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Recently leaked cables reveal that several American pop icons were paid millions to perform at private events hosted by the infamous Qaddafi clan. Randy Cohen and Rolling Stone journalist Steve Knopper will examine the connection between the Libyan dictator’s family and Top 40 stars. And, we explore this ethical question: does it matter who pays the piper?

Randy Cohen, the "The Ethicist" columnist for The New York Times Magazine, weighs in on the news that some members of the Park Slope Food Co-op allegedly send their nannies to work their shifts. Sophia Durning, a long-time Park Slope resident, joins the conversation to speak to the ethical dilemma concerning nannies substituting for co-op members.

A local Minneapolis magazine is getting backlash from readers for its decision to run a story about an anti-gay pastor who attended a support group for men grappling with same-sex attraction. Lavender Magazine reported that Rev. Tom Brock, of the Hope Lutheran Church, who publicly criticized the Evangelical Lutheran Church for liberalizing its gay clergy policies, attended Faith in Action, the Minnesota affiliate of the Catholic Church's Courage program. The program, according to its website, claims people can "move beyond the confines of the homosexual identity" by developing an interior life of chastity.

Online vigilante justice has become commonplace in China, but it also occurs right here in the U.S. It's a phenomenon in which internet users hunt down and punish people who’ve attracted their wrath...oftentimes for unpunished acts that are considered reprehensible. Some feel this particular form using tech savvy to give people what they deserve is useful, but questions arise about whether online vigilantism is dangerous.

 

The famed moralist and writer Samuel Johnson was born 300 years old today. Randy Cohen, who writes The Ethicist column for The New York Times Magazine, gives us his take on what the crusty, eminently quotable moralist might have made of some of our present-day dilemmas.

1784. ÆTAT.- And now I am arrived at the last year of the life of Samuel Johnson, a year in which, although passed in severe indisposition, he nevertheless gave many evidences of the continuance of those wondrous powers of mind, which raised him so high in the intellectual world. His conversation and his letters of this year were in no respect inferiour to those of former years.
--James Boswell, "The Life of Samuel Johnson"

infa'usting. The act of making unlucky. An odd and inelegant word.
--Samuel Johnson, in "Johnson's Dictionary"

Public outbursts and their consequences seem a lot more common, of late. Last week, Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) heckled the president during an address to both houses of Congress, and now faces a possible Congressional censure. This week, Serena Williams lost her cool (not to mention $10,500 in fines) when she lashed out at a line judge at the U.S. Open. Kanye West appeared on Jay Leno's show last night to apologize after he broke script at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards and grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift to praise Beyonce's video.

For more on public outbursts, we talk to Randy Cohen, who writes "The Ethicist" column in the New York Times Magazine and Latoya Peterson, editor of the online blog Racialicious.

Watch Kanye West on The Jay Leno Show apologizing for his outburst:

Randy Cohen, author of "The Ethicist" column for The New York Times Magazine joins us to discuss this question as it applies to artists ranging from Richard Wagner and James Brown to Phil Spector, Ike Turner and Renaissance composer (and wife murderer) Gesualdo.

Tell us: Can you separate the ...

Michael Jackson will be buried this morning at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles. The cemetery is a famous resting spot, but Jackson apparently wanted to be buried at his beloved Neverland Ranch. Joining The Takeaway to discuss whether we should defer to the dead when it comes to disposing of their mortal remains is Randy Cohen, The Ethicist for The New York Times Magazine and author of the Moral of the Story Blog.

For more, read Randy Cohen's blog entry, Michael Jackson’s Body, in The New York Times.

Elizabeth Edward's latest round of interviews about her husband's affair has gotten our friend Randy Cohen thinking: Is she wrong to put her family through this again, just to promote her latest book? (It's called Resilience, by the way.) Randy Cohen is The Ethicist, columnist for The New York Times Magazine, and the author of the new Moral of the Story blog.

Here's Elizabeth Edwards discussing her husband's affair with Oprah:

Are we ethically obliged to cover our mouths when we cough? To wash our hands after we sneeze? These questions prompted a column by our friend and New York Times Ethicist Randy Cohen, and he joins us with more.

For more, read Randy Cohen's entry, Flu Fighters in his Moral of the Story blog for the New York Times.

When reading the news it is easy to have an opinion about whether the person involved was acting ethically. But no one is more entitled to that opinion than Randy Cohen. He writes The Ethicist column in the New York Times Magazine and is the author of the new Moral of the Story column in the New York Times. He joins The Takeaway with his ethical take on the news of the day.

Randy Cohen talks with us about the ethical issues surrounding Madonna's attempt to adopt another child in Malawi. He has a new column, "The Moral of the Story," on the New York Times Magazine website.

For years, ethicist Randy Cohen has patiently guided readers through moral quagmires in his weekly column in the New York Times "The Ethicist." Now he is branching out from his popular Sunday column and is bringing his moral view to a new arena: The news. He will cast his ethical gaze on hot topics and in the news and discuss their broader moral implications. Randy Cohen joins The Takeaway to discuss his take on Madonna's failed adoption of a little girl in Malawi.

Check out Randy Cohen's column, Moral of the Story, in today's New York Times.

Randy Cohen, author of "The Ethicist" column for the New York Times Magazine, joins us to add some color to the "gray areas" in issues like downloading, ripping CDs and pitch correction. Plus, we take your calls and comments.

Randy Cohen, author of "The Ethicist" column for the New York Times Magazine, joins us to add some color to the "gray areas" in issues like downloading, ripping CDs and pitch correction. Plus, we take your calls and comments.

It's never been easier to acquire, manipulate and distribute recorded music. Randy Cohen, author of "The Ethicist" column for the New York Times Magazine, joins us to add some color to the "gray areas" in issues like downloading, ripping CDs and pitch correction. Plus, we take your calls and comments. ...