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DURHAM, N.C. -- Having spent the past few years burning brush, clearing trees and hacking through overgrown weeds in northern Durham, Rob Evans is declaring victory in his battle to preserve a rare, goofy-looking flower.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pacific Coast is becoming saturated with carbon dioxide -- the major greenhouse gas -- making ocean waters more acidic and threatening a wide variety of marine organisms from Canada to Mexico, government scientists report.

Nearly killed off a decade ago by compact discs and digital music downloads, the mighty vinyl record is fighting its way back onto turntables across America.

Toe-tappers snapped up nearly 1 million records last year, a 15 percent increase and the highest level in three years, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

VENTURA, Calif. -- As of Monday, the International House of Pancakes officially will have 50 years on the nation's menu, growing from humble Southern California origins and steeped in the buttermilk pancake.

From the looks of things in Ventura earlier this week, it has a good start on another 50.

Over at one table, Mary Allen was almost beside herself.

After falling more than a third from March's record highs, wholesale egg prices have shot up 27 percent since mid-May.

That's an unusual jump for this time of year, when egg prices tend to slump.

Economists tie the increase to ever-higher corn prices, which have made egg farmers hesitant to expand their flocks.

"Unusual questions are becoming more popular with interviewers", says Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University's business school. "While we've all heard stories of the Microsoft interview questions (why is a manhole cover round? etc.), more employers are using non-standard questions in their interviews."

Specifications for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan SE four-door crossover utility vehicle.

Engine: 2-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, 200 horsepower.

Transmission: Six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode and full-time all-wheel drive.

Overall length: 16 feet 2 inches.

EPA passenger/cargo volume: 95/24 cubic feet.

Weight: 3,397 pounds.

Not long ago, no-down payment loans were the height of fashion for homebuyers.

But now that lenders have tightened their standards, borrowers once again are expected to "put some skin in the game," to use the industry's favorite catchphrase. That "skin" refers to the borrower's own cash, and it means down payments are definitely back in style.

Dear Professor Bruce: I run a small business with a handful of employees. Lately, there seems to be a great deal of tension in the office as two of these employees are engaged in an ongoing battle. I fear it is starting to affect our customer service. What can I do to bring peace back in the office?

BASEL, Switzerland -- For years, the agribusiness industry has ever so quietly been making new seeds to turn everyday crops -- corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, vegetables -- into Olympic farmland athletes. These genetically modified crops are being engineered to grow bigger, faster, stronger. They can resist certain herbicides and pests and may soon withstand drought.