Published on August 31, 2010 by Technology Slice
Labor Losing In Vote Count – Yesterday, as the independents converged on Canberra for formal talks, counting showed the Coalition edging ahead of Labor on the two-party-preferred count.
By late last night, with more than 80 per cent counted, the Coalition was ahead by 1909 votes after the AEC removed eight seats from its two-party count on the basis that the major parties did not run first and second. By 11am AEST, that had narrowed to just over 1000 votes and in a stunning measure of the closeness of the election, the Australian Electoral Commission website had the parties locked at 50.01 per cent for the Coalition to 49.99 per cent for Labor with close to 11 million votes counted.
That lead could evaporate as counting is finalised, but it is the measurement Ms Gillard had highlighted as being the best indication of who should hold power with neither party able to form a majority of seats won.
Tony Abbott has begun preparing to capitalise on his gains with plans to give a greater share of government spending to rural and regional Australia to appeal to the three rural-based independent MPs whose support he needs to form a government.
As horse-trading to determine the nation’s next government finally began yesterday, newly elected Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie staked a late claim for recognition from the major parties, declaring poker machine reform and a new Royal Hobart Hospital were the issues he would consider when deciding which major party to support.
Labor Losing In Vote Count
Tags: Aec, Aest, Ahead, Andrew Wilkie, Australian Electoral Commission, Canberra, Closeness, Gillard, Government Spending, Horse Trading, Independent Mps, Independents, Measurement, Poker Machine, Regional Australia, Royal Hobart Hospital, Tony Abbott, Vote Count
Posted in Politics
Published on August 26, 2010 by Technology Slice
Water Key To Losing Weight – Scientists at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society this week were told that people who drank two 250ml glasses of water before each main meal ate between 75 and 90 calories during that meal.
It’s a fairly simple science, according to study author Brenda Davy.
The “water diet” is most likely effective because it fills the stomach up with a zero-calorie substance.
“We found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about five pounds (2.3kg) more than dieters who did not increase their water intake,” she said.
“It’s a simple way to facilitate weight management.”
Dr Davy said that while the theory had always been accepted in scientific circles, until now, there had never been a “gold standard” study into whether it held true.
The research team divided 48 adults aged 55-75 into two groups – one which drank two glasses of water before their meals and one which didn’t.
Both undertook a low-calorie diet during the test period.
After 12 weeks, they found the group that drank water lost and average of seven kilograms, while the group that didn’t lost an average of five kilograms.
Tags: Adults, American Chemical Society, Brenda, calories, Circles, Dieters, Glasses, Kilograms, Losing Weight, Low Calorie Diet, National Meeting, Scientists, Simple Science, Stomach, Test Period, Three Times, Water Diet, Water Intake, Water Weight, Weight Management
Posted in Health
Published on August 26, 2010 by Technology Slice
Qantas To Boost Domestic Flights – Qantas said it would expand its capacity by 9.6 per cent, while Jetstar would swell by up to 30 per cent this year when all the extra flights were operating.
The Qantas expansion is being viewed by some industry watchers as an opportunistic move against domestic rivals Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways.
Yesterday’s announcements came a day after Tiger revealed it was quitting two underperforming routes from Adelaide.
It also came on the eve of today’s release of financial results by Virgin Blue, which recently slashed its annual profit outlook from $80 million to between $20 million and $40 million.
Over the next nine months, Qantas plans to add 65 weekly return services within Australia, and Jetstar 120, adding at least another 66,000 seats a week to their services, with seven more aircraft put to work.
It is also a signal from the airline group that a consumer recovery is under way after the global financial crisis. ”We are seeing improved demand domestically, and the introduction of these additional services and aircraft will see the Qantas group well placed to meet this demand,” said chief executive Alan Joyce.
For Qantas the new planes will work the east coast and east-west routes, as well as routes within the boom state of Western Australia. At Jetstar, the immediate focus is on Cairns, with 25 extra weekly return flights along the east coast.
Tags: Additional Services, Adelaide, Airline Group, Alan Joyce, cairns, Chief Executive, Domestic Flights, East Coast, Global Financial Crisis, jetstar, Nine Months, Profit Outlook, Qantas Domestic, Qantas Flights, Qantas Group, Return Flights, Rivals, State Of Western Australia, Tiger Airways, virgin blue
Posted in Travel
Published on August 25, 2010 by Technology Slice
Moshi Monsters – The first part of Mind Candy’s plans to turn popular children’s online game Moshi Monsters into a brand is underway, with the firm launching a range of collectible wristbands in October.
Moshi Bandz will come in various shapes and colours, with some much rarer than others to increase collectability. A pack of ten will be £1.49, with hundreds to collect in the first series.
Following the success of the category in the US, Mind Candy is rolling out a heavyweight media campaign to back the launch including TV advertising, print and online marketing, plus mass sampling.
“Moshi Bandz are a great way for fans to take their favourite monsters with them wherever they go and share the characters with friends and family,” said Michael Acton Smith, CEO at Mind Candy. “This is a really exciting development for us as we bring the virtual world alive with a range of physical products.”
Tags: Acton, Bandz, Ceo, Collectability, Colours, Friends And Family, Launch, Marketing, Media Campaign, Mind Candy, Monsters, Online Game, Sampling, Shapes, Tv Advertising, Virtual World, Wristbands
Posted in General
Published on August 25, 2010 by Technology Slice
Blackberry Curve 3G – The new BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 is a nice addition to the BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones, and is expected to prove a nice option for mobile phone users in Australia.
According to the mobile phone maker, the handset comes with support for high-speed 3G (HSDPA) networks, while boasting advanced communication features so as to keep people connected at all times with their friends and family.
“The BlackBerry Curve series has been very popular in Australia and we are excited to extend the series with the new BlackBerry Curve 3G,” said Adele Beachley, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Research In Motion.
The BlackBerry Curve 3G comes with a full-QWERTY keyboard in a candybar form factor, complemented by an optical trackpad for fluid navigation.
“The new BlackBerry Curve 3G is both powerful and user-friendly, providing a smart choice for the growing number of first-time smartphone buyers who are looking for a better way to stay connected in their personal and work lives,” Beachley continued.
The specifications list of this device includes built-in GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity options, along with a camera with video recording capabilities on the back, and with a fast Internet browser.
Moreover, the handset comes with a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 32GB of additional storage space, with instant messaging via BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), and other features more.
Currently, the BlackBerry Curve 3G is powered by RIM’s Blackberry 5 OS, but the company says that it supports the new BlackBerry 6 OS too, and that it should receive an upgrade to it in the following months.
Tags: 3g Networks, Adele, Australia And New Zealand, Bbm, Beachley, Blackberry Curve, Candybar, Full Qwerty Keyboard, Managing Director, Memory Card Slot, Microsd, Mobile Phone Maker, Mobile Phone Users, Research In Motion, Rim Blackberry, Smart Choice, Smartphones, Storage Space, Trackpad, Video Recording
Posted in Mobile Phones
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