“It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the world’s richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components.&nbsp;"The abuses in mines remain out of sight and out of mind because in today’s global marketplace consumers have no idea about the conditions at the mine, factory, and assembly line. We found that traders are buying cobalt without asking questions about how and where it was mined.”Emmanuel Umpula, Afrewatch (Africa Resources Watch) Executive Director as <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/01/Child-labour-behind-smart-phone-and-electric-car-batteries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quoted</a> by Amnesty International<hr><h2>Rosy prospects for clean, green technology</h2>Last year the IEA (International Energy Authority) <a href="https://www.iea.org/news/the-world-is-entering-a-new-age-of-clean-technology-manufacturing-and-countries-industrial-strategies-will-be-key-to-success" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">painted</a> a rosy picture of the financial prospects for clean, green energy technologies that support a better future. Its Energy Technology Perspectives 2023 report analyzed the “global manufacturing of clean energy technologies today – such as solar panels, wind turbines, EV batteries, electrolysers for hydrogen and heat pumps – and their supply chains around the world, as well as mapping out how they are likely to evolve as the clean energy transition advances in the years ahead.”The analysis included the projected value of the technologies by the year 2030 to be approximately three times more than the current level:<blockquote>The analysis shows the global market for key mass-manufactured clean energy technologies will be worth around USD 650 billion a year by 2030 – more than three times today’s level – if countries worldwide fully implement their announced energy and climate pledges. The related clean energy manufacturing jobs would more than double from 6 million today to nearly 14 million by 2030 – and further rapid industrial and employment growth is expected in the following decades as transitions progress.</blockquote><h2>The dirty underbelly of the clean, green technologies</h2>However, behind the clean and green picture lie destroyed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/03/child-labour-toxic-leaks-the-price-we-could-pay-for-a-greener-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environments</a> and destroyed children, the unseen cost of mining cobalt for the lithium batteries for “clean, green technologies,” such as electric vehicles (EVs) and smartphones.&nbsp;Big Tech companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Dell and Tesla that purchase cobalt for EV and smartphone batteries were recently exonerated from responsibility for the child trafficking that is part and parcel of cobalt mining. Much of that mining takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the main supplier of cobalt. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit judges ruled that since the companies purchase the product from a global supply chain and do not have control over the suppliers, they are not liable for what takes place at the beginning of the supply chain.<h3>Amnesty International calls out tech brands&nbsp;</h3>Amnesty International called out major tech brands, including Apple, and Samsung, in a 2016 <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/01/Child-labour-behind-smart-phone-and-electric-car-batteries/">expose</a> (video below) about children being used to mine metal for smartphone and EV batteries. Mark Dummett, Business &amp; Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International, described the hypocrisy of the fancy phone displays as juxtaposed to the dangerous working conditions faced by cobalt miners:<blockquote>The glamourous shop displays and marketing of state of the art technologies are a stark contrast to the children carrying bags of rocks, and miners in narrow manmade tunnels risking permanent lung damage.</blockquote>&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="900" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7x4ASxHIrEA" title="This is what we die for: Child labour in the DRC cobalt mines" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>&nbsp;<h3>WEF cites ethical dilemma of using forced labor to combat “climate change”&nbsp;</h3>The World Economic Forum (WEF) did not ignore the problem of extracting the metal using forced child labor either. WEF senior writer Sean Fleming, in an article titled “<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/the-hidden-cost-of-the-electric-car-boom-child-labour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The hidden cost of the electric car boom – child labour,</a>” brought to the fore the ethical dilemma of using child labor in combating “climate change:”<blockquote>People want electric vehicles for many different reasons, including ethical ones as we become increasingly aware of the impact of both climate change and air pollution. Yet the growing market for electric cars may be causing harm to people in one of the world’s most vulnerable countries.</blockquote>The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where most of the cobalt is mined, has a history of conflict and exploitation, as Fleming wrote:<blockquote>Dangerous working conditions, risks to people’s health, and child labour are a huge problem in the cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).</blockquote>Electric vehicles are the prime technology, Fleming continued, fueling the cobalt rush, and which is responsible for the continued misery in the area:<blockquote>As a critical raw material in lithium-ion battery production, cobalt is in high demand. It is needed to power smartphones, tablets, and laptops as well as electric vehicles, but it is the latter where astronomical growth risks perpetuating misery.</blockquote><blockquote>Two-thirds of the world’s cobalt is found in the DRC, which is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries with a gross national income per capita of just $481.</blockquote>He explained that children as young as ten are recruited into this work for $3.50 - $10 a day for dangerous and dirty work:<blockquote>Children as young as 10 are involved in cobalt mining, earning as little as $3.50-$10 a day for the dangerous and dirty work, which can involve digging underground, carrying very heavy sacks, and washing the mined cobalt in the river.</blockquote>Fleming concludes by mentioning tech firms' and car manufacturers' commitments to tackle these problems in the supply chains, the near impossibility of determining the source of cobalt for any particular battery, and the WEF's Global Battery Alliance expected to address these challenges.&nbsp;<blockquote>While tech firms and car manufacturers have pledged to do more to tackle the problem in their supply chains, there are no easy ways to tell if their batteries have been produced using cobalt mined in slave-like conditions.The World Economic Forum's Global Battery Alliance seeks to address these thorny challenges. According to the group, "As a global collaboration platform, it will catalyse and accelerate action towards a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and innovative battery value chain to power the Fourth Industrial Revolution." [Emphasis added.]</blockquote><h2>Clean and green — not any time soon</h2>All this has led to charges that “clean and green” is only for show, at least for the foreseeable future. Tech companies and car manufacturers may have “pledged to do more to tackle the problem in their supply chains,” but as is evidenced by the recent ruling in favor of Big Tech, they don't seem to be doing very much in that direction and have succeeded in using the court system to allow them to continue avoiding responsibility.&nbsp;So the question remains — how far up the supply chain does responsibility go? How far removed does one have to be from the source of the battery in their product to be absolved of responsibility for the dangers faced by child miners?Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/illinois-governor-pritzker-prepares-for-bright-ev-future-will-lack-of-demand-ruin-his-plans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Illinois Governor Pritzker prepares for bright EV future. Will lack of demand ruin his plans?</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/ford-halves-production-of-flagship-electric-vehicle-due-to-market-demand">Ford halves production of flagship electric vehicle due to ‘market demand’</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/usps-buys-nearly-10-000-e-vs-despite-poor-performance-reports">USPS buys nearly 10,000 EVs despite poor performance reports</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/auto-manufacturers-afraid-to-speak-out-against-e-vs-says-top-carmaker">Auto manufacturers afraid to speak out against EVs,&nbsp;says top carmaker</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/only-10-vehicles-qualify-for-biden-s-ev-tax-credit">Only 10 vehicles qualify for Biden’s EV tax credit</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/electric-vehicles-grow-costlier-amid-insurance-crisis">Electric vehicles grow costlier amid insurance crisis</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/zero-vehicles-will-qualify-for-bidens-electric-vehicle-tax-credit-says-auto-industry">‘Zero’ vehicles will qualify for Biden’s electric vehicle tax credit, says auto industry</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/house-votes-to-block-ev-mandate">House votes to block EV mandate</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/all-electric-google-bus-causes-multi-car-pileup-after-losing-power">All-electric Google bus causes multi-car pileup after losing power</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/plummeting-temperatures-give-alternative-energy-proponents-the-cold-shoulder">Plummeting temperatures give alternative energy proponents the cold shoulder</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/energy-chief-s-failed-ev-stunt-draws-mockery">Energy chief’s failed EV stunt draws mockery</a>&nbsp;</li></ul>

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Technology

US News

Climate Change

'Consumers have no idea about the conditions at the mine, factory, and assembly line'

Child slave labor in producing EV batteries raises serious questions about clean, green technologies

By Alex NewmanKey leaders of the pro-Hamas riots on college campuses across America are connected to the mass-murdering dictatorship enslaving Cuba, an investigation by ADN America revealed. It is part of a broader strategy identified by key U.S. national security officials in which jihadists and communists work together — often hiding behind brainwashed students and useful idiots — to destroy liberty, America, and the West.&nbsp;The explosive news comes shortly after billionaire extremist George Soros and the Rockefeller oil dynasty — among the most powerful political interests in America — were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2024/05/01/tnr20240501/">exposed providing enormous amounts of funding</a>&nbsp;to the groups behind the college uprisings. The pro-Hamas groups have been paying leaders and training them for “revolution,” training documents show.A major organization at the tip of the spear of these increasingly violent protests, known as The People’s Forum (TPF), is closely linked to the Cuban regime. The organization is funded by a pro-Chinese Communist Party billionaire Neville Roy Singham and other subversives. And ironically, since its minions claim to be opposing a “genocide” of Arabs, it specializes in denying the actual genocide being perpetrated against Muslim Uyghurs in China. &nbsp;&nbsp;TPF, described by the Hispanic-focused news organization ADN America as a “cornerstone” of the anti-Israel protests, organized a demonstration on Times Square the day after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Jews. The protest included celebrations of the barbarism, anti-Semitic slogans, and more, according to news reports.One year ago, the Cuban regime’s propaganda organs reported that hundreds of TPF activists had visited Cuba and even met with dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel. Pictures of the gathering showed flags of “Palestine.” Numerous other radical groups involved in the protests have also traveled to meet with the regime, which has been backing “pro-Palestine” terrorist movements for over 50 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;Co-executive director of TPF Manolo De Los Santos, a radical leftwing leader of the riots at Columbia, has extensive ties to the terrorist regime in Havana, too. Just one year ago, the Dominican-born De Los Santos&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/manolo_realengo/status/1653748099817283584">posted a picture of himself on Twitter</a>&nbsp;standing next to brutal Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel, heir to the throne of Fidel Castro, while condemning America and praising Cuba’s ruthless one-party state. &nbsp;“Leaving Cuba after 10 days learning with its people &amp; President Miguel Diaz-Canel,” De Los Santos said on Twitter. “Young people in the U.S. have great tasks ahead of them. We have a responsibility to defeat, once &amp; for all, this genocidal blockade for the survival of the Cuban people &amp; the future of humanity!”Communists often blame the horrific poverty plaguing Cuba on the U.S. embargo. But in reality, just like everywhere central planning reigns, the poverty is caused by communism, not the United States. The Cuban regime trades freely with countless other nations and is working with associates across Latin America such as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to spread totalitarian governance.Over the weekend, De Los Santos urged the anti-Israel student protestors to “give Joe Biden a hot summer,” reported AND America. He criticized Columbia’s “Zionist” administration for wanting to “resemble its masters in Israel,” the news organ reported. And he praised the rioters for “deciding that resistance is more important than negotiations.” Echoing Black Lives Matter and other Marxist outfits, De Los Santos also called on the demonstrators to “make business as usual in this country unsustainable.”Another anti-Israel group involved in the riots on college campuses even sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1786929959002403271">video</a>&nbsp;from Columbia University to be played at a “Palestine solidarity” rally in Havana. Saluting the “comrades” and thanking them, the student vowed that “unity will bring us victory.” Representatives of the designated terror organization known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also participated. &nbsp;This would not be the first time that the brutal regime enslaving Cuba, which according to U.S. Ambassador to Cuba Earl T. Smith was installed in power by the U.S. State Department, has funded leftist extremism and even terrorism in the United States. In fact, the terrorist Weather Underground, founded by key Obama ally Bill Ayers, was working closely with Cuban intelligence. They also had unimaginably evil plans for America.After infiltrating the leadership of the Weather Underground, FBI operative Larry Grathwohl&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyKg5gErL18">revealed</a>&nbsp;that the group was planning a revolution in the United States and that numerous hostile foreign regimes were expected to help occupy the nation. The group was also planning to intern tens of millions of Americans in “re-education” camps, with the expectation that some 25 million would have to be executed, Grathwohl said. &nbsp;The mass-murdering dictatorship in Cuba is also a close ally of the South African regime, which consists of an alliance of the South African Communist Party and the SACP-controlled African National Congress. That regime has been leading the charge against Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.The alliance between radical Islamists and Communists is not new, either. Former Romanian KGB chief Ion Pacepa, who defected to the United States, exposed how the Soviet bloc sent thousands of agents to the Middle East to radicalize Muslims in the early 1970s. “As KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov told me, a billion adversaries could inflict far greater damage on America than could a few millions,” Pacepa said. &nbsp;&nbsp;<img class="image_resized" style="width:384px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.freedomproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/3364780_1225x377_2500.jpg?resize=696%2C214&amp;ssl=1" alt="">The vast majority of the tax-funded useful idiots protesting and rioting on college campuses have no idea what they are involved in. However, those behind the scenes — from Soros and the Rockefellers to the Cuban regime and the CCP — understand very well what they are doing. It is time for Congress and state law-enforcement agencies to get to the bottom of this. And it is time for lawmakers to seriously consider whether taxpayers ought to be funding this whole dumpster fire masquerading as “education.”&nbsp;Originally published at <a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2024/05/08/nr5824/">FreedomProject Media</a>.<a href="https://libertysentinel.org/author/admin/">Alex Newman</a> is an award-winning international journalist, educator, author, and consultant who co-wrote the book “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.” He writes for diverse publications in the United States and abroad.

fidel.jpg

World News

Jihadists and communists working together to destroy liberty, America, and the West

Cuban Regime linked to pro-Hamas campus riots

Private-sector policingA burglar with 105 previous convictions has been <a href=" https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13389409/Prolific-burglar-44-caught-breaking-M-S-jailed-private-prosecution-Met-refuse-investigate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sentenced </a>to prison after being detained and prosecuted not by the police but by a private investigation company, TM Eye. The store manager in the targeted business, Marks and Spencer in London, UK, had called law enforcement after identifying the burglar using CCTV footage; when London's Metropolitan Police declined to investigate, the manager turned to the private sector, leading to a successful conviction.&nbsp;No prolific police officers for prolific criminalsAs the police withdraw from policing — that is, the government withdraws from its most basic role and responsibility, that of protecting the citizenry — a space has opened up for private policing forces, such as <a href="https://tm-eye.co.uk/what-we-do/prolific-crimes-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TM Eye</a>, which claims to have made over 2,000 arrests of shoplifters, assisted in 800 prosecutions, and recovered almost $600,000 in stolen funds.It is noteworthy that TM Eye's department dedicated to retail crime is called the “Prolific Crimes Team.” The criminals they pursue are not random shoplifters, kids who ran out of cash for a Hershey bar and popped it into their pocket before sneaking away. They are repeat offenders, the scourge of stores across the world, who are responsible for massive losses for retailers.TM Eye “liaises” with police, which is <a href="https://www.jpllaw.net/blog/understanding-the-concept-of-a-citizens-arrest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">obligatory</a> when it comes to detaining criminals. But they also gather evidence, obtain witness statements, compile video footage, recover stolen goods, and detain criminals. Police, by their own admission, are understaffed for dealing with crimes against people and property and simply can't keep up with the numbers of shoplifters. Instead, they are focused on far more serious incidents, such as following up “hate crime" allegations or arresting people who broke lockdown regulations during the “pandemic” or committed “possession crimes.”&nbsp;Corrupted judgment?The police are not alone in cracking down on crimes without direct victims while de-emphasizing crimes with such victims. Sometimes district attorneys refuse to prosecute or pursue only minimal charges for dangerous criminals. Judges, too, can step in and ensure that even repeat criminals get off with a relatively lenient penalty which can be as little as community service with no time served behind bars at all.But the media, too, must accept its share of responsibility for downplaying or even excusing crime, as this headline from the UK's <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11454513/Tesco-puts-security-tags-four-pint-cartons-milk-cost-living-crisis-drives-shoplifting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Daily Mail</a> illustrates:<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1715206623/shoplifting_daily_mail_64d34e441b.png"></figure>Undoubtedly, the cost of living has risen in recent years. Nonetheless, people aren't actually collapsing of starvation. Although their suffering is real, people in earlier generations certainly experienced more challenging times, including those who lived through the Great Depression, without seeing (and certainly not condoning) anywhere near the level of theft seen today. Interestingly, even ChatGPT doesn't excuse shoplifting even when a person genuinely needs the food to survive.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1715207107/chat_25df18dbda.png"></figure>Presumably, ChatGPT's programmers recognize some basic adherence to moral law is necessary if society is not to entirely fragment.&nbsp;Are private militias to be the future of policing?Despite ChatGPT's outlook, society may indeed be fragmenting as few are those who are willing to step into the breach and do something about rampant crime (unless they are paid to do so).It's the stuff of movies, unless you live somewhere like South Africa:<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Hijackers apprehended by South African private security after a high speed car chase <a href="https://t.co/D50AwtHSlX">pic.twitter.com/D50AwtHSlX</a>— alex (@africaken1) <a href="https://twitter.com/africaken1/status/1409912179441258497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;Only for Big Business?Marks and Spencer is a large, established chain of stores with the ability to absorb the costs of employing private detectives to detain (and ultimately deter) criminals. Small stores have no such ability and they are being driven from the marketplace due not only to crime, but also hyper-regulation, competition from online stores, and onerous DEI mandates.The costs are not merely economic. If things continue this way, with the public losing faith in the will and ability of police to maintain public order, one can envision a future of private guard forces (militias) increasingly taking the law into their own hands, aided and abetted by the police themselves as they effectively delegate their responsibilities (for which they are paid) to the private sector. After all, TM Eye was founded by a <a href="https://tm-eye.co.uk/our-team/david-mckelvey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">former chief detective of Scotland Yard</a>.

security.jpg

crime

Are private militias the future for Big Business?

Private-sector policing: How private detectives step in where police fear to tread

Rebecca Riley's parents brought her to a child psychiatrist when she was just two years old. Doctor Kayoko Kifuji of Tufts Medical Center promptly diagnosed the Springfield, Massachusetts girl with bipolar disorder and ADHD. Two years later Rebecca was dead and her parents were on trial for her murder.&nbsp;Bipolar babies?To anyone unfamiliar with the state of psychiatry today, two things may strike them as odd. One: How could a child—and certainly a toddler—be diagnosed with bipolar disorder? And two: What is the point in such a diagnosis—surely, no responsible doctor would give psychiatric medication to children of two, three, four, or five years of age? Or would they?Unfortunately, there are no surprises here to those involved with pediatric psychiatry, as Dr. Kifuji could tell you. Twenty years after she “diagnosed” Rebecca and after the girl died of “prolonged abuse” (according to the medical examiner) of the drugs Kifuji prescribed, Kifuji is still in practice—she never lost her license, was never disciplined by the medical board, and even the payout made to Rebecca’s siblings following a civil lawsuit was covered by her insurance.&nbsp;Murder by prescriptionRebecca’s parents, by contrast, are still in prison—her father was convicted of first-degree murder, her mother of second-degree murder. Both of them watched the girl deteriorate in her final days without taking her to see a doctor, despite the entreaties of worried neighbors. Kifuji gave evidence at their trials but was under immunity, a fact that <a href="https://spitbristleandfury.wordpress.com/tag/kayoko-kifuji/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shocked the jury members</a>, several of whom expressed their wish to see her in the dock as well.After all, Kifuji had seen Rebecca at many appointments and somehow failed to detect the signs of overmedication that nurses and teachers at her preschool program were <a href="https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2010/01/21/social-worker-testifies-she-warned/47038828007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concerned about</a>. She also knew that Mrs. Riley was giving her young daughter far more than the recommended dose of the drugs she was taking (if one can consider these drugs “recommended” at all for children). Although she apparently rebuked Rebecca’s mother for upping the doses without first getting permission, Kifuji gave that permission retroactively.&nbsp;No regretsWhile giving <a href="https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2010/03/18/psychiatrist-no-second-thoughts-in/47971690007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">evidence</a> at the trial of Rebecca's father, Michael Riley, she was asked by his defense attorney whether, in retrospect, she would have done things differently.<blockquote>[Attorney Darrell] Now that you’ve had this time for reflection, have you changed your mind about your diagnosis and treatment of Rebecca Riley?[Kifuji] No, I have not.</blockquote>This despite the doctor having being <a href="https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2010/01/21/social-worker-testifies-she-warned/47038828007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warned</a> by the school nurse that Rebecca was better off with less drugs:<blockquote>I did tell Dr. Kifuji that when Rebecca was a little more awake (after the clonidine wore off), she played nicely with the other children. She was more animated. She was a very sweet little girl.</blockquote>&nbsp;One in ten American kids on psych drugsAccording to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7243a5.htm#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20children%20and,%25)%20to%202022%20(9.3%25)." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CDC</a>, in 2022, 9.3 percent of children aged between 5 and 17 were taking drugs for their “mental health.” This translates to around five million children. As many anti-Pharma activists have pointed out, children are a very sought-after demographic for drugging, as they usually have little to no say as to whether to take the drugs or not, even when adverse events are disturbing, painful, and/or outright harmful. Furthermore, a childhood on drugs very often predicts adult life on more drugs—more of the same, plus others.Who is looking out for these children? Not the FDA it seems. Just a few months ago, the FDA decided to <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2023/021323Orig1s055,021365Orig1s039ltr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expand its approval</a> of an SSRI-class drug, Lexapro, to “treat anxiety” in children as young as seven years old.The authors of the clinical <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cap.2023.0004" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trial</a> upon which the approval was based wrote that Lexapro “reduced anxiety symptoms and was well tolerated,” adding that, “the benefits of the product outweigh the risks.”One of the risks, apparently, is suicide—one child (out of 137) in the trial (in the Lexapro cohort) actually tried to commit suicide. None of the children in the trial had been actively suicidal prior to the study. The FDA approval does not mention the suicide risk. Perhaps it is considered sufficient that SSRIs in general come with a boxed warning that notes their associated risk of both homicidal and suicidal ideation.&nbsp;“Angel” parents wanting angelic kids?Those who criticize ADHD diagnoses for children who cannot seem to adapt to the demands of classroom life often claim that the “unnatural” rigidity of the school environment is to blame, rather than the child's “natural” nature. A similar claim is also often made of psychiatric diagnoses given to very young children who are basically just regular toddlers — only their parents are either unwilling to or incapable of dealing with them.Seeking advice on an online parenting forum, “Angel MDSN” <a href="https://community.babycenter.com/post/a23645227/does_anyone_else_have_a_bipolar_child_step_child" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writes</a>:<blockquote>I'm having a really hard time with my stepson he is severely bipolar and has shown severe symptoms since he was 2 he is now over 5 1/2. We tried not medicating him for a long time but he just kept getting more and more out of control … Like tantrums for hours, telling lies all day, kicking/punching holes in walls. You get my drift and let me tell you we are a very strict boudry [sic.] set home and as consistent as you can get also have tried every discipline in the book. He has now been medicated for seven months We have tried various meds. and combinations. He is still so out of control though…</blockquote>“Glesa,” answering “Angel,” apparently has experienced something quite similar (and she’s far from being alone). Although she mentions that what she calls “Red dye” in food clearly makes her son “defiant and moody with outbursts,” she also writes:<blockquote>What you describe to me, sounds just like my DS when he was 2 and 3 ... it took constant pleading from me to get the dr to send him to see a behavioral specialist. Once she did our world changed. He has ADHD and Anxiety. DS has his moments still, but he knows that not having his meds, even in the summer, he is miserable and acts out. I really did not want to medicate him, but behavior modification alone was not working...</blockquote>&nbsp;A bleak outlookCommenting on the FDA’s approval of several “antipsychotic” drugs to treat children back in 2009, <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0906/S00142/fda-throws-life-line-to-antipsychotic-pushers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vera Sharav</a>, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, stressed that,<blockquote>The FDA's expanded marketing approval process for antipsychotics, highly toxic drugs, is unaffected by evidence uncovered by the US Justice Department showing that the studies submitted by drug manufacturers were often flawed, if not fraudulent.&nbsp;Rather than focus on protecting children's safety, FDA officials are doing their utmost to legitimize irresponsible, off-label prescribing of exceedingly toxic antipsychotics for children--thereby ensuring that far greater numbers of children will be victimized and die.</blockquote>Sharav was by no means exaggerating the dangers these drugs pose. In an <a href="https://karger.com/pps/article-abstract/77/4/198/282409/Irrational-Healers?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">editorial</a> published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Dr. David Healy notes that,<blockquote>For fifty years, the antipsychotics were viewed as too dangerous to use outside secondary care and were largely restricted to those with chronic psychotic disorders where the trade-off between hazards and benefits justified treatment.Yet now a new generation of possibly even more problematic antipsychotics is being given to preschoolers, in North America, on the basis that they might have a disorder that most of the rest of the world does not believe happens in children.</blockquote>

Kid medicine.jpg

Psychiatric Drug

Malpractice

How many more children will die from psychotropic medications before FDA takes notice?

Where is justice for Rebecca; diagnosed as bipolar at age 2, dead at 4 from overuse of meds

The World Economic Forum (WEF) says <a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-says-covid-moved-us-toward-a-cashless-economy-but-do-we-have-to-go-along-with-it-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">COVID moved us toward a cashless economy.</a> Frontline News reported how that claim was celebrated at the WEF conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The connection between COVID-19 and the ability to move along its cashless agenda was discussed at the conference's opening plenary. Khalid Humaidan, Bahrain's chief central banker who spoke during the session, noted that people's acceptance at the time showed their trust in the government's policy about cash:<blockquote>I think the transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch, people are used to it, people are engaged in it, and circumstances that help is adoption rates increased because of Covid.This is where contactless [payment systems] started to become something of a necessity, something of a safety, something of a requirement, and because of that there is very little resistance, trust is already there ...&nbsp;</blockquote>Frontline News concluded the first of this two-part series by asking if we have a choice in the matter or if a cashless society is inevitable, noting that cash is still needed and often the preferred choice of payment for many. We explore the future of paper currency in this part.<h2>Cash still needed&nbsp;</h2>Cash is essential to most economiesAccording to Cash Matters, “cash continues to <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/2023-payments-report-confirms-cash-is-essential-to-economies-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">play an essential role</a> in most economies,” accounting for over $7.6 trillion in consumer spending throughout 2022.<blockquote>Cash remains the most-used payment option across Africa and the Middle East, and Latin America, with the rate of decline in its use seen globally during the pandemic levelling off. Around the world, while its use has dropped in many countries, it remains steady in some and has seen modest rises in others. In Italy, the share of cash transactions at point of sale (POS) remained steady in 2021 and 2022 at 27 percent, while it rose in America from 11 to 12 percent, and in France from nine to 10 percent.</blockquote><h3>Important in the UK</h3>Cash is very important for the UK economy for several reasons, <a href="https://www.ftadviser.com/stephanie-hawthorne/2024/04/26/cash-is-hugely-important-to-uk-economy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writes</a> FT Adviser.&nbsp;⇢ Cash use helps maintain neighborhoods.&nbsp;The presence of banks, financial institutions, and stores helps maintain upscale neighborhoods. Yet, with cash transactions declining, many stores and institutions closed and their communities have devolved into slums with fast-food restaurants. “The aroma of stinky burgers&nbsp;pervades once fine streets all over Britain. Is this the best&nbsp;a nation of shopkeepers can do for our health and wellbeing?,” FT Adviser asks.⇢ Cash is valued by the elderly and people who have low incomes.<blockquote>According to the Bank of England, which is currently running an exhibition called “The future of Money” until September 2025: “Cash remains a valued form of money for the elderly and those on lower incomes, with many using it to budget and manage their household finances.”</blockquote>⇢ Cash is needed by people with disabilities who cannot manage technology.<blockquote>Some people with physical and cognitive disabilities also find other payment methods difficult to use (they may struggle with pin numbers or passwords, for example).</blockquote>⇢ Going cashless might trigger an economic disaster.FT Adviser described five instances where the electricity and/or internet were disrupted and stores could not accept payment, resulting in lost profits, or could only accept cash. In one case, the store could accept credit cards but could only provide a handwritten receipt.&nbsp;<h3>Japan prefers cash</h3>Japanese prefer cash as it is secure and reliable and a means of being aware of how much money one has, decreasing the risk of overspending, <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/why-japan-prefers-cash" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to Cash Matters: &nbsp;<blockquote>Assessing the reasons why Japanese consumers prefer cash, Statista notes its security and reliability are highly valued. Over 55 percent of respondents cited concerns over personal information leakage as being a major drawback of cashless options. Nearly 42 percent worried about credit cards and account details being stolen—which could allow thieves to run up huge bills in their name—and around 38 percent said cashless options made them less aware of the amount of money they are spending, increasing the risk of spending too much.</blockquote>Cash Matters included this graph from Statista showing concerns about going cashless in Japan:<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Japan_concerns_about_digital_currency_ee4522f0d6.jpg"></figure>Cash is also treated with respect in Japan; people with bifold wallets can keep track of their money and avoid overspending, a practice of the wealthy.<blockquote>Japan Today noted bifold wallets allow more space for cash and help keep banknotes neat and uncreased. It cited a book by accountant Junichiro Kameda—Why Wealthy People Use Long Wallets—as one source of information on the importance of careful handling of cash, which the author believes ‘will help people appreciate their money and control their spending’.</blockquote><h3>The U.S. needs cash, too</h3>Money Under 30 <a href="https://www.moneyunder30.com/what-is-the-future-of-cash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contemplated</a> the future of cash in the United States since many younger people are not using it, and with more and more transactions being done electronically. While this can hamper drug-related crimes and theft of cash, Money under 30 noted it will also mean the layoff of many people who handle cash transactions.&nbsp;People still rely on cashThe benefits of cash are significant enough that the future of a cashless U.S. is in doubt. Nine million U.S. households do not have a relationship with a bank and a further 24.5 million households obtain financial services and products outside the banking system.<blockquote>A survey by the FDIC in 2015 revealed that 7% of US households, or about nine million households, had no banking relationship; these households are referred to as “unbanked”. The same survey reported an additional 19.9%—or 24.5 million households—are classified as “underbanked”. That means the household had a checking or savings account, but obtained financial products and services outside the banking system.The problem for many of the poor is bank fees. This can be compounded by low or unsteady income and deposits, resulting in non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees and even account closures by banks.</blockquote>Money Under 30 also referenced a Pew Research Center study that found that more than 11% of Americans do not use the Internet.<blockquote>But apart from banks, a study by the Pew Research Center found 11% of Americans don’t use the Internet. The percentage is even higher among the elderly and those who live in rural areas. Eliminating cash could potentially exclude this segment of the population from participating fully in the economy.</blockquote><h3>Back to barter?</h3>Using paper currency eliminates or reduces the possibility of identity theft and provides privacy. If the U.S. would, ultimately, go cashless, barter may make a comeback.<blockquote>A full-on cashless society may cause a return to barter. This may start among the poor, and among those who are simply uncomfortable going completely cashless. It’s something governments are undoubtedly weighing out very carefully, and why cash hasn’t been declared illegal thus far.</blockquote><h3>U.S. bill would preserve cash</h3>The Payment Choice Act, a bill to preserve the use of cash, was reintroduced in Congress in June 2023 by Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr., Loomis, the U.S.'s largest integrated cash distribution network, <a href="https://www.loomis.us/resources/insights/2023-update-payment-choice-act-reintroduced" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>.&nbsp;<blockquote>The bill aims to address the growing trend of businesses favoring digital payment methods over cash, ensuring that Americans retain the freedom to use physical currency for transactions. This legislation would also prohibit retail businesses from charging a higher price for using cash than for other forms of payment.</blockquote><h2>Less cash does not mean less crime</h2>Interestingly, Cash Matters <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/european-parliament-to-vote-on-cash-payment-limits" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cites studies</a> showing that restricting the use of cash does not mitigate money laundering or reduce support for terrorism. Rather, it restricts financial autonomy and personal rights and makes it harder to fight crime “since [cash's] movement is often the only surface point of otherwise hidden, illicit acts.”<h2>Teaching kids about money — without money?</h2>Teaching children about the value of money may become more difficult as cash is used less and less. The following articles offer some perspectives on the topic:<ul><li><a href="https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/resources/how-to-teach-your-kids-about-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to teach kids about money at every age</a></li><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/02/06/kids-cash-money-lessons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">When the lemonade stand accepts Venmo: What does money mean to kids?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-kids-are-adapting-to-a-cashless-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&nbsp;How kids are adapting to a cashless culture</a></li></ul><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Countries and cash</h2>The charts below, produced by Merchant Machine's analysis, display the degree of reliance on cash by different countries as of August 2022, as reported by Payments, cards and mobile.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:97.38%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Worlds_20_countries_using_most_cash_31da141fca.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Mot_cashless_countries_in_Europe_9b2a4a40c5.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Read about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/going-cashless-isnt-straightforward-ask-sweden-or-zimbabwe-146187" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experiences</a> of Sweden and Zimbabwe with going cashless. The Conversation <a href="https://theconversation.com/going-cashless-isnt-straightforward-ask-sweden-or-zimbabwe-146187" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a> that it wasn't straightforward. Sweden has had to backtrack and in Zimbabwe, where trust in government is low, “Bad cash is better than good plastic!” as one street vendor said.<h2>Are we becoming boiled frogs? Is there any hope?</h2>PJ Media, in its <a href="https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2024/05/01/wef-central-banker-we-used-covid-to-destroy-cash-n4928682" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> on the WEF conference in Riyadh, concluded with a warning not to allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency when it comes to electronic transactions and digital currency. PJ Media argued that accepting what was voluntary — the widespread use of electronic payments during COVID as a safety measure &nbsp;— to become the only option allowed and a tool of social control is like boiling a frog in water. The frog, for those who don't know the analogy, is first put into a pot of cold water. The fire under the pot is slowly raised so that by the time the frog is troubled by the heat, it can no longer jump out.<blockquote>This is the frog boiling in water analogy: it starts with a voluntary program marketed to the public as a tool of convenience and efficiency, only to slowly replace any alternatives by fiat and become a transparent tool of social control, even though that’s how it was intended by the governing authorities all along. The technocrats’ bet is that at such a point that the abuse of this new technology becomes fully transparent and indisputable, any means of resistance will be nullified and it won’t matter.</blockquote>Since the WEF and others are still working to promote acceptance of the exclusive use of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), there is still time to resist going cashless. PJ Media writes, parenthetically, that once resistance is impossible they no longer need to use propaganda. So long as they attempt to persuade us, there is still an opportunity to stop them.<blockquote>This is why it’s always optimistic to remember the adage that “if resistance were impossible, the propaganda wouldn’t be necessary.” It’s only after the propaganda, whether regarding CBDC or any other social engineering cause, ceases to be useful to the state and it abandons any attempt at persuasion that we have entered the stage of totalitarianism.</blockquote>&nbsp;Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-says-covid-moved-us-toward-a-cashless-economy-but-do-we-have-to-go-along-with-it-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? Part 1</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/europe-moves-forward-with-cbdc">Europe moves forward with CBDC</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/imf-central-banks-may-control-cbdc-transactions">IMF: Central banks may control CBDC transactions</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/hidden-feature-in-brazilian-cbdc-allows-government-to-freeze-funds">Hidden feature in Brazilian CBDC allows government to freeze funds</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/south-dakota-governor-vetoes-pro-cbdc-legislation">South Dakota Governor vetoes pro-CBDC legislation</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/cbdc-alternative-fed-now-to-launch-in-july-says-federal-reserve">CBDC alternative ‘FedNow’ to launch in July, says Federal Reserve</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/central-banks-advance-with-cbdc-development">Central banks advance with CBDC development</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-summer-davos-attendees-promise-more-health-crises-cbdc-climate-punishments">WEF Summer Davos: Attendees promise more health crises, CBDC, climate punishments</a>&nbsp;</li></ul>

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Where is justice for Rebecca; diagnosed as bipolar at age 2, dead at 4 from overuse of meds

WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? - Part 2