Most errors are quickly forgotten. Others end up remaking the face of science
By David Kaiser and Angela N. H. Creager
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May 29, 2012
Image: Photograph by Dan Saelinger
In Brief
Mistakes can push scientific understanding forward. Errors that touch on deep features of the world can be more valuable in the long run than narrowly correct ideas.
Famously important scientific mistakes include Niels Bohr?s atomic model, the theory of continental drift (in its original form) and the experiments of Enrico Fermi that led to nuclear fission.
Two less well-known errors also stand out: a vagabond physicist devised a faster-than-light telegraph in the 1980s. The hunt to uncover its flaws drove advances in quantum information theory.
In the 1940s Max Delbr?ck, the key founder of molecular biology, based his research on a number of incorrect and misleading assumptions. He would go on to win a Nobel Prize.
Perhaps more than any other profession, science places a premium on being correct. Of course, most scientists?like most living humans?make plenty of mistakes along the way. Yet not all errors are created equal. Historians have unearthed a number of instances in which an incorrect idea proved far more potent than thousands of others that were trivially mistaken or narrowly correct. These are the productive mistakes: errors that touch on deep, fundamental features of the world around us and prompt further research that leads to major breakthroughs. Mistakes they certainly are. But science would be far worse off without them.
Niels Bohr, for example, created a model of the atom that was wrong in nearly every way, yet it inspired the quantum-mechanical revolution. In the face of enormous skepticism, Alfred Wegener argued that centrifugal forces make the continents move (or ?drift?) along the surface of the earth. He had the right phenomenon, albeit the wrong mechanism. And Enrico Fermi thought that he had created nuclei heavier than uranium, rather than (as we now know) having stumbled on nuclear fission.
Bieber pays homage to Motown soul with new Believe single. By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber on his "Believe" album cover Photo: Justin Bieber/ Twitter
Justin Bieber's new single "Die in Your Arms" is full of funky beats, Motown harmonies and good old-fashioned romantic longing. In the song, produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Bieber just wants to make the apple of his eye believe he loves her so much that he'd rather die in her arms than be away from her for too long.
The song's vintage swing, finger snaps and melodies certainly recall the heyday of feel-good R&B from the 1960s, which is mirrored in the song's sentiment. On the chorus, Bieber sings, "Honestly, the truth is, if I could just die in your arms/ I wouldn't mind/ 'Cause every time you touch me/ I just die in your arms/ It feels so right/ So baby, baby, baby, please don't stop girl."
In keeping with the song's vintage feel, at one point, he breaks from singing to say, "Oh, baby, I know loving you ain't easy, but it sure is worth a try."
"Die" is the follow-up to the more pop-'n'-b-leaning "Boyfriend," which he dropped back in March. Last week he dropped a remix to the song, featuring 2 Chainz, Mac Miller and Asher Roth, which certainly ups the song's hip-hop ante quite a bit. "And we can be like Selena and Biebs/ Wild and free, a couple disobedient teens/ Sneaking out to meet like two o' clock in the eve/ Paparazzi ain't a problem, we just hide on the beach," Roth spits on the track.
Bieber is currently abroad promoting his June 19 album release, Believe, amid allegations he got into a scuffle with a paparazzo over the weekend while out in Los Angeles with girlfriend Selena Gomez.
"i hope when you guys hear #BELIEVE you finally understand how i feel about you. I appreciate and love you. this is about us. thank you," he tweeted over the weekend about the album release, shortly after news broke of the fray with the photographer.
Lionel Richie has another hit on his hands. Renowned for his storied career in soul and R&B, Richie recently released an ode to his southern roots "Tuskegee" -- named for his hometown in Alabama. The album features 13 of Richie's timeless hits, performed this time as duets with today's country stars.
Richie asked each of his collaborators to create new arrangements without making the song unrecognizable. The result: a new twist on old favorites that has rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 200. Richie joins Ray Charles as the only other artist in history to have a No. 1 album on both the Billboard Country Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
Richie's career began over 40 years ago as the front man for the Commodores, the popular 1970s Motown band. With hits like "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady," "Sail On" and "Still," Richie catapulted to stardom, with three platinum albums, five Grammy awards and an Academy Award in 1984 for Best Original Song. The Huffington Post caught up with Richie to find out what it's like to be back at the top of the charts at age 62.
With so many accolades, I imagine some artists would kick back at this point in their careers. Why try again with "Tuskegee"?
A lot of people ask me that and my answer is "this is all I know how to do." If you ask me what my hobby was when growing up, I would tell you "writing songs." And probably the best part of what I do is taking it one step further, reinventing every day. For example, when I wrote "Three Times A Lady," they said, "Oh my god, you can never write anything better than that." So I wrote "All Night Long" -- something totally different. And they said the same thing. So that's what I do, even after all these years. I try to find another avenue. I'm from Alabama and it was time for me to go back and discover my country roots.
Of your many duet partners on "Tuskegee" -- from Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett to Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain -- who surprised you the most and why?
Normally, when one does an album and brings in other artists, most of the arrangements are still geared to the original artist. For instance, in a Sinatra album, all of the arrangements are geared to Sinatra so that the songs still feel very Frank. I decided instead to customize each song to the style of my partner so that the songs, while never entirely losing their original feel to the listener, could really jive with my collaborator. I let them record it the way they wanted and put myself into their tracks, their arrangements. I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to do that again, but it sure was exciting.
So, given that, I would say Jennifer Nettles really blew me away with her version of "Hello." When she said, "I'm going to sing 'Hello' the way I would sing 'Hello'," I said, "Give it your best shot." And when I heard it, I said "oh my god -- what the heck are you doing?" Because she has a voice that is just unbelievable. When she came out, all I could think of was, "how do I get back on my own record?" So she surprised me the most with her vocal power. (See the slideshow below for a performance by Richie and Nettles.)
What ignites your creativity?
Passion first. Whether it's falling in love, falling out of love, being lonely for love, or searching for love, there's a passion to all of it. So what I seek out in my life is real true emotions. Authenticity. And when I sit down to write, I tap into that. You know how it feels when you're listening to a great sermon and you feel "ahhhh, that hits a chord, he's speaking to me"? That's where I go to write. I look at touching others. And then try to say it in the very simplest way, distill it down to the basics.
Your songs are to you, I imagine, your babies. What is one of your very favorites and why?
Interestingly, I actually had to live life for my own songs to come full circle and touch me in the deepest ways. In the past, sometimes, when I would sing All Night Long at a concert, I might see someone crying. And that didn't make sense because that's supposed to be a happy song. Or when I would sing "Still," I might see someone laughing. And that didn't make sense because that's supposed to be a sad song.
But now, having been through the experiences of my lifetime, I hear these songs, and even the words I wrote myself, very differently. I wrote "Still," for instance, about another person's breakup, not my own. I now feel it differently, having experienced two divorces. But if I had to choose, it would be "Easy Like Sunday Morning," because it was from a part of my life when I worked so hard and everyone tried to make me into something and someone I didn't want to be. I just wanted to be myself. And so that song will always resonate for me.
And "Hello" will also probably be one of my favorites forever. I wasn't the jock in school growing up -- too slow for track, too small for football, too short for basketball -- so I wasn't the most popular kid on the block. "Hello" will always remind me of those times when I saw a guy walking into a party with a beautiful girl and I dreamed that she was looking for me. And what I learned was that there was an entire world of people who felt invisible as I did and dreamed like me.
Looking back, what was it, or who was it, that first led you to believe that you could be a successful artist and musician? What gave you the courage to go for a dream?
I give a great deal of credit to the Commodores. I grew up in a small community, a place where everyone seemed to know me. They knew that I couldn't play football; that I played tennis, which, in Alabama during the civil rights movement, didn't earn me Mr. Popularity. That I was a smart kid. And that community impression became my impression of myself.
But when I went to college, I met a guy from Florida, Thomas McClary, who didn't grow up with me. He said, "I heard you brought your horn with you. You want to join a band?" And he introduced me to the drummer, who was from Florida. And then to the keyboard player, who was from Mississippi. They didn't seem to care that I wasn't the basketball player, the football player, the lover. It was so freeing to see myself through their eyes and not buy into the limitations I knew from my own small town.
These guys gave me a chance because they said, "Hey Rich, can you sing?" And even though I was just a shower singer, it was a little secret of mine, I had the chance to go for it. Then I met Suzanne De Passe, who discovered the Commodores for the Jackson 5 Tour. She said she liked the lead singer and I thought, "who, me?" And then we joined Motown. Finally, there was Dick Clark. He told me I was going to host the American Music Awards. When I said, "I have no experience," he said, "I know. You school boys are all the same -- you think you need a diploma before you think you know what you can do. You can host the show because I say you can host the show." Sometimes you find that there are people who can see your potential before you can see it. Or believe in you before you do.
Did you deem it risky to sing? Would you call yourself a risk-taker?
Joining the Commodores didn't seem risky to me at the time. I believed in the dream. Of course, I was young and naive. It sure was risky to my mom and dad! "Hey, I'm quitting school to join a group called the Commodores, we're the black Beatles and we're going to take over the world." They didn't love it. And when they told me it was risky, I said that if it all goes wrong, I can still be a lawyer or a doctor by age 27. That this was my time to go for it. That's when they said, "OK, take your shot." Becoming a songwriter, that was risky. Because they were my words, my voice. I wasn't just singing someone else's story. I went for it because I knew if I made it, it would be on my own songs.
You now have a daughter, Nicole, in the public eye. Having lived in it for so long, what advice do you find yourself giving her?
Well, her generation is experiencing something that my generation never had to worry about. In mine, we had privacy. I could go to London, Rome, Amsterdam -- do something completely crazy, out of my mind -- and return home as little Richie. No one would know about it. Even in celebrity we had privacy. Now, everything one does is captured for eternity. I want to see Nicole's generation run for president. I don't know how it will be possible when every high school tweet, every frat picture, every move is captured on someone's phone.
So I tell her, always remember one thing -- whatever you do now is forever. Our parents could tell us stories and we believed what they told us. It won't be so for this generation. Their kids will be able to see and know things that they never would have wanted to share. We really don't even know what the consequences of all this exposure will be to future generations.
At this stage of life, what's one rule you feel you can break with impunity?
To a certain degree, I can be brutally honest. My grandmother used to always say, "if you are afraid of the truth, don't ask children or old people." Children don't know better and old people don't care. Tact is good but at a certain point, a person knows what he likes and doesn't like, what he is willing to do and not do, and honesty becomes the way to go. I can now change my mind without feeling guilty. I love that I can simply say no and not have to explain why.
What's one thing you wish you knew when you you were growing up?
I wish I would have understood what marriage was all about. We fall into love so easily because it is so innocent and so magical but the reality of it is so different. Marriage comes with a great deal of responsibility. A lot of compromise and work. If I knew then what I know now, as the expressions goes, I would've figured out a lot of things and that would have changed my whole life's course. But even though I wish I knew better, I wouldn't really change anything.
What do you want people to know about you that they might not already know?
I'm a jokester. I really love humor. My father used to always say to me, "You can lose your job, your house, your money. But if you lose your mind, then your life is over. And the only way to keep your mind, is to have sense of humor -- about yourself and about life." He had a very serious life and yet he had a great sense of humor. So I live my life by those words. I try to find the adults who still have the children in them -- and hang around with them. It's much more fun.
Is there any stage, literally or metaphorically, on which you still yearn to play?
Yes. The one role I want to play is Dad. I have great stories, great lessons and I want to share them with my kids, and with my grandkids. Of course, it's their lives and they will all do what they want to do anyway. But I want to pay attention to their growing up. Because the best thing that happened to me when I was growing up was that somebody was paying attention to me. If I could win on the fatherhood stage and as a great friend to those in my life, then I will be really happy.
Will you ever retire?
I don't know how! That's the good news for me. I keep waking up every morning with another idea. This is the love affair i'm having. Someone asked me when i'm going to retire and I said "from what?" You only retire from a job. And this has never been a job. It's my life.
'Tuskegee' (2012)
Lionel Richie Scores First #1 Album In 26 Years With Tuskegee
Richie's latest album "Tuskegee" debuted on the Top 200, giving Richie his first #1 album in 26 years. Richie recently performed hits from the album on "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie & Friends In Concert," which aired on CBS. Richie's other #1 albums as a solo artist are "Can't Slow Down" (1983) and "Dancing On The Ceiling" (1986).
Lionel Richie And Friends In Concert
Singer/songwriter Lionel Richie performs during Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert presented by ACM.
Lionel Richie And Friends In Concert
'All Night Long' (live, 2012)
'Hello' (live featuring Jennifer Nettles, 2012)
Tim McGraw And Lionel Richie Perform 'Sail On'
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie arrives at the NARM Music Biz Awards dinner party.
Lionel Richie
Singer Lionel Richie arrives at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the Kennedy Center Honor gala performance.
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I have a wife, son, daughter on the way, an internet business and etc. My life is caved with responsibilities.
And if I?m busy?I KNOW you?re busy!
Which brings me to our? next point: outsourcing.
What is Outsourcing
Simply put: its delegating responsibilities of your business to someone else to free up your time and leverage your success. Some outsourcing example are:
a)???? Customer Service & Admin
Customer Service, email management and answering phone calls
Updating your databases of clients and of subscribers
Managing projects and coordinating members of your team
Event Management: booking venue, managing logistics and AV, etc.
Preparing monthly sales & expenses reports, paying suppliers, etc.
Travel arrangements: booking flights, hotels, taxis, holidays, etc.
b)??? Web design
Setting up blogs and websites
Setting up membership sites
Graphic design
c)???? Writing & content creation
Transcribing interviews
Writing ebooks and courses
Updating your membership sites with new content
d)??? Traffic Generation
Researching and contacting potential joint venture partners for adswaps
Contacting potential Joint Venture partners for ?Webinar swaps?
Managing your Facebook account
Managing your YouTube account
Managing your LinkedIn accounts
Managing your Twitter accounts
Updating your blog
Building niche WordPress blogs that sell affiliate products
Updating your eBay listings
Creating Facebook Pages
Managing your Facebook Pages
Getting more fans for your Facebook Pages
Managing your Facebook Ads campaigns
Organizing Facebook Events to promote your events
Inviting your subscribers to join you on Facebook
The possibilities really are endless!!
I have been on a outsourcing spree. Granted, some have not panned out like I expected, but others have surpasses my wildest dreams!
Top Resources?to Outsource
You can hire outsourcers from all over the world (I?m epsecially fond of countries OUTSIDE the US and UK as the cost of living in these countries is astronomical in comparison to India or the Phillipines). Check out these sites:
But what do you think? Can outsourcing work for you? What has been your experience with it?
Security experts have discovered a highly sophisticated computer virus in Iran and other Middle East countries that they believe was deployed at least five years ago to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage.
Evidence suggest that the virus, dubbed "Flame," may have been built on behalf of the same nation or nations that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010, according to Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security software maker that claimed responsibility for discovering the virus.
Kaspersky researchers said on Monday they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it.
Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet.
Cyber security experts said the discovery publicly demonstrates what experts privy to classified information have long known: that nations have been using pieces of malicious computer code as weapons to promote their security interests for several years.
"This is one of many, many campaigns that happen all the time and never make it into the public domain," said Alexander Klimburg, a cyber security expert at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs.
A cyber security agency in Iran said on its English website that Flame bore a "close relation" to Stuxnet, the notorious computer worm that attacked that country's nuclear program in 2010 and is the first publicly known example of a cyber weapon.
Iran's National Computer Emergency Response Team also said Flame might be linked to recent cyber attacks that officials in Tehran have said were responsible for massive data losses on some Iranian computer systems.
Kaspersky Lab said it discovered Flame after a U.N. telecommunications agency asked it to analyze data on malicious software across the Middle East in search of the data-wiping virus reported by Iran.
Stuxnet connection
Experts at Kaspersky Lab and Hungary's Laboratory of Cryptography and System Security who have spent weeks studying Flame said they have yet to find any evidence that it can attack infrastructure, delete data or inflict other physical damage.
Yet they said they are in the early stages of their investigations and that they may discover other purposes beyond data theft. It took researchers months to determine the key mysteries behind Stuxnet, including the purpose of modules used to attack a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Iran.
"Their initial research suggest that this was probably written by the authors of Stuxnet for covert intelligence collection," said John Bumgarner, a cyber warfare expert with the non-profit U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit think tank.
Flame appears poised to go down in history as the third major cyber weapon uncovered after Stuxnet and its data-stealing cousin Duqu, named after the Star Wars villain.
The Moscow-based company is controlled by Russian malware researcher Eugene Kaspersky. It gained notoriety after solving several mysteries surrounding Stuxnet and Duqu.
Their research shows the largest number of infected machines are in Iran, followed by Israel and the Palestinian territories, then Sudan and Syria.
The virus contains about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet, which caused centrifuges to fail at the Iranian enrichment facility it attacked. It has about 100 times as much code as a typical virus designed to steal financial information, said Kaspersky Lab senior researcher Roel Schouwenberg.
Gathering data
Flame can gather data files, remotely change settings on computers, turn on PC microphones to record conversations, take screen shots and log instant messaging chats.
Kaspersky Lab said Flame and Stuxnet appear to infect machines by exploiting the same flaw in the Windows operating system and that both viruses employ a similar way of spreading.
That means the teams that built Stuxnet and Duqu might have had access to the same technology as the team that built Flame, Schouwenberg said.
He said that a nation state would have the capability to build such a sophisticated tool, but declined to comment on which countries might do so.
The question of who built flame is sure to become a hot topic in the security community as well as the diplomatic world.
There is some controversy over who was behind Stuxnet and Duqu. Some experts suspect the United States and Israel, a view that was laid out in a January 2011 New York Times report that said it came from a joint program begun around 2004 to undermine what they say are Iran's efforts to build a bomb.
The U.S. Defense Department, CIA, State Department, National Security Agency, and U.S. Cyber Command declined to comment.
Hungarian researcher Boldizsar Bencsath, whose Laboratory of Cryptography and Systems Security first discovered Duqu, said his analysis shows that Flame may have been active for at least five years and perhaps eight years or more.
That implies it was active long before Stuxnet.
"It's huge and overly complex, which makes me think it's a first-generation data gathering tool," said Neil Fisher, vice president for global security solutions at Unisys Corp. "We are going to find more of these things over time."
Others said that cyber weapons technology has inevitably advanced since Flame was built.
"The scary thing for me is: if this is what they were capable of five years ago, I can only think what they are developing now," Mohan Koo, managing director of British-based Dtex Systems cyber security company.
Some experts speculated that the discovery of the virus may have dealt a psychological blow to its victims, on top of whatever damage Flame may have already inflicted to their computers.
"If a government initiated the attack it might not care that the attack was discovered," said Klimburg of the Austrian Institute for International Affairs. "The psychological effect of the penetration could be nearly as profitable as the intelligence gathered."
(Additional reporting by Jim Wolf in Washington, Daniel Fineran in Dubai and William Maclean in London; editing by Edward Tobin, Ron Popeski and Mohammad Zargham)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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Source: topics.nytimes.com --- Monday, May 28, 2012 The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the economy could contract 1.3 percent in the first half of 2013 if several big tax increases and spending cuts take effect. ...
There are many home remodeling careers you can do in the event you understand them, as opposed to a lot more committed and hard home improvement tasks. Use the tips below to help you understand a little more about home improvement projects and what type of work, some time and costs is included just before moving in. Speak to your neighborhood friends about developing a device swimming pool area. As an alternative to acquiring pricey specific resources for one usage, acquire esoteric products from your neighbors who also enjoys redecorating assignments. Both of you may help by revealing recommendations. Thus, distinct and appealing front doors have the ability to significantly boost a home?s value. Although you may can?t swap the entire front door, a cover of color plus a new doorknob can provide your older door a brand new look. One particular development that may make life simpler is changing regular paneling in locations with many different water lines with waterproof paneling. Normal water-resilient walls board is typically called ?environmentally friendly board.? Most natural panels are dealt with to face up to normal water preservation, along with the mold that generally will grow in damp environments. Consider switching out each of the lights in your home for energy efficient ones. These light bulbs lessen your price in electricity bills, and they are eco-friendly they have a longer life-span than the conventional lights, and are generally greater in lumens for each watt. Replace aged light bulbs with power efficient lights as they blow out. Take into account extra padding the sides of sharp furnishings for those who have young kids or clumsy pets. You can also turn this in to an elegant do-it-on your own venture. This can be achieved with sometimes area protectors or foam adhesive tape. Also, make certain that all loose wire connections are secure to protect yourself from the chance that your particular child may be strangled by it. An aura conditioner may possibly stick out like a painful thumb in your garden decoration, however it is a much needed home appliance in several environment locations. If you are the environment conditioner is detracting from the look of your house, use a trellis or latticework to disguise it. You may also try planting ornamental grasses, like pampas grass, in your community, so long as you keep 12 ? in between the model as well as the roots. Ordinary lampshades can make the entire space look dull. Using acrylic color and stencils, you can include excellent models to the lampshades. Spicing up your light hues will make an unexpected distinction from the personality of any place. Save cash on renovations by becoming a member of along with your nearby neighbors and establishing a ?community toolbox?. You won?t must spend some money booking or purchasing costly instruments and also the operator may also grow to be a specialist at operating the item. You can also industry recommendations along with your next door neighbor. Look at your home?s water utilization when organizing home remodeling tasks. Very low-movement choices to lavatories, heating units and shower room heads are easily available. These types of fixtures help make your property appear modern and eco-friendly, along with save a little money on your own charges. You should think of your options with regards to home security when you are selling your property. Needless to say, it could be essential in the event the property is in the terrible community and nobody is dwelling there constantly to view around it. With any good fortune, the following tips will help you see what rewards redesigning provides. Taking on redecorating assignments could make you feel happy about where you live. If you learn to do your own house development, you save money and make helpful alterations to your house, all while having fun.
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Minister Xasa was greeted at the Seychelles stand by Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture.
Minister Xasa was accompanied by the Chairman of SA Tourism and other high-level South African tourism officials. At the Seychelles stand, it was an opportunity for Minister St.Ange to remind the South African dignitaries of the exceptional beauty of the tropical islands of the Seychelles now fast becoming the new destination for South African holidaymakers. Minister Alain St.Ange also took the opportunity to update Minister Tokozile Xasa and her delegation that Air Seychelles had now confirmed to increase its weekly service to Johannesburg to 4 flights as from January 2013.
?Seychelles has always been the dream holiday tropical island for South Africans,? Minister St.Ange said to press in South Africa after the visit to the Seychelles stand at INDABA. ?We remain a top destination for big game and fly-fishing enthusiasts from South Africa. In Seychelles, when you go fishing, you catch fish, and this the South African fishermen just love,? the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said.
Earlier the same day, the Seychelles Minister St.Ange had met with the South African Minister responsible for Tourism, Mr. Marthinus Van Schalkwyk. The two Ministers discussed cooperation between their two countries and the coming Routes Africa conference due to be held in Seychelles in July. Minister Van Schalkwyk is one of the ministers from Africa who has been invited to address Routes AFrica alongside the Seychelles Minister responsible for Internal Affairs&Transport, the Zimbabwe Minister for Tourism, the President of La Reunion, and the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines among other industry leaders and professionals.
The South Africa TV and written press are also expected to be traveling to Seychelles to cover Routes Africa 2012 and the presentation by their Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk.
?The visit by the South African Minister to Seychelles will be an opportunity to consolidate the friendly ties that exist between Seychelles and South Africa. This will be the first visit by Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, and we remain convinced that he will leave our shores as an Ambassador for our islands,? the Seychelles Minister told the press in Durban, South Africa.
I?m looking for a good business networking site? where I can meet other entrepreneurs and share experiences and helpful information. Anything like that? I don?t like the Myspace groups as those tend to get cluttered with self promotion ads. What do you think about FACEBOOK ?
http://stores.ebay.com/MOHICAN-TRADING-POST??..
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Since its IPO earlier this month, Facebook has wasted no time in expanding its empire -- it's already purchased the Karma mobile gifting service and launched a standalone camera app -- and talk about the social network's next steps doesn't seem to be quieting down. The latest rumor, from Pocket Lint, says Facebook is looking to buy the Opera browser as part of its larger effort to compete against Google, Mozilla and other internet mammoths. According to a source at Opera Software who spoke with Pocket Lint, the company is shopping around for potential buyers and has even imposed a hiring freeze. While it's not too hard to believe that Facebook is readying its horse to enter the browser race, this rumor is just that: a rumor. But given the social network's tendency to whip out new features at warp speed, we should have something more solid than speculation soon -- if the Opera purchase story has any legs, that is.
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Band will perform at the July 22 show, marking their first performance in nearly three years. By James Montgomery
No Doubt's Gwen Stefani Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
No Doubt are putting the finishing touches on their first album in more than a decade (we still don't know what it's called, but we do know it'll be in stores September 25), and now, they've announced their return to the stage: July 22, at the Teen Choice Awards.
The band broke the news via their Twitter account, writing, "You may have heard the rumors ... and yes, we will be performing on the Teen Choice Awards in July!"
At the moment, No Doubt are the only artists confirmed to play the TCAs, which air July 22 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. It also marks their first performance since wrapping a summer tour with Paramore in 2009 and a pair of Bridge School benefit shows in October of the same year.
In recent months, there's been an uptick in activity on the follow-up to 2001's Rock Steady album, which No Doubt have been working on in earnest since 2008. Sessions for the new album have been helmed by producer Mark "Spike" Stent, and the band has been keeping fans updated on developments through Twitter and with in-studio videos. The first of those videos shows ND polishing a Diplo and Switch track called "Push and Shove" and, according to their tweets, other new tunes include "Undone" and "Heaven."
Last summer, Rolling Stone got an advance listen to a handful of songs from the album, including "Settle Down" and "One More Summer." It's not known if those tunes will end up making the final cut for the still-untitled album.
Are you excited for No Doubt to get back onstage again? Tell us in the comments!
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Running home to catch "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" after school as a kid, I never would've thought that 15 years later I'd be standing on the deck of the USS Intrepid watching Will Smith lead the crowd in singing the famous theme song. But that's exactly what I experienced last night. Columbia Pictures treated [...]
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, center, arrives at federal court in Washington in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, center, arrives at federal court in Washington in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
FILE - In this March 4, 2003 file photo, Baltimore Orioles' David Segui reacting after striking out during a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Segui says he was told as far back as 2001 that Roger Clemens' strength coach had kept evidence against the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. Segui testified Thursday about a telephone conversion he had with Brian McNamee 11 years ago. Segui said McNamee "mentioned that he had kept darts to get his wife off his back." (AP Photo/Roberto Borea, File)
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens arrives at federal court in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, center, follows his attorney Rusty Hardin, right, as they arrive at federal court in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2012. Attorney Michael Attanasio is at left. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens arrives at federal court in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? David Segui remembered "darts" but not dates.
The former major leaguer testified for the prosecution Thursday in the Roger Clemens perjury trial, and he would have made a much better witness if he kept a better mental calendar. As it was, Segui was able to recall one specific moment that helped the government's case: a telephone conversation he says he had with Clemens' strength coach 11 years ago.
"He mentioned that he had kept darts to get his wife off his back," Segui said.
With those words, Segui echoed the testimony of the six-week-old trial's key witness. Brian McNamee told the jury last week that he saved a needle and other materials from an alleged steroids injection of Clemens in 2001. McNamee testified he was trying to allay his wife's fears he would take all the blame if the drug use was discovered.
"He mentioned that the relationship between Brian and Roger had put stress on his married life. ... Coming and going ... leaving at the drop of a hat to go train," said Segui, recalling other parts of the conversation.
Segui, who has acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs during his 15-year baseball career with seven teams, wasn't allowed to say that "darts" means "needles." The judge ruled that the jurors will have to make that assumption themselves ? unless McNamee were to return to the stand to explain.
Segui, who became friends with McNamee when they met in Toronto during the 1999 season, also wasn't allowed to relate a second, similar "darts" conversation because he couldn't remember when it happened. He was certain it occurred before the publication of the 2007 Mitchell Report on drug use in sports, but that wasn't good enough for U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton.
"You are to disregard the question," the judge told the jurors, who had been ushered from the courtroom as the lawyers debated the matter.
"I'm not good with dates. I don't log my life," said Segui, who also couldn't remember at what point during the '99 season he was traded from Seattle to Toronto.
Clemens is charged with lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied using steroids and human growth hormone. McNamee says he injected Clemens with both substances and saved some of the waste from the 2001 injection in a beer can.
Clemens' lawyers have implied that McNamee conjured up the evidence after becoming the subject of federal and Mitchell Report investigators in 2007. Segui's testimony was allowed by the judge because it appears to contradict that argument, a significant victory for the prosecution. Another witness, former McNamee workout client Anthony Corso, is expected to give similar testimony Friday as the government wraps up its case.
Segui, whom the government portrayed as a reluctant witness, said under cross-examination that McNamee didn't attach a specific name to the "darts," but that he knew McNamee was training Clemens at the time.
"All I know is what I was told over the phone," said Segui, raising his hands as if to pantomime pushing away. "I didn't see it, didn't ask to see it."
The jurors wanted to know more, especially about the second conversation that Segui wasn't allowed to recall. At least one juror submitted a written question about that conversation. That prompted the judge to admonish the panel: "I've legally ruled that is not before you."
Segui was a colorful witness: He said baseball was "prehistoric" because "they're still doing jumping jacks." He was quite a contrast to Thursday's three other witnesses ? experts with lengthy credentials who used big words over agonizingly tedious hours of testimony.
FBI forensic examiner Pamela Reynolds and Jeremy Price, who used to work in the nonprofit Anti-Doping Research laboratory, revealed what the jury must have suspected all along ? that the beer can evidence does indeed contain traces of steroids.
Price also said the items he tested did not show any traces of a popular type of the vitamin B12 or the anesthetic Lidocaine. Clemens has said he was given injections of B12 and Lidocaine by McNamee, instead of steroids and HGH.
Clemens' lawyers did not dispute the experts' findings, but they again suggested under cross-examination that the evidence was fabricated by McNamee and contaminated by the way it was stored ? kept for several years in a FedEx box in the strength coach's house.
Defense lawyer Michael Attanasio asked whether Price would be concerned if evidence were kept in a "private residence for six or seven years." Price danced around an answer by saying it "depends on what kind of sample."
Attanasio also posed a hypothetical: If he had a syringe with B12, used it, cleaned it out and then put in steroids, would the test reveal the B12?
Price said he didn't know.
Attanasio also made it clear that the experts couldn't say who, if anyone, used the steroids. The government will offer its evidence for that connection Friday, when forensic scientist Alan Keel, who was using terms such as "heterozygote" and "homozygote" as the clock approached 5 p.m., returns to the stand. He's expected to say Clemens' DNA was found on the materials McNamee saved.
___
Associated Press writer Frederic J. Frommer contributed to this report.
___
Follow Joseph White at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP
Follow Fred Frommer at http://twitter.com/ffrommer
In an April 16, 2012 photo trader Richard Newman, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street headed for another day of losses, Wednesday May 23, 2012 with Dow Jones industrial futures down 0.5 percent to 12,410 and S&P 500 futures 0.6 percent lower at 1,306.50. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In an April 16, 2012 photo trader Richard Newman, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street headed for another day of losses, Wednesday May 23, 2012 with Dow Jones industrial futures down 0.5 percent to 12,410 and S&P 500 futures 0.6 percent lower at 1,306.50. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? A big final-hour comeback pulled the Dow Jones industrial average nearly back to where it started Wednesday.
The Dow was down as much as 191 points earlier as the threat of a financial crisis spreading from Europe shook markets. The euro dropped to a nearly two-year low against the dollar, and oil prices sank to their lowest this year.
A late surge of buying erased nearly all of the Dow's deficit, leaving it down just 6.66 points at 12,496.15 by the end of the day. Other indexes ended slightly higher.
In the last hour of trading, news crossed that the leaders of France and Italy favored using region-wide bonds to support Europe's economy. That gave traders hope that a summit of European leaders might produce concrete steps to tackle the economic morass there. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Tuesday that the 17 countries that use the euro risk falling into a "severe recession."
Analysts and investors have turned increasingly skeptical this month that European leaders will prevent Greece from dropping the euro or agree on ways to jump-start the region's economy. The Dow has lost 5 percent this month, nearly wiping away its gains for the year. It has risen only three days in May.
Plenty of good ideas to buttress Europe's financial system have been floated in recent weeks, said Paul Zemsky, global head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management. Eurobonds could be sold by countries in the currency union to raise money for bailouts and banks. Some have proposed insuring bank deposits across countries that use the euro, a program modeled on the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
"There are all these great ideas," Zemsky said. "But there's nothing yet. There's a lot of talk and no follow through."
Benchmark stock indexes dropped more than 2 percent in Germany and France and 3 percent in Spain and Italy.
The euro continued to fall against the dollar, reaching $1.25, the lowest since July 2010. Concerns about the stability of the European currency union if Greece leaves have knocked 5 percent off the euro this month. Yields on German government bunds fell as money shifted into low-risk investments.
If Greece exits, it could spread havoc throughout the global financial system. Bond traders could dump the bonds of Spain and Italy, sending their borrowing costs even higher. Banks in those countries could also be crippled if people start to yank money out of them, as has begun to happen in Greece.
"There's just a tremendous amount of 'what ifs'," Zemsky said. "If Greece leaves, I know equities are going to be a lot lower than they are today. It's not even close to being priced in yet."
Facebook rebounded 3 percent to $32 after getting pounded for two days following an initial public offering that was plagued with technical problems and has drawn scrutiny from regulators. The stock is still far below its initial price of $38.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.23 points to 1,318.86. The Nasdaq rose 11.04 points to 2,850.12.
Benchmark crude lost $1.95 to $89.90 in New York trading. Oil has plunged 15 percent in May as investors predict that the European economy will continue to slow.
The dollar rose and yields on U.S. government debt fell as traders shifted money into the protection of Treasurys. The yield on the 10-year note sank to 1.73 percent, close to a record low, from 1.77 percent late Tuesday.
The dollar and Treasurys often trade in tandem when anxiety hits markets. Traders from around the world sell foreign assets and then need to buy dollars before buying dollar-denominated U.S. Treasurys.
Europe's struggles come at a time when Asia is also slowing. China's economic growth fell to a nearly three-year low of 8.1 percent in the first quarter and factory output in April grew at its slowest pace since the 2008 crisis, raising the threat of job losses and possible political tensions.
A poor earnings report from Dell helped tug down other tech stocks, including Intel and Microsoft. Dell reported disappointing results after the market closed Tuesday and predicted weak sales for its second quarter. Dell dropped 17 percent.
Other stocks making big moves included:
? Google gained 1 percent following news that a federal jury ruled against Oracle in its patent-dispute case against the Internet search giant.
? Ford rose 2 percent, a day after the company won back its blue oval logo, factories and other assets that were pledged as collateral for a massive loan taken out last decade.
? Guess rose 6 percent after its first-quarter results beat Wall Street's expectations, and an analyst recommended that investors buy the stock.
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