Those who jump out of bed with the first bleep of the alarm clock emit a sort of nauseating righteousness that is hard to take. Let’s not allow them to get away with thinking they are the hardest-working ones too, writes Clodagh Finn.

Bill Gates argues that America’s capacity to develop new technologies is one of its greatest strengths and, if harnessed, can help people worldwide

We’ll start with the context. Nothing occurs in a vacuum.

It is good to see the Greece giving its population of almost 11 million the opportunity to vote on whether they wish to accept further austerity measures as part of the bailout. They obviously believe the people must have a say. They are sharing the decision, because it will be the people who will live with the outcome.

Chelsea 2 Stoke City 1: Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes, according to Benjamin Franklin, but if the American were alive today he might add Jose Mourinho’s third Premier League title to that list.

BACK in 1958, Britain was welcoming everyone, including Paddington Bear, a strange, confused stowaway from "darkest Peru" who had a compulsion for eating marmalade sandwiches.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes, wrote Benjamin Franklin in 1789 but evidently he had not envisaged the ingenuity of French football.

A new glut of apps, gadgets and sensors log and monitor every moment of our lives. Pavel Barter signs up to the cult of life-logging.

It celebrates America’s heritage, but some traditions are less than appetising, says Dave Kenny

Norway knitting show

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN put it succinctly when he declared that “those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither”.

THE 2011 census tells a story.

Deviation from plan that worked against Déise plays into hands of canny Galway.

Padraig Burke knows the buck stops with him, but is confident the preparations he and his team have done will deliver a stress-free day, writes John O’Mahony

An authorised biography of Steve Jobs was high on pre-order best-seller lists within hours of Apple’s announcement of his death.

“WE must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately,” Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski warned over the weekend, quoting the phrase attributed to Benjamin Franklin as he signed the US declaration of independence.

GREAT American statesman Benjamin Franklin once said promises may fit the friends, but non-performance will turn them into enemies.

PROPERTY is organised robbery, renowned writer and Dubliner George Bernard Shaw once said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally opened the first direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years today with a plea for both sides to make compromises to forge an agreement.

Volcanic ash from the eruption in Iceland could take between 24 and 36 hours to drift across the UK – if there is no more volcanic activity, weather forecasters said today.

ANTHONY Leavy’s position on industrial action by public sector unions (Letters, January 25) defies logic.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, of lightening conductor fame, was the first person to suggest that the clocks should be put forward in summer; his essay, ‘An Economical Project’, appeared in 1784 when the great man was living in Paris as an American delegate.

WHEN the national broadcasting station — in the days when there was only one national broadcasting station — sent out an invitation for families to compete in a quiz programme, I entered our family in the contest.

VETERAN Media Puzzle registered his first win since the 2002 Melbourne Cup when landing the listed Seamus McGrath Memorial Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown last night.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN looks the business in the concluding Irishtown Maiden at Leopardstown this evening.

George Washington heads a list of 19 horses confirmed at the five-day stage for the Boylesports Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh.

GEORGE Washington, ante-post favourite for the Stan James 2000 Guineas, has been added to the Vodafone Derby field at the second-entry stage.

Condoleezza Rice, formally sworn in as US secretary of state on Wednesday, went through it again today for ceremony’s sake in the State Department’s majestic Benjamin Franklin dining room.

Eating less red meat and seafood while consuming more low-fat dairy products cuts the risk of developing the painful joint condition gout by about half, according to researchers who studied the diets of thousands of men.

Doh! Homer Simpson looks likely to beat Abraham Lincoln to the title of the greatest ever American in a BBC poll, figures showed today.

The Hollywood writer behind Braveheart is penning another screenplay about a fictional love affair between Catherine the Great and a young Scotsman, it was reported today.