COMMUNITY NEWS

From Norma Menezes-Rahim:
Central London meeting venue for Goan organisations free of charge subject to availability. Maximum capacity: 50 persons. Must support bar/restaurant. To reserve venue telephone Martin on 020 7242 4292 at TORTS, Holborn. 78 High Holborn London WC1V 6LS. Nearest Underground:Holborn See http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2162.htm

8 May. Estates Gazette (UK). Headline: Prepare To Be Persuasive. By Melville Rodrigues. PIF consultation Property fund managers must convince the Treasury to expand PIF treatment to a wider range of investment vehicles. 773 words. [Melville Rodrigues is a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP]

10 May. The Nation (Thailand). Tony Fernandes Interviewed. Excerpts: As AirAsia spreads its wings chief executive Tony Fernandes has taken the aviation industry by storm… His long-distance targets include India, the country he traces his roots to… My Mum used to play the piano, jam with musicians… For text, 670 words, click here.

11 May. National Post (Canada). Headline: Professors trumpet complaints over hiring: Foreigners favoured? Excerpts: Victor Anand Coelho, the Canadian-born musicologist was turned down by McGill University for a job that went to a foreigner last year. Dr. Coelho is one of seven professors who are bringing attention to what they believe has been unfair treatment by Canadian universities.

"They may not have liked me, but it would be unusual to say I was unqualified," said Dr. Coelho, a specialist in 16th and 17th century music whose accolades includes a mention in MacLean’s magazine as one of the University of Calgary's most popular professors. 714 words. Victor is the son of George Coelho. Check his contribution at the International Conference on Goa and Portugal at http://www.goacom.com/community/xchr/

13 May. Gloucestershire Echo. Sebastian Fernandes, 33, admitted being drunk and disorderly with a bus driver a court heard. Alison Fielden, defending, said Fernandes, an alcoholic, had lost his labouring job before he got on the bus and it had made him nervous. Magistrates imposed a six-month conditional discharge and ordered Fernandes, of Swindon, to pay £43 costs. 119 words click here.

15 May. Leicester Mercury. Experts urge patients to take diabetes test. Dr Azhar Farooqi said, "People of South Asian origin have five or six times the risk of developing diabetes and one in three of those over the age of 40 has it." Leicester East MP Keith Vaz had a test for the disease after being told his family history meant he had a high risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes sufferer Sal Rodrigues, 60, of East Leicester, also backed the pilot scheme, saying anything that raised the profile of the illness was a positive thing. He said: "I became aware I was diabetic through such high-profile campaigns and it has helped me. "Both my parents were diabetic and I saw how my mum had to go through using insulin. For me it hasn't come to that, and that's possibly because I was diagnosed early." Text, 315 words and photograph click here.

15 May. The Hamilton Spectator. The sari is a thing of comfort, beauty. By Suzanne Bourret. Excerpts: The sari follows the body shape and apparently flatters its imperfections. If that doesn't work magic, the amazing colours of Indian fabrics will for sure. For more than five years, social activist Carolann Fernandes has wanted to have a festive event to share her culture. Last Saturday Women for Women of India, the organization she formed nearly two years ago presented its first cultural event.

The 300 who came, including Anne Pearson of Dundas, a granddaughter of late prime minister Lester B. Pearson, had a wonderful time dining on Indian food, listening to Indian music and enjoying fashion storytelling. 704 words. For a profile of Carolann Fernandes see: http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/organization/sprcbdbios.htm

17 May. The Guardian (London). 20 years ago today, the Prince of Wales famously opened his attack on modern British architecture. The occasion was to present the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture to the Indian architect Charles Correa. He was expected to do little more than raise a glass of champagne and ask the winner how far he had come. This is exactly what the prince did not do. 1305 words. http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1218271,00.html

BBC Asian Network launches Silver Street - the nation's first Asian radio soap on 24 May 2004 and continues Monday to Friday, with a weekend omnibus. See
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/05_may/14/silver_street.shtml For the synopsis of the first week’s programmes click here.

DEATHS

7 May. Nairobi, Kenya. Mrs. PHILOMENA D'SOUZA. Wife of the late Mr. Wilfred D'Souza. Mother of Sr. Andrea, Ossie, the late Eric, Wilma, Fr. Pelin, Lavina, Ivan, Kenneth & Placy. Funeral was on 17th May.

6 May. Panjim. Goa. ERNESTO TEOTONIO SANTIMANO DE SOUZA. Husband of Placida Regina. Father of Edgar/Loretta, Milena/Michael, Olavo/Sylvia, Alirio/Judy, Osvald/Sandra, Maria do Ceu/Micky: Uncle of Stella, Peter, Paul, Myra, Belinda (all in Nairobi), Connie (Canada).

3 May. Raia, Goa. MARY PEREIRA (Ex-Dar-es-Salaam). Wife of late Antonio Rosario (Antu). Mother of Vladimir/Maria (Dar-es-Salaam), Rosario/Rosy (Canada), Santano/Sally (Nagpur) and Lenny.

PRIZE COMPETITION

Win a 2 week all-inclusive health and rejuvenation break to Goa. Asda are looking for their Summer Slimmer of the Year. Entry forms from any Asda store. Closing Date 31 May.

Win a 10-Day Culinary Tour of India, including Goa, worth £10,000. Closing date 30 Jun. See: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/subscribe.php

GOA NEWS HEADLINES

5 May. Deccan Herald. Preparations for the film festival have been hit by a string of snags that the state government will find hard to overcome by year-end. By Devika Sequeira. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may052004/n13.asp

6 May. Deccan Herald. Football. Goa Football Association (GFA) suspended four sports clubs - Dona Paula, Wilfred Leisure, Sangolda Lighting and Curtorim Gymkhana for one year from football related activities and also demoted them to the third division. The clubs were found guilty of not playing their Second Division league matches on February 16, 2004 in good spirit and for indulging in unfair play. The farce attracted widespread International Press coverage at the time. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may062004/sp8.asp

7 May. Deepika Global. Goa: Christians Have Poor Representation in Civil, Police Services. Former Union Minister and sitting Member of Parliament, Mr. Eduardo Faleiro, has underlined the need for Christians to involve themselves in mainstream politics, the media and civil Services. http://www.deepikaglobal.com/latestnews.asp?ncode=15566

9 May. Navhind Times. Portugal’s President to visit India with Goa included in the tour. http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051021

13 May. The Congress Party swept to power in the Indian National Elections. The former scenario was a BJP led National Government as well as in the State of Goa. BJP will continue to rule in Goa. Goa has two seats in the National Elections. Shripad Naik (BJP) defeated Dr Willy in the North Goa whilst Churchill Alemao (Congress) beat Ramakant Angle (BJP) in South Goa. For details of the results see: http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051330

15 May. Navhind Times. Farming Oysters and Mussels in Goa.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051530

15 May. Navhind Times. Over 70 writers of Roman-script Konkani unanimously resolved to reactivate the Dalgado Konkani Akademi, formed in the 1980s to further the cause of Roman-script Konkani. http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051515

19 May. Navhind Times. In a horrific tragedy, Fr Freddy J da Costa (50) and Felicio Cardozo (71), two towering pillars of the Konkani movement died on the spot when their car collided head-on with a lorry at Haveri, near Hubli. See:
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051816 For a pictorial tribute to them see: http://www.goacom.com/goanow/2004/may/Whatsnew.htm

IN THE NEWS

	7 May. Edmonton Journal (Canada). Headline: Portuguese consul takes on city's classiest gala during centennial year. Excerpts: Aurelio Fernandes is the Edmonton-based honorary consul of Portugal and his job includes facilitating the sale of Portuguese products and encouraging Albertans to visit his native country. A sideline Fernandes has taken on is the organization of this year's May 15 Consular Ball.
India is where Fernandes began his journey to Alberta. "I was born in Goa, the former Portuguese colony off the coast of Bombay," says the consul. "I had just finished high school in 1961 when India seized the island. I studied geology in Lisbon before coming to work as a technologist for Syncrude in Fort McMurray."
On June 10 Portugal’s National Day, Edmonton's “Portuguese Multicultural Society will make sure everyone who wants to will have the opportunity to taste barbecued sardines and hear Portuguese music."

7 May. Swindon Evening Advertiser. Letter from Andy Newman. Excerpt: We all benefit from the cultural contribution made by immigrants as well. Swindon would be a far poorer place to live without the communities from Italy, Poland, Pakistan, Goa and elsewhere. For full text click here.

7 May. Manorama. Foreign women have a rollicking time in India. Excerpt: Twins Roxette and Francesca Smith are more familiar with India. Their family moved to Goa shortly after the girls finished school in Britain. ‘We were too young to consider modelling back home,” says Francesca. After doing ads for Emami and Bacardi, Francesca is currently on air in the ads for White Mischief and Himalaya Waters. Unlike her sister, who moved to Los Angeles after a short stint in the industry, she stayed back, her boyfriend, ex-model Romeo, being one of the main reasons. For full text click here.

8 May. The Independent (UK). Patsy Kensit in an interview said, “when I go somewhere like Goa, I like to walk around and visit churches.”

8 May. The Peninsula (Qatar). Menino De Bandar, a well-known Konkani singer, will perform at musical shows in Qatar, Kuwait and Dubai. A team of about 15 artistes from Goa will accompany him. For full text click here.

8 May. Gloucestershire Echo. Cricket. Donwill Rodrigues arrived last week from Goa. As a batsman he will add attacking flair. He can bowl fast or leg-spinners, to give Cirencester's attack variety. For full text click here.

8 May. West Australian. Travel Book Review: Point of Departure, by Pam Hardy. Excerpt: In Goa, she paid for a room with a shower but the shower didn't work. Her complaints fell on deaf ears. "I am very sorry. Madam has a shower, madam has what she had paid for. There is nothing I can do," was the reply.

8 May. Daily Mail. (London). Thomas Cook is set to offer frustrated back pain sufferers the chance of a quick cure in India with cut-price 'sun and surgery' package deals. The move comes only weeks after the Scottish Daily Mail told the story of 55-year- old Alex Cooperwhite who flew out to Goa, had a scan and was offered an immediate operation which he says has cured the problem. The total cost of his surgery, intensive care and physiotherapy was only £1,500. His story sparked a phenomenal response from Daily Mail readers from around the country, desperate to know more about the 32-bed Apollo NUSI hospital where he was treated. Travel firms now believe such 'medical tourism' could become big business.

9 May. The People (UK). Headline: Holiday Hot Spots. Excerpts: A new star setting is the Indian State of Goa. Matt Damon filmed scenes for the Bourne Identity sequel just last month and is spreading the word among his showbiz friends… It was lights, camera, and action in the busy capital of Panjim too, guaranteeing an Oscar-worthy setting…. By celebrity standards, those who visit Goa regularly prefer to 'rough it' - which means our latest pin-ups could be ditching their Dior in favour of a rucksack.

10 May. St Petersburg Times (Russia). The tastes of Russians changes. Several years ago everyone wanted to go to Thailand but it quickly went out of fashion, and people began to fancy Goa. http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/967/news/b_12408.htm

11 May. Mid Devon Gazette. Excerpts: Poor children at an orphanage in Goa, India, have been given a big boost thanks to inspired Crediton youngsters after playworker Naomi Bircham showed them a video of the orphanage. Naomi went personally to Goa to buy such things as shampoos, toothbrushes, washing jugs, and buckets from an Indian supermarket. There are now plans to hold another video night and Naomi says she will probably go back to the orphanage next year. For full text click here.

12 May. The Spoof (UK). Billy Ocean Makes A Comeback. The world is rejoicing because Billy "Caribbean Queen" Ocean is making a comeback. He is slated to appear at the Cyprus music festival next month in a duet with George Michael and Boy George. After that, Billy's going to tour Burkina Faso, Guam, Goa and Borneo in the "World Islands" tour. Photo and text at: http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s4i3567

13 May. North Wales Chronicle. Bangor climber and birdwatcher, Clive Stephenson aged 62 died of a heart attack while on holiday in Goa with his partner, Kay Hilton. She said, "He loved travelling. We used to go to Goa every year.” Photo and text click here.

13 May. The Cornishman (UK). A Cornish couple on holiday in Goa were astounded to see Wilson Fernandes of Palolem reading a copy of The Cornishman. Photos and text click here.

13 May. Napa Valley Register (California). Headline: India tries electronic voting machines. Excerpts: "A myth has been created that this machine is totally tested and beyond human manipulation," said Frederick Noronha, a founder of Bytesforall.Org, a South Asian organization that campaigns for using technology to benefit the poor… Noronha noted that a small group of people within the government could change the coding at any time. He also said there was no way to answer a dispute over vote tallies, because there is no paper trail or similar proof for each vote. "When nobody knows what's inside, it's scary," Noronha said. For full text click here.

14 May. Asia News (Italy). Hindus and Catholic celebrate feast of Our Lady of Milagres (Miracles) in Mapusa, Goa. http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=789

14 May. The Scotsman. Danny McLennan, who has died aged 79, enjoyed one of the most remarkable careers in world football. After playing for East Fife and Dundee, he came into his own as a coach, and by the time he finally retired four years ago he had been in charge of innumerable national sides and clubs. At club level, he held posts in Africa, Scandinavia and the Middle East, and ended up in Goa, with a club called the Churchill Brothers.
http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=548112004

14 May. Christianity Today (USA). Indian Churches Hail the Defeat of Hindu-Nationalist Government. Joseph D'Souza, President of the All India Christian Council, told the German evangelical news agency Idea, "In a surprise spontaneous move of public anger, the masses, the downtrodden, the poor, the Dalits and even the urban unemployed all joined together to throw out the BJP led alliance." The Rev. Donald De Souza, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), said: "The election result shows beyond doubt that democracy is very much alive and deeply rooted in the secular ethos of the country."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/119/52.0.html

15 May. The West Australian (Perth). Headline: Laid back in Goa. Travel article by Stephen Scourfield. Excerpts: "Goa is not like anywhere else in India," a Panaji shopkeeper tells me. "Velly laid back." … Old Goa was so architecturally and culturally and scenically spectacular - that if you saw this, you would no longer need to go to Lisbon or Paris… India is a place of smells as much as colours - smells that remind you of the organic nature of the planet and often of humans themselves. 1366 words.

16 May. Variety (USA). Goa will host the 35th Intl. Film Festival of India in November. The site chosen for the main festival auditorium complex has run into trouble, however. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority claims the semi-permanent constructions planned will violate environmental rules. The matter has been handed to the Environment Ministry to review; the Goa government is already looking for an alternative location for this year while the matter is resolved. India is strongly promoting Goa as a destination for filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117904857?categoryid=1061&cs=1

17 May. Bristol Evening Post. 81-year-old Ted Moreman who raised cash to build an orphanage for street children in Goa now hopes to help build them a village. He raised £35,000 which paid for the purchase of the orphanage, named The House of Kathleen - in memory of his wife who died in 1997. For full text click here.

19 May. Evening Mail (Birmingham, UK). Football. Darren Moore (West Bromwich Albion) has flown out for an eight-day tour of India to try and boost football among youngsters. He said: "I'll be going to Bombay, Goa and Bangalore to coach the kids football. It will be a pretty hectic schedule but worthwhile.” For full text click here.

19 May. The Independent (London). Property. Headline: Many People Are Buying Abroad Because They Can't Afford The UK;
By Ginetta Vedrickas. Excerpts: The Homes Overseas exhibition is at Earl's Court, from 21 to 23 May. At the last property exhibition I attended, it struck me that many people are now buying overseas as they can't comfortably afford to stay in the UK. A sprightly OAP was hovering at the Goa stand and confided that they were hoping to buy somewhere where they could enjoy a cheaper cost of living and avoid another winter in a freezing house. 480 words.
http://money.independent.co.uk/property/homes/story.jsp?story=522872

FORTHCOMING

See http://www.lanfranc.com/publications/location/directions.htm for help in locating Archbishop Lanfranc School, Croydon

Tue. 25 May. 19:00 (30 mins). TV Programme. BBC 1. Title: Call Centres. Matt Allwright looks at call centres. Matt also visits India to see whether UK customers will end up with better service.

Tue. 25 May. 22:35 (40 mins). TV Programme. BBC1. Bindis and Beauty Queens. Documentary following the trials and tribulations of a group of young women as they compete against each other and occasional family reservations to represent their culture in the UK and win the coveted title of Miss India UK 2004.

Wed. 26 May. 22:00 (30 mins). TV Programme. BBC2. World Weddings. Series on unusual weddings tells the powerful story of a Hindu woman and a Muslim man in Calcutta.

Fri. 28 May. 19:30 (60 mins). TV Programme. Channel Five. Title: Travel - The World's 20 Best? Episode: Romances. This week the countdown turns to Romance, when we overflow with passion in some incredible places like Goa, the Maldives and Florence.

Sun 30 May. 4pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass. Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex.

Sun. 30 May. 7 pm. G.O.A. May Ball & 38th Anniversary celebrations and Crowning of May Queen/King at Lola Jones Hall, Tooting Leisure Centre. Music by Maz & Co and Fantasy Disco. Dress theme Black/White jacket and tie essential (bow-tie preferable). Further details from - Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 - 8771 4457 Bernie Gracias 020 - 8723 1322.

Sat. 5 June. 1.00pm. Bastora Union London AGM at St. Boniface Church Club, 185 Mitcham Road, Tooting. Contact: Peter DeSouza - tel: 0208 672 3232 or e-mail Dolores Taylor, taylor_at_home@talk21.com

Sun 6 Jun. 2pm - The Asian Chaplaincy Feast of Our Patron Saints at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Edge Hill, Wimbledon SW19 4LU followed by multicultural programme.

Sun. 13 Jun Siolim Union (London) will be celebrating the Feast of their Patron Saint, St. Anthony at Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham. Mass at 12:00 noon followed by dancing, to the music of Maz & Co. Tickets £12.00 including snacks and meal. Children under 12 free admission. Contact: Loretta Fernandes 020-8696-9886; Eugene Fernandes 020-8240-0818; Tony Fernandes 020-8540-3566; Edwin Athayde 020-8679-5514.

Sun. 27 Jun. G.O.A. FAMILY DAY and Youth Football Tournament at Archbishop Lanfranc School

Sun. 27 Jun. Benaulim Feast.

Sun 27 Jun. 4pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass. Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex.

FOR LATER EVENTS SEE http://www.goanvoice.org.uk