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Newsletter. Issue 2008-09. April 26, 2008

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CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL & DAN TOURS
A 10-day fascinating trip to
Israel & The Holy Land
Dates: November 18th- 27th 2008
Click for Details

Newsline Canada

Pope Urges U.S. To Keep Religious Values
Belief in God is foundation of human rights, he tells Bush
http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2008/0421/pope042108.shtml
By JOHN THAVIS-Catholic News Service-Washington

Pope Benedict highlighted his visit to the White House by pleading with Americans to preserve a moral and political order based on the central place of religious faith. Religious values helped forge "the soul of the nation" and should continue to inspire Americans as they face complex political and ethical issues today, the pope said during an April 16 ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

The pope was greeted with great fanfare as a crowd of thousands sang Happy Birthday to him on his 81st birthday. Pope Benedict said he had come to the United States "as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society."

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International Students In Canada Will Be Able To Obtain An Open Work Permit
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS
Work Permit Changes A Positive Step

OTTAWA, April 22 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Federation of Students welcomes the government's announcement of changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. "These changes address a key recommendation of the Canadian Federation of Students for improving the program's flexibility," said Brent Farrington, National Deputy Chairperson of the Canadian Federations of Students Effective immediately, international students will be able to obtain an open work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, with no restrictions on the type of employment and no requirement for a job offer. In addition, the duration of the work permit has been extended to three years across the country. Previously, the program only allowed international students to work for one or two years, depending on the location.

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The Housing Boom Is Over!
http://www.660news.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20080418_002104_7616
Bryce Kelley - April 17, 2008 - 10:00 pm

The housing boom in Canada is starting to slow down.

The latest numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association shows a softening of markets across most of the country. Douglas Porter, the chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns, says there are double-digit declines in sales activity in more markets than you can shake a stick at, and Calgary is one of those markets.

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New B.C. Legislation Opens Door To More Foreign-Trained Doctors

VICTORIA — British Columbia is making it easier for out-of-province and foreign trained health professionals to work in the province. Health Minister George Abbott says reforms tabled in Bill 25, the Health Professions Regulatory Reform Act, will expand patients' choice of health professionals and also their access to such people. Qualified doctors working in other provinces and countries will be allowed to work in B.C. with a restricted licence.

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Ex-President On Mission To Establish Social Equality In India
Visiting Here To Promote Trade Ties With Canada
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/416200
April 19, 2008-Prithi Yelaja- Toronto Staff Reporter

Former president, eminent scientist and national visionary all in one, Abdul Kalam has an ambitious goal for his native India: to see it join the ranks of developed nations by 2020. But it must be done, he insists, in a way that enhances social equality. The technological revolution that has transformed India's cities and created a burgeoning middle class has to be carried into the thousands of villages where the people remain poverty-stricken and ill-educated.

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Canada India Foundation pushes for more visa processing centres in India
http://www.canadaindia.org/ 
Written by Amit Gossai / SAFP Correspondent - Friday, 11 April 2008

TORONTO -- Supporting the Harper government's immigration reform legislation, Bill C-150; the Canada India Foundation (CIF) says Canada however, still needs to take several steps to improve immigration services in India.

CIF is urging Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley to establish two new visa processing centres in Mumbai and Chennai.

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India’s Aditya Birla increases its stake in AV Group in New Brunswick

NACKAWIC, NB, April 14 /CNW/ - T
The Aditya Birla Group today announced that it has increased its stake from 75% to 95% in its two Canadian joint venture companies, AV Cell Inc. and AV Nackawic Inc., at a total consideration of approximately $9 million CAD. The Group has acquired the additional 20% stake in these two companies from Tembec Inc, its joint venture partner. Tembec's decision to dilute its stake in these two entities is part of their effort to focus resources on core business units.

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Commentary

Internet May Spell End Of Newspaper
http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/1740/852/
Written by John Bentley Mays - Thursday, 17 April 2008

The North American newspaper is a wonderful thing. Since its rise some 300 years ago, this medium has helped build civil society and advance democracy. It has linked people together over the vast distances of the continent, and it has provided these people with the facts about what is happening in the world, and why.

Because I believe papers are building-blocks of freedom — whether big and general, like, say, The Globe and Mail, or small and specialized, like The Catholic Register — I find the hand-wringing over the future of print journalism to be an ominous sign of the times.

Almost all the news from the U.S. newspaper industry is bad. In a recent New Yorker article, media analyst Eric Alterman reports that independent American newspapers have lost 42 per cent of their market value in the last three years. “Most managers in the industry have reacted to the collapse of their business model with a spiral of budget cuts, bureau closings, buyouts, layoffs and reductions in page size and column inches,” Alterman says. “Since 1990, a quarter of all American newspaper jobs have disappeared... Only 19 per cent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 claim to even to look at a daily newspaper. The average age of the American newspaper reader is 55 and rising.”

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News Clips from India

Canadian Minister Lauds India’s Economic Ascent
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/category/thailand
April 17th, 2008 - 12:37 am

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Hailing India’s “economic ascent” and its growing global stature, Canada Wednesday called for stepping up cooperation in areas ranging from agriculture and mining to ICT and infrastructure. “We know that the world is knocking on India’s door. That is why it is up to Canada and Canadians to step up, showcase what we can offer India and find new ways of becoming natural, preferred and beneficial partners for India,” Canada’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Helena Guergis told top businessmen here.

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India to have ‘near normal’ monsoon: minister
April 16th, 2008 - 10:43 pm

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) The India Metrological Department (IMD) has forecast that the country will have a “near normal” monsoon this year, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday. “(The) department’s long range forecast for the 2008 southwest monsoon season is that the rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be near normal,” Sibal told reporters here.

“Good monsoon means good growth. Agriculture production will go up, prices will fall. There will be more water, which means increase in productivity. Farm income will go up,” the minister added.

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India’s Elite IIT Graduates Prefer Jobs In India: Survey
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080047067

Press Trust of India
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 (New Delhi)

Greener pastures abroad seem to have lost charm for IIT graduates, as most of them prefer to stay back in India and believe that the country will be a ''promising geography'' in the next 10 years, says a new survey. Among those who graduated from the IITs in 2002 and later, 84 per cent remained in the country whereas only 65 per cent of graduates during 1964-2000 period preferred to stay back.

The survey of 677 IITians conducted by global analytics and research firm Evalueserve showed that from those who graduated in 2002 and later, about 49 per cent respondents feel that India would provide them better opportunities. Further, as many as 90 per cent of all IITians have chosen to remain in the country in 2006.

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Tata, World's 6th Most Innovative Co; Reliance Industries 19th
April 18, 2008 19:46 IST
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/apr/18tata1.htm

India's two leading conglomerates, Tatas and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group, have made it to the league of the world's 25 most innovative companies, riding on the cheapest commercial car Nano and an aggressive growth path, respectively.

In the list of world's 25 most innovative companies released in New York on Friday, Tata group is ranked at the sixth position, while Reliance Industries [Get Quote] is at 19th spot.

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The Root Cause Of The Indian Agriculture Crisis
April 17, 2008
http://www.rediff.com/

Greek mythology has King Sisyphus condemned for all eternity to rolling a boulder up a hill, only to watch it slide down before it reached the top to start all over again. The crisis of Indian agriculture is no less severe and daunting.

Countless trees have been sacrificed in the last three weeks discussing the agriculture loan waiver in print. With all due respect to the many learned government spokespersons and other supporters of the measure as well as its equally eloquent critics, I would like to submit that indebtedness is not the heart of the problem of agriculture in India. It is perhaps the most visible symptom of it, but the real malady lies elsewhere.

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News Clips from Goa

Goa Villagers Up In Arms Against Housing Project
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2008041455001200.htm
Prakash Kamat

Aldona Bachao Abhiyan fighting to prevent urbanisation of village

PANAJI: Residents of Aldona, a sleepy village of north Goa, are up in arms against a proposed mega housing project. The Aldona Bachao Abhiyan (ABA), a core group formed by the villagers, is gearing for a struggle armed with a fresh government notification on March 13 on the role of the ward development committees, village panchayats, gram sabhas and the zilla panchayats in the planning process. Renowned writer and ABA spokesperson Maria Aurora Couto said on Sunday that the Abhiyan had asked the Aldona panchayat to instruct promoters of the housing project to stop the work, pending grant of permission by the Chief Town Planner as required under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1974.

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Rich in Goa will now have to pay!
PANJIM, APRIL 10 -– Education in government professional colleges –medicine, engineering, architecture — and even other institutions will not be free for children belonging to the ‘creamy layer’ of Goan society.

This was disclosed by the Finance Minister Dayanand Narvekar while participating in the discussion on Goa Budget organized by Goa Pradesh Youth Congress Committee, at Miramar on Thursday. If the annual income of your family is between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh then you may have to pay 50 % of the cost of the seat in government institutions. Narvekar stated that for those people whose family income is above Rs 25 lakh, it will be a fully paid seat for their children.

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The Famous Goan Mando
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Apr202008/finearts2008041963599.asp  
Deepa J Dinakar

Goa is a cosmopolitan city. A land of highly talented and artistic people with a rich culture blending East and West, Goa celebrates carnival every year which binds people of all religion who actively participate in it. Amongst various traditional songs popular in Goa, Mando is the one that attracts people of all communities. It is a love song, sung by Goan Catholics, accompanied by Ghumat and the romantic strings of violin.

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 Fire personnel displaying the fire extinguisher bike on Monday on Fire Day at St Inez.
Nandesh Kambli

Goan Manufacturer Promises Frugal Roadster For UK Distribution
www.dreammachines.org.uk
11th April 2008

A two-seater convertible called Storm built by San, a manufacturer based in the Indian state of Goa, is to be shown at this year’s British International Motor Show, before being offered for sale by the Sussex-based specialist sports car retailer Dream Machines. Priced from £9,995, it will be cheaper (and slower) than the Lotus, Marcos and TVR cars offered by Dream Machines. The company will according to Automotive News Europe seek to appoint 10 UK retailers for the San brand this year, and 40 by 2013.

Dream Machines says the San Storm is powered by a Renault 1,147 cc 60 bhp engine; its emissions qualify the car for a £35 VED rate, and it does 68 mpg on the urban cycle, with a GVW of 820kg.

Global warming threatens Goa’s coastline
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=04179
NT Staff Reporter

Panaji, April 16 : Goa’s coast is under major threat from rising waters due to global warming. With this Goa’s main USP, its pristine beaches, and subsequently its tourism industry, which attract millions of tourists will literally sink into oblivion and with it the livelihoods of millions of Goans.

Says a scientist from the NIO, Dr Ramesh Kumar, this is a very dangerous situation and the water levels will keep on rising. Goa is only 5 feet above sea level. However, Goa is in exalted company. Climate change could also destroy Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is top tourist attraction of that country.

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Washing Away Miseries
http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159805/1/?PrintableVersion=enabled
Namita Kohli

Excerpt…
At 7.30, on a bright March morning in Goa, the sussegad (Goan for laidback) city is still rubbing sleep out of its eyes. But Salma Rehman of the Katta Baina area is already up and about. “I am getting late,” she frets, as she steals one last look in the palm-sized mirror behind the door of her tiny room, where she stays with her husband and two kids. The room — with just enough room for five people to stand — costs her Rs. 750 per month. Running expenses are extra. But the 21-year-old doesn’t mind it. “I have earned all this with izzat (respect),” she smiles, as she walks through the crowded basti to catch the bus for Swift Wash — the laundry at the Sancoale industrial estate in Vasco. At the laundry, there are 50 of her ‘colleagues’ waiting to start the six-hour morning shift: collecting, washing, ironing and delivering clothes, uniforms and linen. “We now cater to 19 clients, mostly in North Goa — including the Taj hotels,” she adds with pride.

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Hisss... help just round the corner!
PANJIM, Apr 17: If one sees a snake, there's no need to worry. You can now call from a list of 40 volunteers (snake handlers) who will immediately come to your help for a small fee that would cover their fuel expenses. The list, compiled by nature enthusiast Clinton Vaz of Benaulim, for WildGoa, was released today at an informal gathering of nature lovers in the precincts of Kala Academy. Apart from sharing his concern for the reptiles, Vaz touched upon the issue of availability of anti-venom at the Primary Health Centres around the State. Vaz also raised concern on declining number of frogs and dwindling turtle nesting activity. [H]

Goan campaigns against selling land to outsiders
PANJIM, Apr 12: Having single-handedly sounded South Goa against the ill-effects of selling Goa to outsiders for profit, the 2007 State Nominee for the National Award for Human Rights, Anthony D'Silva of Assolna, made this presence felt in faraway Bardez, and took his campaign against the Times of India Property Show today to Mapusa's famous Friday market. D'Silva stationed himself at the Mapusa Municipal market's main gate with his unique display of photographs to tell fellow Goans why they should not sell their land and their ancestral properties to outsiders. [H]

Global warming threatens Goa's coastline
PANAJI, Apr 16: Goa's coast is under major threat from rising waters due to global warming. With this Goa's main USP, its pristine beaches, and subsequently its tourism industry, which attracts millions of tourists, will literally sink into oblivion and with it the livelihoods of millions of Goans. Says a scientist from the NIO, Dr Ramesh Kumar, "This is a very dangerous situation and the water levels will keep on rising." Goa is only 5 feet above sea level. [NT]

 Obituary

Roque Xavier Cabral

The family is saddened to announce the peaceful passing of Roque on 22nd April 2008. Beloved husband of Rosie (nee Silveira), dotting daddy of Charmaine-Nicola and Marion-Frances. Brother to Armanda/Michael (Nairobi), Markus/Sara (London), Manuel/Agnela (London), Walter/Mary (London) and late Philomena wife of Mario Cardoso (London). Brother-in-law also to Maria/Charles (Leicester), Theresa/Lony (Canada) & Lina/Austin (Canada). Uncle to Fiona, Savio, Melissa, Mervin, Marilyn, David, Richard, Jordan-Lee, Cynthia, Jason, Kristen, Aaron, Michael, Marcellus & Melina.

Family and friends will be received at The Simple Alternative Funeral Home, 1535 South Gateway Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 5J1, on Tuesday 29th April 2008 between 1.00pm to 4.00pm and 6.00pm to 9.00pm.

The Funeral Service will take place on Wednesday 30th April 2008 at 10.00am, St. Francis Xavier Church, 5650 Mavis Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5V 2N6. Burial will follow at Assumption Cemetery, 6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5T 1N4.

Reception at Sapphire Banquet Hall, 959 Derry Road E, Mississauga, Ontario, L5T 2S7. Donations can be made in Roque's memory to the Canadian Cancer Society.

People Places and Things

Curtorim Loutulim Raia (CLR) Village Association hold their First Ladainha

Curtorim Loutulim Raia (CLR) Village Association held their First Ladainha (Litany or Ladainha) at the Sts. Martha and Mary’s Church in Mississauga, on Friday, April 11. In view of the limited capacity of the parish hall, the event was announced by word of mouth to the villagers. An attendance of 80 was thus very encouraging for the size of the reception hall.

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2008 Goan International Conference, Toronto
Creative Writing Workshop
Wednesday July 23, &Thursday July 24 at the University of Toronto, Mississauga.
For more information see: http://2008goanconvention.com/program2.php

The Convention will feature a Writers workshop led by Victor R Ribeiro, an internationally published author (his novel, Tivolem, has been very well received). Attendees will also have exposure to other well known published authors.




About Victor Rangel-Ribeiro
Victor Rangel-Ribeiro began his professional writing career in Bombay in 1945, and has been writing ever since. His short stories and features have appeared in the United States and in the Indian press, in Goan publications such as The Navhind Times, Govapuri, and the Goan Observer, and in the Penguin anthology Ferry Crossing.

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Muscat: Community Leadership Award to Celso Fernandes
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=45704

Monday, April 14, 2008 12:12:47 PM (IST)
Thumbay Group - UAE
by Clarence Pinto, Muscat
Daijiworld Media Network Muscat




Muscat, Apr 14: Recognizing the immense and selfless social, community and language service carried out by Celso Fernandes to the Goan Community, more specifically in the Sultanate of Oman, the Government of Goa honored him with one of the highest awards to the Non-resident Indians : Global Goans – The Community Service Leadership Award at the recently held function at Panaji - Goa.

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Get The Right Name And Open Doors For Your Child
Thu Apr 17, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1747226920080417

LONDON (Reuters) - British parents spend 30 million hours a year picking the names of their newborn children, a survey showed on Thursday. And choosing the right name can be crucial -- if you want your child to get on in life.

The survey by Abbey Banking showed that parents agonize for up to 45 hours over the name of their child -- a combined 30 million hours annually in Britain. One in three parents believed the right name can give a child confidence while up to two million thought it could help their child's career prospects.

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Recipe for Today - Goan Fish Curry
Give it a try !

Ingredients:
2 pomfrets
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp salt
1 grated coconut
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 flakes garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
8 pieces red chillies
1 tbsp coriander leaves
3 tsp tamarind water
5 cups water
1 onion
2 green chillies

Method: Cut the pomfret into desired number of pieces. Add salt and lime juice to fish and marinate for 10 minutes.

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Announcements

WHAT's On and Where in the GOANWORLD

Click for details

GOAN WELFARE SOCIETY - Nairobi. Kenya
A MEMBER of the WORLD ALLIANCE OF GOAN ASSOCIATIONS

From: rene barreto
WE work TOGETHER to build a better GOANWORLD
http://worldgoaday.blogspot.com/
http://whatsongoanworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/goan-welfare-society-nairobi-kenya-agm.html
19th April 2008

NOTICE TO G.W.S MEMBERS

Notice is hereby given that the 14th Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday the 4th of May 2008 at the Goan Institute at 11.00 am, failing a quorum the meeting will be reconvened at 11.30 am

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Events

TORONTO EAST GOAN SENIORS ASSOCIATION (T E G S A) - 2008 Events
Please mark you calendars for the following exciting events:
All events will be held at Commander Hall Arena, unless otherwise advised.

Click to download form to join TEGSA or renew membership for 2008

Health & Wellness

Canadians May Not Be As Healthy As They Think
Misperceptions about personal eating and exercise habits may be putting Canadians at risk for chronic disease -

TORONTO, April 14 /CNW/ - Spring is in the air, and instead of cleaning the house, a new survey shows Canadians should be thinking about sprucing up their daily routine. The survey, conducted on behalf of the Canadian Diabetes Association, shows Canadians may not be as healthy as they think, and could be leaving themselves at risk for chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. The survey reveals a gap between Canadians' knowledge about healthy lifestyle behaviours and their willingness to adopt such behaviours. While Canadians recognize a healthy lifestyle as attributable to several factors - including physical exercise (97 per cent), healthy eating (95 per cent), and reducing stress (93 per cent) - they are not putting this knowledge into
action. Disturbingly, fewer than four-in-ten Canadians (37 per cent) said the threat of a serious illness would motivate them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

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Body Fat Location Indicates Serious Health Risk
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2008/21/c7797.html?view=print

Discovering where people can 'pinch an inch' means the difference between long, healthy lives and life-threatening disease

VANCOUVER, April 21 /CNW/ - Recent studies published in The Scientific American and The New England Journal of Medicine show a very high correlation between certain body shapes and debilitating health afflictions. Depending on where the largest concentration of body fat is found, patients are susceptible to everything from heart attacks, to dementia, to infertility.

"Belly fat in midlife can mean a higher risk of dementia in later life, and an apple-shape can mean a higher risk of heart disease and high-cholesterol," says Bodycomp Imaging Owner Peter Schwagly. "This is important information for people to know. Post-menopausal women should also be measuring their fat distribution to make sure they're counteracting the dangers of muscle loss and fat gain."

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Caring For Each Other Will Save Environment
Friday, 18 April 2008
http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/1749/856/
Written by Kimberly Stinson, Catholic Register Special,

Fr. Pier Giorgio di Cicco
TORONTO - The Earth needs to be treated as a sacrament given to each other because “time is running out,” said Fr. Pier Giorgio di Cicco.

“Time is running out... We cannot save the environment until we have returned to the ecology of the heart,” said di Cicco, the former Poet Laureate of Toronto who was keynote speaker at the Greening Sacred Spaces Forum April 12 on the campus of the University of Toronto. “Human nature has been re-engineered away from civic care. Our task is to restore this situation,” said di Cicco. Environmental restoration gains momentum not just through greening buildings, but through building community, he said. At the heart of communities are sacred spaces.

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Washing Produce Doesn't Remove Bacteria: Report
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080410
Thu. Apr. 10 2008
CTV.ca News Staff

Washing fruits and vegetables with water is not enough to remove common bacteria that can cause severe illness, a new report says. The researchers injected food-borne bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella into vegetables and then tried various common ways to clean them, including water and a sodium hypochlorite treatment. Both the water and the chemical solution did not significantly reduce the bacteria levels. Only irradiation killed 99.9 per cent of harmful bacteria. Irradiation is an electron beam that alters a cell's genetic material, thereby killing harmful parasites, germs and insects.

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Hand Gels Alone May Not Curb Infections
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080130
The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. -- Doctors and nurses on the go often skip soap and water in favor of an alcohol-based hand gel, thinking the quick-acting goo will kill bacteria on their hands and curb the spread of infection. It turns out that's not enough. In a Nebraska hospital, medical workers nearly doubled their use of the alcohol-based gel, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients.

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