It is also confronting the grim reality that, in a world filled with e-mail and cell phones, greeting card sales are flat.

FORBES: Wild Card

The race card at each meeting features flat racing, winter-style trotting and the local speciality, skijoring -- an awkward combination of horse, human and skis which is a clear crowd favorite.

CNN: Cool racing: Horses battle on snow

Mrs Deviers-Joncour, who was employed by Elf, used some of the money to buy a luxury flat in Paris and spent freely, using a credit card provided by Elf.

BBC: Despatches

Use VoIP with Skype or Fring if you have a flat-rate data plan, or use a local SIM card if you are on shore.

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To process the payments, businesses must rely on third-party merchant service providers (MSPs), which offer a dizzying array of rate structures that range from a flat rate to a percentage of the amount charged to the card.

FORBES: Written by Robert Ziegler

Sales at First Data's other two businesses (payment processing for merchants and credit card services), which had a combined 21% operating margin, were flat.

FORBES: Spinoffs