ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Abstract This analytical essay presents an assignment on Bathing Beauties by Anna Schnur-Fishman and puts forward the positive aspect of bathing at BIK. Introduction The article under consideration namely Bathing Beauties that was written by Anna Schnur-Fishman is a magnificent article written by a teenage girl about the topic of locker room showers and nudity. In the article, a number of teenage girls learn how to love their bodies. Meaning The article basically is about girls getting to know and feel about their bodies. As is said in the article, society makes women think too much about their bodies, from the very beginning women are made aware of their bodies and how it has to fit into a certain predetermined cultural preconception that is not real, and as women and girls try to fit the mold they start becoming conscious of things and part of their bodies and start thinking about them and giving them undue importance. At the camp, the author and her friends though were not worried about their bodies: “ Sure, Natasha confided, she wished her boobs were “more symmetrical,” and Maggie that she had “less hairy upper-inner thighs,” but in a hierarchy of things that obsessed us, these issues fell fairly low on the list. We looked, we all agreed, “good enough” for the locker rooms” (Fishman, p.1). The article further focuses on girls who are uncomfortable being seen naked in a communal bath as she says that at times you see girls who are comfortable in the communal bath at BIK and you wish you were like them (Fishman, p.1). Hence, the basic foundation of this article is a communal bath for girls at BIK. Throughout the article, the author has made it clear that girls have to feel good about their bodies no matter what. She further goes on to list out certain lessons that the girls learned at BIK as well as the properties of BIK which made it work for the girls that she mentions are reflective and countercultural. In the article, a vast number of positive effects of a communal bath have been put forward. They have been presented as a list. The positive effects that showering at BIK has on the girls have been put forward as lessons that it teaches the girls. The first and foremost positive effect that it has on the girls is that it “requires an initial leap of faith”. This means that at the beginning of the shower, most girls start off by showering with their bath suits on but eventually they have to get naked. This brings about faith in your own image, your own appearance which is very helpful in life. The second positive effect that showering at BIK has on the girls is that girls and boys of different cultures bathe together which brings about a feeling of unity. The communal bathing exercise is very constructive because women of differen
The graph shows the Whole-chicken prices from 1980 to 2007. One can divide the period from 1980 to 2007 into three periods. 1980 to 1990, 1991 to 2000, and then 2001 to 2007. The period 1980-1990 Summary of Price trends:   * Valley in mid-1980. 0.628 in may 1980.   * Shot up in late 1980. Touched highest in period from 80 to 83. 0.792 in Oct 1980.   * Dropped low in end of 1982 and stayed low until start of 83.   * Price shoot in 84, higher than ever. 0.867 in Feb 1984.   * Stable period from mid 84 to mid 86.   * Shoot high in mid 86. 0.958 In Aug 86.   * Consistent drop from mid 86 to May-Jun 87. Dropped as low as 0.75 at the end of 87.   * Consistent rise in 88 right from start. Highest ever at.975 in Sep 88.   * Remained high in 89. Went farther than the highest of 88. The decade of 1980s brought many changes and turmoil in political and military arenas on the national and international front. 1980 was the last year of Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Carter’s era was marked by the Iranian revolution, Vietnam War and the cold war with Russia. Carter lost the 1980 presidential election to Ronald Reagan. Reagan introduced drastic economic changes, as he went for supply-side economic policies. Reagan had promised an economic revival by cutting taxes and reducing government expenditure. But the 1981 and 1982 saw the worst recession in US history after the great depression. This recession caused millions to go jobless and also high inflation. This greatly reflects the downward trend in chicken price, owing to low demand. The economy recovered partly in 1983, and unemployment reduced. This marks the higher demand (and hence higher price) of a whole chicken in 1983. But the recovery policies also pushed the inflation
Introduction RIM had based its BlackBerry on strong security features, which acted as its selling point in the US, Canada, the UK, and other countries. BlackBerry users could use their devices securely without compromising their privacy, personal information, and communications to governments. However, Middle East countries raised security due to constant terrorism activities, global security, and moral concerns about BlackBerry devices. Governments could not gain access to customers’ communications because RIM used strong encrypted security features, which many governments could not crack so easily. This frustrated many governments, which wanted to monitor communications through BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry did not have local servers in the Middle East. Hence, the phone automatically transferred users’ information and communications to its servers in Canada, and local governments could not gain access to such data. Middle East governments also raised moral concerns regarding BlackBerry content accessible to its users. Middle East countries highly regulate what their citizens can access through the Internet Measures that RIM can take to address security concerns while taking care of its business interests In order to continue its operation in the region, RIM had to meet the moral and security concerns of the Middle East governments. BlackBerry had to set up local servers in the region and allow governments to gain full access to communications and the personal information of its customers. Hence, RIM had to compromise the privacy of its customers and supply customers’ data to governments. The company had to censor some illegal content in the Middle East region. These measures would ensure that RIM avoids both political and economic risks, but maintain business growth and economic advantages. RIM must recognize that Middle East regulations do not promote personal privacy and the free flow of information. Thus, it is important to localized operations. Strategic lessons arising from the BlackBerry episode for MNCs operating in the technology arena Technology MNC companies must set their operational policies to meet those of the host countries in which they operate. MNC firms must compromise the privacy and flow of information of their customers in order to conduct their businesses. Usually, governments can only allow foreign firms to operate within their laws. Countries have different levels of economic freedoms, which can be either stringent or flexible based on the economic reforms of a given country. A combination of po
Summarry Business Communication is described as the dissemination of information that is done primarily for the benefit of an organization. Business communication is accomplished by relaying information in different ways to various people who make up the organization. The communication also includes relaying information about the business s to suppliers, consumers and other stakeholders in the organization. Effective business communication has the advantage of increasing productivity and profitability of the organization (Guffey and Almonte, 2010). To adequately illustrate the concept of business communication, it would be useful to attempt a scholarly critique of two articles from scholarly journals. The critique shall involve a brief summary of the article focused mainly on the data used and the methods employed in formulating the research questions. Additionally, the scholarly critique shall attempt to identify the goals of the article and the key theories and concepts used and whether are not these theories and concepts achieved the goals of the article. Finally, the conclusion seeks to establish whether or not the article was worth writing. The Use of Strategic Metaphors in Intercultural Business Communication The article seeks to categorically establish that strategic metaphors can be used to help achieve effective intercultural business communication that is a prerequisite for the profitability and productivity of any given organization. The article uses data from a case study of the alliance between Renault and Nissan to illustrate the fact that the use of a suitable metaphor can adequately capture an organization’s essence in terms of its activities, strategic intents and its global and national cultures. The strategic metaphor also details the ethical and business position of the company. The article highlights how the use of effective metaphor enabled the stakeholders in the alliance to work towards a common goal by employing the ambiguity and the diversity of meaning of the metaphor to surmount the Western and Asian intercultural differences (Cacciaguidi-Fahy and Cunningham, 2007). The goal of the article is to illustrate how the use of a strategic metaphor can benefit intercultural business communication. In my view, the theory and concepts used adequately accomplished the stated goals of the article. In conclusion, the article was definitely worth writing, this is because it makes substantial and theoretical contributions to our knowledge of communication, especially in the multi-cultural and global business environment. The implications of the article are fostering a sense of shared identity and goal congruence in a multi-cultural business setting. Language and Culture in International Legal Communication The article proposes t
Introduction I selected the Gardens by the Bay because of their unique design and Singapore’s innovation to develop a city within a garden. The buildings also posit a potential future that entails integration between nature and urbanization, showcasing the possibility for future generations to coexist with flora (PMP, 2022). Its beautiful design and elegant structures also have an aesthetic pull that motivated me to research their architect and inspiration for making them. Before taking this class, I knew about the Gardens by the Bay; however, my knowledge was limited to their location and accolades collected over the years. Architect and their Motivation to Carry out the Work The Gardens by the Bay were designed by two firms working in tandem, the Wilkinson Eyre Architects and Grant Associates. When the Supertrees are lit at night, they look like cocktail glasses. The structures’ lead design director, Andrew Grant, claimed he drew inspiration for this form after visiting his brother in Australia and going to the Valley of the Giants. He saw aerial walkways that permeate a canopy of tingle and karri trees (PMP, 2022). Additionally, it is important to consider the influence of Singapore’s national flower, the orchid. This master plan emphasizes the beauty of these flowers via the exotic gardens while expressing their physiology via the structures’ distinct infrastructure to manage water, energy, and waste. It is also important to consider Singapore’s motivation for this attraction as it involved plans to create a ‘city in a garden, raising the life quality through intricate flora and greenery in the city. Form and Function It is Singapore’s national garden and a leading horticultural attraction for its citizens and international visitors. The gardens are a showpiece of garden and horticulture artistry, illustrating a novel way to view the plant kingdom. They integrate nature and urban living, intertwined in a mutually beneficial way (Gardens by the Bay, 2022). Additionally, the Gardens by the Bay was developed as a form of entertainment while it educates visitors on plants that many people around the Asiatic region rarely see. It combines plant species from cool regions, temperate climates, tropical habitats, and forests. The Gardens by the Bay is the world’s largest garden with supertrees. Personal Reaction to this Work The Gardens by the Bay is one of the world’s most unique and environmentally-friendly structures. The supertrees mimic ecological functions, using technology to illustrate similar properties as plant photosynthesis (Gardens by the Bay, 2022). The structures collect rainwater, further illustrating the impressive commitment by Singapore to protect the environment. Its choice to plant exotic plants in an education-designed attraction is also a noble feat. While the country gains monetary value for its structures, it helps protect some plant species and elicits interest
Introduction Global organizations continue to expand their physical borders as they venture into the international market in search of huge revenue and profits. With the advent of globalization, most international companies find it easier to coordinate and control their operations as they target the achievement of bottom-line organizational objectives. However, challenges continue to influence the extent of success that organizations record in their international market operations. Organizational culture, organizational transformations, and conflict management, for instance, are important aspects that managers must address as they pursue their expansion plans and programs. This paper seeks to discuss the topical issue of business expansion comprehensively, especially by paying close attention to Wal-Mart. The analysis evaluates the ability and possibility of Wal-Mart expanding and successfully establishing its operations in China. Current Strategy at Wal-Mart Wal-Mart mainly focuses on localization as its main strategy of expanding into international markets. Through localization, the retailer acquires establishments through buy-out or enters into a merger with the locally existing and already established firms (Jones, 2010). Because the local firms already understand the market better than Wal-Mart itself would do, the firm seeks to enter a foreign market through an already existing venture. This gives it the necessary competitive advantage over other rival firms because it does not begin its operations in a new international market from a new start, but continues with what already exists. Additionally, the international market strategy by the firm involves maintaining the local brands exactly as they existed before. Even after buying or forming a merger with a local enterprise, Wal-Mart does not re-brand it with its own symbols, logos, and colors. This is an important strategy in international market operation because local consumers often feel comfortable with local names and brands, which they view as representing their true beliefs, lifestyle, and attitude (Jones, 2010). In the UK, for instance, Wal-Mart operates in the market under the brand name Asda, while in Japan the company operates under the brand name Seiyu (Walmart, 2013). Maintaining the local connection is an important factor for any market, and the retailer achieves this through adopting names that are well recognized by the local market. The organizational structure adopted by the company is also crucial in its performance. Centralization is pursued partly, where the retailer manages its sales, marketing, as well as materials management at the company’s headquarters. Store operations, on the other hand, are divided and distributed according to regions that are headed by regional managers (Jones, 2010). Technology used at Wal-Mart From an organizational point of view, Wal-Mart relies on the capabilities of information communication technology to help in the formulation and implementation of decisions. Part of the retailer’s technology innovation in the business model focuses on reduction of operation time and the related cost. The radio frequency identification
Introduction The Legend of Good Women written by Geoffrey Chaucer is considered to be a significant poem having the dream vision form; it is a kind of testament to female disparate views being prevalent at the period of Middle Ages. This work is focused on the disclosure of ten legends about virtuous women, one of which is Cleopatra. Chaucer tried to disclose the theme of good women through its ironical presentation. The analysis of poem gives an opportunity to evaluate the power of men by means of tales progression; the author managed to depict active Cleopatra through the concept of antifeminism. Chaucer showed in ironical way the meaning of good women for medieval minds illustrating the image of Cleopatra. Main body Cleopatra legends highlights the character of Cleopatra was showed as a female being completely involved into the politics. It is important to stress that the author propagandized Cleopatra from the very beginning. The position of a “good woman” is merely presented through irony. Thus, one should notice that the beginning of the legend the author omitted the fact of Tholome being poisoned by Cleopatra. “ After the deth of Tholome the kyng” (Chaucer, p. 580) Frankly speaking the book The Legend of Good Women requires self assessment of its characters. Thus, it is difficult to state in what mood the author presented Cleopatra, nevertheless one can observe the lack of seriousness in some facts of the legend. Cleopatra is merely presented in the role of a good woman but through the concept of irony. Her image is a kind of riddle for contemporary critics. The author focuses on the fact that Cleopatra is interested in political and war events. So, the great part of the legend is devoted to the description of see battle. When ship of Cleopatra flees, one can observe the episode of Antony rendering which is considered to be a melodramatic part of the legends. “ Allas… the day that I was born!” (Chaucer, p. 658) The author shows that Antony kills himself at once underlining false flow of events according to the legends. Here Cleopatra is preparing serpents which are more characteristic of saints’ legends rather than Cleopatra story. Now, love, to whom my sorweful herte obeyed So ferforthly that from that blissful houre That I yow swor to ben al freely youre I mene yow, Antonius, my knight… (Chaucer, p. 684) This speech of hers ends up with Cleopatra jumping into the pit being completely naked. The image of Cleopatra is demonstrated as a sign of persuasive irony underlining only some derivations from original legend and showing ironic assertion of Cleopatra’s virtue.
The debate about the oppression of people with disabilities in institutions has been ongoing for many years. Northway (2017) defines disability as a physical condition that makes it difficult for an individual to perform certain activities and limits them from interacting with the general population around them. The legacy of oppression for the disabled still exists in many institutions despite the anti-discrimination legislation supporting their participation in the community’s social and economic life. This discussion elaborates on the legacy of oppression and the challenges the disabled people face. Society does not usually value the disabled as they are mostly oppressed and discriminated against. People living with disabilities survive under demanding living conditions, a challenge that has remained unsolved for many decades (Northway, 2017). Over the years, some strategies have been developed to ensure the inclusion of disability in the economic and social mainstreams, but their success has been minimal. Some of the notable institutional problems include the inaccessibility of various buildings for physically disabled persons. Most facilities do not have ramps for entrance from one floor to the other. Also, a majority of people with disabilities live in low standards; they experience extreme poverty. Therefore, this shows that the society at large discriminates against the disabled. Secondly, there is discrimination from jobs; there is a high unemployment rate among people living with disabilities. This is because many disabled people lack the opportunities to gain an education in various learning centers (Vernon, 2016). These poverty levels are alarming; they have made the disabled have poor access to health facilities. It has also turned a number of them into beggars in the streets to earn a living. In conclusion, the disabled face severe stigmatization and agony in society and particularly in instit
Introduction As opposed to blatantly racist laws and practices of the last century, today’s racism is rather subtle and feeds on seemingly innocuous jokes and stereotypes. Apart from making sweeping generalizations about people of color, another problematic approach is so-called color blindness and refusal to recognize the struggles of the colored communities. This paper will examine the issue of racism in media from the standpoint of Conley’s “You May Ask Yourself” guide to sociology and two recent articles. You May Ask Yourself: The Role of Media These days, media and culture are not only interrelated but practically inseparable concepts: media represents what is relevant in today’s culture, and at the same time, discourse shapes reality. Conley opens his argument with the statement that we leave in a media-saturated environment (73). The author argues that culture is relative, and theoretically, there are no superior and inferior cultures (75). However, the history of humankind saw many examples when one culture operated on an ethnocentric ideology and asserted its dominance over others. In relation to this essay’s topic, White European settlers murdered Native Americans en masse and imported West African slaves. They justified violence by perpetuating beliefs about the non-human nature of people of color. The legacy of the past persists: many racial stereotypes, no matter how subtle, are deemed normal despite being socially engineered. Reflection theory explains that many people are involuntary messengers of the hegemonic culture. They never chose to have such convictions, but they could not help but internalize them during socialization. Thus, when people uphold racism through media, they do so within the existing system of social values. It is not to say that they are not at fault; however, they are somewhat blindsided by what has been translated to them for years on. Conley ends the chapter on an optimistic note: in recent years, there have been many media campaigns promoting racial, ethnic, and gender equality (91). Thus, while media can fuel racism, it can as well relieve some tension and help the right cause. Media and Racism: Negative Impact While I generally agree with the perspective given by Conley, I am convinced that there is a need to be more specific when it comes to racism in the media. One of the root causes of under- and misrepresentation of people of color in news, movies, and TV programs is the lack of diversity among the producers. There is a lot of controversy surrounding affirmative action and so-called quotas. While one’s race does not qualify him or her for a particular job, in some cases, it is critical that a person of color shares his or her opinion and impacts media creation. Sometimes even when the media aims at shedding light on the pressing issues of communities of color, it still harms them directly or indirectly. For instance, Sonnett et al. describe how White-o