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It seems that the Italian legal system really has problems with YouTube. We’ve already detailed the absolutely ridiculous criminal lawsuit against Google execs over a video of some kids taunting another kid (why Google execs are criminally responsible for this still remains unexplained). Then there’s the Italian politician who has tried to sue a bunch of YouTube commenters. And now comes the news (via Michael Scott) that a court has ordered YouTube to remove all content from Mediaset, an Italian broadcaster owned (of course) by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It’s unclear how the court thinks YouTube can somehow figure out what content is from Mediaset, but it doesn’t appear that Italian law cares about such practicalities.

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A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and Google has certainly taken it to heart. It never misses an opportunity to stick a new piece of graphic in place of the regular logo on its homepage to mark a celebration or noteworthy event. With the holidays basically here, Google is taking it one step further with a new ‘doodle’ every day presumably at least until Christmas.

Today we got the third doodle in the series and Google has continued the theme with yet another holiday-themed postcard interestingly displayed on top of the ones from the previous days. The postcard itself depicts a mountain scene and a cabin decked in Christmas lights, a look people will be more accustomed to compared to the first one which featured a desert scene.

The second postcard, displayed yesterday, features another familiar scene with three snow men. What’s interesting is that, as always, Google tries to keep the actual word visible in some form. In the first post card, the ‘L’ was the palm tree and the river lines resembled the ‘G’. In the second one the snow men’s heads, wearing scarfs in the Google colors, make up the two ‘Os’. Finally, in the third one, the ‘Os’ are replaced by the boat and the pier, also in the regulation red and yellow.

As before, hovering the mouse over the logo will spout out “Happy Holidays from Go… (read more)

Article Tags: Headline Story, Piers Corbyn, UK Winter Forecast 2009/10

● Much of the chaos, cost and suffering could be avoided by using available advances in forecasting science
● Global Warming religion is holding back economic recovery
● Severe storms & Floods coming 28-30 Dec – Special Trial forecast
● More Arctic blasts & blizzards coming in January – Salt to run-out again

Piers Corbyn astrophysicist of WeatherAction long range weather & climate forecasters said today: “The gritting crisis and travel chaos in the present big freeze in Britain & Ireland is largely a direct consequence of out-moded forecasting procedures as used by the Met Office, and the unreadiness of Councils for this Arctic blast because they are misled by Global Warming propaganda from government and media and the Met Office’s ridiculous forecast for a ‘probably mild’ winter.

Click source link to read FULL article by Piers Corbyn

Source: weatheraction.com

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Iraq's latest oil field auctions, mostly involving partnerships with Russian and Chinese companies due to a dearth of U.S. companies even tendering, could bring total oil production to 12 million barrels per day.

Believe it or not, Iraq is rapidly emerging as a rival to Saudi Arabia.

This has OPEC horrified, since a cash-hungry Iraq threatens to sink their global price-fixing regime.

Deutsche Welle: Once Iraq more than quadruples its output capacity, OPEC will have to take steps to prevent Iraq from flooding the market, and force Baghdad to realign its supply policy with other members and stick to an output target. If not, the current level of supply and demand which OPEC has worked hard to achieve, which provides oil at a price it deems reasonable to producers and consumers - currently around $75 a barrel - will come under threat.

"This will certainly cause ructions within OPEC because Iraq has huge resources and we can only assume that the Iraqis are going to pump as much as possible because they need the money," Judith Kipper, the director of the Energy Security Group of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, told Deutsche Welle. "If they get to the predicted number of barrels produced per day, this is really going to be a real issue within OPEC."

Read more here.

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See Also:

• Falling Oil Demand Terrifies OPEC, Spurring It To Restrict Production
• Iraq Doubling Its Oil Supply To China
• Why Harsh White-Collar Sentences, Like 14 Years For An Oil Trader, Are Totally Justified

Sales of new homes in the US dropped 11.3% to an annualized rate of 355k units in November.

The consensus was for a rise of 2.3%. to 438,000 from 430,000 a month earlier.     

This is a really ugly number, far lower than the anticipated decline. It comes on the news of a 30K downward revision to 400k units annualized in October.

New home sales are down 9.0% compared to November of last year when the annualized sales pace stood at 390k. That right: new home sales are worse than they were at the height of the financial crisis.

Some additional data points:

• The median new home sales price was $217,400,  a 3.8% increase over the month and a 1.9% decline over the past year.
• The average new home sales price increased 9.5% to $280,300 over the month, reflecting a 3.4% decline over the past year.
• The inventory of new homes available for sale at the end of the month dropped to a 7.9 month supply. That’s a decline of 5,000 to 235,000 units.
• Over the past year, new homes available for sale are down 36.5% while the inventory of new homes is down 30.7%.
• The South took the worst beating, with a decline in new home sales of 21.1&. The West saw a decline of 9.2%. The Midwest saw the strongest performance, with sales rising 21.4% over the month. (Note: If you want to know why the home sales are heading in opposite ways regionally, check out this map of the recession.) 

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See Also:

• CHART OF THE DAY: The "Distressing" Gap Between New And Existing Home Sales
• New Home Sales Fall Off The Cliff
• CHART OF THE DAY: New Foreclosures Dwarf New Home Sales

The federal government’s annual report monitoring kids’ alcohol and drug abuse has been released. The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey reports that while use of cigarettes, methamphetamines, cocaine and binge drinking is down the use of prescription drugs and smokeless tobacco is up. Marijuana use is holding steady.

John Knight, MD, director of The Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASER) at Children’s says those findings aren’t particularly surprising. What we do need to worry about, he says, is that the survey also reports that adolescents’ perceived harm of marijuana is way down.

What exactly does that mean? Knight says that when adolescents think a drug has little or no harm, they are much more likely to use it. So, be ready for marijuana use to jump along with other drugs. “Marijuana is a gateway drug that leads kids towards all kinds of other drugs,” Knight says.

Why do kids perceive marijuana less harmful now than in the past? The national debate over medical marijuana use is a big reason, says Knight. The decriminalization of marijuana in some parts of the country makes it seem less risky to kids.

“Marijuana as medication is just a smokescreen,” Knight says. “What other kinds of medications do you see being distributed at pharmacies in baggies?”

Knight says that the government’s version of medical marijuana, Marinol, has faced opposition from medical marijuana reform groups like NORML because it doesn’t make you feel high like other street versions of the drug. “It treats chronic pain without the high and that’s not what these groups want.”

If you think your child might be using drugs and alcohol, visit CeASAR’s website for helpful resources.

In this video clip, Knight talks about the signs of substance abuse.

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Celebrities

Let the rumors rest — Michael Schumacher is back. As we reported earlier this morning, it appeared he was all set to sign with Mercedes-Benz, and now the deal is done. The newly named Mercedes GP Petronas team (nee Brawn GP) finally announced that they have signed the soon-to-be-41-year-old, seven-time World Champion to drive for the Silver Arrows team in 2010, and the BBC has already tracked him down for an extensive interview. Although most closely associated with Ferrari for returning that legendary marque to the winners circle following a decades-old drought, Schumacher does have a history with Mercedes having started his top level driving career via their junior program back in 1990 competing in Group C and DTM racing.

Besides being reunited with Ross Brawn – the man who brought him every one of his seven championships – Michael brings just a bit more experience to the Mercedes F1 team with his 248 starts, 91 wins, 154 podiums, and 68 pole positions. And even after a three-year layoff, the consensus seems to be that he hasn’t missed a step. As you may remember, Michael almost made his comeback for Ferrari last year following Felipe Massa’s unfortunate accident in Hungary, but he was sidelined due to neck problems related to a motorcycle racing crash. Schui has been tuning up with some karting action, most recently in Las Vegas, where he was competing against some of the best racers in the world, including fellow F1 pilots Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Sebastien Buemi.

MS will be joining fellow German Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, making the team an all-German affair. The F1 driving contract is said to be worth nearly $9.9 million to Schumi for 2010. Michael, for his part, says he has high hopes for returning to the podium right away and in fact plans to grab another championship trophy next year. Why else would he bother, right? It should be a fascinating season. Click through to the jump to watch the BBC interview Schumacher talking about his decision to return to racing and read the official statement from Mercedes GP.

[Sources: YouTube via BBC Sport, Brawn GP]

Continue reading VIDEO: BBC interviews Schumacher about his return to Mercedes-Benz F1

VIDEO: BBC interviews Schumacher about his return to Mercedes-Benz F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer sentiment for December hit 72.5 in the Reuter/University of Michigan survey, a rebound from the November reading of 67.4 but l below expectations of 73.5.

We usually try to stay away from making calls about market direction but we’ll venture a guess about today.

It’s the last full day of trading before the Christmas holiday and volume is expected to be very light. This will mean that the disappointing news in consumer sentiment will  likely be translated into a down draft in stocks.

If the new home sales number comes in ugly, things could get really bad. Then again, the market loves to prove us wrong. You should always take these kind of instantaneous forward looking statements with huge grains of salt.

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See Also:

• Consumer Debt Burden Less-Crushing Than It Was A Year Ago
• CHART OF THE DAY: Investor Sentiment Rebound Could Be A Bearish Sign
• Big Jump In Consumer Sentiment

Namco Bandai today declared their intention to ramp up digital releases for PSP and Xbox 360. The company plans to increase digitally distributed titles via Microsoft’s Games on Demand service and Sony’s PlayStation Network.

The Earthbark Movement kicked off earlier this month, launching a website www.earthbark.com designed to empower eco-friendly dog owners and pet friendly businesses with the a goal to help you reduce your carbon “pawprint”.


Earthbark raises awareness of dogs’ impact on our planet and gives dog owners the tools and information to minimize their impact on the environment.


The campaign is strongly committed to promoting environmentally responsible dog ownership and inspiring pride in taking care of your pet and your environment. Earthbark’s call to action is for dog owners to take steps to reduce your dogs carbon pawprint, seek environmentally friendly pet products that are both healthy for your dog and the environment, inspire others to be environmentally responsible dog owners and advocate for more dog friendly spaces in our communities.


The home for the Earthbark movement is their website, where dog owners can:


1. Join the Earthbark movement and commit to the “Top 10 Actions to Be an Eco Friendly Dog Owner”.


2. Show their commitment and inspire others with the Earthbark Movement ID tag to identify pets and their owners as members of the eco-friendly campaign.


3. Help recruit all types of businesses to be dog friendly-through giving “Earthbark Companion Store Stickers” to dog-friendly businesses for their storefronts announcing that “well behaved” dogs are welcome.


4. Check out the leading eco pet products that have been tested, researched and rated on their safety, quality and earth friendliness.


5. Read about the latest events and developments in eco-friendly dog ownership and pet friendly businesses on the Earthbark blog.


6. Connect, share and inspire on Earthbark’s social media sites.


Based in Seattle Washington, Earthbark’s mission is to promote environmentally responsible dog ownership through information designed to empower dog owners to actively take steps that are healthy for their dog, and the environment.

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1. Paw Luxury: Eco Friendly Products for Dogs
2. EcoBroker Makes Real Estate Green
3. New Carbon Rating on Food and Home Products

The conventional wisdom these days is that one key to controlling rising health-care costs is reducing the huge variation in spending among hospitals — particularly given the fact that patients at hospitals that spend lots of money don’t typically fare better than patients at hospitals that spend less.

But, as with everything else in health care, this idea gets more complicated when you look more closely.

One of the key sources of information on variation in hospital spending is the Dartmouth Atlas, which looks at how much hospitals spend caring for Medicare patients in the last two years of life. But that analysis doesn’t capture cases where intensive intervention by the hospital winds up saving patients’ lives.

An article in this morning’s New York Times looks at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which scores as an expensive hospital in the Dartmouth analysis.

Inspired by the Dartmouth data, UCLA and five other hospitals studied their data for elderly heart failure patients, but they looked at the living as well as the dead. In an article published earlier this year, the reported that hospitals that spent more appeared to save more lives.

“It doesn’t look like it is all waste,” one of the authors told the Times.

Image: iStockphoto

A special holiday edition of the Yahoo! Fantasy Freak Show awaits. Just click the links below. All the Week 16 matchups are previewed; start/sit questions are answered.

Brad sings early and often, in keeping with the season…

Fantasy Freak Show, Part I / Download

Fantasy Freak Show, Part II / Download

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Photo via Getty Images

Content: LEGO Indiana Jones 2 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Japan and Korea
Dash Text: LEGO Indiana Jones is back in his biggest adventure yet! Now you can whip, battle and build your way through all of Indy’s action-packed movie adventures, with a uniquely funny LEGO twist. Play ALL-NEW levels from The Original Adventures & your favorite new moments from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull… Or for the first time, create your own levels to play with friends! New characters, abilities and modes like two-player drop-in, drop-out split-screen gameplay, lets you play together with your friends and family like never before!

 

Add LEGO Indiana Jones 2 Demo to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: Trials HD – Big Pack
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: This Big Pack introduces 35 completely new tracks: 23 racing tracks and 12 skill game tracks. Five new tournaments include all the new tracks. For level designers the Big Pack provides more than 50 new crazy physics objects: car, rocket turbine, gravity field, wind, motor and many others! Three new fun achievements to unlock worth 50 extra gamerscore. Fasten your helmet and prepare for serious bruises! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

 

Add the Trials HD – Big Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: 0 DAY ATTACK ON EARTH
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB Seven days that will determine the fate of humanity now begin… Join mankind’s struggle against massive invaders as they converge on the world’s major cities. In battles set over actual areas in modern metropolitan cities, take flight in one of 8 futuristic aircraft as you help repel these humongous enemies. With more than 20 stages covering 3 cities, this dual joystick shooter becomes a truly worldwide effort when you work together with friends over Xbox LIVE. Play with up to 4 people simultaneously on co-op or 8 people on versus modes. Save Earth. Join the fight. ※※Online game play may be affected by the speed and quality of the host player's connection. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

 

Add 0 DAY ATTACK ON EARTH to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: Polar Panic
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: With the full game, play through 50 challenging levels and battle Mr Big in Story Mode. Work your way through all 50 of the fiendish block based puzzles. Survive against never ending waves of trappers in Survivor Mode. Play on your own or with 2-4 players against the trappers and each other in Kills, Points or Last Man Standing variations. This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive or the 512MB Memory Unit for storage. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

 

Add Polar Panic to your Xbox 360 download queue

I just tested a review copy of Mezzoman (available in the App Catalog), which is designed to help two (or three) people "meet in the middle."On the whole, it seems to be a simple and useful app, although it has some limitations that are worth knowing about.

The essence of Mezzoman is very simple: the user puts in his own address (or uses current GPS coordinates, requiring location services to be turned on), and one or two (for the paid version) other addresses, enters a search term (I tried two searches, "kosher" and "bowling," since the program is not limited to food genres), selects a search results radius (apparently in miles, although it does not specify units), chooses from either review site Yelp or Google as a search tool, and hits the big "Mezzoman Go!" button at the bottom of the screen. The Mezzoman client will search for businesses meeting the search criteria in the radius around the midpoint between the two addresses.

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A Christmas tree is synonymous with the holiday season as much as gift-giving overload; fun but mildly dysfunctional family get-togethers; and otherwise cringe-worthy but enjoyable "seasonal" music.

But do you know where your tree comes from? Should you have gotten a fancy plastic one with pre-attached lights?

Are millions of real tree caracasses that end up in dumpsters January 1st really better for the environment?

And who are those scruffy out-of-towners on New York City and other urban corners selling "real Canadian" firs?

We'll tell you.

Christmas Trees 101 -->

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See Also:

• Wall Street's Christmas Displays: Graded From F To A
• How Your Thanksgiving Turkey Gets Made

For the past months and seeing some resurgence lately, RSS as a medium for consuming and discovering news and other content has been pretty much left for dead, with everyone claiming that Twitter and for a while FriendFeed replaced to a certain degree by Facebook now are all much better and faster ways of getting the latest stories. Now, the Read Write Web blog has come out with an analysis of the state of the market and the conclusion is grim, Google Reader dominates the market for feed readers and that the market itself is in “disaray.” Blogger Louis Gray though offers an alternative view, claiming that, even though the reader market may be in bad shape, RSS is doing great and people are using it in greater numbers than ever.

First things first, RWW analyzed the data from its own feeds to find out what readers are the most popular and what their market share is. It came as no surprise that Google dominates the field with Reader managing to have more users than the following two readers, Bloglines and Netvibes, combined. FriendFeed came in fourth place, but the site has been bleeding users for the past months since it has been acquired by Facebook, so it may not hold its place for long. This leads the blog to conclude that the RSS readers are quickly becoming irrelevant and that Google Reader will … (read more)