ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
“ The four voyages” is a book by Christopher Columbus that presents a narrative that describes the author’s four voyages. The voyages were made in the Caribbean and Central America between 1492 and 1504 following the consent granted to him by the monarch. His voyages were made so that he could locate the westward way to Asia. Even though he never reached Asia, he still believed that he did. The first voyage This trip of discovery was made by 90 men from Palos, Spain. The ships used by the traveler were quite tiny as compared to the modern day vessels. Columbus led the voyage with three ships, Nina with 24 men on board, Santa Maria had 40 men, and Pinta had 26 men (Columbus, 35). They set out for their trip on 3rd August, 1492. In October 11, 1492, the travelers had a glimpse of the Caribbean islands. The inhabitants of this island were the Tiano Indians. Columbus’ men captured most of these inhabitants and sold them into slavery (Columbus, 20-34). Martin Alonzo who captained Nina was not ready to accept that Columbus was in charge of this voyage. He hoped that he would be the first to see the famous Golden Island of Osabeque hence he decided to explore alone. Nevertheless, he discovered Hispaniola the present day Haiti. While still there, he captured four men and two girls who he intended to sell as slaves. Columbus however, persuaded him to release them and he agreed. He rejoined Columbus’ crew at the coast of Haiti on 6 th January, 1493 (Cohen, 56). The ships used for this trip travelled approximately 150 miles each day. On their way back, the Santa Maria was wrecked, the captain of the Pinta left the Island alone with the aim of ensuring that Columbus and his men could not find their way back. Columbus and the rest of the crew returned to Spain courtesy of Nina and arrived on 15 th March, 1493. The second voyage Christopher and his team set out for the second larger expedition on 25 th September, 1493. Here, they sailed with 17 vessels and an estimate of 1200 to 1500 men. Finding gold and establishing a permanent Spanish Colony was the chief purpose for this voyage (Columbus, 96). In his previous voyage in La Navidad, the wreckage of Santa Maria made 39 of his men to be left in a fortress constructed soon afterwards. On arrival, Columbus found that the fortress was no more since it had been reduced to ashes and all his men had died. He figured that the men had been killed by the brutal Carib Indians who had earlier raided the coastal lands. During this voyage, Columbus was informed by that Black people had arrived in the Island long before his arrival. He familiarized himself better with Hispaniola a
Ways in which Africa and Africans are represented by Africans Description of Africa in an African perspective can be as problematic in the same manner western representations are about Africa. The continent has been marred by political issues ranging from democracy, national elections, economic status and cultural practices from different corners of the continent. In Africa, political issues affect beyond political environment, economic and social aspects are also affected. There has been an increased case of corruption, which signifies a lack of accountability and ethical leadership within most African countries. Rising cases of political instability have led to problems such as widespread violence, change of leadership and embezzlement of aid funds. The problems of sub-Saharan Africa are further deepened by genocidal conflicts, diseases, poverty and economic stagnation (Mengara, 2001). The film Motherland, which is African-owned cinema, represents the glory and majesty of Africa and at the same time calls for unity, self-determination and the rebirth of Africa. According to the film, Africans became black within the period they were being enslaved. Slavery was designed to disconnect the African from having any positive notion of their Motherland. Languages used in describing parts of Africa like ‘sub-Saharan Africa’ are used with the intention of dividing and conquering the continent. According to the film, such terms have been used to confine Africans to corridors of make-believe locations without any political affiliations (African Union), ethnicity (Tuareg), and economic status (COMESA) and with historical and physical boundaries, by use of names such as Sudan and Mali. The same aspect is revealed through post-colonialism perspective in the Yeelen film (Mengara, 2001). African development presents an important factor in the many discussions about Africa and Africans. The rate of development within the continent has contributed to its positioning within the global politics. Such developments focus on technology, economic status, infrastructure, disease prevalence and socio-economic inequalities. Analysis of the conflicts in Africa or the reality behind political processes has become difficult since numerous factors are considered in the process of investigating causes of such conflicts. Based on African Renaissance movement, comprised of intellectual agencies, the real definition of Africa should be based on African creativity and knowledge on cultures. This makes African identity a contested concept since there are multiple identities from various perspectives. There has been rising difficulty in conceptualizing the real identity since the discussions are based on factors such as; defining African identity in relation to the rest of the world, definition in relation to each other with many considerations on migration and xenophobia. How do these representations differ from those in the first section of the course? There is a raw synergy of films and history on the description of Africa as a continent and Africans. The first representation f
Introduction Over the years, the U.S correctional system endured several reforms that started when the country got its independence in the 18th century. Reformatory reforms have occurred through the history of the U.S from the time when the earliest prison was constructed during the late 1700s. Two U.S federal states namely Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, initiated the reformatory reforms in the U.S. Before the reform, several of the common punishments practices were considered cruel, barbaric, unreasonable, and anti-human rights. The reform agenda that was started in the 1700s saw the creation of prisons as a departure from hanging of offenders, to cruel punishment, to manual labor, to rehabilitation and to current reforms that continue to change the U.S correctional system. Principals of the reformatory improvement One of the principals of the reformatory reform was Dorothea Dix. Her notable work included humanizing the living environment of inmates. She won a case against one American jail. This win saw women living surroundings get better to include dirt free and warmed cells. Apart from this case, she traversed the world championing the course of improving living conditions of inmates in Africa, Europe and America (Brown, 1998). Other notable work include plead for human rights to Queen Victoria of England and the Pope. Dorothea, in addition, offered support toward the transformation of the U.S jail system from sign-up manual labor to training (IHAP, 2012). Dr. J. Galt is another pioneer reformist of the U.S prison system. He established the earliest known psychiatric sanatorium in America around 1841B.C. He was a strong advocate for prisoner’s categorization with regard to their mental health. He proposed this approach because he believed that all people should be treated with dignity. Dr. J. Galt held that, the mentally ill and disabled inmates deserved to be treated with self-respect. He proposed the outpatient option in place for lifelong stays in prison. He also proposed the “talk therapy” approach (IHAP, 2012). Louis Dwight championed juvenile rights in prison. He proposed the separation of children offenders from mature inmates. He founded the Boston Prison Discipline Society, and facilitated the establishment of prison’s rigorous penal systems. Francis L. Howe and Samuel G. Howe shared a common purpose with Dorothea. They proposed the creation of libraries and other essential literacy facilities in prisons, discontinuation of beating and whipping of prisoners, besides the separation of juveniles, women and psychologically troubled inmates from other inmate populations
Introduction Love has been a fountain of inspiration for many poets, writers, musicians, and artists. Its many aspects, facets, interpretation, and forms of expression have been painted, acted upon, portrayed, and re-portrayed in many forms of arts, visual and performing. It has been written about endlessly. Love has been connected closely with relationships, as love seems to exist always between two or more individuals. However, Love is a much-abused term in the modern context as most ordinary people easily use it in their day-to-day interaction without having to fully understand what it encompasses, or means. But technically, the word has evolved to mean a lot of things, and surprisingly, Lewis has also warned of its evil implications. This paper shall try to explore the purpose of Lewis in defining four loves, as well as delineate personal or modern individual’s understanding of love, specifically eros and the others. Discussion Visher (2003) pointed out that while the past eras have looked upon religion as the common framework under which everyday existence proceeds, local and international laws have long replaced this role. And as many schools of thought have emerged as to how people should regard and behave their fellow humans, Lewi’s book has maintained a Christian view on the various forms of love as ways in giving and showing what we have for others. The Four Loves explores the nature of love from a Christian perspective through thought experiments and examples from literature wherein the “need-love” seen in a child for its mother, and the gift-love as exemplified by God’s love for humanity were Lewis’ jumping point. These basic categorizations of love, Lewis proposed, are more complicated than they seem, formulating the foundation of his topic that “the highest does not stand without the lowest”. Lewis explores the nature of pleasure and then divides love into four categories, based in part on the four Greek words for love: affection, friendship, eros, and charity. Based on the Greek word “storge”, affection according to Lewis is fondness through familiarity common between family members or people that have been together by chance for quite a period. Primate acts found between mother and infant are explored that include sucking, licking, cuddling, among others. Affection is described as the most natural, emotive, and widely diffused among the four loves as it exists without being forced or coerced. It is emotive and the result of fondness due to familiarity. This kind of love is characteristic of being able to transcend the most discriminating factors and does not concentrate or even notice that which could be valuable or worthy of love. Nevertheless, this affection’s strength is also its weakness as it appears to be built-in or ready-made wherein people end up expecting or demanding affection from othe
Introduction The book Naked Diplomacy: Power and Statecraft in the Digital Age by Tom Fletcher provides many interesting insights, within the context of how the author illustrates on the concept of “digitalized” diplomacy. Therefore, reading it will come as a valuable asset to just about anyone interested in learning more about what defines the qualitative dynamics in the world of international diplomacy. The book assesses the matters of diplomacy from the strongly defined Constructivist perspective, which makes Naked Diplomacy consistent with the realities of a post-industrial living. At the same time, however, this makes many of the book’s claims speculative. What it means is that, when it comes to assessing the book’s practical implications, one must be able to do it from the critical perspective while never ceasing to take into account the fact that Naked Diplomacy is strongly Eurocentric, in the sense of how the book’s author conceptualizes the purpose of diplomacy. In my paper, I will explore the validity of this thesis at length while evaluating the book’s main ideas with respect to the geopolitical position of the United Arab Emirates in general, and the country’s diplomatic philosophy, in particular. I will also argue that it is specifically the Realist paradigm of international relations that provides a proper methodological framework for discussing the book’s suggestions in conjunction with what can be deemed the foremost qualitative aspects of the UAE’s current diplomatic stand. Analysis The main idea, promoted throughout the book’s entirety is that the very essence of diplomatic activities is determined to undergo a drastic transformation – all due to the revolutionary breakthroughs in the field of information technologies that have taken place through the last few decades. As Fletcher pointed out: “When the way the world communicates changes, so must its diplomats… Diplomats must adapt their business and their mindset to these extraordinary and revolutionary new digital tools”. The rationale behind this suggestion is apparent – the emergence of these technologies naturally results in increasing the volume and transparency of informational transactions that take place between ordinary citizens, as well as diplomats representing sovereign countries. According to the author, this makes the diplomatic paradigm much more transparent, which in turn will result in redefining the role of diplomats to that of PR managers/educators. This suggestion is reflective of Fletcher’s assumption that the newly emerged “digital realities” provide new discursive connotations to the very notion of “nationhood”. As the author pointed out: “So how do nation states harness their magnetic power in the Digital Age? In my experience, it comes down to three ideas: having a strong national story; knowing how to tell it; and knowing how and when to mix the tools at your disposal”. It is understood, of course, that there are strongly defined Constructivist overtones to such Fletcher’s idea – the author positions himself as someone utterly critical of the Realist model of PR, based on the assumption that the essence of the fluctuating dynamics in the
Background and context Food security is a major issue to consider before an area is approved as being safe to supply food to people. Food security is the capacity to access hygienic, wholesome, and sufficient food to society. The City of Greater Geelong is located in Victoria, Australia, specifically in the western of the Victoria state and the south-west of Melbourne. It covers a total area of 1,240 square kilometers. Statics shows that it has a total population of 210,000 people; they took an initiative to investigate reasons why food security is not easy to attain in that area; they also try to come up with possible solutions. The main issues are the high cost of nutritious foods, a poor transport system, and availability of fatty foods at low costs, and poor knowledge in regards to the outlets of the nutritious food (Beah 1997, p.55). According to the statistics, 2.5% of Greater Geelong residents faced food insecurity, which is consistent with the low level of income in Greater Geelong as compared to the Victorian State (Murphy 2008, p.88). The reason is that the weekly income per household in Greater Geelong averaged $685 in the year 2010-2011, which is relatively low when compared to $749, which was the median household income per week, recorded in the Victorian State. The income disparity is reflected in employment where only 52.7% of the workforce in Greater Geelong was highly skilled relative to 56.3% in the Victorian State. In addition, 22.9% of the Greater Geelong faced transport limitations in 2010, which is comparatively higher than the 13.7% of the population with limited transportation in the Baron South West and Victorian State regions. Conversely, due to economic and infrastructural challenges, it is conceivable that only 59.3% of children in Greater Geelong underwent Child Health Assessments by the Maternal and Child Health Service in 2010-2011, which is moderately low when compared to the 62.2% of children who were assessed for health and development in the Victorian State (Donaldson 2012, p.66). Current HP action and future HP needs Meals served in cafes have been considered as one of the strategies to deal with food insecurity. Residents of Great Geelong with the “Cafe Meals” card are at an advantage of getting meals at a lower cost than the standard prices. The Cafe meals association is also able to offer a free lunch to individuals of the association, which comes along with advertising another relief service. They also support and fund functions like charity and competitions. Providers of the ‘Geelong emergency food relief’ have contributed greatly to reducing food insecurity (Lammerting 2010, p. 33). Even though the method is not as effective as the meal cafe, the residents are assured of a stable food supply. When food supply drops or reduces, the Geelong emergency food relief can help and
Introduction Black Death was the worst infectious disease that primarily affected the European people from the year 1348 to 1350. After this period, the disease occurred repeatedly up to the19th century. The Black Death significantly affected the European population following the recorded death of over 50 million people, which formed approximately 30% of the whole population. Despite numerous evidences showing that a bacterium called Yersinia pestis was the cause of Black Death, several scientists are still unsatisfied because scientific data lacks concrete evidence to support the occurrence and spread of Y. pestis from China to Europe. According to the French Press Agency, genetic studies supported prominent theory by confirming that, Y. pestis caused Black Death because scientists and anthropologists found it in the teeth and bones of plague victims (Para. 1). Since scientific data has been unclear and controversial, it raised a lot of disagreement. However, genomic investigations have yielded reliable information that incriminates Y. pestis as the cause of Black Death. Therefore, in spite of the controversy surrounding the cause of Black Death, modern genetic studies have confirmed that Y. pestis is the bacterium that was responsible for the Black Death in Europe. What is Black Death? Black Death was an infectious disease that occurred in Europe and killed about a third of the population during 14 th century. Characteristics of the disease were similar to hemorrhagic fever caused by virulent viruses, such as Ebola and Anthrax, because victims of the disease vomited blood before dying within a short period after infection. According to Revil, eyewitness accounts described signs and symptoms that, boils first occur on thighs, then spread throughout the body, patients vomited blood and then die within three days since there was no cure (Para. 8). The signs and symptoms of the Black Death show that it spread quickly making it difficult for doctors to investigate. Based on the massive occurrence of deaths in Europe, many people attributed the cause of Black Death to “bad air” that had infectious agents. Currently, scientists are still grappling with the cause of Black Death because contradicting evidences and theories continue to emerge in the medical sphere. In 1348, Black Death entered Europe and caused disastrous death of population within a period of one a year. Parry reports that, in London alone, an emergency cemetery received about 200 bodies per day in a consecutive period
Introduction Diversity and equality in the workplace are best understood as concepts that promote and enhance a culture of inclusion. Stakeholders in the corporate environment have altered their decisions in order to accommodate, enhance, or celebrate diversity. Certain assumptions have caused this shift towards greater diversity; some may be borne out of goodwill from an organisation or others may come from a legal framework. This research will dwell on the judicial component of equality and diversity. However, because this is a wide topic, greater focus will be given to diversity and equality issues among company directors. Research Hypothesis The UK has come a long way in terms of equality and diversity laws. The Equal Pay Act, which was passed in 1970, spearheaded these changes; it was later amended in 1984. Another one was the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which was passed in order to safeguard against discrimination of former criminal offenders. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 covered gender-based discrimination in the workplace, and was later amended in 1999 through the Gender Reassignment Regulations Act. The Race Relations Act 1976 was another legislation, which identified race as a protected trait in law; this was later amended in 2000 and 2003 respectively. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 recognised the rights of disabled persons and protected them from discrimination and unfavourable treatment; it was later replaced in 2005. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 also came into force at a time when harassment issues were deemed to be fundamental in law. Other laws such as The Employment Equality Regulations on Religion and Sexual Orientation were all passed in 2003. EU Employment equality regulations were passed in 2006, and they recognised age as a protected trait. Finally, the Equality Act 2010 was passed and this marked a holistic approach towards diversity issues in the workplace. All these laws indicate an adversarial approach to the concept of diversity since most of the Acts protect workers against discrimination. In other words, they are more reactive than proactive and they focus on remedying situations rather than creating a positive environment. Because of this, the research hypothesis in this paper is: “UK diversity laws lean more towards avoidance of trait based disadvantages rather than providence of equal chances to all individuals.” When expressed in another way, the main research question in this paper is: “Does UK diversity law effectively promote equal opportunities in boardroom appointments (for directors)?” In order to answer this research question, one must look at the existing laws on appointment of directors and then combine these with equality or diversity legislations on the same. Thereafter, practical statistics on company directorships will be provided especially in terms of the demographics. Finally, one must make a conclusion base