Benjamin Franklin's Ideas

On November 1, 2008 at 2 p.m., I will be covering an event listed on the Daily Digest as "Benjamin Franklin Speaks to Our Time." It is going to take place at the Towson Library, BCPL. Dr. Fruchtman, professor of Political Science at Towson University, will discuss the ideas of Benjamin Franklin on rights, liberty and elections and their relevance for our times. The event is free and open to the public.

1.) As one of the major figures in American history, a modern perspective on his ideas should be very interesting. After researching more about Franklin and his beliefs, his influence is evident in today's society. Not only were his inventions innovative but his enlightened thoughts paved the way for a world ahead of his time.

2.) Sources: Dr. Fruchtman and audience members

3.) Although I'm not sure what to expect, I plan to ask Dr. Fruchtman:

In your opinion what would Franklin have to say about this election?

What is the relevance of Franklin's idea of liberty in life today?

Why choose to highlight Benjamin Franklin opposed to other founding fathers?

4.)I plan to take pictures of Dr. Fruchtman speaking to his audience and I'm hoping there will be someone dressed up as Benjamin Franklin so I can photograph them as well.

Breast Cancer Cases Given New Hope

In the Baltimore Sun article, The trial of our lives, experimental treatment, researched by oncologist Dr. Leisha Emens of Johns Hopkins, is offered to terminal cancer patients in hopes to create a vaccine to prevent breast cancer.

Annie Siple, 43, is one of the women being treated by the vaccine. She lives in Orlando, Fla. and leaves her family to make several trips to Baltimore for the treatment. Her breast cancer spread to her liver and her opposition to chemotherapy has lead her to this small clinical trial. After three months of this treatment she wants to know if it's working.

"The news isn't perfect," Emens said, "but it's not terrible." There weren't any new tumors although there had been some growth. Siple would continue treatment. The vaccine was devised so that the body's immune system could attack cancer cells. "Sometimes with immune therapy," Emens said, "you can have a kind of delayed response."

This article is just one of six chapters in this special report. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is reassuring that some new ideas are surfacing. The article states, "Once the disease spreads, there's no cure." Too many people have been affected by breast cancer as "about 40,000 American women die of it every year." Restoring hope is worth the experimentation.