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ChangeQuakes Of The Week

September 18, 2006

TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK
** Wal-Mart Expands RFID To 500 More Stores
** BMW First To Market With Hydrogen-Powered Car
** Researchers Create Laser-Silicon Chips
** Avian Flu Pandemic Could Cost World $2 Trillion

MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

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TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK

Wal-Mart Expands RFID To 500 More Stores

(TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKE) -- Wal-Mart plans to bring another 500 stores online with its radio-frequency identification (RFID) initiative by the end of January 2007, bringing the total number of its retail locations using RFID to more than 1,000, which represents about one-fourth of all its stores.

www.baselinemag.com

Related Stories: RFID To Track Play Of DVDs And CDs
www.vnunet.com

BMW First To Market With Hydrogen-Powered Car

(CORPORATE CHANGEQUAKE) -- BMW will roll out the world's first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year, the German premium automaker said, eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials.

news.yahoo.com

Researchers Create Laser-Silicon Chips

(TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKE) -- Researchers at Intel and the University of California have created a silicon-based chip that uses laser light rather than wires to send data between chips, removing the most significant bottleneck in computer design.

www.eetimes.com

Avian Flu Pandemic Could Cost World $2 Trillion

(ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKE) -- According to the World Bank, a severe worldwide bird flu pandemic among humans could cost the global economy up to $2 trillion, surpassing earlier estimates of $800 million.

www.boston.com

Related Story: World Bank Announces $15 Million Grant To Help Indonesia Fight Bird Flu
www.channelnewsasia.com

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MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKES

Seagate Sets New Magnetic Recording Density Record

In a new world record, Seagate has packed 421 gigabits per square inch onto magnetic media, dramatically increasing storage capacities for magnetic drives.

www.idm.net.au


CORPORATE CHANGEQUAKES

YouTube Partners With Warner Music

YouTube and Warner Music have signed a commercial partnership in which Warner will distribute music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and artist interviews, and allow users to incorporate music from Warner's catalog into the videos they create and upload.

msnbc.msn.com

Microsoft Reveals Zune Digital Media Player

In a bold strategic overhaul, Microsoft confirmed that it will launch Zune and Zune MarketPlace this fall in hopes of playing catch-up to Apple in the fast-emerging digital entertainment market.

www.usatoday.com

Nintendo Announces Wii Release Date, Price

Nintendo announced that its newest video gaming console, Wii, will appear on U.S. store shelves on Nov. 19 for $250. The new machine will debut two days after Sony's PlayStation 3 and a year after Microsoft's Xbox 360.

www.forbes.com

Ford To Offer Buyouts To More Than 75,000 Workers

Ford Motor Co. will offer buyout packages of up to $140,000 to all of its more than 75,000 workers at its U.S. plants, as part of a revised turnaround plan in response to slumping sales and an expected lose of nearly $9 billion for the year.

today.reuters.com

Related Story: GM, Ford Discuss Possible Merger Or Alliance
today.reuters.com

News Corp Looks To Unload DirecTV

With the Web playing a greater role in its strategy, News Corp. is in talks to sell its DirecTV satellite stake to Liberty Media.

www.businessweek.com


REGULATORY CHANGEQUAKES

Report: Clean Energy Bill Would Add 530,000 Jobs

A plan by Democratic U.S. lawmakers to boost production of renewable fuels, called The Clean EDGE Act, would create 530,000 U.S. jobs, according to a report by the non-partisan Apollo Alliance.

today.reuters.com


ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKES

Jobless Claims Take Unexpected Dip

New claims for U.S. jobless aid unexpectedly fell 5,000 last week and remained at levels suggesting a healthy employment climate, according to Labor Department data.

money.cnn.com


FDA APPROVAL CHANGEQUAKES

Senate Committee To Vote On FDA Head

A Senate committee is expected to vote this week in favor of confirming acting FDA commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach as permanent head of the agency.

www.chron.com


DISCOVERY CHANGEQUAKES

Cancer Drug Shows Promise In Slowing Muscular Dystrophy

An experimental cancer drug has slowed muscular dystrophy in mice with the disease, raising hopes that a simple pill could one day treat the fatal condition in humans.

www.newscientist.com

Report: 1-in-5 Children Will Become Obese

According to a new report by the Institute of Medicine, 1-in-5 children is predicted to be obese by the end of the decade. Efforts to reverse that tide are underfunded.

www.cnn.com