ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Human dignity is one of the Catholic’s social teaching principles. BP applies this social teaching principle in the course of its operations. According to the stance assumed by the Catholic faith, human life has been put under risk and consequently jeopardized by the rapid decline in respect and value attached to materialism (‘ Catholic Bishops’ par. 3). In other words, the world seems to value materialism more than the dignity and essence of human life. The Catholic Church strongly believes that the moral vision of society is strongly embedded in the dignity of individuals bearing in mind that human life is sacred (Kaczor par. 4). Hence, human dignity should always be given the first priority before pursuing other life purposes. In addition, a human being has some great degree of inherent dignity that should not be overridden by the deteriorating morals or value for materialism. The Catholic faith also asserts that the foundation of all its social teachings is strongly rooted in human dignity. BP is a global company that deals with both oil and gas. It is among the pace setters and market leaders in the oil industry. As already mentioned, the company practices the catholic social teaching principle of human dignity in its daily operations. As it stands now, the number of employees wor
Introduction The decision by the UAE to ban Blackberry services has elicited a heated controversy in recent days. This decision has seen many of the local and foreign newspapers and blogs discuss the repercussions of this stance and the culmination of claims and counterclaims on the issue. The aim of this particular study therefore is to explore the positive and negative effects of UAE’s government banning decision of Blackberry service. In addition, the research paper shall also endeavor to examine the possible consequences of the ban on the use of the Blackberry services on the concerned parties. Further, the research paper shall attempt to explore the counter-arguments on whether the ban is legitimate by seeking to explore if it violates the freedom of speech on an individual. A refutation to this claim shall also be provided. Effects of not banning the use of Blackberry services In an attempt to justify its decision in banning the use of Blackberry services, the UAE government has cited the issue of national security as the main concern. In this regard, the UAE government claims that the Blackberry service poses a threat to national security. This is due to the inability of the government to monitor and control the service domestically (Savitz, 2010). The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority in the UAE has deemed it necessary to ban RIM, along with its associated data transfer processes as applied with the Blackberry services, arguing that the device poses a serious risk to national security (Bentley, 2010). In this regard, the TRA contends that certain applications of the Blackberry enable individuals to misuse this service, in effect posing serious judicial, social and national security consequences (Constantin, 2010). In addition, since the related data to such Blackberry applications is possibly stored beyond the geographical borders of the UAE territory, what this means is that the related data is also beyond the UAE’s national legislation jurisdiction (Sacco, 2010). The authorities in the United Arab Emirates are greatly concerned about a possible misuse of th
Introduction Over the years, there has been a raging debate on who really caused the downfall and subsequent destruction of King Oedipus. Some scholars believe that Oedipus’ pride and arrogance brought his destruction while on the other hand others claim that Jocasta was responsible for destroying everyone and everything. Despite the different approaches taken by scholars on the matter, one thing that emerges clearly throughout the play is that Oedipus brought about his own downfall. His arrogance and high headedness clearly emerges as the genesis of all his woes. (Sophocles) Right from the start, there is rumor that Polybus the Corinthian king is not Oedipus father. When this rumor gets to Oedipus, he confronts his parents who do not appropriately answer his question. Oedipus then decides to approach the Delphic Oracle to seek an answer to his question. Even the Oracle does not answer Oedipus’ question but instead tells him that he will marry his own mother and cause the death of his father. Instead of heeding the oracle, Oedipus’ pride leads him to think that he can avert this tragic fate. While trying to flee from his destined fate, he ends up killing King Laius who is his own father. His journey ends in the Thebes Kingdom where Oedipus eliminates the beastly Sphinx and consequently solves the complex riddle of a form that walks on all fours early in the day, on two’s by midday and on threes by sunset. In recognition of this achievement, the Theban’s appoint him to take over the vacant throne left behind by the demise of King Laius. By accepting this offer, Oedipus agrees to marry the widowed queen who in reality is her mother, Jocasta. It is clear that Jocasta does not play any role in any of these events but in reality, they are Oedipus’ own makings. Soon after this, a plague rages throughout the Theban land leaving everyone in distress. This causes Oedipus to send his brother-in-law, Creon to seek why the city is experiencing the plague. The Oracle at Delphi reveals that the plague in the land is caused by the unavenged death of King Laius. Against the people’s wishes to first consult prophet Tiresius, Oedipus goes ahead to pronounce a harsh punishment against the responsible person. Even after Tiresius is consulted, he advises that the matter should be left to rest. However, Oedipus keeps pressurizing him to a point where Tiresius gives an ominous prophecy for Oedipus. By this time, Oedipus has already declared that Creon is a traitor who has to die. Queen Jocasta intervenes to bring calm between her brother and husband. Upon learning of the feud between them, Jocasta assures Oedipus that he has nothing to worry about since her son was killed in infancy and there is no way he could have been the cause of the Kings death. At this point, Oedipus learns that the king had indeed been killed at
Introduction The decision to purchase has in many occasions proved to be tricky and needs a sizeable outlay. This decision could have long-term consequences as far as finances of the buyer are concerned. Many people often opt to buy homes without taking into consideration the real financial impact. It’s pertinent to note that buying a home should not be impulsive. In some instances people have reacted to incentives and the expenses as a factor when sourcing for homes. There are several principles that have played a significant role in decision making particularly in the purchase of homes. Principles of Economics The first principle to consider is the tradeoffs. In a normal business environment, there are no free gifts (Mankiw, 2008a, p. 128). A decision is usually made based on trading one product for another. For one to get a home, they have to spend some money in exchange. The second principle is the fact that there is need to give up some costs to acquire the product. Somebody is supposed to understand his/her needs to be able to make some comparisons about the prices of the house. In addition to these it is better to consider the benefits that come by acquiring the product and the best alternatives that are available. In business language, this is referred to as opportunity cost – The Enjoyment foregone to get the house. Considering the fact that human beings tend to think rationally at the margins. As the third principle, I am rational enough to consider marginal changes in my decisions (Mankiw, 2008a, p. 128). The marginal changes are very important to consider because they guide individuals in reaching better decision as one is able to use the increment adjustments on the changes. Making the comparisons of marginal benefits and the marginal expenses is necessary for the decision. When marginal benefits surpass the costs, that alternative is considered as the best (Mankiw, 2008a, p. 128). The fourth principle is that people tend to respond when they are presented with incentives. This means that when there are some marginal, changes in the benefits to be enjoyed or the cost comes down, the response is likely to be positive (Torgerson & Spencer, 1996, p. 36). Generally I would go for the next best alternative when the benefits are worth more than the costs. This means that I would have to assess whether the house is a decent home, with water, electricity, secure and accessible to the social amenities like health facilities and school or water and sewage system. Sometimes the house could be cheap but the cost of getting to work, accessing clean water and school could be way much higher (Torgerson & Spencer, 1996, p. 36). Marginal Benefits/Costs related to my Purchase Decision Consumer decisions are determined from the way they interact with the environment around which includes the government policies, prices set by sellers, the trend in the market and the perceived benefit of gaining the product. Gaining a new home has a lot of marginal benefits that are involved while on the other hand there is a lot of costs that will be suffered (Mankiw, 2008a, p. 129). Willingness to give up something to get that extra unit of another product define
Lincoln Center, one of the most renowned music hubs in the world, has an outstanding jazz venue where many talented and famous musicians have showcased their talents. On Friday, July 1, 2011, I had the pleasure of attending a performance by Sharel Cassity Quintet in the club; it was a memorable moment. The club is situated on the 5th floor where audiences could have a good grasp of different features in the city below. Although it was a Friday night the bar was relatively empty; the crowd was relatively the elderly who seemed to be enjoying their old age with style. The ambiance was casual and was spiced with dim lighting; perfectly sets the mood. Only on the small stage in front of the big windows had intense lights. The quintet took the stage to a smattering of applause; even between pieces, the audience praised nonchalantly. The ensemble however was a non-traditional jazz set; it consisted of trombone, saxophone, drum set, piano, and an electric bass guitar which is far from the customary jazz trio double bass. Sharel Cassity, the alto saxophonist could have been seen as the main figure of the band as well as Michael Dease on the trombone because they had composed one or two of the pieces. The band began their first piece; a polyphonic texture composed by Cassity and set the pace with an upbeat tempo. The saxophone and the trombone seem to be the key instrument of this piece. Nevertheless, the trombone was out of the piece shortly after that. The timber of the piano was barely audible. It was very interesting and surprising, to hear an electric bass guitar play bass; to many of the audience, this was new and unexpected. The sounds of the two are relatively alike; amidst all the four melodies playing the saxophone had a prominent voice. The next piece had a quite different mood from the first piece; it stood out as one of my favorite sections because it was more blues than jazz opening with mezzo-piano dynamics. Contrary to the previous piece, this commenced with a monophonic texture; the sax played beautifully with an intimate solo and then alternated with the trombone. Although the dynamics were the same, the trombone had a more blues tone to it. As the passion of the song heated up, all instruments accompanied the soloist. The texture altered to a polyphonic, and then the dynamics also changed to mezzo forte with a gradual crescendo. This continued until it reached a peak when all instruments slowed down almost abruptly for the sax solo. As the other instruments were in the back melody, in a whispering way, the soloist sang sharply and beautifully. Afterward, the sax and the trombone did a duet with the other instruments in accompaniment followed by a sudden crescendo to set the mode for another solo. This time for the drums moment shows his skills while other instruments were in the countermelody. To conclude the piece there
I attended a lesson titled “Instructional Strategies,” and I particularly noted how well the teacher managed to organize the learning process into certain stages. I can say that major concepts of instructional strategies were explained not only explicitly through the educational materials the teacher delivered and presented to students but also implicitly through the very structure of the lesson and the way the educator interacted with the learners. First of all, the professor started with an introduction and described the purpose of the lesson, the learning objectives that will be pursued, the learning outcomes that need to be achieved, and the structure of the lesson. Further, there was a round of acquaintance: upon giving a self-introduction speech, the professor asked each student to introduce themselves and tell the class a little bit about themselves and their expectations from the lesson. Concerning the tools that educators may employ to deliver course materials to learners, the professor used a video presentation titled “The Art and Science of Teaching.” In a simple and concise manner, the video explained some fundamental principles of approaching the instructional process strategically. I think the use of visuals was justified because a verbal explanation might not have appealed to the learners as strongly as the imagery of the presentation. This promoted student interest and engagement; however, the presentation part of the lesson was not interactive. To achieve interaction and ensure that the students were not merely listening to all the time, the professor used several strategies. One of them was referring to reliable sources when explaining lesson materials or presenting the video. The professor presented the materials as the results of academ
Introduction The introduction of the rule of law is an integral part of state-building. Ensuring that a state has a fully established legal system involves intricate tasks such as formulating policies, developing laws, and training people in the importance and adherence to administrative regulations. To accomplish this objective, there is a need to involve both practicing and entry-level lawyers in the development of national policies. There must be a reservoir of legal professionals to enforce the law for a legal system to be entrenched in developing a nation. This means that the availability of legal professionals will help individuals to understand the available legal remedies that support state-building. Unfortunately, many countries do not have sufficient legal practitioners. Therefore, there is a need to execute processes that are aimed at recomposing the national institutions to mirror the expectations of society. This essay explains the role of law in building a state. The Role of the Constitution in the National Building The rule of law is a prerequisite for national building achieved with the tenets of the constitution. It revolves around accountability, honesty, transparency, and selflessness, which can be realized in both local and international institutions. There are international institutions that are developed to ensure that the rule of law is observed by member states. For instance, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Inter-American systems are relevant in ensuring that the rule of law is observed. Specifically, the International Criminal Court has played a critical role in ensuring that member states observe the rule of law that has supported national building, especially in most African countries. In domestic affairs, the rule of law is a key pillar that ensures right-based democratic states achieve good governance. The rule of law and good governance must be interwoven together to support nation-building. However, this interaction is uneven and non-linear as the stakes are high. Good governance ensures that political power is exercised in a way that ensures resources are distributed evenly among all citizens. This complexity must be clearly understood by donor communities. Many donors hold diverse views on the rule of law agenda. They emphasize that national building should constitute criminal justice, security, and administrative reforms that are centered on human rights. However, the connection between the rule of law and donors does not tell us about its purpose in national building. Over the years, state development agendas have dispelled earlier myths on the rule of law and political institutions. At a discursive level, the state-building has proved that it cannot be achieved unless there are established rules governing both leaders and citizens. Therefore, it has become imperative to recognize the importance of the interaction between formal and informal rules that shape the complex interaction between society and the s
As jobs become more complex and firms go global, firms are faced with an increased need for effective work teams. According to Lencioni (2002), “teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage, because it is so powerful and so rare.” This implies that teamwork is more popular today, and as such becoming a vital tool through which firms attain business growth and development. As a result of this, all the major firms, especially the Fortune 500, utilize teams for a variety of tasks, with the aim of increasing firm’s output (De Meuse, 2009). However, as indicated by Barron (2003) firms do not always achieve desired results from teamwork. Actually, the rate at which teamwork fails to achieve desired results is worryingly high, and can be attributed to a number of reasons. There are numerous context based reasons why teams fail. According to De Meuse (2009) most teams fail due to an ever-present disconnect between a firm’s need for teamwork and the prevailing employee functions. Despite needing effective team to achieve set goals, most firms have individualized employee functions. This implies that rather than creating and fostering teamwork, most firms naturally create individualized employee functions. This creates problems of effective individuals in non- effective teams and implies that structurally, firms are ill equipped to utilize teams. The assertions made above allude to poor team strategies by modern day managers. Kennedy (2002) agrees with this and adds that teams fail to achieve desired results owing to the poor behavior of team members. Today, human resource practitioners, with the help of psychologists and career development experts, have intensified employee behavior modification. This not withstanding, maladaptive behavior by employees seems to pervade most firms. As a result of this, most firms have shifted their focus from professional development, to behavior modification. This implies that rather than working towards enhancing teamwork, most firms are involved in developing individual employees. This curtails opportunities for growth of teams in modern day firms. Other than the reasons mentioned above, Kennedy (2002) also identifies poor team dynamics as another major reason why teams fail to achieve desired results. Today, one of the most common problems facing many firms is how to organize teams to effectively perform team tasks. Poor team dynamics are not essentially technical. Most of the problems involving poor team dynamics concern the major functions of the teams, and include a lack of understanding of the roles of individual team members. In most firms, team members fail to understand their individual roles and how each role contributes towards the achievement of desired objectives. Such a problem is further compounded when team leaders fail to understand and execute their duties effectively. In addition to this, poor team dynamics also include a lack of necessary knowledge and skills, as well as how to apply (facilitation) the knowledge and skills effectively for the attainment of team objectives. This problem is further compounded by the existen
Abstract Restorative justice and restitution provide room for discussion between the victims and the offender to assess the impact of offense while offering a chance for reparation to both parties. The brutal murdering of a family member provided in the scenario triggers some ethical considerations. As such, the affected family needs to integrate moral philosophies such as the Kantian and Utilitarian theories in handling the forgiveness plea made by the inmate on death row. The loss of their loved one has resulted in negative implications for the greater majority concerned in the matter. Further, the offender failed to consider his moral obligation to respect the victim’s right to life. As such, ethical factors influence the penalty subjected to the offender. However, before meeting the offender, the family members need to consider ethical decision-making processes to gauge the moral grounds that influence their decision of whether or not to forgive the offender. Introduction Brutal murders usually leave irreparable damages to the victims, especially family members. The justice systems in various societies offer victims of such crimes restorative justice and restitution. Restorative justice accords the victim of an opportunity for empowerment through communication with the perpetrator (Johnstone, 2013). Communication fosters the acquisition of information regarding the circumstances that trigger the offense besides the resultant impacts. Restitution seeks to offer reparation of the damage induced by a crime (Braswell, McCarthy, & McCarthy, 2014). This paper is based on a scenario that highlights a situation where the inmate on death row seeks forgiveness through the restorative justice process. Concepts and Purposes of Restorative Justice and Restitution Restorative justice entails an interaction between a convicted offender and the victim for the sake of providing the latter with key information about the impact of the committed crime. Importantly, restorative justice advocates for the need to embrace ethical values and principles to ensure that both the victim and the offender benefit (Johnstone, 2013). Therefore, amid other determinants of justice, including legislative decrees and majority opinion, there is a need for the human rights activists to consider the ethical aspects of restorative justice. In this light, integrating ethical principles such as the Kantian theory and Utilitarianism is relevant. The purpose of restorative justice is to offer mediation between the victim and the offender. The mediation allows the parties involved to participate actively and/or foster an understanding of the conflict or disagreemen