Here's How Much Less Women Make In Each State

If you're a woman looking for equal pay for equal work, then you might want to steer clear of Louisiana and Wyoming.

Those are two of the U.S. states with the biggest pay gaps between men and women, as seen in a new map from Expert Market, a site that helps businesses find equipment and services -- though women's pay lags significantly in every state.

To make the map, Expert Market used data from a Fall 2014 report, "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap", by the American Association of University Women. The report used pay data from the Census Bureau, the Department of Education, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine which states had the greatest gender pay gap.

Women in all states make $10,291 less per year than men, on average, according to Expert Market.

Other recent research paints an even more discouraging picture. In 2013, women made just 78 percent of what men were paid, on average, according to the Census Bureau. The gender pay gap has narrowed since the 1970s. But at the current rate, it will take 75 years for women to have equal pay, a July report from Oxfam found.

Here is the gender pay gap in each state, according to Expert Market:

States With the Highest (and Lowest) Gas Taxes

As gas prices continue to fall, some Americans believe that the federal government should raise its gas tax, which has been unchanged at 18.3 cents per gallon since 1993.

Read the whole story at 24/7 Wall St.

This CEO Fought For Better Wages At His Company. Guess What Happened.

Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna, explained how he increased wages for his workers, arguing that taking better care of his employees would in turn lead to better care for Aetna's customers.

Bertolini told HuffPost Live at Davos his company increased wages and adjusted benefits in order to give its employees a better quality of life.

"Not everybody should be at $16 an hour, there may be people who need to be higher," Bertolini said, noting people's lifestyles are directly impacted by how they are paid.

Bertolini's company also implemented yoga and mindfulness practices at work and studied the effect they had on the employees.

"After we completed the [yoga] course, the results were amazing," Bertolini said, saying in addition to weight loss and happier workers, there was an increase in productivity by 69 minutes a month.

"We think it's about a $3,000 a year savings," Bertolini said, noting his company's health care costs actually went down after implementing mindfulness practices.

Below, live updates from the 2015 Davos Annual Meeting:

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Oldest Newest Share + Today 8:58 AM ESTMcAfee On Evolution And Technology

"Evolution has wired us; we have social drives," McAfee said.

"Could there be a piece of technology that figures out an intelligent next question to ask somebody? Yeah," McAfee said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:57 AM EST'Making Workers Obsolete'

"For 200 years of industrial technology, we've been making workers obsolete," McAfee said.

McAfee said nobody knows if we're reaching the point where technological developments could lead to unemployment.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:56 AM ESTAndrew McAfee At Davos

Andrew McAfee of the MIT Sloan School of Management on HuffPost Live

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:46 AM ESTBruder On The Barriers Women Face

"We strive to have the majority of our graduates female," EFE's Ron Bruder said.

"I don't think there's an official barrier but there's a social and structural barrier in a lot of these countries toward women," Bruder added.

Bruder said his company creates local foundations, and those foundations tackle those issues on EFE's behalf.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:42 AM ESTEFE's McAuliffe And Bruder: Young People Need Jobs

EFE's president and CEO Jamie McAuliffe, along with founder and chair Ron Bruder, sat down with HuffPost Live at Davos on Saturday.

Bruder said it's vital to the global economy that youths have jobs.

McAuliffe said EFE starts with businesses.

"Where are the jobs?" he said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:14 AM EST'Every Woman Has The Opportunity To Be An Activist'

Catchafire Founder & CEO Rachael Chong joins HuffPost Live to share her thoughts on how to get more women to Davos.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:11 AM EST'Doing Less, But Better'

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, said his book grew out of working with people who are really successful.

"Success can become a catalyst for failure," he said.

McKeown said leaders at Davos have experience with plateauing after achieving professional success. To avoid that, McKeown said, people must find a way to expand their contribution without doing more.

"The whole idea is about doing less, but better," he said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 8:00 AM ESTOnline Data Is Like Money

"In some sense, we're the next generation of banks," Smith said, noting you wouldn't put your data in a place you don't trust just like you wouldn't deposit your money at a bank you don't feel is stable.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:59 AM ESTHacking Crime Difficulties

Smith said the most difficult part about investigating a hacking crime is identifying and finding a hacker.

"Our prisons are not full of hackers," Smith said, noting hackers are often in countries outside the U.S.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:57 AM ESTBrad Smith At Davos

Brad Smith at Davos

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:55 AM ESTBrad Smith On Outdated Technology Laws

"2015 needs to be a year for new solutions, and that's what we're proposing. We do need new laws in the United States and in Europe," Smith said. "We're trying to manage 21st century technology issues with laws that were written in the '80s and '90s."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:54 AM ESTMicrosoft's Brad Smith On The Sony Hack

Microsoft's Brad Smith said the Sony hack was an example of how the Internet could be used as a way to both fight against and fight for free expression.

"We saw the Internet being used both as a weapon to attack free expression... and as a tool to defend free expression," Smith said.

Brad said lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe need to discuss how to increase online privacy while still providing law enforcement with information they need.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:34 AM ESTBusque On Encouraging Women

As an engineer, Busque said she's always worked primarily around men.

"For me, it's never something I've focused on but it definitely is there and is an issue," Busque said.

"I've some very strong female role models, so I think that's an important thing," she added, saying she regularly thinks about how she can encourage women at her own company to take on leadership roles and grow as employees.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:30 AM ESTLeah Busque At Davos

Leah Busque on HuffPost Live

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:29 AM ESTLeah Busque On The Responsibility Of Job Creators

Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit, said as a business leader it's important to consider the quality of the lives you're curating for workers.

"I believe there's been a slippery slope of new companies that have formed in the name of on demand services ... that maybe aren't having as much of a focus as they should on the worker," Busque said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:22 AM EST'We Have To Use Our Voice'

Chong spoke about what it's like to be one of the few women at Davos.

"It's not always easy to stand up and say, 'hey, that was a sexist remark,'" she said.

"I think we have to use our voice," she added. "Particularly with businesswomen, there are so few, and as role models they're so important."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:21 AM ESTFrom Investment Banking To Entrepreneur

Chong explained how she left the world of investment banking -- a job she said she actually enjoyed -- to become an entrepreneur.

"While I was banking I still wanted to be able to give back and at the time the only opportunity was, once a year we'd get put on a bus and go build a house," Chong said. "All volunteer work is good, but when you think about maximizing impact, bankers building houses is not necessarily the best use of their time."

"I became really obsessed with then finding a way to volunteer my skills," Chong added.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:19 AM EST'It Gives People A Sense Of Purpose'

Chong said the people who volunteer with Catchafire gain something by giving up their time and services.

"It gives people a sense of purpose," Chong said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:18 AM ESTRachael Chong At Davos

Rachael Chong at HuffPost Live

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:17 AM ESTHow Busy People Make It Work

Rachael Chong, founder and CEO of Catchafire, said it can be hard to get professionals to donate their time, but busy people somehow still make it work.

"The busiest people are the ones who usually fit in the most stuff and are the most productive," she said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 7:15 AM EST#Thrive

Thanks to @ariannahuff we'll #thrive on the #wef15 #purposejourney in #Davos via #bulletproofcoffee and @thirdmetric pic.twitter.com/qzagkLgR86

— Valerie Keller (@Valerie_Keller_) January 24, 2015

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 6:10 AM ESTJean-Philippe Courtois At The World Economic Forum 2015

Microsoft International President Jean-Philippe Courtois joins HuffPost Live to talk about technology at Davos, NSA reform and some exciting products that are on the horizon.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:55 AM ESTLesser: Leaders Should Set A Tone

"I just think if leaders don't set a tone about why we do what we do and why we do it in a way that's enriching for all of us, then people just assume all leadership cares about is the bottom line," Lesser said.

Lesser said he tries to lead by example but he's "probably on email too much."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:53 AM EST'Totally A Positive'

"In our world, having great talent want to come and want to stay is the single biggest driver of success," Lesser said.

Lesser said empowering millennial workers and making them aware of the impact they'll have on the world through their work has increased the success of BCG.

"I really think the more we've invested to make it a unique work environment... it's totally a positive," Lesser said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:47 AM ESTHow BCG Helped Respond To The Ebola Crisis

Boston Consultant Group president and CEO Rich Lesser and Wendy Woods, global leader of Social Impact for BCG, joined HuffPost Live at Davos on Saturday to share how their company helped the UN respond to the Ebola crisis.

"It's something that we felt most privileged to be a part of," Lesser said.

Woods said it's normal for government entities to reach out to consulting groups, but usually the process takes a lot more time.

"The coordination has been better than I've ever seen it on a global scale," Woods said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:37 AM ESTCourtois: New Devices Are Letting People 'Do Great Stuff'

Courtois said new devices are "enabling people to do more stuff, to do great stuff."

Courtois also spoke about new technology being developed by Microsoft that will allow users to interact with 3D holograms.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:33 AM ESTMicosoft's Role After The French Terror Attack

Courtois shared how Microsoft played a role after the recent terror attacks in Paris, partnering with French law enforcement and the FBI to get police information they needed within 45 minutes of the attack's start.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:32 AM ESTJean-Philippe Courtois At Davos

Jean-Philippe Courtois on HuffPost Live

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:32 AM ESTWhat Microsoft's Doing To Protect Customers

Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International, spoke about the steps his company is taking to maintain the public's trust as data moves further into the Cloud.

Courtois said Microsoft has been focusing on several aspects: improving how they anchor the data; certification and compliance of infrastructure; and transparency.

"This is a big deal to actually report back to society what we do with data and how we deal with government requests," Courtois said about being a transparent company.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:25 AM ESTValerie Keller and Cheryl Grise At The World Economic Forum 2015

Valerie Keller and Cheryl Grise of the EY Beacon Institute talk with HuffPost Live about how to transform your business through a better sense of purpose.

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Walmart Settles With Family Of Comedian Killed In Tracy Morgan Crash

NEW YORK (AP) — The family of a comedian killed in the New Jersey Turnpike crash that seriously injured Tracy Morgan last summer has settled a wrongful death claim with Wal-Mart.

The out-of-court settlement between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the estate of James McNair is the first stemming from the June 7 crash in which a Wal-Mart truck slammed into a limo van carrying Morgan and others home from a show in Delaware.

Morgan, the former "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" star, suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident, according to his lawyer. Criminal charges against truck driver Kevin Roper are pending in state court in New Jersey.

McNair, 62, of Peekskill, grew up with Morgan in Brooklyn and was a friend and mentor to him over the years.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, but McNair family attorney Daryl Zaslow told The Associated Press that they were pleased with the outcome.

Wal-Mart "caused extensive damage" to the family but accepted responsibility and "more than stepped up to the plate and took care of this family," Zaslow said.

"Ultimately they did the right thing by the McNairs," he said.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said the company was working toward settlements with others injured in the accident.

"We know there is nothing we can do to change what happened to Mr. McNair," Buchanan said. "We're committed to doing what's right."

In an interview with the AP on Wednesday, McNair's children — Denita, 19, and Jamel, 26 — described their father as a humble, grounded man. They said he attained a level of fame but cared less about the trappings of celebrity than about helping others, whether through advice to young comedians or giving out free Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families in his hometown.

"You don't have to be a celebrity to make a difference in a lot of people's lives," Jamel McNair said. "My dad made a huge difference in a lot of people's lives."

Denita McNair was about to graduate from high school at the time of her father's death, and she said she hopes to go to college eventually after taking some time off. Jamel McNair is pursuing a singing career. Both said they haven't been contacted by Morgan or his representatives since the accident.

An attorney representing Morgan didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the settlement Wednesday. The lawyer, Benedict Morelli, said last month that Morgan hadn't fully recovered from his brain injury and that it was uncertain if he would be "the Tracy Morgan he once was."

Passengers Ardley Fuqua, of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Jeffrey Millea, of Shelton, Connecticut, also suffered serious injuries in the June crash. A lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart by Morgan, Fuqua and Millea is proceeding in federal court.

Under terms of the settlement, Wal-Mart admitted no liability in the crash, Zaslow said, adding that the settlement was reached before the formal filing of a lawsuit.

Roper, the driver, has been charged with death by auto and four counts of assault by auto. According to the criminal complaint, Roper was operating the truck without having slept for more than 24 hours.

A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board estimated that Roper was driving 65 mph in the 60 seconds before he slammed into the limo van. The speed limit on that stretch of the turnpike is 55 mph and was lowered to 45 mph that night because of construction.

JPMorgan's Dimon Gets Cash Bonus, Total Pay Unchanged

Jan 22 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co paid Chief Executive Jamie Dimon a first cash bonus in three years, part of a total 2014 pay package of $20 million that was unchanged from the year before.

Dimon received a $7.4 million cash incentive bonus, JPMorgan said in a regulatory filing, atop a base salary of $1.5 million and $11.1 million in restricted stock. His 2013 package comprised the same base salary plus $18.5 million in restricted stock. (http://bit.ly/1E7BcMe)

JPMorgan did not explain its compensation decision. The board is expected to provide an explanation in a proxy statement to be filed ahead of the company's annual meeting in May.

The bank's 2014 net income rose 21.4 percent to $21.76 billion. Total net revenue, however, fell about 2.5 percent to $94.21 billion.

JPMorgan is the biggest U.S. bank, with $2.6 trillion in assets. Dimon, 58, is the most outspoken of big bank CEOs and has recently bristled at public criticism that JPMorgan is too big and complex to manage safely and efficiently.

On a call after JPMorgan reported results last week, the chief executive - who was treated for throat cancer last year - said banks were "under assault" from regulators.

In 2012, Dimon's pay was halved to $11.5 million after JPMorgan traders handling company accounts lost $6.25 billion in the so-called "London Whale" derivatives transactions.

Dimon was paid $23 million in 2011 and the same amount in 2010.

In the filing on Thursday, JPMorgan said the base salaries of other operating committee members were unchanged at $750,000, except Daniel Pinto, the London-based chief of corporate and investment banking.

The terms and composition of Pinto's compensation reflect applicable UK legal standards, which require at least half of incentive compensation to be paid in equity with the remainder paid in cash, according the latest proxy statement by the bank.

Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake and asset management chief Mary Erdoes received an increase in total compensation. Pay was unchanged for other operating committee members.

Bonuses for Dimon and all operating committee members, except Pinto, comprised 60 percent restricted stock and 40 percent cash.

The median American household income for 2013 was $51,939, according to a report from the Census Bureau in September. (Editing by Savio D'Souza and Robin Paxton)

Fareed Zakaria Calls Out Rupert Murdoch Over Paris Terrorism Comments

CNN's Fareed Zakaria sat down with HuffPost Live at Davos on Wednesday, where he called out Rupert Murdoch for his comments on the recent terror attacks in Paris.

"I think it was outrageous to claim that moderate Muslims, or Muslims in general, are responsible for the attacks," Zakaria said. "If you had a significant portion of the Muslim world up in arms against the West... we'd have a lot of attacks every day."

"We're talking about a small number," Zakaria added.

Tweeting after the terror attacks in France that left 20 dead, Murdoch said Muslims must "recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer," and "they must be held responsible."

"We don't hold Rupert Murdoch responsible for every crazy, radical, quasi-fascist statement made by a television host -- oh, wait a minute, I guess we do in the case of Rupert Murdoch because he hires most of them," Zakaria joked.

Zakaria pointed out the hypocrisy of Murdoch's comment.

"He has no responsibility for the hacking scandal that was done by his employees, but yet Muslims in Indonesia who are moderate are somehow responsible for what some guy in France does," Zakaria said.

Below, more updates from the 2015 Davos Annual Meeting:

live blog

Oldest Newest Share + Today 5:35 AM ESTHickenlooper On The Next Four Years

Hickenlooper said he's excited about the next four years, which will be his last as governor of Colorado because of term limits.

"There is a sense of liberation that in these next four years we can go out and, we want to be the healthiest state," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper said he's hoping to make progress on trails, schools, jobs and business, among other things.

"There's just so much out there," Hickenlooper said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:32 AM ESTHickenlooper At Davos

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on HuffPost Live

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:32 AM ESTHickenlooper Hopes To Work With NRA

"We would never try to take anyone's guns away," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper said he's "hopeful" he'll be able to work with the NRA to encourage them to throw their support behind universal background checks, which the group used to support.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:29 AM ESTHickenlooper On Pot

Hickenlooper spoke about life after marijuana legalization in Colorado.

"We passed it two years ago, so we had a year to try to put the regulatory framework together," he said.

"It's interesting, we've obviously learned a tremendous amount, the whole team has been going at light speed," Hickenlooper added.

Hickenlooper said he'd advise other states to wait before legalizing pot, so that others can see what the "unintended consequences" of legalization are in his state. He also spoke about his opposition to legalization, saying he now has a more open mind about the regulation of pot sales.

"I didn't want it to be legalized," Hickenlooper said. "If I had a magic wand the day after the election and could reverse the election, I would have done it."

Hickenlooper said the war on drugs is a "dismal failure," and he's looking forward to seeing how marijuana legalization evolves in his state over the next two years. His hope is to get rid of the black market for marijuana.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 5:25 AM ESTGov. Hickenlooper On SOTU

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) talked to HuffPost Live about U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

"He sounds like he's willing to sit down and work together with Congress," Hickenlooper said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:53 AM ESTSalovey On Campus Sexual Assault

Salovey spoke out against victim-blaming, saying alcohol or similar factors are never an excuse for someone to be sexually assaulted.

"People have a right to expect that they are not going to be subject to unwelcome sexual advances," Salovey said.

"There are ways we can learn to prevent those kind of situations, prevent the conditions that give rise to that very unwelcome kind of behavior happening," Salovey added.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:50 AM ESTSalovey On The Berkeley/Bill Maher Controversy

Salovey spoke on free expression on campuses, reflecting on the incident at Berkeley where students protested comedian Bill Maher's appearance at a graduation ceremony because of comments he made about Muslims.

"It's very difficult. You see this controversy playing out on many different campuses over the last couple of years," Salovey said.

Salovey said he thinks people want to live in an environment where others are respectful and they're not offended, but being offended can be a learning experience.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:46 AM ESTPeter Salovey On Emotional Intelligence

Peter Salovey, President of Yale University, told HuffPost Live about "emotional intelligence" and a model he pioneered 25 years ago.

"The idea behind emotional intelligence... is that our emotions are a source of information," Salovey said. "They help us make decisions, they help us regulate ourselves, they help us solve problems."

"Some people pay attention to this, and some people ignore it, and some people try to suppress it," Salovey said.

Salovey said teaching people how to read the emotional signals of themselves and others will give them "a leg up."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:40 AM ESTDavos Breakfast

At @bcg bfast w @AshishJThakkar @amcafee & @nathanblec from @airbnb staying in a #Davos Airbnb w its own funicular! pic.twitter.com/yeOt1Gt2z9

— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) January 23, 2015

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:31 AM ESTGelles On 'McMindfulness'

David Gelles said he devotes a chapter in his book to "McMindfulness," or a watered-down version of mindfulness practices.

"Inasmuch as people are really practicing and doing the work, it's still going to work its magic," Gelles said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:29 AM EST'We All Have Time'

Gelles said everyone should be able to make time for mindfulness practices.

"I think we all have time. If we all have time to check our smart phones and browse the web, we likely all have time for more virtuous activities," Gelles said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:27 AM ESTDavid Gelles On Mindfulness

New York Times reporter David Gelles, who authored an upcoming book called Mindful Work: How Meditation Is Changing Business From The Inside Out, stopped by the HuffPost Live studio at Davos on Friday.

Gelles spoke on how mindfulness practices are able to reduce stress, increase focus and even make people more kind and compassionate.

"Our minds are totally inclined to race ahead and dwell in the past, but a lot of people would find that if we actually slow down and be in the present moment, a lot of good things will happen," Gelles said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:19 AM EST'We've All Got A Responsibility'

"We've all got a responsibility to repair this broken world, to lift morale in a skeptical world that says, financial services and banking, you have overused the good will of the rest of the world," Balkin said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:17 AM ESTJeremy Balkin At Davos

Jeremy Balkin at Davos

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 4:15 AM ESTBalkin On Using Finance For Good

Jeremy Balkin, founder of Give While You Live, stopped by HuffPost Live at Davos to talk about using finance for good.

"Absolutely finance is a force for good," Balkin said.

Balkin said there must be change in the banking industry, and it has to come from within.

"I'm not sure you can impose from the outside, cultural change... I think it has to come from within, I think it has to be organic," he said.

Balkin addressed the negative feelings many people have about the failures of banking.

"I think we've been in a really unique period of history where we've had moral and ethical failure... the difference is, we feel finance much more because it's an empty pocket, it's money... these other ethical failures, the tangible results of those failures we don't necessarily feel as directly," Balkin said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:57 AM ESTSandberg: Optimism Matters

"I think optimism.. matters, because unless we're optimistic we give up," Sandberg said.

Sandberg said people connecting with others all over the world leave her optimistic about progress we can make.

"The opportunities have never been better," Sandberg said. "Look at what's happening with just 40 percent of people getting connected."

"I think we can connect more people and we can be optimistic," she added.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:52 AM ESTSandberg Prioritizes Sleep

Sandberg said she's been working at getting more sleep, noting she watched how her kids act when they're lacking sleep and realized she often has the same kind of reaction.

"I really do prioritize sleep and it made a huge difference," Sandberg said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:48 AM ESTSandberg On The Problem With 'Office Housework'

Sandberg said it's an issue that women do more work than men.

"Women do more everywhere they are," Sandberg said.

Sandberg noted women do more work even in the office, saying "office housework" often falls to women in the workplace.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:47 AM ESTSandberg's Favorite Lean In Circle Story

Sandberg said her favorite story of a lean in circle was a group in D.C. who lobbied to get a 23 percent discount for women on Equal Pay Day, since women get paid 23 percent less on average than men.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:45 AM ESTArianna & Sheryl Sandberg At Davos

Arianna and Sheryl Sandberg at Davos

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:44 AM ESTSandberg On How Lean In Circles Can Help Women Reach Their Goals

Sandberg revealed her New Year's resolution for 2015.

"My resolution this year... is to meditate," Sandberg said.

She said her girlfriends are helping her with the goal. They formed a "lean in circle" that meets the first Tuesday of every month to discuss how their resolutions are going.

"When we have the support of our friends, we're not there alone," she added.

"So far it's been three weeks and I'm there," Sandberg added.

Sandberg said women around the world are using lean in circles to improve their lives.

"The key principle is creating your own little tribe," Arianna noted.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + Today 3:42 AM ESTSheryl Sandberg On Speaking While Woman

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, sat down with Arianna on HuffPost Live at Davos, where she offered her thoughts on how women can help change the world.

"I think more women in power is how we would get to peace," Sandberg said.

Sandberg referenced a piece she wrote after a December 2014 press conference, when President Barack Obama only called on women and made headlines.

"Even with all the progress we've made, it's still hard to speak in a professional setting as a woman," Sandberg said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:25 PM ESTHow HuffPost Is Working With Global Citizen

Hugh Evans and Jordan Hewson from Global Citizen, along with Arianna, sat down on HuffPost Live at Davos to share how HuffPost and Global Citizen are working together to help end global poverty.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:24 PM ESTHow Mobile Money Is Transforming Africa

Lesley Silverthorn Marincola, CEO of Angaza Design, writes for HuffPost:

I live in the heart of Silicon Valley and am still dependent on a piece of plastic I have to carry around with me everywhere. From gas to groceries, I pay with my credit card.

With the introduction of Apple Play only six months ago, Americans are only now starting to experience the smartphone-enabled proliferation of US mobile money services. Yet, perhaps because not every buyer has an iPhone 6 and not every vendor has a near field communication terminal, credit cards dominate the US market and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Read more here.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:23 PM ESTStoffels On The Challenges Of Fighting Disease

Stoffels said two major challenges of many diseases include the basic science and the cost.

"Developing a drug is expensive, developing a vaccine is expensive," he said.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:17 PM ESTDebunking A Big Ebola Myth

"One of the misconceptions is that Ebola is only really transmitted when you really touch a patient," Paul Stoffels said. "It's not that transmittable."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:15 PM ESTPaul Stoffels On Johnson & Johnson's Efforts To Fight Ebola

Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson, said his company is working with different partners on an effort to get out into the field and fight Ebola.

"We immediately decide to put an investment of 0 million into [an Ebola vaccine]," Stoffels said.

Stoffels said his company has been working since 2008 on an Ebola vaccine, when the virus was far less wide-spread but considered a potential threat of bioterrorism.

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:10 PM ESTErtharin Cousin: 'There's Room For Everybody' In Giving

"I don't believe in competition in providing to meet the needs of those who are poorest in our community," Cousin said. "There's room for everybody."

Share this: Tweet Share tumblr Share + 01/22/2015 12:05 PM ESTWhat Refugee Women Teach Us About Resilience

Artist Lynette Wallworth writes:

Last September I brought my film Coral the Ocean Dome to Tianjin, this year in Davos I am presenting "Evolution of Fearlessness" an immersive, interactive artwork that responds to touch.

To experience the work you first read the stories of 10 women who are primarily political refugees now residing in Australia. The stories of these women verge from the horrendous to the terribly sad. Most have experienced extreme acts of violence and worse. But the work is not about what has happened to the women, it is about who they have become. After reading their stories the viewer approaches a doorway in a darkened room and places a hand on the glass portal. This action causes the activation of a life-sized video of one of the women who steps forward and places her hand on your hand. The work creates a moment of video touch. What you experience from looking into these women's eyes is not their devastation, but rather and perhaps surprisingly, their love.

Read more here.

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Ertharin Cousin on HuffPost Live at Davos

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Struggling J.C. Penney Is Trying To Bring Back The Catalog

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Department-store operator J.C. Penney Co Inc is bringing back its hefty print catalog five years after ditching it to focus on the web, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The retailer stopped mailing the 'Big Book' catalog in 2009 and phased out its distribution of 70 smaller catalogs a year later, the Journal said. (http://on.wsj.com/1Cuf2PN)

The move is substantiated with data showing that many of its online sales were driven by what the shoppers saw in print, the newspaper said.

The new, 120-page book will present items from the company's home department and will be sent to select customers in March, the first time it has sent out a catalog since 2010, the report said.

J.C. Penney has been on the rebound this year after reversing an ill-fated attempt to move upmarket under former Chief Executive Ron Johnson.

J.C. Penney could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular U.S. business hours. (Reporting by Rama Venkat Raman in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

SpaceX Gets $1 Billion From Google And Fidelity

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (AP) — SpaceX has raised $1 billion from Google and Fidelity in a deal that values the spaceship manufacturer at about $10 billion.

The infusion announced Tuesday will give Google Inc. and Fidelity Investments a nearly 10 percent stake in SpaceX, a Hawthorne, California, company that employs more than 3,000 people.

Although privately held SpaceX didn't reveal any concrete plans, the money could help founder Elon Musk realize his hopes to fly people to Mars within the next 12 years and eventually build a city on the planet.

Musk, 43, also has publicly talked about using satellites to provide Internet access to remote parts of the Earth, a mission that Google also has embraced in a separate project that relies on high-altitude balloons. As the owner of the largest Internet search engine and digital ad network, Google stands to make more money if more people can get online.

"Space-based applications, like imaging satellites, can help people more easily access important information, so we're excited to support SpaceX's growth as it develops new launch technologies," Google said in a statement.

Donald Harrison, who oversees Google's corporate development team, will be joining SpaceX's board of directors as part of the company's investment.

SpaceX, which stands for Space Exploration Technologies, has previously raised money from the Founders Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Valor Equity Partners and Capricorn since its 2002 inception. The Founders Fund was started by Peter Thiel, who teamed up with Musk in the late 1990s to create the online payment service PayPal.

Musk also is CEO of electric car maker Tesla Motors and has made headlines for his vision of a high-speed transportation system that would shoot passengers through elevated tubes from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

SpaceX's spacecraft has been used to deliver goods to the International Space Station.

Elon Musk Wants To Bring The Internet To Space

Elon Musk wants to bring the Internet to space.

The billionaire CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX (who, mind you, also serves as chairman of SolarCity and is now working on the Hyperloop, a super-fast tubular transport system) launched a new project Friday aimed at building a satellite system to bring high-speed Internet to the whole planet. He announced the initiative at the ribbon-cutting of SpaceX's new office in Seattle.

The new venture will be a branch of the private space travel company. The company plans to put hundreds of satellites into orbit around the Earth -- circling the planet at about 750 miles above the surface, far closer than the typical communications satellites that soar at altitudes of 22,000 miles. The goal is to speed up data flows and deliver high-speed Internet to the more than 3 billion people who still have shoddy access to the Web, according to Bloomberg Businessweek’s Ashlee Vance, whose biography of Musk is due out in May.

“Our focus is on creating a global communications system that would be larger than anything that has been talked about to date,” Musk told Vance.

SpaceX did not respond to a request from The Huffington Post for comment on Saturday morning. Friday's event was closed to media, though attendees tweeted photos and excerpts of Musk's speech.

Great meeting with @elonmusk tonight. WA is ready for the next space revolution! @SpaceX pic.twitter.com/SV1nH135q0

— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) January 17, 2015

It’s unclear when the initiative will be completed, though Musk said it will take at least five years to roll out the first generation of satellites. The project could take up to 15 years to reach full capacity. But as with most of Musk’s endeavors, the ultimate ambitions are far loftier. Musk is laying the groundwork for the first interplanetary Internet.

Earlier this month, Musk said he aimed to unveil preliminary plans later this year for a colony on Mars. The network of satellites girdling Earth, providing high-speed Internet from Cleveland to Kampala, would eventually connect to the human outpost on the red planet, too.

“It will be important for Mars to have a global communications network as well,” Musk said. “I think this needs to be done, and I don’t see anyone else doing it.”

The project will cost between $10 billion and $15 billion, Musk said. But the revenues generated from the service will help fund the colonization of Mars.

Musk: Going to cost a lot to build. Ten or fifteen billion dollars, or more. But revenues fund city on Mars.

— Brandon Haber (@malderi) January 17, 2015

Musk: City on Mars isn't cheap. Need a lot of money. This will do it.

— Brandon Haber (@malderi) January 17, 2015

To be sure, these are longterm plans. The company must first perfect its rockets, which will enable cheaper travel to and from the planet’s surface. SpaceX launched a supply ship to the International Space Station last Saturday, but the rocket -- meant to be the world’s first reusable projectile -- crash-landed on a floating seaborne platform.

A Vine video shows last week's sloppy landing.

Struggling Sears Canada Offers To Help Laid-Off Target Workers

Sears -- despite its own problems keeping its staff employed -- is riding to Target workers' rescue.

A day after Target announced plans to close all 133 of its locations in Canada, Sears Canada offered discounts to its competitors’ employees and invited them to apply for jobs at its stores.

“In recognition of the challenging retail landscape and yesterday’s announcement regarding the exit of Target from the Canadian market, Sears Canada wishes to do something meaningful to help employees affected by store closings and job losses and to do so in a respectful manner,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

Beginning next Wednesday and for the next four months, Target employees in the country can purchase products at Sears at a discount of up to 25 percent. Sears will also host job fairs across Canada. The retailer invited executives from Target Canada to meet Sears executives at the company’s Toronto headquarters next Wednesday to discuss potential openings.

Target did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It’s a bold move by a retailer struggling to maintain its own workforce in its home country. Last month, Sears Holdings announced plans to shutter hundreds of Sears and Kmart stores in the U.S. as sales plummet. The closures prompted more than 8,000 layoffs as of November, according to the financial site Seeking Alpha.

“It’s a vulture move,” Brian Sozzi, a retail analyst and chief executive at Belus Capital Advisors, told The Huffington Post. “You have Sears trying to swoop in and prey on the emotions of people who just lost their jobs.”

Sears Canada has been one of Sears Holdings’ most troubled units. In October, the parent company announced a rights offering -- a move that allows shareholders to buy more stock of the company -- in an effort to generate up to $380 million in cash and decrease its stake in the business. The company already reduced its stake to 51 percent from 95 percent in 2012 as sales began to fall.

Sears’ business in Canada has fared slightly better than its fast-declining U.S. operation, but it isn’t far behind, Sozzi said.

“Sears Canada is dreadful,” Sozzi said of the business. “It’s almost a direct reflection of what’s going on here.”

Sears did not return a Saturday email requesting comment.

Fewer People Are Having Trouble Paying Medical Bills, Thanks To Obamacare

The number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills fell last year for the first time in nearly a decade -- the latest sign that Obamacare is making health care more affordable.

Sixty-four million people, or approximately 35 percent of the U.S. population, said they had trouble paying bills or were stuck paying off medical debt in the past year, according to a new survey by the Commonwealth Fund released on Thursday. That was down from 75 million people, or 41 percent of the population, in 2012. This marks the first time that figure has fallen since 2005, when Commonwealth started keeping track.

Commonwealth attributed the drop partly to expanded access to affordable health insurance made possible by Obamacare. The survey found that the number of uninsured Americans dropped to 29 million people last year, or 16 percent of the population, from 37 million, or 20 percent, in 2010.

The Commonwealth survey, which polled 6,027 U.S. adults in the second half of 2014, is in line with several other studies finding that the uninsured rate is falling.

“These declines are remarkable and unprecedented in the survey’s more than decade-long history,” Sara Collins, the lead author, said in a press release. “They indicate that the Affordable Care Act is beginning to help people afford the health care they need."

As the chart from Commonwealth shows, the percentage of Americans reporting problems paying off medical bills or medical-related debt rose from 2005 to 2012. Rising health-care costs, stagnant income growth and the aggressiveness with which providers go after people who haven't paid their bills all contributed to this growth, according to Commonwealth Fund president David Blumenthal.

The Affordable Care Act has reversed what had been a "deterioration" of the American health-care system, according to Blumenthal.

The survey also found that, for the first time since 2003, there has been a decline in the number of people putting off health care because of the cost. In 2012, a record 80 million people said they didn't visit a doctor or clinic for a medical problem, didn't fill a prescription, skipped a follow-up, treatment or test, or did not get needed specialist care, in order to avoid paying for it. That number fell to 66 million in 2014.

Medical-bill debt, which is often expensive and unexpected, can significantly harm people's credit ratings, as a recent study from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pointed out. Nearly 20 percent of credit reports are hurt by overdue medical bills.