In the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick, Deckard is definitely human. He is a middle aged police officer who is married, owns a mood organ to modify his moods, practises the religion Mercerism, and wants to emigrate off planet but can’t since he is unable to pass the medical exam (the planet is heavily polluted and everything is dying – hence the replicant animals). In the movie he drives off to live happily ever after with Rachel but in the book he kills her when she tries to kill him (she was aware of her status and was running a replicant version of the underground railway).
The problem with artificial or zero calorie sweeteners is that the taste stimulates your body to release insulin to lock up the sugars currently in your bloodstream. This is to prevent the sugars you just consumed (you body doesn’t realise it is fake sugar) won’t cause dangerously elevated blood sugar levels. Since you haven’t actually consumed any sugar (remember zero calories) you go into hypoglycemia and this triggers a hunger response for something with carbohydrates. If you are thirsty and don’t want the calories then drink water or diluted juice.
Also, China isn’t communist. In the last 20 years it has realigned itself with a free market economy with the private ownership of property and businesses. While China was a communist society from approximately 1950 to 1990 it has reverted back to being a good old fashioned oligarchy.
If you are taking any NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) on an empty stomach you will eventually end up getting an ulcer. You must eat something before taking aspirin or any other drug in this category.
Norway is hardly a fair comparison as it is not a typical socialist country. With a population of only 5 million well educated people and the largest oil and gas reserves per capita of any country outside of the middle east, Noway can easily pay for social services that many other countries cannot afford. One quarter of Norway’s GDP comes from oil and gas revenues and Norwegians have the fourth highest per capita income in the world. Norway has also rejected joining the EU since they don’t want to adopt immigratioin policies that would allow/require more ethnic minorities to move to Norway. There is also concern in Norway that with an aging population that they may not be able to continue funding the social safety net current levels.
Fascism is a form of socialism with strong overtones of nationalism. While fascism allows for and encourages private ownership of industry the government dictates what will be produced.
Quite bland.