ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The documentary’s title is “DigIt! The Secrets of Soil,” and it has been produced by the Soil Science Society of America. It is intended for school-aged children, to whom it provides a broad and comprehensive overview of the nature of soil and its role in nature as well as human life. Its purpose is to teach the viewer how soils are formed and differentiated from each other as well as what makes them special. To that end, the documentary is regularly interspersed with quizzes testing the viewer’s understanding of the material that was just covered. The director’s message is that not all soil is the same and that the study of its differences is a complex and fascinating subject. Before watching the documentary, I was already aware that there were different types of soil, framing the difference primarily in terms of fertility and suitability for farming. I expected to see further elaboration on that topic, which was indeed present in the documentary. With that said, it also covered topics such as construction, which did not immediately occur to me. It also covered the effects of past human interactions with soil, such as waste dumps in wetlands. My primary questions were how to increase the fertility of a particular piece of land and how different soil types could be differentiated with the naked eye if that’s possible. The documentary answered both of those questions satisfactorily and in substantial detail, which I appreciated. The subject of the documentary is soil, with its fundamental importance to life on Earth and its prevalence throughout the world. It is about the different properties of soil as well as how it interacts with human life, both directly and indirectly. As such, there are essentially no events taking place in the film, as it simply moves from explanations of one topic to another. The film takes place in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and is interspersed with computer graphics that illustrate the topic being discussed better. The film uses minimal sound effects, mostly in the form of the soundtrack. With that said, it only appears to consist of one music track, and its usage throughout the documentary is irregular, with some points where it would have been appropriate going unaccompanied. The images used are reasonably sharp, with the text presented on the screen easily readable and adequate time given to do so. The camera angles are mostly static, with several panning shots used to introduce rooms within the filming location. There are no interviews, but the narrators’ explanations are well-articulated and informative. No special effects are used, other than fadeout screen transitions, but they are also not necessary given the documentary’s nature. My favorite part of the documentary was the discussion of ways to improve its fertility, notably terra preta. The addition of pottery was fascinating, as, on the surface, it seems as though it would impede plant root growth. I have
Free Will in the Eastern Religions The Eastern Family religions are native to Asia. These religions can possibly be categorized into two categories: Taoist and Indian religions. Some of the Taoist religions are Taoism itself, Shintoism, and Confucianism. Indian religions include Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Essentially, Eastern religions base their ideologies on both religious practices and philosophy. Indian religions, for instance, emphasize natural law and personal duty. Related to this is the question of free will. The question here, therefore, is how the Eastern family religions perceive free will. This discussion on ‘free will’ will focus on Hinduism. However, Hinduism here does not represent all other Eastern religions. Despite the share origins, these religions still differ. This analysis should therefore only be understood as an isolated example. Free Will in Hinduism Hinduism deals with the notion of free will in much detail in relation to the ‘karma’, i.e. the laws of rebirth. According to Hinduism, fate and free will are not at war. While God is the dispenser of human fate, humans themselves are responsible for the actions that lead to that fate. One, therefore, exercises free will through action. In other words, fate refers to the past karma, while free will refers to the present karma. The only difference between fate and free will is in relation to ‘time’. Otherwise, since both are the same, i.e. karma, there can never be any conflicts. Karma operates on the law of cause and effect, based on the premise that one reaps what he sows. A ‘karma’ is a consequence of human action, and those actions are the fruits of human thoughts. Karma is therefore the cycle of action and reaction that runs life. In the end, the soul pays the price of its own actions, as reflected in feelings, thoughts, and actions. And love returns to those who give it to others. The soul, therefore, cannot escape taking responsibility for its own actions. As it proceeds to the next cycle, it bears the impressions of its former life. But karma should not be mistaken for fate as everyone still possesses the power of free will. On the basis of the aspect of free will, the determination of the laws of karma is not favoring to particular people as everyone is treated the same, and has the same opportunity for personal growth. Every human, therefore, has to go through his past karma again. Thus, it can be said that the notion of fate controlling human lives is void. Instead, it is one’s karma that guides him/her to behave and live in a certain way, i.e. towards maturity and wisdom. The present is always there for a person, who, through free will, can shape that ‘present
Introduction The history of the human race shows that life was sustained during the primitive through hunting. Men were primarily engaged in hunting wild animals for food. Using primitive weapons, the men of the tribe would set forth as a pack to track down and kill animals for the sustenance of the whole tribe. Sociologists and anthropologists theorize that this instinct has never died in the human race even today. It has evolved into two acts commonly seen in present times namely wars and sports. In other words, these two activities are an offshoot of the hunting instinct that survives in the human mind even today. The act of war is now seen as inhuman and its frequency has come down to a great extent. But taking part in sporting activities of different kinds has only increased over the ages. Many forms of sports, some violent, and others not so, have been invented, evolved, and refined over some time. The more violent of these could be seen even during the early part of recorded history, for example, the gladiators of ancient Rome. In modern times, such sporting activity is seen in boxing, martial arts, wrestling, and the more recent hybrid form called mixed martial arts. This paper is research on the effect of participation in mixed martial art by children. This sport, dubbed as human cock-fighting by John McCain has brought mixed reactions from the public about its legitimacy and allowing children to participate in it. Hence, a study will be made among children who have experienced this sport to see whether they have been positively or negatively affected by it. History of mixed martial art (MMA) As mentioned earlier any sporting activity is seen as an extension of the hunting instinct in humans. According to Desmond Morris, the famous anthropologist, and man-watcher, “sporting activities are essentially modified forms of hunting behavior. Viewed biologically, the modern footballer is revealed as a member of a disguised hunting pack”. (Sporting behavior, Page 448, Desmond Morris, The Pocket Guide to Man Watching, Triad Grafton Books, London, 1988). This will form one of the core arguments in this paper. According to the above quote, any sport is an offshoot of hunting and hence so is the case with mixed martial art. But according to the detractors of the sport, it is too violent and does not have proper rules that aim to protect those who participate in the sport. “It bases the decisions about which techniques to use on their demonstrated effectiveness by different practitioners in open, non-style-specific sparring and/or competition that is designed to have as few rules as possible while still ensuring safety against death or severe permanent injury”. There appears to be a contradiction in the statement in the sense that while the sport allows any style of fighting, the fact that there are only very few rules can undermine the safety of the participants. Mixed martial arts can claim its origin in ancient Greece where different styles of wrestling and boxing could be used. It was known by the name Pankration events. However, modern mixed martial arts seem to have originat
Introduction Business is always aimed at making profit. Profit is the gain after subtracting the cost of production, labor and other expenses that a business has incurred. The business people should do everything possible to maximize their profits. This is done by making sure that the costs are cut down, as much as possible. According to Milton Friedman, the social responsibility of a business is to make as much profits as possible. He emphasize that the sole purpose of a business is to make profit and the government is the one to be concerned with social responsibilities. On the other hand, Robert Almeder recognizes that the purpose of business is to make profit but morality should be considered. The business people should always do what is morally right when purchasing their goods (Bonello and Lobo 2-6). Profits should not always be the only motivation of business people; they should also work as a way of contributing to the society. They should always value their customers. Some people do not value their customers and all they do is work only for the purpose of profit thus not treating customers properly. At the end they loss customers and the business collapse. In this case when starting a business one should also have the interest of people at heart. Friedman Milton also stated that businessmen do not believe that their businesses are merely for profits but they also promote desirable social ends (Bonello and Lobo 7-8). There are two types of businesses. There are those businesses that are set up for making profits this includes private companies or private businesses. There are other businesses whose aim is not primarily making profit. This includes the nongovernmental organizations. Their aim has always been to help the less fortunate and vulnerable people in the society. Organizations also can set up a business with the aim of helping their workers. Businesses should also consider the environment where they are set and so they give back by providing money to care for the environment like tree planting projects or cleaning the environment. This paper will look at the profit not always being the business of businesses. Friedman Milton view According to Friedman Milton the greatest social responsibility of a business is to make profit. Business should do the best to maximize its profit. In capitalism profit is the motivator for starting up a business. He argues that when a business makes profit, it will be able to take part in other social responsibilities like providing employment and giving back to the community. The businesses providing employment reduces discrimination and also contributes by avoiding environment pollution. With the global problem of unemployment, people are being encouraged to start up businesses as a form of employment. These businesses grow and at the end many people get employed. With this, it’s clear that businesses are not always for the purposes of making profit to the owner but also for employing people in the society. Friedman Almeder refers to this as the social responsibility of a business (Bonello and Lobo 9-11). He gave example with Corporations. They are mostly set up b
Introduction Colonialism was highly practiced by major European powers which made sure that they had many colonies in Asia, Africa, and America. The aim of colonialism was to seek raw materials for the growing industries, seeking a market for the manufactured products and imperialism. To achieve this, they used several strategies to make sure that they acquired and maintained their colonies. (Fanon 2001) Strategies used by Europeans in colonialism The Europeans imposed their culture on their subjects. They made sure that they used the same language, education system, and any other mode of socializing. The aim of this was to ensure that their culture took root and so no other colony would manage to colonize the subjects. The colonial language was used in ensuring that there was a smooth means of communication between the colonialists and the subjects. For example, the Britons used made sure that the English language was the main language while the French encouraged their subjects to master their language and culture in order for them to become French citizens. (Fanon 2001) Religion Religion played a big role in colonialism. Most of the Europeans were Christians and so they tried to impose religion among their subjects. In most of the colonies, the missionaries were the first to go and spread Christianity in readiness for the colonialists to take over. They also used Christianity as a we
Introduction The concept of privity of contract is important to understanding some points of the law we encounter in our everyday lives. This paper aims to explain the term and discuss some examples and exceptions to its use. Principle of Privity of Contract Simply speaking, privity of contract means that only the sides of the agreement are obliged by the law to fulfill it (Duhaime’s Law Dictionary par. 1). It means that nobody can be forced to follow the agreement made by somebody else. It also means that no third party can prosecute one of the sides if it fails to comply with the terms of the contract. For example, A promises B to pay C 100$. A and B are the sides of the contract. They are privy to it. So, C has no right to sue A in case they fail to pay the promised sum of money. Despite receiving the benefits of the contract, C is not privy to it. The concept is based on an assumption that only people directly involved in the contract have the right to decide whether they want to legally enforce its terms. However, a problem occurs, when a third party is somehow affected by the contract being fulfilled (What is Privity in Contract Law par. 3). Such situations occur very often in wholesale trade and insurance contracts. For that reason, some exceptions to the principle were created. History of Privity of Contract Originally, the concept was created in order to prevent third parties from enforcing the agreement. In the middle of the 19 th century, the British court ruled out the privity of contract to stop that behavior (Law Commission 2). It was justified by another legal concept known as consideration. Consideration is something that one of the sides puts into the contract. It can be physical or virtual. For example in the example above, A’ consideration is the obligation to pay 100$ to C. B’s consideration is the right to enforce the payment. Thus, both sides have investments in the contract and will lose out if it is not fulfilled. The concept of privity was developed based on the logical assumption that an agreement should only concern parties which have invested in it. It has existed almost unchanged for about half a century until the problems with the concept became apparent to judges around the world. The first noticeable exception to the concept was created in 1
The Author’s Intent The author of the book intends to provoke those proclaiming to be Christians to develop a deeper and unwavering commitment to Christ and to encourage those not already professing Christianity, to have an interest and craving for it, and to convince them to follow a Christian way of living. He wants to discredit those depicting the New Testament as being implausible and outlandish to provide a true character of Jesus Christ, that though it might not be flawless, it actually suffices to deliver God’s message to humanity. He aspires to provide testimonials that may encourage others to become Christians (Jefferson 39). Synopsis Jefferson strives to convince the reader to become a Christian. He begins by explaining why some people actually forsake Christianity in favor of other religions. He notes that some people will shun Christianity, not because it is a loathed and undesirable religion, but because of the initial influence from those who claim to be Christians. He notes that many have been discouraged by Christianity because they preferred to join it through episcopal means. This might be through someone who professes Christianity, but has been inconsistent or pharisaical. Another instance is where the local church does not have a true Christian foundation. This usually results in someone shunning Christianity in his/her entire life. However, Jefferson suggests that the best way to become a Christian is through a study of his character. He states that neither professing Christianity nor making bigoted assertions are ways to become a Christian. He suggests that one should be interested in Jesus’s character other than in his outer life (Jefferson 37). The author depicts the character of Jesus as being a sincere person. He states how Jesus in the midst of a detestable set of inexorable detractors and murderers, stood forth unruffled and steadfast in God’s ways. He also describes Jesus as a reasonable person, original, trustful, brotherly, optimistic, patient, humble and holy. The author’s Accomplishments Jefferson has achieved his mission of explaining the character of Jesus, through direct quotations from the four gospels in the New Testament. His Justifications of Jesus’ character form a strong basis of trying to convince the reader to follow Christianity. He explains the character of Jesus by considering his life as explained by those he came into contact with. For instance, he presents Jesus’ reasonableness on topics such as fasting, the Sabbath, prayer and swearing. He uses examples of how people react to a fallen horse on the street of an American city and a drunken man in the same street. He explains Jesus’ originality by quoting how he proclaimed himself to be the light of the world, bread and water of life, the only good shepherd, the way, the truth, the life and mediator between God and man (Jefferson 102). In epitomizing Jesus as trustful, he notes how he was persecuted, scorned, maligned, abused, and even execrated. He was incriminated of blasphemy and of treason, but his trust in God remained steadfast. His
Abstract This article talks about ethics and social responsibility in advertisement. It focuses on the approach that many organizations are using by of selling their products through sex and by degrading the women all over the world. The brand that has been selected is Axe. It will start off by discussing the issue and as we move on, it will give the ethical implications and towards the end, it will give a few recommendations to the managers of Axe of what they should do. Introduction Marketers have a responsibility that comes with their job. They must be conscientious by being ethical in whatever they do (Kotler, P. & Gray Armstrong, 2008). They need to know that they have the power to influence people and hence this power should not be misused. In this paper, I will talk about ethics and social responsibility in marketing with respect to a chosen product. The product that I have chosen for this paper is Axe Body Spray. The reason why I have chosen this product is because of its positioning in the market. It has positioned itself as a brand that would make you seem irresistible for the opposite sex (Hamm, S., 2007). The reason why I have chosen this brand specifically is because it spoils the audience through its sex loaded advertisements. Each and every campaign portrays women as merely objects that get attracted to the opposite sex because of the deodorant he is wearing. In my opinion, such advertisement campaigns spoil the audience and also portray women as nothing more than objects of desire. Description or product or service Axe is a leading brand for personal care for men. The product that I will be focusing on is Axe Body Spray which is its most running product. This brand was launched in France in 1983. It was introduced in the United States of America in 2002. This brand was an instant hit with the youth market, persuading men that clean-smelling bodies and armpits are more likely to make them more appealing (Howard, T., 2005). The parent company of this brand is Unilever which is a British and Dutch based company which produces a wide range of everyday use products for consumers all over the world. Axe is the leading brand in personal care for men all over the world. It was successful in Europe and then it was introduced worldwide. It also gained success in developing nations such as India and Middle East as well. Worldwide, Axe has positioned itself as a body spray which can get the attention of the opposite sex and this is portrayed in a sexual manner. Most advertisements display women as objects of sexual desire. This, I believe, is an insult to women all over the world. These advertisements also tend to corrupt the minds of its users. Ethical implications As mention above, Axe has position itself as a bran