I will be in Goa from 13 Dec. to 30 Jan. During this period a restricted newsletter service will operate. You can contact me at the usual e-mail address. Bernie Gracias has kindly agreed to handle urgent messages. You can contact her at BERNIEGRACIAS@aol.com tel 020-8723-1322. You should check the What’s New Box at www.goanvoice.org.uk for important updates between the newsletter publication dates. Thank you and Seasons Greetings to all. Eddie Fernandes, eddie@fernandes.u-net.com

COMMUNITY NEWS

I missed the entry relating to Joanne de Souza, ballet dancer, in Time Out last week. She performed in The Nutcracker at the Bloomsbury Theatre last Sunday. A profile has been created of her. Her father is Goan and mother is South African. In an interview she described how her father dismissed her childhood interest in ballet as a fad. He “believed that it was just a hobby and that one day I would grow out of it and get an office job!” She is currently with Chicago's Joffrey Ballet. To check out the Joanne de Souza profile, click here

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On 3 Dec. The Evening Standard (London) carried a full page colour photo on the cover and a double page centre spread on Michael d’Souza. The photo here shows part of the cover. Go to the link to get the full view of him in his 16th century Dutch tapestry mill in Mortlake where he lives. He was born in Goa “into a military family” and moved to the UK six years ago after forsaking a marketing career in New York. He opened a Design Store, Mufti, in 789 Fulham Road http://www.mufti.co.uk/ In his online store you will find, for example, a Planters Chair for £550. For the Michael d’Souza supplement click here.

Want to learn or brush up your Konkani? Classes will commence in Jan. 2004 at the Asian Chaplaincy. Get in touch with Fr Oliver, tel. 020 8563 9102. [ Info. From Contact, the quarterly subscription of the Asian Chaplaincy, London, edited by Francisco DeSouza, franciscodesouza@hotmail.com Subscriptions £5 p.a. Call: 020 8563 9102]

11 Dec. Herald. Constantino Hermanns Xavier writes about the Goan Community in Portugal “the Portuguese Goan community has been living apart from most of the trends within this worldwide Goan reality. But this is slowly changing.” See: http://oheraldteam.com/?q=node/view/438

DEATHS

8 Dec. Navelim, Goa. CONCEICAO MENINO DIAS (aka CM DIAS, Ex Kisumu/Nairobi). Husband of Cressy (Netty). Father of Henrietta/Conie and Stanley/Debbie. Grandfather of Sophie and Olivia. Funeral will be held in Navelim Goa on the 12th December at 4.00p.m. [CM Dias died whilst in Goa on a holiday from the UK] Condolences to connie.mascarenhas@global-lift.com

8 Dec. Toronto. ALICK JOSEPH MASCARENHAS (ex Dar-es-Salaam). Husband to Christina. Father to Brian/Marise, Daryl/Doris, Erlyn. Funeral 10.30 am Friday, Dec 12 at St Ignatius Loyola R.C.C. 2300 Burnamthorpe Rd W, southside just east of Glen Erin.

5 Dec. London. MRS ALDA BARROS (ex Mombasa). Wife of the late Mr Antonio Menino De Barros. Mother of Roosevelt/Rose (Australia), late Diana/Joey (Canada), Rommel/Muriel (Australia), Eva (London), Noel/Virginia (Australia). Sister of late Rui/Lourita (Velim). Grandmother, great grandmother and friend to many. Funeral mass on Mon. 15 Dec. 2003 at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, 235 Kensington High Street, London at 10.00 am. Condolences to dpls18701@blueyonder.co.uk

30 Nov. Wembley, Middlesex, UK. CLARENCE MASCARENHAS (Solicitor, born 1917, ex Candolim, ex-President Goan Association UK) Husband of late Rita. Father of Sylvester, Jennifer, Mortimer, late Alexander and late Christopher. Funeral service at 9.30 am Fri, 12 Dec. St Sebastian’s Church, Hay Lane, Kingsbury, London NW9 followed by cremation at 10.45 at Golders Green crematorium. Condolences to mascarem@smuc.ac.uk

25 Nov. Colvale. (Goa). ANGELA URSULA D'LIMA. Wife of late Jonico. Mother of Cheryl Dhanjani/Suresh (Canada), Clare Doty/Dan (Phoenix, Arizona), Sayonara Luxton/Ian (London), Edward/Nimi (Dubai), Royce/Pauline (Canada), Yolanda Lobo/Irving (Canada) and Noella Amaresakehar/Tom (Dubai).

XMAS GREETINGS

Ben Da Costa, ex Mombasa and now at Riddlesdown, Purley, Surrey, England, wishes his family and friends the many joys of the Christmas Festive Season and a very prosperous and Happy New Year 2004. E-mail: bendacosta106@hotmail.com

FLIGHT INFORMATION

6 Dec. The Sun. Getaway to 33 Degrees. Goa. Thomson (0870 160 4529) has seven nights B&B at Marinha Dourada from £534 leaving Gatwick on January 22 or 29.

7 Dec. The People. Goa (7 nts, b/b), Jan 31, Gatwick, £499, Travelcare (08701 500 388).

GOA NEWS HEADLINES

5 Dec. Economic Times. Foreigners can buy real estate in India. With improved health and education facilities making India a good destination for a comprehensive range of facilities, at a competitive package, there is a growing number of foreigners keen to invest in real estate in India. British nationals prefer the coastal belt areas of Goa. See: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-340172,curpg-1.cms

6 Dec. Gomantak Times. Seven roads in the Panjim could be in line to get new names. Stormy scenes resulted from the proposal to get rid of more Portuguese-based names. See: http://www.goacom.com/news/news2003/dec/msg00012.html

7 Dec. Herald. Two British pals were deported from Goa on the return charter flight after immigration officials detected that their entry visas had the same serial number. It emerged that the visa had been scanned, printed and inserted into the second passport. See: http://oheraldteam.com/?q=node/view/391

11 Dec. Gomantak Times. Irish Boy Band "Westlife" [www.westlife.co.uk/] was in Goa to shoot their latest single "Obvious", slated for release in Feb. next year. Nicky said, "I love Goa. The beaches are beautiful. I will come here on my second honeymoon." He is married to Irish Premier Berti Aheri's daughter, Georgina. American R&B singer Ashanti was recently here to shoot scenes for her song "Goa Groove". [For an account of Ashanti in Goa see http://ww1.mid-day.com/entertainment/music/2003/october/66768.htm]

Parking charges for all vehicles are to be introduced in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa, Vasco and Ponda with effect from Jan. 1.

XMAS EVENTS IN GOA

The 3-Day Convention of Overseas Goans will be held at Kala Academy, Panaji, Goa, on 3rd to 5th January, 2004. Details at: http://www.nrigoa.com/intro.html

Goanet is to hold its annual meeting in Goa this year-end. If you will be in Goa then, send your contact phone numbers (in Goa) and dates when you will be there to Fred Noronha, fred@bytesforall.org

Young (and not so young) Goans visiting or living in Goa are meeting for a picnic lunch at Arambol on 29 Dec. 2003. goanconnect.com and goyan (North America) group members will also be there. Contact Marlon Menezes marlon@goacom.com

IN THE NEWS

3 Dec. Time Out. Chutney Mary. What better way to spend Christmas Day than at one of the capital's finest Indian restaurants? Dine in style inside the verdant conservatory between12.30 and 3pm, and treat yourself to a five-course lunch for £55. Delightful pan-Indian dishes with Modern European twist include dill-flavoured Barbary duck seekh kebab, lotus root tikki, Goan turkey with roasted chilli gravy and artichoke biryani. Chutney Mary, 535 King's Rd, SW10 (020 7351 3113).

4 Dec. Yahoo News. UK Indians who wish to travel to India, can now get official "Traveller's Tips" from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the main Indian languages. The aim is to give a picture of life in the country concerned. For example: "Eat only recently prepared food that has been thoroughly cooked” and "Nude bathing is illegal, even in holiday resorts such as Goa." http://in.news.yahoo.com/031204/139/2a2uk.html

5 Dec. The Auto Channel. Headline: Bologna Motor Show - Lots Of Spicy Treats. Excerpt: Indian car manufacturers Mahindra&Mahindra has entered the European market with the Goa, a renaming of the Scorpion model. Text at: http://www.theautochannel.com/F/news/2003/12/05/173981.html

5 Dec. Southport Visiter (Liverpool). Sex accused on the run in Goa. David John Price, aged 61, who has a catalogue of sex offences against children fled the country from a bail hostel and is believed to be in Goa. He managed to get there using a spare passport. For full text click here.

6. Dec. The Guardian. Headline: The Indian takeaway based on Big Mac salaries. Report on the Indian Call centres. One manager said, "We've hired people from Goa, where there's an excellent pool of English speakers and not too many job opportunities. We've got 20 Goan recruits who stay in apartments within walking distance of here. They come for at least a year, go home once a month and still make it worth their while." Full text, 1774 words at http://money.guardian.co.uk/work/story/0,1456,1100999,00.html

7 Dec. Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). Vasana Kelum de Mel is in Sri Lanka on a Fulbright scholarship doing a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She hopes to visit Goa to study the reasons for the popularity of Latin American music there. See: http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/12/07/fea18.html

8 Dec. Daily Record (Scotland). Winter Escape. For those who fancy going a little further afield, Goa has proved popular in recent years. The flight-time to the Indian paradise from the UK is 10 hours, but you'll be rewarded with some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet and temperatures of up to 80sF in January.

9 Dec. Herald Sun (Melbourne). Larry Mendonca's appeal against fines and closure of his Rajah Sahib restaurant was rejected. His clientele had ranged from Shirley Bassey to Serena Williams but the widespread publicity meant it would be almost impossible to revive the business. Mendonca's marriage had collapsed, his health had deteriorated and he is now an invalid pensioner with no assets or income. The company has debts of $1.39 million but assets of just $750,000. Text, 357 words at http://heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8106345%255E2862,00.html

9 Dec. The Ottawa Citizen. Riverstone Networks, a struggling California communications equipment company, has appointed chief executive Oscar Rodriguez to its board and announced the resignation of chairman and founder Romulus Pereira. [ Read the Romulus Pereira (ex-Navelim) profile and interview at http://www.goacom.com/news/news98/mar/navelim.html ]

10 Dec. BBC News. Headline: 'Bling-bling' birthday for Goan politician. Excerpts: An extravagant birthday bash for Tourism minister Francesco 'Micky' Pacheco promises to become the mother of all parties. More than 15,000 guests are expected for his 38th birthday party at a football stadium on Friday. Mr Pacheco, who loves listening to Tupac Shakur and Snoop Doggy Dogg unabashedly adopts the bling-bling lifestyle. He is usually kitted out in funky body hugging shirts, a bandana, gold rings and clunky chains.

Mr Pacheco comes from what he calls a "very poor family". Mr Pacheco says he graduated in fashion design from New York and now runs six companies. He owns a showroom in Paris, homes in Florida and travel and recruitment agencies in Goa and Miami. He has also bought a local football club and says he has hired 120 players, including three Brazilians and two Nigerians. Goa-based analyst Frederick Noronha says Mr Pacheco's is a "rags to riches story". His birthday bash, he says, is in keeping with Goa's "strange culture" of celebrating its politicians' birthdays. Full text, 661 words and photographs at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3304983.stm

11 Dec. The Toronto Star. Letter from Ben Antao, Toronto: Police Chief Julian Fantino's reaction to the installation of cameras in police cruisers, as recommended in Keith Norton's report, is mystifying. One would have thought the chief would have welcomed the cameras in the greater interest of clearing the air of perceived racism in the Toronto police force. Besides, the cameras might even help in the detection of crime and punishment.

FORTHCOMING

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

SOLD OUT Sat. 13 Dec. 7.30pm to late. Christmas Dance at Jasmin’s Club.

Sun. 14 Dec. 11am. Goan Association UK. AGM at Archbishop Lanfranc School. Open to fully paid up members only. There will be a caterer and licensed bar.

Sun. 14 Dec. G.O.A. Children's Christmas Party at Archbishop Lanfranc School 1pm to 5.30pm. Tickets: Members £5 per child, Guests £7.50 per child inclusive of kiddies meal and entertainment. Caterer & Licensed bar available. Contacts: Ilona Fernandes 020 - 8300 5347, Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 - 8771 4457, Bernie Gracias 020 - 8723 1322

Sun. 14 Dec. 1:00pm- 4pm. The South East Goans Sports & Social Club: Children's Christmas Party. St. Stephen's Parish Hall, 26 Deepdene Road, Welling, Kent. Includes Food and Drink, Entertainer, Competitions, Prizes, Games and Nativity Play. Members at £4.00 and Guests at £5.00. Contacts: Evelyn: 01322 433393; Chris: 01322 400732; Victor: 020 8303 5106; Terry: 01322 449486.

Mon. 15 Dec. 19:10 (50 mins) TV Programme. Channel: BBC4. Title: Great Railway Journeys; Mombasa to the Mountains of the Moon

Sun 21 Dec. 4pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Children's Konkani Mass and Christmas Party will be celebrated at Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex.

Fri. 26 Dec.12.00 – 6.00. South East Goans Family Fun Day. St. Stephen's Hall, Welling. All proceeds go to Mother Teresa Home in Panjim. Food and Snacks available. Donations in cash or prizes are most welcome. Adults £2 and Child £1. Book early as hall capacity only 135. Contact: Victor on 02083035106; Alex on 02083030974 or committee members.

Fri 26 Dec. 7pm till 1am. Slough Goans Christmas Dance at the Polish Association Club, Stoke Poges Lane. Music by 'Say One Do One'. Tickets £10 before 8th Dec. and £12 after. Tony/Suzy Rodrigues 01753 675072, Edwin 01753 531383, Felix 0208 6404151 Say1do1@hotmail.com Limited Tickets.

Sun 28 Dec. 4pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex.

Wed 31 Dec. (6.30pm till 3.00am). Dark Star Social Club. New Year's Eve Gala Ball at Harrow Leisure Centre, Byron Hall (capacity 1400), Christchurch Avenue, Harrow (nearest station Harrow & Wealdstone). Music by CALIBRE and DARK STAR. Tickets: Adult £18 (£15 before Mon. 15 Dec.); Child £10. Contacts: Derrick Pereira 020-8952 8899; Hazel Rodrigues 020-8357 6776; Bernie Gracias 020-8723 1322; Savio Pereira 020-8679 4331.

Wed. 31 Dec. (7pm till late). The Saligao Association (London) is holding its New Year’s Eve Ball at Tolworth Recreation Centre, Tolworth, Fullers Way North, Surrey, KT6 7LQ. Music by 'Guava Groove'. Members £17, Guests £19. Meals and snacks are included. Further details from Zemira Fernandes 01895 259947, Marlene Vaz 020 8669 5838, Sergio Coelho 020 8543 4681, Julius Sequeira 020 8460 6385

Wed. 31st Dec. (7pm till 12:30am). The South East Goans Sports & Social Club: New Year s Eve Ball at the Woolwich Town Hall, Market Street, London, SE18. Music and Disco by Mustang & Say One Do One . Entry inc. snacks: Members £14; Guests £18. Contacts: Eusebio: 020 8304 9089; Alex:020 8306 0974; Evelyn: 01322 433393; Chris: 01322 400732; Victor: 020 8303 5106; Bonnie:020 8851 4677; Terry: 01322 449486.

Sat. 3 Jan. G.O.A. GOAN EXTRAVAGANZA at Wandsworth Town Hall from 7.00 pm. Music by Calibre and Say One Do One. Further details from - Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 - 8771 4457 Bernie Gracias 020 - 8723 1322

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