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Earlier last month, students could finally access their anxiously awaited SAT scores, which — judging from reactions across social media — were lamentable.

As Twitter user @Peachhoran put it, “I GOT MY SAT SCORES BACK AND IM READY TO JUMP INTO AN OCEAN FILLED WITH HUNGRY SHARKS SINCE I’VE NO FUTURE WHATSOEVER.”

In order to get a perfect score of 2,400, students would have had to have gotten an 800 on each of the three parts — critical reading, math, and writing — of the SAT. Last year, about 1.6 million students took the SAT, averaging a 496 in reading, 514 in math, and 488 in writing, for a composite score of 1,498.

This recent batch of test results are separate from what the College Board found to be the class of 2014’s average scores, which were also distressing. If Cyndie Schmeiser, the College Board’s chief of assessment, were to describe them, she told the Huffington Post that “flat and stagnant would be the words that we would use.”

The 1.67 million students in the class of 2014 averaged a 497 in reading, 513 in math and 487 in writing for a composite score of 1,497 — just one point worse than the class of 2013. These results also showed that only 42.6% of the class of 2014 had scores of 1550 or higher, meaning less than half of them were ready for college.

Though these averages did not include the most recent batch of results, and though the data is not quite yet available, students didn’t seem to do too well judging from the reaction on Twitter. As @Laynababy22, tweeted, “Got my SAT score back and it’s official, I’m stupid :-)”

Last March, the College Board announced plans to change the SAT’s format in an effort to curb the academic stagnation. The college preparatory exam will return to a 1,600-point scale, stop deducting points for wrong answers, and will focus on material closer to what students actually study in school.

However, the new format will roll out in 2016, which means that for now, students will still have to deal with the 2,400-point scale and older format.

In an attempt to keep the focus on its mass-market audience, the newly formed Fiat Chrysler group has announced that it is splitting from its well-known luxury Italian brand, Ferrari. Fiat Chrysler plans to list shares of Ferrari stock on the New York State stock market and possibly on European stock markets, as well.

While there is no set date for when the stocks will be listed, the car company has said that 10% will be up for grabs, while the rest are to be distributed among Fiat Chrysler shareholders.

Fiat currently owns two luxury sports car brands: Ferrari and Maserati. Although it is an iconic car owned by many celebrities and used in many TV shows and movies, the Ferrari doesn’t align with Fiat Chrysler’s mass-market audience. The luxury sports car hasn’t performed well this year on the racetrack either, marking one of its worst years in Formula One racing history.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s chairman of 23 years, was pushed out of his position back in September and replaced by Fiat Chrysler’s CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The separation of Ferrari from Fiat Chrysler is expected to be completed by next year, but an exact date hasn’t been announced.

“The separation of Ferrari will preserve the cherished Italian heritage and unique position of the Ferrari business and allow F.C.A. shareholders to continue to benefit from the substantial value inherent in this business,” said chairman of Fiat Chrysler John Elkann, according to The New York Times.

Fiat Chrysler only recently began trading on the New York Stock Exchange after the merger of the two automakers was approved. Fiat took full control of Chrysler earlier this year after Chrysler found itself facing major financial woes.

Fiat Chrysler’s main focus is on targeting middle-class families with its line of safe and affordable vehicles, like the FIAT 500, which won 2008 European Car of the Year award. By splitting from Ferrari, both automakers will be able to focus on selling their different vehicles to their separate target audiences.

Public mistrust and outrage over several recent data breaches have focused mainly on retail giants that were hacked. However, several security experts are now saying that the credit card industry itself is also to blame.

Over a decade ago, major credit card companies — including American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa — launched a preemptive strategy to combat data thieves and hackers amidst growing public concern over cyberattacks. In 2001, businesses were required to meet a strict checklist of security criteria to prove they were taking measures to protect the personal credit card data of their customers.

Unfortunately, the security measures imposed by credit card companies failed to prevent an increasing number of cyberattacks against retailers during this past year. Home Depot and Target — two of the largest retailers affected by data breaches — claim they adhered to the security measures prior to hackers stealing the credit and debit card data of 96 million consumers from their computer systems.

It’s been debated whether complying with the credit card industry’s security regulations has been effective in protecting consumer information. However, the security tests have been instrumental in how credit card companies are attempting to keep consumer payment information secure. The credit card industry claims the tests provide insight as to how well a business is protecting its computer system, and those who meet all the security guidelines are still vulnerable to data breaches.

In an effort to minimize and prevent future cyberattacks, the credit card industry has began issuing credit cards embedded with a microchip and PIN access code, as opposed to the traditional magnetic stripe. This new technology is designed to make it more difficult for purchases to be made with stolen credit card data, or for hackers to create counterfeit cards.

With the release of the highly anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has entered the data breach foray with a possible solution: Apple Pay. This mobile payment method allows consumers to pay for their purchases using their smartphone or other mobile devices, such as iPads and the new Apple Watch. Consumers don’t even have to open an app thanks to innovative near-field communication (NFC) technology used by both the iPhone 6 and participating retailers. One swipe is all it takes.

Apple Pay is said to be more secure than traditional payment methods due to its use of NFC technology and fingerprint identification. However, not all businesses are so quick to jump on the Apple Pay bandwagon. Retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy have opted out, choosing instead to offer their own form of mobile payment, CurrentC. However, CurrentC recently suffered its own data breach when hackers were able to break into the system and steal consumer email information, raising several eyebrows.

As the winter holiday season rapidly approaches, retails are preparing for consumers to empty both their traditional and mobile wallets. Forecasts for consumer holiday spending are surprisingly positive, with consumers expected to an average of $781 on Christmas and holiday gifts, the highest figure in nearly six years. Despite concern over data breaches, consumer optimism is high as the economy continues to pick up speed. In fact, credit card debt accounts for just 5.5% of total household debt in the United States.

While the debate over secure methods of payment will continue for quite some time, consumers are eager to spend and use their hard-earned cash, plastic, and mobile payment methods on gifts for the upcoming holidays.

From his first days as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has consistently presented himself as a more forgiving figure than many of his predecessors. Beginning with a Holy Thursday ritual in 2013, in which Francis bathed the feet of 12 prison inmates (including two women), the former Argentinian cardinal has come to be seen as a refreshing influence by many liberal Catholics. Now, he seems to be turning this spirit of mercy to a controversial topic: divorce.

While it is often overshadowed by hot-button issues like gay rights, abortion and child abuse, divorce has long been considered a contentious subject within the Catholic church. Although there are an estimated 46,523 divorces filed each week in the United States alone, the Vatican and many parishes adhere to a strict Biblical interpretation: unless a marriage is annulled by the church, divorcees are unable to receive Communion or have a religious ceremony if they remarry. In some cases, the spouses of remarried Catholics are also denied Communion, as the Vatican does not recognize their marriages as legitimate.

The controversy of the issue was made clear in February 2014, when a German cardinal, Walter Kasper, delivered a speech at a closed meeting of his peers, suggesting that divorced Catholics be given the right to receive Communion after a period of penance. In response, five prominent cardinals, including the Vatican’s supreme court chief justice, published a book refuting his position. Francis’s top economic adviser also refuted his position in another book.

However, Francis’s response was far more accepting. In his first Sunday blessing as pontiff, the pope praised Kasper by name and mentioned his book, “Mercy,” which argues that mercy is at the theological center of Christianity. Francis also spoke repeatedly of the importance of mercy when he was questioned about his position on divorce. Finally, on September 21, he ordered a group of theologians and papal lawyers to find a way to simplify the annulment process, which is often time-consuming and expensive. By annulling a marriage, the Church essentially states that the partnership was never valid, for reasons such as a spouse not wanting to have children.

While some might find Francis’s 11-member commission a hollow approach, particularly given the popularity of divorce in secular society, theologians say that streamlining the annulment process avoids issues caused by Kasper’s suggestion of penance and mercy. For example, some have called his plan an act of “pseudo-mercy” in which divorcees are told their second marriages are tolerated but not approved, as they remain married to their first spouse in the eyes of Christ. Though an improved annulment process has yet to be unveiled, Francis’s support of such a measure is typically seen as a continuation of his forgiving papacy. While it is unlikely that being granted annulment will ever be as easy as obtaining a legal divorce, this venture offers new hope to Catholic divorcees around the world, who may eventually be able to take Communion with the rest of their parish.

The “Baby Boomer” generation of adults born in the years following World War II is widely regarded as the largest generation in terms of population.

And since their generation is so populous, wouldn’t Baby Boomers have the most buying power as consumers as well? Today’s advertisers don’t seem to think so.

Commercials featuring Baby Boomers often depict negative stereotypes — such as one Esurance commercial that implies seniors are technologically inept, even though 28 million people aged 55 and older have a Facebook account, and senior citizens buy twice as much online as younger Americans, according to AARP.org. Most advertisers simply ignore members of this generation altogether, rendering them invisible and unrepresented.

In numerical terms, one recently published Nielsen study discovered that less than 5% of all advertising dollars go toward ads that target the 35 to 64 age group.

And advertisers’ ignorance comes with a hefty price. The Nielsen study found that the Baby Boomer generation will wield an astonishing 70% of disposable income in America by 2017. When an advertisement portrays a boomer in a negative light — or erases them from the picture altogether — it makes seniors less likely to try out the product or service being advertised.

Baby Boomers themselves are noticing their lack of representation. One UK survey of 1,200 boomers found that 39% of Baby Boomers believe people their age aren’t being represented in today’s advertising; a mere 26% said they thought their age group was adequately represented, the Retail Times reports.

The good news is that companies hoping to cater their products or services to this age group have little competition.

And one of the most effective ways to reach out to Baby Boomers could be through car wrap advertising. In a typical day, a car wrap advertisement will be seen by 30,000 to 70,000 people. Seniors spend plenty of time in their cars each day, which is the prime time for being impacted by a car wrap advertisement. These advertisements are non-invasive yet eye-catching, and are an easy way to get a Boomer’s attention.

Tapping into the spending power of the Baby Boomer generation carries countless upsides.

“(Boomers) were born into a post-war culture of affluence and optimism,” the Nielsen study concluded, stating that these adults spend more freely because they didn’t live through the Great Depression. “Boomers make the most money and spend what they make.”

Singapore’s recent anti-gambling ad campaign didn’t produce its desired effect after Germany won this year’s FIFA World Cup.

According to a July 15 Irrawaddy article, the government-created public service announcement which debuted last month depicts two young boys sitting next to each other, wearing soccer uniforms.

One of the boys is shown telling the other that he hopes Germany wins, because his father had used all of his son’s savings to bet on the team’s victory in the World Cup. Beneath the photo, the message “Often, the people who suffer from problem gambling aren’t the gamblers.” is depicted.

While the ad was obviously meant to show the negative impacts gambling can have on the gamblers’ families, it gradually became an international punchline as Germany continually defeated its opponents in the tournament, reports Irrawaddy.

“Cheer up, kid, your dad bet on Germany,” Jimmy Fallon said on The Tonight Show after Germany won over host country Brazil by 7-1. “He’s so rich you don’t even need to go to college anymore.”

Singapore’s government eventually responded not by pulling the ads, but by creating new ones featuring the same two children as a way to hit back at the country’s prominent gambling culture, which frequently uses total or over/under betting for sports events that determines whether a gambler will win based on his or her guess of the combined point total in a game.

“Your dad’s team won. Did you get your savings back?” the boy’s friend asks him.

“No, Dad never stops … he wants to bet one more time,” the boy replies.

A sound recording of a customer’s conversation with a Comcast representative took the internet by storm last week, when AOL vice president Ryan Block uploaded the recording he began after attempting to cancel his Comcast account. The recording, which began around 10 minutes into the conversation and after Block’s wife had thoroughly given up talking to the Comcast rep, continues on for nearly 10 more excruciating minutes. The unnamed representative involved in the conversation wasn’t just annoying, rude and desperate — he was using tactics which are intended to bully customers into staying with the company. These tricks are nothing new, and it doesn’t seem to matter which industry you’re dealing with. Customers wishing to cancel services for everything from cable companies to gym memberships are often confronted with these representatives and end up not cancelling the service simply out of frustration and stress. But that doesn’t matter to the employee on the other end of the line — he doesn’t want to convince you that the company is friendly and welcoming; he just wants to make sure that you don’t leave.

But why is this so prevalent? It clearly does nothing for the company’s reputation — especially when customers like Block record these conversations and allow the entire internet to listen in. A look at Comcast’s wages and employment listings might shed some light on the issue.

Named the “Worst Company in America” in a Consumerist poll in 2010, Comcast doesn’t seem to treat employees with much dignity, either. The representatives are paid a low hourly wage which is supplemented by commissions, meaning that the reps only want to convince customers to stay so that they can get a normal and reasonable income. Technically, these employees aren’t even considered to be part of “sales,” but nevertheless, companies like Comcast pressure their employees into acting like salespeople rather than customer service representatives – which is what they are supposed to be. 

Their voracious attitudes are more of a survival technique than anything else. The practice of “customer bullying” is common in the telephone and internet industries, but a lack of viable competitors allows Comcast to put customer and employee satisfaction on the back burner. Studies have shown that between 35 percent and 45 percent of sales reps fail to meet their quotas, and that the turnover rate for sales reps is a whopping 26 percent. It’s easy to imagine that these numbers are even worse for Comcast employees, since the company clearly values quantity over quality. Regardless of whether Comcast customers are talking to sales reps or customer service reps, there seems to be an overarching idea that they should be bullied into choosing Comcast’s service – and this idea isn’t the fault of the representatives themselves; it’s the fault of the company executives. 

So what can be done about this? Unfortunately, as the customer, not much. But as more people like Block begin calling out companies on their shortcomings, it’s very possible that companies will eventually cave in and start treating their customers and employees with respect.

How much drama does a golf course create? A lot, apparently, even when it has nothing to do with golf. Donald Trump, who is no stranger to creating waves with the American media, is now bring his ferocious attitude onto his California golf course and fighting for his right to display an American flag.

The flag in question flies on a 70-foot pole at the Southland Trump National Golf Course, and according to state officials, Trump has not filed the proper paperwork to receive a permit allowing him to keep the flag up. Additionally, Trump has been accused of not paying a $10,000 fee to fly the flag on such a tall flagpole. Trump’s attorney is arguing that the investment mogul has, in fact, paid the fee, and that the flag has been flying on the pole for many years without complaint.

A proposed plan is that the golf course would lower the flagpole to 26 feet, but it appears that residents around the course would actually be upset by this move — if they care about the tall flagpole at all. As resident Scott Winters has noted to CBS Los Angeles, “There’s a lot of other local issues that are far more important than the height of a flag.” Trump, on the other hand, sees the issue as one of the utmost importance, and he has personally patriotically stated that he “will fight for the American flag.”

Local Councilman Jim Knight claims that the flagpole situation isn’t about being able to display the flag, but about not following city regulations. The proposed lowering of the flag does not technically violate the U.S. Flag Code, which is a federal law stating that no disrespect is to be shown toward the American flag; even if the proposed lowering did violate the Code, there are actually no penalties for violation.

It is likely that Trump and his supporters do not want state officials to succeed because the case could serve as an example that regulations and monetary fees seem to be more important than patriotism and the American right to freedom of expression.

People have been talking about the death of radio for years. AM lost its social clout when FM began to dominate the airwaves. In 1979, one-hit-wonder Buggles claimed that video killed the radio star. Then cars began to have cassette players. Then CD players. Now, they have USB ports, Auxiliary outlets, and Bluetooth capabilities, all of which allow MP3s — the figurative villain in the analog v. digital debate — to be streamed through the car’s audio system.

Yet, it seems that rumors of radio’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. According to the latest data from the Pew Research Center, 92% of Americans age 12 and older listened to the radio at least once per week in 2012, which is down by only two percentage points from 2001. This means that for over a decade, people have continued to listen to the radio despite having other listening options available. 

In America’s major cities, radio also continues to ride shotgun on people’s daily commutes, or at least for a portion of it. Of New York’s 34.7 minute daily commute, more than three minutes is spent listening to the radio. Of Chicago’s 31.1 minute daily commute, three and a half minutes is spent listening to the news on the radio. Of Boston’s 28.9 minute commute, more than three minutes is spent listening to news and talk radio.

What’s more, it’s been found that 80% of people spend between one to three hours listening, and 40% of people are listening for one to two hour sessions at a time. 

Although people proclaim the death of radio so often that the very phrase “radio is dead” has become cliche, it simply isn’t. Despite new technologies and changing listening patterns, radio has continued — and will likely continue in the future — to be a part of our everyday lives.

For military brides, and fiancés of deployed military men, a fairy tale wedding is usually only a dream. Being stationed across the world for months or years at a time can hinder any grand wedding plans that a bride has imagined her entire life. 

But not all her fantasies will necessarily go by the wayside. In fact, she can get the perfect wedding gown, thanks to Brides Across the America, a six-year-old organization that supports military brides. 

In Oakville, Connecticut, the organization will team up with The Wedding Embassy to roll out their annual drive on July 12 and 13, to offer these brides a free wedding dress.

Brides Across America founder, Heidi Janson, stated that the event helps remember the sacrifices fiancés make when their husbands-to-be get deployed, as well as when engaged military women are sent overseas for duty. 

“A wedding is something everyone loves and to give a wedding gown to support our troops makes perfect sense! This is our gift to them, to say thank you for their service and sacrifice,” Janson says. 

The Wedding Embassy is also just one of over 60 bridal salons working with Brides Across America to fit military brides with the perfect gown for their big day. In Ankeny, Iowa, the Bridal Connection will host its annual red carpet event for military brides on July 3. The company expects that 20 designer gowns will reach the hands of these brides during the soiree.

Brides Across America was founded in 2008 by Janson, who wanted to do something to help men and women that serve in the armed forces. The first year of Janson’s efforts saw at least 50 gowns distributed to military brides, but the campaign has ballooned in recent years, with 2013 garnering 12,000 dresses. 

The organization was also featured in People Magazine last year, and in 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden, recognized the company during an event to celebrate organizations that help military families. 

These bridal giveaways could be the key to helping fiancés of deployed soldiers, and military women, save money on the expenses a wedding incurs. Studies show that couples spend an average of $28,000 on weddings in the U.S. 

In order to qualify, brides must either be currently deployed, have a future deployment scheduled, a fiancé serving the military, or have been deployed to Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, or Korea in the last five years. Brides will also need to prove their eligibility with deployment papers and proper identification.