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Sky: Children of the Light have got an all-new season update just within a month of its release on Android. The Game Awards 2019’s Best Mobile Game nominee has some exciting content up ahead as it tries to boost those download numbers up on the android platform. Developed by thatgamecompany, the fan-favorite co-op multiplayer was already released on iOS back in 2019.
Season of Enchantment
The expansion of the Golden Wastelands begins with this major update. According to the official site, The Season of Enchantment comes with a new adventure format, new in-game items, new quests, a new location, and new spirits to interact with. The collectibles range from six new expressions, six new hairstyles, four new capes, four new masks, one new music sheet, a new seasonal pendant, and two ultimate gifts.
To get these items, one will have to interact with the new spirits from the Golden Wastelands, become friends with them, and offer them seasonal hearts or seasonal candles. The new location looks like a shipwreck with the aesthetic rune designs we get to see often in the game. It will be a major location for this season’s story arc, as players will have to delve into these parts to learn more. For the new quests, one should discover the colored lights from all of the realms and pass it on to the Wasteland spirit.
From the new video, it is clear that the players will be able to venture into the new locations of the Golden Wastelands by a boat, which feels similar to the flying Mantas as seen in the Village Praire. Moreover, an Adventure Pass has been announced which can be used to unlock the six new spirits. As a result, the spirits give you even more quests and collectibles. What’s more, holders of the Adventure Pass who improve their relationship with the spirits are also entitled to double rewards, giving them an additional experience of the realm over the Free-to-play community. The Adventure Pass is priced at $9.99.
Sky: Children of the Light is now available on both Android and iOS devices, with the Season of Enchantment live .


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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – You may have seen more headlines recently regarding the topic of monopolies, which Investopedia defines as when a company and its product offerings dominate a particular sector or industry. The term is also often used to describe an entity that has total or near-total control of a market. The pandemic further pushed the gap for small businesses, who are unable to compete with corporate giants.
According to AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon, experts and lawmakers reported the four biggest airlines control about 65 percent of U.S. passenger traffic, five giant healthcare insurers control an estimated 45 percent of the market, pharmaceuticals are dominated by three major companies, the top four banks control about 44 percent of the market, the so-called Big Five book publishers control some 80 percent of the U.S. book market, and Google alone accounts for about 90 percent of web searches worldwide. Four companies are estimated to control 80 percent of U.S. meat-packing and the top four brewers and importers control about 76 percent of the U.S. beer market.
Congress, federal regulators, and states had already been putting Big Tech companies under intense scrutiny for nearly two years and even suing some for antitrust. Now with Democrats in the majority in Congress and President Joe Biden signing an executive order targeting tech, mergers, and monopolies, the focus is widening to the rest of corporate America.
Republicans express concern over the runaway concentration of corporate power and stress their belief in competition to keep the economy vibrant. But some are saying, let’s not punish bigness for its own sake; better to look at each case individually. They say big companies can bring efficiencies of scale, reduce prices and create jobs.
Matt Stoller, research director of the American Economic Liberties Project and author of “Goliath: the 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy” joined ABC4’s Rosie Nguyen to discuss businesses of the 1900s, what monopolies did to workers in the steel or railroad industry during that era, how much control monopolies had over day-to-day life, and Mariner Eccles’ contributions.
In part two of the discussion with Stoller, he talked about the current landscape, what economic commerce looks like now, what the government’s reaction was to economic crises (savings/loan scandals in the 80s, housing market crash in early 2000s) due to return to concentrated power, his thoughts on recent antitrust lawsuits against Big Tech, whether there’s an appetite for change now, what concerns him the most, and what he has the most hope for in the future.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes joined the discussion to share his thoughts about whether the state’s opioid crisis is a result of monopolistic practices of the pharmaceutical industry, the lawsuit he’s spearheading against Google, the issues and concerns stated in the case, and how he’s thinking about other monopolistic companies — both inside and outside of tech.
To watch the full IN FOCUS discussion with Stoller and Reyes, click on the video at the top of the article.
Catch IN FOCUS discussions with ABC4’s Rosie Nguyen weeknights on the CW30 News at 7 p.m.

domain: news


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The hottest thing in motorcycling apparel right now is Gore-Tex leather suits. Before there were only textiles with waterproof liners and leather users had to get their rain suits on or get soaked. For this season though, couple of manufacturers have came up with waterproof leathers. Because nobody has these suits yet, there’s not much info out of them yet, mostly just the press releases and sales talks.
A lot of speculation has been around about how well these suits hold out water and especially about how well they breathe. Manufacturers say that the suits remove the need for separate rain suits altogether. The first maker to release their suit was Rukka. They have the Lancelot two-piece suit with the Gore-Tex membrane. Alpinestars have also came up with their series called 365, it’s a two-piece suit as well, and under the same name you can find a pair of waterproof gloves.
These new suits would definitely go with the big sport touring motorbikes that are getting more and more popular all the time. Bikes like the Kawasaki Concours 14, Yamaha FJR1300 and especially the new, sporty Honda VFR1200. Leather combined with waterproofing is very cool because you no longer have to compromise between wearing a tear resistant suit that doesn’t hold water (leather) or a less safe waterproof suit (textile).
The price of these suits is still ridiculously high, the Alpinestars jacket and pants comes up to over $2000, but hopefully there’s a couple of daredevils who will buy these suits for the upcoming season, and then write reviews of them. The price is surely going to come down in a couple of years as these become more popular.


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New Delhi: Loss-making Moser Baer India has approved raising up to $125 million by issuing equity or bonds in India or overseas, the compact disc (CD) maker said on Monday, sending its shares up as much as 4.8%.
The company has also approved getting into a consulting agreement with France-based Harcourt, it said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), without giving details.
Moser Baer, the world’s second-biggest maker of optical storage media, has been posting losses for the last five quarters, and has been forced to look more aggressively at expanding its solar business.
Moser Baer shares, valued at Rs 370 crore, were up about 1% at Rs 22.30 at 12:40 pm. They earlier touched a high of Rs 23.15.


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Update 4:00PM 6/22/2015: In a third update to the blog post, Gabe Aul apologized for the confusion, and laid out in clear terms exactly what Insider upgrading looks like. In essence, on July 29th, current Insiders, regardless of how they upgraded, will be given two options. The first is to register their machine using a verified copy of Windows 7 or 8, and stop receiving Insider updates in exchange for an officially registered version of Windows 10. If they don’t do that, or anything at all, they’ll be updated on the 29th to a version of Windows that’s almost identical to the consumer release, and will continue to receive insider updates based on the slow or fast ring, whatever they’ve selected. Microsoft will continue to provide .ISO downloads of the Insider updates in case you need to reset your system. If you stop updating, eventually your copy of Windows 10 will expire and stop functioning.
Update 7:50AM 6/22/2015: Microsoft updated the blog post slightly on Friday night, to remove the words “and remain activated,” from the post, leading some to report the free copy of Windows 10 will not be genuine. We think that’s not a correct reading of the post; instead this appears to be similar to an OEM license, which cannot be transferred between machines. Unfortunately, Microsoft has declined to comment further, so the exact nature of the free copy is uncertain. What’s certain, though, is that Windows 10 Insiders who install the new operating system before its release will receive a fully functional final version, even if the Preview was acquired through a clean install from a .ISO.
Original Text: We’ve reached a point where it doesn’t seem like Microsoft actually wants customers to pay full-price for Windows 10. If you’re using a PC with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or RT, Windows 10 is free. If you’re sporting a device operating on a pirated, or non-genuine, version of Windows, Microsoft is planning a “very attractive” upgrade offer. Unfortunately, those stuck with other legacy versions of Windows, such as Vista or XP, would have to pay a minimum of $199 to make the jump to 10. The same pricing applies to owners of custom hardware with no operating system, or Linux, installed.
That all changes today thanks to a loophole acknowledged by Ars Technica, who pointed out that anyone running the Insider Preview of Windows 10, presently build 10130, will be entitled to a free upgrade to the release-day build of the operating system beginning July 29. And of course, subsequently, regular stable updates will be available to every Windows 10 user, including those opting to upgrade from Windows 10 Insider Preview.
Confusingly enough, the next update for Windows 10 Insider Preview will prompt users to log in with the same credentials used for the Windows 10 Insider Program registration. As of now, each install of Windows 10 Insider Preview is accompanied with an automatic registration to the program. When Windows 10 launches, however, this process will change.
Starting July 29, users interested in installing Windows 10 Insider Preview will be asked to manually apply for the Insider Program and log in using the corresponding Microsoft account. Auspiciously, even without the proper account credentials, anyone who installs Windows 10 Insider Preview on July 29 and beyond will in fact be eligible for a free upgrade to a consumer build of the newest software.
While anyone who upgrades to Windows 10 Insider Preview before July 29 is guaranteed an upgrade to the release build of Windows 10, it isn’t likely that the technical preview, builds 10130 and those preceding, will be around forever. As a result, it’s recommended that if you’re interested in taking advantage of this free upgrade offer, you’re best off to install Windows 10 Insider Preview as soon as you can to avoid its inevitable expiration.
- Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: finally time to upgrade?
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- Windows 11 explores an expanded, full-sized widget board
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Apple recently unveiled the MacBook Pro M3 and will soon release an updated version of Final Cut Pro to take full advantage of its new processor. According to the company, its updated video editing software, thanks to the use of special M3 media engines and artificial intelligence and machine learning, features such as object and face tracking are better and the encoding process of H.264 and HEVC is faster.
According to AppleThe new version of Final Cut Pro offers improved features such as automatic scrolling of the timeline and the simplification of adding a selected group of clips to a single story line and the ability to combine clips.
The iPad version of Final Cut Pro features a new audio recording tool, color presets, new text formats, an improved workflow, and a professional camera stabilization tool. Both the updated Mac and iPad versions of this software will be available to the public later this month.


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The European Commission has launched antitrust investigations against Apple due to strict policy in the App Store and Apple Pay. The reason for Spotify and Rakuten’s complaints was a 30% commission on sales in apps. Epic Games and Tinder’s developer, Match Group, have also joined.
According to these companies, Apple limits the choice of users in favor of their own services. Besides, the manufacturer limits the use of the NFC chip in their devices to Apple Pay only. That's why other financial services cannot use NFC payments through their own apps.
Spotify claims that Apple uses the App Store to limit consumers' choices in favor of its own Apple Music service. Rakuten complains about uncompetitive conditions compared to Apple Books due to a 30-percent commission on books sold through the App Store.
Match Group spokesman said he was ready to negotiate with the Cupertinians:
"Apple is a partner, but also a dominant platform whose actions force the vast majority of consumers to pay more for third-party apps that Apple arbitrarily defines as 'digital services,'" a Match Group spokesperson said, adding that various industries, including dating, have to forfeit 30 percent on their in-app revenue to Apple. "We welcome the opportunity to discuss this with Apple and create an equitable distribution of fees across the entire App Store, as well as with interested parties in the EU and in the U.S."
In the case of Match Group, Apple earns revenue from Tinder premium users, and Epic Games pays 30% of the profits earned from purchases of in-game items. However, some apps, such as Airbnb and Amazon Prime Video, have received special conditions under which they do not pay this commission.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney hinted at such Apple deals in his tweet and said he would not accept the special deal just for himself.
Other developers also have a concern about Apple policies. David Heinemeier Hansson, the CTO of Basecamp and the new Hey email service, called Apple "gangsters." According to David, Apple demanded to add a subscription to Hey through the App Store. Otherwise, his app would be removed from the App Store.
Apple requires all developers to comply with strict business model guidelines.


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WASHINGTON - U.S. companies boosted their orders for manufactured goods by the largest amount in 18 months in September, but companies remained cautious in ordering goods that signal plans to expand and modernize.
Factory orders rose 4.8 percent in September compared to August, a month when orders had fallen 5.1 percent, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The September gain was the biggest since March 2011 and was driven by a surge in demand for commercial aircraft, a volatile category which had seen orders plunge in August.
In one hopeful sign, U.S. manufacturing expanded for a second month in October. The Institute for Supply Management said Thursday that its index of factory activity rose in October to 51.7, up from September's reading of 51.5. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Previous surveys showed that manufacturing had contracted from June through August.


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A CRIMINAL network based out of Malaga that illegally streamed TV channels and films to users around Europe has been dismantled in a joint operation between the National Police and Europol.
Officers swooped to arrest four individuals who were selling illegal subscription packages featuring over 2,600 television channels and 23,000 movies and series to half a million customers based in Spain, the United Kingdom, Malta, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece.
Two were arrested in Benahavis, one in Mijas with another under investigation, and a fourth was arrested in Benalmadena.
Teams are continuing to probe the network to sniff out more members of the network based in other countries.
The illegal piracy network laundered its €3million-a-year profits through buying and selling property and luxury vehicles, and funnelling the cash through Spanish businesses and out into secret bank accounts located in shady offshore tax havens controlled by the network masterminds.
During the raid, police turned up €2,800 in cash and two high-end vehicles valued at €180,000.
They also disconnected ten routers connected to 32 servers located in France, the Netherlands and Spain – where the illegal content was hosted.
The investigation began in 2020 thanks to a complaint filed by the heads of Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, a coalition of companies whose purpose is to fight online piracy.
Initial investigations identified a suspicious network that had been operating since 2012 to market and distribute massively fraudulent video content from various big-name premium subscription services.
Investigators found that the gang had set up a number of websites to advertise and promote the pirated subscription services, such as television channels and set-top boxes, which were accessed through a series of keys and passwords.
Resellers then bought these large packages of subscriptions and sold them on in the style of a pyramid scheme to their hundreds of thousands of customers.
- Halloween Terror: 24 arrested and 600 identified in huge Valencia crime crackdown
- Public transport to be free for all Balearic Islands residents in Spain next year


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By Denise Marray/Gulf Times Correspondent/London
Shoes are big business and visitors from Qatar and across the Gulf who flock to London in the summer are keen to snap up the most exclusive designs. So, the latest news from Harrods is sure to be music to their ears. The famous store has this week opened the world’s largest luxury shoe collection called “Shoe Heaven” on its fifth floor.
Helen David, Harrods fashion director of Womenswear, Accessories, Fine Jewellery & Childrenswear, spoke about the expansive new space, covering over 42,000sqft, dedicated to leading shoe brands.
‘‘In Womenswear, shoes have been one of our fastest growing categories over the last few years. We needed to do something spectacular to celebrate this category, which is all-encompassing and appeals to all customers. ‘Shoe Heaven’ is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by Harrods and will offer a luxurious and sophisticated environment with 17 flagship shops for all of our best loved brands. With an interior designed by leading London architects, David Collins Studio, ‘Shoe Heaven’ will be the largest luxury shoe offer anywhere in the world.
“From stilettos to sneakers, Harrods ‘Shoe Heaven’ will be home to all the best shoes from the world’s leading and need-to-know designers.”
Neil Clifford, Kurt Geiger’s chief executive officer, commented: “Harrods ‘Shoe Heaven’ is an important development in the longstanding partnership between our brands. We are proud to announce this unique retail environment that will deliver an all-new shopping experience in our luxury shoe concessions.”
Within the 17 exclusive boutiques presenting collections from over 50 leading designers and brands, customers can choose their shoes in unparalleled comfort sitting on velvet banquet lounge seating, with access to private shopping suites and expert style advisers.
Simon Rawlings, creative director of David Collins Studio, the company responsible for designing “Shoe Heaven”, said: “We have worked closely with Harrods to create a retail concept that reflects the brand’s global reputation for delivering a superlative shopping experience to the world’s most discerning clientele. This has been such a prestigious assignment for us, designing a truly outstanding retail environment which is one of the biggest ever undertaken by Harrods.”
To celebrate the launch, Harrods reveals the limited-edition Silver Lining collection showcasing 37 of today’s most iconic shoes in silver – created exclusively for Harrods by designers, including Valentino, Manolo Blahnik, Roger Vivier, Christian Louboutin, Rupert Sanderson and Charlotte Olympia.
Choose from metallic silver Valentino Rockstuds to Manolo Blahnik’s silver brooch-adorned Ariona mule, to silver leather Kitty flats by Charlotte Olympia and silver booties from Alaïa – every style a “must have” addition to an Autumn/Winter wardrobe and for the forthcoming festive season.
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September 23, 2014
British automaker Jaguar is entering the next phase of its "Feel XE" campaign with a fleet of vehicles inspired by British fashion designer Stella McCartney's Superhero print.
Jaguar shares both a British heritage and a pursuit of environmentally-aware products with Stella McCartney, which lends the partnership an air of authenticity. As the celebrity-studded XE debut continues to roll forward, Jaguar will attract diverse cohorts.
"The launch of the Jaguar XE, only a few weeks ago, has gained incredible exposure for our newest sports sedan and has garnered incredible social traction including 4.1 million mentions of XE on Facebook and a reach of 120 millions people on Twitter," said Stuart Schorr, vice president of public relations and consumer affairs at Jaguar Land Rover North America, Mahwah, NJ.
"Globally, Jaguar received over 27,000 new fans across Twitter and Facebook channels within 24 hours of the global reveal on September 8," he said.
Stop and start
The Stella McCartney Superhero print features cartoon superhero masks on a black base. Jaguar will be "draping" this print over a fleet of XE models Sept. 29.
Jaguar with Stella McCartney Superhero exterior
The fleet will travel to Paris for fashion week, where Jaguar will host a series of "exhilarating experiences."
Since many attendees will recognize the iconic print, and will be further notified of the collaboration by labels on the cars, Jaguar will likely see an enthusiastic response.
The experiences, most likely complimentary rides to and from fashion events or brief tours, will highlight cultural touchstones in Paris, but specific details will be released when the cars arrive on the scene.
Fans can contribute to the campaign with the hashtag #FeelXE.
As Jaguar aligns itself with the fashion community, it is also getting ready for the Paris Motor Show, where it will reveal the entire XE range.
The brand tapped a number of celebrities to help build hype for the XE debut.
For instance, British recording artist Emeli Sandé created the first project for the campaign to get fans excited about the vehicle debut. Fans of the brand and the artist were asked to share what makes them exhilarated on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with the #FeelXE hashtag that has already been in circulation for a few weeks.
Words, pictures, sounds and films were all accepted forms of submissions.
Ms. Sandé looked to the submissions for inspiration as she wrote an original song to perform for the first time in conjunction with the XE debut (see story).
Here to stay
Jaguar consistently deploys campaigns that have staying power.
The automaker's "Good to be Bad" campaign stayed effective for around eight months, beginning with obscure teasers leading into a Super Bowl ad that fueled several months of extensions.
Jaguar then capitalized on the ongoing buzz generated by the campaign with a Jaguar Villain Academy that opened to select guests in May.
The academy gave guests a full day with the new F-Type Coupe on the Formula 1 track Circuit of Americas, Austin, TX (see story).
Just as the brand intends to be associated with its top campaigns, it also intends to align itself with environmental sustainability.
"Jaguar is investing heavily in the application of new environmental technologies and lightweight aluminum architectures," Mr. Schorr said.
"Sustainability is a major priority for the brand, so much so that Jaguar has a goal of using 75 percent recycled material by 2020 and so partnering with other environmentally focused brands, products or ambassadors, like Stella McCartney, makes perfect sense," he said.
Joe McCarthy, staff writer on Luxury Daily, New York


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'Marketplace' Report: Retail Sales
MADELEINE BRAND, host:
Back now with DAY TO DAY.
It's probably the last thing on your mind right now, but retailers are hoping you have a few more trips to the mall in you. A report out today, says sales during the weekend before Christmas were strong, but lower than expected. I'm joined now by MARKETPLACE's Janet Babin. And Janet, so I guess we didn't spend enough for retailers to be happy this Christmas season.
JANET BABIN: Yeah, Madeleine. It depends on how you look at it, but according to one benchmark, sales on so-called Super Saturday - that's the Saturday before Christmas - they were strong. Purchases totaled $8.7 billion, and that's 60 percent higher than the same day last year.
And also, combined sales over the weekend passed $16 billion, that's a lot of shopping, and that's 22 percent higher than last year. These numbers come from Shopper Track's national retail sales estimate.
BRAND: Well, that sounds pretty good, billions and billions of dollars, but just not good enough?
BABIN: Yeah. It turns out that analysts and retailers had forecast that sales would be even higher than that. Consumers, it turns out, spent more the Friday after Thanksgiving than they did on the Saturday before Christmas, and that's not what analysts had hoped or expected.
So even though it was a big weekend for retailers, overall, the season seems to be coming up a bit short in terms of traffic and overall sales. And you have consider that a lot of stores end up doing a good portion of their business in the month or so before the winter holidays, so even if sales are off just a little bit, it can have a big effect on the bottom line.
BRAND: Okay, so I bet a lot of people got those gift cards for Christmas and Hanukkah, and retailers are hoping that they go out and spend and use those gift cards maybe a bit more, right?
BABIN: That's right because, you know, even though gift cards, you know, they're purchased usually before the holiday, they aren't counted on most retailers balance sheets until after they're spent. So a lot of stores just realize now they have they have to start counting January as part of that holiday season.
Also, as you mentioned, because who goes and spends the gift card? I mean, I don't think I've ever managed to spend just the amount on that card.
BRAND: Right, right. I always spend a little bit more. Any speculation on why consumers held back this year?
BABIN: Well, there are a lot of theories, especially in the timing. You know, Hanukkah cam earlier this year than last year, and Christmas fell on a Monday. I also spoke to a few shoppers in the Northeast and Midwest who said they just weren't motivated this year.
It's been pretty warm in places like New York and Cleveland, and people were out enjoying the weather instead of shopping, but you guessed it, Madeleine. That might have led to an increase in online shopping. According to Com-store Networks(ph), our online shopping was up 26 percent this year over last.
And coming up later today on MARKETPLACE, we profile one of the hottest holiday gifts of the season this year: plastic surgery.
BRAND: Thank you. We'll be listening for that. Janet Babin of public radio's daily business show MARKETPLACE, produced by American Public Media.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


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Apple’s Increased R&D Spending Hints Electric Car Coming: Analyst
Most analyst and media attention went to Apple’s first decline in profits in 13 years, falling iPhone sales and the slowdown in China. Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart, however, points to spending that has captured almost no attention lately: Apple’s R&D spending, which has increased three times the “usual” amount the company spent four years ago, as it is on track to reach $10 billion for this year alone.
This means that Apple is working on something big, Cybart concludes, and considering the rumours of an electric car, this could make sense.
As noted by Cybart, Apple was spending a little over $3 billion per year in R&D just four years ago. In an exhibit inserted in his piece, he associated R&D spending with product launches. For example, Apple’s annual spending on R&D has doubled ahead of iPad launches compared to the amount it spent before iPhones hit the market. Still it was below $2 billion.
Since then, R&D spending has kept on increasing, hitting the $8 billion mark the year the Apple Watch was officially unveiled. That was last year, and in 2016 R&D spending is on track to surpass $10 billion. Cybart forecasts that next year R&D spending will be even higher, surpassing the $12 billion mark.
Cybart believes this spike in spending is primarily related to Apple’s work on Project Titan, its own electric car, as spending $10 billion just to come up with new Watch bands, larger iPads, and a video streaming service sounds a bit awkward. “Instead, Apple is planning on something much bigger: a pivot into the automobile industry,” he says.
You can read his the full article on Above Avalon.


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“It's really taken a catalyst like COVID for a lot of these institutions to take more of an introspective look at their technology.” - Michael Bank
This past year brought a great deal of upheaval and just as much digital transformation. The physical separation forced everyone to come up with new ideas to solve the problems that social distancing created, which made for a lot of growth in the financial industry, especially as it pertains to the user experience.
Michael Bank and Seth Fenster, co-founders of Blip, are doing great work to empower positive financial health for people and have a lot to say about the user experience of making payments as well as technology in the financial sector.
A Future Based on Financial Health and Wellness
Consumers can't effectively save, spend, or invest without taking care of their bills and their immediate needs first. Coming to this realization, Michael and Seth have devoted their time and energy to empowering positive consumer financial health, working to address the lack of education around financial management.
Michael and Seth’s organization, Blip, helps its users look at their whole financial future — instead of solely on historical trends — to create a sense of financial health and wellness. Essentially, Blip is future-focused.
Financially, it’s easy to get stuck in the present moment by making decisions based on past transactions. However, looking at a post-COVID world, things have evolved so rapidly, which creates a lot of financial stress for consumers. Michael and Seth are working to help consumers get ahead of these kinds of problems before the problems even exist.
This has been a tough year for so many people, and there have been so many changes happening much faster than anticipated, including the timelines of digital adoption within financial services. It feels like a brand new world.
Seth explained this idea, “It's really about bringing in that digital point of view to the forward-looking aspects of financial management.”
In the past, so much focus has been placed on historical spending. However, this doesn’t amount to much more than budgeting, which doesn’t gain a lot of traction with most consumers. But as Seth and Michael have observed, consumers care about the bills they have each month, and so this is where they are putting their attention.
Why is Budgeting Such a Challenge?
As a culture and as a society, people in the U.S. tend to be very consumption-based. This has a lot to do with the existing consumer culture. And truthfully, many don’t know when they are spending money on things that aren’t in their best long-term interest. This makes it hard to make budgeting appealing.
Having a budget is great, but just by calling it a budget, many consumers think about sitting down and balancing a checkbook and running through their banking statements.
And really? No one wants to do that
Seth and Michael are re-framing this idea, looking less at the ledger in a checkbook and more at automating the process to help their consumers manage their finances. By taking a forward look at users’ upcoming bills, they are providing more proactive financial advice — around making positive changes rather than viewing financial mistakes in the rearview mirror.
It’s a lot like going to the physician. No one wants to go to the doctor because it's painful and takes too long. But even the healthcare industry is shifting its focus towards preventative medicine and getting ahead of problems before they happen.
How does this apply to financial services? In one survey from a few years ago, many respondents stated that they would rather go to the dentist than visit their financial institution. Talking about budgets is hard and uncomfortable, but Michael and Seth are working hard to transform that perspective. One way they are doing this is by working with companies to digitize their work.
Michael elaborated on this, “It's really taken a catalyst like COVID, for a lot of these institutions to take more of an introspective look at their technology. But I think that they really are actively thinking about ways to improve their experiences for customers.”
Modern Digital Experiences and Legacy Payment Systems
Traditionally, bill pay for incumbent financial institutions has been challenging. These legacy bill pay systems are expensive and rely on outdated processes like ACH transfers and writing checks on the customer's behalf.
This is an expensive, inefficient way to pay a bill, and it doesn't quite fit with the more digitally native consumers who expect instant notification that they made a payment — and many consumers want flexible options like using their debit and credit cards.
On average, consumers have to pay around 7 bills per month, which means they either have to manually submit these payments through their bank’s clunky bill pay or visit seven different websites to handle them all — almost all of which are time-consuming and not optimized for mobile use.
Michael and Seth are working to improve this experience by rebuilding this system from the ground up. And as Michael explained, “It's really going to enable the financial institutions to bring customers back to the organizations because they're predominantly not paying bills through the banks and credit unions currently.”
By getting consumers to come back and pay through their banks and credit union, that reinforces the positive relationship they have with their financial institution. Their financial partner is simplifying the complexities of their lives, saving them valuable time, and eliminating their financial frustrations.
Consumers have expectations of being able to move money very quickly thanks to services like Zelle, CashApp, and Venmo. They want this same kind of convenience from their financial institution, who should be leading the charge instead of trailing behind.
Seth shared that there are 15.4 billion bills paid every year — about 488 bills per second. Each one of these is a unique opportunity for financial brands to make a positive impact on their customers.
Creating Opportunity for Your Customers
There’s a lot of internal discussion between Michael and Seth and their team about a world where a bank approaches consumers with various kinds of services, including notices to authorize a balance transfer from a credit card with a high-interest rate to save a specific amount of money.
This all fits with a theme that creates customers for life: “Help first, sell second,” and applying this methodology to a fully digital-financial world, including credit cards, auto payments, mortgages, and all recurring payments.
Seth explained it as, “How do we let you manage your finances in a way that's like a controlled autopilot?” This service becomes an automated way for users to build financial security, learn about managing their accounts, and save money.
The next step for Seth, Michael, and Blip? Finding a way to help banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to implement this into their existing app so that the customer experience of adopting Blip is a cinch.
Creating Consumer Value
Michael and Seth have spent a great deal of time in beta testing evaluating the overall user experience. There can be a lot of aggravation surrounding bill pay with banks and credit unions, and the Blip team has set out to ease a lot of these pain points.
Michael shared some of these discoveries. “Typically, the banks and credit unions, if they're using a bill pay provider, the user needs to add their card number, their payee address information, and even finding, ‘What is my account number?’ is a difficult task. And so you just give up on it.”
Blip is determined to make this easier. As a solution, they can look at a user’s transaction history to pinpoint all the billers that needed to be added to their Blip account. This is the kind of attention to customer needs that will make all the difference.
Other ways Michael, Seth, and their colleagues are adding value is by helping their users see their entire month at a glance — including things like upcoming bills and more detailed information from their credit card statements like the current balance, minimum balance, and statement balance to better understand their entire financial picture and see their bills in real and future time.
Michael shared that some consumers will visit their bank’s app, look at what their current checking account balance is, and think that that's their safe to spend amount without consideration for upcoming expenses. He explained that they will see this balance and think, "This is the money that I've got in my account. So I'm good to go."
But as he shared, this isn’t always the full picture. “If somebody has $400 in their checking account when they go out and buy a TV for $300, they think, ‘Great — about $100 leftover,’ where they're not actually thinking about… that proactive upcoming nature of bills they have throughout the rest of the month.” Then very quickly, these consumers are actually in the red.
Michael continued, “And so we visually show what [their] current balance is, but then show what those upcoming bills are due. And then we'll basically [subtract] those two numbers to give you almost a leftover safe to spend amount.”
In this way, Blip is almost acting as a financial crystal ball for consumers to foresee their financial future.
Embrace the Change
The pandemic has opened the eyes of many leaders in the financial industry that they need to change their habits and operations. After all, if people aren’t going to be stepping foot inside a branch, how can they connect with their customers?
Michael’s solution is to “Roll with the punches of changes that are coming.”
Even well over a year after the onset of the pandemic, consumers are experiencing a lot of change with every aspect of their lives. Being able to quickly buy something on the internet and it arrives several hours later is the experience that people have come to expect, and so they expect the same from their banking experience, too.
The problem? The financial industry isn’t fully there yet, which means financial institutions shouldn’t be afraid to make changes to keep up with this rapid digital transformation and shifting consumer expectations.
Seth added to this idea, “It would be very helpful to stop thinking that you can't do something just because historically it was challenging or difficult and that it might be hard to do financial services digitally — and maybe there are some aspects that are true — but for the most part, we can make it happen.”
As for Blip? They are creating a platform that really can be used by any institution, any financial brand.
Seth and Michael understand the power of what their service can do, and they are finding ways to turn consumer bills into opportunities no matter the challenges. How are they making it happen? It’s about their outlook. Seth shared, “It really just kind of starts with the mindset of, ‘We can do this. Our institution can change, it should change, and we're going to make it happen.’"
When financial brands put the transformation of account holders over the commoditized transaction of dollars and cents, that's when real transformation happens — and what better time than now to make that commitment. Money is stressful, and that stress is taking a toll on people's health, their relationships, and their overall sense of wellbeing.
If they embrace change, financial brands have an opportunity in a post-COVID world to guide their customers beyond that financial stress and toward a bigger, better, and brighter future.
This article was originally published on June 22, 2021. All content © 2024 by Digital Growth Institute and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.


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“We saw a 60% rise in sales- and a rise in sales of over 400% on our own website.” - Rebecca Pinette-Dorin, North American Sales Manager, Exsens
“ We have a lot of new online customers, and business went through the roof. Unfortunately, a lot of respected customers with brick-and-mortar stores are having a hard time because of the lockdowns. Let’s hope they can return to normal business soon.” - Ard van den Brandhof, Senior Buyer, Shots
“Business has been very strong since the pandemic began. Our sales are up 40% year over year.” - Tom Nardone, President, PriveCo, which runs Vibrators.com
“The sexual wellness devices category as a whole was strong going into the Covid-19 crisis. Then, throughout much of the pandemic, device sales climbed even further … our items’ sales spiked as much as 121 percent in comparison to January and February of 2020, before the stay-at-home orders started to go into effect.” - Elisa McDermott, Vice President of Sales, Clio Designs, the makers of plusOne
“The growth was tremendous in terms of sales and we experienced a different type of shopper than before. The new shopper was more inquisitive, spending more time on our site exploring products as well as information on the company. I can only assume that with the retailers being closed, shoppers didn’t have the retailers' guidance to answer questions or to help them select the right product for their needs.” - Patrick Lyons, Chief Strategy Officer at Nu Sensuelle
"At the beginning of the pandemic there was great uncertainty and fear about the business and whether or not we could survive. As a consulting firm we help partners create their own toy brands, but when the pandemic hit that came to a screeching halt. It forced us to think outside of the box and pivot quickly. So we did what we do best, create a line of products, but this time under our own brand. We now have 50 products plus and are distributed globally. Fortunately, as the demand for adult products grew, the demand for consulting and private label grew with it. So grateful to be busier than ever." - Autumn O'Bryan, Founder and CEO, Global Novelties LLC
The new shopper was more inquisitive, spending more time on our site exploring products as well as information on the company.
“At first our sales to retailers globally dropped but then quickly returned at much higher sales levels than 2019. Also, we increased our online advertising during the pandemic to sell to men who were stuck at home (like everyone else).” - Brian Sloan, creator of The Autoblow
“Once everyone settled into the new normal, we found the toy boom revolved around “play” products. Although vibrators will always be the No.1 sellers, we saw a major increase in anal and fetish play items. Once our doors opened again - with cleaning protocols in place - customers were RUSHING in the doors to purchase the items they couldn’t gauge from a website. (Particularly LINGERIE!)” - Sarah Franson, General Manager, Source Video Distributors
Once our doors opened again - with cleaning protocols in place - customers were RUSHING in the doors to purchase the items they couldn’t gauge from a website. (Particularly LINGERIE!)
“Not only have we seen an increase in sex toy and pleasure product sales thanks to the world spending more time at home, but we’ve seen a larger conversation building around these products since the pandemic hit. We’ve noticed that mainstream brands are seeking out partnerships with sex toy brands, more media are publishing articles about products, and celebrities and influencers are promoting these types of products now more than ever before. We believe that the pandemic pushed sex toys and pleasure products forward, visibly.” - Samantha Wolfin, PR Expert, WOW Tech
We’ve seen a larger conversation building around these products since the pandemic hit.
“Our store is located in Vista (North County San Diego), Calif., so when the Governor issued the stay-at-home order in March we were forced to close our doors. We were closed for a little over six weeks, but were able to operate minimally via curbside service two of those latter weeks. Our website is linked directly to our store inventory so processing orders during the beginning of COVID was virtually contactless. Business was booming.” - Staci Kurbis, Buyer, Deja Vu Love Boutique
“Being a smaller brand, we were fortunate to go into the pandemic with a strong inventory and ready to take on both our normal customer base as well as new customers. We gained a lot of visibility as retailers were looking for replenishment on core products, along with wanting to try our new products. It ended up boosting us as a brand to gain new market share and build on our current relationships.” - Danielle Seerley, Sales & Brand Evangelist, Voodoo Toys
“Adult board games is a large side of our business. Now that people are locked in their houses, we’ve seen a real ramp-up in requests for games. For us, it’s been really amazing that the silver lining of the pandemic is that couples have had time to be home together and have things they can play with that aren’t necessarily about therapy but about communication and fantasy and play. The real positive for me is that we’ve been able to have a moment where people can feel a need for our games.” - Casey Doyle, Account Manager, Creative Conceptions
"Most of our customers and the industry as a whole has seen massive growth. My hope is that it's not just the stimulus, it's not just people who are home more often and can't go out to bars, but that now we have people who have realized there's value in the products we carry. All of a sudden, these products become part of your life." - Steve Craig, CEO of Nalpac
So, what does this mean for the future of sex toys and other pleasure products?
We were also curious to know what predictions people in the industry had post-COVID. Would the increased interest in sexual health and connection continue? For the most part, predictions were positive. Now that so many people had made the leap to try a sex toy, very few believe they'll go back to life without one!
"Sex toys are still taboo but people are starting to take a step back and realize this stuff is normal. We’re all stressed - what better to beat that than with a toy?" -Nichole Grossman, Director of Marketing at CalExotics
We’re all stressed - what better to beat that than with a toy?
“We’re exploding now …. what happens when people can go out in the world again? I hope this made a positive impact and then carries over. We want people to remember this is how we lived in 2020. We ordered online and used curbside pickup - online is exploding because this is a platform that works. ” - Patrice F., Sales & Educator at Sensuva
“Last year, anal was trending, pegging was trending and people were trying new things. I don’t suspect 2021 will be much different until the vaccine and that’s going to take time. It’s an interesting time and I’m glad to be in the industry I’m in.” - Denise Young, Account Manager, Blush Novelties
“Many customers have resorted to shopping online to avoid going in person. However, our customers have remained loyal and we are seeing new customers come through our doors every week. I believe in our industry you want to see and touch the products you are putting in and on your body, not to mention you get the experience of shopping with an educated, sex positive team member.” - Loretta Goodling, Novelty Buyer, Excitement Adult Stores
“The pandemic has brought much-needed attention to justice issues, especially in the U.S. In the future, I predict we’ll see more consumer interest in ethically manufactured products from inclusive brands. Fun Factory products have been responsibly manufactured in Germany for 25 years and now more than ever we are seeing consumer interest in these practices. This is not a trend but an evolution in consumerism.” - Kristen Tribby, Head of Global Marketing, Fun Factory
The pandemic has brought much-needed attention to justice issues, especially in the U.S. In the future, I predict we’ll see more consumer interest in ethically manufactured products from inclusive brands.
“The shift towards increased digitalization and higher acceptance for experimenting in the bedroom is here to stay. For Handy, our mission is to remove the taboo for men to own sex toys, and the pandemic has pushed this process forward. I believe that the interactivity and digital pleasure experience that people have been introduced to during the pandemic will definitely continue developing and increase in popularity. And why shouldn’t it? We’re in 2021.” - Jens Petter Wilhelmsen, CEO of Sweet Tech AS (maker of The Handy.)
The interactivity and digital pleasure experience that people have been introduced to during the pandemic will definitely continue developing and increase in popularity.
“I think we will see several trends including more curbside pickups and returns, and consistent growth in online retail (not exactly a new trend). I also think we will see a growing loyalty to local businesses. I have seen communities work together to keep businesses open and I believe that we all have a renewed respect for the importance of local businesses in our communities. Pandemic shopping has resulted in many people exploring new adventures in their sex lives. Hopefully this continues.” - Cheryl Sloane, Brand Manager, Uberlube
“A lot of people got more experimental in the bedroom during this pandemic, or just realized that masturbation was an integral part of their self care. I don't think they'll be going back to the way they were before.” - Rebecca Pinette-Dorin, North American Sales Manager, Exsens
A lot of people got more experimental in the bedroom during this pandemic, or just realized that masturbation was an integral part of their self care.
“People have begun looking more openly at their own sexualities and are really starting to assess what they want to experience in their sex lives. But they're going about it in a really cool, sex positive, more informed way …. We've seen a significant rise in consumers being a lot more mindful about the materials their toys are made out of and about the battery versus rechargeable situation. People were willing to make an investment in their sexual pleasure. I think that's really, really cool.” - Kyrie Hara, Stock and Web Manager, Sensually Yours
“We saw a lot of new customers placing orders with us who had never shopped with us before but had been too nervous to come into the store when we were open to the public. Our increased presence and product selection online gave them the option to be able to shop with us discreetly without the anxiety of coming into the store. For these reasons, curbside pickups will be a service we continue to offer for those who are not yet comfortable coming into the store.” - Nicole, Manager, Smitten Premium Adult Boutique
People have begun looking more openly at their own sexualities and are really starting to assess what they want to experience in their sex lives. But they're going about it in a really cool, sex positive, more informed way.
“People are staying home and when you are at home a vibrator is a great thing to have. We are very happy to bring a little joy into our customers' lives. We don’t think this will stop once the pandemic ends. I’ve been in the business for 22 years and I can’t remember meeting anyone who tried a vibrator and then stopped buying/using them.” - Tom Nardone, President, PriveCo, which runs Vibrators.com and Bachelorette.com
I’ve been in the business for 22 years and I can’t remember meeting anyone who tried a vibrator and then stopped buying/using them.
“One of the most prevalent trends that was heightened by the global pandemic has been the emphasis on the importance of regular self care and stress relief practices during these tough times. As mental health concerns continue to rise, consumers are seeking opportunities to participate in affordable and easy at-home self care rituals. The use of sexual wellness devices has been proven, time and time again, to relieve stress and anxiety, promote better sleep, and boost one’s mood – to name just a few benefits.” - Elisa McDermott, Vice President of Sales, Clio Designs, the makers of plusOne
“Although the pandemic was devastating in so many ways, it seemed to destigmatize sex by giving people permission to seek new ways to explore sexual pleasure and to practice self care. Self care is so important, but far too often overlooked as part of sexual health. In our industry, we promote self care as a necessity, but in the mainstream, the idea of taking time for yourself is thought of as selfish. I believe the idea of taking control and understanding 'I am responsible for my own pleasure' was an important lesson we all learned due to the pandemic.” - Patrick Lyons, Chief Strategy Officer at Nu Sensuelle
Although the pandemic was devastating in so many ways, it seemed to destigmatize sex by giving people permission to seek new ways to explore sexual pleasure and to practice self care.
“There is a clear trend toward higher quality, higher priced products. The industry for too long has produced low-quality goods at low price points, but in the past couple of years it has become obvious that sex toy users are not price sensitive as long as a product offers a great experience.” - Brian Sloan, creator of The Autoblow
“Before the pandemic, your average customer may have spent $20 to $60. We are now seeing higher end ticket items being sold. We are blessed to be one of the few industries that haven't suffered as severely and we are grateful every day.” - Loretta Goodling, Novelty Buyer, Excitement Adult Stores
“We think that a focus on sex toys’ positive impact on mental and physical health will come out as a dominating trend in the industry in the aftermath of the pandemic. Masturbation and orgasms have a number of health benefits, besides the fun they bring. For example, orgasms can boost the immune system, ease anxiety, make for better quality sleep, and improve one’s mood. We believe this trend will enhance the industry, and bolster a better reputation for pleasure products across the board.” - Samantha Wolfin, PR Expert, WOW Tech
“Once the stimulus bill was passed, people went wild. They were buying everything from bondage, lubes, lingerie, stripper poles, high-end toys, etc. In the end, pleasure products have become a staple for sexual health and wellness and the benefits speak for themselves. Masturbation is self care!” - Staci Kurbis, Buyer, Deja Vu Love Boutique
“There have been several trends that we have seen throughout the pandemic, however, the biggest one we have seen is customers seeking their first experiences with anal and prostate play. We've had a large number of customers asking questions about prostate play and prostate health, safe anal play practices and couples taking the plunge into pegging as well. A lot of the products sold in these categories have been beginner level products and I can see these customers coming back to us for products and advice to take their anal play to the intermediate or advanced levels.” - Nicole, Manager, Smitten Premium Adult Boutique
“The interactive side of the business has grown incredibly, bringing more and more people interacting online also in the personal intimacy aspect. Partners who don't live together now can finally be able to feel the "touch" of the other one over miles, oceans even, of distance.”- Alex Feynerol, Sales Manager, Svakom
“App-based toys are definitely going to continue to rise in popularity. Previously I think anything "app" based kind of scared people off from a liability and defect standpoint. Times have changed and there are plenty of good sources for this toy genre. Consumers want to feel connected. Not just to other people, but things that make them feel connected even to themselves.” - Danielle Seerley, Sales & Brand Evangelist, Voodoo Toys
App-based toys are definitely going to continue to rise in popularity. Previously I think anything "app" based kind of scared people off from a liability and defect standpoint. Times have changed and there are plenty of good sources for this toy genre.
“App-enabled products have definitely been on the rise during the pandemic and seen more and more as 'essentials' in overcoming the added stress that comes with feeling more isolated and disconnected. We developed Satisfyer Connect and our line of app-enabled products based on this trend, and now this trend has accelerated due to the pandemic.” - Ian Kulp, Sales Director, Satisfyer
“Of course, like all good things, this spike of sales will end, but this doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. The number of people that started exploring their bodies and sexuality has reached numbers never seen before.” - Alex Feynerol, Sales Manager, Svakom
The number of people that started exploring their bodies and sexuality has reached numbers never seen before.


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WJAC 6 News - Search Results
Warming shelter being held in Portage
By: WJAC Web Staff
PORTAGE, Pa. -- With cold temperatures staying put Cambria County officials are making sure no one goes without a warm place to stay.
An emergency shelter is to be open around the clock with at least one person from the township staffed inside.
We have cots and we encourage residents to bring their own pillows and blankets if they need to stay here, said Portage Volunteer Firefighter Jamie Miller.
A few items like coffee and hot chocolate is to be available but if more is needed the Red Cross are able to help.


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Mazda: Continuing to release SUV models, increasing its ratio of SUVs to a maximum of 50% in FY 2018
Global deployment of production innovation system, increased production at overseas plants
|The new CX-9, which was released in North America (Photo: Mazda)
Mazda is currently carrying out its "Structural Reform Stage 2" mid-term management plan for the period FY 2016 to FY 2018. In its previous "Structural Reform" mid-term management plan that was in force from FY 2012 to FY 2015, the OEM released six models from its new-generation product group featuring SKYACTIV technology, and strengthened its production systems in Mexico, Thailand, Russia, and Malaysia to make significant advances in transforming its business structure.
Under its "Structural Reform Stage 2" mid-term management plan, Mazda will continue to release SKYACTIV models such as the CX-9 and CX-4 from the first half of FY 2016, and for the latter half of the plan the carmaker is planning to develop and release SKYACTIV
For its sales and production plans, Mazda will increase production of SUVs, which are selling well globally, and aims to expand its global sales volume from 1.53 million in FY 2015 to 1.65 million in FY 2018. Additionally, in FY 2018 it will establish a flexible production structure allowing for an SUV ratio of 50% (the ratio of SUVs in FY 2015 was roughly 34%).
Mazda will increase flexibility at domestic and overseas plants, while implementing swing production, where domestic and overseas plants mutually complement each other, in order to make full use of its overseas production facilities. The OEM plans to achieve production of 1.65 million vehicles in FY 2018 without constructing new plants (the plan also acts as a countermeasure for the strength of the yen since the beginning of 2016).
SKYACTIV models are being developed with a consolidated design and common architecture. As a result, Mazda is able efficiently to carry out small lot production of many products.
In its next mid-term management plan that will begin in FY 2019, the automaker will carry out a full scale release of SKYACTIV GEN2
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Councilman Robert Holden wants a shot at four more years in office.
Holden announced that he’s running for re-election in 2021, hoping for a chance to represent District 30 (Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood) again in the City Council.
In a video announcement released Tuesday, Holden said the city has lost its way, and many elected officials have abandoned the policies that kept the streets safe for decades.
“City Hall has tried to govern with protest slogans instead of common sense,” he says in the video. “I have been one of the few voices in the council to stand up to the de Blasio agenda.”
Holden is touting his first-term battles with de Blasio, including speaking out about the mayor’s plans to close Rikers Island, the mayor’s homeless policies, his handling of the coronavirus, mishandling ThriveNYC funds and attempting to get rid of the specialized high school admissions test.
“Over these past three years, I have never stopped fighting for you,” Holden said. “We’ve done a lot together these last three years, and there’s a lot more we need to do.”
For his second and last term, should he win in 2021, Holden said he pledges to deliver on quality of life issues, help the city recover from COVID, create a better environment for small businesses and reverse the rise in crime and homelessness.
Dahe Lin, 77, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for fatally stabbing his daughter-in-law in broad daylight outside of their Ridgewood home in March 2019.
Lin, who lives on Suydam Street, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month. He has been sentenced to 21 years behind bars followed by five years’ post-release supervision.
According to District Attorney Melinda Katz, Lin was seen choking Wen Ying He outside their Ridgewood home. A witness intervened and pulled the man off her. Lin then ran back inside to grab a kitchen knife, which he used to stab her repeatedly in the neck.
Another passerby saw the bloodshed and flagged down a police car, leading to Lin’s arrest. He died in the hospital several days later.
“This was an unimaginably horrific crime,” Katz said. “The defendant has admitted his guilt and will be punished for taking the life of his daughter-in-law.”
Stop & Shop has launched another pickup location in Queens, this one at 89-89 Union Turnpike in Glendale.
This site joins the Maspeth location, at 74-17 Grand Avenue, where shoppers can place an order ahead of time and a Stop & Shop associate will load groceries right into their cars on site.
Shoppers can place an order on the website or on the Stop & Shop mobile app. Click on “order online” and select “pickup” at the preferred location.
After choosing a pickup time, shoppers can park in a designated pickup spot and call to let the store know that they have arrived. The associate will then drop off the groceries.
Customers are asked to have their trunk or door open for associates to place directly into the car. Customers are also encouraged to wear masks and limit the number of people in the car where possible.
A $30 minimum is required on all pickup orders, and a $2.95 service fee will be applied at checkout.
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, announced the opening of 12 specialized “CVS Pharmacy y mas” stores in New York and New Jersey.
The stores are designed to provide enhanced and convenient shopping specific to local Hispanic communities.
Shoppers will find deals from products and brands they already know and love. The stores will have bilingual staff and signage.
Brands and products at the stores will include Iberia Foods, Yaucono, Fabuloso, Tio Nacho, Pilon and Café La Llave.
In Queens, the two CVS Pharmacy y mas stores will be at 89-11 Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights and 329 Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood.
“We understand our Hispanic customers are looking for more personalized shopping experiences,” said Mayra Boitel, vice president, Chief Merchant of Alternative Formats at CVS Health, “and we’re eager to deliver in these markets and make them feel at home while they pick up their essentials.”


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On August 29th, 2003, five people from Estonia, Sweden and Denmark launched the first version of Skype. In 10 years, the VoIP service has massively expanded its reach and has become one of the most popular software programs ever released. Indeed, the word "Skyped" has become a term for some people to use when they make a call on the service, much like how people use "Googled it" to describe searching for files.
Microsoft acquired Skype in October 2011 for $8.5 billion and since then the company has been very busy integrating the service in several of its products, including most recently Outlook.com. It will also be used in the upcoming Xbox One game console.
On the occasion of Skype's 10th anniversary today, Microsoft released a new infographic, shown below, that claims Skype now has 300 million connected users. Indeed, Microsoft claims that a third of all international telephone calls now go through Skype. Over the past 10 years. Skype users have spent over 1.4 trillion minutes using the service.
Microsoft also announced that, from now until 12 am PT Friday, every single Skype user will receive 30 minutes of free WiFi access that can be used on its two million hotspots. The free minutes, which have to be used in two 15 minute segments, will be available for use over the next month.
So what does the Skype team have planned for the future? According to a BBC story, it is looking into developing a way to offer 3D video chat, but that technology could be several years down the road. Mark Gillett, the corporate VP for Microsoft's Skype division, stated:
We have it in the lab, we know how to make it work and we're looking at the ecosystem of devices and their capability to support it in order to make a decision when we might think about bringing something like that to market.
Gillett says that a Skype client could also be released for Sony's PlayStation 4 in the future. A version of Skype is already available for the Sony PS Vita portable console.
Source: Skype | Image via Microsoft
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As John Lewis becomes the latest big-name brand to leave Sheffield city centre, the future of the city's high street looks to be a bleak one.
Many an iconic company have sadly left Sheffield city centre in recent months, with the abundance of vacant shops a stark reminder that our retail economy is not bouncing back from the last year as quickly as we had hoped.
Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on retail across the country and has accelerated store closures of many well-known companies.
Arcadia Group stores such as Topshop, Top Man and Dorothy Perkins were all hit hard, as well as historic chocolatier Thorntons - all of which have been lost from Sheffield city centre in recent months.
And the Covid pandemic proved to be the final blow for Debenhams, which closed its Sheffield store for the final time on May 15, with the department store building now standing empty on the Moor.
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But it seems that the stores which have weathered this storm are not proving to be the people-pull that Sheffield city centre desperately needs, as the city is among the bottom 10 in the country for high street footfall and spend since last year.
According to the think tank Centre for Cities' high streets recovery tracker, Sheffield is placed six in the bottom 10 for city centre footfall during the period from February 13 2020 to May 31 2021.
Though Centre for Cities' data shows that Sheffield's city centre economy is classified as 'strong', its "overall recovery index" score of just 52 (out of 100) is seriously lacking behind nearby towns such as Doncaster (scored 69) and Barnsley (scored 71).
As a smaller town centre, Rotherham has not been included in Centre for Cities' data.
How many stores are vacant in the city centre?
On June 18 2021, South Yorkshire Live paid a visit to Sheffield city centre to count the number of shop units that are currently vacant.
We opted to survey only the main shopping streets, so did not visit every single street in the centre and we also chose to avoid West Street, but did include Division Street which is where we began our survey.
The popular bohemian student haunt hosts a number of independent boutiques, pubs and eateries and is normally bustling with activity, still there were three empty shops here.
From Division Street we surveyed the Barker's Pool area of the centre, which is where John Lewis stands.
Though the store has not been cleared out yet, it is officially closed so we have included it in our final count of six empty stores.
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One closed and empty store had lights on inside and did look to be in the stages of refurbishment, so perhaps this count will go down to five in a few weeks time.
We then headed to Leopald Street where there were no closed stores, but the Orchard Square shopping centre had one, with Blue Banana still open and trading but with a "to let" sign above the door.
And now for the big one: Fargate.
The main city centre shopping area in Sheffield has been struggling for years, with the nearby regeneration of the Moor Market pulling trade away from the place.
We counted a staggering 23 empty stores in Fargate alone, with the Thorntons and old Primark store among them.
Just off of Fargate, Surrey Street had two empty shops and one of these was a particularly sad loss: Sheffield Scene, the quirky sells-allsorts store that closed earlier this year.
Unsurprisingly, the rapidly improving Moor Market area had fewer vacant stores than Fargate but we still counted a total of 13.
Final tally: 43 closed and empty stores in Sheffield city centre.
What impact has this had on shoppers?
Unfortunately, the huge number of closed shops in Sheffield city centre has not gone unnoticed by locals and people travelling into the area for shopping.
When we stopped some shoppers for a chat about the shopping experience in the centre, few had many positive words to say about it.
"Well, there aren't any [shops]", said Janet Hilbert, who was on her way to the Moor Market with husband David, when South Yorkshire Live stopped to chat with them.
David said: "I think Sheffield had more empty shops even before the lockdown ended, it was one of the worst cities.
"I think [the city centre] is dying really, there's nothing to encourage people to come in and I think that Meadowhall hasn't helped. But it's the layout, it's not a compact area - you walk from the old market to the Moor and it's a pull on people.
"People also want to be able to drive right up to the front of a shop, so not being able to drive has had an effect."
And Janet believes that the only way to regenerate the Fargate area in particular is to transform is to an area for eating, not shopping.
She said: "The only thing you can do with putting down in Fargate is eating, because there's no where that you can go just for a cup of coffee. I think that's the only thing that they can do with it.
"Debenhams going is a real shame and John Lewis was a big blow, they're a big attraction and really pulled people in."
Carolyn Murphy, who used to work in the city centre in one of the Sheffield Hallam University buildings, told South Yorkshire Live that her and her partner's city centre habits have changed dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: "We don't tend to come in often now, I work at Hallam so I was here every day but now, working from home, we don't tend to come in.
"We just sat and had a coffee and we were saying we were absolutely gutted that John Lewis is gone, as long as we've been in Sheffield it's been here and it's quite an institution - the same for Debenhams.
"Just seeing it like this [full of empty buildings] doesn't entice you back in, so we've changed our habits and we're now trying to support local businesses."
What the council says
Sheffield City Council have said that they accept it is "sad" to see empty premises in the city centre, but they have reassured shoppers that this is encouraging them to invest more in growth.
Councillor Julie Grocutt, Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: "We know it’s sad to see empty premises in the city centre, but that is spurring us on to continue to work hard and prioritise transforming our city centre to a bustling, inviting and exciting place.
"We have the Heart of the City still making headway, with the recent addition of the new, and very popular ‘The Furnace’ bar, we have the investment of the Future Highstreet Fund which will transform Fargate. Add to this that we don’t just want to replicate what is done elsewhere and what has been done before, we want to recognise the ever changing needs of the high-street for residents, and our focus is on mixed-use developments moving forward.
"We are still in a pandemic and restrictions remain for people up and down the country. However, easing restrictions have allowed us to deliver a big programme of activity in Sheffield - Summer in the Outdoor City - which will include a wealth of events to bring people back into the city centre.
"Big, exciting developments do take time, and whilst the pandemic has crippled local towns and cities throughout the UK, we’ll be making sure we put loads of time and effort into making Sheffield a city that everyone wants to spend time in."
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Spain is a popular place to find car rentals, but for those looking to rent a car in Spain, it’s a little more complicated than you might think.
The process for renting a car can be a bit confusing.Read more
A new study has revealed that car rental companies are doing a better job of selling their services than ever before.
A study published in the journal Consumer Reports found that car rentals are more popular than ever in the United States.
According to the study, car rental operators increased their rental revenues by 6.4% last year, and the rental market has seen an 11.9% increase since 2015.
The report says that the number of car rentals has grown by about 300% in the last decade, which is a sign that there is demand for these services.
“The increase in rental demand for car rentals is primarily driven by increasing affordability and convenience, which are reflected in increasing rental prices and the trend toward increased car ownership,” the study stated.
For the first time, there is a growing number of renters who are able to find affordable car rentals in their areas.
If you are considering renting a car, you may want to consider renting it online.
To get a better idea of the industry, Consumer Reports conducted a survey of over 4,000 car rental agencies across the country.
The price of an SUV has plunged over the past year as the country struggles with the effects of a decades-long recession.
With the U.S. and European economies expanding, Japan is now one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for SUV sales.
In April, the country added 1,500 vehicles to its fleet, more than doubling the amount of SUVs sold last year.
Japan has also been making strides in electric vehicle production, with Nissan announcing plans in April to add 500 more EVs in 2020.
Meanwhile, the government has been increasing incentives for consumers to buy EVs and has also announced a new tax credit program for EV owners.
A new report from Japan’s auto research institute found that sales of electric vehicles are expected to rise to 8.8 million vehicles by 2025, up from 5.6 million last year and 6.8 percent of all new vehicles sold in the country.
But automakers are struggling to bring new models to the market.
The industry has been struggling to make a dent in the market amid the cost of developing batteries for EVs.


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Washington: So, how's that new iPhone working for you, now that Apple's promise of secure encryption has been punctured by news that a mysterious "outside party" has cracked the phone used by the gunman in last year's San Bernardino massacre?
Apple and the FBI have been at daggers drawn over the company's refusal to crack the code, to reveal the contents of gunman Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5c to investigators, the FBI's problem being that after just 10 failed attempts to bypass the phone's lock protection, its stored data ordinarily becomes inaccessible – permanently.
With a barely concealed "nah nah, nah nah nah", the FBI was back in a California court this week, explaining that it no longer required Apple's assistance. And in a jab that would have caused company founder Steve Jobs to turn in his grave, the FBI showed no inclination to reveal its fabulous secret on backdoor access to Farook's phone to Apple.
For some in this gizmo-obsessed era, the war between Apple and the FBI will be nothing more than being dudded at the mall. It now seems the phone that was sold as a lockbox for all your secrets is not all it is cracked up to be – the motoring equivalent of buying a Volkswagen and finding that it would perform as billed by the dealer only while it was illegally rigged to bypass emission controls.
But for others, much more is at stake. In the era of the Edward Snowden disclosures and all the dense complexity of his revelation three years ago of the breadth and depth of Washington's global and domestic surveillance and eavesdropping, a case that reduces it all to the privacy and security of the phone in your pocket makes this visceral for Americans.
The US Justice Department, representing the FBI, and Apple were due to face off in a California court on Tuesday last week, at which the authorities wanted orders for Apple to comply and unlock the phone.
But in a dramatic filing, the Justice Department revealed – ahem! – that maybe it no longer needed Apple's co-operation, because an unnamed outside party had seemingly revealed to the FBI how to breach Apple's much-vaunted security software.
Indicating that the FBI was testing the new method before applying it to Farook's phone, the department said that if all went well "it should eliminate the need for the assistance from Apple", which starkly contradicted its oft-stated claim that only Apple could reveal the gunman's call history, contact list, texts, physical movements and anything else that might be stored in the phone which might, or might not shed light on the December massacre, in which the Islamic State-inspired Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 of Farook's work colleagues at a local government facility in San Bernardino, California.
It can't have surprised Apple that the legal standoff amounted to an irresistible invitation to software engineers and cyber security experts around the globe to prove its products did not live up to the marketing hype.
Resorting to Constable Plod talk that conveyed none of the excitement of the chase, FBI Director James Comey told reporters: "The attention that has been drawn to this issue, by the litigation and by the controversy that surrounds it, has stimulated a marketplace of creative people all around the world to try and come up with ideas – lots of folk have come to us with potential ideas."
An Israeli security company, Cellebrite, has been named as the likely suspect – apparently because it struck a $US15 million deal with the FBI last week. But in a market awash with scepticism, it's also been suggested that the leaking of the name Cellebrite might just be a clever marketing ruse. Neither the FBI nor the company are commenting.
Apple has argued that abiding by a court order to reveal the data in one device could lead to many iPhones being accessed which, it claims, would breach the privacy of its customers and the strength of its product security. There were several examples from around the country – including a reported 175 cases in Manhattan alone – of local investigators maneuvering to share the FBI's back-door access to the phone.
The pause in the legal stoush that has been billed as a clash of titans, Silicon Valley v the Federal Government, is expected to be just that – a pause. "This will only delay an inevitable fight over whether the government can force Apple to break the security of its devices," American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Alex Abdo told The New York Times.
To that end, neither side particularly wants the Farook case to go away – the simplicity of arguing about one man's phone was perfect for Washington's campaign to drive a debate on how far it should be allowed to go in demanding trade-offs between personal privacy and investigating terrorism in a post-Snowden world; that simplicity also appealed to Apple and Silicon Valley in general.
In a conflict in which there have been few gestures of good will, Comey did write in a post at the national security blog Lawfare in February that this clash could not be resolved by a corporation that made things to sell for a living, or an agency that investigated things for a living. "It should be resolved by the American people deciding how we want to govern ourselves in a world we have never seen before," he writes.
The issue deeply divides Americans – according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 42 per cent of respondents argued that Apple was obliged to help the authorities; 47 per cent argued the tech giant should not co-operate. More broadly, a 2014 Pew Research poll found 90 per cent of respondents shared a belief that consumers had lost control of the collection of their personal data.
Early in March US President Barack Obama backed the spooks, warning against "fetishising our phones above every other value". The president argued that using technology to block access to a smartphone was akin to blocking the police from searching a house for evidence of child pornography.
Obama told the techie South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas: "You cannot take an absolutist view on this – if your view is strong encryption no matter what and we can and should produce [inaccessible] black boxes, that does not strike the balance we've lived with for 200 or 300 years."
If there was no way to gain access to new communications devices, Obama asked, "how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot? What mechanisms do we have to even do things like tax enforcement … if government can't get in, then everyone's walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket?"
These are tricky questions, hinging on the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans. Reasonable, warranted searches are allowed of people's cars, homes and offices; but on Apple's reading of the law as it applies in the digital era, Silicon Valley and criminals and terrorists should be beyond the law.
Setting out a traditional law enforcement exercise, The New Yorker wrote: "Law enforcement agencies, in seeking to protect the public, also have a vital job to do and they have long had the right to violate people's personal space, with a court's approval. For example, in searching for incriminating evidence, they can, given a suitably tailored warrant, break down the front door of a person's home, rip apart walls and floors and rifle through personal possessions.
"They can also make landlords assist them in gaining entry. In the San Bernardino case, the FBI effectively argues that a cell phone isn't much different from an apartment, and that Apple isn't much different from a landlord."
Writing on the hacking blog Hackaday, self-described nerd author Elliot Williams argues that the FBI claim that this was a dispute about just one phone had no credibility – "we don't believe that for a second. The Farook case was intended to capitalise on the public's fear of terrorism and to force Apple to play along and to take actions that harm all of their customers.
"The FBI will be trying to establish precedent to compel decryption again, and will try until they find a judge to agree with them."
But if that sounds like hackers running amok, former Clinton and Bush National Security Adviser Richard Clark told National Public Radio: "If I were in the job now, I'd have simply told the FBI to call Fort Meade, the headquarters of the National Security Agency, and NSA would have solved this problem for them. They're not as interested in solving the problem as they are in getting a legal precedent.
"Every expert I know believes that NSA could crack this phone. They want the precedent that the government can compel a computer device manufacturer to allow the government in."
In this case the FBI was not entirely helpless. Because Farook's employer owned the phone, investigators had details of all the calls he had placed and possibly his saved messages. And Apple chief Tim Cook acknowledged that Apple had also provided a "cloud backup and some other metadata" to the FBI.
But Farook's contact list apparently remained elusive and the FBI suspected that some data was missing from the backup provided by Apple, because Farook apparently had changed his password and in so doing, might have disengaged the phone's automatic iCloud backup function.
Apple reportedly is prepared to risk being in contempt of court by ignoring any order to co-operate with the government and there is speculation that even if the company agreed to co-operate, its software engineering staff would refuse to do so.
Arguing its case in a court filing last week, Apple charged: "The government seeks to commandeer Apple to design, create, test and validate a new operating system that does not exist, and that, Apple believes – with overwhelming support from the technology community and security experts – is too dangerous to create."
On another level, the company that earned more than $US50 billion in 2015, argues a fascinating freedom-of-speech line. As explained by The New York Times, it goes like this – computer code, even a code written to scramble a digital conversation, is a form of free speech and for a government or a court to order people to write a code is no different to telling them what to say.
Showing remarkable restraint, an unnamed Apple executive told reporters that Apple wanted to know more about the so-called outside party claiming it could crack the iPhone, so that it would know just how its security might be bypassed.
The technology website Motherboard speculates that the mystery outside party is one of a breed of super hackers who on discovering what's called a "zero day", a way through proprietary software, which they offer for sale to intelligence agencies and others with an interest in outflanking the likes of Apple.
But Motherboard then defers to iPhone forensic expert Jonathan Zdziarski who in a recent blog suggested an alternate method – a process of "mirroring" the iPhone's NAND flash memory, effectively cloning the iPhone's memory.
Motherboard explains: "This way, the FBI could make several passcode attempts, then avoid the auto-erase mechanism by simply flashing the original image back on to the chip, [thereby] resetting the number of attempts the system has detected …[and so] would allow the government to make an infinite number of passcode guesses without worrying about the device being wiped."
Maybe Zdziarski is more easily understood. He says: "This technique is kind of like cheating at Super Mario Bros with a save game, allowing you to play the same level over and over after you keep dying – only, instead of playing a game, they're trying different PIN combinations."
The FBI has poked a stick in Apple's eye. But the debate is far from resolved. Justice Department spokeswoman Melanie Newman was strident in a statement: "it remains a priority for the government to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with co-operation from the relevant parties, or through the court system when co-operation fails.
"We will continue to pursue all available options for this mission, including seeking the co-operation of manufacturers and relying upon the creativity of both the public and private sectors."


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AUSTINBURG — Coffee, bagel and smoothie lovers around Austinburg have a new place to stop after a ribbon cutting was held for Schnoogums on Wednesday afternoon.
Schnoogums, located at 2127 Route 45 in Austinburg, opened to the public in late March. Steven Kuhn, founder of Schnoogums, said he decided to open the business after noticing that there were not any thing similar in the Austinburg area, he said.
“I just noticed that, just driving in this area, that there was no bagel place, coffee place for specialty coffee, things of that nature, so the idea just kind of generated from there,” Kuhn said. The idea grew from bagels to coffee to smoothies, he said. The business also sells whole-bean coffee.
Kuhn said Schnoogums’ smoothies are made with frozen fruit and yogurt or ice cream and juice.
“Our frozen fruit drinks are thick,” he said.
Kuhn owned two businesses prior to Schnoogums, and he started feeling an itch to start a new one, he said. Once he decided what kind of business he wanted, it took Kuhn about a year to get things up and running, he said.
The business is open from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week, and is considering expanding its hours for the summer, Kuhn said.
Business was fantastic for the first week, and has been steady ever since, Kuhn said.
“The customers that come in, they’ve been great, absolutely wonderful,” Kuhn said.
At the ribbon cutting, Greater Ashtabula Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Greg Church said he has known Kuhn for some time, and it has been neat to watch the process.
“We are really excited to have [Schnoogums] here in Austinburg,” Church said.
Kuhn thanked everyone for attending the ribbon cutting, and said he wanted to give people another option to eat at in the area. He thanked the landlord and others who did the construction on the building.
Schnoogums is focused on its vision statement, which includes making people feel like everything is right in the world.
“Even if it’s just for a second, if I make you laugh, or you feel good by tasting ... one of our creations, I’ve done my job,” Kuhn said.


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Sharp Business Systems (India) expects 50 per cent growth in its turnover during the financial year 2020-21, as the company is expanding its portfolio and venturing into new segments such as smart home appliances.
Sharp Business Systems (India) expects 50 per cent growth in its turnover during the financial year 2020-21, as the company is expanding its portfolio and venturing into new segments such as smart home appliances. The company is looking India as one of the three major focus markets for the home appliances segment though its contribution to its global fold is not big, said Sharp India Managing Director Shinji Minatogawa.
“India is one of the most highlighted and targeted markets for us in home appliances, that’s why we are developing country-specific products,” he said, adding, “We are committed to the Indian market.”
Sharp Business Systems, a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary of Sharp Corporation Japan, expects a turnover of Rs 230 crore in the current financial year. “We are expecting a growth of around 50 per cent next fiscal,” said Sharp President of Consumer Electronics Business Kishlay Ray. According to him, it would be delivered by all divisions, which include its business-to-business verticals as display and signage business and printing and business-to-consumer busines.
Sharp on Wednesday introduced new range of smart home appliances and strengthened its range of home air purification systems. The company is sensing a good opportunity in the segment as the disposable income in the metros is on the rise and the people are spending to buy niche products. The company has also introduced new range of air purifiers, dehumidifiers and water purifiers in India with smart filtration technology and energy-efficient features.


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Canna🍁Minutes – News for the Cannabis Culture: Feb 2018 (Who's Obstructing Legal weed?)
Today on CannaMinutes News for the Cannabis Culture we look at who’s Obstructing Legal weed in America? http://bit.ly/WizardPuff 10% Off in the Wizard Puff head shop with code: “CANNABASICS”
Although well over half of the States in America have some sort of legal cannabis laws and the support of legal cannabis has reached an all time high among American citizens there is still a lot of resistance to the cause. Let’s look at the some of the entities obstructing legalizing recreational cannabis use on a federal level in the United States.
Full article on our site: https://www.ruffhousestudios.com/cannaminutes-news-for-the-cannabis-culture-feb-2018/
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The seven “Thursday Night Football” games streamed so far for the 2018 season on Prime Video and Twitch (weeks 4-10) drew a combined 14.7 million total viewers in over 200 countries and territories, including all 50 U.S. states, according to Amazon. That’s up 22% versus the same time last year.
Moreover, the average minute audience (AMA) watching NFL games on Prime Video and Twitch for at least 30 seconds averaged around 455,000 through those seven games, 36% higher than this time last year. The expansion of “TNF” to free streaming on Amazon-owned Twitch is new this season, contributing to the ecommerce company’s overall audience increase.
For the NFL’s 2018 season overall, TV ratings to date through the first 10 weeks are up 3% on average, per Nielsen estimates, after an initial decline in the first three weeks — a turnaround from the audience drops the league saw the past two seasons.
The U.S. TV audience for “TNF” games is down around 7% year-over-year to date for weeks 4-10. Amazon and Twitch may be responsible for peeling off some of the TV audience but it’s impossible to know for sure. The NFL’s hypothesis was that selling digital streaming rights to Amazon would help it boost total audience reach, particularly overseas.
Amazon has four more “TNF” games this season, including the Nov. 15 Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks matchup. The preshow starts at 7:30 p.m. ET, with kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET.
For 2018, Amazon is offering Fox’s feed of 11 “Thursday Night Football” games this season (all of which are simulcast on Fox broadcast, Fox Deportes, and NFL Network). The company also acquired “TNF” streaming rights for the NFL’s 2019 season.
Other tidbits Amazon shared about “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video:
- Outside of the U.S., Mexico has represented the largest streaming audience followed by Canada
- Prime Video members in California have streamed “TNF” more than any other state, followed by customers in Washington and Texas
- On a per-capita basis, Prime Video members in North Dakota have streamed more hours of “TNF” on Prime Video than any other state
- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was the most-viewed player on X-Ray for Fire TV “Thursday Night Football” experience, followed by Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins
Prime and Prime Video members worldwide can stream the “TNF” games via the Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, mobile devices, and online at amazon.com/video/tnf. Viewers can watch the games called by Fox’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, or pick one of three other audio options: a feed featuring Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm, the first female announcing duo in NFL broadcast history; a version with Spanish-language announcers; and a feed from a U.K. team.
Twitch offers the games free worldwide at twitch.tv/primevideo and offers an array of interactive features including custom NFL emoji and alternate commentary from Twitch streamers.
Here are the audience numbers from Amazon for the first seven “Thursday Night Football” games:
|Week (Date)||Game||Total Combined Viewers*||Average Minute Audience|
|Week 4 (Sept. 27)||Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams||2.0 million||527,000|
|Week 5 (Oct. 5)||Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots||2.4 million||531,000|
|Week 6 (Oct. 11)||Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants||2.4 million||535,000|
|Week 7 (Oct. 18)||Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals||1.8 million||304,000|
|Week 8 (Oct. 25)||Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans||2.0 million||375,000|
|Week 9 (Nov. 1)||Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers||1.9 million||370,000|
|Week 10 (Nov. 8)||Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers||2.2 million||540,000|
* includes both Prime Video and Twitch audience


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RICHMOND, Va. -- Kroger is notifying individuals about a data breach that affected customers of their Kroger Health and Money Services.
The company said they believe the breach has impacted less than 1% of their customers, and no debit card or credit card information or passwords were affected.
They're notifying the affected customers and are offering them free credit monitoring. They said they're also notifying current and former associates whose HR records may have been impacted.
The breach happened at the end of January.
According to Kroger, they reported it to federal law enforcement and conducted their own investigation after they were notified about it.
The security incident affected the company Accellion, which is a third-party service that was used by Kroger and other companies to securely transfer files.