SARBANES-OXLEY: not as bad for businesses as some other things.

IS THE THRILL GONE FROM FESTIVUS?

Mary Katharine Ham proposes an alternative.

IF SUPREME COURT JUSTICES were rock stars.

DIGITAL CAMERA CARNIVAL UPDATE: Okay, I keep getting camera questions, which suggests to me that somehow people have missed the Digital Camera Carnival. You can find it here: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

And in response to a question about underwater cameras suitable for scuba diving, which I only sort of answered, here are a couple of reviews from Divester, the scuba blog.

Not much interest so far in the video carnival, so if I don’t get any more entries I’ll just post what I’ve gotten soon.

TIGERHAWK OFFERS HELP for journalism students under time pressure.

“DO NOT TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR FEARS.” It’s good advice.

THIS IS COOL: “Organic globules found in a meteorite that slammed into Canada’s Tagish Lake may be older than our sun, a new study says.” (Via Slashdot.)

PUBLIUS ROUNDS UP photos and reports from the Venezuelan elections.

UPDATE: Rumors that things are going badly for Chavez may be true: “Officials identifying themselves as members of a state regulatory agency forced the U.S.-based Spanish-language TV network Telemundo to halt transmission Sunday of its presidential election coverage.”

Hard to believe they’d do that if he were winning handily.

ANOTHER UPDATE: But apparently, they would.

MICKEY KAUS: “Deutsch, an ‘advertising mogul’ and CNBC host, would make a perfect Murphy Brown or Sister Souljah, no? He’s rich and defenseless! … Hillary doesn’t need any more Souljahs, of course (she needs whatever the opposite is). But Barack Obama might.”

WREATHS at Arlington.

CHEATING on a journalism ethics exam? You can’t make this stuff up. Sadly, you don’t have to.

LABTESTING THE PLAYSTATION THREE: Pretty good marks, but since it’s still showing as “unavailable,” it’s hard for me to get too excited. I think that Sony has made a mistake by launching without enough machines to meet demand. I wasn’t in the market for one (though I might have considered it as a cheap way to get a Blu-Ray player) and I’m still somewhat irritated to see that I can’t get one . . . .

UPDATE: Reader Joseph Burns emails:

I saw your little write up about the PS3 and think you should check out Nintendo’s Wii. I’ve got one and it’s a total blast. I’m you’re typical colelge guy, but bringing it home for thanksgiving, every member of my family played it and loved it. We even used the SD slot to view family photos for the senile grandmothers. Nintendo’s kind of a ‘david’ in this market, in many ways (although the market is so huge, the company with $6 billion in cash is a ‘david’.) While Microsoft and Sony want their machines to be everything to everyone, Nintendo just plays games. And it does it really, really well.

One of my students came to class looking really tired the other day, and said that he and his roommates had gotten a Wii and stayed up until 6 a.m. playing it. Just what I need! Apparently, the motion controller is really good. . . .

Oh, well, it’s showing as “unavailable” too, so maybe I was too hard on Sony, above. Upside: Guess I don’t even have to try to fight temptation!

A LOOK AT MEDIA FRAMING and political/war coverage.

A LOOK AT BLOGGERS WHO TAKE MONEY FROM POLITICANS, and what the politicians get in return. (Via Ann Althouse. I think this is fine if there’s full disclosure, but you can form your own opinions.)

UPDATE: Danny Glover rounds up some reactions.

IF THE LEAKS ARE TO BE BELIEVED — and given such a group of experienced leakmeisters, I suspect they are — then the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations are likely to be weak tea indeed: Basically, we shall continue to muddle through, while rededicating ourselves to finishing the job at a time, and in a manner, not clearly specified.

Well, muddling through is underrated as a tactic, actually, and it’s no surprise that a bunch of old-time Establishment guys haven’t come up with anything revolutionary. In fact, it seems as if Donald Rumsfeld, judging by his classified memo thoughtfully leaked to the New York Times, remains more open to new ideas than many of his critics, who often seem stuck in 1968.

So can the blogosphere do better? I’m going to try a blog symposium on Iraq, Iran, and Syria. I want some new ideas — beyond “cut and run” or “stay the course” — on things we’re not doing that we should be doing. Here’s just one example — outright war with Iran is unlikely and probably a bad idea. But the mullarchy that runs Iran is corrupt and unpopular. What about targeting the mullahs — personally, and more particularly in the form of their properties, their business interests both abroad and in Iraq, and their partners in such business interests. And maybe seeing if we can bribe a few while we’re at it. The goal would be to bring Iran’s interference in Iraq to a close.

Is it a good idea? You tell me. And add some other ideas of your own. Put “Iraq Symposium” in the subject line, and add a link to your blog entry. I’ll pull them together in two or three days.

UPDATE: Here’s Charles Krauthammer’s suggestion.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Just to be clear, I want links to blog posts. I can’t possibly run a whole lot of lengthy emails in their entirety; I need things I can link to.

And here are some thoughts by John Wixted on the Rumsfeld memo.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON writes on war and more.

COOKWARE RESPONSES: In response to reader Mike Skelton’s question about nonstick cookware, below, several readers weigh in. “Lycurgus” writes: “Recommendation: TEFAL. OK, it is French but despite that shortcoming it is the best non-stick cookware made and the price is reasonable.”

That would be what’s sold as T-Fal, in the United States.

Mike Daley goes off-topic — in the blogosphere? Heaven forfend! — and writes:

You should use this opportunity to plug the best cooking tool you’ve yet to discover. Thanks to your research, I’m a truly pleased/happy owner of one of these.

He’s referring to the All-Clad slow cooker — also available from Williams-Sonoma — which I have indeed found to be a great purchase and tool. It’s not nonstick, though it does clean up easily. (You can save some money by getting one of these instead, though, and it’s probably about as good.) One of Daley’s recipes can be found here, and my recipe for Lamb and Guinness Stew can be found here.

Back to our actual topic, nonstick cookware, reader Anthony Luccarelli emails:

We have a set of these (link takes you to the 10″) in 12″, 10″, and 8″. We got ours at Target.

They are wonderful. They are heavy, and heat evenly and well. The silicon handles are nice and make the pans easy to maneuver. Even though these are dishwasher safe, we hand wash them because they are non-stick.

We’ve ruined so many “non-stick” pans that we are being anal about these. Nothing higher than a medium flame, wait for the pan to cool down before washing, and hand wash only.

The pans have been with us for about eight months. The 12″ gets the most useage, and so far the non-stick surface is like it was brand-new.

Proper care is important, which is why I tend to favor stainless-steel — the Insta-Wife tends to put non-dishwasher-safe stuff in the dishwasher, and metal utensils get used no matter what, if they’re handiest.

Reader Bill Roper emails:

We got a set of the Farberware Vibrance Red cookware below and have been very happy with it. The non-stick finish has held up well (unlike some more expensive sets that we’ve had) and they’re hefty enough to distribute heat well.

link

At the time, they were giving away a free matching thing called something like an “everyday pan”. It had two handles and was designed to brown meat on the stove and them put it in the oven to finish. It’s turned out to be
pretty handy for, say, browning chicken, then covering it with pasta sauce and putting it in the oven to cook through. However, I don’t see it listed right now. Here’s the Calphalon version below, but the last batch
of Calphalon stuff that we got had a non-stick finish that didn’t survive long.

link

The other thing that we picked up at the same time was a non-stick saucepan with a silicone handle that’s safe to transfer to the oven. This allows you to boil noodles for a casserole, drain them, and put them back
in the boiling pot to bake in the oven. Bed, Bath, and Beyond had these last year, but I don’t see them on-line right now.

But maybe here’s an answer to my Insta-Wife cookware issues — reader Tony Valle writes:

We have been using Scanpan for more than 12 years and I happen to think it’s not only some of the best non-stick cookware on the market, it’s economical to boot.

http://scanpan.com/main/home.aspx

The ceramic coating means it’s safe to use metal utensils — unlike most other non-sticks — and it doesn’t discolor or change the flavor of your food. When the non-stick property starts to wane, you “refresh” the pan by scrubbing it with the included stainless steel scrubby, and you’re back to a nice smooth surface.

Reader Rich Barry emails:

In a word Calphalon! It is very well built, the nonstick doesn’t seem to chip or fade and the cookware is built to take a 100 years of pounding. Even better, you can find this stuff on sale at Macy’s. As an alternative to nonstick, give high grade copper cookware a look. Mauviel is terrific for cooking at lower tempertures than aluminum, steel or iron. This means less likely to burn stuff. Copper is different to cleanup as it will tarnish but a mixture of lime juice and salt takes it right off.

The Insta-Wife managed to ruin my Calphalon in short order, which is why I switched to stainless! I shudder to think what would happen with copper, but your experiences may differ. . . .

Reader Andrew Cohill says stay away from nonstick:

I swore off nonstick cookware many years ago, suspicious that the continuous flaking of the Teflon into your food might not be good for you. Sure enough, I was right:

Link

Opinions differ over the dangers, but to me, it is just not worth the risk.

For non stick pans, I recommend investing in All Clad pans:

http://www.allclad.com/

The copper ones are best, but the triple ply All Clad design (all stainless interiors) eliminates hot spots, which is what causes a lot of burning and sticking. Spray a little Pam on the pan and use some olive oil or coconut oil, and you have all natural nonstick, with no chlorinated flouride compounds (Teflon) flaking off into your food.

And of course, a good cast iron skillet is a kitchen essential, and properly maintained, nothing sticks to it.

Cast iron is good. Once again, however, for me the dishwasher issue rears its ugly head. Again, your results may differ.

Kitchen expert Megan McArdle — good-looking, works at The Economist and she can cook! — emails this recommendation:

I recommended Calphalon One in my annual kitchen carnival, which is not quite as non-sticky as regular nonstick pans are. But unlike regular nonstick, the teflon is infused right into the aluminum. That means the pans will sear your food (very hard to do in a regular nonstick pan), and it they last; my experience with regular nonstick has been that eventually the teflon gets damaged, and then you have to throw the pan away. Also, you can use brillo on these if anything *does* stick. They are solid anodized pieces with riveted handles that distribute heat beautifully, and should last a decade or more of heavy use.

Jay Meadors emails:

I have been using a Sitram Cypernox non-stick 20 cm frypan for many years. I cook two meals a day in it, every day, and am amazed at how well it has held up. The claims the manufacturer make are true, based on my experience. It was not an inexpensive purchase, but based on how well it has performed, it is an excellent value.

I’d never heard of that brand. Barbara Skolaut emails:

Glenn, I’ve had great luck with Anolon cookware. I have a large and a small frying pan, and went out of my way to order a wok. I love it – it’s heavy, cooks evenly, and cleans like a dream. I bought the smallest pan mostly by accident when I needed to replace the (cheaper and worn out) frying pan I used most often, and fell in love. I’ve not tried their saucepans since I don’t need them for the kind of cooking I usually do, but I’m sure they would be wonderful too.

If, before I owned my first pan, someone would have told me I’d wax poetic about a frying pan, I’d have said they were nuts. Now I can’t recommend the brand highly enough.

Yeah, and the amount of email I’m getting on this topic suggests that it’s not just you, Barbara! This post only scratches the surface, but it’s all the cookware-blogging I can manage at the moment. I may do a followup post if I get time.

WHEN ARE GUNS NOT NEWS? When they’re used to stop a crime rather than commit one.

WRITING IN THE BOSTON HERALD, columnist Jules Crittenden encourages newspapers to “Say no to the AP’s shoddy work:”

When a company defrauds its customers, or delivers shoddy goods, the customers sooner or later are going to take their business elsewhere. But if that company has a virtual monopoly, and offers something its customers must have, they may have no choice but to keep taking it. That’s when the customers, en masse, need to raise a stink. That’s when someone else with the resources needs to seriously consider whether the time is ripe to compete. . . .

The AP, once a just-the-facts news delivery service, has lost its rudder. It has become a partisan, anti-American news agency that seeks to undercut a wartime president and American soldiers in the field. It is providing fraudulent, shoddy goods. It doesn’t even recognize it has a problem.

This is the point at which, another big American industry learned, people start buying Japanese. But as an American newspaper, if you want to provide your readers with affordable regional, national and international news, you have to deal with the AP. If newspapers don’t have an alternative, readers do. It’s called the Internet. That’s why newspapers, if they don’t want to be dragged further into irrelevance and disrepute, have to tell The Associated Press they are dissatisfied with its product.

The Internet will even empower competitors in the news-service business. In fact, it already is doing so, as blogger-embeds like Bill Roggio, Bill Ardolino, Michael Yon, etc. are demonstrating. This is just the beginning, though.

Crittenden also has some cautionary notes for bloggers, at his own blog.

USING GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED VIRUSES to research HIV:

From a medical standpoint, what makes this viral Frankenstein special is that it possesses twin traits not found together in any other virus. First, it can replicate in macaques—monkeys commonly used in medical research—causing an AIDS-like illness. That’s crucial, because macaques are ideal vessels in which to study how immune-compromising viruses do their dirty work. Second, the new pathogen is susceptible to a full complement of antiretroviral drugs, the primary tools used to treat HIV-positive patients. This means that, for the first time, researchers can both induce and suppress an ailment that mimics the defining aspects of human HIV infection.

Be sure to keep it contained! Plus, a look at promising new gene-based vaccines.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH says that I’m overly pessimistic about electronic voting machines.

JOHN J. MILLER offers a challenge: “Nancy Pelosi keeps bragging about the Democrats’ first 100 hours. How about a GOP Congress that has a final 100 hours that reminds voters about what Republicans stand for?”

THE KLINGONS AMONG US: Vote Worf in 2008!

LONDON POISONING UPDATE: This isn’t that surprising: “Scientists at the U.K.’s Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, west of London, have traced the polonium 210 found in London to a nuclear power plant in Russia.”

“I’M A PEEPAL PERSON:” Heh.

If I were a tree, I’d marry Aishwarya Rai.