Recent Commentaries

Featured image for “Memorial Day, 2011”
Memorial Day, 2011
I first spoke with vascular surgeon John Baldwin in March of 2000 when I was collecting stories for my book, What Do You Stand For?  That initial contact led to an eleven-year friendship. Before going to Vietnam, John specialized in open-heart surgery but decided upon the broader fields of general and vascular surgery, he says, “to give my people skills...
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May 30, 2011
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The Lowest of Low
To borrow an expression from Glenn Beck, Ed Schultz has “a big, fat mouth.” The left-wing talker suspended himself from his own MSNBC show after calling conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” on his radio program. On the Wednesday night edition of his MSNBC show, Schultz began with an apology to Ingraham, MSNBC, his own family and...
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May 27, 2011
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Star Trek: The Wrath of Kant
“So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.” – Immanuel Kant “Surely, I have made my meaning plain. I mean to avenge myself upon you, Admiral.” – Khan, a genetically enhanced superhuman who justifies his evil actions due to the death of his wife. “KHAAANNNN!” – Kirk, frustrated that his nemesis has...
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May 25, 2011
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Lance Armstrong
Q: What two things do the following athletes have in common? A-Rod, Chris Benoit, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettite… (and I could go on). A: Yes, they all used steroids and the second thing… they all denied it to the end. According to teammate Tyler Hamilton, seven-time Tour de...
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May 23, 2011
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This one’s for Mike
There’s this college buddy of mine, Mike. I call him the bass whisperer because whenever he was out on the water, bass would practically jump into his boat. Anyway, we’re both fans of the Discovery Channel’s documentary/reality seriesDeadliest Catch. So, in honor of the new season of Catch and Mike, I’m offering up this rerun from August, 2008. Billed as “…the real-life adventure...
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May 20, 2011
Featured image for “What’s the deal with men and sex… lately?”
What’s the deal with men and sex… lately?
May is shaping up to be an incredible month for sex scandals, and we’re only half way through the month! No sooner did we learn that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, had been pulled off a plane minutes before departing for France due to an alleged sexual attack against a hotel maid, than reports began to surface that...
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May 19, 2011
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The Social Disease
Director David Fincher’s film, The Social Network, is as deeply disturbing as it is deeply engrossing. It’s a testament to Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that I could not take my eyes off the screen sitting on a crowded flight from Boston to L.A. The film follows Mark Zuckerberg – a computer geek trapped in the delusion that what he creates...
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May 17, 2011
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Let’s Be Honest – Battle of the Bs Edition
 » Read more about: Let’s Be Honest – Battle of the Bs Edition  »...
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May 14, 2011
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The Ox-Bow Incident
One of many resources I consult on issues is The Ethics Resource Center located in Arlington, Virginia. “ERC,” its website writes, “began in 1922 as American Viewpoint, which provided education to adult immigrants about citizenship and values. “In the 1960’s, Ivan Hill, an entrepreneur from Chicago who was passionate about ethics and patriotism became interested in supporting the work of American Viewpoint.  » Read more...
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May 13, 2011
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The Shadow Knows
“The request came in by e-mail around 2 in the afternoon. It was from a previous customer, and she had urgent business. ‘You did me business ethics propsal for me I need propsal got approved pls can you will write me paper?’ “I’ve gotten pretty good at interpreting this kind of correspondence. The client had attached a document from her...
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May 11, 2011