Blog: ethics
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Safe Haven: Parents’ Bailout?
Posted on November 11, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (4)
Every state in America has a so-called “safe haven” law, under which a troubled parent can safely surrender a newborn baby, usually at a hospital or fire station, no questions asked. But Nebraska’s safe haven law is different. Intended to protect only infants, it was written with the word “child” left undefined and without an age limit, opening a gaping legal loophole for an unprecedented human bailout. Read full article »
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Paper or Plastic: When the Bill Comes Due
Posted on November 7, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (8)
Paper or plastic? It used to be one of the dominant decisions for consumers. But as more and more supermarkets and other stores have phased out the use of so-called disposable plastic bags, a different environmental question still lingers: Paper or electronic? Read full article »
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Vote: The Best Investment
Posted on November 3, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (4)
There’s a financial market for everything, it seems. Including your vote. As stock markets around the world continue to nose-dive, an unusual futures market called Intrade is heating up, with global investors focused on one bet: the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Read full article »
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The Responsibility Project Index
Posted on October 28, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (2)
When it comes to defining personal responsibility, many people say taking care of themselves and their family is at the very top of their list. Knowing their neighbors is at the bottom. Those are some of the findings from our Responsibility Project Index, a poll of Americans across the country. What matters to you? Read full article »
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Criminalizing Motherhood?: Who’s to Judge
Posted on October 22, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (25)
Should a bad mother be prohibited from having more children? A 20-year-old Texas mother admitted that she failed to protect her 19-month-old daughter from being beaten by her father. A judge sentenced her to 10 years probation, with the unusual condition that she not conceive or bear any more children during that time. Should the government decide who can be a mother? Read full article »
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National Service: Do You Have a Responsibility to Help?
Posted on October 15, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (6)
After years of quietly gathering speed, there’s a growing movement to elevate public service to national service and in the process, set up incentives and opportunities that make it easier for each person to help another in need. The goal is to make volunteering as fundamental as voting. Read full article »
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Jail for Sagging Pants: Fashion Police?
Posted on October 8, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (14)
We are a nation that pulls itself up by the bootstraps. But are we also a nation that needs to pull up its pants? A 17-year-old Florida boy was recently jailed overnight for violating a local “sagging pants” law after a police officer spotted him riding his bike with his pants slung low enough to reveal four or five inches of boxer shorts. Should government be responsible for telling citizens what to wear? Read full article »
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Hearing the Call
Posted on October 6, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (11)
Can we talk? Not if you’re using Slydial. As its name suggests, Slydial subverts the process of calling someone on their cell phone by routing the caller directly to the recipient’s voicemail, giving the “illusion” of communicating without the chance – or risk – of having a conversation. But some question whether a tool that encourages users to avoid direct communication is a responsible use of technology. Read full article »
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‘Too Good’ to Play Baseball? Game Over
Posted on October 2, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (18)
A recent newspaper headline sounded more like a lesson in parenting: Why punish a kid for the crime of being too good? The kid, in this case, was 9-year-old Jericho Scott, who played summer baseball on a youth team in New Haven, Connecticut. Jericho’s “crime” is his pitching talent. But the prodigy pitcher himself was struck out—by adults. Read full article »
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Children and Chores: How Much?
Posted on September 29, 2008 by Kathy McManus Comments (24)
A new study says that the amount of time children spend on chores has dropped like the Dow to only 24 minutes a day—25% less than in 1981. Experts say the decline of chore time reflects “important behavioral and values shifts that will affect lives for years to come,” including issues like domestic bliss and the responsibility of doing volunteer work. Should children do more chores? Read full article »
Categories
Recent Posts
- Safe Haven: Parents’ Bailout?
11/11/2008 - Paper or Plastic: When the Bill Comes Due
11/07/2008 - Vote: The Best Investment
11/03/2008 - Tony
10/30/2008 - The Responsibility Project Index
10/28/2008 - Criminalizing Motherhood?: Who’s to Judge
10/22/2008 - National Service: Do You Have a Responsibility to Help?
10/15/2008 - Jail for Sagging Pants: Fashion Police?
10/08/2008 - Hearing the Call
10/06/2008 - ‘Too Good’ to Play Baseball? Game Over
10/02/2008 - Children and Chores: How Much?
9/29/2008 - Renting a Dog: Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
9/24/2008 - Hurricane Hold-Outs: Rising Tide?
9/23/2008 - Neighborhood Watch: Do You Really Know Who People Are?
9/19/2008 - Teachers With Guns: Don’t Mess With Texas?
9/15/2008
Guest Authors
Now Playing
Tony Trailer
1 little boy.
1 lost teddy bear.
15 minutes to find it. Watch this film »
Tony
1 little boy.
1 lost teddy bear.
15 minutes to find it. Watch this film »
Interview with Tony director Grant Heslov
The director of Tony, Grant Heslov, discusses how he came up with the idea for the film and how it was brought to life. Watch this film »
Hot Seat
Wars have been fought over many things.
Seldom over an office chair. Watch this film »
Interview with Producer Paul Speaker
Paul Speaker discusses the film, Growing Up, that he and co-creators, Geoffrey O’Connor and Ken Yagoda made with The Responsibility Project in mind. Watch this film »
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