Today's Highlights:
Friday, May 9, 2008
| Friday, May 9, 2008 |
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| Mike Wallace of '60 Minutes' |
Spotlight: When CBS's 60 Minutes first aired in 1968, no one expected it to become one of network television's most popular programs ever. Yet 60 Minutes became the role model that all other investigative television programs have sought to emulate, and its clicking stopwatch became one of TV's most recognized images. In the beginning, there were two reporters: Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace. Others, including Morley Safer, Ed Bradley, Dan Rather and Lesley Stahl, helped to make 60 Minutes the most-watched newsmagazine in TV history. Wallace, famous for his aggressive, hard-hitting interviews — and still an occasional contributor to the show — turns 90 today.
Question of the Day: What is an 'ambush interview'?In an ambush interview the interviewer or reporter may use hidden cameras or one-way mirrors to catch the subject off-guard. In this way, they might catch the person in the act of committing a crime or saying something incriminating. Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame was often criticized for his ambush interview tactics. More
Word of the day: dyspepsiaAny pain or discomfort associated with eating. Dyspepsia may be a symptom of gastritis, peptic ulcer, gall-bladder disease, hiatus hernia, etc.; if there is no structural change in the intestinal tract, it is called 'functional dyspepsia'. Treatment includes a bland diet. See also indigestion.
Usage: "So what explains the fury and dyspepsia? I suspect it's the famous American ignorance of history." — Russell Baker, speaking at Connecticut College, 1995
Commencement season is beginning in universities and colleges in the Northern Hemisphere. This week's interesting words are gleaned from commencement addresses over the years.
Today's History:
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| Happy Mother's Day |
- Mother's Day: was proclaimed by Woodrow Wilson (1914)
- the Pill: oral contraceptive was approved by the FDA; it all began with hormones from the Mexican yam (1960)
- Kinshasa: was quarantined after an Ebola outbreak (1994)
Today's Birthdays:
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| Candice Bergen |
- J.M. Barrie (1860-1937): author of Peter Pan; writer José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) shares his birthday
- Howard Carter (1874-1939): archaeologist who discovered King Tut's tomb
- Pancho Gonzales (1928-1995): tennis champ
- James L. Brooks (68): TV and movie director, The Simpsons
- Candice Bergen (62): actor, Murphy Brown, Boston Legal; other actors born on this date include Albert Finney and Glenda Jackson (both 72) and John Corbett (47)
- Billy Joel (59): singer/songwriter, Piano Man
