The Responsibility Project : Sitewide Feed http://www.responsibilityproject.com/ responsibilityproject.com en-us Copyright 2009 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:28:00 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:28:00 60 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Who Owns Your Genes? Knowledge is power, but is owning it responsible? That’s one of the questions at the core of a recent federal lawsuit challenging the right of a company to patent—in effect to own—human genes.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/who-owns-your-genes/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:38:28 Discussion Guide for Party Guest The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Party Guest:

1. Who loses their moral compass? Carl? Sarah? The host?
2. Why is Carl so sure of himself?
3. How does his self-assuredness work for him and against him?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-party-guest/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:32:07 Recession Resumes:  How Low Can You Go? Resume inflation—with its over-written under-achievements—has long set the workplace standard for autobiographical unacceptability. But is resume deflation, like hiding advanced degrees and changing too-lofty titles, just as irresponsible?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/recession-resumes-how-low-can-you-go/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:07:04 Michael Vick:  Sharing the Blame? Michael Vick was released from federal prison recently after serving time for his role in running a dog fighting ring. His new role—campaigning to end dog fights—unleashed a torrent of public skepticism. He did the time, so should he be forgiven?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/michael-vick-sharing-the-blame/ Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:26:59 Party Guest Directed by Michael Apted, Party Guest takes a sly look inside a dinner party where a man and a woman meet, flirt, and are drawn into a game of calibrating their moral compasses. What happens when we judge others, but we’re not sure of all the facts?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/party-guest/ Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:11:04 Party Guest A blind date starts off promising, but a difficult decision must be made. Can a great smile and sense of humor cover up one bad flaw?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/party-guest2/ Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:33:37 Cloning Extinct Species: Hello Jurassic Park? The book is a classic. The movie was a blockbuster. But are we ready for scientists to clone a real-life Jurassic Park? Significant genomic accomplishments in the past year have increased the possibility, but is cloning the extinct responsible?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/cloning-extinct-species-hello-jurassic-park/ Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:36:34 Mired In Mea Culpas One by one, people have been supposedly sorry for brazen bonuses, Ponzi ploys, steroid secrets, bloodying their girlfriends, and other assorted blunders of judgment. But does apologizing now mean you never have to accept responsibility?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/mired-in-mea-culpas/ Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:59:55 Parents Gone Wild:  Time Out for Soccer? When parents act irresponsibly, should they get a time-out? A group of soccer parents in Bethesda, Maryland was recently punished for “unsportsmanlike” conduct on the sidelines of a match.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/parents-gone-wild-time-out-for-soccer/ Tue, 26 May 2009 11:11:03 Mad Mom? Throwing the Kids Out of the Car Going viral after going ballistic isn’t on most mom’s to-do lists , but the story of the fed-up New York lawyer/mother who kicked her bickering daughters out of the car spread faster than flu. Were her actions irresponsible, irresistible, or something else?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/mad-mom-throwing-the-kids-out-of-the-car/ Mon, 18 May 2009 08:53:23 Boomerangers:  Back to Mom and Dad “Boomerangers” — adult offspring who return to live with their parents — have been the stuff of sitcoms and punch lines. But the freeloader image may become a casualty of the recession, which is reshaping what it means to be a responsible American family in an era of mounting crises.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/boomerangers-back-to-mom-and-dad/ Fri, 08 May 2009 13:43:00 Susan Boyle Dowdy spinster. Ugly duckling. Hairy angel. Those stinging public assessments of Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle resurrected one of the oldest rules of responsibility—Don’t judge a book by its cover—and set off an ongoing debate about what judging others reveals about ourselves.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/susan-boyle/ Fri, 08 May 2009 11:01:39 Discussion Guide for Prodigy The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Prodigy

1. What is the significance of the two bridges over the Mississippi River in the film’s opening shot?
2. In their zeal to influence Isaiah’s future, have his father and/or grandfather lost sight of anything along the way? If so, what?
3. At what point does their love for him possibly become a hindrance?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-prodigy/ Fri, 01 May 2009 12:37:07 Prodigy Isaiah Goodwin’s got game. By the time he’s a high school senior, he’s got too much game—he’s a basketball champ and a soulful musician. Will Isaiah follow the money, or follow his heart?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/prodigy/ Fri, 01 May 2009 12:32:48 Calling the Cops on Your Kids:  Parenting vs. Policing If your daughter steals your ATM card or your son drives drunk, should you— would you—call the cops on them? Where does parental responsibility end and police intervention begin?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/calling-the-cops-on-your-kids-parenting-vs.-policing/ Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:32:27 Alzheimer’s:  Family Disease First there are the Alzheimer’s symptoms, including confusion, debilitation, and a fog that never lifts. Then there are the Alzheimer’s caretaker symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, and a nagging question that never fades: if you’re caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s, how much of your own life are you responsible for sacrificing in the process?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/alzheimers-family-disease/ Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:24:56 Time Off Without Pay:  Whose Responsibility? It’s the recession question being asked across America: would you volunteer for an unpaid furlough to keep your colleagues from losing their jobs? Thousands of workers in dozens of industries are making the trade-off of losing pay for saving jobs. But is everyone stepping up simply because it’s the responsible thing to do?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/time-off-without-pay-whose-responsibility/ Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:01:58 Good Parenting or Bad Spying? Monitoring, blocking, filtering, tracking. Parenting these days includes an arsenal of tools to find out what kids are up to. But should it include renting drug-sniffing dogs to prowl through their bedrooms?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/good-parenting-bad-spying/ Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:13:38 “Rent”:  The Show Mustn’t Go On? There’s a “Rent” dispute raging through some unlikely places. It’s not about housing rights, but about a rite of passage—the high school musical—and what constitutes a responsible show for teens to stage. When it comes to responsibility in the arts, who should decide what’s appropriate?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/rent-the-show-mustnt-go-on/ Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:40:48 Brother’s Keeper: How Far? Does being your brother’s keeper mean you have to pay his mortgage? In the new era of billion dollar bailouts, Americans across the country are re-examining long-held views about personal responsibility with a question that’s hitting close to home: Is it fair to make people who faithfully paid their mortgages bail out those who didn’t?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/brothers-keeper-how-far/ Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:21:15 Prodigy A gifted young man must choose between fulfilling the dreams of his father, or pursuing the passion in his heart.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/prodigy/ Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:35:35 The $155,000 Puppy Sir Lancelot was a yellow Lab that loved bagels, pillows, and shoes. His death last year from skin cancer devastated his owners, who later turned his DNA over to a company that clones pets. When the new clone arrived, so did the criticism. Is paying $155,000 to clone a dead pet responsible, irresponsible, or something else altogether?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/the-155000-puppy/ Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:34:44 Illegal to Smoke at Home:  Butt Out? Two new legal commandments – Thou shalt not smoke in thy apartment and Thou shalt inform authorities of anyone who does – have made the town of Belmont, California, home to America’s most restrictive secondhand smoking law. How far should government go in determining what you can do in the privacy of your home?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/illegal-to-smoke-at-home-butt-out/ Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:19:22 Octuplets:  Mother of All Issues One single mother. 8 newborn octuplets. 14 total offspring. 15 minutes of fame. Thousands of people have expressed outrage at Nadya Suleman, America’s most well-known mother. But should the usually private matter of reproduction be the subject of such public debate?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/octuplets-mother-of-all-issues/ Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:21:02 100 – 0:  Score One for Responsibility? It was the score heard ‘round the world: 100 – 0. When a Texas basketball collided with this American aphorism—It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game—there was an explosion of conflicting opinions about the true meaning of victory and doing the right thing.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/100-0-score-one-for-responsibility/ Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:29:08 Doing What’s Right The Responsibility Project and Parade magazine recently partnered to create “Doing What’s Right,” a special insert designed to spark conversations about everyday moral choices and personal responsibility. Here’s how readers responded to a series of questions. What do you think?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/doing-whats-right/ Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:37:51 Ice Hockey:  Right to Fight? Is it irresponsible to allow fighting in ice hockey? That’s the guts of an icy-hot debate about the continued role of brawling in hockey, sparked by the recent death of a 21-year-old Canadian player.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/ice-hockey-right-to-fight/ Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:53:37 Skiing Out of Bounds:  Snow Job? In a snow season marked by killer avalanches—13 dead in the U.S., including 10 skiers or snowboarders who were “out-of-bounds”—an icy issue has sparked a heated debate: should there be tougher legal consequences for sneaking away from groomed slopes to make fresh tracks in unpatrolled areas? And should rogue skiers and boarders have to pay for their own rescues?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/skiing-out-of-bounds-snow-job/ Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:32:57 The New Samaritan:  Good or Hesitant? On Halloween night four years ago in Los Angeles, a car slammed into a light pole at 45 mph, critically injuring a young woman and leaving her a paraplegic. Also shattered in the accident was the very definition of what it means to be a Good Samaritan, undermined by a troubling new legal question: Can you be sued for trying to save someone’s life?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/the-new-samaritan-good-or-hesitant/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:48:10 Who Can I Sue? If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution about personal responsibility, you might have asked yourself, “Who can I help?” But would you ever ask, “Who can I sue?” That question is the focus of WhoCanISue.com, an online service that matches potential clients with lawyers, while begging a different question: does the site’s blunt come-on irresponsibly encourage more lawsuits?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/who-can-i-sue/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:14:38 Indian Woman Gives Birth at 70 There’s been an abundance of odd headlines lately, fading before their 15 minutes, but one refuses to go away: Indian woman, 70, gives birth to first child after IVF treatment. Part oddity, part odyssey, the story of septuagenarian first-time mother Rajo Devi has reverberated around the world.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/indian-woman-gives-birth-at-70/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:01:02 Mapping Johnny’s Genome Scientists mapped the human genome to help the human race. Now parents can map Johnny’s genome to help him win his own race—or football and soccer games—by searching for a gene that supposedly predicts exceptional abilities in sports. Mouth swab to identify gene: $149. Identification of future sports-great while still in diapers: priceless?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/mapping-johnnys-genome/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:01:00 Adolph Hitler’s Birthday: Who Takes the Cake? Three year old Adolph Hitler Campbell’s birthday was December 14. When his parents—who gave the child his legal name—tried to order a birthday cake from a nearby ShopRite grocery store, employees there refused to write “Adolph Hitler” on the frosting. Did the employees do the right thing?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/adolph-hitlers-birthday-who-takes-the-cake/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:59:01 Interview with Be Good director Barney Cokeliss The director of Be Good, Barney Cokeliss, discusses how he came up with the idea for the film.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/interview-with-be-good-director-barney-cokeliss/ Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:05:20 Discussion Guide for Be Good The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Be Good
1. Why is Joe suddenly so aware that his life lacks meaning?
2. When Joe sets out to help people, why is he greeted with such suspicion?
3. Why is Joe such a magnet for others’ scorn?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-be-good/ Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:34:00 Be Good In the short film Be Good, Joe is the ultimate slacker, hung over and screwed up.
But during a rare sober moment as he turns 30, Joe decides it’s suddenly time to become a responsible person. Lurching hilariously toward that goal, he’s more shocked than anyone at the surprise ending that finally gives meaning to his life.

Be Good was directed by Barney Cokeliss.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/be-good/ Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:24:57 Be Good One man’s mission to do the right thing.
Somehow or other.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/be-good/ Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:20:53 Second Life: First Divorce? For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in…cyberspace? Does the age-old marriage vow of fidelity need to be updated to make husbands and wives responsible for their behavior online? In what is said to be the first case of its kind, a woman is now divorcing her husband after catching the animated character he created online having a fictional affair in a computer role-playing game.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/second-life-first-divorce/ Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:51:00 Apologies: Sorry Law? Consider the apology: Is saying “I’m sorry” out of fashion? A lost art? A species so endangered we need a law to protect it? “The Apology Act” is a piece of legislation up for debate in Canada and aimed at allowing people to say “I’m sorry” without assuming legal responsibility for their actions.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/apologies-sorry-law/ Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:44:31 Pro Football: Dropping the Ball on Responsibility? Should an employer try to control employees’ after-hours lives to make them act more responsibly? The image-conscious National Football League is cracking down on players’ off-field behavior with a new “personal conduct” policy that has NFL teams hiring former FBI agents and police officers to spy on players.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/pro-football-dropping-the-ball-on-responsibility/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:55:00 Black Friday: Cost of Living? The 50-inch plasma TV cost $798. The 10 megapixel camera cost $69. And the Black Friday shoppers determined to get those door-buster bargains cost a Wal-Mart employee his life. The ugly scene that shocked America during the Thanksgiving holiday raises numerous questions of responsibility.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/black-friday-cost-of-living/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:01:00 School Bake Sales: The Cookie Crumbles You can have your cake and eat it too in California, but if you do so at a school bake sale, you might be breaking the law. Cookies and cupcakes are crumbling under tough new dietary standards that outlaw their presence in public schools. Have bake sales become nutritionally irresponsible?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/school-bake-sales-the-cookie-crumbles/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:17:00 Holiday Shopping: Is Less More? Thanksgiving marks the start of the traditional holiday gift-buying season. Some say it’s madness. Some say it’s fondness for everyone we want—or feel compelled—to remember with a present. And some say it’s time to rethink a more responsible approach to holiday giving, especially in this year’s brutal economy.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/holiday-shopping/ Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:55:38 Safe Haven: Parents’ Bailout? Every state in America has a so-called “safe haven” law, under which a troubled parent can safely surrender a newborn baby, usually at a hospital or fire station, no questions asked. But Nebraska’s safe haven law is different. Intended to protect only infants, it was written with the word “child” left undefined and without an age limit, opening a gaping legal loophole for an unprecedented human bailout.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/safe-haven-parents-bailout/ Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:53:18 Paper or Plastic: When the Bill Comes Due Paper or plastic? It used to be one of the dominant decisions for consumers. But as more and more supermarkets and other stores have phased out the use of so-called disposable plastic bags, a different environmental question still lingers: Paper or electronic?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/paper-or-plastic-when-the-bill-comes-due/ Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:10:15 Vote: The Best Investment There’s a financial market for everything, it seems. Including your vote. As stock markets around the world continue to nose-dive, an unusual futures market called Intrade is heating up, with global investors focused on one bet: the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/vote-the-best-investment/ Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:56:00 Tony Tony is executive produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney. Actor Tate Donovan stars as Michael, a relentlessly responsible father. But the Tony at issue isn’t his son. It’s his son’s teddy bear. Or more vexingly, his 6-year-old son’s lost teddy bear. And therein lies the crisis, the challenge, and the question: Can you ever be too responsible?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/tony/ Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:20:03 Tony Trailer 1 little boy.
1 lost teddy bear.
15 minutes to find it.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/tony-trailer/ Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:01:00 The Responsibility Project Index When it comes to defining personal responsibility, many people say taking care of themselves and their family is at the very top of their list. Knowing their neighbors is at the bottom. Those are some of the findings from our Responsibility Project Index, a poll of Americans across the country. What matters to you?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/the-responsibility-project-index/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:24:53 Criminalizing Motherhood?: Who’s to Judge Should a bad mother be prohibited from having more children? A 20-year-old Texas mother admitted that she failed to protect her 19-month-old daughter from being beaten by her father. A judge sentenced her to 10 years probation, with the unusual condition that she not conceive or bear any more children during that time. Should the government decide who can be a mother?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/criminalizing-motherhood-whos-to-judge/ Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:17:00 Tony 1 little boy.
1 lost teddy bear.
15 minutes to find it.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/tony/ Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:30:09 Discussion Guide for Tony The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Tony.

1. If Michael’s son Josh wasn’t sick, do you think Michael would have gone to such lengths to find Tony?

2. Why wasn’t it good enough for Michael to simply get Josh a new bear?

3. At what point does responsibility collide with reality?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-tony/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:43:00 Interview with Tony director Grant Heslov The director of Tony, Grant Heslov, discusses how he came up with the idea for the film and how it was brought to life.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/interview-with-tony-director-grant-heslov/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:12:00 National Service: Do You Have a Responsibility to Help? After years of quietly gathering speed, there’s a growing movement to elevate public service to national service and in the process, set up incentives and opportunities that make it easier for each person to help another in need. The goal is to make volunteering as fundamental as voting.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/national-service-do-you-have-a-responsibility-to-help/ Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:10:41 Jail for Sagging Pants: Fashion Police? We are a nation that pulls itself up by the bootstraps. But are we also a nation that needs to pull up its pants? A 17-year-old Florida boy was recently jailed overnight for violating a local “sagging pants” law after a police officer spotted him riding his bike with his pants slung low enough to reveal four or five inches of boxer shorts. Should government be responsible for telling citizens what to wear?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/jail-for-sagging-pants-fashion-police/ Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:40:00 Hearing the Call Can we talk? Not if you’re using Slydial. As its name suggests, Slydial subverts the process of calling someone on their cell phone by routing the caller directly to the recipient’s voicemail, giving the “illusion” of communicating without the chance – or risk – of having a conversation. But some question whether a tool that encourages users to avoid direct communication is a responsible use of technology.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/hearing-the-call/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:10:57 ‘Too Good’ to Play Baseball? Game Over A recent newspaper headline sounded more like a lesson in parenting: Why punish a kid for the crime of being too good? The kid, in this case, was 9-year-old Jericho Scott, who played summer baseball on a youth team in New Haven, Connecticut. Jericho’s “crime” is his pitching talent. But the prodigy pitcher himself was struck out—by adults.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/too-good-to-play-baseball-game-over/ Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:30:00 Children and Chores:  How Much? A new study says that the amount of time children spend on chores has dropped like the Dow to only 24 minutes a day—25% less than in 1981. Experts say the decline of chore time reflects “important behavioral and values shifts that will affect lives for years to come,” including issues like domestic bliss and the responsibility of doing volunteer work. Should children do more chores?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/children-and-chores-how-much/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:01:19 Renting a Dog: Barking Up the Wrong Tree? Harry Truman said, “If you want a friend, get a dog.” But if you only want a temporary friend, should you rent a dog? One company is now making a business of renting pooches by the day or hour. In response, critics are howling fowl over what they say is the unacceptable promotion of dogs as accessories.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/renting-a-dog-barking-up-the-wrong-tree/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:01:00 Hurricane Hold-Outs:  Rising Tide? An increasing number of hurricane “hold-outs” refuse to leave their homes, even in the face of mandatory evacuation orders and warnings of “certain death.” But when plans go awry, lives are on the line—including rescue workers. Is it right to endanger others when your personal decision runs contrary to the law?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/hurricane-hold-outs-rising-tide/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:29:00 Neighborhood Watch: Do You Really Know Who People Are? In the old days, the protocol was to meet people first, then discover things about them after. Now a new online service up-ends that etiquette by inviting users to run a background check on anyone in the U.S. For Free. Should everyone be allowed to access anyone’s personal legal history, whether or not it’s criminal?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/neighborhood-watch-do-you-really-know-who-people-are/ Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:56:00 Teachers With Guns:  Don’t Mess With Texas? In the small farm town of Harrold, Texas, it’s not teacher’s pet that has everyone talking. It’s teacher’s pistol. The local school board recently decreed that teachers could carry concealed weapons at school and in the classrooms. Should armed teachers be responsible for providing school security?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/teachers-with-guns-dont-mess-with-texas/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:01:00 Lying to Pollsters:  Bad Vote? Approximately 10% of Americans admit they’ve lied to pollsters. In a close election, a 10% false answer rate is more than enough to confuse pundits, confound candidates, and contradict a predicted outcome, especially in the current presidential race. So, do you have a responsibility to tell the truth about who you’re voting for?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/lying-to-pollsters-bad-vote/ Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:01:00 Fast Food Limits:  Food For Thought or Food Police? Should government be responsible for deciding what kinds of food you can—and cannot—eat? The city of Los Angeles recently sank its teeth into the issue by banning any new fast food restaurants. Do the new regulations serve up food for thought, or food police?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/fast-food-limits-food-for-thought-or-food-police/ Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:01:00 Summer Camp:  Parents Gone Wild? Worse than poison ivy, today’s camp parents are itching to control every aspect of their children’s daily lives at camp —the very place meant to teach independence and responsibility away from Mom and Dad. Should summer camps return to the days of no cameras, no cell phones, no parents?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/summer-camp-parents-gone-wild/ Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:01:00 Fair Play:  The Price of Victory? It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. But should sportsmanship be more important than winning, even at the Olympics? Yes, says the International Fair Play Committee, an organization that rewards altruistic athletes. But Fair Play has its problems: they get very few nominations and Olympic-sized questions of poor sportsmanship abound.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/fair-play-the-price-of-victory/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Hot Seat Hot Seat takes us on a hilarious comic roll with the wobbly, broken, reject chair that seems to inhabit every office, clandestinely dumped from the last annoyed worker onto the next unsuspecting colleague, logging more miles than a frequent flier. Is it no one’s responsibility? Is it everyone’s? See how true office chair-ity begins in every cubicle.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/hot-seat/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:30:47 Hot Seat Wars have been fought over many things.
Seldom over an office chair.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/hot-seat1/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:30:42 Discussion Guide for Hot Seat The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Hot Seat.

1) Why is it so difficult for the rabbits—or humans—to step up and take responsibility about a shared item in a shared environment?

2) Are collective problems of responsibility more difficult to solve than individual ones?

3) Have you ever been the person who stepped in and took charge of a collective problem? If so, what prompted you? If not, why didn’t you step up?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-hot-seat/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:30:00 A Discussion with Hot Seat Creator, Janet Perlman Don’t even think about taking Janet Perlman’s chair. The Director of Hot Seat has not only been there/done that, she used the irritation of broken office chairs as inspiration for a film so clever you might fall off your seat.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/discussion-with-hot-seat-creator-janet-perlman/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:30:00 Right to Dry:  Are Outdoor Clotheslines Going Extinct? Do you have the right to bare your laundry on an outdoor clothesline on your private property? Perhaps not, if your home is governed by a local homeowners association, many of which ban clotheslines for aesthetic reasons. Where some see an eyesore flapping in the breeze, others see an answer to an environmental question blowing in the wind.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/right-to-dry-are-outdoor-clotheslines-going-extinct/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Going Green:  Who Pays? Reducing your carbon footprint is the current mantra of environmental responsibility. But going green costs green, and some small businesses are now asking their customers to pay extra to help them. Where does personal responsibility end and business responsibility begin when it comes to the cost of helping the environment?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/going-green-who-pays/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Class Action: Laptops Not Allowed Laptops in school are coming unplugged. When used responsibly, they provide valuable educational support. But when used irresponsibly—for watching YouTube, surfing the web, emailing, IM-ing, playing games, checking sports scores, and shopping instead of engaging in class — laptops become the scourge of professors, some of whom are now banning them.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/class-action-laptops-not-allowed/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:01:01 Brain Doping: Is Grey Matter an Ethical Matter? When an athlete uses performance enhancement drugs, he or she is likely to be called unethical and dishonest. When a student or professor uses brain enhancement drugs, he or she is likely to be called smart and focused, but is chemically boosting your brain for an unfair advantage the same as chemically boosting your body for an edge? That’s the question at the center of a new debate about drugs and cheating.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/brain-doping-is-grey-matter-an-ethical-matter/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Who Let the Dogs Out:  Fetching Medicine? Fido has a new medicine chest, and it includes medications that were originally developed for humans. Prescription drugs can now treat canine obesity and depression. But those break-throughs have left some people wondering if pets are mimicking their owners’ behavioral and lifestyle problems, and if the drugs might be more for the convenience of owners than for the heath of their pets.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/who-let-the-dogs-out-fetching-medicine/ Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Game, Set, Match, Responsibility When a well-known athlete makes a startling public admission these days, it frequently involves a lapse of responsibility for personal gain. Recently, former tennis great Andrea Jaeger claimed she purposely allowed Martina Navratilova to beat her in the 1983 Wimbledon final because she had unfairly jeopardized her concentration before the match. Should Jaeger have dropped out and told the world why?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/game-set-match-responsibility/ Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:01:00 Pro Sports:  Game of Second Chances? Last year, famous names in pro sports like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Marion Jones became associated with words like compromise, cheating, hypocrisy and shame. Josh Hamilton’s story is different. He hit 28 home runs in the Home Run Derby after being banned from baseball because of his addiction to crack cocaine. Does every fallen sports hero deserve a second chance?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/pro-sports-game-of-second-chances/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Mothers With Guns:  Packing Too Much? Moms pack many things, but does a responsible mom also pack a gun? The question was recently raised on the website BabyCenter, where a mom blogger described the terrifying experience of a mother who was attacked. Many moms, from police officers to celebrities, are confessing to carrying a weapon and having the willingness to shoot and kill if necessary.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/mothers-with-guns-packing-too-much/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Cold But Not Cool: Time to Close the Door? Cold air is a hot topic, as shops and stores across the country blast arctic air out their front doors, wide open, non stop. If you embrace the door-busting chill, are you a cool customer or an unwitting accomplice to an irresponsible environmental crime? A New York city councilwoman recently introduced legislation to stop the practice, but should wasting energy be illegal?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/cold-but-not-cool-time-to-close-the-door/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Should You Drink With Your Kids? Parents are frequently encouraged to share more activities with their kids. But should drinking alcohol together be one of them? Is it time for parents to take a different approach towards kids and alcohol? Time Magazine reporter John Cloud says it’s a “good way to teach responsible drinking behavior”.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/should-you-drink-with-your-kids/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Growing Up If you find it difficult sometimes to define responsibility, watch Growing Up and see four extraordinary young people go beyond definitions to live the word in truly inspiring ways.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/growing-up1/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:15:32 Growing Up It’s remarkable what children can learn from us.
It’s even more remarkable what we can learn from them.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/growing-up/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:15:20 Discussion Guide for Growing Up The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Growing Up.

1) It’s been said that our lives are defined by the decisions we make. Do you think that’s true? If so, what are some experiences in your life—or in others’ lives—where that has been the case?

2) It’s not always easy to do the right or responsible thing. Why make the extra effort?

3) If you’ve seen how someone was affected when you did the right thing, how did that make you feel?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-growing-up1/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:15:01 Interview with Producer Paul Speaker Paul Speaker discusses the film, Growing Up, that he and co-creators, Geoffrey O’Connor and Ken Yagoda made with The Responsibility Project in mind.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/interview-with-producer-paul-speaker/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:15:00 Just Rewards: Banking On It? If you do the right thing, should you expect to be rewarded? Yes, say three men in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The men—all city-employed water department workers—were on the job when they discovered an abandoned safe at the side of a road. The safe had been stolen by robbers who broke through the wall of a local bank during a winter ice storm.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/just-rewards-banking-on-it/ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Review of New American Girl Movie Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is the first feature film based on the popular doll and book series produced by the Pleasant Company. Each of their dolls is a girl from a different period of American history from Colonial days to the 1970’s, and each character has books about issues and challenges specific to their eras…

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/review-of-new-american-girl-movie/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:30:00 Too Old To Be Responsible? There’s an age when society expects people to be responsible—usually about 21. But is there also an age when people are no longer expected to be responsible? How about 73? That’s the age a California widower named Robert Pyle was when he made a series of decisions that triggered a financial freefall, resulting in the loss of his $650,000 home and $500,000 life savings.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/too-old-to-be-responsible/ Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:01:32 Fertility Treatments: For Convenience? Motherhood—achieving it and surviving it—is a perennially popular topic of blog discussions. But rarely does one comment continue to draw responses years after first being posted, like the following one has from a woman who wanted to undergo IVF fertility treatments as a matter of convenience.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/fertility-treatments-for-convenience/ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:01:00 Needling Questions: Immunizing Kids If you choose not to have your child vaccinated against measles, mumps, chicken pox, and other infectious diseases, does your responsibility end there? It is a debate that continues as the trend for not vaccinating children increases.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/needling-questions-immunizing-kids/ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:01:00 Teen “Pregnancy Pact”:  The Perfect Storm? The shocking news from the small fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts spread across the country and around the world: 17 girls from one high school were pregnant, part of a supposed ‘pregnancy pact’ in which the students intentionally set out to become teen mothers, with a vow to raise their babies together.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/teen-pregnancy-pact-the-perfect-storm/ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:33:00 Parenting or Spying:  Who’s Watching The Kids? If you electronically monitor every website your kids view, secretly read all their instant messages, filter their TV viewing, restrict their incoming and outgoing calls, and track their movements by GPS devices lurking in their backpacks and cell phones, are you parenting, or spying?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/parenting-or-spying-whos-watching-the-kids/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:01:00 Murder, He Wrote If you can’t kill a man, forgive him instead. That was the mind-boggling moral journey undertaken by a writer named David Holthouse, who, along the way, was forced to define and redefine his views of personal responsibility.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/murder-he-wrote/ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:01:00 Spinning: Out of Control in the Gym? Silence may be golden, but its recent pursuit in a New York City gym has set off a loud debate about entitlement and personal responsibility. It started in a spin class, when a 49-year-old Wall Street investment partner named Stuart Sugarman began yelling and grunting comments like “You go, girl!” and “Good burn!” as he cycled.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/spinning-out-of-control-in-the-gym/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:01:12 Interview with the Directors of Lighthouse The directors of Lighthouse, Charlie Short and Ming Hsiung, discuss how they came up with the idea for the film and how it was brought to life.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/interview-with-the-directors-of-lighthouse/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:20:00 Discussion Guide for Lighthouse The following are questions that can be used in guiding a discussion about the film Lighthouse.

1. Why is the lighthouse keeper seemingly unhappy?

2. Do you think the townspeople value the light but not the keeper?

3. Why doesn’t the keeper derive happiness from making the people happy?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/resources/entry/discussion-guide-for-lighthouse/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:12:00 Lighthouse Sometimes being responsible is a burden. A lopsided obligation. A lonely and thankless job. In the wonderfully animated short film Lighthouse, a grumpy lighthouse keeper makes sure that a safe little seaside town stays that way, by dutifully maintaining the beacon that shines above it.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/lighthouse/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:55:12 Lighthouse A lighthouse keeper’s darkest hour turns out to be anything but.

Directed by Charlie Short & Ming Hsiung.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/lighthouse/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:23:41 Having a Third Child Pamela Paul wants a third child. Writing in the Washington Post about her desire to have a “sprawling” family like the one she grew up in—“with seven brothers, real and step”—Paul mused about the high cost of raising a child these days: $204,060 according to a new federal estimate.

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/having-a-third-child/ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:01:36 Hit and Run: Without a Compass If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many are needed to describe the video of a man being struck by a hit-and-run driver and left to bleed unaided in the road, while numerous motorists and pedestrians casually maneuver around him and continue on their way?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/hit-and-run-without-a-compass/ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:08:00 Dad Behind Bars A juvenile court judge in Ohio ordered 40 year-old Brian Gegner to make sure his high school dropout daughter earned her GED. But when teenaged Brittney didn’t hit the books hard enough to pass the test, the judge threw the book at Brian Gegner, ordering the father jailed because the daughter failed. Should a father be responsible when his 18 year-old daughter can’t do the math?

]]> http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/dad-behind-bars/ Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:01:00