Everyday Ethics

Oh the shame! I was caught, my ugly side bared on Google chat, saved to the “Chats” history for me to re-live the disgrace for eternity. Today I fell victim to my catty side, as well as to Google chat.  I had five (yes, five) IM conversations going simultaneously in Gmail, and was gossiping about…

Recently when crossing the street with a friend, we both almost got flattened by a car taking a right turn on red – a no-no in New York City. My friend took a stand. “In New York City there are NO RIGHT TURNS ON RED,” he yelled into the window of a car full of…

I can’t believe Oprah Winfrey has apologized to author James Frey after the way she skewered him on her 2006 show for fictionalizing parts of his bestselling memoir. But that’s what Vanity Fair is reporting has happened, at least according to Reuters.  I felt close to the Frey story when it first came to light.…

So I’m sitting at home watching President Obama’s Town Hall speech about credit card debt. Having just spent half the morning on the phone dealing with my credit card company, trying to get my card information straightened out, I’m fed up enough with these people. Seems they feel they have the right to make changes…

Today I took the coward’s way out.  Two days ago, I had an appointment with an acupuncturist–someone I hadn’t been to before. I’d been suffering from migraines, and was told the treatment might be a good holistic alternative to some heavy-duty drugs I was afraid to take. (For some other ideas, see Beliefnet’s Holistic Living…

When I first heard Wanda Sykes’ jokes about Rush Limbaugh this last weekend ( “I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight,” “I hope your kidneys fail”) the inner me cheered “Whoo!” After all, I’d been subjected for years to his…

Here’s a sniffly, sneezy, gross, icky, potentially deadly (but thankfully so far mild) hot topic to talk about.  The ethics of swine flu.  Oh, excuse me, Obama administration and U.S. Pork Industry… H1N1 Influenza. Vice President Biden stirred up controversy recently with ill-considered and arguably irresponsible remarks about the potential health risks of using public…

I recently fielded a call from my mother about my ring size. Though my immediate fear was that this might concern my still-unmarried status, it turns out she was more worried about my health. How does my ring size involve my health? Well, it wasn’t clear to me at first either. Turns out she had…

I didn’t expect my first post to excite much controversy–from my friends, at least. But to my surprise, even my mother, who was in part the subject of it, had a criticism. “Nice post,” she said. “But it would have been funnier if you left the curse-word in.” Not everyone felt the same.  “I’m glad…

The big question that caught my eye in the news recently regards Facebook’s ethical obligations. 13 countries have made Holocaust denial a crime. Personally, no matter how abhorrent I find the blatant dismissal of the Holocaust, I can’t stand behind the idea of outlawing a person’s right to believe in these thoughts.While attorney Brian Cuban…

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