New England Sun-Times

This is a common question that most businesses struggle with when deciding to add payment processing to a web site. When should a PayPal account be utilized and when does it make sense to move to a merchant account? First we need to look at the typical charges associated with a PayPal account and merchant account. To accept payments over the internet you need a payment gateway and a payment processing account. The payment gateway’s job is to capture the cardholder information from the business website, encrypt it and send it to the payment processing account.  The payment processing account then authorizes, settles and deposits the funds into the business bank account. PayPal combines these services into one fee structure. The typical payment processor will split the two charges out. Both are represented below. Type Set-Up Fee Monthly Fee Percentage Transaction Fee Merchant Acct None $12.95 2.5% $0.22 Gateway None $10.00 None $0.10 PayPa...

Joanie's story Eighteen years later, a surprise call After 18 years without justice, Joanie Scheske believed the man who raped her would never be caught. That changed when St. Louis police called in 2009. Evidence in a separate, eight-year old sexual assault was finally tested and matched her attacker's DNA. Rapist Mark Frisella, whose attack was so brutal Scheske still suffers from epilepsy, is serving 19 years in prison. "I had a really difficult time wrapping my head around why that rape kit was never tested," Scheske said. "My case is a poster child as to why you test these kits." A USA TODAY Media Network investigation identified tens of thousands of sexual assault evidence kits never tested by police. Instructions sit next to pipettes at a station in the biology lab at the Houston Forensic Science Center in April. In the most detailed nationwide inventory of untested rape kits ever, USA TODAY and journalists from more than 7...

Pesky insects are common in just about every part of the world. Flies, mosquitoes and ants are found in multitude by nearly every property owner in America. But few insects are quite as pesky as the creature known as the gnat. Gnats are small and extremely annoying, and even though they are completely harmless, it is unpleasant to see them hanging around your home. Luckily they are pretty easy to get rid of and there are a number of things you can do to prevent them from coming back again. This can be as simple as setting up a gnat trap, or pouring some ammonia down the drain. Method 1 of 5: Gnat Traps   1. Make a homemade gnat trap. One easy way to rid yourself of a gnat infestation is with an easy and cheap do-it-yourself gnat trap. Find a used can or jar (Mason jars work especially well) and fill it with apple cider vinegar. Gnats are extremely attracted to the scent of vinegar. After you fill your can or jar, seal the lid and poke very small holes w...