Message from the Editor, Ekvott!*
Message from Ben Antao

On behalf of the 2008 International Goan Convention committee, allow me to welcome you to the beautiful City of Toronto.

It’s been twenty** years since we had an international Goan convention in Toronto and, as one who was involved in that first convention in 1988, I am gratified that Goans continue to celebrate their unique identity all over the globe.

Like the proverbial wandering Jew, it seems that Goans are destined to live out their lives in the widespread global diaspora. But no matter where we choose to live and work, our identity will not forsake us. And so this convention’s theme dwells on Goan Identity and Networking Today, whose acronym GIANT really sums up our aspirations for today and tomorrow.

Inside this commemorative souvenir are articles written by engaged individuals and covering such issues of identity as folklore (tiatr and tiatrists), music (mando as a dance), art and literature.

The cover image of EKVOTT illustrated by Rudi Rodrigues, who also designed and art directed the issue, evokes our past toils, suggesting that unity will give strength and purpose to our endeavors. And so enjoy your stay in Toronto and have a good time at the convention.

Ben Antao, Editor, Ekvott

• *Ekvott which means together is the title of souvenir of the 2008 International Goan Convention.

• **1988 International Goan Convention
   http://www.goacom.com/community/associations/goaont/convention

Pope Issues Tough Warning Over Pop Culture, Environment
"Something Is Amiss" In Modern Society
July 17, 2008 - 9:04PM

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday warned Catholics of the perils of pop culture and pillaging the earth's resources after a rapturous welcome at the world's biggest Christian festival in Australia.

Excerpts from:
http://news.theage.com.au/world/pope-issues-tough-warning-over-pop-culture
Speaking against the spectacular backdrop of Sydney's famous harbour, the pontiff told hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in Australia's biggest and trendiest city that "something is amiss" in modern society. "Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises," the pope said after a welcoming ceremony by Aborigines in tribal paint.

Benedict told a vast sea of youths from around the world, gathered under a forest of national flags for World Youth Day, that humanity was squandering the earth's resources to satisfy its insatiable appetite for material goods. In one of his strongest-ever messages on the environment , the pope spoke poetically of his 20-hour flight from Rome to Australia, saying the wondrous views from his plane evoked a profound sense of awe.

But the 81-year-old pontiff told his young audience that the planet's problems were also easier to perceive from the sky. "Perhaps reluctantly, we come to acknowledge that there are scars which mark the surface of our earth -- erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption," he said.

In a brief speech at the ceremony at Sydney's Government House, the pontiff hailed Rudd's apology to Aborigines for past injustices in an historic address to parliament in February. "Thanks to the Australian government's courageous decision to acknowledge the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples in the past, concrete steps are now being taken to achieve reconciliation based on mutual respect," Benedict said.

"This example of reconciliation offers hope to peoples all over the world who long to see their rights affirmed and their contribution to society acknowledged and promoted"