CSLB to Ramp Up Employee Reporting Enforecement | CLCA North ...

Starting in 2013 the CSLB will be working with the EDD to help curb abuses on the reporting of employees to avoid payroll taxes or workers compensation premiums. This is good news for companies that have played by the rules along- just remember to properly report new employees to the EDD. From the CSLB press release:

CSLB Authorized to Discipline Contractors
Who Fail to Report New Employees

Contractors Must Report New Employees to EDD within 20 Days

?SACRAMENTO ? Contractors should be aware that employee reporting laws have been strengthened by the passage of Assembly Bill 1794. In addition to the current 20-day reporting requirement, the new law, effective January 1, 2013, authorizes the Employment Development Department (EDD) to share new-hire employee information with agencies in the state?s Joint Enforcement Strike Force on the Underground Economy (JESF) (of which the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is a member) and the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF). Efficient information-sharing among state offices will ensure that employers are accurately reporting their employee payroll to their insurance carrier for establishing their workers? compensation insurance premium.

With the newly shared information among the three agencies, CSLB can take disciplinary action against contractors who fail to accurately report new employee information within 20 days of the established hire date. AB 1794 (which amends Unemployment Insurance Code section 1088.5) specifically enables EDD, SCIF, and CSLB to establish a memorandum of understanding to audit, investigate, and prosecute those who violate tax withholding requirements and commit premium insurance fraud.

Contractors currently are required to carry adequate workers? compensation insurance for employees or submit to CSLB either an exemption or Certificate of Self Insurance. C-39 Roofing contractors are required to carry workers? compensation insurance even if they do not have employees. However, a CSLB study revealed that approximately half of licensed contractors either claim an exemption based on having no employees or maintain a minimum policy under which no employees are reported to their insurance carrier.

When a contractor underreports employees to obtain a lower workers? compensation premium, law-abiding contractors who report their employees correctly are placed at a competitive business disadvantage by having to pay up to five times more in workers? compensation insurance premiums.

?This landmark legislation benefits consumers, contractors, and employees,? said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. ?When employers properly report and insure employees, consumers are protected by workers? compensation insurance coverage if an accident occurs on their property, businesses pay less in insurance premiums, and employees are eligible for unemployment insurance when they?re property listed on the payroll.?

CSLB encourages all contractors to refresh their knowledge of new employee reporting requirements, and to use EDD?s online information to assure that their employees are accurately reported.

?

Source: http://clcanorthcoastchapter.org/blog/2012/12/cslb-to-ramp-up-employee-reporting-enforecement/

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Full Moon over Rome

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Source: http://stefanoderosa.com/2012/12/30/full-moon-over-rome/

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Schwarzenegger Will Get Credit For Any Major U.S. Climate-Change Law (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274072570?client_source=feed&format=rss

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GLHFCasting ? Taking Care of Your Home's Heating and Cooling ...

duct cleaning salem or If you need to install an updated heating or cooling system in your house, the most important things to think about are purchasing high quality products and trusted service. There are many types of furnaces that all have different advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your home and location, your home temperature and utility bill can improve dramatically if you buy the right furnace. Air conditioning systems are also very different and it is essential to purchase a system that is the most effective. When you meet with a heating and air conditioning specialist, they will evaluate your situation and help select the system that best meets your needs. These specialists can also handle all varieties of repairs on these systems. Experience a large change in your year-round comfort with professional heating and air conditioning technicians by your side.

Source: http://www.glhfcasting.com/taking-care-of-your-homes-heating-and-cooling-systems/

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Kate Winslet Receives Trip To Space For Wedding Present

Kate Winslet Receives Trip To Space For Wedding Present

Kate Winslet tied the knot in a top secret ceremony earlier this week to Ned Rocknroll, receiving a wedding gift that’s truly out of this world! Winslet’s new in-law, Richard Branson, is treating the newlyweds to a Virgin Galactic space trip in 2014. Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire Virgin mogul, presented Kate and Ned two ...

Kate Winslet Receives Trip To Space For Wedding Present Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/12/kate-winslet-receives-trip-to-space-for-wedding-present/

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CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union s 8th Annual Warm Hearts Coat Drive is a Success

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) December 29, 2012

The CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union 8th Annual Warm Hearts Coat Drive started in September and ended on October 31, 2012. Members and credit union staff were asked to donate new or gently used clean coats ? all sizes and for all ages, child to adult ? for those in need in the local communities in Alexandria and Harrisonburg, Virginia. The credit union and its members collected more than 98 winter coats and hats.

?Our annual Warm Hearts Coats Drive is an opportunity for CommonWealth One?s members to express our core philosophy of ?people helping people.? It?s always been a really successful coat drive, especially because everyone wants to help during the holiday season,? says Ashley Baldeon, Marketing Manager.

CommonWealth One has a strong commitment to supporting the communities it serves and the members who live there. CommonWealth One not only supports local charities during the holiday season, but also throughout the year with the Children?s Miracle Network, Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, Community Partners for Children, and more.

About CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union
Since 1944, CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, has grown to become one of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia?s top credit unions with more than $304 million in assets serving more than 36,000 members. CommonWealth One is a full-service, member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative committed to being the lifetime financial institution of its members. It provides its members with lower fees and loan rates, plus higher savings rates. Excess earnings are returned to members in the form of higher dividend rates, lower interest rates on loans and low or no fees.

CommonWealth One has branches in downtown Washington, D.C., Alexandria, VA, and Harrisonburg, VA (one branch is located on the James Madison University campus). Members can access their accounts through Online Banking, Mobile and Text Banking, plus a network of over 6,700+ shared branches and 50,000+ transaction-fee-free ATMs across the country. For information, or to open an account online, visit http://www.cofcu.org.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/12/prweb10275257.htm

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Top law professor quits Zimbabwe rights watchdog

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? The head of an independent but state-funded human rights commission says he has quit because of a lack of financial support and inadequate legislation empowering it to monitor the situation and punish violations.

Professor Reg Austin, an eminent law professor and expert on international and constitutional law, announced his departure Saturday.

In a statement, he likened the commission, set up under a democratic reform program in 2010, to "a baby for whose birth the parents made no preparations: no nursery, not cot, no blankets, no baby food."

An independent Zimbabwe lawyers group said Saturday the decision to quit by a lifelong campaigner for justice ahead of elections proposed next year confirmed the failure of President Robert Mugabe's government to end rights abuses after years of violations linked to elections.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-law-professor-quits-zimbabwe-rights-watchdog-160432580.html

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Ten Common Things Church Members Communicate to Pastors

December 29, 2012|2:59 pm

Eleven of the pastors were above the age of forty, so an equal number were under forty years old. Here are their top ten responses in order of frequency. Each response is followed by a quote from a representative pastor in the interview.

?1.Requests for hospital visits and other visits to those who are ill. "If I said 'yes' to every one of these requests that I got, it would be a 60-hour a week job. I have to disappoint and even anger some folks, because I can't get to everyone."

?2.Requests to attend events and meetings at the church. "I really wish I could be omnipresent. It seems like I'm supposed to be at every wedding, every church meeting, and every Sunday school class function. I do my best, but I sometimes disappoint some folks.

?3.Criticisms. "The criticisms that bother me the most are those that begin with 'I love you pastor but . . .' The words that follow are usually anything but loving."

?4.Updates on someone's health. "I have to say that I appreciate those in my church that keep me updated about how someone is doing. Now, some of them go overboard with the details, but it does help me set priorities to visit and call."

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?5.Books a pastor should read. "I have learned that when a church member recommends a book to me, it's usually a book about something he thinks I should be teaching or preaching."

?6.Encouragement. "Thank God for the Barnabases in my church. It seems like God uses them at key and critical times when they communicate with me. I hope I never take them for granted."

?7.Ideas on how to do things better in the church. "Some of these messages are from well-intending members. Others are from members who thinly disguise their criticism as a suggestion."

?8.Sermon suggestions. "I have a few members in my church who would be happy if all of my sermons were from the Book of Revelation. I'm glad this Mayan thing passed. I was getting inundated with those requests."

?9.Theological and biblical questions. "I love it when people have genuine questions about what the Bible teaches. That indicates that God is giving them a real hunger for His Word."

?10.Jokes/Forwarded Spam. "There are a few members in the church who feel like they have to forward me every joke or political issue they get in their email. Usually I'm one of 30 or 40 recipients, so I don't feel obligated to respond."

Interestingly, if we had just taken the responses from the under-forty group of pastors, "theological and biblical questions" would have ranked fourth instead of ninth. The younger pastors seem to be encouraging and receiving biblical conversations.

If you are a pastor or staff member, what would you add to this list? If you are a layperson, do any of these items of communication to pastors surprise you?

Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Source: http://www.christianpost.com/news/ten-common-things-church-members-communicate-to-pastors-87395/

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The best and most effective online marketing techniques. | Marketing ...

?

If you're the site owner, one of two things happened:

1. 1) You entered an incorrect URL into your browser's address bar, or
2. 2) You haven't uploaded content.

If you're a visitor and not sure what happened:

1. 1) You entered or copied the URL incorrectly or
2. 2) The link you used to get here is faulty.
3. (It's an excellent idea to let the link owner know.)

Source: http://marketing-trade.com/the-best-and-most-effective-online-marketing-techniques/

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Bundles

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, and support from people like you. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

? RolePlayGateway, LLC | with the support of LocalSense

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/vcVaxNMor_8/viewtopic.php

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Visions in Verse Announces: a Christmas Poem for Making the Most ...

A Christmas poem that brings more heart and soul into the season
and through 2013 reminds us to have Christmas in our hearts all
year long. This original heartfelt Christmas poem and inspirational
wall art is meant to impart joy and hope that reminds us to be the
peace we wish for and make a difference every day. Original Christmas Poem Printed and Framed These words and art will touch your heart and challenge you to make a difference for someone every day.

Christmas Poems that Keep on Giving Every Day of Every Year...

The best Christmas gifts do not come in a box
Not the tangible items like jewelry and socks.
They come from our heart when we reach out our hand
And help one another wherever we stand

-- from ?The Best Christmas Gift,? by Ruth Kuttler

?All year round ? but especially during the holidays ? people hunger for authenticity,? says Visions in Verse creator Ruth Kuttler. ?Maybe it?s the hustle and rush of the season, but so many of us risk losing our perspective on what the joy of Christmas is really about.?

For 2012 and in the coming year, giving new meaning to Christmas poems is a work of art that seeks to bring more heart and soul into the season and beyond. ?The Best Christmas Gift? is an original Christmas poem presented in a high-quality setting of each buyer?s choosing. Suitable for gifting to others ? or to display in one?s own home ? this professionally produced Christmas poem joins a line of inspirational wall art messages and poetry produced by Kuttler.

From families reading heartfelt Christmas poems around the holiday table or upon gazing at the artwork on display within their home, the words in this poem make a lasting impression - a reminder to "Be the peace that we wish for and make a difference all year long," Kuttler says.

The inspirational Christmas poems and stories written by Kuttler are meant to impart joy and hope that uplifts, inspires, heals and nurtures the heart and soul. ?These words will touch your heart and challenge you to make a difference for someone every day,? says Kuttler.

Generations of Value

?The Best Christmas Gift? is one of a unique collection designed as a keepsake-value piece of inspirational wall art - a treasure that may adorn a home all year round, or be passed from one generation to the next. The Christmas poem within the originally created graphic artwork comes from ?Visions in Verse,? a book of healing inspirational poems and messages exclusively written and designed by Ruth Kuttler.

Her book, notes Kuttler, is meant to make a difference in people?s lives. ?Customers love the words and often say it is life changing,? she says. ?Many people buy multiple books for gift giving throughout the year.?

Customized creation

From Christmas poems such as ?The Best Christmas Gift? to the Visions in Verse book and full line of inspirational wall art, customers are able to create their own gift right online. At Visions in Verse gallery, shoppers may browse from an array of illustrated poems, then select the size and the way they want it delivered ? including formats like downloadable art, high-quality prints, and prints on canvas.

Each customer may also select the kind of frame and matte to best showcase their art keepsake in the home. From the in-store framing and double-matting to the customized choices within the FRAME IT gallery, customers can control and select every detail of their purchase and see how it looks before they pay for it ? a rare advantage in online retailing.

About Visions in Verse

The brainchild ? and the passion ? of creator and founder Ruth Kuttler, Visions in Verse combines original poetry, stories and graphic art with the goal of providing insight and inspiration for people when they need it most. The online company creates books, poems, graphics and other special gifts to celebrate life events or provide hope and healing to individuals who need it most. Topics include Christmas, Wedding, Graduation, Overcoming Adversity, Mother?s Day, Grandmother, Mother-Daughter, Valentine?s Day, Friendship, Bereavement, and Spirituality. Find more information at the Visions in Verse website.

Visions in Verse may be the greatest gift one can give him or herself or to those they care about.Kuttler says, "The right words and/or art can change a life but only if it is seen, valued and shared beginning with "The Best Christmas Gift."

Source: http://newsguide.us/arts-entertainment/books/visions-in-verse-announces-a-christmas-poem-for-making-the-most-out.html

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Your Experienced Location for Heating and Air Conditioning ...

Selecting an experienced professional who uses the high-quality materials and understands heating and cooling system is the most essential step if you need repairs in your home. There are many brands of furnaces which all have distinct parts and functions. Depending on the type of house you live in, your home temperature and utility bill can improve greatly if you purchase the right furnace. Air conditioning systems are also quite unique and it is essential to purchase a system that is the most effective. When you hire a heating and air conditioning specialist, they will evaluate your home and help select the system that will meet your needs the best. They are also experienced in handling all varieties of heating and cooling repairs. Experience a large change in your year-round comfort with experienced heating and air conditioning technicians on your side. Residential Heating Systems Utah

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 29th, 2012 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Professional Supplies and Services. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://surfingdino.com/your-experienced-location-for-heating-and-air-conditioning-repairs/

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Home Improvement Secrets You May Not Know About | Career Guru

When you are faced with lots of trees that can clutter your gutters, install a screen over the gutters to slow build-up. A gutter guard keeps leaves, sticks and other debris from filling your gutters needlessly. You will only need to check the top of the guard from time to time to make sure that the guard is not covered with any leaves.

With regards to home improvement, understand how long certain things last. For example, a new stone or brick chimney can provide 100 years or more of use. On the other hand, you may get less than 20 years' use out of a new wooden deck. A vinyl floor can last between 20 and 30 years, which seems like a long time until you consider the fact that oak flooring can easily last a century. This should be greatly considered when deciding which home renovations are worth the time and money spent on them.

Establish a budget and stick to it. Budgets are created to adhere to. Make a budget that makes sense and stick with it the whole way through.

Budgeting for your home improvements should be done in the beginning of the year. This is because after the holidays you will have a better assessment of your spending. Having little to work with may help you create a very frugal budget, indeed!

You can save on your energy bills by undertaking some simple and fast home improvement projects. Just by installing more energy efficient light bulbs, you can use a lot less energy - almost 75 percent less. Heat, energy and money can be conserved by insulating your water heater.

Give your porch an "up" as well. This is where you make your initial impression to your guests. Keep your porch clean and add tasteful enhancements. Flowers, nice furniture and great lighting can be used to dress up an otherwise boring and bland porch. This is a great way to increase the value of your home.

Ask family and friends for help with your home improvement project. If you wait to ask for help when you have already begun the project, it might be to late for people to commit. It may also take you longer to finish your project than you initially expected.

If your renovations will require using your street then you should take the time to let the neighbors know what will be going on. Certain big projects may require use of the street, maybe for bringing in equipment. Your neighbors deserve some warning before you start the work and inconvenience them.

If you have a low water pressure, you should be able to fix this problem easily. Start by consulting with your neighbors and see if they're experiencing the same problem. If they aren't, then the problem resides in your home. Try all of the taps in your home; you want to know if the problem is affecting your whole house or just some faucets. You may find the problem simply attributed to an aerator in need of adjustment, or else wise, a call to a professional may be in order.

Now that you have gathered the knowledge that is needed to complete home projects, gather the tools that you need to get going. If you find that you are stuck at some point of your project, take the time to re-read the information from this article to see if you can find the solution to the problem.

Here's more info in regards to Zus?tzlicher Lesestoff visit www.perfekter-sonnenschutz.de/mustershop/lamelle

Source: http://www.careerguruindia.in/blogs/home-improvement-secrets-you-may-not-know-about

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Source: http://saralucas.posterous.com/home-improvement-secrets-you-may-not-know-abo

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Source: http://aimless-forwardness.blogspot.com/2012/12/home-improvement-secrets-you-may-not.html

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56% of female university students get drunk in record time, Spanish study suggests

Dec. 28, 2012 ? Researchers from the HealthyFit group at the University of Vigo have studied university students' lifestyles; their analysis, which includes alcohol and illegal drug consumption habits, sport and food, concludes that most students indulge in unhealthy behaviour. One of the main results of the study points to the high consumption of alcohol.

"The amount drunk per unit of time is higher among women. In other words, even though male students drink more often, females do so more intensively in shorter periods of time, which is known as binge drinking," explained Jos? M? Cancela Carral, co-author of the study published by the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Researchers randomly selected 985 students from different degree courses and in different years at the University of Vigo.

Of the females interviewed, 51.2% lead a sedentary lifestyle, while the percentage in males is 41.7%. When analysing students who maintain an appropriate level of physical activity, 38.6% of males do physical exercise, as opposed to only 20.9% of women.

"We were also surprised by the high consumption of illegal drugs among university students -- 44.9% of men and 30.9% of women -- which we understand could lead to significant future health problems, mainly related to the nervous system," underlined the researcher.

Anomalous attitudes to food were more evident among women (16.6%), although also present among men (8.8%). "However, the statistical analysis showed that this parameter depended on the degree the student was studying for," added Cancela. Such attitudes were much more common among those studying degrees related to education (19.2%) than among those studying courses related to health (6.3%).

Health network

Spanish universities set up a Healthy University Network in 2008, a project for healthy living for universities from all over Spain, the Spanish University Rectors' Association, the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport and some regional public health entities.

In the researcher's opinion, at many universities this network was nothing more than "a simple first step to get on the list and nothing else"; hence transversal content should be implemented in study plans related to food, physical exercise and healthy habits.

"In the light of the results, training and information courses are required in these areas, together with healthy leisure -- not just sports facilities -- to set up university guidance services for a healthy student lifestyle," concludes Cancela.

Genetic predisposition

A recent study published in the PNAS journal argues that the gene called RASGRF2 could be related to a predisposition to getting drunk.

According to scientists, this gene regulates the predisposition to drink excessive amounts of alcohol as it influences mesolimbic dopamine neuron activity, which is one of the ways dopamine is taken from one region of the brain to another.

Gunter Schumann, one of the main authors of the study, explained that even though we should not consider said gene to be the main cause -- as there are many environmental factors and other genes involved -- the study thereof helps to explain why some people are more vulnerable to alcohol than others.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Plataforma SINC, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal References:

1. Ver?nica Varela-Mato, Jos? M. Cancela, Carlos Ayan, Vicente Mart?n, Antonio Molina. Lifestyle and Health among Spanish University Students: Differences by Gender and Academic Discipline. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2012; 9 (8): 2728 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9082728
2. D. Stacey, A. Bilbao, M. Maroteaux, T. Jia, A. C. Easton, S. Longueville, C. Nymberg, T. Banaschewski, G. J. Barker, C. Buchel, F. Carvalho, P. J. Conrod, S. Desrivieres, M. Fauth-Buhler, A. Fernandez-Medarde, H. Flor, J. Gallinat, H. Garavan, A. L. W. Bokde, A. Heinz, B. Ittermann, M. Lathrop, C. Lawrence, E. Loth, A. Lourdusamy, K. F. Mann, J.-L. Martinot, F. Nees, M. Palkovits, T. Paus, Z. Pausova, M. Rietschel, B. Ruggeri, E. Santos, M. N. Smolka, O. Staehlin, M.-R. Jarvelin, P. Elliott, W. H. Sommer, M. Mameli, C. P. Muller, R. Spanagel, J.-A. Girault, G. Schumann. RASGRF2 regulates alcohol-induced reinforcement by influencing mesolimbic dopamine neuron activity and dopamine release. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; 109 (51): 21128 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211844110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/JCkJkf4_4pY/121228084029.htm

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Video: Little evidence of deal-making on "fiscal cliff" (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Business VoIP Bolsters US BPO Companies

Outsourcing, particularly business process outsourcing (BPO), is among the booming industries in the US. Basically, outsourcing involves the hiring of an outside company by another company, government agency or an organization. The former would perform the tasks of the latter. Some of these tasks include human resource management, financial transaction processing and call centers.

Many businesses now rely on outsourcing as it streamlines work-flow and lessens their expenses. According to a study, the global outsourcing revenues reached $425 billion in 2010. This figure jumped to $500 billion in 2011. Today, US companies are among the leaders in the BPO industry. One reason why BPO companies earned the trust of customers is due to the use of communication technological advancements such as VoIP. Having a reliable communications system is essential and crucial to BPO companies especially for the starting ones.?

VoIP for business has a lot of benefits that really work to the advantage of BPO companies. Here are some of the significant benefits that matter to their business. ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ?Greatly lessens their costs. The BPO companies particularly those involved in call centers have huge volumes of incoming and outgoing calls daily. The traditional phone system would cost them so much, and thus would not generate them their desired revenues. With VoIP, they enjoy lower rates on international calls and the elimination of long distance charges among offices.

? ? ?Makes BPO work simpler. With the traditional system, BPO companies suffer from unanswered phone calls, which is not good for them. It is undesirable because it might create an impression that the company rejects the customers. But with VoIP, there are no more missed calls of customer inquiries. One good example is the voice recordings that can answer customers in the absence of the agents. Usually, BPO companies have a list of commonly asked questions. For this, they have voice recordings of answers to make work simpler and more efficient.

? ? ? ? ?Seamless connection among stations. As one of their strategies, BPO companies also have stations in other countries. In this situation, they need to have seamless connections for easy communication with business partners and managers. Using VoIP lets them have smooth communication. It is very important especially when giving updates and reports.

These are just some of the primary benefits of business VoIP that really works for small and medium business companies and even large BPO companies. These can also work for organizations and government agencies that seek to lessen their spending on communication. In recent years, VoIP service has become more and more attractive since it does not only offer affordable rates but also quality and excellent services. There are now actually VoIP providers that offer services and plans that specifically targets office needs. Some of the good service providers have plans such as Pro, ProPlus and ProBusiness. Basically, these plans address the needs of your company based on its level and capabilities. As a result, you enjoy efficient use of the VoIP service. ?

The BPO industry has been contributing to the economy. However, it can contribute more if the companies maximize the use of VoIP, which will lead to a boost in their industry and eventually the country?s economy.

Source: http://www.itmashable.com/2012/12/business-voip-bolsters-us-bpo-companies.html

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MWN Shares its Success Story in Casablanca's School of Journalism

By Loubna Flah

Morocco World News

Casablanca, December 27, 2012

The Casablanca-based Ecole Superieure de Journalisme et de Communication (School of Journalism and Communication) on Wednesday invited Dr. Samir Bennis, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Morocco World News to share its experience with the young students of the school.

Samir Bennis shared with the audience the story behind the creation of Morocco World News. Being a strong advocate of Morocco?s territorial integrity, especially regarding the Sahara region, Mr. Bennis decided along with his brother, Mr. Adnane Bennis, to set up a new platform that would provide international public opinion with a more balanced and nuanced vision on the? Sahara issue. He highlighted that there is lack of awareness among the Moroccan public opinion and media professionals about the need to reach out to the international public opinion in order to provide it with a more nuanced and balanced vision about Morocco.

Dr. Samir Bennis in Casablanca's School of Journalism

He added that MWN intends to be Morocco?s window to the world, thus providing any person eager to learn about the country to have access to information covering every aspects of its culture, history, economic and political life.

He went to on to stress the pivotal role played by MWN in the media landscape both at the domestic and the international levels, especially in the United States. It has indeed lifted the veil of silence over deficiencies in defending Moroccan interests before the international community.

He also highlighted that MWN is the only Moroccan news outlet that provides news and analyses about Morocco and the rest of the world around the clock, while commending the other members of the team located in Morocco, who play an important role in providing the readers with the latest news about the event taking place in the MENA region.

Dr. Samir Bennis in Casablanca's School of Journalism, talking about the success story of www.moroccoworldnews.com

Mr. Bennis listed a number of crucial events that have traits with Morocco?s sovereignty over the Sahara region exclusively covered by the MWN team. He referred to the omission of the Sahara region from the documents submitted by the Morocco Mall architecture company. In addition, MWN was the first news outlet to address the lack of coverage by Moroccan media of the Security Council sessions in New York where the Sahara conflict is debated.

In this regard, Mr. Bennis had sent an open letter to the minister of communication Mr. Khalfi. He seized the opportunity to call for reform of the media sector in regard to national interests. The same issue was raised during an MWN interview with Mr. Choubani, minister in charge of relations with parliament and civil society.

Mr. Bennis shared with the audience the long term goals of MWN. Indeed, MWN founders envision building an influential news outlet that will rival with major international news outlets.

He highlighted that MWN emerged as a groundbreaking English speaking news outlet that provides insight to both local and international news in total alignment with Moroccan identity and supreme national interests. He added that the appeal of MWN is going crescendo, pointing out that readers from an average of 90 countries visit the website every day.

He also highlighted that, unlike other news outlets in Arabic or French whose reach is limited, MWN has further reach commensurate to the global reach of the English language.

Dr. Samir Bennis will also be a guest speaker at the University Hassan II of Casablanca on Friday 28 December where he will enlighten the audience of the university about the Spanish colonial legacy and the representation of Moroccans, as well as in Meknes? Moulay Ismail University on Friday 4 January where he will share his experience in launching MWN.

Online journalism is still at the embryonic stage. Yet, this new trend seems to be a bottomless reservoir of unexplored possibilities. MWN ambitious team is resolute to expand its outreach among Moroccan and international readership by maintaining high standards and, most importantly, by being faithful to the national identity.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2012/12/71815/mwn-shares-its-success-story-in-casablancas-school-of-journalism-2/

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Asian stocks up ahead of U.S. fiscal cliff talks

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets rose Friday, hours before President Barack Obama and key lawmakers were to meet at the White House to try to hammer out an 11th-hour budget compromise to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

Lawmakers have until Monday night to reach a deal before hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and deep cuts to government spending kick in. Such a drastic reshuffling of money could throw the U.S. into another recession, economists have warned.

However, failure to avoid the fiscal cliff doesn't necessarily mean tax increases and spending cuts would become permanent, since the new Congress could pass legislation canceling them retroactively after it begins its work next year.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index marched higher, hitting its highest level since March 20, 2011. The Tokyo benchmark rose 1 percent to 10,428.36. Export shares posted big gains as the country's currency continued to recoil against the dollar. Mazda Motor Corp. jumped 4.2 percent and Isuzu Motors Ltd. surged 4.3 percent. Nintendo Co. advanced 3.4 percent.

Investors have been cheering newly named Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his calls for more public works spending to reinvigorate the economy. He also wants the Bank of Japan to raise its inflation target from 1 to 2 percent to drag the country out of two decades of deflation, or steadily declining prices that have deadened economic activity.

But Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong, said he was skeptical that the new government's roadmap would prove effective in the long run.

"He will increase the deficit, print more money and try to spend out of the recession. If you print or borrow money, you give the economy a sense of false hope," he said. "It's like taking opium. You feel good but eventually you have to come down."

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose less than 0.1 percent to 22,637.91, while South Korea's Kospi added 0.6 percent to 1,999. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5 percent to 4,671.30.

"The fiscal cliff seems to have lost its negative influence on global markets," said Lun. "Even if it falls into the fiscal cliff, you will only reduce the deficit by about $100 billion. In Chinese terms, it's like trying to douse a fire with a cup of water. They should do what Europe has done and try to impose austerity."

Markets got some lift from optimistic data out of the U.S. on Thursday and a statement from the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said in an interview that the worst of the debt crisis in the 17 European Union countries that use the euro appears to be over.

In the U.S., the average number of people seeking unemployment benefits over the past month fell to the lowest level since March 2008, a sign that the job market is healing.

Worries over U.S. budget negotiations sent Wall Street slightly lower on Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.1 percent to 13,096.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 0.1 percent to 1,418.10, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 0.1 percent to 2,985.91.

Benchmark oil for February delivery rose 41 cents to $91.28 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 11 cents to finish at $90.87 per barrel.

In currencies, the euro fell slightly to $1.3239 from $1.3240 late Thursday in New York. The dollar gained to 86.45 yen from 86.02 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-stocks-ahead-us-fiscal-cliff-talks-035809449--finance.html

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'Rescue Me' singer Fontella Bass dies

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 201 file photo taken in New York City Fontella Bass performs during the Pioneer Awards at New York's Apollo Theatre. The St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with ?Rescue Me? in 1965, died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The singer's daughter, Neuka Mitchell, says Bass died at a St. Louis hospice Wednesday night of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago. She was 72. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 201 file photo taken in New York City Fontella Bass performs during the Pioneer Awards at New York's Apollo Theatre. The St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with ?Rescue Me? in 1965, died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The singer's daughter, Neuka Mitchell, says Bass died at a St. Louis hospice Wednesday night of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago. She was 72. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File)

In this Sept. 2, 2001 file photo, Fontella Bass performs at the Big Muddy Blues Festival on Laclede's Landing in St. Louis. The St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with ?Rescue Me? in 1965, died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago. She was 72. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jerry Naunheim, Jr.) EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT

In this Sept. 2, 1995 photo, Fontella Bass dances with Vernon Harris and Curtis Berry on the stage as she sings her 1965 hit "Resuce Me" at the St. Louis Blues Heritage Festival. The St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with ?Rescue Me? in 1965, died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago. She was 72. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Odell Mitchell Jr.) EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Fontella Bass, a St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with "Rescue Me" in 1965, has died. She was 72.

Bass died Wednesday night at a St. Louis hospice of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago, her daughter, Neuka Mitchell, said. Bass had also suffered a series of strokes over the past seven years.

"She was an outgoing person," Mitchell said of her mother. "She had a very big personality. Any room she entered she just lit the room up, whether she was on stage or just going out to eat."

Bass was born into a family with deep musical roots. Her mother was gospel singer Martha Bass, one of the Clara Ward Singers. Her younger brother, David Peaston, had a string of R&B hits in the 1980s and 1990s. Peaston died in February at age 54.

Bass began performing at a young age, singing in her church's choir at age 6. She was surrounded by music, often traveling on national tours with her mother and her gospel group.

Her interest turned from gospel to R&B when she was a teenager and she began her professional career at the Showboat Club in north St. Louis at age 17. She eventually auditioned for Chess Records and landed a recording contract, first as a duet artist. Her duet with Bobby McClure, "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing," reached No. 5 on the R&B charts and No. 33 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1965.

She co-wrote and later that year recorded "Rescue Me," reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 4 on the Billboard pop singles chart. Bass's powerful voice bore a striking resemblance to that of Aretha Franklin, who is often misidentified as the singer of that chart-topping hit.

Bass had a few other modest hits but by her own accounts developed a reputation as a troublemaker because she demanded more artistic control, and more money for her songs. She haggled over royalty rights to "Rescue Me" for years before reaching a settlement in the late 1980s, Mitchell said. She sued American Express over the use of "Rescue Me" in a commercial, settling for an undisclosed amount in 1993.

"Rescue Me" has been covered by many top artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Melissa Manchester and Pat Benatar. Franklin eventually sang a form of it too ? as "Deliver Me" in a Pizza Hut TV ad in 1991.

Bass lived briefly in Europe before returning to St. Louis in the early 1970s, where she and husband Lester Bowie raised their family. She recorded occasionally, including a 1995 gospel album, "No Ways Tired," that earned a Grammy nomination.

Bass was inducted into the St. Louis Hall of Fame in 2000.

Funeral arrangements for Bass were incomplete. She is survived by four children. Bowie died in 1999.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-27-Obit-Fontella%20Bass/id-efb9293af5ff4d8c9507dcaa0316ed87

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The Pros and Cons of buying a FSBO Business | Buy Sell a ...

When choosing to purchase a business, you will need to decide whether you will purchase a venture through a real estate company or other professional means or if you will buy an FSBO. FSBO stands for ?For Sale By Owner? and refers to a business being marketed and sold directly by the venture owner themselves. This can be a fantastic option when investing in entrepreneurship; however there are many setbacks as well. Pros and cons of FSBO opportunities include:

Pros

1. Price ? When someone choses to use an agent or broker to sell their business, franchise or venture the agent will always charge fees for their service of marketing and selling their property. This will almost always cause the price of the business to be higher than if you had bought it directly from the owner (FSBO). In short, the price of the business will be lower on average and will save you money.

2. Time ? The process of buying FSBO businesses is likely to be a lot shorter as communications are directly between the business owner and prospect owner without the lengthy involvement of a business broker/agent. Note: It is advised that both buyer and seller should have their legal advisors confirm verify the financial information and purchase/transfer agreement.

Cons

1. Price ? Many business owners may be ill-informed or ignorant about the value of their business and upon selling it through the FSBO method, end up over-pricing it. Commercial brokerages and professional commercial agents can assess and evaluate businesses properly as they have the proper experience and knowledge to do so. This way, you will not lose money on the cost of purchase.

2. Information Accuracy- When purchasing a business from its owner, it is hard to verify the authenticity and accuracy of everything that is advertised, along with other information you may receive. Business owners often exaggerate profits and popularity while leaving out any hidden problems. This can leave you disappointed and potentially cause you to lose of a lot of money. Having a commercial broker or professional intermediary to assist the process will help validate financial information as well as reviewing legal documents and agreements.

3. Negotiation ? During negotiations in the FSBO process, there may be points when negotiation is rocky and the process comes to a stall. The advice of an experienced third party such as the previously mentioned broker or agent, negotiations will likely become quicker and the broker can help to make the sale.

4. ?Due Diligence? ? Before deciding to invest money in a business, it is highly advised that a buyer first perform ?due diligence? on the business, a complete and thorough review and investigative report of the business and its past. Due diligence is often made difficult when you have interest in a FSBO business; this takes a lot of skill and time which only a commercial agent or broker may have. This becomes an advantage to using a brokerage service.

Source: http://blog.businessforsale.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-buying-a-fsbo-business/

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CCOTY 1968 Nomination: NSU Ro80?The Tragic Automotive ...

In the Pantheon of automotive gods and godesses, the Ro80 occupies a long-guaranteed spot. Simply put, it is one of the boldest, most influential and revolutionary cars ever?despite being a dismal failure. Its tragic story comes straight from the Greek legends; perhaps it should have been called the Ikarus.

NSU was a small maker of little cars and motorcycles. Both their 600cc Prinz and slightly larger 1000/1200 were notable for their Corvair-like looks, as well as for the air-cooled rear engine that was tucked in close to the rear wheels. But as incomes grew throughout the ?60s, the German (and European) market was quickly expanding into larger classes, and NSU made a bold double bet.

Their decision to expand up-market with a new four-door sedan was certainly ambitious. And got even more so: What was initially intended as a Ford Taunus competitor was later scaled up to directly compete against the smaller Mercedes models and BMW?s Neue Klasse. Ambitious indeed?but that was the relatively easy part.

Having signed a development contract with Felix Wankel, NSU co-developed what became the modern rotary engine (Wankel?s original design, which included a rotating engine case, was scrapped). Their new engine debuted in the limited-production NSU Spider (seen above in an interesting contemporary street shot).

Only 2,375 of the single-rotor, 50 hp cars were built, more or less as rolling test labs. It wasn?t long before the engine exhibited problems, mostly with the tricky apex seals?something that should have given NSU pause about powering the Ro80 with a larger, two-rotor version placed ahead of the front (driving) wheels.

The Ro80?s 995cc, twin-rotor engine was rated at 113 hp (115 PS). Because of the rotary?s tendency to run rough on overrun with a manual transmission, NSU turned to a Saxomat semi-automatic transmission, built by Fichtel and Sachs (and also offered by Porsche as the Sportomatic). It combined an shift-lever actuated automatic clutch with a torque convertor. Although there was no clutch pedal, one shifted through the three gears manually, much like the automatic stick shift found in some contemporary VW Beetles.

Inboard front disc brakes rounded out the very ambitious drive train, which was designed to shine on the German autobahns that were mostly uncrowded in the early- and mid-sixties. Unfortunately, the drive train was less ideally suited to dense traffic and city driving.

You already know where this is going: The Ro80?s engine was woefully underdeveloped in terms of durability. It became a nightmare of warranty costs and earned such a bad reputation that NSU was eventually forced to accept a takeover by Audi. That said, let?s focus instead on one of its indisputably superb qualities: The very enduring influence of its superb body design.

The Ro80 body design was an in-house job executed by Claus Luthe. It is utterly brilliant, even if some of its proportions seem a wee bit eccentric from certain angles. But that just adds to its allure, at least in the eyes of its admirers.

Needless to say, you?re looking at the mother of all Audis here?and the Taurus and, to some extent, just about every modern sedan. The drooping front nose, the overall wedge shape ending in a tall tail, the gracefully arching roof. The R080?s vast and enduring influence is unmistakable. And its aerodynamic Cd of 0.355 was excellent for the times.

The Ro80 was the significant link between that other goddess, the 1955 Citroen DS, and just about everything that followed. The ?utterly uncompromising shape of the DS was hardly conducive to cribbing; it was certainly revered, but mostly at a distance. In contrast, the R080?s design was seen as a more pragmatic way forward, as it incorporated the key advantages of the Citroen?s long-wheelbase and aerodynamic design in a more palatable and practical solution.

Only 37,398 Ro80s were built over its decade-long lifespan. NSU tried valiantly to address the severe issues involving engine life (some engines showed apex-seal wear after as little as 15,000 miles and were worn out by 30,000).?Still, it was a losing battle. Although it would later be fought with relatively greater success by Mazda, similar issues plagued their rotaries as well.

Many frustrated?owners refitted their Ro80s with the little Ford V4,?which was the only engine that fit. It was an ironic choice: The rotary?s biggest asset was turbine-smooth running, and the Ford V4 was one of the roughest engines ever built. Of course, Saab took the same road with their two-stroke 96, but did so officially.

A modest number of Ro80s were sold in the U.S. I?ve never seen one, nor do I expect to, so the prospect of an in-depth?write up?here is not terribly likely. But ateupwithmotor just recently published his article on the Ro80, and it is (as always) very comprehensive?and it?s right on time for the Ro80?s CCOTY nomination, as its historical value is more appreciated than ever (during the late seventies, one could hardly give an Ro80 away). The Ro80 was COTY in Europe in 1968, beating out the Fiat 125 (second) and Jensen FF (AWD).

Source: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/ccoty-1968-nomination-nsu-ro80-the-tragic-automotive-goddess/

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Tweet Me Maybe: Twitter IPO in 2013? | Breakout - Yahoo! Finance

Facebook?s (FB) messy IPO last May is going down as one of the worst debuts in history, and certainly one of the biggest finance events of 2012; if only because of the hype. Looking ahead to 2013, you can?t help but wonder whether Twitter is the next big event on the IPO docket. A management shuffle just last week makes it look like the company is taking some preparations to go public.

?Could they do an IPO in 2013? For sure,? says Eric Jackson, founder of IronFire Capital, ?they?re continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.?

There?s chatter that Twitter ad revenues could top $1 billion next year, well-positioning the company to start a roadshow to IPO. That would be extremely impressive growth when, according to Techcrunch, Twitter brought in roughly $350 million in total revenue for 2012, with nearly 50% of that coming from mobile ads.

?Whether it?s luck or smarts, they?ve figured out that their service is uniquely adapted for the mobile environment and they?re having an easier time selling ads in their form factor compared to Facebook,? says Jackson. ?So they could do it [IPO] in 2013, but I don?t think they should."

In addition to Facebook, Jackson points to struggling tech start-ups Zynga (ZNGA) and Groupon (GRPN), which both went public in late 2011, and experienced major growing pains throughout this year. Shares of the companies are down, 75% and 78%, respectively in 2012.

And Instagram is the latest to learn the hard way. The photo-sharing appmaker, which is owned by Facebook, ruffled feathers in an attempt to boost revenue by sharing users? photos with advertisers. The revolt was so fierce that the company backed off and apologized immediately.

Lesson learned; although you can?t fault them for trying to monetize content on the platform. When Facebook bought Instagram for a cool $1 billion in April, it wasn?t generating any revenue.

?I think the Instagram uproar is really interesting, and the challenges that Facebook has faced in trying to get ads stuffed into their streams and how people have reacted to that, is also interesting,? says Jackson. ?It raises the question: Is advertising really the right business model for a lot of these mobile companies??

He believes Twitter has an advantage here over Facebook simply because their ads are smaller and easier to ignore. ?People don?t like ads, and so if Twitter?s not going to make money off of ads, what are they going to make money off of??

That realism is precisely why Jackson thinks the company shouldn't go it alone and is a ripe buyout candidate.

?I think Apple would want to own them, not for an ad revenue stream, but for this knowledge graph they would be able to understand about their users. That?s really interesting for people like Nielsen -we saw them do a deal with Twitter recently.?

It?s an intriguing proposition for what promises to be an interesting year ahead for Twitter.

Do you think Twitter will IPO, get bought up, or neither in 2013? Let us know in the comment section below or visit us on Facebook!

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/tweet-maybe-twitter-ipo-2013-131505973.html

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Blades and clades: Why some grasses got better photosynthesis

Dec. 24, 2012 ? Even on the evolutionary time scale of tens of millions of years there is such a thing as being in the right shape at the right time. An anatomical difference in the ability to seize the moment, according to a study led by Brown University biologists, explains why more species in one broad group, or clade, of grasses evolved a more efficient means of photosynthesis than species in another clade did.

Their findings appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Biologists refer to the grasses that have evolved this better means of making their food in warm, sunny and dry conditions with the designation "C4." Grasses without that trait are labeled "C3."

What scientists had already known is that while all of the grasses in the BEP and PACMAD clades have the basic metabolic infrastructure to become C4 grasses, the species that have actually done so are entirely in the PACMAD clade. A four-nation group of scientists wondered why that disparity exists.

To find out, Brown postdoctoral researcher and lead author Pascal-Antoine Christin spent two years closely examining the cellular anatomy of 157 living species of BEP and PACMAD grasses. Using genetic data the team also organized the species into their evolutionary tree, which they then used to infer the anatomical traits of ancestral grasses that no longer exist today, a common analytical technique known as ancestral state reconstruction. That allowed them to consider how anatomical differences likely evolved among species over time.

Paradoxically, to understand C4 evolution, the researchers focused on the anatomy of C3 grasses in each clade.

In general what they found was that in the leaves of many PACMAD C3 grasses the veins were closer together, and that the veins themselves were surrounded by larger cells ("bundle sheath" cells) than in BEP C3 grasses. Ultimately PACMAD grasses had a higher ratio of bundle sheath cells to mesophyll cells (cells that fill in the area between veins).

In C4 plants, such an anatomical arrangement facilitates a more efficient transfer and processing of CO2 in the bundle sheath cells when CO2 is in relatively short supply. When temperatures get hot or plants become stressed, they stop taking in as much CO2, creating just such a shortage within the leaf.

So PACMADs as a group had developed an anatomical predisposition to C4 photosynthesis that BEP grasses didn't, said senior author Erika Edwards, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Brown.

"We found that consistently these PACMAD C3s are very different anatomically than the C3 BEPs," she said. "We think that was the evolutionary stepping stone to C4-like physiology."

When the new leaves turned over

It didn't used to be this way. Back around 60 or so million years ago, BEP and PACMAD grasses were more similar and both headed in the same direction. The distance between the leaf veins in both clades had been growing closer together. But then they started to diverge in a key way. The bundle sheath cells surrounding the veins in BEP grasses started to shrink down while those in PACMAD grasses stayed larger.

For a long time the climate didn't particularly punish or reward either of those directions. But then climate changed, and opportunity knocked, Edwards said. Only PACMAD was near the proverbial door.

"When atmospheric CO2 decreased tens of millions of years after the split of the BEP and PACMAD clades, a combination of shorter [distances between veins] and large [sheath] cells existed only in members of the PACMAD clade, limiting C4 evolution to this lineage," Christin and co-authors wrote in the paper.

The researchers also found that evolution among C4 grasses was anatomically nuanced. Some C4 grasses evolved because of advantageous changes in outer sheath cells, while others saw the improvement in inner sheath cells.

Ultimately, Edwards said, studies like this one show that plant biologists have made important progress in understanding the big picture of when and where important plant traits evolved. That could lead to further advances in both basic science, and perhaps agriculture as well.

"Now that we have this increasingly detailed birds-eye view, we can start to become a more predictive science," she said. "Now we have the raw goods to ask interesting questions about why, for example, one trait evolves 10 times in this region of the tree but never over here. In terms of genetic engineering we're going to be able to provide some useful information to people who want to improve species, such as important crops."

In addition to Christin and Edwards, the paper's other authors at Brown were David Chatelet and Laura Garrison. Other authors were Colin Osborne of the University of Sheffield in the U.K.; J. Travis Columbus of Claremont Graduate University in California; Guillaume Besnard of the Universite Paul Sabatier-Ecole Nationale de Formation Agronomique in Tolouse, France; Trevor Hodkinson of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland; and Maria Vorontsova of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Surrey, U.K.

The National Science Foundation (grants 0920147 and 0843231), the Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (252568) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (10LABX-41) supported the research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brown University.

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Journal Reference:

1. P.-A. Christin, C. P. Osborne, D. S. Chatelet, J. T. Columbus, G. Besnard, T. R. Hodkinson, L. M. Garrison, M. S. Vorontsova, E. J. Edwards. Anatomical enablers and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in grasses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216777110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/n3yx2Ev9jt4/121226081058.htm

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Confirmed: Asteroid won't hit Earth in 2040

A new study confirms that a huge asteroid will pass harmlessly by Earth in 28 years.

New observations of the asteroid 2011 AG5 now give astronomers complete confidence that the 460?foot-wide (140-meter-wide) space rock won't hit Earth in the year 2040. When it was discovered last year, scientists said that 2011 AG5 had a 1-in-500 chance of impact with our planet.

Astronomers solidified the asteroid's harmless status during an observation campaign in October, using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. The finding added more support to a NASA study that came to a similar conclusion in June based on months of observations of asteroid 2011 AG5.

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The researchers behind the latest study say the asteroid shouldn't get any closer than 550,000 miles (890,000 kilometers) ? about twice the distance between Earth and the moon.

"These were extremely difficult observations of a very faint object," the University of Hawaii's Richard Wainscoat, a member of the team of researchers monitoring 2011 AG5, said in a statement. "We were surprised by how easily the Gemini telescope was able to recover such a faint asteroid so low in the sky."

Just because it is a large asteroid doesn't mean it's easy to see, scientists said. Researchers used the Gemini North to photograph the asteroid three times in October.

NASA astronomers and other scientists regularly monitor the sky for asteroids that could pose a potential impact threat to Earth. About 9,000 such near-Earth asteroids have been discovered to date, though up to a million or more could exist, NASA scientists say.

Nearly 95 percent of the largest near-Earth asteroids, those larger than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in size, have been identified, NASA scientists say. The space agency's Asteroid Watch program to monitor nearby space rocks is based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50300434/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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