McGavin was 61 when he made that movie, which surprised me slightly when I first heard it. But that didn't surprise me as much as the fact that the director (Bob Clark) also directed a slasher film called Black Christmas, as well as Porky's.

This needs to be a Christmas sweater.

The movies my fellow members have suggested are pretty much all good choices, but let me step outside the box just a little bit.

It's actually a tv series, but I've been re-watching The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The entire series is only 28 episodes, so as tv box sets go, it's pretty manageable. There's a science fiction plot that runs through many of the episodes (which is resolved about 2/3 of the way through), and the whole series is somewhat tongue in cheek, but if you're in the mood for something a little lighter, I think you'll enjoy it.

And to get even more outside the box, Firefly is basically a western that happens to be set in outer space. It also has strong libertarian themes, which should appeal to many Ricochet members.

Finally, no discussion of non-traditional westerns would be complete without mentioning the modern-day western, Justified, which begins its 3rd season next month. After watching season 2, you'll never look at apple pie the same way again.

The wonderful Alton Brown did a Good Eats episode on how to safely fry a turkey. You can watch it here.

They're probably talking about some sort of hacking or denial of service attack.

If the government really finds it necessary to launch a program to improve the image of holiday icons, fruitcake could use some help.

The left is under the delusion that we're always just one more law or regulation away from bringing those evil corporations to heel. Businesses exist to make money. When the government arbitrarily imposes new costs on a business, or cuts off revenue streams, it will try to get that money back somehow. Anyone who believes that businesses would just roll over and say "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to make do with lower profits." clearly needs to get out more.

The cycle keeps repeating itself. The government tries to take money away from a business. The business tries to recover that money, sometimes by doing something worse than what the government was trying to stop in the first place. Finally, the government reacts with shock and outrage that the business would react in (what is for most of us) an entirely predictable way, without once considering its own role.

It is good to see two playoff races tied on the last day of the season. It would be better if it wasn't because the BoSox and the Braves have been playing like AAA teams for the past three weeks.

If the speaker is deliberately taking liberties with standard English for rhetorical effect, then it's a part of the story, and you should absolutely report it.

It's like Entourage meets The West Wing.

I have to admit that I was largely unfamiliar with Huntsman, but I found this video to be an informative introduction.

From the excellent Baseball Crank blog, here's an explanation of why Kristof should be careful of what he wishes for: http://baseballcrank.com/archives2/2011/06/politics_milita.php

I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in Bill and Kate, or in celebrity news in general. I can't fathom why anyone would get up in the middle of the night to watch the wedding of complete strangers. On the other hand, I'm sure some of the people who will be watching would find it odd that I check mlbtraderumors.com every day during the fall and winter (and also of course, July), or that I can explain the significance of BABIP (batting average on balls in play). So perhaps I shouldn't throw stones.

Most of us have some hobby or interest that other people might consider to be frivolous. As a general rule, I think this is a healthy thing, as long as it's not something that's harmful in itself, or that takes over your life to the point that it crowds out the important stuff.

So for those of you who plan to watch the wedding, enjoy yourselves. I'll have to pass because I need to be rested for Friday night. Carlos Zambrano is pitching.

I'm all in favor of less packaging, but with rare exceptions, when conservatives try to sound hip, it comes off as forced and condescending.  And really, no politician, under any circumstances, should ever imply that (s)he has anything in common with Charlie Sheen.

In some ways, I almost admire the testicular fortitude of the British political class. On our side of the pond, even some Republicans get weak in the knees at the thought of reducing funding to the Federal Department of Cowboy Poetry. But the Brits are more than willing to tell their constituents "Hey, we'll give you electricity when we feel like it, and you'll LIKE it."

Of course, I'm sure this has a lot to do with what's near and dear to the hearts of politicians. Anything "green" is all the rage these days, because, it's like, the only planet we've got, man. On the other hand, even some supposedly "conservative" politicians seem to regard ideas like fiscal responsibility and limited government as eccentricities on the order of witchcraft.

The local scuttlebutt here in Chicago is that none of the poohbahs who anointed her the "consensus African-American candidate" actually thought that Moseley Braun was the strongest candidate. They just assumed that it was a done deal for Rahm, and none of them wanted to be the sacrificial lamb, so they threw her under the bus.