ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The origins of Asian-American literature date back to the 1970s. However, the turning point in its development occurred no earlier than 1982 when Elaine Kim published her seminal book of criticism, Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Since then, the field of Asian-American literature has expanded significantly and grown to incorporate a multitude of themes concerning race, politics, gender roles, and ethnicity. A special focus is put on integrating diverse cultural influences and searching for one’s own meaning of Asian roots and the reality of living in America. The lived experiences of Asian-American women take a special place within the body of the literature as their identities find themselves at the intersection of race and gender. The Asian-American writer Laura Chow Reeve’s short story 1,000 Years-Old Ghosts that coming to terms with one’s identity requires respecting ancestral memory. The story 1,000 Years-Old Ghosts revolves around three generations of Asian-American women, with the oldest one, referred to as Popo, being the newcomer to the United States from Vietnam. This makes her daughter, Anne, a second-generation immigrant who further assimilated to the new country by marrying an Asian raised in America. In turn, Katie, the granddaughter, has never lived in her family’s country of origin, and her only vehicle of connecting with her ancestry is through the other two women. Unfortunately, Katie is having a difficult time le
Introduction Human population across the globe has attempted to develop close relations with each other over the past centuries. The close contact has been necessary for promoting various social and economic developments, resulting into interdependency among different regions in the world, which is important for economic growth and social integration (Global Policy Forum, 2011). This has been accelerated by better policies and the technological developments that have been recorded in the past; for instance, information technology such as the internet has made access to different parts of the world easier, faster, and efficient (The Levin Institute, 2011). The coming together of different social, economic, and political systems across the globe can be termed as globalization (Global Policy Forum 2011; The Levin Institute, 2011). According to The Levin Institute (a division of the State University of New York providing professional education and public engagement) (2011), globalization is a “process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade, and investment aided by information technology.” It involves integration of the business functions of an organization with the global market forces like customer needs (Keillor and Kannan, 2011, p.223). Globalization has been associated with foreign direct investments. The volume of world trade has increased over 20 times since the beginning of the second half of twentieth century. Between 1997 and 1999 alone, the foreign direct investments increase by almost 100% from $468 billion to $827 billion (The Levin Institute, 2011). Large multinational enterprises operate business in different countries in the world. The companies manufacture products in several countries in which they are established and sell the products to their consumers across the globe. Globalization has impacts on the culture, environment, economy, political system, and the health and physical wellbeing of the individuals involved across the globe (Huynan et al, 2005). Globalization has been enhanced by initiatives by different governments of promoting international trade by removing barriers to such trade like tariffs and export/import duties, and instead, developing international trade policies (The Levin Institute, 2011). Many countries have liberalized their trade policies to allow for foreign investors into and out of the country. Automotive industry has witnessed globalization in the past and this is bound to accelerate at even a highe
Introduction Angst Essen Seele Auf is known as Ali: Fear Eats the Soul released in 1974 is a beautiful direction of Rainer Werner Fassbinder who has sketched the entire movie as direct as the scornful glare of a white man to the same gaze of a black man that holds many secrets within (Critic After Dark). The cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder carries the traits of sheer sensitivity and yet, at times, depicts wise nobleness. Thoughtfully organized work is extremely emotional and passionate and highlights those who dare to act outside the norms set by society. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul sketches a Western German society of the 1960s till the early years of the 1980s. Fassbinder often felt that being a bisexual has set him outside the boundaries of his society. His rage towards society is seen quite well in the movie as it develops around a foreign Arab worker Ali played by El Hedi ben Salem and a much older German woman a cleaning lady called Emmi Kurowski played by Brigitte Mira (Coleman). The cinematography of the movie has been deeply influenced by Douglas Sirk’s famous melodrama All That Heaven Allows. However, when the two movies are compared, no doubt the screening of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul takes the lead. He has used his theatrical skills to portray and reset the definitions of racial intolerance and prejudice, which are way beyond smoother than what Sirk was able to show in his movie (Jake). Sequence Analysis on the opening scene of Ali–Fear Eats the Soul The sequence I have chosen to analyze is the opening scene of Angst Essen Seele Auf (Ali–Fear Eats the Soul). The scene lasts for at least 6:30 min. I found the scene highly interesting because it sets the entire theme of the movie in motion. Fassbinder has very beautifully made the use of both colors and camera movement to display the sheer isolation experienced by both the main characters of the movie, which later on become lovers (Critic After Dark). The scene shows the very first meeting of both the lovers in which Emmy is portrayed as the trout German female protagonist enters the front door of the pub. How the row of small tables all topped with bright red table cloths has been laid in front of her has helped the camera in highlighting her distance As she steps in the bar has appears to be strangely quiet and motionless. Fassbinder takes a sharp shot to the other end of the bar in the form of a counter shot where Ali, Barbara the bar owner, and other friends gave offensive stares at Emmi, who realizing the wordless assault grabs a chair and sits on it (Critic After Dark). The scene already displays one of the major issues of the movie in which society discriminates against outsiders or non-foreigners act strangely with foreigners. The aspect of cultural differences that can never be bridged is also indirectly pointed (Waltje). Surprisingly amongst the entire crowd, it is Emmi who is labeled as an outsider, and every action that she performs buil
Introduction The presidential approval rating in the United States is influenced by many factors, including the prevailing economic status, the rally effect, especially in times of foreign policy issues, scandals, whether economic or behavioral and the “honeymoon effect’ among others. This paper will discuss three different U.S. presidents based on the categories highlighted above. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)-The Rally Effect President George Bush enjoyed an approval rating of over 80% in 1991. This is attributed to his decision to send American troops to counter attacks on Kuwait by Iraq military forces. The Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, had authorized his troops to invade Kuwait and then extend into Saudi Arabia. The decision by Saddam had received international condemnation, with the U.N. Security Council instilling economic sanctions on Iraq. In his endeavor to free Kuwait from the attacks, Bush rallied the American populace, the Congress, and the United Nations. This saw him send 425,000 American troops into Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Here, the forces were joined by more than 100,000 other troops from allies. Within a few weeks of fatal air and missile bombardments, the U.S.-led troops launched a land battle christened “Desert Storm,” which within a span of one hundred hours had routed the million-man force from Iraq. The military and diplomatic triumph made Bush a hero and saw him achieve unprecedented levels of popularity not only from the American People but the world as a whole attributable to the rally effect (Murdico, p.7). Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)-The Economy The 1979 energy crisis greatly affected the U.S. economy. The inflation and interest rates rose, resulting in slowed economic growth and an increase in unemployment. Also, this led to a sharp fall in consumer confidence. During this time, efforts by the government to reverse the trend seemed to bear no fruits, and many Americans became disillusioned. As was expected, the people expressed their anger at the government’s inability to contain the situation. Jimmy Carter’s approval rating was at 28%, the lowest ever recorded for any sitting U.S. president in modern times. The problem was exacerbated further by his inability to convince Congress to impose price controls on energy and other integral commodities such as medicine. His effort to ask cabinet secretaries to resign was perceived as a tactic to shift the blame on his inability to take control of the government, resulting in his eventual re-election failure in 1980 (Gallup & Newport, p. 120). William Clinton (1993- 2000)-Scandal The 1998 Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal did not directly affect the country, but by virtue of the officeholder, it attracted immense attraction. The scandal opened up similar accusations against the president, notably the sexual harassment case filed by Paula Jones, who was previously an employee of Arkansas State. When the
As the Industrial Age swung into full gear toward the middle of the 19 th century, artisans of every type began reacting to the machine age with a greater appreciation for and desire to preserve the handcrafted arts of the past. “Not only art but also everyday objects, buildings, décor, everything lacked a face, and it was the realization of its lack in this particular respect which began to make the period so cruelly conscious of its anonymity.” 1 This movement in the artistic fields spanned everything from fine art and handicrafts to architecture and architectural theory. It has come to be known as the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of the people working and writing during this period idealized the highly created ornamentation of the medieval past. In emphasizing the importance of the human mind in the creation of objects, they re-introduced many of the highly decorative elements of the gothic age in whatever medium they worked. John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a widely acclaimed architectural critic during this period and contributed greatly to the thought and expression of architecture of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He stated, “all cast and machine work is bad, as work … it is dishonest … the painter should grind his colors; the architect work in the mason’s yard with his men.” 2 Ruskin’s ideas heavily influenced the architectural designs coming out of this period as can be seen through an analysis of the architectural works of Philip Webb and William Lethaby. Writin
The functional and behavioral aspects of the mind depict the need and desire to know when certain conceptual strategies of learning are incorporated (Desse, 1967). These concepts create space to learn effectively. We, therefore, need to evaluate and enumerate these concepts to enhance acquisition of knowledge and proper progresses in day to day learning processes. In a bid to perform this task, I will examine the concepts of learning and enumerate several issues related to them comprehensively. The strategies involved in acquisition of knowledge involve an arranged sequence of events with a similar goal. Acknowledging oneself as a learner is a fundamental aspect enabling effective learning. This includes determining one’s best learning strategies, assessing understanding and shifting the learning strategies appropriately. The other aspect is capturing of the subject or topic overview. This is where a person reads a syllabus outline and gets enlightenment of the subject coverage. Splitting tasks into bits that could be understood easily is a key to effective learning. For instance, a chapter could be broken into smaller topics or time intervals before completion. This, also, incorporates evaluating their comparisons and grouping them in an easier and fast way for a person to understand. Other aspects requiring consideration include the knowledge about why a person is learning, things that the learner is aware of, assessing understanding after each topic and requesting for help. The final aspect is about memorizing and reviewing. This stage requires commitment in ensuring that a person attained a certain idea. It involves reviewing of past papers, revising and using mnemonic devices (Terry, 2009). Learning and performance are two related and distinct terms. Learning refers to the acquisition of new knowledge. It calls for the need and desire to obtain information and incorporate it into the mind. The concepts trigger learning and its efficiency. For instance, observing, hearing, touching, writing and reading are some of the aspect that triggers learning. It is, also, crucial to point out that schools rarely argue about what they should learn. On the other side, performance refers to a strategy of rating the art of learning. It is unfortunate that most schools emphasize more on performance than learning. The schools argue more about the performance than learning (Engelmann, 2004). The conceptual approaches in learning involve the substantiation of information hard to understand into simpler bits. This may involve selection and definition of contents awaiting dissemination. There are two different ways in which a person can learn. The two approaches involve the use of pervasive ideas and isolation of content topics. They cover the same contents. However, the structures of substantiation differ. For instance, when using pervasive ideas, there is a comprehensive study of a topic regardless of the relationships that exist on certain issues. On the other hand, the second approach involves categorization of a main topic into subtopics that describe issues relating to
Introduction Education’s importance is one of the priorities in modern society. Parents try to provide their children with the best options, find money to pay for their education and choose among the existing options. It is not a surprise to observe how often people use the word “college” in their communication. Students consider “college” as a place where they have to spend some time, obtain new knowledge, and develop various skills. Parents believe it is a period of life when multiple changes occur to their children. However, “college” has many more meanings, and this paper focuses on the discussion of its meaning, application in different sources, and its importance in everyday use. Definition One of the easiest and fastest ways to find a definition of the word is to surf the web and choose an available dictionary. In the Cambridge Dictionary, one of the ways to define “college” is to consider it as “a university where you can study for an undergraduate (= first) degree” or “any place for specialized education after the age of 16 where people study or train to get knowledge and/or skills” (“College,” n.d.a). Still, to understand the true meaning of this word, it is expected to develop thorough research and check its use in different sources. For example, a future project has to include such a definition of “college” as “a group of people with a p
Abstract Patients’ responses to drug therapy vary widely. Pharmacogenomics, as a novel field, elucidates the genetic factors that underlie the observed differences in drug metabolism. It is only through pharmacogenomic research that the genetic differences that affect the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs can be understood. Research shows that about 20 percent of drug metabolism phenotypes can be attributed to genetic factors (Deverka, 2009). In particular, genetic polymorphisms involving certain genes that encode for drug-metabolizing enzymes have a major effect on drug metabolism. Pharmacogenomics promises to improve drug efficacy and safety by increasing our understanding of how genetic factors affect drug metabolism. This could potentially result in safe and effective personalized medicine with significant implications for public health. This paper examines the topic Pharmacogenomics and its application in clinical research, pharmacology, and public health improvement. Reasons for the Current Importance of the Topic Vast individual differences exist with regard to drug response, which determines drug efficacy and/or host toxicity. Studies have established that the differences in drug response depend on factors such as age, drug interactions, race/ethnicity, and nature of the disease, among others. While these factors influence drug metabolism in patients, genetic polymorphisms involving drug receptors play a pivotal role in determining the differences in treatment efficacy and toxicity among individuals. Genetic variations alter a drug’s properties, which, in turn, affect its metabolism. Inherited variability in drug metabolism documented in many clinical studies has given rise to Pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics, as a field, examines how genetic variations among humans influence their responses to medicines. Therefore, Pharmacogenomics helps unravel the role of genetic differences in drug metabolism, which is an important step in the development of personalized medicine. In recent years, advanced genetic tools for identification of gene variants have been developed. Moreover, the existing Bioinformatics tools and the human genome projects have generated enormous amount of genomic data, which help researchers elucidate the relationship between genes and drug therapy. Since the discovery of the role of genetic polymorphism in drug metabolism in the 1980s, the genes that encode for drug-metabolizing enzymes, including CYP2D6, have been cloned in vitro. Using advanced molecular tools, researchers have been able to identify, isolate, and clone genes coding for specific pharmacogenetic traits in order to elucidate their role in drug metabolism. Typically, the genes that code for enzymes involved in drug metabolism are ‘monogenic’. They are important in understanding the pharmaco
Introduction It is impossible to underestimate the importance of natural law for a healthy Christian society. Its significance for people is explained by the role it plays in creating a moral underpinning of the present-day communities providing them with guidance for their behavior. 1 This influence can be explicitly traced when assessing the grounds for the emergence of basic regulations in the political, economic, and cultural lives of citizens around the world. However, it is still unclear if the ideas elaborated by Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas are compatible with the continuously changing environment. 2 Therefore, this paper aims to consider the place of this theoretical instrument in the world, its impact on major institutions, and the compliance of these entities with the standards of the natural-law tradition. The Perceptions of Natural Law Developed by J. Budziszewski One of the scholars illuminating the subject of the philosophy applicable to the development of Christian morality is J. Budziszewski. His views are confirmed by this field’s benefits in complementing sacred writings. Thus, according to him, the concept of natural law in society takes the central place since it serves as an instrument preparing people for the appropriate interpretation of God’s teachings. In other words, the scriptures should be viewed through the lens of conscience inherent in humanity, even though it is not easy to reveal. This idea implies using the presented theory from pre-Christian times to grasp the meaning of the guidance provided by God. It does not make the natural lawless valuable compared to the essential religious writings. On the contrary, the approach proposed by J. Budziszewski emphasizes its importance for understanding biblical descriptions of virtue and fairness. Natural Law and Political, Economic, and Cultural Institutions Political Institutions and Their Modern Versions The first aspect of evaluating the influence of philosophical thought on the establishment of societal order is politics. It is directly connected to the natural law theory due to its interrelation with basic human rights. 3 The importance of this notion for institutions is explained by its effects on the legal formation of equality and independence based on morality inherent in the mentioned approach. 4 As it was written in Titus 3:9, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” 5 From this perspective, it can be concluded that the emergence of a truly fair government for the benefit of citizens is possible only if there is a solid foundation such as the one provided by natural law. It allows avoiding the specified issues resulting from the lack of agreement. As for the compliance with theoretical standards, the existing entities involved in the political activity do not fully conform to them since they are characterized by passivity and the neglect of human motives. 6 Thus, the concept’s recovery is needed to align their decisions with the population’s critical needs. Economic Insti