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RSE Publishes Year in Review 2025-2026
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 31 (TNSrpt) -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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29 October 2026
RSE publishes Year in Review 2025-2026
Highlights of the session April 2025-March 2026 have been published in the RSE's year in review.
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The Royal Society of Edinburgh was established over 240 years ago for the 'advancement of learning and useful knowledge'. Those founding principles continue to guide the RSE's work today.
The RSE is a multidisciplinary and independent organisation, using the knowledge and expertise of 1,800 Fellows to provide expert analysis and advice
... Show Full Article
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 31 (TNSrpt) -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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29 October 2026
RSE publishes Year in Review 2025-2026
Highlights of the session April 2025-March 2026 have been published in the RSE's year in review.
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The Royal Society of Edinburgh was established over 240 years ago for the 'advancement of learning and useful knowledge'. Those founding principles continue to guide the RSE's work today.
The RSE is a multidisciplinary and independent organisation, using the knowledge and expertise of 1,800 Fellows to provide expert analysis and adviceon major societal challenges. In doing so, the RSE supports the cultural, economic, environmental, and social wellbeing of Scotland and its people.
Amongst a range of activities, the year in review showcases the RSE's policy work in the run up to May's Scottish Parliament elections. As Scotland's National Academy, the RSE was well-positioned to provide independent advice and evidence-informed analysis for the benefit of policymakers and the public alike.
The report also features the RSE's public engagement and schools programmes, the prestigious research awards offering, and the RSE's international work.
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REPORT: https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/RSE-Year-in-Review-2025-26.pdf
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Original text here: https://rse.org.uk/rse-publishes-year-in-review-2025-2026/
RSE President Responds to UK Autumn Budget 2026
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 31 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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30 October 2026
RSE President responds to UK Autumn Budget 2026
Responding to the UK Government's Autumn Budget, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli FRSE, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, said:
"We welcome the UK Government's recognition of the importance of research and innovation to economic growth and national prosperity, including new investment in technologies and capabilities in which Scotland has considerable strengths.
"However, investment in innovation must go hand in hand with
... Show Full Article
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 31 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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30 October 2026
RSE President responds to UK Autumn Budget 2026
Responding to the UK Government's Autumn Budget, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli FRSE, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, said:
"We welcome the UK Government's recognition of the importance of research and innovation to economic growth and national prosperity, including new investment in technologies and capabilities in which Scotland has considerable strengths.
"However, investment in innovation must go hand in hand withsustained support for fundamental, curiosity-driven research. The discoveries that underpin tomorrow's economic and societal advances often emerge from research whose applications cannot be predicted in advance. A strong and financially sustainable university sector is essential to this endeavour.
"For Scotland, the picture is particularly complex. Our research and innovation ecosystem operates across both UK-wide and devolved funding arrangements, and the implications of this Budget will need to be considered alongside the forthcoming Scottish Budget and the decisions that follow.
"As Scotland's National Academy, the RSE will continue to champion the value of research across all disciplines, and the importance of ensuring that investment in knowledge and innovation delivers lasting benefits for communities, businesses and society throughout Scotland."
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Original text here: https://rse.org.uk/rse-president-responds-to-uk-autumn-budget-2026/
Treatment = Life: AHF Reaches 2 Million Patients in Care in Africa
LOS ANGELES, California, Oct. 30 -- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation posted the following news:
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Treatment = Life: AHF Reaches 2 Million Patients in Care in Africa
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AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has surpassed 2 million patients in care across 15 African countries, marking a historic achievement 25 years after beginning its first programs outside the United States in South Africa and Uganda. With programs in four additional countries expected to launch in 2027, AHF is recognizing the communities and partnerships behind this progress while calling for urgent action to close persistent
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, Oct. 30 -- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation posted the following news:
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Treatment = Life: AHF Reaches 2 Million Patients in Care in Africa
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AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has surpassed 2 million patients in care across 15 African countries, marking a historic achievement 25 years after beginning its first programs outside the United States in South Africa and Uganda. With programs in four additional countries expected to launch in 2027, AHF is recognizing the communities and partnerships behind this progress while calling for urgent action to close persistentgaps in the HIV response.
AHF's work in Africa began in 2001 with modest programs when antiretroviral therapy was beyond the reach of most people on the continent. At the time, only about 5% of the 21 million patients in need were receiving treatment. Combining direct care with advocacy for affordable medicines, AHF worked alongside governments and communities to help make lifesaving treatment accessible.
The milestone brings AHF's "Treatment = Life" message into focus: HIV treatment is prevention. People who achieve viral suppression do not transmit HIV. Treatment keeps people alive, healthy, and able to pursue their futures. These benefits require early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and uninterrupted care.
"Two million patients in care means millions more family and community members whose lives are better because their loved ones are alive and thriving," said Dr. Penninah Iutung, AHF Executive Vice President - Global. "By keeping people healthy, antiretroviral treatment helps them live fulfilling lives--strengthening productivity, household incomes, and communities' social and economic wellbeing. That is what 'Treatment = Life' means, and it is what makes this milestone so meaningful."
Yet testing is still lagging, prevention remains off track, and too many people go without treatment or fall out of care. These practical gaps threaten progress and demand renewed political commitment.
"This progress took activism, research, political will, and people working together--from communities to governments--because they refused to accept that millions should die without treatment," said Martin Matabishi, AHF Africa Bureau Chief. "We must reaffirm our commitment to the HIV response. We must reach people who do not know their HIV status, expand prevention, and ensure everyone who starts treatment stays on it. HIV is not over."
AHF calls on governments and partners to protect the gains made in the HIV response by sustaining HIV funding, expanding testing and prevention services, ensuring uninterrupted antiretroviral therapy (ART) access and retaining patients in care. "Treatment = Life" embodies AHF's commitment to supporting Africa's efforts to advance the AIDS response and achieve the goal of HIV control.
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Original text here: https://www.aidshealth.org/2026/10/treatment-life-ahf-reaches-2-million-patients-in-care-in-africa/
OMRF wins four top honors from Society of Professional Journalists
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Oct. 30 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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OMRF wins four top honors from Society of Professional Journalists
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The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation took home top honors in four categories at the Society of Professional Journalists Oklahoma Pro Chapter's 2026 awards last week in Tulsa.
The competition included more than 550 entries across all categories from organizations and media outlets throughout Oklahoma. Journalists and other media professionals from Pennsylvania served as judges.
OMRF's magazine, Findings, received
... Show Full Article
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Oct. 30 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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OMRF wins four top honors from Society of Professional Journalists
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The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation took home top honors in four categories at the Society of Professional Journalists Oklahoma Pro Chapter's 2026 awards last week in Tulsa.
The competition included more than 550 entries across all categories from organizations and media outlets throughout Oklahoma. Journalists and other media professionals from Pennsylvania served as judges.
OMRF's magazine, Findings, receivedfirst place in the category of outstanding public relations publication. The foundation publishes Findings twice a year for more than 30,000 supporters. The winning issue, which celebrated the 35th anniversary of Findings, marked the fifth time the magazine has received top honors in this category.
Judges called the issue "a creative, moving approach to humanize the work that is done every day. The profiles were skillfully done, well-written, and impactful. Very moving!"
"The Threat to Medical Research," a Findings story about the impact of grant cancellations, delays and widespread layoffs at the National Institutes of Health, also earned the top prize in feature writing.
The magazine also captured first place in the graphics category for the cover of its 35th anniversary issue.
The foundation's annual appeal to donors, "Powering Discovery," won for outstanding public relations campaign. Judges wrote that OMRF's entry "stood out for its powerful storytelling and exceptional strategic execution."
The appeal wove together the story of two donors - one with Alzheimer's - with an OMRF scientist's research on the disease.
The result, judges said, was "a narrative that was both urgent and profoundly human."
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Original text here: https://omrf.org/omrf-wins-four-top-honors-from-society-of-professional-journalists/
Meet Ari: Foundation Launches Partnership with Citizen Health
DANVERS, Massachusetts, Oct. 30 -- The National Scleroderma Foundation posted the following news:
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Meet Ari: Foundation Launches Partnership with Citizen Health
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Most people with autoimmune conditions already keep their own records: a spreadsheet of results, a running list of medicines and who prescribed them, or notes typed into a phone in the parking lot before an appointment.
It is a lot of documentation. It is a lot of work.
The National Scleroderma Foundation is proud to launch a partnership with Citizen Health to make that work a lot easier. Meet Ari, the AI teammate for your
... Show Full Article
DANVERS, Massachusetts, Oct. 30 -- The National Scleroderma Foundation posted the following news:
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Meet Ari: Foundation Launches Partnership with Citizen Health
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Most people with autoimmune conditions already keep their own records: a spreadsheet of results, a running list of medicines and who prescribed them, or notes typed into a phone in the parking lot before an appointment.
It is a lot of documentation. It is a lot of work.
The National Scleroderma Foundation is proud to launch a partnership with Citizen Health to make that work a lot easier. Meet Ari, the AI teammate for yourscleroderma journey.
Ari takes the lead and helps you manage everything you need to know about your care.
Keeps records from all your specialists together in one place you control, so results from each appointment are ready for the next
Keeps your history, medicines, and care team information ready to share with each new doctor--even those unfamiliar with your condition--so you only need to tell your story once
Tracks your key symptoms between appointments in your own words, so you can share an accurate picture of how you've been feeling
Reads an insurance denial, drafts the appeal, and files it with your approval
Gets benefits and work paperwork started early, since approvals often take longer than expected
Helps you prepare questions for each appointment and stay on top of follow-ups
Work with Ari through text messages, so there is no app to download and no new portal to remember. You can use voice memos on a hard day, type your notes on a good one, or send a photo of a results letter or an insurance form. Ari flags what needs your attention without prompting and always asks for your approval before taking action.
Visit the dedicated landing page for the National Scleroderma community: https://scleroderma.org/Ari. Ready to learn more? Register for our upcoming webinar with the team from Citizen Health who will go in-depth on what you can expect when you team up with Ari.
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Original text here: https://scleroderma.org/meet-ari-foundation-launches-partnership-with-citizen-health/ (TNSmlt)
Foundation for Economic Education Issues Commentary: When Chocolate Companies Change Their Formula
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 30 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary:
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October 29, 2026
Trick, or Treat?
Katrina Gulliver
When chocolate companies change their formula.
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It's becoming an annual event that I write something about Halloween. I discussed Spirit Halloween Stores in 2024, and the economics of the holiday in 2025. This year, there have been controversies about candy. What it's made of, how much it costs, and didn't it used to be better?
One debate started when the heir to the candymaking Reese family accused current brand owner Hershey's of
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 30 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary:
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October 29, 2026
Trick, or Treat?
Katrina Gulliver
When chocolate companies change their formula.
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It's becoming an annual event that I write something about Halloween. I discussed Spirit Halloween Stores in 2024, and the economics of the holiday in 2025. This year, there have been controversies about candy. What it's made of, how much it costs, and didn't it used to be better?
One debate started when the heir to the candymaking Reese family accused current brand owner Hershey's ofbesmirching his family's legacy by (he claims) using cheaper ingredients for the peanut butter cups. In an open letter on LinkedIn, he claimed that the product was so bad that he "had to spit it out."
"How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese's as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese's trust in the first place?" Reese wrote.
He is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 1928; the company was sold to Hershey's in 1963.
Hershey's denied the charge, saying that peanut butter cups had not changed recipe, but nonetheless pledged to return to chocolate in all its products.
But Brad Reese is not happy. In a more recent post, he takes aim at Reese's minis, writing:
Consumers aren't stupid. They notice when a classic melt turns waxy. They notice when a rich flavor profile gets replaced by artificial fillers. When you swap premium, natural ingredients for cheap industrial oils to squeeze out an extra point of margin, you aren't "optimizing," you are actively eroding the REESE'S brand equity.
The claim that chocolate is being altered with modified ingredients, such as palm oil, has been leveled at many producers. This, along with "shrinkflation" (where the product gets smaller while the price does not), has left consumers feeling like candy just isn't what they remember.
(And the shrinkflation allegations do have some basis in reality: from the UK, The Telegraph reported that popular products had shrunk, like Cadbury's Dairy Milk bars, weighing 50g in the 1980s versus 45g today.)
But we all also have rose-tinted memories of childhood favorites (many of which probably are pretty unappealing to the adult palate), so of course they will be bigger, tastier, better in our recollections of eating them, as a sticky-fingered eight-year-old, than they look to us now on the shelf at Walgreens.
Nonetheless, nostalgia for candy of days gone by has turned into a marketing ploy. While some of us are thinking, "This doesn't taste as good as I remember," other firms are bringing us back things we haven't seen in years. This is not just happening in the US, either. In the UK, Cadbury has relaunched Astros, a brand discontinued 20 years ago, to some fans' delight. In Australia, other discontinued products have made a return, too, with Allen's confectionery relaunching some old brands, at least temporarily.
The news report suggests that this was "Driven by relentless social media petitions and nostalgic Aussies begging for a taste of their childhood." Parent company Nestle even put out a press release: "Aussies asked. Allen's listened. Green Frogs hop back into the lolly aisle, joined by four fan favourites."
Despite all this, it has been reported that this year's Halloween candy sales are slower than usual, either as a result of general consumer cutbacks in discretionary spending, or partly due to higher prices as cacao is costing more.
According to the Associated Press: "This week, discount grocer Aldi was advertising a 135-piece variety pack of Mars Inc. chocolate bars--including Milky Way, Trix and Snickers--for $19.87. That's almost the same price consumers paid for a 250-piece variety pack five years ago."
Meanwhile, USA Today is advising readers to choose their candy based on tax laws: those containing flour, like Kit-Kats, can be taxed differently from sugar-only treats. As they explain:
Two dozen states are part of the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SST), which says candy is "a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces." No flour.
This can result in a significant tax difference between a Twix and a lollipop. Whether many consumers are likely to do the kind of calculations that change their Halloween preferences based on sales tax, it does highlight the ridiculousness of much regulation.
For my part, I've still got candy from last year (Life Savers don't go bad, do they?). Happy Halloween.
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Katrina Gulliver
Katrina Gulliver is Editorial Director at FEE. She holds a PhD from Cambridge University, and has held faculty positions at universities in Germany, Britain and Australia. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2021. Katrina has written for the Wall St Journal, Reason, The American Conservative, National Review and the New Criterion, among others.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/trick-or-treat/
FFRF Gets Arkansas School to Replace Christian Display With Message of Inclusion
MADISON, Wisconsin, Oct. 30 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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October 29, 2026
FFRF gets Arkansas school to replace Christian display with message of inclusion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has successfully persuaded an Arkansas public elementary school to replace a divisive Christian display with a far more welcoming message.
What began as a display featuring a large Latin cross and the words "One Nation Under GOD" inside a silhouette of the United States now features inclusive messages such as "United," "Common Ground," "Opportunity,"
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Oct. 30 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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October 29, 2026
FFRF gets Arkansas school to replace Christian display with message of inclusion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has successfully persuaded an Arkansas public elementary school to replace a divisive Christian display with a far more welcoming message.
What began as a display featuring a large Latin cross and the words "One Nation Under GOD" inside a silhouette of the United States now features inclusive messages such as "United," "Common Ground," "Opportunity,""Kindness," "We the People" and "Belonging."
The change came after a concerned community member contacted FFRF about the original display, which had been featured on the school's official Facebook page. "Seeing [this display] made my heart hurt for the students that are not Christian," the complainant explained.
FFRF wrote to Bergman Public Schools on Aug. 31, explaining that public schools cannot promote Christianity or favor religious students over their nonreligious classmates.
"By prominently displaying a cross along with the Pledge of Allegiance's reference to a god, the school sends a message that it favors religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths," FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to Superintendent Sarah Alexander.
The "One Nation Under GOD" cross display crossed the constitutional line. The cross, an undeniably Christian symbol, paired with the single line from the Pledge of Allegiance, leaves no reasonable way to interpret the display other than as a school-sponsored promotion of Christianity. Students would inevitably be forced to view and reflect upon the religious imagery and messaging while at school. Bergman Elementary School's display needlessly marginalized students who are a part of the 18 percent of religiously unaffiliated Arkansas residents.
The district initially reacted on Oct. 12 with a photograph showing that it had covered the cross with an American flag. However, the words "One Nation Under GOD" remained prominently displayed.
FFRF explained that simply covering the cross wasn't enough.
In a follow-up letter on Oct. 21, Lawrence pointed out that the display still singled out a religious phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance and emphasized "GOD" in capital letters, sending a message of favoritism toward religion over nonreligion.
The district subsequently responded with a photograph showing a completely redesigned display that removed the religious messaging altogether.
The result is a dramatic improvement. FFRF praises the change, which celebrates the constitutional ideals of equality and unity rather than tying American identity to religious belief.
FFRF commends Bergman Public Schools for ultimately taking corrective action and thanks the concerned community member who spoke up.
"This is a wonderful example of how much better our public schools can be when they embrace inclusion instead of religious favoritism," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "The original display sent the message that Christianity was part of being a good American; the final display tells every child, regardless of whether they believe in a god, that they belong."
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Arkansas, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-gets-arkansas-school-to-replace-christian-display-with-message-of-inclusion/
[Category: Religion]
