ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Events Between the U.S. and the Middle East Since the End of the Cold War As it would be observed, the end of the Cold War in the year 1990 would mark a significant beginning for the entire Middle East. Strategic interests for the region would previously be realized coming from the Soviet Union and the U.S. However, the longstanding competitions between the two super powers would eventually come to end after the Soviet Union decided to withdraw from this part of the world completely, thus granting the U.S. unchallenged dominant position in the region. This monopolistic control of the region by the Americans was viewed by many to be a multifaceted way of imperialism through cultural, ideological and economical focus. Both the physical and ideological presence of the Americans in the Arabic region since the Post-Cold War Era has triggered a number of significant events to the history of the Middle East (Roskin and Berry 17). Claiming to be undertaking a significant approach in lifting the economical profile of the region, the U.S. would have a strong domination of the entire region and through this; many initiatives and operations would ultimately be realized. However, the overall U.S. policy in the region is perceived to have achieved very little positively. The U.S. involvement in the Middle East would raise negative perceptions from the internal communities resulting into increasing anger and hatred. According to Griffin, most of the major events that would be realized between the U.S. and the Middle East would involve war and military interventions (89). This started with the launching of a coalition castigated by the U.S. at the beginning of the year 1991 against the Iraqis who had invaded Kuwait. Another significant event would be realized in 1992 when American Marines landed near the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, with the aim of ensuring humanitarian aid in the region. The year 1993 would see the U.S. overseeing Oslo’s peace agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel. Another significant event between the U.S.
In his highly informative article, “Survival of the Richest,” Evan Osnos addresses the concept of survivalism and its current reflection in the United States. Defined as “the practice of preparing for a crackup of civilization,” survivalism has already affected the country’s most affluent population groups (Osnos 2). In other words, the richest American citizens take the idea of the apocalypse highly seriously and prepare for the end of the world. At the same time, Osnos aims to evaluate this tendency and investigate the motives of moguls’ desire to prepare for doomsday. According to his successfully proven findings, survivalism has already penetrated into people’s mentality, politics, business, and culture. Moreover, this concept reflects contemporary economic challenges, the crisis of the government’s structure, and deep social disparities. On the basis of rich people’s comments that substantially support the study and make it valid, the author explains that the majority of hedge-fund managers, technology executives, companies’ founders, and “others in their economic cohort” are preparing for apocalypse (Osnos 2). Even in Silicon Valley, a place responsible for technological progress for a better and safe future for humankind, survivalism is taken seriously. However, it may be explained by the fact that, due to technologies, people there are rewarded with “the ability to imagine wildly different futures” – from highly optimistic to completely catastrophic (Osnos 5). As a result, wealthy Americans who share ideas with each other want to be ready for any calamity, either natural or man-made, and protect their families as well. As a result, they build shelters and buy land, huge amounts of food, gas masks, motorcycles, helicopters, gold coins, and weaponry. Explaining their preparations, the majority of wealthy people predict institutional collapse, political insecurity, the fragility of contemporary life and social structures, and imminent society breakdown. At the same time, survivalism among the richest Americans emphasizes socioeconomic disparities. For instance, a considerable number of moguls are egoistically prepa
This paper is both a response and a discussion on an ethical case on accounting. The case in question involves Lynn Oaks, a donor and financier of Good Works for women, which is a charity organization. The newly employed director at Good Works is Jill Lassiter. She has discovered that the organization has been misusing the donor funds. In addition, the company has been presenting false statements to Lynn Oaks stating that it uses the donations for run childcare programs. In order to satisfy the organizations largest donor, Jill is supposed to impose false statements which contain faulty estimates. This is meant to enable the company receive donor funding. Jill is torn between presenting candid information regarding the problems faced by the company and concealing the evidence to that the company can continue to receive funding. This paper attempts to give an ethical response to the issue. There are many problems that could result in the issuing of false statements by a company. To begin with, the organization could be faced with a lawsuit due to presentation of vindictive information in case of any controversy. This can lead to failure of the business owing to lack of donor funding. Many donors usually rely on audited information from private organizations. In case the organization is audited by an independent firm, it could easily lose its largest donor. In addition, the organization could also be faced with many repercussions arising from lawsuits for violation of ethical codes contained in the accounting standards and principles. As an ethical accountant, Jill Lassiter should stand by her rights and present the rightful information about financial welfare of her organization to the donors. This does not mean that the donor will stop funding the company. On the one hand, the donor might reconsider the problems faced by the organization and even increase the donor funding. All the accounting statements presented to the donor should have the exact estimates for the welfare of the organization’s funding. This will also help to prevent any problems in case of a lawsuit. Moreover, it will be easy to conform to the audited information when the donor requires the auditing report. Accounting is governed by ethical codes of conduct as the director at Good Works for women, Jill should conform to them. The codes of ethics in accounting help to guide business organizations and employees to focus on ethical accounting for good results. These codes have been accepted by international financial accounting standards. Jill has no option but to conforming to the laws. In addition, the director should also ensure that every stage of accounting has been ethically approved to improve morals in the accounting process. This will also improve presentation of statements which are not false. To sum up, the director of Good Works should engage in presenting the rightful information for the future welfare of the com
Different authors and critics define feminism in terms of different philosophical and social concepts. For the most part their vision of what needs to be changed is extremely narrow: class, race, and gender structures, for example, and the attendant forms of oppression are often left virtually or completely unchanged. Not surprisingly, therefore, given this tradition, those who have historically been disempowered on precisely such grounds (e.g. for reasons of class, race, or gender) have written few actual utopias. In their poem, the authors create a unique account of feminism, its meaning and place in modern world. In the interview, Nourbese M. Philip explains that the work of women writers is often centrally informed by a consciousness of possibilities. To recognize this dimension, readers need to expand our angle of vision from an exclusive focus on utopias proper to a wider view. The poetry of Nourbese M. Philip helps to change my view about feminism and it through the lens of radicalism and expressiveness. Nourbese M. Philip underlines that beyond these differences their perspective on the structural relationship between women and patriarchy, namely that structures of oppression are not just external but internalized, was fundamentally the same (Nourbese 51). Similar ideas are expressed by Susan Holbrook who states that feminism can be interpreted as a struggle between feminine and masculine beginning. Each writers in their own way, probe this question with a high degree of self-reflexivity. Susan Holbrook underlines that feminism can be experienced and understood as an emotional issue. For instance, in “Nursery”, “romanticization of motherhood” helps readers to present models for change that are more honest, Holbrook believes and therefore, in the end, less compromised (Holbrook 48). The underlying issue is the meaning of “revolution” itself: the possible means and ends of radical change in a post-industrial, post-modern (even, as some would have it. The integrity of the body (and thus, of woman, who is her body in scheme of things) demands not only separation from culture, but from history as well. Nature, the land of the mothers, and History, the time of the fathers, stands as the primordial antitheses of male and female principles. In poetry, Nicole Brossard’s supposes that given the way gender has been constituted in metaphysics and society, the traditional gender paradigm of man and woman broadly parallels this ontological jointure (Brossard 20). Men, in their stereotypical gender roles and culturally contextualized bodily movements tend to be more oriented to a rising forward movement belonging to suppression and women to a reclining movement belonging to concealment. Nicole Brossard’s ideas change my understanding of feminism and show that this concept is more than mere theoretical doctrine but a “sensation” (Brossard 22). Using ideas of Nicole Brossard, I can say that feminism is reflected in language means and unique word choice. For the emphasis on the specificity of women’s experience provided feminism with the theoretical basis and rhetorical strategy with which to effect its disengagement from the theor
Market size and potential sales FunZone will compete in the Online Event Ticket Sales industry. The industry has grown strongly over the five years to 2015, generated revenue of $4.1 billion by the end of the year, and IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue will continue to rebound and will increase at an average annual rate of 3.2% over the five years to 2020. Among those total available market, $873 million was generated by Millennials, who are 18-35 years old. In NYC, this industry develops rapidly and is highly valued, as it allows to sell and buy more than 1,000 tickets in less than 60 seconds. It provides an opportunity for the general public to visit many popular concerts that are not offered to them. Of course, there are brokers that profit at the expense of ordinary fans (free tickets can be resold, for example) but professionals try to make sure that New York State law is not violated (Sisario para. 6). Target Audience As an online ticket service company, we have two target markets. One is end-users, as buyers. End-users are iPhone users who are 18-35 years old and actively purchase online tickets for music events. The peculiarities of this market are not yet decently investigated, and its size is not indicated by researchers, which prevents us from providing accurate data. Still, taking into consideration the fact that MarketingCharts staff claims that 24% of the US population are Millennials, some calculations can be made to obtain an approximate number (para. 4). This information allows us to presuppose that more than 2 million people who live in NYC belong to this group, as 8,550,405 representatives of the general public currently live in this city (“Current and Projected Populations” para. 1). Since the company only targets iPhone users at the begging period, 44% of 873 million, which is 384 million users will be our target end-users in the US. The other target markets are promoters, small venues, or live music bars in NYC. Their total number is not estimated decently, but there are a little bit more than 400 small venues and event places in NYC only. Except for that, about 230 music venues can be found in the city (Yelp para. 1). Our job is to connect these two target markets and help small venues and bands promote themselves and end-users to find these places near them. Without planning ahead, users are able to have random fun wherever they are. Demographics FunZone will target users between age 18-35 who actively purchase online tickets for events. They are either no income because they are still in school or household income of $25,000-$48,000. They like traveling, but they don’t spend as much money as their other generational cohorts. They obtain value while traveling, and they want to participate in reward programs. In addition, based on data collected by the hotel council of San Francisco on habits of US millennial travelers, millennials are last-minute bookers. Psychographics They are afraid to be alone. They demand to be integrated into the culture with an authentic local experienc
Abstract The belief that humanitarian norms apply to prisoners of war and others detained during armed conflicts has eventually, achieved near-universal acceptance. Most famously realized in the various Geneva Conventions negotiated in the wake of the two world wars, these norms confer upon detainees both substantive rights and the right to a judicial determination of their proper status, thereby providing an unsurprising level of protection to those who are among the most vulnerable of the victims of war. Knoll, et al (1970). Under the Geneva Conventions position of individual prisoners determines what rights they are entitled to. The rights of POWs vary considerably from those of so-called unlawful or no privileged combatants. Nevertheless, all detainees may be put on trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and criminal acts unrelated to the armed conflict. Michael J. Matheson, (2004).Similarly, all persons in detention, must be treated compassionately, in a humane manner regardless of their status. “An important measure to ensure humane treatment, provided under the Geneva Conventions, is to permit visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and for the detaining government to follow their recommendations”. Aspen Institute (1989). According to Goldstone, Richard (1997) pp15-24 the, “Third Geneva Convention specifies the rights and privileges of POWs while the unlawful combatants are protected under the Fourth Geneva convention, customary international law and, where applicable, Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.” The US administration is not a party to Protocol I, the U.S. administration recognizes its provisions as part of fundamental international law; particularly relevant is article 75 on fundamental guarantees, that outlines the basic normalcy of humane treatment and due process of law required of all persons affected by the conflict, despite of their status. “However the United States of America has come under heavy condemnation for her treatment of captured fighters of war. The government has placed the POW under brutal conditions and consequently labeled these captives as detainees in bid to execute criminality against these war prisoners” Goldstone, Richard (1997) The rights and protections granted to POWs Humane Treatment POWs must be humanely cared for at all times. They must be sheltered against acts of violence or threats, pressure and against insults or public inquisitiveness. Aspen Institute (1989). They should be kept in under the same conditions as those of the forces of the detaining Power in the same areas. In particular, “the premises provided for the use of prisoners of war…shall be entirely protected from dampness and adequately heated and lighted.” (Third
The no child left behind act was legislated in 2001 by the United States congress with the aim of improving the education policy in the public school sector. The bill received support from bipartisan members of congress. The bill advocated for schools to set high standards and goals for the learners. This was to be facilitated by the state by formulating a standardized test based on basic skills which should be done by all the students of a particular grade. The no child left behind act (NCLB) required each state to come up with its own achievement standards rather than have a universal national standard (Armstrong, Henson & Savage, 2008). Although the NCLB act of 2001 received overwhelming support in congress, it has its pros and cons. According to analysts, the bill advocated for accountability for teachers, students and the state. The yearly standardized tests for each grade acts like a standard measure in terms of performance and the entire learning process. Public schools were supposed to reflect an adequate yearly progress (AYP). If the school failed to meet the set goals, then measures were put in place to “punish” the school in terms of reduced funding. The act ensures that when students fail a specific class, they have to commit more of their time to classes. As for the students, failing the test meant increased class time. These measures were tailored towards increasing the students’ as well as teachers’ awareness towards realizing the significance of the education system. The NCLB act of 2001 was a benchmark towards gauging the performance of individual students and also the teaching and learning process ( Wang, Beckett & Brown, 2006) Another advantage of the NCLB act is the fact that it has enabled students in public schools to be able to have a higher standard that has enabled the learners from the minority group to reduce the achievement gap compared to the non-minority. The implementation of the act saw schools in the minority areas and that had previously been left out of the national competition brought into the competition realm. Although the NCLB act has its advantages, some weaknesses have been noted. Some critics argue that NCLB is selective in terms of the curriculum as it does not apply to all subject areas in the school curriculum. Others have further asserted that some states would go on to lower their adequate yearly progress so as to get the best results which in turn retard performance as the goals set are too low (Kohut & Doherty, 2007). It has also been argued by some critics that some states may coerce some of their teachers to teach in areas that they may not be perfectly skilled. Other teach
Introduction Performance management is a pivotal aspect that determines the wellbeing of any structurally organized organization. This paper presents a succinct analysis of performance management areas, strategies of improving it, and examination of integrated processes that helps people deliver performance as either individual or as a team. Performance management Performance management undergoes planning and integration methods that that convey continued success to institutions by improving the output of people and by growing the potential of individual contributors and groups (Rynes, Colbert & Brown 2002). It is not an individual person or teams function but rather involve the managers and the employees working together for a common goal. The process involves the stakeholders sitting down to categorize and illustrate the job tasks and tie them to the assignment and goals of the organization. This enables the organization to come up with realistic goals in an attempt to attain the requisite implementation standards. Furthermore, it helps improve the employee work performance. It is however, noteworthy to take a cursory look at the word ‘performance’ to have a firm grasps of the entire topic. Indeed, performance is a distinct area within the behavioral and social sciences industrial psychology that recognizes performance as perhaps its ultimate variable if not its raison d’etre (Martin & Bartol 1998). Therefore, job performance is arguably the most important dependent variable in occupational and industrial organizational psychology. However, what is lacking is the understanding of the literature about the construct job performance (Greiling 2007; Rynes, Colbert & Brown 2002). According to a research conducted in Watson Wyatt class in 2006, only 30% of the employees believe the performance review system in their company’s help employees improve performance. This raises a very important question about how performance management helps improve performance in any company. Furthermore, it is fundamental to evaluate the gist of the result and consider if it is representative of most organization to assist in the analysis of this management function in an organization to decide if it is a necessary component. Indeed, performance management is the means of pigeonholing, appraising, and developing the performance of individuals and teams working toward a goal. Thereafter, the performance of the individuals aligns with the strategic goals of the organization. Performance management varies significantly with performance appraisal in that whereas it is possible for the line manager to calculate performance management based on business deliberation and is usually an ongoing process, performance appraisal is a function of the human resources department in an endeavor to explore the forte and flaws of employees within the organization (Martin & Bartol 1998). An organization undertakes performance
Introduction Europe is one among the seven continents that exist in the world. It is the 6th largest continent on the planet earth, and it consists of forty seven countries and assorted dependencies, islands and territories. The recognized surface area is approximately 10 million sq. km. It covers about 2% of the entire earth’s surface. Europe lies on the eastern side of the Asian continent. There are various geographical features separating Europe from Asia. Examples of these features are Mt. Ural and Mt. Caucasus (Gibson, 2006). The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the North. On the western side, there is the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean Sea is located in the south, as well as the Black sea. Other connected waterways are located on the south eastern region. It is the third continent with a high population of approximately 740 million people. Only Asia and Africa are ahead of Europe in terms of population. Europe has been argued to be the origin of the western culture (Stevens, 1997). Age of discovery The age of discovery also called the age of exploration in Europe was a period in history which started in the early 15th century and continued until early 17th century. During this period, the Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world. They managed to establish contacts with other continents to begin trading activities and establish new trade routes. It was in this age that the “European sailors and ships left the coastal waters of the Old World and embarked on their adventure on the vast green sea of darkness” (Kreiss, 2011, para 1). This age was very helpful to the Europeans because they gained new information that helped them to expand geographical knowledge (Kreiss, 2011). The age of exploration or discovery can be said to have linked the Mid