Who2 Editorial Blog

Notes and Commentary from the Editors

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Voters Send Ted Stevens Into the Wild

85-year-old Senator Ted Stevens is out, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Challenger Mark Begich has a lead of 3,724 votes with about 2,500 left to count.

Stevens still came within a whisker of being the first U.S. senator ever elected after being convicted of a felony. He's been a senator since 1968.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 6:11 AM 0 comments

75 Years of Yak

Talk show host Larry King was born 75 years ago today.

He was the first baby to be born with suspenders instead of an umbilical cord. His first words were, "How did it feel for you to give birth to me just now?"

Others born that same year: Johnny Unitas, Yoko Ono and King Kong.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 5:48 AM 0 comments

LIFE by Google

LIFE magazine and Google have teamed up to offer "millions of photographs from the LIFE archive" via Google search.

It's the first collection to show how much Queen Victoria and Louis Armstrong look alike.

But let's not be silly. The photos are full of wonderful surprises: Neil Armstrong lighting a cigar and looking like a flyboy instead of an icon, for instance.

A search for Harry Truman turns up photos of his brother, J. Vivian Truman. (Who knew?)

The photos go up through the 1970s, when LIFE stopped publishing as a weekly. What a run it was, and what a terrific resource it is.

Warm thanks to editor Paul Hehn for the tip-off on this swell new feature.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 5:01 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Happy 80th Birthday, Chairman Mouse!

Mickey Mouse turns 80 today.

18 November 1928 is Mickey's official birthday, according to the Walt Disney Company. That's the date of the cheerful rodent's first public appearance in the cartoon short Steamboat Willie (below).

Nowadays, of course, he is Chairman Mouse, the icon and ambassador for all things Disney. You've come a long way, Mickey, thanks to grit, determination, and big ears. We look forward to celebrating your 100th in 2028.



(Side note for animation buffs: Mickey was born in the same month and year as Osamu Tezuka, the "Walt Disney of Japan." Tezuka, according to legend, saw Disney's Bambi 80 times before his death in 1989.)

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 12:23 PM 1 comments

New Yorkers, White Russians, and The Big Lebowski

"The fest wrapped up with the awarding of trophies. The man in the iron lung -- who came as the incapacitated father of the brat who steals the Dude's car -- picked up his costume prize with a White Russian balanced on his apparatus, while the furthest-travelled award went to a Jesus from Croatia."

The Guardian on the just-completed Lebowski Fest 2008.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 11:56 AM 0 comments

Monday, November 17, 2008

Trillin Talks Texas

Reading that the best barbecue in Texas was at Snow's, in Lexington, I felt like a People subscriber who had picked up the "Sexiest Man Alive" issue and discovered that the sexiest man alive was Sheldon Ludnick, an insurance adjuster from Terre Haute, Indiana, with George Clooney as the runner-up.

I had warned the Texas Monthly crowd that if they were looking for confirmation of their ranking by an objective outlander, someone from Kansas City was not likely to provide it. A jazz fan taken to a rock concert might admire the musical technique, but he probably wouldn’t make an ecstatic rush to the stage... Still, what Burka had ordered was good enough to make me forget that we were eating a huge meal of barbecue at a time on Saturday morning when most people were starting to wonder what they might rustle up for breakfast once they bestirred themselves.

Calvin Trillin, three Texans, and a vegetarian visit Snow's barbecue.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 3:44 PM 0 comments

Sunday, November 16, 2008

OK, Daddy's President-Elect -- Now Go to School

"Barack, you slept in. You know, so I think we were just back into the routine. Our hopes are to just to keep the girls moving. It's like okay, Daddy's president-elect, okay, we can get to school by 10."

Jovial interview by 60 Minutes with Barack and Michelle Obama. They sure come off as a fun, connected couple.

Also, news alert: The First Dog will not arrive until after January 20th.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 8:18 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 14, 2008

Is Your TV Ready for Digital?

Cruel, funny, probably true. February 17th is the Day of Confusion.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 9:29 AM 0 comments

"I Think He Was Probably in 20 Homes That Day"

William Ayers appeared on the chat show Good Morning America today, talking about the fairly hysterical accusations that Barack Obama "launched his political career" in the Ayers living room.

Campaign Boogeyman William Ayers Talks to GMA is how ABC News headlines its story, and it's hard to tell whether that's being ironical, aggressive, or just telling it like it is. Perhaps it's always hard to figure that these days.

The Chicago Tribune has actually better full quotes from the talk. Ayers defends quite firmly his violent opposition to the Vietnam War:

"I think the dishonest narrative is one to demonize me," he said. "Let's remember that what you call a violent past, that was at a time that thousands of people were being murdered by our government every month, and those of us who fought to end that war were actually on the right side. So if we want to replay that history, I would reject the whole notion that demonizing me or the Weather Underground is relevant."

And regarding that living room:

"I was asked by the state senator to have a coffee for Barack Obama when he first ran for office," Ayers said. "We had him in our home, and I think he was probably in 20 homes that day... It's not at all true that he sought me out to listen to my radical ideas, or that I sought him out."

An 8-minute-long video recap of his appearance is available with that ABC story.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 7:25 AM 0 comments