Canada Will Not Escape Economic Malaise Of The US: TD Economics
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2008/19/c5480.html?view=print

Excerpts

• U.S. economy slated for a recession in 2008

• Real GDP growth expected to be a dismal 1.1 percent in both years, 2008 and 2009

• Canada will produce equally soft headline GDP growth of just 1.1 percent in 2008 but rebound modestly to 1.8 percent in 2009

• Provinces - particularly Ontario - with a heavier manufacturing base and, in particular, low net exports of high-demand resource products, will be hit hardest.

TORONTO, March 19 /CNW/ - Canada will not escape the economic malaise that is underway in the United States according to the March issue of the TD Quarterly Economic Forecast. And, the American contraction will widen regional divides in Canada. According to Chief Economist, Don Drummond: "The west will remain in the best shape to weather the economic headwinds, while central Canada - and notably Ontario - will be in the worst."

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Recession Call Interview - Link
22-March-2008

(CNN) - ECRI's managing director, Lakshman Achuthan, on CNN’s Your $$$$$ with Ali Velshi and Christine Romans discussing ECRI’s first recession call since early 2001, why it didn’t have to be this way, and how the recession affects people differently.
http://www.businesscycle.com/news/press/1482/

IMF Chief Says Global Outlook Dims, To Cut Forecasts
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSL1719810520080317?sp=true
Mon Mar 17, 2008

Excerpts
PARIS, March 17 (Reuters) - The global economic outlook is worsening and the risk of contagion from a financial markets crisis that began in the United States is now very high, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Monday.

At a news conference in Paris, he welcomed the overnight steps taken by the U.S. central bank and said the International Monetary Fund would be cutting its growth forecasts again soon.

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Canada may face snap poll on immigration changes
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/category/tech-news
March 24th, 2008 - 10:48 am ICT by admin -

Toronto, March 24 (IANS) A proposed amendment to Canada’s immigration policies has triggered the possibility of fresh elections in the country. Though China is the top source of immigration to Canada, India is likely to overtake it this year. The amendment, which will give the government sweeping powers to regulate immigration, is included in the budget implementation bill. Parliament will vote on it early next month.

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Clean Up Goa –Times of India Editorial
15 Mar 2008,
Printed from
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2867196,prtpage-1.cms

It's a famed beach-holiday destination, easy-going and affordable. With its rich cultural and religious traditions, Goa offers a heady mix of the old and the new. However, over the years, it has also become an attractive hang-out for socially dysfunctional people. Easy availability of drugs and its reputation as a tourist paradise where liquor flows uninterruptedly seem to have perpetuated its image as a permissive haven, away from the rough and tumble of the outside world. The idyll is shattered when something goes horribly wrong as it did with 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling, on holiday with her family from Britain.

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Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao’s Easter Message

On the occasion of yet another Feast of Easter, I am pleased to convey my cordial and warm greetings to the Christian community and to all people of goodwill in the State of Goa. Christ died on Good Friday and the hearts of those who loved him became, all of a sudden, very heavy. The thought of his lifeless body in the tomb filled them with a great sense of emptiness. But on Easter Sunday his tomb was found to be empty … and the empty hearts were filled. Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, filling them with a new strength and a new light. This was an entirely new beginning to a people who saw nothing but the end of all their hopes. Easter indeed celebrates the triumph of Christ over death, which is the victory of God’s Love over human hatred and of Truth over deceit, signalling the emergence of a new life, of a new society, indeed of a new world order. We are called to take up the challenge of Easter and actively engage ourselves in the building of a new society wherein the most valuable and cherished human values will be upheld, nurtured and lived forth. May all of us, regardless of creed or race, join together in the building of such a society, where peace, mutual respect and frank collaboration will be the hallmarks.

+ Filipe Neri Ferrão
Archbishop of Goa and Daman

Obama Urges Americans To Help Heal Racial Divide
Transcript Of Obama's Speech

click to read entire speech

March 19, 2008 -- Updated 0734 GMT (1534 HKT)
The following is a transcript of Sen. Barack Obama's speech, as provided by Obama's campaign.

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

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Goa: Govt Bans Foreigners From Buying Land
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx
Sujoy Gupta
Friday, March 28, 2008 (Mumbai)

Goa is for Goans, that's the message of the state government, which has decided to ban foreigners from buying land for personal purposes. The government announced this in the state assembly on Friday and also passed the Goa Registration Amendment Bill.

The government has also appealed to Goans not to sell land to foreigners and preserve their land.

Foreigners can now buy land only for business purposes but only after following specific and stringent conditions such as a business visa plus an explicit clearance from the RBI.

Now foreigners on tourist visa can not buy land.

Goan With The Wind

In the early 1990s, Air India printed a calendar showcasing people from different states in their traditional costumes. The Goa portrait had a couple at a church wedding in bridal finery: the lady in a flowing gown, her partner in a jacket and tie. The publication sparked off protests within the Goan community, who accused the national carrier of portraying a flawed image of the state. In a state where over sixty per cent is Hindu, the calendar was seen to reinforce the stereotype of Goa as a "westernised" Portuguese enclave. Ironically, the protests were led, among others, by the redoubtable architect Charles Correa, a Goan Catholic proud of his Saraswat Brahmin heritage, someone who was perfectly comfortable in his kurta pajama and Kolhapuri chappals. The protestors were successful enough to force a change in the calendar.

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‘Goa is going down the drain ’
Remo Fernandes talks to AJIT SAHI about how his land has changed

Drugs, sex and crime have become the landscape of Goa. Where is all this headed?
Down the drain.

Who is responsible for this mess?
The politicians, ministers, sarpanchs, municipalities. In short, everyone in power. Because everyone in power in India is corrupt. Especially in places where there’s money to be made from every square inch of land.

How can we end the nightmare?
As a country we’ve reached the last stage of corruption: the people themselves prefer to elect the corrupt candidate rather than the honest one, because the corrupt one will do their ‘job’ for them, such as give them licences for illegal construction, with illegal electricity and water connections to boot.

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GOA DRENCHES
For second day, rains disrupt normal life

PANJIM: Unseasonal rain continued to lash the state for the second day yesterday, (March 22) throwing normal life out of gear in many parts. Mapusa market and many low-lying areas across the state were inundated even as people preferred to stay at home, yesterday being a holiday on account of Holi. Meteorologist in-charge of the Indian Meteorology Observatory, Panjim, KV Singh, told GT-Weekender that the unseasonal rainfall was due to low pressure area in south-east Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshwadeep area and off Karnataka and Kerala coasts. "The situation is well marked low and rainfall is likely to continue. If the rains intensify it could cause depression in the Arabian Sea. The rains may be accompanied by gusty winds in some areas," Singh said. The IMO recorded 5.6 mm rainfall up to 5.30 pm yesterday. [WE-GT]

Shigmo floats parade at Mapusa
MAPUSA: The Shigmo floats parade at Mapusa will be held on Sunday, March 23 from 4.00 pm. The procession will start from Alankar theatre, take a right turn opposite Comunidad Ghor and conclude at the open fields at Bodginim. [WE-GT]

This ain't Holi, folks
VASCO: A group of youth celebrating Holi at Vasco on Saturday morning went overboard and threw coloured water and powder on a decently dressed lady (Flory Fernandes, a Goan residing in London) and her father (Gestor Fernandes) when they were on their way to attend a religious programme. [WE-GT]

298 land deals violate FEMA
PANJIM , Mar 25: The Goa Assembly on Tuesday was informed that nearly 298 cases of land deals by foreign nationals have been found in contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act and have been referred to the Enforcement Directorate for necessary action. [H]

Konkani course in Roman script
PANJIM, Mar 24: The Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr will conduct a crash Konknni course from April 16 to May 15 in Roman script for those who are familiar with spoken Konknni and know to read Konknni in Roman script at TSKK premises at Alto-Porvorim. Admissions are based on first come basis. Tel: 2415857, 2415864. [H]

Politicians, outstation scribes in drug nexus!
PANJIM: Home Minister Ravi Naik dropped a bombshell yesterday when he said in the Goa Assembly that some politicians and outstation media persons had a nexus with drug peddlers even as he revealed that the government was ready to hand over the investigations of the British teenage Scarlett Keeling's murder case to the CBI, for an impartial inquiry. Participating in the discussion and voting on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address delivered on January 10, Ravi said the police was probing the nexus between some politicians, outstation media persons and the drug trade in the coastal areas. However, he did not reveal the names of the suspected politicians and media persons.

Dr Sapeco suspended
PANJIM : The state government, on March 24, suspended Dr Silvano Dias Sapeco, professor and head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, with immediate effect for his alleged "acts of commission and omission" in respect of the 15-year-old British girl Scarlet Keeling's death case reported at Anjuna beach on February 18. [GT]

Remo to be honoured in Egypt
PANJIM, Mar 24: Pop singer Remo Fernandes is to be honoured with the 'Golden Key to Alexandria' at the Sixth Alexandria International Music and Song Festival, to be held between 20 and 26 July in Egypt's historical city of Alexandria. Remo will be part of the International Jury which decides the winners of the festival to be held in the Alexandria Opera House. He is being honoured for his "valuable contribution to the world of music and humanity". [H]

Where have the nakabandis gone?
The recent serial robberies in the coastal parts of Salcete have created a sea of panic and insecurity among villagers.The villages of the area now are increasingly people by settlers from all over India, and the original villagers are left to fend for themselves against ever-increasing robberies. Migrants, hailing from neighbouring Karwar, Hubli, Belgaum and even Uttar Pradesh have of late settled in Goa villages. While most of these are honest, hardworking folk, a small section that has infiltrated their ranks seems to have thoroughly scanned the localities in which they are staying. [Edit, Herald]

Conference on Indian expatriates in Gulf
PANJIM: The Department of NRI Affairs will hold a conference of Indian expatriates in the Gulf countries on March 29 at Hotel Mandovi, Panjim, at 3 pm. Union Minister for NRI Affairs, Vyalar Ravi, will inaugurate the conference. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will be the chief guest. Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro, will preside over the conference. On the occasion, Community Service Leadership Awards will be presented to some leaders of the Goan community in the Gulf countries. The Handbook for NRGS, containing information useful to the emigrants and facilities available to them will be released at the conference. Action taken Reports on memoranda submitted to the NRI Commissioner during his recent visit to the Gulf countries will also be circulated at the conference. [WE-GT]

Miraculous Cobra Saves Lord Ganesh-Shaped Tree
NT News Service
Canacona, March 18
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=031955

In a rare incident that occurred in Canacona, a black cobra appeared from nowhere when an ancient tree resembling a Lord Ganesha idol was being trimmed in Karmalghat-Ghat forest area.
One Mr Velip while cleaning bushes and trimming trees in his cashew plantations was taken aback to see a golden shinning cobra while he was trying to trim a huge root of an already half-cut tree. The cobra started to instantaneously move its hood as if it was signalling to stop the chopping process.

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New Book on Portuguese Immigrant Experience in Toronto

Published: March 18, 2008

Dimensions: 224 Pages, 5.85 x 8.54 x 0.86 in

Published By: Doubleday Canada

ISBN: 0385664362

From the Publisher
Like Wayson Choy and David Bezmozgis before him, Anthony De Sa captures, in stories brimming with life, the innocent dreams and bitter disappointments of the immigrant experience.

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Short People Are Most Prone To Jealousy, Say Scientists
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080312/od_afp/sciencepsychologysexoffbeat&printer=1

Short people should pray for a return to the Seventies fashion of stack heels, for the power of jealousy depends on how tall you are, the British weekly New Scientist says.

Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and University of Valencia in Spain asked 549 Dutch and Spanish men and women to rate how jealous they felt, and to list the qualities in a romantic competitor that were most likely to make them ill at ease. Men generally felt most nervous about attractive, rich and strong rivals.

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Florida State passes droopy pants law
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080314/od_nm/saggy_odd_dc&printer=1

Fri Mar 14,
The Florida Senate wants public school students to pull up their pants. Lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that could mean suspensions for students with droopy britches.

It won't become law unless the House of Representatives passes a companion measure.

Florida could join several southern U.S. towns and cities that have passed "saggy pants" laws aimed at outlawing what some teenagers consider a fashion statement -- wearing pants half way down their buttocks, exposing flesh or underwear.

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Now, 3D cameras
IANS[ SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2008 12:23:22 PM]
Surf 'N' Earn -Sign innow

WASHINGTON: Imagine a camera that sees the world through thousands of tiny lenses, each a miniature camera unto itself. Now stop imagining and start imaging.

Researchers at Stanford University already have the prototype of just such a gadget: a 3-megapixel chip, with all its micro-lenses adding up to a staggering 12,616 cameras.

The multi-aperture camera looks and feels like a small cell phone camera. And the final product may cost less than a digital camera, the researchers say, because the quality of its main lens is no longer of paramount importance.

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+DIAS, John

DIAS, John 1943 - 2008 . Passed away peacefully on April 2nd at North York General Hospital. Loving husband of Maria and loving father of Vernon and Nancy. Loving Grandpa of Emma. Brother of Jane/Salus, Bertha/Dominic, Cecilia/Cajetan, Liz/Tony, Estella, Jeffery/Mamie and Teresa.

Greatly missed by family and friends. Friends may call on Thursday, April 3, 2008 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and April 4 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the R.S. Kane Funeral Home (6150 Yonge Street, at Goulding, south of Steeles). A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 11 a.m. at Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church (3220 Bayview Avenue). Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society. Condolences www.rskane.ca

Eulogy – Lawrence D’Souza

Lawrence D’Souza of Mississauga was on vacation in Goa, where he passed away. His funeral took places on Fri. 7 Mar in Navelim, Goa. The following is the eulogy delivered by his grandson, Mark Gonsalves.
 

FAREWELL TO OUR PAPA – LAWRENCE D’SOUZA – March 7, 2008 by Mark Gonsalves at Our Lady of Rosary Church, Navelim, Goa, India.

Thank you for coming to celebrate our Papa’s - Lawrence D’Souza’s journey to heaven. We really appreciate all of you taking time from your busy schedules and limited vacation time, and coming from all over Goa to be with us this afternoon at this Eucharistic celebration. Your presence this afternoon as we try to deal with our loss, our sorrow and vulnerability at a time when the relationship with the one we’ve cherished – our Papa, is severed through death, provides a source of great comfort to our family. We’ve all gathered here this afternoon at this Mass during the Lenten season to celebrate the Resurrection to new life of Jesus Christ, and how that mystery continues to affect the everlasting life of Our Papa.

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