Electronic Merchant Systems • 2nd March 2023

How to Choose a Payment Processing Platform in 2023

Choosing a payment processor is one of several items you’ll need to check off your list when opening up a business, such as getting your small business loan, registering your business, and conducting market research.

Key Takeaways You Will Get From This Article 1. Your payment processor should be able to process multiple forms of payment. 2. The industry you operate your business in could determine how much you pay for payment processing and the ease of finding a payment processor altogether. 3

25th August 2022

The Best CBD Payment Processing Companies in 2022

The CBD industry is one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet. While the legality of CBD is becoming more widespread, payment processors may still be hesitant to adopt your CBD business.

Selling CBD online is considered high-risk, despite its general use. Online CBD sales invite the risk of chargebacks, and its current legal status is somewhat of a gray area. In fact, PayPal and Stripe are notorious for not accepting online CBD merchants.

But there are processors who want to help you

Electronic Merchant Systems • 15th July 2022

Front-End vs Back-End Payment Processing: What’s the Difference?

Navigating the payment processing industry may be daunting for new business owners. If you’re unfamiliar with payment processing, getting a firm understanding of it is another task you’ll have to manage on top of all the other facets of opening your business.

One important distinction you’ll need to know is the difference between front-end processing and back-end processing. What are they? What does each of them do? Can you have one without the other?

Luckily for you, Electronic Merchant Syste

Electronic Merchant Systems • 15th July 2022

How Much Does Payment Processing Cost?

You’ll do everything to maximize your bottom line if you're a business owner. While giving your customers more ways to pay with credit cards or mobile wallets is great, processing those payments comes at a cost. You might find that sales and revenue are through the roof, yet you don’t see the results you want because of the payment processing costs. Profits are slipping through the cracks, and you need to act.

Whether your current company wants to review your payment processor or it’s your firs

Electronic Merchant Systems • 15th July 2022

How to Process CBD Payments Online & Succeed in a Growing Industry

Thinking about shifting your CBD sales to online? Your storefront CBD business has proved to be successful and now you want to expand your reach by introducing online sales.

This is an exciting and lucrative industry to be a part of, and you know the product will help you grow your business. But you call your payment processor only to find out they will not honor processing for CBD.

So, you try to get quotes from other providers only to be met with cold shoulders and unfamiliar terms:

You wer

7th July 2022

Electronic Merchant Systems Acquires a Majority Interest in Paysley, an Omnichannel Payment Solution

CLEVELAND, July 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS), a leading provider of merchant services and payment processing solutions, is pleased to announce today that it is bolstering its POS software stack with the addition of Paysley.

Based in Chapel Hill, NC, Paysley combines the physical and virtual payment worlds to provide omnichannel capabilities to merchants of all sizes. Paysley allows merchants to send secure, contactless, tap-to-pay requests to customers over text and

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

February new releases at Camana Bay Cinema includes “Sonic The Hedgehog”

In every facet of media in the 21st century, the audience as a collective has seen more power shift their way as social media and the internet have bolstered their voice. So when the first trailer for “Sonic The Hedgehog” dropped, portraying the speedy video-game character as anything but the original likeness, the internet took its rage out on Paramount with one simple request: fix Sonic. Fans got their wish and Sonic will be on the big screen at Camana Bay Cinema on 14 February, looking more l

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

At the cinema: Remakes, sequels and Christmas classics

Steven Spielberg has nothing else to prove. He’s quite possibly the most influential director in the history of cinema with blockbusters like "Jaws," "Jurassic Park" and "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial," and heart-wrenching dramas like "Schindler's List."

Nonetheless, he has no signs of slowing down after five decades of directing features. With all the experience (and Oscars) under his belt, this December we get to see his attempt at remaking "West Side Story." The beloved 1961 musical that was ad

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

At the Cinema: Racial justice, feminism and a gonzo western for kids

This month at Camana Bay Cinema comes a period piece about the politics of racial tension in 1960s America titled, "Judas and the Black Messiah."

From director Shaka King, the film tells the story of when long-time criminal William O’Neal is brought into custody and finds himself presented with a choice: either spend more than a decade in prison or take a deal from J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and spy on the Black Panther organisation in Chicago. He takes the deal, but in doing so, starts to question

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

At the cinema: The Fab Four's final days

For all the celebration and lore around cinema’s great lead protagonists, there are names in video games that rival silver screen heroes’ status as beloved characters: Link, Leon Kennedy, John Marston, Samus and Lara Croft, just to name some. But what about the nonplayer characters, or NPCs? We get a deeper look into NPCs and their take on all the digital commotion in "Free Guys." Ryan Reynolds takes the lead as he discovers he is an NPC in a video game resembling "Grand Theft Auto V" where guns

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

At the cinema: Chills, thrills and a famous day off

As the summer line-up of movies is in full swing, let's take a step away from the big budget blockbusters and pay attention to the new thrillers that will meet us this July. Sure, a lot of us have been waiting for "Black Widow" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest phase that finally comes to Camana Bay Cinema on 9 July, but let's not forget about other projects that spur inspiration, and sometimes terror.

Twenty-five years after the popular "Space Jam" film, the franchise returns with "Spa

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

At the cinema: Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie?

With all the phenomenal technological advances in film, sometimes it's refreshing to get a bare bones western in the mix that allows you to feel like a cowboy — or cowgirl — for a night.

In "News of the World," a Civil War veteran, played by Tom Hanks, finds a young girl who was captured by the Kiowa tribe while on his travels across the country. He vows to return the girl to her family while evading ruthless thugs and natural hazards. This is the latest directorial project from Paul Greengrass

Camana Bay • 15th July 2022

Thank goodness for movies

In this time of social distancing and isolation, people are suddenly spending a lot of time at home. For people who are naturally homebodies, this might not be difficult, but people who lead active, social lives are suddenly faced with the dilemma of what to do.

Movies are still here for us to cuddle up in front of while we try and find a reprieve from the changes in our social lifestyle. If it weren’t for the Internet and streaming platforms like Netflix, dealing with this pandemic would be ha

Medium • 8th December 2018

A Woman is Born

Six weeks after a surgery, a woman in Cleveland heads into work for a grocery store. She returns to regular customers welcoming her back with smiles and asking how she is doing. Some ask, “Why is it that you appear more female”?

“It’s the glow,” said Michelle Guzowski. Guzowski missed six weeks of work recovering from complete gender reassignment surgery. Born with the male physiology, 61-year-old Guzowski spent her entire life with gender dysphoria and was determined to cure it.

Living in the

Medium • 6th December 2017

For the Thrill of it all

From the time he saw Bret Hart battle Shawn Michaels in Wrestle Mania XII when he was young, Will Burden, 25, knew what he wanted to do with his life; he wanted to become a professional wrestler.

Burden grew up in Lima, Ohio, and he said there wasn’t anybody that was familiar with professional wrestling back where he was from, but if he caught someone’s ear he would tell them all about it.

Now residing in northern Ohio, Burden is in the middle of his second year working as a professional wrest

Medium • 11th December 2016

Four Months After: Where is the Vape Industry Now?

It has been four months since the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) put regulations on the E-Cigarette industry. On August 8th, 2016, the FDA commenced action in enforcing laws which would change the industry , down to the level of how independent vape shops would carry day-to-day operations.

Four Months After: Where is the Vape Industry Now?

The new regulations effect the extent of the service patrons can receive when they visit their neighborhood shop. For example, before the re

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

University, May 4 Task Force come to an impasse for 50th commemoration

Listen to “University, May 4 Task Force at crossroads” on Spreaker.

As the 50th anniversary of the May 4 tragedy at Kent State approaches, plans for commemoration are underway for the milestone. The university recently passed a resolution to take responsibility for the commemoration, leaving the May 4 Task Force, a student group that has planned commemorations since 1975, with an unclear future.

The victory bell at the trough of Blanket Hill serves as a remembrance for the tragedies of May 4,

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Earth Fest celebrates sustainability

More than 50 on- and off-campus organizations and departments set up on Risman Plaza for Earth Fest Wednesday.

The event, hosted by the Kent State University Earth Month Planning Committee and the Office of Sustainability, celebrated all areas of sustainability, including prosperity (economy), people (social) and planet (environment).

At top, David Pereplyotchik, an assistant professor of philosophy, represents the Democratic Socialists of America as he explains the philosophical implications

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Kent film students to get hands-on experience at Cleveland International Film Festival

Kent State’s film program will make a recruitment effort at the 42nd annual Cleveland International Film Festival and give students a chance to gain festival experience on Friday.

In addition to the 72 countries that are participating in the CIFF, members of Kent State University Independent Films will be sponsoring three short films at the festival to get the word out about their organization.

Scott Hallgren, assistant professor in Digital Media Production, asked the university for the proper

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Graffiti: Art or Vandalism? A look at ‘tagging’ in Kent

When it comes to expressing oneself through the means of visual art, there is an abundance of different media and techniques one can use. Graffiti offers a more adventurous and daring approach, but there is a problem: It’s illegal.

If you walk along the Cuyahoga River in Kent and find yourself underneath the Haymaker Parkway bridge, there is an ample amount of graffiti covering most of the abutment wall and the support pillars.

The question remains: Is graffiti artistic expression or an act of

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Pulitzer Prize winning author Art Spiegelman discusses comics and identity

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and graphic artist Art Spiegelman told students and members of the public just how comics, Jews and art align in a post-modernist world at the Kiva Tuesday.

Invited by Chaya Kessel, the director of the Jewish Studies Program, Spiegelman gave his free presentation titled “Comix, Jews ’n Art — Dun’t Esk.”

Spiegelman is best known for his highly acclaimed graphic novel and memoir, “Maus,” which won him a special Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

“I spent 13 years making ‘Maus

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Group 10 Gallery hosting biggest show of its type to date

Members of the Group Ten Gallery in downtown Kent will be sharing the space with a total of 30 artists until March 24 for their biggest Members and Friends show to date.

The Members and Friends show is setup to where each of the 15 members of the gallery invite one friend each to exhibit some of their work for six weeks.

Considering the wide range of artists that act as members of the gallery, the addition of outside artists brings in more uses of different types of media to be displayed.

Dan

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Downtown bar rocks International Clash Day

A pirate radio station manifested on the second floor of the Zephyr Tavern Wednesday night, as a sociology professor aimed to broadcast a strong message of D.I.Y ideology to the his community and the world.

Zach Schiller, assistant professor of sociology, had been planning to host the first ever International Clash Day in Kent for over a year. He brought the idea up to Mayor of Kent, Jerry Fiala and in 2017, Feb. 7 was made Clash Day in the city.

Inspired the world’s first Clash Day in 2013 by

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Local filmmaker wins big at international film festival

A first-time filmmaker won the top prize at an international short films festival in Kent on Saturday.

Hiram College sophomore Charlie Wirfel won the jury’s choice award at the 15th annual Standing Rock International Shorts Festival in their first entry to any film festival.

Wirfel’s film, “Say That Again?,” was made as a side project and beat out the competition from Belgium, Canada, Germany and others.

The short centered around two characters falling in love, except one of them can’t quite

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: Is not testifying a testimony?

On Sunday, Adam Schiff (D-CA) appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and said Democrats will continue the proceedings into the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump without testimonies from crucial witnesses.

Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, will not wait on Vice President Mike Pence, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, former national security adviser John Bolton, or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify in public. Ea

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: Trump doubles back on his double standard

President Donald Trump may have done the right thing by not knowing. Seriously.

On Sunday, it was announced that Trump was backing off of the flavored vape ban he proposed in September. An anonymous senior official at the White House told The Washington Post that the move to pull back on the ban was due to Trump’s lack of knowledge on the subject as a whole.

“He didn’t know much about the issue and was just doing it for Melania and Ivanka,” the senior official said.

As I’ve said in the past,

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: Why you shouldn’t be afraid of life after graduation

That’s how long a college student has endured the endless onslaught of papers, study sessions, adviser meetings, preparing presentations and every other task that makes them question their sanity over a four year span. And that’s if you graduate on time. For others it’s longer.

My lucky number will be 189,216,000— six years. My college story started in 2013 when I started taking classes at Tri-C in Cleveland. From the ripe age of 15, I started conditioning myself to the stacks of college bookst

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: The case of whistleblowers

The impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump would not be happening if it weren’t for one individual.

Just one. In a country of nearly 330 million people, it took one person in the CIA to write up a formal complaint about Trump’s conduct in withholding aid to Ukraine while trying to gain political dirt on his presidential candidates. Because of this individual, we’ve been watching in awe as our government tries to find the answers from within.

Since the whistleblower provided the com

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: Does impeachment “overturn the will of the American people?”

“A partisan impeachment inquiry is a blatant attempt to overturn the will of the American people.”

This is what Vice President Mike Pence said at a rally in Louisiana on Oct. 5 criticizing Democrats and the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, as reported by CNN.

Pence should have thought twice before using the phrase “will of the American people.” The American people willed Hillary Clinton in 2016 by way of the popular vote. It was the electoral college that nullified this will

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINON: Impeachment: Then and now

Three years after the end of the American Civil War, the United States found itself in yet another divisive quagmire – its first impeachment inquiry.

In 1868, the U.S. Congress opened up an impeachment inquiry against President Andrew Johnson after dismissing the Secretary of War without Senate approval.

The House passed the impeachment to the Senate trial and Johnson survived by a single vote despite his abuse of power.

An abuse of power seems to be as timeless as the idea of government itse

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

OPINION: Impeachment is back — what’s next?

The Washington Post reported that on July 25, 2019, President Donald Trump called the newly elected leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to congratulate him on the victory — at first.

During the half hour call, Zelensky expressed his appreciation for the military aid the U.S. provided his country and mentioned the country is almost ready to buy more defense weapons in the form of Javelins, an anti-tank missile. With the proverbial ball lobbed into Trump’s court, he then asked Zelensky to “do

Kent Wired • 15th July 2022

Trump Administration’s double standard on vaping

The recent wave of vaping related lung illnesses has caused everyone from vaping college students to concerned parents of high schoolers to question whether or not vaping is safer than cigarettes if safe at all.

As of now, there are over 450 cases of this mysterious illness nationwide with six deaths. Since the outbreak, it’s suggested that legal and blackmarket THC vapes with vitamin E acetate are to blame but authorities can’t rule out nicotine vapes just yet.

The Trump administration announ