look archfiend

cottrelllovie41

nasa hq photo / photo on flickrA few years ago I heard a very strange argument against gay marriage. The person making it was a right-leaning libertarian pundit, and the argument went like this: "I'm opposed to gay marriage because gay people don't actually want to get married." The (straight) pundit claimed to know a gay person who felt this way. I also knew some gay people, and had access to this thing called the Internet, which is full of gays, and I was hearing exactly the opposite. I left the encounter thinking the pundit wanted to impress someone he perceived to be a fellow right-winger (I was working for The Daily Caller at the time) with a contrarian argument, but that he didn't actually believe what he was saying.?

Then I read The New Yorker's CPAC dispatch about Charles Murray's support for gay marriage:?

Murray said his own views had been influenced heavily by friends. ?I was dead-set against gay marriage when it was first broached,? Murray said; as a fan of Edmund Burke, he regarded marriage as an ancient and indispensable cultural institution that ?we shouldn?t mess with.? He used to agree with his friend Irving Kristol, the late father of neo-conservatism, that gay people wouldn?t like marriage. ???Let them have it,??? he recounted Kristol as saying, with a chuckle. ???They wont like it.??? Murray said that he himself used to think that ?All they want is the wedding, and the party, and the honeymoon?but not this long thing we call marriage.?

But since then, Murray said, ?we have acquired a number of gay and lesbian friends,? and to what he jokingly called his ?dismay? as a ?confident? social scientist, he learned he?d been wrong.

....Further, Murray said, he had discovered that the gay couples he knew with children were not just responsible parents; they were ?excruciatingly responsible parents.?

I knew that Murray had recently changed his mind about gay marriage, but I didn't know why. The answer--that he made some gay friends, and that those gay friends demonstrated to him that the straw-gay he and Irving Kristol and the nameless pundit all had constructed was exactly that--is actually kind of important. The day before Murray's CPAC speech, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the master debater who prepared Team Romney for the presidential debates, shocked his colleagues by giving a similar explanation for his evolution on gay marriage:

Two years ago, my son Will, then a college freshman, told my wife, Jane, and me that he is gay. He said he?d known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn?t something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and I were proud of him for his honesty and courage. We were surprised to learn he is gay but knew he was still the same person he?d always been. The only difference was that now we had a more complete picture of the son we love.

At the time, my position on marriage for same-sex couples was rooted in my faith tradition that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman. Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years.

Portman has received more flack from the left than from his fellow conservatives. Matt Yglesias called the decision narcissistic,?and?Jon Chait?argued?that Portman's reasoning reflects a conservative "inability to give any weight to the perspective of the disadvantaged." This is, of course, concern trolling at its most formulaic--10 percent approval, 90 percent goal-post moving.?

But I think there's an important lesson to be learned here, and I'm as guilty of forgetting it as anyone: A lot of people feel they need a morally superior reason to break ranks with their tribe; one that's more righteous and admirable than the discipline it takes to adhere to dogma or code. In politics the need for permission only increases as people become more prominent and powerful. (A great fictional example is Michael Douglas's drug czar character in?Traffic, who renounces the drug war after his daughter starts hooking to get high.)?This is how it works for so many issues important to libertarians--foreign policy, prison reform, gay marriage, immigration, drugs, asset forfeiture. People change their minds when their kid gets blown to bits by an IED, gets locked up for dealing, or falls in love with a day laborer. Condemning people for not coming around sooner, or for not coming around on more issues, is also a part of tribalism, but I can't really see what it accomplishes.?

Source: http://reason.com/blog/2013/03/18/rob-portman-charles-murray-and-the-conse

andrew luck trent richardson robert griffin iii dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry

cottrelllovie41

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion, ?joins us for a spirited chat on content marketing with courage in episode #20 of the Content Warfare Podcast. ?I wanted Marcus to come on the show for two reasons:

He does awesome work and is a damn cool guy,
We all need a little reality check now and then and there is no one more willing to be up front and honest about the struggles businesses face marketing online.

No matter how successful a person currently is or how Internet famous they may appear to be, we all struggle. ?The power that Marcus delivers is in his ability to help us deal with struggles and grow from them. ?The Sales Lion blog isn?t about personal development per se, but anyone who has spent any amount of time there has grown as a person and as a marketer.

Here are a few choice soundbytes:

?Any guru who tells you they don?t struggle is full of crap.? {Tweet this}

?Every rejection is a step closer to Yes.? {Tweet this}

?Most businesses are wimps? refusing to address their problems online.? {Tweet this}

In the podcast we reference a New York Times article that Marcus and his pool company were recently featured in. ?Check it out below:

You can connect with Marcus on Twitter here: @TheSalesLion

Get your copy of Marcus?s free eBook here.

Support the Podcast

If you haven?t already I?d very much appreciate your review of the Content Warfare Podcast on iTunes? ?This is the most powerful way you can support the show. ?If you?d like to support this podcast please:

{Leave a Review on iTunes}

content warfare podcast on itunes To subscribe, please use the links below:

If you have a chance,?please?leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking?Review on iTunes. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes?immensely!

Listen on your Mobile Phone by downloading the free?Stitcher App.

Here?s to winning the battle for attention Online!

Create Content that Converts

Enter your email and receive exclusive content marketing strategies, case studies and resources to win the battle for attention online? No SPAM.

?Subsribe via RSS reader here or you can subscribe via email here.

Source: http://www.ryanhanley.com/content-warfare-podcast-20-marcus-sheridan/

ener1 national chocolate cake day epstein joshua komisarjevsky barney frank barney frank kim richards

cottrelllovie41

Lately, around this time of year, I often get letters from people wondering why spring begins early this year. Many folks assume the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere ? also known as the vernal equinox ? has always come on March 21. But this year seems to be an exception, for in 2013 the first day of spring comes on Wednesday, March 20 at 11:02 UT, or 7:02 a.m. EDT/4:02 a.m. PDT.

Now this doesn't seem right. When many of us were growing up, the first day of spring was always on March 21, not March 20, right? Now, all of a sudden, spring comes on March 20. How did that happen?

While it's true that we've tended to celebrate the beginning of spring on March 21 in recent years, astronomers and calendar manufacturers alike say that this year, the spring season starts one day earlier, March 20, in all time zones in North America.

Unheard of, you might think. But not if you look at the statistics.?

In fact, did you know that during the 20th century, March 21 was actually the exceptionrather than the rule for the first day of spring? The vernal equinox landed on March 21 only 36 out of 100 years. And from 1981 to 2102, Americans have (and will) celebrate the first day of spring no later than March 20. [Earth's Equinoxes & Solstices (Infographic)]

In 2016, those living in Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones will see spring begin even earlier: on March 19. And in 2020, it will start on March 19 for the entire United States.?

There are a few reasons why seasonal dates can vary from year to year.?

1)???? A year is not an even number of days and neither are the seasons. Earth's year ? the length of time it takes to circle the sun once ? lasts about 365.25 days. To try to achieve a value as close as possible to the exact length of the year, our Gregorian Calendar was constructed to give a close approximation to the tropical year, which is the actual length of time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the sun. It eliminates leap days in century years not evenly divisible by 400, such as 1700, 1800, and 2100, and millennium years that are divisible by 4000, such as 8000 and 12000.

2)???? Another reason is that the Earth's elliptical orbit is changing its orientation relative to the sun (it skews), which causes the Earth's axis to constantly point in a different direction ? a process called precession. Since the seasons are defined as beginning at strict 90-degree intervals, these positional changes affect the time Earth reaches each 90-degree location in its orbit around the sun.

3)???? The pull of gravity from the other planets also affects the location of the Earth in its orbit.?

The current seasonal lengths for the Northern Hemisphere are:

Winter:88.99 days
Spring: ?92.76 days
Summer: ?93.65 days
Autumn: ?89.84 days

As you can see, the warm seasons, spring and summer, combined are 7.573 days longer than the colder seasons, fall and winter (good news for warm weather admirers).

However, spring is currently being reduced by approximately one minute per year, and winter by about one-half minute per year. Summer is gaining the minute lost from spring, and autumn is gaining the half-minute lost from winter.?

Winter is the shortest astronomical season, and with its seasonal duration continuing to decrease, it is expected to attain its minimum value ? 88.71 days ? by about the year 3500.

The situation for different parts of the world, being in different time zones and hemispheres, varies. For Europe, the last time spring began on March 21 was in 2007, and it won't happen again until 2102.?

For places much farther to the east, such as Tokyo, Japan (nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time), spring will fall on March 21 in two out of every four years from 2014 through 2023 (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, etc.), then once every four years from 2027 through 2055. But then that's it until 2101.?

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The?New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?or?Google+.?Originally published on?SPACE.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-spring-begins-early-114756495.html

John Harbaugh jill biden jill biden martin luther king jr baltimore ravens ravens Ravens vs Patriots

cottrelllovie41

Road-kill numbers of roadside-nesting cliff swallows have dropped as birds shorten their wings to become more agile

By Beth Marie Mole and Nature magazine

swallow Cliff swallows' wings may be getting shorter to increase agility?and the odds of avoiding cars. Image: Glenn Bartley/All Canada Photos/Corbis

Roadside-nesting cliff swallows have evolved shorter, more maneuverable wings, which may have helped them to make hasty retreats from oncoming vehicles, according to a study published in Current Biology.

The study?s authors discovered the trend after noticing that the number of vehicle-killed birds had declined over the past three decades. They suggest that the two findings provide evidence of roadway-related adaptation.

?I?m not saying that it?s all because of wing length,? says Charles Brown, a biologist at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma and one of the authors of the study. But, he says, the shortening does support the idea that the birds are adapting to disturbed environments, as other organisms presumably are.

Together with Mary Bomberger Brown, a ornithologist at the University of Nebraska?Lincoln, Brown tracked roadside populations of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska for 30 years, mostly to study the birds social behaviors within their colonies.

These birds winter in South America but breed in North America, in colonies of up to 12,000 adults. They typically build their conical, mud-based nests into the sides of cliffs, but have also taken to living under bridges and highway overpasses.

As the two researchers checked the roadside colonies, Brown, an amateur taxidermist, collected dead swallows for skinning and stuffing ? gathering 104 vehicle-killed adults and 134 adults killed accidentally in nets used for the study. When he and Bomberger Brown noticed a decline in the annual number of roadkills ? even though the overall population was increasing ? they compared the wing measurements of both types of stuffed bird.

The team discovered that vehicle-killed birds had longer wings than birds that died in nets, and that while the wings of the vehicle-killed birds had lengthened over time, those?of net-killed birds ? which represented the general population ? had shortened.

Escape strategy
Brown says that there is evidence that shorter wings make the animals more agile: ?they can make a 90? turn more rapidly?, he says. That would help the birds to dodge traffic as they exit or enter their nesting sites, or take off from the pavement, Brown explains. And that in turn would enable them to survive and produce more short-winged offspring.

The researchers tried to rule out other factors that might have explained the decline in roadkill ? including changes in methods to find the animals, traffic patterns, predators, diseases and scavengers ? but acknowledge that it might have been caused by behavioral changes, such as the birds learning to avoid cars.

Taxidermist Johannes Erritzoe at the House of Birdresearch in Christiansfeld, Denmark, has also noticed a decline in the number vehicle-killed birds around Denmark, and suspects natural selection. Although he has not yet measured wing length, he says that he now plans to do so.

It is hard to definitely prove that animals are adapting to living around roads, says behavioral ecologist Colleen St. Clair at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. But, she says ?this is the best demonstration that they do have that capacity?.

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on March 18, 2013.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9c9e4bc618d6f91d6e6720c2a57a7e06
weather.com nemo Nemo Storm redbox powerball weather forecast national weather service

cottrelllovie41

Reviews of History Channel's 'The Bible' are lukewarm at best, but the Easter-season series is scoring high ratings, pointing to what some call an overlooked appetite for religious storytelling.

By Gloria Goodale,?Staff writer / March 18, 2013

Diogo Morcaldo portrays Jesus, right, in a scene from History Channel's 'The Bible.'

Courtesy of Joe Alblas/History/AP

Enlarge

This is the time of year for traditional sandals-and-toga programming, but this year?s five-episode, 10-hour History Channel mini-series, ?The Bible,? is a sensation.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

According to Nielsen, the first two Sundays leading up to Easter drew in some 12 million viewers, making it the top-rated cable program of the night. Horizon media, meanwhile, said some 50 million viewers tuned in to at least some portion of the program over the first three weekends of its run.

At the same time, reviews have been lukewarm at best, with critics dismissing it as shallow gore. Conservative commentator Glenn Beck, meanwhile, suggested the show was taking a veiled jab at President Obama by casting a look-alike actor as the devil.

But, say religious and entertainment experts, the runaway success of the Judeo-Christian-themed show reveals an appetite for religious programming that is consistently overlooked in Hollywood.

?We often forget that Christians are still the largest special interest group in America,? says Hollywood producer and Christian media advocate Phil Cooke.

?Whenever they rally behind a movie, TV series, product, or cause, something big happens,? he adds, pointing to the now landmark message sent by Mel Gibson?s ?Passion of the Christ.? Within months, he notes, ?nearly every studio in Hollywood had opened a faith-based division,? hoping to capitalize on that market.

The approach to the material is key, says Mr. Cooke. While TV is chock full of religious-themed programming around Easter, such shows typically look at issues that don?t appeal to the faithful, he notes. ?These shows ask questions like ?Is Jesus real?? or ?Did he sleep with Mary Magdalene?? Those are not questions that this audience wants to know.?

The show?s producers are quick to point out that they consulted a bevy of experts, some 40 in all ranging from scholars to archeologists.

But, says religious historian Stephen Cooper, a professor of religion at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., it is the very absence of such talking heads that makes this show appealing.

?This is a very broad-based program that is not trying to teach anything from a specific point of view,? he says. Often, that kind of programming, while serious-minded, ends up defeating the purpose. ?They usually have scholars from different points of view arguing about the historical issues they are discussing,? he says, adding that in the end this sends an ambivalent message and it does not make good entertainment.

?This is the ?Rome? phenomenon,? says Lesleigh Cushing, an assistant professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., referring to the notably bloody and violent historical drama on HBO. Beyond that, she notes, ?it?s the whole Bible, not just the Ten Commandments.?

Perhaps equally important, she says, ?it does not seem to be morally preaching Christianity or any other point of view, it?s just telling the adventure. It?s a very masculine view of the Bible.?

This is not to say that Christians are approaching the show uncritically. Indeed, Brooklyner Carol Oliver, a deacon in her Dutch reformed church, says she was initially put off by the trailers.

?They looked really violent, with guys in pointy metal helmets yelling football type things at each other as they go to war,? she says.

Ms. Oliver reluctantly tuned in, she says, after a fellow church member told her to take a look. She copied it to her DVR and rose Monday morning to watch the program, ?skipping all the commercials.?

She faults what she calls the hodge-podge of modern-appearing actors with some efforts to appear more authentically period. And she does not like the emphasis on fighting. But, she adds, now that most of the big wars of the Old Testament are over, ?I?ll probably watch the rest of the show as it finishes Jesus?s story.?

Seeking to explain the broad appeal of the series to what he believes to be a largely Christian audience, Bob Waliszewski, director of the Plugged In Ministry,?which reviews media for Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family, says, ?This may be largely preaching to the choir, but the choir is increasingly illiterate when it comes to the Bible.? This series allows people with a sketchy grasp of the scriptures, he says, ?to sit and watch it in the privacy of their homes.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/LyuOOdcXLJE/Why-History-Channel-s-The-Bible-draws-boffo-ratings-despite-reviews

Lil Reese Hurricane Sandy Nyc Saanvi Venna vikings Colin Powell Tyrann Mathieu noaa

cottrelllovie41

MOSCOW (AP) ? A top Russian diplomat says the United States' cancellation of a critical part of its European missile defense system plan doesn't mollify Moscow's opposition.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last week announced that plans to place missile interceptors in Poland and possibly Romania are being abandoned and that interceptors would be placed in Alaska instead.

The interceptors were to be the final phase of a program that Russia contends aims to counter its own missiles. Washington says the system is meant to stop missiles from Iran and North Korea.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by the Kommersant newspaper Monday as saying that "We feel no euphoria in connection with what was announced by the U.S. defense secretary and we see no grounds for correcting our position."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-unmoved-us-missile-defense-plan-change-072129271.html

kansas vs ohio state winning mega million numbers bruce weber boston globe google maps 8 bit mirror mirror robyn

cottrelllovie41

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/WholeHogSports/posts/10151567728820030

t p zynga Tropical Storm Sandy W S B

cottrelllovie41

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 21:48 EST, 16 March 2013 | UPDATED: 01:04 EST, 17 March 2013

Killer bees aren't just a cliche from B horror movies.

A homeowner trimming trees in North Hollywood was shocked to accidentally disturb a swarm of bees who then killed a 5-year-old pit bull on Saturday.

According to CBS Los Angeles, the accident occurred in the afternoon on the 11500 block of Cumpston Street.?

Firefighters used foam and water to kill a swarm of bees in North Hollywood after workers cut a tree branch

The pit bull, female, was 5-years-old and taken to a veterinary clinic where it was pronounced dead

Firefighters were called to the scene and they used a mixture of foam and water to kill the agitated bees.

The man who agitated the bees was able to flee with few stings but one close by victim was not so lucky.

The dog, a female named Babe, which belonged to a neighbor, was taken to a local clinic and died. Her owners do not want to be identified.?

?

According to the authorities who were called to the scene, a fallen tree branch prompted the attack.

This is not the first major bee attack in the state this year.

Earlier this month bees killed a 10-year-old Australian Shepherd near Modesto.

?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294671/Horror-dog-stung-death-swarm-BEES-California.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church quick silver where have you been rihanna

cottrelllovie41

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels said on Saturday they had killed more than 200 soldiers in South Darfur, but the government said its troops had suffered only a "number" of casualties and repulsed an ambush.

War broke out in the western region of Darfur over a decade ago and has raged ever since despite two peace accords and the presence of the world's largest peacekeeping mission.

The main insurgent groups, who accuse the government of marginalizing the region's ethnic minorities, have refused to join a Qatar-backed peace process that led to a deal between Khartoum and an umbrella of smaller rebel factions in 2011.

While violence is down from its peak in 2003 and 2004, new fighting has forced more than 130,000 people to flee their homes since the start of the year, according to the United Nations.

On Saturday, rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army faction loyal to veteran fighter Minni Minnawi said they attacked a government convoy near Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

"Nothing of note survived of the convoy," they said in a statement. They said they killed 260 government troops and militia fighters - an unusually high number to claim.

The army contradicted this account, saying it had repulsed the ambush and had killed and wounded around 100 rebels. The armed forces only suffered "a number" of casualties, the army's spokesman said in a report by state news agency SUNA.

Both sides frequently give conflicting reports of fighting, each claiming victory over the other. Events in Darfur are hard to independently verify because of restrictions on media access to the region.

Donors are scheduled to meet in Doha next month at a conference to raise money for development projects and other provisions of the 2011 peace deal.

In December, the outgoing U.S. special adviser for Darfur said Sudan had implemented little of the deal, which was hindered by a lack of funding, the failure to disarm militias and attacks on peacekeepers.

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. Khartoum dismisses the court as an agent of Western neo-imperialism.

In 2008, the United Nations said some 300,000 people may have died in Darfur's war, a figure some activists say is too low. The government has put the death toll around 10,000.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-fight-sudanese-government-troops-south-darfur-190950814.html

oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade thomas kinkade paintings easter bunny

cottrelllovie41

By Mark Lamport-Stokes INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal produced vintage form against an out-of-sorts Roger Federer, crushing the Swiss 6-4 6-2 in their heavily anticipated quarter-final at the BNP Paribas on Thursday. The Spanish left-hander, competing in his first hardcourt event since his return from seven months on the sidelines with a knee injury, outplayed his long-time rival with a sharp display at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-ceo-knocks-microsoft-lackluster-demand-windows-based-153554119.html

Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer dwight howard Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon george michael

cottrelllovie41

Sending kids to school is so expensive today. You need to spend money not only for school fees that keep escalating day by day, but also to pay for your kid?s uniform, textbooks, bags, shoes and stationery. This happens because schools face so many budget cuts that they collect higher school fees from the parents as compensation.

Schools today not just charge educational fees, but in addition charge fees for sports entertainment, use of clubs and for other associated activities. You end up with more problems if you have got more than a child to send to school. With college fees rising every year, exactly the same problem applies to university going kids.

So even when you do manage to have some monetary aid to pay for all this tuition fees, you ultimately find that you have to pay some cash out of your own pocket. But in case you are short of cash and it?s time to pay your child?s fees and accessories, you dont have to bother any longer.

Instead of heading to a bank for help or a loan, you could choose to have a pay day loan Singapore from a legal money lender Singapore. These loans let you get your child?s books and supplies in no time at all. You don?t have to wait for the license money lender Singapore to sanction your loan; payday loans are usually approved immediately.

These loans are sanctioned so fast since the lender does not carry out any credit score check. They do not even ask you to submit any documents to verify your employment status or for other verification purposes. As long as you have completed 18 years of age, have been working at the same job for six months and have valid address proof to provide them, your loan is sanctioned.

You needn?t even worry if you have a poor credit score because these finance providers don?t bother about checking your credit history. To top it all, the lender doesn?t need to know why you desire to borrow the funds. As it?s your money, you could use it however you want.

For related articles on pay day loan singapore or visit www.crawfort.com.sg .

Source: http://bestfinance1.com/help-from-payday-loan-for-college-expenses

kyle orton kyle orton 2012 ncaa bracket john carlson greg smith catamount mike dantoni

cottrelllovie41 · Mar. 15, 2013

Mar. 15, 2013 ? Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany have created a new synthetic hybrid material with a mineral content of almost 90 percent, yet extremely flexible. They imitated the structural elements found in most sea sponges and recreated the sponge spicules using the natural mineral calcium carbonate and a protein of the sponge. Natural minerals are usually very hard and prickly, as fragile as porcelain.

Amazingly, the synthetic spicules are superior to their natural counterparts in terms of flexibility, exhibiting a rubber-like flexibility. The synthetic spicules can, for example, easily be U-shaped without breaking or showing any signs of fracture This highly unusual characteristic, described by the German researchers in the current issue of Science, is mainly due to the part of organic substances in the new hybrid material. It is about ten times as much as in natural spicules.

Spicules are structural elements found in most sea sponges. They provide structural support and deter predators. They are very hard, prickly, and even quite difficult to cut with a knife. The spicules of sponges thus offer a perfect example of a lightweight, tough, and impenetrable defense system, which may inspire engineers to create body armors of the future.

The researchers led by Wolfgang Tremel, Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Hans-J?rgen Butt, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, used these natural sponge spicules as a model to cultivate them in the lab. The synthetic spicules were made from calcite (CaCO3) and silicatein-?. The latter is a protein from siliceous sponges that, in nature, catalyzes the formation of silica, which forms the natural silica spicules of sponges. Silicatein-? was used in the lab setting to control the self-organization of the calcite spicules. The synthetic material was self-assembled from an amorphous calcium carbonate intermediate and silicatein and subsequently aged to the final crystalline material. After six months, the synthetic spicules consisted of calcite nanocrystals aligned in a brick wall fashion with the protein embedded like cement in the boundaries between the calcite nanocrystals. The spicules were of 10 to 300 micrometers in length with a diameter of 5 to 10 micrometers.

As the scientists, among them chemists, polymer researchers, and the molecular biologist Professor Werner E. G. M?ller from the Mainz University Medical Center, also write in their Science publication, the synthetic spicules have yet another special characteristic, i.e., they are able to transmit light waves even when they are bent.

Related link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNleh50Ug_k

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universit?t Mainz.

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

Journal Reference:

F. Natalio, T. P. Corrales, M. Panthofer, D. Schollmeyer, I. Lieberwirth, W. E. G. Muller, M. Kappl, H.-J. Butt, W. Tremel. Flexible Minerals: Self-Assembled Calcite Spicules with Extreme Bending Strength. Science, 2013; 339 (6125): 1298 DOI: 10.1126/science.1216260

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/strange_science/~3/WXBtktH-6W8/130315074513.htm

Sikh temple lollapalooza Nastia Liukin Gabby Douglas hair Kayla Harrison Mars landing Gabby Douglas

cottrelllovie41

With friends and family watching, Reba Williams, 106, receives her high school diploma from Mount Vernon Schools Superintendent Steve Short at her home in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Williams said she completed high school in Ohio but was denied her diploma because she refused to read a final book assigned by a teacher. She'd read it once and didn't want to read it again. The Mount Vernon Board of Education approved issuing Williams' diploma earlier this month. A retired English teacher had approached the board about giving Williams the diploma after reading about her earlier this year. Williams says she hopes current students realize that learning is important. (AP Photo/News Journal, Dave Polcyn)

With friends and family watching, Reba Williams, 106, receives her high school diploma from Mount Vernon Schools Superintendent Steve Short (not shown) at her home in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Williams said she completed high school in Ohio but was denied her diploma because she refused to read a final book assigned by a teacher. She'd read it once and didn't want to read it again. The Mount Vernon Board of Education approved issuing Williams' diploma earlier this month. A retired English teacher had approached the board about giving Williams the diploma after reading about her earlier this year. Williams says she hopes current students realize that learning is important. (AP Photo/News Journal, Dave Polcyn)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? A 106-year-old central Ohio woman who completed classes but didn't graduate in a dispute over a book has received her high school diploma.

The News Journal in Mansfield (http://ohne.ws/15OcL2x ) reports the Mount Vernon superintendent presented Reba Williams with the diploma Wednesday at her apartment in Columbus. She even got to wear a traditional graduation cap brought by the retired Mount Vernon English teacher who urged the school board to award the diploma.

Williams has said she completed high school in Mount Vernon but was denied her diploma because she refused to read a final book assigned by a teacher. She'd read the book once and didn't want to read it again.

Williams says she hopes current students realize that learning is important and that they probably shouldn't follow her example.

___

Information from: News Journal, http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-14-US-Centenarian-Diploma/id-b22d50a3f4f04896967ece0901d0cb73

Little Nemo gawker Romney Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd

cottrelllovie41

Staff / Reuters

British soldiers wait to be transported to a base in the provincial capital Lashkar Gar in Camp Bastion, Helmand, Feb. 5, 2010.

By Kate Kelland, Reuters

British soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan - particularly young men and those who have seen active combat - are more likely to commit violent crimes than their civilian counterparts, according to research published on Friday.

The study of almost 14,000 British soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan is the first to examine the link between military service and violent crime by using official criminal records.

Researchers said the findings could help military officials improve their risk assessment of violence among serving and ex-military personnel.

They stressed that although the study points to a serious problem for those affected, it does not mean all ex-soldiers will become violent criminals.

"Just as with post traumatic stress disorder, this is not a common outcome in military populations," said Professor Simon Wessely, co-director of the Centre for Military Health Research at King's College London, who co-led the study.

"Overall you must remember that of those who serve in combat, 94 percent of those who come back will not offend."

The study found that those in combat roles were more than 50 percent more likely than those in non-combat roles to commit assaults or threaten violence after returning.

The problem was particularly striking among young men. Of around 3,000 soldiers aged under 30, more than 20 percent had a conviction for violent offences, compared with only 6.7 percent of civilian men in the same age group.

The study also highlights mental health problems in the military, and issues of alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and aggressive behaviour, the researchers said.

Violent offending was most common among young men from the lower ranks of the army, said Deirdre MacManus from King's College London, who led the work and presented the results at a briefing in London.

This behaviour was strongly associated with a history of violent offending before joining the military, she said.

The study's publication, in the Lancet medical journal on Friday, comes as military chiefs in the United States say a soldier charged with slaying 16 civilians in Afghanistan last year should undergo a sanity review.

Anecdotal evidence and media coverage of violence and assaults committed by ex-servicemen has focused attention on whether serving in combat makes soldiers less stable and more prone to violent outbursts.

The study's results found that men who had seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan were 53 percent more likely to commit violent offences than their fellow soldiers in non-combat roles.

Men who had multiple traumatic combat experiences had a 70 to 80 percent higher risk of becoming violent criminals.

David Forbes, an expert in post-traumatic mental health from the University of Melbourne, Australia, said this study showed for the first time the link between combat and interpersonal violence, and the need for better understanding of the mechanisms behind how combat enhances the risk of violence.

"By understanding these factors, we might develop more informed prevention and intervention programmes for troops as they reintegrate into civilian life," he wrote in a commentary.

Wessely said that having naturally higher levels of aggression was likely to be an attribute for many soldiers.

"Some people with aggressive dispositions make very good soldiers, that's the nature of the game," he said.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17316693-study-combat-soldiers-more-likely-to-commit-violent-crimes?lite

happy thanksgiving Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 Turkey Cooking Times Butterball mashed potatoes Apple Black Friday how to cook a turkey

cottrelllovie41

Real estate agents, like doctors, lawyers and other professionals can ear designations, certifications and other securities. These are usually shown by putting a series of initials after the name of the agent. The most common designations and certifications are: Broker, Realtor, e-Pro, CHMS, GRI, ABR, and CRS.

What an agent must do to obtain a declaration or certificate?

E-Pro requires an agent take a class on basic computer skills. It has no real estate content, but ensures your agent can use email and the web. There should be a minimum bar for the technology aptitude of your agent. REALTOR is a reference easiest to obtain (but one of the most difficult to achieve). A realtor is a real estate agent that belongs to the National Association of Realtors and agrees to comply with the Code of Ethics Realtor.

If an agent asks just how much you want to sell with the price and uses the real answer to your marketing, your real estate agent does not have the experience necessary to manage the work of this nature. Although real estate professionals are intended to encourage clients to actively participate in the final decisions are always responsible for the truth of the price, decide what marketing strategies to use, and other variables involved.

Broker is a bit harder to obtain than REALTOR. In Texas, for example, a broker license must be able to operate his own real estate business. An agent must have their license for 2 years and complete over 600 hours of training before applying for a real estate broker's license. Broker's license is granted after an examination administered by the state. Brokers are basically real estate agents with higher education.

GRI Realtor represents Graduate Institute. Less than 50% of agents have this designation. The GRI requires 12 days of continuing education with passing grades on three exams. No requirements or production time for an agent can literally earn this designation by sitting in class for 12 days and passing the tests. This designation is in no way a measure of the actual sale of real experience.

ABR is Accredited Buyer Representative. Less than 30% of agents have this designation. This designation combines 2 days of classroom work and an exam with the requirement that the agent show proof of at least five buyer sales. This designation indicates that the agent has had time in the classroom and field experience.

CRS Certified Residential Specialist represents. Less than 4% of all agents in this designation. This is the title the most difficult to obtain and is a measure of a high degree of formal education and real world transactional experience.

To obtain a CRS, the agent must attend three 2-day course, pass three exams, and proof of 25 closed transactions during the past 24 months. Although the transaction experience is not a huge amount, it does eliminate the inexperienced agents and the classes of agents of weeds that are not dedicated to continuing education.

?

John Ola is experienced and looking for an estate agent across Epsom, Surrey, Ashtead, Leatherhead, Ewell and Barnstead, and writes?articles?on , , Estate Agent UK and Estate Agent Leatherhead, Estate Agent Barnstead, Estate Agent Ewell, Estate Agent Flats, Estate Agent Houses, Lettings Agents, Sales Agents, Estate Agent management, Investment Properties, Overseas Properties, Property Valuation.

Source: http://www.informationbible.com/article-alphabet-soup-no-they-are-estate-agent-uk-designations-291605.html

provisional ballot npr rush limbaugh rush limbaugh karl rove Election 2012 Results polling place

cottrelllovie41

After nearly being eradicated when the Dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the Brazilian startup community has been slow to come back. However, over the last two years, growth has been accelerating and Brazil's startups seem poised to make a comeback. As Roi pointed out recently, the support ecosystem for young businesses in Brazil is still thin and plenty of friction remains (like high labor costs and inflexible legislation), but the potential is big and getting bigger -- and venture capital is beginning to flow as a result.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TV_xic47slI/

espn3 kevin youkilis Tropical Storm Debby legend of korra magic mike trailer Alan Turing brave

cottrelllovie41

Click here to read Android Is a Free Replacement for a Feature Phone Says Apple's Phil Schiller

Samsung's announcing the Galaxy S IV tomorrow but before it does, Apple wanted to take a few shots at Android. Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Marketing, crapped all over Android telling the WSJ that, "Android is often given a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone." More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/iystdiRsu_g/android-is-a-free-replacement-for-a-feature-phone-says-apples-phil-schiller

Katherine Webb Cut for Bieber AJ McCarron Johnny Manziel ups Aj Mccarron Girlfriend linkedin

cottrelllovie41

FILE - In this March 8, 2010 file photo, then-US Ambassador to Kuwait Deborah Jones is seen in Kuwait City. President Barack Obama nominated a new ambassador to Libya on Wednesday, filling a post that has been vacant since Chris Stevens was killed in the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack and signaling the United States' commitment to the North African country as it undergoes a perilous transition from decades of dictatorship. The White House tapped Deborah K. Jones, a career diplomat who has served in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and the now-shuttered U.S. Embassy in Syria. Jones, who currently works as a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, also has spent time at embassies in Turkey and Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File)

Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan gestures as he speaks to reporters during their joint news conference at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama nominated a new ambassador to Libya on Wednesday, filling a post that has been vacant since Chris Stevens was killed in the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack and signaling the United States' commitment to the North African country as it undergoes a perilous transition from decades of dictatorship.

The announcement came as Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan, and two days after the six-month anniversary of the storming of the U.S. diplomatic mission in the eastern Libyan city. No one has yet been captured for the attack, which has caused significant political headaches for Obama and his foreign policy team.

"The United States will continue to stand with Libya during this difficult time of transition," Kerry told reporters. "The Libyan people have begun to chart the course for their own future, and they're defining it. Obviously there are challenges ahead and we understand that, from building political consensus to strengthening the security and protecting human rights, and growing the Libyan economy."

Kerry thanked the Libyan government for its cooperation after the Benghazi attack and insisted that "those who killed Americans in Benghazi will be brought to justice." He promised Zidan that America would continue working for a stable Libya.

"We must not walk away from the difficult work that Chris Stevens and his cohorts were so dedicated to," Kerry said. Stevens was the first ambassador killed in the line of duty since the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in 1979.

To replace Stevens, the White House tapped Deborah K. Jones, a career diplomat who has served in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and the now-shuttered U.S. Embassy in Syria. Jones, who currently works as a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, also has spent time at embassies in Turkey and Ethiopia.

Jones will assume a difficult position heading the embassy in Libya's capital, Tripoli. The North African country has been beset by lawlessness, militant group rivalries and political instability since rebels, with the help of the U.S. and other governments, overthrew long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

"She is a very capable and experienced diplomat," Kerry said of Jones. "I have no doubt that she will help to strengthen the partnership between us."

Zidan also met with Obama and his national security adviser Tom Donilon at the White House.

The president added his support Libya's democratic efforts and outlined areas the U.S. could help the government strengthen its institutions and improve the rule of law, according to a statement by Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

From Washington's perspective, the most pressing problem is insecurity.

Stevens and three other Americans were killed a half-year ago when a large group of men, possibly tied to Islamic extremist groups, assaulted the American outpost in Benghazi, and the help that arrived proved far too little and too late.

The militant group Ansar Al-Shariah is suspected of carrying out the attack, which the administration initially attributed to a protest over an American-made, anti-Islam video that spiraled out of control. Officials later retracted that account and called it a terror attack. But no one has been punished in Libya or elsewhere for involvement.

Zidan has been trying to reassert government control over Libya. Last month, he called on militias to evacuate buildings and headquarters and join government security forces, vowing that his government will take a hardline stand against any armed group that tries to hijack control of "Tripoli or Benghazi or any other city."

However, the Libyan government heavily depends on security provided by commanders of several powerful militias that the president has labeled "legitimate" forces. Militias in Libya often act with impunity, running their own prison cells, making arrests and taking confessions in total absence of state control and oversight.

The lawlessness also has allowed Gadhafi's once-vast stock of weapons to fall into the hands of extremists who've sparked a civil war in neighboring Mali. A France-led intervention has pushed back the Islamist militants after they seized half the country last year.

Speaking next to Kerry, Zidan thanked Obama and the U.S. for its key contribution in the effort to defeat Gadhafi. He said Libya would partner the U.S. in stabilizing his country and region.

"This relationship will be at the best level," Zidan, in his first to trip to Washington as prime minister, said through an interpreter.

___

Associated Press National Security Writer Lara Jakes contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-13-US-US-Libya/id-c2b7f92cb0ee4cbd845852d60de97805

Meet the Pyro Karen Klein Colorado fires supreme court summer solstice Summer Solstice 2012 Waldo Canyon fire

cottrelllovie41

In a move that'll likely have event planners and meeting organizers around the world leaping for joy, Gmail has just announced that you can directly add .ics calendar attachments to your Google Calendar without having to download and import them manually. Google's email service will automatically detect the event in question and display an "Add to Google Calendar" button as seen above. Just click that, and it'll be added instantly -- no muss, no fuss. The created GCal events will even link back to the original email in case you need it. The feature is available right now, so feel free to test it by sending out attachment invitations. Hopefully to an event that's not already sold out.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Comments

Source: Gmail (G+)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/kgU8Z3yKGdM/

tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012 mitt romney tax return flip saunders academy award nominations

cottrelllovie41

Mint.com Personal Finance

The Mint.com app has received a solid update today with lots of background improvements and a couple of forward-facing fixes. One of the biggest improvements in this update is the ability to update in the background every 4 hours. While we'd prefer a customizable update schedule, background syncing is a big step in the right direction. The other improvements are all about speed -- Mint is claiming faster transaction downloads and overall load times, along with a quicker way to categorize transactions on the phone interface.

And the update wouldn't be complete without the nondescript "bugfixes" as well. You can grab a download of -- or update to -- the Mint Personal Finance app at the Play Store link above.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/VLysngtKI2E/story01.htm

luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers

cottrelllovie41

LAFITTE, La. (AP) ? A fire that ignited when a gas pipeline was hit by a tug boat pushing an oil barge burned into the morning hours Wednesday in a bayou south of New Orleans amid reports that oil had leaked into the water.

There was still liquid petroleum gas in the 19-mile pipeline and authorities were waiting for it to burn out, Coast Guard Petty Officer Alex Washington said.

Coast Guard Ensign Tanner Stiehl said the collision happened Tuesday at about 6 p.m. CDT on Bayou Perot, in a marshy area near where Lafourche and Jefferson parishes meet, about 30 miles south of New Orleans.

The tugboat and barge were engulfed in flames and heavy smoke billowed from the scene.

"All crew members were able to exit the tug; the captain reportedly suffered second to third-degree degree burns," the Coast Guard said in a news release early Wednesday.

Stiehl said the barge was carrying oil and "there have been reports of oil in the water." Washington said authorities were waiting until daylight to get an idea of how much oil had leaked from the barge.

The barge was holding 92,000 gallons of crude oil, the Coast Guard said. The tug boat had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

WWL-TV reported that the tug's captain was transferred to the burn center at Baton Rouge General Hospital.

Stiehl said the pipeline, which was in shallow water, is owned by San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron. He said the company has isolated the pipeline from other mains, "so only whatever was in the pipeline will be able to burn."

Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts, who represents the area, told WWL-TV the fire was in very shallow water, as little as a foot deep, and authorities would not approach the site until the fire had burned itself out.

Stiehl identified the 47-foot tug boat as the Shanon E. Settoon. Settoon Towing of Pierre Part, La., lists the tug boat among its vessels on its website.

The Coast Guard said ES&H has been hired to handle the oil spill response.

It was not immediately known who owns the 154-foot oil barge.

The area is thinly populated and no evacuations have been ordered.

"We are aggressively responding with our state and local partners to mitigate the fire and prevent any potential impacts from oil that entered the water," Coast Guard Cmdr. Russ Bowen said in a news release.

The area is along the northern reaches of Barataria Bay, which was heavily affected by oil from the BP spill in 2010. It is mostly small communities where people often make their living from the sea, either working in the oil and gas industry or as fishermen.

The 92,000 gallons the Coast Guard says was being carried by the barge is a fraction of the millions of gallons that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 spill.

The region where the fire was burning is criss-crossed by pipelines and wellheads are a common sight in the shallow waters of the bayou and bay shoreline.

Bayou Perot was the scene of an explosion and fire on a specialized oil rig in December 2010 in which three men were injured. The explosion happened while the men were welding and there was no pollution, the Coast Guard reported.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fire-burns-tug-barge-hit-la-gas-pipeline-082637112.html

bachelor ben jon hamm kim kardashian law school rankings jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy

cottrelllovie41

Free agency came hard, and it came fast on Tuesday. We here at Rotoworld were cranking out blurbs all day long as the smoke wafted out of our keyboards.

There were a couple of first-day winners, but I won?t go as far as to say there were losers. After all, we?re only one day into the madness. Let?s get to the action, and there sure was plenty of it.

The 49ers enjoyed a relatively quiet Tuesday after making noise on Monday. ? San Francisco has lined up three free-agent visits for the coming days: safeties LaRon Landry and Charles Woodson and defensive end Glenn Dorsey. Landry and Woodson make sense as cheaper replacements for free agent safety Dashon Goldson. Dorsey would be a nice fallback plan to free agent Ricky Jean-Francois. ? The Niners were interested in defensive lineman Desmond Bryant, but they never got a chance to talk to him. He inked a monster five-year, $34 million deal with the Browns on Tuesday. ? San Fran is said to still be in the mix for free agent cornerback Sean Smith, but common assumption is that he?s out of their price range. ? The Ed Reed speculation figures to be a smokescreen, but we wouldn?t rule it out just yet.

The Bears spent some coin on the opening day of free agency. Chicago locked up left tackle Jermon Bushrod to a five-year, $36 million pact and tight end Martellus Bennett to a four-year, $21 million deal. Bushrod will replace turnstile J?Marcus Webb on Jay Cutler?s blindside, while Webb and Gabe Carimi figure to duke it out for the right tackle gig. Bennett was arguably the top tight end on the market. He?s young, an excellent blocker, and creates mismatches over the middle of the field. Bennett has TE1 fantasy potential as Cutler?s No. 2 target in the passing game. ? The Bears were interested in free agents left guard Andy Levitre and Phil Loadholt before they signed with the Titans and Vikings respectively. ? Franchise player Henry Melton signed his tender and will earn $8.5 million in 2013. ? Chicago has yet to respond to free agent Brian Urlacher?s contract proposal, and they don?t appear to be in a rush to do so. GM Phil Emery could look Urlacher and fellow free agent linebacker Nick Roach?s way on Wednesday.

The Bengals kept the wallet tightly closed on Tuesday, just as we?ve grown accustomed to with them. They did re-sign 29-year-old left end Robert Geathers to a new deal. He?s the Bengals? longest-tenured player, and will be entering his tenth season with the club. ? Free agent running backs Mike Goodson, Beanie Wells, and Reggie Bush are expected to make visits. Bush might not make it out of Detroit. Wells is essentially the same player as BenJarvus Green-Ellis, except worse. We do like Goodson?s fit as a change-of-pace back.

The Bills? lone move on Tuesday was the release of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The transaction brings a $10-plus million cap hit for 2013, but GM Buddy Nix realized it was time to move on from that mistake. Nix was recorded in a phone conversation saying he believed Fitzpatrick was nothing more than a backup. Buffalo looks to be the early favorites for West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith in the draft. The Bills pick No. 8 overall, but they may have to trade up to the No. 1 spot to get ahead of Jacksonville at No. 2.

The Broncos were one of the more active teams on Tuesday. Denver signed left guard Louis Vasquez away from the division rival Chargers on a four-year, $23.5 million deal. Vasquez, 26 next month, is a fine pass blocker and was arguably the top guard on the market. His arrival puts incumbent right guard Chris Kuper?s future in Denver in doubt. Kuper, 30, hasn?t been able to stay healthy anyway. ? Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson was re-signed to a two-year deal. He started 14 games last season and proved to be a quality run defender. The Broncos are reportedly close to an agreement with free agent defensive tackle Terrance Knighton to play next to Vickerson. They?ve also kicked the tires on free agent Richard Seymour. ? The Broncos are said to be the favorites for free agent running back Rashard Mendenhall, but he may not make it out of his visit with Arizona. His signing would likely spell the end for Willis McGahee. ? Free agents cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, safety Louis Delmas, and linebacker Stewart Bradley are scheduled to visit Denver. ? Right end Elvis Dumervil has changed his stance on the pay cut front, and he is now open to a slash. Peyton Manning wants his old buddy free agent Dwight Freeney to join him in Denver. Speaking of Manning, the Broncos guaranteed his $20 million base salaries for 2013 and 2014.

The Browns made two of the biggest signings of the day. Outside linebacker Paul Kruger agreed to a five-year, $41 million deal, and defensive lineman Desmond Bryant signed the dotted line of a five-year, $34 million contract. Cleveland?s front seven is looking pretty sharp. Kruger will bookend Jabaal Sheard, and Bryant will likely play end on the front line with Ahtyba Rubin and nose tackle Phil Taylor. ? Free agent outside linebacker Quentin Groves will make a visit. He played under DC Ray Horton in Arizona last season.

The Bucs didn?t spend any money on Tuesday, but they?re linked to plenty of big names. Tampa Bay is rumored to be the destination for Darrelle Revis via trade, but there are still hurdles to be cleared. Other teams may be interested, as well. ? The Bucs are in the midst of wooing free agent safety Dashon Goldson, and the two sides are said to be close on a deal. ? Tampa Bay is one of a handful of teams in the mix for free agent cornerback Sean Smith. ? As you can see, there?s a common theme here. The Bucs are intent on fixing a dreadful pass defense. ? Other free agents linked to the Bucs: cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Derek Cox and defensive end Cliff Avril. ? GM Mark Dominik is actively searching for a No. 2 quarterback and someone to push Josh Freeman. The Bucs came up as a potential destination for Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett. Dominik is also interested in free agent Drew Stanton. ? Offensive lineman Jamon Meredith is reportedly up for trade. They?d be lucky to get a late-rounder for him.

The Cardinals have plenty of free-agent visits lined up, and they include quarterback Drew Stanton, running backs Reggie Bush and Rashard Mendenhall, safety LaRon Landry, linebacker Rey Maualuga, and cornerback Jerraud Powers. Bush is unlikely to make it to the desert. The Lions are putting the full-court press on him. Mendenhall is more realistic. Maualuga and Daryl Washington would make a nice inside linebacker duo. ? Arizona is one of free agent returner Josh Cribbs? two choices, and free agent linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is rumored to be signing with the Cardinals.

The Chargers signed a couple second- or third-tier free agents in offensive tackle King Dunlap and tight end John Phillips. Phillips was given a three-year deal. He?ll likely replace Randy McMichael as the blocking tight end in San Diego. McMichael was released on Tuesday, along with nose tackle Antonio Garay. ? Free agent cornerbacks Derek Cox and Jerraud Powers are scheduled to visit. ? Running back Fozzy Whittaker was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals.

The Chiefs snatched up a few depth players as free agency opened. Defensive lineman Mike DeVito signed a three-year, $12.6 million deal, tight end Anthony Fasano inked a four-year, $16 million pact, and quarterback Chase Daniel was signed for three years and $10 million. DeVito likely replaces free agent Glenn Dorsey at right end, and Fasano will be the No. 2 tight end and blocking specialist behind Tony Moeaki. Daniel got a nice payday for a backup, but we wouldn?t expect him to give Alex Smith a run for the starting job in 2013. ? Kansas City is reportedly trying to trade Matt Cassel, but they?re not going to find any takers.