Tour of a cargo ship ..

A sea man's life is tough. Though he gets to see all land and people around the world,  being away from home and family for sometime as long as six to eight months can really be nerve-cracking.

Click here for a video of the tour of a cargo ship (25 minutes), interesting  ..

If not for an appointment letter from MRF Chennai, I would have been working on a cargo, container or cruise ship now, as before MRF, I was working at Kochi Port Trust after my Mechanical Engineering degree BTech, from Government College of Engineering   Trivandrum,  Kerala, 1981-86.

This video helps me give real life experience sharing with students on sea transportation using ships.

George 

Differences in Covid handling approach of countries and states across the world ..

Difference in approach to handle Covid virus patients acrossthe world ..

How precious are lives for the government in Kerala, the small state in the Southern tip of India, how meticulously they go about coordinating their activities across the length and breadth of the state with whatever limited resources at their disposal, identifying high risk patients coming across state and national boundaries, quarantining them, isolating Covid positive patients, coordinating their food and medical supplies at near perfect efficiency levels,  ensuring high quality medical attention through out this period, and finally managing to keep death and  casualities at under 4 ...

On the other hand, we have the so called medically and heath-wise advanced countries of the world, where patients are falling off like chicken (already reached 2,45,000 with no value for human lives..😥😥), with overwhelmed medical infrastructure offering poor medical attention and primary health care to patients, no preparedness for prevention of virus spread, poor care and attention of the infected and highly critical patients..

We hear only futile words of promise from the leaders in these countries and reassurance of loss of thousands more cheap lives in the coming days .. What a degraded, discredited and debased health-care system which only cares for the revival of health of the economy with total disregard of the physical health of its precious citizens, who are left individually to fend for themselves .. 🤔🤔😥😥

I am confused, which is a truly welfare state?

George Easaw..

Supply Chain Crossword puzzle 2

Puzzle

Across

1. product _____ is the process of distinguishing a product or service from others,
   

1. (cont..) to make it more attractive to a particular target market. (d,15)

2. actual demand is the trigger for this type of production system (4)

3. the push-pull ______ separates the push and pull system of production in organisations (b,8)

4. the distribution side of the supply chain is mainly of this type (d,9)

5. these supply chains are more concerned with customer satisfaction than costs (i,10)

Down

1. place where inventory is stored (9)

2. supplies raw materials (8)

3. this supply chain focus on reducing waste and containing costs (e,9)

4. this supply chain focus more on customer experience and satisfaction (r,10)
   

5. the management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of
   

1. (cont..) consumption to meet the requirements of customers or corporations.(l,9)

6. the trigger for a push system is the ______ forecast (6)

© 2020 Alliance University, Bangalore

Age-wise analysis of Covid deaths

While discussing with my son over the lockdown lifting in Bangalore and across the world, the additional infection and fatalities, against the ensuing industry closure and economy lockdown, I was arguing for more strict lockdown measures while my son was arguing for opening of the economy.  

He patiently put his point through - it's the 74 years plus who are mostly dying, what can we do about it? It makes not much difference  .. 

NY deaths, 14 April '20, AGE	Number of Deaths	Share of deaths
0 - 17 years old	3	0.04%
18 - 44 years old	309	4.50%
45 - 64 years old	1,581	23.10%
65 - 74 years old	1,683	24.60%
75+ years old	3,263	47.70%
TOTAL	6,839	100%

I found his argument that 50% of the deaths in NY city were of age 74+ years and 95% of the dead were 44 + years, to be very alarming but at the same time useful information ! I was arguing from my perspective and he was arguing from his side. It was a real eye opener for me !!!

I wanted to see the age distribution in the city of NY. (only age wise data available till 14 April '20), 

Pl click here for an age wise analysis in NY city ..

The facts he reeled out were 100% true. The Covid virus is taking away the old and aged from society, early. Quite natural !! 

In India almost 70% of population is below 44 years (with just 5% risk of dying of Covid virus, extrapolating NY data to India) and they are risking their future and livelihoods for the other 30% aged 44 years and above who are the most affected (with almost 95% death cases in NY).. He silenced me with just this one fact or statement..

Should we open the economy or extend the lockdown  ? Let us rethink hard ..

George  ..

Analysis - Covid urgency in India, 4 May 2020

Covid related deaths have been happening in India at very low rates, compared to Europe or US, but alarmingly increasing daily at a positive rate, though not nearing exponential proportions. That was the reason why I thought it is the ripe time to carry out an analysis of the Covid situation in India.

Click here for an interesting analysis, carried out by me for the decision makers and policy planners in India. Data from www.manoramaonline.com. 

It is very simple and clear. Maharashtra and Gujarat are the two major Indian states badly affected, Indians would be better off not visiting these two states, unless very urgent,  in the next six months. 

While Maharashtra continues to be badly affected, Kerala at the lower end, though the first in India to have a Covid patient from China, has managed the process well with just three deaths in as many months.

Wishing the Covid deaths in India get controlled by May end of 2020, with no second bout of infections, as forecasted by some sections of the media.

Indians would be better off practicing

• social distancing
• avoiding social gatherings 
• avoiding handshakes, 
• wearing masks 
• observing high standards of personal hygiene and 
• frequent hand washing
• less travel, particularly air travel
• improving personal health by good exercising
• getting good sleep, almost 7-9 hours daily
• most importantly, caring for the suffering members of the public

Lets hope by these steps we are jointly able to contain this virus, once for all.

George..