Newsline Canada

Dr. Colin D'Cunha is stepping down as Chief Medical Officer of Health
	TORONTO, Jan. 19 /CNW/ - Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care George Smitherman today announced that Dr. Sheela Basrur will be the new Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Public Health Division, effective February 16th, 2004. For full text click here.

Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants set to revolutionize the immigration consulting industry in Canada
TORONTO, Jan. 21 /CNW/ - Today, in a move that will revolutionize the industry, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) formally announces the beginning of its registration process across Canada. In accordance with the federal government's proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, individuals who give immigration advice to a client for a fee will need to be a member in good standing of either the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, a provincial or territorial Bar association, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. For full text click here.

	Top job in health goes to Dr. Sheela Basrur THERESA BOYLE QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU- Toronto Star Dr. Sheela Basrur is moving from city hall to Queen's Park to become Ontario's new public health watchdog. Health Minister George Smitherman announced yesterday that Toronto's medical officer of health is taking over as the province's chief medical officer of health Feb. 16.
"As a new government, with a very strong commitment around enhanced public health, we felt that an injection of new leadership was necessary," Smitherman told a news conference. The Liberal government is dumping Dr. Colin D'Cunha from the post. He'll be sidelined to a job as special adviser to the minister and deputy minister on infection control. For full text click here.

Home sales in Canada post a new record
OTTAWA, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - Annual existing home sales in Canada's 25 major markets for the year 2003 surpassed its previous record set in 2002.
According to The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), major market home sales traded via the Multiple Listing Service(R) (MLS(R)) totaled 307,505 units in 2003, representing an increase of 3.8% from the year before. Annual sales set new records in a number of large markets including Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
New listings reached their highest level since 1994, while the major market MLS(R) residential average price of $222,702 represented an increase of 10.0% above its previous record in 2002. For full text click here.

Canadian Mining Company Tiomin on track to advance Kwale Project In Kenya near Mombasa
  TORONTO, Jan. 13 /CNW Telbec/ - Tiomin Resources Inc.is actively pursuing the development of its Kwale project, one of four major titanium mineral sand deposits it discovered in  Kenya. Recently the company's application for a Special Mining Lease was formally approved by Kenya's Commissioner of Mines to proceed towards the commercial development of the Kwale titanium deposit. The project will be designed to produce on average 330,000 tonnes of ilmenite annually as well as 75,000 tonnes of rutile and 37,000 tonnes of zircon for the first six years of operation. Rutile and ilmenite are sources of titanium dioxide used primarily in the fabrication of pigments and titanium metal, while zircon is used in applications such as ceramic glazing, foundry molds and electronics.

Coping with the winter: Canadians are still hot when the weather's not
TORONTO, Jan. 20 /CNW/ - Young Canadians are turning the harsh weather totheir advantage by adapting their dating styles to the doldrums of winter. A recent national survey by AXE reveals 78 per cent of Canadians aged 18-24 don't let winter weather hamper their hottie-hunting. In fact, the survey discovered that freezing temperatures and blowing snow actually help 34 per cent of Canadians aged 18-24 to meet new people. So where's the most popular hot spot to meet sweeties when it ain't so sweet outside? House parties take the lead with 73 per cent of respondents choosing to cuddle up close and mingle indoors. Pick up lines also seem to work just fine in wintry weather, with 37 per cent opting to get a little closer in line-ups outside of bars and dance clubs - uh, hey baby, you're hot, it's cold - wanna warm me up? See full article click here

Immigration is costing us big time: Peel
By: CanIndia NewsCommunuty News
Peel: Peel Region authorities say the huge up-front cost of integrating the growing number of new immigrants into Canadian society is simply too much for taxpayers to bear alone.
The federal and provincial governments pay the entire $11.5 million (Ottawa's share is $11.2 million) cost of helping 10,000 annual newcomers to Peel settle in comfortably through language classes, job search programs and other initiatives. But, much more money is needed.
David Szwarc, the Region's social services commissioner, said the federal government must pay out more cash to meet rising demand as Peel's immigration numbers continue to climb.
See full text @:http://www.canindianews.com/Explore.asp?PUB=89

News Clips from Goa
by Joel D'Souza & Fred Noronha

Filipe Neri Ferrao is new archbishop Auxiliary Bishop Filipe Neri Ferrao was appointed the Archbishop Patriarch for Goa and Daman yesterday (Jan 16). The much-awaited appointed was made public at 4.30 pm by Archbishop Patriarch Rev Raul Gonsalves. The Archbishop-designate will also be the primate of the East and the Patriarch of the East Indies—titles attached to the Archiepiscopal See of Goa. For full text click here

	Goanetters’ Gathering A group of GoaNetters gathered at the Kala Academy campus on January 7 evening, exchanging news, views, etc. Naturally all eyes were on Herman Carneiro, the soft-spoken originator of Goanet. Cecil presented fragrant flowers to Herman as well as to Rene.
The “Goa Day man” celebrated his birthday). He cut the delicious cake and the Netters sang “Happy Birthday” to Rene. There is a small video clip showing some of those gathered at the Kala Academy that day. Check at http://goacom.com/goanow/goanetmeet/goanetmeet.htm

Fontainhas Festival The week-long Fontainhas Festival of the Arts 2004, organised by the Goa Heritage Action Group, was inaugurated at the Phoenix Fountain, Panjim, by the Power Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, on January 10. The highlight of the festival was the opening up of several houses in the Fontainhas-Mala area, for various artists to display their works. The inaugural function was followed by “Dances of India” and performance by “Just Jazz”.

President accorded warm welcome:
President APJ Abdul Kalam arrived in a special flight on a two-day official visit to the State. He was accorded a warm reception by Governor Kidar Nath Sahani and other dignitaries present at the Navy strip of the Dabolim airport. Later, he was taken in a motorcade to Taj Exotica where he addressed a workshop organised by the Indo-American Organisation on prevention of terrorism with the help of science and technology. President Kalam said that terrorism was hard to contain due to the huge economic gaps between developed and developing nations. He said that both USA and India should find out the root causes of terrorism and take steps. The President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, has emphasized the need to develop sophisticated technologies for interrogation of terrorists and to access, analyze and unearth the network and overall strategies behind the scene.

Kite Carnival Kites like birds and kites like fish, kites like pastry rolls, teddy bear, dragon-fly and kites like, well, just kites. Colourful kites in all shapes and sizes glided across the Miramar skyline as the second three-day International Goa Kite Carnival got underway at Panaji on January 17 afternoon.

A full-day kite-flying on Sunday will culminate with a musical concert where renowned Goan percussionist, Bondo will jam up with other musicians. Mr Ajay Prakash, chief executive of Nomad Travels and Nomad Heritage Trust, the main organizers, said that there were around 18 participants this year from India and abroad. Also present was India’s famed Babu Khan from Jaipur, flying 250 kites on a single line

Ribandar honours Alfred Rose At a well attended function, Goa’s renowned Konkani singer and all-round artiste the late Alfred Rose, was honoured at the concluding function of the grand centenary celebrations at 7.30 am near Fonduvem Chapel, Ribandar, yesterday evening. Singer Rita Rose received the shawl and award, on behalf of her illustrious husband, from former Tourism Minister and local MLA Ms Victoria Fernandes. For full text click here

Goa Sudharop fellowship awards The Goa Sudharop Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on 75-year-old ex-Chief Secretary of the UT of Goa Daman & Diu and founder of the Association of Friends of Astronomy, Percival Noronha, at a small function at the Caritas Hall in Panjim yesterday evening. For full text click here.

Events

People Places and Things

Repulse Bay students help to repel the flu Job-shadowing Grade 9 girls aid in massive vaccination Jane George
	Of Repulse Bay's 700 residents, 560 received their flu vaccinations and few have fallen ill, thanks to door-to-door visits by community nurse Maria Fraser (nee Fernandes) and three Grade 9 students. (PHOTO BY PATRICIA D'SOUZA) To find Repulse Bay in Nunavut follow the Arctic Circle west on Hudson's Bay
The flu and its coughs and fever weren't part of the recent holiday celebrations in Repulse Bay due to a vaccination campaign conducted by nurse Maria Fraser and three eager Grade 9 students. Last month, Fraser asked Maggie, Sarah and Marsha, who were at the local health centre for job-shadowing during their school's "career week," to help her administer flu shots to as many residents as possible. "I said, how about we go house-to-house and you help us," Fraser said. For full text click here

2004 is INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF RICE (IYR)
http://www.fao.org/rice2004/index_en.htm
IYR 2004 aims at promoting improved production of - and access to - this vital food crop, which feeds more than half the world's population while providing income for millions.
The theme of the IYR - "Rice is life"- reflects the importance of rice as a primary food source, and is drawn from an understanding that rice-based systems are essential for food security, poverty alleviation and improved livelihoods. Rice is the staple food of over half of the world's population. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion people obtain 60 to 70 percent of their energy intake from rice and its derivatives; it is the most rapidly growing food source in Africa and is of significant importance to food security in an increasing number of low-income food-deficit countries. Rice-based production systems and their associated post-harvest operations employ nearly 1 billion people in rural areas of developing countries and about four-fifths of the world's rice is grown by small-scale farmers in low-income countries. Efficient and productive rice-based systems are therefore essential to economic development and improved quality of life, particularly in rural areas.
Read the IYR concept paper... http://www.fao.org/rice2004/en/concept.htm

India Ascendant: 'Gravity's grasp' versus 'poverty's clasp'
By: Santosh Miskin
http://www.indiacause.com/ol/OL_031227.htm
Excerpts
...On August 15th 2003, Prime Minister Atal B. Vajpayee in his Independence Day speech announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort - "Our country is now ready to fly high in the field of science. I am pleased to announce that India will send her own spacecraft to the moon by 2008. It is being named
Chandrayaan I." ...
....The gateway to the stars has also become the gateway to progress and prowess. India has already launched or will launch satellites for diverse applications in agriculture, telecommunications, cartography, education, meteorology, remote sensing and disaster management. These satellites are not elitist endeavors but rather Gandhian tools. Data collected by the satellites is utilized by those making a living off the land and sea. State governments provide information that helps farmers choose which crops to sow, warn fishermen of impending cyclones, broadcast educational programmes to villagers and help in water resource management. These satellites also help private sector companies and other government bodies in urban and rural planning especially during building new infrastructure

Omigod! Ash is the mostest again
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004MADAME EX/TIMESOFINDIA.COM Let's face it. You can love her, you can hate her, but you can't wish her away. Our Ash has done it again. This time, she has been voted the most attractive woman of 2003.
	What a boost for the Indian glamour scene. This was not a made-in-India competition, though one suspects that we Indians tend to be the most enthusiastic voters online and the sheer numbers help. Ash was voted the most attractive in a poll conducted by hellomagazine.com , and the also-ran list includes amazing beauties the world over. Chew on this - British actress Keira Knightly came in second followed by no less than Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta Jones. Angelina Jolie was there somewhere, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cindy Crawford, but Ash beat them all to it.
What a boost for the 30 plus woman trying to squint out those crow-feet. She was Miss World a decade ago. Takes some doing to be a global beauty queen for 10 years. Knightly, at 19, is actually a generation apart. She is 11 years younger than Ash. It is hugely tempting to dismiss this as just another online poll, conducted by the kilo to draw glamour-starved surfers. To yawn at all that ado about Ash , the over-hyped. For a moment, let's give in to that temptation, what do we have? An Indian actress who looks good on a list because all the bored Indians surfing out there decided to plug for her? Perhaps, Lady Luck's loved one - she will always win so eat your heart out.

Goan Overseas Association, Toronto - New Year's Eve Party on Dec. 31, 2003

For more photographs click here.

Goans, pioneers in Westernisation (by: Dr Jose Pereira)
Sat, 20 Dec 2003, By Frederick Noronha
http://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@goanet.org/msg07325.html
Excerpt:
Imposition of civilizations by force is no novelty in human history. What is remarkable is that some of these civilizations were ardently received by the victims of the imposition. The force is the condition on the imposition, but the ardent reception can only be ascribed to the allure that the imposed civilization exerted on the conquered by providing them with the outlets for their creative energies that their own cultures had failed to do.

Frescoes by Dr. Jose Pereira

Fresco showing Fishermen.Click to enlarge the photograph

Chapel of S. Joaquim, Borda, Margao, Goa, India. 1783 -- 1786. http://www.fordham.edu/general/Undergraduate/Pereira_Frescoes10473.html

The Release of David Frum's Latest Book An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror
David Frum's new book, An End to Evil, co-authored with Richard Perle, aims to remind American's what is at stake in the war on terror, and the coming wartime presidential election.
David Frum writes that the impetus behind the book was "the very real danger that the war on terror would be lost - not on the battlefield - but in the corridors of the capital. We set out to do our best to persuade Americans to rededicate themselves to the fight - and to accept nothing less from its leaders than a total commitment to victory over terrorism. But it was not going to be enough to exhort people: We had to offer them some kind of vision of what victory would look like and how it could be achieved."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1400061946/002-7281206-6844824?v=glance

Announcements

"Plot For Sale" In Vagator, Bardez. Prime Location for more details click here.

Obituary

18 Jan. Kitchener, Canada BETTY (Beatrice) PINTO. Wife of the late Nicholas J. Pinto (ex Kampala Uganda). Mother of Allan (Imelda), Mario (Deidre), Sheila (Eustace), Donald (Anita), late Basil. Will be missed by all the grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Friends will be received at Westmount Funeral Chapel, 1001 Ottawa Street South (at Westmount Road). 519-743-8900 on Sun., Jan. 25, 2004,from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Blessed Sacrament R. C. Church, 305 Laurentian Drive (at Block Line), Kitchener, on Mon. January 26, 2004 at 10:30 a.m. Interment to follow at Woodland Cemetery. Condolences to edesouz@yahoo.com

FALEIRO, REVEREND CHARLES - The Parishes of Christ The King Church and S. Salvador do Mundo Church are saddened to announce the peaceful passing of Father Charles on Monday, January 12, 2004 at the Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga. Burial held on Saturday, January 17, 2004 followed by entombment at Assumption Mausoleum.

RODRIGUES, NATALIA MARIA - After a 7 month battle with cancer, on Monday, January 12, 2004 at the William Osler Health Centre, Brampton Campus. Natalia Rodrigues a longtime member of the CWL, who was past treasurer for the CWL Council of St. Anthony's and Treasurer for CWL Peel Region and a member of the Quarter Century Club of the Ministry of Transportation. She sadly missed by her beloved husband Martin of over 45 years, daughters Catherine and Iris, and many friends. Funeral took place January 17 at St. Marguerite d'Youville Church, 2490 Sandalwood Parkway East, Brampton followed by interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery. T

Health & Wellness

The top ten tips for selecting a residence for your aging relative
TORONTO, Jan. 21 /CNW/ - In recognition of January being Alzheimer month, The Care Guide today issued its top ten list for choosing a residence for an aging relative.
Selecting a residence for your aging relative can present challenges. The variety of residences available (from long-term care to retirement to Alzheimer-specific residences) can cause confusion. In addition, many people have entrenched ideas about what a residence is and looks like - and given that residences have changed drastically in the past several years, those ideas can be wrong!
There are ten basic steps that should be taken when choosing a residence for a senior relative, are outlined by The Care Guide, http://www.thecareguide.com Click to find out more...

Be on the alert for boiler room tactics
TORONTO, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - If you get an unsolicited telephone call about an investment opportunity, be alert to the signs of fraud, warns the Ontario Securities Commission. You might be a target of a boiler room operation. Boiler room operations wear many disguises, and they are once again rearing their ugly head in Ontario. Boiler room operators hope to give you a false sense of security with promises of quick profits - but the only ones that profit are the s cam artists, at your expense. For full text click here.

Vincent Ramcharran of Prince George, BC is a member of the DEVELOPMENT AND
PEACE delegation to the World Social Forum IV in Mumbai, India
TORONTO, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - Vince Ramcharran of Prince George, British Columbia is a member of the Canadian Catholic Organization for DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE (CCODP) delegation to the World Social Forum IV (WSF) in Mumbai, India.
He will return to Canada at the end of January. DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is one of Canada's most influential and respected international development agencies. For full text click here.

Big benefits to a university education, say Canadians
OTTAWA, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - A large majority of Canadians see the benefits of a university education and believe government should do more to ensure there's a spot for every qualified student, according to a recent poll by Ekos Research Associates.
At least three-quarters of Canadians say a university degree greatly improves one's chances of getting a job and has a big impact on a person's quality of life and personal growth. An even larger number, 82 percent, believe a degree positively affects lifetime earnings and career advancement opportunities. For full text click here.

Toronto M.D. Conquers Exercise-Resistant Fat
TORONTO, Jan. 13 /CNW/ -
When Exercise and Diet Just Don't Work
"Flab" is usually associated with the couch potato but surprisingly, even body builders and models suffer from localized pockets of excess, mushy tissue. Exercise-resistant fat (ERF) is the newest challenge in the battle of the bulge. Prime examples of ERF are love handles in men; post-partum tummies, butts and thighs in women. When the personal trainer can't make a dent in a problem area, many turn to the liposuction surgeon as their last resort. The brave and the solvent suck out what they can't burn off! A breakthrough solution for the rest of us (a less expensive, non-surgical way to spot-reduce ERF) has been developed by Toronto cosmetic surgeon Dr. Stan Gore. For full text click here.