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With Stephen Miller pick, Trump readies for a battle
The US president's promotion of Miller, a loyal partisan firebrand to be his new chief of staff sets up likely clashes with Congress.
Week 10 Open Thread
The 2026 season has been so full of upsets and teams falling from grace that the marquee matchups have not always been the ones we expected. Week 10 is a great example, absolutely packed with big games with major CFP implications, many of which feature teams who were barely on the fringes of that conversation […]
Washington vs. Penn St – Game Thread and How To Watch
The Big 10 is chock full of teams like Washington and Penn St, who are better defensively than offensively, who have questions about QB play, who lack explosiveness, and who will likely finish with somewhere from 6-8 wins. Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin all fit the same profile. The Huskies and Nittany Lions are […]
PARAMOUNT NETWORK TO LAUNCH ORIGINAL SERIES AMERICAN MAYHEM, HOSTED BY LARRY THE CABLE GUY AND PRODUCED BY V10 ENTERTAINMENT, ON FRIDAY, NOV. 13
13 Episodes to Premiere Exclusively on Paramount Network Click [Here](https://f.io/jieX3qkt) for Art and [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TeYWVlPwO
watchOS 27.3 adds new Apple Watch feature that I absolutely love
watchOS 27.3 is here in beta with a major new feature for the latest Apple Watch models: Siri Recap, which I'm already really loving.
Permafrost Is Thawing From the Inside Out—and It’s Unleashing an Entirely New Kind of Landslide
Wildfires from decades ago may be secretly melting the frozen ground from below, setting off a disastrous chain of events in the present.
Campbell hosts Harnett business leaders for economic update
Photo by Campbell University Harnett County has grown more than 27% over the last 15 years and is on the cusp of significant growth in the business sector as well. Campbell University recently hosted the 2026 Harnett County Economic Development Update; this was the university's third year in a row hosting the event. The annual event invites elected officials, business leaders and stakeholders from Harnett and its neighboring counties to share updates on new projects, economic trends and announcements from the previous year. Campbell’s continued involvement is part of its five-year Strategic Plan, launched earlier this year, which lists “community impact” as one of its four main objectives. “Every place I have ever worked, the university has been viewed by its surrounding community and region as an asset to economic development, as an inducement to business and industry and as a driver of innovation. It has been seen as the indispensable partner for growth,” Campbell President Dr. William M. Downs told the group of about 200 in attendance. “We ask that you save us a seat at your table when you are dreaming big about the future of this county and beyond. Campbell University is open for business, and we’d like to do business with you.”In addition to Campbell, Harnett is home to Harnett County Schools and its Career & Technical Education programs and a satellite campus of Central Carolina Community College, home of the Eugene Moore Manufacturing & Biotech Solutions Center (the largest training facility in the state). Stephen Barrington, Harnett County Economic Development director, shared the county’s latest initiatives, focus areas and opportunities in economic development. He lauded Campbell and the county’s strong educational and training infrastructure for training the area’s current and future workforce.“Workforce is at the top of the list when we talk about economic development,” Barrington said in a press release. “Work and skill-ready talent remains at the top of the list [of assets in Harnett County]. We’re extremely grateful for the education and training of our students for the next generation.”One big project landed in September when Harnett County was awarded a $500,000 Build Ready Sites grant from the North Carolina Railroad Company to advance a rail-served industrial site. The investment will help prepare the property for future development and strengthen Harnett County’s ability to compete for rail-served projects. The funding will support Byrd Industrial Site B, an 83-acre site with 58 developable acres within the Byrd Industrial Sites in Lillington.Harnett County is also actively working with Samet Corp. is actively working with Samet Corp. on the development of a 175,500-square-foot speculative industrial building to stimulate economic development.Featured speaker was Ted Abernathy, founding and managing partner of Economic Leadership, a small group of data, strategy and best-practice policy experts that work with companies, foundations and business organizations to analyze competitiveness, develop strategy, support leadership, tune communications and reimagine the future.Abernathy lauded Harnett County’s proximity to one of the fastest-growing and most business-friendly regions in the country — the Research Triangle and Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area — and said Harnett needs to attract more businesses that offer higher-paying jobs to compete. “The quality of the jobs you attract is one of the challenges for you as you go forward,” Abernathy said in a press release. “You need more high-paying jobs. A big chunk of the population here is making $25 to $50 an hour, which is good. But where you’re really weak is this high end. If you looked at Raleigh or Durham or Mecklenburg, that number would be a third of their jobs.”Learn more about Harnett County Economic Development and current projects happening at harnettedc.org.
Bernhard Capital closes $1B deal for Bowman Consulting
Bernhard Capital Partners has completed its approximately $1 billion all-cash acquisition of Bowman Consulting Group, making the national engineering services firm privately held and ending its Nasdaq listing. The deal combines Bowman’s technical capabilities, established client relationships and national reach with Bernhard’s industry expertise and track record of growing infrastructure services businesses. The companies plan […]
Arizona Fall League: Arizona Diamondbacks Report and update
While spring training gets all the hype when it comes to baseball in Arizona, locals know that the Arizona Fall League is where the true baseball joy is to be found. The weather is typically much more conducive to spectating, and while Cactus League prices are barely indistinguishable from a regular season game, basically the […]
The Lonely Island reveal real reason “SNL” released uncensored version of ‘Dick in a Box’
A bleeped version of the Justin Tiberlake and Andy Samberg favorite originally aired on NBC in 2006.
Whoa, I Missed It! Disney Starts Licensing the Household Silver, When IP Backfires, and More Big Content Moves
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Over these last few months, the entertainment business story landscape revolved around Skydance (and their merger) and Netflix (and their leadership shakeup). I don’t even want to scan my archives to see how many times I wrote about just those two companies over the last six months or so, let alone how many times they demanded their own article. Oh, how I long for June, when I could avoid them and write about other mergers and acquisitions (Comcast and NBCUniversal; Fox buying Roku). Well, not really, but you know what I mean. That focus on just two companies meant I ignored a lot of fun and, more importantly, important stories. So, it’s also time for another “Whoa, I Missed It” article. These are stories I wish I had written about, but aren’t exactly current events anymore. And there are a lot of them! Fifteen stories in all, including a very important merger that I didn’t write about, my word of warning about the IP deluge, how “genre” TV is making a big comeback, Netflix’s latest smart acquisition (and a licensing divorce), Disney and HBO’s recent TV show buys (and what they say about reboots on TV), a big cable merger, Amazon’s new bundle, social media censorship, and a lot more. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Buy, Sell or Hold the Latest Content Development and Licensing in 2026!!! Content is king. I’ve written that before, and I believe in it now more than ever. If I had to quantify it, and I have, I put it at about 50% of the fate of any given media company, be they streamer, network, bundler, studio or social platform. This is a hits-driven business, and, as I like to do about every so often, it’s time to check in on the latest content moves. These content shifts on their own aren’t usually enough to be the “most important story” of a week, but if you add them up, you can see the content landscape shifting. The stories also fell into two natural buckets: licensing deals and IP moves. Plus, I’ll offer my “buy, sell or hold” rating for whether I think the deal is smart for a given side. Let’s dive right in. Disney Starts Licensing the Household Silver Disney is starting to license their core brands to Netflix. Quietly, over the last couple of years, Disney had rented some 20th Century [Fox] shows and films to Netflix, but until now, the core brands had escaped that fate. Now? At least some Pixar films will make it to Disney (including Elio) and some Disney+ Originals (like Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Here’s my rating for each company: Disney: Sell. One is tempted to say Disney has started licensing the “crown jewels”, but I don’t think we see that yet. I’d call this the “family silver” instead, which isn’t quite as valuable. That said, Disney’s new CEO clearly is focused on shoring up the company’s profitability, and that means licensing deals, even at the expense of Disney+ exclusivity. This could also help bring eyeballs to Percy Jackson for the upcoming season, a similar benefit to “dual casting” this show, which I also think Disney should do. Still, in the long run, I’d protect the core brands more. Netflix: Buy. This is a smart move, assuming the price is right, and I’d bet it is. (Netflix’s content licensing teams are some of the best in the industry.) Of course, this is another data point that Netflix is moving away from making their own films and relying on licensing instead. That has downsides—they’ll always end up renting—but if you’re buying Disney content, that’s a good move. Prime Video Buys More Live Events Amazon’s Prime Video/MGM Studios keeps purchasing live events, including the Emmys (which I wrote about here) and some regional sporting rights. These bolster their NFL, NBA and Academy of Country Music Awards licensing deals. My theory here is that Prime Video knows that they can sell the advertising for more on live events than on their massive acquired/original inventory of shows and films. (As I’ve been showing with Reelgood’s data, they have a LOT more shows and films than other streamers.) Advertisers want live, engaged viewers, since they’re a lot more likely to be real. Prime Video: Hold. I like Amazon’s focus on live events, but it remains tough to evaluate this company, er, business unit, since we don’t know anything about their financials. Yes, Amazon’s CEO recently released a very carefully worded statement about Prime Video, claiming profitability, but we don’t know by how much by when. (It’s also not audited by third parties, so we have to take it with another grain of salt.) Plus, given that Amazon increased the price of the Emmys by about a third, they also likely overpaid. (Maybe that’s why they’re barely profitable, allegedly.) But also, I think they know they need to dominate live TV, and that’s a smart strategy! So I’m torn, but lean towards calling this a smart move. The Emmys: Definitely sell! I mentioned this in my “Streaming Bonus Content” article, but I really, really, really, really do NOT like this move for the Emmys. Chasing short term dollars over long term awareness is not a smart move. To reach the widest audience, the “dual-cast” format—meaning broadcast and streaming—just reaches more people. Skydance Takes Its Animation Back This is the story that made me want to write a “let’s catch up on content” column in the first place. Specifically, Skydance and Netflix have ended their animated film output deal. It’s not huge, since really, what film has Skydance Animation made that’s broken out? But strategically, it shows you how Skydance is positioning their company. Skydance Animation: Hold. Again, I still need to see Skydance Animation put out a hit or two before I can judge this as a smart move. The other worry for Skydance is they have a lot of overlapping animation houses now, and that’s going to end at some point. Still, if John Lasseter can regain his animation mojo—and his track record has been mixed at Skydance, ignoring his other issues—this could be a powerful point for Paramount. Netflix: Hold (put your films in theaters). Right now, with the Dan Lin upheaval and Peter Rice coming in, we don’t really know what Netflix’s plans for theaters versus straight-to-streaming films are. So I need to see what new films (if any) they buy/rent/produce to replace the Skydance flicks, but it will probably be a smarter investment of capital, since the straight-to-streaming films have just failed to break out, outside of one major example. Theaters: Buy! They do look like they’re gonna end up with more inventory based on the Skydance move, and now Netflix putting four to five films in theaters per year. For example, Netflix confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will come to theaters, and that’s going to be a smash. Disney+’s Reboot Future So those were the major licensing news stories, and now we get to the IP-related updates. Obviously, I’m generally pro-IP in content development. But that’s not some iron law; not all IP hits equally. Get ready for Entertainment Nuance Guy. And let’s start with a big worry. Scanning the news stories, Disney has three reboots on their lineup between ABC, Hulu and Disney+: Coach (on ABC), The X-Files and Glee. So are reboots as immune to failure as IP? 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 about… Why I’m skeptical about some upcoming genre and IP plays… How Skydance’s merger closing unlocked Paramount and HBO… The focus on “genre” across the streamers and studios… Some big creators leave Netflix… Netflix’s horror TV show licensing play (and what they should have done instead)… A huge merger that I didn’t write about... Whether or not we’ll see a major film tax credit… Amazon’s new megabundle of streamers… And (somehow) more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Ingersoll Rand Expands Life Sciences Solutions with Acquisition of IVEK Corporation
Expands life sciences portfolio through expertise in key precision pump technologies and solutions, adding approximately $40 million in annual revenue…
Aidan Chiles Expected to Miss Northwestern's Game Against Iowa
Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles is expected to miss Saturday's game against Iowa with an upper-body injury. Nicco Marchiol is likely to step in as the Wildcats look to bounce back.
Revealed: Meta approved political ads in India that incited violence
May 20, 2024Hannah Ellis-PetersenThe Facebook and Instagram owner Meta approved a series of AI-manipulated political adverts during India’s election that spread disinformation and incited religious violence, according to a report shared exclusively with the Guardian.Facebook approved adverts containing known slurs towards Muslims in India, such as “let’s burn this vermin” and “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned”, as well as Hindu supremacist language and disinformation about
NIST Tests AI Tool to Map Building Interiors for First Responders
Nov. 6, 2026 — When a disaster strikes outdoors, first responders are able to capture data from a variety of sources to adequately prepare their response. Satellite imagery, GIS, GPS, and drones all provide the ability to gather information about the scene. However, when a disaster happens indoors, none of those capabilities carry over. The […]
States tax sports betting heavily, but gamblers may barely feel it
Sports betting has grown explosively since 2018, when a U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down a federal ban on it. Now, Americans wager more than $165 billion on sports annually, contributing to an industry ...
Development Banks To Become 'Major Funding Source' As Aid Recedes, But Experts Warn Of Risks
With bilateral health assistance contracting sharply, multilateral development banks are expected to become the primary external financiers of national health systems, according to experts on the Accra Reset who spoke with Health Policy Watch. However, with the financial terms and interest structures governing new blended-lending pacts largely undisclosed, civil society experts warn that borrowing nations risk trading vanishing grant aid for repayable sovereign debt.
Scientists achieve record-breaking low temperature on China's space station, paving the way for new physics experiments
Matter starts to behave differently at extremely low temperatures, creating conditions ideal for studying quantum physics and new states of matter. Now, researchers from China have achieved a new low-temperature ...
Trump's Washington projects are a likely casualty as Democrats claim Congress
The work his administration is doing to change the physical face of the District of Columbia is sure to encounter far more roadblocks than it did for the first two years of his second term.
NFL injury tracker Week 9: Latest news, fantasy implications as 49ers' Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel likely out; Giants' Cam Skattebo remains out of practice
UVA Health receives nearly $4 million to bring care closer to rural patients
The grant will help doctors remotely monitor patients with high-risk pregnancies, diabetes, epilepsy and other conditions.
The Israeli Elections Prove Netanyahu’s Political Prowess
Those banking on a loss for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in last week’s elections were sorely mistaken. Although neither his bloc nor the opposition has a straightforward path to forming the next government, it...
Moved from Los Angeles to city on coast; still struggling years later
Four years ago, I relocated from Los Angeles to a smaller city on the coast, Santa Barbara, for love. Adjusting has been lonely and has had drawbacks.
Winter Guide 2026: Find Something New In St. Johnsbury
Have you been to St. Johnsbury lately? What you find might surprise you! The town has seen a renaissance of entrepreneurship in the last handful of years, which—along with new
Shedeur Sanders likely starting
Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is likely to draw the start Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in place of QB Deshaun Watson (concussion).
This gen’s top 10 PlayStation Studios games
As we near the six-year anniversary of the PS5, we thought we’d dive into our estimates for the top-grossing PlayStation Studios games since the start of the gen. Together, the 10 games we’re covering today have generated over $6.5 billion across PlayStation (84.7%), Steam (14.1%), and Xbox (1.2% via just Helldivers 2). Let’s have a look at the top 10. Spidey and Kratos sequels take the top two spots God of War Ragnarok takes the top spot with $1.4B in revenue via 21.6M copies – 20.1M on PlayStation (75.2% via PS5) and the rest on Steam. Around 27.5% of the copies sold on PlayStation were physical. It’s another PlayStation evergreen seller, too. This year, Ragnarok has already sold 1.1M copies, generating $60M (68% on PlayStation), outperforming new 2026 titles like Gears of War E-Day and Saros. Overall, our estimates show that Ragnarok has been accessed by 6.7M PlayStation Plus players (it was added to the Extra tier about two years ago). So it’s performed that well this year despite subscription cannibalisation. That’s the pull of God of War IP. And that Bautista series on Amazon is going to be massive - bigger than Fallout, I reckon. Next up is Spider-Man 2 with $1.3B across PS5 (over $1.2B) and Steam (nearly $70M). Spider-Man 2 has sold over 19.1M copies overall, so it should pass 20M early next year. Spider-Man 2 is an evergreen title that always spikes around the holidays (mostly concentrated around Christmas week): In December 2023, it sold 2.1M copies, up 20% from November 2023 (the month after release) In December 2024, Spider-Man 2 sold 460K copies (natural decay), up 60% from November 2024. Despite the Steam version launching in January 2025, it still sold more copies – and made more revenue – the month before. In December 2025, it sold 328K copies, up 30% from November 2025. This year’s December and Christmas will be somewhat limited by Spidey’s February 2026 addition to PS+ Extra, where 6.3M people accessed it for the first time. While subscription inclusions always cannibalise premium revenues to some extent, Spider-Man 2 did manage to sell 578K copies in August 2026 – the most its sold since Q1 2024, following hype from the Spider-Man Brand New Day movie. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe God of War Ragnarok and Spider-Man 2 continue to be huge evergreen tentpoles for Sony. Together, both titles have sold 3.4M this year (2.3M for Spidey and 1.1M for Ragnarok), generating a combined $172.9M ($115.8M for Spidey and $57.1M for Ragnarok). Again, some premium games would take a leaf out of Kratos’ book (not Spidey’s!) and would kill for these numbers in year 1. And we can see why Sony wants to take a leaf from Steam’s book, killing physical to get higher margins from catalogue sales, ensuring they get their cut, and having more control over supply and demand (and pricing for their first-party titles). Hot rods, hellpods, and horizons Gran Turismo 7 takes #3 this generation with $841.9M in revenue via 12.7M copies sold. For more info on GT7, you can check out our write-up from earlier this week. Around 1.1M people have already played GT7 this month, less than six days in. Next up – at #4 – is the first second-party game on this list. Helldivers 2 has generated $786.3M via 23M copies sold across Steam (66.1% of the copies), PS5 (25.7%), and the 1.5-year-later Xbox port (8.3%). And there are plenty of players very dedicated to the Super Earth cause, as over 4M folks have played Helldivers 2 for over 100 hours, while 462K played for over 500 hours. That dedication to democracy is pretty topical… Anyway, Helldivers 2 still attracts about 700K players per day (more if there’s a significant update), and its August addition to PlayStation Plus Extra has led to 1.6M new players overall. This year, Helldivers 2 has sold over 2.5M copies, generating $81.1M in revenue. It’s another evergreen hit for Sony, and draws in engagement numbers similar to Arc Raiders. The Helldivers 2 model, in my opinion, should be the way PlayStation approaches its live-service and second-party releases. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Horizon Forbidden West rounds off the first half of the top 10, generating $485.8M. That said, PlayStation completely stifled Horizon Forbidden West’s revenue by adding it to PlayStation Plus way too early (one year after launch). You can see the revenue drop-off clearly in our platform: As you can see: Forbidden West was still a healthy catalogue earner right before it was added to PS+ Extra, making about $1.23M a week on PlayStation across late 2022 and into January 2023. After it was added to Extra_, Forbidden West_’s weekly revenue halved to around $610K, basically overnight. Excluding launch month, Horizon Forbidden West generated about $67.2M on PlayStation in the period before the PS Plus addition. In the same period after it joined the service, that fell to $28.1M, a 58% drop. So, PlayStation didn’t trade a little bit of premium revenue for subscriber value here. It gave up well over half of it, and it cut momentum instantly for one of its premier franchises. Could you imagine the kind of cannibalisation if it launched day in date on Extra? Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe And the cannibalisation wasn’t a temporary blip that bounced back once the game left the service in September 2024. By then, 19 months on PS Plus had already hoovered up most of the install base that would have bought it, so there was barely a premium audience left to monetise. PlayStation even added it back to PS Plus on October 21 this year, and sure enough, weekly revenue dropped again (by around a third); though, the numbers are small now that Forbidden West is nearly four years old. Worth the trade-off. The usual suspects, platformers, and an Asia-driven second-party hit As for the rest of the list: Ghost of Yotei has now generated $410.1M via 5.5M copies on PS5. Yotei popped off a bit a few weeks ago due to a content update, which we covered here. The Last of Part Us I, a remake that we covered here, has generated $341.3M in revenue (67.2% via PlayStation) via 6.4M copies. It was also added to PS+ Extra about two years after launch, where 7.8M people accessed it for the first time. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has made $334.9M (93.6% via PlayStation 5). It’s now passed 5M copies sold overall. It’s sold 250K copies this year, generating $13.5M in revenue. Time for another Ratchet? Stellar Blade has generated $316.9M via PS5 (59.7%) and Steam (40.3%). However, the share of Stellar Blade’s 5.4M copies sold is far closer (50.4% on PlayStation, 49.6% on Steam) – despite the Steam version releasing a year later. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong account for 48% of Steam copies and 35% of PlayStation copies (about 41% overall). These markets are regionally priced lower than others, hence the difference. Astro Bot rounds out the top 10 with $292.6M in revenue via over 4.7M copies sold. We covered Astro’s recent performance here, covering how Astro Bot is another evergreen seller and has been a hit with families. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Even these bottom five games have generated a combined $281.7M this year in catalogue sales. PlayStation wants those numbers to be bigger in the coming years, which is one of the reasons it’s killing the disc (alongside the better margins it and publishers get through digital). No more used discs means more D2C revenue for PlayStation. On that note, we recently chatted to the New York Times again about PlayStation’s digital future, so keep your eyes peeled for that! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. Want to see why these companies (and many others) are subscribed to Alinea? Get a free platform trial! [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration Kicks Off Tonight with Millions of Sparkling Lights, Spectacular Entertainment, and Return of Beloved “Miracles” Show at Orca Stadium
SeaWorld Orlando kicks off its spectacular 2026 Christmas Celebration tonight, Friday, November 6, transforming the park into a winter wonderland filled with millions of sparkling lights, dazzling holiday shows, festive music, and unforgettable family experiences!🎄 Running on select dates through January 4, 2027, this year's celebration features the highly anticipated return of “Miracles” at Orca Stadium, the beloved holiday orca presentation returning for the first time since 2019!
Terrific fantasy RPG Queen's Domain gets first proper update, adding a new throwing weapon and options to make puzzles "less frustrating"
Extremely good King's Field-style RPG Queen's Domain has received a larger patch that adds a new throwing knife, together with options to make puzzles easier.
Valve escaped Windows. Now Steam is breaking free from the PC itself
Steam Deck made Windows optional. Steam Frame takes aim at x86. Valve is building a future where your Steam library barely cares what kind of computer sits underneath it. Is that good for gamers?
Top NFL insider hints at Panthers' approach for trade deadline
SI's Albert Breer hinted at the Panthers' likely approach for the trade deadline, and provided an interesting nugget on Derrick Brown and Robert Hunt.
Still searching for a Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2? Nintendo has good news
🥳 Nintendo confirmed Zelda 40th anniversary celebrations will continue into next year, suggesting ongoing Switch 2 restocks 🚨 Want the Zelda Switch 2? Follow our Zelda Switch 2 restock tracker @mattswider on X and we’ll send out an alert when stock appears 🙏 Unlike other limited editions, the console is not expected to have a restricted production run 💰 The special edition costs $519.99 for its ornate design, but does not include the Ocarina of Time remake 🙌 Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa ruled out future console price increases due to secured memory supply Walmart: Zelda Switch 2 console Best Buy: Zelda Switch 2 console GameStop: Zelda Switch 2 console Nintendo: Zelda Switch 2 console 🚨 Restock Dashboard: Get our live, audible siren alerts The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 is hard to find right now, though we’re doing our best to help people get one using our exclusive restock tracker. However, there is some good news to share. 🚨 We’re tracking Zelda Switch 2 stock updates. If you’d like to know when more stock arrives, follow Matt Swider on X and turn on notifications. You can also become a free or paid subscriber to The Shortcut to help support our work. 🚨 Subscribe Nintendo has provided an update that suggests the console will be easier to obtain in the future. Speaking during Nintendo’s financial results, president Shuntaro Furukawa said that The Legend of Zelda’s 40th anniversary celebrations will continue into next year (thanks, Stealth40k). That strongly suggests that the Zelda Switch 2 console will continue to be restocked, and that it won’t be constrained by a limited production run. Unlike the Xbox Series X25 limited edition – where only 25,000 units have been produced – the Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 should be more obtainable once the initial demand from buyers dies down. Of course, whether you can wait as long as next year to get hold of the Zelda Switch 2 is one thing, but knowing that the console will eventually become more widely available should please those who are worried about missing out. The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary special edition Switch 2 costs $519.99, but doesn’t include a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. You’re basically paying a $20 premium over the standard Switch 2 for the beautiful ornate design. Luckily, it sounds like the price of the Switch 2 will remain at $499.99 for the foreseeable. Furukawa ruled out any future price increases as Nintendo has managed to secure sufficient quantities of memory. That also means the price of the Zelda Switch 2 won’t be affected. Up next: Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 restock: here’s when Target should have stock Subscribe Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.
What many get wrong about Amish or Plain Anabaptist communities, measles, and health
The U.S. has reported three measles deaths this week in three different states. All the affected were unvaccinated, and some were too young to get vaccinated, relying on herd immunity. Many states haven’t seen a measles death in more than 30 years. Measles is highly contagious, but it mainly spreads among those without immunity. Social factors typically shape these unvaccinated pockets. Many states describe these deaths as occurring among “under-immunized, rural communities.” (In the future, it could be among other tight-knit groups.) Small signals in the news point to many outbreaks right now among the Plain Anabaptists (APA), which include communities like the Amish and Mennonite. Many know APA communities from a distance through their bakeries, furniture, and roadside buggies. But most of us don’t know enough about them, their traditions, or how those traditions actually interact with health and disease. Rumors, misconceptions, and frustration fill those voids. Tristan Sharratt, a family nurse practitioner and rural health researcher who grew up near and works with these communities in Central New York (and a YLE reader who reached out!), says misconceptions continue to create major problems. If the U.S. wants to stop a tsunami of measles coming down the pipeline, or even support health in those communities proactively beyond measles (which is ideal), we must understand how specific communities protect themselves, their values, and the role broader society plays. This starts with a conversation and some self-reflection. Here are the top five lessons I learned from my conversation with Tristan.
Enhanced Group Bets on Live Entertainment With Deal for 77% Stake in DEAG
Enhanced Group (NYSE:ENHA) has agreed to acquire an approximately 77% stake in European live entertainment company DEAG in an all-stock transaction, a move CEO and Co-Founder Maximilian Martin said will broaden Enhanced’s business beyond sports and consumer health products. DEAG shareholders will r
I’m an athletic trainer – here’s how to know when kids sports are too intense
It can be tempting to ratchet up training intensity for kids in youth sports, but focusing on fun and letting them lead the way may ultimately be more rewarding.
Dodgers notes: Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Teoscar Hernández
Kyle Tucker’s first season as a Dodger was undoubtedly a disappointment, but it can be broken up into two phases. The first phase saw him underwhelm to the tune of a .221/.321/.350 slash line while producing negative value both offensively and defensively. Over his final 17 games of the regular season, he finished strong with […]
Islanders News: Close, but not enough
The Islanders liked their effort at home against the Hurricanes on Thursday night, but in the end no points were to be had. Sure, there were some nice efforts, but ultimately it was a “they are who we thought they are” performance. It’s gonna be a slog this season. Islanders News Brett Hull and Kelly […]
The unique heart disease risk factors women face in each stage of life
A new trio of reports from major medical societies outlines how female life stages can uniquely shape heart health. Experts break down what women need to know.
UFC veteran openly slams Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing pay
Dana White’s UFC has always been known for paying some of its lesser-known fighters an extremely low salary, which has often been a topic of debate. Earlier this year, Ronda Rousey, ahead of her MMA return and retirement fight, called out the UFC’s pay scale and thrashed White over. Recently, after Conor Benn was offered a huge new contract by […] The post UFC veteran openly slams Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing pay appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Steele dominates Clemens to cap unblemished District 27-6A championship
The Knights didn't drop a game in district, but the Buffaloes now need some help to get into the postseason as tiebreakers are likely to come into play.
“They’d Have a Much Better Chance of Winning”: Skip Bayless Laments Diego Pavia Being Cut by Ravens Amid Struggling vs. Jaguars on TNF
With Lamar Jackson out with an injury, the Baltimore Ravens started Joe Fagnano at quarterback for Thursday Night Football’s showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, as the game approaches halftime, the Ravens are struggling offensively, trailing 17-3.
Mancini trains separately ahead of Sassuolo, Kone in doubt
Roma approaches their match against Sassuolo with a crowded infirmary and several lineup questions for Gian Piero Gasperini. Tomorrow night’s match at the Stadio Olimpico, against the team coached b...
What everybody got wrong about Oregon: Inside the fall of a 2026 national championship favorite
Three months ago, the Ducks were pinned by some as the most complete team in the country. Now, they're likely out of the playoff race entirely.
Fast beam pinching via a plasma lens yields extremely brilliant gamma-rays
The fast electron beam pinching in nonuniform plasmas, where a density upramp acts as a plasma lens to violently self-focus the beam, offers a promising pathway toward ultra-bright gamma-ray sources with photon energies reaching up to the GeV scale.
Archie Renaux breaks down Johnny’s big reveal on HBO’s “War”, hints the scene almost looked a little different
“He definitely feels his heart drop to his stomach.”
Lawsuits likely over Washington’s ban on trans girls in sports
At least one progressive advocacy group is exploring legal action over a ballot measure set to pass in Washington state that would ban transgender girls from girls’ school sports.
Morro Bay paddleboarder could avoid felony charges through mental health diversion
Andrew Gustafson was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and force likely to produce great bodily injury following an incident in the water in 2025.
The Full Court Press: Can sports discourse predict America’s political future?
I have attempted to make the point that American sports and American politics are one and the same in numerous editions of this column, but I have never been able to sum it up quite as succinctly as the Twitter user who wrote “America is experiencing Knicks in 5 collectively right now” after the Democratic Party swept Tuesday night’s midterm elections by historic margins.
Fairfield Democrats credit election wins to national politics and New York transplants
Democrats in Fairfield had a very good Election Day, having completely flipped a former Republican stronghold, into a town fully represented by Democrats at the federal and state level.
Islanders vs. Hurricanes game thread: Back in action
The Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes with Semyon Varlamov in net and Ben Hutton freshly signed after his very brief PTO. The Canes, of course, are the defending champs. The Islanders, of course, are fishermen for the night. This is our game thread. Don’t do anything you’ll immediately regret but then bring back ironically a […]
Notre Dame vs. Miami: One fatal flaw could decide everything
Notre Dame desperately needs a win against Miami, and they could have one key edge.
PENN Entertainment Inc (PENN) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Retail Revenue, Raised ...
PENN Entertainment Inc (PENN) posts a record third-quarter with retail revenue of $1.5 billion, lifts full-year 2026 guidance, and signals that interactive losses are largely in the rearview mirror.
What Drives Young Granite Staters to Get Involved in Politics?
If you ask members of Gen-Z why they ran for office, you’re likely to hear that they wanted to breathe new life into the political scene here in New Hampshire, and provide more representation of their generation.
Medline lays off 300, separately unwinding hospital bed business amid recall
The layoffs come at a time when the company is producing strong financial results and plans on 2027 price hikes to pay for rising expenses from inflation.
Ex-‘View’ cohost calls the show ‘dangerous,’ says she ‘can’t watch’ clips
Former ‘The View’ cohost Michelle Collins called the show ‘dangerous’ and a ‘minefield’ to be on: ‘It’s a show that’s genuinely begging people to ruin your lives.’
Vikings without Murray for battle with Allen's Bills
The Minnesota Vikings, without top quarterback Kyler Murray, will rely on their elite defense to slow Josh Allen's Buffalo when they host the Bills in a battle of NFL division leaders on Monday.The Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants in an NFC East division clash, and the New England Patriots host the Green Bay Packers in a battle of winning teams.
Giants Get Bleak Update on Cam Skattebo Before Eagles Game
On Sunday, the 4-2-1 New York Giants will take on the 2-6 Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.Unfortunately for New York, it appears that they may be shorthanded at the running back position. The team’s running backs had their best overall performance of the season against the Houston Texans as they combined for 180 total […] The post Giants Get Bleak Update on Cam Skattebo Before Eagles Game appeared first on HEAVY.
Specialized Is Losing and No One Seems to Be Noticing
Aerodynamic data is objective, but selling speed is entirely psychological. Specialized made a massive marketing mistake, and no one seems to be noticing.
Unlikely political newcomer unseats NC powerhouse despite big challenges
LaKesha Womack had never run for office before, had very little funding or outside support, and had even been unhoused at one point. She also has an outstanding felony charge. None of that stopped her from unseating one of the state’s most powerful politicians.
Pope Leo's visit to Argentine disability home carries pastoral -- and political -- weight
The Claypole home is the largest residential center in a network of 14 Cottolengos serving approximately 1,300 people in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Tesla and SpaceX brace for political scrutiny as Elon Musk is targeted
Lou Basenese warns that targeting Elon Musk and his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, could negatively impact 401(k) plans and pension funds. Lawmakers are scrutinizing government contracts, political donations, and widely held stocks.
Health: How Can Congress Combat The Rising Cost Of Healthcare?
The cost of most necessities is rising right now. And healthcare is no exception.In 2026, the average employer-based family healthcare plan cost a little over $28,000. And employees contributed over $7,400 more to those plans than in 2025. That’s according to analysis from the health research group KFF.And the nearly 20 million Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance are facing a 13 percent premium increase next year.Two days out from the midterm elections, what can Congress do to keep healthcare affordable in the United States?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Get Your Healthcare at … Costco?
To ensure that the entry of companies like Costco into healthcare is positive for consumers, policymakers may want to closely monitor impacts on access to services, costs, and outcomes to the same degree as is done for traditional providers.
Jay Feely's Congressional Dreams Have Doinked Off The Uprights
Tuesday sure delivered. The blue wave—a bluenami—is a great relief to people with brains and functioning moral senses, but much of the strongest juice produced Tuesday night was drawn from a few individual races. Some of those were incredibly stirring. It feels amazing to wake up in a world where Susan Collins is out in…
Exclusive | General Mills Considers Sale of Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Outside North America
Planning is at an early stage and General Mills, best known for such brands as Cheerios and Lucky Charms, could ultimately retain the business, according to people familiar with the matter.
Gov. Wes Moore names Maryland’s new chief of staff
BALTIMORE — Manny Welsh, principal deputy chief of staff and chief administrative officer for Gov. Wes Moore, is replacing Lester Davis as Moore’s chief of staff effective immediately, the governor’s
Producer Riichiro Yamada seemingly disconfirms character for Virtua Fighter Crossroads
Lionel Rafale was recently announced for Virtua Fighter Crossroads. It is widely believed that Lionel Rafale is the son of Lion Rafale, a character that debuted in Virtua Fighter 2, though this has yet to be confirmed officially.The confirmed ...
CERES Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE)
After 17 years of continuous operation, the CERES Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE) at Chesapeake Light Station, has been indefinitely suspended due to
SOBEWFF® TURNS UP THE HEAT FOR 2027 WITH A STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT AND NEW EXPERIENCES
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The nation’s biggest culinary celebration is back. The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®) returns February 25-28, 2027, bringing together more than 500 chefs, culinary personalities and industry tastemakers for four days of extraordinary food, entertainment and wine and spirits exclusively provided […]
Making News in Business, Nov. 6
Riverside Industries announces new leadership EASTHAMPTON — Riverside Industries Inc.’s board of directors has appointed Markus Jones to serve as its next president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. While Jones has been newly named to this leadership role, he previously served as the organization’s interim president and CEO beginning March 1. Prior to that […]
Medicus Pharma proposes $135M SkinJect spinout through SPAC business combination
Medicus Pharma CEO Dr Raza Bokhari joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss a proposed transaction involving the company's wholly owned subsidiary, SkinJect, which has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with an undisclosed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) for a potential business combination. The proposed transaction contemplates a US$135 million pre-money enterprise valuation for SkinJect, alongside a concurrent equity financing intended to support the company's SKNJCT-005 clinical study in patients with Gorlin syndrome and preparations for a potential New Drug Application (NDA). Bokhari told Proactive that the proposed deal is designed to establish SkinJect as a separately listed company focused on advancing its dermatology and rare-disease development program. Under the proposed structure, the SPAC would acquire 100% of SkinJect in exchange for newly issued common shares in the combined company. Medicus Pharma intends to retain majority economic and voting ownership, allowing existing Medicus shareholders to maintain significant participation in SkinJect's potential future value. The separation would also provide SkinJect with a dedicated financing platform to fund its clinical development activities, particularly the SKNJCT-005 study targeting Gorlin syndrome, a rare genetic condition associated with the development of multiple basal cell carcinomas. The concurrent financing is expected to support the clinical program and the work required to prepare and potentially submit a New Drug Application, subject to successful development and regulatory progress. Final ownership percentages have not yet been determined. These will depend on negotiations surrounding the definitive transaction agreement and the combined company's capitalization, including retained SPAC cash, public and sponsor shares, warrants and other potentially dilutive securities. Medicus said the proposed transaction remains subject to the completion of definitive documentation and other customary conditions. The planned spinout represents a strategic step in Medicus Pharma's efforts to give SkinJect a dedicated corporate and financial structure, while allowing the parent company to retain majority participation as the dermatology program advances towards its next clinical and regulatory milestones. #proactiveinvestors #nasdaq #mdcx #tsxv #mdcx #pharma #SkinJect #Biotechnology #Healthcare #RareDisease #GorlinSyndrome #Dermatology #SPAC #ClinicalTrials #DrugDevelopment #NDA #Biopharmaceuticals
Clover Health boosts outlook amid continued membership growth, financial momentum in Q3
Clover Health is continuing to see strong traction in its Medicare Advantage plan, with membership growing 49% year-over-year in the third quarter to approximately 157,000 members. | The company posted $130 million in profit, up 77% year-over-year, according to Q3 2026 financial results.
Scientists Have Found a New Way to Control AI's Behavior
A new study, shared exclusively with TIME ahead of publication, reveals a promising technique for discouraging AI models from cheating by changing how they're trained.
Science Is Littered With AI Slop. A New Detector Could Filter It Out.
Rather than relying on text alone, the algorithm looks for clues in a paper’s reasoning.
Cleveland Fed’s Hammack says restrictive rates needed to cool inflation
“I expect that monetary policy will need to move to a restrictive stance to bring inflation back to 2% in a timely manner,” Beth Hammack said Thursday, Nov. 5, in remarks prepared for an event in Zurich.
Oregon was once a Republican stronghold. This politician started shifting the balance in 1954
For much of the first half of the 20th century, Oregon was effectively a one-party Republican state. Democrats had not won a U.S. Senate seat in 40 years, had not won a U.S. House seat in 18 years, and had controlled the state legislature for only four of 74 years since 1880. Into this landscape emerged Richard Neuberger, a Portland-born journalist of Jewish heritage whose prolific writing career, progressive convictions and remarkable personal drive would reshape Oregon politics.
Bear Hollow Zoo Mourns the Loss of Beloved Black Bear Yonah
Bear Hollow Zoo is mourning the loss of Yonah (16), an American black bear who was humanely euthanized on the evening of November 1 following complications from severe pneumonia. Yonah was surrounded
PENN Entertainment (PENN) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
PENN Entertainment (PENN) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of +52.38% and +0.33%, respectively, for the quarter ended September 2026. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Scientists Cracked the Code on a 400-Year-Old Padlock. What It Was Protecting Is Still a Mystery.
An engineer peered inside the brass lock and found a four-letter puzzle to open it. Unfortunately, it’s not locking anything anymore.
Alaska Science Forum Time Capsule: Bats in the belfry
Note: Ned Rozell wrote this column on Oct. 25, 1994, his first as the new author of the Alaska Science Forum. I’m pleased to feature this time capsule, as it explores one of my favorite questions in biology: How do mammals survive in intensely cold temperatures? Additionally, Ned ended the story with, in my opinion, a perfectly silly final sentence. Ned published an update on Alaska’s little brown bats in 2019: https://bit.ly/bat-update. — Sara Wilbur
Eatonville health fair to provide free CPR training, screenings, and safety resources
The Heart of the Community Health Fair will return to Eatonville on Saturday, Nov. 7, offering residents tools to prevent health emergencies and respond effectively.
Single-payer health care system proponents were thrown a big bone this election
Sen. Bernie Sanders is likely to lead the Senate’s health committee next year, which could grant him a chance to fundamentally alter how the FDA interacts with the companies it regulates. Read more:
Mars’s Volcanoes May Not Be Dead But Merely Sleeping. Could A Volcano Erupt On Mars Someday?
After at least 2 million years without an eruption, you might be forgiven for thinking Martian volcanism is dead, but that’s a brief nap to a planet.
Public health experts demand tighter global restrictions on fireworks
Fireworks pose an underestimated danger to public health and require stronger regulations and sustained public education campaigns to help prevent devastating, yet entirely avoidable injuries, warn US experts in The BMJ today.
Yankees' Luis Garcia Jr. Crush Proves Their Cluelessness
The New York Yankees have completely lost their way.
This Week in Sports Trivia: Nov. 5, 2026
How closely were you following the sports news this week? Find out and test your knowledge by taking The Athletic's weekly quiz.
Scientists discover mysterious “lonely” brain waves linked to memory loss
Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between Alzheimer’s-related protein buildup, disrupted brain waves during deep sleep, and fading memory. The findings suggest that hidden changes in how the brain processes memories overnight may contribute to age-related memory loss long before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.
A clever molecular trick unlocks previously impossible properties in glass
Scientists have discovered how to reprogram the internal structure of glass using a special molecule that rearranges chemical bonds while lowering the melting temperature. The breakthrough could unlock entirely new glass materials with precisely controlled magnetic and optical properties, opening possibilities for advanced electronics, sensors, and other technologies.
Empowering frontline health workers to detect outbreaks earlier
To spot health threats quickly and respond before they spread, these workers need the skills to identify risks, understand local health challenges and work together effectively. To strengthen these skills, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a series of trainings and simulation exercises in August 2026.
The Bulletin welcomes 2026 editorial fellows
The Bulletin proudly welcomes its largest editorial fellow class yet. Fellows work closely with Bulletin editors to produce cutting-edge journalism focused on nuclear risk, climate change, disruptive technologies, or biosecurity. As part of a Bulletin initiative focused on uplifting the next generation of experts, our Editorial Fellows Program is possible because of readers and supporters alike.
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Could Be 35% Undervalued Following Brazil Impairment ಸುದ್ದಿ
Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT) put fresh numbers on the table with its third quarter 2026 update, pairing higher reported sales with a wider net loss and a sizeable impairment tied to its Brazil operations. The share price reaction has been sharp. Flutter Entertainment closed at US$81.79, with the 1 day share price return declining 2.33% after the earnings and impairment news, even though the 7 day and 30 day share price returns rose 4.15% and 8.00% respectively. That short burst of buying...
When papers become currency: a Chinese debate about trust in science
Last Saturday, 31 October, I went to the University of Hong Kong’s Beijing Centre for its Talent Forum. It was the fourth stop in the series this year, following events in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang, Shenzhen’s Qianhai, and on HKU’s main campus. The programme covered a remarkable distance in one afternoon. HKU’s Xiao-Jing Wang discussed computational neuroscience, intelligence, and the prefrontal cortex—before even delivering his inaugural public lecture to students back in Hong Kong. His colleague Bing Zhang took us from the Big Bang to artificial intelligence. Tsinghua’s Xue Lan asked how AI might reshape the institutional infrastructure underpinning higher education. There were lively panels featuring industry leaders from JD.com, Xiaomi, Haier—and Kaiser Y Kuo on the closing panel discussing innovation and international connections. I cannot pretend to have followed every detail of the brain models or the astrophysics. The talk that stayed with me was closer to something we have covered before: Zhou Zhonghe 周忠和 on papers, evaluation, and scientific trust. Zhou is a palaeontologist, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He is also editor-in-chief of The Intellectual (知识分子), China’s leading science commentary platform. His subject was uncomfortable enough for a room full of successful academics: what happens when the system for recognising good science starts rewarding something else? Part of my interest came from our sister newsletter, The East is Read, which covered the controversy around “Geng Tongxue” in May. A PhD dropout from Beihang University, Geng has publicly challenged papers by prominent researchers through detailed online allegations of manipulated images and fabricated data. At Tongji University, an investigation into a challenged Nature paper found academic misconduct, and the dean of its life sciences school was removed. The affair brought doubts about academic integrity well beyond laboratories and university committees. How could someone outside the established hierarchy spot problems in papers that had passed through prestigious journals and institutions? And what, exactly, had all that prestige guaranteed? Zhou approached these questions through two essays published in July by The Intellectual: one by Wang Xiaodong, director of the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, and a response by Wang Liming, of Shanghai’s Shangsi Institute of Natural Sciences. Both began with the controversy over Geng. Their arguments deserve a wider audience, so I want to put parts of them alongside what Zhou said on Saturday. Wang Xiaodong’s starting point is evolution. A research system selects for the behaviour it rewards. Grants, jobs, journals, talent programmes, and prizes collectively determine which scientists prosper and which practices get passed down from advisors to students. “Whatever the system rewards is what it will evolve to produce,” he writes, citing the ancient Chinese saying: The King of Chu loved slender waists, and many in the palace starved to death. That is a more demanding diagnosis than saying there are dishonest people in science. Punishing a fraudster does not change the selective environment that made a particular kind of research profitable. His account also gives scientific success an awkward role in the story. As Zhou put it on Saturday, science became a victim of its own success. Once research became central to industry, national power, and economic growth, universities and laboratories expanded, and public money followed. That created an administrative need for rapid decisions: who should get the next grant, the next laboratory, the next appointment? The difficulty is that the true value of a discovery may take years or decades of testing and building to become clear. Resource allocation cannot wait that long. Publication counts, journal prestige, impact factors, and citations therefore become convenient ways to make an instant judgement. “The real problem is not that these indicators have no value,” Wang Xiaodong writes, “but that they are trying to answer a question that only time can answer.” Telling administrators simply to stop counting papers will never be enough. They still have budgets to distribute and appointments to make. Something has to replace the shortcut. Zhou described the consequences inside publishing. Papers acquire ever more requirements: a complete story, polished presentation, extensive datasets, and accessibility to readers beyond the immediate field. Individually, those demands sound reasonable. Together, he warned, they produce formulaic “eight-legged” papers 八股文 and rigid reviewing, while genuinely original or non-consensus work struggles to get past journal editors—some of whom wield immense gatekeeping power despite having limited laboratory experience themselves. Meanwhile, the demands for sprawling, “complete” narratives have fuelled a wider replication crisis. Wang Xiaodong uses a mahjong metaphor to describe the result: put the complex papers published by the exact same lab over several years side by side, and they often look like “Thirteen Orphans” (十三不靠)—every tile completely unrelated to the next, and none of them reproducible by outsiders. Zhou also spoke frankly as an editor who has trouble finding reviewers. Everyone wants someone else to review their work; qualified senior researchers have little time to return the favour. The labour is anonymous, unpaid, and brings almost no institutional recognition, so it increasingly gets passed down to postdocs and graduate students. And while anonymity protects reviewers from rank and personal favours, hyper-specialisation means an author’s most qualified reviewer is often a direct competitor, shielded from accountability. The protection and the problem coexist. Wang Liming takes the argument a step further. The decisive change, in his essay, is the instant conversion of academic honour into material resources. Once a paper can be cashed in for funding, a job, students, commercial investment, or even a company valuation, scientists are alienated from their work: they must keep minting this “research currency” to keep their teams alive. He is careful not to romanticise the past. The old world of gentleman scientists—financially independent figures like Boyle and Darwin who needed nothing from external funders—was also a closed club that excluded people without inherited wealth, women, and much of humanity outside the West. Professional science allowed ordinary people, himself included, to become researchers. Nobody should want to undo that. The problem, in his account, is an exchange system that becomes too uniform and too difficult to correct. His most pointed Chinese example is the “hat” (帽子): the prestigious talent designation that brings continuing access to money, laboratory space, students, and institutional influence. “If papers are the circulating currency of the research system, then a ‘hat’ is a bond that pays interest over the long term,” he writes. A paper at least requires another round of peer review. A title in the Chinese context can lock in a judgement made years ago and turn it into permanent status rent, regardless of whether its holder is still doing good science. Here, official institutions hire, organise, and evaluate scientists. Unlike honours awarded by autonomous academic communities in the West, a Chinese “hat” blends non-scientist administrative power with state authority. Once granted, it turns a past judgement into permanent status rent that is nearly impossible to revoke—because taking a hat off would imply that official authority erred in putting it on. Both Wangs see China as experiencing, at compressed speed, pressures present across global science. Research expansion, rising investment, publication growth, and elaborate evaluation metrics arrived in China within two or three decades rather than two or three centuries. Zhou agreed with that international framing—noting that recent US White House science policy documents and the new president of the US National Academy of Sciences, a fellow palaeontologist who recently visited Zhou’s institute in Beijing, have raised strikingly similar warnings about consensus-bound peer review, short-term project grants, and the replication crisis. Still, Zhou emphasised that China’s traditional hierarchy, personal networks (guanxi), and the ethos that “a good scholar becomes an official” (学而优则仕) amplify those pressures at home. So what would change things? Here Zhou’s tone differed from the call for a revolution in scientific trust in Wang Xiaodong’s essay. As an evolutionary biologist, Zhou favoured patchwork repair (修修补补). Living systems survive through accumulated adjustments; dramatic mutations are usually fatal. Science cannot return to a small, slow-moving pastoral era, especially after the successive accelerations of professionalisation after the Second World War, the internet, and now artificial intelligence. But it can alter the local environment in which researchers work. He pointed to domestic experiments designed to support unconventional research and diversify funding, including Tencent’s New Cornerstone Investigator Program, the Xplorer Prize, and the Future Science Prize. He also mentioned participating in reviews for “major non-consensus projects” under the National Natural Science Foundation of China. One guiding principle he recalled was wonderfully direct: “Failure is allowed; corruption is not” (允许失败，不允许腐败). That distinction would mean quite a lot if taken seriously. An honest attempt that fails should not have to disguise itself as a success to survive an assessment. Wang Liming’s essay adds a sharp caveat to the optimism about new domestic funders. Multiple organisations do not automatically produce multiple ways of judging science. If the same pool of senior domestic scientists makes the decisions through the same two-round review procedures, it is still “fake diversity.” He argues for three distinct kinds of money: broad baseline funding governed by fair procedures; patient funding for questions that take ten years; and non-consensus funding based on individual taste, deliberately empowering a few genuine experts to make biased, contrarian bets on eccentric ideas that would inevitably be averaged out by a committee. Replacing one monopoly with another achieves little; a healthy ecosystem needs variance. Zhou’s proposals for publishing were similarly concrete: strip papers of their resource-allocation burden and return them to recording discoveries and establishing priority; separate dissemination from evaluation, as eLife and Peer Community In do; adopt more modular “micro-publications” and real-name endorsements; recognize the labour of editors and reviewers; and give replication work proper credit rather than treating it as an unpublishable dead end. AI makes every part of this debate more urgent—and Zhou wove it throughout his talk. In his own preparation, he used AI to survey the declining influence of academic monographs, noting how tools are already changing how scholars gather information. More fundamentally, he placed AI as the latest great acceleration in scientific history: just as the internet sped up the pace of research and tightened external resource pressures, AI is compressing the cycle again. In the essays Zhou cited, AI cuts both ways. Wang Xiaodong expects large language models to erase much of the English-writing disadvantage long faced by Chinese scientists, further swelling the flood of papers coming out of Chinese labs. Wang Liming sees AI accelerating both ends of the trust crisis: it lowers the cost of paper mills and fabricated images just as quickly as it lowers the cost of automated image forensics, data auditing, and code reproduction. “Whoever builds the verification layer wins,” Wang Liming writes. His proposed alternative to the static, packaged “story paper” is a continuously versioned “unit of discovery” containing a falsifiable claim, raw data, analysis code, experimental parameters, and an ongoing log of independent checks—where negative results and failed replications are recorded rather than buried. Zhou ended his keynote by bringing AI back to the question of scientific honour and credit. Citing a recent Intellectual discussion on “What AI Means for Mathematics” featuring Fields Medalist Deng Yu 邓煜—at a moment when AI is already batch-solving mathematical conjectures, as HKU Vice-President Lin Chen noted in his opening remarks—Zhou agreed that human researchers must remain the principal agents: AI is a tool that frees scientists from tedious calculation to think about deeper, messier real-world problems. Yet that partnership creates a thorny new evaluation problem. When a breakthrough is made with AI, what is the human contribution and what is the machine’s? And since AI models distil centuries of accumulated human scholarship, is it right that the credit and value flow so heavily to the private AI companies building the tools? The old struggle over how to assign scientific honour is acquiring a whole new layer. What I took away was a serious discussion of how science can remain trustworthy as its scale, incentives, and tools change. These were scientists with real standing inside China’s system questioning how that standing is produced, and proposing changes that would affect their own institutions and peers. That made the afternoon at HKU’s Beijing Centre worthwhile. At the close, Wang Feng, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at HKU, said the value of the forum series—which heads to Hangzhou in December and cities like Chengdu early next year—would lie in the real cooperation it helped bring about. The university has plenty to celebrate: this week it topped the QS Asia rankings for a second consecutive year, alongside its 11th-place position in the QS World University Rankings 2027. For me, bringing this debate to an audience beyond the people who review papers and allocate grants was a useful contribution. Share [ The East is Read PhD dropout’s exposé forces an academic fraud reckoning in China A former doctoral student turned blogger has shaken China’s academic establishment by publicly accusing prominent university scholars of fabricating data and manipulating papers, triggering investigations at several leading institutions and drawing rare attention from state media… Read more 5 months ago · 43 likes · 8 comments · Yuxuan JIA ](https://www.eastisread.com/p/phd-dropouts-expose-forces-an-academic?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=47580)
Ballon d'Or winner Kane extends contract with Bayern Munich
Harry Kane said he felt "right at home" after he signed a two-year extension at Bayern Munich, keeping the Ballon d'Or winner at the club until 2029, the German champions announced on Thursday. Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said the club were "absolutely delighted" to extend Kane's deal, adding: "With Harry Kane we have the Ballon d'Or winner on the pitch -- a team player, a leader, the best all-round striker in the world.
Scientists grow ‘human lens’ that could help treat eye diseases
A lens that closely resembles the natural one inside the human eye has been grown in a lab for the first time.
Downtown Sacramento ice rink brings crowds and boosts nearby businesses
The downtown Sacramento ice rink is drawing visitors and increasing foot traffic to local businesses, creating a lively atmosphere in the area.
Weekly entertainment report: Live music and lively arts, Nov. 5-8 » Nashua Ink Link
Make it a musical weekend.
Moderate Democrats Increase Their Numbers, and Their Clout
Victories by moderates in competitive or Republican-leaning states and districts paved the way for large new Democratic majorities likely to be shaped by their priorities.