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THE FLAG [Rick Brookhiser] The Brazilian flag is one of the loveliest in the world: a yellow diamond on a green field, with a starry blue globe of the night sky in the middle. But it also bears a motto, which invites discussion: Ordem e Progresso (order and progress). But suppose you want anarchy and stasis? Or, to be fusionist, liberty and tradition? Posted at 05:34 PM TV TONIGHT [KJL] Myrna Blyth will be on MSNBC between 10 and 11 EST. Posted at 05:31 PM OPEN WEBER, INSERT BIRD [Peter Robinson] I still want a picture of Steve Hayward engaged in the bizarre practice, but after receiving a bunch of emails like this one I’m forced to concede that he isn’t alone: I too cook my turkey on a round Weber grill. I usually do a 25 lb bird, but to do so, I use the round ring insert, made for the rotissierie, to gain vertical clearance. The coals are banked on either side, kept there by heavy wire enclosues designed for that purpose. Weber calls it the "indirect method". The turkey is placed on a rack on the main grill after being stuffed, rubbed with veg. oil and seasoned. Takes about as long as it would in the oven, but all the heat is outside and the oven is available for other puposes. The bird gets smoked red about 1/2 inch deep and stays moist throughout, as the initial heat tends to sear the outside. I have been doing this since 1976, and the idea of roasting it breast down has never crossed my mind, but it will be done tomorrow. Posted at 05:28 PM RE: STOCK TIP [John Derbyshire] Looking at that post again, it seems that in switching from Home Depot to Lowe's, I am 11 years late, market-wise. That conforms pretty well to all my other ventures into the markets.... Posted at 05:26 PM DANCE OF THE MULTIPLEX [Peter Robinson] From Robert Ferrigno, one of my two favorite novelists (the other being, of course, Tom Wolfe): “my wife and i have four kids --- ages six to eighteen --- so i know the dance of the multiplex. you could not do better than THE INCREDIBLES. funny, creative, multi-faceted in its appeal, and just a great ride. you'll leave feeling glad to share collective dna with the humans capable of such joy.” Posted at 05:22 PM SIMPSONS & FOOD [Jonah Goldberg] From a reader: Jonah Posted at 04:31 PM STOCK TIP [John Derbyshire] A market-wise reader: "Dear Mr. Derbyshire---Hate to break the news, but 'sell HD, buy LOW' has already been done. Over the last five years, since Dec 3, 1999 Lowe's stock is up 112% while Home Depot is down 22% over the same period. LOW has outperformed HD over the last 10 and 15 years as well, although if you go back 20 years the HD outperformance over the entire period is phenomenal. "It appears the best time to have swapped HD for LOW was late 1993 although HD has had various periods of outperformance since then." Posted at 04:16 PM CRI DE JOYSTICK [Peter Robinson] The day before yesterday, I broke down and bought my boys a new computer game, Star Wars: Battlefront. After the usual glitches—I swear, it’s impossible to install a new piece of software in less than two hours—the game actually worked. Did I leave well enough alone? No I did not. Thinking to give my deliriously excited sons still more pleasure over the Thanksgiving weekend, I bought a joystick, the “Logitech Attack3.” Again, glitches. But again, the device finally worked. “Dad, the joystick isn’t really any good.” “Yeah, Dad, the joystick is sticky. You can’t aim with it. All my men are getting killed.” “Dad, I think we need a gamepad, not a joystick. Either that or we’ll just go back to using the mouse.” For the readers of this happy Corner, a few questions. Are joysticks supposed to be sticky? I mean, are they designed for one kind of game—say flight simulations—but work poorly on shot-‘em-up games such as Battlefront? Or did I happen to buy a lemon? Would a gamepad work any better? What is a gamepad? Please place “joystick woes” in your subject heading. And fear not. The boys are only allowed on the computer after they’ve finished their homework, practiced the piano, cleaned up the kitchen, and taken out the garbage. Posted at 04:14 PM BLANKET BENEDICTION [John Derbyshire] All readers e-mailing in today, even those chastising me for my appalling Alexander joke, have made a point of wishing me & mine a happy Thanksgiving. I've tried to answer all, but in case I missed you: A very joyful, healthy & relaxed Thanksgiving to you and yours! Posted at 04:11 PM THE MIGHTY BERRY: FLASH UPDATE [Peter Robinson] Now that he's got readers across America simmering cranberries on their stovetops, Georg Vojnovic of Rosell, Georgia has sent in these urgent amendments: Peter, Posted at 04:11 PM RE: ALEXANDER'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS [John Derbyshire] A reader: "Well, as long as we're discussing Alexander's Great Accomplishments, I wonder how many people are aware of his contribution to modern plumbing? In ancient Macedonia, the use of steel for kitchen and bathroom sinks was just beginning to replace the less durable and more brittle ceramic ones. Unfortunately, the state of the art in making stainless steel had yet to be invented, and the sinks quickly rusted from repeated exposure to water, turning an ugly brown. Alexander came upon the notion of adding *molybdenum* to the molten mixture during forming. The sinks could then resist rust for incredible lengths of time. Thus was born the unbrownable moly sink." Posted at 04:08 PM MORE FROM "OUR UKRAINE" [KJL] RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES “VITYAZ” LANDING AT BORYSPIL AIRPORT Posted at 04:06 PM GVOSDEV ON UKRAINE [KJL] FYI, in case you missed yesterday. From "Our Ukraine" newsletter update: SECRET TAPES COULD UNCOVER ELECTION FRAUD SCHEME Posted at 04:00 PM I LOVE E-MAILS LIKE THESE [KJL] I have work to do, and all you people at NRO seem to do is distract me! Posted at 03:54 PM MY FATHER, THANKSGIVING & THE DETROIT LIONS [Jim Boulet] Thanksgiving and the Detroit Lions have gone together since the 1930's and in my parent's house since the 1950's. The Lions last championship was won in 1957. Since that time, the Lions have generally been awful, with occasional bursts of pretty good. Win or lose, my father will be watching his beloved Lions on Thanksgiving Day, hoping for the best despite plenty of reasons to expect the worst. Morton Blackwell, a man who served as a GOP delegate for Barry Goldwater and has attended every Republican convention since, has seen the ebb and flow of politics. His Laws of the Public Policy Process includes this gem: "Don't fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing." Dad didn't just teach me loyalty. He demonstrated it every week of the NFL season. And I am thankful indeed for his lesson. Posted at 03:51 PM RE: CALLING JOHN POD [Jonah Goldberg] Peter -- Because John Podhoretz is scandalously anti-comic book he might not give you the straight dope on The Incredibles (even though you don't have to be anything like a comic book guy to enjoy it). It is a fantastic movie I saw sans children. Just the missus and I. It's also a cultural phenom with many good conservative themes. But you could also take your kids. Anyway, it's not that I distrust John's movie judgement generally -- he's very, very knowledgeable on such things. But he has this one hole in his soul when it comes to comics which might make him discount The Incredibles overly. Posted at 03:47 PM MORE CRANBERRY RELISH [KJL] K-Lo, Posted at 03:44 PM ODE TO JOY [John Derbyshire] On First Looking into Lowe's Home Improvement Center Much have I traveled in the aisles of orange And many good displays and endcaps seen; Round many tool departments have I been With power drills whose prices made me cringe. Then went I into Lowe's, where, I'd been told, I'd find all I could want, at prices fair -- A wider range of goods -- and where Adjustable receptacles are sold. Then felt I like a man released from jail, When off they strike his shackles and his chains; To further lift my soul, Lowe's had a sale -- Ten percent off covers for my drains! And prices down to very near wholesale -- And speedy service on the checkout lanes! Posted at 03:42 PM I WANT PROOF [Peter Robinson] Steve Hayward claims to cook his turkey in a Weber grill? One of those old-timey round-bottomed grills? What does he do? Just drop the butterball into the briquets? Forgive me, K-Lo, but I have trouble picturing this, let alone believing it. Would it be too much to ask Dr. Hayward to pose next to said turkey, which must be inside said Weber, then have Mrs. Hayward take a digital snapshot? Posted at 03:39 PM CALLING JOHN POD [Peter Robinson] With the birth of his daughter a few months ago, John Podhoretz and his wife are now in the same lamentable position as my wife and I: Caring for very young children makes it one whole heck of a lot harder to get out to see a movie. Now that you've persuaded us not to bother with Alexander, John, what would you recommend? My wife and I have a sitter lined up for Saturday, and we wouldn't want to waste the evening by seeing a stinker. (And now that you've been a father yourself these past few months, you know how precious a night out can be.) Posted at 03:36 PM VARIATIONS ON THE MIGHTY RED BERRY [Peter Robinson] Intrigued by the cranberry sauce recipe offered by our faithful reader, Greg Vojnovic, and then amended by Rod, I printed out both postings, then placed them on the kitchen table for She Who Must Be Obeyed. A few moments later, I found her clanking around among the wine bottles, looking for port, which, I am delighted to announce, she found. She is now cooking up a third variation on Mr. Vojnovic's recipe: Replacing the water with port, per Rod, she is also replacing the sugar with orange juice concentrate. Report to follow. Posted at 03:33 PM ALEXANDER'S TIME-BAND RAG [John Derbyshire] A reader wants to know where he can find some scholarly documentation on this wonderful invention. I believe the authoritative account is in one of Prof. Teufelsdroeckh's papers on ancient chronometry, but alas I don't have it to hand. A couple of hours' research in a good university library should turn something up. Posted at 03:29 PM RE: UKRAINE [Andrew Stuttaford] This looks to be a useful website, written from the point of view of the opposition. Posted at 03:29 PM PROUD TO STAND OUT [John Derbyshire] Three different readers have e-mailed in to thank me for using the word "proud" to describe a fixture that sticks out more than it ought. I actually picked up this usage while working on construction sites in England as a college student. I agree that it is a delightful one. Given that it was from ordinary craftsmen that I picked it up -- stonemasons seem especially fond of it -- I would guess the usage is as old as the word. There are a number of usages like this that make the word-loving reader smile. Another favorite of mine is the verb "to calve," when used of glaciers meeting the sea. Posted at 03:26 PM THE SWELLING WAVE [John Derbyshire] A number of thoughtful readers have written in on my Monday column All of that is perfectly true, and I did not say or imply otherwise. In That dominant consensus is, in fact, the assertion that genes do _nothing at My column leaked out to several lefty websites, where there has been much Posted at 03:24 PM NOW THAT'S A NICE EMAIL... [Jonah Goldberg] From a reader: Jonah ... I have been enjoying your articles for the past few months, but this one really hit my heart. I will be saving it for myself and perhaps sharing it with others from time to time, if that's okay with you. My son will be going back to Iraq in January and from what he has experienced from his fellow citizens, since his notification, he goes, knowing that they care. He also knows that he is doing this to show that he cares and believes in America. I'm thankful that I found out about NRO from, of all places, the CBS News website. Your writing as well as others around you has restored my faith in opinion writers. Thanks ... [Name withheld] Posted at 03:20 PM UKRAINE [Jonah Goldberg] I do apologize to the good people of Ukraine and others concerned about them: timing conspired against me from giving the story the attention it truly deserves. I do hope the forces of reform and democracy win and I suspect that we'll be hearing more about all of this around here fairly soon. Posted at 03:09 PM ILLEGITIMATE [KJL] We're standing against the announcement of Putin's man the winner in the Ukraine. Good. Posted at 03:05 PM CONSUMER REPORT [John J. Miller] My wife bought the new U2 album yesterday at about 8:00 am. She's a fan, what can I say? Today I had a chance to give it a good first listen. Quick review: A very good album -- first three songs excellent, especially "Vertigo" -- maybe not quite as strong overall as the last one, but I may change my mind on this after further listening -- this is the band's best back-to-back showing since The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree in the 1980s -- I wish the liner notes didn't include a "Join Greenpeace" message -- several songs are clearly religious in meaning; Kenneth Tanner yesterday called it their most Christian since October, and he may be right -- and, finally, here's to hoping for a big U.S. tour in 2005 because they're a fantastic band to see and hear live. Posted at 02:00 PM ORIGINAL INTENT [Jonah Goldberg] From a reader: Jonah, Posted at 12:11 PM THEY CALL THEM CHARLIES ANGELS [Jonah Goldberg ] A nice profile of three medics in Iraq. Posted at 12:06 PM THANKSGIVING COLUMN [Jonah Goldberg ] Today's syndicated column Posted at 12:03 PM SIMPSONS & TURDUCKEN [Jonah Goldberg] From a reader: Ok, the magical animal quote was good re: Turducken, but I immediately thought of the episode where Moe gets a date with Helen Hunt, and Moe, Helen, Homer and Marge are at The Gilded Truffle. When the waiter asks Moe what he would like to order, Moe Responds: Posted at 11:58 AM A NEW JONAH "GUY" [Jonah Goldberg] From that emailer from NPR: Jonah: Posted at 11:42 AM NBC TRANSCRIPT [Jonah Goldberg] I asked Tim Graham to take a look at the broadcast and it turns out I heard something wrong. So thanks anyway for all the suggestions and help folks. Posted at 11:27 AM THUS SPAKE AYN [Jonah Goldberg] From a reader: "We are giving thanks for the soil, the land, for the gifts of providence which were bequeathed to us long before we figured out our political system." Posted at 11:27 AM RE: CRANBERRY SAUCE OF THE GODS [Rod Dreher] I hereby confirm the reader's suggestion that one substitute port for water in making homemade cranberry sauce. I made our sauce last night, just to get it out of the way before the real cooking begins tonight, and tried port instead of water. Good gracious! It makes for a much richer flavor. I wouldn't dream of folding in mandarin oranges, but if you're using a cup of sugar and a cup of port, you really do need something to cut the sweetness. Try a pinch of salt, and zest from two lemons, put in as the sauce bubbles on the stove. If you don't have a zester, just wash a couple of lemons and grate them over the pot of simmering sauce. Take care just to get the yellow rind, and not the white stuff underneath. I brought a small jar of my homemade cranberry sauce to a colleague this morning. He'd told me yesterday that he's a hapless cook, and his wife won't let him near the kitchen. His contribution to the family meal is to go to the store to buy the pies. I told him that homemade cranberry sauce is the easiest thing in the world to make, and because people are used to eating that glop from the can, they're always pleasantly surprised at how much better the homemade stuff is. The entire process takes about 10 minutes. N.B., if you're like me, and prefer your cranberry sauce more on the tart side, I'd say you could substitute red wine for port. Posted at 11:25 AM ADJUSTABLE RECEPTACLE BOXES [John Derbyshire] Lowe's! There're right there on the website! OK, now someone please explain to me why I have three, count 'em THREE, Big Orange stores within 15 minutes drive, while the nearest Lowe's is 45 mins drive away in Garden City. Sell HD! Buy LOW! Posted at 11:21 AM THE TURDUCKEN [Jonah Goldberg] Steve - Did you not know about my dark fascination with the Turducken? It always reminded me of this scene from the Simpsons:
Posted at 11:12 AM ALEXANDER'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS [John Derbyshire] Not many people -- prob. only math freaks & horologists -- know that among Alexander's many other achievements, he invented an utterly original method of timekeeping. He noticed a thing no-one had noticed before: that certain dye-like substances extracted from mineral bases would change darken in color when exposed to the sun, but *at different rates*. Alexander, or more likely one of his courtiers, would soak a long strip of cloth in these substances, with the slower-reacting ones at one end and the faster at the other in stripes across the length of cloth. This was exposed to the sun, and you could tell at a glance what time of day it was by seeing how far along the strip of cloth these stripes had darkened. Ingenious, no? This remarkable invention is know to historians of science as Alexander's time-band rag. Posted at 11:12 AM RE: CRANBERRY RECIPE [KJL] Dear Klo, Posted at 11:09 AM NEW NRODT [KJL] Is up. Feel like you’re missing out? Subscribe! 
Posted at 11:03 AM THANKSGIVING AS NATIONALIST HOLDIAY [Jonah Goldberg] Several readers have -- quite fairly -- pointed out that the Fourth of July probably qualifies as a more nationalist holiday. I think this is certainly right in one sense. But I think it also illuminates how the word "nationalist" doesn't really fit the American context very well. For some, nationalism is about martial songs and patriotic fervor. For others, it's about an organic bond with the land and the soil and the founding culture of the nation. I consider the Fourth a patriotic holday more than a nationalist one. We are celebrating the signing of a text, the establishment of a set of laws and principles on the Fourth of July. The Fourth is about political liberty and national independence. It is, for all its pomp and circumstance, a fairly secular and rational holiday. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving plays upon the mystic chords of memory and is prior to and independent of many of things we celebrate on the Fourth. Anyway, I agree its a fair criticism and probably just highlights different perspectives. And, yes, the food on the Fourth of July is really, really good. I am all about hotdogs, beer and barbecue. Posted at 10:59 AM TOUGH THANKSGIVING MEALS [KJL] An e-mail, from the friend who e-mailed previously about the Op AC : "[p]lease keep in mind our troops as we celebrate tomorrow. I correspond with several young men and their separation from their loved ones on this very "family" oriented holiday is taking a bit of a toll. Usually they are very upbeat, but last night's posting sounded a bit lonely." We have an exceptional military readership, so I don't hesitate to say "thank you" again. We owe you for the sacrifices you and your family make. You and yours are in the prayers of a lot of people in this Corner, especially this week. Posted at 10:53 AM RICH'S TURKEY PROBLEM [Andrew Stuttaford] The solution is here. Posted at 10:45 AM THANKSGIVING [Jonah Goldberg] It's my favorite holiday, I think. It's without a doubt my favorite American Holiday. I love Christmastime, Chanuka etc. But Thanksgiving is as close as we get to a nationalist holiday in America (a country where nationalism as a concept doesn't really fit). Thanksgiving's roots are pre-founding, which means its not a political holiday in any conventional sense. We are giving thanks for the soil, the land, for the gifts of providence which were bequeathed to us long before we figured out our political system. Moreover, because there are no gifts, the holiday isn't nearly so vulnerable to materialism and commercialism. It's about things -- primarily family and private accomplishments and blessings -- that don't overlap very much with politics of any kind. We are thankful for the truly important things: our children and their health, for our friends, for the things which make life rich and joyful. As for all the stuff about killing Indians and whatnot, I can certainly understand why Indians might have some ambivalence about the holiday (though I suspect many do not). The sad -- and fortunate -- truth is that the European conquest of North America was an unremarkable old world event (one tribe defeating another tribe and taking their land; happened all the time) which ushered in a gloriously hopeful new age for humanity. America remains the last best hope for mankind. Still, I think it would be silly to deny how America came to be, but the truth makes me no less grateful that America did come to be. Also, I really, really like the food. Posted at 10:36 AM STONE'S DISASTER [John Podhoretz] Oliver Stone's Alexander, which opens today, isn't just bad. It's Springtime for Hitler bad. I haven't guffawed this hard since I saw Airplane for the first time 24 years ago. This is one of the colossal catastrophes of all time. At a screening on Monday night, during the death scene of Alexander's lover Hephaiston, people were screaming with laughter as Alexander made a big speech while, behind him in soft focus, Hephaiston went into a conniption fit and croaked. Plus, Angelina Jolie plays Alexander's mother like she was Natasha from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. It's almost worth seeing, but don't, because if you're like me and want to see Oliver Stone utterly destroyed for his artistic and political crimes, you will make sure not to contribute to the box-office coffers of what is sure to go down in the annals of moviedom as Heaven's Gate with rampaging evil elephants (no, I'm not kidding). Posted at 10:29 AM UNCONVENTIONAL TURKEY TIPS [Steven Hayward] I hate to brag, but the flashback to Rich's turkey frying debacle prompts me to boast that I cook the best turkey in all of Christendom, and I don't use a deep fryer. I barbecue it on a Weber kettle, with the coals banked on each side, and adding hickory or apple wood chips for smoke flavor. The real key, though is cooking the turkey upside-down, so the breat meat stays moist. Takes about 2 hours for a medium-sized (@15 lbs) unstuffed turkey, or two-and-a-half hours if you stuff it. Meanwhile, I am dismayed that the atrocious confection known as "turducken" (turkey stuffed with duck and chicken) continues to have its enthusiasts. Yeech. Question for Jonah: What would we call a combination of turkey, pheasant, and duck? I thought so. Posted at 10:26 AM OHIO RECOUNT? [KJL] A blogger e-mails: K-Lo (If I may call you that) Posted at 10:22 AM LEFTIE ENCOUNTER [John Derbyshire] Enjoyed the services of a professional yesterday. I'm going to be that vague -- no names, no pack drill -- as this particular professional is very, very good at doing what he/she does, and is a thoroughly nice person to boot. In the course of some idle chat, though, the professional said: "Thanksgiving, yeah, my favorite holiday -- it has nothing whatever to do with religion!" (?? So... whom exactly are we thanking?) Then, an exchange or two later: "It's great to give thanks for being in this country... Though of course, we stole it from the Indians. Nobody ever talks about THAT!" Hmmm. My impression has been that in our children's schools & colleges, on media outlets like NPR, and wherever two or three liberals are gathered together, they speak of little else. Posted at 10:18 AM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE IRAQ STORY [Jack Fowler] One less untold (by the MSM) story of American do-goodery in Iraq, thanks to Bill McGurn and his column in today’s NY Post. Posted at 10:15 AM WOULDN'T IT BE FUN [Tim Graham] to have a couple of anchorman confirmation hearings to look forward to? Posted at 09:59 AM RE: ACK! [KJL] Uh, yeah, my insistence on reposting that year after year....should go down in a self-help book on "how not to get ahead" or "dumb things employees do." Posted at 09:56 AM ACK!!! [Rich Lowry] Will my turkey-frying shame never be forgotten? (In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t tell McEvoy the FULL story!) Posted at 09:53 AM INVASION OF DOLLYWOOD VALUES [John Derbyshire] Hilarious sendup of the red/blue divide here. Thanks to a pal in -- where else? -- Alabama for this. The last 3 paragraphs esp. good. And speaking of drywall... No, I'm going to make that a separate post. Posted at 09:47 AM BLEG [Jonah Goldberg] Does anyone know if (MS)NBC has transcripts of the nightly news hidden anywhere? I've been poking around at their website for ten minutes and can't find any sign of 'em. Nexis no have either. I'm looking specifically for their story on the Ukraine from last night. Posted at 09:35 AM ANOTHER NON-CANNED CRANBERRY RECIPE [KJL] KLo, Posted at 09:31 AM HOW TO HELP THE BRITS ET AL. [Jonah Goldberg] Here's an email on how to help (and it came from someone at NPR!):
Posted at 09:24 AM HOW TO HELP THE BRITS ET AL. [Jonah Goldberg] Here's an email on how to help (and it came from someone at NPR!):
Posted at 09:24 AM EW [KJL] A reader insists this is good: I must admit that I am prefer that pinko-socialist concoction: Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish. Posted at 09:20 AM HELPING HEROES HERE AT HOME [Michael Graham] Our holiday season project at my radio station in Washington is the Fisher House Foundation, which is essentially a “Ronald McDonald House” for wounded soldiers and their families. When soldiers come back from Afghanistan and Iraq, the Fisher House gives their wives, children, parents and other loved ones a place to stay at little or no cost. There are six of them in the DC area at Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval Hospital and Andrews Air Force base, and more than 30 at military medical centers around the country. The story of entrepreneur Zach Fisher and how he founded the first Fisher House is both amazing and inspiring. Even more inspiring is the scene in the kitchens of the Fisher Houses I’ve visited, where families from around the country hang out together to laugh, cry and share the challenges they and the wounded soldiers they love now face. Posted at 09:12 AM DYING BREED [John Derbyshire] Do-it-yourselfers are, in Britain, anyway. There's a link here to illegal immigration, if I could get time to think it through.... Posted at 09:09 AM KUDOS FOR ADLER [Steven Hayward] Kudos to Jonathan Adler for his piece on how the green vote amounted to nothing in this election. In my debates with enviros during campaign season, nothing got them madder than the charge that they had become an adjuct to the Democratic Party, the equivalent of the NRA for Republicans. When they protested, I rolled out the coup de grace: Let's see--the first President Bush enthusiatically backed the expansion of the Clean Air Act, attended the Earth Summit in Rio and committed the U.S. to the climate chnage framework and signed the biodiversity treaty, and for this he was endorsed by exactly how many environmental groups in 1992? Zero, of course. This was usually met with silence. I did my own analysis of the fading green vote two years ago for AEI, which you can find here. Posted at 08:53 AM PRAISE [Jack Fowler] Catholic Parent says The National Review Treasury of Classic Children’s Literature is “excellent, wholesome, and certain to broaden the horizons (mental and spiritual) of children and adults who love them. . . . [This] beautiful book of wonderful children's stories by great writers that will delight, entertain and nourish your youngsters and teenagers. Described by the publishers as ‘a happy voyage back to the golden era of children’s literature,’ it is precisely that.” And “lavishly illustrated” too. About our Volume Two edition, the magazine said “This eagerly awaited sequel contains 38 marvelous stories and poems.” And Catholic Parent loved The National Review Treasury of Classic Bedtime Stories, saying “If you grew up reading the many Burgess-Cady books, you already know the value and magic of these wonderful stories.” They are “high entertainment, and Cady’s drawings are among the finest in children’s literature.” Meanwhile, Faith & Family magazine says our books’ “wholesome, exciting stories will entertain you as well as your kids.” Hey you, yeah YOU – your kids and grandchildren need these books. With Christmas approaching, there’s no better opportunity for making sure these delightful tomes end up in their happy hands. We’ve got a special offer: Get one copy of Volume Two of The National Review Treasury of Classic Children’s Literature and we’ll give you additional copies (no limit) for half price, plus FREE shipping, plus a FREE copy of Queen Zixi of Ix, the great tale by L. Frank Baum that boys and girls will love. You can do your ordering here. That said, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Posted at 08:48 AM NYTIMES & US [John Derbyshire] I'm with Jonah on this one. Anecdote: One of the little running jokes I try to keep alive around NR is my references to the NY Post as "America's newspaper of record," and my disparaging of the NY Times, which I proudly claim not to read. Well, sitting in the departure lounge on the way to (sigh) the cruise last week, I was reading Iraq news in, er, the NY Times. Rich Lowry suddenly appeared, saw me with the Times, and there were some sarcastic words uttered. So yes, I do read the Times. I do so against inward resistance; I don't read it often; I don't have delivery; I practically never venture into the editorial pages; and I very, very rarely BUY it -- an airport departure lounge is about the only place I'll hand over a greenback to the Sulzbergers. (Other times I read it online, or at my local library, or at NR world HQ.) Still, for foreign news coverage -- pretty much the only thing I go to the Times for -- they can be superb, as with the reports on Iraq fighting recently. Their China news is also of a generally high standard. Posted at 08:45 AM A CORNER THANKSGIVING [KJL] Let me start this thread (just a start): Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, Ken Mehlman (the list goes on)...George W. Bush, baby. Four more years. Phew. That one had me a little on edge. Our military, of course. John Ashcroft. May the next DOJ be as vigilant. Senators willing to give Arlen Specter a hard time. Generous and talented NRO writers. A remarkable crowd of readers. I'm forever grateful for you all making us a part of your days. And with a seeming endless pool to reach yet! Spread the word. NRODT subscribers! (Natch...they pay the electricity bills!) Posted at 08:39 AM BLEG -- RECEPTACLE BOXES [John Derbyshire] OK, here's the thing. Finally getting back to work on my "bonus room" (real estate folk will understand that) in the attic. Now starting the wiring. ...And being reminded thereby how much I really, really hate receptacle boxes. You know, never enough room in them for all the wires & nuts. ALSO, when fixing them to bare studs, you of course need to leave them proud a half inch (in my case -- I've settled on half-inch sheet rock, for irrefragable reasons), and both the nail-in and screw-on boxes have a tendency to come out uneven, or too proud, or too deep. When you're as incompetent with nails & screws as I am they do, anyway. Well, I recall in England seeing ADJUSTABLE receptacle boxes. They have a wee screw, and after you've fixed box to stud -- i.e. at drywall time -- you can adjust the box in & out. This seemed to me at the time like a major leap forward for Western Civ. However, now I can't find the darn things. Neither of my local hardware stores has them. Big Orange? Fuhgeddaboutit. Google no help. Anybody know if these adjustable receptacle boxes can be bought here in the USA? Posted at 08:37 AM YESTERDAY'S G-FILE [Jonah Goldberg] Opinions were split. About half the emailers didn't like it for one reason or another. The other half liked it. But one criticism I knew I would get was over my assertion that the New York Times is a great and influential newspaper. I don't want to spend all day on this issue -- and I won't. But two forms of argumentation I don't find persuasive go something like this: "The Times isn't influential because I don't read it." And: "The Times isn't great because it's so dishonest and liberal." Let's take the first one first. Simply because you are not directly influenced by something doesn't make it uninfluential in general or even uninfluential on you. I don't read the New Yorker very much anymore (I let my subscription lapse and events conspired against renewal) that hardly means it's not influential. The Public Interest never had more than 10,000 subscribers in its life, but it has been hugely influential. Almost no one but inside-the-beltway types read the Hotline, but it too sets the agenda in ways few people appreciate. Which brings us to the fact that you don't have to read something yourself for it to influence you. The New York Times sets the national media agenda more than any other newspaper. As Brit Hume noted during the explosives brouhaha at the end of the presidential campaign, it is the only newspaper which can, through sheer will, force an issue onto the public debate simply by giving it sufficient play on the frontpage. You may not read the Times, but the writers, editors and producers of countless outlets you do read and watch do pay rapt attention to what it does. This may be good or bad (almost certainly bad) but it is a fact. Which brings us to argument number two. Saying it's not great and influential because you don't want it to be is like saying Napoleon wasn't great and influential because you don't like the guy. Posted at 08:30 AM EXCUSE ME [KJL] I might have to go soon to start prepping to make pumpkin ice cream and things. Posted at 08:27 AM WHERE’S THE $34 MILLION? [KJL] Could O.J. Simpson be more reprehensible? He’s paid the Goldmans none of the money a jury determined he would pay. Outside of court yesterday, Simpson, sounding like he thinks the whole thing is a joke (as, of course, he searches for the real murderer of the mother of his children), he told reporters, "If I have to work to pay them, then I won't work. It's that simple…So I'll just play golf every day." He got worse. But here’s worse, perhaps: He is living off memorabilia money? Can we just all agree to ignore him--completely? It might be a fate worse than a jail cell. Posted at 08:25 AM RE: WFB'S 79TH [John Derbyshire] Sorry. **Mallard**, of course. Millard was much less reliably conservative. Posted at 08:22 AM LET'S GET THIS BALL ROLLING... [Jonah Goldberg] Vaclav Havel should replace Kofi Annan! This is a great, wonderful, humane, inspired idea. The only problem I can think of is that Havel is such a righteous dude he would once again reinvigorate the UN with moral authority. But he might actually make it somewhat moral too, so who knows? Posted at 08:19 AM WFB'S 79TH [John Derbyshire] NR/NRO fans ***must*** check out Millard Filmore this morning. Posted at 08:16 AM NICE THOUGHT [Jonah Goldberg] Any ideas how to do this? From a reader: I have already given to our US troops abroad and I will give more. I am wondering if there is a way to give to troops abroad that are fighting along side with ours, say from Britain. It must be especially difficult for them since they will have less of a hero’s welcome when they go home and are more likely to be attacked by stupid anti-war Europeans. Any show of support from the American public would go a long way I think.
Posted at 08:16 AM WHAT IS THE HEINZ-BUCKLEY RULE? [KJL] My friend Jack Heinz and I, having appreciated the same wines on a hundred different occasions , made a pact a dozen years ago that we would limit our purchasing to white wines we could get for three dollars a bottle, red wines for four dollars a bottle. Those who have feasted at Jack Heinz's table will believe that if this story is true, Mr. Heinz has mastered not only the art of making ketchup, but also of alchemy. Not fair. He has a cellar of vintage wines he raids for special occasions .We are talking about rule-of-thumb drinking… Posted at 08:13 AM NICE THOUGHT [Jonah Goldberg] Any ideas how to do this? From a reader: I have already given to our US troops abroad and I will give more. I am wondering if there is a way to give to troops abroad that are fighting along side with ours, say from Britain. It must be especially difficult for them since they will have less of a hero’s welcome when they go home and are more likely to be attacked by stupid anti-war Europeans. Any show of support from the American public would go a long way I think.
Posted at 08:13 AM SINCE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WINE [KJL] Some words from WFB on buying the stuff...he's got many more on wine (and much more) in his memoir, Miles Gone By: Never consent to taste wines that, should it happen that they meet the Heinz-Buckley formula (which has inflated [as of 1985] to ten dollars per bottle), you can’t then go out and buy in quantity. Nothing is more frustrating than to find a good cheap wine and then discover that there are two and one half cases left of it in all of New York. I bought thirty cases of a Chateau Livran from Sokolin at under three dollars a bottle, and my guests have gasped with pleasure on tasting it. |
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