May 5, 2017

Nazism, Fascism, Socialism, Communism

These terms are found in the media and social web sites much too often lately. However, it seems most are unaware of what each term means as they call anyone with a different point of view any of these words interchangeably.

Nazism
- Nazi was formed from the first two syllables of the German pronunciation of the word 'national' (na-tsi̯-o-ˈnaːl). Its political and economic doctrines were put into effect by the Nazis in Germany from 1933 to 1945, including the totalitarian principle of government, predominance of Germanic groups assumed to be racially superior, and supremacy of the leader. It arose from attempts to create a nationalist redefinition of 'socialism' as an alternative to both socialism and free market capitalism.
It is usually characterized as a form of fascism that incorporates scientific racism and anti-Semitism, developed from the influences of Pan-Germanism and the anti-communist movement. It aimed to overcome social divisions and create a homogeneous society, unified on the basis of racial purity.

Bottom line, Nazism is racist, anti-Semitist, anti democracy, anti capitalist, anti communist, and anti socialist.


Fascism - Originates from Italian fascismo, equivalent to fascio, meaning bundle or political group. The ideology originated in Italy and was established by Mussolini beginning during 1922 and is a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. He founded the National Fascist Party. His economic system intended to resolve class conflict through collaboration between the classes.

Bottom line, Fascism is militaristic, nationalistic, racist, anti democratic, anti liberal, anti Marxist, and organizes a country along hierarchical authoritarianism without ethical or legal restraints, and it is dedicated to increase its territory.


Socialism - Under Socialism, equality is the main focus. Instead of workers owning the facilities and tools for production, workers are paid and allowed to spend their wages as they choose, while the governing body owns and operates the means of production for the benefit of the working class. Each worker is provided with necessities so he is able to produce without worry for basic needs. Advancement and production are limited because there is no incentive to achieve more. Without motivation to succeed, workers' human instincts prohibit drive and desire due to no incentives.

"Machines and other improvements must serve to ease the work of all and not to enable a few to grow rich at the expense of millions and tens of millions of people. This new and better society is called socialist society. The teachings about this society are called 'socialism'." ~ Vladimir Lenin

Socialism and Communism are structures that promote equality and seek to eliminate social classes. Sometimes, the two are used interchangeably, though they are different. Communism is a political system, socialism is primarily an economic system. Both espouse everyone doing their share and working together to provide for the greater good. Each utilizes a planned production schedule to ensure the needs of all community members are met. They are utopian economic structures that some countries have tried, but most have failed or became dictatorships. Socialist philosophy is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution."

Bottom line, Socialism is mainly an economic system that espouses equality among the masses, dictated by leadership that owns all the resources. Two kinds of property: personal property, such as houses, clothing, etc. owned by the individual and public property including factories, and means of production are owned by the State, but with worker control.


Communism - From the French word communisme, a doctrine based on Marxian socialism and Leninism that was the official ideology of the U.S.S.R. It grew out of the Socialist movement and is a system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, with actual ownership belonging to the community or the totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party. The communist philosophy embraces a communal lifestyle to share all economic and material products between inhabitants of the commune, so that all may benefit from everybody's work. Communist philosophy is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs".

The Soviet Union was officially dissolved on December 26, 1991. Currently, countries controlled by Marxist–Leninist parties under a single-party system include the People's Republic of China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea. Many other countries have Communist parties, that are not dominant.

Bottom line, Communism is totalitarian, anti individual ownership, and anti capitalist. It is equated with socialism and contrasted with democracy and capitalism. Communism is considered an extreme form of socialism. Private property is abolished. The concept of property is negated and replaced with the concept of commons and ownership with "usership".


Interesting to note that all four of these 'isms' promote equality, but all have a ruling class that is above the community and enjoys the riches denied to the masses.

Banana, Herb or Fruit

The banana plant is a hybrid, originating from the mismatched pairing of two South Asian wild plant species. Every Cavendish banana, the most widely known in the world, is genetically identical.

They are cultivated from cuttings under the ground. A banana (the yellow thing you peel and eat) is a fruit, containing the seeds of the plant. However, commercially grown banana plants are sterile and the seeds are reduced to little specks. The banana plant is called a 'banana tree' in popular use, but it is technically regarded as a herbaceous plant or herb, not a tree, because the stem does not contain true woody tissue.

Bottom line, a banana is both a fruit and herb.

Landline Call Blocking

AT&T, Verizon, and others have a feature for home landline phones that blocks 'Anonymous' and 'Private' callers. It will not block 'Unknown' or 'Out-of-Area' callers, so aunt Bertha's call will get through.

Pick up your phone and dial *77. This will activate the Anonymous Call Rejection feature on your landline. Anonymous and private numbers will not cause your phone to ring. When Anonymous Call Rejection is turned on, private callers will hear an automated message. The automated message will prompt them to hang up, unblock or “un-private” their number, and call again. If the caller makes their number visible and calls again, your phone will ring. If they remain private, your phone will never ring.

To turn off this feature, pick up your phone and dial *87.

There are also other options, such as dialing *60 for AT&T landline phones to block 10 local numbers, but the company charges a monthly fee for the privilege.

Apr 28, 2017

Happy Friday

Giving away a smile is an inexpensive gift that returns a wealth of joy.


I always like to give away smiles, especially on a Happy Friday!

Tai Chi Day

Last Saturday of April each year we celebrate World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in 80 nations. People come together, to breathe together and provide a healing vision for our world. Click the link to see videos of past events -  http://www.worldtaichiday.org/photovideogallery.html

Talking Bandages

Bandages now can detect how a wound is healing and send messages back to a doctor. 3-D printing is used to manufacture the dressings. Nano-sensors within the bandages report to doctors about events such as detected infections and blood clotting.

The work on smart bandages is at Swansea University, and could be set for trials within the next twelve months. The smart bandage effort is part of a 5G test hub for digital innovation. Professor Marc Clement said experts at the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre are also involved in the project.

Routers and Modems

 Routers and modems perform different functions. Modems connect to the Internet and (MOdulate and DEModulate) the incoming signals and routers send/route wired (Ethernet) and wireless traffic around the house. Most home boxes contain both a modem and router and, because of this the terms are often used interchangeably.

Internet Speed

Here is a look as the average internet speed for selected countries. Interesting stuff.


Older is Better

Research has shown getting older could also mean getting happier. During 2016, research from the UK Office for National Statistics concluded the most joyful age bracket was 65-79.
The survey looked at more than 300,000 adults across the UK and found life satisfaction peaked at that age before declining over 80. However, those in their 40s were shown to be less happy and with the highest levels of anxiety.

In a blog post on Psychology Today, Dr. Romeo Vitelli says that happiness can be a tricky thing to define. It can mean the kind of joy that only occurs at key moments in our lives, or it can simply be the amount of positive emotion we happen to feel at any given time. There appears to be an upswing as we get older.

A United States research project found happiness was relatively stable for people in their mid-20s to late 30s, then it declined during the 40s and slowly rose to a peak from 60 to 69 years old.

It is all relative, and there is no set rule for how happy anyone will be at certain times in life. I believe, regardless of age, you can be as happy as you choose to be.

Need to Read

We just passed World Book Day and it reminded me of the pleasure of reading. In fact, reading is the cheapest and easiest form of intellectual pleasure. TV and movies may be fun, but are rarely intellectual.
There are various ways in which pleasures may be derived. It may be the pleasures of eating delicious food, listening to music, sitting in the cool shade of a tree and enjoying the beauty of nature, inhaling the perfume of flowers, or simply delighting in the soft touch of petals. These, basically, are pleasures of the senses.
Reading, however, is an Intellectual Pleasure and should be nurtured from an early age. Learning the truths of science or philosophy is also a form of intellectual pleasure.
There are various elements that make reading a pleasure. The reader may appreciate the style of the author, the language skills used in expressing ideas, or the arrangement of ideas. Logical sequence of thoughts or the thoughts themselves may also be appealing. The pleasures of reading are truly inexhaustible as there are a variety of books, essays, novels, dramas, sagas, poems, and speeches.
The sages of old recommend that whenever you feel dejected, depressed and under the weather, get into the company of great authors and read their books. Books can be your never failing friends and they can never get you into trouble.
Reading improves your vocabulary and enhances your imagination. The more you read, the more knowledgeable you become. With more knowledge comes more confidence and confidence builds self-esteem. Reading widens your horizons. Finally, reading exercises your memory muscles. I hope my blog and my books provide fodder for great conversations.

Apr 21, 2017

Happy Friday

You can't find a recipe for happiness on the web.

My recipe includes a good mix of laughter, joy, and smiles spread on a Happy Friday!

National Pig in a Blanket Day

April 24th is National Pig in a Blanket Day. Pig in a blanket is a humble dish enjoyed throughout the world.

National Pretzel Day

April 26 was declared National Pretzel Day during 2003. This year there are a few places that serve free pretzels. Click on this LINK to find out where.

Wordology, MacGuffin

A MacGuffin is an object, event, or person that the characters in a story value greatly. Almost the whole plot revolves around it, even though the thing itself isn’t actually important to the unfolding story. The most common type of MacGuffin is a person, place, or thing, such as money or an object of value.

Think of the falcon in the Maltese Falcon movie. The black falcon statuette, called the “Maltese Falcon” is the MacGuffin in the movie and the plot revolves around ownership and finding it. The Rabbit's Foot in Mission: Impossible III is a modern MacGuffin.


Scenario editor Angus MacPhail established the term MacGuffin for the unknown plot objective which you did not need to choose until the story planning was complete. Some say it comes from the word guff, which is defined as meaning nonsense and MacPhail added Mac from his name to the front of it. Alfred Hitchcock adopted and used the word to the end of his career.