The Breakdown in Relations between the Thirteen English Colonies in Essay

The Breakdown in Relations between the Thirteen English Colonies in North America and Great Britain - Essay Example While the colonists living in this region were originally British citizens, this century increasingly saw them identify themselves as residents of America. Contributing to their newfound sense of identification was a number of policies and incidents that weakened relations between America and Great Britain. This essay discusses and explains what caused the breakdown in relations between the thirteen English colonies in North America and Great Britain during the period of 1750 to 1776. One of the most prominent incidents that strained relations between America and Great Britain is what has come to be referred to as the Boston Massacre. Indeed, the Boston Massacre was a pivotal event in American history for the significant contributions it made to the eventual start of the American Revolutionary War. The actual events of the Boston Massacre are that on March 5, 1770 the British army shot and killed five men living in the American colonies. While this is the eventual occurrence, the Boston Massacre is perhaps more significant as the symbolic representation of nearly thirty years of perceived slights at the hand of Great Britain. For a number of years surrounding the Massacre the British government had increasingly taxed the colonies causing large amounts of strife within the colonial residents. One of the major incidents in these matters was the occurrence of the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War was a conflict that extended between 1754 and 1763 betwe en Great Britain and French/Indian forces. While ultimately this conflict proved successful for Great Britain, it came at great cost. As a means of counteracting the cost of this conflict, Britain began instituting a variety of taxes on their colonial empire. These taxes were met with considerable resistance among residents of the colonies. Perhaps the major tax in these regards was the 1765 Stamp Act, which resulted in the now seminal calls of, ‘no taxation without representation’ from the colonists. In terms of specific tax acts that contributed to the tensions surrounding the Boston Massacre, the Townshend Acts had recently been passed within colonial America. The Townshend Acts went beyond merely taxing the colonies, but were designed to ensure that the governors and judges ruling over the colonial empire were entirely under British control. This tactic was put in place to further solidify colonial compliance with British taxes and to better gain control of trade re gulations within the colonial empire. As one might imagine, such a tactic was met with great resistance in the colonies. Petitions were sent to King George asking that the Townshend Acts be repealed. In making no progress in direct petitions to King George, increasing amount of assemblies began to take place throughout Massachusetts. These assemblies began to threaten British officials residing within the colonies. Lord Hillsborough, who had recently been made the Colonial Secretary, became alarmed by the growing amount of resistance to the Townshend Acts. He began to instruct the colonies that they needed to cease resistance operations to the British laws. As the colonists continued their resistance to the Townshend Acts, the British government responded by sending military enforcement to the colonies to ensure they followed the new regulations. On June 10th the British troops acquisitioned the colonial ship Liberty because, they claimed, the ship had been involved in smuggling act ions. This prompted great outrage from the colonists and riots among the local sailors began to occur. These riots resulted in increasing tensions between British and colonials, with the British sending soldiers to Boston. The actual incident of the Boston Massacr

Loan and International Best Practices Essay Example for Free

Loan and International Best Practices Essay A Non-performing asset (NPA) is defined as a credit facility in respect of which the interest and/or installment of principal has remained ‘past due’ for a specified period of time. Identification[edit] NPA is a classification used by financial institutions that refer to loans that are in jeopardy of default. Once the borrower has failed to make interest or principle payments for 90 days the loan is considered to be a non-performing asset. Non-performing assets are problematic for financial institutions since they depend on interest payments for income. Troublesome pressure from the economy can lead to a sharp increase in non-performing loans and often results in massive write-downs. With a view to moving towards international best practices and to ensure greater transparency, it had been decided to adopt the ‘90 days’ overdue’ norm for identification of NPA, from the year ending March 31, 2004. Accordingly, with effect from March 31, 2004, a non-performing asset (NPA) is a loan or an advance where; Interest and/or installment of principal remain overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of a term loan, The account remains ‘out of order’ for a period of more than 90 days, in respect of an Overdraft/Cash Credit (OD/CC). The bill remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in the case of bills purchased and discounted, Interest and/or installment of principal remains overdue for two harvest seasons but for a period not exceeding two half years in the case of an advance granted for agricultural purposes, and Any amount to be received remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of other accounts. Non submission of Stock Statements for 3 Continuous Quarters in case of Cash Credit Facility. No active transactions in the account (Cash Credit/Over Draft/EPC/PCFC) for more than 90 days. Classification[edit] Banks are required to classify non-performing assets further into the following three categories based on the period for which the asset has remained non-performing and the realisability of the dues: Sub-standard assets: a sub standard asset is one which has been classified as NPA for a period not exceeding 12 months. Doubtful Assets: a doubtful asset is one which has remained NPA for a period exceeding 12 months. Loss assets: where loss has been identified by the bank, internal or external auditor or central bank inspectors but the amount has not been written off, wholly or partly. Sub-standard asset is the asset in which bank have to maintain 15% of its reserves. All those assets which are considered as non-performing for period of more than 12 months are called as Doubtful Assets. All those assets which cannot be recovered are called as Loss Assets.

Walt Whitman and Dostoyevsky: The human identity

Walt Whitman and Dostoyevsky: The human identity The portrayal of the human identity in the poems of Walt Whitman and Dostoyevsky: Literature plays an important role in the society that is not only related to the level of entertainment. Through the various genres of literature, we can represent ideas to the society through the specific thematic issues raised within the fabric of the texts. Poetry serves the same purpose in the society. Through the use of beauty in the language such as the symbolic sound give the genre an entertaining perspective. Aside from the entertainment, the ideas of the poet about the society are equally presented. The opinions of the writer about a specific subject such as the personal identity and its implication in a society are possible views that can be intertwined in the themes texts. The poems of Walt Whitman and the novella by Dostoyevsky are no exceptions. It is possible that the authors' use of the thematic issues is a portrayal of their opinions about the society. Here, I examine the possible difference or similarity in the portrayal of human identity in the works by the tw o authors. Specifically the works that are selected for this analysis are the poems A noiseless patient spider, the song of myself and A Sight in Camp all by Walt Whitman. Notes from the underground are the work by Dostoyevsky that will be looked at here. Thesis: Non-conformity and independence are used as the major formulators of personal identity in the works of Walt Whitman and Dostoyevsky. Non-conformity is taken in this paper to mean the lack of respect or appreciation for societal expectations. It means that the social obligations and the desire to be free from societal expectation will make a person have the propensity to be independent. This independence is the key factor that will shape the identity of persons in a society. When a child asks the persona about grass in the poem song of myself, the persona could not give an answer about the same question. This sends him wondering in thought in a journey that takes him through the continent of America (Whitman, 56). His epic journey in thought makes him fall in love with nature and he does believe that there is nothing bad that will not contribute to a positive outcome in the system that is nature. Transcendental philosophy and the freedom of thought, in this case, is what informs the persona's identity. The persona develops an opinion of the world through the examination of the different aspects of the society in thought. the cause this is that it is easier to construct the possibilities of the society through the mind. In notes from the underground, the author's intent is to show that through the use of conscious thinking, the personality of an individual can be formed. The narrator, in this case, informs us that the ability to take revenge is in fact not a possibility to him. This is driven by his ability to construct and analyse the possibilities of the action. He believes that the consequences of his actions could lead to other disasters that can be of even more consequences. As a result, the persona opts to do simply nothing but imagine things in the society. This makes him unable to confront his colleagues despite the fact that they have clearly shown that they despised him. The norm in any society is that if anything is wrong, the obligation is on the people living in this society to make changes to the same effect. The use of imagination and the resultant utopia created by the imaginations can also be seen as shaping the identity of the persona in notes from the underground. The persona believes that he could escape from the overall boredom created by work and interpersonal relation through the use of a mental process or imagination on the same. This position can be taken from the fact that the main desire of the persona is to be independent of any external forces that shape the relationships that he had in society. In the poetic works of Whitman especially the A Noiseless Patient Spider, the persona envisions his soul wandering in a vast open space of the ocean while he stands on a promontory (Whitman, 405). The idea that is being projected in the text here is the independence and the lack of influence of any other societal factors like interpersonal relationships. In reality, the possibility of the existence of no factors to influence the thinking or the actions of an individual is a societal impossibility. The author, therefore, uses a level of lack of conformity and adherence to societal norms in these works. The only possibility of the lack of any interference in the society is if there is no individual living with the persona in the same society. A Sight in Camp is also a poem that is used by Whitman to further the ideal of wishful thinking and independence from the social norms. In this poem, the author knows that it is possible for members of different ages and sex to experience suffering occasioned by disease. Still, the author deliberately talks of a faceless perfection and lack of suffering even in a medical camp (Whitman 276). The author's intent is to make us imagine that there is a society in which all the suffering is not present and that people do not recognise each other from a physical perspective. The assumption that the author is also driving here is that there is a possibility of achieving the level of equity that appreciates all beings as perfectly similar regardless of age and social standings. In notes from the underground, the author takes a different approach to dealing with the society, suffering and utopia. The author opines that it is possible that the level of suffering brought about by the different factors in a society could be the norm. However, the use of science and the rationality is a major cause for the deviation of the norm. The persona argues that through suffering, it is possible to have an individual to receive honour or ennoblement. This ennoblement or honour could be what the normal individual would want for themselves and identity. The deviation from this normal point and the lessening of suffering by scientists and rationalists is the cause of a strive towards a utopian society. The argument that the author proposes here is also related to the independence of choice. In a society that the realists and the scientists are constantly working towards making life better, the common man is left with no other choice. The desire to experience anything in life like work and social life is constantly challenged by the idea that are floated by the members of these bodies. The result is that everyone is whipped away from what they so desire and instead moved towards what other people think is ideal. The result is that their personal identity is changed through conforming to these norms but their independence to choose is denied. In conclusion, the main area of discussion in this article concerned the use of non-conformity to societal norms and the level of effect of independence in the creation of personal identity. A review of the works by the two authors reveals a level of similarity in approaches given to the subject of identity in the texts. In all the works, transcendental philosophy underpins the formation of the identity of the persona of the work. According to Dostoyevsky, the use of imagination or conscious thinking has led the persona not to act in any way to change the situation that is prevailing. Despite him realising that it could be wrong or the situation is not right, the consequences of the action hold the persona back. It also affects the level of independence that the author has regarding the ability to make choices on the actual desires like escaping from boredom. Whitman also uses the same philosophy in determining the identity of the persona in most of the works. According to the author , the epic mental journey that is provoked by a Childs question about grass (Whitman 56) has led to a lot of discoveries. The nature of the personal self is among the things that the persona has discovered in the process. Much of the idea that, therefore, shapes the identity of the persona are therefore brought out in a transcendent way. The only difference is in the way the authors handle the concept of the ideal society and the independence to choose a personal identity. In notes from the underground, the persona opines that the choice of the members of the society is not independent. It argues that the choice is as a result of the scientific view of a utopian society. Whitman in contrast feels that it is highly necessary to have a utopian society where everyone is equal, there is no suffering. This idea is explicitly projected in A noiseless patient spider (Whitman 405). It is, therefore, important to conclude that both the authors employ the use of non-conformity and independence as the major formulators of the identity of individuals. Works cited Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from the Underground. Broadview Press, 2014. Whitman, Walt. The Complete Poems of Walt Whitman. Wordsworth Editions, 1995.

Heroism in Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage Essays -- Red Badg

Heroism in Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The world of Stephen Crane's fiction is a cruel, lonely place. Man's environment shows no sympathy or concern for man; in the midst of a battle in The Red Badge of Courage "Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment" (89). Crane frequently anthropomorphizes the natural world and turns it into an agent actively working against the survival of man. From the beginning of "The Open Boat" the waves are seen as "wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall" (225) as if the waves themselves had murderous intent. During battle in The Red Badge of Courage the trees of the forest stretched out before Henry and "forbade him to pass. After its previous hostility this new resistance of the forest filled him with a fine bitterness" (104). More omnipresent than the mortal sense of opposition to nature, however, is the mortal sense of opposition to other men. Crane portrays the Darwinian struggle of men as forcing one man again st another, not only for the preservation of one's life, but also the preservation of one's sense of self-worth. Henry finds hope for escape from this condition in the traditional notion that "man becomes another thing in a battle"†¹more selfless and connected to his comrades (73). But the few moments in Crane's stories where individuals rise above self-preservation are not the typically heroicized moments of battle. Crane revises the sense of the heroic by allowing selfishness to persist through battle. Only when his characters are faced with the absolute helplessness of another human do they rise above themselves. In these grim situations the characters are reminded of their more fundamental opp... ...erryman, John, Stephen Crane:   A Critical Biography.   1950.   Rpt. In Discovering Authors.   Vers. 1.0. CD-ROM.   Detriot:   Gale, 1992. Bloom, Harold, ed.   Modern Critical Interpretations:   Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.   New Yourk:   Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Cody, Edwin H. Stephen Crane.   Revised Edition.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1980. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage.   Logan, IA:   Perfection Learning Corporation, 1979. Gibson, Donald B. The Red Badge of Courage:   Redefining the Hero.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1988. Magill, Frank N., Magill's Survey:   American Literature Realism to 1945.   California:   Salem Press, Inc., 1963. Wolford, Chester L.   "Stephen Crane."   Critical Survey of Long Fiction.   Ed. Frank N. Magill.   English Language Series.   Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1991      

Custodial issues

Every year thousands of prisoners are released from prisons on parole or after completing their jail terms. To ensure that prisoners return to their normal lives without re- offending governments adopt programs meant to prepare prisoners for life after prison. Such programs may involve prisoners being allowed to work in community projects in order to instill a sense of responsibility in them. Additionally, prisoners may be allowed to work away from prisons and return when they have finished work. In some cases prisoners are permitted to visit the community.But despite these noble initiatives, cases of prisoners re-offending soon after they are released from prisons are not uncommon. This reveals that the programs are not always effective and something needs to be done to improve the situation. I strongly agree with probation experts such as Maburi (2009) that the psychological confusion, social stigma and economic hardships that they experience are partly to blame for prisoners re-of fending tendencies. I believe that the excessively punitive sentences issued to convicts harden them instead of reforming them.Such sentences ignore the fact that convicts will at one time return to the community yet and do little to prepare them for life after prison. To prevent cases of ex convicts re-offending, courts should take bear in mind rehabilitation of prisoners back to the community after their jail terms. Towards this end, I believe there is need for further cooperation between the judiciary and the prisons and rehabilitation departments. By issuing humane punishments, courts will not only help in decongesting prisons but also save time and resources spent in charging and convicting the same persons for the same criminal offence repeatedly.This will definitely boost efficiency of both departments. While the move by governments to rehabilitate ex-prisoners into the community is laudable, I think there is need to enhance cooperation between rehabilitation departments and prisoners’ families and communities. This helps reduce stigmatization of prisoners thereby helping them regain their self esteem and quicken their reintegration into the community. The community also benefits from reduced cases of crimes. At the same time, by working closely with ex convicts, community leaders are able to monitor ex convicts movements and detect any criminal tendencies.Such monitoring also protects reformed ex convicts from being accused of criminal behaviors. I also believe that there is need to increase financial assistance accorded to ex-prisoners. As a result of social stigma that faces ex convicts, they face challenges in securing employment, consequently some of them may resort to criminal activities such as robbery to meet their needs. To reduce chances of ex prisoners re-offending, I would strongly advocate for the creation of organizations based on the alcohol anonymous model. This would entail prisoners and ex prisoners coming together to help each other overcome their criminal behaviours.Since they share similar experiences it would be easier for them to open up to each other and get assistance. Such a move will help reduce recidivism and other offences. Finally, I would propose that ex prisoners be made to pay back to the community for crimes committed. This could help deter them from committing crimes and boost reconciliation efforts in the community. References Maburi T, K (2009) Re-Integration of Ex-Prisoners Back Into Society – What More Can We Do? In The New Times 26 October 2009 retrieved from http://allafrica. com/stories/200910270086. html on May 10, 2010

The Not So Perfect Body essays

The Not So Perfect Body essays I wish I looked like that! Does this sound familiar? Millions of images everyday are pressuring teens today to be slimmer, taller, and stronger. No wonder more and more teens have a bad self-image of themselves and are willing to do anything to get the perfect body. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons says that the numbers of teenagers getting cosmetic surgery has more than doubled in the last few years, with the most popular surgeries as rhinoplasty (nose surgery), breast augmentation, liposuction, and otoplasty (ear surgery). Surgery is not the only way teenagers are working for the perfect body; eating disorders are becoming more frequent. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that by college as many as 4.5% to 8% of girls have had bulimia (an eating disorder associated with binging and purging and severe weight loss). Also 1 in every 100 women is diagnosed with anorexia (an eating disorder characterized by low calorie intake and extreme exercise in order to lose weight). The complications of these disorders can cause seizures, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, slower breathing rate, and has been linked to at least 1,000 deaths per year. Though eating disorders are usually associated with females, it is projected that over one million teenage boys also suffer from these disorders. Along with the obsession for a thin, slim, body, having a well-sculpted, muscular body is another aspiration for most teenagers. In 2001 over 400,000 teenage boys reported that they were steroid users even though the drugs are illegal in the U.S. Steroids are used to enhance their muscles and strength but in the end steroids can cause severe mood swings, paranoia, delusions, impaired judgment, heart attack, cancer, liver disease, and has lead to many other complications as well as suicide. With all these risks, then why would anyone gamble their health on such a superficial cause? ...

Ergonomics in Clerical Environments

Ergonomics in Clerical Environments 2800 words no commentsERGONOMICS IN OFFICE AND CLERICAL ENVIRONMENTSADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT 200GROUP PROJECT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTErgonomics is becoming one of the most important aspects of administrative management. Since the introduction of computers, offices are becoming more technologically based. Employees are spending greater amounts of time in the office and therefore must be comfortable to remain productive. Workers that feel stressed and do not like their work environments lose morale and spend more time away from the office than usual. Furniture, climate, training procedures, lighting and many more aspects are related to ergonomics in the office and clerical based environments.Keeling and Kallaus (1996;384) says that office furniture and equipment has traditionally been manufactured and used with a view of using efficient office space and cost saving. Although these factors are vital to work within the budget, managers fails to consider the ergonomics need of the employees. Sleeth (1996;10) defines ergonomics as a study of the office environment to allows employees to work productively.Keel-billed ToucanErgonomically designed work environment that takes into consideration both psychological and physical needs increases job satisfaction and prevents injuries (Hess:1996;28).Troyer (1996;20) says that employers have become extremely concerned about potential discomforts associated with extended use of repetitive duty on computers and other office equipment. These discomforts can cause serious bodily injuries and force organisation to lose millions of dollars in loss hours of work, hospital cost and workers' compensation claim. Organisation became aware of the high cost associated with injuries therefore ergonomic furniture and equipment became an important issue in the work place. Ergonomic furniture and equipment is an important issue that management should consider because it decreases the medical cost, insurance cost associated with injuries and also i ncreases worker's efficiency in the workplace (Allie;1996;20).Keeling and Kallaus (1996;384) says that in order to...