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...

With all the fuss surrounding the optical illusion about “that dress,” the Take offers its own spin. In the disillusion pictured, do you see a clown or House Speaker John Boehner? Answer: Actually the clown represents the “self-righteous, delusional” wing of the Republican Party, as described by Republican Peter King. The New York Times reported (Mar. 1), that “King, who...

While Jon Stewart may have announced his retirement from Comedy Central’s Daily Show later this year, he will not go quietly into anyone’s good night. Among those who will not be morning Stewart’s passing is Fox News host Megyn Kelly who recently said, “I don’t think overall he’s been a force for good. Because I think especially in his later...

At the end of many episodes of Jackie Gleason’s classic, “The Honeymooners,” a defeated Ralph would come home, give his put-upon but loyal wife Alice that hang-dog look and she would always ask, “Why Ralph, why?” Dripping with humility, Ralph would always respond, “…because I have a BIIIIG Mouth!” While “The Honeymooners” is a comedy, it’s hard to find much...

Around Oscar time, it has become routine for critics to partner with historians and scrutinize historically-based movies for their accuracy or inaccuracy regarding the facts. A documentary documents a non-fiction event(s) or person(s) usually mixing interviews, archive film, possibly recreations of an event or events, usually with a narrator who details what happened. A fact-based movie is a dramatization of...