Bioplastics

BIOPLASTICS Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, pea starch or microbiota. There are a variety of materials bioplastics that can be composed of, including: starches, cellulose, or other biopolymers. APPLICATIONS OF BIOPLASTICS Biodegradable bioplastics are used for disposable items, such as packaging and catering items (crockery, cutlery, pots, bowls and straws). They are also often used for bags, trays, containers for fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, bottles for soft drinks and dairy products, and blister foils for fruit and vegetables.Nondisposable applications include mobile phone casings, carpet fibres, and car interiors, fuel line and plastic pipe applications, and new electro active bioplastics are being developed that can be used to carry electrical current. In these areas, the goal is not biodegradability, but to create items from sustainable resources. Medical implants made of PLA, which dis solve in the body, save patients a second operation. Compostable mulch films for agriculture, already often produced from starch polymers, do not have to be collected after use and can be left on the fields.TYPES OF BIOPLASTICS Starch-based plastics: Constituting about 50 percent of the bioplastics market, thermoplastic starch, currently represents the most widely used bioplastic. Pure starch possesses the characteristic of being able to absorb humidity, and is thus being used for the production of drug capsules in the pharmaceutical sector. Flexibiliser and plasticiser such as sorbitol and glycerine are added so the starch can also be processed thermo-plastically.By varying the amounts of these additives, the characteristic of the material can be tailored to specific needs. Simple starch plastic can be made at home. Industrially, starch based bioplastics are often blended with biodegradable polyesters. These blends are no longer biodegradables, but display a lower carbon footprint compared to the corresponding petroleum based plastics. Cellulose-based plastics: Cellulose bioplastics are mainly the cellulose esters, (including cellulose acetate and nitrocellulose) and their derivatives, including celluloid.Polylactic acid (PLA) plastics: Polylactic acid (PLA) is a transparent plastic produced from cane sugar or glucose. It not only resembles conventional petrochemical mass plastics (like PE or PP) in its characteristics, but it can also be processed easily, albeit more expensively, on standard equipment that already exists for the production of conventional plastics. PLA and PLA blends generally come in the form of granulates with various properties, and are used in the plastic processing industry for the production of foil, moulds, cups and bottles.Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB): The biopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is polyester produced by certain bacteria processing glucose, corn starch or wastewater. Its characteristics are similar to those of the pet roplastic polypropylene. PHB is distinguished primarily by its physical characteristics. It produces transparent film at a melting point higher than 130 degrees Celsius, and is biodegradable without residue. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA): Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids.They are produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. In industrial production, the polyester is extracted and purified from the bacteria by optimizing the conditions for the fermentation of sugar. More than 150 different monomers can be combined within this family to give materials with extremely different properties. PHA is more ductile and less elastic than other plastics, and it is also biodegradable. These plastics are being widely used in the medical industry. Polyamide 11 (PA 11): PA 11 is a biopolymer derived from natural oil.PA 11 belongs to the technical polymers family and is not biodegradable. The emissions of greenhouse gas es and consumption of nonrenewable resources are reduced during its production. Its thermal resistance is also superior to that of PA 12. It is used in high-performance applications like automotive fuel lines, pneumatic airbrake tubing, electrical cable antitermite sheathing, flexible oil and gas pipes, control fluid umbilicals, sports shoes, electronic device components, and catheters. IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT Sustainability:Sustainability is improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems. The production and use of bioplastics is generally regarded as a more sustainable activity when compared with plastic production from petroleum (petroplastic), because it relies less on fossil fuel as a carbon source and also introduces fewer, net-new greenhouse emissions if it biodegrades. They significantly reduce hazardous waste caused by oil-derived plastics, which remain solid for hundreds of years, and open a new era in packing technolog y and industry. Biodegradable:All (bio- and petroleum-based) plastics are technically biodegradable, meaning they can be degraded by microbes under suitable conditions. However many degrade at such slow rates as to be considered non-biodegradable. Some petrochemical-based plastics are considered biodegradable, and may be used as an additive to improve the performance of many commercial bioplastics. The degree of biodegradation varies with temperature, polymer stability, and available oxygen content. Consequently, most bioplastics will only degrade in the tightly controlled conditions of industrial composting units.In compost piles or simply in the soil/water, most bioplastics will not degrade, starch-based bioplastics will, however. A distinction must be made for the term â€Å"compostable†. While â€Å"biodegradable† simply means that an object will biologically disintegrate, compostable specifically demands that the end product has to be humus. So, while a plastic ma y â€Å"biodegrade in a compost site† this does not mean that it will compost in a compost site. ADVANTAGES Bioplastics can be sustainable, carbon neutral and are always renewable, because they are made from plant materials which can be grown indefinitely.These plant materials come from agricultural nonfood crops. Therefore, the use of biopolymers would create a sustainable industry. In contrast, the feedstocks for polymers derived from petrochemicals will eventually deplete. In addition, biopolymers have the potential to cut carbon emissions and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) quantities in the atmosphere: this is because the CO2 released when they degrade can be reabsorbed by crops grown to replace them: this makes them close to carbon neutral.Some biopolymers are biodegradable: they are broken down into CO2 and water by microorganisms. Some of these biodegradable biopolymers are compostable: they can be put into an industrial composting process and will break down by 90% withi n six months. DISADVANTAGES Bioplastics could have a damaging effect on soil, water usage and quality, and result in higher food prices. Bioplastics are designed to be composted, not recycled. The plant-based material will actually contaminate the recycling process if not separated from conventional plastics such as soda bottles and milk jugs.Home composting may not be an option. Some bioplastics cannot be broken down by the bacteria in our backyards. Polyethylene (PE) made from cane sugar is one example of this. Only bioplastics that are fully biodegradable will break down in a home compost pile, and it could still take up to two years for certain items. The rest require the high heat and humidity of an industrial composting facility. Plants grown for bioplastics have negative impacts of their own.Bioplastics are often produced from genetically modified food crops such as corn, potatoes, and soybeans, a practice that carries a high risk of contaminating our food supply. Also, corn and soybean producers typically apply large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers that pollute our air and water. To compound matters, the growth of the bioplastics and biofuels industries (both of which currently rely on food crops as their raw material) increases the demand for crops, puts pressure on food prices, and increases the impact of agriculture worldwide.

Pig Cruelty Essay

Pig Cruelty Around 1. 3 billion pigs are slaughtered annually for meat worldwide. The majority of these are in East Asia, particularly China, which rears around half of the world’s pigs. They are usually slaughtered after 4-7 months. Pigs intended for pork are usually slaughtered 1-2 months younger than pigs for bacon. I think that the way pigs are being raised and slaughtered is corrupt and barbaric. Mother pigs; spend most of their lives in individual â€Å"gestation† crates that are approximately seven feet long and two feet wide, not large enough for them to turn around in.Just before giving birth they are moved to â€Å"farrowing† crates, which also are not large enough for them to turn around in or build nests for their young. The deprived environment produces neurotic coping behaviours such as repetitive bar biting, sham chewing and obsessively pressing on water bottles. Piglets are taken from their mothers when they are as young as 10 days old and are pac ked into pens until they are separated to be raised for breeding or meat. They are too overcrowded and prone to stress-related behaviours, such as cannibalism and tail biting.On a television episode of TV ones Sunday that I watched, the New Zealand pork industry was dealt a shameful and public relations slap-in-the-face after its former comedian celebrity kingpin, Mike King, ousted their farming practises as ‘brutal’, callous’ and ‘evil’. Mike condemned the â€Å"appalling treatment† of factory farmed pigs. He observed inside a New Zealand piggery and found a dead female pig inside a sow stall, lame or crippled pigs and others that could barely stand. Pigs either extremely depressed or highly distressed, pigs that had scars and injuries and a lack of clean drinking water.Mike says â€Å"they were screaming and frothing at the mouth, I was disgusted and I’m sorry I was ever a part of promoting it†. This is no joke, real life †˜Babes’ see no sun in their limited lives, except for when being loaded onto the truck to be slaughtered; they have no hay to lie on, no mud to roll around in, not like in our childhood books and movies. There is no freedom or joy in their short lives; it is a misery from the day they are born to the day they die. Pigs feel pain just as humans do. Imagine living in your own urine and faeces?No one would want to live like that, so why do we do this to them? Bacon, pork and ham are all very lovely food indeed, but is it needed to treat them like this? If this is the case, I’m not sure I want to continue eating these foods. I understand the fact that free range products are expensive, but if the government made factory farming illegal then there would be more competition, so they will have to compete with prices. If we all made a push towards making factory farming illegal then I believe it would be more cost effective. Just think about how much healthier the meat would be.At the end of the day it’s not just the pig farmers that need to wake up, we all do†¦ If we really wanted to we could put a stop to this cruelty, by only buying free range products; starting protesting; making petitions, but we do not and this where collective guilt comes into it. If New Zealanders or better yet, the world started doing these things we could easily stop the market for factory farmed pigs, and farmers would be forced to change their practice. If your packet does not read ‘free range’, you know the truth. Help stop pig cruelty today. Kendell Gaskell

Personal statement MA publishing Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MA publishing - Personal Statement Example I know that there are so many things I still need to learn about especially those which could be handed down to me by experts in the field. Quality training and education are among the reasons for me why I would like to study at University College London (UCL). I value education given by experts not only in theoretical studies but especially those who worked to gain more knowledge and understanding of the theories taught. I understand that UCL offers high quality services from professors of the aforementioned caliber. In addition, it would be an honor to become a part, a learner of one of the world’s top universities which prides itself of achievers. Cultural diversity is another reason why I choose the school because as I really want to indulge myself in media, I know how important it is for me to meet different people from different cultural backgrounds. This would be another angle of my learning experience which would open my eyes to a wider scope of perception. I believe the atmosphere in the school encourages an opportunity for students to lead and excel in their chosen field of specialization and I look for ward to an engaging and highly profitable experience in the school. I graduated Accounting and Finance at the University of Birmingham in 2011, with second class honour degree. I am currently taking Foundation Diploma for Postgraduate Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies which, in some way propelled me to decide on pursuing MA in Publishing. As mentioned earlier, media is now becoming more and more indispensable and is rather a topmost essential with the development of technology. I am looking forward to landing a job as a marketing manager as my post-graduate study will strengthen my qualifications having graduated Accounting and Finance. If not, I am also inclined to aiming a Public Relations Executive position, which of

DOES THE INTRODUCTION OF TECHNOLOGY IN WORKPLACES NECESSARILY Essay

DOES THE INTRODUCTION OF TECHNOLOGY IN WORKPLACES NECESSARILY TRANSFORM KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL AND GENERATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING - Essay Example However the opposite views also exist. The following paper critically evaluates the adoption of technology in the production system and its effect on labourers. The interaction between man and machine was actually initiated through industrial revolution in England. The industrial revolution multiplied the British production manifold and it may be considered as one of the most primary footsteps of machines into human domain (Form, 1987). This boom in the industrial output made the cities attractive and these began to overflow. This initiated the process of urbanization. The nineteenth century life was however harsh for the workers as the children worked either in the mines, factories or the cotton mills. Cotton became a prime export product for the Britons. Cheap houses were provided to the workers in order to make it easier for them to attend work early and spend most of the time there. Law had to interfere in order to protect the lives of these children and make the streets hygienic. (Form, 1987) At the very beginning of the twentieth century, Henry Ford started the assembly line production system for the first time and the production system suddenly became a comprehensive, constructive and integrated action – â€Å"The first step forward in assembly came when we began taking the work to the men instead of the men to the work. We now have two general principles in all operations–that a man shall never have to take more than one step, if possibly it can be avoided, and that no man need ever stoop over.† (Ford, 2007, p.58). The efficiency of workers increased manifold – â€Å"With one workman doing a complete job he could turn out from thirty-five to forty pieces in a nine-hour day, or about twenty minutes to an assembly.† (Ford, 2007, p.58) However, the adoption of modern day’s technology started at the advent of information technology. The common sentiment or logic behind the adoption of information technology

METFORMIN Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

METFORMIN - Research Paper Example But the widest indication of the drug is for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The drug is given to control the blood glucose levels of patients in the normal range so that the proper bodily functions are retained and the problems of the nervous system; cardiovascular system and the renal system are avoided in the diabetic patients. The drug has an added benefit since it has been proved that the drug does not result in reduction of the blood glucose level below normal and the patient does not experience episodes of hypoglycemia. It also does not lead to increased weight in the patient who takes this drug. This is the reason that it is preferably prescribed to the diabetic patients. The drug works via various mechanisms which include increasing the sensitivity of the cells towards their response to insulin by increasing the uptake of glucose by the cells. It further promotes the intracellular metabolism of the glucose as well. Furthermore, it leads to a reduction in the amount of hepa tic glucose as well as renal glucose that is released into the bloodstream by means of reducing the amount of its production in these organs. In a similar manner, it also reduces the absorption of glucose from the intestines. The main side effects of the drug include gastrointestinal problems. These include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea as well as feeling of uneasiness in the abdomen. It has also been proven that metformin causes a decrease in the absorption of vitamin B12 by the intestine and hence it can lead to reduction in its levels. The gastrointestinal symptoms generally subside. Thus, it has been seen that the drug does not lead to very serious side effects.

NGOs are an effective force in processes of conflict resolution and Essay

NGOs are an effective force in processes of conflict resolution and healing. Discuss using examples - Essay Example The cause of violence in schools is caused by peer influence that is becoming a more compelling influence upon social acceptance and rejection, parental attachment show a stronger statistical relationship with hostility and delinquency (Dodge & Somberg 1987). Human beings have always been influential in finding the most effective ways to resolve conflicts or crime in the society. The advent of the criminal justice system was the consequence of similar efforts and the experiences shows that the formal system of criminal justice, due to many reasons, has not been fully successful in achieving its mandate in most countries. Mounting court arrears, delay in case disposal and consistent rising rate of acquittals has resulted in the loss of public confidence in the system. Furthermore, it was felt that the victims of crime who are to be in the center are usually sidelined in the criminal justice process. Whichever the outcome of the court case, the victim does not get any considerable gain to mitigate his/her victimization and nothing will help to restore and repair the damage caused. In the search for alternative to litigation, it would be a necessity to dwell on those judicial process facets which promote the capability of the system to dispense the expectations that judges and courts render justice objectively and impartially. This paper tends to seek to explain the role played my mediation as a traditional way of resolving conflicts in today’s society that replaces court of law. Moreover, this paper seeks to explain deeply the mystery behind mediation as a tool to resolve disputes over the years. In the end, the goal is to provide a clear and better support for the ongoing and future mediation efforts in peace processes. Discussion Mediation is the process of third party intervention in the case of environmental disputes between two or three parties who are on a disagreement. Its characteristics include voluntary participation and agreement as well as conf idential. United Nations (2008) explains that third parties are organizations or organization called upon or has volunteered to manage or settle issues between conflicting parties. Mediation is known to be a mystery and most of the peace processes are a success story while some are dismal failures, and most are a combination of the two. This process is extremely complex and difficult as one has to help in transition of a society from war to peace taking in to consideration the fact that the parties in conflict use military means to attain their objectives. It gets even worse when it can result in the killing of thousands or more in the process. During mediation, dispute parties may start to realize that they can gain a lot from negotiation than from fighting. This, however, takes time as the mediators needs to also understand their intentions and motives, and why they chose use of arms in settling disputes (Mrcela 2009). The role of mediation/mediator Mediation is usually appropriat e for settling disputes like those brought about by both verbal and behavioral message misinterpretation, communication problems, personal conflicts, harassment and deception (Mrcela 2009). In special cases, mediation can be used to resolve disputes between work groups or trade unions, or management on one end and employees on the other end. An example is in Slovenian organizations where

The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy Essay

The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy - Essay Example Subprime Lending Subprime involves the credit status of the borrowers of subprime loans and does not correspond to the interest rates of such loans. Any type of loans offered to the subprime borrowers which do not satisfy the prime guidelines of a loan are termed as subprime loans. It is a process of lending money to a group of borrowers who are classified as subprime borrowers and they do not qualify for obtaining loans at market interest rates because of the fact that their credit ratings are too low (Duhigg â€Å"Pressured to Take More Risk, Fannie Reached Tipping Point.†). However, the underwriting standards were relaxed by the mortgage lenders because during the phase of strong competition, the availability of the creditworthy borrowers was limited. So the mortgage became risky because they were allowed to less creditworthy borrowers. A crisis situation created in the subprime mortgage market of United States intensified during 2007 and led to global recession (Labaton â €Å"Agency’s ’04 Rule Let Banks Pile up New Debt†). Housing Bubble It has been noticed that from 1997-2006, the housing price in USA has increased by 124 percent. In 2006 the housing prices in USA was very high, which started declining considerably in the year of 2006 and continued in 2007 too. In 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index revealed that the highest drop in the housing prices was seen in 2008 (Schmuecker). This resulted in the subprime crisis due to the obligation created by the Alt-A collateralized debt, Hedge funds, credit, and other mortgages. It heavily affected the new construction, as about 1,283,000 American families sold off their houses, in comparison to 609,000 during 1990-1995. Mortgage finance is one of the most important components in the property debt market. In the year 2008 the US government did offer special loans of about $900 million to rescue the country from housing bubble, but the amount of loss was already far beyond this amou nt (Barker 3). Weak Underwriting Practices The failure of the mortgage underwriting principles was prevalent in USA, as stated by Tichard M. Bowen III, the chief underwriter of Citigroup. He himself stated that among 1600 mortgages by Citi, about 60 percent of the mortgage loans were defective in nature (Morgenson â€Å"Raters Ignored Proof of Unsafe Loans, Panel is told†). This means that the underwriters did not perform their duties based on the policies. Apart from this, the Financial Crisis Enquiry Commission also scrutinized about 900,000 mortgages that were issued from 2006-2007. They found that barely 54 percent of the mortgage loans met the required underwriting standards. Among them about 28 percent mortgage loans even did not met the minimum standards of borrowing (Olin). Collapse and Boom of the Banking System There are various evidences that the risky mortgages were financed by the banking systems. The superfluous pressure from the showed banking system also led t he financial institutions lower their underwriting standards and support the initiation of risky loans. The CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank directly blamed the parallel banking or shadowed banking system for freezing the credit market. During 2007, the securitization market which was supported by the parallel banking system started to collapse and shut down by 2008. In this situation, the private credit market was not available to

Planning My economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning My economics - Essay Example As much as a government may attempt to meet the health demands of its population through the injection of adequate resources, fulfilling them may not be attainable. This becomes harder because most of the services offered through government channels are at no cost hence making it harder to fulfill the fundamental principles embedded. Using this as the basis, the government may allow the involvement of the private sector in meeting these needs with the overall objective being the maintenance of a healthy population that is likely to generate positive externalities. As documented above, the intervention of the government in ensuring that its population remains healthy is vital to policy development and providing the required infrastructural support. On one hand, merit goods tend to influence positive externalities such as having a healthy population that would propel an economy, but it may also influence market failure. The market failure may result from the lack of reliable health ins urance options that may lead to medical debts that may puncture a functional economy. Government intervention may be a possible intervention strategy, but it should have the interest of the population at the center by communicating the benefits and the risks of the strategies that it chooses to implement on its citizens. As a recommendation, the government should use citizens involvement in choosing the appropriate merit goods or services that best suit them rather than applying a uniform approach to health services delivery.

Military Strategies of of the I.R.A. During the Anglo Irish War of Independence, 1919-21 Essay Example for Free

Military Strategies of of the I.R.A. During the Anglo Irish War of Independence, 1919-21 Essay At the outbreak of hostilities it was apparent that the I. R. A. could not hope to win a traditional stand up military fight against a modern, well equipped army with the financial backing of The British Empire. In order to engage the crown forces in a guerrilla war, weapons and ammunition were required in large numbers. General Head Quarters (G. H. Q. ) authorized smuggling operations and had sent volunteers abroad to procure arms. G. H. Q. sold arms to the individual units, many of which were hampered in their operational status due to lack of funding to purchase weapons and ammunition. As the war progressed many Royal Irish Constabulary (R. I. C. ) barracks and the Crowns Tax Offices were attacked and burned. GHQ issued a general raid order in September of 1920. The primary objective the Volunteers attacks on isolated R. I. C. barracks were to obtain arms and ammunition. Many of these barracks were poorly defended and usually consisted of terraced houses. In order to disrupt the governance of rural areas, tax offices were targeted. These targets allowed collection of funds from the local populace that were to be appropriated to the Crown. These tactics were adopted by many units when news of the initial successes of these barracks and tax office attacks filtered out, throughout the country. The volunteers embarked on a campaign of Intimidation of R. I. C men and their families, and members of the general public who supported the crown forces, many of which were shot. This tactic was extremely effective at reducing the morale of the R. I. C. Recruitment dropped and resignations increased in the organization The R. I. C. retreated to larger towns after it was decided to evacuate may rural barracks. This tactic led to large parts of rural Ireland becoming ungovernable. This allowed the Dail to implement their much heralded Courts System, collect taxes and implement civil control. Most units at the start of the war appeared to act independently without central command control. Attacks on Crown Forces were sporadic in nature and were badly planned. Inexperience of many of the men in these units led to many failed operations Many units operations amounted to sabotage by digging trenches in roads, de-railing trains, cutting of communications lines, snipping at barracks and personnel. Even the most poorly equipped and inactive units could engage in many of these tactics. The effectiveness of military actions conducted varied widely accordingly to geographic location. Areas like South Tipperary, East Limerick and Cork were particularly active, while areas such as Wexford, Mayo and Waterford had low turnout and low activity. Cite. Meeting and Drilling after the day’s work was done, amounted to the extent of some volunteers actions for the duration of the war cite The willingness of volunteers to risk their safety was also another factor which hindered operations in many units. Volunteers who possessed weapons especially rifles were usually picked to partake in operations over volunteers who did not. The men who possessed guns gained experience on active operations and were given higher status within units. In many areas this led to a cycle of a select group of men getting more and more experience on active service, while men who had no weapons remained inactive were not gaining any such experience. To alleviate this some units introduced rotational systems were guns and ammunition were stored in a central weapons dump. Access to weapons dumps could only be gotten after permission from the units Quarter Master was given. Activity of units depended largely on the membership and the professionalism of their commanding officers. Traditionally commanding officers were elected and appointed by their members. Electoral decisions appeared to be based on the social standing of the officers, family traditions and whether the men liked them or not. Many units were hampered in their operations as officers would not authorize actions as they feared for their own safety or were incompetent in planning and action. To instil discipline and a sense of military professionalism G. H. Q. sent organizers out to instruct and train these officers and units that they commanded. Training camps were set up to properly instruct officers and volunteers. The military discipline in these camps was strictly enforced and the training was particularly gruelling. When men returned to their units, they were expected to instil similar discipline within the rank and file. Discipline was to be rigorously introduced by commanding officers and military punishment meted out for infractions. Formal reporting structures were introduced and all commanders were expected to submit reports to the central authority of G. H. Q. on a regular basis. These reports were analysed by G. H. Q. and orders were issued to individual units. This strategy led to a more centralized planning and intelligence apparatus. Ultimately G. H. Q. decided to set up divisions with respective commanders, in attempt to coordinate the activities of the volunteers within bordering brigade areas. These attempts at introducing a modern military structure into the different units were mostly successful, although highly active units such as South Tipperary maintained a more independent existence until the end of the war. Initially the volunteers had a very high tolerance to violence and did not want to be involved in operations that led to murder. This tolerance was eroded of the course of the war as reprisals by the crown forces, led to many civilian atrocities throughout the country. As the casualties list rose, public opinion turned against the British Government. This was galvanized by reports that started to appear in newspapers internationally and in London G. H. Q. published the details of many of these reprisals in their publication their political journal t-Oglach. The publications also included details of military tactics and so also functioned as a training manual for the volunteers. After the introduction of The Restoration of Order Act in August 1920 the and the introduction of martial law in the South in 1921, attacks and reprisals against the civilian population increased. The arrival of the much hated quais military/police forces which later became known as the Black and Tans in March 1920 and the Axillaries the following July exasperated the situation and led to increased militancy in the volunteer force and the general population. Support for the volunteers steadily grew and the general population assisted them with funds, safe houses and intelligence. As a result of police crackdowns and further arrests of suspected volunteers, the continued raids on civilian houses, many volunteers went on the run. By mid 1921 there were over 4,000 suspects interned. Many men who were on the run went on to form the celebrated flying columns. These columns consisted of 20 highly armed men, who would attack patrols by laying ambushes on roads, and then melting back into the countryside. Tom Barry was commanding officer of the 3rd (West) Cork Brigade, which was a particularly effective flying column. They were responsible for many successful attacks on military personnel. On 28th of Nov. 1920 they wiped out an Auxiliary regiment in Kilmicheal, Co. Cork killing nearly a whole platoon. In reprisals the Black and Tans burned the City of Cork on 11th of Dec. There were many other tactics used by the I. R. A. during the war, examples include targeting prominent members of the British Establishment and Intelligence for assignation, it is beyond the remit of this short essay to explore these in their entirety. The ultimate goal of these operations and tactics were to disrupt and demoralize the administration of British Rule. After Bloody Sunday the British Intelligence Network was effectively non-existent which the I. R. A. took full advantage of, by actively engaging Crown Forces in the capital while sending out their own armed patrols in select parts of the city. As we can see at the start of the war the Volunteers were a highly disorganized and poorly equipped force. Through the use of guerrilla hit and run tactics, they made the most of their limitations to disrupt and demoralize the crown forces. After G. H. Q. exerted a central command and military structure the volunteers became a more ruthless and successful in active operations. Ultimately the British Establishment appeared to have overestimated the numbers of active members and their access to weapons. If their intelligence apparatus had not been infiltrated and disrupted by the I. R. A. the Crowns military campaign may have been more effective, and they may have continued the war which would have pushed the I. R. A, to the limits of their abilities and resources. G. H. Q. played a pivotal role in forming public opinion through their domestic publication t-Oglach and releasing accounts of civilian casualties and atrocities to foreign correspondents, effectively winning the propaganda war. It is doubtful whether the isolated regional active units would have been as effective without the co-ordination and leadership of G. H. Q. The organization of operations and centralization of command by G. H. Q. , may have been the deciding factor in the War, although many units remained in a state of disarray and were badly equipped for the duration of the war. As a measure of the success and effectiveness of operations conducted, I. R. A. guerrilla tactics became a blue print for many revolutionary forces around the World.

Military Essay Example for Free

Military Essay With over 12 years of civilian government, can anyone point to any tangible or credible development in our nation apart from the over inflated GSM services which was done by the Obasanjo government and only one or two state governors performing above par. The rest are just useless, this has been the case with every democratic dispensation right from the first republic. The first republic was slightly better, save some regions. The second, third and the current crops are blatant real thieves in agbada and babariga. Shame on the lot of them. I prefer the military as least we know where we stand and how far we can misbehave. Most infrastructural developments in the country where done under the military regime e.g. the famous lagos-ibadan expressway Gowon, the plan was to make that expressway all the way to ilorin. lagos international airport (known now as MMIA) Gowon building of oil refineries Gowon 3rd Mainland bridge Babangida effective law order Buhari dealing with foreign companies (e.g British Airways) Abacha plain level exchange rate Abacha festac nigeria Obasanjo -operation feed the nation Obasanjo The list is endless, but our civilian governments have been just too merciless, taking jumbo pays and doing absolutely nothing. Someone can help us check, how many bills were passed last year, instead they are always eager or will fight if their allowances are being debated Unfortunately and this is sad, we in Nigeria are not yet ripe or intellectually developed to operate a democratic government What is needed is a real tough no nonsense military ruler, who specialises in kicking back sides

Importance of biofuels

Importance of biofuels Abstract World demand for energy has been projected to double by 2050 and be more than triple by the end of the century. Since industrial revolution in the 1850s, the human consumption of fossil fuels has been one of the growing causes of international concern and unease among some industrial nations. The reasons for which can be attributed to the rapidly depleting reserves of fossil fuels. Over the past few decades, with the successes achieved in genetic engineering technology, advances made in the field of biofuels offer the only immediate solution to fossil fuels. Presently, most of the ethanol in use is produced either from starch or sugar, but these sources have not proven to be sufficient to meet the growing global fuel requirements. However, conversion of abundant and renewable cellulosic biomass into alternative sources of energy seems to be an effective and promising solution. But for this technology to become viable there is a need to develop cheap and sustainable sources of cellulases along with eliminating the need for pretreatment processes. The review thus aims to provide a brief overview about the need and importance of biofuels particularly bioethanol with respect to the growing environmental concerns along with an urgent need to address the existing problems about cost-optimisation and large scale production of biofuels. 1.0 Introduction Biofuels are liquid fuels derived from plants. Currently, first generation biofuels are extensively being produced and used. These are generated using starch, sugar, vegetable oils and animal fats using fairly expensive conventional technology. In recent years, the fact that production of ethanol from cellulosic and lignocellulosic material is being hindered due to inadequate technology to enable efficient and economically viable methods to break down the multipolymeric raw material has gained wide popularity (Verma et al, 2010). Therefore, there is a need to develop efficient systems for the production of cellulases and other cellulose degrading enzymes. Lignocellulosic biofuels are thus likely to be seen as a part of the portfolio of solutions being offered to reduce high energy prices, including more efficient energy use along with the use of other alternative fuels (Coyle, 2007). 1.1 Importance of biofuels: Factors like the finite petroleum reserves and constantly rising demands for energy by the industrialised as well as the highly populated countries (on their Way to industrialisation) like India and china have made it absolutely necessary to look into alternate and efficient methods to replace these fuels in future (Stephanopoulos, 2008). Also, concerns like steep rise in fossil fuel prices in the recent years, increasing concerns about climate change like global warming, insecurity and unrest among governments due to their depleting natural reserves are just a few factors that define an urgent need for a sustainable path towards renewable fuel technology development (Stephanopoulos, 2008). Among the various types of alternative fuels considered (liquid fuels from coal and/or biomass with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS)), biofuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass offer the most clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels essentially because of their cost compet itiveness as opposed to the current expensive methods of ethanol production from sugarcane and corn (Stephanopoulos, 2008) (Shen and Gnanakaran, 2009). The global production and use of biofuels has increased tremendously in recent years, from 18.2 billion litres in 2000 to about 60.6 billion litres in 2007. It has been estimated that about 85% of this amount is bioethanol (Coyle, 2007). This increase is primarily a result of the reasons stated above along with rising concerns about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions due to excessive fossil fuels usage since biofuels are carbon-neutral and reduce green house emissions (Sainz, 2009). Also, one of the factors contributing to the viability of biofuels as an alternative transportation fuel is their ease of compatibility with our existing liquid fuel infrastructure (Sainz, 2009). An important step in the production of biofuels is the breakdown of cellulose fibres by the enzymes capable of degrading it. But the production of these enzymes is still an expensive task due to their production in large microorganism bioreactors. One method for the inexpensive production of these enzymes is the use of transgenic plants as heterologous protein production systems (Danna, 2001; Kusnadi et al., 1997; Twyman et al., 2003). Plant based enzyme production offers advantages over the traditional bacterial and fungal cultures by being commercially viable and particularly attractive since in plants, the desired protein can be made to accumulate at high levels i.e. at even greater levels than 10% of total soluble protein (Gray et al, 2008). Another major economic advantage of plant-based protein production over one that is microorganism-based is in the scale-up of protein expression. Whereas scale-up of microbial systems implies large purchase and maintenance costs for large fermentors and related equipment, scale-up of plant-based protein product would only require planting of more seeds and harvesting of a larger area (Gray et al, 2008). Cellulase expressing transgenic plants may thus offer significant capital cost savings over more traditional cellulase production via cellulolytic fungi or bacteria (Gray et al, 2008). Ethanolis an alcohol fuel currently made from the sugars found in grains, such as corn, sorghum, and wheat, as well as potato skins, rice, sugar cane, sugar beets, molasses and yard clippings. Currently, there are two methods employed for the production of bioethanol. In the first process, sugar crops or starch are grown and fermented to produce ethanol. The second process, naturally oil producing plants like Jatropha and algae are utilised to produce oils which can directly be utilised as fuel for diesel engines after heating them to reduce their viscosity. However, currently, it is majorly being produced from starch (Corn in US) and sugar (Sugarcane in Brazil) sources. According to the latest statistics (in 2008), USA and Brazil (fig. 1) were the major producers of fuel ethanol by producing 51.9% and 37.3% of global bioethanol respectively (http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics/#E). Brazil especially produces ethanol to a large extent from fermentation of sugarcane sugar to cater to one-fourth of its ground transportation needs (Sticklen, 2008).Similarly, to meet part of its own needs; United States produces ethanol from corn. Unfortunately, inspite of being breakthrough developments, the production of ethanol by this method is not cost-effective and barely manages to meet less than about 15 % of the countrys demands (Sticklen, 2008). Their use as energy crops is thus posing to be inappropriate since these are primary food sources, and are unstable from the viewpoints of long-term supply and cost (Sainz, 2009). The restrictions on available land and the rising price pressures would soon limit the production of grain and corn based ethanol to less than 8% in the US transport fuel mix (Tyner, 2008). Similarly, in spite of a predicted increase to 79.5 billion litres by 2022 in ethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil, this technology would eventually be limited by the same agro-economic factors affecting the grain and the corn based ethanol production (Sainz, 2009). For e.g. the use of corn for production of ethanol has led to an increase in the prices of livestock and poultry since it is the main starch component of the animal feed. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new and sustainable technologies for a significant contribution of biofuels towards the progress of renewable sources of energy and the reduction of greenhouse gases (Sainz, 2009). Thus, the benefits of a high efficiency of carbohydrate recovery compared to other technologies and the possibilities of technology improvement due to breakthrough processes in biotechnology, offer cost-competitive solutions for bioethanol production, thus making the second generation or lignocellulosic sources the most attractive option the large scale production of biofuels (Wyman et al, 2005). 3.0 Potential of cellulosic bioethanol Cellulosic ethanolis abiofuelproduced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants. It is a type ofbiofuelproduced frombreaking down of lignocellulose, a tough structural material that comprises much of the mass of plants and provides them rigidity and structural stability (Coyle, 2007). Lignocellulose is composed mainly ofcellulose,hemicelluloseandlignin (Carroll and Sommerville, 2009). Another factor that makes the production of cellulosic bioethanol a promising step in future is that unlike corn and sugarcane, its production is not dependent on any feedcrop since cellulose is the worlds most widely available biological material that can be obtained from widely available low-value materials like wood waste, widely growing grasses and crop wastes and manures (Coyle, 2007). But production of ethanol from lignocellulose requires a greater amount of processing to make the sugar monomers available to the microorganisms that are typically used to produce ethanol by fermentation. Bioethanol is one fuel that is expected to be in great global demand in the coming years since its only main requirement is the abundant supply of biomass either directly from plants or from plant derived materials including animal manures. It is also a clean fuel as it produces fewer air-borne pollutants than petroleum, has a low toxicity and is readily biodegradable. Furthermore, the use of cellulosic biomass allows bioethanol production in countries with climates that are unsuitable for crops such as sugarcane or corn. For example, the use of rice straw for the production of ethanol is an attractive goal given that it comprises 50% of the words agronomic biomass (Sticklen, 2008). Though cellulosic ethanol is a promising fuel from an environmental point of view, its industrial production and commercialisation has not been progressing successfully. This can mainly be attributed to the high cost of production of cellulose degrading enzymes -Cellulases (Lynd et.al, 1996). Yet another very important factor is the pretreatment of lignocellulosic content in the biomass to allow cellulases and hemicellulases to penetrate and break the cellulose in the cell wall. These two steps together incur very high costs and are a hindrance in efficient production of cellulosic bioethanol. Thus plant genetic engineering is the best alternative to bioreactors for an inexpensive production of these enzymes (cellulases and hemicellulases). It can also be used to modify the lignin content/amount to reduce the need for expensive pretreatment (Sticklen, 2008). 4.0 The abundance and structure of cellulose Photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae and some bacteria produce more than 100 million tonnes of organic matter each year from the fixation of carbon dioxide. Half of this biomass is made up of the biopolymer cellulose which, as a result, is perhaps the most abundant It is the most common organic compound on Earth. Cellulose comprises about 33 percent of all plant matter, 90 percent of cotton is composed of cellulose and so is around 50 percent of wood (Britannica encyclopaedia, 2008). Higher plant tissues such as trees, cotton, flax, sugar beet residues, ramie, cereal straw, etc represent the main sources of cellulose. This carbohydrate macromolecule is the principal structural element of the cell wall of the majority of plants. Cellulose is also a major component of wood as well as cotton and other textile fibres such as linen, hemp and jute. Cellulose and its derivatives are one of the principal materials of use for industrial exploitation (paper, nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) etc.) and they represent a considerable economic investment (Pà ©rez and Mackie, 2001). Cellulose and lignin are the majorcombustiblecomponents of non-foodenergy crops. Some of the examples of non-feed industrial crops are tobacco, miscanthus, industrial hemp, Populus(poplar) species and Salix(willow). Celluloseserves as one of the major resistance to external chemical, mechanical, or biological perturbations in plants. This resistance ofcelluloseto depolymerization is offered by its occurrence as highly crystalline polymer fibers (Shen and Gnanakaran, 2009).it occur in plants in two crystalline forms, I-aand I-ß(Nishiyama et al, 2002) (Nishiyama et al, 2003). The crystal structures of both these forms suggest that hydrogen (H) bonding plays a key role in determining the properties ofcellulose (Shen and Gnanakaran, 2009).Thechemical formula of cellulose is(C6H10O5) n. It is apolysaccharideconsisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand ß (1?4) linkedD-glucoseunit (Crawford, 1981) (Updegraff, 1969). This tough crystalline structure of cellulose molecules is proving to be a critical roadblock in the production of cellulosic bioethanol as it is difficult to breakdown the microfibrils of crystalline cellulose to glucose (Shen and Gnanakaran, 2009). 4.1 Primary structure of cellulose The main form of cellulose found in higher plants is I-ß. The primary structure of cellulose as shown in figure 2, is a linear homopolymer of glucose residues having theDconfiguration and connected byß-(1-4) glycosidic linkages (Sun et al, 2009). Essentially, the occurrence of intrachain and interchain hydrogen bonds (fig. 3) in cellulose structures has been known to provide thermostability to its crystal complex (Nishiyama, 2002). Intrachain hydrogen bonds are known to raise the strength and stiffness of each polymer while the interchain bonds along with weak Wander-Waals forces hold the two sheets together to provide a 2-D structure. This arrangement makes the intrachain bonding stronger than that holding the two sheets together (Nishiyama, 2002). The chain length and the degree of polymerisation of glucose units determine many properties of the cellulose molecule like its rigidity and insolubility compared to starch (Shigeru et al, 2006). Cellulose from different sources also varies in chain lengths, for e.g. cellulose from wood pulp has lengths between 300 and 1700 units while that from fibre plants and bacterial sources have chain lengths varying from 800 to 10,000 units (Klemm et al, 2005). Cellulose, a glucose polymer is the most abundant component in the cell wall. These cellulose molecules consist of long chains of sugar molecules. The process of breaking down these long chains to free the sugar is called hydrolysis. This is then followed by fermentation to produce bioethanol. Various enzymes are involved in the complex process of breaking down glycosidic linkages in cellulose (Verma et al, 2010). These are together known as glycoside hydrolases and include endo- acting cellulases and exo-acting cellulases or cellobiohydrolase along with ß-glucosidase (Ziegelhoffer, 2001) (Ziegler, 2000). In the cellulose hydrolysis process, endoglucanase first randomly cleaves different regions of crystalline cellulose producing chain ends. Exoglucanase then attaches to the chain ends and cleaves off the cellobiose units. The exoglucanase also acts on regions of amorphous cellulose with exposed chain ends without the need for prior endoglucanase activity. Finally ß-glucosidase breaks the bonds between the two glucose sugars of cellobiose to produce monomers of glucose (Warren, 1996). Presently, two methods are widely used for cellulose degradation on an industrial scale: Chemical hydrolysis: This is a traditional method in which, cellulose is broken down by the action of an acid, dilute and concentrated both acids can be used by varying the temperature and the pH accordingly. The product produced from this hydrolysis is then neutralised and fermented to produce ethanol. These methods are not very attractive due to the generation of toxic fermentation inhibitors. Enzymatic hydrolysis: Due to the production of harmful by-products by chemical hydrolysis, the enzymatic method to breakdown cellulose into glucose monomers is largely preferred. This allows breaking down lignocellulosic material at relatively milder conditions (50?C and pH5), which leads to effective cellulose breakdown. 6.0 Steps involved in cellulosic ethanol (bioethanol) production process The first step in the production of bioethanol, involves harvesting lignocellulose from the feedstock crops, compaction and finally its transportation to a factory for ethanol production where it is stored in a ready form for conversion. The second step is the removal of lignin present in the feedstock biomass by using heat or chemical pre-treatment methods. This step facilitates the breakdown of cell wall into intermediates and removes lignin so as to allow cellulose to be exposed to cellulases, which then break down cellulose into sugar residues. Currently, cellulases are being produced as a combination of bacterial and fungal enzymes for such commercial purposes (Sticklen, 2008). This is then followed by steps like detoxification, neutralisation and separation into solid and liquid components (Sticklen, 2008). The hydrolysis of these components then takes place by the enzymes like cellulases and hemicellulases that are produced from micro-organisms in the bioreactors (Sticklen, 2008).and finally; ethanol is produced by sugar fermentation. The figure below (fig. 4) depicts the main steps in the production of bioethanol:   7.0 Major cell wall components and the key enzymes involved in their breakdown 6.1 Cellulose and cellulases: About 180 billion tonnes of cellulose is produced per year by plants globally (Festucci et al, 2007). In the primary and secondary cell walls, about 15-30% and 40% dry mass respectively is made up of cellulose (Sticklen, 2008). Till date, it is the only polysaccharide being used for commercial production of cellulosic ethanol because of the commercial availability of its deconstructing enzymes (Sticklen, 2008). As described above, three types of cellulases are involved in the breakdown of cellulose into sugars namely, endoglucanases, exoglucanasees and ßglucosidase (Ziegler, 2000). 6.2 Hemicellulose and Xylanases: xyloglucans and hemicelluloses surround the cellulose microfibrils. So in order to break cellulose units, specific enzymes are first required to first remove the hemicellulose polysaccharide. Hemicelluloses are diverse and amorphous and its main constituent is ß-1, 4-xylan. Thus, xylanases re the most bundant type of hemicellulases required to cleave the endo-and exo-activity (Warren, 1996). These are mainly obtained from the fungi Trichoderma reesei, along with a large number of bacteria, yeast and other fungi which have been reported to produce1.4 ß-D xylanases. 6.3 Lignin and Laccasses: The major constituent of plants secondary cell wall is lignin. It accounts for nearly 10-25% of total plant dry matter (Sticklen, 2008). Unlike cellulose and hemicelluloses, the lignin polymer is not particularly linear and instead comprises of a complex of phenylpropanoid units which are linked in a 3-D network to cellulose and xylose with ester, phenyl and covalent bonds (Carpita, 2002).   White rot fungi (esp. Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes versicolour) are thought degrade lignin more efficiently and rapidly than any other studied microorganisms (DSouza, 1999). P. Chrysosporium produces laccases like ligninases or lignin peroxidase, which initiate the process of degradation of lignin and manganese dependent peroxidises (Cullen, 1992). 8.0 Production of cellulases and hemicellulases in tobacco chloroplasts Protein engineering methodologies provide the best answer to concerns regarding production of improved cellulases with reduced allosteric hindrance, improved tolerance to high temperatures and specific pH optima along with higher specific activity (Sainz, 2009). The table below (table 1) lists different type of cellulases and hemicellulases that have been expressed in plant chloroplasts: Chloroplasts are green coloured plastids that have their own genome and are found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms like algae. The targeted expression of foreign genes in plant organelles can be used to introduce desired characteristics in a contained and economically sustainable manner (fig. 5). It also allows us to combine various other advantages like easy and efficient scalability along with being entirely free of animal pathogens. Unlike most other methods of plant genetic engineering, the major advantage with chloroplast transformation is their characteristic of transgene containment i.e. transgenes in these plastids are not spread through pollen (Verma and Daniell, 2007). This implies that chloroplast genetic transformation is fairly a safe one and does not pose the risk of producing herbicide resistant weeds (Ho and Cummins, 2005). Chloroplast transformation involves homologous recombination. Thisnot only minimises the insertion of unnecessary DNA that accompaniestransformation of the nuclear genome, but also allows precisetargeting of inserted genes, thereby also avoiding theuncontrollable, unpredictable rearrangements and deletions oftransgene DNA as well as host genome DNA at the site of insertionthat characterises nuclear transformation (Nixon, 2001). Another advantage of chloroplast transformation is that foreign genes can be over-expressed due to the high gene copy number, up to 100,000 compared with single-copy nuclear genes (Maliga, 2003). While nuclear transformants typically produce foreign protein up to 1%TSP in transformed leaf tissue, with some exceptional transformants producing protein at 5-10%TSP, chloroplast transformants often accumulate foreign protein at 5-10%TSP in transformed leaves, with exceptional transformants reaching as high as >40%TSP (Maliga, 2003). Research is needed to determine the stability of the biological activity of extracted plant-produced hydrolysis enzymes in TSP when stored under freeze conditions for different periods of time before their use in hydrolysis (Sticklen, 2008). Two other important and related areas for further research are increasing the levels of production and the biological activity of the heterologous enzymes (Sticklen, 2008).Many cell wall deconstructing enzymes have been isolated and characterised and more need to be investigated for finding more enzymes that can resist higher conversion temperatures and a range of pHs during pretreatment. Serious efforts to produce cellulosic ethanol on an industrial scale are already underway. Other than the Canadian Iorgen plant, no commercial cellulosic ethanol plant is yet in operation or under construction (Sticklen, 2008). However, research in this area is underway and funding is becoming available around the world for this purpose, from both governmental and commercial sources. For example, British Petroleum have donated half a billion dollars to US institutions to develop new sources of energy primarily biofuel crops (Sticklen, 2008). 10.0 Conclusion The fact that corn ethanol produces more green house gas emissions than gasoline and that cellulosic ethanol from non-food crops produces less green house gas emissions than electricity or hydrogen, is one of the factors that highly favour production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass (Verma, 2010). However, biofuel production from lignocellulosic materials is a challenging problem because of the multifaceted nature of raw materials and lack of technology to efficiently and economically release fermentable sugars from the complex multi-polymeric raw materials (Verma, 2010). After decades of research aimed at reducing the costs of microbial cellulases, their production is still expensive (Sticklen and Oraby, 2005). One way of decreasing such costs is to produce these enzymes within crop biomass. Although some important advances have been made to lay the foundations for plant genetic engineering for biofuel production, this science is still in its infancy (Sticklen, 2008). A general challenge is to develop efficient systems for the genetic transformation of plant systems for the production of cellulose degrading enzymes. Research is particularly needed to focus on the targeting of these enzymes to multiple subcellular locations in order to increase levels of enzyme production and produce enzymes with higher biological activities (Sticklen, 2008). A huge potential exists to produce larger amounts of these enzymes in chloroplasts, and exciting progress has been made in terms of the crops for which the chloroplast can now be genetically engineered. More effo rts are however needed towards the development of systems to genetically engineer chloroplasts of biomass crops such as cereals and perennial grasses (Blaschke, 2006). Some of the key aims of the project would be: To characterise cell wall degrading enzymes Overexpression of cellulose cDNA in pET30 vector systems Induction and characterisation of proteins in different conditions The use of tobacco plant as means of producing cellulases through chloroplast genetic engineering to simultaneously addresses the most important question of shifting the agricultural land from feed crops to biofuel crops (like corn and sugarcane at present) along with the cost-effective large scale production of cellulose degrading enzymes.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Essay -- Auto Biography

Douglass wrote his narrative to persuade his readers of the evils of slavery. Using carefully chosen examples from the book explain how Douglass developed his story so that it was an effective attack on slavery. In other words, make clear how each example specifically contributes to his argument against slavery. Do not just list examples of the horrors of slavery; explain how Douglass uses them in his argument. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born in Tuckahoe, Talbot County, Maryland, in February, 1817. His mother's name was Harriet, his father was unknown, but thought to be Aaron Anthony, his master. Fredrick Bailey later became Fredrick Douglass upon his freedom. Douglass’s auto biography not only tells his life story, but persuaded readers of the time toward abolition. Douglass poses many arguments against slavery, and appeals to his reader’s emotions and conscience. Douglass first and most importantly uses truth of his experience to persuade his readers. No second telling of white man’s sympathetic witness can compare to depth of the words of a slave himself. His skill as a writer has great influence in shining a light on his truth. The truth is his thread, and his skill weaves his life’s story into a beautiful flag for freedom. With his talent, he uses several arguments against slavery such as; emotionally wrenching trauma, ,immoral degradation, power poisoning of the spirit of the slave owners ,religious hypocrisy, waste of human potential, and dispels the myth that an economy cannot prosper without slavery. His mere intellectual prowess was in and of itself an argument against slavery, as it was believed in his era that blacks were not capable of complex intellectual thought. Blacks were often not seen as hum... ...hould be free, but withheld from connection from the very people that could support him, broke my heart, as I suspect it had the same effect on the readers at the time. Douglass eventually is helped, and is able to ease his fears slightly. In this chapter he also marvels at the wealth. He has suspected that New Bedford would be a poor country. To his surprise he found great abundance, and evidence of wealth that even succeeded the wealth of Maryland. By pointing out the economical abundance of the non-slave holding state, he was making the argument that slavery was not needed to have a profitable country. All of these arguments were valid, and he subtly wove them into his strong narrative. His eloquence of speech and triumph of spirit were alone an argument against slavery. I am thankful to have read such a remarkable book. The power of his words is timeless.

Culture and a Mans Dying Wish :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A man dies. His community's culture deems that he be buried in holy ground lest the community suffer some catastrophe. He, having always been at odds with his community on this point, has left a provision in his will that he be cremated and his ashes scattered into the ocean. The body waits in the hospital while the community debates the issue. What is to be done?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elders have asked for a moral opinion. What is one to say? If the belief that the man must be buried is one deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of the community, then a decision to cremate him would cause an uproar. On the other hand, if there are some who sympathize with the man, either decision might cause a schism within the community. The ultimate action would have to depend on much more than the culture's belief about burial. It would have to take into account the culture's beliefs on individual rights, freedom of belief, and the validity of the man's will. It would also have to take into account the moral implications of carrying out a man's dying wish and the repercussions of violating a sacred social institution. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, but by stepping back and weighing the options carefully, one can come to a conclusion which would be the most moral given the situation. I say most moral because there really is no right choice here. Any action taken will most definitely be wrong to at least one group of people. Here no plea can be made to universal morality because neither belief in its specific sense appeals to any pure moral intuition. People on the other side of the world might have neither the belief that the man should be buried, nor the belief that his ashes should be spread. Each person's choice would be too influenced by his own cultural morality, and so nobody would really have a right to judge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Were I to be asked for an opinion on this matter, I feel I would have no authority in my response. It is really the community's choice, and I would be afraid to make a decision which affects people completely strange to me. I doubt they would ask me in the first place, but were I to be asked my opinion I would say that the man should be buried in the special burial ground.

“Changes” by Tupac Shakur Essay

The song that I chose to analyze is â€Å"Changes† by Tupac Shakur. The late Tupac Shakur was an African American rapper who was shot dead years ago. His powerful lyrics have impacted the rap industry to this day, because he spoke the truth. His lyrics directly related to his everyday struggles, and how being a successful African American is not an easy task to achieve. Rap usually talks about events of everyday life, and the song â€Å"Changes† talks about racial profiling, poverty, and how racism affects the everyday life of African American people. Note that this song came out in about 1996 where things were different, however the lyrics of this song still ring in the ears of people who are affected by the evil of racism. The song starts off with the line â€Å"I see no changes†. The changes I believe he is referring are the changes that supposedly occurred after the Civil Rights Movement. My interpretation of what Tupac says is that, even though African American people are supposed to have more freedoms since the movement, he doesn’t see many changes at all. In the first stanza Tupac talks about how the police do not really care about the black man, and that no one is going to help them but themselves. They need to start looking out for each other instead of killing each other. He talks about how no one cares that drugs and guns are being brought into the lives of African Americans everyday, and that when they die its just â€Å"one less hungry mouth on the welfare†. The second stanza starts off with â€Å"I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.† This conveys the same thing I stated earlier. There are not many changes that have been made, and people are still just as racist as they were. He also talks about how the majority of the people in jail are blacks, but that is because they keep doing the things that are putting them there. They have no other way to get money, so they resort to selling drugs. He realizes that this is the reason African Americans are not succeeding but there is nothing else they can do. At the end of the stanza he states this clearly when he says â€Å"Well hey, well that’s the way it is.† In the final stanza, Tupac finally tries to convey that changes really do need to be made. He says â€Å"It’s time for us a people to start makin’ some  changes. Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is trying to tell the people of the African American community that there is hope. The way that his people have been trying to survive has not been working, so he say’s â€Å"You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to dowhat we gotta do, to survive.† He then talks about how he wants peace in the streets. He then calls for a war on poverty, instead of on drugs. He lets the people know that if they do see a successful black man, they will be jealous, but if they get that money the right way the cops will not be able to do anything about it. He ends the song by saying, as long as he is black he is going to stay strapped, which means that no matter what he does he is going to have to prot ect himself in someway, because someone is always going to be out to get him because of the color of his skin.

Case Study Dove Evolution of a Brand

Q1: What was Dove’s market positioning in the 1950s? What is its positioning in 2007? Dove back in the 1950’s had one product that was the â€Å"beauty bar†, it was positioned upon its function as a superior product that doesn’t dry out the skin the way soap did. It was marketed through a mix of marketing communication tools like the TV, print media and bill boards. The advertising message was â€Å"Dove soap doesn’t dry your skin because its one-quarter cleansing cream†. All of these ads were illustrated with photographs that showed cream being poured into a tablet.In addition; the ads were shot with natural looking women rather than models to convey the benefits of the product. Dove in 2007 had a mix of personal care products in addition to the soap, such as deodorants, hair care products, facial cleaners, body lotions and hair styling products. It was positioned as aesthetic need for consumers; it didn’t focus on the functional bene fits but on the need to feel good by representing a point of view about the concept of beauty.It delivered this message through campaigns such as Real Beauty and Self-Esteem that questioned the true meaning of beauty, and the high standard that media set to the concept of beauty. Dove used in its campaigns oversized models and elderly women in order to convey the message† Dove shifted from broadcast media to digital media, such as YouTube videos and written blogs. A short movie called evolution was the proof of success as it was viewed 3 million times during three months (it is viewed 15 388 230 times today! . The wide exposure of the digital controversial campaigns gave dove free media on TV, blogs, social networks. TV shows like Today show and Good Morning America talked about these campaigns and Oprah Winfrey show was inspired by the self-esteem campaign and dedicated an episode to discuss the self-esteem concept with centre attention on the dove campaign. Q2: How did Unile ver organize to do product category management and brand management in Unilever before 2000? What was the corresponding structure after 2000?How was brand meaning controlled before 2000 and how is it controlled at the time of the case? Before 2000, Unilever lacked a unified brand identity and brand managers were allowed to set the direction in each geographic region. There was very no control of the brand across the regions where Unilever products were marketed. For example, Unilever produced ice cream under the wall’s brand in the UK and most parts of Asia, The Algida Brand in Italy, Langnese in Germany, Kibon in Brazil, Ola in the Netherlands, and Ben & Jerry’s and Breyers in the United States.Unilever organized their marketing using a brand management system, offering multiple brands within product categories. Each brand operated independently with its own brand manager who had the responsibilities of a general manager. In February 2000, Unilever initiated a five-ye ar strategic plan called â€Å"Path to Growth† in order to centralize the company’s brand portfolio and to create a unified global identity. Unilever reduced the number of brands from 1,600 to 400 and changed its brand management strategy.Under the new Masterbrands strategy, global brand categories were established for each Masterbrand, which were responsible for creating a global vision and inspiring cooperation from all geographic markets. Under this strategic initiative, the responsibility for a brand was split between two groups: Brand Development that is responsible for advertising, strategy, innovation, and long-term market share; It is global in scope. And Brand Building that is decentralized according to region; accountable for growth, profit, cash flow, and short-term market share.Before 2000, according to the traditional media that has been used and the fixed message of dove as, the brand meaning was tight and centered on a specific concept that dove is a uni que soap that is ? cleansing cream or moisturizing cream. In the time of the case study, and after the exposure of the creative campaigns, the brand meaning is open because of the unique message it delivered which was a point a view, this provoked discussions and debates about the real beauty of women. Q3: Spend a little time searching blogs to get a sense of what people are/were saying about Dove.What does this discussion contribute to the meaning of the brand? I searched many blogs talking about dove, in particular the self-esteem and Real beauty campaigns. I noticed that a lot of bloggers counted on statics that were published by dove about self-esteem and beauty and show an emotional link to the campaign, for example a blogger named Jennifer Beer wrote after addressing some of dove’s facts about self-esteem: â€Å"When I read these statistics, it made me cry. As a mother of a daughter I'd hate to see er become part of these statistics, so I will make sure to tell her eve ry day how beautiful she is† In addition, the blogs illustrated a great engagement of the audience in the campaign, a blogger named Blythe Newsome said in the beginning of a blog that was describing her experience with dove self-esteem campaign: â€Å"When I heard about the Dove Self-Esteem Movement I knew I wanted to get involved†. Another blog I found on wordpress. com, praised Dove for using ordinary women as models in its advertisement to change women’s attitudes about beauty as well as how they perceived themselves.I found a sarcastic funny blog at Bros fail blogs wondering how will dove’s â€Å"real beauty campaign† looks like if it was for men, with this picture attached to the blog! I think all of the blogs that I reviewed reflects the massive success of the campaigns, the amount of exposure that they received over the free digital media is phenomenal weather it’s a positive feedback or a funny picture! Such exposure would help any co mpany gaining a market share and retaining the message of the brand because of its controversy and open end horizons.Those discussions and reviews contribute powerful meaning to the brand in a positive way. Q4: Footnote 1 of the case leads you to a blogger who asks, with reference to the age of YouTube advertising, â€Å"Is marketing now cheap, fast and out of control? † Footnote 2 refers to Dove as having started a conversation â€Å"that they don’t have control of. † In â€Å"When Tush comes to Dove†, Seth Stevenson writes about the â€Å"risky bet that Dove is making. † Do you see risks for the Dove brand? Seth Stevenson’s article, When Tush Comes to Dove suggests that Dove is taking too much risk.The brand’s nontraditional marketing may lead consumers, or potential customers, to believe that Dove products are for unattractive, over-weight women, or those who don’t consider themselves to be beautiful. I don’t think th is might happen, because the message doesn’t send a counter message that beautiful women aren’t beautiful! The message brings up the issue of beauty for specific segment of women. In addition; such campaign would add to the value of the brand because of the contribution in the awareness of the people as part of its social responsibility obligations.Furthermore, dove is the pioneer in the market to launch such campaign, and it might create a new trend for competitors to follow. I believe dove took the first mover advantage out of these campaigns. Let’s assume that it this negative effect that Stevenson’s talked about would occur, according to Exhibit 4 a total of 18% of respondents think that they are beautiful, sexy, attractive, pretty and stunning. If they consider the received message as negative and stopped using dove products; it wouldn’t be a great loss comparing to the 82% that will get a positive message.

Marriage Verses Living Together

I remember when my husband and I were dating and we both decided to move in with each other rather quickly. We both felt in order to really get to know one another; we had to see how compatible we both were. Because of this, in just a short three years, we were married but living together really proved to be a valuable lesson for the future. In today’s society many people are getting married and divorced at record rates which are really affecting people views psychologically when it comes to marriage vs. cohabitation; therefore, I plan on exploring both options to see how both of these options work. A marriage is a legally binding agreement that grants each partner a wider range of rights and responsibilities. Ending this type of relationship requires a legal procedure. Cohabitation is the act of living together without a legally recognized union. This allows individuals to part ways with less difficulty than if they were married. However, both kinds of couples do live together and therefore spend most of their time together. Married people and cohabiting people are in serious relationships, they don’t generally decide to cohabit with someone they are just casually dating. People who are married are extremely committed to one another but neither couple will be unsure of their relationship or in a relationship with someone they don’t know very well. Married or cohabiting couples don’t have to completely pool their resources; both kinds of couples do have a financial stake in the relationship. At the very least, both will pay half of the rent or mortgage on a house or apartment. This means that both people in both kinds of relationships have something tangible to lose should the relationship fail. Married and cohabiting people are in intimate relationships. This essentially always includes some sexual intimacy; if there is no sexual intimacy in a married or cohabiting relationship, then it is not really a marriage or even a romantic relationship. While some people date without living together and not having sex, couples who live together are almost always in sexual relationships, whether they’re married or not. People commonly insist that a piece of paper, referring to the marriage license, is the only difference between marriage and cohabitation, this is far from being true. A marriage license is a document that drastically alters a relationship. One major way that it does this is by preserving the relationship even if one or both partners walk away. Marriages do not simply dissolve because individuals do not like the way that things are going and wish to invest their energy elsewhere. Instead, a couple must go through a divorce and have a court terminate their relationship. When two people cohabit, they live according to an agreement that may be based on a number of factors, such as emotions or financial convenience, but generally there is no legal responsibility binding one to the other. If the moment arises when the situation no longer seems suitable, both parties can instantly sever their ties. In most jurisdictions, there is not a special body of law regulating how cohabitants’ property should be divided or how the least financially fit partner should be cared for after the break up. With married partners, however, these are major considerations. Another major difference between marriage and cohabitation is liberty. When people marry, they take vows, which are legal and usually religiously sanctioned promises. A married person is not free to enter into intimate relations with other people. In addition to the threat of divorce and the financial ramifications that it can have for the guilty party, it is also possible in many states for one spouse to sue another for adultery. When people cohabitate, relinquishing the liberty to intimately fraternize with others is a choice, and if a person act contrarily, it poses no legal threat. Marriage and cohabitation also differ with regards to the decision-making. Spouses belong to one another, and if there is a life or death decision to be made and one person is unable to do so, her partner will be called upon to act on her behalf. When individuals are cohabiting, they do not generally gain the right or responsibility of making decisions for their partners, no matter how long they stay together. While many people choose to live together, others still prefer marriage. Research has shown that couples who marry generally feel more secure and are more committed to making their relationship work. People should never move in together for convenience. It should be a well thought decision that is preceded by plenty of discussion and planning.

The Princess fairytales

â€Å"How have I become who I am today? † This is a question that adults ponder on a daily basis. There is a large amount of resources such as authoritative figures, books and experiences, which can influence your character. There is however, an important force that contributes to a human’s characteristics today- fairytales. Fairytales are fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. What is not known though is what effect a fairytale has on a person today. Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment, reveals a revelation on the enormous value of fairytales. In order to support Bettelheim’s theories the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House have been analyzed. Theories similar to Bettelheim’s by psychologists Sigmund Freud, Renee Hall and Jack Zipes are used to describe the meanings and importance of these fairytales. Characters representation in these fairytales support psychologists' theories such as those in Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment that suggest that fairytales have an influence on children through the principles of reality versus pleasure principle, self discovery and approach to problems. Representation of characters in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid and The Mouse Princess, support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Sigmund Freud's theories that suggest fairytales contribute to progress in a child through recognition of pleasure to the reality of life. Bruno Bettelheim develops the concept of the moral conscience first explored by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud's theories says, † The commands of the moral conscience come from the personal perception and appropriation of values which we discover in the stories or examples of persons we want to be like†. SG1) Freud means to say that our thoughts come from our perceptions of stories or persons that we wish to be like. Bettelheim builds on this theory, and further explains, † Identification with [characters] teaches that there are developments-possibilities of progress from the pleasure principle to the reality principle†. (UE43) Bettelheim means that fairytales can help a c hild realize the difference between pleasure and reality, through the solutions characters find to their problems. For example, in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, the main character Tiana is characterized as a girl who wishes upon an Evening Star. Tiana therefore finds pleasure in believing that her dreams can come true by wishing on the star. Reality is shown to Tiana by her father though, when he says, † †¦ that old star can only take you part of the way, you've got to help it along with some hard work of your own. † (P&F8) From this fairytale, a child can learn that success takes work and dedication, and that one must not believe in success coming instantly. Another fairytale where the reality versus pleasure principle can be shown is The Little Mermaid. Like Tiana, the little mermaid is a character who seeks pleasure in dreams of transforming from mermaid to human. The mermaid's reality though, shows in the excerpt that says, † A two-edged sword seemed to thrust itself through her delicate body; she fainted, and lay as though dead. † (LM61) Children can learn that in reality, a sacrifice, big or small, sometimes has to be made in order to achieve your goals in life. In the story The Mouse Princess, pleasure is shown by the Prince's brothers when they choose beauty in order to find success. Reality is shown to the brothers though, when the authors says,† Indeed, there was little to choose between them for looks and arrogance. (MP206/207) The Prince's brothers find that their wives were not adequate enough. A child gets the message from this fairytale that there are consequences when one does not search for quality in order to gain their desires in life. CONCLUSION The character's representation in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Seventh Father of the House, and The Little Mermaid, support the theories of psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph which suggest that fairytales contribute to a child's progression through the process of self- discovery. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states, â€Å"Children are searching for the solutions†¦ â€Å"Who am I? How ought I to deal with life's problems? â€Å"†¦ the fairytale has a consistent structure with a definite beginning and a plot that moves toward a satisfying solution which is reached at the end. † (UE47/57) Bettelheim explains that fairytales provide answers to important questions that children begin to question when their lives begin. The answers that they obtain help to shape the child's process of thought, leading him to discover his capabilities. The structure provided in the fairytale in turn gives the child a guideline to follow. A child identifies with the structures and characters, which both help the child understand why the child feels and thinks the way he or she does. Psychologist Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph, in her article entitled, Fairytales as Guide to Self Understanding, she says, â€Å"Due largely due to the work of Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, Joseph Campbell and others fairy tales along with myths have become a satisfying and surprising way to get a larger view of oneself†¦ Becoming one's authentic self or Individuation is always the endgame of the fairy tale’s journey. † (MR1) Randolph simply states that through reading and understanding fairytales, one can find themselves by the end of the story. The process of self discovery is shown in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana is faced with the problem of being magically turned into a frog. Tiana finds herself when the story states, â€Å"There was something special about her. She knew that my daddy taught me well. He always knew what was important. â€Å"(PF54) Throughout the story, Tiana finds that her strength is staying focused to the task that she had originally planned to succeed at, which was having her own restaurant. From this experience, a child learns that there may be extraordinary problems that one may encounter, but at the end of the trial, one will always learn something about himself. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, the traveller discovers that he has the drive to follow through with his plans to find a place to stay. The traveller must ask seven men in order to find a place to stay. By the end of the process, the traveller finally asks,† Good Evening Father! Will you put me up for the night? † (7F14) By the end stage of this fairytale, the traveller has learnt that he indeed has the drive to follow through on plans, even though he had to go through many men in order to get to where he has ended. From this ordeal, a child learns that in order to find yourself, or what you are good at, you must never give up. The process of self discovery can finally be seen in the fairytale The Little Mermaid. The mermaid almost lost her life in an attempt to figure out what she truly wanted in her life. In a turn of events, the fairytale states, â€Å"The knife quivered in her hand-then she flung it far out in the waves; she looked at the prince, she threw herself from the ship into the sea, where she felt her body dissolving into foam. † (LM68) The mermaid thought she knew what she wanted, then realized that the suffering she had gone through was not worth her dream. A child can learn that one has to go through ordeals, big or small, and some may even suffer in the hopes of finally becoming the person he would like to be. CONCLUSION A character's representation in the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Jack Zipes theories that suggest fairytales contribute to the development of a child through the concept of the correct approach to problem solving. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states that, † †¦ too many parents want their children's mind to function as their own do.. f he becomes more able to understand others, and eventually can relate to them in ways which are mutually satisfying and meaningful. â€Å"(UE1) This means that fairytales can help a child's mind function in a manner that is understanding to them and give the child proper problem solving skills that would be essential to them for the future. Jack Zipes analysis o f problem solving through fairytales can be found in his work entitled, Why Fairytales Stick, Zipes says, † fairy tales were designed to communicate ideas about natural instinct, social relations, normative behaviour, character types†¦ (JZ99). Zipes suggests that a fairytale was meant to serve the function of helping to solve problems, therefore shadowing the beliefs of Bettelheim. In the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana turns into a frog, the reader is introduced to an unrealistic situation, but still a process where problem solving tactics are involved. Tiana was able to solve her problems by asking questions and making sure she received answers that would help her solve the dilemma. A child can learn the important skill of problem solving from Tiana by following in her footsteps and asking for help from the right person in order to solve a problem. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, problems arise between the Prince and his brothers. The story says, â€Å"But the Countess and the Duke's daughter glared haughtily at one another over their bridegrooms' heads, all their past friendship forgotten in their present rivalry. † (MP215) The Prince was able to successfully find a bride through this hard work and perseverance. The Prince was able to solve his problem and gain positive aspects when he earned his father's crown, and earning the resentment of his lazy brothers. This story teaches children that without the correct problem solving skills, the result of the task will be negative. Similarly to Tiana, the traveller in The Seventh Father of the House was able to analyze the situation that he was put in, and ask a multitude of questions to several people, and finally able to find a healthy solution to his task- finding a place to stay. â€Å"How have I become who I am today? † This is a question that adults ponder on a daily basis. There is a large amount of resources such as authoritative figures, books and experiences, which can influence your character. There is however, an important force that contributes to a human’s characteristics today- fairytales. Fairytales are fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. What is not known though is what effect a fairytale has on a person today. Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment, reveals a revelation on the enormous value of fairytales. In order to support Bettelheim’s theories the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House have been analyzed. Theories similar to Bettelheim’s by psychologists Sigmund Freud, Renee Hall and Jack Zipes are used to describe the meanings and importance of these fairytales. Characters representation in these fairytales support psychologists' theories such as those in Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment that suggest that fairytales have an influence on children through the principles of reality versus pleasure principle, self discovery and approach to problems. Representation of characters in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid and The Mouse Princess, support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Sigmund Freud's theories that suggest fairytales contribute to progress in a child through recognition of pleasure to the reality of life. Bruno Bettelheim develops the concept of the moral conscience first explored by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud's theories says, † The commands of the moral conscience come from the personal perception and appropriation of values which we discover in the stories or examples of persons we want to be like†. SG1) Freud means to say that our thoughts come from our perceptions of stories or persons that we wish to be like. Bettelheim builds on this theory, and further explains, † Identification with [characters] teaches that there are developments-possibilities of progress from the pleasure principle to the reality principle†. (UE43) Bettelheim means that fairytales can help a c hild realize the difference between pleasure and reality, through the solutions characters find to their problems. For example, in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, the main character Tiana is characterized as a girl who wishes upon an Evening Star. Tiana therefore finds pleasure in believing that her dreams can come true by wishing on the star. Reality is shown to Tiana by her father though, when he says, † †¦ that old star can only take you part of the way, you've got to help it along with some hard work of your own. † (P&F8) From this fairytale, a child can learn that success takes work and dedication, and that one must not believe in success coming instantly. Another fairytale where the reality versus pleasure principle can be shown is The Little Mermaid. Like Tiana, the little mermaid is a character who seeks pleasure in dreams of transforming from mermaid to human. The mermaid's reality though, shows in the excerpt that says, † A two-edged sword seemed to thrust itself through her delicate body; she fainted, and lay as though dead. † (LM61) Children can learn that in reality, a sacrifice, big or small, sometimes has to be made in order to achieve your goals in life. In the story The Mouse Princess, pleasure is shown by the Prince's brothers when they choose beauty in order to find success. Reality is shown to the brothers though, when the authors says,† Indeed, there was little to choose between them for looks and arrogance. (MP206/207) The Prince's brothers find that their wives were not adequate enough. A child gets the message from this fairytale that there are consequences when one does not search for quality in order to gain their desires in life. CONCLUSION The character's representation in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Seventh Father of the House, and The Little Mermaid, support the theories of psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph which suggest that fairytales contribute to a child's progression through the process of self- discovery. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states, â€Å"Children are searching for the solutions†¦ â€Å"Who am I? How ought I to deal with life's problems? â€Å"†¦ the fairytale has a consistent structure with a definite beginning and a plot that moves toward a satisfying solution which is reached at the end. † (UE47/57) Bettelheim explains that fairytales provide answers to important questions that children begin to question when their lives begin. The answers that they obtain help to shape the child's process of thought, leading him to discover his capabilities. The structure provided in the fairytale in turn gives the child a guideline to follow. A child identifies with the structures and characters, which both help the child understand why the child feels and thinks the way he or she does. Psychologist Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph, in her article entitled, Fairytales as Guide to Self Understanding, she says, â€Å"Due largely due to the work of Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, Joseph Campbell and others fairy tales along with myths have become a satisfying and surprising way to get a larger view of oneself†¦ Becoming one's authentic self or Individuation is always the endgame of the fairy tale’s journey. † (MR1) Randolph simply states that through reading and understanding fairytales, one can find themselves by the end of the story. The process of self discovery is shown in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana is faced with the problem of being magically turned into a frog. Tiana finds herself when the story states, â€Å"There was something special about her. She knew that my daddy taught me well. He always knew what was important. â€Å"(PF54) Throughout the story, Tiana finds that her strength is staying focused to the task that she had originally planned to succeed at, which was having her own restaurant. From this experience, a child learns that there may be extraordinary problems that one may encounter, but at the end of the trial, one will always learn something about himself. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, the traveller discovers that he has the drive to follow through with his plans to find a place to stay. The traveller must ask seven men in order to find a place to stay. By the end of the process, the traveller finally asks,† Good Evening Father! Will you put me up for the night? † (7F14) By the end stage of this fairytale, the traveller has learnt that he indeed has the drive to follow through on plans, even though he had to go through many men in order to get to where he has ended. From this ordeal, a child learns that in order to find yourself, or what you are good at, you must never give up. The process of self discovery can finally be seen in the fairytale The Little Mermaid. The mermaid almost lost her life in an attempt to figure out what she truly wanted in her life. In a turn of events, the fairytale states, â€Å"The knife quivered in her hand-then she flung it far out in the waves; she looked at the prince, she threw herself from the ship into the sea, where she felt her body dissolving into foam. † (LM68) The mermaid thought she knew what she wanted, then realized that the suffering she had gone through was not worth her dream. A child can learn that one has to go through ordeals, big or small, and some may even suffer in the hopes of finally becoming the person he would like to be. CONCLUSION A character's representation in the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Jack Zipes theories that suggest fairytales contribute to the development of a child through the concept of the correct approach to problem solving. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states that, † †¦ too many parents want their children's mind to function as their own do.. f he becomes more able to understand others, and eventually can relate to them in ways which are mutually satisfying and meaningful. â€Å"(UE1) This means that fairytales can help a child's mind function in a manner that is understanding to them and give the child proper problem solving skills that would be essential to them for the future. Jack Zipes analysis o f problem solving through fairytales can be found in his work entitled, Why Fairytales Stick, Zipes says, † fairy tales were designed to communicate ideas about natural instinct, social relations, normative behaviour, character types†¦ (JZ99). Zipes suggests that a fairytale was meant to serve the function of helping to solve problems, therefore shadowing the beliefs of Bettelheim. In the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana turns into a frog, the reader is introduced to an unrealistic situation, but still a process where problem solving tactics are involved. Tiana was able to solve her problems by asking questions and making sure she received answers that would help her solve the dilemma. A child can learn the important skill of problem solving from Tiana by following in her footsteps and asking for help from the right person in order to solve a problem. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, problems arise between the Prince and his brothers. The story says, â€Å"But the Countess and the Duke's daughter glared haughtily at one another over their bridegrooms' heads, all their past friendship forgotten in their present rivalry. † (MP215) The Prince was able to successfully find a bride through this hard work and perseverance. The Prince was able to solve his problem and gain positive aspects when he earned his father's crown, and earning the resentment of his lazy brothers. This story teaches children that without the correct problem solving skills, the result of the task will be negative. Similarly to Tiana, the traveller in The Seventh Father of the House was able to analyze the situation that he was put in, and ask a multitude of questions to several people, and finally able to find a healthy solution to his task- finding a place to stay.