Paranoia

We live in an world of paranoia.Paranoia can be broadly described as an exaggerated distrust. In the past, paranoia used to give rise to legends and myths and also strengthened Man's faith in God. But in modern times, paranoia has taken on a new dimension. These days, all incidents are over-analysed and the worst scenario is always the most popular one. An Air France flight crashed in the

Patriotism

What makes one a patriot and what doesn't?Some time back, I was discussing government spending in Mauritius on a blog when someone told me that I should not worry about it since I don't contribute any money to the government coffers. The person was implying that it was none of my business since I was not living in Mauritius. This has happened to me too often. People tend to think of me as a

The pitfalls of social networking

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking websites in the world, with around 200 million users. But it recently lead to the sacking of a Swiss woman.The Swiss woman was on her day off but her employer, through a bogus Facebook profile saw her active on the website after she told them she was too ill to go near her PC. The employer apparently created the fake profile and became her ‘

Secrets of a long life

I work in a life insurance company and we recently got the results from a number of studies about the rates of mortality in the UK we had ordered. These are particularly important when we have to price life insurance policies, calculate a capital reserve for them and various other things. It also makes for fun reading to know how certain living habits can make a difference to how long you live

Mauritius 2030

When our tiny island of Mauritius acceded to independence on that fateful day of the 12th of March 1968, exactly 41 years ago, probably no-one would have imagined the economic and social miracle which would unravel. It has not been all rosy though. In the 21st century, Mauritius has been facing new challenges, ranging from economic to security challenges and without forgetting political

How do you love?

Love. This magical word has enthralled generations and generations of people. Our lives revolve around it. Unfortunately, the word is bandied around so easily these days that it has become almost too ordinary and there are 2 million versions out there of what love really is. Love has evolved from a most unique concept into innumerable mutations or, the way I like to call it, a hotchpotch of

Exams and general complaints about human nature.

Why do we have exams? Ok, you can say we should be assessed on how we cope with problem solving given a strict time limit. But why do exams have to be the bulk of all assessments?? Why can't we have more coursework and more projects? Surely, they would enhance our personal skills further rather than just increase and test our academic knowledge! If I were to become the dictator of a country (or