All This and Fossett Too

Yesterday we mentioned that Sir Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong once traveled together to the North Pole.Now we find out that record-breaking pilot Steve Fossett was also on the same expedition. The Brisbane Times has more.

Edmund Hillary: An Appreciation

Americans are lucky to have Neil Armstrong as a native example of a rare specimen: the superbly modest hero. He mixed quiet determination with curiosity, nerve and good humor, and when he was done tackling the moon, Armstrong went back to Ohio and taught aeronautics.

Sir Edmund Hillary Dies

Sir Edmund Hillary, the former beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest in 1953, has died.His home-country New Zealand Herald is a good place to start for news and tributes.

Donald Fagen Is 60

Donald Fagen, “reclusive avatar of High Pop,” turns 60 today.All About Jazz has a wonderfully detailed analysis of his new boxed set, The Nightfly Trilogy.

Queen Elizabeth, “Nintendo Addict”

First she went YouTube. Now Canada’s National Post is having fun with reports that Queen Elizabeth II is “hooked” on Nintendo bowling.

New Hampshire Primary Results

Is it possible to have a “comeback” on the first day of an election? If so, Hillary Clinton and John McCain seem to have done so.

Happy Birthday, Dear Elllllvis…

It’s Elvis Presley’s birthday — and he’d still be only 73 years old.He’s the same age as Ron Paul, Woody Allen, and Darth Vader.

First in the Nation?

As the candidates battle in New Hampshire, Dixville Notch battles its own rival.

Nicolas Sarkozy, Playboy President?

News reports say that Nicolas Sarkozy, the just-divorced president of France, is just-maybe-possibly engaged to former model Carla Bruni.Journal di Dimanche has a photo set on Bruni. The paper broke the story yesterday, saying Sarkozy and Bruni might marry in February.