To say I consumed this book isn’t accurate—instead‚ this book consumed me. I read it from cover to cover onboard a flight that raced the sunset; outside the window‚ the light of the world kept pushing back against the inevitable‚ encroaching dark. Within the pages of their newest novel‚ Ava Reid has written several brilliant‚ haunted individuals‚ adrift and seeking answers‚ all of which can only be found in a home built for darkness. This is a story about stories—who tells them‚ and who they’re about; if the tellers are telling the truth‚ and if the subjects can ever have power over the tellers. And what power lies within the reader’s hands? When you are witness to a beautiful lie‚ do you have an obligation to find the truth? Reid grapples with these questions of art and artistry‚ legacy and literature‚ love and power‚ abuse and survival‚ and so much more in their dazzling novel‚ A Study in Drowning. Effy Sayre is a young student in the college for architecture‚ as the university doesn’t allow women to enroll in their literary program. Belittled by many of the students around her‚ mostly male‚ haunted by visions of a character from her favorite book Angharad‚ and desperate to escape both‚ Effy believes she’s found it when she enters and wins a contest to redesign the ancestral home of Emrys Myrddin‚ the beloved and mysterious author of Angharad. Arriving at Hiraeth Manor‚ she can’t help but notice all the danger that abounds and riddles with no answers: There are no mirrors within this home; the sea threatens at the edge of the storm-wracked cliffs; Emrys’ son looks at her with a hunger that makes her stomach turn; and there is another student within the Manor. An academic rival who is determined to prove that Emrys Myrddin was a fraud‚ Preston Héloury becomes a splinter beneath Effy’s very heart. But as the two grow close‚ despite their best intentions‚ they begin to unravel the true mystery of Myrddin and Angharad‚ the truths of Effy’s childhood and her haunting visions‚ and the decrepit foundation upon which the Manor‚ and Myrddin’s life‚ was built. Buy it Now Whether it’s before‚ during‚ or after reading this excellent novel‚ I urge you‚ dear reader‚ to read this essay from Reid. I think you would find a lot in there to admire on its own‚ but having read it prior to reading A Study in Drowning‚ it gave me the proper scaffolding to embrace the book Reid put their whole heart into‚ their experiences acting as a foundation that only added to my own experience of this novel. More than that‚ it is a tremendous and vulnerable essay of Reid’s mental health history and journey‚ and the ways in which they shaped A Study in Drowning. As I read this novel‚ I found myself reflecting back on the essay they had written‚ which only made me appreciate the book more: A Study in Drowning‚ like all great art‚ becomes a time capsule for who we used to be‚ a story that‚ in the now‚ may be the very mirror another might need to see and find themselves in. And Reid holds nothing back‚ examining with brutal beauty how a young woman might contort herself‚ round and round‚ to keep herself safe from a world designed to make her feel lesser than‚ ashamed‚ hurt‚ and as small as possible. And‚ as a character towards the end of the novel aptly says‚ Reid stakes that that’s nothing to be ashamed of; in a story so centered around the idea of heroism‚ Reid asserts that in such a world‚ simply surviving‚ making one’s way through the horror and terror in a single piece‚ is absolutely enough. It casts the entire novel in a really incredible light‚ that even when Effy is at her lowest‚ when no one believes her and forces magical‚ mundane‚ and institutional threaten her in every conceivable way‚ even then‚ she picks herself up and keeps pushing. Forward‚ onward. Effy‚ at the end of everything‚ saves herself and it is beautiful. Along the way‚ Reid delivers in every possible fashion. Atmospheric‚ gothic prose‚ sentences of shadow and mist abutting against the glamour and pine of fae malice‚ pages dripping with the brine and salt of seawater and history. Amidst these landscapes‚ they give us a tender and honest slow-burn relationship between Effy and Preston‚ these two hungry young academics so eager for truth‚ each hoping to bring the other into their own worlds of warmth and wonder. And throughout it all‚ the building menace and tension as it all comes crashing together in a crescendo that had me holding my breath at 30‚000 feet. Ava Reid has quickly become an author whose every work I will read‚ no matter what. I know when I open a book they wrote‚ I will find everything I want as a reader‚ and in A Study in Drowning‚ they have once again delivered. From the prose to the characters‚ from the world to the mood‚ from page to page‚ I found only delight‚ joy‚ and an eagerness to see how it would all come together. If you’re looking for a good starting point for Ava Reid’s work‚ I couldn’t recommend A Study in Drowning highly enough. Then‚ once you’ve been blown away‚ go and read the rest of their work‚ too! A Study in Drowning is published by HarperTeen. Martin Cahill is a writer living in Queens who works as the Marketing and Publicity Manager for Erewhon Books. He has fiction work forthcoming in 2021 at Serial Box‚ as well as Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Fireside Fiction. Martin has also written book reviews and essays for Book Riot‚ Strange Horizons‚ and the Barnes and Noble SF&;F Blog. Follow him online at @mcflycahill90 and his new Substack newsletter‚ Weathervane‚ for thoughts on books‚ gaming‚ and other wonderfully nerdy whatnots.

Statue erected as symbol of unified nation being removed by Communists Biden administration

Nihilism is the religion of the Left. Anarchy is now at the core of the new Democratic Party. If the Left wished radically to alter the demography of the U.S.‚ it could have expanded legal immigration through legislation or the courts. Instead‚ it simply erased the border and dynamited federal immigration law. By fiat‚ nihilists ended the wall‚ and stopped detaining and deporting illegal aliens altogether. Or was it worse than that when candidate Joe Biden in September 2019 urged would-be illegal aliens to “surge” the border? As a result‚ through laxity and entitlement incentives‚ 8 million illegal entrants have swarmed the southern border under the Biden administration. They are swamping border towns‚ bankrupting big-city budgets‚ and infuriating even Democratic constituencies. The same nihilism applies to crime. In the old days liberals gave light sentences to criminals or reduced bail. But today leftist prosecutors do not even seek bail. They hardly prosecute theft or random assaults. Criminals are arrested and released the same day. Is the nihilist plan to destroy the entire body of American jurisprudence‚ and to ensure “equity” in being victimized? Is the woke idea that all Americans—inclusive of diverse Beverly Hills elites‚ Hollywood celebrities‚ or members of Congress alike—must share victim equity‚ and thus experience firsthand street robbery‚ car-jacking‚ smash-and-grab‚ and home invasion? The United States can produce annually more natural gas and oil than any nation on earth. It once pioneered nuclear power. It has vast coal reserves and sophisticated hydroelectric plants. The old idea was to use these unmatched resources to transition gradually to other cleaner fuels such as hydrogen‚ fusion power‚ solar‚ and wind. That way consumers would still enjoy affordable energy. And the United States could remain independent of coercion by the oil-producing Middle East. But that was not the nihilist way. Instead‚ the Left deliberately cut back on pipelines‚ new energy leases‚ and fracking. It bragged of an upcoming ban on fossil fuels. In drought-stricken‚ energy-short California‚ the state is blowing up‚ not building new dams. Is the nihilist agenda to punish with bankruptcy the energy-using middle class? Is the hope that Americans will have to beg the Saudis‚ Iranians‚ Venezuelans‚ and Russians to pump more of the hated goo for our benefit so we would not have to dirty ourselves helping ourselves? When Biden entered office in January 2021 the U.S. was naturally rebounding from more than a year of COVID-19-enforced lockdowns. Overtaxed supply chains were still fragile. Pent-up demand was soaring. Consumers were flush with government cash. Trillions of dollars had been printed and infused into the economy to ward off a feared recession. All economists advised not to increase the deficit‚ spike further consumer demand‚ and expand entitlements. Instead the Left did just the opposite. Four-trillion dollars were printed and distributed. In no time‚ Americans‚ recovering from COVID-19‚ next experienced the worst‚ but entirely preventable‚ inflation in 40 years. Three years later prices on staples remain 30%-40% higher than when Biden took office. Mortgage rates tripled. Abroad the nihilism is even more inexplicable and terrifying. All nations suffer military setbacks. But none in memory have shamefully hightailed out of a theater as we did from Afghanistan. Few countries could even imagine discarding billions of dollars of weapons and hardware into the hands of the terrorist Taliban‚ or abandoning a $1 billion new embassy‚ and a huge‚ remodeled air base. Why did the administration simply allow a huge Chinese spy balloon to float and photograph leisurely over the continental U.S.? Naive countries might endure two or three attacks on their overseas bases without serious retaliation. But how could the U.S. military permit 135 rocket barrages by Iranian-supplied terrorists on American soldiers without a major and sustained response? Is the point to humiliate our own troops? To destroy what is left of U.S. deterrence? Popular culture is especially captive to leftist nihilism. It is not enough to object to a statue or artwork. Instead‚ without deliberation or public input‚ they must be defaced or destroyed‚ all the better stealthily and by night. After the massacres of Oct. 7—but well before Israel had even responded to the barbaric invasion—thousands of students swarmed their elite universities cheering on the violence. And what so exhilarated them? The nihilist‚ ghoulish beheading‚ torture‚ mutilation‚ mass rape‚ dismemberment‚ and necrophilia of unarmed‚ civilian Israeli elderly‚ women‚ children‚ and infants. In sum‚ we are witnessing an epidemic of leftist nihilism similar to the 16th-century European mad wave of iconoclastic destruction of religious art. Or is the better parallel the suicidal insanity that Mao Zedong unleashed during his cultural revolution of the 1960s? The old politics of Right versus Left‚ and Republican opposed to Democrat have now given way to a new existential struggle: Americans must choose between civilization—or its destroyers. (C)2023 Tribune Content Agency‚ LLC. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.  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 Americans Must Choose Between Civilization—or Its Destroyers appeared first on The Daily Signal.

What if some of the antagonism around labor unions in the United States could be reduced by eliminating laws that force workers and unions alike to do things against their will? That’s what the Worker’s Choice Act‚ introduced Wednesday by Rep. Eric Burlison‚ R-Mo.‚ would do. Current law forces workers in unionized workplaces to be represented by a union even if they do not join the union and it forces unions to represent workers who do not pay union fees. The Worker’s Choice Act would allow workers who do not to pay union fees to choose their own representation‚ and it would free unions from having to represent so-called “free riders” who do not pay union fees. Under the Worker’s Choice Act‚ employees who live in the 26 “right-to-work” states that do not require workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment would no longer be forced to accept union representation that they do not want. Instead‚ they could negotiate directly with their employer‚ or choose their own outside representation.This change would apply to the 4.2 million workers in right-to-work states who are currently represented by unions. Among them‚ nearly 800‚000 currently non-paying workers would no longer be represented by unions unless they chose to begin paying for representation. The proposed law would not change anything for the 11.8 million workers in unionized workplaces in forced unionism states where the law requires workers to pay for union representation even if they do not join the union.  This freedom from union representation would be particularly helpful to workers who do not believe the union represents their interests. They may think this for any number of reasons. A worker may want to be compensated and promoted based on her performance instead of the union’s rigid seniority-based system; a worker may feel ignored and ostracized by the union that is supposed to represent him; a worker may have caregiving duties that could be alleviated through a different schedule than the union dictates; and a young worker struggling to start a family and buy a home might be better served by bigger paychecks rather than the union’s Cadillac benefits plan. Yet the bill does not only help workers. It would also free unions of their “free-rider” problem. No longer would unions have to represent workers who don’t pay for representation. This would enable unions to focus their efforts on the interests of their paying members. Without the costs of representing non-paying members‚ unions could lower their fees for those who want union representation. Moreover‚ some unions’ membership may even increase as non-members may choose to become dues-paying members to maintain their representation. Workers’ voices cannot truly be heard if workers are prevented from speaking for themselves and prevented from choosing who gets to speak for them. A 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis found that 94% of workers represented by unions did not vote for their representation. Ending forced representation would benefit workers and unions alike by freeing workers to choose their representation and freeing unions to focus their time and resources only on workers who want and are willing to pay for their representation. An upshot of this shift could be growth in alternative types of labor organizations that allow more workers to band together and benefit from their shared interests and pursuits. For example‚ as more workers are pursuing independent work that allows them to be their own bosses‚ professional organizations like the Association of Independent Doctors and the Freelancer’s Union can provide a collective voice and pooled resources to offer lower-cost products and services such as insurance‚ education‚ and advocacy. Labor unions could also offer more targeted representation services that allow individuals to represent themselves‚ in order to appeal to more workers. For example‚ the Major League Baseball Players Association sets minimum salary requirements and provides individual representation services but also allows individuals to negotiate their compensation directly with their employer. Exclusive representation muffles the voices and denies the rights of at least a minority of workers‚ and imposes undue burdens on unions. Prioritizing workers’ choices and reducing government barriers to work pursuits are crucial to elevating workers’ voices‚ improving their well-being‚ and expanding their opportunities. 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 By Ending Forced Representation‚ New Proposal in Congress Could Benefit Workers and Unions Alike appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. On Thursday‚ the US House of Representatives passed a funding bill for next year’s defense expenditures‚ which controversially incorporates a short-term extension of certain surveillance authority. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House‚ passing with a vote of 310 to 118. This count far exceeded the two-thirds majority needed for approval. Following its passage‚ the bill is now headed to the White House‚ where it awaits President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. The temporary extension in question belongs to the surveillance capabilities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)‚ which was slated to expire at year’s end and have now been renewed through April 2024. Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee led a robust effort to axe this extension‚ despite facing defeat. Notably‚ a group of thirty-five senators‚ featuring Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul‚ rallied behind him. However‚ the movement fell short of the forty-one votes needed to successfully exclude the provision. A warrantless surveillance mechanism provided for by Section 702 targets non-Americans overseas‚ a point of sensitive debate because the provision has‚ despite failed promises from the likes of the FBI to stop‚ caused surveillance of US citizens. Two improvement proposals for these mandates were put forth by Republican members but were subsequently withdrawn by House Speaker Mike Johnson amid significant intra-GOP conflicts over the issue. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie expressed his dissatisfaction with the inclusion of the FISA extension in bill. The post Congress Extends Mass Surveillance Program appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

James Bennet: The NY Times Has Gone from Liberal Bias to Illiberal Bias

Israeli Defense Minister to Biden Aide: We'll Take All the Time We Need to Destroy Hamas

Snortin' Fire at Some GOP Names Who Voted 'Yea' on FISA Reauthorization and Wouldn't Kill It in the House

In the quaint town of Suffolk‚ East Anglia‚ Codie Hutton and her beloved springer spaniel‚ Maisie‚ shared an unbreakable bond for nine years. Maisie wasn’t just a pet; she was a cherished family member‚ growing up alongside Codie and becoming her best friend over the last three years. The Hutton family adored their four-legged companion... The post Mom’s distraught at dog’s funeral but 2 days later finds out she’s alive appeared first on Animal Channel.

In December 2022‚ CBS’s Stephen Colbert proclaimed the reason why conservatives were all upset over Twitter censoring the New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop was because they wanted to see “Hunter Biden's penis pictures.” Fast forward a year to the Wednesday edition of The Late Show and Colbert was at it again‚ claiming the only dirt Republicans have on President Joe Biden as they launch their impeachment inquiry is “his son’s penis pics.” After playing a clip of GOP Rep. Pat Fallon on Fox‚ Colbert declared‚ “This started with you not liking Joe Biden and spending a year not finding a crime he committed. It's just like an episode of Law &; Order.”     Of course‚ as Colbert’s CBS colleagues informed us not that long ago‚ you don’t need to come committed an actual crime to be impeached‚ but Colbert continued with a Law &; Order parody that included the narrator declaring‚ “In the criminal justice system‚ sometimes you really want to have done something bad even if they probably didn't so you spend many months and millions of taxpayer dollars on an investigation‚ but the best you come up with is his son's penis pics." That’s not the best Republicans have come up with‚ but later in his monologue Colbert addressed Hunter not showing up for a closed door testimony with the House Oversight Committee‚ "Now‚ here's the thing‚ Hunter Biden said that he's more than willing to answer questions from Congress in an open session so everybody gets to hear the answers‚ but if they did that‚ there’d be no way for the Republicans to go on Fox News later and lie about what Hunter said. So‚ they said no to cameras inside the hearing and today‚ Hunter said‚ okay‚ I'll just to all those cameras outside and you know‚ the old man's not the only one with the Gift of Gab." Liberal comedian minds think alike as Jimmy Kimmel has essentially the same thing a few weeks back. Still‚ Colbert then played a clip of Hunter declaring that “For six years‚ MAGA Republicans‚ including members of the House committees who are in a closed door session right now have impugned my character‚ invaded my privacy‚ attacked my wife‚ my family‚ and my friends‚ They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction. They've belittled my recovery and they’ve tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass and damage my father.” To which Colbert added in another jokes that was not told four years ago‚ “Come on‚ that's not fair‚ Hunter. They also did it to fundraise.” Here is a transcript for the December 13 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 12/13/2023 11:40 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: This started with you not liking Joe Biden and spending a year not finding a crime he committed. It's just like an episode of Law &; Order. LAW &; ORDER PARODY NARRATOR: In the criminal justice system‚ sometimes you really want to have done something bad even if they probably didn't so you spend many months and millions of taxpayer dollars on an investigation‚ but the best you come up with is his son's penis pics. … COLBERT: Now‚ here's the thing‚ Hunter Biden said that he's more than willing to answer questions from Congress in an open session so everybody gets to hear the answers‚ but if they did that‚ there’d be no way for the Republicans to go on Fox News later and lie about what Hunter said. So‚ they said no to cameras inside the hearing and today‚ Hunter said‚ okay‚ I'll just to all those cameras outside and you know‚ the old man's not the only one with the Gift of Gab. HUNTER BIDEN: For six years‚ MAGA Republicans‚ including members of the House committees who are in a closed door session right now have impugned my character‚ invaded my privacy‚ attacked my wife‚ my family‚ and my friends‚ They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction. They've belittled my recovery and they’ve tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass and damage my father. COLBERT: Come on‚ that's not fair‚ Hunter. They also did it to fundraise. Now‚ ultimately‚ no‚ I'm angry‚ this is me angry. Someone's got to be--.