The Daily Pretzel

Any Way You Slice It: The Past, Present, and Future of Rationing

Melissa Belk — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:37:54 +0000

Rationing: it’s a word—and idea—that people often loathe and fear. Health care expert Henry Aaron has compared mentioning the possibility of rationing to “shouting an obscenity in church.” Yet societies in fact ration food, water, medical care, and fuel all the time, with those who can pay the most getting the most. As Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen has said, the results can be “thoroughly unequal and nasty.”

In Any Way You Slice It, Stan Cox shows that rationing is not just a quaint practice restricted to World War II memoirs and 1970s gas station lines. Instead, he persuasively argues that rationing is a vital concept for our fragile present, an era of dwindling resources and environmental crises. Any Way You Slice It takes us on a fascinating search for alternative ways of apportioning life’s necessities, from the goal of “fair shares for all” during wartime in the 1940s to present-day water rationing in a Mumbai slum, from the bread shops of Cairo to the struggle for fairness in American medicine and carbon rationing on Norfolk Island in the Pacific. Cox’s question: can we limit consumption while assuring everyone a fair share?

The author of Losing Our Cool, the much debated and widely acclaimed examination of air-conditioning’s many impacts, here turns his attention to the politically explosive topic of how we share our planet’s resources.

Consortium Publishers Garner Eisner Award Nominations!

Heather Hart — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:36 +0000

The nominees for the 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced, and Consortium publishers have earned 7 nominations! Here’s the full list:

Best Short Story: “Elmview” by Jon McNaught, in Dockwood, from Nobrow Press.

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Lose #4: “The Fashion Issue,” by Michael DeForge, from Koyama Press. Post York #1, by James Romberger and Crosby, from Uncivilized Books.

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12): Hilda and the Midnight Giant, by Luke Pearson, from Nobrow Press.

Best Anthology: Nobrow #7: Brave New World, edited by Alex Spiro and Sam Arthur, from Nobrow Press.

Best Reality-Based Work: The Infinite Wait and Other Stories, by Julia Wertz, from Koyama Press.

Best Writer/Artist: Luke Pearson, author of Hilda and the Midnight Giant and Everything We Miss, from Nobrow Press.

Congratulations to our presses! The awards will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con, on Friday, July 19th.

The First-Ever Book Publishing Hackathon

Elenita Chmilowski — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:36:53 +0000

Designers, developers and entrepreneurs will come together to experiment in the untapped vertical of book discovery.

Finalists will present their projects to leading VCs, top publishing executives, and tech experts at Book Expo America, the preeminent publishing event of 2013.

The winning team gets $10,000, and a breakfast meeting to pitch an idea to Ari Emanuel, Co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor.

Book discovery needs innovation. It’s never been easier to get a book into a reader’s hands—just one click. But, with over 200,000 books published each year on every topic imaginable, how do people find out about them? There’s an unexplored opportunity to disrupt the ways readers discover good books.

Hackathon Weekend at Alley NYC
Sat. May, 18 — Sun. May, 19
500 7th Avenue
New York City

Grand Finale at BookExpo America
Fri. May 19
Jacob Javits Center
New York City
www.publishinghackathon.com

What You’re Really Meant to Do A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential by Robert Steven Kaplan

Melissa Belk — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:13:40 +0000

Robert S. Kaplan is a Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School and author of the popular book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential (2011).

In his new book, Kaplan provides a much needed roadmap for redefining success and reaching your own unique potential. Analogous to his guidance on leadership, this quest also requires a process, a high level of motivation, and a lot of hard work.

Kaplan proposes a tough discipline of specific steps and exercises to help you take control of your career, understand yourself far more deeply, and build your capabilities in a way that fits your passions and aspirations. In Reaching Your Potential, he draws on hundreds of real life experiences in helping people achieve their aspirations and re-think their approach to career and life development.

Are you open to the challenge? If so, this is the book to finally help you reach your potential.

Previous and Upcoming Press :

MSNBC’s Morning Joe (May 24^th)

New York Times (May 9^th)

Nasdaq NEWSWIRE.FM (May 9^th)

Forbes.com (date, tbd)

The Rudd Report April 11^th

FOX Kilmeade & Friends April 12^th

Take Action News with David Shuster April 13^th

MarketWatch

Denver Post

HBS Working Knowledge

How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

Elenita Chmilowski — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:44:58 +0000

Bestselling author, speaker, and success coach Jen Sincero cuts through the din of the self-help genre with her own verbal meat cleaver. Full of blunt humor, sage advice, and the occasional swear word, You are a Badass offers its readers new opportunities for growth through 35 chapters of exercises, suggestions, and hilariously inspiring stories.
From “Fear is for Suckers” to “Your Brain is Your Bitch” chapters offer enlightening lessons: How to stop doubting your greatness, how to love what you don’t love about yourself, and how to tap into source energy to live a bigger life than you’ve ever imagined.

Craving, On Sale Now!

Melissa Belk — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:17:19 +0000

A nationally recognized expert on compulsive behaviors explains the phenomenon of craving and gives us tools to achieve freedom from our seemingly insatiable desires by changing our actions to remap our brains.

When we find ourselves wanting something strong enough, we’ll do just about anything to get it—sometimes at the expense of our bodies, brains, bank accounts, and relationships. So why do we sometimes have the irrepressible feeling that we need something—such as food, cigarettes, alcohol, or sex—that we really just want? And how do we satiate that feeling without indulging it?

In Craving, Omar Manejwala, M.D., translates the neurobiology of this phenomenon into real and accessible terms, explaining why we just can’t seem to get enough. He then gives us tools and guidance to find satisfaction without giving in to our cravings. Dr. Manejwala explains:

how and why our brain drives behavior

how to change the part of our brain that fuels our cravings

the warning signs that craving is evolving into addiction

why craving is the most difficult component of addiction to address

why self-help and spiritual groups that use models like the Twelve Steps are so effective at changing behaviors, receiving encouragement, and remaining accountable.

Check out this fascinating read now!

China Study Cookbook

Elenita Chmilowski — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:07:12 +0000

The China Study Cookbook takes these scientific findings and puts them to action. Written by LeAnne Campbell, daughter of The China Study author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and mother of two hungry teenagers, The China Study Cookbook features delicious, easily prepared plant-based recipes with no added fat and minimal sugar and salt that promote optimal health.

From her Breakfast Home-Fry Hash and Fabulous Sweet Potato Enchiladas to No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars and Cheese(less) Cake, all of LeAnne’s recipes follow three important principles:

1. Optimal nutrition is based on eating food rather than nutrient supplements
2. The closer that foods are to their native states—prepared with minimal cooking, salting, and processing—the greater the long-term health benefits of eating them
3. It is best to choose locally and organically grown produce whenever possible

Filled with helpful tips on substitutions, keeping foods nutrient-rich, and transitioning to a plant-based diet, The China Study Cookbook shows how to transform individual health and the health of the entire family.

The Enduring Ark from Tara Books

Susan McConnell — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:13:50 +0000

This Indian retelling of Noah and the great Biblical flood is illustrated in the Bengal Patua style of scroll painting, designed in accordion folds, and encased in a colorful slipcase. The vibrant illustrations and concise text provide a singular approach to a very ancient, universal story. Suitable for children ages six and up.

The Enduring Ark has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. PW says: “The stunning illustrations—which really constitute one continual image—reflect an openhearted, instantly accessible folk art aesthetic . . Chitrakar and Wolf, who writes with customary elegance, have created an essential addition to any library, and a glorious example of storytelling’s universality.”

The book will also be featured in the Kirkus Reviews BEA Guide.

Adapted by Gita Wolf

Art by Joydeb Chitrakar

ISBN: 978-93-80340-18-0

Price: $21.95

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ON SALE APRIL 23, 2013

Elenita Chmilowski — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:06:11 +0000

“Dirty Wars will earn its place in history as one of the most important pieces of literature related to over a decade of failed American foreign policy strategy that continues to exist to this day. It’s also one of the most grounded and thoroughly researched books I’ve read on the subject of covert U.S. operations in the 21st Century. A must read for anyone that cares about this country and the direction we are heading.” — Brandon Webb, retired member of Navy SEAL Team Three, former lead sniper instructor at the US Naval Special Warfare Command and author of the New York Times bestseller The Red Circle

“[One] of the best intelligence reporters on the planet…Scahill has covered the worldwide wanderings of JSOC task forces and their intersection for years, and he takes a deeper look at their expanded post 9/11 mission set. He has incredible sources…” — -Marc Ambinder, editor-at-large of The Week

“Dirty Wars tells us, with convincing detail and much new information, what has been done in the name of America since 9/11.”
—Seymour Hersh

“A surefire hit for fans of Blackwater and studded with intriguing, occasionally damning material.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Dirty Wars is the most thorough and authoritative history I’ve read yet of the causes and consequences of America’s post 9/11 conflation of war and national security. I know of no other journalist who could have written it: For over a decade, Scahill has visited the war zones, overt and covert; interviewed the soldiers, spooks, jihadists, and victims; and seen with his own eyes the fruits of America’s bipartisan war fever. He risked his life many times over to write this book, and the result is a masterpiece of insight, journalism, and true patriotism.”
—Barry Eisler, novelist and former operative in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations

“There is no journalist in America who has exposed the truth about US government militarism more bravely, more relentlessly and more valuably than Jeremy Scahill. Dirty Wars is highly gripping and dramatic, and of unparalleled importance in understanding the destruction being sown in our name.”
—Glenn Greenwald, New York Times best-selling author and Guardian columnist

Nonna Lidia shares her memories of growing up on the farm….

Elenita Chmilowski — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:55:24 +0000

It’s Nonna Mima’s birthday, and Nonna Lidia and her grandkids are determined to throw her the surprise feast that she deserves! While planning the evening’s menu, Nonna Lidia shares her memories of growing up on the farm during each season of the year, gardening her own fruits and vegetables, and being surrounded by animals of all kinds. After a trip to the farmer’s market, Lidia and the kids prepare a pasta primavera that is perfect for sharing at a family celebration.

04/11/13: “Rachael Ray”/CBS-TV, will appear with Jacques Pepin for their show called, The ABCs of Cooking

Lidia Bastianich was on the “THE TALK”/ CBS-TV for Lidia’s Family Kitchen: NONNA’S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE did a cooking demo and chatted about her new book. The segmentaired Friday, March 29.