I’m gone a few short weeks hiking the Appalachian Trail and what do I come home to?  Well, here’s the CliffsNotes version. Manny’s Back!  Manny Ramirez, the “vacationing” Dodger slugger returned to the lineup following a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.  He went 1 for 6 with a walk against the San Diego Padres in his first two...

“You know that the liberal media elites and the Obama Democrats are hoping you will put this letter down right now and do nothing…” – Michael Steele Steele is the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and current chairman of the Republican National Committee. “‘Let’s play grown-up.’ When I was a child, that’s what we said when we ran out of things...

Heroes are around us every day. They may not make the headlines like U.S. Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger or Captain Richard Phillips held by Somali pirates. In an age of arrogance and outrage, there are individuals who emerge that show us – teach us that virtue can triumph over vice; where respect and responsibility can still finish first. What follows...

“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” – Confucius, early Chinese teacher-philosopher One of the best (and most difficult to practice) definitions of the Golden Rule comes from former Hampton Honors College student Courtney Thompson. It’s a short, but powerful essay on what it means to live what Pastor Rick Warren would call, a “purpose-driven life.” When...

Manny Ramirez is gone, suspended for 50 regular season games, but should he be allowed to play in this year’s All-Star Game? Ramirez’s suspension ends July 3. The All-Star Game is played on July 14th. Legally, Ramirez is eligible to play. Ethically? New York Times ethicist, Randy Cohen writes “There are potent arguments against the use of these substances [steroids], invoking respect for the...

And now for another “priceless” Broadway story: “Mim Pollock was at a performance of South Pacific last month,” the Wall Street Journal article (June 7) begins, “when an audience member took off a shoe and propped her foot up on a rail in front of her. “The woman, complaining of an injured knee, said she couldn’t sit comfortably any other way, recalls...

President Obama appears quite comfortable with religious language but clearly wants to defuse the strong, divisive rhetoric surrounding it. This was apparent in his inaugural address when he referred to the country as a “patchwork,” made up “of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.” More than just multi-religious diversity, the deeper, more contentious clashes between believers and non-believers...

In an afternoon press conference, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo has been charged with fraud. The Washington Post reports that “from 2005 to 2007, the SEC alleged, Countrywide dramatically loosened its standards even though these executives were warned that the company would have trouble selling loans into the market. Countrywide was required to...

“I’ll take ‘Political Conundrums’ for $600, Alex? “Minnesota’s second Senator takes his seat in the Senate.” …?…?…?… After months of recounts and appeals the contest between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken could be resolved within weeks… maybe. “Mr. Coleman,” the New York Times reports, “is challenging the rulings of a state recount board and a lower...

On Monday, February 10, 2009, Alex Rodriquez’s life changed forever. The highest-paid player in baseball, called the greatest player in the modern game, also called Mr. Clean by some, because he was never directly tied to drug use, finally came clean (after reporter Selena Roberts broke the news in Sports Illustrated) when he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and lying about...