This election is being fought along the traditional skirmish line of capital versus labor. President Obama projects himself as the protector of workers and families who are preyed upon by greedy and wealthy capitalists. Mitt Romney counters that the president doesn’t understand business and that his antagonism discourages private investment and job creation. This argument over contemporary capitalism is inevitable and legitimate, though in part misleading. Read full article > >

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Role of American capitalism on trial

Ray Isle ( @islewine on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. After an informal survey of the mothers of five or six friends of mine, I have determined that mothers, as a rule, are OK with Chardonnay. Some people might question the scientific legitimacy of this analysis on the grounds that the statistical sample was ridiculously small, and they’d be right. But nevertheless, if you’re going to buy your mother a bottle of wine for Mother’s Day, Chardonnay – the most popular grape in America, by the way – is likely to be a good choice. Moreover, since the variety has been cultivated for nearly 700 years, ever since the Cistercian monks in Burgundy figured out what to do with it, giving her a bottle will allow you to say something endearing like, “Mother, I am giving you this wonderful bottle of Chardonnay because it is from a grape variety even older than you.” She'll be thrilled. Trust me. 2010 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay ($12) California’s Wente was one of the first, if not the first, US winery to plant a substantial amount of Chardonnay. That was 100 years ago, in 1912, and what’s referred to as the “Wente clone” of the variety now accounts for about 75 percent of the Chardonnay grown in the state. The winery’s Morning Fog bottling, its most affordable Chardonnay, has a crisp, green apple–y character. 2010 Cameron Hughes Lot 320 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($12) This Chardonnay is more in the traditional California style than the Wente, above – rich and fairly luscious, with tropical notes like pineapple. But it isn’t an overblown butter bomb, and has plenty of fresh acidity to keep its flavors lively. 2010 Novellum Chardonnay ($13) Surprisingly affordable given how good it is, this creamy, spicy Chardonnay from the south of France is aged mostly in stainless steel rather than oak barrels, which keeps it impressively refreshing despite its substantial richness. 2010 William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux ($22) Chablis is the region—the northernmost part of Burgundy, in France – and Chardonnay is the only grape allowed in Chablis. (Many European wines are labeled by region, rather than grape variety.) This is classically Chablisienne, to get sort of Gallic about it: floral and citrusy, with a distinctive stony-chalky note. More from Food & Wine America's Best Bars Best Brunch Cities in the U.S. Best Breakfast Sandwiches in the U.S. America's Best Donuts Mother's Day Recipes

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Chardonnay for Mother’s Day

Voters sent a message to the traditional governing parties that are being blamed for the country’s economic woes and bolstered parties on the left and right.

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Greek Voters Punish 2 Main Parties for Economic Collapse

The venerated AP Stylebook has just announced that it will now accept “it is hoped” as a definition for “hopefully,” in addition to the traditional “in a hopeful manner.” The historic Tweet: Read full article > >

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AP changes rules for “hopefully,” share your #Grammarpeeves

KABUL — At least 15 persons, including police and civilians, were killed in two separate attacks in Afghanistan on Tuesday in the latest spate of such violence that coincide with the start of the traditional fighting season in Afghanistan. Read full article > >

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Two bomb attacks in Afghanistan leave at least 15 dead

A few New York theaters and concert halls are experimenting with orchestras playing not from the traditional pit, but from a distant room or even a separate building.

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Moving Orchestras Out of Sight, Maybe Even Out of the Theater

Chances are Vaunita Goodman didn’t become a dancer to reenact scenes from “ Pirates of the Caribbean .” Yet there she was Saturday night at Dance Place, dressed in a b edazzled blue costume and being dragged onstage in a giant fishnet. She wasn’t Johnny Depp’s captive mermaid, but the Queen of the Sea, an embodiment of the traditional African water spirit Mami Wata. Once released, she was free to shimmy, first strutting upright and then lying face up on the floor, shaking orgasmically while the women of Coyaba Dance Theater drifted effortlessly around her. Read full article > >

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Review: Coyaba Dance Theater

Stores up and down the UK will be opening their doors for the traditional Boxing Day sales, following a difficult trading year for many.

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Shops set for Boxing Day sales

DENVER — Santa Claus set records Christmas Eve as he raced across the globe on his traditional holiday mission. Santa tracking volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado said they fielded about 102,000 telephone queries beginning early Saturday on his progress, breaking the previous mark of 80,000. Read full article > >

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NORAD Santa trackers have record holiday telling children about big man’s location

The head of the Roman Catholic Church delivers his traditional Christmas Day message to believers in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

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Pope delivers Christmas message

Pope Benedict XVI has used the traditional Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome to criticise the increasing commercialisation of the festival.

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VIDEO: Pope condemns ‘glitter’ of season

Standing in front of a brilliantly lighted 12-foot pine tree at her son’s home in Bowie, Gladys Boluda was all smiles, singing and dancing in step with her grandchildren to ’N Sync’s “Merry Christmas Happy Holidays.” With three days left before Christmas, the Boludas were putting the finishing touches on their annual Christmas video, a tradition that began with a family concert about a decade ago and has become a holiday essential, along with black beans and rice, yucca and other traditional Cuban fare. Read full article > >

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Bowie clan celebrates family and freedom on Christmas

The sight of Rep. Barney Frank wearing a casual t-shirt on the House floor Monday caused more than a few raised eyebrows — room temperature notwithstanding. The Massachusetts Democrat, who’s leaving Congress next year, appeared on the floor not in the traditional shirt, tie and jacket but in a thin blue top and a jacket slung over his shoulders. C-SPAN cameras captured the ensemble, which highlighted Frank’s less-than-buff torso, and the image quickly went viral, drawing snickers across the Internet. Read full article > >

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Barney Frank: What’s the House floor dress code, anyway?

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Prepare to get stuffed – November 24 is Thanksgiving ! While this national food holiday certainly can't come as a surprise, it is definitely one worth celebrating by spending the day with those you love most and feasting on wonderful food filled with soul and tradition. You might have heard some variation on the origins of Thanksgiving in elementary school, but the holiday takes from both European and Native traditions. In Europe, folks liked to hold festivals to celebrate a good harvest and enjoy the fruits of their labor, which was quite similar to what Native Americans would do as well. Once Europeans landed in America, they brought the harvest tradition with them. Put the two together and you've got one heck of a feast! If you've got any concerns about Thanksgiving , don't sweat it! Eatocracy has you covered with our tips, recipes and answers to your most burning T-day questions. We also have offerings from around the web with these Thanksgiving recipes , sweet potato and stuffing galleries! Whether you're making the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and round of casseroles or you're deviating from your mother's 25-year-old menu, celebrate all of the people, happenstances and things you're thankful for with the best of them. From all of us at Eatocracy, have a happy, happy Thanksgiving!

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Breakfast buffet: Happy Thanksgiving!

Amazon.com, the online retailer, has long competed with bookstores; now it is starting to make deals with authors, bypassing the traditional publisher.

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Amazon Rewrites the Rules of Book Publishing