On January 5th, I opened The New York Times and read the following: “In mid-December, a posting appeared on the Internet site Pastebin offering six million account records, including passwords and login data for clients of Morgan Stanley. “Two weeks later, a new posting on the information-sharing site offered a teaser of actual records from 1,200 accounts, and provided a...

Last Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of the battle for Iwo Jima. Some of the survivors, many, in their 90s were “bused to the top of Mount Suribachi,” the Associate Press reports (Mar. 22), “where an Associated Press photo of the raising of the American flag while the battle was still raging became a potent symbol of hope and valor...

Most actors achieve press attention promoting a book, film, TV, play, cause or, in rare instances a public mea culpa for some infidelity, (e.g. Hugh Grant). While Angelina Jolie-Pitt has addressed causes in the past, she took the unusual step in talking about her personal decision-making regarding a medical choice she began two years ago, and the reasons behind her...

What will make a difference in the years ahead? How can we overcome extremism, complacency, prejudice, arrogance, ignorance, doubt, fear and hate? How can we learn to be better citizens, not just of our own country but of the world? How can we get to a place where helping each other is more important than winning at any cost; where...

I’ve quoted my ethics teacher, Michael Josephson, in past commentaries. On March 19, 1995, I had just completed the Josephson Institute’s Ethics Corps – a four-day intensive training on ethics and ethical decision-making to be used by teachers and trainers. At the time, my purpose was to re-educate myself to those philosophical qualities I studied and connected with in college....

Yesterday, Illinois Republican Representative Aaron Schock announced that he was resigning his House seat at the end of the Month. Schock said, “I do this with a heavy heart,” (And an even heavier expense account). Not only has Rep. Schock spent $40,000 to make his office look like rooms from the castle at Downton Abbey, but the thirty-three-year-old has been...

Cyber attacks are no longer a matter of “if.” They’re here, they’re growing more frequent, and we need to be prepared. However, in journalist Shane Harris’ enlightening, call to action book, @ War – The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex (2014), questions continue to arise, not only about the legality, but the ethics of such far-reaching programs utilized by the...

In the conclusion to his new book, @War – The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex (2014), journalist Shane Harris writes, “Governments and corporations are making the rules as they go, and their actions have had a more tangible effect than many have realized. It’s incumbent on everyone who touches cyberspace – which is undeniably a collective – to find what...

A favorite childhood memory of mine is sitting around the dining table – mom, pop, brother and me – rolling the dice and hoping to make my fortune by buying and building on several properties. Ah, yes, we all enjoyed a good time with The Landlord’s Game. The what? In a new book, out last month, entitled The Monopolists: Obsession,...

Last month, Citizenfour was awarded an Oscar for best documentary in 2014. The film concerns intelligence thief Edward Snowden, and the massive amount of documents he leaked to the media regarding a variety of NSA programs. The title comes from the pseudonym adopted by Snowden in an encrypted e-mail sent to director Laura Poitras in which he offered her inside...