The statements, opinions, or views in the articles may not necessarily reflect that of the Goan Voice Canada.

A Lenten penance that lasts
February 23, 2009
BY CHRIS MILLER
WESTERN CATHOLIC REPORTER
http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2009/0223/penance022309.shtml

Don't be bothered with 'fiddly things;' aim for reconciliation, conversion, say local Catholics

The 2 purposes of Lent

Message from Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Lent has two major purposes:

It recalls or prepares for Baptism and it emphasizes a spirit of penance. Through 40 days of closer attention to God’s word and of more fervent prayer, believers are prepared to celebrate the paschal mystery.

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Lenten discipline allows us to get our priorities straight
By: Glen Argan
From:http://www.wcr.ab.ca/columns/editorials/2009/editorial022309.shtml

Contemporary Western society is not the easiest place to grow closer to God. Our unparalleled wealth makes it easy to focus on fulfilling an endless array of material desires; a culture saturated in sex makes it easy to live a life addicted to sexual pleasures; an ideology of personal freedom legitimizes one’s ignoring of traditional morals.

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Fight Poverty to Foster Peace
Editorial from: http://examinerindia.blogspot.com/2009/02/editorial.html

Adapted extracts from Pope’s Message for World Peace Day 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has called on nations of the world and individuals to play an active part in fighting poverty as a means of building world peace, in his message for the Word Day of Peace. The Message stresses that poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. “Our world” he said, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals, and indeed, whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty.”

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They aren't Dogs, in those Slums
(Juan Cole, Global Americana Institute)
http://www.juancole.com/2009/02/they-arent-dogs-in-those-slums.html
From: goanet-news-bounces@lists.goanet.org 
February 24, 2009 To: gn-news@goanet.org
By Julian Cole

The following comments may contain spoilers.

Directors Danny Boyle's and Loveleen Tandan's "Slumdog Millionaire" swept the Oscars this year, in a remarkable sign of globalization. The creative team behind the film was largely British (Tandan began as a casting director and the screenplay was by Simon Beaufoy). But it was based on an Indian novel (Vikas Swarup's Q & A), set in India with Indian actors, and deployed the cinematic techniques of Bollywood, the massive Indian film industry based in Bombay (a city that Indian television news anchors now call Mumbai but almost no one else does).

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Goan doctor pioneers bionic eye
Joaquim Fernandes , TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4172875,prtpage-1.cms
23 Feb 2009,

PANAJI: A UK based opthalmologist of Goan origin, Dr Lyndon da Cruz, is credited with conducting the first three successful operations to implant artificial electronic retinal devices in the eyes of the blind. The device is called a bionic eye.

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Diane Saldanha on University of Toronto Mississauga biotechnology students team for international business competition
dkurek@mississauga.net
http://www.mississauga.com/printArticle/24178
2009-02-18

A team of five biotechnology students from the University of Toronto Mississauga has won the right to compete at an international business competition at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

UTM is the only Canadian school at the March 11-13 competition where it will face top American business schools such as Harvard and Wharton. The winners of the competition will go on to the international finals this April in North Carolina.

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You can also visit our school St. Stanislaus High School's website:
 http://www.stanislausbandra.in

There has never been a better time to buy a car in Canada

OTTAWA, Feb. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - Consumers looking for a great deal in uncertain economic times should look no further than the retail automotive sector, said Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) Chief Economist Michael Hatch. A number of factors in today's economy have combined to bring car prices to near-record lows in recent months.

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Goa Carnival 2009
A selection of photos from joegoauk
See rest of photos at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk17/archives/date-posted/2009/02/21

Long Cherished Dream Of Tiatrists Finally Comes True
http://oheraldo.in/printerfriendlypage.asp?nid=17349&cid=26

The long cherished dream of the tiatr fraternity has finally come true. The faces of tiatrists and those directly or indirectly associated with it, lit with joy as veteran tiatrist Master Vaz lit the traditional lamp to at the inaugural function held at Ravindra Bhavan Pai Tiatrist Joao Agostinho auditorium, Margao, to mark the opening of the Tiatr Academy. Herald spoke to some veteran tiatrists, to get their views on what this new venture means for tiatrs and tiatrists.

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TIATR - Goa's Innovative, Creative Gift to India's Multicultural Ethos
http://www.navhindtimes.com/story.php?story=2009021654
by NANDKUMAR KAMAT
Posted on 2009-02-16

TIATR to offer a simple definition, is the self censored, liberal and progressive, democratic and dynamic theatre of the fun loving Konkani speaking masses. It is a polychromatic kaleidoscopic celebration of the travails and triumphs of life - life as seen from an ordinary Goans perspective. It is absolutely different from modern Marathi or Konkani theatre.Tiatr is Goa’s cultural, social and political window.

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Slumdog Millionaire puts India on global map: Goa Chief Minister
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15711981
24 February 2009, Tuesday

Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has congratulated Slumdog Millionaire and Smile Pinky team for winning the prestigious Oscar Awards. The entire Slumdog team, he said, deserves a big pat for the success and bringing laurels to India and creating a history. They have made the country proud.

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Vascoite Allison crowned Miss Goa
Allison D’Souza, from Vasco, is Miss Goa 2009. This was announced by VJT Entertainment Managing Director Joseph Dias, after the event at Nuvem on Saturday. The runner up was Ronda Martins from Panjim. Miss Catwalk was Marylou De Mello of Benaulim, while Miss Talent was Hazel Fatima D’Cruz of Raia and Miss Smile was Crystal Campos of Socorro. The Miss Goa competition, in its sixth year, received around 126 entries, of which 11 were selected for the final. But one girl met with an accident and only 10 could walk the ramp. [H]

Goa realty prices come down by 25%
The economic slowdown has started to trickle into Goa's real estate market. According to developers, prime property rates are down by 5-10%, while the prices of flats constructed by small-time builders are down by 20-25% since the new year. Prices, they predict, are likely to fall further by mid-2009. [Preetu Nair, TOI]

Goa to get new medical college soon, says Oscar
The Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Mr Oscar Fernandes, on February 16, said that Goa will soon have a new medical college under the ESI scheme and has urged the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, to identify suitable land for the same. Mr Fernandes who was in Goa for the foundation stone laying ceremony for modernisation and upgradation of the ESI hospital at Margao said that the ESI has been opening medical colleges across the country and that one such hospital could be built in Goa. [NT]

Bardez takes top slot in sale deeds registration
According to official records in the past three years, Salcete has been surpassed by Bardez with almost 11,000 sale deeds registered. The official data reveals that it has registered 10,968 sale deeds. Salcete takes the second position with 9093. In the remaining talukas, Tiswadi 4458, Ponda 3449, Canacona 585, Sattari 733, Quepem 1813, Pernem 1292, Bicholim 2143, Sanguem 208 and Mormugao 2042 sale deeds were registered. [GT]

Goa 2nd best competitive State, says mag survey
A survey conducted by the prestigious business magazine "Businessworld", has ranked Goa as the second most competitive State in the country with a score of 58.02 just behind Maharashtra, says a government communiqué. Goa is ranked No. 2 among the 27 States in the country in respect of natural endowments and in physical infrastructure. [H]

Navelim villager receives death threat
Domnic Rosario Fernandes, a member of the Navelim Civic and Consumer Forum, complained to the Margao police that he received an anonymous phone call issuing death threats. The caller was apparently offended by the letters written by Fernandes complaining against a mega project at Calvaddo, Navelim. [TOI]

Cases of CRZ violation rampant in Anjuna
A large number of cases of CRZ violation have been noticed in Anjuna. Not only are the locals involved in CRZ violations, but there are instances of foreigners too, who have violated the CRZ rules and regulations. A few days ago, a foreigner was seen constructing a well in total violation of CRZ rules. While locals immediately stopped the foreigner from going ahead with his work, they wondered how he obtained permission. [NT]

Time limit for comments extended till April 15
Heeding to the requests from various quarters for an extension of time to study the draft Regional Plan 2021, the government has finally extended the time limit till April 15. The extension comes in wake of the assurance given by the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, that he would give more time for the people to give their inputs after there were complaints that the draft plan still needed to be discussed and some changes done before finalisation. [NT]

Slamdunk for Slumdog as it wins eight Oscars
23 Feb 2009, 2111 hrs IST, Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4178896,prtpage-1.cms

WASHINGTON: Just before 9 p.m. Pacific time (10.30 a.m IST), Slumdog Millionaire lived up to its pre-Oscar hype and expectation and picked up its eighth and final Academy Award for the night, this time for best picture of the year.

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Vatican demands closure of tax havens
Printed from http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4172245.cms?prtpage=1
23 Feb 2009, 0100 hrs IST, M Padmakshan, ET Bureau

MUMBAI: While international pressure is mounting on offshore banks to relax secrecy rules, the Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church, wants all offshore tax havens to be closed. The official statement from the Vatican, called an encyclical, is expected to ask for a closure of such tax havens. The encyclical is scheduled to be released on March 18 by Pope Benedict XVI.

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Secret Swiss banking comes to an end
http://dawn.net/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content
Masood Haider
Friday, 20 Feb, 2009

NEW YORK: UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, agreed to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans whom the US authority’s suspect of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes, the New York Times said Thursday.

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IBM 'pulls out of US' -Apart from sales
http://www.itexaminer.com/ibm-pulls-out-of-us.aspx
By Jayant Mishra in Mumbai @ Monday,
February 16, 2009 11:39 AM

IBM, which laid off approximately 15,000 employees last year and a similar number already this year, plans to move all non customer-facing positions off North American soil. The company plans to deploy its existing employees to cheaper destinations.

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Links

Study links strokes, living near fast food
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=1310605&sponsor=
.
A new study links strokes to the proximity of fast-food restaurants.

OTTAWA — Here's a new way to estimate the risk of stroke in a neighbourhood: Count the number of fast-food restaurants nearby. A survey of a county in Texas shows a direct link between plentiful fast food and high stroke rates, according to evidence presented Thursday at a major stroke conference.

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The tar sands are Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Full-Page Tar Sands Ad in USA Today: "President Obama, you'll never guess who's standing between us and our new energy economy."

Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and ForestEthics run full page ad in USA Today warning that tar sands are a human and environmental hazard; Stand in way of America's new energy economy

VANCOUVER and TORONTO, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - The Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and environmental group ForestEthics have placed a full-page ad in USA Today highlighting the human and environmental damage wrought by Canada's Tar Sands. The unprecedented advertisement, which features an oil splattered map of North America with oil oozing down from Canada into the United States, comes just two days before President Obama's first trip to Canada, and it makes an impassioned address to the new President.

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Black or Green, Tea Consumption Reduces Risk of Ischemic Stroke by 21 Per Cent
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2009/19/c2045.html?view=print

Further evidence supports tea drinking to reduce the risk of heart disease

TORONTO, Feb. 19 /CNW/ - Canada is an established tea-drinking country that consumes over 9 billion cups of tea each year.(1) In fact, tea consumption is expected to jump 40 per cent by 2020, as growing consumer interest in health and wellness has led to increasing awareness of tea's functional benefits.(2) Study findings presented today at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference (ISC) provides further insight into the many health benefits of tea. Researchers have found that regardless of country of origin or type of tea consumed, the consumption of three cups of black or green tea per day is associated with an average 21 per cent lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to non tea drinkers.

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Sensors Help Keep the Elderly Safe, and at Home
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13senior.html?ref=technology
February 13, 2009
By JOHN LELAND

Increasingly, many older people who live alone are not truly alone. They are being watched by a flurry of new technologies designed to enable them to live independently and avoid expensive trips to the emergency room or nursing homes. Bertha Branch, 78, discovered the power of a system called eNeighbor when she fell to the floor of her Philadelphia apartment late one night without her emergency alert pendant and could not phone for help.

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How Sweet It Is: Coming to Grips With America's Sugar-Heavy Diet
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009
By Jennifer Huget
Tuesday, February 24, 2009; HE03

In her 1835 book "Little House on the Prairie," Laura Ingalls Wilder described in awed tones the joy of receiving for Christmas a single stick of peppermint candy, which she licked sparingly. There wouldn't be another until next Christmas, at least. I remember reading the "Little House" books curled up in my beanbag chair, often stuffing myself with candy (most memorably Bonomo's Turkish Taffy), wondering how a kid could get so worked up over one little candy cane.

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Lemons Freshen Up Lenten Foods

Keep your pledges but don't deny your taste buds...
Fresh lemons can add pizazz to otherwise plain Lenten meals

SHERMAN OAKS, CA, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - Creative cooking is at its finest during the forty days of Lent when millions around the world fast and give up their favourite foods in preparation for Easter. Supplies of fresh Sunkist lemons are high during the season providing flavour and favour for traditional meatless meals as well as helping followers keep pledged commitments. "Cooking with fresh lemons is a natural and simple way of enhancing the flavour and nutritional value of traditional Lenten dishes," said Jill Davie, celebrity chef. "Mother Nature provides a healthy harvest of ripe and juicy lemons at this time of year so I encourage everyone to take advantage of them this season. Whether it's a squeeze or a zest, a touch of lemon can benefit your food and body."

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