ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The extraordinary, mind-blowing, and brilliant Malidoma Some’s, Of Water and the Spirit Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman, introduces me deeply on traditional cultures and spiritual experience in the Dagara community. Being an autobiography of Some’, it reflected the life of young Africans during the pre-colonial and post- colonial period of Africans’ ways of life. Personally, the highlights of the true meaning of birth among the Burkina Faso Dagara community, the kidnapping by Jesuit missionaries, the effort to indoctrinate Some’ with the God of Christians, and his initiation when he escaped back into the Dagara community attracted a lot of my interest to read the story (Some’ 2). Through my understanding, a lot of extraordinary and magical events were being experienced in Dagara community, which was mainly based on culture and rituals performed by them. Therefore, my most thematic concerns to the narrative were culture and rituals of the Dagara society in relation to Africans’ pre-colonial and post-colonial lifestyles. While reading the story, I realized various aspects about the cultures of the western as well as the native Afro-Americans. At some point in the book, I realized how the native people were prepared for the interaction of their cultures and the missionaries’. In fact, at the age of four, Some’ was told by his grandfather that he would travel to the west “to acquire their (west) culture and civilization so that he could relate it to their own culture” (Some’ 2). I also learnt the value of names in Dagara community: I was especially fascinated by the fact that names were deemed to carry a significant role in defining individual’s life. Dagara community considered names as problematic when they are used to show the task of the holder since they remain as persistent reminders to the children of their life duty. For instance, Some’s name meant a friend to a stranger or an enemy. Interestingly, as his name portrayed, it turned out that Some’ was befriending an enemy to his community, who was colonizing their people and at the same time intruding into their lifestyle and lives (Some’ 4). Additionally, I came to learn that due to language and cultural differentiation in the traditional African societies such as the Dagara community, one had to go through certain cultural initiation process in order to be welcomed in his or her respective society. For instance, when Some’ was in boarding school -before he escaped and returned to his people, he was unable to speak the language his community was speaking, and therefore he had to restudy what he had forgotten for at least 16 years (Some’ 10). In fact, in order to relearn his people’s reality and be received by them, Some’ had to go through a month-long initiation process of Dagara community. I therefore consider Some
Introduction Barack Obama is the forty fourth president of the United States of America and he is also the first African American president in the history of the United States. He is officially known as Barack Hussein Obama II and he was the junior senator of the United States representing Illinois from the year 2005 to the year 2008 when he resigned to assume the presidency of the United States. He started his presidential campaign in February of the year 2007 and he defeated Hilary Clinton in the Democratic Party nomination and he defeated John McCain of the Republican Party to be elected as the forty fourth president of the United States of America (Bleeker). His presidency started after his inauguration into office with Joe Biden as his Vice President in January 20, 2009. His presidency started at noon of January 20, 2009 according to the constitution of the United States which states that a new president whether sworn in or not starts at noon of the inauguration day. After assuming presidency, his administration was faced with the uphill task of addressing the global financial crisis and so he leaned towards implementing financial policies which included tax policies. He did not also ignore the strained foreign policy that was brought about by the George Bush Doctrine and hence he started some initiatives that were deemed to phase out prisoner detention in Guantanamo Bay which is located in Cuba (Chernus). Barack Obama’s First One Hundred Days Obama’s first one hundred days presidency started as soon as he was inaugurated on January 20, 2009 into office as the forty fourth president of the United States of America. To this effect his hundredth day at the office will be marked on April 29, 2009. It is important to note that the first one hundred days presidency is a very important historical aspect of the United States as it was first mentioned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration when he assumed the presidency of the United States of America and the country was facing many problems chief among them being the Great Depression which was affect the world economy and which started in the United States after the collapsing of the stock markets. To this effect, in the United States, the first one hundred days are considered to be a benchmark under which the success of any president can be gauged as early as possible (Reeves). When Obama became the presumptive nominee, his first one hundred days in the office have been highly anticipated throughout the United States as well as throughout the world. In his first interview of 60 Minutes, the president asserted that he the knowledge of the importance of the first one hundred days and this is because he was well acquainted with Roosevelt’s First 100 days and that he appreciated the symbolism and the significance of the first 100 days. These sentiments were greatly aired by his Democratic Party nomination rival Hilar
Introduction Gang brutality is a problem in every town in the world. According to the department of justice, there are more than 700000 gang members in the United States alone. In addition, there are more than 20000 gangs in the United States. This paper will explore gang violence, intervention, training and rehabilitation programs at UCI. Do street gang injunctions really work in the OC? Gang activities affect quality of life in communities it is practiced. Murder, rape, violence and drug abuse are some of the activities that lower quality of life in communities with pronounced gang activities. The United States has eight states, which have authority to get gang injunctions. California is one of the states that have utilized that authority in the past. Interestingly, California has experienced success in implementing gang injunctions. On the other hand, Orange County has experienced mixed results over time. The county has eight cities in which gang injunctions are permanent. Results from the eight cities have shown significant reduction in crimes. The cities in which gang injunctions are permanent include Orange, Stanton and Anaheim, among others. Furthermore, evidences show that gang injunctions work in the Orange County. Nonetheless, the injunctions can only succeed when the community is engaged in implementing them. What are the impacts of mass imprisonment on families and children? The rate of mass incarceration has risen in the United States. In fact, according to the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), population of prisoners has skyrocketed. The organization estimates that over 600000 prisoners are released annually. Integrating incarcerated prisoners into the community is usually difficult. Incarcerations affect two main relationships in the family. The affected relationships include father-child relationship and romantic relationship. Research has shown that incarcerated fathers tend to have damaged relations with their offspring. Moreover, incarceration has the propensity of severing romantic relationships. However, it should be noted that these effects are unevenly spread among residents. For instance, whites find it easier to integrate in the family more than their black counterparts do. Furthermore, families from poor background find it difficult to survive with increased expenses. Additionally, an incarcerated individual may develop a new attitude or behavior that affects the family. Is imprisonment of a father always awful for families? Imprisonment of paternal parent has been found to be dreadful for families. Firstly, studies have shown that most children whose fathers are imprisoned exhibit violent behaviors. In addition, most of incarcerated father’s children have attention problems, which can lead to further psychological problems. Incarceration of fathers, therefore, puts families through hardships, which can be economical, emotional, or physical. Studies also suggest that children whose paternal parents
Marriage and family problem is one of the most ambiguous questions as it highly depends on the individual factor. It is impossible to work out a perfect formula that would allow spouses to live a long and happy family life as what works successfully with some couples does not necessarily work with others. Meanwhile, there is a series of issues the speculation upon which might help one avoid potential difficulties. To begin with, one should necessarily note that the first years of marriage often turn out to be a real challenge for spouses. It may take them quite a period to get adjusted to the new set of things, both physically and psychologically. As a rule, one of the principal reasons for a difficult adaptation is the initially inflated requirements of one of the spouses or even both of them. For example, one might have made up a perfect idea of the married life, and every discrepancy between the reality and the expected image disappoints the person. In order to prevent this problem, one is to learn to make adequate expectations. Thus, in case one’s vision of a family life implies a principally new lifestyle pattern that includes the radical personal changes or the change of the partner’s character, habits, behavior, one should reject this kind of expectation as delusional assumptions. Practice shows that such problems are particularly frequent in couples that have no experience of living together before marriage. Another problem one might face in the first years of marriage is the unwillingness to adapt to the new environment. A large percentage of couples do not plan to change their habitual scheme of life after the marriage. Nevertheless, married life automatically requires one to adjust to the partner’s mood, activity, and temper. This transformation is normally less painful and problematic on the condition that it is performed by both sides. The key idea is that one should not consider the necessity to change as an unpleasant obligation or as a threat of losing one’s individuality. Instead, one might focus on the positive impact this transformation will have on the marriage. It is also crucial that the adjustment process is performed on a voluntary basis – the person does not ask the partner to change in return. Whether it is the first years of marriage or a twenty-year period, some couples face the problem of being misunderstood and underestimated. People frequently complain they feel lonely even though they are physically not alone. The lack of communication can be determined by various factors. The first frequent reason is the initial lack of common interests that used to be replaced by the excess of romantic emotions at the earlier stages. Unfortunately, the situation when spouses realize their incompatibility is rather widespread. Another possible reason for the communicational problem might be a temporarily lost connection between the spouses. A couple that spends all the time together might adopt a particular communicational scenario that implies a list of sample topics and questions that are day by day discussed. It so
Introduction The spread of Buddhism to China is a controversial topic that raises more than one issue about its diffusion, acceptance, and assimilation. Buddhism started to enter China during the Han dynasty, probably through the ancient Asian silk routes between the first century BCE and CE. The transmission of the Buddhist doctrine was not linear, and the reasons for its success are not always plain and predictable. After providing a short framework of Buddhism in China, from its introduction to the communist take over in the twentieth century, this paper offers some insights on the spread and signification of the Buddhist teaching within the Chinese society. This paper will focus on how multicultural factors, including an initial misconceiving of the doctrine and ingenious translations of the Buddhist texts, contributed to making Buddhism one of the main Chinese religions. Spread and Sinification of Buddhism in China The coeval official Chinese historiography attempted to link the spread of Buddhism into the Han court through mythical and miraculous narratives. The most famous episode was the emperor Ming’s dream of a golden Buddha flying over his palace in 64 CE. However, the dream should not be taken literally, but framed in a broader context where both the Chinese rulers and the Buddhist élite tried to give legitimacy to a foreign doctrine (Sen, 2012). Zurcher (2007) highlights how the introduction of Buddhism into China became a favorite theme of apocryphal literature to enhance the prestige of the Buddhist monks. As will be discussed below, apocryphal texts became a powerful means to spread and adopt Buddhism to the Chinese environment. One of the first reliable official documents dates back to 65 CE and testifies the presence of Buddhism in the area north of the Huai, in Eastern Henan, Southern Shandong, and Northern Jiangsu (Zurcher, 2007). The greatest flourishing of Buddhism took place d
Introduction McDonaldizaion is a principle that has been defined by George Ritzer to describe the situation of the society in the current world. This is done in relation to the quick procedures that are being applied by various sectors to ensure that their products delivered in the fastest means possible. George Ritzer compiled this basing on the theory of rationalization by Max Weber. The modern society has been considered to be in need of faster and quicker services which have made companies to adapt a similar trend (Ritzer, 38). Ritzer looks at McDonaldizaion both in the positive and negative way. As much as companies are using a similar trend to attract customers in all corners of the world, it has certain impacts that are impacting negatively on the society. In his book, he has identified areas in which the society is, likely to benefit and those in which it is likely to loose. His concluding remark is simply to advice the society to strike a balance and not compromise on the morals of the society in the name of desiring high output. In this paper we critically look at the concept in relation to George Ritzer’s view point. Positive implications on McDonaldizaion The positive impacts of McDonaldizaion as described by George Ritzer are summarized in four concepts namely; Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability and Control. In efficiency, Ritzer observes that it is the fastest way that can ensure that clients get what they need. In relation to the famous fast foods, Ritzer observes the manner in which the foods are prepared very fast and yet they grant an immediate satisfaction to the clients. There is a faster way that is being used to ensure that the foods are delivered to their customers on demand. This hence means that people are looking for faster ways of ensuring that their needs have been made. Nobody is willing to take the longer route, but just the easiest and fastest. In calculability, it has been assumed that quality equals quantity. This gives people a chance to effectively measure on what they will gain and the time taken to accomplish a thing. It has affected organizations in that they require employees to record high productivity in the shortest time possible. In predictability, Ritzer brings out the need for similar services to be provided at all centers. What clients get in one region should be similar to what they get in another. This makes such services reliable and hence predictable. In control, there is a need for effective services that will always be appreciated. This hence calls for manpower that is reliable and able to record a uniform productivity. Since human beings can not always be relied on, most organizations are resorting to replacing human labor with machines. Machines are considered to be more reliable and effective. Negative implications on McDonaldization Despite the positive implications that has made the trend to be preferred in the
Introduction Businesses struggle to maintain their market share despite stiff competition, global economic recession and other factors that interfere with their performance. In addition, investors hire qualified staff and acquire modern equipment to ensure they have high chances of dominating local and foreign markets. However, these efforts do not sometimes yield the expected results due to unforeseen challenges (Kaplan and Norton 2000). These problems may be internal or external and affect business performance throughout its existence. This essay is a case study that examines how the Duke Children’s Hospital managed to create a balanced scorecard and its effects on the staff, patients and state. Analysis The stakeholders at Duke Children’s Hospital will remember 1996 as a year full of darkness and unforeseen future in its operations. The hospital received very little medical allowance while revenues declined due to an increase in patients with capitated compensation. Children’s services became very expensive and sky rocketed to $ 14,889 from the initial $ 10,500 in 1993. All healthcare organisations have objectives that ensure they generate profits for investors, offer employment opportunities to nurses and physicians and provide quality heath
Introduction Surgical procedures are quite common in most health centers. This is based on the fact that some health complications are well-corrected through surgical means. Additionally, advancement in knowledge and medical technology has significantly augmented the adoption of operative procedures to correct medical problems among patients. While this is a common and an effective way of handling such problems, it might lead to other infections if preoperative procedures are not performed accordingly (Tanner, Norrie & Melen, 2011). This research paper focuses on the concept of preoperative procedures, which are widely used by medical practitioners around the world. Preoperative procedure Surgery is a very important procedure in medicine. Whilst a lot of attention is mainly accorded the actual technical process performed by surgeons, there are several essential stages, which a patient undergoes before the operation is done. These preoperative preparations are quiet important in facilitating the process and preventing infections that arise from improper procedures (Tanner, Norrie & Melen, 2011). Traditionally, preparation of patients for surgical processes mainly included the removal of hair, covering the area to be operated. Although there could be other methods of achieving this, hair removal has dominated the field. There is always the need for shaving, since the presence of hair may affect the entire process and lead to aftermath infections. For instance, the presence of hair is known to affect the visibility and exposure of the incision. Additionally, its presence may affect the wound created after surgery, stitching and application of chemicals for quick recovery and during dressing. Besides these implications, it is believed that hair is commonly associated with insufficient cleanliness and hair removal is considered to be one of the ways of preventing surgical site infections. Importantly, other schools of thought argue that some preoperative processes
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency within the United States Department of Defense, supervised by the Director of National Intelligence. The key responsibilities of the NSA include global monitoring, collection, and analysis of data to serve foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. The NSA is especially experienced in the domain of knowledge known as signals intelligence (SIGINT). Aside from that, the NSA tends to the protection of US communication networks and information systems. This paper overviews the roles, functions, capabilities, and limitations of the National Security Agency and discusses how it integrates into a joint environment. At present, the United States faces numerous national security threats whose gravity cannot be underestimated. Like the rest of the world, the US is suffering from extremism and international terrorism, which poses a threat to the country’s warfighters, allies, and homeland. The US national interests are negatively impacted by the ongoing regional conflicts and hostile foreign governments. Among other threats is the drug trade that results in large amounts of illegal drugs being brought into the country each year. The nature of threats to national security is evolving: today, a lot of crimes take place in cyberspace. Cyber threats are rapidly changing in their disruptive potential and scope of impact. As a response to the threats of the modern age, the National Security Agency provides expertise in cryptology, which includes both signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance products and services. The mission of the National Security Agency is to help the government to gain a decision advantage to benefit the Nation and the allies under all circumstances. This is achieved through enabling sophisticated computer network operations (CNO). The official list of the core values to which the NSA adheres include:   * Commitment to service. The NSA shows its awareness of the significant role that it plays in the country’s politics and commits to achieve excellence in the pursuit of its critical mission;   * Respect for the law. The NSA makes sure that its missions have legal underpinnings and are compliant with the US Constitution and the US laws, regulations and policies.   * Integrity. The agency prioritizes ethics, honesty, and transparency when carrying out its mission.   * Transparency. The agency seeks to foster public understanding of what it does and ensure complete transparency to those who monitor and supervise its work on behalf of the Nation;   * Respect for People. The NSA promotes equality and diversity in the workplace where people are judged by their character and ability and not their origins and other unchangeable personal characteristics;   * Accountability. The agency takes full responsibility for its actions and decisions: It prioritizes prudence and sound judgment over expediency (National Security Agency, n.d.).   * Signals intelligence. SIGINT is a system that deciphers electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets. SIGINT de