COMMUNITY NEWS

London: Rising toll of stressed workers in Square Mile

1 Jan: Daily Mail (UK). City-based psychiatric practices have seen a surge in referrals over the past 12 months as more employees in the Square Mile seek advice on coping with stress, anxiety and depression … Dr Stephen Pereira, a consultant psychiatrist in the City for over 20 years, said: "They are able to go forth and do what they do best, working hard and keeping long hours. But in certain situations when difficulties arise and there are work-related pressures, underlying predispositions are triggered." Click here. For a brief profile of Dr Pereira Click here.

Qatar: Rosario Fernandes dies in road accident
2 Jan: Gulf Times (Doha). Rosario Fernandes was fatally knocked down by a vehicle in the Old Airport area a few days ago, community sources said. Fernandes, believed to be in the mid-30s, was working for a private company … Arrangements are being made to fly the body home. The deceased hailed from the state of Goa. Click here.

Dar es Salaam Institute
2 Jan. From Ray deSouza: Members of the Dar Institute will be interested in the link to the discussion on the building. It gives a well deserved credit to Africa's foremost architect Anthony Almeida. Click here.

Goa plans study on out-migration
2 Jan: IANS. Goa is planning to have a migration monitoring study … The state's Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro, said Goa University's department of sociology was being approached for the study … Faleiro also announced plans for a Know Goa Programme that would bring 10 young people in the 20s and 30s' back to Goa each year to study the life here and in one other state of India… 417 words. Click here.

Australia: Larry Mendonca: Take the baked beans tip
2 Jan: Herald-Sun (Melbourne). Cricket: The Indians will win and it comes down to the same theory that sees us taking baked beans to India … The best Indian restaurant arguably in the world is Surjit's in Sydney and my spies tell me the Indians have been eating there three times a day. They feel at home, unlike Melbourne where they couldn't find a restaurant of similar quality. That has been the problem for all prominent sporting persons since the untimely demise of Larry Mendonca's Rajah Sahib restaurant because of a couple of mouldy chutneys. Food aside, and I did survive the Rajah Sahib experience …
For the GVUK Larry Mendonca supplement click here.

UK: Jo-Ann D’Costa: Wanted Down Under
3 Jan: BBC1: 9:15 - 10 am. Series in which British families are given a look at life in Australia ahead of possible migration. In this episode a new life in Australia has huge appeal for a young family from Crawley. Doubts arise concerning their budgeting. They spend a week in Perth finding out what it would be like to live there.
The family in question consists of Wayne Manuel, Sienna and Jo-Ann D’Costa. Wayne is the son of Derek and Sandra; brother of David and Peter. Jo-Ann is the daughter of Tony and Sally [both ex-Nairobi]; sister of Wendy. Jo-Ann was previously featured in GVUK issues 2001-40 and 2002-37.
If you missed the broadcast watch this space for info of the programme repeat which should be within a few weeks.

Chance to run in London Marathon
3 Jan: Independent Catholic News. …There are still some guaranteed places available in the Jesuit Missions allocation of runners for the Flora London Marathon. This will be taking place on Sunday 13 April 2008 … For more information, contact Alan Fernandes on 020 8946 0466 or alan@jesuitmissions.org.uk or visit www.jesuitmissions.org.uk 140 words. Click here.

UK: Ilona de Souza: Heart of Gold
3 Jan: Kentish Express (UK). Since Ilona de Souza was a bowel cancer patient at the William Harvey Hospital earlier this year she has worked to raise funds for vital new equipment. Now she has presented the £1,770 proceeds plus £465 donated by friends towards buying a £3,500 heart monitor. For photograph and text click here..

Birth
Sky-Brooke D’Costa Stephenson. Born 18th December, 2007 to proud parents Louise and Tim and Grandchild to Jason D’Costa and Yvonne Gomes.

DEATHS

HOLIDAY INFORMATION

THE KENYA ELECTION CRISIS:

Kenya: We must strive to detribalise our political allegiances
24 Dec: The Nation. Since Independence Kenyans of Asian descent have been accused of sitting on the political fence, of not actively engaging in politics and of only working for themselves and not for the country. Not any more … Click here.

Kenyan Asians flock to Arusha
27 Dec: The Guardian (Tanzania). Kenyans of Asian origin have flocked to Arusha-the Tanzanian region bordering neighbouring Kenya, in fear of a possible breakdown of law and order during the general elections, a survey has established. 536 words. Click here.

Kenya Elections: Kibaki declared winner
30 Dec: The Standard (Kenya). The Electoral Commission of Kenya has declared President Mwai Kibaki the winner of the 2007 polls … Kibaki garnered 4,584,721 votes, Odinga 4,352,993 … Meanwhile, an official from the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) has come out in the open and declared that the poll body is rigging the elections in favour of President Mwai Kibaki … Click here.

Kenya: 10 Portuguese tourists located
31 Dec: Portugal Diário. The Embassy of Portugal in Nairobi is in contact with 10 Portuguese tourists on vacation in Kenya … Around two hundred of persons with Portuguese passport, majority of them Goans, are in the country …275 words. Click here.

Safety fears for Britons in Kenya
31 Dec: The Press Association. Britons in Kenya have spoken of fears for their safety as the death toll in the post-election riots escalated. Click here.

Kenya on the verge of a complete melt-down
1 Jan: The Nation (Kenya). …The simmering power struggle between your two camps, which has been waged since 2002, has brought Kenya to the verge of a complete melt-down… Click here.

Tanzania alert on possible influx of Kenyans
1 Jan: The Guardian (Tanzania). The government said yesterday that it had stepped up security on the country’s border with Kenya due to growing tensions and civil strife in the neighbouring country, following last Thursday’s disputed presidential election results. However, Tanzania will close the border as a last resort … Click here.

Kenyans flee election violence into Uganda
1 Dec: Journal Chrétien (France). The number of refugees flocking into Uganda after escaping the turmoil in the wake of Kenya’s presidential elections has hit 800... Click here.

Kenya violence targets Gujaratis
2 Jan: Times of India. Ever since post-election riots broke out in Kenya, the Gujarati diaspora there has been living in fear. Although no lives have been lost, there has been massive damage to property and businesses owned by Indians, particularly Gujaratis … Amit Shah, who lives in Nairobi, said the situation was grim on the outskirts of the capital. "The riots have resulted in massive damage to Indian properties … 258 words. Click here.

Indians in Kenya are safe
2 Jan: Times of India. Indians in Kenya are safe said Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday. The minister said no ethnic Indian has been targeted during the rioting that has engulfed Kenya … 400 Gujaratis who apparently were forced to take shelter in a Swaminarayan temple in Kisumu … Though Kenyans of Indian origin amount to only about one per cent of the country's population, they have significant economic interests, especially in the retail sector. 263 words. Click here.

Gujaratis caught in Kenya violence
2 Jan: Daily News & Analysis. … offices and factories belonging to Gujaratis had been looted and their houses attacked by local residents … “We have locked ourselves in the house. We are not able to talk with anyone as our mobiles and landlines are not working properly. We are also out of touch with the outside world as the government has banned all TV channels.” 571 words. Click here.

Gujaratis in Kenya on tenterhooks
2 Jan Times of India. 198 words. Click here.

Kenya violence hits Indian expats
2 Jan: NDTV. Click here.

Indian PM urged to help violence-hit expats in Kenya
2 Jan ANI. Click here.

Father Raymond J. De Souza: Tribalism’s latest stalking ground
3 Jan: National Post (Canada) … My parents were both born in Kenya, studied there and married there. They left in 1969 for Canada, thinking there would be limited opportunities for them in the new Kenya, and fearing the worst. The worst never really did come to Kenya, though much malfeasance did, and the people who stayed on suffered greatly. For those who love that country and its beautiful people, their fervent prayer must be, even now, that the worst will not come, and that the evil loosed upon the land will be chained. Click here.

For a selection of video clips click here.

For the latest news click here.

THE ORISSA ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS:

A Christian-Hindu Clash in India
27 Dec: Time. The violence that has wracked India's eastern state of Orissa over the past few days seems, at first glance, to be purely religious. On Christmas Eve and Christmas day, Hindu nationalists attacked churches and convents and set fire to houses belonging to Christians, killing one person and injuring at least two dozen more. Since then, more than forty Christian houses have been set ablaze despite curfews and increased police patrols. Click here.

More Christians Killed as Orissa Violence Spreads
30 Dec: Christian Post. The violence that began in the Indian state of Orissa on Christmas Eve continued through Friday, with arson attacks killing at least nine more Christians. Furthermore, at least 50 churches and institutions have been destroyed or desecrated as a result of the attacks. According to the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News), seven Christians were killed Wednesday in the eastern Indian state, including five who died when Hindu radicals attacked houses and a seminary … Click here.

Catholic Bishops demand CBI inquiry into Orissa violence
31 Dec: Times of India. The apex body of Catholic Church on Monday demanded a CBI inquiry into the Kandhamal violence, alleging that it is not satisfied with the judicial probe ordered by the Orissa government. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is also demanding adequate compensation for those attacked by suspected saffron activists and punishment for the perpetrators. Click here.

Archbishop condemns Orissa incidents
1 Jan: Times of India. … Archbishop of Patna Archdiocese William D'Souza, in a message on Monday, expressed pain over burning of 20 churches, four convents and eight hostels besides attacks on villages and houses … Click here.

GOA – THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE (SEZ) OPPOSITION:

Video: SEZ: Will PM end the stalemate?
27 Dec: IndiaTimes. 2m. 19s. Click here.

Goa CM proposes to scrap SEZ
30 Dec: PTI. A task force headed by Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat on Sunday recommended the scrapping of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the state terming them ''detrimental to the overall interest of Goa.'' Click here.

“SEZs will reduce Goans to minority”
30 Dec: Business Standard. Former MLA and Minister Mathany Saldanha who is leading an anti-SEZ agitation in Goa, talks to about his warning to tourists to leave the state. 869 words. Click here.

Video: New Year gift for Goa: SEZs to be scrapped
31 Dec: CNN-IBN. The Goa government has decided to scrap 12 out of the 15 Special Economic Zones proposed in the state. Capping the row over the SEZs on New Year’s Eve, Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat said his government will soon write to the Centre to scrap eight proposals pending for approval while the other four, which have already been approved, will not be denotified by the state government … Click here.

Aires Rodrigues: Utt Goenkara to expose the corrupt people on its website
31 Dec: UNI (United News of India). Addressing a press conference here today on New Year's eve, Utt Goenkara Spokesman Adv Aires Rodrigues claimed that Utt Goenkara has played a pivotal role in scrapping of the Goa Regional Plan 2011, fighting rampant corruption, battling SEZs and IT parks, raising voice against police atrocities and standing by the common man (Aam Aadmi). He said ''Utt Goenkara'' has resolved not to rest till all the real estate scams in the name of SEZs, IT parks and Food parks are totally scrapped and the men behind them are exposed. Click here.
The Utt Goenkara website is at www.uttgoenkara.org/

Goa bets on all-inclusive growth
1 Jan: Economic Times. Having turned its back on SEZs, the Goa government is now working on a new development model that will envisage all-inclusive growth and allow the tiller of the land to earn a share of profit that real estate developers make by creating modern townships. 390 words. Click here.

Mathany finds fault with terminology of SEZs decision
2 Jan: Navhind Times. The Chief Minister had that “the government has decided to do away SEZs”, stating that they were not feasible in the present form. Mathany Saldanha said the use of the terminology “not in the present form” leads to ambiguity … Click here.

Video: It's Congress vs. Congress in Goa SEZ battle
2 Jan: CNN-IBN. The new twist in the Goa SEZ battle sees a case of odd politics: the Congress government in Goa is now at loggerheads with the Congress-led UPA at the Centre. Just days after Goa CM Digambar Kamat announced his decision to scrap the projected 15 SEZs in the state, the Commerce Ministry has refused to denotify the three SEZs that had been notified earlier in Goa … 1m. 39s. Click here.

Goa rapped over economic zones
3 Jan: Financial Times (UK). India's commerce ministry yesterday disputed a decision by the state of Goa to scrap plans for special economic zones, highlighting controversy over industrial development in India. 328 words. Click here.

GOA NEWS HEADLINES

Centre to help upgrade Goa's infrastructure, says PM
27 Dec: PTI. The Centre will offer whatever support is required to improve not only Goa's knowledge sector but also the tourist state's infrastructure, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday. 560 words. Click here.

Toronto GoaNetters Award for Ivana Furtado
28 Dec: Navhind Times. Goanetters in Toronto presented a cheque for Rs 20,000 to Ivana Furtado for winning the World Under-8 chess event in Turkey recently. The award was presented by Bosco D’Mello, vice-president, at a function to mark the international year end meet of Goanetters at Mira Mar. Fr Ariosto Coelho, Mariano A Pereira, Eustaquio Santimano, Marlon Menezes, Roy Pimento, Cipriano Fernandes, Rajan Parrikar, Jerry Fernandes, Ana Maria Goswami, Melinda Powel, George Pinto, Vivek Menezes, Nacimento Caldeira and Cecil Pinto were among those present. Click here.
For a photograph by JoeGoaUK click here.

Video: 2007 Goa News Review
28 Dec: Goa 365. Excerpt: At the Global Goan Convention Aisha de Sequeira attempts to table a motion against the Regional Plan 2011 and is compelled to stage a walk out … 9m: 45s. Click here.

Goans giving up traditional occupations
28 Dec: Navhind Times. … Goans have increasingly been shying away from traditional occupations like carpentry, haircutting, coconut plucking, etc. But if these jobs were given a dignified touch, Goans would take these up and protect the traditional skills … Click here.

Goa goes broadband with PM's click
28 Dec: Economic Times. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday inaugurated the Goa government-sponsored broadband network — the first of its kind in the country that looks to integrate all state - and taluka-level departments and all households through optic fibre cables. 439 words. Click here.

Goa tense as New Year nears
29 Dec: Economic Times. This New Year eve, expect Goa to be on its toes, thanks to the agitation against SEZs and the threat to tourists to avoid year-end bash. All this has forced the state government to pull up its socks and deploy additional security personnel along the beaches as a precautionary measure. The state government has roped in the Central Industrial Security Force to man Goa’s vast coastline …

Karnatka: Protest against Goa Government
29 Dec: NewIndPress. Protesting activists in Belgaum burnt the effigy of Goa Government for its alleged atrocities against Kannadigas living in Goa … They stated that the Goa Government was ill-treating Kannadigas by not allowing Kannadigas to take their permanent residence there. More than 1.5 lakh Kannadigas are residing in Goa and they are being deprived of educational, social and political rights. click here.

The concrete family tree
30 Dec: Daily News & Analysis. It is fun to write about Goa. Everyone has a take on the sunshine land. Goans lament their sunny paradise has become a grab-land, with filthy-rich outsiders gobbling up farms, flats and mansions. Outsiders feel guilty about turning a virgin paradise into a realty show, but continue to buy property. 705 words. Click here.

Glam Gods in Goa
30 Dec: Mumbai Mirror. Major Bollywood players and telly actors have chosen Goa over other exotic locales, this holiday season… Click here.

Tourism: The Hen that Lays the Golden Eggs
30 Dec: Navhind Times. By Mário Cabral e Sá. But the problem did not originate with the anti-SEZ campaign or the former tourism minister, Mathany Saldanha’s ultimatum to tourists to quit Goa by December 28, if they want to stay out of harm’s way. Click here.

A Treasure Trove of Konkani Proverbs
30 Dec: Navhind Times. By Pio Esteves. ‘Vozram,’ a book of Konkani adages, has recently been released by Isidore Dantas with the sole aim of preserving the wise sayings for the future generations. The book is a compilation of thousands of adages from newspapers and books, besides assistance taken from Konkani books, ‘Konknni Oparichem Bhanddar,’ and ‘Ajichea Supati Moti’. All the proverbs have been classified in alphabetical order. Each maxim with an interpretation in English and cartoons by the popular cartoonist, Alexyz … Click here.

Are you in Goa to celebrate New Year?
31 Dec: Economic Times. From hippie huts, trance music and late night rave parties; Goa has grown to become the ultimate New Year holiday destination in India. The sky is clear, the sun warm, but there’s a chill breeze scented with salt and palm; sure to rejuvenate you more than any spa can do. 577 words. Click here.

Security stepped up as tourists flock to Goa
31 Dec: Indian Express. As Goa plays host to a record number of tourists this time, the state Government has pulled out all security personnel at its disposal amidst fears that a section of activists opposed to the proposed Special Economic Zones may disrupt the New Year celebrations. Click here.

Goans in Goa have a Negative Mind Set !
3 Jan: Herald. By Brig(Retd) Ian da Costa, … I would employ a Ghanti and that is the raw truth. Because he works harder. He is regular for work till the job is done. He would work even on holidays. He would arrive on time for work and would also leave on time. He will not ask for an advance of wages. He would be grateful for receiving any thing in excess of his wage like a cup of tea, a glass of water or a cigarette … Click here.

New Year Breaks in Goa
1 Jan: NDTV broadcast live transmissions of New Year parties at the Vijay Mallya Palace and Baga Beach in Goa.
Revellers flood Goa beaches to ring in the New Year
1 Jan: Times of India. Thousands made merry as state's roads got blocked and beaches flooded with revellers who came down to this coastal tourist destination to ring in the New Year. Click here.

The sun never sets in Goa!
2 Jan: Times of India. Asia’s first electronic music festival – Sunburn Festival Goa 2007 continues to seek out the best new electronic dance music from up across the globe. The festival saw more than 6,000 people from all over the world on Candolim Beach, Goa, on December 28 and 29, 2007. 309 words. Click here.

Business Line: Goa Special
3 Jan: Business Line. Digambar Kamat, Goa’s Chief Minister, on what his Government is doing for the common man. Click here.
Goa’s Finance Minister says spending on social security schemes is on the rise. Click here.
‘Solving long-pending land cases priority’ says Goa’s Minister for Revenue and Civil Supplies. Click here.
Public transport, water priorities: The Public Works Minister has ambitious plans. Click here.
‘We are giving special training and sensitising the police.’ Goa’s Home Minister is keen on modernising the force. Click here.
I want to provide comprehensive medical care’ The Health Minister speaks on a series of initiatives. Click here.

IN THE NEWS

Bosch, the German Company establishes a production unit in Goa
27 Dec: Der Tagesspiegel (Germany). By Ingrid Mueller. From its new offices in Verna, Goa, Bosch is set to conquer the Indian market. 1076 words. Click here.

India's new rich love to spend freely
27 Dec: BBC. This is the season for conspicuous consumption. Christmas is traditionally the time when shoppers all over the world head for the stores to spend their hard-earned cash on presents for themselves and their families. And in India, it's no different. Click here.

From Russia with Long Legs
27 Dec: India Today. Blonde, blue eyed and white skinned. These long-legged beauties are everywhere … 25-year-old Irina came four years ago from Moscow to meet friends in Goa. What started off as a love for partying, became a way to make some extra cash and do what she likes best—dance. … Thirty five-year-old Nathalie—half Indian and Belgian—visited her grandparents in Goa, only to stay back. From selling clothes in a flea market she has now moved on to arranging foreigners for film songs. But she has been called many times by the police wanting to know whether her work also extends to supplying women for “pleasure”. Click here.

Hover And Out
27 Dec: India Today. Over half of the Navy’s fleet of Sea Harriers has crashed leaving a void in its air defence capability … The spate of crashes came to the attention of Right to Information (RTI) activists Hari Kumar P. and Frederick Noronha who petitioned and successfully obtained a list of the crashes from the navy. “The crashes have been occurring with worrying frequency in Goa and seemed to have escaped any national debate,” says Noronha … Click here.

Lotts Of Prezzies
27 Dec: Daily Star (UK). Dean Hardman scooped £6.7million on the Euromillions draw in November 2006 … The holiday - £24,000 "I've paid for my whole family to go on a two-week all-inclusive in Goa next year. I'm a regular - I've been there eight times already. I just love the place, “says Dean. Click here.

Brainy boys use skills to aid orphans
28 Dec: Portsmouth News (UK). Four boys aged 15-16 flew out to Goa in India to see how the money they helped to raise in a charity appeal would be spent. They spent a week visiting orphanages such as Shallom House and deprived communities in Goa … The trip was a just reward for the team who were highly praised for their business plan. 365 words. Click here.

Best films of 2007
28 Dec: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Film critic Duane Dudek selects his ten best films of the year … Milwaukee- based filmmaker Chris Smith's "The Pool" was filmed in Panjim, the capital of the Indian state of Goa, and captures the physical and emotional geography of a place and its people in a culturally specific way that never suggests it was made by an outsider … "The Pool" won a jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and has been nominated for a Spirit Award. Click here.

New Zealand: TV Highlights for 29 Dec.
29 Dec: New Zealand Herald. Sat. 29 Dec. 12:00 Midday. TV2. Working Holiday. A Wellington DJ finds the tables turned on him when he is sent to Goa, India, with no clue as to what awaits him when he arrives. Click here.

Pregnancy becomes latest job outsourced to India
30 Dec: USA Today. … Health experts expect to see more Indian commercial surrogacy programs in coming years … Click here.

Celina Jaitly: 'I'm young, I can rectify my mistakes'
1 Jan: Hindustan Times. Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly plays an Anglo-Indian girl from Goa in the new film Hello Darling … “People have pre-conceived notions about her. They think she's a fast girl because of the way she speaks,” she says … Click here.

Australia: TV: Curry on regardless
2 Jan. Herald-Sun. (TV Guide). Gus Worland hosts a new six-part TV series, An Aussie Goes Bolly, which sees him brave the hottest curry, shed a few kilograms and return from a one-day international cricket series with a fresh look at cricket through Indian eyes … He treats viewers to the scenic wonders of India including Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa … “One thing you don't want to be doing is having to use the toilets in some of those cricket grounds”… On FOX8, Monday, 8.30pm. Duration: 1 hour. 692 words. Click here.

Whiff of Goa in Mumbai
2 Jan: Mumbai Mirror. This is the time of the year when we reactivate the Mumbai–Goa hotline with a particular vengeance. Thousands of Mumbaikars zoom off to this tiny state for a temporary respite from their mad city. Is it only the beach parties that pull them to Goa? Or a deeper nostalgia? 601 words. Click here.

Zubin Mehta dreams of a music school in India
2 Jan: Times of India. The greatest music conductor of our times Zubin Mehta wants to give India a world-class school of western music … Click here.

No Indians, please!
2 Jan: Rediff. … individual beaches in Goa are now, quietly, turning into the purview of intrepid entrepreneurs from certain countries. For instance, the beach we were on was apparently the Russian zone. Shortly northwards was a strip that was resolutely Italian with some Belgians thrown in. And to the south was a famed beach run by the Israelis seeking oneness with themselves using organic products in little pipes … keeping the locals at bay from 'foreign property' was the job of the locals themselves … 1274 words. Click here.

Goa visitors
1 Jan: Nottingham Evening Post (UK). Pupils in Notts have been developing links with a school in India. Pierrepont Gamston Primary and Rushcliffe School welcomed visitors from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Goa. Four teachers spent a week sitting in lessons and working alongside teachers.

How Chili Peppers came to India
3 Jan: Village Voice (USA) … chili peppers arrived in India in the 16th century. Those chilies came via the Portuguese, whose west-coast colony of Goa was responsible for the most notorious use of chilies in India: vindaloo. It was originally made with pork, which was possible because Goa was an island of Catholicism in a Hindu sea … Click here.

2 NRI women molested in Mumbai
3 Jan: Herald. In a shocking incident, two NRI women were molested by a mob of about 70 men during New Year revelries near Juhu beach … In a replay of a molestation of a woman by revellers at the Gateway of India exactly a year ago, the women went through the 15-minute ordeal outside a five-star hotel before the police rescued them after being alerted by media photographers at the scene. The photographers captured the incident on the camera. For text click here.

For a video clip click here.

For video clips of a discussion, “Face the Nation: Are Indians sex starved?” click here.

GoaNet Highlights by Cornel DaCosta

We couldn't really start the New Year amidst all the many good wishes to readers of the Goan Voice (UK) and of Goanet, without receiving the exciting news about the 2008 Toronto International Goan Convention to be held at the University of Toronto, July 21-27. The theme for this major event is 'Goan Identity and Networking Today'. Early notification about this grand Convention is most welcome. It permits many people to make arrangements to attend it. For further information please visit www.2008goaconvention.com

Philip Thomas has presented his concern about developments and change in Goa. In his words, "what we find is that Goa is fast becoming a sort of "neverland" where "naysayers" are valued if they can drum up the hoi polloi to stop some big project or two in its tracks... then they can even aspire to lead the state or rule the roost. It's a kind of Gandhigiri..."

Do find out from an informative article by Cip Fernandes about the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme. The scheme has generated much interest and to date some 2 million OCI certificates have been issued. GVUK readers will no doubt want to discover detailed information about this scheme and how it may be relevant to them. Please also visit click here.

The theme of Insiders and Outsiders continues on Goanet ever so vibrantly. There are ever so many posts about insiders and outsiders from different parts of the Goan Diaspora and Goa itself. Hopefully, GVUK readers, and particularly from the UK will have their own versions of being or not being outsiders in the UK. Goanet would be most happy to receive such contributions.

Communal attacks, particularly on Christian Churches have made much news on Goanet and also about how Church leaders have urged the Indian Prime Minister for police protection to Christians. In addition to details about the above, a number of posts have explored the underlying reasons why there are so many such tensions in India today.

Finally, perhaps at the start of the New Year, we might reflect on the words, from Goa, of Rajan Parrikar in his post on The Nuisance of Tourism which says, "why should we, the rest of the citizenry, not involved in, or beneficiaries of, the tourism industry bear the nuisance and intrusion in our lives that come with it? At what point do the economic benefits of tourism that accrue (to the relative few) outweigh the concomitant nuisance value and ills? What kind of controls should we demand of our Government?

More details can be found at the Goanet archives at http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/ Or to subscribe to Goanet, send an email to subscribe@goanet.org

UK: TV & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS By Lira Fernandes

ENTERTAINMENT: Five Star Insider. Discovery Travel and Living
Fri: 4th Jan: 06:30 to 07:00. Oberoi Udaivilas, India. The palatial Oberoi Resort in Udaipur captures the romance and splendour of a royal era.

TRAVEL: Indian Rendezvous. Discovery Travel and Living
Sat: 5th Jan. 06:00 to 06:30. Mumbai. Actress Sushma Reddy introduces Mumbai from the spectacular Hanging Gardens; a metropolis fuelled by entrepreneurial energy, determination and dreams.

TALK SHOW: The Big Questions. BBC 1
Sun: 6th Jan: 10:00 to 11:00. A series of moral, ethical and religious debates on topical issues, hosted by Nicky Campbell and Sonia Deol from Tonbridge School in Kent. On the panel are Guardian columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, talkshow host James O'Brien and Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet.

SERIES: Clash of the Worlds. BBC 1
Mon: 7th Jan: 01:10 to 02:10. Looks at the Indian Mutiny of 1857 in which both sides committed atrocities in the name of their faiths.

ENTERTAINMENT: Five Star Insider. Discovery Travel and Living
Mon: 7th Jan: 06:00 to 06:30. Angus enjoys a unique Tanzanian safari across the Serengeti.

TRAVEL: Rough Guide to Beaches. Channel five
Mon: 7th Jan: 19:30 to 20:00. This programme focuses on beach holidays including a marine safari in Watamu in Kenya.

DOCUMENTARY: Films for a New India. BBC Radio Four
Tue: 11:30 to 12:00. Second of two programmes in which Hardeep Singh Kohli explores the world of Indian independent cinema.

FILM: Bend It Like Beckham. BBC 3
Thu: 10th Jan: 20:00 to 21:50. Comedy drama about a young Asian woman who joins the local semi-professional football team but opts not to tell her traditionalist family, who want her to go to law school and settle down with 'a nice Indian boy'.

DOCUMENTARY: Extreme Pilgrim. BBC 2
Fri: 11th Jan: 21:00 to 22:00. Peter Owen Jones has been a vicar in the Church of England for 14 years. He travels to the Kumbh Mela festival on the river Ganges and goes to live in a cave on the Himalayas.

FORTHCOMING

See http://www.lanfranc.com/lanfranc_location_2000.pdf for help in locating Archbishop Lanfranc School, Croydon

Sat. 5 Jan: G.O.A. Goan Extravaganza at Wandsworth Town Hall. Wandsworth High Street. Time 7pm. Black Velvet and Say One Do One in attendance. Dress Strictly Formal. For tickets please contact Norma Menezes Rahim on 020 8771 4457 or Bernie Gracias 020 8723 1322

Sun. 20 Jan. 2:00 pm. Mass for Fr Agnelo at St John Fisher Church, 207 Cannon Hill Lane, London SW20 7DB, followed by tea/coffee in the hall next door. Nearest tube Morden/Wimbledon.

Sun. 3 Feb. VIVA GOA ENTERTAINMENT presents Traditional RED & BLACK evening in WEST London - Old Actonian Assoc. Sports Club, Gunnersbury Drive, Ealing, W5 4LL. Music by – “LEVEL 4” and "CHICO." Doors open 2.30 onwards. Limited admittance; tickets £10/adults & £3/child. Contact Francis/Norman on 0208 932 9375/ 07957206169/ 0208 647 1887

Sun: 3 Feb: Mungul Union (UK). 30th Anniversary. Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel at St Ignatius College, Turkey Street, Enfield, EN1 4NP. Band: "Rainbow's End". Disco "Nite Life". For tickets and details, please contact Rosy D'Silva - 0208 352 9450 or Rosalind Rebello on 0208 767 8652; ros.rebello@amserve.net. Members note cut-off date 13 Jan. Public transport to Hall: Buses 217 from Turnpike Lane or 121 from Wood Green. Overhead train from Liverpool St. Station to Turkey St.

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