“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” – Confucius, early Chinese teacher-philosopher One of the best (and most difficult to practice) definitions of the Golden Rule comes from former Hampton Honors College student Courtney Thompson. It’s a short, but powerful essay on what it means to live what Pastor Rick Warren would call, a “purpose-driven life.” When...

Manny Ramirez is gone, suspended for 50 regular season games, but should he be allowed to play in this year’s All-Star Game? Ramirez’s suspension ends July 3. The All-Star Game is played on July 14th. Legally, Ramirez is eligible to play. Ethically? New York Times ethicist, Randy Cohen writes “There are potent arguments against the use of these substances [steroids], invoking respect for the...

And now for another “priceless” Broadway story: “Mim Pollock was at a performance of South Pacific last month,” the Wall Street Journal article (June 7) begins, “when an audience member took off a shoe and propped her foot up on a rail in front of her. “The woman, complaining of an injured knee, said she couldn’t sit comfortably any other way, recalls...

President Obama appears quite comfortable with religious language but clearly wants to defuse the strong, divisive rhetoric surrounding it. This was apparent in his inaugural address when he referred to the country as a “patchwork,” made up “of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.” More than just multi-religious diversity, the deeper, more contentious clashes between believers and non-believers...

In an afternoon press conference, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo has been charged with fraud. The Washington Post reports that “from 2005 to 2007, the SEC alleged, Countrywide dramatically loosened its standards even though these executives were warned that the company would have trouble selling loans into the market. Countrywide was required to...

“I’ll take ‘Political Conundrums’ for $600, Alex? “Minnesota’s second Senator takes his seat in the Senate.” …?…?…?… After months of recounts and appeals the contest between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken could be resolved within weeks… maybe. “Mr. Coleman,” the New York Times reports, “is challenging the rulings of a state recount board and a lower...

On Monday, February 10, 2009, Alex Rodriquez’s life changed forever. The highest-paid player in baseball, called the greatest player in the modern game, also called Mr. Clean by some, because he was never directly tied to drug use, finally came clean (after reporter Selena Roberts broke the news in Sports Illustrated) when he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and lying about...

A recent conversation about the bonuses paid to some employees at AIG like Jack DeSantis, led to this question:  ‘Don’t you believe in honoring contracts?” In fact, I do believe in honoring commitments and obligations.  However, when a multi-billion dollar company like AIG runs into multi-billion dollar debt, asks for and then receives $182.5 billion in financial support from the federal...

In a press interview regarding the Iraq war, Vice-President Dick Cheney was once asked “Over 70 percent of Americans disagree with this war, what is your response?” “So.” It was a chilling moment of arrogance not easily forgotten by most Americans.  It was the same when events were disclosed surrounding the “legal” wrangling that took place at the Justice Department...

According to today’s Wall Street Journal, in 2008, “Shellee Hale of Bellevue, Wash., posted in several online forums about a hacker attack on a company that makes software used to track sales for adult-entertainment Web sites. She claimed that personal information of the sites’ customers was compromised. “About three months later,” the Journal wrote, “the software company — which contends that no consumer...