Zeus As Hero Essay Example for Free

Zeus As Hero Essay One of the reasons why Zeus is a hero is because he defeats his mighty and powerful father Cronos along with the titans, and shares the glory with his many brothers and sisters. On my opinion I think a hero is someone that does something without thinking of themselves. Someone that is willing to take the risk for the sake of someone else. A hero is someone that will always be willing to help and take any major risk. This paragraph will explain how Zeus is a hero because he has demonstrated Bravery, Sharing, and his powerfulness. This paragraph will determine why Zeus is brave and will give three example of him being brave. The first example of Zeus being brave was when Zeus defeated his father Cronos; this example is one of the greatest examples because it explains all three of Zeus’s characteristics. Zeus showed himself being brave because he faced one of the most powerful gods in the world. Not only that but Cronos eager to kill Zeus and swallow him whole. The second example of Zeus being brave is when Zeus caught lightning bolt to protect his best friend Pan, Zeus was then aware he was a god. The third and final example of Zeus being a hero is when Zeus transformed into a bull and dared to take Queen Europa out of her boundaries when she was specifically under many rules of her father and one day would become Queen. But, she luckily got to become Queen of Crete and built many ships for them and Zeus. These actions prove that Zeus is a true Greek hero. The next paragraph will show how Zeus is able to share, and examples will be given to show you why. This paragraph will determine why Zeus is able to share and will give three carefully detailed examples. The first example of Zeus being able to share is when he gives Crete a magnificent gift; King Minos was in desperate need of a wall, a warrior and an army. They pleaded to Zeus to give them these three wishes and Zeus put it all into one huge gift. He gave them Talus a great bronze giant that will protect Crete no more than a thousand years. Each nine years they would bless Zeus for his gift. The second example of Zeus being able to share is when he defeats the titans and frees his brothers and sisters, not only that but Zeus gives his brothers and sisters a part of the world. Poseidon got the sea, Zeus claimed the sky, Hades took the underworld, ECT The third and final example of Zeus being able to share is when he grants queen Europa’s wish. She is then freed from her father’s rules and became Queen of Crete. The next paragraph will tell you how Zeus is loyal in the storeys told about Zeus. This paragraph will identify why Zeus is loyal, It will provide three examples from multiple storeys in the book. The first example of Zeus being loyal was when he made Queen Europa Queen of Crete she became loyal back to him by building the ship that he had requested from her. The second example of Zeus being loyal is when he promised and did give each of his brothers and sisters a piece of the world everyone then worshipped Zeus for what he’d done. The third and final example of Zeus being loyal is when Zeus agreed with Rhea to go defeat his awful father Cronos and to reclaim his brothers and sisters and become king. The next paragraph will conclude why Zeus is brave, loyal and able to share. Zeus has many characteristics that make him a hero. He has demonstrated Bravery, being able to share, and loyalty in many of the myths. For example, Zeus defeats Cronos that trapped his many brothers and sisters and the many invincible titans. Therefore, Zeus is a true Greek hero.

The Impact of Modernization on Socialization

The Impact of Modernization on Socialization A Leader is a person who guide and lead the team to success. As a leader, he or she must have a clear vision and vivid picture of where to go and a firm grasp on what success look like and how to achieve it. A leader must also be able to communicate with his or her follower on her vision and must be able to persuade them to buy into his or her idea. Moreover, he or she must also communicate passionately and clearly so that it can motivate them and direct them more efficient. Besides that, as a leader, he or she must have a responsibility on his or her follower and to make sure that all his or her follower share the common goal. Modernization is conceived in several ways. One of them is through an increased knowledge in science and technology, modernization as a process of change in the social structure and social system. Besides, it is also defined as a movement of transition from traditional society of religion, magic, and superstition to a modern and postmodern society. It is free from religious matrix and traditional norms. Furthermore, the West explains modernization as a process of mobilization, differentiation, industrialization, and secularization, which can reach high economic growth, stable democracy, and a capitalist economy. Modernization has brought to advance of human lifestyle and it makes human life easier. Modernization is not a temporal concept since the social keep on changing. It is a result of enlightenment which values reason, freedom and science, in relation to different aspects of society, so that modernization progress all the time. During modernization, there is universal education and increase of literacy. Democratization in political system and education has been achieved. There are also emergence of rationalization and bureaucratization in social organization of work. Socialization Socialization is conceived as a general process of gaining culture; anthropologists use the term enculturation for the process of being socialized to a particular culture. A human infant is born without any culture. Humans parents, teachers, friends and circumferences transform them into cultural and socially adept animals. Socialization helps people to learn the language of culture they are born, or the role they are to play in life. They will learn about the occupational roles that their society has store for them. For an example, boys learn how to be sons, brothers, friends, husbands, and fathers. During the socialization process, human learn to adopt their cultures norms, which mean the conceptions of appropriate and expected behavior that are held by most members of the society. There are two types of socialization, which are natural socialization and planned socialization. When infants and youngsters explore, play and discover the social world around them, it is called as natural socialization. Whereas when others take actions designed to teach or train people from infancy on, it is called as planned socialization. Both of these types of socialization can have good or bad features. Most people try to gain experience in life. This helps to influence their own socialization. The more we learn about the socialization process, the more effective we can be in managing our future learning in the ways that it will help us most. To gain uniformity within a society, there must be a successful socialization. People will share the same beliefs and expectations if all of them receive the same socialization. Discussion The Impact of Modernization on Socialization In the past, there was a bias between male and female, especially in China country. Males were provided educational chance when they are young. They could study in school meanwhile female are not allowed to study at all. In China before modernization, female are only allowed to do house chores and help around their family. Due to the socialization in the past, they are restricted them from getting the chance to expose themselves in education, business and politics. Besides, female are always being treated as servant or a baby producer. They have to obey what the male said. Furthermore, a female must listen to the male order and they are not allowed to fight back. Once she is born, she has to obey to her father. After married, she has to obey to her husband, then to her son. The changes of modernization has influence processes of socialization, such as learning how to think, how to feel, how to be acceptable, how to be moral and how to be masculine and feminine. This is because modernization had brought lots education opportunities and working opportunities thus women are allowed to work and pursue their own dream as during the industrialization, there is a sudden shortage of labor. Thus woman can join in the men and work independently. After the process of modernization, human think differently. They are more open minded and the bias in between male and female is dribble away. Females no longer listen to their father when choosing their husband who never meet up before. China nowadays is in progress. People pay full concern to their children; no matter they are male or female. Most of them embrace feminism. Female has already got an equal treat as male. Females are also having the chance to study in school. Most of the parents will sent their children, no matter boy or girl to learn extra acqierement, such as drawing, dancing and arts. There is also gender discrimination in India few decades ago. Female infanticide reflects the statement of low status accorded to women. It is proved by the most brutal and destructive action of anti-female bias that pervade patriarchal societies. The phenomena of sex-selective abortion, which targets female fetuses almost exclusively and neglect of girl children is appeared. According to John-Thor Dahlburg, In rural India, the centuries-old practice of female infanticide can still be considered a wise course of action. (Dahlburg, Where killing baby girls is no big sin,  The Los Angeles Times  [in  The Toronto Star, February 28, 1994.]) Based on census statistics, in 1901, there were 972 females for every 1000 males. In the year 1993, the gender imbalance has tilted to 929 females per 1000 males. In the nearly 300 poor hamlets of the Usilampatti area of Tamil Nadu, as many as 196 girls died under suspicious circumstances, such as fed dry, made swallow poisonous powdered fertili zer and smothered with a wet towel, strangled or allowed to starve to death. In India bias against females is still related to the fact that Sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the fields. Therefore, sons are looked as a type of insurance. This shows that, the high value given to males decreases the value given to females. (Marina Porras,  Female Infanticide and Foeticide.)  Furthermore, India is a heartland of sex-selective abortion. In 1974, Amniocentesis was introduced to ascertain birth defects in a sample population by medical entrepreneurs. So, a spate of sex-selective abortions was followed. Due to the modernization, the phenomena of bury baby have been banned by India. It becomes an illegal legislation. So, modernization has change peoples mindset from traditional to modern. Nowadays, the status of female is equally to male and people are starting to accept that female can also perform any job that a male can perform. Moreover as India become more and more modern, it affect the socialization so much that in the year 1971, India Prime Minister was a female name Indhira Gandhi. From here we can see that through modernization the social structure of the India was also starting to change. Modernization has changes in reshaping economic, political and social life. It is because it not only helps explain economic, social and political change, but it also provide most efforts at prediction. For example, tends to bring increasing urbanization, growing occupational specialization, and higher levels of formal education in any society that undertakes it (Lerner, 1958; Deutsch, 1964). Modernization linked to a wide range of other cultural changes. Although modernization syndrome of changes becomes probable but social change is not linear when societies move from an agrarian mode to an industrial mode. Women in Management is a current social issue. According to Jewell in 1977, the feminist movement, anti-sexual discrimination legislation, and predictions of shortages in managerial talent during the last decade have caused to increased pressure for more women participate in leadership roles during the 1970s. However, in 1978, Malabre said, the progress of integrating women into management positions has achieved limited success. A lot of people posit that women lack the leadership attributes and abilities required for managerial positions. Those holding this type of stereotypic view perceive women as ineffective leaders in jobs incongruent with females more traditionally passive sex role. (Bryce, 1970; Cecil, Paul, Olins, 1973; Hobart Harrick, 1977i Peters, Terborg, Jacobs 1974; Terborg et al., 1974). Bartols findings showed that leader behavior can be influenced by other factors than gender. Based on Lockheed and Hall (1976) studies, men emerged as leaders much more often than female, but there was no different in male and female leadership style. The Bales scoring technique, indicated that women releasing more tension and being more communicative, there was no significant difference between democratic and autocratic leader behavior patterns. Nowadays, women and men are equal, no matter where they are. The modernization process brings more job opportunities to human. Through this, women have more chances to exhibit their ability in working area. The limitation of women to be success is being narrow. It is because peoples mindsets have changed due to modernization towards socialization. Sex Differences and Inequality According to a study by Alice Eagly, from the Northwestern University in 2007, she say that there is a Psychology Prejudice against women as leader. She stated that woman is being perceived as nice, friendly, socially skilled meanwhile men are dominant, assertive (behavioral skill which is linked to self esteem and considered a important communication skill), tough-minded and take charge. Thus this had lead us to the term Glass Ceiling where woman is harasses and limit by the society on the job that they can do. Moreover, the term Glass Ceiling is also use to describe invisible barriers where minorities and women are prevented from advancing to the management position in organization and corporation. Moreover, if we see from the nature perspective, we can see that female is the weaker sex and male dominance is just a biological manifestation. For example, the body structure of a male is stronger than women thus man often takes up the job as a leader and protects women. Since ancient time, hunting and processing hard raw material as strictly male activities whereas female will just cook, wash clothes and do the entire house chore (Peggy Reeves Sanday). Besides that Murdock and Provost suggest that female is attached to the burden of household and burden for pregnancy and infant care. Thus female was left out and do not have the chance to become a leader. This make them to become and not born as a weaker sex due to the socialization in the past. In fact during the past few years, there is more and more female leader out there in the world. Feminism Feminism is a doctrine that women should have the same economic, social, and political equality with those of men. Feminism is distinguished between sex and gender. Sex, whether male and female, is about physical differences between sexes, while gender, whether masculine or feminine, is about characteristics of behavior, psychology or demeanor, which wished to claim are culturally constructed and conditioned and so ultimately arbitrary. The moral and political program of gender feminism was essentially to rescind gender differences. It makes men and women would end up living the same kinds of lives, doing the same kinds of things, and perhaps even  looking  pretty much the same in unisex grooming and clothing. According to F.Carolyn Graglia in 1998, housewives, not men, were the prey in feminisms sights when Kate Millett decreed in 1969 that the family must go. Feminists do not speak for traditional women. Men cannot know this, however, unless we tell them how we feel about them, our children, and our role in the home. Men must understand that our feelings towards them and our children are derided by feminists and have earned us their enmity. Whether or not this understanding garners mens support, traditional women must defend ourselves because the feminist offensive is, most essentially, a breach of solidarity with us, a disavowel of the obligation to honor the Womens Pact [that religious celibates, professional women, and homemakers respect each other] that women in the movement owed to us. Deborah Tannen have already explored an aspect of differences between males and females in her bestselling book You Just Dont Understand. This book is about how men and women use conversation in different ways. She said that men normally use conversation to build status, whereas women use it to establish closeness. Deborah Tannen does not commit herself to whether it caused of nature or socialization. She does not try to deal with it through moralistic exhortations to abolish it, but simply tries to promote understanding. She thinks that men actually do care about closeness, and women also do actually care about status. Female Leaders in World Throughout the years, there have been lots of woman holding a leader position around the globe. This shows that modernization had brought lots of change in the socialization around the world. Woman is not weak but some of them are bound to the socialization around the place they are born. The first example will be Angela Merkel. She was born on July 17,1954. She is the first female and current Chancellor of Germany. She is the also the president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since April 10, 2000. Moreover, she is also the President of the European Council and chairperson of the G8 during 2007.G8 refer to group of eight where it is comprise of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and United State.G8 duty was to discuss issue of mutual or global concern. Their range of topic include, law enforcement, labor, health, social development, energy, economic, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism and trade. Moreover, in the year 2008, she was awarded the Charlemagne Prize in 2008 for her contribution towards the European Union for the betterment she made. So from her we can see that modernization truly brought change in socialization. It made everyone has the equal chance to be a leader no matter their gender, race, or skin color. Moreover, for Angela Merkel, she is a truly remarkable icon for the female as she dares to stand up for herself and believe in the change she can bring for the society. The second female leader example will be Indira Gandhi who is the prime minister of India for 14 years (3 terms). She was the first female Prime Minister for India. Her father was Jawaharlal Nehru who was the first prime minister of India. She served as her father personal assistant unofficially before becoming the Prime Minister of India. After her father death, she was appointed as member of Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and appointed as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Finally with the help of the Congress Party President K. Kamaraj, she is able to win the election and finally won the seat as the Prime Minister of India. Moreover, during the year she led the country as Prime Minister, she had helped India to win a war against Pakistan in 1971 and managed to create the independent Bangladesh. Furthermore, her policy of Garibi Hatao (abolish poverty) was instrumental in her victory as well during the election. So from Indira Gandhi, we can see that even thought she is a wom an, she managed to be a good leader and even managed to lead India to win a war against Pakistan. This clearly show that female is no weak and they can be as good and strong as male. This had proven that male is not the smartest and strongest. So as long as female are given a chance, they might shine and be a good leader as well as a male can. Thus the quote by Vince Lombardi is significant which means Leaders are made and they are not born. They are made by hard effort which is the price that all of us must pay in order to achieve any goal that is worthwhile. Meanwhile in other field besides politic, we do have women who are also a leader. For example is Dr.Faust whose real name is Drew Gilpin Faust is being elected as the first woman president in Harvard University in the year 2007. Moreover, she was also the first dean for the Radcliffe Institute who guides it to change from a college to a wide-ranging institute for advanced study. In sports wise one of the most famous sportswomen is Billie Jean King who is a professional Tennis player who is known for the Battle of the Sexes in 1973. The battle of sexes was between Billie Jean King and Bobby Rigs who is the former Wimbledon mens single champion. As women, Billie Jean King managed to beat down Bobby Rigs and emerged as the victorious. Moreover, King became the first woman who managed to make more than $100,000 a year in tennis and was the Associated Presss Woman Athlete of the Year in 1967 and 1973. She was also the Sports Illustrateds Sportswoman of the year in 1972. Moreover, King is also the founder of the Women Sports Foundation, and the Women Tennis Association. Furthermore, King was also the first openly lesbian major sports figures when she came out in 1981. Besides that, the beating of the Bobby Rigs also helped to change the gender equality issue in sports and all the areas of public life. Thus in the year 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President of United State Barrack Obama as her contribution had really helped the world to be a better place. Besides these female leader, there are still lots of female leader who are well known such as Benazir Bhutto who was the first female head of the Muslim country, Rosa Parks the civil right female leader who make racial segregation in United State illegal and Margaret Thatcher who is the Prime Minister in the Britain and manage to end the Cold War. From here we can see that female can also function and work well in the Political Aspect. Furthermore in the aspect of fashion design, we had Melinda Looi who is a purveyor of fine art and vintage chic. She won a scholarship to La Salle School of fashion in Montreal, Canada. In 1995, she was awarded Malaysia Young Designer Award in Kuala Lumpur which was also her graduation collection year. Today, Melinda Looi is one of the influential fashion designers who have also sets her design on her world. In the year 2000, Mellooi Creation was formed. It takes the designers creation to greater horizons while also strengthening the brand. Mellooi Cre ation Sdn Bhd has been formulated to further develop business opportunities in local and international markets. In sum, we can see that these women are important leader who have reached a great height and have change the world to a better place. They are competent, broad-minded, straightforward and efficient. They show out good judgments while being passionate about their vision too. So in future we hope that they will be more female leader out there to guide and bring the world to be a better place. Female Contribution in the Society There is numerous contribution of female in our society today. Without them, we may not be able to achieve what we had today. In medical field, we have the famous Dr. Janet Davidson Rowley, who discovered the first consistent chromosome translocation in a human cancer. Rowley is internationally renowned for her study in chromosome abnormalities in lymphoma and leukemia. Her discovery had led to the dramatically improved rates of survival for the previously incurable cancers and the development of targeted therapies. Besides Dr. Janet, we had Nancy Goodman Brinker who is the founder of Susan G.Komen for the cure. It is the world leading breast cancer grass root organization. The organization helps and invested over 1.3 million for research, health services and education since 1982. They had worked with breast cancer survivor and activist to save lives, ensure quality care, empower people and work hard in science and research to find cures. With her help, they had developed new treatment option and a higher chance of living for the breast cancer patient and long-term survivors. Meanwhile in the engineering or invention section, women had also provided lots of help and contribution. For example we had Mary Jane Montgomery who had made improvements in locomotive wheels in the year 1864 and apparatus for punching corrugated metals in the year 1866. Besides that, Evelyn F. French also helped to invent a sound-deadening attachment for railway cars in the year 1880. Meanwhile, Letitia Geer managed to develop the medical syringes in the year 1899. From here we can see that women also helped out in the engineering and invention section. Conclusion In conclusion, we do not agree with the statement that Male are smarter than female as through our research we found out that there are also female who is smarter and better leader than the male. The reason they cant be a leader is due to the gender discrimination at workplace as there is a Glass Ceiling that is preventing them from advancing. However, over the recent year due to modernization, women are starting to be conscious and know their role. They do not only stay in the house but started to work and fight for the management role with the male. This had clearly showed that modernization had clearly made an impact on socialization by changing the norm of society on how they perceive the female. Moreover, because the change in socialization, the female is starting to be more confident and believe that they too can be a great leader. Female can be a good leader no matter in what field as we can see from Indira Gandhi who led the nation to win against the war with Pakistan. From h ere we can see that female can take up any challenge or work that male may take and some of them may out beat the male. Moreover, over the recent year, more and more female are coming out to contest on political position or the corporation management position. Besides that, modernization is also bringing a stronger democracy where social systems will be more numerous and specialized and competition will be more and more prevalent. This will also make the socialization to change from time to time to follow up with the modern society need and requirement as the society will start to be more and more competitive regardless whether they are female or male.

Determination of Heavy Metals in Cow Milk

Determination of Heavy Metals in Cow Milk The cow milk feeding concept of infants, in the larger parts of Lake Victoria basin of Kenya, for about the first six months after birth, has immensely invigorated the interest in investigating the presence and levels of some heavy metals in cows milk. Toxicity of a heavy metal depends on its fractional bioavailability and concentration in the environment, therefore its speciation is of great importance. The knowledge of concentrations of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in cows milk is hence very necessary. Fresh milk samples from lactating cows will be obtained by self milking into sterilized polyethene bottles and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. Other parameters that will be collected from the three locations on the basis of 7-day interval and thereafter investigated include: grass feeds, sediments, water, soil, and lactating cows faecal drops and urine. This information therefore gives a suitable background for assessing and determining the concentrations of heavy metal contaminants on cows and their subsequent intake by human. Few drops of 0.1 M trichloroacetic acid will be added to the sample for coagulation and the aqueous layer heated at 500 °C for one hour. Digestion will be done with 0.5 M nitric acid as presence and concentration of heavy metals analyzed using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, AAS. Statistical analysis will be conducted using MSTATC two factor complete randomized block design, with the heavy metal concentration as the main factor with the locations as the sub treatment. The package will perform analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P †°Ã‚ ¤ 0.05 with two factor experiment and students T-test at P †°Ã‚ ¤ 0.05. The mean, standard deviation, range and linear correlation co-efficient on the measured parameters will be determined. The study is expected to give an indication of the exposure of mothers and infants in the region to the heavy metals and also ascertain the safety of absolute milk feeding of infants. This study will be conducted in Kisumu city, at the shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Key words: Heavy metals, infants, cows milk and contamination. 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Background Human and animals have been exposed to heavy metal toxicity for an immeasurable time. The industries have dramatically increased the overall environmental load of the toxins to levels that they are present in every area of modern consumerism. Therefore, it is necessary to know the environmental fate of all xenobiotics so as to predict their persistence and possible effects on non-target organisms (Kengara F.O: 2004). Anthropogenic activities appear to play an important role in this study since, in the past, solid wastes have been dumped by residents in their respective localities. In an apparent attempt to keep the environment clean, in Kisumu city, the local authorities, in the past four years have collected and dumped the solid wastes at a new site, Nyalenda Kachok, Kisumu. Similarly lorry-loads from all over the citys supermarkets, industrial set-ups, petrol stations, residences and markets dump theirs solid wastes at the site. Cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead and zinc are among the most common heavy metals known as contaminants in the environment and therefore come affront as hazardous substances to both human and animal health (Roberts J.R, 1999). This is due to wide spread environmental pollution by materials containing them: like batteries, paints, pipes, soldering rods, pesticides, fungicides, gasoline, engine oils, chemical fertilizers or when they occur in high amounts in air, soil, water, plants and other compounded animal feeds. They therefore increase concentrations of heavy metals in air, water, soil and subsequently taken by plants and animals into their food chain (Ahmad, W.M.S, 2002). The presence of heavy metals in cows milk may be attributed to contamination of the original one, which may be due to exposure of lactating cow to environmental pollution or consumption of contaminated feeding stuffs and water (Carl M, 1991). This occurrence can lead to considerable concentrations in human body since they are not metabolized therefore poses a serious risk to human health when consumed even in small amounts (Selinger B, 1979). Most of them, like cadmium, lead and mercury persist in the body and exert their toxic effect by combining with one or more reactive groups essential for normal physiological functions of the cells thus causing cellular disturbances or clinical manifestation. The adverse toxic effects caused by lead, cadmium mercury are widely recognized (Friberg, L. and Elinder, C.G, 1988). The major clinical signs in animals and man for lead and copper poisoning include, among others, deviations of the hematological parameters due to their direct effects on hematopoiesis, reduced integrity of red blood cells membrane leading to intravascular haemolysis, anemia and dehydration (Radostits O. M. et al., 1994). Therefore hematological parameters have diagnostic value in animals suspected of heavy metal toxicity (Mlay P.S and Migumia Y.O, 2008). Man becomes at risk by eating food and drinking fluids contaminated with heavy metals,  through air, direct contact with the metals like in people working in car wash or body spraying industries or factories dealing with heavy metals and their derivatives (Farr G, 2001). Kisumu city is endowed with relatively many but small enterprises dealing with metal works, car maintenance and repair (Jua Kali Sheds), construction works that pose a risk of contamination to the environment with hazardous substances including heavy metals. Subsistence farming and husbandry are quite enhanced in its neighborhoods. The foregone information prompts the desire to investigate the presence of some heavy metals in cows milk. The data generated will assist the concerned city planners, institutions and bodies charged with environmental control and surveillance to formulate measures and policies that would firmly govern the dumping of solid wastes, re-locate the site and authoritatively bar animals from feeding on the wastes. 2.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The presence and concentration of heavy metals in water, sediments, soil and cows milk urine and faecal drops are unknown. This means that both man and animals likely assimilate the heavy metal contaminants unabated, thus endangering their lives. 2.3 JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH The toxic heavy metals from the possible sources as stated above continue to get into the environment and the biota. This phenomenon is a real threat to the human life therefore it is an urgent issue that the study needs to address. It is important to note that with the known concept of milk feeding of infants for the first six months after birth, either through mothers breasts or other sources like cow milk, more so in the rural set-ups, presents a possible lethal exposure route of heavy metal poisoning. The clinical manifestations that un-permissible levels of the heavy metals cause to both man and animals are fatal and expensive to treat thus jeopardize the economic progress of the affected community. The dumping point at the present site has continued to pollute the air due to organics releasing poisonous gases when they decompose and burnt. The constant burning of the wastes has hindered visibility, caused breathing difficulty and eye-aches to the road users as the site is at the high way and the entrance to the city. It is therefore a rude welcome to the tourists visiting the city. Therefore, the study will give an indication of the exposure of mothers and infants in the region to the heavy metals and also ascertain the safety of absolute milk feeding of infants. 2.4 HYPOTHESIS (i) The solid wastes dumped at the dumping site at Kachok, Kisumu city, contain toxic heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) . (ii) The animals that feed on the wastes take-up the heavy metals into their body systems. 3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Heavy metals are elements with specific density of 5gcm3, at least five times as the specific gravity of water (Florea T et al., 2006) and (Steven, D, 2003). They have been found in human breast milk and shown to affect health in infants. This may be due to mothers being susceptible to chemicals mostly in foods. Inhalation and dermal routes are possible though they are insignificant. Heavy metals, mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, bismuth, antimony most often disrupt immune function, neurological and endocrine functions. Some common effects of heavy metal toxicity include brain fogginess. Insomnia in children, memory loss, dementia tremors delay development (Molin J, 2000). Due to their toxic nature, the human body upon assimilation begins to get rid of them through the organs such as the skin, liver, kidney and through urine and sweat. However, this process is quite strenuous thus burdens and damages the organs (Bentum J.K, et al., 2010). Unfortunately human milk is one of the routes of elimination this burden, and therefore a source of exposure to infants (Oskarsson A, 1998). Some of these metals are stored in the mothers bones and are extracted from her to provide calcium for the development of the childs bones. As a result, they enter the maternal blood and breast milk during pregnancy and lactation, thus exposing the fetus and infants to risk (Sonawane R.B, 1994). However, at permissible levels, some of them are essential for normal physiological functions in animal tissues (Ahmed, E.E.K, et al., 1999). Dietary deficiencies of copper, zinc, calcium, iron, protein and excess fats cause an increase in the absorption and toxicity of lead (Goldfrank, L.R. et al., 1990). While copper is a trace element in various metabolic functions in the body, lead and other heavy metals have no function in the body and can be highly toxic due to interference directly in metabolic pathways or indirectly by causing deficiencies of other trace metals (Farr G, 2004). Excessively higher levels of the metals in milk and tissues of animals suggest an exposure either from the air, soil, water or feeds or all of these sources (Farr G, 2001) and (Dupler D, 2001). Animals can tolerate elevated levels of these metals though at certain levels clinical signs of toxicity manifest which can be acute or chronic when there is low exposure for a long time since these metals bio-accumulate in the body (IARC, 1997) and (Allcroft R, 1951). Heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury have been detected in breast milk in many parts of the world and have different means and ranges (Appendix 6.1). In many parts of the world, they exceed the recommended limits (Oskarson A et al., 1995) while in others lead has been found in breast milk between 5-20 ppb (Rabinowitz M et al., 1985). This may be attributed to the fact that sources of lead exposure are numerous ranging from ceramic and pottery glazed with lead, electronic works, welding and solders, jewelry making and repairing, certain hair dyes, automobile repairs (ATSDR, 1990). The presence of cadmium has been detected in breast milk as 0.28 ÃŽÂ ¼g/litre. It is found in many components of vehicles and in electrical and electronic equipment (Honda R et al., 2003). Cadmiums levels in breast milk have also been associated with cigarette smoking. Arsenic has not been thoroughly studied in breast milk but is however known to cause cancer in humans (Radisch B and Luck W, 1987). METHODOLOGY 4.1 Sampling and Sampling Design A Two factor completely randomized block design will be employed in sampling where one of the locations will be considered as a block. They will be spread out within 8 km apart. The samples will be taken within an interval of seven days. Table2 shows the experimental design detailing the number of samples per location and the sampling intervals of 7 days, 14 days and 21 days (Table 2): Key: D= Days; Re= Replicates; Lo= Locations: 4.2 Study Area The study area will be at the shore of Lake Victoria, Kisumu city and its environs within the area limits of 00 51 South and Longitude 0041 North and longitudes 330 20- 35020 East and an altitude of 528m above the sea level. The following locations will be picked for the study: Location 1: Nyalenda-Kachok: whose animals feed and graze at the dumping site- suspected to be polluted with the metals. Location 2: Mamboleo: 8 km north eastern outskirts of the city with relative high animal husbandry. Location 3: Chiga: 8 km- eastern outskirts of the city with subsistence and light animal husbandry. The choice of the sampling areas 2 and 3 is based on the fact that the cows graze freely in their areas but can not reach the dumping site where only those from location 1 access for herbage. All samples will be collected from 5 (hence five replicates) randomly selected points from each of the three locations; 1, 2 and 3 and immediately taken to the laboratory for preparation, digestion and analysis at Chemistry Laboratory, Maseno University, Kenya. 4.3 SAMPLES COLLECTION 4.3.1 Cow Milk Sample By self milking into sterilized polyethylene bottles, about 50ml fresh milk samples will be collected from five lactating cows from randomly selected homes in each location on a three day milking interval in the morning (i.e 50ml x 5cows x3 locations x 3 milking intervals = 2,250 ml will be collected in total. The samples will then be packed into ice-bags and labeling will be done with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.2 Urine Sample 50ml urine sample will be randomly collected from each lactating cow (whose milk is sampled) from its shed. The samples will then be wrapped and tied with sterilized polythene papers, packed into ice-bags and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.3 Faecal Drops Sample In each location, approximately 100g of faecal drops will be randomly collected from each of the five lactating cows (whose milk is sampled) from their sheds, wrapped and tied with sterilized polythene paper, packed into ice-bags and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.4 Water Sample About 50ml of water samples from five different points in each location will be placed in clean unused 100ml plastic bottles with screw caps: The points are across the swamp and dam for locations 1 and 3 while five equidistant spots along the stream that passes through the grazing area of location 2. All the samples will then be packed into ice-bags and labeling will be done with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.5 Grass Feeds and Soil Sample Grass feeds will be cut at approximately1 cm height from the ground in an area of 1x1m2, (within five randomly selected cattle grazing ground per location), bundled, labeled and packed in clean polythene bags. At the centre of the 1x1m2 area where grass feeds are taken, the topsoil will be dug to 12 cm depth at an area of 24x24cm2. The soil will then be put in clean polythene bags and labeled according time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.6 Sediment Sample Five sediment sub-samples will be randomly taken in each location. Approximately top 2 cm surface layer will be collected with a strainer and the samples packed and labeled with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.4 PREPARATION, DIGESTION, ANALYSIS AND QUANTITATION 4.4.1 Cow Milk Samples Five drops of 0.1 M trichloroacetic acid will be added to the cow- milk sample to precipitate the proteins, and the aqueous layer of the milk separated by centrifugation. 5 ml of the aqueous layer will be placed in porcelain crucible and heated in a furnace at a temperature of 500 0C for about 45 minutes. Thereafter, 3 ml of 0.5M nitric will be added and then filtered through Whatman filter paper (No 40) into a 10ml measuring cylinder. Further 0.5M nitric acid will be added to the 10 ml mark of the measuring cylinder. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn in blank and the milk samples will be analyzed with an AAS. 4.4.2 Urine and Water Samples 100ml of each sample will be boiled till complete dryness. 10ml of conc. nitric acid will be added to the sample and boiled close to dryness then diluted to 20 ml with de-ionized water. The solution will be filtered and the filtrate taken for AAS analysis for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn. 4.4.3 Quantitation of heavy metals in milk, urine and water samples: Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Se and Zn in examined samples will be calculated according to the following equation:- Mg/kg in examined samples = AxB/W A= mg/kg of metal in prepared samples (obtained by calibration). B= final volume of prepared sample in ml. W= weight of samples in grams. 4.4.4. Quantitation of Heavy Metals in Faecal Drops, Grass, Sediments Soil Samples The samples will be rinsed with de-ionized water several times and separately air-dried on open plastic bags for 24 hours, ground in a mortar to obtain small particles of uniform size, thus large surface area. Conventional aqua regia digestion will be performed in 250ml glass beakers covered with watch glasses. A well-mixed sample of 0.50 g each of the samples will be digested in 12ml of aqua regia on a hot plate for 3 h at 110 °C. After evaporation to near dryness, the sample will be diluted with 20 ml of 2% (v/v with H2O) nitric acid and transferred into a 100-ml volumetric flask after filtering through Whatman ® filter paper grade 40 and diluted to 100 ml with de-ionized distilled water thereafter analyzed for levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Se and Zn using AAS. 5.0 REFERENCES 1. Ahmad, W.M.S. (2002): Studies on heavy metal pollution in poultry farms in relation to production performance; Ph.D. Thesis-Faculty of Vet. Medicine. Zag. University. 2. Ahmed, E.E.K, Haleem, H.H. and Aly, A.A. (1999): Effect of copper and ascorbic acid in restriction of cadmium toxicity. J. Egypt. Vet. Med. Ass., 59 (5): 1549-1573. 3. Allcroft R. 1951: Lead poisoning in cattle and sheep. Veterinary Record 63:583-593. 4. ATSDR Case study in environmental medicine: Cadmium toxicity: U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta G.A, 1990. 5. Roberts J R, 1999: Metal toxicity in children. In Training Manual on Pediatric Environmental Health: Putting It into Practice 1999 Jun. Emeryville, CA: Childrens Environmental Health Network. 6. Bentum J.K, Sackitey O.J, Tuffuor J.K., Essumang D.K, Koranteng-Addo E. J, and Owusu-Ansah E., 2010: Cadmium and Arsenic in breast milk of lactating mothers in Odumanse-Atua community in Manya Krobo district of eastern region of Ghana. 7. Carl, M. (1991): Heavy metals and other trace elements. Monograph on residues and contaminants in milk and milk products. Special Issue 9101, pp. 112-119. International Dairy Federation IDF, Belgium. 8. Dupler D. 2001: Heavy metal poisoning Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. 9. Farr G 2001: The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. 10. Farr G 2004: Why Heavy Metals are a Hazard to Your Health. 11. Florea T, Sarolta O.B and Gheorghe C, 2006: Heavy metals in fresh cow-milk and cheese. 12. Friberg, L. and Elinder, C.G. 1988: Cadmium toxicity in humans. Essential and toxic trace elements in human health and disease, edited by A.S. Prasad (New York: A.R.Liss), pp. 559-587. 13. Goldfrank, L.R.; Osborn, H. and Hartnett, L, 1990: Lead. In: Goldfrank, L.R.; Flomentbaum, N.E.; Lewin, N.A.; Weisman, R.S. and Howland, M.A. (Eds.): Goldfranks Toxicological Emergencies. 4th edition. pp. 627-637. Prentice-Hall International Inc. New Jersey, USA. 14. Honda R; Tawara K; Nishyo M; Nakagawa H; Tanebe K; Saito S, Toxicology 2003;186(3) 255-259. 15. IARC (International Agency for Research on cancer) 1997: Monograph of carcinogenic risk to human. Lyon. Supplement. 7:230-231. 16. Kengara F.O, 2004: Analysis of organo-chlorine pesticides in Nyando catchments of Lake Victoria and fate studies of atrazine and glyphosate in soil using the radioisotope tracer technique: MSc Thesis-Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Maseno University, Kenya. 17. Mactaggart D.L and Farewell S.O: Analytical use of regression. Part 1: Regression procedures for calibration and quantitation, 1992, Journal of AOA International, 75 594-606. 18. Mlay P.S and Mgumia Y.O, 2008: Levels of lead and copper in plasma of dairy cows, pastures, soil and water from selected areas of Morogoro suburbs. (Department of Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tanzania). 19. Molin J: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine; 2000; 42(11) 1070-1075. 20. Ongeri, D.M.K, 2008: Physicochemical parameters, heavy metal residue levels and their speciation studies in Lake Victoria basin; Ph.D. Thesis-Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry. Maseno University, Kenya. 21. Oskarson A., Palminger H.I, and Sundberg: J. Analyst: 1995; 120(3) 765-770. 22. Oskarsson, A, Analyst 1998 123(1); 19-23. 23. Osweiler D. G, 1996: Toxicology. Williams and Wilkins USA 491pp. 24. Rabinowitz, M., Leviton A., and Needleman H., Archives of environmental health 1985; 40 (5) 283-286. 25. Radisch B and Luck W: Nav H Toxicology letters 1987; 36 147-152. 26. Radostits O. M, Blood D. C and Gay C. C, 1994: Veterinary Medicine A Textbook of the Disease of Cattle, Sheep, Goat and Horses 8th Edition. Paston press ltd, London, Norfolk, UK 1469-1499p. 27. Roberts J R, 1999: Metal toxicity in Children. In Training Manual on Pediatric Environmental Health: Putting It into Practice 1999 Jun. Emeryville, CA: Childrens Environmental Health Network. 28. Selinger B, 1979: Chemistry in the market place. 29. Sonawane R.B: Envronmental Health Perspective, 1994; 196. 30. Tsoumbaris, P. and Papadopoulou, T.H. 1994: Heavy metals in common food stuffs: Quantitative analysis. Bulletin Environ. Contamination Toxicology, 53: 61-66. 31. Stevens, D. 2003. CSIRO Land and waters Methods Manual. Impact of Heavy Metals on Sustainability of Fertilization and Waste Recycling in Peri-Urban and Intensive Agriculture in South-East Asia. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). 29. World Health Organization, (WHO, 1993). 6.0 APPENDICES 6.1: Table 1- WHO: Selected Concentration Mean Ranges of Heavy Metals, 1993. Heavy Metal Concentration, ppb Concentration Range, ppb Arsenic 0.3 0.10 -0.80 Cadmium 0.1 0.10 3.80 Lead 5.0 0.00 41.10 Mercury 2.7 0.64 257.10 Manganese 18.0 7.00 102.00 6.2: Table 2: Experimental Design and Sampling Record Table Key: D= Days; Re= Replicates; Lo= Locations and F/D- Faecal Drops Re. Lo Milk Urine F/Drops Water Soil Grass Sediments 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 3 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 5 1 2 3 6.3: Table 3- TIME SCHEDULE ACTIVITY PERIOD DURATION Proposal Writing and Presentation Jan March 2011 12 weeks Research Site Survey and Preparation April 2011 4 weeks Acquisition of Chemical Reagents May 2011 4 weeks 1st Sample Collection and Extraction June 2011 1 week 1st Experimentations and Analysis AAS June 2011 3 weeks 2nd Sample Collection and Extraction July 2011 1 week 2nd Experimentations and Analysis AAS July 2011 3 weeks 3rd Sample Collection and Extraction August 2011 1 week 3rd Experimentations and Analysis AAS August 2011 3 weeks Discussion and Statistical Interpretation September, 2011 4 weeks Thesis Writing and Submission Oct-Nov, 2011 8 weeks Total 1 year 44 weeks 6.4: Table 4 BUDGET Item Quantity Unit Price (KSh) Total Cost (KSh) Chemicals Universal Indicator 1 litre 1,350.00 1,350.00 Distilled Water 40 litres 1,200.00 48,000.00 Aqua Regia 5 litres 3,500.00 17,500.00 Nitric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Sulphuric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Hydrochloric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Ammonium Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Ferrous Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Lead (II) Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Unhydrous Sodium Sulphate 500g 2,850.00 2,850.00 Copper (II) Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Zinc Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Trichloricacetic acid 2.5 litres 4,500.00 11,250.00 Chromium (II) sulphate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Cadmium Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Sub Total 131,200.00 Apparatus, Equipment and Others AAS Analysis Lamps 12 7,500.00 90,000.00 Polythene Bags 6 1,000.00 6,000.00 Brown PVC Bottles 180 100.00 18,000.00 Whatman Filter Papers grade 40 6 1,000.00 6,000.00 Thesis Preparation and Binding 20,500.00 Goggles 2 1,000.00 2,000.00 Disposable Gloves 4 Boxes 3,500.00 14,000.00 Ice Box 1 9,000.00 9,000.00 Labels 1 Packet 750.00 750.00 Spade 1 1,200.00 1,200.00 Sickle 1 600.00 600.00 Sub Total 168,050.00 Travels and Subsistence Subsistence during Sampling 5 3,500.00 17,500.00 Analysis 20 Days 500.00 10,000.00 Site Visits and Sampling 10 Trips 3,000.00 30,000.00 Enumerators,3loc.x5Repsx3Intervals 3x3x5 1,000.00 45,000.00 Sub Total 102,500.00 Grand Total 401,750.00

The Insanity Defense :: A Crime Of Insanity

When someone commits a crime, he or she may use mental illness as a defense. This is called an insanity plea or insanity defense. What the insanity defense does is try to give the alleged perpetrator a fair trial. At least in extreme cases, society agrees with this principle. The problem is where do we draw the line. Under what circumstances is a person considered insane, and when are they not? The trouble with the insanity defense in recent years is the assumption that virtually all criminals have some sort of mental problem. One important point is that the crime itself, no matter how appalling, does not demonstrate insanity. Today, the insanity defense has become a major issue within the legal system. If the defendant is clearly out of touch with reality, the police and district attorney ordinarily agree to bypass the trial and let the defendant enter a mental hospital. On the other hand, if the defendant has no serious signs of mental illness, the defense attorneys will not attempt an insanity defense. This is because they know that juries are reluctant to accept it. Basically, the only way for a lawyer to prove his client’s insanity is to try to project what his client was thinking (or not thinking) at the time that the crime was committed. This is usually done by enlisting the testimonies of a psychologists or psychiatrists, who are known as â€Å"expert witnesses.† Both legal and mental health professionals have long struggled to establish a clear and acceptable definition of insanity. Insanity is a legal term, not a psychological or medical one. The Sarasons prefer to use the term â€Å"maladaptive behavior† instead of insane or insanity. Maladaptive behavior is, â€Å"behavior that deals inadequately with a situation, especially one that is stressful† (5). Adaptation is the way people balance what they do and want to do, and what the environment/community requires of them. Successful adaptation depends on a person’s stress (situations that impose demands on him or her), vulnerability (likelihood of a maladaptive response), and coping skills (techniques that help him or her deal with difficulties/stress) (5). Consider the recent school shootings as an example. Students who are teased and bullied are experiencing stress. Some students have low vulnerability and choose to talk about the situation with a parent or teacher, which is a good coping strategy.

Different Uses of Virtual Reality :: Expository Essays Research Papers

Different Uses of Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is the use of a computer to create an artificial environment that appears and feels like a real environment and allows users to explore a space and manipulate the environment. In its simplest form, a VR application displays what appears to be a three-dimensional view of a place or object, such as a landscape, building, molecule, or red blood cell, which users can explore. For example, architects can use VR software to show clients how a building will look after a construction or remodeling project. In more advanced forms, VR software requires that users wear specialized headgear, body suits, and gloves to enhance the experience of the artificial environment (Vance and Reed 34-58). The headgear displays the artificial environment in front of the users eyes.i[A] The body suit and the gloves sense motion and direction, allowing a user to move through, pick up, or hold items displayed in the virtual environment. Experts predict that sooner or later the body suits will provide tactile feedback so users can experience the touch and feel of the virtual world. Many gamers, such as flight simulators, use virtual reality. In these games, special visors allow users to see the computer-generated environment. As the user walks around the game’s electronic landscape, sensors in the surrounding game machine record movements and change the view of the landscape accordingly. Companies increasingly are using VR for more practical commercial applications, as well. Automobile dealers, for example, use virtual showrooms in which customers can view the exterior and interior of available vehicles. Airplane manufacturers use virtual prototypes to test new models and shorten product design time. Many firms use personal computer-based VR applications for employee training (Shelly Cashman Series ® Microsoft Word 2000 Project 2). As computing power and the use of the Web increases, practical applications of VR continue to emerge in education, business, and entertainment.ii[B]iii[C] Works Cited Holloway, April I. â€Å"The Future of Virtual Reality Applications.† Computers for Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond Sep. 2001: 46-52. Shelly Cashman Series ® Microsoft Word 2000 Project 2. Course Technology. 3 Sep. 2000. http://wwwscsite.com/wd2000/pr2/wc3.htm. Vance, Dale W., and Karen P.

Family and Young Boy Charley

Book Report â€Å"For One More Day†, By Mitch Albom Made by: Kitti Kristanti, Sec 1d For One More Day â€Å"This is a story about a family, and as there is a ghost involved, you might call it a ghost story. But every family is a ghost story  . The dead sit at our tables long after they have gone. † This is a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss. It explores the question, â€Å"What would you do if you could spend one more day with the ones you love? †Ã‚   The story  covers a conversation  Charley Benetto has with a sports writer.Throughout the conversation he goes back and forth between  the one last day he had with his mother and the important  events in his life, sharing his feelings– both past and present– about them. I particularly enjoyed the   way he shared throughout the book little vignettes of the times his mother stood up for him and the times he didn’t stand up for her. As a mother myself, I couldn’t help wondering if someday my own children would be able to look back and see with clarity the sacrifices I have made for them.Throughout the book I ‘heard’ some of the same things from the young boy Charley that I hear from my own children. It was rewarding and brought hope to see him come to a realization of how his interpretation of the events had been inaccurate and skewed by emotions in the moment. Perhaps my children will also understand someday As a young boy Charley Benetto makes the choice to be a daddy’s boy and does everything his father asks him to. Then his father disappears, leaving a broken family and an embarrassing situation for the young Charley to endure.Being raised by a single mother has it’s challenges and plenty of embarrassment, many that Charley takes out on his mother. â€Å"So he chooses his father, and he worships him- right up to the day the man disappears. An eleven-year-old Charley must then turn to his mother, who bravely raises him on her own, despite Charley’s emabarrassment and yearning for a complete family. †   Ã¢â‚¬ Decade later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding.And he decides to take his own life. † â€Å"He makes a midnight ride to his small home-town, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother- who died eight years earlier- is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing had ever happened. † â€Å"What follows is the one ‘ordinary’ day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain family secrets, and to seek forgiveness. Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the things he never knew about his mother and h er sacrifices.And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together. † I related to this story on many levels. As a single mother myself I could relate to many of the experiences described and gained insight into what my children may be experiencing as a result of events they have no control over. As a daughter  who has at times experienced a  strained relationship with my own mother,   I gained  valuable insights into my own childhood memories and interpretations and was  reminded, again, that there is much more to the story that I do not completely understand.And as always– the betrayal revealed in the end made the recent and  painful betrayal of my own life seem small and insignificant in comparison. This clever story, told in Mitch’s masterful storytelling style, has left me with a new appreciation and understanding for those I love and has motivated me to be more intentional in valuing and cherishing the rel ationships I enjoy with those I love so that I will not be left with regrets for the experiences and the love lost. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been a part of a family, who has ever lived with regrets, and who has ever questionned the value of their very existence.

Plato Defends Rationalism

Plato Defends Rationalism Plato was a highly educated Athenian Philosopher. He lived from 428-348 B. C. Plato spent the early portion of his life as a disciple to Socrates, which undoubtedly helped shape his philosophical theories. One topic that he explored was epistemology. Epistemology is the area of philosophy that deals with questions concerning knowledge, and that considers various theories of knowledge (Lawhead 52). Plato had extremely distinct rationalistic viewpoints. Rationalism is the claim that reason, or intellect, is the primary source of our fundamental knowledge about reality (55).By examining Plato’s philosophical position on the three basic epistemological questions, as well as analyzing his ability to justify the three anchor points of rationalism, it is clear to see that Plato was successful in defending rationalism. There are three basic questions that are the basis for determining the difference between each of the epistemological viewpoints. The first of these is: Is knowledge possible? In order to understand exactly what is being asked here, it is important to consider the agreed definition of knowledge as being a â€Å"true justified belief† (53).Plato believed that yes, it is possible to have knowledge. He claimed that as long as one has the ability to recognize something as false, they are capable of having knowledge. The second question is: Does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience? Plato would also answer yes to this question as well. Many objected to this, believing that knowledge was a result of sense experience rather than reason. Plato examined this theory (empiricism); he argued that, because the physical world is subject to change, there can be no real truth in knowledge that is based solely on one’s senses.He then used the examples Justice, Goodness, and Equality to justify his argument that there are some things that we cannot come to know through experience alone, th us casting doubt on the empiricist theory. Plato expands on the teachings of Socrates, and acknowledges the concept that we already have ideas or principles that are contained in our mind prior to experience, called innate ideas (73). The third and final question is: Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? To this question, he would answer yes. Plato’s distinction between innate ideas and sense experience bring us to understand his true sense of reality.Our innate ideas are the foundation from which we are able to possess rational knowledge. Rational knowledge, as Plato explains, gives us the ability to differentiate between invariable â€Å"Forms† (Universals) and the ever changing characteristics that are recognized through sense experiences. Plato believes that knowledge of Universals provide us with knowledge of the fundamental features of reality, which are nonphysical, eternal, and unchanging (81). The three anchor points of Rationalism expand on th e question discussed above, Does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience?The first anchor point is: Reason is the primary or most superior source of knowledge about reality (72). Plato proves this point to be true by determining that it is through unchanging, Universal knowledge, that we come to find reality. The second anchor point is: Sense experience is an unreliable and inadequate route to knowledge (73). Plato questions the reliability and adequacy of sense experience, due to the fact that there are things that we are simply unable to experience in the physical world. If knowledge comes strictly from experience, and we are unable to experience some things, how is it that we come to find such knowledge?Plato also argues that sense experiences are subject to individual interpretation, and are ever changing. Knowledge cannot be based on inconstant perception. The final anchor point of rationalism is: The fundamental truths about the world can be k nown a priori (independently of, or prior to, experience): They are either innate or self-evident to our minds (73). Plato believed that knowledge was contained in our soul from preexistence, and was independent of human experiences. He came to the conclusion that it is from these innate ideas that we are able to recognize reality.Plato’s view on epistemology is extremely consistent with that of rationalism. He was able to successfully justify his beliefs, not only by proving his theory, but also by disproving alternative theories. Plato recognized the fact that knowledge is possible. He believed that the ability to identify something as false can only come from knowing truth. This was the first step in his philosophical journey. In his quest to determine the source, and explore the characteristics of knowledge, he made several valid arguments.Plato’s strongest argument was that we cannot base our knowledge directly on experience, because there are circumstances in whi ch our senses do not provide us with reliable truths. Not only did this make it apparent that experience is not concrete enough to act as a basis for knowledge, thus disproving the imperialistic theory, but it also helped justify his theory of Universals. Plato was able to prove that reason, by way of innate ideas, leads us to knowledge, as it was defined above, a true justified belief.This rational knowledge, in turn, leads us to the knowledge of reality. Plato spent much of his life studying philosophy, and the concept of knowledge. After finding fault in other epistemological theories, he was led to develop a philosophy of his own. Plato’s approach toward epistemology was considerably different from that of other philosophers in his day. His rationalistic viewpoints were extremely influential. He brought light to the concept of Universals, which had a great impact on the work of philosophers after him.Plato was able to explain knowledge from all aspects, which set him apar t from others. Plato was not only able to conclude that knowledge is possible, he was also able to explain how knowledge is obtained. By examining Plato’s philosophical position on the three basic epistemological questions, as well as analyzing his ability to justify the three anchor points of rationalism, it is clear to see that Plato was successful in defending rationalism.Works Cited Lawhead, William F. The Philosophical Journey: An Interactive Approach. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 52-81. Print