--------------------------------------------------------------------------- **** Annual Goanetters Meet **** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Goanetters Meet - January 3, 2012 - 12:30 - 2pm Tourist Hostel, near the Old Secretariat, Panaji (Panjim) Planning to attend? Send an email to eve...@goanet.org with contact details --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bosco wrote: More absurd commentary!! How is the stink justified in Calangute and not in Panaji?? More NIMBYism?? Patto deserves just as many aromas, if not more, than Calangute, no?? Response: What is absurd is not the Frederick finds the stink near Patto offensive but that on the beach acceptable but that a few lines down he has to bring in his pet peeve the "expat" and blame him for the stink. This is what Frederick wrotes: "Quite a few politicians have gained from created mega projects, only after buying off land in the surroundings areas, to then make a killing (including in "airport" areas). A few expats who I knew have lambasted such politicians online, only then to prefer to sell their own land to them...It's time everyone, specially expat Goans, took a keen interest in understanding this, and taking a stand on it, as it has strong implications for all here." So let's understand economics from Frederick's point of view. Expats (who if they hang on to their properties have all sorts of problems which include encroachment and squatting, must not sell their properties to the highest bidder.) Say, even if all expats were altruistic and sold only to those acceptable according to a list drawn out by Frederick, who is to stop the second owner from selling to politicians. Why blame the expat for everything? Frederick even wrote a whole newspaper article on how the middle-class expats are to blame for the situation in Goa (Ironies of the Middleclass). Well, Frederick here is a challenge for you. Let's bring all the expats back to Goa and then see how the economy does. Let's stop the remittances from the Gulf, the UK pensioners spending six months of UK government pensions in Goa, Swindon Goans and Canadian Goans sending money to their family and we'll see how well Goa fares. I am so sick and tired of Frederick blaming this mythical "expat" for destroying Goa, while he continuosly makes excuses for everyone else, especially for the merde others create both literally and figuratively. This creation of the expat Boogeyman by Frederick is frankly very harmful because if I recall correctly, he had a few Goans nodding their sage heads in Goa and saying, yes, yes Frederick is so wise. Next thing you know, we will have yet another rule that somehow makes life even more difficult for NRIs because afterall they deserve it. Frederick what we write bears responsibility and you as a journalist must think carefully about the implications before you write such an article. I know writing columns is a difficult task and columnists wake up the night before the deadline to rummage through their heads and write something but that is no excuse to write without any sense of reference to reality and facts. Happy New Year by the way :-) Best, selma --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------