Goan Voice UK: Newsletter. Issue 2008-21. May. 22, 2008

Joachim De Figueiredo, 100!

17 May: Burnaby Now (Canada). Joachim de Figueiredo will turn 100 on May 29, 2008. He is a Goan born in Pemba, Tanzania, Africa and worked in Kenya as an accountant for the civil service [East African High Commission] until he retired in 1968. In 1973, the family moved to Vancouver … For full text, 564 words, and another photo, click here.
Joachim initiated the celebration of the first Saligao feast in Vancouver, B.C. and has always been proud of his Saligao roots and Goan heritage. He lost his wife, Ivy, in 1990. His children and grandchildren are: Brian (deceased 2001), Maria de Fatima, Trevor, Kevin and Nigel, Doreen, Alex, Chris, Stella, Tony, Sean, Darren and Sabrina, Evelyn, Cris and Warren. Birthday wishes may be sent to Joachim.100@hotmail.com

Canada: Jeannine Pereira: Inclusiveness and diversity
15 May: Alberta Index. Jeannine Pereira, Ernst & Young’s inclusiveness leader for Canada, recently spoke on how Ernst & Young has built an award-winning strategy to move from having a diverse workforce to promoting an inclusive corporate culture … Ms Pereira recently received the company’s prestigious Rosemarie Meschi ‘Rising Leader’ Award … 251 words. Click here.

Dr. Leo D’Souza: Ohio strips doctor of license
15 May: Cincinnati Enquirer. A Cincinnati child psychiatrist who is facing sex crime charges lost his medical license this week. The Ohio Medical Board permanently revoked the license of Dr. Leo D’Souza after reviewing a 50-page report on the accusations that several former patients made against him … He could face up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted of all charges. 276 words. Click here.

Kenya: Ms. Mascarenhas of Kisii

16 May: GoaNet Reader. A remarkable account presented by Mervyn Maciel, mervynels.watuwashamba@googlemail.com Marcilia Mascarenhas was born in Saligao in 1893. She arrived in Kenya as a young bride in 1912 and found herself in a remote village where her husband had a shop. He died in 1922, leaving her to bring up their child. She became a businesses woman in the rural depths of Kenya, expanding later into property and transport, ending up as one of the wealthiest persons in the Province … She died in Kisumu, Kenya in 1963. 2582 words. Click here.

Rayney threatens to sue police over murder case
18 May: West Australian News. Lloyd Rayney is considering a landmark multi-million-dollar lawsuit against police over their decision to name him as the “prime” and “only” suspect in the unsolved murder of his wife, Corryn … most of his clients have dumped him and it is understood he is struggling to cope financially. The revelation raises the prospect of an O. J. Simpson-style trial in which Mr Rayney could face trial in a civil court without the threat of a jail term if he loses … Text, 525 words and photo. Click here.

Portugal: Filomena da Cunha honored in Alcobaça

18 May 2008: Oeste Online (Portuguese). The feminist pioneer and writer Rosalina Filomena da Cunha was born in Santa Cruz, Goa 1908. On 18 May the Municipal Library of Alcobaça hosts a celebration on the centenary of her birth...She died in 2006, aged 98 years and lived in Alcobaça for several decades … The highlight will be the release of new editions of some of her works… 219 words. Click here.
Filomena da Cunha studied at Cambridge University and Trinity College of Music in the 1920’s. She went to Goa in the 1930’s, wrote for the Herald and campaigned for women’s rights. For more about her click here. Click here.

East Africa: Blanche D’Souza’s Chapati connection

19 May: The East African. Blanche Rocha D’Souza’s new book, Harnessing the Trade Winds, is the story of the centuries-old Indian trade with East Africa … Blanche D’Souza’s lucid prose and Gaby de Souza’s delectable maps … The quest has taken her from the Library of Congress in Washington DC to the Xavier Centre for Historical Research in Goa, from the Zanzibar Archives to the Asiatic Society Library in Mumbai, and her bibliography is resonant with intellectual weight. 3462 words. [The book is published in 2008 by Zand Graphics Ltd. Kenta, Ksh800, 205 pages] Click here.

Toronto: Ian de Souza: LAL shines a light on darkness

22 May: Toronto Star. Canadians can be awfully smug about this little, multicultural paradise of ours, so it's nice to get a reality check from time to time … As people of colour, though, LAL’s core players Rosina Kazi, Nicholas "Murr" Murray and Ian de Souza are also well-placed to comment on the dark side of the mosaic … "We really didn't set any goals," says Kazi. "It was working more closely with Ian de Souza, who is now the third member of LAL… LAL performs tonight, 9:30 at Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. 833 words. Click here.
22 May: EyeWeekly.Com. Profile of LAL and Ian de Souza. Click here.

Palazzo Versace Goa to be built
15 May: World Leisure News (UK). Italian fashion house the Versace Group is reportedly set to develop a third ‘mega resort’ in Goa, India. According to The Economic Times, the Versace Group has yet to find a local partner for the proposed resort – which could mean billions of dollars investment in the Indian economy. For its previous two resort projects, Versace teamed up with Australian property developer the Sunland Group. Click here.

Goans turning away from beaches
16 May: Navhind Times. An increasing number of Goans, who had enjoyed a visit to the beaches in the past, are beginning to feel alienated from the beaches because of the overwhelming presence of tourists and tourist-related businesses and the resulting chaos in the seashore environment. 502 words. Click here.

Tourism Dept rubbishes police action over drowning deaths
16 May: Herald. Drowning deaths off Goan beaches may bring the Goa police and the Tourism department face-to-face. If the Colva police has booked the Tourism Department for criminal negligence over the death of two young boys off Majorda a fortnight ago, the Tourism Department has termed the police action as “ridiculous”. 323 words. Click here.

Video: "Goa has become a Toilet"
17 May: GoaNet. From JoeGoaUK: "Goa has become a Toilet” seems to be the longest thread on GoaNet this month, so far there are about 25 posts. Well, I don’t know if entire Goa has become a Toilet or not but what I do know that the Panjim, the capital city has definitely become one. To check out the video clip, 2m. 45s. click here.
To follow the GoaNet discussion click here and scroll down the page
To post your comments, join GoaNet – send an email to subscribe@goanet.org

Hi-tech safety on Goa beaches
17 May: Navhind Times. Come next tourist season and the beach safety management would be different and more efficient, if the government goes ahead with its plan to have a hi-tech and broadband connected safety system in place, initially on the major beaches in the state. 626 words. Click here.

Late Flight Deals
17 May: The Mirror (UK). Goa: Head for the coast of south-west India with return flights from £429pp, departing London Heathrow until June 30. Visit www.cheapflights.co.uk

Go Reader Go: Christmas in Goa
17 May. Irish Times. Q: My husband and I would like to spend Christmas in Goa, in India. Any idea who to book with, what area to stay in or where we can find good hotels?
A: … If you go through the UK, then Direct Holidays (www.direct holidays.co.uk) has flights from Gatwick to Dabolim and packages over Christmas from £733 to £1,432 for two weeks. First Choice (www.firstchoice.co.uk) also has packages over Christmas, staying in some more upmarket hotels and resorts.

Indian tourism industry hit by US recession
17 May: The Economic Times (India). Incredible India is feeling the slow drying up of order books for inbound travel and hotels…Travel agents are reporting a dip of around 25% in leisure travel bookings into India for the coming winter season … Air charters from the UK are expected to be affected. “Around 35% of the Goa charter market is the lower end of the UK market which is going to be hit during the coming season,” says Sunirmol Ghosh, MD, Indo-Asia Tours … 717 words. Click here.

Goa: Guiding tourists no longer exciting!
17 May: Herald. While Goa may be spending exorbitant amounts on various mechanisms to promote tourism far and wide, it seems to have lost sight of its very own ambassadors promoting Goa in the State as tourist guides … In the last two-and-half decades, Goa has just about 65 tourist guides on its registers … 564 words. Click here.

Strict norms for shacks on cards
18 May: Herald. The Goa Beach Shack and Deck Beds Policy is expected to undergo some major changes in the forthcoming season (2008-09) in view of the High Court directives for roping in more Government departments to share responsibility and prevent violations by shack operators. 295 words. click here.

Tourism: Finding a Balance
18 May: Navhind Times. … There is a widespread perception among Goans that tourists are making enormous demands on the infrastructure and making them pay several times more … there are Goans who have found their livelihood and wealth in tourism businesses who will not agree to this negative perception … Then the tourists would not agree to the Goan’s negative perception … The ideal thing is to find a balance. Tourism must exist but it must be bridled. 706 words. Click here.

Deaths: Russian Consulate perplexed, cops relaxed
18 May: Herald. The Russian Consulate is perplexed why the Goa Police is taking such a long time to give out facts into the death of five of their nationals, who have died on Goan soil in the last three years. Advocate Vikram Verma, who is the counsel for the Russian Consulate, says in five cases the cause of death has been reserved as the viscera have been sent to the forensic lab. 385 words. click here.

Goa's beach safety plan caught up in bureaucratic process
19 May: NDTV. Press Trust of India. Goa's ambitious beach safety plan to arrest increasing drowning deaths is caught up in bureaucratic formalities delaying its implementation, confirmed the tourism officials … Tourism department officials confirmed that an agency has already been finalized to implement the plan but the financial sanction is awaited… 229 words. Click here.

Goa govt to permit four more off shore casinos
19 May: PTI. Notwithstanding strong objection by the main opposition political outfit, BJP, Goa government is all set to permit four more off shore casinos with ships already anchored in the Panaji port … "90 per cent of the casino clients are from Mumbai, Delhi and other states. Of them, 70 per cent are involved in illegal trades like money laundering, drugs and other trades," Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said justifying his party's opposition. 559 words. Click here.

Fun at Zanzibar in Goa
20 May: Times of India. It was just another easy Sunday evening at Zanzibar as this shack on Baga beach burst into a riot of colours and electronica as the sun set. For text and photo, 224 words. Click here.
For more photographs check the article entitled “The English Love It here” page 23 of the Times of India Goa edition of 20 May. Click here.

Tony Fernandes: What's going wrong with India’s low-cost airlines?
20 May: Flight International (UK). India's domestic market may be growing at double-digit rates but profits continue to elude the country's carriers … Tony Fernandes, the head of Malaysian-based AirAsia, which plans to start flights to India in October, says … "I don't think it's a cost problem. I think they are not following the model. We'll let all the Indian airlines kill each other first. Then we will come in." 1003 words. click here.
For a GVUK profile of Tony Fernandes click here.

Goa: Oil on beaches puts off tourists
21 May: Times of India. The gooey brown stuff that currents are depositing onto Goa’s beaches are turning people away. This could spin off into a major problem for the tourism industry… click here.

Summer holidays needn't Costa lot
21 May: The Mirror (UK). According to holiday giant Thomas Cook, Goa continues to offer the lowest prices of any package-holiday destination with a bottle of beer costings just 70p …556 words. Click here.

Toyboys or Predators in Paradise
22 May 2008: The Mail (UK). Excerpts: Sarah, a British divorcee falls in love with a holiday toyboy but her story has a sinister and utterly unexpected twist… she has been in contact with five other British women who have been scammed the same way by Farouk's friends … Even the Goan tourism minister has admitted this is a problem … Click here.

Shack(led), and nowhere to go
22 May: Times of India – Goa edition. The 11 pm shutdown on beach shacks has robbed Goa of its economy and tourists. The ghost of poor Scarlet Keeling has done in the business that provides Goa’s economy that much required shot in the arm every year … 734 words. Click here.

Photo documentary "The Rape of Goa"
Rajan Parrikar’s breathtaking expose of the changes taking place in Goa’s landscape is now available for online viewing. You must do so! To access it, click here.
If you are unable to open the file you will need to download the free Apple Quicktime software or use any other software that plays the .mov format. To get the Apple software click here.
The exhibition is on till May 24 at the Menezes Braganza Art gallery in Panjim. A public screening is planned in Calangute this Sunday evening. Showings are also planned for Margao next week.

Video + text: Claude Alvares: Mine in Goa forest defies law

15 May: CNN-IBN. Collem Mines (South Goa): A multicrore mining industry is operating out of Goa's forest land, in spite of several notices from the Government to stop all operations … Goa Foundation Director, Claude Alvares (shown) told them, "You guys are in serious trouble. I am telling you." … Around 15 mine workers surrounded the CNN-IBN team, and attempted to snatch the camera from the crew. The CNN-IBN team managed to escape with the tapes. 1m.53s. Click here.

Alleged molester freed on bail
17 May Times of India. Raj Nadar, who was arrested for allegedly molesting a 21-year-old Italian girl, was released on conditional bail … He was also involved in the Pandiyal murder case in Margao in 2000. The incident occurred at Baga at about 4.30 am… a drunk Nadar approached the girl from an adjacent restaurant, which is hot with tourists and abused her … when they tried to stop him, he took out his gun and threatened them. The girl was working in Goa for since the last 2 years … Still worse, after the police arrested the alleged accused the family of the girl has turned hostile and want to withdraw the case … 284 words. Click here.

Senior citizens feeling insecure
17 May: Navhind Times. With the crime rate rising in the state, senior citizens, of late, have been feeling insecure and fear that they could be victims of crime. The police, however, claim that are taking various steps to focus on the problems of senior citizens. 679 words. Click here.

Rotting Panaji: State officials continue with past follies
17 May: Times of India. Goa's capital is rotting from within … state and civic authorities appear to be persisting with the same folly and fraud that has led to the gradual decay of what was once a well-planned city. 410 words. Click here.

Video: Goa now targeted by terror outfits
17 Nay: CNN-IBN After the Jaipur blasts, Intelligence agencies have revealed that Goa too is on the hitlist of terror outfits like the HUJI...the tourist hot spot is on high alert and the police dept is planning to install CCTV cameras in major parking areas... Click here.

Police issue blanket ban on loud music
17 May: Navhind Times. Goa, known for its pearly white beaches, extravagant weddings and colorful dances which used to end in the wee hours of the day even with the ban on loud music, may soon see these fun and frolic times becoming a thing of the past as the police have issued a blanket ban on all amplified music after 10 p.m… However, 15 days, including New Year, Christmas, Carnival, Shigmo and Divali have been exempted by the state government … 326 words. Click here.

Panaji: Rot Sets into Timeless City

17 May: Times of India – Goa edition. page 2. By Andrew Pereira. Meticulously planned Panaji is losing its charm as officials and builders disregard civic rules … Builders are now connecting sewage systems to stormwater drains …The Mandovi river is being polluted with untreated sewage. 1535 words. Click here.

Attacks on cops batter morale
17 May: Times of India – Goa edition. Page 3. By Preetu Nair. ‘The culprits are immediately bailed out with help from Politicians’ 320 words. Click here.

Wells found contaminated around Panaji
17 May: Times of India. High levels of coliform organisms and ammonia have been detected in four of the five wells … Suspicions of pollution were first aroused by the dead fish floating on the surface and the gradually increasing stink of the water sources … The possibility of the pollution being caused by seepage of sewage is strong… 261 words. Click here.

Cops bust sex racket of desi Russians
19 May: Times of India. By Preetu Nair. For the first time ever in Goa, the police have busted a racket of Indians duping people by posing as sex workers from Russia, Portugal and other nations. This came to light when the Calangute police picked up three transsexuals from outside a popular tourist joint in Baga on Friday night … Besides the three picked up, there are that many plying their trade in the North Goa belt … Upasna (24) had even learnt Russian and first came to Goa about seven years back ,,, She has a large clientele, mostly Indian middle aged men and even elderly foreigners … Julie (21) pretends to be a Portuguese national and also acts as an escort… 542 words. Click here.

Is Goa under threat from terrorists?
19 May: MidDay [Mumbai]. Confessions of an incarcerated SIMI [terrorist group] activist indicate that the group has plans to attack foreigners in Goa … Copy of transcripts … Goa has been on the hit lists of the terrorists for the past two years. The new revelation could trigger-off a series of security checks in the tourist state. Some SIMI members have already carried out reconnaissance of Goa. 324 words. Click here.

Models sizzled the ramp in Goa
19 May: Times of India. The heat could definitely be felt in Goa on Saturday. Hot models displayed talent and fashion at the Goa Mega Model and Manhunt 2008 contest, with the theme being global warming … Text and photo. Click here.

Mario Miranda: Goans are too suspicious of outsiders
20 May: Daily News & Analysis. Mario Miranda says he feels very lost and lonely in Mumbai … he prefers to stay at home, in Loutolim, Goa … What does he think of today’s Goa then? “We Goans are too suspicious of outsiders. There are so many people who have come from outside and are in fact preserving our heritage, something that native don’t seem to be doing as much.” … 413 words. Click here.

Goa: Clinton Vaz offers solutions to complex garbage issue
21 May: MeriNews. By Armstrong Vaz. Clinton Vaz, a self employed environmental consultant from Goa, offers solution to the waste management issue that is plaguing Goa at present. Goa's municipal corporation is struggling to get rid of heaps of garbage, which has been lying untreated. 865 words. Click here.

Study reveals drug abuse among children in Goa
22 May: Times of India. A study has made some startling revelations. If you thought that drug abuse is a youth problem, think again … even children aged 12 years abuse drugs orally and by the time they are in their twenties, take to intravenous drugs …The mean age for sexual debut is estimated at 19 years of age, with some having their first sexual experience at the age of 17 or below. 324 words. Click here.

Weekly Update
22 May: Times of India – Goa. Exchange rates £= 84.16; $ = 42.70; Euro = 67.44
Weather: Partly cloudy. Max = 34.4C; Min = 25.8C. Humidity 60% to 78%

Scarlett Keeling: UK Offered Goa Police Help
16 May: Western Morning News. Gordon Brown has told the mother of Scarlett Keeling - the Devon teenager found murdered in Goa - that Britain has offered to “share best practice on forensics and policing" with the Indian authorities” … The British High Commissioner in New Delhi discussed the case with the Indian Foreign Minister on April 7 and asked for clarification on the progress of the investigation, said Mr Brown …He said Britain had offered to work with the Indian authorities to improve the safety of British tourists in Goa through improving communication and information to tourists. 599 words. Click here.

Scarlett's story to hit silver screen
16 May: NDTV: The story of the 15-year-old British girl Scarlett Keeling, allegedly raped and murdered in February in Goa will hit the silver screen by the end of 2008 … Prabhakar Shukla, the producer, says that Katrina Kaif, the current rage in Bollywood, is his first choice to play the lead. 107 words. Click here.

Listen to your inner voice that warns of perilous activity
18 May: San Francisco Chronicle. When it comes to travel, there's adventurous and then there's just plain asinine … It's almost as if visitors, and even authorities, are out of touch with reality. It took the recent slaying of a 15-year-old British girl to finally get authorities to crack down on crime in the picturesque Indian state of Goa, where at least 126 foreigners have died in the past two years… Click here.

Scarlett Keeling: Mom alleges role of politician son
19 May: The Asian Age… Fiona MacKeown said that she had already mentioned the suspect’s name to the Goa police … she also said that the suspect is a politician’s son from Goa. "Not only have the people from the beach, but also locals in the town told me that a politician’s son is involved in the murder indirectly if not directly. I have also learnt that he takes protection money from the drug peddlers in Goa. However, I don’t have any evidence against the man. He used to visit Curlie’s shack at Anjuna beach everyday where Scarlett too used to hang out. But I haven’t heard anybody telling me that he ever spoke or misbehaved with Scarlett." 376 words. Click here.

Scarlett Keeling: Investigation Botched Up
19 Mar: Livemint. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s call for the creation of a Central agency to investigate and tackle crimes such as terrorism and drug smuggling comes at an appropriate juncture. The last two decades have shown that states are incapable of stemming the tide of such crimes … Cases such as the Scarlett Keeling case in Goa show that by the time CBI moves in, the investigation has been botched, and securing a conviction is almost impossible … Click here.

Scarlett Keeling: Child activists flayed
19 May: Times of India, Goa edition. Page Drawing similarities between the Freddy Peats case and the alleged rape and murder of Scarlett Keeling in Goa, noted child activist Sheela Barse, said that in both cases the “so-called” child activists in Goa have remained silent, even as the victim was being victimized … Barse recollected that even when Peats case exposed the paedophile racket in Goa, many including some activists, tried to indulge in character assassination of the minor victims. 497 words. Click here.

India proves chicken
20 Mar: Times of India. Instead of the peacock, India should adopt the chicken as its national bird … our official response to various situations can best be described as chicken-hearted … The truth is that we are just too chicken to take on the big demons but make do with assailing minor imps of the perverse. For instance, Fiona Mackeown, mother of the murdered Scarlett Keeling, has been strictured for having left her 15-year-old daughter alone in Goa. What an unnatural, monstrous mother. How unlike the caring, sharing mothers of the suitably named Mother India, where female foeticide and infanticide are as common as the common cold … Click here.

High Court grants time for CBI intervention in Scarlett case
22 May: Times of India – Goa edition. p. The High Court on Wednesday granted three week’s time to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to decide whether it would take up the Scarlett Keeling case … the advocate representing the CBI that the concerned authorities have to apply their minds and take an appropriate decision that will require at least three weeks time. 316 words. Click here.

UK: Penzance: Pub's tuk-tuk

15 May: The Cornishman (UK). Les and Ginny Rowe of Dock Inn in Penzance have imported a tuk-tuk from Goa, to drive around the town … Les said: "I first had the idea about five years ago, when on holiday in Goa. I thought: 'They're great fun - let's get one back home'." … To celebrate its long awaited arrival, a tuk-tuk launching party is being held this Saturday, May 17, at The Dock Inn from 7pm. and there will be a special Indian menu. Indian dress is optional. 250 words. Click here.

Val Lowe raises money for Goa street kids
15 May: Lancashire Telegraph. Val Lowe, 58, of Accrington, UK, travels to Goa twice a year with six or seven suitcases filled with items for children, after being inspired to help them while holidaying there four years ago. She has now decided to hold a two-day garage sale in her front garden at the weekend … During her visits to Goa she volunteers for the street rescue charity El Shaddai, and her dream is to work in India when she retires, helping children full-time. On her trips there, she usually breakfasts with the "Untouchable" women in Goa's gutters, who she describes as "incredible ladies" … For more information on street rescue charity El Shaddai, visit www.childrescue.net. 451 words. Click here.

Mumbai: Club class
18 Nay: The Goan clubs at Dhobi Talao have been around for over a century, but now their crumbling rooms face the threat of demolition… the clubs are boarding houses for people from Goa. Every village has club for its residents here. It is a mini-Goa in Mumbai…The oldest Goan clubs can be traced back to 1857. 750 words. Click here.

Charity venture blossomed into a real success
20 May: Portsmouth News (UK). Five girls from Warblington School won the third annual Faith & Football Enterprise Challenge by selling about 250 saplings making a profit of £2,300 – all of which goes to Faith and Football's work in Goa … They will visit Goa for a week in November to see how the money they raised as part of the challenge's £12,000 total will help the poor and orphaned there … Foe a photo and text 345 words, click here.
For the Faith & Football website click here.

“Drug mafia snuffed out Bennett”

21 May: Daily News & Analysis. Sixteen months after Stephen Bennett was found murdered in a village off the Mumbai-Goa highway, his family has alleged that he was used as a pawn by his acquaintances and maintained that he was killed by the drug mafia. According to his sister Amanda, two of his friends owed Rs 35 lakhs to a drug dealer … She calls the investigations into the case fudged… 460 words. Click here.
For links to more information about Stephen Bennett click here.

Where is Jean Baptiste Talleu?
21 May: Stern (Germany) Feature on Jean Baptiste Talleu who has gone missing. Click here.

The provocative title of "Goa Has Become a Toilet" appears in an article on Goanet. Innumerable posters have given vent to their fairly strong feelings about this title. Understandably, most are highly critical of such a description that arose when an angry and pained UK national wrote about her woes in Goa after having legitimately arranged to live there with her husband until very recently. Methinks that, it is the criticism of Goa--particularly its bureaucratic aspects, by a foreigner, rather than by a local person that has generated so much anger on this theme. However, there is another point worth making. The title of the article represents a metaphorical critique of Goa as a place that has deteriorated or 'gone down the chute'. However, most of the posters have taken a literal meaning to heart re the negative vibes associated with a toilet when, coincidentally, several others did describe parts of Panjim (Goa)"as an open air toilet."

From Basilio Monteiro, Goanet has received a post titled Do We Have To Repeat The Mistakes Of Others? Originally from the Economist of 15/5/08, this article draws attention to the dilemmas of tourism. On the one hand tourism is a source of valuable foreign exchange, but on the other, it is blamed for "polluting the landscape, spoiling the beaches and corrupting the locals' morals." Such a theme has been discussed on Goanet before by several posters but there is considerably more depth in the material sent by Basilio. For more details, please click here and here.

Wendell Rodrigues a celebrated fashion designer, presented his vision for the development of Goan villages. He incorporated many ideas of what was traditional in Goa but with a modern feel to it. Interestingly, there were diverse responses to Wendell's ideas. Some welcomed them enthusiastically but others felt that the ideas were rather outdated and unrealistic for today.

Miguel Braganza in an article draws our attention to a video on "Watch The Rape Of Goa".In his realistic but fairly painful article, Miguel takes us through a reflected potted history of the political shenanigans that have made Goa so vulnerable to so many. A synopsis of the video states that "the sad and shocking tale of the criminal assault on Goa's land, culture and identity, by the real estate sharks and the mining lobby, in cahoots with corrupt politicians, is told through the medium of an audio-visual slide show" produced by Rajan P. Parrikar.

Finally, a book about the Goans in Bombay by Reena Martins will be forthcoming. Reena would be happy to receive chapter contributions to the book and one can write to her for further information at reenamartins@hotmail.com

DOCUMENTARY: Goa Property Problems. BBC Radio 4 (also online)
Fri 23rd May. 12:00 – 13:00 “You and Yours” is to devote a segment to the threatened confiscation of Goa Property owned by Foreign Nationals. To listen online or to a recording for up to 6 days later click here.

DOCUMENTARY: In Focus. Deutsche Welle UK
Sat 24th May. 16:30 to 17:00. The Magic Hippie Trail - On the Hippie Trail to Goa

DOCUMENTARY: Between the Ears. BBC Radio Three
Sat. 24th May. 21:00 to 21:30. An impressionistic feature on the notion of paradise - lost, sought and found. In 1442, a Venetian cartographer in 1442 firmly situated 'paradise' at the most eastern edge of India …

ENTERTAINMENT: The Asian Bride Show Manchester. Wedding TV
Sun. 25th May. 13:00 to 14:00. Highlighting the hottest brands, venues and selected menus from all over.

DOCUMENTARY: Women in Black. BBC 2
Thu 29 May. 19:30 to 20:00. Amani explores a female British Muslim world She spends the night Asian speed dating, ends up at a very smart women's do and talks to a young Bangladeshi author who writes erotica.

FILM: Jalwa. Bollywood 4U
Fri. 30 May. 01:00 to 04:00. Bollywood film. A policeman from Mumbai travels to Goa to assist in a murder mystery and shows the cops in Goa a thing or two. 1987

DOCUMENTARY: The Brits in Bollywood. BBC Radio Four.
Fri. 30th May. 11:00 to 11:30. British Asians are retracing their roots and pursuing careers in the huge Indian cinema industry. There is even a Bollywood acting school opening in west London.

CHAT SHOW: A Taste of My Life. BBC 2
Fri.30th May. Time: 18:30 to 19:00. Sanjeev Bhaskar reminisces about school dinners, and reveals how he was embarrassed about being Indian as a child.

Sat 31 May. 7pm. GOA Anniversary and May Ball. Wandsworth Civic Suite. Crowning of May Queen and May King. Music by Mellow Tones and Nite Life. Further details from Norma Menezes Rahim 020 8771 4457 Rosy De Souza 020 8677 0390 Rose Remedios 020 8658 7769 Claire De Souza 01784 421421 and Bernie Gracias 020 8723 1322. For full details click here.

Sun.15 Jun. Siolim Union (London) celebrates the feast of St. Anthony of Padua at Archbishop Lanfranc School Hall, Mitcham Road, Croydon CR9 3AS. Commences with Holy Mass at 12noon followed by dancing to the music of Maz and Co. Licensed Bar. Tickets which include snacks and lunch cost £10 for members & £12 for guests. Children under 12 free admission (meal tickets £3). No tickets will be sold at the door. Dress: Strictly Formal Contact: Edwin Athayde 020 8679 5514, Eugene Fernandes 020 8665 4773, Tony Fernandes 020 8540 3566.

Sun 29 Jun: Benaulim Association celebrates the feast of St John the Baptist at Woodside High School Hall (formerly Known as White Hart Lane School) opp The New River Sports Centre, White Hart Lane, Wood Green, London N22. Holy Mass at 12.30 followed by a social gathering and dancing to the music by Maz & Co. Tickets: Members £8.00, Guests £10.00, Children 8 - 16 £4 and Under 8 FREE. For tickets and further information please contact Josephine 0208 967 7471, Mary 0208 803 9752 or Santan 0208 952 9365

Sun. 6 Jul. The Aldona Association will be celebrating the Feast of their Patron, St. Thomas at St.Edmund's Church Hall Croyland Road, Edmonton N9 7BZ on 6 July 2008. Mass will commence at 12.00pm followed by dancing to the music of Maz 'n'Co. Ticket cost includes snacks and a meal, Members £10.00, Guests £12.50 and children 5-16 yrs £6.00. You can download an application form from our website: www.aldonalondon.org.uk or email: aldonalondon@hotmail.com. For further details contact Jude-020 8360 4102, Les-020 8440 8832 or Tino-0162 8680 529.