The internet is supposed to make our lives easier, and it's hard to argue that it hasn't. However, a new survey of 1,000 American adults suggests that all of that convenience may be robbing an entire generation of basic home maintenance skills. In all, about two in five (38%) respondents said they are helpless and unable to fix any common household problems (patching up a drywall, fixing a running toilet) without the help of the internet.

The survey, commissioned by BigRentz, paints a pretty grim picture when it comes to home care self-sufficiency. Apparently, if the Wi-Fi happens to falter, many adults won't be able to get anything done for themselves.

Respondents were asked about their ability to fix a variety of different house problems without turning to Google for help, and while close to half (43%) said they know how to unclog a drain, only 25% know how to install a drywall anchor. Another 39% said they can stop a running toilet all by themselves, and 38% can find a stud. Additionally, 31% know how to patch a hole in a drywall, and 29% said they can replace a washer on a leaky faucet.

In the run-up to the New Year, Western think tanks such as "Stratfor" and others traditionally publish their political forecasts. The eve of 2020 was no exception. But if you look at the published future scenarios, you can't help but notice that, unlike previous years, there is nothing in them about the prospects of the West itself.

In particular, there are no forecasts about a process like Brexit. And this - despite the fact that on January 31st 2020 the delay granted to the UK by the EU Council to leave the pan-European union ends.

It is even more strange that leading Western analysts have left the strengthening of republicanism in the United Kingdom almost unaddressed. The main expression of republican ideas in the UK is the Green Party of England and Wales. It advocates the "restoration" of the republic, which existed between 1649 and 1660. In 2019, the Greens doubled their representation in local authorities - from 178 to 372 seats. In the elections to the European Parliament, they secured the support of more than 2 million voters and held seven candidates in the EP. Finally, Caroline Lucas was elected to the House of Commons at the December election, and Natalie Bennett was elected to the House of Lords. The latter replaced former Conservative leader Theresa May as a peer.

A man armed with a knife and yelling "Allahu Akbar" rushed at police officers in the northeastern city of Metz only two days after a stabbing attack near Paris which left one person dead and several injured.

The suspect was shot in the thigh multiple times and was on a list of individuals being monitored for links to militant and extremist groups, according to the prosecutor's office. An investigation is currently underway to discover the man's specific motivations. His name has not been released.

Metz public prosecutor Christian Mercuri added that the suspect is known to have a "personality disorder." The prosecutor's office is currently in contact with the French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office about the attack.

Al-Shabaab jihadists have attacked a military base in Kenya which houses US soldiers along with local troops. The army said they managed to repulse the assault, killing four militants.

The attack was on Camp Simba naval base in Manda Bay in Lamu County on Kenya's coast, bordering Somalia.

Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia told the Daily Nation local newspaper that "heavily armed" militants stormed the compound at 4am local time. Witnesses heard gunfire coming from the base.

Photos and videos circulating on social media allegedly show smoke billowing from the site.

As the holiday season approaches and 2019 comes to a close, we'd like to take a moment to thank you, our readers, for your continued support of Sott.net. When we started out all those years ago, we settled on the name 'Signs of the Times' (SOTT) because the media just didn't seem to notice that momentous changes were happening, that those momentous changes were connected, and that if they were observed together in 'big picture' mode, one could literally observe the world transform. Little did we know then just how reality-changing things would become.

What a year 2019 has been. Open rebellion has erupted in many countries, terrorism and 'random atrocities' continue unabated, the weather has become more extreme than ever, government has become more corrupt and feckless than ever, anti-human social engineering madness has migrated from the universities to the workplace and into schools, and asteroids are whizzing by our little lost planet at an alarming rate.

Although it's been in the works for several years - particularly since the 'double surprise' of Trump's election and the Brexit referendum result - mass censorship took a big leap in 2019. Thanks to certain governments leaning on Big Tech companies, the very nature of the internet changed this year. Purges of dissenting voices like ours from search results and social media has substantially bleached the internet of truth and replaced it with the bullhorns of mainstream propaganda and extremist 'black or white' rhetoric.

As a result, our readership, which grew for most of the 18 year history of Sott.net, is way down again this year - by 37% over 2018. Since 2016, our unique visits have dropped by 55%! We could scream and shout about it, but we don't think that would do any good. In fact, there's too much screaming and shouting going on these days - about anything and everything - that is obviously not doing anyone any good. That's why we at Sott.net have been refocusing our efforts from 'waking people up' to deepening our connections with 'those who already see'.

In these times of monumental mendacity, surround-sound distraction, and full-on socio-political lunacy, the refuge of community is more important than ever. There is only so much 'community' you can partake in via your computer screen, of course, but no matter where you are or what predicament you find yourself in, remember always that what is important is WHO you are and what you SEE.

Six German tourists have been killed near a ski resort in Italy after a suspected drunk driver ploughed into their group on Saturday night.

The group of 17 tourists were waiting for a bus at 1.15am in the mountain village of Luttach, near Bruneck, when the car came speeding into them.

According to local newspaper Corriere Del Sella, 11 people were injured in the incident and three are in serious condition.

One victim was rushed to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, via helicopter. The group was comprised of 15 Germans and two Italians, all between the ages of 20 and 25.

The Luttach volunteer fire service said in a Facebook post that the six people who died were killed at the scene.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is being guarded round the clock by former US Navy SEALs amid concern that her life is in danger, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

A source says ex-special forces are shuttling the 58-year-old friend of Prince Andrew from one safe house to another across the American Midwest following 'credible death threats'.

Epstein is said to have sexually abused dozens of teenage girls and Miss Maxwell, along with others, is alleged to have 'facilitated' his behaviour. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Japan on Sunday said it would tighten immigration measures after former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn fled the country while on bail, its first official response to an astonishing escape that has transformed the executive into an international fugitive.

Authorities have remained quiet after Ghosn revealed on Tuesday that he had fled to his childhood home of Lebanon to escape a "rigged" justice system in Japan. All government offices and most businesses in Japan have been shut for the new year holidays.

The former Nissan Motor (7201.T) and Renault (RENA.PA) chairman was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and faced multiple charges of financial wrongdoing, which he denies.

Police early Thursday morning arrested a pair of teens who were allegedly on their way to carry out a hate crime attack against a nearby Palestinian village in the central West Bank.

The two, ages 18 and 15, were pulled over while driving outside Bat Ayin and transferred to interrogation, a law enforcement official confirmed.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that the suspects had been en route to carry out a so-called price tag attack — an offense whose perpetrators claim is in retaliation for Palestinian violence or government policies seen as hostile to the settler movement.

A spokesman for the Honenu legal aid organization said that the older teen has been served an administrative order barring him from meeting with an attorney for four days. The tactic is sometimes used by security forces in ticking time-bomb scenarios where enhanced interrogation measures are employed to prevent an imminent attack.

Musician Meat Loaf revealed in an interview that not only does he not believe in climate change, but he also said teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg has been "forced" into thinking the way she does.

Rocker Meat Loaf is making waves on social media for being one of the latest critics of teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg - and a blunt one at that.

"I feel for that Greta," the 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' singer told Daily Mail in a recent interview.

He added that he believes the 17-year-old Thunberg has been "brainwashed into thinking there is climate change." The rocker said he does not believe in climate change.