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Submission + - Italy Approves 'Google Tax' on Internet Companies

Submitted by recoiledsnake
recoiledsnake writes: Italy’s Parliament today passed a new measure on web advertising, the so-called “Google tax,” which will require Italian companies to purchase their Internet ads from locally registered companies, instead of from units based in havens such as Ireland, Luxembourg and Bermuda. Google, for example, says that it sells nearly all its advertising in Europe from an Irish unit, leaving little taxable profits in the countries where its customers are based. That unit in turn pays royalties to a second Irish subsidiary, which says its headquarters are in Bermuda. Google last year moved nearly $12 billion to the Bermuda unit, the majority of its worldwide income, cutting more than $2 billion off its global income tax bill. Google’s Italian unit last year reported total income taxes of just 1.8 million euros, corporate filings show.

Submission + - Twitter blocks website supporting Phil Robertson Following anti-gay comments (hollywoodreporter.com)

Submitted by cultiv8
cultiv8 writes: Social network giant Twitter has reportedly blocked users from tweeting the phrase "iStandWithPhil.com," a hashtag representing the petition drive to have Phil Robertson reinstated to A&E's "Duck Dynasty" reality show. Robertson was indefinitely suspended from the show last week after he described homosexuality as a sin in an interview with GQ Magazine. The organization running the organization does not know why it is being blocked, as a diagnostic page says the site "has not hosted malicious software over the past 90 days."

Submission + - South Park: The Stick of Truth censored for Australia (playerattack.com)

Submitted by dotarray
dotarray writes: Even with the introduction of an R18+ adults only rating in Australia, video games are still being edited before making it Down Under. The latest? South Park: The Stick of Truth, which was labelled R18+ last week. Turns out, Aussies will be getting a censored version of the cartoon RPG when it arrives in March.

Submission + - NSA Phone Program Likely Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Rules (huffingtonpost.com) 3

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Security Agency's phone surveillance program is likely unconstitutional, Politico reports.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon said that the agency's controversial program, first unveiled by former government contractor Edward Snowden earlier this year, appears to violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which states that the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated."

“I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying it and analyzing it without judicial approval,” Leon wrote in the ruling.

The federal ruling came down after activist Larry Klayman filed a lawsuit in June over the program. The suit claimed that the NSA's surveillance “violates the U.S. Constitution and also federal laws, including, but not limited to, the outrageous breach of privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the due process rights of American citizens."

Submission + - Americans react to China's Chang'e 3 moon landing (examiner.com)

Submitted by MarkWhittington
MarkWhittington writes: While there has been a strange dearth, thus far, of official reaction to the successful landing of the Chinese Chang’e 3 on the moon from either NASA or the Obama administration, that doesn’t mean that Americans are not following the mission and with some concern. Those concerns ranged from worries over a lack of commitment by the United States to a lunar exploration program to fears of what China's ultimate objectives are on the moon.

Submission + - Streaming and Cord-Cutting Take a Toll on the Pay-TV Industry (deadline.com)

Submitted by ClarkSchultz
ClarkSchultz writes: Harris Interactive confirms that consumers streaming video content prefer the practice of binge viewing.The news isn't a big shocker to streaming concerns such as Netflix, Amazon, and Redbox Instant which have been mining viewer habits data, but it has an important read-through for broadcasters like CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC. Though ad rates could fall if more viewers wait until series are available for streaming, the payoffs for quality content are proving lush: 1) CBS says it paid $700K per episode for streaming rights to Under the Dome 2) AMC Networks has pointed to Netflix as contributing to the success of Breaking Bad after initial ratings were soft. If streaming wins, who loses? Front and center is the Pay-TV industry. A wave of merger rumors (Charter/Cox/Time Warner Cable/Comcast/Dish Network) indicates the industry knows the trend of subscriber losses to the cord-cutting phenomenon will continue. An online TV initiative from a tech heavyweight like Sony, Apple, Google, or Intel could also disrupt the industry enough to put cable and satellite companies into an even bigger tailspin.

Submission + - California Man Arrested For Running 'Revenge Porn' Website (yahoo.com)

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: Yahoo reports, "A California man was arrested on Tuesday on accusations he ran a "revenge porn" website, one that featured nude pictures of women often posted by jilted or angry ex-lovers ... The San Diego arrest, the latest action by the state to crack down on such websites, comes after California Governor Jerry Brown signed a first-in-the-nation law in October specifically targeting revenge porn. The law defines revenge porn as the posting of private, explicit photos of other people on the Internet to humiliate them. But authorities did not charge 27-year-old Kevin Bollaert under that law, because it is geared to those who post the incriminating pictures and not those who run websites that feature them .... Bollaert's site, which is no longer operational, had featured over 10,000 sexually explicit photos, and he charged women up to $350 each to remove their photos, officials said. ... Bollaert was charged under a California identity theft law that prohibits using identifying information of a person without their permission, and under anti-extortion legislation, according to court documents. Unlike many other revenge porn websites, Bollaert's site had required users post the photo subject's full name, location, age and a link to the person's Facebook profile, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement." — Previous Slashdot story on the new law.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: How would you stop a debt collection scam from targeting you?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I'm currently being targeted by an overseas debt collection scam. My landline rings every 10-15 minutes all day every day. I considered getting a blacklisting device to block the incoming calls, but the call center spoofs a different number on my caller ID each time, and it's gotten to the point where I've just unplugged the phones. I'm already on the Do No Call Registry and have filed a complaint with the FTC. Aside from ditching my landline, changing my number, and/or blowing a whistle into the receiver anytime I actually pick up, are there any real solutions out there? Has anybody had luck with a blacklisting device?

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Communication Skills for Programmers? 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: As a new developer at a young-ish software company, I've been told my communication skills need some work. I'm not painfully introverted or socially inept, but I get lost in my work and only contact people if I need something from them or they ask me a question. Traditional advice isn't relevant to casual, less hierarchical companies — I don't have to hold my tongue when someone is wrong or worry about formalities. But I do need to connect with people professionally, since my team members and managers decide my perf and advancement. How do you keep colleagues abreast of your work without having exponentially many needless conversations?

Submission + - World War II's Last Surviving Doolittle Raiders Make Their Final Toast

Submitted by Hugh Pickens DOT Com
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes: As we come up on Veteran's Day, Barrie Barber reports for the Dayton Daily News that the last Doolittle Raiders symbolically said goodbye to a decades-old tradition and to a history that changed the course of the Pacific war in World War II. Gathering from across the country together one last time, three surviving Raiders sipped from silver goblets engraved with their names and filled with 1896 Hennessy cognac in a once-private ceremony webcast to the world at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Robert E. Cole, 98, led the final toast to the 80 members of "the Greatest Generation" who took off in 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers April 18, 1942, from the deck of the USS Hornet to bomb Japan four months after a Japanese surprise naval and air attack on Pearl Harbor. “Gentleman, I propose a toast,” said Cole, as about 700 spectators watched one final time, “to those we lost on the mission and those that passed away since. Thank you very much and may they rest in peace.” Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning said the raid showed the courage and innovation of the World War II airmen flying from a carrier in a bomber that had never seen combat to attack a heavily defended nation and to attempt to land at unseen airfields in China in a country occupied by Japanese troops. More than 70 years after the attack, Edward J. Saylor, 93, remembered ditching at sea once he and his crew dropped their bombs and several close calls with being discovered by the Japanese Army while making his way through China. This may be the last time I see them together,” said the 92-year-old raider who has attended Raider reunions since 1962. “It’s a little sad for me because I’ve known them so long and know the story of what they did in 1942.”

Submission + - "Whizz Kids" Discover Optimum Male Urination Angle (yahoo.com)

Submitted by stevegee58
stevegee58 writes: Ever wonder while standing at a urinal what is the best target to minimize or maximize splashing? Ever wonder where the big puddles on the floor come from? Well wonder no longer; science once more comes to the rescue.
Fluid dynamics researchers at Brigham Young University have determined the optimum distance and angle for minimal splashing. (Hint: don't aim at the urinal cake)

Submission + - EPA makes most wood stoves illegal

Submitted by Jody Bruchon
Jody Bruchon writes: The Environment Protection Agency has lowered the amount of fine-particle matter per cubic meter that new wood stoves are allowed to release into the atmosphere by 20%. Most wood stoves in use today are of the type that is now illegal to manufacture or sell, and old stoves traded in for credit towards new ones must be scrapped out. This shouldn't be much of a surprise since more and more local governments are banning wood-burning stoves and fireplaces entirely, citing smog and air pollution concerns.

Submission + - Row over US mobile phone 'cockroach backpack' app (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Tigger's Pet
Tigger's Pet writes: A US company claims that its "Electronic Backpack" which allows kids to control the movements of a cockroach from their mobile phone "...the insects are treated humanely and ... does not harm them.". This is despite the fact that "Sandpaper is used to remove the waxy coating on the shell of the insect's head" then "...a needle is used to poke a hole in their thorax in order to insert a wire. Their antennae are then cut and electrodes are inserted..."
And this is supposedly being sold to encourage children to take an interest in neuroscience. Sounds more like encouraging the practice of pulling legs off creatures just to see how they react.

Submission + - FDA moves to ban trans fats from food (fda.gov)

Submitted by mschaffer
mschaffer writes: The U.S. FDA ruled for the first time that trans fats aren't generally considered safe in foods.
So, in the future you may not be able to enjoy that box of HoHo's after smoking that newly-legalized marijuana.

Submission + - Do Cell Phone Companies Improve Your Service at Contract Time? 1

Submitted by Jim_Austin
Jim_Austin writes: Has anyone else noticed this? After years of dropped calls and failed connections, suddenly your service improves as the end of your contract approaches. Thinking that your provider--in my case AT&T--has finally gotten their act together, you re-up and get that nice new phone. It works great during your trial period--and then it all falls apart again: dropped calls, failed connections.

Am I paranoid, or do the cell phone companies--or maybe it's just AT&T--get better near decision time?

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