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Tag: goldstein manifesto
The good people over at Envisioning Technology – the independent research organization based on Brazil – have produced yet another intriguing infographic. As some of you may recall, whenever ET has released a new inforgraphic, I've been right there to post about it. So far, they have produced graphics addressing the future of Technology, Education, Health, and Finance.
There latest graphic is similarly significant and addresses the future of something that concerns and effects us all: money. Entitled "The Past, Present and Future of Money", this graph looks at the trends affecting the buying, selling and investment patterns of people over time, contrasting three trends that are interwoven and have moved between centralized, decentralized, and distributed monetary systems.
In this scenario, centralized tendencies refer to networks where the nodes are connected through dense centers (aka. urban environments), which rely on hierarchically structures institutions (i.e. banks) and require legal tender (physical money). This sort of system relies on an ordered distribution of power, one that generally favor the connected few, and which emerged with the advent of modern industrial civilization.
Decentralized tendencies are those which are based on networks where nodes connect in clusters, that have irregular distributions of power, and favor the selected individual. As the graph shows, these types of networks predate centralized networks, taking the form of bartering and commodities in earliest times, but which have emerged yet again in the modern era and are predicted to continue to grow.
Examples of current and future trends here include crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, banking APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), microfinance, and collaborative consumptions – where access is developed so that consumers can lend, swap, barter, share, and gift products. Whereas this model predates centralized tendencies, it is once again emerging with decentralizing potential of digital technology and open-source databases.
In the third and final method, one which is emerging, is the distributed network of money. These are networks where nodes connect independently, where power is distributed horizontally, and which favor the entire network. This trend began as a result of global real-time communications (i.e. the internet, satellite communications, etc.), and which are expected to expand.
Combining the concepts of attention economies, digital currencies, peer-to-peer communications, and digital wallets, the essence of this final stage is a network economy that is controlled by individuals, not financial institutions or corporations. In addition, currencies are based shared belief in their value, transactions occur between individuals, and physical currencies are replaced by digital ones.
Other trends that are incorporated and cross-referenced into this infographic include global population versus the number of people per capita who have online access. As it stands, less than half the world's 7 billion people currently have access to the internet, and are hence able to take part in the decentralizing and distributed trends affecting money. However, the infographic predicts that by 2063, nearly 90% of the world's 10 billion people will be online.
Like many predictions that I've come to know and respect, this latest infographic from ET gives us a glimpse of a future where a Distributed model of politics, economics and technological development – otherwise known as Democratic Anarchy – will be the norm. It's an exciting possibility, and places history in a new and interesting light. In short, it makes one reconsider the possibility that true socialism might exist.
While this was crudely predicted by Karl Marx, the basic concept is quite intriguing when considered in the context of current trends. What's more, subsequent thinkers – Max Weber, Proudhon, Gramsci and George Orwell – refined and expressed the principle more eloquently. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Goldstein Manifesto in 1984, where Orwell addressed how the process of industrial civilization was making class distinction virtually unnecessary.
Source: envisioning.io/money/
By storiesbywilliamsin Future, News, Technology December 5, 2013 621 Words3 Comments
Dystopian Science Fiction
Lately, I've been feeling kind of dystopian! Perhaps it's the fact that I'm working on an anthology of dark science fiction with some fellow writer's over at Goodreads (called Writer's Worth). Or it might just be that this seemed like the next logical step in the whole "conceptual science fiction" thing. Regardless, when it comes to the future, sci-fi writers love to speculate, and it usually takes one of two forms. Either humanity lives in a utopian society, where technology, time, and evolution have ferreted out our various weaknesses. Or, we live in a dystopian world, where humanity has either brought itself to the brink of annihilation or is living in dark, polluted, and overpopulated environments, the result of excess and environmental degradation.
As with all things science fiction, the aim here is to use speculative worlds of the future to offer commentary on today. As William Gibson, himself a dark future writer, once said: "Science fiction [is] always about the period in which it was written." So today, I thought I would acknowledge some truly classic examples of dystopian literature and the books that started it all. Here they are:
Earliest Examples
Dystopian literature, contrary to popular conception, did not begin in the 20th century with Brave New World. In fact, one can find examples going as far back as the Enlightenment when philosophers and scholars used fictional contexts to illustrate the weaknesses of society and how they might be reformed. And, in many ways, this form of social critique borrowed from Utopian literature, a genre that takes its name from Thomas More's seminal book that describes a perfect fictional society.
But where More and earlier writers (such as Plato and St. Augustine) used perfect civilizations to parody contemporary society, this newer breed of authors used dark ones to do the same. In short, Utopian literature showed society how it could be, dystopian literature as it was.
Candide:
A true classic, though it is sometimes difficult to classify this work as a true dystopian work of fiction. For one, it is set in the contemporary world, not in a fictionalized society, and revolves around the life of a fictional character who travels from one region to the next, seeking to answer the fundamental question of whether or not this is "the best of all possible worlds". However, this book remains one of the principal sources of inspiration for science fiction writers when constructing fictional worlds for the sake of satirizing their own.
Published in 1755 by the critic and philosopher Voltaire, the story was inspired by the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and the church's and Leibnizian's attempts to rationalize it. At the beginning, Candide – the main character whose name means "optimism" – lives a sheltered existence where he is busy studying and living with his friends and companions. However, this existence is quickly interrupted by the arrival of war, and Candide and his companions are forced to travel from place to place, witnessing all the problems of the world.
These include war, slavery, rape, imperialism, abuse of power, and exploitation, which they observe as the story takes them from Europe to the Middle East to the Americas. Eventually, they return home and reflect on all they have seen and whether or not this is "the best of all possible worlds". They conclude that it is not, but offer a resolution by saying that "we must cultivate our garden".
Gulliver's Travels:
Another classic example that is often considered a combination of utopian and dystopian novels. This is because the plot involves the travels of one man – Gulliver, whose name is a play on the world gullible – whose journey takes him through many fictional worlds where life is either perfect or tragically flawed in various ways. However, since the purpose of these worlds is to parody English society in his day, it is often included as an early example of satiric literature that falls into the utopian, dystopian, and science fiction camps.
The story involves four journeys where Gulliver travels to several fictional societies and records what he sees for posterity. The first voyage takes him to the land of the Lilliputians, a race of tiny people whose morals match their physical size. After some rather brief descriptions of how these people select their leaders (limbo tournaments and other stupid games), we learn that they are a parody of the British system of parliament.
His second voyage takes him to a place that is the polar opposite of the first. Here, in the land of the Brobdingnagians, he is presented with giants whose physical size mirrors their moral outlook. They consider Gulliver to be a curious specimen, whose descriptions of his country disgust them. In the end, they consider him a cute sideshow attraction and refuse his offer of technological advances (like gunpowder). Gulliver then leaves, thinking the people are out of their minds, but ironically states that he withheld the worse about England out of a desire to save face.
His next voyage involves a little "island-hopping", first to the flying city of Laputa, an island nation where technological pursuits are followed without a single regard for the consequences. He then detours to another island, Glubbdubdrib, where he visits a magician's dwelling and discusses history with the ghosts of historical figures.
Then onto Luggnagg, where he encounters the struldbrugs – an unfortunate race of people who are immortal but frozen in old age, with all the infirmities that come with it. Gulliver then reaches Japan, which is in the grips of the post-war Shogunate period, where he is narrowly excused from taking part in an anti-Christian display that all foreigners were forced to perform at the time (stepping on the symbol of the Cross).
His final voyage before going home takes him country of the Houyhnhnms, a race of horse-people who see themselves as "the perfection of nature" and who rule over the race of Yahoos – deformed humans who exist in their basest form. Gulliver joins them and comes to adopt their view of humanity – that of base creatures that use reason only to advance their own appetites. However, they soon come to see him as a Yahoo and expel him from their civilization. In the end, Gulliver returns home to regal his family of his adventures but finds that he cannot relate to them anymore. His journeys have filled him with a sense of misanthropy that he cannot ignore.
Throughout the narrative, Swift's point seems abundantly clear. Each voyage to a fictitious world serves as a means to parody a different element of British society and civilization in general. And ultimately, Gulliver serves as the perfect narrator, in that his ignorance and naivety allow him to absorb the lessons of the journey in a way that is both ironic and sufficiently detached. Can't just hand the reader the moral, after all! Gotta make them work for it!
The Time Machine:
Published in 1895, this science fiction novella inspired countless adaptations and popularized the very idea of time travel. In addition to introducing readers to the concept of time as the fourth dimension and temporal paradoxes, H.G. Wells also had some interesting social commentary to share. In this story, the narrator – known only as The Traveller – recounts to a bunch of dinner guests how he used a time machine to travel to the year 802, 701 A.D. where he witnessed a strange culture made up of two distinct peoples.
On the one hand, there were the Eloi, a society of elegant, beautiful people who live in futuristic (but deteriorating) buildings and do no work. Attempts to communicate with them prove difficult since they seem to possess no innate curiosity or discipline. He assumes that they are a communistic society who have used technology to conquer nature and evolved (or devolved) to a point where strength and intellect are no longer necessary to survive.
However, this changes when he comes face to face with a separate race of ape-like troglodytes who live in underground enclaves and surface only at night. Within their dwellings, he discovers the machinery and industry that makes the above-ground paradise possible. He then realizes that the human race has evolved into two species: the leisured class of the ineffectual Eloi, and the downtrodden working classes that have devolved into the brutish Morlocks. In the course of searching the Morlock enclave, he learns that they also feed on the Eloi from time to time. His revised analysis is that their relationship is not a benign one, but one characterized by animosity and the occasional act of kidnapping and cannibalism.
Is there not a more perfect vision of industrial society or class conflict? Written within the context of turn of the century England, where discrepancies in wealth, class conflict, and demands for reform were commonplace, this book was clearly intended to explore social models in addition to scientific ideas. And the commentary was quite effective if you ask me…
The Iron Heel:
This dystopian work was written by Jack London, the same man who wrote the classic Call of the Wild, and was released in 1908. A clear expression of London's own socialist beliefs, the novel is set in the distant future when a socialist utopia – known as the Brotherhood of Man – has finally been created. Overall, the plot revolves around the "Everhard Manuscript", a testament that details the lives of the story's two main protagonists and which takes place between 1912 to 1932 in the US. The work is known for its big "spoiler", letting readers know outright that the protagonists die in the course of their pursuits, but that their efforts are rewarded by providing inspiration to later generations who succeed where they fail.
In the course of this speculative story, we learn that an oligarchy – the Oligarchs or "Iron Heel" – has seized power in the US by bankrupting the middle class and reducing farmers to a state of serfdom. Once in power, they maintained order through a combination of preferential treatment and control over the military. After a failed revolt (the First Revolt) takes place, preparations are underway for a second which is expected to succeed in restoring the Republic. Unfortunately, it too fails and the protagonists are killed. However, centuries later, when their Manuscript is discovered, the Oligarchy has been unseated and a debt is being acknowledged to these characters and their actions.
Thus, London speculates that a socialist society would someday emerge in the US, but only after centuries of dominance by oligarchs who would come to power by decimating the middle class, controlling trade unions, and transforming the military into a mercenary front. His main characters, though condemned to death in the present, will be vindicated in the distant future when humanity will, at last, overcome its greedy tendencies and usher in a state based on equality and fraternity. Apparently, this novel inspired such greats as George Orwell, but not in the way you think. Whereas London chose to offer his readers a sense of consolation by showing them everything turned out okay in the distant future, Orwell chose to take the hopeless route to make his point!
The story takes place in the distant future, roughly one thousand years after the One State conquered the entire world. After years of living in a perfectly synchronized, rational, and orderly world, the people of the One State are busy constructing a ship (the Integral) that will export their way of life to extra-terrestrial worlds. Published in 1921, and written by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the story was clearly inspired by life in post-revolutionary Russia, with its commitment to "scientific Marxism, but was also a commentary on the deification of reason at the expense of feeling and emotion.
The story is told from the point of view of D-503, chief engineer of the Integral who is keeping a journal which he intends to be taken on the voyage. As we learn in the course of the novel, everyone in the One State lives in glass apartments that are monitored by secret police known as the Bureau of Guardians. All sex is conducted strictly for reproductive purposes and cannot be done without state sanction. However, the main character soon comes into contact with a woman named I-330, a liberated woman who flirts with him, smokes, and drinks alcohol without regard for the law.
In time, he learns that I-330 is a member of a revolutionary order known as MEPHI which is committed to bringing down the One State. While accompanying her to the Ancient House, a building notable for being the only opaque structure in the One State where objects of historic and aesthetic importance are preserved, he is escorted through a series of tunnels to the world outside the Green Wall which surrounds the city-state. There, D-503 meets the inhabitants of the outside world – humans whose bodies are covered with animal fur. The aim of the MEPHI is to destroy the Green Wall and reunite the citizens of the One State with the outside world.
In his last entry, D-503 relates that he has undergone an operation that is mandated for all citizens of the One State. Similar to a lobotomy, this operation involved targeted x-rays that eliminate all emotion and imagination from the human brain. Afterward, D-503 informs on I-330 and MEPHI but is surprised how she refuses to inform on her compatriots once she is captured. People beyond the wall even succeed toward the story's end in breaching a part of the Green Wall, thus ending the story on an uncertain note.
And now we move on to the dystopian classics that are most widely known, that have inspired the most adaptations and sub-genres of noir fiction. Although updated many times over for the 20th century, these dystopian novels share many characteristics with their predecessors. In addition to timeless social commentary, they also asked the difficult question of what it would take to set humanity free.
Whereas some chose to confront this question directly and offer resolutions, other authors chose to leave the question open or chose to offer nothing in the way of consolation. Perhaps they thought their stories more educational this way, or perhaps they could merely think of none. Who's to say? All I know is their works were inspired!
In addition to parodying the worst aspects of scientific rationalism, imperialism and the notion of progress, the story also went on to inspire some of the greatest satires ever known. In addition, many of its more esoteric elements have appeared in countless novels and films over the years, most notably the concepts of encapsulating walls, secret museums, government-sanctioned breeding, and machine-based programming.
Brave New World:
There's scarcely a high school student who hasn't read this famous work of dystopian fiction! And although Aldous Huxley denied ever reading We, his novel nevertheless shared several elements with it. For instance, his story was set in the World State where all reproduction is carried out through a system of eugenics. In addition, several "Savage Reservations" exist beyond the veil of civilization, where people live a dirty, natural existence. But ultimately, Huxley's aim was to comment on American and Western civilization of the early 20th century, a civilization where leisure and enjoyment were becoming the dominant means of social control.
This last aspect was the overwhelming focus of the novel. In the World State, all people are bred for specific roles. Alphas are the intellectuals and leaders of society, Betas handle high-level bureaucratic tasks, Deltas handle skilled labor, Gammas unskilled labor, and Epsilons menial tasks. Therefore, all vestiges of class conflict and generational conflict have been eliminated from society.
But to further ensure social control, all citizens are sleep-conditioned from a young age to obey the World State and follow its rules. These include the use of Soma, a perfectly legal and safe designer drug that cures all emotional ales, promiscuous sex habits, and "feelies" (movies that simulate sensation).
In the end, the story comes to a climax as two of the main characters, Bernard Marx and Lina Crowe, go to a savage reservation and find a lost child named John. His mother was apparently a citizen of the World State who became lost in the reservation and was forced to stay after she learned she was pregnant. Having experienced nothing but alienation and abuse as a "savage", John agrees to go with Bernard and Lina back to "civilization.
However, he quickly realizes he doesn't fit into their world either and expresses disdain for its excesses and controls. Eventually, the people who sympathize with him are sent into exile and he is forced to flee himself. But in the end, he finds that he cannot escape the people of the World State and commits suicide, a tragic act that symbolizes the inability of the individual to find a resolution between insanity and barbarity.
Overall, Huxley's BNW was a commentary on a number of scientific developments which, under the right circumstances, could be used to deprive humanity of their freedom. In many ways, this was a commentary on how the expanding fields of psychology and the social sciences were being used to find ways to ensure the cooperation of citizens and ensure good work habits.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in factories and in the creation of "assembly-line discipline", which was exemplified by how the people of the World State revered Henry Ford. In addition to performing eugenics on an assembly-line apparatus, the people worship Ford and cross themselves with a T (a reference to his model T car).
But above all, Huxley seemed to be asking the larger question of what is to be done about the process we know as civilization. If it was inimical to freedom, with all its rational, sterile, and domesticated luggage, and the alternative – a dirty, superstitious, and painful existence – was not preferable either, then what was the solution?
In the end, he offered no solution, allowing the reader to ponder this themselves. In his follow-up essay, Brave New World Revisited, he expressed some remorse over this fact and claimed that he wished he had offered a third option in the form of the exile communities – people who had found their own way through enlightened moderation.
Ah yes, the book that did it all! It warned us of the future, taught us the terminology of tyranny, and educated us on the use of "newspeak", "doublethink" and "thoughtcrime". Where would dystopian literature be today were it not for George Orwell and his massively influential satire on totalitarianism? True, Orwell's work was entirely original; in fact, he thoroughly acknowledged a debt to authors like H.G. Wells and Yevgeny Zamyatin. But it was how he synthesized the various elements of dystopia, combining them with his own original thoughts and observations, and crystallized it all so coherently that led to his popularity.
But I digress. Set in the not-too-distant future of 1984 (Orwell completed the book in 48 and supposedly just flipped the digits), the story takes place from the point of view of an Outer Party member named Winston Smith. Winston lives in London, in a time when England has been renamed Airstrip One and is part of a major state known as Oceania. As the book opens, Oceania finds itself at war with the rival state of Eurasia, though not long ago it was at war with Eastasia and will be so again. As a member of the Ministry of Truth, Winston's job is that of a censor. Whenever the enemy changes, whenever the Party alters its policies, whenever a person disappears, or the Party just feels the need to rewrite something about the past, men like Winston are charged with destroying and altering documentation to make it fit.
Ultimately, the story involves Winston's own quest for truth. Living in the constant, shifting lie that is life in the totalitarian state of Oceania, he seeks knowledge of how life was before the revolution; before the Party took control before objective reality become meaningless. He also meets a woman named Julia with whom he begins an affair and rediscovers love.
However, in time the two are captured and taken to the Ministry of Love, where they are tortured, brainwashed, and made to turn on each other. In the end, Winston accepts the Party's version of reality, simply because he discovers he has no choice. His tragic end is made all the more tragic by the implicit knowledge that he will soon be killed as well.
For discerning fans of science fiction and dystopian literature, the brilliance of 1984 was not so much in how the totalitarian state of the future is run but how it came to be. According to the Goldstein Manifesto, which is the centerpiece of the novel, World War III took place sometime in the 1950s and ended in a stalemate, all sides having become convinced of the futility of nuclear war.
Shortly thereafter, totalitarian revolutionaries with similar ideologies took power all over the planet. In time, they became the three major states of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, whose boundaries were a natural extension of the post-war spheres of influence.
Also interesting is Orwell's speculation on how these totalitarian ideologies came to be in the first place. In short, he speculates that dominance by a small group of elites has been an unbroken pattern in human history. In the past, this arrangement seemed natural, even somewhat desirable due to poverty, scarcity, and a general lack of education.
However, it was within the context of the 20th century, at a time when industrial technology and availability of resources had virtually eliminated the need for social distinction, that the most vehement totalitarians had emerged. Unlike the elites of the past, these ones had no illusions about their aims or their methods. As the antagonist, O'Brien, says "The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake… Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship."
This message still resonates with us today. Even though western civilization did technically dodge the bullet of WWIII and does not resemble the world of 1984 in the strictest sense, the cautionary nature of Orwell's critique remains. Even if the particulars of how 1984 came to be didn't happen, the message remains the same: human freedom – meaning the freedom to live, love, and think freely – is the most precious thing we have. Beware those who would deprive you of it for your own safety or in exchange for some earthly utopia, for surely they will themselves to be your master! There is also an ongoing debate about which came true, 1984 or BNW, with the consensus being that it was Huxley's dystopian vision that seemed more accurate. However, the jury is still out, and the debate is ongoing…
Fahrenheit 451:
Here is yet another dystopian novel that has become somewhat of a staple in the industry. In Bradbury's vision of the future, society is permeated by mindless leisure and decadence. Virtually all forms of literature have been banned, and local "firemen" are responsible for enforcing the ban. Wherever illegal literature is found, firemen are responsible for arriving on the scene and putting them to the flame. Yes, in a world where all houses are fireproof, firemen are no longer responsible for putting fires out, but for starting them!
In the course of the story, the main character – a fireman named Guy Montag – begins to become intrigued with literature and discovers a sort of magic within it that is missing from his world. In addition, Guy is told by his boss that society became this way willingly. Perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of sloth, they chose convenience, ease, and gratuity over subtly, thought and reflection. In time, Guy's choices make him a fugitive and he is forced to flee and seek refuge with other people who insist on keeping and reading books. It is also made clear that nuclear war is looming, which may provide some explanation as to how society came to be the way it is.
In this way, the book has a lot in common with both 1984 and Brave New World. On the one hand, there is active censorship and repression through the destruction of books and the criminalization of reading. On the other hand, it seems as though the people in Bradbury's world surrendered these freedoms willingly. It is a fitting commentary on American society of the latter half of the 20th century, where entertainment and convenience seemed like the greatest threats to independent thought and learning. This, in turn, could easily form the basis of dictatorship. As we all know, a docile, narcotized society is an easily controlled one!
The Handmaid's Tale:
Here is another novel that few people get through high school without being forced to read, especially in Canada. But there's a reason for that. Much like 1984, BNW, and F451, The Handmaid's Tale is a classical dystopian narrative that has remained relevant despite the passage of time. In this story, the US has been dissolved and replaced by a theocracy known as the Republic of Gilead. In this state, women have been stripped of all rights in accordance with Old Testament and Christian theocracy. The head of this state is known as the Commander, the chief religious-military officer of the state.
The story is told from the point of view of a handmaid, a woman whose sole purpose is to breed with the ruling class. Her name is Offred, which is a patronym of "Of Fred", in honor of the man she serves. Like all handmaidens, her worth is determined by her ability to procreate. And on this, her third assignment, she must get pregnant if she doesn't want to be discarded. This time around, her assignment is to the Commander himself, a man who quickly becomes infatuated with her.
Over time, the infatuation leads to sex that is done as much for pleasure as procreation, and he begins to expose her to aspects of culture that have long been outlawed (like fashion magazines, cosmetics, and reading). She even learns of a Mayday resistance that is concerned with overthrowing Gilead, and that the Commander's driver is apparently a member.
In the end, Offred is denounced by the Commander's wife when she learns of their "affair". Nick orders men from "The Eyes" (i.e. secret police) to come and take her away. However, he privately intimates that these are actually men from the resistance who are going to take her to freedom. The story ends with Offred stepping into the van, unsure of what her fate will be. In an epilogue, we learn that the story we have been told is a collection of tapes that were discovered many generations later after Gilead fell and a new, more equal society re-emerged. This collection is being presented by academics at a lecture, and is known as "The Handmaid's Tale".
In addition to touching on the key issues of reproductive rights, feminism, and totalitarianism, The Handmaid's Tale presents readers with the age-old scenario of the rise of a dictatorship in the US. Apparently, the military-theological forces who run Gilead in the future seized power shortly after a staged terrorist attack that was blamed on Islamic terrorists. In the name of restoring order and ending the decline of their country, the "Sons of Jacob" seized power and disbanded the constitution. Under the twin guises of nationalism and religious orthodoxy, the new rulers rebuilt society along the lines of Old Testament-inspired social and religious orthodoxy.
This angle is not only plausible but historically relevant. For as Sinclair Lewis said back in 1936 "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." This is paraphrased from his actual, more lengthy comments. But his essential point is the same. If a tyranny emerged in the US, he reasoned, it would do so by insisting that it was religiously right and that it was intent on protecting people's freedoms, not revoking them.
In addition, the angle where an Islamic terrorist attack spawned the takeover? Tell me that's not relevant to Americans today! Though written in 1985, Margaret Atwood's dystopian scenario received a shot of credibility thanks to eight years of the Bush administration, a government that claimed religious orthodoxy and used security as justification for questionable wars and many repressive policies.
After years of reading dystopian literature, I have begun to notice certain things. For starters, it is clear why they are grouped with science fiction. In all cases, they are set in alternate universes or distant future scenarios, but the point is to offer commentary on the world of today. And in the end, utopian and dystopian satires are inextricably linked, even if the former predates the latter by several centuries.
Whereas Utopian literature was clearly meant to offer a better world as a foil for the world the writers were living, dystopian literature offers up a dark future as a warning. And in each case, these worlds very much resemble our own, the only real difference being a matter of degree or a catalyzing event. This is why there is a focus in dystopian literature on explanations of how things came to be the way they are. In many cases, this would involve a series of predictable events: WWIII, a terrorist attack, more overpopulation and pollution, an economic crisis, or a natural disaster.
And in the end, the message is clear: whether it is by fear, poverty, or the manipulation of critical circumstances, power is handed over to people who will deliberately abuse it. Their mandate is clear and their outlook is the exact same as any tyrant who has ever existed. But the important thing to note is that it is given. Never in dystopian literature do tyrants simply take power. Much like in real life, true totalitarianism in these novels depends upon the willingness of people to exchange their freedom for food, safety, or stability. And in all cases, they inevitably experience buyer's remorse!
Quicknote: Since getting "freshly pressed", a lot of people have written in and asked me about my thoughts on "The Hunger Games". Sorry to say, haven't read it so I can't offer any commentary. I will however be commenting on a number of more modern dystopian franchises, specifically examples found in film and other media, in my next post. Stay tuned, hopefully, something you like will pop there!
By storiesbywilliamsin Books, Reviews, Sci-Fi March 26, 2012 May 1, 2022 5,094 Words118 Comments


APPLICATION FOR FARMLAND CLASSIFICATION. 36 M.R.S. §§ 11011121. See Property Tax . markets, rocks, climate, commodity yield and price. Rev. 1216.
phate rock prior to oiling ahead of tabling or prior Table I. Sizes, Limitations, and Major Applications of Unit Classifiers, Bowl Classifiers, Bowl Desiltors, Hydro.
Nov 18, 2013 Digital image classification uses the spectral information kinds of crops, different forest types or tree species, different geologic units or rock types, etc. each of these requiring a further application of the clustering algorithm.
Eriez CrossFlow Separator is a highly efficient hydraulic classifier for the separation of coal containing variousponents such as rock and pyrite. Applications of the CrossFlow TeeterBed Separator in the US Coal Industry.
Image classification isplex process that may be affected by many factors. results are the basis for many environmental and socioeconomic applications.
Feb 17, 2007 Historical development of the rock mass rating RMR system, first rating classification: Historical developments, applications, and restrictions.
In this thesis, the results of a number of rock mass classification systems applied to The RMR classification has found wide applications in various types of.


Friend and traitor. Conqueror and king. Hero and villain. Shane is just a boy, but in order to free his people, he's resolved to do whatever - to become whomever - his mission requires. Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan are four young heroes racing to save the world of Erdas, and their journey has pitted them against Shane again and again. But none have learned the truth of the boy who nearly changed the course of history forever. Now that truth is revealed.


Source diversity models suggest that by using non-conventional, non-official sources for news content, the prevailing perceptions about poor people and their needs would be undermined in news coverage. This study found that major newspapers are making efforts to diversify the sources quoted in their coverage of poverty issues. However, the portrayals of poor people have not changed, particularly for women and people of color. Results of this study suggest that source diversity research must go further to explore how sources are used to address the problems of the poor and how media influence public perceptions of public policy related to welfare and welfare reform.


Destroyer spaceship model and render by Drew Pace.
Gravity sketch and octane renders by Pablo Dominguez Aguilar.
New spaceship artwork from our good friend MANCHU. Tons more art by MANCHU.
Wakandan troop hovercraft and Q Ship concept art by our super good friend Sean Hargreaves.
Wakandan troop hovercraft concept art by our super good friend Sean Hargreaves.
This week we will be featuring Avengers spaceship concepts by our super good friend Sean Hargreaves. Thanks Sean!
Finishing up the week with more spaceship art by our good friend Col Price.


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'This Worldly': Cli-Fi Novels in Review, In A Way That The New York Times Books Section Might Emulate Someday (Part 1)
'This Worldly': Cli-Fi Novels in Review, In A Way New York Times Books Section Might Emulate Someday (Part 1)
by Dan Bloom and agencies
Climate change is no abstraction in cli-fi, for many of us today, it's up close and personal, and the new 21st century literary genre puts climate change in human terms we can all understand.
The new literary genre of fiction has joined the ranks of eco-science eco-fantasy and eco-thrillers. It's been dubbed cli-fi, or "climate change fiction."
One literary critic in New York has even started writing a new monthly column devoted to cli-fi novels.
She says cli-fi novels come in many different styles. For example, novelist Kim Stanley Robinson's cli-fi novel ''New York 2140'' depicts a Manhattan in the distant future that has been drastically altered by sea-level rise.
Another author, Barbara Kingsolver, tells a more subtle cli-fi story in ''Flight Behaviour." The popular novel is about a country woman who discovers a colony of monarch butterflies near her rural home in Tennessee, their migratory paths changed by rising temperatures.
The one thing that all cli-fi novels have in common is that climate change plays some role in the lives of the people that the stories depict.
As you can imagine, a novel about climate change does something for readers that a news article cannot. It makes climate change not an abstract concept but a story that readers can digest and understand and really feel at an emotional level.
The 30-something New York-based literary who writes the "Burning Worlds" column hopes that these books, and that her monthly ''cli-fi trends'' column, can inspire new conversations about climate change and how it affects us all.
In Canada, cli-fi is also in the air.
In fact, a new "cli-fi" anthology of short stories brings Canadian visions of future climate crises.
''A woman waits in line to get her water ration. She hasn't had a sip of water in nearly three days. Her mouth is parched; she stumbles as she waits her turn for over an hour in the hot sun. When she he finally gets to the iTap and inserts her card into the machine that controls the water flow, the light turns red and her card is rejected. Her water credits have run out.''
The above is a scenario from "The Way of Water" by Canadian novelist Nina Munteanu and it's one of many contained in the recently published anthology of short stories titled: ''Cli-Fi: Canadian Tales of Climate Change." The 17 stories in this book, edited by Bruce Meyer, examine how humankind might struggle with the potential devastation of climate change in the near or distant future.
Soon after a friend finished reading the book, Cape Town in South Africa, known in precolonial times as "the place where clouds gather" -- announced that it was only a few months away from what it called "Day Zero," the day the city would officially run out of water, making the similarities between fiction and reality more than unsettling, my friend said in his introduction to the anthology.
Munteanu's story is set in a futuristic Canada that has been mined of all its water by thirsty corporations who have taken over control of the resource. Rain has not fallen on Canadian soil in years due to advances in geoengineering and weather manipulation preventing rain clouds from going anywhere north of the Canada-US border.
''Canadian Tales of Climate Change'' is a great introduction to the emerging and growing genre of Cli-Fi, an abbreviated term for Climate Fiction. Literary critics call on writers to use their creative passion to engage readers on the potential disasters of climate change and these 17 Canadian writers have answered the call, according to editor Bruce Meyer Their stories span several genres, including speculative fiction, realism, and more.
Back in the USA, a new monthly column called "Burning Worlds" is dedicated to examining important trends in climate change fiction, or "cli-fi."
Writes the columnist: "For years, authors have been writing climate change fiction, or "cli-fi," a genre of literature that imagines the past, present, and future effects of climate change. Their work crosses literary boundaries in terms of style and content, landing on shelves marked "sci-fi" and "literary fiction." Perhaps you've read one of the classics: Margaret Atwood's 'Oryx and Crake' or Kim Stanley Robinson's' Forty Signs of Rain.' Then there's Ian McEwan's 'Solar' and J. G. Ballard's 1965 novel 'The Burning World', from which [my] column derives its name. Each of these novels -- like others in the genre -- help us to 'see' possible futures lived out on a burning, drowning, or dying planet.''
"Burning Worlds" perhaps will one day also appear in the New York Times, although maybe under a different title. One never knows. For now the column features interviews, reviews, and analyses of the cli-fi genre with the hope of generating a larger conversation about climate change and why imagined depictions of the phenomenon are vital to the literary community -- and beyond.
Here is an interview with a climate activist and journalist who coined the term "cli-fi" (read more about him in this interview with Literary Hub).
The 70-something literary theorist founded and maintains The Cli-Fi Report, the web's most comprehensive site dedicated to cli-fi. A tireless crusader for the genre and a self-proclaimed "cli-fi missionary, " in this interview, he discusses what inspired his passion for climate change fiction, why he thinks the term "cli-fi" caught on, and what he recommends we all read next.
Global Ambassador for Cli-Fi
R.I.P. -- all those killed in the recent Baltimore...
The World Health Organization's continuing isolati...
''Climate Horror'' is the Most important Fiction o...
What makes a good cli-fi movie successful and reso...
PANIC ROOM a cli-fi thriller by Robert Goddard
Anthrocene or Narcisscene? Mark Sagoff ponders eve...
NEW YORK POST HEADLINE: ''Woke Mom'' drops Drudge ...
''Woke Mom'' drops Drudge bomb (as headline is see...
James Hansen, winner of the third Tang Prize in su...
Listen to film critic Michael Svoboda / 'First Re...
Amy Brady interviews Elizabeth Rush on her new cli...
EARTHSHIPS -- a three-part cli-fi series by Bonni...
Cli Fi Is The Important New Literary Genre Of Clim...
MOUNTAIN a cli-fi novel by Ursula Pflug
Dirigibles of Denali by Nathan Shafer
'This Worldly': Cli-Fi Novels in Review, In A Way ...
The New York Times buries its head in the Manhatta...
''In the Year 2525'': A cli-fi short story by Jame...
''Cli-Fi Plus'': A #ClimateFiction Anthology of cl...
"Woke Mom" launches a very woke mom YouTube series...
Australian visionary Glenn Albrecht and coiner of ...
THE FLOODED EARTH by Mardi McConnochie, a cli-fi t...
The rising tide of ''cli-fi'' - a radio show from ...
Book Preview: A new James Hansen non-fiction book ...
''***and some talk about it in the context of "cli...
BOOK PREVIEW -- ''Sophie's Planet'' by James Hanse...
UK writer Megan Hunter's cli-fi novel ''The End We...
Climate activist James Hansen wins 'Asian Nobel Pr...
Sophie's choice is "Sophie's Planet," a series of ...
China's film directors ramping up 'cli-fi' movies ...
Providence poet Kate Schapira sets up an outdoor b...
''VOICE OF THE ELDERS'' by @ripleyauthor - A warmi...
Da-min Tang in China asks: "Is China getting the c...
APOCA NOW in the UK
Chris Taylor on what comes next.....DEAR 22nd Cent...
Vadim Rizov  @vrizov TWEETS: " I could be wron...
Ian McCausland in Canada is "utterly fancinated" w...
Margaret Atwood's Tips for Cli-Fi Authors
''An Unlikely Insurgency'' -- an upcoming cli-fi w...
Speaking of cli-fi ....
Convenience Store Woman - a Japanese novel now tra...
Sweet Fruit, Sour Land -- a feminist cli-fi novel ...
大難臨頭;大禍臨頭 -- What is the meaning of ''the writing ...
Ten Steps to Resilience in a Chaotic Climate
What are your thoughts on the word "cli-fi", as a ...
Oped in 2018 -- ''It's vital to face the future by...
More Empieza la presentación de Hajira, nuestra pr...
For my money, the best game about climate change i...
Hong Kong climate change museum puts on a show
A so-called ''climate museum'' in NYC that does no...
A cli-fi comic novel from Australia's Lisa Walker
''an-evening-with-tc-boyle-and-am-homes''
The Clyfy Channel @do_you_cli_fi_MoreTom and Giov...
BURNING WORLDS cli-fi trends column: by Amy Brady,...
Who was LynnS79? All the info has been collected n...
Pretty much all the fiction I'm working on include...
The Village Voice, Summer of 2018 lit series: on '...
Brilliant piece by Josh Ettinger in issue 1 of @An...
THE VILLAGE VOICE in the year 2045: ''Catching Up ...
Freelance science writers find open doors when pit...
Tora-san the Japanese movie character played for 4...
Orwellian nonsense goes global with front page new...
Cli-Fi -- A World-Systems Approach
Interested in getting into "cli-fi"? Matt put toge...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Search for a New World Reserve Currency
Currencies / Fiat Currency Apr 19, 2010 - 12:57 PM GMT
By: OilPrice_Com
Currency, like all forms of abstract value, is based on trust. And trust itself is based - except among the most naïve - on experience, and the repetitive demonstration of fidelity, whether positive or negative. At present, the US dollar, which had experienced a gradual rise during the 20th Century to the position gained well into the Cold War of being the trading world's reserve currency. It had the mass, in terms of volumes of available currency; it had the backing of an indisputably wealthy national asset base to move away from the gold standard; it had stable governmental backing.
All of that is evaporating. Not, in absolute terms, as far as the mass of currency available, because that has dramatically expanded in recent years, and particularly during the past year of the Administration of Pres. Barack Obama. Not in the underlying asset valuation of the US economy, but it has begun to erode as the productive capability of the US to extract that value diminishes due to excess governmental interference and anti-business practices. It is far to say that other countries, from Nigeria to Russia, have vast untapped underlying asset value. That they did not create global reserve currencies from their naira and ruble was due to governance failures.
However, as we are witnessing, good governance as an essential component of currency value and the trust in that currency, can transform overnight, just as we witnessed the post-World War II collapse of sterling, and, now, the shakiness of trust in the US dollar (despite the reality that, at $14.2-trillion in value in 2008, is the world's largest). The age of the US dollar as the global reserve currency is not yet over, but it is threatened, and the trend toward a flight from the dollar (despite occasional returns to it) is evident. At present, however, the dollar is shored up because in many respects there is nothing of its stature ready to replace it. This leads to the essential question:
Are we entering a period in which we may have no global reserve currency?
The People's Republic of China (PRC) has been searching for safe-havens for its holdings of foreign earnings. The US dollar has slipped in its esteem, with some short-term benefits, perhaps for US exports, but with perilous long-term consequences. As a result, and whilst attempting to preserve the intrinsic value of its currency holdings, the PRC has been gradually scaling back its holdings in US currencies or US dollar-denominated instruments.
Where can the PRC go with its hoard? It looked at euro investments, at Canadian and Australian dollar holdings, and so on. The Australian and Canadian economic bases — at just under a trillion US dollar GDP for Australia, and about $1.4-trillion GDP for Canada — are insufficiently large to hold much in the way of PRC investments. Nonetheless, these economies have benefited from the PRC dilemma. The euro, however, is, like the US dollar, suffering from a loss of credibility, and unless some profound action is taken the euro may dramatically diminish in credibility, severely hampering the loose confederal structure of the European Union, preventing it from becoming the federal state of Europe to which some (mostly unelected) aspire.
We are, then, faced with a situation in which we may find a world without a standby currency, when, for a period after World War II, it had a couple: the US dollar and the pound sterling. It could have had more — the German mark and the Japanese yen — of the parent states of those currencies had been in a position to build a global base of trust. Now we are left in territory unfamiliar to all those now living, other than for the interregna of the World Wars.
What are some options?
India, with a GDP equivalent to only about one-trillion US dollars (and how long will we use the US dollar as a global measure?) is not in the running. The PRC in 2007 already had a GDP of $3.2-trillion, and had, by that time done to India what India itself did in competitive terms to Pakistan over the past decade or so. The Indo-Pak strategic competition ended in India's economic triumph. The Indo-PRC strategic competition may well have also already been decided by the PRC's true "great leap forward": the one it took when it embraced capitalism and not the one avowed by Chairman Mao Zedong.
So can the PRC move toward creating the renminbi (Ren Min Bi: People's Currency, of which the yuan is the principal measure, such as the yen or dollar) as a global reserve currency?
Not yet. The PRC is hampered by a lack of transparent economic (and political) governance and a lack of market-determined tradability for its currency. And this in turn means that it has not yet, and cannot yet, gain global trust in its currency. That does not mean that it is not a tradable currency; it is, but with reservations.
The PRC, at present, cannot afford to move toward total economic or political transparency. It is a structure, arguably a mix between a federal and confederal and excessively centrist systems, which is in flux, much of it the flux of growth. This is inherently unstable, and the PRC leadership wisely will not tamper with the formula merely for the sake of providing the US with the economic satisfaction of lowering the exchange rate for the yuan or providing the world with the satisfaction of a new reserve trading currency.
The international community may be able to muster some credibility to resume greater reliance on the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), created in 1969 to reflect "baskets of currencies", but this mechanism of the Bretton Woods accords (which relied on fixed exchange-rate thinking and which, in any event, collapsed in 1973) remains clumsy. Still, SDRs continue to exist and may be the standby for a period. Some private institutions are also issuing trading certificates, but these would also take a lot of growth in backing and credibility to have any merit. And that leaves the old standby, gold, as a major standard of measure, albeit a difficult one. Physical trade in gold is not practicable for modern transaction scales; paper based on gold is, as yet, lacking in trust and a credible set of issuing authorities.
What this all means, in sum, is the prospect that major trade will gradually become more bilateral in nature, based on very real mutual trust in each other's currencies or goods. This will be a significant limiting factor in trade, and will make bilateral balances of greater interest than in the past when trade balances of a bilateral nature "washed out" in the great mixing bowl of the global banking system.
This situation, too, will severely impact investment in research and development of a global nature. It will, without doubt, also lead us back into an era of greater nationalism and national competition.
Source:http://www.oilprice.com/article-the-search-for-a-reserve-currency-288.html
Analysis by Gregory R. Copley for Oilprice.com who focus on Fossil Fuels, Alternative Energy, Metals, Oil Prices and Geopolitics. To find out more visit their website at: http://www.oilprice.com
© 2010 Copyright OilPrice.com- All Rights Reserved


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Looking for a great keyboard player for my new country show (would be great if could sing background harmonies too). Previously in a show as female lead for 3 years. Have all the players just need a talented keyboard player. Female country music from the 60's and 70's.
Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, Terri Clark, Shania, Jo Dee Messina.
written by Paige Danner and Eric Stockton.


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WIFT-T SHOWCASE: Q&A WITH LISA OLFMAN
Portfolio Entertainment co-founder and Executive Producer, Lisa Olfman, speaks with Gina Power (2017 WIFT-T Showcase Selection Committee) and WIFT-T staff on the creation of Freaktown, why Canada is known internationally for children's animation, her theory on why this is the Golden Age of Television, and the secret to her long-time partnership with her friend and colleague, Joy Rosen.
How did Portfolio Entertainment get involved in Freaktown?
Portfolio has been very fortunate to have a longstanding and successful relationship with TELETOON which had a development agreement in place with the Freaktown creators Philippe Ivanusic-Vallee and Peter Ricq (League of Super Evil)
When TELETOON presented us the opportunity to produce the show in collaboration with Peter and Philippe, we jumped at the chance. Our history with Corus Kids includes multiple seasons of Groundling Marsh followed by multiple seasons of the animated series Carl2 and Roboroach for TELETOON and The Cat in The Hat Knows a Lot About That for Treehouse. With our track record in creative storytelling and execution in animation, we were a natural fit for this project.
The result was a zany comedy with a unique charm that is packed with imaginative action, visual comedy and hilarious storylines, and Freaktown has now sold around the world. Fun fact: Freaktown was Portfolio's inaugural series to pass through our freshly minted animation studio where we handle all pre-production, design, storyboards and edit.
Canada is well-known for our animated children's content. Why do you think we as a country excel at this genre?
First and foremost, Canada is flush with world class talent from coast to coast and institutions like Sheridan College produce a steady flow of great animators and content creators every year. Canada is also consistently on the leading edge of technology. We are pioneers in developing innovative hardware and software solutions to drive a more efficient animation pipeline. At the end of the day, it is our ability to combine creative excellence and efficient execution which makes Canada stand out as a leader in the animation industry.
The advent of specialty television in the late 90s gave the animation industry a new distribution outlet and increased demand for programming as broadcast revenues soared. Broadcast partners like TELETOON became incredibly successful and began commissioning significant amounts of animated content that in turn sold around the world. This coupled with favourable funding and tax incentives encouraged the production of homegrown content and enabled Canadian producers to keep talent from heading to LA. This growth period provided invaluable experience as the animation industry took off.
The key to continued success for the animation industry in Canada is to ensure that the regulator is persuaded (and all evidence points in this direction) that supporting Canadian-produced kids' animation shows is good for economic growth, international recognition as well as cultural sovereignty for the next generation of Canadians.
You've been in the industry for many years. How has it changed, especially in regards to opening doors for women?
Actually, the more the industry changes, the more it stays the same. My partner and I have seen major technological disruption in the media space: the advent of specialty channels, the collapse of the home video market, the explosion of mobile and streaming. Each time, the naysayers herald the collapse of the content industry and yet, we are still here after 25 years, producing and distributing great shows in what is being called the Golden Age of Television. As female entrepreneurs, we have faced challenges from doubting financiers to skeptical international partners. With time, perseverance and proof of performance, we have built one of Canada's leading content companies.
What has changed most recently is awareness and action with regards to gross gender imbalance across all decision-making categories in our industry. We welcome the initiatives of the CMF, Telefilm, the CBC and other broadcasters to address the issue of inequality, not only for women directors but also for writers, editors, creative directors, and producers. It's long overdue and Portfolio is committed to providing job opportunities for talented women creatives in live action and animation.
You and Joy Rosen started Portfolio Entertainment in 1991, and have worked together on countless projects since. What keeps your partnership successful?
The key to any successful partnership is having a shared vision and an aligned set of values. Our business thrives in a corporate culture that is committed to integrity, creative excellence, innovation, and collaboration. Joy and I both set very high standards for ourselves and our team and share a common unwavering drive for success. We're always moving forward and adapting to change. It keeps us invigorated and we run the company with the energy of today's best startups. We are not afraid of risk nor of turbulent times – we are both survivors!
Success is also attributable to our ability to communicate and freely exchange ideas. After 25 years together, there isn't anything we can't say to each other. Honesty and open dialogue have been paramount to our success.
Most importantly, we genuinely love coming into work every day. We're surrounded by a team of wonderfully creative, talented and passionate people who are all experts at what they do best and that keeps us motivated.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming content creators?
While great storytelling is always the key to success, content creators today have to think globally and they have to think about their role in building audience. The changing media landscape internationally has made it necessary to think beyond the traditional local linear broadcast model. As consumption habits continue to evolve, there is more of a direct link to the consumer and understanding your audience is essential.
It's also important for content creators to be active partners, not only in producing the end-product but in building a brand, engaging the audience and enhancing reach. Discoverability is not just the responsibility of the broadcast or distribution partner. Producers and creators need to get involved in promoting the product to ensure success.
The traditional television industry is undergoing massive disruption from the internet and consumption of content has changed dramatically. At the same time, the demand for premium, high-quality content from experienced producers like Portfolio has never been greater. This has led us to expand our capacity. First, through the launch of our best-in-class animation studio and second, through our content diversification strategy. Portfolio is now developing 'tween and family live action comedies as well as exploring digital-first content. We have a long-standing relationship with PBS and are currently in production on an entirely new property called Super Hero School. We're also working on new seasons of our animated series Doki and Cat in The Hat Knows a lot About and have several new properties in development with broadcasters. But, we are continually looking for partners with brilliant new ideas!
Finally, at a time of industry consolidation, we believe that there are still opportunities for the bespoke services of a boutique distributor like Portfolio. We continue to acquire third party shows, like our recent announcement of Small Town, Big Mayor, and our distribution team brings a forward thinking, "no-stone-unturned" philosophy to each title they distribute.
Media Coverage April 21, 2016
http://playbackonline.ca/2016/04/21/portfolios-cat-in-the-hat-movies-acquired-overseas/The three-movie set was…
It's Expedition Time! Portfolio Entertainment Embarks on All-New Adventures with DOKI
Press Releases May 11, 2016
Discovery Kids Latin America commissions new seasons of the hit preschool animated series FOR IMMEDIATE…


text:
Any Price (100) Under $100 (88) $100-499 (8) $500-4,999 (4)
Rich, Ben E.
Scrap Book of Mormon Literature: Religious Tracts, vol. 2
Chicago: Ben E. Rich. Cloth. 567pp. Rebound in red buckram with title in gilt on the spine and new endsheets added. This copy has all edges gilt (only seen on leather editions). Contains many reprints of early LDS pamphlets.
Priesthood Power Lines
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1976. First printing. Pamphlet. 13pp. Sunday School Course 11 Student Activity pamphlet.
Pratt, Orson
A Series of Pamphlets,; By Orson Pratt, One of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with Portrait. To Which is Appended A Discussion Held in Bolton, Between Elder William Gibson, President of the Saints in the Manchester Conference, and the Rev. Mr. Woodman. Also a Discussion Held in France, Between Elder John Taylor, One of the Twelve Apostles, and Three Reverend Gentlemen of Different Orders, Containing a Facsimile of Writings Engraved on Six Metallic Plates, Taken Out of a Ancient Mound in the State of Illinois, in the Year 1843.
Liverpool: R. James, 1851. First edition. Leather. Flake-Draper 6542. Crawley II: 551. 3/4 brown leather (sheep) over marbled boards; title in gilt on spine as "O. Pratt's Works &c.", plain white endsheets. Small moisture stain inside rear cover on top corner as well as last two pages; Nearly all of.....
Pratt, Parley P.
Key to the Science of Theology.; Designed as an introduction to the first principles of spiritual philosophy; religion; law and government; as delivered by the ancients, and as restored in this age, for the final development of universal peace, truth and knowledge.
Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1855. First edition. Leather. xv,173 pp. Flake-Draper 6585. Crawley 989. Full leather blind stamped double ruled border and small diamond design on front and rear covers; four raised bands; title in gilt on spine; plain edges; yellow coated endsheets. Minor rubbing to leather at head of.....
Bruno, Cheryl L.; Joe Steve Swick III and Nicholas S. Literski
Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration - Advance Reading Copy, Uncorrected Proof
Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2022. First printing. Paperback. xxi, 509pp. While no one thing can entirely explain the rise of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the historical influence of Freemasonry on this religious tradition cannot be refuted. Those who study Mormonism have been aware of.....
Ostler, Blake T.
Exploring Mormon Thought: God's Plan to Heal Evil (vol. 4)
Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2020. Print-on-demand. Paperback. 243pp. Minor staining to foredge.
Schoenfeld, J. Stanley
Progress An L.D.S. Quiz Game; Originated and designed to encourage pratical study of the Standard Works of the Church
Bountiful: Val Verda Ward, 1958. Contains orange, yellow, blue and pink cards and an answer sheet for each set of cards and the intructions. Orange - Church Doctrine & History; Yellow - New Testament; Blue - Old Testament; Pink - Book of Mormon.
Souvenir Program In Memory of the Pioneers to San Bernardino, 1851-1867; Dedication of the Pioneer Monument Under the Auspices of Daughters of the Utah Pioneers of San Bernardino County San Bernardino, Calif. January 23, 1965
San Bernardino: 1965. Pamphlet. [16] pp. 8.5 X 11" printed covers. Revised? program pasted on top of printed page. Short biographies of the following included: Rich, Charles C. (Charles Coulson), 1809-1883. Lyman, Amasa M. (Amasa Mason), 1813-1877. Hunt, Jefferson, 1804-1879. Lytle, Andrew, 1812-1870.
Na Mele O Ziona (Hawaiian Hymns)
Honolulu: 1931? Second edition. Hardcover. Jacobs 698.H. 222 numbered songs + 10 pages of index. Maroon cloth with gilt title with ornate border and music lyre device printed on front boards. Wear and rubbing to edges and corners, front endsheet added; lacks title page; minor damage to first song.
Jones, Daniel
Forty Years Among the Indians
Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor, 1890. First edition. Leather. 400 pp. Full black leather - quadruple borders in gilt with inner corner designs in gilt on front cover and matching blindstamping on rear cover; title in gilt in center of front cover; spine has two bands of horizontal lines at.....
Bushman, Richard Lyman with the assistance of Jed Woodworth; Newell, Linda King and Valeen Tippetts Avery
Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith.
Salt Lake City: Restoration Press. Leather. 740, 394 pp. Full black leather with double rule blindstamped borders and front and rear covers; Sutcliffe Maudsley's Joseph Smith bust and Joseph Smith Jr. signature blindstamped on front cover; deckeld edge; Marbled endsheets. Letter M of 26 lettered and 4 hors de commerce.....
Blumell, Lincoln H (ed.)
New Testament History, Culture, and Society
Provo: RSC/Deseret Book, 2019. First printing. Hardcover/dust jacket. 836pp. Scattered underlining.
Sillito, John
B.H. Roberts: A Life in the Public Arena
Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2021. Hardcover/dust jacket. 586 pp.
Quinn, D. Michael
Early Mormonism and the Magic World View
Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998. Revised edition. Paperback. 646 pp. Minor soiling to covers and foredge; bottom corner of front cover is creased and the bottom corner of first few pages are slightly curled.
Ostler, Craig; Michael Hubbard MacKay and Barbara Gardner (eds.)
Foundations of the Restoration (45th Sperry Symposium)
Salt Lake City: RSC/Deseret Book, 2016. First printing. Hardcover/dust jacket. 322pp. This book is a compilation of essays from the 45th annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium titled Foundations of the Restoration. The keynote address by Robert L. Millet highlights the restoration of plain and precious truths. Readers.....
Harper, Steven C.
Joseph Smith's First Vision: A Guide to the Historical Accounts
Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2019. First edition thus. Paperback. 128pp. In this volume, Church historian Steven C. Harper provides all known accounts of the first vision written during Joseph Smith's lifetime and places them within the historical context of his family, community, and culture. Brother Harper includes practical.....
Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel & Thomas A. Wayment
The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, Vol. 1: From Bethlehem Through the Sermon on the Mount. Vol. 2: From the Transfiguration Through the Triumphal Entry. Vol. 3: From the Last Supper Through the Resurrection. The Life and Teachings of the New Testament Apostles: From the Day of Pentecost through the Apocalypse
Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010. Hardcover/dust jacket. 418, 456, 501, 358 pp.
Spencer, Joseph M.
The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi's Record
Greg Kofford Books, 2016. Print-on-demand. Paperback. 312pp.
Gileadi, Avraham
Becoming Kings and Queens of the Gentiles
San Diego: Hebron Books, 2019. First printing. Paperback. 90 pp. Minor moisture staining in right margin of pages.
Golding, Carma Muir (comp.)
Our Golding Heritage. The Ancestors & Descendants of Sebron Johnson Golding & Nancy Ellis McNees
Community Press, 1988. First printing. Hardcover. 765pp.
Valletta, Thomas R. (gen. ed.)
The New Testament Study Guide: Start to Finish
Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2018. First printing. Paperback. 1046pp.
Buchanan, Barbara Wood (comp.) [Edited by Jerry W. Buchanan]
Reflections of Garland
[Clearfield]: SJS Publishing, 2004. First edition. Hardcover/dust jacket. 414 pp. Contains historical information pertaining to Garland, Utah, and surrounding areas.
Smith, Joseph
History of the Church, set
Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902 - 1912, 1932. First edition. Hardcover. 7 vol. set. Overall a very good set.
Dudley Leavitt: Pioneer to Southern Utah
[Salt Lake City]: [Sugarhouse Press], [1955]. Reprint. Hardcover. 115pp. Light blue cloth, dated 1942. 500 copies printed as per Juanita Brooks's correspondence with publisher. This edition does not have title on spine. Minor staining to front cover.


Hello and welcome to the 5th Grade!
I am excited to be your teacher this year.
I look forward to working together with you to make our year together fun and educational!
I am going to work hard to create fun and challenging activities that will prepare you for the Sixth Grade and the rest of your life. All that I ask is that you try your hardest every day and that you treat your fellow students and teachers with the respect they deserve.
Religion – During class this year we will study a variety of topics ranging from the importance of the Ten Commandments to the Seven Sacraments.
Social Studies – Fifth Grade students study Geography and US History up to the Revolutionary War.
Language Arts – Our Language Arts class will focus on the writing process, vocabulary building, spelling and sentence mechanics.
Reading –We will read and analyze a wide variety of stories from many different genres. The novels we read in 5 th grade include Hatchet and Johnny Tremain.
Science – The focus in fifth grade is on Life Science. We will be studying cells, systems of the body, plants and ecosystems. In the fifth grade we also spend a great deal of time working on our Science Fair project.
Mathematics (Taught by Mrs. Janelle Turcotte)- Focus is on understanding of fractions, decimals and volume. And, as with all math courses, persevering in solving problems is critical. This requires being able to think deeply about numbers and how they work together.
This year we will continue the process of becoming responsible global citizens who make well informed decisions based on fact, sound reasoning, and guided by our Christian beliefs.


A complex floral fragrance with topnotes of deep lingering musk. A mysterious scent with a full spectrum of moods – it's innocent – yet, still very seductive. Black Coral is an incurably romantic fragrance. Compellingly feminine and sure to earn comments. Available in cologne and perfume oil.


Look what Hubby caught walking the trail.
You never know what you might come across walking in the woods.
Stop by Sultry Saturday and join in the fun.
Nice timing for the hubby.
Wow the environment is so beautiful, and then there you are too! Excellent pic!


San Francisco's top transportation official is taking the blame for not spending enough funds from a voter-approved bond.
After falling in heart-breaking fashion one night prior, the Oakland Athletics could spark nothing in a 5-0 snuffing Wednesday.
The Oakland Raiders owe an estimated $800,000 in parking fees to the authority that runs the Oakland Coliseum complex.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual battery on a San Francisco Municipal Railway light-rail vehicle last week.
Transferable taxi medallion holders will no longer have to pay an annual renewal fee starting July 1, 2017.


Last issue we looked at the second. In this issue we will look at the third of these languages.
James tells us that every good and perfect gift comes down to us from the creator and God certainly knows how to give gifts.
Eph 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God."
We don't begin to understand the devastating effect of sin. Sure we know our experience with it, how it feels and in part how what it does to us but I don't believe we see it in its full colours, how abhorrent it is. Not the way God sees it. God sees it in all its devastation and he understood the radical measure needed to eradicate it, that is why we can never begin to earn our salvation, the cost is way too high and any puny little effort we might attempt doesn't begin to address that cost. That's where God's grace comes in. Someone has described grace as a bridge spanning the yawning chasm between who God is and who we are. If you are very spiritually athletic you might be able to leap some of the distance toward God and those less spiritually fit could leap a lesser distance but if we all took a leap at the end of the day we would all be in the same spot - at the bottom of the chasm, bruised and battered if not dead from the effort. God in his mercy understands that we are spiritual weaklings and so he provides a bridge reaching from his side of the chasm right across to our side. That bridge is his son Jesus Christ who paid the price for our salvation at Calvary - the debt is paid in full. That is Grace. That is what our amazing God offers us as a free gift. Isn't he wonderful? But God doesn't force his gift onto us, he holds it out to us and waits for us to reach out and accept it. So it's our choice as to whether we accept salvation or not, God has already made his choice and he chooses us because he loves us and he longs for us to choose him.
And Jesus's part in this?
"Make yourself at home in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain intimately at home in my love.What Jesus is saying is 'Be comfortable and secure in my love. Be loyal to me and follow my teachings and when you do that you will experience my love as your home.' "
I find this a very appealing analogy. Home is where we are free to be ourselves, were we rest and recharge our batteries, It's where our food and clothing are (and we can think of that in terms of our spiritual food and spiritual clothing), where we escape to at the end of the day (and during the day) and close the door and feel safe. It's where we launch ourselves from each day as we go out and do the business of living.
It's our safe haven. And above all it's where we belong as children of God.
16. I will ask the father and he will give you another helper and he will stay with you forever.
26. The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name will teach you everything and help you remember all that I have told you.
I think we tend to overlook the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We seem to be so afraid of being caught up in emotional experiences in our worship that we err on the side of caution and give the Holy Spirit a low profile - that's my impression anyway. But we must embrace the Holy Spirit as a part of us if he is to do the work he came to do. I know that on a personal level I need to be more aware of the role he plays in my salvation. If I am more open to him he can be more effective at keeping me at home in God's love. And as my teacher I certainly need to be aware of him and what he is teaching me.
If I understand this correctly - the Holy Spirit is God's presence in the world and therefore it is through him that God comes close to us, it is him whom we meet in our daily walk with God. How important it is to allow the Holy Spirit to befriend us and to be in active partnership with him by allowing him to guide and instruct and to teach. So the role of the Holy Spirit is to keep us in relationship with God but since he is part of the Godhead (one of those mysteries we tend to find difficult to understand) it means being in relationship with him.
Rom 8:14-17 "... because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
God's gift to us of the Holy Spirit is an expression of his everlasting love for us. So God gives wonderful, soul saving gifts. It's up to us to receive them and he asks us to teach others about his gifts so that they can receive them too. And our gift to God is our relationship with him and our faithfulness in showing others the truth about him. And when we do that we are speaking God's love language to others.


text:
Tell them to get to work, Minister
Press Release – New Zealand National Party
Grant Robertsons comments have confirmed the Labour-led Governments true approach to social welfare, Nationals Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston says. Mr Robertson yesterday said that people who want to work should be able to. …
Grant Robertson's comments have confirmed the Labour-led Government's true approach to social welfare, National's Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston says.
"Mr Robertson yesterday said that 'people who want to work should be able to'. Carmel Sepuloni then indicated in Parliament that she agreed with him. This just underlines Labour's attitude that being on benefit can be a lifestyle choice.
"National believes those who can work, should work.
"The numbers show the Government's going soft on social welfare. Since the Labour-led Government came into office, there are 15,500 more people on a jobseeker benefit and 3,300 fewer sanctions being imposed. The clue is in the name: jobseekers are supposed to be seeking jobs.
"Labour can't claim to be the party of the workers if it's supporting people who simply don't want to work and expect to rely on the generosity of the taxpayer.
"Working is the best route out of poverty, and gives people the opportunity to live better lives.
"At the end of the day, benefits are funded by taxpayers' money for the purpose of helping people who need it to get back on their feet. The funds should be targeted towards those who do need them, rather than those who can work, but won't."


text:
More questions from the Nicky Hager case
Our police force are yet to fully discharged their duty in the Dirty Politics case, which raises further questions about government agencies' respect for journalism
The mea cupla is fulsome and the apology - however hard won - is on the record. Nicky Hager has won an important victory for the rights of journalists to go about their business without intrusive oversight from the police, who have been shown to be less than honest. But questions remain.
In October 2014, Hager's house was searched by police looking for evidence tying him to Rawshark, the anonymous source of material hacked from the website of Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater. That material was given to Hager and he used it as the foundation for his 2014 book Dirty Politics, that cast such a shadow over that year's election and raised serious ethical and legal questions around the behaviour of National Party MPs and staff in Prime Minister John Key's office.
Slater had reported the hack to police and quite properly, the police began investigating. However, they began investigating with such vigour they broke the law and were not honest with the courts. It's a remarkable series of events that appears to go beyond ineptitude, to something more deliberate.
Yesterday, they were forced to admit their failures and apologise.
As Andrew writes so well in his post yesterday:
"The police admit that they misled a court by omission into giving them apparent legal authority to raid the house of not a suspect in a crime, but a witness to it. That witness, they knew, was a working journalist whose efficacy depends upon being able to assure his sources (be they law abiding saints or malefactor demons or somewhere in between) that their identity will remain confidential".
What's more, they went to third parties such as airlines and told them Hager was suspected of fraud.
In a country where victims of burglary often complain about the slow response from police and around the time that the national burglary resolution rate (2015) was a record low 9.3 per cent, it's curious that police would expend such resources on this computer.
But most notably there were other dodgy dealings with computers in the news around the same time, as well. Dirty Politics itself revealed that Slater and National Party staffer and others had been rooting around in the back-end of the Labour Party website. Hager had alleged that one of those who had been in the site was a staff member in the Prime Minister's office. While Police admitted in their statement yesterday that Hager "was not a suspect of any offending", there were questions being asked at the time about the legality of that behaviour. Yet nothing so rigorous was undertaken.
Also around the same time, the victim of Rawshark's hack - Cameraon Slater - was himself commissioning Ben Rachinger to hack The Standard website to establish whether Labour MPs and staff were anonymously writing for the Labour-aligned blog. Rachinger turned whistle blower, leading to a story by me and Lisa Owen that saw Slater finally charged with attempting to procure a hack. He admitted guilt and received diversion.
I know from my work on that story and my repeated calls to police how slow they were to act on Slater's actions. Quite reasonably, police have pointed out that Rawshark's actual hack (with the potential for a seven year prison sentence) was a worse offence than Slater's attempted and failed hack (with a maximum sentence of two and a half years).
But when you consider such extensive efforts on one side (where there was serious public interest in the behaviour of people in and around government) and such reluctance to investigate on the other (where, while embarrassing, the 'crime' of writing anonymous blog posts was much the lesser justification for a hack), it does raise questions.
The biggest being: Why? Police have issued their apology and statement, but have refused interviews. But what they still need to answer is why the went so disproportionately hard and broke so many rules on this one case? Why were they dishonest with the court? Why did they lie to third parties about their investigations into Hager? Why?
The next question is who: Who made the decisions to deceive the court and the third parties? Who made the decision to conduct the raid in such a way that breached his rights to journalistic privilege? Who breached the Bill of Rights by their approaches to third parties?
The dark shadow hanging over all this is political. The police investigation was into a journalist who had made serious allegations against the sitting government of the day. Those are the times when police have to be at their scrupulous best, their most transparent and their most even-handed. Yet they were not.
It was in precisely this investigation that police chose to over-reach in such an unprecedented manner. They broke rules and deceived. At the very least the public needs clear assurances from Police bosses and the Police Ministers around that time - Anne Tolley and Michael Woodhouse - that the politics at play did not influence the investigation. Without honest and frank interviews addressing these questions, how can the public's trust in police not be effected. Police officials have not fully discharged their duty yet.
This comprehensive apology should not be dismissed lightly by them or us. It certainly shouldn't be snorted at by former Police Minister Judith Collins, with the wholly inappropriate demand that Hager apologise for his part in the affair.
It is another example of agencies of the state failing to respect and understand the role of the fourth estate in this country. The constant abuse of the Official Information Act by state agencies is another. Add in the frailty of the free press globally today and it is time for a complete overhaul of the public sector's understanding of what journalism means and does. That includes politicians themselves and their advisors.
The one beacon of hope in all of this is that at the end of the Dirty Politics saga (if this is indeed the end), the journalist Nicky Hager has an apology and a legal victory for free speech and the protection of sources. The muck-raker Cameron Slater was forced to admit his guilt in an attempt to procure a hack and received diversion. There is some small justice in that.
by James Green on June 13, 2018
I think police culture is too insular. The diversity of thought and opinion seems low in the police force. This is just one example.
by Thomas Beagle on June 13, 2018
Good article but you missed a question.... when. When will the responsible Police officers be charged with breaking the law? When will they lose their jobs?
We seem to have a real problem with holding people to account in New Zealand.
Those decisions to deceive and lie to get private data they weren't entitled to weren't made by "NZ Police" but by individuals working within the police force. And, by their actions, they've shown that they're exactly the sort of people who shouldn't be working in the police force.
by Lee Churchman on June 13, 2018
Well, there are other cases involving investigations that were embarrassing to the previous government that would make interesting comparisons, but the courts have made sure we can't.
The message is pretty clear: the deck is stacked.
by Ross on June 14, 2018
The decisions may have been made at a high level. There's an old saying: a fish rots from the head, and I suspect that also applies to dysfunctional organisations. Who's to say political pressure wasn't brought to bear upon the Police Commissioner, pressure that was filtered down to those tasked with investigating Hager?
by Dennis Frank on June 14, 2018
Thomas is right, but his point ought to be made more precisely. The evasion of accountability in our corporations and public service has been entrenched in Aotearoa by both the political left and right during the past century. Our politicians ensured that the person who changed the computer program directing the airliner to fly into Mount Erebus was not held accountable - nor whoever in management of the airline authorised that change. They ensured that the public servant who authorised the Cave Creek platform construction with nails instead of bolts was likewise not held accountable for the consequent deaths.
Our media proved insufficiently competent to even ask the right question: why are these people allowed to kill lots of our citizens and get away with it?
When police go rogue, we expect the police hierarchy to impose accountability. When the command structure fails to do so, we expect our politicians to demand that the police minister direct his department to rectify their error. When our politicians also fail to act appropriately, we lose faith in our entire governance system. It's happening, folks, as we watch. Younger generations become alienated from the political process as a natural result. No point in voting, eh?
This dire outcome is easily avoided: the person in the police hierarchy who officially authorised their illegal raid on Hager ought to be made to publicly apologise for their mistake. Any consequent demotion is up to the commissioner. We need to see accountability actually happen. Instead, we got the usual sham apology in which the identity of the wrong-doer was once again covered up. Pathetic. Will the current police minister ensure that the wrong-doer is held accountable? He's a leftist, so I bet he fails the test.
by Anne on June 14, 2018
Thank-you Thomas Beagle and Dennis Frank for hitting the nail firmly on the head.
As a former public servant who was on duty on the afternoon/evening of the Erebus disaster - and who was subsequently questioned about the role I played in the immediate aftermath - I can attest to the accuracy of Frank's statement. It was a truly disgraceful episode in NZ history. I can also attest to the fact that the cover-up began within 24 hrs of the tragic event occurring, when those of us who found ourselves involved were advised... to be careful what we said.
I can't speak for the entire "century" but certainly in the time I was a part of two separate government agencies (60s,70s, 80s and 90s) there was a hierarchal culture where those perceived to be at or near the bottom of the heap were invariably scapegoated by middle management whenever anything went wrong. If an employee dared to poke their head above the parapet and protest then it was the modern day equivalent of "off with your head" for them. In other words, they were hounded out of their jobs.
I appreciate this situation may well have also existed in the private sector but I suspect not to the same extent. The lack of accountability over the decades is an indictment on successive governments who were happy to let the cover-ups and the subsequent injustices prevail without carrying out any meaningful investigations.
Anne/Dennis,
Cover ups and a lack of accountability are not peculiar to NZ.
The Hillsborough tragedy where 96 soccer fans died is a good example. Various inquiries said the deaths were accidental, though blame was usually apportioned to the fans. Police looked into the criminal past of the deceased knowing full well that they could be blamed and couldn't defend themselves. Police had their own statements altered, to remove any hint of culpabilitity on their part. The changes were made in many cases I think without the individual officer's knowledge. Yes, some police officers have since been charged but there is no guarantee they will stand trial let alone be convicted. Their trials are due some 30 years after the tragedy.
Yes, Anne, our public service seems designed to ensure that ethical decision-making is penalised and outcomes that deliver natural justice are prevented. The solution would be to allow public servants the right of free speech, so they can inform the public when someone in the hierarchy attempts a cover-up. I agree with Ross re Britain - that's where our system was imported from.
We do have whistle-blower legislation nowadays but no cops blew the whistle on the Hager raid so it may be poorly designed. Someone should ask the Police Association if cops feel it protects them sufficiently. If a cop hears that someone in police management is planning an illegal raid, and the law requires them to report that to management internally before blowing the whistle to the public, you can see why they'd be paranoid about persecution.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/88543013/how-whistleblowing-in-new-zeal...
dirty politics, Nicky Hager, Cameron Slater, New Zealand police
How we found the NZDF was wrong on Hit & Run
Cri du cœur
The politics of vilification
Debating "Dirty Politics": Media, Politics and Law
UPDATED: Crosby v Hager: there is something very wrong with our defamation laws


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Latest Teaching jobs » General Awareness Quiz For 2016-17 Exams
General Awareness Quiz For 2016-17 Exams
1. Which of the following is the most commonly used bleaching agent?
(a) alcohol
(b) carbon dioxide
(c) chlorine
(d) Sodium chloride
2. Animals that live in tree trunks are known as
(a) Arboreal
(b) Volant
(c) Amphibious
(d) Aquatic
3. Arrange the dynasties of Delhi Sultanate in the chronological order:
1. Tughlaq 2. Lodis 3. Saiyyad 4. Ilbari Turk(Salve) 5. Khilji
(a) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(b) 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
(c) 2, 4, 5, 3, 1
(d) 4, 5, 1, 3, 2
4. Who among the following was the author of the book 'The Indian War of Independence'?
(a) Krishna Verma
(b) Madame Carna
(c) B.G. Tilak
(d) V.D. Savarkar
5. When two countries exchange commodities, it is known as
(a) Balance of trade
(b) Bilateral trade
(c) Volume of trade
(d) Multilateral trade
6. Which of the following is used to prevent soil erosion on hill slopes?
(a) Afforestation
(b) Crop Rotation
(c) Water logging
(d) Contour farming
7.The term 'Geography' was coined by
(a) Ptolemy
(b) Eratosthenese
(c) Hacataus
(d) Herodotus
8. _____________are known as the "ecological hot spot of India"?
(a) Western Ghats
(b) Eastern Ghats
(c) Western Himalayas
(d) Sunderbans
9. Which of the following can be used to determine the age of Earth?
(a) Geological Time Scale
(b) Radio-Metric Dating
(c) Gravity method
(d) Fossilization method
10. Who among the following defeated Harshvardhana?
(a) Prabhakaravardhana
(b) Pulakesin II
(c) Narasimhasvarma Pallava
(d) Sasanka


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Q: Trying send upload image to image server on button click , then return url and store to the backend. How to do it sequentially this is the image upload code the URL only returns after the form has been submitted to the backend. Trying send upload image to an image server on button click, then return URL and store to the backend. How to do it sequentially
    const handleImgUpload = async imgb => {

    try {
  const images = imgb;
  let promiseArray = [];
  let imgbb = images.toString('base64');
  const details = {image: `${imgbb}`};
  let formBody = [];
  for (const property in details) {
    const encodedKey = encodeURIComponent(property);
    const encodedValue = encodeURIComponent(details[property]);
    formBody.push(encodedKey + '=' + encodedValue);
  }
  formBody = formBody.join('&');
  promiseArray.push(
    fetch(
      'https://api.imgbb.com/1/upload?key=xxxxxxxxxxxx',
      {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded;charset=UTF-8',
        },
        body: formBody,
      },
    ).then(r => r.json()),
  );

  Promise.all(promiseArray)
    .then(values => {
      if (values[0].success) {
        let thumb = '';
        values.map(imgs => {
          thumb = values[0].data.thumb.url;
          setImgUrl(imgs.data.url.replace(/["']/g, ''));
        });
        // setImageLoader(false);
        //YOU SEND imgURL
        // handleSubmitButton();
      } else {
        // setImageLoader(false);
        alert(
          'An error occurred while uploading image, please check your connection and try again',
        );
      }
    })
    .catch(err => {
      // setImageLoader(false);
      console.log('ERORRRRR', err);
      alert(err);
    });
} catch (e) {
  // setImageLoader(false);
  console.log('ERRRR', e);
}

};
this is the submit button code
I want to fetch the return URL first and then store it to a state then upload it to backend**
 const handleSubmitButton = async () => {

handleImgUpload(img); **handle upload function**

// Show Loader
setLoading(true);

UserApi.ElectionReport({

  imgUrl,

})
  .then(function (response) {
    // response handling
    setValue(response);
    console.log('res', response.data);

    if (response.data == 'successful') {
      // console.log('res', response.data)
      navigation.navigate('Home');

      alert('Sent Successfully');
      return;
    }
    setLoading(false);
    console.log('res', response.data);
  })
  .catch(function (error) {
    // error handling
    if (error.response) {
      alert(error.message);
      setLoading(false);
    }
  });

};

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