Chef Lala Cookbooks

Probably one of the most controversial topics still in the book publishing industry is the idea of an author (or publicist) paying for a review of their book. It’s an offshoot of the self-publishing versus publishing industry argument that comes from the old vanity presses of the past.

A vanity press, for the younger readers, was a publishing company that would charge an author for the entire print run of a book. The publisher might make attempts to sell the book, but their profit had already been taken in the print run of the book (and sometimes ongoing storage fees of the unsold books). The publisher often kept rights to the book, provided little to no support (cover design, marketing, etc.), or charged excessive fees for those services...

Human Rights Watch report finds rape, murder and kidnappings on both sides of border, where people are unable to move freely

Guerrilla groups have supplanted state rule on both sides of the lawless border between Venezuela and Colombia, where they impose their own brutal rules on civilians, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In Colombias eastern Arauca province and the neighbouring Apure state in Venezuela, civilians are unable to move freely, forced to obey a strict curfew and taxed on virtually all economic activity. HRW documented abuses including murder, kidnappings, disappearances, child recruitment and rape.

Armed groups in Arauca and Apure also punish residents with forced labor, requiring them to work for free, sometimes for months, farming, cleaning road...

(CNN)Caesar salad lovers rejoice — your crispy romaine lettuce leaves are OK to eat now.

(CNN)New evidence showing Donald Trump’s direct role in pressuring Ukraine for political favors is dialing up the heat as Republicans launch their New Year push to shield the President in a swift Senate impeachment trial.

Riley Howell – a 21-year-old hero who died while saving fellow classmates in the UNC Charlotte shooting – has been honored as a Jedi Master in the new Star Wars universe book. The college student, along with another 19-year-old classmate, took the bullets and thus prevented more injuries and deaths after a gunman opened fire in one of the classrooms of the University of North Carolina. Riley has been hailed as a hero by the local police, who praised his quick thinking and courage that “saved lives.”

Image credits: Lauren Westmoreland

“He loved Star Wars, birds, cards, snowboarding, going to the lake, Kentucky Hot Browns cooking from scratch with cast iron while listening to the Feel Good Classic Soul playlist, and his Lauren,” Riley’s family told the media...

The kids have left home, and were not really coping, so this seems like the perfect chance to lure them back

My husband and I dont think we have the condition until, one day last month, hundreds of miles from home, we find ourselves outside our younger sons university accommodation at 11.30 on a Sunday morning. I am clutching supplies in a little brown paper bag. Our son knows were in town, but isnt expecting this rude awakening. Its a surprise.

Do you think we should have called first? I say as we approach the entrance, the inappropriateness of what were doing dawning on me only now.

My husband pulls a face; its his moment of awakening, too. Call now, he says. Tell him were on our way.

But were already here.

We both suddenly see what we have become: two newbie empty-nester weirdos...

(CNN)

(CNN)In the 1940s, as my family story goes, my grandmother Irma worked for Armed Services Editions, a publisher that sent more than 122 million books to servicemen around the world. One of them was a strange collection of essays by the writer Morton Thompson, including “How to Cook a Turkey.”

Since climate campaigners transatlantic adventures, more people are looking to travel by sail

Hitching a ride on a sailing boat across the Atlantic might sound like a far-fetched endeavour reserved for the famous and well-connected. But Greta Thunberg has now managed it twice in three months and her antics appear to be inspiring a growing, if nascent, movement in sail-hitching.

Maritime hitchhiking has hitherto been reserved for sailors looking for experience on different routes and vessels.

But after Thunbergs transatlantic adventures, numbers have boomed. Daniel Krause, a full-time cruiser, helps to run the Sailboat Hitchhikers and Crew Connection Facebook group, which has sharply increased to nearly 21,000 members since Thunbergs voyage...