Author Archives: rliebman

The Gaffe Collection: Ron Akin

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The Gaffe Collection: Ron Akin

by Robert Liebman, 2012

Mister Potato(e) Head

When a schoolboy correctly spelled “potato,” George H. W. Bush’s Vice Presidential running mate Dan Quayle intervened, saying that “potato” should end with an e.

Quayle misspelled.

Todd Akin

Todd Akin

Missouri congressman Todd Akin said that rape victims could biologically fend off pregnancy.

Akin “misspoke.”

Running for a Senate seat in Missouri, Akin said what he meant and believed about abortion, but he ended up on the canvas. He knocked himself out. Continue reading →

Wimbledon Olympics 2012

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Bum’s Rush

by Robert Liebman

Good afternoon. Have a nice day.

The police may have been trying to tell me something, but a simple No Tickets Available sign would have sufficed.

The London 2012 Olympics opened with glorious pageantry soon followed by controversy, especially over empty seats.

The Games ended on a note of euphoria, and the empty-seat sagas seem to have been completely forgotten. Continue reading →

Supermen Schlemiels

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Rabbis or Rakes, Schlemiels or Supermen? Jewish Identity in Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, and Woody Allen

by Robert Liebman

Film/Literature Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3, 1984

Adenoid Hynkel (Charlie Chaplin) holding a globe of the world.

Adenoid Hynkel (Charlie Chaplin) and the world he wants to conquer.

In the topsy-turvy world of Yiddish and, later, Jewish-American narrative, the schlemiel reigns supreme, while the superhero who frequently accompanies him is largely ignored.

This larger than life-size, obviously compensatory doppelganger offers startling insights into Jewish fears of inadequacy, inferiority, and powerlessness—fears which are not necessarily unjustified. Continue reading →

Another Beeb Boob

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The Beeb Mangles the Meringue – Again

By Robert Liebman, July 20, 2018

Little Isaac’s birthday party descended into catastrophe if not downright tragedy.

He invited all 20 of his classmates to his birthday bash but, on the day, numerous transportation delays in London stranded 19 guests. Only Ahmed, his neighbour, showed up – as did the cake from a nearby bakery.

The two boys amused themselves until cake-cutting time, when Ahmed insisted that the entire cake should be his. Pandemonium ensued – shouting, fisticuffs, tears.  Continue reading →

Robert Liebman: Who He?

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Robert Liebman: Here and There

Robert Liebman typing on a typewriter

A native New Yorker (Lower East Side of Manhattan, then Upper West Side) based in London, Robert Liebman is a freelance writer specialising in current affairs, property, personal finance, business, travel and sports – and Second World War photographs.

After attending Stuyvesant High School, Robert attended Brooklyn College (B.A., Philosophy), City College of New York (M.A., English) and the University of Massachusetts (Ph.D., English, 1977).  Continue reading →