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THE HIDDEN PARLOR OPENS IN ANDOVER AS AMERICAN INTEREST IN MAHJONG SURGES AGAIN

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More than a century after the game swept the country, longtime players and a new generation are finding common ground around the American Mahjong table.

ANDOVER, Mass., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In the early 1920s, Mahjong swept across America. More than a century later, interest in the game is surging again.

Longtime players and a new generation are finding common ground around the American Mahjong table.

Mahjong never went away, remaining an important part of social life for generations of players, particularly in Chinese American and Jewish American communities. Today, the game is reaching a broader audience. Boston-area Mahjong events increased 420% from 2024 to 2025, according to Eventbrite data reported by Boston.com. Yelp’s 2026 Trend Forecast found that searches for “mahjong clubs” increased 4,467%, while searches for “mahjong lessons” rose 819%, as reported by The Boston Globe.

That resurgence has reached downtown Andover.

The Hidden Parlor recently opened at 69 Park Street, where visitors enter through a boutique before passing through the hidden door to spaces for American Mahjong, a library lounge, a Zoom room, and member lockers.

More than 70 people from over two dozen communities across Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire now call themselves members of The Hidden Parlor Society, according to company records. Working mothers with elementary-school children are playing alongside empty nesters and retirees, bringing people at different stages of life to the same table.

“Playing Mahjong used to mean coordinating four people and making everyone’s schedules work. Here, I can come on my own and know there will be people to play with. I’ve already expanded my circle, and they’re people I look forward to seeing again,” said one member from New Hampshire.

More than 60 members and guests visited during opening week, with six tables in play for the opening night of the Tuesday Evening League.

American Mahjong is at the center of The Hidden Parlor today, but plans extend beyond the game, with a book club, bridge, and other social games planned.

Guests can reserve open play, lessons, guided play, and select events. Prospective members are invited to experience the Parlor with a complimentary first visit.

Website: www.thehiddenparlorsociety.com
Media Contact: hello@thehiddenparlorsociety.com

Sources: Eventbrite via Boston.com; Yelp 2026 Trend Forecast via The Boston Globe; historical research by Annelise Heinz via Stanford University; The Hidden Parlor Society records.

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SOURCE The Hidden Parlor Society

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AMAZON DRIVERS AT DBK1 JOIN TEAMSTERS AS NATIONWIDE ORGANIZING MOMENTUM GROWS

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Unionization Comes as Delivery Protection Act Gains Steam in New York City Council

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Drivers at Amazon’s DBK1 Facility in Woodside, Queens, have organized with Teamsters Local 804, joining the growing ranks of Amazon drivers organizing with the Teamsters nationwide to demand better pay, health care, and job security at the e-retail giant.

The DBK1 drivers join hundreds of their co-workers who organized with the Teamsters last year. Together, they are taking on Amazon’s corrupt third-party “Delivery Service Partner” (DSP) business model, which Amazon uses to evade accountability and legal liability as it exploits workers.

Amazon Teamsters in New York City are also leading the fight to pass the Delivery Protection Act, legislation that would ban captive subcontracting for deliveries in the city and force companies to employ their drivers directly. The bill has supermajority support from the City Council and backing from the mayoral administration.

“Amazon created the DSP model to suppress workers’ rights and safety, including the right to form a union,” said Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division. “But Amazon has no answer for worker power and Teamsters solidarity. The drivers at DBK1 are joining together as we gear up to pass the Delivery Protection Act, and they will be indispensable in getting this crucial legislation across the finish line.”

“My co-workers and I have seen how scared Amazon is of the Delivery Protection Act, and it made us realize that we only have power if we join a union,” said LeAnn Rivera, a driver at DBK1 and new member of Local 804. “We are sick and tired of Amazon’s games. By joining the Teamsters, we have the power to take this company on. We can’t wait to join the fight.”

The organizing victory comes as the Teamsters Amazon National Negotiating Committee (TANNC) extends picket lines at DBK1, demanding that Amazon end its unfair labor practices and begin bargaining a union contract with over 10,000 workers nationwide who have organized with the Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:
Maura Drumm, (215) 510-3735
mdrumm@teamster.org

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

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Frax Makes Internet History with .frax, the First ICANN Top-Level Domain Application from a Crypto Company

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.frax would connect a globally recognized internet domain with onchain ownership, payments, and AI-native commerce

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Frax today became the first crypto company to have its own top-level domain application revealed by ICANN, with .frax officially published as part of the 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domains Program. If successfully delegated, .frax would become a globally recognized internet top-level domain, similar to .com or .org.

Frax plans to make .frax the first end-to-end top-level domain designed to bridge the traditional internet and the onchain economy. Users would be able to own and manage .frax domains through Frax Name Service (FNS) on Frax’s blockchain Fraxtal while those same domains resolve through the global Domain Name System. FNS registrations also feed the Frax Burn Engine, permanently burning FRAX and allowing the ecosystem’s native digital commodity to capture value as domain usage grows.

“Crypto naming systems made internet identity ownable. ICANN domains made it universally reachable. .frax brings those two worlds together,” said Sam Kazemian, Founder of Frax. “Our goal is to build the first internet namespace where ownership lives onchain but the domain works everywhere. From there, domains can evolve into programmable financial endpoints for people, businesses, applications, and AI agents.”

The initiative also extends the financial network Frax is building around frxUSD and FraxNet. FraxNet connects financial institutions, fintechs, and companies through a shared network for digital money and payments, with each new participant expanding the reach and utility of frxUSD.

Frax also plans to explore agentic and machine-payment functionality for .frax domains, including support for emerging standards such as x402. This could enable websites, applications, and autonomous software agents to identify counterparties, access services, and initiate stablecoin payments programmatically.

The .frax application was submitted with support from MarkMonitor, an ICANN-accredited corporate domain registrar.

About Frax

Frax is a U.S.-based financial technology company building the network for secure, global, and programmable money. At its core is frxUSD, a fully backed digital dollar, and FraxNet, a financial platform connecting institutions, fintechs, and enterprises through a shared network for digital money, payments, lending, credit, and yields. Frax provides stablecoin and crypto payments infrastructure to leading financial institutions, companies, and fintechs. Since 2020, Frax has powered billions of dollars in onchain capital and activity across more than five years of serving users. Frax was ranked #5 in Stablecoins in the 2026 Fortune Crypto 100. Learn more at Frax.com.

Media Contact for Frax
Gary Bird
FortyThree, Inc.
831.888.9011
Frax@43pr.com

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SOURCE Frax

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Survey Introduces Retail Performance Suite Connecting Retail Visibility and Execution

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New platform connects retail visibility, execution, shelf performance, and demand activation in a unified solution

BOSTON, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Survey, a retail intelligence and execution platform, today announced the introduction of its Retail Performance Suite at NACS SHOW Convenience Catalyst. The announcement introduces a unified platform designed to connect retail visibility, execution, shelf performance, and demand activation to help brands better understand and respond to in-store conditions.

The Retail Performance Suite brings together multiple retail capabilities within a single platform, enabling brands to identify retail opportunities, prioritize actions, coordinate field activity, and monitor performance across store networks. The platform combines retail visibility, execution, measurement, and demand activation capabilities within a unified solution.

The Retail Performance Suite is being showcased this week at NACS SHOW Convenience Catalyst, where attendees can learn more about the platform’s capabilities and its approach to connecting retail visibility, execution, shelf performance, and demand activation.

“Retail teams have access to a growing volume of data, but data alone does not address out-of-stocks, execution gaps, or compliance issues,” said Thom Green Gennaro, General Manager and Co-Founder of Survey. “The Retail Performance Suite is designed to help organizations connect retail visibility with field execution, allowing teams to identify issues, prioritize action, and track outcomes.”

The Retail Performance Suite includes four connected capabilities:

Retail Visibility – Provides retail intelligence intended to help identify in-store opportunities and risks.Execution & Compliance – Supports field activity and retail execution programs.Shelf Performance – Helps teams prioritize opportunities and monitor in-store conditions.Demand Activation – Connects retail insights with marketing and merchandising activities.

Together, these capabilities are intended to provide brands with a broader view of retail performance while supporting action across stores, retailers, and markets.

“The industry conversation is increasingly focused on how organizations use the data they already collect,” said Stevie Allegretto, Vice President of Commercial at Survey. “Brands are looking for ways to understand where attention is needed and how to allocate resources more effectively. The Retail Performance Suite is designed to support those decision-making processes.”

The announcement follows Survey’s recent publication of a national convenience retail benchmark report highlighting execution, availability, and shelf performance trends across the convenience channel.

The Retail Performance Suite is intended to help organizations connect retail visibility with operational response by combining data collection, reporting, and field execution capabilities within a single platform.

Survey states that its platform is supported by a nationwide workforce, AI-enabled technology, and photo-verified reporting. According to company data, Survey supports more than 100,000 monthly store visits, captures more than 2.1 million retail data points, collects more than 422,000 verified photos each week, and maintains a 99% data quality assurance rate.

Attendees of NACS Convenience Catalyst and industry professionals can learn more about the Retail Performance Suite at Survey.com/retail-performance-suite/ and explore additional retail intelligence resources at Survey.com.

About Survey

Survey builds modern retail solutions that help brands win where it matters most: in-store. The company’s Retail Performance Suite connects retail visibility, execution, shelf performance, and demand activation, helping brands identify opportunities, coordinate field activity, and measure performance across store networks. By combining mobile technology, AI-enabled solutions, deep industry expertise, and a nationwide network of field representatives, Survey delivers retail intelligence and operational support that help brands improve execution, strengthen brand presence, and scale with confidence and consistency. Learn more at survey.com.

Media Contact

Rodney Keener
Head of Marketing & Growth
Survey
rodney.keener@survey.com

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SOURCE Survey

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