Category: ethics

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, government, internetLeave a comment

Excellent.

The Proving Ground (2025) is 8th in the Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) series. Possibly the best yet.

A courtroom procedural. Mikey with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a teenage girl.

It’s set post-Covid. During fires in L.A.

Very contemporary.

… a chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.

Representing the victim’s family, Mickey’s case explores the mostly unregulated and exploding AI business and the lack of training guardrails.

Along the way he joins up with a journalist named Jack McEvoy (The Poet), who wants to be a fly on the wall during the trial in order to write a book about it.

But Mickey puts him to work going through the mountain of printed discovery materials in the case. McEvoy’s digging ultimately delivers the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up. The case is fraught with danger because billions are at stake.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, human rights, TVLeave a comment

Robert Galbraith is J.K. Rowling. I’m still reading her books — though disgusted with how she has made trans people miserable, driving some to suicide.

This is her legacy.

I haven’t cancelled J.K. Rowling as she’s not ALL bad. She’s donated much to charity. And may even be a good person who somehow stumbled into this issue, getting it way wrong.

She’s caused a lot of harm.

The Hallmarked Man (2025) is the 8th novel in the Cormoran Strike detective series, and a return to form.

Themes explored in the plot involve Freemasonry, human trafficking, the silver antiques trade, corruption in the media, secrecy surrounding the military and intelligence services, mental health issues …

That said, the book is too long, as are most of her books in this series.

The relationship between Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is agonizing and stupid. I can’t believe so little has progressed over 8 books.

I used to be sympathetic for Robin, as Strike is such an asshole. But she’s just as bad.

The only person to cheer for is Office Manager Pat. 😀

Worse — perhaps — is the plot. WHY did they take on a case to identify a mutilated corpse? WHY spend so much time and manpower on this case?

Who cares?

Story line convoluted and hard to follow. At the end, I read some explainers ➙ and still can’t be bothered to understand the plot.

IF you can get past those flaws, I actually enjoyed this book.

It’s skillful, without question.

I actually like the pretentious epigraphs at the start of each chapter.

Worst in the series was Ink Black Heart (2022). I couldn’t finish that one. This one I can recommend.

BUT — for me — the Strike (TV series) is better than the books.

Monkey Island, Vietnam

On By Rick McIn ethics, travel1 Comment

There are a number of “Monkey Islands” in Vietnam. I visited the one out of Nha Trang.

… or was it Donkey Island? 😀

Monkey Island, Nha Trang, has more than 1,200 monkeys.

Few rules, I’m afraid.

Tourists feed them directly, risking scratches and bites.

I took in the “animal circus“, as well. Noting that dog tricks seem perfectly acceptable — but that monkey tricks seem abusive. No logic there, I’m afraid.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The HIGHLIGHT by far was watching some of these beasts entertaining themselves by jumping into water. High diving!

There was no food reward for this. They were doing it strictly for FUN.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

And I did this stairway strictly for FUN.

Apple in China by Patrick McGee

On By Rick McIn Apple, books, economics, education, ethics, government, human rightsLeave a comment

I thought I knew the story of Apple. BUT what I really knew was the story of Steve Jobs.

Looking back in 2025 at what made the company thrive, it was 2 other men.

Market chain guru Tim Cook, of course.

But even more so, Terry Gou, who, in 1974, founded FoxConn in Taiwan.

Incredibly ambitious, by 2012 Foxconn made up approximately 40% of worldwide consumer electronics production.

Just one of his many huge factories in China produces the bulk of Apple’s iPhone line and is sometimes referred to as “iPhone City”.

Needless to say, there are many abused workers in those plants. They don’t last many months on the gruelling production line.

Over the years, Gou and others steadily wooed Tim Cook and Apple to move manufacturing to China.

Today over 90% of Apple products are made in China. A huge risk for the company if authoritarian dictator-for-life Xi decides to invade Taiwan. Or shut down exports.

Attempts to move production to other nations have been mostly experiments. Or motivated by politics, not business.

In the meantime, Chinese engineers — many trained by Apple — are building cheaper, better Chinese phones in China. They no longer need Apple.

It’s a precarious situation.

Apple in China is a 2025 book uniquely looking at the company from the viewpoint of China.

In her May 15, 2025 review for The New York Times, Hannah Beech called Apple in China “smart and comprehensive,” praising Patrick McGee’s clever and chronologically organized timeline of how Apple’s expansion to China manufacturing facilities under then COO Tim Cook created a global success but also an “existential vulnerability” for the United States. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t talk about the future.

SOME DAY robots will do much of the assembly.

TV series – “A Teacher”

On By Rick McIn education, ethics, TVLeave a comment

The FX miniseries A Teacher (2020) was filmed in my old High School, after it had closed and was scheduled for demolition. 

… I don’t recall any teachers like Kate Mara when I was a student.  😀 

Set in the span of 10 years, this series follows a female English teacher in her early 30s as she begins to groom and abuse her 17-year-old male student in the fictional high school of Westerbrook in Austin, Texas.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Purging Your Worldly Possessions 😀

On By Rick McIn about Rick, ethics, happiness, philosophyLeave a comment

Having just cleaned out my parents final home, I was reminded of a great philsopher:

Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness.

I psyched up for yet another purge. Organizing, donating, reducing, simplifying my worldly goods.

For example, how many pairs of socks do you think I need for the rest of my life?

Should I hang on to all the singletons — just in case the other somehow shows up later? 😀

… NEXT ➙ Underwear.

UPDATE. Here’s my 1st load of donations for the Sally Ann.

Blues Brothers Movie

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, humour, movies, musicLeave a comment

Happy 4th of July. I’ve always admired American music, technology, innovation, and film.

A perfect example is Blues Brothers 1980.

After Animal House, John Belushi had the movie, album, and late night TV show. A huge star.

In The Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood are on “a mission from God” to prevent the foreclosure of their Roman Catholic orphanage.

The Blues Brothers were controversial in a very American way. The intrinsically racist Hollywood film industry assumed they couldn’t sell a celebration of Black music and culture. The industry was wrong.

For example, Ted Mann, head Mann Theatres, refused to book the film as he didn’t want Black patrons. Mann was Jewish.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Belushi was self-destructive, as is the USA.

I relate more to the Canadian, Dan Ackroyd.

Dan published Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude in 2024. His personal recollections of the Band with interviews with many of the key players.

Barbie (2023 film)

On By Rick McIn ethics, moviesLeave a comment

I unexpectedly liked Wicked – the movie. … SO decided to try Barbie – the movie.

… the first live-action Barbie film after numerous animated films and specials.

Starring Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film follows them on a journey of self-discovery through Barbieland and the real world following an existential crisis.  …

Like Wicked, I loved the start of the film. The concept. The original look of the sets.

… BUT at some point I got bored. The novelty wore off.

By the end I found it too preachy.

Director Gerwig calls the over the top messaging maximalism.

“heightened theatricality that allows you to deal with big ideas in the midst of anarchic play”

It didn’t work for me.

Thumbs down.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

On the other hand, I found Allan hilarious.

Allan Sherwood is a fictional character introduced in 1964 as Ken‘s friend. Played by Michael Cera in the movie.

His pregnant wife Midge shows up in the movie, as well.

Tony Retrosi on Compassionate Governance

On By Rick McIn education, ethics, GOP USA, government, gymnastics, human rightsLeave a comment

Tony Retrosi is a highly respected Gymnastics coach, educator, and leader.

He’s one of the Americans dismayed with the turn of Republican politicians to ReTrumplicanism. Angry, hateful, intolerant, near totalitarianism.

In 2025 you must parrot the low IQ Trump’s lies, or be banished from the GOP.

I was impressed with Tony summing up in this post:

  • a country should take care of its weakest members … children, disabled, sick, and elderly
  • healthcare is a right, not a privilege
  • higher education should be affordable
  • massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying
  • companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage
  • don’t force religion on me or mine
  • LGBT people should have the SAME rights as everyone else
  • we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. 
  • systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think
  • enforcement of present firearms laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations
  • I believe in so-called political correctness … social politeness
  • funding sustainable energy
  • women should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse

Read more …

The Value of Compassionate Governance

I Switched from Twitter to Bluesky

On By Rick McIn ethics, Facebook, internet, TwitterLeave a comment

A MAGA NAZI owns Twitter now. He deliberately posts misinformation and disinformation.

Twitter is now too immoral and dangerous for me.

So far, I like Bluesky much better. For one thing, it embeds correctly in this website.

RickMcCharles.com is my Bluesky handle.

VIDEO ➙ Strong is Beautiful. Gymnastics icon Brooklyn Moors. gymnasticscoaching.com/2025/03/28/b…

— Rick McCharles (@rickmccharles.com) 2025-03-28T15:07:05.973Z

Here’s my attempt to embed a public Facebook post on this site.

And here’s Instagram.