[Goanet News Bytes]News articles on the Cyclone that hit Goa
## # Don't just read the news...discuss it. Learn more about Goa via Goanet # # Goanet was setup in 1994 and has spent the last decade building a # # lasting Goan non-profit, volunteer-driven network in cyberspace. # # Visit the archives http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # To join, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and ask to join Goanet. # ## Storm snaps power, sinks trawlers in Goa http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/nation/2005/april/107849.htm India : Cyclone leaves behind damaged property in Goa http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=186282 Four injured in Goa thunderstorm http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200504211502.htm Goa witnesses huge destruction after cyclone http://www.123bharath.com/india-news/index.php?action=fullnewsid=47110 Goa cyclone leaves damage worth Rs.100 million http://www.newz.in/large35.asp?catid=1number=5271
[Goanet News Bytes]Apr 22, 2005 * Goa stops to tally its losses after 'gusty' winds
## # Don't just read the news...discuss it. Learn more about Goa via Goanet # # Goanet was setup in 1994 and has spent the last decade building a # # lasting Goan non-profit, volunteer-driven network in cyberspace. # # Visit the archives http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # To join, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and ask to join Goanet. # ## [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] G o a n e t - N e w s B y t e s APRIL 22, 2005 DATELINE: GOA ... . ... .. ... .||.Founded in 1994 || || .| '|. '' .|| || || .|...|| || by Herman |'' || || .|' || || || || || Carneiro '. '|..|' '|..'|' .||. ||. '|...' '|.' http://www.goanet.org .|' To un-subscribe from this list, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you find this ezine useful, please recommend it to your friends and others from Goa. To sign-up http://newsfromgoa.swiki.net [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] IN TODAY'S EZINE: Goa calculates the full damage of the cyclonic winds that lashed the state just after dusk on a hot Wednesday evening. But newspaper account vary about the damage caused and the speed of the winds. Also, weather officials seem to be getting off lightly for the weather going totally unpredicted. Specially detailed issue today, to make up for the silence during the 36 hours we didn't have lights in our part of Goa. o Goa lost over Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) in squall. The state administration has started assessing the damage caused by Wednesday night's squall in Goa, though rough estimates peg the damage at over Rs 100 million. (NT) o Herald says property worth Rs 50 lakh swept off, 220 houses damaged and over 900 trees uprooted. (H) o Indian Met Observatory (Panjim) acting director K V Singh said that the squally winds that blew over some parts of Goa on Wednesday were due to the formation of thunder clouds. Singh said the system had not been developed across the nation, but had developed due to local phenomena in Goa itself, and therefore it could not be noticed or predicted well in advance in Mumbai or Pune. (NT) o Velocity of wind touched 283 kmph: The gusty winds that hit Goa late Wednesday evening was of the highest velocity since 1994, when Goa witnessed a cyclone as per the Indian Met Observatory office in Panjim. IMO said that gusty winds started after 6 pm on Wednesday, and touched a maximum speed of 283 kmph at 8 pm, caused as a result of thunder activities.(H) o Squall damaged 56 trawlers at Kharewaddo (Vasco) jetty. (NT) o No lives lost, but livelihoods have been, as Vasco work up to dreary devastation. (GT) o Campal Children's Park devastated. (GT) o Sattari goes without water. (H) o Merces wears destructive look. (H) o Three injured in Loutolim, Mango branch falls on home of Jose Pedro Dias, injuries minor. (H) o Nearly 200 electricity polls had either broken or fallen down. Some 250 houses damaged, says Gomantak Times. (GT) o Political understanding between parties vital for stable govt: Jamir(H) o Governor urged to approve pending electricity works. (H) o Ravanfond bridge thrown open, officially by Governor Jamir. One day earlier, the BJP went ahead and unofficially 'inaugurated' the bridge.(H) o Real estate developer, a close Parrikar aide, joins Congress: Prominent real estate developer and builder Dinar Tarcar who was known to be a close associate of the former chief minister Manohar Parrikar joined the Congress party, along with a large number of his supporters and friends Wednesday. Tarcar is a partner of Landscape Developers. Tarcar said the last four-and-half years had been a bad experience in Goa, alleging that there was rampant corruption. Tarcar said the Congress party had a long, healthy and democratic tradition and does not involve in politics of vengeance, and had no dictators. (H) o Kulavis whose family deities are in Goa's different major Hindu temples, and who have been deprived of the rights of membership of mahajanship, entry into the sanctum sanctorum have decided to fight vigorously for justice. (GT) o Senhorinha Melo e Correia of Siolim completes 100 today! (H) o New pipeline promised to solve Quepem villages water woes. (H) o Porvorim police have no clue yet on Parab murder. (H) o Venus Life fraud cost depositors Rs 30 million in Goa. (H) o 'Kaleidescope Goa -- A Cultural Atlas' by Dr
[Goanet]AICHEA DISSAK CHINTOP - April 23, 2005!
Doiea ek bhasha ji bhereank aikonk ieta ani kuddeank disti poddta. (Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.) 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/
Re: [Goanet]Women priests !!!
Besides Viviana's opinion, women can become priests by changing their sex! B. Colaco -- --- Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can someone donate a prize to the netter who comes up with the most convincing argument on why women shouldn't be allowed to become priests? Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
[Goanet]Salmona Spring: LAST Open Update To Governor Of Goa!.
To, The Governor of Goa, Panaji. Goa. Your Excellency, As you know, this last update is needless. But for the records, we must go through the formal, last rites of a painful process of updating. Yes, your Excellency, it is painful we know - both for you and for us. The bitter taste of defeat is not pleasant. After the 3 delegations to you with its files full of documents. After the 1089 Saligaokar signatures to save their world-famous Salmona Spring, addressed exclusively to your Excellency. After the deep concern, interest and shock you expressed over the ongoing devastation of the Conservation Zone at the Salmona Spring. After the promises you made to impose an injunction and have the licence revoked. And finally after the Executive Order you signed on the 13th of April to have the construction licence revoked immediately, based on the Forest Act. After 6 weeks of whirlwinding around the corridors of power, Arjun Harmalkar continues to build arrogantly and at a furious pace, mocking yours and our efforts. At the end of the day, all this immense effort - most sadly, including yours - could not translate into the political, administrative and judicial will to stop the construction. But while we wonder why, we have not lost hope. The acquisition proceedings are almost complete. But even this process is dogged by trickery. The file, at the moment is mysteriously 'stuck' at the office of the Under Secretary - Revenue Department for the last 5 days! It reached his desk on the evening of the 18th April. Since you could not help out with the injunction on construction and revocation of licence, could you at least expedite the passage of this file to your office? You are the last Executive authority to sign this file, your Excellency, before it is notified in the Gazette. Someone wants this file to crawl to you instead of fly. We are sure that you at least the powers to increase the speed of this file as it drags itself to your office. In order for you to direct your efforts at the right desks, this is the route it will take until it reaches you: From the Under Secretary - Revenue, to Joint Secretary - Revenue, to Secretary - Revenue, to Chief Secretary, to your good self the Governor of Goa. Since you failed us in your efforts to impose a temporary injunction on the construction and to revoke the licence, you can at least make an earnest attempt to hasten the acquisition proceedings, get them notified, take over the land and DEMOLISH THE DESTRUCTIVE STRUCTURE, AT THE EARLIEST. This we know is within your powers, because the file creaking is its way to you. All you have to do is make it fly! In the light of our experience over the last 6 weeks, all we can do is hope for the best... Hopefully, Muriel Mario. More information at: http://salmonafountain.swiki.net -- muriel mario, 4/4 tabravaddo, opp. st. anne's chapel, saligao. bardez. goa. 403511. tel: 0832-278276 / 240 [EMAIL PROTECTED] '
[Goanet]RE: Women Priests
Can someone donate a prize to the netter who comes up with the most convincing argument on why women shouldn't be allowed to become priests? Also, were all you guys serious with the arguments you threw up? FN Fred, the only real prize for a practicing Roman Catholic is knowing (s)he is furthering the cause of the faith of their fathers. For others, it is purely acamedic gymnastics. Empty vessels make the most sound! The excerpt that follows is self-explanatory. Pat http://www.catholic-goan-network.net -- What Benedict XVI does oppose, however, is the misuse of Vatican II to justify things the Council Fathers never proposed. Abortion, contraception, women's ordination, acceptance of homosexual behavior -- all are paraded by dissenting Catholics as natural outgrowths from the documents of the Council. But such claims are only convincing to one who has never actually read those same documents (which are thoroughly orthodox and bear no support whatsoever to such radical positions). That's when the Spirit of Vatican II makes its entrance. You see, since dissenting Catholics cannot actually find their wish list anywhere in the actual conciliar documents, they're forced to imagine a kind of trajectory from the Council -- almost as if Vatican II were a perpetual, unending event. Given enough time, the theory goes, the Fathers would have eventually embraced the theological fascinations of the Catholic Left. Don't be fooled. One of my favorite former theology professors -- certainly no conservative -- used to say that the phrase The Spirit of Vatican II really means, This is what Vatican II would have said if Vatican II were me. Just so. *** WHY WON'T SELF-HELP GURUS TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HAPPINESS? ***What if everything you've been told about happiness is wrong? The self-help movement has turned the subject into a billion-dollar industry. And yet, those who follow the advice of the feel-good gurus will actually be farther from real happiness than they were before. Get the facts here:http://www.crisismagazine.com/truth.htm
Re: [Goanet]LINK: Another Goanetter makes the news: Joaquim Goes
Thanks a lot Fred for posting the sites that featured the news of our paper which appeared in the journal Science today. The paper is titled Warming of the Eurasian Landmass Is Making the Arabian Sea More Productive, Joaquim I. Goes, Prasad G. Thoppil, Helga do R Gomes, and John T. Fasullo. Science 22 April 2005: 545-547. It can be found at http://www.sciencemag.org/content/current/ and then click on Reports. We think that our findings have serious implications for coastal communities on both side of the Arabian Sea and that global warming is going to seriously impact fisheries resources of that region. I haven't been a very active goanetter lately or after returning form the Antarctica. I am still wading through all the old posts and polemics - I think there was even one on global warming?!!! Helga . Joaquim Goes (whose wife Helga went to Antarctica recently) is in the news for his research released in today's issue of the prestigious 'Science'. Scidev.net, a site looking at issues of science and development (they have a special South Asia edition) explains the story well at: http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNewsitemid=2057languag http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050421204327.htm http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/apr/HQ_05100_plant_blooms.html http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/22/content_2862740.htm http://www.physorg.com/news3826.html http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/7635 http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_20139.shtml http://www.mysan.de/article85111.html http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109STORY=/www/story/04-21-2005/0003442095EDATE= http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-43461.html http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16715 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/nsfc-nsf042105.php http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNewsitemid=2057language=1
[Goanet]Vasco edge past Fransa
Vasco edge past Fransa April 22, 2005 20:34 IST Vasco halted Fransa Pax's winning ways with an exciting 3-2 win to move into ninth place in the National Football League at Nehru stadium in Margao on Friday. Vasco, who led 2-1 at half-time scored through Sidney Rodrigues (22nd minute), Francis Fernandes (43rd) and substitute Levy Coelho (86th). Fransa reduced the margin through Joseph Ogor's brace (28th, 76th). Vasco with 17 points from 19 matches are at par with Churchill Brothers, but were placed ninth on account of superior goal difference. Fransa remained on fourth place with 29 points from 19 matches. Reeling under the pressure of relegation, Vasco made their intention clear as they went all out for a win from the start and surged ahead in the 22nd minute through a penalty. Referee N Mohan awarded the penalty after Alex Ambrose was brought down by defender Sanjeev Maria, when he was about to score off a long through pass by Kamal Thapa. Rodrigues who took the spot kick, converted it by beating goalkeeper Kalyan Choubey to his right. Fransa fought back and equalised six minutes later when Ogor scored off a free kick past the rival wall into the net. Vasco, playing with determination, again took the lead three minutes before the interval. Fernandes accepting a pass from Menino Fernandes took a rival defender in his stride and almost from the edge of the box essayed a right footer that found the far end of the net to have Vasco leading 2-1 at half-time. Vasco could have increased the lead after the change of ends, but Fabio Soares who had only keeper at his mercy shot straight at him who managed to put the ball out. Surviving a close chance, Fransa made a counter move and again found the equaliser in the 76th minute when substitute Biju Kumar from the right snatched the ball and laid a pass to Ogor. Ogor, who sprinted down the right, sent an angular drive from the edge of the box that found the far corner of the net. Vasco piled up pressure in the closing stages and substitute Coelho who had scored the equaliser against Mohun Bagan scored the winner when he banged home from close a cross by Kamal Thapa to give Vasco their fourth win. -- Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/
[Goanet]HERALD: Big squall, big communication problems?
In today's (Apr 23) HERALD, there is a front page story titled Squall was predicted three days in advance. It seems the Navy in Goa (Vasco) had issued warnings to Dabolim about the impending squall. But it apparently did not communicate its findings to the Met office in Panjim, being content to inform the Met Office in Delhi as per bureaucratic procedure prescribed for all Met offices, civilian and military. To find out what the Navy's Met office knew, the Panjim office had to request information from Delhi (which apparently it didnt do because it didnt know what it didnt know!). The rest as they say is history! :(
[Goanet]Re: Women priests !!!
Mario and Viviana: I am afraid your logic will lead the Taliban in Afganistan and others to conclude that is ok to discriminate against women in the manner they have: that's our religion, take it or leave it. No room for ratioanl thinking, just be obedient to the Dark Ages. Here are some insights into the issue sent to me by a Goan woman by private email so I have not included her name. I am forwarding without comment. QUOTE: 1. The bias against women and women priests comes directly from the Jewish religion. The role for women was to bear children who would be Jewish - a Jew by definition has to have a Jewish mother. Hence, even Solomon whose mother was not Jewish does not qualify as a Jew. Women had no divorce rights, they (not the men) were stoned for adultery, and there were no Jewish women priests. 2. I had a very good orthodox Jewish friend who sent her son to an exclusive Jewish school in ___. She told me that the boys said a prayer every day, thanking God that they weren't born a woman! 3. There is no evidence that Jesus established a priesthood in the Gospels. Subsequently, the Church developed a theology that seemed to point that way. But where's the evidence? Jesus was called Rabbi (Teacher) not a priest at all. The early Church had many women leaders and founders of churches. So perhaps, there should be neither men or women priests. The Protestants came to that conclusion, hence they have Ministers. After the Temple was destroyed, the Jews themselves went back to the pre-Mosaic tradition of Rabbis, not priests. 4. The idea that women are inferior was extended by theologians like Augustine and Aquinas. They wrote that women were defective males. This, I believe, is also the position in the Koran. These ideas that women are un-holy and inferior is very Middle Eastern. It is certainly not Indian. Indian spirituality places the highest spiritual value on the Feminine. In fact, the goal of Yoga is to develop and discover the feminine in all of us as the creative force. So, I have no idea why Indians like us, of all people, swallow these unwholesome and unworthy ideas about feminine inferiority. These ideas are used to put women down and keep them down, and to justify abuse of all kinds. In the 21st century, women aren't taking them seriously becasue we have more than proved our worth these days. 5. Research and reading and reflection about reality will show that we don't have to believe every single last thing that a group of self-serving men in Rome or Mecca pronounce as Truth so they can propagate a system that allows them to live in style like Princes! UNQUOTE Regards, George
[Goanet]HERALD: Big ticket airport plans (but not for Goa!)
In its April 22 edition, HERALD had a story titled AAI plans futuristic airports in 18 cities on the business page. In the expenditure plans for 5 airports (3 metro and 2 nonmetro) the average works out to Rs 127 cr each! The 2 nonmetro airports (Ahmedabad and Thiruvanantapuram) with which Goa competes in the traffic stats, themselves tote up figures of Rs 145 cr and 150 cr respectively! The other airports listed are 13 in number and include places like Surat, Mangalore, and Khajuraho, but do not include Goa. Goa airport may be in some sort of limbo in airport planing because of Navy control. Incidentally, when the Vice Admiral gave an update about Dabolim in HERALD last week he is reported to have referred to a figure of Rs 30 cr spent on strengthenng the civilian infrastructure at Dabolim. This is a small fraction of the present plans for top Indian airports.
[Goanet]More democracy in the church - good or bad?
One often gets the disclaimer when investing that past performance is no guarantee for future performance. I think with the spread of democracy around the world as well with the advent of greater levels of education and access to information, people today EXPECT greater levels of openness and democracy in organizations they are part of. Clearly, the catholic church has so far failed or refused to incorporate these changes into its own organization. Obviously depending upon which side you belong to, a case can be made for either strategy. The new Pope has made several good points for maintaining its conservative strategy such as on the perils of relativism, maintaining its center of gravity, consistency etc. Coversely, the reluctance to change and remain insular has resulted in the failure of the church to effectively deal with such issues as child molestation, AIDS, womens rights etc. The legal burdens resulting from the child molestation cases for example have resulted in a severe weakening of the church in N.America, not unlike what has happend to other organizations such as the KKK. WRT the other issues, it is reasonable to expect the Catholic church to continue to lose market share to the various other christian denominations. This is happening quite rapidly in Latin America and Africa. I get the feeling that the catholic church and its most ardent followers are not willing to compromise on its core values, customs and beliefs, even if it results in a gradual loss of its population base. The status of the catholic church viz Islam is also quite interesting. In many Islamic societies, the lack of separation of church and state has over the past millenia resulted in those societies being contrained by their slow moving religious intelligensia. In contrast, the decoupling of these two elements in the west has allowed the duality of their societies adapting to scientific enlightenment while allowing the church to maintain its core principles. The separation has been so drastic in Europe that the church is almost irrelevant to a large part of European society. Recent statistics from even so called strongly catholic nations such as Italy and Spain indicate sharply decreasing participation rates amongst its youth. The US is somewhere in between, though it is very disconcerting to see religion playing an increasing role in American politics and perhaps even in its foreign policy (eg. Israel and its biblical right to occupy the occupied territories). Marlon --- Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Fred, I assume you were brought up a Catholic. You then must know that Catholicism is an autocratic, patriarchal, top down religion, with old and strict doctrinal rules that are not responsive to democratic principles, and the rules are not about to change any time soon, if ever. Much of it is based on faith, and cannot be explained or understood based on normal human principles, facts and logic. For example, a virgin birth, a Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion, a Resurection, an Ascension into Heaven of Jesus as well as Mary, life after death. You take it or leave it. When you ask for a convincing argument, you are thinking in terms of a normal democratic social organization, which this is not. So there is no such argument that will convince an unbeliever, and a believer does not demand such an argument, knowing that it would be an excercise in futility. As Viviana eloquently says, If she were really and truly interested in priesthood, and not just the evening news, a woman can achieve that goal. But NOT within the Catholic Church.
Re: [Goanet] Predicting who could be the next Christian
Marlon Menezes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The targetting of the poor for conversion is very logical, just as a business would study its target market and selectively go after segments it deems would be the most profitable. Marlon, If you start with the premise that God rewards his/her children, then surely the poor are not God's children :-) As such, why would any missionary focus on the poor? Mervyn3.0 __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
[Goanet]E-mailing Pope Benedict - by Melvin Durai
EMAILING THE POPE YOUR QUESTIONS http://www.MelvinDurai.com/pope.htm Pope Benedict XVI has been given an email address, [EMAIL PROTECTED], and will spend a few minutes each day reading messages from around the world and the rest of the day deleting spam. The pope has already received email from thousands of people, some congratulating him on his new position, others seeking his answers to various moral and religious questions: Should gay people be allowed to marry? Should brain-dead people be kept alive on feeding tubes? Should the church continue to ban contraceptives? And what about gay people who use contraceptives -- should they be kept alive on feeding tubes? The papal inbox will be a repository for all sorts of interesting email: Dear Pope: First let me congratulate you on an impressive election victory. You really trounced your opponents, especially those non-European cardinals who actually thought they had a chance. You need to tell them to go easy on the grape juice. Anyway, it's good to see democracy working so well within the church. If only more countries would learn from the Vatican and follow its democratic ideal of one man, one vote, let the women sit and watch. I'm glad you believe that only men should be priests, bishops and cardinals. We already let women attend church and take communion -- must we let them wear the gowns too? Women today are already doing everything men do: they're doctors, lawyers, accountants, and engineers. Some jobs ought to be reserved for men. Even my wife says that, right before asking me to take out the trash. Prayerfully yours, David C. Dear Pope: I am really struggling with the abortion issue. While I've always believed, like you do, that abortion is wrong, a Jewish friend of mine has made me reconsider my position, insisting that the world would be a better place if Hitler's mother had chosen abortion. Such a choice may even be considered pro-life. Of course, you may ask how Hitler's mother could have possibly known that her son would turn into such a monster. But I'm sure she could have found out, I'm sure she could have consulted a good psychic. Don't you agree? Respectfully yours, Rhonda B. Dear Pope: I am a churchgoing man, very faithful to Catholic principles. I just wanted to know if you think the church will ever change its stance on same-sex marriage. In case you are wondering, I am heterosexual man. But it just so happens that my partner is not. He wants to get married in church, but that raises a problem: Which one of us should wear the dress? I think he should, because I'm the one who's heterosexual. Don't you think that's reasonable? Heterosexually yours, Kenneth D. Dear Pope: My wife and I are both devout Catholics, but disagree on one important issue. She feels that the Vatican is too old-fashioned and impractical in its opposition to contraceptives, but I tend to agree with your position -- and so do our 14 children. We've been trying the natural method of birth control and it's quite effective, giving my wife a few days off between pregnancies. But nowadays, she often locks me out of the bedroom, telling our children that this is a critical part of the natural method. My question to you is this: Can a locked door be considered a contraceptive? If so, shouldn't the church ban locked doors? Desperately yours, Manuel S. -- (c) Copyright 2005 Melvin Durai. All Rights Reserved. http://MelvinDurai.com
[Goanet]VARNA
Jorge, For as long as you put the blame on colour instead of culture you will not be able to figure out why certain tribes live more comfortably than other. The colour of mourning in the east is white instead of black, so what? In China whites are western devils (saikwai). Everywhere the other gets a slightly less than kind caption (gipsy/payo, euskaldun/maketo, roman/barbarian, bharati/farangi); that's human nature (innate software). Do you know the meaning of 'vigarice' or 'judiaria'? Are we supposed to limit our everyday talk to politically correct utterances to please the mullahs? You know, I know, that white Europe is not the continent where the plight of dark/wheatish skinned people is worst, quite the contrary to be honest. The racial connotation exists mainly in your mind as part of your own varna mind set. Why can't you be just a human being? Cumprimentos Arjun From: George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- samir_kelekar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The concept of black smoke, white smoke to indicate the election of the Pope is quite funny. Samir, There is a language and race element being overlooked. One can ask why is black smoke chosen to signal failure (non-election of the Pope) and white smoke to signal success. Why not the other way around? One finds racial connotations in the use of language, as in black death to describe the plague. On the other hand to soften, even forgive a falsehood, is called a little white lie. To commit certain crimes is considered a black mark on one's record. Why not white mark? This is to associate black people with crime. There are many other examples. It is unfortunate we do not pay attention to language, especially its hidden racial, sexist, aegist overtones. Yes, black smoke to denote failure is not outside our racial prejudices, including the Vatican's bias for reserving its highest honors of Popes, saints for Europeans (whites). Regards, George
[Goanet]Cafeteria Catholics and Cafeteria Goans
Hi Gabe Thoroughly enjoyed your post on Cafeteria Catholics. I normally shrink the post I respond to, but in this excellent post, I kept it intact for the cyber Goans to read it aniek time. Atan upkar kor (please do us a favor) can you write a post on Cafeteria Goans? :=)) Regards, GL Gabe Menezes CAFETERIA CATHOLICS (Q): What is a Cafeteria Catholic? (A): Cafeteria Catholics are those who pick and choose what doctrines they want to follow and what doctrines they want to ignore. They do not have any respect for the authority of the Catholic church. The guidelines of the church are meaningless. The sad part of the story is there are nuns and priests included in this category. The difference between a cafeteria Catholic and a lukewarm Catholic is that the cafeteria Catholic is ruled by pride. They believe that they do not have to follow the rules of anyone. They are in charge and they can believe what they want. (Q): What are signs of a Cafeteria Catholic? (A): Here are some examples of a cafeteria Catholic: They see no problem with artificial birth control They see no problem with premarital sex They see no problem with divorce and remarriage They see no problem with abortion They approve and promote the ordination of woman They approve and promote the marriage of priests Cafeteria Catholics use Vatican II as an excuse stating that things have changed in the Catholic faith and that it is their prerogative to do as they wish. Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith states clearly in the book The Cardinal Ratzinger Report, that it is absolutely incorrect to refer to Pre-Vatican Council II and Post-Vatican Council II, as if there were changes in the Church's position in matters of faith and morals. The only changes in that respect have sprung from erroneous interpretations of the Council. Pope John Paul II stated in his talk to the Bishops in Los Angeles in 1987: It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the clear position on abortion. It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a good Catholic, and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere. Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]No to women priests please!
All you do gooders and supporters of women, give us, men a break please! All that men will be left with is the ability to turn wine into blood, don't take that last vestige away; Soon we men will all be eunuchs:- http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=631906 Women to own bulk of wealth within 20 years By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent 22 April 2005 They are better qualified, more independent, longer lived and likely to inherit more money. So, little wonder women are about to overtake men in claiming ownership of the lion's share of the nation's wealth. Within 20 years, the fairer sex will wrest the purse strings from men to own 60 per cent of Britain's wealth, according to new research. Although some men may already feel they have lost financial control in their household, a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) confirms that a fundamental shift in the balance of financial power between the genders is taking place. Women currently hold 48 per cent of Britain's wealth, but a new generation of fiscally sophisticated females now holds the purse strings. The research for the insurer Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society found that men are being left behind in educational qualifications and in their ability to handle their finances. More than four out of 10 girls leave school with at least two A-levels, compared with a third of boys. Two-thirds of women aged 20 to 24 live away from their parents, compared with 44 per cent of men. Women are also more likely to take up occupational pensions than men, although they are less likely to have a stakeholder pension. The rise in female wealth is highlighted by figures showing that there are now 24 per cent more women millionaires aged between 18 and 44 than there are men with six-figure assets. A spokeswoman for Liverpool Victoria said: Social patterns [will] undergo a fundamental change in the next 20 years, with women becoming much stronger financially than men. Our research shows ... young women are much more independent than men their age. Young, single women are more likely to buy their own home earlier, pay into an occupational pension and have savings. More and more woman are rising up the career ladder, as well as starting their own businesses, and that is causing this change in the balance of financial power. But women are less likely to take out mortgage protection, employment protection or have private medical insurance. Julie Mellor, chief executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), said: To make sure the predictions in [the] survey come true, government and employers need to redesign the workplace for modern families ... being more open to requests from men and women to work flexibly. The most recent Sunday Times Rich List included a record number of women, with 81 female entries. However, the highest-ranking woman is on the list courtesy of her husband. The retail giant Philip Green has registered many of his businesses, such as BHS and the Arcadia group, in his wife Christina's name. Despite the shift in the wealth balance, women still earn less than men on average. According to figures from the EOC, women earn 18 per cent less an hour than men, and the pay gap rises to 40 per cent for part-time workers. 'The glass ceiling does not exist any longer' Case Study Pippa Thompson, 33 Pippa Thompson, 33, originally from Guildford, Surrey, is a trainee solicitor at a big London law firm. After graduating with a degree in geography from Cambridge University, she spent five years working in PR before joining the legal practice Allen Overy as a trainee. As she is still a trainee, she currently earns £33,000 a year, but she says that within a few years this is likely to rise to more than £100,000. She says: It's impossible to know where my career will lead, but I feel that I'm in a profession where I can move up the ladder - I don't think that the glass ceiling is there any more, and I think I've got the potential to be in management. I think my attitude to financial planning is much the same as that of my male colleagues. If your company runs a pension scheme, you'd be a fool not to take part. I also had my own personal pension before coming here. I think it's fundamental that you have to think about tomorrow as much as today. As well as her pension, Pippa saves into an ISA, and has bought her own home in south London. She said: I had my first house for two years, in which time the value increased by more than £100,000. I paid £230,000 for my current flat. I can't see myself moving again in London, and if I do move away, I want to keep the flat as a pension. I think this research is quite extraordinary. I think it could help in motivating girls, getting them to think they could play a part in the commercial life of the country. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]His Holiness kicks off!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4473001.stm New Pope condemns Spain gay bill By Robert Piggott BBC News, Rome The vote was welcomed by Spanish gay rights campaigners Pope Benedict XVI has responded firmly to the first challenge of his papacy by condemning a Spanish government bill allowing marriage between homosexuals. The bill, passed by parliament's Socialist-dominated lower house, also allows gay couples to adopt. A senior Vatican official described the bill - which is likely to become law within a few months - as iniquitous. He said Roman Catholic officials should be prepared to lose their jobs rather than co-operate with the law. The bill would make Spain the first European country to allow homosexual people to marry and adopt children. Belgium and the Netherlands only allow same-sex marriages. It is also a dramatic step in the rapid secularisation of what was once one of the most devoutly Roman Catholic countries in Europe. The head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, denounced the legislation as profoundly iniquitous. Secular state Interviewed in the Italian newspaper, Corriere de la Serra, Cardinal Lopez Trujillo said the Church was making an urgent call for freedom of conscience for Roman Catholics and appealing to them to resist the law. He said every profession linked with implementing homosexual marriages should oppose it, even if it meant losing their jobs. The cardinal insisted that just because something was made law it did not make it right. Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office a year ago making it clear he intended to remove what he called the church's undeniable advantages and make Spain a secular state. There are likely to be further tensions with Pope Benedict XVI. Mr Zapatero has made it clear that he intends to streamline divorce law and even to relax the conditions placed on abortion. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]Supersub Levy Coelho once again turned saviour as he struck the winner for Vasco.
|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+| Supersub Levy Coelho once again turned saviour as he struck the winner for Vasco. Goa, Apr 22: Substitute Levy Coelho once again turned saviour as he struck the winner for Vasco, who stunned Fransa Football Club 3-2 in the ONGC Cup 9th National Football League at Nehru stadium, Fatorda today. Dubbed super substitute by coach Derrick Pereira , Levy Coelho who had scored the last second equaliser against Mohun Bagan in the last match, today scored the winning goal for Vasco with a timely tap off a cross from Kamal Thapa to shut out Fransa 4 minutes from time. Derricks master move of replacing a tired Anees K with the speedy Levy worked wonders as Vasco got the all -important goal in the 86th minute. Vasco led 2-1 at half-time scored through Sidney Rodrigues (22nd minute), Francis Fernandes (43rd) and substitute Levy Coelho (86th). Fransa reduced the margin through Joseph Ogor's brace (28th, 76th). full report at : http://www.vascoclub.com The People's Club - Vasco Sports Club website designed by BM WEB STUDIO, Goa. http://www.bmwebstudio.com |+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|+~+|
[Goanet]A Musical Tribute to Pope Benedict XVI - http://www.mangaloreanrecipes.com/popebenedict.htm
A Musical Tribute to Pope Benedict XVI My dear Friends, In the passing away of our beloved Pope John Paul II, and God's gift to all of us, in the person of Pope Benedict XVI, we acknowledge, the benevolence of God, that HE cares for all of us, even though all around we see signs of turmoil. Moved by this great grace, I was prompted by my inner voice, to acknowledge this God's gift to us. I have composed a piece, Thou Art Peter, and have given it as a background music for A Musical Tribute to Pope Benedict XVI, which can be viewed by clicking a link, on the Church Music Page. I hope it will reflect your own sentiments, and lift up your hearts to God in moments of doubt and despair. Please visit my website: http://www.mangaloreanrecipes.com Thank you. Sincerely, Walter Pais - Forwarded by http://www.goa-world.com UPCOMING EVENTS IN KUWAIT: MAY BALL 2005 Organized by Goan Welfare Society (GWS)-Kuwait Date: 12th May 2005, Venue: Safir Palace Hotel, Riggea Band: Stepping Stones Highlights: Crowning of the MAY QUEEN 2005. Enjoy the Goan hospitality at its best. MARIO DE MAJORDA's KONKANI DRAMA CHUKLELIM PANVLAM Presented by FERNS BROTHERS. Date: 24th June 2005, Venue: Hawalli A/C. Auditorium. KONKANI MUSICAL SHOW Tum Voir Aum Sokol - A Rip-Roaring Comedy Blockbuster. Cast: Formidable artistes from Goa, Mumbai and Kuwait. Date: 9th Sept. 2005 Venue: Hawalli A/C. Auditorium Written Directed by Kuwait's Konkani Comedian Philip.
[Goanet]Christian Journalists ... To Report Peoples' Struggle
Dear Mr.Michael Gonsalves, It is always easier to promise the Sugarcandy Mountain in the hereinafter than to stop one's vehicle enroute to a party and pick-up a roadside victim of an accident or offence and take him to the hospital. The ICPA decision, detailed by you below, is good. If ICPA and SAR News reporters had the courage to honestly report the presentations of Fr.Cedric Prakash and Fr.Alengaden Varghese at the ICPA's 11 th national convention, it would have been better. Can we expect leadership by example..or should the catholic world be fed on pious thoughts passed off as News ? How do you really see a role for the Christians who are journalists: should they be fashioned after the lives of Mahesh Bhat and H.E. S.C.Jamir or that of Christ, St.Peter and St.Paul? Should we be politically and socially correct or have the courage to be witnesses to the TRUTH ? The ICPA seminar was a sensitive zone of conflict. Can we have an honest report on it from you? You have all the resources at your disposal...including the notes made by delegates . I do not know if there were any Rapporteurs. Let the report on the ICPA Seminar be a benchmark for journalists, Christian in their belief or otherwise. For the reportage up to today, the ICPA seminar could well have been replaced by a screening of Mahesh Bhat's Zaher, shot extensively in Goa with the Panaji Church and Old Goa chapels in the background, and depicting many areas of conflict like crime v/s police, fidelity v/s fun, male v/s female, truth v/s intrigue. The money saved could have been used to provide a 5-star dinner to the delegates/spectators/audience. .. From: Michael Gonsalves [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet]Christian Journalists ... To Report Peoples' Struggle PILAR, Goa, April 17, 2005: The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) has decided to create a pool of independent journalists to visit conflicts zones in India to disseminate authentic information to promote social justice, peace and harmony. The ICPA took the cue after Goa Governor S C Jamir and veteran film producer Mahesh Bhatt urged journalists to visit spots of conflicts and sensitive areas prone to violence and write in-depth stories to build public opinion to create paths of understanding and reconciliation. Departing from his prepared text and referring to the Naga insurgency, Jamir, who was the chief minister of Nagaland for many years said, For about 10 years the people of Nagaland suffered unknown, unseen and uncared for because no journalist was allowed to write the atrocities. He said had the sufferings of the people been exposed and spotlighted something could have been done to mitigate their woes but unfortunately the only news appearing in the news papers was of bomb blasts and clashes. If the incidences were reported authentically from the grass roots, the North -East people would not have been alienated from the mainstream, the Goa governor said, adding journalists should travel to conflict zones like Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East and report authentically on both the security forces and the insurgents. Jamir said today there was a need for courageous, passionate and fair journalists because they could either bring together or polarize communities. He also urged journalists to oppose use of religion for political gain. But if we create a pool of independent journalists without affiliation to any political party, ideology but committed to a culture of religious harmony, it would go along way in establishing a culture of peace, Bhatt said. Mr Michael Gonsalves, ICPA President said in-depth, impartial reporting on peoples problems from conflict zones was necessary to build bridges between various communities which would go a long way in promoting a culture of peace in the country. The media should be the voice of the voiceless and the victims who suffer unknown, unseen and uncared for, he added. END. For Details Contact: Michael Gonsalves, President, Indian Catholic Press Association. Cell: 9823084995. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Miguel wrote earlier: I thought Bosco was capable of more than just this. The fire of Fr.Cedric Prakash and Fr.Varghese Alengaden has been 'watered down' sufficiently to have killed it. This type of reportage is exactly what the two worthies spoke against. May be , it is time to quote from Isaiah, I spit you out from my mouth, for you are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. That is catholic journalism? If this is SAR News, it is really SAD News. Miguel Braganza Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 03:25:56 +0530 Subject: [Goanet]Film-maker Mahesh Bhatt warns against those in secular garb By Bosco de Sousa Eremita, SAR NEWS PILAR, Goa (SAR NEWS) -- Veteran Bollywood filmmaker, Mr. Mahesh Bhatt, warned of communal fundamentalists who strut about wearing a secular mask, and urged journalists meeting in this West Indian costal
[Goanet]RE: John Paul III, formerly Cardinal Ivan Dias: New Urban Legends?
Dears, Sannas, unfortunately, cannot replace the host in the communion. It has to be unleavened bread. A bhakkar may qualify. Next you guys may ask for sorpotel to signify the 'blood'. Better luck next time. For the present you folks better develop an appetite for Sauerkraut during winter...after mass. Let us not have more heresy about consecration and communion; trans-substantiation and trans-significance are bad enough. The discussion about the balloting reminds me of the interpretation that Adv.John Anthony D'Souza from Arpora[ then the Joint Mamlatdar of Mapusa and Returning Officer] gave of Eleicao coverta: from the 'Codigo das Communidades'. Said he, You have to vote in my presence. The vote is secret from fellow Gaunkars. That was when FrancisBabush D'Souza and Michael Carrasco were on the same side of the fence. Alfred apparently thinks it happens likewise in the Vatican? Tempa pormonem, mateak kurponem or Use head dress according to the era/season. Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote George, Are you kidding? This is the most secret ballot in the universe. --- George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Alfred Is the breakdown of the vote by Cardinal available? i.e. how many votes each Cardinal received? I thought the ballots are burnt and not public. George --- Alfred de Tavares [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: During the 1978 Papal elections too the opportunity approached a Goan. Cardinal Cordeiro was the runner up, in the ballot that voted in John Paul ll, with three votes. Alfred de Tavares .. Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]BBC Radio Interview: Dr Joel Almeida (ex Goa Netter): Sunday 24 Apr
Folks, UK based Dr Joel Almeida was active in this forum in 2001. BBC Radio Wiltshire is interviewing him on Sunday 24 April from about 6 pm, (17:00 GMT) and playing some of his Goan-Celtic music. It can be heard online from anywhere in the world at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/ by clicking on the Listen live button (middle right). Dr Joel Almeida flew to Vailankanni within hours of the Tsunami disaster. His experiences were widely reported in the UK media. He is also a musician. For his website which reflects his passions see http://www.drjoelmusic.com/ For a photograph of him see http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/ Cheers, Eddie Fernandes
Re: [Goanet]Re: Predicting who could be the next Pope
Fred - Whether a group of people constitutes a target or not, the notion that they ultimately convert because they're poor, uneducated, lacking in free will and gullible is still insulting. And all that smoke-blowing about things being different in the West is precisely that, blowing smoke. Neither you nor George seem willing to answer my question: Are the new converts to Islam also poor and uneducated and gullible, lacking in free will? Or does George's sterling description of converts apply only to Christian converts? Viv Frederick Noronha (FN) wrote: Just for the sake of a debate: Viviana wrote: Personally I'm insulted by the notion that people without formal education and without money are by definition stupid and gullible, and I'm surprised that a man of your liberal sensibilities would imply such a thing. So people convert from one religion to another because they're poor and uneducated and, of course, have no free will??? Good point (if only from a debating point of view). Fact is, in an Indian context, the poor *have* become targets and an eagerly fought-over 'commodity'. They're being torn apart in a tug-of-war between evangelisers who come from a monotheistic tradition (and either sincerely believe that their's is the 'one true faith' or are fuelled by the mighty dollar, or both) and a Hindu upper class/caste who now realises that numbers mean a lot in a one-man-one-vote system (but who otherwise wouldn't care to much for this large, poor segment and surely wouldn't give their daughters in marriage to them -- a more accurate 'test' for who forms a 'community'). I understand that Islam is the fastest growing religion in America Fastest growing can also mean that it is starting from a very small base. Take for example: If Rome or Lisbon doesn't have a single mosque, and then allows one to come up, it's like a huge achievement. When the second mosque comes up, it's another 100% growth... It's also a fact that the USofA has been rather restrictive in deciding what kind of migrants it wants to allow in -- based on colour, class and education -- which flies in the face of theories of free markets. (There should be a 'free market' in labour and human skills too, right?) are the new converts (in the US) also poor and uneducated and gullible, lacking in free will? I do not know what are the motivations why people convert or change religion in the USofA. In my college days, I was very touched by the biography of Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali, the world boxing champ. In his case at least, the change of religion was clearly done as a protest measure, against what he saw as racism in Christian America. (Much like B R Ambedkar did in India in the mid 'fifties, in his battle against casteism -- which is increasingly being seen as simply another, maybe even stronger, form of racism.) This also seems to be the case of the few White Muslims, who were found to be taking the side of Al Quaeda or fighting for Iraq. From half-a-globe-away it's hard to say what makes people change their religion in the West, and it is probable that these are the exceptions. In reality, any change of religion involves a mix of many complex reasons. I'm one of those wo does not subscribe to the claim that all our ancestors in the sixteenth century or whenever, became Catholic in Goa merely because they were threatened and bullied by the Portuguese. I'm sure a significant section also saw opportunity in doing so. Some might have just got overpowered by a superior and more globally-dominant worldview (just like the poor India did while opting for Islam in Mughal-ruled India). Now, would that amount of duress or allurement? We need to accept that conversions are a complex issue, particularly because there are so many different ways of looking at it. Non-proselytising religions (specially those with non-Semetic roots, like Hinduism or traditional Buddhism for example) are bewildered or threatened by conversions. (On the other hand, it is also probably not true that Hinduism absolutely doesn't convert. Leaving aside the Hare Krishnas, even traditional Hinduism has had its own embrace-and-extend approach towards redefining religious boundaries. Otherwise there would be no way to explain its growth over such a large area.) Coming back to the point, the bottomline is just this: we all need to respect the religious views (or the lack of it) among others, and not make use of people and logic to support a selfish numbers games. Currently, that's happening -- on all sides of the 'clash of religions'! FN
[Goanet]Keep this, you might need it! For India Indians.
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/22perfin.htm How to file an insurance claim April 22, 2005 17:48 IST Talk of life insurance and various things cross one's mind. Tax benefits, retirement benefits, savings and cover against any unforeseen eventualities are just some of them. But what individuals many a times fail to conceive is what would happen in case the said 'unforeseen eventuality' was to actualise? In that case, filing for a claim in a timely and accurate manner assumes importance. We have outlined a few guidelines, which will aid individuals understand the intricacies of filing a claim. There are two kinds of life insurance claims: non-early death claims and early death claims. Early death claims are those, which fall within 3 years of buying the policy. Non-early death claims are those claims, which fall after 3 years from the commencement of the policy. Following are some of the important issues to be borne in mind while filing a death claim. 1. Original policy documents A policy document is issued when one buys life insurance. This is the most important document related to life insurance. It acts as proof of purchase, just like any receipt or challan does for goods bought. It is imperative for individuals to preserve this document very carefully to file claims (on death or maturity) at a later stage. Along with this document, other related documents like assignment deeds and nomination deeds will also have to be submitted at the time of filing the claim. 2. Age proof Proof of age also needs to be submitted to the insurance company while filing a claim. Age proof is generally asked for at the time of issuing a policy document and filed in the company's records; but just in case it hasn't been done, it will be before the claim is disbursed. 3. Death certificate The insurance company will ask for the death certificate of the deceased. This acts as conclusive evidence that the individual has indeed ceased to survive and that the life insurance cover has now fallen due. 4. Filling the claim form In case of a non-early death claim, the nominees have to fill claim form no. 3783A. 5. Legal proof of the titleholder In cases where the person, who has laid claim to the settlement amount, is not an assignee or a nominee, he will have to submit legal evidence of the title to the claim amount. In cases where the claim is an early death claim, in addition to the above, the following procedures will be followed: Enquiry An enquiry will be conducted to probe into the reasons of demise. This is a standard procedure followed by all life insurance companies just to make sure that the demise occurred under natural circumstances and that there was no foul play involved. The insurance company will not entertain suicide cases within 1 year from the commencement of the policy. The logic behind the 1-year time frame is that insurance companies feel that suicide cannot be planned a year in advance. Apart from these, the claimant's statement in claim form A in form no. 3783 (this form is different to the one to be filled in case of a non-early death claim), a certificate from the hospital where the deceased was last treated, a certificate of burial (signed by a person who actually saw the body being cremated) and a certificate from the employer of the deceased also need to be submitted to the insurance firm. Also, for a death claim to be entertained, the life insurance policy, for which a claim has been raised, should be active (i.e. in force) at the time the claim is made. As obvious as that may sound, it is important, as it is not binding on the insurance company to settle claims made on policies, which are not in force. Life insurance, unlike any other financial product, is considered as 'sacred' by most individuals. After all, it provides financial security to the survivors. Individuals would not like their loved ones to run from pillar to post to get the security that was envisioned for them by the policyholder. It is keeping this in mind that all individuals need to know the procedures, which have to be followed in case of claims. The examples given above are illustrative. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
Re: Re: [Goanet]Re: Predicting who could be the next Pope
--- Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Viviana wrote: Personally I'm insulted by the notion that people without formal education and without money are by definition stupid and gullible, and I'm surprised that a man of your liberal sensibilities would imply such a thing. So people convert from one religion to another because they're poor and uneducated and, of course, have no free will??? Good point (if only from a debating point of view). Fact is, in an Indian context, the poor *have* become targets and an eagerly fought-over 'commodity'. They're being torn apart in a tug-of-war between evangelisers who come from a monotheistic tradition (and either sincerely believe that their's is the 'one true faith' or are fuelled by the mighty dollar, or both) and a Hindu upper class/caste who now realises that numbers mean a lot in a one-man-one-vote system (but who otherwise wouldn't care to much for this large, poor segment and surely wouldn't give their daughters in marriage to them -- a more accurate 'test' for who forms a 'community'). -- Fred is correct in that many evangelists have targetted the poorer segments of society for conversion. In fact they are even referred to as rice christians. However I do not know how widespread it is and if the hindu fundamentalists are exaggerating this to push their own agendas. Personally, I have no issues with people evangalizing others so long as no one is forced into it. The targetting of the poor for conversion is very logical, just as a business would study its target market and selectively go after segments it deems would be the most profitable. I understand that Islam is the fastest growing religion in America Fastest growing can also mean that it is starting from a very small base. Take for example: If Rome or Lisbon doesn't have a single mosque, and then allows one to come up, it's like a huge achievement. When the second mosque comes up, it's another 100% growth... -- Islam is the fastest growing relgion in the world not because of conversions, but rather because Islam in predominant in those countries that have very high birth rates. One could make the case that these high birth rates are strongly correlated to countries that are behind in most commonly accepted metrics for social and economic development. Although countries in the Gulf may be relatively rich, the social incidicies of these nations, specially wrt women is very low. It's also a fact that the USofA has been rather restrictive in deciding what kind of migrants it wants to allow in -- based on colour, class and education -- which flies in the face of theories of free markets. (There should be a 'free market' in labour and human skills too, right?) -- The US does not discriminate based on color or class. It does discriminate based on education and is something that needs to be abolished. There is clearly a need for cheap labor in America which is currently being filled by illegal immigrants - mostly from Mexico. There would not be an issue of illegals in America if mechanisms were in place to allow these people to be imported through legal channels. Ideally restrictions on the importation of ALL labor should be abolished. If I can find an Indian or a Egyptian who is willing and capable of doing the same work that is currently be doing by a higher cost American employee, I should have the right to fire the American ASAP and replace that person with cheaper overseas labor. Workers in high cost countries need to realize that in this age of global networking, if they do not open up their economies to greater labor mobility to allow lower cost labor to come in, it will only inevitably accelerate the push to have their jobs to shipped out. Marlon
[Goanet]LINK: Another Goanetter makes the news: Joaquim Goes
Joaquim Goes (whose wife Helga went to Antarctica recently) is in the news for his research released in today's issue of the prestigious 'Science'. Scidev.net, a site looking at issues of science and development (they have a special South Asia edition) explains the story well at: http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNewsitemid=2057languag Scidev.net's headline reads: Warmer Himalayas 'suffocates fish in Arabian Sea'. It says: Reduced snowfall in the Himalayas, caused by global warming, is threatening marine life in the distant Arabian Sea, say researchers. The team, led by Joaquim Goes of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, United States, says the phenomenon could also aggravate global climate change. A serious subject indeed, with implications for all of us. This story reached as Xinhuanet (China), NASA.gov, a .de German site and other URLs. Some are listed below for those interested in the science: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050421204327.htm http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/apr/HQ_05100_plant_blooms.html http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/22/content_2862740.htm http://www.physorg.com/news3826.html http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/7635 http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_20139.shtml http://www.mysan.de/article85111.html http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109STORY=/www/story/04-21-2005/0003442095EDATE= http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-43461.html http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16715 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/nsfc-nsf042105.php http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNewsitemid=2057language=1 Congrats, Joaquim and team. On behalf of Goanet too! 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 \/ - If you are related to the field of IT (or even if not) please visit http://www.bytesforall.org, a network on how computers can help the commonman, and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers
[Goanet]Re: Women priests
--- Mervyn Lobo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: George, I was told by the nuns in the Convent school I went to, that no one would go and confess to a female priest, as the general population is under the impression that their sins would not be held in confidence by a woman. I think that is why females are not allowed to become priests. Merwyn: Many people treat the idea that women cannot keep secrets as sexist. Let us say one had a daughter who grew up to be a CEO candidate in a major company and the Board said to her: we cannot make you CEO because we think you can't keep company secrets. Or she was denied the Prime Minister's job because she could not keep national security secrets? How would she feel? How would you feel if she was your daughter or grand-daughter or niece and that was the reason for denying her the job? Fortunately, many progressive companies and countries have kept faith with women and equality. Regards, George
[Goanet]Duler Souvenir
Dear Ex-students, How are all of you. What about your families?How is your job position. Grace of God I am sure that things are well at your end. Here at the Association, we are coming out with a Souvenir and look forward to your help. Your advt. support should reach us by 10th May. Thanking you. the E.Committee will be meeting on 15th May in the School. Yours faithfully, PAUL D'SOUZA, ORGANISING SECRETARY 9422387091
[Goanet]Indian Football Supporters Club-International in Kuwait
00 Dear Friends ! I am pleased to inform you that Gasper Crasto, Gen. Secretary - Navelim Youth Centre (NYC), Kuwait and Gaspers World has been appointed as a representive of Indian Football Supporters Club-International in Kuwait by Arunava Chaudhuri , the IFSC-International's Chief Supervisor and Editor-in-Chief of IndianFootball.Com http://www.indianfootball.com/ About Gasper Crasto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gaspers World http://gaspersworld.tripod.com/ sports Life page - http://gaspercrasto.tripod.com/id8.html http://www.goa-world.com/goa/sports/ rene barreto Indian Football Supporters Club Int., 00
Re: [Goanet]Women priests !!!
Fred, I assume you were brought up a Catholic. You then must know that Catholicism is an autocratic, patriarchal, top down religion, with old and strict doctrinal rules that are not responsive to democratic principles, and the rules are not about to change any time soon, if ever. Much of it is based on faith, and cannot be explained or understood based on normal human principles, facts and logic. For example, a virgin birth, a Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion, a Resurection, an Ascension into Heaven of Jesus as well as Mary, life after death. You take it or leave it. When you ask for a convincing argument, you are thinking in terms of a normal democratic social organization, which this is not. So there is no such argument that will convince an unbeliever, and a believer does not demand such an argument, knowing that it would be an excercise in futility. As Viviana eloquently says, If she were really and truly interested in priesthood, and not just the evening news, a woman can achieve that goal. But NOT within the Catholic Church. --- Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can someone donate a prize to the netter who comes up with the most convincing argument on why women shouldn't be allowed to become priests? Also, were all you guys serious with the arguments you threw up? FN
Re: [Goanet][OFFTOPIC} St Stephen's turns 125, plans bash
On 22/04/05, Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: St Stephen's turns 125, plans bash RESPONSE: One of St. Stephens old boys was Rahul Ghandi. http://in.rediff.com/election/2004/mar/23espec1.htm ... So did Rahul go to college in India at all? He went to St Stephen's College, Delhi, for a year. He enrolled for history honours in 1989 and left in 1990. But here's the most interesting part: he was not admitted to St Stephen's on merit, but from the sports quota. Really? So what sport was he good at? He is good in rifle shooting, trap shooting being his speciality. Like Anjali Bhagwat, you mean? So did he win any medals etc? Does he still shoot? No, not a great shooter like Anjali; but like Rajiv Gandhi he trained at a shooting range in the Aravalli ranges near Delhi. He does not shoot these days. Was Rahul any good at studies while at St Stephen's? His academic performance is unknown, as Rahul did not complete his degree. But Dr Anil Wilson, the principal of St Stephen's College, recalls him as a diligent student. He had no airs about the famous family he belonged to, says Dr Wilson. Rahul's security cover must always have been stifling, right? Also, celebrity children wear their parents' fame prominently. Was Rahul one of those Delhi kids? Apparently not! Rahul was always embarrassed by the security cover the college was under because of him, is what Dr Wilson has to say: I think he left college because of security concerns. We really did not get an opportunity to assess his academic brilliance. So was it sayonara to studies for Rahul after that? No. He went to the United States in 1990, to study economics at Harvard University. Great! So did he complete his studies in Harvard? A little bit of confusion there. He did complete the four-year AB course in economics, but did not get his degree since he did not get the required grades.. Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
[Goanet]Conversions of the poor[ gaining currency?]
By George! Poor = uneducated, vulnerable, stupid, fully convertible[ debentures?],neo-slaves, neo-colonised people? George Pinto wrote: ...A number of critics have suggested that missionary activity targets vulnerable people (poor, uneducated) who convert under duress (not of their free will) since they are poor and uneducated. Others have gone further calling it modern day slavery and subjugating people to foreign powers, a kind of neo-colonialism. : Viviana [EMAIL PROTECTED] replied George - I like the way you toss out ideas while making sure you cannot be called to be answer for them. Personally I'm insulted by the notion that people without formal education and without money are by definition stupid and gullible, and I'm surprised that a man of your liberal sensibilities would imply such a thing. Viviana ... And to think that our Right Venerable George Pinto wanted the poor Indian male Bishop of Goan origin to become Pope John Paul-III or whatever! What is he reading these days: the history of the Slave Dynasty in Delhi? Qutb-din-Aibak built the Qutb Minar in Old Delhi and Ivan Dias could likewise build a monument in St.Peter's Square, Rome, perhaps. Why not promote a modern day Razia Sultan to the throne of a Slave Dynasty...Sr..Nirmala, may be. Or a Carmelite nun of Goan origin!! George could have answered slavery and gender issues in one go. He can start now. George is about half his age and is likely to outlive the current Pope to get a second chance of being the male equivalent of the Queen Mother for female Papacy ;-)) It seems ridiculous that George should want to choose the head of what he calls The Catholic Taliban that worships the Immaculate Conception or Mary as the Mother of God. .. Elsewhere George Pinto wrote: In fact, should I feel insulted that: 1. The Catholic Taliban is firmly entrenched in the Vatican and women are summarily dismissed as not equal to men and therefore cannot be priests. Emperor Constatine converted to Christianity that later spread it throughout the Roman Empire and thus became Catholic or universal . He was neither poor nor a slave. I doubt he was stupid..or he would not have capture Rome. Kings of Europe were not poor; neither were the noblemen and women, yet they converted. The Naga, Garo, Kashi and Jaintia tribes of the North East are neither poor nor stupid. They are almost 100% Christian.The Nagas were smart enough to make English their official language instead of fighting over the 16 Naga dialects while the Maharastrians and Kannadigas fight over Kannada v/s Marathi and Goans join the fight with their Marathi v/s Konkani.The word 'tribal' is neither synonymous with 'poor' nor with 'uneducated'. Many missionaries work with the University students in India, with a good success rate in conversions. The poor and the stupid rarely do post graduate studies. those without formal education are often smarter than graduate students. Viviana could not have put it better. I do not understand why George has suddenly started behaving like an MD in Psychiatry who goes to a sorcerer[ ghadi; dishtikar] to cure his son of depression or unexplained illness. There are a few doctors in Goa who do thus. George, please step outside your Ivory Tower and breathe the fresh air of truth and reality. Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]GoaHeritage invites your suggestions/proposals.
Dear Goans [in Goa or elsewhere] and non-Goans residing/interested in Goa, The Goa Heritage Action Group[ GHAG ] has created this forum for members of the public, owners/custodians of heritage sites/houses/temples, architects, engineers, nature lovers, art lovers and others to interact and preserve that part of our built-up, cultural and natural heritage that is still left to save. We cannot save the 9th century, laterite Gopinath temple of Neturlim.It is already gone. Of the Augustinian Church, only one tower is left standing, the Santanna Church is in the process of receiving restorative attention while a whole lot of temples and chapels are undergoing renovation wherein money and commercial intersets prevail over the senses and sensibilities. It is heartening to note that 63 persons have joined this group and more are joining every single day. I am making this pitch for more persons to join this list and to post.email to it. The process is simple. Just send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you are a member. Thereafter, either you can 1. reply to any email that draws your interest on the group/list or 2. post, i.e. send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] on a new topic. If you are posting on a subject already being discussed, it is helpful if you maintain the same topic in the subject line. Please forward this email to your friends who are not on these groups but are interested in preserving Goa for posterity. One does not have to agree with everything that GHAG doesand GHAG does not have to agree with everything you say or post...but we can work on things that we agree, instead of fighting over things that we disagree. From: hetapandit [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: GoaHeritage touches 63 members We have been asking for regulations to be framed for Goa's priceless buildings and natural sites .This August it will be five precious years wasted and so many buildings lost and sites desecrated. And one tries once more... On a happier note, we have set up a communication channel with the Office of the Archbishop through its Secretariat, Fabrica and Confrarias at Altinho, Panaji. The agreement is that if we see something adverse happening to any church or chapel property under their jurisdiction, we can now make a phone call to Fr. Luciano Fernandes, Secretary of the Secretariat and ask him for permission to meet with the Parish priest and inspect the building. It is after this inspection and a site visit accompanied by our experts that we will send in a note to the Secretariat with advice on how best to intervene in the building without violating any universal norms of heritage conservation. keep you all posted on any further developments. thanks for listening. Heta Pandit On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 Frederick Noronha(FN) wrote : Just a note to say the GoaHeritage list now has 63 members. It does need some activity to keep their interest alive. From different persons, and 'from' addresses, if possible. Miguel has been posting, but can we activate the other prominent members to post issues, give replies etc (somebody was asking about Salcete churches!) . Viva Goa. Let us live in a way that will allow us to say that sincerely until our last breath. Miguel Braganza.
[Goanet]English - Konkani Dictionary
Dear Sir, I am in Bombay and looking to buy a English - Konkani Dictionary by Gurunath Kelekar. Can you please tell me where I can buy this dictionary or if you have one in stock I would be happy to buy it from you. Rgds, K. S. Bilimoria Tel: 91-22-22182757 Fax: 91-22-22164437 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [Goanet]Re: Women priests
Mervyn, I see you are practicing to be a stand-up comedian, but PLEASE keep your day job. George, I was told by the nuns in the Convent school I went to, that no one would go and confess to a female priest, as the general population is under the impression that their sins would not be held in confidence by a woman. I think that is why females are not allowed to become priests. Mervyn
[Goanet]LINK: Wikipedia... on the ordination of women
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordination_of_women Ordination of women From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality. After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. For help, see How to Edit a Page and the Style and How-to Directory. Within Christianity there is a controversy over the possible ordination of women as priests or ministers. This controversy is based on two things: * the understanding of humanity expressed as both male and female: What does being male or female mean, and what do they imply? * the understanding of priesthood: What is it? What does it express? Is it just leading prayers, or is there something else being expressed? Contents 1 The Catholic church 2 Eastern Orthodox 3 Anglican Communion 4 Other Protestant denominations 5 See also The Catholic church The Catholic Church sees maleness and femaleness as being two different ways of expressing our common humanity. The commonly heard phrase gender roles implies that the phenomenon of the sexes is a mere surface phenomenon, an accident. However, the Catholic Church teaches that there is an ontological (deep) difference between humanity expressed as male humanity and humanity expressed as female humanity. Whilst many functions are interchangeable between men and women, some are not, because maleness and femaleness are not interchangeable. Relevant Church documents on the subject include: * Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, October 15, 1976. * Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On Ordination to the Priesthood). Pope John Paul II, May 22, 1994. Apostolic Letter * Mulieris Dignnitatem (On the Dignity of Women). Pope John Paul II, August 15, 1988. * Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catholic view is that the priest is not only a prayer-leader. Prayer leaders may be women (e.g. a woman can and often does lead at a public recitation of the Rosary, for example). Pope John Paul II, in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, explained the Catholic understanding that the priesthood is a special role specially set out by Jesus when he chose a dozen men out of his group of male and female followers. John Paul notes that Jesus chose the Twelve (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70) after a night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12) and that the Apostles themselves were careful in the choice of their successors. The priesthood is specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16; 16:14-15). Pope Paul VI, quoted by Pope John Paul II in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, wrote She (the Church) holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church. However, the Catholic Church states that ordination is not required for salvation, nor does it effect salvation in the one ordained. In other words, a priest can go to hell just as easily as a layperson. The hierarchical structure that includes the ordained ministerial priesthood is ordered to benefit the holiness of the entire body of the faithful, and not to ensure the salvation of the ordained minister. There is no additional benefit in terms of automatic holiness that comes about through ordination. As to why Jesus himself chose only men for the priestly ministry, the Church does not know. Pope John Paul II wrote, in Mulieris Dignitatem: In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behaviour, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time. In Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul wrote: the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe. John Paul II concluded his Apostolic Letter by
Re: [Goanet]Re: Women priests
George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Let us say one had a daughter who grew up to be a CEO candidate in a major company and the Board said to her: we cannot make you CEO because we think you can't keep company secrets. Or she was denied the Prime Minister's job because she could not keep national security secrets? How would she feel? How would you feel if she was your daughter or grand-daughter or niece and that was the reason for denying her the job? George, I don't know if I really want my daughter to have a high pressure job. The reason is that the same convent nuns also told me that work was a punishment from God, for sins committed... Many people treat the idea that women cannot keep secrets as sexist. You may be right on this one. However, the Vatican has a different view of how women should be treated. So the choices I have are: 1) I toe the Vaticans line. 2) I search for another religion where women have equal status. 3) I become a cafeteria Catholic. :-) Mervyn3.0 __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
[Goanet]Correcting Goa's politics
I would like to express my opinion on a few points people have raised on this topic. Whether we should choose the Goa Suraj party: How can we be sure that the Goa Suraj Party will get rid of all Goa's problems? The people who actually do the work are the beaureucrats and Govt. servants. How will Goa Suraj change their lethargic attitude? Sack everyone who does not perform? If they do it, virtually all Govt servants will be sacked. If our health services are not upto the mark, what can Goa Suraj do that other parties could not? How will they attract industires to the state? How will they improve Goa's roads? I am sure some members of the party are active on Goanet. I request them to elaborate on how exactly they would bring about a change in Goa. The party's website does not detail out their manifesto. Will Christians be disenfranchised? I think we are simply overreacting by saying that Christians will be disenfranchised by the BJP. This is Goa as against Gujarat where explicit official orders were issued to burn houses. Just because such a thing happened there, it does not mean that it will happen here. Disenfranchising Christians is just not practical in a high-literacy state where the Christian population is significant. A few incidents here and there caused by overzealous people cannot be generalized as an assault on any religion. Not bringing Parrikar back to power, just because of this hypothetical fear, we will be depriving ourselves of an efficient Government. If we cannot appreciate the development Parrikar achieved for Goa, I think we don't deserve any development at all. I am not a BJP activist or party worker and had thought Goa would be ruined when Parrikar came to power 4 years ago. My attitude towards his rule has since changed after seeing his developmental efforts and efficiency. We need an educated and non-corrupt person as the CM. Rather than going with a general hate wave, I would request all readers to apply their mind and elect a progressive Government. Cajetan Rego Comprem, Tivim Goa __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: [Goanet]Women priests !!!
Fred - Women CAN become priests, but not in the RC church. If a woman feels called to be a priest(ess), there are MANY denominations for her to choose from, so why not choose one of them instead of banging her head at the Vatican's door? If she were really and truly interested in priesthood, and not just the evening news, a woman can achieve that goal. Viviana Frederick Noronha (FN) wrote: Can someone donate a prize to the netter who comes up with the most convincing argument on why women shouldn't be allowed to become priests? Also, were all you guys serious with the arguments you threw up? FN
Re: [Goanet]Re: Women priests
George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What specific attribute that priesthood requires which women do not have? What specific conceptual difference which matters to priesthood? George, I was told by the nuns in the Convent school I went to, that no one would go and confess to a female priest, as the general population is under the impression that their sins would not be held in confidence by a woman. I think that is why females are not allowed to become priests. Mervyn3.0 __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
[Goanet]Hundreds flock to underpass where some see Virgin Mary in salt stain
Hundreds flock to underpass where some see Virgin Mary in salt stain Wed Apr 20,11:35 AM ET CHICAGO (AP) - A steady stream of the faithful and the curious, many carrying flowers and candles, have flocked to an expressway underpass for a view of a yellow and white stain on a concrete wall that some believe is an image of the Virgin Mary. Police have patrolled the emergency turnoff area under the Kennedy Expressway since Monday as hundreds of people have walked down to see the image and the growing memorial of flowers and candles that surround it. Beside the image is an artist's rendering of the Virgin Mary embracing Pope John Paul in a pose some see echoed in the stain. We believe it's a miracle, said Elbia Tello, 42. We have faith, and we can see her face. Tuesday morning, women knelt with rosary beads behind a police barricade while men in work shirts stood solemnly before the image, praying. A police officer kept the crowd of about three dozen from getting too close to the traffic but didn't stop them gathering around the stain. The stain is likely the result of salt run-off, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The agency does not plan to scrub it off the wall. We're treating this just like we treat any type of roadside memorial, said department spokesman Mike Claffey. We have no plans to clean this site. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago had not received any requests to authenticate the image, spokesman Jim Dwyer said. These things don't happen every day, Dwyer said. Sometimes people ask us to look into it. Most of the time they don't. (The meaning) depends on the individual who sees it. To them, it's real. To them, it reaffirms their faith. But onlooker Victor Robles, 36, said he was skeptical about the stain's Virgin Mary resemblance. I see just a concrete wall and an image that could happen anywhere, Robles said. If that image helps more people feel closer to God then maybe that is a good sign. Worldwide, people have been drawn to images believed to resemble the Virgin Mary seen on windows, fence posts and walls. Among the best-known in the United States was an image seen in office windows in Clearwater, Fla. Within weeks, a half million people had been to the site. Glass experts believe the image was created by a chemical reaction and corrosion of the metallic elements in the glass coating, but they could not explain why it took the shape it did. The windows were broken last year.
[Goanet]Re: {OFFTOPIC} St Stephen's turns 125, plans bash
Gabe Menezes, Thanks for your indepth reading of the link provided. Many for some reason do not give a complete picture. Usually I wouldn't touch up on some subjects originating from a particular patrakar, but am making an exception, in years. I wouldn't be surprised if the Goa university be also be named as Rahul Gandhi university (as the Goa Medical College has been named in lieu of getting the statehood for Goa speeded up by the father (as is claimed!) !! Pls note that often I have found that Goans on this mailing list spell Gandhi as Ghandi. Any particular reason for this. If pronounced in India's national language Hindi, it gives a bad meaning !!! Also instead of just forwarding the url, the whole text be published. For example, the following url has a lot to say, but how many on this will browse through the same (after clicking the link/url)? Hence, here is the text. I would appreciate that this complete email be posted as is: Rahul Gandhi is the latest in the Gandhi-Nehru family to enter electoral politics, but beyond the fact that he is the son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the late Rajiv Gandhi, how much do you really know about him? Not many do actually -- not the voters in Amethi and elsewhere, not his party cadre, or even senior Congress leaders. The few who have met him don't recall him saying much. The few who have heard him, say he is of a shy disposition. So here's all you wanted to know about Rahul Gandhi, and didn't know who/where to ask. How old is Rahul Gandhi? Soon to be 34. Date of birth: June 19, 1970. That makes him a Gemini, and if you believe astrologers, this is what he is like: 'Communicator. Social, outgoing. Sees and blends opposites/both sides of an issue. Vivacious, quick, flexible, versatile, lively and changeable. Mentally ambitious.' Which school did he go to? His elementary and primary schooling was at Modern School, New Delhi. But because it was the height of Punjab terrorism (in October 1984, his grandmother, then prime minister Indira Gandhi, was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards, and the family continues to live under a security blanket), Rahul and younger sibling Priyanka were mostly taught at home. Unlike father Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul did not go to Doon School. So did Rahul go to college in India at all? He went to St Stephen's College, Delhi, for a year. He enrolled for history honours in 1989 and left in 1990. But here's the most interesting part: he was not admitted to St Stephen's on merit, but from the sports quota. Really? So what sport was he good at? He is good in rifle shooting, trap shooting being his speciality. Like Anjali Bhagwat, you mean? So did he win any medals etc? Does he still shoot? No, not a great shooter like Anjali; but like Rajiv Gandhi he trained at a shooting range in the Aravalli ranges near Delhi. He does not shoot these days. Was Rahul any good at studies while at St Stephen's? His academic performance is unknown, as Rahul did not complete his degree. But Dr Anil Wilson, the principal of St Stephen's College, recalls him as a diligent student. He had no airs about the famous family he belonged to, says Dr Wilson. Rahul's security cover must always have been stifling, right? Also, celebrity children wear their parents' fame prominently. Was Rahul one of those Delhi kids? Apparently not! Rahul was always embarrassed by the security cover the college was under because of him, is what Dr Wilson has to say: I think he left college because of security concerns. We really did not get an opportunity to assess his academic brilliance. So was it sayonara to studies for Rahul after that? No. He went to the United States in 1990, to study economics at Harvard University. Great! So did he complete his studies in Harvard? A little bit of confusion there. He did complete the four-year AB course in economics, but did not get his degree since he did not get the required grades. And here, may we point out that Rahul's dad, Rajiv Gandhi, did not complete his studies at Cambridge? Neither did his grandma Indira Gandhi at Oxford's Somerville College. But did the absence of a degree interfere with the late Mrs Gandhi's leadership abilities? We think not! So between leaving Harvard and fighting the Lok Sabha election, what has he been doing? Nothing really. An acquaintance of Rahul says, He is a man of apparently no occupation. After Harvard, Rahul shifted base to London and worked as a financial consultant but even that is a bit unclear. Some say he worked as a manager in a financial consulting agency, the name of which is not known. But Congress leaders who know Rahul disclose that he was whiling away time in Britain and the US. Sounds so much like P G Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster! In 1999 he kicked up his job to help mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka during that year's Lok Sabha election. Congress leaders say Sonia has been politically grooming Rahul over the last five years, and that she has now initiated
[Goanet]Goanet Reader: They're not just dirty stones...
THEY'RE NOT JUST DIRTY STONES, BUT TELL THE STORY ACROSS CENTURIES Goanet Feature Service PANJIM (Goa): For long, these were just neglected dirty stones lying by the roadside. But a local heritage group, with support from a Portuguese cultural body, have given a new lease of life to aging roadside markers that tell a story of the grandeur of the Goa that once was. In the heydey of the Portuguese empire, when Goa served as the emporium of trade from the East, this tiny region was also the administrative and religious capital of the entire Eastern Portuguese Empire, says the Goa Heritage Action Group. With trade links from Europe to the Pacific, the City of Goa grew into a metropolis with a population of almost 250,000 people and is described in historical accounts as being comparable to Antwerp, Rome, London or Lisbon, adds the heritage group. They went around locating and renovating the 'markers' -- set up in the 1930s by the then Portuguese government -- that helped rediscover the layout and grandeur of the old colonial city now known as 'Old Goa'. Located some 8 kms east of state-capital Panaji, it is today home to churches, convents and ruins. But the roadside 'markers' point to the streets, pathways, pavings and building sites that spelt the colonial attrainments of this region in another day. One street is named after the 'ships of Ormuz', the strategic point in the Persian Gulf region around current-day Oman, which the Portuguese also controlled at one stage. Another marked the ecclesiastical prision, a place of confinement for crimes against the canons of the then-powerful Church. There's the viceroys' quay, the palace (originally a fortress) dating back to the Adil Shah's rule in pre-sixteenthcentury Goa, and even a stone marking the pillory. Typical of medieval European cities, 'Old Goa' too had a pillar of grey stone -- probably the remains of an old temple, according to the heritage group -- that was a public square for punishments such as flogging or severing of hands for civil offences, carried out in full view of the citizenry. Other stones marked the parths to suburb-villages like Moula. With the abandonment of the city (due to severe epidemics of cholera and other diseases), the once elite suburbs lost their importance, says the GHAG. Old Goa's history was one of decay. By the end of the 17th century, the city was congested and unhealthy. Portuguese rulers were preoccupied with the challenges of the Dutch, French and English -- who were taking over their other colonies and threatening Goa too -- thus causing havoc to the economy. Subsequently, Old Goa declined and lapsed into ruins. Says the heritage group: The final blow was dealth when the Viceroy shifted his own residence to the outskirts of the city in 1695, and finally to (current capital) Pangim, Panjim or Panaji in 1759. Various buidling fell to ruin and building material was carted away to build many of the new buildings that came up in Panaji or elsewhere. (*) ABOUT THE GOA HERITAGE NETWORK: The GoaHeritage mailing list, launched by Heta Pandit and Miguel Braganza, can be joined by sending in a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] It is a low-volume list that discusses heritage-related thems linked to Goa. GOANET READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the growing readership of Goanet and it's allied network of mailing lists. Goanet Reader too welcomes your feedback at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Goanet Reader is edited by Frederick Noronha [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Goanet]Goanet News Bytes * Apr 22, 2005 * Goa stops to tally its losses...
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] G o a n e t - N e w s B y t e s APRIL 22, 2005 DATELINE: GOA ... . ... .. ... .||.Founded in 1994 || || .| '|. '' .|| || || .|...|| || by Herman |'' || || .|' || || || || || Carneiro '. '|..|' '|..'|' .||. ||. '|...' '|.' http://www.goanet.org .|' To un-subscribe from this list, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you find this ezine useful, please recommend it to your friends and others from Goa. To sign-up http://newsfromgoa.swiki.net [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] IN TODAY'S EZINE: Goa calculates the full damage of the cyclonic winds that lashed the state just after dusk on a hot Wednesday evening. But newspaper account vary about the damage caused and the speed of the winds. Also, weather officials seem to be getting off lightly for the weather going totally unpredicted. Specially detailed issue today, to make up for the silence during the 36 hours we didn't have lights in our part of Goa. o Goa lost over Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) in squall. The state administration has started assessing the damage caused by Wednesday night's squall in Goa, though rough estimates peg the damage at over Rs 100 million. (NT) o Herald says property worth Rs 50 lakh swept off, 220 houses damaged and over 900 trees uprooted. (H) o Indian Met Observatory (Panjim) acting director K V Singh said that the squally winds that blew over some parts of Goa on Wednesday were due to the formation of thunder clouds. Singh said the system had not been developed across the nation, but had developed due to local phenomena in Goa itself, and therefore it could not be noticed or predicted well in advance in Mumbai or Pune. (NT) o Velocity of wind touched 283 kmph: The gusty winds that hit Goa late Wednesday evening was of the highest velocity since 1994, when Goa witnessed a cyclone as per the Indian Met Observatory office in Panjim. IMO said that gusty winds started after 6 pm on Wednesday, and touched a maximum speed of 283 kmph at 8 pm, caused as a result of thunder activities.(H) o Squall damaged 56 trawlers at Kharewaddo (Vasco) jetty. (NT) o No lives lost, but livelihoods have been, as Vasco work up to dreary devastation. (GT) o Campal Children's Park devastated. (GT) o Sattari goes without water. (H) o Merces wears destructive look. (H) o Three injured in Loutolim, Mango branch falls on home of Jose Pedro Dias, injuries minor. (H) o Nearly 200 electricity polls had either broken or fallen down. Some 250 houses damaged, says Gomantak Times. (GT) o Political understanding between parties vital for stable govt: Jamir(H) o Governor urged to approve pending electricity works. (H) o Ravanfond bridge thrown open, officially by Governor Jamir. One day earlier, the BJP went ahead and unofficially 'inaugurated' the bridge.(H) o Real estate developer, a close Parrikar aide, joins Congress: Prominent real estate developer and builder Dinar Tarcar who was known to be a close associate of the former chief minister Manohar Parrikar joined the Congress party, along with a large number of his supporters and friends Wednesday. Tarcar is a partner of Landscape Developers. Tarcar said the last four-and-half years had been a bad experience in Goa, alleging that there was rampant corruption. Tarcar said the Congress party had a long, healthy and democratic tradition and does not involve in politics of vengeance, and had no dictators. (H) o Kulavis whose family deities are in Goa's different major Hindu temples, and who have been deprived of the rights of membership of mahajanship, entry into the sanctum sanctorum have decided to fight vigorously for justice. (GT) o Senhorinha Melo e Correia of Siolim completes 100 today! (H) o New pipeline promised to solve Quepem villages water woes. (H) o Porvorim police have no clue yet on Parab murder. (H) o Venus Life fraud cost depositors Rs 30 million in Goa. (H) o 'Kaleidescope Goa -- A Cultural Atlas' by Dr Pandurang R Phaldesai of the Kala Academy, will be released on Saturday evening. (GT) o Parrikar asks Congress to initiate probe into IFFI works. (GT) - DEATHS OBITUARIES - CHINCHINIM: Inez Pinto Rodrigues e Rebelo of Dandeavaddo. Wife of late Antonio (Varca). Mother/in-law of late Margarida/Rui Fernandes. Sister of late Idinha, late Innocencia/late Leonardo, late Sr Leocadia (AC), late
[Goanet]Women priests !!!
Can someone donate a prize to the netter who comes up with the most convincing argument on why women shouldn't be allowed to become priests? Also, were all you guys serious with the arguments you threw up? FN
[Goanet][OFFTOPIC} St Stephen's turns 125, plans bash
This is not Goa-related, and I'll hope you'll excuse me for posting a theme which, one just thought, might interest some on this list. FN -- Forwarded message -- St Stephen's turns 125, plans bash Delhi, 21 April 2005 The Times of India [ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1085017.cms ] It is the oldest college in Delhi, and began with just five students and three teachers in a small house in Katra Khushal Rai in Chandni Chowk in 1881. On Thursday, Delhi University's St Stephen's College celebrated 125 years of its existence by announcing a series of events planned for the next year. Present on the occasion to talk about the 125th anniversary of the college were principal, Dr Anil Wilson and five eminent alumni comprising the panel. The panelists included lecturer Joy Micheal, convener and fund-raiser of the alumni committee S Y Quraishi, MCD commissioner Rakesh Mehta, sports personality Randhir Singh and St Stephen's alumni association general secretary, Arvind Malhotra. This year is of particular significance for three reasons. The presence of God ? our guiding star in our midst who has been constantly upholding us for the past 125 year. Secondly, the power of human relations and the spirit of Stephanian bonding and thirdly, we celebrate the sustained pursuit of excellence over 125 years,said Dr Wilson. The panelists discussed the upcoming celebrations and their experience as a Stephanian. Said Joy Micheal: I represent the women students of St Stephen's. For 25 years, the college did not admit women students and that made a tremendous difference.Micheal, along with the alumni committee will be bringing out a commemorative book on the college, which will be edited by well-known writer and another Stephenian, B G Verghese. The book will contain contributions from former Stepanians like Natwar Singh, Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal etc. The subject of the book will be of critical national importance,she said. Rakesh Mehta added: For the celebrations starting from April 24, the college will go back to the original roots in Sheesh Mahal, Chandni Chowk. o o o o o It's between the covers: Stephen's turns 125 New Delhi, 21 April 2005 The Indian Express [ http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=125900 ] St Stephen's College announced a series of events that will be held during the next academic year to commemorate the college's 125th anniversary. The announcement was made at an alumni meet on Thursday. Two books, tobe published by Roli and Penguin, will also be released and will feature essays by ex-Stephanians. B.G. Verghese will edit the Penguin book, which will address various subjects of national interest. The Roli book, to be called Turning Point, will include stories by Stephanians who describe the various turning points in their lives. The college will hold a number of events during the 2005-06 academic year. Shashi Tharoor will present a jubilee lecture and the college's two dozen clubs and societies will organise various events. On December 7, Founders' Day, the college plans to honour its teachers, by naming all those who have taught at the institution since it was set up. A special function is also being organised to celebrate the college's 125th birthday on February 1, 2006. The renovation of the old college building in Chandni Chowk, that is to be made part of the MCD Heritage Walk, is also on the cards. College principal Anil Wilson said, ''It is a private building, so the renovation, which is a joint initiative of MCD and Intach, will be only of the facade. A plaque too will be put up.'' St. Stephen's College was founded on February 1, 1881 and was initially affiliated with Calcutta University. It was later affiliated to Punjab University and finally became part of Delhi University, which was set up in 1922. The college moved to its present location on North Campus from Kashmere Gate in 1941.
[Goanet]In defence of Pope Benedict XVI
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=0J1NMOAFH2LVVQFIQMFCM5WAVCBQYJVC?xml=/news/2005/04/22/wpope22.xmlsSheet=/news/2005/04/22/ixworld.htmlsecureRefresh=true_requestid=17118 Pope may have received the most votes ever By Bruce Johnston in Rome (Filed: 22/04/2005) Pope Benedict swept to victory in this week's Vatican conclave, winning the election by a landslide and receiving probably the most votes of any papal race in history, it was disclosed yesterday. Pope Benedict XVI Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who has taken the name of Pope Benedict XVI, was favoured by an overwhelming number of his fellow Princes of the Church, said reports. The support for the German-born Cardinal was likely to have been no less than 90 and possibly 107 of the maximum 115 votes minus the winning candidate. If the higher figure were true, the new Pope achieved a backing even more overwhelming than his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. According to one report, however, in the first ballot the conservative Cardinal Ratzinger trailed the liberal standard-bearer, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. Only when the latter and other candidates withdrew did Pope Benedict win in the fourth ballot, making his election one of the two fastest in more than a century. In interviews Cardinals suggested that the result was a landslide. Obeying oaths not to divulge the secrets of the conclave under pain of excommunication, they did not reveal too many details. We all felt that he was our brother with superior qualities, said Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna. The political manoeuvring before his victory seemed to gainsay the usual claims of Cardinals that the Holy Spirit alone had determined their choice of Benedict XVI. Other cardinals yesterday sought to depict the human side of the new Pope, notwithstanding his austere image as the previous Pope's intransigent enforcer of orthodoxy. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said the Pope's image as a German panzerkardinal was unfair. He is human and he will convince you, he said. He is both a man of science and of faith. He possesses a great sense of humanity, he loves nature and music. The same churchman said that Cardinal Ratzinger was a cat lover. Every time he met a cat, he would talk to it, sometimes for a long time, said Cardinal Bertone. The cat would follow him. Once about 10 cats followed him into the Vatican and one of the Swiss Guards intervened, saying 'Look, your eminence, the cats are invading the Holy See'. Cardinal Achille Silvestrini said: Pope Benedict XVI will not be Ratzinger.'' The election of a Pope completely transforms a man''. As the Vatican began preparations for his investiture as Bishop of Rome in a Mass at St Peter's on Sunday, with 500,000 pilgrims and 150 foreign delegations expected to attend, the new Pope was already at work yesterday. He reconfirmed the same heads of the Curia, or Vatican civil service, as those in place when Pope John Paul II died on April 2. Among them was the secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. It was not clear, however, who would take over the Vatican's key doctrinal authority, which had been run by Cardinal Ratzinger. Belgian reports said his successor could be Mgr André Mutien Leonard, 64, Bishop of Namur. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
Re: [Goanet]Re: Women priests
George, I think Viviana has said enough about this topic, with whom I agree. For some reason, you have an issue with the Roman Catholic Church as it stands today, with allegations of sexism and racism. FYI, there are as many people coming into the Roman Catholic Church as there are leaving it, precisely because it is standing firm to its teachings. I am a Catholic. That is what matters. I count not on the colour of my skin, but on the colour of my faith. As far as Man and Woman and the Religious are concerned, there are physiological *and* psychological differences. A pastoral nun fills in where a parish priest cannot fulfil his task because of his gender. And vice versa. Lay people assist where a religious would be out of his or her depth. I think I have said enough on this topic. Cheers, Gabriel. --- George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't know if you realize it but comments like mental, physiological makeup are precisely the sexist comments that people who believe women are equal to men complain about. We are talking about roles in the church, not the physiological ability to have babies in which case there is a difference between men and women. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
Re: Re: [Goanet]Re: Predicting who could be the next Pope
Just for the sake of a debate: Viviana wrote: Personally I'm insulted by the notion that people without formal education and without money are by definition stupid and gullible, and I'm surprised that a man of your liberal sensibilities would imply such a thing. So people convert from one religion to another because they're poor and uneducated and, of course, have no free will??? Good point (if only from a debating point of view). Fact is, in an Indian context, the poor *have* become targets and an eagerly fought-over 'commodity'. They're being torn apart in a tug-of-war between evangelisers who come from a monotheistic tradition (and either sincerely believe that their's is the 'one true faith' or are fuelled by the mighty dollar, or both) and a Hindu upper class/caste who now realises that numbers mean a lot in a one-man-one-vote system (but who otherwise wouldn't care to much for this large, poor segment and surely wouldn't give their daughters in marriage to them -- a more accurate 'test' for who forms a 'community'). I understand that Islam is the fastest growing religion in America Fastest growing can also mean that it is starting from a very small base. Take for example: If Rome or Lisbon doesn't have a single mosque, and then allows one to come up, it's like a huge achievement. When the second mosque comes up, it's another 100% growth... It's also a fact that the USofA has been rather restrictive in deciding what kind of migrants it wants to allow in -- based on colour, class and education -- which flies in the face of theories of free markets. (There should be a 'free market' in labour and human skills too, right?) are the new converts (in the US) also poor and uneducated and gullible, lacking in free will? I do not know what are the motivations why people convert or change religion in the USofA. In my college days, I was very touched by the biography of Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali, the world boxing champ. In his case at least, the change of religion was clearly done as a protest measure, against what he saw as racism in Christian America. (Much like B R Ambedkar did in India in the mid 'fifties, in his battle against casteism -- which is increasingly being seen as simply another, maybe even stronger, form of racism.) This also seems to be the case of the few White Muslims, who were found to be taking the side of Al Quaeda or fighting for Iraq. From half-a-globe-away it's hard to say what makes people change their religion in the West, and it is probable that these are the exceptions. In reality, any change of religion involves a mix of many complex reasons. I'm one of those wo does not subscribe to the claim that all our ancestors in the sixteenth century or whenever, became Catholic in Goa merely because they were threatened and bullied by the Portuguese. I'm sure a significant section also saw opportunity in doing so. Some might have just got overpowered by a superior and more globally-dominant worldview (just like the poor India did while opting for Islam in Mughal-ruled India). Now, would that amount of duress or allurement? We need to accept that conversions are a complex issue, particularly because there are so many different ways of looking at it. Non-proselytising religions (specially those with non-Semetic roots, like Hinduism or traditional Buddhism for example) are bewildered or threatened by conversions. (On the other hand, it is also probably not true that Hinduism absolutely doesn't convert. Leaving aside the Hare Krishnas, even traditional Hinduism has had its own embrace-and-extend approach towards redefining religious boundaries. Otherwise there would be no way to explain its growth over such a large area.) Coming back to the point, the bottomline is just this: we all need to respect the religious views (or the lack of it) among others, and not make use of people and logic to support a selfish numbers games. Currently, that's happening -- on all sides of the 'clash of religions'! FN
[Goanet]Meerg - Pavsa..yo!.....Pavsa...yo!
Meerg A classy essay in Konkani by Prakash Pariekar Translated by Vidya Pai Pavsa..yo! ..Pavsa . yo! Whenever I heard this little bird screeching, what seemed to me like an invitation to the rains, I'd rush to my mother; perplexed. What was the bird's name, what was it saying, why did it call out only at this time of the year, I'd ask. Avai would take me on her lap and I'd listen spell bound by her tale Once, there was a young girl who was married into a family that owned many buffaloes. She had to work hard all day looking after the animals and her mother-in-law wouldn't let her go to her mother's house, for who would look after the animals, then? One day her father came to take her home for a few days. Her mother is very worried and wants to see her, he explained. But the mother-in-law was adamant. There is so much work in the house, I cannot send her now, she declared. The girl's father was very sad. Let her come for just one day, he begged. Finally the mother-in-law agreed to let her go, but on one condition! She would have to fill all the water troughs in the cattle shed first, she said. When the girl heard her mother-in-law's words she rushed to the lake and began to fetch buckets full of water to fill the troughs in the shed. But no matter how many buckets she fetched the animals drank it all up and the troughs were empty again! It was almost evening by now. The girl's father had been waiting since afternoon, but her work was still not done. It would take them two or three hours to walk home and if it grew dark her mother-in-law wouldn't let her go. So the girl thought of a plan. She made a thick paste of dung and smeared it on the troughs before filling them with water. The buffaloes, repelled by the smell of the dung, turned away from the water in the trough. I've finished all the work, all the troughs are full, she said to her mother-in-law and set off home. Now how did this girl finish the work so quickly, the mother-in-law thought as she went to the cattle shed to check. When she saw the dung smeared troughs, she was filled with rage. You'll be born as a bird in your next life and every summer you'll yearn for a drop of water she cursed. And that is exactly what happened, they say. The girl became a bird in her next life. Every summer, just before the rains start this bird sits waiting expectantly, Pavsa .. yo! . Pavsa yo! it cries ..' As the bird's raucous screech enters my ears I think of my mother's tale and my heart is filled with sadness for the bird. When the first showers of Meerg fall upon the land, frogs emerge from the earth and begin to croak raucously through the night. There is music and rhythm in all this cacophony as hundreds of frogs croak in frenzied unison announcing the arrival of the rains. Thousands of white ants fluttering their tiny wings emerge from the depths of anthills. The chameleon, from his perch atop some tall mango or jackfruit, whistles aloud to the trees and plants around him signalling that the rains are here. Pulses and grains that will be sown in the fields during the rainy season seem to sense instinctively that their time has come. Though wrapped in layers of grass and stocked in storerooms these tiny seeds begin to sprout. And when the gnarled and ancient shidan tree by the cow shed just beyond our house sprouts fresh tendrils on the outermost twigs everyone is certain that the rains will soon be here. If the heat becomes overpowering even though summer has come to an end, everyone says the showers of Meerg will be on us in just a couple of days. But the clearest indication comes from birds and animals, trees and bushes. And once the first few showers fall to the ground the taikilo springs out of the earth covering it with a lush green cloak . People in the countryside are busy throughout the summer months and it is only during the rains that they find some time to relax. However, there is a lot of work to be done before the rains set in-- the farmer who tills the 'puran' or low lying land reclaimed from the riverbed must harvest his crop and store the paddy and the hay in a dry place. The roof of the cattle shed and the shack in which firewood is stored must be repaired. Reed mats must be fixed all about the outer walls of the house to keep them from getting damp and the roof must be re-thatched. My father would finish all these tasks before Meerg set in. 'We mustn't let the poor dumb animals get wet . It doesn't matter if we get wet ourselves .' Baba always said as he set about re-thatching the roof of the cowshed well in advance. He'd finish all the other work and finally he'd fix the jhadap' or the reed mats around the house. Once the mats were in place, darkness would descend on the house but the walls would be safe and dry even during the fiercest of storms. I would creep into the narrow space between the two and making a hole in the reed matting I'd gaze out at the fury
[Goanet]News articles on the Cyclone that hit Goa
Storm snaps power, sinks trawlers in Goa http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/nation/2005/april/107849.htm India : Cyclone leaves behind damaged property in Goa http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=186282 Four injured in Goa thunderstorm http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200504211502.htm Goa witnesses huge destruction after cyclone http://www.123bharath.com/india-news/index.php?action=fullnewsid=47110 Goa cyclone leaves damage worth Rs.100 million http://www.newz.in/large35.asp?catid=1number=5271
