Small Magazines, Tough Rulings, Little Readers

KRISTOFF CROSSED Nicholas • Testify!: The New York Times was dealt a blow by a federal judge in Virginia who upheld an earlier ruling that could force the paper to reveal Op-Ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof's sources on his columns naming Stephen J. Hatfill for 2001's anthrax attacks.

• But it is recyclable: A newspaper's Keith Kelly reports that Meredith Corp. has completed its deal with to buy ReadyMade, which he describes as "an environmental mag and Web site that targets 20-somethings and 30-somethings." ReadyMade's website describes it as "a bimonthly print magazine for people who like to make stuff, who see the flicker of invention in everyday objects—the perfectly round yolk in the mundane egg." Eh, six of one, half a dozen of the other.

• Little children, big sales: The Guardian reports on the rise of celebrity-penned childrens' books—think Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, etc.—and offers some tips for writing your own bestseller, such as, "Rule one: why use simple names for characters when you can invent fanciful and, frankly, ridiculous ones? The celeb authors probably think they are being Dickensian, but they just come across like Salman Rushdie on one of his flowery days."