Canadian Elections
Riding - Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca (British Columbia)

Troy DeSouza comes close to winning seat - loses by 68 votes (0.1 %)

Source: http://642blog.ca/2008/10/15/keith-martin-defeats-troy-DeSouza-by-68-votes-for-now
15 October, 2008
Filed under: Community, Sooke — TimAyres

You know it’s close when all the news coverage is over and you are still unsure of a winner. That’s exactly what happened last night in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, the federal electoral riding which covers from Port Renfrew to Sooke, into Langford, View Royal, Esquimalt, and parts of Saanich and the Highlands. It was back and forth all night, with DeSouza and Martin at times ahead by margins of a few hundred votes. Just after 11:00 pm, it was reported that Martin had won by a mere 68 seats. Election rules state that a race this close is subject to an automatic recount, so technically, we still don’t know.

Congratulations to Dr. Martin and Mr. DeSouza for a well-fought campaign, and good luck to the eventual winner in Ottawa - I’ll be watching.

UPDATE : It was reported today
Tim Ayres - Sooke Real Estate Professional
http://642blog.ca/2008/10/15/keith-martin-defeats-troy-DeSouza-by-68-votes-for-now

Excerpt from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/elections/fed2008/candidates
Troy DeSouza immigrated to Canada as a young boy from South Asia. He served as an Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves between 1987-1994, where he reached the rank of Captain. He later pursued a law career, working as a municipal prosecutor and litigator with the firm Staples McDannold Stewart. Troy obtained a political science degree from University of Victoria and a law degree from the University of Windsor.

See Troy on youtube promoting Goan Cuisine
Troy DeSouza making authentic Goan Dish
10 min
www.youtube.com

Moon mission launches India's modern-day power status
Posted Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:00pm AEDT
Excerpt from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/22/2398387.htm?section=world

(AFP : Dibyangshu Sarkar)

See also: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/10/21/india.space/index.html

India has joined the space race with the successful launch of its first rocket mission to the moon. The unmanned satellite will orbit the moon for two years studying its mineral composition and searching for ice and a new energy source called helium-3.

Professor Robin Jeffrey is an India analyst at the Australian National University and he says the launch is an important way for India to show that it is a modern-day power. "I think it's really important for the way India, the Indian elite, views itself and the way it wants to be viewed by the rest of the world," he said.

"The message is India is a great modern power and has to be reckoned with in every sphere, including space travel and space exploration." Professor Jeffrey says it is not just a big message that India is sending to the outside world, but it is also a way of strengthening national pride.

"It's also a message for Indians of all classes as India prepares for a whole lot of elections," he said.
"There's six state elections coming up in the next six or seven weeks and then there's a big national election that all Indian politicians are gearing up for next year. "So it also can be construed as a statement by a Government seeking re-election nationally, that it's taking India to the forefront of global activities." But the Indian Government is not the first government to use the space race alongside with an election campaign.

"Indian governments have done it in the past, nuclear tests have often been timed to be useful in domestic politics and that's part of the political process," he said.  "You like what appear to be good news stories going out when you most need them. Australians are not estranged to that." But with poverty a major problem in the densely populated nation, the question arises as to whether the money spent on the space launch could have been put to better use.

Professor Jeffrey says both issues are important to India's Government. "The Government of India puts a great deal of energy and money into trying to feed the poor," he said. "There's a huge national rural income guarantee scheme which is being financed at the moment. "The kind of funds here would probably have found it difficult to disperse in a way that would do the poor a great deal more good than the current expenditure.

"It's not so much money, it's a question of getting the money and the goods into the hands of the people who need them. "So I think a government of India can defend this as something that goes with being a great modern state, just as trying to feed your people well goes with trying to be a great modern state."

This particular mission is to find a new energy source, helium-3 isotopes, the discovery of which could come as a major benefit not just to India, but also to the rest of the world.  Professor Jeffrey agrees that what it may come down to is India's need for energy - just like the rest of the world.

"India is energy hungry and energy poor at the moment and, to make that great modern India that the leaders are aspiring to, energy is going to be one of the key things," he said.  "So if they find something in space I'm sure it will be very welcome."

Based on a report by Karen Barlow for AM, October 22.

Portugal Power
The little nation that could go green - and is
Excerpts from: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/10/16/rfa-durham.html
Wednesday, October 22,
By Nancy Durham, CBC News

Francisco Aleixo runs the Amareleja Photovoltaic Power Plant in the Moura region of southern Portugal, the largest solar plant of its kind in the world. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Who would have thought a dictator inspired a renewable energy campaign? That's one explanation for how Portugal has come to embrace clean energy so enthusiastically.

The "sea snake" known as Pelamis waits to be towed to sea in Porto Harbour, Portugal. One snake can supply electricity to around 1,500 homes using wave motion. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Back in the '50s, Antonio Salazar ruled the then-isolated European nation. To help keep it that way, one of his goals was to make Portugal energy self-sufficient, so he embarked on a massive dam-building project. It made sense: Portugal has no oil or gas reserves of its own.

To this day, hydro power makes up the largest slice of Portugal's fast-growing renewable energy pie. And now the little nation in Europe's southwest corner can also boast about its progress in solar, wind and, most recently, wave power. Portugal had a goal to produce 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2010. Two years ahead of schedule, it is at 42 per cent.

Click here to read rest of article

Living the past in the present
At Calizz (Which means ‘HEART’ in Konkani’) you will discover the soul of Goa.
http://www.calizz.com/default.htm

More than 200 locks with their keys, over 30 old cameras, around 100 ceramic bottles in which the Portuguese got their wines, a Shivlingam surrounded by old brass lamps, sex toys of olden days… all this under one roof ? Hard to believe, but yes… not under one roof, but at one place - a museum at Candolim. Calizz, literal translation means heart. “It is meant to showcase the heart of Goa,” says Nandan Kudchadkar, the man behind Calizz. The museum was recently awarded by Incredible India for their innovative approach. At the museum, you can see Portuguese and Hindu culture on display. “That’s what Goa is,” informs Nandan. “A confluence of both cultures… a place where churches and temples co-exist in harmony for centuries.” [Shruti Pandit, Goa Times, TOI]

Indian-born Neel Kashkari launches US financial rescue
20 Oct 2008, 1605 hrs IST, REUTERS
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3619402,prtpage-1.cms

WASHINGTON: Neel Kashkari, the man charged with launching the US government's unprecedented $700 billion bank rescue, knows a thing or two about getting complex apparatus off the ground.

After all, he could be considered a former rocket scientist. Before he went to work in high finance, the former Goldman Sachs investment banker worked in research and development at TRW Inc, a contractor for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, designing parts for a space telescope.

He has moved from solving technology problems to confronting what may be the thorniest problem in the United States: how to restore confidence in a financial system teetering on collapse.  Kashkari, 35, was named interim assistant secretary of the treasury for financial stability on Oct. 6. He will oversee a $700 billion fund that will be used to purchase bad debts from financial firms and purchase equity in US banks in the hopes of spurring fresh lending.

Previously a behind-the-scenes adviser to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Kashkari has become the "$700 billion man" -- a celebrity in Washington policy circles. His debut speech in the job at a banking forum last Monday drew a standing-room-only crowd and he was swarmed by reporters.

"He seems to be eager to identify the problems as quickly as he can," said Wayne Abernathy, a financial policy expert at the American Bankers Association. "And so far his communications are more detailed than a lot of what I've seen from the Treasury lately."

ANSWER MAN

Kashkari is among a number of former Goldman Sachs executives who followed Paulson from the Wall Street investment bank to the Treasury. But he did not follow the typical private sector-to-government path of bringing a career's worth of experience to a top-level job. Instead, Kashkari, with only a few years under his belt at Goldman Sachs, met Paulson at a speaking engagement and expressed his interest in government service. When Paulson was named Treasury secretary in 2006, Kashkari volunteered.

Born to Indian immigrants in Akron, Ohio, Kashkari grew up in the nearby town of Stow and followed in the footsteps of his engineering professor father. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also met his future wife, Minal. Jonathan Kimball, a former engineering classmate at Illinois, said Kashkari was intense and a natural leader. The two worked together on a team that designed a solar-powered car for the 1995 Sunrayce, an annual collegiate cross-country solar vehicle race.

"It was pretty obvious he should be in charge," said Kimball, now an engineering professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology. "Even before he was a leader, people looked to him for guidance and expertise. He came across as this really smart guy that, if he didn't know the answer, he knew how to get the answer."

From there, he went to work at TRW, now a part of Northrop Grummman Corp in Redondo Beach, California. He relished the problem-solving work but decided to enter an MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Landing a job at Goldman Sachs, he worked in investment banking in a relatively specialized sector -- information technology security.

TEGSA’S LADAINHA

The TEGSA community is both a fun-loving and a prayerful community. On October 17, 2008 the TEGSA community lived up to both these traits. The evening started with a candlelight procession led by our very own President, Charles Fernandes, to venerate Our Blessed Mother.

The procession was followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary which was done by some TEGSA members in 5 different languages being, English, Portuguese, Swaheli, Konkani and Hindi. The TEGSA community is so rich in talent whether it be languages, drama, singing or dancing. The Holy Rosary was immediately followed by the Litany which was led by Bruno.

It was sung in Latin and there was great participation in the responses of “Miserere Nobis” and “Ora Pro Nobis” by the entire community, and did I forget to mention that we had an excellent turnout as usual. Another brownie point for the TEGSA community, whatever we do, we give it our all.

Click to enlargege

Thanks to Phil Desouza and Ignacia Nunes who provided the traditional gram and coconut. No function is complete without food and that was next on the agenda, as everyone settled down to enjoy the excellent snacks provided. As you all know by now that TEGSA functions cannot close without Bingo and dancing on the agenda so of course after everyone had enjoyed eating we settled down to a very relaxing two rounds of bingo with very generous prizes. As the night was still young after we were done with bingo, there was great enthusiasm for the suggestion that we engage in some line dancing to fill in the rest of the evening. Our very own Natty was there and ready to “get everyone in line” and what followed was a’movin’ and a’groovin’ to sweet melodies. The great thing about these TEGSA happenings is that you leave every function with a great feeling of bonding, fellowship and peace like being part of one, big, happy family.

So long folks, till next time when there’s more of “TEGSA” to talk about.

Line Dancing Classes……at Commander Hall
by Juliet Matkar

The announcement by TEGSA of having line dancing Classes was greeted with much enthusiasm by members. As Natty said “It was Uvy’s idea that has now become a reality!”

TEGSA’s very own “Natty” conducts these line dancing classes at Commander Hall a very popular form of dance, which has grabbed our Seniors’ attention with a great sense of “infectious” enthusiasm !!–

When I spoke with Natty, she too was rather very enthusiastic, as she said registrations have gone very well with over 85 dancers having signed up! The classes were open to members as well as non-members at an extremely reasonable price, too good to be true!. .

There are 4 classes scheduled to be held as advertised in the GoanVoice at... www.goanvoice.ca 
The first session of line dancing was held on Friday, October 10, 2008. Everyone showed up on time, excited and eager to learn some new steps - Natty started by teaching us the “0;Rhumba”, to the tune of “Man Without Love”. It triggered off a flowing rhythm and the steps were not too complicated. She went around the room and demonstrated the steps so all could follow. After trying to master the Rhumba a few times, she switched to yet a new dance known as the “Lindi Shuffle”, in plain terms, the cha-cha-cha, which was danced to the popular theme song - “I just want to dance with you”.

It was an extremely enjoyable and relaxing fun evening as we all swayed to these tunes and concentrated on perfecting both the new dances that we had just tried to master with great “vim & vigor”!

Thanks to TEGSA and Natty’s caring commitment - as she demonstrates a readiness to relinquish her expertise in putting her “Best foot forward” in getting everyone in the “groove” of line dancing at it’s best…..and have great fun doing it too!!

Almost everyone is looking forward to another invigorating & enjoyable session on Oct 24, Nov14 & Nov28, 2008.

Well done Natty - for keeping the ladies "IN LINE-DANCING" - every STEP of the Way ----
WAY to GO TEGSA QUEEN ... Until the next time round!

TEGSA'S "HOT SPOT" - MIXED BOWLING NITE OF NIGHTS!!
19th Oct,2008
by MuLu

The Markham Bowling Centre was the "Hot Spot" venue reserved exclusively to a team of "Hot Shots" -i.e. "TEGSA" members who took full advantage of the lounge facilities, including the cash bar, the free shoes and of course, bowling, to muster up a "Hot Sizzilin' session - before the cold blistering winter sets in!! The atmosphere was electrifying as an enthusiastic & exuberant crowd gathered at TEGSA's annual Bowling event for its "MEMBERS ONLY" sold out extravaganza.

72 players - minus Uvy - participated in a 5 Pin - 12 Lane - 6 in each lane - 3 games of 10 frames bowling competition.

Before long, . everyone got their "REAR INTO GEAR" & into the spirit of the evening - STOMPIN and screamin' with excitement as strikes & spares were made. Everyone stomped hard on their heels, & kept them Balls rollin -rollin - rollin ....well into the nite! Ye - great fun and excitement encouraged by the 20 + onlookers who unfortunately booked too late., much to their disappointment!

The winning team was led by Joaquim and included Flavia Dos, Mathilda, Wilfy, Laura & Doug, who were each presented with a bottle of wine. Wine bottles were also awarded to Aelred, the highest overall male scorer and Mallory, the highest female scorer. Many other prizes were also given to players who played well and also to our score keepers…Val & Rudy.

After that stimulatin' workout, a delicious dinner included a large container of chicken Biryani, Beef Kebabs and salad was served before presenting the prizes. Desserts included Indian Ladoos and a packet of cookies.,which really touched the spot !! Our sincere thanks to the many donors of gifts and to the official scorer, Val Rego with his laptop monitor. Our special thanks to our 2 time full house organizer & TEGSA's President - Mr. Charles Fernandes.

It is unfortunate that we can only accommodate just 72 players which is the maximum that 12 lanes can hold. The demand for bowling is unbelievable.! Arrangements are in the works for 2 more sessions next year!

Until the next time......WHY DONT YOU JOIN US?....come one.... come all.......and ADD to our team of enthusiastic - fun-lovin' bunch of "hot-shots"......before you get "Bowled" over.........with "Winter Blues" so hope to see you all twice again next year., 2009!
THE TEGSA "HOT SHOT" TEAM WOULD'NT HAVE IT, ANY OTHER WAY!!