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The Torch Magazine,  The Journal and Magazine of the
International Association of Torch Clubs
For 92 Years
A Peer-Reviewed
Quality Controlled
Publication


ISSN  Print 0040-9440
ISSN Online 2330-9261


  Fall 2017
Volume 91, Issue 1


Reflection

What a world this will be when human possibilities are freed,
when we discover each other, when the stranger is
no longer the potential criminal and the certain inferior!

--W. E. B. DuBois



   Articles for the Fall 2017 Issue
  1. Race Matters: The 2017 Paxton Award Winner
    by Steve Sterrett
      We cannot significantly improve the relationship between police and many African Americans until we end the War on Drugs and mass incarceration. We also must change our expectations of the police. We, as a society, have placed police officers on the front line of a War on Drugs that in reality has been an assault on poor, largely African American communities. Police officers bear the brunt of the battle, although behind the scenes and providing tactical support and encouragement is the whole prison-industrial complex of courts and penitentiaries. A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  2. Whoa, Dude!  Did You See That Clown?
    by Kenneth D. Keith
      The growth of mobile cell phones has led to an epidemic of cognitive distractions.  Hands-free phones are not safer than hand-held models—the key factor is not use of a hand, but rather the cognitive load and distraction engendered by a phone conversation. While driving, think twice before picking up the phone or activating your car's Bluetooth technology.  Ask yourself whether this call, this text message, or this e-mail is worth dying for.  A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  3. Napoleon, Jefferson and the Haitian Revolution
    by Mark Lore
      The Haitian revolution was the only successful slave rebellion in history, and impacted the fledgling United States.  It related directly to the diplomatic negotiations that produced the Louisiana Purchase.  As Jefferson's words foretold, it also fortified in the southern United States a deep fear that a Haiti might be replicated at home—which did much to stiffen southern attitudes over the ensuing decades leading to the Civil War.  A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  4. What We Know and Don't Know About Handedness
    by Ann St. Clair Lesman
      Most people are right-handed, and human beings have been mostly right-handed since earliest times, as we know from archeological records (tools, cave paintings of hunters).  Homo sapiens is a predominantly right-handed creature, and has been so down the centuries and across cultures. Modern studies of handedness in different cultures reveal some differences by racial and geographic group, but the average is over 91% right-handed. Several thories on why handedness exists are discussed.  A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  5. The Freedom to Choose: Young Adult Dystopian Fiction
    by Marjorie Warmkessel
      In dystopian worlds, citizens are well aware that they are not free. They exist under totalitarian regimes run by ruthless dictators whose sole objectives are to stay in power. This kind of dystopia is the world of The Hunger Games.  This article explores how dystopian fiction appeals to the teenage reader. A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  6. William Henry Seward:  Futuristic and Change Agent
    by John R. Vincenti
      William Henry Seward is best remembered for the purchase of Alaska.  At the time, he was much criticized and ridiculed for spearheading this transaction with Russia, which the press dubbed "Seward's Folly."  The outcry over this historical event unfortunately overshadowed the man's savvy and intuitiveness. Seward's deep-seated concerns regarding social justice, the abolition of slavery, diplomacy, money and banking, the law, and business development eventually created transformative change in American society. He was also a man of principle who supported a president and his office that he hoped to have occupied himself. He deserves a prominent place in the national memory.  A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  7. When Will We Ever Learn?
    by Rabbi Jonathan Brown
      One of the great and enduring symbols of America's welcome to new immigrants, the Statue of Liberty, has stood for over a century on an island in New York's harbor, a symbol of welcome.  But a careful look at America's treatment of many of the people already living here and at the challenges facing a great many of those arriving from countries other than Canada or England suggests a more nuanced understanding of what "welcome" has meant once newcomers actually set foot on American soil. This essay seeks to present that more nuanced understanding of the statue and its torch. A .pdf file of the article is available here.
  8. Paul Stanfield
    by Paul Scott Stanfield
      My father loved a great many things—marching bands, Spike Jones, M*A*S*H re-runs, old Southern gospel music, certainly his family—and high on the list was Torch Club. Being as fond as he was of engaging discussion on serious topics with well-informed people, he and Torch were made for each other.  He served as President of the IATC from 1984 to 1986.

    ©2017  by the International Association of Torch Clubs

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