Recent Ethics Commentaries

Featured image for “The Ethical Take – Good News Edition”
The Ethical Take – Good News Edition
Foodbabe – What’s the difference between the bread at your local Subway and a yoga mat? Apparently, not enough! Subway restaurants announced that it will stop using the same chemical used in the production of plastic yoga mats that they use in some of their bread. On her drive to improve what America eats as well as how they eat, Vani Hari,  » Read...
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February 10, 2014
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Good News for a Change
According to the most recent survey by The Ethics Resource Center, America’s oldest nonprofit for advancing high ethical standards and practices, “workplace misconduct is at a historic low.” (No, that’s not a set-up for a joke.) The 2013 National Business Ethics Survey, conducted every two years by the organization, “…shows that 41 percent of over 6,400 workers surveyed said they have...
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February 5, 2014
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Alone, Now Really Alone
In the category, “Something You Don’t See that Often,” the award goes to… composer Bruce Broughton! In surprise move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rescinded composer Bruce Broughton’s nomination for the song, Alone, Yet Not Alone, from the little seen film of the same name. The decision was prompted by the fact that Broughton, a former Governor of...
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February 3, 2014
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A Dialogue Between Einstein and Socrates
If you think getting people to act more ethically is tough, try convincing the world to eliminate nuclear weapons. In his 2013 book, ZERO – The Case for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace FoundationDavid Krieger makes his case through a series of compelling and common sense essays. This one, a conversation between Einstein and Socrates, is...
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January 29, 2014
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Is It Ethical…?
… to hunt a rare and endangered species even if you pay a large sum earmarked to help that species? Dallas-based hunter Corey Knowlton and his family have been targeted for reprisals when the world learned that he paid $350,000 to the Namibian government to hunt and kill a rhino, an animal that’s been designated by the government and conservation...
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January 22, 2014
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Should Good Works Trump Bad Behavior?
Last week, a federal judge in Chicago sentenced Beanie Baby king Ty Warner to two-years’ probation rather than prison for hiding at least $25 million from the IRS. “Society will be better served,” U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras said, “by allowing him to continue his good works.” Many news outlets, including Chicago Business, describe Warner as “The 69-year-old philanthropist and chairman and CEO...
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January 20, 2014
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The Re-Review, Part II
Continuing my look back at some stories that were, initially, major political and media firestorms, but facts later proved them to be less reliable than first believed. More on Benghazi – Wednesday’s release of the long-awaited Senate Intelligence Committee report on the assault on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya revealed more pertinent information. The Washington Post reported (Jan. 15) that “The...
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January 17, 2014
Featured image for “The Re-Review”
The Re-Review
Earlier this month, I revisited the case of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. At the time, I wrote, “There is a very real problem… when factual information is incomplete because a story is still evolving…” I thought I’d take a look at some past stories that were, initially, major political and media firestorms, but facts later proved them to be less...
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January 15, 2014
Featured image for “Are We A-Rod?”
Are We A-Rod?
We are a nation that loves its heroes. We’re fascinated by the mystique of individuals like John Rockefeller, Jack Dempsey and Thomas Edison; three men who came from humble, hardscrabble beginnings, faced incredible obstacles and ultimately attained iconic American success. It’s only natural that we have an affinity for sports heroes, doubtless because they encapsulate the American dream in shorter...
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January 13, 2014
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The Ethical Take
Chris Christie’s staff problems; a pregnant woman in Texas is ordered to be kept alive despite pleas from her family; and former NBA star Dennis Rodman with his “friend.” An Inconvenient Truth – The public’s cynicism meter regarding politicians went into the red again with news of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s apology for his deputy chief of staff’s “stupidity” in ordering three of the four lanes...
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January 10, 2014

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