ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Statistical evidence indicates that fitness activities become more popular in the United States; in particular, approximately 50 million Americans attach importance to physical exercises (McClain 410). This is why they choose to join various health clubs. So, one can argue that this tendency is a very widespread phenomenon. It is possible to say that the main cause of this tendency is that many individuals associate fitness with physical attractiveness and success. They attach importance to the behavior of various celebrities who often set the standards of physical attractiveness. Apart from that, physical attractiveness is one of the factors that can contribute to their success in various areas of life. Admittedly, in many cases, growing emphasis on fitness can bring several tangible benefits such as longevity and decreased risk of various ailments. Furthermore, such activities can significantly improve the wellbeing of people. This is one of the causes that should be considered. Nevertheless, the growing concern with physical attractiveness is one of the main forces that lead to obsession with fitness. These are the main questions that should be examined more closely. Overall, contemporary culture sets rather high standards of physical attractiveness for both men and women. These standards are reflected in various films, musical and commercial videos, posters, fashion magazines, and so forth (Taylor 183). Many people are exposed to these media messages since childhood. In addition to that, they continuously pay attention to the examples set by famous athletes or movie stars who embody the ideals of physical attractiveness. These individuals have been able to attain success and fame. Therefore, many people want to imitate their behavior. To a great extent, these celebrities act as role models, especially for adolescents. It should be mention that this argument is supported by the surveys of many people who note that their body image is t
In “The Mission” (1986), the director aims to narrate a story of Jesuit missionaries in eighteen century South America in parallel with a description of the fight of Judaic religious communities and Jesus’s story. Concerning the Essenes, it is not complicated to define them in the movie as one of the main movie characters, Father Gabriel, is supposed to belong to the Essen order. As well as the Essenes, the Guarani live far away from people, above the fall, forming their community. As the ancient Essenes can be considered as the ascetics, the Guarani-Essenes are also satisfied with little – they produce all the necessary things by themselves: they build houses and boats from wood, fish, and grow fruits and vegetables. After the Guarani’s transformation inspired by Father Gabriel, they wear only the white sackcloth as the Essenes did. Moreover, the fact that they have a taste for music presents the Guarani to some extent as the Innocents. The Guarani treat each other and all the people around with love and respect – however, when it comes to the displacement of the mission, they turn out to be much more than innocent lambs while preparing to defend their new home with deadly force. Thus, the features of the radical Zealots appear in the Guarani. Regarding Father Gabriel himself, he might be seen as a Jesus-like figure, according to the Gospel of Matthew – the forceful and merciful leader that does not admit any other power except the power of love. The young priest, John, can be considered as John the Baptist. In the movie, it is also easy to reveal the Sadducees, as this party opposing to the Essenes is introduced as a group of arch villains aiming to destroy the Guarani mission. First of all, the local aristocrats Dons Cabeza and Hontar seem to belong to the Sadducees, as, historically, this religious group consisted of the great families. The local aristocracy influences Altamirano significantly, which can be considered as the reflection of the relationship between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Moreover, it is possible to draw a parallel between the Sadducees and the local aristocracy in the movie based on their relation to “the dissidents.” As the Sadducees persecuted the Jewish people for the slightest violations of Mosaic Law, Cabeza and Hontar treated the Guarani as the savages and aimed to banish them from their land. Regarding the Pharisees, Altamirano can be considered as the most prominent Pharisee in “The Mission.” The Pharisees were extremely popular with the Jewish people and were treated with respect. Altamirano, who represents the Roman Vatican, also has the folk’s admiration and trust. Undoubtedly, it is possible to relate the politician Altamirano to the Pharisees as the members o
Introduction Moving out to a new geographical area can be very exciting because it provides one with an opportunity to experience new cultures, but on the other hand, it can be difficult to cope with the new environment, especially when the language of that region is not familiar to you. This paper explains the possible challenges and the steps to follow while learning the new language. Reasons for learning a new language When one relocates to a new region, either for business or other reasons, it is important to learn the language of the local people because they are the ones who can be consulted when one needs to know something like directions. Besides, if you have moved into the new location for business purposes, it would be better if you spoke to the local people in their language because that way you will understand each other. This is because there are very few people who understand international languages like English and French. Hence even if you speak the international language in your office, you need to learn how to speak the local language because you need to learn how to converse in the local language because it will ease communication. Again before one learns a new language, he/she needs to identify if there are other languages in that location and identify the one that is commonly spoken (Yule, 2010). Problems of language barrier Moreover, it will be easier for the locals to accept you when you speak in their language. McNeil (2004) explains that some communities tend to be hostile towards people who don’t speak their language. Hence if you are establishing a business in a new location, some people may not buy your goods and services because you cannot communicate effectively. For instance, it might be difficult for an individual from Japan to converse with people from another country, such as South Africa. Because of differences in cultures, it is difficult to understand the correct words used in conversation; a person might have some idea about the language, but putting words together can be difficult. Benefits of understanding a foreign language Learning the new language is not only healthy for your business but also for your safety because you need to know what people are reacting to situations, and unless you understand the local language, you won’t be updated on the local events. For instance, my friend Joel was in Rwanda before the genocide took place, and prior to the killings, he was given a hint by one of the local people and later on flew out of the country. If he did not interact with the locals, he would have been caught up in the mayhem because no one would have bothered to brief him. Methods of learning the new language In this regard, when you first set your feet in the new location, you need to identify people among that community who can help you to learn their language. In addition to that, you need to mingle with the local people and listen to their conversations and see what you can grasp. Bower (2006) explains that the time taken to understand the new language depends on your eagerness and com
Impact on Public Health The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health in the US have been large-scale and disastrous. It is yet to summarize all of the effects of the disease in the pandemic aftermath; however, it is already possible to collect some of the subtotals regarding the impacts on public health. Currently, one of the most researched topics is the impact of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases’ outbreaks on the central pillar of the public health system – healthcare professionals. The public health workforce experienced physical and mental health issues and already existing problems with underfunding deepened. Public health depends on the public health workforce, and the pandemic demonstrated that almost everywhere in the US, the public health workforce was severely understaffed and underfunded. This data is relevant throughout the country and can be generalized to most of the states. For instance, “since 2008, the public health workforce has shrunk by 20%, with 62% of local health departments seeing their budgets flat line, or reduce over time” (Kintziger et al., 2021). Given that, it is no surprise that the pandemic’s new and heavier burden placed on the US public health workforce led to the interruption of essential services and functions provided. This situation resulted from the shift in priorities, activities, and functions of the medical staff across the country – human resources have been transferred to the coronavirus-fighting fronts. As a result, numerous other sectors within general public health have suffered. For instance, in many cases, work on other communicable diseases, foodborne outbreaks, and perinatal diseases were severely interrupted (Kintziger et al., 2021). In terms of general public health, this situation reduced citizens’ access to healthcare services and reduced trust in the sector. The public health workforce’s physical and mental health is another significant aspect of the pandemic’s impacts. According to numerous studies from all over the globe, public health workers face enormous challenges in terms of mental health issues (Naushad et al., 2019; Preti et al., 2020; Stuijfzand et al., 2020). These included facing post-traumatic, depressive, insomnia, psychiatric, and severe anxiety symptoms. Moreover, more than 30% of healthcare workers who were in direct contact with patients demonstrated long-lasting symptoms of burnout and emotional exhaustion (Preti et al., 2020). As a result, there are issues not only on the individual level but on the broader ones as well. The mental health of healthcare professionals directly influences the quality and quantity of services they provide, affecting the general population’s health creating additional economic and societal costs for comm
Introduction Despite the promising future that cloning purports to forecast for the human race, the research projects have been met with fierce opposition from lawmakers to clergy men. Most of the opposition is on ethical grounds and while there is nothing unethical about using technology to save lives, opposition groups are far from being appeased. Considering the fact that most of the controversy about cloning arises from misinformation or ignorance about the matter, this study shall set out to conclusively research on cloning and its merits so as to attest whether the lack of unanimous support for therapeutic cloning and explicit ban of human cloning is justifiable. Cloning is described as the creation of genetically identical organisms by use of artificial means (Kfoury 112). Cloning is deemed as a form of asexual reproduction whereby a gene from one animal/human is transferred to another organism. The process by which this is carried out is often complicated and requires cutting edge technology. The two major forms of cloning are the Reproductive and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive cloning involves the generation of animals that have identical DNA with previously existing animals (Mollard 1). Cloning of human beings would fall under this category. This procedure is carried out by copying the DNA information from the donor’s nucleus into a cell with the nucleus previously removed (Mollard 2). The cell grows into a replica of the animal which provided the gene once it is fully developed. Therapeutic cloning follows the same steps as reproductive cloning only that the embryos development is not let to run to completion. Therapeutic cloning is mainly used to extract stem cells from embryos. After the successful retrieval of the cells, the embryos are inevitably destroyed (Kfoury 112). Research on stem cells has it that these unspecialized cells have the ability to transform themselves into any type of cell found in the body. Argument against cloning There has been agreement by consensus that human cloning should be banned though the prospects of the same are at best distant. The major arguments in support of this assertion is the concern that cloning could lead to physically deformed children and furthermore pose a danger to the women who act as surrogate mothers to the clones (Pearson 658). It is noteworthy to point out that these fears are not unfounded since cloning of animals has resulted to some undesirable characteristics being exhibited in the clone. Research shows that cloned animals that survive end up being bigger at birth than natural animals. This condition is not only hazardous to the mother but also can lead to breathing problems and a myriad of other complications (Pearson 658). The mortality rate of cloned animals is also observ
Planet earth is our ancestral home and our legacy to the future. The earth is considered one of the most beautiful planets in the universe. It is the only planet in our galaxy that has enough water and can support life. Our ultimate goal should be to make earth a place where human beings live in harmony with the nature, but look at our shortsightedness; we are ourselves creating problems for our survival on this earth. Massive extinctions have occurred five times during the earth’s history, the last one being the extinction of dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. The scientists are calling what is occurring now, the sixth mass extinction. Although they are uncertain of the numbers, most scientists believe that the rate of loss is greater now than any other time in the history. If this nature of human beings persists soon there would be no humans on this earth. It is high time we all joined hands to work towards solving this issue before it get too late. Our technological advances in the last couple of centuries have caused unforeseen problems, and events now seem out of control. Apart from the basic major problems that are facing our world today like pollution, population, animal extinction and global warming which has resulted to climate change, there are unforeseen problems which at the moment are not bothering us enough to demand a united effort from the mankind to plan actions in advance to avert them or fight them if they happen. In an effort to save and preserve planet earth, our ancestral home and heritage to the future, one indispensable step will be to ensure the transition of the so called scientific or industrial world to the appealing reign of the Ecological Age. There is already a felt-need for the pertinent re-appraisal of the existing concepts of the Earth to make it a home for human beings. Ralph Metzner has been one of the foremost advocator’s of the transition to the Ecological Age, which he thought will put an end to global environmental crisis. As he proposed it, the transition to an ecological way of thinking or systemic relationship thinking, involves a revolutionary change and he puts forward some guiding principles to ensure his vision for the future. These principles are in contrast to the traditional concept of world which gave rise to the modern and industrial worldview. The modern, industrial worldview was shaped by the scientific revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the industrial revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth. The outlines of an ecological worldview are being articulated in the natural sciences, the social sciences, and in philosophy and religious thought. (Ralph Metzner, “Transition to an Ecological Age, from: Ralph Metzner, Green Psychology: Transforming Our Relationship to the Earth. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 1999, pages 171–182.) It is apparent
Introduction Alfred Russell Wallace and Charles Darwin independently discovered the theory of natural selection. This paper is focused on Wallaces position on evolution as it analyses the context under which he wrote the book, the objectives of the book and whether or not these objectives were met. Wallace always had doubts about sexual selection, and finally concluded that natural selection alone was insufficient to explain the set of distinctive human characteristics. Among these characteristics, the size and complexity of the human brain found in all existing human races took a centre stage. Therefore, Wallace invokes the role of “Higher Intelligence” to explain the nature of human species. Discussion The Origin of Human Races Wallace delivered this famous paper to a meeting of anthropological society of London on 1 March 1964. As at that time, there were differences in opinion among the anthropologists on the nature and the origin of man. The critical question that Wallace sought to answer was on whether the various forms under which man existed then were primitive, or derived from preexisting forms. In other words, was man of one or many species? Anthropologists had different opinions about the issue because one party maintained that man is a species on its own and are essentially one, which all variations are just temporary resulting from different physical and moral conditions that surround them. However, other group of anthropologists argued that man is in a group of many species, each of which is practically unchangeable. Wallace picked the strong points of those supporting and the strong points of those opposing he combined them and justified both using relevant evidence thus eliminating the con fusion. Wallace argues that ” ….as the competing races by which they are surrounded, the climate, the vegetation, or the
Introduction Every classroom and school needs a professional teacher who is well educated and qualified to perform their job. School systems recruit, prepare, and retain instructors who are best to teach. However, the education system in the US has equity and social justice concerns. Teacher evaluation is a critical process that addresses these concerns. It is a component that many believe is design to improve the quality of education in the US. But in practice, systematic evaluation of teachers has been a problem. Policy makers and officials in the education sector have proposed that student test scores in mathematics and reading make up the largest component of teacher evaluation. This means that the scores students get in their standardized tests should also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher in doing his or her job. This paper seeks to determine how fair and just it is to base a significant proportion of teacher evaluation on student test scores. There are good reasons to evaluate teachers based on student test scores. But the idea may not have any relationship with student achievement, which is the underlying objective of schools systems and education systems. Despite going through an entire learning process, student’s test scores may not reach a desired level. This is a good reason to consider changing the current system of teacher evaluation. It is also a good reason to dismiss teachers for their contribution to poor performance of students. The law can suggest that teachers be dismissed if the test scores of their students do not reach the minimum level. But there is little evidence to suggest that the teachers who will replace those terminated will be more effective in improving student’s achievement. There is also no evidence to suggest that the
Introduction Compensation, employee benefits, and Information Systems (IS) are central elements that influence employee performance in numerous institutions. They define the nature of operations and productivity levels in institutions. Institutions that seek to leverage their performance and gain competitive advantages should adopt viable human resource administration techniques that foster fairness. The practices should provide superior guidelines that facilitate a perfect match between work done and remuneration. Compensation and benefits entail the incentives that individuals are subjected to after work. Compensation means reimbursement benefits given to cater to the service rendered or professional input provided. Institutional managers are under obligation to set policies that facilitate the retention of employees who provide relevant support systems that aid operations and performance. Their retention is critical due to services that form the lifeblood of institutions. Therefore, administrators must adopt conventional methods to address the plight of employees especially in the remuneration and working conditions. This is to limit employee turnover that may compromise operations in diverse business units thereby limiting performance. It is imperative to note that monetary compensation is a central element that motivates employee’s further effort in the production system. Good incentives enhance their work morale and performance that leads to superior performance. Managers need to evaluate and understand employee needs to enable the development of credible mechanisms for addressing their concerns. According to researchers, institutions that provide exemplary rewards, for example, material or nonphysical incentives reports superior returns. They assert that fair treatment of employees and the adoption of modern information systems are fundamental elements in advancing competitiveness in the current business setting that is characterized by intense competition. This is a critical provision when considered comprehensively regarding information systems and other considerable frameworks. Information System (IS) is crucial since it streamlines operations in institutions due to its relevance in coordinating activities. IS holds the capacity to boost efficiency and coordination between employees and the administration. This is essential since inferior engagement creates a conflict of interest that compromises performance. Ideally, fair compensation enhances an individual’s effectiveness, motivational value, provision of superior services, and financial satisfaction (Altman, 2000). These elements advance an individual’s psychological, social, and economic stability that is crucial in ensuring quality service delivery. Thus, this paper explores the relevance of compensation, benefits, and information system in institutions. Behavioral Wage Theories: Need-fulfillment theory As
Abstract The Snap-On project involved the conversion of the company’s order entry system to the ERP system. The company obtained the system from Baan Co. The system took three years of design and deployment. However, the new system for making order entry turned to be a disaster for the company. It resulted in “$50 million in lost sales for the first half of 1998” (Stein, 1998). It also created delays in the delivery of orders and wrong number of inventories. Snap-On experienced a surge in operating costs by 40 percent. This cost resulted from the need to “cover costs of extra freight and temporary workers” (Stein, 1998). The deployed system also affected dealers because most of them could not operate the new software, and they went to rival companies. During the fiscal year of 1998, the company recorded a decline in profit by 22 percent as compared to the previous year. The ERP system has a crucial role in most important aspects of an organization, both internal and external. Therefore, effective implementation of the project and its subsequen