It is easy for me to be engrossed in the end-of-the-year “Best Of…” lists that begin springing up this time of year. This morning I spend an absorbent amount of time cruising through TIME’s “The Top 10 Everything of 2008”.
From “Albums” to “Worst Biz Deals,” every category contains a tidy slide show of what was deemed the best throughout last year.
The top 10 Editorial Cartoons leads off with Gary Varvel’s (Indianopolis Star) cartoon titled ‘Please Take Care of My…Bailout’ in which it appears Uncle Sam is leaving new-born Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae at the doorstep of the taxpayer.
The behind-the-scenes image (by Callie Shell) of Sen. Barack Obama surrounded by his wife and aides leads off the Top 10 Election Photos. The campaign takes center stage again leading off the Top 10 Photos gallery with the image (by Christopher Morris) of Cindy McCain quietly sitting as Sen. John McCain works on a speech.
My favorite section though – besides the music categories – is the Top 10 Magazine Covers. I don’t know if there is a better way to summarize the events of the year and the mindset of the population than to look at what appeared on the fronts of magazines.
This is what Arthur Hochstein writes about the New Yorker cover (by Bob Staake) that leads the section.
Why is the cover great? It doesn’t do a victory dance. Rather, it whispers to the reader (the tribe): “Everything’s okay now — we have our country back.” It’s set at night, a time when creepy things happen, but also a time when people sleep, safe and sound. It is beautifully rendered. Simply spectacular.