ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In 2011 Obama initiated the US intervention in Libya. He did not follow the requirements of the War Powers Resolution, 1973, and his actions could be considered not constitutional. However, some critics claim that Obama’s behavior might be justified. I believe that according to the War Powers Resolution statement of a 60-day limit to use the military forces in a foreign country without congressional authority, Obama’s actions did not comply with the law. First, even though there are various views on the role of Congress and a president in war declaration, the principle of the 60-day (under some circumstances 90-day) limit is determined clearly. After all, Obama did not want Congress’s approval when the limit of 60 days run out (Boaz, 2011). According to Goldsmith, the opponent, the long-continued practice of using force by a president without congressional approval was not met with impeachments or refusal to finance (2011). However, the executive branch explained the grounds for many cases of unauthorized military action via public legal opinions (Goldsmith, 2011). Therefore, before military action in Libya approached the limit of 60 days (American Foreign Relations, 2021), Obama’s actions were constitutional. But after it without authorization from Congress and public legal explanations, the military strikes appeared illegal. Additionally, if there were plenty of such violations, they could not be considered valid. Boaz refers to Obama’s words that if a president unilaterally initiates an armed attack in a situation that does not mean preventing an actual threat to the nation, his actions are not constitutional (2011). But the president’s decision to intervene in Libya was not a case of imminent danger. Moreover, even Goldsmith tends to agree that the intervention did not risk the American people’s lives or their property (2011). The national security justification of the conflict was not strongly identified because the war in a Muslim country is not associated with American goals in foreign policy. All things considered, the actions in Libya were not explained to the people, and there were no consultations with Congress. The scope of the president’s power and congressional authority is not determined evidently, but still, people could rely upon certain positions. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 acknowledges that a president can use military force within 60 (or 90) days, and the scope of danger from Libya is a questionable matter.
America, land of the free. The country where the voices of the common man are heard either individually or as a collective voice. We have the freedom to say what we want, when we want. We are accorded so much freedom of expression that we tend to take it for granted. In fact, most of us do not seem to realize that for all the freedoms we enjoy, there is only one small favor that our country asks for in return. That favor is to go to the polling centers to vote whenever necessary. The act of voting is not a privelege but a right of every American citizen, and yet very few people seem to understand its importance and relevance in our everyday lives. Voting is not a task that is done on a whim. It is a task that one must take seriously and accomplish with great pride and dignity. Indeed, voting is one of the most important tasks assigned to us as citizens of this great land. But why you might ask, must I vote when there are millions out there who will vote anyway. Why is my vote that important? Each vote is important because the government must hear the voices of the citizenry. Each vote shows that you care not only for your community, but for your country as well. Vote because you want to have a say in who will lead your community or the country. Vote because of the freedom we all experience, all the benefits we enjoy from the government, all stemmed from the fact we, as a collective group, exercise the right to have our voices heard through the ballot. As I mentioned earlier, each vote is important because it signifies the belief and support of the people for a certain cause that affects our community or country at large. Regardless if it be for a national election like the presidency or a local vote for a proposition, people all have opinions that need to be heard. Those opinions and voices are heard with the cast of a ballot. By voting, we dictate what direction our government shall take and for how long. Do not ever forget that the government is there to serve us, not the other way around. Therefore, telling them how we feel about the way things are being run is important. We can only do that by voting to show our support or disgust on certain local or national issues and personalities. When we choose not to exercise our right to vote, we put the future of our country at risk. We could have probably dodged the financial crisis bullet and the war in Iraq had everyone just turned out to vote back in the year 2000. That election came down to a mere handful of votes which showed all of us that indi
In order to succeed in the highly competitive market, organizations need to implement effective communication channels that will allow contact with the environment. They need to be able to interact with various parties in both the internal and external environments and it is only through such channels that this can be achieved. Some of the channels that they should consider implementing include the intranet and extranet but only after they have undertaken careful evaluations of their individual organizational needs. In this paper, we will define the intranet and extranet before discussing opportunities that they can offer to an organization. The intranet is an internal website of an organization whose access is only allowed to the employees (Mockler & Marc, 20). It consists of interconnected computers and a universal database of the company’s private information. On the other hand, the extranet is an organization’s internal website that is connected to the internet. It allows employees and a selected number of stakeholders in the external environment such as consumers, suppliers, and creditors the access to a company’s databases. However, access for the external stakeholders is restricted to only the information that is relevant to their relationships with the organization. Having defined the two types of communication networks in an organization, we now look at the benefits that can be derived from their effective implementations. The intranet provides the platform for interactions that are required to forge unity among the employees. A united organization stands higher chances of attaining its goals since its functions are well synchronized to complement one another. Intranets are also very effective in cutting down the operational costs in an organization. Instead of channeling resources towards the maintenance of manual records, electronic databases are installed and are also relatively cheaper to maintain. Furthermore, these databases are updated regularly and provide quick and accurate records to all the authorized parties. As it has been aforementioned, the extranet allows other parties in the external environment access to the company’s information databases. With specific reference to the consumers, an organization could undertake online surveys of the consumers visiting its website in order to determine their changing needs (Bland, 57). This information could then be utilized to develop products that are in line with the changes therefore higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. In the current bus
Introduction The role of women in many professional areas has been restricted in the past due to sexism and the imposition of gender roles in most societies. Today, women represent a significant share of scientists in all areas of studies. The similarities and differences in the experiences of female scientists of the past and present are prominent in the films Agora (2009) and Proof (2005). The present paper will seek to compare the position of female scientists in antiquity to that of contemporary female researchers, particularly with regards to the share of women in the field and the barriers they experience in their career. Female Scientists in the Past Gender inequality and patriarchy were the vital forces that shaped women’s life and career in the past. Up until the late 20th century, women were expected to stay at home and care for their husbands and children. Few educational and learning opportunities were available to women, which prevented them from competing with men in most professional areas. Women’s political opinions were often disregarded, as men perceived that they were not qualified enough to participate in politics. These limitations prevented women from studying science, thus affecting the number of female scientists. When discussing female scientists of antiquity, Schley (2017) only lists five women who had a well-documented impact on science at the time. For instance, in 2700 B.C., Merit Ptah became the first female physician, which also made her the first recorded female scientist. Apart from the lack of well-established education for girls and young women, the low number of female scientists in the past could also be contributed to other reasons. Due to being perceived as inferior to men, women were often ignored, and their scientific achievements were disregarded. Moreover, as a result of the opposition between science and religion, women who studied and practiced science were often accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death (Elmer, 2013). Thus, not only did women have fewer chances of receiving proper education in science compared to men, but they were also less likely to be credited with their accomplishments. Agora Agora is a 2009 film directed by Alejandro Amenábar that focuses on the story of an Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher Hypatia. The film is set in Alexandria, which was an Egyptian province famous for its rich cultural and intellectual environments. Hypatia is the only female scientist that is portrayed in the film. She is a strong female scientist with a true passion for knowledge, who faces challenges and barriers such as social norms, sexualization, and gender inequality. The film recognizes that for women, devoting their life to science was perceived as rebelling against the social norms. At the beginning of the film, when Hypatia’s father discusses her scientific accomplishments with other men, they make references to marriage and children (Amenábar, 2009). Even Orestes, who is one of Hypatia’s students, does not understand her willingness to pursue kn
Introduction When compared to North America, Europe is one of the regions, which is also recording a high influx of immigrants as per the OECD report (2008). Recent studies indicate that the immigration rate in Europe is at 3.0% and therefore, the region hosts about 56 million immigrants (Boswell 2005). Besides immigrants seeking labor or employment in the region, Europe is also a destination for foreigners who are in need of asylum (Anderson 1996). However, labor immigration and irregular immigration are the elements, which have been highly politicized in the region (Boswell 2003). According to Guiraudon and Lahav, immigration usually puts pressure on the social, economic and political development of most countries in Europe (2006). In addition, recent studies show that the emergence of terrorist attacks, racialism and ethnic conflicts has forced European nations to impose strict laws regarding the immigration law (Brettell and Hollified 2000). Consequently, FRONTEX is one of the bodies, which became operational in 2005 in order to assess, monitor and impose policies on the rate of immigration in Europe (Dijstelbloem and Meijer 2011). The next paper critically expounds on the role of FRONTEX in curbing illegal immigration in Europe. Functions of FRONTEX Surveillance on external borders With its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, the European Agency for the management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the member states of the European Union (Frontex) is a body, which controls the borders of the European Union (EU) member states (Carrera 2007). Structurally, the body is under the headship of a management board, director (IIkka Laitinen) and his deputy. Through the coordination of boundaries or integrated border management, FRONTEX has the mandate to monitor immigration in the European Union (UN 2009). The agency works according to the European fundamental rights, which protects the territories of the European countries. Therefore, in line with FRONTEX policies, the authorities of different countries cooperate or work together to reinforce and streamline immigration rates in Europe (UN 2009). The joint operations carried out by the member states have led to mobilization of fund
Introduction The present paper conducts extensive research on European media from a number of perspectives bringing out an overall picture of the European Union as it is found in the present. The paper begins its investigation from the days of communism, Cold War when propagandists saw their climax and surprised the world for what they did to make their selfish ends meet. The paper then conducts research on such media like television, film, cinema, music to investigate the present standing of media in Europe. European Media with Relation to Communism The collapse of communism from Eastern and Central Europe is a history-making incidence engraved in our memories. It holds significance both for the people living in the concerned communist countries and for the entire world as a whole. The wave of this collapse certainly had immediate and long-lasting effects on the lives of a number of people with regard to social, economic, and political outlook; furthermore, the fall of the Berlin Wall proved to be another big shot in the process of bringing change in every corner of life – something that started with the collapse of communism. If we look closely at this very ear, we will find that this span of time opened doors of opportunity to a number of people, then, on the other hand, it brought many to the ground as unemployment, increasing desperation, and poverty can be seen inclining on the canvas of the picture of that time. However, since then up to now, a number of things have changed; a number of milestones have been covered in this region of communism. The mass media, in fact, have been instrumental in expediting the process of change up to the present times. For instance, today, the press in Europe now depends on advertising and subscription, something which was not possible before as the press was controlled and subsidized at that time. With changes in the trends of print media, broadcasting media, or electronic media have also changed their way of operation today in Europe. The emergence of new radio stations, TV channels is no more something to wonder about. According to Sparks (in Curran & Park, 2000) “Western” thinking and viewing media through the “communist” perspective are indeed very similar things (35). The crisis observed on one pole is the crisis for the other pole too. Looking back at the warmer days of communism to understand the evolution of media, the first and foremost thing that strike our minds is the heated use of different media in order to boost up propaganda war that was going on at that time between the communist block and the west of the United States of American, particularly, with other countries being on its side. If the communist block was looking at the world through such perspectiv
‘Madama Butterfly’, which is considered to be one of the most prominent plays by Henry Hwang, was presented at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada. It told the story of a young Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San who dreamt of a happy marriage to the American naval officer. The people who managed to visit this performance were considerably struck by the actors’ play on the stage. It is necessary to stress that Yannick-Muriel Noah performed the title role of the geisha demonstrating magnificent soprano through gloriously compelling rendition of passive aggressiveness. The play of this actress appeared to be the true treasure of the production; tenor Bryan Hymel, acted as lt. Pinkerton, falling in love with Butterfly and then, leaving her. It should be noted that this actor managed to demonstrate the combination of vocal and physical swagger, making his debut really impressing. The theatre production highlighted the true feelings of two people whose interests could never be united by one common desire to follow their big love. Butterfly strives to show her devotion to American God rejecting own religion and family; while Pinkerton is concentrated on the most important thing of his life – his work. The man is aware of his leaving the bride even before the marriage perceiving her as the one more object of his affection. Speaking about this performance in Toronto, it is necessary to underline the idea that the professional cast made the production marvelous; baritone Brett Polegato’s superb work in the role of American consul Sharpless, demonstrated a strong voice and powerful sense of compassion and humanity. Besides, one should stress that the roles of Suzuki, the serving girl, played by mezzo Anita Krause, insinuating marriage broker by tenor John Kriter, and Pinkerton’s wife by Laura Albino, impressed the audience of the event by the depth of professional play and reflection of personal feelings through the roles. By the way, it was vividly demonstrated, how the actors managed to live their roles’ lives and played naturally and dramatically. The designer of the play was Susan Benson managed to create the atmosphere of Japanese culture transferring the mood of the play to the audience; it is necessary to underline professionalism of Jack Diamond, the architect, who created elegantly muted colors and put finishing touches to simple design of the opera, which made the visitors’ hearts beating faster and faster with every next stage. The central purpose in the creation of hall and production was aimed at showcasing the performance artistry reflecting the feelings of their heroes. Madama Butterfly is referred to the most recent stages of Four Seasons Centre; it contributed to the increase of the people number loving musical plays through the depth if this production. It is necessary to underline the idea that the performance appeared to become the audience’ favorite through Puccini’s score soaring musicality, wonderful Macdonald’s tagging, and elegant des
Introduction In spite of being fiction-based writings, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber , among many other related stories, have been critically acclaimed as some of the best books that give a clear representation of sex and sexuality in the society—especially in the classical times like the Victorian era. In essence, different authors ascribe to different ideologies in regard to the intricacies of sex and sexuality among men and women. However, in most of the writings like Dracula and The Bloody Chamber, women are mostly represented as the weaker gender that is bound to obey the rules and regulations of a male chauvinist society. Any effort to break free into a balanced society where women are able to express their sexuality in a free way is met with huge criticisms and occasional punishments. An explication of how these stories represent men and women in regard to sex and sexuality is expressively given in the discussions below. Representation of Sex and Sexuality in the Stories As was earlier mentioned, different authors represent sex and sexuality variably. In analyzing and exemplifying the representation of sex and sexuality in these stories, various subtopics will be used—as is typified below. Gender Balance (Masculinity Vs Femininity) In as much as the classical societies are reported to having stringent social expectation and standards for both genders (sexes), Stoker asserts that in the Victorian society, men were allowed to engage in more freedoms, pleasures and enjoyment endeavors than their female counterparts (Stoker, 2011). In addition, these patriarchal views of the Victorian era ensured that men enjoyed dominance over the women in terms of engaging in sexual endeavors (Waters, 1997). Resultantly, men were able to engage and satiate their sexual urges—even weird ones like homosexuality—without facing a lot of condemnation or punishment. On the flip side, women were not permitted to express their sexual desires openly—unless it was being done to please the men (Podonsky, 2010). A good example here is way Stoker portrays Lucy as a sexually aggressive lady and the criticisms and punishments she had to receive for her aggression. On the other hand, Mina, who is portrayed as the typical modest and moral woman in the Victorian era, ends up being spared of criticisms and punishments in spite of her involvement with the Dracula just in the same way as Lucy. It is worth mentioning that despite the portrayal of men as being the stronger of the two sexes; they are occasionally represented as being feminaphobic (afraid of being feminine) and gynephobic (afraid of women in general). Based on their flirtatious nature and the general sexual attraction of men to women, both Dracula and the Bloody Chambers tend to limit and oppose the strength of women. Even with their inferiority in the society, women like the three weird sisters in Dracula are able to seduce and convince men to almost do anything just to get sex from them (Podonsky, 2010). More power and freedom by these women would probably translate into more control over men no wa
Introduction A large portion of learning comes from the past experiences. In fact, negative past experiences can be at times more helpful than the positive ones. At the same time, it is highly impractical to allow the same negative experience to happen two or more times. That is why risk assessment and management are conducted by organizations attempting to increase their cost-effectiveness and avoid making mistakes or experiencing troubles that would affect their productivity and profitability. Risk in projects The risk is present in any project – its outcome is always partially unpredictable and involves certain issues that need addressing (Kendrick, 2015). GU Project relies on the use of the latest technologies and several different groups of stakeholders. That is why the risks of this project are connected to the high variability of the project and the implementation of change that makes it difficult to evaluate the potential response of all the parties involved. Moreover, the projects that rely on new technologies can be challenging because they are connected to aggressive and rapid change. As a result, the assessment and evaluation of risk are necessary throughout the course of the project. The management of risk involves several major steps such as the project planning, risk identification, assessment and evaluation, response to the risks identified, and the control (Rawi, 2014). That way, the primary goals of the risk management process is not only to minimize or eliminate the likeliness of the risk occurrence but also to compensate the impact of the negative effects and circumstances via the emphasis of the positive impacts (Stanleigh, n. d.). Methods of risk assessment There are multiple ways to assess risk within a project. It is up to the project managers to select a technique they deem the most appropriate and useful in terms of the reliability, validity, precision, and depth of the data collected during the evaluation. Questionnaires and surveys are recognized as one of the most widely applied techniques for risk assessment. One of its most valuable advantages is that it is highly flexible and can be customized for any type of project and collect any kind of data (National Research Council, 2005). The forms of surveys and questionnaires can be very different and so can be their implementation; for example, they can be delivered in a form of multiple response questionnaires, assessments based on spreadsheets, they can contain open-end questions for qualitative assessment or multiple-choic