ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Hurricane Harvey is not the first and not the only natural disaster that hit the US in recent years. Dozens of them devastate common people’s lives annually. Yet there seems little done to address the problem. It is especially paradoxical due to the fact that weather protection mechanisms are being developed continuously across the US. Moreover, weather prediction services work to their full capacity. Humankind is fully equipped to predict disasters, and yet hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other devastating natural events continue to claim lives. People are capable of building the most secure floodwalls but their maintenance often fails. My opinion is that the world nowadays is dominated by a capitalist approach to life. Money means everything to some people and the wealthier they become, the more their appetites grow. The consequences of Hurricane Harvey vividly illustrate this issue. Corrupt politicians bound by their financial interests do not concern themselves with the losses and gains of the general public. They cannot profit from building and maintaining infrastructure to prevent natural events in the short term because then people will not invest money into building new houses and will not generate revenue. However, it is unproductive to blame a single person or a group of people for that. The problem, as I have already mentioned, lies at the very heart of the economic model of our country. As long as the oil industry brings profit, there will be no concern for anything else. I sincerely believe that until the right, honest, and truly caring people take the lead of the nation, there will be no salvation for the needy, and hurricanes will continue to ravage our land bringing millions of profit to the few, and losses to the many.
Introduction The fourth of July celebrates American values such as political freedom. It captures the history and events that facilitated the independence of the American nation. Furthermore, it allows people to support the heritage of the land. Analysis History The history of the 4 th of July can be traced back to that same date in 1776. It was the day when Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. This piece of paper had been formally declared 2 days ago on the 2 nd of July. Congress had selected a committee in Pennsylvania that would be responsible for creating a document that would tell Britain that the American colonists wanted to rule themselves. After the committee has discussed all the issues they wanted to include the document, they selected Thomas Jefferson to put together those ideas in a draft copy. Jefferson did this in a number of days and presented the first copy to the committee on the 28 th of June. On the 2 nd of July, they revised the document and declared America’s independence. The official adoption of the Declaration was on the 4 th of July (Burnett, 1941). It was one month later that all other Congressmen started signing the Declaration of independence. Therefore, the people involved in this document wanted to provide Americans with something that the American citizenry could aspire to; it was something that captured the ideas and goals in their land. John Adams knew how momentous this event would be to the American people hence his pronouncement that people would celebrate the day with games, guns, bells and parades. His prediction was true, but his date estimation was slightly wrong since he thought that the celebration would be on 2 nd of July and not on the 4 th of July. The first formal 4 th of July celebration was in 1777 in Philadelphia. This state already had a series of tools that would later be used to remember the event. A number of speeches were made, music and parades were instated. It even had a gun salute to commemorate the day. Residents painted ships with colors of the flag and enjoyed fireworks displays. Before 1791, the day was simply known as the Fourth of July. However, on this year, it was called Independence Day. In order to involve everyone else in the celebrations, Congress decided to make the day a paid holiday for state employees in 1870. Thereafter, it was decided that the day would be a paid holiday in 1938. Other events have often coincided with the 4 th of July date and have been celebrated on the same day. For instance, New York state declared the 4 th of July as emancipation day because this was the same day that they voted to end slavery in 1827. How, who and why people celebrate the holiday A number of people will watch baseball games for Independence Day. Major League baseball games are often scheduled on this day, and thus encourage a lot of participation. In those matches, many of them will buy hotdogs to enjoy during the game. They will also purchase ice cream for fun during the event. The eating of hotdogs began in 1916 during a hotdog eating contest. Four New York immigrants wanted to prove to each o
The case of Abner Louima was one of the most brutal cases in New York, when a police officer brutalized the arrested suspect with a plunger. The arrest started when police were breaking up a fight between two women outside the club and two men intervened. Abner Louima interfered with the police and after the police officer, Justin Volpe screamed some discriminatory words, Louima allegedly punched the officer. He was arrested for “assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing justice” (Banks, 2004). When the suspect was brought into the police station, two police officers took him to the washroom and assaulted him. After the trial Abner Louima was awarded $8.7 million for the way he was brutally treated. The police officer, Justin Volpe, admitted his actions and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, after he left the force. Another officer Charles Schwarz was sentenced to five years in jail; this resulted from jury deciding that the police officer gave false statements about not taking the suspect into the bathroom. There were other two officers, Thomas Bruder and Thomas Wiese who were taken off the force for obstruction of justice and their attempt for reinstatement was denied (Banks, 2004). Mayor Guiliani and Police Commissioner Safir were providing full support to Abner Louima and commented that this was outrageous and there would be no silence. They stated the fact that from all police officers present there were only two who came forward and provided the necessary information of what has taken place (Perni, 2005). Also, Rev. Al Sharpton showed his agreement when he was present with Louima’s family in order to offer any help or advice. The public outcry was of great proportions and people were demanding justice. This was one of several racial profiling and police officer brutality cases and so, the public demanded the justice is served. The most atrocious thing about the case is that police officers are made to be an example and representatives of the law. The fact that they have some much authority does not allow them to abuse their right to use force and commit the sort of actions criminals are involved in. An important issue of other officers standing by was also examined in court. There were other police officers in the station at the time of the assault and the fact that they have idly stood by proves that several police officers were corrupt and indifferent to such actions. The case is filled with discrimination and overall unethical behavior but the justice system works, as people directly and in
Introduction Pollution refers to the introduction of foreign substances to pure contents. The foreign substances are referred to as pollutants. Water pollution therefore refers to the introduction of pollutants into a water body. The pollutants come from various sources including human wastes, domestic wastes, industrial and agricultural by-products and even floods (Woodford, 2012, p. 1). This paper takes a step by step analysis of the causes, effects, treatment of polluted waters and finally how humans can strive towards prevention of water pollution through minimization of pollutants disposal into water bodies. Causes of water pollution Domestic wastes are a major cause of pollution originating mainly from household facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms. This includes waste water from kitchens resulting from washing of utensils and consisting of foodstuff wastes. The waste water carries with it food left-overs which when released into the sewage systems ends up rotting and releasing toxic substances. Even the most well designed housing units do not have well-built septic tanks for disposal of such wastes (Donald, 2011, p. 72). However, even with the well built septic tanks, clogging of the pipes does occur causing the pipes to burst releasing their content into the environment. Various other kinds of chemicals result from the use of bathrooms which are either constituents of soaps or detergents used in washing. Human wastes mainly consist of faecal matter disposed off poorly in the environment. This is a major problem in slums and in rural areas especially in the developing world. Most of these areas do not have proper toilets. The wastes are disposed anyhow in the environment and during heavy rains the wastes are washed off into large water bodies. Further pollution occurs when these wastes decompose releasing toxic products into water bodies especially large amounts of carbon dioxide which may suffocate aquatic animals (Thompson, 2012, p 1). In slums, there is free flow of sewage in open tunnels even when there are no rains. The sewage from various households coalesces and forms big streams which eventually find their way into water bodies. Many farmers employ the use of fertilizers to boost their production. However, these fertilizers are inorganic chemi
Marginal analysis refers to the assessment of extra-economic repayment of a project, which is compared to the extra costs of the said project. Most decisions made in a company to maximize profits have been reached using the marginal analysis concept (Shrivastava, Mitroff, Miller, & Miglani, 1988). In microeconomics, the analysis of how complicated systems are affected by the variables involved has also been achieved by the use of marginal analysis. Economic Value is the measure of economic performance on the remaining wealth, which is calculated by obtaining the difference between economic profits (the operating profits after tax) and the cost of capital of the company. EVA = Profit after taxes – Capital x cost of capital. In the Bally Gears Inc case, the following would apply Marginal added benefits being the extra benefits that will be realized from the replacement of the existing robots with new ones shall be calculated by getting the difference between the benefits accrued from the existing robots and benefits that shall accrue from the new ones. Benefits from new robots – Benefits from the existing robots = (560,000-400,000) =$160, 000 Marginal Added costs in this case is the cost involved in the acquisition of the new robots taking into account the salvage value of the existing old robotics. In this case, the initial investment of $220,000 will be reduced by $70,000 being the salvage value of the old robotics. = (Initial Capital outlay-salvage value of the old robotics) = (220,000-70,000) =$150,000. The Net Marginal benefit is the difference between incremental costs and incremental benefits. Marginal costs-Net benefits =160,000-150,000 =$10,000 the new robotics are economical as compared to the existing old robotics. In my opinion, the manager should advise the company to replace the existing robotics with the new proposed robots. This will increase the shareholders’ wealth, as the net benefit accrued would be positive. The shareholders would be more comfortable with the new robotics than the old robotics. The manager should consider more factors apart from the monetary benefits. Such factors as the timing of cash flows, future cash flows, involved risks, and the time value of money should be considered Economic Value Added (EVA) EVA = Net profit after Tax – Capital outlay x cost of capital Net profit after tax = $345,000 – (345,000 x 25%) = $258,750 EVA = $258,750 – (1,500,000 x 13.6%) = $258,750 – 204,000 = $54,750 In this case, the receptionist would be abusing the lunch break and there would be a need to resolve this. The company would need to evaluate her pay and see whether her compensation is worth wasting the 20mins. If not, the company should install a clock, which she will be pressing each time she returns, and pay her according to the number of hours worked. This results in a lot of cap
The method that chosen and used for collecting and analysing data meant to give form to the human thinking and process of solving problems. The effectiveness in detecting the problems and making decisions over them depends on statistically collected. The decision-making procedure involves “detecting problems, defining priorities, identifying innovative solutions, and allocating resources for improved health outcomes.” (Cibulskis & Hiawalyer, 2002) These are fundamental realities that have been ignored or little efforts have been placed to enhance them for greater information outcome. The timeliness, accurateness and relevance of information are crucial for decision makers. This paper focuses on collection of public health data that is required for making managerial decisions at personal, provisional, regional, national and international levels. Some of the vital statistical information required to improve decision-making include the census reports, reports filed after some vital events, health surveillance reports, data from resources tracking procedures, statistics of facilities and other household surveys. The power of information for strategic change is evident on some historical examples of statistical data collection and analysis that used in the past for better decision-making procedures. Such examples include “The United Nations’ Standard System of National Accounts” which was discovered years ago by Richard Stone and it helps to define and shape the nation over various views, opportunities on offer and supporting disclosures. The other renowned example is the “Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALY’s)”, which is globally used to shape precedence for investments. (Cibulskis & Hiawalyer, 2002) Data is a straightforward gauge for characteristics but it has very little or no inherent value or meaning if it is not analyzed, processed or interpreted to allow for generation of patters that create information. Information is what enables one to make improved decisions such as generation of recommendations, creation of rules for actions and change behaviors to support knowledge. Type of statistical information collected in the health sector The time, accuracy and the relevance of the information are the requirements for good decisions over services, policies/procedures and behavio
Introduction The mind-body problem is a very old one. In Western culture, its roots go back in history to the philosophical theories of Ancient Greece. The crux of the problem is evident from its name: what is the relationship between the mind and the body? How do they correlate and work together? The reasons for the problem’s emergence are not hard to imagine. There is a large qualitative gap between what we see as our physical bodies, and what we experience happening in our heads. And, once the question was asked, numerous thinkers attempted to answer it. In this paper, we will briefly describe the history of the problem by discussing what various prominent philosophers and physicians thought about it. After that, we will discuss the views of the most important schools of psychological thought on this problem. We will also state what the author of this paper believes regarding this problem. The Views of Philosophers Ancient Greek philosophers already were trying to answer a question similar to the mind-body problem. However, for them it was formulated in different terms; they asked not about the mind, but rather about the soul (ψυχή, psyche), something that made a thing alive. The soul was perceived as something extremely light and associated with breath. For instance, Thales associated it with air, while Heraclitus thought of it as of fire (Copleston, 1993). More complicated theories emerged with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates’ opinions are known to us only thanks to the writings of other philosophers; in Plato’s Phaedo , Socrates talks to his friends and convinces them that a human’s soul is immortal. Plato believed that the soul is an immortal substance which is, in fact, imprisoned in the body (Plato, n.d.). Aristotle paid somewhat more attention to the problem of the soul. His treatise, On the Soul , discusses the issue. Aristotle believed the soul to be a principle of all the living things; even plants had souls. However, unlike Plato, he thought it to be dependent on the body (Aristotle, n.d.). For a well-known Neo-Platonist Plotinus, who somewhat combined the teachings of Plato and Aristotle, the universe consisted of the One, a source of everything in the world, the Mind, all the eternal truths, and the Soul, which was a manifestation of the Mind in living beings (Copleston, 1993). Therefore, the Ancient Greek philosophy already associated the soul and the mind. The medieval philosophy, strongly aligned with Christian theology, paid much attention to the issues of the soul. A prominent medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas ties the issue of the body and the soul to the issue of the matter and form. For him, the body and the soul are united – as much like the seal and the wax are; the mind does not interact with the body, because they are one. Regardless, the soul is immortal and capable of existing without the body (McInerny & O’Callaghan, 2014). Rene Descartes, one of the most prominent representatives of the 17 th
Deductive and inductive reasoning is used to evaluate whether an argument is valid or not (Bavelas, Black, Chovil & Mullett, 1990). However, sound logic is required for any argument to reach valid conclusions. When evaluating or making a philosophical argument, different logical errors/logical fallacies are used. These logical fallacies may include mere assertion, ad hominem, pseudo-questions, false cause, sweeping generalizations, red herring, equivocation or changing meanings and slippery slope (Tait, 2009). An argument based on mere assertion is based on one’s belief (Tait, 2009). The validity of any statement in this case must be supported by deductive or inductive meanings to make sense to the believer. One may for instance argue that the President did not misuse funds because he cannot do that. This argument may remain unsound until evidence and facts are supplied to support the claim. In an argument pegged on circular reasoning, the conclusion and the premise are believed to be same (Mercier & Sperber, 2011). For instance, although there is no evidence which has been used to prove about the authorship of the Bible, people argue that it is true because it was written by God. Consequently, when one says that the Bible was written by God, the statement also means that it is true. Ad hominem arguments scrutinize motives or reasons that may have made a person advance an argument or form a belief (Klement, 2002). It is mostly used by politicians to attack their opponents with words that are irrelevant to the argument (Mercier & Sperber, 2011). For instance, someone may argue that a security policy proposed by Mr X should not be adopted because Mr. X is adulterous. This argument may be seen as quite irrelevant since adultery is not related in any way to government security. Similarly, red herring brings out a claim which is not relevant to the argument. Just like ad hominem, red herring is used to distract or confuse the audience and the opponent (Klement, 2002). For instance, a young man may be fighting with his girl friend about who should make the bed but the man points out that he bought made the breakfast. Although this may be true, it is not in any way related to the question
Literature review A number of literature reviews have been documented on using infrared technology to determine the hydrocarbons in contaminated soil. Ten literature reviews will be utilized in the research below. Their reliability had to be checked to ensure that they are scholarly. A New Perspective to Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy asserts that spectroscopy focuses on the analysis on infrared light as part of wavelength emanated, reflected, or spread from a substance (Ge et al. 2007). According to the authors, spectral measurement enables the assessment of the amount of light reflected or emanated from a gas, solid, or liquid. Analysis of Diesel Fuel Contamination in Soils by Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectrometry and Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography assert that because soil is assorted in nature the standard physicochemical assessment of its characteristics is costly and inefficient (Malley & Hunter 2000). In this regard, Malley, Hunter, Madari, Reeves, and Machado suggest that the use of spectroscopy and regression analysis presents an appropriate way of assessing the hydrocarbons in contaminated soil (Madari, Reeves, & Machado 2006). Mid-Infrared and Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for Soil Carbon Measurement propose that with the use of visible infrared light between the range of 350 to 2500 nm, the emission reflected from the soil crystals can be replicated alongside total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) substance of the impure soil (Mccarty et al. 2002). On the other hand, Mid-infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for the Quantitative Analysis of Agricultural Soils asserts that the replica can be easily be exploited to compute the TPH from unknown soil samples (Reeves &, Mccarty 2001). Moron and Cozzolino suggest that environmental experts utilize TPH, which is a combination of dissimilar hydrocarbons, as a pointer of petroleum polluted soils (Moron & Cozzolino 2003). According to Determining The Composition Of Mineral-Organic Mixes Using UV–Vis–NIR Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy , the use of infrared technology allows fast and cost-effective computation of TPH unlike the conventional approaches that are very expensive and time consuming (Rossel, Mcglynn, & Mcbratney 2006). Development of Reflectance Spectral Libraries for Characterization of Soil Properties illustrates two distinctive absorption peaks (Shepherd & Walsh 2002). The peaks are 1730 nm and 2310 nm. The peaks are illustrated as spectral autographs of hydrocarbon-bearing matter. On the other hand, Modelling of Soil Organic Carbon Fractions Using Visible–Near-Infrared Spectroscopy focuses of a near infrared fiber optic chemical sensor. The apparatus is used for remote detection of hydrocarbons in soils (Vasques, Grunwald, & Sickman 2009). On the other hand, Near-IR Reflectance Spectroscopy for the Determination of Motor Oil Contamination in Sandy Loam assesses motor oil polluted sandy loam soil (Stallard, Garcia, & Kaushik 1996). The investigations are carr