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Frustrated Wells Fargo customers are saying their direct-deposit paychecks aren't showing up a day after the bank was crippled by an outage

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Wells Fargo

  • After a nearly daylong outage that prevented Wells Fargo customers from using their debit cards or online banking information, the company said most of its services had been restored on Friday.
  • But customers say they're increasingly frustrated over the long wait times to speak with representatives. Some reported having estimated wait times of two hours, while many said their direct deposits were not reflected in their accounts.
  • Certain features such as consumer-credit-card and mortgage balances were still unavailable as Wells Fargo recovered from a power shutdown at one of its facilities after smoke was detected.

Wells Fargo customers are still experiencing slow access to their online banking services, long wait times to talk to representatives, and direct deposits not showing up in their accounts a day after smoke was detected at one of Wells Fargo's facilities — causing a large-scale outage that left some customers unable to use their debit cards or access their online accounts.

The company said on Twitter late Thursday night that the event was not caused by a cybersecurity attack but solely because of the shutdown at its data center in Shoreview, Minnesota.

"We apologize for the inconvenience caused by these systems issues," the statement said, "and any Wells Fargo fees incurred as a result of these issues will be reversed."

As of Friday morning, debit-card use and most online services were back to normal, the company said in a news release, with the exception of features such as consumer-credit-card and mortgage balances.

Well Fargo provided the following rundown of which services were and were not working as of Friday morning:

• Wells Fargo ATM services have been restored and are available for customer use.
• Mobile and Online Banking systems are operational, with the exception of some features, such as consumer credit card and mortgage balances, that we are in the process of restoring.
• Customers can use Wells Fargo credit and debit cards for purchases.
• Wells Fargo bank branches are operational.
• Our contact center systems are restored, but customers may experience longer than usual delays contacting Wells Fargo’s Phone Bank.

Customers have indeed reported slow access to the Wells Fargo website and wait times as long as two hours to talk to representatives.

"I called the bank and the estimated time to speak with someone was over 2 hours," Sofia Laasiri, a Wells Fargo customer in San Diego, told Business Insider. "I instead went into a branch and they also had little access to accounts."

Many customers took to social media to express their frustration.

The number of customers affected is still unknown, and a request for comment by Business Insider was not returned. It is also not known when customers will begin to see their account balances reflected accurately.

Friday is also payday for many workers, and some Wells Fargo customers said on social media that their direct deposits were not reflected in their account balance.

The company replied to some users on Twitter saying: "We are aware of an issue regarding the processing of direct deposit into Wells Fargo accounts and we're sorry for the inconvenience. Some may not yet be able to see payroll deposits in online banking. Customers should operate as they would normally. Thank you for your patience."

This is the second service outage in a week for the bank, which had to apologize on February 1 for a similar issue.

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27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts you can get on Amazon

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

benchmark, $35

  • With all of the expectations around it, Valentine's Day gifting can be hard.
  • You don't need a grand romantic gesture to show someone you care about them this February 14.
  • We rounded up 27 sweet gifts, all on Amazon, that are a great way to show someone you love them this Valentine's Day. 

Finding the right Valentine's Day gift is hard. Striking the balance between sweet and sentimental, but not too sweet and sentimental, can be difficult. Ultimately, many of us end up in the drugstore aisle, searching for a cute card and box of chocolates at the last minute.

If you're in a bind, don't worry — you don't need to resort to a Hallmark card or a sweeping romantic gesture.

We found a bunch of products that make sweet Valentine's Day gifts, whether you're looking for something for your new boyfriend or girlfriend, long-term partner or spouse, best friend, sister, or even your kids. From nice kitchen gadgets to little gifts that show them you're thinking of them, we covered it all. Plus, everything's on Amazon, so you can get most of these products just in time for the big day.

Keep reading for 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts, all from Amazon. For more ideas, you can also check out the following gift guides:

SEE ALSO: 15 eco-friendly Valentine's Day flower bouquets we love — plus expert tips on what to keep in mind when ordering

DON'T MISS: 22 unique, low-key gifts to celebrate your first Valentine's Day as a couple

An Airbnb gift card

Airbnb Gift Card, E-mail Delivery, from $25

You know they've been wanting to travel more, so bring them one step closer with an Airbnb gift card that they can put toward accommodations or activities on your next trip together.



A monthly coffee subscription

Amazon Bean Box, $26/month

Coffee connoisseurs will love the chance to try a new bag of fresh beans from Portland and Seattle's top roasters each month. A subscription will get them a 12-ounce bag, along with tasting notes and brewing tips. You can choose from espresso, light, dark, decaf, and medium varieties to ensure they get something they'll love. 



A classic floral bouquet

Benchmark Bouquets Dozen Rainbow Roses, $35.62

Yes, roses may seem overdone on Valentine's day, but it's for good reason. They look beautiful, smell amazing, and add a necessary burst of color to the dark, cold winter months. 



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How to sign up for Amazon Prime to get free 2-day shipping and other great perks

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Amazon Prime Boxes 

  • An Amazon Prime membership comes with free two-day shipping, access to tens of thousands of hours of video and audio content, grocery discounts, and many more great perks.
  • More than 51% of American households now use Amazon Prime, and the United States Post Office has reported a 54% increase in package deliveries in the past five years.
  • Signing up for Amazon Prime is quick and easy and can cost as little as $6.49 a month for students, and less than $10 a month for everyone else. 
  • Here's how to sign up for an Amazon Prime Membership and unlock two-day shipping and other great perks.

Amazon Prime, the fast and free shipping service launched by Amazon in early 2005, has changed the way Americans shop for just about everything. It has also changed the way many of us watch TV and movies, listen to music, read books, and even store our personal photos and videos. Also, in some places, you can order food for delivery via Prime.

Are you asking yourself: "Should I sign up for Amazon Prime?" The answer is probably yes, if you want to be like an estimated 51.7% of the population of the United States. That's the number of households that have a Prime membership, according to a recent study by Prime Mailboxes (ironically, no relation to Amazon!). And United States Postal Service data show that USPS package deliveries have gone up by more than 54% in the past five years, with Amazon accounting for much of it.

Also, you can take it from me: I've been a Prime member and devotee since 2006. We go way back.

So if you want free, two-day shipping on baby clothes, seltzer water, sleeping bags, cat litter, and a million other things, or access to hundreds of TV shows and movies, both old and new, and a massive catalog of songs, books, and other media, then you really should sign up for Prime.

Ah, but how much does Amazon Prime cost? The best route is the annual membership, which means a once yearly cost of $119, or about $9.91 a month. You can also start out with a free month, and then opt for monthly billing if you're still unsure. The cost of monthly Amazon Prime membership is $12.99, which works out to $155.88, a good deal more expensive than the annual rate.

Students can enjoy a monthly rate of just $6.49, however, or only $77.88 per year, and can also take advantage of a six-month free trial period. And don't forget about the gift of Prime: You can sign someone up for a gift membership for the same $119 annual rate or for a three-month Prime gift subscription for $38.97. Or you can ask for the gift of Prime for your birthday, now armed with all the info your gift getter needs.

Assuming you're convinced that an Amazon Prime membership is right for you, here's how to sign up for Prime.

How to sign up for Prime

Before you can sign up for an Amazon Prime membership, you need to have a basic Amazon account. And for the record, if you only order a few things online each year, a free basic Amazon account may be all you need, but it comes without any access to media and with slower and (of course) pricier shipping.

To sign up for an Amazon account and then an Amazon Prime membership follow these steps:

  1. Go to Amazon.
  2. Hover over (or tap on mobile) where it says Hello, Sign in and Accounts & Lists in the top right corner of the screen.
  3. On the drop down menu, click Start Here under the New Customer? question.
  4. Enter your name, email, and a password in the fields provided, then click Create Your Amazon Account.
  5. You will be automatically signed in or you can sign in using the same Hello, Sign in link if you wish to proceed with Prime membership later.

Now to continue to the matter at hand.

You're a few clicks, a free trial, and then a payment away from fast, free shipping, lots of movies and music, discounted eats from Whole Foods, and a whole lot more.

To sign up for a Prime membership, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to your basic Amazon account.
  2. Click on your account icon on the top right (it should say Hello, Your Name where before it said Hello, Sign in.).
  3. Click Prime Membership from the dropdown menu.
  4. On the next page, select Start your free trial, and make sure to opt for the six-month option if you're verifiably a student.
  5. Select the type of Prime membership you want, from the $8 video-only option to the monthly payment plan for everything to the annual fee for everything.
  6. Enter credit or debit card info when prompted, or select the card already on file (from your basic membership) that you want to be charged for membership.
  7. Confirm your billing and shipping address(es).
  8. Enjoy Amazon Prime— yours is now in the majority of American households.

Buy an Amazon Prime Membership for $12.99 per month or $119 per year

Buy an Amazon Prime 3-Month Gift Membership for $39



Check out our other guides to Amazon Prime to learn about all the perks that are included in a membership



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5 startups that are redefining the way we think about health and wellness

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase

co

  • In just about every industry, traditional companies are being challenged by the nimble nature of startups, which have an easier time catering to the wants and needs of modern customers.
  • The health and wellness industry is particularly ripe for change, with consumers always looking for the next diet trend, healthy eating craze, or lifestyle product to turn to. 
  • Below, you'll find five startups that are challenging the status quo with simple, transparent products and services, and redefining the way we think about health and wellness in the process.

Health and wellness trends tend to come and go. Right now, celery juice is all the rage. A few months ago, it was activated charcoal water that everyone was drinking to "detox." And, while the Atkins diet was critiqued in the '90s for its low-carb limits, the Keto diet is becoming increasingly popular, albeit controversial, today. If anything, our willingness to try new foods, diets, and herbal remedies in the name of improving our health signals a desire for change.

But what is it that we're looking for?

It's a question that new companies are constantly asking, thinking about how they might solve common problems, ease frustrations, or make improvements to the status quo. And with consumers eager for change, the health and wellness industry has lots of room for improvement. 

Whether it's vitamins, food, or hygienic products, some of our favorite startups are the ones that are redefining the way we think about, and access, some of our most important and commonly-used products. From choosing higher-quality ingredients to making healthy eating more affordable and accessible, these brands are bettering the products we use to better ourselves — and isn't that what we're all searching for?

While health and wellness trends may come and go, we think these ones are in it for the long haul.

Keep reading to learn more about these five startups that are shaking up the health and wellness industry:

Ritual

Shop essential vitamins at Ritual

The problem: There is an abundance of vitamins with nuanced labeling and confusing language that makes the shopping process intimidating, leading consumers to buy blindly. 

Ritual's solution: This female-centric vitamin brand is all about transparency — in everything from its brand values to its see-through vitamin capsules. When Katerina Schneider, Founder and CEO, was pregnant, she began purging her home of products with questionable ingredients. When it came to finding a prenatal vitamin, she came across a plethora of ingredients she was wary of. Her failed quest ultimately turned into an exciting opportunity — to create better women’s vitamins.

Since 2015, Ritual has been committed to providing women with essential vitamins that are traceable, transparent, and made with high-quality ingredients. These aren’t just meaningless labels, though — Schneider worked tirelessly with doctors, scientists, and nutritionists to settle on the right formula. If you’re still a skeptic, Ritual will help you actually understand what you’re putting in your body. The company offers an essential women’s vitamin and a prenatal option, each made with a minimal number of ingredients (9 and 12, respectively). On the website, you’ll find an in-depth background of each ingredient explaining the benefits and even where it’s made (down to the exact factory), plus you'll find an interview with the producer.

If you’ve ever struggled to shop the vitamin aisle, let alone try to understand the ingredients list on a particular bottle, Ritual can help. The company takes out the guesswork by offering only two options — essential women's and essential prenatal — and they use a subscription service model to make vitamins a mainstay in your daily routine. Pricing is $30 a month for their regular vitamins and $35 for the prenatal. Each month you'll get a clear bottle filled with transparent capsules, in which you can actually see all of the ingredients in your vitamin — all wrapped up a bright, yellow box that’ll make you actually want to take your vitamins every day, two times to be exact.

Shop Essential Women's Vitamins at Ritual

Learn more about Ritual here



Care/of

Create a personalized vitamin routine at Care/of

The problem: The one-size-fits-all approach to taking vitamins doesn't work for everyone.

Care/of's solution: We all lead unique lives, and just as our approach to eating and exercising is tailored to our way of life, our vitamins should be too. The assumption that gender or age alone can determine exactly what kind of vitamins we need is inadequate, according to Care/of. A more holistic approach to vitamins, one that considers your needs and preferences, is necessary. That's why Care/of is making vitamins personal.

It all starts with a quick, but in-depth questionnaire. You'll find questions about more basic things like age and gender, but also more specific ones that address your physical activity, diet, and specific health-related improvements you're looking to make. After you complete the questions, you'll get your recommendations. While reading about vitamins isn't something I would usually find interesting, the site is kind of mesmerizing — providing vital information in a way that is so aesthetically pleasing you won't be able to look away. With each vitamin recommendation, you'll get information on what it does, what ingredients it contains, how it's been researched over the years (and how conclusive this research is), and how it can help a specific concern you addressed in the survey, among other facts. 

You can purchase your recommended doses through a monthly subscription service, which will vary in price based on what you have in your box. For reference, I took the quiz and my box came out to be $57 a month. The good news is, if you find the price to be too steep, you can remove any vitamin from your box, for a set of vitamins that works for your body and budget. 

Create a personalized vitamin routine at Care/of

Learn more about Care/of here



Thrive Market

Shop affordable organics at Thrive Market

The problem: Accessibility and affordability (or lack thereof) serve as major obstacles to healthy eating.

Thrive Market's solution: For most people, shopping for groceries wholesale conjures up thoughts of buying rice and soda in bulk at Costco, while shopping for organic food brings to mind small grocery bags that come with long bills attached. There's a reason people like to call Whole Foods "Whole Paycheck" instead. While that misnomer is funny, it speaks to the high cost of buying foods that align with our values. Yet, so many of us want to do this — whether that means shopping from fair-trade purveyors for ethical reasons or only buying foods that are paleo for health purposes. 

Thrive Market wants to make grocery shopping simple and more affordable, with radically transparent labeling coupled with wholesale prices. It's a membership service, and a year costs $59.95, which comes down to just $5 a month. From there, you can shop your favorite healthy brands at a fraction of the price. On average, you'll save between 25-50%. If you grocery shop often, or for a big family, you'll likely make up the yearly membership fee in savings from your first two orders. 

Thrive is committed to doing better in more ways than one. Every product on the website is GMO-free, as Thrive believes that we should know everything we're putting into our bodies, and deserve to know about chemicals in our food that we wouldn't be comfortable ingesting. Additionally, Thrive is extending its mission to make healthy eating more affordable and accessible with its Thrive Gives memberships. When you buy a membership to Thrive Market, Thrive will donate a membership to a low-income family, along with educational content and grocery stipends. 

Shop affordable organics at Thrive Market

Learn more about Thrive Market here



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There's a simple test to figure out if you're eating high-quality chocolate

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  • Valentine's Day is one of the biggest days for buying chocolate
  • Any chocolate lover knows quality is important, and paying attention to this detail could make a difference to your valentine. 
  • Dark chocolate with lots of cocoa butter is much stronger than milk chocolate with vegetable fats.
  • Business Insider spoke with Angus Kennedy, editor of Kennedy's Confection magazine, about how to identify high-quality chocolate.

Following is a transcript of the video:

Angus Kennedy: Quite an easy way of checking chocolate — I've got two chocolate bars here — one is like a standard sort of milk chocolate, perhaps a sort of lower end type of chocolate and one is more higher end, higher cocoa butter, higher cocoa percentage.

So this one is actually 70%, this is probably around 40%.

There's a really sure way of doing this so what you do is you get a piece of your bar and you just snap it off.

If you just listen to that.

I'll do it again.

Right?

So that's the sort of thing.

You can just about hear that.

Now, this is a much higher cocoa butter content so it actually set harder so it should make a different noise, it's like a kind of "click".

That was quite a big difference.

So that's actually quite easy and then, of course, you've got to eat it, which is the fun bit.

So the higher quality chocolate tends to make a bit of a click and a harder noise because it doesn't melt so quickly and it's just got a bit less sugar got less vegetable fat in it and when you eat it, it should taste a little bit fruity because the cocoa bean is actually a very fruity product.

So it only depends on how much they roast it that gives it that bitter flavour.

So cocoa beans actually mistakenly are said to be bitter but it only depends on how long you roast them and ferment them for but having said all that, I was brought up on this stuff.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published on October 16, 2017. 

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24 personalized Valentine’s Day gifts worth putting the extra time and thought into

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

personalized valentines day gifts 3

  • There are fewer Valentine's Day gifts more thoughtful than a personalized one that reflects their identity, interests, and habits. 
  • It only takes a few extra minutes of thought and work to turn a generic gift into one that couldn't be given to anyone else. 
  • We've rounded up 24 personalized Valentine's Day gifts that'll add a little something special to their day. 

If you think about it, most gifts are "personalized" in that they're (hopefully) geared towards your recipient's specific likes, interests, or hobbies. Still, there are ways to go a step further and make it clear that the gift is made for them, and them only.

A personalized Valentine's Day gift will make them feel special, particularly on a day when many people fall back on hasty and generic presents.

Monograms and engravings are a simple way to make a mark and distinguish the gift — be it a towel, necklace, or leather accessory — as their own. There are also creative personalized gifts that take into account everything from their workout habits to the way they sleep. 

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out these guides:

Take the extra time to make your gift unique with these 24 personalized Valentine's Day gifts. 

A small trinket or treat, gift box included

Create a gift box at Greetabl

Greetabl is a cool service that lets you choose an eye-catching box design and a gift (options range from $4 confetti to a $28 bracelet) to go inside it. Then, pick a few photos from your time together as a couple, write a personal message, and you have a small gift that may not be extravagant but is infinitely thoughtful.



A leather travel organizer

Medium Travel Organizer, $85 + $10 monogram, available at Leatherology

Leatherology's full-grain leather travel bag will become their favorite thing to pack in their carry-on. It includes a zipped mesh storage pocket, elastic loops for their cords and bottles, and a water-resistant lining for maximum durability. Brown and black are classic, beautiful colors, but don't be afraid to go out of the box with a bright Turmeric or Cobalt (shown above). 

 



A zodiac ring

Virgo Ring, $69, available at Mejuri

If she's very in touch with her astrological sign and checks her horoscope on the daily, you can't give a better gift than an accessory that flaunts her personal alignment of stars. Find her sign in the complete Zodiac collection here



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Save $150 on a Leesa mattress — and more of today's best deals from around the web

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out our coupons page.

Leesa Mattress On Sale

1. Save $150 on a mattress from Leesa

We love Leesa's mattresses because their medium-soft memory foam keeps you cool and is designed to alleviate pressure, so you'll be comfortable regardless of your sleeping position. For a limited time you can save $150 on the mattress in any size, and if you need bedding, Leesa's sheets are currently 20% off, too. These discounts may not appear on the store page, but they're automatically applied at checkout.

Shop for a Leesa mattress now.

All-New Kindle Paperwhite

2. Save $30 on the All-New Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon's new Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof and comes with plenty of storage, so you can carelessly bring your full library to the beach. The Paperwhite is $30 cheaper through February 14 at 9 p.m. PST thanks to Amazon's Valentine's Day sale, which also includes a discount on the Amazon Echo. If you're looking for your first e-reader, you can't go wrong here.

Kindle Paperwhite, $99.99 (originally $129.99) [You save $30]

West Elm Drake Sofa

3. Save up to 30% on sofas, sectionals, and chairs at West Elm

West Elm's modern furniture can elevate a room and replace the holdovers you've had since college, and many of the pieces are hand-crafted. Right now, you can save up to 30% on sofas, sectionals, and chairs in a variety of sizes, styles, and materials. You can shop the sale by furniture type or price, so you're bound to find the perfect piece within your budget. 

Shop West Elm's sofa, sectional, and chair sale now.

Olivers Apparal

4. Save up to $245 on essential wardrobe bundles at Olivers Apparel

Founded after a successful 2013 Kickstarter, Olivers Apparel specializes in performance clothing that's sporty enough for workouts, yet comfortable and stylish enough for casual days. Now through February 13, the brand is selling mystery boxes filled with a variety of styles for 50% off. Although you can't pick exactly what's inside, you'll receive a bunch of great pieces in your size.

Olivers Apparel Small Mystery Box, $130 (valued at $260) [You save $130]

Olivers Apparel Large Mystery Box, $225 (valued at $470) [You save $245]

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

5. Save $30 on a Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera

Best Buy's "deal of the day" section is full of fresh discounts on the latest tech. Today, you can save $30 on a Fujifilm's Instax Mini 9, a modern take on the instant camera. It's available in six colors, and has a viewfinder, selfie mirror, and flash. Its built-in printer will eject your 3.39 x 2.13-inch picture in seconds, so you don't have to wait long between pictures.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9, $39.99 (originally $69.99), available at Best Buy [You save $30]

Back Country Sale

6. Save up to 40% on Backcountry-branded gear and apparel

While Backcountry sells gear and apparel from most of the top outdoor companies, the brand also has its own line of products. Right now, you can save up to 40% on Backcountry gear and apparel. The sale includes down jackets, fleeces, vests, hats, tents, and much more. If you're interested in great deals beyond Backcountry-branded products, you can also save up to 50% on other brands.

Shop the Backcountry sale now.

Wayfair Jerry 2 Drawer Nightstand

7. Save up to 70% at Wayfair's "Everything Bedroom" sale

Wayfair's furniture prices are always great because the online-only retailer doesn't have to pay for retail space, and we always find something we like when we shop there. The store is currently holding an "Everything Bedroom" sale, which includes everything from mattresses to multi-piece bedroom sets for up to 70% off. Whether you're shopping for a child, teenager, or adult, there's something for you here.

Shop Wayfair's bedroom sale now.

REI Winter Clearance Sale

8. Save up to 50% at REI's "Winter Clarence" sale

REI has been outfitting adventurers with outdoor apparel for more than 80 years, and donates millions of dollars to conservation efforts each year. Right now, you can save 50% on men's, women's, and children's outdoor essentials at the store's "Winter Clarence" sale. REI stocks snow boots, jackets, tights, tents, thermoses, and more from well-known companies, and they're a lot cheaper than usual.

Shop REI's "Winter Clarence" sale now.

Join the conversation about this story »

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The Wells Fargo outage was caused by an 'automatic power shutdown' at its data center after smoke was detected. Here's what we know

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FILE- This Nov. 29, 2018, file photo shows a Wells Fargo bank location in Philadelphia. Wells Fargo customers are experiencing issues with accessing online or mobile banking as well as other banking services, after a fire happened at one of the bank’s data centers. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

  • Smoke detected at a Wells Fargo facility on Thursday caused the shutdown of a data center that led to a large-scale outage, leaving customers without the use of their debit cards or access to online banking. 
  • A Wells Fargo spokesperson did not comment on whether the incident was connected to its data center in Minnesota, where a fire suppression system was accidentally tripped early Thursday morning. 
  • CNBC first reported the incident, but later said the fire department found no evidence of a fire. 
  • This is not the first time the San Francisco-based bank has experienced a shutdown this sprawling. 

Smoke detected at one of Wells Fargo's main data center facilities caused a large-scale outage Thursday that left customers without access to online banking or working debit cards. The outage continued into Friday, the company said, though some of its ATM services have been restored and branches are operational.

Customers complained that direct deposit paychecks were not reflected in their account and representatives were overwhelmed with requests that caused 2-hour wait times. 

This is not the first time the San Francisco-based bank has seen a shutdown so sprawling — in fact, this is the second time customers experienced loss of access to banking services just this week. 

A Wells Fargo spokesperson declined to specify how many people have been impacted and which facility smoke was detected in, instead offered the following statement:

"The system issues were caused by an automatic power shutdown at one of Wells Fargo’s main data-center facilities, triggered by a smoke condition created by routine maintenance activities in the building. In response to the power shutdown, applications were systematically re-routed to back-up data centers throughout the day yesterday. By end-of-day, most critical systems had been recovered, and Wells Fargo continues to restore services across all business and operational areas. Wells Fargo continues to see high call volume and online and mobile traffic. Team members are aggressively working to resolve customer issues. Any Wells Fargo fees incurred as a result of these issues will be reversed."

CNBC reported Thursday that the fire department was deployed to a data center operated by Wells Fargo in Minnesota where a fire suppression system (typically ceiling water sprinklers) was accidentally tripped. Though, later, no evidence of a fire was found. Whether or not this is the incident that caused the outage is not known nor addressed in any of the press releases or statements Wells Fargo has made in the last 24 hours. 

In a tweet, Wells Fargo assured customers that the outage was not the result of "any cybersecurity event."

The bank then apologized to customers for any inconvenience caused by the system issues, and said it would reverse any Wells Fargo fees incurred. When customers will see accurate banking statements is also unknown. 

Wells Fargo will extend its branches' operating hours at all 5,500 locations one hour Friday and Saturday, according to a press release, to "address any concerns."

Some customers who have been unable to access their Wells Fargo accounts have threatened to find a new bank and took to social media to express frustration. Online banking features like credit card and mortgage balances are still unavailable, the company said in a statement Friday morning. 

Wells Fargo is the third-largest bank in America. 

 

The second outage in 7 days

Earlier this week, on Feb. 1, Wells Fargo took to Twitter to apologize to customers experiencing problems with its online banking and mobile app. The bank said it would research the issue, though did not explain what caused it

The latest outage has customers wondering: How can something as small as smoke in one isolated location cause a shutdown of banking services of a corporation that does business globally? 

CBS reports that last December, Wells Fargo blamed a computer glitch for an error affecting an estimated 545 customers who lost their homes. It then filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing it incorrectly denied 870 loan modification requests where over 60% of homeowners went into foreclosure.

But this sort of small incident is not an issue that has only impacted Wells Fargo. A similar outage at Bank of America happened in 2017, where customers were reportedly in the same situation thousands of Wells Fargo customers experienced Thursday — unable to access their accounts through the bank’s website or apps.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We compared the $1,200 MacBook Air with the $500 Surface Go, and the results were a mess


22 unique, low-key gifts to celebrate your first Valentine's Day as a couple

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

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If you're spending your first Valentine's Day together, you're probably looking for the ideal way to say "I enjoy spending time with you, let's keep at it" in a way that's as effective but less extravagant than a yacht or surprise flash dance in Times Square. At this stage, shared activities, romantic classics, and thoughtful small gifts are going to be ideal. 

Whether you've only been seeing each other for a few weeks or almost a year, you'll find 22 low-key, foolproof gifts below you can feel good about gifting. 

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out these guides:

22 gifts to give on the first Valentine's Day you're spending together:

SEE ALSO: 30 affordable and meaningful Valentine’s Day gifts that won't cost you more than $50

DON'T MISS: 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts you can get on Amazon

Beautiful, farm-fresh flowers

Personalized Bouquet, available on Bouqs, from $44

Flowers are a classic for a reason —  and sending an armful to grace their living room is a nice way to brighten up their living space every time they see them. The Bouqs Co. flowers are farm-fresh, sustainably harvested, and beautifully packaged. They're our top pick for flower deliveries online, but if you're looking for more options, check out the Insider Picks buying guide to the best flowers you can buy online.

If they're the kind of person who's not sold on flowers, you can also send them a low-maintenance and already potted succulent. If they have pets, though, check to make sure the plant you're eyeing isn't toxic to them. 



A dressed-up dinner-and-a-movie date night

Fandango gift card, available on Fandango, from $15

If something is really new, but you still want to celebrate together, why not dress up the dinner-and-a-movie date? Bring your own checkered tablecloth and flameless candles if you're going the whole nine yards. 

 



A cold brew coffee maker

Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1 Quart, available on Amazon, $19.99

Are there small inconveniences in your partner's life that you could alleviate? It shows that you listen when they rant about their tiring commute, are well-aware of their cold brew habit, and know that they love taking a long bath at the end of the day but have nowhere to put a wine glass

This $20 gem will make a quart of cold brew, fit comfortably in the door of most refrigerators, and save them as much as a few hundred dollars per year with convenient, at-home cold brew. It works well, but if you're looking for something more elegant, you may want to check out the $35 Blue Bottle Hario Cold Brew Bottle



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

UrbanStems delivers fresh, beautiful bouquets with free one-day delivery — we tried it and think it's a great Valentine's Day gift

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

urbanstems

  • Giving flowers on Valentine's Day is a time-honored tradition, though many of us have horror stories of buying arrangements online, only for them to turn out to be mediocre bouquets in person.
  • UrbanStems wants to close the gap, making the process of ordering beautiful flowers a seamless, pleasant experience for both the buyer and the recipient.
  • The company offers affordable floral bouquets and plants (starting as low as $35) sourced from ethical farms around the world. Arrangements are created by in-house floral designers and delivered straight to your door in just one day. 
  • We've both given and received flowers from UrbanStems and think it's the perfect last-minute Valentine's Day gift. 

This Valentine's Day, millions of flowers will be wrapped into beautiful bouquets and sent to loved ones nationwide. 

Gifting flowers is a timeless tradition — and for good reason. A nice bouquet of flowers is beautiful to look at, smells wonderfully refreshing, and actually has the power to make us happier

Giving flowers should be a simple process, yet for many of us, it's not. You may not have time to go into your local flower shop and have a bouquet made, or your florist just might not have time to put together a bouquet with such short notice. You could order one online, but you've heard too many horror stories of botched bouquets bought on the internet. 

With Valentine's Day in less than a week, we figured it was high time to tell you about UrbanStems, the company many of us personally use to order flowers for our friends and loved ones. 

This flower delivery service was born out of the same concerns many of us have about ordering flowers online — there's a lack of trust, awareness, and transparency that makes it difficult to know what we're really getting into. UrbanStems founder Ajay Kori was fed up with sending flowers as gifts. Every experience he had doing so ended in catastrophe. Instead of giving up on the gesture altogether, Kori enlisted his college classmate to try and fix the floral industry.

What they've created is an easier, more affordable way to order beautiful flowers online — one that ensures your bouquets actually are delivered in time for those special moments. 

How the service works:

When you head over to the UrbanStems, you'll find a small but diverse selection of bouquets. UrbanStems is a member of the fewer, better camp, which is reflected in their selection — a few beautifully-crafted bouquets and potted plants, rather than a mass of mediocre arrangements. All of the flowers and plants are sourced from sustainable farms, which UrbanStems' in-house floral designers collaborate with to create unique bouquets. With prices that start at $35, UrbanStems is a pretty affordable option as well. 

Once you've picked which bouquet you like, put in your desired delivery address and choose from the delivery date options listed. UrbanStems provides a calendar that shows which delivery dates are available, as well as notes when the bouquet will be back in stock if it has been sold out. UrbanStems also suggests vases that compliment each bouquet, should you want to spend a little extra to send a vase as well. 

Moving to checkout is simple. UrbanStems has you sign up with your email  so they can inform you on the status of your order. Then all you have to do is fill out the delivery information, and my favorite part — a cute note to go with your flowers. If you're stumped, UrbanStems has some sweet prewritten options for you, but you can completely customize this part on your own.

UrbanStems bouquets can be delivered anywhere in the US — if you're living outside of the US but want to send flowers to someone who does live here, you can do that, too. One of the best parts of UrbanStems is its simple delivery process. If your recipient lives in DC or NYC, an UrbanStems courier will deliver their flowers by bicycle or car, any day of the week. If your recipient lives anywhere else in the US, your order will get free one-day FedEx delivery, which can only be delivered Tuesday-Friday — something to note if you're planning for flowers to be delivered for a specific occasion.

These quick delivery options make UrbanStems a great last-minute gifting option, but you can also use it to plan gifts far in advance. If you know you want to deliver someone flowers for their birthday in a month, you can order bouquets up to three weeks out from the current date. 

urbanstems

When your recipient receives their flowers, they'll be packaged up in a beautiful box that's hiding a lovely bouquet and a sweet note from you. It's thoughtful and easy way to surprise someone special and make them smile. Whether it's your partner, sister, brother, parent, friend, or coworker, UrbanStems makes a great gift for just about any occasion. If you'd like to know more about the experience, here's what two of our editors have to say about the service:

Sally Kaplan, Insider Picks editor: I've now both ordered and received bouquets from UrbanStems, and both experiences felt seamless and rewarding. Sending bouquets is easy; you just pick which one you want, select a vase (these cost a little extra, just so you know), and write a card to your recipient. Receiving them is even easier; just open the box, follow the instructions to care for your flowers, and, if you're anything like me, pop the special note that comes with on your refrigerator door with a magnet. If you properly take care of the flowers, they'll last for around a week or so. I got a bouquet with lots of white flowers in it, which tend to age a little faster, so mine lasted about four or five days before they started to wilt and discolor.

Ellen Hoffman, Insider Picks senior editor: I was looking for a new flower delivery service a few months ago since my go-to, BloomThat, was acquired by FTD Companies and paused its services in September. Sally recommended UrbanStems. I've ordered two bouquets from the company so far and have found it offers a lot of the same conveniences as BloomThat, for both the person buying the flowers and the recipient. The constantly rotating, seasonal flower selection is robust, but not overwhelming, and while the prices are on the higher end ($55 is currently the cheapest bouquet price), they're justified by the quality you get. The flowers I've sent were vibrant and fresh, and more unique than what you'll find elsewhere.

Surprise someone special with a floral bouquet or plant from UrbanStems this Valentine's Day 

Join the conversation about this story »

Marvel made a brilliant 1990s throwback website to promote the new 'Captain Marvel' movie (DIS)

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carol danvers captain marvel website

As you probably know from the trailers, Marvel's upcoming "Captain Marvel" is a throwback, rewinding the superhero cinematic universe to the days of Blockbuster, the Clinton administration, and the Backstreet Boys.

So it's only appropriate that Marvel's new "Captain Marvel" website looks like a time capsule from 1997 — back when websites were not nearly as slick as they are today. You have to see it to believe it, so take a look. 

It's amazing how many details Marvel got right, here: It features blinking text, broken images, a guestbook for visitors to sign, and a hideous color palette that would make any respectable graphic designer slam their laptop shut in disgust. It even asks you to watch the newest "Captain Marvel" trailer in a teeny-tiny embedded window (though you can make it full-screen). 

It is, in other words, absolutely perfect as a piece of '90s nostalgia; a little piece of the web from the days when everybody on the internet had a homepage hosted with Geocities

Lori Lambert, a software engineering director and web developer with Marvel, confirmed in a tweet that this was built with period-appropriate technologies, too: It was written with the now-obsolete Microsoft FrontPage software, and hosted on Angelfire, a website hosting service first launched in 1996.  

 

If this has you longing for the good old days of the internet, I would next direct you to the website for "Space Jam," which has remained online and completely unaltered since before the movie premiered in 1996.

Meanwhile, here's the newest TV spot for "Captain Marvel," which opens in theaters on March 8th:

Take a look at the sheer '90s-ness of it all:

SEE ALSO: The new game challenging 'Fortnite' hit 10 million players in less than 72 hours

It employs all of the greatest elements of '90s web design: Flashing text, low-resolution gifs on the sides of the page, big blue links, and giant grey buttons. It's a lot.



There's even a simple game — can you tell who's a human, and who's an evil, shape-shifting Skrull alien?



There's a multimedia section, which asks you to watch the trailer in a super-small window that's evocative of the classic Windows Media Player.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Amazon and Hulu's algorithms are recommending conspiracy theory films, and the consequences could be more serious than you might think

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  • Amazon and Hulu continue to host and algorithmically suggest conspiracy films.
  • This comes as platforms like Roku and YouTube are removing conspiratorial accounts or preventing their search and recommendation algorithms from surfacing them.
  • Experts warn that hosting this type of conspiratorial content could spread misinformation, and even encourage people to commit violence.

"There is a sinister and secret group of people who roam the globe," an omniscient narrator says. "They control everything from banks to the media. They own the world."

That claim invoking the New World Order conspiracy theory comes from a film called "A Conspiracy To Rule: The Illuminati," available for streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

Both Amazon Prime Video and Hulu categorize the film as a "documentary." Hulu put it in the site's "conspiracy" section, which is mostly populated by films about aliens.

The willingness to stream such material, and the fact that the companies have made no public moves against conspiracy content, stands in contrast to the torrent of tech companies that have made efforts to reject certain conspiracy-oriented and misleading content, and shows a rift in how they treat misinformation published on their platforms.

Broadly, companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Apple have claimed to have made efforts to suppress misinformation on their platforms following the revelation that Russia had weaponized such content in an effort to influence the 2016 election. Amazon Prime Video, despite hosting user-submitted content, has made no public moves against misinformation. Nor has Hulu.

Last year Roku, Facebook, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube kicked notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his InfoWars show off their platforms.

Apple said it did so because the company "does not tolerate hate speech." Facebook said Jones had violated its policies on hate speech and graphic violence by "glorifying violence" and "using dehumanizing language."

But Amazon Prime Video's algorithm still recommends conspiracy films, including Jones' own, to streamers. The 9/11 conspiracy film "Loose Change," which baselessly claims that the 2001 tragedy was a false flag operation, is a recommended "documentary" on Prime Video, despite presenting a thesis that most experts have contradicted.

Those who study misinformation warn that the consequences of offering conspiracy films could be serious, ranging from the spread of hate to enabling nefarious state actors to promote their own agenda.

Neither Amazon nor Hulu responded to INSIDER's requests for comment.

Read more: Amazon removed a bunch of products featuring Nazi and white supremacist insignia from its site

The films feature debunked and discriminatory arguments

A Conspiracy To Rule: The Illuminati

On the front page of Amazon Prime Video, "Loose Change" appears as a "recommended Documentary Movie" for some users.

The 9/11 conspiracy film fits into the larger "puppet master" theme found in most conspiracy media, and generally spreads assertions based on pseudoscience that have been largely discredited.

According to the anti-Semitism watchdog Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the film "draws from the American Free Press, a wellspring of anti-Semitic 9/11 propaganda, as well as the work of anti-Semitic writer Christopher Bollyn, as sources to bolster its claims about the alleged government cover-up of the 9/11 attacks."

Loose Change conspiracy film Amazon Prime Video

The conspiracy films available on the streaming platforms go beyond kooky tales about alien abductions (though they have those too), and present arguments framed as truth that have largely been debunked as misinformation or even been shown to be derived from hateful ideology.

"Zeitgeist: The Movie", which proposes that 9/11 was a conspiracy orchestrated by bankers to better leverage control over the masses, is also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, and is labeled a "documentary."

In 2011, Tablet Magazine described the film as "steeped in far-right, isolationist, and covertly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories." ABC News interviewed a former friend of Gabrielle Giffords' shooter Jared Loughner who said the film had "a profound impact on Jared Loughner's mindset and how he views the world that he lives in."

zeitgeist amazon prime video

"A Conspiracy To Rule: The Illuminati," which is featured on Amazon and Hulu, traces the roots of a supposed global, elite conspiracy to control the world through coded messages.

Andre Oboler, law lecturer and CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, told INSIDER that streaming services offering such films boosts interest in the conspiracy theories they promote.

"The underlying antisemitic conspiracy theory at play here is that of Jewish power, be it accusations about controlling governments, banks and financial markets, news and media, or international events," he said.

And such ideas can have real-world consequences. A similar anti-Semitic conspiracy theory appeared to be the driving force in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Robert Bowers, who reportedly shouted "all Jews must die" before killing 11 people, seemingly made numerous posts on social media about a Jewish conspiracy to bring immigrants into the country as part of the migrant caravan. In the weeks before the shooting, he posted conspiratorial gifs and videos from Zionist Report, a publication that makes content that supposedly "questions the prerogative of the Zionist movement" by posting numerous conspiracy theories involving Jews and Israel.

Screen Shot 2019 02 04 at 3.01.05 PM

"A Conspiracy To Rule," which traces a vague conspiracy that supposedly continues to this day, finds the origins of the conspiracy in "system of Jewish philosophy," Jewish mysticism, and Kabala.

"There haven't been any Illuminati for over 200 years, any suggestion that any Illuminati existed after the mid-1780s is absurd, and if there is such a suggestion, then we're talking about fantasy," Michael Barkun, an expert on conspiracy theories at Syracuse University, told INSIDER.

"It's always dangerous when false ideas are presented as fact," Barkun added. He said the biggest risk associated conspiracy theories is "people taking action on the basis of false and dangerous beliefs."

Amazon Prime Video streams numerous other documentaries connecting Jewish history and the Rothschilds to world domination, including "One World Agenda: The Illuminati" and "Illuminati: The Grand Illusion."

Illuminati Amazon Prime Video

ADL extremist expert Mark Pitcavage told INSIDER that while movies such as "A Conspiracy To Rule" may not be explicitly anti-Semitic, they still pose a danger.

"Conspiracy theories lure in the credulous and can sometimes make them not merely believe but act on their beliefs," he said. "Over the years we have seen a number of violent incidents ... that were the result of people being motivated to take violent action as a result of conspiracy theories."

Barkun also noted a more subtle risk of conspiracy theory media — disillusionment.

"People may draw the conclusion that conventional politics is meaningless. If they genuinely believe that what happens in the world is a result of the hidden hand of some mysterious elite, then presumably ordinary political activity is meaningless as are the decisions of lawmakers and officeholders," he said. "This kind of material may alienate people from the political process and political participation."

Amazon and Hulu stand apart as platforms that have continued to feature conspiracy theories

Loose Change Amazon Prime Video

Amazon and Hulu's hosting and recommendation of conspiracy theory media are becoming increasingly unique.

In January, YouTube announced that it would work to prevent conspiracy theory videos or those containing misinformation from being included in its recommended videos, to avoid serving users conspiracy content users weren't seeking out. They continue to host plenty of conspiracy content, however. 

The makers of "Loose Change" said in September that they had to remove the film from YouTube, but that it was still available on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.

Amazon shows the potential echo chamber that recommendation algorithms can create.

Alongside "Loose Change," a series of other 9/11 conspiracy films are promoted for streaming, including "Conspiracy of Lies: Flight 3370 to 911", and "9/11: Ten Years of Deception."

Amazon recommendation conspiracy films

Hulu similarly suggests its conspiracy offerings after you consume any film in the category. 

In August 2018, numerous tech companies took a step toward clamping down on conspiracy content, effectively removing the accounts of InfoWars and Alex Jones, who was one of the most popular conspiracy theorists on the internet.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Apple, Spotify, and others moved to remove Jones' accounts from their platforms in quick succession, with many saying his content violated their hate speech policies.

Amazon, on the other hand, continues to host numerous videos from Jones that it classifies as documentaries, including "The Obama Deception," and "Police State 4: The Rise of FEMA."

Conspiracy films could violate Amazon's hate speech policy

Amazon Prime

Out of the major streaming platforms, Amazon appears to recommend the most conspiracy material. A cursory search of "Illuminati," "New World Order," and "9/11" yielded over 35 results that suggested conspiracy, compared to 14 films in Hulu's conspiracy section, and 4 Netflix films that focus on aliens and the moon landing. Amazon's issue could be due in part to its Prime Video Direct service, which allows content creators to directly upload content.

Amazon, like many platforms, has a loose set of guidelines dictating what users are allowed to upload to its platform. "Graphic sexually explicit or violent acts" and content featuring "gratuitous nudity and/or erotic themes" is not allowed.

The company also has a hate speech policy that could potentially be applied to certain conspiracy films. "Content that promotes hate speech, incites racial or gender hatred, or promotes groups or organizations that support such beliefs," is not eligible according to Amazon.

Hulu does not have a publicly accessible policy against hate speech.

When Alex Jones and InfoWars were kicked off of numerous platforms, Apple, Facebook, and YouTube referenced similar hate speech policies as their basis for doing so.

Read more: Apple, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube shut down Infowars' Alex Jones

Infowars youtube takedown notice

Amazon has faced scrutiny in the past for lax enforcement of rules on Prime Video and on its general site, and for allowing users to sell items like neo-Nazi children's books and swastika pendants on its marketplace before they were removed.

"Unfortunately, platforms tend to be reluctant to remove such content or to accept that it is a breach of their hate speech policies," Oboler said. "The bottom line is that such content attracts eyeballs, which translates into revenue."

Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse University who specializes in emerging media and corporate social responsibility, told INSIDER the user-driven nature of Prime Video makes it dangerous, especially if users design content that is "at the edge" of the policy.

"Some viewers might be viewing this through Prime not realizing that it's another user, and they might give it more weight as a documentary than if it were on YouTube. It could actually give the air of more legitimacy if they assume it's being produced by an actual studio," Grygiel said. "There's potential even for state actors to go in and create this stuff — this could become targeted."

Grygiel said that without proper moderation, conspiracy theories and the latent hate within them could spread.

"They're tapping into memetic frameworks. As they're shared, they get strengthened over time," said Grygiel. "Not engaging in moderation makes it worse. It will grow and spread and become problematic."

SEE ALSO: Amazon is hawking bizarre conspiracy-theory films by the likes of David Icke and Alex Jones

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We compared Apple's $159 AirPods to Xiaomi's $30 AirDots and the winner was clear

Inside Trump's daily routine, which includes 3 to 4 hours of sleep, 'executive time,' and no breakfast

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trump oval office

  • Leaked copies of President Donald Trump's daily schedules show he has spent nearly 60% of his working days in the last three months in blocks of "executive time." 
  • Scheduled alongside other events like briefings with top aides, meetings with world leaders, and running into the press, the unstructured blocks usually take up around 3-5 hours of the president's day. 
  • Here's what else is known about the president's schedule. 

Copies of President Donald Trump's daily schedules that were recently leaked to Axios show he has spent nearly 60% of his working days in the last three months in blocks of "executive time." 

These unstructured blocks are scheduled at the president's discretion and aren't listed with specific activities, unlike meeting with administration members, hosting world leaders, so there has been immense speculation about their value. 

Take a look at the daily schedule that also includes Fox News, tweeting time, and built-in breaks from his presidential duties.

SEE ALSO: A new mobile app lets you take a virtual tour of the White House — and you can even see this year's Christmas decorations

DON'T MISS: 21 scandals that rocked the Trump administration in 2018

Trump reportedly wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and sometimes begins making calls around 6 a.m.

According to CNN, Trump doesn't drink coffee to wake up.

Source: Business Insider



Trump reportedly sleeps only three to four hours a night, which he described as a success tactic. "How does somebody that's sleeping 12 and 14 hours a day compete with someone that's sleeping three or four?" he asked.

It's not clear whether or not Trump is part of the 1% of the population that appears to actually need less sleep, scientifically speaking. If he is not, Trump is severely sleep deprived, according to health professionals that generally recommend seven to eight hours of sleep.

Source: The Daily News



Breakfast isn't often a part of the president's routine, but when he does eat, he said his "favorite would be bacon and eggs — bacon medium and the eggs over-well."

Trump told Jesse Watters in 2016, "I will have a lunch, but my big thing is dinner."

Source: People



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 things you can buy from Costco, Amazon, Sam’s Club, and BJ's to be ready for when the apocalypse hits (WMT, COST, AMZN)

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underground bunker

  • What kind of supplies do you need to ride out an apocalypse?
  • In the United States, plenty of doomsday preppers have asked themselves that exact question.
  • Business Insider compiled a list of products that might come in handy once you retreat to your survival bunker.
  • In the event of doomsday, you might want to hit up Costco, Amazon, Sam's Club, and BJ's.

Want to survive the apocalypse?

Start working on your grocery list.

In the United States, there's a whole sub-culture dedicated to amassing supplies for the end times. These preppers often consider widespread, earth-shattering catastrophe to be an inevitability, and they stock up on food, water, weapons, and tools accordingly.

And the trend seems to be catching on. The New Yorker recently chronicled the spate of billionaires who plan to flee to underground bunkers in New Zealand when things go south. 

So what kind of products might come in handy when the end of the world appears imminent?

Here are a few supplies that you might want to keep handy in your underground survival bunker: 

SEE ALSO: Gas stations are thriving, but plenty of other businesses across the country have hit a slump, according to Yelp data

DON'T MISS: These are the brands that shoppers are obsessed with, from coffee to paper towels

SEE ALSO: Costco, Walmart, and Target workers handle some ridiculous returns, from entire lawn sets to used toilets

Gargantuan supplies of food kits

Retailers like Sam's Club and Costco have become famous for stocking huge kits of emergency food supplies.

At Costco, you can buy a year's worth of food for $4,699.99, or a $5,999.99 supply that will last four people an entire year.

Sam's Club members can purchase a year's worth of food pails for $1,443 or three years' worth of food pails for



Lots and lots of water

You can't survive long without water. Don't be shy about hoarding all the bulk packs of water bottles and water cooler containers that you can lay your hands on. If you want to really get ahead of the game, you can even collect the supplies you need to make your own water purification system.



A pot of honey

Pure honey never goes bad, so you can still embrace your sweet tooth after the arrival of the four horsemen. For $126.99, you can buy a 40-pound tub of US-made organic honey at Costco.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A Playboy Bunny is not the same as a Playboy Playmate. Here are the 2 key differences.

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  • Some think the terms can be used interchangeably, but a Playboy Bunny and a Playboy Playmate are actually not the same.
  • Bunnies are hired solely to be cocktail servers and hostesses in the Playboy Clubs, while Playmates are featured in the iconic "Centerfold" in Playboy magazine, according to a Playboy spokesperson.
  • Unlike "Bunny," "Playmate" is considered a lifelong title. 
  • Sometimes — but not often — someone can be both a Bunny and a Playmate.

 

Years after the last original Playboy Club closed down and even after the death of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in 2017, the women who don the iconic Playboy Bunny outfits still draw fascination and curiosity.

With the recent opening of a new Playboy Club in New York City, Playboy Bunnies are once again part of the nightlife scene. 

You've probably heard the terms Playboy Bunny and Playmate tossed around interchangeably — but they're actually completely different roles, a Playboy spokesperson told Business Insider.

"A Playmate is the woman featured in the magazine (representing a particular month) in a pictorial that includes the iconic 'Centerfold,'" Playboy spokesperson Teri Thomerson told Business Insider. "Playmates occasionally appear in Bunny costumes for special events, but do not provide a service hospitality component."

playboy playmate

As of December 2018, 777 women have been given the title of "Playboy Playmate" since the inception of the magazine, according to Playboy. 

Bunnies, one the other hand, "are hired to be cocktail servers and hostesses only," Thomerson said.

Each Bunny is given a custom-fitted costume that includes a bodysuit, matching ears, collar and cuffs, a bow tie, cuff-links, a Bunny tail, a nameplate, stockings, and shoes.

playboy bunny

More than 25,000 Bunnies have worked at Playboy Clubs worldwide over the years, starting with the Bunnies at the first Playboy Club in Chicago in 1960.

But in some cases, Playmates can also be Bunnies, Thomerson said.

Marilyn Cole was Playboy's 1973 Playmate of the Year and also worked as a Bunny at the London Playboy Club from 1971 to 1974, according to Thomerson.

marilyn cole playboy

While Bunnies may come and go, Playmates are for life.

"Once a Playmate, always a Playmate, which means we never refer to them as 'ex' or 'former,'" Thomerson said.

Some Playmates are only involved in a one-time appearance in the magazine as Playmate of the Month, Thomerson said, but "there are many Playmates who have remained involved for years, appearing in multiple pictorials and attending special Playboy events as brand ambassadors, oftentimes wearing the Bunny costume."

SEE ALSO: The creative director of New York City's Playboy Club says that he looks for 2 qualities when hiring a Playboy Bunny — and that one red flag will keep someone from getting the job

DON'T MISS: I visited New York's new Playboy Club, where Playboy Bunnies serve drinks in their iconic costumes and members pay up to $100,000 a year — and it wasn't at all what I expected

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We compared Apple's $159 AirPods to Xiaomi's $30 AirDots and the winner was clear


5 reasons to take advantage of Southwest Airlines' unheard-of Companion Pass deal right now

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network.

Southwest Airlines 737

  • When you open a new personal Southwest credit card, you can earn the best-ever sign-up bonus offered for the cards: 30,000 points and an unlimited Companion Pass, which is valid for travel through 2019. Hurry, though; this offer ends on February 11.
  • The Companion Pass lets you designate a companion, and book a free ticket for them any time you travel (you'll just have to pay taxes and fees, which are usually $5.60 each way).
  • From unlocking weekends away and mini vacations, to cutting costs for weddings and family events, read on for a few of the best use cases for the Companion Pass.
  • There are three personal Southwest credit cards, but our pick for the best one is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card; take a look here for an in-depth look at all of the options.

For a very limited time, Southwest is offering its best-ever sign-up bonus when you open one if its personal credit cards: you'll earn a free, unlimited Companion Pass for the rest of 2019, plus 30,000 miles when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

The Companion Pass is the "holy grail" of the frequent flyer, cheap travel, and travel rewards worlds. If you've never heard of it, you're in for a treat. 

When you have Southwest's Companion Pass, you can pick a travel companion — a friend, a significant other, a child, or anyone else — and bring them along on any flight you take. They'll just have to pay taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 each way for domestic flights, and generally top out at $25-30.

In other words, when you have a Companion Pass, you can get unlimited two-for-one flights on Southwest for the rest of 2019. 

Best of all, that applies to any flight you book, whether you pay cash or use Southwest's Rapid Rewards miles. The 30,000 miles that come with the sign-up bonus should be enough to book yourself a free round-trip for two, using the Companion Pass (plus $5.60 each for each flight).

Two-for-one flights sounds great, but it can come in particularly useful over the course of the year depending on your personal situation. Below, take a look at a few ways that you might be able to take advantage of the Companion Pass to save money on travel you were already planning — or to unlock vacations that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Click here to learn more about the Southwest Priority Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

Scenario 1: Use wedding planning to help subsidize your honeymoon

Most of the time when you open a new credit card, there's a minimum amount that you have to spend in a certain amount of time in order to get a sign-up bonus. In this case, that's $4,000 within three months of the day you submit your application.

Generally, you shouldn't spend money that you wouldn't otherwise in order to hit a minimum spending requirement. If you wouldn't normally spend enough to hit the amount, there are still a few different ways to make sure you get the bonus.

If you're in the middle of planning your wedding for 2019, though, hitting the minimum spend can be a piece of cake. Just pay any vendor deposits or balances with the credit card. This is money you were going to spend anyway, and you can avoid interest by paying the card off right away from your wedding budget. 

Then, once you get the Companion Pass, you can use it to book honeymoon flights on Southwest. The airline flies all over the United States, and to destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America — Southwest also plans to begin flying to Hawaii, although the start date hasn't been announced.

Just remember that the pass is only valid until the end of this year, so if you're planning your honeymoon for 2020, this won't be the best option for you.

Scenario 2: Save money flying to friends' weddings

For people in their 20s and 30s, it can feel you spend roughly 100% of your weekends at weddings. Don't get me wrong, weddings are a lot of fun, but if you live far from home or your friends have scattered all around the country, that can mean a lot of money spent on flights and hotels.

If you have a significant other, the Companion Pass offers a way to cut your flight expenses in half for the rest of the year's out-of-town weddings. 

Just wait until you hit get the Pass before booking your flights. Then, go ahead and book two people's flights for the price of one.

This is Insider Picks' senior editor Ellen Hoffman's plan. She (or her boyfriend Jeff — they're figuring it out) plan to open the card before the promotion ends, and use the Companion Pass to fly to a bunch of weddings and family events later this year.

Learn more: Southwest Airlines is running an unprecedented deal on its Companion Pass — here's how to earn and use it

Scenario 3: Get a major discount on college visits

If your high schooler is looking to go out-of-state for college, you might have a lot of travel ahead of you. Weekends visiting college campuses for tours and interviews can add up, so using the Companion Pass can help you save on flights, at least.

When you have a Companion Pass, you can't use it for a different person each time; you have to designate your companion. If your 2019 has a lot of college tours coming up, one parent can earn the pass, and assign their future collegiate as their companion. That should help cut down on expenses.

Scenario 4: Save money when family members are scattered around the country

It's a common scenario among older millennials and Gen X-ers — you're settling down somewhere far away from where you grew up. Your parents are a few states away, aunts and uncles are on another coast, and cousins are even further away. That means that every time you see family, whether for holidays, birthdays, or something else, there's a long trip involved. Now double that if your significant other is in the same boat.

With the Companion Pass, you'll at least be able to cut air expenses. One half of the couple can earn the pass, and designate their partner as the companion.

Learn more: Plus, Premier, or Priority: We break down which Southwest Airlines credit card gets flyers the most value

Scenario 5: Take a bunch of short and last-minute mini vacations

If this is a fairly light year for you — free of weddings, family reunions, or college trips — you can take advantage of the Companion Pass to spend the year enjoying weekends away with your designated buddy.

Southwest fares tend to be competitive as it is, so this is a great way to stretch your travel budget and experience a year that might be unaffordable otherwise. Look for Airbnbs to keep costs down, or splurge on nicer hotels and resorts for special trips.

Bottom line

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals available in the travel world. Usually, you have to earn 110,000 miles or take 100 flights in a calendar year to earn it, but with this deal, it's as simple as opening a credit card and meeting the spending requirements.

Click here to learn more about the Southwest Priority Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: I've had the Southwest Companion Pass, and it's a game changer for family vacations — you can get one now easier than ever before

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10 Valentine's Day flower bouquets we love — plus expert tips on what to keep in mind when ordering

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  • You can trust online flower delivery company The Bouqs Co. for beautiful, eco-friendly, well-priced, and fresh bouquets to send to your significant other, friends, or parents. 
  • It delivered 2.7 million flowers on Valentine's Day last year, and in total has delivered 53 million flowers to date. 
  • Its founder advises you to order sooner rather than later, and keep factors like color, flower type, or overall style in mind when picking out a bouquet. 
  • You can read tips from the founder and browse our favorite 10 bouquets and plants below, or shop all options at The Bouqs Co. here

Giving flowers as a gesture of love and appreciation is a timeless tradition. This year, millions of flowers will arrive on front steps and desks nationwide as loved ones celebrate Valentine's Day together.

If you're lucky, one of these bouquets will come from The Bouqs Co., the online flower delivery company that ships cut-to-order arrangements from eco-friendly farms around the world. 

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, we spoke to John Tabis, the CEO and founder of The Bouqs Co., to learn some flower-ordering tips, who you should order a bouquet for, and the company's expectations coming in to Valentine's Day 2019. 

The two biggest things to remember when ordering flowers might seem obvious, but they're worth repeating: order ahead of time and put thought into it. 

Tabis says, "You should place your order early to lock in the best prices and to ensure you have the widest selection before they all sell out, ultimately saving you time and money. It’s also much easier on the farm or florist providing your Bouq.  

Second, think about your recipient’s likes, loves and even dislikes — whether that be color, flower type, or overall style. You need not go super deep, but choosing something that reflects an important memory or event, or just shows that you put thought into your order makes a sweet gift even sweeter." 

Read moreThe best online flower delivery services to send freshly cut blooms and live plants

It's also worth reminding you that Valentine's Day isn't only for couples. 

According to Tabis, "More and more we are seeing people buy Valentine’s Day flowers for recipients other than romantic partners. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romantic relationships in your life — it’s really a day to celebrate all of your loved ones, whether that be friends, family or even your co-workers. In fact, 15% of our Valentine’s Day orders in 2018 went to moms!"

bouqs valentines day 15

Last year, The Bouqs Co. delivered more than 2.7 million stems, and has delivered 53 million stems to date. 

If you're interested in ordering flowers from the company, we've rounded up the best Valentine's Day bouquets below.

You have a large selection of beautiful arrangements to choose from, plus the process to make them is less wasteful. With its vertically integrated supply chain, The Bouqs Co. reduces waste by up to 90% in an industry where typically 45% of flowers grown for sale are discarded along the way and never make it to the customer.

If your recipient doesn't like flowers, The Bouqs Co. still has you covered with indoor house plants and succulents, which Tabis acknowledges "are undoubtedly having a moment." A statement-making "staple of modern sophistication in the home," they offer health benefits (like air purification), aesthetic benefits, and an opportunity to create a long-term, nurturing relationship with nature. 

Check out the best 10 Valentine's Day bouquets and plants from The Bouqs Co. below. You can also shop all bouquets and plants directly here.

Always: classic red roses

Order the Always bouquet for $52 (original), $68 (deluxe), $88 (grand) here



Valentine's Day Roses: assorted colored roses

Order the Valentine's Day Roses bouquet for $48 (original), $62 (deluxe), $84 (grand) here



Wild About U: assorted succulents

Order the Wild About U bouquet for $52 (original), $68 (deluxe), $78 (grand) here



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67 cool and unique Valentine's Day gifts for her — for every budget

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Here to help you choose the perfect Valentine's Day gifts for everyone on your list, be they funny, kid-friendly, cost-conscious, or something handmade, are the editors and reporters from the Insider Picks team.

If you need some inspiration for what to get for her this Valentine's Day (whether she's your girlfriend, wife, mom, daughter, or otherwise), we have you covered with some truly excellent gift ideas. Though you can never go wrong with flowers, chocolates, and a thoughtful card, we've also included some more unique gift ideas, like a custom map poster and a book about everything "Friends" in our list.

Check out all 67 gifts for her, and happy shopping!

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' gift guides here.

SEE ALSO: 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts you can get on Amazon

DON'T MISS: 55 creative and unexpected gifts for her that are all under $50

Beautiful flower bouquets

Both of these online florists offer stunning arrangements made from only the freshest blooms, and they're delivered quickly, too.

The Bouqs Co. Valentine's Day bouquets, available at The Bouqs Co., $36 and up

UrbanStems Valentine's Day bouquets, available at UrbanStems, $48 and up



A stylish and comfortable pair of shoes

Allbirds Wool Loungers, available at Allbirds, $95

Popular shoe startup Allbirds came out with a new high-top sneaker this month, dubbed the Tree Toppers, but for the uninitiated (and honestly really anyone), the classic Wool Loungers make an excellent gift. 



The Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo, available at Amazon, $69.99

The Echo is the perfect addition to her nightstand or countertop. It uses Alexa to accomplish any number of tasks, from answering questions to reordering supplies on Amazon. 



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A Hennessy expert in France told me the best way to drink 3 different types of cognac, from mixing it in an absinthe-rinsed glass to adding cold water

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  • I recently visited the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France, where a cognac expert and tour guide explained the best ways to drink three different types of the spirit.
  • The younger types of cognacs, VS and VSOP, can be used in a variety of different ways, including in cocktails.
  • But the XO, or "Extra Old," aged for a minimum of 10 years, should be drunk either neat or on ice.
  • To open up the aroma of a cognac, you can add a bit of cold water if you're drinking it neat.

 

I recently visited the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France, a small town about a five-hour drive from Paris. Hennessy, one of the major cognac houses, was founded in 1765 and offers guided tours and tastings at its headquarters on the banks of the Charente River.

On one of these tours, cognac expert and tour guide Gwendoline Poirier explained the best ways to drink three different types of cognac.

With Poirier, I tried three different types of Hennessy cognac: VS, VSOP Privilege, and XO. 

How to drink VS cognac

The youngest Hennessy cognac, VS or "Very Special," is aged between two and eight years and is "the world's most popular cognac," according to Hennessy.

Poirier described the taste as "fresh fruits, grapes, and citrus flavors. And after, I can feel more vanilla flavors, toasted almonds, creme brulée, these types of aromas."

You can drink the VS in a variety of different ways, Poirier said.

gwen hennessy

One of these ways is in a cocktail such as the Summit, which includes lemonade, ginger, and lime. In France, a professional committee in charge of communications for cognac is encouraging more people to try such drinks.

"They're the ones starting to talk about this cocktail and make it a little bit more trendy and something quite easy to drink and to make at home," Poirier said.

You can also, of course, drink it neat or with ice, she said, but it will taste a bit stronger than the longer-aged cognacs.

How to drink VSOP Privilege cognac

The next cognac, VSOP Privilege, which is aged for at least four years on average, is also used in cocktails. At my tasting, I tried a drink called the Sazerac. To make it, a tumbler glass is first "washed" with absinthe, which was once blamed for driving drinkers to insanity.

"[Absinthe] is very powerful, so you won't be able to feel the other ingredients if you have it in the blend," Poirier said.

Read more: These are the strongest drinks around the world

The Sazerac also includes ginseng, cinnamon and other spices, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters. My cocktail also had a non-traditional ingredient: oolong tea, in celebration of the Chinese New Year, which was coming up at the time of my visit.

sazerac cocktail cognac

How to drink XO cognac

When you level up to the older Hennessy XO, or "Extra Old," which is aged for at least 10 years, you want to drink it either neat or on the rocks, Poirier said. When drinking it neat, you should use a tulip-shaped glass, which allows you to "really enjoy the color thanks to the shape and for the aroma to get to your nose," Poirier told me.

But if you're drinking your cognac with ice, a tumbler glass is best.

You can also simply add cold water to your cognac.

"Water will create a sort of explosion of the molecules, of the aromas, so it's easier to find the aromas," Poirier said. "Even the tasting committees are always adding a bit of water." 

According to Poirier, the most important thing is to enjoy cognac however you like it.

"We don't like to tell people, 'OK, this is the good thing, this is the bad thing. This, yes. This, no,'" she said. "It's more advice ... Otherwise, just have fun." 

SEE ALSO: I visited the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France, and an expert told me the best way to drink the spirit is no longer in the traditional glass

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21 cute Valentine's Day gift ideas for kids

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You found the perfect gift for your partner— now it's time to find something special for your little one. As a parent, you show your kids you love them every day with your kindness, support, and all that good stuff, but Valentine's Day is a unique time to show your little ones you love them with some good old-fashioned gifting. 

Whether you're looking for a gift for a newborn, a rambunctious toddler, or an intelligent elementary-schooler, we've got you covered. We rounded up 21 Valentine's Day gifts that work for all kinds of kids — think books, crafts, and lots of sugary treats

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out these guides:

Keep reading for 21 Valentine's Day gifts that any kid will love:

An adorable new stuffed animal

Lulu the Llama, available at Brooklinen, $38

Brooklinen's aptly and adorably named baby line, Brooklittles, has everything you need to make the cutest nursery ever, including this soft and cuddly stuffed animal that your little one will love snuggling with. 



A festive pair of pajamas

Rainbow Heart PJ Top, available at Primary, $16

Rainbow Heart PJ Pant, available at Primary, $16

Any kid will love getting these cozy pajamas with a festive twist in the form of lots and lots of colorful hearts. 

 



A personalized name puzzle

Personalized Wooden Name Puzzle, available at Etsy, from $22.94

This puzzle is a nice piece of decor, fun game, and keepsake all in one. It's an especially sweet gift for little ones that are learning how to spell their own name. 



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