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'The Blind Side' star Quinton Aaron speaks out on health and marriage after coma
The actor suffered a spinal stroke in January and later learned his wife's divorce had never been finalized.
Stanford's sports teams capture an NCAA championship for a 50th straight year
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Dick Gould has been around Stanford sports long enough as a tennis player and coach — a remarkable run of seven decades — that he clearly remembers some down years for the university's sports programs.
OpenAI Beefs Up ChatGPT's Image Generation Model
The ChatGPT Images 2.0 model is here. Our testing shows it's better at creating more detailed images and rendering text, but it still struggles with languages other than English.
Mining investors jittery about politics in Peru as vote count drags on, analysts say
Investors in Peru's copper and gold mines are worried about the country's presidential vote count that has been slowed by allegations of irregularities, yet analysts expect the sector to weather the election with limited direct impact.
ASU geosciences professor named Guggenheim Fellow
S.-H. Dan Shim, a professor of geosciences at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, recognizing his interdisciplinary work bridging earth science and astrophysics.
On the Hill: Health Care Reauthorizations, Congressional Hearings
House leaders plan votes this week on reauthorizing rural health and telehealth programs, as well as a proposed directive on lung cancer research. Legislation to be taken up under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage, includes H.R. 2493, which would reauthorize rural health care grants through fiscal 2030, and has been unanimously approved by the House […]
‘The View’ Hosts on ‘Losing Faith’ in Nancy Guthrie Investigation
Savannah Guthrie's mom has been missing for months.
School District of Lancaster board expected to hire interim business manager as it addresses fiscal challenges
School District of Lancaster officials will recommend today that board members appoint Charles Linderman as interim business administrator as they grapple with significant financial challenges.
From Donald Trump to Jacob Frey — has politics lost its profanity filter?
If there was ever a set of rules for politicians interfacing with the public, steadfast avoidance of profanity might have been at the very top of such a list. Robert’s Rules of Order, which are often invoked in political spaces, certainly prohibit personal insults, including profanity. But these are new times. Just last week, President Donald Trump […]
Americans killed in Mexico car crash following drug raid worked for the CIA, sources say
The two US embassy officials who died in a car accident in Mexico on Sunday worked for the CIA and had been collaborating with Mexican officials on expanded counternarcotics operations in the country, two people briefed on the matter confirmed to CNN.
CMS to ask every state for new audits of health care providers
The Trump administration has been heavily focused on combating purported fraud in federal health care programs.
Size of Starbucks workforce in Nashville announced
At 2,000 employees, it would be more than half the head count at its current headquarters in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood, where it has been since the early 1990s.
Columbus makes bid for NWSL team. Get the latest updates here
A group of potential owners that includes the Haslam Sports Group, Dr. Pete Edwards and Nationwide Insurance has been looking to bring professional women's soccer to Columbus.
The Pitt and Medicaid - National Health Law Program
“Hopefully we’ll be back on Medicaid by then.” “How’d you lose it?” “They sent a redetermination letter to our old apartment. It didn’t get forwarded.” “And you haven’t been able to get it back since?” “I’ve been trying for months. To get re-enrolled, you need tax returns, pay stubs… I cut hair. My income fluctuates.” – The Pitt, Season 2, […]
Avera receives $35M gift for New Golisano Children’s Hospital
Avera Health receives $35 million gift from philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano, thus renaming its new Sioux Falls women's health and children’s hospital tower the Avera Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
Steam Controller one step closer to launch after Valve teases ‘unboxing’ video with announcement pending
Another Steam Controller clue has been spotted online, as a mysterious 'unboxing' video appears on SteamDB ahead of launch.
Nintendo announces Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 release date with new trailer
The release date for Splatoon Raiders has just come through. As revealed through the Nintendo Today app, the game launches on July 23, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been close to a year since Splatoon Raiders was first revealed. Nintendo pulled back the curtain on the project last June, but we hadn’t heard anything since. Now it’s known that...
From Song to Science
Briana Nave is challenging what it means to be musically talented by examining how talent has been defined historically.
Assessing PENN Entertainment (PENN) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
Event context and recent performance PENN Entertainment (PENN) has been drawing attention after recent share price moves, with the stock closing at US$15.84 and showing positive returns over the past week, month, and past 3 months. Investors are weighing this against its 3 year and 5 year total return record. See our latest analysis for PENN Entertainment. The recent 30 day share price return of 15.87% and 90 day share price return of 15.37% contrast with a 3 year total shareholder return...
West Fork Whiskey sells Westfield venue to Stick and Hack Entertainment
Fishers-based Stick and Hack plans to open a sports and entertainment facility at the site with two restaurants, three bars, an outdoor beer garden, and golf and racing simulators.
The Death of Public Health
During the recent measles outbreak, the largest in more than 30 years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to clearly recommend the measles vaccine, saying instead that it was a “personal decision,” and that parents should “do their own research.” Similarly, during her recent confirmation hearing for United States Surgeon General, Casey Means was questioned by Senator William Cassidy (R, La). “You’re the nation’s doctor,” said Cassidy. “Would you encourage [a mother] to have her child vaccinated!” “I’m not an individual’s doctor,” Means said. “And every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body.” In June 2025, Marty Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that COVID vaccines for pregnant women should be a “personal choice”, even though every other country in the world recommended the COVID vaccine during pregnancy due to a higher risk for severe disease. It doesn’t end there. On January 5, 2026, RFK Jr. reduced the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. For vaccines that protected against influenza, COVID, and rotavirus, parents were urged to speak with their doctors—to make an individual choice. (On March 16, 2026, in a ruling by a federal court in Boston, RFK Jr.’s revised schedule was invalidated.) What’s happening? Why are public health officials moving away from making recommendations for the public? The origin of this change might be rooted in the first two years of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, during the first year on the pandemic, we didn’t have anything to stop a virus that was killing hundreds of people a day and could be spread asymptomatically. We didn’t have antivirals until October, monoclonal antibodies until November, and vaccines until December. All we could do was restrict travel, close businesses, shutter schools, and mask, isolate, quarantine, test, and social distance. During the second year of the pandemic, when we had vaccines to prevent COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere without their vaccine cards. They couldn’t go to their favorite bar or restaurant or sporting event or place of worship without proof of vaccination. Some people were fired from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. For many, this was seen as massive government overreach and energized what has been called the “medical freedom movement.” Indeed, a headline in the New York Times declared, “How Health Freedom Became a Winning Rally Cry.” As expressed in the comments of RFK Jr., Casey Means, and Marty Makary, the medical freedom movement focuses on the individual not the community—the opposite of public health. In an article titled “Ethics and Social Value Judgments in Public Health,” ethicists from Yale University distinguished public health from medical freedom. “Public health policies,” they wrote, “are population oriented. Because individual health affects the health of others, public health measures regulate individual behavior to achieve population health goals. All raise questions about how individual autonomy and freedom should be balanced against public health interests…which respects individuals’ sovereignty over their bodies and actions as long as their actions do not harm others.” The medical freedom movement fails to recognize that it often limits the freedom of others. For example, a parent who is afraid to send a child to school where many of the students are unvaccinated. Or immune compromised children who depend on those around them to for protection. The question then becomes “Freedom for whom?” Is it your right, in the name of medical freedom, to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection—and in so doing, take away the freedom of others? In Four Essays on Liberty, Isaiah Berlin sums it up best. “Liberty for the wolves,” he wrote, “is death to the lambs.” Thanks for reading Beyond the Noise! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
Dillon Dingler by the numbers: 5 stats that explain one of MLB’s best catchers
Over the last year, the Tigers catcher has not just been good. He has been among the very best in the sport.
Inside Montclair State's Red Hawks Rising
Danbury, Conn. —The race is on as the inaugural ECAC/Jets Flag Football season barrels toward an electrifying finish, and Montclair State is making sure every moment is remembered. The Red Hawks have been rolling cameras all season long, capturing the highs, the grind, and the defining moments of their very first campaign in a behind-the-scenes documentary series
Apple Is Working On A High-Resolution Camera Upgrade That Its Chinese Competitors Have Been Investing Millions To Implement
A rumor claims that Apple is working to bring a high-resolution camera upgrade to its iPhones, but Chinese manufacturers are investing millions to bring it
Sennheiser launches HD 480 Pro, the closed-back headphones fans have been waiting for
Sennheiser's new HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company's popular HD 490 Pro headset.
Data Breaches Announced by Mindpath Health; Springfield Hospital; Lone Peak Psychiatry
Data breaches have been announced by the California psychiatry and therapy provider Mindpath Health, Springfield Hospital in Vermont, and Lone Peak Data breaches have been announced by the California psychiatry and therapy provider Mindpath Health, Springfield Hospital in Vermont, and Lone Peak Psychiatry in Utah.
Rockland businesses enlist NY regulator in CHPE roadwork fight
Businesses in Rockland's Route 9W corridor say they've been stung by months of traffic delays from Champlain Hudson Power Express construction.
Good intentions don’t always equal good laws
By Bob Gardner I served in the statehouse for 16 years. I have been a practicing lawyer for over 30 years. In that time, I must have seen thousands of bills introduced with seemingly good intentions but leading to disastrous consequences. The worst of those almost aways had the somewhat curious quality of uniting those […]
'We've been sold out': Punters Politics fronts inquiry into gas export tax
Konrad Benjamin, a former school teacher who is behind the social media account Punters Politics, tells a Senate inquiry into taxing gas that the issue has fired up his near million followers
Braves All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. leaves game vs. Nationals after hit-by-pitch on left hand
Acuña's career has been repeatedly derailed by injury. He was hit twice Monday night by Nationals starter Jake Irvin.
Stanislaus health officials watchful as serious skin rash cases rise in California
“This reinforces how important it is for people at higher risk to get both doses of the mpox vaccine.”
Center for Business Analytics renamed the Center for Business Analytics and AI
The Center for Business Analytics, housed within the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, has been renamed the Center for Business Analytics and AI.
Latest Leak Reveals Xbox Helix Will Effectively Just Be a PC With No Custom APU
When Microsoft announced the next-gen Xbox Project Helix, it confirmed what had been long rumored—that Helix would be a console-PC hybrid, just like Valve's upcoming Steam Machine, able to play both PC and Xbox games. Although it has not yet been confirmed what shape this hybrid experience will take...
Painted Tree closure locks out vendors, leaving Houston small businesses scrambling
Houston vendors said they’ve been locked out of Painted Tree stores after sudden closures, struggling to recover inventory and facing steep financial losses.
Wolves Relegated After Crystal Palace And West Ham Ends Scoreless
Wolves have been relegated after Crystal Palace and West Ham drew 0-0 in the Premier League.
Binghamton native announces plans for new entertainment venue
Binghamton native announces plans for new entertainment venue
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer exits Trump admin; Keith Sonderling named acting head
The Department of Labor sees a change in command as Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaves the Trump administration. Keith Sonderling has been tapped as the acting secretary.
Johny Srouji Taking Over as Apple's Chief Hardware Officer as John Ternus Transitions to CEO
Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies Johny Srouji is set to take on an expanded role as Apple's Chief Hardware Officer as John Ternus transitions to his role as Apple's next CEO. Srouji is going to lead Hardware Engineering, reporting to Ternus. Current Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Srouji has been pivotal in Apple's transition to Apple silicon. Johny is one of the most talented people I have ever had the privilege to work with.
Nike's 'walkers tolerated' Boston Marathon ad falls flat with runners
Nike faced backlash over an ad for the Boston Marathon, with runners criticizing the "Walkers tolerated" sign. It has since been taken down.
Romania Coalition Nears Collapse as Top Party Spurns Premier
Romania’s government has been thrown into turmoil after the top ruling party withdrew its support for Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, whose own bloc is now rallying to salvage his control of the four-way coalition.
Technologist And Media Vet David Dibble Named Vice Chairman Of Sphere
David Dibble, a technologist and former senior executive at Cablevision and Yahoo, has been named vice chairman of Sphere. The appointment by Sphere Entertainment will formalize Dibble’s work helping ...
What is President Donald Trump's approval rating? See latest polls
President Trump's approval rating has long been underwater, spelling trouble for Republicans in the midterms. Iran, high gas prices aren't helping.
A giant 'shadow' has been creeping across Mars for 50 years — and scientists aren't sure why
A dark patch in Mars' Utopia Planitia region has grown significantly since it was first photographed in 1976. Scientists have a loose understanding of what it is, but they can't properly explain its gradual growth.
One of the Largest Stars in the Universe Just Changed Colors and Astronomers Think It Is About to Explode
Astronomers have been watching the supergiant WOH G64 for decades – and it might have turned into a hypergiant and be heading for self-destruction.
New ID@Xbox showcase in collaboration with IGN set for 23rd April
A new ID@Xbox showcase in partnership with IGN has been set for 23rd April, with Aphelion, Solo Leveling Arise Overdrive, and more set to make new reveals.
'BEEF' Season 2 Is *So* Different Than Season 1—and I'm Fully Obsessed with It
The hit Netflix show 'Beef' is back with season two and I'm already obsessed after only two episodes. Here, my honest review of 'Beef' season 2, starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Charles Melton.
OpenAI Takes Aim at Google with New Image Model
If you’ve been on X or Reddit in recent weeks, you’ve likely seen images created by an upcoming model from OpenAI floating around. Sharp-eyed people have pointed out that the new model is potentially being tested with some ChatGPT users and on leaderboards under code names.The images generated ...
WVU announces recipients of 2025-26 Benedum Distinguished Scholar Awards
Three outstanding faculty members have been selected as the 2025-26 Benedum Distinguished Scholars in recognition of their exceptional research and scholarly activity.
20 years later, Nintendo's weird RPG Mother 3 remains the greatest game never sold
Mother 3, the sequel to Earthbound, came out 20 years ago today--but not in America, where it's never been released.
Fourteen current or former Notre Dame students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Fourteen current or former University of Notre Dame students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, with an additional 12 selected as alternates for the award.
NASA shuts off another Voyager science instrument to save power. The spacecraft is now 15 billion miles from Earth | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
NASA shuts off Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, which has been operating since Voyager 1 launched in 1977.
Third party mayor finds no honeymoon from partisan politics
Jay Doyle was 100 days into his first term as Mayor of Georgetown. He hadn’t been counting up, he said. He had been counting down. “I was retired, living a nice, peaceful life, and this just throws your life into chaos,” Doyle said. “I think it’s intended to be a part time job. It’s anything […]
TV Tinsel: David Duchovny leaves fiction behind in 'Secrets Declassified'
Actor David Duchovny, who starred in one of the most successful science fiction shows of all time, “The X-Files,” doesn’t care for science fiction. “I've never really been interested in
How the Professionalization of College Sports Changed Who Wins
The House v. NCAA private antitrust settlement professionalized collegiate sports by requiring colleges and universities to compensate student athletes. The case has changed the economics of college sports, pushing schools to spend big to pay for top athletes to field teams that compete for championships. New research from the Progressive Policy Institute finds that although the new model has narrowed success to the top programs, the ability for schools to pay for success has now been mostly priced in, writes Diana L. Moss.
To protest rising taxes, Russia’s small businesses take their ‘flash mobs’ online
With the costs of the war in Ukraine growing, the Kremlin has been raising taxes on and rolling back exemptions for Russian small businesses.
Westport health inspectors cite 15 eateries for serious violations
One restaurant was cited for six violations that have since been rectified, according to its manager.
Gibbs-White the 'catalyst' for Forest again
Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Andy Reid praised "catalyst" Morgan Gibbs-White for a "fantastic" second-half performance against Burnley in which he scored a hat-trick in 15 minutes. It has been him more often than not.
Barcelona winter signing suffers unfortunate knee injury
Barcelona have been handed a concerning update regarding one of their emerging defensive prospects, Patricio Pacifico, following a worrying incident during the recent Barça Atletic fixture against UE...
Galaxy Glasses make an appearance in Samsung’s latest firmware
A Galaxy Glasses icon has been spotted in both One UI 8.5 and One UI 9 ahead of their expected launch this year.
He's finally back! Liverpool midfielder returns at last
Injuries have undoubtedly been a significant factor in Liverpool’s campaign this season.While the overall number of injuries may not have been overwhelming, the impact has been severe due to several...
Great Women of Science Go Missing: The Matilda Effect
It’s now been two years since Great Women of Science debuted, featuring women who have made notable contributions to science, technology, or health and have largely gone unnoticed, often with Nobel prizes they deserved awarded to the men with whom they collaborated. There’s a name for this phenomenon - it’s called “the Matilda Effect.”
Problem Solver's Consultants named West Virginia Rural Small Business of the Year
Problem Solver’s Consultants, a Buckhannon-based marketing agency, has been named the 2026 West Virginia Rural Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The honor will be presented May 6 in Fairmont during National Small Business Week.
Scientists stunned as bacteria rewire DNA machinery to shape cells
Cyanobacteria—ancient microbes that oxygenated Earth and made complex life possible—are still revealing surprises billions of years later. Scientists have now discovered that a molecular system once used to separate DNA has been repurposed into something entirely different: a structure that shapes the cell itself.
Business and Professional Women ready for extravaganza
FOLLANSBEE — Members of the Ohio Valley Business and Professional Women’s Club are gearing up for what has become one their biggest annual fundraising events. This year’s Wine and Shoe Extravaganza will be held May 1 at the St. Francis Centre, 805 Lee Ave., Follansbee. Doors for the evening will open at 5 p.m., with […]
Advancing epidemic and pandemic preparedness through research readiness: SEAR Unity Studies Network Sites chart the way forward in 2026
On 25 March 2026, WHO Regional Office for the South‑East Asia Region (SEARO) convened the first meeting of the SEAR Chapter of the Unity Studies Network Meeting in 2026 to take stock of progress and plan next steps for strengthening epidemic and pandemic preparedness across the Region. The meeting focused on reviewing the ongoing adaptation of selected, standard Unity Study methodologies, sharing field implementation experiences from 2025, and identifying key priorities to guide collaborative work in 2026.Held virtually, the meeting brought together representatives from six Unity Studies network sites across five countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) as well as participants from all three levels of WHO.The meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing regional efforts in South‑East Asia to strengthen early investigations and studies for epidemic and pandemic preparedness, with a focus on pandemic influenza and other emerging respiratory pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. In this context, and as part of preparedness for the rapid generation of evidence, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme in SEAR (WHE/SEAR) encourages Unity Studies sites to adapt prioritized, standardized Unity Study protocols to their national contexts. This approach supports the generation of timely and reliable evidence to inform public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.These efforts are supported through a combination of experience sharing, participation in the global Unity Studies network webinars, capacity‑building of the national public health workforce, and regional collaboration that promotes inter‑country, inter‑agency, and inter‑ministerial action. In parallel, sites are encouraged to explore diversified funding sources to help sustain research preparedness over the long term.Discussions highlighted the importance of WHO’s catalytic financial support through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contributions (PIP‑PC). When combined with national and institutional resources, this support enables countries and sites to maintain continuity of activities at a core level and remain prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to future epidemics and pandemics.Regional and Global Updates: Opening the session, Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe, Programme Area Manager, Pandemic and Epidemic Management (PEM) Unit, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, highlighted the progress made in operationalizing the Unity Studies Network across the Region and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of WHO at all three levels, together with country unity studies sites. He emphasized the availability of limited but catalytic funding through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contribution (PIP‑PC) workplan at SEARO to sustain network activities in 2026, while encouraging sites to leverage additional funding sources to expand implementation.Representing SEARO, Dr Ashok Basnet, consultant, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness reported that, at the regional level, the Unity Studies Network currently includes six sites across five countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He noted that in 2025, catalytic funding supported protocol adaptation, training, and pilot implementation. In addition, a regional Unity Studies symposium held during the Global Public Health Summit in Sri Lanka strengthened and advocated collaboration between the Unity Studies site, national decision‑making forum, relevant technical units of the ministry of health, WHO and other partners.The symposium also highlighted the role of early investigations and studies as a key component of a multi‑source surveillance system needed at country level to generate a broad range of evidence. It underscored the critical role of country Unity Studies sites and similar research entities in generating evidence to support public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.Participants of the WHO GISRS Unity Studies Sites Network- SEAR Chapter Meeting 2026 (Photo credit- PEM/WHE/SEARO). SEARO also updated participants on ongoing efforts to develop a regional Unity Studies webpage and to promote participation in global knowledge‑sharing platforms, including webinars and the WHO Community of Practice. Priorities for 2026 include supporting the implementation of Unity protocols, strengthening collaboration and experience sharing across sites, documenting and publishing findings, integrating Unity Studies activities as a component of multi-source national surveillance systems, and building workforce capacity.Dr Nickle Boddington of the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) at WHO Headquarters, which coordinates the Unity Studies Network globally, provided updates on global Unity Studies activities, noting that the network has expanded to 16 sites worldwide. New and updated protocols, including rapid clinical severity assessment tools and standardized data platforms, are being developed to support implementation. The global Community of Practice has also been launched to facilitate technical exchange, and continued support will be provided to sites for protocol adaptation, ethical approvals, and readiness for early investigation during outbreaks. Updates from Unity Studies sites in SEAR in 2025Unity Studies sites shared progress and experiences in implementing protocols across diverse country contexts. Sites initiated activities in 2025 using catalytic funding from SEARO, complemented by the mobilization of internal national resources. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh, reported the adoption and piloting of investigation protocols on non‑seasonal influenza and emerging respiratory diseases during recent avian influenza outbreaks, demonstrating a multi‑source funding approach involving government, WHO and One Health partners.The Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), New Delhi, India, highlighted the piloting of household transmission investigation studies, the expansion of the national Unity Studies network, and the contribution of study findings to global evidence through published outputs. The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, shared experiences from large‑scale seroprevalence studies conducted during the COVID‑19 pandemic, recent efforts to strengthen national Unity network sites through training activities, and plans to initiate multi‑centre studies on respiratory viruses.Similarly, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, highlighted its experience in developing integrated surveillance and diagnostic protocols for multiple respiratory pathogens, enhancing readiness for targeted investigations of emerging threats. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, reported ongoing engagement with the Ministry of Health and exploration of additional funding sources to initiate studies. Meanwhile, the National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal, provided updates on continued coordination with national stakeholders to initiate implementation, despite delays related to the country context.Across sites, shared experiences underscored the importance of protocol adaptation, multisectoral collaboration, and sustainable funding to operationalize Unity Studies and generate evidence for public health action.Discussions and Way ForwardThe meeting reinforced key priorities for 2026, including strengthening unity studies protocol implementation, enhancing collaboration, knowledge sharing, integrating research as a component of national multi-source surveillance systems, and ensuring that generated evidence informs public health decision‑making. Participants also emphasized the importance of documentation, visibility, and leveraging multiple funding sources, and agreed on the following action points.Unity Studies Sites and WHO Country Offices:Advance adoption and implementation of at least one Unity protocol, continuing activities initiated in 2025 with catalytic funding, supplemented with other sources of funding where feasible.Document site-specific experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned; participate in regional and global knowledge-sharing platforms including WHO webinars and the Community of Practice.Work closely with ministries of health to establish unified national platforms for translating generated evidence into national public health decision-making. WHO Country Offices may facilitate technical support and complementary, synergistic funding opportunities where feasible. WHO Regional OfficeCoordinate with WHO Country Offices to support implementation of core unity studies activities by network sites through catalytic funding and provide technical guidance and virtual engagement opportunities throughout 2026.Facilitate the participation of all Unity Studies sites in the regional meeting on Unity Studies implementation in October 2026, to be held back‑to‑back with the Annual SEAR Regional PIP‑PC Meeting; develop and host a SEAR Unity Studies website; and mobilize support from academic institutions within the SEAR Unity Studies Network to support the development of regional manuscripts that showcase Unity Studies activities to scientific audiences and promote knowledge‑sharing.Explore complementary funding opportunities and partnerships to sustain and expand network activities across the Region.WHO HeadquartersProvide global technical guidance, updated protocols, and toolkits to support the implementation of Unity Studies in SEAR.Facilitate engagement of SEAR sites in global webinars, the Community of Practice, and opportunities to showcase their work.Support joint publications, inclusion of SEAR experiences in global outputs, and identification of additional funding and collaborative opportunities to strengthen Unity Studies activities.
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