Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Google's most-searched list for 2012

Google Zeitgeist: Whitney Houston knocks Kate Middleton off most-searched people

11 Dec 2012 10:11

The top 10 trending people form part of this year’s Google Zeitgeist, the search engine’s comprehensive look at the most-searched celebrities, fashions, events, music and films in the UK this year

The sudden death of Whitney Houston made the singer Google’s most searched-for person of 2012, knocking Kate Middleton off the top spot.

The 48-year-old, who was found dead in February, was the top trending person of the year, beating royalty and Olympians to number one.

Following the Diamond Jubilee year, topped off with the announcement of her pregnancy, the Duchess of Cambridge was the second most searched person, under her maiden name ‘Kate Middleton’.

X Factor judges Gary Barlow and Tulisa also appear in the top 10, alongside Olympians Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt.

While most would have expected the Olympics to have eclipsed everything as 2012's most searched term, it was overtaken by Euro 2012.

However, London was the most searched city in Google Maps, Stella McCartney was the top trending designer, and Muse's 'Survival' made the top trending songs - showing the Olympics had a huge impact on the nation's cultural interests.

Andy Murray took the World by storm leading the charge as the most searched Olympian of 2012 after taking gold and winning the US open, the first British Grand Slam victory since 1936.

Murray overtook British Olympic Champions such as Tom Daley, and Jessica Ennis who followed closely behind as number two and three top searched Olympians this year.

Meanwhile on the political front, the news agenda put Jeremy Hunt in the spotlight - he became the top trending politician of 2012, followed by Boris Johnson.

Not only did Victoria Pendleton's Olympic career get her some attention but she also achieved stardom in her role in Strictly Come Dancing and reached top position in the most searched reality TV celebrities.

While Skyfall topped the Movie list, children's hit Mike the Knight beat Homeland and Bake Off to the trending top spot.

Smash hit Gangnam Style, which made the world move to its funky beat, was the top trending song this year while the world should watch out for this year's trending popstar, Lucy Spraggan.

In Fashion, British Olympic kit designer Stella McCartney was the top trending label of the year.

London came top as the most searched city in Google Maps this year, as tourists continued to flood to the country's capital.

Yet as Olympics fans looked to the next Games, Rio de Janeiro became the fastest rising destination of 2012, followed by Greece. ...and more romantic pursuits!

Romantic searches topped the "what is" and "how to" query lists, with British searchers keen to learn "what is love" and "how to kiss" and "how to flirt" to help them be luckier in love.

This was closely followed by more serious "what is" queries ranging from the icloud to the illuminati, diabetes and "how to meditate".

It was also a year of creativity as millions searched online for inspiration around "how to draw", "how to crochet", "how to knit" and "how to sing".

The full Google Zeitgeist is listed below...

Monday, 10 December 2012

Accounts Assistant

Youth Enterprise Development Fund - Nairobi

The accounts assistant will prepare and maintain accurate records and provide timely information to facilitate decision making and efficient management within the finance function.
Duties and Responsibilities

•Timely and accurate preparation of Payment Vouchers, Imprest Warrants Vouchers, Imprest Surrender Vouchers and Journal Entries
•Timely and accurate preparation of audit schedules and supporting schedules
•Timely receipting and banking of all revenues
•Preparation of timely and accurate bank reconciliations
•Preparation of timely and accurate staff accounts reconciliations
•Accurate and timely postings of data into IFMIS with due regard to cut off dates
•Accurate and timely filling of all processed and unprocessed documents
•Accurate labeling of all files and maintaining an updated inventory of all files
•Preparation of periodic progress reports
•Other duties as may be assigned from time to time

Qualifications/Competencies
•Minimum qualification of CPA II
•Those with a degree/diploma in business related field will be an added advantage
•Minimum of one year experience working in a busy accounts department
•Proven knowledge & experience in working with computers & accounting software
•Proficiency in written and verbal communication skills
•Good understanding and experience in all aspects of accounting and financial management including management of donor funds
•Ability to meet strict deadlines is mandatory
•Exposure to computerized financial systems and experience in public sector accounting and
•Honesty, integrity and creativity are a must.
Those fulfilling the requirements of the positions should submit their applications together with a detailed C.V. and all relevant testimonials stating current position, current remuneration, expected salary, email address and telephone contacts. All applications are also expected to quote the reference number on the envelope and provide postal, telephone and email contacts of three references and should be received by 14th December 2012.
All applications should be addressed to:
The Chief Executive Officer
Youth Enterprise Development Fund
P.O. Box 48610-00100
NAIROBI

YOUTH ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMET FUND IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. POTENTIAL MALE AND FEMALE CANDIDATE WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Tracking the rolling stones of Racetrack Playa

It's the time of year when the sailing stones of Racetrack Playa in California's Death Valley are on the move. Probably. No one has actually seen these huge rocks move along the flat, dry lake bed. But, we know they do. Sometime, when no one's looking, usually after freezing weather or heavy wind or rain, the rocks up and scoot themselves leaving unmistakable travel grooves in their wake. Extremely patient scientists studying the wanderliths have concluded that wetter winter weather plays a role in the stone rolling, but they're still not exactly sure how it all works. Take a look at these slow-motion stones below.

The sailing rocks are not small. Many are about the size of a loaf of bread and weigh upwards of 25 lbs.

The dry lake bed that is Racetrack Playa is pancake flat. It's 4 1/2 miles long but only rises one inch along that entire length.

Trails as long as 1,500 feet have been found. What's even more puzzling is sometimes you can follow these trails and there's no rock at the end of it. Image by NASA

Rain, ice, and strong winds likely work together in getting the rocks on the move. Rock movement is more evident after stormy winters.

Sometimes the rocks, like the one above, will travel along and just run themselves into the ground. Image by NASA

Rock trails will overlap, cross, travel in parallel, make wide curves, sharp turns, and zigzags. Image by NASA

Timelapse video is likely the only way we'll get to actually see the rocks in motion. The exposure time would be tricky as sometimes the rocks don't move for years.

The rocks are ordinary dolomite that tumbled out from the surrounding mountains. Their mobility is more due to their location than their composition

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

World’s tallest woman dies

Yao Defen measured a gigantic 7ft 8in

The world's tallet woman Yao developed gigantism caused by a tumour on her pituitary gland

Massive ... Yao developed gigantism caused by a tumour on her pituitary gland

By STAFF REPORTER

Last Updated: 05th December 2012

THE world’s tallest woman has died, according to reports.

Yao Defen, who measured a gigantic 7ft 8in (2.36m), passed away last month aged just 40, it emerged today.
At her peak, she also weighed over 31 stone (200kg) and had size 26 feet.
She reportedly died on the morning of November 13 in her hometown of Zhucheng, eastern China.
Born in 1972, Yao developed gigantism due to a tumour on her pituitary gland. By the age of 15, she stood at over two metres tall.
While playing for her school’s basketball team, she fainted on court and had to undergo a medical examination.
Doctors then discovered the tumour, which was releasing too much growth hormone and causing excessive growth in her bones.

Yao, the world's tallest woman, was 10cm taller than massive NBC Chinese basketball player Yao Ming

Giant ... Yao was 10cm taller than massive NBC Chinese basketball player Yao Ming

In 2006, it was removed and Yao finally stopped growing. The tumour returned the following year but her family couldn't afford further surgery.
A neighbour recalled how on the morning of Yao's death, her widowed mother came running out of the family house .
The woman, named only as Zhang, reportedly said: "It was 9am in the morning, just after breakfast, when her mother shouted that the girl was hurt.
“People immediately rushed over to their home. I saw Yao lying on the bed – she wasn’t breathing.
“Later, her sister arrived and the doctor soon confirmed her death. Her sad mother cried then fainted.”

Jailed for 12 weeks: Naked man who sat on statue for three hours and tried to bite off its head

He caused traffic chaos as he spent three hours on the Grade II listed bronze statue of Prince George in Central London

A naked man who climbed a statue, broke its sword and tried to bite off its head has been jailed for 12 weeks.
Dan Motrescu was convicted of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, causing criminal damage and a public order offence, a spokesman for Westminster Magistrates' Court said.
The 29-year-old Ukrainian, of no fixed abode, brought traffic to a standstill as he performed a variety of poses on the statue of Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge, in Whitehall.
He straddled the statue in front of hordes of onlookers and at times was seen balancing precariously on the Duke's head.
A 100-metre stretch of Whitehall was cordoned off as emergency services tried to persuade him to come down during the incident on November 23.

Witnesses said he was clothed before he climbed to the top of the statue.
He snapped his two front teeth when he sunk them into the Grade II listed bronze statue.
He was also seen waving his arms around and was talking to crews on the ground as crowds of onlookers gathered at either end of the cordon.
Motrescu was given a 12-week sentence for possession of an offensive weapon and a three-week sentence for criminal damage, to run concurrently, a court official said.
No penalty was given for the public order offence.
Motrescu is an overstayer in this country and will be returned to the Ukraine after he has served his sentence.

Twincredibles: Record-breaking mum beats odds of 500,000 to one to have THREE sets of twins in 10 years

Sara Jones, 33, is the only woman in Britain to achieve the feat

Any mum or dad of twins will tell you it’s one of life’s most thrilling and exhausting experiences.
But Sara Jones, 33, knows just how true that is... a record THREE times over.
That’s how many sets of twins Sara has had in the space of 10 years. She’s the only woman in Britain to achieve that feat, beating odds of 500,000 to one.
She even had her last two pairs only 10 months apart.
Most parents would gasp at the thought, but Sara, who has four other children – says: “For most families having twins is something out of the ordinary.
“But it’s so normal for our family. It would almost be weird for me to fall pregnant and NOT have twins.
“When I had twins the first time I found it quite daunting. The second time I couldn’t believe it, but I found it exciting.
“But when the nurse said it was twins again I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“At first I assumed she was joking. When she looked at me and said, ‘No I’m serious’, I was gobsmacked. But all of them are incredible.”
Sara’s road to the record books began in November 2001 when she gave birth to Liam and Niamh. She split from their dad Rhys but found love again with Craig Morgan, 31, who is now her fiance. In 2010 she discovered she was expecting another twin boy and girl. Shay and Aoife, now two, were born that June. To cap it all, along came identical twin girls Keeva and Ceira, born in April last year.
Add to that a few single births in the shape of Brogane, 16, Siobhan, 13, Calam, 12, and Sean, four, and it’s easy to see why Sara and unemployed furniture salesman Craig’s home life is a bit of a whirlwind.
“They keep me on my toes,” says Sara. “Some families can’t have children, so I see every single one as a blessing. The second time I had twins I was a bit daunted... but by the time the third pair came along I knew what I was doing.
“I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence or whether some families just have a higher chance of having twins.”
Life is twin-credibly hectic at their three-bedroom semi in Southport, Merseyside, with all the boys sharing one bedroom.and the girls in another. Sara is up before any of the kids at 6am and spends an hour sorting breakfast.
Each day the family get through eight pints of milk and two loaves of bread, plus two bulk packs of nappies a week.
“We have to budget very strictly,” says Sara. “I try to get everything for about £100 a week, but every day I go to the supermarket and spend another £15 to top up.”
But when it comes to prams and clothes for her twins, Sara has been been determined to avoid hand-me-downs.
She says: “Over the years I’ve had three double prams and I don’t want them sharing clothes. They’re each unique. Ceira is probably the cheekiest and Aoife the best behaved.”
And Sara – who has a pair of identical twin sisters – says the bond between the sets is special. “Liam likes to play football with Shay and Niamh is very maternal towards the little ones,” she says. “Each one of them will have a best friend for life. They all say ‘Love you’ to their other twins and bounce off each other and give each other kisses.
“They’ll always have someone to turn to. And I’m hoping they’re all going to look after me when I’m a pensioner!”

Twin-credible! Water babies can swim length of a 25m swimming pool - at just NINE MONTHS OLD

Like most babies, twins William and Elly Trykush cannot to sit up, crawl or walk on their own, but shockingly they can swim the entire length of a 25m pool by themselves!!!!

These twins have amazed their parents by being able to swim the length of a swimming pool - at only NINE MONTHS OLD.
Like most babies Ellie and William Trykush cannot to sit up, crawl or walk on their own, but amazingly they can swim the entire length of a 25m pool unaided.
Proud first-time parents Vic and Charley Trykush did not think their babies had a special talent, until they took them to parent and baby swimming classes for the first time.
Charley said: “I thought all babies could do it.
“It wasn’t until we came to swimming lessons and people got so excited about it that we realised just how unusual it was and how clever they were.”

Nine month old UK twins that can swimming — ***Water babies: Ellie and William are naturals in the pool***

Ellie and William may well be the youngest swimmers in the country, as the smiling duo are fully capable of propelling themselves through the water wearing nothing but swimming nappies.
Swim instructor Amy Stanley said: “Mum and dad are very very relaxed with them in the water.
“They don’t panic when they are upturned in the water, when they are not quite coming round quick enough.
“Mum and dad don’t panic - they just let them come round in their own time.”
Dad Vic already has his sights on seeing his water babies in the Olympics.
He said: “Now they can swim and seeing that they were born in an Olympic year, 2012, I would love to see them at the 2028 Olympics possibly, when they’re 16, doing the open water swim.”

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Vacancy at Longhorn

Administration Job in Kenya
Longhorn Kenya Limited is a leading book publisher with operations in the East African Region.

The Company wishes to recruit a highly competent and dynamic individual to fill the following position.
Administrative Assistant

Reporting to the Operations Manager, the key responsibilities will be to :
Receive and record in coming and out going mail.
Receive incoming calls and respond to general questions.
Maintain an effective filing system of documents.
Raise LPOs against duly approved requisitions.
Requisition and control office suppliers.

Qualifying Criteria
KCSE mean grade C
Diploma in Business & Administration (Secretarial) or Diploma in Business & Office Management with secretarial studies.
Proficiency in MS- Office Applications
Excellent skills in communication, customer care and interpersonal relations
Two years relevant working experience

Interested candidates, who meet the above requirements should send their application to the address below or email to jobs@longhornpublishers.com.

Enclose a detailed CV, copies of certificates and testimonials, together with names of three referees (of which two should be from previous employers), so as to reach the undersigned by 10th December, 2012.

The Managing Director
Longhorn Kenya Limited
P.O Box 18033 – 00500
Nairobi

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Monday, 3 December 2012

Assistant Accountant

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Reference Number:

AAC-11-12

Category:

Accountancy and Finance

Salary:

Kshs. 60,311

Grade:

4.9

Location:

Kilifi

Country:

Kenya

Summary:

To assist with the production of both internal management reports and grant donor reports - ensuring timely, accurate and complete recording & reporting of financial transactions. Managing some members of the team as and when appropriate.

REPORTING LINES:

The post holder will report to the Senior Accountant in Kilifi.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

In charge of preparing timely management reports internally
Ensuring that standard accounting procedures are followed in preparing the financial reports & that any SOPS in place are followed
Verifying that all transactions are properly authorized, documented, and ensuring that accounting transactions are posted to the correct ledgers/account codes
Preparing balance sheet reconciliations monthly to be reviewed by the Head of Finance
Setting up new grants in the accounting database
Supervising weekly cash counts and periodic stock takes
Preparing Grant Reports for Donors and ensuring these go out in accordance with deadlines, and with all the correct supplementary backing information required
Meeting with PIs and other unit staff to discuss finance matters and advise on procedures
Check and review coding of transaction before posting to accounting system
Check and review supplier payments as necessary
Prepare bank reconciliations if required
Analyze income & costs for specific queries
Monthly variance analysis
Assist in the preparation of budgets
Provide backup for payroll processing
Any other tasks that may reasonably be required of the post holder.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCE:

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

CPA II or ACCA II
At least 3 years of wide ranging work experience in a finance office
In-depth knowledge and experience in computerised accounting systems
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Fluent in English - Written and spoken.
Ability to meet assigned deadlines, support team members & uphold team spirit

DESIRABLE SKILLS / ATTRIBUTES

Previous audit experience
Grant management experience
Wide experience of computing systems
Leadership qualities
Honesty & Integrity

COMPETENCIES:

Book keeping and accounting skills
Data entry and records maintenance skills
Analytical ability
Good organisation skills
Team working skills
Keen attention to detail
Proactive with the ability to prioritise and plan own work
Confidentiality, integrity, ability to take and follow instructions and to work with minimal supervision
Flexibility and willingness to help and take on additional roles
Good communication and interpersonal skills

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

To apply for this post you must be a registered user. Log into your account then go to Vacancies, view the post and click on the button: "Apply for this job".

All applicants are required to state their current gross/last gross salaries.

Candidates must supply an email and telephone contact that will be used when offering interviews. The application closing date is 12^th December 2012. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) is an equal opportunity employer. Direct or indirect canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification. KWTRP does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

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Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Google's most-searched list for 2012

Google Zeitgeist: Whitney Houston knocks Kate Middleton off most-searched people

Monday, 10 December 2012

Accounts Assistant

Youth Enterprise Development Fund - Nairobi

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Tracking the rolling stones of Racetrack Playa

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

World’s tallest woman dies

THE world’s tallest woman has died, according to reports.

Jailed for 12 weeks: Naked man who sat on statue for three hours and tried to bite off its head

Twincredibles: Record-breaking mum beats odds of 500,000 to one to have THREE sets of twins in 10 years

Twin-credible! Water babies can swim length of a 25m swimming pool - at just NINE MONTHS OLD

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Vacancy at Longhorn

Monday, 3 December 2012

Assistant Accountant

Assistant Accountant

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