science

Five Years Later, We Remember How Politicians Unleashed COVID Tyranny

Authored by Jim Bovard via The Mises Institute,

Five years ago, politicians and bureaucrats went berserk and pointlessly ravaged Americans’ freedom. The Covid-19 pandemic provided the pretext to destroy hundreds of thousands of businesses, padlock churches, close down schools, and effectively place hundreds of millions of Americans under house arrest. Despite all the forced sacrifices, most Americans contracted covid and more than a million were listed as dying from the virus.

“Pandemic Security Theater Is Self-Destructive, And Won’t Make Us Safer” was the headline of my first salvo against the pandemic hysteria, published on March 24, 2020 in the Daily Caller. I scoffed at President Trump’s proclamations about being a “wartime president at war with an invisible enemy.” Wartime presidents too easily pretend they’re on a mission from God to scourge all resistance. I warned: “The pandemic threatens to open authoritarian Pandora’s Boxes. Permitting governments to seize almost unlimited power based on shaky extrapolations of infection rates will doom our republic.”

From the start of the pandemic, the Mises Institute was in the forefront of condemning policies that eradicated prosperity in the name of public health. In a May 19, 2020 Mises piece headlined, “Hacksawing the Economy,” I noted, “The political response to COVID-19 is eerily similar to Civil War surgeons’ rationales for hacking off arms and legs…. As long as politicians claim that things would be worse if they had not amputated much of the economy, they can pirouette as saviors.”

Living in the Washington area, I had a front row seat for many of Covid-19’s biggest absurdities. After federal officials whipped up panic, “I Believe in Science” lawn signs popped up like mushrooms, soon accompanied by “Thank You, Dr. Fauci” placards. Those signs looked to me like frightful decorations of a Halloween that never ended.

Thoreau provided my lodestar for the pandemic: “A man sits as many risks as he runs.” I knew that isolation would make me too ornery for my own good. I had survived the flu plenty of times in prior decades and I didn’t reckon covid would deliver my coffin nails. I was a co-leader of a Meetup hiking group which continued hiking almost every weekend throughout the pandemic.

But politicians made such jaunts more difficult. In February 2021, President Biden decreed that face masks must be worn in national parks. Probably 95 percent of the National Park Service’s 800+ million acres is uncrowded 95 percent of the time. The only “evidence” to justify the mandate was that many Biden supporters were frightened or enraged whenever they saw anyone not wearing a mask. The new mandate quickly became an entitlement program for junior Stasi members.

I told attendees on my hikes that masks were optional but kvetching about other hikers wearing or not wearing masks was prohibited. Biden’s edict helped turn the C & O Canal Towpath—one of my favorite hiking venues—into a hotbed of self-righteousness. That Towpath was ten feet wide in most places, but it was the principle of the matter. I had…

Learn To Code? Visualizing The Decline Of American Software Developer Jobs

The surge in tech hiring in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 represented one of the most aggressive talent grabs in industry history, only to be followed by widespread layoffs and hiring freezes as economic headwinds and post-pandemic corrections hit the sector.

This dramatic swing has reshaped the software development job market, leaving both companies and developers to navigate a new landscape of cautious growth and strategic hiring.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, shows the percent change in software development job postings on Indeed U.S. since Feb. 1, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2025.

The data comes from Indeed via the Federal Reserve and is updated as of March 2025. Figures are seasonally-adjusted.

The U.S. Software Developer Hiring Boom Is Over

Below, we show the percent change in software development job postings on Indeed U.S. since Feb. 1, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2025.

Date
U.S. Software Development Job Listings (% change)
2020-02-01
0%
2020-05-01
-30.25%
2020-08-01
-30.70%
2020-11-01
-19.55%
2021-02-01
-1.33%
2021-05-01
26.10%
2021-08-01
51.31%
2021-11-01
92.90%
2022-02-01
123.28%
2022-05-01
122.18%
2022-08-01
93.37%
2022-11-01
54.40%
2023-02-01
22.23%
2023-05-01
-1.51%
2023-08-01
-17.80%
2023-11-01
-25.44%
2024-02-01
-27.13%
2024-05-01
-30.86%
2024-08-01
-30.41%
2024-11-01
-32.45%
2025-02-01
-33.36%
2025-02-28
-36.48%
Breaking into tech as a software developer in 2025 won’t be as easy as it was before—job listings are at their lowest in five years, down more than 33% from 2020 levels.

Software development job postings soared in 2021 and 2022 as tech companies expanded rapidly, fueled by economic recovery and a surge in startup funding.

However, hiring slowed dramatically in 2023 as economic uncertainty, widespread layoffs, and reduced venture capital investment hit the industry.

Some other factors behind the decline in software developer jobs include the widespread adoption of AI-powered software development tools that enhance productivity and a shift in focus by tech companies toward efficiency rather than expansion.

Despite the overall decline in software development job postings, major tech hubs like the San Francisco Bay Area and New York have continued to see net job growth in the tech sector, including developer roles, over the past few years.

To learn more trends in the programming world, check out this graphic that ranks the most popular programming languages on GitHub from 2014 to 2024.

Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/14/2025 – 18:00…

Why It’s Silver’s Time To Shine Now

By Jesse Colombo of The Bubble Bubble Report

Gold has been soaring all year, while silver has spent the past nine months languishing, leaving long-suffering investors wondering: Will silver always play second fiddle to gold, or is it finally ready to shine? Like many, I’ve been frustrated by silver’s lackluster performance, but in this report, I’ll highlight a growing number of reasons to believe its rough patch may soon be over. Silver may finally step out of gold’s shadow and embark on a sustained bull market of its own.

The first key sign that silver is ready to surge is its decisive move above the $32 to $33 resistance zone, which has acted as a stubborn ceiling for much of the past year. This breakout is an encouraging signal, but the next crucial confirmation will be a strong, high-volume close above the $34 to $35 resistance zone—the same level that halted the late-October rally in its tracks. Once silver clears both barriers, the path should be wide open for the powerful bull market I’ve anticipated since April 2024. However, for this breakout to remain valid, silver must close and hold above both resistance zones; otherwise, all bets are off.

I closely monitor silver priced in euros because it provides valuable insights by stripping away the influence of U.S. dollar fluctuations, offering a clearer view of silver’s intrinsic strength. In euro terms, silver tends to respect key levels such as €30, €31, and €32, forming well-defined areas of support and resistance.

Recently, silver broke above the €30 level—a bullish signal—establishing it as a new support. Next, a decisive close above €32 (the late October high) is necessary to signal that the next phase of the bull market has begun. That said, for the breakout to remain valid, silver must close and hold above both resistance zones; otherwise, I would consider it invalidated.

Although silver has traded in a choppy, erratic manner for much of the past year, it is in a confirmed uptrend, despite grinding higher in a frustrating “two steps forward, one step back” manner. This is evident in the 200-day simple moving average, a helpful tool for identifying an asset’s primary trend by filtering out short-term price fluctuations.

More importantly, the 200-day moving average suggests that the odds favor further gains, as a trend in motion tends to stay in motion—much like Newton’s first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia. The even better news is that once silver fully breaks out, as discussed earlier, I expect it to rise in a much more orderly fashion rather than continuing its erratic price swings.

One of the key reasons I believe silver is on the verge of a powerful new phase in its bull market is gold’s impressive rally over the past year. Historically, gold is a major driver of silver’s price, though silver often lags before catching up. With economic uncertainty rising and the risk of a recession increasing, I believe gold still has plenty of upside…

Escobar: Made in China 2025 – Revisited

Authored by Pepe Escobar,

The Two Sessions, part of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, held last week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, were a pretty serious deal.

Not only because the sessions set the framework for Beijing to confront serious economic challenges ahead.

But also because of the stellar performance by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who forcefully imprinted in the collective psyche of the Global Majority how China should be regarded as a premier source of stability in this extremely turbulent geopolitical juncture, standing firm “in the right side of History”.

So let’s start with the key Wang Yi takeaways – which translate as de facto setting the tone for Beijing’s diplomacy throughout 2025.

US-China: Beijing is ready to engage with Trump 2.0 on the basis of mutual respect. Yet “if the US continues to contain China, we will resolutely counteract.” It’s “fully possible” for US and China to become partners. But this should be seen as the paramount concept: “No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with us at the same time.”

The Global South: That is a “key force for maintaining world peace, driving world development and improving global governance”. These developing nations, accounting for over 40 per cent of global GDP, “hold the key to bringing stability to the world and making it a better place.” Wang Yi emphasized once again how China is “a natural member of the Global South.”

Russia – and Ukraine conflict: Russia and China’s“mature and resilient relationship (…) will not be swayed by any turn of events or be affected by any third party.” Wang Yi defined Beijing’s position on the conflict as “objective and impartial” – and crucially did not call for Europe – or Ukraine – to be included in the upcoming US-Russia negotiations. His major point – which echoes Russia’s analysis: “Security is mutual and equal; the security of one country cannot be built on the insecurity of others.”

Gaza: No Chinese endorsement of the Trump Gaza Riviera Resort and Casino gambit: “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people”. And “changing its status by forceful means will not bring peace but new chaos”. Beijing supports the Egyptian peace plan. Once again, Wang Yi made it clear that “the crux of the cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the fact that the two-state solution is only half achieved.”

Europe: Wang Yi praised the “capacity and wisdom” of EU-China to “deepen strategic dialogue and mutual trust.”Beijing, at least in theory, believes that Europe could become a trusted partner. The EU and the European Commission (EC) in Brussels may have other – belligerent – ideas.

South China Sea: Wang Yi went straight to the point on the manipulation of Philippines by “external forces”: “Infringement and provocation will backfire, and those acting as others’ chess pieces are bound to be discarded.” Yet he stressed the South China Sea remains “stable”, because China and ASEAN want it to remain so.

Taiwan: Wang Yi forcefully stated that “Taiwan has…

Greenland’s Pro-Independence Election Winners Brush Back Trump, Who Asserts Annexation By US “Will Happen”

President Trump on Thursday while meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office confidently stated he believes the United States would eventually annex Greenland. He even linked it to NATO security.

“I think it will happen,” Trump told reporters. “And I’m just thinking, I didn’t give it much thought before but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental. You know, Mark, we need that for international security,” Trump said, acknowledging Rutte beside him.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, expected to be Greenland’s next PM, via Sermitsiaq

“I don’t want to drag NATO in that,” Rutte responded judiciously, but agreed the Arctic Circle region and Greenland in particular are critical for the security of the West, at a time Russia in China have increased their military presence there.

But the center-right Demokraatit party just won Greenland’s parliamentary elections this week, and Greenland’s likely new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has surprised many by quickly coming out so strongly against Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland:

“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen, 33, told Britain’s Sky News. “And we want to build our own country by ourselves.”

That didn’t stop Trump from suggesting during a Thursday Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Greenland’s election that it was “very good” for “us” and “the person who did the best is a very good person, as far as we’re concerned.”

Nielsen said while celebrating his party’s surprising margin of victory that Greenland needs to stand together “in a time of great interest from outside.”

Merely just four years ago Demokraatit won less than 10% in the last election, but took nearly 30% in Tuesday’s election. Much of the campaigning and debate leading into it actually somewhat ignored Trump’s eyeing Greenland, instead focusing mostly on issues like healthcare and other purely domestic concerns.

The center-right Demokraatik party has long advocated for a slower approach to independence, while another opposition party Naleraq, which took 24.5% of the vote to Demokraatik’s 29.9% has called to sever ties with Denmark more quickly.

Trump issues provocative annexation statements on Greenland while NATO’s Rutte sits and reacts nervously…

POTUS on acquiring Greenland: “I think it will happen… We need that for international security.” pic.twitter.com/0j32jk0QL2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 13, 2025
By and large, Greenland – which is a self-governing region of Denmark – has been moving toward independence since at least 2009. Trump’s transition team began consulting private sector experts as early as November on potential ventures in Greenland. Among the ideas being floated are rare earth mining projects and a new hydroelectric facility – a nod to the island’s renewable energy potential. These internal admin conversations underscore Washington’s escalating interest in the Arctic as a buffer against Chinese influence.

“Trump is absolutely capitalizing on Greenland’s push for independence,” said Jacob Kaarsbo, independent foreign security adviser and former chief analyst at the Danish Defence Intelligence Service. “I can easily see a scenario where Greenland moves away from…