[Goanet]Sending off a protest mail
Dear Alfredo, I had writen a long report on the political situation in India but somehow when I was about to send it off to you I erased by mistake the whole text. Any way, here is a short version of what I had in mind. It is indeed outrageous and a shame to Indian democracy that such contemptful and illegal atrocities are allowed to happen in India without the intervention of our judiciary. I'll be following this case of Fr. Prasad Gonsalves and wd. be thankful to you if you wd. mail me whatever you come across on this matter. The Indian Judiciary is simply off its rightful track and I can't visualise democracy and state of Law without a functioning legal system.We have plenty of examples - - the most horrendous was the Godhra massacre and its aftermath in Ahmedabad. Although the court proceedings were shifted from Ahmedabad to Delhi because of alleged bias, the proceedings dont seem to have gained any momentum. The road-construction Engineer Dubey, who was murdered when working at the site was another very sad story. Dubey wrote to our then PM Vajpayee about widespread corruption of the entrepreneurs. Probably there was a leak in the PMO, which led to the murder of Dubey. Vajpayee promised Dubey's parents that he wd. personally follow up the matter in the courts and the outcome? NIL! Am following up the Ahmedabad case in Delhi courts and the odd turn-around and volte faceof the plaintiff and witnesses reminds me of small lies one had to have in one's repertoir not to be caught for an offense. I have sent a protest e-mail to Justice Anand, Chairman, Nationa= l Human Rights Comission. All the best, Ralph
[Goanet]Opportunity for Goan Singles
For any Canadian Goan Singles 35-45years old who are interested in attending an Easter Dance to held on April 2nd 2005 at International Banquet Hall 5835 Kennedy Road in Mississauga north of Matheson south of Britannia dance to a live band PAVE CONNECTION with DJ FATZ. The cost is $22 The food that will be served includes: Hors D'oeurves: Chicken Tikka Vegetable Pakoras Buffet: Salad, Goat Curry, Butter Chicken, Alu Mutter, Pork Vindaloo, Nan Tandoori, Basmati Pulao,Dessert: Fruit Custard, Ice Cream, Coffee/Tea. Please email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] me by March 21st and I will provide you more details
[Goanet]OBITUARY - JOHN VICTOR MENDES (Kuwait)
Obituary John Victor Mendes (OTIS ELEVATORS, KUWAIT) Born: 24/6/1949 Died:12/3/2005 Son of late Peter John Mendes/late Gloria Mendes, beloved husband of Flora (Abdussalam Shuaib's Sons Trading Ltd.-Kuwait), father of Gloria (Kuwait Bahrain Int'l Exchange Co.), Ralston (student), brother/brother-in-law of Rosy Mendonca/late Agnelo (Australia), Annie D'Souza (Delhi)/late Joaquim, Anthony/Rosy Mendes (Bombay), Victoria/Franco Lobo (Kuwait), Anthony Francis Fernandes (Bombay), Hillary/Rohidas Palav (Bombay) and Fabian Fernandes (Bombay) expired after brief illness on 12/3/2005. May his soul rest in peace. (Source: AGM)
[Goanet]Accident death rate
Goa tops India's accidental death rate [Frederick Noronha, March 13] In a separate section, the NCRB report disclosed that 19 per cent of all accidental deaths in the country were reported from Maharashtra and 26 per cent of road accident victims were occupants of either trucks or lorries. Goa accounted for the highest rate of accidental deaths - 71 per 100,000 population, as compared to the national average of 26.4. The absolute numbers of accidental deaths may be highest in Maharashtra while the per capita rate seems highest for Goa. The latter may be a reflection of the high vehicular density in the state while the former may be due to the high volume of traffic flow.
[Goanet]INDIA TV'S BREAKING NEWS - SEXUAL EXPLOITATIONS!
India TV now showing exclusive video of Shakti Kapoor demanding sex from new entrants for role in films. Shakti tells the girl that he has slept with more than 200. He also tells the girl that it's a must to get role in films. Shakti Kapoor states Shakti Kapoor supports you than nobody touches you The girl pleads and tells him that she has never done this type of thing before. Avelino Bastora/Kuwait
[Goanet]Aitaracheo Kaskutleo: Dubhauvi Patok Naslem Zalear?
Dubhauvi Patok Naslem Zalear ? VERONICA: Aikota tum? SAMMY: Uloilear aikotolom nhoi? VERONICA: Falleam Ontoraxtrik Bailancho Dis (International Women Day) SAMMY: Ponnjechea Azad Moidanar bailanchi zomat ani uprant morcha asa kitem? VERONICA: Toslem politik mhaka lagu zaina. SAMMY: Bailancho dis mhonn mhaka kiteak sangta tor tum? VERONICA: Moji ixttin Viviana , London sakun aileli asa. Tum bore bhaxen zanai, ti amchea ghorak bhett ditana keddnach ritiea hatani iena mhonn. Hanvem chintlam faleamchea disa, tika ani tichea bhurgeank gheun Ponnjechea Delhi Darbar kannavollint jevnnank vhetelim mhonn. SAMMY: Khorem mhollear falleamchea disa hanvem sadi sutti (casual leave) kaddleli. Tuka khoim tori boreaxea panch nokhetri hotelant jevnnank vhortolom mhonn. VERONICA: Eke vhaumte zori udka bhaxen tujo mog mhojem sovem. Jitlo amcho mog mhataro zait asta titlich tuji apurbai mhoje sovem choddot vheta. Faleam naka morgadha ani keddnai vhellear zata. Faleam bailancho dis. Amkam bailank ek dis tori adleo ghozali korunk mekhlli asum di. Tuvem leave kaddlea, tum ghora rav ani mhojem kam' kor. SAMMY:Atam somzolom hanv. Hea disani bhogor-bhogor tum Internet-ar kitem polletalem tem. Poir fattim Cecilia-n Ontor'raxtrik Bailancho Dis mhonn GoaNet-ar ugddas kela ani soglea ostoreank choddoun dovorleant. VERONICA: Cecilia ek bail monis. Tum, taka bhes borem ollkotai. Tujea sangata, tumchea offisant nokri korta tem. Ostoreanchea hok'k (women's rights) somazachea nodre mukhar ghaddpak tem aplea boroupanni aptotta,dopttota. SAMMY: Babddem azun ekmulem (single) asa. Novrean soddlea te meren tem dadleank laginch dovrina. Kitle pavtt taka somzailem, boro cheddo polletam mhonn, ponn kan haloina. Tannem adlem visrun novea jivitachi vatt apnavpak zai. Borem, atam sarkem sang faleamchem sarkem tharlam nhoi tujem? VERONICA: Kal, Viviana-nk fon korun utor dilam. Mhaka poixeanchi ghoroz asteli. Jevonn kortokoch ami INOX theater-an 'Black' hindi chollchitrak vochpachem tharailam. SAMMY: Duddvanchi horkot na. Tuji khuxalkai zaun asa mhojem dadhosponn. 'Black' chollchitr bhouch bhavnnik vo sentimental khoim. Nimnnem pasun dolleank dukham bhorun dolle tambdde zatat mhonn Cecilia sangtalem VERONICA: Tum kitem kortolo? SAMMY: Mhonnchem? VERONICA: Tuvem sutti ghelea. Ekttoch ghora bostolo. SAMMY:Cecilia kagall (complain) kortalem. Ponnje Campalar aslelea swimming pool-ant ghelele khepek tachea tornne kuddir kispuieo vo dadol koxea ietat mhonn. Takach nhoi, tachi ixttin Beatrice hikai toslench infection zata. Swimming pool-achem udok favo tea vellar boldinant zalear udok duxit (polluted) zata. VERONICA: Sorkar, Goeamche porjek pievpak nitoll udkacho purvotho (supply) korina ani tuka dista sorkari swimming pool-anchi favo te toren zotnai ghevn lokachi bholaiki bori dovortolo mhonn? SAMMY:Heach khatir lagchilea 'Goa Marriot' hotelant membership korpak Cecilia-k hanvem sol'lo (advice) dilolo. Marog lagtelem , ponn brown katik infection zavnchem na mhonn hi khatri asa mhaka. Ani tem sangtalem, swimming ek ekdom boro veiaem' (exercise) Pevntanam kuddiche purai sandde ekan-ek gholltat khoim. Mhakai membership korunk vinoilam tannem. VERONICA: Naka, naka. Ghoroz na Cecilia-k sol'lo divchelo, ani tum hotelachea swimming pool-an ghelolo. Taka zai tor, tem polloun ghetelem. SAMMY: Falleam Ontor'raxtrik Bailancho Dis zalelean, tannemnui casual leave ghetleli asa. Mhonntalem tem, hotelachea manager- chi vollok korun di mhonn. Taka khuxi thoisor vochpachi. Hanv ekmulo astolom mhonn tuka husko aslo nhoi? Cecilia-k fon kortam ani falleamchem swimming pool-an vechem tharaitam. .Ago, fon vazta. Konnacho to polle. VERONICA: (Ragan) Hello konn uloita?... (soukas) Hey Viviana, how are you?. What? Tomorrow?.. Too much problem.. You don't know man? I was about to call you. There is BoJaPi's public meeting at Azad Maidan in Panjim. You know? Yes, yes. Supporters will attend in large number. After meeting they will stage violent dharna. May be start damaging government property. Why? Because, ministers playing frog game, makodd jumping game. Helloexcuse me...How I came to know all about this? Thru' very reliable source Maria de Ribhandar... Very danger to go to Panjim, specially tomorrow.. Ok..ok ..I will... my promise...but let me first bring my home crisis under controlOk bye ...see you SAMMY: Hanv somzotalom fokot politicians ekdom fast fottingponnacho pavs votoipak huxar mhonn. Ponn tanchea vonn dobrad mhoji bail asa mhonn mhaka khoboruch nasli. Tuvem topia (chemeleon) bhaxen ekuch minutan rong bodoll'lo. VERONICA: Sometime the chameleon has to change it's color when the need arises. SAMMY: Tuvem tuje ixttinink utor dilam tem samballchem aslem. VERONICA: Hanv dis bhor ghorant na tem pollevn Cecilia sangata swimming pool-an khellunk, falleamchoch dis? Hi sondi kitlo kal pasun tum pollet aslo? Tem ankvar
[Goanet]14th March Consumer Rights Solidarity Rally in Panjim
- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ --- - Consumer Rights Solidarity Rally in Panjim - The Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) is organising a Consumer Rights Solidarity Rally in Panjim on Monday 14th March on the eve of World Consumer Rights Day. The rally which will have participation of Consumer Forum volunteers from different parts of Goa will highlight the demand of consumer organisations worldwide to stop the spread of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Consumers right to information, right to choice and right to safety will be highlighted. All food containing or derived from GMO's must be independently tested, subject to international safety guidelines and must be clearly labelled. The Rally will also support the national level crusade against the spread of counterfeit, spurious adulterated goods and demand action in Goa. Medicines, electrical appliances, food items cosmetics are the major products affected. The need for surprise checks, quality tests and the insistence for the use of ISI mark are among the demands. The Rally will also extend support to the global campaign against the amendment to the Indian Patent Act 1970. The Amendment Bill which is to be discussed in Parliament will impact consumers with the increase in the price of new medicines for cancer, diabetes, AIDS and other ailments. --- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK --- an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa --- GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goacan.org ---
[Goanet]Garbage disposal raises a storm in villages in Goa
-- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ -- -- Garbage disposal raises a storm in villages -- Residents of Uguem have strongly objected to the selection of Uguem as the site for the garbage of nearby village panchayats. At a recent gram sabha meeting, Uguem sarpanch Anil Zangale informed residents that Uguem village had been chosen as one of the sites for dumping garbage under the rural garbage disposal scheme by the government. The gram sabha members strongly objected to the scheme and urged the sarpanch to immediately bring to the notice of authorities of the objections being raised by villagers. They brought it to the notice of the sarpanch that the Uguem village generates little waste as most of the garbage presently being collected by individual household is disposed off systematically in their own compounds or yards. Villagers at the gramsabha pointed out that presently there exists no vacant place in Uguem village away from the residential places that could be used as dumping ground for garbage Later, a resolution strongly opposing the garbage disposal scheme in the village was passed unanimously. Speaking to Herald, Uguem Sarpanch Anil Zangale informed that the panchayat has already forwarded the copy of the resolution to the authorities concerned Zangale, however, informed that the report from the concerned authorities over the opposition being raised by the villagers is still awaited.. -- HERALD 12/03/05 page 4 -- --- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK --- an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa --- GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goacan.org ---
[Goanet]AICHEA DISSAK CHINTOP - March 13, 2005!
Veng marop ek vhodd dennem ek voddai soglleank pavta. (A hug is a great gift one size fits all.) Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA _ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar - get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/
[Goanet]REMO FERNANDES: In the land of the soul rebel (Tehelka)
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main11.asp?filename=hub031905iN_THE_LAND.asp In the land of the soul rebel Singer-musician Remo Fernandes walks through Jamaica -- the land of reggae-king Bob Marley and recounts the experience for Tehelka Elation: Fernandes in Marley country When an icon dies young, his age remains frozen in our minds. Like other lost-in-time souls, I thought Jamaica would still be grooving to reggae When I finally visited Jamaica last year, there was only one thought in my mind: Bob Marley. And of course other satellite thoughts, all centered around Marley: reggae, rastafarianism, dreadlocks, marijuana. Flying into Kingston and driving to my hotel late that first night seemed like a surreal, jet-lagged drift across time. More thoughts: Marley frequented this airport, walked down these very steps, probably held this hand rail I'm holding... But when I went out looking for reggae music the next day, reality hit me right in the face. Had Marley been alive, he'd have been around 60 years of age. When an icon dies young, his youth remains forever frozen in our minds. I mean, if Elvis and Rajiv Gandhi turned up alive today, we probably wouldn't recognise them. Like a whole lot of other lost-in-time souls, I too subconsciously thought that Jamaica would still be grooving to reggae. But this was 20 years later, maahn. They were grooving to dancehall, which was nothing but rap. Rap? Oh no, said I, this tiny island which consistently coughed up new styles which the rest of the world gratefully followed, has finally bowed down to the American onslaught and been demoted from trendsetters to copycats. Until I was corrected in no uncertain terms by a professor of the University of the West Indies specialising in Jamaican Culture: dancehall came first, she said, and American rap is the copy. I couldn't believe it. Jamaica, nothing but the tiniest fraction of the size of India, was leading world music still. To speak nothing of their Nobel Prize, Booker Prize and Grammy Winners, plus other international awardees in diverse fields. How could a tiny island produce such people? Was it the air? The water? The meat they gobbled like carnivores, shunning the accompaniment of vegetables? The fabled, mystical grass? Whatever it was, it showed in their attitude: they seemed certain that the world revolved around their tiny protrusion in the ocean. And in many ways, it does. American rap, a copy of Jamaican dancehall! Of course, given half a chance, America would have appropriated reggae as its own too, the way they tried to do with basmati rice. But they couldn't, mainly because Marley first became a huge hit in England, among the underground Jamaican community there. I was living in Paris at the time, and news was filtering through across the Channel that this new music was not just music, but a whole religious/political movement, that the people who followed it were an extremely serious sect, grew dreadlocks, wore yellow, green and red colours, and smoked Kaya. And that for the first time in the UK, the brown man was making himself heard and respected. It was a boost of pride for all of us brownies everywhere in Europe, however much reflected and refracted the light might have been. When I first heard reggae I thought: This music is meant for Goa. The laid-back beat for the laid-back Goan lifestyle. Just meant for each other. But when I returned two years later, it hadn't caught on at all. A friend said Reggae? You mean that music which threatens to go one step forward but recedes two steps backward? Nah... its boring. And he shoved another Boney M cassette into his stereo. But about a year later (yes, late as usual), Goa caught on -- and with a vengeance. At every concert, dance or wedding, the audience would inevitably break into a chant of demand, accompanied by the stomping of feet and clapping of hands, which became de rigueur: Reggae! Reggae! Reggae! And every Goan band had to play I shot the Sheriff at least 10 times a night. But now it was 2004 in Jamaica, and there was no reggae anywhere in sight. Dancehall music ruled everywhere: hyper-energetic, dance-oriented, extremely and explicitly sexual in text and dance movements, totally programmed, sampled and dj-centric, it was the perfect anti-thesis to reggae. Jamaicans have a totally unique relationship with their bodies, and males and females (of all ages, shapes and sizes) walk around the streets half naked. Not in order to be provocative, but because to them that is as normal as wearing a saree or kurta pyjama is to us. Now, to this half nakedness, add wining -- the dance step which emulates the sexual act, front against front, back against front, back against back, with quite a few other highly imaginative and acrobatic combinations and permutations thrown in for good measure, and you get a picture of what happens in clubs, university gatherings, family weddings, and in the streets
[Goanet]Goa tops India's accidental death rate
This report from the Hindustan Times http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1275401,.htm?headline=2~rapes,~4~murders~every~hour~in~India! has thrown up a shocking piece of statistics: Goa accounted for the highest rate of accidental deaths - 71 per 100,000 population, as compared to the national average of 26.4. The report is titled Two rapes, four murders every hour in India and is based on figures compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Frederick Noronha 784 Near Convent, Sonarbhat SALIGAO GOA India Freelance Journalist TEL: +91-832-2409490 MOBILE: 9822122436 http://fn.swiki.net http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks fred at bytesforall.org http://www.bytesforall.org
[Goanet]Stuff one is unlikely to find anywhere else
Things which will make Bernado Colaco, of the Ole_Xac de Macau fame, go Uumh! Stuff one is unlikely to find anywhere else Coz: 1. It might not be known 2. It might be known but Hidden in the sand of Goan Beaches 3. It might actually be censored by those who do not wish it to be known 4. other reasons TGF This is probably what LIBERATION is all about! * The top political leadership in Delhi irrespective of which party is in power, have tended to think of Goa only as a holiday destination. Even as scores of prime ministers and presidents and central ministers and senior political leaders of the entire spectrum of parties have DESCENDED on Goa to enjoy the sun, the sea and the sand, they have never spared any time or attention for Goas problems. Successive governments at the Centre have been happy enough to MILK Goa for its foreign exchange potential. Goa is among the largest, if not the single largest contributor to the foreign exchange reserves in the country on the tourism account. While Goa may relatively speaking be rich, Goans are poor. If the per capita income in Goa is high, it is not because of the wealth created in Goa, but because if NRI remittances. courtesy http://www.goanobserver.com/ Subscription required to access online publication * Recommended Goan Sites in Cyberspace Goa-World at http://www.goa-world.net, TGF is at http://www.colaco.net The Goan Forum d- list is at http://www.egroups.com/groups/goa-goans To respond directly to any post [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
Re: [Goanet]Pros of caste and castacho and zat
--- Mervyn Lobo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mario, 1) I can show you an easy way to get your kids to clean thier rooms. This is NOT a free service. 2) I can also show you how to get your kids to marry whom you want. This is a free service. However, in the first place, you would have to have kids who want to be tied to your skirt forever. Mario replies: Mervyn, Your offer comes too late on both counts. We brought up our kids to be independent-thinking Americans of Indian-Goan heritage, and our Grandkids will all be Anglo-Indians, if you know what I mean. Fixing them up with anyone was never an option, Don't even think about it, Dad. BTW, they keep their own homes far cleaner than they ever kept their rooms.
[Goanet]My Quest For Shiva.
Its pronounced Sheev, said a New York Jew to me, sternly, one does not cross paths with Him who is both creator and destroyer, he continued : my friend is right i think, on all counts. Hindus revere him for much the same reason, and Jews invite friends to 'sit Shiva', a prayer gathering held a week in to a death in the family. This is probably the only vestige of the old Faith that survives in the in the ethos of that proto-Ugarithic group ( i dislike the label Semitic), for they can thank Abraham for introducing them to the the dubious pleasures of monotheism, just as Zarusthra did for our folk a little to the west in Sumerian country. Friend Shiva probably went to work early, in the Rift Valley, in the Gita Rama precincts, a city in Ruwanda. I lived in the region once, and i heard the same refrain when i asked - 'it was our religion we think, but no one seems to remember anymore'. Ethiopia has both, towns named Siva as well as Rama, but Egypt is the clincher: the Siva Oasis, where Alexander is buried. An Oracle had ordered it when he had inquired about the best route to to his Divinity on his death - it took the funeral caravan eighteen months to reach Siva from Macedonia. We then set sail a short breeze to Kriti(Crete), you get to see the island in the movie Zorba the Greek, Siva is their third town. On this barren outcrop, you are expected to believe, European civilization saw the light of day. Amen. There are Sivas in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, bless them all, and someday soon i hope there will be lttle Catholic boys in Goa who will be baptized Siva, and why not !!eric. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
RE: [Goanet]Re: Pros of caste and castacho and zat
From: George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: goanet@goanet.org To: goanet@goanet.org Subject: [Goanet]Re: Pros of caste and castacho and zat Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 07:10:11 -0800 (PST) --- Cecil Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Is there any connection between caste and cricket. Howzzat? My dear boys: Oh, yes. Until not very long ago, a bit before your times, playing the game down-caste was just not cricket. Our Indians stuck to the 'noble' tradition incepted and maintained by the English clubs which would'nt countenance a benetonian rainbow, with the exception of the occasional maharaja. AdeT _ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
[Goanet]Goan Caste System
Dear Goanetters, Mario wrote. So, I guess we anti-casters can all give up now. Abolishing discrimination cannot stack up against all these wonderful benefits, can it? I'm finally beginning to realize why the system has lasted for so many hundreds of years. Now, where's that bottle of caju I just brought back from Goa? I really need a double peg, right That'a right Mario - 'old habits die hard'. Stick to ur old 'kundmi' habits, hit the feni. when u can't face the hard task hit the bottle. and stop calling me MEAO Grapes are sour for u. things don't come easy in this world. Caste or no Caste System. Sincerely, Milad Meah.(Acton, London)
[Goanet]At it again! RSS
RSS kicks-off row, no reservation for Muslim-Christian converts:- Mangalore | March 12, 2005 2:43:05 PM IST The RSS has kicked off yet another row by announcing that converted Christians or Muslims cannot avail reservation facilities. The Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest policy-making body of RSS, having its 3-day conclave in Mangalore, would discuss the issue of reservation for the erstwhile Hindus who have embraced other religions, said Ram Madhav, RSS Spokesman. There is a move to seek extension of reservation facility to converted Christians of Scheduled Castes. A Public Interest Litigation has been moved in the Supreme Court. Earlier, the courts had taken a clear stand that reservation means for those sections of Hindu society, which face discrimination because of caste system in Hinduism. So, we would like to discuss this issue in the session and a resolution will be passed on that question, whether the reservation facility can be extended to those who go out of Hindu religion and embrace other religions, said Madhav. Firebrand VHP leader Praveen Togadia, who is also in the city to attend the conclave, followed Madhav and came down heavily on the Centre for inviting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for the ongoing Cricket series between India and Pakistan. Terrorists are killing our security forces everyday, terrorists are being killed in Delhi on a regular basis. Pakistan and Musharraf are supporting terrorists and we are inviting him for cricket. It is nothing but the impotency of the rulers of India. They are welcoming the foreign ruler with a red carpet who wants to destroy India, said Togadia. At the same venue, VHP once again reiterated that the construction of a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is still an issue for it and it would continue to be. Senior VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore said that the meeting of the Saints at Haridwar in June would decide the course of action and also decide the date of commencement of construction of the temple. VHP will take the decision, RSS will help. We are having a meeting in Haridwar on June 13th and 14th. Saints will decide it. So everything will be decided in the month of June, said Acharya Kishore. Once again opening up doors for speculation, the VHP leader said that the outfit would prefer to have a political Hindu front as an alternative to UPA and NDA. (ANI) COMMENT: Manohar Parrikar is a paid up Member of the RSS..whose views he adhers to; for those of you who didn't know, ignorance is not bliss anymore! Ayodhya today or tomorrow, next stop could well be Goa. Don't want to be alarmist but better you know the devil, better late than never. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]Operation Self-Destruction - from Goa Today
Tongue-in-Cheek By Cecil Pinto Ajeeb indeed, you Goans, smirked my friend Amit as he took one more sip of chilled beer to wash down his last mouthful of spicy sorpatel-in-bread. Eight months of living in Goa had not doused his enthusiasm for non-veg food. I suppose it was the sheer contrast to his orthodox Bengali upbringing that brought out the best of him here in Goa, and of course his constant bewilderment at our unique ways. Ok. What is it this time?, I asked Amit. His outsider perspective very often awakened me to anomalies in our Goan approach which I often take for granted. Well take those three pathetic trees in Campal. The three that have remained firmly rooted in the main road near the SAG grounds. What about them?, I asked. I pass these trees everyday on my way to work and when dropping my kids off to school. Can't you see how ridiculous it is to have them still there. They're a tragedy waiting to happen. Somebody's going to die there in an accident very soon. You don't understand, I exclaimed, Nothing can be done about them. If the Government dares to cut them down we will have the environmentalists up in arms. So you keep them there, nearly in the middle of the road, till someone bangs into one of them and dies? In a manner of speaking... yes! But don't you guys understand that the environmentalists aren't really bothered now. What really was at stake was the stretch from Bal Bhavan to Miramar circle. The land owners there went back on their agreement, and didn't want to give up their precious fifteen meters of land for road widening. First they protested the tree cutting to do this. When the Government said they would have to claim their precious land if the trees were to remain then they quickly turned around and decided that the trees could go! All that remained were a few red-faced dedicated environmentalists. The pseudos vanished back into their La Campala bungalows. Selfish! Well at least we Goans have been consistent in our demand that the River Princess has to be removed. Really? Ok check this out. Every April the agitation on the Candolim belt picks up and protest are held. Hoteliers, shack owners, shopkeepers, what-have-you. They organise dharnas and write protest letters to the newspapers. Every September the same petty businessmen quieten down and downplay the disaster-waiting-to-happen. Why? Because the holy of holies, the 'season' is approaching. And they don't want their precious charters shying away because of some news about any possible environmental problems. Once the charters have gone off in April the protests will start again. Talk about short term. These guys can't see beyond their nose, forget the next season. Selfish! Now that's a bit harsh Amit. They have to make a living you know. Sure! Sure! Like the guys who rent their rooms and bikes to known paedophiles. Ask around on the beaches my friend. Everyone knows who the foreigner paedophiles are but nobody will bother to expose them. They do after all spend a lot of money and everyone has to make a living. Can't cut off the hand that feeds, can you? Selfish! No Goan knowingly protects a person who has committed a crime! Then how do you explain the totally corrupt circus of clowns that you Goans have elected to the Assembly? The whole country's laughing at the antics of these spineless shameless self-centred career politicians, and at you Goans for electing this same rubbish in every time around. Amit, the Zilla Parishad elections are around the corner. Just you see. A fresh crop of young representatives will be voted in to lead Goa forward. No, my friend. What you will have is a round of huge newspaper advertisements, paid for by the candidates themselves, made to look as though all their supporters are wishing them. And then finally who will get elected are a bunch of unprincipled opportunists. Tell me who would you vote for? Someone who helps you to build an illegal extension to your house, someone who can get your cousin out of jail, someone who can get your traffic challan cancelled, someone who can get your sister-in-law a Government job out of turn, someone who can get your servant an illegal ration card... Or would you prefer someone who has a reputation of being ethical and has a long term vision? Well see it's not really an illegal extension. I just wanted to cover my van from the rain. And as for my cousin he wasn't really guilty. It was just a misunderstanding. He's supposed to get engaged next week and... Ha! See what I mean. What we need is planners, visionaries, thinkers and statesmen. What you want are instant fixers. And then you guys complain. So if it's all that bad what are you doing here in Goa for so long? You outsiders are one of the reasons Goa is going to the dogs. You are buying all our properties and taking our jobs and ... Sure I brought some property. I didn't hold a gun to the owner's head did I? He sold it to me fair
[Goanet]Welcome back: Domnic Fernandes
Domnic, Great to see your postings back on Goanet! More power to you pen (elbow!) Here's hoping your health is better, and that you are able to put out a lot more of your interesting content for all of us to read! FN _ _/ \Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa \ __\/\ India T +91.832.2409490 M +919822 122436 | | | | \ http://fn.swiki.net http://goabooks.swiki.net |__| |___| / http://www.bytesforall.net http://www.bytesforall.org \/ - Writing with a difference, on issues that really make the difference.
[Goanet]Congress getting their act together?
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=newsStory_ID=031221 All misunderstandings with the high command cleared: GPCC chief NT Staff Reporter Panaji March 11: The Goa Congress-led delegation to Delhi has cleared all the misunderstandings among the central leadership regarding the recent political developments in Goa, the president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), Mr Luizinho Faleiro said today. It took meetings with the President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, two meetings with the Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and presentations to all to nail the lies spread by the propaganda machinery of the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr Faleiro said. He was addressing a press conference along with former chief minister, Mr Pratapsingh Rane soon after their arrival from Delhi today afternoon. Mr Faleiro reacted strongly to the reported statement of former chief minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar demanding dissolution of the Goa assembly and fresh elections in Goa. He said that midway during the last term, when Mr Parrikar lost majority, he dissolved the assembly and forced an election on the people of Goa and a burden on the state exchequer. Now he has lost majority again, he wants another dissolution. Mr Faleiro said that Mr Parrikar never had a clear mandate from the people of Goa and that he held on to power only through chicanery and back-stabbing. Mr Faleiro said democracy is a game of numbers. Those who have the numbers, can rule. Those who dont cannot rule. When four BJP MLAs resigned, then the fifth, the BJP had lost majority. The Congress had the majority on all three occasions of vote of confidence, on February 2, February 28 and March 4, he added. The BJP tried to cling on to power through the machinations of its Speaker. The central leadership is convinced of these arguments, Mr Faleiro said further. We gave documentary evidence and VCDs of all three episodes of vote of confidence. We specially highlighted the speakers behaviour of the physical eviction of Mr Felipe Neri Rodrigues from the assembly and then his disqualification on the basis of forged documents, Mr Faleiro said. Mr Faleiro expressed amusement at the BJPs demands for recall of the Governor, of police harassment and for dissolution of the assembly. The BJP supporters damaging the Governors escort-car and then crying of police harassment. What should the police do? Mr Faleiro questioned. Regarding calls for dissolution, he said it is a case of sour grapes for the BJP. After by-elections to 5 assembly seats and the re-qualification of Mr Felipe Neri Rodrigues by the High Court, the BJP knows they will be reduced to a microscopic minority in Goa. That is why they want a dissolution of the House, Mr Faleiro said. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]India wins ruling on Neem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4333627.stm India wins landmark patent battle The neem provides a popular traditional tooth cleaner India has won a 10-year-long battle at the European Patent Office (EPO) against a patent granted on an anti-fungal product, derived from neem. EPO initially granted the patent to the US Department of Agriculture and multinational WR Grace in 1995. But the Indian government successfully argued that the medicinal neem tree is part of traditional Indian knowledge. The winning challenge comes after years of campaigning and legal efforts against so-called bio-piracy. Leading the campaign in the neem case was the EU Parliament's Green Party, India-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). This historic precedent must be further developed Linda Bullard, IFOAM Denying the patent means upholding the value of 'traditional' for millions of [people] not only in India but throughout the South. The free tree will stay free, said RFSTE director, Dr Vandana Shiva. This victory is the result of extremely long solidarity. It is a victory of committed citizens over commercial interests and big powers. Ancient knowledge A challenge was first mounted against the patent when it was granted in 1995. In 2000, it was victorious, but the US multinational mounted an appeal. On Tuesday this week, that appeal was lost. The backbone of RFSTE's challenge was that the fungicide qualities of the neem tree and its use had been known in India for over 2,000 years. The neem derivatives have also been used traditionally to make insect repellents, soaps, cosmetics, tooth cleaners and contraceptives. In 1995, WR Grace patented neem-based bio pesticides, including Neemix, for use on food crops. Neemix suppresses insect feeding behaviour and growth in more than 200 species of insects. But the EPO agreed that the process for which the patent had been granted had actually been in use in India for many years. Under normal circumstances, a patent application should always be rejected if there is prior existing knowledge about the product. But in the United States, prior existing knowledge is only recognised if it is published in a journal - not if it has been passed down through generations of oral and folk traditions. We are deeply gratified that through our case the EPO has recognised the intellectual achievements of the South, said Linda Bullard, former president of IFOAM. We were able to establish that traditional knowledge systems can be a means of establishing 'prior art' and thus used to destroy claims of novelty and inventiveness. This historic precedent must be further developed and transposed into overall international frameworks so that this type of theft is no longer possible. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
Re: [Goanet]Speaking and Writing under influence
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:15:23 -0500, Joe Lobo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Cecil, I do hope you realise that there is a difference in the word trash as compared to theword thrashie the two words mean something quite distinctly different from each other ...However I do agree with you that reading the many posts of Gabe Menezes over the last two years I`ve found them sane, well balanced and informative. RESPONSE: Thank you Cecil and thank you Joe for your kind words. Cecil was quoting the original post - spelling included. Joe, do I know you, are you from Toronto, Canada? Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London England.
[Goanet]AICHEA DISSAK CHINTOP - March 12, 2005!
Jivit amkam zai aslelea porim sodanch vortovnam. Gorjechem mhullear ami borea tensavan jieop ani dusreank khuxealkai divop. (Life is not always the way we want it to be. What matters is we live with good intentions and provide happiness for others.) Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA _ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
[Goanet]Who else but the Supreme Court?
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/11flip.htm Who else but the Supreme Court? March 11, 2005 Room 46 in the West Bengal legislative assembly complex is called the 'Bejoy Kumar Banerjee Hall.' Few would recognise his name today but 38 years he made the headlines in every Indian newspaper. What he said and did in 1967 are relevant to the events of today. The West Bengal of 1967 presented as confused a picture as the Goa, Jharkhand, and Bihar of today, no party having won a clear majority in the assembly election. Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, leader of a group of Congress defectors, joined hands with the Marxists to form the United Front. The coalition ministry was involved in a running battle with Governor Dharam Vira from the first. It did not last very long, the exasperated governor kicking out the United Front to install the Progressive Democratic Alliance that was led by Dr P C Ghosh. It was at this point that Speaker Bejoy Kumar Banerjee entered the picture. The Speaker refused to recognise the new regime, ruling it was the exclusive power of the House to make and unmake ministries. Efforts to do so behind the back of the assembly were, he declared, unconstitutional and invalid. The P C Ghosh ministry threw in the towel, there was a bout of President's Rule, and the Ajoy Mukherjee-led United Front returned in 1969. Many think that politicians should be barred from becoming governors. It may interest them to know that Dharam Vira was no politician, he had been one of India's most distinguished civil servants, efficient and incorruptible. He was genuinely concerned about the deteriorating situation in West Bengal; the Ajoy Mukherjee ministry was so spectacularly incompetent that the chief minister once sat on a dharna outside Writers Building against his own government! But the Speaker was equally correct in upholding the authority of the assembly. Both Dharam Vira and Bejoy Kumar Banerjee could legitimately claim that they were working in West Bengal's best interests. Nobody would buy that excuse from Governor S C Jamir, the former Speaker Vishwas Satarkar, and Speaker Pro-tem Francisco Sardinha. Does anyone think S C Jamir had no role to play in the fall of the BJP-led Manohar Parikkar ministry? Speaker Satarkar sought to counter this by disqualifying an MLA just before a crucial vote in the assembly. Finally, Speaker Pro-tem Sardinha stretched the powers of his post to the limit by ordering the ouster of an MLA from the BJP side. Jharkhand trust vote on March 11 Stop this nonsense about our great democracy! The sad part is that it was actually politics as usual up to the point where Francisco Sardinha entered. S C Jamir is scarcely the first governor to be partial to one party. There are even precedents of a Speaker playing fast and loose with the rules. (The governor would have been justified in recommending President's Rule after Satarkar's timely disqualification of the pro-Congress Philip Neri Rodrigues.) But what the Speaker Pro-tem did was in a class of its own. It opened the door to manipulation on a different scale. Every assembly -- even the Lok Sabha come to that -- starts proceedings with a Speaker Pro-tem being nominated. That nomination is the gift of the executive wing, not of the legislature. Imagine what might happen if other Speakers Pro-tem follow Sardinha to disqualify 'inconvenient' members. You could face a situation where an electoral verdict is overthrown before all the legislators have time to read the oath. A governor serves at the pleasure of the President. A Speaker is elected by the legislature over which he presides, and he may be removed by its members. But who is to check abuse of power by a Speaker Pro-tem? Sitaram Yechury says the Left disapproves of all legislative problems being dumped into the judiciary's lap. In principle he is correct but who else can lay down the law to prevent the disgusting antics we saw in Goa? The Supreme Court stepped in to tell Governor Syed Sibtey Razi that it was setting a date for the vote of confidence in the Jharkhand assembly. It told 'Chief Minister' Soren that he could not have one of his pets sitting there as a nominated Anglo-Indian member. I pray that it also lays down broad guidelines on the powers of a Speaker Pro-tem. The marauders of democracy But what of those Speakers, properly elected and not serving pro-tem, who act as tools of the executive wing? The position of a Speaker were spelt out on January 4, 1642 when King Charles I came in person to arrest five MPs from the House of Commons. Not finding them, he asked the Speaker where they were. William Lenthall, famously replied, 'I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.' Speaker Bejoy Kumar Banerjee was man cast in the same iron mould; others, I am afraid, have been far more accommodating to the executive branch. I recall something Dr Ambedkar said long ago. After pointing
