A lot of children dream of becoming pilots during their childhood. What a great goal! 

I once was sitting behind a captain and a first officer (laypeople might call them pilot and co-pilot) during a flight on a private jet in 2017 and I sort of understand why kids want to become pilots. 

For most kids, it remains a dream due to the high costs of education at flight schools. Additionally, because English is the universal language for pilots all over the world, prospective pilots must have a good command of this powerful language including aeronautical English. 

Apart from those requirements, a medical certificate is necessary and must be renewed regularly. It can be issued after examination from an Aviation Medical Examiner. They issue three classes of certificates depending on the level of pilot license. 

Airline pilots are well paid and get perks from their employers. 

Is it the best job in the aeronautical industry?  Let us have a look at the requirements and opportunities of an aeronautical/aerospace engineer. 

Graduation with a Bachelor's degree in aeronautics and a high level of technical English are a must. It is also a well-paid position and furthermore it offers more varied options such as 

• Aerodynamic engineers 
• Aircraft design engineers 
• Aircraft designers 
• Aircraft engineers 
• Astronautical engineers 
• Flight systems test engineers 
• Flight test engineers 
• Rocket engineers
• Wind tunnel engineers

Becoming an aeronautical engineer looks a like a bigger dream especially for Malagasy people, and that is probably the reason why you might haven't yet heard of an aircraft designer or a rocket engineer from Madagascar.An article from Harvard website mentioned the following: "Countries from Djibouti to Namibia are beginning to develop their own national space programs, hoping to join in on what could be a US$10 billion industry in the next two years. In addition, Kenyan industry leaders have analyzed the feasibility of constructing Africa's first spaceport, taking advantage of the country's position on the Equator, where the Earth's rotation is fastest."

I believe it is time for Malagasy students and their parents to start focussing on aeronautics and aerospace and other related technologies in order to keep up with our African brothers and to collaborate with them. 

Becoming a pilot is great. Becoming an aerospace or aeronautical engineer seems to be greater, doesn't it? 

When there is a will, there is a way. I am looking forward to the first Malagasy Space Program. 

India's Mars Orbiter Mission cost only 74 million USD which is much cheaper than the US Maven Mars mission of 671 million USD. And of course, it is cheaper than the extension cost of our soccer stadium in Mahamasina. 

In other words, we can afford a space program! 

Sources: https://hir.harvard.edu/why-african-nations-are-shooting-for-the-stars/  - https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29341850 

Most people think that Europe is always better, smarter and richer than Africa. That might be true if we only look into Western Europe and Scandinavian countries. We need to bear in mind that Europe is composed of 44 countries and not all of them are as rich as Switzerland or Germany or Norway.

In fact, there are countries in Africa that are richer than some European countries, according to UNDP webpage listing the HDI ranking of 189 countries.

One of the most appropriate ways to measure the wealth of a country is the annual GDP per capita, because some countries have a strong GDP whereas a large number of their people are suffering in poverty. As an example, Nigeria has the largest GDP of 1,069 trillion USD in Africa, however its GDP per capita is only 4,910 USD. These data are from the World Bank.

Seychelles is the richest country in Africa: a country that is made of 115 islands with a GDP per capita of 26,903 USD. This group of islands is richer than any of the following European countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Armenia, North Macedonia and Moldova. In fact, Seychelles is richer than Ukraine (13,216 USD) and Moldova ( 13,664 USD) combined.

Seychelles is isolated and it does not even exploit fully all of its 115 islands because only 3 islands are inhabited for the past 40 years. Additionally, Seychelles population is less than 100,000.

Mauritius is also another African country that is richer than any of the abovementioned European countries. It has a GDP per capita of 25,266 USD. Mauritius is a tiny country that can be entirely explored in less than 2 days. However, it surpasses six Eastern European countries.

Are those two countries exceptions? No, let us look into other rich African countries.

Botswana is a country in Southern Africa, in spite of its small population and the fact that 2/3 of the country is a desert, it has a GDP per capita of 16,437 USD. This country is also richer than almost any country in Eastern Europe.

Gabon, with its GDP per capita of 13,930 USD is another African country that is richer than Armenia, Moldova or Ukraine.

Namibia, another country in Southern Africa ,has the potential to beat one European country in the future with its GDP per capita of 9,357 USD.

Additionally, Seychelles and Mauritius are ahead of those six European countries in Human Development Index ranking, acording to the UNDP website.

In spite of the good news  we hear about Rwanda and Ethiopia (especially its capital city, Addis Ababa). None of them can surpass any European countries yet. Rwanda’s GDP per capita in 2020 is 2,155 USD and its HDI rank is 160.

Obviously, one country in Europe such as Germany, Netherlands or Italy is richer than 10 or more African countries combined. However, being poor in Africa is more manageable than being poor in Europe where winter is so harsh.

In African winter, people can wear two or three layers of thick clothes and can go out comfortably. In Europe, you must have special coats, hats, gloves and boots and adequate house heating system to survive a snowy weather. You would also need hot water every day for showering and other hygienic purposes whereas in most of Africa hot water is optional.

But the best measure of wealth would be Health Index or GDH (Gross Domestic Health), and with this criterium, most of Africa would be considered rich. We just need compare the covid stats of Europe and Africa and can declare Africa as the winner.

Another measure of wealth is the GDB (Gross Domestic Biodiversity) which would put Madagascar in the top 20 of all countries in the world.

If we estimate accurately the total income from thousands of informal businesses and illicit export of all types, the income from illegal fishing at its territorial waters, and the income from the Scattered Islands, Madagascar can surpass some West European countries.

Personally, I would love to visit Switzerland, Finland and many other European contries. I even want to visit some of the most challenged countries in Europe to witness the reality they live in. Moreover, I also want my children to continue their studies at Oxford University or one of Swiss universities due to the high quality of education in those institutions.

As a conclusion, we can see that not all of Africa is awful and not all of Europe is awesome. Each continent has strengths and weaknesses.

If sex lasts less than one minute after penetration, it is assumed that there is a problem of premature ejaculation. Now, let us look into some facts.

If penetration was possible even for just ten seconds, it was because the vagina was able to dilate and it was lubricated enough and because the penis, regardless of its size, had a normal erection. Then a couple should be grateful instead of being sorrowful. Ten seconds are precious and it is possible for the sperm to reach the egg of a woman within ten seconds and it is possible to fertilize that egg and eventuallly get a baby after nine months. The highest purpose of sex is to make a baby or babies, isn’t it?

There are three types of pleasures in life : pre-pleasure, on-pleasure and post-pleasure. And everybody can feel them at anytime of the day.

Pre-pleasure can be felt if a couple makes an appointment or have sex at a certain time of the day or night, on-pleasure is felt during the intercourse and post-pleasure happens when the couple reflects upon their intercourse anytime after their sex  event.

When you plan a vacation to a foreign country or even locally at the beach or elsewhere, you can feel those three kinds of pleasures in a sequence. Pre-pleasure before you leave, on-pleasure during the trip and the journey, and post-pleasure when you share photos on social media and talk about your vacation to friends and relatives.

If you are invited by Celine Dion or any of your favorite singers or movie stars for a quick photo and a handshake for 7 seconds, would you refuse because it is a too-short-pleasure? I don’t think so. You might hesitate for a few seconds but you wouldn’t refuse. By accepting the invitation, you will feel the three types of pleasure I mentioned earlier. You will feel the post-pleasure for many years from the 7-second event.

Have you ever wondered why a penis is erected? It is due to high quantity of blood that has filled its arteries and veins. Is it good for the large amount of blood to stay in the erected penis for a long period of time? Not really, because blood needs to circulate around the body continuously and carry out its duties. It carries oxygen and nutrients to millions of cells in the body and remove waste. And of course many other functions that I don’t really need to mention here.

When asked about normal sex duration, Dr Debra Herbenick, the director of the center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University in Bloomington said, "There’s no magic number. … It varies from person to person and couple to couple and there’s no normal". Additionally, the World Health Organization has not set any standards for normal sex duration.

Let me end by sharing with you two new vocabularies0 The first is penile priapism: it means a prolonged erection of the penis without sexual stimulation. And the second is clitoral priapism, meaning a prolonged erection of the clitoris, causing engorgement, swelling and pain to the clitoris and adjacent area. As you can see, something that lasts long is not always great.

I have a list of 77 answers to questions about sexuality from a great book. Send your questions toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need free help. One question per person, and be patient, please.

Merriam Webster defined money as  something – as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper – customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value or a means of payment.

Money does not think, it does not make choices; human beings can always think and make choices. Money does not have any power, but everything we can touch usually has monetary value (some of them high, others low), including trash. Did you know that trash can be recycled or repurposed and turned into useful products?

Robot SHALU, a humanoid robot, designed by an Indian teacher, Dinesh Patel, was made of waste materials.

No matter how much money one person has, it is always possible to make most of the following choices:

Invest: whenever we spend our money with the purpose of making a profit, we make an investment. It does not matter how much we have spent or how much profit we have  made. If we cannot invest a small amount of money wisely, how would we be able to invest a large amount successfully? We can all choose how much we want to invest and in which business. As a business owner, I have invested some of my money for many years.

Donate: we can always donate a little, no matter how much money we earn. I have seen my blind uncle giving alms to beggars and I saw poor people in developing countries give away a portion of their income. Everyone can decide freely how much to give, how often and to whom. Poverty is never an obstacle to giving. Millions of my friends around the world and I donate regularly a small portion of our income for a great cause and it makes us feel good whenever we do it.

Save: everyone is free to save as much or as little money as they want anytime and for any purpose. Some may wonder how they can still save whereas they don’t even have enough to fulfil their daily needs. In Madagascar and in many other countries, it is now possible to save money in a mobile banking account, it is very user-friendly and it takes a few minutes to make a deposit, and it can be done anywhere because all you need is a mobile phone. It does not even have to be a smartphone.

Spend for basic needs: everyone has the freedom  to choose how much to spend for which needs and how often. Some people spend more money on food than on clothes and other do the opposite. Of course, different ways of spending result in different outcomes.

Spend for knowledge: everyone needs to increase their knowledge by learning more and more skills each day. While the internet provides us with millions of free skills, we can get tremendous results with paid knowledge through business schools, mentors, coaches and audio programs...etc.

Waste: this is probably the worst decision we can make with our money. Unfortunately, billions of individuals waste their hard-earned money with harmful substances, internet scams and other purchases. I am one of those billions: I was broke a few times in South Africa and in Botswana during my stay in those countries between June 1998 and June 2000, because I did not use my money wisely.

To avoid wasting money, it is also necessary to do careful research and read several trustworthy reviews before doing any offline and online investments. Do not send money to anyone without doing any due diligence.

Beware of fake reviews and fake proofs. With Photoshop and video editing softwares, it is possible to create a lot of proofs to deceive almost anyone especially those who believe in get-rich-quick schemes.

This article is an updated excerpt of my first book entitled  Everybody Is a Manager, a Leader and a Billionaire.

Does a strong currency mean strong economy? There is no perfect answer, but I would reply with “yes and no”.

Some countries with strong currencies have a strong economy, but it is not always the case. Let us look at some data about exchange rates around the world.

Since more and more countries use floating exchange rates, most figures hereafter will change at any time.

• One USD is worth 0.72 British pounds, however is it good evidence that the British economy is bigger than the US one? Probably not. Another example is, one USD is currently worth 0.30 Kuwaiti Dinar. Most economists would agree that Kuwaiti economy is not stronger than the US despite the high GDP per capita in Kuwait.

Let us keep going.

• One South African Rand has the same value as one Lesotho Loti (Maloti in plural) and the same value as one Eswatini (former Swaziland) Lilangeni (Emalangeni in plural), but who would think that those two small countries have the same economic strength as South Africa? They may become the Switzerland of Africa someday, but not now.

While I was working in South Africa for twenty months and in Botswana for four months, I had the opportunity to use the Rand and the Pula – which is the currency in Botswana. The Pula is a little stronger than the Rand: one rand is worth around 0.73 Pula or 73 Thebe – one Pula is divided into 100 Thebe. Most of us probably know that South Africa is among the top 3 economies of Africa and the only member of G20 in our continent.

Let me continue with some unbelievable facts about exchange rates in Asia and South America.

• One USD is the equivalent of 42,105 Iranian riyals. Yes, it is more than forty-two thousand Riyals, but we complain when we exchangeone USD for about 3,800 Ariary. Is our economy bigger than the Iranian's?
• Here is another one – 1 USD is worth around 23,100 Vietnamese Dong. Remember that the Vietnamese economy is much stronger than ours – a GDP of 245 billion USD in 2018, however their money seems to be much weaker.
• Last but not least, one USD is worth 1,872,262 Venezuelan Bolivar, and this is so despite Venezuela's proven crude oil reserves of 302 billion barrels, according to data from OPEC website.

If you are interested in knowing the top 10 weakest currencies in the world, just do a quick research on Google or Bing and you will be surprised to find out that our Ariary is not as weak as most people think.

• Another surprise! We can buy one Japanese yen with just 36 ariary, in other words one Japanese coin has the same value as our coin or coins. But here is the issue – the cheapest product in Japan costs about 100 yen. A couple of years ago, one of my friends gave me a few Japanese coins but I cannot even buy the cheapest Japanese candy pack with them.
• Some people believe that gold reserves help keep a currency strong, however Uzbekistan who is in the top 15 countries having largest gold reserves in the world (332.5 metric tons), is among the 10 countries with weakest currencies. One USD is now worth about 10,500 Uzbek Sum. Additionally, Germany, France and Italy are in the top 5 countries with largest gold reserves by data from Statista, however one Euro is worth around 0.36 Kuwaiti Dinar.

Because of all these strange facts about exchange rates, 1 Ariary that seems worthless in our country, has the same value as 2.49 Laotian Kip, 2.79 Uzbek Sum, 3.77 Indonesian Rupiah, 6.05 Vietnamese Dong, 11.17 Iranian Riyals and 481.7 Venezuelan Bolivar. Our currency is stronger than the ones in those countries even if their economies are stronger than ours.

I chose not to talk about currency manipulation in this article because I believe there are not yet strict currency rules for all members of the World Trade Organization.  

Now, you can see why the answer to my first question is “yes and no”.

Millions of companies worldwide have invested their money on websites. As a business owner, I also decided to purchase a domain name in 2011 and had a web developer build a website for my company.  Later on, I checked the statistics to find out how many visitors came to my website. I was proud of having visitors from dozens of countries. It was probably due to the fact that my website was translated into English and Spanish which are among the top 10 languages on the internet. Unfortunately, most of those visitors did not become my clients. I was so disappointed that I hired an SEO expert to help my business but it did not work. This and other failures with my other sites taught me that it is not enough to have a professionally looking website and thousands of visitors or thousands of likes on social media.

Fortunately, thanks to several free SEO or Search Engine Optimization tools, it is now possible to find out exactly which pages were visited, for how long and which areas of the site received most clicks.  Some of these tools include Google Analytics, Crazyegg.com and Sessioncam.com. Digital marketers can always keep looking for new free tools or less expensive ones.

More than 4.66 billion people around the world are online every day and they are free to choose between the 1 billion plus websites published to date. Online competition is tough and without regular update and tweak to your website, you might be ignored by millions of potential customers.

Therefore, companies with a web presence need to make consistent effort to keep attracting new visitors and convert them into clients.

That is where languages come in.

Even if English and Spanish are among the top 10 languages on the web, there are more than one billion people who do not understand those languages, and even if they do, they prefer to read in their native language. That is why Orange, Airtel and many other companies use the Malagasy language in their ads, because they target Malagasy customers.

Several businesses either use free web translation or amateur translators to attract clients from foreign countries. Unfortunately, this does not really work because digital marketing requires transcreation.

You might wonder what in the world transcreation is.

Transcreation helps you take the MIST – meaning, intent, style, and tone of your ad into a foreign culture so that your message will resonate in each market that you aim for.

Transcreators or creative language professionals consider the culture, mores, dialects, idiom, humor, and context when they transform your ad into a target language. And this skill that helps transcend language and cultural boundaries is a must when you want a profitable global marketing strategy.

As a result, McDonalds, a global food chain decided to have different versions of its burgers to meet local cultures. For example in India, you will have vegetarian burgers not found anywhere else called McSpicy Paneer and McAloo Tikki, in Switzerland, you would eat McGrillschnagg and in Arab countries and Pakistan, you get McArabia, and you will find Samurai burgers in Japan and its neighboring countries and McFalafel which is a vegan burger in the Middle East.The most creative is probably the McRice burger in Asian countries, a burger made of rice cakes but not buns. In Australia, they even changed the fast-food name into Macca's.

Giants such as Dunkin' Donuts, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut also have unusual versions of their products in many countries around the world.

From the BigMac and the usual food in the USA to the McRice burger in Asia, there has been a Big change and that is the magic of transcreation.  Some language professionals call this process localization, but I prefer to stick with transcreation to avoid ambiguity.

Our Robert chocolates, among the best in the world, and many other products need to consider foreign cultures before they cross our borders.

KFC in Madagascar should include some Malagasy names and local dish in its menu. I am sure McDonald’s, Subway and Taco Bell would do the same when they come here someday.

Companies with websites should think global and they can start by having their sites, products and services transcreated into English, Spanish and Mandarin which are in the top 10 web languages. In other words, new products, new services, and new names in line with local cultures and customs help a business attract new customers. And that is, we all know, the purpose of marketing.

The 3 Ws on a web address stands for worldwide web, so there would be no need for a website if we target local people only. A transcreator might cost a fortune but it is truly worth it.

As we can see now, transcreation is an integral part of digital marketing.

As I go around town every day, I noticed that many houses and buildings do not have lightning rods. You might think that it is not a big deal. In fact, lightning rods or specifically, Lightning Protection System, not only helps prevent fire in buildings but protect people inside from lightning strike which can cause serious injury or death instantly. LPS is more relevant during rainy season in which we are currently.

Another thing that strikes me is that most buildings do not have enough emergency exits or appropriate evacuation plan in compliance with ISO 23601.

Imagine a fire in one of those 10 or 20-floor buildings in Tana, how will people, especially disabled ones, and pregnant women on top floors, evacuate the rooms before the fire spreads and gets worse? Remember that elevators must be switched off during a fire.

Certainly, some buildings have fire insurance but how about lost data in computers and servers or other data storage? How about lost lives? Those are tremendous losses for any business. Some people might think that occupational safety is highly expensive. I would say it is much better to think about the cost of lack of safety.

About 35 years ago, I played with a lighter that ran out of gas near an artificial flower at home. The lighter did not produce flames anymore but just sparks. Unfortunately, the little sparks were enough to put the artificial flowers on fire. That was a lesson that I will never forget, and I would teach to my children over and over. To avoid similar accidents or worse in a company, fire risk assessments must be carried out regularly and fire drills are paramount and should be organized at least once a year to avoid injury or death during an evacuation.

Now, let us talk about health. We are tempted to think that outdoor air is more polluted that indoor air, but nothing can be further from truth. In fact, indoor air is polluted with volatile organic compound such as formaldehyde from furniture made of plywood. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention in USA, breathing in formaldehyde can cause eye, nose, skin irritation, cancer and fertility problems or miscarriage.

A few years ago, I bought and read an occupational safety and health encyclopedia issued by International Labor Organization. Every company should have a copy of this material and use it regularly to improve occupational safety and health.

Last but not least, each company must have a safety manual that should be updated annually and be made accessible to all employees. This safety manual should be used during the monthly safety meetings and safety trainings.