Together, we can roll back the Provincial library cuts!

Extract:

e-activist.com

Please ask Premier Wynne to reverse cuts to public library operating grants, cut in half largely at ... click here: e-activist.com

Info courtesy: Mayank Bhatt @ Generally About Books : Sign the petition...

Overseas Citizenship of India is not the same for all Non-resident Indians: Some still have to go the extra mile

This post (on OCI/Dual citizenship/Overseas citizen's extra fee plus a new sticker in case of acquiring a 'new foreign passport by senior NRIS's as well junior NRI's), aims to alert the NRIS' who may have not read the following:


"Anger builds: Livid at Overseas Citizen of India regulations, community plans protests," George Joseph India Abroad April 19, 2013 -- The much vaunted OCI Card!!! [includes a picture of Participants at meetings on OCI card issues in Bergen County, New Jersey, and Philadelphia]; + Sanjay Puri's 'The Diaspora has been the victim,' India Abroad April 19, 2013. 

Facebook has a tragic story (Is this the way India wants to treat its Overseas Citizens??Connecticut/Ahmedabad, 20 March, 2011) of a Gujarati Janak Parekh's family not being allowed to enter India, because they didn't follow the  rule (new sticker with new fee, for new foreign passport).
Note: How much the family must have had to face the problem given the fact they were with those under the age of 20, as well. (a petition needs to be comprehensive, then the one given below just for the kids).  

Other experiences (an OCI is entitled to life-long-visa free travel to India, but you must read the fine print, anyways to know what OIC is-and is-not):

"Incidentally, I got my OCI after age 50 and have traveled to India with a new passport and my old passport that has the OCI U Visa stamp on it, without any problems. The immigration staff are well aware of the rules, on arrival at the airport when I presented my new passport that did not have the OCI visa stamped on it, I was politely asked for the passport that had the OCI visa, I showed the immigration officer my old passport with the OCI U Visa stamp and did not encounter any problems." Nriinformation.com

"I know it was my mistake for not taking my old passport with the visa sticker with me and I will never make the same mistake again; the main purpose of my mail was to warn my friends not to make the same mistake that I made. " Denied Entry with OCI Card

OCI card holders affected by new rules – Indian families facing ... immigrationvoice.org

Grievance related to reissuance of OCI's issued to children of Indian passport holding parents. Petition

OCI – Overseas Citizen of India follies

Very important and least publicized (a renewal fee and a sticker for life long-visa holders, i.e., if you are below 20 and above 50 years of age). There was no such fee (to get a sticker) until the year 2008--see the CGIToronto Website.

Extract of the need for a STICKER and a FEE from Consulate General of India, Toronto's Website:

I. In case of issuance of new foreign passport
OCI registration certificate and 'U' visa sticker carry the passport number of the registered OCI. Accordingly, each time a new passport is issued to an OCI holder; it has to be captured on the registration certificate and visa. This would require re-issuance of OCI registration certificate and visa each time a new foreign passport is issued in the following cases.

1. Up to the completion of 20 years of age, OCI documents have to be re-issued each time a new passport is issued to the holder.
2. Between 21-50 years of age, there is no need to seek re-issuance of OCI documents each time a new passport is issued. However, if the applicant desires, he/she may avail the service for re-issuance of OCI documents.
3. After the completion of 50 years of age, OCI documents have to be re-issued once after issuance of a new passport

Documents to be submitted to the Consulate General:

1. In case of issuance of new foreign passport:
   (i) OCI Registration Certificate and Canadian Passport(s) [old and new], in original.
   (ii)In case of minor children, parents Indian and Canadian passports along with Record of Landing
   (iii) Copy of existing OCI registration certificate and U visa pasted on existing foreign passport.
   (iv) One set of print out of the form, duly filled in, and signed. The applicant must affix one colour photo [51 mm x 51 mm] on form Aand sign in the signature box.
   (v) Copy of new and old Canadian passports
   (vi) Fees through Bank Draft/Money Order.

Fees:
(a) CAN$ 28.00 for re-issuance of OCI documents in case of issuance of new foreign passport, change of personal particulars, wrong filing of particulars.
(b) CAN$ 103.00 for issuance of duplicate OCI documents in case of loss/damage of old OCI /Foreign passport carrying OCI Visa sticker.
(c) In respect of the service for change of address/occupation, no hard copy of the application shall be submitted to the Indian Mission/Post/Office. Accordingly, the issue of Enclosures and Payment of fee does not arise. Continue reading all Consulate General details + Google: on fee, sticker "new foreign passport"

Canadian popular culture is changing, eh?

"Overall Canadian pop culture indeed seems to be a reflection of American popular culture, and while I understand the desire to establish our own identity, I don’t think it’s that big a deal if we have music, television, movies, books, magazines etc from other countries." Eh! Canadian Pop Culture Blog

"The fundamentals aren't changing because the new mainstream is a different colour. It's changing because the new mainstream is fundamentally different in every way - culture, conservatism, language, religion, cultural habits around money (saving it and spending it) and cultural habits around food. And the most fundamental thing about advertising/marketing is that it is about how people work. This is not an old "us" vs. a new "them". This is just a new "us." One of the cool things about Canadian immigrants is that they want to be Canadian and they are proud to be Canadian, but they also discover very early that it is really difficult to define what "Canadian" is. Ultimately however, they come to realize in a single, empowering, incredibly Canadian moment that being Canadian is... being themselves." Everything it’s cracking up to be.

Video: Why Canada lets other countries define its cultural tastes -The Globe and Mail - Arts reporter John Barber discusses with Madeleine White why an artistic brain drain is inevitable in Canada and why Canadians shouldn't be bothered by it

Strictly Canadian: Embracing the new nation’s culture, By:Mayank Bhatt Toronto Star -- At present, term Canadian is narrowly defined and doesn’t encompass all it should — culturally, socially, economically and politically.... A culture acquires acceptance and gains in popularity when it’s constantly talked about...

Understanding Canadian pop culture can help your integration process, By Mayank Bhatt, Canadian Immigrant

Controversial new ' RCAF Icons of Canadian Culture' program being attacked, Ric Peterson

Strictly Canadian: What are the ‘Canadian values’ we continue champion?. Roland Mascarenhasspecial, Toronto Star. -- Does being Canadian occur spontaneously when Sidney Crosby scores the winning goal for Canada, or is it a process we must undertake every day? -- Writer Roland Mascarenhas is still looking for the so-called “Canadian values” of his adopted home.

Pop culture Year in Review — 2012

Is Canada's pop culture distinctive? CBC

On the same shelf:

Outsourcing bank jobs - Media monitoring

"At the high end of the skills spectrum, a different proposition is at work, as seen at RBC. High-tech jobs are shipped overseas or contracted to a Canadian company that gets the job done overseas. Costs go down, profits go up and up, as do CEO compensations (in RBC’s case, $7.5 billion last year and Gord Nixon’s package, $12.6 million).

Now we know what was meant by business “competitiveness,” “flexibility,” “nimbleness,” etc." Stop importing temporary workers into Canada: Siddiqui, Toronto Star

Outsourcing bank jobs is common practice, say employees. CIBC, TD, Scotiabank and BMO replaced Canadians with temporary foreign workers, claim hundreds of emails, CBC News 

Andrew Coyne: RBC outsourcing controversy an economic fraud, National Post

Capitalism as usual: Why RBC's outsourcing isn't really a surprise, By Kevin Edmonds, rabble.ca

iGate: The firm at the centre of RBC's outsourcing scandal, CTV News

Scotiabank won't contract out work, says president CBC.ca

Ex-RBC foreign workers say contractor controlled their lives, CBC.ca

Have your say, Winnipeg Free Press -- Today, RBC is outsourcing jobs and rubbing it in by having existing staff ... It appears that the CEOs of RBC, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC and BMO, ..

Letter: Banks' outsourcing does not fool anyone, Montreal Gazette, -- RBC and TD have done exactly that. ... This letter is not going to stop BMO from eliminating every possible job at the bank and outsourcing it.

McMaster student leads online charge against RBC hiring practices, CBC.ca -- Reacting to the media firestorm over a Royal Bank subcontractor’s use of temporary foreign workers, Immigration minister Jason Kenney was unequivocal. “The rules are very clear,” he said. “You cannot displace Canadians to hire people from abroad.”

RBC contrite after outsourcing scandal, Foreign workers controversy draws federal attention, By Julian Beltrame And Dave Paddon, The Canadian Press; With Files From The Calgary Herald

RBC isn’t an employment agency for Canadians,  By William Watson, Ottawa Citizen

How do I create a Canadian résumé - Suggested Template

Your name and contact:

[Headings help]
Highlights of Qualifications

< Fifty-six percent (56.3%) of respondents of a Ryerson's survey prefer some form of summary statement or a profile over an objective statement >

Education < most recent first, followed by older >

< Professional education (degree, diploma, etc.)  >
< Professional development (certificates, training programs attended, etc.)  >

Work experience

< most recent first, followed by older; may be chronological/by dates or functional/by types of functions; Write your relevant accomplishments and how you achieved using the SAR = Situation, Action and Results -- collaborated with a team of five in data entry for developing a tool kit, based on intensive searching, meeting the deadlines and budgets at ...  >

<  Professional Work Experience  >
<  Other work experience  >

 

>

 

Special interests

Languages Known

Technical / Technological skills

References available upon request ----------------
Note:
a. Exclude from your Canadian resume: nationality, gender, marital status, date of birth and any other personal identification details (including S.I.N. / Passport number, etc.).
b. Use Keywords: Using keywords that describe your skills and qualifications (i.e., customize every time you submit your resume). You might see such keywods in their job ad you are answering and /or on their (companies') websites.
c. Keep your résumé short. Two page resume is max. One page cover-letter. Number your pages, add a page header/footer with name/email.
d. Change it for each job.
e. Proof read. Proof read. Proof read. Proof read. Proof read (each time you read, after a break, you will find some edit/correction/missing keyword).
f. This template is based on many samples, including settlement.org, workpermit.com, Ryerson's Results of the 2010 Canadian Resume & Interview Trends Survey, and many more in Job Search The Canadian Way

For More Information:

• Poss.ca – This is an e-resource--provides toolkits such as, cover letter, job interview tips.
• JobStar Central - Shows how to write a chronological and/or functional résumés.
• Monster.ca Résumé Centre - Tips and suggestions.
• eRésumés       Resources - How to deliver your cover letter and résumé electronically.
• Resume Dilemma: I'm Overqualified @ Monster

Resume Critique Checklist @ Monster.ca

Resume Critique Checklist, by Kim Isaacs

Extract:

• First Impression
• Appearance
• Resume Sections
• Career Goal
• Accomplishments
• Relevance
• Writing Style -- continue reading

On the same shelf:
A Canadian resume must have four essentials, a) content (profile), b) style (Canadian, only), c) format (Canadian, only), and d) delivery (etiquette). See details at  Job Search The Canadian Way

The library focuses on newcomers

PS. This article is reproduced with kind permission of Pradip Rodrigues @ canindia.com

The library focuses on newcomers

Last week I served as a panelist on a session titled “Newcomers and public libraries” at the Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference held at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto. The OLA is Canada’s largest library organization and the Super Conference is the largest continuing education event in librarianship in North America. The room was filled to capacity with librarians from across the province who were grappling with a variety of issues dealing with newcomers.At the onset, moderator Stephen Abram made it quite clear that the library did a poor job marketing itself, he recognized the fact that librarians were the least diverse group of employees and ageing. It was evident that the OLA had to go after newcomers and we the panelist were there to have a conversation about the needs and special needs of newcomers.

Some suggestions I offered:
Most immigrants stumble into libraries quite by accident. It would be a great idea to actually have a public library in every airport of this country as it would go a long way to promote reading and would be the first great institution a newcomer to Canada would discover and develop a life-long relationship with it. Newcomers could get their… library cards and check out books about Canada along with their luggage if they so wanted or at least they could be told about the location of their new neighborhood library. I have personally seen newcomers in the library looking quite lost while librarians went about their business assuming they would approach them if they had any question. I suggested what the moderator termed ‘the retail approach’, where library staff come around and ensure the visitor is finding everything okay. I was peppered with questions- would newcomers be offended if asked if they were new to Canada? I explained that some newcomers who are trying to forget that fact may feel mildly offended, but suggested that perhaps library staff could ask if they were new to the library system.

All newcomers to Canada aren’t necessarily Asian, South Asian or black. I once met a White South African couple and their children who had immigrated a year earlier, passed this library many times but never entered assuming it was like the kind they had back in the old country which was nothing to write home about. They were amazed to know that the library system carried every major literary work, books and periodicals on current affairs, thousands of DVDs, CDs, books on tape, children’s books… Then they asked, “How much are the user fees?” When I told them it was all free, they couldn’t believe their ears and signed up for library cards immediately. Most newcomers are aware of the library, but do not realize its potential.

As a newcomer to Canada 14 years ago, the library was at the top of the great things I listed about this country. I devoured books on Canadian history, geography and politics, read guide books, watched DVDs and listened to great music on CDs. I developed a love and understanding of this country through library books and I am convinced a library can be one of the greatest tools to integrate newcomers into Canada.

Observation at my branch library
This weekend I was at my branch library in Mississauga where I saw a sign “Newcomer Information”. A young South Asian newcomer was being given literature and information about services he could access like the conversational English classes his wife could attend, places he could go to get his credentials recognized and resumes made. The man then left the library without even glancing at a book. I thought to myself, here is a man who has come into the library for information on settling in, but no effort was made to actually give him a tour of the library. I am quite sure he or his wife don’t have library cards. The man indicated that fluency in verbal and written English was their handicap, but not once through the conversation did the counselor suggest he explore the vast riches of the library. To me this was like a hungry man asking for directions to the food bank when he was in one already.

What can be done
If libraries in immigrant-rich GTA are figuring out ways to engage newcomers, libraries in parts of the province that are only now beginning to see more and more visible minorities are struggling. Librarians from Barrie and communities beyond are having to stock up on relevant material for newcomers, order books and periodicals in other languages and help them as best they can. Perhaps librarians across this country can start by engaging in some conversations with some of their users who happen to be newcomers and make them feel welcome.
By Pradip Rodrigues

Debunking The 'Myth Of The Muslim Tide' : NPR

Extract:

"In Canada, a major analysis of national statistics found that skin colour, not religion, affected the ability to integrate, and that Muslims are no less (and sometimes slightly more) able to integrate economically and socially other than people of the same race." p(. 75)

The Myth of the Muslim Tide: Do Immigrants Threaten the West? by Doug Saunders

Book Description
From the author of prize-winning Arrival City, a controversial and long-overdue rejoinder to the excessive fears of an Islamic threat that have spread throughout America and Europe and threaten our basic values.
Since September 11, 2001, a growing chorus has warned that Western society and values are at risk of being overrun by a tide of Islamic immigrants. These sentiments reached their most extreme expression in July 2011, with Anders Breivik’s shooting spree in Norway. Breivik left behind a 1500 page manifesto denouncing the impact of Islam on the West, which showed how his thinking had been shaped by anti-immigrant writings that had appeared widely in books and respectable publications. In The Myth of the Muslim Tide, Doug Saunders offers a brave challenge to these ideas, debunking popular misconceptions about Muslims and their effect on the communities in which they live. He demonstrates how modern Islamophobia echoes historical responses to earlier immigrant groups, especially Jews and Catholics. Above all, he provides a set of concrete proposals to help absorb these newcomers and make immigration work. The most important trend of the twenty-first century will be a massive global migration to cities and across international borders. Rather than responding to our new religious-minority neighbours with fear and resentment, this book shows us how we can make this change work to our advantage.

What others say:
Listen to: The myth of the Muslim tide | Q with Jian Ghomeshi | CBC Radio
The Myth of the Muslim Tide : NPR
The Myth of the Muslim Tide by Doug Saunders rebuts right-wing fear mongers, by Charlie Smith -- "The Myth of the Muslim Tide may calm fears about women in hijabs and niqabs."
“Saunders’ approach is refreshingly levelheaded and fact-based… An invaluable contribution to the contemporary debate over Muslim immigration into Western communities.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Cogent and timely.” - Publishers Weekly

About Doug Saunders

Doug Saunders is a Canadian-British author and journalist. He is the author of the book Arrival City: The Final Migration and Our Next World (2011) and the London-based European bureau chief for The Globe and Mail. He writes a weekly column devoted to the larger themes and intellectual concepts behind international news, and has won the National Newspaper Award, Canada’s counterpart to the Pulitzer Prize, on four occasions.

Table of Contents
1 Popular Fiction
The New Neighbours 2
Crescent Fever: The Brief History of an Idea 9
The Parties of Eurabia 24
A Very American Invasion 29

2 The Facts
Population 38
Integration 61
Extremism 82

3 We've Been Here Before
The Catholic Tide 115
The Jewish Tide 127

4 What We Oughy to Worry About
The Invention of the Muslim People 139
The Problem of Integration 144
The Privatization of Religion 150
Escaping the Prison House of Culture 158

Library of Congress Subject headings:

Muslims --Western countries.
Islamophobia --Western countries.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / General
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Emigration & Immigration

On the same shelf:

• On TV, an Everyday Muslim as Everyday American February 8, 2013, The New York Times --Extract: "On a Sunday afternoon several months ago, I was engaged in one of my favorite religious rituals, watching pro football on television. During a break in the game, I reflexively clicked the “mute” button on the remote control. But my eyes stayed fixed on a startling commercial.
  The screen showed a balding man with tawny skin and a salt-and-pepper goatee, and seconds later it spelled out his name: Mujahid Abdul-Rashid. The advertisement went on to show him fishing, playing in a yard with two toddlers, and sitting down to a family meal. One week later, again during an N.F.L. game, the same commercial appeared. This time I listened to the words. The advertisement was for Prudential’s financial products for retirees. Mr. Abdul-Rashid was talking about his own retirement after 19 years as a clothing salesman, and the family time he now intended to enjoy."

     

Who says Canada's streets are no longer paved with gold

Documented proof here: 'PAVED WITH GOLD — Cashing in on the infrastructure boom' @ Maclean's 99 stupid things the government spent your money on

Extract: "Not everyone will agree with all these items being on the list. Some will justify handouts to companies and sports teams as necessary to “promote economic activity,” or they’ll say a camping program for new immigrants was a nice thing to do." continue reading: Maclean's

A note about the Gold paved streets is relevant here:
Those who visit Staten Island, get to read what an Italian had to say about immigrants' and their expectations:

"I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, found out three things:
First, the streets weren't paved with gold;
second, they weren't paved at all:
and third, I was expected to pave them." source
See also: Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Source: The Huddled Masses Myth: Immigration And Civil Rights, Kevin Johnson
As far as Canadian immigrant is concerned, the story and the statement is much the same. Any professional who comes to Canada is told that he / she needs 'local experience,' (aka, you have to pave them with gold)... More here: In Search of Gold Paved Streets: Greek Immigrant Labor in the Far West, 1900-1920 (Immigrant Communities and Ethnic Minorities in the United States and Canada) by Louis James Cononelos

On the same shelf:

Canada's streets no longer paved with gold - The Globe and Mail

Where The Streets Are Paved With Gold, Mental Floss -- Having great vocabulary didn't save the Thesaurus from extinction

Mythbusters #2 They think the streets are paved with gold! The Great British Community