Half of known space is littered with the skeletons of metal and bone from thirty years of war with the ahtra, humanity's implacable enemy. Now, Captain Eli Dammond has landed on a deserted planet to rescue survivors of a crashed space ship. On this routine mission, Eli has in his charge Sascha, the fourteen-year-old granddaughter of a general. But the planet is not what it seems. It is about to undergo a radical seasonal change, one that will hatch monstrous, rapacious creatures. There are few refuges from the rampaging alternate season. One is in the secret ahtran habitat far underground. It's no place for a human army officer, as Eli will learn. The other is in the most unlikely of places: the nests of the monsters themselves. Not that the intrepid Sascha ever had a choice. As her time runs out, Eli must break free of his ahtran captors and return to the surface before his crew is wiped out and Sascha is forever changed.

A legacy of slavery, abolition, colonialism, and class struggle has profoundly impacted the people and culture of the Caribbean. In Tropic Tendencies, Kevin Adonis Browne examines the development of an Anglophone Caribbean rhetorical tradition in response to the struggle to make meaning, maintain identity, negotiate across differences, and thrive in light of historical constraints and the need to participate in contemporary global culture. Browne bases his study on the concept of the "Caribbean carnivalesque" as the formative ethos driving cultural and rhetorical production in the region and beyond it. He finds that carnivalesque discourse operates as a "continuum of discursive substantiation" that increases the probability of achieving desired outcomes for both the rhetor and the audience. Browne also views the symbolic and material interplay of the masque and its widespread use to amplify efforts of resistance, assertion, and liberation. Browne analyzes rhetorical modes and strategies in a variety of forms, including music, dance, folklore, performance, sermons, fiction, poetry, photography, and digital media. He introduces chantwells, calypsonians, old talkers, jamettes, stickfighters, badjohns, and others as exemplary purveyors of Caribbean rhetoric and deconstructs their rhetorical displays. From novels by Earl Lovelace, he also extracts thematic references to kalinda, limbo, and dragon dances that demonstrate the author's claim of an active vernacular sensibility. He then investigates the re-creation and reinvention of the carnivalesque in cyber culture, demonstrating the ways participants both flaunt and defy normative ideas of "Caribbeanness" in online and macro environments.

For anyone who loves the old Florida and still has hope for the new "Should be required reading for everyone who calls Florida home."--Miami Herald "There is a richness and sadness in this book. . . . A museum of Florida's choicest people, places and monuments."--Palm Beach Post "Ever wonder what's the best way to eat a rattlesnake? Puzzled over the origin of the term 'Florida Cracker'? Have an interest in alligator wrestling or catfish? Al Burt has some answers for you."--Forum "Burt's writing shows a Florida that is vanishing before our eyes. [He] reveals the strange, quirky, charming face of the Sunshine State by writing about catfishermen on Lake Okeechobee, by relating the stories of Florida cowboys who drove free-range cattle across the state and by describing the hardships of a couple who abandoned south Florida for an organic farm in the Panhandle."--Weekly Planet "Burt grabs the spirit of the Florida that once was, tantalizes us, makes us nostalgic and weaves a bit of oral history as we travel with him. . . . It's as warm as a front-porch gathering on a July evening or a grandma's hug, as fresh as a fall breeze through the pinewoods or across an undeveloped coastal dune."--Gainesville Sun "Drawing upon his long career as a roving Florida journalist, Burt uses a series of vivid biographical profiles to explore the full range of 'crackerdom,' from the good old boys and 'pork chopper' politicians of the Panhandle to the native Conchs of Key West. Perhaps most impressive, he brings these endangered subcultures to life without resorting to sensationalist caricature or lapsing into nostalgic revery. Cracker Florida, which surely has suffered more than its share of condescension and misunderstanding, has finally found its laureate."--from the Foreword

Represents an intermingling of African, Spanish, French, British, Indian, Dutch, and North American customs and techniques. The common ground is the raw materials -- fresh fruit, herbs, and vegetables; fresh seafood; and the spices and seasonings. Recipes were collected from native islanders, Florida "crackers," old and new restauranteurs, and supplied by the author.

Considered By Some As Science While By Others A Mere Blind Faith, Astrology Is A Complex Subject That Needs To Be Studied In Proper Perspective. In The Present Book, Astrology : A Science Or Myth, An Attempt Has Been Made To Unearth The Actual Basis Of The Astrological Principles Formulated By Our Ancient Sages, On Which The Whole Structure Of Astrology Is Erected, And To Blend The Primitive Knowledge With The Modern Concepts Related To Universe And Solar System. Thus, The Book Aims At Making The Astrological Principles Scientifically Logical And More Useful To The Mankind. All The Basic Astrological Principles Relating To Lord, Friendship, Aspect, Retrogade, Set, Exalted, Mool, Trikon, Vinshottary Periodicity, Ascendant, Forecast, Etc., Alongwith Review Of Krishnamurti System Have Been Studied In Depth In The Light Of Modern Concepts Of Astronomy. A Proper Knowledge Of The Effect Of Ayanansh And Also Other Planetary Impacts Paves The Way For Healthy Development Of The Society And Enables One To Mould His Destiny. The Present Book Would Prove A Great Help In Acquiring Such Knowledge.The Language Of The Book Has Been Deliberately Kept Simple So That Even An Average Reader Would Able To Understand It. The Lucid Style And The Well-Presented Diagrams Provided In The Book Make It All The More Accessible. It Is An Ideal Book For All Those Who Want To Enhance Their Knowledge Of Stars. The Students As Well As Teachers Of Astrology Will Find It Highly Informative And Useful. The Book Will Definitely Inspire The Learned Astrologers To Come Forward With New Research In The Field For Greater Benefit Of Human Civilisation.