By Devin Reese on 14-10-2011
Impulse purchases just got a little easier, at least at one major retailer. U.S. Bank has released an iPhone app that allows shoppers to apply for a credit card anywhere and get instant approval for their purchases. The company is launching its app with outdoor clothing and sporting goods retailer REI, a current credit card partner.
Once the app is downloaded, REI customers will be able to quickly apply for a credit card and if approved, receive instant access to their new accounts. Customers who are approved will receive a virtual credit card which they can present upon checkout to pay for their purchases.
The app will also serve as a customer account management tool, allowing users to check account balances, make payments and shop in the store or online. The app, which is named the REI Visa App, will eventually be made available to Android phones later this year, but right now is only available from the Apple App Store. U.S. Bank intends to launch similar apps for its other retail partners later this year.
The REI Visa Card has no annual fee, gives customers 5 percent cash back rewards points on purchases made at REI, and 1 percent on all other purchases.
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By Billie Nguyen on 13-10-2011
The Cambridge company, which runs a server network that lets businesses deliver data quickly, was the subject of takeover talk after Business Insider reported Google Inc. may be considering buying Akamai. But Bloomberg News cited sources who said Google is not planning to buy Akamai. Also, Akamai entered a strategic alliance to give customers access to Evidon Inc.s privacy and compliance service.
By Christopher Odonnell on 10-10-2011
I read this story last night in William Bennett’s The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood* and thought it was worth sharing. I googled this story to determine its authenticity. Turns out it appears it might be a fabrication—or at least the form that it is written about here (consider the source though, RadicalReference is a “collective of volunteer library workers who believe in social justice and equality.” Regardless, the point of the story remains in that it is not the government’s job to be charitable.
Originally published in “The Life of Colonel David Crockett,” by Edward Sylvester Ellis.
One day in the House of Representatives a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:
“Mr. Speaker–I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go int
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By Christopher Odonnell on 26-09-2011
Tagged Under : Grant
On Tuesday, Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang—owner of the architecture firm Studio Gang—made the list of 22 fellows to receive a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur grant, commonly referred to as a “genius” grant, will provide Gang with $500,000 over the course of the next five years. The Harvard-educated architect has garnered widespread attention since founding her firm in 1997, wowing urban residents with her dynamic buildings that combine daring design with environmentally friendly aspects.
For Gang, already a highly successful and renowned architect (perhaps best known in Chicago for the innovative Aqua Tower), the grant will allow her to pursue projects that, until now, have suffered from a lack of funding. According to her, the prize money will provide welcome sustenance to her firm, affording them with the opportunity to “continue research and experimental work that is not directly tied to a particular project—and therefore not funded.”
Gang’s Chicago masterpiece, the $475 million Aqua Tower, stands proudly along the Chicago River as a symbol of her unique architectural style and environmental consciousness. Based on the hi
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By Christopher Odonnell on 26-09-2011
US health insurance giant Cigna Corp. has announced plans to buy UK-based travel insurance provider, FirstAssist Insurance Services.
The firm is currently owned by Barclays Private Equity and is being targeted by Cigna in a move to expand its business offerings outside the US.
FirstAssist employs some 480 people and has three million customers in the UK. Cigna claims that a takeover of the UK firm will help it to move into the UK market, as well as helping it to expand elsewhere. As well as travel insurance, FirstAssist also offers health and employment cover, as well as legal insurance.
Cigna offers insurance to people living as expats outside their native countries, alongside its regular US health insurance and products offered through several international divisions.
Cigna’s International divisions president, William Atwell, said, This acquisition closely aligns with our growth strategy and mission to help the customers we serve improve their health, well-being and sense of security.
We have made great strides in the travel insurance sector and will benefit further from Cignas long-term commitment to growth,’ he added. The
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