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Chocolate entrepreneurs say their obsession with controlling every step of production, from the farm to the finished bar, makes for better tasting chocolate, and a more ethical, open relationship with farmers.

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Chocolate entrepreneurs say their obsession with controlling every step of production, from the farm to the finished bar, makes for better tasting chocolate, and a more ethical, open relationship with farmers.

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How an Australian man ended up dead in an Israeli prison is now an international issue. There are reports that he may have been recruited to spy for Mossad and then done something to get himself in trouble with Israeli authorities. There are investigations under way in Australia and Israel.

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A combined company worth $11 billion would become the largest U.S. airline. By creating a robust route structure with hundreds of destinations on four continents, the two carriers may be able to attract more frequent fliers, improve service and boost revenues. But what will happen to fares is uncertain.

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Authorities in Spain have busted a ring of computer criminals. Their speciality: Ransomware, an infuriating kind of computer attack where a virus gets introduced that locks up the computer system and demands a cash ransom. Most of those arrested were Russians allegedly operating out of two resort cities along Spain's mediterrean coast.

Spanish authorities say they'd received nearly 800,000 complaints about the virus. There were 1,200 victims in more than 30 countries with most concentrated in Europe. 

Cyrus Farivar at the tech publican Ars Technica, who has been following the story, joins Marketplace Tech host David Brancaccio to break down the story and explain how you can protect yourself.

American Airlines and US Airways have officially announced their long-suspected merger. Together the companies will become the largest airline in the world. The new airline will be called American Airlines and based in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be run by the current CEO of US Airways, Doug Parker. Robert Isom, the COO of US Airways and John Snook, the Senior Vice President of Customer Service at American Airlines, join Marketplace Morning Report host Jeremy Hobson to talk about the challenges of the coming merger and their hopes for the future airline.

Legendary investor Warren Buffet announced Thursday morning that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will team up with a Brazilian-backed investment firm to buy H. J. Heinz, the ketchup maker. The price tag? Just over $23 billion.

President Obama is visiting Atlanta today to talk about his plans to pump more federal dollars into education. But many school districts around the country aren't waiting for the cash. Instead, they're borrowing money, often using long-term bonds that can put them into debt for far more than they initially borrowed.

And finally, a new study from a company called Trustwave, says we're not being very careful with our online security. Apparently the most common password used by global businesses is Password1. And we're guessing when the company makes those people change their password, the most common will be Password2.

Time was, California served as the nation's rose garden. Then foreign competition made things thorny for U.S. growers.

Today, the roses you are lucky enough to receive, or kind enough to give, probably came from South America. Colombia and Ecuador grow the vast majority of roses sold in the U.S. Lower costs in South America are a key reason prices for the flowers purchased here have remained the same for the past couple decades.

For long-stem-roses, New York or Los Angeles florists charge about $70 a dozen. At the grocery, store a bouquet is just $10. During most of the year, that is. On Valentine's Day, consumers can expect to pay much more ­ -- even double.

“The industry overall is very competitive,” says Ben Powell, chief operating officer of Mayesh Wholesale Florist. He says the U.S. used to buy most roses from California, but foreign competition has made things thorny for American flower farmers. "The U.S. growers of cut flowers really haven't been a major factor in roses for probably 20 years."

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway already owns Dairy Queen. Brazil's 3G Capital, which is part of the deal to buy Heinz, already owns Burger King.

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It's the peak of the elephant seal mating season on the California coast. That means the SUV-sized, 4,000-pound males duke it out for a chance to mate.

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Legendary investor Warren Buffet announced Thursday morning that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will team up with a Brazilian-backed investment firm to buy H. J. Heinz, the ketchup maker. The price tag? Just over $23 billion.

That may sound like a lot for condiments. For many people Heinz means one thing: Ketchup.

The company actually started with horseradish way back in 1869. It added “the red magic” -- as it later called ketchup -- a few years after. While it’s still best known for that iconic glass bottle of Heinz 57, it does a lot more.

“If you were in the U.K., for instance, Heinz Baked Beans is extremely popular,” says Erin Lash, an analyst who covers Heinz for Morningstar.

Plus they make sauces, soups, and pasta meals, among other products.

Lash says 60 percent of sales come from outside the U.S. That diverse customer base is likely part of the appeal for Berkshire Hathaway.

“Heinz has expansive global scale and they have a very strong brand portfolio,” says Lash. “Beyond that, the firm generates a boatload of cash.”

That combined with its iconic brand and long history, make it just the kind of company Buffet likes. He’s reportedly been keeping an eye on Heinz since the 1980s.

The decline looks like another sign that the labor market is slowly, steadily, improving.

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The owners of a California condo resort say they went into a unit to do some work and were quickly grabbed by the man who authorities say had already killed three people and was determined to take revenge on his former police colleagues.

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American Airlines and US Airways have officially announced their long-suspected merger. Together, the companies will become the largest air carrier in the world. The new airline will be called American Airlines and will be based in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be run by the current CEO of US Airways, Doug Parker.

Robert Isom, the COO of US Airways and John Snook, the Senior Vice Presdeint of Customer Service at American Airlines, join Marketplace Morning Report host Jeremy Hobson to talk about the challenges of the coming merger and their hopes for the future.

Crowd funding has proved popular for bands raising money to produce a new album and for producers of documentary films. Now scientists are getting into the act, and some are raising money from the very people they're studying.

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Investors are digesting a couple of big deals this morning. First, American Airlines and US Airways announced they are merging to form the world's largest airline. And second, Warren Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway is going in on a deal to buy ketchup maker Heinz for $23 billion.

According to Susan Schmidt, head of U.S. equities at Mesirow Financial, markets should get ready to see a flurry of mergers and acquisitions.

"We had a slow down in 2012, but really this is a trend that we saw begin in 2010-2011," says Schmidt. "Companies have a lot of cash right now, they are in great capital positions by and large, they are looking for ways to strategically improve their businesses... A lot of times that means mergers."

To hear what a new crop of mergers might mean for the job market and small businesses, click on the audio player above.

Also: The Knight Foundation apologizes; more bad news for Barnes & Noble; and discontinued candy heart slogans.

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Janell Burley Hofmann, one of our resident tech etiquette gurus, is a Cape Cod Mother of five with strong opinions about how to behave with technology. Today's topic: Group text messages.

In order to get a little tech separation, Hofmann has imposed a house rule that her son must turn his phone off at night. Sounds like a great idea, but what happens when the phone goes back on in the morning after hours of inactivity?  672 text notifications, that's what.

"A group of friends [had started] a group text, that carried on so you can see everyone's response, you are notified every single time somebody comments -- somebody makes an emoticon smiley face or says, 'what's up?'" says Hofmann. 

Luckily, Hofmann's family has an unlimited text plan, but Hofmann has a new rule: "Only say what you need to say and respect when someone says please leave me out of the conversation."

To hear Hofmann's advice for parents and kids when it comes to texting, click on the audio player above.

American Airlines and US Airways have officially announced their long-suspected merger. Together the companies will become the largest airline in the world, but the consolidation process won’t be without its challenges.

It’s similar to moving in with a new boyfriend or girlfriend -- suddenly there are two couches, two beds, two lives that need to be combined.

Challenge number one will be merging the front-end of these two companies, including airport hubs and flight routes. It includes everything from repainting the outside of planes and standardizing their cabins, to pilots and flight attendants learning new equipment.

“They’ll have to familiarize the American Airlines pilots with US Airways Airbus airplanes, and they will have to familiarize US Airways pilots with the various planes American flies," says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Hudson Crossing.

He says challenge number two will combining the back-end. In the past, airline mergers have had trouble combining reservation systems. And then there’s the issue of company culture.

"US Airways tends to have a thinner management structure and decisions tend to be made a little bit more quickly. American Airlines is more hierarchiacal and they will do analysis after analysis after analysis," says Harteveldt, who adds it could be three or four years until these two airlines are truly one.

A woman was killed Thursday at the home of he South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete. Police tell South African news outlets that Pistorius is the only suspect.

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The Marketplace Tech crew asked listeners leading up to this day of wine and roses to share least romantic or most romantic tweets sent or received. Here are a just a few, you get to judge the romance level.

Someone named NKK, who must have very seductive accounting skills got this one: "I love you so much... can you check line 17 on my state tax form. Call me."

DoloresM got this Valen-tweet: "Love you. Can you cut my toenails tonight?"

GovtCheez tweeted this sure-fire one: "Hey girl.  I donated to NPR in your name." 

Add your own in a comment below or send us a tweet @marketplacetech.