Corner.rn• The Roots of Roots: Philip Nobilerncontinues his debunking of the fictionalizedrnand plagiarized Pulitzer Prize-winningrnRoots “by” Alex Haley. As reportedrnin the October 6 issue of PublishersrnWeekly, Nobile claims that Haley was actuallyrn”semi-literate,” that “virtually everythingrn[in the book] was taken fromrnsomewhere else,” that even “the epiloguerncontains lies about its preparation,”rnand that “if [Doubleday] didn’trnknow [about the plagiarism and fictionalizing]rnbefore, they knew after publication,rnand the book has never been withdrawn.rnIts resonance in the culture is anrnartifact of hype.” Doubleday dismissedrnNobile’s comments as a “literary lynching,”rnand pushed on with its preparationrnof Roofe: The Saga of an American Familyrnas part of Doubleday’s centennial anniversary.rnMeanwhile, the BBC hasrnaired a documentary on the Haley contretemps,rnquoting the judge who presidedrnover Haley’s plagiarism trial in 1977:rn”Haley perpetrated a hoax on the public.”rnDon’t hold your breath while waitingrnfor an American airing of this show.rn• Goodbye, England’s Nose?: Thernformer leader of Britain’s Tories, LordrnNorman Tebbit, has come under fire inrnrecent months for decrying multiculturalismrnin Britain. Responding to the rapidrnrise of Islam in England, and concernedrnabout parallels with the Balkans, LordrnTebbit stated, “We must see if we canrnfind a way in which Muslims can be trulyrnBritish. . . . But. .. if one is living in arnChristian country, it is Christian law thatrnoverrides it.” He continued, “in a societyrnyou have one language, you have onernstandard of ethics, you have one history.rnIf asked where you stand, you stand onrnyour country.” Predictably, Tory leadersrncondemned Lord Tebbit’s insensitivity,rnand even trotted out a 15-year-old Hindurnstudent named Munish Chopra to declarernthat Tebbit “doesn’t wield muchrnpower now.” But the most disturbing reactionrncame from the Queen herself,rnwho, according to the London Telegraph,rnremarked in a speech in Islamabad,rnPakistan: “A distinctive newrnidentity—that of British Muslim —hasrnemerged. I find that healthy and welcome.”rnShe went on to say that “overrnhalf a million British citizens are of Pakistanirndescent, from politicians to filmmakers,rnfrom sportsmen to academics.”rn• Political Winds: On October 1, thernWhite House sponsored a conference onrnglobal wanning for TV weathermen. Inrnexchange for attending, the weathermenrnwere allowed to broadcast their forecastsrnfrom the White House lawn. DespiternPresident Clinton’s claim that “I don’trnask for you to advocate or do anythingrnoutside of whatever your own convictionsrnare,” the media got the message. AsrnCraig Allen, weatherman for CBS’srnmorning show, told the New York Times:rn”[President Clinton] feels very stronglyrnabout it, and he just wants us to get thernmessage out. And I’m happy to do it.”rn• Warming Up to the U.N.: TedrnTurner’s recent donation of a billion dollarsrnto a foreign government (namely, thernUnited Nations), raises more than a fewrnquestions about his personal loyalties.rnWhile his generosity received front-pagerncoverage, few papers—and none of thernevening newscasts—noted CNN’s subsequentrndecision to pull two ads opposingrnthe U.N. Global Climate Treaty. Althoughrnthe ads had been airing sincernSeptember 10, CNN axed them on Octoberrn2, the day after the White Housernglobal warming conference for weathermen.rnAccording to CNN spokesmanrnSteve Hayworfh, “We did not pull it onrnthe basis of known factual errors. Wernpulled it on the basis of our policy.”rnOBITER DICTA: In response to requestsrnfrom readers, we have added arnnew feature to the front section of thernmagazine. “Commendable” highlightsrnbooks and movies that illustrate therntheme of the issue. This month’s installment,rnfor example, focuses on booksrn(both fiction and nonfiction) and videosrnthat explore revenge and self-defense.rnOur art this month flows firom the creativernhands of Igor Kopelnitsky, a Russianrnartist living in Brooklyn. Since comingrnto the United States in 1990, Mr.rnKopelnitsky has done illustrations for thernNew York Times, the Daily News, and thernWashington Post, as well as Chronicles.rnCollie Owens, an assistant professor ofrnEnglish at DeKalb College in Georgiarnand the poetry editor of the ChattahoocheernReview, has contributed two poemsrnto this issue. His poems and essaysrnhave appeared in the Georgia Review, thernSouthern Partisan, and the ConnecticutrnReview, among other publications.rnVirginia readers, take note: tell yourrnfriends that they can pick up their ownrncopy of Chronicles at Old Town News,rn721 King Street, Alexandria; Borders,rn8311 Leesburg Pike, Vienna; Borders,rnCrossroads Center, Bailey’s Crossroads;rnBarnes & Noble Superstore, ParhamrnPlaza, Richmond; Barnes & Nobles Superstore,rn1200 Hugenot Road, Midlothian;rnand Suburban News, 121 E. LittlernCreek Road, Norfolk.rnIn Pennsylvania, Chronicles can bernfound at Borders, 8701 Germantown Avenuernand 1727 Walnut Street, Philadelphia;rnEncore Books, 1134 Franklin MillsrnCircle, Philadelphia; Avril 50,3406 RansomrnStreet, Philadelphia; Gene’s Books,rnKing of Prussia Plaza, King of Prussia;rnEncore Books, Hilltown Crossing, Hatfield;rnBorders, Springfield Square ShoppingrnCenter, Springfield; Encore Books,rnHampden Center, Mechanicsburg; andrnBorders, 1775 N. Highland Road, Pittsburgh.rn8/CHRONICLESrnrnrn