| MasterCard spent $1.8M lobbying
MasterCard International Inc. spent $1.8 million in 2007 to lobby on Internet-related issues and on fees merchants pay when customers use credit cards. The Purchase, N.Y.-based company spent $880,000 in the second half of 2007 to lobby Congress, according to a disclosure form posted online Feb. 13 by the Senate's public records office. It lobbied on gambling regulations and the use of credit cards to purchase illegal material on the Internet. The company spent $880,000 lobbying in the first half of the year on financial literacy, data security, microchip technology and fees banks pay to credit card networks. Congress is weighing tighter regulations on the credit card industry. The industry came under fire in December, when a Senate subcommitee issued a report denouncing practices that include raising interest rates for customers whose credit ratings decline, even if they make their card payments on time.
Jubilant BJP leaders fire shots into air
The DIG told the Khanna police to investigate. A report by the SP-Detective Khanna could not pinpoint the culprit at
which the DIG formed a three-member Special Investigation Team to investigate. The latest development in the case was that the Ropar police was now inquiring into the matter. .
Diners who 'charge it' may shortchange their servers
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Should the restaurant wait staff have to pay a share of the processing fee when the tip is put on a credit card bill?
Some restaurants for years have been reducing tips by assessing the fee, but the practice is attracting new interest as processing fees rise and profit margins tighten.
On one side are the waiters, waitresses and others who serve food and clear tables. They count on tips to supplement often sub-minimum wages.
On the other side are restaurant owners trying to remain profitable in the current economic downturn. .
Video Conferencing As It Should Be: Multi-Party, Affordable, Cross ...
OoVoo is a new free videoconferencing solution that works across PCs and Macs (Linux version coming) and which allows up to six participants in a video call, as well as recording, text chat, direct file sharing and a lot more. In general, OoVoo is rather easy to use as it mimics many Skype interface conventions, icons and tools. So, for those who already use Skype, OoVoo feels right away not too intimidating. There are yes a lot of other buttons and functions but the basic operations can be learned quite rapidly without the need to read a manual. Videoconferencing quality is also good, and at least on a par with Skype (which only allows two people per video conversation) if not altogether better. The viewing interface is also effective, with clear name labels above each participant window and an overall layout which organizes all conferencing participants in an automatic way.ù This new video conferencing technology from OoVoo is not launching today and it has been available for over six months already, just enough time to make it ready for prime time and for a full review.
Hardware Update: Toshiba to Abandon HD DVD
I was sort of rooting for the HD-DVD camp, even though I never spent any money on either. Now that the war is over, I'm just glad we have a winner. Its good to know that when I finally upgrade my livingroom set to High-Def I won't have to worry which format is best. .
Prabhudas Lilladhar posts 'buy' on Bank of India
MUMBAI: Prabhudas Lilladhar has maintained ‘buy' on Bank of India for a fifteen-month target price of Rs 520. At the current market price of Rs 355, the stock is quoting at 6.5 times FY10E EPS and 1.5 times FY10E BV.
Bank of India raised tier-I capital of Rs 13.6 billion through qualified institutional placement, which was subscribed 1.8 times in the current weak market scenario. The capital raised will help the bank meet Basel II requirements and maintain the current business growth momentum.
The capital raised will also support its life insurance venture with Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance and Union Bank of India, mutual fund business, and credit card ventures.
Bank of India's total income for quarter ended Dec 31, 2007 rose 43.66 per cent year on year to Rs 3,705.21 crore.
Unlikely Holyrood alliance helps SNP squeeze home in budget vote
He promised the Conservatives that he would look again at finding more money for extra police officers and at accelerating the introduction of a promised business-rate cut.To assuage the Greens, he said the Scottish Government would in future insist on a "carbon" assessment of the next spending review and repeated it would not continue the £6 million fund to set up new airline routes to and from Scotland.Mr Swinney also pledged to give more money to Edinburgh council to recognise the city's status as the capital, one of Ms MacDonald's key demands.After a day of tension at Holyrood, the final vote saw Labour and the Lib Dems round on the Conservatives and their leader, Annabel Goldie, for supporting the SNP administration.Tavish Scott, the Lib Dem finance spokesman, said: "The Tories deserve nothing but derision for having sold their votes to the SNP for a half-baked promise.
Hip-Hop Rumors: New G-Unit Vid! Rihanna In High School!
A rap group said THEY were pissed because they paid $500 to be on a bill with T-Pain, Fabolous, Yung Berg, Sean Kingston and others. The show supposedly never happened and they supposedly didn't get their cake back. Just playing fair.
I heard Mopreme is doing his own, brand new Tupac dedication song with his new rap group. Anybody heard that?
Somebody told me that Mike Vick has had to hire some “Mexican" (their words, not mine) gangs to protect him in jail.
YO! My homey Mario from Jamaica is telling me that Chubb Rock's hit song “Treat Em Right" is now like a new record in his country. For some reason, the song has gotten some kind of new life it's being rotated heavily of late.
Middle-class, upscale consumers slow down spending
More signs that a declining economy has begun to hit middle-class and upscale consumers surfaced Thursday amid a new batch of weak retail earnings reports and sour financial news from the Nashville-based J. Alexander's restaurant chain. "Perception is reality when it comes to spending," said Robert Derrington, an analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co. "If the perception that the valuation of your wealth is deteriorating, whether it comes from the fall off of a 401(k) fund, weaker home prices or a perception that your job might be at risk, consumers are going to cut back whenever uncertainty is in the air." .
PM 'talking up' inflation: Turnbull
Time for a rethink of economic orthodoxy. Agree (0) Alert moderator Terence Holmes of Melbourne: 05 Feb 2008 10:43:23am Oh YES! Doh, you are so right!Re-thinking economic orthodoxy is THE key.I suspect that the rise by the RBA is their attempt to prove to the new Government that they, not the government, are in control - a THREAT if you will. Agree (0) Alert moderator Houseseeker: 05 Feb 2008 10:48:04am I am not sure that Mr Turnbull and his party member has any idea how you can live on small income. Secondly the governments have to find way to support(rent assist) future houseless pensioners after the % of house ownership is going down. I do question the weight of house pricing in the CPI(lower than should be).
'Free-spirited' Joss in Flake debut
Singer Joss Stone looks set to melt hearts with her new role as the latest Flake girl. Stone was announced as the first celebrity to take the role after a string of models starred in the commercials, including a former Miss World. The soul singer from Devon has developed a personal rendition of the jingle "Only the crumbliest flakiest chocolate, tastes like chocolate never tasted before". The 20-year-old stars in the new campaign which will air on ITV1 for the first time during the premiere of Rock Rivals on Wednesday evening. "She was chosen because she is very free-spirited," said a Cadbury spokesman. "Joss will bring something different to the previous adverts - the jingle has never been sung by one of the girls before." The Flake girls have developed notoriety for their highly sensual adverts which started in 1959.
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