on walking the walk. (via bee thousand)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

How much to give? And who to give it to?

The eternal questions of those fortunate to have enough resources to give.

Here is a good discussion of a person making those choices.

(In the United States, not getting your money diverted to private pockets when giving is very difficult. Scam artists masquerade under the sweetest and most persuasive names. They love names like veteran, children, etc. Be very careful who you give your money to and remember, the most important factor is what proportion of the charity’s contributions actually go to the charitable purpose. If you can’t find that out after a few minute web search, you are better off buying lottery tickets. In both cases your money is lost, but with the lottery, you know up front that your money is gone for no purpose.)

James Pilant

Special thanks to bee thousand.

So far, my dissertation research has consisted mostly in talking the talk but not yet walking the walk. But I've mulled over this for sort of a long time now and think I've finally come close to a decision regarding my participation in Peter Singer's The Life You Can Save plan (which is tied to his work on charity, which is sort of a central focus of my dissertation research). The algorithm which Singer recommends is donating 1% of your annual in … Read More

via bee thousand

Reap the Whirlwind (via Sects and Violence in the Ancient World)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Fantastic. Exactly. Disasters are not harbingers of the Apocalypse, the are (usually) natural phenomenon. What do they demand of us – that we act in a spirit of brotherhood, with compassion.

It is incredible that people who are taken seriously in some quarters consider compassion as a negative, a damaging idea that handicaps the intelligent and entrepreneurial.

But compassion is not a negative, it is one of the basic pillars of a civilized society. Civilization is propelled by cooperation and due consideration for the status of others.

Let us do what we can.

I recommend you look at some of the other writing on this web site, Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

James Pilant

Reap the Whirlwind Something seems to be absent. The blazing rhetoric of televangelists and others proclaiming the wrath of God on New Orleans when Katrina blew ashore are strangely silent as a massive outbreak of tornadoes has ripped through the Bible Belt. Hundreds have unfortunately died as nature’s most severe weather-weapon has raked the south. In an apo … Read More

via Sects and Violence in the Ancient World

Free Speech Friday: Harvey Fineberg: Are we ready for neo-evolution? (via Writing Success Program at UCLA)

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment

The Third Choice – I think that would be a great name for a book on the subject. The third choice of mankind being taking control of our own evolution: neo-evolution.  We will take charge of our own evolution. It is inevitable. Probably, the United States, as it gradually  becomes an intellectual and scientific backwater, will pass legislation forbidding that kind of science. In a nation where science is continually overrode by religious zealots challenging evolution or attacked by industry front groups as if scientists were some kind of rationalist cult, you can expect to wind up as thoroughly second rate in the sciences.

But it will be done. it will be a pity that new form of humanity will be Polish, Chinese, Ukranian, but not American. But we can watch and fear as they race past us.

James Pilant

About this talk: Medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg shows us three paths forward for the ever-evolving human species: to stop evolving completely, to evolve naturally — or to control the next steps of human evolution, using genetic modification, to make ourselves smarter, faster, better. Neo-evolution is within our grasp. What will we do with it? As I browsed the front page of TED.com this morning, the nerd inside of me immediately h … Read More

via Writing Success Program at UCLA

Ethics vs Modern Economic Realities (via thenewgoodlife)

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment

I would like to have a try at answering the question posed by the author of this post.

It seems to me that a great many of the population are in your position – unable to have a full range of choices in where they buy things. There are many choices in where to buy goods and many of those businesses do things that are immoral or unethical. We would prefer to shop elsewhere.

When a firm is unethical or immoral, it often develops a competitive advantage that makes its products cheaper, in many cases much cheaper.

And I don’t think you have to think very hard before you can think of one of the worst offenders.

If you are in a poor economic situation, buy where you can. There is no point in damaging your health or your family.

Ethics requires action but all choices are never available to us.

So, when one avenue of action is denied us, we seek others. Here we have regulatory agencies, representative government and public advocacy. There is also investigative journalism but this is denied most of the public.

Your most likely remaining options are encouraging awareness by blogging, etc.

I don’t want to try to explain in any detail what you will want to decide yourself, which is what’s your best options?

There are many places where total ethics are impossible by one reason or another, you can still fight the good fight.

We do what we can.

James Pilant

A question for you, is it possible to maintain ethical shopping practices on a budget?  I have been trying for the last year to maintain an equilibrium between these two ideals, to buy products that are as local as possible and ethically manufactured by companies with strong ethical and environmental practices, yet doing so within fairly tight budget.  And I would say I was doing pretty well until recently.  In my efforts to meet these goals I di … Read More

via thenewgoodlife

Adequate backup power at US nukes? NRC chairman not sure (via robertsingleton)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is disturbing. Some American power plants use batteries? Don’t earthquakes, tornadoes and floods damage those pretty easily? How long are the batteries good for?

A good number of American plants are as old as the Fukushima plants and based on a virtually identical design. If backup power is not a sure thing and the heat in the reactor goes to a certain point we have hydrogen which can and does cause explosions. If the heat is much worse we get a meltdown. Backup power is an important issue because even when you shut down the power in a reactor it takes some time for the temperature to fall.

James Pilant

Adequate backup power at US nukes? NRC chairman not sure The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch just ran an article in which Gregory Jakzcko questioned the readiness of U.S. nuclear power plants to operate in the event of a loss-of-power accident like the one that caused a partial meltdown at Fukushima. MarketWatch reported: In a meeting of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said existing standards for emergency power might not be “reasonable” given the damage that major cata … Read More

via robertsingleton

My Cable is Fixed – I’m Able to Work from Home

On By southwerkIn business ethics

My cable company hustled out to my home and fixed the cable. It was a lightning strike that killed the cable links and the cable box. That’s pretty minimal damage from that much voltage. It could have been much worse.

So, I’m back at full work load. I can teach my classes, grade papers, keep my blog up and just generally stay even.

Thank to everyone who kept on reading the blog, even when there was less than usual on it.

James Pilant

Fukushima in Alabama (Averted) (via Say It Ain’t So Already)

On By southwerkIn business ethics3 Comments

I believe that there are a great many problems with nuclear plants in the United States that we do not hear about. This posting supports my point of view.

Why, if reported at all, are these considered local stories? A nuclear disaster renders hundreds, possibly thousands of square mile uninhabitable for the forseeable future. How much of a disaster do you have to have for the American news media to give it priority over the dissolute royal family of England?

Good article. Thanks to Say It Ain’t So Already.

James Pilant

Fukushima in Alabama (Averted) It is so, so telling that this news has not been part of the coverage of the terrible tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia yesterday: A nuclear power plant in Alabama that lost power after violent thunderstorms and tornadoes on Wednesday will be down for days and possibly weeks but the backup power systems worked as designed to prevent a partial meltdown like the disaster in Japan. The Browns Ferry nuclear power plant, one of the biggest … Read More

via Say It Ain’t So Already

Recalls – How about applying this concept to the electoral process? (via shsmani)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Excellent idea. Recall is fairly common in the Western states of the United States. However, there are problems. Not only can the public recall an unpopular politician but corporate interests and the wealthy are often more able to manipulate the process for their own ends.

I suspect that India may very well have more controls on who can contribute to a political campaign than we do here. (If I am incorrect, please let me know.)

Good luck with the idea.

James Pilant

Recalls - How about applying this concept to the electoral process? This past year, we have been hearing about a lot of recalls, predominantly in the automobile space. So what is this recall? Recall is the process of taking the car out of the roads back to the company facility for unsatisfactory performance or probable concerns! How about we apply this same concept to the electoral process? We elect MPs, MLAs, and elected representatives to the various civic bodies in our country. How good would it be if we had a … Read More

via shsmani

Lovesick Indian man beheads woman at her school (via CBS News) James Pilant–I AM UNHAPPY WITH THIS!

On By southwerkIn business ethics3 Comments

This is disgusting. India is in the middle of an anti-corruption campaign that may well change the course of world history and the American press is dealing with the news of the strange. India has 1.4 billion people in it and CBS news publishes a story that has the distinct implication of a nation of bizarre beliefs and primitive conduct.

Compare the conduct of the millions of reformers who are saying, “Corruption is damaging our society, we have had enough.” And compare it to American passivity in response the disastrous 2008 financial crisis where not a single person has been brought to trial.

One key difference between a “primitive” society and a modern one might well be stated as a concern and committment to justice. Under that measurement, who is primitive and who is modern between the United States and India?

A press, a media, with a concern for human understanding and civility would not print this scandalous garbage and, perhaps, discuss the wikileaks revelations concerning the nuclear treaty between the United States and India, discuss anything that smacks of intelligence and human reason.

A little respect might be a policy that the press should consider.

James Pilant

There will be no link to this CBS News post on my web site. I want no one to read it anywhere on this planet.

jp

POWERS & PURPOSE (via Movid’s Weblog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I really enjoyed the view of some of the “difficulties” in the life of a citizen of India during elections and, in particular, his assertiveness in defending his rights.

Good article – good story!

James Pilant

Any statute empowers an officer or a body of persons with a PURPOSE. But when the officer or the body of persons APPLY or USE the powers vested in them, to ascertain  whether  they are relevant  to the purpose or not is TYRANNY. I’d like to give an example, for greater clarity to the aforesaid statement. On the HIGHWAYS in Thamizhnadu, prior to the elections there were Election squads, Income Tax squads and even maverick state police squads which … Read More

via Movid’s Weblog