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1. Follow Me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

wizarding-world-of-harry-potterI went on an epic adventure to Universal Studios where I spent two days exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you have already been there, then you know how awesome it is. If not, I’m bringing the adventure to you!

On the first day, I went to Islands of Adventure to visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As soon as I walked through the Hogsmeade entrance, I felt like I had walked onto a movie set or a real Harry Potter dream. The ground is made of cobblestone; the buildings are all whimsical and pointy, and store windows have displays that actually move! (If you buy a wand from Ollivanders, you can activate the displays by waving your wand at them.)

hogsmeade-collage

In the middle of the crowd of witches, wizards, and Muggles, stood a large wooden cart with a wizard serving butterbeer. Since this is the beverage in the wizarding world, I had to give it a try. It has a surprisingly pleasant taste like butterscotch soda with a dollop of cream on top. Then I took a stroll through Honeydukes and bought my very own Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans (and they do mean every flavor). I accidentally ate a vomit-flavored bean and it didn’t go so well.

After passing Three Broomsticks, I finally came to the massive Hogwarts castle. Although its size is impressive, it is nothing compared to the magical experience inside. The pictures move and talk; the ceiling snows, and you can watch Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk in some of the corridors. I won’t spill the beans on what the ride is like, but let’s just say it is awesome, scary, and exhilarating. I went on it twice and loved it both times!

diagon-alley-collage

On the second day, I went back to Hogsmeade to catch the Hogwarts Express which travels to King’s Cross Station, a.k.a. Platform 9¾. The exterior of the train is just like the movie in all red and black. Inside, there are cabins capable of holding 8-10 people. The ride, although short, is probably the best ride ever! The windows display scenic views of Hogwarts and show real wizards flying by on their broomsticks. Even the doors are animated. You can actually see and hear shadows of Harry and his friends walking by.

As soon as we stepped off the train, it felt like I had crossed the world and landed in London, a.k.a. Platform 9¾. The first place I wanted to go was Diagon Alley, but it was kind of hard to find. I had to really look at the small details of the map to see that Diagon Alley is actually hidden behind walls! You could easily walk past the entrance and not even notice it was there. It is a hidden passage which leads to another secret wall with an unfinished brick passageway just like when Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time.

Diagon Alley is everything I thought it would be, and more! There is a store for almost everything a wizard or witch needs, including books, robes, owls, Quidditch supplies, wands, and even Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. The most impressive structure is Gringotts Bank, complete with a dragon perched on top. Inside, there are life-sized goblins that move and even blink as they work behind their desks. To get to the 3-D ride, “Escape from Gringotts,” you travel on moving elevators just like the ones in the Ministry of Magic. I don’t want to reveal all of the details of the ride, but let’s just say water and fire are involved and it is absolutely incredible!

If you want to chat with me and other Harry Potter fans about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, join the Harry Potter Message Board here. Ask me any questions you want and I’ll try my best to be as detailed as possible. TTYL!

-Sandy, STACKS Staffer

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2. Convention Weekend - CTNx

 I spent this past weekend down in Burbank, attending the Creative Talent Network Expo (my first for this convention). It focuses primarily on animation and related art forms.

 It's a relatively small event, but VERY well attended (crowded crowds...)

 A number of the top companies were in attendance. Lots of portfolio reviews....




 (Big Hero 6 was very visible at the Disney booth. Lots of fun swag :-) 

 Of course, Stuart Ng was there with his delicious, hugely tempting selection of yummy art books.
There were lots of live demos, life drawing, lots of panels and workshops.....

And meeting new and/or hanging out with old friends (I got to have dinner with the lovely Terryl Whitlach all three nights there).

 Ran into a nice handful of illustrators I know (here is Zelda Devon). 
A number of people I talked to at their various booths are posted on my facebook page.

My roommate and I also made a side-trip to Universal Studios 
(since I've never been to the California version of this park).

 The weather was *perfect*, bright, blue, sunny and warm - which made all the Christmas decor appearing feel rather odd.

It was mostly one big treat of a weekend. :-)



0 Comments on Convention Weekend - CTNx as of 11/26/2014 1:18:00 AM
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3. Harry Potter Theme Parks

Harry Potter StampDiagon Alley in Florida, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in JapanHarry Potter movies,

complete with all the shops and spots like the Leaky Cauldron, Gringotts, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, and more. Guests can get their fill of Nosebleed Nougats, butterbeer ice cream, and other Diagon Alley specialties. The main attraction, of course, is the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. The other attraction is . . . THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!

The Hogwarts Express is actually a shuttle between 2 different theme parks inside of Universal Studios. You need a “Park-to-Park” ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express which costs $136. For $96, you can see either Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade (but not both).

This Diagon Alley is the first of its kind in the (Muggle) world, but the first Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open outside of the U.S. is now in Osaka, Japan. It opened on July 14th and it is almost identical to the original one in Florida. Tom Felton

(who played Draco Malfoy in the movies) and Evanna Lynch (who played Luna Lovegood in the movies) greeted fans on opening night and led lucky visitors into the new park the following morning!
Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment shop

Universal Studios Japan

Another Wizarding World is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood in California in 2016.

So much Harry Potter

coming to life! It’s so exciting . . . and also kind of overwhelming. What do YOU think? Would you go to Diagon Alley? What other parts of Harry Potter’s world would you like to see made real for us Muggles? (Well, to be honest, Harry Potter has always felt very real to me!) Share your thoughts in the Comments below!

En-Szu, STACKS Staffer

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4. Love Them or Hate Them, The Minions Are Here To Stay

Leading up this week’s release of the sequel, Despicable Me 2, the minions are the center of an inescapable advertising bonanza, overshadowing even the human characters in the film. The yellow pill-shaped creatures are on billboards, bus ads, and commercials. They have their own upcoming attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood (they’re already at Universal Orlando), themed hotel suites, video game and a feature-length prequel set for a 2014 release. And then there’s the Despicablimp, a 165-foot-long, 55-foot-tall airship which is currently on a six-month, 20,000-mile journey across the United States to promote the film.

No longer the background entertainment, the minions are the cornerstone of the marketing plan for Despicable Me 2, starring in nearly every ad for the film. Their success among audiences surprises even the film’s writers. “We never knew the minions were going to be so popular; it just became a force of nature,” said the film’s co-writer Cinco Paul in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The bumbling gibberish and clumsy nature of the minions easily translates across cultures and age groups to win over fans. The minions have also tapped into the striking power of yellow, a color that has found wide recognition in animation and entertainment.

We’ve seen large groups of secondary characters become unofficial film mascots in the past—the aliens from Toy Story and the penguins from Madagascar were breakout stars from their respective films. Hordes of animated characters were a rarer sight when hand-drawn animation was the preeminent feature film technique, but with computer animation, it is easy to replicate and tweak models to achieve a cast of many. The relative ease with which the makers of Despicable Me 2 have created their army of minions would’ve made the 101 Dalmatians animators cry with joy.

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article on the success of the minions, which twice praises the characters’ simple design and says that even children can draw them. But it’s more than just the “simple, graphic nature” of the minions that makes them a success with audiences. Their childlike mannerisms and brazen stupidity is a brand of humor that translates to almost any demographic. Their giggles and gibberish, though annoying to some, is downright infectious.

Even though they risk overexposure, the minions could become a coveted marketing model for animated features, and it won’t be surprising if other studios attempt to copy the formula. But this could result in derivative forms that feel superficial, especially if the characters’ personalities aren’t developed with care. The minions’ push to the forefront grew organically from audience response to the first film. Perhaps then, the real lesson here is that even in this modern era of sequels, prequels, spin-offs, remakes and adaptations, audiences still value and reward original creations.

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5. First Look at The Simpsons’ Springfield Area at Universal Studios

This summer, Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida will open a Simpsons-themed area at its park to complement its existing Simpsons ride. The new space will allow visitors to walk around Springfield and spend their hard-earned dollars on Simpsons-related food, like Duff Beer, which will be brewed exclusively for the park. Simpsons creator Matt Groening has said in the past that he wouldn’t allow actual Duff beer to be brewed because he didn’t want to encourage kids to drink

.

The press release describes how parkgoers will be able to buy other food items as well: “[You] will be able to grab Krusty-certified meat sandwich at Krusty Burger, snatch the catch of the day at the Frying Dutchman, get a slice at Luigi’s Pizza, go nuts for donuts at Lard Lad, enjoy a ‘Taco Fresho; with Bumblebee Man and imbibe at Moe’s Tavern.”

The area will also feature a new attraction—Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl—as well as the statue of Springfield founder Jebediah Springfield. Cick on the image at top for a close-up rendering of the new area.

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6. Seeing New Things! by DL Larson

I'm writing today from Orlando, Florida. It's been a beautiful week of relaxing and going to places I have never visited. My husband's company has given us a fabulous trip with private dinners and private showings at Universal Studios. I walked through Hogsmeade ~ the Harry Potter village, rode the Dragon Challenge roller coaster, at night no less, and survived the forbidden journey through Hogwart Castle. I drank butter beer, a bit too sweet for me, but tasty, and I enjoyed buying rolling eye balls at the novelty shop. I purchased the perfect wand and my suitcase will be strained with my purchase of Fluffy, the three-headed stuffed dog and a few other treasures I couldn't live without.

My real triumph was riding in a Richard Petty race car! I do love the need for speed. Three laps around the track at over 140 mph left me grinning and knees a bit wobbly. The rest of the day was a blur of activity watching Shrek in moveable chairs, helping Spiderman capture the bad guys and finding Poisidon's lost treasure. I got soaked in Jurassic Park and felt deprived because the cable rides were for those with children. I desperately wanted to borrow a child so I could soar above the trees and view the park from above.

Last night at our gala dinner the entertainment was spectacular with an artist who happens to be reknown as the fastest artist in the world. Watching him splatter paint on a black canvas enthralled me. In a matter of minutes the image took shape, and Jeff Gordon, the famous race car driver came on stage and signed the painting of his likeness. Jeff was our guest speaker for the evening and spoke about chasing after dreams, not giving up and always, always to keep trying. He was relating his life's journey to that of my husband's business, but I realized Jeff's message was just as true for my profession ~ writing!

As Jeff Gordon said last night, "if you want to succeed, you have to put yourself out there."

I intend to do just that!

Til next time ~

DL Larson

4 Comments on Seeing New Things! by DL Larson, last added: 2/17/2011
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7. Who was the real Fidel Castro?

In the wake of his resignation, many are asking who Fidel Castro really was, and what really happened in Cuba during his tenure as President. The answer to these questions--and more--can be found in two Yale Press titles, both available in paperback.

The Real Fidel Castro

The Real Fidel Castro by Leycester Coltman

Published on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, this timely book, the most intimate and dispassionate biography of Fidel Castro to date, offers a fresh assessment of the revolutionary leader. Written by the British ambassador to Cuba in the early 1990s, it chronicles the events of Castro’s extraordinary life and explores the contradiction between the private character and the public reputation.

Cuba: A New History

Cuba: A New History by Richard Gott

In this acute and profoundly engaged exploration of Cuban history, British journalist Richard Gott illuminates the island’s entire revolutionary past, from pre-Columbian times to the present. He emphasizes little-known aspects of Cuba’s early centuries and provides an extraordinary account of Castro’s regime, its lonely survival in the post-Soviet years, and its expected future. View the table of contents by clicking here.

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8. Joudah wins 2007 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition

9780300134308 Fady Joudah’s Earth in the Attic is winner of the 2007 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition and judge Louise Glück's fifth selection for the series.

Judge Glück describes the poet in her Foreword as "that strange animal, the lyric poet in whom circumstance and profession. . . have compelled obsession with large social contexts and grave national dilemmas." She finds in his poetry an incantatory quality and concludes, "These are small poems, many of them, but the grandeur of conception is inescapable. The Earth in the Attic is varied, coherent, fierce, tender; impossible to put down, impossible to forget."

Read an excerpt, or listen to Joudah read "In the Calm" from his poem, "Pulse."

Fady Joudah is a Palestinian-American medical doctor and a field member of Doctors Without Borders since 2001. He is also the translator of Mahmoud Darwish’s recent poetry The Butterfly’s Burden. He lives in Houston, TX.

120younger_poets The Yale Series of Younger Poets champions the most promising new American poets. Awarded since 1919, the Yale Younger Poets prize is the oldest annual literary award in the United States. Past winners include Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich, William Meredith, W.S. Merwin, John Ashbery, John Hollander, James Tate, and Carolyn Forché.

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9. Solove's reputation as internet expert continues to grow

In the wake of recent news stories about internet privacy and cyber-vigilantes, Daniel Solove, author of The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet, has continued to share his expertise in a variety of articles and forums. Here is a brief list of some sites where Solove has appeared:

  • For their January 21 article "Keeping Teens Safe Online," ConsumerAffairs.com asks Solove about how teens view the Internet, and what parents can do.
  • The Washington Post posted the second-half of "Privacy, Free Speech and Anonymity on the Internet," the transcript of Solove's two-day online discussion, in which he answered questions from the public.
  • The Arizona Daily Star turned to Solove for their story on the rise of shame sites for bad tippers, aggressive drivers, adulterers, and more.
  • The San Francisco Chronicle profiled Joanne McNabb of the California state Internet Security Office, who, after reading "adviser" Daniel Solove's book, is changing California laws based upon his book's suggestions.
  • In TechNewsWorld's article on the increase in self-Googling, Solove explains the new definition of privacy.
  • In Newsweek's Periscope section, Daniel Solove is consulted for an article on college campus gossip sites.

9780300124989Today from 4:30 to 5:30, at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Solove will give the Distinguished Lecture in Law and Technology. This event is free and open to the public. If you can't make it, then you can instead catch the live webcast at http://law.case.edu/lectures. Click here for more information.

Read an excerpt from The Future of Reputation, or browse the table of contents, or visit Solove's website or blog.

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10. The New Republic salutes Kitaj and Calder books as "remarkable"

Writing for The New Republic, Jed Perl lists "half a dozen remarkable books about the visual arts published during the year." Two of his six favorites were published by Yale University Press this past year: Second Diasporist Manifesto: A New Kind of Long Poem in 615 Free Verses by R. B. Kitaj, and Calder Jewelry edited by Alexander S. C. Rower and Holton Rower. "Each is a book," says Perl, "that I expect I'm going to be returning to in 2008--and in the years beyond."

9780300124569Perl calls Kitaj's Second Diasporist Manifesto "a wonderfully idiosyncratic book." He goes on to say that "the book is niftily laid out, with Kitaj's drawings and paintings reproduced in a black-and-white that suggests the brevity of tabloid imagery, and shots of red ink added to underscore the vehemence of Kitaj's drumroll pronouncements."

This book, a follow up to Kitaj’s influential First Diasporist Manifesto (1989), is a personal reflection on the Jewish Question in contemporary art as it is lived and painted and imagined by one of today's most innovative and controversial artists. In 615 distinct propositions that deliberately echo the Commandments of Jewish Law, Kitaj here channels his ideas for a new Diasporist art in a daring stream of consciousness. Including 41 images of the artist’s work chosen by him to accompany the text, this beautifully crafted volume is a unique and fascinating look into an artist’s unusual life and work.

9780300134285Calder Jewelry, says Perl, "adds yet another level of delightful complication to our understanding of an American artist whom too many people still take for granted." He calls the book an "opulent volume," and praises Maria Robledo's photographs, which "bring us very close to the jewelry, until we feel as if we are actually touching these miniaturized fantasies, taking them in our hands, trying them on."

Calder Jewelry features around 300 bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and rings, all of which are exquisitely reproduced in newly commissioned photographs. Also included are examples of Calder's inventory drawings; the boxes he made to store the jewelry; historic photographs of his jewelry worn by notable patrons, art collectors, and artists (for instance, Peggy Guggenheim and Georgia O’Keeffe); and a chronology. Essays by Mark Rosenthal and Jane Adlin discuss the relationship of these objects to the artist’s other endeavors and in relation to the history of jewelry.

Click here to read the rest of Perl's article.

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11. Scott Shane shows bloggers the truth about entrepreneurship

"Do you understand the reality of entrepreneurship or do you believe the myths?"

That question has piqued the interest of many news aggregates and bloggers, who took this quiz to find out where they stand. The quiz was designed by author Scott A. Shane, whose new book, The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By, answers many of those questions in the quiz.

All over the web, bloggers who took the quiz are posting their thoughts--and their scores. Among those bloggers is Guy Kawasaki, a "managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, ... a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine," and a former "Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc." Kawasaki scored "a whopping 40%" on Shane's quiz, and a few days later Shane wrote a guest post for his blog, How to Change the World.

Jeremy Hanks of Adventures in Entrepreneurship bought the book after getting only a 45%. Small Business Trends took the quiz, and then posted that they want to get Shane for an interview. Startup Addict Musings also took the quiz and posted about it. The quiz has also been seeded on Newsvine, and picked up by web aggregates like Small Business Brief, Small Business Radar, MyBlogLog, and Blog Catalog. Buzzoodle listed four reasons why it's generating so much buzz, including the fact that "Guy Kawasaki was impressed." See below for a list of more blogs that picked up on the buzz around Scott Shane.

9780300113310The Illusions of Entrepreneurship shows that the reality of entrepreneurship is decidedly different from the myths that have come to surround it. Scott Shane, a leading expert in entrepreneurial activity in the United States and other countries, draws on the data from extensive research to provide accurate, useful information about who becomes an entrepreneur and why, how businesses are started, which factors lead to success, and which predict a likely failure.

Scott A. Shane is A. Malachi Mixon III Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. He is the author or editor of eleven books and more than sixty scholarly articles on entrepreneurship and innovation management. He lives in Shaker Heights, OH.

If you want to read more from Shane before you buy your copy of The Illusions of Entrepreneurship, here are some places to start:

http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/2008/01/test-your-knowl.html

http://www.businessopportunitiesandideas.co.uk/537/do-you-think-you-know-more-about-entrepreneurship-than-guy-kawasaki

http://upandrunning.entrepreneur.com/2008/01/15/top-ten-myths-of-entrepreneurship/

http://smarteconomy.typepad.com/entrepreneurship_and_inno/2008/01/the-illusions-o.html

http://blog.weatherby.net/2008/01/entrepreneurshi.html

http://www.thefrankpetersshow.com/

http://thinkbeta.com/blog/?p=933

http://thedailychallengesofanentrepreneur.blogspot.com/2008/01/test-to-see-how-good-your-knowledge-is.html

http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/01/09/shanebook

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12. Yale Press Awarded $1.3 Million Grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

120aoc_2_3 Yale University Press is pleased to announce that it has received a $1.3 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop a digital documentary edition of Stalin's Personal Archive.

The digitization of Stalin's Personal Archive is a new initiative of Yale University Press's acclaimed Annals of Communism series, begun in 1992.  The digitized documents from this archive will become the basis for future scholarly research, while expediting traditional book publications on topics of great importance in understanding Soviet and twentieth-century world history.  Scholars worldwide will be able to investigate the rare primary source materials and documents contained in this archive without having to travel to Moscow where the archive is held and will be able to communicate their findings instantaneously online. The archive contains significant new materials relating to Stalin's political life and death:  documents concerning foreign policy with Germany before World War II; Stalin's communications with Nikolai Yezhov, head of the NKDV during the Great Purges; Stalin's directives to the Politburo after World War II; material illuminating his relations with Western intellectuals and political leaders, including Franklin D. Roosevelt; and his private notations concerning Lenin, Trotsky, Bukharin, and other Soviet leaders. It also contains inestimably important materials from Stalin's library.

The Press also intends to enable transcription, translation, and scholarly annotation of these materials to be done online by Press authors and researchers using a specially designed publishing platform. To ensure the continued high scholarly credibility of the project, the approval process for the Digital Stalin Archive will be as rigorous as for volumes published in the Annals of Communism series and will be conducted in the same manner: vetting will be done by the Scholarly Editorial Committee for the Annals of Communism series, through Yale University Press's own scholarly review procedure, and by the Executive Editor for Annals of Communism.  Once approved, the fully transcribed, translated, and annotated documents will be published online. The Press envisions that online availability will occur gradually over the period of the project. A fully digitized version of all documents contained within this archive should be available to scholars via the World Wide Web by 2012.

John Donatich, Director, Yale University Press, said, "Taken together, these materials will provide the last great missing piece in understanding the engine of Soviet influence in the twentieth century—Stalin and his legacy. The digitization of Stalin's Personal Archive will facilitate important new research in Soviet studies as well as the creation of a living, growing, and continually evolving body of scholarship that will take advantage of new innovation and technologies."

To learn more about the Mellon Foundation grant to digitize the Stalin Archive, please contact Heather D'Auria, Publicity Director, at 203.432.8193 or [email protected].

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13. Fred Shapiro names year's top 10 quotes

As 2008 approaches, Fred R. Shapiro, the editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, looked back on all of the quotes, soundbytes, and catchphrases that made an impact in 2007. Now, Shapiro has prepared a top ten list of the most memorable quotes, Reuters reports.

Shapiro's number one for 2007 was "Don't tase me, bro!" from University of Florida student Andrew Meyer. According to Reuters, Shapiro sees this quote as "a symbol of pop culture success. Within two days it was one of the most popular phrases on Google and one of the most viewed videos. It also showed up on ringtones and T-shirts."

Shapiro's list was also featured on NBC's TODAY show. On Meyer's quote, Shapiro told MSNBC, "It's not Shakespeare, but there is a kind of folk eloquence in that. It wouldn't be a quote if he didn't say 'bro'.... That had just the right rhythm to make it memorable."

To read Reuter's article on the entire list, click here. To see TODAY's segment on it, launch the video found here.

9780300107982This reader-friendly quotation book is unique in its focus on modern and American quotations.  It is also the first to use state-of-the-art research methods to capture famous quotations and to trace sources of quotations to their true origins.  It contains more than 12,000 entries not only from literary and historical sources but also from popular culture, sports, computers, politics, law, and the social sciences. With fascinating annotations, extensive cross-references, and a large keyword index, the book is a curious reader's delight.

Read an excerpt from the book, or listen to an interview with Fred Shapiro on the Yale Press Podcast.

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14. Etzioni ponders the hypocrisy of illegal immigration policies

In another blog for The Huffington Post, Yale Press author Amitai Etzioni discusses "The Immigration Hypocrisy." He begins:

The United States is spending scores of billions of dollars to build fences and to train and enlarge the border patrol in an effort to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country, especially from south of the border. However, if an immigrant has few extra bucks and a bit of know-how, he or she can avoid the hot desert, the dangerous coyotes, and possible confrontations with the Minutemen or border patrol agents. They can simply fly to the US, enjoying complimentary drinks and munchies on one of the numerous airlines, and, once their visa has expired, they can just stay. No one knows exactly how many of the 300 million (I kid you not) visitors who came to the US simply refuse to leave when their time is up, but the number is very substantial. (Estimates vary between 60% to "only" 40% of all illegal immigrants).

Continue reading "The Immigration Hypocrisy."

9780300108576

Yale University Press recently released Amitai Etzioni's Security First: For a Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy.

Few would argue against the need for change in American foreign policy, but what approach would be best? Amitai Etzioni here proposes a foreign policy that is both pragmatic and morally sound—one in which basic security is the first priority. His ideas ring with the sound of reason, and his book should be required reading for every leader, policy maker and voter in America.

Amitai Etzioni is a Professor of International Relations at the George Washington University. Among his books are From Empire to Community, Political Unification Revisited, Winning Without War, and The Common Good. He served as a Senior Aid to the White House and as President of the American Sociological Association. He taught at Columbia, Harvard, and Berkeley. He was listed as one of the top 100 American intellectuals in Richard Posner’s book Public Intellectuals.

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15. Yale Press books about unlikely neighbors and allies

9780300120578In light of continued media coverage about the U.S.'s relationship with Iran, Trita Parsi's attention-grabbing Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States was reviewed by both Salon and Bloomberg News. Gary Kamiya of Salon calls it "an important new book," addressing a "fundamental misunderstanding of the country" of Iran. Celestine Bohlen of Bloomberg News admires the book for "tackling the complex question of Israel's role in what has become a triangular relationship" between Iran, the U.S., and Israel.

Read an excerpt, view the table of contents, or listen to an interview with the author on the Yale Press Podcast.

9780300122558Slate and Seattle Times have recently praised In the Company of Crows and Ravens by John M. Marzluff and Tony Angell, released earlier this year in paperback.

This intriguing book examines the often surprising ways that crows and ravens and humans interact. Featuring more than 100 striking illustrations, the book recounts lively stories about crows and ravens throughout history and around the world, and the authors challenge us to reconsider our thinking not only about these compelling birds but also about ourselves.

Slate contributor Tyler Cowen named it as one of "the best books of 2007," calling it "the unheralded science book of the year." He additionally wrote about this "fascinating book" on his blog, Marginal Revolution.

For their holiday gift list, Seattle Times suggests the "terrific" In the Company of Crows and Ravens, citing the numerous honors given to the book, including "rave reviews for this blend of science, art and anthropology" and "a first prize in book illustration and an overall prize for best work in the Victoria and Albert Museum's illustration contest."

Read an excerpt of the book, or view the table of contents.

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16. Art and architecture books featured in NYT

In an article on "their favorite books of 2007," New York Times art and architecture critics write "there is more to art books than gorgeous illustrations."

9780300126150As an example of a book that is more than just "gorgeous illustrations, they name Yale's The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece, edited by Gary M. Radke. Art critic Roberta Smith calls the book "a handsome and unusually handy (because narrow) catalog that may be the first book in English devoted exclusively to this masterpiece." She praises The Gates of Paradise, saying that it "brims with research gleaned from a newly completed 25-year conservation process and has essays by a dozen American and Italian scholars, leading off with an especially inspired one by Andrew Butterfield, a writer and Renaissance sculpture expert." Read more about this favorite and others here.

9780300134285In an article for the Holiday issue of the New York Times Style Magazine, Carol Kino praises another art book recently released by Yale Press, Calder Jewelry, edited by Alexander S. C. Rower and Holton Rower. Kino says that "leafing through the book feels like taking a trip through art history." You can read more from this beautifully illustrated article, or see more images from the book.

Featuring around 300 bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and rings––along with inventory drawings and historic photographs––this stunning book examines Alexander Calder’s captivating jewelry.

9780300116618Benjamin Genocchio of the New York Times reviewed Art and Emancipation in Jamaica: Isaac Mendes Belisario and His Worlds as a "fine exhibition," for which Yale Press released the catalogue by Tim Barringer, Gillian Forrester, and Barbaro Martinez Ruiz. Genocchio went on to call it "undoubtedly the largest exhibition at the [Yale Center for British Art] in some time" and noted that "the displays and research yield fascinating stories, not only about art’s relation to history but also about the appalling cruelty that humans inflict upon one another." Read the entire review here.

And Edward Rothstein wrote an article on the opening of the Museum at Eldridge Street, after 20 years of reconstruction. He talked to the "knowledgeable" Annie Polland about what used to be the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Polland's YUP-released book, Landmark of the Spirit, is forthcoming.

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17. Amitai Etzioni on The Huffington Post

Amitai Etzioni, author of Security First: For a Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy, was a recent guest blogger for The Huffington Post. The article, called "An Honesty Test for Politicians," begins:

In the course of this campaign season many questions have been raised about the character of the various candidates for public office. We are sure to hear much more about their personal integrity and the veracity of specific claims they make. The test I recommend is simple: It asks whether a person who is seeking to lead us has the courage to come clean with the American people and tell one and all that we must take a bitter medicine--namely, that we must impose a hefty tax on oil. He or she can soften the blow by listing all the good things that would follow from such a tax, but would have to add that we also must give up on our romance with the automobile.

Continue reading "An Honesty Test for Politicians."

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Few would argue against the need for change in American foreign policy, but what approach would be best? Amitai Etzioni here proposes a foreign policy that is both pragmatic and morally sound—one in which basic security is the first priority. His ideas ring with the sound of reason, and his book should be required reading for every leader, policy maker and voter in America.

Amitai Etzioni is a Professor of International Relations at the George Washington University. Among his books are From Empire to Community, Political Unification Revisited, Winning Without War, and The Common Good. He served as a Senior Aid to the White House and as President of the American Sociological Association. He taught at Columbia, Harvard, and Berkeley. He was listed as one of the top 100 American intellectuals in Richard Posner’s book Public Intellectuals.

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18. New York Daily News calls Copquin's new book the "bible" of Queens

9780300112993 Claudia Gryvatz Copquin's newly released The Neighborhoods of Queens is receiving lots of positive attention this week.

The New York Daily News ran an article on the book's release, saying "Look out, Queens, because your bible is coming. A 265-page book with intricate maps, historic photos and fascinating tidbits about the nation's most diverse county is already racking up requests on Amazon.com."

The New York Post calls the book "excellent" and the New York Observer says it's "one of those books where you can open it to any page and find something interesting."

As previously posted, Book Culture in Manhattan will host "An Evening with Claudia Gryvatz Copquin" on Thursday, December 6 at 7 p.m. She will discuss the book and her childhood in Queens, with a Q&A, book signing, and reception.

And on Saturday, December 8, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a book party at the Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Along with Copquin herself, speakers will include Kenneth T. Jackson, General Editor of Yale's Neighborhoods of New York City series, and Peter H. Kostmayer, President of Citizens Committee for New York City.

If you can't get to any of these events, you don't have to miss out. You can read Copquin's interview with Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell, the blogger behind K.C.'s Write For You, where Copquin discusses Queens, her book, and life as a writer.

Claudia Gryvatz Copquin is an award-winning freelance journalist who immigrated to Queens from South America with her family in the late 1960s. She now resides on Long Island.

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19. Korobokin on Balkinization

9780300122923Jack Balkin, the professor and author behind the popular blog Balkinization, invited Yale author Russell Korobkin to write a guest post and talk about his new book Stem Cell Century: Law and Policy for a Breakthrough Technology:

A couple of weeks back, Jack invited me to guest blog about my new book, Stem Cell Century: Law and Policy for a Breakthrough Technology, just out from Yale University Press. The book examines a broad range of legal and policy issues raised by stem cell research, starting with the issues that garner significant media attention, such as President Bush’s restrictive federal funding policy, but going substantially beyond to consider issues concerning cloning research, the patenting of stem cells, innovation policy as related to stem cells, issues of research subject protection and tissue donor compensation, and questions of regulation by the FDA and the tort system.

Korobkin's post, which continues here, has sparked a lot of discussion in the comments section. Read an excerpt from Stem Cell Century, or view the table of contents.

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20. 2007 top picks, part 2: Yale books in holiday gift lists

Here is just a sample of some titles that editors and websites have picked in their year-end lists.

Gift600 William Grimes at the New York Times assembled a gift guide of 15 perfect books for this holiday season, including Bears: A Brief History by Bernd Brunner. Grimes warmly recommends "this little gem."

The Washington Post put out their list of the best books of 2007, featuring four YUP titles. They called Hugh Brogan's Alexis de Tocqueville a monumental achievement. West from Appomattox, an "engaging" book by Heather Cox Richardson, also made the list. Ali A. Allawi brings "a valuable new voice to the ongoing debate" in The Occupation of Iraq, they said. And they praise Janet Malcolm's Two Lives as a "lucid and elegant meditation on literature and morality."

In addition, the Washington Post rounded up a list of art gift books. Among them are Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art by Jeffrey Spier, and George Stubbs, Painter, the catalogue raisonne by Judy Egerton.

Library Journal has named Hotel: An American History, by A. K. Sandoval-Strausz a December Best Book Pick. Along with having a "sound historical method," Sandoval-Strausz writes with "that rare blend of erudition and clarity that most of us can only dream of possessing."

Also, the Yale Holiday Sale has been extended. Free shipping is available for all web orders through December 31, 2007, and select titles are 50% off. And don't forget to check out our Holiday Selections.

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21. Top picks, part 1: Yale books make Amazon.com's Top 100

Best2007_75__v5468984_If you're looking for the best books of the year or the perfect gifts for the season, Amazon.com, the New York Times, the Washington Post and others have put together some year-end book lists. Yale University Press books have ranked highly on many of those lists, from arts to science to current events. Here is just a sample of some titles that editors and websites have picked.

Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games by Tennent H. Bagley made the Amazon.com Editors' Picks: Top 100 Books, coming in at number 76. Also, YUP titles made strong showings in a number of the editors' category-based Top 10 lists.

See the rest of the Amazon.com Editors' Picks.

Also, the Yale Holiday Sale has been extended. Free shipping is available for all web orders through December 31, 2007, and select titles are 50% off. And don't forget to check out our Holiday Selections.

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22. Evening with Copquin at Book Culture

On Thursday, December 6 at 7 pm, Book Culture bookstore in New York City will host an evening with Yale University Press author Claudia Gryvatz Copquin. Her new book, The Neighborhoods of Queens, is "one of those books where you can open it to any page and find something interesting," according to the New York Observer. Book Culture is located at 536 W. 112th St., New York, NY.

9780300112993This up-to-date, intimate portrait of the 99 neighborhoods of Queens is a wonderful tribute to the borough’s past history and present diversity. Detailing the history, people, and cultural activities of each neighborhood, the book is generously illustrated with more than 200 photographs, both contemporary and historical, and over 50 new maps that chart the precise neighborhood boundaries.

Claudia Gryvatz Copquin is an award-winning freelance journalist who immigrated to Queens from South America with her family in the late 1960s. She now resides on Long Island. 

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23. News sources rely upon Solove and his Reputation

Daniel Solove, author of The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet, has earned a reputation for himself as an expert in the field. That's why you can find Solove, quoted and reviewed, across the Internet. Here's just a sample:

  • Solove appeared on NPR's Talk of the Nation along with other guests to discuss digital age vigilantes. Listen to the show, or click here for more information, as well as an excerpt from Solove's book.
  • Kim Zetter of Wired asked Solove to say a few words about "Internet shaming" for a post on her Threat Level blog, found here.
  • USA Today ran an article on the criminalization of online harassment, and turned to Daniel Solove for some expert advice.
  • Solove's blog, Concurring Opinions, has been chosen for the ABA Journal's Blawg 100. This means that they think his blog is one of the "100 best Web sites by lawyers, for lawyers, as chosen by the editors of the ABA Journal."
  • The Harvard Crimson ran an excellent review of The Future of Reputation, saying that Solove's "crisp and refreshing writing ... demonstrates a real understanding of and engagement with the youthful Internet culture he analyzes."
  • The November 2007 issue of the National Jurist featured The Future of Reputation, also noting that Solove's ideas about Internet reputation might be "of special interest to law students."

9780300124989_3Daniel Solove, an authority on information privacy law, offers a fascinating account of how the Internet is transforming gossip, the way we shame others, and our ability to protect our own reputations. Focusing on blogs, Internet communities, cybermobs, and other current trends, he shows that, ironically, the unconstrained flow of information on the Internet may impede opportunities for self-development and freedom. Long-standing notions of privacy need review, the author contends: unless we establish a balance between privacy and free speech, we may discover that the freedom of the Internet makes us less free.

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24. James Prosek in print and in studio

James Prosek, author and illustrator for Yale University Press' recently released Tight Lines: Ten Years of the Yale Anglers' Journal, wrote a short essay for the Outdoors section of the New York Times. The piece, published on November 28th, describes in painterly prose his trip to Alaska with an old mentor:

When I was 14, I was caught fishing illegally in a drinking-water reservoir by a game warden named Joe Haines. Instead of giving me a ticket, he took me under his wing.

I learned a lot of things from Haines: how to find edible mushrooms in the woods or four-leaf clovers in the yard; how to catch blue crabs and find razor clams; and how to spear, skin and cook eels.

To continue reading the piece, click here.

9780300126303 In addition, Prosek and Alexis Surovov came on WNPR's Where We Live to talk about fly fishing, the Yale Anglers' Journal, and Tight Lines. To listen to that show, click here.

Prosek also came into the studio for the Yale Press Podcast, which you can hear by clicking here.

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25. Lane op-ed in the Washington Post

9780300124460Christopher Lane, author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness, wrote an op-ed for the November 6 edition of the Washington Post. The piece, titled "Shy? Or Something More Serious?," has generated strong responses online. Here is an excerpt from "Shy? Or Something More Serious?":

If anyone in my parents' generation had argued that shyness and other run-of-the-mill behaviors might one day be called mental disorders, most people would probably have laughed or stared in disbelief. At the time, wallflowers were often admired as modest and geeks considered bookish. Those who were shy might sometimes have been thought awkward -- my musically gifted mother certainly was -- but their reticence fell within the range of normal behavior. When their discomfort was pronounced, the American Psychiatric Association called it "anxiety neurosis," a psychoanalytic term that encouraged talk-related treatment.

Click here to keep reading "Shy? Or Something More Serious?"

Lane also wrote an op-ed, "Shy on Drugs," for the College section of the New York Times this past September. You can read that piece here.

Christopher Lane is Herman and Beulah Pearce Miller Research Professor, Northwestern University, and the recent recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship to study psychopharmacology and ethics. He is the author of many essays and several books on psychoanalysis, psychiatry, and culture, including Hatred and Civility: The Antisocial Life in Victorian England.

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