Guadalupe Moreto: Moreto is 89, a woman who once loved working on the family farm. She is frail now, unable to walk. Her grandchildren say she probably has dementia, according to The Star. I was praying to God, just praying to God, Moreto says. God, help me. Help me, God and TANAUAN, PHILIPPINES Guadalupe Moreto was sleeping in a first-floor bedroom at her daughters house when she felt her head bang against the ceiling. But she wasnt dreaming or hallucinating in the early-morning hours of Nov. 8, when a wall of seawater crashed through the house and she floated to the ceiling on a bamboo bed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Kelvin Goertzen: 'Dispute on the facts', according to Winnipeg Free Press. Kelvin Goertzen on a point of order : "Mr. Speaker, I mean this issue has just been dealt with, in terms of the request for leave. The house leader for the government Justice Minister Andrew Swan indicated that a response to Tory questions on Bill 2 was drafted yesterday, may have been slipped under the door of night. Certainly, we have the opportunity to read it. If this had been a priority to him, they could've been doing this the last 12 years, and I'm not expecting our critic to have to read something that may have come in in the dark of night and make a decision a couple of hours later. So, if they want to be respectful, they could do that. If they want to play politics, they can do it somewhere else, Mr. Speaker." Brittany Murray THE exchange in the house Thursday after Tory house leader Kelvin Goertzen declined consent for Bill 2 to move into second reading:James Allum, Minister of Education and Advanced Learning: "Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that I regret that the house leader for the Opposition doesn't want to protect roadside, doesn't want to provide roadside protection for construction workers." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

John Lennon: Today we are in an unlikely position. American jurisdictions have begun to craft new pot policies. But Canada lumbers on, even strengthening the legislation it inherited from an era of confusion, according to The Star. It certainly did to John Lennon and Searching for the scientific origins of Canadas marijuana prohibition is a quick exercise. There was no science used to justify the laws instituted 90 years ago, just a mess of panic, racism and accident that has metastasized over time. Yet there was one moment midway between then and now when it seemed like everything might change. In 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeaus government struck a royal commission and tasked it with an evidence-based examination of drug use and policy. The Le Dain Commission named after its chairman, future Supreme Court justice Gerald Le Dain signaled to observers that the country was on the cusp of regulatory revolution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syria: But this holiday season, I cant help wondering why the biggest humanitarian crisis in a decade is getting so little attention. I m referring to Syria, where nearly one-third of the population, almost 7 million people, has either fled the country or is displaced and struggling to survive inside Syria. Half of the two million Syrians who have escaped to neighboring countries are children. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. So let me explain the nature of this tragedy and how you can help. Americans are a generous people. During the holiday season, we are busy buying gifts and donating to the needy, and are quick to pull out the checkbook or text funds when a typhoon strikes the Philippines. As winter sets in, the Assad regime is preventing humanitarian aid convoys from reaching besieged areas containing hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom are starving. Why hasnt this human catastrophe affected us as emotionally as, say, a famine in Ethiopia? Perhaps because the dynamics of a famine are easy to grasp, while the Syrian story seems impossibly complicated. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tis the season: But, experts say, one faux pas can easily turn bad behaviour into a legal mess, according to CTV. Don't offer alcohol TORONTO -- 'Tis the season of the office holiday party, a time when the combination of awkward mingling with co-workers plus alcohol creates a social minefield. As the Christmas/holiday/end-of-year party season kicks off, employment law experts offer some tips on how both employers and employees can avoid liability while still partaking in some holiday cheer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Visa Canada: The poll by Visa Canada found that 45 per cent of this demographic group also shared their payment card information via email, loaned their cards and didn't keep their PIN confidential, according to Times Colonist. "Yet they're really not totally aware of who has access to this information and who else can be seeing this information and what would be done with it," he said from Toronto and MONTREAL - Many young Canadians are "oversharing" their financial information, says a new survey that found nearly half of 18- to 34-year-old respondents admitting they take risks like texting their credit or debit card numbers. This behaviour mirrors similar habits of sharing personal information on social media sites, said Gord Jamieson, head of payment system risk at the credit card company. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

TORONTO Tis: But, experts say, one faux pas can easily turn bad behaviour into a legal mess, according to 660 News. Dont offer alcohol TORONTO Tis the season of the office holiday party, a time when the combination of awkward mingling with co-workers plus alcohol creates a social minefield. As the Christmas/holiday/end-of-year party season kicks off, employment law experts offer some tips on how both employers and employees can avoid liability while still partaking in some holiday cheer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nils Muiznieks: A few have tents, while others have taken over woodland shacks. Many have only clothing to cover themselves at night and log fires for heat and cooking, according to The Star. This needs to be addressed now, said Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner at the Council of Europe. Winter is coming and somebody could become seriously ill or die in the cold and BOGOVADJA, SERBIA With winter approaching, hundreds of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East are living in a forest in Serbia without access to basic amenities, a sign of the Balkan states failure to tackle a rising tide of migration. All have legally sought asylum, but the countrys two asylum centres which hold 250 people are full. With around 300 living rough so far, rights groups have expressed growing alarm and say the problem will only worsen as more arrive. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Flemingdon Park Ministry: What is this stranger talking about that is making his mama so sad?, according to The Star. She is in the resources room at the Flemingdon Park Ministry . Because she speaks almost perfect English, she helps other recently arrived Slovakians secure food and other resources, find health care and navigate the Canadian immigration system and Little Noel Skop leans into the hip of his mother, Anezka Skopova, his chocolate eyes growing rounder with concern. I dont know whats going to happen, Skopova tells , concerned that she and her family will be deported in the new year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Charles Beardy: A young man who fatally stabbed a violent party guest on a northern Manitoba reserve has been handed a six-month jail sentence. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. A young offenders manslaughter case surrounding the death of Charles Beardy in Shamattawa exposed problems when different social systems like justice, education and child welfare interact and Conditions on Shamattawa First Nation were taken into account when a 19-year-old man was sentenced to six months additional custody for a killing he committed as a youth. Photo Store In a case that shines a grim light on social issues that plague the remote northern community of Shamattawa, provincial court Judge Murray Thompson ruled against a request from provincial prosecutors to keep the offender in jail for a longer period. Teen fell through cracks in Manitoba's CFS system: judge (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.