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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
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The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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February 6, 2012
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 23, 2006
/ 23 Teves, 5766
Clue: Healthy, wealthy & wise
By
Lenore Skenazy
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
What a celebrity! Best-selling author. Pal of politicians and princes. Big on laughs, lovers, diets and health kicks, some involving nudity. Fantastic swimmer. Fantastic thinker. In France, they put his picture on bracelets.
Are we talking Lance Armstrong? Donald Trump? Bill Clinton, maybe? Try Ben Franklin, the frisky Founding Father who turned 300 last week.
Most of us learned about Ben Franklin the same time we learned about Betsy Ross: first grade. She sewed a flag, he flew a kite. Good for them.
But with Ben's birthday upon us, it's time to go a little further and allow our jaws to drop. This guy - the oldest man to sign the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution - wasn't just a father of our country (and of at least one illegitimate son, whom he raised). He was a genius like Leonardo, but wackier.
After all, Franklin didn't just give us the first lending library, the first fire department and bifocals. (Annoyed that he had to keep switching glasses, he cut two pairs in half and glued half of each lens into a single frame.) He's also the dude who brought tofu to America. He spent a half hour every morning in an air bath - i.e., sitting around naked. For a while, he went vegetarian.
As a young man, Ben was even a female impersonator, sort of. His brother James wouldn't let young Ben write for his newspaper, so Ben started penning articles under the name "Silence Dogood" and slipping them under the print-shop door. Mrs. Dogood was funny and gossipy, and she complained about the way women were treated - a Colonial Oprah. Ben used her popularity to promote his budding ideas, insisting, for instance, that any decent society should guarantee freedom of speech. He was 16 at the time. The Constitution was still 59 years away.
So, okay: He was ahead of his time. He stayed that way. At 17, he started his own printing house and soon published "Poor Richard's Almanack." This perennial best seller taught Americans how to work hard ("Early to bed . . .") and face facts ("After three days men grow weary of a wench, a guest and rainy weather.")
He must have risen really early - and kicked out the wenches - because he still found time to invent the eco-friendly stove that bears his name and, oddly, the odometer. Plus there was that key on the kite that caught a bolt of lightning, proving (I'm still not exactly sure how) that lightning is electricity. Did I mention he got France to finance the Revolutionary War against Britain?
Don't hate Ben because the French loved him. Love him for the same reasons so many back then did (except, perhaps, his wife, when he moved to England for 19 years). Love the fact that he left money in his will for micro-loans to young businessmen. Love the fact that he refused to patent his inventions so he could leave them to the world. Love the fact that one of the last things he wrote was a plea to free the slaves.
It's so easy to love Franklin once you get to know him that it's hard to understand why most of us lump him in with Betsy Ross. Now that he's 300, let's give him his due. Not celebrity status. Just a little more time devoted each day to improving the mind, the body and - what the heck - the country he helped found.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Lenore Skenazy is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2006, NY Daily News
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