Why People Will Happily Line Up To Be Microchipped Like Dogs

Authord by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

So...some people actually want to be microchipped like a dog. They’re lining up for it. They’re having parties to get it done. It if isn’t available to them, they’re totally bummed out.

I’m not even going to venture into the religious aspect of having a microchip inserted into a human being. Let’s just talk about the secular ramifications.

Certain folks won’t be happy until everyone has a computer chip implanted in them. Here’s how this could go.

• Initially, it would be the sheep who blindly desire to be chipped for their own “convenience” leading the way.
• Then, it would become remarkably inconvenient not to be chipped – sort of like it’s nearly impossible to not have a bank account these days.
• Then, the last holdouts could be forcibly chipped by law.

Read on, because I could not make this stuff up.

Some employers are chipping workers.

Last summer, the internet was abuzz about a company in Wisconsin that wanted to microchip their employees. Workers at the technology company, Three Market Square, were given the option of having a chip implanted in their hands and 50 out of 80 eagerly lined up for the privilege.

Why? So they could buy food or swipe their way through building security with a wave of their hand. Software engineer Sam Bengtson explained why he was on board.

“It was pretty much 100 percent yes right from the get-go for me. In the next five to 10 years, this is going to be something that isn’t scoffed at so much, or is more normal. So I like to jump on the bandwagon with these kind of things early, just to say that I have it.” (source)

He wasn’t alone. In fact, they had a microchipping party and some people got chipped live on TV so the rest of us reluctant humans could all see how cool it was to get microchipped. Watch what fun they had!

It isn’t just this American company chipping workers. Here’s an example in Sweden.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish start-up hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and start-up members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

“The biggest benefit, I think, is convenience,” said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and chief executive of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door merely by waving near it. “It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys.” (source)

Alessandro Acquisti, a professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, warns that this might not be a good idea. (Although it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to realize this.)

“Companies often claim that these chips are secure and encrypted…But “encrypted” is “a pretty vague term,” he said, “which could include anything from a truly secure product to something that is easily hackable.”

Another potential problem, Dr. Acquisti said, is that technology designed for one purpose may later be used for another. A microchip implanted today to allow for easy building access and payments could, in theory, be used later in more invasive ways: to track the length of employees’ bathroom or lunch breaks, for instance, without their consent or even their knowledge.

“Once they are implanted, it’s very hard to predict or stop a future widening of their usage,” Dr. Acquisti said. (source)

Pretty soon, experts say everyone will want to be microchipped.

Many sources say that it’s inevitable that we’re all going to get chipped. Noelle Chesley, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, says it’s inevitable.

“It will happen to everybody. But not this year, and not in 2018. Maybe not my generation, but certainly that of my kids.” (source)

Another pro-chipping advocate, Gene Munster, an investor and analyst at Loup Ventures, says that we just have to get past that silly social stigma and then everyone will be doing it within 50 years. Why? Oh, the benefits.

The company, which sells corporate cafeteria kiosks designed to replace vending machines, would like the kiosks to handle cashless transactions.

This would go beyond paying with your smartphone. Instead, chipped customers would simply wave their hands in lieu of Apple Pay and other mobile-payment systems.

The benefits don’t stop there. In the future, consumers could zip through airport scanners sans passport or drivers license; open doors; start cars; and operate home automation systems. All of it, if the technology pans out, with the simple wave of a hand. (source)

There are other companies who are on board with chipping everyone.

At a recent tech conference, Hannes Sjöblad explained how a microchip implanted in his hand makes his life easier. It replaces all the keys and cards that used to clutter his pockets.

“I use this many times a day, for example, I use it to unlock my smart phone, to open the door to my office,” Sjöblad said.

Sjöblad calls himself a biohacker. He explained, “We biohackers, we think the human body is a good start but there is certainly room for improvement.”

The first step in that improvement is getting a microchip about size of a grain of rice slipped under the skin. Suddenly, the touch of a hand is enough to tell the office printer this is an authorized user.

The microchips are radio frequency identification tags. The same technology widely used in things like key cards. The chips have been implanted in animals for years to help identify lost pets and now the technology is moving to humans.

Tech start-up Dangerous Things has sold tens of thousands of implant kits for humans and some to tech companies in Europe.

Sjöblad said he even organizes implant parties where people bond over getting chipped together.  (source)

Will microchipping parties be the next generation of those outrageously expensive candle parties? Will folks be pimping microchips like they do those scented wax melts? Will it become some kind of MLM thing to make it even more socially acceptable?

A UK newspaper, the Sun, explains how awesome it is to be microchipped.

The woman sat next to you could be hiding an implant under the skin which slowly releases hormones to stop her from getting pregnant.

Nans and granddads across the nation come installed with cutting-edge technology installed just to boost their hearing and vision seeing or help them walk with comfort.

We’re preparing ourselves for the next form of evolution in which humans will merge with artificial intelligence, becoming one with computers.

At least that’s the belief of Dr. Patrick Kramer, chief cyborg officer at Digiwell, a company that claims to be dedicated to “upgrading humans”. (source)

Seriously, who wouldn’t want all that awesomeness in their lives?

There are some serious pitfalls

While the current chips being “installed” in humans are said not to have GPS tracking, don’t you figure it’s just a matter of time? And also, how do you KNOW that there is no GPS tracking technology in that teeny little chip? Just because they tell you so?

Then there is the issue of the chip in your body being hacked.

“This is serious stuff. We’re talking about a nonstop potential connection to my body and I can’t turn it off, I can’t put it away, it’s in me. That’s a big problem,” said Ian Sherr, an executive editor at CNET.

“It’s very easy to hack a chip implant, so my advice is don’t put your life secrets on an implant, Sjöblad said…

“It’s about educating the people and giving every person the tools…not only how to use the technology but, more importantly, when it’s being used against you,” Sjöblad warned.  (source)

And microchipping won’t stop with a payment chip in your hand.

The endgame is microchipping people’s brains. And folks are chomping at the bit to get them. Scientists are saying that they can fix mental health issues with brain chips, they can make people smarter, and help them “merge” with AI. A chipped person could, theoretically, think his thoughts right onto his computer.

Watch this video...

So, with these chips in our brains, we’ll actually be merging with computers to some degree. The robot overlords will have a pretty easy takeover if our brains can be accessed like this.

Microchips may not be optional one day.

This horror movie gets even scarier. There is already a law on the books that potentially allows human beings to be forcibly chipped.

Oh, it’s couched in warm, fuzzy language and they say it’s just to help keep track of folks with Alzheimer’s or other developmental disabilities, but remember that the most unpatriotic law ever passed was also called the Patriot Act.

H.R.4919 was passed in 2016.

It directs the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to award competitive grants to health care, law enforcement, or public safety agencies, and nonprofit organizations, to develop or operate locally based proactive programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The BJA must give preference to law enforcement or public safety agencies partnering with nonprofit organizations that use person-centered plans and are directly linked to individuals, and families of individuals, with dementia or developmental disabilities. (source)

Despite the fact that the bill requires everyone to use privacy “best practices,” it’s not that much of a stretch to see what a slippery slope this is. Who gets to decide whether a person “needs” to be chipped for their own good? Law enforcement. Scary.

Could this lead to a cashless society?

If “everyone” is getting microchipped like these experts predict, that could be the next step in the push toward a cashless society. Think about the lack of privacy then. If everything is purchased via a chip unique to you, then no purchases could be under the radar. Whether a person was stocking up on food, watching X-rated movies, reading books on revolution, or buying ammo, it would all be recorded in a database. Our purchases could be used in some kind of pre-crime technology, ala Minority Report, or they could be used to profile us in other ways.

If there is no way to make purchases but with a chip, many people will have to reluctantly comply. The same chips could be a requirement for medical care, driver’s licenses, jobs – you name it. No matter where you tried to hide, your GPS locator would mean that you would be found. It would be like everyone being forced to have one of those ankle bracelets that criminals wear, except it would be inside your body.

If you think the atmosphere of control is unnerving now, just wait. When everyone is microchipped, the net will be even tighter.

Between the pending robot apocalypse that I wrote about earlier this week and forcible microchipping, it seems like we won’t have to wait for “climate change” or a war of Mutually Assured Destruction to get us. Technology just might be the end of humanity.

Credit to Zero Hedge

Stones, flares & gas bombs: Violent rallies mark anniversary of 1973 student revolt in Greece

The US Issues A Travel Warning For This Holiday Season

CERN EMPLOYEE SPILLS THE TRUTH

North Korea's Missiles Will Take Only 20 Minutes To Reach Alaska

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

The state of Alaska is preparing for a potential war with North Korea. 

The Alaskans are being urged not to evacuate, though should Kim Jong-Un launch a missile toward Alaska, it would only take 20 minutes to get there.

Emergency planners in Alaska have warned it will not attempt evacuations if a warhead is fired because time would not be on their side. Jeremy Zidek, from the state’s disaster planning team, will urge locals to find shelter rather than risk being caught in the open. He also urged families to have an emergency stash of food and water, flashlights and radios, and medical supplies including the anti-radiation pill Prussian Blue – medication that lessens the radiological impacts on your body.

Tensions have escalated lately on the Korean peninsula after a series of missile tests in the hermit kingdom and propagandized media threats were made sentencing president Donald Trump to death. Tyrant Kim Jong-un has since threatened a “nuclear holocaust” and there are fears the regime will soon have a missile capable of reaching the US mainland.

Zidek admitted that the state’s defensive facilities could be picked for an attack.

Alaska is home to Fort Greely, where the US has interceptor rockets designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The state also has missile defenses at the Pacific Spaceport Complex as well as radar warning systems at Clear Air Force Station.

“We have the missile defense system here. We have missiles and radars in a number of different locations,” Zidek said.

“Perhaps there would be some type of attack on those military facilities to try to hinder our ability to react to any missile launches.”

But Zidek’s warnings for Alaska get even more terrifying.

He also warned that Alaska no longer has any bomb shelters and there would be no new measures to deal specifically with a North Korean nuclear threat.

“There could be evacuation notices put in place but are we going to be able to get that amount of lead time to instruct people to actually evacuate an area?” he said.

Remember, once a missile is launched toward Alaska, it would take less than 20 minutes to make an impact.

“Really the recommendation for people during a nuclear attack is to shelter in place and find some type of secure location that will protect them from that blast,” said Zidek.

“So with a mass evacuation – if people leave their homes, schools, and businesses to try to get out of the area, we may be putting more people at risk.”

Emergency planners in Hawaii have already confirmed that their state is within 20 minutes of Kim Jong-un’s missiles – and Alaska is even closer. Guam is closer still, and Kim has already threatened that island territory too.

Zidek said Alaska had reviewed its radiological threat plans and prepared social media warnings to be published at short notice. Otherwise, he said Alaska would respond to a nuclear attack using the same plans already devised for disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

“The thing with disasters is – while disasters may vary a great deal – the consequences of the disasters don’t really change very much. With something like a nuclear attack, of course you’re going to have mass casualties, a hazmat event, and you’re gonna have the need to transport a large number of people,” said Zidek.

“When we look at these problems, the consequences of the attack, they may be the same as if we had another large earthquake or we have a massive chemical spill. On a state level, when we look at our all-hazards plan, we say to ourselves ‘we are preparing for the consequences of any type of disaster’.  And that’s exactly what we want our residents here in Alaska to do. Prepare for the consequences of any type of disaster.”

Credit to Zero Hedge

Canadian Evangelicals Denied Adoption Due to Faith

An evangelical Christian couple, identified in court documents only by their initials, have charged the Alberta provincial government with religious discrimination based on their religious beliefs regarding human sexuality that resulted in their application for adoption being rejected.

The couple, who live in Edmonton, allege the Ministry of Children’s Services told them their religious beliefs related to gender and sexuality were “contrary to the official position of the Alberta government.” They completed a Safe Home Study Report—a document that asks a series of questions about prospective adoptive parents’ income, lifestyle, and home routines—in February.

According to the Edmonton Journal, they indicated they hoped to adopt a child, or up to three siblings, between the ages of 7 and 17, through the Catholic Social Services program. CSS social workers quickly recommended them for adoption approval, but noted that a “homosexual child” should not be placed with them.

The reason given: “though they said would unconditionally love a child questioning or exploring their sexuality, they would not support the ‘lifestyle,’ which could mean a child may not feel accepted.” In mid-March, they were contacted again and told Child and Family Services had additional questions about their views on sexuality.

According to several emails, which were admitted as evidence, the worker and couple discussed the issue. There were several additional meetings with CSS and CFS officials, during which the couple said they would seek counseling and support if a child in their care began questioning his or her sexuality, but noted they could not encourage a lifestyle they knew “caused a higher proportion of anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts than other lifestyles.”

Their application to adopt was formally rejected May 3.

In their complaint before the Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton, filed earlier this month, the wife stated:


"If we did not change our religious beliefs regarding sexuality, to conform to the beliefs of Child and Family Services, we would not be approved for adoption."

The couple is asking the court to rule that their religious freedoms were violated and the CFS be ordered to approve their adoption application. In response to questions about the application rejection from the Journal, a Ministry of Children’s Services spokesman said the government believes “every adoptive child deserves a safe, healthy, loving and inclusive home.”
Credit to Trunews

Why America's Retail Apocalypse Could Accelerate Even More In 2018

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Is the retail apocalypse in the United States about to go to a whole new level?  

That is a frightening thing to consider, because the truth is that things are already quite bad.  We have already shattered the all-time record for store closings in a single year and we still have the rest of November and December to go. 

Unfortunately, it truly does appear that things will get even worse in 2018, because a tremendous amount of high-yield retail debt is coming due next year. 

In fact, Bloomberg is reporting that the amount of high-yield retail debt that will mature next year is approximately 19 times larger than the amount that matured this year…

Just $100 million of high-yield retail borrowings were set to mature this year, but that will increase to $1.9 billion in 2018, according to Fitch Ratings Inc. And from 2019 to 2025, it will balloon to an annual average of almost $5 billion. The amount of retail debt considered risky is also rising. Over the past year, high-yield bonds outstanding gained 20 percent, to $35 billion, and the industry’s leveraged loans are up 15 percent, to $152 billion, according to Bloomberg data.

Even worse, this will hit as a record $1 trillion in high-yield debt for all industries comes due over the next five years, according to Moody’s.

Can you say “debt bomb”?

For those of you that are not familiar with these concepts, high-yield debt is considered to be the riskiest form of debt.  Retailers all over the nation went on a tremendous debt binge for years, and many of those loans never should have been made.  Now that debt is going to start to come due, and many of these retailers simply will not be able to pay.

So how does that concern the rest of us?

Well, just like with the subprime mortgage meltdown, the “spillover” could potentially be enormous.  Here is more from Bloomberg…

The debt coming due, along with America’s over-stored suburbs and the continued gains of online shopping, has all the makings of a disaster. The spillover will likely flow far and wide across the U.S. economy. There will be displaced low-income workers, shrinking local tax bases and investor losses on stocks, bonds and real estate. If today is considered a retail apocalypse, then what’s coming next could truly be scary.

I have written extensively about Sears and other troubled retailers that definitely appear to be headed for zero.  But one major retailer that is flying below the radar a little bit that you should keep an eye on is Target.  For over a year, conservatives have been boycotting the retailer, and this boycott is really starting to take a toll…

Target has been desperately grasping at ideas to recover lost business, including remodeling existing stores and opening smaller stores, lowering prices, hiring more holiday staff and introducing a new home line from Chip and Joanna Gaines. But Target stock remains relatively stagnant, opening at 61.50 today—certainly nowhere near the mid-80s of April 2016, when the AFA boycott began.

Credit to Zero Hedge