ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The Renaissance period is known for its impressive innovations and progress in almost every field that defined science and culture of that time. In many areas ranging from art to mathematics, gardening, and fortifications, it has produced numerous examples of advanced and original thought. One of the classic symbols of the Renaissance period is the Italian garden. These gardens were much more than just places of beauty, tranquility, and oneness with nature. The people of that time perceived the garden as a way of communicating with God, as a work of art equal to the creations of sculptors and painters, and as a symbol of majesty and power. This paper is dedicated to furthering the knowledge on this subject. The first examples of Italian gardens appeared in Italy at the end of the 15th century. Italy was known to be the cradle of the Renaissance, as many famous artists, engineers, and gardeners of that period were born in that country. The gardens appeared at the villas in Rome and Florence and were intended to be places of rest and contemplation. The design of the gardens was inspired by the classical views on order and beauty. A particular trait present in all gardens, big or small, is the symmetry and axial alignment of the garden and the house. The first gardens were rather small and meant to recreate the styles of classical Roman gardens (“Italian Renaissance Villas and Gardens” par. 4). However, after the practice had been adopted by the noble and powerful houses of the region, the gardens became much more elaborate. Many of them were decorated with fountains and statues as a way to show the owner’s wealth, power, and generosity. The Italian Renaissance gardens were lauded and praised in music, paintings, and poetry. They had a great influence on the development of the French and English gardens, who tried to replicate the classic Italian designs and adjust them to their traditional patterns. The Italian Renaissance Gardens were significant for the arts and culture in Italy and beyond its borders. The garden was a joint effort of an artist, a sculptor, a gardener, and an engineer. Also, they were often viewed as sources of solace and inspiration. The literary works influenced the designs of the gardens in turn, as was shown by the romance novel Hypnerotomachia Poliphili , published by Francesco Colonna (Turner 1). The Medici, who were ruling the province of Florence at the time, was famous for using their splendid and massive gardens not only to impress the guests but also to demonstrate their power and significance. The statues depicting famous events of the past were often used as hidden warnings to those who may try to oppose the ruling dynasty. The statue of Hercules defeating Antaeus featured at the fountain at Villa di Castello was erected as a powerful symbol, celebrating the victory of the Medici family over its enemies (Ballerini 34). Unfortunately, many famous and beautiful gardens did not survive up to this day, due to their ever-changing and withering nature. The gardens are known to die with the families that took c
The strategic American culture has a long history intertwined around strategic security concepts. It can be traced back from the Cold war period during fight against communism and the domination of the Soviet Union. It was during this time that, the US security system started gaining some shape. The collapse of the Soviet Union war on terror was deemed the most important strategic concept. The country took it upon itself to establish strategic security concepts to improve the security. The end of the cold war paved way to fight against terror which to date, it still remains the most fundamental thing. American strategic culture makes sure that all the United States concepts are narrowed down to only specific. To Americans, this is a cultural habit that reduces the opposing barriers to only the specific persons. These people are then reduced to the most symbols that deserve to be treated with psychological capacities and most of all, political capacities. The strategic culture is then built basing on these symbols and once the symbol is done away with, they will create awareness to the world concerning destruction of the enemy. The major subjects of American’s concerns include Hitler of the World War II and Stalin after the war. Recently, America has had to deal with Saddam Hussain and also Libyan Kaddafi. Osama Bin Laden for instance, was popularly labeled the symbol of war and terrorism in America during 9/11 attacks. In the recent years, Obama was given approval after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. The culture also advocates for the idea that the killings of the symbols is not the end of the war. According to American analysts, the concept of terror and war is still a fundament aspect in America. This fact still remains a great challenge to the Americans hence the fight against terror is still far from over. According to the American bureaucratic system, it remains an indispensable aspect of the strategic culture. The United States takes its cultural attitudes seriously by taking strategic stand points. The strategic standpoint in this case is a responsibility of the state department same case for the defense department and all of them are part of the bureaucracy. The two departments carry out their responsibilities independently. Attention is paid much on the best decisions. However, it has been discovered that change in leadership have great effects on the functions and performance of these departments. It is also believ
Background Teacher-parent interactions continue to shift in contemporary educational settings due to the importance that continues to be placed on parental involvement in achieving optimal child outcomes (Wu 307). Educators the world over continue to underscore the fact that “positive relationships between parents and teachers predict children’s enhanced social-emotional functioning and academic adjustment across time” (Kim et al. 3). Despite this fundamental importance, the reality on the ground is that these interactions are often feared by parents and educators alike due to a variety of issues that need to be understood in order to increase parent-teacher interactions in school (Stevens and Tollafield 521). Why Parent-Teacher Interactions Fail   * Lack of effective communication   * Lack of Trust   * Failure by a parent to attend school programs for their children (Stevens and Tollafield 521)   * Lack of effective conflict management approaches (Davis 21).   * Lack of shared vision and decision-making processes between parents and teachers (Merkley et al. 15)   * Lack of knowledge on how to engage parents in their children learning (Davis 22) Activities to Increase Parent-Teacher Interactions Parent/Teacher Conferences There should be regular parent/teacher conferences aimed at discussing the conduct and academic performance of students. Good invitation techniques, pleasant encounters, pertinent information sharing, effective communication, participation and involvement, and partnership for progress are needed to spur positive parent-teacher interactions during conferences (Stevens and Tollafield 522-524). Volunteer Programs Parents should be encouraged to “participate in classroom and school-based activities and events as volunteers, attendees, or members of school leadership or governing councils” (Davis 25). Such participation and involvement enhance parent-teacher interactions Rapport Building This can be done by inviting parents’ assistance, expressing interest in working with them as partners, and checking for understanding (Kim et al. 5) Learning at Home Initiatives Teachers should be at the forefront in helping parents to establish home environments that support continuous learning (Davis 2) School Open Days Parents should be invited to schools on a frequent basis to discuss the academic progress of their children with teachers Use of Technology Teachers should share email accounts and phone numbers with parents to enhance communication (Merkley et al. 11-12) Benefits of Effective Parent-Teacher Interactions   * Students are able to develop their “social, emotional, and academic competencies”(Stevens and Tollafield 523)   * “Adult participation sends the message that school is important and the work children do is worthy of adult attention” (Davis iii)   * Effective parent-teacher interactions ensure that students are able to dev
Introduction This book was written by Patrick Combs who also doubles up as an inspirational speaker. This book has been written for students aspiring to join college or those who are already in college. Grounded in current research in business economics and coupled with appropriate insights from the corporate world, the book is suitable for every college student regardless of age. Summary The first chapter of this book is “On the Road to Success”. It basically outlines the vitality in students identifying the type of career they would like to undertake in future. The author points out that it is wise for one to choose the career which will offer the greatest happiness and satisfaction. In the second chapter i.e. “Truly Passionate”, it has been emphasized that for one to be successful in ones choice of career, he/she must possess extra ordinary drive and passion. This passion will eventually propel one to exert the necessary effort towards the achievement of the set goals. The following chapter; “ Major Excitement” is an elaboration of the previous one. It points out that the passion that generates from achieving success in ones endeavors acts as a morale booster resulting in even greater success. Students are advised to refrain from choosing a carreer on the basis of such things as prestige and renumeration, instead one should go for what really interests and inspires one. Thus , it is also paramount that a student recognizes his/her weaknesses and strengths in the particular subjects required by his/her career of choice. This is in order to enable the student to know the type of career that one is most suited for in accordance with his/her strengthes as far as relevant subjects are concerned. The following chapter which is “Money Matters” offers great advice to students on sound money management practices. It emphasizes that it is important to learn how to manage ones finances prudently regardless of the amounts in question. In the sixth chapter; “Your Ultimate Life”, the book observes that a student’s stint in college is a time that one should explore as many interests as one can. Most of all, one should strive to graduate with an enthusiasm for learning. It inferes that one can increase his/her enthusiasm by exploring ones interests. This has been further expounded on in the following chapter; “The Six Big Fears”. Combs observes that such fears for instance the fear of failure and reactions from peers and family members can decrease ones spirit for learning. In other words, one has to come up with ways of confronting his/her fears and opt to follow ones heart’s desires with less focus on what opinions others might have on a particular subject. He further insinuates that one would be better off exploring his/her own interests in the library than sleeping through a class that is boring (Combs, 2000). In the ninth chapter, the author highlights the importance of co-curricular activities to the students. He concurs
In modern changing business environment, companies need to have strategic policies to enable them remain competitive and profitable. Globalization and international trade has opened massive opportunities that companies can venture into; when operating in the global scenes, decisions and policies developed should be responsive to the needs of the particular business environment that the company aims at venturing. Lennox International Inc is an international American based company, in the business of providing climate control products like refrigeration equipments, heating apparatus, air conditioning equipments, and ventilation; the company is listed in New York stock exchange. The company has been in operation for more than one century and remains to be competitive and relevant amidst changing business environments and competition. This paper analyzes the strategic and financial situation of the company. Organizational overview Dave Lennox established Lennox International Inc in the year 1895; where the company was making riveted-steel furnace, nine years down the line the company has accumulated enough financial base that it established a single outlet to sell and fix the furnace to contractors. In 1923, to cover for the expansion, the company developed a warehouse in Syracuse, New York; this time they developed new products in their production like forced-air furnace for residential heating apparatus. Currently, the company has its head quarters at Richardson, Texas, near Dallas; it has trimmed its services and products into four main areas they are: refrigeration, residential heating and cooling, Service experts, commercial heating and cooling Amidst competition and global financial crisis that befallen the world, the company continues to make some improved business gains; in 2009, the company recorded an annual sales of $2848million but the figure went up in 2010 to reach $3096millions. Currently the chief Executive officer is called Todd M. Bluedorn ( please see the appendixes for bead of directors list ) Strategic Assessment Strategic assessment is a management tool where a company analysis internal and external environment that it is operation it to be able to learn the strengths, opportunities and hindrances that might hinder the company from attaining its corporate goals and objectives. It is a decision making tool where the company utilizes the available information, and blends the information with collected information through external environment analysis and uses the quality to make decisions. The following is the strategic assessment of Lennox International Inc: External Analysis External analysis defines those factors that are beyond the control of a company; they are the factors that in
Introduction The long-standing issue of intelligence and its accurate measure of assessment continues to puzzle modern psychologists. The concept of intelligence remains out of the grasp of modern psychologists, as no consensus on its definition has been drawn yet (Wasserman, 2018). Despite this inconclusiveness, many scholars have attempted to create the most accurate description of intelligence and create a way to put one’s mental capabilities on a scale. In this paper, several concepts of intelligence will be utilized alongside analyses of purposes and goals of tools for its measure in order to review this topic. Concepts of Intelligence Perhaps the most popular among all theories is the definition of intelligence drawn by David Wechsler. His approach builds on the past attempts to outline and expand several other authors’ works that were widely used in the past, such as the works of Spearman and Binet (Wasserman, 2018). He considered that intelligence refers not to a set of existing knowledge and skills but to a capacity to efficiently accumulate and apply them within an environment where they fit (Wasserman, 2018). This definition remains one of the most accurate to date and provides a basis for numerous tests created by Wechsler and other scholars. Douglas Detterman gives a different definition of intelligence that attempts to pinpoint it in a mathematical way. The author defines cognitive capabilities with mathematical terms, considering them as a finite set that works in unison (Wasserman, 2018). This definition provides more space for assessment, as each part of a system that is human intelligence, in Detterman’s view, is independent (Wasserman, 2018). It also considers expertise in knowledge fields as it defines general intelligence as a standalone capability that can be measured outside of one’s knowledge base (Wasserman, 2018). While this approach can serve as a basis for assessment tools, the author avoids bringing a system of independent finite abilities to a single denominator. Assessment of Intelligence David Wechsler’s Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) is a well-known assessment tool that is based on the author’s definition of mental capabilities. It is known for the fact that it is a highly standardized procedure that continues to be widely used (Wasserman, 2018). This assessment combines verbal and nonverbal tasks to accommodate the fact that some individuals who were tested did not possess the necessary knowledge or physical abilities to pass past tests successfully (Wasserman, 2018). Wasserman (2018) writes that Wechsler “combined popular and clinically useful existing tests into a streamlined, well-organized, and psychometrically innovative battery” (p. 35). This test is known for its practicality, accessibility, and the fact that it generates a result that shows a global measure of intelligence rather than a set of different performance-based characteristi
Executive Summary Asos Company trades in clothing and markets its products online. This year, the Company is planning for an advertising campaign through TV channels and weekly magazines. The budgeted amount for the campaign is $500,000 and the advertisement will start from the month of July. The TV advertisement will appear three times during the sport news and cost $60,000. The campaign will also appear in a weekly magazine in an A4 spread and cost $42,000 (Pozzi 2012). The objective of the campaign is to increase the sales by the end of July by 5%. The objective is based on the growth of online sales in Australia, which have increased to 61% from 59% during the last financial year. Going by the strategies in place, by the end of July sales are expected to increase by 5%. The online advertisement is aiming at evoking interests from a wide range of customers especially women (Marquis & Udo 2001). Background of ASOS Company Two people namely Nick and Quentin founded ASOS in June 2000 in the United Kingdom. The acronym refers to “as seen on screen”. The company started as a small business that specialized on online sales of products that were associated with celebrities. ASOS has about 1000 employees and approximately 50,000 brands on fashion. Within one year after the Company was created, it joined London Stock Exchange and continued growing in size. ASOS has developed strategies to attract attention from women from the year 2005 by introducing a beauty line and men’s line in the year 2007. Today, the company is the leading retailer in the United Kingdom (Brynjolfsson & Smith 2001). Introduction ASOS Company is targeting to evoke interests from 16.6 million unique customers on monthly basis from different parts of the world where the targeted customers are aged 18 years and above. Last year alone, the number of online users registered with ASOS Company reached 8.7 million while those who had already shopped from the Company reached 4.7 million from 160 states (Marquis & Udo 2001). ASOS Company specializes in Unisex clothes and brands in fashion but the current strategies also aim at evoking the interest of older women by meeting their special needs. ASOS’s campaign is unique in that no other Company has explored the target market of older women. The older women being targeted by the company are aged between 35 and 50 years (Pozzi 2012). Reasons for targeting women aged between 30 to 50 years There are many reasons why the company should target women between the age of 30 and 50 years (Brynjolfsson & Smith 2001). Women at this age are always occupied with their families either attending to their kids at home or taking them to school as well as outings on weekends and holidays. They do such activities every time they are free from work. Such women therefore requ
Summary of the Article about Madoff Scandal Lots of people have already heard about the scandal, connected to the activities of Bernard Madoff. So many papers present numerous articles, where the writers are eager to share their points of views about the situation and present more new captivating facts. The article from Economist attracts my attention because of several reasons. First of all, it is mentioned that “there are no heroes in the Madoff story; only villains and suckers” ( The Economist ). The point is that Mr. Madoff admits that his fraud connected with more than $50 billion looks like plausible. However, the victims of this very fraud cannot agree to this truth. Among these victims, there are such celebrities as Steven Spielberg and Carl Shapiro. The creators of the article Con of the Century focus on several warnings for the future situation within the economical sphere. First of all, Mr. Madoff confessed that his pyramid according to which clients’ incomes were considerably increased by means of new investments, this is why his fraud has several positive results. Of course, it does not make Mr. Madoff a hero, and underlines that frauds may rule the world one more time. People do not to pay attention to the mistakes, made by dangerous fraudsters, if these mistakes are paid. Money may control lots of situations, and the scandal with Mr. Madoff serves as a good example. Even if many firms, which had some kind of connection with Madoff’s affairs, are sick and tired to brace themselves with numerous court trials, they still have some kind of income and do not worry about their future
Introduction The aim of any company is to achieve its goals, which is mainly to yield profits. A company as well as potential investors should always be conversant with the forces that affect the level of competition in an industry in order to achieve this goal. Michael Porter, a business professor, asserts that a company should be familiar with the intensity of competition in the industry that it is operating. According to Porter, the basic competitive forces in a market control the degree of intensity of a business. Porter mentions six forces that a corporation should use when assessing its industry. The six forces comprise of threat of new entrants, competition among firms in the industry, threat of substitution, customers’ bargaining power, bargaining power of suppliers, and the relative power of other shareholders. These forces have a direct effect on the ability of corporations to increase prices in an attempt to earn more profit as explored in this paper. Threat of New Entrants The introduction of new firms into an industry points to an increased competition for the available market as well as resources. The existing companies might be forced to start advertising more in a bid to maintain their clients before they are attracted to the new companies. Furthermore, the existing firms may raise the salaries of their labor force so that they do not lose their employees to the new entrants (Wheelen and Hunger 111). In case the threat is predominant in the industry, then it may force the other firms to impose a restriction on their prices thereby reducing their profit capability. For instance, assuming a vibrant shopping mall was launched close to Wallmatt supermarket and it started attracting a commendable number of customers; Wallmatt would be forced to reduce its prices to maintain buyers. However, the extent of this threat will rely on the availability of entry barriers as well as the incumbent corporations in the industry. An entry barrier is an obstacle, which prevents a corporation from joining a given industry to battle with the incumbent corporations. Capital requirements, access to circulation networks, and government policies are some of the main and cogent examples of entry barriers. The availability of entry barriers protects the incumbents because their profits are higher in the non-competitive market than in a competitive one at the expense of their customers and dealers (Wheelen and Hunger 111). Some of industries with several entry barriers include car and mi