[Goanet] ALEXYZ Daily Cartoon (15NOV07)

[alexyz fernandes]

Crimes against Children Rising inspite of Children's Act

Child: Why

Woman: ...Because the Govt is busy Selling Goa to ACT!!


To enjoy the visual cartoon please visit:   www.alexyztoons.com
Site sponsored by  www.goasudharop.org 

[Goanet] IFFI - Goa to spend Rs 13.5cr more

[D'Souza, Avelino]

Goa to spend Rs 13.5cr more
By Pamela D'Mello

Panaji, Nov. 14: With a power tussle for control of the International
Film Festival of India simmering in the background, the state government
of Goa has forked out an additional Rs 13.5 crores to add on
infrastructure for Iffi's 38th edition.

A permanent media centre, conference rooms, two theatres with 300 seats,
viewing rooms, besides offices for Central government agencies and
entertainment society of Goa are being readied at the heritage precint
adjoining the festival INOX theatres.

At the 18th century Marquinez Palace, hundreds of workmen are busy round
the clock to complete additional infrastructure. "So far the state has
spent a total of Rs 150 crores in setting up basic infrastructure for
Iffi, and we have explained this to the Centre", Goa chief secretary
J.P. Singh told this newspaper. But word is out that ESG and state
authorities would be on test this year, with several lobbies pressing
for the festival's return to New Delhi or a more convenient location.

An annual nearly month long sojourn for the festival's main organisers
in New Delhi and Goa's scarce and expensive public services have worn
off initial enthusiasm for the relocation. Detractors cite limited
auditorium space, unmanageable crowds and misconceived fringe public
entertainment that diverted focus from cinema as Goa's transgressions.
In 2006 the festival got its worst press ever since its 2004 relocation
to this west coast resort destination. "The Centre wanted to take it
away this year itself," Goa chief minister Digamber Kamat confirmed. The
I&B ministry refrained only to avoid embarrassment to the ruling
Congress government.

But the tussle for control of the festival between central and state
agencies hasn't abated, functions slated to be handed over to ESG over
time have reverted back to central agencies this year. Goa has been left
with picking up the hefty tab for hospitality and organisation, leading
to some resentment.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/goa-to-sp
end-rs-135cr-more.aspx

~(^^)~

Avelino

 

[Goanet] Resposta - Senhor Rajan:Comprehensive fraud by Digambar Kamat's govt

[Jose Agnelo do Rosario Pinto]

Querido Senhor Rajan Parrikar,

I fully understand your disappointment with Kamat's govt. But I have
to say he is better than Mr. Rane who could not make any decision
without the blessing of Madame Margaret Alva, the former queen of Goa.
You need to give some time to Mr. Kamat and you will see the results
in the next few months.
Regarding the missing files, you yourself will be able to find them if
you bribe the clerk or peon. Give him a lakh of rupees and you will
find the file next day. That is one good thing in Goa, you can get
anything done if you have the money.
Regarding SEZ, Kamat inherited it. It was approved during Rane's govt.
Regarding RP 2011, Kamat again inherited it. It was passed during
Rane's govt. You need to blame the then Cong Govt.
In both cases, he has promised to review them and currently he has put
them on hold. Do you know why Lok Shakti's Francisco Colaco and Datta
Naik are sitting quite (sosegado). Because they know that Kamat will
abolish them. I cannot blame them as they are both portuguese language
literate, sorry for being partial.
Kamat is the best you can have in Congress party.He has independent
mind and does not seek permission from the High Command for anything
he does in Goa. I only hope he does not include Babush in his cabinet.
Then he will loose my support.
Regarding Mathany Saldanha, another portuguese language literate, he
is the most honest man Goa assembly had in the last assembly. He
committed one mortal sin, he sided with Porikar, as Cederico do Kuwait
says.

Abraços,
jadrp


>>Wed Nov 14 04:01:20 PST 2007

>To Goanet -Does the Digambar Kamat government have ananswer for why
the FIR filed at Agacaim waswithdrawn? No.

>Now that it has transpired that certain key filesare missing, has the
govt filed an FIR? Is thereany investigation? No & No.

>What a goddam joke!The whole thing playing out is a tragicomedy.

>There ought to be now a mass movement todislodge this govt. But do we
have the willand unity necessary even within the GBA?Dr. Rebello,
seize the moment. We'll standwith you.

>On a different note - I hear that efforts are onby the Congress to
weaken Matanhy Saldanha.

>Already the public meeting scheduled for thisevening in Keri has run
into rough weather.

>You can bet your last paisa that the politicosand the powerful
business mafia behind theSEZs have shifted into top gear.

>Warm regards

[Goanet] Letter to Central Board of Approvals from SEZ Virodhi Manch

[Flower2]

November 14, 2007

Member-Secretary,
Board of Approvals,
Special Economic Zone,
Ministry of Commerce,
Udyog Bhavan,
New-Delhi-110011

Sir,

People's movements against SEZs in various parts of Goa, namely Keri,
Pernem, Sancoale, Loutolim, Verna and Quitol, supported by various NGOs like
Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Jagrut Goem and Council for Social Justice & Peace, have
come together under the banner of SEZ VIRODHI MANCH to unitedly and
collectively ensure that the people's will, unambiguously expressed through
gram sabha resolutions against SEZs in various villages where SEZs are
earmarked, is respected and implemented by the state Government.

We also take the opportunity to draw your attention to the fact that an FIR
has been filed with the Goa police against Goa Industrial Development
Corporation for the flouting of rules and procedures in the allocation of
land in Phase IV of the Verna Industrial Estate to private SEZ developers.

On his last visit to Goa, the Central Commerce Minister Shri Kamal Nath, has
gone on record to publicly state that "The Government can revoke permission
and scrap any SEZ if people do not want it." He further made it abundantly
clear that the government will not hesitate to intervene even after work on
the SEZ has begun and all necessary permissions granted. He said "If people
don't want it, it will not go ahead."

In the light of the above circumstances, and the clearly expressed decision
of the people through gram sabha resolutions, the present prevailing public
outcry and numerous memorandums submitted to the Chief Minister against
SEZs,  we request you to please refrain from notifying any SEZs in Goa and
in fact, forthwith withdraw all approvals for SEZs in Goa.

Looking forward to your action in the matter,

Yours truly,
For SEZ Virodhi Manch
sd/-
Charles Fernandes
Co-Convenor

[Goanet] A Warning to Goan women seeking jobs as maids in the Gulf....

[Gabe Menezes]

Sri Lanka abuse 'rampant' in Gulf
Tortured Sri Lankan maid (file pic)
Tales of torture and abuse have emerged from the Gulf
Gulf states are failing to curb serious abuses of Sri Lankan migrant
workers employed as maids in their countries, a Human Rights Watch
report has said.

The US-based group says abuse of maids is rampant in the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon.

Employers routinely confiscate domestic workers' passports and confine
them to the workplace, the rights group says.

The UAE has denied the charges, saying Human Rights Watch has ignored
its efforts to improve workers' conditions.

More than 660,000 Sri Lankan women work abroad as maids, nearly 90% of
them in the Gulf countries.

Abusive employers

The 131-page report - called Exported and Exposed - documents the
serious abuses that domestic workers face at every step of the
migration process.

Sri Lankan maids at Colombo airport (file pic)
Thousands of Sri Lankans head overseas for work each year

"Governments in the Gulf expose Sri Lankan domestic workers to abuse
by refusing to guarantee a weekly rest day, limits to the workday
freedom of movement and other rights that most workers take for
granted," said Jennifer Turner, a women's rights researcher at Human
Rights Watch.

"Too many abusive employers and unscrupulous labour agents get away
with exploiting these workers without any real punishment."

The report is based on 170 interviews with domestic workers,
government officials, and labour recruiters conducted in Sri Lanka and
in the Middle East.

"Domestic workers typically labour for 16 to 21 hours a day, without
rest breaks or days off, for extremely low wages of 15 to 30 US cents
per hour," the report says.

'Reform laws'

Some domestic workers told Human Rights Watch how they were subjected
to forced confinement, food deprivation, physical and verbal abuse,
forced labour, and sexual harassment and rape by their employers.

"The Gulf countries need to do a lot more to stop abuse of domestic
workers," Ms Turner said.

"The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE should extend
labour laws to domestic workers, ensure their complaints can be heard
and reform immigration laws so that workers aren't tied to employers."

The rights group has also urged the Sri Lankan government to improve
regulation and monitoring of recruitment agents, as well as services
for abused workers in consulates abroad.

The UAE has dismissed the charges.

In response, it said Human Rights Watch has "once again chosen to
ignore many of the positive steps adopted by the UAE in recent months
to improve conditions for temporary foreign workers in the country".

Many of HRW's recommendations have already been met or are in
progress, the UAE's state news agency WAM quoted Anwar Gargash,
minister of state for Federal National Council affairs, as saying.

Migrant workers make up the largest net foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka.

The country has a huge unemployment problem, and often cannot dictate
terms to richer nations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7093842.stm


-- 
DEV BOREM KORUM.

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] Unhappy Diwali

[Aniruddha Sen Gupta]

Having suffered the ever-increasing barrage of Happy
Diwali greetings (on e-mail, on SMS, on phone, in
person - from friends and relatives, casual
acquaintances, strangers, spammers and telemarketers),
I feel compelled to express a contrary view.

Diwali has traditionally been the one time of year our
household anticipates with a sense of dread. The
explosions of firecrackers scares our four dogs
witless, and they start running about the house trying
to find a spot safe from the source of their terror --
which of course doesn't exist. For the last few years,
we've taken to closing all the doors and windows of
our bedroom and sitting with them, cowering and
shivering, constantly stroking them to allay their
fear.

Our dogs are our children, so to understand our
plight, those of you who have young children or
grand-children, just imagine them for any reason in a
state of perpetual terror -- something so visceral
that it makes them run wild-eyed even from you -- and
you'll know how we feel.

The reaction is strongest from our oldest dog, who was
on the street for two years before she came to us, so
it gives  a clear indication of the state of mind of
the homeless dogs (and other stray animals) on this
night of nights.

I must say Goa has been a bit of a relief in this
aspect (as it has on so many others). We were in Delhi
before this, and it's impossible for someone who
hasn't experienced the Delhi kind of Diwali (and I'm
sure there are many on Goanet who haven't) to really
comprehend what it is like. I guess the closest
analogy for it would be a state of war. From when the
first explosives start going off around 7.30 or 8 pm,
there is a continuous -- and I'm using no hyperbole
here, it is CONTINUOUS -- barrage of crash-boom-bang
till about midnight. The worst is saved for the last,
when the 1000- and now even 1-string 'ladis' --
every household's piece de resistance -- start getting
set off.

The next morning, stepping out on to the streets truly
is like walking through a war zone -- the smoking
detritus is like a carpet on the roads and fields.
What a task it must be for the people who have to
clean this up -- people, incidentally, who have had
the least to contribute to this landscape of waste.
And the worst of it is the air, which is not fit to
breathe, and stays like that -- a miasma of acrid
poison for one's lungs -- for up to a week afterwards.

What's so happy about a Diwali of this nature -- a
Diwali which one would have to be blind and deaf to
still refer to as a festival of lights?

One last rant before I go -- for the week before
Diwali, all the television news channels (which tend
to let their true faces show when money talks) are
hysterically talking about all the best places to
shop, surveying the cracker stalls to tell you what's
the latest and the loudest, holding forth on planned
celebrations with anyone they can lay their hands on.
And then suddenly the day after Diwali, the coverage
shifts to how polluted the air is, and how this has
been the worst Diwali in terms of air quality and
decibel levels. What a society of morons we have
become that these people can feel that this is the
best treatment we deserve.

Aniruddha Sen Gupta
Porvorim


  

Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. 
Make Yahoo! your homepage.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs 

Re: [Goanet] Selma 's sensationalism

[Frederick [FN] Noronha * फ्रेडरिक नोरोंया]

On 14/11/2007, Carvalho <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Getting back to the turd donor, no, I didn't look to
> see whether he had a briefcase parked next to his
> deposit near the Mandovi. The point I was making was
> that he was quite well dressed and not a vagrant off
> the streets. So this isn't about available toilet
> facilities. It is infact, exactly what Rajan makes it
> out to be; par for the course.

And since the devil is also allowed to quote scripture, let the person
who had not peed in public cast the first stone! Selma's out of touch,
and fails to see this as part of the reflection of the acute lack of
public toilets and rest rooms in Goa. Or the collapse of
infrastructure here, thanks to corruption, overconsumptiion (by the
affluent, that Dr Oscar talks about) and probably even aggravated by
our own sanctimonous blame-someone-else approaches of barking up the
wrong tree.

Selma, do you know of journalists who rush to Hotel Mandovi (and face
the related embarassment) to visit rest rooms when they run into an
"emergency"?

Haven't we all, as kids, peed into fields in front of our schools?
Tell me, what do you do when you're at a park or musical concert, and
your kid feels the need to relieve himself or herself urgently? I'm
not justifying a lack of hygiene and sanitation solutions. But there
are no global standards. What you're used to in the West would
probably not be attained even in our dreams here. So hanging someone
caught on the camera might seem the apt thing to do, but is it?

In what way are we superior to the migrants we take perverse pleasure
in deriding? Sanitation remains a huge issue in India, important
enough for a Gandhi to take it on. We need more Dr. Bindeshwar Pathaks
here. See [http://www.sulabhinternational.org/]

In Goa, we had our pigs. We are caught at the twlight hour between the
death of the traditional way of doing things and the slow and
long-delayed birth of 'modernisation'. Of course, I'm not one of those
who keeps singing praises to the latter. Our pigs have gone; who will
take care of the sanitation? Politicians like Shashikala Kakodkar, I
recall, would raise the issue in terms of "pigs running through the
temples". It's easy to score points, but we don't know the long term
implications of our populist ethnic-based or communal-fractured
gerrymandering.

All of us need to visit a toilet; some of us are infortunate enough to
get photographed; the others believe our sh*t don't stink! Comeon
guys, can't you see how bull-headed and moralistic we are getting over
this? Time to acknowledge that half of Goa gets its sh*t cleaned by
the migrant poor. Let's not pillory them by judging them on the basis
of standards we find convenient! By all means, we need better
sanitation here; but nobody has a monopoly over fouling up the place
in a situation where sanitation is lacking. FN
-- 
Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph 0091-832-2409490
12000+ downloadable, sharable hi-res photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/

Re: [Goanet] Rajan Parrikar's "Don't Worry" advice - Hummmh!

[J. Colaço < jc>]

On 14/11/2007, Rajan P. Parrikar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

I once again call on the GBA and other like minded organizations to
come out against this anti-Goan government and demand its dismissal.
Start out by opposing IFFI with a call for a mass morcha on the
inaugural day.

Whether BJP or Manohar Parrikar benefits from this ought not to be
part of GBA's calculation.

--
jc's response:

What is Rajan Parrikar advising Goans - To leave their work, put
themselves at physical risk and protest against IFFI which was dumped
on Goa and Goans by the BJP?

He further advises Goans NOT to worry if the resultant chaos benefits
the same BJP which brought the IFFI to Goa in the first place?

Interesting!

jc's advice to GBA and Goans - Please look carefully at the nearest
chess board. Try identify the little pieces which are placed in front
line.

If you did not know yet - please allow me to remind you. They are
called 'pawns'.

They are usually sacrificed i.e used and dumped.

jc

Re: [Goanet] Konknni Talkies: The Tom & Bhembre Show

[Miguel Braganza]

Mogall Sebastiao-bab,

Congratulations! I was happy to read that the KONKANI BASHA MANDAL,
Margao [Ph.2750585] in association with the  GOA KONKANI AKADEMI, 243,
Patto colony, Panaji-Goa, is organising a seminar on writing skills
using the ROMAN SCRIPT for Konkani.

I am sure the Covenmor, Vincy Quadros [Ph.9822587498] will use the
spellings recommended in ROMI LIPINT KONKNNI BOURNCHI NEMAVOLL
co-edited by you with my friends Nagesh Karmali, Tomazinho Cardoz and
Jose Salvador Fernandes with Dr. Jayanti Nail as the member-Secretary.

I wish the KONKNNI BOROUPEACHEM XIBIR  on 18 November, 2007 at KBM,
Margao, all the best. May the number of persons, specially youth and
children, writing KONKNNI in ROMAN SCRIPT increase.


Mog asundi.

Miguel

PS

The "Tom & Bhembre Show" can go on simultaneously. We can transcribe
it in Konknni using both Romi and Devanagri scripts FOR Konknni [not
resorting to English in Romi lipi as the GKA has done for its
CITIZENS' CHARTER ... in the "two scripts, two languages" formula]

On Nov 13, 2007 12:13 AM, Miguel Braganza <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Mogall Sebastiao-bab,
>
> You wrote: Godfrey Gonsalves (you too?) reported that, though my speech was 
> distributed in Devanagari, what I SPOKE was in Romi! But none in your CAMP 
> thought of correcting this; so, why
> now? A couple of editorials in English dailies said much the same
> thing.
>
> Comment: I speak Konkani [written as "Konknni" in Romi lipi, phonetically and 
> not fanatically]. The spoken form has no script or lipi. If the Editor of the 
> oHERALDo or Godfrey writes about speaking in a script, I hold no brief for 
> them. What is wrong is wrong, even if the error is not yours. However, do not 
> add me to the ranks of people
> who do not know the difference between a language, a dialect and a script. I 
> may not have a Ph.D. ...but I am not a dud like the veneral Dr.Tanaji 
> Halarnkar, former Editor of the G.U.'s Konkani Encyclopaedia, who calls 
> dialects as "facets" ...and fools no one except himself!
>
> The only CAMPs I know are the camps I attended during my days in Boy Scouts 
> and NCC. Unlike the President of USA, I have no Camp David type of holiday 
> ranch.

Re: [Goanet] Photos & Outrage fatigue

[George Pinto]

Rajan, 

Keep posting. Goans around the world have been asleep too long and need to see 
the devastation
happening to the land of their ancestors. To be fatigued, one has to have done 
something.
Hopefully, your posts on this most important matter will motivate Goans to wake 
up and do
something.  Otherwise, Goa will look like downtown Dharavi (Bombay slum).

Regards,
George 


--- "Rajan P. Parrikar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

To Goanet -

The following shot was taken yesterday standing on the ferry from Ribandar to 
Divar looking
towards the Kadamba plateau.  A shaved hillside & ongoing construction, 
suggesting a mini Aldeia
de Goa in the making -

http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/kadamba-plateau.jpg

I now hesitate to post any more photographs for fear of inducing outrage 
fatigue on Goanet.  When
you see sights such as this day after day, you become inured to these 
atrocities and tend to tune
off.

[Goanet] Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt

[Miguel Braganza]

Dear me!

First the wife, Anju Audhut Timblo, tells us that there is no such
thing as ILLEGAL when one is constructing in ones own property
[Sociedade de Fomento's Cidade de Goa, in that particular interview to
GT published on front page of 05 Nov. 2007].

Now, the husband Audhut Modhu Timblo, [of Sociedade de Fomento's open
cast iron ore mines] tells us through the NDTV that the mines came
first and hence do not have any SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY towards the
villagers in the vicinity which, allegedly, sprung up around the
mines.

''The schools came later. The villages came later. First the mines came
and then the village developed,'' said Auduth Timblo Chairman, Sociedade
de Fomento.

The names like Barazan, Codli, Pissurlem, Maina, Naveli, Kudnem, Sonus
apparently appear modern names to mr. Timblo. I wonder what their
sons, Akash and Ambar [beaning Sky and Earth] who manage mining in the
name of an Infrastucture company ILPL, think about social
responsibility.

Charlie's Angels ... as the Task Force on RIP, oops RP 2021 , has been
re-christened after Charles Correia...should possibly be sent on Haj
pilgrimage by our  allegedly "minority appeasing" CM

Our Chief Minister keeps strange company, indeed!

Even if accepts that God works in mysterious ways, surely He would not
confound the people of Goa as much as the present Government does.
What SEZ you?

Vishwajeet is ready for a referendum on SEZ in his fiefdom
...identified by him as Bicholim and Satari talukas ... while he still
believes in the wisdom of the CM for the rest of Goa. He is also in
favour of IT Parks, apparently making common cause with Daya and his
new found friend, Churchill.

Kuch bhi ho sakta hai. Politics is the art of the possible!

Mog asundi.

Miguel
..
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:52:45 +0300
From: "D'Souza, Avelino" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt

Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt
Priyanka Kakodkar NDTV
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 (Goa)

As India observes Children's Day a hard fact that could well be the
shame of the country's beach paradise Goa is a school that is a serious
health hazard.

NDTV brings you exclusive report from Goa's Sonshi village where
children go to a government school right in the middle of a mine.

Day in and day out they study there in a cloud of dust and ore. Goa is a
major hub of iron mines and exports half the country's ore.

But paying the price are thousands of people particularly children
living around the mines.

It's terrifying enough to walk to the school. But worse is the cloud of
dust and ore the children inhale all day.

''The dust goes into their nose, their stomach. Twice a week we have to
take them to the doctor,'' said Sharmila Gawde, villager.

All across the mining belt villages struggle with dust spewed out by
trucks that transport the ore from mines to ports.

In this hinterland, the mines are a double-edged sword - one of the few
jobs available but a job with hidden costs.

''It is because of the mines that people without qualifications can get
jobs,'' said Prakash Gawde, Contractor.

Water woes

Just a few kilometers away, Pissurlem, a village that's paying the
price, get water only through tankers.

All the wells have dried up as the mine sucked out ground water.

''When the mines close down, there will be no jobs or water,'' said
Tejaswini Gawde, Village Panch.

The fields downstream now choked with mining silt, which means there's
no going back to farming.

This was once a lush paddy field, which grew two crops a year. But now
its been reduced to weeds - its fertility killed by the silt flowing
down from mining debris.

In this classic battle of locals versus industry mine owners argue that
they were here first.

''The schools came later. The villages came later. First the mines came
and then the village developed,'' said Auduth Timblo Chairman, Sociedade
de Fomento.

But for the villagers, who now work at the mines, there is no going back
to their fields that are now wastelands.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070032751&ch=1
1/14/2007%208:56:00%20AM

~(^^)~

Avelino

-- 
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts,
Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa
Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[Goanet] Goan Bands: FOREFRONT & PURE MAGIC

[JoeGoaUk]

Goan Bands: FOREFRONT & PURE MAGIC

with Lorna

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dHOGVo78ra4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2uWvRtyDuRg



Also available here
http://is.rediff.com/profilevisitor.php?mem_id=48419

and this one about to touch 6000 views in 6 days
http://is.rediff.com/filevideo.php?trans_id=1&id=64464


[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   
  for Goa & NRI related info...
   http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/ 
   
  For Goan Video Clips
  http://youtube.com/joeukgoa
  or
  http://is.rediff.com/profilevisitor.php?mem_id=48419



  ___
Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it
now.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/ 

[Goanet] Fw: Goans are not laid back

[Peldin Fernandes]

Reference to the Navhind times news article on "SEZ most suitable form of 
Industrial development for Goa, says GCCI Chief", this is to request the 
GCCI Chief do not make statements based on your wild imagination and the way 
you want to present to your audience at your fancy, we want strong 
statistics to support your imaginations.
   we goans are not laid back as you claimed in the interview, 
Goans contribute with GDP per capita one and a half times of the country as 
a whole and you too claimed yourself in your sep 1' 07 chamber centenary 
speech at Cidade de Goa "that goa can pride as one of the best states in the 
country in different parameters and can boast of the best socioeconomic 
indicators in the country" how do you now say that "executives from outside 
arriving in goa are needed to wake goans from their laid-back attitude" if 
this is the case do you mean whatever we goans have achieved is by these so 
called outsider goans or by being trained by these outsiders?


   I agree every man wants to be back in their motherland and we 
goans are not different but out of every 10 goans in IT Industry (out of 
goa), I spoke to, 7 have acknowledged that if IT industries do come to Goa, 
its identity will be lost within a span of 5 years and all of us (IT 
professional) believe that it's ok if we sacrifice by working out of the 
state and retire peacefully to the same old goa rather than see our self 
alienated and out state in shambles and chaos.
   For your information Major IT industries are not run by few 
software engineers, they need lot of infrastructure in terms of Real Estate, 
telecommunications and transit facilities besides water and power, and for 
all these infrastructure there is a need for Skilled, highly skilled and 
blue collared laborers, now the problem comes when it comes to providing 
manpower to blue collar jobs since very few goans will opt to work for these 
jobs that pay as little as a few thousands and who will take these jobs? it 
will be the influx of laborers into goa from neighboring states then where 
will you house these laborers in the backyard of the GCCI member's houses? 
The numbers of engineers produced in goa are not enough for the Major IT 
industries that need software professionals in thousands.
   If GCCI wants to promote small IT companies in the state then it 
is not required that goans provide SEZ's with vast tracts of our land to 
these small IT industries, these can be done in the existing industrial 
estates infrastructure itself.


   If GCCI is really concerned about the low salary structure in 
the state and serious about raising the salary in goa then they should 
request the council of ministers and the industry minister in particular to 
enact an ordinance to raise the minimum salary in the existing hotels and 
other industrial establishments in the state, but no this won't be done 
because neither the GCCI members nor the ministers will receive 
kickbacks/baksheesh from the industrialist. If companies can pay high salary 
outside Goa (these are not setup within SEZ's), then why can't existing 
industries in goa afford to pay high salaries.


   If the GCCI is concerned about the industrial growth in the 
state then promote the traditional occupations of the state this can be 
agriculture, fisheries and tourism besides other peripheral small IT 
industries and improve the facilities provided to the visiting tourists and 
the farmers instead of grabbing land from them. this could be a win win 
situation for all because the people who want to stay back in goa can 
continue with the traditional occupations and the highly skilled goans can 
continue with the jobs across the globe as they are currently doing with no 
grudge.


   Regarding existences of checks for the Industrial Zones or SEZ's 
there also exists many loopholes that vested interests will exploit to ruin 
our state, just a small example is the one in SEZ Principal rules 5 sub rule 
2 clause "D" that says "If a Developer subsequent to approval or 
notification of a Special Economic Zone acquires more contiguous and vacant 
land which makes the total area available, including the area already 
notified as Special Economic Zone, more than the minimum area required for 
another class of SEZ, the Board may consider such cases on a case to case 
basis for allowing conversion to another class of Special Economic Zone by 
subsuming such already approved or notified Special Economic Zone."
  In this clause the loophole is "the Board may consider such cases 
on a case to case basis for allowing conversion to another class of SEZ".


In short, Mr President of the GCCI, do not misguide the goans with distorted 
and short sighted opinions you have about SEZ's which will spell disaster in 
the years to come for every goan and the future generations including the 
GCCI Goan members if any.


Thanks and Regards,
Peldin Fernandes. 

[Goanet] Splendid performance by Goan at U9 Chess Sangli winning first three positions

[shrikant barve]

Harikrishnan Mohanan(5), Anirudha Bhat(5) & Gouri Hadkonkar(4.5) stood 1st,
2nd, 3rd at Sangli Chess Festival 2007

LATE SOU. SHAILA KANETKAR - KANADE All India Chess Tournament for under 9
years (Boys & Girls)
Rishab Niak stood 5th
Harikrishnan Mohanan(5), Anirudha Bhat(5) & Gouri Hadkonkar(4.5) stood 1st,
2nd, 3rd at Sangli Chess Festival 2007

LATE SOU. SHAILA KANETKAR - KANADE All India Chess Tournament for under 9
years (Boys & Girls)
This tournament was started on 12th Nov and concluded on 14th Nov 2007
Baldin.Childrens Day
http://www.goachess.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=36&mosmsg=Item+successfully+saved
.


(Shrikant Vinayak Barve)
Secretary : Taleigao Chess Academy 2451143/9326132702

[Goanet] Vishwajit Rane speaks up for SEZs

[Rajan P. Parrikar]

To Goanet -

The diseased fruit of Pratapsing's loins, Vishwajit, has finally come out 
swinging in favour of SEZs.


See today's Navhind Times.According to Vishwajit Rane, SEZs are necessary to 
generate employment in his desperate constitutency.  This begs the question, 
what

was his father doing in the past 25 years?

In other news -
Digambar Kamat & gang want to set up a panel to "study" the SEZ issue. 
These are standard time-wasting tactics to wear down the opposition to the 
SEZs and engineer dissent in their ranks. How come the rascals never need 
panels to approve these SEZs in the first place?


Regards,


r 

[Goanet] "BLACKSLADE" arrive to Enchant Kuwait................ by gasper crasto

[goa world]

BLACKSALDE arrive to Enchant Kuwait...
by gasper crasto

India's topmost band 'BLACKSLADE'- from New Delhi arrived in Kuwait last 
night to feature at the much awaited ENCHANTMENT NITE organized by AVC 
Overseas Sports & Cultural Association at the Sief Ballroom, Ramada Hotel, 
Thursday 15th November 2007 starting 9:00pm onwards.


The energizing ensemble, one of the best established bands from India to 
visit Kuwait, was received at the airport by delighted fans and members of 
AVC. BLACK SLADE will enchant the local crowd along with Kuwait's 'Deep 
Impact'. DJ Marlon will add magic to the NITE with retro-trance and hip-hop 
selections.


[Photo: Anthony Braganza - Bass Guitar, Ronaldo de Silva - Vocals Mini,
Mickael Almeida - Keyboard,  Minino Dias - Lead Guitar and Succor Nazario 
Pereira - Drums]


The dance nite is hosted by Kuwait's favorite and fascinating Master Compere 
Lloyd D'Souza.


'Enchantment Nite' is the second mega event organized by AVC Overseas Sports 
& Cultural Association after their successful 'Red & Black Nite' in 2005.


Gate-passes for the event are just a phone call away.
Contact: 9800986, 9114634, 7651460, 9797348, 9189820.

About AVC:
AVC Overseas Sports & Cultural Association has been in the forefront in the 
field of sports and cultural activities for the past 5 years. On the 
football field they have been Overseas Champions in Bahrain in the year 
2004, thereby creating history among the Overseas Goan Football teams in 
Kuwait for being the only Goan team from Kuwait to win an outstation 
tournament. The same year they were the quarterfinalists in the overseas 
tournament held in Dubai.
Sponsored by Shipping giants Kuwait Transcontinental Shipping Company, AVC 
have also won the seasons championship KIFF Trophy title for the last three 
consecutive years which itself is a record for a club which is just five 
years old.


Last year, AVC won the All India football tournament in Kuwait conducted by 
the Kerala Expatriate community and were KIFF League Champions for season 
2004-2005.


The Managing Committee of AVC comprises of: John Furtado - President, Xavier 
Furtado - Vice-President, Ramsey Cardozo - Gen. Secretary, Russel D'Silva - 
Sports Secretary, Arthur Moraes - Treasurer, Demin D'Cruz - Advisor, Donald 
Colaco - Team Manager, Alvaro Dias - Coach, Mariano - Member, Joe Fereira, 
Levellyn D'Silva, Glen, Hilton, etc.


Media publicist:
www.goa-world.com 

[Goanet] Culture of goans

[reagan dcosta]

Culture, lifestyle, of Goans
  One of the things that make Goa unique, are the laws, a legacy that the 
Portuguese have left behind. The common civil code, confers equal status to all 
religions, it favors no particular religion. The law also accords equal legal 
status to both sexes, in all matters. Perhaps, this is why the local women and 
girls of Goa are not so shy and reclusive, in stark contrast to the rest of 
India . Most Goan ladies dress in western fashion dresses and skirts, rather 
than the more tradition (in India ) Saree and Churidar. Of course being used to 
tourists from around the globe, and the European influence of the Portuguese 
are the main reasons for this. As part of the Indian subcontinent where 
conservatism is traditional, the Goans are flamboyant and out going. The women 
are attractive and in step with the latest trends of the west. The young men 
bear themselves with a distinct air of machismo; they love football, 
bullfighting and automobiles, they are quick to smile - or fight. Goa
 , itself is often stunningly beautiful. The roadsides are bright with cascades 
of bougainvillea; the forests are alive with iridescent butterflies, and 
kingfishers so brilliant that they seem to glow from within. Just after the 
monsoons, in the flooded paddy fields, a horde of workers can be seen preparing 
for the new crop. Yes, Goa is a beautiful land, with wonderfully hospitable 
people.
   
  The people of Goa are generally well educated; the literacy rate is high. 
Despite this, the caste system is up and running, in defiance of government 
laws. Even the Catholics have their casts, borrowed from the casts of their 
Hindu forefathers. Thus one is not at all surprised to see a matrimonial advert 
in the papers (or even on this site) that reads; 'Wanted for Goan RC (Roman 
Catholic) Brahmin bachelor…!' In spite of strict laws against dowry, the system 
is still around, albeit very hush-hush.
   
  Sports are very popular with the locals. Bull fighting (Dhirio) used to draw 
huge crowds, but now the courts have banned it. Unlike in Portugal , it is not 
man against bull, but bull against bull. The Dhirios were held in the local 
paddy fields, no walls or fences to separate the audience from the fighting 
bulls. Consequently, sometimes a spectator was gored or killed. For this reason 
the fights were banned. Although gambling is illegal, vast sums of money used 
to change hands at these fights. The two main sports of interest now, are the 
usual football and cricket. In Football, Goa has got more first league teams 
than any other state in India . On any given day there is sure to be a 
tournament or match, in one or more of the villages.
   
Goans are very proud of their state, and are well prepared to fight 
for its protection. Environmental issues feature prominently, but often lack 
firmness in dealing with issues related to government utilities, administrative 
corruption and horrendous government services.

  From Reagan

   
-
Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how.

[Goanet] Goa news for November 15, 2007

[Goanet News Service]

Goa News from Google News and Goanet.org
Visit http://www.goanet.org/newslinks.php for the full stories.

*** Goa to spend Rs 13.5cr more - Asian Age
[2 hours ago]  14: With a power tussle for control of the
International Film Festival of India simmering in the
background, the state government of Goa has forked out an ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/goa-to-spend-rs-135cr-more.aspx&cid=1123489676&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** IFFI won\'t be shifted out of Goa: Kamat - Hindu
[9 hours ago]  Panaji (PTI): Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat
on Wednesday ruled out any possibility of shifting the
International Film Festival of India from the state. ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200711142071.htm&cid=1123541994&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Goa\'s complete online news edition - Wednesday, November
14, 2007 - Herald Publications
[19 hours ago]  The 10 beauties out of the 297 applications who
will be walking on the ramp for the grand finale of Miss Goa
2007 beauty pagent to be held on November 16,at ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/8-0&fd=R&url=http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=4178&cid=1&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt - NDTV.com
[20 hours ago]  As India observes Children's Day a hard fact
that could well be the shame of the country's beach paradise Goa
is a school that is a serious health hazard. ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070032751&ch=11/14/2007%208:56:00%20AM&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Goa to fight against illegal placements - Gulf Times
[Nov 13, 2007]  The State-run Overseas Employment Agency of Goa
intends to eliminate unauthorisedand unscrupulous placement
agencies from recruiting workers for overseas ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9-0&fd=R&url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=184604&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Rain plays spoilsport in Goas ˜Narakasur killing
festival - Thaindian.com
[7 hours ago]  Goa, which normally remains sunny in this part
of the year, experienced sudden showers on Thursday that led to
the cancellation of many effigy-burning ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/7-0&fd=R&url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/rain-plays-spoilsport-in-goas-narakasur-killing-festival_1004336.html&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Swapnil, Saurab in Goa team - Navhind Times
[4 hours ago]  Margao, Nov 14 Goa will be bolstered by the
return of batsman Swapnil Asnodkar and medium pacer Saurab
Bandekarfor their second plate B Ranji trophy ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/6-0&fd=R&url=http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=111533&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Susana rescues Goa U-14 football team after organisers
debar 5 players - Navhind Times
[4 hours ago]  Dr Anjaih said it was wrong on the part of the
local organisers to take such a drastic, unwarranted decision of
debarring not only 5 Goa players but also 4 ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/5-0&fd=R&url=http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=111536&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Assam oust Goa in U-19 football - Navhind Times
[4 hours ago]  Margao, Nov 14 Goa went down by a solitary goal
to Assam to end their campaign in girls U-19 football at 53rd
National School Games at Varca grounds, today. ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-0&fd=R&url=http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=111535&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg

*** Environment concerns may derail sezs in Goa - Economic
Times
[Nov 13, 2007]  GOA : The Goa governments indecisiveness over
developing special economic zones (sezs) in the state has left
industrialists worried as they fear that such ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3-0&fd=R&url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Environment_concerns_may_derail_SEZs_in_Goa__/articleshow/2539369.cms&cid=0&ei=DJM7R5bJOJGoqgPU5-nOBg


Compiled by Goanet News Service
http://www.goanet.org/newslinks.php

Re: [Goanet] Currency values

[Gabe Menezes]

On 12/11/2007, Mario Goveia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Mario responds:
> >
> I was surprised to read this as I did not recognize
> two of the assertions made therein: a) that inflation
> in the US is running at 5.1%, and b) that the US
> excludes the cost of food and gasoline (petrol) in
> calculating US inflation.

RESPONSE: Mario has claimed to be an MBA. Therefore I am taken aback
that he had to resort to Google, to try and fathom out what is really
going on w.r.t inflation gauging in the USA. Both the USA and the UK
rely on a narrower gauge for inflation, the reasons stated, that both
food and energy are volatile items.

I saw an T.V. programme last night stipulating that, if true inflation
rate was given, then the Governments would be for bigger pay rise
increase demands.

Just this hour, Bernanke spoke in depth about trying to better achieve
transparency, regarding inflation and that the Fed is working on this.

I am neither an economist nor a C.A.; I believe though that I have
acute analytical skills. For the sake of good order and clarification,
I have picked up an article in the F.T. which should, hopefully shed
light on the subject being debated:-

The Fed still hasn't recovered

The Fed still hasn't recovered the plot: core vs. headline inflation again

Oh boy…

Let me quote from the Testimony of Chairman Ben S. Bernanke,
Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress, before the
Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives July
18, 2007

"Sizable increases in food and energy prices have boosted overall
inflation and eroded real incomes in recent months--both unwelcome
developments. As measured by changes in the price index for personal
consumption expenditures (PCE inflation), inflation ran at an annual
rate of 4.4 percent over the first five months of this year, a rate
that, if maintained, would clearly be inconsistent with the objective
of price stability (footnote in original: Despite the recent surge,
total PCE inflation is 2.3 percent over the past twelve months).
Because monetary policy works with a lag, however, policymakers must
focus on the economic outlook. Food and energy prices tend to be quite
volatile, so that, looking forward, core inflation (which excludes
food and energy prices) may be a better gauge than overall inflation
of underlying inflation trends. Core inflation has moderated slightly
over the past few months, with core PCE inflation coming in at an
annual rate of about 2 percent so far this year."

Here we have the Chairman of the Fed reassuring us that inflation is
under control because, when you strip out the items in the price index
with the highest inflation rates, the inflation rate of the remainder
is only slightly above target.

ends
For a full read please click on the to the URL below:

http://blogs.ft.com/maverecon/2007/07/the-fed-still-h.html

I believe that the interest rates in the USA, do not fully reflect the
inflation rate; also the Fed is under sever constraints politically
and had to cut interest rates to accommodate the fall out debacle of
the Sub Prime loans.

Mario should know this, as his neighbour hood is one of the worst hit
areas in the USA, with run down buildings and distressed 'Repo sales
signs'. An USD300,000 home is a substantial home, by any measure in
Toledo; the equivalent £150,000 would at best buy a studio flat ( one
bedroom) in London.

So much for the cock and bull story, as espoused by Mario, that the
poor in the USA are the equivalent, if not better off than the middle
class European.

-- 
DEV BOREM KORUM.

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] 3 more VCDs (Total 154+3=157)

[JoeGoaUk]

3 more VCDs bought today from VP Sinaris

CD No. 155
GOOD BYE  by Comedian Marcus
Com. Marcus’s First VCD
Rs.150  Nov./2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk11/2023243629/


VCD No. 156
DADDY by Samuel Carvalho
With Mathew Araujo, Com. Agostinho, Com Selvy, Meena, Wilson-Sharon, Shruti,
joe Rose etc etc
Rs.200 Nov/2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk11/2023246259/


VCD No. 157
BHIRANKUL RAN by Eutropio Fernandes
With Anthony Dias, Com. Selvy, Com Sally, Adlin Dias, Colin, Michel, Crostina,
Bobit etc
Rs.60 (Sixty only)Nov/2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk11/2023248335


[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   
  for Goa & NRI related info...
   http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/ 
   
  For Goan Video Clips
  http://youtube.com/joeukgoa
  or
  http://is.rediff.com/profilevisitor.php?mem_id=48419



  ___ 
Want ideas for reducing your carbon footprint? Visit Yahoo! For Good  
http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/environment.html

[Goanet] For v's and b's

[Seb dc]

Now since you'll have no takers here, i would suggest go kiss the moon or
just wear the Khaki shorts on the streets of US or Kuwait doesn't
matter...probably will have takers to start a Fashion Show.



Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:06:05 -0800 (PST)
From: Bhandare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Dear Vinay:

I would advise you not to get caught up in meaningless
discussions with people like gadgil ...this particular
person has little regards for truth and is brazenly
dishonest in the domain of public discourse...
he spreads these biased reports written by dubious
characters ( and i am not grudging him that right)
and when any clarification is sought he adopts a
holier than thou postion usually supplemented with a
good dose of righteous indignation and neatly
sidesteps the issue.

giving his types to much attention only emboldens them
and gives their hate filled ideology more currency...

i wold suggest that you network more with people whose
views and opinions match with yours and thus we can
get something constructive done.

regards

b

[Goanet] VHP goons allegedly beat up 25 priests (Vidyaghar)

[Bhandare]

Even though the article mentions only one priest, did
our resident comrade type in 25 priests in the title
for the extra effect? does that mean he is a liar?

given this persons past record i would suggest that
discerning readers exercise caution when believeing
this guys stories

btw elections are coming up in Guajarat and marxists
are workimng overtime ...you will see such stories pop
up with regular frequency

b


  

Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. 
Make Yahoo! your homepage.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs 

[Goanet] Yellow fever grips India

[Mervyn Lobo]

Yellow fever grips India
Nandita Jain/Commodity Online
November 13, 2007 17:08 IST
In India, all that glisters is gold. That is the 21st century message the 
one-billion strong India, witnessing a surge in consumer spending, is sending 
out to the world. If you have any doubt about Indian consumer's obsession with 
gold, just walk into any shopping mall, busy streets and market roads across 
Indian cities and towns. The shops which are swarmed by customers are certainly 
jewellery showrooms these days. 


An unprecedented consumer spending boom across India is making the yellow metal 
glitter. Yes, the gold market is dazzling in the country and analysts have 
predicted that gold consumption will rise to a record 900 tonnes this year. 


Kotak Commodity Associate Vice President Si Kannan is very bullish on Gold in 
coming years but with a word of caution. "For investors I would advise them to 
keep a check on the dips in gold price," he says. A day to day watch, he adds, 
is necessary since many times gold dips barely for five minutes and that should 
be a great time to be in market and corner your position by buying it. Kannan 
predicts that next three years will bring gold to $ 900 per ounce. The only 
concern for the Indian market is the rise of rupee vis-a-vis dollar and that 
could be a problem for gold prices. 


The strengthening of rupee against US dollar and rising consumer spending have 
raised India's gold demand by as much as 72 per cent in the first half of the 
year. A report from the World Gold Council says demand for gold in India 
reached an all-time high of 317 tonnes in the second quarter of 2007. The 
figures are nearly double of what was sold last year and equal to half the 
global mined output for the same period. Of this, only 10-15 per cent was 
recycled gold, indicating strong demand for fresh imports. 


Traders predict that if the current demand continues, the full-year consumption 
of gold in India could go up by 30 per cent on year to 900 tonnes. 
Traditionally, gold demand peaks in the country during the second half during 
festivals and wedding season. This year is also not different. People in rural 
and urban areas have already started stocking up the yellow metal for festivals 
like Diwali and Dusshera. 


India has set up more than 3,000 offices worldwide for promotion and marketing 
of Indian diamonds. The Indian diamond industry has acquired leadership 
position in cutting and polishing of rough diamonds. India has the world's 
largest cutting and polishing industry, employing around 800,000 people 
(constituting 94 per cent of global workers) with more than 500 hi-tech laser 
machines. 


The price of gold has been rising for over six years. It gained 158% since 
then. That works out to 26% per annum, which has consistently been better than 
most other markets. Global commodity companies believe that gold prices will 
rise for years to come, eventually reaching at least $2000 and it will probably 
go even higher. Investment experts say gold is the best commodity to invest in 
because it has stood the test of time. "Gold has a 5,000-year solid track 
record. It is a time-tested and valuable commodity. It always has been, and it 
always will be. So it is the ideal commodity to invest in these days," says 
Prahlad Patel, a gold investment expert based in Mumbai. According to him, gold 
is real money and it has maintained its purchasing power over the centuries. 
"As the dollar continues to slide, and spending and money creation continue on 
their merry way, gold will be the ultimate beneficiary," he added. 

Experts have also predicted that China will become the largest gold producer in 
the world by 2010. Between 1997 and 2006 production of gold in China increased 
by 162.8 tonnes to 247.2 tonnes. While gold production in traditional producing 
countries such as South Africa has declined over recent years, output from 
emerging gold producing countries has increased from 17.7 per cent to 29.8 per 
cent in the last ten years. China's gold production for the first quarter of 
2007 was recently recorded at 56.183 tonnes, an increase of 15.99 per cent on 
the same period last year. 

Should India hike its gold reserves? 

Should India increase its gold reserves to further fuel the booming economy? 
This is one question that the Reserve Bank of India is debating these days. 
Globally, India is ranked sixth in the top-ten list of the gold and currency 
reserves. The first three positions are being held by Japan, Russia and China. 
China has state currency reserves with over $940 billion, while Japan has 
$871.9 billion currency reserves. Russia is in the third position with $265.6 
billion. Taiwan occupies the fourth position with $260.4 billion reserves, 
while South Korea is placed fifth with $225.7 billion reserves, followed by 
India with $164 billion and Singapore with $128.7 billion. Hong Kong, Germany 
and France wrap up the list of ten leaders. 


These days, speculatio

[Goanet] J Colacos suggestions and Bhandare's response

[Dr. U. G. Barad]

My answers to JC's responses on above mentioned subject:  

 

Response 1: We may wish to ask ourselves: The outsiders never fished like
this before 1961. Why are they able to fish now? What besides the departure
of the Portuguese happened after 1961? Please see

 

Answer to 1st question in 1st response: Is JC trying to project that
Portuguese were insiders? Surprised!! Have they as outsiders not "Fished and
Troubled Goa" during their rule. Have they not "Fished You" from your
originality and converted you to Christian! Should we not call those
conversion attempts "Dirty Fishing"! I say this despite I am proud to be
born during Portuguese regime, for me "wrong is wrong right is right" -
affiliations only to factual realities. 

 

Answer to 2nd question in 1st response: They are able to fish now because we
highly educated class have been blindly voting and electing corrupt congress
even when we know that the congress candidate is a donkey! There is no point
pointing fingers to others. Let's learn to blame ourselves first! What say?

 

Answer to 3rd question in 1st response: Before and after Portuguese
departure in 1961 all Bamon Kiristav, elite Bamons and dirty politicians
literarily grabbed the lands and the big houses in Goa from poor and are now
selling them to non-Goans to make quick bucks. Is this act not shameful?  

 

Response 2: I did include the word "perhaps" for a reason. It cannot be the
same Parrikar we have seen in action thus far with: the multiple coups
and deals to gain control of power, the curious muzzling of the press, the
Francisco Colaco and Floriano Lobo episodes, the VCD for sure, the
expenditure on the flurry of BJP bigwigs who used Goa as their holiday spots
(who paid for these junkets?) etc.  If we learn from history, we will learn
that many efficient leaders are also unfortunately very intolerant of
opposing views and dictatorial in their actions e.g. Salazar 

 

Answer: See what our own Pratapsing Rane did for his son Vishwajeet; see
what Sudhin Dhawlikar did for his brother, see what Churchill did for his
brother and was also suppose to the same for his daughter; see what Italian
Doll Sonia has been doing; see what Vajpayee did to his foster family; see
what US Bush did; and finally see what your own Tony Blair did? This list is
countless JC and exists in all countries and yet learned JC points figure as
usual!! 

 

Response 3: It remains to be seen IF and when Parrikar will make real amends
for the disgraceful VideoCD affront to the sensibilities of Goan Catholics.

 

Answer: Much earlier I had very categorically answered this JC's stupid
question with loads of explanations and JC is still harping on and on...why?
Have you forgotten the answer given by me to you through this very net?
Should I re-answer it again? OR   would you like to check my answer in
GoaNet's achieves on this issue? The issue that you are raising is like
saying "dog's tail cannot be made straight by putting it into straight pipe"
the tail would curve once the pipe is removed. 

 

Response 4 & 5: Please see footnote

 

Answer: My foot to JC's "proposed footnote". JC is running away from
reality! JC does not want to face the truth! And yet wants to through stones
from behind the curtain and that too from faraway... from other continent!
JC must do proper home work and only than come out with realistic.

 

Response 6: Are you serious?!  You expect Goan Catholics to take the lead in
this matter from Aires and Matanhy?

 

Are Aires and Matanhy not Catholics? Are they not Goans? Or is it that their
"Catholicness" disappeared because they are supporting BJP? JC appears to be
strong believer in Margaret Alva! Just like Margaret says "Mr. X is a
tractor, backstabber, etc the day Mr. X quite Congress Party and the same
Mr. X became 'Martyr' moment he re-joins Congress" For JC's information
Matanhy is the only "Up-right" personality in Goan Politics today no matter
whether he supports BJP or Congress or another party. I don't know much
about Aires. 

 

Best regards,

 

Dr. U. G. Barad

 

 

[Goanet] Good Friday and Feast of st francis xavier

[Albert Desouza]

Dear Goanetters
May I ask those who make big noise about Good Friday, -- how many of us  really 
keep that Friday good ? Good Friday is the day to be remembered that Christ was 
nailed to the cross and died on the cross.Its a day of mourning.How many of us 
refrain from visiting the market and eating at the restuarant ? How many of us 
go to church just to show our faces to the people lest people may say I am an 
athetist ? Actually we are mere spectators.We are actors.Pretenders.Those who 
want to criticise me please do so whole heartedly but at the same time do a bit 
of introspection and see are you really sorry that Jesus christ died on the 
cross ? 
St.Francis xavier feast - are we really serious about this ? Does attending 
feast mass when you cannot even sit properly, sweating and just wanting that 
the whole thing should get over -I want to  visit a bar and quench my 
thirst-kopacho ogot zalo-or may be a break half way - chodd gormi zalea 
sonsinezo- ilem thond pieumche dislem munn bhair soron ailom-
The third thing - Any change on our life ? if not there is no use of these two 
days- instead we would be best working in our offices and lifting our work to 
God -I think God would be pleased with our behaviour.- Catholics go late to 
work, sometimes not go at all - come home early- Catholics sell liquor - ruins 
a family- catholics distill liquor using batteries and urea- kills thousands of 
people - catholics accept bribes- poor are squeezed thoroughly- catholics have 
disproportinate wealth- poor are deprived of food and the list is endless
albert 
_
Windows Live Spaces is here! It’s easy to create your own personal Web site.
http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-in

Re: [Goanet] [Secular Goa] VHP goons allegedly beat up 25 priestsin Maharashtra

[Yogesh Desai]

Mr. Gabe,

Now 25 priests can be together right???



-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gabe Menezes
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 12:54 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: Goanet mails
Subject: Re: [Goanet] [Secular Goa] VHP goons allegedly beat up 25 priestsin
Maharashtra

On 12/11/2007, Vidyadhar Gadgil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/vhp-goons-allegedly-beat-up-25-priests-in-mahara
shtra/52089-3.html?xml
>
> VHP goons allegedly beat up 25 priests in Maharashtra


COMMENT: Now this is what the VHP and their family organisations do;
not the propaganda perpetrated here,  of rescuing 80 priests on their
way to a wedding !
-- 
DEV BOREM KORUM.

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] With deep Sympathy.

[reagan dcosta]

Mr. Sunny de Quepem, (Kuwait).


  May the Almighty Give strength and guidance to the his family to
overcome this great loss

Eternal rest grant to him Oh Lord and let perpetual light shine on him,
May his Soul Rest in Peace Amen.

With deep Sympathy.


   
-
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Goanet] MORE SEZures

[Averthan D'Souza]

For favour of publication.
Averthanus 
  _  


MORE  SEZures.

Averthanus L. D'Souza.

 

One of the most attractive promises which are being offered to
the Goan citizens both by the Government of Goa and by the various business
houses which are vying  to acquire huge quantities of land in Goa, is the
creation of massive job opportunities.  .   From private group discussions,
and sometimes from letters to the Editors of the local newspapers,  one gets
the distinct impression that many gullible Goans  have been unwittingly
seduced into believing that these promises will be fulfilled.  If we take a
closer look into the claims,  we find that the seven applicants who have
already been approved to set up industries in Goa have, collectively,
promised to create about 312,000 jobs in Goa.   Of the remaining nine
applications,  it is roughly estimated that another 100,000 jobs will
result.   Thus about 400,000 jobs are estimated to be created by these

 businesses.   There is no indication, however, of what kinds of jobs will
be created and what the educational and skill requirements will be.
Information available locally indicates that about 90,000 persons are listed
on the rolls of  the Employment Exchange.   If we assume that all these
90,000 persons will be absorbed into the new jobs which will be created,
that will still leave a shortfall of about 300,000 workers who will be
required by the new industries.  Obviously these 300,000 workers will have
to be imported into Goa from outside the State.   If we further assume that
these workers will have to be provided with houses and all the other basic
amenities due to residents, such as water supply, electricity, garbage
disposal, transportation etc.  the burden on the infrastructure will
increase dramatically.   We must not forget that  the new employees  will
bring along their families and dependants, who will also have to be served.
Thus, on a average of four dependents per person we will need to cater to
the needs of  approximately  1,200,000 more persons who will take up
residence in Goa.  The present population of Goa is estimated to be about
1.300,000.  We are thus facing the prospect of Goa's population being
doubled in under five years.The citizens today are angry and frustrated
because they cannot get sufficient water even for domestic consumption.  The
supply of electricity is so erratic and so uncertain that the level of anger
is rising to dangerous levels.   Garbage disposal has already become a
nightmare both for the citizens as well as for the Local Authorities.  The
Corporation of the City of Panjim has already threatened to stop all
collection of garbage because there is no place available for dumping.   Our
public transport system is completely inadequate to handle the volume of
travellers.  If the Government goes forward with the programme of setting up
the Special Economic Zones,  we can confidently predict a complete breakdown
of all basic infrastructure services within the next five years.

The questions which are screaming  for answers are:   Did the
Goa Industrial Development Corporation make any detailed studies of the
basic requirements before it proceeded to approve the applications which
were received by it?  Is there a Master Plan for industrial development of
Goa?   The citizens are completely in the dark about this.

A casual scrutiny of the information available through
newspapers shows that some companies which have been allocated land for
setting up industries in Goa do not have any history or experience in the
type of industry which they are claiming to set up in Goa:  e.g.  The K.
Raheja Corporation from Mumbai  is known to be a pure estate developer with
experience in building construction.   Yet it  claims to set up Information
Technology Services in Goa.   Did the GIDC verify its capacity to set up
IT/ITES  in Goa?   Similarly, the Zuari Industries Ltd. is known to be a
manufacturer of Agro-chemicals.  Yet it has applied for 16.20 hectares of
land to set up IT/ITES  in Goa.  

One can raise a thousand questions for the GIDC to answer, but
the fundamental  question to be answered by it is:  What is the basis on
which the approvals were accorded to those companies whose applications have
been approved by the GIDC and by the Government of India.?   Has any
socio-economic study been done to determine the most suitable location for
these industries?  Has the approval of the Pollution Control Board been
obtained prior to the sanction of land?  Have the mandatory Environment
Impact Assessments of the  industries been done? Also, on what basis has
the allocation of land been made - both with regard to size of land as well
as to its location.  Prima facie it appears that the choice of industry and
the allocation of land to the different companies has been done in a
completely arbitrary and haphazard manner without a proper application of
mind by the GIDC.  This gives rise to 

[Goanet] Parrikar - Best CM of Goa - To Miguel

[Vinay Natekar]

>Truthful reproduction of fiction does not make it the truth.

 

Dear Miguelbab

I know you are intelligent person but sometimes acts like a stubborn
little boy  who will not accept truth which does not suit his beliefs.

 

>I have read the India TODAY that you are refering to. Please

>read their assumptions and data again.

>If you  treat the India TODAY as your Gita, you may start

>looking for pips in your Adam's apple!

 

The English media in Goa especially the "Herald"  doesn't aim at
reporting the news; it tries to create the news, imposing its view of
the news upon everyone as the final truth.  During the last 20 years we
have got into the suffocating grip of this cast iron displeasing
perimeter of the prejudiced Mafia of Mass Media which certainly is not
my Bible for enlightenment.

 

>You you live in Panaji, you would perhaps know that I exposed

>the editorials in the Herald were plagiarised  from International

>newspapers in the past ...till it became more profitable to write them

>with suitable slants ...just like Rajan used to do. Perhaps, someone

>needs to intorduce you to penpricks blogspot.

 

I appreciate you accepted the truth.

 

 

>I guess the climax was not good enough. The rumours have it

>that Jaswant-bab was mistaking  heroin for the heroines ...what they

>call opium of the masses is apparently not good enough for the

>Hindutva brigade.

 

For Rajputs from Rajasthan or any north Indian drinking Bhang (Kesar
milk laced with opium ) is a common phenomenon like drinking Feni for us
in Goa. I doubt whether  there will be any case against him for serving
the bhang in a private party.

 

>I am in Panaji every working day. Shall we discuss this over tea? With

>Chicken puffs, if you please.

 

Don't worry one day I will invite you to my house  in Panaji for
discussion over lunch of chicken biryani flavoured with saffron
(signature colour of BJP )

 

 

Vinay

 

[Goanet] JoeGoaUK's Photos revolting - to Selma

[edward desilva]

The man publicly defecating. Near the river while
people look on as if this was par for the course. I
was revolted. 
  
  I suppose you have not lived in Goa during the Portuguese time.
  One has come back from UK the other lives in US of A.
  Why post such photos on the web in the first place.
  ECOXIM !! (have you'll heard of that place?)
  The whole of Ecoxim sutunk of shit during Portogali time, it still does now.
  Wearing trousers does not make one a gentleman. (they wore caxti and came to 
your house to work, now thy come dress in shirt and trousers).
  It is a short cut for Aldona people to Panjim, but we prefer to go via Mapuca.
  Publishing photos is not the answer, sweet talking by the loser P'kar is also 
not.
  If people in US of A can say their stomach churns, try living near or next to 
Ecoxim people.
  ED.


   
-
 Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit now.

[Goanet] Film '4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days' (ROMANIA) to open IFFI-2007

[Ethel Dacosta]

FILM '4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS' (ROMANIA) TO OPEN IFFI-2007

* SHAHRUKH KHAN TO BE CHIEF GUEST AT INAUGURAL. *HUNGARIAN FILM MAKER MARTA 
MAZAROS HEADS COMPETITION JURY


PIB, Nov 14, New Delhi: The Palme D' OR winner of Cannes 2007- titled `Four 
Months, 3 weeks and  2 days' would be the opening film at International Film 
Festival of India - 2007 (IFFI-2007), which will be inaugurated on November 
23, 2007 in Goa.  This was stated by Director, DFF, Smt. Neelam Kapur while 
addressing a press conference here today.  The opening ceremony would be 
simple and elegant and keeping with international standards she added. 
Noted film actor Shahrukh Khan will be the Chief Guest at the inaugural 
ceremony which will be attended by Minister of Information & Broadcasting 
and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi and Chief Minister of Goa, 
Shri Digambar Kamat besides several important film personalities.  The 
inaugural lamp will be lit with the assistance of Priyamani, the rising star 
of southern cinema.  The Director of the opening film Mr. Cristian Mungiu 
and the main actress, Anamaria Marinca would be present at the inaugural 
ceremony. Besides, there would be other foreign delegates representing 
various international film festivals from Netherlands, China, Poland and 
Mexico. A major delegation from Poland and China will also be present.


Smt. Kapur said, Indian Panorama at IFFI - 2007 would present a bouquet of 
36 films, 21 features and 15 non-feature films. The package is a mixed bag 
with stalwarts like Budhadeb Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan presenting 
two films each. The section would have Ami Iyasin Aar Amaar Madhubala (The 
Voueurs- Feature) and Naushad Ali - the Melody Continues (Non Feature) by 
Budhadeb Dasgupta and Naalu Penunungal (Four Women - Feature) and The Dance 
of the Enchantress (Non Feature) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.


The debut directors like Sameer Hanchante, Samir Chanda, and Bhavna Talwar 
would present their films `Gafla' (Scam), `Ek Nadir Galpo' (Tale of a 
river), and `Dharm' respectively at the festival.


The Festival Director said, a specialized competition for feature films by 
Asian, African and Latin American Directors is being organized. Films 
produced after First September 2006 are eligible for the entry. Fourteen 
films have been selected from 13 countries for the competition.


Competition Jury is headed by the eminent award winning film maker from 
Hungary Ms Marta Mazaros, who has directed more than 60 films in her film 
career and has won awards in Cannes/Berlin/Venice and San Sebastian 
International Film Festivals. Other members of the Jury are, Ms Meltem 
Cumbul a young leading actress from Turkey; Mr. Shaji N Karun, 
Cinematographer, Film Director and Script writer from Kerala; a noted 
Argentinian film director Mr Pablo Cesar, who has won awards in the Montreal 
International Film Festival and National awards in Argentina and Mr. Robert 
Sarkies, a young film maker from New Zealand.


The Director said a special section celebrating 60 years of India's 
independence, India @ 60, would showcase seven patriotic films including 
three feature and four documentaries.


CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa, Ms. Nandini Paliwal in her remarks said 
that theatre facilities are being significantly upgraded and increased for 
IFFI 2007. This year nine theatres with a total seating capacity of 3026 
would be part of the Festival complex as compared to five theatres with a 
total seating capacity of 2200 last year. This will ease considerably the 
pressure on theatres and reduce the queues witnessed last year. The theatres 
are, Inox Multiplex (4 screens), Kala Academy (2 screens), Ashok & Samrat (2 
screens).  Two new screens are being added in Maquinez Palace, which have 
the capacity to be looped.  She also said that a state of the art media 
centre has been set up in the same compound.


The delegate registration has been made fully online for IFFI-2007 to 
facilitate easy access to the delegates from all parts of the country and 
abroad so that they can register in advance.  The response has been very 
good with nearly 2700 applications already approved. These include 1200 from 
the state of Goa. The last date for applying for delegate registration is 
20th November, 2007.  Registration fee has been fully waived off for 
students of films from approved educational institutions.


To avoid long queues at the theatre, a system of booking of tickets in 
advance has been introduced this time.  Tickets, which are free of cost to 
the delegates, can be booked 3 days in advance.  This will help the 
delegates in choosing the films of their choice and ensure seats in the 
theatre.  16 booths will be provided at the festival premises for booking 
tickets.  There will be real time display on TV screens around the venue to 
know about the status of availability of seats for each screening. 

[Goanet] FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT - CRUZ SANNY VAZ (Sanny de Quepem)

[goa world]

CRUZ SANNY VAZ  (SANNY DE QUEPEM) 
Born: 24-11-1951 (Cuncolim) 
Died: 9-11-2007 (Kuwait)

Son of: Lourencinha Pacheo Vaz & late Cruzinho.
Beloved Husband of Mira 
Father of Streisand (Sandy) & Mivran.


Funeral cortege will leave his residence at Sonar Bhatt 
Thursday (15-11-2007) at 3.15 pm 
to the Holy Cross Church - Quepem 
for the Eucharistic Celebrations followed by burial. 


Let us remember him in our prayers

   Eternal Peace Grant Unto Him, Oh Lord 
 And Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Him

 May His Soul Rest in Peace. Amen.

[Goanet] The last tango in Goa

[Pamela D'Mello]

The last tango in Goa?

  *Khalid Mohamed , Hindustan Times*
Email Author <[EMAIL PROTECTED] last tango in
Goa?>
Mumbai, November 03, 2007
 First Published: 08:28 IST(4/11/2007)



*Notes on the 38th IFFI, opening on November 23*
*Cast: *Rajnikant or Dharmendra to be chief guest (suspense), guest
appearances by Manmohan Shetty, Amit Khanna, Yash Chopra, Sudhir Mishra,
Kumar Mangat, Ketan and Deepa Mehta, Jabbar Patel, Ronnie Screwvalla
*Direction: *Neelam Kapoor, directorate of films festivals, I and B
Ministry
*Rating:* To be factored on December 3, after closing ceremony

The feni-`n'-games are on schedule. Despite thunder claps that Goa would not
be the venue for the great big film festival any more, it is.

>From November 23 the beach land will be the host-with-the-most for the
ten-day-long 38th International Film Festival of India – called IIFI by
friends, well-wishers and relatives.

So what was the snafu anyway? The relocation of the annual event from the
red-scotch-taped New Delhi to chilled-out Goa was taken nearly half a decade
ago, after much hair-and-hippy splitting by the Union ministry of
Information and Broadcasting.

Many eminent filmmakers – including Shyam Benegal --felt that chaos and
confusion were endemic at the fest in the capital. Goa would be sunny, it
could be an ideal spot  for overseas delegates to gambol in Bermudas and
bikinis. And glory be, nephews of minister's third aunts wouldn't be
tripping over themselves to catch that Polish movie with the geyser-hot
scenes.

For all that talk about to access to Internet porn, there's nothing like er,
a bodyroom scene in 35 mm, watched with 1,000 others. Talk of group sex.Neither
the entries nor the quantity or quality of delegates have improved. Even the
regular-as-rain British critic Derek Malcolm has quit attending.

In principle, the shift from Delhi to Goa made sense. But now, the snoop
squad in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is leaking info that
the fourth consecutive fest in Goa could well be its last one – if the state
co-organisers and the Entertainment Society of God don't pull up their
socks. Well.. who needs hosiery on the beach anyway?

With all its pros and cons, the Delhi-to-Goa shift has registered some
gains: no more nephews-of-ministers'-aunts, no bureaucratic no-no's, no
winter to freeze your innards.

But come to think of it, most film festivalgoers have missed displaying
their camphor-scented woolies at the Siri Fort lawns over steaming tomato
soup. The rescheduling of the fest from Delhi in December-end to Goa  in
November-end, has evoked mixed feelings.

How about some gaffe spotting?

The December to November shift was also calculated to entice better entries,
many more delegates, and of course, the crème de la crème from the
international prize winners at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Bora Bora, and even
Fukuoka, which incidentally is a Japanese town and film festival.

Neither the entries nor the quantity or quality of delegates have improved.
Even the regular-as-rain British critic Derek Malcolm has quit attending.

In addition, there have mega-gaffes like last year's official brochure
printing a picture of the cherubic filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli in lieu of
the deceased Kannada cinema legend Dr Raj Kumar. Most film festivalgoers
have missed displaying their camphor-scented woolies at the Siri Fort lawns
over steaming tomato soup.

For those who think of a glass as half full, Goa promises to be a rocking
fest. Those who think of a glass as half empty, are already prepared that
the Bollywood star quotient will be on the lower side (seriousness doesn't
equal a Bipasha Basu bidi romp on stage, like it did last year).

The Directorate of Film Festivals, led by Neelam Kapoor, will be in command.
Just some three months ago, it was being conjectured that the directorate
would be wound up and the festival handed over to "more competent hands"
from the film industry in Bombay. Sorry, Pahlaj Nihalani and Co.

Indeed, it seems to be some sort of an *agni pariksha* this year. Whoever
crosses the line – be it the directorate or the Goa co-organisers – will be
out. May the best festival impressario win.

Now about the movies

The Indian Panorama entries have been announced. Samir Chanda's *Ek Nadia
Galpo* (Bengali) and Lenin Rajendran's *Night Rain* (Malayalam) have been
picked from the 21 selected films to compete for the Golden Peacock Award.

Only Latin American, Asian and African movies are in competition. Strange.
Does this mean that if American and European cinema were eligible, they
would walk away with our national bird?

Only two Hindi films have made it to the Panorama – *Dharm *(no *Eklavya*,
sob) and Sameer Hanchate's *Gafla*. The ubiquitous Bengal director Buddhadeb
Das Gupta will be at Goa's Inox environs with a feature film as well as a
documentary on Naushad *saab*. Interesting, interesting.

By the way, a documentary on Mub

[Goanet] Comprehensive fraud by Digambar Kamat's govt

[Rajan P. Parrikar]

To Goanet -

Does the Digambar Kamat government have an
answer for why the FIR filed at Agacaim was
withdrawn?  No.

Now that it has transpired that certain key files
are missing, has the govt filed an FIR?  Is there
any investigation?  No & No.

What a goddam joke!

The whole thing playing out is a tragicomedy.
There ought to be now a mass movement to
dislodge this govt.  But do we have the will
and unity necessary even within the GBA?
Dr. Rebello, seize the moment.  We'll stand
with you.

On a different note - I hear that efforts are on
by the Congress to weaken Matanhy Saldanha.
Already the public meeting scheduled for this
evening in Keri has run into rough weather.
You can bet your last paisa that the politicos
and the powerful business mafia behind the
SEZs have shifted into top gear.

Warm regards,


r

[Goanet] SAving Goa from itself

[Pamela D'Mello]

Saving Goa from itself
Daily News and Analysis  Rajiv Desai
Tuesday, November 13, 2007  22:38 IST
[image: Print]
 [image:
Email]  [image:
Comment]
[image:
Bookmark]  [image: Text
size]
 Digg 
it
Add to 
del.icio.us
Google 
bookmarks
Yahoo! 
bookmarks
Add to 
Newsvine
Add to 
Reddit

All these years, we have spent Diwali at our house in Goa. The weather is
nice: warm in the day; cool at night. In our little village, the only sounds
we hear are the strains of Indian classical music from the temple close by.
The sky is clear and starry, playing hide-and-seek with the swaying fronds
of coconut trees. Forget climate control systems, we don't even need the
fans. And so it was that we arrived in our paradise in early November.

But wait a minute: the skies are hazy with ominous black clouds on the
horizon; it is hot and humid. "It's like May," I tell my friend. It was his
first time in long years and certainly a first for staying in a Goan home.
Our place is not a second house; it is our home in Goa. We come here not
just to take a break but to be part of this wondrous whirlpool, to be sucked
willy-nilly into the vortex of civilised chaos and earthy culture.

As we wended our way home, we heard drum rolls in the sky: thunder, followed
by a spectacular display of lightning. This weather continued for a couple
of days and then it exploded into a cloudburst of rain amid the sound and
light display. Awesome as it was, we felt an immediate threat: impaired
driving and traffic snarls. Wonderful as Goa is, there are still the
problems of an India that is becoming rapidly rich.

This is the problem in Goa: wealthy Indians are buying up properties as a
second house. It is perhaps the most global enclave in India, not just
because of tourism, but because the local ethos is civilised; at the law
office of my friend Antonio Filipe Cordeiro one morning, I saw visitors wish
the receptionist a hearty good morning. If you have such a civilised place
on your doorstep, why look at England, France or Spain? Goa provides a
wonderful alternative.

One of the offshoots of globalisation has been the huge increase in the
wealth of people who run or own companies. For every Infosys or Wipro, there
are hundreds of smaller firms that are riding high on the economic boom.
They have generated enough resources for people to seek get-aways to greener
pastures. At one time, not too long ago, it was travel; now it is setting up
second houses, especially in Goa.

Trouble is, Goa is at the mercy of venal politicians, a sluggish
bureaucracy, greedy and homesick NRIs and a wide variety of idealistic NGO
naysayers who don't understand change. Add to this a bunch of rapacious
builders and developers and you have the recipe for a disaster. The complete
lack of governance at the state level is balanced somewhat by the active
communidades with their limited powers and susceptibility to ATM persuasion.

In the end, Goa suffers from a deficit of governance. After last week's
storm, the power grid collapsed, leaving much of the place in darkness for
hours. The government-owned utility simply shut down its wobbly network,
leaving us without power during the festival of lights. As you cross the
bridge from Panjim, just across from the assembly building, an entire
hillside collapsed onto the national highway during the monsoon, leaving a
scar on a tableau that counts among the most picturesque in the state.

There are horror stories about the unseasonal storm as well as the ferocious
monsoon. But the politicians are busy scheming; the bureaucrats slumbering
and the activists, armchair and otherwise, railing against SEZs and mines;
the one paper I read buried the weather story on its inside pages.

As an increasingly wealthy India puts pressure on this haven, the local
regime, locked into its own internecine battles, is coming up spectacularly
short of ideas and values to deal with it. Many people see it as a
get-rich-quick opportunity; others see it in a muddle-headed way as a threat
to nature and are treating it as a fight between good and evil. The
government is clueless, pulled every which way by fixers and protesters; the
resultant paralysis is taking its toll.

Em

[Goanet] Infrastructrure abysmal - 'aam admi' needs water and power first !!!

[Goa's Pride www.goa-world.com]

  Infrastructure abysmal

  S Kamat, Alto Betim

  The services in Goa relating to water and power are going from bad to worse 
in recent times. The authorities need to understand that before any festival 
the ‘aam admi’ would prefer to have both water and power so that the 
festivities run smoothly. This year whether it was the Ganesh festival or the 
Navratri/Dusserah festival or the Diwali festival, either there was difficulty 
in getting proper water or power or both. Water issues related to no pumping or 
turbidity or breakdown were announced by the authorities days before the above 
major festivals. 
   
  As regards power intermittency, it is chronic in places like Porvorim which 
citizens have complained time and again to the Electricity Dept. and its impact 
on expensive electrical appliances. However, one thing that you have to concede 
to the Electricity Dept is that with the kind of thunderstorm one saw on 
7th(Wed), Narkasur day, there is nothing that they could do if lightning 
strikes put out the electrical facilities. But then over 8th (Thurs) in the 
evening particularly in Porvorim the power kept on and coming and going in 
15-20 minute intervals until it went off around 8.30PM to come back mercifully 
by about 10.30PM. This obviously should not happen and the Electricity Dept. 
should know what they are doing and not indulge wilfully in damaging equipment 
like refrigerators, deep freezers and the like. 
   
  Thus the approach by the PWD and Electricity Dept. should be that they should 
put their best foot forward before any festival that the ‘aam admi’ celebrates 
so that at least during the days of the festivities things go smoothly and even 
if for emergent reasons things fail, they are put back on a most urgent basis 
so that the inconvenience is minimized.
  (Letter to the Editor in Heraldo http://www.oheraldo.in/innerlist.asp?cid=13)
   
   
  - Forwarded by www.goa-world.com 


  http://www.calizz.com/
  http://videos.howstuffworks.com/georgia-aquarium-video.htm
  TODAY'S BIBLE READING http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml


   
-
Get easy, one-click access to your favorites.  Make Yahoo! your homepage.

[Goanet] Photos & Outrage fatigu

[Rajan P. Parrikar]

To Goanet -

The following shot was taken yesterday standing on
the ferry from Ribandar to Divar looking towards the
Kadamba plateau.  A shaved hillside & ongoing
construction, suggesting a mini Aldeia de Goa
in the making -

http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/kadamba-plateau.jpg


I now hesitate to post any more photographs for
fear of inducing outrage fatigue on Goanet.  When
you see sights such as this day after day, you become
inured to these atrocities and tend to tune off.

I once again call on the GBA and other like minded
organizations to come out against this anti-Goan
government and demand its dismissal.  Start out by

opposing IFFI with a call for a mass morcha on the
inaugural day.


Whether BJP or Manohar Parrikar benefits from this
ought not to be part of GBA's calculation.  Since
neither party has shown itself committed to the
cause of Goa, our intent should be to make life
unstable and miserable for whosoever is in power,
and apply  the same standards of accountability
to all of them.  To pre-empt charges of partisanship,
the GBA should declare at the outset that it is
party-blind, that it will target the party or coalition
in power regardless of its label.

Warm regards,


r

[Goanet] Information on RTI

[Sachin Phadte]

Thank you Miguel Braganza for taking the trouble to post us the information. To 
the question; "Who is covered?", the answer provided is: "The Act extends to 
the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. [S.(12)]" 
 
Is there any reason why Jammu and Kashmir is excluded from the purview of the 
act?
 
Sachin Phadte
 
_
Get the new Windows Live Messenger!
http://get.live.com/messenger/overview

[Goanet] Khaparpanjoba Alexyz

[Venantius Pinto]

 Awesome Alexyz. You could be anyones uncle let alone a great, geat
grandfather at least considering that you were the "senior-most trekker at
the most recently concluded Indra Hara Pass Trek (14,000 ft. ) from May 11
to 23 rd May 1907, that took off from Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh." You
are way more that 62 and do not look it one bit! (
http://www.alexyztoons.com/news.php) Thats makes you at least 136!

Venantius


> From: "alexyz fernandes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Dear Uncle Diggu...
>
> This is a CHILDREN's DAY prayer to you...
> Please Protect Goa's natural Heritage for your
> children & theirs..us & ours.
>

[Goanet] Goons-Builders put gate blockade on Cacra-Nauxi public road

[sebastian Rodrigues]

Today on 14th November 2007 the birthday of Chacha Nehru had a nasty surprise 
in store for the People of Cacra, Tiswadi, Goa, India. Goons came and 
forcefully blocked and erected gate on public road connecting Cacra and Nauxi 
villages on Zuari River shores. When the Cacra Nagrik Vikas Samiti went in to 
inquire they were told to contact the local panch who is supposed to know 
everything about the matter. He however was not traceable today and his mobile 
was not connectible. 
 
This fresh assault on the Cacra villagers and Goa's tribal population - Gawdas 
comes at a time when there is increasing protests of the conquests of the Goa's 
coast by the builders and Real estate agents for tourism and allied purposes. 
The entire coast in the region of Cacra, Nauxi, Bambolim, Siridao, Odxel, 
Mariel, Aivao and Dona Paula is under pressure due to this ruthless onslaught 
wherein State is actively siding with the builders. 
 
Looking at the way the things are proceedings it is not very difficult to guess 
the near future of Goa: On Coast due to Real Estate and in the hinterlands due 
to open cast iron ore mining lobby, there is going to be the situation of mass 
homelessness with repercussions of its own. 
 
Few months earlier same builders tried to erect the gate but the angry 
villagers had brought down the construction of Gate on Public Road. Cacra 
villagers use this space for their fishing activity. 

The landlords who got this land registered in their name with usurious 
intentions during erstwhile Portuguese Colonial Period that ranged from 1510 up 
to 1961 are involved in selling the same to builders - a familiar pattern that 
is visible across the State of Goa. They are known as 'Bhatcars', landlords who 
are the in the forefront of Sale of Goa for corporates. 
 
Cacra villagers were forced into fishing after they were occupationally 
displaced from agriculture when Goa University was set up in their lands. Now 
looks like they are also compelled to do away with their fishing occupation. 
What is surprising is that it is all happening in the knowledge and blessings 
of the powers that be in Goa. The entire coast is under assault from the rich 
and famous - the film stars, Sports Stars, Underworld and what not. The need of 
the hour is to evolve fitting reply to the Corporate invasion. 

 
 
Link with pictures: 
http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/2007/11/builders-put-gate-blokade-on-cacra.html 


-- 
www.mandgoa.blogspot.com

MAND
An adivasi-rights resource centre,
An initiative of Gawda, Kunbi, Velip, and Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED) 
"Hari Smriti"
381, Dhulapi, Corlim, Ilhas,
Goa. Pincode: 403 110 

Visit my blog at 

http://www.openspaceforum.net/twiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=17
_
Search from any Web page with powerful protection. Get the FREE Windows Live 
Toolbar Today!
http://toolbar.live.com/?mkt=en-in

[Goanet] Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt

[D'Souza, Avelino]

Goa mines: Kids bear the brunt
Priyanka Kakodkar
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 (Goa)

As India observes Children's Day a hard fact that could well be the
shame of the country's beach paradise Goa is a school that is a serious
health hazard.

NDTV brings you exclusive report from Goa's Sonshi village where
children go to a government school right in the middle of a mine. 

Day in and day out they study there in a cloud of dust and ore. Goa is a
major hub of iron mines and exports half the country's ore. 

But paying the price are thousands of people particularly children
living around the mines. 

It's terrifying enough to walk to the school. But worse is the cloud of
dust and ore the children inhale all day. 

''The dust goes into their nose, their stomach. Twice a week we have to
take them to the doctor,'' said Sharmila Gawde, villager.

All across the mining belt villages struggle with dust spewed out by
trucks that transport the ore from mines to ports. 

In this hinterland, the mines are a double-edged sword - one of the few
jobs available but a job with hidden costs.

''It is because of the mines that people without qualifications can get
jobs,'' said Prakash Gawde, Contractor.

Water woes

Just a few kilometers away, Pissurlem, a village that's paying the
price, get water only through tankers.

All the wells have dried up as the mine sucked out ground water.

''When the mines close down, there will be no jobs or water,'' said
Tejaswini Gawde, Village Panch.

The fields downstream now choked with mining silt, which means there's
no going back to farming.

This was once a lush paddy field, which grew two crops a year. But now
its been reduced to weeds - its fertility killed by the silt flowing
down from mining debris.

In this classic battle of locals versus industry mine owners argue that
they were here first.

''The schools came later. The villages came later. First the mines came
and then the village developed,'' said Auduth Timblo Chairman, Sociedade
de Fomento.

But for the villagers, who now work at the mines, there is no going back
to their fields that are now wastelands.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070032751&ch=1
1/14/2007%208:56:00%20AM

~(^^)~

Avelino

Re: [Goanet] GOA's LAWS: Not-available at even the Govt. Printing Press

[Radhakrishnan Nair]

<>

I'm confused, Miguel! What's this "laws" not being available? Do you
mean that Goa is a lawless land or that the Goan elites are hoarding
the law, making it unavailable to the common man? What happened to
that Act? Where is it hiding?

These where the questions that popped up in my mind when I read your
post. Then I noticed the words "printing press" in the subjectline and
deduced that you're talking of law books. Am I right?

Cheers,
RKN

Re: [Goanet] waiting for change - a response to Bhandare's post

[Bhandare]

Dear Jose:

once again you are veering way away from the issue..

as far as mundkar rights in US are concerned you will
find this interesting
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-03-31-eminent-usat_x.htm

my question to you is still unanswered :

how is 1961 and mundkar act related to CCP discharging
its duties? 

regards,

b

--- "J. Colaço < jc>" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> re: What exactly can anybody do to stop (say for
> example) the entire
> population of Bihar from migrating to Goa?
> 
> On 13/11/2007, Bhandare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> Dear Jose:
> 
> [1]  Your arguments seem to be centred around your
> oft repeated
> statement that ever since goa became a part of india
> in 1961 we are
> powerless to prevent mass  migration from other
> parts of india into
> Goa.
> 
> If i may use an anlogy, the US of A too has regions
> which have
> economic disparity. no US citizen needs any special
> permit to migrate
> into any other state. Does that mean that thousands
> of poor people
> from say alabama or arkansas or texas can merely
> squat on any
> NYC street? can they merrily shit and pee wherever
> they feel like ?
> can they operate businesses with impunity from any
> sidewalk?
> 
> 
> [2] Who is stopping CCP in panaji from strictly
> enforcing laws?
> general candeth? bhau? tai? nehru? more likely its
> babush , a niz
> goenkaar...or maybe even parrikar...
> 
> we can do the following:
> 
> [3] refuse to be blinkered in our vision and vote in
> people who are
> relatively more honest than the others..
> 
> [4] refuse to let outsiders tell us who is communal
> and who is
> secular..more often than not these purveyors of
> falsehoods have their
> own twisted agenda
> 
> jc's response:
> 
> Dear Bhandare,
> 
> re #1: Interesting that you should bring up the USA
> which strongly
> respects the individual property rights i.e. No
> Mundkar Act.
> 
> In the US - try staying in an apartment a day after
> your lease is up,
> and see what happens
> In India - try getting a tenant out 10 years after
> his lease is up.
> 
> In the US - try putting a tent on someone else's
> field.
> In India - try getting him out (especially if he
> bribes a Sarpanch and
> gets a certificate that he was there for 1 year)
> 
> re #2: I do not know the answer to that question. A
> few years ago,
> some anarchists went on a rampage in Fontainhas in
> Panjim. Manohar
> Parrikar played Pontius Pilate and did nothing. As I
> believe Manohar
> Parrikar is an efficient man and even he stayed
> silent. From that I
> deduce that nothing can be done.
> 
> re #3 and #4: Please see answers to #1 and #2 supra
> 
> good wishes
> 
> jc
> 
> Here is an article which I found interesting
> http://www.colaco.net/1/EthelGangRapeAltinho.htm
> 



  

Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. 
Make Yahoo! your homepage.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs 

[Goanet] BJP ZEALOTS with catholic names on GOANET

[cedrico dacosta]

BJP ZEALOTS with catholic names on GOANET

I understand from the recent postings on GOANET that there are many BJP zealots 
on this forum using catholic names...this could be another clever or cunning 
tactic from the master of all defaction -- Manohar Porrikar him self.

I would like to thanks Ms Sharon, for her support and appreciation for my 
writings, i always say, even if i get one supporter on this forum, my job is 
done...thanks!

As for the Bhandare's and the Colas and the Vinay's...they do not matter much.

There are many so called writers with catholic names trying to promote porrikar 
on this net and add a secular colour to this communial despot.

What matters to Goans is the actual people who would take up for its cause...w 
e do not bargain and crib and cry when our own mother's integrity is put to 
stake...we raise to the occassion and stand for our mother...what if one son 
has gone to the congress and another to the BJP...

What i feel is the need of the hour is for Goans to wake up and free Goa from 
not only corruption but the communalism that will destroy it completely.

I say whoever is ruling...power goes into their heads...look how Digamber Kamat 
is lying...he is not aware of hill cutting he said...

I guess congress or BJP, all when in power speak the same language...

Ask the organisers of IFFI --- what is the main motive of such a massive event 
i feel the commissions made...and the aam aadmi is taken for a jolly ride...

To all who are trying to fight the BJP zealots on GOANET...let them be...let 
them bark...but also let them face another electorate...their rout away from 
Goa is very imminent...remember how BJP GOT RUSTED WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO 
MAKE INDIA SHINE!

and indeed india is shining quite well in the hands of sonia and manmohan...and 
the resurgence of the BJP in india or goa is but an illusion!

Need I say more, ...?

Regards
Cedric da Costa
Dubai


  

Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. 
Make Yahoo! your homepage.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs 

[Goanet] Local language blues...

[Patrice Riemens]

Miguel Braganza wrote (re: non avaibility of Goa laws):

"Goa is a miserable state for those who would want to transact any
business in its Official Language ... few people read or write it in
the normal course of life (...)"

That reminds me an anecdote my father used to tell:

There was this (English) professor in Gaelic at the university of Dublin 
in the 1950s, who one day received a letter from the Tax Office claiming a 
rather large amount in alleged arrears. As all official Irish 
correspondance, the letter began with 'A Dhuine Uasal' (Dear Sir), and 
ended with 'Dheabu Toileannais' (Yours faithfully) (*), with the whole 
body of the letter, and its massive claim, in English. So he replied and 
explained his unability/ unwilligness to pay, protesting the 
outrageaousness of the said claim, commenting on the intellectual 
capabilities of the tax inspector, etc, all this in a letter beginning 
with 'Dear Sir', and ending with 'Yours sincerely' - in Gaelic. He never 
heard again about that tax claim ...

Cheers from the Balkan (on tour), patrizio & Dnooos!

(*) got that from the "Gaelic Translator" (you find everything online 
these days!), but whereas 'A Dhuine Uasal' stands, the second term is 
admitedly spurious... maybe it's a marriage wow...;-)