Why Safeway Is Better Than Save a Lot Essay Example for Free

Why Safeway Is Better Than Save a Lot Essay There’s no place like Safeway that’s why Safeway is better than Save A Lots Safeway has a fantastic atmosphere were customers feel at ease, the friendly employees always had a smile they face on the other hand Save A Lot had a poor envirment were the shoppers were ignored workers didn’t have a pleasant attitude. I said to myself why have I shop at Save A Lot for so many years? Suddenly, I had an Oprah ,Aha! Moment which came over me, after that day I have not been back to Save A Lot First Safeway has quality luscious fruits the fresh vanishable are so scrumptious I can’t wait to get home to eat them. And endless variety of fresh fruit that never lacks quality that I am lookingfor Save A Lot did not have quality fruits the vanishable were brown and bruised and lacked freshnesss, fruit were always limed I was so happy that I switch stores because of that reason. Secondly Safeway has fresh meat which is top of line ,fresh tender meats also the quality of the the meats at Save A Lot lacked freshness. Most importantly the was not up par: refrozen, freezer burned and discolored. In addition, Safeway quality brand name products that I enjoy such as :Kellogg’s ,Special K and Progresso, just to name a few. Really make me feel good about safeway. Incontrast, I shopped at Save A Lot they lacked brand name products they did not have them in stock. Not only dose safeway have quality prices, but they have every prices. I save fifty dollars at Safeway and when I use my safeway card I always save. Also Safeway I spend only two hundred and forty dollars. Save A Lot the prices are extremely high; I spent over three hundrend dollars Also Safeway has a lot of women with there children, Save A Lot has college studans who think there saving . However Safeway has quality prices great coupons Save A Lot lacked quality prices ,coupons limed ,Safeway is the places for a girl like me who enjoys bargains In conclusion, most of all Save A Lot did not provide , and they did not have quality prices. And I said to my ,thank heaven for the Aha! Moment. That is when the light switch came on for me to start shopping at Safeway. My reason is simple, Safeway has quality prices and food.

Lorenzos Oil Film Synopsis and Analysis

Lorenzos Oil Film Synopsis and Analysis Lorenzos oil touches the hearts of most as you watch the story of a young boy battling adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD. The story is based off a true story as the parents, Augusto and Michaela Odone, take care and search with uncertainty for a cure for their son Lorenzo. The story identifies with those who suffer from an incurable disease which neurologically effects Lorenzos life. The oil, found by Lorenzos dad, brings hope to him and his family. Lorenzos battle is fought with courage and strength and he identifies with so many important subtopics in our class such as: disease and illness, death and dying, and the body. Lorenzos battle will show us how one struggles with disease and illness but strives with his loved ones by his side. Lorenzo begins to show signs of neurological problems when he and his family move back to the United States for his dads military work. Lorenzo begins to show signs such as fits, lapses, and hearing problems. Lorenzos parents set out on a mission to find a cure for the incurable disease he has. The Odones have many encounters with doctors/ professionals. The work done from parent to professional shows the strive in the Odones hopes to find a cure for their son. After being told that there is no cure by some doctors, they begin to travel and meet with many different people, doctors, scientists, researchers, etc., who are willing to do all they can to help find a cure for their son. These professionals give an examples of how well some professionals work with the parents rather than the patients in this case. The Odones can barely watch as their sons health declines and knows it is up to them to set out to find a cure. While researching so many different aids, the Odones come up with one last final shot. His parents, declined by many researchers again, finally discuss a cure with a Chemist involving oils to add to their sons daily diet. The oil helps in repair in some of the damaged parts of the brain but does not aid in repairing the myelin deficiency in the brain. Mr. Odone takes it into his own hands to seek out an appeal of medical research and efforts to treat myelin damage and or deficiencies in the brain of ill patients. Lorenzo deals with his illness very strongly. As he begins to lose neurological functions, life becomes much harder. He is not treated horribly by many doctors; he is more the less treated like a boy with a disease that has no cure. Lorenzo battles his illness with as positive a mind set as possible, as he begins to take the oil, he feels little relief and shows improvement, but the improvement is not enough to save him from this horrible disease. He later is only able to blink yes or no and can barely swallow on his own. Thankfully for Lorenzo he continues to keep his sight which is a beautiful gift he is pleased to still have. In researching the medical response to the movie, the film was criticized to have given the idealistic view of finding a cure, which was not found. Research done regarding Lorenzos disease has shown little to no effect of taking the oil during the illness, but shows results when taken before the illness. The real Lorenzo Odone, lived to be 30 and died of pneumonia in 2008, living two decades longer than predicted by physicians. In the movie, the Odones compare their studies to those done by animal experimentation finding vague results in the process. I feel as if the events of the film played out appropriately. Being hard to accept the news of an incurable illness, Lorenzos parents react more strongly than he does. Lorenzo accepts his disease as anyone must once they are told they have something inoperable. The only thing which could have been done differently in the film was not acting as if they found a cure but more the less acting as if they found an agent that helps one who suffers from ALD. In the movie and in the real life story, I do not feel as if there is any one who deserves the blame. Blame cannot fall on anyone as Lorenzo has a disease with no cure. Really in reality praises deserve to be given to Lorenzos parents for attempting to find a cure for there son. The Doctors deserve praise for there attempts at finding cure as well. The only blame can be on the disease itself. The general public and prospective health care providers can learn very many things from this film. The general public can learn that horrible diseases can happen to anyone. The general public can also learn from this that parents and family members can do so many things to help their child or loved one. Anyone can become involved in helping whether its just by doing little things. For example, my mother suffers from ulcerative colitis and last year I did a triathlon and raised money for Crohns and Colitis research we raised near $2,000 for research. The general public can do so many things to aid in the development of a cure for diseases. Health care providers can learn both positive and negative things from this film. Health care providers can learn never to give up on a family and let them try to do what they can to help a child or a loved one. Health care providers can also see that parents typically do not have the equipment or information needed to find a cure for a loved one although they can put their foot in to help. Health care providers in this instance should see the glass half full rather than half empty. Patients can learn so many positive and negative things from this film as well. Patients can learn that people can have an effect in finding a cure. Patients can also learn not to count on a cure for a disease that is incurable. Patients can learn that some doctors will treat them with respect while others will not. Patients can also learn that researchers do care and they will help as much as they can to aid in a patients health. Lorenzo learns that his health, disease, and illness although incurable can be fought with compassion and strength. Lorenzo who was diagnosed with his illness at the age of 7 technically could not do much for himself at the time of diagnoses. Lorenzo takes his illness day by day. Lorenzo slowly loses neurological functions every day. He struggles with impairments everyday like lapses and tantrums. These lead Lorenzo to question his body and wonder how much more it could handle but Lorenzo never gave up and fought his body until the age of 30, two decades longer than doctors expected. Lorenzo never truly was considered disabled more the less just ill. I would have considered Lorenzos illness a disability. Lorenzo was beginning to lose functions and that in my opinion would classify as a disability. Being disabled to me is when someone is not able to function regularly without assistance whether their disability be visible or invisible. Lorenzo needed help from his parents after his illness became severe thus classifying him as disabled to me. Lorenzo seems to avoid the reality of death and dying. Lorenzo truly avoids death and dying by defying the odds and surviving his illness for two decades longer than expected. I would assume that as a child one cannot grasp the thought of death or dying, but more the less just barely be able to understand that he is sick with an incurable illness. Being 7 years old, death does not seem to be a realistic thing. I think back to when I was 7 and would never be able to comprehend the fact that I am ill and could die whenever from a horribly rare incurable disease. Lorenzo also faces the sad reality that his own body is fighting against him. The body being a wonderful but terrifying place takes over without Lorenzo being able to do anything to stop it. The oil that Lorenzo is given has a certain amount of fatty acid chains which attack the part of the brain that is being affected by ALD. Unfortunately, ALD had already taken its toll on other parts of his brain including the myelin sheath which help protect neurotransmitters in sending messages from cell to cell. The body did not reject nor accept the treatment but rather just let the treatment work on his body. The treatment may have helped his body at an earlier stage but its not as if his family predicted he would get a rare disease like ALD. Lorenzo and his family face a series of unfortunate events upon the development of this horrible disease in their son. ALD is a disease linked to the X chromosome. First this disease effects fatty acid buildups and then damages the myelin sheath within the brain. These lead to lack of hearing, lapses, seizures, and eventually hyperactivity in the brain. ALD is a very rare disease which effects a very small number of people in the United States. The Odones have been faced with a very hard challenge and do as much as they can to stop the disease their son is infected with. The never ending positive intentions of the Odones lead them to finding a treatment for ALD which has helped effect many lives of people with ALD today. The Odones have helped scientists and doctors today give patients with ALD relief and hope. Although ALD is still without a cure, the Odones and Lorenzos actions have helped the medical community achieve a great necessary success which will play an impact on the live s of anyone with ALD.

College Admissions Essay: Art Therapy and Animal Therapy :: College Admissions Essays

Art Therapy and Animal Therapy    As another wave of excited, hopeful seniors pack their cars for college, the community that nurtured them watches them go with nostalgia and anticipation at what these bright new adults will make with the talents bestowed on them and with the mountains of opportunity available to them. The students are brimming with anticipation also - what possibilities await them! As I take my place with my fellow classmates, I watch my old community fade into the distance and wonder how I will contribute to my community in the future.    My career choices have varied throughout the years with a colorful strand threading my love for animals, art and people. I intend to major in psychology with a minor in art. My dream is to help people through my compassion and creativity. Art therapy and animal therapy are exciting fields of work hungry for new talent and well-educated, dedicated professionals. My love of these lines of work stems from having witnessed the wrinkled hand of an infirm, elderly woman stroke the soft fur of a dog, immediately brightening and starting to communicate her first words in years. I have also understood the intense relief of parents of a sick, depressed child whose interest in her artwork sparks renewed interest in the world around her. My artistic ability, strength in science, love of animals and passion for bettering the lives around me give me daily reasons why I know I am committed to this field.    However, the reasons do not stop there. I want to extend my vision into the community, perhaps starting a program in my church community that involves participants taking small pets on their visits to nursing home residents. I could even involve surrounding youth groups in work on art projects with the youth at our local children's home. Getting the community involved in such projects opens new outlets of creativity to flow into a cause I am so passionate about. Plus, the participation can be a healing, nurturing experience on both sides. With my sometimes-stubborn determination and enthusiasm for this endeavor, I will be able to involve my community in worthwhile efforts to improve the conditions of many of those who need most need assistance.

The Life Cycle of a Social Problem Essay -- essays research papers

The Life Cycle of a Social Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A social problem is a condition that a group of people view as being undesirable. These can be a variety of different à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“problems.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?They can occur in your community, school, church or any place that people interact with each other or an object. When a social problem arises there is a general way that they are handled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The earliest of definition on how a social problem is reconized was made by Richard Fuller and Richard Myers. There cycle had three stages. The first stage was that the group had to some situation or behavior as a problem. Once they stated that there was a problem the next step was to transforms the situation or beahvior into a public debate to discuss that certain problem and how it could be dealt with and how the problem existed in the first place. This was a long process in which both sides discussed how it would be handled and also what would make both sides of the argument happy. The final stage is reform. This is the stage in which the solution to the problem would actually be put forth to the public so it would resolve or in many cases make the problem much more easy to live with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The previous form of the stages of a social problem was thought to be the guidelines until Robert Ross and Gramham Staines revamped the cycle. In their cycle there were a few more details and checks that a social problem had to go though to complete the cycle. The first stage in the life cycle of a social prolem is when group of people that has determined that a situation or behavior is presienaic in terms of their ideas and or beliefs.Why the cycle started this way was pretty simple, without someone or a group of people having a problem with a situation or particular thing then there couldn't be a social problem in the first place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage in the life cycle cycle was to turn the issue into public knownledge. They could demonstrate for there solution or they could even write into a newspaper and tell them there story and how they would like it too be handled. The most important aspect in this step is by far the media. Although the people that are opposed to your point of view might try to sway the publics views on the situation by making you look like the guilty party, the media can always show s... ...is is if that just because the crusader has achieved a victory today doesn't mean that they should stop to bring a constant reminder to the public that if someone would try to change a law or rule that was made that it would be detrimental to the whole community in there mind and their supports. This is also known as never being happy with anything that you have done or said because if so then why did you lobby for it in the first place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly an important part that is associated with the life cycle of a social problem is resource mobilization. This is a part of all of the step of the life cycle. This is because if you dot have the means to argue or put thought a problem then there isn't a way that it will even become a social problem. Also there is the point that people that are well off are more likely to help with a social problem then people or groups that are not. In conclusion the life cycle of a social problem is a very structured cycle these days. It has four parts that any problem will have to overcome in order to be classified as one. Lastly with every problem the solution that come out will not nessarly be the best one but it is a start. The Life Cycle of a Social Problem Essay -- essays research papers The Life Cycle of a Social Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A social problem is a condition that a group of people view as being undesirable. These can be a variety of different à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“problems.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?They can occur in your community, school, church or any place that people interact with each other or an object. When a social problem arises there is a general way that they are handled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The earliest of definition on how a social problem is reconized was made by Richard Fuller and Richard Myers. There cycle had three stages. The first stage was that the group had to some situation or behavior as a problem. Once they stated that there was a problem the next step was to transforms the situation or beahvior into a public debate to discuss that certain problem and how it could be dealt with and how the problem existed in the first place. This was a long process in which both sides discussed how it would be handled and also what would make both sides of the argument happy. The final stage is reform. This is the stage in which the solution to the problem would actually be put forth to the public so it would resolve or in many cases make the problem much more easy to live with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The previous form of the stages of a social problem was thought to be the guidelines until Robert Ross and Gramham Staines revamped the cycle. In their cycle there were a few more details and checks that a social problem had to go though to complete the cycle. The first stage in the life cycle of a social prolem is when group of people that has determined that a situation or behavior is presienaic in terms of their ideas and or beliefs.Why the cycle started this way was pretty simple, without someone or a group of people having a problem with a situation or particular thing then there couldn't be a social problem in the first place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage in the life cycle cycle was to turn the issue into public knownledge. They could demonstrate for there solution or they could even write into a newspaper and tell them there story and how they would like it too be handled. The most important aspect in this step is by far the media. Although the people that are opposed to your point of view might try to sway the publics views on the situation by making you look like the guilty party, the media can always show s... ...is is if that just because the crusader has achieved a victory today doesn't mean that they should stop to bring a constant reminder to the public that if someone would try to change a law or rule that was made that it would be detrimental to the whole community in there mind and their supports. This is also known as never being happy with anything that you have done or said because if so then why did you lobby for it in the first place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly an important part that is associated with the life cycle of a social problem is resource mobilization. This is a part of all of the step of the life cycle. This is because if you dot have the means to argue or put thought a problem then there isn't a way that it will even become a social problem. Also there is the point that people that are well off are more likely to help with a social problem then people or groups that are not. In conclusion the life cycle of a social problem is a very structured cycle these days. It has four parts that any problem will have to overcome in order to be classified as one. Lastly with every problem the solution that come out will not nessarly be the best one but it is a start.

Kazakhstan’s 20 Years of Independence

Kazakhstan’s 20 Years of Independence When Kazakhstan became independent after the collapse of Soviet Union in December 1991, many experts had predicted the collapse of the Central Asian nation under the burden of economic and social problems. But 20 years since then, the country of over 16 million people has become the largest economy in the Central Asian region due to its enormous oil, gas and uranium reserves and bold market economic reforms and political stability in the nation of 130 ethnic groups.According to official figures, Kazakhstan's GDP per capita grew from $700 in 1994 to more than $9,000 last year. In fact the growth was five years ahead of the schedule, and faster than in any other country in the first 20 years of its independence. Kazakhstan held year-long celebrations across the nation to celebrate its success and look towards what needs to be done to maintain the growth curve. The rapid economic and industrial growth of the oil and energy rich nation is attr ibuted to Kazakhstan's concerted efforts to create a stable, investor-friendly environment.Despite the 2008 economic downturn, Kazakhstan retained and attracted a remarkable inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI). Last year, the nation scored among the the top 10 nations attracting FDI in the entire world. According to official figures, the country has attracted $132 billion in FDI in the last 20 years. Officials attribute the reasons to the economic growth to the political stability in the country and some of the bold decisions by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev moved the capital from Almaty to Astana in December 1997 which has proven to be a critical moment.The new capital has come up as a dynamic centre of a rapidly growing nation and a modern 21st century city of some 750,000 people. The model of inter-ethnic relations that has preserved peace and harmony in the ethnically and religiously diverse society of Kazakhstan is another cause for the countries strong growt h. On the political front, Kazakhstan is now moving towards multi-party democracy with the parliament elections to be conducted in January next year. Kazakhstan was the chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010 and hosted the OSCE summit at Astana in December.An Astana Commemorative Declaration was signed, renewing commitment to a better cooperation within the organization of 56 participating states from North America, Europe and Eurasia. In 2011, Kazakhstan also chaired the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, seeking to strengthen it as a critical instrument of promoting multi-faceted cooperation among its six members. And in June, Kazakhstan assumed the one-year presidency in the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation seeking to promote peace, cooperation and development.

Hockey Sport Essay

Hockey is a fast, exciting sport played by two teams on a sheet of ice called a rink. Each team has six players on the ice, one goalie, two defensemen, two wingers, and one center man. The players skate up and down the ice shooting or passing a hard rubber disk called a puck with sticks. They score points by hitting the puck into the net. Hockey is much faster and swifter than any other sport. As the players streak across the ice, their powerful shots and passes can send the puck faster than 100 miles [160 kilometers] per hour. A goalkeeper on each team defends his net from the puck going in. They must often make quick slides across the on their skates, stomachs, knees or backs to stop the puck from going into the net. A puck that crosses the goal line is a called a goal and scores a point for the other team. The side that scores the most goals wins the game. To keep the action fast, hockey has an unusual rule. It is the only major sport that allows players to change or substitute during play. The game is rough and includes lots of hitting and some fights, although fighting is against the rules. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, and Arabs, perhaps among the earliest of stick-and-ball games, played forms of hockey. A sport similar to hockey, called Hurling, is known to have been played during the 1st millennium in Ireland, and other Europeans in the Middle Ages adopted similar sports. The historians don’t know for certain where the name Hockey came from. But most of them thought the name hockey have been adapted by the English from the French word hoquet (shepherd’s crook). How ever was the name first given to the sport in the 18th century, but was not in common usage until the 19th century. Hockey then started in Canada in the mid-1800’s. By the 1900’s it had become Canada’s national sport. Since then, hockey has become popular in many other countries including Russia, Sweden and the United States. Hockey is grouped in many different divisions including minor hockey, which is grouped into age categories, SJHL, WHL, OHL and IHL, which involve the smaller cities in province or state, and NHL, which involve the bigger, better known cities in Canada and the United States. Each period begins with a face-off at the center face-off spot. A face-off also starts play again after it has been stopped for any reason. During play, the puck must normally be kept moving. If it is hit over the boards, held by the goalie, out of the referee’s sight, frozen between opposing players, or is otherwise temporarily out of play, an official blows a whistle for a face-off. A player may move the puck along the ice, pass it to a teammate, or shoot it at the goal, but rules limit these plays in certain ways. One extremely important rule states that no player of the attacking team may be in the attacking zone ahead of the puck. One player must carry or shoot the puck across the attacking blue line before any other player on the team crosses the blue line. For violations of this rule, an official signals the offending team offside and conducts a face-off in the neutral zone. A player may pass to a teammate anywhere in the same zone. The player may also pass from the defending zone to a teammate in their team’s half of the neutral zone. If the pass is received past the centerline an official signals the pass offside and conducts a face-off where the play began. Hockey requires a variety of skills. They include checking, skating, passing, stick handling and shooting. Checking is the way a player takes the puck away from the opponent. There are two main types of checks: stick checks and body checks. For a stick check the player uses his stick to hook or poke the puck away from the opponent. In a body check the player bumps against the opponent with a hip or a shoulder to try any block the opponent’s progress or throw the opponent off balance. Both stick checking and body checking are allowed only against a player in control of the puck or the last player to control it. Skating is the most important hockey skill. Players must be able to turn sharply, skate backwards and perform many other maneuvers while skating at top speed. They must be able to do this with their head up and while stick handling the puck. Passing occurs when a player who has the puck passes it to another player. In most cases the players use their sticks to propel the puck toward the receiver. These passes are either flat passes or flip passes. To make a flat pass the player sends the puck traveling along the surface of the ice. To make a flip pass the player causes it to rise off the ice to avoid interception by an opponent. Sometimes the passer simply leaves the puck behind, so that a teammate can get it, this is called a drop pass. Stick handling is the use of the stick to control the puck. The player first moves the puck with one side of the blade and then with the other side while skating. The player makes some sweeps of the stick some wide and some narrow. In this way the player keeps the opponent guessing as to the next move and also makes it difficult to steal the puck. Shooting is the skill needed to drive the puck into the net and score goals. Most shots are either wrist shots or slap shots. In a wrist shot the blade does not leave the ice. The player uses strong wrist action to propel the puck. For a slap shot the player raises the stick for a back swing and brings it down against the puck with great force. Slap shots are more powerful but less accurate than wrist shots. Offside plays and icing account for most violations of the rules. For these violations, the offending team risks losing control of the puck in the resulting face-off. For more serious violations, players receive penalties ranging from two minutes in the penalty box to removal from the game, but each team must always have at least four players on the ice. If a third player is penalized while two teammates are in the penalty box, a substitute may replace the player on the ice. A teammate may serve the goaltender’s penalty. Hockey has five main kinds of penalties: minor penalties, major penalties, misconduct penalties, match penalties and penalty shots. Minor penalties are given for violations like holding, tripping or hooking resulting in two minutes in the penalty box. The team must play short-handed until the time is up or the other team scores. But if the same minor penalty is awarded against players on both teams they sit for the full to minutes and two different players may replace them on the ice. Major penalties are given mainly for fighting or cutting or drawing blood with a stick, they result in five minutes in the penalty box. The penalized team must play short-handed for the full five minutes, but if a player on each team receives a major penalty at the same time, substitutes may replace both players on the ice. Misconduct penalties are given mainly toward the improper treatment towards an official, which results in ten minutes in the penalty box, but a substitute may replace the penalized player. A game misconduct penalty is given mainly for more serious offences against officials. Match penalties are given for deliberately injuring or attempting to injure an opponent. The offending player is removed for the rest of the game and usually given extra penalty minutes depending on the severity of the incident, which a player on that team has to serve. Penalty shots are free shots at the opposing goal defended by only the goalie. They are awarded against the defending team when an attacking player throws his stick or is pulled down from behind and is so prevented from taking the shot. Those are the rules and regulations of the fun and exciting game of hockey.

Cicero, Aristotle, Plato – Just Warrior

Tory Macdonald 9. 25. 12 Ethics of War and Peace Essay #1 My question: Plato, Aristotle and Cicero all talked about Just War Theory, and emphasis on the Just Warrior. Obedience and loyalty ( can lead to destruction. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, the fathers of the Just War tradition, develop and enhance the concept of civic virtue and the necessity to uphold such morality during the most chaotic, violent and brutal of times – war. They each defend the necessity of war; yet emphasize the correct code of conduct in war and what makes an honorable and just warrior.Today, war is much less engrained in our culture; our sons are not born with the future of a warrior. However, when there is war, we hear of many unjust and dishonorable acts such as mass rape, genocide, or specifically the My Lai Massacre. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero lived through a culture of war, defending it as necessary to keeping the peace. Because it was so engrained in their culture, a normalcy, they were not as concerned with the inhumane idea that defines war- killing another human being. Today, we do not live in a culture of constant war, therefore we are more susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by the trauma of violence.Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, provide guidelines of a just warrior however, had not yet discovered what it is that can turn a good man into a bad one, and what horrible aspects of war he may fall victim to. Today, true courage means fighting against dishonor, because unfortunately, war turns the most honorable men into dishonorable ones. Plato is a philosopher who lived from 469-399 through the Peloponnesian Wars and stressed the belief that for man, there is something worse than death- an unreflective life. Plato reasoned that all people should strive to be pious, or good.He noted that piety is what the God’s hold dear, what all the Gods agree upon therefore, it is these morals that the people should uphold. In war, a soldier should not fear death but rather fear a dishonorable or impious life. He should rather die from pain than he should from shame. The same idea should be used when deciding to go to war or not. There must always be a just reason. In a conversation between Alcibiades and Socrates, Plato describes the importance of waging war for a just cause. ‘Soc: Don’t you know that when we make war we begin to wage war after accusing each other of some affront and what term we use when we begin?Alc: I do – we say we have been deceived, or done violence to, or deprived of something. ’[1] He then elaborates to whom a war can be claimed against: ‘Soc: Now, what of this? Whom will you advise the Athenians to wage war against, those behaving unjustly or those practicing the just things? Alc: What you are asking is a terrible thing; for even if someone had it in his mind that war ought to be waged against those practicing the just things, he would not admit to it, at least. ’[2] Plato seeks the unbiased truth, a critical reflection on why and what to do in a situation, especially regarding war.Each of his answers comes back to being pious and reflective. He believes that war is necessary to keep up a good state, however believes it especially important to uphold pious and virtuous standards as a just warrior, in a just cause, using just means, to accomplish just ends. Aristotle is the founder of virtue ethics or â€Å"Jus in bello†, just actions in war. Aristotle claimed that virtues are described as a mean of excellence, a center between two extremes: excess and deficiency. For example, courage is a balance between cowardice and recklessness.Prudence is practical wisdom that determines the mean of all virtues essentially what determines the mean between two extremes. This is especially important in defining the virtues of a warrior. Aristotle believes that a â€Å"just warrior† is a man who exhibits courage and commits actions that are only noble. He states there sh ould be a purpose to his fighting, something he is willing to die for. A â€Å"just warrior† chooses to endure things because it is noble. â€Å"He will fear them as he ought and as reason directs, and he will face them for the sake of what is noble, for this is the end of excellence. [3] He notes that a courageous man is not a fearless one, but one who faces those fears because it is right. Aristotle also notes that, â€Å"Courage is noble. Therefore the end is also noble; for each thing is defined by its end. Therefore it is for a noble end that the brave man endures and acts as courage directs. †[4] Aristotle emphasizes that a just warrior fights only for a just cause. Aristotle also illustrates five different types of courage and their honorable uses. The first is political courage. One who exhibits political courage fears shame rather than pain or punishment.The second is that courage is knowledge. He notes, â€Å"While the former from the very beginning faced t he danger on the assumption they were stronger, and when they know the facts they fly, fearing death more than disgrace; but the brave man is not that sort of person†. [5] He explains that when one knows of the danger, and still plows ahead, he is courageous. The third is that passion should aid morals, however feelings are not bravery and emotions should not speak louder than reason. As Homer noted, â€Å"put strength into his passion†[6] as those who are passionate are often eager to rush into danger.The fourth states that sanguine people are not brave, â€Å"for they are confident in danger only because they have conquered often against many foes†¦when their adventures do not succeed however, they run away; but it was the mark of a brave man to face things that are. †[7] A noble man acts on character, not calculations. The fifth point is that courage does not mean people who are ignorant. Those who do not know and succeed are not brave, just lucky. Cicero who lived from 106 to 43 BC, created the Peace Movement that moved away from â€Å"best defense is a good offense† to the idea of constant civic virtue.He strongly stated that war must be undertaken with the aim of peace. He believed that war must be a last resort and a declaration between two parties. â€Å"For this we can grasp that no war is just unless it is waged after a formal demand for restoration, or unless it has been formally announced and declared beforehand. †[8] Justice was to be maintained amongst all participants. He was the first to declare that war was not a world apart, and that atrocities committed at an international level were not different as if they were committed in ones own state.Cicero stated that the â€Å"moral fellowship of mankind should know no boundaries†. [9] This correlates with his idea of natural law; a natural fellowship that exists amongst all humans, which nature has provided for all men to treat each other morally. There are commonalities amongst all men, no matter if he is a sea away, and Cicero believed that each warrior to act justly was to uphold that concept. Cicero also stressed that the fighting during war must always be towards an honorable end.He notes that a just warrior does not think of self-interest saying, â€Å"However, if the loftiness of spirit that reveals itself amid danger and toil is empty of justice, if it fights not for the common safety but for its own advantages, it is a vice. †[10] He also values reasons that make decisions over courage that incites battle. A just warrior â€Å"fights on behalf of fairness†[11]. A just warrior must also be able to balance reason with his cause. Cicero notes, â€Å"However, we must exercise the body, training it so that when it has to attend to business or endure hard work it is able to obey counsel and reason. [12] Just because a warrior is fighting for a noble cause, does not mean he can lose sight of the just reasoning beh ind it and we must train our soldiers so that this doesn’t happen. The My Lai massacre on March 16th, 1968 was the mass murder of somewhere between 347 to 500 innocent, unarmed village people of Southern Vietnam. [13] The United States military men of the Company C â€Å"Charlie† of the 1st Battalion committed the acts that included mass murder, mutilation, ransacking and rape. Lead into the area under a false indication of dense enemy activity, they were met with women, children, and the elderly.Although the men had not yet suffered any direct attack in the first months of their deployment, they had suffered mines and booby traps, losing many men. [14] The company was given orders by Captain Ernest Medina, who clearly stated that all those who were enemies or seemed like enemies were to be taken down. [15] The company lead by Second Lieutenant William Calley then went in to the village, and began firing at what was supposed to be dangerous enemies. [16] The violence e scalated and the brutality did not stop.Several men participated, several men stood back and watched. Only one man, Warrant Officer Scout Hugh Thompson who had spotted the massacre from a helicopter, sacrificed his life and the lives of his men to stop the atrocities. [17] To this day, only one man has been convicted of war crimes and only served three years of house arrest. The others were left alone. Today, the My Lai Massacre is looked at as the epitome of the Vietnam War- a mistake, a terrible time of confusion, an example of the psychological traumas of war.Most importantly, it is an example of how easily dishonor can cloud moral reasoning. These men were angry to have lost their fellow brothers in mines and booby traps, they were scared, they were starving, and they were not in their natural mind. A soldier states of that day, â€Å"Yes I am ashamed, I’m sorry and I’m guilty but I did it†¦If you go to war, those are the types of things that happen and can h appen to anyone†¦It can happen, it happens, that is what war is†¦War is war, it’s killing all type of ways. [18] When a dishonor was done to them, when dishonor is all around them, dishonor is what they begin to do too. Today the dishonors of war range from obedience to a terrible leader, to dehumanizing the enemy so inhumane actions suddenly seem right. In the case of the My Lai Massacre, many soldiers involved to this day claim that they were just following orders and that their loyal obedience overtook their moral compasses. One soldier noted, â€Å"At no time it ever crossed my mind to disobey or to refuse to carry out an order that was issued by my superiors.I shudder to think what the repercussions would have been†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [19] The soldiers were fighting in a perceived honor and loyalty to the United States. The need to please and obey took the pressure off of their actions, because someone else was dictating them. In other instances, soldiers would dehu manize their enemy to get through the idea of killing them. Cicero notes that this is entirely wrong according to natural law: â€Å"Perhaps we should examine more thoroughly what are the natural principles of human fellowship and community.First it is something that is seen in the fellowship of the entire human race. For its bonding consists of reason and speech, which reconcile men to one another, through teaching, learning, communicating, debating, and making judgments, and unite them in a kind of natural fellowship. It is this that most distances us from the nature of other animals. To them we often impute courage, as with horses or lions, but we do not impute them justice, fairness or goodness. For they have no share in reason and speech. † [20] Cicero states that since we are all of peech and reason, we are all human. However, dehumanization, where one dehumanizes their enemy and views them as some sort of animal, is a common strategy and conflict in today’s wars . The Holocaust, the Bosnian and Rwandan genocide are all examples of dehumanization. The Nazi soldiers truly believed that they were ridding their country of â€Å"vermin†, and the Hutu soldiers considered the Tutsi people to be â€Å"cockroaches†. Similarly, soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War referred to their enemies as animals, less than human and the massacre is a clear example of that.Perhaps the rules have changed since wars progressed through time. Today’s atrocities don’t seem as atrocious to us as they would to Plato, Aristotle and Cicero because we have become accustomed to them, as they were accustomed to having a culture of war. Peter Olsthoorn stated in his book â€Å"Just Warriors† â€Å"Soldiers, although far from selfish, cannot be expected to perform their duties from a sense of duty alone. Both inside and outside the sphere of war, only the perfectly wise act virtuously for virtue’s sake.However those perfectly wise are rare, Cicero himself claimed that he had never met such a person†¦For the not so wise, that is, most of us, a little help from the outside, consisting of the judgments of our peers and our concern for our reputation, can be of help. †[21] Looking back on the massacre, many men are quick to point out the outside factors that effected their behavior such as their loyalty, fear, confusion, lack of direction, even a blank blackout. One man notes, â€Å"We felt what we were doing was right, and after it was over we knew it was wrong. [22] These soldiers eventually are able to reflect. However at the time, they were worried for themselves, acting out of vengeance and self interest, therefore were not leading an honorable life. Officer Thompson exhibited true courage of a just warrior. He saw that the bodies consisted of mostly babies, children, women and the elderly, without a threatening combatant or weapon in sight. After several failed radio transmissions, he ordered his m en to land on sight and aim their guns at their fellow American soldiers.He ordered that they would hold their positions against their bothers until they had agreed to a cease-fire and stopped the massacre. While doing this he walked out unarmed, entered a ditch and rescued a woman and her child. Officer Thompson knew what he was getting himself into. He recognized that his loyalty to his fellow Americans was the wrong kind of loyalty. He pushed past fear and fought for a noble cause, to save the people. He did not shoot anyone down to do it, but was prepared to do so to end an injustice. Thompson used honorable means to obtain an honorable end.He illustrated every of the five points Aristotle noted a â€Å"just warrior† should be. He was courageous but not reckless, and he proved that in an unjust war, in and unjust setting, justice still prevails. Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero believe that a warrior’s honor is the ability to exercise restraint under chaotic and emotio nally taxing experiences. It is not simply standing firm in battle or committing acts of heroic bravery. It is recognizing the differences between combatant and noncombatant, between the innocent and the guilty and acting with reason when reason is hard to find.Today, it is about escaping the dishonor. War is about entering with the right reasons and leaving with the correct ends. War can make an honorable man, a dishonorable one and the three philosophers explain that real courage, is tackling war itself and not falling victim to the demons. If they had been alive at the time their general philosophy would have stood, the advancing atrocities just would have made it that much harder and much more honorable to be a real, true â€Å"just warrior†. Bibliography: Reichberg, Gregory M. Henrik Syse, and Endre Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. Baker, Deane-Peter. Just Warriors, Inc. London: Continuum International Publishing G roup, 2011. Unknown. â€Å"The My Lai Massacre. † PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . Wikipedia. org YmBigBen90 (User’s ID). â€Å"My Lai Massacre – Part One of Two. † YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2009. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. ———————– [1] Reichberg, Gregory M. , Henrik Syse, and Endre Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings.Blackwell, 2006. Print. [2] Ibid. [3] [4] Reichberg, Gregory M. , Henrik Syse, and Endre Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Ibid. [10] Reichberg, Gregory M. , Henrik Syse, and Endre Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Ibid. [14] Wikipedia. org [15] Unknown. â€Å"The My Lai Massacre. † PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [16] Unknown. â€Å"The My Lai Massacre. PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid. [19] Unknown. â€Å"The My Lai Massacre. † PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [20] Ibid. [21] Reichberg, Gregory M. , Henrik Syse, and Endre Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [22] Baker, Deane-Peter. Just Warriors, Inc. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011. [23] YmBigBen90 (User’s ID). â€Å"My Lai Massacre – Part One of Two. † YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2009. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.