Canadian Economy Remains a Model of Stable Growth
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/2008/canadian-winter08.asp 

Ottawa, January 14, 2007 – The Canadian economy will weather the storm of uncertainty in the United States, as the Conference Board’s Canadian Outlook – Winter 2008 projects growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) to accelerate slightly to 2.8 per cent this year.

“As long as the United States averts a recession, Canada’s domestic economy will remain largely impervious to woes afflicting our largest trading partner,” said Pedro Antunes, Director, National and Provincial Forecast.

Canadian domestic demand, which averaged 4.3 per cent growth annually for four years, is still forecast to expand by more than three per cent in each of the next two years. Many of the positive conditions that have stimulated Canada’s domestic economy remain in place, such as strong job growth and wage gains. Furthermore, recent changes, such as tax reductions announced by the federal government in October 2007, will maintain the momentum.

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Canada Missing Out On Opportunities To Build Relationships With BRIC Countries

Ottawa, January 11, 2008 – Canada is missing out on the enormous opportunities offered by the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India and China—the Conference Board argues in a new report released today. Canada’s share of trade and investment with the BRICs is small and linkages with these countries—especially China and India, or “Chindia”— need to be deepened.

“Canadian businesses must take advantage of the low-cost manufacturing and services available in the BRIC countries, particularly China and India. This would then allow us to concentrate on moving up the value chain by becoming specialized in knowledge-intensive, high-value-added goods and services,” said Sheila Rao, Senior Research Associate. “There are also huge export and investment opportunities for Canada in these countries. China and India are resource hungry, have massive infrastructure needs, and their enormous and growing middle-class population is boosting demand for products worldwide.”

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Get Your GOA CARD
Message from NRI office Goa
Sent to info@villafatima.com

Sir,

I am pleased to inform you that it has been decided to issue “GOA CARD” to NRIs / OCI / PIO of Goan origin, to facilitate holders of such cards to have easy access to Government Departments / offices for redressal of issues concerning them. Besides the Goa Card holders would also be entitled to certain concessions from Government Corporations, Private Hotels, Hospitals etc.

The GOA CARD is proposed to be launched at the hands of Hon. Chief Minister of Goa on Friday 18th January 2008, time and venue for which will be communicated in due course.

Hence, you are kindly requested to submit the application along with 02 passport size coloured photographs and Rs.250/- as fees which can be paid either in cash or demand draft drawn in favour of “Overseas Employment Agency of Goa” payable at Panaji latest by 14th January 2008. The application form can be collected from this office or downloaded from our website www.globalgoans.org.in .

Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
sd/-U.D. Kamat Director for NRI Affairs

(NRI – Non-Resident Indian OCI – Overseas Citizen of India PIO-Person of Indian Origin)

Management Accountants (CMA) Urges Government To Retain Foreign Students Trained In Canada To Boost Productivity, Competitiveness
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2008/15/c9082.html

TORONTO, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - Extending work permits for gifted foreign students trained in Canada is one of six recommendations by the Certified Management Accountants of Canada (CMA Canada) to Canada's new Competition Policy Review Panel aimed at putting the country's productivity back on track and making us more globally competitive.

"CMA Canada has long advocated public policy measures aimed at enhancing Canada's productivity record," said CMA Canada President and CEO Steve Vieweg, CMA, FCMA. "Putting Canada's productivity growth back on track is the key to enabling Canadian businesses to prosper in a highly competitive global economy, and to improving the standard of living enjoyed by all Canadians." CMA Canada submitted its recommendations to the panel struck in June 2007 by the Ministers of Industry and Finance with a "fundamental task" of identifying the path to enhancing Canada's productivity and competitiveness.

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Violence hurts pride of Kenyans
January 14, 2008
Craig and Marc Kielburger

From: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/293690

The images of violence that have rocked Kenya since its disputed Dec. 27 election may have caught the world's attention, but nowhere have they been more shocking than in Kenya itself.

With upwards of 500 people dead and 250,000 displaced, international media reports quickly began comparing the violence in Kenya to the genocide in Rwanda. This has stunned Kenyans, who are taken aback by the light in which their unrest has been portrayed.

They, too, are frustrated by the clashes and are eager for Kenya to return to the bastion of regional stability it has long been – the place international aid agencies, refugees from other countries, and even the office of the UN's Environment Program call home.

"No words can express the absence of pride the entire country feels over the scale of violence that has been witnessed," says Peter Ruhiu, a friend of ours in Nairobi. "What the world is seeing is repressed anger by a minority of frustrated citizens who, having felt let down by a flawed electoral process, have turned their anger on perceived enemies."

The national media has led the way in speaking out against the current crisis. A week into the clashes, newspapers across the country took the unprecedented step of publishing front-page editorials calling for an immediate return to calm, all under the headline "Save Our Beloved Country." Radio and television stations read their editorials on air.

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India Salutes NRIs At Annual Conference
By Kul Bhushan. India, 14 Jan 2008 8:30 AM - ( www.indiaenews.com )
Excerpts (NRI – Non-Resident Indian)

If you were visiting India in early January, you had the chance to attend a number of major NRI events. You could listen to and probably meet top Indian leaders and rub shoulders with fellow NRIs who are leaders in their own countries or achievers in their professions and businesses. It was a great chance to hobnob with fellow overseas Indians and to make new contacts, especially if you are in business.

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Tata Group Chairman, Ratan Tata, poses in the company's new Nano car.
Excerpts from: exchange4media News Service and other sources
January 10, 2008

India's giant Tata Group has unveiled what it has billed as the world's cheapest car - a compact and no-frills family vehicle set to revolutionise the market of 1.1 billion people.

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Indian Billionaire,Vijay Mallya, Launches Force India F1 Racing Team
Excerpts from
http://www.exchange4media.com/e4m/news/newfullstory.asp?section_id=1&news
http://www.forceindiaf1.com/

Force India, the Formula 1 team from Dr Vijay Mallya, is embarking on its long journey to race into the big league of F1 teams. With an increased investment for the upcoming year of $120 million, the team has surely set its plans high. Speaking at the launch, Dr Mallya was not quite optimistic about his team’s chances at winning medals in the current year, but was confident of seeing many more podium finishes by the time India has a F1 track in 2010.

the Force India Formula One Team announceD that Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil will lead the team for its debut 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign. Vitantonio Liuzzi will fulfil a test and reserve driver role for Force India.

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China to Rival US Car Sales in Five Years;
India Follows Closely Behind As Next Major Growth Market

KPMG's 2008 Global Auto Executive Survey

TORONTO, Jan. 9 /CNW/ - Eighty percent of global auto executives suggested that Chinese car sales will reach more than 12 million cars per year by 2011. One-third of respondents said they anticipate that China will be selling a significant number of their low-cost cars to US consumers within the next 3 to 5 years, according to Momentum:2008 KPMG's Global Auto Executive Survey.

Following closely behind the China automotive market is India, as this year's findings indicate that 73 percent of executives believe that India will gain significant market share growth in Asia, up 18 percent from last year's survey results. Moreover, when asked what emerging country outside of China will have the most consumer demand, the choice of India far exceeded all others.

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Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World

Award-winning author Mira Kamdar's latest book is Planet India: How the Fastest-Growing Democracy is Transforming America and the World (Scribner 2007).

Review:
A must read on India and the world,
By Michele Wucker "Author of LOCKOUT “
If you agree that it is impossible to understand America's future without engaging with what is happening in the rest of the world, I urge you to read Planet India. Interviewing a wide range of people, from Bollywood movie producers to indebted farmers committing suicide to tea merchants and U.S. software engineers working in India, Mira gives the flavor of India today, tells how it got there, and gives a sense of where it is going along with what its decisions will mean for the entire planet.

Mira is not afraid to break taboos, and she addresses both the tremendous optimism and potential in India as well as the Herculean challenges that the coun

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Anjuna Feast in Goa

Feast of Epiphany at Reis Magos Church, Goa, India.
 

Photos Courtesy of Joel D'Souza
 

"ADVOGAD SAIBINNICHEM FEST" was celebrated at the Church of St Michael in Anjuna on Sunday, January 13, with traditional pomp and fervour. SEE MORE PICS

CNN-IBN nomination is for all Goans: Rebello

PANAJI, Jan 14: Reacting to his nomination to the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2007 award in the Public Service category, the convenor of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Dr Oscar Rebello, today said that the nomination is not for one individual but for the GBA and for the people of Goa. [NT]

Carnival organisation meet held
PANJIM, Jan 14: Francisco Pacheco announced that the GTDC chairman, Shyam Satardekar, will be the chairman of the Central Core committee for organising the Carnival at five centres in Goa. Carnival will be held at four cities on February 2, 3, 4 and 5. [H]

British woman's rape case: five detained
PANJIM: Panjim police has detained five persons for questioning in connection with the rape of the British woman, even as they are ascertaining that the place where the rape took place was near the Merces spring. The medical report at the Goa Medical College and Hospital also confirmed the rape. It is learnt that the 32-year-old woman had feared for her life, and gave in to the accused's demands. Initially, she had put up resistance but was brutally assaulted. She also had to beg him to have something to cover herself, after the incident. [GT]

Joint squads soon to combat leopard menace: Felipe Neri
PANJIM: Forests Minister Felipe Neri Rodrigues yesterday stated in the Legislative Assembly that the forest officers will form joint squads with the NGOs and local villagers to combat leopard menace in some of the areas of the Bicholim taluka. Reiterating that the government will continue its efforts to contain the unprecedented problems of leopards in the villagers, he pointed out that the sensitivity of this protected animal and the wildlife regulation prevents taking extreme measures until and unless circumstances so warrant and all the possible remedies are exhausted. [GT]

From Benaulim to Mahadayi
Titled 'Eco-Tourism for a Green Benaulim' is a booklet by Clinton Vaz which is priced at Rs.49. This booklet gives you Benaulim's history in a nutshell besides interesting facts about the village. Clinton's booklet also tells you about eco-tourism and responsible tourism. There are links to animal rights' organisations and a nice map showing the vaddos of the village sandwiched between Colva beach and Varca. This booklet proposes cycling or walking 'eco-tours' of Benaulim. More details from bentrust@vsnl.net  or jorn_hammarstrand@hotmail.com  or klintvaz@gmail.com

Another booklet titled 'Mahadayee/Mandovi Nadeechem Khore' dealing with regional issues within Goa and eco concerns, deals with the campaign to dam the Mahadeyi river in north-eastern Goa. [Frederick Noronha, GT]

Usapkar's splendid "Ebony & Irony" exhibition
CALANGUTE, Jan 11: "Every time I come for Mr Rajendra Usapkar's exhibition, I see a great amount of evolution, step by step, in respect of his subjects and his capacity as a creator. His capacity is quite unlimited and he has a great future ahead of him," said renowned artist Vamona Navelkar, after inaugurating "Ebony & Irony", an exhibition of "pen and ink" drawings, wood-cut and etchings on paper, at Casa Goa art gallery in Calangute.

The exhibition, which was inaugurated this evening and which will be on display until January 20, comprises Usapkar's most recent collection of exquisite "pen and ink" drawings, wood-cut and etchings on paper. The Mapusa-based artist's bold, dark strokes map another realm of the female form and relevant emotion. [GoaNewsClips]

Shamila awarded PhD
PANJIM: Dr Shamila Monteiro did her Bachelor and Masters of Fisheries Science from the College of Fisheries, Mangalore. She was awarded a gold medal for her outstanding performance at the undergraduate level at the University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore. She is the daughter of Agusto and Victoria of Loutulim. This is for the fist time that a detailed study on the marine fisheries of Goa was carried out for the PhD degree, says a press release. [H]

Bobby Jindal Has Been Sworn In As The Youngest Governor Of US State Of Louisiana
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2700430,prtpage-1.cms (AFP Photo)

HOUSTON: Indian-American Piyush Bobby Jindal, a conservative Republican, recreated history on Monday as he was sworn in as the youngest Governor of once racially segregated US state of Louisiana.

He promised a "New Louisiana" that will be a magnet for the dreamers, the risk-takers, the adventurers, the leaders of America's new economy, Jindal said immediately after being sworn in as Louisiana's 55th Governor.

Alongside with his wife Spriya and three little children, Piyush recited the oath of office, holding his hand to his family's Bible, and became Louisiana's first immigrant Governor.

Pascal Calogero, chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, administered the oath, making Jindal the first non-white governor in Louisiana and fourth Republican state chief executive since Reconstruction.

He is the first Governor from Baton Rouge since the 1920s. He was born in Baton Rouge and raised in the Kenilworth neighborhood.

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New Book On Boomer Retirees
Book: Hardback | 235 x 159mm | 208 pages | ISBN 9780670066889 | 30 Dec 2007 | Viking Canada | Price $26.00
Review from: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/StockNews/987036/

In The New Retirement, global economic strategist Sherry Cooper explains that the boomer generation will be reaching traditional retirement age very soon and the enormous wave of boomer retirees will crest in 2025. This phenomenon will profoundly affect the labour markets, the economy, and financial markets for decades. But will boomers retire they way their parents did? Will they work longer and transition gradually into semi-retirement?

Cooper tells us that boomers will redefine retirement with great energy and creativity, working well beyond age 65 and mostly by choice. With the dramatic rise in their longevity, healthy goal-driven boomers will seek purposeful leisure—focusing on regeneration, rejuvenation, and low-stress contributions to society and their own personal wealth.

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Goan Overseas Association Holds Fundraiser Carnival Dance

The entire proceeds of G.O.A Toronto Carnival Dance on February 2, 2008 will be donated to the family of 9 year old Tara Ann D’Souza to assist with expenses following her serious illness.
For information on the Carnival Dance click on  http://www.goatoronto.com

The following summary of Tara’s condition is taken from www.goatoronto.com

Tara was born without the use of her left arm. She has been undergoing treatment at Sick Kids with minor but encouraging improvements each year. Over the past few years, she became an accomplished figure skater, and even learned to swim and knit. Her accomplishments so impressed her physician at Sick Kids, that he only recently changed her visits from annually to once in two years.

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Diet for a Hungry Planet
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/hungryplanet.html

Focus on India explores the issue of food -- its supply, safety and security. Nowhere are these themes writ as large as in India, scene of tumultuous economic growth in recent years. Yet India is far from securing or even improving the quality and quantity of food -- indeed just the opposite has happened. This series by our senior producer Alison Broddle investigates how India is going to feed itself, what people there are eating, and what impact that will have on the rest of the planet.

Audio: India's Move to Meat (Monday, January 7, 2008)

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The Healing Power Of Spices
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/health/spices.html

People have been using plants for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. It's been known for more than 2,000 years that the bark of the willow tree has the power to relieve pain. The bark contains salicin, which is converted to salicylic acid in the body. Salicylic acid is closely related to Aspirin, which has become the most successful drug in history.

More than a trillion Aspirin tablets are consumed around the world every year, saving most of us the hassle of harvesting willow bark to treat our aches and pains.

Other plants that yield recognized medicines include:

• Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), which contains the active ingredient atropine (used to accelerate a dangerously slow heart rate, dilates the pupil).

• Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), which contains the active ingredient hyoscine (the earliest known general anesthetic).

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Cranberry juice beneficial for women: Study
http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=12183

London, Jan 13: This piece of news may not sound music to the ears of men, but it will, beyond doubt, cheer women no end.

Drinking two glasses of cranberry juice a day can ward off flu, stops teeth from rotting and keep away bladder infections and stomach ulcers - but only in women, latest research says.Researchers have proved that the red berry has anti-viral properties but the healing powers of the fruit only applies to women.

Cranberries contain a molecule known as non-dialyzable material (NDM) which coats some bodily surfaces with a Teflon-like substance and prevents infection-causing agents from taking root and having no effect on the good bacteria.

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