Drink In These Coffee Table Books ? Woman Around Town

coffeetable books featured

My first job in New York was working at a flagship bookstore on Fifth Avenue. This was the place to come to buy the finest, most expensive books on the market. Without thinking about it, my customers would ask me to cut off the price tag before I did the gift wrapping. This always struck me as a silly thing to do, so just before the holidays, I started advising people ?Look, you?re spending a lot of money on this. Why not let the recipient know how much you care? Let me leave on the price tag, and when they open the gift, just say ?I can?t believe it! The salesgirl didn?t remove the price!?? Not one person ever turned down this excellent counsel, so I pass it along to you, Gentle Reader.

Who doesn?t love great food? We may not always be able to eat at the finest places, but with BOUCHON BAKERY, we can vicariously enjoy the mouth-watering baked goods being served. Master Chef Thomas Keller and his pastry chef, Sebastien Rouxel, have written a guide for the everyday lover of muffins, scones, cookies, and the like. There are instructional photos, and mercifully, while Keller and Rouxel are very much in earnest about serving only the best, they don?t take themselves too seriously. Dinner for two at Keller?s Per Se, one of the most highly regarded restaurants in NYC, can easily cost a couple of grand for two people- if you can even get a reservation. Likewise, his revered restaurant the French Laundry, is well worth the hike to Yountville, Ca., but it would be a mistake to show up at the door thinking you?ll get admitted. So here?s a chance for the home cook and gourmet alike on your list to get a scrumptious taste of the master?s handiwork.

And if that?s whet your appetite for gift giving, check out COME IN, WE?RE CLOSED, by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy. Subtitled ?An invitation to staff meals at the world?s best restaurants,? this is a behind-the-scenes look at food served to the harshest critics in the world- the men and women responsible for creating the meals at the finest restaurants on the globe. These ?family meals,? which are a tradition in France and Japan, are quickly becoming an expected perk for the cooks, waiters, managers, and others who must be knowledgeable about what?s being served. The added bonus is that not only are leftovers being used creatively, but also, a sense of camaraderie is fostered. Twenty-five of the best restaurants in the world are featured, including Ad Hoc, the comfort food destination owned by Thomas Keller himself, in the heart of the Napa Valley. How great would it be to have a special meal with everyone in attendance at 4pm, before the civilians arrive. Chef de Cuisine Dave Cruz states that he always strives to provide ?Nourishment: feeding your body and feeding each other;? that?s what?s most important at these communal meals. Now, we can sit down at that big table, and enjoy with the pros a feast of such delights as fish cheeks, skirt steak stuffed with charred scallions, and chocolate-peanut butter crunch bars. I?m so there!

No two ways about it. For all the music lovers on your list, 360 SOUND: THE COLUMBIA RECORDS STORY is a gift that will be cherished. Pulitzer Prize and Grammy nominated author and historian Sean Wilentz has put together an impressive compilation of 300 pictures of rarely seen photographs, explanations of technical advances in the music industry, and tidbits of information that could only come from dyed-in-the-wool insiders. The roster of artists working under the Columbia label encompasses all genres, including pop, jazz, rock, show tunes, and classical. The finest artists of the day are part of the history, including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce?the list goes on and on. This is truly a one of a kind book, and perfect to give to anyone who loves and appreciates music.

Mad magazine is an integral part of American culture, which is faithfully celebrated in MAD?S GREATEST ARTISTS: MORT DRUCKER, FIVE DECADES OF HIS FINEST WORK. Ardent fan Michael J. Fox has written the foreword; when asked by Johnny Carson when he knew he?d really made it in show business, Fox answered ?When Mort Drucker drew my head.? There are comic strips galore, and covers in full color, which would be great to rip out and put up on the wall; but resist the temptation. This book should be kept all in one piece, and passed down the generations to all those who reiterate the motto of the great gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman, ?What? Me Worry??

I?m recommending a couple of superb softcover books this season. The first is ICONS, by Markus Klinko & Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri. The celebrities of the title are such pop idols as Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Lindsay Lohan, all photographed at their dazzling, eye-popping best. The spirit of Lady Gaga, and so many others, comes through in these gorgeous images. Glamour is just a jumping off place for the creativity, vision, and uncanny ability to see into the soul of those our society holds in the highest esteem.

The sumptuous HOUSES OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS, by Hugh Howard is now available in a large paperback format. Subtitled ?The Men Who Made America and The Way They Lived,? this is a history lesson taught painlessly, with original photography by Roger Straus III. Featured are 39 stately residences from the 18th Century, from Maine to Georgia. The homes of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Adams are included, as well as those of some lesser known signers of Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Their lives, and in many cases, the lives of those they held as slaves, are illuminated. There?s plenty of insight into what made the founders of our country the men they were. For example, Alexander Hamilton was born out of wedlock at a time when being a bastard was a curse. His father deserted the family, and his mother died when he was 12. Hamilton was left stranded in the West Indies, alone and penniless. Yet by the age of 25, he?d turned around his fortunes and become prosperous and respected. All the historic homes have equally interesting stories.

Any self-respecting coffee table would find itself blessed to have any or all of these fine books proudly on display.

Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com

Source: http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/reading-around/drink-in-these-coffee-table-books

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Surface RT Availability Expands, Microsoft & Apple Feuding over Revenue Sharing

Microsoft has announced plans to make the Surface RT tablet available at additional retailers as early as mid-December. It has also announced the extension of the Microsoft holiday stores, including the transition of several of the stores into permanent Microsoft retail outlets. SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto attributed these announcements to Microsoft wanting to have more presence and be more pervasive with the Surface RT. Best Buy and Staples are confirmed to be two of the additional retail outlets where the Surface RT can be found.

Microsoft still has plans to release the Surface Pro in January. When asked about how the Surface Pro would fare against the Surface RT, Casaretto said, ?I think the price point for [the Surface Pro] might be too high for the general public. This would be along the lines of professionals looking at the device.?

To learn more and to read the entire article at its source, please refer to the following page, Breaking Analysis: Surface RT Availability Expands, Microsoft & Apple Feuding over Revenue Sharing- SiliconANGLE.com

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The money behind the Newtown massacre - Fortune Finance ...

FORTUNE -- Do you know who owns more than a 6% stake in the maker of .223 Bushmaster rifles, like the one used last Friday to murder 20 first graders and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut? California public schoolteachers.

The company in question is Freedom Group, a privately-held firearms conglomerate formed by private equity and hedge fund group Cerberus Capital Management. Cerberus created the platform in April 2006 via the acquisition of Bushmaster, after which it added another 10 makers of firearms, ammunition and accessories (including Remington, Marlin Arms and Barnes Bullets).

The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) committed to invest a whopping $500 million into a $7.5 billion Cerberus fund that has helped bankroll Freedom Group. That means that it effectively could own a 6.67% stake in the gun maker, which filed to go public in late 2009 before pulling the offering in early 2011. In fact, the figure could be even higher since CalSTRS also committed $100 million to a $1 billion predecessor fund, which likely made the original investment.

What I honestly don't understand, however, is why. Check out the following part of the pension system's statement on investment responsibility:

Non-economic factors will supplement profit factors in making investment decisions. Non-economic factors are defined as those considerations not directly related to the maximization of income and the preservation of principal. The consideration of non-economic factors is for the purpose of ensuring that the Retirement System, either through its action or inaction, does not promote, condone or facilitate social injury.

Does Freedom Group not facilitate social injury? I'm not suggesting that social injury is its mission, but it certainly is a foreseeable consequence.

Moreover, CalSTRS has identified?21 risk factors "that should be included within?the financial analysis of any investment decision." Here is the one titled Human Health:

The risk to an investment's long-term profitability from business exposure to an industry or company that makes a product which is highly detrimental to human health so that it draws significant product liability lawsuits, government regulation, United Nations sanctions and focus, and avoidance by other institutional investors.

Pretty sure the manufacture of semi-automatic rifles would apply here as well.

To be sure, there is a difference between buying a listed company's stock and investing in a private equity fund that promises to build out a diversified portfolio. Direct versus indirect. But it also is true that certain institutional investors either, (a) Only invest in private equity funds that pledge not to make certain types of investments (e.g., firearms, tobacco, etc.), or (b) Insist that its money be carved out of any such offending investment, so that the institution does not become an indirect shareholder.

MORE:?Private equity's European land grab

Unfortunately, CalSTRS has not taken either tack.

"Clearly you can make a case that this company's products fall within the 21 risk factors, particularly the one regarding human health," says CalSTRS spokesman Ricardo Duran. "But there are a lot of products that can be used responsibly or irresponsibly, and in this case it was used irresponsibly... Now that a tragic event like this has occurred, I'm sure that it is something that we will be discussing going forward."

When I followed up by asking if CalSTRS had such a discussion after a Bushmaster rifle was used in the Aurora movie theater shooting, Duran said he did not know. Also worth noting that Cerberus itself is not returning requests for comment.

There has been a lot of talk in the past several days about how to prevent the next massacre, with suggestions ranging from strengthened gun control legislation to improved mental health infrastructure. And, for the record, I support both.

MORE:?Post-financial crisis milestone: Banks beat market

But I also think that it's time for our large nonprofit institutions to put some of their money where their mission is. Profit should be the primary goal of their investment offices, but not at the expense of their broader purposes. If a schoolteachers union or university endowment or nonprofit foundation truly cares about stopping the next mass killing, then they should not provide capital that produces the instruments of such destruction.

For many gun enthusiasts, semi-automatic rifles like the?.223 Bushmaster is about sport and individual liberty. For Freedom Group, they are about profit. If the company were unable to find private investors unless it changed internal policy -- perhaps by only supplying such weaponry to police departments and military -- then Freedom most likely would do so. Capital is, of course, the root of capitalism.

Cerberus did not return repeated requests for comment. Also not commenting was private equity firm?Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., which sold Remington to Cerberus and still owns firearms peripherals company?Magpul Industries.

Sign up for Dan's daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers:?GetTermSheet.com

Source: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/12/17/the-money-behind-the-massacre/

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Survival of the females: Horse embryo study provides important new information

Dec. 18, 2012 ? It is well known that many mammals are able to adjust the ratio of male and female young depending on the surrounding conditions at the time of conception but how precisely this is accomplished remains a matter for debate. A recent study in the group of Christine Aurich at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has provided important information on how the survival of female embryos may be enhanced under conditions that would otherwise tend to favour the birth of males.

The work is published in the journal Theriogenology.

Because of the process involved in the formation of sperm cells, there should be an equal chance that a mammalian egg will be fertilized by "male" sperm, carrying a Y chromosome, as by a "female" sperm, carrying an X chromosome. The symmetry of the system ensures that roughly the same number of males and females are born, which is clearly helpful for the species' long-term survival. Surprisingly, though, many mammals do not produce equal numbers of male and female offspring.

The discrepancy could theoretically be explained by differential fertilization efficiencies of male and female sperm (Y chromosomes are smaller than X chromosomes so perhaps male sperm can swim faster?) or by different rates of survival of male and female foetuses in the uterus. Indeed, it does seem as though male embryos are better able to survive under conditions of high energy intake. But how does this work?

Jana Beckelmann in Christine Aurich's laboratory at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna now presents provocative evidence that a particular protein, insulin-like growth factor-1 or IGF1, might somehow be involved. From an examination of about 30 embryos, Beckelmann noticed that during early pregnancy (between eight and twelve days after fertilization) the level of messenger RNA encoding IGF1 was approximately twice as high in female embryos as in male embryos.

The difference could relate to the fact that female embryos have two X chromosomes, which might produce more of a factor required for the expression of the IGF1 gene (which is not encoded on the X chromosome) than the single X chromosome in males is able to generate. Beckelmann was also able to confirm that the IGF1 protein was present in the embryos, confirming that the messenger RNA is actually translated to protein.

IGF1 is known to have important functions in growth and to inhibit apoptosis, or programmed cell death. As IGF1 treatment of cattle embryos produced in vivo improves their survival, it is likely that the factor has positive effects on the development of the early embryo in the horse. So why should female embryos contain more of the factor than males?

Losses in early pregnancy are unusually high in the horse and it is believed that female embryos are especially prone to spontaneous abortion. Male embryos are known to be better able to survive under high glucose concentrations, so well-nourished mares preferentially give birth to male foals.

As Beckelmann says, "We think the higher IGF1 concentrations in female embryos might represent a mechanism to ensure the survival of the embryos under conditions that would otherwise strongly favour males." If this is so, the ratio of the sexes in horses is the result of a subtle interplay between environmental and internal factors, including insulin-like growth factor-1.

The paper "Sex-dependent insulin like growth factor-1 expression in preattachment equine embryos" by Jana Beckelmann, Sven Budik, Magdalena Helmreich, Franziska Palm, Ingrid Walter and Christine Aurich in the journal "Theriogenology" is available online and will appear in print in the issue of January 1, 2013 (Volume 79, Issue 1, 1 January 2013, pp. 193-199)."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. J. Beckelmann, S. Budik, M. Helmreich, F. Palm, I. Walter, C. Aurich. Sex-dependent insulin like growth factor-1 expression in preattachment equine embryos. Theriogenology, 2013; 79 (1): 193 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.10.004

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/O50JSrOzlZE/121218112015.htm

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Nokia reiterates: Windows Phone 7.8 update not arriving on Lumia devices until 2013

While an early leak might have hopefully suggested that Nokia was ready to offer an OS refresh to its first-generation Lumia owners, the company has now explained to Tweakers that those early glimpses of Windows Phone 7.8 were for pre-production models and, presumably, all part of the software testing process. We've stopped clicking the update button, (reluctantly) unplugged our Lumia 800 and are waiting on that Q1 refresh. However, if you're willing to tinker with your Windows Phone's inner workings for the taste of a new OS, there are ways.

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10 holiday gift ideas for the food obsessed

Holiday Gift Guide FoodFor those like me who are still searching for the perfect gift for that food-obsessed person on their list ? take a cue from these local food and drink purveyors who shared with me the gifts they're hoping to receive this holiday season.

COOKWARE

In my stocking I'd love to find mini kitchen supplies like colourful silicone muffin cups or a mini grater. They're cute and available at Nella Cucina.
Hassel Aviles, Toronto Underground Market

That's easy, I asked Santa for a Le Creuset skillet. The iconic, cast iron pieces are known for their colourful enameled finishes and are available from Good Egg in Kensington Market.
Lora Bertolo, Popover Girl

ARTISANAL PRODUCTS

Locally produced goodies like a dozen donuts from Dough by Rachelle, any of the beautiful chocolates from Laura Slack's Christmas Collection, cookies from Cookie Martinez or even an order from West Side Beef.
Hassel Aviles, Toronto Underground Market

COOKBOOKS

It's expensive, but I'm hoping for the book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. The six volume set is an authority on the science of contemporary cooking and goes for $599 at The Cookbook Store in Yorkville.
Aidan Pascoe, chef at Voodoo Child and line cook at the newly opened Rose and Sons

CHARITABLE GIVING

I like to receive intangible gifts like a Kiva Card that provides microloans to support entrepreneurs. Gifting a microloan allows the recipient to reinvest once the initial loan is paid off, so this gift has the potential to make a lot of impact.
Len Senater, The Depanneur

A charitable donation made in my name to The Stop. The community food centre strives to increase access to healthy food through its many programs and services. It was also host to some great summer events like The Stop's Beer Garden and Night Market.
Hassel Aviles, Toronto Underground Market

EXPERIENTIAL GIFTS

A gift certificate for the Rusholme Park Supper Club at The Depanneur to enjoy an informal, family-style dinner party hosted by a rotating cast of chefs.
Hassel Aviles, Toronto Underground Market

Or, how about tickets for an upcoming Dishcrawl? That would be an awesome gift and there are three scheduled in the new year; a King West martini pairing, a Beaches foodie/shopping crawl and an Ossington Dishcrawl.
Yashy Murphy, DIshcrawl

OLIVE OIL

As an alternative to all the David's Tea changing hands this season (there really is such a thing as too much tea), I'll be gifting lovely bottles of olive oil from the Spice Trader. It's something that everyone uses and even on a modest budget you can get a good bottle that's still a luxury.

Happy Holidays! Liora Ipsum

Source: http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2012/12/10_holiday_gift_ideas_for_the_food_obsessed/

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Egypt's opposition gears up for new protests

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's opposition alliance says it is gearing up for mass rallies across the country against the highly contentious Islamist-backed draft constitution and to denounce violations that they claim were rife during a first round of voting.

Tuesday's protests follow closely on new salvos in the conflict between Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the judiciary.

On Monday, Egypt's most prestigious tribunal, the Supreme Constitutional Court, denounced a top Morsi aide who distributed a statement labeling the court as an "anti-revolutionary" force. It said the "spreading of false news" was punishable by law.

Meanwhile, another branch of the judiciary announced its boycott of the second round of referendum voting, while the embattled Morsi-appointed prosecutor general submitted his resignation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-opposition-gears-protests-104413378.html

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Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders in children

Dec. 17, 2012 ? More than one in every ten schoolchildren suffers from a transient tic disorder, and 1% have a particular type of tic disorder known as Tourette syndrome. In this issue of Deutsches ?rzteblatt International, Andrea G. Ludolph of the Universit?tsklinikum Ulm and her coauthors report on the available modes of diagnosis and treatment for these disorders.

Tic disorders usually take a benign course; in about 90% of patients, the tics regress spontaneously in adolescence. Specific treatment is indicated only if the tics are severe or cause evident psychosocial stress. On the other hand, 80% to 90% of all patients with Tourette syndrome have comorbid disorders such as attention deficit?hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. These comorbidities often impair patients? quality of life more than the tics themselves do, and their treatment is, therefore, a priority.

At present, tics cannot be cured, nor is there any treatment aimed at their cause, which remains unknown. Moreover, there is no available treatment that can improve all of the potential symptoms of Tourette syndrome simultaneously while also treating all of its comorbidities. Atypical neuroleptic drugs are the agents of first choice in the treatment of tics, but, before any drug treatment is begun, all patients should first undergo a trial of behavior therapy, whose beneficial effect has been documented by sound scientific evidence. The state of the evidence regarding pharmacotherapy for Tourette syndrome is still poor.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Deutsches Aerzteblatt International, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Ludolph AG, Roessner V, M?nchau A, M?ller-Vahl K. Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2012; 109(48): 821%u20138 DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0821

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/KLMixt8_Kcg/121217110647.htm

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