind assessing the rights of children for which an author like Grant illustrates his vision of documenting Mosionier in a spectrum where she addresses the theme of racial discrimination and victimization (Mosionier, 1999, 3-4). She portrays some issues that rest upon the vulnerable foundation of discrimination, these start from the alcohol abuse at the beginning of the novel, and while going through a family separation, vulnerable child welfare system and awful situation of foster homes end up at violence and rape. It caters to the perspective of those poor families who are unable to raise their children on their own. She portrays April as a symbol of courage that despite being subjected to child abuse and poverty, continues her struggle as a grown-up lady to seek her real cultural identity. Belonging to a Metis culture, April and Cheryl continue to experience their poverty in foster homes in an identical manner, but later on, in the stage of adulthood, both perceive their cultural heritage differently. April, being an elder sister, possesses the bold thoughts of a woman who is never ashamed of her culture, because she disillusioned her as ‘white’. Cheryl enters into prostitution with a disruptive personality. Despite the cruel experiences in foster homes, April never disliked her ‘fair’ color (that partially revealed her true identity of being Metis) and never bothered to resent her Metis heritage. Contempt by abusive comments and beatings, April is indoctrinated with damaging stereotyp
The Greg Allen Construction Co. v. Estelle case exemplifies germane undercurrents involved in constituting an effective acceptance of a contract. From the case, it is evident that Allen, an employee, shareholder, director and president of Greg Allen Construction Corporation, in 1996 entered into a contract with the Estelles’ to renovate their home in Indiana. Indeed, an offer was made by the offeror (the Estelles) to the offeree (Greg Allen Construction Co.) for the latter to undertake renovation works on a house owned by the former. From the analysis, it can be argued there was an implied agreement and acceptance of the offer was communicated to the offeror by the offeree by virtue of the fact that it was Allen who personally supervised the renovation works on the house. The offer and acceptance formula identifies a moment of formation when the parties involved read from the same script (LawSchool.com, 2012; Order & Siegelheim, 2008), and this can be implied in the case due to the fact that Allen and his Corporation willingly and knowingly undertook to renovate the Estelles’ house. Any reasonable person would synthesize that Allen and his Corporation entered into a unilateral contract with the Estelles’ as he accepted the offer by offeror by performing his side of the bargain (LawSchool.com, 2012), in this case personally supervising the renovation of the house. Consequently, it can be argued that the Estelles’ made a promise to effect payment on the renovation works “in return for” Allen and his Corporation’s completing the works to a satisfactory level (Order & Siegelheim, 2008). In accepting the offer, Allen and his Corporation were therefore bound by the legal applications of the contract, and thus have a legal and personal liability for the unacceptable works done during renovation. Available literature demonstrates that as the embodiment of the Corporation, a director or officer incurs no liability unless and until such a director or officer presumes personal liability (Grantham & Rickett, 1999). Equally, it is no defense to an action based on a contractual agreement for a director or officer to claim that they “…never intended to be bound by the agreement if under all the circumstances it is shown at trial that [their] conduct was such that it communicated to other party or parties that the defendant had in fact agreed” (LawSchool.com, 2012, para. 10). The Corporation is definitely in breach of the contractual terms for undertak
Introduction The Second World War, being probably the biggest military conflict in human history, influenced the political, social, economic, and technological development of our civilization. And despite the fact that it is ethically controversial to praise the positive outcomes of the war there were many reasons for the United States to enter WWII and there is little evidence of its staid impact. The beginning of the war for the United States A number of political and economic reasons determined America’s entrance into WWII. First, the Great Depression after October 29, 1929, caused millions of unemployed and social unrest all over the world. The crisis split the world community and gravely destabilized the global economy, which played its role in the political and regime changes that followed it. With the national-socialistic party in Germany, Fascists in Italy, the USSR’s and European dictatorships, the economies of these countries changed. Therefore, as Oakes et al. pointed out, ‘the threat of fascism forced Americans to ask whether their economy and government could compete in the world’ (749). After the outbreak of war in Europe, the American public was divided. Interventionists wanted to enter the war to stand for European democracy, and isolationists were ready to enter the war to defeat communism. The official motive for entering the war was the answer to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and some considered that it was an inevitable and necessary measure. In spite of the formalized reason, there were many other factors. The world economies became interdependent, and America needed to make an alliance with France and the United Kingdom for economic reasons, and with the Soviet Union because of its military resources. Changes launched by the war The first thing that became apparent after the mobilization was the limits of resources. As for the food and supply, it was strictly rationed in wartime, which did its service with the aim to economize. On the other hand, the way to defeat the shortage in production was to engage more civilians – especially women – to work to produce weapons and other supplies. However, regarding other social and gender groups, as Oakes et al. described it, the military ‘leadership struggled to preserve racial traditions amid wartime changes’ (758). Positive and negative outcomes Surprisingly, during the war and shortly after it, the United States experienced a demographic increase. The levels of industrial productivity in the United States during the war were rising as well, and the country brought to life ‘the miracle of production that was winning the war and rising living standards’ (Oakes et al. 762). Later on, the developments in military technologies reached an entirely new level, as both sides of the war tried to create nuclear weapons. Soon enough everyone began to realize this kind of war could endanger the popul
The No Child Left behind (NCLB) Act is an act that was proposed and enacted by President Bush’s regime in efforts to try and make sure that the funding offered by the government in all the public schools was used effectively and that everyone in charge of offering educational services to students performed their duties in an impartial and in an accountable manner. This act hence advocated for the use of evaluation tests that were to be developed at the states level and were to be administered to both the junior and high school students in an annual basis. The main condition for the tests was that they had to be administered to all students at the same time and under the same conditions so as to make sure that there were no external factors that interfered with the evaluation process. Through the use of Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), all the public schools that benefit from federal funding have to be graded every year so as to determine their progress and output as per the expectations set by the state they are located in. failure to meet with the requirements of the AYP would result to closer evaluation and re-evaluation as well as taking of corrective or even restructuring measures. In extreme cases, the school may be closed or handed over to a different management, specially the management by the state office of education (Meier, 2004). Some people in the USA oppose the NCLB law with claim that it tends to discriminate between different states and also that it may be biased since it is not a country-wide activity. On the other side, while the law is actually intended to determine the commitment and accountability of the staff in public schools, the tests are usually applied to the students, even at early stages of education, a factor that subjects the students to a lot of pressure especially due to the fact that the school staff usually tries to make sure the students perform well so as to give their institutions a high rating and consequently a good reputation. This hence deviates from the initial plan of the law since it places pressure on the students rather than on the intended group, the school staff. (Caucuses, 2007) However, I differ with the negative claims that have been raised against this law and actually support the law mainly because it is intended to be non-partisan and undiscriminating as well as the fact that positive results have already been realized from the utilization of the law. Research has shown that there has been a positive improvement in service delivery and competitiveness of the public schools as compared to the private ones (Politics TV, 2008). Also, there has been a rise in the commitment of the staff in public schools resulting not only to better performance of these schools but also to a rise in the standards, attitudes as well as a creation of a positive attitude towards education and life in the students who attend public schools (Meier, 2004). It is now a known fact
Donald Edwin Westlake is the author of Too Many Crooks . He was born on July 12, 1933. He is an American credited with having authored more than one hundred novels as well as other non-fiction books. He particularly focused on writing about crime fiction such as comic tales as well as not so regular science fiction. He is also remembered as having won Edgar Awards three times in a row in history. It is important to observe that he was one among only three other authors to have attained such a feat. The three categories he received awards were for the best novel in 1968 titled, God Save the Mark, best short story in 1990 titled Too Many Crooks, and for best motion picture screenplay production known as the Grifters which was released in 1993. Donald Edwin Westlake grew up in Albany, New York. However, his place of birth was Brooklyn, New York. He loved writing so much while as a teenager. However, his debut in writing was not smooth sailing as many would have expected of his prolific career. His pieces were rejected 200 times. However, he was lucky in 1954 with the sale of his first ever short tale. After this, he wrote many more short stories which he sold for the next few years as a college student at Champlain and Harpur colleges. Mr. Westlake later died from a terrible heart attack on 31 st December, 2008. It is true that a number of novels which were written by Donald Westlake have been transformed into motion pictures. They include Point Blank, The Hunter, The Split, The Hot Rock, Cops and Robbers, The Outfit, Bank Shot, The Busy Body, Slay Ground, Why Me, Payback, and many others. Many more other clips of his novels which have been filmed can be found as well as visuals in many libraries in the entire world. He attained a feat that has hardly been attained by many other novelists and renowned authors before. Mystery stories have an intricate plot (Hillerman, 2008). This story is a mystery one too. There is no need for any previous knowledge since this story is one among the Dortmunder series talking of a titular thief. Dortmunder remains a constant straight person in a world where regardless of how well he organizes many of his heists, one or two things have to go haywire to a point he thinks he is very lucky if he successfully organizes a heist without getting caught. No hidden themes can be noticed as one reads through the story as the tale is majorly an entertaining one. In this plot for instance, Dortmunder and Kelp believe that they are lucky to have identified a nice scheme. Kelp has discovered the presence of a big sewer tunnel which is erected near a certain bank. Truly, after scrutinizing the blueprints that they can find thoroughly, they learn that one among the walls of the tunnel is erected right where the vault of the bank is situated. All that the two are required to do now is enter through the sewer, at a location very distant from the bank itself