As I sit bundled against the San Francisco chill, I am wondering when I will log walking 5 miles around the lake.  I have been lagging of late and making excuses.

I have been doing yoga and I am starting to see the results.  I need to make some new fitness aka exercise plans for 2010.  I will stick with the yoga and dance but I need more cardio. I also want to try new things.

I want to walk a “half marathon”. I have one in mind.  May 2, 2010 Avenue of  the Giants Half Marathon Humboldt, CA.  I have set my sights before on a 7-mile hike. I have done a few 5ks. This would be 13 miles. The half-marathon course has some hills. So I need to train for the incline and elevation.

I will be taking my 1st golfing lessons in January 2010 at Harding Park Golf Course.  I am looking forward to learning something new.

Tennis is a class I did well in at SFSU. I want to take a tennis course. I thought if I found an activity partner, I could revive some skills.  I tried placing a ad on Craigslist.org but got no responses.

My other activity I will partake in in 2010 is Muay Thai boxing. I have been wanting to learn a martial art. I like the fact of building leg strength.

There is a distinct possibility I may go X-C skiing sometime in 2010.  I really want to go to Spooner Lake.

As for the dancing, I am signed up for another tap dance class. I plan to get out and go salsa dancing but it is hard to go alone or find people.

So those are my plans.

Mumbai based  Something Relevant (Or STR) is  undoubtedly the best jam band in India. And they are all set to release their highly anticipated debut album ‘Feels good to be Live‘  this  December (date to be announced soon).  The band has made available one of its hit song ‘Aha’ for streaming on IRMP3. From the first listen I can imagine the response this album is going to generate , in simple words this album will be the topping on the cake,  a perfect ending for a successful Indian Indie Year 2009. Nuff said already … Give it a listen.

BBC Sport brings you a regular round-up of the gossip in newspapers and on specialist websites around the world.

Michael Schumacher is not interested in beginning a new career in F1 with Mercedes Grand Prix, Ross Brawn has said – as the Englishman revealed that he is looking for two experienced drivers.
Full story: crash.net

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has re-ignited rumours of Michael Schumacher’s pending signing after refusing to deny that the German could race for Mercedes Grand Prix next season.
Full story: planet-f1.com

Mercedes DTM front-runner Paul di Resta and American JR Hildebrand will drive for Force India in Formula 1’s upcoming young driver test at Jerez on December 1-3.
Full story: autosport.com

Campos Meta 1’s car for its debut Formula 1 season has been homologated by the FIA following a series of tests last week.
Full story: autosport.com

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher were among more than 300 drivers competing at the SKUSA Supernationals karting event in Las Vegas, USA, at the weekend.

Full story: formula1.com

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…

Reference Source: BBC Sport

Answer the following questions on a sheet of pad paper. Refer to the section on Hypothesis Testing and Statistical Tests in your STR manual or to any appropriate reference.

1. What is a statistical hypothesis?
2. Differentiate between a null and an alternative hypothesis.
3. What is a test statistic?
4. Differentiate between a one-tailed and a two-tailed test.
5. Differentiate between a Type I error and a Type II error. Which is more acceptable in scientific research? Why? (Hint: Suppose the research is on the effectiveness of a certain leaf extract against pancreatic cancer. Would making a Type I or a Type II error do more harm?)
6. What is meant by setting the level of significance at 0.05?
7. Fill in the table showing the differences between the following statistical tests –

Lenore is a single sock no more.

Pattern: Lenore by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Lenore
Size: Lenore, aka medium
Needle: various (ranging from 2.5mm to 3mm), none of which were named Lenore

Out of the singles I showed you earlier, Lenore had been waiting the longest for a mate. A good year, in fact. And, I don’t know if you know this, but gauge can change in a year. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. When I knit the first sock, I used a 3mm needle to knit the cuff and then switched to a 2.5mm for the rest. So I started the second sock the same way. But the cuff was too big. So I ended up using a 2.75mm for the whole sock. I probably would have switched to a 2.5mm at the heel if I had actually remembered or bothered to read my own project notes. Sigh.

The yarn. I got this pattern and yarn with my 2007 Rockin’ Socks Club. I fell in love with the yarn instantly. How could one not? Look at it – I dare you to resist Lenore!

It was my favorite shipment during the club year.  It’s also the only pattern that I’ve knitted up so far.  I’m finding now that I prefer a finer sock yarn – the lightweight felt so thick! But I do love the twist on STR. It knits up so nicely, and this pattern certainly suits it.  The cuffs are a little shorter than I usually like, and if I knew how much yarn I was going to have leftover, I would have lengthened them a smidge or so.  As it was, I made no modifications. It was simple and fast…you know, minus the year between socks.

What’s the next sock to get a mate, you ask? I’ll give you a hint – it’s one of the Cookie patterns.

Today, at Strike the Root, I posted an article by Jonathan Cook at The Electronic Intifada of an Israeli judge’s “historic ruling… when he decided that an Arab teenager needed ‘protection’ from the justice system and ordered that he not be convicted despite being found guilty of throwing stones at a police car during a protest against Israel’s attack last winter on Gaza”. Judge Yuval Shadmi wrote in the verdict: “I will say that the state is not authorized to caress with one hand the Jewish ‘ideological’ felons, and flog with its other hand the Arab ‘ideological’ felons.” Robert Fisk, in a recent lecture, discussed the propaganda efforts in the West that refute the e-mails I’ve received from those outraged by the judge’s ruling (2:13):

Sayyid and I are swamped with work and finals preparations for Masters’ classes operating under the trimester format. The next week to ten days will not have as many posts as usual due our law school finals following these, finishing up group studies at The Council and finding new projects to pay the bills after these studies.

That said, today there will be added content from the both of us and Sayyid will be editing a lot of drafts to be posted throughout the weekend.

Also, I’m guest editing Strike The Root on Friday, so check that out.

Thank you so much for your readership, subscriptions and donations. We greatly appreciate them and will show it even more by expanding the media on the site going into the new year.

]]> http://bsnbiotech.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/nfsl-to-start-dna-identification-from-bone-in-nepal/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:57:02 +0000 bsnbiotech http://bsnbiotech.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/nfsl-to-start-dna-identification-from-bone-in-nepal/

KATHMANDU: In an attempt to help identify dead bodies buried in mass graves, Nepal´s National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) is likely to start

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing using samples of bone. Till now, NFSL has been able to carry out DNA testing only on fresh blood. This sort of DNA testing is useful mainly to establish parental relationship in property disputes rather than in assisting police investigating serious crime. “We will very soon introduce the new technology of DNA testing that uses samples of bone,” Vinushobha Tuladhar, director of NFSL, told myrepublica.com.

With the advent of by-bone DNA profiling, NFSL is expected to assist not only the police in probing crime but also various human rights organizations with the identification of bodies buried in mass graves during the decade-long conflict. Identification of those killed in the conflict has been next to impossible so far owing to lack of by-bone DNA testing technology. It has prolonged the sorrow of people desperate to know the whereabouts of family members who went missing in the conflict.

Human rights organizations like the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had long been urging NFSL to begin by-bone testing for the benefit of families of the disappeared. “We are introducing the new technology chiefly upon the request of human rights organizations,” Tuladhar said. “It is expected to be instrumental in helping people find family members.”

Established in 1986, NFSL started DNA testing by blood samples about four years ago. ABI 310, a genetic analyzer set up at NFSL to carry out by-blood DNA testing, can be used for by-bone testing as well.According to Dinesh Kumar Jha, science official at NFSL, a new set of software and kits are sufficient for enhancement of the ABI 310 to start DNA testing with bone samples. “We already have an analyzing platform to carry out all sorts of DNA testing,” Jha says. “Adding some instruments will easily boost our capability in battling crime as well as human rights violations.”

The National Planning Commission has pledged assistance to NFSL to introduce the new technology, which is estimated to cost around five million rupees including purchase of a set of software and the kits required. “We will purchase these instruments soon after we collect the money,” Tuladhar said.According to the latest report published by ICRC, the whereabouts of 1,348 persons who went missing during the conflict have not been confirmed yet. The government and the insurgents, responsible for the disappearances, seem to be indifferent to the sorrow of the families affected.In the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the government and the Maoists had agreed to publicize details about all missing persons.The reliability of DNA testing by bone largely depends on how carefully samples are collected. The result of DNA tests will not be correct if bone samples are degraded. Bone degradation depends on the atmosphere at the places where the samples are collected.

Adapted From : http://tech.nepalko.info/?p=967

Complete and comprehensive listing of all teams F1 chassis usage during the grand prix season

The following is a list of all chassis used in the 2009 Formula 1 season. All teams and all cars.

Brawn GP (Honda) RA109 / BGP001
RA109-01 – never built into a car
BGP001-01* – Car 23 (Barrichello) raced
Melbourne-Monza
BGP001-02* – Car 22 (Button) all races
BGP001-03 – Car 23 (Barrichello) replaced chassis 001
at Singapore

Williams F1 FW31

FW31-01 – Testing only

FW31-02 – Car 17 (Nakajima) raced Barcelona & Monaco

FW31-03 – Car 18 (Rosberg) all races

FW31-04 – Car 17 (Nakajima) raced Melbourne to Sakhir and Istanbul to Yas Marina

Engines Car 16

1. H450 – Melbourne, Sepang
2. H453 – Shanghai, Silverstone
3. H454 – Sakhir, Monaco, Istanbul
4. H457 – Barcelona
5. H470 – Nurburgring, Hungaroring
6. H475 – Monza, Singapore, Yas Marina
7. H483 – Valencia, Spa
8. H484 – Interlagos, Suzuka

Engines Car 17

1. H452 – Melbourne, Sepang
2. H451 – Shanghai, Sakhir
3. H455 – Barcelona, Silverstone
4. H456 – Hungaroring
5. H469 – Nurburgring
6. H474 – Valencia, Spa
7. H479 – Monza, Singapore, Yas Marina
8. H480 – Suzuka, Interlagos

BMW-Sauber F1.09
F1.09-01 – Not used

F1.09-02 – pre season testing only

F1.09-03 – Car 5 (Kubica) raced at Melbourne (damaged), raced Barcelona to
Nurburgring.

F1.09-04 – Car 6 (Heidfeld) raced Melbourne to Bahrain. Car 5 (Kubica) Raced at
Hangaroring

F1.09-05 – Car 5 (Kubica) replaced chassis 03 Sepang to Bahrain

F1.09-06 – Car 6 raced Barcelona to Hungaroring

F1.09-07 – Car 6 raced Valencia to Yas Marina

F1.09-8 – Car 5 raced Valencia to Yas Marina

Renault R29
R2901 – Car 8 (Piquet) Raced Melbourne to

R2902 -

R2903 – Car 7 (Alonso) Raced Melbourne to Shanghai , Car 8 (Grosjean) raced
Valencia to Yas Marina

R2904 – Car 7 (Alonso) Raced Monaco to Yas Marina

Toyota TF109
TF109-01 – pre season testing only
TF109-02 – KERS test car, single days testing only
TF109-03 – Car 10 (Glock) raced at Melbourne
TF109-04 – Car 9 (Trulli) raced Melbourne to Shanghai,
Car 10 (Kobayashi) Raced Interlagos and Yas Marina
TF109-05 – Car 10 (Glock/Kobayashi Suzuka practice
only) replaced chassis 03 at Sepang – raced Sepang to Suzuka (damaged)
TF109-06 – Car 9 (Trulli) replaced chassis 04 at
Bahain – raced Bahrain to Yas Marina

Toro Rosso STR4
Chassis 01 – Car 12 (Buemi) Raced Melbourne to Barcelona and Raced
Interlagos and Yas Marina, Car 11 (Bourdais & Alguersuari)
Raced Silverstone and Nurburgring,

Chassis 02 – Car 11 (Bourdais & Alguersuari)
Raced Melbourne to Barcelona

Chassis 03 – Car 12 (Buemi) Raced Barcelona to Yas Marina

McLaren MP4/24
MP4-24-01 – Launch only

MP4-24-02* – Car 2 (Kovalainen) Raced Barcelona, Monaco, Silverstone. Car 1
(Hamilton) Raced Singapore to Yas Marina

MP4-24-03 – Car 2 (Kovalainen) Raced Melbourne to Sakhir and Nurburgring to Yas Marina

MP4-24-04* – Car 1 (Hamilton) Raced Melbourne to Sakhir, and Monaco to
Hungaroring, Monza
MP4-24-05 – Car 1 (Hamilton) Raced at Barcelona, Valencia and Spa

Ferrari F60
275 – Car 3 (Massa) raced Melbourne to Barcelona

276 – Car 4 (Raikkonen) raced Melbourne to Bahrain, Car 3 (Massa) raced Monaco& Istanbul
277 – Car 3 (Massa) replaced chassis 276 raced
Silverstone & Nurburgring, did not start at the Hungaroring due to driver
injury

278 – Unknown (Spare?)
279* – Car 4 (Raikkonen) replaced 276 at Barcelona raced Barcelona to Yas Marina

280- Car 3 (Badoer/Fisichella) Replaced 277 raced Valencia to Yas Marina

Force India F1 VJM02
VJM02/01 – Car 21 (Fisichella) Raced Melbourne to
Bahrain, Car 20 (Sutil) Monaco to Yas Marina

VJM02/02 – Spare

VJM02/03 – Car 20 (Sutil) Raced Melbourne to Barcelona (damaged)

VJM02/04 – Car 21 (Fisichella/Liuzzi) Raced Barcelona to Yas Marina

Red Bull RB5

Kate Chassis 1* -  Car 15 (Vettel)
Raced Melbourne to Istanbul and Spa to Yas Marina

Chassis 2* – Car 14 (Webber) Raced Melbourne to Valencia and Monza to Suzuka
(damaged)

Chassis 3 – Car 14 (Webber) Raced at Spa

Kate’s Dirty Sister
Chassis 4* – Car 15 (Vettel) Raced Silverstone to Valencia,
Car 14 (Webber) Raced Suzuka, Interlagos and Yas Marina

*Denotes race winner

Reference: racecar-engineering.com

With the Formula 1 season finished, BBC Sport will bring you a regular round-up of the gossip in newspapers and on specialist websites around the world.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed his immense pride at McLaren-Mercedes having transformed arguably the slowest car in the field to the fastest over just a matter of months – a feat he contends no other team would have been capable of achieving.
Full story: crash.net

N.Technology’s legal action against the FIA over the way that the process for the selection of the new teams for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship has been unsuccessful after French courts rejected all of its claims.
Full story: autosport.com

Michael Schumacher has confessed that if he could have his record-breaking F1 career over again, he would “do some things differently” – most notably the highly controversial manner in which he tried and failed to snatch the 1997 drivers’ crown from Williams rival Jacques Villeneuve in the European Grand Prix finale.
Full story: crash.net

Internet giant Google has been ordered to pay $500,000 dollars in damages to Formula 1 racer Rubens Barrichello for hosting fake online profiles of him on its social network Orkut.
Agence France Presse

It has emerged that the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, held at iconic Spa-Francorchamps, made a loss of more than 5m Euros (£4.5m).
Full story: f1-live.com

Fernando Alonso is tipped to appear at Ferrari’s ‘World Finals’ event at the Valencia circuit this weekend.
Full story: F1-live.com

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost admits world rally champion Sebastian Loeb will need to spend more time behind the wheel of an F1 car if he wants to race in a grand prix.
Full story: planet-f1.com

Cosworth general manager of F1 Mark Gallagher is confident that the four new teams are on target to be on the grid at the start of the 2010 Formula 1 season.
Full story: autosport.com

Formula Two front-runner Mirko Bortolotti will join British Formula Three champion Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull reserve driver Brendon Hartley in testing for Toro Rosso next month.
Full story: F1-live.com

Reference: BBC F1 Sport

Following an impressive debut season in which he showed the way to team-mates Sebastien Bourdais and Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi has signed up to remain with Toro Rosso Ferrari for next season.

“I had some contact with other teams due to my good results at the end of the season,” he told the Television Suisse Romande programme Sport Dimanche. “Toyota could have been a possibility because they had not yet hired any drivers.

“That was not the only one, and anyway I was always talking with (Toro Rosso owner) Red Bull. Finally I signed with Toro Rosso for 2010.”

Buemi also indicated that Jamie Alguersuari will probably return for his first full season with the team.

“I assume that he will team up with me next year,” he said. “I think the team chose to change in the middle (of the season) because we can’t really do any testing so he may as well get used to the car now.”

Reference: f1-live.com

This is the ultimate guide to where drivers are going in Formula 1 for 2010. The guide is split between current season (2009) teams, and new 2010 teams. This page will be constantly updated.

2009 Teams and confirmed drivers

Sauber

1. Kamui Kobayashi
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Nick Heidfeld

Mercedes GP

1. Nico Rosberg
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Nick Heidfeld, Michael Schumacher

Ferrari

1. Fernando Alonso
2. Felipe Massa

Force India

1. Adrian Sutil
2. Vitantonio Liuzzi

McLaren

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Jenson Button

Red Bull Racing

1. Mark Webber
2. Sebastian Vettel

Renault

1. Robert Kubica
2. Unconfirmed

Toro Rosso

1. Sebastien Buemi
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Jaime Alguersuari

Toyota

Retired from 2010 season

Williams

1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Nico Hülkenberg

New teams for 2010 and confirmed drivers

Campos Meta

1. Bruno Senna
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Pedro de la Rosa, Nelson Piquet Jr.

Lotus F1

1. Jarno Trulli
2. Heikki Kovalainen

Virgin Racing

1. Timo Glock
2. Lucas Di Grassi

US F1

1. Unconfirmed
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Jose Maria Lopez

2009 Drivers Currently Missing a Race Seat

• Kimi Raikkonen (ex Ferrari). Confirmed as leaving in 2010 and going to WRC.
• Nick Heidfeld (ex BMW Sauber)
• Giancarlo Fisichella (ex Force India & Ferrari)

*Seufz*

Dreimal habe ich den vergangenen fünf Tagen unter meinem kleinen Engländer gelegen und nach einem Leck gesucht.
Zu finden war nichts, also habe ich jeweils das Kühlsystem entlüftet und gut war wieder, aber nur kurzweilig. Nix ist gut! Gestern hatte ich die Faxen mal wieder dicke, suchte genauer, schraubte die Abdeckung vom Zahnriemen ab und sofort war klar, die Wasserpumpe ist das Problem. Desweiteren schaute ich mir den Zahnriemen genauer an und… der sitzt alles aber nicht fest.

Das nun ist das Todesurteil. Früh klingelte mein Handy, der Beste aller Exmänner, den ich ja nun getrost wieder den King nennen kann, forderte seinen obligatorischen Kaffee ein.
Ich bin ja nicht doof und habe am Telefon nichts gesagt! Ich bin lernfähig! Nach 30 Jahren sollte man wissen was man wann sagen darf! Ich liess ihn kommen, in dem Glauben er dürfe gemütlich sein Käffchen trinken!
“Ne Alte, ich will aus deinem Mund nicht mehr die Worte Auto und kaputt in einem Satz hören!”
Nach einigem hin und her, das damit endete dass ich im Schwitzkasten steckte ( er kann es nicht leiden wenn ich Recht habe ), war klar, meine Diagnose stimmt.
Ich bin ein bisschen traurig, mein kleiner Engländer liegt nun endgültig im sterben!
“Fahr ihn bis er tot ist, ich lass das Handy an und sammel dich im Zweifel auf!” sprach der Mann, der gerüchtehalber telefonisch schwerer zu erreichen ist als der Papst. Ich persönlich halte das nicht für ein Gerücht, wohl aber für ein unumstössliches Faktum!

Also ist Monsieur wieder im Auftrag unterwegs für einen adäquaten und möglichst bezahlbaren Ersatz zu sorgen. Schade, ich mag meinen Rover aber 22 Jahre sind nun auch ein mehr als stattliches Alter! Ich hoffe er leidet derweil nicht zu sehr…

Ich geh ein wenig weinen! *schnief*

So I was doing my due diligence for my blog regarding the 2,200 room Marriott Place Indianapolis set to open next year and all of a sudden I find myself in an office-wide debate regarding the segmentation of brands, a discussion that has seemed to arise regularly since my addition to the Paramount Chicago office.  Now I hope this wasn’t enough to scare off my regular readers (all 10 of you), as my last two posts have both touched on the topic of over branding and the commodity of a hotel room, but I need to make peace with this subject.  As for the Marriot Place Indy (which I feel is a disaster in the making), that topic will be addressed in a later post.

The discussion began over whether a JW Marriott hotel is considered a “luxury” or “upper-upscale” hotel.  My argument was that it is upper-upscale, while some argued luxury and others were caught in the haze in between.  I am quite certain that no two hoteliers would agree as to where all of the major hotel brands fall into the standard chain scales (luxury, upper-upscale, upscale, midscale w/ F&B, midscale w/o F&B, and economy).  Which leads me to my first point: has hotel branding become so diluted that it is impossible to agree on where hotels fit in?

When this debate is sparked, the first place many of us turn to is the breakdown of chain scales by STR, which was the case this afternoon.  I suppose I’ve never given it a deep enough assessment because as I studied STR’s classifications earlier, I was shocked and confused.

After reviewing the STR Chain Scales, which we found to never actually include the JW Marriott brand, I concluded that 1) a vast majority of the hotels needed to be downgraded on the hierarchy and 2) they include hotels in the same segment (especially “upscale”) that truly cannot be compared; (i.e. benchmarking a Courtyard with a Club Med in the upscale segment) and 3) another classification should be added at the bottom of the hierarchy: the “budget” segment.

For the sake of time, and to limit the debate, I’ve compiled what I feel to be the classifications of FULL-SERVICE hotels.  But before I deliver my personal take on where the major brands fall in, let me preface it by defining what each segment is:

• LUXURY is the crème de la crème.  It is exclusive company that is not easily attainable. The brands in this segment are consistent across the board. The customer is able to expect the same product level whether it’s in Nevis or New York City.  They are universally AAA 4-5 diamond, Mobil 4-5 star rated.
• UPPER-UPSCALE isn’t quite a luxury hotel but is superior to the upscale hotel.  It often tries and somewhat succeeds in matching the price point of luxury hotels.  It is the next best alternative when a developer seeks a company’s highest flag and fails.
• UPSCALE would be considered to be an above average stay.  It is made up of the major companies namesake hotels. It often has significant meeting space.
• MIDSCALE leaves much to be desired by the needy traveler.  It may have some upside but is, for the most part, mediocre across the board.

Those highlighted in bold signify a different classification than that of STR.

Those italicized are not included by STR.

While an argument could be made for the whereabouts of any of these full-service hotels, I can’t see how any limited or select service hotel could be considered “upscale,” yet the STR upscale set is largely made up of them.  Rather than pushing everything up the ladder, STR is better off adding segments at the bottom and working down.

Maybe I’m on a tyrant for no reason, maybe I’m just sick of reading about the relative success of upper-upscale hotels and not knowing what the hell that includes, or maybe I just like hearing my voice heard.  Regardless, as I open this up for debate, maybe we can come closer to a consensus.

-Michael Kitchen