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🚨 Vardy’s last dance: at 39, he signs for Burnley

Burnley have officially announced the signing of striker Jamie Vardy until the end of the current season.The 39-year-old arrives as a free agent after spending last season at Cremonese in Italy’s Se...

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Sep 6 • 9:45 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
🚨 Nearly 40, Jamie Vardy is back in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Out of contract, Jamie Vardy has officially signed for Burnley until the end of the season.A signing full of experience and character for the Clarets, who have secured one of the most illustrious stri...

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Sep 6 • 9:42 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (5%)
Away games offer Julian Alvarez a route back at Atletico

Julian Alvarez is going nowhere, at least until January. But the Argentina forward’s public preference for a move to Barcelona over the summer has left Diego Simeone with a delicate problem that no ...

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Sep 6 • 8:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
Local high school baseball program names new head coach

LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) — A local high school baseball program has a new skipper. Lancaster Catholic High School named Corey Paluga as their new varsity baseball head coach. He has more than 16 years of experience in collegiate baseball coaching and more. “I am excited for the opportunity at Lancaster Catholic to help young men […]

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Sep 6 • 8:06 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Chicago Cubs news

Shōta Imanaga’s strong six innings, plus the offense’s various ways to score, led the Cubs over the Marlins Friday.

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Sep 6 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
'The victories will come'

Fulham enjoyed a better expected goals (xG) of 3.13 than Crystal Palace (1.97), and also ran Chelsea close on the opening weekend. It led to booing from some Fulham fans, as well as chants questioning the team's performance. Alvaro Arbeloa will be no stranger to pressure.

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Sep 6 • 6:51 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Wim Wenders Clarifies Stance on Filmmakers and Politics After Berlin

Wim Wenders has clarified his much-discussed statement about filmmakers' role in politics at Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.

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Sep 6 • 6:44 AM EDT • Politics • variety.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (15%)
wow
50%
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love
20%
Alvarez Return Exposes Atletico’s Attacking Problems

Marcos Llorente told ESPN that Atletico Madrid need Julian Alvarez to start scoring, after Los Colchoneros suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club in LaLiga on Saturday. Alvarez came on as a seco...

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Sep 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
St. Louis CITY extend unbeaten run with Vancouver upset

By Ben SteinerVANCOUVER, B.C. - Let it be known, St. Louis CITY SC mean business.After a week that saw them shell out $12 million to the Colorado Rapids in a cash-for-player trade for Rafael Navarro...

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Sep 6 • 2:37 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
What's brewing: Rockwell teens operate new coffee business

ROCKWELL — Coffee is served. That and a wide variety of other treats can be found at Sweet Sippers Caffeine Club, a new coffee business in Rockwell operated by siblings, […]

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Sep 6 • 2:00 AM EDT • Business • salisburypost.com
Astros Blow Late Lead, Fall to Diamondbacks 4-3/10

Saturday Night Bummer. A rare blown late inning lead by Houston. Diamondbacks 4 Astros 3. The night began with promise, thanks to a forged early lead which has been the formula for success of late. Taylor Trammell began things with a double, advancing to third on Yanier Diaz’s single. Yordan Alvarez […]

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Sep 5 • 10:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
How to Watch LSU Football Without Cable in 2026

You can still watch every LSU football game, even if you don’t have cable.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any LSU game this season:Note: Heavy may receive a commission if you subscribe to a service on this […] The post How to Watch LSU Football Without Cable in 2026 appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 5 • 7:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
How to Watch Michigan Football Without Cable

Streaming sports may seem complicated, but it’s actually very easy to watch any Michigan football without cable this season.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Michigan game in 2026:Note: Heavy may receive a commission if you subscribe […] The post How to Watch Michigan Football Without Cable appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 5 • 6:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
D-backs @ Astros Discussion

Today’s Lineups DIAMONDBACKS ASTROS Lars Nootbaar – DH Jeremy Pena – SS Geraldo Perdomo – SS Yordan Alvarez – DH Gabriel Moreno – C Isaac Paredes – 3B Ketel Marte – 2B Jose Altuve – 2B Corbin Carroll – RF Daulton Varsho – CF Nolan Arenado – 3B Christian Walker – 1B Max Kepler – […]

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Sep 5 • 6:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (16%)
San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences is celebrating the state’s biodiversity with film screenings, community science events, and a nature festival this September

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is hosting various events this September, including a free nature festival.

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Sep 5 • 4:26 PM EDT • Science • secretsanfrancisco.com
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🙂 Positive (33%)
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Bayern held to draw by stubborn Schalke

Defending champions Bayern Munich were held to a scoreless draw by promoted Schalke in the Bundesliga on Saturday.Seven-time German champions Schalke have not beaten Bayern since 2011 and had not even taken a point off the Bavarian giants in nine years -- a run of 12 straight defeats.

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Sep 5 • 3:09 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
How to Watch Oregon Football Without Cable

It’s finally time for Oregon football. Fortunately, even if you don’t have cable, you can watch any and every Ducks game this season.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Oregon game in 2026:Note: Heavy may receive a […] The post How to Watch Oregon Football Without Cable appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 5 • 2:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Forest ‘at a loss’ over controversial VAR decision against Spurs

Nottingham Forest felt they were denied a legitimate goal by VAR after Neco Williams’ finish was controversially ruled out against Spurs on Saturday. The full-back had the ball in the net after Sand...

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Sep 5 • 2:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Glasner and Williams dispute VAR call over Forest handball

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner and Neco Williams believe VAR should not have ruled out defender's goal against Tottenham.

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Sep 5 • 2:36 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😮 Bayern Munich suffer first Bundesliga stumble

Bayern Munich drew 0-0 with Schalke 04 this Saturday (5) at the Veltins-Arena in the second round of the Bundesliga.The result left the Bavarian giants in fourth place with four points — behind Frei...

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Sep 5 • 2:22 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (25%)
Arbeloa vows Fulham’s poor start ‘will not define this season’

Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa insists his side’s difficult start to the season will not define their campaign after suffering a third consecutive defeat.Fulham were beaten 3-2 by Crystal Palace having ...

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Sep 5 • 2:20 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
☹️ Negative (-40%)
New CTE Study Delivers Sobering Reality Check on Long-Term Health Risks for NFL Players

As NFL teams close out the 2026 preseason and turn toward opening weekend, a new medical study is forcing a harder look at what football costs its players long after the final whistle. Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, a Harvard Medical School researcher, has spent years tracing the link between repeated head impacts and brain disease in […] The post New CTE Study Delivers Sobering Reality Check on Long-Term Health Risks for NFL Players appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

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Sep 5 • 1:47 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com
Early morning shooting near a sports bar sparks safety and business concerns

Local business owners express concern over safety and economic impacts following a shooting on Cesery Boulevard.

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Sep 5 • 12:42 PM EDT • Business • actionnewsjax.com
How to Watch Alabama Football Without Cable in 2026

If you don’t have cable, you don’t have to miss out on watching Alabama football.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Alabama game this season:Note: Heavy may receive a commission if you subscribe to a service on […] The post How to Watch Alabama Football Without Cable in 2026 appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 5 • 11:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
NFL Executives Flag DeMarvion Overshown Health As Cowboys Variable

Multiple NFL executives identified DeMarvion Overshown’s health as a key variable for the Dallas Cowboys defense entering the 2026 season.

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Sep 5 • 10:58 AM EDT • Health • dallassportsjournal.com
ARTSwego series returns with variety across 2026-2027 season

OSWEGO — SUNY Oswego’s ARTSwego Performing Arts Series will bring the campus and community another robust lineup of performances exploring various themes in history, culture, music, dance and the environment.The season opens Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre with “Magdalen.” This one-woman play written by Erin Layton is inspired by the true stories of women and girls who labored in Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries during the mid-20th century. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAm~? }@G] d 2E f A]>][ (2E6C>2? %962EC6 H:== H6=4@>6 z:?8D #6EFC?[ 2 s2==2D\32D65 7@FC\A:646 G@42= 8C@FA AC2:D65 7@C :ED 5J?2>:4 2 42AA6==2 A6C7@C>2?46D[ 3=6?5:?8 C9JE9> 2?5 3=F6D[ ;2KK[ 8@DA6= 2?5 A@A H:E9 EC25:E:@?2= G@42= 7@F?52E:@?D] %96 ~DH68@ w:89 $49@@= r92>36C $:?86CD H:== @A6? E96 A6C7@C>2?46] p5>:DD:@? 7@C 2== z\`a DEF56?ED :D 7C66 E92? E96 #:492C5 p] $9:?6>2? u@F?52E:@?]k^Am#placement_726068_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid726068 = window.pid726068 || rnd;var plc726068 = window.plc726068 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=726068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid726068+';place='+(plc726068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');kAm%96 D6C:6D 4@?E:?F6D u63] ad 2E f A]>][ :? (2E6C>2? %962EC6 H:E9 y@5J $A6C=:?8^%:>6 {2AD6 s2?46] %96 }6H *@CA2?J FD6D 49@C6@8C2A9J[ >65:2 2?5 4C@DD\5:D4:A=:?2CJ D2? 3@5J 2?5 E96 6?G:C@?>6?E] qJ 4@>3:?:?8 52?46 H:E9 E@A:4D @7 6?G:C@?>6?E2= D4:6?46[ G:DF2= 2CE[ >FD:4 2?5 >65:2[ E96 4@>A2?J 6I2>:?6D DFDE2:?23:=:EJ[ 4=:>2E6 ;FDE:46 2?5 E96 4@??64E:@? 36EH66? A6@A=6 2?5 E96 ?2EFC2= H@C=5]k^AmkAmp#%$H68@ 4=@D6D :ED D62D@? H:E9 {:>:?2= q=F6[ 2 AC@;64E:@? 2?:>2E:@? 3J {@D p?86=6D\32D65 EC2?D5:D4:A=:?2CJ 2CE:DE xD236= q62G6CD[ 7C@> pAC:= a E9C@F89 pAC:= b_[ a_af]k^AmkAm%96 D:E6\DA64:7:4 H@C< H:== 36 AC@;64E65 @?E@ 2 H2E6CD4C66? 7=@2E:?8 @? v=:>>6C8=2DD {28@@? 7C@> fib_\`_ A]>] 52:=J] q62G6CD H:== 4@?5F4E C6D62C49 2E ~DH68@ E9:D 72== E@ 56G6=@A E96 2?:>2E:@?[ H9:49 H:== 5C2H :?DA:C2E:@?D 7C@> E96 F?:G6CD:EJ’D F?:BF6 =2:?2= q=F6 :D AC6D6?E65 :? A2CE?6CD9:A H:E9 E96 4@?4FCC6?E “w*s#~$i p (@C=5 w6=5 3J (2E6C” 6I9:3:E:@? :? %J=6C pCE v2==6CJ[ H9:49 H2D 4@\4FC2E65 3J q62G6CD 2?5 82==6CJ 5:C64E@C s2G2?2 #@36566] %96 {:>:?2= q=F6 AC@;64E:@?[ w*s#~$ 6I9:3:E:@?[ 2?5 C6=2E65 82==6CJ AC@8C2>>:?8 2C6 7C66 2?5 @A6? E@ E96 AF3=:4]k^AmkAmp5>:DD:@? E@ 2== @E96C p#%$H68@ 6G6?ED :D 7C66 7@C $&}* ~DH68@ DEF56?ED]k^AmkAmu@C @E96CD[ E:4AFD r6?E6C 3@I @77:46 @C @?=:?6 2E k2 9C67lQ9EEAi^^E:42E:@?[ G:D:E k2 9C67lQ9EEAi^^@DH68@]65F^2CEDH68@Qm@DH68@]65F^2CEDH68@k^2m]k^Am googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-2978731'); });

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Sep 5 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • oswegocountynewsnow.com
Health care, potholes, rats: D.C.’s presumptive mayor gets an earful from her city

Lewis George’s self-styled “listening tour,” with events planned in each of D.C.’s eight wards, echoes a familiar variety of political stagecraft.

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Sep 5 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com
Health care, potholes, rats: D.C.’s presumptive mayor gets an earful from her city

Lewis George’s self-styled “listening tour,” with events planned in each of D.C.’s eight wards, echoes a familiar variety of political stagecraft.

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Sep 5 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
A look at Sage Restaurant as owners celebrate 20 years in business

Sage Restaurant, located at 3534 Maclay Boulevard South, has been serving patrons for 20 years.

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Sep 5 • 5:04 AM EDT • Business • tallahassee.com
Explore the Cosmos at Carnegie Science Observatories’ Annual Open House in Pasadena

On Sunday, October 11, Carnegie Science Observatories welcomes one and all to its annual Open House from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm—a great chance to enjoy the cooler-

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Sep 5 • 4:35 AM EDT • Science • coloradoboulevard.net
Fulham vs Crystal Palace – Predicted lineup and team news

Alvaro Arbeloa is still waiting for his first Premier League win as Fulham head coach when Crystal Palace visit Craven Cottage on Saturday. The Cottagers sit 16th after opening defeats to Chelsea and ...

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Sep 5 • 12:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
Fulham vs Crystal Palace – Match preview and team news

Two of the Premier League’s early strugglers meet at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with Fulham and Crystal Palace both still without a win after two rounds of fixtures.Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham sit 16...

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Sep 5 • 12:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
Venice Immersive celebrates 10 years of XR

Venice Immersive celebrates 10 years of XR as sector evolves and grows.

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Sep 5 • 12:05 AM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
Venice Immersive Celebrates 10 Years of XR Evolution and the Growth of Location-Based Entertainment

Ten editions in, Venice Immersive has plenty to celebrate — just don’t expect the new-media showcase to spend much time looking back. “We’re not planning any retrospectives,” Venice Immersive counselo...

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Sep 5 • 12:05 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
How to Watch Miami Football Without Cable

Streaming sports is supposed to be easy. And with that, we’ve put together a guide on how to watch any Miami Hurricanes football game live without cable. Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Miami game this […] The post How to Watch Miami Football Without Cable appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 4 • 9:26 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
☹️ Negative (-20%)
Transcript: How Does Your Brain Know Where You Are? w/ Edvard Moser

EDITOR'S NOTE: In this conversation from the World Science Festival, host Brian Greene sits down with Nobel laureate Edvard Moser, director of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim, Norway, to explore how the

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Sep 4 • 8:21 PM EDT • Science • singjupost.com
How to Watch Oklahoma Football Without Cable in 2026

Even if you don’t have cable, that doesn’t mean you need to miss out on watching Oklahoma football games.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Oklahoma game this season:Note: Heavy may receive a commission if you subscribe […] The post How to Watch Oklahoma Football Without Cable in 2026 appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 4 • 6:58 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
The Heart Drug Pelacarsen Fails, Shocking Novartis and Cardiologists

Doctors were hopeful the drug, which was being tested in a large clinical trial by Novartis, was going to be a powerful new tool to fight heart disease.

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Sep 4 • 6:44 PM EDT • Science • nytimes.com
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches

In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.

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Sep 4 • 6:23 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Breaks Silence With Important Health Update

The Toronto Maple Leafs were anything but fully healthy last season, as several key players missed weeks of time with various ailments. One such player was defenseman Chris Tanev, who was limited to 11 games.Tanev missed time because of a concussion and later, because of a core-muscle injury that took place shortly after he returned […] The post Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Breaks Silence With Important Health Update appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 4 • 6:13 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com
Blizzard’s StarCraft Site Breaks Itself Days Before BlizzCon, and Fans Already Decoded a Hidden 2575 Horror ARG

Amid various StarCraft rumors, the official website starts glitching suspiciously just one week ahead of BlizzCon 2026, and fans discover ARG.

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Sep 4 • 4:00 PM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
Latest Jackson County Health inspections: Garcia's Tacos, The Chicken Shanty, Dolly Varden's Cafe

Restaurants and food carts are inspected at least twice a year by Jackson County Health Department employees. Inspectors look for risk factors that could increase the potential for food-borne illness, […]

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Sep 4 • 3:30 PM EDT • Health • rv-times.com
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.

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Sep 4 • 3:16 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
Maria Bartiromo vs. Fox News: Pivot Between Politics, Wall Street Hurt

Maria Bartiromo's ongoing pivot between politics and coverage of Wall Street likely hurt her standing at Fox News

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Sep 4 • 2:35 PM EDT • Business • variety.com
Maria Bartiromo vs. Fox News: Pivot Between Politics, Wall Street Hurt

Maria Bartiromo's ongoing pivot between politics and coverage of Wall Street likely hurt her standing at Fox News

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Sep 4 • 2:35 PM EDT • Politics • variety.com
Fulham v Crystal Palace: Key stats and talking points

Fulham's campaign got off to the worst possible start when they conceded to neighbours Chelsea just 30 seconds into their opening match. Defeat by the Blues was followed by another at Sunderland and while there will be no panic at the Cottage as new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is still settling in, fans might be aware that only twice before have Fulham lost their first three games of a top-flight campaign (1951-52 and 2020-21). Fulham have also struggled against Palace in recent years, winning just two of their last 13 Premier League matches against the Eagles (D6, L5), with neither victory coming on home soil.

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Sep 4 • 2:03 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Want a solution to plastic pollution? Scientists urge UN to require global reporting

Plastic is a wonder material that has molded itself to fit a wide variety of applications. But it comes with a host of drawbacks that aren't fully considered. That's why the United Nations has convened ...

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Sep 4 • 2:00 PM EDT • Science • phys.org
Survey of young researchers raises concerns over future of science in U.S.

Fewer planning careers in academy, nation, and more doubt value of Ph.D. amid policy shifts in funding, international students

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Sep 4 • 12:27 PM EDT • Science • news.harvard.edu
‘Fauda’ Creator Calls Mark Ruffalo ‘Ignorant’ Over 'Genocide' Remarks

'Fauda' creator Avi Issacharoff has called Mark Ruffalo as 'ignorant' on Israel-Hamas conflict.

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Sep 4 • 11:44 AM EDT • Politics • variety.com
Global Content Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss ‘Multilateralism for the Moving Image’ at France’s Lumiere Summit

Hollywood heavyweights and top players in content and exhibition from around the world will gather in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on Sept. 7 for the landmark Lumiere Summit that aims to explore the future of ...

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Sep 4 • 11:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
TikTok Star Skyelar Chase Signs With Innovative Artists Entertainment

Skyelar Chase, who has more than 1.7 million followers on TikTok, has signed with Innovative Artists Entertainment for representation in all areas.

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Sep 4 • 11:03 AM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
Adobe's CEO Appointment Could Lead to 'Strategic Messaging' Around Experience Cloud Business, RBC Says

Adobe's (ADBE) appointment of Anil Chakravarthy as its next chief executive could lead to strategic

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Sep 4 • 10:47 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
A New Bill Would Extend Health Privacy Law to Your Phone. The Hard Part Comes Next. - Petrie-Flom Center

Most people might assume that the health information on their phone is protected the way their medical records are. It is not.

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Sep 4 • 10:26 AM EDT • Health • petrieflom.law.harvard.edu
IEDC seeking to hire business accelerator operators

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is looking for interested parties to run business accelerators for Indiana-based companies at various stages of development, from startups to more established companies.

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Sep 4 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • ibj.com
😐 Neutral (13%)
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Switchboard Health Acquires Livara Health to Integrate Value-Based Musculoskeletal Care

Acquisition Brings Livara’s Virtual MSK Care Model Onto Switchboard’s Specialty Care Platform; Closes $5M+ Round of Funding Switchboard Health, creators

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • healthcareittoday.com
Sony's PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90

Sony’s PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90 Sony won’t license disc pressing to anyone else, Microsoft does, and a former PlayStation boss thinks that’s the whole problem. When Sony DADC chief Dietmar Tanzer spoke with an Austrian broadcaster in July about PlayStation disc production at the Thalgau plant, a number of press outlets misunderstood the report, writing that production would fall to a tenth of current levels. It won’t. Sony DADC confirmed to Game this week that the figure is a 10 percent decline, not a decline to 10 percent. “To clarify and avoid any misleading information: in that statement Dietmar anticipated an overall product volume decline by 10 percent, not a decline down to 10 percent,” a spokesperson with Sony DADC told Game. That figure covers 2028. Tanzer didn’t put a number on the years after, and the spokesperson declined to comment further. What we do know is that on July 1, PlayStation announced that physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028 and that the transition has no impact on games that have already released in disc format or will be releasing in disc format prior to that month. “So, there will be reorders going to the market after January 2028,” the Sony DADC spokesperson said. “For details around that I would ask you to liaise with the PR team from PlayStation, as we can’t speak or comment on their behalf.” PlayStation officials did not respond to questions about reorders or other disc-related matters. But I did recently speak with Shawn Layden, Game Industry Strategic Advisor and former chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, who called a future without physical PlayStation discs “depressing, but solvable.” then added, “I think.” The chief hurdle to third-party manufacturing of collector’s editions or any other version of a PlayStation game disc is that Sony owns the proprietary process to press those discs, Layden said. “And unless they decide or determine a way to license that to some of these bespoke disc manufacturers, there’s no way to make it happen,” he said. Layden was careful to add that he understands the concept but doesn’t have “line of sight on the particulars.” “Depressing but solvable, I think.” — Shawn Layden Microsoft already licenses replication to outside plants. Xbox discs are pressed by manufacturers Microsoft certifies as Authorized Replicators, a term defined in its publisher agreements, with the approved list set at the company’s sole discretion and Microsoft retaining the right to halt manufacture. The structure is still in place today: publishers select an Authorized Replicator in Partner Center and submit a bill of materials created with a Microsoft representative. Sony, by contrast, presses PlayStation discs through Sony DADC, its own manufacturing subsidiary. No one I spoke with said they were in discussions with Sony about doing that, and PlayStation hasn’t responded to questions about whether it would be open to a licensing deal. There is an obvious reason Sony might not want to. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed it out on the day of the announcement: it’s a platform-led decision, he wrote, designed to cut costs, eliminate the resale market, and drive all revenue through the PlayStation Store. The math is not subtle. On a $70 third-party game sold through the PlayStation Store, Sony keeps $21. Sold at retail, Ahmad says, it earns about half that. Licensing disc replication to an outside manufacturer might not be worth it. And even if it were, it seems unlikely that such a deal would come from boutique companies like iam8bit, which sells collector’s editions of video games. “We would absolutely love to find a way forward to continue making physical PlayStation games,” said Jon Gibson, co-owner and co-creative director of the company. “We are big believers in giving humans the option to truly own media. If we can play a role in helping make that a reality for the future of PlayStation games, count iam8bit in!” If it were to happen, it would most likely be with a company like Conectiv Supply Chain Solutions, a Memphis-based manufacturer of optical discs and vinyl records that also runs third-party logistics, fulfillment and distribution for packaged media. The company, which was formed in 2025 when Los Angeles private equity firm Variant Equity Advisors purchased Vantiva’s Supply Chain Solutions division, traces its lineage back to Technicolor. When it sold the division, Vantiva described the business as having served video game creators for more than 25 years. Conectiv is also buying, not shrinking. Last month it acquired SDS, the distributor for Universal and Warner Bros. home entertainment, consolidating those studios’ packaged-media pipeline from pressing plant to retail shelf. I reached out to Conectiv and its CEO, but haven’t heard back. Layden pointed to music and books in our discussion about the ongoing value of physical media. “No one ever saw the comeback of cassette tape,” he said. “And vinyl didn’t so much come back. The flame went down, the fire’s dying, but the ember was always there, and it just kind of came back. Much like the book business. We thought we’d all be on Kindles right now. “I believe that physical media is crucial and important. One of the things that makes us gamers, one of the core game mechanics, going back to the beginning of time, is collecting stuff. “Did you get all the diamonds in Crash Bandicoot? Did you get all the stars in Mario? And we like to collect our games. And we have a game shelf. And we put all our boxes up there. And if you’re super hardcore, when you buy a game, you buy two copies, right? One stays in the shrink wrap, and you play the other one. What happens to that important cultural part of the gaming world? You know, we buy the steelbook and the three-disc Final Fantasy set and the figurine and, you know, you can’t download any of that. “What happens to that?” And Layden believes it shouldn’t have been a revenue question for PlayStation. “This was a core thing to the experience of our most devoted fans,” he said. “Yeah, it’s fan service. Why would we take that away? Well, we can’t afford to. It’s already 120 bucks, you know, limited edition special purchase onyx box version of whatever, and those sell at a higher rate than the box selling at $69.99 does. So yeah, the market has said they will continue to buy them. You’re just saying you just don’t want to make them anymore.” Layden said he was recently talking with someone about these sorts of business decisions and how they’re made. Too often, he said, it’s all about the financials and nothing else. “OK, we can do this and save this much money, or we can invest this to look at that outcome, or we can do this and have this happen over there, or move this team to Sri Lanka,” he said. “But each one of those, someone also has to have a ledger there saying, ‘OK, what is the brand impact from that move?’ “Iif you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” — Shawn Layden “If we do that, dollars and cents work out. I get it. That’s just math. But what’s the brand impact? Are people going to say, ‘Good move, you guys?’ Or are they going to say, ‘We hate you guys. Quit doing that.’ And sometimes they say, ‘We hate you.’ Then you take a note and say, OK, how much of that can we live with? How much ‘we hate you’ is OK. And when does it go over the line? “I see a lot of companies making decisions which, objectively speaking, I don’t know what the dollar end of that was for you, Mr. Company, but your brand value just dropped 30 percent. So I hope it was worth it.” Of course, shifting to a digital-only model for games raises other issues beyond simply wanting to collect. The biggest is ownership. Layden pointed out that once you go to a streaming-only or download-only model, it’s just a digital footprint on a hard drive. “What does ownership mean anymore?” he said. “It’s a genuine question. Well, in fact, it’s not even a question anymore. It’s like you are shifting the model from ownership to accessibility. “And what’s always been true, which people forget, is you’ve never been able to sell your iTunes library. And you can’t sell your PlayStation download library. So if you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” The touching tribute found in the credits for Star Wars Zero Company. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Interview and Hands-On with a Minoan Masterpiece Star Wars Zero Company hands-on: Attack Astromechs, permadeath, and delightfully fatal Rube Goldberg tactics Control Resonant opens up as you get stronger — and as characters start trusting you

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Sep 4 • 7:57 AM EDT • Technology • game.substack.com
Fulton Lions Club's Duck Derby launches Sept. 13

FULTON — The Fulton Lions Club will present the 36th annual Charby’s Duck Derby Sept. 13 from noon until 5 p.m., according to David Dingman, club president.The first prize is $2,500, sponsored by The Fulton Medicine Place. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAm“%9:D J62C E96C6 2C6 @G6C b_ AC:K6D 7@C E96 E@A 7:?:D96CD[ 2D H6== 2D E96 =2DE\A=246 5F42? D2:5] “p?5 E@ :?8]”k^Am#placement_726068_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid726068 = window.pid726068 || rnd;var plc726068 = window.plc726068 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=726068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid726068+';place='+(plc726068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');kAm%96C6 H:== 2=D@ 36 2 5C2H:?8 6G6CJ `d >:?FE6D 7@C Sad :? }6H *@C< $E2E6 {@EE6CJ E:4][ 2?5 Sad_ :? =@EE6CJ E:436C]k^AmkAm%:42J 2=D@ 36 AFC492D65 2E |:>:’D sC:G6\x? 2?5 %96 uF=E@? |65:4:?6 !=246]k^AmkAm%96 6G6?E :D ?2>65 :? >6>@CJ @7 E96 =2E6 s@?2=5 “r92C3J” r92C3@??62F[ 2 uF=E@? {:@?D r=F3 A2DE AC6D:56?E[ H9@ 4C62E65 E96 6G6?E 7@C E96 4=F3 E9C66 564256D 28@]k^AmkAm“r92C3J H2D @?6 @7 uF=E@?’D 7:?6DE {:@?D[ 2=H2JD BF:4< H:E9 2 ;@2? D2:5]k^AmkAm%96 uF=E@? {:@?D r=F3[ 2=D@ 65J }:89E[ AC@G:56D 7:?2?4:2= 2DD:DE2?46 7@C E9@D6 :? E96 uF=E@? 2C62 H9@ ?665 6J68=2DD6D[ 6J6 6I2>D 2?5 962C:?8 2:5D]k^AmkAmu@C >@C6 :?7@C>2E:@?[ D66 k2 9C67lQ9EEAi^^7F=E@?=:@?D4=F3]4@>Qm7F=E@?=:@?D4=F3]4@>k^2m @C E96 4=F3UCDBF@jD u2463@@< A286 F?56C uF=E@? }* {:@?D]k^Am googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-2978731'); });

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Sep 4 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • oswegocountynewsnow.com
Fulton Living History Tour: Where is Mrs. Pratt?

FULTON — The time machine has altered the fabric of time — and we must find Mrs. Pratt!Get ready for a hilarious and unforgettable journey through Fulton’s history at the Fulton Living History Tour! × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAmxE H:== E2][ 2?5 $6AE] a` 2E `_ 2]>]k^Am#placement_726068_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid726068 = window.pid726068 || rnd;var plc726068 = window.plc726068 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=726068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid726068+';place='+(plc726068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');kAm%9:D J62C[ 9:DE@CJ E22E:4 — 2?5 F?6IA64E65 — EFC?P %96 uF=E@? x46 pC6?2 H:== 36 EC2?D7@C>65 :?E@ 2 E:>6 >249:?6[ EC2?DA@CE:?8 2F5:6?46D E9C@F89 E96 72D4:?2E:?8 DE@CJ @7 E96 uF=E@? 4@>>F?:EJ]k^AmkAm(C:E6C^5:C64E@C }:49@=2D v6?E:=6 D2:5[ “%96C6 2C6 46CE2:? A6C:=D :?G@=G65 H96? E2>A6C:?8 H:E9 E96 723C:4 @7 E96 7@FCE9 5:>6?D:@?[ DF49 2D =@D:?8 @FC AC64:@FD 2?5 :?4C65:3=6 |CD] !C2EE]”k^AmkAmr@>3:?:?8 E962E6C[ 52?46[ 4@>65J[ 2?5 >FD:4[ E96 {:G:?8 w:DE@CJ %@FC H:== 6?E6CE2:? 2F5:6?46D H9:=6 3C:?8:?8 E96 4:EJ’D 72D4:?2E:?8 96C:E286 E@ =:76]k^AmkAm“r@>6 96=A FD 7:?5 |CD] !C2EE[ 2?5 2=@?8 E96 H2J[ J@F’== 5:D4@G6C 72D4:?2E:?8 DE@C:6D 7C@> uF=E@?’D A2DE :? 2 7F?[ :?E6C24E:G6 6IA6C:6?46 7@C 2== 286D[” 2? 6G6?E DA@6E@H?’D 9:DE@CJ] uF=E@? yF?:@C w:89 DEF56?ED 92G6 366? :?G:E65 E@ 2EE6?5 |@?52J’D E@FC[ 2?5 E96 AF3=:4 :D H6=4@>6[ E@@Pk^AmkAm%96 uF=E@? {:G:?8 w:DE@CJ %@FC :D DA@?D@C65 3J uF=E@? q=@4< qF:=56CD 2?5 E96 #:492C5 $] $9:?6>2? u@F?52E:@?]k^Am googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-2978731'); });

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Sep 4 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • oswegocountynewsnow.com
Arbeloa on new signings, Tete and pressure of tough start

Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage (kick-off 15:00 BST). All players are available except for Tom Cairney. Arbeloa confirmed deadline-day signings Hugo Larsson, Manuel Angel and David Affengruber will be in the squad but are not ready to start, adding: "Be patient with with these three players - they need to understand what we want from them."

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Sep 4 • 6:59 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Why Julián Álvarez’s Barcelona Dream Still Faces Atlético’s Veto

Julián Álvarez ended the summer window still on Atlético Madrid’s books, but that outcome has settled almost nothing. Barcelona spent the entire market chasing the Argentine, Atlético publicly r...

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Sep 4 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Scott's stumper

The News-Gazette presents “Scott’s Stumper,” a feature by Scott Shaffer that shows zoomed-in photos of various things around Randolph County.

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Sep 4 • 1:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • winchesternewsgazette.com
New method allows scientists to follow gene activity over time in the same cells

Researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard invented a “cellular self-reporting” approach to make living cells share their own transcriptomes, so that scientists can analyze them without killing the cells.

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Sep 4 • 12:00 AM EDT • Science • news.mit.edu
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (10%)
wow
55%
ahah
45%
Pablo Torre Sounds Off on the Clippers Ruling, Kawhi Leonard and ESPN — and Teases His Next Big Story

“Pablo Torre Finds Out” host on the NBA’s historic ruling against the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard’s slap on the wrist and ESPN undermining his reporting.

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Sep 3 • 8:30 PM EDT • Sports • variety.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (12%)
wow
51%
ahah
49%
Judge temporarily grants request for 5th year eligibility in NCAA case involving OU athletes

Former OU baseball player Dayton Tockey and seven other athletes from various schools were granted a temporary restraining order Thursday afternoon at the Cleveland County Courthouse in a case seeking

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Sep 3 • 7:33 PM EDT • Sports • oudaily.com
Prisma Health shares information for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Gynecologists from Prisma Health shared information about ovarian cancer in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

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Sep 3 • 5:08 PM EDT • Health • wistv.com
Prisma Health shares information for press during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, an occasion for women to learn more tips about advocating for their reproductive health.

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Sep 3 • 5:03 PM EDT • Health • wistv.com
Blizzard Might Be Teasing A New StarCraft Game

There's something odd happening on the StarCraft website. While the content still features StarCraft Remastered, which launched back in 2017, the page now seems to be glitching out, with various elements, images, and text blocks flickering on-screen randomly. Could Blizzard be teasing a new StarCraft game?

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Sep 3 • 4:29 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Smart Glasses, Smarter Small Businesses: AI Wearables Are Becoming an Entrepreneurial Tool - Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

By Karen Kerrigan – For entrepreneurs and small businesses, valuable technologies eliminate friction. Various digital tools are helping small businesses eliminate steps, and accomplish a task or project more efficiently, in less time, and at lower cost. AI-powered smart glasses are helping small business owners eliminate operational downtime, automate content creation, and improve workplace accessibility, […]

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Sep 3 • 2:18 PM EDT • Business • sbecouncil.org
Blue Ridge Health plans new medical facility in Hendersonville

WLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Asheville, NC and nearby towns and communities in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, including the counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Rutherford, Haywood, Polk, Transylvania, McDowell, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson, Union, Pickens, Oconee, Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville and also Biltmore Forest, Woodfin, Leicester, Black Mountain, Montreat, Arden, Weaverville, Hendersonville, Etowah, Flat Rock, Mills River, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Cullowhee, Sylva, Cherokee, Marion, Old Fort, Forest City, Lake Lure, Bat Cave, Spindale, Spruce Pine, Bakersville, Burnsville, Tryon, Columbus, Marshall, Mars Hill, Brevard, Bryson City, Cashiers, Greer, Landrum, Clemson, Gaffney, and Easley.

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Sep 3 • 1:16 PM EDT • Health • wlos.com
Maria Bartiromo Out at Fox News, Fox Business

Maria Bartiromo Out at Fox News, Fox Business

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Sep 3 • 1:05 PM EDT • Business • variety.com
A new diplomacy for 21st century as economic, political, tech power shifts

New Harvard Kennedy School program to focus on emerging issues, building bench of professionals, scholarship on negotiation, building and managing ties

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Sep 3 • 11:34 AM EDT • Politics • news.harvard.edu
Scientists Find More Than 1,000 DNA Variants Linked to Personality Traits

More than one million genomes helped identify DNA variants linked to extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and more. Researchers measured how those traits influenced how people lived.

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Sep 3 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com
B.B. King Documentary in the Works From Estate

The B.B. King Music Company and the legendary blues musician’s estate have announced a new feature documentary on his life, music and legacy.

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Sep 3 • 10:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
AI company scores world’s 1st approval for breast triage tool that skips radiologist review

Vara announced the achievement on Sept. 3, with the Berlin, Germany-based technology firm earning CE Certification under the EU's Medical Device Regulation.

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Sep 3 • 2:15 AM EDT • Business • radiologybusiness.com
The Human Body May Age in Two Major Bursts, And a New Study Reveals What Drives Them

With most organs following the ovary's cues.

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Sep 2 • 10:06 PM EDT • Science • sciencealert.com
A Month of Live Entertainment at Danville’s Village Theatre

A Month of Live Entertainment at Danville’s Village TheatreA variety of live entertainment is coming to the historic Village Theatre in the weeks ahead, with performances ranging from live music

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Sep 2 • 5:47 PM EDT • Entertainment • danville.ca.gov
Palace Theatre supporters celebrate 100 years as entertainment venue

Like many kids growing up in Greensburg over the past 100 years, The Palace Theatre has meant a lot to Mayor Robb Bell. He and a group of friends from the Northmont neighborhood would walk over to the theater on Saturday mornings. They’d pay a nickel to watch cartoons in

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Sep 2 • 5:09 PM EDT • Entertainment • triblive.com
Inside Camelback Productions’ Plans for an AI-Powered Production Space

Anita Verma-Lallian wants to build a sprawling 1,400-acre complex off the I-10 in Arizona.

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Sep 2 • 3:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
Inside Camelback Productions’ Plans for a New 1,400-Acre, AI-Powered Production and Entertainment Complex

Anita Verma-Lallian, founder of Camelback Productions, doesn’t see the future of film production in Los Angeles. Instead, in her vision, it is on a complex one hour’s drive west of Phoenix, complete w...

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Sep 2 • 3:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Public Health is Losing in Court: Amicus Briefs Are One Way We’re Fighting Back - Petrie-Flom Center

In the last several years, notable shifts in Supreme Court jurisprudence have eroded the deference that courts have historically granted to health officials.

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Sep 2 • 12:39 PM EDT • Health • petrieflom.law.harvard.edu
Owen Thiele, Este Haim Join Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit

Leadership from WPP Media, NBCUniversal Entertainment, Netflix, Amazon, Paramount, Hallmark, and more are scheduled to speak.

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Sep 2 • 12:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • variety.com
Drought is deepening a health crisis among Peru’s recently contacted Indigenous Matsés

REQUENA, Peru — Until a century ago, few Matsés had ever been in contact with a white person before. The Indigenous people lived in a remote area of the Amazon Rainforest, along the border of Peru and Brazil, in seminomadic forest settlements between the Javari, Yaquerana and Gálvez rivers. There, wild meat was abundant — […]

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Sep 2 • 11:50 AM EDT • Health • news.mongabay.com
WCU political expert explains Rep. Edwards' censure, breaks down overwhelming vote

WLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Asheville, NC and nearby towns and communities in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, including the counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Rutherford, Haywood, Polk, Transylvania, McDowell, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson, Union, Pickens, Oconee, Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville and also Biltmore Forest, Woodfin, Leicester, Black Mountain, Montreat, Arden, Weaverville, Hendersonville, Etowah, Flat Rock, Mills River, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Cullowhee, Sylva, Cherokee, Marion, Old Fort, Forest City, Lake Lure, Bat Cave, Spindale, Spruce Pine, Bakersville, Burnsville, Tryon, Columbus, Marshall, Mars Hill, Brevard, Bryson City, Cashiers, Greer, Landrum, Clemson, Gaffney, and Easley.

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Sep 2 • 8:21 AM EDT • Politics • wlos.com
Studio71 Alum Joseph Marchese Joins Bent Pixels as Head of Creator Strategy and Business

Joseph Marchese has joined creator network Bent Pixels as executive VP of creator strategy and business as the firm revs up its portfolio of support services offered to attention-economy clients. Marc...

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Sep 2 • 8:05 AM EDT • Business • yahoo.com
Apple TV Inks Deal With Yahoo Sports for Free MLB, MLS Alt-Casts

Under an Apple TV deal, Yahoo Sports will stream alt-casts of two MLB "Friday Night Baseball" games (but only the first two innings) and two MLS matches.

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Sep 2 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • variety.com
New research explores the frequency in which CMS devalues radiology services

“Variation in valuation adjustment rates and amounts may reflect factors such as specialty society influence, valuation methods and negotiation strategies,” experts write in JAMA Network Open.

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Sep 2 • 7:34 AM EDT • Business • radiologybusiness.com
La Canada QB Joe Bell is in sports heaven with baseball teammates

In throwback to 1980s, La Canada has seven baseball players on its varsity football team, embracing the multiple-sport athlete.

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Sep 2 • 7:30 AM EDT • Sports • latimes.com
Maggie Gyllenhaal Says Films Are Political at Venice Film Festival

Venice jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal was asked whether cinema should be political.

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Sep 2 • 6:49 AM EDT • Politics • variety.com
'I'm counting down the hours until my first training session'

Fulham's deadline day signing Manuel Angel says it will be "a real privilege" to play for his former youth academy coach Alvaro Arbeloa at Craven Cottage. The 22-year-old midfielder has signed a three-year deal, becoming the third player to leave Real Madrid for Fulham this summer. "It is an incredible feeling to have signed for such a legendary club as Fulham, the oldest club in London," Angel said.

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Sep 2 • 4:42 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Eagles believe their wide receivers offer diverse skill sets

Howie Roseman expressed confidence in the talent and varied roles throughout the Eagles’ WR room.

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Sep 2 • 4:39 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
LOCAL MUSIC SCENE

ANDY’S CABANAOpen Mic — Various Artists

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Sep 2 • 12:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • keysnews.com
Mental health conditions after trauma linked to higher cardiovascular risk

Research Highlights: A large study in Denmark suggests that people who were diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric disorders after traumatic events were more likely to have increased future cardiovascular risks, such as non-fatal heart attack and...

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Sep 1 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • newsroom.heart.org
What Box Office Bomb Crushed Obsession on Streaming?

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get into this week’s issue, let me ask you for some suggestions. At the risk of coining too many names for too many things (hence my dictionary of terms...), I need a name for straight-to-streaming films that are too expensive to justify a straight-to-streaming release, but not big enough to justify a theatrical release. Like some of the films I highlighted in last week’s tally of the biggest film flops of 2026 so far: Hulu’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Pizza Movie or Never Change! They don’t feel like “made for TV movies” (think Hallmark and Lifetime movies, cheap Netflix romcoms, or Disney Channel Original movies, for example) but they don’t feel big enough for the big screen. They’re not “cinematic” enough, so to speak. As I wrote... “I still need a name for this middle zone of film that’s too expensive to go straight-to-streaming but too small to justify a theatrical release (with all the PR, distribution, marketing and whatnot costs that go along with it), the Goldilocks zone of streaming film death.” Friend of the newsletter Brandon Katz has suggested the “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”. I love that first one. I’d offer up the much wordier “The Streaming Budget Dead Zone” or “the Goldilocks Zone of streaming film death” but that last one isn’t accurate since, unlike Goldilocks’ porridge, these films are the opposite of “just right”. That’s the problem! Anyway, if you have any suggestions, let me know! On to today’s Streaming Ratings Report. As you can tell by today’s headline, things are going to be spicy! I’m looking at a box office bomb that did really, really well on streaming, somewhat challenging a few different narratives. And another Netflix series declined in its second season. All that, plus Wicked: For Good switching streamers, The Hawk continuing its strong run, _The Bear’_s finale season finally dropping off the charts, the WNBA posting a big viewership number, “shallow libraries”, a sitcom spinoff failing to launch, more big budget IP flopping on Paramount+, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 20th to July 26th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - The Latest Theatrical Success Story on Streaming In the latest edition of “Flops, Bombs and Misses of the First Half of 2026”, I made a crucial change: I started including theatrical films with the streaming misses. The streamers have collectively—including Netflix, but not to as big of an extent—stopped making a lot of straight-to-streaming films, and the ones they do make aren’t as expensive as in the heyday of the streaming bubble. After the following two films bombed in theaters, you’d guess that they’ll be included in my next collection of flops, bombs and misses six months from now: Masters of the Universe on Prime Video (only $64 million domestic box office) Mortal Kombat II on HBO Max ($79 million domestic) But you’d be wrong! Masters of the Universe, a reboot of the He-Man franchise, a toy from the 1980s, came to streaming on 22-July and did great! This long-gestating project—it’s been at every studio for years, and came close to getting a greenlight at Netflix—then finally came to theaters in June, and showed up on streaming less than two months later. (I don’t love this short theatrical window.) It surprisingly grabbed nearly 20 million hours on its debut: That means, wait for it, Masters of the Universe is currently the eighth biggest film on streaming through two weeks. My rough bar for “hit” is shows or films in the top 15%. Ergo…Masters of the Universe is a legit, streaming hit! (One quick caveat: if it falls out of the top ten next week, it will move to 13th overall, just on the edge of the top 15.) Of course, that’s the data for just 2026. Here’s how it stacks up to Prime Video’s theatrical films: That drop into its second week is typical for Amazon films, but also a worrying sign. I have a feeling interest in this film is front-loaded and we’ll see it drop off after this. As for Mortal Kombat II, in this case, the viewership numbers roughly match the theatrical outing, with only 4.1 million hours in its first week. Here’s how it stacks up to other HBO Max films: The best defense of this number is that, as a relatively violent rated-R film, Mortal Kombat II never had a good chance at breaking out. So now it’s time for a little big of “Entertainment Nuance Guy”: First, yeah, my headline is obviously facetious, since Masters of the Universe besting Obsession says more about horror as a genre than it does that film. Second, I read and listened to quite a few “nobody wanted this IP” takes about Masters of the Universe, and that’s not really true. At least enough people wanted it to power a 20 million+ hour debut! Third, both this film and Mortal Kombat II were considered “average” by viewers, but not great films, with a 6.4 and 6.3 respectively on IMDb. That’s just shy of the level needed to be a word-of-mouth hit. Fourth, in the olden days, strong word of mouth could transform a box office miss into a cable/DVD hit, like Austin Powers or The Shawshank Redemption. We haven’t seen a lot of examples of that on streaming, though. And there are far fewer ways to monetize the post-theatrical life of a film these days. Fifth, Prime Video has shown an ability to push their own titles well, likely because they control the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem. Add it all up, and here’s my nuanced take on Masters of the Universe: it was a box office bomb, but, shockingly, a streaming hit. Unfortunately, while being a theatrical hit saves your film financially, being a streaming hit does not. Both Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat II had big budgets and needed to make more money in theaters to justify them. So…Straight-to-Streaming or Theaters? We’ve hit a really fun point in the streaming calendar, since the films that came out in theaters in April, May, and June are now arriving on streaming. So the “Do theatrical releases help streaming performances?” question is gonna get a fresh round of updates nearly every week. No single week will answer the question, but we may get some insights. For example, so far in 2026, it looks like theatrical films are lasting longer on the weekly Nielsen film charts. Here’s a list of films that have made the charts in their fourth or fifth week of release, separated by “for kids” and “general entertainment”: It certainly seems like theatrical films are lasting just a pinch longer on the charts, with Project Hail Mary being the current five-week champion. One Battle After Another did well for HBO Max too, and even The Sheep Detectives made it four weeks. The only exception to this trend? Obsession, which only lasted two weeks on the charts. You might tempted to overreact to this news. Don’t. Obsession is a huge horror hit, but horror just doesn’t do as well on streaming. By the way, here’s the Google Trends for various theatrical and stremaing films: Plus, when it comes to Netflix in four months, Obsession may have another big boost. Quick Notes on Film Note that when I write, “the streamers have pulled back on straight-to-streaming films” that doesn’t mean “abandoned” because Netflix is gonna Netflix. On 24-July, they released 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy. Along with Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena and Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart is a streaming film star now. Did this latest one work? Not really. It only garnered two weeks of 13.2 and 12.2 million hours on its debut, well below the 20-million-hour hit threshold. It also was poorly received critically—a 44 on Metacritic—and by customers—a 5.4 on IMDb on 21K IMDb reviews. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… The latest Netflix true crime doc to pop on the charts… How The Bear finished its run… Netflix’s latest Western to return to streaming… What Paramount+ animated film flopped… And what sitcom also missed… All the flops, bombs and misses… And a whole lot more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! I’m behind by a week, so we’ve got two issues coming your way this week, including one in a couple of days or so, then we’ll be all caught up**.** Next issue, inspired by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie coming to Peacock, I’m going to take a look at the workhouse of streaming TV: kids films. Plus The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues theatrical films’ big run on streaming. All that, plus another surprise hit on Hulu, Lioness on CBS, and a whole lot more. Long term, LeBron James is filming his own “Last Dance”-style docu-series, surprising no one. But as I’ve been writing about a lot this summer, this genre is really overrated, so whoever ends up buying it (reportedly ESPN) really shouldn’t pay too much for it.

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Sep 1 • 6:15 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
Repairs underway on Dolly Parton's Hollywood Walk of Fame star

The Walk of Fame star on Hollywood Boulevard became a gathering place for fans in the hours after the country music legend’s death at age 80.

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Sep 1 • 5:42 PM EDT • Entertainment • nbclosangeles.com
'GTA 6' Netflix Extended Look Tops Charts With 31.1 Million Views in Four Days

With only six hours of exclusivity Netflix's "Grand Theft Auto 6" extended look became the streamer's most-viewed title last week.

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Sep 1 • 3:00 PM EDT • Technology • variety.com
ESPN Unlimited Now Available on YouTube TV

ESPN Unlimited content is now available directly on YouTube TV, giving the streaming service’s subscribers access to thousands of additional live sporting events. YouTube TV’s addition of ESPN Unlimited comes under the deal struck between Google and Disney reached in November 2025, after a two-week blackout of Disney-owned networks on YouTube TV. Other pay-TV providers …

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Sep 1 • 11:46 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Mark Madden: England gets football — and sports fandom

I can hear the groans from across the Atlantic: “Not another soccer column! Who cares?” It’s football, not soccer. And I care. But this won’t Xerox my usual piece about the glory of Liverpool F.C. and its epic stadium, Anfield. Glory is in limited supply after opening the new season

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Sep 1 • 9:52 AM EDT • Sports • triblive.com
Gabriel Jesus: Arsenal forward completes Barcelona transfer in £8.6m deal on Deadline Day

Gabriel Jesus leaves Arsenal having scored 32 goals in 123 appearances for Arsenal since his £45m move from Manchester City in 2022; Jesus move is not expected to impact Barcelonas desire to sign Julian Alvarez

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Sep 1 • 9:45 AM EDT • Sports • skysports.com
Venice Film Festival to Kick Off With Steady Stream of Stars, Politics

The Venice Film Festival is set to kick off on Wednesday with a steady stream of stars on the red carpet and politics looming in the backdrop.

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Sep 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • variety.com
Clancy trial sparks need for postpartum mental health care education, expert says

With the spotlight on postpartum mental health amid the Lindsay Clancy trial, the medical director of Allegheny Health Network’s Women’s Behavioral Health Clinic said many people are “suffering in silence” from postpartum depression and psychosis. Dr. Ewurama Sackey, a psychiatrist, is director of the clinic within AHN’s Psychiatry and Behavioral

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Sep 1 • 5:01 AM EDT • Health • triblive.com