Monthly Archives: January 2018

A Tapestry of Profiles in Courage

Putting political leanings aside — the State of the Union provided a tapestry of profiles in courage that brought tears, and, at once, feelings of awe and shame. Awe for the heroic acts and commitment to values, jobs, service, and … Continue reading

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Ten Monkeys and Volkswagen Diesel Emissions, As Measured by Volkswagen, and You Know How That Goes

In order to establish that diesel emissions were not harmful, Volkswagen got a lab in Albuquerque, put 10 monkeys in airtight chambers (with cartoons playing to entertain them), and then pumped in emissions from a VW Beetle. The goal was … Continue reading

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Cuts in Line: The Seat-Savers on Southwest

You know them — they board Southwest Airlines flights — the airline with no assigned seats. Then, they save seats for their friends who are coming on later because they have a lower number or a different boarding group. And, … Continue reading

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“Unions are not unique. . . . You can’t train people to be ethical. It’s just access to money.”

Professor Peter Henning, Wayne State University and former federal prosecutor. The Barometer realizes that prosecutors develop a certain cynicism over the years. However, the good professor is just wrong. Even if we accept his premise that you cannot train people … Continue reading

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The Grade-School Phenomenon of Doing Nothing To Help

Dr. Christian Miller, a professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University has a new book, “The Character Gap: How Good Are We?” The book tackles the testy issue of getting ourselves to behave better in many situations, including those in … Continue reading

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Right and Wrong in 1907: Help For Us Today

In his book “The Ethics of the Dust,” John Ruskin has a series of essays that consist of a teacher’s discussions with school girls about ethics. In the essay entitled, “Crystal Virtues,” one of the young women asks, “Well, but … Continue reading

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