The Torch Magazine,
The Journal and Magazine of the
International Association of Torch Clubs
For 91 Years
A Peer-Reviewed
Quality Controlled
Publication
ISSN Print 0040-9440
ISSN Online 2330-9261
Winter
2017
Volume 90, Issue 2
Reflection
What do I know?
--Michel de Montaigne
Articles for the Winter
2017 Issue
- What I Kept and
What I Left Behind: A Philosophy
Professor Looks Back on his
Fundamentalist Upbringing
by Dan
Crawford
The author's
father, Percy Crawford, was a
well-known fundamentalist preacher who
used the radio and early television to
preach his message. The whole
family was involved in the ministry,
which included a musical chorus. Percy
Crawford would have thought the
current conservative social agenda was
putting the emphasis on inessential
matters and missing the essential
message of the New Testament, namely,
to carry the gospel to the world, and
save souls. The author describes
how he integrated his past with his
chosen career as a professor of
philosophy. A
.pdf file of the article is
available here.
- Common Core: A
Dream in Progress
by D. Hugh Ferguson
The dream of a simple,
practical, effective national
educational system is not
disappearing into the atmosphere of
lost yearnings. Following this first
year of Common Core testing, there
will be great "Common Interest" in
conclusions and recommendations
regarding quality and cost that will
carry us into the future. As
Americans, we will continue to
attempt to define and fix whatever
is broken in our public schools. A .pdf file of
the article is available here.
- Traumatic Brain
Injury
by Anna Johnson-Winegar
The author discuses how
traumatic brain injuries affects
humans. One main source of
brain inuries is football, something
that has received a lot of recent
publicty. However, soccer also
is a problem, since bouncing the
ball of the head is also a cause of
trainmatic brain injury. There
is no cure for traumatic brain
injuries, only avoidance. A .pdf file of
the article is available here.
- By the Numbers
by R. Paul Moore
Paying taxes is not a
popular undertaking. The author
looks at many different ways of
measuring governmental tax
history. In terms of who pays
what, the author shows that each
income bracket ends of paying a
similar portion of its income in
taxes. Total taxes paid by
each income group are roughly
similar to their share of
income. So, are all paying
their fair share? By the
numbers, in 2014 each income group
was paying taxes that seem
appropriate for its income
levels. The lowest 20% of
incomes are taxed at 19.1%
overall. It would not be easy
to live on $14,000 per year ($7.00
an hour) and pay nearly 20% of it on
taxes. A
.pdf file of the article is
available here.
- Isoroku
Yamamoto, Reluctant Admiral
by William T. Alexander, II
Both
before and during World War II,
Isoroku Yamamoto was revered by the
Japanese as the most famous,
professional, and capable admiral in
the Imperial Navy. The esteem in which
even his enemies held him was similar
to that of Field Marshal Rommel of
Germany's Third Reich. Yet he
often had fears that attacking the
United States at Pearl Horbor would
not be fruitful once the nation used
its larger productive capacity to win
a war of attrition. His fears of
course proved correct. A .pdf file of
the article is available here.
- The Seven Lives of
Winston Spencer Churchill
by Joseph C. Huber, Jr.
Winston
Churchill had seven areas of
interest. His first interest was
politics, but his ability to write was probably equally
important. Winston's
command of the English language,
inventive use of words, lucid and
succinct narrative, and fascinating
content were irresistible. Though
not the overwhelming best-seller his
history of the Second World War the
book has many admirers; it is
nothing less than "the greatest
historical work written in our
century, an inexhaustible mine of
political wisdom and understanding,
which should be required reading for
every student of political science,"
according to political philosopher
Leo Strauss. A
.pdf of the article is available
here.
- Brian Williams:
Issues and Perceptions
by Rhoda Tillman
Brian
Williams was (is) a well-known news
reporter. Williams reported that
during the invasion of Iraq, he had
been traveling in a helicopter that
was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade
and forced down. He told the story on
late night television as well as on
NBC Nightly News. When he subsequently
retold the story, he said that he was
actually following the aircraft that
was struck. Not quite as heroic. Many
people were offended and Williams was
disciplined. This article
describes how in an era when truth is
relative, why the reaction to Williams
was so severe. A
.pdf file of the article is
available here.
- George Paul
Crepeau, 1922-2016
by A. Reed Taylor
On September 17, 2016, one
of the bright flames of today’s
Torch Association was extinguished
as we lost George Crepeau.
Throughout his university career
George Crepeau was very active in
the Columbus Torch Club, legendary
for attracting new members and
lining up interesting
programs. As President of the
International Association of Torch
Clubs from 1990 to 1992, he was
always unflappable and calm in the
face of any crisis. Known
affectionately as “George the Good,”
he was always a gentleman, quiet and
yet persistent in convincing others
of his positions. He will be
missed.
©2017 by the
International Association of Torch Clubs
An EBSCO Publication
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