Headline News
The Elf On The Shelf Is Preparing Your Child To Live In A Future Police State, Professor Warns
The Elf on the Shelf is “a capillary form of power that normalizes the voluntary surrender of privacy, teaching young people to blindly accept panoptic surveillance and” [deep breath] “reify hegemonic power.”
For some, the Elf on the Shelf doll, with its doe-eyed gaze and cherubic face, has become a whimsical holiday tradition — one that helpfully reminds children to stay out of trouble in the lead-up to Christmas
For others — like, say, digital technology professor Laura Pinto — the Elf on the Shelf is “a capillary form of power that normalizes the voluntary surrender of privacy, teaching young people to blindly accept panoptic surveillance and” [deep breath] “reify hegemonic power.” I mean, that’s obvious, right?
The latter perspective is detailed in “Who’s the Boss,” a paper published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in which Pinto and co-author Selena Nemorin argue that the popular seasonal doll is preparing a generation of children to uncritically accept “increasingly intrusive (albeit whimsically packaged) modes of surveillance.”
Before you burst out laughing, know that Pinto comes across as extremely friendly and not at all paranoid on the phone. She’s also completely serious.
“The Elf on the Shelf” is both a book and a doll. The former is a soft pixie scout elf that parents are instructed to hide around the house. The accompanying book, written in rhyme, tells a Christmas-themed story that explains how Santa Claus keeps tabs on who is naughty and who is nice.”
The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition Broadcast Spot
The book describes elves hiding in children’s homes each day during the holidays to monitor their behavior before returning to the North Pole each night with a report for “the boss.”
Because we live in a world grappling with corporate smartphone surveillance,behavior management apps in the classroom and private communication interceptions by various governments, Pinto — a digital technology professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology — sees the Elf on the Shelf dolls as one development among many threatening our collective definition of privacy.
If she’s right, in all likelihood she’s fighting a losing battle. The Elf on the Shelf book sold over 6 million copies and joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade last year, according to the Daily Mail.
“I don’t think the elf is a conspiracy and I realize we’re talking about a toy,” Pinto told The Post. “It sounds humorous, but we argue that if a kid is okay with this bureaucratic elf spying on them in their home, it normalizes the idea of surveillance and in the future restrictions on our privacy might be more easily accepted.”
Until the introduction of Elf on the Shelf, Santa’s mythological helpers had always been relegated to the toy workshop, Pinto said. After the story and toy were introduced by Chanda Bell, a onetime Atlanta reading teacher, the traditional narrative changed to include the hiding, surveillance and back-and-forth travel, Pinto said.
“As evidenced by the millions of books and dolls sold,” the Toronto Star writes, “the story has become a cultural phenomenon, with parents littering their social media feeds with photos of the elf in strange places.”
Facebook, in fact, is how Pinto said she originally became aware of the doll. Last December, she began to see her Facebook friends who have kids posting Elf on the Shelf photos.
The more she read about the doll and the rules that accompany it, the more she began to feel like the game that resonated with the purpose of the infamous panopticon, Jeremy Bentham’s 18th Century design for a model prison (a central tower in a circular structure, surrounded by cells that made it impossible for prisoners to know if they were being watched).
She writes:
Elf on the Shelf presents a unique (and prescriptive) form of play that blurs the distinction between play time and real life. Children who participate in play with The Elf on the Shelf doll have to contend with rules at all times during the day: they may not touch the doll, and they must accept that the doll watches them at all times with the purpose of reporting to Santa Claus. This is different from more conventional play with dolls, where children create play-worlds born of their imagination, moving dolls and determining interactions with other people and other dolls. Rather, the hands-off “play” demanded by the elf is limited to finding (but not touching!) The Elf on the Shelf every morning, and acquiescing to surveillance during waking hours under the elf’s watchful eye. The Elf on the Shelf controls all parameters of play, who can do and touch what, and ultimately attempts to dictate the child’s behavior outside of time used for play.
“The whole thing with panopticonism under the Jeremy Bentham structure,” Pinto said, “is that you never quite knew if you were being watched or not and that forced you into behaving in a certain way. The elf is the same way.”
Pinto said she’s not the first person to be troubled by Elf on the Shelf’s surveilling. She’s said parents routinely contact her to say they changed the rules of the game after it made their families uneasy. And many kids, she said, often intuitively feel like spying and being a tattletale is wrong.
“A mom e-mailed me and told me that the first day they read the elf book and put the elf out, her daughter woke up crying because she was being watched by the elf,” Pinto recounted. “They changed the game so it wouldn’t scare the child.”
Emma Waverman, a blogger with Today’s Parent, told the Star that the idea of the elf watching someone all the time is “creepy.”
“It makes the motivation to behave something that’s external,” she told the paper. “If I’m not around or if the elf is not around, do they act crazy?”
Translated into academia-speak, Pinto and Nemorin make a similar point in Who’s the Boss?
“What is troubling,” they write, “is what The Elf on the Shelf represents and normalizes: anecdotal evidence reveals that children perform an identity that is not only for caretakers, but for an external authority (The Elf on the Shelf), similar to the dynamic between citizen and authority in the context of the surveillance state.” source
Donald Trump
Trump Attempts To Purchase A Republican Midterm Victory With A ‘$5,000 Dividend Promise’ Paid For By The Same American Taxpayers He Is Asking To Vote
Where Are The DOGE Checks, Tariff Rebates, $2 Gas And Cheaper Groceries Donald Trump Promised Before Unveiling His New $5,000 Dividend last night?
Donald Trump has returned to the political stage with yet another spectacular promise of free money, this time pledging a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” to every American adult—but only if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. That is not an economic plan; it is an election-year cash inducement with Trump’s name stamped across it. Washington is already drowning beneath more than $40 trillion in debt, yet Trump is dangling a payout that could cost approximately $1.3 trillion without explaining where the money will come from. The message could hardly be more blatant: give Republicans your vote, and Trump says he will give you a check purchased with your own tax dollars. Now we see Donald Trump for who he really is, a shameless conman who will say anything, do anything, and promise anything to retain power. Please see the following 9 unfulfilled promises he has made over the past 18 months.
“I said in my haste, All men are liars.” Psalms 116:11 (KJB)
But before Americans begin spending this imaginary $5,000, perhaps we should ask what happened to all the previous promises. Where are the DOGE dividend checks? Where are the tariff rebate checks? Where is the 10% cap on credit-card interest? Where are the dramatically lower interest rates, cheaper groceries, lower electricity bills and $2 gasoline? Wait, I know! 4D Chess and the Art of the Deal!
| I’M STILL WAITING FOR… | |
|---|---|
| 1 | THE DOGE DIVIDEND CHECKS |
| 2 | THE TARIFF REBATE CHECKS |
| 3 | LOWER ENERGY PRICES |
| 4 | THE 10% CAP ON CREDIT-CARD INTEREST |
| 5 | DRUGS THAT ARE “1,000–1,500% CHEAPER” |
| 6 | $2-A-GALLON GAS |
| 7 | CHEAPER GROCERIES |
| 8 | LOWER INTEREST RATES |
| 9 | A “GREAT HEALTHCARE PLAN” THAT ACTUALLY BECOMES LAW |
Trump attempted to bribe the American people, with our own money, last night by promising us a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if the GOP wins the House and the Senate. He never mentioned the previous $2,000 and $5,000 checks he promised and never delievered on. Truly shameful. He has… pic.twitter.com/GQ5lo9CsBK
— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) September 10, 2026
This has become the Trump political formula: announce something enormous, attach his name to it, dominate the headlines and then move on before anyone asks whether it ever happened. The check is always “coming,” the prices are always “about to fall,” the healthcare plan is always just around the corner, and prosperity is always one more Republican election victory away. Now, with gasoline averaging more than $4 nationally and working Americans still being crushed by food, housing, insurance and borrowing costs, Trump is attempting to replace yesterday’s unfulfilled promises with an even bigger one. America does not need another campaign-show “dividend.” It needs accountability for the promises already made, and results that exist somewhere outside a Trump speech.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Headline News
THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: How The ‘Strange Fire’ Of Azusa Street, Oral Roberts And The Charismatic Movement Replaced The Authority Of Scripture Part 1
From Azusa Street To Kathryn Krick: How The Strange Fire Of The Modern Charismatic Movement Replaced The Authority Of Scripture With Signs, Wonders And Seducing Spirits
The modern Charismatic movement began at Azusa Street by elevating supernatural experience above the written word of God. Charles Parham declared tongues to be the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost; William Seymour carried that teaching into the 1906 Azusa Street Revival; and Aimee Semple McPherson later joined Pentecostal manifestations to celebrity, theatrical production and mass media. After World War II, William Branham popularized the “anointed man” claiming angelic visitations and supernatural discernment, while Oral Roberts transformed the healing tent into a television empire and turned miracles into merchandise through “seed-faith.” What began as emotional manifestations had become a profitable religious industry in which the preacher possessed the anointing, the audience supplied the money and the sick were blamed when the promised miracle failed.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 (KJB)
The counterfeit continued mutating. The 1948 Latter Rain movement announced the restoration of modern apostles and prophets; the Charismatic Renewal carried tongues and manifestations into Protestant denominations and Roman Catholicism; Word of Faith preachers such as Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland turned faith into a force and giving into a formula for prosperity; Toronto and Brownsville normalized shaking, screaming, falling and uncontrolled behavior as evidence of revival; and the New Apostolic Reformation combined restored apostles, private revelation, territorial spirits, deliverance, Seven Mountain dominionism and Christian Nationalism into a global religious network. Through every stage, the same deadly exchange was taking place: “What saith the scripture?” was replaced by “What did you feel?” and the authority of the Bible was surrendered to whoever claimed to possess the newest prophecy, impartation or anointing.
Kathryn Krick is not a strange departure from that history—she is its logical conclusion. Azusa Street now has a smartphone, the healing tent has become a viral video, the prayer cloth has become an online course, and the travelling faith healer has become a social-media “apostle” commanding demons before millions of viewers. From Parham and Seymour to Branham, Roberts, Copeland, Bethel and Krick, the faces and technology have changed, but the spirit remains the same: another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel wrapped in signs, wonders and Christian vocabulary. The modern Charismatic movement promises believers more power while quietly removing the only authority capable of exposing the counterfeit—the preserved, inspired and infallible word of God. The fire that began on Azusa Street is still burning, but Christians had better test the spirits before they call the fire holy. Because it’s not.
On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, we show you the strange fire and the counterfeit signs, miracles, wonders and seducing spirits of the Charismatic Movement. This is Part 1 in a series.
Study Helps And Links For Today’s Podcast
- Chaplain Turner At The Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center In Florida Wants To Give A Bible To Every One Of The Youths Placed In His Charge
- The Phony Charismatic Prosperity Gospel Movement Is Nothing More Than A Christian Cult, And You Should Leave It Immediately
- As The COVID Delta Variant Rages Across America And Around The World, Where Are All The Charismatic Healing Lines And Their Anointed Apostles?
- The Word Of Faith Heresy From Joyce Meyer And Charismatic Church Leaders That Teaches Jesus Christ Was ‘Born Again’ In Hell
- Faith Healer Rod Parsley Turns To Modern Medicine To Battle Cancer
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- “You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
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- I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio. You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures. I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too. You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture. Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
- “Thank you for the work you are doing brother. Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time. Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord. God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation. How can we praise Him enough? How can we not share this good news!? I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
- “Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
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STREET-TESTED NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS:
This is the official gospel tract of NTEB, used here on the streets of Saint Augustine and sent around the world as they are purchased through our website. We ask you to prayerfully consider supporting the work of Now The End Begins by purchasing a box of these full-color, high-quality gospel tracts. Thank you in advance!
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Free Bible Program
Chaplain Turner At The Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center In Florida Wants To Give A Bible To Every One Of The Youths Placed In His Charge
The Doors Are Open At Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center As Bibles Behind Bars Prepares To Reach Young Inmates With The Word Of God
The Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center may officially be listed as a 50-bed facility, but Chaplain Turner tells us that on a normal day he is ministering to somewhere between 60 and 75 young people at a time. These are teenagers as young as 12-years old and young adults who have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law, many of them frightened, angry, confused, and facing consequences they never imagined would come so quickly. But right there, behind locked doors and concrete walls, God has opened a tremendous door for the gospel of the grace of God. Chaplain Turner has asked us to help him put a Bible into the hands of every single youth in his charge, and that is exactly the kind of mission Bibles Behind Bars was created for.
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9 (KJB)
A teenager walks into detention frightened, angry, facing charges, perhaps wondering what is going to happen to his life — and waiting there is a chaplain who wants to put a King James Bible into his hands that we provided. With a daily population of 60 to 75 youths and hundreds passing through the facility over the course of a year, this has the potential to become a continuing pipeline of King James Bibles into the hands of young people at one of the most critical crossroads of their lives. Some of these youths may never have owned a Bible, never have heard a clear presentation of the gospel and many have families who have completely given up on them. But God has not closed the door, and neither should we. Let’s flood the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center with enough Bibles for all of the, come help us!!
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If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation for bibles to:
NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
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Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
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