When we rode wagons and played with train sets
It looks like there might be two sides to this migration story.
Half a dozen of our team members work in manufacturing. They live near the office in villages such as Ghasola, Fazilpur and Badshahpur. We have been regularly checking in on them to make sure they are doing OK. They have been telling us that the police will not let them stand outside their houses, or let them go buy groceries except during specified hours in the morning and evening.
The last I met one of them was last Tuesday. This Tuesday morning (yesterday) we called all of them to check if any of them would be willing to volunteer with groups helping feed migrants in Gurgaon. It was then that we found out that at least four of them are in their hometowns in Mathura, Agra, Bhopal, etc.
Members of our team had regularly been counselling them to not return to their home towns and to stay indoors. They had been offered every help possible. One of them says he left because the price of all essential commodities had shot up, and vegetables were also not easily available near his house. Another said that since everyone around him left, he also left.
Their colleagues, who have been working from home on various projects, were obviously a little miffed. Those having to work feel like suckers, when some others have gone home on a paid vacation.
I thought I should put this out there, since I've been speaking so much for the migrants. Clearly, not every migrant returning was short of rent money, or hungry.
(The only saving grace in this situation is that those working from home, largely enjoy what they do. The more they work, the more they learn. The production workers, on the other hand, do largely repetitive assembly line work. We try to make it as fun as possible, but it is still fairly mind numbing stuff.)
Half a dozen of our team members work in manufacturing. They live near the office in villages such as Ghasola, Fazilpur and Badshahpur. We have been regularly checking in on them to make sure they are doing OK. They have been telling us that the police will not let them stand outside their houses, or let them go buy groceries except during specified hours in the morning and evening.
The last I met one of them was last Tuesday. This Tuesday morning (yesterday) we called all of them to check if any of them would be willing to volunteer with groups helping feed migrants in Gurgaon. It was then that we found out that at least four of them are in their hometowns in Mathura, Agra, Bhopal, etc.
Members of our team had regularly been counselling them to not return to their home towns and to stay indoors. They had been offered every help possible. One of them says he left because the price of all essential commodities had shot up, and vegetables were also not easily available near his house. Another said that since everyone around him left, he also left.
Their colleagues, who have been working from home on various projects, were obviously a little miffed. Those having to work feel like suckers, when some others have gone home on a paid vacation.
I thought I should put this out there, since I've been speaking so much for the migrants. Clearly, not every migrant returning was short of rent money, or hungry.
(The only saving grace in this situation is that those working from home, largely enjoy what they do. The more they work, the more they learn. The production workers, on the other hand, do largely repetitive assembly line work. We try to make it as fun as possible, but it is still fairly mind numbing stuff.)
Petrol in the US is now ₹20/litre.
Pump rate in Gurgaon today: ₹70.10/litre.
Pump rate in Gurgaon today: ₹70.10/litre.
When Kavin is bored in isolation
Workers will save the world ✊🏽. Farmers 🌾. Delivery workers 🚚. Healthcare workers 💉
I'm just... going to leave this here.
50,000 Cuban doctors are serving patients outside of Cuba at any given time. Millions of eyes with cataract have been restored by Cuba for free. Have you been touched by the Cuban miracle?
50,000 is half the total number of doctors in Cuba. 0.8% of Cubans are active doctors.
Not just doctors, Cuba has no shortage of medical equipment either. Their doctors are not short of PPEs, something all other nations are struggling with. This is in spite of the American embargo on Cuba.
0.134% of Indians are active doctors. 0.274% of USA's population are active doctors.
50,000 is half the total number of doctors in Cuba. 0.8% of Cubans are active doctors.
Not just doctors, Cuba has no shortage of medical equipment either. Their doctors are not short of PPEs, something all other nations are struggling with. This is in spite of the American embargo on Cuba.
0.134% of Indians are active doctors. 0.274% of USA's population are active doctors.
Dedicated to those bhakts who believed that the Delhi government overnight cut lakhs of electricity and water supply connections, selectively to UP Bihar poor households, even as DJB staff is maintaining social distancing.
Good old XKCD ❤️ https://xkcd.com/2287/
My eleven year old budding physicist, Kavin, was amused to listen to this.
"He is using words like molecular structure to make it look like he actually knows what he is talking about."
If you're buying this bullshit, you have lower intellect than an eleven year old.
"He is using words like molecular structure to make it look like he actually knows what he is talking about."
If you're buying this bullshit, you have lower intellect than an eleven year old.
Even the rats are out in full force in India, not just the birds and the bees.
Meanwhile...
If you can speak like this man - we are in need of more godmen in India. Just make sure you're brown.
The lockdown has failed. It is not meeting any of its objectives. People are not distanced. They are on the move.
Stop blaming these poor people. You always find someone to blame that is not the decision maker. Introspect on your relationship with authority.
The lockdown has failed. Now we must figure out what to do next. Caning people has also not stopped them.
Stop blaming these poor people. You always find someone to blame that is not the decision maker. Introspect on your relationship with authority.
The lockdown has failed. Now we must figure out what to do next. Caning people has also not stopped them.
Please support @[570112285:2048:Saikat]. You can email him on the address in his post.
Please take the time and watch this video, to see how someone diagnosed the problems of our contemporary world ages ago.
All my life I've struggled with guilt. Society wants me to maximise my economic and financial output, whereas I see myself as far more than just a money and technology making machine.
My role as a father, traveler, maker, story teller and critic are completely devalued. Anything I do that doesn't translate into economic reward, is questioned by society, because I am a man.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Not everything needs to be measured in money and economic value. People have imagined a world altogether devoid of money and the corruption of society that money causes.
All my life I've struggled with guilt. Society wants me to maximise my economic and financial output, whereas I see myself as far more than just a money and technology making machine.
My role as a father, traveler, maker, story teller and critic are completely devalued. Anything I do that doesn't translate into economic reward, is questioned by society, because I am a man.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Not everything needs to be measured in money and economic value. People have imagined a world altogether devoid of money and the corruption of society that money causes.
To those who are saying what can the police do if not cane violators - public shaming always works better. It is non violent and it really drives the message.
Is this true? The states did not even know about the lockdown. And now the entire onus to feed everybody, secure everybody, house all the migrants, provide Healthcare to everyone, all that is the responsibility of the states. Sigh.
Help the poor stranded in Delhi reach food. This map will help you direct people to the nearest Delhi government food outlet/arrangement
#DelhiHungerReliefCentre
Thanks @[1018426225:2048:Meenakshi Sharma] for sharing
#DelhiHungerReliefCentre
Thanks @[1018426225:2048:Meenakshi Sharma] for sharing
Please, please support these people 🙏🏽
They are working hard in dangerous circumstances to feed the poor *in their homes*. This means they feed people, keep them safe inside their homes, and thereby also keep the entire community safe by stopping the spread of the disease through contact.
They're preventing folks from roaming the streets looking for money or food, from crowding the markets to buy food, and from migrating to villages.
The donation link is https://ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/GurgaonDailyWageWorkers
My friend @[648017223:2048:Monika Agarwal] volunteered with them today, distributing food packets, and can vouch for their work. The NGO is well known within Gurgaon and has also partnered with another reputed NGO, Agrasar, for this initiative.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=686397358763154&id=311519636250930&comment_id=686678565401700
They are working hard in dangerous circumstances to feed the poor *in their homes*. This means they feed people, keep them safe inside their homes, and thereby also keep the entire community safe by stopping the spread of the disease through contact.
They're preventing folks from roaming the streets looking for money or food, from crowding the markets to buy food, and from migrating to villages.
The donation link is https://ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/GurgaonDailyWageWorkers
My friend @[648017223:2048:Monika Agarwal] volunteered with them today, distributing food packets, and can vouch for their work. The NGO is well known within Gurgaon and has also partnered with another reputed NGO, Agrasar, for this initiative.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=686397358763154&id=311519636250930&comment_id=686678565401700
Wow! People are taking matters into their hands.
इस जन सैलाब का ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? जनता या हुक्मरान?
These people need urgent help. If you want to help these people repair their homes and buy basic amenities, so they can be off the streets and inside houses, please contact me. My friend Sana will send you the bank details of one of them, you will make a direct deposit, and then she will ensure that the money is used for its intended purpose. Please help 🙏🏽
Please watch. Please take the time and watch and let's discuss what we should do, what the governments should do. This status quo is unacceptable.
Someone get Manish Sisodia an N99 mask please.
इसकी हाय लगी सबको
Will you stop repeating that COVID-19 is a disease of the rich in India. Indians traveling abroad are not necessarily rich. Busloads of people empty out into ISBT Delhi from all over western UP and beyond, put their पोटलीs on their heads, take a DTC bus to the airport and hop onto a cheap flight to the gulf. Not every sardar in Canada is rich. Lakhs of Tamilians in Malaysia, just scraping by.
People also have to travel abroad for work/trade reasons, and again these often aren't rich people. Chennai to Singapore, Bangalore to Bangkok, Delhi to Guangdong - these flights are cheaper than many domestic flights. Small traders from small towns travel abroad to buy goods.
Splitting this disease by wealth is disingenuous. The poor are suffering more, as in any disaster, because like all contemporary democracies, India is controlled by the privileged, who don't factor in the poor and marginalised when issuing diktats and making policies. The rich and middle class should help, because we have the means. Period.
Also please stop blaming the Chinese people. The Chinese leadership is at fault, which isn't the same thing as the Chinese people (remember they can't vote). When you blame the Chinese for their eating habits, you're being racist. Maneka Gandhi, much as I dislike that woman, has written tomes on the eating habits of Indians. From chutney made of ants to bats wings, we Indians eat them all. We even use bat wings as bandages. So chill, ok. If we can sell cow piss out of Indian grocery stores in the US, then the Chinese too can use wild animals in cuisine and medicine. The inhuman factory farming of chicken and cows, the antibiotics being fed to them and the disaster that is for health and the environment... it's always easy to focus on the other guy's plate.
People also have to travel abroad for work/trade reasons, and again these often aren't rich people. Chennai to Singapore, Bangalore to Bangkok, Delhi to Guangdong - these flights are cheaper than many domestic flights. Small traders from small towns travel abroad to buy goods.
Splitting this disease by wealth is disingenuous. The poor are suffering more, as in any disaster, because like all contemporary democracies, India is controlled by the privileged, who don't factor in the poor and marginalised when issuing diktats and making policies. The rich and middle class should help, because we have the means. Period.
Also please stop blaming the Chinese people. The Chinese leadership is at fault, which isn't the same thing as the Chinese people (remember they can't vote). When you blame the Chinese for their eating habits, you're being racist. Maneka Gandhi, much as I dislike that woman, has written tomes on the eating habits of Indians. From chutney made of ants to bats wings, we Indians eat them all. We even use bat wings as bandages. So chill, ok. If we can sell cow piss out of Indian grocery stores in the US, then the Chinese too can use wild animals in cuisine and medicine. The inhuman factory farming of chicken and cows, the antibiotics being fed to them and the disaster that is for health and the environment... it's always easy to focus on the other guy's plate.
Our actions have ruined their lives.
Wow. Who could have ever imagined that we could wake up to this?
सब याद रखा जाएगा। When the government tells you next time, that pollution in Delhi/NCR isn't being caused by vehicles, construction and industrial activity, तब यह graph दिखाया जाएगा।
Imagine how many road accident and air pollution related deaths we can avoid even after the curfew is lifted, if we plough our learnings from this period into future planning and decision making. Public transport is the only way forward.
सब याद रखा जाएगा। When the government tells you next time, that pollution in Delhi/NCR isn't being caused by vehicles, construction and industrial activity, तब यह graph दिखाया जाएगा।
Imagine how many road accident and air pollution related deaths we can avoid even after the curfew is lifted, if we plough our learnings from this period into future planning and decision making. Public transport is the only way forward.
Survival of the fittest. Darwin rocks 🤘🏽
In this time of great distress for our fellow countrymen who cannot afford to eat for the next 21 days, in the absence of a means to earn.
If in this time, you find it in yourself to post photographs of you or your family enjoying a meal or a drink in the comforts of your ivory tower.
If that is who you are. Then please unfriend me. Or better still, block me. I wish I could block you in real life too.
[Edit: This isn't about food pics. This is about you showing off your affluence when others are literally dying on the streets.]
If in this time, you find it in yourself to post photographs of you or your family enjoying a meal or a drink in the comforts of your ivory tower.
If that is who you are. Then please unfriend me. Or better still, block me. I wish I could block you in real life too.
[Edit: This isn't about food pics. This is about you showing off your affluence when others are literally dying on the streets.]
95% of Indian households make less than ₹12,000 per month - when they have work. Which they don't any more.
Would you rather see your children go hungry for 21 straight days? Or would you rather a disease ravaged through your village and killed a few sick, old people?
These are the tough choices that India's poor make every day. India has the largest number of poor people in the world. They live one sickness, one accident, one job loss away from total ruin.
Absolutely anybody you encounter in urban India, are not poor by Indian standards. Not even the beggars on the street corners. They are not among the millions of people dying of hunger in this country every year.
When we already have one of the most malnourished population in this world, what does 21 days of lockdown do to them? Are we even thinking about that? What does the PM mean "help the poor". How do I help the really hungry in all the backward districts, while being locked up at home in Gurgaon?
Would you rather see your children go hungry for 21 straight days? Or would you rather a disease ravaged through your village and killed a few sick, old people?
These are the tough choices that India's poor make every day. India has the largest number of poor people in the world. They live one sickness, one accident, one job loss away from total ruin.
Absolutely anybody you encounter in urban India, are not poor by Indian standards. Not even the beggars on the street corners. They are not among the millions of people dying of hunger in this country every year.
When we already have one of the most malnourished population in this world, what does 21 days of lockdown do to them? Are we even thinking about that? What does the PM mean "help the poor". How do I help the really hungry in all the backward districts, while being locked up at home in Gurgaon?
As an Indian innovator, I am glad we were able to force the government to do away with USFDA requirements for COVID-19 testing kits, paving the way for test equipment and kits that aren't just made in India, but also designed and developed in India.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punes-mylab-gets-approval-for-covid-19-diagnostic-kit/article31151858.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punes-mylab-gets-approval-for-covid-19-diagnostic-kit/article31151858.ece
They literally came out in the shadow of a curfew and destroyed this 😂 ✊🏽
Which countries in the world have weapons of mass destruction, but are unable to save their own people from a virus?
Which countries have working nuclear arsenals but inadequate public Healthcare facilities? Biological weapons, but no PPEs for Healthcare workers?
Which countries are sending doctors to other countries save lives?
And which countries are under harsh economic embargoes?
If you know all the answers, raise your hand.
Which countries have working nuclear arsenals but inadequate public Healthcare facilities? Biological weapons, but no PPEs for Healthcare workers?
Which countries are sending doctors to other countries save lives?
And which countries are under harsh economic embargoes?
If you know all the answers, raise your hand.
Genuine question. Googling has not helped.
I and my family have been in self isolation for over a week now. No one has come in, no one has left the house. So there is no human contact.
Once a day we pick up groceries from outside. We leave the bag hanging outside the house for a day before opening and using it, discarding the outer bag. The contents inside, if vegetables/fruits, are thoroughly washed before use. Hands are washed.
Q1: What is the real risk of us contracting the coronavirus from the surface of these packages? I know the risk is non-zero, but like, in percentage terms, how many COVID-19 cases are being detected without direct contact with a COVID-19 patient?
Q2: Can I step out, early morning at 5am when there is no one else outside, and take a walk? The AQI is good, the weather is decent, and I am turning into a pumpkin. What is the risk of contracting the infection from a walk in the open air. I will maintain over 2 meters distance from all humans.
I ask because, by the end of this week, we would have been in isolation for two weeks. So we would know for sure that there was no COVID-19 within my family. But outside, things are bad, and the lockdown will only extend beyond 31 March. A morning walk outside for me and the kids, and more packages/things coming in from outside, will improve the quality of our lives.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/airborne-spread-of-covid-19-not-reported-so-far-who-official-1658918-2020-03-24
I and my family have been in self isolation for over a week now. No one has come in, no one has left the house. So there is no human contact.
Once a day we pick up groceries from outside. We leave the bag hanging outside the house for a day before opening and using it, discarding the outer bag. The contents inside, if vegetables/fruits, are thoroughly washed before use. Hands are washed.
Q1: What is the real risk of us contracting the coronavirus from the surface of these packages? I know the risk is non-zero, but like, in percentage terms, how many COVID-19 cases are being detected without direct contact with a COVID-19 patient?
Q2: Can I step out, early morning at 5am when there is no one else outside, and take a walk? The AQI is good, the weather is decent, and I am turning into a pumpkin. What is the risk of contracting the infection from a walk in the open air. I will maintain over 2 meters distance from all humans.
I ask because, by the end of this week, we would have been in isolation for two weeks. So we would know for sure that there was no COVID-19 within my family. But outside, things are bad, and the lockdown will only extend beyond 31 March. A morning walk outside for me and the kids, and more packages/things coming in from outside, will improve the quality of our lives.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/airborne-spread-of-covid-19-not-reported-so-far-who-official-1658918-2020-03-24
People who say crop burning or weather patterns are the root cause of air population - eat this. Human urban activity is the primary contributor.
This is while some transport is still running, some brick kilns still burn, and all the thermal power plants across India operate at full blast. Imagine if we cleaned all of it up.
This is while some transport is still running, some brick kilns still burn, and all the thermal power plants across India operate at full blast. Imagine if we cleaned all of it up.
These 😈 zionists 🕺🏼 🎶
हम भारत के लोग
Tired of clanging pots and pans, my neighbours are now chanting Go Corona Go. Educated, affluent Bharat 🤦🏽♂️
वो रात अपुन दो बजे तक पिया
Almost a hundred years have passed but where is the dignity? Where is the love for our fellow men?
Let us pledge to treat all our countrymen equally. In our hearts and in our actions.
Let us pledge to treat all our countrymen equally. In our hearts and in our actions.
Because you guys liked a two year old post about flowers so much... Here are flowers from my garden, from right now.
Update: Thanks to your generosity, Sana has been able to get six families on the path of getting their lives together again. This is critical given the looming COVID-19 pandemic. The sooner these folks are out of the relief camps and back at their homes, the better it is for them and the community. The money you have donated will help recipients in repairing their homes or paying rent, and buying basic household needs.
🤗 Thank you again for your generosity 🤗
If you would like to donate, please do connect with me on DM. You will be transferring money directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. A lot of money is still needed; a lot of families are still without a roof.
Please share this message on your page.
[ Not sharing the names of either donors or beneficiaries, out of respect for both. ]
🤗 Thank you again for your generosity 🤗
If you would like to donate, please do connect with me on DM. You will be transferring money directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. A lot of money is still needed; a lot of families are still without a roof.
Please share this message on your page.
[ Not sharing the names of either donors or beneficiaries, out of respect for both. ]
So, this happened 😂
(sharing something I wrote elsewhere)
I’ve worked from home most of my life. Some things that work for me:
- Don’t stay planted on your chair all day. Step out into the garden to take phone calls, walk about a bit. Walks to the water cooler and loo in the office are typically longer than at home - try and mimic those.
- Have a prominent hand signal, as well as a sign on your door, to warn your kids/family that you are on a call. They don’t want themselves walking into a video call as much as you.
- Work together as a family. Your kids can study while you work, in the same room, quietly. Helps them learn how to focus/concentrate and get work done. It also helps kids realise how serious your work is, and that you’re not quite mentally available during work hours, even though physically you may be at home.
- Have a separate work room. Walk in, work mode on. If you need to take a personal call or check social media, walk out of that room as you would in an open plan office. The physical separation of work and personal space seems to help my brain switch modes.
Something I never seem to be able to follow:
- Dress up in the morning before beginning work. Don't just start off in your PJs.
I’ve worked from home most of my life. Some things that work for me:
- Don’t stay planted on your chair all day. Step out into the garden to take phone calls, walk about a bit. Walks to the water cooler and loo in the office are typically longer than at home - try and mimic those.
- Have a prominent hand signal, as well as a sign on your door, to warn your kids/family that you are on a call. They don’t want themselves walking into a video call as much as you.
- Work together as a family. Your kids can study while you work, in the same room, quietly. Helps them learn how to focus/concentrate and get work done. It also helps kids realise how serious your work is, and that you’re not quite mentally available during work hours, even though physically you may be at home.
- Have a separate work room. Walk in, work mode on. If you need to take a personal call or check social media, walk out of that room as you would in an open plan office. The physical separation of work and personal space seems to help my brain switch modes.
Something I never seem to be able to follow:
- Dress up in the morning before beginning work. Don't just start off in your PJs.
If your work is fake - speak for yourself. I have been working from home for close to two decades now. Researching, building products, communicating - getting things done.
I do not need to be physically present in the office to get work done or keep my co-workers motivated and connected. This does not mean my work has no value.
Please do not piss over the contribution of authors, artists, designers, philosophers, mathematicians, and (certain) scientists and engineers, who have never needed to be co-located with other human beings in order to create some of humanity's greatest achievements.
I do not need to be physically present in the office to get work done or keep my co-workers motivated and connected. This does not mean my work has no value.
Please do not piss over the contribution of authors, artists, designers, philosophers, mathematicians, and (certain) scientists and engineers, who have never needed to be co-located with other human beings in order to create some of humanity's greatest achievements.
(Upper) middle class India spends a lifetime avoiding the sarkar. Now they are landing at airports and walking straight into the lap of the great Indian bureaucracy. They are waking up to the realisation that nothing works, everything is filthy, nobody wants to tell you anything, most officials don't even know what is going on, everyone says no instantly while nobody seems to have the power to say yes or even knows who has the power to take decisions.
95% of the country is well aware that this is how our sarkar is. The well heeled, stuck as they are at the airports without their CAs, lawyers, RTO agents and UrbanClap, don't know what to do. The ₹500 note that they thrust into the traffic cop's hands, or the scowl that they give the immigration agent, isn't working.
Am I being insensitive to the suffering of my own kind? Perhaps. But I am the idiot who could not get his driving license made for years because I repeatedly refused to bribe RTO inspectors. Let me savour this moment please.
95% of the country is well aware that this is how our sarkar is. The well heeled, stuck as they are at the airports without their CAs, lawyers, RTO agents and UrbanClap, don't know what to do. The ₹500 note that they thrust into the traffic cop's hands, or the scowl that they give the immigration agent, isn't working.
Am I being insensitive to the suffering of my own kind? Perhaps. But I am the idiot who could not get his driving license made for years because I repeatedly refused to bribe RTO inspectors. Let me savour this moment please.
Indian Accent sends me an email telling me how safe their food is in spite of COVID-19.
मेरी इतनी औकात कब से हो गई कि Indian Accent मुझे न्यौता दे?
#spam #misaddressedmail
मेरी इतनी औकात कब से हो गई कि Indian Accent मुझे न्यौता दे?
#spam #misaddressedmail
Yesterday, when driving into an apartment complex, the security guard used a thermal gun to check the temperature of my forehead. He told me that my body temperature is 36.8°C and let me enter.
He never checked the other occupants in the car - my children.
When residents institute such checks, why don't they think them through? If the security contractor turns their measures into security theatre, why don't they do something about it?
[ This was apart from the usual privacy issues - I refused to divulge my phone number and they wouldn't let me in without an OTP coming to my phone. I asked them what the privacy policy of their verification app vendor is and they said "trust us". Yeah right, that's what Decathlon also said, till they got sued. ]
He never checked the other occupants in the car - my children.
When residents institute such checks, why don't they think them through? If the security contractor turns their measures into security theatre, why don't they do something about it?
[ This was apart from the usual privacy issues - I refused to divulge my phone number and they wouldn't let me in without an OTP coming to my phone. I asked them what the privacy policy of their verification app vendor is and they said "trust us". Yeah right, that's what Decathlon also said, till they got sued. ]
Me: I was reading what this woman from Italy wrote. Eventually the hospitals will get overwhelmed, the pharmacies will run out of essential drugs, and the health care workers will start getting sick or fatigued.
M1: Then we must stock up on medicines now itself, before they run out.
My mom: If we hoard medicines we don't need, we deny medicines to people who are actually sick. That's not good.
Me: And if the sick don't get treated, the disease keeps raging outside and eventually reaches us. And then we do get to use the medicines we hoarded.
M1: (kicks furniture in annoyance)
The communist will tell you that humans are a cooperative species. The capitalist will tell you that we are inherently selfish and competitive, and that our greed helps us make the best decisions.
I don't know how we are when born. But cooperation can surely be taught and inculcated.
M1: Then we must stock up on medicines now itself, before they run out.
My mom: If we hoard medicines we don't need, we deny medicines to people who are actually sick. That's not good.
Me: And if the sick don't get treated, the disease keeps raging outside and eventually reaches us. And then we do get to use the medicines we hoarded.
M1: (kicks furniture in annoyance)
The communist will tell you that humans are a cooperative species. The capitalist will tell you that we are inherently selfish and competitive, and that our greed helps us make the best decisions.
I don't know how we are when born. But cooperation can surely be taught and inculcated.
Tom Hanks and his wife have COVID-19
When something you write hits a raw nerve in society, gets shared too widely, and all kinds of random blokes show up to react to your post.
And you're like "Dei machan, who are you, why are you reading my post? This is our internal matter please. Whether we send our child to college or not, who are you to bother? Please move along now."
And who is this Vi Ney fellow sharing my post? He doesn't even have a proper name. Tell him to go get a name first, then share posts and all. Chee.
And you're like "Dei machan, who are you, why are you reading my post? This is our internal matter please. Whether we send our child to college or not, who are you to bother? Please move along now."
And who is this Vi Ney fellow sharing my post? He doesn't even have a proper name. Tell him to go get a name first, then share posts and all. Chee.
So, Sumeet Samos's post made me read about Ramnath. This is what Wikipedia says.
Ramdas Bandu Athawale is an Indian politician, social activist and senior Buddhist, Ambedkarite and Dalit leader from Maharashtra. He is the president of the Republican Party of India (A), a splinter group of the Republican Party of India and has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar.
उठा ले रे देवा!
Ramdas Bandu Athawale is an Indian politician, social activist and senior Buddhist, Ambedkarite and Dalit leader from Maharashtra. He is the president of the Republican Party of India (A), a splinter group of the Republican Party of India and has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar.
उठा ले रे देवा!
My sister tells me that schools in California might not close due to COVID-19, because all of the teachers are on daily wages.
Think about it. If teachers don't teach, they don't get paid. And this influences their decision making.
This is how the richest country in the world is treating its most important workers - school teachers. This is how much it cares about its most important resource - future human resources who are currently students in school.
Think about it. If teachers don't teach, they don't get paid. And this influences their decision making.
This is how the richest country in the world is treating its most important workers - school teachers. This is how much it cares about its most important resource - future human resources who are currently students in school.
I have been posting a lot on economics and socialism recently.
The thought process was trigged on Saturday when I met with volunteers working on relief efforts in Mustafabad.
Contrary to my expectation, these weren't all college kids. These were people in their 20s, who need to earn their keep.
What kind of society do we have that cannot support people doing remarkable work for other humans?
This is a question I have grappled with since I was in college. Since I was first involved in experiential education and social work and wanted to take it up full time. Or when we helped star social workers of the time with fellowships.
I have many friends working in domains like mental health - domains where work is not easy to monetise. Or people needing their services are simply not in a position to pay. If you have a disability of any sort in this country, and you were born poor, there is simply no social net for you. You need to depend on the benevolence of others. Very often this benevolence rides on top of religious networks.
We all know of artists - musicians, painters, dancers - who took years to perfect their craft. What systems exist to support people during their struggling years - when they are still figuring things out. And does society not need artists and mental health professionals, social workers and sociologists? If the only skills that people possessed were skills that were immediately saleable - would that be a healthy society?
And so we have our youth. Either they live in penury, chasing their passions. Or they slave in meaningless jobs, while their souls are some place else. Or they get so consumed by this business of making money, that they start dying at about my age, from stress!
The thought process was trigged on Saturday when I met with volunteers working on relief efforts in Mustafabad.
Contrary to my expectation, these weren't all college kids. These were people in their 20s, who need to earn their keep.
What kind of society do we have that cannot support people doing remarkable work for other humans?
This is a question I have grappled with since I was in college. Since I was first involved in experiential education and social work and wanted to take it up full time. Or when we helped star social workers of the time with fellowships.
I have many friends working in domains like mental health - domains where work is not easy to monetise. Or people needing their services are simply not in a position to pay. If you have a disability of any sort in this country, and you were born poor, there is simply no social net for you. You need to depend on the benevolence of others. Very often this benevolence rides on top of religious networks.
We all know of artists - musicians, painters, dancers - who took years to perfect their craft. What systems exist to support people during their struggling years - when they are still figuring things out. And does society not need artists and mental health professionals, social workers and sociologists? If the only skills that people possessed were skills that were immediately saleable - would that be a healthy society?
And so we have our youth. Either they live in penury, chasing their passions. Or they slave in meaningless jobs, while their souls are some place else. Or they get so consumed by this business of making money, that they start dying at about my age, from stress!
He also gets it. We need to start again. From scratch.
COVID-19 mortality, as on date:
Global: 3.4%
South Korea: 0.6%
USA: 5% and climbing
COVID-19 is a testament to the state of public health in your country. If the low testing and high mortality rates for COVID-19 don't skew the upcoming US presidential elections in favour of candidates who offer greater public health spending, then the US electorate is just blind to reality.
More on South Korea's awesomeness here: https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/why-are-koreas-covid-19-death-rates-so-low/. Remember that they are at 0.6% despite having the second largest number of cases globally - they are behind only China. Unlike China, they haven't locked down their country/state either.
Global: 3.4%
South Korea: 0.6%
USA: 5% and climbing
COVID-19 is a testament to the state of public health in your country. If the low testing and high mortality rates for COVID-19 don't skew the upcoming US presidential elections in favour of candidates who offer greater public health spending, then the US electorate is just blind to reality.
More on South Korea's awesomeness here: https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/why-are-koreas-covid-19-death-rates-so-low/. Remember that they are at 0.6% despite having the second largest number of cases globally - they are behind only China. Unlike China, they haven't locked down their country/state either.