ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
This reflection paper is based on the interview with the Muslim Students Association officer Maria. The work aims to assess how the organization experiences collaboration with other communities, how it operates and what it strives to achieve. The MSA is active in the US and Canada. The organization was originally founded in 1963. In the present day, the MSA operates as a network of independent communities in universities and colleges across the US and Canada. Chapters of the organization operate in various famous institutions such as the MIT and the Yale University. The MSA works to unify Muslim students of all cultural backgrounds, protect and support the traditions of Islam. It also strives to dispel the stereotypes regarding Islam and raise money for charity. According to Maria, the MSA runs various events including Hijab Awareness Day, Islam Awareness Week and a charity drive called Fast-a-Thon. The Fast-A-Thon, which takes places during the month of Ramadan. It is an event which encourages students of all religions to fast for a day, according to Islamic traditions and donate money to various charities. The Islam Awareness Week is a regular event, held since the early 1990s. During that week, the MSA offers information about Islamic traditions and ideals through various sources, including interactive games, free literature, and speeches by the prominent Muslim figures. The Hijab Awareness Day is a part of the global initiative, which encourages women of all denominations around the world to try and wear a hijab. The event aims to help women understand how it feels to wear it and support the idea that wearing hijab can be a personal choice. These initiatives are aimed to raise public awareness of Islam and clarify to the people of other religions the meaning and importance of various Islamic traditions. They also serve to bring together and unify the Muslim students. Maria also mentioned that collaboration with other student organizations is extremely important for the MSA. She states that it helps their organization maintain open-mindedness and learn about other’s thoughts and beliefs. Presently they focus on collaboration with Hindu Students’ Community. Both organizations share the goal of maintaining the students’ connection with their faiths. HSC runs similar initiatives including the Mantra Project, aimed to help people learn Hindu mantras in Sanskrit and Hinduism Awareness Week, which seeks to correct common misconceptions about the religion and explain its rites and traditions to the general public. With both goals and methods so similar the collaboration between MSA and HSC makes a lot of sense. Sharing experience and supporting each other can help both organizations develop their programs and initiatives, making them more efficient. The MSA fulfills two important r
During economic recession, the customer demand rates can decrease significantly. In order to avert the process, specific emphasis should be placed on raising marketing and advertising costs to maintain the popularity of a product or service. Businesses should be aware of the possible fluctuations in customer’s responses to economic downturn. In particular, they can become critical and more responsible for their purchase decisions. Increased responsiveness to the market environment is explained by clients’ readiness to explore new, more beneficial opportunities. These strategies can be effectively used in carpet cleaning business, which is especially justified during economic recessions. People who face financial problems are in the search for beneficial and rational solutions. This issue can be considered by carpet cleaning issues as a new basis for advertising campaign. For instance, consumers should not necessarily buy new carpet in case they have a possibility to restore the quality of their old carpets. Such a service is economically beneficial, and the business will surely find the segment that can take advantage of the offer. The strategy is justified because “those businesses that make a decision to advertise in the face of adversity capture the hope of new customer” (Fritzenkotter, 2009, p. 4). Thus, it is not only a chance to retain the previous clientele, but also a great opportunity to explore new market segments. There are many cost-effective means of promoting products during recessions. In particular,
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common mental disorders in older people. Although its cure completely is impossible, therapy and medications can control the disease’s development and its symptoms and partially prevent them. Mr. Akkad’s situation presented in the case study is quite common for his diagnosis; therefore, I have chosen donezipil treatment starting with 5 mg and continuing with 10 mg, since this approach is evidence-based. Mr. Akkad is a 76-year-old Iranian male who, according to his son, has had memory problems and unusual behavior during the last two years. The examination confirmed the son’s words since Mr. Akkad scored 18 out of 30 in the Mini-Mental State Exam and has troubled coordination. Depression is the most common comorbid diagnosis; however, Mr. Akkad denies depressive and suicidal thoughts, so it can be excluded (Burke et al., 2019). For this reason, I chose Aricept (donepezil) 5mg orally at bedtime to start the treatment. A systematic review by Birks and Harvey (2018) demonstrates that donepezil positively affects memory and cognitive performance in patients with a neurocognitive disorder but has side effects. For this reason, I chose the 5 mg dosage to determine if Mr. Akkad and do not put his health at risk. Since I saw no side effects, I had increased the dose to 10 mg, which is more effective. However, the review also demonstrates that although higher doses are acceptable for treatment, they have more side effects, but at the same time, eight weeks is not enough to detect significant changes. For this reason, in the third option, I decided not to change the dosage or cancel donepezil. I relied on the evidence from the literature to make the decision. First, systematic reviews from Birks and Harvey (2018) and Adlimoghaddam et al. (2018) came to approximately the same conclusions about the benefits of donezipil and its side effects depending on the dosage. At the same time, according to the pyramid of evidence, systematic reviews are the most accurate due to the amount of information processed and the extensiveness of the analysis; therefore, they are credible. In their meta-analysis, Chen et al. (2017) also confirmed the efficacy of donepezil, although they noted that the treatment has more significant effects combined with memantine. In addition, although a small amount of literature determines the effectiveness of donezipil depending on the duration of therapy, all studies measure
Abstract One of the similarities between the education policy in England and that in America is their focus on the students who are in the most need of educational assistance, children with disabilities. The United States has distinct policies and legislation that target children with disabilities. Special education legislation has been a vital part of education policy in the United States since the early 1970s. These policies will be described in this paper, which seeks to explore the first American legislation specifically designed to protect American disabled children in school, namely the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA). This legislation mandated a federal right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). To obtain federal funding, states had to comply with the EAHCA. The EAHCA included specific eligibility criteria for special education services. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) built on the illegal to discriminate against persons because of their disabilities. Although a civil rights act, “Section 504 is also used to develop education plans for students who meet the section 504 definition of a disability, rather than an IDEA definition.” Section 504 not only prohibits state departments of education and local school districts from developing policies that limit disabled children from participating in assessments, it also prohibits denying these students the benefits accrued from participating in these assessments, namely promotion to the next grade, and ultimately graduation. Acronyms ADA : Americans with Disabilities Act EAHCA : Education for All Handicapped Children Act FAPE : free and appropriate public education IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IEE: Independent Educational Evaluation IEP: Individualized Education Program LRE : least restrictive environment NRC : National Research Council Introduction With the passage in 1975 of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which is now referred to as the In
Santo Domingo is an island that was once under the rule of French planters. The blacks served as servants, maids, and laborers in the plantations. Before the 19th century, the French rule was oppressive and inhuman to blacks and other racial groups. This caused an uprising of the blacks who took control of the island against the French monsieur. The confrontation between the Islanders and whites The confrontation between the islanders and the whites basically rooted in the skin color. Before the blacks revolted, the white French rulers subjected the black race to all forms of human injustices. The repression that blacks suffered from under the rule of the white race generated discontent among the black and Creole racial groups residing on the island. These racial groups stood firm to fight against what they perceived as mistreatment. The revolution finally hit the island with the black race led by Congo Hoango who was a former aide of Monsieur Guillaume de Villeneuve plantation. Congo Hoango was enraged by the previous mistreatment of the white master. He was filled with the feeling of vengeance against the white masters and the entire white race in general. At the beginning of the revolution, Hoango used an opportunity to take revenge on his own master. The master changed his attitude to Hoango after he had rescued him from death. Hoango executed his master together with the entire master’s family. In addition, he took all master’s property and started his crucial mission to wipe out the white race. He used the old woman and her beautiful daughter to deceive whites and ensnare them into their death den. The whole revolution was founded on the hatred between the white and black racial groups. The revolution marked the dismantling of the chains of oppression that the black and Creole races had been subjected to for many centuries. The revolution was a revenge for reprehensible ill-treatment by the masters of the island (Kleist 241). The revolution by the blacks led to the massive massacre of the white race. In addition, there was a massive exodus of the white people from the island. The French army, which was also another oppressive force in the island, was finally conquered by General Dessalines. This was indicated by the fall of Port-au-Prince, which was the last French stronghold (Kleist 269). There are various points of misunderstanding, prejudice, and mistrust in this epic scenario. The black race misunderstood the oppression committed by their white masters as discrimination against them. That is why they massacred the white people without understanding the genesis of the mistreatment. The black race misunderstood the mistreatment by masters and interpreted it as if the entire white race was oppressive. The black people’s attitude towards the white race is the major source of prejudice. Their vengeance mission is grounded on the misjudgment that the entire white generation was responsible for their miseries on the island. Conclusion
The foreign and the domestic policy by the US was featured by the increased fear of communism, and all the efforts were aimed to struggle with the leftist views, regardless of the fact, that the people’s freedoms were often violated. The policy of McCarthyism was paranoidly chasing the citizens, who were suspicious in communistic views. Sometimes these suspicions were groundless, and it is argued, that Joseph McCarty used this approach in his personal interests. As for the Nuclear Weapons Race, it should be stated, that the whole world lived in the fear of nuclear war. Regarding the international policy of the Cold War Period, it may seem, that the USA chased only its own interests, regarding the other states as the tools of achieving the American Dream. American Freedom First of all, it is necessary to mention, that the idea of freedom is ever-present in the US, and this concept followed with the principles of our policy throughout the history of independent America. Eric Foner, in his “The Story of American Freedom,” regards it as the matter of constant conflicts and debates, as freedom is the matter of lots of arguments by its nature, as freedom for one sometimes means the loss of freedom for the other. Moreover, the society, that called itself the society of the widest freedoms and opportunities could not discriminate against the racial minorities, but the US society did. McCarthyism and the domestic freedoms McCarthyism was primarily aimed to struggle with communism and the leftist views in the government and among celebrities. Initially, the principles of witch-hunt were widely accepted, and the citizens, who were suspected in the communistic views, were fired from their jobs and subjected to the allover shame. The period of the 1940s – 1950s was featured by the increased tensions in the Cold War. Consequently, the fear of the communists was also increasing, and the witch-hunt often acted with no investigation and trial. The “Hollywood blacklist” included the names of well-known politics, actors, and scientists, who were suspected of sympathizing with the communists. The absurdity of the situation was so ridiculous, that even Albert Einstein – the man who was particularly indifferent to politics ‑ was included in this list. From this point of view, it should be mentioned, that most suspects were groundless. Consequently, it is a direct violation of human freedoms, as tyranny and totalitarianism use the same means to get rid of the people, who oppose the system (Foner, 1999). Finally, the witch-hunt was regarded to be in the personal interests of Joe McCarthy, as he included into the blacklist even those, who helped him to struggle with the communists in the government, and “repressed” them. The Hollywood blacklist in particular, and the witch-hunt and the McCarthyism in general ruined lots of lives and careers, as innocent peop
People with mental illnesses require a delicate approach, which would not discourage them from using the counsellor’s services. One option, which can help such patients cope with their difficulties is to use motivational interviewing. Although there is no established theory behind motivational interviewing, it is still possible to use the framework for other therapies to achieve similar results (Britton et al., 2011). By borrowing from such interventions as cognitive-behavioral therapy and self-determination theory, it is possible to use motivational interviewing to help patients. First, it is essential to understand that motivational interviewing is a two way process. The counselor cannot force the patient to change themselves, unless they desire so as well (SW Classes, 2016b). However, it is possible to motivate the client to resolve their personal issues by inquiring about them. As client is the ultimate expert on themselves, it is essential to motivate them to analyze their own situation (SW Classes, 2016d). Once a person understands their mental illness, they can overcome it. Second, it is important to remember that motivational interviewing does not yield immediate results. Barrowclough et al. (2010) note that despite a year long intervention, which encompassed motivational interviewing, people with psychosis and substance misuse still got hospitalized. Behavioral change is extremely complicated and it cannot be accomplished in a short period (SW Classes, 2016a). This is why it is imperative for the counsellor to be patient and honest with the client about their condition (SW Classes, 2016c). Only when a patient is aware of their mental damage, can they amass the strength to overcome it. Honesty, motivation and patience are instrumental in reinforcing the patient in the struggle against their mental health conditions.
Introduction The occurrence of various disasters of natural as well as artificial causes has an immense impact on contemporary society. To prevent, manage, and solve different problems that might emerge, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Hambridge, Howitt, & Giles, 2017). The Incident Control System (ICS), being a part of the NIMS, aims to provide a comprehensive and efficient response to any kind of disaster, despite its type or complexity, in a coordinated manner. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact of the NIMS and the ICS on me as an emerging leader. Main body First of all, it could be stated with certainty that in general, the NIMS is an excellent example of how emergency management should be implemented. Also, as it is mentioned by Hambridge et al. (2017), the implementation of the NIMS system has several factors that determine the efficiency of the system. They are the following: compliance requirements and enforcement, comprehension of risk, the commitment of resources, customization of risks, collaboration with first responders, and consistency of use (Hambridge et al., 2017). Considering each of the mentioned factors, it is possible to mention that the role of an emergency manager is highly important because the work toward the elimination of natural or artificial disasters has to be coordinated considerably. From this perspective, the work of the NIMS has a vast impact on the development of me as a leader. It is possible to state that various lessons could be retrieved from studying the work of the NIMS as well as the ICS. I consider the NIMS to a highly developed and comprehensive framework for the implementation of policies and activities aimed at effective prevention and management of hazards and disasters. Particularly, the role of leadership and the coordination between different types of leaders are of high significance. For example, one of the most important lessons that were retrieved from studying the implementation of ICS is that an emergency leader could not act on his or her own since he or she should always consider the necessity to work toward mutual goals and cooperate with other leaders from different agencies. Therefore, it is also essential to discuss the application of leadership theories to the subject matter of this paper. Among the leadership theories studied in this course, namely leader-member exchange theory, and the path-goal theory, some approaches work efficiently. Arguably, the example of an effectively applied theoretical approach to emergency management is the path-goal theory because it provides a concise framework for working toward a mutual goal by organizing various tasks into a system. On the contrary, the leader-member exchange
Introduction Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (VW) is a car manufacturer and vendor that operates in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and both Americas. It offers passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and their parts; apart from that, engines and turbines, as well as chemical reactors, are developed and sold by the company. VW is a group of eleven brands including “Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, ŠKODA, SEAT, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania, and MAN” (“Volkswagen Ag” par. 1). VW is of vast importance for its home country, Germany: one in seven of the workers of the country are employed by the company (“A mucky business” par. 4). The main competitors of the company include Toyota and General Motors; until recently, VW was outperforming these two enterprises (“A mucky business” par. 15). The recent emission scandal, however, has had a significant impact on the company’s reputation and is bound to affect its future; in fact, it has been described as a “catastrophe” (Reiter and Rauwald par. 7). The crisis resulted in the change of the CEO; now it calls for a revision of the company’s strategies as well. This paper is devoted to the alternatives that VW can choose while it attempts to overcome the crisis and stay competitive. The Emissions Scandal The fact that VW cars had a means of deceiving the America’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was suggested two years ago by the International Council on Clean Transportation that has run independent tests on VW cars and discovered that the NOx emissions were much higher than what was expected or allowed. This year, EPA has received confirmation of this fact and made VW explain that the trick was possible due to specific software installed in the tested cars. EPA seeks to improve the monitoring of car testing for all manufacturers and characteristics, suspecting that VW was not the only company to have come up with such an idea (“A mucky business” par. 8-16). In the meantime, VW has to face the consequences. According to “Group Strategy 2018”, the ecologically friendly cars were considered to be the company’s main competitive advantage (par. 1-4). Since the cars turned out to be a fraud, the company must have lost its competitive advantage and needs to come up with a new one. The shares of the company decreased by one-third while the fines and recalls will cost the company billions of euros (“A mucky business” par. 2). VW has admitted its flaws while pointing out that relevant documents must have been withheld since top managerial levels claim to have been misinformed. As a result, the new CEO, Matthias Mueller, intends to revise the company’s corporate culture along with other relevant aspects (Reiter and Rauwald par. 5-6). The Crisis. While the description of the notion of crisis varies from company to company, certain aspects that define it could be singled out. Those include the number of the shareholders involved, the time that the company has for the reaction, the media interaction