securities, i don ’ t think it ’ s a fair statement to say that wall street isn ’ t interested in the industry. general electric is a major player in nuclear power, and they certainly have a following on wall street, ” he said. the fact is this nuclear construction moratorium was already ending before the recent events in japan. “ note that plants are being built overseas at rapid rates, ” said bowling. “ here in the united states, loan guarantees – not loans or grants, but the ability to receive limited loans with the backing of the federal government – are helping to jump start the build process. companies like southern have already broken ground for new reactor preparation, in southern ’ s case, at the vogtle site in georgia. ” so what is entergy ’ s corporate strategy going forward in terms of the kind of plants the company will construct? “ entergy has made no commitment to build new nuclear plants, but the company does want to keep options open for meeting future energy needs, ” said bowling, who indicated any new nuclear plants are likely to be built on existing sites. “ entergy has construction and operating license applications for both river bend station in louisiana and grand gulf in mississippi on file with federal regulators, but work on both applications was temporarily suspended in 2009 after entergy was unable to reach a business agreement for deploying a new reactor with potential vendor ge - hitachi, ” he said. but elkin, the ap editor turned financial advisor, offered a darker assessment of the american nuclear future. “ what happened in japan proved that safety measures there were unacceptably weak. our plants run similar risks, and we ought to acknowledge that our safety measures are equally unacceptable. a 6. 5 in 100, 000 risk is low, but when it comes to radioactive materials, it is too high, especially given the margin of error in our own ability to estimate such risks, ” he said. bowling takes sharp exception to such declarations. “ entergy knows that we can operate each of our plants safely, regardless of its location, ” he said. “ we believe very strongly in nuclear power and in the health and safety of the public near them. entergy would not operate units that it did not believe were safe. the nuclear power industry will learn from this event and will redesign our facilities as needed to make them safer in the future. ” originally published in the april 2011 issue of the beaumont business journal


the humanity project offers a variety of programs for both kids and adults. these programs put our mission into practice through real - world action : anti - bullying through the arts — this is the humanity project ’ s all - original anti - bullying program for grades k – 5. this program begins with a live 40 - minute assembly that includes a positive rap song, roleplaying, stories and a music video – all created and produced by the humanity project. the program continues with follow - up classroom materials and, when requested, classroom visits. pre / post testing to date has shown the program is highly effective. how this serves our mission : we teach bystander students that bullying hurts everyone in school, not only the bullied students, and that action by everyone is needed to help stop bullying. bystanders learn the value to themselves and others of action for the greater good. our program connects bystanders with bullied students and shows those bystanders how to cooperate with the bullied students to end the bullying behavior. also see the humanity project ’ s free “ anti - bullying advice for parents ” on this website : http : / / www. thehumanityproject. com / programs / anti - bullying - advice - for - parents and read our article “ stopping violence in schools ” by humanity project board of directors ’ vice president, dr. laura finley, assistant professor of sociology and criminology at barry university : http : / / thehumanityproject. com / programs / finley / read dr. finley ’ s article for the humanity project on the relationship between school bullying and crime : “ bully today, criminal tomorrow ” : http : / / thehumanityproject. com / programs / bully - today - criminal - tomorrow / “ i care! ” teen driver safety – the newest humanity project program, “ i care! ” was created by talented high school authors working under the guidance of the humanity project. they wrote a book called, “ i care! best friends helping best friends stay alive ” and this innovative teen - to - teen creation forms the foundation of our program. “ i care! ” uses all - original poetry, quizzes, stories, photos, graphics, even a comic book as a fun but powerful way to communicate memorable lessons about safe driving. but then the program asks students to share this book with their three best friends, who must pledge to drive with more concentration and cooperation — not out of fear but rather out of friendship. the message is simple : “ don ’ t drive


safe driving. but then the program asks students to share this book with their three best friends, who must pledge to drive with more concentration and cooperation — not out of fear but rather out of friendship. the message is simple : “ don ’ t drive safely for yourself. do it for your best friends, who want to keep you in one piece because they care about you. ” the “ i care! ” program will include a dedicated facebook page, a text message campaign, videos and more. how this serves our mission : the program relies on social connections and positive peer pressure as methods to encourage safe teen driving instead of the usual ineffective scare tactics. it emphasizes cooperation among friends as well as cooperation on the roads. “ i care! ” is all about helping young drivers to feel connected to other people and to respect those relationships by practicing sensible driving habits. download the complete “ i care! ” book for free as well as additional copies of the “ i care! ” pledge form : http : / / thehumanityproject. com / programs / i - care shared value for adults — this original, empirically based program teaches the humanity project ’ s core message in practical ways to adults. drawing on psychological realities anyone can recognize in their own lives, we show humanity project members how they can help other individuals during daily life in ways that also serve their own best interests. a win - win approach to living. how this serves our mission : we teach adults sensible, doable methods to incorporate the empirically based ideas of shared value in their everyday world. this allows them to apply cooperation and social connection to improve life for themselves, other individuals and society. also read our article that explains more about this, “ what can shared value do for me? ” : http : / / thehumanityproject. com / programs / sharedvalue at - risk reading & writing — this is another all - original program for young people, teaching at - risk readers new skills through helping them to write their own short stories and poetry. this series of workshops for middle school students resulted in the creation of a new booklet for the humanity project anti - bullying program, authored by kids for kids. the booklet is called, “ i was a bully … but i stopped ” and is provided to each teacher at every school visited by the humanity project ’ s anti - bullying through the arts program. how this serves our mission : we teach at - risk students how writing a booklet that helps others also can help them better learn to read and write. at the


at every school visited by the humanity project ’ s anti - bullying through the arts program. how this serves our mission : we teach at - risk students how writing a booklet that helps others also can help them better learn to read and write. at the same time, the booklet provides valuable follow - up lessons for teachers to reinforce our anti - bullying concepts in the elementary schools. “ peacepage ” and blog exchange – the humanity project partnered with our member, haikaa yamamoto of the work of art global project, to create the peacepage. it is a collaboration with nonprofits and individuals from every continent, including antarctica, all contributing photographs that powerfully express our common humanity — the deep feelings and other characteristics all humans share. and our monthly blog and photo exchange with the egyptian association for educational resources tries to show middle east readers the human face of americans working to help others as well as to show our american readers the same thing about humanitarians in that part of the world. how this serves our mission : we help online visitors to peacepage and our blogs to recognize that underneath our relatively superficial differences, human beings truly are all the same at a fundamental level. people have much more in common than anything that divides us. in turn, that understanding contributes to the cooperation and social connection that can help more of us to work together toward the greater good of humanity. also visit our peacepage : www. thehumanityproject. com / peacepage “ the cool factor : yes, you can attract more after - school teens to your program ” — developed at the request of children ’ s services council of broward county, the humanity project offers an original three - and - a - half hour workshop for other nonprofit groups and educational organizations about how to appeal to today ’ s teenagers. the workshop draws on our founder ’ s experience as author of 23 books as well as plays, blogs and programs for young people. how this serves our mission : we show those who create programs for young people how they can think outside - the - box to better appeal to teens while also building a program that better serves their organization ’ s needs – a win - win for everyone involved. for the near future thp4kids. com — this new bilingual website ( the humanity project 4 kids ) will teach basic human values such as respect for others, respect for self, awareness of our hidden individual potential, persistence in pursuit of major goals and more. in both spanish and english, thp4kids. com will introduce and reinforce these ideas through truly innovative


the tcbh! climate change report : a palm tree grows outside philadelphia i went out today and checked on my palm tree. it ’ s a small thing : the trunk is only about a foot from the ground, with the palmate fronds spreading out from the upper part. new fronds appear as compressed blades sticking up from the center. they have a kind of fuzz on them, like the lanugo on a newborn baby. what makes my little palm unusual is it sits in my front yard in maple glen, pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of the edge of philadelphia. it ’ s clearly not a native species to this area, but it is doing surprisingly well. although we ’ ve had a number of nights now when the temperature dropped below freezing, including two when it dropped to about 26 degrees, the fronds are still bright green, and the shoots have continued to grow. while the palm is pretty, and striking in its own way, standing out against the backdrop of deciduous trees that have finally shed all their leaves for the winter, it is also a little disturbing - - a harbinger of an enormous climate change that is taking place in front of my eyes. i have good reason to believe that this little tree is going to survive our philadelphia winter ( which last year never went below 25 degrees, and then only for such short periods of time that the ground never froze below about an inch or two of soil ), and that it will continue to grow where i planted it, perhaps becoming the first palm in pennsylvania. as i write this, negotiators are meeting in doha, qatar, supposedly to negotiate a treaty that will lead to serious efforts by the nations of the world to finally start reducing the release of more carbon into the earth ’ s already overloaded atmosphere. we hear from un researchers that the global emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere have risen by 54 % between 1990 and 2011, and that by the end of this year, that number will be 58 %. they were supposed to be going down over that period. meanwhile, the evidence that all this carbon is starting to have a snowball effect on global warming. ice caps in both the arctic and the antarctic are melting, and at a faster rate than anyone was predicting even five years ago. the oceans, both as a result of that melting, and thanks to the expansion of the water itself as it warms, are showing a measurable rise, which was one of the reasons for the extraordinary damage done to new york city and the


by dr. paul o ’ reilly note : dr. o ’ reilly is a tutor at thomas aquinas college as well the vice president for development. the following text is the transcript of a lecture he presented on august 26, 2011, as part of the the st. vincent de paul lecture and concert series, endowed by barbara and paul henkels. it might seem strange that i should stand in front of you this evening to speak about catholic liberal education. it could be especially odd because i intend to consider whether there can be such a thing as catholic liberal education. why should that be an issue for us? is it not obvious that there is such a thing as catholic liberal education? surely thomas aquinas college gives testimony to its existence. our founding document, the blue book, is entitled a proposal for the fulfillment of catholic liberal education. just why would i waste your time asking about the possibility of something that so obviously exists? now i take it as obvious that there can be catholic carpenters and plumbers, there can be catholic tennis players and golfers, and there can be catholic poets and teachers. however, let us consider what it means to say that this man is a catholic plumber, or that this woman is a catholic tennis player. surely we must mean that the plumber happens to be catholic, or maybe better, the catholic happens to be a plumber, and it is coincidental that the catholic woman is a tennis player. there is not a particularly catholic way of installing a sink. the plumber could install it well or badly, but how would he install it in a catholic way? the catholic is called to be honest and forthright, but that does not mean it is inappropriate for the catholic tennis player to use the backhand during a game. isn ’ t it clear that the relationship between plumbing and catholicism, or tennis and the catholic faith, is coincidental? you might prefer to play tennis with a catholic, but that is, perhaps, because of the conscientious behavior displayed on the court. if we consider the parts of liberal education, especially the liberal arts themselves ( the quadrivium : geometry, arithmetic, music and astronomy ; and the trivium : grammar, logic, and rhetoric ) does it really seem to be the case that if we add catholic to any one of the parts the nature of the discipline changes? that is, is there a catholic geometry? is there a peculiar geometrical truth that could be called catholic? or is there a particularly catholic way of proving


case that if we add catholic to any one of the parts the nature of the discipline changes? that is, is there a catholic geometry? is there a peculiar geometrical truth that could be called catholic? or is there a particularly catholic way of proving some geometrical proposition? as with the example of the plumber, isn ’ t it the case that catholicism does not make geometry into a different kind of activity? the term “ catholic geometrician ” names someone who just happens to be both a catholic and a geometer. it is not like the case of “ rational ” when added to animal. “ rational animal ” names a specific kind of animal, one that is not a brute. so “ rational ” does not just describe an animal that happens to be rational, “ rational animal ” actually defines a different kind of animal. but “ catholic geometer ” does not seem to do the same, for there is no kind of geometry that is particularly catholic. what we have just said about geometry also applies to arithmetic, and astronomy, to grammar and logic, and the remaining liberal arts. the basic point so far is that if the parts of liberal education are not called catholic properly, then how could the whole, composed of these parts, be called catholic in any other way than an education that happens to be acquired by catholics? however it should be pointed out that a liberal education is not just the education in the liberal arts. liberal education is the education that is sought for its own sake, and so it is suitable for the free man. as a consequence, this education is primarily speculative, that is, it is sought because it is good to know, and not because of some practical purpose. liberal education, then, would include philosophy and theology, in addition to the liberal arts. surely philosophy and theology can be specifically catholic. and if they are catholic then a catholic liberal education could simply be an education informed by philosophy and theology, both of which have a catholic character. this point has merit. there is a considerable difference between geometry, for example, and philosophy. geometry is about points, lines, figures, and magnitudes generally. these kinds of objects are not specifically catholic, so is it a surprise that that there is not a properly catholic geometry? philosophy, on the other hand, considers the nature of man, the universe, and all sorts of things that have direct bearing on the catholic faith. the philosopher might well consider whether there is evidence that god exists ; he might wonder what constitutes freedom of the will. he should consider if it is


nature of man, the universe, and all sorts of things that have direct bearing on the catholic faith. the philosopher might well consider whether there is evidence that god exists ; he might wonder what constitutes freedom of the will. he should consider if it is the case that matter is the most fundamental cause of things, or think about whether the soul survives death. these issues directly pertain to the faith also. so if philosophy considers these matters correctly, wouldn ’ t it be appropriate to call such philosophy catholic? now the knowledge proper to the philosopher begins with the evidence that he derives from experience and common considerations, not from the teachings of the church. if the philosopher does not begin his thinking according to the lights of human reason, can he really be said to proceed philosophically? are not the claims of faith, however meritorious they are, out of place in a rational and open pursuit of knowledge? maybe catholicism could be a kind of extrinsic guide, but does it make sense to speak about catholic philosophy as if it was a particular kind of thinking? i would like to add to this point by considering a text from john paul ii ’ s encyclical fides et ratio. in particular, i want to concentrate on the common english translation of this encyclical. here is the passage : the church has no philosophy of her own nor does she canonize any one particular philosophy in preference to others. the underlying reason for this reluctance is that, even when it engages theology, philosophy must remain faithful to its own principles and methods. ( fr # 49 ) later john paul ii goes on to say : “ philosophy must obey its own rules and be based upon its own principles ” ( fr # 79 ). one last text from the same encyclical : the designation “ christian philosophy … in no way intends to suggest that there is an official philosophy of the church, since the faith as such is not a philosophy ” ( fr 376 ). so it seems pretty clear that to the extent that natural reason is to respect its own principles and methods, philosophy cannot be specifically catholic. in short, faith begins in belief, whereas philosophy proceeds from natural evidence. no doubt catholicism would enlighten the kind of life the philosopher should live ; it might also encourage him to pursue certain questions, and sustain him in times of difficulty, but it does not appear to be appropriate to call philosophy catholic. if this is the case, then the fact that a liberal education includes philosophy is not sufficient to call that education properly catholic. maybe it is


, and sustain him in times of difficulty, but it does not appear to be appropriate to call philosophy catholic. if this is the case, then the fact that a liberal education includes philosophy is not sufficient to call that education properly catholic. maybe it is obvious that theology, one part of a truly liberal education, would be defined by catholicism. perhaps one could argue that theology is the most important part of a liberal education. it studies the most important object — god himself — and perhaps the other parts of a liberal education are insignificant before the knowledge of the divine majesty. here we might find a reason for calling all of a liberal education catholic if theology is included as one of its parts. after all if the most important part of something has a certain character, then the whole can be described by that characteristic. much like you might call a man odd if he displays odd behavior. his hands and feet may not be odd, but you call the whole man odd because a significant part of him is odd. is this why we could call a liberal education catholic, because its most significant part, theology, is catholic? not so fast. consider how we study and discuss theology at thomas aquinas college. does it make a difference if a student is catholic or protestant, jewish, or a non - believer? in freshman theology students are encouraged to consider the evidence in the text of scripture itself, not to bring in the catechism. and in sophomore theology doesn ’ t the class depend on the argument that st. augustine makes, and the evidence he provides, not what this or that student believes? finally, in junior and senior theology, what is most remarkable is how argumentative, that is, how rational st. thomas ’ procedure is. as long as one concedes the principles that, no doubt, st. thomas believes, any student can follow the argument. so even if in itself theology is properly catholic, one can grasp the argument of the theologian without sharing his belief. so, the conclusion of all we have said so far is that catholic liberal education does not appear to be one kind of thing. it seems to be more like our previous example of a catholic plumber — a man who just happens to be catholic is also a plumber. so is this how we are to understand catholic liberal education : the education that people who happen to be catholic take part in? what if this is the case, what if all that can be said is that catholic liberal education is an education that catholics take part in, or one in which there are


liberal education : the education that people who happen to be catholic take part in? what if this is the case, what if all that can be said is that catholic liberal education is an education that catholics take part in, or one in which there are additional catholic elements, the sacraments and catholic practices, and that ’ s all there is to it? well if catholicism is only incidentally related to the educational program, then it is not essential to the program. on that account it may be nice to have, but it makes no more of a difference to the educational program itself than does the food service. it is crucial, then, for us to determine just what makes a liberal education properly catholic. to begin, let me note, and briefly defend, two presuppositions, or principles of education. the first presupposition is about the whole of education, the second is about the parts of an education. 1 ) education has as its end a knowledge of the truth. now that does not mean a full and precise knowledge of the truth, but if there is no reference to truth at all in the education one receives it is not an education properly speaking. 2 ) the second presupposition, very closely related to the first, is that without an integrated program of studies, that is, if the parts of the program of studies do not form a coherent whole, an education will fall short of its principal aim of attaining the truth. the first supposition i will briefly defend by considering the alternative. that is, what if education is not about the truth? quite frankly, this is the view at most colleges and universities. in those institutions a student will come to class to hear what his professor thinks about some matter, or he will read and write about his opinions about a particular issue, but to what end? in general, the position that seems to predominate is that education is either to learn what people think about this or that subject, or that education is designed to prepare the student to find a job. the mind is not raised to something higher, some unchanging truth which perfects reason just by being known. if one gives up the search for truth, one abandons the effort to understand the way things are. without some serious resolution one will become a humanist, not an educated man. that is, if you are content simply to appreciate different positions, you might be fun to talk to at a cocktail party, but you will not know anything. you would be familiar with who thinks what,


become a humanist, not an educated man. that is, if you are content simply to appreciate different positions, you might be fun to talk to at a cocktail party, but you will not know anything. you would be familiar with who thinks what, but you would be unable to make judgments about the way things are. the second supposition that i will consider is, as i said, concerning the parts of an education and it is closely related to the previous supposition. if a student studies many disciplines without integration, that is, if he thinks about science apart from theology, or mathematics independently of philosophy, he will not have a unified view about what is. he could easily tend to a kind of skepticism, because whatever he knows in natural science is not brought to bear upon his understanding of ethics, for example. or what is understood as a theological doctrine, would not be thought of as a guide to thinking rightly in some other discipline. without an effort to resolve these differences, the mind is left on its own to wander according to its own inclinations and guesses. this is a problem for us at the college as well as for other academic institutions. in our own curriculum we study the great books throughout the program. in these books there is more disagreement than agreement. and the disagreements are often about first principles, and notions so basic, that it is impossible that the authors be reconciled except in the vaguest of ways. in fact, often an attempt to reconcile these contrary positions would do violence to the views of the authors themselves. so how should we deal with the basic disagreements that we find in our own program? in the face of contrary positions, and basic disagreements, the mind will be at sea. there are at least three ways to react to fundamental disagreements among the wise. 1 ) a good approach to the conflicting positions found in the great books is to realize that if the wise have disagreements, the matter must be difficult to know. that realization should prompt you to try harder to see where the truth is. 2 ) these contrary positions could cause you to despair of any genuine intellectual advance, so you become either a skeptic, or uninterested in the examined life. 3 ) perhaps the worst reaction to the differing positions that have been considered over the centuries is to make the positions themselves the object of study. in that case, the search is no longer for the truth ; instead the object of study becomes the opinions of men. it should be granted, then, that an education properly so called must have as


to make the positions themselves the object of study. in that case, the search is no longer for the truth ; instead the object of study becomes the opinions of men. it should be granted, then, that an education properly so called must have as its end to come to know what is true. and since there are many disciplines and many great minds studied in any educational program, there must be some order and resolution in the curriculum if the truth is to be received. now the principal way that the truth is to be made known is by an unfailing guide. that is one way in which catholic liberal education is education in the strictest sense. cardinal newman makes this point succinctly in the beginning of the book : the idea of a university. he points out that a university is a place to seek universal knowledge, and that “ it cannot fulfill its object duly … without the church ’ s assistance … the church is necessary for its integrity ” ( p. xxxvii, 1966 edition ). pope john paul ii quotes this same remark of cardinal newman in his apostolic constitution ex corde ecclesiae. the holy father then adds : “ it is the office ( officium ) of the catholic university to devote itself, without condition, to the cause of truth. ” he goes on to say that : “ the catholic university bears itself ( inclines ) towards every truth according as they are joined to the supreme truth, that is to god ” ( ex corde ecclesiae, # 4 ). so these preliminary remarks suggest a strategy for the rest of this lecture. if we are to understand how a liberal education can be catholic, we should first consider the end of education, that is truth, and then treat how the parts of truth are integrated. the words “ true ” or “ truth ” can be used in a number of different ways. perhaps the most common use of the term is when we say something such as : “ i think what you say is true. ” or, “ what you say is the truth. ” in this sense of the word, a claim has been made, in the form of a sentence, and one judges that what that sentence expresses conforms to the way things are. the thought expressed in the sentence, then, is true. also, a building can be described as being “ true ” to the architect ’ s original vision. this sense of “ true ” does not appear to refer to a statement. another sense of the word “ true ” is found when we speak of someone


also, a building can be described as being “ true ” to the architect ’ s original vision. this sense of “ true ” does not appear to refer to a statement. another sense of the word “ true ” is found when we speak of someone as a “ true ” friend, or a “ true ” patriot. this use of the word “ true ” also does not seem to refer to the truth of a statement. aristotle, speaking about the first and most obvious sense of true, says that “ falsity and truth are not in things … but in though ” ( metaphysics, vi, ch. 4, 1027b26 ). he goes on to make a qualification. not everything that is in the mind would be called truth : “ with regard to simple concepts and ‘ whats ’ falsity and truth do not exist even in thought. ” if i think about what a dog is, for example, to the extent that i am just doing that, i have yet to attain to the notion of truth. if i say, or think, “ dog, ” i have yet to make a claim about it. “ dog : true or false? ” that is an absurd question. so we begin by noting two things : 1 ) the true, in the first sense of the word, is not in things but it is in the mind ; 2 ) and the true is in the mind when some judgment is made, and normally that judgment is expressed in a sentence. this, according to our own experience of knowing, is the most obvious sense of truth. a third thing follows from what i have just said. although the true is in the mind, it is not the mind that principally causes the truth. if i make the statement that a centaur is a long - lived animal, that statement is false, for there is no such thing as a centaur. so although, in the most common use of the word “ truth, ” the truth is found in the mind and not in things, it is the reality of a thing that causes truth. another way of putting this is that a thing ’ s being is a cause of any true statement made about it. a statement is not true just because i make it ; man is not the measure of things. no, a statement is only true if what is said corresponds to some reality, some existing thing. as st. thomas puts it : “ … the being of a thing is the cause of the true estimation ( or judgment ) which the mind has about something.


a statement is only true if what is said corresponds to some reality, some existing thing. as st. thomas puts it : “ … the being of a thing is the cause of the true estimation ( or judgment ) which the mind has about something. for the true and the false are not in things, but in the mind … ” ( in metaphysicorum, ii, l. 2, # 298 ). from what we have just said, we can understand the traditional account of the true as a conformity, or adequation, of the mind to things. as st. thomas puts it : “ a thing is not called true except according as it is adequated ( or conformed ) to an intellect, whence secondarily ( per posterius ) the true is found in things, primarily ( per prius ) however it is found in the intellect ” ( de veritate, 1, a. 2 ). note, however, what st. thomas says here : although the true, in the primary sense, is found in the mind, a thing can be said to be true in a secondary sense if that thing conforms to an intellect. i think what this means is that if one considers the intellect one can see that it can know things simply for their own sake ; that is, one can have a kind of speculative knowledge, but also the intellect thinks about things that can be made. the architect obviously thinks about the design of a house. when that house is built, presuming it is built according to his plan, then the house can be said to conform to what he had in mind. the house then can be called true, because it conforms to what the architect had in his mind. a brief qualification about what i have just claimed : i do not intend to say that the practical intellect is the only measure of the things that it produces. so when it is claimed that the true is in the mind first, it does not mean that the human mind is the sole or primary measure of the truth. a thing can be called true to the intention of the maker and still be called false in another sense. counterfeit money is still not true currency even though it conforms to the mind of the counterfeiter. much like the way “ faux ” pearls are called false because they have a tendency to make you think they are something they are not, that is, they are false pearls because one could easily think they are real ones. this suggests to me that there are more senses of


“ faux ” pearls are called false because they have a tendency to make you think they are something they are not, that is, they are false pearls because one could easily think they are real ones. this suggests to me that there are more senses of the word “ true ” than the two that i have outlined, but i am going to limit my consideration to these two senses. so in addition to the primary sense of truth, there is this secondary sense that, as long as what is in the mind is some art or perfection, then there will be found in the mind of the maker a cause of the truth of the thing produced. having made this qualification, i want to concentrate on the way man ’ s mind is related to things in the two basic ways i have pointed out, and this gives rise to two fundamental meanings of “ truth. ” now there is a significant difference in the way that a thing is related to the speculative intellect and how something relates to the practical intellect. the practical intellect, or more particularly, the art in the mind of the architect, for example, is a measure of what it produces. that is, the musical piece, to take another example, is said to be true according as it conforms to the musical principles the composer has in mind. the speculative intellect is said to have the truth according as it conforms itself to things. that is, the true judgment is one which has its basis in the way things are. so, we can see that practical thinking measures, or determines, the thing that is produced ; whereas things are what measure or determine the true judgment of speculative thinking. for the practical intellect, the art in the mind of the composer, for example, causes the thing that it produces, and so the product is called true since the effect corresponds to the cause. but the speculative intellect only attains truth if its knowledge is caused by things, that is, the mind receives things as they are, not as it wants them to be, or imagines them, or has been accustomed to think of them. st. thomas gives a nice summary of the relation of the human intellect to things : the knowledge of the human intellect is in some way caused by things : hence what follows is that knowable things are the measure of human knowledge, since the intellect judges [ what is ] true by bearing on things, and not the converse [ that is, not by the intellect determining things ] ( s. c. g. i, 62, # 512 ) so the human mind, to the extent


the intellect judges [ what is ] true by bearing on things, and not the converse [ that is, not by the intellect determining things ] ( s. c. g. i, 62, # 512 ) so the human mind, to the extent that it attains or receives the truth, is determined or measured by things. when the human mind is a principle of something made, then that thing can be called true according as it conforms to the maker ’ s intention. here is how st. thomas puts it : [ a ] mong created things truth is found in things and in the mind ( intellectu ) … in the mind according as the understanding that it has conforms ( adaequatur ) to things ; in things [ truth is found ] according as they imitate the divine intellect, which is their measure, as art is the measure of all artifacts. the comparison between the artist and the creator is worth noting. the artifact that the artist produces is determined by the art that he has in his mind, his mind is not conformed to it, since it is what is in his mind that has given rise to his product. the mind of god is not measured, not determined, not caused by things. rather, the divine intellect determines things in a way like the art in the mind of the architect or composer determines the building or musical piece. earlier we noted that the building designed by the architect can be called true since it conforms to the plan that he had in mind. similarly, every natural thing conforms to the ideas in the mind of god. st. thomas puts it this way : the divine intellect by its own knowledge is the cause of things. hence it is necessary that his science is the measure of things : as art is the measure of artifacts. ( scg, i, 61, # 512 ) a consequence of this is that truth would not be caused in the mind of god by the things he has produced, but the converse, that those things would be said not only to be, but to be true, according as they conform to the divine intellect. st. thomas summarizes quite nicely the main distinctions i have been trying to make. the very notion of truth implies a conformity of a thing to an intellect. however the intellect is compared to things in a twofold way : as the measure of existing things, [ that is ] the intellect which causes things ; another intellect is measured by things, [ that is ] the intellect whose knowledge is caused by things. therefore there is not


compared to things in a twofold way : as the measure of existing things, [ that is ] the intellect which causes things ; another intellect is measured by things, [ that is ] the intellect whose knowledge is caused by things. therefore there is not truth in the divine intellect because it is conformed ( adequated ) to things, but because things are conformed to the divine intellect. ( commentary on st. john, l. 18, l. 11 ) the gospel of st. john allows us to speak more fully on this matter. for in that gospel the creation of heaven and earth is described in such a way as to make clear that all things owe their existence to god, that is, they exist and are the kind of things they are, because god said “ let them be. ” in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god, and the word was god. he was in the beginning with god ; all things were made through him, and without him was nothing made that was made. all things were made through the word. the word is the expression of the father. he is what proceeds from the father, as a concept from the father. god ’ s act of creation is described as due to the father bringing forth his word, and that word is that through which all things are made. as a consequence the being of all things is due to the divine intellect. clearly the truth in the divine intellect is not due to things, but all things are and are true because of the mind of god. furthermore, since the divine intellect produces its concept or word, by which all things are made, that word can be called the truth. for, as we have previously argued, the first meaning of truth is what is brought forth by the mind in conformity to what it thinks about. since the word is brought forth by the father, and is in perfect conformity to the father, the word is appropriately called the truth. st. thomas puts it this way : and so it is that the uncreated truth of the divine intellect is appropriated to the son, who is the conception itself of the divine intellect and the word of god. for truth follows a conception of the intellect. ( commentary on st. john, l. 18, l. 11 ) earlier in the commentary on the gospel of st. john, st thomas says : truth belongs properly ( per se ) to him ( christ ) because he is the word. for truth is nothing other than the conformity of a thing to the intellect,


earlier in the commentary on the gospel of st. john, st thomas says : truth belongs properly ( per se ) to him ( christ ) because he is the word. for truth is nothing other than the conformity of a thing to the intellect, and this comes about when the intellect conceives a thing as it is. therefore, the truth of our intellect belongs to our word, which is its conception. but although our word is true, it is not truth itself, since it is not through itself, but it is conformed to the thing conceived. now the truth of the divine intellect belongs to the word of god. but because the word of god is true of itself, since it is not measured by things, but things are true insofar as they come near to a likeness of him, and so it is that the word of god is truth itself. and because no one can know the truth unless he adheres to the truth, it is necessary that everyone who desires to know the truth adhere to this word. ( in john, l. 14, lec. 2 ) here we have a fundamental distinction. “ the word of god is true of itself, since it is not measured by things. ” so unlike the human mind which comes to the truth by conforming itself to things, god contains all truth because things conform to him. so how are we to reach the fullness of truth? by knowing god. a consequence of what we have said is that since god possesses the whole of truth, and every other truth depends on him and points to him. he alone is the teacher without qualification. as st. thomas explains, god is first and properly a teacher because he has doctrine from himself. ( just as god is first and properly a father because he is the begetter of another in virtue of himself, whereas all other fathers are so called because of the existence and power that they have received from god. ) any lesser truth directs the mind to the fullness of truths and, therefore, the knowledge of all truths is not fully had until they are seen in their relation to the source of truth. when jesus speaks about the truth he identifies it with himself, and he indicates that it is what makes us free. knowing the truth, which is found in god essentially, and the word personally, is what makes us free. and since the end of a liberal education is to know the truth, which enables one to live the life of a free man, it follows that the fullness of liberal education is found


essentially, and the word personally, is what makes us free. and since the end of a liberal education is to know the truth, which enables one to live the life of a free man, it follows that the fullness of liberal education is found in a program of studies under the inspiration of the church christ established while he was on earth to guard his truth. that is, a catholic liberal education is the fullness, or perfection, of a liberal education. it is not merely an education for catholics, nor an education with catholic customs and practices added on. no, a catholic liberal education is the perfection of an education ordered towards the truth. it is catholic through and through, in its principles, methods, and ends ; and catholicism affects all the parts of such an education however humble they are. john paul ii indicates as much in ex corde ecclesiae : [ a ] catholic university is completely dedicated to the research of all aspects of truth in their essential connection with the supreme truth, who is god. it does this without fear but rather with enthusiasm, dedicating itself to every path of knowledge, aware of being preceded by him who is “ the way, the truth, and the life. ” let us return then to some of the difficulties raised at the beginning of this lecture. the phrase “ catholic liberal education ” is not like “ catholic plumber ” for in the case of the plumber it makes no essential difference to his activity that he is catholic. this is not the case with a catholic liberal education. catholicism makes all the difference in such an education, for it orders that education from beginning to end. it defines the kind of education it is, and it perfects all the natural parts of the program of studies by ordering them to the supreme truth. mr. mark berquist, one of the founders of thomas aquinas college, says much more precisely what i am trying to get at. when one finds a catholic school with a great books curriculum, one is inclined to suppose that catholic belief is incidental to its educational program, and that ( at most ) it modifies but does not determine that program... catholicism, it seems, makes a difference, but not an educational difference …. [ not so. ] the intellectual tradition of the catholic church orders the study of all such truth about reality — a truth of which it speaks with confidence, from the word of god it receives in faith. ( “ catholic education and the great books ” ) the parts of a catholic liberal education are not equally,


orders the study of all such truth about reality — a truth of which it speaks with confidence, from the word of god it receives in faith. ( “ catholic education and the great books ” ) the parts of a catholic liberal education are not equally, nor all obviously, catholic in the way that theology is catholic. theology is catholic because it proceeds from principles that are divinely revealed and that are handed down to us by the church. the other parts of a catholic liberal education are more or less informed by these principles, or are more or less helpful in making known the meaning of catholic doctrine, and they are more or less intimately ordered to theology. catholic theology is most fully and perfectly a catholic discipline, philosophy is less so, and still less the other disciplines, until one arrives at disciplines only slightly under the light of catholic learning, such as geometry. this point should not be surprising. if one considers living things, for example, it is the higher animals that are more fully and more obviously alive. it is more difficult to see the life in the lowest forms of animals and plants. or, to take another example, it is quite evident that human beings act for a purpose, but it is harder to see that purposeful activity in some other animals, and still more difficult to see this purpose in the activity of some plants and in the inanimate world. so too the higher disciplines are more obviously catholic because they have some bearing, directly or indirectly, on catholic doctrine, or they help to elucidate catholic teaching and ends. this is much less evident in, say, the mathematical disciplines. this point mr. berquist made in the passage i just quoted. he said : “ the intellectual tradition of the catholic church … orders the study of all truth about reality — a truth of which it speaks with confidence, from the word of god it receives in faith. ” the following example might be helpful. the use of the word “ catholic ” in the phrase “ catholic liberal education ” is like the use of “ catholic ” when we speak of “ catholic marriage. ” it is obvious that “ catholic tennis player ” simply names a catholic who happens to play tennis. catholic marriage, on the other hand, does not just mean the marriage between catholics. for catholicism makes a real difference to the marriage itself. god is the author of marriage, and he has ordered marriage towards catholic ends. as pope leo xiii puts it : “ by the command of christ, [ marriage ] looks not only to the propagation of the human race, but to


the marriage itself. god is the author of marriage, and he has ordered marriage towards catholic ends. as pope leo xiii puts it : “ by the command of christ, [ marriage ] looks not only to the propagation of the human race, but to the bringing forth of children for the church ” ( arcanum divinae sapientiae, # 10 ). so the natural end of marriage is perfected by this spiritual end, and because the natural end is ordered to and perfected by the spiritual end, the relation between marriage and catholicism is not by chance. as leo xiii explains, “ … there abides in [ marriage ] something holy and religious ; not extraneous, but innate ; not derived from men, but implanted by nature ” ( # 19 ). catholic marriage, then, is not simply the marriage between catholics, but an institution ordered to the ends of the faith. hence, it is the perfection of marriage. so, too, catholic liberal education is not just an education with catholic trappings, no, the very education is essentially catholic. it does not seem to me to be good enough to say that the parts of a catholic education are called catholic because of something extrinsic or because of something accidental to them. i think it is better to say, even in the hardest cases such as geometry and the other mathematical disciplines, that they acquire a catholic character insofar as they are parts of a catholic education. of course, it would be strange to say that geometry is catholic in the way theology is. no geometrical argument begins with principles held by faith. but insofar as any part of a catholic liberal education is ordered to knowing the fullness of truth, then, that part, even if it is geometry, has a catholic character as a lesser truth ordered to the fullness of truth. that is, geometrical truth is ordered to the truth about god as the natural end of marriage is ordered to, and perfected in, the spiritual end of catholic marriage. i know that is still vague, but i will leave it at that until someone pushes me to say more during the discussion period. how is there a catholic philosophy? in one sense of the word there is only one philosophy. as aristotle puts it, “ it is right also that philosophy should be called knowledge of the truth, for the end of theoretical knowledge is truth ” ( metaphysics, ii, ch. 1, 993b19 ). with this meaning of the word “ philosophy, ” there would not be many


that philosophy should be called knowledge of the truth, for the end of theoretical knowledge is truth ” ( metaphysics, ii, ch. 1, 993b19 ). with this meaning of the word “ philosophy, ” there would not be many philosophies, because there is either truth or falsehood. so it would not be necessary to ask is this philosophy catholic? for by definition the truth attained by the human mind, the philosophical truths, would not contradict the truth revealed by god through the church. as pope leo xiii puts it in aeterni patris : those, therefore, who to the study of philosophy unite obedience to the christian faith are philosophers indeed ; for the splendor of the divine truths, received into the mind, helps the understanding, and not only detracts in nowise from its dignity, but adds greatly to its nobility, keenness, and stability. ( p. 9 ) in another sense of the word “ philosophy, ” any natural effort to know the world around us can be called philosophy and be defined by its principles and methods. in this sense of “ philosophy, ” there are as many philosophies as there are distinct approaches to understanding the world, that is, distinct principles and methods of inquiry. the philosophy of descartes would differ then from that of aristotle. and to the extent that descartes appears to hold that the soul and body are distinct substances, and he seems to hold a curious view about what substance and accidents are, to that extent cartesian philosophy would not be a catholic philosophy, even though descartes was a catholic. in fides et ratio, john paul ii seems to use this sense of the word “ philosophy. ” he distinguishes philosophies by their principles and methods. however, that still makes the passage i quoted earlier curious : “ the church has no philosophy of her own nor does she canonize any one particular philosophy in preference to others. ” how are we to understand this passage in light of centuries of papal teaching extolling the philosophy of st. thomas? for example, pope pius xi : we consider that thomas should be called not only the angelic, but also the common or universal doctor of the church ; for the church has adopted his philosophy for her own, as innumerable documents of every kind attest. ( studiorum ducem # 11 ) the first thing to note about the quotation from fides et ratio is that john paul ii refers to a text from pius xii ’ s humani gene


as innumerable documents of every kind attest. ( studiorum ducem # 11 ) the first thing to note about the quotation from fides et ratio is that john paul ii refers to a text from pius xii ’ s humani generis. in that passage pius xii considers the church ’ s relationship to philosophy : “ [ t ] he church cannot be bound to any philosophical system which exists for a brief period of time … ” he then goes on to say that only those things composed from common consent of catholic doctors are not based on a weak foundation because they are “ supported by principles and notions deduced from a true knowledge of created things. ” clearly pius xii is warning the faithful about basing their judgments on philosophical fads, among which he includes “ idealism ” and “ existentialism, ” for these “ systems ” incline one to “ dogmatic relativism. ” it is important to note that john paul ii ’ s remarks, generally translated as : “ the church has no philosophy of her own nor does she canonize any one particular philosophy in preference to others ” is to be understood in terms of the text from pius xii that he refers us to. a sign of this is that later in the same encyclical he speaks about the “ incomparable value of the philosophy of st. thomas … [ and that ] the thought of the angelic doctor seems … the best way to recover the practice of a philosophy consonant with the demands of faith ” ( f + r # 57 ). one last point, if one looks to the latin text of fides et ratio, it becomes clear that the passage i have been quoting is very loosely translated, and, as a result, might give a false impression. as literally as i can put it, the passage should be rendered as follows : the church does not hold forth her very own philosophy, nor does she have preference for one to the detriment of others. what the holy father is saying, then, is that the church urges the faithful to seek for truth wherever it can be found. she is not bound to this or that philosophy, especially not to philosophies that are popular and so could be a fad. the church does not reject truth found in any particular philosophical school, but she also has a longstanding endorsement of the perennial philosophy found in st. thomas aquinas ’ teaching. so there is a catholic philosophy, a philosophy that is a handmaid to the truth revealed by god, and taught by his church. that


she also has a longstanding endorsement of the perennial philosophy found in st. thomas aquinas ’ teaching. so there is a catholic philosophy, a philosophy that is a handmaid to the truth revealed by god, and taught by his church. that philosophy is one in the sense that the truth is one, and to the extent that one thinks of philosophies distinguished by their principles and methods it is found principally in the teaching of st. thomas. can one study theology apart from catholicism? recall one of the presuppositions of this lecture : education is ordered to knowing the truth. as a result, if we consider someone who engages the arguments in theology, but who has not accepted the principles of the theological arguments, those principles that must be held by faith, then he has not fully attained the science of theology. no doubt one can become aware of an argument without accepting the principles upon which that argument is based. however without a grasp of the principles one has not been led to a new truth. instead one has engaged in a logical exercise, something like a hypothetical consideration, without coming to grasp a new truth. therefore, without accepting the principles of a theological argument, which admittedly are held by faith, one cannot have the science of theology, and so there is no theological education strictly speaking. without holding the principles of theology one would be like someone who follows an argument in astronomy but who is ignorant of the geometrical principles upon which the astronomical argument depends. so theology is unique because the truth of its principles is not seen by the human mind, but grasped in the light of faith. without faith there is no science of theology. let me turn briefly to a kind of practical corollary to the thesis of this lecture. as the psalmist says, “ teach me thy way, o lord, that i may walk in thy truth ” ( 86 : 11 ). if a man wants to grow in the truth not only will he pursue a program of studies that is ordered to the truth, but he will also live a life that is suitable to that pursuit. jesus has told us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. the order here is noteworthy. jesus tells us that he is the way before he tells us that he is the truth. that is, he is the path towards the truth, and the truth is what will give us life, not only an examined life, but life everlasting. in order to receive the truth that we are pursuing, we must follow the path that jesus


is, he is the path towards the truth, and the truth is what will give us life, not only an examined life, but life everlasting. in order to receive the truth that we are pursuing, we must follow the path that jesus points out to us. if he is the way, then we have to imitate him if we hope to arrive at the truth. obviously we imitate him by becoming good. so a life of virtue is the path to the truth. the virtues i am talking about are both virtues proper to the intellectual life, such as docility, studiousness, and perseverance, but also moral virtues such as temperance and patience. all these virtues are on the path towards the truth. so if jesus is the truth to which all other truths are ordered, then the truth will be found not only in study, but also in a life of virtue, and even more so in a sacramental life that unites us more closely to the one who is truth, especially in the sacrament of the eucharist. the eucharist is jesus fully present to us, and, as we have argued, he is truth itself. so how will we succeed in this program? it all begins with us on our knees, continues in the classroom and in a life of study, and culminates in the sacraments. that is a truly catholic, truly liberal education, because it is an ordered whole : a catholic liberal education. i would like to conclude by quoting archbishop jose h. gomez. he addressed the seniors at our last graduation mass in our lady of the most holy trinity chapel with the following words : jesus is the logos, the divine reason through whom the universe is created. he is the truth and wisdom of god. in him we find not only the unity of knowledge, but we also find the fundamental harmony of faith and reason.


the year is 1565. on the island of malta, 600 knights of st. john, commanding a force of some 8000 men, prepare to defend their island fortress from attack. these same catholic knights had been driven from their previous stronghold, the isle of rhodes, in 1522, by the ottoman turks. under suleyman the magnificent, the moslems were pressing hard across arabia, syria, iraq, into egypt and northern africa, and had established a strong foothold on the north coast of the black sea, the gateway to all of europe itself. in 1526, the hungarians had been defeated at the battle of mohacs, and only the austrian habsburgs now stood in the way of the moslem advance. vienna came under attack in 1529, but the moslems were unable to take the capital, and their over - extended campaign failed. now, the turks had raised a fleet of 181 ships, carrying some 30, 000 soldiers, and malta was the prize they sought. their goal was to plunder and sweep all the ships of christian europe from the mediterranean. then, in control of the sea lanes and trade routes, with their naval and economic power supreme, all of europe would be set to fall before them. our lord and our lady, top left, blessing the catholic fleet at lepanto for more pictures, click here the turkish fleet appeared off the coast of malta, and laid siege to the island. all through the summer of 1565 the contest for malta raged. in the end, the knights of st. john ( knights of malta ) were victorious, and the turks were forced to withdraw in defeat. it did not, however, end the threat from the ottoman turks. in 1566, pius v ascended to the chair of st. peter in rome. pius v was a dominican monk with a reputation for piety and austerity. a teacher of philosophy and theology for 16 years, unlike some previous popes, he was a humble man who continued to lead the ascetic life of a simple monk even after becoming pope. pius v was also very serious about defending christendom against the ottoman turks. he knew they were not just going to go away and leave europe in peace. vienna and the eastern borders continued to be threatened by moslem military power and incursions, and the papal states themselves could soon be at risk. cyprus came under attack again in 1570. seeing the increasing danger to christendom, pius v called on " the holy league, " consisting


by moslem military power and incursions, and the papal states themselves could soon be at risk. cyprus came under attack again in 1570. seeing the increasing danger to christendom, pius v called on " the holy league, " consisting of the papal states, spain, genoa, venice, and the knights of malta, to address the moslem threat. a christian naval fleet was assembled under the overall command of admiral don john of austria. although young ( in his twenties ), don john was a capable naval commander. the spaniards were led by santa cruz, the genoese by andrea doria, and the venetians commanded by agostin barbarigo and sebastian veniero. the fleet under don john ' s command was some 300 ships strong, with over 100 ships and 30, 000 men being supplied by philip ii of spain alone. the pope personally outfitted and supplied 12 papal galleys, and provided funding for many of the others as well. the venetian contingent was around 100 ships, manned in part by additional spanish soldiers. in the venetian fleet were six galleasses. heavier, broader, and much slower than conventional galleys, they were nonetheless technologically advanced - the heavy gun platforms and battleships of their day. all total, over 50, 000 men served the fleet as rowers, and another 30, 000 were fighting soldiers. don juan of austria, chief commander of the holy league ' s fleet, inflicted the largest naval defeat on the muslims in history in september of 1571, don john moved the catholic fleet east to intercept the turks at corfu, but the turks had already landed, terrorized the population, and then moved on. while anchored off the coast of cephalonia, news reached don john that the christian stronghold at famagusta on cyprus had fallen to the turks, with all prisoners being tortured and then executed by the moslems. don john then pulled up anchor and moved to engage the turkish fleet in the gulf of lepanto, off the southern coast of greece. the turkish fleet, some 330 ships strong, under the command of ali pasha, had been reinforced by uluch ali, the bey of algiers, and head of the notorious band of moslem corsairs ( pirates ) that had long terrorized catholic ships in the mediterranean. on the night of october 6, with a favorable wind behind him, ali pasha moved his fleet westward toward the mouth of the gulf of patras to intercept the approaching ships of the holy league. the clash


long terrorized catholic ships in the mediterranean. on the night of october 6, with a favorable wind behind him, ali pasha moved his fleet westward toward the mouth of the gulf of patras to intercept the approaching ships of the holy league. the clash that was to come would be the largest naval engagement since the battle of actium in 30 b. c. at dawn, on october 7, 1571, the two fleets met. don juan split his fleet into three sections : on the left ( north ), the venetians under agostin barbarigo ; on the right ( south ), andrea doria led the genoese and papal galleys ; in the center, don john commanded his flagship and galleys. santa cruz, with a force of 35 spanish and venetian ships, was held in reserve. he ordered his captains not to fire until “ close enough to be splattered with moslem blood. ” the iron rams were removed from the christian ships, as the plan was for boarding and close quarter fighting. two of the large venetian galleasses were towed into position in front of each of the three christian divisions. don juan of austria in battle, at the bow of the ship, painted by juan luna y novicio ali pasha ' s fleet approached in a giant crescent formation, and seeing the opposing fleet, he also ordered his fleet split into three divisions. ali pasha himself took up the middle position opposite don john, and charged forward to engage don john ' s ships. the venetian galleasses opened fire, and almost immediately eight moslem ships were hit and began to sink. the catholic galleys, their decks filled with soldiers, opened fire with arquebuses ( 1 ) and crossbows as the moslem ships drew alongside. ali pasha ' s men attempted to board the catholic ships, but the spanish soldiers were experienced and well disciplined. attack after attack was beaten back with deadly shots from their crossbows and arquebuses. don john ordered the ship of ali pasha to be boarded and taken. two times the boarding attack of the spanish soldiers was beaten back, but on the third attempt they swarmed over the deck, now awash in blood, and took the ship. ali pasha was captured and beheaded on the spot ( against the wishes of don john ), and the battle flag of the ottoman fleet came down off the mainmast. the head of the turkish admiral was spitted on a long pike and raised on high for all the enemy ships to see. the turkish


the wishes of don john ), and the battle flag of the ottoman fleet came down off the mainmast. the head of the turkish admiral was spitted on a long pike and raised on high for all the enemy ships to see. the turkish attack in the center collapsed, and don john sent his ships in pursuit of the retreating turks, and also turned to aid in the battles raging on his flanks. fresco of the lepanto battle plan by antonio danti on the catholic right, uluch ali and his pirates had broken through doria ' s lines and managed to capture the flagship of the knights of st. john. santa cruz, seeing what had happened, came up to the rescue, and uluch ali was forced to abandon his prize. the genoese were in a fight for their lives with the remainder of uluch ali ' s ships, but after don john had broken the enemy fleet in the center, he turned and came to the aid of the genoese. the algerian corsairs were finally overcome, and fled for their lives in full retreat. admiral mahomet sirocco, commanding the turkish right ( on the catholic left ), sailed close to the rocks and shallows on the northern shore of the gulf and was able to outflank barbarigo ' s venetian galleys. barbarigo ' s flagship was surrounded by eight enemy galleys, and the catholic admiral fell dead from turkish arrows. his flagship was taken for a time, but aid finally arrived, and sirocco ' s flagship galley was sunk. the turkish admiral was yanked out of the water, and, like ali pasha, killed right on the spot. the engagement lasted, all total, around four to five hours. when it was all over, 8, 000 men who had sailed with don john were dead and another 16, 000 wounded. the turks and uluch ali ' s corsairs had over 25, 000 dead, and untold thousands more wounded and captured. over 12, 000 catholic galley slaves had also been rescued from the moslems. the venetian galleasses had taken a heavy toll on the turkish fleet. it was a major victory for the holy league and christendom. at dawn, on october 7, 1571, as recorded in the vatican archives, pope pius v, accompanied by a group of the faithful, entered the basilica of santa maria maggiore to pray the rosary and ask our lady to intercede for a catholic victory. the prayers continued in rome as the catholic and


the vatican archives, pope pius v, accompanied by a group of the faithful, entered the basilica of santa maria maggiore to pray the rosary and ask our lady to intercede for a catholic victory. the prayers continued in rome as the catholic and moslem fleets battled far away in the gulf of lepanto. later in the day, the pope is said to have suddenly interrupted his business with some cardinals, and looking up, cried out, saints peter, roch, justine and mark ask our lady for the catholic fleet - paolo veronese " a truce to business! our great task at present is to thank god for the victory which he has just given the catholic army. " the pope, of course, had no way of knowing that the battle was taking place and being decided on that very day. ( no cell phones in 1571! ) when news of the victory finally reached europe, church bells rang out in cities all across the continent. the battle of lepanto was a decisive victory, with only 40 of the over 300 moslem ships surviving the engagement. the turkish force of some 75, 000 men was in ruins. the battle, although a great victory for catholic europe, did not end the threat of invasion, or completely break the power of the ottoman turks. more naval and land battles would follow in the years to come, and vienna itself would come under attack again, and yet again. today, the long clash between christendom and islam is still evident in the political and ethnic geography of europe, africa, byzantium, and north into russia. the battle also extends, in varying degrees, throughout the near and far east, and the islands of the pacific as well. many christian knights, soldiers, and sailors have died defending christendom against the onslaughts of islam down through the centuries. today, the borders of many european countries, canada, and the united states are practically wide open, and the old enemy is invited to come in and make himself at home. and many ' christians ' in the west are just too busy enjoying their material prosperity to be bothered with unpleasant history. but the enemy has not forgotten history. he remembers it all too well, and he is still deadly serious about his religion. his goal over the years has not changed in the slightest, and he is very patient. the enemy within is now smiling, just biding his time. and long dead christian knights, our ancestors in the faith, are probably turning over in their graves right about now, trying desperately to


published on monday, april 09, 2012 02 : 34 written by los angeles travelingmom fields of gold and orange poppies swaying in the breeze are a spectacular sight in spring when california ’ s landscape blooms with a mosaic of colorful wildflowers and shrubs. winter rains determine the intensity and duration of wildflowers such as poppies, lupine, cream cups and towering ocotillos. round up the kids, pack a picnic and bring your camera. antelope valley california poppy reserve masses of poppies grow in this western mojave desert 15 miles west of lancaster, a stone ’ s throw from los angeles. other wildflowers include owl ’ s clover, goldfields, and the scented grape soda lupine found along the tehachapi vista trail. singing meadow larks and hawks break the silence of the quiet countryside. during the wildflower season, the nearby jane s. pinheiro interpretive center shows a short video, and offers free guided tours. shaded picnic tables available. seven miles west of the poppy reserve is the arthur b. ripley desert woodland state park, where a native joshua tree and juniper woodland are among the last standing in this habitat that once spread across the antelope valley. http : / / www. parks. ca. gov. joshua tree national park a variety of flowers at different elevations brighten the park ’ s two deserts – the higher mojave desert and lower colorado desert. wildflowers usually begin blooming in the lower elevations of the pinto basin and along the park ’ s south boundary around february, and at higher elevations in march and april. where there are clusters of rocks, expect plenty of wildflowers. seen throughout the park is the desert dandelion, a hearty flower that forms brilliant patches of gold across the landscape. the flowers are yellow and some have a red dot in the center. look carefully, you may even see a desert tortoise snacking on one! for flower updates, call the joshua tree national park 760 - 367 - 5500 or visit www. nps. gov / jotr. anza - borrego desert state park california ’ s largest state park, encompassing more than 600, 000 acres, has one of the most spectacular wildflower displays in the west. here you ’ ll find a kaleidoscope of flowers from tiny bursts of color and gold poppies to towering ocotillos sprouting fiery spines of scarlet blossoms. the canyons west of borrego springs usually have a pageant of


if your child frequently gets colds, sinus infections and laryngitis you may have considered having his or her adenoids removed to see if the infections would lesson. a new study from the netherlands says you might want to rethink that. according to chantal boonacker, who led the research team at the university medical center utrecht, waiting has no bad consequences. the watchful waiting approach seems to be as effective as surgery. adenoids are tissue that sit in the back of the nasal cavity and are above the roof of the mouth. you can see your tonsils when you look in the mirror and open your mouth, but you can ' t see your adenoids. their purpose is to help fight infection in children and usually shrink and disappear by adulthood. sometimes the tissue becomes enlarged. a surgery called an adenoidectomy may be performed in children with a chronic cough and cold. the study suggests that in children with respiratory problems, delaying the surgery may be a smart financial and medical decision. the research included 111 children, age one to six, who ' d had an average of nine or ten respiratory infections - including colds and sinus infections - in the past year. half of them were randomly chosen to have an adenoidectomy right away and the rest were assigned to a watchful waiting strategy over the next two years. in a report released in 2011, the study team found no difference in future respiratory infections or ear problems in kids who did or didn ' t have immediate adenoidectomy. of the 57 kids initially allocated to watchful waiting, 23 went on to have their adenoids removed. researchers also looked into the expense of the two medical approaches. boonacker and her colleagues found that once surgery, drugs, doctors ' appointments and family expenses were considered, immediate adenoidectomy was about one and a half times more expensive than waiting - at an average of $ 1, 995 versus $ 1, 216. the cost may be different in the u. s. there are other reasons a child may undergo an adenoidectomy, such as ear infections or airway obstruction. boonacker cautioned that the financial and clinical findings might not apply in those cases. many u. s. physicians prefer the watchful waiting approach before having a child undergo surgery when possible. the typical treatment for children with breathing problems would include antibiotics for infection or topical nasal steroids for allergies. in another study published alongside the new report, researchers from montreal children ' s hospital in canada found african american kids were at


when madison minton was six months old, her parents noticed that her breathing was frequently labored. now in second grade, the child is on eight medications for asthma and other pulmonary ailments. “ madison ’ s situation is typical, ” says deborah payne, energy and health coordinator of the kentucky environmental foundation. “ people in eastern kentucky often don ’ t have the financial capacity to move away so they live with the consequences of being downwind of a coal processing plant. this means that madison is exposed to high quantities of dust every single day. ” payne calls coal mining “ one piece of the birth defect puzzle ” and says that at every stage, coal is problematic, from its extraction, to its processing, transport, and eventual burning. “ at each step there are negative health consequences for adults, children, and fetal life, ” she continues. and it ’ s gotten worse. as mountaintop removal [ mtr ] has horned - in on underground mining, the health maladies of residents of eastern kentucky, southwest virginia, eastern tennessee, and southwest west virginia — appalachia — have begun to pile up. here ’ s why. mtr requires the use of explosives to reach coal streams, a process that makes it even more perilous than underground mining. according to physicians for social responsibility [ psr ], mtr blasts release selenium, iron, and aluminum into the air. selenium is particularly hazardous, psr says, because it accumulates in tissue where it can cause circulatory, kidney, liver, and nerve damage. but that ’ s not all : later, chemically treated liquids are used to wash the coal and, more often than not, this brew ends up in groundwater. even more frightening, a group called appalachian mountain advocates estimates that when the time comes to turn coal into electricity, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury - - in the form of coal ash - - gets spewed into the oxygen we breathe and the water we drink. not surpringly, this hasn ’ t fazed the coal companies. in fact, by all accounts, mtr has been a boon for them, allowing the removal of two - and - a - half times more coal per hour than traditional underground mining. already, the rush to extract - - four million tons a year is taken from each coal - rich county - - has cleared nearly 2200 square miles of forests, reduced 470 mountain summits to rubble, buried 2000 miles of streams, and damaged the ecosystems needed by fish


to extract - - four million tons a year is taken from each coal - rich county - - has cleared nearly 2200 square miles of forests, reduced 470 mountain summits to rubble, buried 2000 miles of streams, and damaged the ecosystems needed by fish and wildlife. still, it is the human toll that is causing the lion ’ s share of brow furrowing. a first - of - its - kind study released in june 1011 - - “ the association between mountaintop mining and birth defects among live births in appalachia, 1996 - 2003 ” - - brought six scientists together to analyze more than 1. 8 million hospital birth records for the central portion of the region. their findings should jolt both advocates of reproductive justice and those who purport to support the right to life. indeed, the scientists were cautious, recognizing that most birth defects come from a mix of genetic and environmental factors. nonetheless, in areas where mtr is used, health abnormalities - - including spina bifida, heart, lung, and genital malformations, cleft palate, hydrocephalus, and club feet - - greatly exceeded defects in non - mtr areas : 235 per 10, 000 versus 144. the study also found that living in an area with mountaintop removal increases the chance of having a child with a circulatory defect by 181 percent. adults, researchers say, also suffer. numerous health surveys have confirmed that adults living in areas where there is mountaintop removal have significantly more illnesses than others of comparable age - - with high rates of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, liver disease, hypertension, heart problems, and kidney failure. factor in poverty - - which affects nearly a third of appalachia ’ s residents - - and it ’ s hard not to despair. despite these realities, scientists say that they still have a lot to learn about the risks associated with mtr. “ we have not yet investigated the health of pregnant women, ” says dr. michael hendryx, director of the west virginia rural health research center. “ we know that at certain times during pregnancy there is a greater risk of toxins passing through the placenta. that has to be studied. throughout appalachia we hear stories about kids developing cancer at early ages, having asthma and other serious respiratory symptoms, getting frequent rashes and skin blisters. we also hear about kids with digestive and dental problems, kids losing their adult teeth while they ’ re teenagers. if they drink water from


at early ages, having asthma and other serious respiratory symptoms, getting frequent rashes and skin blisters. we also hear about kids with digestive and dental problems, kids losing their adult teeth while they ’ re teenagers. if they drink water from a well that water is usually not treated and we suspect that it is tainted by chemicals that come off a mining site and then rot their teeth. other people have different kinds of air - related problems. in some places people have to wipe a thick layer of coal dust - - it comes from the processing plants - - off their furniture every day or two. the health problems vary depending on what people are exposed to - - but they need to be documented and then analyzed. ” that said, some facts are incontrovertible : for one, coal - mining communities experience significantly more birth defects than communities where mining doesn ’ t occur. secondly, adults living in mtr districts are, on average, sicker than adults who live elsewhere. so what to do? coal is currently responsible for generating almost half of the electricity used in the us, something that is unlikely to change unless viable alternatives are developed. at the same time, the companies that see coal as a cheap and abundant fossil fuel need to be reminded that here is nothing cheap about human health. when i was a kid my grandmother frequently repeated a phrase that i found ridiculous : “ if you have your health, you have everything. ” who would have imagined that, years later, that truism would resonate.


part of twisted. internet. protocol view source view in hierarchy implements interfaces : twisted. internet. interfaces. iconsumer | method | | write | | the producer will write data by calling this method. | | method | | registerproducer | | register to receive data from a producer. | | method | | unregisterproducer | | stop consuming data from a producer, without disconnecting. | inherited from adapter : | method | | _ _ init _ _ | | set my ' original ' attribute to be the object i am adapting. | | method | | _ _ conform _ _ | | i forward _ _ conform _ _ to self. original if it has it, otherwise i simply return none. | | method | | isuper | | forward isuper to self. original | register to receive data from a producer. this sets self to be a consumer for a producer. when this object runs out of data ( as when a send ( 2 ) call on a socket succeeds in moving the last data from a userspace buffer into a kernelspace buffer ), it will ask the producer to resumeproducing ( ). resumeproducing will be called once each time data pauseproducingwill be called whenever the write buffer fills up and resumeproducingwill only be called when it empties. | parameters | | producer | | ( type : |


classifying critical points so let ’ s say we ’ ve got a critical point of a multivariable function. that is, a point where the differential vanishes. we want something like the second derivative test that might tell us more about the behavior of the function near that point, and to identify ( some ) local maxima and minima. we ’ ll assume here that is twice continuously differentiable in some region around. the analogue of the second derivative for multivariable functions is the second differential. this function assigns to every point a bilinear function of two displacement vectors and, and it measures the rate at which the directional derivative in the direction of is changing as we move in the direction of. that is, if we choose coordinates on given by an orthonormal basis, we can write the second differential in terms of coordinates this matrix is often called the “ hessian ” of at the point. as i said above, this is a bilinear form. further, clairaut ’ s theorem tells us that it ’ s a symmetric form. then the spectral theorem tells us that we can find an orthonormal basis with respect to which the hessian is actually diagonal, and the diagonal entries are the eigenvalues of the matrix. so let ’ s go back and assume we ’ re working with such a basis. this means that our second partial derivatives are particularly simple. we find that for we have and for, the second partial derivative is an eigenvalue which we can assume ( without loss of generality ) are nondecreasing. that is,. now, if all of these eigenvalues are positive at a critical point, then the hessian is positive - definite. that is, given any direction we have. on the other hand, if all of the eigenvalues are negative, the hessian is negative definite ; given any direction we have. in the former case, we ’ ll find that has a local minimum in a neighborhood of, and in the latter case we ’ ll find that has a local maximum there. if some eigenvalues are negative and others are positive, then the function has a mixed behavior at we ’ ll call a “ saddle ” ( sketch the graph of near to see why ). and if any eigenvalues are zero, all sorts of weird things can happen, though at least if we can find one positive and one negative eigenvalue we know that the critical point can ’ t be a


to see why ). and if any eigenvalues are zero, all sorts of weird things can happen, though at least if we can find one positive and one negative eigenvalue we know that the critical point can ’ t be a local extremum. we remember that the determinant of a diagonal matrix is the product of its eigenvalues, so if the determinant of the hessian is nonzero then either we have a local maximum, we have a local minimum, or we have some form of well - behaved saddle. these behaviors we call “ generic ” critical points, since if we “ wiggle ” the function a bit ( while maintaining a critical point at ) the hessian determinant will stay nonzero. if the hessian determinant is zero, wiggling the function a little will make it nonzero, and so this sort of critical point is not generic. this is the sort of unstable situation analogous to a failure of the second derivative test. unfortunately, the analogy doesn ’ t extent, in that the sign of the hessian determinant isn ’ t instantly meaningful. in two dimensions a positive determinant means both eigenvalues have the same sign — denoting a local maximum or a local minimum — while a negative determinant denotes eigenvalues of different signs — denoting a saddle. this much is included in multivariable calculus courses, although usually without a clear explanation why it works. so, given a direction vector so that, then since is in, there will be some neighborhood of so that for all. in particular, there will be some range of so that. for any such point we can use taylor ’ s theorem with to tell us that for some. and from this we see that for every so that. a similar argument shows that if then for any near in the direction of. now if the hessian is positive - definite then every direction from gives us, and so every point near satisfies. if the hessian is negative - definite, then every point near satisfies. and if the hessian has both positive and negative eigenvalues then within any neighborhood we can find some directions in which and some in which.


the humble grape ( pl. grapes, adj grape - like, grape - ish, grape - esque ) is a small, succulent fruit famous for being the primary ingredient in most wines, beers and spirits, and also enjoys the distinction of being the only known vertibrate fruit. it comes in three basic flavours : white, purpley, and wrath. grapes are also known to be the most flirtacious of all fruits, forming hybrid babies with other foods, leading to children that nobody really likes. because of this, the grape family is very large. some well - known distant relatives are the grapefruit, grapenut, grapeshot, tentacle grape, the grape white shark, the grape wall of china, and kevin bacon. currently the grape family is very influential, owning large parts of the french countryside, where they form countless offspring to use in their cannabalistic wine. a grape once killed my father, so i adopted a new one. we set up grape defenses ( land mines, machine guns, nancy pelosi, the standard ) and were never bothered again. edit how is am, the grape? glad you asked. grapes grow on trees, where they are harvested by french peasants and trained monkeys ( who are also french ), who knock the grapes out of the trees with long sticks. the grapes are then de - spined obliterated and bottled, then depending on the size and quality of the grape, are sent to an appropriate alcoholic beverage factory. the most juiciest, purpliest grapes are made into wine, whereas the scraggliest runty ones go to the white cider distillery. the now drinkable grapes are consumed by the buyer. the grapes which are not worthy to be drunk are poured on french blouses to freshen them up. some people will tell you that grapes grow off of vines, but this is simply a cruel stereotype that emerged in the era of segregation. they do, in fact, grow off of trees. edit grape apes the enigma of this spined fruit made it an obvious potential candidate for fulfilling man ' s ageless dream of crossing small fruit with primates. swiss scientists managed to successfully splice grape dna with that of the greater mountain gorilla in the year of our lord 1992, using test tubes and stuff like that. the experiment was a great success with dr herzkoff bork, the head geneticist on the project, declaring grape apes to be " the juiciest and purpleyest monkeys i ever ate


1992, using test tubes and stuff like that. the experiment was a great success with dr herzkoff bork, the head geneticist on the project, declaring grape apes to be " the juiciest and purpleyest monkeys i ever ate ". the grape family was reluctant at first to include this test - tube relative into their ranks, but after many wacky hijinx together thwarting baron von hatekill ' s evil plans and saving christmas, they ' ve become fast friends. baron von hatekill, however, was not amused, and has since sworn to " destroy those meddling grapes! ". edit grape nuts the grape is a fruit, i already said that, but in 1974 the grape was temporarily reclassified as a nut by the fda, in order to support the vietnam war effort. this is because nuts are harder than fruits and don ' t go rotten as quickly, making them much more suitable for intercontinental transportation and thereby much easier to deliver to desperate grape - less troops on the front lines. when the war was over, grapes were reclassified as fruit again. this specific relative of the grape family was welcomed into the family with open arms. they at first were a model citizen, getting amazing grades in high school, helping old grapes across the street, and generally being nice. however, they were never the same after vietnam. they lost an arm, en eye, and, most importantly, they lost hope. they suffered alienation after returning, and, not able to get a job, turned to alchohol and drugs to sate their foracious apetite for adventures that had long since died. yes, things looked grim for grape nut. however, through many power ballads and years of withdrawl, they managed to pull through and become a model grape again. in 1999, grape nut released a solo album thanking his friends and family for standing by him. edit health risks consumption of red grapes has been linked with a degenerative nerve disease colloquially known as " red grape disease ". recent studies have shown that eating a mere handful of red grapes a day can greatly increase the risk of developing red grape disease. like many seedless vertibrates, the red grape contains a spine, but no seeds. recent studies suggest that red grape disease may be caused by the reproductive process of red grapes, a phenomenon which red grape expert dr. roger lodge describes as " a confusing and terrible process that, frankly, scares the hell out of me ". many accidents related to grapes can be attributed to the little -


by the reproductive process of red grapes, a phenomenon which red grape expert dr. roger lodge describes as " a confusing and terrible process that, frankly, scares the hell out of me ". many accidents related to grapes can be attributed to the little - known but well - established fact that at least one grape in every bunch is evil and / or vengeful. edit the grape in popular culture in the 1975 blockbuster jaws, cap ' n quint initially believes the titular great white shark to be " some kind of giant grape ". it has been noted that people of the african descent are naturally attracted to grape flavored products such as purple drink. in the seinfeld episode the jockstrap, jerry and george compete to see who can go the longest without shaving. jerry wins by default when george chokes to death on a grape. john williams is a famous grape aficionado, and frequently attends film premieres with his face painted purple to show his love for the fruit. rosie o ' donnell, a revered grape lover, once threw a ten hour long " i ' m ape for grape " parade in which he " dressed " as a large gorilla in full greek toga regalia, being fed bunches of grapes in a golden bath tub by lesbian slaves wearing ann coulter masks. the party was said to be the most vile monstrosity and abuse of power ever known to man and even made your mom run crying into the arms of evil sex villain, tila tequila. it lasted from 11 pm to 9 am from june 13th to 14th 2008. | commonly mistaken for fruit |


powerpoint, and other presentation tools like it, is either the blessing or bane of most professors ' daily work. as a tool to project content, it has often been misused by presenters in a hurry or too uninformed of its features to use it properly. on the other hand, it can be very successful when used well. powerpoint has its detractors, though. every article that i reviewed for this blog posting referenced edward tufte ' s 2003 article on the cognitive style of powerpoint, and talked about his great dislike for bullet points, linear presentations, and simplistic presentations. tufte even called powerpoint " content vacuous ". there are other powerpoint detractors in addition to tufte. david brier and kaye vickery, in a 2009 articled titled " perception and use of powerpoint at library instruction conferences " ( references & user services quarterly ) listed their 5 top characteristics of bad powerpoint presentations : 1. speaker reads slides to audience 2. overuse of text on slide 3. slides use full sentences and paragraphs instead of bullet points 4. text is too small to be read 5. slides are hard to see because of color choices many of us have sat through powerpoint presentations that were difficult to endure, for these reasons and many more. but powerpoint, used well, can be quite effective in transmitting important content to listeners. patricia nemec and anne sullivan soydan, in the 2008 psychiatric rehabilitation journal ( the medium isn ' t the message ), write that powerpoint has two main functions. first, it is a visual aide supplemented by a spoken lecture, and second, it is a set of trainer notes that are a useful organizer and pacing tool. not only is powerpoint good as a tool for presenters, it also can help listeners learn and remember better. jo mackiewicz, in her 2009 article comparing powerpoint experts ' and university students ' opinions about powerpoint presentations ( journal of technical writing and communication ), associates dual coding theory with powerpoint, saying that powerpoint is uniquely positioned to offer both verbal and visual content, thus activating both processing systems and enhancing memory. so if powerpoint can be used well, how can we become better designers and presenters? one of the greatest minds on the correct use of powerpoint is jean - luc doumont. in his 2009 book, trees, maps, and theorems : effective communication for rational minds, he spells out clearly how to design and present excellent powerpoint presentations. i will