SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " lowe " 3,710 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
NASA captures a stunning transformation in Australia's red outback
Australia's normally dry, rust-colored outback has erupted into a spectacular carpet of wildflowers after unusually heavy rains, potentially producing its most impressive bloom in nearly 20 years. NASA satellite images capture the stunning transformation, which has even brought rare flowers to the grounds of a remote deep-space observatory.
HIT Brings Aerospace Science Popularization Books and Metaverse Courses to Multiple Schools
Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) HARBIN, China, Oct. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "Through science popularization books and metaverse courses, I followed digital humans to disassemble the structure of planetary rovers...
Scientists discover vanilla’s hidden healing potential
Scientists have discovered that vanillin, the compound that gives vanilla its distinctive flavor, has powerful properties that could help fight infections, reduce inflammation, and promote wound healing. The inexpensive, widely available ingredient could one day become an important component of advanced wound treatments and regenerative medicine.
Fatal Motorcycle Collision Followed by Separate Vehicle Crash Into Local Business
Emergency responders were dispatched to two serious motor vehicle crashes Sunday afternoon, October 11, including a fatal motorcycle collision and a subsequent crash involving a vehicle striking a…
Fatal Motorcycle Collision Followed by Separate Vehicle Crash Into Local Business
Emergency responders were dispatched to two serious motor vehicle crashes Sunday afternoon, October 11, including a fatal motorcycle collision and a subsequent crash involving a vehicle striking a…
Nets Allowed 3rd-Fewest Points in Paint Last Season
Nic Claxton’s departure leaves Brooklyn’s elite interior defense in flux as Jordi Fernández pivots to a high-pressure, turnover-heavy scheme to compensate for a lack of traditional rim protection.
Rob Lowe's son Matthew marries in wedding officiated by Gwyneth Paltrow
Rob Lowe's eldest son is now a married man!
Gwyneth Paltrow officiates star-studded wedding of Rob Lowe’s eldest son Matthew Lowe
Matthew and Emily Markus said “I do” in front of A-listers including Chris Pratt, Katy Perry, Zoe Saldaña, and more.
Gwyneth Paltrow officiates star-studded wedding of Rob Lowe’s son
Chad Lowe’s family made their first public appearance since the death of daughter Fiona to celebrate the wedding of Rob Lowe’s son, Matthew, and Emily Markus, which was officiated by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Six senators call for Trump administration to 'immediately reverse course' on Russian diesel plan
A bipartisan group of six senators are calling on President Donald Trump’s administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.
Six senators call for Trump administration to 'immediately reverse course' on Russian diesel plan
A bipartisan group of six senators are calling on President Donald Trump’s administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.
Health insurance rates rise across Colorado, with the biggest increases hitting the Western Slope
Health insurance premiums for Coloradans using the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace are increasing by an average of 10% in 2027, lower than preliminary rates showed in June. Western Slope residents, however, are set to...
Scientists stop quantum particle using magnetic field it never crossed
Quantum interference and trapped-ion qubits allowed Oxford physicists to halt particle tunneling using a magnetic field it never touched.
Leaf Them On The Ground: Benefit More By Doing Less Yardwork
Every autumn, homeowners and gardeners tend to engage in a familiar ritual. As trees shed their leaves, people drag out rakes, leaf blowers and lawn bags to strip their yards bare before winter
New Orleans’ National Fried Chicken Fest lowers Sunday admission price to $25
National Fried Chicken Fest organizers have lowered Sunday’s general admission price to $25 to draw crowds for the final day on Sunday.
Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center to Host Halloween Gala
A spooky carnival and haunted house will headline a free Halloween celebration at the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center.
Global trust in science lower than before Covid pandemic, report finds
The proportion of people expressing at least some trust in science has fallen 5 per cent since 2018
Mad Science owner brings spooky Halloween science experiments to life
Rob Diaz from Mad Science of NYC & Westchester joins 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to demonstrate spooky Halloween science experiments, including bubbling dry ice potions and a giant fog explosion.
Ranking Wisconsin football's remaining opponents from best to worst
While it looks unlikely, if they can get through Halloween unblemished, then Wisconsin hold chance of being able to progress as far as they allow
Bayern's goalkeeper dilemma after Neuer howler for the record books
Manuel Neuer could have done without this record in his storied career but he now owns the unwanted distinction of conceding the fastest goal in Bundesliga history. To make matters worse, it was a howler from the veteran Bayern Munich goalkeeper himself that allowed Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer to score the opening goal in their 2-2 draw after 8.
Archaeologists reveal huge stretch of ancient Lower Aqueduct into Jerusalem
***
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Recommends Science-Based Thresholds to Target Dangerous Enhanced Kratom Products
Kratom products credit: CDPH DEA takes action based on updated recommendation from HHS October 11, 2026 - WASHINGTON - On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services relesed the following: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided a new recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that establishes science-based thresholds for 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), potent opioid compounds associated with products marketed as kratom. The Department of Justice today announced that DEA issued new Notices of Intent reflecting HHS’ updated scientific analysis and recommendations, including a new Notice of Intent for 7-OH and MGPI incorporating HHS’ recommended concentration and ratio thresholds. Following a review of available scientific data and comments, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine, M.D., recommended that DEA use concentration or ratio-based thresholds to determine which products containing 7-OH and MGPI are subject to Schedule I control for purposes of temporary scheduling of these substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The recommendation is designed to target concentrated or chemically altered products while distinguishing them from natural botanical kratom products, which may contain trace amounts of 7-OH and MGPI. “We are drawing a clear line between natural kratom and dangerous, enhanced opioid products,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We listened to the public, followed the science, and developed a clear recommended threshold for temporary scheduling that targets concentrated 7-OH and MGPI without sweeping natural botanical kratom into Schedule I. The Trump Administration will continue taking decisive action against dangerous products that fuel addiction while making sure our policies are grounded in rigorous science.” Under the recommendation, 7-OH and MGPI would be controlled in Schedule I for purposes of temporary scheduling when either substance alone, or their combined amount when both are present: Exceeds 1 milligram per gram in solid powders, encapsulated material, or other solid forms, or exceeds 1 milligram per milliliter in liquid preparations; or When the mass of mitragynine present divided by the mass of 7-OH, or MGPI, or the combined amount of 7-OH and MGPI if both present, is less than 100. The ratio-based approach reflects the alkaloid composition of natural kratom products and provides a way to identify products intentionally enhanced or concentrated with 7-OH or MGPI. Available scientific data indicate that 7-OH occurs naturally in botanical kratom at relatively low or trace levels, while some evidence reviewed by FDA suggests MGPI may also occur at trace levels in some natural or kratom-derived products. FDA's scientific review found that 7-OH is substantially more potent than morphine in preclinical studies, with available data indicating approximately two to nine times greater potency depending on the study. FDA also identified evidence supporting a meaningful risk of opioid-like physical dependence and withdrawal from MGPI. “Our recommendation gives DEA a scientifically supportable framework to distinguish natural botanical kratom from products that have been concentrated or manipulated to deliver dangerous levels of potent opioid compounds,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine, M.D. “This approach allows us to focus on the products that pose the greatest threat to public health.” In July 2025, following an FDA scientific and medical evaluation, HHS recommended that 7-OH above a specified threshold be placed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. In July 2026, DEA announced its intent to temporarily schedule 7-OH above a specified threshold, and HHS simultaneously sought public comment on the proposed threshold. DEA subsequently temporarily placed MGPI and two synthetic 7-OH derivatives, MGM-15 and MGM-16, in Schedule I. Since then, questions have emerged about how scheduling could affect natural botanical kratom products potentially containing trace amounts of MGPI. The new HHS recommendation responds to those concerns by providing DEA with a more precise threshold based on both the concentration of 7-OH and MGPI and their relationship to mitragynine, the predominant alkaloid in kratom. HHS and FDA will continue working with DEA to protect Americans from dangerous concentrated and synthetic opioid products while ensuring federal policy is grounded in the best available science. Source: HHS
Personal AI agents threaten companies profiting from consumer inertia
Personal AI agents are helping users lower bills and get refunds, exposing companies that rely on customers doing nothing.
Retail holiday hiring shaping up to be worse than last year
The push to hire retail workers for the holiday shopping season is both starting earlier and ending at a lower total than in recent years.
‘Halloweenmas’: how the spooky one-nighter turned into a month-long spectacular
Welcome to Halloweenmas, weeks of themed fun and gifts – from costume parties to decorating trees – without the stress, rules or cost of Christmas
Rural MAHA followers say health of communities hasn't improved
A poll finds that the Make America Healthy Again movement has a substantial following among rural voters, but most don't think it has benefited them.
Teladoc Health (TDOC) Stock Looks Reasonable As Shares Stay Down 96%
Teladoc Health has seen its share price grind lower over the years, even as it pushes new telehealth tools into hospitals and clinics. This raises a straightforward question for you as an investor: Is the current US$5.77 price properly anchored to the cash flows the business can realistically produce? Over the past 5 years the stock has fallen 95.7%, so the market has already repriced a huge amount of optimism and that reset now frames any discussion of what its future cash flows are...
Upcoming activities announced at Jervis Library in Rome
Jervis Public Library in Rome has announced its upcoming activities for the week of Oct. 12, including a Halloween glass Cricut crafting event on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Health expert shares simple ways to help lower inflammation throughout the body
Clinical pharmacist Jim LaValle breaks down how diet, stress, medications, blood sugar, environmental exposures and even overtraining may contribute to inflammation — and why the gut-brain connection matters.
A surprisingly simple way to relieve knee arthritis pain without pills or surgery
A surprisingly simple change in how you walk could help relieve knee arthritis pain and even slow joint damage. In a year-long clinical trial, researchers found that adjusting the angle of a person's foot while walking reduced osteoarthritis pain by an amount comparable to medication, without requiring drugs or surgery. Even more promising, MRI scans revealed that participants who adopted the personalized walking technique experienced slower deterioration in a marker of knee cartilage health.
PlayStation Hardware Sales Hit Lowest Point Since 2013 in US, and PS5's Price Is the Problem
Average selling price almost an eye-watering $600
Wellcome Global Monitor 2026: Trust in science has declined worldwide, but the picture varies sharply by region
Based on surveys of more than 140,000 people in 140 countries, the Wellcome Global Monitor shows that trust in science has fallen since the Covid-19 pandemic and is lowest among people who feel the systems around them are not working for them.
RODRIGUEZ: Nebraska football earns its flowers, despite loss to Indiana
Nebraska football (5-1, 2-1) pushed Indiana to the final minutes in its 20-17 loss to Indiana (6-0, 3-0), proving it deserves a seat at the table and can compete with the best teams in college football.
Test your pop culture: From Hollywood to the Heartland
From a surprising Marilyn Monroe family connection to candid revelations about Hollywood relationships, see how closely you followed this week's entertainment headlines.
Ravens Injury Report: Lamar Jackson Out, Zay Flowers Questionable
The third and final injury report for the Baltimore Ravens has some tough news for Lamar Jackson and raises concerns about Zay Flowers.
Visited Massachusetts town that's better than Salem: Beverly
Instead of visiting Salem, Massachusetts, I suggest checking out Beverly, a less-crowded alternative with great food and amazing Halloween decor.
October brings trunk or treats, games, carnivals, Boo at the Zoo
Find family-friendly Halloween fun in El Paso with this list of pumpkin patches, carnivals and zoo events.
Trying This Lifestyle Trick With Dinner Could Help Lower Your Blood Sugar
It’s quick, easy to do, and absolutely free.
TeraWulf to double data center size near Ashland; Ky. Power to add unit at Big Sandy
TeraWulf Inc. plans to double the capacity of its AI data center at the EastPark industrial park near Ashland a year ahead of schedule, which the two companies say would lead to lower residential electric bills for residential customers. Also, the data center could double in capacity again, TeraWulf says. Kentucky Power says it plans to add a new generating unit at the Big Sandy Power Plant near Louisa, Kentucky, as part of the expansion.
Battenfeld: Maura Healey’s Trump tactic is why Americans hate politics
The incumbent Massachusetts governor was allowed by a weak moderator to dodge every question. The late, legendary Tim Russert would never have tolerated that.
Family friendly spooky science event set for Oct. 17
SHERIDAN — A family-friendly Halloween event is scheduled for Oct. 17.
Winnipeg Jets’ Blowout Loss Comes With Bizarre Statistical Twist
The Winnipeg Jets suffered a blowout loss on Friday night to the Anaheim Ducks in a game that, on paper, looked like it would be closer.When a team loses 5-1, the assumption is that they allowed a lot of shots on goal and didn’t generate many themselves. In Friday night’s loss to Anaheim, the Jets […] The post Winnipeg Jets’ Blowout Loss Comes With Bizarre Statistical Twist appeared first on HEAVY.
Trump asks Supreme Court to revive his 2016 election lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court on Friday to wade into his years long legal battle with former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and ex-Justice Department officials over the 2016 election, appealing a case that a lower court concluded was “frivolous.”
Many Kauai small businesses hanging on by a thread waiting for financial aid
A month after Hurricane Lowell destroyed businesses and caused a dramatic slowdown in customers, many Kauai operators are barely hanging on. The federal government announced approval of major disaster aid
Valley businesses make superhero capes for sick kids
Fresno businesses are creating superhero capes for Valley Children’s patients as Tangram Interiors brings back its Halloween campaign.
Halloween-themed science exhibit in Pocatello seeking volunteers
POCATELLO – An annual science exhibit that offers students a fun, spooky-themed, hands-on learning experience needs more volunteers to staff it. The 2026 Haunted Science Laboratory, a family-friendly, interactive science exhibit full of interactive demonstrations, will have its public day on Oct. 24, but field trips will begin on Thursday, Oct. 15. With this day […]
Trump announces diesel deal with Russia in bid to lower prices
The amount is small compared with U.S. demand, but the deal aligns the U.S. with Russia and against Ukraine’s efforts to bomb Russian refineries.
Zay Flowers listed as questionable
Ravens RB Zay Flowers questionable for Week 5 after three limited practices
12 Best Movies Like Highest 2 Lowest
"Highest 2 Lowest" may be the latest collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, but other films from them and others are just as good.
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
As Xbox and PlayStation sales reach new lows, analyst says the "US hardware market has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s"
Xbox Series X/S and PS5 price hikes have significantly slowed down sales, according to one analyst who's not too optimistic about the console market.
Chad Lowe shares a message of hope after death of 13-year-old daughter
Chad Lowe posted a message about hope and spirituality on Instagram, following his 13-year-old daughter Fiona's death.
Pumpkin disclaimer: personality not included
The scariest thing in the Halloween candy aisle may be that we actually need the fine print regarding faceless Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins.
One type of sleep linked to dramatically lower risk of dementia, Parkinson's and 81 other diseases
Greater REM sleep was linked to 80% lower Parkinson's risk and 46% lower dementia risk in a major study of over 95,000 adults tracked for years.
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
J.B. Hunt Q3 earnings, revenue to rise, analysts say
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., a Lowell-based transportation services company, is expected to see earnings and revenue increase in the third quarter compared with the same period in 2025, according...
Apple Reportedly Cuts iPhone 18 Pro Orders After Price Hike Dampens Demand
Apple has asked some of its suppliers to cut production of iPhone 18 Pro components due to lower-than-expected demand, according to Nikkei Asia ($). Citing its own sources, the report claims that Apple has been more cautious about shipments since early September because of the rising cost of memory chips, leading to higher prices. Component orders for October were said to have been cut by at least 15 percent compared with what was originally requested.
Crimson Desert’s lower review scores were because critics didn’t get a ‘fair chance to explore’, exec says
The press “had limited time” and didn’t play the launch version…
Arjuna Natural to spotlight women’s health innovation and Ashwagandha Quality at SupplySide Global
Arjuna Natural, a leader, manufacturer, and innovator of standardised botanical extracts, will spotlight its award-winning women’s health portfolio and latest ingredient research at SupplySide Global in Las Vegas, NV, booth 6519, including new research on Rhuleave-K, a turmeric and boswellia combination developed to support fast-acting relief from PMS symptoms and lower back pain
US: Nintendo Switch 2 was best-selling system for August 2026, overall hardware sales at lowest since 2013
Recent sales data from Circana, which tracks video game software and hardware sales across the United States, has revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 proved to be the best-selling hardware for the…
MORNING BUSINESS REPORT: Halloween candy costs up, Starbucks explores Chipotle takeover
Jane King has these stories and more live from the New York Stock Exchange for your Friday Morning Business Report.
Trump's moves to boost diesel supplies have not yet lowered prices
US diesel prices remain at near record highs, up 70% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began despite two high-profile recent moves by President Donald Trump to boost supplies of the fuel: pressuring allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax-exempt red-dyed diesel.
When is trick-or-treat night 2026 in Lancaster County?
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year — does that change anything with trick-or-treating in Lancaster County?
UK’s Oxford Metrics warns about annual loss on entertainment industry spending cuts
Oct 9 (Reuters) - British smart sensing tech firm Oxford Metrics warned about an annual loss on Friday, hit by spending cuts and studio consolidation across the film and TV industry and tighter research budgets, sending its shares 15% lower. Here are...
The Real Alexis Lafrenière Is Standing Up
We likely never will know what manner of offers Chris Drury fielded when trade talk involved Alexis Lafrenière. For all we know, Laffy could have wound up anywhere – including Lower Slobbovia.
What rising costs mean for Volusia County small businesses
Rising costs are squeezing Volusia County businesses, while local leaders say resources and lower costs still help entrepreneurs open and grow.
Building momentum for new health care price transparency laws
Consumers and employers emphasize the power of competition to lower prices
Physician Organizations Oppose Legislation That Gives Health Insurers Unilateral Control Over Out-of-Network Payments
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and American College of Radiology (ACR) today expressed strong opposition to the Lower Premiums, Faster Payments Act, legislation introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) that would eliminate the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process established under the No Surprises Act (NSA) and replace it with payment rates calculated by health insurance companies.
New Britain Public Library to Host "Health to Treat Spooktacular" for Halloween
The New Britain Public Library, in partnership with Access Health CT, is set to host, ” Health to Treat – a Spooktacular Day of Health Resources & Community Care” on Halloween. The event promises free food alongside “free professional health screenings, services & more!”. Services available are to include blood pressure checks, cholesterol screenings, blood […]
Spirit Halloween fundraiser supports Carle Health program
Spirit Halloween and Carle Health Proctor Hospital are holding a fundraiser where 10% of purchases made with a special coupon will be donated to the hospital's Child Life Program at six participating ...
Trump bucks and the politics of mailing checks
The checks started going out last week, nearly one million of them, and mostly to battleground states. With a return address for the U.S. Treasury and a letter enclosed signed by President Donald Trump, these one-time checks for $500 were ostensibly government rebates for Obamacare enrollees who overpaid. In the accompanying letter, however, Trump attacks his predecessor and talks about his record in office on an important issue he’s not polling well on, which makes it seem more like the most expensive political mailer in U.S. history. The average piece of direct mail costs between 30 cents and $3, according to Mail Processing Associates, a print, mail, and fulfillment company. At $500 a pop plus roughly 50 cents each to issue the paper check, the cost of Trump’s healthcare mailer sent to more than 950,000 enrollees comes in at more than $475 million. Trump’s midterm healthcare message “For years, the Biden Administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare dot gov,” Trump wrote in the letter. “That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now, I am returning it to you!” In the letter, Trump makes false and misleading claims about his administration’s record on healthcare costs, an issue Democrats have a 20 point advantage on over Republicans, according to a recent poll from KFF, a nonpartisan health policy think tank. Trump touts his administration’s TrumpRX program, which he claims is “delivering massive discounts.” However, new research from KFF found that of a selection of drugs available on the TrumpRX platform, just five were the lowest price, while 13 were the highest price. Trump also falsely claims in the letter that he’s fighting to lower healthcare costs. In reality, average monthly premium payment costs for enrollees rose 58% under Trump while marketplace sign-ups declined 5%, per KFF. Under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, it’s estimated 10 million more Americans will be uninsured by 2034. You get a check and you get a check and you get a check Trump’s long promised cash outs to his fans, from his days as a casino operator and gameshow host to his presidency. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the first Trump administration made the unprecedented move to put Trump’s name on checks that went out under the CARES Act (notably the $500 refund checks this time around don’t feature Trump’s name). Ever since, Trump’s been chasing that high. In his second term, Trump’s promised more stimulus that never arrived, like refund checks from DOGE cuts and tariffs, while he said at his party’s convention last month that he’d give out $5,000 checks to everyone if Republicans win in November. In reality, DOGE overstated its cost cutting and Trump’s government actually now spends more than former President Joe Biden’s, while Trump’s tariffs actually grew the trade deficit. His proposal for $5,000 checks would add about $1.2 trillion to the national debt. The problem is there’s no money to give. These $500 checks — plus $90 Medicare rebate checks also going out as well as $250 deposited this week in some Trump Accounts for kids courtesy Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife Susan — represent the closest Trump’s going to get to making good on his promise to deliver cash fast. And the checks seem especially targeted. Though the $500 checks went out to enrollees in one of 30 states that use the federal HealthCare dot gov marketplace, a Reuters review found 71% of the payments, or $339 million, went to enrollees in 13 states that have the most competitive elections for governor and U.S. Senate. Most Americans don’t buy it Could Trump bucks sway the election? An Economist-YouGov poll found 57% of U.S. adults doubt Trump will deliver on his promise for $5,000 checks, compared to 21% who do. “I’m waiting on my DOGE check and I’m still waiting on my tariff check,” one 2024 Trump voter who’s since turned on him told a recent focus group. “It felt like kind of trying to buy people’s votes, which honestly felt like in elementary when the class president was like, hey we’re going to take you to the water park if you vote for me. It’s like, I don’t think it works like that.” But for voters in swing states who got a check, it could still matter. One survey published in 2022 found receiving a physically personalized check in the mail during the pandemic was associated with a much greater self-reported likelihood of voting for Trump in 2020, and those gains mainly came from out partisans. The issue for Trump comes if these checks are mostly going to Obamacare enrollees whose premiums have gone up by more than just $500 since he took office and who view the money as something like a bribe before the election rather than an actual long-term solution to lowering household costs. Spending $500.50 per mailer would be absurd as a normal campaign expenditure, but since Trump’s checks and letter are a government rebate, his campaign and super PAC didn’t have to spend a dime and he got out his message regardless. If enough voters in key states are swayed by the one-time payment, it could prove to be the best $0 the Trump campaign spent. Subscribe [ ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/why-independent-candidates-are-making) [ Why independent candidates are making independence central to their brand ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/why-independent-candidates-are-making) Hunter Schwarz · Oct 6 [ Read full story ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/why-independent-candidates-are-making) [ ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/these-designers-and-grocery-nerds) [ These designers and grocery nerds will brand Mamdani’s NYC grocery stores ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/these-designers-and-grocery-nerds) Hunter Schwarz · Oct 2 [ Read full story ](https://www.yellopolitics.com/p/these-designers-and-grocery-nerds) Trump wants to turn his first-ever golf course into a government course for presidents
Six Flags Entertainment (NYSE:FUN) Stock Price Target Lowered at Citigroup
Citigroup lowered their price target on Six Flags Entertainment from $17.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday.
HOMETOWN ENTERTAINMENT: Weekend lineup includes Halloween fun, Latin dance party and flea market
Over 200 vendors set for Berglund Center Saturday
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
Shares of global online betting powerhouse Flutter Entertainment (NASDAQ:FLUT) jumped 4.4% in the afternoon session after Citi analyst Monique Pollard upgraded the company from a Neutral rating to a Buy rating. According to StreetInsider, Susquehanna analyst Joseph Stauff separately cut his price target to $100 from $115 and kept a Positive rating. He said third-quarter profit is likely to be lower and that the weaker result is already discounted. The stock, he said, is most sensitive to FanDuel
Philadelphia City Council calls on health, sanitation departments to deal with growing rat infestation
Councilmember Anthony Phillips introduced the measure calling on city agencies to stop a growing rat infestation in Lower Northeast Philadelphia.
US Supreme Court won't speed up Democratic challenge to FCC political ad policy, for now
Siding with Republicans, the US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Federal Communications Commission to avoid for now a judicially imposed deadline in a Democratic challenge to the agency's new political advertising policy.
US Supreme Court Won't Speed up Democratic Challenge to FCC Political Ad Policy, for Now
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Siding with Republicans, the US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Federal Communications Commission to avoid for now a judicially imposed deadline in a Democratic challenge to the agency's new political advertising policy. With November midterm ...
From hidden gems to horror classics: What to watch this Halloween
Craving something scary? We've rounded up 36 horror films and spooky TV shows to watch.
New resolution calls rat problem in Northeast Philly a ‘public health emergency'
A new resolution urges the Health Department and other agencies to coordinate an urgent response to rodent activity in Lower Northeast Philly.
Henrico Business Watch: Business license filings Oct. 1-7, 2026
Henrico County reported the following business license filings with start dates during the week. The filings are listed alphabetically by business or trade name, followed by a registered address and business industry classification. A C Flooring LLC, 6423 Morningside Drive, Henrico – Henrico general contractor. A1 Brows Inc., 10327 West Broad
Supreme Court asked to weigh political ad rates
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to step into a lower court dispute over television advertising rates paid by political candidates and joint fundraising committees weeks before the midterm elections. The application asked the justices to set aside a 2-1 ruling issued Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th […]
Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari driver says team held 'huge discussions' over strategy following Bahrain GP tyre-choice blunder
Lewis Hamilton plummeted from second on the grid after starting last weekends Bahrain GP on slick dry tyres in wet conditions; watch Practice at 9.30am followed by Sprint Qualifying at 1.30pm on Friday live on Sky Sports F1 as the Singapore Grand Prix weekend begins
Why Fermented Foods Are Important for Maintaining a Healthy Gut
Maintaining a healthy gut is a vital way to lower risks of illnesses like heart disease and dementia. Gastrointestinal health expert Dr. Trisha Pasricha joins the 3rd Hour of TODAY to share tips to improve gut health, including eating more fiber, diversifying fruits and vegetables in meals, and introducing fermented foods into your diet.
Q&A: Special Forces vet talks politics and family
Courtesy | Nick Freitas Nick Freitas is an author, political commentator, and social media influencer with more than 2 million Instagram followers. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican from 2016–2026 and, before then, was a sergeant and Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces. Freitas gave a lecture on...
PepsiCo beats earnings expectations, lowers guidance as it aims to stabilize North America business
PepsiCo stock pops following better than feared results.
PepsiCo to cut costs as weak N.America business hurts annual core profit forecast
Oct 8 (Reuters) - PepsiCo said on Thursday it would pursue additional cost cuts after lowering its annual core profit forecast due to sluggish demand for its snacks and beverages
PepsiCo to cut costs as weak N.America business hurts annual core profit forecast
PepsiCo said on Thursday it would pursue additional cost cuts after lowering its annual core profit forecast due to sluggish demand for its snacks and beverages in North America and rising input costs.
Nevada City Rotary's Pumpkins Palooza Family Celebration returns Oct. 15
Halloween spirit is officially back in the air as Nevada City Rotary announces the return of the Pumpkins Palooza Family Celebration, a live family celebration, scrumptious raffle drawings, and auctions
Scare up some fun: Dirty Birds host free Halloween double feature at GoMart Ballpark
The Charleston Dirty Birds will transform the field at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia into a free outdoor movie theater on Oct. 9, 2026, for a Halloween-themed double feature sponsored by The Arc of the Three Rivers of Dunbar, West Virginia. Families, friends and movie fans are invited onto the field for an evening featuring the 1993 release “Hocus Pocus” followed by 1991's “The Addams Family,” bringing two Halloween favorites to the big screen in downtown Charleston, according to a news release from the Dirty Birds. Concessions will be available for sale at the park for the event.
Mali’s AI Propaganda War: The Fake Fighter With a Real Audience
Bamako-based TikTok account built up more than 436,000 followers with AI-generated material praising the army and the Africa Corps.
Old Town Trick-or-Treat returns, business sought
Halloween fun returns to Old Town Lompoc on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 12–3 p.m., featuring for treats, games, music, costumes, and "plenty of spooky fun for the whole family," the
Scientists warn a popular vitamin D supplement may have a hidden downside
Not all vitamin D supplements are created equal, and new research suggests that one popular form may have an unexpected downside. Scientists found that taking vitamin D2 can actually lower the body's levels of vitamin D3, the form naturally produced by sunlight and more effective at boosting overall vitamin D. Previous studies also suggest that vitamin D3 may provide stronger immune protection against viruses and bacteria.
Who Won August and September: Original Films or Franchises?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) I just heard someone say that if you’re reading a pundit or data analyst, and they don’t tell you that they got anything wrong, they’re not a pundit but an “influencer”. I agree with that. You have to tell your audience when you get things wrong, or they won’t (or shouldn’t) trust you as much. Today, we’ve got another edition of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. In general, I’m patting myself on the back (and patting very hard) about a few things like IP at the box office, LIV golf, horror films, crowdfunding movies, superheroes, and old people going to the theaters. That said, I also made a couple of data mistakes on the streaming bubble popping and HBO’s datecdotes, so I’m not perfect. But first, I need your feedback... Subscribe Follow-Ups: What Should We Call Mid-Budget Movies Which Aren’t Cinematic Enough for Theaters But Are Too Expensive to Make Money on Streaming? After I asked for feedback on what we should call straight-to-streaming films that are too big to pencil out on streaming but not really big enough to resonate in theaters, I got some great suggestions from you all, including... “Moldilocks” from John Aboud “Little Big Indie” from Travis Frick1 “Midflicks” from Jonathan Funke. “Extra-Medium” from Jona Nwuke. (Read the explanation in the footnote.) Between these and Brandon Katz—who suggested “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”—we’ve got some excellent suggestions. And they’re better than my suggestion, the “Streaming Budget Dead Zone”, so let’s take a poll! The winning entry becomes the new term. Loading... RIGHT: LIV Golf is Fully Bankrupt…Is Anyone Else Next? A few years ago, I was always a bit perplexed at all the articles I’d read praising LIV Golf and their strategy to disrupt the PGA. LIV Golf, a brand new professional golf league, offered PGA stars ten times what they made on the PGA Tour to join their new league. And folks praised this strategy for its initial “success” in that a lot of big names did indeed leave the PGA. Yeah, of course the players came over. LIV Golf paid them so, so, so much more! But LIV Golf hadn’t discovered a way to increase potential revenue. So think about this in basic business terms… They paid much more in costs… …but had no real way to increase revenue. That’s not a strategy! That’s deficit financing. It won’t work unless you bankrupt the competition (and then turn around and pay those same golfers much, much less). It’s not a sustainable strategy and only lasts as long as the company/person/nation backing it decides they’re cool with losing money. For LIV Golf, that meant Middle East oil wealth, in particular Saudi Arabian money. Clearly, the current Iran War has hurt Middle East finances, so they need to trim their more exorbitant spending. And LIV Golf was part of that trimming. This should be a major warning for others. TGL’s parent company, TMRW Sports, just got a $1 billion valuation, despite TGL’s (the indoor golf league) horrible TV viewership of less than half a million viewers per match. Unrivaled, the women’s basketball league, just secured a $650 valuation, despite its horrible TV viewership and a new rival (Project B) entering the scene next year. To relate this to streaming, Hollywood should ask which streamers may have wealthy patrons funding their losses. (Let’s be clear: Google, Amazon and Apple.) Could those patrons lose their appetite? For Amazon, probably not. But Apple has a new boss, so maybe! WRONG: My Analysis of the Streaming Bubble Was Missing a Week I’m going to be congratulating myself a lot today, but I make mistakes too, like this data goof. When I last compiled the data on the decline in TV shows, I was missing one week at the end of June. If you look at the first image, you can see that one week was mislabelled as “July”. Mainly, this image got updated to show a 27% decline, not 29%: This change doesn’t really impact the overall analysis, but it is two percent better. By the way, through the third quarter, the decline increased and it’s now a 30% decrease since 2022. (I’ll write/visualize this in an upcoming article.) But I want you to trust me and my data. Especially these days, when many people are using LLMs that I know are inserting faulty data into their charts, I want to keep earning my audience’s faith. So that’s the accurate data. RIGHT: IP Remains Very, Very Popular In July, I wrote a giant (and I mean giant) article on Backrooms, Obsession, and the box office, going over what we know, what we don’t know about what works in theaters, looking at YouTubers, IP, the horror genre, comic book movies, and a whole lot more. The month of August really tested a lot of my theses and, being honest, mostly supported my arguments. Let’s start with IP. Looking at 8-Aug (the weekend after Spider-Man: Brand New Day came out) to 18-Sep (the weekend that Resident Evil came out, which I think provides a nice bookend to this time period), there were seven films based on pre-existing IP: Resident Evil (2026) ($126 million) Practical Magic 2 ($65 million) _Insidious: Out of the Furthe_r ($65 million) Coyote Vs. Acme ($59 million) Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie ($53 million) Tony ($15 million) Super Troopers 3 ($7 million) Compare those to the notable original films from the past month—I actually could have included more movies, but here are just thirteen, bringing us to an even twenty films—including.... The End of Oak Street ($54 million) Buddy ($26 million) Mutiny ($15 million) By Any Means ($15 million) The Dog Stars ($14 million) Runner ($14 million) One Night Only ($11 million) Hope ($8 million) Spa Weekend ($7 million) The Uprising ($6 million) Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma ($6 million) Onslaught ($3 million) Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man ($2.8 million) Here’s that in chart form: Five of the top six films in this time period were all based on IP. I made a big chart of films that grossed over $200 million at the box office before Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey hit theaters. Let’s update that chart! By the way, if you want to see how I categorized each film—so another bar chart—here it is: I know that many of my fellow critics/pundits/analysts dislike films based on IP and how Hollywood is making so many of them. And I’m sympathetic to this point of view. As I’ve written many, many times before, you need a balance between existing franchises, new IP, and original films. And Hollywood clearly needs to make more films like Resident Evil (a well-made film from a visionary director) and fewer Practical Magic 2’s (which didn’t get critical or customer buzz). But at some point, critics and pundits need to contend with what audiences are telling them: Movie-goers aren’t showing up to original films. Audiences are speaking with their dollars, telling you they want more IP and franchises. You can try to convince studio heads to make fewer IP-based films and franchises, but the data and numbers aren’t there. Instead, critics need to work harder to convince audiences to show up for original films. Aim your ire/concern at the average person, not studio heads.2 Because they’re just making the films that audiences are telling them to make. WRONG: Original Horror Films Didn’t Break Out I’ll be honest, even though I wrote an article casting some skepticism on the horror genre in July, if you asked me to make a prediction, I would have predicted that, in August, a new, original horror film would have blown up. No, seriously, I just assumed that Obsession and Backrooms presaged a change in audience behavior. But none of the buzzy new original horror films from August—Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Onslaught (not an action film in spite of the ads), The End of Oak Street, Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man, or _Buddy—_broke out. To be clear, exactly one of those films (Buddy) had good “ROI”, but again—I try to be specific in my language—none were “popular” in any broad sense of the word. None of them will be “saving” movies theaters like Backrooms or _Obsession_helped save the summer. The new Insidious film and Resident Evil, both based on IP, were far and away the biggest horror films since July. (We’ll see if this changes in October/Halloween season.) RIGHT: Stay Skeptical about Crowdfunding... I’ve long been skeptical about crowd-investing platforms as one of Hollywood’s saviors, mainly because there’s so much hype/buzz. People need to stay more skeptical about more things, explaining both the potential upside but also the downsides. In particular, the media often hypes crowdfunding at the start and never checks in on the actual results after they’ve come in later. And August gave us our first update! _Ice Cream Man—_directed by Eli Roth—grossed $6 million off of a $5.5 million budget. This is a production of The Horror Section, which was one of the first “crowd investing” studios with 2,400 investors, which means that 2,400 investors probably lost money. They certainly aren’t getting as great of returns as if they had just invested their dollars in the stock market. Hopefully Stiletto (Tagline: “Someone’s Going to Make it Rain Blood!”) does better next month. WRONG: Another Data Goof Here’s another data error. When the first episode of House of the Dragon came out, HBO put out that it had 21.5 million viewers in the first three days, and I read that to mean in the US…but no, it was global. So my US-only datecdotes charts shouldn’t have included it. We never got US-only numbers for the first episode, but for the final episode, HBO put out that it had 11 million US viewers. (And that global dropped to 21 million viewers.) Here’s the updated chart (which I’ve since used in the Streaming Ratings Report): Still, this show is absolutely huge. RIGHT: Superhero Films Remain Very, Very Popular After Supergirl flopped, I read a few takes that “comic book movies are going the way of the Western”. Post-Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that take didn’t age well. To be fair, I have a very nuanced take on the superhero genre right now; it’s down right now, for a lot of reasons. But it’s not “dead”. Maybe _Spider-_Man is just a really popular character? I saw that take, and it’s a fair counter-argument. (But pundits arguing that superhero movies were dead should have mentioned this $1.5 billion counter-argument…) But is it just Spider-Man? The next Avengers film already has $50 million in pre-sales (and I was skeptical that that film would do well) and the Avengers: End Game re-release topped the box office two weekends ago (over three original films). And I wouldn’t bet against Batman or Superman. So maybe it’s just Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Avengers. Oh, and Deadpool, of course. And Black Panther. And Wolverine. And probably the X-Men. Plus a well-made Wonder Woman or the Hulk film could break out. But that’s it! It’s just those ten characters/teams. Oh, what’s that? Lanterns is also doing well on HBO? (See previous section…) To be fair, I’m actually pretty sympathetic to the argument that more popular characters—like Spider-Man and Batman—anchor more popular films. In fact, I made that exact argument three years ago when I first wrote about the “Marvel-cession”. In many ways, you can blame The Guardians of the Galaxy for fooling Marvel Studios (and the rest of us) into believing that any character could pop. It turns out, the list of iconic characters is probably smaller than most people think. But it’s probably too early to say that superhero films and comic book movies are dead unless “death” means a slight decline over a longtime. RIGHT: Who Killed Theaters? Old People I get frustrated whenever I see headlines or analysis about how young people are “returning” to theaters. As I’ve detailed(for years), young people have always powered the US box office, despite narratives about “kids these days” and their “phones”. Really, what’s changed post-2020/pandemic is that old people aren’t going to the movies nearly as much. This summer, I saw a movie (from an older director) in a theater near a retirement community, and multiple older people at the theater were talking about how this was their first time seeing a movie in years. I dislike personal anecdotes, so YouGov can fill in the data, best summarized by this headline: “Who killed movie theaters? Not the youths”. According to them, 64% of people aged 18-29 have seen a movie in the last year, but only 30% of 65-and-older. 20% of 18-29 have seen a movie in theaters in the last week and 42% in the last month. Here’s the polling data: Most concerning? Many Americans (17%) think theaters are a worse or much worse experience than watching films at home. Slight WRONG: Hadestown Opens Big A live theater capture of the Broadway musical, Hadestown, made $20 million at the US box office, which begs the question: was I wrong to be skeptical about musicals a few years ago? Yes and no. On the one hand, $20 million is a far cry from being “popular”, so yeah, the genre isn’t that popular overall and Hadestown is one of the more popular musicals from recent years (i.e. the “Taylor Swift Data Fallacy” in action). On the other, I doubt filming this cost all that much, and I don’t think that they spent much on marketing, so this is a good source of ancillary revenue. Smaller Updates WRONG: As I mentioned in a Streaming Ratings Report, I underestimated the budget for Enola Holmes 3. It probably cost more like $50 million, if not more. But... I’m not sure that it really matters? At sub-10 million hours, prices have to come down to make this work. WRONG: Netflix is giving Ink a 27-day in theaters! To quote the kids/YouTubers these days, let’s go! Now I might actually have a chance to see Danny Boyle’s latest in theaters. I’d complained about this in a “Coming Soon” section, but I was heartened to read that Netflix is giving multiple films longer theatrical windows this year. RIGHT: Netflix is sending 4-5 films per year to theaters. Netflix is slowly but surely sending more and more films to theaters, as I cautiously predicted earlier this year. For now, it’s just three big films and a number of awards contenders, but still, this is great news. And they’ll be releasing box office grosses! Just this week, Ted Sarandos confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will come to theaters (and my guess is it performs in the box office top ten at a minimum). WRONG: Angel has 3 million subscribers! How do I know this? Well, they told Deadline, who reported it. I marked this as “wrong”, since they’ve doubled their subscribers in one year but, you know, they don’t really have a hit film to speak of and they’re still losing money. WRONG: Furious was only renewed for one more season. I accidentally wrote “two more seasons” in my latest “Renewals, Cancellations, Un-Orders and Removals Update”. RIGHT: House of David is ending with its third season. In July, Prime Video renewed House of David for a third season, as I just wrote in my latest “Renewals and Cancellations” report. Well, now it’s ending after that third season. Why? As I’ve been writing, its viewership wasn’t great. I got feedback that this show didn’t cost very much, but it cost enough that its limited viewership didn’t save it. WRONG: Adults was a Hulu original! So I missed Adults when it first came out last year; I saw that it aired on FX and just assumed that it was a linear-first program. Turns out, it aired three episodes on FX, but binge-released the rest of its episodes the next day on Hulu. Huh. So I should have covered it last year! But I just wrote about it. 1 “When I was a kid in the 90s, if you wore a t-shirt to school that wasn’t too big and also wasn’t too small, but somehow didn’t quite fit, we’d say you were wearing an “extra-medium” shirt.” 2 As always, a huge exception is Disney, which barely makes anything original anymore.
After vast sewage spill, officials say testing shows Potomac is back to health
Testing “found no current signs of harm” from the millions of gallons of raw sewage that flowed into the river in January, according to D.C. Water.
Epic used AI to find potential security flaws that could expose patient health records
Epic Systems revealed last month that it used an advanced artificial intelligence tool to find security weaknesses that could have allowed undetectable access to patient health data. Epic maintains health records for more than 325 million patients around the world.
ENTERTAINMENT: Magic Screams at Magic Springs; MacArthur Museum hosts 13th Vintage Vehicle Military Show
Magic Springs Theme and Water Park brings back its annual Magic Screams, billed as Arkansas’ largest Halloween festival.
Science on Target: Q3 Publications from our Innovation Ecosystem
Antisense Oligonucleotide Tofersen Distribution in the Central Nervous System of SOD1-ALS Autopsy Tissue Donors. Guise AJ, Sellon MT, Roemer SF, Monine M, Comfort Harris NT, […] Plowey ED. JAMA Neurol. 2026 Jul 6:e262195. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.2195. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42406382; PMCID: PMC13338845. Using human 3D organoid models to gain mechanistic insight in motor neuron […]
Zeldin announces EPA proposal to support cleaner air and business growth in Arizona
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Arizona Tuesday to announce proposed approval of Maricopa County Rule 204, an emissions-reduction program intended to help businesses invest and expand while improving air quality. The announcement followed a roundtable with business leaders and elected officials. Rule 204 would allow qualifying voluntary emissions reductions from nonroad engines and equipment to […]