Over the last two decades, technology has become part of almost every facet of our lives. The expansion of broadband, smartphones and portable technology has changed how we communicate, access information, work and learn. While many of these changes are positive, there is growing evidence that this isn’t always the case. In recent years, there has been a gradual shift away from paper-based learning materials in schools toward digital and online tools. This shift accelerated rapidly during the pandemic when almost all schools moved lessons online. Research has shown that this increasing reliance on digital methods and resources may be negatively affecting the ability of students to learn and remember information. There is also growing concern about the impact of digital technology on mental and physical health. A 2018 meta analysis examined 54 studies involving more than 171,000 readers that compared reading from digital text with reading from printed text. The analysis found that comprehension was better overall when people read printed as opposed to digital texts.

•Total revenue was $123.4 billion, an increase of $2.5 billion, or 2.1%. Excluding currency3, total revenue was $124.4 billion, an increase of $3.5 billion, or 2.9%. •Walmart U.S. comp sales1 increased 1.8% with traffic growth of 1.3%, marking the twelfth consecutive quarter with positive comp sales. •E-commerce growth at Walmart U.S. remained strong, led by organic growth through Walmart.com. Net sales and GMV grew 60% and 67%, respectively, as customers continued to respond well to new initiatives and an expanded assortment of more than 67 million SKUs. •Second quarter EPS included a charge of $0.17 for loss on extinguishment of debt in connection with the company's recently completed debt tender offers. This discrete charge was partially offset by the gain from the sale of the Suburbia business in Mexico, which benefited EPS by $0.05. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Hearst announced it has agreed to acquire CellTrak, a leading provider of care documentation software solutions in the personal care market. The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, Hearst president and CEO; Gregory Dorn, MD, Hearst Health president; Scott Decker, Homecare Homebase president; and Dan Wacker, CellTrak CEO. Terms were not disclosed and the transaction is expected to close in Q1 of 2022. CellTrak will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Homecare Homebase, with Wacker continuing as general manager of the company. “In-home care services have grown significantly the past 10 years as it is the preferred venue for people to receive care, and Homecare Homebase has been the leading platform providing vital workflow solutions in the home health and hospice categories,” said Dorn. “Extending their capabilities to personal care is the right next step for caregiving in the home.”