Microsoft Partner Summit ‘07

Yash and I attended the Microsoft Partner Summit ‘07 for Indian Ocean & Pacific Islands at Le Meridien today. We were invited as delegates since our company, Edge Innovations Ltd. is registered as a MS Partner. Two separate workshops were organised, one for Solution Providers, to which i attended as an MCP, and Yash participated in the second one, targeting Hardware Resellers with emphasis on OEM products and licensing. The main focus of both was on the types and requirements for delivering various licences, with different approaches for various market segments.

We noted the various steps taken by MS to attempt to rule out software piracy. It is to be noted that 61% of proprietary Operating Systems in Mauritius are counterfeit. However, the steps (activation keys, online validation, authentication of software with a KMS Server, etc…) are tedious operations both for the administrator and the end-user. I had recently run Windows Vista on trial and I must say that Defender, the security manager of Vista is much more of a pain in the ass than an asset! Overloaded with validation procedures and routine confirmations (at times redundant), Defender greatly hinders work-flow and is a highly frustrating experience. Anyway, the summit was nonetheless a positive experience, allowing us to develop some marketing skills and enabling us to propose valid sales arguments to our customers, through a guided tour and thorough exposure to the Micro$oft family of products and services.

“You are about to experience the WOW, Cancel or Allow?” Euh…

Sins of Sodom

The Sexual Offences Bill is to be voted this coming week. It makes up for some flaws in the actual legislation and sets harsher sentences for sex offenders. Laudable initiative indeed, had it not been for the clause legalising sodomy as from 16 yrs (now revised to 18 years old) but since a few days now, we are  witnessing wide polemics around this clause (so much that the debate has digressed from its true purpose to whether sodomy should be legalised or not). Voices have been raised surrounding this issue, claiming that it would be a licence to sodomise for pedophilists and other sex-offenders. Legalisting sodomy, considered as deviant and immoral practice by religions and common social ethics, carries heavy social implications. Socio-cultural and religious groups have expressed their strong disapproval of sodomy and have urged the government not to go forward with the bill. It is argued that:

1. young people are not mature enough to consent to such practice
2. the act itself, is impure, immoral and on neutral grounds, that the anus is not meant to accomodate or sustain penile intercourses.
3. technically, pedophiles would no more be troubled if they happened to bait young teenagers into anal intrecourses.
4. it sets wrong social standards for the youth.

Can it be seen as a mild form of acknowledgement of homosexuality, knowing that homosexuals are the most likely ones to indulge into anal intercourse?

Am not sure on what to think about it right now. Maybe it would have been wiser, as a first step, to depenalise sodomy instead of legalising it, in a spirit of respecting people’s sensitivity to sexual behaviours… and eventually choosing a more consensual and less drastic approach.

Glory Glory..

If there had to be a valid reason to get me out of bed and bring me back from my blogging leave, well this is it!!Ok, let me take a deep breath, and … ‘YEAAAH’!!! This is one of those scorelines you rarely see, specially in a European tournament matches. 7 goals to 1! I wonder if these still happen even in dreams nowadays..   Manchester United has a more-than-ever motivated team, blessed with young talents capable of delivering outstanding football, and that too, with class… The scoreline speaks for itself. Carrick, Smith, Evra, Rooney and Ronaldo, all at their best, had their shots in and crucified Roma with a stunning display of skill. The Roma team must’ve tasted great, for Carrick and Ronaldo decided to have a second helping of the cake!

Others may rant as much as they want, but thing is, Man Utd. is down on the pitch and only a few goals away from another yet possible Treble. Remake of 98-99 season? Let’s wait and see

Aazaan

Talk of the town this week is the court’s verdict condemning the abusive use of loupspeakers to call Muslims to the daily prayers at the Mosque in Quatre-Bornes. This verdict has outlined that Aazaan – the islamic call to prayers – should not exceed the number of decibels allowed, so as not to cause discomfort to the neighbourhood. Religion is a very sensitive issue in Mauritius, and bringing such a matter to court has caused prompt and vigourous reactions from many people, of different ethnic groups. I do not wish to raise a polemic on this issue but I feel this is simply a matter that has been taken too far..

The Aazaan has been practised for years and is part of our folklore. The call lasts only for around a minute or two and is like a prose, sung by the Imaam to call muslims to prayers. One would be blatantly secluded from the basics of ethnic cohabitation and intolerant to find disturbance in such practice in our country. I personally feel that Aazaan should be left to be, but within a specified decibel range, acceptable to all.

The controversy, it seems, arose from the fact that a mosque in Quatre-Bornes was abusing of its rights to broadcast the prayer call at an unacceptably high volume. This persistent situation lead to neighbours complaining about the disturbances caused. As nothing was being done by the authorities and the situation persisting, Me Gavin Glover, brought the matter to court. Things degenerated shortly afterwards, as muslims fanatics gathered at the plaintiff’s residence to express their anger in a very, very explicit way. Indignation quickly faded into anger and revolt. A platform of influent muslim politicians was instantenously created and they invoked the strong possibility of amending laws, in days to come, to secure the right to Aazaan. How cliché! Muslim leaders have gone public, to complain about how the rights of muslims are baffled in this country and how they are not ‘adequately represented’ in top management. I will not comment on the validity of such a common statement, but I do feel that this argument would have found its way, whatever the situation of muslims may have been. Common symptoms of a variation of the minority syndrome, where small ethnic groups will always feel that they are not cared for and that they are deprived of their rights. (in our context, rights are read as political power, key positions within government and unrestricted licence to business activities..)

We sadly live a country where our ethnic belongings not only overrules our laws and our institutions, but dictate our common sense. As soon as something goes wrong, we do not spend time to ponder over same to find strong and durable solutions but instead we rush into amending laws to soothe public opinion. This lavish attitude, ritualised by our governments over years, has lead to our living in an extremely unstable society when everyone dictates their laws (and their flaws..) and never cares to engage into dialogue to reach agreeable terms to conflicts.

The issue is not that of the right to Aazaan v\s noise pollution, it is a far deeper and intricate one, a reflection of how segregated our society is, of how secluded we are to our ethic origins and exemplifies the very rotten mindset of our society; “Nou dimoune ca (malbar, lascar, etc..), nou qualité ca..”. ‘Nation arc-en-ciel’ some say,..yeah dream on!

**President of Jhummah Mosque executive committee interviewed by l’express. I do not feel that he was at all concerned with soothing the situation**