ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The modern society recognizes the importance of reconsidering race issues that influence of the concept of identity belonging and equality among culturally diverse groups. However, the principles of identity and belonging are not confined to ethnic affiliation only, but also to new social constructs that are affected by such famous trend as McDonald’s. In fact, the fast food chain embodies new symbols and patterns of behavior among members of society ( The Disenchanted Kingdom n. p.). The above-presented conceptions reflect certain principles defining my attitude to racial stereotypes and consumerist culture. Being a representative of Asian Diaspora, I agree with the idea that psychology of racism should be reevaluated to acknowledge the fact of existence of privilege for white people ( Truth in Advertising: Breaking the Spell of Consumerism n. p.). I have always been the foreigner in the United States because of my cultural and national backgrounds. On the other hand, creating equitable environment is also impossible because it would definitely mean the loss of some community members ( Interview with Beverly Daniel Tatum n. p.). In fact, creating equitable communications excludes the possibility of personal choices and, as a result, the divergence is inevitable. Loss of identity in the American community is on the current agenda due to the challenges of cross-cultural communication and social interaction. Being a non-native representative of the society imposes certain social, cultural, and economic boundaries. In particular, the fact of cultural variation also creates challenges for communication. It also motivates people to highlight differences and identities among human behaviors in accordance with these differences. The existence of stereotypes is already a tangible obstacle to maintaining cultural affiliation. The constitution of ethnic groups, along with their ideological and religious underpinnings, is another challenge that non-native citizens should confront. In addition, the difficulty in maintaining the sense of belonging is explained by the impossibility to ignore the existence of other cultures adjacent to an ethnic community. Therefore, while living in an Asian community, I am especially aware of the necessity to face the challenge and reach a compromise to co-exist peacefully. The above-described obstacles are congruent with collaborative views about the challenges that a multi-cultural society poses to ethnic minorities. However, the introduction of new consumerist culture poses even a more serious threat to modern society. The loss of authentic American culture prevents the community from preserving their original roots, as well as establishing a favorable environment for sustaining cultural heritage. Consumerist patterns of behavior create another serious problem that contributes to the identity destruction because ethnic values have been vanished u
Essay on Dancing Doris Humphrey was a famous American choreographer and the founder of modern techniques in the theory and practice of the dance movement. As soon as she joined the Denishawn dance school in Los Angeles, the dancer became a recognized soloist, and in three years she started experimenting with dancing techniques and modern choreography. Her first major work was presented in 1925. Guided by her mentor Ruth Denis, Humphrey presented the first modern dance that was not accompanied by music. Hence, her approach to dancing differed greatly from the conventional views on the connection between dance and music. In particular, the choreographer was more concerned with separate elements of music that complement dance with movement, rhythm, nature, and balance. The talented dancer possessed a strong sense of rhythm, which allowed her to perceive dancing through the use of gravity and unveiling the sense of security. Hence, the ambivalence between balance and unbalance was highlighted, which is possible through using nonmusical rhythms, such as human breath, waves, or pulse rhythms. Thus, the dance could exist beyond music and is based on the movement itself, which delivers its message and meaning. Ruth Denis and Ted Shown adhered to the concept of music visualization as the main underpinning of modern dance. This concept is associated with movement equivalents, including dynamics, structural elements of music, along with its rhythmic base. In 1936, the dancer completed the trilogy, which is known as New Dance . This masterpiece focused on human nature through the symphonic components of dance. The second section of a trilogy called With My Red Fires depicted romantic love, the theme that had been considered inappropriate and challengeable to perform in modern dance. By introducing new techniques, Humphrey managed to recover modern dance and create new elements and forms beyond the boundaries of individual emotion. Using stylized gesture and abstraction was the priority for the dancer while performing the work. In contrast to her mentor Ruth Denis, the dancer was not influenced by religious beliefs because she advocated humanism. Most of her works were dedicated to unveiling man’s nobility to assert her commitment to humankind. Her “fall and recovery” approach, breath rhythm, and natural movement became the foundation for her technique. For instance, in her work called Two Ecstatic Themes , Humphrey focuses on the physical drama – the struggle between gravity and weightlessness. Hence, Humphrey firmly believed that dancing allowed her to reveals human harmony with nature, as well as an individual’s aspiration to perfectibility. Her contribution to modern dancing is enormous because she breathes techniques that are still heavily practiced in modern dancing school to train the physical aptness of dancers. Besides, her attitude to music and its role in dancing is controversial because dancing was connected more
Introduction All business organizations have different methods of valuing their stock. This is aimed at ensuring that the right price is used in issuing stock. For instance, it will not be appropriate for a firm to make losses by issuing stock at a lower price than purchasing price. Besides, a business organization has to decide on the method of inventory valuation. This is aimed at attracting a monetary value in the store. This is useful in costing output, state costing and decision making processes. Thus, this paper will highlight some of the methods used in valuing inventories. First in first out (FIFO) This is an inventory method that is used to value stock based on the assumption of first in first out. Stock that is purchased first is the one that is issued first. The price of the inventory issued is determined by the price of the first stock. In addition, the value closing stock is done at the latest cost. This method has many advantages. This has facilitated its increased use in many firms. For instance, it is a realistic system or method of evaluation. Here, the oldest items are issued first followed by the newest items. Furthermore, the method’s calculations are easy whenever there are no fluctuations in the price of materials. This method ensures that the closing stock value reflects the latest cost (Khan & Jain, 2008). Thus, it reflects the current market values relating to the product of an organization. What is more, this method is accepted by many tax authorities because of its consistency with accounting concepts. For instance, it complies with accounting principles such as IAS and IFRS. Last in first out (LIFO) method Here, the stock purchased last is issued first. This method expects stock valuation to be based on the price ruling on the acquisition of the preceding stock. This has seen its application and acceptance by many tax authorities (Epstein, Nach & Bragg, 2009). Besides, this method shows consistency with the accounting practice. Thus, a business organization or firm will choose this method based on its main advantages. For instance, product costs are based on the current market prices. This makes the method realistic and applicable in accounting practices. Another reason for the use of this method is the charge tagged on products. In fact, the charge is closely related to the current price levels. Weighted Average Method This method applies the concept of weighted average to facilitate valuation of stock. It en
Introduction Terrorism and hate crime are very common social phenomena in the contemporary world. It is possible to theorize that both of them are emphasized and motivated by the rapidly developing process of globalization that brings together many nations and cultures inevitably resulting in clashes between the representatives of the diverse communities. This paper explores the phenomena of hate crime and terrorism, discusses their similarities and differences, and provides a description of a personality of a terrorist versus that of a hate offender. The Causes of Terrorism and Hate Crimes Grothaus (2016) offers several causes for terrorism; among them, there are ethnonationalism, discrimination, socioeconomic status, political issues, and religion. The former cause (ethnonationalism) is described as resulting from the desire of an ethnic minority within a country to gain certain forms of independence that leads to the public acts of aggression in the form of terrorism. Another driver of terrorism is discrimination or alienation of certain groups of the population. Usually, these communities are comprised of immigrants who are viewed as others by the rest of the population and thus are prevented from assimilation, excluded, and encouraged to draw to the extremist moods. One more powerful motivator of terrorism is the religious doctrines formulated in a way that stimulates aggression and the points of difference between communities (Grothaus, 2016). Moreover, such doctrines may encourage suicide bombing by promising a happy afterlife. Finally, acts of terrorism may be caused by political instability in the countries that create the public desire to fight against certain regulations and rules with the help of armed aggression. As for the drivers of hate crime, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2008) outlines four primary causes that are thrill-seeking, defense, retaliatory actions, and the feeling of a mission. Besides, the report points out that some of the most popular person characteristics for which the victims of hate crime are usually attacked include religion, sexual orientation, and ethnic background (The Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). Thrill-seeking behaviors stand for the search for excitement or satisfaction created by an attack on a pursued group or community; defensive motivators of hate crime represent the offenders’ perceived intention to protect their neighborhood of community from what (or who) is recognized as a threat; retaliation involves the actions that are facilitated as a response to attacks or discrimination (actual or perceived) from the opposing side; finally, the feeling of mission is a very strong commitment to the acts of hate that transform this type of crime into a lifestyle or a career of the perpetrators (The Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). The Similarities of the Causes of Terrorism and Hate Crimes The similarities of the two types of be
Medical professionals experience varied information needs when dealing with patients in the process of making informed diagnoses and treatment decisions. As a direct consequence, identifying information which is important to clinicians at the point of care and identifying a framework through which such information can be accurately and efficiently provided to clinicians has assumed critical importance in modern clinical settings (Mei et al., 2010). There exists a multiplicity of clinical information systems that clinicians and patients can use to access important clinical information, but the two most used platforms include the management information systems and the clinical decision support systems (Solomon, 2008). This report describes the clinical decision support system for Diabetes and also discusses how this platform could be improved to provide optimal measurable outcomes for clinicians and patients. According to Solomon (2008), integrated clinical information systems such as clinical decision support systems are fundamental to successful chronic care management by their capacity to support access to, and sharing of, health information and expertise among members of a multi-disciplinary care team. The clinical decision support system for Diabetes has enabled clinicians in the health facility to access important health information about this chronic condition, thereby fostering collaborative activities among the clinicians and a marked reduction in medical errors. This system also assists clinicians to standardize treatment procedures by providing information and best practices for dealing with cases of Diabetes. Through the clinical decision support system, clinicians at the health facility can share information with colleagues and Diabetes agencies, creating an environment whereby Diabetes patients are treated from an informed perspective due to easy accessibility of critical information on treatment and management. Despite the gains made so far, it is imperative to consider improving the current clinical decision support system to a more patient-centered model, where patients can be empowered to have self-management and self-monitoring skills for better disease management. With the support of clinicians and the health facility, patients with Diabetes can be actively engaged in managing the daily challenges that come with the condition. Solomon (2008) acknowledges that “…the application of information technology (IT) to support self-management extends the reach of the provider organization by linking patients to the exchange of health information and facilitating self-management activities” (p. 391). As such, the current clinical decision support system needs to be expanded to incorporate the patients and create an effective channel where patients could use web-based applications to access the health facility’s clinical decision support system for important information that will enhance their self-management skills. The above
Education has been changing alongside with society in accordance with emerging trends. Social theories have played an important role in the development of the US educational system. It is necessary to note that each social theory has its strengths as well as weaknesses. Therefore, it is important to choose the most appropriate approach which could fit the contemporary society. It is possible to briefly analyze functionalism, Marxism, post-modernism, and interpretivism to select the most suitable approach. According to functionalists, education plays an important role in passing knowledge and skills to younger generations to enable them to acquire appropriate roles in society. This approach can favorably affect society as there is a precise paradigm of transferring knowledge to younger generations (Kezar & Dee, 2011). There are also particular roles in schools (teacher-student relationship) as well as in the society (people acquire skills to take a specific role, to occupy a certain position). At the same time, this approach is characterized by some weaknesses. Precise division of the society and distribution of roles often negatively affect the development of the society as reliance on particular structures leads to a lack of creativity and development in schooling. Marxism also employs the concept of roles though this approach interprets them differently. Thus, Marxists see education as a system that supports the existing power distribution and ensure that classes in power control less empowered classes (Manzon, 2011). One of the strengths of this approach is that it unveils inequalities persisting in the system of education. Admittedly, there is certain conflict among groups and more empowered classes have more opportunities to obtain knowledge and skills to preserve their power. At the same time, this approach presupposes significant attention to technical and intellectual skills, which is beneficial for society. However, there is a major flaw in this approach as it stresses the need for change but does not provide a specific strategy to implement the change. Post-modernism is based on such concepts of nihilism and self-destruction. Post-modernist believe that education cannot serve as a tool for preserving power and expect certain changes to come (Rikowski & McLaren, 2002). One of the strengths of the approach is its focus on changes and inequalities in education. Though, the major weakness of postmodernism is its fragmentized nature (there is no specific system) and a lack of particular strategies to implement changes. In a nutshell, post-modernists reveal downsides of some trends and approaches but do not explicitly specify their position and their vision of the most effective society. Interpretivism focuses on an individual’s meanings and interpretations. Culture and diversity play core roles in this approach (Inglis, 2013). The major strength of interpretivism is that it contributes to diversity in society and education. This diversity involves a diversity of ide
African and African American female writers often focus on presenting and discussing the aspects of black women’s life within different societies. In spite of the fact that the ethnic and social background of the female protagonists can be different, the problems of racial prejudice, social inequality, and gender discrimination are reflected in many works. Thus, the topics are often similar, but the authors’ writing styles differ significantly, depending on the female writers’ approaches to representing the issues. From this point, it is important to compare and contrast the female authors’ writing styles with references to Toni Morrison’s Sula (1973) and Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood (1979). Although both Morrison and Emecheta provide the life stories of black women and discuss the problem of social choices for them in the novels, the authors’ writing styles differ significantly because Morrison concentrates on irony and realism when Emecheta focuses on the sympathetic tone and delicate descriptions. Morrison and Emecheta’s novels are similar not only about the focus on discussing the aspects of the black woman’s life in society but also about the certain features of the writing styles. Thus, the authors choose to provide realistic descriptions of their female characters, their feelings, and inclinations. Morrison and Emecheta are inclined to accentuate the intimate aspects of the female characters’ life and emphasize their feelings, which can be obvious or hidden. The authors use simple sentence constructions and avoid figurative language to provide realistic descriptions and pictures, and the imagery is rather limited. It is important to note that the authors’ writing styles presented in Sula and The Joys of Motherhood have more differences than similarities. Depicting Sula, Morrison states that she “lived out her days exploring her thoughts and emotions, giving them full reign, feeling no obligation to please anybody unless their pleasure pleased her” (Morrison 118). The author accentuates the aspects of the female antagonist’s character with the help of realistic and rather strict and vivid descriptions. On the contrary, Emecheta’s descriptions of Nnu Ego are simple but delicate, necessary to emphasize the author’s sympathy for the character. Thus, Emecheta states that “Nnu Ego’s relationship with the other women in the Amatokwu compound was amicable” (Emecheta 33). The author uses an indirect description of the character’s positive qualities. Moreover, Emecheta represents her sympathy for Nnu Ego stating that she “realized that part of the pride of motherhood was to look a little unfashionable and be able to draw with joy: “I can’t afford another outfit, because I am nursing him” (Emecheta 80). However, in spite of differences in introducing and describing the characters, both the authors are effective to make readers sympathize for their characters because these women suffer from developed social prejudice. Morrison and Emecheta also discuss ethical questions in their novels, which are associated with women’s gender roles. Nevertheless, if Morrison depicts t
Introduction The battle of Wanat occurred when a force of Taliban fighters of up to several hundred attacked a remote base in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province defended by 48 American and 24 Afghan troopers on July 13, 2008. American forces lost nine killed and twenty-seven wounded before driving the Taliban fighters away, making the casualties significant for a small tactical action. The analysis demonstrates that the reasons for initial Taliban successes included a favorable operational environment, skilled positioning, precise targeting, and exploitation of incomplete defensive preparations, but the lack of discipline hampered their early gains. Operational Environment The Taliban forces were able to prepare a mass assault on the vehicle patrol base (VPB) Kahler near Wanat and the associated observation post due to the favorable operational environment they enjoyed. VPB Kahler was situated near the border with Pakistan – specifically the tribal areas, poorly controlled by the Pakistan government and serving as the operational basis for the Taliban. Apart from that, staffing numerous observation posts with limited forces stretched American forces thin. The necessity to maintain 15 platoon-sized posts simultaneously left the American forces unable to maintain a battalion reserve (Steeb et al., 2011). This, as well as the remote area, made a prompt arrival of reinforcements impossible. Finally, the Taliban enjoyed at least partial support from the local population, which, in turn, made intelligence gathering easier (Steeb et al., 2011). Finally, the intelligence underestimated the forces that could potentially threaten VPB Kahler and the troops garrisoning it, which allowed the enemy to concentrate a large unanticipated force. Put together, these factors allowed the Taliban to maintain secrecy while gathering a numerically superior force for a well-prepared attack on a largely isolated target. Tactical Considerations Excellent use of familiar terrain was likely the primary reason why the Taliban was able to achieve uncharacteristically high success in the initial phase of the battle. Using terrain to camouflage troop movements and achieve tactical superiority over the enemy in terms of positioning has been a hallmark of Afghan warfare for centuries. Afghans have used it extensively in recent wars, both against the Soviets in 1979-1989 and against the Coalition from 2001 onward (Steeb et al., 2011). In the battle of Wanat specifically, the Taliban fighters utilized several firing positions overlooking VPB Kahler, most notably – the house on high ground 900 meters to the base’s southeast (Steeb et al., 2011). Seizing and using these positions allowed the enemy to concentrate fire effectively. Sounds prioritization and precise targeting in the initial minutes of the battle was another reason for the Taliban’s first gains. Utilizing their positional advantage to a considerable effect, the enemy managed to disable the post’s 120-mm mortar and TOW system within the f