Welcome To Wisteria Lane

Since it premiered in the fall of 2004, the hit televisions show has seduced viewers with its outrageous humour, absorbing mystery and deliciously naughty image of Suburbia. Here, favourite chick-lit authors, parenting gurus and experts on the clandestine underside of suburban life take on the phenomenon to answer the question on everyone's minds: just what is it about the show that is so enthralling? Welcome to Wisteria Lane is a light, insightful romp through the world of Desperate Housewives that no Desperate fan will want to be without.

‘From Happy Homemaker to Desperate Housewives: Motherhood and Popular Television’ is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key debates concerning the representations of motherhood, motherwork and the maternal role in contemporary television programming. The volume looks at the construction of motherhood in the ostensibly female genre of soap opera; the mother as housewife in the domestic situation comedy; deviant, desiring and delinquent motherwork in the teen drama; the single working mother in the contemporary dramedy; the fragile and failing mother of reality parenting television; the serene and selfless celebrity motherhood profile; and the new mother in reality pregnancy and childbirth television. ‘Motherhood and Popular Television’ examines the depiction of motherhood in this wide range of popular television genres in order to illustrate how the maternal role is being constructed, circulated and interrogated in contemporary factual and fictional programming, paying particular attention to the ways in which such images can be seen to challenge or conform to the ideal image of the ‘good’ mother that dominates the contemporary cultural landscape.

With so many differing opinions about real estate these days, buying or selling a home can seem like a daunting task, especially for the everyday person who has little or no real estate experience. But as author Sarah Daniels explains, the process doesn't have to be painful, and people can come away from the experience feeling happy with the outcome. Covering the basics from A to Z, Welcome Home walks the reader through the various stages of home buying and selling in Canada, all the while adding her own insider secrets and tips. Filled with entertaining, instructive stories and written in an approachable, coversational tone, Daniels offers helpful advice on mortgage financing, interest rates, brokers, and the questions you need to ask about mortgages; how to find a good realtor, the right property, and negotiate a fair deal; how to get your home ready to sell, what renovations to consider and how to effectively stage your home; buying resale vs newly built; and renting out your basement as a mortgage helper.

Caring for people is a hard job at times. Love comes in all forms and can take you many places.

In the town of Fairview there's a street called Wisteria Lane; a peaceful cul-de-sac with manicured lawns and beautiful houses. It's a place where you know all your neighbors and your neighbors know all about you. It's the perfect suburban fantasy. But, behind every picket fence there are secrets. And, in every seemingly happy home, you'll find jealousy, lust, passion, and sometimes...murder. It's always hot on Wisteria Lane. These women have it all: friendship, fun, love, sex, excitement, danger, and the men...well, the men don't stand a chance.

Star Wars: the most significant, powerful myth of the twenty-first century or morally bankrupt military fantasy? Six films. Countless books. $20 billion in revenue. No one can question the financial value or cultural impact of the Star Wars film franchise. But has the impact been for the good? In Star Wars on Trial's courtroom—Droid Judge presiding—Star Wars stands accused of elitist politics and sexism, religious and ethical lapses, the destruction of literary science fiction and science fiction film, and numerous plot holes and logical gaps. Supported by a witness list of bestselling science fiction authors, David Brin (for the prosecution) and Matthew Woodring Stover (for the defense) debate these charges and more before delivering their closing statements. The verdict? That's up to you. Covering the films from A New Hope to Revenge of the Sith, Brin and Stover provide new forewords that explore the newest generation of Star Wars films and what JJ Abrams must do to live up to—or redeem—the franchise.

Feminism can reflect the cultural moment, especially as media appropriate and use feminist messaging and agenda to various ends. Yet media can also push boundaries, exposing audiences to ideas they may not be familiar with and advancing public acceptance of concepts once considered taboo. Moreover, audiences are far from passive recipients, especially in the digital age. In Media-Ready Feminism and Everyday Sexism, Andrea L. Press and Francesca Tripodi focus on how audiences across platforms not only consume but also create meanings—sometimes quite transgressive meanings—in engaging with media content. If television shows such as Game of Thrones and Jersey Shore and dating apps such as Tinder are sites of persistent everyday sexism, then so, too, are they sites of what Press and Tripodi call "media-ready feminism." In developing a sociologically based conception of reception that encompasses media's progressive potential, as well as the processes of domestication through which audiences and users revert to more limited cultural schemas, Press and Tripodi make a vital contribution to gender and media studies, and help to illuminate the complexity of our current moment.

Order in the Court! Star Wars: the most significant, powerful myth of the twenty-first century or morally bankrupt military fantasy? Six films. Countless books. $20 billion in revenue. No one can question the financial value or cultural impact of the Star Wars film franchise. But has the impact been for the good? In Star Wars on Trial's courtroom—Droid Judge presiding—Star Wars stands accused of elitist politics and sexism, religious and ethical lapses, the destruction of literary science fiction and science fiction film, and numerous plot holes and logical gaps. Supported by a witness list of bestselling science fiction authors, David Brin (for the prosecution) and Matthew Woodring Stover (for the defense) debate these charges and more before delivering their closing statements. The verdict? That's up to you. Covering the films from A New Hope to The Force Awakens, Brin and Stover provide new forewords that explore the newest generation of Star Wars films and what JJ Abrams must do to live up to—or redeem—the franchise.