ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Retail banking in the UAE Retail banking concerns the transaction of banks with consumers without relying on corporate intermediaries. Here, the services on offer include savings or transacting accounts, loans, credit and debit cards, and mobile or internet banking facilities. A common thing about retail banking in the UAE is that all banks offer Islamic banking. As a result, many of their loans to consumers are interest free and the banks provide a variety of instruments that help small businesses to grow. When loaning out money to retail clients, banks rely on the relationship they have with the client, the financial statement of the client, and the credit score. Banks exist mainly because of their credit offering business. As banks lend out money, they run the risk of not getting it back because they do not control the circumstances that face the borrower. The UAE banking sector has 23 domestic banks and 28 foreign banks serving both the retail and corporate markets (Moukahal 2011). The central bank of the UAE took over the operations of the Currency Board through the enactment of Federal Law 10, which gave it the mandate to advice government on monetary and financial issues (Hashmi 2007). The central bank also deals with currency issuing, credit policy formulation, and maintenance of foreign and gold currency reserves (Hashmi 2007). Under the role of monitoring and formulating a credit policy, the central bank also acts as the supervisor for the entire financial sector. It licenses banks and obliges them to use International Accounting Standards (IAS). Hashmi (2007) explains that banks need UAE nationals as their majority shareholders and they must have vivid corporate structures. In addition, they must be shareholding companies and maintain a risk weighted asset ratio of at least 10% (Moukahal 2011). Bank risk appetite Risk appetite concerns the exposure to potential adverse effects that could arise from an event to which the particular organization expressing the appetite is willing to accept. Consequently, after meeting its risk appetite threshold, a bank will proceed to initiate and implement risk management procedures and business control measures so that it lowers the exposure to accepted and manageable levels. A number of reasons can affect a bank’s risk appetite. They include the demand for favourable returns by equity investors, the desire of rating agencies and consultants to minimize risk as a default, the demands by regulators and consumers on an uninterrupted service, and the need for the bank to offer a predictable and steady return for shareholders. Pursuing opportunities that have potential high rewards forces banks to take on high risks. When setting the risk level that could be accepted, a bank will seek to balance its loss potential with its profit potential. In this regard, banks will concern their business activities with the allocation of time and resources to activities that minimize risk exposure. They will consider whether they need to take any immediate action concerning their ri
A brief overview of the Enlightenment Era The Age of Enlightenment is a term used to describe the development of Western philosophy, literature and art in the 17-18 th centuries. The rapid progress of humanities in that period was close-knit with economic and technological developments across the whole Europe and North America, in particular, the invention of the internal combustion engine, formation of the new economic class known as bourgeoisie, or self-made people who enriched financially not on the basis of the noble origin, but merely as a result on the entrepreneurial talent; in parallel with the improvement of the populations’ well-being, Western economies were optimized and rationalized (wsu.edu, 2009). At the same time, rationalism dominated contemporary philosophy and literature, so the Age of Enlightenment was marked with the formulation of moral theories, principles of governance and human rights and freedoms, according to which Europe and North America have been living till the present day (wsu.edu, 2009). The present paper is intended to discuss the philosophical perspectives of David Hume and Immanuel Kant. Life and legacy of David Hume David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish thinker and philosopher. As a descendant of the Scottish bourgeoisie, the family of advocate Joseph Home (Hume in English pronunciation) and Katherine Lady Falconer, he received a great education, being enrolled to the University of Edinburgh at the age of twelve for extraordinary abilities and academic performance. Hume never married and dedicated his whole life to history and philosophy studies, which finally turned into a sex-volume “History of England”, famous for its unusual psychological direction “A Treatise of Human Nature” and more than ten books and essays on moral theory (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2009). In fact, Hume was one of the first psychologists of morality, his doctrine of human motivation in ethical decisions, a cornerstone of the contemporary moral theory, stated that individuals could not be driven by reason alone in their moral acts and that passions played an important role, even though this idea was not popular at the time of rationalism. Thus, as opposed to the other Enlightenment philosophers, who labeled human emotions as “passions” and viewed them as useless, Hume proved that emotions were a constructive part of human mental activity, which allowed people to reach consent and establish societal mores and values like the value of life, health or private property (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2009; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009). Hume was also famous for formulating the importance of a person’s understanding of “moral necessity” and free will, as this condition, he believed, allowed humans to comply with moral principles and act righteously in each life
The technological revolution of the 21st century has changed the way learning takes place. Different learning avenues have emerged to complement the traditional class-based models, which have been associated with numerous shortcomings. Educational technologies, such as software, websites, television shows, videos, simulations, and video games play an important role in determining how information is passed to learners. Particularly, video games have gained popularity as one of the highly effective educational technologies that could be used in different learning set-ups. Games have been used as learning tools since humanity started knowing how to learn, which explains the popularity of video games in contemporary educational environments. For instance, any form of training or practice in preparation for the execution of a certain event can be termed as a game. In the ancient times, hunters would train and practice on how to trap wild animals during their hunting expeditions. This concept has evolved in modern times with the advent of computers and advancement in technological sophistication. Currently, video games occur through interactive computer systems, which in most cases create virtual learning environments. This paper discusses video games as learning tools to highlight the kind of knowledge that they present to learners and their effectiveness in enabling people to acquire the knowledge. The role of video games in knowledge grounding will be discussed together with giving suggestions on how the technology could be made more effective. Knowledge Type Learners acquire procedural knowledge through video games. According to Shahar and Meiran (2015), procedural knowledge involves understanding how to do a given task. As such, people using this kind of knowledge learn a series of actions that should be executed in a specified manner to achieve the desired outcomes. In other words, people using this kind of knowledge learn how to do things. This aspect of learning the “how” part of executing tasks makes video games a resourceful educational tool in the modern world where people are bombarded with too much information, which might be irreverent in a given context. In most cases, students go to school to acquire specific knowledge on how to do certain things. For instance, medical students attend school to gain relevant knowledge on how to diagnose and treat patients suffering from different health conditions. In elementary school, children learn how to count numbers and pronounce letters among other educational activities in preparation for advanced learning where such skills would be applicable. Learning through video games prepares individuals for real-life situations where people can apply the knowledge that has been gained. In other words, video games facilitate learning by doing as opposed to the conventional way of listening and taking notes. One great example of this form of learning is the use of video games in the US army. Using a centrally based server, instructional learning is provided remotely where military service members can receive training on diverse items. For
Parenting is not an easy task – there is no book that can teach one to be a good parent; every family has to learn on its mistakes. Despite the fact that many parenting strategies have been created, it is still important to realize that each case of parent-child relationships is unique and, therefore, requires a specific approach. The issues raised in Chua’s article give a lot of food for thoughts. It is seemingly clear that Chinese children are much more motivated than the American ones. However, such motivation results in making the relationships between a parent and a child based on the authoritative leadership principle, which means that a child is considered to be inferior to the adult, and what the former wants may not come into conflict with what the parent or parents have planned for their kid. On the one hand, the given issue is a result of a culture clash; the very fact that such a manner of child upbringing raises questions among American people is a clear-cut example of cultural differences, which Lareau (2002) was talking about, i.e., the “pattern of concerned cultivation” (Lareau, 2002, p. 766) that supposedly leads to enlightenment. However, it seems that Crohn’s idea of positive stepmothering is more relatable to the topic, since the technique of Chinese mothers, in fact, proves positive and does not seem to have any tangible effects on their children’s future life and career, with their “warmth, control functions, attachment, perceived status” (Crohn, 2006, p. 130), which forms the connection between a child and a parent that Dreby spoke about and that helps a child feel the presence of his/her absent parent “even when physically absent” (Dreby, 2010, p. 52). On the contrary, the latter is shaped rather positively with the help of the given type of parenting. Indeed, according to Chua, the effects of the strategy chosen by the Chinese parents are rather impressive: “The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A” (Chua, 2011). However, as other researches explain, in most cases, this method of raising ambitious and successful children comes at a price: “It’s parents who foist life on their kids” (Chua, 2011). The principle of childrearing described by Chua seems to be the exact same concept introduced into the childrearing process in wealthy families and must be leading to the same tension both within a child and in the relationships between a child and his or her parents. In other words, the example of Tiger Mom provided by Chua proves once again that such issues as race, culture, class and immigrant status affect parenting and childrearing practice immensely. While the personality of a parent or parents is crucial in shaping the chi
It is generally believed that the so-called Second Great Awakening or in other words religious revival, which swept the United States at the beginning of the nineteenth century, can be explained by Americans aspiration for spiritual growth. However, a prominent American historian Paul Johnson presents his version as to the causes of this phenomenon. In his opinion, the Second Great Awakening was mostly connected with the shift of the United States to the market economy. The author believes that the revival was initially widespread among the manufacturers or it would be better to say employers and only after a while, it affected the working class. Johnson suggests that the majority of workers had to adopt religion, not for the sake of their spiritual growth but mostly in an attempt to be more compatible with their employers. Johnson takes such a city as Rochester to illustrate his point. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was to a certain degree an agricultural country town. The majority of the towns population was craftsmen or tradesmen. The masters and apprentices mostly worked or perhaps even lived under the same roof and this created a system of social control because the employers were closely familiar with their employees and could constantly keep them under control. However, the Erie Canal stimulated the growth of trade in the industry in this city and Rochester transformed into a commercial center, it is worth mentioning that it was one of the first in the United States
In her short story “Remnants of Carnival,” Clarice Lispector describes a very personal experience told from a perspective of an eight-year-old girl. As Megan O’Grady points out, the short story is filled with distinct and varied emotions (O’Grady). The main character of the story is experiencing the desire to belong, sees adult behavior as a mystery, and gains what she wanted only for life to take it away. The girl is in love with the idea of being a part of the carnival, but her parents do not allow her to participate. Until one day, she gets a chance to feel like an adult thanks to the dress made for her out of leftover paper (Lispector 552). This begins a day that was unlike any previous Carnivals where she had to stay home. Finally, she could make her hair wavy and become the rose of the Carnival that she always wanted. Unfortunately, this is not the only distinguishing aspect of this day. Her mother was ill for a long time, but just before the carnival, she has gotten worse and urgently needed medicine. This event shifted the focus of the girl to the mortality of her mother, making her lose all holiday cheer. However, the story ends on an uplifting note, with a young boy paying attention to her and making her feel recognized. These three elements make this day different from others. The story felt highly personal and was likely inspired by the childhood experiences of Lispector. Her mother passed away when she was nine, which fits into the events of the story. The realism of her feelings makes the short story timeless and extremely relatable. Works Cited Lispector, Clarice. The Complete Stories . New Directions, 2015. O’Grady, Megan. “Read an Exclusive Excerpt from Clarice Lispector’s the Complete Stories.” Vogue , 2015, Web.
Introduction It is always dangerous to try to learn history from a commercial movie, especially one which sets its action to pop songs, no matter how congruent the mood of the songs is with the over-the-top nature of the era. However, because Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola [1] , and starring Kirsten Dunst, was filmed with Versailles, Chantilly, and Paris Opera interiors, there is a certain minimum of accurate inference about the 18 th century that can be drawn from this work. It is possible also to tick off the widely accepted facts or persistent rumors about the doomed Dauphine and the court, as the movie touches lightly and stylishly on them. Inferences about the social order, the status of women, daily life in the court, clothing (although sometimes by omission), and interior design can all be gleaned from this re-telling of the Austrian Archduchess Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna ’s story as teenage coming-of-age narrative. Social Order The most obvious message that comes through in the movie is the rigid and unbending hierarchy that the ancien regime imposed on itself and the rest of the nation. The king was at the top, by divine right, and everyone else was in a step-wise ranking below him, with the peasants at the bottom. The movie makes the point early on, humorously and painfully, that the task of assisting the rulers with even their most intimate activities was a privilege assigned by protocol and etiquette. The Mistress of the Household (named the Comtesse de Noailles) explains all this to the bemused Dauphine, and choreographs arrivals and turns in line, according to rank and relation, lest the Dauphine lift her hand to help herself by mistake. This custom, as is clear from the shivering anorexic form of Dunst waiting to be clad in a shift in her lavishly ornamented bedchamber, was not a luxury, but a duty [2] . On the other hand, the Comtesse de Noailles actively and visibly avoids embracing the Archduchess upon being presented to her, presumably because that would be a sign of disrespect, despite the clear implication that a hug was what the 14 year old needed at that moment more than anything else. Every action done by or to the ruler (and any potential ruler), no matter how personal, constituted a national action. Every action, therefore, justified the observation and participation of the loyal nobility. Note that Marie Antoinette’s nephew is born in the full sight of at least the distaff portion of the court, and the exhausted and haggard mom is viewed immediately after birth by the nobility of both sexes. Not even the most hounded celebrity today would tolerate such an imposition. Likewise Marie Antoinette’s own children, even more critical to the survival of the nation, are delivered under the gaze of her subjects, and paraded shortly after birth to assure the peop
Introduction Zhuangzi is known as the author of one of the foundational texts in Taoism. This Chinese thinker had an immense influence on the development of Chinese philosophy. Zhuangzi reveals a skeptical way of thinking. The optimal state of the human being suggested by Zhuangzi lies in an ability to accept things as they come, contemplate the wholeness of all, acknowledge the limits of life, and unlimited nature of knowledge. Attaining the optimal state by a human being requires acknowledging the omnipresent constant, accepting the opposites as one, and embracing the stillness, calmness, and wholeness of life and death. Optimal State of the Human Being Ziqi says that we know morning and evening exist and that they measure our lives day by day. What we do not know is how they came to be what they are. 1 He says they might have a True Master, but he cannot see him. “He can act – that is certain. Yet I cannot see his form. He has an identity, but no form”. 2 The form constitutes the limits of being, and while people strive to determine these limits, the more they try, the more frustrated with the life they become. Ziqi elaborates on this idea by telling us that while he cannot see the form, it does not diminish the Truth, i.e. the endlessness of the Way. The optimal state is the state of acceptance of seemingly opposite things as one: life and death, beginning and end, right and w
Cooperativeness Cooperativeness is an act of being morally upright to do the best to play a part in a mutual agreement. It requires that each ought to take the moral responsibility to be the best he or she can to accomplish an agreed sense of sharing, either overtly or covertly, so as to gain from the social capital. He believes that each party can reap mutual benefits if they cooperate and share the common belief that works towards a common goal of helping one another. However, there are certain incidences where although every agent plays his or her part in the group agreement, the overall group does not and. According to Putnam (163), the fact that individual parties that make a group fail to cooperate do not suggest any form of not knowing or irrational behavior. This is based on certain game theories that have exposed certain examples to explain the specific scenarios that constitute failures of cooperation. They are the tragedy of commons, a public good, the logic of collective action, the prisoners’ dilemma. A typical example is the Middle East conflict. According to the feuding parties’ stance, Palestinians and Israelis all have refused to cooperate in the sharing of resources available in the region. The fact that the two parties have divergent views in the sharing of resources is making the process of cooperation quite difficult. The tragedy of commons theory, in this case, is that Palestinians and Israelis share the same territories, where they should be able to the resources available. However, Palestinians view the land they live in as occupied by invaders, where they are forced to abide by the military watch. Israelis on the other hand continues to build settlements in these lands under conflict. In this case, every party would have benefited if they cooperated. However because there is lack of tangible mutual commitment to cooperation, each party has the freedom to ride free, and each of them wants the other party to give up so as to remain with the whole share of the resources available in the region. Trust Trust is the ability to take risks, where the two parties in agreement act in separate perspectives so they are able to benefit from the shared ideas or issues, with the knowledge that each knows that an action taken in this complex relationship is likely to affect each party either equally or at different levels. From a sociological perspective, trust is viewed as individual’s property, where they are likely to feel and value the other party in relation to the needs and goal or aspiration of justified equal benefit. Another perspective of trust