Things I learned lately 24 Nov

• Macy's credit card system reportedly crashes on Black Friday.
• Lowes' web site crashed on Black Friday.
• McDonald's No.1 store in Des Plaines, Illinois will be demolished soon. It's not a functioning restaurant, just a display.
• All 10 major water companies in England and Wales, plus the 2 government-run agencies in Scotland and Northern Ireland were asked whether their technicians ever use divination or dowsing rods. Of the 12, 10 said yes.
• Any study that claims that sugar isn't really that bad for you is almost certainly fully funded by the sugar industry. No medical institution is making this claim. The Sugar Research Foundation also suppresses any study that doesn't come to a conclusion they would prefer about sugar.
• Scientists admit they were probably wrong about there being fresh water on Mars in liquid form. Noteworthy that they are capable of admitting when they are wrong.
• In France, you can refuse to check your work emails outside office hours.
• The Working Time Directive gives workers in the EU the right to work no more than 48 hours a week. In Germany, France, and Sweden, for example, the average is closer to 35 hours a week.
• Sauna-based business negotiations are the norm in Finland, where an affinity for saunas is deeply rooted in the culture. The practice is so common that many large companies have saunas in the office. Finns swear by the sauna, insisting that the sweltering sessions enhance creativity and encourage more open dialogue.
• The Emirates airline owns 100 Airbus A380 jumbo jets.