Are my guiding principles healthy and robust? On this hangs everything.   – Marcus Aurelius In writing these commentaries, it’s interesting to see how one topic will lead to another. Last Friday’s discussion revolved around the ethical question of whether the end justifies the means, a theme from the filmThe Emperor’s Club. In browsing my bookshelf, The Emperor’s Handbook, a 2002 translation...

There’s a scene late in the film The Emperor’s Club when William Hundert, a teacher who believes that character is the path to true success, dispenses a final lesson to an errant student. “All of us, at some point,” Hundert tells an older but no wiser Sedgewick Bell, “are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror and see who we really...

“What he has accomplished is really nothing short of extraordinary.  We are not saying that this extraordinary story should give him a pass.” Those “extraordinary” words were spoken by defense attorney Robert P. Trout regarding his client, former congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana, asking the judge to take into account Jefferson’s life story before sentencing. In response, prosecutors pointed out...

Several conversations about ethics and art led me to revisit Friday’s commentary. An article from the New York Times (Nov. 11) raised my interest about “concerns in the art world over the propriety of a coming show at the New Museum [of Contemporary Art in New York] that will feature the private collection of a museum trustee, Dakis Joannou.”  Returning to The Times,  » Read more about:...

“A person who maintains a pornstar’s erection between scenes; a broker of products or services that gets the client ready.” – Urban Dictionary The New Museum of Contemporary Art “…has evolved from a scrappy alternative space into a mainstream institution,” The New York Times reported (Nov. 11). However, in the opinion of many, the Museum “…is jeopardizing its integrity by giving too much...

One of the great pleasures of living in an active community is having the opportunity to meet and listen to those who are fully engaged in service to others. Featured as one of the Smithsonian’s 100 Everyday Freedom Heroes, Dr. Mayotte has a fascinating life story of humanitarian service.  For ten years, she worked as a nun in the inner-cities...

Hold on to your hats, folks, I’m getting ready to be brilliant. I have the answer to the health care debate.  No, really! Last Saturday, the House narrowly passed its version of health care reform.  Now, we all hold our breath as it goes to the Senate and then back to the House and… let’s skip past all the parsing...

“I felt last night’s decision was the right decision for my district even though it was not the popular decision for my party.” So said Anh “Joseph” Quang Cao (pronounced “gow”) the freshman Republican Representative from Louisiana after voting in favor of the health care bill Saturday.  Mr. Cao, the only House Republican of 177, called his support of the...

Kerry Kennedy has an intense passion for social justice. For 28 years, Kennedy has devoted herself to the issue of human rights.  Her commitment has led her to travel to South Korea, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Haiti, Gaza and El Salvador.  Her dedication has led her to become involved in causes in Pakistan, India, Indonesia, China and Sudan. “The only way...

My first reaction to a front page story in yesterday’s New York Times was not flattering. “Aided by his bat and an astute apology, Alex Rodriguez is ending the baseball season not as a former steroids user but as a home run hero.” Under the headline, In Yankees Slugger, a Lesson for Redemption in the Steroid Era, (Nov. 3) the initial focus of the...