| Merchant Bill Of Rights Attempts To Educate Retailers About Card ...
A recent survey conducted by supporters of The Merchant Bill of Rights found that many small and mid-sized business owners don't understand credit/debit/prepaid card processing costs, the fees and surcharges they pay, and how these charges impact their bottom line. The Merchant Bill of Rights is proposed as an industry standard to inform and educate business owners about card processing costs and drive savings for small and mid-sized businesses. Nearly 400 merchants nationwide voluntarily responded to the survey. Findings indicate: Only 26 percent of participants believe they are being treated fairly by the debit/ credit/prepaid card processing industry. Only 32 percent understand unfair card processing practices and how they impact their business. Only 21 percent understand the rates, fees and surcharges they pay.
Lawyers dig into FasTrak data
Neither the privacy policy nor the customer license agreement explains that court orders may include subpoenas in civil cases, which do not require a judge's approval unless they are contested. In one case, a judge agreed to quash a subpoena for FasTrak records. The case involves a 70-year-old San Francisco man who is suing a business that fired him after three decades. He claims he worked hard. The company sought to prove he didn't. Sonya Smallets, a San Francisco attorney, argued that releasing FasTrak data "would be an unwarranted, Orwellian invasion" of her client's privacy. "When people get a FasTrak account they're expecting to pay to go across the bridge," she said in an interview. "They're not expecting somebody's going to be tracking every single one of their movements and creating a record that would be available to the public." Earlier attempts to create an anonymous e-toll system, in which drivers could buy value cards to use with their transponders, went largely ignored by toll authorities, said Phil Agre, a UCLA information studies professor and author of "Technology and Privacy: The New Landscape." McMillan noted that people with concerns have another option: pay cash.
Linn Energy Announces $260 Million Private Placement of Equity
HOUSTON, May 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Linn Energy, LLC (Nasdaq:LINE) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to issue and sell $260 million of equity securities to third party investors, led by Lehman Brothers MLP Opportunity Fund L.P. The securities consist of 7,761,194 units at $33.50 per unit. Upon closing of this offering, the Company expects to have approximately 65.6 million units outstanding. .
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