Facts, Faith, Belief, and Bombs: A Quiz of the U.S. Public

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=1108041812525

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2. Commentary by Rushworth M. Kidder:

'Moral Values' and the U.S. Election: A View from Overseas

In the wake of the U.S. presidential election, the phrase "moral values" has taken on a negative political charge, particularly among articulate overseas observers. For those of us concerned with ethics and integrity, that's an important point....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418132375

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3. What They're Saying:

A Race to the Bottom

"Socially, we're engaged in a race to the bottom. Do we want to allow competition based on exploitation of the workforce?"

-- Craig Cole, CEO of a Washington State supermarket chain that pays for health care coverage for nearly all of its employees, discussing competitive pressures that are pushing companies away from providing such insurance for workers....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418141948

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4. Merck, FDA Accused of Sitting on Data Showing Drug's Risks

NEW YORK

Drug giant Merck and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both came under sharp criticism last week for allegedly failing to act despite clear evidence that the painkiller Vioxx increased the risk of heart attacks....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418150238

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5. Five Former Merrill Lynch and Enron Execs Convicted of Fraud

HOUSTON

A federal jury last week convicted four former executives from Merrill Lynch and one from Enron of conspiring to help Enron boost its year-end figures in 1999 by rigging a bogus sale of energy-generating barges off the coast of Nigeria....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418153181

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6. U.S. Lawsuit Accuses Nortel of Improper Financial Practices

NEW YORK

A major lawsuit launched by several U.S. and Canadian pension funds alleges that senior executives at Nortel Networks held back millions of dollars in reserve during the company's restructuring in 2002 in order to make the company seem more profitable in 2003, resulting in millions of dollars in bonuses for senior executives....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418160064

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7. U.K. Government Investigates Alleged Fraud Involving BAE

LONDON

British authorities last week launched a series of raids and arrests in an investigation of financial fraud linked to Europe's largest defense company, BAE Systems, and its contracts in Saudi Arabia....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418162854

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8. Russia Paves Way for Adoption of Kyoto Treaty on Global Warming

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week signed his country's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, clearing the way for the international treaty against global warming to take effect by early next year....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418165792

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9. U.N. Questioned over Decision to Not Punish Senior Official

GENEVA

Despite investigators' conclusions that a senior United Nations official sexually harassed a subordinate, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan declined to take punitive action, the press reported last week....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418174122

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10. Canadian Official Says Fears of Terrorism Must Not Hinder Personal Freedoms

OTTAWA

Pressured by the need to keep its citizens safe, Canada must be vigilant about intruding too far on civil liberties and privacy protections, the nation's privacy commissioner warned last week in her annual report to Parliament....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418180825

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11. Jury Delivers Nation's Fist Felony Conviction for Email Spam

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia

A Virginia jury last week convicted a brother-sister team for peddling worthless wares over the Internet, handing down the nation's first felony conviction for spam, reported the Associated Press....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418184191

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12. Research Report:

Nearly Half of U.S. Public Still Believes Iraq Had WMD

From the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland:

"Despite the widely-publicized conclusions of the Duelfer report, 49 percent of Americans continue to believe Iraq had actual WMD (27 percent) or a major WMD program (22 percent), and 52 percent believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda...."

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=11/8/2004&;id=11080418191312

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13. Quote from the Ethics File:

Ebb and Flow

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change -- this is the rhythm of our living. Out of our overconfidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."

-- Bruce Barton (Writer and U.S. representative, 1886-1967)

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Full issue available here: http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/members/currentissue2.tmpl