First there was the magazine, now there’s the book.

Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes, First Things editor Joseph Bottum, and Weekly Standard contributing editor John Podhoretz spoke Thursday on a panel celebrating “The Weekly Standard: A Reader: 1995-2005” (HarperCollins). William Kristol, editor of both the Weekly Standard and this anthology, moderated the Midtown luncheon sponsored by the Manhattan Institute.

Mr. Kristol told the audience that the editors originally intended to call the magazine the American Standard until “one of us went into a men’s room” and saw that name on certain fixtures.

The audience again broke into laughter when Mr. Barnes said that over the decade since the launch of the publication, the question he’s most frequently asked is, “How often does the magazine come out?”

Mr. Barnes said the magazine had disposed of the myth that it might be “knee-jerk pro-Republican.” He recalled getting a 20-minute lecture from Trent Lott about one article. He also recalled an early piece about Newt Gingrich “written by that great conservative, Arianna Huffington.” Mr. Barnes remembered one article – “something of a hit job” – that Andrew Ferguson cleverly penned about former House Budget Committee chairman John Kasich, who surprisingly liked the piece. The audience chuckled as Mr. Barnes explained: “Very deft writing.”

Mr. Bottum, who ran the magazine’s “back of the book” cultural coverage, said the Weekly Standard sometimes got things wrong: For one thing, he said, he had never quite figured out how to run timely movie reviews.

And to those who attach significance to issues like such-and-such a review coming third in an issue: “No,” he said, it’s “because that’s where the ads fit.”

While the Weekly Standard reader collects a number of the magazine’s best articles, Mr. Kristol said that around the office, they have given thought to privately publishing a collection of the worst articles ever to appear in the magazine.

* * *

INNOVATIVE TEACHING Which college offers a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management, the first program of its kind in New York State? Metropolitan College of New York. The Knickerbocker learned about this most timely degree while attending a reception hosted by Studley Associates vice chair Mark Jaccom to rally support for MCNY’s upcoming anniversary gala November 2.With Bernard Beal of M.R. Beal & Co. and National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Mr. Jaccom is co-chairing the gala where Sister Sledge (“We Are Family”) will perform. The evening will honor New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels, Commerce Bank president Vernon W. Hill II, New York Sun editor Seth Lipsky, and Deputy Comptroller for Public Finance of the City of New York Rita Sallis.

At this reception, MCNY’s president, Stephen Greenwald, spoke about the college offering high-quality education for people going back to college after circumstances such as raising a family and needing a model of education that is tailored to their needs. Founded in 1964 by Audrey Cohen with a current enrollment of about 1,500 students, the college has its main location on Varick Street.

Provost Paul Lerman told the Knickerbocker that students in the M.P.A. program in emergency and disaster management visited Israel this year to learn how the Israelis prepare for crises. He also said the school’s M.B.A. in media management takes its students – as a degree requirement – to the Cannes Film Festival and market. Some students have signed business deals there.

***

AMBASSADORIAL AUTHOR A correspondent for the Knickerbocker was on hand when the president of the American Council on Germany, William Drozdiak, and his wife, Renilde Loeckx, the consul general of Belgium in New York, hosted a party at the consular residence. The evening celebrated Ambassador Rockwell A. Schnabel’s book “The Next Superpower? The Rise of Europe and Its Challenge to the United States” (Rowman & Littlefield), which the former American ambassador to the European Union co-wrote with Rome-based journalist Francis X. Rocca.

In his remarks, Mr. Schnabel said that “the U.S. ignores Europe at our peril.” Mr. Schnabel added that he was surprised at the level of ignorance about the E.U. among some Americans: “I’ve actually had people ask me how ‘E.U.’ is spelled.”