Toronto Goan Convention- A short perspective
Sent: Sat 09/08/08 6:24 PM
Toronto Goan Convention

From: George Pinto georgejpinto@yahoo.com
To: Gulf Goans gulf-goans@yahoogroups.com, Goa-Goans goa-goans@yahoogroups.com,  Tanzanite Goans goans_tanzanite@yahoogroups.com

A short perspective
by Mrs. Acaria Almeida, Treasurer, Goa Sudharop

A reflective question as a delegate who attended the convention: What were our take aways from this convention? My hope is that all delegates ought to have left the convention with more food for thought which will translate into fruitful action. What can each of us, either individually or as a group, from every nook and corner of the Globe, do for Goa? First we must begin with ourselves, then our families, then the immediate communities we live in, and then of course Goa. This ought to be the expat focus.

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2008 International Goan Convention - Photos and News Articles

Click here for past convention news, photos, and articles

STATEMENT BY EDUARDO FALEIRO, COMMISSIONER FOR NRI AFFAIRS AT HIS PRESS BRIEFING (August 12, 2008)
Posted on : goanet@goanet.org
August 15, 2008

I was in Toronto (Canada) from July 25-31. The purpose of my visit was to inaugurate the annual Global Goans Convention. You may recall that we had decided that this yearly event should be held by rotation in different countries where there is a significant population of Goan expatriates so that it may permit participation of all those who for different reasons are not able to come to Goa and also provide for greater involvement of our expatriates on this occasion. Last year the Convention was held in Portugal.

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The statements, opinions, or views in the following articles may not necessarily reflect that of the Goan Voice Canada.

Solzhenitsyn Left Enduring Legacy Of Freedom
Thursday, 07 August 2008
http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/2110/849/
Written by Ian Hunter, Catholic Register Special

LONDON, Ont. - It will take years, even decades, to comprehend fully the impact of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who died of heart failure Aug. 2 at the age of 89 in his home near Moscow.

Excerpts
In an astonishingly prophetic essay (From Under the Rubble) Solzhenitsyn made it clear that the alternative he foresaw to Communist tyranny was not Western democracy but rather a spiritual reawakening:

“Authoritarian regimes are not terrible in themselves, only those which are not answerable to God or their own conscience. Russia will most likely move from one authoritarian form of government to another. This will be the most natural and least painful path of development. Our present system is terrible not because it is undemocratic and based on force ― a man may still live without harm to his soul under such regimes. What makes ours uniquely horrible is that it demands total surrender of the soul. What we need is not political liberation, but liberation of the soul from participation in the lies forced upon us.”

I shall always be personally indebted to Solzhenitsyn because in an era of political correctness run amok and Stalinist human rights commissions, he articulated a succinct credo to live by, the best I have yet discovered. In another brilliant essay (Live not by the Lie), he wrote:

“The main thing is never to act against your conscience, not to put your signature on documents you do not believe in, not to vote for those who you think should not be elected, not to approve decisions, not to applaud, not to pass on lies, not to broadcast them, not to write them, not to put them down on paper, not to pretend. . . . Let your creed be ― Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph ― but not through me.”

Overseas Goans Are "Naal and Void"

Following article was published under title of Overseas Goans Are "Null and Void"
By: Roland Francis - Sat Aug 2, 2008
in www.goanet.org 

Excerpt

A message to the Goans in Goa, if you didn't already know.

Diaspora Goans are a pretty useless lot as far as the political problems in Goa are concerned. We huff and we puff and we pretend that we have to be kept informed of what happens. We give all sort of opinions and comments but the truth is we don't know any of the ground realities of modern day Goa. We are really like the grand father of the family gathering. We sit in an armchair, bow our head and acknowledge the respect and awe of the younger relatives. But since we are circumstantially inactive, we have no leadership to give.

The only place we can make a marginal difference is to support social causes. We can put our shoulders (or rather our dollars) to the wheels of a Goa Sudharop or to help out a small individual that arises and is brought to our attention. The publicity we get for this is far more than we deserve.

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Call to Action

The following article is from www.goanet.org
By :Lola Rafearo*
Sent: August 11, 2008 3:06:36 AM
To: goanet@lists.goanet.org

In the past few weeks there have been many comments – spoken and written – about the recent convention. The following is not an attempt to enter into any existing debates. It is intended as a commentary on our Goan Community and a plea for change. Hearing the recent comments, I am reminded of the 1988 International Goan Convention and the words of Herculano Dourado: "Our Goans are like a basket of crabs. When one starts to climb out of the basket, the others try to drag him back in." Although his words were met with much laughter, as a young lady, I had yet to learn the true meaning of these words. The 1988 Convention was a huge success and it is this kind of success that gets the crabs going.

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Terrorism emerging as a global problem: President Patil
August 14th, 2008 - 11:07 pm
www.thaindian.com

New Delhi , August 14 (ANI): On the eve of the 61 st Independence Day of India, President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil termed terrorism as an emerging global problem, posing a threat to national as well as international peace and security. She said unfortunately, terrorist groups continue to receive support and sanctuary.

India has been the target of terrorist attacks for several decades, and in more recent times so have many countries across the globe. We must stand united against the threats emanating from terrorism, President Patil added.

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Young Goans impress at Independence Day festival
Eugene Correia
http://www.goanet.org/archivetype.php?name=News&list=goanet&info=2008-August/date
Wed Aug 13 08:

The Goan Overseas Association (GOA), with president Oscar Furtado, took part in the 61st anniversary celebrations of India's Independence held at Dundas Square in Toronto. Raindrops kept falling throughout the time of the parade and also during the showcase of dances by different groups, some representing states of India.

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India’s annual inflation rate breaches 12-percent mark
Aug 7th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | Category: Business, India
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/9945.htm

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) India’s annual rate of inflation overshot the 12-percent mark at 12.01 percent for the week ended July 26 amid a promise by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that bringing down prices will be his government’s top priority. Data on wholesale prices released by the commerce ministry Thursday showed that the inflation rate had risen to this level from 11.98 percent for the week ended July 19 and 11.89 percent the week before. At the present level, the inflation rate is at the highest level since May 1994. The finance ministry, however, in a statement said: ‘Inflation, on a week-on-week basis, has continued to remain stable.’

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Better Technology in Fishing Industry
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=49458&n_tit=Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (RD/CN)

Udupi, Aug 4: The technology to increase the quantum of fishing at sea should be developed and the fishermen should concentrate their energies on enhancing the fisheries stock, said Oscar Fernandes, union minister of state for labour and employment, on Sunday, August 3.

Fernandes was speaking after inaugurating the newly-built Matsyaraj Ice Plant, situated at Malpe fisheries port here. He said that fishing is an ancient profession and was once very popular along the western coast. The fisheries stock has been depleting over the years because of foreign deep sea trawlers and native mechanized boats, especially during the monsoons when there is a ban on fishing, and this calls for the revision of the law in this regard, he added.

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Tata Steel to set up $5-bn plant in Vietnam
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

New Delhi: Steel major Tata steel today signed a joint venture agreement with Vietnam Steel Corporation, Vietnam's largest steel company, and Vietnam Cement Industries Corporation to set up a steel plant in Vietnam, it said in a statement. Tata Steel will hold 65 per cent stake, with Vietnam Steel holding 30 per cent and Vietnam Cement owning 5 per cent. The integrated steel plant, with an annual capacity of 4.5 million tonnes, will be built in three phases at an estimated cost of $5 billion. The first phase of the plant envisages setting up a cold rolling mill, to be commissioned by 2010-end.  The memorandum of understanding was signed on May 29, 2007. The definitive agreements were signed today after completion of detailed feasibility studies.

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Rains slow down traffic in Goa
PANAJI: Aug 12: The rains accompanied with squally winds continued to lash Goa on Monday especially during the morning and as the day progressed traffic in the city was almost normal. The city bus stand that wore a deserted look in the morning saw normal rush in the evening. The bus traffic that was disrupted at Patem, five km before Quepem, due to water logging led to diversion of busses and delay in many cases but the afternoon saw the resumption of services.

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“World Konkani Day - 2008”
Goan Review Art Foundation (GRAF), the cultural body of the Konkani-English bi-monthly The Goan Review is celebrating the World Konkani event - WORLD KONKANI DAY 2008 at the Goan Institute Hall, Thakurdwar, Dabul, Mumbai 400 002 on 23rd. August 2008, commencing at 6.30 p.m. World Konkani Day is being celebrated in recognition of Konkani as one of the national languages of the country. This year, August 20, commemorated the 16th anniversary of inclusion of Konkani in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. This great day will be celebrated with a talk on the Konkani language by J B Moraes renowned Konkani litterateur and Sahitya Akademi award winner, followed by cultural items highlighting rich traditional culture of the Konkan, consisting of Mando-dulpods, song, mimicry & music. GRAF will also conduct a Konkani Seminar on 24th. August 2008, commencing at 3.30 p.m. at Victoria School Hall, Mahim, Mumbai 400 016.

NRIs could become directors of corporations in country
PANAJI, Aug 13: Non resident Indians could become directors of corporations in the country if a suggestion made to the NRI Commissioner, Mr Eduardo Faleiro, during his recent visit to Toronto is taken note of by the Union and state governments. A proposal to link Goans abroad through a network based in Goa is also on the cards. A proposal to unite all Goan organisations outside Goa, whether in India or abroad, under one global network based in Goa is also on the cards. [NT]

Global Goans office by 2010: Faleiro
PANAJI: The government intends to set up a Global Goans office in Panaji by December 2009 to unite all Goan organisations outside Goa, whether elsewhere in India, or abroad to redress the grievances of non-resident Goans. Announcing this at a press conference on Tuesday, the commissioner for NRI Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro, said the Global Goans office in Panaji will be the apex organisation for all Goan organisations abroad.[TOI]

Celebrating 50 years of priesthood on Sunday
Celebrating 50 years of priesthood on Sunday, Goa’s own management guru Fr Romuald D’Souza has already launched his fourth management institute, the Marian Institute of Healthcare Management in Goa. This is his third management institute in Goa. Ordained priest in Belgium, where he also did his postgraduate studies, Fr Romuald says his career has been mostly in the field of education. Eldest of 5 siblings, including former Goa chief minister Dr Wilfred de Souza, Fr Romuald’s latest initiative, the Marian Institute of Healthcare Management, will be built at Saligao. [Joaquim Fernandes, TOI]

“Merlincholic” Keyboard Genius
Her fingers fly over the keys and there’s a magical quality to the music she produces that weaves a spell over the audience. That’s Bandra based keyboard player, Merlin D’Souza, who produces music that has been described as, “mystical, mercurial with parts of soulful seductiveness, poetic genius, feminine intuitiveness and occasionally ‘merlincholic’.” She has played in Goa for the Great Jazz Revival Concert along with Jazzy Joe, Chris Perry and others. Hailing from Colvale, Merlin has strong recollections of the early years in Goa. “My village was dense with foliage and huge teak trees. Almost jungle-like and I lived there for while as a toddler,” recalls Merlin, now settled in Mumbai. [Alexandre Moniz Barbosa, TOI]

Goa’s traditional pancakes
Polles are sweetened or unsweetened pancakes prepared on the fourth Sunday of the sacred month of Shravan by the Catholics, Hindus and Muslims in Goa. Since it is considered to be the week of the newborn, mothers have to be cared for so that they in turn take care of their newborns. There are some polles specially meant for lactating women. The basic preparation is from soaked udid dal and rice called fugiche polle. In this preparation rice should be double the quantity of udid dal to prevent sticking to the pan. Soaked raw rice, parboiled rice, fenugreek seeds, udid dal, coconut, a pinch of turmeric are ground to a very fine paste. The amount of fenugreek seeds used in any polle should always be less - that is 1 tsp for 1 cup of rice or else it tastes bitter. These polles are fried with coconut oil to a golden brown colour called sunollyo and are then soaked in coconut milk, cardamom powder and jaggery (ross). [Melinda Pereira Kamat, TOI]

+ D'SOUZA, Dolly

DOLLY D'SOUZA Passed away peacefully at Rouge Valley Health Centre, Ajax Site on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. Dolly was the loving wife of the late Nelson. Loving mother to Glenn (Sharon), Derrick (Sandra), Audrey (late Vincent), Debbie (Hubert), Karyn (Chris), Bert (Leonie) and Joe (Monica). Dolly will be sadly missed by her family, Mary Gonsalves, Glen and Gail (Kevin). Dolly will always be remembered by her 13 grandchildren. Friends and family may visit at THE SIMPLE ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL CENTRE, 1057 Brock Road, Pickering, 905-686-5589 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. at HOLY REDEEMER CATHOLIC CHURCH, 796 Eyer Drive, Pickering. Cremation to follow. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Durham Cancer Centre would be appreciated. A special thank you to all the staff and doctors at Lakeridge - Oshawa and Bowmanville, and Rouge Valley Ajax. From Toronto Star

+ Maxie Rodrigues

Maxie Rodrigues passed away August 11, 2008. She is the mother of Mathew (Maureen), Bernard (Georgina), Nelson, Isabella (Terry) Barretto. The Funeral Mass was held at St. Francis Xavier Church, 5650 Mavis Road, Mississauga, on Thursday, August 14, 2008 followed by Interment at Assumption Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kidney Foundation.

UTM Boss, Ray de Souza, Heading To Abu Dhabi
http://www.mississauganews.com/printArticle/17340
2008-08-05 13:17:24.000

University of Toronto Mississauga's chief administrative officer has been named vice-chancellor at Abu Dhabi University in the United Arab Emirates. Ray de Souza, who has overseen UTM's enrolment growth and recent expansion, which includes some $50 million in various projects, is leaving in September for the new job. He spent the past four years at the Mississauga Rd. campus, and has been at U of T for 20 years. At Abu Dhabi University, de Souza will oversee that campus' anticipated growth, from 4,000 students to 15,000, by 2013.

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Goans Representing Canada At 2008 Summer Olympics
Source: http://www.goatoronto.com

From left to right: Wayne Fernandes, John DeSouza, Louis Mendonca & Ken Pereira

Goan Overseas Association NSW – Australia, Celebrates WORLD GOA DAY in Style

Click on Image

Dear All

http://worldgoaday2008.blogspot.com/ is the WGD report by Noel G de Souza in the latest issue of the Indian Link newspaper dated 1st August. You can see a full report on WGD 08 plus lots of photos by visiting us at www.goansw.com

Kind regards
Tony Colaco - President
GOA NSW Inc.

EXILE, AND THE GOAN WRITER: A TANGO MADE FOR EACH OTHER?

From: goanet-news-bounces@lists.goanet.org
On behalf of :Goanet Reader (goanetreader@gmail.com)
Sent: August 12, 2008 3:13:36 PM
By: Victor Rangel-Ribeiro
vrangelrib@yahoo.com

It is relevant to the theme of this essay that the very first novel by a Goan to see the light of day was written and published when the author was overseas and far from home. Francisco Luis Gomes pulled off this feat in Lisbon in 1866, while representing our forefathers in the Portuguese
parliament. Since world literature was already two millennia old by then, that was a very late start for Goan literature; it could therefore be described as one tiny step for mankind, but a truly giant step for our people.

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Treasure from Goa
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/erpr/ho_2004.244a-c.htm
http://www.khm.at/homeE107.html

Goa stone container with stone and sand, late 17th–early 18th century India (Goa or western India)
Container and stand; worked gold; Goa stone: organic and inorganic material, gilded; H. container 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm); H. stone 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm)
Rogers Fund, 2004 (2004.244a–c)

Goa stones, named for the place where they were manufactured by Jesuits in the late seventeenth century, were manmade versions of bezoars (gallstones from ruminants). Both types were used for their medicinal and talismanic powers. These treasured objects were encased in elaborate containers of gold and silver and often exported to Europe.

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S K Shetty : Mangalorean Billionaire Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs
Excerpt from www.daijiworld.com

Shashi Kiran Shetty’s Mantras of Success:

• Risk is an important factor in business, and without risk, hardly will you have gained.

• Be sincere in what you do. You surely achieve a success

• Be transparent always, be accountable to whatever you do. Transparency brings the confidence and it will help you to grow.

• Long-term vision is a must. Don't look for short-cut success..though sometimes you may get success, but it may not last long. Keep a broader vision and march towards what you dream.

Worlds fastest search engine Cuil launched www.cuil.com
Jul 28th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | Category: Latest News, Technology
http://www.sindhtoday.net/category/technology

New York, July 28 (IANS) Pitched as the worlds latest, largest and swiftest search engine, Cuil was launched Monday with 120 billion pages or thrice the volume of the Google index. Click here

Described as a super-stealth search project, it has been founded and developed by the highly respected husband-wife duo of Stanford professor Tom Costello and former Google search architect Anna Patterson. Originally Cuill, pronounced as cool, Irish for knowledge, has now been named Cuil. A report on the web quoting the founders claimed that it is bigger, faster and better than Googles flagship search engine in pretty much every way.

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Recipe For Crab Cakes
Recipe By Diana Rattray, About.com

Serve these flavorful crab cakes with remoulade or tartar sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces lump crab meat

• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/2 small clove garlic, finely minced, or dash garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper

• 1 egg

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Date

Organization

Event

Links

TEGSA is off on a summer Holiday
We wish all members an eventful and safe summer with your family and friends
See you in September - Click for Events

Understanding the Health Impacts of Climate Change

Most scientists now agree that climate change is having far-reaching effects on human health, and will pose even greater risks in the future. Because of its large land mass, Canadians can expect a wide range of impacts which can vary from one region to another.

The extent of these effects depends on how quickly our climate changes, and on how well we adapt to the new environmental conditions and risks to health.

Learn More on:

• What is climate change?

• Why is the climate changing?

• How does climate change affect the health of Canadians?

• Who will be most affected by a changing climate?

A Portrait of Seniors in Canada: Introduction
By Martin Turcotte and Grant Schellenberg
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-519-XIE/89-519-XIE2006001.htm

Aging of the population is probably one of the most discussed and debated subjects in Canada today. While some analysts forecast the worst in terms of costs to public services and labour market shortages, others argue that Canada is well-equipped to face this social and demographic phenomenon - and that people shouldn't worry that much about the growing percentage of seniors in the population. (For an introduction to these debates, see for example Chapell et al., 2003; Cheal et al. 2002; Gee, 2000).

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Alzheimer's Breakthrough Recorded Using Brain Stimulation Exercises

Ashby Memory Method "like taking your brain to the gym"

CALGARY, July 31 /CNW/ - The Alzheimer's Innovation Institute Inc. of Calgary unveiled an innovative brain exercise discovery at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease ending today in Chicago. Preliminary trials show the Ashby Memory Method improves memory in people with early and mid Alzheimer's disease by stimulating neuronal activity in several areas of the brain. Early results show the non-drug treatment could outstrip the best Alzheimer's medications on the market.

"The brain is a very complex organ and we've shown that our comprehensive brain fitness approach can return function once you've started to lose your memory," said John Ashby, the lead researcher. "It's much like taking your brain to the gym with a personal trainer.

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Socializing with Youth Improves the Elderly's Health, Life Span
A gene associated with Alzheimer's disease may play a role
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=talk-to-teens-live-longer&print=true
By Erica Westly

“Youth is a wonderful thing,” George Bernard Shaw once said. “What a crime to waste it on children.” Humor aside, recent research suggests that youthful energy may not be “wasted” after all. Through social interactions alone, the young can pass some of their vigor on to the elderly, improving the older generation’s cognitive abilities and vascular health and even increasing their life span. Although researchers have documented these benefits in mammals, such as rats, guinea pigs and nonhuman primates, the reason for the effect has remained unclear. Now biologist Chun-Fang Wu of the University of Iowa offers a genetic explanation in the May 27 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Vitamin C: Cancer patients' friend or foe?
Article in New Scientist – August 2008 Issue

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19926683.700-vitamin-c-cancers

• 06 August 2008

• Peter Aldhous

• Magazine issue 2668

COULD injecting vitamin C into the blood help to treat cancer?
That's what a study in mice suggests - and trials are already under way to test such injections in people. But the preliminary result could prompt desperate patients to take large doses of the vitamin, which some cancer specialists fear may interfere with standard cancer drugs and radiation therapy, reducing their effectiveness.

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Obese Men, Unwitting Victims Of Aggressive Cancers
Aug 8th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | Category: Health
http://www.sindhtoday.net/health/10165.htm

Washington, Aug 8 (IANS) Testing for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen may be biased against obese men whose PSA levels tend to be deceptively low. This bias may be creating more aggressive cancers in this population by delaying diagnosis, according to a new study led by Duke Prostate Centre and Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center investigators.

‘We know that obese men tend to have lower PSA values than their normal-weight counterparts, possibly caused by larger blood volumes which dilute the readings,’ said Stephen Freedland, urologist at Duke and the Durham VA and lead investigator on this study. ‘Now we know some of the real implications of this — that these men are at a disadvantage in terms of prognosis compared to normal-weight men.’

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Climate Change Equals Stronger Rains
Tracking El Niño with satellites reveals that a warming world means not only heavier downpours--but drier deserts
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=climate-change-equals-stronger-rains&print=true
By David Biello

As the globe continues to warm, the rainiest parts of the world are very likely to get wetter, according to a new study in Science. Desert dwellers, however, are likely to see what little rain they receive dry up, as the rain becomes even more concentrated in high-precipitation areas. Atmospheric scientists Richard Allan of the University of Reading in England and Brian Soden of the University of Miami looked at satellite records of daily rainfall stretching back to 1987 to see how warmer temperatures had affected precipitation. That's one of the key climate changes expected from rising greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. The researchers specifically focused on El Niño, the warming of the waters of the tropical Pacific that raises air pressure, changes winds, and recurs every few years.

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