The Baylor Lariat Vol

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Baylor Lariat Vol ROUNDING UP CAMPUS NEWS SINCE 1900 THE BAYLOR LARIAT VOL. 110 No. 3 FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2010 © 2010, Baylor University OPINION PAGE 2 ARTS PAGE 4 SPORTS PAGES 5 “The main goal is to unite the Baylor family. Goodbye, Conan Headed to Cuba The way to accomplish this is to involve the O’Brien has finalized a The baseball team is leaving entire Baylor community, as was done at the severance package from NBC to work with and serve beginning of this process.” and will no longer host ‘Tonight’ the youth of Havana Institute BU in funds talks to cancer build research strength $200,000 grant Stronger awarded for affiliation main various projects point of Baylor, med school BY SA R A TIRRITO discussions ST A FF WRITER BY SA R A TIRRITO ST A FF WRITER Baylor has been awarded a $200,000 grant was by the Can- cer Prevention and Research In an e-mail to the univer- Institute of Texas, Wednesday. sity Thursday, Interim President It will be put toward cancer re- David Garland announced pub- search and prevention efforts by licly for the first time that Bay- the university. lor is in discussions with Baylor ASSOCI A TED PRESS Baylor’s grant came in the College of Medicine and Texas first wave of awards from the Former Baptist minister Matt Baker, right, leaves the 19th District Court during a break in his murder trial, Friday, in Waco. Baker, 38, was sen- Children’s Hospital regarding a tenced to 65 years in prison for murdering his wife and trying to cover it up as suicide. institute. strengthened affiliation, but not Texas voters approved an a merger. amendment to the Texas Consti- “We believe that such a tution, creating the Cancer Pre- strengthened affiliation could vention and Research Institute be helpful to the University’s of Texas in 2007. continued growth and advance- Over the next 10 years, the Ex-pastor gets 65 years ment,” Garland stated in the e-mail. “Talk of a strengthened institute will be distributing $3 Baker said she was depressed Baker deserves the maximum asleep in the house when he affiliation has encouraged us to billion worth of grants to pri- Matt Baker over their 16-month-old daugh- sentence, and Matt Baker, I can killed his wife. think broadly about some excit- vate companies and academic ter’s cancer death in 1999. But look you in the eye and say be- “He thought no more of them convicted of ing new opportunities for the institutions because of the 2007 authorities reopened the case cause of your heartless, soulless than to murder their mother and wife’s murder faculty and students of Baylor vote. several months later after her conduct, you do deserve a maxi- then erase her legacy with them University.” “The voters of Texas voted BY ANGEL A BROWN parents shared evidence ob- mum sentence,” Long said, glar- by convincing them that she However, Garland said there to spend the money on cancer ASSOCI A TED PRESS tained for their wrongful death ing and pointing at Baker. didn’t love them enough to stay have been misstatements and research and prevention and lawsuit against Baker. Defense attorney Harold and raise them, that she commit- misperceptions about the uni- CPRIT is making that happen,” When the judge asked if there Danford said Baker “did some ted suicide,” Shafer told jurors. WACO — Jurors on Thurs- versity since word of the discus- Ellen Read, an information spe- was any legal reason why he things he’s not proud of” but Baker, who did not testify day sentenced a former Texas sions got out. cialist at the Cancer Prevention should not be sentenced, Baker reminded jurors that Baker was during the trial, was convicted minister to 65 years in prison for “As word of our conversa- and Research Institute said. “It’s said: “I truly believe in my inno- eligible for probation because late Wednesday. murdering his wife and trying tions with BCM and TCH has an awesome cause.” cence. I believe the jury made a he had not previously been Kari’s mother Linda Dulin to cover it up as a suicide. spread, a variety of the misper- Dr. Kevin Pinney, the prin- mistake in this.” convicted of a felony. He urged told Baker that the family had Jurors deliberated for about ceptions about Baylor University cipal investigator for the grant During closing arguments, jurors to consider Baker’s entire decided to forgive him for the two hours before agreeing on have been reported in the news application, and Dr. Mary Lynn prosecutor Crawford Long — life and activities such as youth sake of the daughters. the sentence for 38-year-old media,” he said. “There also Trawick, co-PI, will use the who previously called Baker a mission trips and his work as a “You took her from us Matt, Matt Baker. He had faced from have been misstatements about grant to help further their re- “murdering minister” — said he Baptist pastor. you discarded her like she was probation to life in prison for our history and current relation- search on new cancer treatment killed his wife in “cold-blooded Prosecutor Susan Shafer said yesterday’s trash ... and you left slipping his wife sleeping pills ship with the Baylor College of agents. Pinney is a professor of cruelty” and seemed to take Baker was dangerous because so many other victims,” Dulin and suffocating her in 2006. Medicine. We are working with Chemistry and Trawick an asso- pleasure in getting away with he still could fool people into said in her victim impact state- The case almost never went colleagues at BCM and TCH to ciate professor of Biochemistry it. believing he was a good person. ment at sentencing. to trial. Her death was deemed a ensure that accurate informa- at Baylor. suicide after a note and sleeping “Folks, I can look every one She said the “best of Matt” was of you in the eye and say Matt his two daughters, who were see GRANT, pg. 6 pills were found by the bed, and see BAKER, pg. 6 see TALKS, pg. 6 Local efforts: Antioch church sends team to Haiti BY CA TY HIRST tors, two nurses, one physician medical attention. on the ground there to continue Waco, said World Hunger Farm that will be transported.” ST A FF WRITER assistant, one certified nurse “Just left the orphanage their work,” Bonney said. “We is focusing their help on trans- World Hunger Farm is col- assistant, a translator, three wil- where 30 of the 75 kids had overlap the teams so the work porting supplies from the Do- lecting donations to wire down From individuals putting derness survival specialists and died,” Byrd wrote. “I saw the continues uninterrupted.” minican Republic to the areas in to their organization in Haiti, to their lives on hold to organiza- three relief coordinators. rubble heaps where some re- Although they do not know Haiti that were most devastated offset the skyrocketing prices of tions rallying relief, the Waco Dr. Brian Byrd from Fort mained. Awful smells. A few of yet how long they will stay, Bon- by the earthquake. supplies and gasoline. community has banded togeth- Worth is on the team and is up- the kids were in awful shape.” ney said Antioch is assessing the “We have been working in “We are encouraging people, er to ensure Haiti receives help dating his blog with news from Bonney said the team will possibility of sending long-term Haiti for about 30 years and we if they feel compelled to provide from Central Texas. the team’s service. return to the United States early teams to serve in Haiti. have a Haiti counterpart orga- some sort of financial help, to Antioch Church in Waco sent “Finishing up a day of see- next week and Antioch will con- “We love Jesus and we try to nization, World Hunger Relief remember the long-term needs, a team of 15 to Haiti on Monday. ing Haitians previously unseen. tinue to send teams to Haiti. The emulate him and we see from Haiti, and we are mostly try- such as clean water supply and Heather Bonney, the regional Awful injuries. Terrible wounds. teams are also self-sufficient. the Bible he always went to help ing to help them respond to the economic development,” Niller manager of Africa and East Asia We’re making a huge differ- They carry in their own food, the people that were hurting, to crisis in the capital city,” Niller said. “Ultimately those are the and the disaster relief coordina- ence,” Byrd said on his blog. water and medical supplies. All love them and serve them and said, “Our Haitian counterparts needs people are going to need tor for Antioch, said the team Thursday, the team worked of the supplies are either donat- give them hope,” Bonney said. who are there have vehicles, but help with in the long term.” consists of one orthopedic sur- in an orphanage, where many of ed or bought with donations. Neil Niller, executive direc- what they need is money for fuel geon, four family practice doc- the children had yet to receive “We will have another team tor of World Hunger Farm in and money to buy the supplies see HAITI, pg. 6 Moot court members nab national ranking Student Senate BY KA TY MCDOW A LL nament’s top seed, on their way the Supreme Court. This week in Student RE P ORTER to the final round. “They’re learning a skill they Senate, External Vice Presi- “It’s really going to bring take directly to law school,” dent Emily Saultz men- One of the Baylor Under- recognition to Baylor that hasn’t Brogdon said.
Recommended publications
  • Building a Culture of Achievement Through the ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness A
    UNITED KINGDOM (1) - 2012 BUILDING A CULTURE OF ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH THE ASDAN CERTIFICATE OF PERSONAL EFFECTIVENEss A. BASIC INFORMATION Country: UK – England Title of initiative: Building a culture of achievement through the ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness Coordinator/ Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) Organization: Key competences ∙ Communication addressed: ∙ Problem Solving ∙ Improving Own performance ∙ Working With Others ∙ Planning and preparing research ∙ Discussion ∙ Presenting ∙ Research ∙ Entrepreneurial learning skills Type of initiative and Curriculum and assessment leading to qualification channels used for implementation (e.g. curriculum reform introduced through legislation etc.) Partners: 5,000 schools, colleges and training providers are registered as examination centres with ASDAN across the UK Scope: National (student/teacher/school lev- el; local/regional/national) Learning context: ASDAN programmes and qualifications support both formal and (formal or non-formal) informal learning contexts School education level/s: Secondary schools and post-16 colleges of further education (primary, lower secondary, upper secondary) Target groups: All attainment levels Time frame: ASDAN has been operating since the early 1980s; the ASDAN (start and end date) Certificate of Personal Effectiveness was launched in 2002/03 Relevant links: www.asdan.org.uk Gesundheit Health Santé & & Verbraucher & Consumers Consommateurs B. SUMMARY The UK system of awarding bodies, particularly in England, has made
    [Show full text]
  • Dead Alive, Dead Outside, Alive Inside” “
    24683_U01.qxd 11/15/04 12:53 PM Page 1 Introduction “Dead alive, dead outside, alive inside” “In my thinking, I see that people forgot me.” Catarina said this to me as she sat peddling an old exercise bicycle and holding a doll. This woman of kind manners, with a piercing gaze, was in her early thirties; her speech was lightly slurred. I first met Catarina in March 1997, in southern Brazil at a place called Vita. I remember asking myself: where on earth does she think she is going on this bicycle? Vita is the end- point. Like many others, Catarina had been left there to die. Vita, which means “life” in Latin, is an asylum in Porto Alegre, a com- paratively well-off city of some two million people. Vita was founded in 1987 by Zé das Drogas, a former street kid and drug dealer. After his conversion to Pentecostalism, Zé had a vision in which the Spirit told him to open an institution where people like him could find God and regenerate their lives. Zé and his religious friends squatted on private property near downtown, where they began a makeshift rehabilitation center for drug addicts and al- coholics. Soon, however, the scope of Vita’s mission began to widen. An in- creasing number of people who had been cut off from family life—the men- tally ill and the sick, the unemployed and the homeless—were left there by relatives, neighbors, hospitals, and the police. Vita’s team then opened an in- firmary, where the abandoned waited with death.
    [Show full text]
  • Regimes of Truth in the X-Files
    Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 1-1-1999 Aliens, bodies and conspiracies: Regimes of truth in The X-files Leanne McRae Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation McRae, L. (1999). Aliens, bodies and conspiracies: Regimes of truth in The X-files. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ theses/1247 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1247 Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 1999 Aliens, bodies and conspiracies : regimes of truth in The -fiX les Leanne McRae Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation McRae, L. (1999). Aliens, bodies and conspiracies : regimes of truth in The X-files. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1247 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1247 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
    [Show full text]
  • Nbcuniversal Media, LLC (Exact Name of Registrant As Specified in Its Charter)
    Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q (Mark One) ☒ Quarterly Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2013 OR ☐ Transition Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the Transition Period from to Commission File Number 333-174175 NBCUniversal Media, LLC (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE 14-1682529 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112-0015 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 664-4444 Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding twelve months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.
    [Show full text]
  • Corrections-Industrial Complex" Expands in U.S
    A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN CIVil LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION, INC. VOL 10, NO.1, WINTER 1994/95 ~.ISSN 1076-769X "Corrections-Industrial Complex" Expands in u.s. ed Goins, a securities analyst at Branch, TCabell & Co. in Richmond, Va. spent a weekend last spring reading through every detail of the federal Crime Bill and watching the debate on C-Span. He then came up with a list of "theme stocks of· the 90s." Goins' highest recommenda­ tion went to the Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of Features: America (CCA)-the nation's • Stab protection - to 81.1 most successful operator of pri­ ~~~~~~~~'t~~e :~~ ~;li. fomia Correctional Standard. vate prisons-whose stock had • Slash protection f.chjeved with space-age titanium. recently hit an all-time high. • Blunttrauma protection­ yOU'll barely feel the blows. CCA's chief financial officer was • Aama protection with fir~~ retardant Nomett' covenng. quoted as saying that the Crime The S.T.A.R. vest gives you a maximum range Bill was "very favorable to us."! of motion for close confrontaUons. I-_~"I Don't Get Stuck With Anything Less. CCA's success is but one example _.-.=0- 1ft",. '85",,00 A.. NY 11101 of the profits to be made by a rapidly grow­ r@J"Int BODYARMORBlank (800)64S4443"lnNY.(516)842.3900Ami""" ing constituency of architects, private prison operators, vendors, labor unions, develop­ ers, financiers, and other entrepreneurs. complex," cautions against the spread of a Most recently, defense contractors, who system of crime control in which ethical ons added at least 105,219 beds, an have been hyrt by cuts in military spending, questions are suppressed and efficient man­ increase of 13% from the 1992-93 totals have been searching for opportunities in the agement supplants justice.
    [Show full text]
  • Typologies of Evil in the X-Files
    TYPOLOGIES OF EVIL IN THE X-FILES BY MAGNE HÅLAND SUPERVISOR: PAUL LEER SALVESEN AND SOLVEIG AASEN UNIVERSITY OF AGDER 2019 FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION DEPARTEMENT OF RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY 0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express great appreciation to my supervisors, Professor Paul Leer-Salvesen (University of Agder) and Solveig Aasen, PhD in philosophy (University of Oslo), for their valuable and constructive suggestions during the development of this research work. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to my colleagues at Arendal Upper Secondary School, Steinar Tvedt, Inger Johanne Hermansen, Ane Kristine Bruland and Ida Wullum for their patient guidance and useful critique of my writing in English. Finally, I wish to thank my father, a proud working-class man, for his support and encouragement throughout my whole life. Throughout his life, he was never able to read English. Therefore, he “forced” me to translate my work for him. The Nazi-form of evil with Himmler, Mengele and Eichmann concerned him. Often, he asked me, how could a man (Eichmann) be that blinded? Without my father giving me motivation, I would never have come this far in my studies. 1 CONTENTS ABSTRACT …..5 CHAPTER 1, INTRODUCTION 1.1) General introduction of evil in movies …..6-7 1.2) My Research Question ……7 1.3) A short overview on the typologies of evil …..7-9 1.4) Defining evil …..9-10 1.5) A critique and defense of evil ….10-12 1.6) What is The X-files about? ….12-14 1.7) Why explore The X-Files? …..14-15 CHAPTER 2, METHODS 2.1) Theory and applied ethics …..16-18 2.2) Specific evil episodes as subjects for research and constructing analysis chapters ..18-19 2.3) The importance of using scientific work related to movies and evil …..19-21 2.4) Methodological inspiration for my thesis, work done by Dean A.
    [Show full text]
  • Descartes' Meditations - Trilingual Edition
    Wright State University CORE Scholar Philosophy Faculty Publications Religion, Philosophy, and Classics 1996 Descartes' Meditations - Trilingual Edition David B. Manley [email protected] Charles S. Taylor Wright State University - Main Campus, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/philosophy Part of the Philosophy Commons Repository Citation Manley, D. B., & Taylor, C. S. (1996). Descartes' Meditations - Trilingual Edition. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/philosophy/8 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion, Philosophy, and Classics at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Descartes' Meditations Introduction to the HTML Edition John Veitch Translation of 1901 Original Latin Text of 1641 Duc de Luynes French Translation of 1647 A Trilingual HTML Edition Edited by David B. Manley and Charles S. Taylor Web design by Jane Blakelock and Nicole Podach Philosopher in Meditation Rembrandt [1632] Image Courtesy WebMuseum, Paris Comments about this HTML Edition are encouraged. Please send them to: Charles S. Taylor. ©1996 by David B. Manley and Charles S. Taylor July 18, 2013 Descartes' Meditations Introduction to the HTML Edition John Veitch Translation of 1901 Original Latin Text of 1641 Duc de Luynes French Translation of 1647 Introduction to the HTML Edition The publication of this English-Latin-French HTML edition of DesCartes' Meditations on First Philosophy is quite simply an experiment in electronic scholarship. We decided to make this edition available and to encourage its free distribution for scholarly purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Jung, the Shadow, and the X-Files
    JUNG, THE SHADOW, AND THE X-FILES By JENIFER JENSEN A capstone submitted to the Graduate School-Camden Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Program in Liberal Studies Written under the direction of Greg Salyer And approved by ______________________________ Greg Salyer Camden, New Jersey May 2019 CAPSTONE ABSTRACT Jung, The Shadow, and The X-Files by Jenifer Jensen Capstone Director: Greg Salyer This capstone explores Jung’s theory of the shadow, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious, using The X-Files as its narrative transport. When television show The X- Files premiered on September 10, 1993, no one anticipated its impact on a generation of television viewers. The X-Files is an American pop cultural mainstay. The paradoxical brilliance of the show is that it both influenced and interpreted popular American culture. Something vital about our time in history speaks through the stories it tells. It is not the only science fiction television show to create legions of fans, spawn movies, books, comics, and general obsession in American geekdom. But it is the only television show which began in 1993, ran for almost a decade, and then returned, fourteen years later with episodes seeking transcendent answers about what it means to be human, and the possibility of knowledge, truth, and power in the era of Trump, fake news and social media. ii 1 Jung, the Shadow, and The X-Files Introduction – The X-Files I am interested in exploring Jung’s theory of the shadow, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious, using The X-Files as its narrative transport.
    [Show full text]
  • This Is Not Your Father's FBI: the X-Files and the Delegitimation of the Nation-State
    SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 CULTURE WATCH This Is Not Your Father’s FBI The X-Files and the Delegitimation of the Nation-State —————— ✦ —————— PAUL A. CANTOR I think The X-Files is very nineties, because everything is left in doubt. There’s no closure, no answers. Obviously it’s tapping in to something the nation wants. I think it has to do with religious stirrings—a sort of New Age yearning for an alternate reality and the search for some kind of extrasensory god.
    [Show full text]
  • Bethany Marie Gilliam Dissertation
    The Monstrous Guide to Madrid: The Grotesque Mode in the Novels of the Villa y Corte (1599-1657) DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bethany Marie Gilliam Graduate Program in Spanish and Portuguese The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Professor Elizabeth B. Davis, Advisor Professor Jonathan Burgoyne Professor Emeritus Donald Larson Copyright by Bethany Marie Gilliam 2014 Abstract This dissertation examines the relationship between the literary grotesque mode and the growing pains of Madrid during the first century of its status as Villa y Corte, capital of the Spanish empire. The six novels analyzed in this study – Guzmán de Alfarache (1599, 1604), El Buscón (1626), Guía y avisos de forasteros (1620), Las harpías en Madrid (1633), El diablo cojuelo (1641) and El Criticón (1651, 1653, 1657) – are significant because their authors employ the grotesque mode to show their perspectives on the changes that they witnessed in Madrid. The central goal of this project is to examine the continued presence of the grotesque mode in these novels and how the use of this mode was motivated by the historical crisis that took place during the years following Philip II’s decision to move the court to Madrid. In this vein, Philip Thomson recognizes that moments of change are particularly conducive to the use of the grotesque in art and literature. Using studies on the grotesque by Thomson, Wolfgang Kayser, Henryk Ziomek, James Iffland and Paul Ilie, this dissertation will present a definition of the grotesque mode as it applies to a carefully chosen grouping of seventeenth-century Spanish novels.
    [Show full text]
  • Avicenna and Aquinas: Essence, Existence, and the Esse of Christ
    Avicenna and Aquinas: Essence, Existence, and the Esse of Christ R. E. Houser Center for Thomistic Studies University of St. Thomas, Houston For centuries, Aristotle was considered the primary source of the thought of Br. Thomas of Aquino, OP. Beginning with the historical researches of Etienne Gilson in the 1920s, scholars began to recognize the important influence of Islamic and Jewish thinkers. While it is still true to say that Aquinas was an Aristotelian, historical research has made it necessary to address the question: just what kind of Aristotelian was he? In this essay, I argue that he is best understood as an Avicennian kind of Aristotelian. The argument proceeds in three steps: Aquinas adopted Avicennian metaphysical principles; he then adopted some Avicennian metaphysical conclusions about God; and, finally, he made use of his Avicennian-inspired doctrine of being (esse), to formulate a consistent doctrine of the esse of Christ. I. Introduction Students of the philosophy and theology of Br. Thomas of Aquino, OP, have long recognized the need to consult his intellectual predecessors in order to understand his thought. For centuries, Aristotle was considered the primary source, whose philosophy Thomas ‘baptized.’ Beginning with the historical researches of Etienne Gilson in the 1920s, scholars began to recognize the important influence of Islamic and Jewish thinkers. While it is still true to say that Aquinas was an Aristotelian, broadly construed, historical research has made it necessary to address the question: just what kind of Aristotelian was he? In this essay, I argue that he is best understood as an Avicennian kind of Aristotelian.
    [Show full text]
  • The X-Files Meets the Skeptics
    The X-Files Meets the Skeptics When Chris Carter, creator of the popular Fox TV drama The X-Files, spoke at the CSICOP Twentieth Anniversary Conference, the result wasn't quite what anyone expected. Chris Carter, creator and executive producer of ' T h e X-Files, was the invited luncheon banquet speaker for the first day of the World Skeptics Congress and CSICOP Twentieth Anniversary Conference in Amherst, New York. The banquet, in the atrium of the State University of New York at Buffalo Center for the Arts, was packed. Tables were jammed together. Other people listened from second floor walkways or while standing against the walls. We present here essentially the transcript, only slightly edited for brevity, of that fascinating event, which consisted of informal introductory remarks by Carter followed by an extensive question- and-answer session. Not all of the audiences questions were recorded but Carter summarized many of them before answering. Carter was introduced by reporter Eugene Emery of the Providence Journal-Bulletin, who, even though he had written several somewhat critical pieces about The X-Files, enthusiasti- cally supported that Carter be invited to speak and served as his host. We begin with Emery's remarks. —Kendrick Frazier, Editor 2 4 January/February 1997 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER 'm Gene Emery, science writer, computer columnist, and the promoters of the supernatural with whom we're all Ioccasional contributor of Media Watch columns for the familiar. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. Although the show posits that extraterrestrials really I've written about a lot of things in my twenty-five-year did crash at Roswell, t h e s h o w has been downright nasty to career, but f e w topics have produced more angry mail than the Gulf Breeze UFO photographs and the Fox network's my criticisms of The X-Files.
    [Show full text]