ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The book, “The Street Lawyer”, written by John Grisham, is a story that revolves around a city lawyer named Michael Brooks. He is three years away from making partner in a prominent law firm called Drake and Sweeney, when he suffers a violent incident that turns his life around. It starts as a normal day, and he is hurrying to get to his office when he notices an untidy man riding the lift with him. The untidy man ignores him, but Michael studies him. He notices that he has, an unpleasant smell, and has more clothes on than a normal person. He reasons that the untidy man has probably put on all his clothes because it is a cold morning. When they reach the eighth floor, the untidy man, who later insists on being called ‘Mister’, also alights; he waves a gun and fires some shots. He later holds nine lawyers as hostages. During that time, he asks them how much they earn, how much they spend on lunch alone and, how much they give to charities. He is not pleased to hear that they take expensive lunch, and do not care much for donations as he is a homeless veteran. He asks them if and why they cannot help a homeless person (Grisham, 1998, pp. 5). Mister is later shot after he orders soup. It is delivered by a policeman, and he is shot by a sniper during the delivery. Michael spends some time at the hospital being examined by doctors after the incident, given that Mister’s blood and tissue splatter on him after the shooting. His wife, Claire does not visit him while he is at the hospital. He later goes home to an empty house since his wife is working late at the hospital due to the incident at the firm. It turns out that their marriage is on the rocks as they both work long hours. The shooting incident tugs on Michael’s conscience, and he aims to find out more about Mister. He drives to 14 th Street Legal Clinic; here, he meets Mordecai, a lawyer who is fighting for the rights of homeless people (Grisham, 1998, pp. 12-13). He finds out that Mister’s real name is DeVon Hardy. He finds out that he was evicted from a building by lawyers from Drake and Sweeney. The eviction was illegal, since DeVon was a tenant, not a squatter. When Michael returns to his office, he remains unsettled, and he decides to ask for the eviction file, but the real estate lawyer, Braden Chance refuses to give it to him. A few days later, Mordecai calls him and requests him to help at a shelter, he agrees. The night at the shelter turns out to be so cold, and volunteers are not enough. He also meets the Burton family which comprises of, a mother and three young children. The following day he shops for them, but when he goes to the shelter, he does not see them. He later finds out that they died due to asphyxia after they slept in a car with the engine running. He later finds out that the Burton family was part of the illegal eviction, and Michael resolves not to let another family die due to the same injustice. He accepts a job invitation from Mordecai, to help him fight for the rights of t
Introduction Unarguably communication is among the most critical skills for one’s personal and professional life. However, most people fail to be good listeners, which often leads to misunderstandings and conflicts. Nichols’ book offers a new perspective on the development of listening skills by assessing the important components and strategies that one can adopt to improve interpersonal interactions. This paper aims to discuss emotional reactivity, provide a personal example of it affecting communication, and examine Nichols’ advice on mitigating the effects of it. Definition of Emotional Reactivity Emotional reactivity is anxiety that arises in cases when an individual says something triggering. Because this component is connected to each person’s perception, one can argue that reactivity may affect some people in specific occasions, while others would not be subjected to it under similar circumstances. According to Nichols, this is the primary reason that affects communication between people and results in the inability to listen to the other speaker (176). From this explanation, it can be concluded that the reaction to other individual’s words in the primary issue that enables emotional reactivity. It is necessary to examine why reactivity emerged in the first place to understand strategies that can help overcome this issue. Nichols states that the mechanism of emotional reactivity exists as a way to defend oneself against verbal attacks from people (187). However, the nature of communication requires one to expose himself or herself to situations that may trigger anxiety; therefore, it is crucial to identify strategies that can help overcome it. Personal Examples The first example of emotional reactivity affecting my encounters this week is a criticism I received from my friend. I asked her to proofread an essential essay for a class and provide me with her feedback on which parts can be improved. Although I initiated the conversation, once this friend became explaining the specific mistakes I made I became anxious. However, having read Nichols’ explanation of emotional reactivity, I was able to avoid conflict and asked this friend to postpone the discussion until I was able to continue. The second occurrence is connected to the reactivity of another person, which allowed me to understand the implication of it from a different perspective. The situation occurred when my friend described a conflict he had with a colleague. In this conversation, I expressed the idea that my friend’s opponent was correct, which caused disagreement. However, I was able to understand that in that case, the friend in question wanted to be listened to, which lead to anxiety from unwanted advice. Nichols states that empathy is curial in communication, which should help a person listen to another individual’s feelings (185). Therefore, in th
Winnie and Harry’s Estate Members Entitled to Harry’s Estate Determination of those entitled to Harry’s estate is not a straightforward issue in this case. The reason is that there are no additional claims made over this estate through other wills arising from Harry. The case is also made more complicated given that Winnie is not in possession of the original copy of the will written by her late husband. In addition, Winnie admits that Harry destroyed the original copy after they had a misunderstanding. Winnie bears the burden of proving that Harry’s affection for her did not change after their separation. She should show that her estranged husband had no reason to revoke the will. 1 Her admission of Harry’s declaration that he will leave his property to others makes this burden even heavier for this client. However, the fact that Harry did not divorce her or legalise his marriage to Stella may be an indication that he still had affection for her. The development may also be an illustration of the fact that he had not changed his earlier intentions even after their separation. According to the Will Act, Section 13, there are various modes of revoking a will. One of them involves tearing and burning the document. The will may also be destroyed by the testator. 2 It is apparent that Harry fulfilled this requirement with regards to Winnie and the original document. However, in spite of this, it is obvious that he did not take any further action to revoke the will. In addition, the Will Ordinance recognises revocation by marriage. 3 However, since Harry refused to divorce Winnie and marry Stella, the intended revocation is disputable. As a result, the copy held by Winnie can be executed under the various considerations made in the Will Ordinance. For instance, the ordinance indicates that the disposition of the will should proceed regardless of Harry’s relationship with Stella. It is also obvious that in spite of his accidental death, the deceased had sufficient time to revoke the Will that had been made in favour of Winnie. However, he did not do this. As a result, an assumption can be made to the effect that Harry intended the will’s disposition to proceed in spite of his relationship with Stella. In light of the facts presented above, the members entitled to Harry’s estate include those mentioned in the copy of the will submitted by Winnie. They include Winnie, who is recognised as the wife to the testator. Others are her two sons, Robin and Christopher. The two descendants will have a claim over their father’s estate once they attain the age of 18 as stated in the document. In addition, Harry’s relations and friends would benefit from the estate as indicated in the original will. The determination of the authenticity of the will submitted by Winnie is the responsibility of the court. However, under the Will Ordinance, Winnie is expected to prove to the court that she is the legal beneficiary. Stella, on the other hand, is regarded as a concubine. She was in a state of cohabitation with Harry, something that is not recognised in Hong Kong. 4 Consequently, Stella is not en
Sam Mendes’s interpretation of Max Allan Collins’s graphic novel, Road to Perdition (2002), has been filmed in keeping with the best traditions of gangster movies. In this respect, the movie is spiced with particular scenes full of shooting and seeking revenge (as in the scene between Harlen Maguire and Michael Sullivan) among the main heroes. The perspective of the film pertains to several themes which Sam Mendes tried to amplify. The whole observation of the development of actions prescribed in the movie goes along with a good adaptation of the screenplay by David Self. With the use of solely American themes of the Great Depression and overall social and economic pressure on Americans, the film is screened in genuinely dark and grey colors. It was done by the director in order to deliver the drama of the main character. In fact, the genre peculiarity of the movie runs across the symbiosis of several different trends in movies, such as crime, adventure, drama, and thriller. However, it is better to focus on the drama genre of the movie. The tense plot of the movie incorporates features of bloodshed shooting and many other defiant scenes so as to describe the way the violence is shown in terms of genre uniqueness. As a matter of fact, the film describes the typical story where the themes of revenge, death, cruelty, and ignorance of human values are all over. The protagonist Michael Sullivan Sr. (Tom Hanks) becomes a victim of misunderstanding (or better to say mistrust) on the part of Connor Rooney. As a result, the innocent death of Sullivan’s wife and son gives him no choice but to seek vengeance. As the film stars many of the great actors, a special uniqueness is in the fact that Tom Hanks is recognized here to play the first cruel role of a bad guy. “He’s an anti-hero to a degree, and as the story unfolds he does become a cold and calculating killer bent on revenge” (Wehner 117). To say more, the peculiarity of genre coherence in what Mendes put through personal vision is in the seriousness of Tom Hanks’s role. In contrast to other criminal movies, such as The Godfather and Public Enemies , this film is accomplished by scenes rich in violence. Sam Mendes did really emphasized the influence on the viewers by representing Tom Hanks in an “uncharacteristically dark role” (Fairbanks 301). This maneuver contrasted the framework of the expected effects by a spontaneous emergence of what was not expected at all. The film adheres to the cruelty of the genre. However merciful are the offenders, Michael Sullivan wipes up with everyone more or less related to his tragedy. Here a viewer can acquire different treatment of the protagonist’s action: positive, for the murderer should be punished anyway; negative, as this is amoral and too cruel to be done by solely one person, especially done by so gentle and inoffensive actor as Tom Hanks is. The main attention should be paid in this respect to the rainy, foggy scene when comes to the final part of Sullivan’s “road” (Kirsner 138). Thus, the implementation of the overall gist along with real events in Chicago of 1930s provides a genuine coloring of the plot along with the
Introduction Chinese calligraphy is one of the premier practices of Chinese art and is considered an essential feature of Chinese culture. This technique is used by the artists to transmit their thought, and at the same time, present the abstract magnificence of the line. Chinese calligraphy presents rhythm as well as line and structure in a strong and flawless manner. Calligraphy requires a quiet mind and deep concentration. The beauty of calligraphy is realized only when we combine the expressions of the words with the external resemblance (“Calligraphy”, par.1). In his lecture at Independence High School, Charlotte, U.S, the Director of the Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University, , Prof. Yan emphasized the need to learn Chinese calligraphy for the proper understanding of traditional Chinese philosophy. According to him, “Both practicing Chinese calligraphy and the ways to appreciate it embody Chinese philosophy” (qtd. in Tu, par.6). Chinese calligraphy is an expression of the calligrapher’s thoughts, hence, it promotes creativity. It allows the writer to think from different point of views. It also helps in establishing a systematic connection of thoughts (Tu par.7). Chinese historical records reveal that Chinese calligraphy originated in its real form somewhere between the second and fourth century. Chinese civilization has evolved through several dynasties and Chinese calligraphy has also developed with this course of development. Initially, during the Shang Dynasty period, it emerged in the form of Shell bone writing known as Jiaguwen, and bronze inscriptions called Jinwen. Later, it evolved to regular hand called Kaishu and running hands called Xingshu during the Three kingdoms period. In course of time, the art converted to the mainstream with the advancement of cursive hand known as Caoshu, running hand referring to Xingshu and regular script known as Kaishu These styles took place of the seal script and the official script. Several calligraphers such as Ouyang Xun, Liu Gongquan emerged with their different styles during this period. Wang Xizhi was the most prominent calligrapher of that time. He inspired several upcoming calligraphers even until the Tang Dynasty with his creative accomplishments. During Tang Dynasty, this art flourished and significant theories on Chinese calligraphy were published. The succeeding periods of Five Dynasties and Yuan Dynasty had to witness great political turmoil. The disturbances caused by wars and political unrests, definitely, had an adverse impact on the development of calligraphy. However, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty again saw the booming of calligraphy as an art and produced important calligraphic pieces that inspired the later generations of calligraphers (Ren, par.2). Thus, Chinese calligraphy evolved through several dynasties and established as an art having five main calligraphic styles:   * Seal Script (ZhuanShu): This style is considered to be an early style that resemble with a picture.   * Official Script (Li Shu): It was developed during 722-230BC. The characters are similar to the present Chinese characters.   * Regular Script
The first law of human geography states that everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things (Hubbard, Kitchin, and Valentine 54). Human geography emphasizes the need to understand the relationships among different places and regions of the world and its people. The sub-discipline also seeks to provide an explanation of how human beings influence and are influenced by their location. The discipline of geography may be analyzed in terms of two concepts of space and place, which are usually thought to be synonymous with the area, region, and maybe landscape. For the first concept, human geography, unlike the time in history, deals with spaces. This implies that geography with areas (Hubbard et al. 54). It, therefore, involves the study spaces that are filled like a river and urban areas. Human geography and space involve measuring efficient utilization of space and their relationships using diagrams and maps were shopping and housing spaces, road network, so as to determining cost-benefit analysis. The second concept is understanding human geography as dealing with places. This is where human activity is felt, and people are able to form an identity with where they are. In this setting, people can respond to such questions as to how they feel and experience being in a given place (Hubbard et al. 54). This concept introduces the spiritual dimension relationship. Works cited Hubbard, Phil, Kitchin, Rob and Valentine, Gill. Key texts in human geography . SAGE Publications, 2008: 53-58.
Introduction Seven years after accession talks for Turkey to the European Union (EU) began, the prospects of membership remain dim. The EU is a union of European states that was formed after decades worth of efforts towards economic and political integration of countries in the continent. This Union has led to significant benefits for the member countries due to the good relations enjoyed among member countries. Economic prosperity and political stability have been achieved because of the union. As the membership of the EU has increased, the union has acquired marked political, economic, and financial influence on the global stage and it is now considered a power on its own right. For this reasons, most of the countries in the European continent have been aspiring to join the EU and gain the benefits attached to EU membership. Specifically, Turkey has shown great interest in joining the EU with its leaders actively urging EU leaders to include the country in the Union (Teitelbaum & Philip 2003). However, the country has been unable to achieve this goal to date. This paper will delve into the political, economic, and cultural reasons that have contributed to the delayed accession of Turkey to the European Union. Reasons for Delayed Accession   * EU Members Opposition to Turkey Turkey’s economic instability has delayed its accession to the EU. European Union member states enjoy a relatively high standard of living and income per capita. Teitelbaum and Philip (2003) assert that Turkey suffers from an unproductive and unstable economy. Specifically, Turkey suffers from a higher unemployment rate that the average rate in the EU countries. There are fears that if Turkey became a member of the EU, it would be an economic burden to the union since millions of Turks would immigrate to countries where there are jobs and higher wages. The EU would also have to make significant monetary investments to bring Turkey at par with the rest of the union. Turkey has been denied accession because of insufficient democracy in the country. Although Turkey has been practicing a multi-party system and free elections since 1950s, the Turkish democracy has not steadily developed over the decades. Specifically, there have been a number of direct military interventions on the political of the country. Turkey has engaged in democratic reforms in order to meet EU requirements and subsequent membership. However, the rate of political reforms has been very slow. These slow reform process is seen as an indication of Turkey’s unwillingness to comply with EU standards by some EU leaders (Burgin 2010). The EU requires certain values and ide
Introduction This essay is mainly about a shopping mall I visited recently. It includes the setting of the mall, choreography in the movements of people in the mall, developments of hierarchy of space in the mall etc. I have also included a description of reactions of a few people while I was walking in a beach. Setting of the mall There are two entrances to the mall. First one is near the car parking area in the left side of the building and the large entrance is in front of the mall. This large entrance is beautifully decorated to attract people who pass through the road. There are two exits also; one on the right side of the building and the other one in the entrance near car parking area. Security guards have been placed near the entrances and exits. The shops are arranged in a circular shape inside the mall. There is a wonderful statue at the center of the circle. Six floors are there in the mall and each of them is specially arranged for selling different kinds of articles
Abstract The paper focuses on Cloud business intelligence as applied to small and medium enterprises. After an examination of the definition and basic terms used in cloud business intelligence, the paper contains a literature review on its application in SMEs. It was found that Cloud BI leads to cost reduction, and enhances flexibility and management of data. On the other hand, it requires investment in training and may lead to errors in implementation. A case study of the use of Cloud BI was done as seen through prominent SMEs. Lastly, a discussion of the need to implement Cloud BI followed, and it was recommended that SMEs should adopt the technology for greater efficiency. Introduction Cloud business intelligence may be defined as a software platform in which a series of users are hosted on a cloud. Firms do not need to invest in software or hardware when using Cloud Business Intelligence. Furthermore, all business intelligence projects can be operated and run at the same platform. Custom applications can also be done in order to meet the needs of an organisation. Alternatively, companies may choose to link their applications to the cloud. Through Cloud BI, firms may also access industry-level data concerning their respective competitors. An organisation can carry out a range of activities using this approach, some of which include: storage and networking, analytic solutions, normalisations and collection of components for analytics (SAP AG 2009). Not all organisations may be at a stage where they need Cloud BI. However, it is necessary to take it up when one wants to get rid of all the complexities of permanent solutions. In certain circumstances, one’s IT resources may not be sufficient to deliver results, so Cloud BI can come in handy. If flexibility is a necessity within an organisation, then Cloud BI may prove to be helpful. Some organisations have massive usage levels while others handle large volumes of data. When such characteristic exist, then the most effective way of dealing with one’s needs is through this mode of technology. At the end of the day, a business that succeeds is one that uses a well-integrated solution that can solve real problems in the organisation (Pirttimaki 2007). Digital data is growing exponentially and many firms are open to new computing trends. A survey carried out by a US-based research organisation called IDC revealed that about 50% of the interviewees were willing to take on Cloud computing for their business intelligence needs in 2011. A further 70% said they would use the cloud for private use. Given these findings, it is likely that the number of Cloud BI users will increase with time (Turban et al. 2011). Businesses use cloud business intelligence in order to meet three specific needs. The first is horizontal business intelligence. Here, an organisation will depend on its traditional database as the source of its data management system. This means that internal analysis and reporting of data will take place wi