ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The instructions of Shuruppak and the Liturgy to Nintud, or the Kesh Temple Hymn, are the oldest surviving forms of Sumerian literature in the world. They both date roughly around Sumerian 2600 BCE (Hilprecht, 1904). The Instructions of Shuruppak is an example of Sumerian wisdom literature. Wisdom literature was intended to instruct on piety, virtue and the preservation of community standards (Buchanan, 2012). The Instructions of Shuruppak is a mixed context of sayings and admonishments by Shuruppak, son of Ubar-Tutu, to his son and future hero of the flood, Ziusudra (Lambert, Milliard & Civil, 1996). In observation, the book of Genesis, and the chronicle of Sumerian Kings try to illuminate the early history of man, where the divinely sent flood brings about ten successions or generations to an end. The flood wipes out the human race apart from one man, who had been forewarned and thus escaped destruction via a specially made boat. This narrative is obviously reminiscent of the story of the flood in Genesis. In Biblical scripture, Noah is the hero of the flood, managing to save his family as well as the rest of God’s creations by taking a pair of each into Ark. In the Sumerian text, which predates the biblical scriptures, Ziusudra, the Sumerian Noah, is informed that man was going to be destroyed. It is then that he is given the assignment to build a special boat that would save him and his family (Barton, 1937). The similarities between the narrative about the Noah’s Ark and the Sumerian text are demonstrated by corresponding lines in the different versions: “the storm had swept…for seven days and seven nights” (Powell, 1995), which outlines the ancient Sumerian story of the flood, and “rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:12). From this, it can be deduced that the Hebrews were not completely original in their story of the deluge. The Instructions of Shuruppak can also be seen as the Sumerian prelude to the Ten Commandments that were handed down by God to Moses, as well as to some Proverbs cited in the Bible (Alster, 1974). On the 50 th line of the inscriptions are the words “Do not curse with powerful means” which corresponds to the 3 rd Commandment, while the 28 th line “Do not kill” relates to the 6 th Commandment. The 33 rd and 34th lines “Do not laugh with or sit alone in a chamber with a girl that is married” could be the basis for the 7 th Commandment and lines 28 to 31 “Do not steal or commit robbery” being synonymous with the 8 th Commandment, as is the 36 th line, “Do not spit out lies” and the 9 th Commandment. Similarly, the lines contained in Proverbs 6:1-5; 7:21-27; 22:26-27; 23:27-28 relate to many of the inst
Introduction The Washington Times recently published a story of an emotionally distressed woman called Nancy Mayer who carried the pregnancy of a child infected with Trisomy (Duin, 2013). The disease is caused by chromosomal aberration and the chances of survival for the victim are nil. Doctors, therefore, find it instructive to terminate such pregnancies, but Mayer did not want to abort. A similar story is told of Trish Stone, a Kensington resident (Duin, 2013). She was pregnant with two children and one was diagnosed with hydrocephaly. The standard for such a condition is the elimination of the fetus and the doctor prescribed it as the only solution that would save the other of the twins. The ethical discourse surrounding the two occurrences was strengthened by a United States governor, Sarah Palin, who declared that she was under pressure to abort the pregnancy of her son who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. The debate rekindled the memories of the eugenics movement in the 1920s that was advocating for the sterilization of inferior people so that they do not pass on their genes to the next generation. For legal clarity, the United States Congress enacted legislation providing that pregnant women be provided with accu
Introduction A victim of slave trade that existed in America in the 19th century , Celia , a black woman is forced into slavery and raped by Newsom, her white master. He controls her unconditionally, which establishes the true nature of her future role in the Newsom household, much to the chagrin of the other inmates. Their relationship is seldom acknowledged and publicly condoned. Further rapes annoy her and she decides to put an end to her relationship with Newsom. Despite warnings, Newsom approaches her and Celia, to protect herself from his advances, strikes him on the head. It unfortunately leads to his death. Celia is innocent and Newsom’s death is accidental. She wants to establish a meaningful relationship with George, a black servant. She is not granted protection and ultimately is hanged to death. She is an “insider.” (Celia a Slave). Main text Newsom, a rich white, buys Celia, a black woman on the pretext of having a domestic servant to assist his daughters with cooking and household works. He rapes her on their return journey, thus forcing Celia into slavery. It is against moral codes yet the whites believe that ‘black bodies’ are meant to be ruled. She is denied freedom by Newsom, who uses her for his pleasures. He meets an accidental death which seals Celia’s life. (Celia a Slave). George loves Celia but is afraid of Newsom. Secretly he meets Celia in Newsom’s absence and months afterward, Celia is pregnant. George wants Celia to end her relationship with Newsom. Celia agrees but unfortunately, in her attempts to check Newsom’s advances, she kills him. George is responsible for giving up Celia to the authorities when she burns Newsom’s body as they search for Newsom spreads. (Celia a Slave). Judge Jameson is a wise man who in spite of being a slave owner is not personally in the ongoing slavery debates. Being political savvy and having the reputation as an excellent trial lawyer, he is acceptable to those on both sides of the conflict- state v/s Celia, a slave. He fights till the end to see to it that Celia is given protection of an existing law to a slave but in vain. His boldness and uprightness while arguing the case for Celia, is noteworthy. (Celia a Slave). Admitting Missouri
The purpose of ethics and morality is to work out the rules that help us to distinguish right and wrong. Despite the differences between the definition of right and wrong in various cultures, times, and among individuals, I consider that the main “wrong” is to harm other human beings, and “right” is to benefit and help others and yourself. Not harming animals is essential as well, but the present-day humanity cannot do without meat, fur, and animal testing. For me, the idea of responsibility toward environment means that we should care about future generations. Ethics, according to Webster Dictionary, is a set of rules that are based on beliefs about what is good and what is bad (“Ethics” par. 1). As Thomas Jefferson believed, humankind was by default granted with a moral sense that made empathy possible (Ferling 188). The same complicated issue has attracted the attention of M. Gazzaniga, a neuroscientist. He found out that moral empathy was a tool of our survival during the evolution (Jacobus 417-418). In earlier times, ethics was closely tied (or even substituted by) religion. According to Irish Murdoch, the idea of virtue is some kind of a bridge between religion and ethics. The idea of virtue is an essential contributor to human behavior. “The demand that we should be virtuous or try to become good,” Murdoch states, “is something that goes beyond explicit calls of duty” (Jacobus 363-364). So, ethics is a number of certain rules based on the beliefs about good and bad, no matter if it is connected with any religion or not. It is, however, not an easy task to distinguish the good from the bad. Different cultures and even different time periods of the same culture offer their own understandings of right and wrong. For instance, a 15-year-old pregnant girl is a shock to Western society; it is something definitely wrong, and the father of her child should be punished. For a Middle Eastern country, it is perfectly normal. Slavery was a common thing for antiquity, but it is a crime nowadays. Moreover, different people define wrong and right in different ways. William Wilberforce and the slave traders lived in the same country and time period, but for the former slave trade was a wrong thing to do, whereas the latter would not agree with him (Kerr-Ritchie 534). Despite these crucial differences in ethical principles of cultures, epochs, and individuals, throughout human history the
The great chain of being This concept, first described by St. Thomas Aquinas, was translated from a Latin word “scala naturae,” which literally means “ladder or stair-way of nature”. This is a conventional Christian and Western medieval concept, which details a divine, hierarchical orderliness of all things and life in a vertically extended chain. The Chain of Being is made up of various hierarchy rankings from the most fundamental segments up through the supreme perfection, that is, God. There is a hierarchy that recognizes God being at the top of, and the Angels can be found down the ladder, even though all exist in an ageless spirit form. Beneath them are people, who are grouped into two, nobles and commoners. This chain extends down to the lowest form of life, that is, plants and natural minerals. In addition to the universal ranking, there is universal interdependence among the different elements of the chain and this is what holds the elements together. However, many scholars have disputed this concept arguing that post-medieval period “disorder” was more evident than “order”, due to discomforts in the classical orderliness. Fixity of species This concept argues that all species have remained exactly the same in their present anatomical form ever since their appearance on earth. It claims that our material reality and separate realms of forms are distinct. The world is made up of “imperfect shadows of forms” and the variations people notice in matter around them is irrelevant because it’s due to trivial flaws. Even Charles Darwin believed that God made all matter purposely for its environment. However he rejected this belief after observing species in the Galápagos Islands evolve. However, this concept is normally rejected by many people today due to the large amounts of facts regarding evolution. Also, it does not tell how matter originally came into existence, it only associates a creator. The theory of transformation This concept, also known as “heritability of acquired characteristics or soft inheritance,” holds that a species can pass on some of its characteristics, which it got as it developed to its offsprings. During an organism’s lifetime, it gets various individual characteristics, because of its specific experiences, such as starvation, or diseases. Lamarck argued that an organism could undergo transformation if these individually acquired characters were passed on by its off springs and further modification was aggregated with time. Also, it claims that organisms started out simple and constantly get more complex, towards perfection. Shallow time This concept argues that humanity came about as a result of system centered on nature divergent to a human centered system. The earth as it is today according to Archbishop Ussher came into being a couple of millenniums ago. This concept came about and is based upon readings from the bible by Ussher. Ussher offers a chronological time frame of the earth’s formation a
Introduction Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation often abbreviated as DIC is a condition that involves procedural activation of blood coagulation leading to the production and deposition of fibrin in an individual’s body (Cate, Timmerman & Levi, 2009). This condition often prevents blood of the affected individual from clotting as expected. As such, the affected person tends to experience blood clotting problems; a condition that affects the flow of blood and causes multiple organs failure. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is defined as an acquired syndrome that is characteristic of intravascular coagulation activation leading to the loss of localization, as a result of diverse causes (Letsky, 2001). Slofstra, Spek and Cate (2003) asserted that disseminated intravascular coagulation does not refer to a particular illness, but a co
Introduction Ethics is the behavior of people and how people relate to each other through taking responsibility for the decisions they make. Ethics determines how they are viewed by the community at large. (APA) stands for American psychological association. Ethics here is a code of conduct that guides psychologists to act on the highest ideas of psychology. It can also be referred to as the standard to which all members affiliate students under psychology agree to comply. Ethics in a profession regulates how people conduct themselves when in the field. Role and importance of personal ethics in psychology being in (APA) code of conduct The role of personal ethics in psychology in relation to the (APA) American psychological association is intended to guide psychologists and standard professionals to guide them in their decision making and conduct at work. Personal ethics is required when one is serving their clients. Matters such as privacy and integrity always arise in the line of duty. The client’s mental status should be secretly kept. Also, personal ethics in psychology guides ethics that is applicable to psychologist activities. Such activities may include scientific activities, educational and other roles as psychologists. Other areas include clinical psychology, counseling and practice in school. Personal ethics in psychology guides decisions on matters of being on the wrong side or the right side in relation to individuals morals in the society. It also determines the basic standards to which social behavior conforms. Importance of personal ethics in psychology Ethics is the code of conduct that should be followed at when practicing work. Issues such as privacy and having the capacity to continue treating mental illness are some of the challenges experienced today in this field. Therefore, personal ethics ensures that the psychologists conduct themselves in a manner that protects the patient. Patients are accorded the respect they deserve. Personal ethics of psychologists should comply with the APA code of conduct which is the American Psychologist Association. It recom
Introduction The major objective of all national policies in the sphere of healthcare is the provision of accessible, high-quality, universal medical service. However, despite the similarity in goals, distinct countries are characterized by significant organizational differences in healthcare systems. The character of public healthcare in a particular state is primarily affected by the social and economic models adopted there, as well as the level of the political situation in the country. Based on this, the given paper aims to identify and outline the main differences in healthcare models adopted in such countries as Cuba, Russia, Sweden, Canada, etc. The analysis of the differences in such aspects of international healthcare organization as managerial patterns, cultural values, financial issues, and others is provided below. Legal and Political Considerations According to Buşoi (2010), there are three major political approaches in the global community: conservative, liberal, and radical. The first one is rooted in the principle of “equality in front of the law” (Buşoi, 2010, p. 4). In conservative states, government interference is associated with policy enforcement activities while, in liberal states, government involvement is only accepted if its purpose is the improvement of citizens’ health. Finally, the radical political approach is characterized by a centralized planning and the use of federal funds as the only source of financing (Buşoi, 2010). A political and ideological situation in the country largely affects policy making and, in this way, indirectly impacts the social and economic systems. When speaking of healthcare, political context affects the selection of sources and methods of financing; the style of organization, medical practice, etc. Managerial Patterns, Consumer Behavior, and Financing As it was mentioned above, political factors affect social and economic characteristics of healthcare systems. In their turn, these system properties, impact the patterns of consumer behavior, managerial styles and activities, ownership policies, and the mechanisms of financing. According to the general classification, two basic types of health systems are distinguished: the governmental or the Beveridge model, and the health insurance or the Bismarck model. The governmental budgeting and ownership of healthcare are adopted in Sweden, Brazil, and Cuba, while the Bismarck system is actualized in such countries as Canada, and Russia. The Beveridge model is associated with free medical services, financing from the governmental budgets and taxes, a governmental monopoly on the healthcare resources, and the centralized management. For instance, 80% of healthcare expenditures are funded from taxes in Sweden (Anell, Glenngård, & Merkur, 2012). The health insurance there is voluntary there, and patient charges constitute approximately 15% of the overall health expenditures and are limited to the purchase of medicines, hospitalization, or visits to specialists. The responsibility for service provision and funding in the Swedish health system is performed
Abstract The article “It Doesn’t Matter” helps managers and leaders to embrace the best business ideas. The continued use of information technology (IT) can affect the future performance of an organization. This essay explains why the ideas presented by Nicholas Carr in his article are applicable in every corporation. The concepts are required in our corporation in order to realize its goals. Article Summary Nicholas Carr begins his article by explaining how technology has become the best tool towards operational excellence. Technology has the potential to link data and information externally and internally. However, the current proliferation of information technology (IT) continues to make it valueless. This situation explains why IT is becoming a commodity. Its strategic value is also reducing. This powerful resource has also become relevant to competition but insignificant when it comes to strategy. The article “It Doesn’t Matter” explains why every organization should be ready to deal with the risks created by this powerful resource. According to the article, many global companies have been spending a lot of money on IT. However, such companies have been getting very small returns. These IT inputs will eventually become readily available and ubiquitous. Such IT resources will also become less visible because their costs have decreased. According to Nicholas, IT remains a very powerful and important input within companies. Information technology (IT) has also become a common resource for these corporations. Technology is unable to promote sustained performance or competitive advantage because it has become a universal resource. This situation explains why IT is no longer sustainable. Organizations should not purchase new IT resources in order to have successful business ventures. Companies should therefore spend less money in order to identify new competitive advantages. The strategy will ensure such companies are successful. Nicholas also encourages investors to postpone their technological investments in order to make their businesses successful. Corporations can also focus on every IT threat and vulnerability. This practice is recommendable because any disruption in information technology will have devastating effects. The author also explains how such risks and disruptions will increase in the future. That being the case, IT managers should consider the best strategies in order to manage risks and costs. The practice will make every business organization profitable. Implications for Our Company The article “It Doesn’t Matter” by Nicholas Carr means a lot to every company. Corporations should consider the emerging issues associated with information technology. The author gives the best ideas and strategies towards promoting better business practices. Companies should not invest in unnecessary technologies. This idea is meaningful because many companies do not benefit from such technologies. Technology has become ubiquitous and less competitive. This article is relevant because it presents the best ideas and concepts towar
Television entertainment has become one of the most popular sources of entertainment in world over the last five decades because of the ever increasing size of television audience across the world. Researchers have found out that the young people and women form the majority of the audience and in the process making the most probable candidates to be affected either positively or negatively by television entertainment (Bushnell 67). Television episodes and series highlight and portray different societal values and beliefs that can either be positive or negative. These values and beliefs propagated by television have a great potential of shaping the value and belief system of the society because the young people who are the majority television viewers form the present and the future society. It is therefore important for television channels to air programs that can promote positive values and beliefs in the society. This paper will discuss how the themes highlighted in the Sex and the City television series and how the series contributes in shaping social values and beliefs. The television genre of a television program helps the audience to try and understand the cultural and historical conditions under which the program was produced and its subsequent consumption (Bushnell 118). It is therefore very important in television entertainment because of its ability to meet the expectations of the audience. The generic form of a television program or series how attractive the program becomes to the audience. Most television programs and series like Sex and City have a programming format and genre that is hybridized. Sex and the City is credited for mixing generic styles and feminine identities as a way of understanding gendered politics (Bushnell 118). Sex and the City can be regarded as a post-feminist joke narrative with a format that highlights the current ideological struggle. This series reflects a romantic comedy genre that focuses on the life of single girls in the city. The series transforms the past generic codes with generic elements that entirely represent feminism, gender identities. All the themes represented in the series represent gendered cultural performances in a woman’s fantasies. The sex and the City series combines different generic forms such as romantic comedy, s9tcom comedy together with fairytale narratives to highlight the uneasy relationship of a heroine, the pursuit of a perfect body and the fairy-tale romance with a happy ending. The narrative structure of Sex and the City is very unique in the sense that it highlights the complex issues commonly faced by single women in the society (Douglass 56). The central theme in each episode is brought out by a single character and this helps the characters a great deal in identifying themselves with the audience. The series has got a voiceover narration coupled with a well developed spectatorship which helps in highlighting how women relate with technology as well as constructing multiple meanings. Carrie Bradshaw, who is the main character in the series, is often used to pose the central theme of each episode. She poses the m