Ross in his prime. You wouldn't think a guy with hair like that would be such a cultural icon. In the 1920s, only one American city was the center of art and commerce: New York. And in that city, only one magazine kept track of it all: "The New Yorker." And in that magazine, only one person mattered: founder and editor Harold Ross. Ross was born November 6, 1892, in Aspen, Colorado, and soon developed printer's ink in his blood. By 13, he had dropped out of school to work at the Denver Post, and by 25 he had worked for six other newspapers, from San Francisco to Atlanta. During World War I, Ross' talents got him a job in Paris, editing the Army newspaper, "Stars and Stripes." His fellow staff members included drama critic Alexander Woollcott and New York columnist Franklin P. Adams -- both of whom would go on to play roles in Ross' plans. After the war, he settled in Manhattan, where he worked on those plans -- to create a weekly magazine that would analyze, comment on, and play a role in the cultural life of the city. It would not, Ross insisted, be a magazine for "the old lady in Dubuque." It would be sophisticated and urbane -- but not snobby. It had standards, but if a reader was witty or informed enough, he or she would be a member of the club. In the depths of the winter of 1925, the first issue of "The New Yorker" rolled off the presses. Despite some glitches, such as a joke ("Pop: A man who thinks he can make it in par. Johnny: What's an optimist, Pop?") that ran with the set-up and punchline reversed -- a error reprinted in every anniversary issue for years -- the magazine was an instant hit. In the decades since, it has come to be considered the gold standard of American magazines. That respect is due almost entirely to Ross. He personally edited virtually every word that appeared in every issue until his death in 1951, and, despite his own poor spelling, his meticulousness for precise grammar, clarity, and good writing attracted such notables as Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Ernest Hemingway, John Hersey, Ann Beattie, John Cheever, Roald Dahl, Alice Munro, John O'Hara, Philip Roth, J.D. Salinger, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Irwin Shaw, Woody Allen, James Thurber, E.B. White (whose own prose style was crucial in setting the magazine’s voice and tone), and even Marlon Brando. But the literary aspect of "The New Yorker" was only part of the package. Each issue was filled with cartoons by artists like Charles Addams, Peter Arno, George Booth, Roz Chast, George Price, Saul Steinberg, William Steig, and Thurber again. So good were (and are) the cartoons, that many readers never get past them and are still satisfied they got their money’s worth. Despite Woollcott describing him as looking like "a dishonest Abe Lincoln," Ross' contributions to the culture of Manhattan and America are impossible to calculate. His sensibilities shaped the ways plays were written, movies received, and books were published, and it's almost impossible to imagine American -- and world -- culture without him. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Harold Ross - overview of Ross' life and career. The New Yorker - bringing the world to New York -- and vice versa -- since 1925. The New Yorker Cartoon Bank - pretty near every cartoon ever seen in the magazine, yours for the asking. Harold Wallace Ross - biography of The New Yorker's founder. Harold Ross: The History - the BBC takes a look at Ross and his magazine.

Directory categories: Harold Ross, The New Yorker, E.B. White, Magazines, Manhattan

Archived under: 1920s, Authors, Biographies, Birthdays, Cartoons, Journalism, Literature, Magazines, Media, New York, Society and Culture, The New Yorker

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Mystery, Inc. on the case A dark and stormy night. A shot rings out! A body falls, and soon two NYPD detectives are on the scene, cracking wise about a gruesome murder. Without warning, a colorful van screeches to a halt and out pop a ravenous slacker and a talking Great Dane. (Or should we say a "ralking Reat Rane?") A fever dream? Perhaps. But we prefer to think of it as a crossover between two of our favorite television shows. Those who don't believe that the universe has a plan will have to explain why both "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" and "Law & Order" both premiered on September 13 (granted, those premieres were 21 years apart, but still ...). The possibilities of worlds colliding in this way are endless: Daphne Blake as Jack McCoy's newest A.D.A.; Fred Jones and Lennie Briscoe trading quips; and D.A. Adam Schiff ordering Scooby and Shaggy to get the hell out of his office. While some may consider Detective John Munch to be one of the centers of the TV universe (after all, he's crossed over onto nine shows), we'll put our money on John Di Maggio, just about the only actor to appear on both shows. Ruh-roh! Suggested Sites... NBC: Law & Order - 20 years, 446 episodes (and counting!) -- and who knows how many criminals? Kids WB: Scooby-Doo - home of those meddling kids. Law & Order: An Adventure to Color - break out the crayons and solve a murder. Crossovers & Spin Offs Master Page - or, When "Hill Street Blues" met "Cop Rock." Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - when animation just isn't enough.

Directory categories: Scooby-Doo, Law & Order, Animated TV Shows , TV Cop Shows, Animated Characters

Archived under: 1960s, 1990s, Actors, Animation, Anniversaries, Cartoons, Children´s TV, Coincidence, Crime, Criminals, Detectives, Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera, Law Enforcement, Mashups, Media, Mysteries, TV

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Star Trek Pon Farr Perfume (From Entertainment Earth) Star Trek Pon Farr Perfume: With "Star Trek: The Movie" sweeping the nation's theaters and topping search spikes this week, I suppose we were all just waiting for "Star Trek: The Perfume" to come out. And so it has! Now all you sci-fi loving ladies can wow all the special Spocks and Kirks in your life with "light, clean notes of citrus, blackcurrant, lotus blossom, and water lily." Because nothing spells romance more than smelling like a desperate Vulcan. Opportunity.gov: Meanwhile, as we humans struggle with our economic crisis, our own Federation is coming to the rescue with Opportunity.gov: a site that provides new educational opportunities to unemployed workers. Homes for our Troops: In all my years of watching "Star Trek," I can remember only one member of Starfleet ever sustaining a major injury that left him permanently disabled. Even when Spock exposed himself to terrible radiation in order to save the Enterprise's crew at the end of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn," he still bounced back from his "death" with nary a scratch in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock." Unfortunately, real life hasn't been as kind to many of our troops returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, or any of our many overseas conflicts. HomesForOurTroops.org raises money and organizes volunteers to help build specially adapted homes for our severely-injured veterans. This is truly a good cause. GradeGov.com: If you're tired of the government making decisions that you don't agree with, let your voice be heard on GradeGov.com. You can give your elected representatives a letter grade, write them a letter, and read other letters and grades from concerned citizens like yourself. Currently, Louie Gohmert (R. - TX) has garnered a grade of "A-" from his loving constituents, while Bennie G. Thompson (D. - LA) is evidently not feeling so loved with his grade of "F." Cars for a Grand: Even if we lose our jobs and the government fails us, there's one thing we can be sure will always be around in abundance: used cars. Capitalizing on this fact, CarsForAGrand.com offers exactly what their web address implies: used cars for $1000 or less. You can search by zip code for used, crashed, parts, or restoration project cars, or you can post your own used car listing. Suggested Sites... Issuu - a free magazine-publishing platform that allows users to publish online magazines that are easy and fun to read and interact with. Tweetmeme - tracks the most popular and most re-tweeted posts on Twitter. Antipodes Map - kind of useless, but kind of fun. Shows you the exact global opposite of any place on Earth. Map Your Name - shows on a map the popularity of personal names and family names in the USA, Europe, or Australia. Extreme Ice Survey - features photos and time-lapse videos of glaciers and ice caps melting. As featured on Nova.

Directory categories: Star Trek Collectibles, U.S. Politics: Surveys and Polls, Automotive Classifieds, Support the Troops, Twitter

Archived under: Advertising, Autos, Careers, Collectibles, Democratic Party, Disability, Education, Fanatics, Fragrances, Government, Housing, Issues and Causes, Jobs, Magazines, Media, Military, Names, Nature, Republican Party, Science, Science Fiction, Social Networking, Star Trek, Twitter, Web 2.0, Yahoo! Directory

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npr.org I used to think that National Public Radio was something akin to that leafy green vegetable known as kale: a nutritional powerhouse, but bitter and to be avoided at all costs. And believe me, I’m a girl who loves her vegetables -- everything from beets to Bok Choy. It wasn't until one fateful, gridlocked morning that I stumbled across the lower end of the radio dial and discovered the magical world that is known as NPR, with its news stories that started with, "A hurricane hit the coast of Nicaragua today," and didn't immediately end, "In other news ..." There's "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," and of course, the BBC World Service, where your news is spoon-fed to you by radio broadcasters with soothing British and Irish accents. NPR (which turns 38 this weekend) is also the only media outlet I'm aware of that runs "War of the Worlds"-type features on topics like "What if Marijuana Were Legal?" But even a news junkie can get tired of listening to the hundredth story about Bo Obama, so thankfully NPR has a sense of humor. There's NPR veteran Terry Gross, who interviews celebrities like "I Love You, Man's" Jason Segel about his love for puppets, or the feature "In Character," where "South Park's" Eric Cartman can give his answers to the Proust Questionnaire. But my personal favorite is Peter Sagal's playful banter on "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!," where he asks well-known athletes, celebrities, and politicians questions about obscure topics. There's a lot to love about National Public Radio: the odd names, the passionate yet slightly-off fans, the way they treat pop culture with the same reverence that they deal with potential global pandemics. So go ahead and give it a try. You might be surprised to find you like it. But I'm still not eating kale. Suggested Sites... NPR News - get your news fix here -– no commercials! NPR Podcast Directory - podcast-a-palooza! Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me! - weekly news quiz program where you can guess the answers alongside the guests. Radio Sweethearts - blog for radio fans. Public Radio Fan.com - search for programs by name, station, or time.

Directory categories: National Public Radio, Radio News Programs, Talk Radio, NPR Programs

Archived under: Anniversaries, Birthdays, Entertainment, Game Shows, Humor, In Character, Internet Radio, Journalism, Journalists, Media, NPR, News, Podcasts, Radio

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Capone's vault was underneath his HQ, here, at the Lexington Hotel In 1986, television reporter Geraldo Rivera was a little down on his luck. The year before, he'd been fired by ABC for criticizing the network's decision to not air a story describing the romantic relationship between Marilyn Monroe and both Robert and John Kennedy. He was a respected reporter at this point, but his career was in a lull. Then Geraldo embarked on an opportunity that would dramatically alter the course of his career -- for better and for worse. On April 14th of that year, Rivera hosted a television special called "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault." The program was based around the rumors that former mobster Al Capone had stashed a great treasure within the extensive catacombs beneath his Chicago headquarters at the Lexington Hotel. Geraldo planned on opening the long-sealed vault on live television and, along with his audience, discovering the hidden treasure held within. However, at the end of the two-hour special, the vault was opened to reveal nothing but dust and debris. An embarrassed Rivera awkwardly ended the show, and the special that had gathered so much hype went out with a whimper. Despite the anti-climactic ending, the special drew a huge audience and subsequently launched Geraldo into the stratosphere as the King of Trash Television. He would go on to host his outlandish eponymous talk show, "Geraldo," and later return to journalism (of a sort), bringing audiences all the melodrama of that particular brand of from-the-heart reporting that makes Geraldo "Geraldo." Suggested Sites... Geraldo.com - Geraldo's official site. Geraldo at Large - Geraldo's current show on Fox News. Al Capone Museum - photos, articles, and other stuff about Al Capone.

Directory categories: Geraldo Rivera, Al Capone, Real-Life Mystery, Talk Show Hosts, Journalism

Archived under: 1980s, Al Capone, Anniversaries, Archaeology, Celebrities, Chicago, Criminals, Entertainment, Flops, Hoaxes, Journalism, Journalists, Media, Mustaches, Mysteries, News, Organized Crime, Reality TV, Reporters, Scams, Secrets, TV, Talk Show Hosts, Treasure

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