ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Like all the other Asian countries, South Korea was adversely affected by the 1997 economic crisis. However, going back in history, the country was able to navigate through the crisis in the 1980s, which had hit the emerging markets (Collins & Park, 1989). Nonetheless, the 1997 crisis as economist say hit the country with severe economic shock compared to the most recent 2007 economic meltdown and the 1980s crisis (Collins & Park, 1989). Nevertheless, with all these challenges, South Korea has emerged as one of the world greatest economies ranking at the 11 th position globally. All this was achieved in a thirty-year period of hard work and proper governance. The rapid growth experienced by the South Korean government was built on strategic planning and careful use and exploitation of resources. Today South Korea is one of the most influential exporters. Economic growth The growth of the Korean economy began immediately after independence from their colony Japan in 1945 (Collins & Park, 1989). The survival of the country was not guaranteed since it had very limited resources to establish a strong economy. Nonetheless, the South Koreans were determined to change their situation into a success story (Collins & Park, 1989). The road to economic growth was one filled with challenges and setbacks with events such as the 1950-1953 war prolonging the economic instability and stagnation (Alexander, 2003). After the war, Korea’s population began to rise at 2.2% and the per capita Gross National Income, GNP also grew at a rate of 5.6% (Alexander, 2003). From 1953 to 1996, the Gross National Product, GNP increased from 2.3 to 480.2 billion US dollars (Alexander, 2003). The per capita GNP also rose from 67% to an amazing US$ 10, 543 (Collins & Park, 1989). Capital inflow South Korean rapid growth into an industrial economy was greatly influenced by government involvement in the contest cash flow (Collins & Park, 1989). The government initiated high levels of national savings, well distributed investments as well as education. Capital control was a principle strategy that the country used to get to achieve the economic power they have today (Collins & Park, 1989). South Korea used capital controls to shield its financial market from the international market (Alexander, 2003). For instance, investment in the stock market was not allowed for foreigners until 1992 (Alexander, 2003). There were no foreign financial activities or firearms allowed in the country and locals were not allowed to operate foreign accounts. Nonresidents were also prohibited from investing in bonds until 1996 (Alexander, 2003). To limit foreign investments, the Korean won was inconvertible and the government worked hard to discourage offshore trade (Alexander, 2003). The exchange rate regime The Korean Won was initially pegged to the US dollar and the m
Introduction Europe is a great continent which needs thorough consideration (Destination 360, 2010); one can think that it is interesting to travel and see the world in terms of different cultures and traditions, another person can doubt about seeing the countries and obtaining information that can be easily found in the Internet databases. The brightest advantage of making a tour of Europe is to see, taste, smell, and touch everything you read of and dreamt of. Europe lets you in its secrets and shows you the treasures of world history and traditions. The drawbacks of traveling are numerous: not to know the language of the country and be forced to hire an interpreter; not to book a hotel room in advance, especially in the tourist season, though “planning not only takes the fun out of spur-of-the-moment activities but can shackle your trip to a schedule that may not work out after you get there” (Bramblett, 2005, p. 115); to have a visa that expires in a few days. Nevertheless, you can enjoy the trip even without knowledge of the language, having a little time and money. European Countries The first thing that should be done to make a tour is to feel the flavors of Europe. As Rick Steves mentions in his book Rick Steves’ Europe through the Back Door: The Travel Skills Handbook , there are a lot of issues that should be planned and analyzed (Steves, 2009). It is necessary to say that the traveling guided by this author consists of two parts: travel skills and back doors. The cuisine is an important part of everyday life which should not be omitted in the course of planning your tour. Reid Bramblett in his book Europe for Dummies suggests a list of top culinary delights which should be inserted into your schedule (Bramblett, 2005, p. 14-15). While Rick Steves enumerates transportation, money, sleeping and eating, travel savvy, special concerns, and perspectives as a part of the travel skills (Steves, 2009, p. 82-427); Reid Bramblett suggest a list of “museums, historic sights, food, and architecture” (Bramblett, 2005, p. 9) which should be visited, seen, and tasted in different European countries. Note that shopping is a distinctive feature of traveling, that is why you should make a list of places of interest which may include at least several well-known shops of medium level. Bear in mind that some aspects can spoil your tour and impression of it; terrorism, political unrest, and ignorance of the laws can negatively contribute to your tour and change your plans (Steves, 2009, p. 399-427). Mind that the knowledge and understanding of the essence of the European Union can help you in dealing with its rules and legal matters. Try to avoid ambiguous actions which can be misinterpreted by the authorities or locals. Conclusion When you are going to take a tour of Europe, you should remember the basic principles of being in an alien country. Sights, cuisine, and shopping present the bright part of the process of traveling; d
Introduction The Balkans refers to a region lying in southeastern Europe and is located at a main intersection between mainland Europe and the Near East. The outstanding uniqueness and division of the Balkans is as a result of its widespread and time and again aggressive times gone by and as well due to its especially rugged topography (Kaplan, 2005, p. 5) . The area amounts to 550,000 square kilometers with its demographics being between 50 and 60 million persons. The reference Balkans is taken from the Balkan Mountains that are situated in Bulgaria and to a degree in Serbia. Balkan is derived from Turkish and means a sequence of forested mountains. The very old Thracian reference for the dry land was the Peninsula of Haemus. This name was derived from that of the Balkan Mountains which was being referred to as the Haemus Mountains during that time. The Balkan Peninsula The Balkan Peninsula, surrounded by seas; the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Aegean, is found south east of Europe. To the west is the Adriatic Sea, to the south is the Mediterranean Sea which as well takes in the Ionian and Aegean seas, and to the east is the Black Sea. The region’s northern border is in most times given as the Danube, Sava and Kupa rivers (Kaplan, 2005, p. 22) . The nations that are situated on this peninsula include; Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bugaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia. The Balkans The reference Balkans takes in not just the nations that lie in the borders of the Balkan Peninsula, but may also entail Slovenia and Romania. Slovenia was a component of Yugoslavia between 1919 and 1991and is to some extent situated south of the Danube-Sava border, and consequently there is a portion of it in the Balkans. Before 1991 the entire Yugoslavia was assumed to be part of the Balkans. In the majority of the English-
The intention behind the Prohibition was to ban the consumption of alcohol to reduce the occurrence of crimes, spousal abuse, and increase the overall purity of US society. The intention behind the modern war on drugs is to ban the use of drugs to reduce the trade of illegal substances, including recreational drugs. For example, in colonial times, hemp was a widely appreciated crop and commercial product, while in the 1930s, it became villainized due to the habit of associating marijuana use with the Mexican working class (The Brownsen Project, 2012). Despite the positive intentions, both attempts to ban consumer products led to the opposite result. As a consequence of Prohibition, America witnessed a spike in organized crime by creating a demand for illegal alcohol that criminals would sell at high prices since the legal sector’s supply was obsolete (Blocker, 2006). Similarly, the implications of the war on drugs also mirrored the initial goals of the campaign. Specifically, the war had increased the cases of human rights violations and the erosion of demographic institutions. The proponents of prohibitionist practices may claim that such policies have the potential of decreasing the occurrence of substance-related crime, associated mortality, and morbidity, as well as overall social turmoil. The real effects of prohibiting drugs and alcohol at different points in history showed that the absence of supply creates an immense demand, which is used by criminal organizations to acquire a profit (Barnett, 2009). There is no evidence to suggest that prohibitive tactics helped improve public health or raise the status of poor people (Csete et al., 2016). During a deficit, poor people are usually exploited for cheap work, while the potency of substances increases to satisfy the demand for it.
Terrorist attack while the US President is watching a basketball game US president Barack Obama is known to be an avid basketball fan. He likes to attend NCAA basketball games live and this may cause security concerns because basketball arenas can be packed with other people. This can be a security concern because this may develop into a habit in his presidency and planning for a terrorist attack against the most powerful man of the world can be scheduled with the next high profile basketball game where the US president is likely to attend. Barack Obama’s college basketball team is in the NCAA finals and the terrorist group Al-Qaeda is planning to take out the president of the United States as he is watching his basketball team fight for the NCAA championship. An assassination attempt on the life of the US president can also be the terrorist group’s message to the rest of the world that they can kill anyone they wish to, in live television. (Posner R. pp, 23) This attack will send shockwaves to the thousands in attendance in the arena and to the millions watching the game on television. Steps to be taken by Al-Qaeda for their terrorist plot In order to succeed in the terrorist plot the terrorist must know the schedule of the NCAA finals. They already know Obama’s fondness for collegiate basketball, they must now determine which game the president will attend. Since Obama’s collegiate basketball teams will be part of the championship game and it will be known a day after the NCAA Final Four, Al-Qaeda will have a day to set into motion all the things they have planned for their attack. After the events of 9/11, the Secret Service will be expecting bombs and crashing planes. Guns and suicide bombers are are also expected since every person in the arena will be subjected to a full body inspection. (El-Ayouty T.,Galgan G.,Greene F.,Wesley E. pp. 100) Terrorist will have to use a biological weapon since basketball arenas are enclosed. Al-Qaeda will have to be very creative in pumping toxic gases in the exhaust or air conditioner units inside to arena to be successful in their plot. Al-Qaeda will have to:  1. Get the schematics of the arena where the championship game will be held  2. Determine where to put the gases that will be used in their attack  3. Create the devices to be used and formulate a plan to put them without being detected  4. Activate the release of the gas either remotely or by a fanatic near the site The hard part in doing this plan by the terrorist is the monitoring of the Secret Service of the arena. It may be suspicious to see Middle Eastern people going through the exhaust or air conditioning units inside the building. As much as racial profiling is a sensitive issue, one cannot help but extra cautious when it comes to the protection of the president. This is a huge obstacle that the
Market Segmentation When examining the details of the example the following are the 3 possible approaches that Robert Bennett could pursue when it comes to his company: Mass Market Strategy The mass market strategy primarily focuses on appealing to a wide range of possible consumers within a given market. For example, in the case of appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators or ovens, there is no single specific segment of the population that these appliances attempt to target aside from people that have need for and can afford them. This means that demographics related to age, race, level of education, ethnicity etc. do not factor into the marketing strategy decision. Instead, when a mass marketing strategy is implemented it is normally the case it attempts to appeal to consumers based on uniqueness, affordability, functionality etc (Develop consumer-relevant positioning, ads with occasion-based segmentation analysis 1982, pp. 8-16). While such a strategy enables a company to target a broad segment of the population, it is also likely that the lack of an emphasis on a single population could “stretch the company too thing” so to speak making it unable to properly target the segments where it would make the most profit. This strategy focuses on ordinary consumers that shop at various retail locations such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc. In this particular instance, the appeal of the MicroFridge focuses on the fact that they can get two devices in one instead of having to purchase the devices separately. Not only that, given the new electric circuitry system that Mr. Bennett devised, consumers would be able to save on power costs in the long run as a result of the fridge turning off whenever the microwave was turned on. Through the analysis of Wright (2008), it was seen that the sale of combined gadgets (i.e. washer-dryers, oven-microwaves, etc.) has actually been increasing within the past few years given the general appeal such items have on budget conscious consumers. They view multipurpose gadgets as being far more cost effective and appealing since it saves them money as well as space. The disadvantage though of utilizing retail sales channels is increase in the overall price that will undoubtedly occur by selling it through retailers as well as the fact that the MicroFridge would be competing directly against other well known brands. While it may be true that the available appliances in the same product category do not have the versatility of the MicroFridge, the fact remains that brand recognition goes a long way towards creating consumer patronage which the MicroFridge unfortunately does not have since it is a new product on the market. Concentration Strategy The concentration strategy normally focuses on appealing to a specific segment of the population that would be more likely to purchase a particular set of products or services (Ostasevičiūtė & Šliburytė 2008, pp. 97-103). In the ca
The 1800’s in the history of the united states of American highlight a time when the industrial revolution was gaining momentum, production and other forms of economic growth were vibrant then. At the height of this, there came a time when the American economy needed to further expand in territory so as to accommodate productivity and domesticate the production in the land that was originally theirs’ as their very own. To do this, a series of legislations ensued; cold wars, hatred and animosity plus even death came followed. There arose the deliberate and conscious move by the United States through its allies around the regions they wanted to have occupied to force them the smaller communities to yield. They forged treaties, agreements and other documents they could have to show for their actions, and further more to validate their actions, but then again these were always to their advantage as these were totally different societies with different classes of people, as such the superior class always had the upper hand dealing in official matters and drafting these “legal treaties”. The need for expansion triggered the west ward expansion. This move intended to capture a region traditionally known to belong to Indians. The debate that came about as a result of that move much of the time focused on relationship between the United States and these Indian communities that had occupied these regions for centuries. This debate was torn between the clamors for delivery of rights equally to individuals within the confines of democracy. Those who opposed this move argued that the United States should follow precedents from other colonial masters in Europe that had initially settled within North America in the first century around the 1400’s. Other colonies that had resisted their being colonized by Britain continued to grow and expand due to their increasing need to get land to settle their people in. These debates to remove the Indians were to a great length discussed in details in the US congress. Many of the proponents were of the opinion that the whole agenda for their removal is expansion. Their negotiations bordered on the policies of the United States pooled together with the packs they were bringing to the table as compensation. They came to the table pretending to be equals with the Indians, yet at the back of their minds they considered them savages, primitive and devoid of free thought and civility (Shaw, 199). There was a flip side to the whole thing altogether, nationally there developed resistance to the removal of these people. This was at a high note particularly those of the Cherokee community. This resistance combined both forms such as polemics, petitions, general communal gatherings and public debates whose main motions centered on this. The parties opposing the removal were advancing their arguments around the following points; one of them is that the US should implement policies that were applicable to the cases of the affected and that they should be in tandem with their past agreements that would ensure the ties and ter
The Toughest Country This paper is about the country I would find the hardest or toughest to live and work in. Such a country, for me, is China. I choose China because of the distinct cultural differences between the US and China. Secondly, I choose China because of the political system in place and the attitude of the political leaders towards the West (Goodman, 1990, p. 3). Why It is Tough Culturally, China, like the rest of the East, tends to be a traditionalist. The Chinese, generally, have cultural practices that are very different and in some way opposed to the cultural practices in the West: they have practices that someone from the West is likely to feel oppressed living by. One great cultural difference between the US and China is in terms of religious practice and beliefs. The US is predominantly Christian while the Chinese practice Confucianism (Von Laue, 1989, p. 49). The religious difference translates into a different outlook on life, work, and the other. The Chinese tend towards traditionalist institutions; with business companies aligned to family or another genealogical lineage. They have special ways of dealing with each other with traditional heritage-based power structures. The western culture is largely secular. Increasingly, with globalization, cultures have become more secularized and one would expect the same to be happening everywhere. Contrarily, China, or Chinese cultures have resisted change and kept their traditions and culture free from secularization forces. They have not changed with the changing world. Westernization has not affected China and thus languages like English, which is widely spoken around the globe, is foreign to the Chinese. The Chinese language is one of the most complicated languages in the world. Working in China would require that foreigners have to learn Chinese. Having studied in English, translating everything into Chinese ways, and appropriating everything to fit into their socio-cultural setting is bound to prove very challenging. The Chinese state is communism oriented (Ju & Chü, 1996, 57). Its economy is a controlled economy and the communist party is very suspicious of the western world (Von Laue, 1989, p. 78). Furthermore, the Chinese are very collectivist in the way they do things. This leads to a tendency to form closed traditional units that a foreigner could find hard to break into (Iterson, 2002, p 123). The Chinese people value cooperation and respect for hierarchy or authority. By their social systems, they are able to identify and define themselves. They encourage cooperation of individuals within the confines of an established system, which they believe brings them success. An individual wholly depends on his/her family or institution. Additionally, individuals rely on and trust in decisions made by a group more than individual decision-making (Iterson, 2002, p 119). On the other hand, I come from a western culture, which values individualism and freedom. Each individual works are hard to become bette
As one author quoted, “Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself” (Henry Ward Beecher). He couldn’t have been more right. Protest songs are considered to have span over the centuries, continents and race. They are songs that majorly address issues that range from social injustices like racism and slavery to political matters like wars. They either inspire crowds for mass actions or simply just create awareness of the problem. Protest songs are, however, known to be associated with peaceful social movements. In the 1960’s, the prevalent issues then were the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. This article explores the many artists/musicians who were actively involved during this time and the protest songs that they sung that meticulously addressed the then current issues. Protest Songs Protest songs stem from the folk music (Protest Song 1) that was present in the early 19 th century. The folk music of that period addressed matters of social injustices and folk music eventually transitioned to protest songs in the1960s as a result of the dissatisfaction of the public and their current political and social environment especially after the end of World War 2 (Hurry et al. 162). Folk songs were generally characterized by their simplicity and repetitive choruses (Hurry et al. 162). These songs were also appropriate alternatives to the other genres especially jazz (Gonipraw 4). Protest songs however transitioned from the “acoustic-oriented folk styling to rock-based rhythms” (Protest Music 1) although this entirely depended on the musician. Gonipraw attributes this transition to “artistic decisions, record company involvement and a growing disillusionment among young people” (Gonipraw 5). The then artists/musicians were known to contribute greatly to protests that sought to address the civil rights concerns and the Vietnam War (Gonipraw 4). Gonipraw has argued that: “when the needs and goals of the people were sung together by the people, a force was created, capable of defeating alienation” (Gonipraw 4). Peter Seeger who was a known musician in the 1960s summarized it rightly. Artists/Musicians involved and their messages Some of the popular artists and groups of this time were: “Woody Guthr