Motif Charity Walk 2009

Hi Folks

Join the 7th Annual Motif Charity Walk 2009 on 15th Feb. It starts at 7am from Atira and ends up at Atira. The walking would be of about 5kms and the running would be of about 8kms. Also I think it would be a good idea to donate few hundred bucks to the under mentioned NGOs.  In conclusion, it should be a good turn out and you can also get lot of business connections. So spare your Sunday morning and lets walk. 

- Refreshments will be provided and yes if you donate the money then you also get t-shirts. Plus all the super walkers and runner, there are also some prices for coming on top. Anyways overall its a good outdoor activity. 

NGOs this year at Motif: Karuna Kare Foundation, Sanjivani Health & Relief Committee, Gujarat Cleft and Craniofacial Research Institute and Akshaya Patra Foundation 

Details @ http://www.motifinc.com/Charity_Walk_2009.htm

Anti-HIV Gel Offers Hope To Women

Interesting new in today's Ahmedabad Mirror:

HIV/Aids researchers celebrated a major milestone this week as a microbicide gel for women was found to reduce the risk of HIV infection by 30 per cent. 

Though falling short of the 33 per cent needed for the microbicide gel, known as PRO 2000, to be regarded a scientific success; researchers believe the results mark a significant achievement as this is the first human clinical study to suggest that a microbicide gel could prevent male-tofemale sexual transmission of HIV infection. 

A global network of research institutions were involved in the Phase II clinical study, including South Africa’s HIV Prevention Research Unit at the Medical Research Council. Commenting on the results of the study, Director of the Unit Professor Gita Ramjee said, “For the first time in the history of microbicide research, the concept of microbicides as an HIV prevention tool for women seems to be a reality” “After working for over a decade in microbicide research, we are seeing a glimmer of hope of finding a safe and effective microbicide which could protect women and substantially reduce new HIV infections here in South Africa and globally.

 
An investigational vaginal gel intended to prevent HIV infection in women has demonstrated encouraging signs of success in a clinical trial conducted in Africa and the United States. Findings of the recently concluded study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, were presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal. The study found the microbicide gel—known as PRO 2000 (Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lexington, Mass.)—to be safe and approximately 30 percent effective (33 per cent effectiveness would have been considered statistically significant). This is the first human clinical study to suggest that a microbicide—a gel, foam or cream intended to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections when applied topically inside the vagina or rectum—may prevent sexual transmission of HIV infection. 

Sources:

http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/health_and_hiv_aids/antihiv_gel_offers_hope_to_women.html

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/02/09/antihiv_gel_sh ows_promise_in_largescale_study_in_women.html 

Reverse Tide

Last weekend on Feb 7, 2009 - my sister and some cousines went to Half Moon Bay to watch Reverse Tide. 

I was impressed with the Marketing, Presentations and promotions. I mean low tide is been happning around the world from many years. Me and I guess lot of others had visited to the low tides in the past but I never thought that it can be a big crowd catcher. I guess if a proper knowledge and promotions been given then - the event could be a big hit. I mean there were volunteers explaning things and showing stuff in depth and kids just loved it. They were able to play in the wet messy sand and learn the underwater lives....I guess that's amazing. No doubt that this tide had gone very far and lot of underwater lives been exposed but I think similar secnerio can be found elsewhere...but the way its been package...and makes people visit the place is great....hats off the idea of reverse tide... and the marketing idea.

I guess same thing amplies to lot of other things in USA (Like monuments and historic places). They are so good in putting things together and making it an memorial experience for everyone. I guess its a big lesson all the tourism developers or even the event organizers... HATS OFF to idea. 

In the picture: My Niece and Nephew playing and looking around in mud. 

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Some more pictures from the event:

   

  

Migration: Good and Bad

Hi

Finally I have shifted my account from Wordpress to Blogger. And it was a big pain.

Good Part: I am happy with some of the features from Blogger like point to my personal domain name, useful gadgets, layout tweaking etc...

Bad Part:

1. I lost many of my posts during migration. Some files got corrupt during the migration and well... I am left with some old and new posts.  

2. I now have to learn - to move around Blogger's site.

3. I try very hard to avoid Google products (of course to kill its dominance) but they are too good. 

Anyways done is done...

Note: If you want to migrate your site from wordpress to blogger then visit codesimple.net.  I screwed up, but may be - you might get it right.

Walk. Run. Reach Sola.....

Hi

Thank you everyone who participated in the mini- marathon. It turned out to be a great event. Everyone looked excited and energized. Overall, looked like everyone wanted to do this AGAIN. So lets see when that can happen.

Things to be learned:

1. Consider 75% presence.

2. Market well through SMSs, Mouth of word, friends, emails, and phone calls.

3. Get sponsors freebies. Give gifts or t-shirts and stuff.

4. Have a good snacks with Excess amount of liquides.

5. Choose Green and cooler route.

6. Try to do a circular route, so that people can get back to their vechiles easily.  

MORE PICTURES @ http://picasaweb.google.com/vivek.bhalavat/WalkToSola2009

Photographers not above the ceremony

My wedding just got done couple of days back. During my wedding ceremony, the photographers used to make us wait for the pictures. For them pictures were more important then the religious vidhi. It was Indian Wedding Chori ridiculous. Worst part was that the Pandit who was performing the vidhi was also not interested in the ceremony and wanted the get waited by the photographers. When I asked the pandit - not to entertain the photographers then he told me that - that’s how its done. This photographs are important and will help me in many things in future (may be visa things….) . My only point is that the Photographers should be controlled. They are not above the ceremony and they have to click when the process is happning. This are just some of things that go me ehhhhh……

THINK Smart

Well Logicsite Technologies’s motto is Think Different.Think Big. Â But here is a good examples of Think Smart. I guess we need to add this to the tag line.

Case 1

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out
that the pens wouldn’t work at zero gravity (ink won’t flow down to the
writing surface).

To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They
developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater,
in Practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range
from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did the Russians do…??

They used a Pencil !!!

Case 2

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the
case f the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan’s biggest
cosmetics Companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had
bought
a Soap box that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line,
which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery
department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line
empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste,the
engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with
high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes
that passed
through the line to make sure they were not empty.

No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a
whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small
company
was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of
X-rays,etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a
strong
industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched
the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the
empty boxes out of the line.

Moral

Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution
that solves the problems.

An ant can be killed in two ways……
#1) By lifting and pressing it by your hand….
#2) By Bombarding it with a missile.

Back to the Future

Moller International, creators of that stunning red flyingcar prototype seen web-wide, has started production on the M200G, the consumer-ready derivative of the M200X volantor, and is readying the machine for the open market. Depending on engine costs, the M200G will cost between $90,000-$125,000.According to the press release, the machine can hover 10 feet off the ground and cruises at a speed of 50 mph. Because the M200G is classified as a recreation device and not an aircraft, it is not subject to FAA regulations and anybody can operate one. No official release date has been announced.