EthicalStL.org

We make judgments about the company we keep, the candidates we support, and the business to which we give our money. When we make choices about the products we buy, what are the influences on our purchase decisions? Does the behavior of a corporation affect the choices we make? Why do we like some companies and avoid others? Linda Locke will discuss corporate reputation what drives our perceptions and how we expect corporations to behave. Come hear her thoughts about the seven deadly sins and how they relate to business ethics and corporate decision-making. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Linda Locke is the principal of Reputare Consulting (lt;a href="http://reputareconsulting.com/" target="_blank"gt;reputareconsulting.comlt;/agt;), a firm she founded in 2010, after retiring from MasterCard where she was senior vice president for reputation and issues management. She has been a member of the Ethical Society for over 20 years.

For more than 30 years, lt;a href="http://www.growingamericanyouth.org" target="_blank"gt;Growing American Youthlt;/agt; has provided ongoing support to St. Louis area youth who may identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ). Like many young people, LGBTQ youth can face difficulties in school, at home, within friendships and in love relationships. They can also actualize amazing lives despite personal hurdles. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Advisor Morgan Keenan will introduce us to some amazing youth who live unapologetically authentic lives. Hear what matters to them, about the ways they see communities still mired in old issues, and how they are leading the way toward a better life for everyone.

Moderation Management (MM) is a support group for problem drinking. Most members seek to cut back, rather than quit drinking, but some choose permanent abstinence. In this Platform, MM members share stories of how MM changed their lives. Most MM members are high functioning people who use alcohol to cope with life's many sources of stress. Others simply developed a bad habit that got worse over time. While most of them avoid serious problems due to alcohol, drinking too much holds them back. By helping them learn to drink less, MM makes people better parents, spouses, and workers. Many MM members share common problems and triggers, but this talk illustrates that people drink for many different reasons.

What we eat matters, for many reasons. Food choices affect our personal health and the health and welfare of people who work in food industries, and more and more we’re coming to understand that food choices also affect the health of our larger environment. In addition, our food choices affect the lives and welfare of other animals. In this platform address, Kate will explore some of the ethical and personal issues related to what we eat, and suggest that the current culture of dividing up people into vegetarians and meat-eaters may be getting in the way of all of us addressing these issues together.

Today many people are hunting for purpose, meaning or joy in life. Others are seeking ways to be authentic and true to themselves. Still others want to integrate leisure with work (paid or volunteer) while managing financial, health and life responsibilities. The Rewiring process helps people identify what motivates or drives them, and then guides them to new and meaningful activities. Jeri will help you find new insights and ideas to enhance the second act of your life, and enrich the lives of others around you. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Jeri Sedlar is an entrepreneur, social researcher, motivational speaker, and Senior Advisor to the Conference Board on the Mature Workforce. She is a former Delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and the co-author of the two books, DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! and ON TARGET-Enhance Your Life and Ensure Your Success. She has emerged as one of the country's leading authorities on life planning, and has been researching the issues of work and leisure for over a decade. Jeri sits on the board of several non-profit organizations and is only the second woman to sit on the board of the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and resides in New York City with her co-author husband.

Americans are deeply polarized when it comes to gun issues. One side talks about "gun control," the other about "gun rights." Yet framing the issue as having only two clearly-delineated sides may itself be part of the problem. This Halloween, we will look at how our fears, both justified and imagined, are keeping us from finding common ground, and we'll explore how can we talk more productively about guns and safety.

As a community, how can we support parents in making healthy choices for their families and their children? Are there obstacles that have entered our homes undetected? Sharing lessons learned through her interactions with Shining Rivers faculty and parents, as well as her own daughter, “Miss Ann” Weidemann will share her journey into natural parenting and bring mindful attention to the everyday choices we make as parents. Be prepared to take a second look at the products and messages in your children’s surroundings.

In the United States of America, the "Black Church" has been assumed to be the only way for African Americans to express a religious orientation, at the least the only way deserving serious consideration. African American religion in the Age of President Obama, as it is presented by various media outlets, only emphasizes this assumption. In his talk, Dr. Pinn will present an alternative to this assumption: African American humanism. Attention will be given to the ways in which humanism in African American communities develops as a unique form of humanism, and the ways in which African American humanism has served as a vital method for making sense of life in a troubled world. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Anthony B. Pinn received a BA from Columbia University, and his MDiv, MA and PhD from Harvard University. He began his teaching career at Macalester College, and became the first African American to hold an endowed chair (the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies) at Rice University. Pinn is the founding director of the Houston Enriches Rice Education Project. He is the first Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and first Director of Research for the Institute for Humanist Studies Think Tank (Washington, DC). Dr. Pinn is the author/editor of over twenty-five books, including Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion, The Black Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era, and Embodiment and the New Shape of Black Theological Thought.

Recent controversies surrounding issues as different as immigration reform and the "Ground Zero Mosque" have elicited both expressions of fear and prejudice and expressions of acceptance and solidarity. "Tolerance" is a widely ­promoted value, but are there limits to what society should tolerate? On the other hand, is the idea of tolerance enough to cross divides and bring us together on common ground, or must we reach toward the higher ethical ideal of loving the stranger?

Bud Deraps is a force for peace to be reckoned with! Whether holding the US military responsible for the hidden casualties of war, taking up a collection to help Haitian earthquake victims, acting as the vice-chairperson (or "chairman of vice," as he is fond of saying) for Ethical Action Committee, or delivering our canned goods to Operation Food Search to be distributed to St. Louisans in need, Bud's unceasing energy makes the Ethical Society of St. Louis proud to say he's "ours." Tribute speakers include Julia Lamborn, Deloris Roman, and Debora and Michael Connley. lt;a href="http://ethicalstl.org/com_hoy2010.php" target="_blank"gt;Read more about Bud.lt;/agt;