ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The book, “Once a Warrior–Always a Warrior” by Hoge gives an account of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alongside other war reactions, which veterans, service members, government workers or contractor previously deployed in a war zone endure after coming back home. Hoge was triggered to write this book so as to bridge the gap that exists between combat veterans, the society and mental health professionals in as far as comprehending PTSD is concerned. Unfortunately, the medical definition of PTSD does not show any understanding of this disorder in the context of someone who has been through combat. It is misused to refer to any post-war behavioural problem like having failed relationships, being violent and getting in fights, or driving under the influence of alcohol. PTSD is seen as a mental disorder but in actual sense, it is a physical condition that has a huge toll on the whole body and can be understood well via the developing science of stress physiology (describes the body’s normal response to extreme stress). Each person has a breaking point, which if reached leads to total exhaustion. Veterans succumb to total physical and metal exhaustions since reaching the breaking point is inevitable in an event such as war. As objectively stated there is not sign of a mental condition in such an instance (xiii). As Hoge writes, PTSD is associated with different meanings among different people. It is considered to be among the 300 diagnoses described in detail in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is defined based on a specific set of symptoms, which have been present for more than one month. It can be acute if the symptoms have lasted between 1 and 3 months and chronic if more than 3 months. If the symptoms begin six months after combat trauma, then this is known as delayed onset. However, warriors with delayed onset did experience some reactions that were similar to what the warriors experienced during the time of trauma but apparently suppressed them or avoided dealing with them. The clear-cut between the three categories of PTSD has not proved useful. PTSD is defined by mental health professionals depending on the particular list of symptoms that prevail. Unfortunately, as earlier stated, it does not capture the full picture with regard to reactions to war. Neither does it distinguish between what is normal and what is abnormal within a military context. This is because PTSD is continuously confused with some normal reactions experienced by warriors/veterans during war. Combat stress, acute stress reaction, post-traumatic stress and combat stress reaction are some other terms used to refer to PTSD. Medical professional also use these terms thereby creating confusion. Combat and post-traumatic stresses are used to refer to less severe forms of distress or symptoms as compared with PTSD. They are not essential terms that could be used because they lack a clear definition. A combat stress reaction/acute stress re
Critical thinking as a part of work Critical thinking is essential in all aspects of my line of work, imports, and exports, or more generally referred to as international trade. Attempts to persuade people are everywhere (Kemp, 2005). My line of work exchanges goods across international borders while outsourcing plays a major role. The environment is similar to the more commonly known domestic trading because the principles are still the same, however, there are some important differences to note. International trade is commonly more expensive because of export taxes and additional time which so often must be invested to make deals. Language problems are often common as well, however, the solution to this particular situation does not require a significant amount of critical thinking. The most common problem I face is in choosing how to organize teams for outsourcing. To manage my business I often hire teams online to handle smaller subtasks such as sales, accounting, leads, business communication, customer service, and some finer areas of inventory as well. Handling these teams and people requires an extensive amount of critical thinking. Why do I need critical thinking? My thinking is normally more casual in everyday life, however, when I must think critically I tend to think about my thinking processes. I often wonder if I am correctly perceiving my business and if I need to better use my employees to accomplish certain tasks to reflect certain changes. On average I handle organizing teams well as I am not overly experimental and have learned much from my experience. I have a strong ability to learn the most from all situations and recall similar situations that I have been in before in an attempt to decide what to do. I am also educated in my areas, so I have the knowledge required to consider all aspects and business outcomes when designing a team. My results in the past have been mixed but all above average, so I know that I am at least doing some things right, which also suggests that I do have some skill in implementing effective methodologies. I understand that critical thinking requires persistence as well as the ability to recognize problems. I consider myself to have a strong ability for detecting problems in potential employees through their resumes and communication skills. I tend to disregard employees which have a lot of ‘fluff’ or material that would only sound nice in another area when I consider resumes. Also, when an employee is to be working in a team if he is hired, I know that if he cannot bring himself to speak openly with me or anyone else he may have spoken with previously in the company then it would be foolish to hire him. Whether or not interviews make people nervous is irrelevant in this situation.
Pather Panchali is surely something I have had no intention of becoming so infatuated with. I believe the film by Satyajit Ray has had a lasting impact on me because of its themes and impeccable execution. It might seem impossible to capture an all-encompassing concept of life on film. The directorial debut by Ray, however, manages to encapsulate the life and the primal aspects of being human. What I like a lot about the film is its ability to capture birth, growing up, death, and other vast concepts. Pather Panchali reminded me of the feeling of wonder and discovery that accompanied me growing up. I see myself in the film as young Apu attempts to explore his surroundings, but the fear of the unknown keeps following him. The main strength of Ray’s directorial debut is a sense of realism, which is a part of every frame. Everyone can connect to the film’s portrayal of life as it is, with fatigue, diseases, faith, and relationships. The acting and structure of the film contribute to the sense of realism, which allows viewers to experience real life in a real village. Apart from enjoying an authentic story and raw images of a rural Bengal village, I find the central theme of poverty exceptionally well-developed. At the beginning of the film, it is evident that the main hardships the characters face are a result of poverty. Two young siblings’ untarnished spirits, as well as their inability to grasp adult problems, resonate with me on a deeper level. The film demonstrates that poverty can take away the blissful sense of wonder children possess and replace it with an inescapable sense of danger. In conclusion, Pather Panchali is truly a masterpiece from one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of India.
Description and Key Features The Royal Exhibition property and Carlton Gardens is situated in Melbourne Australia and covers an area of 26 hectares. At the center is the Royal Exhibition building which is constructed using a combination of brick, timber, steel and slate. Designed by Joseph Reeds of Reeds and Barnes Architects, the building and grounds have both gothic and classical elements together with the German round-arched style. It has motifs from earlier European buildings combining both secular and religious elements (Jokilehto 2008). As a reflection of its religious values, the building assumes the shape of a crucifix in accordance with the Christian faith. It has two elevations; the south and the north. The southern one has a large central porch with a large round-arched semicircular opening. This is a feature originating from the Crystal Palace in London. It terminates with projecting pavilions with rounded corners. The northern elevation has projecting transept and a porch but most of its features are similar to the ones on the southern elevation. The eastern and western sides of the building are symmetrical and terminated by square cornered pavilions. Despite this, they share most of the features with the southern and northern parts of the building (UNEP 2004). Another prominent feature of the building is an octagonal drum that is 18.3 meters in diameter and 68 meters tall known as the dome (Wells 2006). Made of timber and cast iron, it is situated at the crossing point of the naves and transepts. The dome concept can be said to be borrowed from Christian and Muslim religions. The original décor was done exclusively by John Mather who used images that promote art, science, agriculture and coat of arms in conjunction with aesthetic flowers (Yule 2007). The second theme by John Clay Beeler used strong colours like red, gold and blue but with the same message of empire, glory and improvement. John Ross Anderson did the third repainting in 1901 using brown, red and green colours and introduced concepts to the building that reflected peace, war, federation and government. Currently, the building is in the process of being restored to the theme that was there in the 20 th century (Yule 2007). The Carlton Garden was added to host the 1888 great exhibition. It reflects inputs from horticulturalist William Sangster and surrounds the building on all four sides. The south end is used as pleasure gardens. In the southern garden, there were both exotic and native oak trees together with a flower bed planted in a formal symmetrical layout pattern (Gonzales et al. 2008). Some of the trees are still there today but the railings, fountains and seats are absent. The garden and the fountains are surrounded by a cast iron fence. The largest foun
Introduction Investors’ confidence in American business was greatly shaken by the Enron Scandal. Enron Corporation was a company rated as one of the most ambitious and fast rising company, so much so, that Fortune magazine once rated this company as ‘the most innovative company’ before the scandal broke down in December 2001. Enron was energy manufacturing and trading company. Enron was the largest marketer of electricity, and natural gas in Northern America, and U.K.; but Enron scandal broke down all of financial, administrative, commercial, and statutory parameters. The company investors suffered so much from the scandalous management that their Enron holdings became worthless. Some say that basic cause of debacle was the non- happening of miracle that Enron shown to its investors. Enron promised them results miles ahead of other energy companies and in the process company’s borrowing increased and resulted in a great corporate financial debacle of decades. Nitty- gritty of Enron Scandal   * Company declared false profits for a number of years, as its accounting systems failed utterly in observing the ‘Generally Accepted Accounting Principles’ (GAAP)   * Big-wigs of management who were responsible for the disaster escaped either under the game plan of retirements or they sold their stakes in Enron prior to eruption of scandal.   * Controls, both internal and external, of the company proved so ineffective that for years declaration of false profits went on unchecked as if controls were ploy in hands of manipulators.   * Those at the helm of affairs, like board of directors and audit committees, were made so ineffective in over viewing the actual facts, or probably were part of scandalous operations.   * Outside auditors overlooked the happening for years and that questioned the working of hitherto unblemished accounting profession.   * It is said that million of dollars spent in top US politicians election campaigns at different levels was the real cause of emptying the Enron coffers and then covering those with fraudulent financial and accounting manipulations. Scandalous Schemes Special Purpose entities (SPEs) As per GAAP operating income is calculated from ordinary course of activities that are carried on as main business of the entity. Assets sales were never the main business of activity for Enron. In one of the so called innovative way adopted by Enron to hide the losses was to transfer assets those were creating losses for the company to partnerships called SPEs. Once such assets are transferred to partnerships, and then those transfers were shown as sales revenue and
Introduction The need to get better health care services is a mandatory requirement by all citizens irrespective of their age, race, tribe or political affiliations. Nations have developed their health institutions to ensure everybody gets quality health services that are also affordable. The state of California and other states have programs that ensure all people get health services without struggling. They have established the Medicaid and Medicare services that ensure all citizens are guaranteed proper medical services. This essay explores how these programs have been incorporated in California’s healthcare systems to ensure people get quality services. Medicaid This program was established to ensure all people who have financial difficulties access medical services without constraining their budgets. This means that this program offers subsidized services for all poor people and those that are disadvantaged in the society. It is crucial to state that this program is not offered to everybody except those that have limited sources of income and are low income earners. This means that people earning above the average pay are not allowed to subscribe to this program. This program gives direct qualification to anyone who receives CalWORKs, foster care assistants and those that are entitled to receive Supplementary Security Income. Another group of people who can get this service includes those that have physical disabilities like the blind, pregnant, people aged less than 21 and those aged more than 65 years. People operating child care centers and nursing homes are eligible to this program since they take care of children aged 21 years. This favor is also given to foster parents and those living and taking care of children aged below 21 years. The California Department of Health Care Services (CDHCS) administers this program by offering an identification card that contains all the details of the beneficiary and the provisions under this program. The following are also observed before consent is granted to a person to enroll in this program. A person must have assets not exceeding $2000 or if the person is married their total should not be more than $3000. Medicare This program exists to take care of the old people in California. This means they must have attained 65 years of age or more to qualify for it. It ensures that all old and retired people continue to get
Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, “Lord of War” is a film released in the year 2005. The film is primarily concerned with the tragic effects of arms trading, especially in the undeveloped countries where these arms find use in the never-ending civil conflicts, and portrays the unsettled lifestyles and precarious living of individual arms dealers (Hamid 53). The film depicts the intricate and wicked web of illegal arms trading and its global prevalence, reaching all continents and many nations in both developed and undeveloped world. The film, “Lord of War”, challenges the five major arms dealers in the world – the US, the U.K, Russia, France and China, to play a more proactive role in the reducing, or altogether eliminating the trade in illegal arms. Some characters and events in the film reflect actual historical occurrences. “Lord of War” traces the life of Yuri Orlov, an American with Ukrainian roots, as he joins the illegal arms trade and depicts his steady rise to being a globetrotting arms dealer with contacts and connections in both the law enforcement agencies like Interpol, and the illegal arms trade industry. Yuri partners with his brother, Vitaly, and together they begin to sale and supply weapons to various clients both nationally and internationally. However, the unpredictable and uncertain lifestyle of arms dealers eventually eats into Vitaly’s conscience, and he is killed in West Africa when he tries to prevent the sale of weapons to rebels whom he witnesses massacring a mother and her child with machetes. Yuri soldiers on alone, and despite being abandoned by his family, he elects to continue with his business and lifestyle; a business he describes as a necessary evil. The film’s purpose(s), core message, and targeted audience are further examined. The film has several purposes; the first is to show the tragic market-route that weapons manufactured in the developed countries take; eventually ending up killing young child soldiers in civil wars and rebellion conflicts the children have no clue about. In the beginning of the film, the trail of a bullet manufactured in USSR and ends up killing a child soldier coerced into participating in a war/civil conflict in Africa, depicts the global connection of the trade. The second purpose of the film is to portray the connection between illegal arms trade and other illegal and exploitative dealings like trade in war diamonds, or ‘blood diamonds’. In the film, Andre Baptist Sr, Liberia’s dictator, buys weapons from Yuri only to supply them to rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in exchange of diamonds mined by unwilling, forced and enslaved miners. Trade in illegal arms funds conflicts for the illegal trade in diamonds to proceed without regulations in a vicious cycle. The film’s ultimate purpose is to urge action from world powers the US, the U.K, France, Russia and China, and to create awareness in the governments of these countries in appreciating the unwitting role they play as the world’s largest exporters of arms, in fueling the illegal arms trade, and the atte
The world of exploration work on earth is still the base for demonstrating superiority with regard to other countries or companies. British Petroleum is one of such global companies aiming to explore and refine crude oil and gas. There are several questions as to the strategy of this giant providing its services all around the world and building self-motivated staff to produce rival products. In accordance with the Annual report of BP, the company succeeded mainly in the sphere of cost leadership and following management principles within the employees providing them with a safe and competitive work. “The BP operating management system (OMS) turns the principle of safe and reliable operations into reality by governing how every BP project, site, operation and facility is managed.” (Annual Review 2008 8) The other done priority was the good demand of the exploration and refining projects as Thunder Horse in the Gulf of Mexico and Deepwater Gunashli in Azerbaijan. As there was a vast output of company’s main competitors, BP still pretends to be a leader in managing late fields of oil and gas as well as in startup of new ones. The year was also rich in exploration works in Algeria, Angola, Egypt and the Gulf of Mexico. The company improved its capability in refining process accordingly to the annual hypothesis from 86 to 89 percent. The main reasons for such success are safety, reliability and capability of the operations which BP implements. It keeps resolving several agreements with international oil companies providing the policy of obtaining new experience and high-level quality of its managerial background. With oil prices going up and down, the company looks to be flexible in ensuring its competitive status and role in world economy. There are too many reasons for these and today’s crisis still pretends to be of a great significance. World markets are crashing, foreign debts of different countries are growing up faster than this or that country can payback. The consumption of energy resources is still high and until the year 2030 will exceed expectations. Such impulses provoke BP to enlarge and widely spread the area of its interests and the volumes of the oil production too. For this issue is strategic and global in terms of the limitation of extractable resources, BP is sure to provide around 40 years of oil, 60 years of natural gas and 130 years of coal. Great perspectives for further years, using previous experience of exploring and refining concepts of this industry. For this purpose the company planned to invest more than $26 trillion to meet the requirements of the consuming countries. The price volatility from $144.22 to $36.55 and its slow correction on the level of $55 disintegrated company’s policy of gaining more profit into exploration works around the world. Still, it caused greater emission of the crude product widely among the oil exporters organizations. Because of the oil and gas share between the major producers, the comp
According to a report released by the Pew Research Center on May 7, the number of eligible Asian voters in the 2020 election has reached an all-time high. In the past 20 years, the number of Asian American voters has surged by 139%. Compared with all other major ethnic groups, Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing group of qualified voters. It is reasonable to say that Asian Americans should be the target of the two parties because, in concept, Asian Americans can not only agree with the Republican Party’s belief of paying attention to family values and encouraging individual efforts but also like the Democratic Party’s policy of taking care of vulnerable groups by the government. They belong to voters who can swing on both sides. However, in the national election of the presidential election, few candidates specially visit the Asian American community to curry favor with each other. Although the population of Asian Americans is growing rapidly, about two-thirds of Asian Americans in New York state have never received active contact from political parties, and they are still facing the dilemma of a small number of Asian representatives, poverty, inadequate census, insufficient educational resources, lack of psychological or hepatitis B medical resources. As a minority group, Asian Americans are also ignored by government departments. Hope to measure the reality of the community through accurate data, in order to develop programs to deal with the plight of the community. Christine Chen, executive director of the Asia Pacific vote, a non-profit group, said the group has accumulated enough influence to have a profound impact in some ethnic and swing constituencies. Although Asian voters are diverse, the vast majority of them are made up of six groups of origin – Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. What makes these eligible voters unique is that they are the only group with a majority of naturalized immigrants. Another prominent feature of this group of voters is that about 71% of them speak English at home, or say they speak English “very well”, which is lower than that of all other major ethnic groups. However, if we continue to classify, the proficiency of English varies greatly among different ethnic groups. 91% of Japanese say they speak English “very well”, but less than half of Burmese say so. Therefore, in terms of political participation, due to the lack of election information in the mother tongue, there are not many activities to contact Asian voters. In 2018, apiavote contacted some Vietnamese voters in Orange County, California with limited English proficiency before the election. They want to vote, but they don