Search results for ""Author Peter Laufer""

After eating some suspect "organic" walnuts that he was shocked to find were produced in Kazakhstan, veteran journalist Peter Laufer traces the origins of items in his pantry back to the source, learning how easily we are tricked into buying "organic" claims. Part food narrative, part investigation, part adventure story, Laufer's book is an informative and entertaining look into the anything goes world behind the organic label.View the book trailer for Peter Laufer's Organic at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owiACnN69rY

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Investigative journalist Peter Laufer is back with his third book in a trilogy that explores the way we humans interact with animals. The attack of a trainer at Sea World by a killer whale in February 2010 is the catalyst for this examination of the controversial role animals have played in the human arenas of entertainment and sports. From the Romans throwing Christians to lions to cock-fighting in present-day California, from abusive Mexican circuses to the thrills of a Hungarian counterpart, from dog training to shooting strays in the Baghdad streets, Laufer looks at the ways people have used animals for their pleasure. The reader travels with Laufer as he encounters fascinating people and places, and as he ponders the ethical questions that arise from his quest.

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Nevada’s iconic art form comes to life. Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer take readers on a journey, not only along the Las Vegas Strip, but down quiet, two-lane rural roads punctuated by neon signs—those glistening beacons that represent commerce in the vast Great Basin. The photographers’ stunning work captures the argon violets, krypton purples, helium golds, and xenon blues that glow amid the nighttime desert sky.  Readers will discover that neon is not just a medium for casino advertising. The colorful images of cowboys and cowgirls, animals, desert landscapes, and a myriad of other creative designs all illuminate Americana. The neon sign helps define Nevada and its businesses, from bars and casinos to the stores, restaurants, motels, and theaters that line the streets of the Silver State’s cities and towns, and those rural areas that are barely a blip on the map. With a compelling blend of striking full-colo

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Forbidden Creatures chronicles Laufer's worldwide quest to penetrate the underworld network of hunters, traders, and customers who constitute the nefarious business of animal smuggling.

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This widely praised book chronicles Peter Laufer’s adventures within the butterfly industry and the butterfly underground. Laufer begins by examining the allure of butterflies throughout history, but his research soon veers into the high-stake realms of organized crime, ecological devastation, museum collections, and chaos theory. His ever-expanding journey of discovery throughout the Americas and beyond offers a rare look into a theater of intrigue, peopled with quirky and nefarious characters—all in pursuit of these delicate, beautiful creatures. Read this book, and your garden—and the world—will never quite look the same.

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Part food narrative, part investigation, part adventure story, Organic is an eye-opening and entertaining look into the anything goes world behind the organic label. It is also a wakeup call about the dubious origins of food labeled organic. After eating some suspect organic walnuts that supposedly were produced in Kazakhstan, veteran journalist Peter Laufer chooses a few items from his home pantry and traces their origins back to their source. Along the way he learns how easily we are tricked into taking "organic" claims at face value.With organic foods readily available at supermarket chains, confusion and outright deception about labels have become commonplace. Globalization has allowed food from highly corrupt governments and businesses overseas to pollute the organic market with food that is anything but. The organic environment is like the Wild West: oversight is virtually nonexistent, and deception runs amok. Laufer investigates so-called organic farms in Europe and South America as well as in his own backyard in the Pacific Northwest.The book examines what constitutes organic and by whom the definitions are made. The answers will stun readers, who have been sold a questionable, highly suspect, and even false bill of goods for years. View the book trailer for Organic at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owiACnN69rY.

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With this provocative and concise book, journalist Peter Laufer launches a Slow News movement, inviting us to question the value of the perpetual empty-calorie news that accompanies our daily lives.Slow News: A Manifesto for the Critical News Consumer examines the nature of news in the context of the increasingly frenetic pace of modern life in the twenty-first century. Taking a cue from the slow food movement, Laufer suggests that we step back from the constant barrage of instant news to consider news thoughtfully and thoroughly. He argues that it is valuable for both the journalist in the field and the news consumer at home to take the time to ruminate on most news events.Inspired by Michael Pollan’s Food Rules, Laufer offers twenty-eight rules—including “Trust accuracy over time,” “Know your sources,” and “Don’t become a news junkie”—to guide us in a gradual quest for slower news.

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Interviewing: The Oregon Method is a collection of practical and analytical essays from more than three dozen professional interviewers, scholars, and teachers. This revised and expanded second edition of the popular professional tool features a new foreword and a dozen new chapters designed to aid journalists navigating the contemporary 'fake news' and 'enemy of the people' media landscape. The book's chapters take focused looks at a wide variety of issues, including interview ethics, the sanctity of quotes, interviewing in the virtual world, negotiating identity, and building rapport. The art of the interview has been taught at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication for generations. This foundational text binds those years of experience into a collection of vibrant essays designed to train novices and invigorate old hands.Interviewing is edited by Peter Laufer, the University of Oregon's James Wallace Chair Professor of Journalism. As he tells his students, 'The interview is intimate, immediate, and often an entrée toward the soul. Conducting interviews can be both great fun and an art form.' This is a primer for the digital age, yet one embracing age-old lessons that make clear the crucial importance of successful interviewing techniques for speaking truth to power along with other productive forms of civic engagement.

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