ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The present report aims at analyzing factors that affect the commuting time of students to the university. The report is based upon data from 151 randomly selected university students surveyed in 2017, among which 100 were males, 45 were females, and 6 preferred not to specify their gender. The university students were categorized by domicile status, including students from the UK, the EU, and international students. The students were also categorized by their age into three groups, which were students of 18- and 19-year-olds, 20- and 21-year-olds, and students over 21 years of age. The survey did not specify the exact age of students for ethical considerations and calculation purposes. The students lived in different types of accommodations, which were the Priory Hall, University self-catering halls of residence, university house, privately rented house or flat, parents home, own home, and others. Apart from average commuting time to the university, the survey assessed 13 other variables, among which are demographical data, employment status, and information about academic performance. The level of satisfaction with accommodation was also assessed with possible replies, including “yes, very;” “yes, it’s reasonable;” “no.” The present report will determine how demographical characteristics, such as gender, student domicile status, and age, affect commuting time to the university. Analysis Time to University Distribution According to the survey data, the students spend up to 145 minutes getting to the university. Figure 1 below presents information about the distribution of travel to the university. As one can observe, the mean of the data sample is 38.81, with a standard deviation of 31.82. However, since the histogram is rightward skewed, the median value is more representative for demonstrating the central tendency of the data sample. The median of the data sample is 30, which implies that the majority of students need 30 minutes or less for commuting. Figure 1. Distribution of commuting time to the university. The observations also show that the variability of data is high. Additional analysis was required to understand the reasons for such variability. Therefore, it was decided to analyze how demographic features affect the time students spent traveling from home to university. Types of Students The first assumption was that commuting time is affected by the type of student. There are three types of students studying in the university according to their domicile status. Table 1 below demonstrates descriptive statistics of time to university depending on the type of student. The observations show that there is no significant difference in the mean or standard deviation values of time to university, depending on the type of student. This implies that domicile status has no predictive ability for time to the university. Table 1. Descriptive statistics of time to the university by domicile status. Variable            Domicile       Total  Mean   StDev  Minimum  Median  Maximum                                    Count
Introduction Ethical behavior is rightfully regarded as the building block of a productive and well functioning society. For this reason, ethical conducts are emphasized on in personal as well as public life. Businesses are encouraged to act ethically and when they fail to do this, criticism and even public uproar may follow. In most cases, ethical conduct also includes showing some measure of social responsibility which implies engaging in actions that are beneficial to the entire community. In many cases, ethical issues are not clearly cut out, and one needs to review a case critically so as to make a decision that can be considered ethical. A significant ethical case that has arisen in Australia is with regard to Barangaroo South Development. This multi-billion project has faced allegations of unethical practice which has led to the project being stalled. A particularly contentious issue in the Barangaroo development is the approval of a new hotel building which is to be built on a pier jutting into the harbor The project’s developer, Lend Lease, affirms its commitment to ethical conduct by stating that “Lend Lease is committed to maintaining high ethical standards, excellence, integrity and respect in all of our business relationships” (Lend Lease 2011, p. 19). Despite this assertion by the developers, a lot of skepticism has been expressed concerning the ethical standing and social responsibility of the Barangaroo project. This paper will set out to access the ethical standing of the Barangaroo South Development Project. An analysis of whether the project is socially responsible will also be made. Initial Perspective The Barangaroo South Development Project is a $6 billion contract for the commercial development of Barangaroo given to Lend Lease in February 2010. The contract was formally signed by Premier Kristina Keneally demonstrating the importance of the project for New South Wales. The contract guarantees the delivery of commercial as well as public benefits since Barangaroo will be a mix of commercial development, residential areas and parkland. The project is expected to create more than 3000 jobs in the construction industry during its 10 year implementation phase (NSW Government 2010). When the project is completed, 20,000 workers are expected to live in Barangaroo which will have been elevated to the level of “financial hub”. The Barangaroo South Development project has therefore been given significant attention by many members of the society. This is because the project is the first of its kind in Australia and promises to bring about huge benefits to the country including increased employment opportunities and transforming Sydney into a global financial hub (Asia Pulse 2010b). The project will also be a model that, if it is successful, will be followed by other cities throughout the world. A number of key ethical and social responsibility issues have come up. The first key issue that has arisen is the awarding of the development contract to a single developer. Clark (2010) suggests that it was hugely irresponsible for the government to
Sexual harassment at work place can be defined as offensive verbal or physical acts that are of sexual nature being extended by a colleague (Conte, 2010). In the current case and issues surrounding Herman Cain the Republican presidential candidate, it is apparent that cases of sexual harassment have taken place based on the above definition. The cases against Cain are very significant because they are going to help in redefining sexual harassment (Faw, 2011). In one of the five cases, Cain alleges that he referenced a women’s height to be like that of his wife. Notably, sexual harassment is gaining more attention in the media at least in the past two years. Good examples include the former IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal over alleged rape of a hotel house-cleaner and the Julian Assange’s extradition to Sweden to face charges relating to sexual transgression. Cases against Cain Out of the five individuals accusing Cain of sexual discrimination, only three have come out openly (Quigley, 2011). The other two have remained anonymous. Karen Kraushaar, 55, is one of the accusers who indicate that she was compensated after experiencing inappropriate behavior from Cain. Another lady named Sharon Bialek is also Cain’s accuser (Quigley, 2011). She is said to be the first women to publicly state that she faced sexual aggression from Cain as she went for advice from him in 1997. Donna Donella, previously working for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also reports that she refused to help in making dinner table for Cain and an Egyptian businesslady nine years ago because she felt uneasy (Faw, 2011). The other two are anonymous. One of them came out after the Politico news paper reported that her together with another co-worker Karen Kraushaar had received settlement from their employer National Restaurant Association for sexual harassment claims (Quigley, 2011). The last accuser is a former employee of NRA who says that aspects she considers sexually inappropriate were extended to her by Cain and thus opted filing a workplace protest (Faw
Introduction As it was explained in the lecture, Sufism cannot be defined as a particular sect or denomination within Islam, besides Sunni and Shi’a tariqas , but rather as a mystical stream of the religion. Though Sufis do obey the rules of the orthodox Islam ( sharia ), they seek for the experience beyond usual. Being not satisfied with knowledge about God as any objective factual data, they want to experience God within themselves and everything in the world, which was emphasized in the lecture. Thus, they attempt to reach the ecstatic state in which they can enter the transcendent dimension of the reality, and bridge the gap between the human and God, as it is argued it the video. The critical aspect of Sufi philosophy is the idea of the equality of the world and God. In the lecture, Qur’an was cited in this regard: “Wherever you turn, there is the face of God” (2:15). It means that the Sufi, totally immersed in love with the Divine, perceives everything as a reflection of God; he accepts any circumstances as a sign of God’s response to his passion. However, for reaching that level of connection, the devotee needs to commit disciplining or even annihilation of oneself, which was discussed in the lecture. Only after leaving his nafs (egocentric part), one can merge with God. A response to the student’s discussion In your discussion, you rightly point out that Sufis follow Islamic Law like “a very pious Muslims,” but they go beyond the simple obedience. In light of this, their ideas and practices may seem opposed to Islam. You give good examples of it, mentioning the exceptional role of saints in Sufism, which are treated as equal or near to God, a view that would be considered heresy in orthodox Islam. Another example in your discussion is related to acceptance of art, especially music, in Sufi practices, while in orthodox Islam, it is treated as a worldly pleasure, the obstacle on the path to the Divine. In contrast to it, it is the power of the sound and the movement, parts of Sufi dhikr (devotional ceremony), which is the tool to reach the ecstatic state beyond the sensual and aside from the world.
The 2006 film V for Vendetta presents a dystopian story of a masked vigilante fighting against the totalitarian regime, breaking the laws, but fighting for social justice. The plotlines of this movie and particular episodes from it support the premise made by Roland Barthes concerning the limitations of the concept of justice. Roland Barthes’ discussion of the traditional wrestling matches can be associated with the social order and depiction of daily realities of the citizens of the dystopian state. Barthes (1984) noted that the primary goal of wrestling is to demonstrate the irrelevance of the purely moral concept of justice. As can be seen from the episodes of the film V for Vendetta, the principles of justice are irrelevant for wrestling. The competitors try to win by all means and do not pay much attention to ethical considerations. Taking into account the fact that the main protagonist fights against the injustice of the totalitarian regime, but uses unlawful methods, it can be stated that the concept of justice has certain limitations when applied to the plot lines of this movie. The audience is expected to pose questions of what should be regarded as justice and what methods are correct. Barthes (1984) noted that rules cannot become a true constraint for wrestlers. The same goes for V who does not hesitate to put plosives into a train even though innocent people can die. The question of whether a fighter should use all available means to achieve certain goals is rather philosophical. However, Bathes’ theories of the limited meaning of the concept of justice for applying it to fighting can be used for understanding and justifying the actions of the main protagonist of the film. The ending of the movie under consideration proves that the concepts of good and evil are relative and cannot be applied to the principles of social justice. Barthes (1984) noted that wrestling offers an ideal understanding of the order of things because the euphoria of winners enables them to neglect the ambiguity of the everyday situation. Though the main protagonist dies in the final episode of the film and cannot enjoy the euphoria, the fight against the government and the totalitarian regime continues. Fighting for justice, the characters of the film, and particularly V and his followers fail to consider the ethical concerns of their methods of struggle. Applying the concepts developed by Barthes (1984) to the analysis of their actions, it can be stated that they might be blinded by their desire to win. The concepts of social injustice and wrestling as the best way of understanding things offered by Roland Barthes can be applied to the plot lines of the movie V for Vendetta . The episodes from this film demonstrate that the purely mora
The Hemingways novel A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is one of his best shot stories which in a full manner demonstrates the literary talent of the writer. This is a novel about loneliness and this main theme is revealed in a full manner with a maximum economy in stylistic means. The names of the main characters of the novel are not even mentioned by Hemingway. They are simply the old man, the older waiter and the younger waiter. The action is practically absent. It is just a single episode from the everyday life of the characters. However, due to the artistic skill of the author a reader can easily imagine the inner world of every character of the novel. Hemingway is famous for his ability to find something unusual in the most ordinary things and to represent it in the original and inherent only to him manner. The plot of the novel is very simple. The old man drinks whisky. It is rather late and he is the only visitor in the café. And it is far from being the first glass of whisky he drinks. During this process, two waiters are speaking about him and from their conversation, it is clear that the old man is a frequent visitor of this establishment. The writer gives few information about the old man. It is known that he is rich, deaf and lonely. He has had a wife but at the present moment the only person who takes care of him is his niece. From the talk of two waiters, it is known that recently he has made at attempt to commit suicide. The younger waiter is eager to get home as quickly as possible and he wants the old man to leave the café. The older waiter understands the emotions of the old man. The plot of the novel is revealed mainly through the dialogues of the main characters. A great attention is given to symbols and the meaning of the metamessage. The theme of loneliness runs like a golden threat through the novel. It is very symbolic that the old man is the only visitor of the café. He is sitting alone and his only interlocutors are empty glasses. It seems to me that the fact that one of the main characters of the novel is deaf has its own hidden meaning. The old man does not hear the sounds from the surrounding world; he just feels the changes in his environment. “He was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference” (Hemingway, 1933, p.1). The old man is completely deprived from the world. The older waiter, unlike his colleague seems to understand his visitor. When the young water asks the old man to
In my culture, the view on addiction differs depending on the individual, and people in one community may think that addictions are diseases, moral defects, or both. Moreover, even the same person can have varying views on the matter, depending on the circumstances. The reason for that is the multifaceted nature of addiction, which has both psychological and neurological symptoms. According to Dodes (2009), new addictive acts are a reaction to feeling powerless, which shows that addiction is a psychological symptom. However, the reaction can be resisted by the power of will to avoid developing addictive behavior. Dodes (2009) states that addictions are compulsions or displaced actions driven by emotions. However, there are certain neurological symptoms associated with addiction. In particular, addictions may be associated with reward system dysfunction or the desire to avoid withdrawal symptoms (Dodes, 2009). In short, I believe that addictions can be viewed as a moral defect since the person failed to resist the initial addictive act, which led to the development of automatic behaviors. The model that supports my belief is the integrative approach based on self-regulating theories. According to Simon and West (2015), this approach combines some aspects of automatic processing theories, reflective choice theories, and goal-focused theories. In other words, environmental factors and personal traits are essential factors that influence the development of automatic actions. An individual can counter the immediate impulses; however, “this ability can be insufficient due to a lack of strategies, skills, or capacity” (Simon &West, 2015, p. 16). In summary, I believe that humans have the ability to resist any desires imposed by the biological stimuli, insecurities, or the society if they develop appropriate coping mechanisms.
Introduction Impressionism was an art movement that took place in the 19 th century. It had a humble beginning: started as an informal association of Paris-based artists, who had begun displaying their work publicly in the 1860s. The name of the movement has its origins in the famous work of Claude Monet, called Impression, Sunrise, which led the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satiric review he wrote in the French newspaper, Le Charivari. He termed Monet’s work a sketch which seemed unfinished: “Impression — I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape” (Rewald, 1973, p. 323). Figure 1. Claude Monet’s Sunrise Impressionism was heavily inspired by the Romantic colorist Eugene Delacroix, the principal agent behind realism Gustave Courbet and painters belonging to the Barbizon school such as Theodore Rousseau. Other artists who paved the way for Impressionism were Camille Corot and Eugene Boudin, as they owned a style similar to Impressionism and imparted wisdom and knowledge to younger artists (“Impressionism”). Impressionist painting is characterized by prominent brushstrokes, an open arrangement of elements, visible use of light and its changing qualities (which is often used to emphasize the passage of time), very trite subject matter, the employment of unconventional visual angles, and the inclusion of movement as an important aspect of human perception and experience. After impressionism emerged in the visual arts medium, it led to analogous movements in arts, which will be discussed later in this paper, as well as in other media, such as Impressionism music, Impressionist literature, and Impressionist cinema (“Impressionism”). Subject matter and techniques of Impressionism The academic painting was based on certain norms and rules, which early Impressionists broke as they used vivid colors, expressive brush strokes and drew their inspiration from painters such as the French Romantic painter, Eugene Delacroix. The painting had always taken place inside the studio and this rule was not restricted to still life representations and portraits only but landscapes as well, which had always been painted indoors. The Impressionists rejected this norm and took the act of painting out into the world, as they felt they could use the effects of changing sunlight and capture the transient light in their work by painting en Plein air . Their subject matter primarily comprised of realistic scenes of everyday contemporary life and instead of stressing details, they focused on presenting a clear and vibrant overall effect. The color was pure and unmixed, brush strokes were short and broken. The dramatic color was achieved by the unblended nature of the color, as they deviated from the custom of smoothly mixing color to form one uniform shade and consistency (“Impressionism”). A number of the
Introduction Professor Oliver Curry teaches political theory at New York University in London. In 2006, in the summertime, he wrote an essay about a future human being. He claims that the essay was a fiction of future human beings, but the media released it as scientific research and that this evolution will take place. According to the report, Professor Oliver Curry writes that there will be two species of human beings by the year 3000. The report says that the men will be tall, 6ft to 7ft tall and will live longer (120 years). He said that people will be healthy, because of the diet they take. Men and women will look for potential mates by physical feature as healthy, youthful, and fertility. Modifying techniques as cosmetic surgery will homogenize our appearances. According to him, the evolved human being will have different features different from the current one, for example, men will have bigger penises, their faces will be symmetrical and they will have deeper voices while women will have glossy hair, hairless smooth skin, larger eyes, and pert breast. He says that racial differences will be forgotten as people from different regions will interbreed to produce coffee-colored skin. The long life, chiseled physical features, and perfect bodies will be at that age. Ten thousand years which follows will be a dramatic change in the appearance of the human being as people continue to rely on technology. The dependence on medicine will make people’s immune systems weakened and they will look child-like in features. According to him, the feature will be good. By definition, evolution is a gradual change in the appearance and behavior of organisms that are brought about by changes in genetic makeup. Genes are responsible for building living things, any changes or modification leads to mutation which gives a novel gene resulting in evolution. 1000 Years to Come According to the research, evolution takes a long time to take place; examples are of research done by the scholars’ that shows that mammals evolved 200 million years ago to have the present features, primates evolved 50 million years ago. It is said that human beings and chimpanzees split 6 million years ago and it took 100,000 years for a human to have the present features and so we cannot expect the evolution to happen in one thousand years to c