ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Brain Damage Internet addiction has many negative impacts on one’s life. The two major effects are brain damage and reduction in cognitive capabilities. Various researches have shown that individuals are better in reasoning and handling matters that require good cognitive abilities before they get addicted to the Internet. Addiction to the Internet comes with a reduction in this ability since the Internet prevents one from thinking as it provides almost all the answers to their questions. Individuals tend to go ahead and search everything on the websites, including the simple tasks they used to handle on their own before getting addicted to the Internet. Another possible cause of a reduction in the brain capabilities is the kind of the materials that one is exposed to on the Internet. Exposure to sexual materials makes one spend most of their time thinking about sex. According to the use and disuse law in science, it is only normal that the brain develops in the direction of use. In terms of sex and matters related to it, the individual addicted to pornographic sites on the Internet will therefore be way too good in sexual matters. This, however, comes with a negative impact as far as thinking about other life issues is concerned. It is common knowledge that one may be seated in an exam room and, instead of thinking about the solutions to the questions, the mind is wandering as he/she is thinking of the last scenes seen on the Internet. The person also spends time thinking about when he/she will be free to use the Internet again. Some even go as far as escaping activities that could develop their cognitive abilities just to have a glimpse of the funny internet scenes (Young, “Caught in the Net” 34). Violence The victim’s tendency to be violent increases since once an individual is addicted to the Internet, he/she becomes exposed to violent materials in the form of games and movies. In most cases, it occurs because they lose the ability to reason and handle matters using dialogue. Thus, they think that using their muscles to iron out issues is better and much easier than sitting down to discuss them with anybody. A dialogue and other diplomatic means of solving conflicts are seen as a waste of time by those addicted to the Internet. The major reason behind this is that they will want to spend most of their time on their addiction rather than on other life issues, such as solving disputes between them and other human beings. Some persons become violent because of the violent movies or pictures that they download from the Internet (Block 306). Almost every new action movie or picture downloaded from the Internet teaches the addicted individual a fighting skill. Unfortunately, most of these individuals are not professional wrestlers and they have nowhere to practice, and the only available area to apply their skills is on fellow human beings who have no ide
Introduction The (often implicit) requirement to comply with the traditional gender roles persists in today’s society, in particular, affecting young children. However, this requirement may lead to several adverse consequences to individuals both when they are still children and when they grow up. This paper discusses some of these negative consequences. It is concluded that parents should be encouraged to raise their children in a gender-neutral environment in a way that is free of gender stereotypes, explicitly explaining to the children that the traditional gender roles are relative, conditional, and often artificial. The Adverse Consequences of the Traditional Gender Roles Complying with the traditional gender roles leads to artificial, harmful behaviors among children, and stress (Culp-Ressler, 2014; The University of Warwick, 2014) The need to act in a manner that is compliant with the traditional gender roles is stated to make children behave artificially, performing according to these roles rather than simply acting of their own volition, which has several adverse consequences for the children of every gender (Culp-Ressler, 2014; The University of Warwick, 2014). For instance, a study conducted in the school environment has shown that boys often feel obliged to behave in the “masculine” manner, that is, to always be strong, dominant, smart, etc. This results in the fact that boys constantly feel that they have to compete with others, engage in dominating behaviors such as bullying or sexual harassment of girls, and demonstrate their advantage in everything. It is impossible to be better than the others in every single respect, so in most situations, boys feel that they do not correspond to the stereotypes, which results in psychological stress, anxiety, insecurity, and low self-esteem (as cited in Culp-Ressler, 2014). Besides, the constant competition and the need to achieve a higher status to be respected lead to adverse behavioral practices, such as bullying, which is stated to be unpleasant for both the bullies and the victims (Culp-Ressler, 2014). On the other hand,
Positive and negative externalities Studies by Baldwin, Wyplosz, and Wyplosz show that positive and negative externalities have good and bad effects on the people and the environment (5). A positive externality is attractive to the consumer while a negative externality is detrimental to the consumer because a firm is not obliged to pay for the adverse effects of the negative externality on the environment. The mechanism that leads to a negative externality happens when a consumer pays less for an externality than the society, leading to serious market failures. Social and private marginal cost For instance, manufacturing activities increase air pollution, which negatively affects the environment and the health of the people, leading to an increase in health care costs and environmental cleanup costs (Chatzimouratidis and Pilavachi 35). The environmental effects include an increase in global temperatures due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That is a good example of market failure because the social marginal cost ( SMC ) is lower than the private marginal cost (PMC) (Matthews and Lave 12). The sum of the imputed monetary value indicates the overall benefits of the society, which leads to product pricing mechanisms that do not reflect the true cost of externalities. The government can address such as situation by imposing taxes. A typical example is the externality cost of coal based on the complete life cycle of the production, use, and the effects of the emission of chemicals into the environment without including the market cost of the fuel (Sovacool 25). Consuming power generated from coal plants leads to negative consumption externality, which causes a reduction in the well-being of the society and the environment. The situation reveals itself as one that does not allow for equal distribution of the adverse health effects caused by the emissions of pollutants on children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, and the environment. Government activities What action has our government taken in order to provide this good or service in an equitable fashion? To bring about the socially optimal market quantity, the government introduced relevant policies through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to facilitate the development of alternative sources of energy to remediate the negative externalities. The proposed solutions that have been implemented include diversification and development of alternative sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar power (Frank, Bernanke and Johnston 29). Government has imposed taxes rather than internalising an externality among the consumers, which is difficult to implement to create an equilibrium condition between the social marginal benefits and fuel costs. The tax acts as an input cost for internalising the externalities (McConnell, Brue and Flynn 30). Additional intervention measures include subsidies, regulations, use of better quality plants, and application of a corrective tax. What are the alternatives to government intervention? Establishing standards for compliance base
History Cryptography or encrypting the message is just like a letter, which at the time of posting is sealed in the envelope. Piper & Murphy (2002) Cryptography is a well-established science that has been a significant historical influence for more than 2,500 years. Cryptography was used in the form of ‘substitution ciphers’ in the reign of Julius Caesar. In that encryption, each letter was replaced by three other letters. In the nineteenth century, it started with a traditional aim of securing governments and the military. At that time, i.e., prior to the 1970s, cryptography was only practiced by the government and military personnel; however, later, it spread in the public sector. Piper & Murphy (2002) has also mentioned cryptography of the 1970s as a ‘black art’ only accessible by the government. In a traditional context, its popularity and increase in public awareness lead the museums and places of historic interest to discover their origin. Therefore the museums started exhibiting the old cipher machines. Later, when media started exposing cryptography as a means for providing security, many films on the Second World War stressed the importance of code-breaking. However, films like Pearl Harbor explained th
Implicit biases involve associations outside conscious awareness that lead to a negative evaluation of a person on the basis of irrelevant characteristics such as race or gender” (Hurst & FitzGerald, 2017). Researchers claim that this problem is based upon the subconscious conclusions people make from their previous observations, even if they would never say them out loud. Recently, I have run into a series of articles on the examination of implicit racial bias in the modern US healthcare system. For this reason, I decided to dwell upon this topic and find some precedents in support of this idea. The purpose of this presentation is to examine the demonstration of implicit racial bias in the US healthcare system as well as to provide some case study examples on the topic. Implicit bias relevance   * Topic discussion on various TV shows / educational platforms.   * “Black community don’t know postpartum” (NPR, 2019). Many people claim that the study of healthcare access inequity in terms of medical anthropology is no longer relevant due to the fact that it is nowadays equal regardless of all social affiliation. However, there are still a lot of researchers who examine the topic of biased patient-doctor relationship even though the issue is not as evident as previously. The question of implicit racial prejudice is also discussed on popular late-night shows such as Late Week Tonight with John Oliver and popular educational platforms such as TEDx. John Oliver, a popular TV host, devoted a part of his night show episode to the discussion of the issue of sex and race in the context of the modern healthcare system. After watching this episode, I decided to do personal research in order to find proof of the implicit bias existence. It did not take a long time to find articles and news about racial prejudice in the medical sphere. The first piece of news, presented by National Public Radio , dwelled upon the idea that according to the statistics, African-American women are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression. However, they are afraid to publicly confess that something bothers them because both society and medical representatives believe that African-American women are stronger and should not be influenced by such things as depression. Moreover, the women themselves are put under such an implicit social pressure that they feel they do not have the right to become vulnerable. Some of the interviewees even mentioned that they did not want to admit the fact of having a postpartum because they thought their children might be taken away from them. Racial implicit bias concerns doctors as well Some African American doctors experience double-takes when they first meet patients:   * “I notice the look on their face when I first meet them that says, ‘this isn’t who I was expecting to see’” (Medical Economics, 2019). At first, it may seem that racial bias concerns mostly patients and people’s assumptions about
Introduction The process of making moral decisions relies on diverse principles. Different societies use different moral principles including moral absolutism and moral relativism to guide decision-making. Furthermore, some societies use the integration of the two moral principles to make decisions at the community level. There are diverse moral principles that are applicable in decision making. However, this paper argues that American society should employ moral relativism in making moral decisions at the community level. The discussions are supported by experiential anthropological study findings presented by Ruth Benedict. Moral Relativism and Its Application The principle of moral relativism and its application in moral decision-making suggests that universally lawful moral principle is nonexistent. The moral correctness and wrongness of decisions vary from one culture to another. Arguably, no absolute universal moral principles binding on all societies. The system of thinking in any society about ethical standards is always relative (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks & Meyer, 2013). Notably, every society creates primary principles that serve as the basis for morality. The principle of moral relativism maintains that the establishment of moral standards that apply to their situation has remained the same. According to Benedict (1934), morality is dependent on diverse histories and environments of varying cultures. The author used a large amount of data on anthropological studies in diverse cultures to conclude that moral relativism remains the right understanding of ethical principles. The experiential specifics she collected from primitive and modern cultures show great disparities in approaches and moral standards (Benedict, 1934). The high disparities indicate that American society should employ moral relativism in making ethical decisions. The application of a moral principle that has been adopted from other regions cannot function among Americans. The experiential anthropological findings made by Benedict from her educational surveillance in diverse cultures reveal the inapplicability of outside moral principles in American communities. It is notable that, while the American society has embraced homosexuality largely, other cultures still abhor it as a social abnormality (Benedict, 1934). The findings also indicate that no society can make the most of its civilizations complete the probable differences in individual performance. The American society should use moral relativism because different cultures appreciate their ability to make decisions according to their situations. Society also likes to take their preferences to advance levels and largely promote own moral principles (Velasqu
Personal identity and self-reflection agree well with narrative since it is through language that human beings co-exist. The relationship between personal identity and narrative originates from Hume’s theory, which claims that how we connect with ideas as a product of memory constructs our sense of self. While Hume does not talk about narratives, it is apparent that narratives are ideas that appear as product of memory constructs. Hence, narration is a key way of connecting reflections and offering a sense of identity. Narratives connect many incidences to create an ideal object such as a historical event. Narration and the selves play a major role in the creation of these ideal objects, although this does not necessarily apply to the creation of all ideal objects. Tolstoy’s narration connects many incidences to explain to us about the death of Ivan Ilych. He starts by showing us the kind of life that Ivan Led. Ivan led a life that was full of hypocrisy. He lived by the standards of the aristocratic society rather than using his individual reasoning to determine his life. Ivan married because the society expected a brilliant young lawyer with money to have a wife from a good family like Praskovya. “Ivan Ilych married…because his social circle approved of the match (Tolstoy par. 65). He also purchased a house in the city so that he could have a symbol of material status, as dictated by the aristocratic society. As the story develops, we get to know more about Ivan through his self-reflection. In the reflection, Ivan examined his past life and the values that he had lived by in all of his life. After self-scrutiny of his life, Ivan recognized the inevitability of death and the hypocritical nature of his past life. Following these realizations, he decided to defend himself but he realized that he had nothing to use for his defense. He had to admit that he had spent all of his life unrealistically and that his perception on life and death was a lie. Apparently, Tolstoy connects all these incidences to explain the death of Ivan. We also argue that observers ascribe identity, as it is not intrinsic in the associated things. Ivan’s peers are the ones who recognize that than Ivan does not like associating himself with unpleasant things. Later in the novel, we see this aspect establishing itself as a central feature of Ivan’s personality. Ivan begins to exclude himself from indecorous elements of life. He leaves his expectant wife when her behavior begins to depress him. “ ..Ivan Ilych hoped to escape from the unpleasantness of this state of affairs by the same easy and decorous relation to life that had served him heretofore ” (Tolstoy par. 23). He separates himself from his family and resorts to office life. He starts looking at his marriage life from a formal perspective. “And Ivan Ilych evolved such an attitude towards married life” (Tolstoy par. 45). He only required of it those conveniences. Similar to how he views his profession, he begins to see his marriage as a contract. He makes sure that he keeps away from his wife by inviting friends whenever he is at home for dinner. Ivan begins playing games with his wife as he unable to handle his p
Titled ‘What Norwegian’s New All-Inclusive Fares Reveal About Cruise Pricing’ and written by Justin Bachman, the article mainly focuses on the pricing strategy of Norwegian Cruise Lines’ (NCLH), an all-inclusive package. The strategy employed by Norwegian Cruise is not new in the service industry because as it is now, there are many companies in the tourism sector that use the strategy. According to the article, Norwegian Cruise Line has for a long time now promoted itself as a comprehensive vacation. Among the services that the cruise line offers include port-stops, onboard entertainment, abundant dining options and lodging that are all packaged in the fares. However, in the new scheme, there are waivers that cruisers will enjoy, and discounts on cruises that will depend on the cruise types and the offer will begin with cruises in the year 2015. In the service industry, customer focus is an important factor, and its observation is vital to the success of an organization. In an article by Bachman, Norwegian Cruise has its focus on its customers because of the pricing strategies it is using to make its customers satisfied. For example, the company has included waivers and discounts on prices to encourage customers to try their offers. On the other hand, the cruise line has focused on understanding customer requirements as it is providing a number of benefits to its customers. Benefits that Norwegian cruisers enjoy include four hours of unlimited internet connection, twenty photos and six bottles of water among other benefits. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line is preparing itself for cruises in the year 2015. The company is using the low season to sell cruises for the high season through the discounts and exemptions it is offering to its customers. However, it is worth noting that some companies promise a host of services to their clients but they do not deliver. For Norwegian, it is providing all services outlined and as its customers develop trust, ensuring that customers are not disappointed is crucial to its operations. Thus, the article has great relevance to service marketing and how companies in the service industry integrate customer focus across the platform. If an organization is not able to meet the needs of its customers, it will not achieve its marketing goals and in the process, customers loyal to the organization may get disappointed. However, Norwegian Cruise Line seems to have considered this point because it offers unique content to customers as a way of making their service packages unique. Gaining insights into customer expectations is one of the important ways in which an organization can understand how customers shape their attitudes and views about services offered to them. As the author has noted, a company needs to make sure that customers enjoy all the services included in the pricing plan. As a company fulfils the promise, it creates a good relationship between itself and its customers. In return, customers perceive the organization as operating under transp
The article, ‘The Crawlers’, by Thompson and Smith (1877) gives an account of the living conditions and standards of the women during the 18 th century. The main problems confronting the woman and her son are poverty and poor living conditions. They represent many other women who were suffering under the same ‘curse’. The article is written based on the time when social welfare had not been established in a way that well-being could be ensured to everyone. Women like the one we see in the photograph were forced to live under those circumstances 125 years ago because there was no equal allotment of resources and no procedures of mitigating extreme poverty (Jamrozik, 2009). Before social welfare was implemented, an important impact on the present approaches came from the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601. It came at a time when churches and family members could no longer meet the requirements, and it could no longer make them self-reliant (Zastrow, 2004). The Elizabeth Poor Law established three categories of relief. The first category was the ‘able-bodied poor’. This group was given low paying employment and individuals were prohibited from offering financial help. The second category was the ‘impotent poor’. This group of individuals was unable to work and was placed in an almshouse. Examples included the elderly, the blind, single mothers and mentally disabled people. The last category was the ‘dependent children’. This was the group of children whose parents or grandparents could no longer support them (Zastrow, 2004). Furthermore, the Elizabeth Poor Laws were limited to assisting only those who had legal residents in the local community. A resident was considered to be the one who was born in the community or had lived there for three years (Zastrow, 2004). This explains why a mother and a child in the article by Thomson and Smith (1877) were reduced to begging on the streets of London after moving to the city when her husband died and left no financial aid. During that time, a proper solution to the increasing problem of poverty and destitution did not exist. The only approach that many people used at those times was to end up as a beggar. This is what Garton (1994) referred to as the ‘charity system’. Going to the street to sit among the crawlers seemed to be the best solution. This explains why many left their homes (uncomfortable homes) to beg in the streets (Thompson & Smith, 1877). The article gives an insight on how life changed from the feudal community (where the majority of people were serfs and worked on the land) to the modern community where the labor regulation came into force. This entailed reporting to a particular place, to carry out a certain job in a specified fashion and time (Alder & Pouwels, 2006). Adler and Pouwels also describe most of the people of that time as peasants who had to sweat in order to eat. The urban workers, on the other hand, were sharply divided in social status and income. The minority of the popula