Goa Blog at the Indibloggies: Are they Copying?

I am a bit surprised at the Indibloggies nominee for the Best New Indiblog category. The blog is called Goablog. Not sure what to say. Who is copying from whom?

The reason: look at this post on Goa university at Goablog (will it get deleted soon now?)

Goa University,the seat of higher learning in Goa was set up in 1985 and merged with the existing Centre for Post Graduate Instruction and Research (CPIR) of the University of Bombay (now Mumbai) that functioned at state-capital Panaji or Panjim. Goa University offers both graduate and post-graduate studies and research programmes. It is currently (September 2006) accredited to the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) in India with a rating of four stars. It is located on the Taleigao Plateau. Goa University was established under the Goa University Act of 1984 and commenced operations on June 1, 1985. The University provides higher education in the Indian state of Goa.

Now do a copyscape for the particular post

Have a look at the wikipedia link:
Goa University,the seat of higher learning in Goa was set up in 1985 and merged with the existing Centre for Post Graduate Instruction and Research (CPIR) of the University of Bombay (now Mumbai) that functioned at state-capital Panaji or Panjim. Goa University offers both graduate and post-graduate studies and research programmes. It is currently (September 2006) accredited to the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) in India with a rating of four stars. It is located on the Taleigao Plateau. Goa University was established under the Goa University Act of 1984 and commenced operations on June 1, 1985. The University provides higher education in the Indian state of Goa.

Word by word same? And no mention of wikipedia. There are other such posts. Not sure who is copying from whom but

Agonda Beach at Goa blog

Copyscape gives:

1.

2.

3.

Palolem Beach at Goa blog.

Situated just about 2-km West Of Chaudi, Canacona District, South Goa is the Palolem Beach. The major attractions nearby this beach are Agonda and Chaudi. The best time to visit Palolem Beach is November to March.

This stretch of white sand dominates the southern coast of Goa. Until a few years back, it was among the virgin beaches of Goa. However, it couldn’t escape from the eyes of the tourists. Although a few developments have taken place, the beach still has a soothing aura to it. A large area of the beach now accommodates a lot of small shacks that taper off as you move towards the south.

Copyscape match

just about 2-km West Of Chaudi, Canacona District, South Goa is the Palolem Beach. The major attractions nearby this beach are Agonda and Chaudi. The best time to visit Palolem Beach is November to March.

This stretch of white sand dominates the southern coast of Goa. Until a few years back, it was among the virgin beaches of Goa. However, it couldn't escape from the eyes of the tourists. Although a few developments have taken place, the beach still has a soothing aura to it. A large area of the beach now accomodates a lot of small shacks that taper off as you move towards the south.

Update 1: As of now if you click on any of the Goablog links mentioned in this post, you get an error message. Here are two screen shots of the posts that I have talked about above.

Israel Issues Terror Warning for Goa in December 2006

I stumbled upon The Jerusalem Post article that warns Israelis against travelling in Goa this December2006 season. The article says:

The security warning for all Israelis traveling in and around Goa was issued on Wednesday by the Foreign Ministry and the Counter-Terrorism Division of the National Security Council. The statement said the warning was based on intelligence information of a specific al-Qaida threat against tourists.

"As part of the existing al-Qaida terror threat in India, there is currently a concrete threat concentrated in the Goa region, where hundreds of travelers, including Israelis, gather for holidays at the end of the year," a ministry statement said.

It must be a desparate lot indeed which can think of hurting people randomly. I hope the season passes off peacefully

Any Good Budget Travel Magazines in India?

Since I am so gung-ho about travel, it came as a surprise (to me) that I do not know of any travel magazine in India apart from Outlook Traveller. And that too, I only go to their website. Well, the magazine comes in my college library, but the glossy cover and its outlandish destinations and super price tags, completely put me off. It seems like an insult to a budget traveler like me!

Now on the global scene, I know at least two good websites that devote attention to the budget travel, GoNOMAD.com and Transitions Abroad.

With GoNOMAD.com I had some luck and as many of my regular visitors know, my two stories have seen the light of the day. One is about treking in Goa with YHAI and the other about how to reach Ladakh without breaking my (OK, husband's) bank balance. Both of the stories are as budget travel as possible. And we are a double income no kid (but two nephews) household.

My feeling is that a lot of people do budget travel in India and around the globe. Can you point me out a good Indian website or magazine that devotes itself (at least acknowledges) budget traveling? If not, anyone is willing to launch such a magazine?