The end of 2016 is approaching, and if you've been following SOTT closely, you'll know that this has been a year full of surprises! The world keeps changing, and us with it. The planet has been speaking loud and clear, as you can see in our monthly weather videos, and the sociopolitical stage had some surprises in store.
This year could be described as a year of division and polarization. From the US elections, to the debate over "progressive liberal ideologies", people seem to be making a choice, for better or for worse. Some are aligning themselves with the increasingly blatant lies peddled by the mainstream media and the pathological governments of our world, and some have taken a stand against those lies and are reaching a point where they finally see that there is something terribly wrong with the version of reality with which they are presented. More than minorities vs. majorities of all kinds, that is perhaps the biggest division: the choice between aligning oneself with lies or truth. We think that many of our readers have naturally chosen the latter, and we hope that that knowledge will always protect you.
The recent fraudulent "Fake News Furor" emphasizes this Truth vs. Lies factor; indeed, SOTT.NET was defamed by The Washington Post along with many other respectable Alt News sites, some not so respectable, and some of dubious origins. As our attorney wrote in a demand for retraction letter,
...SOTT is one of the accused organizations in a PropOrNot report referenced by the Post, which, contrary to Fake News' claim that the report had not been published, was available on the Internet well before Fake News ran. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SOTT's tax returns are publicly available and transparent, such that allegations of Russian government support due would have been known as false given even casual inquiry by your publication. ...As our readers know, and as emphasized by our attorney above, SOTT.NET is TOTALLY reader supported and anyone can view our non-profit tax returns to verify this claim. We don't carry ANY paid advertising and we are beholden to no one except YOU, the reader, and our consciences (something that seems to be seriously in want at MSM news sites.) Obviously, we may have a legal battle ahead of us and that means we need your support more than ever as we sail into these turbulent waters of attempts to totally stifle free speech. With your help, we won't go down without a fight!
Your identification of SOTT as a "fake news site" and as an agent for Russian propaganda designed to undermine American democracy is defamatory per se. You accuse SOTT of spreading "Russian-backed phony news to outcompete traditional news organizations for audience." These serious allegations have caused and will continue to cause great harm to SOTT, including but not limited to damage to policy impact and reputation, diversion of scarce reporting and managerial resources to respond to concerned inquires and debunk this smear, loss of readers, and damage to the site's financial sustainability. Moreover, writers and editors associated with SOTT face ridicule, emotional distress, loss of reputation, and risk to future career advancement, including for example, difficulty passing background and security checks. ...
Your article did not provide even a single example of "fake news" allegedly distributed or promoted by SOTT or indeed any of the other 200-plus sites on the PropOrNot blacklist....
We should also tell you that those of us here at SOTT who daily monitor the news in order to bring together the most complete picture of the "State of the Planet" often find it difficult to keep going in the face of the apparent lack of hope in spite of the confidence that some have in the abilities of Donald Trump to get the USA back on course. We are painfully aware of the struggle that must take place in order to right the wrongs and set things back on a positive footing; we are also aware that it will have to be a decision of the masses, not just 10% or 20% or 48% of the people. And that is why it is so important to continue to share knowledge. As conditions across all spheres of life continue to degrade, there will inevitably be more pain and suffering. With that, there will be more and more people who, having believed the chaos would never enter their lives, find that this is not the case: chaos is coming everywhere; and that makes it ever more important that we continue to fire the lighthouse for as long as we can.
Saying goodbye to the year 2016, we'd like to tell you a little bit about our accomplishments, since you may not be aware of them all. We have reason to be proud of our stamina and perseverance, and much more reason to be thankful for you, our readers and supporters, who make it all possible because, frankly, if we did not receive so many messages of thanks and support, we would have no hope either! There is always much more we can do, but this year, just as we thought our plates were too full, thanks to our readers' support, and the impetus from many new volunteers around the world, we did even more!
Our radio shows, "Behind the Headlines" and "The Truth Perspective" (Sundays) and "The Health and Wellness Radio Show" (Fridays) continued to grow in popularity with listeners from all over the world tuning in and participating in the discussion. This year we moved to our own in-house radio channel, where you will find all our live and archived shows. If you haven't tuned in yet, you're missing out! In other languages, the Spanish radio show has been reaching a larger audience as well, and in 2016 we also launched a weekly radio show in German.
Some of our content that 'went viral' in 2016 is:
- President Trump Is A Wake Up Call, But Not For The Reasons You Think
- The boy in the ambulance: US State Dept-funded groups behind latest 'iconic image' designed to demonize Russia and encourage further bloodshed in Syria
- Russia Checkmates US in Syria: Expect More Terrorism, Not Nuclear War
- The cult of ignorance in the United States: Anti-intellectualism and the "dumbing down" of America
- Western corporate media 'disappears' over 1.5 million Syrians and 4,000 doctors
- Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice
- Our whole Earth Changes category!
We also have several improvements to SOTT coming in 2017, including:
- Improved Reader Comment system with WYSIWYG editor, Preview feature, smileys, basic formatting, MicroComments, and more!
- Shareable "Search URLs" that let you link to specific search results from SOTT's search engine
- Better spam protection (yeah, those spam comments are very annoying...)
- More speed, of course!
Over the years, we've held fund-raisers for specific goals, and the response has always been gratifying; obviously, many people do appreciate our work. YOUR contributions - whether as direct donations or product purchases - keep us up and running on a daily basis and we are immensely thankful to all. What you have helped us accomplish over the past fourteen years is amazing. Thanks to you, our readers and your support, SOTT readership has reached an average of 5.3 million unique visitors a month. In addition, you have spoken via Facebook, and we currently have over 147,000 likes across our 12 SOTT sites.
Together, we are making a difference!
As already mentioned, SOTT.net refuses corporate advertising and sponsorship, and achieves its objectives via its own resources and reader donations. Any and all 'advertisements' you see on our site are either ads for our own products, which directly support our work, or non-commercial support for others engaged in the fight against psychopathy and its effects on our world. This is how we manage to keep this website going, and try to provide you with as objective a picture of the global reality as possible - day in, day out via dozens of volunteer editors around the globe.
All of this highlights how important YOUR SUPPORT is, especially in the face of a tanking economy. The Fight Against Lies goes on and we very much need your help to keep the lighthouse going until we reach that point where knowledge and awareness goes exponential, at which point, that Happy New Year we all hope for might become a real possibility. This is why your help now is more important than ever. And so, before the end of the fiscal year, we would just like to remind you that if you have extra income this year, donating to SOTT, a program of Quantum Future Group, Inc., a U.S. non-profit organization, is tax-deductible in the US. Wouldn't you rather give your money to a good cause, to the fight for truth and real information, than be funding War and Corruption?
Make your (tax deductible in the US) donation today. You can send a check or money-order by mail to:
SOTT/Quantum Future Group, Inc.Or you can donate via Credit Card or Paypal. (For direct bank transfer details please feel free to contact us.)
295 Scratch Branch Road
Otto, NC 28763
USA
The SOTT Calendar 2017
Thanks to the creative talents of SOTT.net editors Maja Rasic and Jörg Klingenbach, we are excited to announce a new, unique 2017 SOTT.net desk calendar, which features a selection of inspiring quotes.
Check it out!******Anyone who donates 30 US dollars (or 30 EUR) or more will receive a calendar.******
(NOTE: If you wish to receive the calendar,
please MAKE SURE TO SEND US A MESSAGE USING OUR CONTACT FORM
(click on the envelope icon in the toolbar at the top - or the bottom - of this page)
All our books and DVDs are listed on QFG's Online Store and Pilule Rouge, and are also available on Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, and Amazon.co.uk, in paperback and electronic format.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, dear readers, and let's keep shining the light for as long as we can!
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all. May 2017 bring you all good health, much love and even more knowledge. Onwards and upwards!
I thank you for being a lighthouse ever shining, for asking difficult questions and not ever flinching in the face of the lies that threaten to surround all humanity if not for the few who don't lose heart. You offer hope and knowledge instead of compromises, and objectivity instead of dirty agendas, to millions, every day. And though some may try to bring you down, despair not, because, as Gandhi is reputed to have said:
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi