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Konkani Rosary Recitation in Toronto Watch Video On YouTube Come to pray the Rosary and sing the Ladainha Sunday, 11th April 2010. Our Lady of the Rosary Church Toronto – Ontario Click Here Recitation of the Rosary will soon be available on the Konkani Rosary website. The YouTube video clip runs for 9 minutes, and is the work of Michael Pinto of Winnipeg. He spent countless hours editing the video footage to fit the 10 minute limit. Loading the 2 gigabyte file on the server took two 10 hour sessions on his home computer.

Aga Khan plans Islamic art centre in Toronto Charles Correa and Nondita Correa, architects of the Ismaili Centre Toronto http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2010/05/27/aga-khan-museum.html http://www.vancouversun.com/Photos+Ismaili+Centre+Toronto/3082006/story.html By CBC Arts | CBC Arts May 27, 2010 The Aga Khan is creating an Ismaili Centre, Muslim art museum and park on a 6.8-hectare site in Toronto. The Aga Khan, head of the world's Ismaili Muslim community, will be in Toronto to break ground on the construction of the Aga Khan Museum for Islamic Art and Culture. The development includes an Ismaili Centre and a park area on Wynford Drive near the Don Valley Parkway. The development, which officially launches on Friday afternoon, sits on a 6.8-hectare site and will be completed in 2013. The landscaped park will incorporate a formal garden, reflecting pools and walkways. The centrepiece of the development will be the 100,000-square-foot Aga Khan Museum, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. According to the Aga Khan Foundation, the museum will house and exhibit "some of the most important works of Islamic art in the world."  Some 200 pieces from the museum's collection of more than 1,000 objects will be on display in a permanent gallery. The artifacts date back 1,000 years. Temporary exhibitions will also take place in addition to an extensive educational program through its multimedia centre and reference library. The museum will host workshops and classes for the public at large.  In addition, a 350-seat auditorium will feature musical performances, book readings, films, conferences and theatre productions. Representatives from the 3 projects include: Charles Correa and Nondita Correa, architects of the Ismaili Centre Toronto Diarmuid Nash, Dan Teramura, Drew Wesley of Moriyama & Teshima Planners Canadian architects of record for the 3 projects Vladimir Djurovic, landscape architect of the Park Luis Monreal, General Manager, Aga Khan Trust for Culture Zool Samji, Chairman, Imara (Wynford Drive), Ltd. See…http://www.charlescorrea.net/  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nondita-correa-mehrotra/8/b57/3a

Goan Convention 2010 – New Jersey Excerpt from: http://khsitsolutions.com/khs/web/mehedi/goa/index.php The 10th Biennial Goan Convention in the New York City area. will be celebrated in the New York Area July 3-5, 2010 Over the past 20 years, we’ve gone to the major cities in the United States and Canada from the origin in Pittsburgh to sunny California. The convention creates a platform to continue networking with other Goans around the globe. From building new friendships while strengthening old bonds to enriching and understanding our culture, we strive to pass the torch of our heritage to future generations. Come join us on July 3rd, 4th and 5th for an event that aims to please every member of your family. The Crowne Plaza in Secaucus, New Jersey. Minutes away from New York City! Those registered to attend incude: Giese - Filomena California Almeida - Acaria & Shilla California Keny - Nitish, Gauri, Rishi, & Arjun Ontario, Canada Pinto - George California Sardesai - Mahesh, Nita, Pooja, & Ankit Ontario, Canada Shirodker - Jayant, Shubha, & Ashish Ontario, Canada

Seniors’ Whirlwind Tour Of Chicago By Armand Rodrigues Click to enlarge Organized by GOA Toronto, a group of seniors from different walks of life, found themselves on a coach bound for Chicago. Whether most people knew each other or not, social interaction and trivial banter prevailed. And, sanctimonious obligations were balanced by videos of the irreverence of Russell Peters’ profane humour and Smirnoff’s clean cracks at the English language. As would be expected, bingo, snacks and munchies punctuated the long drive down. By way of baptism of sorts, the heavens opened up and “cleansed” the coach and its occupants, with a torrential downpour, for a fair distance. Before we knew it, we morphed from Goans to Chicagoans. Contrary to popular belief, Chicago is not a windy city as such. It got the negative nomenclature during a huge World Fair, from journalists who were overwhelmed by the patter and bombast of Chicagoans. The city has a population of three million. It has 77 neighbourhoods, 27 drawbridges on the Chicago river, nine marinas and 5,000 motorboats. Paris is a sister city. Outside Poland, it boasts the largest Polish population. Unlike other large U.S. cities, it has no factories on its waterfront lapped by the waters of Lake Michigan. The water here is pristine, the walking and bicycle trails stretch 30 km. along the shore. The elite live along Lake Shore Drive with its amazing views, expensive digs and roster of who’s who. Some notables who lived or live in Chicago include Al Capone, George Pullman, Obama and Oprah. Lest we forget, gospel music started in Chicago in 1920; the first nuclear reactor was tested here on December 2, 1942, by Enrico Fermi, and led to the unspeakable devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki ; the Deep Dish Pizza was invented here by Ike Sewell in 1943, and had to be eaten with a knife and fork at a proper table. Low-lying pea-soup fog hampered sightseeing to a degree. Yet, we were able to take in most attractions. We visited Millenium Park with the Jay Pritzker Pavillion and its enormous stainless steel ribbons framing a modernistic stage, and Anish Kapoor’s amazing “Cloud Gate” – also known as the “Silver Bean”--- that reflects the whole skyline and portrays distorted caricatures of spectators around it. Whether by design or accident, we went past the trendy shops of the Magnificent Mile, but did not pause. And, we braved the notorious Southside and saw Chinatown, Little Italy and Greektown. We also drove by Wrigley Field and the renowned University of Chicago. Navy Pier was a destination in itself. This 1916 attraction boasts a 3,000 ft. pier, cafes, shops, a 15-story-high Ferris Wheel, and the Smith Museum with its 150 priceless secular and religious, salvaged, stained-glass windows. The pier is a magnet for some nine million visitors a year. At the Lincoln Park Conservatory we were rewarded with an array of exotic plants, unusual flowers and trees (including curry-pak). And, at the Cultural Centre, we cast our gaze upwards on the world’s largest Tiffany stained-glass dome which is 38 ft. in diameter and consists of 30,000 pieces of glass. The original was put together by men, but restoration in 2008 was by females because they “are more adept at fine handiwork ! The centre is an architectural showpiece where Carrara marble, polished brass, exotic hardwoods, mosaics of Favrile glass, mother-of-pearl and coloured stone were used to optimum advantage. Late afternoon saw the fog lift sufficiently for us to take the high-speed elevator to the Sears’ Tower Skydeck. Visibility from here is an unbelievable 50 miles on a clear day. A glass ledge jutting out four feet provides stomach-churning views below. There was no skipping mass on Sunday. We received a special welcome -- with reserved pews -- at the Shrine of St.Jude in the Hispanic Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Needless to say, many a votive candle was lit after mass, perhaps for atonement or in pursuit of favours. That night, Francis Fernandes of GTG fame, put on an impromptu skit, with “pamprel” Merces Menezes and “cotrin” Clara Fernandes, in the lobby=of the hotel. Merces also led the group in Konkani, English and Swahili songs. Reis De Lima put in his two cents worth. All pitched in to make it an enjoyable night. Vagaries of the weather apart, road rehabilitation over vast stretches of the highway into the city, made for a very slow and monotonous drive to or from our hotel on the outskirts. Shopping at Macey’s and Target was less appreciated than it was at J. C. Penny’s. Some avid shoppers were seen in furtive pursuits at the duty-free shops, going and coming. Rowena Clutton, Eurema Colaco, Clara Fernandes and others tended to creature comforts as best they could. All-in-all, it was a worthwhile trip, with scant attention being paid to dietary constraints. Congeniality prevailed throughout. Copyright@a.rodrigues2010

The Goan Community Mombasa – Newsletter Click here for Goan Community Newsletter

Uganda: Nation Eyes Nuclear Power by 2018, to Cover Hydro Shortfalls http://allafrica.com/stories/201005240988.htm Michael Wakabi | 24 May 2010 Nairobi — Uganda could see its first nuclear power station as early as 2018, as the country drifts farther from donor influence in an effort to assert more control over strategic sectors of its economy. But development partners aside, early indications are that proponents of the nuclear option still have to bridge the wide gulf that separates them from the school of thought that placed priority on hydro generation. The East African has learnt that emerging thinking at the highest levels in the Ugandan government lays the blame for the country's current energy woes on flawed policies that were heavily influenced by a World Bank philosophy that led to piecemeal investment in the energy sector. This allowed energy deficits to reach crisis proportions, forcing the country into expensive stopgap measures that are having a ripple effect as the costing of new power projects is based on current tariffs. "There has been an internal shift in the government approach to energy policy, in the direction of more independence from our friends in Bretton Woods," a source at the National Planning Authority (NPA) told The EastAfrican. "This is because there is a realisation that energy is a catalyst for development, and the conservative approach dictated by some of our development partners in the past, has not quite worked for the country," he added. Apparently, while Uganda favours immediate investment in generation capacity to meet present and future demand for electricity, multilateral lenders prefer a phased approach informed by demand forecasts. Among solutions being proposed is a shift to nuclear energy in the near term, with 2018 being proposed as a likely date when Uganda should have a nuclear power station operational. "Even though we have a hydro potential in excess of 4,000MW along the river Nile, we cannot avoid nuclear energy because there are environmental limits to how much hydro you can get out of the river," the NPA source observed. Although Uganda has some 380MW of installed capacity on the Nile, output from the twin power stations at Nalubaale and Kiira at one point dwindled to 135MW due to a severe drop in Lake Victoria Water levels. Future plans Even though he denied first hand knowledge of a nuclear push, Energy Minister Hillary Onek said the 2018 date with nuclear might be too ambitious. He points out that although nuclear technology can be bought off the shelf from developed countries, a lot of preparation was needed, not least the human resource capacity to manage the facilities. "I am hearing about this for the first time but there is nothing strange about nuclear energy. Although they come with stringent environmental demands, those technologies are available off the shelf and you don't have to do much research, you can buy them the same way we buy generators," Mr Onek said, adding: "If that is what the planners say, however, then it is a national programme and we shall work towards achieving it. That is like tasking us as implementers." Mr Onek added that although nuclear is notionally in Uganda's and everybody else's long term focus, for now hydro resources can supply in excess of 4,000 megawatts and alternatives would only be sought if demand went beyond that that capacity. "We have not worked out the details of the nuclear option because our focus has been on exhausting alternatives such as hydro, solar and thermal now that we have oil," he added.