2011, l`année de tous les défis
Transcription
2011, l`année de tous les défis
Rs 12 milliards pour changer les vieux conduits d’eau Voulez-vous être élu “Meilleur journaliste de l’océan Indien” ? Gros investissement cette année dans le réseau de distribution d’eau. La Central Water Authority (CWA) compte changer 2 000 kilomètres de tuyaux au coût de Rs 12 milliards, affirme un haut officiel de cet... Vous êtes journaliste ou vous en connaissez un dans votre entourage ? Alors ceci vous concerne. La Commission de l´océan Indien (COI) chargée de la mise en œuvre du Projet d’Appui à l’Initiative Régionale... How small people make a big difference Today, as I was relaxing at the beach, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a conversation four school kids were having on the beach blanket next to me. Their conversation was about making a positive difference in the world. And it went something like this… "I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and JANUARY 2011 FR ISSUE 17 | 24PAGES E E photographers." 2011, l’année de tous les défis - Mahatma Gandhi EDITORIAL : University graduates in Mauritius: Too few? Too many? PAGE 03 // Over the past five years, the number of youngsters with tertiary credentials has increased extensively in Mauritius. At the same time, employers fret that they are not getting the skilled workers they need to compete and contend in a global economy. Employers feel that skills availabilities are a major impediment to business, as much as, if not more than, meeting onerous regulations. CONTRECOUP : Le sensationnalisme, tactique évocatrice? “ PAGE 04 // Ce mot de cinq syllabes qu’est le sensationnalisme réveille nos émotions qui sont refoulées en nous. En effet, le sensationnalisme est une manœuvre de marketing adopté par les médias. Susciter l’intérêt des lecteurs et des téléspectateurs pour se tailler une part du marché en est le principal objectif. Ainsi, certains acteurs du monde médiatique se croient tout permis ; ils n’hésitent pas à jouer avec les émotions du public en publiant des articles à titre évocateur ou illustrés par des photos choquantes. Ayant recours au sensationnalisme est bien plus qu’un simple geste de marketing, c’est le pouvoir de manipuler les données et les émotions du lecteur à la fois. NSIGHT MEDIA GROUP “ INSIGHT NEWSPAPER ” 8, D’Artois Street Port Louis, Mauritius Website : www.uominsight.com Email : [email protected] ................................................................................ DIRECTEUR / RÉDACTEUR-EN-CHEF Krishna Athal FACEBOOK : A major influence on today’s society SECRÉTARIAT Hemanta Diksha Neerbun ACTUALITÉ GÉNÉRALE Aldo Amic PAGE 16 // Over the past years we’ve seen a major increase in the number of new Facebook users. Indeed this online social ensnare is an addiction that has caused people to cross the line from social networking to social dysfunction. SOCIETÉ / CULTURE Ryan Krishna Appadoo SANTÉ / ENVIRONNEMENT Manish Rughoo SPORTS Yudish Kutwaroo REVIEW : CINÉMA / SCI-TECH Nilesh Changia Floods in Queensland Australia FASHION Meilane Carla Ah DIRECTEUR ARTISTIQUE Yaj Gungaram PHOTOGRAPHIE Avish Ramgolam CARICATURE Kate Ah Tsang Shee PROMOTION / PUBLICITÉ Rampersad Neerunjun Tel : 211 7771 IMPRIMEUR " Le Defi Plus Ltée " SCI & TECH : Les larmes des femmes affaibliraient le désir sexuel chez l'homme DEBATE : Single Sex Mariage - This house believes that gay mariage should be legal -----------------------------------------------------------------------Les points de vue des collaborateurs ne peuvent, en aucune manière, être considérés comme une prise de position de la rédaction de INSIGHT. ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Currimjee Jeewanjee and Company Limited We strongly believe in investing in real businesses meeting real needs and adding real value... Telecommunications, Media & IT Real Estate Hospitality & Tourism Energy Commerce & Financial Services 38, Royal Street, Port Louis, Mauritius - Tel: (230) 206 6200 - Fax: (230) 240 8133 - www.currimjee.com INSIGHT // 02 EDITORIAL // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Krishna ATHAL Editor-in-Chief [email protected] University graduates in Mauritius: Too few? Too many? Over the past five years, the number of youngsters with tertiary credentials has increased extensively in Mauritius. At the same time, employers fret that they are not getting the skilled workers they need to compete and contend in a global economy. Employers feel that skills availabilities are a major impediment to business, as much as, if not more than, meeting onerous regulations. munications and technical skills such as computer familiarity. This would argue that increased investment should focus on quality rather than just quantity. Such employer frustrations must puzzle the many university graduates having trouble getting jobs. And some who get jobs are the first to lose them during economic downturns; recently experienced by two of my close friends. Whether it is desirable or not, nobody can deny the fact that today unemployment rates among tertiary graduates are skyscraping. An unemployed, newly-minted BA, friend of 24-year old groused in a recent discussion: “I expected to find a job easily since I have a degree in Computer Science & Engineering from University of Mauritius. But, after going to multiple interviews, I found out that firms are hesitant to hire me because despite my degree, they have to train me to meet their work requirements. It is easier for these firms to hire a graduate with a couple of years of experience instead.” What’s going on? Getting this puzzle sorted out may not only determine whether low-income countries (LICs) can become middle-income countries (MICs) and MICs, high-income countries (HICs); they may also affect social stability as young people’s expectations are at an alltime high. It is thus not surprising that developed countries’ governments are considering investing a great deal of their national wealth on expanding and improving their tertiary education systems. I would like to know what you readers think about this puzzle: lots of graduates, not enough skilled workers, high rates of graduate unemployment, frustration all around despite high rates of economic growth. Let me advance just two hypotheses (conveniently labelled as “H” to give our discussion a veneer of academic decorum and respectability) to get the discussion going: H1: The high unemployment rate of graduates is due, not to their oversupply, but to the fact that too much of tertiary education in Mauritius is of low quality and has irrelevant curricula. Young people are learning the wrong things. For example, employers are seeking ‘softer skills’ such as team-building and com- The key here may be the quality of education, quality not just of tertiary education, but of the entire formal education system. Education system has not been able to keep pace with the fast changing world. Despite advances in technology, communication, transportation, globalized and competitive economic environment, our school and university curriculum and pedagogy remain largely the same as a decade ago. Teachers pass down facts and students try to memorize them for tests. Such a system is difficult to cultivate the ‘soft skills’ demanded by today's economy. H2: High unemployment may be due to the unrealistic expectations of graduates that they are entitled to ‘white collar’ jobs in offices and that ensure lifetime security. In contrast, in the United States, the average college graduate will have had 7 jobs in the first two years after graduation, and many of them in areas that are unrelated to their field of study or in what are seemingly menial jobs but which teach invaluable life skills. Societies need to prepare the expectations of young people about labour market realities and about the need to get good basic experience early in their careers. Let’s be optimistic… We must first assume the education is the lever through which we acquire skills and knowledge to become better human beings and contributing members to society. A desire for lifelong learning should be part of our human development DNA. Universities, polytechnics and other educational institutions therefore play a critical role in structuring the learning process. Rather than asking the question of whether we are churning too many graduates for too few jobs or not enough graduates for too many jobs, we must first ask ourselves what higher education means for us. To me, personally, education means the enlightenment of minds which goes beyond numbers and trying to balance demand-and-supply of whether too many or too few graduates are being churned out for the job market. The answer from my perspective will therefore be that “There's never enough graduates who are qualified enough.” Educational institutions all over the world are offering graduate level programs to give people the opportunities to acquire the necessary skills not just to work but to socialise and to think more critically. These institutions have adopted curricula and pedagogies that reflect the unique culture and contexts in which they have been situated – whether they have been affected by resource, economic, political factors. We know there are centres of excellence that we aspire to become – the Harvard, MIT, IIT, Stanford and Cambridge but let us not overly emphasise these and thus lose focus that we are standing on the shoulders of local giants who have gone on before us. Being a Mauritian, I think we have under-played our capabilities and thus limit ourselves in terms of what we have achieved and can potentially achieve. My Suggestion I’ll like to suggest a simple solution if we need to strike a balance between the demand and supply of graduates for the job market (as I mentioned earlier, the question of striking a balance for demand and supply may be onerous because tertiary education is supposed to be given and not bounded by economics). So if we need to have a solution at all, I’ll like to suggest the creation of a marketplace for employers, training institutes and jobseekers to meet together and interact on employment-related matters. Such a platform should be kept robust and expansive to engage as many organisations and individuals as possible (much like our local marketplace) so that everyone is kept abreast about the latest in the labour market. In August 2010 when I participated in the Olympic Game in Singapore, I discovered an organisation called the Employment and Employability Institute (www.e2i. com.sg) where the pulse of the job market beats. Indeed, a centralised platform as such will help us have a better idea what the situation is like real-time in national context, rather than grasping at straws trying to establish what is lacking and drawing comparisons across the globe which may be helpful in certain contexts but not in others. Perhaps then, we could sharpen our definition about the problem we are trying to tackle. THOUGHT OF THE MONTH “It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal. Siddhartha does nothing; he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall.” Hermann Hesse, 1877 – 1962 Hermann is a Swiss novelist, poet, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, from his book Siddhartha, 1922, based on Gautama Buddha's early life. INSIGHT // 03 CONTRECOUP // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Le sensationnalisme, tactique évocatrice? Ce mot de cinq syllabes qu’est le sensationnalisme réveille nos émotions qui sont refoulées en nous. En effet, le sensationnalisme est une manœuvre de marketing adopté par les médias. Susciter l’intérêt des lecteurs et des téléspectateurs pour se tailler une part du marché en est le principal objectif. Ainsi, certains acteurs du monde médiatique se croient tout permis ; ils n’hésitent pas à jouer avec les émotions du public en publiant des articles à titre évocateur ou illustrés par des photos choquantes. Ayant recours au sensationnalisme est bien plus qu’un simple geste de marketing, c’est le pouvoir de manipuler les données et les émotions du lecteur à la fois. Hemanta Diksha NEERBUN Les attentats terroristes du 11 Septembre, les bâtiments maculés de sang de Mumbai lors des attaques du 26 Novembre, l’hécatombe suivant la pandémie de la grippe A H1N1… La liste en est longue. Ces évènements n’ont laissé personne insensible sur le plan mondial, y compris le monde médiatique. En effet, lorsque le climat mondial se retrouve chamboulé par de tels évènements, les journalistes entrent dans le jeu. Trouver le bon scoop et ainsi attirer plus d’individus - même si cela implique choquer l’audience – en est le maitre-mot. Le devoir du journaliste Même les tirages mauriciens font usage du sensationnalisme. Le meurtre de la styliste Vanessa Lagesse ou les aventures de PiouPiou ont longuement tenu le pays en haleine. Mais pourquoi ? Tout simplement parce que certains journaux se permettent d’exagérer les faits. L’exagération des faits en une grave tactique car elle constitue une entrave aux principes fondamentaux du journalisme. Jouer avec l’émotion des lecteurs ou manipuler l’information n’est guère une pratique décente. Si certains journalistes avancent la notion de la liberté de la presse et utilisent le sensationnalisme, un tel raisonnement est inadmissible car le journaliste a pour devoir moral d’informer le public, de transmettre des informations exactes et conformes aux réalités des évènements. La nature humaine Le sensationnalisme est certes utilisé par les journalistes mais en se basant sur la théorie économique de l’offre et de la demande, on se rend compte que cette manœuvre continuera à être employer aussi longtemps que les lecteurs continuent à se raffoler de telles nouvelles. S’enquérir des malheurs d’autrui a toujours été la préoccupation de quelques individus, la conversation du moment. Qui ne souvient pas de cette scène d’accident où les badauds s’attroupent pour contempler les dégâts alors qu’ils hésitent à informer les services d’urgence? La psychologie humaine est difficile à déchiffrer ; malgré que la civilisation humaine ait évoluée, au fonds de l’être humain sont re- foulées des émotions très primitives de l’homme des cavernes. Pour une poignée de personnes, lire les articles sur les malheurs s’abattant sur autrui est une façon d’exprimer sa sympathie et aussi son soulagement de ne pas être à la place des victimes. Pour une infime minorité, lire de tels articles représente une manière de satisfaire cet être maléfique qui est en eux car ils éprouvent un malin sadisme à se moquer de telles tragédies. L’impact du sensationnalisme Le sensationnalisme constitue à créer une forte impression psychologique sur les lecteurs. Il peut être qualifié de tactique réussie mais cela ne peut être fait au détriment de la précision de l’information. Exagérer ou même difformer les faits ne peut être pardonné. Au lieu de diffuser la même information plusieurs fois, explorer de nouvelles pistes est recommendé. Par exemple, lorsqu’un article est consacré à un crime abominable, au lieu de publier des photos macabres, aborder les différentes peines associées au crime est recommendé. Aussi, cet aspect de sadisme que fait preuve certains lecteurs est appelé à disparaitre car au fond de l’histoire, c’est les familles des victimes et des coupables qui se retrouvent harcelés par les journalistes, toujours à la recherche de cette perle rare qui suscitera l’intérêt des lecteurs. ÉVÉNEMENTS 2011, l’année de tous les défis 2010 a à peine passer le seuil que nous nous projetons déjà dans les événements clefs qui devront généralement tenir le haut du pavé en 2011. Zoom donc sur quelques défis importants pour l’année en cours à Maurice et aussi sur le plan international. Aldo AMIC Sur le sol mauricien, la rentrée parlementaire sera bien évidemment très attendue. Hormis cette rentrée, il est à noter que le procès qu’à intenté l’état contre l’Angleterre devrait aussi retenir l’attention. Tous veulent voir ce que Maurice pourra faire dans une instance internationale face au géant anglais. Le Harbour Bridge ou encore le projet métro léger INSIGHT // 04 devront sortir sous terre; ce sera donc avec insistance et attention que nous attendrons la venue, tant attendue justement de ces idées. Le gouvernement et surtout les officiers chargés de la sécurité routière devront tenter le tout afin de conscientiser la population sur les accidents de la route et autres crimes sanglants. Pour rappel, 2010, sur le plan routier, sécurité et crime, a vraiment su ce démarqué négativement de plusieurs autres pays en atteignant des sommets concernant les personnes pas décédées de morts naturels. Il est certain que les « speed controllers » ne suffiront pas à faire baisser le nombre de morts. Au delà des frontières mauriciennes, il est à dire que 2011 a été proclamée l’année internatio- nale de la chimie et des forêts par l’assemblée générale des Nations Unies. Sinon, sur le plan culturel soulignons que la capitale de l’Estonie, Tallin et la ville finlandaise de Turku seront les Capitales européennes de la culture, et en Argentine, Buenos Aires a été décrété Capitale mondiale du livre par l’UNESCO. Sur le plan sportif, des événe- ments majeurs tels que la Coupe du Monde de Rugby en NouvelleZélande et la Coupe du Monde de Handball en Suède seront les principales attractions. Espérons seulement que ces événements, à défaut de parler de défis, soient relevés avec tact. ACTUALITÉ EN BREF // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Violence contre les enfants: 5283 cas référés à la CDU Rien qu’entre janvier et octobre de l’année écouler, ce chiffre a été enregistré à la Child Development Unit (CDU). Sois un nombre supérieur à la totalité de ceux notés en 2009. Toutefois, des mesures ont été annoncées par le Ministre du Développement de l’Enfant pour que ce chiffre régresse à l’avenir. L’Ombudsperson Person for Children, Shirin Aumeeruddy Cziffra, a voulu sensibiliser la population en ce début d’année. Dans le message de fin d’année, un appel urgent à surtout été fait à la population de ne pas rester indifférent face à ce phénomène sociale…2010 a surtout été marqué par divers cas de violence a l’égard des enfants et les citoyens innocents, allant même jusqu’à ôter la vie à certains. L’Ombudsperson for Children estime que chacun peut apporter une contribution pour faire reculer cette violence et aider les victimes. Pour sa part, le ministère de tutelle, annonce l’ouverture d’un deuxième shelter dans le nord de l’île pour accueillir plus d’enfants dans le besoin. Tout comme l’école des parents, le programme de contrôle de naissance se poursuivra. l’adoption, la réintégration et l’accompagnement des jeunes seront entra autres les dossiers importants pour 2011. Rs 12 milliards pour changer les vieux conduits d’eau Gros investissement cette année dans le réseau de distribution d’eau. La Central Water Authority (CWA) compte changer 2 000 kilomètres de tuyaux au coût de Rs 12 milliards, affirme un haut officiel de cet organisme. “Si on ne répare pas les tuyaux alors le pourcentage de fuites continuera à augmenter.” Face à la sécheresse qui continue à menacer le pays, la Central Water Authority (CWA) s’est trouvée dans l’obligation d’exploiter huit nouvelles zones de puisement d’eau. Les réservoirs étant en situation critique, avec un pourcentage de remplissage de 39, 4, les autorités réclament la vigilance quant à l’utilisation d’eau. Le vice-Premier ministre chinois en visite à Maurice Le vice-Premier ministre chinois, Hui Liangyu, est en visite officielle à l’île Maurice du 7 au 19 janvier 2011. En effet, Hui Liangyu est à la tête d’une délégation composée de 26 membres de la République populaire de Chine. Le vice-Premier ministre chinois a rendu une visite de courtoisie au président de la République, Sir Anerood Jugnauth à la State House et au Premier ministre, Navin Ramgoolam, dans le nouveau bâtiment du Trésor le 7 janvier. Le même jour, une séance de travail était prévue avec le vice-Premier ministre, ministre des Finances et du Développement économique, Pravind Jugnauth, et le ministre des Affaires étrangères, l´intégration régionale et du Commerce international, Arvin Boolell, au Sands Resort and Spa à Flic en Flac. Elle était suivie par la signature d´un accord sur une subvention financière d´un montant de Rs 160 millions et d’un prêt sans intérêt de Rs 80 millions pour une série de projets validés par les deux gouvernements. Le lendemain, Hui Liangyu et sa délégation ont visité Medine Sugar Estate et le jardin botanique Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam à Pamplemousses. Priorité 2011 - Bodha: Mise sur la diversification des marchés « Maintenir une bonne croissance de l’industrie et re-équilibrer nos marchés » Tels sont les priorités pour Nando Bodha, le ministre du Tourisme, pour 2011. « Il faut bien sur consolider le marché Européen. Mais 2011 sera l’année de la diversification des marchés. D’abord sur le marché russe avec le début des vols de Transe en janvier. Nous travaillons aussi pour un vol direct vers la Chine à partir de mi-2011. Nous voulons exploiter le marché niche de l’Inde pour le golf, le mariage et le tourisme conférence », a-t-il fait ressortir. Il faut maintenir la qualité des produits même si la compétition est difficile avec la crise qui persiste en Europe. Le ministère mise sur les îles comme des atouts tels que l’Ile-aux-Cerfs, l’Ilot Gabriel ou l’Ilot Bénitiers. Il y a aussi la formation pour l’embauche sur les croisières. Après un premier batch de 400 personnes en 2010, il y a un objectif d’atteindre 1 000 personnes pour 2011. Le gouvernement veut amener une dimension culturelle au tourisme avec l’organisation d’un spectacle de qualité internationale. Il y aussi le projet de parcours culturelles à Port-Louis et le duty-free Shopping Project. Priorité 2011- Dookhun : Personnes handicapés, les retraités et la délinquance juvénile Maurice aura le devoir de s’aligner sur les conventions internationales afin de promouvoir les droits des personnes autrement capables. La ministre Leela Devi-Dookhun Luchoomun rappelle que nous devons soumettre un rapport en 2012 au Nations Unies sur les progrès accompli dans ce domaine. C’est pourquoi un comité national a été institué pour mesurer les progrès accompli. L’intégration des handicapés dans la société se fera par l’éducation, la formation et l’emploi. Le gouvernement innovera en ayant une classe entièrement dédiée aux enfants ayant des handicaps à l’école de Montagne-Ory. Des infrastructures seront aménager pour faciliter l’accessibilité des personnes autrement capables dans les établissement scolaires. Mme Dookhun annonce aussi la création d’une banque de données et l’installation d’un serveur pour recenser les personnes vivant avec un handicap. Les lois seront promulguées pour que ces derniers trouvent des emplois dans des secteurs diversifiés sur le plan artistique, touristique et culturel. «En ce qu’il s’agit des personne âgées, le ministère veut être à la hauteur de leurs aspiration. Nous avons aujourd’hui 148, 000 personnes qui ont plus de 60 ans. Ce chiffres atteindra 300 000 en 2030. Beaucoup sont encore actifs et veulent avoir un productive living », explique la ministre de la Sécurité Sociale. Dans la foulée, elle annonce la révision des activités pour les retraités dans les trois nouveaux centres. Ils seront sensibilisés à la technologie information et à des domaines comme la culture d’hydroponique. « La carers strategy sera développée » avec le recrutement en février d’un batch de 50 personnes pour s’occuper des personnes alités. Finalement au niveau de la délinquance juvénile, la ministre Dookhun-Luchoomun annonce la révision de la gestion des Rehabilitation Youth Centre et des Probation Hostel. Un Complaints Bureau sera institué. Rama Sithanen à la Banque Africaine de Développement Rama Sithanen occupe le poste de directeur des stratégies au sein de la Banque Africaine de Développement, depuis le 5 janvier. Il a prit l’avion le 3 janvier en direction de Tunis. L’ancien ministre des Finances occupe ses fonctions à la Banque Africaine de Développement, à Tunis. Il est épaulé de toute une équipe et se charge de l’élaboration de stratégie visant à alléger le poids de la pauvreté dans les pays africains. Rama Sithanen se dit heureux de pouvoir apporter sa contribution au développement des pays africains. Il ajoute également qu’il a eu trois propositions au courant de l’année 2009 mais qu’il a choisi de travailler pour l’Afrique, étant lui-même Africain. Sithanen est un adepte d’une politique économique ultralibérale. Prime Minister’s New Year message Mauritius can once again become the star and key of the Indian Ocean, the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, said in his message to the Nation broadcast on January 1, 2011. As part of Africa together with the exceptional relations which Mauritius has with two emerging economic giants, China and India, the stage is set for the country to become an important player in this part of the world. The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction that the international community cheered Mauritius for its democracy, good governance and the spirit of maturity displayed by the population during the general elections 2010. With regard to the international economic crisis, Dr Ramgoolam called for more vigilance on the part of the population so that the country can overcome the challenges lying ahead. In his message, the Prime Minister said that the main priority for 2011 is not only to save existing jobs but also to create new ones. Government will encourage women entrepreneurship to foster for greater autonomy for the womenfolk. Education as the engine of social stability and progress in the country is another priority of the government, he said, adding that his aim is to open access to university education to a larger number of young people. On this score, he made mention of the creation of the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology. The message also highlights the other priorities of the government, namely investments in the health sector; actions to ease up road traffic congestion; modernisation of the airport; protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity; the second phase of the project Maurice Ile Durable; law and order and use of modern technology to combat crimes and drug trafficking and the eradication of fraud and corruption. Dr Ramgoolam stated that the government is guided by the philosophy of blending economic efficiency with social justice and recalled that the Ministry of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment has been set up to give a new boost to the fight against social exclusion. With regard to the issue of Chagos Archipelago, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction that the whole population is mobilized behind the Mauritian flag in its initiative to challenge the legality of the Marine Protected Area. “We should be proud of ourselves and I am confident that that justice will prevail”, Dr Ramgoolam said in conclusion. Bonne et Heureuse Année 2011 Insight, le mensuel bilingue pour les jeunes, a l’immense plaisir de vous souhaiter une bonne et heureuse année 2011. Que celle-ci vous apporte le plein de santé, de bonheur et de grande réussite à chaque instant de votre vie. Vous êtes toujours plus nombreux à venir nous lire et à rejoindre la grande communauté qu'est la nôtre. Insight vous remercie pour votre crédit et fidélité. INSIGHT // 05 REVIEW // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Insight of MPCB The Mauritius Post and Cooperative Bank Ltd (MPCB) originates from a merger between the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) and New Cooperative Bank Ltd (NCBL) in 2003. MPCB has been a profit-making organization since day one and continuously increased its business and profits year after year. MPCB had, as at 31 December 2010, 13 branches with 14 onsite ATMs and 3 offsite ATMs around the island, with a dedicated team of more than 200 employees. The opening of another branch in Riviere du Rempart is scheduled for early 2011, whilst other branch openings are in the pipeline. On top of being a full-fledged commercial bank with a wide range of banking services, MPCB also provides basic banking services in most Post Offices during banking days, which constitutes an additional means of effecting banking transactions in areas where MPCB does not have a branch. It is an undoubted fact that MPCB has inherited from the large number of Bank Accounts which were being operated by the erstwhile Post Office Savings Bank. As such, one of the objectives of MPCB has been to capitalise on the existing database of customers, in order to enhance the sale of its products and services, and offer those customers a high level of customer service, in line with the service being provided to new customers. The major products and services of MPCB include the following: • MPCB Home Loan – for financing purchase of Land and/or building (agricultural, residential or commercial) or construction or extension or renovation of residential buildings, MPCB offers up to 100% financing, subject to usual terms and conditions. • The Personal Loan Scheme or MPCB Easy for Personal Loans up to 20 times’ salary to confirmed and employed salary earners of established companies of Private/Government or Parastatal Sectors, against salary pledge and any other tangible security-Maximum loan amount of Rs 600,000/- repayable over a period of 7 years. • MPCB Study Access financing of Tertiary Education with moratorium on capital during study period and repayment of capital and interest amount over a period of up to ten years; financing may also cover study costs, accommodation and daily living expenses. • MPCB Drive - for purchase of new/second hand vehicles, repayable over 4 to 6 years. • MPCB Winsurance for all insurance needs including Life Insurance Policies, Personal Pensions Plans, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Child Education Plans and • • • • • • • Building Insurance Policies. The Special Savings Culture Scheme (MPCB SCS Account)- All newborns are eligible to Government grants equivalent to a total of Rs800/- in the form of vouchers representing a Savings Account of Rs200/at the time of birth, and Rs.200/- at each vaccination (total of 4 vouchers of Rs200/- each) and these accounts are opened only with MPCB. The Junior Scheme (MPCB Smart Account) which has been especially designed for kids and teenagers to build up their future, MPCB has arrangements with a number of partners who offer discounts to Smart Accountholders. Gifts are also provided to Smart Accountholders on the occasion of their birthdays provided that their accounts are maintained with a minimum balance of Rs1,000/- and are well operated. On top of gift vouchers available under the Smart Account Scheme, accountholders are also eligible to Membership Cards, Junior Kwik-Cash Cards, given to children above 12 years old with limit of Rs200/- or Rs500/- per day for ATM Cash transactions/purchases/refill of mobile phones. The international Debit Card (MPCB Kwik-Cash) - is available to all customers free of charge, making the 24-hour banking concept a reality. MPCB FUN D FONE – With a simple mouse or finger click, you may now fund any mobile phone through MPCB E-Banking and MPCB SMS Banking over and above this facility on our ATMs or you can make use of your Kwik-Cash and Maestro card to recharge your mobile phones via MPCB ATMs, free of charge. MPCBusinessfly - Personalised relationship banking and also trade finance facilities, Foreign Currency financing, Treasury Services, Working Capital financing, Motor Vehicle Equipment Loans, to name only a few. MPCB SME Scheme – For new and existing businesses, MPCB has tailor-made services including working capital finance and term loans, finance up to 75% of project cost to a maximum of Rs2.0M. MPCB Remittance Services and International Banking Solutions – MPCB caters for all the international money transfers by telegraphic transfer, demand draft, MoneyGram Services, as well as Im- • • port and Export financing in Mauritian rupees and Foreign Currencies. MPCB Direct Debit and Standing Orders – We take care of your bills and payments are processed efficiently. Let MPCB take care of these hassles on your behalf and enjoy peace of mind. MPCB Credit Card – Once more, MPCB offers you Peace of Mind by introducing its amazing MPCB Standard Card Credit Card and MPCB Gold Card Credit Card. With these cards, you may enjoy an exclusive world of comprehensive privileges and a wide range of benefits designed to give you complete security, along with insurance cover. MPCB gives a lot of importance to its retail business customers but also to its corporate customers. MPCB EBanking services are also privileged, offering a safe, secure and reliable service to the bank’s esteemed customers, both personal and corporate, in line with the Bank’s governing motto – Peace of Mind. In fact, MPCB is the first bank in the region to have introduced the Mobitoken concept, which ensures optimum secure e-banking service to customers. Again, in line with the bank’s concern to be better accessible to its clients, MPCB opened its 13th branch at Rose Hill in December 2010. The Bank continues to move forward in an innovative manner by endeavouring to service its customers with the widest possible range of banking and allied products. It hence aspires to become a major player in the financial services sector, delighting its customers by offering quality service, thus bringing them peace of mind. Floods in Queensland Australia Kaminee MOORUT Faculty of Agriculture, UoM Queensland in Australia comprising 1852,642 kilometre square has faced such a disastrous event in its history. This area has been affected by the floods since the past few days and about 4,000 people have been obliged to leave their houses. Food drops and drug supplies are being made to the population as the airport and nearly all the roads have been flooded. The impact on agriculture is huge: much damage to the corn, wheat, sorghum and cotton crop has been reported. The activities of Australia's two biggest processing companies – Swift Australia and the Teys Meat Group – have been halted as their abattoirs have been flooded. Hence, food shortage would result leading to INSIGHT // 06 an increase in food prices on the market. Australia will then have to import from other countries such as Uruguay, South America for its own consumption. The mining sector has also suffered as the coal exports have been stopped due to the floods and are still lying in the Queensland’s major ports. Fortunately, the farmers have the financial support of the government and in this context, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced clean up and recovery grants worth to $15,000. Loan facilities of up to $ 150,000 with interest rate subsidies are made available to them Moreover, it is expected that $6 billion of the nation's GDP would be used in cleaning purposes, rebuilding the infrastructure, replacing trading stock, purchase of fodder and in repairing the damaged equipments and property access. According to General Mick Slater, recovery would take some months or even a few years depending upon the regions that have been affected. As soon as the rains have receded, the people are back to work to ensure that the economic sectors could operate as soon as possible. ACTUALITÉ GENERALE // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Anti-blanchiment d’argent à l'avant-plan d'un séminaire de quatre jours Un séminaire de formation de quatre jours ayant pour thème "le renforcement de lutte contre le blanchiment d´argent et la lutte contre le financement du terrorisme de la coopération nationale", a débuté le lundi 24 janvier à l´hôtel Le Labourdonnais à Port-Louis, en la présence du Procureur général, Yatin Varma. Une cinquantaine de participants de différentes institutions impliquées dans la lutte contre le blanchiment d´argent à savoir, la Banque de Maurice, l´Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), la Financial Intelligence Unit, la Commission des services financiers (Financial Services Commission), le Solicitor General´s Office, le Directeur des poursuites publiques, le Département des douanes, l´Autorité de régulation des jeux (Gaming Regulatory Authority) ainsi que la police, participent à ce séminaire. Ce séminaire, une initiative du Fonds monétaire international (FMI), en collaboration avec le Gouvernement de Maurice, est destiné à aider les institutions nationales sur la façon dont la coopération est nécessaire pour lutter contre le blanchiment d´argent dans le but de promouvoir un secteur financier sain et faire en sorte que le système du secteur bancaire n´est pas utilisé pour le blanchiment d´argent. Dans son allocution d´ouverture, le procureur général, Y. Varma, a déclaré que le séminaire est venu à un moment opportun, étant donné que le blanchiment d´argent est devenu un phénomène mondial et considéré comme une menace non seulement pour le secteur financier, mais à la société dans son ensemble. Il a également insisté sur la nécessité d´avoir à la fois la coopération nationale et internationale afin d´atténuer le niveau de blanchiment d´argent. Il est à noter que Maurice a adopté plusieurs législations en ce qui concerne la prévention de la corruption, la fraude, la criminalité financière, le blanchiment d´argent et les activités terroristes afin de se conformer aux recommandations de la Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 40+9. Parmi eux se trouvent la mise en place de l´Unité de ren- seignement financier et l´ICAC. Maurice est aussi parmi les premiers pays d´Afrique à avoir subi l´évaluation du Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) et jusqu´à présent, deux FSAP ont été adoptés. Le pays est également en phase de finalisation d’un projet de loi de recouvrement des avoirs (Asset Recovery Bill) considéré comme un outil pour lutter contre les blanchisseurs d´argent en saisissant leurs biens mal acquis. Barack Obama compose avec les républicains dans son discours sur l'état de l'Union Le président états-unien, Barack Obama, a poursuivi mardi 25 janvier son prudent virage au centre de l'échiquier politique américain en reprenant certaines mesures soutenues par les républicains lors du traditionnel discours sur l'état de l'Union. Depuis les élections de mi-mandat du 2 novembre, le chef de l'Etat doit composer avec une Chambre des représentants contrôlée par les républicains et une fine marge de manœuvre au Sénat. Réduction du taux de l'impôt sur les sociétés, simplification du système fiscal, fin des "earmarks" : M. Obama a apporté son soutien à plusieurs propositions qui ont depuis longtemps les faveurs des républicains. Le président démocrate, qui souhaite réduire le déficit en relançant la croissance, a convenu de la nécessité de réduire les dépenses et a proposé un gel sur cinq ans des dépenses fédérales, sans aller jusqu'aux coupes budgétaires massives réclamées par les républicains. "Simplifiez le système" Barack Obama a ainsi demandé au Congrès de faire preuve d'imagination budgétaire en réduisant l'impôt sur les sociétés et en dégageant des marges pour financer l'innovation sans abandonner les efforts de réduction du déficit. La question du chômage n'a elle été évoquée qu'en termes généraux et M. Obama n'a annoncé aucune nouvelle mesure concrète à court terme pour soutenir l'emploi. "Ce soir, je demande aux démocrates et aux républicains de simplifier le système. Supprimez les niches fiscales. Uniformisez les règles et utilisez les économies pour abaisser le taux de l'impôt sur les sociétés pour la première fois en vingt-cinq ans, sans augmenter notre déficit", a déclaré le président. Le taux maximal de l'impôt sur les entreprises est actuellement de 35 % aux Etats-Unis, mais de nombreuses niches permettent aux firmes, surtout les plus grandes, de réduire leur imposition. M. Obama s'en est pris en particulier aux "milliards de dollars de cadeaux" fiscaux accordés aux groupes pétroliers, qu'il a demandé aux élus d'abroger purement et simplement. Les économies ainsi réalisées devraient permettre selon lui de financer l'innovation technique, en particulier dans le domaine de ce qu'il appelle les "sources d'énergie propres": énergies éolienne, solaire, nucléaire, combustion propre du charbon, et gaz naturel. "Quand le président dit 'investissement', il veut dire hausse des impôts" "Les républicains ont la responsabilité de travailler avec nous pour créer de l'emploi plutôt que de perdre du temps dans de vaines politiques politiciennes", a prévenu le chef de la majorité démocrate au Sénat, Harry Reid, à l'issue du discours de M.Obama. S'il répond en partie à leurs demandes, le gel des dépenses proposé par Barack Obama ne suffira pas à impressionner les républicains, qui ont promis une réduction des dépenses de 100 milliards de dollars sur un an. "J'apprécie le fait qu'il veuille faire quelque chose concernant les dépenses. Cependant, le gel des dépenses gouvernementales sur cinq ans au regard de la hausse de ces deux dernières années n'est pas suffisant", a réagi le chef des républicains au Sénat, Mitch McConnell. Même scepticisme face aux investissements dans les domaines de la recherche et de l'éducation, soutenus par M. Obama mais synonymes à leurs yeux de dépenses. "Quand le président dit 'investissement', il veut dire hausse des impôts", a noté le sénateur républicain Jim DeMint. Pete Sessions, qui a dirigé le comité de campagne républicain pour les élections à la chambre, note un changement de ton, mais relève qu'"on ne sait toujours pas s'il va offrir le changement politique que les électeurs ont demandé le jour de l'élection". Appelés à faire davantage preuve de courtoisie, certains membres du Congrès, une fois n'est pas coutume, ont siégé côte à côte, toutes tendances politiques confondues, en signe de soutien à la représentante Gabrielle Giffords, blessée lors d'une fusillade en Arizona. Les membres du gouvernement et les élus des deux bords arboraient un ruban noir et blanc – noir pour le deuil, blanc pour l'espoir – au revers de leur veste en hommage aux victimes de la tuerie du 8 janvier. "Nous prions pour la santé de notre collègue et amie Gabby Giffords", a dit le président Obama en désignant une chaise laissée inoccupée au milieu de la chambre entre deux élus de l'Arizona, un républicain et un démocrate. Marginaliser le mouvement Tea Party "Ce qui ressortira de ce moment sera, non pas de voir si nous pouvons nous asseoir ensemble mais si nous pourrons travailler ensemble demain", a dit le président américain. Entamé après les élections de novembre, le recentrage opéré par Brack Obama lui a permis entre autres de conclure un accord fiscal avec les républicains, de supprimer la loi "Don't ask, don't tell", qui interdisait aux militaires de se dire ouvertement homosexuels, et d'obtenir la ratification du traité avec la Russie sur la réduction des armes nucléaires (Start) avant la prise de contrôle du Congrès par les républicains, début janvier. Ces victoires, et son vibrant discours après la fusillade en Arizona, lui ont permis de redorer sa cote de popularité. "Il n'est pas juste en train de se déplacer vers le centre. En se déplaçant vers la droite, il pourrait marginaliser le mouvement Tea Party", note Paul Sraric, président du département de sciences politiques à l'université Youngstown State (Ohio). Le président de la chambre de commerce américain, Thomas Donohue, a estimé pour sa part que la politique ne devrait pas entrer en compte. "La chambre américaine travaillera avec quiconque partagera ses objectifs et peu nous importe qui en récoltera les fruits", a-t-il dit. Voulez-vous être élu “Meilleur journaliste de l’océan Indien” ? Vous êtes journaliste ou vous en connaissez un dans votre entourage ? Alors ceci vous concerne. La Commission de l´océan Indien (COI) chargée de la mise en œuvre du Projet d’Appui à l’Initiative Régionale de prévention du VIH/SIDA lance un concours régional destiné aux journalistes de la télé, radio et presse écrite de ses quatre pays membres notamment Les Comores, Madagascar, Maurice et Les Seychelles. Règles du concours - Tous les articles / reportages devront être publiés au plus tard le 30 juin 2011 par un organe de presse des quatre pays membres mentionnés plus haut ; - Les articles / reportages concerneront la problématique du VIH / SIDA ; - Les articles / reportages devront être en langue française ou sous-titré en français ou accompagné d’une traduction en français pour la presse écrite. Par contre, les reportages radios ne peuvent être traduits ; - Les reportages télé seront d’une durée de deux minutes et les articles de presse ne devront pas dépasser la demi-page de journal. Les prix Deux prix seront décernés pour chaque type de presse (télé, radio et presse écrite). Les gagnants de chaque catégorie remporteront un voyage tous frais payés aux Seychelles pour les 8ème jeux des Iles de l’océan Indien ainsi qu’un trophée. Le deuxième prix consiste en un lot de matériel pédagogique journalistique ainsi qu’un trophée. Le rôle de la COI La COI se définit comme une organisation de coopération régionale créée en 1984 qui est appelée à répondre à ces difficultés en défendant les intérêts et le développement durable de ses membres. Elle instruit des projets de coopération favorisant l´échange de connaissance et une mobilisation des efforts vers des buts communs. Ses activités sont essentiellement orientées vers : - La défense des intérêts insulaires de ses pays membres dans les enceintes internationales et auprès des organisations d´intégration régionale ; - La préservation et la valorisation de l´environnement et des ressources naturelles ; - La dimension régionale du développement humain. Insight souhaite bonne chance à tous les participants. INSIGHT // 07 PARTAGE // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Ce qui vous attend dans le monde du travail Magdala MULLEGADOO L’Université de Maurice accueille chaque année de plus en plus d’étudiants qui s’attendent à recevoir une formation qui leur ouvrira plus tard les portes du monde du travail. Avec une demande accrue de professionnels, l’institution de Réduit essaie de former chaque année des milliers d’étudiants qui se retrouvent après trois ou quatre ans sur le marché du travail. Tout cela pour vous expliquer que, que vous soyez en première ou dernière année, il n’existe pas de barrière entre le monde professionnel et celui de l’éducation tertiaire, en fait ce n’est qu’une même et unique chose. De ce fait il est recommandé aux étudiants de se préparer à affronter le monde du travail où tout est loin d’être rose. La première phase après les cours c’est bien sûr de se proposer comme un employé potentiel et par expérience personnelle il est préférable d’envoyer sa candidature vers des sociétés qui vous intéressent bien avant la fin des cours. Commencer avant la fin des examens est déjà une très bonne chose car si au niveau universitaire il y a de la compétition, cette compétition est plus féroce dans le monde du travail. Ensuite vient l’étape la plus difficile, celle des entrevues professionnelles. Faut-il tout accepter ? Faut-il se présenter comme l’employé parfait? Plusieurs questions se posent à ce niveau parce qu’en effet tout se qu’on désire c’est obtenir un emploi. Mais peu importe dans une entrevue il faut toujours savoir s’imposer et être franc au maximum. Evidemment on ne dit jamais ses défauts, mais peu importe les faiblesses il faut toujours qu’elles deviennent une force. L’étape entrevue est la plus longue, dépendant de ce que vous cherchez en terme de salaire, de travail et de responsabilité, mais un conseil si vous n’avez pas d’expérience et ici je parle d’expérience professionnelle d’un minimum d’un an ne soyez pas trop exigeant. Si l’étape entrevue se passe bien vous vous retrouverez employé et là la phase finale c’est l’adaptation. Bien sûr tout est nouveau et croyez moi le travail demande beaucoup plus que les études. Bref la phase finale est déterminante, elle peut être concluante. Il n’y a pas besoin de bouger, vous vous adaptez ou alors vous n’arrivez pas à vous adaptez. Evidemment il faudra tout recommencer de la phase un qui est très fatiguant mais en même temps mieux vaut recommencer que rester dans un travail qui ne vous plait pas. Finalement travailler c’est tellement stimulant. Je ne vous cache pas la dure vérité, travailler c’est stressant et très fatiguant mais il n’y a rien qui vous épanouira plus. L’essentiel surtout c’est de faire quelque chose que vous aimez, rien ne sera plus agréable pour vous que d’aller travailler alors. En tout cas bon courage à tout le monde, moi cela fait déjà 6 mois que je travaille et rien n’est plus agréable même si la vie comme étudiante de l’université de Maurice me manque énormément, donc faites le maximum pour vos études mais amusez vous de temps en temps aussi. Bon courage pour le dernier semestre. AVIS DE RECHERCHE Sens de l’appartenance Nous lançons actuellement un avis de recherche. Attention, il ne s’agit ni d’une personne portée manquante, ni d’un animal perdu, mais d’un sens : celui de l’appartenance ! Délaissé, mal utilisé, étouffé, le sens de l’appartenance est en voie de disparition. Yuri CURUMTHAULLY Fausse identification Dans le cadre universitaire et culturel où nous vivons, nous nous identifions souvent à des titres : président, représentant d’une quelconque organisation, meneur de bande, ainsi de suite. Bref, que des titres, responsabilités et contraintes divers. Chers étudiants, prenons-nous le temps de voir de près à qui nous nous identifions ? A la base, comme on le dit si souvent, nous sommes tous sur le même pied d’égalité. Dès que nous décollons pour des sphères supérieures, nous perdons malgré nous notre identité. Mais où allons-nous ? À qui la faute? Redescendre sur terre dégonfle et cela fait mal. On est si bien sur son petit nuage. On s’est fabriqué une image afin de paraître sur les premières pages. Quel dommage ! Regardons les gens autour de nous ! « Eh ! Ils l’ont fait » s’exclament avec enthousiasme des admirateurs. Fait quoi ? Tout bonnement des idiots d’eux-mêmes ! Qu’est ce qui détermine le succès ? Notre stupide société ! Sa plus grande préoccupation c’est de se rendre elle-même malade. Le plus tôt nous le réalisons, le mieux nous serons. Enfin appartenir… A quoi servent tous ces titres éphémères que la société nous confère ? Tout simplement pour nous faire prendre conscience du rôle important que nous sommes appelés à jouer ; à nous mettre dans la peau du personnage que nous jouons, afin de prendre le pouvoir et gouverner. Certes, aucun homme n’a reçu de la nature le droit de commander les autres. Des événements se produisent dans notre vie, mais nous ne sommes pas ces événements. Les nuages ne sont pas le ciel et nous ne sommes pas ce qui nous arrive. language has contributed to that. When children grow up speaking French at home, they are less likely to ask their parents where the expression “La Boutique Chinois” comes from. Dialects like Creole are in themselves an intangible, largely informal, cultural education for the members of a society. Obviously, the whole issue surrounding Mauritianism goes deeper than just that, but I firmly believe one of the causes is the undervalued importance of Creole. I really hope we give Creole its true value! Who knows, maybe one day I’ll meet with the same bank official for a job interview – IN CREOLE! Où est-il passé le sens de l’appartenance ? Creole… Our Identity! Amit BHOONAH Some weeks ago, I went to the Job Fair at Ebène with two other friends. It was pretty interesting, and one “incident” in particular still lingers in my mind: The three of us decided to stop by the stall of one bank and ask a few questions. So I stepped forward and spoke to the representative, in Creole. Much to my bemusement, he gave me an “O! How inappropriate!” look and replied in English. I promptly replied back in English, thinking he was not Mauritian. But then he said “Don’t worry I understand”. Why can’t two Mauritians speak Creole between the two of them? Step inside a shop and the INSIGHT // 08 owner will greet you in French or English. Call Customer service and the representative will do the same. Dial a restaurant to order food or book a reservation and you’ll get “Bonjour, restaurant X, comment puis-je vous servir?” Whenever there is “important business” to attend to, we seem to treat the usage of Creole language with a sense of inferiority. But really, what is so insulting about Creole? It is our language, and in its expressions we find glimpses of our history as well as bits and pieces of our culture. Would the expression “Lin maroon” (referring to person who ran away from duty) be without the marooned slaves of Le Morne? Ever seen someone buying “Numéro 1 ek gajack” for a traditional family gathering over liquor, snacks and chit-chat? Truth is, Creole is much more than a means of communication; it is the linguistic fossil of our history and the poetry of our culture. Our renunciation of Creole, though partial, is a renunciation of who we are. Unfortunately, who we are is ambiguous in itself. Many complain about the absence of real Mauritianism, and they are not wrong. Most people do not feel Mauritian at heart, and I think the status of Creole as a second class CELEBRATIONS // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 HISTORY India celebrated Republic Day on 26 January To mark the importance of the occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate. Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to unknown soldiers at the India Gate at one end of Rajpath, which is followed by two minutes silence in the memory of unknown soldiers. Thereafter he reaches the main dais at Rajpath to join other dignitaries, subsequently the President arrives along with the chief guest of the occasion. First he unfurls the National flag, as the National Anthem is played, and a 21-gun salute is given. Next, important awards like the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra are given away by the President, before the regiments of Armed Forces start their march past. The different regiments of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India who is the Commanderin-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Floats exhibiting the cultures of the various states and regions of India are in the grand parade, which is broadcast nationwide on television and radio. Also part of the parade are children who win the National Bravery Award for the year. The parade also includes other vibrant displays and floats and traditionally ends with a flypast by Indian Air Force jets. Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honour of unfurling the National Flag of India. Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential address to the nation. The beginning of the occa- sion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations. To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N. C. C. cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms. The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country. The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India. History The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950. The 26th of January was chosen to honour the memory of the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India, and while the main parade, Republic Day Parade takes place at the Rajpath, in the national capital New Delhi, where the President views the parade, state capitals also have their state celebrations. Although India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead, its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as chairman. While India's Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution. A draft constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on 4 November 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on 24 January 1950. Two days later, the Constitution of India became the law of all the Indian lands. The Constitution of India was passed on 26 November 1949, 10.18 AM IST, but it came into effect completely only on 26th January, 1950. Following elections on 21 January 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president of India. The Indian National Congress and other parties had been celebrating 26 January as a symbol of Independence, even before India actually became independent. Thus, applying the constitution on 26 January, to mark and respect 26 January and the freedom struggle and the freedom fighters. The amending mechanism was lauded even at the time of introduction by Ambedkar in the following words: "We can therefore safely say that the Indian federation will not suffer from the faults of rigidity or legalism. Its distinguished feature is that it is a flexible federation. "The three mechanisms of the system derived by the Assembly, contrary to the predictions, have made the constitution flexible at the same time protected the rights of the states. They have worked better than the amending process in any other country where Federalism and the British Parliamentary system jointly formed the basis of the constitution". emergence of Indian Republic is relevant in this context. He said, ‘Of all the experiments in government, which have been attempted since the beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A vast subcontinent is attempting to apply to its tens and thousands of millions a system of free democracy... It is a brave thing to try to do so. The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for good. Whatever the outcome we must honour those who attempt it. Even more meaningful was the opinion expressed by an American Constitutional authority, Granville Austin, who wrote that what the Indian Constituent Assembly began was "perhaps the greatest political venture since that originated in Philadelphia in 1787." Austin has also described the Indian Constitution as 'first and foremost a social document.' ... "The majority of India's constitutional provisions are either directly arrived at furthering the aim of social revolution or attempt to foster this revolution by establishing conditions necessary for its achievement." What Sir Anthony Eden, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (April 1955 to January 1957), said at the time of the Chinese Spring Festival Ashton Shee-Lan IP CHAN IN The Chinese Spring festival is usually celebrated by the Mauritian Chinese of the island every year in January or February. The date depends of the Chinese calendar. This year it will be celebrated on 3rd February. The dominant colour during this festival is the red which is the symbol of happiness. This occasion is considered to be the Chinese New Year. As such, the customs says that it is not good to use knives or scissors on this day. Many go the pagoda to pray. For this festival, the family gathers by way of outings and most commonly now by camping or staying at a hotel for around 3 days. There are also traditional Chinese cakes – ‘gâteaux la cire’, ‘cravatte’, ‘zoreil’ as we call in Mauritian language) being shared amongst friends especially of other cultures. Children normally receive a red envelop containing money. Firecrackers are set off according to the customs to drive away the evil spirits. Chinese dancers will perform the Lion Dance a few days later where the Spring Festivals ends. INSIGHT // 09 ENTERTAINMENT // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 YES 48 % POLL OF THE MONTH NO 52 % Have you ever been troubled by electronic fraud? Participate in poll on www.infomaurice.mu t GAMES U CROSSWORD HOROSCOPE OF THE MONTH ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) You will do extremely well if you get involved in competitive activities this month. False information from someone trying to start problems is likely. Your luckiest events will occur on a Sunday. Large organizations may try to talk you out of your hard-earned cash. You can take advantage of opportunities if you are quick to make a move. The information that you gain can be used in every aspect of your life. Your luckiest events will occur on a Friday. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You have made an accurate assessment of the situation and have come up with ideas that will save money. You'll regret every word for some time to come. Don't let children or elders put demands on your time. Your luckiest events will occur on a Thursday. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Raise your self esteem and your confidence if you want to get back into the mainstream again. Your luckiest events will occur on a Sunday. SAGITTARIUS(Oct.24-Nov. 22) GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Take a look at the possibilities of starting a small part time business with friends. Communication will be the source of your knowledge and you must be sure to spend time with those who have more experience. Your luckiest events will occur on a Friday. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Mingle with those who have similar interests, and you should be able to start something. Compromise if you wish to have any fun at all. Your luckiest events will occur on a Saturday. Across: 1- UK Vehicle. 4- Vivien. 10- WWI Commander. 11- Concerning. 12- Aquatic pachyderm. 13- List individually. 15- Finished. 17- Sty inhabitants. 19- Proverb. 22- Verdi Opera. 25- Panacea. 27- Of the nose. 29- Jordan’s port. 30- Windflower. 31-Baffle. 32- Skill, boat. Down: 2- Wildflower. 3- Former Burmese capital. 5- Dodge. 6- Lambent. 7- Wood-turning machine. 8- Eleison. 9- Mount. 14- Jazz style. 16- Bovine cut of meat. 18- Merit, permission. 20- Asunder (anag). 21- Fight, a bit. 23- Greek Epic. 24- Foreigner. 26- Tocsin. 28- Eat. SUDOKU LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Inharmonious situations at home may be extremely upsetting for you this month. Be careful that you don't overextend yourself. Join a choir or a drama club. Your luckiest events will occur on a Saturday. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Abrupt changes in your home may send you for a loop. Career changes may not be your choice right now, but in the long run they will be to your advantage. Your luckiest events will occur on a Sunday. Be sure to get involved with those who can introduce you to unusual forms of entertainment. This will not be the best day to initiate change. Your luckiest events will occur on a Tuesday. CAPRICORN (Dec22.-Jan. 20) You will find that social activities will be enjoyable and will promote new connections. You need to spend some time getting to know this person all over again. Your luckiest events will occur on a Monday. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) Don't give out any personal information that you don't want spread around. Spend time with youngsters this month. Think twice before you pursue an unrealistic endeavor. Your luckiest events will occur on a Monday. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Minor health problems may flare up if you haven't been taking care of yourself or have been burning the candle at both ends. Assist a relative or good friend by setting of a budget for them. You should be able to get involved in an interesting proposition this month. Your luckiest events will occur on a Saturday. Emtel MiFi – Sharing your Internet connection at home or on the go! Emtel MiFi is your new wireless Internet connection! The MiFi dongle works with any WiFi enabled device and can connect up to 5 users who are using 5 WiFi devices simultaneously, like laptop, smartphone, PSP, tablet etc. To use the device you just need to turn on the Wi-Fi dongle, connect to the Emtel network and select the WiFi function. Raj is a university student and this year, he would like to get a good Internet connection at his place so that the whole family can benefit from it simultaneously. He knows he will be using a lot of Internet for his studies and at the same time he does not want to prevent his little brother from surfing or his parents from working when they need to. With the new Emtel MiFi, Raj’s whole family can browse the Internet at the same time. Raj plugs the MiFi dongle into his laptop and connects to the Emtel network. The WiFi is immediately enabled and everyone can connect from his own device. Raj is glad to find out that he can also use the MiFi even during week-ends when the whole family goes to stay at their beach bungalow. They can all still connect to the Internet and are not interrupted in their urgent work. Different packages are available to suit their needs, both Prepaid and Postpaid. For more details on the MiFi and on the packages, log on www.emtel.com INSIGHT // 10 FOCUS // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Lessons from Less When I was 16, I wanted more. When I was 24, I wanted even more than that. So, I worked harder, earned more, spent more, to have more, only to owe more. I was exhausted at the end of the day and tired when I woke up most mornings. I ate on the fly, fell behind, ran late and could never catch up. Sound familiar? When we are faced with a crisis or struggle we often despair. But it’s in this struggle that the best opportunities emerge. If we’re keeping our eyes open. L. B I thought everything I was doing was for a better life. I thought what I was doing was normal and right. I had become so used to bills in the mailbox, and feeling rundown, that I didn’t know anything was wrong. So, how did I go from wanting more, more, more to craving less? I would love to tell you that I woke up one morning a changed person, but that’s not the way it went down. Even though I had begun to make small changes, I needed a wake up call … and it had to be really loud. How to find opportunity up meat was one of the best ways I could really “do something” about my new diagnosis. I stopped eating meat to achieve better health. A crisis is an opportunity to change grow learn reflect and become better. It’s where we discover who we are and how we can find a new way we couldn’t have imagined before the crisis presented itself. It allows us to practice patience and acceptance and find renewed hope – which is the most beautiful thing. When I started my vegetarian journey, I started reading. I read about raising animals for meat. I read about factory farming. I learned about the impact of our actions on our bodies, animals and the earth. By really opening my eyes and heart to how meat was put on my plate, I lost my appetite for it. I was motivated by health and changed with compassion. On July, 7th 2006 I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis. That was my wake up call, and to say it was loud is an understatement. The diagnosis was nothing short of traumatic. I didn’t have enough information to take action. I only knew enough to be really scared. I had so many questions. Could I still ski with my family? Would I be able to help my daughter with homework? Would I even be walking in a year? I fell in love with yoga. Practicing Yoga gives me strength, flexibility, focus, peace of mind and freedom from fear. I want to keep my body strong, and my mind calm and focused so I can effectively fight this disease and take care of my family. While I am in search of less, I want to be more sensitive and loving, more adaptive and more resilient. Yoga gives me that, too. No one had the answers to those overwhelming questions, so I had to focus on what was most important: my health and my family. Nothing else mattered. If I had moved forward with these big questions and fearful thinking, my daughter and husband would have been so worried. I realized that if I started thinking differently, so would they. My questions went from, “What is this disease going to do to my body and mind?” to “How am I going to reverse MS?” I got rid of my stuff. While I always felt compelled to put something on an empty surface, I have come to love an empty space. It takes living without it to realize how clutter affects your life and takes away from your freedom and creativity. I am reminded of that every time I walk into my kitchen and instead of seeing a cluttered counter, I see sunlight streaming in from the kitchen window. I am still letting go of my stuff and feel lighter everyday. The answer to my question was change. Small shifts and big change were necessary to become the best possible version of myself. When I started making changes in my life, I didn’t know that they would lead to minimalism, but they did. In fact, while the changes I made were fighting MS, they were also redefining my whole life. The changes I made are not all essential in the life of a minimalist, but they are all essential to my minimalist lifestyle. I decided to live without debt. You may not think that your bank account can affect your health, but considering money can cause great stress, and stress can make you sick, it only makes sense that poor money management equals poor health. My husband and I made the decision to be debt free, and paid off our last debt this summer except for our house. What will we do with our money now that we don’t have any monthly payments? Whatever we want. What I did to change my life? I became a vegetarian. Research shows that MS patients, and people dealing with other autoimmune conditions that eat fewer saturated fats and “inflammatory foods” maintain better health. (I would challenge that this goes for most everyone.) Giving I hung up the phone. I do not use my phone when I’m driving anymore. I don’t text at red lights or make calls on the back roads. I can remember too many times where I would arrive at a destination and not remember how I got there because I was so involved in a phone call. Admitting that I When I’ve lost my job it was an opportunity for reinvention and to strike out on my own. When I’ve lost a family member to the unrelenting grip of death it was an opportunity to reflect on that loved one’s wonderful life and for our family to come together in a way never possible before. When I failed at work I learned to improve and grow better. When I injured myself I learned patience and new ways to be healthy. When my children throw tantrums they are teaching me more patience and the power of raw emotions and the wonder of childhood and what happens when you lose perspective. had essentially been risking my life and the lives of other drivers wasn’t easy, but it was necessary to make the change and the commitment to be phone free in the car. Another benefit is that now, when I pick my daughter up from school, she has my full attention. She doesn’t have to compete with business or other phone fueled distractions. I am there for her. I redefined better. As I mentioned before, all of my bad habits came from wanting something better, something more. In the changes I’ve made, I have redefined what better means to me and my family. The health and happiness of my marriage and family comes before everything else. My husband and I have decided that “more” isn’t the answer for us. Now at 41, forever changed, and virtually symptom free, I am becoming me. I know I haven’t figured it all out but am content. I don’t make as much as I used to. I didn’t take a big vacation this year or make any big purchases, but there is no doubt that I am happier. Less speaks to me. Less lets me love more deeply and less lets me really be me. My wake up calls have become more subtle, but because I have the time and space to pay attention, I hear them loud and clear. When I first started to practice doing less and being more, I discovered Insight newspaper. It was another wake up call, but it sounded like a whisper, “You can do this. You can change.” It is not a coincidence that L.B’s story of change changed me. I was ready to listen, ready to change. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that less is enough. Of course, I am still learning, still changing and still a work in progress, but now it is my turn to inspire change with my story. When my wife and I had arguments it was an opportunity to learn more about each other and grow closer and become better at finding common ground. When I moved and missed my family terribly it was an opportunity to learn introspection and self-sufficiency and grow closer to family here in Mauritius. When I daily face the terror of the void staring at me face to face it is my chance to push back and assert my will and imprint my soul upon this malleable world. And that, my friends, is beauty. It is the finding of renewed hope and growth when all else seems bleak and lost. In the struggle is the possible if we dare to look. INSIGHT // 11 BOLLYWOOD // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Bobby Deol: “It was tough to find a script for three of us” After featuring together in "Apne", the three Deols – Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby – took three years to return together on the silver screen. The reason, Bobby says, is the lack of a good comedy script. The father and sons are now seen together in "Yamla Pagla Deewana", which has been released on Jan 14. "Apne was a film people were really touched by. They said it really made them cry; so my dad decided that the next time we come together we'll do a comedy. But it's not easy to find a good comedy script. It took us one and a half years to work on a good script. That's why it took us time to return together," said Bobby. Synopsis The Father Son duo of Dharam Singh and Gajodhar Singh (Dharmendra and Bobby Deol) are the biggest conmen in Banaras. Their happy go lucky existence involves drinking and pulling off hilarious cons on unsuspecting people. The only hitch in their perfect albeit notorious life arrives in the form of Paramveer Singh Dhillon (Sunny Deol). A brawny and honest NRI from Vancover, Paramveer lands up in Banaras claiming to be Gajodhar's elder brother separated at childhood. The duo willingly accepts Paramveer into their fold only to exploit his muscle power to serve their con games. Meanwhile Gajodhar falls in love with Saheba (Kulraj Randhawa), a beautiful girl from Punjab. As their romance reaches its peak, her brothers arrive and forcibly take her away. Paramveer saves the day with a crazy plan to win the girl back for Gajodhar which leads them to the rustic heartlands of Punjab. What follows is a rollercoaster ride showcasing the Great Indian Joint Family, Eccentric Relatives, Marriage Mayhem, and a classic case of Mistaken Identities! "Duniyawaalon! Iss kahani mein Comedy hai! Action hai! Romance hai! Drama hai! Melodrama hai! Emotions hai! .... Aur Maa Kasam! Bahut sara Confusion hai!!" Munni offends morality, taken to court! The Allahabad High Court today sought a response from the Centre on a PIL demanding an immediate ban on Bollywood item numbers 'Munni badnam hui...' and 'Sheila ki jawani...' on the grounds that they were against decency and morality. While passing the order, the Lucknow bench of the court comprising Justices Pradeep Kant and Rituraj Awasthi directed the central government counsel to seek response from the Centre and fixed January 10 as the next date of hearing. On December 23, a woman had filed a PIL in court seeking an immediate ban on the two songs, alleging that they were against decency and morality. The petitioner had requested the court to order a halt on the release of Hindi film Tees Maar Khan until the song 'Sheila Ki Jawaani' was removed from the film. In her PIL, petitioner Nutan Thakur, through counsel Ashok Pandey, had sought to stop the INSIGHT // 12 Salman Khan not only rocked the box office with his blockbuster “Dabangg” but also triumphed at the 17th Annual Star Screen Awards by bagging the best actor trophy for the action-comedy. Vidya Balan walked away with best actress award for her bold and critically appreciated performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Ishqiya”. Overall, “Dabangg” bagged six awards, including best music (Sajid-Wajid), best new talent in music (Mamta Sharma), most promising newcomer (Sonakshi Sinha), best choreography (Farah Khan), and best action (Master Vijayan) and emerged as the most awarded film of the evening. However, the surprise element was the tie between “Ishqiya”, “Band Baaja Baraat” and small budget film “Udaan” – all three received four awards each. Aamir to wear Karan Johar’s designs at Imran’s wedding public exhibition of these songs, claiming they have a "bad" impact on society. Priyanka, Katrina patch-up? No way! If you thought Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif hugged at Salman's Being Human event to start a new friendship, think again! The actors didn't even say a formal hello to each other at a recent event. Piggy Chops and Kat came face to face at an awards function, but behaved as strangers. They didn't even say hi to each other, forget about a warm hug. An eyewitness told Mumbai Mirror, “Priyanka and Katrina were next to each other for quite some time backstage. Their eyes met, but they did not give each other even a faint smile. They be- Salman, Vidya win top honours at Star Screen Awards haved like total strangers. There was ample opportunity for both the ladies to at least acknowledge each other’s presence but even that did not happen. Everyone around them noted this.” To refresh surfers' memory, Priyanka and Katrina are at loggerheads since the latter replaced former in Dostana sequel, and Priyanka in turn replaced Katrina in Anurag Basu's Silence (now titled Barfi). Even at IPL awards, the actors kept their distance. So we wonder, why they had to give jadu ki jhappi to each other at Salman's event? Keep guessing. It is a known fact that filmmaker Karan Johar is interested in costume designing and the latest to take his services is Aamir Khan. The star will be wearing a KJo-designed outfit for his nephew Imran Khan’s wedding with Avantika Malik. “Karan has designed clothes for Aamir and his son Junaid. He has designed a traditional as well as a formal suit for the wedding functions,” said a source. Not just Aamir, the filmmaker has also been acting as a mentor to the bride-to-be, Avantika Malik. Karan has helped Avantika plan the entire wedding from clothes, jewellery, make-up to card designs. However, for the mehandi celebrations Saturday, Imran and Avantika will be wearing designer Varun Bahl and Manish Malhotra’s clothes. HOLLYWOOD // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Lady Gaga branded 'a childish diva' Lady Gaga was branded 'a childish diva' by Vogue editorin-chief Anna Wintour, according to the singer's biographer. The British-born journalist met GaGa back in May when she performed at Anna''s Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala. "She (Lady GaGa) sort of had a meltdown before she went on and as it was described to me, Anna was really none too pleased with her. Anna wasn''t impressed. She thought she was just behaving like a childish diva and not the professional who was about to perform for her peers; these incredibly famous designers and celebrities," the Sun quoted Maureen Callahan, author of much-anticipated biography ''Poker Face: The Rise and Rise of Lady Gaga'', as saying. "She sequestered herself in the back room for a good hour. She was late to perform and I also heard that she had been demanding things. She went to Anna at the last minute and was saying,'' I''d like it to be this way. "And Anna just said no. I don''t think she''s used to hearing that very often. When you''re dealing with two egos like that, it gets interesting," she added. We publish your articles: That come with full name, address and telephone number; even if you want to use a pseudonym. The shorter the better; articles under 300 words take precedence. Address them to the ‘Editor in Chief’ - [email protected] INSIGHT // 13 PSYCHOLOGY // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Aha! Understanding the mind games men play Have you ever wondered ... How could he disappear after he was so totally into me? Why hasn’t he texted? Why does he pull away every time we get close? Was it just about the sex? How could he not be interested in me? Why doesn’t he make a move? Will he ever commit? What the bleep is going on in this relationship? Is it him or is it me? D KIRSCHNER Psychologist Understanding ‘deadly dating patterns’ Understanding guys’ Deadly Dating Patterns is crucial not only to your success in creating the love you want, but also to your own self-esteem and happiness. When you learn to clearly see who you are dealing with and understand his patterns: • You can free yourself from secondguessing about what you did wrong whenever a relationship falls apart. • You will be able to let go of thoughts like, “I should have told him how much I enjoyed the comedy club he picked out and that I would love to go again! That’s why he’s not calling.” Or, “My thighs are so big and I wore that clingy dress. That’s what turned him off!” Or, “He broke it off because I am too (old, needy, successful, have kids, fat ... fill in the blank).” • You can more easily say and understand that, “It is not just about me. It’s about him and his issues.” • You can then view relationships in a more balanced way, examining more objectively who did what to whom. Ah, men. Mystifying men. And we’re supposed to be the mysterious ones! Truth is, men are at least as hard to figure out as women. Their behavior can be confusing, frustrating and maddening. They tease us with clever poems, daily texts and calls, only to turn around in the blink of an eye and completely disappear or disappoint us. Who hasn’t fallen for that grand opening game, where they lure us with intoxicating conversations, exciting fun-filled dates, a single perfect rose, delicious kisses and more? Date him or dump him? In order to have emotional freedom in dating it is important to be like an anthropologist in the world of men — to study them and understand their unique qualities and attributes. You need to suspend judgment about what a man ought to be like. We expect a lot based on fairy tales, romantic movies and the media: the all-perfect prince is supposed to come along and sweep us away to the magic kingdom of love. But real life is not a fairy tale or a movie. There are no perfect guys. So how do you know whether to date him or dump him? Fortunately, I’ve logged many therapy hours listening to men as they’ve opened up and explored their deepest needs and fears. The good news is that they, like us, usually really do want true love, and down deep they realize that they’d be happier, more content and more sexually satisfied if they had a good relationship. The bad news is they are also scared, and they push real intimacy or commitment away. Men fear being overwhelmed and taken over in an allconsuming relationship void of any video games, sporting events or nights out with the guys. Believe it or not, they also fear rejection and abandonment. And all these fears play out in a variety of ways. Men play out unconscious and conscious games which create a maddening push-pull with your heart. That’s why dating and relationships can be so confusing and frustrating. The severity of men’s dating and commitment issues varies from person to person. So here are eight key questions to ask about the guy and the relationship: • What does he say about the possibility of real love, women in general, and his past relationships? Read between the lines. • What do you notice about his thinking about being involved in a long-term relationship or marriage? • How does he describe other couples? • If his friend is getting married, is he cynical? Does he describe his married buddies as trapped in some way? • Does he say it would take a good three to four years to know if a person is ready to be with someone? • Does he say love never lasts? • Did his parents stay married and if so, how does he describe their relationship? If divorced, did they remarry successfully? • Does he have any role models who have shown him what a good marriage is like? Five deadly dating patterns Now that you’ve answered these eight questions, let’s dig into the specific relationship patterns your guy may be caught in. Here are five of the 16 patterns, their degrees of difficulty (10 is the most challenging) and my recommendations for handling each. The first two, “the savior” and “the coward” patterns, are easier to overcome, while the last three, “the super romantic flame-out,” “the grass-is-greener” and “the slacker” types, are in the most challenging group. 1. The savior He is a super-duper caretaker, a Mr. Fix-It who tries to be romantic too. Your happiness is his happiness. And he doesn’t have much happiness of his own. Underneath it all he is insecure and feels not good enough — so he seems clingy and smothering. Degree of difficulty: 4 If you are firm and he realizes he has to find his own happiness and stand up for himself or lose you, he will step up. Over time he could evolve into a great partner! 2. The coward He is afraid of honest straight talk and very afraid of conflict. If differences come up he pulls away and prefers to communicate by e-mail or texts. Degree of difficulty: 4 Many men have some degree of this pattern. You can break through by using positive talk, where you present your concerns in a loving, warm and clear way. Once you develop a way to navigate conflict, “the coward” can grow into a wonderful Mr. Right. 3. The super romantic flame-out He is totally on your wavelength and crazy about you from the very first e-mail or glance at your photo. Chances are he is a serial monogamist who has brief periods of being in mad, passionate love with you, then the next, and the next one, following the path of chemistry, wherever it may lead. Degree of difficulty: 8 Take it slow and easy to make him prove himself. If he doesn’t, be ready to bail. We publish your articles: That come with full name, address and telephone number; even if you want to use a pseudonym. The shorter the better; articles under 300 words take precedence. Address them to the ‘Editor in Chief’ - [email protected] INSIGHT // 14 4. The grass-is-greener type He has a hard time making up his mind, like he is never sure that the job he has is really the best one for him. Online dating has made this pattern very common. Because there is such a smorgasbord of women, men with this inclination are constantly looking to see whether they can do better. Degree of difficulty: 8 If he is very true to type, he will be mortally terrified of “settling” — as in, settling down with you. It is usually best to move on before he does. 5. The slacker He has grand dreams and plans that have been just over the horizon for years. He may be cute and engaging as he passionately describes all that he is going to do. But this is the guy who consistently shoots himself in the foot so that he misses the finish line. He didn’t finish anything — not his degree, his new Web site, his new book, project or the very deal that will get him ahead. Degree of difficulty: 8 Unless he has started to seriously engage in therapy or coaching, you will not be able to rescue this guy. No, not even you. Who are the keepers? Any of these types may be intertwined with one or more of the other 11 self-sabotaging patterns in “Love in 90 Days.” Men can vary a great deal in just how stuck they are. The most important question to ask is, “Is he willing to grow? That is, work his way out of his own self-sabotaging pattern?” If a guy is a good person who is attractive to you, working on his issues and crazy about you, he is a keeper. Once again, no man is perfect. Of course, neither are you. So ask yourself: How much does this man want to have love, that is, love with you in his life? What is he willing to do or change to have that special, lasting experience? As you consider the answers to these questions you will have many ‘Aha’ experiences. Armed with this knowledge you can quickly get away from guys who are DUDs (Definitely Unworkable Dudes) or relationships that are truly dead-end or even destructive. You can see clearly when it is time to stay and work on the relationship or when it’s time to cut your losses and go. And then you will be free to choose the ones you want, the ones who give you love that is just right for you. PRODUCTIVE LIVING // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 75 ways to stay unhappy forever Dale Carnegie once said, “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It’s what you think about.” Rehaan. E I don’t think anyone could say it any better than that. I’ve watched so many friends search tirelessly for happiness by shifting from one course to another at uni, changing jobs, moving to new cities, pursuing intimate relationships, and tweaking all sorts of other external factors in their lives. And guess what? They’re still unhappy … because they spend all of their time and money adding positive externals to their lives when their internals are still in the negatives. So, with that in mind, here are 75 ways to stay unhappy forever. Of course, I would highly recommend you read each bullet point and then move swiftly in the opposite direction. 1. Dwell on things that happened in the past. 2. Obsess yourself with all the things that might happen in the future. 3. Complain about problems instead of taking the necessary steps to resolve them. 4. Fear change and resist it. 5. Work hard, do your best and then condemn yourself for not achieving perfection. 6. Belittle yourself. 7. Hang out with other people who belittle you. 8. Try to control everything and then worry about the things you can’t control. 9. Lie to yourself and those around you. 10. Keep doing the same thing over and over again. 11. Be lazy and follow the path of least resistance. 12. Hold onto anger. Never forgive anyone. 13. Always be right. Never let anyone else be more right than you. 14. Compare yourself unfavorably to those who you feel are more successful. 15. Let small issues snowball into big problems. 16. Never learn anything new. 17. Never take responsibility for your own actions. 18. Blame everyone around you. 19. Don’t ask for directions and don’t ask questions. 20. Don’t let anyone help you. 21. Quit when the going gets tough. 22. Be suspicious. Trust no one. 23. Get four hours of sleep every night and convince yourself that it’s enough. 24. Never throw anything way. Even if you don’t use it, hold onto it. 25. Say “yes” to everyone. Fill all your time with commitments. 26. Try to be everyone’s friend. 27. Multitask, multitask and multitask! Do everything at once. 28. Never spend any time alone. 29. Don’t help others unless you have to. Do only the things that benefit you directly. 30. Hang out with people who complain about everything. 31. Focus on what you don’t want to happen. 32. Fear the things you don’t fully understand. 33. Always seek external validation before you consider yourself good enough. 34. Take everything and everyone in life seriously. 35. Spend your life working in a career field you aren’t passionate about. 36. Focus on the problems. 37. Think about all the things you don’t have. 38. Read or watch lots of depressing news from broadcast media. 39. Set lofty goals for yourself and never do anything to achieve them. 40. Never exercise. 41. Only eat junk food and fried food. 42. Never check-up on your health. 43. Setup your lifestyle so it revolves around money. How small people make a big difference Today, as I was relaxing at the beach, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a conversation four school kids were having on the beach blanket next to me. Their conversation was about making a positive difference in the world. And it went something like this… M. A 44. Spend more than you earn and rack up lots of financial debt. 45. Don’t say what you mean. Don’t mean what you say. 46. Frown. 47. Never tell anyone how you feel or what you’re thinking. 48. Make sure everything you do impresses someone else. 49. Always put your own needs on the back burner. 50. Get involved in other people problems and make them your own. 51. Make others feel bad about themselves. 52. Watch TV for several hours every day. 53. Gamble often. 54. Stay in the same place. Don’t travel. 55. Don’t play, just work. 56. Let your hobbies go. 57. Let your close relationships go. 58. Never finish what you start. 59. Take everything personally. 60. Do lots of drugs. Drink lots of alcohol. 61. Never say, “I’m sorry.” Never say, “I love you.” 62. Don’t work hard at anything. 63. Always wait until the last minute. 64. Believe that, no matter what, you are entitled to things. 65. Let others make decisions for you. 66. Remember the insults. Forget the compliments. 67. Let it all bottle up inside. 68. Rely on others for everything. 69. Fail to plan. 70. Don’t dream. 71. Don’t think about the future at all. 72. Always disregard other people’s opinions and suggestions. 73. Make promises you can’t keep. 74. Don’t decide on anything, ever. 75. Just keep going and going and going. And never ever stop. And now that you know what not to do, let me tell you a secret about happiness. Nobody is happy all of the time. It’s perfectly normal to experience considerable fluctuations in your level of happiness from day to day, month to month, and even year to year. In fact, according to a recent scientific study, overall levels of happiness decline from one’s teens until one’s 40s and then pick up again until they peak in one’s early 70s. So the chances are that your happiest days are yet to come. Hopefully that gives you something to smile about. Repression “It’s impossible to make a difference unless you’re a huge corporation or someone with lots of money and power,” one of them said. “Yeah man,” another replied. “My mom keeps telling me to move mountains – to speak up and stand up for what I believe. But what I say and do doesn’t even get noticed. I just keep answering to ‘the man’ and then I get slapped back in place by him when I step out of line.” “Repression…” another snickered. I smiled because I knew exactly how they felt. When I was their age, I was certain I was being repressed and couldn’t possibly make a difference in this world. And I actually almost got expelled from school once because I openly expressed how repressed I felt in the middle of the principals’ office. I Have A Dream Suddenly, one of the kids noticed me eavesdropping and smiling. He sat up, looked at me and said, “What? Do you disagree?” Then as he waited for a response, the other three kids turned around too. Rather than arguing with them, I took an old receipt out of my wallet, ripped it into four pieces, and wrote a different word on each piece. Then I crumbled the pieces into little paper balls and handed a different piece to each one of them. “Look at the word on the paper I just gave you and don’t show it to anyone else.” The kids looked at the single word I had handed each of them and appeared confused. “You have two choices,” I told them. “If your word inspired you to make a difference in this world, then hold onto it. If not, give it back to me so I can recycle the paper.” They all returned their words. I scooted over, sat down on the sand next to their beach blanket and laid out the four words that the students had returned to me so that the words combined to form the simple sentence, “I have a dream.” “Dude, that’s Martin Luther King Jr.,” one of the kids said. “How did you know that?” I asked. “Everyone knows Martin Luther King Jr.” the kid snarled. “He has his own national holiday, and we all had to memorize his speech in school a few years ago.” “Why do you think your teachers had you memorize his speech?” I asked “I don’t really care!” the kid replied. His three friends shook their heads in agreement. “What does this have to do with us and our situation?” “Your teachers asked you to memorize those words, just like thousands of teachers around the world have asked students to memorize those words, because they have inspired millions of repressed people to dream of a better world and take action to make their dreams come true. Do you see where I’m going with this?” “Man, I know exactly what you’re trying to do and it’s not going to work, alright?” the fourth kid said, who hadn’t spoken a word until now. “We’re not going to get all inspired and emotional about something some dude said thirty years ago. Our world is different now. And it’s more screwed up than any us can even begin to imagine, and there’s little you or I can do about it. We’re too small, we’re nobody.” Together I smiled again because I once believed and used to say similar things. Then after holding the smile for a few seconds I said, “On their own, ‘I’ or ‘have’ or ‘a’ or ‘dream’ are just words. Not very compelling or inspiring. But when you put them together in a certain order, they create a phrase that has been powerful enough to move millions of people to take action – action that changed laws, perceptions, and lives. You don’t need to be inspired or emotional to agree with this, do you?” The four kids shrugged and struggled to appear totally indifferent, but I could tell they were listening intently. “And what’s true for words is also true for people,” I continued. “One person without help from anyone else can’t do much to make a sizable difference in this crazy world – or to overcome all of the various forms of repression that exist today. But when people get together and unite to form something more powerful and meaningful then themselves, the possibilities are endless. Together is how mountains are moved. Together is how small people make a big difference. INSIGHT // 15 OPINION // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Facebook : A major influence on today’s society Over the past years we’ve seen a major increase in the number of new Facebook users. Indeed this online social ensnare is an addiction that has caused people to cross the line from social networking to social dysfunction. Krishna ATHAL Editor in Chief Research • Mental health threat – Brussels MEP • Act like a silly little girl – Social Times The site is addictive because it gives people “intermittent reinforcement” – in other words that vague feeling of interest and hope one gets when opening Facebook that someone might have posted something of interest, or liked something you wrote, or the girl you fancied at school has sent a friend request, and you therefore get to see pictures of her, hopefully a tired and impoverished single mother of three who clearly made a mistake in turning you down. Or maybe that’s just me. Hell! Grandpa’s in? Those over the age of 50 have also not been able to escape from it. In part due to the fact that anyone could join, and in part due to the fact that Facebook really is a good way to reconnect with and stay connected to friends, Facebook has become the dominant social network of the times. But does Facebook just make us all act idiotically? I’ve noticed that a lot of my older family members and friends have a tendency to morph their behaviour once they get on Facebook. People who’re always rational and can tell me how to get a hold of myself in the middle of a panic attack are suddenly calling and emailing me to ask for advice. “My high school crush just contacted me on Facebook. What do I do?” “What’s the likelihood of this person being a fake, with an impersonator behind their Facebook account?” “Is it narcissistic to upload more than 10 profile pictures?” LOL, as my semi-imaginary internet friends say. What’s amusing to me isn’t the fact that these questions are being asked, but the fact that they’re being asked by the people I once turned to for life lessons. Over 30 years removed from high school, people still get a tiny tingly feeling when they see a friend request from their school crush on Facebook. These are the questions I as a teenager and young adult barely asked myself – I often just acted out of a naive confidence that remained oblivious to the real world ramifications of virtual relationships. But as I look at the drama that can ensue because of a wayward Facebook wall post, an Honesty Box confession, an errantly tagged photo or a misconstrued SuperPoke, I realise that we’re all subject to the same essential social norms regardless of our age. Ultimate leveller Because when it’s all said and done, I’ve also seen a lot of deactivated accounts from my mature mavens. It’s the equivalent of packing up and moving to a new location, or taking a month-long vacation. It seems silly to see people in their 40s and 50s go so far as to deactivate their Facebook account because of something petty. And what’s even more amusing to me is when they ask me if I noticed their sudden absence from Facebook. Now they’re not only reacting to the drama, but stirring it up by making a desperate plea for exo-Facebook attention. The come back So what does that tell us? Facebook is generally doing a good job at enabling people to network. And in creating a subset of our physical social structure designed specifically for the web, we’ve gained an interesting peek into the frivolous mind of the tech-savvy middle aged. In the end, perhaps these growing experiences will help parents better understand their children. Or, as in some other cases, they will help children better understand their parents. Whatever the case may be, I think we as members of society, advertisers, marketers and Facebook executives should take this as an opportunity to learn from each other, recognising the fact that no matter how old we are we’re still subject to the same scrutiny and wonder when it comes to social networking. RELATIONSHIP Respect and rebellion towards parents Parents-children relationship has never been easy; especially when children are no more kids. I dare not disagree. Oscar Wilde said that "Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them." Jhaneshi JUGESSUR Finance with Law - UoM If your parents get the back-seat in your life, put yourselves in the shoes of orphans. Parents bring us into the world and take care of us: remember that they could have opted to spend their time with world cruises or simply living for themselves. But they chose to have us. I bet they did not know why they got themselves into. So, bond with your parents; have at least one daily meal together in order to get time to talk; have patience to explain things to them and listen to their wise words. No, I have not been appointed as the official advocate of parents, but have instead taken time to ponder on this issue. Parents are our INSIGHT // 16 backbones, supportive at every step of life even when we commit mistakes. Disrespect and defiance will get us nowhere. Tolerance will ease their lives and ours as well. Take time to live this relationship fully and make it your supreme strength. I would not say that parents are perfect in their roles, however. It has often been seen that parents have preconceived expectations from children. Life of their offspring should be a mirror of theirs in terms of principles and lifestyle. How realistic is that? The world changes daily, it is impossible to live by perceptions even older than we are. We, chil- dren, are moulded as per the era we grow up in. To make this relationship perfect, parents, also, have some points to work on. They need to advise instead of criticising which more than often leads to rebellion. It is more constructive to respect the choices of their children rather than imposing on them. Allow children to fall in life but be there to catch them. To get the well-deserved respect from their kids, parents should keep themselves abreast with latest fashion, music, books, friendships, relationships and hence, speak the same language as their kids. As Anne Frank says by – “Par- ents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” Columnist Rashneel Kumar MADHUR University of South Pacific (USP) Fiji Bula from Fiji Hey, Happy New Year friends. Wish you a prosperous and peaceful 2011! Hope you all had a fantabulous (blend of fantastic and fabulous) 2010. Finally we are in 2011 and in Fiji the celebration to mark a new year goes throughout the opening month (January). Fijians are very fond of playing with water and we call January a “splashing month.” Now back to business... Last month I wrote on “Youths of Fiji” and hope you all enjoyed reading about us. This month’s column, as I mentioned last time, is on the major problems associated with the youths in my country. When I sat down to write this column, I asked a friend of mine on what she thought would be her greatest problem as a youth. She swiftly responded to my question saying ‘temptation’. Seriously, that’s what I was thinking of basing my column on, even before asking her because I believe temptation is the root of all evils in a youngster’s life. Sometimes temptation can be positive, but at large it is associated with something disagreeable and unpleasant. Temptation means attraction or appeal towards something. Then one may ask temptation towards what? It’s a pretty big term if you think about it logically. Youth life often circulates around social groups of similar age and objectives. Now this makes the so called temptation to breathe in more easily. We often want to follow what our peers do and it’s always the bad things we go after. Either call this a freak of human nature or just an unexplainable phenomenon, the enticement towards replicating our peers ‘bad’ deeds becomes so essential that we often forget about its consequences. This is quite tempting and hence a… temptation! Drugs, alcohol, sex and you name it, becomes the cornerstone in a youth’s life. Youth problems are everywhere but there is always a solution on which those entangled can always rely. That’s for you to find out next month. Until then have a great month, stay safe. I wish the Insight family the very best in their strive to bring harmony and peace amongst the youths of every nation. Moce ... SPORTS // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 FOOTBALL A Recap: 12 Milestones for 2010 We have just celebrated the New Year; in this first month of 2011, let’s cast a reflective eye on 2010 and take stock of a momentous 12 months. The historic 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was surely the highlight of the year, with football’s most celebrated tournament taking place in Africa for the first time. Yet, as INSIGHT reveals in picking out its 12 highlights of last year, 2010 served up many other magical moments and notable landmarks. 1. 2. 3. 4. Egypt conquer Africa again, 31 January. A 1-0 victory over Ghana in the final gave the Pharaohs their third consecutive CAF African Cup of Nations title. In doing so they joined Iran, Mexico and Argentina as the only other national teams to have been crowned continental champions three times in a row. Only Argentina and Uruguay with 14 and Brazil with eight have won more regional titles than the Egyptians, who have seven to their name, more than any other side in Africa. Comoros open their new HQ , 4 March. The opening of the new headquarters of the Comoros Football Association is a fine example of the support the Goal Programme can give in helping member associations around the world to develop the game. Comoros, which joined FIFA in 2005 and has a population of 650,000 spread across its islands, were just one of the recipients of the 84 Goal projects implemented in 2010, with a total of $33,600,000 having been invested in them. Since the programme’s launch in 1999, no fewer than 504 Goal projects have been rolled out, with the overall budget totalling $210,600,000. Inter Milan end Barcelona’s reign, 28 April. Coach Jose Mourinho pulled the strings as I Nerazzurri halted Barça’s regal progress in the UEFA Champions League, knocking out the holders in an unforgettable semi-final tie. The Portuguese strategist earned effusive praise for his side’s defensive masterclass before orchestrating Inter’s defeat of Bayern Munich in the final in Madrid. In collecting their third European title and their first since 1965, the Italians also earned a place at the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010, which they would win in style. The 2006 finalists go home early, 24 June. A 3-2 5. 6. 7. 8. defeat at the hands of Slovakia consigned defending champions Italy to an ignominious first-round exit at South Africa 2010. Suffering the same fate two days earlier were France, the side the Italians beat to become world champions at Germany 2006. Having collected nine wins between them four years earlier, the two European giants failed to muster a single victory in South Africa. Spain win their first FIFA World Cup, 11 July. After arriving at South Africa 2010 as firm favourites, Spain proceeded to lose their opening group game to unfancied Switzerland, raising old fears as to their ability to compete on the biggest stage of all. “The important thing after losing that game was to stay cool and stick to our beliefs,” Andres Iniesta, the hero of the Final against the Netherlands, later commented. In winning their next six games en route to their maiden world title, the richly gifted Spanish set footballing standards for other teams to follow. Mandela attends the Closing Ceremony, 11 July. The presence of Nelson Mandela at the Closing Ceremony of South Africa 2010 set the seal on what was an emotional and unforgettable FIFA World Cup, the first to be held in Africa. Mandela’s cart ride across the pitch in the company of his wife triggered tears around the world, as a heartfelt tribute was paid to one of the most important figures of recent world history. The semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, 29 July. Germany, Colombia, Nigeria and Korea Republic created history when they lined up in the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the first time teams from four different confederations had reached this stage. The Nigerians created another landmark when they became the first African side to reach the final of a FIFA women’s tournament. Kenya opens its Football for Hope Centre, 4 September. With the exception of its predecessors in South Africa, the Football for Hope Centre in Mathare, Kenya, is the first such complex to be opened in Africa. Further centres were later unveiled in Namibia and Mali as part of 20 Centres for 2010, the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup South Africa. The chief objective of the initia- 9. 10. 11. 12. tive is to promote public health, education and social development through football. Transfer Matching System comes into effect, 1 October. Following two years of trials, the Transfer Matching System became mandatory. The system is designed to centralise international transfers and make them quicker, smoother and more transparent. “The most important thing is that it increases the transparency of individual transactions and helps us to tackle issues such as the fight against money laundering and the protection of minors in transfers,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter on its introduction. Birthdays for two legends, 23 and 30 October. Regarded by many as the two greatest players in the history of the game, Pele and Diego Maradona both celebrated landmark birthdays in October, O Rei turning 70 and El Diez 50. Earlier in the year the Argentinian legend took part in his fifth FIFA World Cup, his first as a coach. As fate would have it, Argentina’s opening game at South Africa 2010 came against Nigeria, the team that provided the opposition in Maradona’s last appearance as a player 16 years earlier. 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts named, 2 December. The eyes of the world were fixed on Zurich earlier this month, when the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup finals were announced. In opening the two envelopes to reveal the names of the respective winners, Russia and Qatar, the FIFA President triggered scenes of jubilation and joy as the victorious bid teams celebrated their success. TP Mazembe stun the world, 14 December. Despite their surprise win over Mexico’s Pachuca in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010, few people gave TP Mazembe of Congo DR much hope of repeating the trick against Copa Libertadores champions SC International. Defying all expectations, however, The Crows downed the Brazilians 2-0 to become the first African team to reach the final of the competition. Not even defeat to Inter Milan in the final could take the gloss off their groundbreaking performance. FORMULE 1 L'Indien Narain Karthikeyan signe chez Hispania L'Indien Narain Karthikeyan a annoncé qu'il allait revenir en Formule 1, après six ans d'absence, au volant d'une monoplace d'Hispania pour disputer le Championnat du monde 2011, une information confirmée par l'écurie espagnole. « Je suis de retour en F1 en 2011. J'ai signé un contrat pour conduire pour Hispania, » écrit Karthikeyan, 33 ans, sur sa page Twitter. « J'ai toujours dit que je n'étais pas fini pour la F1. » Hispania a confirmé avoir fait signer un contrat d'un an au pilote indien dont le pays va accueillir un Grand Prix cette année, le 30 octobre dans les environs de New Delhi. « Nous sommes heureux d'avoir engagé Karthikeyan pour disputer le Championnat du monde 2011. Je connais Narain déjà depuis quelques temps et il bénéficie de l'expérience acquise en compétition avec Jordan, et comme pilote d'essai avec Williams, » a commenté Colin Kolles, responsable d'Hispania. En 2005, Karthikeyan était devenu le premier Indien pilote de Formule 1 au volant d'une Jordan. Entre 2006 et 2007, il avait servi de pilote d'essai pour Williams. Hispania devait annoncer dans la journée ses deux pilotes pour la saison 2011. Elle n'a marqué aucun point pour sa première saison de F1 où elle comptait dans ses rangs un autre pilote indien, Karun Chandhok, qui faisait équipe avec le Brésilien Bruno Senna, le Japonais Sakon Yamamoto et l'Autrichien Christian Klien. INSIGHT // 17 HEALTH // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Dad, please stop smoking I've tried to get him to quit but he won't listen to me… JENNIFER. CHOI (Jennifer thinks it's important to share her experience so she can convince others not to smoke). I was born into a smoking family. My dad, uncles and older cousins smoke all the time. They never listen to anyone’s pleas to quit. I hate it when they smoke right in front of my face or at my house because I can’t stand the smell. I’m scared that one day I might get sick from inhaling the wafts of thick smoke. Even though I tell them about the risks to their health, nothing has stopped their addiction, even when my grandpa died from smoking. My dad started smoking at age 23. He smokes a pack every day now. I didn’t think much about my dad’s smoking or how bad it was for his health until my grandpa got sick when I was in standard three. One of the most disappointing sights that I have seen of my dad was at the reception after my grandpa’s funeral. My dad and his brothers went outside and started to smoke. I couldn’t believe it. I was so mad that I wanted to go over to them and snap their cigarettes in half. It looked like they didn’t care about their father’s death and were disrespecting him. My grandpa smoked for 40 years before he was diagnosed with throat cancer at the age of 80. He moved in with us and my parents cared for him for the next seven years. The cancer made it hard for him to swallow food and he had to have a hole cut in his throat to make it easier for him to breathe. It was covered with a cloth, but I imagined it to be a deep black hole filled with blood. My grandpa was unable to drink or eat anything. He was given a special type of milk through a tube that was surgically cut into his stomach. He also couldn’t walk or shower by himself anymore. Because his cancer was weakening his vocal chords, he had a raspy voice and his breathing was loud. It was as if he was slowly dying in front of me. I would listen to radio with him while sitting next to his recliner, help my mom wash and dry his clothes, and pour the milk into the tube. To me he wasn’t a sick old patient. I adored him. My sister and I tried to get through to my dad When I saw my grandpa suffering from cancer, I knew that I couldn’t let this happen to my dad. I wanted him to quit. My older sister and I put together an anti-smoking PowerPoint presentation. I hunted for information on the web and my sister laid out everything on the computer. One of the examples I used was a story about a man who started smoking at 13 and died 20 years INSIGHT // 18 later. He left his grieving wife and 4-year-old son. Just days before he died, he was seen smoking in his hospital room with his family beside him. I saw the picture of the dad lying on the bed. He looked like a car crash victim. His shriveled body, sunken cheeks and pointy shoulder blades gave me chills and goose bumps. I didn’t want to ever be in the position of that little boy. We also showed my dad a video about a grandma smoking through a hole in her throat. I shuddered when I heard her deep, hoarse voice uttering, “They say nicotine isn’t addictive … How can they say that?” as she sucked the cigarette with her eyes closed and the smoke billowed out the hole. These stories showed how harmful smoking can be. I knew the gory examples and pictures were powerful, but I also wanted something more personal. So my sister told me to end the PowerPoint with a video of me sharing my thoughts. I told myself that I was going to be harsh. But when I started to record, I could only say how I couldn’t afford to lose my dad to such a preventable action. Then, I started to cry. I ended the video saying that I loved him and wanted him to stay healthy and to always be there for me. After he watched the presentation, he hugged me and said, “I’ll try to stop for you.” But he didn’t take the whole thing that seriously because he walked right out of the room and didn’t talk to me about it. Later that year, my grandpa’s cancer got so serious that he was transferred to a hospital. The day I went to the hospital to visit my grandpa was a nightmare. I walked into his room with my parents. My aunts and uncles were already there. Everyone had blank expressions on their faces. My eyes shot to the machine that monitored his heart. Instead of going up and down with each strong heartbeat, the line was almost straight. My grandpa was heaving and losing strength with every passing minute. I didn’t expect to see him dying so fast. I had thought he would survive, leave the hospital and get better. It hit me hard. I backed out of the room and paced in the hallway. In the car, I cried. Five days later, he died. The day after my grandpa died was like a dream. I had never thought about death in my family and for it to happen felt unreal. I began to think about the times I took his condition so lightly and how I didn’t help him enough at home. All I could do was promise myself that I wouldn’t let this hap- pen to my dad. I was shocked he didn’t stop I expected my dad to quit after what happened to his own dad, but it was exactly the opposite. He smoked more often. I thought to myself, “How can he possibly continue to smoke?” My dad uses the weapon that killed my grandfather. Doesn’t he feel guilty or troubled by the thought that he’ll be following in my grandfather’s footsteps if he doesn’t stop? Every day I nagged my dad to quit smoking, but he would always respond, “Don’t worry! I promise I will quit tomorrow. Let me just have this last one,” but would never follow through. He says that he has stress and needs something to alleviate it. He’s a manager of an air conditioning company and works long hours under the sun every day. He leaves at 8 in the morning and comes back home around 10 at night. After dinner, he slips out the back door to steal puffs of nicotine-infested smoke until he feels relaxed. But this shouldn’t be his excuse, because there are plenty of other ways to relieve stress. It’s as if he’s a hostage to those little cigarettes. During health class in the summer before high school, I learned more about the effects of smoking. There was a lesson in my health book about nicotine, which is the chemical in tobacco that causes addiction. It tells the brain you can’t do anything unless you have a cigarette. This reminded me of the time when my dad told my mom that he wanted to quit for his health, but it was really hard. He said that he went without a cigarette at work for just two hours and started hyperventilating. He began to feel dizzy and dropped his tools. All he could focus on was smoking a cigarette. I found through statistics that many people die from secondhand smoke either from heart disease, lung cancer, asthma attacks or other infections. Women who live with a smoker have a 91 percent greater risk of heart disease and twice the risk of dying from lung cancer; 91 percent, that’s a lot. I was paranoid that when I got older, I’d be one of those many people because of my dad. A few months later, I found out that my 25-year-old cousin had started smoking. Maybe he thought it was OK because he saw the other men in my family do the same thing. I wanted to tell my dad that he was setting a bad example for the younger people in my family. I was so angry that I knew I had to try again to make him quit. After school one day, I typed “nasty effects of smoking” into Google and found images of people with rotting teeth, deep wrinkles, black circles under their eyes and patches of no hair. I felt nauseous when I saw a picture of a healthy pink lung next to one all black and shriveled up. It looked like a dead, burnt rat that oozed with wet tar. I wanted to get the point across to my dad. So that night I showed my dad the pictures. I heard a sound that I wasn’t expecting. A laugh! He was actually laughing. How could he not take this seriously? He said in Kreol, “That’s not going to happen to me. I bet some of them are Photoshopped just to create a more dramatic effect.” I was pissed. I was clenching my teeth so I wouldn’t talk back to my dad. If he wasn’t going to take it seriously, I wouldn’t either. I wasn’t going to waste my energy on someone who wasn’t willing to change. I decided to give up. After that, whenever I saw him inhaling the chemicals and cancer-causing toxins, I was upset because he made me smell the smoke. A few months later, I would smell smoke for a few seconds even though nobody was smoking anywhere near me. It was weird, but I ignored it at first. But when I kept on smelling it during class, in the library and in the car, I freaked out. It felt like the smoke was following me everywhere. I told my sister and to my surprise she was going through it too! I was shocked and scared. We went online and found out that we were going through minor phantosmia, which smells imaginary odors. I can’t escape the smell When my dad would come back inside after smoking, the smell lingered. I got used to turning on the air conditioning and opening the windows to get rid of the smell. I would run to my room and slam my door and yell at my dad to get out of the house. I felt like a prisoner. My mom saw me crying once because the smell was so unbearable and lectured my dad to quit once and for all. She admitted to him that she was sick and tired of the smell too. My father still smokes. He spends thousands of money a year to have that temporary pleasure and calmness. We’ve tried to get him to see a therapist to quit, but he keeps saying that he wants to do it on his own. I don’t want to give up on him. But at the same time, I’m afraid that my next attempt is going to fail just like the previous ones. One thing I’ve learned after seeing people close to me suffer is to never touch a cigarette. The problem no longer rests in my hands, but in his. Ultimately, my dad needs to give smoking up for his own sake. I just pray that he can be freed soon. SCI & TECH // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Les larmes des femmes affaibliraient le désir sexuel chez l'homme Des scientifiques de l'Institut Weizmann ont démontré que des composants chimiques présents dans les larmes féminines réduisaient l'excitation sexuelle. Les larmes des femmes pourraient envoyer des signaux chimiques aux hommes décourageant leur excitation sexuelle, affirme une étude réalisée par des chercheurs israéliens. Selon ce document, des scientifiques de l'Institut Weizmann ont démontré que des composants chimiques présents dans les larmes féminines réduisaient l'excitation sexuelle chez les hommes lorsqu'ils sentaient ces larmes. L'étude menée notamment par Shani Gelstein et Yaara Yeshurun au laboratoire de neurobiologie du professeur Noam Sobel de l'Institut Weizmann à Rehovot en Israël a d'abord fait pleurer des femmes devant des films tristes. Baisse de la testostérone Dans un second temps, il a été demandé à 24 hommes de 23 à 32 ans divisés en deux groupes de renifler à l'aveugle soit ces larmes soit une solution saline, tout en évaluant des visages de femmes sur un ordinateur. Les groupes ont ensuite été inversés. Il en est ressorti qu'en sentant les larmes féminines les hommes ne montraient pas davantage d'empathie face aux visages de femmes qu'on leur montrait. En revanche, ils y voyaient moins de sex-appeal. Guidé par la chimie Des films suscitant l'émotion ont aussi été montrés aux hommes, qui devaient qualifier l'état de leur humeur, tandis que leurs réactions physiologiques étaient enregistrées (température, battements de cœur). Une fois encore, la réaction des hommes ayant senti des larmes de femmes n'était pas plus émotionnelle, face aux films, que la réaction des hommes ayant senti une solution saline. En revanche, les signes d'excitation sexuelle étaient au minimum. Des tests ont montré "une sérieuse baisse dans le niveau de testostérone", une hormone liée au désir sexuel, conclut l'étude. Au cours d'une dernière expérience, la réaction cérébrale des hommes testés a été scannée par un examen IRM pour montrer que les régions associées à l'excitation sexuelle montraient une nette réduction d'activité chez ceux qui avaient été en contact avec les larmes des femmes. "Cette étude soulève de nom- breuses questions intéressantes. Quels sont les composants chimiques impliqués ? Les larmes des femmes sont-elles différentes de celles des hommes ? Des en- fants ?" a commenté le professeur Noam Sobel. "Ce travail renforce l'idée que les signaux chimiques humains peuvent modifier le comportement des autres", ajoute-t-il. Facebook aurait réalisé un bénéfice net de 355 millions de dollars sur neuf mois Le secret entoure jusqu'à présent les résultats financiers du réseau social, la société n'étant pas – encore – tenue de les publier. Facebook a affiché un bénéfice net de 355 millions de dollars (273 millions d'euros) sur les neuf premiers mois de 2010, selon des documents communiqués par la banque Goldman Sachs à ses clients. Le prospectus d'une centaine de pages concernant une opération de placement privé dans Facebook a été remis jeudi après-midi à des clients intéressés par un investissement en actions dans le réseau social, a indiqué une personne ayant reçu une copie. Ce client de Goldman précise avoir reçu une plaquette distincte de six pages contenant des informations financières sur le réseau internet. Selon ces documents, le chiffre d'affaires de Facebook s'est établi à 1,2 milliard de dollars sur la période janvier-septembre, générant un bénéfice net de 355 millions de dollars. Accord de non-divulgation L'analyste de Wedbush Securi- ties Lou Kerner, qui détient des actions Facebook, estime que les données diffusées en termes de chiffre d'affaires sont "conformes à nos attentes". Il se dit en revanche "surpris" par la rentabilité annoncée et estime que cela implique que les marges de Facebook seront un jour supérieures à celles de Google. Goldman Sachs a récemment valorisé Facebook 50 milliards de dollars à l'occasion d'un investissement de 450 millions dans le réseau social. Les données financières citées dans le prospectus de placement n'ont pas été avalisées par des commissaires aux comptes et donnent peu de détail sur la façon dont Facebook réalise son chiffre d'affaires, explique le client, qui dit avoir signé un accord de nondivulgation. Selon le document, il est probable que Facebook dépasse les 500 actionnaires cette année et que la société se trouve obligée de diffuser des informations publiques sur ses performances financières à partir d'avril 2012, indique un autre destinataire de la plaquette. Selon le droit boursier américain, les sociétés ayant plus de 499 actionnaires doivent publier un certain nombre d'informations financières. Une introduction en Bourse en 2012 ? Un e te l l e d iv u l ga t i o n d'informations pourrait être le prélude à une introduction en Bourse en 2012, même si rien ne dit que le réseau social choisira de vendre des actions au public simplement parce qu'il lui est demandé d'ouvrir ses livres de comptes. Les clients de Goldman qui souhaiteront acheter des actions Facebook placeront leurs fonds dans une nouvelle société enregistrée au Delaware appelée FBDC Investors LP, selon le client. Goldman a prévu de lever au moins 1,5 milliard de dollars auprès de ses clients fortunés pour investir dans le réseau social. Facebook, fondé dans une résidence universitaire à Harvard en 2004, revendique plus de 500 millions d'utilisateurs et constitue un concurrent potentiel pour les moteurs de recherche comme Google et Yahoo, notamment en ce qui concerne la manne publicitaire. 2011, l'année des Android ? Les analystes prédisent un avenir radieux au système d'exploitation pour smartphones de Google. Le marché des smartphones est en ébullition. Après avoir été dominé presque exclusivement par les géants Apple (iPhone), RIM (BlackBerry) et Nokia (Symbian), il est désormais secoué par Google (Android) et, plus récemment, par Microsoft (Windows Phone). S'il est trop tôt pour tirer des conclusions sur les Windows Phone, lancés en octobre, le système d'exploitation mobile de Google a, pour sa part, réussi une percée incontestable depuis son lancement, en 2009. Il pourrait jouer un rôle prépondérant en 2011. Gratuit pour les constructeurs, Android est incontournable dans les rayons. Il équipe de nombreux terminaux, fabriqués par Samsung, HTC ou LG, et inonde le marché, du bas de gamme aux téléphones les plus onéreux. Chaque appareil peut se connecter à l'Android Market, magasin d'applications de Google. Certaines tablettes tactiles sont aussi équipées d'Android et, bientôt, ce sera au tour des téléviseurs. Tous les appareils électroniques connectés intéressent Google, car, en leur fournissant un système d'exploitation, le géant américain espère drainer des utilisateurs vers ses sites et ses services. Et ainsi doper ses revenus publicitaires, les seuls qui comptent pour boucler ses budgets. 500 millions de smartphones vendus en 2011 ? Selon le cabinet Nielsen, les ventes de terminaux équipés d'Android ont devancé celles de l'iPhone sur la deuxième moitié de 2010, malgré le lancement de l'iPhone 4 en juin. "Quiconque regarde cela attentivement serait fou de ne pas en déduire qu'Android gagnera plus de parts de marché qu'Apple avec le temps", explique Andy Hargreaves, analyste chez Pacific Crest Securities. "Ils ont plus d'appareils, ils vont être chez davantage d'opérateurs dans une gamme de prix plus large", explique-t-il encore. Le marché des téléphones dits intelligents grandit à vue d'oeil. Alors qu'en 2009, 173 millions d'appareils avaient été écoulés, ce chiffre est passé à 269 millions en 2010. Une véritable explosion pour ce marché, qui pourrait atteindre un demimilliard d'unités vendues en 2011. Cela ferait du smartphone le premier moyen d'accès à Internet pour la population mondiale. On comprend mieux pourquoi Google préférerait que ce soit grâce à son Android. INSIGHT // 19 DEBATE // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 Single-sex marriage This house believes that gay marriage should be legal. Opening statements Defending the motion Against the motion Evan Wolfson Maggie Gallagher Founder and executive director, Freedom to Marry Founder, National Organisation for Marriage The denial of marriage is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on lesbian and gay families—discrimination enacted by our own government. It hurts families struggling during tough economic times and punishes children by depriving their families of the critical safety-net and meaning that marriage can bring. For the majority of Americans, and most human cultures across time and space and history, marriage is the union of husband and wife. These sexual unions deserve their unique status, in law, culture and society, because they really are unique. They can make new life and connect those children in love to their mother and father. .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. The moderator's opening remarks Roger McShane Marriage has long been considered one of society's most fundamental institutions. But the nature of marriage is constantly evolving and the pace of change has increased in the past half century. In the West, we have seen the empowerment of wives, the acceptance of interracial marriage and a startling rise in divorce rates. Of more relevance to this debate, a growing number of countries have also allowed gay couples to wed. When The Economist came out in favour of gay marriage in 1996, no country gave homosexuals the full right of marriage. When we reiterated our argument eight years later, only two countries—Belgium and the Netherlands—had given full legal status to same-sex unions. Today ten countries fully recognise and perform same-sex marriages. For supporters, gay marriage is the culmination of society's accepINSIGHT // 20 tance of the homosexual lifestyle. Moreover, it is a matter of equal rights. In America, for example, the Government Accountability Office has counted 1,138 statutory provisions that take marital status into account when determining benefits, rights and privileges. Proponents of gay marriage question why committed gay couples are treated differently from their heterosexual counterparts under these laws. Others, however, see gay marriage as frivolous and potentially harmful to traditional marriage. Society and the state are primarily interested in marriage for the sake of children, so what stake do they have in a relationship that cannot produce them? They argue that the expansion, manipulation and trivialisation of marriage undermine this core institution. To flesh out these arguments, and introduce new ones, we have two passionate participants in America's debate over gay marriage. Arguing for the motion is Evan Wolfson, the founder and executive director of Freedom to Marry. Opposing him is Maggie Gallagher, the founder of the National Organisation for Marriage. Mr Wolfson opens up the proceedings by noting the prominent Americans who have recently come out in favour of gay marriage. Indeed, support for gay marriage in America seems to increase every year, but most polls still show greater opposition, and most referendums in support of gay marriage have failed. Mr Wolfson says that "there is no good reason" to continue excluding gay couples from marriage, but a plurality (and perhaps majority) of Americans obviously disagree. Are the benefits of including homosexual couples in marriage so compelling as to warrant ignoring the will of the people? And how does Mr Wolfson feel about civil unions, which more Americans are inclined to support? On the other side of the debate, Ms Gallagher argues that the "key purpose of marriage in both law and culture" is the creation and raising of children. "If gay unions are marriages, then this is no longer what marriage is about," she says. But is this really the defining element of marriage? After all, barren women are allowed to marry. In fact, as Jonathan Rauch has pointed out, sterile heterosexual unions in America far outnumber homosexual ones. Do those relationships fall outside the marriage model? Gay adoption and artificial insemination also complicate Ms Gallagher's argument. While the presence of children would seem to qualify gay couples for marriage on her grounds, she adds that "children need a mom and a dad". The same assertion was made in defence of California's Proposition 8, but lawyers were unable to back up the claim in court. There have been numerous studies on the effects of child rearing by same-sex parents. Can Ms Gallagher point to any that support her position? My questions aside, our two debaters have put forward thoughtful opening arguments. One thing they both agree on is the importance of marriage, but I imagine this will only intensify the debate. So before I hand it over to them, I want to encourage the audience to comment and vote, and implore everyone to maintain a civil tone. Like a marriage, this debate will benefit from mutual respect and understanding. DEBATE // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 The proposer's opening remarks Evan Wolfson Founder and executive director, Freedom to Marry In our law and our society, marriage touches every aspect of life, from birth to death, with taxes in between. Marriage matters. That is why so many people are passionately engaged in this ongoing conversation about ending exclusion from marriage and why, every day, we see hearts and minds open and support grow. Take, for example, Bill Clinton. In 1996, he signed into law the so-called Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), which added discrimination in federal programmes such as Social Security, immigration and taxation to the exclusion of gay and lesbian couples and their families from marriage. Since then, Mr Clinton has been on a personal journey from opposition to support of the freedom to marry. "Throughout my life, I have opposed discrimination of any kind. When the Defence of Marriage Act was passed, gay couples could not marry anywhere in the United States or the world for that matter. Thirteen years later, the fabric of our country has changed," he said in a statement in support of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would overturn DOMA. Mr Clinton explained his change of heart: "I had all these gay friends, I had all these gay couple friends, and I was hung up about it. And I decided I was wrong … I think it's a good thing not a bad thing. And I just realised that, I was, probably for, maybe just because of my age and the way I've grown up, I was wrong about that. I just had too many gay friends. I saw their relationships. I just decided I couldn't, I had an untenable position." Mr Clinton has not been alone on this journey. Prestigious gatherings such as the US Conference of Mayors and the American Bar Association, as well as diverse and sometimes surprising people such as Laura Bush, Cindy McCain, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and even the likes of Glenn Beck, have come forward and shared their story of moving from opposition to support for the freedom to marry. They all recognise the universal power of the word marriage—when you say "We're married", everyone knows who you are in relation to the person you are building your life with—and have come to understand that loving and committed gay couples share the same mix of reasons for wanting the freedom to marry. Americans are seeing that there is no good reason to continue excluding committed couples from marriage. In the federal trial earlier this year, the anti-gay forces behind California's Proposition 8 failed to come up with any evidence or logic to justify marriage discrimination. When the Prop 8 lead lawyer Charles Cooper was asked by Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, "What would be the harm of per- mitting gay men and lesbians to marry?", Cooper replied, "Your Honour, my answer is: I don't know … I don't know", and, in desperation, argued that they "don't have to have evidence". The flimsiness of the evidence and absence of logical reasons to discriminate in marriage led Judge Walker to rule that: "Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians. The evidence shows conclusively that Proposition 8 enacts, without reason, a private moral view that samesex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples … Because Proposition 8 disadvantages gays and lesbians without any rational justification, Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment." In fact, the denial of marriage is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on lesbian and gay families—discrimination enacted by our own government. It hurts families struggling during tough economic times and punishes children by depriving their families of the critical safety-net and meaning that marriage can bring. Today, gay and lesbian couples can marry in 12 countries on four continents. While gay and lesbian couples and their families around the world embrace the meaning marriage brings to their lives, we see every day that their love and commitment hurts no one. Religion is not harmed, as this is about City Hall civil marriage licences, not religious rites or celebrations that are up to each faith to decide on its own. Kids are not harmed; in fact, ending marriage discrimination helps the children raised by gay and lesbian parents, while taking nothing away from anyone else. That is why organisations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and, in fact, every reputable national child-welfare and public health professional association in the country have come out in support of the freedom to marry. And communities are not harmed; marriage helps build strong families, and more strong families mean a stronger community for us all. Ending marriage discrimination helps families— particularly in a challenging economy— while hurting no one. As President Barack Obama said when he signalled that he, like Mr Clinton before him, is changing his mind on his personal journey to supporting the freedom to marry: "Attitudes evolve, including mine." The opposition's opening remarks Maggie Gallagher Founder, National Organisation for Marriage Here is a hard question for Evan Wolfson and other gay marriage advocates to answer: why do so many people, and so many judges, decline to recognise a right to gay marriage? For the fact is that the majority of judges who have considered the question in America over the past decade have disagreed with Mr Wolfson's basic argument: that the right to marry includes the right to gay marriage. And not only in America. Just last June the European Court of Human Rights rejected the idea that gay marriage is a human right. Meanwhile, a majority of Americans consistently reject gay marriage, even in progressive states such as California (2008) and Maine (2009). Most recently, in 2010, the people of Iowa demonstrated their rejection of the idea that the right to marry includes same-sex marriage by voting to oust three Iowa judges who were up for re-election. For those of us who respectfully disagree with Mr Wolfson and other gay marriage advocates, the key question in this debate is not "How do we feel about gay people?" but "What is marriage?" and "Why is the law involved in marriage?". Only if we first answer these questions can we address intelligently the question of what justice, equality and the principle of non-discrimination require. Here is the truth that too few gay marriage advocates can grapple with, even long enough to make an argument: for millions of people, gay marriage will not merely add a new class of entrants into marriage. It will fundamentally change the meaning of marriage in the public square. The law's definitions are unusually powerful. If the law says the word "cat" must now mean "either cat or dog" because they are similar in so many ways, then it will obviously become difficult for society to talk about cats intelligently or effectively. The disconnect between the law's definition and society's definition will cause friction that makes the transmission of ideas more difficult, to say the least. For the majority of Americans, and most human cultures across, time and space and history, marriage is the union of husband and wife. These sexual unions deserve their unique status, in law, culture and society, because they really are unique: these are the unions we all depend on. They can make new life and connect those children in love to their mother and father. idea that this sexual power is both deeply valuable and inherently dangerous. We need a social institution, endowed with public authority, that teaches young men and women in the midst of erotic, emotional and psychological dramas that they need to come together in love to raise the children their bodies make together. If this is a core purpose of marriage, then samesex unions are not marriages. If gay unions are marriages, then this is no longer what marriage is about. Gay marriage asks us to surrender this once widely acknowledge key purpose of marriage in both law and culture and to adopt a new view: marriage is the way we recognise committed and loving adult relationships. Under this view of marriage, few of the core features of marriage in law or culture are comprehensible: Why then is marriage a sexual union—must we have sex to commit and care? Why do we bar close relatives from marrying? Why only two? Surely more than two people can love and care for one another? We can love many people in many ways; commitment comes in different forms. To say a relationship is not a marriage is not necessarily to denigrate it. It is not discrimination to treat different things differently. If there are people—and there are—who do not fit the marriage model well, we can and do develop innovative structures to meet their needs. We need not redefine marriage to express concern about our gay friends, neighbours and fellow citizens. To ardent activists like Mr Wolfson and Andrew Sullivan that seems impossible. To disagree with his view, as Mr Sullivan told me a few weeks ago in a debate at Georgetown University, is by definition to dehumanise him. When the wife of a prominent law professor told me that my view of marriage and family was insulting to her gay son, I said to her, "I don't want to insult your son. Is it the way I'm saying it? Can you help me say it better? Or is it the idea itself—children need a mom and a dad—that's the problem?" She said, thoughtfully, passionately and sincerely, "No, it's not the way you speak, it's the idea itself that needs to be retired." Finding common ground or courtesy across a divide that great is going to be an ongoing challenge. But I will say, a society that attempts to repress as rude, uncivil or bigoted an idea as important as "children need a mom and a dad" is in trouble. Marriage emerges time and again crossculturally because it addresses a core human problem: sex between men and women makes babies. Marriage incarnates the INSIGHT // 21 SOCIETY // ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 SÈCHERESSE Implorons le ciel qu’il nous pleuve dessus Chose certaine, le ciel ne nous aura pas fait de cadeau depuis plusieurs mois maintenant. Les grosses pluies sont attendues pour très bientôt mais toujours est-il que la population éprouve des difficultés croissantes pour son approvisionnement en eau. Aldo AMIC La sècheresse affectant l’île Maurice n’est assurément pas de la même trempe des autres calamités touchant les autres parties du monde; et pourtant cette condition de manque d’eau n’a que trop durer aux yeux des mauriciens. Voilà des mois durant qu’il n’a pas plu. Nous avons certes reçu quelques gouttes de pluies ces derniers temps ici et là mais rien de bien conséquent, rien de suffisant pour un peuple de plus d’un million d’habitants. Alors que faire dans ce cas précis ? Le gouvernement tente tant bien que mal de rassurer tout un chacun sur les caprices de la météo en précisant et en rappelant qu’il ne faut pas gaspiller l’or bleu. Malgré les bonnes volontés de l’état, il n’en demeure pas moins que les usagers de l’institution qui nous procure quotidiennement de l’eau, se permettent toujours de laisser leur robinet ouvert pour accomplir des tâches futiles telles que le lavage fréquent de voitures et de vitres entre autre. Le pire c’est que ce sont les fêtes de fin d’année qui ont contribuées à ce résultat. La masse mauricienne, fidèle à son habitude, n’aura en aucun lieu dérogé à la tradition du « grand nettoyage de Noël » ! Il faudrait peut-être aussi faire ressortir que ceux faisant parti de cette institution, dont nous avons fait mention plus haut n’aura pas dans toutes les situations fait preuve d’une utilisation minutieuse, judicieuse et avant-gardiste de ses sources d’eau. Aura-t-il ainsi fallut être plongé dans l’une des pires sécheresses de notre existence pour que des actions concrètes soient prises (construction de réservoirs, détection de nouvelles sources souterraines…) ? Et que se passerait-il si d’ici quelques mois encore la pluie n’avait encore pas fait son apparition ? Sachons simplement, en tant que gens instruits et soucieux de notre avenir, s’avoir un emploi sage de l’eau. Surtout implorons le ciel qu’il se décide finalement à nous faire don de ses gouttes, sans quoi nous resterons sur notre faim, ou de préférence, notre soif. WRITE OR WRONG “Mo enn morisien” A heartfelt thanks to all those who mailed me on [email protected]. The response was so big that am planning to have my fan club on Facebook (even if I hate the latter). Many people expressed their anger, others were critical, some were clinical and the rest (hardly any) appreciated my column and its content. The Human [email protected] The angry people disliked my neutral approach because they believe humanity is a species, not a religion. Islam, Christianity, Jewish, Bahai, Hinduism, Buddhism, inter alia, exemplify religion according to them. The critics and 'clinics' were against the content. They think my article is crap as it is not referring to any issue in particular. Finally, the handful optimists were glad to see something different and off the beaten track. They appreciated the detachment from sensationalism even if they agree there is room for improvement. However, they wrongly showed concern about the positioning of the article among the last pages of the newspaper. That's all about the feedback, back to business now. As planned, I will be exploring the word Mauritian (morisien) from my perspective. What are character traits of a typical Mauritian? Is there something common to all Mauritians? What are we Mauritians INSIGHT // 22 made up of ? Remember the slogan "Maurice c'est un plaisir" and all the buzz around it? The award-winning tag line (First prize – BBC World News/ Future Brand) surely warranted many brainstorming sessions, polishing and refining. It definitely took hours of to finally come up with a single line which summarises the country. ''Malaysia, truly Asia" is another example. Branding experts have, inter alia, to look for positive core values that characterise the brand and such an exercise is usually costly. Unfortunately our tag line was gunned down by nearly all local media houses and subsequently a large majority of our population did not seem to believe in the rebranding. That was a major blow for the PR company Acanchi as there was a mistrust between the main internal stakeholders of the brand (Mauritians) and the brand itself (Mauritius). The whole story proves at least one thing: despite Journalism and PR being two branches of the same tree (communication), the Journalists reporting on the rebranding were apparently less PR-savvy. All the above to say that Acanchi must have found the inherent positive core values of Mauritians. I will try to lift a corner of the veil, à ma façon. That is, I’ll look for the negative core values of Mauritians. From the top of my 20 years of observation, I can say that Mauritians are curious by nature and they always want to know what is happening around them. Our curiosity becomes so intense that we often (or, always?) step over the line. This practice is beautifully known as ''vey zafaire dimune'' in Mauritius and it is undoubtedly present among all patriots. Sit in the bus, the people want to know the 5 W's of your presence. Hold the hand of your spouse, the people want to know why you are holding his/her hand. Take out your bread from your bag, they want to know what's in there. Pull the curtains over the windows, they want to know what is happening behind. Another common trait is our spitting habit. Only a handful of Mauritians know that spitting in public is not allowed. And nearly all Mauritians spit out saliva (including mucus and bacteria) whenever and wherever they can. Funny examples of where Mauritians spit: in the bus, while walking on the road, while driving, at the hospitals, in the sea and swimming pools… I remember careless people nearly spiting on me while I was walking around in Port Louis. That s all for now. Next week I’ll elaborate on the nasty habits of Mauritians. Until then, don't spy on your neighbours and give up spiting in public ISSUE 17 // JANUARY 2011 INSIGHT // 23