The Iron Heel is a dystopian novel by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908.

Generally considered to be "the earliest of the modern Dystopian", it chronicles the rise of an oligarchic tyranny in the United States. It is arguably the novel in which Jack London's socialist views are most explicitly on display. A forerunner of soft science fiction novels and stories of the 1960s and '70s, the book stresses future changes in society and politics while paying much less attention to technological changes.

The book is unusual among London's writings (and in the literature of the time in general) in being a first-person narrative of a woman protagonist written by a man. Much of the narrative is set in the San Francisco Bay Area, including events in San Francisco and Sonoma County.

Plot summary

The novel is based on the (fictional) "Everhard Manuscript" written by Avis Everhard which she hid and which was subsequently found centuries later. In addition, this novel has an introduction and series of (often lengthy) footnotes written from the perspective of scholar Anthony Meredith. Meredith writes from around 2600 AD or 419 B.O.M. (the Brotherhood of Man). Jack London writes at two levels, often having Meredith condescendingly correcting the errors of Everhard yet, at the same time, exposing the often incomplete understanding of this distant future perspective.

4 P.M. (For Positive Music) is an American male R&B group best known for their cover version of "Sukiyaki", which peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1995.

4 P.M. is an acronym meaning 'For Positive Music' meaning the band's music would not contain explicit lyrics, does not promote violence, and does not degrade women. The band has toured worldwide and remains popular, most notably in Japan. The group was started in 1991 in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland by brothers Roberto Pena, Jr. and Reney (Ray) Pena with Larry McFarland and Martiz Ware. They were originally known as IV Real,and played local talent shows.

After a 1994 performance at a record release party, they were signed by Next Plateau Records and moved to New York City. Their debut album, Now's the Time, which peaked at #96 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, included a cover version of Kyu Sakamoto's 1960s hit "Sukiyaki". The group's version of "Sukiyaki" peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was certified gold in 1995. It also reached the top 5 in Australia and New Zealand.Now's the Time earned gold status in Canada and Japan, and went platinum in Australia.

The 12-hour clock is a time convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods:a.m. (from the Latin ante meridiem, meaning "before midday") and p.m. (post meridiem, "after midday"). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered: 12 (acting as zero),1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. The 24 hour/day cycle starts at 12 midnight (often indicated as 12 a.m.), runs through 12 noon (often indicated as 12 p.m.), and continues to the midnight at the end of the day.

The 12-hour clock was developed over time from the mid-second millennium BC to the 16th century AD.

History and use

The natural day/night division of a calendar day forms the fundamental basis as to why each day is split into two cycles. Originally these were one cycle which could be tracked by the position of the Sun (day) followed by one cycle which could be tracked by the Moon and stars (night). This would eventually evolve into the two 12-hour periods that started at midnight (a.m.) and noon (p.m.) which are used today. Noon itself is rarely abbreviated today, but if it is, it is denoted M.

2PM or 2 PM may refer to: