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...

It’s been nearly 10 years since we last said adieu to Gavin and Stacey (and Nessa and Smithy, of course).

But fans have never given up hope of another reunion and they’ve now been rewarded with the news that a second Christmas special is in the works.

Show creators James Corden and Ruth Jones – who also play on-off couple Nessa and Smithy – are uniting again to pen the one-off episode.

The original cast will all return, including Rob Brydon and Larry Lamb.

So how did the original show capture our hearts (and our funny bones?)

Gavin and Stacey aired over three series, plus a Christmas special, from 2007 to 2010 on the BBC.

It told the story of Gavin (Horne), from Essex, and Stacey (Page), from Barr...

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Nellie Graham is celebrating her 100th birthday and she is in good company.

Her husband, Joe, marked the same milestone last August.

The County Antrim pair, who still live independently at their Randalstown bungalow, are thought to be Northern Ireland’s oldest married couple.

Married on 23 September 1942 in the middle of World War Two, this year marks their 77th wedding anniversary.

• Centenarian shares secrets of long life
• Surge in number of centenarians living in Northern Ireland
• Georgina McKeown: From champion cyclist to centenarian

They met at school and have been inseparable ever since.

Mrs Graham celebra...

New York (CNN Business)It’s the last week of the 2020 presidential campaign. Donald Trump, running for his second term, is in a close race with his Democratic challenger. Then, shortly before Election Day, hacked material fromthe Democratic candidate’s campaignis uploaded online.

Nintendo is bringing two of its biggest games on the Nintendo Switch into virtual reality: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

With the release of Nintendo’s Labo VR Kit approaching, Nintendo revealed updates Thursday for Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey that make them VR-compatible with the help of the Toy-Con VR Goggles.

For Super Mario Odyssey, there will be a new, “bite-sized” VR experience for players to check out, which looks like i...

I’m a graphic designer and illustrator. I started my comic blog Tall N Curly back in 2012 to tell my story as a tall and curly-haired girl. Do you remember my previous post about “25 Problems I Face When Being A Tall And Curly-Haired Girl” here on Bored Panda?

I wanted to create some space in my life for something creative that had nothing to do with my work. By doing so, I realized I was telling the story of so many other women. Women, who, just like me, want and need to be reminded that it’s OK, fun and even special to be different and to own who they are.

Since I started my blog, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with so many amazing women who shared their own stories with me...

Is anyone out there curious if Elon Musk lifts? Extremely unclear, but the tech leader is talking about it on Twitter anyway.

On Wednesday, Musk tweeted a disturbing collage of photographs that show his face Photoshopped onto The Rock’s very fit body. He captioned the cursed images, “Yeah, I lift a little …”

The Rock replied to the photos by calling Musk a “beast” and a “handsome SOB,” and even included the winking emoji.

Musk fanboyed right back at him, saying “Oh stop, you’ll make m...

Their fathers visited the Philippines to buy sex: now a generation of children want to track them down

Brigette Sicat will not be going to school today. She sits, knees to chest, in a faded Winnie-the-Pooh T-shirt, on the double mattress that makes up half her home. At night, she curls up here with her grandmother and two cousins, beneath the leaky sheets of corrugated iron that pass for a roof. Today, the monsoon rain is constant and the floor has turned to mud.

Brigette, 10, and her 11-year-old cousin, Arianne, arent in school because they have a stomach bug. There is no toilet and no running water, and no means of cooking other than over an open fire. Even when she is well, Brigette is often too hungry to tackle the 10-minute walk to school. Brigettes mother is a sex worker...

Ever since Homo erectus learned how to control fire some 400,000 years ago, man has taken a curious pride in getting a good blaze going. Even today, there is a primitive belief that any cooking done outside the confines of a building falls firmly within the realm of ‘manly duties;’ the curious observer can often see them gathered around the pit, arguing, cajoling and giving tips on the best way to ignite a flame.

Because sometimes it’s actually not so easy, especially if you’re looking to grill over some hot coals. Getting those things going takes a little time and practice, as this woman discovered recently when trying it out for the first time. “I got this,” she announced confidently, setting out to cook up some juicy burgers on a portable grill.

Sadly it all goes downhill fr...