Continuing my conversation with Bradley James and his time spent with Mother Teresa.  Bradley talks about a side of Mother that most people never saw. “People always ask me what she was like. “We know her as this Nobel Laureate, but what she did as a woman, a Western, European woman in Calcutta, India by creating that religious order in that...

Although faith is not an ethical value, its importance in driving ethical conduct should not be underestimated. In fact, the word faith comes from the Latin fidere meaning ‘to trust.’ According to the Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, “Faith is an attitude or belief which goes beyond the available evidence.” Bradley James is a composer, pianist, singer and public speaker.  In 1987, his...

Much of the time we tend to think of compassion in terms of the extraordinary moments, events which seem removed from our daily perspective. The Dalai Lama’s story of a Tibetan monk’s compassion towards his Chinese jailers is one example. However, not long ago, I experienced a simple, yet powerful example of everyday compassion. My neighbor, Sue Adams, is funny, wise...

Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is both head of state (in exile) and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is admired and esteemed worldwide as a man who has championed policies of nonviolence. His consistent compassionate nonviolence, even in the face of great aggression, led to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace in...

“I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices...

What will it take for some people to get the message? In the case of Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich when U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (he’s the guy that succeeded in convicting former Vice-Presidential aid “Scooter” Libby) comes knocking on your door, the news can’t be good. Blagojevich’s first response:  “You’re joking, right?” What isn’t a joke is how the Illinois governor...

In 2007, author Richard Rosen had a Hollywood dream job – to write an authorized biography of Cheeta, the chimp used by MGM in the Tarzan movies of the ’30s and ’40s. According to Rosen’s own account in the Washington Post (Dec. 7), “When the agent for Cheeta and his owner, Dan Westfall, had first approached me about writing the biography, I...

We’ve all heard the expression, “Let the punishment fit the crime”?  Well, for one Colorado judge it couldn’t be more apt! “After seeing so many people return for repeat noise offending,” Reuters news service reported, “Paul Sacco, a judge at Fort Lipton Municipal Court, will punish them by playing music they can’t stand for a full hour.” Who did judge...

Yesterday, three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected Democratic Congressman William Jefferson’s argument to dismiss a 16-count indictment stemming from bribery and conspiracy charges. (JimsNotes:  Jefferson is the Louisiana congressman who was videotaped by the FBI receiving $100,000 in cash as part of an investigation in which, according to an FBI statement, “Jefferson sought things of value in...

“The most important thing to understand about nuclear weapons is this:  these weapons do not and cannot provide physical protection to their possessors.” These are the opening words from a written appeal by David Krieger addressed to the next president of the United States. Last May, I chose Krieger as my ethical hero of the month due to his tireless...