Harry Truman said, “If you want a friend, get a dog.” But if you only want a temporary friend, should you rent a dog? One company is now making a business of renting pooches by the day or hour. In response, critics are howling fowl over what they say is the unacceptable promotion of dogs as accessories. Read full article
An increasing number of hurricane “hold-outs” refuse to leave their homes, even in the face of mandatory evacuation orders and warnings of “certain death.” But when plans go awry, lives are on the line—including rescue workers. Is it right to endanger others when your personal decision runs contrary to the law? Read full article
In the old days, the protocol was to meet people first, then discover things about them after. Now a new online service up-ends that etiquette by inviting users to run a background check on anyone in the U.S. For Free. Should everyone be allowed to access anyone’s personal legal history, whether or not it’s criminal? Read full article
In the small farm town of Harrold, Texas, it’s not teacher’s pet that has everyone talking. It’s teacher’s pistol. The local school board recently decreed that teachers could carry concealed weapons at school and in the classrooms. Should armed teachers be responsible for providing school security? Read full article
Approximately 10% of Americans admit they’ve lied to pollsters. In a close election, a 10% false answer rate is more than enough to confuse pundits, confound candidates, and contradict a predicted outcome, especially in the current presidential race. So, do you have a responsibility to tell the truth about who you’re voting for? Read full article
Should government be responsible for deciding what kinds of food you can—and cannot—eat? The city of Los Angeles recently sank its teeth into the issue by banning any new fast food restaurants. Do the new regulations serve up food for thought, or food police? Read full article
Worse than poison ivy, today’s camp parents are itching to control every aspect of their children’s daily lives at camp —the very place meant to teach independence and responsibility away from Mom and Dad. Should summer camps return to the days of no cameras, no cell phones, no parents? Read full article
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. But should sportsmanship be more important than winning, even at the Olympics? Yes, says the International Fair Play Committee, an organization that rewards altruistic athletes. But Fair Play has its problems: they get very few nominations and Olympic-sized questions of poor sportsmanship abound. Read full article
Hot Seat takes us on a hilarious comic roll with the wobbly, broken, reject chair that seems to inhabit every office, clandestinely dumped from the last annoyed worker onto the next unsuspecting colleague, logging more miles than a frequent flier. Is it no one’s responsibility? Is it everyone’s? See how true office chair-ity begins in every cubicle. Read full article
Don’t even think about taking Janet Perlman’s chair. The Director of Hot Seat has not only been there/done that, she used the irritation of broken office chairs as inspiration for a film so clever you might fall off your seat. Read full article
