What It All Boyles Down To
“They judged her by her ugly leg.”
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Tag Archives: American perspective
AIG Bonuses
Public outrage over the AIG bonuses continues to occupy public discourse. The executives at AIG’s Financial Products division must have initially felt some sense of satisfaction when they received their bonus checks that, in some cases, had a number followed by six zeros writ large in the upper right-hand corner. Before they had a chance ... More
Obesity Is a Problem
Each of these doctors comes from a country where being overweight is not unusual. After all, their own mama-mias and babushkas become portly through pasta or pirogue poisoning. Likewise, overweight male shopkeepers, government officials, and opera singers abound in their native lands. Yet as one Italian orthopedist put it, a young woman between 18 and ... More
Franklin and the Academy Awards Red Carpet
What would Ben Franklin say about the way fans respond to movie stars when they appear on the red carpet at the Academy Awards? Here’s what he’d say: “Tis the price of fame.” In future blogs, I’ll discuss Ben Franklin’s interesting relationships with certain French women while he represented the United States at the Court ... More
Abraham Lincoln
In an earlier blog, I explained why Ben Franklin, an early and active abolitionist, would have felt a sense of pride that an African-American became our 44th president. With Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday celebration afoot, what would Franklin say about the Great Emancipator? Here’s what he’d say: Franklin would honor Lincoln for “securing the blessings ... More
Charles Darwin
On February 12, 1809, two babies were born on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Both were destined to change the course of human history. One was Abraham Lincoln and the other, Charles Darwin. Both, in some small way, owed a part of their ultimate success to the writings of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. What would ... More
Obama’s Economic Stimulus
President Barack Obama, intent on gaining bipartisan support for his economic stimulus package, traveled from the White House to Capitol Hill for a meeting with congressional Republicans. What would Ben Franklin say about President Obama’s get-together with the opposition in Congress? Here’s what he once said: “If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest ... More
President Obama’s Inaugural Parade
What would he think about military units marching in close formation past the reviewing stand, their officers’ chins tucked in, smartly saluting a civilian whose only uniform in life was the one issued by his high school basketball team? Here’s what Ben Franklin would say: “Been thither, done that.” During the winter of 1755-56, Ben ... More
America’s First Black President Barack Obama
What would Benjamin Franklin say about America’s first black president? Here’s what he’d say: “I told you so!” Franklin, after all, both created the job of president and promoted the abolition of slavery, so Barack Obama’s inauguration represents the final conjunction of two of Franklin’s most significant contributions to life in America. Franklin first proposed ... More
Introducing the Benjamin Franklin Blog
On behalf of Benjamin Franklin, welcome to our blog. I’m honored that I was selected to speak for our illustrious Founding Father—to provide our readers with the patriot’s outlook on today’s happenings. Our weekly offering will, we hope, both enlighten and amuse everyone who navigates to it, either on purpose or by accident. Why, you ... More
