[Goanet]Some other views on the Catholic Church
Dear Fred, The United Nations is a democratic body comprised mainly of democratic countries BUT its Security Council secures the right of some nations to be more equal than others just as in George Orwell's Animal Farm. The catholic church is a hierarchy [ not a democracy]. Just because the College of Cardinals gets to vote, let us not mistake it for a democracy. It never was; it is not likely to be. All this discussion is hogwash. . From: Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote DEMOCRACY AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Cardinal's secretary AUSTEN IVEREIGH calls for electoral reform in the Vatican. http://venus.opendemocracy.net/t/1855/38812/444/0/ --Informed insider (1,500 words) MICHAEL WALSH wants Catholics to reclaim their church from the Vatican's stifling influence. http://venus.opendemocracy.net/t/1855/38812/445/0/ --This way to democracy? (1,000) Cardinal Arns of Brazil talks to LAURA GREENHALGH of Pope John Paul II and how the Vatican bureaucracy gets its way. http://venus.opendemocracy.net/t/1855/38812/446/0/ --Family portrait (2000 words) Join our debate on Democracy in the Catholic Church http://venus.opendemocracy.net/t/1855/38812/440/0/ --__--__-- Let us get down on our knees and pray that the good Lord guides the cardinals to make a right decision. EWTN channel has been showing how the electoral decisions have been made in the past, right from the the days that Papacy was created by the Bishop of Rome and St.Peter was declared the first Pope with retrospective effect, posthumously. The office of the Pope is the creation of Emperor Constantine after he entered Rome...or the Bishop of Rome in his days. That the crosses painted on the shields of the Constantine's soldiers during the capture of Rome inspired Ramesh Deo and Flaviano Dias while making the infamous VCD Goa Freedom Struggle is another matter. Parrikar, in the meanwhile, is thanking Pope John Paul-II for an apology that he DID NOT MAKE. St. Peter may have been the fisherman but every petty politician is fishing on the death of his deemed successor recently. I would not be surprised if the Congress in Goa makes a VCD on the Pope to draw votes away from the BJP. Yeh hai democracy! Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]Goa,greying, gone.
There is merit in what Bevinda has written while what Fred has to say is a well accepted reality. In our rush to meet world cahllenges, we have forgotten that Education is about ABC---Attitudenal and Behavioural Change. When a Doctor can chuck biomedical waste[including aborted foetus/placenta] in the Municipal bin, when an engineer can have debris dumped on the roadside, when an orthopaedic can throw a banana skin on the road or a psychiatrist consult a ghaddi for his child's illness, we know that there has been learning without any education. Throwing a plastic bag full of litter near a dust bin is only one of the symptoms of a greater sickness in our society. Who will bell the cat? From: Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bevinda, While not condoning the garbage-bags syndrome, I think this is a small part of the overall problem. The all-out grab (often with political support) of nature's resources, the battle over resources (water, forests, beachfront, fish, the red earth -- see interior Goa and mining), the inappropriate industrialisation of Goa, wholesale corruption of the planning process (including in BJP times), the unchecked plastic menace, basic greed, and middle-class overconsumption... these are more serious factors that is taking Goa to where it is. Taking our share of the blame is fine; appropriating more than is due to us could lead to avoiding pinpointing quarters who deserve to be blamed.FN -- Forwarded message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- I think we Goans have ourselves to blame. Look at the garbage bags thrown in green open areas by motorists. They know they are doing something wrong, but still they do it. If they can drive with a garbage bag on the seat beside them what stops them from driving to a bin and dropping it there? Bevinda . Much as Bevinda may like to deride the BSG, it has greened the minds of a generation of students in its member schools. It teaches by example, and learns along the way from the students and simple folks. The armchair critics do a dis-service to the cause. If you are not a part of the SOLUTION, than you are a part of the PROBLEM. Which side do you REALLY want to be? Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]Fontainhas:Mala fide or Mala-fied
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell [ Quoted in GT 31.3.05] The whole issue of 'vandalism'[ 'agitation' according to Naguesh Karmali] at Fontainhas or Mala is now becoming a farce or a natak. The GT questions the integrity and courage of GHAG as if the the road names on azulejo put in January,2004, by the Corporation of the City of Panaji [ not by the Portuguese EIP Administration, Fundacao Oriente, GHAG or even the old Panjim Municipal Council] were some heritage artefacts. One year old ceramic tiles are no heritage. They do not need GHAG intervention. A simple police action against the vandalism by the Panaji Nagrik Kruti Samiti -PNKS [and not Mala Citizens Action Committee as reported] would suffice. The road naming issue was not limited to Mala/Fontainhas as is being made out to put GHAG on the mat because it organised the Fontainhas Festival of Art for two years. It is also not a Catholic -Hindu issue, or Portuguese speaking v/s Marathi speaking Goans issue. When the issue of the Tonca Pillar and re-naming of the other roads is seen in the totality, this becomes clear. If GT has a blinkered vision, the GHAG or PNKS canot be blamed. It is not as if only the residents of Fontainhas are scared to file complaints. What has happened to the complaint filed by Jack Sukhija of Panjim Inn? Has an identification parade been held? Even in a high profile case of an attack on GT cameraman[ and Congresman] Barnabe Sapeco, no identification parade has been held. The old policemen to not listen to the Congressmen because they were allegedly forced to pay their way in. The younger policemen owe their loyalty to the BJP which has allegedly favoured them. Gratitude is being repaid in kind. Will GT agitate in front of the Police HQ to seek justice for its cameraman? .. MALA VANDALISM CASE CLOSED: In a very surprising decision, the Goa police have closed the case of vandalism apparently indulged in by members and sympathisers of the Sangh Parivar at Fontainhas-Mala, Panjim nine months ago. Deputy IGP Muktesh Chander said the case was sent to the court as 'A Final' for lack of evidence. No one has come forward to furnish names of the culprits. Neither were there any photographs with negatives, said SP (North) Sharad Aggarwal, replying to a query at a press conference held at the police HQ. (H) Victory for vandalism as Mala case quashed. Decision to close case taken by Parrikar government just before it was dismissed; Governor S C Jamir kept in the dark. GOMANTAK TIMES carries photographs, under the caption 'Do you need more evidence, your excellency?' RSS activists under the garb of Mala Citizens Action Committee strike a body blow to Goa's social fabric. Also seen are Vilas Satarkar (circled), brother of ex-Speaker Vishwas Satarkar and others. The leader of the pack, Naguesh Karmali after destroying and defacing Portuguese street signage and replacing them with *Hindu (sic) names*. Photo courtesy Sunaparant. ... 19 December written in Devanagri script is NOT a Hindu name. I fully agree with Naguesh Karmali. Even Vithal Rakhumai is not a Hindu deity. says Karmali. I agree with him,too. The NDTV had broadcast that Mandara Devi or Kallu bai of Satara is also not a Hindu deity. All those who speak, read and/or write Marathi are not hindus. All catholics are not converted from hinduism. These are just our presumptionswhich are not correct at all. Shigmo is as much a hindu festival as carnival is catholic. Ask the Archbishop if Carnival is a catholic festival and he will tell you it is not. Shigmo is a festival of the Konkan, like the Bonderam of Divar. It is not a hindu festival like the holi. And the sky does not fall if a Raintree planted in 1985 [ along with a hundred odd Coconut trees]by the Social Forestry Division of Goa is cut down for road widening at Guirim. If journalists and Editors begin teaching Environmental Science and arboriculture to trained professionals in forestry and arboriculture, will they be open to Foresters teaching them journalism and editing?? Consult a professional before shooting in the dark, that is the bare minimum one should do when rushing into another's field of expertise. If Sujay Gupta follows in the footsteps of Rajan Narayan, he will obviously reach the same place where the latter has reached. It is time for introspection already. Santa Inez is not so far away from San Tome as one would like to imagine. May be a renaming of the roads is in order. ;-( Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]SHIGMO
The traditional SHIGMO celebrations in Goa begin tomorrow 26 March although
today is the holi poornima [full moon in Phalgun month]. This is in
deference to 25 March being Good Friday.
The official celebrations with float processions start at PONDA on 26 March
and come to MAPUSA on Easter Sunday. QUEPEM celebrates Shigmo on 28 March
whileSanvordem-CURCHOREM and PERNEM celebrates it on 29 March.SANGUEM has a
colourful 30 March and VASCO brightens up its financial year ending.
It's not an April Fool prank in BICHOLIM and PANAJI celebrates it on the
weekend. The Sunday celebrations are in MARGAO and VALPOI. Flaviano's
CUNCOLIM joins the parade on 4 April before CANACONA Chaudi calls it a day
on 05 April.[ For details go to www.goatourism.nic or refer to local
newspapers]
It is time for the heavy beat of the drums and the clang of the cymbals. The
men in the street whoop and shout while they dance the ROMTA-MELL. The
floats are traditionally led by two men holding the toran or the TARANG--a
strip of decorative cloth cut like a toothed saw and a number of mango
leaves strung across or on the poles at either end. A number of HAPTAGIR or
spade-shaped standards , DWAJA [cylindrical white and red standards] and
SONNTRI or red velvet umbrella [which normally accompanies a palkhi {idol of
the deity on a palanquin}, or a bridegroom].[ For details see artcle by
Ciifford da Silva in 'Goa Traveller' of March-April 2005 or Diamond's PLUS
tabloids of March 2004]
The Shigmo in Goa is a variant of the SHIMGA [shim= border]of Maharashtra
and the BONDERAM of Divar. It is essentially a border marking exercise which
has become a fun tradition. The enemities of yester years have transformed
into a healthy competition. While in Bonderam [ feast of flags, celebrated
at Malar-Divar on World Goa Day, i.e. 20 August, and at Piedade-Divar on the
Saturday after that ] it was about the Communidades and their territory,
in Shigmo it was obviously about the Devasthan lands. In both it was about
who would get the levy or cultivation tax from the farmer and till which
boundary. The communidades marked these areas just before the Kharif crop
[ Sorddhache pik] while the devastans looked at the Rabi crop [vaingonn] and
perhaps the cashew and mango crop as well.
Last month we had a violent settlement of such a dispute between the Shree
Bhumika devasthan or temple followers and original inhabitants[goankars] of
Kasarpal-Vadaval and the the follwers of the Shree Kalika temple who are
Vaid Brahmans or goldsmiths from all over the Konkan. The dispute was over
the rights to auction of the cashew and mango harvest [usufruct] during the
summer of 2005. The colours of this shigmo was scarlet and entirely natural.
It was blood. The goldsmiths won their case in the court of law, the
goankars settled the dispute the traditional way. It was not dealt wiothan
iron hand, they settled it with iron rods wielded like swords and spears of
yore. It is a stalemate.
Whether it is shigmo or holi it is not 'holy' as per the traditional Western
understanding of religion. The prayers are offered at the boundary or the
SHIM to the SHIMMECHO DEVCHAR [Boundary Devil] or KSHETRA RAKSHAK [Area
Protector]. The spirited beat of the drum is , more often than not,
sustained by a generous inflow of the local spirit. In Goa it was maad or
maaddachi feni till the Portuguese brought in the cashew and the locals
learnt how to make a potent brew out of it. The gulal or falgu is mostly
vermillion. It could also be yellow, green or blue indigo. Vegetable colours
were the only thing in the good old days. They are being promoted once
again.
This shigmo is very important because the fading BJP and the resurgent MGP
will be defining their electoral boundaries. The Madkai Lion has already
laid his hands on the Priol Lotus for the Zilla Panchayat elections. In
Cumbarjua, the Lion is getting ready to keep the Congress Hand at bay.
Coalition is one thing, submission is another. With Tai gone, Raut all but
routed and the Anna and the white-haired Lion in the Congress, the MGP is
redefining itself. In the ex-Minister, it has found a good strategist. It is
financially better off, even if one takes Parrikar's 10% claim at half its
face value. Should the MGP manage to get one of the proven capacity Bhandari
leaders from the BJP or Congress back in its fold, there will be no stopping
it. Watch the beat this shigmo, it will determine who dances to whose tune
when the suspension of the Goa Legislative Assembly is revoked and a
Government is re-instated. Luizinho might have played the Pied Piper in
February but one could well say, today, the carnival is over.
It reminds me of the old fable about the Lion and the Mouse. It is
possible that the MGP Lion was released from the BJP trap by the small and
apparently insignificant creature that has been scurrying from the Congress
to the UGDP, to BJP to UGDP, to Congress and now to
[Goanet]Cardinal demands that Da Vinci Code be banned?
The Omnipotent God did not ban the Satan. Even Jesus Christ engaged Satan in a discussion and conquered temptation. By trying to ban the Da Vinci Code[ which the author clearly states to be a NOVEL and a work of FICTION] what are we trying to prove 1. That God was/is NOT omnipotent. 2.that He was/is not SMART enough to know what is good for Him and his people. or 3. that Jesus engaged in idle discourse or was delirious after all that fasting in the desert? From: Cecil Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote Dear Mario, Your reaction to my posting on the controversial Da Vinci Code is perfectly logical except for this one sentence.. I think it is also entirely appropriate for the Church or its members to have the right to freely criticize or praise these books and movies, write articles and books of criticism, make speeches, etc. without being criticized for doing so, as part of free speech and public discourse. This is a contradiction. You mean we cannot criticise the critics? That is a restriction of our Freedom of Speech isn't it? Sure everyone should be allowed to criticise anything, but their criticism in turn should not be exempt from further criticism either. Fair enough? Cecil If none of the above three questions make sense to you, then read the Da Vinci Code and overcome the temptation to believe that a novel is history or religion any more that Parrikar's VCD was. We have survived the VCD, Parrikar and his BJP did not. Viva Goa, Miguel Man likes the forbidden. The only error that God made was that he did not ban eating of the Serpent; otherwise Adam would have eaten it ,too. Mark Twain.
[Goanet]Salmona Spring
The good news for now is that the Pollution Control Board has directed that all the construction work near Salmona Spring at Saligao should be stopped. All the newspapers in Goa caried extensive reports and photos of the construction by one Harmalkar with all the permissions from the Revenue Collector and Panchayat although the land has been classified as a private forest in continuity with the afforestation programme of Saliga-Pilerne hill. Eternal vigil is the price of freedom. Indeed. Viva Goa. Miguel
[Goanet]On email-for-all and footballs
Dears, My transition from being computer-illiterate to being e-literate was assisted by three persons: Caliste de Souza[ brother of Dr.Teotonio de Souza Moir/Portugal], Marina Sequeira[ wife of Heston and sister of Melvyn Misquita of Aldona] and my daughter,Karla, then a student of Std.IX in St.Mary's High School. Marina taught me the UNIX format at NIC Panaji in 1995 when I helped get my colleagues and self into the training sessions with great reluctance from our superiors who remain computer illiterate to this day, while Caliste introduced me to Windows while creating an email ID for me and downloading emails for me at his cybercafe next door from 1996. My daughter taught me the commands to get my emails through on my own after I bought a computer for myself a few years later. If I have a net presence today, I have to thank these three great persons. The credit for my joining Goanet goes to Floriano Lobo from Moira, who ran a campaign against my Headmistress -sister and a teacher in the St.Xavier School, Moira.[ We have to thank him for making a noise about the use of amplifiers for the school concert rehearsal on 17 Dec.2004. It was because of it that I went to the school on 18 Dec., saw the seedy VCD and started the noise that finally helped in bringing down a government that the ex-CM is now busy certifying as having so many corrupt ministers!] Fred has put me on the track of God knows how many Netgroups, that I have begun having more created for use by groups that I am associated with. ... Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rene's idea of having an email-address-for-every-Goan and for expats to bring down a football whenever they visit Goa (to be donated to local youth of their choice) has gained some support. Getting an email address isn't just an end in itself. We should also work to make sure that this address is effectively used, by people back home We need some innovative ideas to make emailing more ubiquitous in a place like Goa, which could use it effectively. If individuals lose access to their email address simply because they *do not* use it regularly, then can we think of having a common addresses -- maybe for an entire village or vaddo, which people use largely to *send out* mail, and not so much for receiving... and obviously not for personal messages? The Expatriate Goans can link up with a Higher secondary School or college student in their native town or village who has a Cyberage computer[ you are getting the mail from one such computer right now, since my computer is still down with virus fever] to download and give emeild to their computer-illiterate family members. They could gift a printer[ about Rs.3500/- or US$ 75/-] to the student in exchange. It can be a WIN-WIN situation with the student being able to print some of his/her projects at home. A black-and-white printer is ideal and is cheaper to get a monochrome cartridge than the colour ones. The more frequent users of such a service could offer to pay part of the telephone bill or replace used ink cartridges from time to time. It is a sure way of keeping in touch...and knowing that your letter has reached. The relatives can also become part of the village Netgroups[ Aldona, Mapusa, Saligao and Vasco have active netgroups.] These groups have spawned the Mhapsa Fest [ second edition coming up in April] Those Were The Days music event in Baina and funding for the Aldona Institute and Saligao libraries, etc. These are just some possibilities. There will be plenty more. Explore them; explode the myth that old dogs canot learn new tricks. Viva Goa. Miguel
