Did Helen’s fall straighten out her teeth?Here’s Helen
November 3, 2008
Did Helen’s fall straighten out her teeth?
Here’s Helen Clark’s famous fall. This version is the 30 second version. The one on YouTube is six seconds and doesn’t show who she kissed before she fell. She was very lucky the thing she collected on the way down wasn’t closer or otherwise her next public engagement would have been the dentist.
Maori Seats to be entrenched only if Maori Party goes with National
Helen Clark said on TV today that she’d support entrenchment of the Maori seats. Not just entrenchment of the Maori Electoral Option. If so that brings her position more closer to the Maori Party, but it draws her party further away from being in power later this month.
As Tumeke says
If the Maori Party go with Labour then National already have an official policy of not entrenching the seats and will oppose it. Since Parliament must pass the 75% entrenchment provision with 75% at some point in the process National can and will veto it. So no entrenchment.But,if the Maori Party go with National - and the only reason they would is if they agree (along with all their other demands) to entrench the seats - then Labour must back entrenchment or lose all the Maori seats - perhaps for a very long time. So they will be entrenched.
I think he’s right. If I was in the Maori Party this is one of the key messages I’d be promoting at the post-election hui. Furthermore, the Maori Party wouldn’t have to go into coalition if it didn’t want to.
Act backs entrenchment, so do the Greens. However, United Future doesn’t so Peter Dunne could be in sticky situation thanks to the Maori Party should National gain power.
It takes a 75% to entrench legislation. Over at The Standard Steve Pierson says it doesn’t take a 75% majority to entrench legislation. “The section of the Electoral Act that lists the entrenched sections can be amended by simple majority”.
So? Read this (from here) 
Brazil curling has begun
November 3, 2008
Stunning news from the World Curling Federation tonight, as Brazil has officially challenged the United States for the second “Americas” berth at the 2009 Ford Worlds in Moncton.
Brazil has been a WCF member for a decade now, and they are finally taking the big step forward with a challenge… which means the U.S. will host the best-of-five series somewhere (to be determined) and sometime in January.
Canadians will be surprised to hear that the athletes are all students in Quebec, and train at Lennoxville. Or perhaps that is not so surprising?
As the newser states, Canada and the U.S. are the only two nations to ever represent the “Americas” zone. But the team which finished lowest (of the two) in any previous worlds has always been open to a challenge from any other member. And this challenge has never happened… until now.
Uau! E a invasão brasileira dos olympics começou!
When we first informed the masses of the chance for this super tee, 410 people had cast their vote and 24 had commented. Now, 956 have voted – with 39 comments – and while the response is great we are really down to the wire.
This all sounds good but we need more to really impress the judges. Only 10 or so designs get chosen every couple of weeks, and that’s out of some 300 entries. A quick look at other designs on the Threadless.com site indicates lots of strong competition.
So please help: register at the site here and then cast your 5 out-of 5 vote here for the Samurai Curling design. Don’t forget to indicate that you’d be willing to buy – you will not be held to any committment – and please make an über-positive comment.
Hurry hard!
FCC Cancels Vote On Use Of Broadcast White Spaces - CRN
November 3, 2008
FCC Cancels Vote On Use Of Broadcast White Spaces - CRN FCC Cancels Vote On Use Of Broadcast White Spaces
New York Times
CRN -
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has canceled a vote originally scheduled for Tuesday on the use of broadcast white spaces. Martin said Monday that the other four members of the FCC wanted more time to research public opinion on the many issues raised by the …
Airwaves Battle Pits Dolly Parton Against Google
FCC Considers Bigger Space for Wi-Fi
On ‘Monday Night,’ Obama and McCain Have Breakout Game - New York Times On ‘Monday Night,’ Obama and McCain Have Breakout Game
CBC.ca
New York Times -
By RICHARD SANDOMIR A confused-looking Richard Nixon asked, “Sock it to me?” (emphasis on the “me,” not the “sock”) on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” during the 1968 presidential campaign, flinging open the door for candidates to troll for votes in …
Obama, McCain on what to change in sports
Obama, McCain on what to change in sports
UN to meet Congo, Rwanda leaders on crisis - Seattle Post Intelligencer
November 3, 2008
UN to meet Congo, Rwanda leaders on crisis - Seattle Post Intelligencer
United Nations peacekeepers escort a small convoy of relief supplies for displaced people and goods destined to UN troops Monday Nov. 3, 2008 outside Goma in eastern Congo. Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda went on the offensive Aug. 28 and brought his fighters to the edge of Goma last week before
Obama, McCain make final dash across battleground states - Baltimore Sun
Reporting from Tampa, Fla., and Lakewood, Ohio — The presidential campaign entered its final stretch today as both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain started in Florida and planned a frenzied day of events in hopes of turning out their voters and turning on any remaining undecided
ARATS, SEF chiefs hold talks in Taipei - Xinhua News Agency
TAIPEI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — The Chinese mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) president Chen Yunlin holds talks Tuesday morning with the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Chiang Pin-kung. TAIPEI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) — The Chinese mainland’s
Alpha Five meets all eWeek standards
November 3, 2008
Alpha Five meets all eWeek standards
eWeek just published an exciting piece in which Alpha Five developers played a key role. In his article, Armed and Ready, writer Frank Ohlhorst featured several Alpha Five developers, including Keven Thibeault, Mike Thomson, Tom Simon, and Graeme Smith.
Ohlhorst lays out seven criteria for choosing an enterprise development tool, including commonality, speed of development, performance, ease of use, versatility, integrity, and functionality. Alpha Five meets them all.
Give the print version of eWeek a gander to get the full frontal,or check out the story online. We’re in the process of getting reprint rights from eWeek for those of you who might not subscribe to the magazine.
Pretend to act surprised: I’m speaking at eMetrics!
Today we made the official announcement of my upcoming presentation at eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit in Washington, D.C. this month.
In typical Alpha fashion, I had already spilled the beans here on the blog (I just can’t help it when I get excited), but the press release was released today.
Are any of our Alpha blog readers planning on attending the conference? Feel free to use our comments section to connect with one another before you go. Hope to see you there!
Alpha Software Chairman to Speak at 2008 eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit
Richard Rabins Will Cover the Latest Techniques for Effective Database Marketing
BURLINGTON, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) – Alpha Software’s Co-Chairman Richard Rabins will be showing marketers how they can strike gold by using database technology to analyze and act on their Web traffic data when he speaks at the upcoming eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit in Washington, D.C. Rabins and co-presenter Janet Park, an Alpha Five database developer and President of Marketing Frontiers, will share the stage when they present, “How to Discover the Faces Behind your Clicks” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, Va.
“Most organizations don’t realize that they’re sitting on a wealth of detailed customer information that, when tapped into and used intelligently, can boost sales and revenue growth,” Rabins says. “In less than 60 minutes, we’ll show attendees how they can integrate their existing Web data with easy-to-use analysis tools and reporting, which in the end, will open their eyes to the marketing power of Web analytics. They’ll learn how to clean, standardize, append, slice, and dice their Web data to deliver relevant, targeted communications to customers with the highest buying potential.”
“Most companies are focused on standard analytics reports about visits and pages without realizing how much leveraged value there is in appending that information with company names and addresses and more,” says Jim Sterne, Producer of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit and Chairman of the Web Analytics Association. “This is a great opportunity to learn how a medium sized company takes advantage of significant segmentation power.”
Since its inception in 2002, the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit has been attracting marketing managers, Web analysts, and business intelligence experts who want to learn techniques that will increase the return on their online marketing investments. The international conference series is recognized as the premier event for optimizing online marketing value.
ABOUT ALPHA SOFTWARE
Since 1982, Alpha Software has been providing developers with award-winning tools that make it easy to rapidly build robust database and business applications. Today over 1 million developers rely on Alpha Software’s flagship platform, Alpha Five, to build desktop, client-server, distributed, Web 2.0, and AJAX applications for organizations of any size—from SOHO to the Fortune 100. Every day, tens of millions of people and businesses rely on applications built in Alpha Five. With the introduction of Alpha Five Version 9 Platinum Edition in 2008, Alpha Software set new standards for speed of development, portability, reporting, and security for database applications of all stripes. The company is privately held, and based in Burlington, Mass. Alpha Software can be found on the Web at http://www.alphasoftware.com.
PRESS RESOURCES
Media contact
Kate Ritchie
610-642-8253, ext. 162
KateR@GregoryFCA.com
Alpha Five Platinum microsite
http://www.alphasoftware.com/alphafive/platinum/index.asp
Alpha Software blog
http://blog.alphasoftware.com
Alpha Software home page
http://www.alphasoftware.com
USER REFERENCES, IMAGES, AND PRESS EVALUATION COPIES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
Review copies available: PRESS & BLOGGERS ONLY
Dave’s Place - Fantasy football update
November 3, 2008
Dave’s Place - Fantasy football update
A month ago, I gloated over my fantasy football franchise’s surge to the top of its respective Yahoo! league. After writing that column, my team, the Tirebiters, promptly dropped its next two games.
But since that setback, they have gone on to win two in a row and currently sit in second place with a 5-2-1 record.
Meet Alpha Software’s newest (and cutest) Alpha Dog
November 3, 2008
Meet Alpha Software’s newest (and cutest) Alpha Dog
About a month ago, Richard told you about the loss of my beloved dog, Hurley. Actually, dog doesn’t even begin to describe what Hurley was to me. You can read more about him on my blog.
After living in a home so filled with love and personality, suddenly every room was breathtakingly empty. So my boyfriend and I decided the best way to begin moving past our grieving for Hurley would be to provide a good home to another dog in need. And that’s when we found Rooney.
Rooney and his brothers and sisters were found with their mom on the side of the road in Georgia. He had been shuffled around a bit in the weeks since then, and he finally found a permanent home with us.
At 3 1/2 months, he is bursting with personality and energy — the perfect match for all the guys and gals at Alpha Software. Now, he’s officially the newest Alpha dog.
Every so often I’ll let you know how he’s doing, and share some Rooney stories as we make our way through the puppy years. So be sure to come back for more. How could you resist that face?
PhD Position in Accounting - University of Amsterdam
November 3, 2008
PhD Position in Accounting - University of Amsterdam
PhD Position in Accounting
University of Amsterdam Faculty of Economics and Business / Amsterdam Business School
Amsterdam, 1018WB (Noord-Holland) , hours per week
Job description
The project is entitled: The Construction of Assurance Expertise on Sustainability
The past decade has seen the emergence of practice in assurance on sustainability reports (‘sustainability assurance’) with high profile professional accountancy bodies such as the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, placing the development of a sustainability assurance standard near the top of its strategic agenda. This in-depth longitudinal field study aims to enhance our theoretical and empirical understanding of the processes surrounding the emergence of sustainability assurance. Empirically, the study will examine the role and focus of key actors in the emergence of assurance concentrating on: how competing claims to professional expertise in sustainability assurance have been constructed and legitimised; the dominant and shifting assurance discourses; and how target audiences have reacted to these discourses. Theoretically, the study will draw on frameworks derived from Actor Network Theory and neo-institutional theory. The study calls for a broad range of research methods competencies, particularly in qualitative methods, an excellent ability think conceptually, competence in research liaison with organizations and high level individuals, and excellent external presentation skills.
Requirements
Required education/skills: University Graduate
* Master’s (MSc) in the area of accounting (or equivalent) with excellent examination results in both course work and the MSc thesis component;
* Interest and experience in field research (for example, in the MSc thesis);
* Demonstrated Mastery of both written and spoken English;
* Conviction to complete the requirements toward a PhD degree within four years.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s) :
- Teaching & Research(Scientific discipline: Economics)
Organization
University of Amsterdam
Faculty of Economics and Business / Amsterdam Business School
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a university with an internationally acclaimed profile, located at the heart of the Dutch capital. As well as a world center for business and research, Amsterdam is a hub of cultural and media activities. The University of Amsterdam is a member of the League of European Research Universities.
The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) provides academic courses in accounting, finance, management, marketing, economics, and econometrics. It also conducts international research in these areas. The Amsterdam Business School and the Amsterdam School of Economics form part of the FEB.
Conditions of employment
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: see below
Additional conditions of employment:
The appointment will initially be for 18 months, to be extended to a total of 4 years upon excellent performance (an evaluation will be held after 14 months). The salary will be in accordance with the University regulations for academic personnel, and will range from € 2,000 (first year) up to a maximum of € 2,558 (final year) gross per month. The collective employment agreement of the Dutch universities will be applicable. The PhD thesis should be finalised within four years. In this period, the candidate will also be expected to do some teaching (20% of the time).
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Professor Brendan O’Dwyer
Telephone number: 31 20 525 4260
E-mail address: b.g.d.odwyer@ uva.nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
* About the organization (http://www.uva. nl/start. cfm/la=en/ th=main)
* About the department (http://www.abs. uva.nl/)
* About the function (http://www.uva. nl/vacatures/ vacatures. cfm/6FFD1F92- 1321-B0BE- 6890350BCDF7D43B)
Application
You can apply for this job before 21-11-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
University of Amsterdam Business School, Personnel Department
Bernadette Clemens
Roetersstraat 11
1018 WB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
E-mail: applications- feb@uva.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber AT 08-5037.
PhD in Variational Bayesian Filtering for Telecommunications-Dublin
November 3, 2008
PhD in Variational Bayesian Filtering for Telecommunications-Dublin
Three-Year PhD Studentship on Variational Bayesian Filtering for Telecommunications
at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
A PhD studentship is available in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, commencing this autumn 2008. The project is at the heart of a collaboration with leading research institutes in Paris and Prague. The aim of the research is to develop new algorithms for Bayesian filtering using the variational Bayes approximation.
The successful applicant will be a national of any country and have a primary degree with a strong mathematical emphasis. Course credits in statistical signal processing, probability and telecommunications will be desirable, but not essential. The candidate will ideally be available to begin their studies in October 2008, and will spend one month each with collaborating partners in Paris and Prague, in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The studentship will be up to the value of EUR 17,000 per annum, and all university fees will be paid. A travel stipend for the collaborative visits (above) and for conference presentations will also be provided.
Candidates should contact Dr. Anthony Quinn [aquinn AT tcd.ie]. The formal application is by way of a full CV, with the names of two referees, and the deadline is 25th September 2008. In addition to this PhD studentship, a post-doctoral research post of 18 months duration will be available from October 2009.
Anyone interested is encouraged to contact Dr. Quinn at [aquinn AT tcd.ie].
