The story of the banjo's journey from Africa to the western hemisphere blends music, history, and a union of cultures. In Banjo Roots and Branches, Robert B. Winans presents cutting-edge scholarship that covers the instrument's West African origins and its adaptations and circulation in the Caribbean and United States. The contributors provide detailed ethnographic and technical research on gourd lutes and ekonting in Africa and the banza in Haiti while also investigating tuning p...

As the twentieth century closed, Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin captured the attention of the world by identifying the five ages of time. In The Five Ages of the Universe, Adams and Laughlin demonstrate that we can now understand the complete life story of the cosmos from beginning to end.Adams and Laughlin have been hailed as the creators of the definitive long-term projection of the evolution of the universe. Their achievement is awesome in its scale and profound in its sc...

Once deemed an unworthy research endeavor, the study of sports fandom has garnered the attention of seasoned scholars from a variety of academic disciplines. Identity and socialization among sports fans are particular burgeoning areas of study among a growing cadre of specialists in the social sciences. Sports Fans, Identity, and Socialization, edited by Adam C. Earnheardt, Paul Haridakis, and Barbara Hugenberg, captures an eclectic collection of new studies from accomplished scholars in t...

The Free Agent Lifestyle is a guide for men who are looking to improve their lives, not with the intentions of pursuing and impressive others, but for themselves. This lifestyle can be a temporary sabbatical from the plantation of expectation, commitment and pursuing women or it can be a lifetime change. There is no greater form of empowerment to have than to realize that this life has so much more to offer those that live free.

The Free Agent Lifestyle is a guide for men who are looking to improve their lives, not with the intentions of pursuing and impressive others, but for themselves. This lifestyle can be a temporary sabbatical from the plantation of expectation, commitment and pursuing women or it can be a lifetime change. There is no greater form of empowerment to have than to realize that this life has so much more to offer those that live free.

A book set amongst musicians and casinos in Reno, Nevada, The Bass Sax and the Landlord explores the landlord-tenant dynamic when an excessive noise complaint plunges the landlord into the gritty blue world of a tall sly bass sax player. A dark family secret is forever silenced leading to an inheritance obtained and tricky revenge exacted in this humorous tale about a bass saxophone.

Collects Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #42-45, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25Th Anniversary Special And Material From Star Wars: Revelations (2023) #1. The saga of Darth Vader continues as the Empire is rocked by treason! In the wake of DARK DROIDS, Vader explores his powers and takes on the most dangerous team of rebel heroes he's ever faced! Meanwhile, the greatest threat to the Emperor's rule is rising - from within the Empire itself! Will the Dark Lord quell this insurrection…or join...

Collects Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #33-36, Darth Vader (2015) #3. When the Dark Lord of the Sith loses control of the Force, nothing is safe - not even his own Star Dreadnought! But in the face of total destruction, Commander Sabé finds an opportunity. Does Vader's untrammeled onslaught expose a vulnerability? Or is it just another doorway to the terrifying tyranny of the Sith? According to the Jedi, fear leads to anger and anger leads to hate. But does hate lead to suffering…or power?...

The author of the Washington Post’s hugely influential ""Plum Line"" sounds the alarm on the subversion of our democracy by self-interested politicians, greedy plutocrats, foreign government hacking, racial prejudice, media propaganda and our own lack of vigilance, and what must be done to save it before it’s too late.The sophistication and ambition of those now eroding American democracy by gaming the rules in their favor is unprecedented, including computer-generated ger...

The Bible stands at the heart of the Christian faith. But this leads to an inescapable question: why should we trust the Bible? Written to help non-Christians, longtime Christians, and everyone in between better understand why God’s Word is reliable, this short book explores the historical and theological arguments that have helped lead millions of believers through the centuries to trust the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Written by pastor Greg Gilbert, author of the popular books Wha...

Learn to build human-interactive Android apps, starting with device sensorsThis book shows Android developers how to exploit the rich set of device sensors—locational, physical (temperature, pressure, light, acceleration, etc.), cameras, microphones, and speech recognition—in order to build fully human-interactive Android applications. Whether providing hands-free directions or checking your blood pressure, Professional Android Sensor Programming shows how...

The dazzling Star Wars space adventure continues in The New JediOrder as Luke Skywalker, Anakin Solo, Mara Jade Skywalker, and others battle their deadliest enemy in a tale of nonstop action, shadowy evil, and spectacular triumph . . .No longer content with the destruction the Yuuzhan Vong have already sown, Warmaster Tsavong Lah has demanded the heads of all the Jedi. Now the Jedi Knights are in terrible danger–and none more so than the ...