Google Reveals Its Playful Reward for Guy Who Briefly Owned Google.com

(abcnews) - Google's domain name was accidentally sold for one minute last year and now the search engine is revealing how much it paid to get it back.

In October, Sanmay Ved saw Google.com being offered for sale on Google Domains. He snagged the multi-billion dollar company's URL for $12 and owned the domain for one minute before Google realized the mistake and cancelled the purchase.

Ved never revealed how much Google gave him as a reward, but the company spilled the beans in a blog post this week. The amount Google paid him -- $ 6,006.13 -- is Google spelled numerically. (Google notes you may have to squint to see what they mean.)

Ved decided to do another good deed by donating his reward to charity. When Google found out, they matched his gift, bringing the donation to $12,012.26.

Is America a State Sponsor of Terrorism?

(thetrumpet) The question above could be asked differently, as CNBC did on Thursday. In an interview with United States Secretary of State John Kerry about the Iran nuclear deal and the money the Islamic Republic will receive from sanctions relief, a CNBC reporter asked: “Do you believe that any of that [money will end] up in the hands of terrorists?”

“I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,” Secretary Kerry responded.

Notice how vague Kerry was about which entities are terrorists and who labeled them terrorists. Yet every year, his State Department produces the “Country Reports on Terrorism,” which clearly state that Iran sponsors terrorism through the IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, al Qaeda and various Shiite militia in Iraq and Syria.

Some observers estimated that the money Iran will receive in sanctions relief will be somewhere between $100-$150 billion. But Kerry estimated that after Iran settles its debts, it will be left with around $55 billion.

Earlier in the day, Secretary Kerry said that because of all the internal demands in Iran to develop the country, “there is no way they can succeed in what they want to do if they are very busy funding a lot of terrorism.” Kerry makes it sound like the Iranian regime—its mullahs and the ayatollah—wants to help the people of Iran.

Pope Francis seeks Protestant forgiveness for past persecution

(christiantoday.com) Pope Francis asked Protestants and other Christian Churches for forgiveness for past persecution by Catholics as the Vatican announced on Monday he would visit Sweden later in the year to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Speaking at an annual vespers service in St Paul's Basilica in Rome attended by representatives of other Churches, he asked "forgiveness for the un-gospel like behaviour by Catholics towards Christians of other Churches". He also asked Catholics to forgive those who had persecuted them.

The Vatican announced that on October 31 Francis would go to the southern Swedish city of Lund, where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947, for a joint service with Lutherans to launch Reformation commemorations that will continue throughout the world next year.

Martin Luther, a German, is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation in 1517 with writing 95 theses – said to have been nailed to a church door in Wittenberg – criticising the CatholicChurch for selling forgiveness from sins for money.

Related: Pope Apologizes for Killing Protestants

Report: Humans to lose 5 million jobs to robots by 2020

- By the year 2020, humans are expected to lose a net of 5.1 millions of jobs to robots and artificial intelligence, according to a report from the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In the report, 15 economies that make up 65 percent – about 1.9 billion workers – of the total global workforce were surveyed. About 7 million jobs will be lost while 2 million will be gained due to technological change in these developed and emerging nations.

Robots have already begun taking over manual labor and jobs, such as cashiers, that involve redundant tasks.

However, smarter machines are also jeopardizing more skilled occupations.

“As entire industries adjust, most occupations are undergoing a fundamental transformation,” according to the report. “While some jobs are threatened by redundancy and others grow rapidly, existing jobs are also going through a change in the skill sets required to do them.”

Jobs in every industry would be displaced, according to the report. But the effects would vary and the most at-risk jobs include data processing and administrative jobs. Latest findings say that two-thirds of anticipated losses will probably be in the office and administrative sectors.

A Business Insider report states that humans could also lose nine jobs to robots: pharmacists, lawyers and paralegals, drivers, astronauts, store clerks, soldiers, babysitters, rescuers (the article notes that robots are able to search areas that are inaccessible to humans), and sportswriters and other reporters.

CNN cited a Bank of America study stating that there is a 90 percent risk or more of the following jobs being replaced: bakers, butchers, tour guides, tax collectors, telemarketers, insurance sales agents, retail salespeople, clerks, accountants and pharmacy technicians.

That report also stated that robots will likely be performing 45 percent of manufacturing tasks by 2025, compared to just 10 percent today.

“To prevent a worst-case scenario – technological change accompanied by talent shortages, mass unemployment and growing inequality – reskilling and upskilling of today’s workers will be critical,” the authors wrote. “It is simply not possible to weather the current technological revolution by waiting for the next generation’s workforce to become better prepared.”

Jobs involving much social interaction, empathy and intuition are least likely to be replaced by technology, according to CNN. Among these occupations include teachers, artists, mental health care workers, police and detectives, and social workers.

Women are projected to be disproportionately affected, with more than five jobs lost for every one gained throughout the next five years, versus one job gained per three lost for men. This is due to the low participation of women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

- See more at: asianjournal.com

18 killed as heavy snow and hurricane-force winds bring much of East Coast to a standstill

(latimes) The powerful blizzard that slammed the East Coast on Saturday (23) quickly surpassed forecasters’ dire predictions, claiming at least 18 lives, flooding coasts, unleashing hurricane-force winds and paralyzing life for residents of at least 20 states from Georgia to Massachusetts.

The storm was well on its way to smashing snowfall records.

Mayors and governors said they did not expect their cities to be back in business until next week.

“We are going into uncharted territory here,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned as the heart of the storm hit his state. Visibility was so low that those walking across the Brooklyn Bridge couldn't see the East River beneath or the Manhattan skyline soaring above. Since Thursday night, 25 inches had fallen in Central Park, nearing the city’s record of 26.9 inches, which fell over two days in 2006.

Cuomo took the rare step of banning all travel in the nation’s largest city Saturday. Drivers in New York City who failed to stay off the roads risked being ticketed, and even trains and large segments of the subway system, the lifeblood of the city, were shut down. Minutes before imposing the travel ban, Cuomo said, he saw the risk firsthand when he helped a crew rescue a driver whose car had spun out on Long Island's Cross Island Parkway.

Four dead in Canada school shooting, suspect caught

(Reuters) - The gunman suspected of killing four people and injuring several others in Canada's worst school violence in a decade first shot his two brothers at home before opening fire at the remote community high school, a family friend and the town's acting mayor said on Friday.

Police said a suspect was arrested after the shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan, an impoverished community about 600 km (375 miles) north of the city of Saskatoon.

The town's acting mayor, Kevin Janvier, told the Associated Press that his 23-year-old daughter Marie, a teacher, was shot to death.

He also said police told him that the gunman first shot two of his siblings at home and then made his way to the school.

Officials have not given a motivation for the shooting or named the suspect or victims.

Mass shootings are rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States. In the country's worst school shooting, 14 college students were killed at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique in 1989. A shooting in 1992 at Concordia University in Montreal killed four. (Full Story)

Spain: Baby contracts scurvy after vegan almond milk diet

(thelocal.es) - An eleven month-old baby in Spain has been diagnosed with scurvy after he was fed on almond milk alone.

The infant suffered fractures in his back and legs as a result of vitamin C deficiency and cried whenever his legs were moved.

The diagnosis emerged in a case study published this week in the journal Pediatrics and highlights the dangers of restricting infants to plant-based only diets.

The infant was switched to an almond-based mixture at two and a half months of age after developing an allergic reaction to cow milk-based formula.

The mother had tried to introduce pureed fruit and vegetables when the child reached six months old but the baby refused anything but the almond milk bottle.

But at eleven months of age, the child was unable to stand on his legs and cried if someone tried to move them.

Doctors discovered that he had fractures in his femurs and suffered vitamin C deficiency and was diagnosed with scurvy, a disease best known for afflicting sailors who were deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables while on long sea voyages.

Doctors who treated the child at Valencia’s Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe warned that the case served to underscore that “plant-based beverages are not a complete food”.

“This case presents scurvy as a new and severe complication of improper use of almond beverage in the first year of life,” the case study authors wrote.

“When plant-based beverages are the exclusive diet in the first year of life and not consumed as a supplement to formula or breastfeeding, it can result in severe nutritional problems.”

Wal-Mart to Boost Wages for Most U.S. Store Workers

THE HORROR!

(wallstreetjournal) Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will give nearly all its U.S. hourly store employees—and not just minimum-wage earners—a raise next month, as the nation’s largest private employer tries to combat a tighter labor market and the turnover endemic in the retailing industry.

Wal-Mart previously said it planned to boost its minimum wage in February to $10 an hour. But the giant retailer said Wednesday that hourly workers employed in its stores as of Dec. 31 would get at least a 2% pay bump. The wage increase will affect nearly 1.2 million U.S. employees at the company’s Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.

The across-the-board pay increase is aimed at addressing complaints by some longtime store workers about Wal-Mart’s more-generous starting wages for new hires. The company also is hoping to stem defections and the sums it spends to hire and train new employees. Wal-Mart loses about half a million store workers a year.

Minimum-wage increases took effect in 20 states last year, and several of the biggest employers of hourly workers, including McDonald’s Corp. and Starbucks Corp., have raised their starting pay.

Retail workers in the U.S. earned an average of $14.95 an hour in December, up 3.6% from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the raises planned for February, average hourly earnings will be $13.38 for Wal-Mart’s full-time store employees and $10.58 for part-time workers, the company said.

Some rivals, including Target Corp., are expected to follow Wal-Mart’s lead, especially in markets where the starting wage is below $10 an hour. “We constantly evaluate our hourly wage rates and adjust based on changing conditions in each market,” a Target spokesman said.

Wal-Mart is in the costly process of trying to improve its 4,600 U.S. stores while also investing heavily to boost e-commerce sales. It has said the wage boost—including the 2% increase for those who earn more than the minimum wage—would cost about $2.7 billion over fiscal years 2016 and 2017, driving down next fiscal year’s profit by as much as 12%. Last week, in a rare retreat, Wal-Mart said it would close 154 stores in the U.S. and another 115 globally, as it weeds out weaker-performing locations.

Wealth inequality rising fast, Oxfam says

seattletimes.com - Just 62 people own as much wealth as the 3.5 billion people in the bottom half of the world’s income scale, the charity Oxfam reported Monday in its annual study of inequality, which found the gap between rich and poor has continued to widen at an alarming rate. As recently as five years ago, the fortunes of 388 billionaires were needed to reach that halfway mark.

The study — released before the world’s business and government elite gather at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week — noted that a global network of tax havens contributed to the divide by allowing the rich to hide trillions of dollars in assets from their countries’ governments.

“Tax havens are at the core of a global system that allows large corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, “depriving governments, rich and poor, of the resources they need to provide vital public services and tackle rising inequality.”

Oxfam said publicly available data on some 200 companies — about half of them described by the World Economic Forum as its strategic partners — showed that 9 out of 10 had a presence in at least one tax haven, including the Cayman Islands and Switzerland itself.

The banking sector plays an essential role in the tax-haven issue, the report notes — just 50 big banks manage a majority of offshore wealth. At the same time, the financial sector is a prime source of rising inequality; 1 in 5 billionaires comes from that industry.

The global economy has more than doubled in size in the last 30 years. Its value reached nearly $78 trillion in 2014. But even as countries like China and India have built a vast middle class almost from scratch, those gains have disproportionately flowed to those at the very top of the income ladder.

Workers in nearly all of the world’s most developed nations and in most developing countries have been getting a smaller and smaller share of the pie, Oxfam notes.

In a separate report released on Monday, the Dutch research firm Motivaction International said that at least some of the world’s high earners could be recruited to join a campaign to reduce inequality. The firm surveyed more than 48,000 people in 20 countries who are part of the top 5 percent of income earners.

“There’s a huge divide not between the rich and the rest of the population but between the social- and the self-oriented rich,” said Martijn Lampert, Motivaction’s research director. The self-oriented “do not like to step outside the rich bubble,” he said, but the social-oriented “get more involved, have more compassion and have more contact with what is happening elsewhere in society.”

“They are in a position to work together with mainstream segments to make change happen,” Lampert said.

Jeffrey A. Winters, a political scientist at Northwestern University who studies economic elites, said the Oxfam report highlighted what has been an acceleration of wealth accumulation among a few individuals. Even within the tiny slice of the top 1 percent, the gap between the ultrawealthy and everyone else in that group has been growing, he noted.

“These are unprecedented levels of stratification in all of human history,” Winters said, whether compared with ancient Rome or authoritarian dictatorships that exert near-total control of a country’s resources. “No other system has concentrated wealth as much as this system has.”

Oxfam pointed to a number of trends including deregulation, privatization and financial secrecy that had “supercharged the age-old ability of the rich and powerful to use their position to further concentrate their wealth.” (Source)

Lip Balm Maker Faces Class Action Lawsuit

sciencetimes.com

EOS lip balm endorsed by famous artists like Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears is facing a class action case. A lawsuit was reportedly filed against the lip balm maker after the product allegedly caused negative effects to a user.

The complainant, Rachel Cronin, filed a lawsuit in California against EOS lip balm maker. In her affidavit, she stated that following several hours from using the lip balm for the first time, she felt her lips were like sandpaper—extremely dry and irritated. She then reapplied again to smoother her skin, only to find out that her lips started cracking, flaking and bleeding. The next day, blisters and rashes started sprouting all over her mouth, and manifestations lasted for 10 days.

Cronin, who is from Los Angeles, further claimed that after posting her photos on Facebook, there were several other people who claim to have the same experience. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, said they will be gathering all individuals who have the same complaints. In addition to seeking damage, he is also asking the company to address the health issue that might have affected hundreds or even thousands more.

Meanwhile in a statement released by EOS, it claims that the class action lawsuit is without merit. In defense, it claims that its products are only made from the highest quality ingredients proven safe and approved by the FDA and Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board without warning labels, have complied with the standard set by the industry and have undergone rigorous clinical testing.

Furthermore, they stated that from the millions of pieces sold, the company has received 40 complaints so far that is only a 0.001% rate. Out of these customers, 35 agreed to get a replacement coupon, while the other five have unknown whereabouts.

"The health and well-being of our customers is our top priority and millions of satisfied customers use our products every day, many of whom take the time to share their experiences with us," EOS stated. (Source)

Taiwan elects its first female president; China warns of 'grave challenges'

*eye roll*

Taipei (CNN) Taiwan has elected its first female president in a landmark election that could unsettle relations with Beijing.

Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the presidency with 56.1% of the vote, the official Central News Agency said, after eight years under the government of the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist Party.

Eric Chu, the Nationalist Party candidate in Taiwan's presidential election conceded defeat late Saturday and congratulated rival Tsai Ing-wen on her victory, the agency added.

Her supporters filled streets, waving party banners and cheering to victory announcements made from a stage.

The election also marked the first time the KMT has lost control of the island's legislature. The DPP took 68 of the 113 seats in Taiwan's parliament compared to the DPP's 35.

At a post-election news conference, Tsai underscored Taiwan's commitment to democracy, calling it a value "deeply engrained in the Taiwanese people."

"Our democratic way of life is forever the resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people," she said.

But later in her speech, she also acknowledged the tenuous relationship with Beijing, saying both sides "have a responsibility to do their utmost to find mutually acceptable ways to interact ... and ensure no provocation and no surprises." (Full Story)

Retail Giant Walmart is closing hundreds of stores and laying off thousands of employees

(businessinsider.com) - Walmart is closing 269 stores and laying off thousands of employees.

The move will affect more than 16,000 employees, including 10,000 in the US.

The closings include 154 locations in the US — 102 of which are the company's smallest stores, called Walmart Express, which have been in pilot since 2011.

Walmart is closing the stores to shift resources to Walmart's Supercenters and smaller-format Neighborhood Market stores.

Walmart will also shut down 23 Neighborhood Markets, 12 Supercenters, seven stores in Puerto Rico, six discount centers, and four Sam's Clubs. All the stores will close by the end of January.

Here's the list of stores that are shutting down.

* * * *
Related: America's most iconic retailers are shutting down stores and laying off thousands — and this could be just the beginning

Nitrates, leafy green vegetables linked to lower glaucoma risk

BOSTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Eating more leafy green vegetables -- such as lettuce, kale and spinach -- can significantly lower the risk of developing primary open-angle glaucoma, or POAG, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Harvard Medical School found increasing dietary nitrate intake, specifically with leafy greens, improves blood flow in the eyes and can help decrease risk for the condition.

POAG is characterized by slow pressure building in the eye, to which the cornea adjusts, leaving no swelling or other symptoms indicating a problem. Roughly one percent of Americans have the the condition, according to The Glaucoma Foundation, but do not know until their vision is impaired, when damage is generally irreversible.

For the study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers followed up with 63,893 women in the Nurses Health Study and 41,094 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who did not have POAG at two-year intervals during the course of the studies.

During the follow-up period, researchers identified 1,483 cases of POAG. Study participants were divided into five groups based on nitrate intake. Those reporting greater consumption of leafy green vegetables resulting in higher nitrate intake were 20 to 30 percent less likely to develop POAG.

Participants with higher nitrate intake also were 40 to 50 percent less likely to develop a sub-type of the condition called early paracentral visual field loss, caused by dysfunction of blood flow autoregulation.

"These findings could have important implications for POAG if the association of higher dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetable intake with a lower POAG risk is confirmed in observational or intervention studies," researchers wrote. (Full Story)

English shoppers steal £26.7m worth of plastic bags since 5p charge introduced

#retailproblems

(Telegraph.co.uk) Nearly £27m worth of plastic bags are believed to have been stolen in England since the 5p government charge was introduced last year.

Large businesses have had to charge for single-use plastic bags in England since October 2015. Similar measures were already in place in Scotland and Wales, where carrier bag uptake reduced drastically.

However, half of English shoppers say they have taken a plastic bag without paying, according to a poll by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk. The research suggests £26.7m worth of carrier bags have been stolen.

The thefts may have taken place at self-checkouts, which rely on customer honesty about how many bags they have taken.

Asked why they stole the bags, 37pc of the light-fingered shoppers said they did not want to pay the charge because “it results in companies making more money”.

Over a quarter said they thought it was a waste of money, while 22pc said they did it because no one would notice.

Researchers asked 2,784 people about their plastic bag habits, finding 51pc admitted to stealing bags, taking an average of three a month.

The results were then extrapolated to estimate that £26,671,664 worth of bags had been taken.

South Carolina Woman arrested for biting off part of Walmart employee’s finger

Myrtle Beach police arrested a woman for biting off part of a Walmart Employee’s finger during an altercation early Sunday morning.

About 2:10 p.m., loss prevention officers at the Walmart at 541 Seaboard Street witnessed Carolynn Wright, 23, allegedly concealing merchandise.

Two employees tried to stop Wright as she was leaving the store. A physical altercation ensued.

According to the police report, Wright punched one of the employees in the head, causing bleeding. Wright then bit down on another employee’s finger, biting a portion of it off.

A customer witnessed the incident and attempted to call 911 but dropped her phone. Wright grabbed it and while the witness tried to get it back, Wright allegedly grabbed the customer by the hair. The customer punched Wright to free herself.

Wright fled the store and got into a van. According to the report, the owner of the van told police he did not know about the altercation. He told police that when Wright got into the car, she told him to “run.” He asked her “what?” and she said “drive.” He saw someone standing in front of his van, blocking him. Wright again told him “drive.”

Police arrived and apprehended Wright.

According to the police report, the items Wright was allegedly shoplifting totaled $40.07 and included condoms, lubricant, panties, a camisole, bra and other clothing.

Wright faces assault and battery charges.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article54245865.html#storylink=cpy

Microsoft no longer updating versions of Internet Explorer

(ajc.com) - One Microsoft product will no longer get updates.

Gizmodo reported that Microsoft will no longer update older versions of its Internet Explorer browser.

Microsoft said in a statement that updates, including technical support and security updates, to Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 ends Tuesday.

The news means that users who still use those versions should update their browser to Internet Explorer 11 or use other browsers.

“Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for older versions of Internet Explorer,” the statement said. “Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer. Regular security updates help protect computers from malicious attacks, so upgrading and staying current is important.

“Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.”

Microsoft said that Internet Explorer 11 will be the last version of the browser and will still be updated. (Full Story)

South Korea calls for tough sanctions response to North Korea nuclear test

(Reuters) South Korea warned North Korea on Wednesday that the United States and its allies were working on sanctions to inflict "bone-numbing pain" after its latest nuclear test, and called on China to do its part to rein in its isolated neighbor.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously late on Tuesday to pass legislation to broaden sanctions on the North's nuclear program.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an expansion of the size and power of his isolated country's nuclear arsenal, state media reported on Wednesday.

Last week's nuclear test was North Korea's fourth, although the United States and experts doubt the North's claim that it was of a more powerful hydrogen bomb, as the blast was roughly the same size as that from an atomic bomb test in 2013.

Israel: It's far too late for a 2 state solution

Re-unification ?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has only a razor-thin majority in one of the most right-wing Knessets in Israeli history.

President Barack Obama has tossed the ball to his successor. Recently, accounts have emerged of the U.S. administration giving up on there ever being two states and beginning to focus on what a one-state solution looks like.

And then there’s the ongoing violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank that has been called “a leaderless intifada.” This violence has cemented additional layers of distrust of Palestinians to the ones Jewish Israelis already harbor. The hatred is calcifying.

Orthodox Faithful Mark Christmas With Services, Celebration

= For much of the Orthodox Christian world, Thursday is celebrated as Christmas Day. Believers in Russia, Ukraine, and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East flocked to churches for the holiday.

Some Orthodox churches follow the liturgical calendar observed by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches and celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25. (Full Story)

Retailer Macy's to cut jobs, shut stores amid weak holiday sales

(Reuters) (Jan 6 16) - Macy's Inc (M.N) said it will eliminate more than 2,000 jobs and consolidate operations after reporting weak holiday sales, highlighting a downturn in apparel demand that has likely taken a similar toll on other department stores and clothing chains. Macy's said comparable sales at stores open for more than a year tumbled by 4.7 percent in November and December, far worse than what it had estimated in November, and it cut its earnings outlook for the second time in two months.

Macy's, which operates the upscale Bloomingdale's chain as well as its namesake Macy's department stores, estimated that 80 percent of the fall was due to unusually warm weather, which discouraged purchases of sweaters, coats and gloves. It also blamed the strong dollar for keeping tourists from visiting the United States and spending money at its flagship stores. The company's shares rose 2.8 percent to $37.15 in after-hours trading on Wednesday as investors cheered its plan to reduce costs by $400 million by consolidating regions and call-centers. The jobs to be eliminated include 3,000 store workers, though about half of those employees will be put in other positions, as well as hundreds of back-office and senior executive posts, the company said in a press release. “Macy’s is cutting the fat, becoming a leaner organization," said Lisa Haddock, marketing lecturer at San Diego State University, of why the shares rose. But Haddock said Macy's, like many other traditional bricks-and mortar retailers, faced an uncertain future as more and more consumer demand shifted online. "Macy's doesn't seem to have a unique spot in consumers' minds," she said. Macy's cut its earnings forecast for the full year to end-January to $3.85-$3.90 per share, excluding charges associated with the cost-savings program, from its previous forecast of $4.20 to $4.30 per share. In November Macy's had also blamed warm weather and low spending by tourists in cutting its guidance for the year and flagging a build-up of unsold apparel inventory. "The holiday selling season was challenging, as experienced throughout 2015 by much of the retailing industry," Macy's chief executive, Terry Lundgren, said in Wednesday's press release. The latest warning from Macy's also reflects ongoing shifts in the retail industry, analysts said. A growing number of consumers are refraining from buying discretionary items such as clothes and cosmetics, while spending more on electronics, cars, home goods and travel. At the same Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) has revolutionized shopping habits, conditioning shoppers to expect deeper discounts than what brick-and-mortar retailers can afford, while speeding up delivery in an effort to lure shoppers. "It's really concerning news that a company as well managed as Macy's is having such a tough time growing sales," said Burt Flickinger, managing director at retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group. "It's a broader issue. It's an acceleration of a retail ice age." Flickinger said other department stores and specialty clothing stores are likely facing similar troubles with apparel demand. Macy's said it expects a 2.7 percent drop in same-store sales for the year ending January, bigger than the 1.8 percent-2.2 percent decline it previously forecast. Macy's said it will close 36 of its 770 stores early this spring, in line with a previously announced plan. In addition to store employees, it said it would cut 600 back-office jobs, with about 150 of those positions to be reassigned. The company will shut its St. Louis call center in the spring, affecting about 750 employees, while adding 640 positions to other call centers. It will also offer a "voluntary separation program" for 165 senior executives at Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Macy's said it would record about $200 million in charges related to the cost-savings program. (Source)

Four ‘Super-Heavy’ Elements Added to Periodic Table

(wallstreetjournal) - Four recently discovered substances are joining the periodic table of the elements, filling in key blank spots in chemistry’s official compendium of the basic building blocks of the universe.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, which verified their existence, announced the entry of the four elements, the first since 2011 and the first to be found by scientists working in Asia.

These four radioactive “super-heavy” elements are known by temporary names based on the number of protons each contains in its nucleus: ununtrium, ununpentium, ununspetium and ununoctioum. Their discoverers now have the privilege of proposing a permanent name and symbol for each.

Three of the elements—designated with atomic numbers of 115, 117 and 118—were first detected more than a decade ago by researchers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The fourth, with an atomic number of 113, was discovered in 2004 by the Riken research institute in Japan.

The researchers have considerable leeway in conceiving names for the new elements. International rules allow them to be based on mythological creatures, a mineral, a scientist, or a place, but the international governing body has the final say in approving them.

The most recent entrant to the periodic table was Element 112, formally named copernicium to honor Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. (Full Story)

The Diet of the 1980s May Be Why Americans Are So Fat Today

(YahooNews) - Public health in America is in decline, and the culprit, according to experts, is what we’re eating—and our diets are turning deadly. “This is an epidemic that can be cured only by a massive change in lifestyle,” a leading doctor said when introducing new dietary recommendations.

We aren’t talking about obesity, however. Jeremiah Stamler, a cardiologist, was referring to the rash of heart attacks and heart disease that was killing American men in disconcerting numbers in the 1950s and ’60s. The massive change in lifestyle Stamler called for was to cut the amount of fat and cholesterol in the American diet. Nearly 40 years after the first federal dietary recommendations—and as a new, revised set of guidelines is set to be released—that change is looking less than successful. Many of Stamler’s contemporaries see the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet craze that eventually gripped the country as one of the primary causes of today’s obesity epidemic.

“If we reduce the amount of fat, you have to replace it with something,” Gary Taubes, the author of Why We Get Fat, said in a new episode of The Retro Report from The New York Times. In many instances, people turn to refined grains and sugar instead. “We put the whole country on a low-fat diet,” Taubes continued, “and lo and behold, we have an obesity epidemic.”

The scientific foundation for the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet championed by the likes of Stamler was based in large part of a study that used diet and cholesterol-lowering drugs to address cardiovascular health. Subsequent research has found no association between total fat intake and risk of heart attack or stroke.

But if cutting out fat and cholesterol did us little good, to say the least, cutting calories and portion sizes might not “solve” any of our larger public health problems either. New research suggests there’s not one ideal way to eat, and that while one person will respond dramatically to a certain diet, another person might see no changes at all after eating in the same way.

“It’s not just about fat and it’s not just about calories—it’s about the quality of the food that you eat,” said Taubes. (Source)

Japan: Abe Says Summit With Putin Needed to Resolve Territorial Row

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin must take place in order for the countries to forge a peace treaty.

Japan and Russia never signed a peace treaty after World War II because of conflicting claims over islands north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, which Japan calls its "Northern Territories."

When asked about Putin in a news conference, Abe said, "We both recognize that 70 years after the war's end, to not have concluded a peace treaty is abnormal."

"But without a summit meeting this Northern Territories problem cannot be resolved," Abe said.

He also said it was crucial that Russia play a constructive role in fighting terrorism and in the crises in Iran and Syria.

Since taking office in late 2012, Abe has sought to make progress on improved relations with Russia, but the conflict in Ukraine and other issues have complicated that effort.

Several tentative plans for a visit by Putin to Japan have been put off due to western concerns over Russia's involvement in such crises.

Tokyo views this as a good time to seek negotiations with Moscow over the territorial dispute, given Russia's desire to boost foreign investment in its Far East region and its currency economic straits, local media have reported recently.

The four disputed islands were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

Earlier speculation suggested a compromise might allow the countries to split control of the islands: Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group.

Over the past few years, both countries have sought to encourage more development of the resource rich area, with limited success.

Outlining his achievements over the past few years, Abe also said Japan's often tense relations with China and South Korea are "normalizing" following a summit in Seoul and he hopes for further progress. (Source)

US: Militiamen Occupy Oregon Wildlife Refuge in Protest of Ranchers’ Prison Terms

#oregonunderattack

- A group of activists and militiamen protesting the federal prosecution of two ranchers occupied a remote federal building in the rural southeastern corner of Oregon, the authorities said.

The building seized by the group houses the offices of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and is operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, about 30 miles southeast of Burns, in Harney County.

The occupation began after a demonstration in support of Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son Steven Hammond, 46, who were to report to California prison after a federal judge ruled that the sentences they had served for arson were not long enough under federal law.

Among the occupiers were Ammon and Ryan Bundy, two sons of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who became a symbol of anti-government sentiment in 2014, according to The Oregonian.

A lawyer for the Hammonds said, however, they did not welcome the Bundys’ help, according to The Associated Press

Related: FBI seeks peaceful end to occupation at Oregon wildlife refuge (Reuters)

Putin names United States among threats in new Russian security strategy

(Reuters) - A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia's national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years.

The document, "About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation", was signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year's Eve. It replaces a 2009 version, endorsed by then- President Dmitry Medvedev, the current prime minister, which mentioned neither the United States not NATO.

It says Russia has managed to heighten its role in solving global problems and international conflicts. That heightened role has caused a reaction by the West, it says.

"The strengthening of Russia happens against the background of new threats to the national security, which has complex and interrelated nature," the document says.

Conducting an independent policy, "both international and domestic" has caused "counteraction from the USA and its allies, which are striving to retain their dominance in global affairs."

That in turn is likely to lead to "political, economical, military and informational pressure" on Russia, the document says." (Full Story)

Rwandan president becomes Africa's latest to seek extended time in power

(latimes.com) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame will follow the well-worn path of autocrats by seeking a third term in office next year, after changes to the country's constitutional limit that had allowed only two terms.

Kagame announced in a televised New Year's Day address to the nation that he would seek a third presidential term after Rwanda's parliament (where the main opposition party has no seats) voted in favor of changes to the constitution that could allow him to seek additional terms and stay in power until 2034.

In a nation where dissent is crushed and opposition figures have been jailed, Kagame appears certain to win. Few Rwandans are willing to oppose his third-term bid.

More than 3.7 million people in the nation of 12 million signed a petition calling for the change to the constitution to allow Kagame a third term — equivalent to 60% of voters.

Kagame said Friday he "could only accept" Rwandans' call for him to lead the country beyond the presidential election in 2017.

"But I don't think that what we need is an eternal leader," he said in a televised address.