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55 Plus Goan Association GONE FISHIN...............?!! On the l7th April, our 55 Plus Goan Association put away our "PARKAS" and Celebrated Winter's last" HURRAH" by ducking out the bad weather and went HOOK, LINE & SINKER by hosting a 'FISH CURRY NITE" at our new premises called the Gateway Centre, on Wolfedale Rd in Mississauga, to a sold our crowd of 125 members and 2 overseas guests. We hoisted and netted in a scrumptious catchl of the day, which consisted of King Fish Curry & Stuffed Mackeral (Bangra), from "Konkan Delite" - accompanied by a veggie dish.Much to everyone's de-lite! - which was just a mere touch of the culinary heritage of Goa!! - Unfortunately, we did not have "CASHEW FENI" to wash it down with - but, most settled for pop and bottled water......... !! No introduction would be complete without mentioning the people, our members who were so co-operative and understanding, as our new found premises are still under construction, but with the camaraderie of spirit & the warmth and intermingling, everyone was happy to "meet & greet" and to reminisce and share their experiences with all around them! It was remarkable to see such an overwhelming interest by each & everyone attending. We are happy to have had the opportunity of welcoming Mrs. Eileen Vienna, sister in law of Ernest & Dolly Vienna - all the way from Kenya and from "Down Under", Mr. Denzil D;Silva, who is Vivien & Tony's cousin. He represents the Indian Association, as President, in Brisbane, Australia., and to him we owe a debt of thanks .,as from the word "get-go" to the very end he didn't hesitate to "pitch-in" and lend a hand!! (according to him, he is used to it "down under" - part of his job!!) - lucky for us! We wish both visitors all the best during their stay here. It was great to have Francis and Lucy back from their trip from Goa and Francis of course, spruced up the evening by having a Bingo session. Congrats to Mrs. Alba Ferrao & Mrs. Therese Rodrigues who shared in the full house of $40.00. Last but not least, credit for all this goes to our Vice-President - Paul Nazareth and our Social Secretary Mrs. Juliet Rebello for this first ever event for this season. Many thanks especially to the hard working efforts of the ladies in the sub-committee, who 'scaled' away deep down into the serving pots to dish out the food! A lot of commitment and effort goes into the preparation for such an event and we commend them for a job well done! We look forward to a sizzlin' summer and more events to follow - so please check out the calendar of events on http://www.goanvoice.ca/  - first come - first serve basis - Remember " the early bird catches the worm" !! Muriel Lucas General Secretary, for 55+ Goan Association-West GTA

Bypass That Two-Hour Passport Line .. NEXUS Border System Comes To Trudeau Airport Reni Bruemmer Monday, April 16, 2007 http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=f0c3cd17-e2d6-4b8d-a467-dfffd3917f1b&k=71857 Frequent fliers and travellers looking to bypass that two-hour passport line on their next return from the Mayan Riviera will be pleased to learn NEXUS has arrived at the Trudeau International Airport. With a swipe of a card and a scan of the iris to confirm identity, the NEXUS program allows pre-screened travellers flying between Canada and the United States, or arriving from any international destination into the two countries, to avoid security lineups. Initiated as a pilot project in Vancouver two years ago, the program was introduced to Toronto's Pearson airport in February and will expand to include airports in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax. Self-serve kiosks and enrollment booths were officially unveiled today at Trudeau airport. Although generally geared to frequent flying business travellers, the five-year, $80 membership might be interesting to recreational tourist as well. "During rush-hour periods, when several international flights arrive at the same time, lineups for passport screening can be up to two hours," said Erik Paradise, spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency. "If you fly twice a year, it works out to $9 per flight, which could make it worth the cost to just look into a machine and not wait in line." The cards also work at land and marine border crossings, so drivers can use their cards to avoid lineups at Lacolle and St. Armand, the two Quebec land border crossings equipped with Nexus. Applicants have to phone the enrollment centre at Trudeau Airport and submit to a background check. The process takes four to six weeks. To date, about 115,000 travellers are enrolled in the NEXUS program, most of them traveling by car. The pass serves as an alternative to a passport under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative air rule, which came into affect on Jan. 23. It requires all air travellers to carry a valid passport or other appropriate document when traveling to or through the U.S. The regulation could extend to land and sea crossings as early as Jan. 1, 2008. Canada has been pushing for alternatives to the passport rule, including the use of NEXUS-type cards or high-technology drivers' licences that would be accepted at border crossings.

Sail back to vindaloo land Caught in a time warp, quaint little Goan restaurants dish out lip-smacking delicacies Nitya Kaushik http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=232998 Pork vindaloo. Goan sausages. Beef xacuti. Prawn balchao. If you are a hardcore foodie, who'd melt at the thought such Goan delicacies, just take a stroll downtown. Because, tucked in the narrow lanes of Fort and Marine Lines, you'd find a dingy restaurant or two, that'd well satiate your hungry appetite. Started years ago as eating houses, these restaurants seem to be caught in a time warp. Step in, and the first thing to hit you is the old-style ambiance - with huge drawing room for an eating place, old wooden furniture (polished and re-polished), rattling gigantic ceiling fans, and of course, large Portugese-style photos on the wall. Says Edna D'Souza of City Kitchen, one such restaurant in Fort, "This restaurant was started by my father and has, over the years, earned a reputation of its own. Among our most-loved customers was the late Beheram Contractor who was very fond of our cuisine." D'Souza says she has deliberately maintained City Kitchen's old-world look. "I quite like the high ceiling and the large windows that this restaurant has. In fact, I haven't even changed the kitchen - my only addition to it is the electric stone grinder I recently installed. However, I do believe that a restaurant should look fresh and bright, so I give it a fresh coat of paint every year." City Kitchen is quite easy to maintain with food cooked only once in the morning, D'Souza explains. "I still retain some of my authentic Goan cooks from the old times," she says. "They come in the morning, cook up all the food before 10.30 am and leave. Then we simply warm up serve as per customer orders." Snowflakes near Metro is another restaurant - built over 75 years ago - where you can dig your fingers into a scrumptious bangda reichad or pork chiily fry or the staple fish curry rice. Owner Sebastiana Vaz says that her father started the restaurant as a catering place. "Snowflakes serves very simply, homely Goan fare that is loved by Goan tourists, Maharashtrians and Parsis. We have all the dishes, from pork and beef to seasonal sea food, prepared in a Goan home," Vaz says. "Our clientele is small but regular." Other restaurants that will sweep you off your feet with its homely ambiance and bona fide Goan fare are C D'Souzas Marosas, Marine Lines and New Martins, Colaba.