intervention in Afghanistan: The stage is now set for the final act of the NATO-led military intervention in Afghanistan, according to The Chronicle Herald. Most NATO allies, including Canada, have already ceased their contribution of combat forces and The U.S. has made it clear that by the end of 2014 they will withdraw the last of their remaining combat troops. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Karen Moxley: From horror movies to blues music, there's no shortage of entertainment picks in Calgary, according to CBC. The Halo High Water flood relief benefit concert takes place at the Jubilee Auditorium on Sunday night and It's shaping up to be some uncertain weather this weekend but the 's Karen Moxley has some suggestions for fun activities both indoors and out. If you have an idea not mentioned here post it in the comment section below. Halo High Water (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Saturdays Grand Parade: Its the largest festival of its kind in North America, and organizers estimate 1 million people packed the grounds for Saturdays Grand Parade. In addition more than 30,000 masqueraders, dancers and drummers marched in the festivities, according to The Star. Its on our bucket list, we ve lived in Toronto all our lives, she says, flanked by her two girlfriends in matching shoes. Its something I think everyone should experience and If the sequin-strewn cement at Exhibition Place is any indicator, the 46th annual Scotiabank Carribean Carnival was a glittering success. Although masqueraders are decked out in sparkling rainbow bikinis and elaborate headdresses, their feet stay practical for the all-day parade. Asia Amal, who wears sensible denim slip-ons, estimates she walked seven kilometers since arriving at 10 in the morning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nick Hanauer: Thats right; they want to double the federal minimum wage. Hey, why not swing for the fences? But before you sputter at the chutzpah of this demand, consider the point made by venture capitalist Nick Hanauer in a provocative op-ed for Bloomberg : "If the minimum wage had simply tracked U.S. productivity gains since 1968, it would be $21.72 an hour three times what it is now." , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Whats supposed to matter is how much doubling the wage would add to the price of your Big Mac or Whopper. And, yes, prices would rise, but by how much is currently something of an Internet parlor game. The Huffington Post touted and subsequently disowned an estimate that McDonalds would have to hike prices by 17 per cent to maintain current levels of profitability. An editor for the Columbia Journalism Review picked this apart and instead surmised the price hikes would have to be more in the range of 25 per cent, while an industry think tank pegged them at up to 35 per cent. You might have missed this, if you didnt happen to hit the right fast-food drive-through on the right day in July, but your neighbourhood burger-flippers and assorted labour activists staged one-day strikes in cities across the United States. They called for the right to unionize and for a raise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Hanauer, who also supports a $15 wage floor, is clearly mixed up. We are not supposed to look at this issue from the point of view of the worker. We re consumers first and foremost, right? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

duty exemptions: The relaxed border policy means CBSA agents are effectively ignoring federal duty exemptions, which are normally set at $0 for trips less than 24 hours long, and up to $200 for overnight stays, according to CTV. "During periods of peak traffic, I ve seen the federal duty exemptions raised anywhere from $150 to $200 and more per person in order to alleviate the traffic strains," McMichael told British Columbia and In a bid to reduce the typical long weekend lineups at the U.S.-Canada border, Canadian Border Service Agency guards have been instructed to bend the rules and wave drivers through in times of heavy traffic, News has learned. Jason McMichael, a spokesperson for the Customs and Immigration Union, said the move is not "uncommon." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: Rudd, who was dumped by his centre-left party in June 2010, has generated a spike in public support since he returned but conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott is still favourite to win power, according to CBC. Abbott's opposition has promised to scrap an unpopular 30 per cent tax on coal and iron ore mine profits, as well as a $24.15 per tonne carbon tax if he wins power. Rudd returned as prime minister on June 26 after he toppled Gillard, with a third of Gillard's cabinet also stepping down and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called a Sept. 7 general election on Sunday, barely six weeks after he toppled former leader Julia Gillard in a party-room vote, ending a turbulent three years in power for the minority Labor government. Rudd's Labor government could fall with the loss of just one of the 150 seats in parliament. His government currently holds 71 seats, the opposition 72, with one Green and six independent cross-benchers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sun Life Financial Inc: TORONTO The focus on earnings moves to the financial sector this week as traders wait for reports from insurance giants Manulife Financial Corp. and Sun Life Financial Inc, according to The Chronicle Herald. The reports, Sun Life on Wednesday and Manulife on Thursday, come at a time when both stocks are trading close to their 52-week highs. Sun Life has risen 62 per cent from its 52-week low to $33.95 while Manulife has surged 81 per cent from its low for the year to $18.74 and The Toronto market ended the week with a modest loss of 45 points or 0.35 per cent following the release of a slew of earnings from corporate Canada, particularly from the resource sector. The materials sector was the biggest drag after fertilizer producers PotashCorp of Saskatchewan and Agrium racked up huge losses after Russian producer Uralkali opted to break up a powerful cartel. The move raised concerns that potash prices could fall by around 25 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

heavy traffic: One agent said its not uncommon for the CBSA to tell officers to wave through drivers in times of heavy traffic, effectively ignoring federal duty exemptions, which are currently set at $0 for trips of less than 24 hours, and up to $200 for overnight travellers, according to CTV. A staffing decrease is whats behind the more relaxed border policies, according to McMichael and Canadian Border Services agents have been instructed to bend the rules for long weekend travelers to help alleviate headache-inducing lineups, News has learned. During periods of peak traffic I ve seen it raised anywhere from $150 to $200 and more per person in order to alleviate the traffic strains, said Jason McMichael, Customs Immigration Union spokesman. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

experiential learning: And yet, as academics with experience in internships and related professional learning opportunities, we know internships can be of tremendous value to students, according to The Star. For Kolb, experience and learning are two parts of a circular and reinforcing pattern that works only when students are exposed to both. And then theres Dale, whose learning pyramid identifies doing as the most memorable of learning activities, while passively listening to a lecture is the least memorable. More recent work suggests that service learning a form of experiential learning in which academic learning is paired with volunteer work in a community organization can help students develop critical thinking skills as well as helping learners to form new perspectives on complex situations and circumstances. Furthermore, student participation in service learning in particular promotes the development of civically engaged individuals, even post-graduation and Recently, in this paper, and in others across North America, internships have been critiqued as a malaise in which interns work for no pay, and for which they receive little benefit. Ross Perlin, author of the 2011 book Intern Nation, argues in the New York Times that the exploitation of students through internships is rampant and unjust . The Toronto Star recently reported on internship programs at firms where former interns are suing for back wages , and winning. Education theorists, such as John Dewey , David Kolb and Edgar Dale, have been proponents of the value of experiential learning. In 1937, Dewey, the most famous North American educator of the 20th century, argued that experience was a vital element of education because students could reflect upon it, think critically about how knowledge and skills are used to address problems in the world and apply the knowledge learned from such experience to new contexts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Barack Obama: MANUAL BALCE CENETA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama CP , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Then there's the rivalry over who has the best-dressed first lady, capped by China's surprising anointment as the winner this week by Vanity Fair. ABOVE: Peng Liyuan, accompanying her husband, President Xi Jinping of China, is the International Best-Dressed, says Vanity Fair magazine. RIGHT: Michelle Obama, with her husband, U.S. President Barack Obama, didnt make the magazines list for the second year in a row. CP Enlarge Image BEIJING -- In the love-hate U.S.-China relationship, there's been no shortage of competition: cyberwars, currency wars, intellectual property wars and, most recently, the tug of war over a certain asylum-seeking fugitive leaker. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.