Friday, February 24, 2023

Time for Change - From Crab Mentality to Virtues

 





















The behaviour of some people in this world who pull down others on their way to succeed in life is best defined as 'crab mentality' often with a phrase "If I can't have it, neither can you", analogous to the mentality of crabs in a bucket. It's TIME NOW FOR CHANGE - FROM CRAB MENTALITY TO VIRTUES.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Monday, February 20, 2023

'A Carnival in Goa' - In Memoriam






















A Carnival Parade that did not happen.

Remembering those who lost their lives on 18th February 2012 (11 years ago) in a bus tragedy at Calvim ferry crossing in Goa during Carnival time. On this day, the floats taking part in the Grand Carnival Parade in Panjim, Goa, were ready and waiting, but the parade and all other festivities were cancelled by the government as a mark of respect to those who died. I was then in Goa on a holiday.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Carnival Parade in Panjim, Goa

 






































Carnival in Panjim,Goa. 1973.

Glimpses of 'Intruz' of 40 years ago.

Viva Carnaval.

Photographs by Tony Fernandes

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Tiatr! Tiatr! - M. Boyer / Freddy Barboza












M. Boyer’s Tiatr ‘Ekuch Rosto’.

I took this picture from my house in Canca, Parra, Bardez, Goa. Circa 1992. I lived and worked in Dubai then, and was in Goa on a short holiday during that time. It was a little after breakfast. I was getting ready to join Mr. Freddy Barboza (my father-in-law) and Mr M. Boyer in announcing and distributing Tiatr handbills in the villages in the north-west of Goa.

Freddy Barboza and M. Boyer were very good friends since their acting days in Konkani Theatre in Bombay. Mr. Barboza used to take contracts for staging Konkani dramas in Bombay and Goa. Ready with two loudspeakers facing different directions on the roof and after having the Advertisement Board firmly secured at the back of the taxi, they were waiting for me.

Announcements in Konkani, like for example, “Tiatr, Tiatr, zo zatolo Mapuca, Hanuman Hallant, Mai-ache 18-ver, donparcheam 2.30 horancher” (Eng. trans: Drama!, Drama!, that will be staged at Mapusa, in Hanuman Theatre, on 18th May, at 2.30 in the afternoon) were made by Mr. Freddy Barboza over the PA system fitted to the taxi as we passed through the villages of Siolim, Anjuna, Arpora, Calangute, Candolim, Saligao, and back to Canca-Parra. We played Konkani songs on cassette tapes along the way. I had made a couple of announcements myself too. En route in the afternoon we had stopped for some cold beer and snacks. Overall for me it was an exciting and enjoyable day and a wonderful experience.

As a young kid growing up in Goa, I used to be very excited whenever a car passed by advertising ’Tiatr! Tiatr!” and I would run towards the main road to pick up a hand-bill. And today, here I was, handing hand-bills myself from a car, while announcing: ”Tiatr! Tiatr”!!!!!

Friday, February 10, 2023

Antique Cars in Goa

 





















Antique cars photographed during my visits to Goa over the years


Wednesday, February 08, 2023

Full Moons and their Common Names throughout the Year.





























All photographs by Tony Fernandes 
The varied colors appear when the moon is seen or photographed through stratified and irregular gas layers of Earth's atmospheric blanket. Tiny air molecules in the layers scatter light that hits them, and their structure causes blue light to scatter more readily than red or orange. 

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
When a second full moon occurs in a single calendar month, it is called a "Blue" moon because it is the 2nd of 2 full moons in a single calendar month. Hence the timeless phrase of yore where it is derived from - “once in a blue moon”- which is rare. As we all know full moons are separated by 29 days, while most months are 30 or 31 days long; so it is possible at times to fit two full moons in a single month. This happens every two and a half years or so.

January Full Moon is called Wolf Moon due to the howling of hungry wolves searching for food during midwinter. Other names for this month's full moon are Old Moon and Ice Moon.

February's Full moon was called Snow Moon by many Native American cultures due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs during this time of year. Some North American tribes named it the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food sources and hard hunting conditions during mid-winter, while others named it the Storm Moon.

A Worm moon is in fact the traditional name for the March full moon, dating back to the medieval Europeans and Native American tribes who gave each month’s moon a different name, often reflecting the changes in nature. The Worm Moon gets its name from the earthworm which emerges in March. This is a sign of the end of winter and beginning of spring. The Worm Moon is  the last full moon of  winter. Also called as the Lenten Moon, refers to the Christian Lent period and Crow Moon, as the birds become more active after the winter, and the Sap or Sugar moon.

April full moon is known as the Pink Moon and the Paschal Moon.The paschal full moon is the ecclesiastical full moon of the northern spring and is used in the determination of the date of Easter. The name "paschal" is derived from "Pascha", a transliteration of the Aramaic word meaning Passover. It appears yellow because as the Moon's light travels a longer distance through the atmosphere, more of the shorter, bluer wavelengths of light are scattered away, leaving more of the longer, redder wavelengths. 

In folklore, the full moon in May is known as the Flower Moon because it occurs as spring blossoms in the Northern Hemisphere. The term was popularized by the Farmer's Almanac, which attributes it to the Algonquin people of North America.

June’s full Moon, typically the last full Moon of spring or the first of summer - is traditionally called the Strawberry Moon. This name has been used by Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others, to mark the ripening of strawberries that are ready to be gathered. As flowers bloom and early fruit ripens, June is a time of great abundance for strawberries that are ready to be gathered. As flowers bloom and early fruit ripens, June is a time of great abundance for many.  

A full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because a buck’s antlers are in full growth mode at this time. This full Moon is also known as the Thunder Moon because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.

The full Moon in August is traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this part of summer.

September’s full moon is closest to the autumnal equinox. It is called the Harvest Moon, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Vice versa, when October's full moon is closer to the equinox, it gets the name Harvest Moon, and September's is called the Corn Moon.

According to popular belief and almanac reports, October’s full moon was named the Hunter's Moon because it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for cold winter months. But the moon itself is simply the first full moon to follow the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox for the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox is typically September 22 or 23. So most Harvest Moons come in September. But, every three years, the Harvest Moon falls in early October and the Hunter’s Moon in November.

November’s full moon is nicknamed the "Beaver Moon" as beavers in North America prepare their dens and stock up for the incoming of winter.

The coming of winter earned December's full moon the name Cold Moon. Other names include the Long Night moon and the Oak Moon.

Snow Full Moon, Mississauga




















MOONwhile, in Mississauga, ON, after a heavy snowfall during the week, the Moon eventually shows up briefly through intermitent floating clouds and made my night worthwhile letting me photograph the Snow Moon which is the Full Moon in February, named after the snow on the ground in the Northern Hemisphere. Some North American tribes named it the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food sources and hard hunting conditions during mid-winter, while others named it the Storm Moon. Photograph by Tony Fernandes.

Thursday, February 02, 2023

It’s an early spring. Wiarton Willie didn’t see his shadow.










In Wharton, Ont., the community's celebrity groundhog, Wiarton Willie, did appear from his burrow but "didn't see his shadow" indicating an early spring
..

Wednesday, February 01, 2023

“OFF TO THE RACES” - Nad Al Sheba - Dubai - UAE. The 1990’s. Tonferns Photography.

 



















“OFF TO THE RACES” -  Nad Al Sheba - Dubai - UAE. The 1990’s. 

Tonferns Photography.