Newsline Canada

The New Loneliness....Turning a collection of individuals into a community.
From and earlier Editorial in The Catholic Register
Canada is becoming a nation where the sum is not even equal to -- let alone more than -- its parts. The recent election, with its historic low turnout, suggests we are turning our backs on working together to solve our common problems.
This sense of "bowling alone" -- a term coined by U.S. author Robert Putnam in his book of the same name -- was only reinforced by a Statistics Canada study released this month. Once a nation of common purpose and drive, we have become bewilderingly diverse in our interests. And this is without even talking about Quebec. For full text click here.

Without Immigration, There Would Be No Way For Canada
By Binoy Thomas BinoyThomas@weeklyvoice.com
From: http://www.weeklyvoice.com/CNews/?CNewsID=526901
All of us immigrants, never mind which country we come from or what colour we wear, take a bow. Because, but for us, it looks like Canada is on the way to being depopulated back into a barren wasteland. Well that may sound like a bit too dramatic, but I think I will rather go with this after taking a close hard look at the population stats just released by Statistics Canada.
According to them, Canada's total population stood at 31,946, 316 or to round it off 32 million, on July 1. The rate of growth as compared to year 2003 stood at .9%. On July 1 2003, the total population was 31,660,466. In one year, the total number increased by 303,855 precisely. Though we still do not have exact statistics of how many people joined us by way of immigration, going by previous years it's safe to assume that nearly a quarter million or slightly more came into the country in the past year. For full text click here.

Canada churns out new jobs; unemployment rate drops to 7.1%
www.cbc.ca, Fri, 08 Oct 2004
OTTAWA - Canada's unemployment rate edged down to 7.1 per cent in September - the lowest in more than three years - as the country generated a better-than-expected 43,200 new jobs, Statistics Canada reported Friday.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2004/10/08/USjobless_041008.html
Loonie nudges close to 80 cents US
Economists had been forecasting job growth of 20,000 or less and didn't think the jobless rate would budge from August's 7.2 per cent. The strong jobs report (along with the weaker-than-expected U.S. employment figures) led to a big gain in the Canadian dollar. The loonie was up 0.68 cents to 79.96 cents US in early trading. For full text click here.

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

BJP’S Isidore Fernandes victorious
	BJP candidate Isidore Fernandes defeated his arch rival and Congress nominee Jagdish Acharya by a margin of over 2486 votes in the Poinguinim by-poll in Goa. In the results declared this morning, Isidore polled 6961 votes while the combined efforts of the opposition parties fetched only 4465 votes for Archaya. The results are definitely upsetting for the Congress party who had expected their candidate to get elected which would have supplemented their attempts to dislodge Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and return to power in Goa.
With Isidore’s inclusion the BJP strength is now 20 in the House of 40 members. Moreover, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues (an independent) won’t be enjoying the same influence in the BJP-led coalition as they did before the by-poll as Parrikar need not rely on their support now.

Schedule of masses during “Exposition”
On the inaugural day November 21, the Pontifical Mass will be celebrated in the pandal at 9.30 am followed by carrying of the Relics to Cathedral where it will be kept for public veneration till Jan 1, 05. The pilgrims will be allowed to venerate the relics from 6 am till 7 pm. The relics will be carried from the Basilica to Cathedral by the representatives of the deaneries. Masses in the pandal on Nov 22 and 23 will be in the morning from 6, 7, 8, 9.15 (English) and evening, 4, 5, 6 (English). Masses during the Novena days from Nov 24 to Dec 2 morning 6, 7.15, 8.15 (Novena Mass), 9.30, 10.30 (English), 11.30 (mass for the pilgrims) and evening 3.45, 5.15, 6.15 (English). On Feast Day (3rd Dec), masses will be in the morning from 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.30. Evening: 4, 5, 6 (English).

Information for IFFI delegates
The 35th International Film Festival of India will be held in Goa from November 29 to December 09, 2004. Professionals related to cinema, television, radio, theater and artists from the fields of performing and visual arts; Teachers and students of cinema, theater, performing and visual arts; Publishers and writers of books on cinema and culture; Members of the Press (but they must apply to Press Information Bureau) www.pib.nic.in; other details at http://www.iffi.nic.in

Charters are here!
The tourist season began in Goa with Excel Airways Boeing flying in the first batch of around 289 charter tourists on 15 October from London’s Gatwick airport. This will be the first chartered flight of the 2004-05 season. Another aircraft from Monarch Airlines is expected to follow shortly. The passengers will be handled by travel agents Travel Pack and UVI Holidays. Excel Airways is operating to Goa for the first time, has tied up with Somak Holidays to market Goa. The airline will operate three flights per week in its debut season with Margao-based Ciceron Air Transport as the handling agent. The tourism industry is expecting a bumper season this year with at least 32 flights per week compared to the 22 flights last season.

Heady mix of heritage jazz

Two dedicated jazz and heritage house lovers have embarked on an exciting project. The Rebello mansion, Betalbatim, witnessed a grand jazz explosion on September 10, when great artists came together from varying musical and geographical backgrounds to create a fusion of east and West, Christian and Hindu, traditional and modern, transcending boundaries in an exciting fusion of music. The event organised by Armando Gonsalves of Trance media is the first of the three-concern Heritage Jazz Yatra. The second concert will take place in Assagao next month.

Announcements

Events
For listing of events in 2004 please click here

Sunday October 24th, 2004
Event:	ST. CHRISTOPHER'S FEAST, TIVIM
Organised by	Tivim Association of Canada
The Tivim Association of Canada will be celebrating the feast of St. Christopher on October 24th 2004. The President for 2004, William Alphonso welcomes all friends of Tivim to register by sending an email to TivimFiesta@rogers.com. In doing so, you will be updated regularly on the details and the progress of the event. Watch the Events Section of www.goanvoice.ca for details. Click to see the Flier

Saturday, October 30th, 2004
Event:	BLAST FROM THE PAST! ‘50s-‘60s theme PARTY!
Organised by :	Toronto, G.O.A.	Click to see the Flier
Time:	6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Venue:	Forum Banquet Hall 1771 Albion Road, Rexdale (SW Corner of Albion Rd & Hwy. 27)
Tickets :	$25 p.p. (members) - $30 p.p. (non-members)
For tickets contact:
Eurema Colaco 905-507-6234 Clara/Danny Fernandes 416-621-7942 Jules Fernandes 905-826-0926 Sara Ferrao 905-569-6609 Steve Pereira 905-820-4089

Saturday December 04th, 2004
Event:	The First Christmas Dinner Dance
Organised by	Toronto East Goan Senior Association
Time	7:00 pm to 1.00 am.
Ticket	$25.00 (Non Refundable)
Venue	At Our Lady of Rosary Church Hall	Flyer click here

People Places and Things

Jan Banning The Netherlands, Laif Photos for M Magazine/NRC Handelsblad Indian bureaucrats
	1st Prize, Portrait Stories - THE 2004 WORLD PRESS EXHIBIT OCTOBER 4 - 23, 2004 India's weighty bureaucracy is an inheritance from British colonial times. Some 6,500 civil servants are employed at state level in Patna, the capital of Bihar. Sushma Prasad, assistant clerk to the cabinet secretary.

The Miracle on Mount Royal(Montreal Canada): 100 Years of St. Joseph's Oratory
Past pics side by side In 1904 a humble Montreal monk named Brother André realized a dream: to build a shrine to St. Joseph. Pilgrims flocked there, seeking not just a place of prayer but the touch of Brother André - a man his followers believed could work miracles. A century later the shrine, St. Joseph's Oratory, attracts two million visitors every year and Brother André is one step away from being declared a saint. CBC Archives looks at his life and legacy. Read More at http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-69-1437/life_society/oratory/

Health & Wellness

Diabetes Study To Help Contain 'Epidemic'
Original Publication Date: Saturday October 2, 2004
People who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes now have the opportunity to be involved in a unique study in Ontario. With three sites in the province, the Canadian Normoglycemia Outcomes Evaluation (CANOE) study will evaluate the benefits of combining healthy living and lifestyle intervention with a pharmacological therapy that is currently used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The study seeks to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by identifying Canadians in Ontario at high risk of developing the disease and preventing its onset. For full text click here.

New Survey Finds Half of Canadian Parents Spend Less Than 10 Minutes a Day Providing Homework Support - Half of All Children Doing Homework in Noisy Environment
TORONTO, Oct. 12 /CNW/ - Half of Canadian parents (51%) spend less than 10 minutes a day helping their children with homework, a new survey has found.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Kumon Math and Reading Centres, also found that half of all children (50%) are doing homework in a noisy environment because either people are talking, the TV is on, music is on, or pets are making noise.
In addition, the survey found that the favourite room for doing homework is the kitchen (45%), followed by the dining room (22%) and the bedroom (16%).For full text click here.

Fad dieting dangerous, Atkins warns
- 58% of Canadians say they've regained lost weight after reverting to old habits -
TORONTO, Oct. 12 /CNW/ - On the day after Thanksgiving, with many Canadians renewing vows to lose weight, Atkins Nutritionals Inc. today issued a public health warning about the dangers of "fad dieting," sounding the alarm over eating plans that promise quick results without making permanent changes in eating habits.
"People who go on short term, quick fix diets to lose weight quickly and then revert back to their old eating habits are not just fooling themselves, are actually putting their health at risk," said Dr. Stuart Trager, M.D., Medical Director of Atkins Nutritionals Inc.
Dr. Trager said that without a lifelong nutritional approach, fad dieters risk becoming "yo-yo dieters" who could increase their chances of developing heart disease, stroke or other serious health problems as a result of repeated cycles of weight loss followed by weight gain. Read more .....