text:
The Unsung Heroes of Covid-19
Unsung Heroes: The silent women workers of self-help groups
Women like Gayatri Devi and Bhageerathy, along with their self-help groups, helped combat Covid-19 on various fronts across the country
By Divya J Shekhar, Forbes India Staff
Published: Jan 4, 2021 05:33:34 PM IST
Updated: Jan 8, 2021 10:15:12 AM IST
Unsung Heroes: Postal workers, delivery executives who worked tirelessly amid lockdowns
Private involvement complementary to digital health mission, not conflict of interest: Indu Bhushan
PwC, UNICEF and YuWaah partner to redefine education
Covid-19 vaccine trials: How much information is too much information?
South Indian movies are (finally) putting women at the lead
UP Poll Diary, Day 5: In PM Modi's Varanasi, a tale of forgotten promises and missed opportunities
In India, constraints stir more creativity: Beth Comstock
Naveen Patnaik's two decades, and counting
Pune: City of Angels
Gayatri Devi (with the laptop), a resident of Jaipur village in Jharkhand's Khunti district, is also a banking correspondent representative. During the lockdown, she helped open 350 bank accounts for poor people and migrant workers so they could receive money through the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana
Image: Ranjeet Kumar for Forbes India
Gayatri Devi's day starts at 7 am. She has less than an hour to wrap up household chores before people start turning up at her doorstep seeking guidance with banking transactions. Apart from helping those who come home, Gayatri, a resident of Jaipur village in Jharkhand, goes door-to-door, armed with her laptop, in eight nearby settlements in the Naxal-affected Khunti district to help people open bank accounts, teach them how to transact, apply for loans or insurance, understand entries in their passbooks, and sometimes even recharge their phones.
The practice that started in October 2016 has continued unabated ever since, even throughout the nationwide lockdown imposed because of Covid-19. March to July was a particularly tense period because more and more anxious villagers either rushed to withdraw all their money, or wanted to open bank accounts to avail of the direct cash transfer benefit promised by the government.
"I have helped over 1,000 people across eight villages to open bank accounts, around 350 of which were opened for women in the thick of the lockdown. These accounts helped people receive ₹500 per month through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan scheme," says Gayatri. "There were times during the lockdown when daily transactions amounted to between ₹60,000 and ₹1,00,000."
Gayatri, who is the pustak-sanchalak (chief bookkeeper) of two self-help groups (SHGs) in her village—including her own group Saraswati that has 11 members—believes in making women financially literate and helping them save as much as they can every week, even if it is ₹20.
That's why she signed up to be a banking correspondent sakhi with the state government in Jharkhand: To teach villagers how to manage their money, and make them aware of their entitlements through government schemes. It was after demonetisation in 2016 that the 45-year-old first realised how crippling it can get for people who do not know what is happening to their money or how to safeguard their savings.
A similar fear had crept up in the wake of the pandemic this March. "Some people were afraid that the government would take the subsidy amount back if it is kept in their accounts for long, and hence would crowd outside my house or the banks to withdraw money without following physical distancing. But they had faith in me, so I ensured I addressed their monetary concerns during the lockdown, taught them how to practise safety precautions, and guided them through the difficult time," says Gayatri, who also volunteered to go door-to-door to survey migrant workers who had returned to Jharkhand from various cities. Between May and July, she followed-up with close to 55 workers and their families about their employment status, helped them with food, sanitisers, masks, soaps and other essentials.
Women like Gayatri working in SHGs across Jharkhand collected data of around 7 lakh returnee workers, getting details of their health, skill levels and job status so that the state government could frame policies for them. They did all this for no monetary benefit in return. Across India, around 68 million women working in SHGs helped meet the government's urgent need for masks, PPEs and sanitisers, and also ran community kitchens to feed the hungry.
"Sab ghar pe aaram kar rahe the, aur hum samaaj seva kar rahe the [everyone was relaxing at home while I was doing social service]," adds Gayatri, who says the fear of contracting the coronavirus is what kept her motivated to step out to work and ensure others are safe at home. "Humko seva bhaav se khushi milta hai [serving others makes me happy]," she smiles. Gayatri has earned her masters degree in sociology through distance education.
It is a similar sense of service that prompted Bhageerathy from Palakkad district in Kerala to ensure uninterrupted availability of food supplement Nutrimix in anganwadis for children between six months and three years of age. "So what if schools and anganwadis have shut down? Food meant for children, especially those from vulnerable homes, should reach them no matter what," she says.
Bhageerathy, 55, has been part of the Kudumbashree SHG framework in Kerala for the past 12 years and it was during this time that she earned her MBA in human resources. Today, she heads all the 19 units in Palakkad that produce Nutrimix, leading a team of 149 women. They manufacture about 135 metric tonnes of Nutrimix every month. "Before the 10th of every month, we distribute the food packets to the nearby anganwadis, from where parents would pick it up."
In all, Kerala has 242 Kudumbashree units, owned and operated by more than 2,000 women, who supply Nutrimix to 33,000 anganwadis across Kerala. The women operating units in Palakkad, like others, get paid by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) through the local panchayats, but their payments have been delayed for the past two months. That won't stop their work, Bhageerathy says, as the women also turn to banks for financial support to keep the production running. "We work to ensure no child goes hungry. So we will keep up with manufacturing adequate quantities of food supplies for their sake."
(This story appears in the 15 January, 2021 issue of Forbes India. You can buy our tablet version from Magzter.com. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan scheme
Gayatri Devi
Bhageerathy
SHGs
Direct cash transfer
Integrated Child Development Services
A day in the life of an undertaker during Covid-19
Why asset allocation will matter in 2021


It's no small feat — big-time computer components are going microscopic.
Australian scientists have developed a transistor consisting of just seven atoms, and the innovation could lead to more processing power in a smaller package, reports the BBC.
The transistor — which acts as a switch on a computer chip — was made by swapping seven atoms of a silicon crystal for phosphorous atoms and is part of a larger plan by the research team to create a solid-state quantum computer.
While it is not the smallest transistor ever created — two teams have made transistors using only a single atom — it is still one-sixth the size of transistors used in modern-day computer chips.
If an entire chip can be made using the new transistor, the research team predicts that the components on future chips could be up to 100 times smaller than those on current processors.
"Now we have just demonstrated the world's first electronic device in silicon systematically created on the scale of individual atoms," lead researcher Michelle Simmons told the BBC.
The findings, which were reported in the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology, could lead to an "exponential" growth in computer processing power, Simmons said.
But don't expect to find this breakthrough on the market anytime soon — the transistor was handmade using a scanning tunneling microscope, and as a result would take a few years to reproduce.


Where we help you to feel empowered and get you on a positive path to growth and well-being.
I believe that once our mind & body has had the opportunity to return to the balance it craves, we return to a state of health.
I believe that by providing a safe, healing environment during treatment, the path is cleared for healing to occur.
I believe in the power of a safe and trusting relationship with my patients to help them reach a state of balance and true healing.
We believe you can connect to path of new meaning in your life.


text:
Category Archives: Light Gun Game
by ian80 | Wednesday 4 November, 2009 · 10:08 am
Podcast 1: The House of the Dead: Overkill (#35)
Format: Wii Genre: Light Gun Game Released: 2009 Developer: Headstrong Games
'Mutherhugger' (taken from http://www.blast-o-rama.com)
It's finally here, the first 101 Video Games That Made My Life Slightly Better podcast! Click play below to hear two very well spoken boys quietly speak in very posh voices about The House of the Dead: Overkill. Be amazed as we get a bit too excited and talk over each other. And be slightly concerned as our mums come up in the conversation.
Enjoy, and don't be too cruel in the comment section.
https://101videogames.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/podcast-1-house-of-the-dead-overkill.mp3
Podcast 1 House of the Dead Overkill
Ian & Lewis
Filed under 2009, Headstrong Games, Light Gun Game, Podcast, Wii
Tagged as Games review, Gaming Sites, Nintendo, Podcast, Review, Wii, Zombies
by Lewis Packwood | Wednesday 22 April, 2009 · 9:00 am
#15: Time Crisis
Format: Coin-Op/Playstation Genre: Light Gun Game Released: 1995/1997 Developer: Namco
There's a simple reason that Time Crisis made my life slightly better – if, in the event of some sort of apocalypse, I was forced into the position where I would need to defend my homestead against invasion, the lightning-quick sharp-shooting skills I learned from this game will surely be more than enough to repel any maruading zombies/aliens/angry Belgians. My acquired ability to pick off multiple foes in quick succession, punctuated by brief dives for cover, will undoubtedly serve me well in any situation where I am required to return small arms fire whilst conserving ammunition – basically, if there's only one gun in the bunker and the men in blue suits are hammering down the door, just leave it to me. Job done.
There really is nothing quite like gunning down a small army of colour-coded international terrorists to brighten up your day. Despite the constant repetition, I never seem to tire of this game; in fact, knowing exactly where and when every single little hapless blue guy will pop out is almost comforting. It's a warm familarity, like a dog-eared, stain-covered, favourite jacket for which each stain has its own personal story.
I'm going to stick my geek hat on here (it's the one with the flappy ear muffs) and tell you the extent of the misplaced devotion I have given to this game. Several years ago now – back in the days when I thought mobile phones were gimmicky and unnecessary – I spent around six months studying at Barcelona University. Otherwise starved of my computer game fix, I used to pop into the local arcade on the way to uni, although being a skint student, I limited myself to one credit – which always went into the Time Crisis coin-op. After several months of toil, sweat and frustration (well, mainly frustration), I finally managed to beat the game on one credit – the only time I've ever managed to finish an arcade game in one go. Beaming from ear to ear, I wallowed luxuriously in my enormous sense of achievement, then turned away from the machine with a cocksure smirk to drink in the awed looks and rapturous applause from my admiring audience – which consisted solely of the fat, moustachioed arcade owner, who was sat reading a porn magazine in the corner and who didn't take a blind bit of notice of me.
Such is the life of the arcade gamer [sigh].
I suppose that's one of the most melancholy aspects of playing video games – you put hours and hours of tireless devotion into honing your skills and learning every nuance and technique the game has to offer, but in the end the only people you're going to impress are other, equally devoted (obsessed?) gamers. It kind of adds a trickle of ennui to the whole proceedings – which turns into a flood once you realise that the arcade owner is more interested in tits than your gaming prowess.
Which is fair enough I suppose.
Nevertheless, I continued to devote hours of practice to the home version of Time Crisis after I returned from Spain, despite the knowledge that, like all video games, all this tireless devotion would ultimately be for nought.
Unless, that is, the Belgians invade. In which case I would be able to proudly hold my head up high and say that this game, this single, mighty game, was my inspiration for taking on the entire Belgian Empire single-handedly with nothing but an automatic pistol. Perhaps, when it's all over and I'm being triumphantly carried through the jubilant streets of a liberated London, I'll look up and notice that Spanish arcade owner in the crowd; lip quivering, he'll slowly raise a salute in my honour as 'Red Hot Senoritas' slips from his grubby fingers, only to be trampled by the exaltant crowd.
At last, justification for my video game obses… erm, devotion.
(Note: The screenshots in this post are taken from the arcade version of Time Crisis. All screenshots are from the excellent Arcade History website: http://www.arcade-history.com/.)
Filed under 1995, 1997, Coin-Op, Light Gun Game, Namco, Playstation
Tagged as Barcelona, Gaming Sites, Namco, Playstation, Retro, Review
by Lewis Packwood | Thursday 2 April, 2009 · 9:00 am
#13: Duck Hunt
Format: NES Genre: Light Gun Game Released: 1987 Developer: Nintendo
Duck Hunt's a bit of an odd inclusion for this list, chiefly because I don't actually think it's a particularly good game. However, despite its dull repetitiveness, it did make my life slightly better, so it's in.
The reason it made my life slightly better is that it was one of the first games to be truly accessible to 'non-gamers' and, as such, was a game you could talk about to your girlfriend without inducing some sort of gamerspeak-related catatonic state. Admittedly, games like Pong and Space Invaders were trailblazers in terms of their instant accessibility, but most games still require a little bit of gaming knowhow to be able to get into them.
Think of the Zelda games for example: even though they're amongst the most accessible RPGs, the player is still expected to be aware of certain gaming tropes. I mean, how would you know to go inside people's house and break open vases to look for treasure? It doesn't really make any sense from an outsider's perspective. I mean, how many people hide their treasure in vases? And isn't it just plain stealing? However, as a gamer you're expected to know that this is the done thing.
For my generation, Duck Hunt was the great leveller: long before the Wii was a twinkle in the eye of randy old Mr Nintendo, here was a game that you could wheel out at Christmas and play with your Great Aunt with absolutely minimum preamble required.
"Here's a big plastic orange gun Auntie. Now shoot ducks."
As opposed to:
"Ok, now go into the house. No, the house … It's A, press A. No that's B … OK, you're in, now hit that vase with your sword. Why? Look, just do it, OK? No, it's B this time … OK, now pick up the rupees. What? No it's not stealing! … Well, I don't know who they belong to, they're just there! … OK, OK, I'll put Duck Hunt back on…"
Actually, this game is quite a bloodthirsty concept really, when you think about it. I mean, shooting ducks and then having their dead bodies triumphantly displayed to you by your faithful hunting dog… it's hardly fun and games in the Mushroom Kingdom of Love, is it? Look at the duck on the front cover for chrissakes, it's crying in fear! Those poor, poor ducks, dying for our pleasure… Still, at least there was the option of shooting clay pigeons to assuage the guilt.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the point. Duck Hunt made my life slightly better chiefly for the reason that it bridged the gap between gamer and non-gamer, and I'm constantly surprised by how often it crops up in conversation about childhood pursuits. The unprecedented furore that greeted the arrival of Wii Play in our house is testament to Duck Hunt's enduring legacy: neither of us were interested in the other minigames, we just made a beeline straight for the Duck-Hunt-style shooting game.
So there you have it: Duck Hunt made my life better for the simple reason that it has engendered peace and harmony across the world thanks to its simple, dynamic gameplay. Or something. Also, the gun looked really cool.
At the time, anyway.
(NES screenshots from The Video Game Museum: http://www.vgmuseum.com/.)
Filed under 1987, Light Gun Game, NES, Nintendo
Tagged as Gaming Sites, Light Gun Games, Nintendo, Retro games, Review, Zapper

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Hartshorne Exercise V.2.2 This exercise is to prove a ruled surface $X=\mathbf{P}(\mathscr E)$ over a curve $C$ is decomposable if and only if there exist two sections $C'$ and $C''$ of $X$ such that $C'\cap C'' = \emptyset$. Here $\mathscr E$ is a locally free sheaf of rank $2$ on $C$ and can be regarded normalized. Also $X$ and $C$ are defined over a certain algebraically closed field and $\mathbf{P}(\mathscr E)$ means the projective space bundle.
I have some trouble in proving the "if" part, i.e. suppose there are two sections $C'$ and $C''$ of $X$ such that $C'\cap C'' = \emptyset$, then $X$ is decomposable.  Can anybody give me some hints or solutions? Thank you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


1:1 These terms and conditions of sale apply to all contracts of sale entered into by Mektronics Australia Pty Ltd ("Seller") unless amended in writing and signed by an officer of the Seller. By acceptance of deliveries made in pursuance of any purchase order placed upon Seller, Buyer accepts the terms and conditions contained herein. Seller's failure to object to any term or condition contained in any communication from Buyer shall not be deemed a waiver of these terms and conditions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, typographical and clerical errors are subject to revision and correction.
1:3 Seller may require any order to be in writing and in such case Seller shall not have any liability until Buyer has placed a written order in terms acceptable to Seller.
2:1 All accounts are COD unless a 30 day end of month (EOM) credit account has been approved. Credit cards will only be accepted at time of dispatch for all account types.
2:2 Minor defects in the goods shall not entitle Buyer to withhold payment therefore.
2:3 Delay in consignment of any part of an order shall not relieve Buyer of its obligation to accept and pay for the remainder of the order within the Seller's trading terms.
3:1 All offers are firm for a period of 30 days from the date thereof, after that time they are subject to confirmation by Seller in writing.
3:2 All sales are ex store point of consignment. Goods will be at Buyer's risk following delivery to such carrier as Seller may engage on buyer's behalf. Freight cost and risk of loss in transit are the responsibility of Buyer.
3:3 Title to and property in the goods shall only pass to Buyer following Seller's receipt of all monies payable by Buyer hereunder.
3:4 All published prices are in Australian Dollar (AUD) and are subject to alteration without notice.
4:1 A delivery and handling charge applies to all orders with the exception of back-ordered items.
Unless otherwise required by Buyer, Seller will make transport arrangements as follows: For deliveries within the metropolitan areas of mainland State capital cities a standard freight charge may be added to invoice; goods for delivery outside those areas, seller will select the transport to be used and prepay freight for Buyer. Seller will then bill Buyer for freight at Seller's discretion.
4:3 Should the Buyer request goods be sent to a Post Office box the Buyer acknowledges this method is the only available and therefore the Seller is not liable for undelivered goods.
4.4 Free shipping on orders over $150 excluding GST. Mektronics Australia does however reserve the right to charge additional freight in the event of hazardous, bulky or heavy items ordered.
In the event of Buyer making default in payment of breaching any other condition herein or going into liquidation (other than a voluntary liquidation for the purpose of amalgamation or reconstruction) or being declared bankrupt or compounding with its creditors, Seller shall become entitled to withhold its supply services or any outstanding delivery of goods and to determine its contract with the Buyer.
Additionally in the case of default in payment Seller shall be entitled to charge interest at the rate of 18 percent per annum on all unpaid monies: such interest to be calculated from the due date for payment to the date of actual payment thereof.
5:3 Buyer shall be liable for the costs of all stamp duties, solicitor's fees, process services costs and other disbursements incurred by Seller to recover monies owing by Buyer.
All quoted delivery or consignment dates are estimates only, given without engagement.
Delay in consignment of any part of an order shall not relieve Buyer of its obligation to accept and pay for the remainder of the order.
(ii) in the event of non-delivery.
Goods offered ex-stock by Seller are subject to prior sale.
6:5 In the event of any happening beyond Seller's reasonable control in consequence of which Seller cannot effect consignment by the time or times quoted or specified, Seller shall be entitled to consign part only of an order, suspend consignment or extend the time for consignment, for the period during which such cause of delay operates, or may cancel the order, and in the event of such suspension, extension or cancellation, Seller shall not be liable for damages.
Buyer shall accept or reject goods included in each consignment within 7 days from receipt. If Buyer fails to notify Seller in writing of its rejection and the reason therefore within such time period, Buyer will be deemed to have accepted such consignment.
Returns for any reason cannot be made without prior written authorisation from Seller. Seller will reconsign any unauthorised return to Buyer, freight collect.
7:3 Freight on authorised returns must be prepaid by Buyer. Under no circumstances will Seller accept charges for returns sent freight on with the exception of the Seller having supplied goods incorrectly.
7:4 Indent items are non-returnable and non-refundable.
any technical attention by any person other than Seller's authorised representatives.
conditions issued in respect of particular products.
environmental conditions in excess of maximum values in the applicable specification.
8:2 Except as herein provided, all conditions and warranties in respect of the goods, expressed or implied statutory or otherwise are hereby excluded. Under no circumstances shall Seller be liable to pay compensation for any injury, loss or damage sustained by Buyer howsoever arising.
9:1 If any claim shall arise alleging that the sale, use or any other dealing with the goods infringes trade marks, trade names, patents, copyrights, registered designs or any other industrial property rights of third parties, the Customer shall forthwith notify the Company thereof and give every assistance to the Company in connection with such claim as the Company may reasonably require and shall not itself handle, deal with or compromise any such claim except with the written consent of the company.
10:1 Seller shall not be liable for incidental or consequential damages.
10:2 In any event Seller shall be entitled to payment for all products consigned up to the effective date of termination.
Buyer may terminate an order for its convenience only to the extent the products were ordered for Buyer's performance of a specific agreement with another and such agreement is terminated for the other's convenience. In such event, products in the possession or control of Seller, whether or not standard, which have been procured by Seller specifically for Buyer's order shall be deemed to be delivered to Buyer.
The quantity of goods delivered and deemed delivered shall be paid for by Buyer at a unit price equal to Seller's standard catalogue price for such quantity or, if no such price exists, then a comparable price for equivalent products. In such a case, the contract or negotiated price no longer applies.
indirect costs of production administration and reasonable profit.
11:5 No application for cancellation under this clause will be considered unless made by Buyer in writing to Seller.
12:1 The validity, performance and construction of the contract between Seller and buyer shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of Western Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia.
13:1 Nothing in these terms and conditions of sale shall affect the rights of a buyer who acquired goods as a consumer within the meaning of the Trade Practices Act, or of any other law of the Commonwealth, or of any State or Territory, provided that where the purchaser is a consumer within the meaning of the said Act and the goods are not of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal domestic or household use or consumption, then Seller's liability for breach of condition or warranty implied by the said Act (other than a condition or warranty implied by Section 69) shall be limited to the repair of the goods, or at Seller's option, the replacement of the goods or the supply of equivalent goods.
14:1 Seller's failure to insist upon strict performance of any condition herein shall not be deemed a waiver by Seller of any rights which it may have hereunder.
15:1 Price match guarantee excludes trade quotes, stock liquidations and commercial quantities.