Ethics Newsline

1. Statline:

Working Mothers Seek a Better Balance

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=0510041724049

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2. Commentary by Rushworth M. Kidder:

Abuse, Abroad and at Home

The frenzy of finger-pointing that followed the revelations of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison have targeted U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a handful of military police on the ground, and nearly everyone else in between. But if the task is to explain how ordinary U.S. citizens can become party to repeated, deliberate, and smilingly organized acts of sadistic violence, another potential cause needs investigating: the dark and abusive underbelly of U.S. culture itself....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417244720

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3. What They're Saying:

Deeply Troubling Concerns

"We've found some deeply troubling concerns, and the country wants to know the solution."

-- DeForest Soaries, Jr., the Republican head of the new U.S. Election Assistance Commission, speaking last week before the tiny agency's first federal hearing on the security and reliability of electronic voting. This November, an estimated 50 million U.S. voters will be required to cast their votes electronically, sparking strong concerns about tampering, fraud, software flaws, and hackers. Soaries' agency recently issued a report saying it is severely underfunded and unable to ensure that fall's electronic voting will be secure, reported the Associated Press. ("E-Voting Oversight Overwhelms U.S. Agency," AP, May 4)

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417252064

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4. Sweeping Anger Mounts over U.S. Abuse at Iraqi Prisons

WASHINGTON

The U.S. government scrambled last week to try to stem growing condemnation in the wake of allegations of serious and systemic abuse of Iraqi prisoners held in prisons overseen by U.S. forces....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=0510041726004

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5. Suppression of Medicare Figures Likely Illegal

WASHINGTON

Bush administration officials likely broke federal law by imposing a gag order on Medicare's chief actuary, whose estimates likely would have derailed administration efforts to push through Medicare legislation last November....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417262717

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6. Banker Frank Quattrone Convicted on Obstruction Charges

NEW YORK

Former high-profile investment banker Frank Quattrone was convicted last week on charges of obstruction of justice for encouraging subordinates to delete email messages ahead of a federal investigation....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417305635

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7. Enron's Lea Fastow Ordered to Serve Stiff 12-Month Sentence

HOUSTON

Former Enron employee Lea Fastow was sentenced last week to one year in prison for helping hide illicit funds funneled out of the company by her husband, former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417313062

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8. Seven Former Mitsubishi Officials Arrested in Japan over 2002 Death

TOKYO

Seven former executives from Mitsubishi Motors were arrested last week for allegedly conspiring to conceal the company's liability in the death of a woman struck by a wheel that came off a truck....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417320450

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9. Renowned Canadian Entrepreneur Overcomes Shareholder Revolt over Compensation

TORONTO

One of Canada's most renowned self-made business titans, Frank Stronach, overcame a prospective shareholder revolt over his compensation package, which at $39 million is reported to be one of the largest compensation packages for corporate leaders in the country....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417323875

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10. Judge Slams Florida Legislature over Feeding-Tube Law in Schiavo Case

TAMPA

A U.S. district judge last week rebuked the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush for breaching the state's constitution last October, when lawmakers intervened in a dispute over end-of-life issues between a man and his in-laws....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417331189

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11. Embryos Screened to Ensure Match with Ill Children

CHICAGO

The debate over genetic engineering picked up again last week following news that five children had been born from embryos screened to ensure that the babies' stem cells would be usable by their critically ill older siblings....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417374293

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12. U.K. Bank Foregoes Business -- but Not Profits -- Due to Ethical Stance

LONDON

Despite turning down more than $12 million in business due to ethical standards, Britain's Co-operative Bank last week said it more than made up the loss by attracting customers who support its principles....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417381116

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13. Research Report:

'One-Third of Working Mothers Dissatisfied with Their Work/Life Balance'

From CareerBuilder.com:

"Juggling personal and professional commitments continues to be a struggle for today's career moms. One-third of working mothers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com report dissatisfaction with their work/life balance, with nearly one-in-five stating their employers are intolerant of working shorter days due to their children...."

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=5/10/2004&;id=05100417383951

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14. Quote from the Ethics File:

Barbarism

"It is bad enough to persevere in barbarism; it is worse to relapse into it; but worst of all is consciously to seek it out."

-- Aurel Kolnai (Hungarian philosopher, 1900-1973)

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