Okay, I’ll confess to a little shameless self-promotion. But before you consider burning me at the alter of Gloria Steinem, let’s take a moment to think about this in the context of ethics. What if… ethics was fun… …where the only difficult decision is a choice between which swimsuit model you want to wrap a towel around, and the only responsibilities you...

Just when I thought I finished covering high school cheating, I received word from former Washington Post columnist, current high school teacher Colman McCarthy about the latest scandal taking place at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland. According to the Post (Feb. 5) disciplinary action will be taken “…against seven students who were allegedly involved in a computer-hacking scheme in which grades were changed,  » Read...

Last week, I spoke to four High School classes about the importance of honesty and trust. As part of their take-home assignment, I asked them to answer a six question survey – part of a national survey given to High School students across the country by The Josephson Institute of Ethics. They only have to respond “Yes,” or “No.” 1. In personal...

“If you could take a drug that would improve your test-taking ability by 25%,” I asked a group of High School students, “but the drug was illegal, would you take it? “How illegal?” one student asked. Although everyone laughed, this student’s response clearly mimicked behavior by some adults with a keen ability to parse an issue in order to justify unethical...

Former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller was memorialized as a fearless and, at times, fearsome public servant whose direct, no-nonsense approach made the city a better place for all. What I remember most about Harriet is her determination and dedication to getting things done, period.  When Harriet gave you her word or support, you could take it to the bank.  And...

Franklin Roosevelt once offered this piece of advice about giving a speech: “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.” Okay, here it goes. Ladies and Gentlemen of Congress, The American people are sick and tired of hearing excuses for your lack of effectively working together. They’re tired of listening to the arrogant sound bites at “impromptu” press conferences. You were not...

“The greatest political saga, the one that has it all, that gets to the real heart of American politics, is the John Edwards story…This isn’t just politics, it’s literature. It’s the great American novel, the kind that isn’t written anymore.”  – Michael Wolff on John Edwards’s trajectory, Vanity Fair That’s the introductory quote on Amazon.com for the “tell-all” written by former political aide...

The election victory and nationwide coverage of Senator Scott Brown from Massachusetts had me revisiting a piece I wrote in July, 2008.  In light of the current fuss and fracas between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, the lesson from this commentary is more timely than eve Whom can we trust? Who has the credibility to lead? These are just two...

Sam Adams, world-class decathlete, coach and mentor to numerous athletes passed away Tuesday, January 12. “The finest decathlon coach in American history,” wrote Frank Zarnowski for The Decathlon Association newsletter.  “The decathletes, pentathletes and heptathletes who trained under Sam’s watchful eye read like an American Who’s Who. You start with Bill Toomey and Jane Frederick, and Russ Hodge, and, well the list would...

On Tuesday (Jan. 12) the Republic of Haiti was overwhelmed by a 7.0 earthquake.  Last Saturday, (Jan. 17) Washington seemed overwhelmed by another event – former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton joined President Obama to support a massive effort to aid the desperately poor Haitian people. The New York Times reported that “The three men, who have collectively occupied...