Royal grandkids visit Prince Philip in hospital (omg!)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, center, receives flowers from children after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St Mary's church in the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

LONDON (AP) ? Queen Elizabeth II emphasized the importance of family in her Christmas message this year and her grandchildren brought some Christmas cheer to her husband, Prince Philip, as he recovered in a hospital after a heart procedure.

The 90-year-old prince was forced to miss the royal family's traditional Christmas festivities ? opening presents together, going to a morning church service and viewing the Queen's Christmas broadcast ? after doctors put a coronary stent in. Philip had gone to the hospital on Friday complaining of chest pains, which doctors determined were caused by a blocked coronary artery.

Buckingham Palace said it does not know yet when Philip will be released.

"The Duke is in good spirits and will remain in hospital under observation for a short period," the palace said.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry drove in separate cars to Papworth Hospital from Sandringham, Elizabeth's sprawling estate where the royal family gathered to celebrate Christmas.

Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, also came to the hospital, along with Princess Anne's children, Zara and Peter.

The 45-minute visit from the royal grandchildren came after Elizabeth's annual, pre-recorded Christmas message to the nation aired. The royal family reportedly watches the broadcast together every year.

The theme of her broadcast ? family ? was especially poignant with Philip in the hospital recovering. The message was recorded Dec. 9, before Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, went into the hospital.

Wearing a festive red dress, the Queen said the importance of family was driven home by the marriages of two of her grandchildren this year ? William and Zara. William's royal wedding at Westminster Abbey captivated the world in April, and Zara had a quiet but elegant celebration in July.

The 85-year-old queen has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957. She writes the speeches herself, and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.

Elizabeth spoke of the strength family can provide during times of hardship and how friendships are often formed in difficult times.

She pointed to the Commonwealth nations as an example that family "does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community."

With one notable absence ? Philip's ? the royal family kicked off their Christmas earlier Sunday with a traditional morning service at St. Mary Magdelene Church, on the Sandringham Estate.

The huge crowds that gathered outside the church to catch a glimpse of the Queen got an early peek when the royals made a quick private visit to the church ahead of the services. Less than two hours later, they were back ? in different clothes ? for the Christmas service.

The Queen arrived first ? dressed in a lavender-colored coat and hat ? in a royal limousine, leading the way into the church. Her oldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, trailed behind.

Harry walked in with his brother William and new sister-in-law Kate ? now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Kate, whose style is closely watched around the world and who sends any dress she wears flying off the shelves in Britain, wore an eggplant-colored coat and matching hat.

Among the other royals, Zara was joined by her new husband Mike Tindall, an English rugby player.

After the service, local children lined up to give bouquets of flowers to the queen. Thanking each well-wisher, the queen then handed the bouquets to granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

Well-wisher Camilla Fitt, 71, said Charles told her that his father was "very determined" to get well.

"Charles said he is coming on," said Fitt.

The royal family then traveled back to the house for lunch, an integral part of their celebration.

___

Cassandra Vinograd can be reached at http://twitter.com/CassVinograd

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, right, leaves after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_royal_grandkids_visit_prince_philip_hospital165300768/44003188/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/royal-grandkids-visit-prince-philip-hospital-165300768.html

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Kid band Vazquez Sounds takes Mexico by storm

(AP)? MEXICO CITY ? Ten-year-old Angie Vazquez has become an Internet phenom belting out a soulful cover of Brit pop star Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." In an online video seemingly shot at home, her teenage brothers Abelardo and Gustavo play the keyboard, guitar and drums.

The video drew almost 18 million views, interviews on Mexico's major television networks and a mention on Good Morning America. Within weeks of its Nov. 11 posting, the so-called Vazquez Sounds signed a contract with Sony Music Mexico. They released their first album this week that includes another Internet smash cover, of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You."

Their nearly overnight success online evokes the now legendary saga of Canadian 'tween idol Justin Bieber, who was discovered after his mother posted online amateur footage of him crooning and strumming.

"We make a lot of videos of a lot of things, but my son Abelardo wanted to record this song and share it with friends and family," said father Abelardo Vazquez in a telephone interview from the family's hometown of Mexicali, on the California border. "We really didn't expect the cover to become such a phenomenon on the Web."

Before you call the Vazquez clan Mexico's version of Bieber-mania, consider this: The elder Abelardo Vazquez is a professional music producer instrumental in creating the sound of well-known Mexican bands such as Reik and Nikki Clan, also from the border.

The videos of Angie and her brothers in their home studio are also professionally produced, mixed and lighted, with slick camera work.

Abelardo Vazquez says he's not driving his kids into the music business, though he acknowledges they've had a leg up.

"My kids have had a musical education since they were very young, because I have worked producing groups for many years," the father said.

When the video sparked interest in a few million people beyond the Vazquez's immediate circle, the decision to cut a CD was natural, Vazquez said.

He added that he retains total control over the project, and Sony music is working as a distributor.

"The contract with Sony isn't the traditional type," Vazquez said. "It isn't the typical contract with record companies, in which they used to control the artists' career. This is a family project."

Although Vazquez has had an eight-year relationship with Sony, Roberto Lopez, president of the label, said he and his team were unaware of the Vazquez Sounds and first heard the group like everyone else ? on the Internet.

Working with such a young group poses special challenges and "very strong personal care," Lopez said.

"It is something special because they are children, and we want them to stay in school," he said. "The agreement was that their involvement in music, which has been going on for years now, would continue without affecting their lifestyle."

Vazquez said other record companies had expressed interest, but Sony was the only one that met his conditions for the kids. Cynics note that Sony is also the label that signed some of Vazquez's other acts.

The CD includes the original cover of "Rolling in the Deep," a remix of that crowd pleaser and, at least in its online version, a more wobbly cover of the Mariah Carey song. Coincidentally, it's the same song Bieber included in his holiday season "Under the Mistletoe" disc.

In the meantime, the Vazquez Sounds have been invited to perform on television programs in the United States, Italy and England.

But they can pick and choose.

"The kids are not obligated to do promotional work like other acts," said the elder Vazquez. "We want them to live a life like any other child their age."

___

Online:

http://bit.ly/seOgxp

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/dJmVYKzgDBg/

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Chinese economist warns America against deficit spending.

It is my hope that China's comparative advantage as a low-wage producer does disappear - the sooner the better.
Fan Gang.??Is Low-Wage China Disappearing?1
?

Since I am sure you are all sick, as I am, of reading about the euro crisis, I am not going to harp on that painful subject, except to remind you of a favourite theme of mine. The founding fathers of modern free-market ideology claimed that we could eliminate the threat of arbitrary, capricious tyranny by taking power away from governments and handing it over to markets. Our present pathetic condition, terrorised by bullying financial markets and the rating agencies that serve them, shows how wrong were those theorists.


Recently reported, however, was a stirring declaration by the president of the European Commission, Jos? Manuel Barroso: the European project was born in the aftermath of war, ruin and destitution; surely it can cope with an army of bond traders.2 Bully for him.
?
Now to my main topic. Fan Gang (born 1953) is one of China's leading academic and public policy economists. He is a professor at Beijing University, chairman of the China Reform Foundation3 (a non-profit, non-governmental think-tank), an advisor to the Chinese central and provincial governments, and has served on the Monetary Policy Committee of the Chinese central bank.
?

Given the rising importance of China, we should surely know more about what influential Chinese experts are thinking. Fan Gang, you will be glad to hear, is neither obscure nor depressing. His writings are lucid, practical and encouraging.?


Cheap labor and inequality
?
Western economic policies in recent decades have been dominated by efforts to keep labour costs down, largely because of worries over competition from low-wage developing countries like China. We have weakened our trade unions, mechanised our services a well as what remains of our manufacturing, and subcontracted much of our work to low-wage countries. Thus we have suffered increasing unemployment and inequality. So it is pleasing to hear a top Chinese economist deplore the low (though rising) levels of wages in his own country. Cheap labour has contributed to profound income disparities...these might cause social crises...China must avoid such a scenario.4


According to Fan Gang, the most underpaid labour in China is in agriculture, which still employs about 30% of the workforce (compare: less than 2% in the USA, 6% in South Korea). This explains the continual migration from country to town. The economy needs to create 150 million new non-farm jobs, he argues, leading ultimately to an equilibrium with 10% in agriculture.?


He observes that, in rural areas, education is underfunded and there is little or no social security. However, to cope with these problems, the government is spending more on rural development, increasing minimum wages by 20% to 30%, and extending the scope of social security. Despite the great importance of tea for the Chinese, they don't seem very fond of tea parties.
?
Yet, he says, the best social welfare programme is economic growth.5 That must surely be true in developing countries like China, where average income per capita is around $7,500 a year.6 In richer countries, the position is different. We Europeans and Americans are consuming too much of the planet's resources; we cannot continue to pursue further rapid growth, unless that can be achieved without overall growth in consumption of physical resources. We need greater emphasis on redistribution of existing revenues.
?
Like many other countries, China shows wide disparities not only in levels of income, but also in rates of growth of income. The rich get richer quicker. Skilled workers have enjoyed strong growth in earnings, migrant workers (those who have migrated from country to town) much slower growth, while for rural workers, progress? has been slower still. The target set by the new [2011 - 2015] five-year plan, says Fan Gang, is thus also a policy manifesto to battle these social disparities.7
?
Credit and Bubbles
?

According to Fan Gang, Chinese policymakers are vigilant and prepared to bear down on incipient bubbles.8 China's still centralized and largely planned economic system, he says, facilitates this strategy. After all, although modern market economics provides a sound framework for policymaking - as Chinese bureaucrats are eagerly learning - the idea of a planned economy emerged in the nineteenth century as a counter-orthodoxy to address market failures. Some people would prefer China to move to a totally free market without regulation and management, but the recent crises have reminded everyone that free-market fundamentalism has its drawbacks, too.
?
With a view to deflating bubbles in their early stages, the central government uses various methods to restrict the growth of credit:9
?
(a) The required reserve ratio: for every 100 yuan deposited with a bank, the bank is required to place (at present) 21 yuan in reserve with the central bank. These reserves are sterilised; they cannot be used to finance credit to customers. This 21% reserve ratio is extremely high by international standards; it has been increased several times in recent months, reflecting the Chinese government's concern about overheating and inflation. However, the ratio is less than it was; it was trimmed from 21.5% to 21% on 30th November 2011, in the context of a concerted effort by the world's leading central banks to avoid a global credit squeeze.


In the eurozone, the obligatory reserve ratio is now only 1% (reduced from 2% in December 2011); in the UK there is a tiny minimum requirement, for the larger banks, of 0.11%; in the USA the requirement applies only to very large 'transaction accounts'; it is 3% for deposits in excess of $11.5 million, and 8% for deposits over $71 million (Federal Reserve 'Regulation D').


(b) The? requirement of commercial banks to buy 'central bank bills'. In theory this is voluntary, but banks are expected to buy. Cash invested in these bills, like cash in reserve at the central bank, is unavailable for providing credit.
?
(c) Ceilings and quotas. From time to time, the central bank imposes 'credit ceilings' or 'credit quotas' on commercial banks, again with a view to restraining their lending. This tactic was long used by the Bank of England, but was abolished in the wide-ranging programme of 'reforms' advocated by the Bank of England's 1971 paper Competition and Credit Control. It has never been reinstated, despite the often carelessly excessive lending of UK banks at various times between the 1970s and the recent past.
?

So Fan Gang politely rebukes those who have acted less prudently: what Chinese policymakers have been doing in practice happened to be a lot better that what their counterparts in some other countries were doing - a lot of deregulation but too little on cooling things down when the economy was booming.10
?

The Chinese are great savers


China's national savings rate has been very high in recent years, amounting to 52% of GDP in 2008...a savings rate of 50% of GDP is too high under any cicumstances says Fan Gang. But he believes that a fairly high savings rate is necessary in a developing country which needs to build up its capital assets. China's per capita stock of capital assets is still 8 to 10 times lower than in advanced countries like the United States and Japan.11
?
By contrast, in the United States we have seen the opposite situation in recent years: the savings rate has been extremely low, and many Americans complain that their country's infrastructure is deteriorating.
?
High savings rates mean that Chinese households and businesses are saving large proportions of their income. Consumption is still startlingly low, not just because personal incomes are low by Western standards, but because the Chinese, even if their incomes are small, are putting money aside.


According to Fan Gang, household consumption equivalent to 35% of GDP is too low, 35% being the remarkably small figure for 2008 (compare: around 70% in the USA). What China really needs is a greater effort to promote domestic consumption and lower the savings rate.


Sooner or later, no doubt, the Chinese will start behaving more like grasshoppers and less like ants. This will stimulate growth in the rest of the world, by inflating demand for imports from other countries. But it will also reduce China's trade surplus and thus the amounts that China can lend to Americans and Europeans who run budget deficits. So, as the Chinese spend more, those budget deficits will have to shrink!


A 'eurozone' problem in China
?
Just as the eurozone has national governments without currencies of their own, so China has provincial governments without their own currencies, since all China, except Hong Kong and Macau, uses the same currency, the yuan (also called the renminbi). As Fan Gang explains, in both cases, when a debt is defaulted upon or loans become non-performing, the negative consequences are felt by the entire financial and monetary 'zone' - the entire eurozone or all of China.12
?
In fact, overborrowing by local governments became a problem in the early 1990s. So China's Budget Law, adopted in 1994, forbade local governments from borrowing autonomously, either by issuing bonds to the public or by getting credits from banks. In theory this means that local authorities cannot finance their deficits by increasing their debt levels, because they can borrow only from...central authorities.
?

However, local governments got around this law by allowing investment companies, controlled by themselves, to borrow. This is a Chinese version of the 'off-balance-sheet borrowing' tactic that has got the Greek government, and many banks, into trouble. The central government had to tackle this new problem by? privatisation of state-owned enterprises and improved financial regulation, including bank supervision and risk control. By 2007-2008, the ratio of total public debt to GDP was down to 22%, including local borrowings.


As from 2009, borrowings have risen because of the need to stimulate the Chinese economy, to counteract the effects of the crisis in the Western world. Total Chinese public debts now amount to around 50% of GDP, according to a statement by deputy finance minister Li Yong in August 2011.13 This is a very moderate level by comparison with current levels of more than 80% in Britain, France and Germany. But the famously pessimistic economist Nouriel Roubini thinks that China has substantial hidden debts, so that the real ratio might be around 80%.
?
Fan Gang is not unduly worried: I believe that this problem is manageable...China's monetary authorities have been putting the brake on the growth of local debts since late in 2009...the leverage of any public entity must be monitored, supervised and restricted.

In a further comment that seems highly relevant to Europe today, Fan Gang remarks that with economic growth continuing, the potential risk posed by this debt will diminish.


A warning for America

In a very recent article, Fan Gang comments on the excessive deficits of the United States. For many countries, such as Argentina or Vietnam, a budget deficit of more than 3% of GDP, or a 5% current account deficit, has been enough to plunge them into a financial crisis. The US, by contrast, maintained about the same figures...for a decade while enjoying a period of economic expansion.14 This has been possible, Fan Gang explains, because of the special position of America, whose dollar is the world's reserve currency.


However, the result was overconfidence and a flawed vision of limitless potential growth, as if America could keep spending without saving, to no-one's detriment...You can see the logical consequences of this illusion in today's over-leveraged, debt-plagued US economy, the major cause of both the 2008 global financial crisis and the current concern over US government debt...America's long experiment with ballooning debt and an ever-expanding financial sector has left the country with other problems too...[it has] resulted in deteriorating industrial competitiveness, growing trade deficits and unemployment.
?
Today, warns Fan Gang, even America, the world's banker, cannot put off the reckoning any longer. Since the American government depends heavily on China to finance its still growing borrowings, it should surely listen carefully to the views of one of China's most prominent and influential economists.
?

?Spero?columnist?Angus?Sibley is an actuary and writer on economic and political issues who writes from Paris. See?Equilibrium-Economicum.net?

Quotations from Fan Gang are taken, unless otherwise noted, from the series Enter the Dragon of essays by him, accessible at www.project-syndicate.org
?

1? Fan Gang, Is Low-Wage China disappearing? (30 August 2010)

2? See Julian Coman, Eurozone Crisis in The Observer (London), 20 November 2011
?

3 The Foundation's functions depend fully on contributions from a variety of sources. To ensure its financial and intellectual independence, the Foundation solicits donations from all types of donors, including individuals, corporations, governments and other foundations: see the Foundation's site, www.crfoundation.org
?
4? Loc. cit. (note 1)
?
5? Fan Gang,? China's War on Inequality (29 October 2010)
?
6 Recent estimates: $7,536 (WorldBank), $7,504 (IMF), $7,600(CIA); see Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
?
7? Loc. cit. (note 5)
?
8? Fan Gang, The Illusion of Chinese Bubbles (25 February 2010)
?
9? Fan Gang, China's Monetary Sterilization (29 November 2010)
?
10? Fan Gang, The Chinese Economy's Secret Recipe (29 June 2010)
?
11? Fan Gang, Balancing China's High Savings (29 July 2010)
?
12? Fan Gang, Athens, China (31 May 2010)
?
13? See www.china.org.cn/business/2011-08/15/content_23215992.htm
?
14 Fan Gang, Cashing Out in Foreign Policy, November 2011; see www.foreignpolicy.com


?

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not of Spero News.

Source: http://www.speroforum.com/a/FXYUBVWGAZ47/65746-Chinese-economist-warns-America-against-deficit-spending

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Spotted: David Beckham and Boys ? Triple Threat

David Beckham and eldest sons Brooklyn Joseph, 12, and Romeo James, 9, make a fashionable arrival for the annual Night of Heroes award ceremony, which honors British servicemen and women, Monday night in London.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/kqDYWI726K8/

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Video: Harry Wilson Talks Politics

Insight on the race for the White House in 2012, with Harry Wilson, former sr. advisor to the Treasury Department under President Obama. "What we're seeing in Washington is a total failure in fiscal issues," he says.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45749590/

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Golf tourney raises scholarship funds for Parker School

Golf tourney raises scholarship funds for Parker School

MEDIA RELEASE

Parker School?s 9th annual Fairways & Friends Scholarship Golf Tournament took place Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Hualalai Resort.

A total of 54 golfers turned out for the event from which all proceeds benefit the school?s financial aid and scholarship programs.

Participants enjoyed playing 18 holes on the Hualalai course, followed by a reception at Ronnie?s Garden at the resort provided by the Four Seasons Hualalai?s Beach Tree Restaurant, complete with a hosted bar, entertainment, and prizes.

First place went to the team of Jeff Richardson and Gary Davis, both from Waimea.

Parker School provides a college-preparatory experience in a small-school setting where K-12 students develop academically while exploring their individual talents. More than 50 percent of these students receive financial assistance every year, and this year?s tournament earned more than $14,000 for Parker?s financial aid and scholarship programs.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai general manager and Parker School parent, Robert Whitfield, said, ?It was the second year I have played in the tournament and it was tremendous fun. The camaraderie among the players is great whether you are a scratch golfer or a duffer.?

Parker School is grateful to the following sponsors and donors for helping make the golf tournament a success: Hualalai Resort and K & G Architects (title sponsors); Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and the Beach Tree Restaurant (reception sponsor); Big Island Country Club, Waikoloa Beach Golf Course, Kings? Waikoloa Golf Course, Hapuna Golf Course, Mauna Kea Golf Course, Hualalai Resort Golf Club, Hawaii Island Gourmet, Hamakua Nut Company, Hawaii Deep Sea Water, Waiaha Coffee and The Emily T. Gail Show, KTA Super Stores, Roy?s Waikoloa, Clever Construction, the Parker School Board of Directors, Title Guaranty, Kukio Golf and Beach Club, Lynn and Jim Lally, Hawaii Pacific Brokers LLC, Clever Concierge Service, and the Sheffield Family (prize and general sponsors).

? Find out more:
www.parkerschool.net

?

You might be interested in:

  1. Parker School annual scholarship golf tourney (Dec. 11)
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  3. Parker School announces Smart scholarship recipients
  4. Parker School debaters end season at state tourney
  5. Chamber golf tourney at Hualalai (May 20)

Source: http://www.hawaii247.com/2011/12/22/golf-tourney-raises-scholarship-funds-for-parker-school/

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Biden calls on Iraqi leaders to work out disputes (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Vice President Joe Biden is stressing an "urgent need" for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO'-ree ahl-MAHL'-ih-kee) to meet with leaders of other political blocs in Iraq to help resolve potentially explosive sectarian differences emerging in the wake of the U.S. troop withdrawal.

The White House says Biden on Tuesday spoke by telephone with al-Maliki and with Osama al-Nujaifi, the speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

The political climate in Baghdad has been deteriorating in the wake of charges against Iraq's Sunni vice president that he organized death squads. The accusations by the Shiite-dominated government raised fears that the government could collapse.

The White House says Biden emphasized U.S. support for an inclusive government in Iraq and the importance of Iraqi leaders to follow the rule of law.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq_biden

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Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers 10 GBA games to early adopters

If you've still got the 3DS price drop blues, perhaps a fresh (and final) infusion of free games will help. Early adopters that signed into the Nintendo eShop before August 11th will find ten GameBoy Advance games tacked on to their handheld's purchase history, retrievable via the same clunky redownload system that delivered the 3DS Ambassador program's NES titles. Thankfully, the unintuitive process is relatively simple -- just hop into the eShop's menu, scroll down to "Settings / Other", and select "Your Downloads," to claim your (potentially-exclusive) games. Short of having a 3DS guide us through the Louvre, we can't think of a better use for Nintendo's fledgling handheld.

Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers 10 GBA games to early adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/16/nintendo-completes-3ds-ambassador-program-delivers-10-gba-games/

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Genome tree of life is largest yet for seed plants

Friday, December 16, 2011

Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, The New York Botanical Garden, and New York University have created the largest genome-based tree of life for seed plants to date. Their findings, published today in the journal PLoS Genetics, plot the evolutionary relationships of 150 different species of plants based on advanced genome-wide analysis of gene structure and function. This new approach, called "functional phylogenomics," allows scientists to reconstruct the pattern of events that led to the vast number of plant species and could help identify genes used to improve seed quality for agriculture.

"Ever since Darwin first described the 'abominable mystery' behind the rapid explosion of flowering plants in the fossil record, evolutionary biologists have been trying to understand the genetic and genomic basis of the astounding diversity of plant species," said Rob DeSalle, a corresponding author on the paper and a curator in the Museum's Division of Invertebrate Zoology who conducts research at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics. "Having the architecture of this plant tree of life allows us to start to decipher some of the interesting aspects of evolutionary innovations that have occurred in this group."

The research, performed by members of the New York Plant Genomics Consortium, was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome Program to identify the genes that caused the evolution of seeds, a trait of important economic interest. The group selected 150 representative species from all of the major seed plant groups to include in the study. The species span from the flowering variety?peanuts and dandelions, for example?to non-flowering cone plants like spruce and pine. The sequences of the plants' genomes?all of the biological information needed to build and maintain an organism, encoded in DNA?were either culled from pre-existing databases or generated, in the field and at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, from live specimens.

With new algorithms developed at the Museum and NYU and the processing power of supercomputers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and overseas, the sequences?nearly 23,000 sets of genes (specific sections of DNA that code for certain proteins)?were grouped, ordered, and organized in a tree according to their evolutionary relationships. Algorithms that determine similarities of biological processes were used to identify the genes underlying species diversity.

"Previously, phylogenetic trees were constructed from standard sets of genes and were used to identify the relationships of species," said Gloria Coruzzi, a professor in New York University's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology and the principal investigator of the NSF grant. "In our novel approach, we create the phylogeny based on all the genes in a genome, and then use the phylogeny to identify which genes provide positive support for the divergence of species."

The results support major hypotheses about evolutionary relationships in seed plants. The most interesting finding is that gnetophytes, a group that consists mostly of shrubs and woody vines, are the most primitive living non-flowering seed plants?present since the late Mesozoic era, the "age of dinosaurs." They are situated at the base of the evolutionary tree of seed plants.

"This study resolves the long-standing problem of producing an unequivocal evolutionary tree of the seed plants," said Dennis Stevenson, vice president for laboratory research at The New York Botanical Garden. "We can then use this information to determine when and where important adaptations occur and how they relate to plant diversification. We also can examine the evolution of such features as drought tolerance, disease resistance, or crop yields that sustain human life through improved agriculture."

In addition, the researchers were able to make predictions about genes that caused the evolution of important plant characteristics. One such evolutionary signal is RNA interference, a process that cells use to turn down or silence the activity of specific genes. Based on their new phylogenomic maps, the researchers believe that RNA interference played a large role in the separation of monocots?plants that have a single seed leaf, including orchids, rice, and sugar cane?from other flowering plants. Even more surprising, RNA interference also played a major role in the emergence of flowering plants themselves.

"Genes required for the production of small RNA in seeds were at the very top of the list of genes responsible for the evolution of flowering plants from cone plants," said Rob Martienssen, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "In collaboration with colleagues from LANGEBIO [Laboratorio Nacional de Genomica para la Biodiversidad] in Mexico last year, we found that these same genes control maternal reproduction, providing remarkable insight into the evolution of reproductive strategy in flowering plants."

The data and software resources generated by the researchers are publicly available and will allow other comparative genomic researchers to exploit plant diversity to identify genes associated with a trait of interest or agronomic value. These studies could have implications for improving the quality of seeds and, in turn, agricultural products ranging from food to clothing.

In addition, the phylogenomic approach used in this study could be applied to other groups of organisms to further explore how species originated, expanded, and diversified.

"The collaboration among the institutions involved here is a great example of how modern science works," said Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, a term assistant professor at Columbia University's Barnard College and a research associate at the Museum's Sackler Institute. "Each of the four institutions involved has its own strengths and these strengths were nicely interwoven to produce a novel vision of plant evolution."

###

American Museum of Natural History: http://www.amnh.org

Thanks to American Museum of Natural History for this article.

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Romney picks up SC gov's endorsement in GOP race (AP)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa ? Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney won a coveted endorsement Friday from the governor of early voting South Carolina, a plumb nod from a tea party darling as he works to halt rival Newt Gingrich's momentum before voting in the GOP nomination race begins in less than three weeks.

"Neither South Carolina nor the nation can afford four more years of President Obama, and Mitt Romney is the right person to take him on and get America back on track," Gov. Nikki Haley, a rising GOP star, said in a statement after announcing her endorsement on Fox News. She said Romney is "someone that knows what it's like to make a decision and lead." She promised to work hard to help elect him.

From western Iowa where he was campaigning, Romney, in turn, praised Haley for her efforts to change government. He said the endorsement was "an honor."

The two planned to campaign together later Friday in South Carolina, a state Gingrich is running aggressively in and that seems to be a more natural fit for the former House speaker and one-time Georgia congressman than for Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who has struggled to win over South Carolina Republicans.

Haley's nod, somewhat rare because sitting governors of important primary states usually remain neutral, came hours after the candidates met in Iowa for their final debate before the lead-off Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. The meeting featured Gingrich on the defensive over his decades in Washington, his post-congressional career as a consultant, and whether he was conservative enough to be the Republican Party standard-bearer.

The fast-paced debate underscored the state of the race, with Gingrich atop the polls nationally and in Iowa and Romney, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Gingrich's other pursuers working in television ads and elsewhere to overtake him.

All were making final pitches to voters on Friday heading into the final weekend before people begin to tune out politics for the holiday season.

Gingrich was returning to Washington, while others looking for late-game surges ? like Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann ? embarked on bus tours that would take them across Iowa. They were setting out to make the case that Gingrich is the wrong fit for a party whose core voters are conservative.

Indeed, the big question in the opening moments of a fast-paced, two-hour debate went to the heart of a dilemma that could eventually settle the race: Do conservative Republican caucus and primary voters pick a candidate with their hearts, or do they look elsewhere if they conclude their favored candidate might not be able to defeat Obama?

Those voters begin making that choice in Iowa on Jan. 3, and if experience is any guide, one or more of the presidential hopefuls will not make it out of that state to compete in the New Hampshire primary a week later, let alone South Carolina on Jan. 21.

Haley's endorsement could help Romney in the state that will be the third to weigh in on the GOP field. How much, however, is unclear. Governors can leverage their statewide political networks to help presidential candidates. But polls show Haley's popularity has waned since she won office in November 2010.

Even so, she remains a favorite of tea party activists, whose energy helped Republicans win across the country last fall and whose enthusiasm will be critical in helping the GOP presidential nominee next year. Romney has struggled to court them.

South Carolina is a difficult state for Romney; he competed aggressively there when he first ran for president in 2008 only to bail shortly before the primary when it became clear that he would get crushed after to failing to ease voter concerns about his Mormon faith and his reversals on social issues.

Haley's ties with Romney run deep.

She endorsed him in 2008 when she was in the state legislature. Romney returned the favor in 2010 when she ran for governor in a year when the tea party wielded big clout in key races across the country, hers included.

Haley has said repeatedly that she would choose "the person who should win, not the person that could win. We will endorse the person that will get the country back on track. ... It's all based on policy."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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