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Extreme Heat Is Making Pregnancy More Dangerous For Mothers And Newborns

Nearly three in four maternal healthcare workers say extreme heat-related complications among pregnant women have increased over the past five years,

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Oct 6 • 12:49 PM EDT • Health • healthpolicy-watch.news
Swansea's golden boot winner yet to kick start season

Zan Vipotnik has been backed to return to form for Swansea City, even though he is still not guaranteed to return to the starting side.

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Sep 8 • 12:20 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Outdoors Retailer Goes Out of Business After 90-Plus Years: Business NH Magazine

Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, which had locations in Hadley, Mass., and Swanzey, closed its store in Swanzey on Saturday.

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Sep 2 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • businessnhmagazine.com
Armstrong appoints senior advisor Conner Swanson to lead ND Department of Health and Human Services | North Dakota Office of the Governor

Gov. Kelly Armstrong appointed Conner Swanson to lead the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), effective Aug. 29, citing his experience with complex policy issues at both the state and federal levels and his guidance to the agency through the Governor’s Office these past two years.

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Aug 13 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • governor.nd.gov
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Washington County Fair kicks off with five days of agriculture, entertainment

NBC 10 WJAR is the news, sports and weather leader for Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding communities, including Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Attleboro, North Attleborough, Swansea, Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford, Massachusetts.

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Aug 12 • 11:38 AM EDT • Entertainment • turnto10.com
Pick of the stats: Swansea City v Norwich City

BBC Sport highlights some of the key stats and facts for the Championship game between Swansea City and Norwich City.

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Oct 8 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
A woman built her parents a 725-square-foot cottage in her backyard

A "granny pod" ad inspired Caitlin Swann to build an ADU in her backyard for her parents when they retired. Now they're steps from their grandkids.

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Aug 9 • 5:36 AM EDT • Technology • businessinsider.com
Championship leaders Swansea 'deserve respect'

Swansea City go into their all-Welsh showdown with Wrexham deserving respect, says goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
'Swans more of a finished article than Stoke'

BBC Radio Stoke commentator Mark Elliott analyses Stoke City's defeat to Swansea City and the transfer window.

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Aug 17 • 6:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Movie theater chain says it's moving to Swansea. What we know

Local movie theater chain Entertainment Luxury Cinemas said it is coming to the Swansea Crossing plaza, where a long-vacant Regal once stood.

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Jul 14 • 3:47 PM EDT • Entertainment • heraldnews.com
'The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove' review: A Shakespearean surf comedy

Eli Simon directs 'The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove,' a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy that's part of this summer's New Swan Shakespeare Festival.

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Jul 23 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
Newsom eyes 2028 as Democrats weigh their political future

Join The Hill’s Ian Swanson, Amie Parnes and special guest Democratic strategist Garry South, who has advised California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), for a special “Fight for 2028” centered o…

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Sep 22 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Swan Town Creative Announces Inaugural Build Business Better Conference for Established Business Owners

A live virtual conference featuring an all-woman lineup of business experts, built to help established business owners explore what's possible and decide what comes next.Marietta, GEORGIA, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swan Town Creative, a business advisory and consulting firm, announces the inaugural Build Business Better Conference, a two-day live virtual event taking place October 21–22, 2026. Designed primarily for business owners with three or more years of experience who have moved b

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Sep 9 • 12:49 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
Buying Lakers makes Bob Iger's dream of owning a sports team come true

Throughout his storied career as a media executive, Bob Iger has made repeated attempts to own a major sports franchise.

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Aug 12 • 2:10 PM EDT • Sports • latimes.com
Lenovo Project Swan leaks with horizontally expanding rollable ThinkBook display

Lenovo may add another design to its growing list of flexible-screen PCs. Project Swan uses a horizontally expanding display instead of the vertical ThinkBook Plus design.

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Aug 10 • 12:29 PM EDT • Technology • videocardz.com
5 dead, 4 hospitalized in Louisiana from flesh-eating bacteria outbreak: health officials

NBC 10 WJAR is the news, sports and weather leader for Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding communities, including Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Attleboro, North Attleborough, Swansea, Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford, Massachusetts.

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Aug 8 • 10:08 AM EDT • Health • turnto10.com
Attleboro business closes temporarily after vehicle crashes in to support column

NBC 10 WJAR is the news, sports and weather leader for Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding communities, including Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Attleboro, North Attleborough, Swansea, Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford, Massachusetts.

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Aug 3 • 1:04 PM EDT • Business • turnto10.com
Openings, closings and more Centre County business news you may have missed

One notable development stemmed from a lawsuit seeking nearly $1.2 million in unpaid rent at a State College high-rise.

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Aug 30 • 8:27 AM EDT • Business • centredaily.com
How Dansby Swanson’s Return Can Boost the Cubs Playoff Push

Dansby Swanson's return is near, and the Chicago Cubs need it desperately. Since Swanson went down, the depth has been tested, and the National League postseason picture has become a tight race. He has missed roughly five weeks with an oblique injury. Now, while Iowa is dealing with unfortunate weather, he is expected to make …

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Sep 16 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
What you need to know about the health effects of ozone on hot days

A heat dome has settled over Michigan, driving up ground-level ozone and concerns about the health effects for all, not just the most vulnerable.

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Jun 30 • 4:04 PM EDT • Health • freep.com
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Cubs Star Makes Blunt Admission After Padres' Game 1 Rout

Dansby Swanson didn't make excuses after the Chicago Cubs were overwhelmed by the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series.

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Sep 30 • 12:57 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Swansea must protect defensive record

Having conceded just once this season, head coach Vitor Matos says Swansea City must maintain their steely defensive record to challenge for promotion.

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Sep 7 • 12:16 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Key injury concern for Swans before Lincoln

Swansea City have fingers crossed that Josh Key has not suffered a significant injury after the right-back was forced off during Saturday's 3-1 win over Burnley. Key has featured in all but one of Swansea's games this season, having shared right-back duties with Filip Lissah. "It wasn't worth the risk [to keep him on the pitch against Burnley] when we have Fil, who came on and did a good game, again."

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Sep 12 • 2:22 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Matos urges Vipotnik to find form of last season

Vitor Matos hopes Zan Vipotnik's goal in Swansea City's defeat at Southampton will spark a return to the form which earned him last season's Championship golden boot.

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Sep 8 • 6:46 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
The Politics of Heat, Homes, and Lobster Boats.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank. MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION—The candidates’ forum focusing on House District 15 and incumbent Holly Eaton and Clifford Noyes last week spent a lot of time on the candidates’ thought of heating, communication with constituents, property taxes, education costs, and other issues. It also was a time for the community to ask their own questions and see two candidates up close and personal at the Southwest Harbor Fire Department firehouse. Jim Vallette organized the hour-long event, which was moderated by Carrie Jones of the Bar Harbor Story. Ken Rozsahegyi provided technical support for the congenial event. House District 15 serves Brooklin, Deer Isle, Eagle Island Township, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, Marshall Island, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Swan's Island, Tremont, and Vinalhaven. Jones advised as she began the question and answer part of the event, ”Treat everyone here like they are going to be the ones who might give you a ride in a rainstorm, pull your pet out of a burning building, or be the one grading your kids’ papers at school, okay?” She continued. “That’s it. Tonight isn’t meant to be a gotcha debate. The goal is to give people in the district a chance to get to know both candidates, hear what they care about, and understand what they’d actually try to accomplish in Augusta.” The questions and discussion throughout were kind. Eaton currently serves in the position. She’s a Democrat from Deer Isle, raised in a fishing family and has worked in nonprofits and volunteered for her school board. Noyes is unenrolled (politically) and from Southwest Harbor and currently a school board member, self employed as a mason. He focused on fiscal issues throughout the forum. Eventually, at Jones’ prompting, the candidates played “Rock, Paper, Scissors” for who would go first for their closing statements. Noyes used the opportunity to urge others to head to the ballot. “Whether you vote for me or Holly, it’s important that people vote,” Noyes said. He hoped the voter turnout in the district would be over 35 percent because that would mean people were truly engaged. Eaton stressed that she’s a Democrat, but in Augusta, her role isn’t about party. “I am a Democrat, but when I go to Augusta, I am there to represent the people of District 15. I want people to feel as though I’m accessible, that I’m responsive, and that I show up for the district,” Eaton said. Being there for others was vital, she explained. “When something comes before me in Augusta, I try to look at it through the lens of the people and the communities that I represent. How will this affect the people who live here? Does it make it easier or harder to raise a family here, to operate a small business, to work on the water, to afford a home, to keep our schools open, or provide the essential services our communities depend on?” Eaton said. Noyes spoke about fiscal responsibility and about the state being more responsive to communities and the ideas that come from them. “I feel that we desperately need to restore some fiscal sanity, a little bit. So when the legislature meets again,” Noyes said, “it could be critical for Maine residents that we don’t keep digging this hole that we’re in financially and keep raising our taxes so the struggling families struggle even more.” The two answered a series of questions from Jones, then answered questions from the audience and participants via Zoom. Jones asked what they heard the most from people about what was making their lives hard and what can the legislature in Augusta do it about those issues. Both spoke to concerns about heating oil costs. Noyes spoke to the three H’s: health, home, and heat. Eaton and Noyes spoke to the burdens of families with lower incomes, with Eaton mentioning LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program). They both were in favor of free community college and trade programs. They both supported the working waterfront. Both said that data centers—such as the one proposed in Eastport, which is out of the district—should be a local decision, but neither were in favor of it. The working waterfront was supported by both. Eaton’s served on the Maine Marine Resource Committee in the legislature. She advocated a diversity of fishing resources and less of a reliance on lobstering. Shrimp, she hoped, would make a comeback. Noyes worried about out-of-state pressure on the lobstering industry, also spoke of shrimp harvesting timings, and said he supported the lobstering industry. QUICK NOTE Carrie Jones is, obviously, the co-founder of the Bar Harbor Story, which made us have a bit of a hard time putting out this story and thinking it through and how to present it. We ended up with this article. The debate in its entirety is below, many thanks to Ken and Jim for making it publicly available. UPCOMING AND PAST EVENTS The following events are or were organized by the League of Women Voters Downeast. DISTRICT 7 DISTRICT ATTORNEY DISTRICT 13 Thursday, Oct 15, 2026 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM Candidate Forum: House District 13 125 State St , Ellsworth Featuring candidates Michael Cunningham (D) and Russell White (R), moderated by Cyndi Wood, managing editor of the Ellsworth American. DEMOCRACY FORUM Friday, Oct 16, 2026 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Democracy Forum — Election 2026: What’s on Your Ballot RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS To see all the press releases, click here. To see our news, click here. For the full archive, click here. All of these are on our dedicated website. [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ Feeling Stressed? Kids’ Corner Invites Parents, Educators, and Caregivers to Rediscover the Joy with National Speaker Raelene Ostberg Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/feeling-stressed-kids-corner-invites) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ Mainely Meat’s Pink Party for Breast Cancer Awareness is October 18! Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/mainely-meats-pink-party-for-breast) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ Conners Emerson School Announces Public Surplus Property Sale Oct 14 ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/conners-emerson-school-announces) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ Planting the Writer’s Garden 12:15 AM ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/planting-the-writers-garden) [ ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) [ Artist Maria de los Angeles explores migration and belonging in COA public lecture 12:19 AM ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) [ Read full story ](https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/artist-maria-de-los-angeles-explores) HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other. We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going. If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship. It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light. Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now. Thank you so much for being here. Founding member information can be found here. Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you. Subscribe Share Bar Harbor Story Share Leave a comment

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Oct 15 • 8:18 AM EDT • Politics • barharborstory.substack.com
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'The Swan: Behind The Mirror' director Erin Lee Carr on the doc's shocks and flock

New to Hulu, this documentary will have you raging over the 2004 reality TV nightmare.

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Oct 2 • 7:25 AM EDT • Entertainment • mashable.com
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Swanson: The Dodgers need Mookie to be Mookie

The Dodgers need Betts to be that right-handed hitter who will keep opposing pitchers honest in a lineup of lefty stars. He's shown glimpses of that lately.

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Aug 16 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
I moved to NYC at 22 and lived with a 70-year-old roommate

In NYC, finding a place to live isn't easy. So when William Swanson found the right listing, he jumped on it — even though his new roommate was 70.

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Aug 8 • 9:08 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
The Hollywood Minute and The Rhonda Swan Show: Wake Up SoCal Edition Spotlight Christy DiNapoli of West Village Entertainment & Technology and Music Industry Community

Airs on USA Today and LA Weekly

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Oct 12 • 6:32 AM EDT • Entertainment • manilatimes.net
Freya Industries raises SEK 6M to expand drone detection business

Swedish drone detection company Freya Industries has closed a SEK 6 million (approx. EUR 500k) round that will fund orders and expansion through Europe. Foundry ventures, Longswan Ventures, Propel Capital, Saminvest AB (via Annexstruktur), Schyssta Änglar, Sting and a small group of private investors contributed to the round. Freya’s sensors are designed to detect drones

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Sep 14 • 6:30 AM EDT • Business • unmannedairspace.info
Johansson on Maswanhise return, Torshavn challenge & transfer latest

Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson has been speaking to the media as his team get set to head to the Faroe Islands to face HB Torshavn with a 2-0 aggregate lead. Forward Tawanda Maswanhise is set to be involved in Thursday's game after suffering a jaw injury in pre-season, but will not start. Johansson has told his team to "eat barbed wire" in preparation for a battle against their hosts.

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Jul 28 • 11:53 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Matos wary of veteran Vardy as Swans host Clarets

Vitor Matos believes 39-year-old Jamie Vardy is still capable of making a mark in the Championship as the former England striker eyes a Burnley debut at Swansea City. Vardy is set to be named in the Clarets squad to visit the Swansea.com Stadium, having joined Burnley this week after departing Italian club Cremonese. "He is someone who understands how to score goals," said Matos, who is 14 months younger than Vardy.

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Sep 12 • 6:19 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
A woman built her parents a 725-square-foot cottage in her backyard

A "granny pod" ad inspired Caitlin Swann to build an ADU in her backyard for her parents when they retired. Now they're steps from their grandkids.

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Aug 9 • 5:36 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Hilary Swank, 52, pregnant with third baby

“A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next,” the actress captioned her Instagram announcement.

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Oct 14 • 4:57 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Germany’s Political Tailspin: Your Weekly SPIEGEL Recap

It might be tempting to dismiss the results of last Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party raked in 43.8 percent of the vote, as a rather unimportant extremist blip in a state that hardly anyone can find on the map. And you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong to do so. The state’s population – around 2.1 million – is a mere 2.5 percent of the German total. And while the state capital of Magdeburg was once the political heart of the Holy Roman Empire back when Otto the Great used to hang out there (more than a millenium … no … milennium … nope … millennium ago), it is today something of a backwater, albeit one with a ginormous cathedral in its center. We wanted to briefly interrupt this week’s newsletter to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our subscribers, both new and old. And to remind you all that a free subscription gets you access to this newsletter every Saturday. A paid subscription, by contrast, gets you one DER SPIEGEL article every weekday, delivered to your inbox. We strive to select pieces that both demonstrate what Europe’s leading newsmagazine has to offer and provide an international audience – namely, you – with an insight into how Germany and Europe view the world. If you haven’t already signed up for a paid subscription, please consider doing so if you can. Our Substack channel relies entirely on reader support and we are excited to continue offering you the best of DER SPIEGEL. Subscribe But even beyond the fact that a huge percentage of the voters in the state decided to place an X next to a party with an ideological lineage that runs rather directly back to the right-wing extremist soup out of which the Nazi Party was born, the results are a perfect example of a phenomenon that has been plaguing German elections in recent years: the lack of an obvious path to a majority. Call it the Balkanization of German politics. There are a number of developments driving the phenomenon, but for the purposes of this newsletter, here are two of the most salient: Persistent voter frustration with the country’s two (former) big-tent parties – the Christian Democrats (CDU) on the center-right (17.2 percent in Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday) and the Social Democrats (SPD) on the center-left (9.3 percent). The presence of parties on the far left (Left Party), the populist left (the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – BSW) and the far right (AfD) with which mainstream parties are reluctant to form coalitions. So what happens now? Stories of the Week A Lack of Leadership The answer for many people in the country, and particularly within the CDU, is clear: pin (some of) the blame on Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to a survey taken directly after the election in Saxony-Anhalt, 88 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that if the federal government in Berlin were doing a better job, the AfD wouldn’t be as strong. And it is true that the predominant impression of the federal government ever since Merz was sworn in on May 6, 2025, is one of ineffectiveness and bickering. His rather unique combination of bumbling-plus-bravado has also not exactly endeared him to the German public. Indeed, his standing in the country is so shaky that his popularity – according to recent polls – has now dropped even below the historic lows associated with his predecessor Olaf Scholz. The situation is such that the CDU even opted to keep him largely out of the campaign ahead of the Saxony-Anhalt vote. And since then, dissatisfied rumblings within the CDU have grown louder. DER SPIEGEL’s Swantje Karich notes that the problems with the CDU go much deeper than Merz. “The center-right has a trust problem. At a press appearance following the devastating election result in Saxony-Anhalt, Friedrich Merz said that the party wanted to ‘reach people more effectively’ through ‘emotional engagement.’ It sounded as though he were announcing a political program. On the basis of that statement, it is difficult to take his empathy seriously.” “The Chancellor’s chastened appearance did, at least, reveal where he stands: with his back to the wall. Elections will be held in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania next week, and the CDU could fare even worse there. The party is polling at between 8 and 10 percent in the state.” “What is at stake is the political tradition that has lent stability to the Federal Republic since 1945: a democratic conservatism that understands what must be preserved, but also how to embrace progress and openness to the world. If the Union continues along its current path, it risks becoming politically irrelevant after the 2029 federal election – and Germany could soon find itself with a government of the far right.” The Trumpification of Political Debate? It is often said in Germany that to understand the political and social trends that will soon be dominant in Europe, one need only look across the Atlantic to the United States. When it comes to political debate, that has certainly proven true. Donald Trump understood early on that triggering mouth-foaming outrage among Democrats is an ideal way to both generate headlines and to secure loyalty among supporters. And he realized that far more quickly than the left side of the political spectrum understood that simply ignoring the old man might be the best recipe. To be sure, there have been signs recently that the US president may be over-relying on the strategy. Earlier this week, in an apparent grandpa-discovers-AI moment, Trump sent out 60 posts in the space of 10 hours, many of them AI-assisted images portraying him as a hero – or showing Iceland as part of the US (outrageous!!!). It was also during that slew of schlock that he explicitly backed the AfD with an “MGGA” post. In Germany, though, the outrage cycle remains in full swing, with much of the focus on those who would dare to vote for the AfD. They are alternately portrayed as being dim-witted, ungrateful, backward, racist or all of the above. That, argues DER SPIEGEL columnist Sabine Rennefanz, is not particularly helpful. “Everywhere on election night, people spoke of a watershed moment, a rupture, a turning point. But what is that supposed to mean in concrete terms? A watershed would imply an interruption, a moment of pause – perhaps even a willingness to rethink and learn. At first, there was little sign of that in the main television panels. Instead, the familiar rituals that had already shaped the election campaign continued: outrage, lecturing and abuse.” “That’s just the tone, one might object. They’re only talk shows. Given that the party’s state branch has been classified by domestic intelligence officials as confirmed right-wing extremist, there are more important problems than hurt feelings on television. Yet although the condescending tone is not the cause of the AfD’s success, it is an expression of the broader mood within the so-called political center – a kind of institutional blindness that too often treats material concerns as a communications problem.” “People have a pretty good sense of whether you like them – whether you approach them with curiosity or merely study, lecture and manage them as a problem group. They notice whether you genuinely want to understand their fears and pain, or whether you are simply waiting for the chance to correct them. They can also tell whether someone still has the energy to change things, or whether they have barricaded themselves behind platitudes and empty phrases.” “Anyone who wants an egalitarian democratic society cannot promise equality only to those whose language, tastes and moral convictions they share. They must also acknowledge the wounds, resentments and fears of those whose political conclusions they consider wrong. Acknowledging them does not mean agreeing with them. But a democracy that communicates with almost half its citizens only through warnings and labels gives up on political debate before it has even begun. An atmosphere must be created in which people can express their opinions without fearing that they will be canceled. We are currently a long way from that.” East-West? One of the clear undercurrents in the election last Sunday was, of course, Germany’s ongoing east-west divide, particularly as it pertains to the success of the AfD. Historically, the party has been far stronger in the former East German states than in former West German states. The fact that this generalization no longer reliably holds is certainly one of the primary concerns that many have about the party’s growth. And yet, there is still a distinct flavor of “stupid easterners, they don’t understand democracy” to the coverage. In the weeks before the vote, there was even a rather interesting back-and-forth in Germany’s culture pages about how ungrateful eastern Germans allegedly are for being pulled out of their pre-reunification backwardness and into the light of the West. DER SPIEGEL’s Jochen-Martin Gutsch has had enough. “Ten years ago, in 2016, elections were also held in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD won more than 20 percent, which at the time rightly provoked outrage and incomprehension in western Germany. Today, in 2026, the AfD is also polling at around 20 percent in western German states, but this no longer provokes outrage and incomprehension. Instead, it is now regarded as proof of democratic conviction and civilizational resistance. After all, in the east, it’s 40 percent!” “This allows people to continue feeling morally superior to the East, but the wiser course would be to admit: if something doesn’t happen soon, the West will turn AfD-blue too. Or bluish.” “But will anything happen? The truly depressing thing about election night was not so much the AfD leaders intoxicated by their own success. It was the representatives of the other parties, who once again said that they were utterly shocked, needed some time to digest the result and would, of course, not simply return to business as usual. The SPD, a former big-tent party, celebrated its ‘stable’ result of 9.3 percent. Congratulations!” “For 10 years, the AfD has gone from one electoral success to the next. And still, the established parties remain ‘shocked’ and scratch their heads in astonishment. How long can they keep being shocked? Friedrich Merz says he may need to communicate his reform ideas in a more ‘emotional’ way. So the CDU’s political professionals sit down together after the election, mull over a strategy, and in the end come up with this: Fritz, try to be a little more relaxed, charismatic and emotional – or something. Beyond that: no political plan, no defiance, no promise of a future. That is frightening.” What was good, what was bad for democracy? Good: Voter turnout in Saxony-Anhalt was 77.8 percent, the highest ever recorded in the state. Whatever one thinks of the result, that figure is encouraging. Democracy needs citizens to take an interest. Bad: Although a strong AfD result had been expected in Saxony-Anhalt, many politicians from the mainstream parties – including in Berlin – appeared confused, helpless and overwhelmed in their initial reactions. That is not how they will win back voters’ trust. Last Week’s Highlights: 🗳️ Meet the Germans Who Voted for the AfD: Why would voters in a country like Germany, with its Nazi past, vote for a right-wing party? It’s a question only an editor in Berlin could come up with. On the ground, the view is different. 🟦 How the AfD Wants to Expand Its Power Across Germany: The far-right AfD is planning to decimate public broadcasting in Saxony-Anhalt, revamp education and install extremists in positions of power. And it is eyeing victory on the national stage as well. 🕯️ The Continuing Reverberations of September 11: It was a generational shock, and the consequences can still be felt today - from massive surveillance and significant increases in presidential power to violent excesses at ICE. 🤝 “For Europe, Canada Is the Preferred Partner in Trans-Atlantic Relations”: In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne discusses his country’s failed trade deal with the US and why Canada is looking to Europe. 🏛️ The True Historical Roots of the AfD: During the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, there were numerous parties on the extreme right espousing “Germany first” nationalism. The Nazis may not be the best comparison for today’s AfD. 🌊 AfD in a Landslide: Merz Is the Wrong Leader for Germany: The right-wing Alternative for Germany won in a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt state elections on Sunday. What does that mean for the country at large? Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful week! Subscribe Share Leave a comment Your SPIEGEL Substack Team Compiled and edited by Charles Hawley

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Sep 12 • 7:49 AM EDT • Politics • derspiegel.substack.com
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Matos spoiled for choice as Idah delivers

Adam Idah needed only seconds after coming on at Stoke to strike the blow which gave Swansea City the ideal start to the new Championship campaign. With Zan Vipotnik nursing a calf injury, Idah was Swansea's first choice up front during the majority of pre-season, and started the EFL Cup defeat to Birmingham City last weekend. Vipotnik started at the bet365 Stadium but, in truth, had little impact on the game, even if his attempt to head goalwards turned into an assist for Joseph Opoku's first-half equaliser.

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Aug 16 • 3:35 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
India Research Center marks 10 years of public health impact | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The India Research Center has evolved into a platform for research, training, and public health research translation.

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Oct 7 • 4:45 PM EDT • Health • hsph.harvard.edu
Hilary Swank addresses ‘backlash’ over pregnancy at 52: ‘You’re too old’

Meanwhile, she said men don’t receive the same criticism.

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Oct 16 • 11:23 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Help usher in a new era at Swansea movie theater. Now hiring staff

The reels are about to turn once again at a popular SouthCoast movie spot. But first, hiring will be getting underway at the new Swansea theater.

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Jul 20 • 12:57 PM EDT • Entertainment • heraldnews.com
Woman found dead after work-related incident at Perham business

A 47-year-old woman was found dead early Friday morning following a work-related incident at Swan Machine in Perham, according to the Perham Police Department.

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Sep 6 • 1:17 PM EDT • Business • valleynewslive.com
Come for the whimsy, stay for the science: Free All Science. No Fiction live show Saturday, Sept. 26, at OSU

Oregon State University employees and students can score free tickets to an All Science. No Fiction live show Saturday evening on the Corvallis campus, hosted by Jes Burns and Brandon Swanson from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

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Sep 18 • 5:00 PM EDT • Science • today.oregonstate.edu
Where Michigan governor candidates stand on health care costs, access

Michigan’s next governor has no shortage of health care issues to grapple with. What candidates say they’ll do on costs, access and more.

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Jul 30 • 2:23 PM EDT • Health • bridgemi.com
Watch China's Hanfu Boom Is a Political Tool

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Karishma Vaswani says China's Hanfu boom gives young people comfort amid economic uncertainty and the Communist Party a tool for promoting national greatness. But nostalgia cannot create jobs, revive the property market or persuade young people to start families.

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Jul 22 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • bloomberg.com
Michigan’s top election official wins Democratic primary for governor, advances to battleground race

Jocelyn Benson defeated Chris Swanson in Michigan's Democratic gubernatorial primary and will face either John James or Perry Johnson this fall.

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Aug 4 • 9:06 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Idah's eye-catching record as Swansea forwards shine

If goals per league start is the best way of judging a striker's impact, then few could better Adam Idah's numbers in a Swansea City shirt. The primary frustration for Idah after just over a year as a Swansea player will be that there have not been more league starts. Idah began a Championship fixture for only the 11th time since swapping Celtic for south Wales as Swansea beat Burnley over the weekend.

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Sep 14 • 7:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Swansea City vs Wrexham: Preview

Wrexham are back in Championship action on Saturday night as they head to the Swansea.com Stadium to face unbeaten Swansea City in an all-Welsh clash, with the match part of Sky Sports Live coverage of the EFL.

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Sep 4 • 12:12 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Mental Health for Young Athletes

While youth sports are meant to promote fun, teamwork, and healthy habits, many young athletes find themselves navigating high levels of stress and performance anxiety. On this week's My Mom Club, sponsored by PremierU, Dr. Katherine Caldwell, a WashU Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, joined us to share how parents can help their kids manage mental health alongside physical training. My Mom Club is sponsored by PremierU, with locations in St. Louis, Swansea, and Marion. To learn more or book an appointment, visit PremierUMed.com.

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Sep 14 • 12:09 PM EDT • Health • firstalert4.com
Happy Birthday Doyle Alexander

And Andrés Giménez and Erik Swanson

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Sep 4 • 11:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Swansea lose first game at revamped St Helen's

Swansea suffer late loss to Ebbw Vale on their return to St Helen's as unbeaten Cardiff take over from Newport at the top of SRC.

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Oct 10 • 12:15 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Swank Patient Entertainment Brings Premium On-Demand Entertainment to Epic MyChart Bedside TV

Swank Patient Entertainment will integrate with Epic’s MyChart Bedside TV, bringing patients easy access to movies, TV and relaxation content....

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Aug 20 • 9:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • globenewswire.com
Climate change and farming gave rise to ‘genetically distinct’ swan goose: study

New population of the migratory waterbird has emerged in the Chinese capital over the past century, according to researchers.

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Oct 7 • 12:00 AM EDT • Science • scmp.com
Swan Island businesses brace for I-5 closure

Freight, shipyard and service businesses have little room to dodge the traffic.

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Sep 8 • 9:19 AM EDT • Business • axios.com
High-Signal Publisher
Charles Spencer's Diana memoir

LONDON – "Swan Song" has landed.

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Sep 21 • 7:01 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Wild New Hulu Series Pulls Back the Curtain on a Controversial 2000s Reality Show

A nostalgic reality TV favorite is getting a candid look back, with the women at its center revisiting their experiences and what really happened behind the scenes. Get all the details here.

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Oct 1 • 10:40 AM EDT • Entertainment • purewow.com
Eyes on big prize as Swansea and Wrexham collide

Swansea City and Wrexham meet in a mouthwatering Welsh derby with stakes his as both clubs eye the Premier League.

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Sep 5 • 5:03 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Alpharus Health Expands Access to Mental Health Services Across Illinois

Chicago, IL, Oct. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpharus Health is expanding access to mental health care across Illinois by bringing comprehensive behavioral health services to 11 of its 13 community outpatient clinics. Alpharus Health now offers outpatient mental health treatment services in Aurora, Bloomington, Carbondale, Chicago, Downers Grove, Gurnee, Jacksonville, Joliet, Peoria, Springfield, and Swansea. Alpharus Health also offers virtual mental health treatment for all Illinois resident

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Oct 7 • 10:34 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Warner pitches health care expansion as he preps for swan song

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is leaning into a major expansion of U.S. health insurance coverage as he prepares for what’s likely to be his final term in office, in contrast to his earlier years on Capitol Hill marked by a more centrist approach to health care. With health coverage for airport workers being […]

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Oct 8 • 6:29 AM EDT • Health • rollcall.com
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Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson Breaks Silence on Jameson Taillon Decision

On Monday, the Chicago Cubs designated starter Jameson Taillon for assignment.Hours after the decision, fan-favorite Dansby Swanson commented on the Cubs’ decision.Cubs’ Dansby Swanson Weighs In on Taillon DecisionAs reported by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (via X), Swanson had nothing but warm words for Taillon.“[He’s] definitely on my Mount Rushmore of teammates,” he said, […] The post Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson Breaks Silence on Jameson Taillon Decision appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 27 • 10:57 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Cubs Get Telling Dansby Swanson Injury Update After Early Exit

The Chicago Cubs third baseman was given a new injury update after exiting Sunday's contest against the St. Louis Cardinals. The post Cubs Get Telling Dansby Swanson Injury Update After Early Exit appeared first on HEAVY.

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Aug 16 • 8:37 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Chicago Cubs news

Dansby Swanson continues his hot hitting with his second home run of the game Tuesday in a 9-7 win over the Padres

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Jul 2 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Science at the End of the World

What happens when a cruise to Antarctica tries to balance STEM with swanky?

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Jul 9 • 12:25 PM EDT • Science • seattlemet.com
“The Swan” contestant recalls fluid filling lungs after plastic surgery for divisive show: ‘I almost died’ for reality TV

Hulu’s nightmare-fuel documentary “The Swan: Behind the Mirror” takes viewers inside one of the most twisted reality series of all time.

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Sep 29 • 8:15 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Chicago Cubs news — Swanson, Conforto, Suzuki, PCA, Busch, Rea

Dansby Swanson’s reaction to his third home run of the day, a grand slam, to spark a remarkable 23-3 Cubs win Wednesday.

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Jul 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
gamescom 2026’s Steam wishlist winners

gamescom wrapped up last weekend, and it was bloody fantastic. It really felt like the industry had a spring in its step again. The show itself was BUZZING, with 368K attendees (+3% over last year), maxed-out exhibit space, and Opening Night Live pulling over 78M online views (+7.5%). Let’s have a look at the games at the event that brought in the most new Steam wishlists between August 23 and 30. One quick thing before we start, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but wishlists are NOT a barometer for launch sales (they’re bookmarks, not baskets is what we always say over here at Alinea). With that aside, wishlists are a nice gauge of hype, so let’s dive in. Witche(r)s and Warlocks take the top two spots The biggest game of the event (by new wishlists, anyways) wasn’t a game at all. It was an expansion. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, nabbed 451K Steam wishlists by the end of the weekend. It’s a big example of something we bang on about constantly: proven IP with built-in fandom is the most powerful force in this market. But said IP can also ripple into other external success stories (more on that later!). Anyway, Songs of the Past debuted at Opening Night Live, and it’s the first Witcher 3 expansion in over a decade, landing next year after a full Witcher 3 remaster (free for existing owners!) arrives next month. The Witcher 3 has sold around 66M copies, and I’ll be one of those owners jumping back in to refresh myself on the core game (like there isn’t enough to play!), then play the expansion next year. This is all part of CDPR’s plan. The studio is clearly whetting everyone’s appetite for The Witcher 4 in 2028 via a classic bridge strategy. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Releasing a free 4K remaster next month – followed by a proper expansion in 2027 – keeps IP top-of-mind across a huge gap between content (games-wise, anyway). It kind of echoes Capcom’s evergreen catalogue strategy. And outsourcing co-development to Fool’s Theory (a studio led by trusted Witcher 3 veterans) keeps CDPR’s internal headcount focused on The Witcher 4. #2 by wishlists between Aug 23 and 30 went to another giant IP: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast and developed by Invoke Studios (a team of ex-Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell devs). It’s due to launch in 2027, and it looks brilliant so far. It’s a dark-fantasy open world with third-person spell-slinging. It’s a very Witcher-ish aesthetic. As you might expect, 48% of Warlock’s Steam wishlisters have played Baldur’s Gate 3, and 46% have played The Witcher 3. One to watch. For sure! Mash-ups: Anime GTA (!?) and a city-builder for kids (and adults) Ananta took #3 with 302K new wishlists. It’s an open-world game that looks like GTA and Persona had a baby. It was published by NetEase, developed by Naked Rain, and got a trailer at Opening Night Live. I got hands-on at the show, and it wears its influences openly; there’s literal web-slinging (very Spider-Man) and a LOAD of mini-games (Like a Dragon). It’s free-to-play and out in January. For Ananta, Naked Rain is taking the free-to-play, cosmetics-only route. That’s certainly a choice for a single-player open-world game. Without gacha mechanics driving high ARPU, Ananta is betting purely on top-of-funnel reach and long-term retention. This puts pressure on skin appeal when there’s no multiplayer lobby to flex in (although, co-op is reportedly coming later). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Then there’s Lego Skylines (273K wishlists between Aug 23 and 30), which does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a cosy Lego twist on the city-builder genre, as shallow or as deep as you fancy (five min quick sesh or ten-hour no-lifer session; latter for me). There’s some family-friendly stuff in there like couch co-op, which is only really viable on console. Iceflake Studios, which Paradox acquired back in 2020 is developing this one. So Paradox is probably looking for a family-friendly onramp to its rad Cities: Skylines games. The overlap there is plain, with 33% of Lego Skylines wishlisters having played Cities: Skylines and 16% Skylines II. There’s no doubt plenty of parents here (and uncles, ahem) planning to indoctrinate the next gen of city-builders. I’ll definitely be playing with my youngest nephew. This one could be big and educational. I’m very curious to see more. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Mature IP, new and old, rounds out the list As for the rest of the list of gamescom games by new wishlists between Aug 23 and 30: Heroes of Might & Magic III Remake got 189K new wishlists. It remakes the iconic 1999 turn-based-strategy classic in full 3D and 4K. It follows this year’s Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (~1.8M copies sold, as per our estimates), and around a quarter of the III Remake wishlisters have played Olden Era, including 7% of them this month. Wardogs – a $40 PvP shooter – added another 146K to an already massive pile (nearly 1.6M total). It’s published by Team17 and made by Bulkhead. It plays somewhere between the tactical squad stuff of … Squad and the all-out-chaos battlefield of … Battlefield. It’s up to 100 players, and it’s out in about 10 days. It’s already pre-sold over 500K copies on Steam ($16.6M), boosted by a pre-order-only beta. It sold another 70K copies during gamescom, too. Afterworld managed 121K new wishlists. It’s a Paradox-made post-apocalyptic grand-strategy game, and it was announced at the show. It’s a departure from Paradox’s usual historical stuff, and the studio’s first new setting in over a decade. The Paradox purists are into it, with over half its wishlisters having played Hearts of Iron IV (19% this month) and 41% Crusader Kings III (17% this month). Metro 2039 got 110K during the show, tunnelling its total past 1.3M. Nearly 40% of wishlisters have played 2020’s Metro Exodus, the previous mainline title in the series. The Metro novels are Russian, dev 4A Games is Ukrainian, and it’s set in Moscow, so it’s unsurprising that – after the US (17.3% of wishlisters) – the next two countries are Russia (12.7%) and Ukraine (10.0%). The Blood of the Dawnwalker drew in (the blood of) 108K new wishlisters, now totalling an impressive 1.7M (at a $70 price point, though). It’s an open-world dark-fantasy action-RPG set in 14th-century Europe (with vampires!), made by some former Witcher devs at Rebel Wolves. Again, it shows. Over half of Blood of the Dawnwalker’s wishlisters have played The Witcher 3, and its #2 market is Poland, home of Rebel Wolves. That’s that hometown-hero effect we keep banging on about again! And Blood of the Dawnwalker plays very well, by the way. While it looks like a Witcher clone on the surface, it actually brings a lot to the table mechanics-wise. I love the whole time-as-a-currency spin on RPG gameplay. It gives the game a different, refreshing pace. Essentially, you start Blood of the Dawnwalker with a pool of 480 action points spread across 30 days and 30 nights. As for how the game performs, we’ll be posting some numbers next week, so hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready. Subscribe The Witcher’s legacy ripples Make no mistake: on a high level, this was The Witcher‘s gamescom. The #1 game by wishlisters was a Witcher 3 DLC. Warlock is clearly Witcher-inspired – as is Blood of the Dawnwalker, which was made by ex-Witcher devs. There was a lot of other cool stuff on the floor that we’ll no doubt be covering in subsequent newsletters, though! As always, wishlists went through the roof for sequels, remakes, DLC, and licensed IP. As always, though, these wishlists will likely convert to about 5% to 10% of launch-day buyers, with the probable exception of The Witcher DLC – the exception that proves the rule. Either way, we’ve got a nice, diverse list here – one that is very Witcher-y, Paradox-y, and – if you’re a fan of great games on Steam – a bloody good list. We even got a bunch of new IP to get excited for. Great gamescom! Even if we are still processing that unfathomable number of mini Kölsch beers! One more thing: GTA 6 broke the internet (again) Move aside, Spider-Man and The Odyssey (I love you both, really). But the decade’s defining entertainment zeitgeist is round the corner. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Rockstar dropped an extended look at GTA 6 last week. It was INSANE, the most impressed I’ve ever been by a showcase like this. You can see the budget seeping through every second of the extended look, and this level of game is unobtainable for any other publisher. Everyone’s going nuts, and rightly so. GTA 6 is out in holiday 2026, and it’ll be the biggest entertainment release ever, full stop. For those without a PS5 or Xbox Series console, a $500-$900 console is a big ask in this economy, but GTA will pull a lot of last-generation-console fence sitters over the current-gen fence either way: The autumn timing puts GTA 6 on (digital) shelves for the holidays, meaning a PS5 or Xbox (let’s be honest, mostly the former) will be on many a Christmas and Hanukkah list. Demand will outweigh the struggling supply, though, and PS5 Pros are already sold out and being sold at a markup via scalpers. Every console that isn’t on a shelf is a sale deferred or lost, and worse, it hands scalpers the margin. GTA has cultural clout that reaches everyone. It’s been a mainstream fixture since 2001’s GTA III and its clout has only grown exponentially since then. There’s a touchpoint for every generation alive. The FOMO-word-of-mouth double punch does the rest. Loading... It’ll reactivate the lockdown cohort, the millions who picked up gaming in 2020-21 and churned. GTA 6 will bring them back. Remember when College Football 25 brought a bunch of US gamers to current-gen consoles? GTA will do that globally. Once they’re back (or upgraded), and all GTA’d out, the fresh current-gen-console folks will check out the rest of the current-gen catalogue they missed. GTA Online, if not free to play, will also lead to a boost for PS+ and Xbox Game Pass, another boost for the ecosystem players. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Even some of the smug PCMR 60FPS crew won’t be able to resist their FOMO and will bite the bullet on a console to play this one early (then double dip). The consoles cost the same as a decent stick of RAM these days anyway lmao… Don’t get me wrong, though. GTA 6 is no silver bullet for the mature console market, but it does prime the current gen for a couple of strong swan-song years. And it’ll also give the consoles more users from which to maximise ARPU. ‘’We are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of [the PS5],’’ said Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki in a Wall Street Journal interview. ‘’That means we do not need to aggressively sell the console today; rather than that, we are focusing on the current revenue from the current user base.’’ The biggest, best premium games always arrive late in a console cycle, so getting more players aboard now, ahead of that content storm (the new current-gen-only Call of Duty included), is a clear win for the platforms. On the Netflix thing, though: let’s all chill out a bit, like. Half my LinkedIn feed was going bonkers treating the reveal debuting on Netflix like it’s the future of entertainment. It wasn’t. It was a six-hour head start, and Netflix left that detail out of the “first-of-its-kind partnership” press release. The extended look hit Netflix at 3pm ET on 27 August, then went up on YouTube and Rockstar’s site for everyone six hours later. And it was all over social immediately, anyways. This reveal was going to reach an untold number of people whether it debuted on Netflix, YouTube, a Times Square screen, or a group chat. The last trailer did nearly half a billion views in a day with no gatekeeper at all. Netflix just stood next to that audience for six hours, borrowing it. It’s was a tidy deal for Netflix, sure. But every outlet on earth was breaking the thing down frame by frame by the evening anyway. Anyway. I’m hype. And we’ll be covering some GTA numbers on the newsletter soon. So hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready! Subscribe The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

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Sep 1 • 10:27 AM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
'The Swan: Behind the Mirror': Most WTF reveals

The 2004 reality competition series was shocking then. But wait until you hear the truth from the Swans.

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Sep 29 • 9:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • mashable.com
'Black Swan' investor says to guard against disaster, take risks too

Universa's Mark Spitznagel said it's crucial to take risks and protect yourself against huge losses, and spoke fondly of his best investment.

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Sep 12 • 6:32 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
A model global health academic partnership flourishes in Botswana

The Botswana-UPenn Partnership has surpassed its goal of addressing HIV/AIDS and has broadened its scope to enhance national access to care and training.

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Jul 7 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • pennmedicine.org
Hilary Swank, 52, is pregnant, expecting third child

Oscar winner Hilary Swank, 52, and husband Philip Schneider are growing their family, now expecting their third child together.

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Oct 15 • 12:22 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
The Hollywood Minute and The Rhonda Swan Show: Wake Up SoCal Edition Spotlight Christy DiNapoli of West Village Entertainment & Technology and Music Industry Community

Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The worlds of entertainment, technology, and entrepreneurship increasingly overlap, opening d...

\'Twilight\' film concert experience coming to Hershey; here\'s when tickets are on sale

Fans of the "Twilight" movies can experience the romance of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan all over again when the "Twilight in Concert" tour stops in Hershey in February 2027.

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Sep 8 • 11:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • lancasteronline.com
Pick of the stats: Swansea City v Sheffield United

BBC Sport highlights some of the key facts and statistics for the Championship game between Swansea City and Sheffield United.

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Aug 20 • 4:25 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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APS science teacher selected as Albert Einstein fellow at Library of Congress

An Arlington educator was honored by county school leaders this week after being selected to participate in a prestigious federal fellowship program. Daniel Bernhardt, who teaches science at Swanson Middle School, has been selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and appointed teacher in residence at the Library of Congress for the 2026-27 school

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Aug 14 • 12:45 PM EDT • Science • arlnow.com
Master pianist Swann to perform Goldberg Variations

The Winter Harbor Music Festival will welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Swann for a special performance of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, on Saturday, July 11, at 7 p.m.

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Jun 28 • 4:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • ellsworthamerican.com
Bone Health Without the Hype

I am at the Australasian Menopause Society meeting and we had a fantastic lecture on Bone Health on Day 2, called, “Everything you need to know about bones - except the boring bits!” Spoiler alert, there were no boring bits. The lecture was given by Dr. Amanda Beech, who is a senior staff specialist in Obstetric Medicine and Endocrinology at the Royal Hospital for Women, where she is director of the Bone Density Unit. I want to summarize my top 10 take-aways for you. Share Osteoporosis is a disease of low bone mass, disruption of bone microarchitecture, and fragility of the skeleton. It is a silent disease…until someone develops a fracture. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on either fragility/minimal trauma fractures or a T-score of less than -2.5 on a DXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) or bone scan. It is important to recognize that about 50% of minimal trauma fractures occur when women have low bone mass (often referred to as osteopenia), but not osteoporosis. This tells us that bone strength is more complicated than a number on a DXA report. I am going to add a little here that wasn’t in the talk (one can only include so much in 25 minutes), as many women might read the above paragraph and think, “Shouldn’t we be treating everyone with low bone mass if this is when 50% of the fractures occur?” Many fractures happen for women with low bone mass because there are so many women with low bone mass –it is a statement about the population on a whole, not about the fracture risk of low bone mass. For you as an individual, bone density is only one component of fracture risk and many women with lower bone mass will not have a significantly elevated fracture risk. This is why individualized risk assessment matters. Subscribe We build bone in our teens and twenties, and by the time we are about thirty we have reached peak bone mass. This is why, when we discuss risk factors for osteoporosis, it is important to consider factors that might have affected us in our teens and twenties when we were actively building bone, such as nutritional restriction/energy imbalance. It is important to ask women about a history of eating disorders, and for those with such a history, getting a bone scan in perimenopause or at age 50 is likely warranted. (This image below isn’t from the talk, but is similar to one that was). Bone mass is relatively stable until about two years before the final menstrual period, and perimenopause marks a time of rapid bone loss for women. Using urinary markers of bone loss we know that the time of significantly accelerated bone loss starts about 1 year before the final period and ends about 2 years after the final period. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) shows that over the menopause transition women lose an average of 10.6% of the bone at their lumbar spine and 9.1% at the femoral neck While this wasn’t covered in the lecture, I want to add that the rapid bone loss during perimenopause is clearly related to more than estradiol, because during this time estradiol levels can be erratic and not uniformly low. Bone loss during perimenopause is likely a multi-hormone event. For example, rising FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) tracks with bone loss better than estradiol, and there is evidence that FSH may act directly on bone. While decreased estrogen matters, there is clearly more going on. FSH and bone is an active area of research. Subscribe Screening for osteoporosis was recommended fairly broadly before age 65, and was taken from the “Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause,” from Monash University. Here is a screenshot from the toolkit that was used as a slide: I am going to add a little bit more about body weight here for clarification. Low body mass (typically 152.1 lb): 0 points (risk neutral) 60–69 kg (132.3–152.1 lb): 3 points (adds some risk)

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Sep 12 • 11:19 PM EDT • Health • vajenda.substack.com
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Natalie Portman welcomes third child, her first with Tanguy Destable

The “Black Swan” actress previously shared that it was “such a privilege and a miracle” to have another child.

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Sep 5 • 2:08 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Lenovo's latest expandable screen laptop concept feels like its ready for the real world

The Project Swan concept features a 14-inch screen that stretches to 17 inches in just a few seconds.

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Sep 3 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
Dune and dusted - F1 drivers mourn "old school" Zandvoort loss

On the eve of the Dutch Grand Prix's Formula 1 swansong, drivers are waving goodbye to one of their favourite circuits on the calendar

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Aug 22 • 3:26 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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UNCW Chancellor Recognized on 2026 Business NC Power List

UNCW Chancellor Aswani K. Volety has been recognized on the 2026 Business NC Power List for his leadership and contributions to education in North Carolina.

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Aug 7 • 11:44 AM EDT • Business • uncw.edu
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19 happy hours in Madison for sports, friends and first dates

From swanky downtown bars to tacos and tequila shots, find a variety of places to drink (and eat) more cheaply around Madison.

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Jul 22 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • captimes.com
The rising power of American Muslims

Is this a new era for American Muslims?American Muslims are building their own cultural institutions – New York Magazine and The Guardian have reported on flourishing ecosystems of cafes, magazines, dance nights, meetups and readings for Muslims and/or people with heritage from the SWANA region. And on a political level, Muslims like Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have become prominent faces of the left. On the one hand, this swell of Muslims coming up in politics and building cultural institutions is not surprising – there are over 4 million Muslims in America. On the other hand, this shift is pretty significant given how deeply Islamophobia and racism are rooted in our culture. So what's changed for American Muslims in recent years, and what’s stayed the same? What does it mean that Muslims are accruing a little more political and cultural capital now, and that non-Muslims are noticing?To get deeper into it, Brittany is joined by Dr. Donna Auston, cultural anthropologist, and Dr. Tazeen Ali, scholar of Islam in America and associate professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Sep 14 • 3:00 AM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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Is Swansea City's attacking transfer business already paying off?

Swansea fans were keen to see signings on the wing, and on the evidence of the first three Championship games, the additions have paid dividends.

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Aug 30 • 10:03 AM EDT • Business • bbc.com
New Swan Theatre houses first-ever New Swan Science Faire

The UCI New Swan Shakespeare Center collaborated with AirUCI and UCI Office of Research to host the inaugural New Swan Science Faire on Aug. 27. The event was free and open for everyone to attend. Students, families, scientists and performers gathered at the library gateway plaza outside of the New Swan Theatre to spread AirUCI’s […]

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Sep 3 • 4:41 PM EDT • Science • newuniversity.org
Where does Galbraith's £10m move rank among Swans' big sales?

Swansea City sold Ethan Galbraith to Stoke City for a fee of around £10 million but where does that rank among Swansea's biggest sales?

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Jul 2 • 1:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Trump made $1.2B through crypto in 2025. Jonathan Swan says that likely doesn’t ‘scratch the surface’ of the family’s gains
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Jul 1 • 1:47 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Hilary Swank responds to 'too old' remarks over pregnancy at 52

"Yellowjackets" star Hilary Swank is taking the high road.

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Oct 16 • 3:11 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Best of - Arts, Entertainment & Recreation

Best Night Club and Best Place to Shake Your BootyThe BasementLots of night clubs are cool. But walking into The Basement and taking a seat with a swanky cocktail or mocktail, surrounded by polished wood and good lighting, makes you feel a little cooler, too. Which might contribute to one’s confidence at booty shaking. The […]

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Aug 6 • 3:01 AM EDT • Entertainment • northcoastjournal.com
New Metroparks ‘STEAM Day’ coming to Swan Creek Preserve on Saturday

Here’s something new for the kids to try: this Saturday, Aug. 22, the Toledo Metroparks will be hosting their first ever STEAM Day at Swan Creek Metropark. Meteorologist Derek Witt has a preview in this week’s Metroparks Meetup.

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Aug 19 • 7:30 PM EDT • Science • 13abc.com
How Swansea found their way back as ambition returns

With Swansea City leading the Championship as the EFL returns, BBC Sport looks at how the club has brought back old values and new hopes.

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Oct 8 • 11:55 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Hilary Swank is pregnant, expecting third baby at 52

Hilary Swank is pregnant with her third child.

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Oct 15 • 11:07 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Chicago Cubs Announce Dansby Swanson Update Before Braves Series Finale

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced an update on shortstop Dansby Swanson before Wednesday's game against the Braves. The post Chicago Cubs Announce Dansby Swanson Update Before Braves Series Finale appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 16 • 7:52 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Nobody is preparing for the worst day in history

There are multiple Black Swan events that could create a global famine with little to no warning. Governments must start preparing for them now — the risks of not doing so are too great.

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Sep 2 • 4:30 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com
Florida crews round up 59 swans in annual health checkup, and children get a rare chance to hold one

"It really sparks interest, and it shows how important it is in Lakeland."

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Oct 10 • 6:08 PM EDT • Health • yahoo.com
Swann Arlaud did not want to talk politics

At 45, the actor has remained true to his deeply held left-wing convictions. In May, he signed the anti-Bolloré group letter, risking his career as a result. Meanwhile, Swann Arlaud plays a civil servant drawn into collaboration in Emmanuel Marre's new film.

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Oct 9 • 11:00 PM EDT • Politics • lemonde.fr
Good science requires much more than evidence

Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.

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Oct 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • iai.tv
Sidewalk project could bring more business to Swannanoa, but questions remain
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Aug 4 • 8:27 AM EDT • Business • wlos.com
Trump relished in being compared to dictators like Hitler and Stalin, journalist says

The New York Times journalist Jonathan Swan says the president is fixated on becoming a "great man of history" during his second term. Swan's new book, written with Maggie Haberman, is Regime Change.

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Jul 15 • 2:56 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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'Black Swan' investor predicts AI boom ends with crash of a lifetime

Universa Investments' Mark Spitznagel told BI that he expects one more "euphoric rally" followed by a "bigger crash than we've seen in our lifetime."

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Sep 7 • 7:31 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Springfield public health pioneer Fred Swan honored with lifetime achievement award

A longtime Springfield public health leader is being recognized for decades of service to the community.

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Oct 16 • 10:37 PM EDT • Health • wwlp.com
‘It feels amazing.’ Port Matilda area now has its own coffee shop after community support

“This shop wouldn’t be here without the support that everyone in and around Port Matilda has given us,” owner Salina Swancer said.

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Aug 27 • 5:12 AM EDT • Business • centredaily.com
Premier League the goal in Just's unlikely journey

Having lived out one dream already this year, Swansea City's New Zealand star Elijah Just hopes his unusual journey will lead all the way to the Premier League.

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Sep 18 • 7:04 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com