Goan Cultural Group Carol Sing at International Lunch
Photos by Albert Fernandes

Holy Land Tour
Photos & write-up by Albert Fernandes

Click to enlarge

A party of 33 Goans, mainly from the Toronto area, went on a 12 day pilgrimage to the Holy Land on 9th Nov 2009, with Fr Henry and Leo Lopes at the helm. With an experienced local guide, the group also visited numerous places such as Mount Carmel in Haifa, Jaffa, Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee for a boat ride, The Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha, Christ’s first public miracle site in Cana where some couples renewed their marriage vows, Mt Tabor’s Church of Transfiguration, Christ’s childhood place of Nazareth, the ancient Roman ruins of Caesarea, The Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Via Dolorosa where individual groups of four carried a cross along this narrow street, Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity , Jericho (one of the world’s oldest cities), The River Jordan where baptismal vows were renewed, “Genesis Land” for a camel ride and lunch in the heart of the Judean desert, and the Dead Sea for an evening’s floating experience. On the return flight from Tel Aviv with Air France, there was a stopover and a morning tour of Paris.

Book Review - MY GOD OF SURPRISES
A 70+ Goan Grandmother pens her first book

It is not very often that a 70 year old woman decides to write her memoirs and then gets the book published two years later. That's exactly what Maria Estefania Fernandes managed to do after the untimely death of her son in 2005.

"My God of Surprises" begins in the mid-thirties and portrays the Goa of bygone days in bold, vivid picturesque hues. The Portuguese influence comes out very strongly, so does the culture and the Goan customs. It then takes on an odyssey of its own with the main protagonist moving from her native land to Kenya and to other regions of the world. While her voyage of discovery takes place in different geographical locations, so does her essential pilgrimage with God. Unpredictable and enjoyable in turns this book tells the story of an ordinary person who relies on her Faith in good times or bad.

"My God of Surprises" lifts up the reader to believe in the true importance of God. Uplifting, encouraging and endearing, this is a book with deep sense of family values and is a must read for any woman - mother or grandmother. Or even for fathers and grandfathers.

The book is available in Canada and costs only $9.00. To purchase a copy, please call Ph. No.416 221 1228.

The World’s Rising Emissions

Home computers: Decisions, decisions
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/27/AR20097_pf.html
By Rob Pegoraro | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Across the universe of gadget gifts, few things can inspire more angst and buyer's remorse than home computers. Even as their prices have crumbled -- processors and memory have become so cheap that your main risk is buying more of either than you'll ever use -- these machines have remained specialized, often high-maintenance products. You cannot shop for them by price alone; buying a computer still demands a series of decisions with non-obvious answers.

For an increasing number of people, the first judgment call is the Mac-or-Windows issue.

Both Microsoft and Apple have updated their operating systems this year. Windows 7 represents a bigger improvement relative to its predecessor, the widely disliked Windows Vista, while Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard has been somewhat disappointing in practice. But the Mac's core advantages over Windows persist.

OS X's separation of the operating system and applications makes adding or removing programs drag-and-drop easy and leaves viruses fewer openings. Macs have fewer hardware-software conflicts and no "trialware" junk (among PC vendors, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba can be especially obnoxious in that respect, while Dell has shown more restraint). And Apple's stores offer a more pleasant shopping experience and better tech support than most Windows-based shops.

But because Apple chooses not to compete in the cheaper end of the market, you pay a lot more for those advantages; its lack of a netbook leaves its cheapest portable option the $999 MacBook. Macs do include features that sometimes cost extra or aren't available on PCs, such as Bluetoooth wireless and the iMac's clever, touch-sensitive "Magic Mouse," but not all users want those bonuses.

It's fair to call a Mac a luxury. It's more affordable than many other luxuries, but see what your bank account has to say first. Decide that, then you can make the next big choice: netbook, laptop or desktop. That first category -- ultra-light, ultra-cheap computers with small screens and no CD or DVD drive -- didn't even exist a few years ago, but now it makes up a large chunk of the market. Netbooks make the most sense as a second or third computer, unless you plan to use the machine only for light, Web-centric use.

You can expect prices from the low $200s to as much as $500. One key factor is your choice of operating system: Microsoft's Windows XP and Windows 7 Starter Edition or various releases of the open-source Linux system. The latter costs less and is far more secure, but it requires learning a new interface and new programs. (I plan to review a few Win 7 netbooks here soon.)

Another is screen size. The nine-inch displays of cheaper netbooks may tax your eyesight. Those computers, in turn, are more likely to have cramped keyboards -- avoid any that exile the right-hand Shift key to the right of the up-arrow cursor key, a layout that invites repeated typos.

Plain old laptops have become the most popular type of computer among home users. They're cheaper than ever and often include keyboards and screens as big as those once standard on desktops. But the bigger the screen and the keyboard, the higher the weight and the shorter the battery life. If you'll take a laptop farther than from a coffee table to a desk, don't buy one heavier than five pounds or with less than three hours of reported battery life. A desktop, in turn, should cost less and allows a choice of screen and keyboard -- unless it's an all-in-one model like the iMac or HP's TouchSmart. Some buyers now opt for "small form factor" desktops that can fit underneath HDTVs to serve as a multimedia library. Most desktops also allow for semi-easy upgrades of their components, but most home users never bother.

What about the traditional list of computing specifications to look for? Most of those numbers haven't mattered much for years. For most home use, processor speed is irrelevant. So is memory, as long as you have at least 2 gigabytes' worth. If, however, you have older hardware and software, PCs with more than 3 gigabytes of memory -- and many with less -- will ship with a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 that may not support your past purchases. If you're not sure about these compatibility issues, your safest move is to get a PC with Win 7's 32-bit edition. Graphics cards really matter only if you want to play fast-paced games, so most home users can ignore those, too. The same goes for hard-drive space, unless you plan on copying every DVD you own. An optical drive that burns CDs and DVDs should be standard; one that plays Blu-ray movies is a waste unless you own a Blu-ray player and a library of those high-definition movies.

In terms of expansion, more USB ports and Bluetooth wireless connectivity are good things, while FireWire and eSATA ports and ExpressCard slots may go unused. You should also decline extended warranties and such extra services as Apple's expensive yet weirdly limited MobileMe. Why give up all these other options when computers are so cheap? So you can spend the money you save on an external hard drive and use the backup software built into Windows 7 and Mac OS X to protect your data -- something too many computer users forget to do.

Living with technology, or trying to? Read more at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward.

Dr Errol De Souza appointed executive chairman Ligon Discovery

1 Dec: Genome Web. Harvard University spinout Ligon Discovery has appointed Errol De Souza as executive chairman of the board. De Souza has held senior-level R&D and management positions at Aventis, Hoechst Marion Roussel, DuPont Merck, Neurocrine Biosciences, Synaptic Pharmaceuticals, and Archemix.  Dr Errol De Souza received his PhD in neuroendocrinology from the University of Toronto and was the winner of the 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. more details...