I am pleased to read on today’s newspaper that a report of the consultants on Aquaculture was given at a workshop destined to operators in the field. Both l’Express and le Matinal featured reports thereon. From what I have read on various reports of the FAO, Aquaculture will be a growing market of the future. The industry has grown by over tenfold in five years in Greece only.Aquaculture in Turkey is reported to grow even faster! On the other side, the EC has decreased the quota of the catch of wild fish in northern Europe to save the ecology and the eco-system of over exploitation of fish resources. Nature cannot sustain the level in some area and experts fear that some spices of fish may disappear forever. On the other hand the demand for fish is increasing.

The great advantage of Tropical Sea Aquaculture is that due to the higher temperature the rate of growth of the fish is much faster.

What are the main attractions of Mauritius as a world class Tropical Aquaculture center?

1. The sea region of Mauritius is very vast compared to the land region.

2. The sea region is off the polluted seafaring shipping lanes.

3. The industry is new and could be set up with the international norms in respect of the ecological requirement of today.

Idée the consultants commissioned for this study seems to advise that Mauritius could produce an annual 10000 tons of fish within the lagoon of Mauritius by developing expertise in floating nets. At a later stage, the same techniques could be extended to the deeper waters in our territory.Whilst it is necessary to have norms and rules establish by the authorities, I am skeptical to the contribution of the different government bureaucratic institutions to be set up as announced by our minister.

I dream of seeing complete floating farms and processing plants being implemented right in the middle of the Indian Ocean outside the cyclonic zone.

The very best Easter wishing card I got….At least it gives the essence of the feast we were celebrating.

I saw the bus load of holidayer s and cars filled up to the brim with merry and not so sober passengers driving back from Flic en Flac last night. I could not prevent me from thinking 1. I am pleased to know that so many people are rejoicing for the festivities and 2. I wonder how many of them understand the meaning of this feast.

Alleluia

You will recall that I wrote in my blog for Valentine day the love story of Valentine and Chocolate namely: the apparent psychoactive ingredient contained in chocolate. This time Easter is again bounty time for the chocolate industry with the Easter eggs made of chocolate of course.

I am of opinion that the chocolate industry has been clever in finding occasion to sell their product by associating every rejoicing moment with chocolate. Easter is indeed rejoicing time for the Christians who during the 40 days of lent have kept a low level of pleasure and lived a period of privation. Hats off to the marketers of Chocolates!In my childhood, we were given for Easter eggs shells stuffed with custard which my parents delicately prepared to celebrate the occasion.

Here is an extract of a blog which questions the relationship between Chocolate and Easter!

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Chocolate and Easter

I’m not particularly religious, at least in the Judeo-Christian traditions, but I can easily appreciate the holidays that affect the American Culture. This weekend, a fairly big one occurs.

Easter.

One thing that has always made me wonder about Easter is how the heck did chocolate come to represent the resurrection of Christ. After a bit of reading, I have found the answer.

Easter Chocolate has nothing to do with the resurrection. Rather, it can be traced to the pagan celebration of all things spring related, with the vernal equinox and such. Hares and eggs have long represented fertility, which is a fairly big deal when it comes to spring. Those wacky Germans, always looking for an excuse to add chocolate to anything celebration, probably were the first to make chocolate eggs and hares. My own theory (not based on anything other than an anecdotal familiarity with religion) contends that chocolate was often seen as a luxury, and after the several weeks of fasting and giving up items of pleasure for lent, chocolate was one of the first items re-introduced to the decadent Catholics and Lutherans.

Later the tradition immigrated to here in the United States along with the Germans, where the custom took hold in the culture after the Civil War.

Baskets of food for Easter dinner used to be taken to church to be blessed. Over time, this became instead baskets of chocolates for children left behind by the Easter Bunny.

So if you’ve ever wondered what’s up with Jesus and Chocolate, now you have a clearer understanding. We eat chocolate bunnies due to a melding of Pagan and Catholic traditions. As to why the head is the first thing we eat off of a chocolate bunny, it’s because we’re sadistic bastards.

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Happy Easter!

 

I was away for a fortnight in France for some business meetings and took the opportunity to spend a week at La Chapelle MontLiniard to undergo some Laser Poncture Therapy.
You may visit the website which gives a very good description of the therapy, its possible benefits and its history. In short, it is unique combination of two therapies Laser and Acupuncture.
Dr. Albert Bohbot, a very kind & generous gentleman, the researcher delivers personally the therapies presently. He intends to roll out a plan to start new clinics in various locations akin to the present one and to train qualified therapies.
I was enthused with the professionalism of Dr Bohbot’s team and the set up of the laboratory clinic which caters mainly for Spinal Cord Injury and Neurological disorder. After my first week of treatments, I have a small increase in sensation in my right limbs and more flexibility in my arms. Let us hope this is the start of some more improvements to be gained. I am now planning a new visit to the clinic.
Beside the treatment, thanks to my brother in law and nephew who accompanied us throughout the stay in the wine country of Nièvre in Burgundy region, we had a wonderful time staying in a countryside chalet with a fire place, delighting ourselves with the local products and visiting the nearby towns of Bourges and the surrounding wineries: the famous Sancerre area and that of Pouilly Fume.
 

My interest in the future of the world is natural and I would like to get more people to be drawn to the global warming and the harm we are making to the environment. To think that the sun is supplying us with 12000times more energy that we need and yet we are burning fossil fuel more that we should, is really disheartening.

Time magazine came out with: “The global warming survival guide” recently. I would encourage every one of you to read through the 51 tips given and to act positively to our need to reduce the effect of global warming personally.

We do not unfortunately in Mauritius seem to be concerned with world environment phenomenon. Or at least I do not see it mentioned enough in the media. Our government does not seem to undertake remedial actions, pass laws and enforce measures to attack the global warming effect. A very simple action like changing the bulbs that are lighting our roads and towns with more efficient and environment friendly ones would have been a good start.The question is who foots the bill for the electricity and who cares!

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Light Up Your City

Cities can save energy—and money—by illuminating public spaces with LEDs, or light-emitting diodes. Last December Raleigh, N.C., turned one floor of a municipal parking garage into a testing ground for LEDs The new white, brighter fixtures use 40% less electricity than the high-pressure sodium bulbs they replaced. Although they cost two to three times as much, they can go five or more years without upkeep. Traditional bulbs must be replaced every 18 months. Other types of LEDs are already at work in traffic lights, outdoor displays (like those in New York City’s Times Square) and stadiums; airports even use LEDs on their taxiways. If your city is still burning tax money on old lights, ask the mayor why.

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Today, is the feast of St Joseph. my Feast day!It is also the date I have chosen to travel to France for a couple to days.During this trip,I intend to visit Association pour le Proges du Management in Paris, attend the yearly seminar in Evian of the APM and later undergo a treatment of laser therapy.

Having decided that I can not carry with me my laptop,I shall probably less present on my blog.

I am typing out this blog from the airport lounge. I was happily suprised to see the improvements made for the check in facilities,namely at the immigration desk. I am also grateful to Air Mauritius for the upgrade in class.It is my feast day isn’t it!

So until my next blog…

Ce Dimanche la liturgie de l’Eglise nous propose l’évangile du « fils prodigue » que j’ai entendu maintes fois sans pour autant me lasser car ce texte si riche me parle à chaque fois d’une façon différente. Des messages jaillisent selon ma situation et mon état d’esprit du moment.

Aujourd’hui j’étais touché par la magnanimité du Père. Un cœur si gros à pardonner au delà de la demande et au delà de l’espérance du fils cadet dès qu’il a pris le chemin de contrition. La même magnanimité au fils aîné qui lui fait des reproches en répondant : Toi mon enfant, tu es toujours avec moi, et tout ce qui est a moi est à toi. Le Père nous pardonne avant même que nous exprimons nos regrets. C’est cela l’amour divin.

Je vous livre également la réflexion de St Augustin sur le texte qui est tout à fait d’actualité, malgré qu’il fût écrit en l’an 400 !

« Comme il était encore loin, son père l’aperçut »

« De loin tu as compris mes pensées, tu as découvert mon sentier, tu as prévu tous mes chemins » (Ps 138,2-3). Pendant que je suis encore voyageur, avant mon arrivée dans la patrie, tu as compris ma pensée. Songez au fils cadet, parti au loin… L’aîné n’était pas parti au loin, il travaillait aux champs et il symbolisait les saints qui, sous la Loi, observaient les pratiques et les préceptes de la Loi.

Mais le genre humain, qui s’était égaré dans le culte des idoles,
était « parti au loin ». Rien, en effet, n’est aussi loin de celui qui t’a
créé que cette image modelée par toi-même, pour toi. Le fils cadet partit donc dans une région lointaine, emportant avec lui sa part d’héritage et, comme nous l’apprend l’Evangile, il la gaspilla… Après tant de malheurs et d’accablement, d’épreuves et de dénuement, il se rappela son père et voulut revenir vers lui. Il se dit : « Je me lèverai, et j’irai vers mon père… » Mais celui que j’avais abandonné, n’est-il pas partout ? C’est pourquoi dans l’Evangile, le Seigneur nous dit que son père « vint au-devant de lui ». C’est vrai, parce qu’il avait « compris de loin ses pensées. Tu as prévu tous mes chemins ». Lesquels ? sinon les mauvais chemins qu’il avait suivis pour abandonner son père, comme s’il pouvait se cacher à ses regards qui le réclament, ou comme si la misère écrasante qui le réduisait à garder les porcs n’était pas le châtiment que le père lui infligeait dans son éloignement en vue de le recevoir à son retour ?…

Dieu sévit contre nos passions, où que nous allions, si loin que nous puissions nous éloigner. Donc, comme un fuyard qu’on arrête, le fils dit : « Tu as découvert mon sentier, et tu as prévu tous mes chemins ». Mon chemin, si long soit-il, n’a pas pu m’éloigner de ton regard. J’avais beaucoup marché, mais tu étais là où je suis arrivé. Avant même que j’y sois entré, avant même que j’y aie marché, tu l’as vu d’avance. Et tu as permis que je suive mes chemins dans la peine, pour que, si je ne voulais plus peiner, je revienne dans tes chemins… Je confesse ma faute devant toi:
j’ai suivi mon propre sentier, je me suis éloigné de toi ; je t’ai quitté,
toi auprès de qui j’étais bien; et pour mon bien, il a été mauvais pour moi d’avoir été sans toi. Car, si je m’étais trouvé bien sans toi, je n’aurais peut-être pas voulu revenir à toi.

I was glued to my TV this morning watching the press meeting of China’s Premier Wen following the National People’s Congress NPC and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).I even delayed to eat my breakfast prepared religiously every morning and with love by my wife.

The calmness of Premier Wen in addressing the very delicate & pertinent questions raised was for me the prime of my appreciation and interest. China has moved from a secretive authoritian ruling Communist party to greater transparency. Corruption and concentration of power were strong issues taken up. His replies were tactful, to the point, firm when necessary and sometimes appropriately filled with a tint of philosophical thoughts. He delivered structured, well thought of, easy to understand in short, perfect deliveries though being impromptu and on the spot He has also been humble and honest whilst at the same time being inspiring and very hopeful for the future, in issues regarding China’s failure to attain the target set for the level emission of carbon dioxide. He clearly made his point and that of China regarding Tibet and the Dali Lama issue made by a member of the French press. I enjoy learning from Premier Wen’s performance.

I must admit that I was happily surprised to hear and see the openness of Premier Wen in accepting to be questioned in some of the hottest issues. At one stage I thought that it was a make up to project “erroneously” the image of China. When I heard the question put in by the Taiwanese press, I changed my mind.

The Chinese slice of my genes stirred and I was proud to have been born in China and to possess this very Chinese portion in my metissage.

I am still in awe of the Wikis phenomenon and its potential to transform the human interactions. An excerpt from “Wikinomics” will give you any idea of the changes occurring today and the extent of this new mode of collaborative interactions.

Collaborative Minds

Each model we have discussed represents a new and unique way to compete, but they all share one thing: These new forms of peer production enable firms to harvest external knowledge,resources and talent on a scale that was previously impossible. Companies that adopt these models can drive important changes in their industries and rewrite the rules of competition.

There has probably never been a more exciting time to be in business, nor a more dangerous one. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift. New paradigms cause disruption and uncertainty and are nearly always received with coolness, hostility or worse. Vested interests fight against the change,and leaders of the old are often the last to embrace the new. Consequently, a paradigm shift typically causes a crisis of leadership. The lesson of history is that profound changes favor the newcomer and, in rare cases, the incumbent firms that learn to think differently. The choice facing firms is not whether to engage and work with peer-production communities, but determining when and how. The chance for customers and competitors to get the jump on new innovations in your area of business increases daily.

Thinking Differently

Smart firms will be able to harness external resources and talent to achieve unparalleled growth and success.The hard part will be rewiring your brain and turning off those old business reflexes so that you can capitalize on what the new world of wikinomics can offer

Being Open. A growing number of smart companies are learning that openness is a force for growth and competitiveness. Amazon, eBay, Google and Flickr open up their applications and business infrastructures to increase the speed, scope and success of innovation.

Peering. IBM joins the Linux peer producers and gives away hundreds of millions of dollars of software and resources to support them. Has IBM lost its head? No, it’s stumbled onto a new mode of production called peering.

Sharing. Smart firms today understand that sharing is more than playground etiquette. Organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Tropical

Disease Initiative are leveraging open-source drug discovery to launch an unprecedented attack

on neglected diseases such as cholera and African sleeping sickness.

Acting Globally. Like others in the aerospace and defense industries, Boeing has found that the costs, risks and expertise required to engage in largescale development projects such as designing and building new aircraft are simply too large for it to do alone. So Boeing reached beyond its walls to cocreate its new 787 passenger jet with a network of partners that stretches over six countries.

Wikinomics Design

Principles

So how should leaders go about applying the principles of wikinomics in their businesses?

Your planning must allow for a high degree of learning on your part and the flexibility to

respond to new opportunities that arise out of the interplay among participants in your

business web. Peering is a design and production innovation, and the firm must learn how to operate in this new environment. You must:

● Take cues from your lead users

● Build critical mass

● Supply an infrastructure for collaboration

● Take your time to get the structures and

governance right

● Abide by community norms

● Let the process evolve

● Hone your collaborative mind.

For the business manager, the number-one lesson is that the self-contained inwardly focused corporation is dead. Regardless of the industry or whether your firm is large or small, internal capabilities and a handful of b-web partnerships are not sufficient to meet the market’s expectations for growth and innovation. Managers should treat wikinomics as their playbook and harness its core principles to achieve success.Leaders must prepare their collaborative minds.

Is your mind wired for wikinomics? â– 

Habitant de l’ile Maurice ayant vécu toute ma vie dans le créole, je ne peux pas rester sourd à l’appel que me fait Kréofolies 2007:la célébration du patrimoine créole.

Etant un créophone depuis ma naissance, et utilisant prioritairement le créole comme langage de communication vocale, nous mauriciens, avons le devoir de propager la langue et protéger notre culture. Je salue et félicite les organisateurs des 2 différentes Kréofolies qui rêvent une pan- créole et aurais souhaité une plus grande participation d’autres créophiles.

« Mauritius Bloggers » ayant pour objectif de fédérer l’ensemble des bloggers mauriciens devrait ainsi mentionner et promouvoir les travaux de Kréofolies. Ainsi donc, chers bloggers, maintenant que vous êtes avertis de l’existence de ce blog, je vous demande d’émettre des commentaires sur le blog de Kréofolies.

Pour la petite histoire: Ainsi tu es Kreophone! et  bien moi Harris je suis Grammophone…hic hic