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ChangeQuakes Of The Week

November 20, 2006

TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK
** Consumers Caught In The Crossfire Of Format Wars
** Stem Cells Targeted In Colon Cancer
** IRS Considers Regulation Taxing Online Auction Profits
** Obesity More An Economic Threat Than Malnutrition

MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK

Consumers Caught In The Crossfire Of Format Wars

(TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKE) -- Two new videogame consoles hit the shelves to much fanfare. But if you're thinking you don't need a PS3 (your teenager's PS2 is holding up just fine) and you don't even know what a Wii is -- think again. This is just the latest skirmish in what weary consumers have come to know as the format wars. If you watch DVDs, listen to digital music, talk on a cell phone or turn on a computer,then you're a foot soldier in the fight over which format will win your dollars.

www.usatoday.com

Stem Cells Targeted In Colon Cancer

(DISCOVERY CHANGEQUAKE) -- In a new study, scientists have found strong evidence that only a small proportion of cells drive the formation of tumors associated with colon cancer. This is the fourth form of cancer in which so-called "stem cells" have been identified as the source of the disease and appears to bolster the theory that these cells may be the source of all cancers. The study, published yesterday in the journal Nature, may lead to more effective treatment options.

www.thestar.com

IRS Considers Regulation Taxing Online Auction Profits

(REGULATORY CHANGEQUAKE) -- Attention online auction sellers: An IRS advisory committee wants you -- to pay federal income taxes on your profits. Anyone who sells goods online should first be required by law to submit a federal tax identification number, a change that would enable the IRS to track the transactions and seek any taxes owed, the committee recommended in a new report to the federal tax-collection agency.

www.usatoday.com

Obesity More An Economic Threat Than Malnutrition

(ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKE) -- Obesity could knock economic output as severely as malnutrition, which shaves as much as 3% off production in the poorest countries, a World Bank specialist said last week. The World Health Organization estimates obesity has tripled in the past two decades and that one in 10 children and one in five adults will be obese in Europe and Central Asia by 2010 unless action is taken.

today.reuters.com


MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

CORPORATE CHANGEQUAKES

Newspapers, Yahoo! Play 'Let's Make A Deal'

A consortium of seven newspaper chains representing 176 daily papers, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is announcing a broad partnership with Yahoo! to share content, advertising and technology -- another sign that the wary newspaper business is increasingly willing to shake hands with the technology companies it once saw as a threat.

seattlepi.nwsource.com


Universal Targets MySpace In Copyright Suit

Universal Music Group late Friday sued News Corp.'s MySpace unit, alleging the social networking site has allowed its users to post millions of Universal's songs and videos onto the Internet in violation of copyright law.

www.marketwatch.com


Now Arriving At Your Regional Airport: Mergers

US Airways' play for Delta could force struggling legacy airlines to link up -- or go the way of TWA.

RELATED ARTICLE: Delta Not Seeking White Knight To Save It From Merger
www.msnbc.msn.com


Target Expands $4 Generic Program To All U.S. Pharmacies

Target Corp. expanded its $4 generic drug program to all of its U.S. pharmacies on Monday, moving beyond states where it was matching a plan offered by rival Wal-Mart.

today.reuters.com

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKES

Is Micropower System The Future Of Home Energy

Down in Bernard Malin's basement is a softly thrumming metal box that turns natural gas into hot water and generates $600 to $800 worth of electricity a year -- a bonus byproduct of heating his home.

www.usatoday.com

Vista: The Good, The Bad …

Seattle Times columnist Brier Dudley notes that while Microsoft's new Vista operating system is being marketed as a "breakthrough computing experience," "That may be pushing it, especially since some of the more radical innovations were cut when the project bogged down two years ago, but it will rapidly change the way many people use a PC."

seattletimes.nwsource.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Adobe May Sue Microsoft Over Vista Feature
arstechnica.com

Big Three Search Engines Back Single, Open Protocol

Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft have put aside their rivalry in the search business to agree on an open protocol designed to make it easier for all of their search technologies to extract information from Web sites. Sitemaps 0.90 allows webmasters to universally submit their content in a uniform manner.

www.technewsworld.com


Motion-Sensing Controllers Get In The Game

The technology behind motion-sensing has been around for a while, but recent technical advances have radically brought down the price -- and the size. The new game controllers are the first gadgets that promise to bring the technology into the hands of millions of people, and manufacturers are now using motion sensors in other consumer products, including cell phones.

www.newsfactor.com

REGULATORY CHANGEQUAKES

U.N. Seeks Kyoto Extension ASAP

A U.N. climate change conference has reaffirmed a goal of agreeing an extension of the Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming "as soon as possible" beyond 2012 but without setting a deadline. Kyoto obliges 35 rich nations to cut emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2008-'12.

today.reuters.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Experts: Change Unlikely Until Bush Exits
today.reuters.com

ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKES

Home Sales Down In 38 States

The National Association of Realtors reported Monday that sales of existing homes fell in 38 states during the summer. Sales retreated to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.27 million units nationwide, down by 12.7 percent from the same period a year ago. Nevada, Arizona, Florida and California led the declines.

www.forbes.com

Debt Is The New Generation Gap

Thirty years ago, the "generation gap" reflected the cultural gulf between World War II-era parents and their children. Parents then just didn't get sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Today, the gap is about debt. This generation of twentysomethings is straining under the weight of college loans and other debt, a crushing load that separates it from every previous generation.

www.indystar.com


FDA APPROVAL CHANGEQUAKES

FDA Gives Nod To Silicon Breast Implants

The FDA ended its long ban on silicone gel breast implants last week in a move that returns decision-making about cosmetic surgery to women and their physicians. The news is especially welcome for women who require breast reconstruction after undergoing mastectomies.

www.technewsworld.com

Genentech Drug OK'd For Early Breast Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the use of Genentech Inc.'s breast cancer drug Herceptin to include women with early-stage cancer who have undergone surgery.

today.reuters.com


MEDICAL CHANGEQUAKES

Study: Popular Painkiller May Endanger Hearts

Researchers looking at the safety of various arthritis and headache remedies said on Thursday they had found some more evidence that the popular analgesic naproxen may cause heart problems.

today.reuters.com