News The Animal Kingdom The Animal Kingdom Trailer Introduces a Different Kind of Mutants The moody French film comes from director Thomas Cailley By Molly Templeton | Published on February 8‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Here is a mutant story that’s intriguing enough to make me forget all about the X-Men. In director Thomas Cailley’s new film‚ The Animal Kingdom‚ people are mutating into hybrid creatures‚ part animal‚ part human—maybe they grow wings‚ or scales‚ or claws and much‚ much sharper teeth. Young Emile (Paul Kircher)’s mom is one of those mutants‚ and when she goes missing‚ he and his father are desperate to find her before something terrible happens. Here’s the synopsis: In The Animal Kingdom‚ a visionary new thriller that drops viewers into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures‚ François (Roman Duris) does everything he can to save his wife‚ who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest‚ François embarks with Emile (Paul Kircher)‚ their 16-year-old son‚ on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer (Adèle Exarchopoulos). From acclaimed director Thomas Cailley‚ the film world premiered as the opening night selection of Cannes Un Certain Regard. What the summary does not say but the striking trailer definitely shows is that Emile is also undergoing a major change—and this is not your normal sort of puberty. Reviewing the film‚ Variety‘s Peter Debruge said‚ “The Animal Kingdom isn’t a traditional genre movie so much as a coming-of-age story with a creature-feature twist — picture a moody French Teen Wolf‚ minus the laughs.” Cailley’s influences run from Starship Troopers to the work of Hayao Miyazaki; the director said in a press statement‚ “I am very keen on the eruption of fantasy into our everyday lives.” The Animal Kingdom is co-written by Cailley and Pauline Munier. It’s in theaters and on digital March 15th.[end-mark] The post <;i>;The Animal Kingdom<;/i>; Trailer Introduces a Different Kind of Mutants appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Teen Horror Time Machine Killer Romance: First Date and Last Date  ’90s Teen Horror will make you rethink your Valentine’s plans. By Alissa Burger | Published on February 8‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Often in ‘90s teen horror‚ the protagonists go looking for love in all the wrong places‚ though they don’t usually realize their mistake until they’re fighting for their lives. They may be searching for that special someone‚ or for genuine connection with another person‚ but these teens’ dating lives are often just as strongly influenced by peer pressure‚ the need to feel seen and validated by someone else‚ and the desire to not be alone‚ even if that means settling for someone whose warning flags include being oddly secretive‚ potentially dangerous‚ or even a suspected murderer. In R.L. Stine’s First Date (1992) and Diane Hoh’s Last Date (1994)‚ the young women may each have their own agenda on the dating scene‚ but they end up just lucky to have survived.  Stine’s First Date is part of his Fear Street series. The book adds some new blood to Shadyside‚ with a handful of teens all moving to town around the same time: Chelsea Richards‚ Will Blakely‚ and Tim Sparks. Chelsea has had some trouble making friends since moving to Shadyside and the one friend she has made‚ Nina‚ spends all of her time obsessing about drama with her boyfriend Doug. No matter what Chelsea is talking about‚ Nina always has one eye over Chelsea’s shoulder‚ waiting for Doug to walk into the room‚ running to his side the second he does so. When Chelsea calls Nina in a panic after her father’s restaurant is robbed and he’s taken to the hospital in dire condition‚ asking Nina to come spend the night at her house so she doesn’t have to be alone after this traumatic experience‚ Nina quickly agrees‚ but then brings Doug along and starts making out with him in Chelsea’s living room‚ rather than asking how Chelsea’s doing and what she needs. Nina definitely sets a bad precedent for what it means to have a boyfriend and how that relationship negatively impacts and compromises every other aspect of her life‚ but Chelsea still thinks it looks pretty great and is anxious to find a guy of her own.  Chelsea ends up with two guys to choose from‚ both of whom are tall‚ dark‚ and handsome‚ but only one of whom is an actual murderer. Will Blakely and Tim Sparks both have dark hair‚ leather jackets‚ and notably toned biceps‚ and Chelsea finds herself curious about each of them in different ways. Will sits next to her in homeroom at Shadyside High and while he doesn’t say much or reveal too many details about his past or where he was before he came to Shadyside‚ Chelsea figures that’s just because he’s shy. Sparks doesn’t go to their school‚ but Chelsea keeps bumping into him when she waitresses at her father’s restaurant in the Old Village. Sparks is more of the brooding and mysterious type‚ tough and angry‚ but alluring. Chelsea thinks Sparks could be potentially dangerous and might have even been part of the gang that came in to rob the restaurant and assault her father‚ the point guy sent to scope things out and report back to the others before they make their move. So he might’ve almost killed her dad‚ but he’s still hot. All the way through First Date‚ Chelsea goes back and forth between these two boys‚ trying to figure out which one she likes‚ what secrets they’re keeping‚ which ones she wants to go on a date with‚ and whether or not she really should.  Stine keeps the reader guessing throughout the first half of the book‚ starting with the first chapter‚ in which Mr. Tall‚ Dark‚ and Handsome murders a teenage girl in another town on another date‚ before heading to Shadyside. There are some warning signs for both of these guys: Will has a length of rope in his pocket that he’s always pulling out when Chelsea isn’t looking and one night after Sparks leaves the restaurant‚ he goes back to a dark apartment alone‚ and‚ overcome by rage‚ throws a telephone through a window. In addition to these individualized scenes of troubling behavior‚ Stine also gives brief chapters where readers see from the killer’s perspective‚ without any indication of which of the two guys this is. Through these depersonalized scenes‚ readers learn that he kills because he was abandoned by his mother‚ who took his sister with her when she left the boy’s abusive father‚ but left him behind to a horrifying and traumatic childhood. (We never learn whether this is true. His mother didn’t tell him goodbye and he hasn’t heard from her since. Another possibility might be that his father killed them both‚ then lied to the boy.) Abandoned and abused‚ he decides the only way to get revenge on his mother is by killing other women‚ particularly ones that bear a strong resemblance to her‚ with long‚ dark hair. Just in case readers start to maybe sympathize with the killer‚ though‚ there’s also a scene where he strangles a kitten‚ so tragic backstory or not‚ he’s a terrible‚ horrible person.   Will asks Chelsea out on a date and she’s so happy to finally have a guy interested in her that it doesn’t set off any alarm bells when he asks her to keep the date a secret and takes her to nearby Waynesbridge so no one from Shadyside sees them together. He tells her “Let’s make it a secret date … Don’t tell anyone. Let’s make it our private‚ secret date. Just for us” (66). Instead of being suspicious or unsettled by this request‚ Chelsea thinks it’s “so romantic” (66)‚ that Will would want to have their connection be something intimate and separate from the real world. Both Nina and Chelsea’s mom are unflatteringly shocked when they find out there’s a guy interested in Chelsea‚ so it could also be that she doesn’t want to have those awkward and insulting conversations either‚ though that’s a whole separate challenge and might provide some clues as to why Chelsea has such a low opinion of herself and is so desperate for validation.  Things take a sinister turn when an FBI agent shows up at Chelsea’s house‚ asking if she’s seen any new guys in town with dark hair and leather jackets‚ and in a book full of intimidating and potentially dangerous men‚ he is another one‚ “an enormous‚ hulking man in a dark trench coat … with the coldest eyes she had ever seen” (105). Sparks comes immediately to Chelsea’s mind and when he comes to see her at the restaurant‚ she calls the FBI agent and turns him in. By this point in First Date‚ Stine has let readers in on the secret that Will’s the killer‚ including his plan to get Chelsea alone and murder her‚ presenting Chelsea as kind of a patsy for not having put the pieces together sooner as she makes one misjudgement after another. It’s messier than that though‚ because it’s not like Sparks comes into the restaurant being gentlemanly and asking Chelsea for a date: he shows up drunk‚ tries to isolate and corner her in the kitchen after the restaurant has closed‚ and is angry when she turns him down‚ telling her she should be more “friendly” (120) and that he’s “just playing” (121). While Chelsea’s first instinct is to escape and put as much distance between herself and Sparks as possible‚ when he slips and burns his hand on the flat top grill in the restaurant’s kitchen‚ she stops to take care of him and calls for medical assistance (though she does also call the FBI agent). Will takes Chelsea home—her knight in shining armor—and then tries to kill her‚ which starts a domino effect‚ because after he learns that Chelsea told Nina about their secret date‚ he decides he really needs to kill Nina too‚ just to cover his bases. Chelsea pretends to be dead‚ then reappears to surprise Will and save Nina‚ just in time for the FBI agents to arrive and arrest Will. Chelsea seems to be gaining a sense of her own self-worth‚ telling Will “I’m not as stupid as you think” (162)‚ though this is pretty quickly compromised when she goes to the hospital to see Sparks and apologizes for thinking he was a murderer and protecting herself against his drunken‚ threatening advances the night before. She tells him she feels “so guilty”(164) and when he tells her that he ran away from home because of his parents’ fighting and has been trying to make it on his own in Shadyside‚ that apparently excuses weeks of suspicious‚ disturbing‚ and even potentially violent behavior. In the book’s final scene‚ Sparks asks Chelsea out and she says yes‚ telling him “It’s bound to be better than my first date!” (165‚ emphasis original)‚ though that’s an incredibly low bar and seems to suggest that Chelsea hasn’t learned anything at all about trusting her instincts‚ valuing herself‚ or making good choices when it comes to guys.  While Chelsea is blindsided by the complex intricacies of the dating scene‚ in Hoh’s Nightmare Hall book Last Date‚ Demi Blake starts going on dates with an ulterior motive of her own. The Shadyside University student newspaper is running a new segment called CALL ME‚ where students can publish anonymous blurbs about themselves and fellow students interested in a date can call a number and leave a message. It’s kind of like a blind date telephone dating service that students can use to “find a good time‚ a new scene—or maybe even true love” (5). There are plenty of potential problems and dangers with this scenario‚ all of which Demi’s friend Shannon Thompson tries to warn her about‚ telling Demi “anything could happen!” (3). Demi’s not worried‚ responding that “That’s just it … I want something to happen. I’m bored” (3‚ emphasis original)‚ which of course is a perfectly acceptable reason for a young woman to put herself in a potentially dangerous situation alone with a stranger. The plot thickens when Demi decides that rather than using the personals column for her own private entertainment‚ she’ll write a feature column about it for the school paper‚ making fun of the terrible dates she goes on and ridiculing the guys who ask her out.  These dates are (unsurprisingly) bad. First there’s Lance‚ a French major who takes her to a French movie and whispers the translations in her ear‚ even though there are subtitles on the screen and she asks him to please stop. Then there’s a creepy guy named Phillip who gets mad when Demi tries to end their date after pizza and a movie‚ turning down his offers to make out or go on another date‚ demanding “Do you think you’re too good for me? Is that it?” (30). Andrew is the worst though‚ a guy who responded to the personals ad as a dare from his fraternity brothers‚ though when he sees Demi‚ he smarmily says “wait’ll the guys hear about you. You’re no joke” (53). He doesn’t ask her what she wants to do or where she wants to go‚ telling her that they’re going to see a Clint Eastwood movie and driving her to a steakhouse in the middle of nowhere even though Demi asks him to take her home instead. When he stops at a pool hall after that and kisses her‚ Demi pushes him off and tells him enough is enough. Andrew loses it‚ telling her “I take you out‚ a loser babe so desperate she has to get dates in the personals column. And this is the thanks I get … Wait’ll the brother’s hear about this. You’ll never have a date in this town again” (60). Then he drives off‚ leaving her stranded at a seedy pool hall on a dark road in the middle of the night. Demi’s personal column dating life is further complicated by the fact that every guy she goes on one of these blind dates with ends up assaulted‚ missing‚ or dead. Lance is nearly killed in a hit and run and Phillip almost dies by asphyxiating in his car‚ an attempted murder that’s set up to look like suicide. Andrew goes missing and a few days later is found dead‚ having drowned in a local quarry (though it’s hard to feel too badly about him).  Demi’s friend Shannon tries to convince her to stop going on these dates. The student editor of the paper‚ Kevin‚ is invested in the project and thinks Demi is great‚ while Kevin’s girlfriend Marge is jealous of Kevin’s interest in her‚ and is prepared to sabotage the whole thing. Demi also has a jealous ex-boyfriend named Jack who might think he has a vested interest in this whole debacle‚ though as far as Demi is concerned‚ they are absolutely over. Demi starts getting increasingly weird calls in her answering service box for the dating column and threatening calls in her dorm room. She even starts to dream about ominous calls coming in the middle of the night‚ with a mysterious voice telling her that she’s going to die.  As the situation becomes increasingly terrifying‚ there are two guys Demi finds herself leaning on more and more: editor Kevin and Kevin’s friend Brant‚ who Demi ended up connected with through one of the dating calls and who she actually really likes. Brant was attacked and terrorized after his first date with Demi‚ just like the others‚ but he survived and lived to date another day‚ calling Demi the very next morning to ask her to go out with him again. Brant seems like a nice guy and he and Demi have a really great time together‚ while Kevin encourages Demi’s project‚ reminds her to take care of herself‚ and gives her part of his sandwich when she looks a bit peaky. Brant might have survived his first date with Demi‚ but their second date doesn’t go as well‚ when a mysterious someone pushes them both in a lake and leaves them to drown. The police come to the rescue‚ tipped off by a worried Kevin‚ who knew where they were going and that they hadn’t returned‚ but only Demi makes her way out of the lake.  Mired in a deep depression following Brant’s disappearance and presumed death‚ when Demi gets a creepy call telling her to come to the Salem University clock tower at half past midnight to find out who’s responsible for all these horrible things‚ she figures there’s no reason she shouldn’t go. She climbs the stairs of the clock tower and is surprised to find not one guy waiting there for her‚ but two. First there’s Kevin‚ who tells Demi that he lured her there for her own good‚ that he’s been “Keeping an eye on you. Taking care of you” (139). This is weird and paternalistic and though Demi tells Kevin that she doesn’t need him looking out for her‚ she is oddly reassured‚ thinking that Kevin is “so safe‚ so familiar” (139). Then Brant emerges from the shadows‚ very much alive and accusing Kevin of being the one terrorizing Demi‚ because Kevin is obsessed with Demi and was driven mad by her rejection of him. Brant confesses that their second date at the lake was a bit of a set up because “I thought that would be sure to make Kevin give himself away‚ to prove it” (142)‚ and that he let everyone think he was dead so that he could trick Kevin into revealing his true intentions. Much like Will and Sparks in First Date‚ there’s not a clear frontrunner here and both Kevin and Brant are problematic in their own ways‚ though Kevin’s the one Demi decides to brain with a flashlight (and rightly so‚ because he really is the bad guy‚ though her thought processes in making this determination remain a bit muddy). And like First Date‚ Last Date ends with—you guessed it—another date‚ with Demi deciding that Brant’s pretty great‚ even if he did use her as bait to try to trap a murderer. Beyond each young woman’s individual encounters‚ what is particularly disturbing about both First Date and Last Date is the overwhelming sense of entitlement of some of the men in these books. The way they see it‚ they’re doing these women a favor by going out with them and because they’re so darn charitable‚ their dates should do whatever the guys want. Throughout First Date‚ multiple characters—including Chelsea herself—remark that Chelsea is “short and dumpy” (10)‚ and that she’s just fortunate that any guy would pay attention to her at all. Her mom tells Chelsea that she’d be really pretty if she lost some weight and wore some makeup‚ and when Will is dragging what he thinks is Chelsea’s dead body into the bushes next to her house‚ he wonders “Why hadn’t he picked someone a little lighter?” (146). When Chelsea and Nina fight back against being murdered‚ Will is annoyed that they’re making things so hard for him‚ wishing they’d just sit still and let him get it over with so he can escape the FBI and get on with his life. In Last Date‚ Phillip and Andrew both feel that Demi owes them her time‚ attention‚ and (to some extent at least) her body because they have taken her out on a date and paid for dinner and a movie.  This isn’t limited to the specific guys that Chelsea and Demi date‚ either. Early in First Date‚ when Chelsea is walking home and thinking about how lonely she is‚ a carload of guys pull up alongside her and begin harassing her. These boys are all strangers and when one of them asks her out‚ they all laugh. They try to convince her to get in the car with them‚ telling her she really ought to be “friendly” (19)‚ and when she refuses‚ one of them throws a lit cigarette at her before they speed off. Even then‚ in the midst of her fear and relief‚ she stops to think “If only something good would happen to me … If only I could meet a guy who liked me” (20‚ emphasis original). In Last Date‚ when Demi goes to the movies with Andrew‚ his fraternity brothers are waiting at the same theatre‚ there for the express purpose of ogling and ridiculing his date.  In First Date and Last Date‚ both Chelsea and Demi are looking for a good time and are willing to go on some pretty sketchy dates to try to find it. Demi’s self-esteem is a lot less tied up in what guys think of her and she’s a lot more outspoken about how she deserves to be treated and what she will and won’t put up with‚ but in the end she still lets this dating game take over her life and endanger her well-being. There are only a couple of truly dangerous guys in the mix (if we define “dangerous” as being capable of murder)‚ but there’s no shortage of creepy‚ entitled‚ and boorish ones as well. Chelsea and Demi both end up happily paired off at the end of their respective books‚ but are these really very satisfying or healthy conclusions? In First Date‚ Sparks’ behavior was legitimately scary on more than one occasion and he likely still has plenty of unresolved anger issues‚ and in Last Date‚ Brant was willing to gamble with Demi’s life to try to catch a killer and then let her believe he was dead as part of his long-con to unmask Kevin. If these are the best romantic heroes on offer‚ it’s probably best to just stay home alone with a good book. [end-mark] The post Killer Romance: <;i>;First Date<;/i>; and <;i>;Last Date<;/i>;  appeared first on Reactor.

After recruiting Fuuka you’ll eventually unlock the Theurgy. We’ll go over all the Theurgy abilities and how to unlock them in Persona 3 Reload. Each party member has a few Theurgy attacks that take a while to prepare‚ but once they’re ready they can unleash devastating damage or incredible buffs. How to unlock all Theurgy abilities in Persona 3 Reload Theurgy abilities will unlock for all current characters by 6/13‚ allowing them and their Personas to work in tandem to inflict high amounts of damage or aid the party in some way. How you can unlock all Theurgy abilities in Persona 3 Reload is by unlocking Ultimate Personas and progressing through the game. The main protagonist has his own array of Theurgy abilities‚ while your other party members will have two. Your party members will unlock a second Theurgy if you’ve unlocked their Ultimate Persona by maxing out their Social Link. Their Theurgy gauges will charge up depending on which character it i...

Helldivers 2 offers a space frigate load of customization options. You can express yourself on the battlefield‚ but what good is that if your ship has an awful name? If you don’t want to be the laughingstock of the fleet‚ here’s how to rename your ship in Helldivers 2. How to change your ship name in Helldivers 2 After beating the Tutorial‚ you can name your ship from two lists to create a title. Unfortunately‚ there’s no way to use a fully custom name‚ so those who want to call their Super Destroyer the Enterprise may be disappointed. Screenshot: PC Invasion If you’ve committed the cardinal sin of misnaming your ship‚ it’s easy to change. Use the Ship Management computer to the left of the Armory. In the Destroyer tab‚ press Square (X on an Xbox controller)‚ and you change your Ship name. It’s as simple as that‚ and you can change names as often as you like. Although most are level-locked‚ you can also buy new Stratagems ...

Nothing like being rewarded for enjoying watching someone else play a game. Here are all the Skull and Bones Twitch drops and how to claim them. Skull and Bones: All Twitch drops &; how to claim them Skull and Bones will be released on February 16‚ but every single player can take part in its open beta. This open beta will last from February 8 to February 11‚ and for every player who wants to try it‚ Ubisoft and Twitch have a little surprise for all of you. If you want to have a very exotic pet worthy of a very suspicious and charismatic businessman’s animal collection – a Snow Leopard pet – then you will need to claim the famous Twitch drops. This will involve consuming some Skull and Bones content from authorized streamers‚ so be sure to check out how to claim this very special Skull and Bones Twitch drop: Open Twitch and create an account if you don’t have one before. Tune in to one of the participating live channels that are streaming the gam...

It’s interesting or funny that we’re three months into the Modern Warfare 3 life and the game is still getting hit with errors. For Season Two‚ players are now facing a “something went wrong” error‚ which we thankfully have a guide for. There’s a new error called “You do not have permission to play with users on other platforms‚” and we’ll show how to fix it in Modern Warfare 3.  Modern Warfare 3: how to fix the ‘you do not have permission to play with users on other platforms’ error What makes this error interesting is that it seems to be impacting only PS5 and PS4 owners. Which is weird because it’s a crossplay issue. But like the Travis Rilea 14515 error‚ it can be easy to fix. You only need to toggle crossplay on and off.  Steps to fix the error Head to the game’s options‚ and look for Account and Network. Crossplay will be the first setting to pick. Make sure it is toggled on. Once it’s on‚ exit the game‚ and then...

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL — The chairmen of two House of Representatives subcommittees are calling on D.C. authorities to preserve the remains of “The Five” aborted baby bodies. “Our subcommittees are conducting oversight of the District of Columbia’s and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) enforcement of federal law‚” Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Chairman Chip Roy and Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Chairman Andy Biggs say in the letter‚ addressed to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department’s chief‚ Pamela Smith. Roy‚ a Republican‚ represents Texas. Biggs‚ also a Republican‚ represents Arizona. “On February 5‚ 2024‚ The Daily Signal reported that DOJ had advised the Washington‚ D.C.‚ Medical Examiner to dispose of the remains of five preborn children whose bodies were allegedly recovered from the Washington Surgi-Clinic‚” the lawmakers write in the letter‚ a copy of which was first obtained by The Daily Signal. “We strongly urge you to reconsider this decision and request that you preserve this evidence.” The D.C. medical examiner has had those baby remains‚ recovered from a D.C. abortion clinic‚ in its possession for almost two years now. Pro-lifers believe the babies may have been illegally aborted in violation of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act or the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act. The Daily Signal reported late Monday that Thomas More Society lawyer Martin Cannon “got a call from the Medical Examiner’s Office indicating that the DOJ has advised them that there is no reason to keep those babies anymore.” Cannon is representing pro-life activist Lauren Handy‚ who faces charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Handy says the babies are important evidence in defending her from the DOJ’s charges. The medical examiner denied to The Daily Signal that it has been in contact with the DOJ‚ but has refused to address further requests for comment. The DOJ declined to comment at all. Cannon insists that his story is true. 2024-02-08-Roy-Biggs-to-Bowser-Smith-re-DC5Download Biggs and Roy emphasize that a violation of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is a serious accusation‚ “and one that should not be taken lightly.” “Despite this significant claim‚ both the MPD and DOJ chose to ignore any potential evidence of a crime for two years‚” they write. “Now‚ DOJ has reportedly directed the Medical Examiner that ‘there is no reason to keep those babies anymore.'” “Serious questions remain about the circumstances of these children’s deaths‚” they conclude. “This situation demands congressional oversight‚ and you have already received requests from Congress to preserve evidence in this case. If partial birth abortions were conducted on these unborn children‚ that is a violation of federal law and should be investigated as such. However‚ if the evidence in this case is destroyed‚ any future investigation will be severely hampered.” Bowser and the MPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Signal. 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 EXCLUSIVE: House Subcommittee Chairmen Pressure DC Mayor‚ Police to Preserve Aborted Baby Remains appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Recently‚ the legislature in my home state of Alabama told public four-year colleges to report how much they spend on “diversity‚ equity and inclusion.” The amount: $16.2 million. Are taxpayers getting anything for this money? DEI advocates say it’s a good investment. Paulette Granberry Russell‚ the president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education‚ says that anti-DEI legislation ultimately would prevent historically marginalized students from fully engaging in higher education. But is that true? To find out‚ I looked at spending on DEI programs at prominent colleges and enrollment of black students at those schools. Auburn University and the University of Alabama reported DEI budgets of $3 million each‚ according to AL.com. The University of Alabama enrolled 4‚344 blacks in 2022 (less than 12% of its student body) and Auburn University 1‚560 blacks (less than 5% of its students)‚ according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. How about outside Alabama? The University of Michigan reportedly spends more than $18 million on DEI staff and benefits‚ yet in 2022 blacks made up less than 5% of undergraduates there. George Mason University in Northern Virginia has “a ratio of 7.4 DEI staff per 100 faculty‚” yet  blacks made up just over 11% of students there in 2022. How much did Troy University‚ where I teach‚ spend on DEI? Zero dollars. Yet Troy enrolled 4‚421 blacks in 2022—almost 32% of its student population. Instead of feeding bloated DEI bureaucrats on Troy’s campus‚ the school actively recruits international students from across the world to our small town in southeast Alabama—hence our nickname “Alabama’s international university.” Troy University has achieved diversity in part by rejecting DEI‚ which negatively affects organizational culture‚ fostering fear and resentment rather than friendship‚ openness and dialogue. Ironically‚ DEI racially discriminates to remedy past racism. It stifles viewpoint diversity by bureaucratizing speech restrictions with bias-reporting systems and response teams. It mandates ideological diversity and sensitivity training‚ seeking to compel acceptance of controversial and suspect premises. Some DEI initiatives are absurd. For instance‚ the Federal Aviation Administration’s DEI plan recommends hiring employees with psychiatric and “severe” intellectual disabilities. Will those qualities make flying safer? DEI is dehumanizing‚ classifying people by immutable characteristics‚ not by the choices they make that reflect their character‚ individuality or excellence. The salaries of DEI officers at public universities are considerably higher than most faculty salaries‚ despite the dearth of evidence that DEI works. The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant to study why its $365 million investment in diversity failed to increase female representation in engineering. The Heritage Foundation discovered that students at the Power Five collegiate athletic conference universities with numerous DEI staff feel less‚ rather than more‚ welcome on campus. It also found that black and Hispanic students suffered larger learning losses in public school districts with chief diversity officers. Even among private firms‚ diversity programs fail. A recent New York Times headline asked‚ “What if Diversity Training is Doing More Harm Than Good?” Intimidation and resentment—products of DEI—are not conducive to learning or community. The Supreme Court recently struck down the affirmative action programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Bills limiting or defunding DEI programs at public universities have passed or been introduced in numerous jurisdictions‚ including Alabama. It’s time for public universities to be more like Troy University‚ which diversifies its student body by concentrating on education‚ its stated mission‚ and not on divisive concepts that too often accompany DEI training and bureaucracy. The university’s motto reads‚ “Educate the mind to think‚ the heart to feel‚ and the body to act.” These words apply to all races‚ uniting diverse peoples across cultures and traditions. My colleagues and I take this motto seriously. And the racial and demographic statistics of our student body demonstrate the merit and effectiveness of our approach. You can’t legislate‚ coerce or command a welcoming environment. But you can nurture an institutional culture in which students and faculty feel they belong. 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 Troy University Proves You Don’t Need DEI to Achieve Campus Diversity appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Charlie Angus‚ a longstanding New Democratic Party MP representing the Timmins-James Bay region in Canada‚ has introduced a provocative private member’s bill this week‚ known as the Fossil Fuel Advertising Act or C-372. Essentially‚ this act aims to impose penalties‚ including imprisonment‚ on those found publicly advertising praise of fossil fuels‚ even if their statements are based on accepted scientific facts. For example‚ such facts could include the statement that burning natural gas is less harmful to the environment than coal. However‚ Bill C-372 encompasses much more than just prohibiting false advertising from oil and gas companies. Heralded by Angus in the House of Commons as the oil industry’s impending “big tobacco moment‚” this reference reflects the sweeping federal ban on tobacco advertisement currently in effect in Canada. Yet‚ seeing as the NDP currently only holds 25 seats in parliament‚ it is unlikely that this private member’s bill will gain the necessary traction to pass. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Despite its slim chances of success‚ the implications of this act apply broadly. For instance‚ any Canadian found commending the oil industry or oil in general could be faced with penalties. The law stipulates a heavy fine of up to $500‚000 for individual violators‚ while oil corporations could face up to two years imprisonment or have to shoulder a $1‚000‚000 fine. Under the law‚ a wide net is cast as to what constitutes “promotion” or “advertising‚” potentially including items such as social media posts. The bill also criminalizes various common arguments in favor of oil and natural gas‚ even if they’re scientifically supported. Moreover‚ the law potentially introduces legal consequences for making arguments about fossil fuels being advantageous to the Canadian economy‚ Indigenous reconciliation‚ or Canadians’ health. The post Canada: NDP-Proposed Speech Law Calls to Jail Those That Praise Fossil Fuels appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Private search engine Mojeek‚ one of Reclaim The Net’s recommended search engines‚ has announced the launch of its new algorithm that integrates a semantic element into its search engine. This update‚ which has undergone extensive building and user testing phases‚ is now live and set to revolutionize how queries are matched to relevant pages. The traditional keyword-based approach of Mojeek has been enhanced with this semantic element. This means that pages that might not have ranked highly solely based on keywords can now achieve better visibility. The primary goal of this update is to refine search results‚ making them more relevant and user-friendly. The semantic approach addresses the limitations of keyword searches‚ such as issues with misspellings‚ synonyms‚ and polysemous words (words with multiple meanings). For example – “Light” and “Lamp.” “Light” can refer to the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible‚ but it also means not heavy. A search engine might struggle with connecting “light” to “lamp” if the context is ambiguous. Despite this new addition‚ Mojeek retains its core keyword-based search mechanism. The balance aimed here is to enhance search results without overstepping into the realm of guessing what the user intends – a common frustration with some search engines. The refinement brought about by the semantic element is particularly notable in its current application to English-language results. However‚ Mojeek plans to expand this functionality to other languages over the year. This move is part of a larger strategy to overhaul the way results are ordered‚ promising continual improvements and updates throughout the year. Mojeek has emphasized the importance of user feedback in this process‚ encouraging users to provide feedback through the Contact page or use the buttons on the results pages. The post Private Search Engine Mojeek Deploys New Algorithm That Provides Better Results for Users appeared first on Reclaim The Net.