+ Pope John Paul II 1920-2005 Sleep well, dear prince, and let flights of angels take you to your rest -

Newsline Canada

Rainbow ends at glass ceiling
"You don't want to walk into a place where you see one racial group doing all the dirty work and another racial group giving the orders."
CAROL GOAR- Toronto Star
Mar. 28, 2005
Excerpts
Ride the subway, visit a public school or go door-knocking with a politician and you'll see the racial and ethnic diversity of Toronto.
Enter the council chamber at city hall and you won't. Just five of Toronto's 45 municipal councillors belong to visible minorities. For full text click here.

Why hugging an immigrant is a good idea
Increased diversity by 2017 will challenge assumptions, starting with negative narratives against non-whites
HAROON SIDDIQUI
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR EMERITUS -Toronto Star
Excerpts
Twelve years from now, would we still have an Easter long weekend? Most likely, considering how entrenched our holidays are. But the question is relevant, given our rapidly changing demography, as projected by Statistics Canada to 2017.
The study shows non-whites, most of them non-Christians, doubling to 7.12 million. That's seven Saskatchewans. For full text click here.

'Employers Unable To Move Beyond Words On Promoting Visible Minorities'
Despite investing time and resources in workplace diversity, too few Canadian organizations successfully attract, develop and promote visible minorities, the fastest-growing segment of Canada's labour force. To help organizations make the necessary changes, The Conference Board of Canada has launched Business Critical: Maximizing the Talents of Visible Minorities-An Employer's Guide.
see full article http://weeklyvoice.com/CNews/?CNewsID=527578

Canadians bullish on housing market:
TORONTO, March 29 /CNW/ - A compelling 91 per cent of homeowners and 79 per cent of renters believe buying a home is a good investment, proving that Canadian residents are continuing to bank on the value of their homes. This is according to a new study from RBC Financial Group.
"Canadians are definitely bullish on housing and they should be," said Clayton Van Esch, senior manager, Home Equity Financing, RBC Royal Bank. "No matter what the markets are doing, people have faith in the ongoing value of their homes. In fact, the number of respondents indicating that buying a home is a 'great' investment has more than doubled since 1999."
RBC Royal Bank's 12th Annual Homeownership Survey also notes Canada's homeowners estimate the market value of their home to have increased over the last two years by 17 per cent. The Canadian Real Estate Association estimates that the average Canadian home has increased in value by over 200 per cent since 1980.

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

Why March makes Goans go mad?
With March dawns not only a period of fun and frolic, feasts and festivals, but a period of water scarcities in Goa. On the occasion World Water Day last week, consumers staged a protest-cum-solidarity dharna against the Goa public works department in Panjim, demanding their long list of grievances be redressed at the earliest. Consumer forum volunteers from different parts of Goa participated in today's dharna. The people of Divar and St Estevam came out with empty pots and buckets, to protest about the inadequate water supply since their villages reel under the effect of a severe shortage of water.

Shigmo :Goa's Colourful Folk Festival
	Spring is here in Goa and with it the riot of colour that is synonymous with Shigmo. The celebrations which began last week to the beat of the giant dhol (drum) and symbols, with the throwing of coloured powder and colourful float parades in virtually all the talukas of Goa, will continue for a week.

Bond’s Wondrous Photographs
	Spain-born Sr Maria Doles Sueiras, Mother General of the Religious of Mary Immaculate, headquartered in Rome, set the right tone for a memorable cultural evening at St Anne's parish in Olaulim (Bardez) last month, when she lit the traditional lamp to mark the opening of an exhibition of exquisite photographs of the picturesque village clicked by netter Alphonso Bond Braganza since the time he set up residence there in 1986.
Speaking in Spanish Sr Sueiras, the chief guest, expressed her utter delight on being in Goa, where she claimed quite a lot of similarity with her native country, where a lot of Goan nuns of her religious order are working. In fact, the nuns of the Religious of Mary Immaculate have their house next to the church. She had a good, close look at the captivating photographs by Bond depicting the rural life and even a bit of Olaulim's rich past, and admired immensely the photographer's exceptional talent. Thereafter Sr Sueiras, guest of honour Thomas Vaz, several of Bond's artist friends and Olaulimkar's gathered in the church compound, were treated to a lovely cultural programme which featured Bond's singing daughter Veeam Alphonso, talented village youngsters besides the senior citizens, who rendered some nostalgic mando-dulpod items dressed in traditional attire, and a talented young lady playing the violin for accompaniment.

Cardinal Dias likely to succeed Pope John Paul II

With Pope John Paul II being hospitalized, his health has become a matter of concern and discussion at the Vatican as well as church circles all over the Christian world. On the question of who could succeed the ailing Pope, names of prelates from Asia, Africa and Latin America, including an Indian archbishop, prop up during discussions and in the media. In an article “Why The Next Pope May Be A Surprise” appearing in the international weekly magazine “Business Week”, the list of probables for the Pontiff’s post includes Mumbai’s Archbishop Ivan Dias, a friend of Mother Teresa.

Oil spill threat averted
A major ecological disaster, on Wednesday, threatened the coastline of Goa when 110 metric tons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the sea after a barge and a large marine vessel collided four nautical miles from Aguada. The mishap occurred at around 1 am on Wednesday when Prapti, a Goa based barge, and a bulk carrier MV Maritime Wisdom were to commence the process of transferring mineral ore from one vessel to the other. The oil spillage spread three miles in length and one mile in breadth and had reached 5.5 miles from the ship in 11 hours. Though late, authorities got into action spraying the area with dispersants and containing the spread of the oil slick, and averting a threat to marine ecology of the local coast.

Obituary

Message from Goans_Tanzanite <goans_tanzanite@yahoogroups.com>
30 Mar 2005 RICHARD ALMEIDA of Mississauga , (ex-Dar-es-salaam, worked for the Agip SPA) passed away suddenly. He will be dearly missed by his wife Agnes, children -Walter, William and Wendy, daughter in law Lazarine, son in law Albert and grandchildren, Rachel-Anne, Kristina and Shaun.
Funeral: Saturday, April 2nd, 2005, 10:30 am St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, 2300 Burnhamthorpe Rd, Mississauga. 905-820-1444 Interment: Assumption Cemetery, 6933 Tomken Road, (Tomken & Derry) Mississauga. Condolence messages may be sent to his son Walter at habari3110@sympatico.ca or to his daughter Wendy at wmfonseca8@hotmail.com

18 Mar. Hendon, London, UK. JOSEPH (JOE) ALFONSO (ex-Esso, Nairobi). Husband of Leonilda. Father of Tracey. Brother of Ida, Xavier and Juni. E-mail traceymfa@msn.com to send condolences

From Goan Voice-UK [http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/]
17 Mar. Barkingside, Ilford Essex. PETER F. CALDEIRA (ex-Nairobi). Husband of late Rosy. Father of Christa/Dennis, Bella/Sylvester, Greg/Tilda, Doris/Clifford, Vince/Zelia & Neves, all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The funeral service will be held on Fri. 1st April at 11am, at St. Augustine’s Church, Cranbrook Road, Barkingside, Essex. Condolences to nca33@hotmail.com

Events
For listing of events in 2005 please click here

Announcements

Memorial Mass for the late Max Alfonso
A Mass to pray for the repose of the soul of Max Alfonso will be held on
Sunday, April 17, 2005 at 5 p.m. at: St. John of the Cross Church followed by a gathering in the Church hall (6 - 8 p.m.).
PLACE: St. John of The Cross Carmelite Church
6890 Glen Erin Drive
Mississauga, On L5N 2E1
(905) 821-1331
(Derry Rd. and Winston Churchill, West of Mississauga Rd)
Followed by a gathering at church hall from 6 to 8 p.m.

Celebrating 10 years of Inter-village soccer in Toronto
The Goan Soccer League, Toronto will be celebrating 10 years of Inter-village soccer in Toronto. To commemorate this occasion GSL is organising an International Soccer Tournament on July 15, 16 and 17, 2005 in Etobicoke, Toronto. Teams from the United Sates, England, Dubai, Kuwait, Canada (Various Provinces) have shown interest. For further details see Events section of Goan Voice Canada ..

New Name for Goan Association in Vancouver
Message from Cleto Dos Remedios, Secretary
"Canadian Goan Association" has changed it's name to the "Goan Overseas Association"
or GOA, Vancouver for short. Their web site is : www.goavancouver.com

Sri Lanka and Asia's king of pop... Alston Koch on Song for The Anchorman's Toronto Tsunami Fundraiser on May 7

From: " D. C. TISSERA" dimi.tissera@rogers.com Picture caption...Sri Lanka’s King of Pop Alston Koch, with American superstar Kelly Clarkson at MTV’s Asia Aid Tsunami Concert on February 3, 2005 - at the IMPACT Arena in Bangkok. Koch and cricket legend Aravinda de Silva put Sri Lanka on the world stage in front of an estimated one billion TV viewers worldwide. By Dirk Tissera For full text click here

People Places and Things

India is Magic. By Daphne Gordon
26 Mar: Toronto Star. Feature article, 1710 words based on a stay at Purple Valley Yoga Centre in Goa. Excerpt: At YogaMagic, a luxurious tent hotel in this magical part of India, there's no need to wear a watch; you can tell what time it is simply by listening. For full text click here.

Sleeping senior ends up at B.C. morgue
From CBC News
VANCOUVER - A sleeping senior at a B.C. extended care facility was sent to a hospital morgue on Saturday, March 19, after being mistaken for her dead roommate.
According to Fraser Health Authority spokesperson Helen Carkner, the mix-up occurred when a driver who works for the company that transports the dead from the facility to the morgue didn't check the woman's wrist band for identification.
"He was shown by the nurse which room the [deceased] resident was in and the nurse pointed to the resident and gave the name," she told the Vancouver Sun. "She went back to the nursing station to complete the paperwork [and] for whatever reason, he picked the wrong individual." For full text click here.

Get Organized:
Eight Spring-Cleaning Tips for Small Business
Is your office crowded with single-function machines?
Are your marketing materials black and white and ignored all over?
Xerox Canada offers eight office management tips that add punch to your pitch, colour to your documents, and a buffer for your budget. For full text click here.

Health & Wellness

New Therapy for Repetitive Strain Injuries Announced
CALGARY, AB, March 29 /CNW/ - Today, Thermotex Therapy Systems of Calgary, Alberta, a world leader in the development of infrared personal therapy systems, announced the release of their newest therapy system, The Thermotex Wrist, for the treatment of symptoms associated with repetitive strain injury (RSI) such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For full text click here

Healthy items to keep on your grocery list
By Cary Galloway (Homemakers)
If you want to improve your health and achieve optimal wellness, eating the right foods can help you reach your goals. The following energy- and immunity-boosting foods can keep you feeling great all year long. For full text click here

Beware of "Phishing"
Identity Theft Rated Primary Online Security Concern Among Canadians Study indicates Canadians fear identity theft over virus attacks, spyware and spam, but are not familiar with "phishing" term TORONTO, March 29 /CNW/ - Thirty-nine per cent of Canadians consider identity theft, such as having passwords and personal information stolen, to be their primary security concern online, according to a recent study commissioned by AOL Canada Inc., and conducted by Maritz Research. However, 64 per cent of Canadians surveyed were unable to accurately define the term "phishing" - the increasingly common practice of using fraudulent spam emails and fake corporate Websites to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data. For full text click here

Cancer Vaccine
When it comes to cancer medical miracles can happen. But why do only some patients spontaneously get better. Their own body fights off the disease without drugs or radiation. And its made scientists wonderis it possible to trigger the bodys power to heal itself? Two Australian research groups think they can.
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/innovations/stories/s1330688.htm

Vitamin D: We Need the Sun - but what about the UV?
For many years a leading laboratory at the University of Sydney has been investigating Vitamin D and finding what an amazing vitamin it is.
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/innovations/stories/s1330704.htm