"From the mid-seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century, millions of Korean men from all walks of life trained in the arts of war to prepare not for actual combat but to sit for the state military examination (mukwa). Despite this widespread interest, only for a small minority did passing the test lead to appointment as a military official. Why, then, did so many men aspire to the mukwa?Eugene Y. Park argues that the mukwa was not only the state’s primary instrument for recruiting aristocrats as new members to the military bureaucracy but also a means by which the ruling elite of Seoul could partially satisfy the status aspirations of marginalized regional elites, secondary status groups, commoners, and manumitted slaves. Unlike the civil examination (munkwa), however, that assured successful examinees posts in the prestigious central bureaucracy, achievement in the mukwa did not enable them to gain political power or membership in the existing aristocracy.A wealth of empirical data and primary sources drives Park’s study: a database of more than 32,000 military examination graduates; a range of new and underutilized documents such as court records, household registers, local gazetteers, private memoirs, examination rosters, and genealogies; and products of popular culture, such as p’ansori storytelling and vernacular fiction. Drawing on this extensive evidence, Park provides a comprehensive sociopolitical history of the mukwa system in late Chosŏn Korea."

This must read book explains how to bring your dreams to fruition. There are key steps that need to be embedded in our process in order to achieve our dreams. Often times the dream that has been placed in us is so big it appears impossible to achieve. Many of us want to move forward but do not know where to start. In this book you will find key steps and concepts that will assist you on how to begin your journey. If you are reading this back cover recognize that you are not the ordinary individual. You are extraordinary and looking to fulfill a God given vision in this season. Decide to be open minded and allow the creation of a new thought pattern. After reading this book you will not be the same. Wherever your dream or passion lies it will become more fervent and more attainable through the inspirational instructions provided in each chapter. Do not let the disappointments of past failures or the viewpoint of others paralyze you from making your dreams come alive. Be liberated and overcome natural fears and concerns. God is waiting on you to take the next step. Your vision can and will become a reality if you allow God to lead you and guide you. The concepts introduced in this book will empower you and balance your approach to building your bridge from vision to reality. All the best to you along this exciting journey!

This book attempts to demonstrate that only a genuine democratic dispensation can ensure its survival as a viable federation. Sartaj Aziz argues that the vitality of a nation comes primarily from the value system, cultural heritage, and social energy of its people.

Navigating the space between dreams and reality. The word "Lacuna" is Latin in origin and means "an unfilled space or gap". The Lacuna Effect is the impact that the unfilled spaces and gaps between our dreams and reality have on our lives, and specifically on our identity, purpose and belonging. This book is about hope when our identity, purpose and belonging is being challenged, threatened and questioned. The stories and insights shared in its pages are raw, emotional and real. My aim in sharing the pain, struggles and challenges of others is to inspire hope, encourage dreams and offer up some fresh perspectives on navigating through life's challenges. The truth is, we will all face a Lacuna experience of some description, at some point in our life, if we haven't already.

DIVDIV“Sleek and suggestive . . . [Reality and Dreams] is so smart and seductive that you fail to notice how completely you’ve accepted a world gone utterly awry.” —Kirkus Reviews /divDIV/divDIVBritish film director Tom Richard won acclaim for his moments of pure creative inspiration. But when Richard is hospitalized after toppling from a crane during a shoot, he awakes not knowing what is real and what is not—and with no idea who to trust. Soon his wife, children, and friends are all undergoing crises of their own, from the breakup of a marriage to the loss of a job. As Richard fights to regain his health and stay centered amid the swirling chaos of his personal life, he must also wrest control of his film—his most prized pursuit—from those who seek to take it away./divDIV /divDIVWitty andengrossing, Reality and Dreams is a whiplash ride through the highs and lows of the creative process./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Muriel Spark including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s archive at the National Library of Scotland./divDIV /divDIV/div/div

Lucid: Awake in the World and the Dream is a primer for the evolution of human consciousness. A biconscious writer, Gardner Eeden, lays the groundwork for how to live simultaneously in the world and the dream world, relating his unique experience as well as dissecting the current scientific and spiritual notions of what dreams are. This is a provocative, often irreverent work that blends fiction, science, real experience and metaphysical ideas that will guide readers to new possibilities in their own consciousness and will have readers wondering what they are truly capable of in the world and the dream.

Dreams Are Reality is a riveting story about a womans journey through her subconscious in order to reprogram negative beliefs that emanated in early childhood. Watch Vanaja unravel the secrets of the universe as she explores the psyche at both a subconscious and conscious level in real time! The secret is revealed with effective neuroscience and spiritual techniques so any person can achieve inner peace and any dream he desires. Dreams Are Reality awakens people to the wonderful transformations occurring in 2012 which will bring our planet back to its utopian roots. Financial independence, health reform, and a new educational paradigm will be the new way of life. Dreams Are Reality is a page turner that has the audience clamoring for more. For the first time in the history of mankind, the truth is uncovered right in front of your eyes!