FOX's musical drama Empire has been hailed as the savior of broadcast television, drawing 15 million viewers a week. A "hip-hopera" inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear and 1980s prime-time soap Dynasty, the series is at the forefront of a black popular culture Renaissance--yet has stirred controversy in the black community. Is Empire shifting paradigms or promoting pernicious stereotypes?Examining the evolution and potency of black images in popu...

Black celebrities in America have always walked a precarious line between their perceived status as spokespersons for their race and their own individual success--and between being "not black enough" for the black community or "too black" to appeal to a broader audience.Few know this tightrope walk better than Kanye West, who transformed hip-hop, pop and gospel music, redefined fashion, married the world's biggest reality TV star and ran for president, all while becoming one of onl...

With the emergence of popular culture phenomena such as reality television, blogging, and social networking sites, it is important to examine the representation of Black women and the potential implications of those images, messages, and roles. Black Women and Popular Culture: The Conversation Continues provides such a comprehensive analysis. Using an array of theoretical frameworks and methodologies, this collection features cutting edge research from scholars interested in the relationsh...

The regulation of innovation and the optimal design of legal institutions in an environment of uncertainty are two of the most important policy challenges of the twenty-first century. Innovation is critical to economic growth. Regulatory design decisions and, in particular, competition policy and intellectual property regimes can have profound consequences for economic growth. However, remarkably little is known about the relationship between innovation, competition and regulatory policy. ...

Until his father’s death, Noah Adams believed the large piece of land gifted to him on his twenty-first birthday is legally his. Suddenly he discovers a condition comes with the ‘gift’. For the land to become lawfully his, Noah must marry within four weeks or lose everything. With no local women available, he has few choices.Mary Stanton is impoverished and barely surviving. After deciding he can no longer support his spinster daughter, her father promises her to a lecherous man wh...

More than a decade ago, Chance fell in love, but it wasn’t to be.Chance Devlin vividly recollects the day Laura arrived at Broken Arrow ranch, to take charge of three motherless boys.He could only admire her from afar, as her responsibilities were too great to allow any man into her life. Now, the boys are all grown up with families of their own.Is there any hope for him with Laura, or should he think about trying to get himself a Proxy Bri...

Floyd Adams' proxy bride arrived amidst chaos, mayhem, and gunfire.He knew nothing about the man who threatened to make Kathryn his own or take her life in the process. What Floyd did know was he would protect his bride, even if that meant putting his own life in danger. That was the cowboy way, after all.Kathryn Allen married Floyd by proxy to distance herself from a relentless pursuer. One who had already shown his true colors. What she hadn't counted on was bringing dang...

Karl was not interested in marriage - he enjoyed his freedom as a bachelor. Sure all the other cowboys on the ranch were now happily married, but that didn't mean he had to join them.When he discovered, without his knowledge or consent, his brother had arranged a proxy marriage for him anyway, Karl was furious. And he was ready to send the fiery redhead back to where she came from the moment she set foot in Halliwell.But when push came to shove, could he do it? What was the...

Forced to marry by proxy to keep his land, Seth Adams agrees to wait for several weeks to meet his bride until her sister has given birth. He is shocked when she arrives, bringing her young niece with her.Abigail Taggart has looked forward to her marriage, but little does she know what lays ahead.Will Seth accept Abigail’s explanation, or will he turn her away? And despite their difficult situation, can these two strangers make their marriage work?Author's Promi...

We started Asymmetrical for a laundry list of reasons, but all those reasons point back to one underlying goal: Adding Value. If Asymmetrical has a single objective, that's it. We know that if we add enough value to enough people through Asymmetrical, then we'll be able to raise the tide of Independent Publishing, not just our own work, but Indie Publishing as a whole. That way everyone benefits; a rising tide lifts all boats. Adding Value is the reason we've put together this Guid...

In contrast to the anxiety surrounding our voting system, with stories about voter suppression and manipulation, there are actually quite a few positive initiatives toward voting rights reform. Professor Joshua A. Douglas, an expert on our electoral system, examines these encouraging developments in this inspiring book about how regular Americans are working to take back their democracy, one community at a time.Told through the narratives of those working on positive voting rights ...

The latest wireless security solutions Protect your wireless systems from crippling attacks using the detailed security information in this comprehensive volume. Thoroughly updated to cover today's established and emerging wireless technologies, Hacking Exposed Wireless , second edition reveals how attackers use readily available and custom tools to target, infiltrate, and hijack vulnerable systems. This book discusses the latest developments in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and DECT hacking,...