Public Fears Intrusive Government More Than Indecent Content: Poll

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517525655

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2. Commentary by Rushworth M. Kidder:

Combating Ethical Lapses: Why Compliance Isn't the Answer

"There oughta be a law!" It's a phrase you hear more and more these days. It pops up whenever the ethical issues in the news are particularly rotten. And it's a natural response. After all, if baseball players use steroids with impunity and specialist traders on the New York Stock Exchange rip off their clients, then let's toughen up the regulations. But let me take a contrarian view....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517532592

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3. What They're Saying:

Make a Difference

"All you can really do with that kind of money is give it away. There's no way you can spend it. What I'm interested in doing is setting up a medical research foundation and seeing if we can't make a difference in the world."

-- Orthopedic surgeon Gary Michelson, discussing his plans for a $1.35 billion settlement payment announced last week by Medtronic Inc. Michelson had sued Medtronic over the licensing of some of his 500-plus patents, which range from groundbreaking spinal surgery techniques to a new paper clip...

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517535291

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4. KPMG Pays $22.5 Million to Settle Charges of Abetting Xerox Fraud

WASHINGTON

Accounting firm KPMG last week agreed to pay $22.5 million, including the return of four years' worth of fees, to settle allegations that the company helped Xerox Corp. hide bookkeeping fraud....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517542835

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5. Papers Sever Ties with Reporters following Fabricated Stories

LOS ANGELES

Manufactured timelines, fabricated details, and lazy reporting chipped away at the reputations of two of the nation's leading newspapers last week, prompting apologies from editors caught off-guard....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517545719

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6. States, Schools, and Teachers Union Rebel against Education Law

SALT LAKE CITY

The rebellion against President Bush's signature education law gained momentum last week with one state, eight school districts, and the nation's largest teachers union taking aim at what they say are unfunded and illegal mandates imposed by the federal law....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517553095

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7. Air Force Academy Accused of Bullying Non-Christian Students

COLORADO SPRINGS

Still stinging from a sexual assault scandal that erupted two years ago, the U.S. Air Force Academy confronted a new ethical issue last week, saying it is struggling to correct a climate reportedly hostile to non-Christian cadets....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517555898

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8. To Stop Crime, Schools Pay Students to Inform on Classmates

ATLANTA

Hoping to take a bite out of student crime, a school district in Central Georgia last week signed on with a national program that rewards students for informing on classmates who may be breaking school rules...

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517562917

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9. Prominent Canadian Businessman Tied to U.N. Oil-For-Food Scandal

NEW YORK

Canadian businessman Maurice Strong, the former United Nations envoy to North Korea and a longtime adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, has been linked to a key person charged in the U.N. Oil for Food corruption scandal....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517565244

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10. Government Sends Mixed Signals in Legal Dispute over Fuel Additive

WASHINGTON

The U.S. government last week sent conflicting signals on clean-up plans for a dangerous gasoline additive called MTBE, with a federal judge okaying a massive lawsuit against MTBE's makers while Congress moved to shield the industry from liability....

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=0425051757234

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11. Research Report:

U.S. Public Supports Tougher Indecency Measures, with Caveats

From the Pew Research Center:

"Americans have ambivalent views about the appropriate role for government in curbing sex, violence, and indecency in the entertainment media. They have doubts about the effectiveness of government action, and believe that public pressure -- in the form of complaints and boycotts -­ is a better way of dealing with the problem. They also blame audiences more than the media industry for objectionable material. Significantly, Americans see greater danger in the government's imposing undue restrictions on the entertainment industry, than in the industry producing harmful content...."

Full story: http://www.globalethics.org/redir/nl.html?d=4/25/2005&;id=04250517580061

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12. Quote from the Ethics File:

Lies Become Truth

"A lie told often enough becomes truth."

-- Vladimir Lenin (Russian Communist leader, 1870-1924)