ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
If Jesus decides to visit this planet in the same way that he came to Israel, he will come to a world reeling from the impact of globalization, Information Technology and corporate greed. He will be born not in a manger but in one of the ghettos of New York. He will establish his ministry in New York City because it is the center of the financial world. He will address the problem of consumerism, corporate greed and the fear of not having enough resources to sustain life and to achieve happiness. He will demonstrate that he is the Wisdom of God. In the Bible one can find Jesus spending much of his time in the province of Galilee. It is a testament to the kind of person that he is. He is compassionate to the poor and miserable members of society. It also shows that he wanted to interact with the poorest of the poor and those who believe that they can no longer break free from the cycle of poverty and crime. Thus, in the 21 st century one can find Jesus ministering to those living in the ghettos and poorest sections of New York City. However, the Bible also revealed that Jesus spend some of his time in Jerusalem, particularly in the area near the Holy Temple. In this day and age Jesus would probably preach in Wall Street. Jesus will say to the crowd that man cannot live on bread alone. He will clarify that the bread is a symbol of food and money. The ability to stockpile food in the same way that hoarders stockpile things that they do not need characterizes the present society. America suffers from the fear of lack. A modern day Jesus will preach against fear and insecurity. His voice will thunder in the slums, ghettos, subway, side-streets, and parks. He will shout it out loud and say that man must not focus on filling his stomach with food and lining up his pockets with cash. The most important thing is a life dedicated to God because it is only through a spiritual walk that man can find true happiness. In the spiritual realm man will find God’s wisdom which will tell him that happiness is rooted in love, righteousness, and peace. It is useless to go after monetary gain if the pursuit forces a person to hate, commit grave abuses and initiate conflict. The Disciples Jesus will look for disciples. He will need able men and women who will continue his ministry after he goes back to heaven. However, his disciples will not follow him until Jesus can prove his claim that he is the Wisdom of God. In response Jesus will teach them a parable and then demonstrate his power through a miracle that he will perform in the midst of New York City. He will teach about the parable of the wise and foolish builder. He will tell them that the foolish builder builds his house on the sand. The foolish builder is as industrious as the wise builder but he will choose the wrong way to build. After spending a considerable amount of resources and expending a great deal of time, the foolish builder marvels at his work. But the storm, wind, and floods will come. The forces of nature wil
Introduction The teenagers in America and the world are a group that is constantly at risk of infection with the Human-Immunodeficiency-Virus (HIV) and developing the Acquired-Immune-Deficiency-Syndrome (AIDS), the disease condition that eventually results; this is stemming mainly from risky sexual behavior and lack of proper awareness on prevention of infection is attained. In developing countries, youth run the highest risk of infection (Hawkes et al, 2002); this is fueled by their large youth populations, poverty, illiteracy, and rapid urbanization. This essay seeks to explore the issue of HIV/AIDS in teenagers in regards to the studies into the issues, risk factors; and impact and future implications to the society. Study On Teenage Hiv Infection the UNAIDS/WHO 2004 December update reported that a total of 39.5million people were infected with the virus; where 2.5million were below the age of 15year; 5million of these cases were new infections and 3million cases developed fatal AIDS. In the US, in 2004 4,883 persons aged between 13 and 24 years were diagnosed to be HIV positive (CDC, 2004); about 13% of all the new diagnoses in the period. The group however progresses to AIDS at a far slower rate than other age groups; although this may be a desirable thing for many people, it has the sinister effect of delaying diagnosis and therefore lengthening the period in which the infected person is a risk to others. The distribution of infection was not homogenous to all young members of the society; for example, African-American youth were found to be represented in 55% of all new infections reported in the 13-24 age group (CDC, 2004). Compared to the 13% reporting rate of new HIV infections in the year, the same can not be said for the diagnosis of AID; in the same year 2,174 persons in the age group were diagnosed with the disease; this represented only 5.1% of the total diagnoses. Additionally, these young people can live longer than any other age group after a diagnosis of AIDS. Risk Factors Among The Teenagers Age of sexual initiation; studies have shown that teenagers are getting introduced to sexual relations at younger ages. The trend is evident in most cities around the world. In the US, teenagers as young as 13 years old are engaging in sexual intercourse in high schools. Additionally, education on ways of preventing HIV infection has not begun at this age thus most teenagers are ignorant of the risk they are exposing themselves to. Gender; young women are more likely to be infected with HIV at an early age compared to their male counterparts; more so among teenagers of minority origin (Clark et al., 2005). Their disproportionate risk among this group is attributed to several factors including biological predisposition, unequal relationship, and having intercourse with an older male. Homosexuality; young men who engage in intercou
Introduction Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) is a significant organization in the global oil and gas production through offshore facilities. The company has focused on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities in order to enhance safety and sustainability by engaging several stakeholders in the process. ADMA-OPCO notes that CSR is a part of its commitment to the Abu Dhabi community. It has a long history of engaging in social activities and long-term commitment to CSR activities and policies. The company shows its commitment to CSR activities through involvement and contributions to the Abu Dhabi community in areas related to environmental protection, donations, water conservation efforts, social activities, health and safety, and Das Island Natural History conservation among others. In the past, the company has promoted education, provision of health care services to the community, and emiritization. CSR Activities ADMA-OPCO’s CSR activities strive to go beyond the normal regulatory and compliance requirements. Instead, the company focuses on a greater outcome for the entire community. For instance, ADMA-OPCO has reached out to schools in order to include children in environmental sustainability and education. The company works alongside the Ministry of Education to arrange for regular field visits for students from both public and private schools. It started health, safety, and environmental campaigns in partnership with education institutions and other bodies in order to promote CSR activities in the community and enhance employees’ responsibilities to their communities. The company notes that education is the best approach for sustainability and a core part of its CRS activities. Hence, it develops several articles and publications on health, safety, and environment for communities and schools. Over the past few years, ADMA-OPCO has initiated several approaches to develop the quality of life for its employees and their families. Specifically, it focuses on improving welfare, safety, social life, health, and reducing workplace risks. Today, the company aims to promote safe workplace and healthy society through the Green Hands program. As a result, the company has won DuPont Safety and Sustainability Awards because of its safety practices. ADMA-OPCO has nearly fifty years in operations. It has built a good image and reputation through sustained efforts and positive behaviors in its areas of operations. It collaborates with the community in order to protect the environment. For instance, on several occasions, ADMA-OPCO engages in social, cultural, and sports activities with the local communities. ADMA-OPCO has observed that its business activities have significant effects on society, and it has derived many benefits from its operations, which go beyond the shareholders’ limits. In turn, it has contributed to the development of local communities in order to maintain a good reputation and continue its operations. ADMA-OPCO has many extensive ongoing programs for environmental protection. In fact, environmental protection efforts have become core parts of its policies. Some of the init
Introduction Kids need positive role models to become positive when they grow up. The role model can shape that way of a kid’s thinking. The role model can be a famous figure, a celebrity or even someone in the family. This essay will talk about 3 essays from 3 authors who have role models in their families. 1 st essay is ‘A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood’ by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and the central woman is Judith’s Grandmother. 2 nd essay is ‘Grandmother’s Victory’ by Maya Angelou, and the central woman is Maya’s grandmother. 3 rd essay is ‘Mother Tongue’ by Amy Tan, and the central woman is Tan’s mother. The essay will talk about the similar and different values in each of the central women, their motivations, and what can be discovered in each essay. It will also explain how these women are similar. The Central Woman in ‘A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood’ The grandmother has 2 different sides in her personality. The First side is the powerful woman. Judith Ortiz Cofer calls her grandmother “Mama” (14). Cofer says that her mother “did not possess Mama’s matriarchal power to command and keep everyone’s attention”. Everybody listens to her when she speaks (Cofer, p. 15). The other side of her personality is the merciful woman. She always used to tell stories about unfortunate people so that females in the family learn lessons (Cofer, pp. 14-20). For example, the story of “Maria La Loca”, she was a woman who was fooled by a man who promised to marry her. She lost her beauty and sanity (Cofer, pp. 15-20). For Cofer, her grandmother was more merciful than her mother. The mother was strict with her kids and was always watching them because their father was not around. The grandmother gave the kids more freedom (Cofer, p.18). Cofer loved playing at her grandmother’s house during “the afternoon when the men were still at work and the boys had gone to play serious baseball at the park” (Cofer, p. 19). What seems to be motivating the grandmother is her role and responsibility as a grandmother. She must be merciful and share her experiences with young females. What can be discovered in this essay is that it is important to be merciful with kids, but some strictness is necessary. Also, it is important to tell real stories about real people so that that the kids become more careful in life. The Central Woman in ‘Grandmother’s Victory’ The grandmother has two different sides in her personality. She is strict with her grandchildren when it comes to cleanness. She forces the kids to “wash faces, arms, necks, legs, and feet” every night even if the weather is too cold (Angelou 1). About her grandmother’s strictness, Angelou says the following: Momma was famous for pulling the quilts off after we had fallen asleep to examine our feet. If they weren’t clean enough for her, she took the switch (she kept one behind the bedroom door for emergencies) and
The audit report for General Employment Enterprises, Inc. (GEE) for the 2009 fiscal year was performed by independent auditors, BDO Seidman, LLP, and was released in January 2010. The audit documents that the net revenues of the company had dropped by 32% compared to 2008. There was also a considerable decrease of 15% in the company’s spending on selling, general, and administrative expenses compared to the prior year. Income from investment also fell, amounting to a total loss of $50,000. As a result of this decline in business revenue, the company’s assets decreased by $1,695,000. The biggest loss was in the form of cash and cash equivalents, where the assets decreased by $1,355,000, and the total liabilities and shareholders’ equity of the company declined by over 33%. The overall losses in revenues and current assets can be attributed to the economic crisis of 2008, which resulted in the reduction of demand for the company’s services. The audit report contains all the relevant financial information that can be provided to third parties as proof of the company’s business activities, profitability, and financial management. Liabilities to Third Parties The actions of BDO make the company liable to third parties under both the Common Law and the Federal Law of Securities. In the present case, under the Common Law, BDO owes a duty of care to the following categories of entities: auditors’ clients, third-party beneficiaries, and prospective third-party beneficiaries (Baker & Prentice, 2008). The main Federal Law applying to BDO, in this case, is the Security Act of 1934 (Baker & Prentice, 2008). Under Section 10A of the Security Act of 1934 (2011), the firm is subject to a civil penalty, whereas, under Section 21C, BDO would also be subject to a Cease-and-Desist Order, which may require it to freeze its activities temporarily and prohibit workers responsible for violations from further audit work (permanently or temporarily). Auditing Standards, Ethics & the Auditor’s Liability The GAAP (2006), effective December 15, 2001, outlines the basic auditing standards that should have been applied in BDO’s activities. The standards include reporting suspicious activities and clearly indicating the inadequacy of unjustified financial information in the report (GAAP, 2006); these requirements were clearly violated by the BDO. Regarding auditing ethics, objectivity must be at the core of any independent auditor’s work. Audits are designed to promote transparency and ensure the identification of cases providing misleading financial information and fraud. Falsified or misleading information can harm current and prospective beneficiaries, as well as the shareholders of the company who rely on audit reports. Therefore, the auditors that do not report possible fraud cases breach official standards for work, as well as auditing ethics, and are partly liable to third parties for any damage incurred by entities who relied on their report. However, the auditors’ liability is limited under the Security Act of 1934 (2011), as they are not deemed responsible for the audited firm’s fraudulent actions, but only for not comply
Although my immediate family has been lucky enough not to fall victim to layoffs or downsizing, however, I have friends and relatives who have not been as lucky. My uncle is a good example. He had worked for a utility company for 25 years, rising through the ranks to become the head of the sales division. However, in 2007, the company was hit hard by the global financial crisis and one of the restructuring strategies adopted by the management was to outsource the sales department. Consequently, the entire sales team was laid off. In the months that followed, my uncle sent letters to numerous companies but very few bothered to reply. The economy was in crisis and few firms were hiring. The family’s home was repossessed by the insurance companies for defaulting to pay mortgage fees. My uncle slumped into depression because his family had no roof over its head. He was so desperate that he had to pump gas at a local gas station owned by a friend for a whole 4 months. His teenage son and daughter took part-time jobs to supplement the income of the family. The mother, hitherto a stay-at-home mom, registered with a number of online companies as a freelance online writer. Indeed the layoff has caused psychological and financial anguish to my uncle and his family. Downsizing is the result of a change in the economy, such as the reduced demand for a company’s products. This may have been occasioned by an economic recession, or even when the main products of an industry are no longer fashionable. Another reason why a firm may decide to downsize its workforce is when it fails to keep pace with the recent development in technology (Baumol, Blinder & Wolff, 2005). When a firm suffers from an inefficient workforce, this means that its products shall not be competitive enough to compete with the best in the industry, and hence the reduced demand (Shaw & Barry, 2001). There have been claims that downsizing is inevitable for a firm. However, it is perhaps best to view this as an issue of perception, more than anything else. When top managers are about to make announcements about workforce reductions and layoffs, one of the common statements issued is that downsizing is inevitable, and that it is a natural law of globalization or capitalism. In his article, ‘perceptions of organizational downsizing’, Robin Sronce identified several perceptions regarding this issue: downsizing comes about due to a natural law of capitalism; from a corporate point of view, downsizing is inevitable; organizations have to undertake a downsizing activity; downsizing is often expected as part of the business cycle and; downsizing has been occasioned by our economic system (Sronce 2007). Downsizing is a necessary activity to h
Introduction China is discovering the beauty of the Chinese sword crafted in an art form by Smith. The Chinese sword has brought about a world where new things are discovered day by day. A sword blade of superior quality was crafted from marriage of form and function raised by the beautiful patterns that are beginning to be seen. There are several forms of the Chinese sword one of them being Jian sword. The Chinese culture has treated the jian sword with a lot of respect because to them, it is a pure, sacred and a great sign. The Chinese have considered the jian sword not only as a martial weapon but also as a tool of deliberation and a sign of moral decency and attainment. The jian sword is considered by the Chinese to be of more importance when used as a tool as a sign of moral decency than when used as a weapon. The jian weapon has contributed to moral uprightness because those who practice it under restriction that they must have a sense of internal composure, rightness and that the movement of the person practicing must be good (Fingarette, 1998, pp. 25-27). Main body The jian sword is the most commonly used and most commonly practiced sword in the martial arts of the Chinese tradition not just as a weapon but as a symbol to their culture. The jian sword has come to articulate the most intensely held Chinese values and moral aspects thus embodying the spirit of the Chinese people. The jian sword is envied by the Chinese fort having contributed in improving several moral aspects. For example those who practice jian sword improve their health, they enhance their fighting skills, and also have their character and personality developed. The jian sword has also shaped the morality of the Chinese in a way that they cannot cause anger to their rival even in real fighting. Fighters using this weapon are discourage from being rude in their language, difficult in their activities or rough in their movements and behavior meaning that they must be morally upright. In addition the fighters are advised to use their skills with proficiency and their movements be led by their minds, spirits and essential energy. For the sake of their success they are recommended to second their skills with their physical ability. The jian sword goes ahead to expect fair treatment of the rival by the fighters in case they win the fight. This they sh
Introduction Learning is a process and this means that one cannot achieve it in a single day. It is continuous and scholars have argued that there is no end to learning in the sense that one cannot learn all that there is to know in the world. One therefore continues to learn throughout their life. Even when we go to school and specialize in a particular area, we still need to cement the skills and knowledge that we acquire by constantly refreshing and adding up on the knowledge that we already have. Continuous Professional Development as the name suggests refers is an approach that has been adopted by many organizations the world over in order to help employees continually keep themselves abreast with what is happening in their areas of specialization. The world is dynamic and this means that some of the concepts learnt in school are bound to change with time. The only way for those who have already left school and are already in the career field to keep themselves familiar with the changes that take place in their areas of specialization is through Continuous Professional Development. The focus of this discussion is to look at this concept in greater depth and also look at its benefits and especially for those who in human resource and how the concept of CPD can help one become an effective HR practitioner. Background Information The concept of Continuous Professional Development is an approach that involves a combination of ideas which help a professional take full charge and manage their continued learning as well personal growth. The main aim of this kind of program is to ensure that as one continues to practice in their specific career fields, they still continue to learn any important aspects that may help them become better in their field. For those who take up this program, they gain a better standing professionally as one is able to pursue even greater goals in their career. Usually, the achievements that a person gains having enrolled in the Continuous Professional Development is compiled in a portfolio which then receives accreditation at the end of every year and this helps one advance in their career. Benefits of Continuous Professional Development Individual Benefits Continuous Professional Development is not only beneficial due to the fact that it improves the professional standing of a person thereby helping one gain promotions and career advancements. As career fields continue to advance and become more dynamic, the level of competition has gone up and employers are now looking for a candidate who has got more than just mere papers from a graduate school. In addition, employers want to see someone who has continually enhanced and upgraded that which they have learnt in school. Having been involved in this programme is therefore considered by many employers as competency that is basic for a person to qualify for partic