7 Things I Was Baffled By When I Started Online

I?d like to share some of the problems that prevented me making any money whatsoever for around 7-8 months after I began online almost exactly 3 years ago. I?ll also explain how I overcame them by giving some recommendations for each.

It?s quite interesting for me to see how my thinking and understanding of how to start and build a successful web business has changed over time.

But more importantly I hope you?ll be able to get a lot out of this because from talking to others I?ve learned that most people face the same challenges that I?ve experienced.

Let?s dive in with 7 things I was baffled by when I started out:?

1. How To Create Web Pages

Like all of us I visited lots of different websites on a daily basis but I really didn?t understand how to replicate them. Do you have to learn web design and HTML and get involved in the technical side of things?

Luckily, I was introduced to WordPress pretty early on. Although I have built a few pages in other systems (such as the free HTML editor Kompozer) I really never looked back.

What began as a blogging platform has now developed into a fully fledged content management system (CMS) for websites and for running a home business, there are very few cases when it makes sense to not use WordPress.

My Recommendation: If you don?t know WordPress. Learn it. Just create a simple personal blog and get acquainted. It?s time very well spent.

2. How To Get Traffic

I thought the only options were SEO (ranking your web pages high in Google) or Adwords (Google Paid ads).

Like most newcomers I didn?t want to risk any money so I went down the SEO path.

The trouble was by 2010 SEO was already becoming harder, more long term and increasingly uncertain. This didn?t stop me spending a small fortune on SEO software and training courses which resulted in virtually no revenue whatsoever.

My Recommendation: Traffic is a KEY element in your online success. So invest some time in learning about it. There are countless ways to promote your websites and many of them have been discussed on this blog (here and here?for example). Also, although I wouldn?t completely ignore SEO, I also highly recommend you don?t rely on it. Less than 10% of my traffic comes from SEO ? quite honestly I wouldn?t bother with it much at all!

3. Why The Websites Of Successful Marketers Didn?t Look Like Mine

During my ?SEO phase? I followed several ?gurus? who were very keen to tell me (and sell me) strategies which could rank my websites high in Google. Most of these involved setting up blogs, choosing the keywords, meta tags, headlines, H1 tags correctly and building backlinks to my site.

So how come when I visited these gurus? sites they had none of these things? I remember checking the backlinks and wondering why there weren?t any? How could they be making money if they didn?t seem to do the things they were telling me to do?

Also, a lot of their websites just had places for your name and email address (what I later learnt were called ?squeeze pages?) and had no content on them at all. Google wouldn?t rank these surely so I was baffled.

I was very na?ve really. But it just goes to show if you don?t know something then you just don?t know.

Of course, the reality was the the gurus were using joint ventures (JVs), affiliates and paid traffic to promote their websites. As silly as it might sound it really took me about 10 months to fully recognize this.

My Recommendation: Always ask yourself, ?Are the strategies that this person is teaching me what they actually use to make money themselves??. You can?t always be sure but being aware of this question really helps!

4. Who To Trust

A biggy.

As with any business ? online or offline ? there are scams and people who just want your money. In the internet marketing area there are definitely these kinds of people but also many very genuine businesses and marketers who provide solid products and services which can help you.

My Recommendation: Rather than expand on this here I will refer to a previous post where we covered this issue in detail.

5. Which Niche To Go Into

Again, usually a problem most of us have, especially at the early stage of our business.

This is partly related to ?I?m not an expert in anything? thinking but also because there are literally SO many different niches that it can become difficult to decide!

What I did was go into lots of niches. I don?t recommend this because you end up juggling so many balls that you can?t give the attention each niche deserves.

My Recommendation: Brainstorm niches you are interested in, check for sufficient audience size and profitability. Then pick one and go with it. Later on you can (as I have done) expand it more than one niche but that?s when you?ll have the experience of setting them up and promoting them. Also, understand you don?t need to be an expert: 1) You can learn, 2) You can get another expert to help (e.g., by interviewing them), 3) Many products (e.g., software) don?t rely on you being an expert at all.

6. How Can I Keep Up With The Information Coming At Me

Yes, the old information overload problem here!

What I specifically referring to though is the emails that I received as a result of signing up to people?s lists.

This distraction can manifest in at least 2 ways: 1) You are reading emails instead of implementing and taking action, 2) You get mixed messages and conflicting information which stops you taking action on your current plans by introducing doubt and shiny object syndrome.

My Recommendation: Unsubscribe from any list which just promotes things all the time. Follow the people you trust (or at worst think you trust!) ? see above for tips on this. Pick one project and stick with it, emotionally detach (as best you can) and work on your business (imagine you are consulting on someone else?s business which helps) instead of in your business.

7. Sales Funnels

Again I?m admitting naivety here but after coming online I really didn?t understand the importance of having a funnel or even what one was!

Basically, the sales funnel is process people go through after they go up the ?on ramp? into your business.

For example, they might sign up at for your squeeze page, get offered a promotion on the thank you page, receive email follow ups which offer free content and promotions which increase in price and value.

My recommendation: Be aware all the time of sales funnels and every time you purchase something or sign up for something watch what happens and take notes. I actually have a Word files called ?Other Marketers Swipe? which I take notes on what I see from my journeys around the internet in different niches.

3 Final Tips

Overall, If I could go back in time and speak to myself when I started out I?d give this advice:

• Focus soley on building a list of subscribers in a profitable niche that you are interested in
• Go to live events and meetups
• Invest some time and money in solid training from people who have achieved what you want to achieve

If you can relate to any of my experiences I?ve described in this post then this is the same advice I?d give to you. Regardless of your history and where you are right now with your business the PERFECT time is NOW!

What things have baffled you in terms on setting up a successful web business? Please LIKE/TWEET if you enjoyed this and start some discussion by dropping a comment below. Cheers, Rob.

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Source: http://www.gainhigherground.com/7-things-i-was-baffled-by-when-i-started-online/

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Humongous 55-Inch Windows 8 Touchscreen Computer Is a Wonderful Thing That Exists in the World

How great is this? 55 inches of touchscreen magic for a classroom or a Wolf Blitzer or a droll, droll conference room. Sure, it's $5,000, and sure, it's "only" 1080p, but WHATEVER. This is great. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BrjV3APPXVA/humongous-55+inch-windows-8-touchscreen-computer-is-a-wonderful-thing-that-exists-in-the-world

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Yahoo buys startup run by 17-year-old entrepreneur

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Yahoo is buying London startup Summly, the maker of a mobile application created by teenage entrepreneur seeking an easier way to read news stories and other content on the smaller screens of smartphones.

The deal announced Monday is Yahoo's fifth small acquisition in the past five months. All of them have been part of CEO Marissa Mayer's effort to attract more engineers with expertise in building services for smartphones and tablet computers, an increasingly important area of technology that she believed the Internet company had been neglecting.

As with its other recent acquisitions, Yahoo didn't disclose how much it is paying for Summly.

Summly makes a mobile application that condenses content so readers can scroll through more information more quickly. Summly founder Nick D'Aloisio began working on the app at his London home when he was 15. D'Aloisio is now 17, which makes him younger than Yahoo, which was incorporated in March 1995.

Although the Yahoo acquisition won't close until later this spring, D'Aloisio said the Summly will no longer be available. Summly's technology will return in other Yahoo products, D'Aloisio wrote in a Monday blog post.

D'Aloisio will work for Yahoo in its London office. Two other Summly workers will join Yahoo at its Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-25-US-Yahoo-Acquisition/id-0e5808aae8474cb9afa33743a90857e0

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Cape Fear region people serving in the military

Pfc. Chance P. Shaffer, son of Wendy Hanshaw and stepson of Jerry Hanshaw, both of Spring Lake, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2012 graduate of Pine Forest High School.

Pvt. Sidney Hunt, son of Scot Hunt and Stephanie Locklear, both of Lumberton, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2011 graduate of Lumberton High School.

National Guard Pvt. Rebecca R. Wahl, daughter of Jena Owen of Angier, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2012 graduate of Harnett Central High School.

Pvt. Curtis M. Curry, son of Jennie Butler and stepson of John Butler of Fayetteville, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2006 graduate of Seventy-First High School.

Pvt. Jennie N. Gahagan, daughter of Mary French and George Gahagan, both of Fayetteville, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2012 graduate of Douglas Byrd High School.

Pfc. Jaclyn D. Codiga, daughter of James and Denise Rieger of Fayetteville, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2008 graduate of Cornerstone Christian Academy, Fayetteville.

Pfc. Marquetta S. Hemingway, daughter of Vennie Hemingway of Whiteville, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2012 graduate of Whiteville High School.

Pvt. Eddie Lampkin III has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2012 graduate of Seventy-First High School.

Pvt. Myles J. Keyser, son of Jennifer Flynn of Cameron, has graduated from Army basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. He is a 2012 graduate of Western Harnett High School.

Pvt. Jeffery Drew, son of John and Bettie Drew of Hope Mills, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2000 graduate of South View High School.

Reserve Pvt. Joshua D. Chubbs, son of Clara Chubbs of Sanford, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2012 graduate of Lee County High School.

Pfc. Jacorica S. Bristow, daughter of Laura McKoy of Lumberton, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2012 graduate of Lumberton High School.

Pfc. Amber N. Searing, daughter of Lisa McNair of Eastover, has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

Items on local soldiers and airmen come from the Army and Air Force Hometown News Service in San Antonio. Items on local members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard come from the Fleet Home Town News Center in Norfolk, Va.

Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/03/24/1244308

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Rapper Gucci Mane A Wanted Man After Violent Assault On Fan

Rapper Gucci Mane A Wanted Man After Violent Assault On Fan

An arrest warrant has been issued for Gucci Mane after a fan told police the rapper whacked him in the head with a champagne bottle at a downtown Atlanta nightclub. James Lettley, a soldier from Fort Hood, Texas, said he was in Atlanta for his birthday and heard that Gucci Mane was going to be ...

Rapper Gucci Mane A Wanted Man After Violent Assault On Fan Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/rapper-gucci-mane-a-wanted-man-after-violent-assault-on-fan/

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Pope Francis meets Pope Benedict in historic visit

The new pontiff met with his predecessor at the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo, calling the pope emeritus "his brother."

By Nicole Winfield and Paolo Santalucia,?The Associated Press / March 23, 2013

Pope Francis is greeted by his retired predecessor Pope Benedict XVI after arriving at the papal retreat outside Rome.

Osservatore Romano

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Pope?Francis traveled Saturday to this hill town south of Rome to have lunch with his "brother" and predecessor Benedict XVI, a historic and potentially problematic melding of the papacies that has never before confronted the Catholic Church.

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The two men dressed in white embraced warmly on the helipad in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, where Benedict has been living since he retired Feb. 28 and became the first?pope?to resign in 600 years.

And in a series of gestures that ensued, Benedict made clear that he considered Francis to be?pope?while Francis made clear he considered his predecessor to be very much a revered brother and equal.

Traveling from the helipad to the palazzo, Francis sat on the right-hand side of the car, the traditional place of the?pope, while Benedict sat on the left. When they entered the chapel inside the palazzo to pray, Benedict tried to direct Francis to the papal kneeler at the front of the chapel, but Francis refused.

"No, we are brothers, we pray together," Francis told Benedict, according to the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi. The two used a different kneeler in the pews and prayed together, side-by-side.

Francis brought a gift to Benedict, an icon of the Madonna, and told him that it's known as the "Madonna of Humility."

"I thought of you," Francis told Benedict. "You gave us so many signs of humility and gentleness in your pontificate." Benedict replied: "Grazie, grazie."

Benedict wore the simple white cassock of the papacy, with a quilted white jacket over it to guard against the chill, but minus the sash and cape worn by Francis. Walking with a cane, he looked frail compared to the robust 76-year-old Argentine.

Outside the villa, the main piazza of Castel Gandolfo was packed with well-wishers bearing photos of both?popesand chanting "Francesco! Francesco!" But the Vatican made clear they probably wouldn't see anything.

The Vatican downplayed the remarkable reunion in keeping with Benedict's desire to remain "hidden from the world" and not interfere with his successor's papacy. There was no live coverage by Vatican television, and only a short video and still photos were released after the fact.

The Vatican spokesman said the two spoke privately for 40-45 minutes, followed by lunch with the two papal secretaries, but no details were released.

All of which led to enormous speculation about what these two?popes?might have said to one another after making history together: Benedict's surprise resignation paved the way for the first?pope?from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first to call himself Francis after the 13th century friar who devoted himself to the poor, nature and working for peace.

That the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was second only to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave that elected Ratzinger?pope?has only added to the popular imagination about how these two?popes?of such different style, background and priorities might get along.

Perhaps over their primo, or pasta course during Saturday's lunch, they discussed the big issues facing the church: the rise of secularism in the world, the drop in priestly vocations in Europe, the competition that the Catholic Church faces in Latin America and Africa from evangelical Pentecostal movements.

During their secondo, or second course of meat or fish, they might have gone over more pressing issues about Francis' new job: Benedict left a host of unfinished business on Francis' plate, including the outcome of a top-secret investigation into the leaks of papal documents last year that exposed corruption and mismanagement in the Vatican administration. Francis might have wanted to sound Benedict out on his ideas for management changes in the Holy See administration, a priority given the complete dysfunctional government he has inherited.

Over coffee, they might have discussed future of Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, Benedict's trusted aide who has had the difficult task of escorting his old?pope?into retirement and then returning to the Vatican to serve his successor in the initial rites of the office.

Gaenswein, who wept as he and Benedict made their final goodbyes to staff in the papal apartment on Feb. 28, has appeared visibly upset and withdrawn at times as he has been by Francis' side. The Vatican has said Francis' primary secretary will be Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, who had been the No. 2 secretary under Benedict.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/hJIYxcuV_G0/Pope-Francis-meets-Pope-Benedict-in-historic-visit

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The humble beginnings of the cash register

NEW YORK (AP) ? Imagine a store without a cash register and no other accurate ways to quickly tally up daily sales. That was the case for all retail establishments before the 1880s. Most store owners were left in the dark about whether they were making a profit or loss ? and many suffered since it was easy for sales clerks to steal from the cash drawer.

That all changed with the invention of the cash register following the Civil War by a little-known saloon owner, setting into motion decades of innovation. Here, a look at the history of the cash register and some highlights at NCR, formerly known as the National Cash Register Co., which helped to make the machine ubiquitous at stores across the country starting in the early 1900s:

?1879: James Ritty, a saloon owner in Dayton, Ohio, patents a machine with a mechanism that's inspired from the apparatus that counts the spins of an ocean liner's propeller in its engine room. The so-called "incorruptible cashier" was the first mechanical cash register and had metal keys with denominations pressed into them to indicate the amount of the sale. There was a bell to ring up sales.

?1880-1883: Ritty's mechanical register catches the attention of John H. Patterson, a businessman, who purchased several machines for his general store in Coalton, Ohio. He buys several more for his retail coal business in Dayton, Ohio.

1884: Patterson bought the rights to Ritty's invention from Jacob H. Eckert, who had purchased the rights from Ritty. The price: $6,500. He renamed the company the National Cash Register Co. from the National Manufacturing Co. and started to put the registers into production. That company is now known as NCR, the global technology firm.

1888-1895: Eighty-four companies sell cash registers but only three actually survived long-term. Patterson, who aggressively bought out his competition and had a flair for sales, sets up an inventions department to create bigger and better thief-proof registers. He opened the first training program for his sales people.

1902: The cash register offers shopkeepers cumulative totals and can give an audit trail of transactions. That helps businesses collect market research data.

1906: Charles Kettering, researcher for the National Cash Register Co., designs the first register powered by an electric motor.

1915: The cash register, dressed in fancy cast-metal cases, became an essential tool in nearly every retail establishment. The registers were made of different materials including brass, cast-iron and wood. National Cash Register ran the largest brass foundry in the world during that period. By 1915, more than 1.5 million cash registers were sold.

1960s: The retail industry shifts to electronic registers.

Early 1970s: National Cash Register introduces the first cash register that's part of the store's entire computer system. At the same time, National Cash Register introduces a bar coding scanning system to be used with the machine.

1974: The National Cash Register changes its name to NCR Corp. It makes the first bar code scanners.

1991: NCR acquired by AT&T

1994: NCR name changes to AT&T GIS by the end of 1996.

1995: AT&T GIS changes its name back to NCR Corp. in anticipation of being spun off to AT&T shareholders by January 1997 as an independent, publicly traded company.

1998: NCR installs first self-checkout system at a Ball's Hen House grocery store in Kansas City, Missouri.

2003: Self-checkout areas become mainstream at many grocery stores and other discounters.

2012: NCR launches a new software program that runs on Apple's iPad that's connected to the keyboard at the cash register counter or can be detached and used as a mobile checkout device.

_________

Source: NCR Corp. and Museum of American Heritage

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-22-Cash%20Register-Timeline/id-d324135671e947b89ef8216704800689

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Wiggle away jiggle | battle, creek, massage - Life - The Orange ...

Can fat be jiggled away? There was a time when a great number of people thought so.

Take the Battle Creek Roller, for instance. This item, which probably can still be found in homes or bought at auctions, retailed for $129.99, according to one print ad produced during the go-go, mad-for-workout-gadgets 1960s. That amount translates to about 900 bucks these days.

This roller went for $35 at an auction in Wisconsin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SMITH SALES PROFESSIONAL AUCTION CO.

The roller had a small motor that made it spin, and the curved design of the wood spokes supposedly would melt away fat from the stomach, thighs and buttocks.

John Harvey Kellogg was a big believer in the therapeutic benefits of massage. He was a physician who invented Corn Flakes, along with his brother William. John became nationally famous by running the Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich., a magnet for the super-rich with too much time and money. At "the San," clients were subjected to cold baths, enemas, rigorous exercises and a pummeling by various massage machines, including an electric vibrating chair. Feel better or else!

For a fictionalized look at the San, read T. Coraghessan Boyle's novel "The Road to Wellville," which was made into a movie in 1994, with Anthony Hopkins as John Kellogg.

John had a lot of ideas now viewed as pure drivel, including a relentless obsession with the evils of masturbation, which he thought could be cured with a little genital mutilation. But he also had some visionary notions, including the theory that one shouldn't eat too much red meat.

"Kellogg believed that good health could be maintained and that illness could be cured through 'biologic living,' a concept heralded far and wide as the Battle Creek Idea," wrote medical historian Patsy Gerstner in the journal Caduceus. "The Battle Creek Idea emphasized a healthy diet (preferably vegetarian), exercise, fresh air, water therapies, electrical stimulation (especially of the muscles), massage, good posture, abstinence from such things as alcohol and tobacco, and proper clothing that did not require tight undergarments (such as corsets) and that allowed the body to move in a reasonably unrestricted manner."

Corsets blessedly went away, and so did the belief that fat could be rolled away. But science has backed up the benefits of massage, which can alleviate pain, insomnia, anxiety and other ills. Go to any Brookstone to see a variety of massagers for sale.

The company that sold Kellogg's inventions, Battle Creek Equipment, is still around, specializing in light exercise gear, massage tables and hot or cold presses.

Contact the writer: lhall@ocregister.com

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/battle-500682-creek-massage.html

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Apple Patent For Protecting Dropped Phones - Business Insider

Apple has a patent on a really novel way to protect your phone and minimize damage when you drop it, reports Apple Insider.

The idea is that an internal sensor would detect when a phone is in freefall before determining its distance from the ground and how quickly it's falling.

Then the system reorients the phone in the air as it falls, positioning it in such a way to minimize damage. The patent describes how this could be accomplished by moving around a counterweight inside of the phone, actuated by a can of gas.

We can't help but be reminded of Amazon's patent for a phone airbag.

We won't be seeing this in an iPhone anytime soon. Until then, we'll stick to using our conventional case.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-patent-for-protecting-dropped-phones-2013-3

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College students face another round of sticker shock

John W. Schoen , NBC News ? ? ? 30 min.

As college acceptance letters go out in the next few weeks, prospective students and their parents are in for another round of sticker shock.

And while tuition costs keep rising, the roughly three out of every four students headed to state colleges and universities in the fall may not find all of the courses and services they sampled on their college tour.

Faced with continued budget cuts at the state and federal level, state universities continue to raise tuition and cut offerings, according to a recent analysis by the Center of Budget Policy and Priorities.

On average, states are now spending more than $2,500 less per student than they did five years ago, when the Great Recession blew a large hole in most state budgets.

That 28 percent spending cut has forced an average tuition increase of $1,850 per student over the same period. It?s also forced schools to continue to look for ways to cut back, according to Phil Oliff, a CBPP policy analyst who prepared the report.

?They?ve eliminated faculty positions and increased class sizes, frozen staff salaries and instituted furloughs, cut course offerings and even entire departments, closed down computer labs and cut library services, among other cost-saving actions,? Oliff said.

In the last year alone, the total ?sticker price? of a four-year public degree has risen a little over 4 percent to $17,860 for in-state students and $30,911 for those from out-of-state, according to the College Board. A private four-year degree, on average, costs nearly $40,000.

Public and private universities have also been hit by cutbacks in state and federal research funding, according to the National Science Board. Research grants now make up about a quarter the average budget among the top 101 public research universities ? down from 38 percent two decades ago.

The recent round of federal budget cuts known as the ?sequester? have only made matters worse. Those cuts ? which took effect March 1 ? sliced some 5 percent from federal research and development spending, taking a $6 billion bite out of federal research spending, according to the American Council on Education.

The sequester is also cutting federal spending on various programs to help students pay the higher costs of a degree.

Because Congress and the White House continue to haggle over the budget cuts, students getting financial aid letters will need to take those numbers with a grain of salt. But unless Congress makes changes, college-bound students can expect to pay higher origination fees on loans and see smaller grants from various programs.

For those most reliant on aid, the sequester could cost as much as $876 a year, according to the Student Aid Alliance. Those cuts include military tuition assistance, federally supported work-study programs and so-called Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants for low-income students. (Pell grants ? which helped roughly a third of all college students in 2011-2012 - were spared this year, but could be cut in the future.)

With costs rising and financial aid drying up, college students and their families are leaning ever more heavily on debt, which now stands at roughly $1 trillion outstanding. Last year, total student borrowing amounted to $113 billion ? up 24 percent from five years ago, according to the College Board.

As the national housing and markets show convincing signs of recovery, higher income and property tax revenues are helping to stabilize state budgets. But Oliff says there is little sign states are reversing cuts to higher education.

?Funding has continued to go down,? he said. ?The rate of decline of has moderated somewhat, but we don?t see any sign that states are re-investing in their higher education systems. And they?re coming out of an enormously deep hole.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/college-students-face-another-round-sticker-shock-1C8954755

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Skulls of early humans carry telltale signs of inbreeding

Mar. 18, 2013 ? Buried for 100,000 years at Xujiayao in the Nihewan Basin of northern China, the recovered skull pieces of an early human exhibit a now-rare congenital deformation that indicates inbreeding might well have been common among our ancestors, new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Washington University in St. Louis suggests.

The skull, known as Xujiayao 11, has an unusual perforation through the top of the brain case -- an enlarged parietal foramen (EPF) or "hole in the skull" -- that is consistent with modern humans diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation in the homeobox genes ALX4 on chromosome 11 and MSX2 on chromosome 5.

These specific genetic mutations interfere with bone formation and prevent the closure of small holes in the back of the prenatal braincase, a process that is normally completed within the first five months of fetal development. It occurs in about one out of every 25,000 modern human births.

Although this genetic abnormality is sometimes associated with cognitive deficits, the older adult age of Xujiayao 11 suggests that any such deficits in this individual were minor.

Traces of genetic abnormalities, such as EPF, are seen unusually often in the skulls of Pleistocene humans, from early Homo erectus to the end of the Paleolithic.

"The probability of finding one of these abnormalities in the small available sample of human fossils is very low, and the cumulative probability of finding so many is exceedingly small," suggests study co-author Erik Trinkaus, the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

"The presence of the Xujiayao and other Pleistocene human abnormalities therefore suggests unusual population dynamics, most likely from high levels of inbreeding and local population instability." It therefore provides a background for understanding populational and cultural dynamics through much of human evolution.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Xiu-Jie Wu, Song Xing, Erik Trinkaus. An Enlarged Parietal Foramen in the Late Archaic Xujiayao 11 Neurocranium from Northern China, and Rare Anomalies among Pleistocene Homo. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e59587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059587

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/most_popular/~3/X_uQcLmS3xA/130318180411.htm

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Significant contribution of Greenland's peripheral glaciers to sea-level rise

Mar. 18, 2013 ? Glaciers at the edge of Greenland which are not connected to its huge ice sheet, or can be clearly separated from it, are contributing to sea-level rise much more than previously thought. Scientists from the University of Zurich together with colleagues from Denmark have found that, though these peripheral glaciers make up just 5-7 % of total ice coverage on the land mass, they account for up to 20% of the rise in sea level created by the region's melting.

The scientists looked at glaciers which behave independently from the ice sheet, despite having some physical connection to it, and those which are not connected at all.

The discovery, just published in Geophysical Research Letters, is important as it will help scientists improve the predictions of the future contribution of Greenland's ice to sea-level rise.

Using lasers which measure the height of the ice from space, and a recently completed inventory of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps, scientists from the European-funded ice2sea programme, were able to determine changes in the mass of those ice bodies, separate from the main ice sheet.

It also showed that the contribution to sea-level rise from the glaciers of Greenland separated from the ice sheet makes up around 10% of the estimated contribution of the entire world's glaciers and ice caps, and that contribution is higher than expected.

Lead author Dr. Tobias Bolch, from the University of Zurich, says, "The melting of ice on Greenland is known to be one of the major sources for global sea-level rise. Beside the large ice sheet, there are thousands of peripheral glaciers which are not connected to the ice sheet or can be separated from it due to the existence of ice divides. The area of those glaciers is about 50 times higher than the ice cover of the European Alps. Consequently, it is important to investigate not only the ice sheet but also these local glaciers."

The paper, "Mass loss of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps 2003 -- 2008 revealed from ICESat laser altimetry data," showed glaciers with no or weak connection to the main ice sheet contributed to around 30 Gigatons (Gt) of water per year to sea level between 2003 and 2008.

When they added in glaciers which had some link to the ice sheet, but which were still distinct from it in the way they flowed, this figure increased to up to around 50 Gt per year. This yearly figure represents more than half the water contained in one of Europe's largest lakes, Lake Geneva.

The study gives more detail to the make-up and stability of Greenland's glaciers showing that mass loss is highest in the warmer south east of the land mass and lowest in the colder north.

It also shows that the loss of ice is about 2.5 times higher for those separate glaciers than for the ice sheet, leading to the 15-20% figure.

Dr. Bolch says, "The other 80-85% comes from the ice sheet. The new figure for the local glaciers is higher than expected. It matters because the ice loss with respect to the area is significantly higher than of the ice sheet. This means that the local glaciers react faster with respect to climate change. This information will help to improve the predictions of the future contribution of Greenland's ice to sea-level rise."

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

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Journal Reference:

1. T. Bolch, L. Sandberg S?rensen, S. B. Simonsen, N. M?lg, H. Machguth, P. Rastner, F. Paul. Mass loss of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps 2003-2008 revealed from ICESat laser altimetry data. Geophysical Research Letters, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/grl.50270

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/top_news/~3/t9YXIPTbYPg/130318104956.htm

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Store clerks in Maine aren't laughing over the 'Kwikie' lottery game name

An advertisement promoting Kwikies (Maine Lottery)

Convenience-store owners in Maine are concerned that the state lottery wants to rebrand its scratch-off lottery tickets as "Kwikies."

?That?s going to be real uncomfortable for my girls behind the register to have guys come in and say, ?Hey, give me a Kwikie,?? David Welch, owner of Village Market in Fairfield, Me., told the Bangor Daily News after receiving a letter from the Maine State Lottery informing him of the plan.

?I think it?s highly inappropriate,? Kaylee Constable, one of Welch's employees, added. ?[Customers] come in and joke around with me and say, ?Can I get a Kwikie?? I?m only 19 years old and I have 40- and 50-year-old men saying sexual remarks to me.?

The newspaper provided some helpful context: "In slang terms, a quickie is a short sexual encounter."

But state lottery officials say the origin of the new name has nothing to do with sex.

?The benefit of buying this ticket is that it?s quick, easy and fun,? Gerry Reid, director of the Maine Bureau Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, told the paper. ?That?s what an instant ticket is.?

The state lottery sells the instant tickets?priced between $1 and $20?at about 1,300 retail stores, generating about $30 million a year for the state's general fund.

The newspaper interviewed a cashier who said he tested the new name by asking customers if they would like a Kwikie.

?I tried that on a couple of women," Tom Borden, a cashier at Fox Brook Variety in Dover-Foxcroft, said. "It didn?t go over very well."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/kwikie-quickie-lottery-scratch-off-maine-155155788.html

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There's no immediate debt crisis, Boehner says, agreeing with Obama (Los Angeles Times)

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New Mexico Legislature adjourns, OKs tax bill

Posted at: 03/16/2013 12:11 PM
By: The Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Legislature has approved a last-minute package of business tax cuts to encourage economic development.

The tax measure won final approval in the final minute of the session as the House adopted a plan that was rushed through the Senate.

The measure would lower corporate income tax rates, but could force the state's larger cities and counties to raise taxes or face a loss in revenue in the future.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has made tax cuts for economic development a centerpiece of her legislative agenda.

Failing upon adjournment was a proposal to expand background checks of people buying firearms from private sellers at gun shows.

The Senate debated the measure but it died as opponents offered repeated amendments until time ran out.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2965839.shtml?cat=504

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Comedian's sister, philandering ex-governor in South Carolina race (reuters)

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J.C.Penney places a bet on Joe Fresh

Amy Langfield ? ? ? 2 hrs.

Can a Canadian clothing company that's little-known in the U.S. help revive an American company that's in the doldrums? J.C. Penney seems to think so.

J.C. Penney Company, Inc., on Friday opened 681 Joe Fresh stores-within-a-store in hopes of reinvigorating its revenues and retail image by attracting new customers without alienating its long-time loyal shoppers.

Industry analysts warn the financial turnaround may take longer and cost more than investors like, however.

On Friday morning, Lara Raskin of Brooklyn was one of the first shoppers at the Penney's Manhattan Mall location on 33rd Street in New York City. She works nearby but had never set foot in the store until she came in specifically for the Joe Fresh launch. ?I saw this dress online and I wanted to try it on,? she said of a sleeveless black-and-white striped dress. ?It?s $39 and it looks like a good dress.?

She?s exactly the first-time shopper Penney is trying to lure with the new brands.

"I knew that as I walked in,? Raskin said, laughing. ?They?ve got me.?

Nearby, Ndeye Seydi of the Bronx had two Joe Fresh patterned blouses in her hand. She?s a long-time Penney shopper who said she?s noticed the big changes at the store lately and is impressed.

?I love it,? she said about the renovation, adding she had no complaints about the prices. She didn?t know Joe Fresh was launching today, but was glad she found the new shop.

?It?s good. I grabbed these already. I like the style. It feels like it?s going to be good,? Seydi said, touching the fabric.

In their hands, both Seydi and Raskin had $10 coupons, which were being handed out by employees.

Joe Cardamone, the Manhattan store leader, said Joe Fresh is the third store-within-a-store launch within the past two weeks that is geared to attracting new shoppers.

Cardamone said that, based on discussions with shoppers, they are ?big time first timers,? in Penney's new sections: Pearl by Georgina Chapman of Marchesa formalwear and Duro Olowu patterened apparel, home and accessories.

He has equally high expectations for Joe Fresh, a popular Canadian brand which had limited availability in the United States before its Penney deal.

Joe Fresh was created by Club Monaco co-founder Joseph Mimran. ?This is going to create so much energy and excitement,? Cardamone said of the Joe Fresh offerings.

Penney?s Joe Fresh line launched online during the Oscars and in the days after became the store?s most popular apparel brand and 61 percent of those shoppers were first-time jcp.com customers, CEO Ron Johnson said during a call with analysts Feb. 27.

The company does not plan to offer more specific numbers relating to shop performance until a full year?s worth of sales history is available.

The company has more partnerships lined up, including Michael Graves, Jonathan Adler, Terrance Conran, and a Martha Stewart deal that has been tied up in courts as Macy?s asserts it had an exclusive deal with her company. There are currently a dozen brand shops inside Penney stores, including Sephora cosmetics which was the first in 2006.

On Feb. 27, Penney reported a net loss of $985 million for the fiscal year ended Feb. 2.

Calls have been made for Johnson to resign. Johnson started at Penney at the end of 2011 after 11 years at Apple Inc as the senior vice president of retail.

While upbeat during his earnings call with analysts, Johnson admitted ?big mistakes? and laid out a plan to change.

?We worked really hard and tried many things to help the customer understand that she could shop any time on her terms,? he said. "But we learned she prefers a sale. At times, she loves a coupon. And always, she needs a reference price. Whether there's a manufacturer suggested price on a branded item, a comparison on a private-label item, or a sale, she needs to feel she added value to her family through the savings she got from being a savvy shopper. So we have brought back sales. We have brought back coupons for our rewards members, although we still call them gifts, and we will offer sales each and every week as we move forward.?

Wall Street analysts remain cautious about the execution of the strategy, with almost none recommending the stock as a buy, according to Thomson Reuters data.

?Our view has been and remains that over the longer term the combination of better merchandising and a more cohesive pricing and marketing message together with improved cost controls will lead to a significantly improved profit and return profile for JCP,? Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. analyst Brian Nagel wrote in his March 6 report downgrading the stock to perform from outperform. ?Near-term risks for JCP are severe, and we believe turning more treacherous for the company.?

Although he notes the shops-within-shops strategy is doing well ? in the third quarter they were tracking 30 percent ahead of pre-reset levels, he said ? lingering concerns include disruptions as the new home-goods areas are installed; an overall decline in foot traffic; and his forecasted cash burn of $900 million in the first quarter and $400 million in the second.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/j-c-penney-places-bet-joe-fresh-1C8881220

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Rafael Nadal Beats Roger Federer 6-4, 6-2 At Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. ? Lured by the anticipation of another duel between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, fans packed the main stadium at the BNP Paribas Open on a sultry evening in the desert.

After all, it was the first time in ATP Tour history that two players with 28 Grand Slam titles between them were meeting up.

What resulted, however, wasn't vintage Nadal vs. Federer.

With Nadal recovering from a left knee injury that knocked him out for seven months and Federer nursing a delicate back, they produced something less than classic Thursday night.

Capitalizing on Federer's errors, Nadal won their quarterfinal 6-4, 6-2 in the earliest meeting between the rivals since they first played each other in 2004.

"I played a fantastic first set," Nadal said. "The second set was strange. Roger didn't fight as usual. Probably he had some problems and he didn't feel enough comfortable to keep fighting."

Nadal needed barely 1 1/2 hours to close out the defending champion in their 29th career meeting and the first in a quarterfinal. Nadal faced just two break points on his serve in the match.

"Two weeks ago I didn't know if I can be here, and tomorrow I will be in semifinals here," Nadal said. "But is a big surprise for me to have these results. I was able to practice just a little before the comeback. Important thing is be healthy. And if that happens and I'm able to practice as much as I can, as much as I want, probably that the comeback will be a little bit less difficult, no?"

Nadal and Federer usually don't play each other until the semifinals and finals of tournaments, but the Indian Wells draw pitted them against each other in their earliest meeting since a third-round match at Miami nine years ago.

"You miss these moments this whole time, but play against Roger in any moment in any situation is special," Nadal said.

Nadal returned to the tour a month ago, winning two of three tournaments on clay after missing seven months because of a left knee injury. He had his knee wrapped and at times appeared to have a slight limp.

"No question, he's a bit careful at times, his movement. That's totally normal," Federer said. "Hasn't played for some time on hard court. I don't know if it's careful or if it's just getting used to it again."

Federer, at 31 the oldest player left in the draw, tweaked his back earlier in the tournament.

"I'm happy to be out there and able to compete, but it's obviously a small issue," he said. "That doesn't work against guys like Rafa, obviously."

Nadal served a love game to even the first set 3-all, then earned the only break in the next game, taking a 4-3 lead on a backhand passing shot. He went on to win two of the final three games as Federer pulled shots wide or dumped them into the net.

"The longer the match went on, I realized I had to change up my game. I played differently than I was hoping to be able to," said Federer, who started attacking more with mixed results in the second set. "He got more comfortable as the match went on. Obviously, once I was down a set I knew it was going to be difficult."

Federer faced a slew of break points in the second set, with Nadal converting in two of the first three games to take a 3-0 lead.

Federer briefly rallied, gaining one break back at 3-1, then losing just one point on his serve in the next game to get to 3-2. But Nadal won the final three games to claim the match in front of Andre Agassi.

"You could see at least I could serve full basically, and that always gives you a direction," said Federer, adding that he didn't want to talk about his back too much "because I don't like to undermine his performance, either."

A year ago, Federer beat Nadal in the semifinals on his way to a fourth Indian Wells title. Nadal leads their career series 19-10, and evened their head-to-head mark on hard courts at 6-6.

Still, Nadal wasn't feeling boastful.

"If I think that I am better than him because I beat him 19 against 10, I will be very stupid and very arrogant," he said. "This is not the case."

Nadal improved to 11-0 against top-10 opponents, with his last such loss coming here a year ago against Federer.

Nadal advanced to a semifinal against No. 6 Tomas Berdych, who beat Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4.

The women's draw was hit with the injury withdrawals of defending champion Victoria Azarenka and No. 7 seed Sam Stosur on Thursday.

Azarenka was scheduled to play No. 8 seed Caroline Wozniacki in a quarterfinal that would have pitted two former top-ranked players against each other. But she withdrew with a right ankle injury.

"It's already really painful, but it's very high risk to make it much worse," Azarenka said.

Stosur pulled out of her quarterfinal against No. 4 Angelique Kerber because of a right calf injury.

Wozniacki and Kerber moved into a semifinal against each other. No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 13 Maria Kirilenko will play in the other semi.

Azarenka had been in obvious pain during her earlier matches, but she downplayed it. She said her ankle has been bothering her since before she played Serena Williams in a New York exhibition on March 5.

"It's just worse," she said. "I tried not to practice yesterday, and to see if it will settle down at least a little bit. I felt yesterday was better, not walking in my tennis shoes. But today, once I started doing the exercise, that was it."

Azarenka said a doctor advised her to rest because her ankle has inflammation and tendinitis in it. She added that she plans to travel to Key Biscayne, Fla., for next week's tournament.

"The doctor said it might heal quick, the pain might go down quickly because of the inflammation going down, but the healing process is a little bit unknown," she said. "So that's frustrating for me as a player, not knowing."

Stosur hurt her calf muscle in the last game of a three-set win against Mona Barthel on Tuesday. The Australian didn't practice on Wednesday and iced her leg. Stosur was five minutes into her warm-up on Thursday when she realized she couldn't play.

She said this is only the second time she's pulled out of a match in her career and isn't sure how long she'll be sidelined.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/rafael-nadal-roger-federer-indian-wells_n_2881799.html

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What Did Your Father Teach You?

Answer the question, and your answer may be selected for inclusion in a future issue of Popular Mechanics. We're collecting DIY advice, life lessons, and other wisdom passed down from fathers to their children, and pulling it all together for feature story. We're particularly interested in DIY advice. For instance, renowned aircraft designer Burt Rutan tells us that when he was a kid, his father taught him how to catch blue jays using a four-bar trip mechanism and a box. Don't worry, the birds were unharmed. But Rutan gave us enough detail of how to build the trap that we will be able to illustrate it for the story. Meanwhile, Mark Reuss, the president of General Motors, shares the story of how his dad taught him to put a ring on a piston at the family auto repair and sales shop in Illinois.

Of course, you don't have to be a CEO or a famous designer to appear in our feature. We are talking to men and women of all ages to find out what their father taught them. The advice ranges from specific how-to information to ways to think or act or solve a problem.

If you have a great story to share, send us an email at pmwebmaster@hearst.com. Be sure to include your contact information, so that we can get in touch with you in the event that we want to publish your story.

Thanks for (potentially) contributing to Popular Mechanics!

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By submitting your anecdote and/or image, you give Popular Mechanics the right to publish your story and photo in the magazine or on the Web site.

Popular Mechanics reserves the right to use your real name or a pseudonym, as well as edit text for clarity and conciseness. All submissions become the property of Popular Mechanics. You represent that the information you give us will be truthful in every respect.

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Video: Chipper enjoying retirement

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Epic waits, ?gaming? the books at some VA hospitals

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

Some veterans are waiting six months to see VA doctors to fix their broken dentures or artificial knees and at least two veterans died last year from diseases ?due to delay in care? at their local VA hospitals, according congressional testimony delivered Thursday.

Meanwhile, staffers at several Veterans Affairs medical centers were found to have rigged computer records to make it appear as though there are little or no wait times for ex-service members when, in reality, backlogs for veterans needing exams and treatment can span six to eight weeks, additional testimony revealed.

?Delayed care is denied care,? said Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., during a House oversight hearing held to investigate why most veterans must wait 50 days on average to schedule initial exams with VA doctors.?Kirkpatrick spoke of one Iraq veteran in her district who required more than six months to book his initial consultation with a VA mental health provider.

?Veterans should not have yet another hoop to jump though. Access to health care should be easy to schedule,? Kirkpatrick said.

---

With the Department of Veterans Affairs already nine months behind in meeting?disability claims, the fresh anecdotal evidence of long veteran-patient waits prompted Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., to chastise the VA Deputy Under Secretary William Schoenhard: ?You?ve been here, in this position since 2009. You came in (and) the system was in chaos and not serving the veterans community. You?ve been there. You haven?t made a difference. And I have no reason to think that under your leadership, unfortunately, this job is going to get done.?

Coffman also waved a handful of VA records documenting the deaths in May of 2012 of two veterans, one in Georgia and one in South Carolina ? both of whom were ill and awaiting consultations with VA doctors. ?So by your own internal documents there are issues concerning the quality of care related to timeliness and, unfortunately, the loss of life unnecessarily of veterans. That?s particularly alarming,? Coffman said.

Earlier in the hearing, Schoenhard expressed his regret over any reported ?breakdown in care,? adding that ?any veteran who goes without timely care is one veteran too many in terms of our commitment to serve those who served us.? He testified that the VA is working to tighten its appointment system by better meshing its administrative and clinical functions and ensuring ?more robust training of our staff who schedule these patients.?

But equally troubling to members of the House Veterans? Affairs subcommittee: reports of VA employees who ? as Coffman described ? ?game the numbers? to deceptively make VA patient-wait times appear shorter. The Government Accountability Office discovered such altered computer records during recent inspections at four VA medical centers, a GAO official testified Thursday.

?Some staff told us they changed medical-appointment desired dates so that the wait times aligned with VA?s related performance goals ... We heard this across several facilities,? testified Debra A. Draper, director of health care at the GAO.

Draper testified that at one primary VA clinic, GAO investigators learned that a scheduler had changed dates (in a computer) ?to show there were no long wait times. At another specialty care clinic, we heard providers were changing (appointment) dates to make sure their data showed they were within the (desired) 14-day timeline of the VA. We also went to one specialty clinic (where) it showed a zero-day wait time (when) ... in reality there was a six-to-eight week backlog, at least.? ?

Asked by Kirkpatrick whether those VA schedulers ?were unduly influenced? by VA brass to purposely tweak the appointment records, Draper replied: ?We weren?t specifically told they were directed by management. The current (software) situation provides ample opportunity to change dates, whether intentional or not, to reflect the results you want to achieve.

?(However), these measures are included in VA?s budget submissions and in VA?s annual performance and accountability report,? Draper added. ?So there?s a lot of incentive around these measures.?

Related:?

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17315012-epic-waits-gaming-the-books-at-some-va-hospitals-testimony-reveals?lite

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Welker heads to Broncos, Bush to Lions

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks to wide receiver Wes Welker (83) before the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass. The Denver Broncos have found a new target for Peyton Manning, agreeing to a two-year deal with Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks to wide receiver Wes Welker (83) before the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass. The Denver Broncos have found a new target for Peyton Manning, agreeing to a two-year deal with Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Reggie Bush speaks at a news conference after agreeing to a four-year deal with the Detroit Lions NFL football team, Wednesday, March 13, 2013 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Detroit News, John T. Greilick) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Matt Dominik, left, and coach Greg Shiano, right, pose with the newest Buccaneer Dashon Goldson during an NFL football news conference on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 in Tampa, Fla. Free agent safety Dashon Goldson signed a $41.25 million, five-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. (AP Photo/The Tampa Tribune, Chris Urso) ST. PETERSBURG OUT; LAKELAND OUT; BRADENTON OUT; MAGS OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; WTSP CH 10 OUT; WFTS CH 28 OUT; WTVT CH 13 OUT; BAYNEWS 9 OUT

Teaming Wes Welker with Peyton Manning has John Elway excited about the possibilities for the Denver Broncos.

The former New England star receiver and longtime favorite target of Tom Brady signed a two-year deal with the Broncos on Tuesday, highlighting a busy Day 2 of NFL free agency.

"When you look at Wes in the middle of the field, you can't cover him," said Elway, the Broncos' boss. "He does such a tremendous job of getting open, finding seams in zones, beating man-to-man coverage. So, he'll be a huge asset for us inside."

Welker joins the Broncos, who had the AFC's best regular-season record last year, and gives Manning one of the steadiest targets the four-time league MVP has ever had. The best slot receiver in the league, Welker caught 118 passes for 1,354 yards and six TDs last season. That the Broncos are signing a top player away from New England certainly didn't hurt, either.

"Anytime you can take a player from a team you have to compete against, it helps, especially the caliber of Wes Welker," Elway said. "New England is there year in and year out and that's a team we have to beat to get where we want to get."

Denver also came to terms on a two-year deal with defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, formerly of Jacksonville, and a one-year contract with linebacker Stewart Bradley, who played with the Cardinals the past two seasons. Later in the evening, the team added cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with a one-year deal.

Also getting new deals were Reggie Bush in Detroit, Dashon Goldson in Tampa Bay, and even Ray Lewis ? with ESPN.

Bush agreed to a four-year deal and could fill a huge hole at running back. The Lions haven't been able to count on 2010 first-round draft pick Jahvid Best, whose career is in doubt because of concussion issues.

"It's a running back's dream," Bush said. "One of the reasons I wanted to come here is to be able to bring a balanced attack."

Bush adds to a strong offense led by record-setting All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson. The second overall pick in 2006 by New Orleans, Bush rushed for 986 yards for Miami last season after gaining 1,086 yards in 2011, his first year with the Dolphins.

"The thing that was important to us was not just the talent of Reggie Bush, but also the way those talents complemented the other players we have on offense," coach Jim Schwartz said. "That was really the basis of our interest in Reggie."

The Lions also landed safety Glover Quin and defensive end Jason Jones and retained cornerback Chris Houston.

All-Pro safety Goldson gets a five-year contract worth $41.25 million. He receives $8.25 million per year and $22 million in guaranteed money. He spent the past two seasons on one-year contracts with the 49ers, including last year with the franchise tag for $6.2 million.

"Hard work really pays off. I remember signing up to play football, hiding it from my mom," as a youngster growing up in Harbor City, Calif., Goldson said. "My journey, I wouldn't say it was rough, but it was a little rocky."

Free agent defensive back Charles Woodson had a meeting with the NFC champion Niners in the Bay Area on Wednesday, according to his agent, Carl Poston.

Also Wednesday, former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Glenn Dorsey signed a two-year contract after meeting with the Niners. The deal could pay Dorsey up to $7 million with incentives, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms weren't announced.

One day after signing five players to contracts, Pro Bowl safety LaRon Landry became the Indianapolis Colts' newest addition by signing a four-year contract with Indy late Wednesday night.

Last season, with the New York Jets, he was selected to the AFC's Pro Bowl team after recording a career-high 113 tackles, matching his career-high with two interceptions and forcing four fumbles.

Cleveland remained active, agreeing to terms with linebacker Quentin Groves and tackle Desmond Bryant to further bolster a defense that added Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger hours after free agency began.

Kruger is one of many Super Bowl winners to leave the Ravens, including hard-hitting safety Bernard Pollard, who was released Wednesday. The biggest loss for Baltimore was an expected departure: Lewis announced in early January that he was ending his 17-year career. Then he led the Ravens to the championship.

On Wednesday, he joined ESPN as a studio analyst ? an intense one, no doubt.

"I'm ready to bring the same level of passion to this next phase of my life as I brought to the field during my years as a player," Lewis said.

Baltimore signed defensive lineman Chris Canty, offensive lineman Ramon Harewood and running back Damien Berry.

Kansas City added cornerback Dunta Robinson, receiver Donnie Avery and offensive lineman Bryan Mattison to the three free agents it signed the previous day when the marketplace opened.

Chicago released tight end Kellen Davis and also terminated the contract of tight end Matt Spaeth after signing Martellus Bennett away from the Giants on Tuesday to replace him.

The Giants signed 11-year veteran place kicker Josh Brown, who joins former Cowboys kicker David Buehler on the roster and apparently indicating free agent Lawrence Tynes won't be back. Tynes has made winning field goals in two NFC championship games in overtime and the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl in those seasons.

Arizona, in dire need of help in the backfield, agreed on a one-year contract with former Steelers starter Rashard Mendenhall. For three of his seasons, Mendenhall's offensive coordinator was new Cardinals coach Bruce Arians.

The Cardinals also cut free safety Kerry Rhodes, a move that cleared $6 million in salary cap space, and added cornerback Jerraud Powers, safety Yeremiah Bell, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and quarterback Drew Stanton.

Also Wednesday:

?Tennessee introduced four new players late Wednesday with guard Andy Levitre, running back Shonn Greene, defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill and tight end Delanie Walker. A couple hours later, they also agreed to terms with linebacker Moise Fokou. They also re-signed their own fullback Quinn Johnson.

?Miami already had signed linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and added to that unit Wednesday by giving Philip Wheeler a five-year contract, worth $26 million, half of that guaranteed. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and played last season for the Raiders, where he had career highs of 109 tackles and three sacks.

The Dolphins released linebackers Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett.

?Minnesota re-signed LB Erin Henderson and WR Jerome Simpson, while Washington did the same with DE Kedric Golston.

?Buffalo addressed a need at linebacker by signing seven-year veteran Manny Lawson. The Bills are switching from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4 under new coordinator Mike Pettine.

?The New York Jets re-signed fullback Lex Hilliard to a one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the move. Hilliard was signed in the middle of last season to replace John Conner.

?The Dallas Cowboys are releasing veteran defensive tackle Marcus Spears, with the move designated for June 1, when it will save the Cowboys $2 million against the salary cap. Spears, who turned 30 last week, was the second of two first-round picks after DeMarcus Ware in 2005.

?Seattle and defensive end Cliff Avril reached agreement on a deal that addresses one of Seattle's big offseason concerns, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The agreement was still pending a physical.

?Pittsburgh found its backup to QB Ben Roethlisberger in a Steel City native, Bruce Gradkowski. The 30-year-old Gradkowski is 6-14 as a starter with Oakland, Cleveland and Tampa Bay. He spent the 2011-12 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, appearing in five games.

Pittsburgh also released oft-injured offensive lineman Willie Colon.

?Jacksonville released receiver Laurent Robinson, the latest high-priced player let go as part of the team's rebuilding project. Robinson signed a five-year, $32.5 million free agent-contract last season before missing considerable time with concussions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-14-FBN-Free-Agency/id-6881ed067dd24a53a4ce3d097a8c0d0b

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