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YouTube overtakes TV as top source of political news, study finds
The Center for the Creator Economy at Syracuse University—the nation's first academic center dedicated to the advancement of interdisciplinary academics, independent research, policy engagement and support ...
From the school store to the real world: Princeton students put business skills to work
RIDE claims gains in math and science in 2026 assessment and accountability results
The Rhode Island Department of Education claimed to have made gains in math and science in its 2026 Assessment and Accountability results.
Health District plans new campus in downtown Fort Collins for services
The Health District is planning a move to downtown Fort Collins after purchasing two buildings there.
AI Chatbots Often Fail To Help Users in Mental-Health Crisis
New research shared exclusively with TIME shows chatbots are good at spotting distress, but frequently fail to refer users to resources
Mental health, meteorology on TV, and managing it all
I realize that everyone has a different experience with mental health, but I wanted to share what my journey has been like. I will dive into what I experienced during my first panic attack, the process of getting the help I need, and some resources that are available for mental health.
Entertainment briefs | A Company of Voices to present concert in Eureka
A Company of Voices will present a concert titled “All Who Wander” Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church.
How students can find therapy and other mental health resources
About 70% of college students experienced a mental health concern in the past year, according to a 2026 national survey from United Healthcare. The University of Georgia Counseling and Psychiatric
Some churches are turning their empty lots into affordable housing
The grassy plot of land across the street from Trinity East United Methodist Church sat empty most of the time.
‘I’m not alone’: Conference offers kinship caregivers resources, support, platform to share experiences
About 125 caregivers, professionals and community organizations attended Foster Family Alliance of NC’s event last month.
"Sources have relayed to me that sides still remain …
"Sources have relayed to me that sides still remain …
Exclusive: Apple cuts iPhone 18 Pro orders due to soft demand
Suppliers blame premium handsets' price hike for weaker consumer uptake
These 10 albums have surprising ties to cults and unconventional religions
Every religion has a musical tradition no matter how small the church or strange the belief. Some of this music was recruitment propaganda, some was not. Either way, fringe faiths among musicians is not a new phenomenon.
Scientists create new statewide surface geologic map of Nebraska
A new academic paper by Paul Hanson and Matthew Joeckel of the Conservation and Survey Division in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's School of Natural Resources contains a brief phrase—"new linework"—that ...
A Fiesta’s Serious Business
As if in pilgrimage, three resolute singers carried a melody down the nave toward the stage to open La Donna Musicale’s concert at the Church of the Covenant last Sunday. Their seamless blend with the ensemble’s five musicians set the tone for a program of love and longing that moved across some fiv
Gov. Moore insists Maryland’s budget is balanced; watchdog calls it 'political math'
WBFF Fox45 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Baltimore and nearby towns and communities in Maryland, including Annapolis, Crofton, Glen Burnie, Linthicum, Pasadena, Severn, Cockeysville, Dundalk, Essex, Parkville, Owings Mills, Towson, White Marsh, Woodlawn, Hampstead, Sykesville, Taneytown, Westminster, Elkton, Perryville, Pt. Deposit, Rising Sun, Aberdeen, Abingdon, Bel Air, Edgewood, Fallston, Havre De Grace, Columbia, Elkridge, Ellicott City, Fulton, and Ocean City.
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.
In Depth: A look into the politics and laws surrounding Oklahoma's open U.S. Senate seat
Military Business Market brings local shopping and community together
More than 70 veteran and military spouse owned businesses from across Idaho are coming together for the Military Business Market on Saturday, October 17, from 1
Mental health and ADHD diagnosis can cause harm, says official review
Government-commissioned report calls for more opportunities to work and socialise for young people and rejects claims of ‘snowflake’ generation
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 ...
Southwest Airlines weighs Boeing 787 for long-haul international push, sources say
Southwest Airlines is leaning toward Boeing's 787 Dreamliner as its first widebody jet as it weighs launching long-haul international flights, according to three people familiar with the carrier's fleet planning.
Trump bought over $1 million in SpaceX debt days before unveiling space policy
The purchase, revealed in his latest financial disclosure, involved a firm directly affected by his administration’s actions — and led by presidential ally Elon Musk.
Tech Giants Contribute $2.4 Billion in AI Resources to White House Science Mission
The White House announced Thursday (Oct. 8) that 11 companies have committed a total of $2.4 billion in artificial intelligence, which the administration
Fact-checking Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek in first Iowa US Senate debate
Iowa U.S. Senate candidates Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek met for their first debate Oct. 7, sparring over immigration and healthcare — and scrutinizing each other’s personal and campaign finance sources.
Performing Arts Center Pointing to 2027 Opening as Local Entertainment, Business, and Educational Partner
This reporter recently met with Front Royal Performing Arts Center (FRPAC) Board of Directors President Shae Parker and Vice-President Kate Gorecki to get an overview, including photos seen below, of the renovation status of the planned, multi-faceted Performing Arts Center on the 100 block of East Main Street at its intersection with Church Street. With
Rochester-area businesses expect boost from under-construction Micron plant near Syracuse
As construction of Micron's massive semiconductor plant gets underway near Syracuse, companies in the Rochester area are now recruiting and training to be a part of the semiconductor supply chain.
U.S. backtracked on critical mineral, data demands in health deal with Zambia
The administration signed a $1.5 billion agreement with Zambia, but only after being forced to abandon controversial data-sharing and resource-access provisions.
City council debates higher taxes on big corporations, expanding small business exemptions
The proposal could exempt 18,000 small businesses from city taxes while generating millions in new revenue, but critics warn it could drive companies away.
Darfur: Healthcare needs outstrip resources as Security Council extends Sudan sanctions
More than 700,000 displaced people in Tawila, in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region, face severe shortages of healthcare, food, water and protection, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday as it called for an urgent increase in resources.
Former Danish Queen, 86, reappears in public 1 month after health scare
Queen Margrethe of Denmark joined King Frederik, Queen Mary, and Princess Benedikte for a celebratory concert at Fredensborg Church
Pope Leo XIV’s October prayer intention is ‘for mental health ministry’
VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) – Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his October prayer intention to mental health ministry, calling on the Church to listen without judging and accompany those who suffer without excluding them. In a video produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope prayed that the Church may be an “open house” … Continue reading
Mental health expert: Seek support when daily life becomes unmanageable
Gateway Community Service Board official discusses resources ahead of World Mental Health Day
Genesis Mission: SYNAPS-I Brings Agentic AI to Experimental Workflows
With support from ALCF computing resources and AI services, the SYNAPS-I team demonstrated a new agentic AI platform that uses natural-language instructions to automate complex experimental workflows as part of the DOE Genesis Mission. Oct. 8, 2026 — Science has increasingly used artificial intelligence (AI) as a kind of microscope — sorting data, analyzing images […]
The City of Savannah is hosting a business tax 101 event
The event is open to the public; it’s free with the intention of helping business owners with resources.
Barton Health hosts free community health fair Oct. 22
Barton Health is hosting a free community health fair on Oct. 22, offering Lake Tahoe residents access to health screenings, resources and healthcare providers.
Health officials confirm measles case in Pike County, Ohio
Health officials have confirmed a case of measles in Pike County, Ohio.The Pike County General Health District made the announcement Thursday, stating conduct c
Summary of Business: FRA 2026 Joint National and Lake States Region Fall Meeting
FRA’s Joint National and Lake States Region Fall Meeting brought members and friends from across the country to Green Bay, WI, September 29 to October 1, for committee business…
Alabama health officials warn of storm cleanup dangers ahead of Isaias
Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris is urging residents to follow health and safety warnings as Hurricane Isaias brings the possibility of significant
New DOE Early Career project uses magnetic vortices to uncover hidden sources of loss in superconducting quantum devices
Daniel Bafia will develop a new measurement approach that uses magnetic vortices to investigate defects and interfaces that can limit the performance of superconducting quantum devices. The project could provide researchers with a new way to understand and ultimately reduce sources of energy loss in quantum materials.
Aetna Better Health offers free haircuts, wellness resources at upcoming Rockford events
Aetna Better Health has two free events coming up, connecting area residents with healthcare and community resources.
Futures Recover Healthcare CEO shares mental health resources during Mental Illness Awareness Week
Mental Illness Awareness Week is bringing attention to mental health resources, with Futures Recover Healthcare offering help for people who need it.
AI tool makes culturally appropriate lessons for teachers in India
Overworked teachers in southern India have a new tool, developed by Cornell researchers, for educating their students: Shiksha Copilot, an AI system that generates culturally relevant lesson plans for schools with few resources.
Catherine Zeta-Jones reveals whether she’s read Michael Douglas’ explosive memoir
“One Helluva Ride” is available for purchase wherever books are sold.
Free Play Days – ARC Raiders, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Little Nightmares III, Screamer, and More
This weekend, Polterguys: Possession Party is available this weekend for XBOX Game Pass members, while WWE 2K26 and Wildgate are free for all. Jump in!
The 90-day business reset every real estate agent should do before 2027
A 90-day reset helps agents audit lead sources, rebuild databases, and tighten systems, then make 3 decisions for 2027.
New Wellness Concierge tool supports campus mental health
Wake Forest faculty, staff and students now have a new tool to help increase access to mental health resources through Wayhaven’s Wellness Concierge. Developed by Christine Nicodemus (’15), the Wellness Concierge has been in a pilot phase since the summer and is now available [...]
Newrez, eXp Realty Form Joint Venture To Target Purchase Business
eXp Realty is replacing Kind Lending with Newrez as its mortgage joint venture partner, bringing one of the nation's largest nonbank lenders into its national real estate network in a move that could expand Newrez's reach into purchase lending.
Apple's Cheapest 16-Inch MacBook Pro Just Got a Massive $563 Discount on Amazon
Apple's entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro has received a massive discount today on Amazon, coming in at $563 off its new price. This is the 18-Core M5 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, available for $2,436.53, down from $2,999.00. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Pull Up to 7-Eleven in Forza Horizon 6
A storefront inspired by 7-Eleven stores in Japan, a Konbini Prop Pack, an Egg Salad Sandwich Collectible, and an exclusive 7-Eleven Toyota Supra GR livery – all available in Forza Horizon 6 today.
Rust upstart reveals 'reimplementation' of Microsoft Office – with Claude on coding duty
ArtCraft adds Word, Excel, and PowerPoint lookalikes to its open source lineup, but they're not ready for production
How a DSA chapter in Austin is building political power
When the socialists filed into the pews of a church sanctuary in Texas, there were far more than would have attended just two years ago.
San Diego politicians blast DOJ voter-record subpoenas
San Diego elected officials criticize Justice Department subpoenas for local voter records and call for transparency.
Cyabra Secures Enterprise Agreement with Fortune 500 Media and Entertainment Company
Enterprise agreement with a global media and entertainment leader expands Cyabra’s commercial footprint, delivering AI-powered narrative intelligence to...
Sandwiches to socialism: How a DSA chapter in Austin is building political power
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When the socialists filed into the pews of a church sanctuary in Texas, there were far more than would have attended just two years ago.
Concern after Europeans endorse US science agenda
Germany’s biggest research funder has said it is “concerned” after Berlin, plus several other European countries, endorsed a controversial US-led science policy statement. On October 4, the White House announced that 16 countries, including Germany, the UK, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Japan and South Korea had backed the Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science.The document, agreed on the margins of the annual Science and Technology in Society forum in Kyoto, which gathers science ministers from across the world, appears uncontroversial at first sight. It’s a one-page statement, without any concrete measures, that touches on reducing administrative burden on scientists, experimenting with new funding models and the use of “super intelligence” in science, the Trump administration’s preferred term for artificial intelligence. However, what’s controversial is that much of the language in the Kyoto Vision reflects Science: A New Golden Age, a major policy document released by the White House in July.That document attracted criticism for deriding universities as “legacy institutions” and suggesting money be diverted to new research labs. In a speech in Kyoto on October 4, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy and the report’s author, said that the US was seeking to “diversify the ways that we support research to meet our best scientists where and when they do their best work.” The worry is that the Trump administration may be using genuine dysfunctions in academia as a pretext to defund and disempower universities, which US vice president JD Vance has labelled “the enemy.” Many in Europe also want more experimentation and reform of how science is organised and funded, and agree with criticisms of academia made by Science: A New Golden Age. But some also fear that if the US pushes for reform partially in bad faith, it could politicise and undermine the whole agenda. Washington is currently trying to change federal funding rules so that political appointees can block and cancel scientific grants. It has cut grants mid-project on topics related to diversity and other politically forbidden areas. And last year, it threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless it admitted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create campus “viewpoint diversity.” “Particularly concerned”Because of this wider US political context, the Kyoto Vision’s otherwise innocuous sounding statement that “we encourage experimentation with new institutional models for science that provide varying levels of autonomy, resources and direction” has caused consternation in Europe, particularly from some of Germany’s biggest science organisations. A spokesperson for the German Research Foundation (DFG), the country’s biggest funder, said that it would “closely monitor whether the current US administration uses the Kyoto Vision to restructure research funding to the detriment of research institutions such as universities and their autonomy.” The DFG was “particularly concerned” with the statement’s references to Science: A New Golden Age, they continued. A spokesperson for the German Rectors’ Conference, which represents the country’s universities, said that the reference to “new institutional models” raises “questions on the underlying understanding of academic freedom and autonomy.” Research funding must “guided first and foremost by scientific not political principles,” they went on. Dampen criticismEuropean endorsement of the Kyoto Vision might dampen domestic criticism of the Trump administration’s science policy, some in the US fear, by suggesting international support. “What we saw from Germany, Japan, the UK and other countries, is an impulse that the administration has exploited with our own science reform movement, a belief they can use dialogue to make things better,” said Cole Donovan, director of science policy at the campaigning group Stand Up for Science. “In practice, the administration has done the opposite.” Not a binding statementThere’s been so much concern in Germany that the country’s federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space put out a statement defending its endorsement of the Kyoto Vision, which it has posted on its website. Related articlesIs metascience being co-opted?European researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationThe US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know The ministry said that it “should be regarded as a basis for discussion and does not constitute a binding statement.” Backing the statement gives Germany the chance to raise “issues and concerns” with the US during upcoming talks on science and technology scheduled for November. “Although these intentions appear, in principle, to be worthy of support, they will be scrutinised and examined more closely as the process continues,” the statement continues. Super intelligence?A ministry spokesperson confirmed to Science|Business that Germany had broadly endorsed the Kyoto Vision.However, they said Berlin had not agreed to final changes in the statement to refer to AI as super intelligence. In September, facing protests against data centres and polling that suggests US citizens are far more concerned than excited by the technology, Trump issued an executive order that attempts to rebrand AI as super intelligence, following polling on social media.The name change is to “reflect the transformative capabilities of these technologies and the limitless opportunities they create for the American people,” the order says. EU askedThe UK and Italian science ministries did not respond to a request for comment on their endorsement of the Kyoto Vision. Although most EU countries did not endorse the statement, it’s not clear which states the US asked. The White House Office for Science and Technology Policy did not return a request for comment. A European Commission official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said that the US had approached the EU, but too late for the EU to quiz all its member states on whether Brussels should endorse the statement.
5 Main Street Iowa businesses win $75,000 in state grants
Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts were awarded a combined $75,000 in state grants Monday after pitching their expansion ideas in the final round of the 2026 Open 4 Business contest. Open 4 Business is a Main Street Iowa program housed within the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Downtown Resource Center. The live pitch…
AI in Health Care Moves Toward More Autonomous Roles
Federal health agencies are testing AI applications that move into patient care typically handled by physicians. And recent research suggests people may place more trust in conversational AI, while false claims attributed to authoritative sources can increase willingness to share them.
Locally authored ‘The Other Disney’ discovers gold, twice
SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY — “The Other Disney,” a novel by Hallstead physician-author Dr. Bernard Leo Remakus, tells the story of a father, who has just lost his job, and a resourceful
Why Sebastian Maniscalco's SiriusXM radio is bad for comedy
SiriusXM replaced its Raw Comedy channel with Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio last April. The change threatens a meaningful source of royalties and exposure for midlevel comics.
Free mental health fair connects Brevard community with resources
After his son's schizophrenia diagnosis transformed his family's life, Rev. John Baggett turned personal tragedy into advocacy.
The Math Singularity Is Here, and Science May Be Next
OpenAI has released an extraordinary body of mathematical work produced by an unreleased frontier model: 722 manuscripts spanning 372 research families across fields including number theory, complexity theory, and mathematical physics. Each result required, on average, the equivalent of roughly three hours of ChatGPT Pro reasoning. A New Era of Discovery We may be witnessing the beginnings of a “math singularity”: a point at which machine-generated discovery accelerates beyond humanity’s ability to independently reproduce, verify, or fully absorb it. If frontier models can generate hundreds of meaningful results in the time it takes a human researcher to investigate one, the constraint will no longer be producing new mathematics. It will be our capacity to validate, interpret, and integrate it. This does not make mathematicians obsolete. It changes their role. They may increasingly serve as guides, critics, and meaning-makers. Increasingly, they will decide which questions matter, determining which results can be trusted, and explaining why they are important. Mathematical insight may become abundant, while human judgment becomes more valuable than ever. Mathematics May Be Only the Beginning Every scientific discipline could eventually experience a similar acceleration. AI systems could generate and test hypotheses, connect findings across specialized fields, and explore possibilities at a scale no human research community could match. In medicine, imagine models identifying overlooked disease mechanisms, designing drugs and clinical trials, personalizing treatments, or discovering cures in months rather than decades. In materials science, AI could help create better batteries and cleaner industrial processes. In climate science, it could accelerate advances in energy, forecasting, and carbon removal. In biology, it could uncover relationships hidden across enormous genomic and molecular datasets. The result would not simply be faster research. It could expand the frontier of what is scientifically possible. The New Bottleneck Scientific discovery, however, is not the same as scientific progress. A medical breakthrough must still survive laboratory testing, clinical trials, regulatory scrutiny, manufacturing constraints, and real-world deployment. As machine-generated ideas multiply, the bottleneck may shift from producing breakthroughs to validating them safely and translating them into practice. We may soon have more hypotheses than laboratories can test, more drugs than clinical trials can evaluate, and more mathematical results than experts can review. That imbalance will require better systems for automated verification, reproducible research, prioritization, peer review, and collaboration between AI and domain experts. The importance of OpenAI’s work is not merely the number of manuscripts produced. It offers a glimpse of a world in which intelligence can explore thousands of intellectual paths in parallel. If ideas cease to be scarce, humanity’s defining challenge will be deciding which are true, which matter, and how to turn them into progress. The math singularity is not the end of human inquiry. It is the beginning of a new kind—one in which machines expand the frontier of knowledge and humans decide where it should lead. Subscribe Share Leave a comment
Philips Oral Healthcare establishes Global Clinical Advisory Board to help shape the future of oral care through scientific and clinical insight
Philips Sonicare establishes a Global Clinical Advisory Board of dental experts to provide scientific, clinical and strategic guidance.
Kilgore Tec expands its distribution, workforce
Kilgore Tec Products Inc. is expanding its distribution territory and plans to grow its Spokane Valley workforce by about 40% as the building-envelope contractor targets 100% sales growth over the next five years.
Catching up with: Vestis Manufacturing Inc.
Thirteen years ago, Vestis Manufacturing Inc. was a five-person operation producing and installing fabric awnings for homes and businesses within 100 miles of Spokane. Today, Vestis focuses on manufacturing aluminum canopies, louvered sunshades, and bolt-on balconies for commercial clients…
Coca-Cola distributor sees growth after expansion
Draper, Utah-based Swire Coca-Cola USA is continuing to grow steadily almost a year after expanding its Spokane Valley facility.
A $3.5M hangar is underway at StanCraft Jet Center
Construction of a new $3.5 million hangar is underway at the StanCraft Jet Center, a full-service fixed base operator at the Coeur d’Alene Airport.
Whipple Consulting Engineers expands offerings
Driven by recurring requests from custom homebuilders and small developers, Spokane Valley-based Whipple Consulting Engineers Inc. has expanded its offerings in an effort to keep costs manageable for smaller projects.
Green Bluff growers rely on fall festival profits
For the dozens of independent growers of Green Bluff, October isn't just pumpkin season — it's the four-week stretch that determines whether farms turn a profit or end the year in the red. Following a summer marked by wildfire smoke, high well-water pumping costs, and rising inflation, farmers are…
Raising Cane's considers Spokane Valley venue
A new Raising Cane’s restaurant development is under consideration in Spokane Valley.
Raising the Bar offers spirited history lessons
Once a month, at Hogwash Whiskey Den in downtown Spokane, historian Renée Cebula takes a roomful of students through centuries of American and global history that trace the wars, immigration, tariffs, and changing tastes that have helped determine what ingredients end up in her students’ glasses.
Commercial muralist builds brand identity, value
Riveting Paint & Pearl owner Desire McGinn approaches murals less like commissioned fine art and more like a skilled trade, working directly with business owners, contractors, and design firms to turn walls and other surfaces into extensions of a client's brand.
North Idaho bakery builds up skills from scratch
The Village Bakery owners, Dana and Todd Bellefeuile, have built their Hayden establishment around a workforce model that helps people with disabilities develop skills for future employment and independent living.
Exclusive: ICE agents told to ramp up daily immigration arrests despite GOP unease as midterms near
Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership told agents nationwide on Tuesday to increase immigration arrests by 1,000 more people daily, returning to a previous goal of 3,000 daily arrests, according to two sources familiar with the verbal directive.
The Shelborne by Proper: a Miami landmark is back in business
Following a $100mn restoration, the 1940s Art Deco hotel offers a stylish base for soaking up South Beach
Gov. Stein and NCDHHS announces $17 million for rural mental health services
North Carolina will invest more than $17 million to expand rural mental health and substance use services in multiple ENC counties, including crisis-response te
AI Makes "Open-Source, Clean Room" Implementations Of Adobe Photoshop & Premier In Rust
As an interesting demonstrator for the power of AI and potentially pressing legal challenges, Claude Code and AI agents have created 'open-source, clean-room reimplementation' versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premier, and Adobe Lightroom
Four Ohio college basketball teams play Outdoor exhibition
CareSource Invitational event University of Dayton head coach Anthony Grant started four years ago after his daughter died by suicide.
Japan, U.S. business leaders urge governments to boost AI cooperation
Japanese and U.S. business leaders on Wednesday called on their governments to step up cooperation on artificial intelligence, ranging from measures to support corporate procurement of necessary power sources to harmonizing governance of the rapidly growing technology.
Small business development center launches four-part workshop series for business owners
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.
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Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.
Trump to award National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su at White House
A high-profile group of tech leaders is expected to be honored at the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump planned to present.