resort town: Adding to my amazement was the fact sake brewing began in Saijo in 1675, at a time when the area, then known as Saijo Yokkaichi, was already a prosperous resort town and Canada, not so much Steam from a sake brewery at sunrise in Saijo, Japan, according to Vancouver Courier. Photo Sandra ThomasI was visiting Japan as part of a group of eight writers from across the globe, of which seven were experts in sake and then there was me. After all, I had just flown to Japan from Vancouver, Canada, where plans were in full swing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, which we all thought was a pretty big deal. But what I quickly discovered was that besides not knowing a lot of technical terms, it was still very easy to admire and appreciate the time, attention to detail, history, culture and quality that goes into almost every bottle produced in Japan, at least in the breweries we had the honour to visit. And after learning just what goes into making a really great sake, I was also surprised to find out how affordable it is in Japan I bought gold award-winning sake for about 15-Cdn and other really good bottles for about 10. Honour makes up a large part of Japanese culture, so creating a quality product is extremely important to the master brewers we had the opportunity to meet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sex work: For the first time, Nuit Blanche has a single theme Many Possible Futures, according to NOW Magazine. As the AGO did with Every. Free. nbto. Now. Most participants in the four curated sections are Canadians whose work addresses racism, immigration, the environment, queer visions, sex work or community building. Then, the all-night festival is using Canada's 150th to highlight voices and stories often overlooked by the art world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

turntablism: Sitting in A Different Booklist, a bookstore that specializes in African and Canadian diaspora works, Vancouver-based author David Chariandy makes this statement with the most disarming smile, according to NOW Magazine. He is talking about the cool kids that he grew up with in Scarborough. It should be in print. They were immersed in hip-hop, DJ culture and turntablism, and that scene became a foundational part of his sophomore and Giller Prize long-listed novel Brother McClelland & Stewart . Chariandy also has a goofy laugh that is both funny and charming, so any apprehensions of interviewing an author whose debut novel, Soucouyant, also set in Scarborough was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award in 2007, and who is an associate professor in Simon Fraser University's English department, quickly disappear. He is on the edge of what is truly a cool group of kids, Chariandy says. It became deliberate that the character of Michael in the novel Brother is also uncool. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver activism: And even the odd riot, too.A century's worth of that political history plays out beginning Thursday, Sept. 28 as part of a new exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver called City on Edge A Century of Vancouver Activism, according to Vancouver Courier. Spanning events from 1907 to present day, the exhibit consists of 650 photographs taken from the archives of the Vancouver Sun and Province. Indeed, Vancouverites love a good protest. I tried to represent the broadest possible spectrum of protests from people on both sides of issues there are protests by women for abortion and against abortion, there are picketers picketing picketers, said exhibit co-curator Kate Bird, a retired Pacific News Group librarian. It's an extension of Bird's 2016 book Vancouver in the Seventies, though the exhibit follows themes labour, social justice and riots, for example rather than the chronological style found in Bird's book. The exhibit consists of still photos, videos, projections and the unmistakable sound of protest voices, drums, chants, explosions and rallying cries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border: No such request has been made to me with respect to that matter, Goodale said, according to The Chronicle Herald. And, when a Canada Border Services officer has exercised appropriately within their jurisdiction the judgment that they are called upon to make, I don't interfere in that process in any kind of a light or cavalier manner. But Goodale suggested he'd think hard before overruling a border officer's decision that saw Chelsea Manning turned away from Canada last week. Manning is a 29-year-old transgender woman who was known as Bradley Manning when she was convicted in 2013 of leaking the trove of classified material. The notice Manning posted said she tried to cross at the official border office at Lacolle, Que., on Friday. On Monday, she posted a letter from Canadian immigration officials to her Twitter account that said because she was convicted of offences that are deemed equivalent to treason in Canada, she's inadmissible to this country for what's known as serious criminality. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: From running a family business conglomerate, Catrambone and her husband, Christopher, turned to founding the Migrant Offshore Aid Station MOAS to save migrants' lives at sea, according to Toronto Star. They converted a Canadian fishing boat into a search-and-rescue vessel off Italian shores. That jacket was the most tangible sign of a humanitarian phenomenon, in a very bad way, recalled the businesswoman from southern Italy, referring to the treacherous voyage by many African and Middle Eastern migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to continental Europe. To date, it has saved and assisted over 40,000 people. Hosted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the event promotes strong citizenship and inclusion. The Catrambone's humanitarian work is one of many examples of civic engagement that will be showcased at the annual 6 Degrees Citizen Space conference in Toronto. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cit immcanada: She included a picture of a letter that appears to alert the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship that Manning has not been authorized to enter Canada and is inadmissible due to her prior convictions, according to CBC. The name of the sender of the letter has been redacted. so, i guess canada has permanently banned me Cit ImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to treason offense xychelsea The letter cites Manning's espionage charges and goes on to say if committed in Canada this offence would equate to an indictable offence, namely treason. Chelsea Manning freed after 7 years in military prison Timeline Chelsea Manning's journey to freedom Chelsea Manning to be moved to civilian prison for gender treatment On Monday, Manning tweeted that she's been permanently banned from entering Canada. Manning has been lauded as a whistleblower and condemned as a traitor for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to Wiki Leaks in 2010 while still known as Pte. 1st Class Bradley Manning. In 2013, she was convicted on 20 counts, including six involving the Espionage Act, but was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. She said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of how the Iraq War was affecting civilians, and that she was motivated out of a love for my country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court: Her spokeswoman, Kristen Dark, says that means jails, including those in the state capital city of Austin will honour all immigration detainers from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, according to Metro News. Hernandez is an elected Democrat who had announced on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration that her jails would no longer comply with all detainer requests.A Texas law cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities had been blocked by a lower court in August. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said Monday that her policies had been updated to comply with the findings of a three-judge appeals court panel in New Orleans. But the appeals court panel ruled Monday that the state can compel local jails to comply with federal requests to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. 2 p.m. But one attorney opposed to the law says the impact of the order may be limited. The key part of a federal appeals court ruling is that a Texas sanctuary cities law can require police to honour federal immigration detainers for now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

czech republic: In Sunday's election, voters in the town of 40,000 turned strongly to Alternative for Germany, known as AfD, ousting Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party from a seat it had held for more than 25 years, according to Toronto Star. I've voted for the CDU for the last forty years, and this was the first time I voted for a different party, said Jens Hamburger, a 72-year-old retiree. The hill-top town of Bautzen, in Saxony near Germany's borders with the Czech Republic and Poland, has been a visible example of such disillusionment, with clashes breaking out in the streets last year between residents and asylum-seekers. It wasn't easy for me, but this woman should have gotten an even bigger knock over her head, he added, angrily poking his cane into the air as he talked about Merkel. Article Continued Below She'd practiced the politics of indifference toward us, Hamburger said. He said many eastern Germans felt that Merkel, who grew up in the former East Germany, had betrayed them by not doing more to improve living conditions in the east. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

d-calif .,: The vote was 245-171, short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass, according to Metro News. America's patriotic young Dreamers must have swift action on the bipartisan DREAM Act, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said before the vote. Republicans had hoped to pass a package of legislation addressing the Federal Aviation Administration and the tax breaks, but opposition from Pelosi and other Democrats stopped the bill from being passed on an expedited basis. Lawmakers are expected to try again as the week progresses. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., accused Democrats of putting politics before disaster relief and air traffic safety. Neither party wants to be blamed for the furlough of air traffic control workers or for hurricane assistance being delayed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government officials: The restrictions range from an indefinite ban on visas for citizens of countries like Syria to more targeted restrictions, according to Toronto Star. A suspension of non-immigrant visas to citizens for Venezuela, for instance, will apply only to certain government officials and their immediate families. The new rules, which will impact the citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, will go into effect on Oct. 18. More news about U.S. President Donald Trump The announcement comes the same day as Trump's temporary ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries was set to expire 90 days after it went into effect. Article Continued Below Making America Safe is my number one priority. That ban had barred citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States from entering the U.S. Only one of those countries, Sudan, will no longer be subject to travel restrictions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration restrictions: North Korea has tens of thousands of workers abroad, but none are believed to be in the United States, according to CTV. Reports say there is a dwindling number of North Koreans visiting the United States amid the standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs. North Korea's authoritarian government doesn't allow most of its 24 million people to travel abroad, except in special cases such as for jobs that bring in foreign currency or participation in sporting events. It's a symbolic measure, Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said of including North Korea in the latest U.S. immigration restrictions. According a report last month by broadcaster Voice of America, the United States issued 100 visas to North Koreans last year. North Korea won't probably make any response. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

monday: Manning is a 29-year-old transgender woman who was known as Bradley Manning when she was convicted in 2013 of leaking the trove of classified material, according to CTV. The letter says that because she was convicted of offences that are equivalent to treason in Canada, she's inadmissable to this country. Chelsea Manning posted a letter from Canadian immigration officials online Monday detailing the reasons she was denied entry at a Quebec border crossing late last week. On Twitter, Manning says she'll be appealing the decision. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the issue at an event in Toronto on Monday and while he declined to comment, he also said he was looking forward to seeing more details about the situation. so, i guess canada has permanently banned me Cit ImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to treason offense Chelsea E. Manning xychelsea September 25, 2017 (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claim: Despite recognizing his attackers, he says Serbian police failed to investigate and bring them to justice, according to CBC. That was like last straw and I decided, OK, I will leave, Stojanovic told The Calgary Eyeopeneron Monday morning. Boban Stojanovic escaped to Canada from Belgrade, Serbia, last year with his partner, after he was attacked in the middle of the city mid-day. Listen to Stojanovic's full interview about anti-gay persecution in Serbia '1054434371794', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container98356272', 'ciid' 'caffeine14306075' ; His multiple complaints to police none of which were solved helped prove his refugee claim, that he was being persecuted in Serbia due to his sexual orientation. Boban Stojanovic worked for years in Belgrade, Serbia, to further rights for persecuted LGBT people in his country. I was lucky, ironically lucky, because my claim was accepted based on 23 pages of unsolved cases and almost 1,000 pages of evidence, Stojanovic said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sides time: The new restrictions covering citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen -- and some Venezuelan government officials and their families -- are to go into effect Oct. 18, according to CTV. As for the previous version, which expired on Sunday, the Supreme Court on Monday announced it would cancel arguments scheduled for next month to give both sides time to consider the implications of the new one. But critics say it's a mystery why some countries are included and they believe Venezuela and North Korea were added to provide legal and political cover for what they say remains a Muslim ban. They have until Oct. 5 to weigh in. Avideh Moussavian, senior policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said she saw little difference between the earlier bans and the new policy, despite the addition of two non-Muslim countries. Trump's efforts to restrict entry into the U.S. have been the subject of lawsuits almost since the moment he announced the first travel ban in January, and the latest version is sure to attract new legal challenges -- though experts are divided on how they might fare. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tent camps: It is an exceptional population shift that leaves almost all involved dependent on aid in already-poor Bangladesh for the foreseeable future, living in makeshift tent camps as far as the eye can see, according to CBC. The scale is just vast, said Sylke Buhr of the World Food Programme, which was distributing rice in the camps on Monday. Five-year-old Zahed is just one of the more than 430,000 Rohingya from Myanmar now sheltering in Bangladesh an exodus of vast proportions that in the span of only one month has overwhelmed the authorities here and bewildered even the most seasoned aid workers. There are so many people here, most of them women and very young children. The Rohingya refugees carry anything they can into their new life in Bangladesh. Countless challenges Ravaged by the wounds of persecution, violence and the trauma of escape, the inhabitants now live at the mercy of a whole new set of challenges basic housing, a lack of public health infrastructure, exposure to possible disease outbreaks, heat, late-season monsoon weather and acres of mud. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

monday morning: Ashton, who spoke to National Observer on Monday morning at Planet Coffee in Ottawa, has called for the creation of a new crown corporation called Green Canada that would direct federal funding to invest in climate change adaptation and an economic transition, according to National Observer. We are where we are in terms of climate change because of the kind of economic system that we have, Ashton said, after ordering a cookie and juice at the popular coffee shop in Ottawa's ByWard Market in the middle of a late-September heat wave. Online voting began Sept. 18 and the 1st ballot results are to be announced this Sunday, Oct. 1. It's clear to me as we sit here in 30 C weather, and given the summer we've had where we've seen extreme weather phenomena, that the time is now to act. She said that guiding a green transition was too important a job to be left to the private sector or even an existing federal organization such as Sustainable Development Technology Canada. We need to pull out all the stops, and that includes significantly upping not just federal investment, but also making a clear role for federal investment through a crown corporation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

racism replicates: History informs anti-black racism and racial stereotypes that are so deeply entrenched in institutions, policies and practices, that its institutional and systemic forms are either functionally normalized or rendered invisible, especially to the dominant group, the UN officials wrote, according to National Observer. This contemporary form of racism replicates the historical ... conditions and effects of spatial segregation, economic disadvantage and social exclusion. Some report findings released in August raised deep concerns about Canada's legacy of anti-black racism, which traces its origins to slavery in the 16th century and reverberates into the present day. Slavery was abolished in the British colonies in the 1830s. It is important to underline that the experience of African Canadians is unique because of the particular history of anti-black racism in Canada, the report said. The working group laid out dozens of recommendations to redress past and present wrongs affecting African-Canadians, the first among which calls on the Canadian government to apologize for slavery and consider issuing reparations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sonequa martin-green: That's the show about Michael Burnham, the first officer on the USS Shenzhou, whose drive to explore and investigate winds up putting the United Federation of Planets on the brink of war with the Klingon Empire, according to NOW Magazine. Played by Sonequa Martin-Green formerly of The Walking Dead Burnham is a complex, intelligent and headstrong character, and she's immediately engaging as the central character of the first Trek TV series in 12 years. One of them might be something, if it makes it out. A human woman raised by Vulcans, Burnham has found a unique perspective on that species' devotion to logic she believes emotions are necessary to logical thinking, rather than a detriment, making her the most interesting thing to happen to the Vulcan mythology since J.J. Abrams decided to make Vulcans refugees by blowing up the planet in his 2009 feature-film reboot. Anyway. Oh, right Discovery takes place in the franchise's original timeline, roughly a decade before William Shatner's James T. Kirk captains the Enterprise, and two episodes in I have no idea why that matters. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

metres yards: Two of the graves were found Sunday and contained the bodies of 20 females and eight males, Border Guard Police Maj, according to The Chronicle Herald. Zayar Nyein said. The government blames Muslim insurgents for the killings. The government's Information Committee said on its Facebook page that all eight males were boys, including six who were under 10 years old. Police blame the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army insurgent group, or ARSA. Security forces say the bodies are among about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA attacked at least 30 police outposts Aug. 25. It said another mass grave was discovered 200 metres 200 yards away on Monday that contained the bodies of 17 more Hindu villagers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

block highways: Truckers plan to block highways and fuel depots Monday in the latest show of anti-Macron defiance, according to The Chronicle Herald. Macron could still pass his reforms despite the election result, however. The results damage Macron's legitimacy as he seeks to make his mark on Europe's future and embarks on a divisive labour law overhaul that he hopes will invigorate the moribund French economy. That's because the lower house of Parliament has the final say in legislation over the Senate, and because lawmakers from the conservative Republicans party support many of Macron's pro-business policy plans. A final count including France's overseas territories is expected in the coming days. Official results from voting across mainland France showed the Republicans clearly winning Sunday's vote for about half the chamber's 348 seats, followed by the Socialists, traditional centrists, and Macron's 17-month-old Republic on the Move! party. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

club newcastle: Israel forward Tomer Hemed denied Newcastle the chance to move fourth, scoring his second Premier League goal in manager Chris Hughton's first win over former club Newcastle at the seventh attempt, according to Metro News. Hemed finished smartly from Dale Stephens' tee-up. The Magpies lost 1-0 at Brighton on Sunday to take their record to three wins and three defeats so far this season. Brighton moved 13th with its second win of the season after the clash between the league newcomers. Hamed struck in the 51st minute, hooking the ball into the net after Pascal Gross' free kick was headed down into the six-yard meter box by Stephens. Rafael Benitez's men arrived boasting three straight league wins, but paid the price for Joselu's glaring first-half miss in drawing a blank in front of goal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home state: He tried to send money, but the usual courier that he uses shut down because of the damage from the 7.1-magnitude quake in his home state of Morelos, according to Metro News. The situation is eating me alive because you can't do anything, he said about sending help to his mother from New York City. He considered getting on a plane from New York to help her find a new home, but it was too risky now that the program that has been shielding him from deportation is being phased out. The earthquake that killed nearly 300 people and destroyed dozens of buildings in Mexico set off a frantic response in communities around the U.S. as people desperately try to connect with their loved ones, figure out ways to send emergency help, money and goods as well as raise funds for smaller towns around the capital they say are receiving less help from the government. We saw people desperately trying to connect with their families. Those in the country illegally wish they could travel to help their loved ones cope with the aftermath but are afraid they wouldn't be able to return. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pascal laberge: Here's my best guess at how the league will shape up this year 1, according to The Chronicle Herald. Victoriaville Tigres This is the only team I truly believe is at the very top of the building cycle. The 2017-18 QMJHL season opened on Thursday so there's really no putting it off anymore. Players like Pascal Laberge, Maxime Comtois and Ivan Kosorenko make them a championship-calibre team. 2. Most signs point to him making the jump to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Blainville-Boisbriand Armada The big X factor here is Pierre-Luc Dubois. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

soldiers spraying: Others said thousands were stuck in Myanmar because most boatmen had made the crossing to safety themselves and soldiers had burned many of the boats that remained, according to CBC. Over the last month, an estimated 430,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh as their homes and villages were set on fire by mobs of soldiers and Buddhist monks. Some Rohingya who have fled over the last week said Myanmar army soldiers were shooting at those trying to flee to Bangladesh. They have brought with them accounts of soldiers spraying their villages with gunfire. Many crossed into the country via the thin sliver of the Bay of Bengal that separates Myanmar from Bangladesh. In the first three weeks of the latest convulsion of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, tens of thousands of Rohingya poured into Bangladesh each day, walking for days through forests or taking rickety wooden boats on the rain-swollen Naf River. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

student refugees: I was looking for a way to actually go to any place where there is school, he said, according to Toronto Star. For Madhier and 1,700 other young refugees in the World University Service of Canada's WUSC Student Refugee Program, that place was Canada. Madhier cried tears of frustration at his family members, who could not see a world beyond their farm in what was once the south of Sudan following generations of civil war, who did not understand the magic of reading. Since its 1978 beginnings, the program has recruited student refugees from 39 countries of origin, promising an opportunity to pursue a post-secondary education at one of 80 partner campuses in Canada and eventually even sponsor their families. But though he'd lived under the ever-present threat of bombings, famine, or being swept up by militiamen, this naivet also exposed him to unforeseen danger. Article Continued Below Looking back, the 28-year-old Madhier credits his childhood naivet for helping him get to where he is today, a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.