ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Based on The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis , docudrama Thirteen Days provides a brilliant screening of the two-week Cuban missile crisis of the United States and the Soviet Union in October of 1962 presented from the perspective of the White House, in particular the former US Attorney General Robert. F. Kennedy. The movie stars Kevin Costner as Kenneth P. O’Donnell, Bruce Greenwood as John. F. Kennedy and Steven Culp as Kennedy’s brothers. The plot is based on the findings of the U.S. spy of the Russian nuclear missile installations on Cuba, which posed a major threat to the USA and could serve as a trigger of nuclear war. The political team with President Kennedy in the forefront composes a plan to solve the problem without violent involvement since the U.S. military attacks could cause military strikes on the part of the Soviet Union despite the Pentagon’s advice to take immediate actions on the invasion of Cuba and destruction of the missiles. However, President rejects the war establishing quarantine, i.e. the U.S. Naval Forces establish a blockade of the Cuban waters to make sure no missiles are sent to Cuba. Moreover, a series of attempts is made to reach a beneficial agreement with the Soviet Union. The thirteen days long crisis involves the correspondence between the US and the Politburo that results in Kennedy’s clandestine decision to remove the U.S. missiles from Italy and Turkey following the Soviet Union’s claim in exchange for their removing nuclear missiles from Cuba. The movie is highly dramatic, profound and thought-provoking leaving no viewer indifferent praising accurate and rational foreign policy decisions of President Kennedy, and examining the underlying factors of the political decision-making process that presupposes maintaining rationality in crises often being pressed by other forces. As far as The Hunt for Red October is concerned, the movie is directed by John McTiernan and based on the novel with the same name starring Sean Connery as Marko Ramius, Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neil. The film tells the story of the pursuit of the Soviet nuclear submarine Red October with Captain Marko Ramius on board who is trying to defect heading to the coast of the U.S. by American naval commanders led by misconceptions of Ramius’ intentions. Alongside this, Russian Naval Forces try to find the submarine to punish the escapee. The only person who understands the real motives of Ramius is CIA analyst Jack Ryan considers that it is his to reveal the defection. At that time, Ramius kills the official onboard the submarine who tried to reveal the submarine orders. As soon as the U.S. officials find out about the USSR’s plans to sink Red October, Ryan is sent to the North Atlantic to prove that Ramius intends defection. Eventually, Ramius gets to know that he is exposed and teams with Ryan to seek asylum in the U.S. Furthermore, the stratagem continues supported by several attempts to sink the submarine. However, Red October survives leaving everybody under the erroneous assumption of its destruction. The movie deals with the
The article Racist Love written Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan raises a very important question related to the identity of Asian-Americans. Their main argument is that the popular image of Chinese-Americans was artificially constructed by those people who could misunderstand the culture of immigrants or maybe even were prejudiced against them. This paper will argue that it is very difficult for a person to assimilate into a foreign society and retain his/her cultural heritage and language. Moreover, in many cases such assimilation into a new society can lead to the rejection of one’s national legacy. This is the main idea that this essay will explore. Certainly, in their arguments Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan focus primarily on the concept of race. The writers believe that white racism encourages national stereotypes because they promote the idea of white superiority (Chin & Chan, 67). These stereotypes can even force a person to achieve certain behavioural standards in order to assimilate into a new community.Such standards can be related to value system, physical appearance, attitude toward other people, and so forth. As the authors say, a representative of a certain ethnic minority is “conditioned to live in the state of euphemized self-contempt” (Chin & Chan, 67). This is probably the central idea of their article, and this problem of identity crisis cannot be overlooked. Racial stereotypes make Asian or any other immigrants believe that they are inferior to white people. This is why they are so dangerous. Although, the idea of racist love driven by white supremacists may seem slightly exaggerated, one cannot disregard some of the writers’ arguments. For instance, one can refer to their concept of a successful or “privileged foreigner” (72). They point out that in order to succeed an immigrant must eliminate his/her distinctions from natives. In this case one can speak about such aspects as manner of dress, accent, hair style, and so forth. Certainly, there are no official laws that can force a person to imitate the behavior of the majority group. But without it, he/she will find it very difficult to achieve high status in the community or climb a career ladder. It should be borne in mind that many Chinese-American authors focused on such concept as dual personality. This notion refers to the idea that a person must imitate the traditions and customs of the host nation in order to be accepted and attain success. Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan reject this argument (73). Such worldview can disrupt the ties between the representatives of a certain ethnic community. Without cherishing their distinct cultural legacy, Chine-American may lose contact with one another. It should be mentioned that some scholars disagree with their ideas of Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan. For example, Jingyi Song says that the second generation of Chinese immigrants did make an attempt to r
Introduction Being hired as ahead of the quality of XYZ Airlines, an in-depth analysis of the fundamentals of the company is needed to ensure that appropriate solutions are applied to attain better results. At the moment, the XYZ Airlines Unit flies to 100 destinations all over the world. However, in the very first week, a problem with the food offered to passengers is discovered. Precisely, the firm fails in such spheres as quality, cost of services, and deliverables (QCD). For this reason, there is a decision to introduce a specific intervention to improve the situation associated with this very aspect and guarantee that the company will benefit from the improved results (Saleem, Hameed, Khan, & Abbas Ch, 2012). Among the high number of existing approaches to quality improvement, the Japanese one, or Kaizen, is selected. The choice is justified by the proven effectiveness of the method and its ability to work effectively in complex situations (Imai, 2012). To achieve success, the head of the quality department should focus on the following objectives:   * To analyze the problematic aspect of the company’s work   * Employ Japanese quality improvement approach   * Determine deliverables and affect them effectively   * Select the most practical quality approaches   * Offer options for cost and quality improvement   * Align the work of XYZ Airlines in accordance with a new paradigm   * Ensure that no critical problems emerge during the change process Quality management is a significant process that affects all spheres of the work of any firm. That is why, regarding the outlined problem, the offered model will be applied to such fields as materials, machines, manpower, environment, measurement, and method. All three elements of the QCD concept will be given attention and analyzed to create the most effective intervention and create the basis for the future rise of the airline. Materials In accordance with the Japanese approach to quality improvement, the quality of materials is one of the fundamental elements of the work of any company that is focused on the achievement of high levels of excellence. For this reason, the head of a quality department is responsible for the selection of products that have all qualities demanded to satisfy passengers’ needs (Goetsch & Davis, 2015). It will help to create the basis for future improvement and stimulate positive change. Regarding the Kaizen methods, the following aspects should be taken into account. Areas of Quality Improvements The major problem of XYZ Airlines is that products that are offered to passengers do not meet their expectations and do not possess qual
Introduction The concept of free trade in the era of globalization defines trade relations between participants in the world market for goods, services, resources, and labor. Even though the idea of free trade was proposed by the United States after World War II partly as a way to maintain a leading position in the world market, European countries have adopted this concept. Moreover, the European Union’s creation was the culmination of the idea of free trade, although it was initially assumed that all world states should participate in it. The history of relations between the South and the North deserves special attention, as well as the relations between Western and Eastern Europe, as well as the United States, Europe, and countries that never fell into colonial dependence, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and the Persian Gulf countries. This paper aims to provide a meaningful discussion of the free trade relations regulation in the global context. Background The history of trade between countries originated with the emergence of states. The initial policy of states concerning international trade was based on the concept of mercantilism, or benefit to the country, and a policy of protectionism when states sought to maximize exports and minimize imports. Protectionism suggested that countries could impose tariffs on imported goods to protect the internal market and save more money for the government and military development. The Mediterranean countries enjoyed Roman commercial law and Greek maritime law until the end of the Middle Ages. In the middle of the 18th century, the famous economist Adam Smith put forward the concept of free trade. The scientist said that free trade should be based on the fact that all market participants will abandon protectionism, which will allow the most efficient manufacturers with the best quality goods and at the lowest price to win the maximum market shares. According to the presented theory, the market and consumers would win in such a situation, which means that it would be optimal for all parties. This concept was also complemented by David Ricardo’s ideas of competitive advantage, which helped resolve a situation in which many market participants were producing the same product. Despite the concept’s attractiveness, the European states did not dare to accept it and continued to trade, adhering to the protectionist model until the end of the Second World War. In the 19th century, Karl Marx’s ideas about capital were also popular in Europe. Nevertheless, Marx’s concept of the exploitation of workers by capitalists and the appropriation of their labor products, which, he hoped, would naturally trigger a series of revolutions, was realized only in Tsarist Russia. Lenin suggested that the revolution in Europe did not occur because industrial companies began to use the labor of the inhabitants of the colonies for the most part. At the same time, Lenin achieved the establishment of the communist system in Russia and created the Soviet Union, which ultimately rejected capitalist values. The United States was in a relatively advantageous position to European countries in
“Bonfire of the Princesses” is an article by a renowned writer, Barbara Ehrenreich that delves deep into the relationship between product marketing toward children and their perception of themselves and others. She claims that Disney’s toy line and inclination to present the Disney princesses as role models are damaging to young girls in social and self-reflective contexts. I personally find that the behavior and social norms taught through products are harmful to children and can affect their perception of their peers, their own dreams and ambition, and their expectations of adults. The article uncovers the conventional mode of marketing toward children and the ways in which it can be marginalizing, superficial, and even predatory. Secondly, Ehrenreich examines how it devalues qualities in women that are not traditional and old-fashioned. Lastly, she illustrates how these assumptions are incorporated into the real life of children and the negative interference they can have with the child’s perspective of adulthood. Ehrenreich uses this article to address the parents of girls who are likely to purchase Disney toys. She intends to convince them that the entire purpose of such toy lines is to market very old-fashioned and superficial traits to young girls. She supports her argument with a list of products that include unspecialized tools that are usually seen in a domestic and non-professional settings, such as toothbrush holders, wallpaper, and stickers. Additionally, many of the toys insist on the value of a young girl’s beauty, such as ball gowns, necklaces, and tiaras. Ehrenreich exposes the motive of companies such as Disney, which underestimate the ambitions and dreams of young girls and attempts to convince the reading parents of the potential danger such indoctrinating marketing can have in the long term. Ehrenreich uses a ‘building to climax’ mode of information spacing throughout the written work to enforce the size of this issue. In later paragraphs, she speaks about the ‘sexualized’ nature of some of the toys and characters. She cites the change in the design of characters such as Snow White, whose figure has changed over the years to depict a more conventionally desirable body shape. Here the author uses rich imagery to depict the parallel between the sexualization of the princesses and its reflection in real children, such as her daughter. She equates a poisoned apple with a drugged drink and the fainting of the princesses with the swooning of her own child in imitation as a kind of drug-fueled and vulnerable state that is suggested as positive to children by Disney. Overall, the text presents an ironic and accusatory tone and illustrates scenarios to support the severity of the issue. Ehrenreich does this by frequently addressing the
Introduction In early life, health-related behaviors influence risks for disorders that relate to an individual’s lifestyle (Mikolajczyk, El Ansari & Maxwell, 2009). Therefore, it is important to explore young people’s health behaviors. In this respect, university students present a suitable sample to identify the relationship between their health habits, BMI, and stress levels. 9.5% of college and university students in the U.S are obese, as they fall in the ≤30kg/m2 BMI, range while 21.9% fall in the ≤25kg/m2 range, which signifies that they are overweight (Huang et a., 2010). International college students pursuing their undergraduate studies in the US tend to be overwhelmed by the new environment and lifestyles, which results in stress among them. In the US, “35% of the college students are obese or overweight” (Franz & Feresu, 2013, p. 10). This assertion implies that these students have adopted lifestyles that are detrimental to their health (Wardle, Haase & Steptoe, 2006). For instance, Asian international students in the US have reported significant cases of obesity in the new environment. In this regard, aspects such as dieting, physical activities, and BMI tend to cause stress among them during their studying period. Conducting a study to investigate the problem of BMI levels and stress among domestic and international students in the US is critical. This paper will explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and stress levels among college and university students in the US. Assumptions The study assumes that students in the highest BMI deciles are overweight and obese to facilitate the determination of their perceptions on body weight issues. Individuals in the lower deciles are assumed to be thin and their stress-related issues are not correlated with BMI (Franz & Feresu, 2013). The study also assumes that the samples under study are representative of the aspects of BMI and stress-related problems in all colleges and universities in the US. Significance of the study The study is significant since it seeks to explore the differences in BMI and stress levels among domestic and international students in the US. The study facilitates the determination of whether BMI is a factor that induces stress among undergraduate students studying in the US. Additionally, the research adds value to previous studies conducted to explore the relationship between BMI and stress amongst university students. Limitations Determining where th
Love as a power of transformation. Traditional Buddhist worldview vs. Western definitions of love/desire. An exploration of if the transformation depicted could be the ultimate sign of true/real love. There are numerous powers that love appears to depict, yet the one that cokes our strongly from the poem by Jeff Wilson is one of transformation. As the poet has noted, “The scent of the lotus is thick and suddenly you are carried away on a wave of bliss”, this is an indication of the power of love to transform mere mortals into extraordinary beings. However was a mortal man getting carried away in a wave of bliss? In addition, the last sentence to this poem, “For from this sleep will come an awakening like no other, to change the world forever” is a clear indication that following this dream, this person shall never be the same again. There is also an indicating of the witnessing of a miracle, as exemplified by dancing cripples who have already been made whole. Certainly, a miracle may very well be described as a transformation, in addition to accompaniment of love. The blind men also share in the joy of seeing again, once their vision is restored. One could hypotheses that this is an Eastern view of love, as the situation described here resembles events leading to the attainment of nirvana, a state of being that is the ultimate goal in such religions as Hinduism and Buddhism, amongst others, and which have a firm establishment in the East. Like Hinduism, Buddhism shares a related concern in as far as an overcoming of desire is concerned; by way of celibacy. Even then, celibacy as an issue has received a varied metaphysical context amongst Buddhists. The notion of suffering and impermanence are fundamental to the Buddhist worldview. As a result, the human race undergoes suffering, one that bears a connection with desire. The objective of practicing Buddhism, therefore, is to bring to an end this suffering, by way of “extinguishing of desire (Kornberg 2007). From such a context, therefore, celibacy occupies a central role in the Buddhist religion, seeing also that it is a requirement of both nuns and monks to assume celibacy as they take their vows. Through sexual activity renunciation, coupled with the associated complex actions and intentions series, renunciants have a chance to “begin to detach themselves from the impermanence of the world and transcend the ‘craving’ that characterizes human life” (Kornberg 2007). Following quenching of this craving, desire dissipates “like the flame of a flickering candle and the state of nirvana is obtained wherein no return to the endless cycle of birth and death exists” (Kornberg 2007). On the other hand, the Western view of love and desire appears to contradict that from the East. The Western context of desire seems to tie sex with desire. In this case, sexual intercourse is seen as an act of gratifying the needs of the body, and as such, could be seen as more of a craving.
Introduction Dependency is a state where an entity relies on another individual deemed as superior. Thus, the superior entity controls, and dictates the subject. Medically, dependency refers to a range of attachments that involve psychological, physical, and behavioral addiction. In this case, chemical dependency implies overreliance of a person on chemical substances. Chemical dependency changes a habit into a character due to addiction. Addiction implies that a person cannot live comfortably without a given chemical substance. Dependence on chemicals as alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs has great dangers to mental and physical health of individuals. Therefore, the essay examines the effect of chemical dependency on family members and families. Uses of Screening Tests, their Strengths, and Weaknesses Psychologists use screening tests in the identification of drug abuse and other disorders in individuals. Using signs and symptoms of a condition, screening tests aim to identify whether there is evidence to ascertain presence or absence of a condition in people. Some of the tests used by psychologists in screening alcoholism among individuals include PAT and AUDIT (Kinney 2011). Paddington alcohol test (PAT) is a screening test used on emergency patients who experience accidents and falls. PAT administers a set of three questions to identify the presence of alcoholism in a person. However, since the test asks the amount of alcohol consumed, victims reduce or deny consumption of the drug. AUDIT, which is alcohol use disorders identification test, is very important in screening gender and cultural groups. Eight positives imply the presence of a problem. AUDIT has a weakness that concerns the amount of questions and the length of time taken during administration. Importance of Roles and Rules in the Addicted Family A family is composed of individuals who have different virtual rules that define their roles. According to Kinney (2011), these roles and rules are very important as they help the family maintain its status quo. They define the roles played by every member and provide a set of rules that each one has to follow. Furthermore, roles and rules enable the family to progress and achieve their objectives. Though the roles and regulations are unrecorded, members