Umaaraw Umuulan Kinakasal Ang Tikbalang Essay Example for Free

Umaaraw Umuulan Kinakasal Ang Tikbalang Essay Since our childhood days, we are very familiar with the Philippine folklore introduced to us by the Spanish friars namely: the tikbalang, aswang, mananaggal, kapre and the like. Who would have thought that these creatures are in fact friends of the animals commonly around us and act as guardians of Mother Earth? This brilliant idea spawned from a short story written by Gilda Cordero-Fernandez entitled The Magic Circle and amazingly performed by the Dulaang UP last December. Basically, the story revolves around Jepoy, a boy living in the forest with his banished mother Aling Barang, and his journey within the depths of the forest to attend a mysterious wedding of fabled creatures. Jepoy is accompanied by his dog Galis, which can walk upright and talk inside the forest. He is welcomed by Doà ±a Geronima, the leader of the magical creatures and Aling Pacqui, a dwarf and later on introduced to the kapre, Kap. I liked how the play was acted. Being a theater enthusiast, I also commended the beautiful set onstage and how they made colorful costumes out of recycled materials, especially Doà ±a Geronima’s. My favorite character was the humorous but kind Aling Pacquita. She was very funny and I find her walking on her knees tiresome but very effective in portraying her character as a dwarf. But they could have cut down on the miscellaneous actors, (except for the three heads). I found them disturbing sometimes. I didn’t like the use of sprayers to show rain. I guess I expected more. The lesson of the story is about saving the environment. The story reached the resolution later in the play. Before the play ends, Jepoy, the main character, finds him as a certain â€Å"chosen one† by the magical creatures and asks him to be their representative to help save the environment. Because of being just a poor boy, with no one but a hysterical mother to live with, he hesitated to accept their request. At that point on, the creatures along with the animals helped convince Jepoy that he can make a change no matter how small he may seem to be. He accepted the request after that. The lesson wasn’t just exposed due to the development of the story but also through the nonverbal cues that helped the audience understand it better. These nonverbal cues were present in all of the characters but Kap had the most distinguished one. He displayed a body motion known as an illustrator. His action, slow movements and frequent nodding of the head showed his sadness to the previous treatment of humans to him. He also displayed paralanguage where his voice was hoarse and frequently disturbed by wheezing and coughing showing how old and sickly he was. Lastly, the environmental factors when Kap was talking were very evident. The lighting, the sound and even the expressions of other creatures showed how they really need Jepoy’s help to save our environment. In conclusion, the play Umaaraw, Umuulan Kinakasal ang Tikbalang is an effective and wonderful play that would renew our love for nature and respect it, too. The only thing left for us to do is help Jepoy in his task. Let’s show our love and appreciation for the mother that nurtures us all: Mother Earth.

The Australian Wheat Board Scandal

The Australian Wheat Board Scandal Introduction This essay will discuss the primary organisational structure and causes of the Australian Wheat Board scandal, hereafter referred to as AWB. This was a scandal of global magnitude, whereby AWB paid substantial monetary bribes to Iraq officials in blatant non-compliance of the regulations set out in the Oil-for-Food programme; which was established by the United Nations. Moreover, this essay will discuss the evidence presented in the Cole Royal Commission, an enquiry established to investigate the conduct of several Australian companies in relation to the oil-for-food program; AWB a governmental organisation was the foremost organisation under scrutiny. This essay will also examine the regulatory failures that facilitated corruption at the Governmental level to occur, and which remained predominantly unfettered for a protracted period. Incidences of governmental and corporate corruption and deviant behaviour, which often involve considerable numbers of active or passive participants, are seldom the result of opportunism alone, but are far more often insidious and methodical by nature. The AWB case is a clear illustration of governmental corporate culture and demonstrates a plethora of systemic regulatory and policy failures, all of which further influenced and defined the AWBs decision-making process and unethical posture. Lastly, the aforementioned material will be discussed commencing with a brief summary and literature review, and a comprehensive case analysis in order to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of this particular type of Governmental crime, which sits under the broad ambiguous umbrella of white-collar crime. Brief Summary Contemporary society in a globalised world demonstrates an almost overwhelming abundance of criminal activity in particular pertaining to white-collar crime; however, numerous researches demonstrate that not all crimes and criminals are dealt with in the same manner (Chambliss, 1989). In fact, on closer examination, research has suggested that there is an innate tendency for specific crimes and criminals to be positively overlooked, typically these being crimes of the powerful, (Ditton, 1977; Box, 1983; Chambliss, 1989; Muncie, 1996) .primary example is that of the AWB scandal. The questionable Utilitarian approach of seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Kay 1997) found to be assumed by the AWB and its Board, is analysed in the Cole Enquiry Report. The Cole Report stimulated awareness to the fundamental deficiencies in both corporate governance and culture, which play a significant function in permitting or precluding the occurrence of unethical conduct (Kay, 1997). Furthermore, the inaction demonstrated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hereafter referred to as DFAT, and the Australian Federal Government in investigating claims against AWB further highlights the systemic failures that permitted AWBs unethical behaviour to prevail (Gibson, 2000). The key causes of, and major influences on unethical behaviour determined from the Cole report are: -The AWB organisations strong profit driven demand to meet financial or business objectives, and the promotion of tolerance for illegal/criminal acts (white-collar crime) (Overington, 2006) -A culture of getting the job done, where corrupt acts are justified under the proviso that the greatest good will be achieved for the company (Overington, 2006) -A lack of control mechanisms and moral agents in both corporate and public sector governance (Overington, 2006) -The implication of privatisation of Australian rural entities (Bartos, 2007) -Policy and Regulatory design and the lack of adherence and implementation (Bartos, 2007) -Governmental oversight of wheat growing monopoly, international monopolisation (Bartos, 2007) -Conduct of foreign policy misconduct United Nations Oil-for-Food-Program International Trade Sanctions )Bartos, 2007) One crucial aspect to be considered is that Australia is a signatory to both the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions. Australias interpretation of the aforementioned United Nations Convention is The Criminal Code Amendment (Bribery of Foreign Public Officials) Act, referred to as the Bribery Act, which is the Australian Parliaments legislative implementation of the latter convention Literature Review It is common knowledge that conventional criminals consider it normal to utilise any instrument or weapon to perpetuate a crime, therefore, it would also seem normal for organisations to utilise the organisation itself to acquire money from victims by way of its deviant misbehaviour (Harris Hartman, 2002). These victims are varied and may be customers or the members of the organisation themselves (Harris Hartman, 2002). This is a prime example of what is referred to as the organisational weapon the organisation is for white-collar criminals as the gun or knife is for conventional criminals (Wheeler and Rothman, 1982, cited in Punch, 1996). Harris and Hartman (2002), state that an organisations culture consists of the values, norms, and attitudes of the people who intrinsically make up the organisation. Moreover, the stated values demonstrate what is important; whereas norms reveal expected behaviour; attitudes expose the mind-set of individuals (Hall, 2006). Therefore, organisational culture informs people what is important in the organisation, expected behaviours, and how to observe things (Hall, 2006). Culture is a part of organisational life that influences the behaviour, attitudes, and overall effectiveness of all members of an organisation (Gibson et al, 2000). Further to this, Daboub Coulton (2002) stressed the importance of organisations selecting business partners who share a comparable commitment to both the social and environmental practices and ethical commitment of the company. They further stated that this would assist in ensuring that the organisation is not placed in compromising situations due to unethical acts perpetrated by those companies with whom they have working associations (Daboub Coulton, 2002). Robbins (2000) argued that todays global business environment can lead to such problematic associations, and stated the need for organisations to take a fervent pro-active stance to further ensure that the codes of conduct under which they operate are transparent, implicit and adhered to by their associates (Robbins, 2000; Daboub Coulton, 2002). Furthermore, the political influence on large governmental or privatised organisations and the desire not to over-regulate can also be very influential. Politicians are mindful of the detrimental effect that heavy regulation can have on businesses that are often generous economic contributors. The will of governments not to introduce laws that hinder corporate activity is evidenced by the lack of substantial powers and penalties (specifically prison terms) available to regulatory bodies, the lack of resources available to enforce those provisions already available and governments commitment to regularly review any legislation that may impact adversely on competition. Case Analysis The United Nations Oil-for-Food program involved not only companies but also governments; however, various activities by the Howard Government were outside the provisions of reference of the Cole Enquiry, which was fundamentally sanctioned to examine the actions of the companies specifically mentioned in the 2004 United Nations report on the Oil-for-Food program. Furthermore, Cole was unable to examine the extent to which government policy during that period encouraged or discouraged bribes from the AWB, or equally as to whether Australian Government Ministers should have enquired further, especially considering that warnings were received that something was inappropriate, or indeed how the government managed its relationship with the AWB throughout this protracted process. To illustrate further, Henry Bosch former chairperson of Transparency International Australia and also one of Australias most experienced business regulators, argued that somebody, somewhere must have known what was going on. Bosch stated to the Ethical Corporation that he suspected, that the executives involved in winning contracts were a bit less careful than they should have been regarding the status of payments being demanded. The AWBs justification for this deviant and criminal behaviour was to argue that it simply was not aware of the payments. Moreover, numerous critics pointed out that it was virtually impossible for government Ministers and various other officials to not have known, especially due to the fact that the fees paid to the contractors selected by Saddam Husseins bureaucrats would have been noticeably and remarkably high, in fact, the AWBs responses plainly raised far more questions than answers. Further to this, the Cole Enquiry argued that the AWBs structure was primarily to blame, for example; the company was responsible for the marketing and exporting of one of Australias major export commodities. Moreover, all Australian wheat exports passed through the offices of the so-called single-desk export authority, which was heavily vested in the AWB. The single-desk export authority was established in 1915 to assist Australian wheat growers to get their produce to global export markets, therefore dealing with the AWB was a major factor for all businesses involved in Australias powerful expansive wheat growing sector. In addition to this, Iraq was a massive market and there was a need for the organisation to justify its often-criticised monopoly on Australias global wheat exports, particularly in the face of strong competition from the United States and other suppliers. Numerous critics observed that, since the AWB was privatised in 1998, and consequently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2001 the AWB had noticeably become far more extreme than its former bureaucratic culture might have previously endorsed. Furthermore, a United Nations report on October 27, 2005 established that the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) had paid $US221.7 ($AU300) million in bribes to the Iraqi Government between 1999 and 2003 under the United Nations Oil-for-Food program (Whitton 2007). Through this mode of immoral and illegal behaviour, the AWB defrauded their shareholders out of their financial investments and profits as well as causing irreparable damage to Australias trade reputation globally. Further to this, the United Nations report on the inquiry into corruption in the Oil-for-Food Program, led by Paul Volcker, revealed that 2200 companies participating in the program were misappropriating funds from the United Nations accounts to redistribute them to the Iraqi government but none of the magnitude of the AWB. Moreover, the AWB was a company with a high profile and facing a serious legal problem, therefore the AWB was obviously likely to draw attention from both the Australian and worldwide public and media (Lukaszewski, 1997). Consequently, with the release of the report and mass media and public attention (Mackey, 2002), the AWB was obviously facing a dire crisis. Due to this in February 2006, the AWB managing director Andrew Lindberg resigned after demonstrated outrage throughout the press and collective Australian wheat growers. The AWB scandal has left an indelible black mark on the AWBs reputation throughout the world, and puts into question how reliable it was and how well suited it was to represent and market nearly all of Australias wheat to the overseas marketplace. In addition, the AWB was sued for AU$1 billion in compensation by collective wheat farmers in North America for alleged, bribery and other corrupt activities to corner the grain markets internationally (news.com.au, 2006). The effect of the scandal resulted in Iraq refusing to purchase wheat from the AWB and the consequential loss of a substantial overseas market for Australian wheat growers. In an attempt to minimise damage to the Howard Governments reputation, Prime Minister Howard launched an official enquiry in November of 2006, into the payment of bribes by the AWB Ltd, formerly known as the Australian Wheat Board, to the Saddam Hussein regime, this enquiry essentially produced a whitewash report designed for several key purposes. Foremost, was the need to clear Prime Minister John Howard and his leading ministers of any political and/or criminal responsibility pertaining to the payment of bribes to Iraqi bureaucrats. Another critical concern was to fend off United States agricultural interests that were demanding the dismantling of the AWBs wheat export monopoly as part of a ruthless trade war. To illustrate further, it was absoloutely paramount for the Howard government to prevent any examination of the motives behind Canberras participation in the U.S occupation of Iraq. Therefore, in an obvious act of scape-goating, enquiry Commissioner Cole singled out 11 former AWB executives and one ex BHP executive for blame, and the possibility of criminal prosecutions. Sanctioned by the Howard government the mass media immediately did its best to assist this diversionary exercise by dubbing these 12 individuals the dirty-dozen in newspaper headlines around the country, demonstrating the great measures that politicians will take to cover their corruption. Howards use of Cole, a trusted lawyer who had previously conducted a witch-hunting enquiry against building workers on behalf of Prime Minister Howard wreaks of the unfettered abuse of governmental power. It was therefore not surprising that Cole attributed the payment of nearly $AU300 million in bribes under the United Nations 1996-2003 so-called Oil-for-Food-Program solely to a handful of 12 individuals. Moreover, Cole stated that these 12 individuals deviant corrupt behaviour developed from a closed culture of superiority and impregnability within the organisation, which had been produced by the AWBs 67-year monopoly and stronghold over all Australian wheat exports. In addition to this, Cole stated that it was obvious that the AWBs unethical policy in Iraq was to do whatever is necessary in order to retain the $AU500 million in annual wheat sales, and further stated that was precisely what the Howard Governments policy was at the time. The substantial and comprehensive documents tabled at the Cole enquiry confirm that the AWB, which was a government agency up until 1999 and then subsequently privatised continued to operate and receive Canberras protection, almost as a virtual arm of the Howard Government throughout the lead-up to the March 2003 U.S. led invasion of Iraq Conclusion The AWB scandal raises significant questions and concerns pertaining to the Australian policy-making processes and the attitudes of the government ministers involved.

To Kill A Mocking Bird :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb. To Kill a Mocking Bird is narrated retrospectively from the view of Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch a lawyer of Maycomb, and younger sister of Jem. The informal vocabulary of the narration is still good enough to suggest it is spoken from the view of an adult Scout, (looking back at her childhood) but is casual enough to be understood by most readers. Maycomb's racist attitude in To Kill a Mocking Bird is fueled by the events which occurred soon after World War I. After a devastating stock market crash, many employers lost a substantial amount of money and therefore could hardly afford to hire staff. Many resorted to buying slaves; it was cheap and required little responsibility on their part. This event led to the employment of Negroes. The Industrial revolution did not occur in South America since it was only logical to simply buy slaves rather than expensive machinery. The civil war soon followed, and declared that Negroes were no longer considered slaves and if they were unhappy with work conditions they could leave. Few did, since jobs were already dangerously scarce and by about 1930 racism toward blacks was obvious. Negroes were accused of stealing the jobs of white people and this led to a system of separate public transport, schools and even drinking fountains. To Kill a Mocking Bird expresses the racist attitudes of Maycomb most dominantly in the court case involving Tom Robinson (who's lawyer is Atticus Finch) and Mayella Eule. The trial makes blatantly obvious to the reader that Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape is innocent and yet the jury finds him guilty. It also establishes that Mayella was actually beaten by her father and although the evidence that points to this occurrence is circumstantial, it is made perfectly clear. The court case also clarifies to the reader the frightful nature and obvious abundance of racism within the small town of Maycomb.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven :: essays research papers

Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. As the park has changed over the years -- from the Loop-the-Loop to the Pipeline Plunge -- so, too, has Eddie changed, from optimistic youth to embittered old age. His days are a dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret. Then, on his 83rd birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his -- and then nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where five people who were in it explain your earthly life to you. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of them changed your path forever. One by one, Eddie's five people illuminate the unseen connections of his earthly life. As the story builds to its stunning conclusion, Eddie desperately seeks redemption in the still-unknown last act of his life: Was it a heroic success or a devastating failure? The answer, which comes from the most unlikely of sources, is as inspirational as a glimpse of heaven itself. These five meetings -- some of which are with people who are strangers to Eddie, others with people he knows intimately -- take this gruff but gentle man through the different stages of his life, and through each new person, some hidden truth is revealed. As Albom unfolds Eddie's story, he gradually sheds light on the web of connections between each individual and a world of strangers, so that life is revealed not as a straightforward story of what we have achieved but as a vast network, too large for us to perceive clearly from the inside.

The Complex Character of King Richard II Essays -- Richard II Richard

The Complex Character of King Richard II A general conclusion of most critics is that Richard II is a play about the deposition of a "weak and effeminate" king. That he was a weak king, will be conceded. That he was an inferior person, will not. The insight to Richard's character and motivation is to view him as a person consistently acting his way through life. Richard was a man who held great love for show and ceremony. This idiosyncrasy certainly led him to make decisions as king that were poor, and in effect an inept ruler. If not for this defect in character, Richard could be viewed as a witty, intelligent person, albeit ill-suited for his inherited occupation. Immediately the reader is shown the adoration of ceremony and drama that Richard holds. He hears the accusations brought to him by his cousin Bolingbroke and Mowbray. Mowbray fearing impartiality on the kings part is reassured by Richard: "impartial are our eyes and ears./ Were he my brother, nay my kingdom's heir...Now by my scepter's awe I make a vow. (I.i.120-123). Notice the love Richard has of his power and of the ceremony itself that the kingship brings with three words, "my scepters awe". Interestingly until this point Richard has used the royal "we" in his speech; here it becomes his personal status. Additionally, he asks them to "be ruled by me" (i.i157) and follows this line with clever poetry. "Lets purge this choler without letting blood./ This we prescribe, though no physician;/ Deep malice makes too deep incision." (I.i.158-160). Richard is showing off his poetic talents, not necessarily his kingly talents. There seems to be a strong feeling that he enjoys this display of his talent. At this point the reader may be amused and entertained by his ... ... He was though very inconsistent. He lapses into moods and publicly displays his feelings. Inconstancy is not the way to rule a country. His entrance into "reality" stems from his adversity with Bolingbroke. Would Richard have matured if not faced with the opposition of Bolingbroke. Sadly the answer seems to be no. Richard was consistently acting through his reign, yet that was his true personality. Such is the paradox that is Richard II. Works Cited Calderwood, James L. and Howard E. Tolvier, eds. Essays in Shakespearean Criticism. NJ:Prentice Hall, Inc. 1970 Cubeta, Paul A., Twentieth Century Interpretations of Richard II. NJ:Prentice Hall, Inc. 1971 Dean, Leonard F., ed. Shakespeare Modern Essays in Criticism. New York:Oxford University Press. 1967 Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Richard The Second. New York: Washington Square Press. 1962

Cat’s Cradle Theme Analysis Essay

Vonnegut’s intriguing story of a writer sent to San Lorenzo pits science and truth against religion and lies. The few characters of Cat’s Cradle illustrate one trait or the other, with John, the main character and â€Å"writer† of the memoir which is the book, observing and attempting to understand each point of view. As John learns of San Lorenzo’s banned religion, Bokononism, and explores the lives of the scientists responsible for the atomic bomb and a new, dangerous, chemical called Ice-nine, he finds himself searching for his reason of living as well. Through John’s character, Vonnegut exemplifies this theme of an overall search for moral structure and a purpose for life. In order to organize the development of the theme, Vonnegut begins his novel by creating a sense of pointlessness for the characters to build off of, a blank slate. Newt, the son of Felix Hoenikker, who was the creator of the Atomic Bomb and Ice-nine, creates this mood in his description of the yarn game â€Å"Cat’s Cradle†. He asks John to point out the cat and cradle in the yarn formation, which he obviously can’t; Vonnegut is commenting on humanity’s attempts to find meaning where no meaning exists. It is with this notion in mind that John begins his exploration of science and religion. Science is John’s first stop in his search for purpose. The author points out that in scientist’s desperate search for truth, which seems to be the only thing with importance, they aren’t intelligent enough to realize that the â€Å"truth† is given a false connotation. In the Hoenikker’s case, the â€Å"truth† was the basis for millions of people being killed by the atomic bomb and the end of the world through Ice-nine. So, truth is rejected as innately good, which leaves John with nothing but lies and religion. However, in San Lorenzo, lies and religion are a good combination. John is introduced to Bokononism when he gets his hands on a copy of The Books of Bokonon. The basis of this religion is that anything considered good, whether it be an organization, a cause, or a religion, is based on foma, or lies. Vonnegut comes back to his original point of humanity trying to give things meaning. John has only experienced the futility of this concept, but through Bokonon, he is able to see a different and more easily acceptable argument: â€Å"Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy (Vonnegut 265, The Books of Bokonon).† He begins to understand what Bokonon was getting at: that in attempting to give the world meaning, men lied in order to make life more interesting. John’s character travels through Vonnegut’s moral maze, beginning with a supposedly meaningless world, finding that truth isn’t always â€Å"good†, and realizing that lies are not only behind everything, but are good for the soul. Vonnegut’s character and theme come to rest when Ice-nine has replaced the world’s water and brought to pass the end of the world. John, as one of the only people left living, finally understands and accepts Bokonon’s idea that, although foma may be dangerous or harmful, lies are what make life worth living.

Mental Duality Essay

Everyone is familiar with the famous Rubin face-vase drawing, a black and white print in which one can simultaneously perceive faces by focusing on the black ink or a vase by focusing on the white. If I announce that this is a picture of a vase, am I right? However you announce you see a picture of two faces, are you right? Who’s right? Are we both right? Or are we both wrong? Is it right and wrong; good and evil? I believe neurobiological research, as well as personal anecdotal study; have demonstrated that dichotomous thinking, (mental duality) is an appropriate expectation for developing brains. However an evolved adult brain has developed the ability (free will) to reconcile their emotional reactivity with reality to understand that there are very few absolutes in life. The picture is both face and vase. You and I may only see one figure; however that does not mean the other does not exist. To see the truth one must integrate the entire picture, black and white, good and evil. In studying Roger Sperry and A.L. Wigan’s work on mental duality, Roland Puccetti believed there were two people inside each human organism. By saying there were two people; Puccetti believed there were two minds with separate streams of consciousness that were therefore capable of separate volitions, or courses of action. Puccetti was attempting through science to justify dichotomous thinking, and therefore indirectly justify dichotomous concepts of good and evil. Critics of Puccetti often pointed to an introspective argument to counter his ideas. This argument was based on someone looking within oneself and realizing they had only one mind because they did not feel two streams of consciousness or separate volitions. This was based on the idea that at one exact point in time, a person seemed capable of realizing and reacting to only one stream of thought. Likewise, there was also a behavior-based argument to reject Puccetti’s hypothesis. This objection, unlike the introspective, asked the reader to examine the behavior, more specifically the volition, of others. In looking at others, it appeared fairly simple for the reader to reject dual minds, because, anecdotally, it never seemed like people behaved with two different minds and decision-making centers. To the onlooker, it never seemed that a person had one decision-making center fighting to act over the other. Ultimately, these introspective and behavioral arguments created a lot of doubt about the idea of dual mindedness and by extrapolation cast doubt on simplified concepts of good and evil. There is reassurance in the certitude of a definitive right and wrong. People, including myself, like to believe they are right and good. Ironically, it is in the believing that I am right that makes me wrong! We mortals have the capacity (free will or volition) to be infinitely right or wrong. However, if God is right and evil is wrong, and this dichotomy exists, then I (and Pucetti) want to be â€Å"right†. In response to the introspective argument, Puccetti looked to the distinction between persons and human organisms to explain his reasoning. He defined a person as a complex minded entity that actually had experiences, whereas a human organism was the combination of the biological substrate of two persons, each of which had one mind. In his view, the human organism did not see or experience anything so therefore the human organism was incapable of being conscious. Puccetti, however, believed there was interconnectedness between the left and right hemisphere in which the left hemisphere received a stream of stimuli or experience from the right side of the body and through the corpus callosum this signal went to the right hemisphere. This connectedness worked both from the left hemisphere to the right hemisphere and also right to left. The two hemispheres were able to create their own consciousness through the unique capabilities of each hemisphere once this stream of experience was shared from one side to the other. This idea ultimately allowed each person and corresponding mind to know what was happening to the other side of the body, without being conscious of the experience in the other. While introspection argued that we only received one stream of experience or stimuli at a time, this idea put forth by Puccetti offered a union of two streams of experience before the conscious state. Therefore, while introspectively it seemed there was only one stream, there quite possibly were two conscious streams that joined together through the complex network of commissures. While Puccetti was convinced of dual mindedness, Thomas Nagel suggested that our idea of â€Å"single mind† precluded this possibility in normal functioning humans. Nagle believed that if a single mind did not apply to ordinary individuals with intact brains then the idea of a single mind should be scrapped altogether. For his argument, Nagle relied heavily on paradigm, or model, examples. Nagle compared how the mind was defined to the idea of how colors were assigned. When we were all young, we learned the concept â€Å"red, the color† likely by being shown an object that was red and taking it as fact. However, the world presents with much more complexity. Even when examining color, few things are absolutely 100% red. The human eye sees red when it looks at light with a wavelength between 620-740 nanometers. In the 1600s, people were wrongfully accused of being witches (evil) after people (presumably people who were struggling with mentally duality) went out looking for them and pointed them out. They were identified as witches, and therefore 100% evil. The definition of a witch implied evil, magical powers, and witchcraft; however, the identification of these individuals was made on an emotional and unfortunately finite basis. Similarly, in ancient times, an element was thought to be the most basic material that could not be broken down. Examples of such eleme nts were earth, wind, fire, and water. We now know, however, that this was not true and that these elements were not the most basic building materials. Seen through both witch and element, dichotomous thinking or mental dualities are extremely difficult to support by simple paradigm example. These two examples hardly defined themselves because they were not correct examples only perceptions. In these cases the examples did not match what they were intended to; they were misapplied concepts. Likewise, this idea would be useful in describing a â€Å"single mind†. Just like the aforementioned examples, one could be drastically misapplying the concept of what a single mind is. While we may see what appears to be a single mind and call it a single mind, the question of whether or not we know what that concept truly encompasses comes to issue. Nagle showed the complexity of the mind as he somewhat contradicted himself when he described simultaneous attention to two incompatible tasks; perhaps similar to our vase and our faces. The threat to the absolutes implicitly calls into question our perception of our internal absolute. Are we good, intelligent, strong?, absolutely? As he threatened assumptions about the unity of consciousness, he also hindered understanding and empathy of another individuals. Puccetti’s belief of â€Å"no-creation-by-splitting† implied that if Sperry’s split-brain patients were thought to have two minds, then one must also assume normal functioning individuals had two minds. If we assumed that brain-splitting could not create two minds, however, and believed that Sperry’s patients actually had two minds, then we needed to conclude that normal functioning humans with intact brains still had two minds. While Puccetti did not provide concrete reasoning to why he believed splitting a brain could not create two minds, he did believe it made more sense to assume the two minds existed prior to surgery. To Puccetti, it is more believable that such a condition was present to begin with than gained through such a procedure. As put forth by Nagle, however, an explanation of mental unity, a capacity to accept the co-existence of complexity, helped to explain the â€Å"split minds†. Nagle stated that we subtly ignore the possibility that the unity of our mind was not actually absolute, but rather another case of integration to one’s control system. Nagle believed the unified brain was made through numerous functional connections across itself. These connections ultimately could be rerouted and cut to create separate minds. Modern research on brain plasticity certainly validates portions of Nagle’s premise. Therefore, while we often think of this unity as numerically absolute, the number of minds was likely relative and performance a function of integration. Through this thought of unity, it was clear why Nagle believed that it was possible to create separate minds through brain splitting and disconnection. †¦ And when I was a child, I thought that God was the God who only saw black and white. Now that I am no longer a child, I can see, that God is the God who can see the black and the white and the grey, too, and He dances on the grey!†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ― C. JoyBell C. There are not two minds. While I do believe there are two parts of the brain connected by certain commissures and connections, I do not believe there are two separate streams of consciousness. Never have I seen someone strain and fight between two different minds. However, often have I witnessed and felt the strain between good and evil and the struggle to understand the grey. Name one premise that every single person in the world would absolutely agree is absolutely positive and has absolutely no negative consequences? There is scientific research to show the interconnectedness of the brain. In previous articles the brains were often manipulated to act independently from one another. Current science details physiological processes and peripheral cues between the two parts of the brain resulting in one conscious mind and an individual in full control of his decisions. I believe much of the search for the dual-minded, was to alleviate the discomfort of moral ambiguity and organic comp lexity.