Learning the Totalitarian ABC

George Orwell lived here...

Quite recently I was warned more than once that I had to be careful what I wrote and published. But why? I am not engaging in any subversive activities or conspiracies of any kind so why should I be careful what I say? I am a free thinker and do not feel comfortable wearing a muzzle. Never did and never will. 

I love to share my opinion and wish I had more time to write. I love honesty and courage and most of all, I love intellectual discourse. Great things can happen when intelligent minds meet together to explore possibilities that open with every new twist and turn of the mind.

But things are not really that simple. If you have thought you were living in a free world where eloquent opinions were highly valued, you might have to consider some adjustments of your worldview. You are neither free, nor is your opinion highly valued. What really counts is your ability to self-censor your statements. Better even if you were able to self-censor your thoughts, because sooner or later a slip of a tongue might spark an outrage or worse. And you better start early in your life so that nobody could sue you for something you said or wrote twenty or thirty years ago...

The subject of this article is so vast that I do not really know where to begin so let us start with the definition of totalitarianism. 

Totalitarianism is a political system in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life whenever it is necessary. 

Europe had its affair with totalitarianism and it did not end well. Till today the remains of the totalitarianism hunt the collective European mind. 

For the freedom-loving Americans totalitarianism is simply inconceivable. And yet, every person in America is subject to scrutiny thanks to the Patriot Act that was introduced by Congress and signed by President George Bush in response to the terrorist attacks of September 2001.

People were not extremely over-joyed about the Act, but most were and still are willing to give up their privacy in exchange  for their own safety. The Patriot Act made totalitarianism palatable to Americans: "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about, and when you see something, say something."

The Patriot Act gave birth to many conspiracy theories since no one in his right mind could imagine that something like that was even possible in America. "They" could only control free people through fear of another attack. Whether this was the case or not, Patriot Act is a success. More than a decade later we are still taking off our shoes at the airports and allow complete strangers to go through our personal belongings every time we want to travel. And the NSA scandal does not really shock anybody. We kind of knew that "they" were listing to our phone conversations. They only did it for our own good. 

The way it looks, Patriot Act is here to stay. Surveillance is part of our reality and it might be expanded in the future as new technologies will be applied to monitor every move we make whether we want it or not.  

 

However, what worries me even more than the "physical" monitoring of my whereabouts is the coercion to a particular form of thinking. It sells as "political correctness" and is practiced diligently by all "enlightened" minds who never question the stupidity of it and willingly apply self-censorship to prove their superiority. Anyone who disagrees with the current popular view will be shut up. To make sure that any person submits to their pressure, a race card, a gender card, or any such means of coercion is used. The fear of public ridicule or even punishment leads to a behavior modification. Sooner or later the recalcitrant person, for his own sake, starts applying self-censorship or stops voicing critique altogether. And this is exactly what is desired of a respectful person in an enlightened, tolerant society. You only say and think what is allowed. 

George Orwell would have been very proud. His disturbing vision of a dystopian society is coming true in modern, visibly confused, America. Although the politically correct liberals never describe themselves as fascists, they use methods of coercion and indoctrination that would make the brown shirts and the red shirts blush. And mind you, the indoctrination starts as early as the kindergarten where kids as young as four years old get suspended for doing or saying something the thought police disapproves of. This is quite scary development and should be stopped if America is to remain the land of the proud and the free.

By Dominique Teng

 

Dominique Teng©2013

The Longest Day - Celebrating the Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Since the beginning of mankind people of many cultures regarded the Summer Solstice or the longest day of the year as a major celestial event. This is the day that marks the triumph of light over darkness.

Mesmerized by the great power of the sun, civilizations all over the world have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer, the Saint John's Night, or Litha. The Chinese honored the Goddess of Light Li. The Slavs and the Celts celebrated the longest day of the year with dances and bonfires. 

Saint John's Night celebration in Poland

In Poland the Saint John's Night is celebrated as a magical feast of purification and fertility. Celebrations are rooted in ancient pagan rituals that honored the mystery of water and fire. To this day people all over the country dance and sing around bonfires until midnight. They make wreaths out of wild flowers and herbs and let them float on water after attaching candles to them. Young lovers set out in search of the magical fern flower that only blooms once a year during the Summer Solstice. The flower is supposed to bring great fortune to those who find it.

In England hundreds of people from all over the world typically gather at Stonehenge, the ancient megalithic circle in Wiltshire, to see the sun rise. The Heel Stone and the Slaughter Stone, set outside the main circle, align with the rising sun giving an incredible spectacle of light that affects people in the same way as it did thousands of years ago when the stone circle was first erected there.  

By Dominique Allmon

Image credit here and here

A Strong Desire to Wander

Days and months are travelers of eternity. So are the years that pass by. Those who steer a boat across the sea, or drive a horse over the earth till they succumb to the weight of years, spend every minute of their lives traveling. There are a great number of ancients, too, who died on the road. I myself have been tempted for a long time by the cloud-moving wind - filled with a strong desire to wander. - Matsuo Bashô

Image source here

Pesto Genovese!

One of the simplest ways to add a little summer to your dishes is to use aromatic Mediterranean herbs. One of the most popular and probably easiest to grow is basil.

Like most kitchen herbs basil has some important health benefits. The herb is very rich antioxidant polyphenols, beta-carotene compounds including zeaxantihin, vitamin K, iron, potassium and manganese. 

Basil is a versatile herb that can be used in a variety of dishes. One of the most popular is the Italian pesto sauce.

Pesto was first mentioned by a Roman writer Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC – 19 BC), better known as Vergil, who wrote about this olive oil based sauce in his work "Bucolics". 

The name pesto derives from the fact that was originally made by crashing - pestando in Italian - the ingredients in a mortar.

Ingredients:

• small bunch of fresh, organic basil leaves
• handful of raw, organic pine nuts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 6 Tbsp of virgin olive oil
• small chunk of parmigiano reggiano cheese
• sea salt to taste 

Method:

Remove basil leaves from the twigs, wash them and dry gently with a kitchen towel. 

Crash garlic with salt. Add the pine nuts. After the nuts have been crashed, add the basil leaves little by little. Blend.

Break the cheese into small chunks and put them into blender. Add the olive oil. Blend again until pesto is nice and creamy. Add more salt if needed. 

Remember, that the longer you blend the darker the pesto would become as the basil leaves undergo the oxidation process. 

Use mortar and pestle if you have one, but a good blender will do the job just as well. 

Many people use grated cheese. I prefer to break it into smaller chunks. I also use raw pine nuts, but most recipes will ask you to slightly roast the nuts in a pan. While roasting nuts makes them more aromatic, it also alters the molecular structure of the fatty acids making them less beneficial to health.

You may add some freshly ground pepper, although the original Ligurian recipe does not ask for any.

Enjoy your pesto with freshly cooked pasta or on a warm focaccia bread. Buon appetito!

By Dominique Allmon

 

Dominique Allmon©2013

 

Post scriptum

 

Your pesto will stay fresh for a few days in a refrigerator. Place it in a clean glass jar. Pour some olive oil to cover it up. This will prevent it from spoiling. Close tightly with a well fitting lid.