Peter Laufer

In the days after September 11, 2001, photojournalist Peter Laufer set out on a cross-country journey to capture America at its most vulnerable and united. Traveling from Washington, DC, to California, he documented the voices, faces, and emotions of a diverse cross section of citizens grappling with tragedy, resilience, and what it meant to be American in that moment. Ten years later, and again on the 20th anniversary, he retraced his trip across the country, reconnecting with Americans to learn how their perspectives had shifted as the nation healed, adapted, and faced new challenges. The result is a remarkable chronicle spanning two decades (2001, 2011, and 2021), one that reveals both the enduring spirit and the evolving identity of America. With raw honesty and heartfelt testimony, We Are All Americans commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11 through the words and images of typical people whose stories speak to the heart of our shared humanity. Key Features: Firsthand interviews with Americans reflecting on 9/11 and its aftermath? Three cross-country journeys capturing diverse perspectives across states and regions Intimate portrait photography paired with interviews Documents 20 years of national transformation through lived experience This deeply moving portrait offers a rare and authentic look at how a nation—and its citizens—continue to define what it means to be American

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-color photographs and fascinating historical commentary, this book celebrates an art form that wholly embraces the state’s unique personality. First published in 1994, this newly updated and expanded edition of Neon Nevada explores the resurgence of this art form during the last decade, which has resulted in an appreciation of Nevada neon that will never fade. This survey of neon casts the new edition as a defining source for neon scholars and attracts neon aficionados to what can only be defined as a medium as distinctive and interesting as Nevada itself.

Neon Nevada takes readers and viewers on a literal and pictorial journey not only along the old Las Vegas Strip, but also down quiet two-lane rural roads punctuated occasionally with neon signs, those glistening beacons of civilization against the desert night sky. Because the neon resurgence has resulted in an institutionalization and appreciation of Nevada neon unlikely to fade, it is time for this updated statewide neon survey to complete the four-decade project – first published by the Press in 1994.

Talk radio is broadcast discourse expressing – under ideal circumstances – the medium’s full potential as a vox Populi megaphone. Talk radio creates a virtual arena (a Coliseum!) in which topics of public relevance, and most specifically of current affairs, are treated with both expert voices and the continuous contributions of the “man on the street” – the vox Populi. This vox Populi is expressed within the mainstream media context. Radio broadcasters anticipate the active participation of listeners and make them engines of the on-air discussions. Talk radio programs become instruments for intervening in public opinion and, via opinions of the public, intervene in the public agenda. Talk radio and its vox populi amplify the importance of political issues and social issues.

The book offers a step-by-step blueprint of radical proposals for the U. S.-Mexican border that go far beyond traditional initiatives to ease restrictions on immigration. Up Against the Wall provides the background to understanding how the border has become a fraud, resulting in nothing more than the criminalization of Mexican and other migrants. The book argues that the border with Mexico should be completely open for Mexicans wishing to travel north.

The book offers a step-by-step blueprint of radical proposals for the U. S.-Mexican border that go far beyond traditional initiatives to ease restrictions on immigration. Up Against the Wall provides the background to understanding how the border has become a fraud, resulting in nothing more than the criminalization of Mexican and other migrants. The book argues that the border with Mexico should be completely open for Mexicans wishing to travel north.

How can you make friends with the new boy at school when he won't talk to you? Join Mar a de la Luz with her friends, family, and dog as she finds a way to break through the language barrier. Peter Laufer celebrates the vibrancy of Spanglish and the cultures of Calexico on the US-Mexico border in this children's picture book illustrated with collage art by Susan L. Roth.

How can you make friends with the new boy at school when he won't talk to you? Join Mar a de la Luz with her friends, family, and dog as she finds a way to break through the language barrier. Peter Laufer celebrates the vibrancy of Spanglish and the cultures of Calexico on the US-Mexico border in this children's picture book illustrated with collage art by Susan L. Roth.

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

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.

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.

By 1941, a nascent statehood movement began to coalesce into an active and explicit secession campaign seeking to carve from Northern California and Southern Oregon a new State of Jefferson. Yreka, California, home of the secession movement, was named the temporary state capital. Local proponents, Members of the State of Jefferson Citizens Committee, began to stop traffic along Highway 99 at armed roadblocks to pass out political broadsides – their Proclamation of Independence. And, in December of that year, Judge John Childs of Crescent City, California, was elected the first Governor of the State of Jefferson. The United States' entry into World War II just days later interrupted this growing movement. News of the bombing of Pearl Harbor replaced the planned coverage of Child's election and overshadowed Jeffersonians perceived marginalization with a national sense of unity. But today what often is referred to as the mythical State of Jefferson remains as both an emblem of the north counties' frustrations and as a cultural signifier that differentiates the region from the rest of California and the nation. Through interviews with residents and travels through the region, Laufer reveals the story of what could have been and the identity of the region that remains even more than sixty years after the apex of the movement.

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.

Calexico creates a new border narrative and an authoritative blueprint for change. Through interviews, on-the-scene reporting, and historical analysis, Calexico contextualizes the region as emblematic of the immigration issues facing California and the nation while spotlighting the little-known unique individuality of the U. S.-Mexico borderlands.

A woman's guide to staying safe while traveling covers a wide range of topics and potentially treacherous situations, including how to identify scam artists, choose a safe travel companion, dress appropriately, find safe guides, and navigate hotel registration. Original.