"Pharmakeia: America’s Seniors Are Being Overmedicated Into Oblivion"

"Pharmakeia: America’s Seniors Are

Being Overmedicated Into Oblivion"

by Michael Snyder

"So many seniors that were once so full of life are now just shadows of their former selves. It can be really easy to assume that they are “just getting old” and that nothing unusual is happening to them. But the truth is that in so many cases the reason why America’s seniors are shutting down is because they are simply being overmedicated. Our entire medical system has been designed to push pills, and so when our seniors seek medical help that is usually the solution that they are offered. As you will see below, the proportion of our seniors that are on at least 8 pharmaceutical drugs is truly alarming. Of course those that consume pharmaceutical drug cocktails on a daily basis for an extended period of time are quite likely to experience very serious consequences.

Most people don’t realize that modern terms such as “pharmacy” and “pharmaceutical” originally come from the Greek word “pharmakeia”… The word “pharmacy” has a fascinating origin story that’s as complex as the practice itself. It comes from the Greek word “pharmakeia”, which referred to “the practice of the druggist”. But here is the twist: “phármakon”, the root of the term, was a double-edged sword – it meant a plant or herb that could be used for either healing or harmful purposes, blurring the line between medicine and poison.

No society in the entire history of the planet has taken “pharmakeia” to the extremes that we have. We are the most drugged nation that the world has ever seen, and this is particularly true for our seniors. The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed an 83-year-old woman named Barbara Schmidt that has “filled prescriptions for more than a dozen different drugs in the past year”…"For years, Barbara Schmidt’s family feared an illness was behind a pattern of terrifying falls that repeatedly landed the 83-year-old great-grandmother in surgery with broken bones. Instead, Schmidt’s frequent tumbles might have been tied to something else: medications intended to make her better. Schmidt, who lives with her husband of 65 years in Lewes, Del., filled prescriptions for more than a dozen different drugs in the past year, according to pharmacy and medical records."

After taking so many medications in such a short period of time, it really is a miracle that she is still alive today. But she is far from alone. The Wall Street Journal discovered that one out of every six seniors that is enrolled in Medicare’s drug benefit has been prescribed at least 8 different pharmaceutical drugs… "That isn’t unusual for America’s seniors, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare data. One in six of the 46 million seniors enrolled in Medicare’s drug benefit, which pays for most drugs taken by older Americans, were prescribed eight or more medications."

Millions upon millions of our seniors are literally being drugged into oblivion. One of the problems is that seniors often visit multiple physicians, and that can result in a lot of confusion…"Pharmacists who work with seniors say doctors might not be aware of their patients’ full medication list. Patients don’t always mention what their other doctors have prescribed when a history is taken, and specialists might not have access to a shared medical record. The Journal analysis found that, among seniors taking eight or more drugs, it was common for the prescriptions to come from a large number of doctors."

Of course it isn’t just seniors that are being overmedicated. One recent survey found that 70 percent of U.S. adults are currently taking at least one pharmaceutical drug, and nearly a quarter of U.S. adults are currently taking at least four pharmaceutical drugs…"Recent CivicScience poll results reveal the picture of maintenance prescription drug use in the U.S. has shifted dramatically. The number of U.S. adults who report taking at least one prescription medication per day is now 70%, a 14 percentage-point increase from 2019 data. Additionally, the percentage of people taking four or more prescription medications daily in the US has increased by six percentage points, from 18% to 24%. An increasing number of prescriptions equals less and less wiggle room in budgets already tightened due to inflationary prices."

It is an insanely profitable industry, and that is why we constantly see ads for pharmaceutical drugs on television. They desperately want more “customers”, and seniors are the easiest target. According to the official CDC website, 89 percent of Americans that are 65 years or older are currently taking at least one pharmaceutical drug…"Among adults aged ≥65 years, men (89.0%) and women (89.3%) were equally likely to take prescription medication. Prescription medication use increased with age, from 48.4% for those aged 18–44 years to 89.2% for those aged ≥65 years, and this pattern of increasing use with age was observed for both men and women."

We take more pharmaceutical drugs than anyone else in the world. So why is our life expectancy below average compared to other industrialized nations? I think that is a really important question. When our seniors go to see their doctors, they are often not properly informed about the potential side effects of the drugs that they are being prescribed.

Let me give you an example. Zoloft is the number one antidepressant in the United States, but most of those that are taking it do not realize that it has an extremely long list of side effects. But don’t just take my word for it. The following comes from the official Zoloft website…

"ZOLOFT may cause serious side effects. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if there is an emergency.

1. Suicidal thoughts or actions: ZOLOFT and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some people 24 years of age and younger, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Depression or other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions. Watch for these changes and call your healthcare provider right away if you notice new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, actions, thoughts, or feelings, especially if severe. Pay particular attention to such changes when ZOLOFT is started or when the dose is changed. Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider and call between visits if you are worried about symptoms.

2. Call a doctor right away if you or a person you know who is taking ZOLOFT has any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:
- thoughts about suicide or dying
- attempts to commit suicide
- new or worse depression
- new or worse anxiety
- feeling very agitated or restless
- panic attacks
- trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- new or worse irritability
- acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
- acting on dangerous impulses
- an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
- other unusual changes in behavior or mood

3. Serotonin Syndrome. This condition can be life-threatening and symptoms may include:
- agitation, hallucinations, coma, or other changes in mental status
- racing heartbeat, high or low blood pressure
- coordination problems or muscle twitching (overactive reflexes)
- nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- sweating or fever
- muscle rigidity

4. Increased chance of bleeding: ZOLOFT and other antidepressant medicines may increase your risk of bleeding or bruising, especially if you take the blood thinner warfarin (COUMADIN®, JANTOVEN®), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs, like ibuprofen or naproxen), or aspirin.

5. Manic episodes. Symptoms may include:
- greatly increased energy
- racing thoughts
- unusually grand ideas
- severe trouble sleeping
- reckless behavior
- excessive happiness or irritability
- talking more or faster than usual

6. Seizures or convulsions.

7. Glaucoma (angle-closure glaucoma). ZOLOFT may cause a certain type of eye problem called angle-closure glaucoma. Call your healthcare provider if you have eye pain, changes in your vision, or swelling or redness in or around the eye. Only some people are at risk for these problems. You may want to undergo an eye examination to see if you are at risk and receive preventative treatment if you are.

8. Changes in appetite or weight.

9. Low salt (sodium) levels in the blood. Elderly people may be at greater risk for this. Symptoms may include headache, weakness or feeling unsteady, confusion, problems concentrating or thinking, or memory problems.

10. Sexual problems (dysfunction). Taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including ZOLOFT, may cause sexual problems.

There are many other drugs that literally list “death” as one of the potential side effects. And earlier this year it was being reported that adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs have now become the third leading cause of death in the United States…

"In 2021, the American Society of Pharmacovigilance (ASP) launched the Fourth Cause Campaign to raise awareness that adverse drug events (ADEs) were the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Today, new data confirm a troubling and unacceptable reality - ADEs have now surged to become the third leading cause of death. An internal analysis conducted by ASP projects that adverse drug events now account for over 250,000 deaths annually, surpassing stroke and respiratory disease, making it the third leading cause of death in the United States."

What we are witnessing is truly a national tragedy. But the big news networks aren’t going to talk much about it, because the pharmaceutical companies are their biggest advertisers. And our politicians are unlikely to push for major reform, because the pharmaceutical companies pour vast amounts of money into their campaigns. Money is power, and the pharmaceutical industry is absolutely swimming in cash. If you are waiting for major change to happen, you may find yourself waiting for quite a while."

- https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

"Doug Casey: Top Predictions for 2026"

"Doug Casey: Top Predictions for 2026"

by International Man

"International Man: What do you see as the single most important thing that people should prepare for in 2026?

Doug Casey: Strauss and Howe asked that question in their book, "The Fourth Turning." We’re at a major turning point in the U.S. I’ve felt for years that the U.S. was heading toward something like a civil war. It could be as serious as the unpleasantness of the 1860s, just different. The red people and the blue people in the U.S. really dislike each other; they can’t even talk to each other. When things get to that stage, things are typically solved by force; I expect that’s what’s going to happen. Very likely during the next three years, while Trump is still in office. He’s the perfect catalyst.

It’s going to be exacerbated by the long-term migration trends. If we look 100 years down the road, it’s pretty clear that with modern travel and communications technologies, the migration of people from poor countries to rich countries all around the world will accelerate. Eventually, the U.S. won’t even exist in its present form. Of course, that’s true of every country. The colors of the map on the wall have been running since Day One.

I hope a catastrophic upset doesn’t happen in the near future for any number of reasons. For one, it won’t be any fun. For another, I’m a huge fan of traditional America. It was a unique institution in world history - the only country ever founded on the concepts of free thought, free markets, and individualism. A civil war - regardless of what form it takes - would likely overturn those things. While I hope things mellow out, hope isn’t the best foundation for making plans.

International Man: Geopolitically, tensions continue to build across Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. Where do you expect the major flashpoints to emerge in 2026?

Doug Casey: The politicians who run Europe are uniformly despicable non-entities, from Ursula von der Leyen, She-Wolf of the EU, on down. One proof of that statement is that I could be prosecuted just for saying so in much of Europe. They’re soulless bureaucrats who stand for nothing but statism and collectivism. They’re driving Europe to actively rearm, doubling military budgets, reinstituting the draft, and talking about the necessity of war with Russia. I suspect they’ll get their war; I just hope it doesn’t go nuclear or biological. Odd, in that it’s over the Ukraine, the most backward and corrupt country on the continent. Perverse, in that it was never even a country until Lenin created it in 1923.

But that’s not all. The euro, an Esperanto currency, the “Who owes you nothing?” of fiat currencies, is a dead duck. All of the EU’s member countries are bankrupt welfare states. In fact, the European Union itself is going to break up. What’s good for individual countries is totally at odds with what the 80,000 - and that’s an accurate number - EU employees in Brussels want to impose. NATO, which should have been disbanded when the USSR collapsed, will also disappear. Europe will, best case, become a petting zoo for Chinese tourists and a luxury resort for Third World migrants.

The Middle East? While Trump is in office, we might as well adopt Israel as the 51st state. That won’t go down well with the world’s two billion Muhammadans. Don’t confuse the friendly relations of Washington with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others among the 55 Muslim countries with political stability. Most are economic basket cases and extremely unstable.

East Asia? It’s perfectly irrational for China to attack Taiwan. The result would be widespread destruction on both sides - even if the US and/or Japan didn’t join the party. But governments do irrational things, unpredictably. What will happen with China’s claims on the East and South China Seas? It should be between them and six of their maritime neighbors. But the US could turn a regional border dispute into WW3.

But the unexpected flashpoint, I think, is going to be Africa. Over the last 60 years, the 55 African states (that’s only an approximate number since we don’t know how places like Libya, Western Sahara, Somaliland, or Darfur will wind up) have developed significant armies, aided by weapons and training from Europe and the US. They survive on the export of raw materials (causes of perpetual conflict) and aid from Europe and the U.S. (which is likely to evaporate). All of them (like almost everywhere in the Middle East and Central Asia) are artificial constructs with arbitrary borders. They’re all unstable kleptocracies run from the presidential palace.

The question is: to what degree will Europe, or especially the U.S., or especially Trump, stick their nose into African border wars and civil wars? There will be lots of them. I think Africa is the big powderkeg that nobody’s talking about.

International Man: The U.S. domestic political situation remains combustible, with deep cultural and economic fractures. How do you expect America’s internal divisions to evolve in 2026 as we approach the midterms?

Doug Casey: Trends in motion tend to stay in motion. Despite the fact that corporations, the entertainment industry, academia, and the media seem to be backing away from truly insane levels of wokeism, the issue is in doubt. The trend toward Wokeism has built momentum for decades, and the country’s been indoctrinated with it for generations. It’s not going away overnight.

Trump is purposefully and overtly polarizing. As I discussed last week (link), although he may see himself as Cincinnatus, he’s more like Caesar. He’ll keep stirring things up, if only because he knows what his adversaries will do to him when he’s out of office. While most sensible people love his antiwokeism, most of his economic and international interventionism will backfire - bigly. I suspect he’ll lose the midterms, and the Dems in the House will impeach him again. Will they succeed in the Senate this time? The natives will get restless no matter what.

International Man: With Trump poised to replace Fed Chair Powell, he will exert a stronger influence over central bank policy. What do you expect the monetary environment of 2026 to look like?

Doug Casey: The dollar will approach its intrinsic value as Trump and the Fed create a trillion more of them. It’s a formula for chaos. Trump is a big believer in mercantilist-style economics, which holds that the US must export more than it imports. I think he’ll try to force that issue with foreign exchange controls of some type, creating yet more distortions.

You want to exit the dollar, own precious metals, avoid the stock market and bond markets, and get your money out of the U.S. None of this is a formula for domestic tranquility, either in 2026, 2027, 2028, or beyond. And I’m assuming there will be a normal election in 2028, which is not a very safe assumption.

International Man: Investors are torn between chasing the current market bubble and preparing for a potential financial reckoning. Where do you think the biggest risks and opportunities will be in 2026, and which asset classes are positioned to benefit most from the turbulence ahead?

Doug Casey: There’s no question about the fact that most of Trump’s business success has been due to borrowing. Leverage, low interest rates, and inflation made the man. Trump’s history and incorrect understanding of economics tell me that the Fed will buy and monetize more government debt than ever, doing everything they can to artificially depress interest rates. For the short run, that could argue for the stock market going higher in 2026. But it’s a high-risk bet. Do you feel lucky?

With gold over $4,000 and silver over $60, they’re probably where they “should” be relative to other things. But as unstable as the world is, and because of their unique advantages, they’re going higher. The smart thing is to speculate on the shares of miners; they’re really cheap, and neither the public nor the institutions even know they exist, for reasons I’ve discussed in the past. All-in sustaining costs of producing gold is about $1,500 an ounce. It’s not hard to do the math.

In the last 50 years, we’ve had five 10-to-1 mining bull markets. I think we’re about to experience one more. A big one. Many of the smaller stocks have already gone three or four to one. Nobody cares… which is good. In addition, you should be long commodities generally. Grains are basically selling at around the cost of production. As are oil, gas, coal, and uranium. Commodities are very under-owned. Buying ETFs in any or all of these things is a set-and-forget allocation of capital for at least the next couple of years."

- https://internationalman.com/

Adventures With Danno, "Massive Price Increases At Costco!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 12/24/25

"Massive Price Increases At Costco!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Alert! A Big Event Is Coming And Trump Was Just Sent A Warning!"

Full screen recommended.

Prepper News, 12/24/25

"Alert! A Big Event Is Coming 

And Trump Was Just Sent A Warning!"

Comments here;

- https://www.youtube.com/

"In The End..."

"Life's funny, chucklehead. You only get one and you don't want to throw it away. But you can't really live it at all unless you're willing to give it up for the things you love. If you're not at least willing to die for something - something that really matters - in the end you die for nothing."

- Andrew Klavan

"1,200,000 Working Americans Are Living In Their Cars - The Working Homeless Crisis Is Exploding"

Full screen recommended.

RV Crisis, 12/23/25

"1,200,000 Working Americans Are Living In Their Cars - 

The Working Homeless Crisis Is Exploding"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Canadian Prepper, "Get These 7 Items Before 2026"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 12/23/25

"Get These 7 Items Before 2026"

"These items are about to explode in price in 2026 due to nations preparing for war, Its important that you stock up before these things become unaffordable. Global supply chains are expected to be impacted by the events that are about to unfold."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"10 Million People At Risk Of Wage Garnishments"

Snyder Reports, 12/23/25

"10 Million People At Risk Of Wage Garnishments"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

It just never stops, does it? Hit after hit after hit...

Gerald Celente, "One Big Club And You Ain't In It"

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 12/23/25

"One Big Club And You Ain't In It"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."

- https://trendsjournal.com/

Comments here:

-https://www.youtube.com/

"Be Ready For A Deep Dark Winter As 4 Million Can’t Afford To Heat Their Homes"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 12/23/25

"Be Ready For A Deep Dark Winter As 

4 Million Can’t Afford To Heat Their Homes"

"4 million Americans can't afford to heat their homes this winter. Utility bills are skyrocketing, shelters are reaching capacity, and people are freezing on the streets with nowhere to go. In this video, we look at what's really happening behind the rising electricity costs and why so many families are struggling just to stay warm. From massive rate hikes hitting households across the country to data centers quietly draining the power grid, the truth is getting harder to ignore. This is the reality of winter in America right now, and it's only getting worse.

If this video resonated with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment below and share your experience. Are you seeing the same thing happening where you live? What are you doing to get through this winter? Let's have a real conversation about it, because these stories need to be heard. Stay warm out there and take care of each other."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, "We Meet Again"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "We Meet Again"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"How do clusters of galaxies form and evolve? To help find out, astronomers continue to study the second closest cluster of galaxies to Earth: the Fornax cluster, named for the southern constellation toward which most of its galaxies can be found. Although almost 20 times more distant than our neighboring Andromeda galaxy, Fornax is only about 10 percent further that the better known and more populated Virgo cluster of galaxies.

Fornax has a well-defined central region that contains many galaxies, but is still evolving. It has other galaxy groupings that appear distinct and have yet to merge. Seen here, almost every yellowish splotch on the image is an elliptical galaxy in the Fornax cluster. The picturesque barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 visible on the lower right is also a prominent Fornax cluster member."

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/

"Still, Sometimes..."

“The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can’t pretend we haven’t been told. We’ve all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still, sometimes, we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today’s possibility under tomorrow’s rug, until we can’t anymore, until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin meant: That knowing is better than wondering. That waking is better than sleeping. And that even the biggest failure, even the worst, most intractable mistake, beats the hell out of never trying.”

- “Meredith”, “Grey’s Anatomy”

"History..."

"History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, 

follies and misfortunes of mankind."

- Edward Gibbon

"I Wish You Enough"

"I Wish You Enough"

by Bob Perks

"At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane’s departure and standing near the door, he said to his daughter, “I love you, I wish you enough.” She said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.” They kissed good-bye and she left.

He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?” “Yes, I have,” I replied.

Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?” I asked. “I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral, ” he said.

“When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?” He began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.

“When we said ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them,” he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final 'Good-bye.'” He then began to sob and walked away."

- https://alltimeshortstories.com/

“The Christmas Truce of 1914 - 'Joyeux Noel'”

Full screen recommended.

“The Christmas Truce of 1914 - 'Joyeux Noel'”

by Simon Rees

The tragedy of modern war is that the young men die fighting each other - 

instead of their real enemies back home in the capitals.”

- Edward Abbey

“You are standing up to your knees in the slime of a waterlogged trench. It is the evening of 24 December 1914 and you are on the dreaded Western Front. Stooped over, you wade across to the firing step and take over the watch. Having exchanged pleasantries, your bleary-eyed and mud-spattered colleague shuffles off towards his dug out. Despite the horrors and the hardships, your morale is high and you believe that in the New Year the nation’s army march towards a glorious victory.

But for now you stamp your feet in a vain attempt to keep warm. All is quiet when jovial voices call out from both friendly and enemy trenches. Then the men from both sides start singing carols and songs. Next come requests not to fire, and soon the unthinkable happens: you start to see the shadowy shapes of soldiers gathering together in no-man’s land laughing, joking and sharing gifts. Many have exchanged cigarettes, the lit ends of which burn brightly in the inky darkness. Plucking up your courage, you haul yourself up and out of the trench and walk towards the foe…

The meeting of enemies as friends in no-man’s land was experienced by hundreds, if not thousands, of men on the Western Front during Christmas 1914. Today, 111 years after it occurred, the event is seen as a shining episode of sanity from among the bloody chapters of World War One – a spontaneous effort by the lower ranks to create a peace that could have blossomed were it not for the interference of generals and politicians.

The reality of the Christmas Truce, however, is a slightly less romantic and a more down to earth story. It was an organic affair that in some spots hardly registered a mention and in others left a profound impact upon those who took part. Many accounts were rushed, confused or contradictory. Others, written long after the event, are weighed down by hindsight. These difficulties aside, the true story is still striking precisely because of its rag-tagged nature: it is more ‘human’ and therefore all the more potent.

Months beforehand, millions of servicemen, reservists and volunteers from all over the continent had rushed enthusiastically to the banners of war: the atmosphere was one of holiday rather than conflict. But it was not long before the jovial façade was torn away. Armies equipped with repeating rifles, machine guns and a vast array of artillery tore chunks out of each other, and thousands upon thousands of men perished. To protect against the threat of this vast firepower, the soldiers were ordered to dig in and prepare for next year’s offensives, which most men believed would break the deadlock and deliver victory. The early trenches were often hasty creations and poorly constructed; if the trench was badly sighted it could become a sniping hot spot. In bad weather (the winter of 1914 was a dire one) the positions could flood and fall in. The soldiers – unequipped to face the rigors of the cold and rain – found themselves wallowing in a freezing mire of mud and the decaying bodies of the fallen.

The man at the Front could not help but have a degree of sympathy for his opponents who were having just as miserable a time as they were. Another factor that broke down the animosity between the opposing armies were the surroundings. In 1914 the men at the front could still see the vestiges of civilization. Villages, although badly smashed up, were still standing. Fields, although pitted with shell-holes, had not been turned into muddy lunarscapes. Thus the other world – the civilian world – and the social mores and manners that went with it was still present at the front. Also lacking was the pain, misery and hatred that years of bloody war build up. Then there was the desire, on all sides, to see the enemy up close – was he really as bad as the politicians, papers and priests were saying? It was a combination of these factors, and many more minor ones, that made the Christmas Truce of 1914 possible.

On the eve of the Truce, the British Army (still a relatively small presence on the Western Front) was manning a stretch of the line running south from the infamous Ypres salient for 27 miles to the La Bassee Canal. Along the front the enemy was sometimes no more than 70, 50 or even 30 yards away. Both Tommy and Fritz could quite easily hurl greetings and insults to one another, and, importantly, come to tacit agreements not to fire. Incidents of temporary truces and outright fraternization were more common at this stage in the war than many people today realize – even units that had just taken part in a series of futile and costly assaults, were still willing to talk and come to arrangements with their opponents.

As Christmas approached the festive mood and the desire for a lull in the fighting increased as parcels packed with goodies from home started to arrive. On top of this came gifts care of the state. Tommy received plum puddings and ‘Princess Mary boxes’; a metal case engraved with an outline of George V’s daughter and filled with chocolates and butterscotch, cigarettes and tobacco, a picture card of Princess Mary and a facsimile of George V’s greeting to the troops. ‘May God protect you and bring you safe home,’ it said. Not to be outdone, Fritz received a present from the Kaiser, the Kaiserliche, a large meerschaum pipe for the troops and a box of cigars for NCOs and officers. Towns, villages and cities, and numerous support associations on both sides also flooded the front with gifts of food, warm clothes and letters of thanks.

The Belgians and French also received goods, although not in such an organized fashion as the British or Germans. For these nations the Christmas of 1914 was tinged with sadness – their countries were occupied. It is no wonder that the Truce, although it sprung up in some spots on French and Belgian lines, never really caught hold as it did in the British sector.

With their morale boosted by messages of thanks and their bellies fuller than normal, and with still so much Christmas booty to hand, the season of goodwill entered the trenches. A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches. Even more amazingly, it was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they could celebrate the festive season and their Captain’s birthday. They proposed a concert at 7.30pm when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches. The British accepted the invitation and offered some tobacco as a return present. That evening, at the stated time, German heads suddenly popped up and started to sing. Each number ended with a round of applause from both sides. The Germans then asked the British to join in. At this point, one very mean-spirited Tommy shouted: ‘We’d rather die than sing German.’ To which a German joked aloud: ‘It would kill us if you did’.

December 24 was a good day weather-wise: the rain had given way to clear skies. On many stretches of the Front the crack of rifles and the dull thud of shells ploughing into the ground continued, but at a far lighter level than normal. In other sectors there was an unnerving silence that was broken by the singing and shouting drifting over, in the main, from the German trenches. Along many parts of the line the Truce was spurred on with the arrival in the German trenches of miniature Christmas trees – Tannenbaum. The sight these small pines, decorated with candles and strung along the German parapets, captured the Tommies’ imagination, as well as the men of the Indian corps who were reminded of the sacred Hindu festival of light. It was the perfect excuse for the opponents to start shouting to one another, to start singing and, in some areas, to pluck up the courage to meet one another in no-man’s land.

By now, the British high command – comfortably ‘entrenched’ in a luxurious châteaux 27 miles behind the front – was beginning to hear of the fraternization. Stern orders were issued by the commander of the BEF, Sir John French against such behavior. Other ‘brass-hats’ (as the Tommies nick-named their high-ranking officers and generals), also made grave pronouncements on the dangers and consequences of parleying with the Germans. However, there were many high-ranking officers who took a surprisingly relaxed view of the situation. If anything, they believed it would at least offer their men an opportunity to strengthen their trenches. This mixed stance meant that very few officers and men involved in the Christmas Truce were disciplined. Interestingly, the German High Command’s ambivalent attitude towards the Truce mirrored that of the British.

Christmas day began quietly but once the sun was up the fraternization began. Again songs were sung and rations thrown to one another. It was not long before troops and officers started to take matters into their own hands and ventured forth. No-man’s land became something of a playground. Men exchanged gifts and buttons. In one or two places soldiers who had been barbers in civilian times gave free haircuts. One German, a juggler and a showman, gave an impromptu, and given the circumstances, somewhat surreal performance of his routine in the centre of no-man’s land.

Captain Sir Edward Hulse of the Scots Guards, in his famous account, remembered the approach of four unarmed Germans at 08.30. He went out to meet them with one of his ensigns. ‘Their spokesmen,’ Hulse wrote, ‘started off by saying that he thought it only right to come over and wish us a happy Christmas, and trusted us implicitly to keep the truce. He came from Suffolk where he had left his best girl and a 3 h.p. motor-bike!’ Having raced off to file a report at headquarters, Hulse returned at 10.00 to find crowds of British soldiers and Germans out together chatting and larking about in no-man’s land, in direct contradiction to his orders. Not that Hulse seemed to care about the fraternization in itself – the need to be seen to follow orders was his concern. Thus he sought out a German officer and arranged for both sides to return to their lines.

While this was going on he still managed to keep his ears and eyes open to the fantastic events that were unfolding. ‘Scots and Huns were fraternizing in the most genuine possible manner. Every sort of souvenir was exchanged addresses given and received, photos of families shown, etc. One of our fellows offered a German a cigarette; the German said, “Virginian?” Our fellow said, “Aye, straight-cut”, the German said “No thanks, I only smoke Turkish!” It gave us all a good laugh.’ Hulse’s account was in part a letter to his mother, who in turn sent it on to the newspapers for publication, as was the custom at the time. Tragically, Hulse was killed in March 1915.

On many parts of the line the Christmas Day truce was initiated through sadder means. Both sides saw the lull as a chance to get into no-man’s land and seek out the bodies of their compatriots and give them a decent burial. Once this was done the opponents would inevitably begin talking to one another. The 6th Gordon Highlanders, for example, organized a burial truce with the enemy. After the gruesome task of laying friends and comrades to rest was complete, the fraternization began.

With the Truce in full swing up and down the line there were a number of recorded games of soccer, although these were really just ‘kick-abouts’ rather than a structured match. On January 1, 1915, the London Times published a letter from a major in the Medical Corps reporting that in his sector the British played a game against the Germans opposite and were beaten 3-2. Kurt Zehmisch of the 134th Saxons recorded in his diary: ‘The English brought a soccer ball from the trenches, and pretty soon a lively game ensued. How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.’

The Truce lasted all day; in places it ended that night, but on other sections of the line it held over Boxing Day and in some areas, a few days more. In fact, there were parts on the front where the absence of aggressive behavior was conspicuous well into 1915.

Captain J C Dunn, the Medical Officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, whose unit had fraternized and received two barrels of beer from the Saxon troops opposite, recorded how hostilities re-started on his section of the front. Dunn wrote: ‘At 8.30 I fired three shots in the air and put up a flag with “Merry Christmas” on it, and I climbed on the parapet. He [the Germans] put up a sheet with “Thank you” on it, and the German Captain appeared on the parapet. We both bowed and saluted and got down into our respective trenches, and he fired two shots in the air, and the War was on again.’ The war was indeed on again, for the Truce had no hope of being maintained. Despite being wildly reported in Britain and to a lesser extent in Germany, the troops and the populations of both countries were still keen to prosecute the conflict.

Today, pragmatists read the Truce as nothing more than a ‘blip’ – a temporary lull induced by the season of goodwill, but willingly exploited by both sides to better their defenses and eye out one another’s positions. Romantics assert that the Truce was an effort by normal men to bring about an end to the slaughter. In the public’s mind the facts have become irrevocably mythologized, and perhaps this is the most important legacy of the Christmas Truce today. In our age of uncertainty, it comforting to believe, regardless of the real reasoning and motives, that soldiers and officers told to hate, loathe and kill, could still lower their guns and extend the hand of goodwill, peace, love and Christmas cheer. The Irish poet, Thomas Kettle, who was killed in the War in September 1916, captured that spirit in a poem he wrote to his little daughter, Betty, shortly before he died:

“So, here while the mad guns curse overhead,

And tired men sigh with mud for couch and floor,

Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead,

Died not for flag, nor King, nor Emperor –

But for a dream, born in a herdsman’s shed,

And for the secret scripture of the poor.”

- http://www.firstworldwar.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

"Joyeux Noel", Full movie.

The Daily "Near You?"

Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg City, Russian Federation.

Thanks for stopping by!

Спасибо, что заглянули!

Spasibo, chto zaglyanuli!

"For Nothing Is Fixed..."

"For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

- James Baldwin

The Poet: J.R.R. Tolkien, "I Sit And Think"

"I Sit And Think"

“I sit beside the fire and think

Of all that I have seen,

Of meadow flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been.

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall never see.

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen,

In every wood, in every spring,

There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago,

And people that will see a world

That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"The Most Beautiful Lies..."

"Memories and feelings of nostalgia are nothing more than cruelties; they are the most beautiful lies we will ever convince ourselves to believe. We chase the false hope so fiercely that we nearly push ourselves past the edges of our sanity, longing for that which can never be in our possession again. These edges are blurred by our regrets and desperation all throughout the darkest hours of the night, until finally we are set free from the illusions and the ghosts of our past with the rising of the sun... and we are changed in some small, yet permanent way."

- Margaret E. Rise

"The Hidden Collapse of Everyday Life in America"

Full screen recommended.

The Nation Breakdown, 12/23/25

"The Hidden Collapse of Everyday Life in America"

"This isn’t about sudden collapse, riots, or dramatic headlines. This is about everyday life slowly becoming harder, more expensive, and more exhausting for millions of Americans. From rising grocery bills and rent that never stops climbing…to jobs that no longer provide stability to healthcare, public spaces, and communities that feel more fragile every year. The collapse of everyday life in America isn’t loud. It’s subtle. And that’s what makes it dangerous.

In this documentary-style breakdown, we explore how normal life in America is quietly falling apart - not all at once, but piece by piece. This video is not political. It’s not sensational. It’s about real experiences people are living through every single day. If you’ve felt like: Life is getting harder despite working more. The future feels less secure than it used to “Normal life” doesn’t feel normal anymore then this video will resonate with you. Watch till the end - because the final section explains why escaping this quiet collapse is becoming more difficult than ever."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Whispers At Midnight, 12/23/25

"What Christmas Felt Like in 1963 - 

A Kind of Magic We’ve Lost"

"Travel back to Christmas 1963, a time when the holidays were slower, warmer, and full of real magic. This nostalgic story explores the decorations, music, family traditions, and heartfelt moments that made Christmas in the early ’60s unforgettable."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

RetroWorld, 12/23/25

"What Christmas Was Like In 1970s America"

"Experience Christmas in 1970s America when the holidays felt simpler and more magical with families decorating real trees with hot colored bulbs and kids flipping through the Sears Wish Book. This documentary explores what Christmas was really like when department stores had elaborate animated window displays, meeting Santa at the mall was a major tradition, and the whole family gathered around one television to watch Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and Frosty together. Relive Christmas shopping at Sears and JCPenney, opening presents Christmas morning in pajamas, baking homemade cookies to give neighbors on plates, and driving through neighborhoods to see Christmas lights displays. Discover toys like Evel Knievel stunt cycles, Stretch Armstrong, and Star Wars action figures after 1977, when tinsel was thrown on trees, candy canes filled stockings, and Christmas specials aired once so you couldn't miss them. Witness traditional turkey dinners bringing extended families together and the togetherness that defined 1970s Christmas before technology separated everyone. Perfect for those who remember when Christmas was about being together, not buying the perfect gifts."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"U.S. National Debt Clock, Real Time"

Jeff Thomas, "Will America Bounce Back?"

"Will America Bounce Back?"

by Jeff Thomas

"Readers of this publication will no doubt already be of the opinion that the economic future of the First World in general and of America in particular is headed inexorably downward. What many disagree on is how America will behave after the Great Unraveling has occurred - after the next crash of the stock market, the defaults on debt, hyperinflation, etc. Once America has purged itself of the poison in its system, it will look around at the damage and begin to pick up the pieces.

Right now, most of us are focused on the collapse itself, but a few forward thinkers are already imagining the state of post-crash America. Some of those who have thought about the subject have said that they expect a bright new awakening - a new start on a clean slate.

I would like to believe that this will be the case. However, rather than being "eternally hopeful" for mankind, I suspect that if I first take the pulse of the people who are going to effect the change my predictions for the future are far more likely to be correct. While events change over time, human nature remains the same throughout the ages. People almost always follow their nature, regardless of events. (If this were not true, every American would now own gold and be internationalizing himself. The fact that more than 99% have not done this suggests that, for most people, human nature trumps reason every time.)

Those who see a bright new awakening often refer to "the American Pioneer Spirit." While politicians love to refer to this spirit, in truth it is long gone from the average American. It is, however, undeniable that the pioneer spirit was in abundance in America two hundred years ago. So why should it be any different now? Let's step back and look at this.

In my own country of the Cayman Islands, half of the population is expatriate, coming from over 120 different countries around the world. It is a very vibrant society, with people coming and going every day - a constant flow of fresh ideas. But then, my country is still in its pioneer stage. Although it is quite sophisticated, there is a spirit of adventure in the air.

In the eighteenth century, America was like this. Thousands of people (mostly from Great Britain) were making their way across the Atlantic in search of a brighter future. These people were undoubtedly adventurers, as their future was far from guaranteed. But what about the non-adventurous Brit? Well, they stayed behind. Although many of them did not live well, rather than risk uncertainty, they accepted their humdrum lives and frowned on the adventurers as reckless fools.

Adventurers are never in the majority. They are a small percentage of any population - perhaps less than 10%. This tells us that America was created by the most adventurous Britons; the people who were the most willing to risk all for a perceived opportunity. Therefore, once they had settled into the New World, had started their farms and begun to build their cities (and infused their children with their spirit), they had already proven their ability to create their own destiny. In terms of morale and self-confidence, they were peaking. Not too surprising that these same people were once again willing to risk it all in 1776 and start over as a new nation.

Fast forward to 1989, when the Berlin Wall was knocked down. Everyone on both sides cheered, but, almost immediately, there were social problems. Although the East Berliners were pleased to be able to work in West Berlin and were thrilled to be able to shop there, somehow they had assumed that they would still receive all the socialist benefits that they were accustomed to. They most certainly objected to the ambitious pace of work in West Berlin and, ultimately, large numbers of East Berliners actually began to ask for things to go back to the way they had been in the communist era.

Now, bear in mind that, in 1945, Germany had been defeated in a war, and had to then undergo the grueling task of rebuilding, but this in itself was an effort that called for a pioneering spirit. By 1989 they had rebuilt West Berlin and the economy was thriving. By contrast, the East Germans, who had the same genetics, had spent the last four decades in a communist system and had largely lost their ambition to the salve of statism and entitlements.

This, to me, is very telling. While some 90% of any population is, by nature, not especially adventurous, it is my belief that two generations of statism will virtually eliminate any remaining sense of adventure and self-determination. Such people are no longer capable of coping with a pioneering situation.

So where does this lead us with regard to post-collapse America? Many of those Americans who had been adventurous would have already expatriated, as they are doing now in ever-increasing numbers. While it is true that some of these may return following the collapse to be a part of the new frontier, many others will have found happy homes elsewhere. Therefore, there will be fewer leaders to show the way.

More to the point, the majority of Americans will have the same difficulty as the East Germans: an inability to adapt to a pioneering situation. Many will vainly cling to the hope of a restructured nanny-state. This, of course, may not be possible, but their hopes will be kept alive by a new wave of politicians who will be only too eager to promise future entitlements. (History shows that those whose entitlements have been taken away tend to fall into victimization mode and vote for whoever promises a return to entitlement, however unlikely.)

I expect that, ultimately, America will be rebuilt in some form, possibly as a single country, possibly as fifty sovereign states and possibly as groupings of states, based upon similarity in mindset. (A map of the current blue states and red states may indicate how a split might occur.) However, human nature being ever-dominant, I expect that a true resurgence will take a generation or two.

And recover, it will, as the resources are still there. Some of the largest oil reserves in the world exist in America, as well as millions of acres of excellent farmland. Oil and agriculture will be major economic drivers in the coming decades and, in these resources, America has its greatest promise.

In the end, the speed of the resurgence will depend, as it always does, on the As we consider whether America can rediscover the resilience and self-reliance that once defined it, one truth becomes impossible to ignore: the coming transition will not reward those who wait passively for a return to the old order. It will reward those who prepare, who adapt early, and who cultivate the modern equivalent of the pioneer spirit before circumstances demand it."

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

o

- https://coyoteprimeblog2.blogspot.com/

"American Nations: A History of the 

Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America"

Fascinating...