Toronto East Goan Seniors Association

Valentine's Day Celebration
13thFeb, 2009.
by Muriel Lucas

Red & White
An
Affair To Remember

St. Valentine’s day, traditionally, celebrated on February 14th, in Countries across the 7 Continents, is still increasing by the year and is noted as being the most Popular event next to Christmas, dating way back since 270 A.D.!!!!!

Well, it’s no wonder, TEGSA’S “Guys & Gals” came in full swing, to a “Full House” most of whom, decked out in ‘Red & White’ attire, accompanied by their “Significant Other”, as lights lit up the night at their ‘Prime Stompin’ Venue’ – the Commander Hall, which has been their “home” away from home for a good many years!

To celebrate the day in a much romanticized manner, all the lucky ladies were each presented with a valentine motif ceramic mug with candy packets, tied with red ribbons and keepsake roses with miniature teddy bears! – thus exuding the spirit of this romantic evening, to a perfect start!

After “Grace” was recited by Arti Tellis, a delicious buffet spread of Italian and Phillipino menu, consisting of bread & butter, pena alla vodka (pasta); stir fried vegetables, bourbon chicken and cassava cake for dessert topped with a chocolate wafer heart, was set out on the table which was decorated with red & white table cloths, sprinkled with symbols of red and white rose petals!

To harken back to the days of “yesteryear” – TEGSA’S Assistant Treasurer, Austin Viegas’s live band “DreamKatchers” gave a unique “Kick-off” start to the evening’s celebrations. As couples took to the floor to romantic interludes and reminisced to “days gone by” and mingled with soothing music that filled the soul, to the good old timers “Rock & Roll”!! Thus setting the stage to a romantic start!

The Line-Dancing favourites took to the floor and strutted their stuff to a full work-out session, between the traditional Konkani tunes for the Mando experts!

The evening continued with games as Valentine’s Day Special, with lots of Prizes to the lucky winners! A late night snack of Biscottis was served, accompanied with coffee & tea which really touched the spot!, No TEGSA event can be complete without a game of BINGO. As usual, many prizes were awarded to the lucky winners!

The success of an event depends solely on the EMCEE. Hence - Kudos to MC Joachim Menezes, who did an excellent job throughout the event.

Did You Know ?
There are numerous versions depicting who St. Valentine was……….well, One of them being, St. Valentine, the Patron Saint of Lovers, during the middle ages, Valentine assumed the image of heroic & romantic figure amongst the masses in England & France. A romantic at heart, he defied the Emperor Claudius of Rome who unjustifiably cancelled marriages in England and Rome. Thus St. Valentine, secretly married couples. When his defiance was discovered, Valentine was brutally beaten and put to death on February 14th, abt. 270 A.D. After his death, he was ordained a Saint. Thus history was made!

Love is spread at this time of the year, not only to lovers, but to siblings, teachers, friends, kids, mentors, family, singles, and last but not least SENIORS……….!!

Valentine’s Day Hype ?
Yes !! –The big hype and euphoric for Valentine’s day celebrations has made these occasions an enduring legacy, which will be passed on for generations to come. The beauty of all this, brings people from all walks of life, far and near, a perfect time to rekindle the flame!

TEGSA Seniors have exemplified this great celebration……..in the old traditional way and no doubt, will continue in the years to come. Little did St. Valentine know what an amazing impact he has created across & around the Globe!

An event of this nature takes a lot of hard work and dedication.  Hence, thanks to the hard working team, headed by Martha Menezes who ensured yet another successful event.

Thanks to TEGSA’S team for being “Young at Heart” -
T’was truly an
“Affair to Remember”!!

Please “Click” on image to view video.

By Uvy & support from Muriel, Patrick, John & Karuna.

Carlos D’Cruz Celebrates Centenary

Carlos (Charles) D'Cruz who hails from Aldona Goa, lived in Nairobi Kenya, and now in Toronto Canada, will celebrate his 100th birthday on March 26th, 2009. His family has planned a mass and luncheon reception Sunday March 29th in Mississauga to mark this truly special occasion.

While in Kenya, Carlos contributed articles to the Goan Voice and was an active pioneer of the Nairobi Goan Gymkhana. A qualified Chartered Accountant and British expatriate officer, he was sent to Israel by the Kenyan Government to study the co-operative movement. He was then tasked with its implementation in Kenya, which he carried out until his retirement.

Carlos emigrated to Toronto with his younger six children in October 1970 He is the first proud Great Grand Papa of 17 grand children and 6 great grand children in Australia, England and Canada. Carlos actively helped his Goan community at large but most especially in his home parish St. Teresa, Eastleigh. He promoted cultural and fund raising events for the church and the school. He is deeply religious and inculcated these values in his 8 children.

He was an avid walker and loved to dance, but unfortunately Alzheimer's has gotten the better of him, and he is presently confined at home. His wife Zita, his family and friends congratulate Carlos on this special day, and offer thanks to God for his health and long life.

SWINDON (Wiltshire –UK) Poles are going... but Goans staying
Sunday 8th March 2009
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4182376.print/

Excerpts….

SWINDON is losing its continental flavour as Poles pack their bags and head for home.

Maryla Smolicz, co-owner of Maryla’s Polish deli on Groundwell Road, said many of Swindon’s ‘nicest residents’ are leaving the town because of job losses and poor prospects.

“I have many friends that have left already,” she said.

“It is very sad because no one wants to leave, most love it here in Swindon but without jobs people cannot afford the rent.

“So it’s sad to see them leave.

“Many people started leaving after Honda decided to break for four months, many took the packages. “But then again others have enjoyed Swindon so much they have bought a home and settled here.” “Then two more Polish shops opened and now even Tesco and Asda have our style of food.

“So things are not looking great, but we have been here 24-years so hopefully this will not dent the business too much.“ Father James Finan, of Holy Rood Church in Groundwell Road, said although many Poles are leaving Swindon, the town’s Goan population is holding steady.

He said: “Our numbers are still high with the Goans.

“Many have, of course, lost their jobs like others in the town, but they are holding firm and staying with us. “It has been a tough year for many of them, especially because many of them are highly qualified. “But many qualifications aren’t good here – it’s unfortunate.

“Many have taken breaks to go back home to visit, because it is often easy to do that considering they have EU passports. “But overall Goans aren’t going anywhere. They have bought homes and have mortgages so I think most are planning on sticking out the tough time with us.” Goa is a former Portuguese colony in India. Many Goans have Portuguese passports, which gives them travel rights across the EU, including the UK.

The Vatican - Canadian TV station founder is media consultor
Published : February 27 2009
http://www.indiancatholic.in/news/storydetails.php/11379-1-12-Canadian-TV-station-founder

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 26, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named Father Thomas Rosica, director of the Salt and Light Catholic television channel in Canada, consultor of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

The Basilian priest, director of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, is also the author of ZENIT's column Words Made Flesh. After his appointment, announced today by the Vatican press office, he told ZENIT, "It is a privilege to serve the universal Church through the important work of the Council for Social Communications."

He added, "We have all seen the great challenges and potential for good communications at all levels of the Church, especially over the past month."

Father Rosica affirmed: "This appointment is a tribute to and responsibility given to the Church in Canada, to all of the young adults working with me at Canada's first national Catholic television network, and to those generous benefactors who have made this project of the new evangelization possible in Canada." Born in 1959, Thomas Rosica was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. He holds dual citizenship in the USA and Canada.

Father Rosica is a Scripture scholar and also serves on the General Council of the Congregation of Priests of St. Basil since July, 2006. He began Salt and Light Television in July 2003. In October 2008, he served as the English-language media attaché of the synod of bishops at the Vatican.

World's poor drive growth in global cell phone use
By FRANK JORDANS | The Associated Press | Monday, March 2, 2009
washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009

Excerpts

GENEVA -- Six in ten people around the world now have cell phone subscriptions, signaling that mobile phones are the communications technology of choice, particularly in poor countries, according to a U.N. report published Monday.

By the end of last year there were an estimated 4.1 billion subscriptions globally, compared with about 1 billion in 2002, the International Telecommunication Union said. Fixed line subscriptions increased at a much slower pace to 1.27 billion from about 1 billion over the same period.

"There has been a clear shift to mobile cellular telephony," the agency said, noting that developing countries now account for about two-thirds of cell phones in use. In 2002, less than half of mobile subscriptions globally were in the developing world, it said.

Internet use more than doubled. An estimated 23 percent of people on the planet used the Internet last year, up from 11 percent in 2002. Poor countries still lag far behind on Internet access, with only 1 in 20 people in Africa going online in 2007 _ the most recent year for which firm figures were available.

Fixed broadband increased to almost 20 percent in rich countries, while globally just over 1 in 20 had access to fast Internet connections at home. The Geneva-based agency recorded the sharpest rise in mobile broadband subscriptions. The technology, which allows users to access the Web at high speed with mobile devices, was available to 3 percent of people worldwide, increasing to 14 percent in developed countries.

The 106-page report also ranked countries according to how advanced their use of information and communications technology, or ICT, is. Sweden came first, followed by South Korea, which had high ratings despite lower per capita income than most of its peers. "The (South Korean) government has pursued a very active ICT-focused policy, making the ICT sector one of its priorities," said Susan Teltscher, who leads the agency's statistics division.

Denmark came third, ahead of the Netherlands, Iceland and Norway.

Small, densely populated countries such as Luxembourg (7) and Hong Kong (11) also did well, while large developing countries like China (73) and India (118) were hampered by the size of their populations. The United States was 17th out of 154. Myanmar was the only country where access and use indicators dropped in absolute terms. Internet bandwidth in the Southeast Asian country dropped 90 percent during the five-year period.

True Cost Of Solar Energy ‘Remarkably Low’
Published on CleanTechBrief (http://cleantechbrief.com)

The ‘true cost’ of solar power is already remarkably low, according to a new report from the solar energy research firm PHOTON Consulting.

According to the report, “The True Cost of Solar Power: Race to $1/W,” three segments of the solar value chain – c-Si modules, thin film modules and BOS – are “racing” toward cost structures of $1/W. PHOTON says that by 2012, solar electricity in sunnier areas will cost under $0.10/kWh, creating a large addressable market.

“By 2012, companies not able to achieve $1/W through the module level, $2/W through the system level and $0.10/kWh to $0.20/kWh for electricity are significantly at risk, because other companies will get there,” said PHOTON Consulting Managing Director Michael Rogol.

After benchmarking hundreds of solar companies, PHOTON reports a major difference between “what-cost-could-be” and “what-cost is” for nearly all solar manufacturers. The report cites two factors for this: high feedstock costs and high processing costs. The average cost of producing silicon, for example, is under $40/kg, according to PHOTON, but the average cost for users in 2008 was $130/kg.

PHOTON says that under current difficult macroeconomic conditions, a select group of solar companies has emerged as low cost leaders including First Solar, LDK Solar, Q-Cells, REC, SolarWorld, SunPower, Suntech and Yingli.

Source URL: http://cleantechbrief.com/node/266