ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Theatrics in the ancient Roman Empire and among the Greeks was an important socio-cultural activity that the then administration embraced. It ranged from songs and dances to acting, but the two differed in some aspects (Kuritz, 1988). However, there were notable similarities, especially in the structural design of the theatres. This was due to the intense structural and architectural influence that the Greeks had over the Romans. Like all the other buildings whose architectural designs had been imported to Rome from Greek, the theatres were not exempted. The general design of the theatre was similar, wherein in both cases, it was built on a hill and a valley. The bottom of the valley had a flat semicircular floor with a diameter of 78 feet that acted as the acting floor. The audience seats were then semicircularly arranged from this floor in a succession where the seat behind was always higher than the one in front of it. Thus the audience at the back was the most highly positioned. The design was further involved in the seat arrangement that ensured that the actors were clearly heard by the people on the uppermost semicircular bench of the theater. It was usually unroofed, but in the Roman Theater, there was a temporary cloth shelter that was put up in case there was rain or sun during the play or any other theatric (Kuritz, 1988). Behind the semicircular orchestra (the acting stage), there was a wall that separated the rest of the auditorium and the orchestra. This wall was used as the current day scene, where the actors used to change their attire. Further, killings in the plays were never done before the eyes of the audience and were always made behind the wall. The wall had entry points that actors used for both exit and entry to the orchestra. In both, acting was absorbed as part of the culture, and the genres addressed were socially fit and addressed the issues that the society was experiencing at that given moment. The Greeks were at war with the Persians, while the Romans were in the process of conquering and enlarge their already big empire (Kuritz, 1988). Roman theatres then spread to all the other parts of the world, especially in countries where the Roman Empire had its authority stamped on. The Greek theatre also spread all over Europe, and most European theatres today can be traced back to the ancient Greek theatre. Differences Despite the architecture of the two theatres coming from the Greeks, there were some differences that later on emerged as a result of the site and material for construction as well as the specific conditions in the Roman Empire. The main structural difference between the Roman and Greek theatres was slight and came later as a change from the norm. There were not enough hills to build the theatres; hence the Romans were forced to build their theatres from the level ground using blocks to raise the seats. The seats were made of Roman blocks and concrete. The theatres built within Rome were not hill- dependent at all since
This article is a critique of a Washington Post article titled “Why does Gas cost $4 a gallon or more?” The article is part of a series that is focused on the prevailing dynamics of energy pricing and the resultant revision of prices every now and then. I discuss the article and the way in which it seeks to explain the factors behind the rise in oil prices. Any discussion about Oil prices must take into account the factor of “Peak Oil” and its effects on the world price of oil. The phenomenon of peak oil states can be described as when the oil production hits a peak and the rate of extraction and production falls below the level of what it was earlier and thus the production is said to have hit a “peak” in terms of the output. Thus, this is one major criterion for determining the output of oil and subsequent dynamics of energy production are dependant on how much can be extracted with depletion of the oil supplies. This is the major factor behind the current increase in oil prices. In the next paragraphs, I take a look at the factors listed in the article about the price of oil. The article states that “Much of oil comes from mature fields that are now approaching their peaks or already in decline”. The data quoted states that output is declining at the rate of 8 per cent every year and the oil companies have to pump in more than 7 million barrels a day to keep up with demand. As we can see, this leads to a situation where excess production has to take place without corresponding discoveries and thus this is a “double whammy” as far as oil prices are concerned. Since the rate of production increases to keep up with demand and with falling reserves, the outlook for world oil is grim. The other point that is made in the article is about speculation in the world markets for crude that is beginning to have an effect on the prices. Thus, as speculation leads to a kind of game where prices are subject to the market dynamics ruled by hedge funds and speculators and not on the actual supply of oil, the use of oil price as a financial instrument is leading to fluctuations in the price of oil. Apart from the supply and market mechanisms governing the price of oil, there are concerns about the supplies getting disrupted because of political instability and terrorist attacks on installations. The article mentions the wars in the Middle East since 1980 that have disrupted the production and supply of oil to the world markets. As it is widely discussed by experts and commentators, the wars in the Middle East are about the geopolitics of oil and the desire
Introduction Nowadays, Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is being commonly referred to, as one of the world’s most efficient intelligence organizations. This alone establishes several objective preconditions for the methods of how the ISI goes about gathering intelligence, to be compared with the intelligence-gathering strategy, deployed by the intelligence organizations in America – specifically, the CIA. In this paper, I will do just that. Similarities between the CIA and ISI The main similarity between the CIA and ISI is that both of these organizations adhere to the principles of the Realist paradigm of international relations. According to it, it is namely the never-ending process of states competing for natural resources, which defines the essence of the observed dynamics in the arena of international politics. Hence, this paradigm’s conceptualization of what accounts for the de facto purpose of just about every country’s existence:  1. political/economic expansion,  2. maintenance of political stability within,  3. destabilization of competing states (Sterling-Folker, 2002). What it means is that, while pursuing their activities, the ISI and CIA are being the least concerned with observing the principles of international law. Simultaneously, this accounts for the fact that, as was mentioned earlier, both intelligence organizations can be regarded as functionally efficient. Another major similarity between the ISI and CIA is that, while gathering intelligence, both organizations rely on the expansive networks of the foreign-based agents/informants, endowed with the diplomatic immunity. For example, it is being estimated that at least a good half of personnel, employed by the American embassy in Moscow, work for the CIA (Radsan & Murphy, 2012). The same suggestion applies to the deployed intelligence-gathering strategy, on the part of ISI – Pakistani embassies throughout the world can be well-referred to in terms of the ISI’s ‘sanctuaries’. Partially, this can be explained by the fact that methodologically speaking, the operational philosophy of both of these organizations is concerned with the time-tested traditions of British espionage. What is also similar between the CIA and ISI is that, along with gathering intelligence, both organizations apply an active effort in the creation o
Every day, millions of citizens around the world feel a need to channel their social and moral values through occupation. Some of them choose professions connected with helping people. Others participate in social movements or become members of charitable and nonprofit organizations. Sociologists define this sort of social commitment (altruism) “as behavior that is motivated primarily out of a consideration another’s needs rather than one’s own” (Kallman, 2015, p. 73). Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps volunteer program unites about 240,000 Americans, who are driven by the idea to change the life of millions of people in the world for better promoting social and economic development through technical assistance. The Peace Corps is an agency run by the United States government that train and send volunteers to work and live in communities worldwide. According to the report made by Curt Tarnoff (2016), volunteers “serve at the grassroots level in villages and towns across the globe to meet its three-point legislative mandate of promoting world peace and friendship by improving the lives of those they serve” (p.1). Since 1961, over 240,000 volunteers have served in about 140 countries. Currently, volunteers are engaged in six sectors: agriculture, environment, community economic development, health, education, and youth in development. Agriculture volunteers aim at helping small-scale farmers to increase production and food security. They assist farmers in introducing technologies that prevent soil erosion, minimize the use of pesticides, and replenish the soil. Concerning environmental goals, Peace Corps volunteers teach principles of ecological awareness to members of local communities, encouraging them to conserve the local environment. Peace Corps members are also engaged in helping communities to create economic opportunities. Volunteers frequently teach business owners to develop and market their products. Promotion of basic hygiene, nutrition, water sanitation, maternal and child health in communities is the highest priority as well. The Peace Corps organization introduces HIV/ AIDS education and prevention projects. At the same time, there are programs created to support community members who have been already affected by HIV/ AIDS (Glass, Cochran & Davidson, 2015, p. 1150). The most significant program area of the organization is education. Peace Corps’ teachers work in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. In addition to their primary work, volunteers get involved in other w
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is a popular phrase among the US citizens. This phrase introduces the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. As such, the phrase guarantees every American citizen the right to liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness (Malloch & Scott 2). According to Thomas Jefferson, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, every government should allow its citizens the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The right to life entitles all Americans the abilities to pursue all the actions essential for the protection and satisfaction of their lives. Equally, the right to liberty allows all Americans the abilities to conduct themselves, work, and think in accordance with their judgments. This implies that the government is forbidden from interfering with an individual’s life and affairs. In the same way, the right to pursue happiness ensures that all individuals are given freedom to transform the nation’s physical resources, their energy, and their knowledge into good things in life for their satisfaction. Generally, the phrase Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is the driving force behind our democratic systems of government. In this regard, this paper seeks to investigate whether the nation has achieved the goals envisioned by Jefferson. After these words were written, American activists and citizens of that time adopted the phrase immediately. Prior to the writing of this phrase, the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness were not acknowledged by the political systems of the day. Instead, the goal of the monarchical government was to pursue happiness for those in power and to pursue unhappiness for the masses. For instance, the nation lacked economic systems that could guarantee the masses their basic needs. Similarly, during Jefferson’s time his goals as illustrated in the above phrases were only defined within the contexts of the whites. Over the last two centuries, the American societies have struggled through several wars and social upheavals with the aim of ensuring that all individuals regardless of their color, race, ethnicity, and social status enjoy these rights. Currently, these rights are not only enjoyed by all men, but also enjoyed by all women. The right to life The first objective of the Declaration of independence was to champion the right to life for every individual. What this means is that no
Revenue and Expenditure Categories The contribution from the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) is one of the fixed revenue items in Halton’s financial statements. The ministry allocates a specific amount of money every year to support the agency. The variable revenue items include grants, income from investments, and donations/ fundraising proceeds. Grants and donations vary because they are contributed based on the donors’ ability to give. Investment income also varies because of the demand and supply forces that determine returns in the equity securities market. The fixed expenses include salaries and benefits, as well as, depreciation and amortization charges. Salaries and benefits are fixed expenses because they have to be incurred irrespective of the changes in the agency’s activities. Moreover, depreciation and amortization expenses have to be incurred as long as the agency has capital assets such as buildings. The variable expenses include fundraising costs and operating expenses. Fundraising costs are variable expenses because they depend on the number of fundraising events held in a year. Similarly, operating expenses depend on the level of service provided by the agency. Expenses and Mission Lease expenses help Halton Women’s Place to achieve its mission by providing adequate shelter to abused women. Similarly, fundraising expenses enable the organization to achieve its mission by mobilizing adequate financial resources to provide education and information to abused women and their children. Variability of Revenue and Expenses The financial statements indicate that revenues have more variable categories than expenses. The significance of this finding is that the agency has several expenses that it must incur irrespective of its level of operations. In this respect, the agency is likely to experience a shortage of funds if its financiers fail to support it. Generally, depending on variable sources of funds will have a negative effect on the agency’s ability to plan for the future. For instance, the agency will not be able to implement its future expansion plans if it has inadequate funds. Largest Revenue and Expenses The agency’s largest expenses are operational costs and salaries/ benefits. Salaries and benefits accounted for at least 68.58% of the annual expenditures in the last three years. Operational expenses, on the other hand, accounted for nearly 21% of the total annual expenditures. The largest annual revenue averaged $2,052,313 in the last three years. The revenue was obtained from MCSS. The second largest annual revenue averaged $540,831. The revenue was obtained through donations and fundraising events. Main Sources of Income The financial statements indicate that MCSS and donations/ fundraising even
The role of women in society is considered to be one of the most burning and captivating issues of all the times. People face numerous problems during the discussions whether it is correct to make men and women equal to each other or not. This is why lots of people try to use as reliable sources as possible to prove the chosen idea. And of the first sources, used in discussions concerning women place and role, is the Bible. The fact that Eve was created not first but second and the idea, came from Hebrew religion, that Jacob is considered to be the favorite implied for a long period of time that women were inferior to men; however, nowadays, lots of contradictions take place on these arguments and the discussions about woman’s role in society become more and more urgent. The questions of gender inequality are inherent to many cultures and nations; some nations prefer to rely on religion in order to satisfy society; the other nations take into consideration modern points of views and moral values. However, during a long period of time, The Holy Bible was considered to be the major religious text that helped to clear up the different between women and men, their roles, and duties. The point is that even The Holy Bible represents several approaches to the discussion of this concept. The New Testament and The Old Testaments tell that women have to inferior to men as the authority of God is really great, and God is the only one, who has the right to judge, divide, or make equal. In these testaments, women take the second place and may be regarded as men’s properties. However, The Gospels of Jesus , which appeared between The Old and New Testaments , underline how powerful women could be and that the equality between men and women was obligatory. However, the power of God was really huge, this is why the point that God created Eve second provided many people with a chance to underline women’s inferiority to men. The Hebrew Yisrael presents other evidence that males have a kind of privilege in comparison to females. Jacob got inspiration from God, so, God perfects his favor and admiration on Jacob more than on any other person, and any woman in particular. He is the only one, who can commu
The problem Globalization has resulted in certain benefits and shortcomings, some countries are benefiting a great deal than others; in extreme cases, some countries are losing as a result of globalization. Scientific inventions in technology and communication networks have facilitated international trade and movement of people from one region to another, the result of the trade is economic, social, and political gains. Countries that have limited resources and technology have minimal participation in international trade and are net importers; this works to their disadvantage. The dimension of the problem Although globalization has had many benefits, it has not been able to encompass all sectors. Many nations continue to experience regional disparities. Poverty rates are still high in sub-Sahara Africa although there has been a fall in its rates in South and East Asia. Statistics from the United Nations (UN) show that about one billion people live on less than one dollar per day and about 2.6 billion live on less than two dollars. it is believed that this has been a result of too little globalization. If globalization is increased, some of these problems can be eliminated. The benefits of globalization came along with some risks associated with it. These are a result of capital movements among nations. IMF employs policies from time to time that helps nations manage some of these risks. It offers technical assistance in some of the macroeconomic policies, the exchange rate, and the financial sector. Today almost all nations depend on the global economy. Governments are finding it difficult to respond to their domestic issues as they used to do. There have been many trade agreements that influence the performance of member countries and which put restrictions on the use of their monetary policies. These governments have to rely on the international monetary fund for regulations. Poor nations are becoming poorer day in day out because of the low comparative advantage they have in international trade. They have to rely on the World Bank for aids and grants for development. To curb this, the Doha Development Agenda was launched but it has to yet been accepted. Unless it is accepted, the poor nationals will continue to suffer at the expense of the rich nations which have developed economies and comparative advantage in terms of trade (Schulte, 2000). In the future, the trend of globalization is expected to improve even further especially with the invention of a digital world, people and countries will have the means and products to trade with each other thus facilitating trade. The world population is on an upward trend, countries are finding it challenging to feed their economies from their own countries resources alone, they are thus willing to trade with others in the efforts of feeding their growing population. Evaluating evidence International integration is on an upward rise and it is expected to continue in the future. Countries have contributed to appreciate the benefits they can attain from globalization and have embarked on measures to impro
Introduction Enterprise architecture may mean differently for various areas. Likewise, architecture in a broad sense may describe a process or a business structure of a particular firm or a state perhaps with significant illustrations. Business methods also arise from the term that leads to the comprehension of and documentation of the total structure. But generally, it is significant to define enterprise architecture as the logical organization for business processes and Information Technology infrastructure that signifies the relation and standardization requirements of the operating structure of the firm and hence in this case, the operating model or structure of the State of Georgia. It is normally determined that the architecture of an enterprise occurs though the considerations of it are overtly described or not takes into account. This is visible if the recognition for architecture as an existing system is the illustration of it or not. Of course, the application of enterprise architecture has developed to make the system structures clear in vague ar