ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Organization Presentation and Summary The consequences of the AIDS and HIV epidemic that peaked in the eighties can be observed even today. The disease is one of the leading causes of death globally (Piot et al., 2015). For years, the epidemic has unsettled communities, families, and relationships. The disease has orphaned millions of children and disrupted public health (Piot et al., 2015). Sex education and sexual health activism play an essential role in alleviating the epidemic’s consequences. Moreover, they are indispensable in building awareness around such poignant concepts as gender, sexuality, and consent. LIFEbeat is a sex positivity and LGBTQ organization striving to promote sexual health with the assistance of the country’s music and entertainment industries. Numerous music industry representatives became victims of the epidemic; yet, the sector remained silent for years until 1992, based on Bob Caviano’s and several other high-ranking executives initiative, LIFEbeat was founded. Hence, the organization became a prominent advocate for implementing preventive interventions and sexual health promotion. LIFEbeat acknowledges the significance of music in young people’s lives, especially music-related events, and uses its power for communal benefit. LIFEbeat’s target group is at-risk young people, primarily those under 29. The organization engages the youth in conversations about safe sexual practices and services to which they can resort irrespective of their socioeconomic status, sexuality, or gender. In addition to direct discussions and support, it distributes safe sex kits. LIFEbeat operates at large festivals and tours as well as national partner’s community centers – it collaborates with LGBTQ community centers and AIDS prevention organizations all over the country. The preventive interventions in the form of talks are supposed to help young people resist negative influences,
Credit Risk enables banks and bondholders to recover some portion of their bond value when there is a default. Different seniority bonds are issued by the asset value, for example, ‘secured bonds’ are issued on the value of the land or building, and in case they are not paid, the bondholder can claim security ownership, however, in the event of typical bankruptcy unsecured bonds uphold the highest priority. The more senior the bondholder, the more serious would be the recovery. Recovery in terms of credit requires several years’ liquidation before a full payout to bondholders and bank lenders. Restructuring takes some time to recover therefore recovery values are measured first from the market price of a bond after a default. However measuring recovery risk this way is not always accurate for the lesser liquid bonds and bank loans are, the lesser would be the risk of default market. Credit bonds are secured through credit ratings which companies like Moodys, Standard and Poors, and Fitch-IBCA perform by evaluating the financial strength of the borrower. Different ratings like BBB, Baa, Ba, and BB determine the ratings for which the bonds are issued differentiate between higher and lower ratings. On the other hand, banks secure their loans through internal ratings which vary from numeric rate 5 to 20. Credit rating agencies issue external ratings which are not adjustable unless and until there is a permanent amelioration in terms of financial stability of the company, whereas banks’ internal ratings are easily adjustable to detect and demonstrate default over the period. Credit Risk concerning Interests and Bonds Bank assets are dependant upon the market interest rates and are affected by the hedging interest rates, for which to measure we must analyze the relationship between interest rate and securities. Bonds’ interest rates are measured through ‘coupon rate’, ‘yield to maturity rate, and ‘zero-coupon yield’ method. A coupon rate is used whenever there is a need to signify the relationship between interest payment and the bond’s face value. Though unable to find bond value based on the market rate, the market interest rate evaluates the face value of the bond. Credit risk is measured through ‘rating transactions’ by which a bond is rated by migrating from one class to another. Interest rate risk is usually measured through duration analysis, interest rate gap analysis, and value-at-risk (VAR). Duration Analysis in context with Scenario Analysis Duration changes whenever there is some risk factor in interest rates fluctuation. Risk management is best measured by sensitivity tools as such tools or measures allow a portfolio manager to analyze any upcoming scenario in terms of interest rates fluctuations. For example the impact of the rise or fall of interest rate on an individual’s portfolio and so on. For this reason, risk managers keep a close eye even on minor rises and falls of interest rates and chose such scenarios for interest rates that are easier to detect changes in fixed portfolios. The goal of investors is to maximize the expected return
Summary Written by Silverleib and Cohen, the article ‘Democrats, Republicans agree on a budget deal’ tables the decisions lastly reached by both the republicans and the democrats concerning the extension of funding meant to bring in order, smooth functioning of the government for a short time. This decision reached implied a $2 billion reduction of the spending trend of the people (Silverleib and Cohen Para.2). This decision happened after some hustles between the two aforementioned parties with each side showing its supremacy, depicted by a number of meetings and consultations. Finally, the deal sealed aimed at ensuring the survival and sustainability of the government. These closed-door negotiations and consultations finally bore to the public outcries. However, a framework that targeted at cutting the spending approximated as $38.5 billion came into existence purposely to cover that fiscal year up to the end of September (Silverleib and Cohen Para.5). Even with the employment of political schemes in the issue, their wish to cut as far as $61dollars did not seem successful because of the fact that Republicans had attained a majority in the house of a republic in their midterm elections. This, therefore, illustrates how politics come into play in the key decisions of the governments. Therefore, despite the difference in opinions and views, they reached a common figure of $38.5 billion, which they passed and approved. The decision according to the US president Barrack Obama was worth approbation as it provided relief and hope to the economy of its people and the US. The move according to him helped the government in avoiding shutting up as people. Otherwise, small business people would secure loans, get the mortgages they have applied for and many of the citizens will report on their work and at least have something to sustain their day-to-day living. Therefore, the decision was qualified as one of its own kind as it provided hope for the country: hope that was fading away among the citizens of the US. By reaching this agreement, America had succumbed to collapse. Opinion In my own opinion, this article raises many queries as to whether political decisions made by our political leaders are well thought out and if actually they are reached after a careful contemplation cons
The Tonkin Gulf Incident has massively contributed to the major escalation of the Vietnam War, most of which happened under the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Many historians now consider the incident as the event responsible for America’s entry into the War. It is a reasonable suggestion, because until 1964 the US military presence in the region had been minimal (Moise 12). Johnson’s decision to retaliate was made after the second attack, which happened on August, 4, 1964, and was later reported to be a mistake. The question of who is responsible for the Tonkin Gulf Incident is widely disputed, and the opinion that it is President Johnson seems to be the most valid one. First, the final part of the second message sent by Captain Herrick clearly “suggested evaluation before any further action taken”, claiming that the judgement about the second attack was wrong (“Fog of War Tonkin incident”). Therefore, Johnson and his advisors realized there was no second attack, but continued on with the retaliation plan. Second, taking into consideration what was stated before, the public speeches that Johnson gave after the incident can be considered as dishonest and misleading. Stating that “the initial attack” was repeated on the 4h of August “by a number of hostile vessels attacking two US destroyers”, he misinformed American citizens, sending millions of them to the war (“Speeches by Lyndon B. Johnson: Gulf of Tonkin Incident”, par. 2). All things considered, the question of responsibility is complicated and might need further consideration. Nevertheless, the fact that hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of a misunderstanding and a hasty decision is undeniable. Moreover, the Tonkin Gulf Incident and the Government’s dishonesty changed the relationship Americans had with their leaders, causing public trust in the government to fall significantly. Works Cited “Fog of War Tonkin incident.” YouTube , Jelmer Evers, Web. Moise, Edwin E. Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War . Naval Institute P, 2019. “Speeches by Lyndon B. Johnson: Gulf of Tonkin Incident.” About the USA , Web.
Introduction Most governments seek to have some sort of control and regulations for their markets. Government regulation is aimed at producing outcomes that would otherwise not occur or prevent outcomes that are likely to occur. These regulations are important to the public and cannot be pursued by the private sector. The government comes in to implement them so that public interest is protected. What the project is about This project is about the nature and impact of government regulations on business. It specifically looks at government regulations in the occupational health and safety regulations in the UAE. What the project assesses This project assesses the positive and negative impact of government regulation of traffic on business, consumers and the society at large. The effects of regulations Government regulation of business can be said to posses both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, they serve to promote fairness among competitors and rule out non adherents of business rules such as evasion of tax. They also protect the consumer from unnecessary inflation of commodity prices and ensure the production and availability of public goods. On the negative side, government regulations are said to create ineffectiveness and imbalance in trade. Market prices are best balanced when determined by the vagaries of demand and supply. Linkage Government Regulation for Business According to Lutzenberger (2011),governments have regulated business activities since the colonial times. The regulation is done in areas such as import or export control, tax revenue and industry restrictions. Government regulation has come under criticism in the recent years. This is because such regulation is associated with declining productivity rates in the industrialized countries. Why we need government regulations There are various reasons which make a government to put regulations on businesses. The basic reason for any government to do this is because of public safety and welfare. The activities of many industries can impose significant effects upon human welfare in terms of health, financial wellbeing and community structure if left unchecked by the government. Most industries are profit orien
Introduction People were behaving incorrectly long before the first automobile was constructed. People were breaking the law way before they discovered the technology as we see it nowadays. No matter how you look at it, in most the cases, it is the individual who stands behind wrongdoing and who should be held responsible for her or his actions. Not so long after the first automobile was introduced into everyday life, people eventually started to violate the speed limit (Barjonet 161). Even knowing that it is dangerous to their life, health condition, and the safety of other people, the individuals kept on doing it. The government had to act quickly and passed several acts prohibiting the violation of the speed limits set by the régime. Obeying the laws turned out to be one of the toughest tasks for the drivers, and nowadays we see numerous cases of the individuals who disregard the policy for their own good (or, at least, they think so). Every day we see the news on social media and television and hear it on the radio that quite a few persons were involved in countless fatal crashes that led to serious consequences (E.g., open fractures, concussions, spinal injuries, and even death). The problem is that people, despite the vividness of the issue, still disrespect the traffic rules and believe that they are skilled enough not to get caught up in an accident or hurt a defenseless pedestrian (Dorn and Sullman 22). Nonetheless, it turns out to be that they are not and the choice they made on no occasion should be considered “good” or “correct.” The two major units of the traffic society – drivers and pedestrians – have to be aware of the dangers of speeding and be able to mitigate the occurrence of the cases of violation of the speed limit. Speed limit violation among young drivers In spite of the occurrence of the speed limit violations, people do not usually pay enough attention to the issue of speeding among younger drivers. It is rather evident that underage drivers are one of the broadest cohorts of drivers that are exposed to the maximum number of risks. The statistics show that around 35% of the total number of incidents that involved young drivers resulted in death or severe injuries. The cornerstone, in this case, is the fact that the majority of young drivers are not fully capable of assessing the risks awaiting them on the road. Instead, these underage drivers gain bogus confidence and drive recklessly just because they want so (Constantinou et al. 1325). There is no exact answer to the question of whether young drivers recognize the danger of violating the speed limit. This issue is rather complex and necessitates a multifaceted approach in order to be resolved accurately. The majority of the young drivers who get in an accident are usually (but not always) illiterate in terms of mutual respect in traffic and general notions of safety employed
Introduction Strategic planning is a management tool that serves various purposes in organizations. It provides a framework for developing appropriate courses of action in organizations after an analysis of current organizational operations and outcomes. Strategic planning also helps organizations adapt to changes in the face of complexities and diversification of factors. In order to determine the suitability of plans to their purpose, an analysis of the plans is necessary in case the plans need modification or require the organization to abandon them and rethink its position. Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffer (1993) provide a detailed explanation of nine necessary aspects for the creation of an effective strategic plan for an organization. These aspects include planning to plan, values scan, mission formulation, strategic modeling of business, performance audit, gap analysis, integrating action plans, contingency planning, and implementation (Goodstein, Nolan & Pfeiffer, 1993). This paper looks at two organizations, viz. the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in relation to their strategic planning dynamics concerning emergency preparedness and disaster response within the larger U.S. government as an organization in itself. In the case of the FDNY, the paper analyzes details of the New York City’s governance, its effects on the fire department coupled with how these aspects, in turn, affect the station’s strategic planning for emergency response by using Hurricane Sandy as a case study. For the New Orleans case study, the paper analyzes the NOFD’s involvement during and after Hurricane Katrina, changes in the fire department’s strategic plans, and effect of New Orleans’ government strategic plans on the department’s plans. It also provides a comparison between the two departments by indicating similarities, differences, and lessons available for each of them from the other. Disaster management Disaster management forms part of the core functions of most disaster-response units in most countries, including fire departments. The uncertainty and the unexpectedness of disaster make disaster management techniques an incredibly difficult subject, as they mostly strike when least expected (Abbott, 2005). Disasters expose people to both primary and secondary effects. Varghese (2002) notes that natural disasters have “immediate impacts on human health, as well as secondary impacts causing further death and suffering from floods causing landslides, earthquakes resulting in fires, tsunamis causing widespread flooding, and typhoons sinking ferries” (p.102). Responding appropriately to disasters require embracement of concepts such as disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, disaster relief, and disaster prevention. Disaster preparedness entails all activities designed to ensure that damages and losses of life reduce should a disaster strike
Introduction Architecture is the outcome of careful planning and designing, together with a construction space reflecting social, aesthetic, and functional considerations. It involves a careful interaction and coordination of technology; material, light, and shadow to emerge with a design. Architectural works are mostly regarded as political and cultural symbols as well as works of art (Bony 18). Antoni Gaudi’s interpretation of nature Gaudí as an architect was so inspired by nature and took his concern in traditional Catalan architecture and gothic architectural modes. Later he developed his distinct sculptural style in which he used nature’s curves and angles to make his mosaics and designs. Gaudi did not rely on geometric shapes but instead borrowed hyperboloids and paraboloids from nature. This is because these designs were easy to reinforce using steel rods to allow since were easily reinforced using steel rods to make them similar to environmental elements. Gaudi developed new structural calculation methods based on a model built with little sacks of lead cords and shots. This sketch was then carefully traced on a wooden plane and placed on the house bearing the ceiling close to the worksite (Wright 198). To obtain a natural form in his work, photographs of the model were taken from different angles and then turned upside-down. Different lines of tension formed by the cords and also the weights revealed lines of the pressure of his compressed structure (Corroyer and Armstrong 93). Frank Lloyd Wright’s interpretation of nature Wright’s approach as an artist was taking his key concerns with organic architecture way dow
Introduction The use of modern technology in various aspects of human life has become a necessity in the contemporary world. People invest in modern technological devices like mobile phones and computers to make their lives easier and better. Human health is important because it cannot be replaced (Seok and DaCosta, 2014). Patients of health and social care services living independently enjoy the benefits of assistive technology, although there are various barriers that compromise the effectiveness of this approach to make life better. Definition and Background Assistive technology refers to the use of machines, gadgets and approaches to improve the lives of people. Most people who rely on assistive technology have physical or mental challenges that interfere with the normal functioning of their bodies (Malanowski, 2009). The case of Sally is a reflection of how people suffering from various health and social challenges have made their lives easier by using assistive technology. She is lucky to have a general practitioner who is willing and ready to help her manage the challenges she experiences. Barriers to Assistive Technology Sally has lives alone despite her age and the health challenges she experiences. She uses modern technology to make her life better and avoid depending on other people for assistance. It is right to argue that she does not enjoy life as a normal person because of the challenges associated with assistive technology. The following issues may affect the effectiveness and reliability of assistive technology in improving the life of Sally and other people who have similar health and social challenges. The costs of buying machines and getting quality health care and specialists’ services are high (Warren, 2011). Sally is rich, and that is why she affords an eye patch, walking cane, dressing stick and other assistive technological devices. She could not have afforded to pay the training and treatment fee charged by specialists if she were not rich. However, not all patients can afford to pay for these services. Sally may not have afforded the most expensive devices, but managed to get cheaper ones. This means that they may be of an inferior quality and compromise her health. Sally was lucky to be assisted by a general practitioner who referred her to experienced specialists. Assistive technology is a new concept in most regions, especially in developing nations (Warren, 2011). There are few specialists that offer training on how to use assistive technology. The process of booking appointments and waiting for these devices to be supplied for collection by patients discourages them from seeking specialised services (Seok and DaCosta, 2014). Sally was lucky because she was assisted by a general practitioner who referred her to specialists and made sure she got good services. Most people who require assistive technology may not be aware of its existence. Therefore, they continue to suffer because of ignorance. It is not easy to service and repair these devices and ensure they offer good services to users. Most of these devices require proper c
Due to the fact that the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reflects the degree of corruption in countries, it can also denote the level of integrity performance. The CPI is usually calculated on the basis on the results of surveys and polls conducted by experts in the field. The assessment is usually performed on the scale from 0 to 10; so, the higher score indicated on the scale, the lower level of corruption the country has. Thus, countries possessing 10 scores have the lowest corruption level whereas countries whose score equals 0 have considerable problems in economy due to corruption and bureaucracy (United Nations Human Settlements Program, 2007). While considering the value of CPI, specific emphasis should be placed to the role of evaluating corruption situation all over the world. At a global scale, CPI provides a strong international framework for considering the corruption rates subjectively by experts, risk analysts, and businesspeople (Heffernan & Kleinig, 2004). By presenting the assessment of CPI, the respondents could also evaluate the level of bribery and the country’s involvement into ‘shadow’ economy. According to Heffernan and Kleinig (2004), “CPI scores, like all other single-score country-level indicators, reduce potential qualitative differences to matters of degree while obscuring contrasts within societies” (p. 278). Therefore, awareness of the situation in the countries allows the population to compare their corruption levels with other countries to take the corresponding measures. According to CPI scores in 2011, the five countries with the highest level of corruption involve Somalia (1), Afghanistan (1.5), Myanmar (1.5), North Korea (1), and Turkmenistan (1.6). Most of these countries are located in the African and Asian regions. The countries with the lowest levels of corruption include New Zealand (9.5), Finland (9.4), Denmark (9.4) Sweden (9.3), and Singapore (9.2) (Transparency International