activistpost--2020-12-25--A Very COVID Christmas: Visualizing The Pandemic’s Impact On Festive Spending

From mass job losses to not seeing family and friends for months on end , the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people to their limits in 2020 .
As an incredibly difficult year draws to a close , Visual Capitalist ’ s Katie Jones notes that people are starting to accept that this festive season will be anything but typical .
But while a portion of consumers have reined in their spending due to financial uncertainty , others are spreading Christmas cheer by indulging in gifts for their loved ones .
The graphic above from Raconteur explores how consumers ’ festive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed as a result of the ongoing pandemic .
Will the shift trigger permanent changes in the retail industry ?
According to creative agency Kinetic , half of all UK adults surveyed believe this Christmas is more important than ever before , with that figure rising to three quarters for 18-34 year olds .
However , given consumers ’ concerns over the future of the economy , they are expected to reduce spending during the festive season .
In the U.S. for example , spending will decline by 7 % to $ 1,387 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how consumers plan to spend their hard-earned cash , some interesting insights emerge .
As many have saved significantly on socializing and travel—which is down 34 % year-on-year—they plan to put this money towards items for themselves instead of gifts and gift cards for others .
These items include clothes , at-home entertainment , and home furnishings .
It therefore comes as little surprise that the global online home decor market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate ( CAGR ) of almost 13 % between 2020-2024 with revenue of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over half of all U.S. consumers are anxious about shopping in-store this holiday season .
The vast majority have health and safety concerns , with 71 % being the most worried about dealing with others who aren ’ t taking the virus seriously .
This is closely followed by being around , or too close to others in stores .
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Therefore , when it comes to physical shopping , people feel more comfortable in local stores or at outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ malls .
Considering this change in mindset , almost 60 % of UK consumers said that they will be shopping online more this Christmas .
Here ’ s a closer look at how they plan to shop differently during the 2020 holiday season : But while ecommerce sales are expected to spike over Christmas , delivery speeds and shipping delays are also major concerns for consumers .
As a result , many of them started their shopping much earlier this year to avoid disappointment .
In fact , over half of all UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November had even arrived .
The end to a painful year for many can ’ t come soon enough .
But boarded-up storefronts , and “ for sale ” signs serve as a harsh reminder of the fragility of the retail sector and its reliance on consumer sentiment .
Even as we march forward guided by the hope of an effective vaccine , the future of retail remains uncertain .
For consumers , their confidence will build once more , but how they choose to spend their money following the festive season will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy than ever before .
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Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Tyler Durden
From mass job losses to not seeing family and friends for months on end, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people to their limits in 2020.
As an incredibly difficult year draws to a close, Visual Capitalist’s Katie Jones notes that people are starting to accept that this festive season will be anything but typical. But while a portion of consumers have reined in their spending due to financial uncertainty, others are spreading Christmas cheer by indulging in gifts for their loved ones.
The graphic above from Raconteur explores how consumers’ festive spending in the U.S. and UK has changed as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
Will the shift trigger permanent changes in the retail industry?
Festive Budget Breakdown
According to creative agency Kinetic, half of all UK adults surveyed believe this Christmas is more important than ever before, with that figure rising to three quarters for 18-34 year olds.
However, given consumers’ concerns over the future of the economy, they are expected to reduce spending during the festive season. In the U.S. for example, spending will decline by 7% to $1,387 per household.
When it comes to how consumers plan to spend their hard-earned cash, some interesting insights emerge. As many have saved significantly on socializing and travel—which is down 34% year-on-year—they plan to put this money towards items for themselves instead of gifts and gift cards for others. These items include clothes, at-home entertainment, and home furnishings.
It therefore comes as little surprise that the global online home decor market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 13% between 2020-2024 with revenue of over $80 billion.
Dampening the Christmas Spirit?
Unsurprisingly, over half of all U.S. consumers are anxious about shopping in-store this holiday season. The vast majority have health and safety concerns, with 71% being the most worried about dealing with others who aren’t taking the virus seriously. This is closely followed by being around, or too close to others in stores.
Become an Activist Post Patron for just $1 per month at Patreon.
Therefore, when it comes to physical shopping, people feel more comfortable in local stores or at outdoor markets and much less so in shopping malls.
Safety in Online Shopping
Considering this change in mindset, almost 60% of UK consumers said that they will be shopping online more this Christmas.
Here’s a closer look at how they plan to shop differently during the 2020 holiday season:
But while ecommerce sales are expected to spike over Christmas, delivery speeds and shipping delays are also major concerns for consumers. As a result, many of them started their shopping much earlier this year to avoid disappointment. In fact, over half of all UK shoppers had started their Christmas shopping before November had even arrived.
Bidding Adieu to 2020
The end to a painful year for many can’t come soon enough. But boarded-up storefronts, and “for sale” signs serve as a harsh reminder of the fragility of the retail sector and its reliance on consumer sentiment.
Even as we march forward guided by the hope of an effective vaccine, the future of retail remains uncertain. For consumers, their confidence will build once more, but how they choose to spend their money following the festive season will be more important for businesses and the economy than ever before.
Source: Zero Hedge
Image: Pixabay
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Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Send resources to the front lines of peace and freedom HERE! Follow us on SoMee, HIVE, Parler, Flote, Minds, MeWe, Twitter and Gab.
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activistpost--2020-12-25--The Pentagon Spends Millions Invading Christmas Movies

Love boats , Oedipus complexes , and pants suits on a desert island – a pair of new schmaltzy films , courtesy of the US Department of Defense , are the Christmas present we could all do without .
You know how it goes , you spend half your life waiting for the US military to help make a sentimental , Christmas-themed romantic comedy and then two come along at once : Hallmark ’ s USS Christmas and Netflix ’ s Operation Christmas Drop .
Neither film could have been made without military support – nearly half of USS Christmas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the scenes were filmed aboard the Battleship North Carolina and the USS Yorktown , courtesy of the US Navy .
The plot of Operation Christmas Drop revolves around Andersen Air Force Base in the Western Pacific island of Guam , with full access provided by the US Air Force .
Christmas rom-coms might seem an odd choice for the Pentagon ’ s entertainment liaison offices to support – neither film depicts war or violence of any kind , after all .
But if we unwrap them , what we find beneath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not merely the disappointment of the same gift they got you three years ago , but the nagging anxiety and sense of betrayal that comes with an unwelcome present .
However , we can not simply re-gift USS Christmas and Operation Christmas Drop and wash our hands of responsibility for the bad choices of others .
Hallmark , the Pentagon , and a partridge in a pear tree Why a giant of cinema such as Hallmark would want to work with the Department of Defense ( DOD ) is difficult to pin down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least a decade .
Hundreds of pages of reports from the US military ’ s Hollywood offices , especially those of the Army , detail numerous collaborations with Hallmark since 2010 .
These range from manipulative , tearjerking Mother ’ s Day video messages from deployed sons and daughters to manipulative , heartwarming military-dog-themed reality shows .
Another effort saw them commemorate 2015 Veterans ’ Day with a special film featuring a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient receiving the accolade of having a highway interchange dedicated to him .
Supporting these sorts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans and its market share – the lifeblood for any entertainment-media concern .
As one Army report notes , regarding its support to the Second Annual Hero Dog Awards Show , “ By airing on the Hallmark Channel , the demonstration of the Army serving as America ’ s Force of Decisive Action reached an audience that it might not typically reach.
” How a golden retriever could ever be a ‘ Force of Decisive Action ’ ; however , the report doesn ’ t clarify .
The point is that while Man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as attention-grabbing recruitment commercials for teenage boys and young men , in order to reach young women and their mothers , the Pentagon has to try something other than blockbusters about good aliens fighting bad aliens with the help of F-35s and the National Guard .
Likewise , few films and TV shows aimed at women have the necessary story components for promoting the military as the solution to all problems .
Enter Pitch Perfect 3 , Captain Marvel , and some of the worst Christmas films you ’ ve ever seen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and condescension Both of these films are based on real-life military traditions , with USS Christmas locking its sights on the US Navy ’ s Tiger Cruise program , which allows the families of service members to take cruises on Navy ships .
In the past , it was aimed at civilians in general , but women could participate only if there were already other women on board .
As an LA Times article from 1990 promoting the program put it , ‘ How about a cruise ship without bartenders , bands , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gourmet meals , and midnight buffets ?
And most of the time without women !
’ Homosexual subtexts aside , the program has been adapted into a morale-boosting effort so that active-duty sailors can spend some time with their families , and to generate support from families alongside positive PR .
Guidelines published by the Navy outline what to bring , and , more importantly , what not to bring on a Tiger Cruise .
Among the forbidden items are “ weapons of any sort , ” as well as alcohol , illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USS Christmas , a young female journalist is working for a local newspaper on a story about a banking scandal , but she ’ s bored and looking for something less substantial .
She asks her editor for permission to go on a Tiger Cruise so she can spend some of the festive season with her Navy pilot sister , but also because she ’ s looking for a romance story to write about , and hopes to find on board .
During the voyage , the ship ’ s captain makes every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also a pilot – to fall in love with the journalist , and the two bond while investigating a Vietnam-era love story between yet another Navy pilot and a dancer he met during a Tiger Cruise .
Oh , and our protagonist ’ s deceased father was – you ’ ve guessed it – a Navy pilot .
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Despite the journalist ’ s personal rule not to date military guys , originating from her childhood when her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the end of the film , she has fallen for the captain ’ s son , as well as finished her story about that time , 50 years ago , when two people you ’ ve never heard of fell in love and got married .
For his part , the captain ’ s son ( who is at least six inches too tall to be a pilot ) overcomes his obsession with duty , learns to love Christmas , and submits to his father ’ s desire that he begin a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met .
Along the way , he recruits a five-year-old black kid and teaches our protagonist how to walk down a flight of stairs .
90210 actor Trevor Donovan , who plays the son , tweeted his thanks to the Marines from North Carolina ’ s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , who agreed to play background extras in the movie .
As this tweet implies , there is more to this film than meets the eye .
Beneath the insipid , saccharine exterior of USS Christmas lies a string of militaristic messages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruits or advocates for the Pentagon .
Just as in Pitch Perfect 3 , the plot involves a woman falling in love with a guy who ’ s in the military , hammering home the message that the services are a good place to meet a nice young man .
If you like guys who look like a supernumerary from Triumph of the Will , that is .
However , the film is extremely condescending towards women , suggesting that female journalists want to write only shallow articles about romance .
The problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily women , are also trivialized throughout , and , in a woefully misjudged bit of screenwriting , the journalist ’ s Navy pilot sister has the call-sign ‘ Daddy ’ s Girl ’ .
All aboard the good ship Oedipus !
At the end of the film , our protagonist asks her editor if she can cover the military full-time , because “ They ’ re so important in our community.
” In short , this film encourages the women watching to join the military , fall in love with a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complain when he ’ s sent halfway round the world and never gets to see the kids ) , or to devote their careers to becoming cheerleaders for the military .
The remarkably similar Operation Christmas Drop is , in part , the result of the Pentagon recognizing the importance of streaming services such as Netflix in increasing the range of its Hollywood office ’ s efforts .
In an interview earlier this year , the Pentagon ’ s Branch Chief for Entertainment Media , Lieutenant Colonel Glen Roberts , paid tribute to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scope of the office , saying , “ Dave Evans did a fantastic job coming in after Phil [ Strub ] and cracking the code on working with many different studios and kind of bringing us up to date on social media and the new venues for entertainment media.
” Just like USS Christmas , Netflix ’ s seasonal offering is a story about a young woman who falls in love with a military officer who wouldn ’ t look out of place on a Nazi propaganda poster , against a backdrop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look as cuddly as an open fire .
The title comes from a real military operation to provide Micronesian islanders with basic foods , tools , equipment , and medical supplies , using air drops out of the aforementioned Andersen Air Force Base .
The Christmas Drop has taken place every year since the 1950s , and is the longest-running DOD operation , and the oldest humanitarian aid drop in the world .
So far , so Santa Claus .
While the PR value of a film honing in on this operation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not make for an engaging story .
But don ’ t worry – a congresswoman in a Clintonesque blue pants suit wants to close the base , because they ’ re wasting all this money on colonized indigenous types , so she sends her legislative aide out to Guam to conduct a full audit .
The general in charge of the base gets wind of this , so he orders his most silver-tongued , two-faced captain to give the aide a full tour .
The captain sets about convincing the aide that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on humanitarianism , and are solely there to maintain the American empire .
Along the way , the dialogue is peppered with lines that were likely inserted by the Air Force ’ s Hollywood office , including a reference to Space Operations – a PR priority for the US military .
The entire premise of Operation Christmas Drop is absurd – the Pentagon would never close a base on the westernmost border of US territory .
Guam was colonized by the Spanish empire in the 1660s , and was seized by the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s geostrategic value on the fringes of East Asia makes it a vital square on the chessboard , especially in any potential confrontation with China .
As the film wears on , it emerges that the congresswoman only wants to close the base because the alternative is closing one in her own district .
The dual messages are clear : first , any notion of scaling back the DOD ’ s presence across the world is just a cynical political move , and has nothing to do with excessive expenditure or neo-colonialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could operate unencumbered by the machinations of elected politicians – indeed , if we could just get rid of democracy – everything would be fine .
The only perspectives offered by the characters in this film are either that helping some of the poorest people in the world is a bad use of public resources , or that thinking about closing US military bases overseas is a moronic consequence of representative democracy .
It ’ s difficult to say which of these films is worse , either as a piece of entertainment or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Drop equates generosity with keeping military bases open and weaponizing the spirit of Christmas for militaristic ends , while simultaneously reassuring the audience that no taxpayers ’ money is going to help these indigenous people , thus maintaining colonial prejudices .
Meanwhile , in USS Christmas , the moral of the story is that , if you ’ re a young lady looking for love , then sign up to the US Navy – though you will have to put up with men suggesting you want to have sex with your own father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pentagon , has given us a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea .
Tom Secker , a British-based investigative journalist , author and podcaster .
You can follow his work via his Spy Culture site and his podcast ClandesTime .
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
Send resources to the front lines of peace and freedom HERE !
Follow us on SoMee , HIVE , Parler , Flote , Minds , MeWe , Twitter and Gab .
Provide , Protect and Profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a free issue of Counter Markets today .

Op-Ed by Tom Secker
Love boats, Oedipus complexes, and pants suits on a desert island – a pair of new schmaltzy films, courtesy of the US Department of Defense, are the Christmas present we could all do without.
You know how it goes, you spend half your life waiting for the US military to help make a sentimental, Christmas-themed romantic comedy and then two come along at once: Hallmark’s USS Christmas and Netflix’s Operation Christmas Drop.
Neither film could have been made without military support – nearly half of USS Christmas takes place on board an aircraft carrier, and the scenes were filmed aboard the Battleship North Carolina and the USS Yorktown, courtesy of the US Navy. The plot of Operation Christmas Drop revolves around Andersen Air Force Base in the Western Pacific island of Guam, with full access provided by the US Air Force.
Christmas rom-coms might seem an odd choice for the Pentagon’s entertainment liaison offices to support – neither film depicts war or violence of any kind, after all. But if we unwrap them, what we find beneath the enticing shiny paper and ribbons is not merely the disappointment of the same gift they got you three years ago, but the nagging anxiety and sense of betrayal that comes with an unwelcome present. However, we cannot simply re-gift USS Christmas and Operation Christmas Drop and wash our hands of responsibility for the bad choices of others.
Hallmark, the Pentagon, and a partridge in a pear tree
Why a giant of cinema such as Hallmark would want to work with the Department of Defense (DOD) is difficult to pin down, but the relationship goes back at least a decade. Hundreds of pages of reports from the US military’s Hollywood offices, especially those of the Army, detail numerous collaborations with Hallmark since 2010.
These range from manipulative, tearjerking Mother’s Day video messages from deployed sons and daughters to manipulative, heartwarming military-dog-themed reality shows. Another effort saw them commemorate 2015 Veterans’ Day with a special film featuring a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient receiving the accolade of having a highway interchange dedicated to him.
Supporting these sorts of productions helps the DOD expand both its fans and its market share – the lifeblood for any entertainment-media concern. As one Army report notes, regarding its support to the Second Annual Hero Dog Awards Show, “By airing on the Hallmark Channel, the demonstration of the Army serving as America’s Force of Decisive Action reached an audience that it might not typically reach.”
How a golden retriever could ever be a ‘Force of Decisive Action’; however, the report doesn’t clarify.
The point is that while Man of Steel and the Transformers franchise act as attention-grabbing recruitment commercials for teenage boys and young men, in order to reach young women and their mothers, the Pentagon has to try something other than blockbusters about good aliens fighting bad aliens with the help of F-35s and the National Guard.
Likewise, few films and TV shows aimed at women have the necessary story components for promoting the military as the solution to all problems. Enter Pitch Perfect 3, Captain Marvel, and some of the worst Christmas films you’ve ever seen.
USS Christmas: An exercise in cringe and condescension
Both of these films are based on real-life military traditions, with USS Christmas locking its sights on the US Navy’s Tiger Cruise program, which allows the families of service members to take cruises on Navy ships. In the past, it was aimed at civilians in general, but women could participate only if there were already other women on board. As an LA Times article from 1990 promoting the program put it, ‘How about a cruise ship without bartenders, bands, entertainment, waiters, gift shops, gourmet meals, and midnight buffets? And most of the time without women!’
Homosexual subtexts aside, the program has been adapted into a morale-boosting effort so that active-duty sailors can spend some time with their families, and to generate support from families alongside positive PR. Guidelines published by the Navy outline what to bring, and, more importantly, what not to bring on a Tiger Cruise. Among the forbidden items are “weapons of any sort,” as well as alcohol, illegal drugs and “obscene clothing.”
In USS Christmas, a young female journalist is working for a local newspaper on a story about a banking scandal, but she’s bored and looking for something less substantial. She asks her editor for permission to go on a Tiger Cruise so she can spend some of the festive season with her Navy pilot sister, but also because she’s looking for a romance story to write about, and hopes to find on board. During the voyage, the ship’s captain makes every effort to force his son – who’s also a pilot – to fall in love with the journalist, and the two bond while investigating a Vietnam-era love story between yet another Navy pilot and a dancer he met during a Tiger Cruise. Oh, and our protagonist’s deceased father was – you’ve guessed it – a Navy pilot.
Become an Activist Post Patron for just $1 per month at Patreon.
Despite the journalist’s personal rule not to date military guys, originating from her childhood when her father was frequently away from home, by the end of the film, she has fallen for the captain’s son, as well as finished her story about that time, 50 years ago, when two people you’ve never heard of fell in love and got married.
For his part, the captain’s son (who is at least six inches too tall to be a pilot) overcomes his obsession with duty, learns to love Christmas, and submits to his father’s desire that he begin a relationship with a woman he has just met. Along the way, he recruits a five-year-old black kid and teaches our protagonist how to walk down a flight of stairs.
90210 actor Trevor Donovan, who plays the son, tweeted his thanks to the Marines from North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, who agreed to play background extras in the movie.
Big thanks to the service members from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune who participated in the Navy Ball scene in Wilmington for #USSChristmas. “USS Christmas” premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. pic.twitter.com/OeMa0f4aL6 — Trevor Donovan (@TrevDon) October 15, 2020
As this tweet implies, there is more to this film than meets the eye. Beneath the insipid, saccharine exterior of USS Christmas lies a string of militaristic messages, aimed primarily at turning women into recruits or advocates for the Pentagon. Just as in Pitch Perfect 3, the plot involves a woman falling in love with a guy who’s in the military, hammering home the message that the services are a good place to meet a nice young man. If you like guys who look like a supernumerary from Triumph of the Will, that is.
However, the film is extremely condescending towards women, suggesting that female journalists want to write only shallow articles about romance. The problems faced by military spouses, who are primarily women, are also trivialized throughout, and, in a woefully misjudged bit of screenwriting, the journalist’s Navy pilot sister has the call-sign ‘Daddy’s Girl’. All aboard the good ship Oedipus!
At the end of the film, our protagonist asks her editor if she can cover the military full-time, because “They’re so important in our community.” In short, this film encourages the women watching to join the military, fall in love with a man in the military (but not to complain when he’s sent halfway round the world and never gets to see the kids), or to devote their careers to becoming cheerleaders for the military.
Operation Christmas Drop: An exercise in incredulity
The remarkably similar Operation Christmas Drop is, in part, the result of the Pentagon recognizing the importance of streaming services such as Netflix in increasing the range of its Hollywood office’s efforts. In an interview earlier this year, the Pentagon’s Branch Chief for Entertainment Media, Lieutenant Colonel Glen Roberts, paid tribute to his predecessor’s work in expanding the scope of the office, saying, “Dave Evans did a fantastic job coming in after Phil [Strub] and cracking the code on working with many different studios and kind of bringing us up to date on social media and the new venues for entertainment media.”
Just like USS Christmas, Netflix’s seasonal offering is a story about a young woman who falls in love with a military officer who wouldn’t look out of place on a Nazi propaganda poster, against a backdrop of Yuletide activity that makes the military look as cuddly as an open fire.
The title comes from a real military operation to provide Micronesian islanders with basic foods, tools, equipment, and medical supplies, using air drops out of the aforementioned Andersen Air Force Base. The Christmas Drop has taken place every year since the 1950s, and is the longest-running DOD operation, and the oldest humanitarian aid drop in the world. So far, so Santa Claus.
While the PR value of a film honing in on this operation is obvious, the air drops alone do not make for an engaging story. But don’t worry – a congresswoman in a Clintonesque blue pants suit wants to close the base, because they’re wasting all this money on colonized indigenous types, so she sends her legislative aide out to Guam to conduct a full audit. The general in charge of the base gets wind of this, so he orders his most silver-tongued, two-faced captain to give the aide a full tour. The captain sets about convincing the aide that they aren’t wasting taxpayers’ money on humanitarianism, and are solely there to maintain the American empire. Along the way, the dialogue is peppered with lines that were likely inserted by the Air Force’s Hollywood office, including a reference to Space Operations – a PR priority for the US military.
The entire premise of Operation Christmas Drop is absurd – the Pentagon would never close a base on the westernmost border of US territory. Guam was colonized by the Spanish empire in the 1660s, and was seized by the US during the Spanish-American war. The base’s geostrategic value on the fringes of East Asia makes it a vital square on the chessboard, especially in any potential confrontation with China.
As the film wears on, it emerges that the congresswoman only wants to close the base because the alternative is closing one in her own district. The dual messages are clear: first, any notion of scaling back the DOD’s presence across the world is just a cynical political move, and has nothing to do with excessive expenditure or neo-colonialism. Second, if only the DOD could operate unencumbered by the machinations of elected politicians – indeed, if we could just get rid of democracy – everything would be fine.
The only perspectives offered by the characters in this film are either that helping some of the poorest people in the world is a bad use of public resources, or that thinking about closing US military bases overseas is a moronic consequence of representative democracy.
Weaponizing the spirit of Christmas
It’s difficult to say which of these films is worse, either as a piece of entertainment or as a propaganda exercise. Operation Christmas Drop equates generosity with keeping military bases open and weaponizing the spirit of Christmas for militaristic ends, while simultaneously reassuring the audience that no taxpayers’ money is going to help these indigenous people, thus maintaining colonial prejudices.
Meanwhile, in USS Christmas, the moral of the story is that, if you’re a young lady looking for love, then sign up to the US Navy – though you will have to put up with men suggesting you want to have sex with your own father.
Hollywood, with considerable help from the Pentagon, has given us a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Originally appeared on RT.
Tom Secker, a British-based investigative journalist, author and podcaster. You can follow his work via his Spy Culture site and his podcast ClandesTime.
Source: Antiwar.com
H/T: Zero Hedge
Image: Anthony Freda Art
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Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Send resources to the front lines of peace and freedom HERE! Follow us on SoMee, HIVE, Parler, Flote, Minds, MeWe, Twitter and Gab.
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activistpost--2020-12-25--COVID-19 and Surveillance Tech: Year in Review 2020

Location tracking apps .
Spyware to enforce quarantine .
Immunity passports .
Throughout 2020 , governments around the world deployed invasive surveillance technologies to contain the COVID-19 outbreak .
But heavy-handed tactics like these undercut public trust in government , precisely when trust is needed most .
They also invade our privacy and chill our free speech .
And all too often , surveillance technologies disparately burden people of color .
In the United States , EFF and other digital rights advocates turned back some of the worst proposals .
But they ’ ll be back in 2021 .
Until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the line against ill-considered surveillance technologies .
Contact tracing is a common public health response to contagious disease .
In its traditional form , officials interview an infected person to determine who they had contact with , and then interview those people , too .
Many have sought to automate this process with new technologies .
But an app will not save us .
Some proposals would be simultaneously privacy-invasive and ineffective .
For example , tracking our location with GPS or cell-site location information ( CSLI ) would expose whether we attended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s why police need a warrant to seize it .
But it is not sufficiently granular to show whether two people were close enough to transmit the virus : the CDC recommends six feet of social distance , but CSLI is only accurate to a half mile and GPS to 16 feet .
So EFF opposes location tracking .
Yet some countries are using it .
Another approach is tracking our proximity to others by measuring Bluetooth signal strength .
If two people install compatible proximity apps , and come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then their apps will exchange digital tokens .
Later , if one becomes ill , the other can be notified .
Proximity tracking might or might not help at the margins .
It will be over-inclusive : two people standing a few feet apart might be separated by a wall .
It also will be under-inclusive : many people don ’ t have smartphones , and many more won ’ t use a proximity app .
Moreover , no app can fill the as-yet unmet need for traditional public health measures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for patients , PPE for health workers , social distancing , and wearing a mask .
Proximity apps must be engineered for privacy .
Unfortunately , many are not .
In a “ centralized ” model , the government has access to all the proximity data and can match it to particular people .
This excessively threatens digital rights .
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A better approach is Google Apple Exposure Notice ( GAEN ) .
It collects only ephemeral , random @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular individuals .
Also , GAEN stores these identifiers in the users ’ phones , unless a user tests positive , in which case they can upload the identifiers to a publicly accessible database .
Public health authorities in many U.S. states and foreign nations sponsor GAEN-compliant apps .
Participation must be voluntary .
Higher education , for example , must not require students , faculty , and staff to submit to automated contact tracing .
We need laws that prohibit schools , workplaces , and restaurants from discriminating against people who do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have used surveillance technologies to enforce home quarantine .
These include compulsion to wear GPS-linked shackles , to download government spyware into personal phones , and to send the government selfies with time and place stamps .
EFF opposes such tactics .
Compelled spyware unduly invades the right of individuals to autonomously control their smartphones .
GPS shackles invade location privacy , cause pain , and trigger false alarms .
Home selfies expose sensitive information , including grooming in private , presence of other people , and expressive effects such as books and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States largely have not used these tactics .
The exception is a small number of cases involving people who tested positive and then allegedly broke stay-at-home instructions .
Some have proposed “ immunity passports ” to screen people for entry to public places .
The premise is that a person is not fit to enter a school , workplace , or restaurant until they can prove they have tested negative for infection or supposedly obtained immunity through past infection .
Such systems may require a person to use their phone to display @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EFF opposes such systems .
They would aggravate existing social inequities in access to smart phones , medical tests , and health treatment .
Moreover , the display or transmission of credentials at doorways would create new infosec vulnerabilities .
These systems also would be a significant step towards national digital identification that can be used to collect and store our personal information and track our movements .
And inevitable system errors would needlessly block people from going to school or work .
Further , such systems would not advance public health .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ false negatives , and do not account for new infection after testing .
Likewise , it remains unclear how much protection a past infection provides against a future infection .
Fortunately , California ’ s governor this fall vetoed a bill ( A.B .
2004 ) that would have laid the groundwork for immunity passports .
Specifically , it would have created a blockchain-based system of “ verifiable health credentials ” to report COVID-19 and other medical test results .
EFF opposed it .
While some of the worst ideas did not gain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not all good .
Governments and corporations are processing all manner of our COVID-related data , and existing laws do not adequately secure it .
States are conducting manual contact tracing , often contracting with business to build new data management systems .
States also are partnering with businesses to create websites where we provide our health and other information to obtain screening for COVID-19 testing and treatment .
Just as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expanded its processing of data about people who took COVID-19 tests , the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with its own corporate contractors , including TeleTracking Technologies and Palantir .
Businesses are also expanding their surveillance of workers .
This occurs at job sites , in the name of tracking infection , and in socially distant home offices , in the name of tracking productivity .
There are many ways to misuse our COVID-related data .
Companies might divert our COVID data to advertising .
All this COVID data might be stolen by identify thieves , stalkers , and foreign nations .
In New Zealand , a restaurant employee even used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a customer .
Moreover , public health officials and their corporate contractors might share our COVID-related data with police and immigration officials .
This would frustrate containment of the outbreak , because many people will share less of their personal information if they fear the government will use it against them .
Yet in some communities , police are conducting contact tracing or obtaining public health data about the home addresses of patients .
The outgoing administration even proposed deploying the National Guard to hospitals to process COVID-related personal data .
Existing data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-related data .
For example , HIPAA ’ s protections of health data apply only to narrowly defined healthcare providers and their business associations .
This is one more illustration of why we need a comprehensive federal consumer data privacy law .
In the short run , we need COVID-specific data privacy legislation .
But efforts to enact it have stalled in Congress and state legislatures .
As pandemic fatigue sets in , the temptation will grow to try something—anything—even if it is unlikely to contain the virus and highly likely to invade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably haven ’ t heard the last of location tracking apps , immunity passports , and spyware for patients .
Other bad ideas may gain momentum , like dragnet COVID-19 surveillance with face recognition , thermal imaging , or drones .
And we still need new privacy laws to lock down all of our COVID-related personal data .
Looking to 2021 , we must remain vigilant .
This article is part of our Year in Review series .
Read other articles about the fight for digital rights in 2020 .
Subscribe to Activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom news .
Send resources to the front lines of peace and freedom HERE !
Follow us on SoMee , HIVE , Parler , Flote , Minds , MeWe , Twitter and Gab .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Adam Schwartz
Location tracking apps. Spyware to enforce quarantine. Immunity passports. Throughout 2020, governments around the world deployed invasive surveillance technologies to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
But heavy-handed tactics like these undercut public trust in government, precisely when trust is needed most. They also invade our privacy and chill our free speech. And all too often, surveillance technologies disparately burden people of color.
In the United States, EFF and other digital rights advocates turned back some of the worst proposals. But they’ll be back in 2021. Until the pandemic ends, we must hold the line against ill-considered surveillance technologies.
Automated contact tracing apps
Contact tracing is a common public health response to contagious disease. In its traditional form, officials interview an infected person to determine who they had contact with, and then interview those people, too. Many have sought to automate this process with new technologies. But an app will not save us.
Some proposals would be simultaneously privacy-invasive and ineffective. For example, tracking our location with GPS or cell-site location information (CSLI) would expose whether we attended a union meeting or a BLM rally. That’s why police need a warrant to seize it. But it is not sufficiently granular to show whether two people were close enough to transmit the virus: the CDC recommends six feet of social distance, but CSLI is only accurate to a half mile and GPS to 16 feet. So EFF opposes location tracking. Yet some countries are using it.
Another approach is tracking our proximity to others by measuring Bluetooth signal strength. If two people install compatible proximity apps, and come close enough together to transmit the virus, then their apps will exchange digital tokens. Later, if one becomes ill, the other can be notified.
Proximity tracking might or might not help at the margins. It will be over-inclusive: two people standing a few feet apart might be separated by a wall. It also will be under-inclusive: many people don’t have smartphones, and many more won’t use a proximity app. Moreover, no app can fill the as-yet unmet need for traditional public health measures, such as testing, contact tracing, support for patients, PPE for health workers, social distancing, and wearing a mask.
Proximity apps must be engineered for privacy. Unfortunately, many are not. In a “centralized” model, the government has access to all the proximity data and can match it to particular people. This excessively threatens digital rights.
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A better approach is Google Apple Exposure Notice (GAEN). It collects only ephemeral, random identifiers that are harder to correlate to particular individuals. Also, GAEN stores these identifiers in the users’ phones, unless a user tests positive, in which case they can upload the identifiers to a publicly accessible database. Public health authorities in many U.S. states and foreign nations sponsor GAEN-compliant apps.
Participation must be voluntary. Higher education, for example, must not require students, faculty, and staff to submit to automated contact tracing. We need laws that prohibit schools, workplaces, and restaurants from discriminating against people who do not use proximity tracking.
Surveillance to enforce quarantine
Some countries have used surveillance technologies to enforce home quarantine. These include compulsion to wear GPS-linked shackles, to download government spyware into personal phones, and to send the government selfies with time and place stamps.
EFF opposes such tactics. Compelled spyware unduly invades the right of individuals to autonomously control their smartphones. GPS shackles invade location privacy, cause pain, and trigger false alarms. Home selfies expose sensitive information, including grooming in private, presence of other people, and expressive effects such as books and posters.
Fortunately, governments in the United States largely have not used these tactics. The exception is a small number of cases involving people who tested positive and then allegedly broke stay-at-home instructions.
Immunity passports
Some have proposed “immunity passports” to screen people for entry to public places. The premise is that a person is not fit to enter a school, workplace, or restaurant until they can prove they have tested negative for infection or supposedly obtained immunity through past infection. Such systems may require a person to use their phone to display a digital credential at a doorway.
EFF opposes such systems. They would aggravate existing social inequities in access to smart phones, medical tests, and health treatment. Moreover, the display or transmission of credentials at doorways would create new infosec vulnerabilities. These systems also would be a significant step towards national digital identification that can be used to collect and store our personal information and track our movements. And inevitable system errors would needlessly block people from going to school or work.
Further, such systems would not advance public health. Tests of infectiousness have high rates of false negatives, and do not account for new infection after testing. Likewise, it remains unclear how much protection a past infection provides against a future infection.
Fortunately, California’s governor this fall vetoed a bill (A.B. 2004) that would have laid the groundwork for immunity passports. Specifically, it would have created a blockchain-based system of “verifiable health credentials” to report COVID-19 and other medical test results. EFF opposed it.
Processing our COVID-related data
While some of the worst ideas did not gain traction in 2020, the news is not all good. Governments and corporations are processing all manner of our COVID-related data, and existing laws do not adequately secure it.
States are conducting manual contact tracing, often contracting with business to build new data management systems. States also are partnering with businesses to create websites where we provide our health and other information to obtain screening for COVID-19 testing and treatment. Just as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expanded its processing of data about people who took COVID-19 tests, the federal government announced plans to share COVID-related data with its own corporate contractors, including TeleTracking Technologies and Palantir.
Businesses are also expanding their surveillance of workers. This occurs at job sites, in the name of tracking infection, and in socially distant home offices, in the name of tracking productivity.
There are many ways to misuse our COVID-related data. Companies might divert our COVID data to advertising. All this COVID data might be stolen by identify thieves, stalkers, and foreign nations. In New Zealand, a restaurant employee even used COVID data to send harassing messages to a customer.
Moreover, public health officials and their corporate contractors might share our COVID-related data with police and immigration officials. This would frustrate containment of the outbreak, because many people will share less of their personal information if they fear the government will use it against them. Yet in some communities, police are conducting contact tracing or obtaining public health data about the home addresses of patients. The outgoing administration even proposed deploying the National Guard to hospitals to process COVID-related personal data.
Existing data privacy laws do not adequately secure our COVID-related data. For example, HIPAA’s protections of health data apply only to narrowly defined healthcare providers and their business associations. This is one more illustration of why we need a comprehensive federal consumer data privacy law.
In the short run, we need COVID-specific data privacy legislation. But efforts to enact it have stalled in Congress and state legislatures.
Next steps
As pandemic fatigue sets in, the temptation will grow to try something—anything—even if it is unlikely to contain the virus and highly likely to invade our digital rights. So, we probably haven’t heard the last of location tracking apps, immunity passports, and spyware for patients. Other bad ideas may gain momentum, like dragnet COVID-19 surveillance with face recognition, thermal imaging, or drones. And we still need new privacy laws to lock down all of our COVID-related personal data.
Looking to 2021, we must remain vigilant.
This article is part of our Year in Review series. Read other articles about the fight for digital rights in 2020.
Source: EFF
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activistpost--2020-12-27--How Science & Facts Became “Fake News” In The COVID-19 BioSecurity State – w/ Spiro

By The Last American Vagabond Joining Ryan Cristián today on this week ’ s Rokfin exclusive , is the recently censored Spiro , here to discuss the rise of technocratic censorship in the age of COVID-19 , as well as the alarming rate at which easily verifiable facts are being deemed “ fake news ” by the establishment media .
As always , take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself , and come to your own conclusions .
Anyone telling you what the truth is , or claiming they have the answer , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason or another .
Stay Vigilant .
Activist Post Editor ’ s Note : Please sign up to Rokfin at the link below to see this interview .
We will post it here at a later time if it becomes available on other platforms .
5 NIH/National Library of Medicine studies from 2004-2020 all finding verifiable health effects from wearing a face mask , including scientifically verified reduction is blood oxygen level : SOME of the mask studies on efficacy : Visit TheLastAmericanVagabond.com .
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By The Last American Vagabond
Joining Ryan Cristián today on this week’s Rokfin exclusive, is the recently censored Spiro, here to discuss the rise of technocratic censorship in the age of COVID-19, as well as the alarming rate at which easily verifiable facts are being deemed “fake news” by the establishment media.
As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth is, or claiming they have the answer, is likely leading you astray, for one reason or another. Stay Vigilant.
Activist Post Editor’s Note: Please sign up to Rokfin at the link below to see this interview. We will post it here at a later time if it becomes available on other platforms.
(https://www.rokfin.com/TLAVagabond)
(https://odysee.com/@TLAVagabond:5)
(https://www.bitchute.com/channel/24yVcta8zEjY/)
Video Source Links:
5 NIH/National Library of Medicine studies from 2004-2020 all finding verifiable health effects from wearing a face mask, including scientifically verified reduction is blood oxygen level:
Cloth Mask Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/
SOME of the mask studies on efficacy:
Source: The Last American Vagabond
Visit TheLastAmericanVagabond.com. Subscribe to TLAV’s independent news broadcast on YouTube or iTunes. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Minds. Support at Patreon, PayPal, or with Bitcoin.
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activistpost--2020-12-26--Two Pandemic Assistance Programs Expire Today, Leaving 12 Million Without Benefits

With Congressional leaders feigning productivity for two months on a renewed stimulus – only for President Trump to veto their 11th hour porkfest and demand they increase direct stimulus checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000 per person – a series of assistance programs are set to lapse into the new year .
Two of them , the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ( PUA ) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation ( PEUC ) program , will expire Saturday night , leaving around 12 million Americans without the assistance .
As we noted in November , this would roughly translate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1Q if these workers are unable to find work or alternative income support .
BofA calculates that based on its work on fiscal multipliers , income loss of $ 39BN would translate into a 1.2 % hit to growth on an annualized basis in 1Q 2021 .
One of the two programs expiring Saturday , the PUA , provided unemployment benefits to around 7.3 million gig workers and others not eligible for traditional unemployment , according to the Century Foundation .
The expiring programs come after lawmakers cobbled a $ 900 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillion omnibus spending bill , which President Trump vetoed over the sheer amount of pork and $ 600 direct checks , which he deemed too small .
House Democrats will vote on a standalone bill Monday for $ 2,000 checks , while Congressional Republicans are expected to flatly reject it .
Meanwhile , several additional programs are set to expire on December 31 .
Additionally , the concurrent expiration of eviction moratorium , mortgage forbearance programs , and suspension of student loan payments could all be headwinds early next year , creating further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signs the package on Tuesday , the government will shut down – sans another short-term bill to keep it limping things along into 2021 .
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By Tyler Durden
With Congressional leaders feigning productivity for two months on a renewed stimulus – only for President Trump to veto their 11th hour porkfest and demand they increase direct stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per person – a series of assistance programs are set to lapse into the new year.
Two of them, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, will expire Saturday night, leaving around 12 million Americans without the assistance.
As we noted in November, this would roughly translate into an income shortfall of $39BN in 1Q if these workers are unable to find work or alternative income support. BofA calculates that based on its work on fiscal multipliers, income loss of $39BN would translate into a 1.2% hit to growth on an annualized basis in 1Q 2021.
One of the two programs expiring Saturday, the PUA, provided unemployment benefits to around 7.3 million gig workers and others not eligible for traditional unemployment, according to the Century Foundation.
The expiring programs come after lawmakers cobbled a $900 billion pandemic stimulus package to a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill, which President Trump vetoed over the sheer amount of pork and $600 direct checks, which he deemed too small.
House Democrats will vote on a standalone bill Monday for $2,000 checks, while Congressional Republicans are expected to flatly reject it. Meanwhile, several additional programs are set to expire on December 31. Additionally, the concurrent expiration of eviction moratorium, mortgage forbearance programs, and suspension of student loan payments could all be headwinds early next year, creating further obstacles.
Unless Trump reverses course and signs the package on Tuesday, the government will shut down – sans another short-term bill to keep it limping things along into 2021.
Source: Zero Hedge
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activistpost--2020-12-26--The Most Hopeful Scenario for 2021

The Most Hopeful Scenario for 2021

Choose wisely , America , or the options for a positive outcome will vanish like mist in Death Valley on a clear July afternoon .
From the point of view of evolution , the most hopeful scenario for 2021 is the sudden and complete collapse of everything that is obsolete , inefficient , ineffective and sclerotic .
When obsolete systems and entities pass away quickly , the cost and pain are processed and absorbed quickly as well : enterprises go bankrupt and their assets are liquidated , failed ventures close , and schemes that didn ’ t yield the desired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evolutionary process .
Whatever has lost its selective advantages will succumb to selective pressures and fade away .
The problem arises when self-serving insiders siphon resources to keep their obsolete , inefficient , ineffective and sclerotic gravy-train protected from selective pressures .
Keeping a terminally ill human alive is an analogy : it ’ s possible to extend the life of a terminally ill person at enormous expense and effort , but the patient isn ’ t restored to their previous health or vigor–that is no longer even a possibility .
They are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is why people choose to avoid extraordinary interventions in their final phase of life .
Economically obsolete / terminal entities , on the other hand , always choose extraordinary monetary interventions to keep their gravy-train alive , even if they bleed the rest of the economy dry in the process .
If the buggy-whip industry existed today , Congress would grant it billions of dollars in low-interest loans , tax breaks and direct subsidies so those who made fortunes in the buggy-whip industry would continue to prosper , not from a productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately weaken the entire economy and society .
The problem here is that it ’ s effortless and initially costless to conjure trillions of dollars out of thin air and use it to keep obsolete , inefficient , ineffective and sclerotic industries , sectors , agencies and schemes on life support .
The eventual costs , consequences and risks are transferred to the entire economy , all to keep politically protected insiders and schemes well-funded even as their fundamental value proposition has collapsed .
This politically expedient “ solution ” –printing / borrowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first choice of corrupt , failed governments and central banks , and just as inevitably , this expedient “ fix ” eventually brings the entire economy to its knees .
Become an Activist Post Patron for just $ 1 per month at Patreon .
Recall that risk can not be made to vanish , it can only be transferred to others .
By printing / borrowing trillions of dollars to prop up doomed zombies , the state and central bank ( the Federal Reserve ) have transferred the soaring risks of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This politically expedient “ solution ” –saving the most inefficient and costly sectors because of the political power of insiders– is always the first choice of weak and/or corrupt leadership , for whom this is isn ’ t just the first choice , it ’ s the only choice .
History is emphatic : over-borrowing and devaluing the currency by over-issuing “ money ” leads to decay and collapse .
The lucky few decay into tourist destinations as the remnants of their past glory retain a nostalgic glow of artistry and power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse .
Thus the most hopeful scenario for 2021 is that the obsolete , inefficient , ineffective and sclerotic sectors and agencies , no matter how sacrosanct , collapse or downsize quickly .
This drastically reduces the cost and pain to levels that the economy as a whole can absorb .
The worst-case scenario is our weak and/or corrupt government and central bank keep all the doomed zombies on life support , a process that bleeds the economy of adaptability , flexibility , innovation and resilience .
The path of least resistance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currency by over-issuing “ money ” –leads to decay and collapse .
There is no other possible result , no other possible outcome .
Choose wisely , America , or the options for a positive outcome will vanish like mist in Death Valley on a clear July afternoon .
If you found value in this content , please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $ 1/month patron of my work via patreon.com .
My new book is available !
A Hacker ’ s Teleology : Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Kindle $ 7 , print $ 17 , audiobook now available $ 17.46 ) Read excerpts of the book for free ( PDF ) .
The Story Behind the Book and the Introduction .
Parallels of the Great Fire of Rome 64 AD to Today ( with host Richard Bonugli ) ( 31:40 ) A Hacker ’ s Teleology : Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet ( Kindle $ 8.95 , print $ 20 , audiobook $ 17.46 ) Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
Will You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Power , and AI in a Traumatized World ( Kindle $ 5 , print $ 10 , audiobook ) Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
Pathfinding our Destiny : Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ( $ 5 ( Kindle ) , $ 10 ( print ) , ( audiobook ) : Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher : The Disappearance of Drake $ 1.29 ( Kindle ) , $ 8.95 ( print ) ; read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Money and Work Unchained $ 6.95 ( Kindle ) , $ 15 ( print ) Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
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Get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

By Charles Hugh Smith
Choose wisely, America, or the options for a positive outcome will vanish like mist in Death Valley on a clear July afternoon.
From the point of view of evolution, the most hopeful scenario for 2021 is the sudden and complete collapse of everything that is obsolete, inefficient, ineffective and sclerotic. When obsolete systems and entities pass away quickly, the cost and pain are processed and absorbed quickly as well: enterprises go bankrupt and their assets are liquidated, failed ventures close, and schemes that didn’t yield the desired benefits are scrapped.
This is the evolutionary process. Whatever has lost its selective advantages will succumb to selective pressures and fade away.
The problem arises when self-serving insiders siphon resources to keep their obsolete, inefficient, ineffective and sclerotic gravy-train protected from selective pressures. Keeping a terminally ill human alive is an analogy: it’s possible to extend the life of a terminally ill person at enormous expense and effort, but the patient isn’t restored to their previous health or vigor–that is no longer even a possibility. They are no longer their previous self, and this is why people choose to avoid extraordinary interventions in their final phase of life.
Economically obsolete / terminal entities, on the other hand, always choose extraordinary monetary interventions to keep their gravy-train alive, even if they bleed the rest of the economy dry in the process.
If the buggy-whip industry existed today, Congress would grant it billions of dollars in low-interest loans, tax breaks and direct subsidies so those who made fortunes in the buggy-whip industry would continue to prosper, not from a productive activity but from subsidies and loans that ultimately weaken the entire economy and society.
The problem here is that it’s effortless and initially costless to conjure trillions of dollars out of thin air and use it to keep obsolete, inefficient, ineffective and sclerotic industries, sectors, agencies and schemes on life support. The eventual costs, consequences and risks are transferred to the entire economy, all to keep politically protected insiders and schemes well-funded even as their fundamental value proposition has collapsed.
This politically expedient “solution”–printing / borrowing trillions to stave off Natural Selection–is inevitably the first choice of corrupt, failed governments and central banks, and just as inevitably, this expedient “fix” eventually brings the entire economy to its knees.
Become an Activist Post Patron for just $1 per month at Patreon.
Recall that risk cannot be made to vanish, it can only be transferred to others. By printing / borrowing trillions of dollars to prop up doomed zombies, the state and central bank (the Federal Reserve) have transferred the soaring risks of their mismanagement to the entire economy and society.
This politically expedient “solution”–saving the most inefficient and costly sectors because of the political power of insiders– is always the first choice of weak and/or corrupt leadership, for whom this is isn’t just the first choice, it’s the only choice.
History is emphatic: over-borrowing and devaluing the currency by over-issuing “money” leads to decay and collapse. The lucky few decay into tourist destinations as the remnants of their past glory retain a nostalgic glow of artistry and power.
The unfortunate many simply decay and collapse. Thus the most hopeful scenario for 2021 is that the obsolete, inefficient, ineffective and sclerotic sectors and agencies, no matter how sacrosanct, collapse or downsize quickly. This drastically reduces the cost and pain to levels that the economy as a whole can absorb.
The worst-case scenario is our weak and/or corrupt government and central bank keep all the doomed zombies on life support, a process that bleeds the economy of adaptability, flexibility, innovation and resilience. The path of least resistance, the politically expedient path–over-borrowing and devaluing the currency by over-issuing “money”–leads to decay and collapse. There is no other possible result, no other possible outcome.
Choose wisely, America, or the options for a positive outcome will vanish like mist in Death Valley on a clear July afternoon.
If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.
My new book is available! A Hacker’s Teleology: Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet 20% and 15% discounts (Kindle $7, print $17, audiobook now available $17.46)
Read excerpts of the book for free (PDF).
The Story Behind the Book and the Introduction.
Recent Podcasts:
Parallels of the Great Fire of Rome 64 AD to Today (with host Richard Bonugli) (31:40)
AxisOfEasy Salon #34: Reclaiming Capital and Agency
My COVID-19 Pandemic Posts
My recent books:
A Hacker’s Teleology: Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet (Kindle $8.95, print $20, audiobook $17.46) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Will You Be Richer or Poorer?: Profit, Power, and AI in a Traumatized World
(Kindle $5, print $10, audiobook) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($5 (Kindle), $10 (print), ( audiobook): Read the first section for free (PDF).
The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher: The Disappearance of Drake $1.29 (Kindle), $8.95 (print); read the first chapters for free (PDF)
Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Become a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.
Source: Of Two Minds
Image: Pixabay
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activistpost--2020-12-26--Artists Organize Event to Protest 5G in France

Cities worldwide AND entire countries have taken action to ban , delay , halt , and limit 5G installation AS WELL AS issue moratoriums .
Opposition in France is growing among citizens and legislators as well ( see 1 , 2 ) .
Last month , radiation measurement devices were installed inside 5G towers and a French TV station aired a segment about health risks from 5G and wireless exposure .
Protesters also stopped trees from being cut down for a 5G antenna .
More recently , artists took to the streets to demonstrate their opposition .
A collective of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an artistic event in Bordeaux to protest against 5G in France .
According to Les Déconnectés collective , 5G “ is not a simple faster speed phone plan ” but “ will shape our cities and our lifestyles ” and “ penetrate beyond the intimate sphere of the body.
” France 24 News A collective of artists protests against 5G in Bordeaux See EHT ’ s PDF of the latest government action on 5G and cell towers .
• Black and White PDF of 5G and Cell Tower Actions The majority of scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there have been reports of people and animals experiencing symptoms and illnesses where 5G has been installed ( see 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) .
Of course other sources of wireless emit harmful radiation too .
Last year , the World Health Organization warned that high levels of Electromagnetic exposure could lead to health issues in a significant portion of the population .
High speed internet is achievable , safer , and more secure with hard-wired internet connections .
Nevertheless , 5G and other sources of wireless are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world despite warnings and opposition ( see 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ) .
Become an Activist Post Patron for just $ 1 per month at Patreon .
Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology .
For more information visit our archives and the following websites .
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By B.N. Frank
Cities worldwide AND entire countries have taken action to ban, delay, halt, and limit 5G installation AS WELL AS issue moratoriums.
Opposition in France is growing among citizens and legislators as well (see 1, 2). Last month, radiation measurement devices were installed inside 5G towers and a French TV station aired a segment about health risks from 5G and wireless exposure. Protesters also stopped trees from being cut down for a 5G antenna. More recently, artists took to the streets to demonstrate their opposition.
From Environmental Health Trust:
5G Protest by Art Collective in Bordeaux France
A collective of artists, called Les Déconnectés, organized an artistic event in Bordeaux to protest against 5G in France. According to Les Déconnectés collective, 5G “is not a simple faster speed phone plan” but “will shape our cities and our lifestyles” and “penetrate beyond the intimate sphere of the body.”
France 24 News A collective of artists protests against 5G in Bordeaux
Worldwide Policy on 5G and Cell Phones
See EHT’s PDF of the latest government action on 5G and cell towers.
The majority of scientists worldwide oppose 5G deployment. Since 2018, there have been reports of people and animals experiencing symptoms and illnesses where 5G has been installed (see 1, 2, 3, 4). Of course other sources of wireless emit harmful radiation too. Last year, the World Health Organization warned that high levels of Electromagnetic exposure could lead to health issues in a significant portion of the population.
High speed internet is achievable, safer, and more secure with hard-wired internet connections. Nevertheless, 5G and other sources of wireless are still abundantly being installed in some parts of the world despite warnings and opposition (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
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Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology. For more information visit our archives and the following websites.
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activistpost--2020-12-26--What Is the Great Reset? Part I: Reduced Expectations and Bio-techno-feudalism

The Great Reset is on everyone ’ s mind , whether everyone knows it or not .
It is presaged by the measures undertaken by states across the world in response to the covid-19 crisis .
( I mean by “ crisis ” not the so-called pandemic itself , but the responses to a novel virus called SARS-2 and the impact of the responses on social and economic conditions . )
In his book , COVID-19 : The Great Reset , World Economic Forum ( WEF ) founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab writes that the covid-19 crisis should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be ] seized to make the kind of institutional changes and policy choices that will put economies on the path toward a fairer , greener future.
” Although Schwab has been promoting the Great Reset for years , the covid crisis has provided a pretext for finally enacting it .
According to Schwab , we should not expect the postcovid world system to return to its previous modes of operation .
Rather , alternating between description and prescription , Schwab suggests that changes will be , or should be , enacted across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new normal .
So , just what is the Great Reset and what is the new normal it would establish ?
The Great Reset means reduced incomes and carbon use .
But Schwab and the WEF also define the Great Reset in terms of the convergence of economic , monetary , technological , medical , genomic , environmental , military , and governance systems .
The Great Reset would involve vast transformations in each of these domains , changes which , according to Schwab , will not only alter our world but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means to be human.
” In terms of economics and monetary policy , the Great Reset would involve a consolidation of wealth , on the one hand , and the likely issuance of universal basic income ( UBI ) on the other .
It might include a shift to a digital currency , including a consolidated centralization of banking and bank accounts , immediate real-time taxation , negative interest rates , and centralized surveillance and control over spending and debt .
While every aspect of the Great Reset involves technology , the Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revolution , ” or transhumanism , which includes the expansion of genomics , nanotechnology , and robotics and their penetration into human bodies and brains .
Of course , the fourth Industrial Revolution involves the redundancy of human labor in increasing sectors , to be replaced by automation .
But moreover , Schwab hails the use of nanotechnology and brain scans to predict and preempt human behavior .
The Great Reset means the issuance of medical passports , soon to be digitized , as well as the transparency of medical records inclusive of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease states .
But it could include the implanting of microchips that would read and report on genetic makeup and brain states such that “ [ e ] ven crossing a national border might one day involve a detailed brain scan to assess an individual ’ s security risk.
” On the genomic front , the Great Reset includes advances in genetic engineering and the fusion of genetics , nanotechnology , and robotics .
In military terms , the Great Reset entails the creation of new battle spaces including cyberspaces and the human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of governance , the Great Reset means increasingly centralized , coordinated , and expanded government and “ governmentalities , ” the convergence of corporations and states , and the digitalization of governmental functions , including , with the use of 5G and predictive algorithms , real-time tracking and surveillance of bodies in space or the “ anticipatory governance ” of human and systems behavior .
That being said , “ the Great Reset ” is but a coordinated propaganda campaign shrouded under a cloak of inevitability .
Rather than a mere conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has suggested , the Great Reset is an attempt at a conspiracy , or the “ wishful thinking ” of socioeconomic planners to have corporate “ stakeholders ” and governments adopt the desiderata of the WEF .
In order to sell this package , the WEF mobilizes the warmed-over rhetoric of “ economic equality , ” “ fairness , ” “ inclusion , ” and “ a shared destiny , ” among other euphemisms .
Together , such phrases represent the collectivist , socialist political and ideological component of the envisioned corporate socialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enacted , it is always only political and ideological ) .
I ’ ll examine the prospects for the Great Reset in future installments .
But suffice it to say for now that the WEF envisions a bio-techno-feudalist global order , with socioeconomic planners and corporate “ stakeholders ” at the helm and the greater part of humanity in their thrall .
The mass of humanity , the planners would have it , will live under an economic stasis of reduced expectations , with individual autonomy greatly curtailed if not utterly obliterated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ authoritarians who mean to supplant the plans of individual actors with their own , centralized plans .
If enacted , such plans would fail , but their adoption would nevertheless exact a price .
Contact Michael Rectenwald Michael Rectenwald was a professor of liberal studies at New York University ( retired ) .
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By Michael Rectenwald
The Great Reset is on everyone’s mind, whether everyone knows it or not. It is presaged by the measures undertaken by states across the world in response to the covid-19 crisis. (I mean by “crisis” not the so-called pandemic itself, but the responses to a novel virus called SARS-2 and the impact of the responses on social and economic conditions.)
In his book, COVID-19: The Great Reset, World Economic Forum (WEF) founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab writes that the covid-19 crisis should be regarded as an “opportunity [that can be] seized to make the kind of institutional changes and policy choices that will put economies on the path toward a fairer, greener future.” Although Schwab has been promoting the Great Reset for years, the covid crisis has provided a pretext for finally enacting it. According to Schwab, we should not expect the postcovid world system to return to its previous modes of operation. Rather, alternating between description and prescription, Schwab suggests that changes will be, or should be, enacted across interlocking, interdependent domains to produce a new normal.
So, just what is the Great Reset and what is the new normal it would establish?
The Great Reset means reduced incomes and carbon use. But Schwab and the WEF also define the Great Reset in terms of the convergence of economic, monetary, technological, medical, genomic, environmental, military, and governance systems. The Great Reset would involve vast transformations in each of these domains, changes which, according to Schwab, will not only alter our world but also lead us to “question what it means to be human.”
In terms of economics and monetary policy, the Great Reset would involve a consolidation of wealth, on the one hand, and the likely issuance of universal basic income (UBI) on the other. It might include a shift to a digital currency, including a consolidated centralization of banking and bank accounts, immediate real-time taxation, negative interest rates, and centralized surveillance and control over spending and debt.
While every aspect of the Great Reset involves technology, the Great Reset specifically entails “the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” or transhumanism, which includes the expansion of genomics, nanotechnology, and robotics and their penetration into human bodies and brains. Of course, the fourth Industrial Revolution involves the redundancy of human labor in increasing sectors, to be replaced by automation. But moreover, Schwab hails the use of nanotechnology and brain scans to predict and preempt human behavior.
The Great Reset means the issuance of medical passports, soon to be digitized, as well as the transparency of medical records inclusive of medical history, genetic makeup, and disease states. But it could include the implanting of microchips that would read and report on genetic makeup and brain states such that “[e]ven crossing a national border might one day involve a detailed brain scan to assess an individual’s security risk.”
On the genomic front, the Great Reset includes advances in genetic engineering and the fusion of genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.
In military terms, the Great Reset entails the creation of new battle spaces including cyberspaces and the human brain as a battle space.
In terms of governance, the Great Reset means increasingly centralized, coordinated, and expanded government and “governmentalities,” the convergence of corporations and states, and the digitalization of governmental functions, including, with the use of 5G and predictive algorithms, real-time tracking and surveillance of bodies in space or the “anticipatory governance” of human and systems behavior.
That being said, “the Great Reset” is but a coordinated propaganda campaign shrouded under a cloak of inevitability. Rather than a mere conspiracy theory, as the New York Times has suggested, the Great Reset is an attempt at a conspiracy, or the “wishful thinking” of socioeconomic planners to have corporate “stakeholders” and governments adopt the desiderata of the WEF.
In order to sell this package, the WEF mobilizes the warmed-over rhetoric of “economic equality,” “fairness,” “inclusion,” and “a shared destiny,” among other euphemisms. Together, such phrases represent the collectivist, socialist political and ideological component of the envisioned corporate socialism (since economic socialism can never be enacted, it is always only political and ideological).
I’ll examine the prospects for the Great Reset in future installments. But suffice it to say for now that the WEF envisions a bio-techno-feudalist global order, with socioeconomic planners and corporate “stakeholders” at the helm and the greater part of humanity in their thrall. The mass of humanity, the planners would have it, will live under an economic stasis of reduced expectations, with individual autonomy greatly curtailed if not utterly obliterated. As Mises suggested, such planners are authoritarians who mean to supplant the plans of individual actors with their own, centralized plans. If enacted, such plans would fail, but their adoption would nevertheless exact a price.
Contact Michael Rectenwald
Michael Rectenwald was a professor of liberal studies at New York University (retired).
Source: Mises.org
Image: John Bush
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