Amy Brown

On Thursday, President Obama announced that a U.S. drone strike accidentally killed one American and one Italian hostage in January. Both men were aid workers who had been held captive for a couple of years. Mr. Obama took the blame for the deaths as commander in chief, but officials stated that they did not know the hostages … Continue reading "Obama, Drones, and Hostages"

In the most recent election in India, the Hindu Nationalist Party (BJP) won. In the state of Maharashtra, the new government has banned the possession and sale of beef. Since it is against their religion to consume beef, the government has now forced religious dietary restrictions onto followers of Hinduism and non-Hindus. Violators of the new … Continue reading "Banning Beef in India"

At the age of 18, all male citizens of the United States are legally required to register for the Selective Service, so that they may be called to serve in the military in the event of a draft. Although there has not been a draft since the Vietnam War, selective service registration resumed in 1980 … Continue reading "Gender and the Draft"

The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act has put Indiana in the national spotlight. People on both sides feel that there has been an affront to deeply held personal convictions. Some believe that the legislation provides a “license to discriminate,” especially against members of the LGBTQ community, while supporters argue that the legislation protects everyone’s religious … Continue reading "Prindle to Host Discussion on Religious Freedom Bill"

The film “India’s Daughter” has stirred up controversy worldwide over the past few days. The film details the brutal gang rape of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh, a medical student, on a bus in Delhi in 2012. Rape and misogyny has been a huge problem in India; misogyny is part of the culture. One journalist gives the … Continue reading "Banning “India’s Daughter”"

The science fair is a common part of the elementary and middle school education; students create a project, like a baking soda and vinegar volcano, and present it with a poster at the school with dozens of other students. In theory, it is a competition amongst students to see who produced the best experiment and … Continue reading "The Fairness of Science Fairs"

Fur has been a popular luxury product for centuries that presents an ethical dilemma. All furs were once the skin of a living animal; therefore, animal rights activists and many other people say that it is unethical to wear fur since an animal must die in order for the fur to be used. However, despite … Continue reading "Could Fur Be Ethical?"

When your name remains detached from something, most of the repercussions from saying certain things seem to disappear. The issue of anonymity online is nothing new – people have been sending hateful comments to people from behind a computer screen for years. Cyberbullying is a hot topic and a major issue among children, teens, and … Continue reading "Ethics of Anonymity Online"

A new study conducted by the U.S. Army War College has found that U.S. Army officers regularly lie, and that the Pentagon is fully aware of that behavior.  Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed concern about ethical behavior within the military prior to stepping down on Tuesday. This new study has found that the U.S. … Continue reading "Lying in the Military"

Time is crucial when it comes to the news; every news agency wants to be the first to break a large story. To save time for journalists to focus on the big stories, template stories have been used for a basis for smaller stories. Journalists can type in the specific facts and then be on … Continue reading "Robo-Journalists: Can Robots Do The Job Of A Human Journalist?"

On Saturday, February 7, The Prindle Institute will host the first annual Midwest Regional High School Ethics Bowl competition. Ethics Bowl competitions consist of two teams that argue two cases, switching off as the primary speaking team for each case. Teams analyze ethical dilemmas and argue their points of view, although they do not have to disagree … Continue reading "Prindle To Host High School Ethics Bowl Competition"

Officials at Brown University have ruled that the fraternities Phi Kappa Psi and Sigma Chi “created environments that facilitated sexual misconduct” at fraternity parties. Brown University isn’t the first college where stories of sexual assault at fraternity parties have made national news. There was the situation with the Rolling Stone University of Virgina incident which resulted in a … Continue reading "Decreasing Sexual Assault: Should Sororities Host Parties Too?"

Can you own an ancient practice? India has recently appointed a “Minister of Yoga” to the Cabinet, and begun compiling a library that demonstrates how to “properly” do yoga. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants yoga to be recognized as an Indian tradition. While nothing official has been released, the government appears to be moving in … Continue reading "Can You Own Yoga?"

Should refugees seeking asylum be housed in former concentration camp barracks? Schwerte, Germany, is planning to house 20 asylum seekers in a satellite post at former Buchewald concentration camp. While the barracks were used for guard’s quarters and not as housing for the camp’s slaves, some refugee groups have said that it is in poor … Continue reading "Repurposing Buchenwald: Housing Refugees"

If the government can’t see it, should you be allowed to communicate with it? British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that if he is reelected, his Parliament will draft a bill that bans messaging applications that encrypt data so that the government cannot view it. Certain messaging applications’ style of encryption makes it difficult … Continue reading "What the Government Can See and No More?"

In a typical criminal trial, the jury is shown pictures or videos of the crime scene as evidence. When photos or videos do not provide enough information for the jury to make their decision, a judge can grant a “jury view.” This allows juries to go to the scene of the crime and examine the … Continue reading "Field Trips for High-Profile Juries"

Should Facebook suggest posts about the dead on your News Feed? In her article for The Atlantic, Shirley Li wrote about her experience with Facebook suggesting she like a page that was a memorial to a woman who died in 2013. The woman had died in a tragic fire (in a house with a history of code … Continue reading "The Dead on Facebook"

Receiving employment after prison can be difficult for many who are released; in fact, unemployment can lead to multiple offenses in the long run. While rehabilitation is generally good for society, are there certain jobs that convicted felons should not be allowed to have? There are certainly restrictions on jobs, such as sex offenders cannot work … Continue reading "Convicted Felons in Professional Sports"

Although the American news coverage has dropped off significantly, the death toll in the Ebola epidemic in West Africa continues to rise. It is currently approaching 10,000 victims, and 6/10 of the people currently suffering from the disease will likely die. Over 8,000 people have died and over 20,000 have been infected. The news cycle … Continue reading "Ebola in the News"

After a year-long investigation in Tampa Bay, Florida, a news station has revealed that police have been using dating sites to arrest men as sex offenders who had no interest in underage trysts. Many of the men arrested had posted ads for women who were 18 and older – all legal adults – and police … Continue reading "Sex Stings and Property Seizure"