The only dialogue in this trailer for the second season of Paramount’s Halo adaptation is a speech. I would not call it a super uplifting speech. It basically says everyone is going to die. But they will be remembered. Who will be left to remember them‚ though? Halo is based on the video game of the same name‚ in which humanity faces off against a deadly alien threat (is there any other kind?) called the Covenant. Humanity’s greatest weapons in this fight are supersoldiers‚ and if you have ever encountered any sort of science fiction story‚ you probably know that making supersoldiers is‚ generally‚ a somewhat fraught and troubled and possibly unethical operation. Which is certainly the case here. The synopsis for Halo’s second season says: In season two‚ Master Chief John-117 leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. In the wake of a shocking event on a desolate planet‚ John cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change and risks everything to prove what no one else will believe—that the Covenant are preparing to attack humanity’s greatest stronghold. With the galaxy on the brink‚ John embarks on a journey to find the key to humankind’s salvation‚ or its extinction—the Halo. Halo stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as John/Master Chief; Natascha McElhone as Dr. Halsey; Jen Taylor as Cortana; Bokeem Woodbine as former Spartan Soren; Kate Kennedy as Kai; Yerin Ha as Kwan; and Charlie Murphy as Makee. Season two will also feature The Vampire Diaries’ Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson‚ described as “a formidable intelligence operative who has spent his career climbing the ranks of the UNSC’s secretive Office of Naval Intelligence.” Cristina Rodlo (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) also joins as Talia Perez‚ “a corporal specializing in linguistics for a UNSC Marine Corps communications unit and a relatively new recruit who has yet to see any real combat.” I feel bad for her already. David Wiener (Brave New World) is the showrunner of Halo‚ the first season of which can currently be watched free on YouTube. Halo returns to Paramount Plus for its second season on February 8‚ 2024.

The Netflix animated series Carol &; The End of the World centers on the titular Carol (voiced by Martha Kelly)‚ who finds she doesn’t have strong impulses to do‚ well‚ anything when Earth finds out it will face complete annihilation in mere months. Carol goes on a journey over that time‚ however‚ and we not only have a trailer to tease that journey‚ but we also now know that some A-list talent will be lending their voices to the show. Before we get into the recently announced guest cast‚ here’s the Carol &; The End of the World‘s logline: With a mysterious planet hurtling towards Earth‚ extinction is imminent for the people of the world. While most feel liberated to pursue their wildest dreams‚ one quiet and always uncomfortable woman stands alone—lost among the hedonistic masses. Carol stands alone! Except she doesn’t‚ of course. The trailer sees her commuting to work in a desolated city (except for the accounting office she works in) and fighting off feral dogs as society around her crumbles. She also looks like she goes camping at one point with a potentially new friend? Either way‚ her deadpan delivery of the outrageous events going on around evokes both Daria and Kathy vibes‚ an intriguing combination if ever there was one. We already knew who the series regulars on the show are. In addition to Kelly‚ the cast includes Michael Chernus‚ Bridget Everett‚ Beth Grant‚ Lawrence Pressman‚ Kimberly Hébert Gregory‚ Mel Rodriguez‚ and Delbert Hunt. And according to Variety‚ guest stars will include Stephen Colbert‚ Alison Brie‚ LeVar Burton‚ Barkhad Abdi‚ Danny Pudi‚ Gillian Jacobs‚ Kurtwood Smith‚ Laurie Metcalf‚ and Tim Heidecker. We don’t know what roles the guest stars will play (or who anyone in the main cast will play besides Kelly as Carol). We do know‚ however‚ that the show comes from Community and Rick and Morty writer Dan Guterman‚ and that all ten episodes of Carol &; The End of the World become available on Netflix on December 15‚ 2023.

“In a Mirror‚ Darkly” Written by Mike Sussman Directed by James L. Conway Season 4‚ Episode 18 Production episode 094 Original air date: April 22‚ 2005 Date: January 13‚ 2155 Captain’s star log. We open in Bozeman‚ Montana in 2063‚ the familiar tableau from First Contact of a Vulcan ship landing and making the titular contact with Earth. But then Cochrane whips out a pistol and shoots the Vulcan and the humans board the ship and take it over. Yup‚ we’re in the Mirror Universe… We jump to 2155 and see the I.S.S. Enterprise‚ under the command of Captain Max Forrest‚ heading to a rendezvous with the assault fleet. Major Malcolm Reed and Doctor Phlox show Forrest and his first officer‚ Commander Jonathan Archer‚ their new toy: the agony booth‚ a much more effective disciplinary tool than what they’ve been using. They’re testing it on a Tellarite crew member‚ and Reed can’t even recall what it was the Tellarite did to deserve being tortured. Archer reiterates a request he made to Forrest to go to Tholian space. Archer has received intelligence of a technology in their territory that will give them an edge against the rebels. Forrest refuses‚ and threatens Archer with the agony booth if he doesn’t shut up about it. The captain’s woman‚ Hoshi Sato‚ joins Forrest in his quarters and distracts him from work. Forrest reveals that the Terran Empire is having trouble putting the rebellion‚ despite the official reports to the contrary. Image: CBS On his way to the bridge‚ Forrest is ambushed‚ his MACO bodyguard killed‚ by Reed and Sergeant Travis Mayweather. Archer is taking command‚ ordering Forrest to be put in the brig‚ not killed. (Reed wants very much to kill the captain.) Archer insists he has orders from Starfleet to enter Tholian space and retrieve the technology they believe is there. Neither Second Officer T’Pol nor Sato know of any such communiqués‚ but Archer insists he got it on a private channel. Archer promotes T’Pol to first officer and orders her to pull a Suliban cloaking device out of storage and to help Chief Engineer Tucker install it. Archer promotes Mayweather to be his personal bodyguard‚ and also makes it clear that he’s keeping Forrest alive in order to get Sato to cooperate with him‚ starting with her sending a message to Admiral Gardner. Buy it Now Enterprise finds the warp signature Archer is looking for‚ but they’re also ambushed by a one-person Tholian craft. They exchange weapons fire‚ and the Tholian tries to self-destruct to avoid capture‚ which the transporter renders a failure. The Tholian is beamed to the decon chamber‚ where Phlox indulges in torture. The prisoner eventually reveals that the Terran ship they captured is in the Ventaak system. Heading there‚ the cloak is overloaded. Archer looks into it‚ including asking Forrest if he is responsible. Or maybe Admiral Black’s spy on board did it. Forrest points out that‚ if Black sent a spy‚ Forrest wouldn’t have the first clue who it was. Reed then provides evidence that Tucker was responsible‚ which leads to Tucker being put in the agony booth for four hours. T’Pol frees Forrest and he takes the ship back—but Archer anticipated that. Enterprise is locked into a course to the Ventaak system‚ and no one can change it. Not even Archer‚ who installed a random code to lock it out. It will take T’Pol weeks to decrypt it. Forrest puts Archer in the agony booth‚ but releases him on Admiral Gardner’s orders. The admiral was intrigued by Archer’s data and wants Forrest to continue to pursue it. Archer briefs the senior staff‚ explaining that the Tholians created an interphasic rift that led to a parallel universe. They lured a ship through with a phony distress call. According to Archer’s intelligence—gained from a slave of the Tholians—the ship was quantum dated and it’s not just from another timeline‚ but from a hundred years in the future. Image: CBS Archer is to lead the away team onto the ship. Forrest orders T’Pol to accompany him and make sure he doesn’t make it back alive. Tucker confronts T’Pol about how he suffered in the agony booth for no reason‚ but T’Pol reveals that she mind-melded with him to mentally force him to sabotage the cloak‚ and then did another mind-meld so he’d forget. So he really was guilty‚ even if he doesn’t remember it. The Tholian prisoner is able to send a distress call biologically‚ so Phlox is forced to sedate it. But it fights past the sedation‚ leading Phlox to kill it—but not before it gets a message out. Sure enough‚ Enterprise is attacked‚ but since they’ve arrived at their destination‚ Forrest has control again. The Tholians‚ however‚ make short work of Enterprise. Meanwhile‚ Archer and his landing party are on the U.S.S. Defiant‚ where they find the corpses of the crew who succumbed to the brain-damaging effects of interphase. And then they’re forced to watch as Forrest orders the crew to abandon ship and Enterprise itself blows up. To be continued… Can’t we just reverse the polarity? Apparently MU Starfleet doesn’t shield as well against delta rays as the mainline universe’s Starfleet‚ as Tucker is disfigured by multiple exposure to such. The gazelle speech. The MU Archer is not particularly ambitious‚ but that may have been an act to get Forrest to trust him. Either way‚ he shows plenty of ambition and gumption here‚ and Forrest and T’Pol are both gobsmacked by it. I’ve been trained to tolerate offensive situations. T’Pol is perfectly happy to use mind-control on Tucker‚ and also use him for sex‚ in order to remain loyal to Forrest. Florida Man. Florida Man Victim Of Mind Control By Alien Seductress! Optimism‚ Captain! Phlox helped design the agony booth and made sure to make it a pan-species torture device‚ and also one that would have long-term efficacy by working on different nerve clusters. Good boy‚ Porthos! In the MU‚ Porthos is a snarly rottweiler. No sex‚ please‚ we’re Starfleet. Let’s see‚ we’ve got Sato going from sleeping with Archer to sleeping with Forrest to going back to sleeping with Archer‚ we’ve got T’Pol using Tucker to help her through pon farr‚ and we’ve got the sexualized women’s Starfleet uniforms from the original series’ “Mirror‚ Mirror.” The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined… After Zefram Cochrane’s successful warp flight‚ Vulcan made first contact‚ as they did in the mainline universe‚ but this time Terrans kill the Vulcan pilot and take over his ship. Also T’Pol declares that the Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that there are no parallel universes‚ because of course they have. More on this later… This episode tells the other side of the story of the original series’ “The Tholian Web‚” establishing that the Defiant was lured by a distress call into the interphasic rift‚ which was caused by the MU’s Tholians doing crazy-ass experiments. In addition‚ we learn that the agony booth that was used on the I.S.S. Enterprise in “Mirror‚ Mirror” was invented by Phlox and Reed. I’ve got faith… “They call this ‘progress’.” “There’s something to be said for a good old-fashioned flogging.” –Archer and Forrest discussing the agony booth. Image: CBS Welcome aboard. Vaughn Armstrong returns for what is his final Trek appearance to date as the MU Forrest‚ while Franc Ross plays the big bearded guy who leads the charge against the Vulcan ship in the teaser. James Cromwell and Cully Fredrickson appear via archive footage from First Contact as Zefram Cochrane and the Vulcan captain‚ respectively‚ though stuntman Steve Blalock plays the Vulcan captain when he gets shot. Trivial matters: This is the first of two parts‚ to be continued next week. It’s also the seventh episode to involve the MU‚ following the original series’ “Mirror‚ Mirror‚” which introduced the concept‚ and the DS9 epsiodes “Crossover‚” “Through the Looking Glass‚” “Shattered Mirror‚” “Resurrection‚” and “The Emperor’s New Cloak.” It’ll be seen again when the U.S.S. Discovery winds up in the MU at the end of “Into the Forest I Go‚” and stays there through “Despite Yourself‚” “The Wolf Inside‚” “Vaulting Ambition‚” and “What’s Past is Prologue‚” with a version of it also showing up in the “Terra Firma” two-parter. This is the first episode to take place entirely in the MU‚ a distinction it and Part 2 will retain until Discovery’s “Despite Yourself.” This two-parter is the only MU story to date that has no characters from the mainline universe in it. (Well‚ no living ones‚ since technically the corpses they find on Defiant are from the mainline universe‚ but you know what I mean…) The MU has appeared in tons of tie-in fiction: see the Trivial Matters sections for both “Mirror‚ Mirror” and “Crossover” for a detailed listing. The teaser mixes footage from First Contact with new material. The opening credits are redone‚ with different music (thank goodness) and visuals that emphasize Earth’s history of warfare. Archival historical footage was used‚ as well as bits from the 1980s TV series Call to Glory‚ the 1927 film Wings‚ the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October‚ the 2000 film U-571‚ and the 2005 film The Jacket‚ as well as battle scenes from Enterprise and Voyager. In addition to being a prequel to “Mirror‚ Mirror” and the other MU episodes‚ this serves as a sequel to the original series’ “The Tholian Web.” The two crew members on the bridge are an attempt to re-create the two corpses on the bridge in that 1968 episode‚ though it’s not quite accurate. For one thing‚ the Defiant crew have a different logo on their uniform‚ even though they had the same delta as Enterprise crew in the original series episode. (The notion of different ships with different insignia was only seen in the second season. In seasons one and three‚ everyone had the same insignia on their uniforms.) This is the first full appearance of a Tholian‚ after only seeing the head of one in “The Tholian Web‚” and not seeing a specific (only their ship) in “Future Tense.” Amusingly‚ the original conception of “Future Tense” was for the Defiant to be the ship they found. Image: CBS It’s been a long road… “Will you kindly die?” I find myself less enthusiastic about this two-parter than I was when I first watched it when it debuted in 2005‚ or when I watched it again a couple years later when I was gearing up to write my own fiction in the MU. I think at least part of it is that I’m well and truly sick of the MU at this point. DS9’s forays into the MU were a case of diminishing returns prior to this‚ ditto Discovery’s subsequent to this. But I think the biggie is that the MU doesn’t really bear rewatching. On first watch‚ you get the novelty of seeing familiar characters in new roles‚ but once you know that’s coming that novelty has worn off. While dramatic fiction about horrible people can work—shows like The Sopranos‚ Breaking Bad‚ and The Shield‚ e.g.—they work because the characters have depth and complexity. MU Trek characters have no depth to speak of. That’s part of the point‚ as mentioned by Spock in the very first MU episode in 1967 with his line about how civilized folk can pretend to be barbarians more easily than the other way ’round. Having said that‚ “In a Mirror‚ Darkly” does have more than a few redeeming features‚ the two biggest being at the episode’s commencement. The reworking of the denouement of First Contact is a masterpiece‚ and I can’t say enough wonderful things about the opening credits. I mean‚ anything that gets that fucking song out of there is automatically an improvement‚ and the choices in visuals are inspired‚ showing us the much more warlike Earth of this timeline. It’s great to see Vaughn Armstrong back‚ and I like that he’s very similar to the mainline Forrest in terms of temperament‚ but he’s still a cruel bastard‚ as is fitting for a Terran Empire shipmaster. Connor Trinneer beautifully plays the beaten-down engineer‚ Jolene Blalock and Linda Park nicely dig their teeth into the more manipulative characters they’re playing (and Blalock looks so much better with the long hair)‚ and John Billingsley and Dominic Keating are effectively nasty as the sadistic versions of Phlox and Reed. The weak link here is Scott Bakula‚ and this will come as no surprise to anyone who’s followed Bakula’s career‚ because even at his best‚ he’s always been horrible at playing angry mean people. Probably the worst acting in his career prior to 2001 was in the Quantum Leap two-part Lee Harvey Oswald episode‚ where Oswald’s personality was bleeding into Sam Beckett’s‚ and Bakula was just dreadful. (That storyline had plenty of other problems too‚ as it was less a story than an excuse for producer Donald P. Bellisario to give a middle finger to JFK assassination conspiracy theories in general and Oliver Stone’s JFK movie in particular.) And he’s just awful here‚ looking less like a conniving MU Starfleet officer and more like a teenager who just got cut from the football team. The only moment that works is his fuck-you to the just-freed Forrest when the latter finds out that Archer locked Enterprise on course. His “The bridge is yours” to Forrest is his best (and arguably only good) moment in the episode. Warp factor rating: 6 Keith R.A. DeCandido urges everyone to pick up Star Trek Explorer #9‚ which has‚ among other things‚ Keith’s new Discovery short story “Work Worth Doing‚” which explores the backstory of Federation President Laira Rillak. It’s the first Discovery story to appear in the magazine.

Head below for the full list of fantasy titles heading your way in December! Keep track of all the new SFF releases here. All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher. Release dates are subject to change.   December 5 The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (Holt #1) — Bradley P. Beaulieu (DAW) Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives‚ she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself. The trail leads her to Rylan Holbrooke‚ a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Rylan came to Ancris to solve the very same mystery she stumbled onto. Knowing his incarceration could lead to the Red Knives’ achieving their goals‚ Lorelei makes a fateful decision: she frees him. Now branded as traitors‚ the two flee the city on dragonback. In the massive forest known as the Holt‚ they discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demigod in the holiest shrine in Ancris‚ and for some reason the Church is willing to allow it. It forces their return to Ancris‚ where the unlikely allies must rally the very people who’ve vowed to capture them before it’s too late. Protected Species — Charles E. Gannon (Baen) Caine Riordan and his self-styled “Crewe” have survived their first months on the planet they call Bactradgaria. They’ve overcome floods‚ dust storms‚ tornadoes‚ searing heat‚ bitter cold‚ desperate battles‚ and attacks by various strange species. However‚ their most desperate struggles have been against the wildly ferocious x’qao‚ for whom the pursuit and genocide of other beings is as much a sport as it is a strategy.Accordingly‚ Caine and his friends realize that if they are to endure‚ they must not merely survive but thrive. So far‚ they’ve done just that and made friends along the way. But a few scattered tribes and towns can’t defeat the x’qao and their vassals. To do that‚ humans must claw higher up the food chain… before they tumble off into extinction. All The Hidden Paths (Tithenai #2) — Foz Meadows (Tor Books) With the plot against them foiled and the city of Qi-Katai in safe hands‚ newlywed and tentative lovers Velasin and Caethari have just begun to test the waters of their relationship. But the wider political ramifications of their marriage are still playing out across two nations‚ and all too soon‚ they’re summoned north to Tithena’s capital city‚ Qi-Xihan‚ to present themselves to its monarch. With Caethari newly invested as his grandmother’s heir and Velasin’s old ghosts gnawing at his heels‚ what little peace they’ve managed to find is swiftly put to the test. Cae’s recent losses have left him racked with grief and guilt‚ while Vel struggles with the disconnect between instincts that have kept him safe in secrecy and what an open life requires of him now. Pursued by unknown assailants and with Qi-Xihan’s court factions jockeying for power‚ Vel and Cae must use all the skills at their disposal to not only survive‚ but thrive. Because there’s more than one way to end an alliance‚ and more than one person who wants to see them fail… and they will resort to murder if needed. A River of Golden Bones — A.K. Mulford (Harper Voyager) Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom… and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in life: Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret‚ her twin’s shadow… the backup plan. No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding‚ all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court. Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister‚ their kingdom‚ and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is‚ Calla embarks on a quest across the realm‚ discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society‚ Calla begins to wonder: who could she be if she dared to try? Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder (Corax #3) — K. J. Parker (Orbit) If you’re going to get ahead in the battlefield salvage business‚ you have to regard death as a means to an end. In other words‚ when the blood flows‚ so will the cash. Unfortunately‚ even though war is on the way‚ Saevus Corax has had enough. There are two things he has to do before he can enjoy his retirement: get away with one last score‚ and get away with murder. For someone who‚ ironically‚ tends to make a mess wherever he goes‚ leaving his affairs in order is going to be Saevus Corax’s biggest challenge yet.   December 12 Chains of the Earth (Ascension #3) – David Mealing (Orbit) The Divide separating the east from the west‚ the realms of death from the realms of life‚ has fallen. Sarine and her champions find themselves overwhelmed‚ assaulted on every side by swordsmen‚ assassins‚ and skinchangers infiltrating‚ killing‚ and twisting even their most loyal allies against them. Every victory hides a defeat‚ and yet there is still hope. If Sarine can learn the true nature of her powers‚ she can make a final stand against the Regnant‚ to challenge him and remove his death grip on the world’s heart. To find the truth‚ she must journey to a new continent and find new allies‚ rallying their strength‚ and wielding every strain of magic in the world in a final battle between life and death.   December 19 The Doom of Odin (Grimnir #3) — Scott Oden (St. Martin’s Press) For over a century‚ he has tracked the dragon‚ Níðhöggr—the Malice-Striker—from the shores of Lake Vänern‚ across the Baltic Sea‚ through Russia‚ and down into the Mediterranean; he has hounded the wyrm from Old Muscovy to Messina. And finally‚ to the Eternal City—to Rome‚ itself. And in Rome‚ on a cold November night in 1347 AD‚ on the ruined steps of Old St. Peter’s basilica‚ Grimnir’s saga comes crashing to an end. A crossbow bolt‚ loosed in terror‚ slays him out of hand. It is a mundane finale to a life spent hip-deep in bloodshed and slaughter‚ surrounded by steel and savagery and the sorcery of the Elder World.

As if the idea of being in space were not stressful enough on its own‚ here comes a new thriller that doubles down on the terror. Or triples‚ I guess‚ depending on your own personal stress-math. I.S.S. is about two groups of astronauts who are aboard the International Space Station when things go absolutely bugfuck haywire down on Earth. One thing I did not ever expect to see in a movie trailer is the little whistled bit from The Scorpions’ “Winds of Change” used to extremely creepy ends‚ so‚ hey‚ full credit to whoever chose the music here. This seems like a bit of a cousin to The Midnight Sky‚ in which George Clooney was hanging out alone in the Arctic after a worldwide disaster. (There were also some spacefolk in that one.) But this is way more stressful. And also somewhat frustrating: We’re still just pitting different sections of humanity against one another? We’re still obsessed with the false notion that people in terrible situations don’t cooperate? Is anyone else just really tired? That said‚ one thing in favor of I.S.S. is that it’s directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite‚ who made the extraordinary documentary Blackfish. The script is by Nick Shafir‚ and the excellent cast includes Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)‚ Chris Messina (Birds of Prey)‚ Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones)‚ John Gallagher Jr. (Westworld)‚ Costa Ronin (The Americans)‚ and Masha Mashkova. I.S.S. is in theaters January 19‚ 2024.

All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Evergreen by Devin Greenlee‚ an urban fairytale about a dryad who risks immortality for love—out from Entangled Teen on January 16‚ 2024. All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. Flowers‚ plants‚ the generations-old garden. What he wouldn’t give for a taste of the outside world. Normalcy. But his mom won’t let him out of the house‚ telling him he’s just not ready… All because he’s a dryad. Well‚ not just any dryad‚ but a male dryad—the first ever. And unlike everyone else in his family‚ he hasn’t a lick of magic. Just a shock of green hair‚ matching green eyes‚ and a growing frustration that there’s an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. Until the night when the outside world—specifically his new neighbor—discovers him. Liam Watson lives in a culture filled with electronics‚ mobile devices‚ and social media—where there is no magic or even the belief in it. And as much as Quill finds Liam irritating (he’s so cute it’s annoying)‚ he can’t help himself. Now Quill’s getting a taste of the outside world and of Liam… and he wants more. But all is not well in this magical‚ urban garden‚ and someone—or something—is changing the very essence of it. And wherever Quill goes‚ the danger grows…     “Listen to me‚” I say through gritted teeth‚ pointing at him and walking toward him. “I’ve had it. I’m done with all of it.” He’s taking steps backward on the creaking walkway‚ but I’m cornering him. “Take a fucking hint. Stay. Out. Of. My. House.” He stops in his tracks and his face twists in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’ve never been inside your house.” “Bullshit.” I’m so angry that my limbs are shaking. It’s almost hard to keep my balance‚ but my vision is zeroed on to him. “I know you crawled through my window the other night and you tried to do it again now.” “Wait‚ you think I broke in?” Buy it Now “Yeah‚ and you make a really shitty thief.” It’s taking all of my self-control to not scream at him. He holds up his hands. “Quill‚ I hate to break it to you‚ but I’m not a criminal and your house reeks of flowers. I’m allergic. Honestly‚ I was closing your window because the smell keeps getting into mine. Except I didn’t want to be rude the first time I met you.” I stop moving and narrow my eyes as my thoughts freeze. That’s one thing I never expected. “You’re allergic to flowers?” “Horribly. My eyes were burning out of my skull. You would’ve heard me coughing and sneezing way before I could make it out of your room.” I pause. It doesn’t make sense. The tension in my chest relaxes. “But if it wasn’t you‚ who was—” Suddenly the fire escape jolts‚ and my hands clutch the railing as it breaks off of the brick wall. An instantaneous jolt of panic rushes through my body as I grip the bar‚ holding on for dear life. Holy fuck‚ this cannot be happening right now. My feet slip from beneath me‚ falling to one knee as the metal digs into my leg. Pain shoots through my shin.   After all these years of wear and tear‚ this much weight finally made it give way. The whole walkway swings to the side‚ throwing me to my knees. I scramble to get my balance‚ but my fear is making me flail. I roll and slide to the edge where I climbed out of my room‚ holding onto anything I can get my hands on. I’m thinking as fast as I can for a way to save myself‚ but I can’t process fast enough to make a plan. I’m just reacting as quickly as I can‚ breath catching in my throat. I get my grip on the metal right as I’m about to fall off the second story. The scaffolding halts‚ leaving me dangling above the ground. “Quill! Are you okay?” Liam shouts. I can’t see him‚ but I hear his footsteps edging toward me. “I’m gonna fall!” My breath is rasping and I’m desperately looking for some way‚ any way‚ to get back up. Please dear nature‚ this can’t be how it ends. I’m twenty feet off the ground with nothing but hard concrete below me. Holy shit‚ I’m gonna fall and break my neck. He appears above me and reaches down. “Grab my hand!” My sweaty hands are slipping. If I let go right now‚ I don’t know if I can hang on. I don’t even know if he’s strong enough to pull me back up. My pulse is racing and my muscles are losing strength more and more by the second. I will fall if I don’t at least try to reach for him. As soon as I let go to take hold of him‚ the bar holding me up breaks. He manages to catch my arm just in time. “Hold on to me!” Liam says‚ gripping my hand as tight as he can. My skin is stretching as it presses against his. His muscles feel like they’re doing everything they can to pull me up‚ but he’s shaking. I don’t think he can do it. He’s trying to save me‚ and it’s gonna end up pulling us both over the edge. I’m not worried for myself anymore—I’m worried for him. It doesn’t last long‚ though. More screeching and cracking metal rings through the night. The railing he’s clinging to comes unhinged‚ and we go flying toward the pavement‚ panels of steel tumbling after.   Excerpted from Evergreen‚ copyright © 2024 by Devin Greenlee.

In a nationally televised face-off‚ Govs. Ron DeSantis‚ R-Fla.‚ and Gavin Newsom‚ D-Calif.‚ on Thursday night debated‚ among other things‚ whether school libraries should carry explicit content on their shelves. When two high-profile state officials spar over an issue on prime-time TV‚ policies related to that issue are likely to be a topic for other state lawmakers when they go back into session in January.  Researchers at The Heritage Foundation have found that books depicting sex acts and promoting the ambiguous ideas of “gender” are‚ in fact‚ landing in school libraries. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Educators have a responsibility to present students with accurate‚ age-appropriate material‚ and teachers should discuss the teaching of personal topics‚ such as sex‚ with parents before talking with students about them. On sex education‚ some states such as Arizona have opt-in and opt-out policies‚ where educators must get express permission from parents before students take sex-education classes‚ but most states only have opt-out rules that allow parents to remove their child from a sex-education class after parents discover what their child is learning. Florida’s State Board of Education took a proactive step last year and prohibited the teaching of “gender‚” a loose term that defies a clear biological definition‚ in grades 4 through 12. (State law already prohibited the teaching in K-3.) But what about student access to library books? State policymakers trying to protect children from content deemed inappropriate for different grade levels should consider what books students can scan at the checkout desk. Officials should design policies that do not allow school board members to “ban” a book only because the board disagrees with it. School board members’ and teachers’ priority should be to consider whether material is age appropriate and create processes by which educators can work alongside parents to decide the books librarians keep in stock. The South Carolina State Board of Education is considering a regulation that would help parents and teachers as they choose the instructional materials used in schools‚ including library books. The regulation states that teachers and school boards must determine whether library books are “age and developmentally appropriate” and “educationally suitable” for South Carolina students. School district officials must post a list of all the library books available in district schools on their websites‚ helping to make school materials more transparent for moms and dads. As school personnel choose instructional materials and books for use in classrooms and libraries‚ they must review the materials’ “academic or educational rigor” and “educational significance‚” as well as the materials’ “validity‚ accuracy‚ objectivity‚ currency‚ and appropriateness‚” and whether a particular item is of high quality. Parents can file a complaint against a book or set of materials with which they disagree‚ but individuals must show in their complaint that they have read or viewed the book or media they are requesting be removed. School board members must consider any complaints in a public meeting and decide whether the books or media being considered meet the “rigor” and “accuracy” criteria described in the regulation. Lawmakers in Florida and Georgia adopted similar provisions in 2022‚ and Texas officials did so earlier this year. Florida’s new law contains provisions that require school districts to make the selection process for instructional materials open to the public‚ while Georgia’s law creates a process by which parents can object to certain materials. For the last two years‚ Oklahoma policymakers have considered proposals that define the ways in which educators would select age-appropriate materials. Newsom may call such proposals “book banning‚” but most of the books that groups such as PEN America claim are banned are still readily available on school library shelves. Lawmakers concerned with rigor and accuracy in schools are not “banning” quality material. They are doing their due diligence to protect children from explicit content and keep parents involved in schools. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Lawmakers Are Checking on School Libraries. Here’s What Parents Need to Know. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A Hunter Biden business entity tied to China made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden in the months leading up to the former vice president’s announcement that he would run for president in 2020‚ according to newly released subpoenaed bank records from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.  The monthly payments came from Owasco PC‚ which Hunter Biden set up as a business entity. Biden‚ the president’s 53-year-old son‚ is under federal investigation for using Owasco PC’s corporate account to commit alleged tax crimes. Owasco PC has links to Chinese energy company CEFC‚ where the younger Biden was a partner.  This is at least the third example of a direct payment to Joe Biden that stems from a family-owned business entity. What appears to be different here is that the payments came directly from a Biden company. Two previous payments appeared to filter indirectly through the president’s ounger brother‚ James Biden.  Owasco-JoeBiden-PaymentsDownload House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer‚ R-Ky.‚ noted in a video statement that the president previously claimed there was an “absolute wall” between his official government duties and his family’s business; claimed his family didn’t receive money from China; and claimed he didn’t talk to his son about his business dealings. On each‚ Comer said‚ “This was a lie.” ?BREAKING?Hunter Biden’s business entity‚ Owasco PC‚ made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden. The bank records don't lie.Owasco PC received payments from Chinese-state linked companies &; other shady entities. Joe Biden knew &; benefitted from his family's business schemes. pic.twitter.com/MfvtA4yEZU— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) December 4‚ 2023 “Now‚ Hunter Biden’s legal team and the White House’s media allies claim Hunter’s corporate entities never made payments directly to Joe Biden‚” Comer said. “We can officially add this latest talking point to the list of lies.” “Today‚ the House Oversight Committee is releasing subpoenaed bank records that show Hunter Biden’s business entity‚ Owasco PC‚ made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden‚” the Kentucky Republican said. “This wasn’t a payment from Hunter Biden’s personal account but an account for his corporation that received payments from China and other shady corners of the world‚” Comer added. The oversight panel is one of three House committees leading an impeachment inquiry into the senior Biden’s activities for evidence of influence peddling. The committee subpoenaed the financial records of Hunter Biden and of James Biden in September. OwascoSubpoenasDownload The House-obtained records show that Hunter Biden’s business account‚ Owasco PC‚ received payments from companies linked to Communist China and from other foreign nationals and companies. Records released by the committee show one monthly payment in September 2018 for $1‚380. Also that year‚ James Biden wrote two separate checks to Joe Biden for $200‚000 and $40‚000‚ respectively. The checks were marked as “loan repayments‚” but Comer’s committee has tied the payments directly to Biden family business transactions.  An FBI confidential informant said in a formal document that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid a $5 million bribe to Joe Biden and another $5 million to Hunter Biden in 2016 when Biden was still Barack Obama’s vice president.  While he was vice president‚ Biden met with or communicated with several of his son’s business partners‚ records show. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Bank Records Show China-Linked Company Made Direct Payments to Joe Biden appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Remember Threads – the app launched by Meta (Instagram) as a Twitter clone‚ just as the legacy media were ramping up anti-Twitter (X) sentiment and hoping to sway users away from that platform? Some data shows that as many as 80 percent of those who initially signed up for Threads have in the meantime indeed forgotten about it‚ and new statements coming from the top Instagram exec might be a good reason for those who haven’t done it yet to stop using the app. Namely‚ Adam Mosseri believes that allowing Threads users to filter search results as they wish is a bad idea. This is seen by critics as effectively introducing yet another nuance of censorship. The logic‚ if any‚ behind it‚ is that the option to have access to search results sorted chronologically would “create a substantial safety loophole.” Not even a Verge reporter was clear on what that explanation was even supposed to mean. So they quizzed Mosseri in the comments‚ and this is the “clarification” the Instagram boss offered: “Having a comprehensive list of *every* post with a specific word in chronological order inevitably means spammers and other bad actors pummel the view with content by simply adding the relevant words or tags.” It looks like a fine example of the need to adhere to certain “censorship standards” – and also‚ Meta’s inherent urge to do as little work as possible‚ for the most profit imaginable. In that same response‚ Mosseri pretty much admitted to that last point (or maybe both points)‚ adding‚ “And before you ask why we don’t take down that bad content‚ understand there’s a lot more content that people don’t want to see than we can or should take down.” A bold statement about Meta knowing what “people don’t want to see” – and that even what they “shouldn’t take down” still needs to be removed. What not providing chronological search means is simple: Meta arbitrarily decides what is visible to users‚ rather than providing them with that’s relevant to their query. Mosseri for his part‚ in the same thread‚ manages to make things sound even worse: “You can show results in chronological order‚ but you then need to omit bad content that does not quote (sic; probably misspelling of‚ “quite”) cross the line and qualify to get taken down.” Translation: Meta and its major platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and even minor ones‚ like Threads‚ continue to censor even the content that their own rules and guidelines can’t quite accuse of crossing any lines that would warrant takedowns. This policy is not new. Mosseri says they do it because they “need to.” Who is making them? Hardly Meta’s own business instincts – and‚ hardly because people “don’t want to see” what they are actually searching for. The post Threads To Block Chronological Feeds To Maintain Censorship Control appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post The Secretive Government Program That Allows Law Enforcement To Access Phone Records of Innocent US Citizens appeared first on Reclaim The Net.