initial reaction: I will not go to Canada, the 25-year-old said from Argentina of his initial reaction. Twenty degrees below zero, are you crazy? More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Social media: The Wild West of behavioural data collection Software engineer Pablo Guana nearly refused a job with Facebook when the company redirected him to Vancouver from Silicon Valley because his United States visa application was rejected. Jason Kenney wants to exploit dysfunctional U.S. immigration system to lure high-tech workers (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Iraq: The Islamic State insurgents, who are also making rapid advances in Iraq, are tightening their grip in Syria, of which they now controls roughly a third, mostly rural areas in the north and east. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Canada Ottawa sending $5-million in humanitarian aid to Iraq Islamist militants crushed a pocket of resistance to its control in eastern Syria, crucifying two people and executing 23 others in the past five days, a monitoring group said on Monday. Iraq Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki refuses to step down (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney: The minister said Wednesday the U.S. failure to reform its immigration system is keeping an opportunity open for Canada and there are plans to make it easier for prospects to come to Canada with program changes this January. Mr. Kenney did not provide details of the specific changes. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Ottawa unveils sweeping changes to foreign-workers program Federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney says he wants to exploit a dysfunctional American immigration system to lure high-tech workers to Canada when they cant get permanent residency in the United States. Ottawa working to free couple detained in China, Kenney says (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Susan Fennell: An expense scandal had been simmering since last fall, but it wasnt until a four-month audit was completed this week by Deloitte Canada that the extent of the mayors breaches of the citys spending policy were revealed, highlighting a high level of dysfunction in Canadas ninth-largest city. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Forensic audit renews controversy over Brampton mayors spending media PDF: Forensic examination of expenses of Mayor and Councillors Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell is shown in May, 2013. Her expenses are under the microscope in the wake of a forensic audit. The Multimedia Chart: Examining Brampton mayor s flight spending A council meeting in Brampton, Ont., descended into a raucous session of finger-pointing Wednesday after a scathing audit report revealed Mayor Susan Fennell had broken city spending rules 266 times and could not provide auditors with key documents on another 72 occasions. City hall Fennell skips Brampton council as critics plan grilling over her secret pay cut (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Wesam Abuzaiter: The girl travelled to Gaza in the beginning of June with her father, before any of the fighting began, according to CTV. It is hard for me as a mom, it is very hard, said Wesam Abuzaiter and She calls Brantford home, but the family of an eight-year-old girl says she is trapped in Gaza with few options to get out. Her mother is now calling on the Canadian government help for her safe return. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tea party activist: She obviously wasn't born a tea party activist, either, according to CTV. The demise of her business and the birth of her political activism offers a solitary snapshot of the tea party movement, the populist rebellion rattling American politics and - Tamyra Murray didn't always organize protests against illegal immigrants. What she was, until a few years ago, was the owner of a plastering business. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

John Bentley Mays Garden suburbs: John Bentley Mays Garden suburbs: a medicine for ailing cities?, according to Globe and Mail and Museum exhibit extols Niagara Falls Motel Modernism See how this hidden Toronto home has become a playground for creativity Topics: Aga Khan Don Mills Toronto, Ontario Comments A A (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tim Hudak: Outsider Rod Phillips could gain traction in race to succeed Hudak, according to Globe and Mail. After Hudak, who is likely to take over Ontario PCs? Former Ontario cabinet minister Jim Wilson was elected interim leader of the provincial Tories Wednesday, replacing Tim Hudak. Wilson says the party needs to regain people trust. CP Video Video Video: Ontario Tories must stop attacking people : interim leader The Canadian Press Video Video: Tim Hudak pledges to quit if he doesn t meet his promises In Alberta, revelations about the excesses of the former Progressive Conservative leader are overshadowing attempts to choose her successor. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Tories thought they had a new helmsman, only to see him suddenly drop out of politics. And in both places, the parties are choosing a premier. More Related to this Story Ontario Liberals waste no time playing hardball with opposition (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Minnie Mouses: Before stepping into the Times Square hurly-burly of Elmos, Minnie Mouses and Batmen who pose for photographs and then coax customers for tips, Rodr guez spent a week studying the competition. He analyzed tourist behavior. He calculated potential earnings. And in the absence of anyone masquerading as a certain Nickelodeon star, he spotted an opportunity, according to Globe and Mail. On his first day he made $80 in five hours, a better rate - and more interesting work - than the series of temporary jobs he had held since immigrating to the United States from Ecuador in March and Ricardo Rodr guez did not arrive lightly at his decision to become a cartoon character. Thus was born SpongeBob SquarePants Rodr guez. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Leadership Lab: As the chief executive officer of a Canadian-based global organization, I travel extensively and I proudly wave my Canadian flag everywhere I go. Why? Because in my experience, Canadians are well-respected around the world and that gives us an advantage in business. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. LAB There is no such thing as work-life balance This column is part of Globe Careers Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about leadership and management. Follow us at @Globe Careers . Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab LAB Five things I wouldnt change if I was starting my business over (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Vancouvers Gregor Robertson: Torontonians will naturally be focussing on local issues like transit and taxes and when they go to the polls in October. But we should also spend some time thinking about how the candidates stack up when it comes to municipal diplomacy, the ability to make smart connections for Toronto in the wider world, according to Globe and Mail. When I served in Beijing, I hosted visits from mayors like Vancouvers Gregor Robertson and Waterloos Brenda Halloran. Mr. Robertson has the advantage of being related to Norman Bethune, which still opens doors in China. But he was admirably focussed on the future, making a strong case for Vancouver as a center for green technology and digital media. Ms. Halloran gravitated to technology centers in China, natural counterparts for Waterloo. She reinforced this connection by becoming the first Canadian mayor to launch an account on Sina weibo, Chinas version of Twitter and David Mulroney, Canadas Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2012, is a distinguished senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. This is increasingly important as the most successful cities become global actors, competing for investment, trade, tourism and education dollars. And in tackling problems like congestion, pollution and homelessness, its often easier to find kindred spirits and creative solutions in cities like Sydney, London or Seoul than at Queens Park or on Parliament Hill. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cruel and unusual punishment: Both phrases were telling. As Justice Mactavish of course knew, Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms reads that "Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment." These exact words -- "cruel and unusual punishment" -- resonate in history. They were written into the English Bill of Rights in 1689 and were then repeated in the 8th amendment to the United States Constitution: "Cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted." These are not words used loosely, according to Rabble. If a policy is cruel and unusual, if it outrages our standards of decency, what do we make of those promoting it? It not as if the policy to deny health care is unique in the annals of Harperland. On the contrary, just in the past weeks at least two other government positions seem to reflect some pretty unusual cruelty and indecency: one related to Omar Khadr, the other to prostitution. But nor is the refugee health care issue yet over and When Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court struck down the Harper government policy to slash medical care for refugees earlier this month, she described it as "cruel and unusual treatment" that "shocks the conscience and outrages our standards of decency." The concept of decency also plays a signal role in American history, though whether the judge was aware of this is not known. It was the very word that launched the final fall of Senator Joe McCarthy and the shameful "Communist" witch hunts known as McCarthyism, when lawyer Joseph Welch attacked McCarthy for his latest smear of a perfectly innocent American: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator; you've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Mvogo: This opinion was in response to demands that Canada immediately free Michael Mvogo , a man who has been imprisoned in Ontario for eight years because of immigration violations. The Toronto Star reports that officials cannot determine who Mvogo is, where he comes from or how to deport him, according to Rabble. However, the Canadian government is not bound to the opinion released by the United Nation High Commissioner for Human Right Working Group on Arbitrary detentions and Canada immigration detention system is under fire after a United Nations human rights monitoring body released its first opinion stating "detention should be the last resort and permissible only for the shortest period of time." The UN stated in their opinion that Canada official policy of indefinite incarnation is a human rights violation and urged Canada to adopt the 90-day limit on detentions that is common among numerous other nations. Activist group Ending Immigration Detention states "Now, the UN has spoken out in support. The tide on immigration detention is turning" and continues to push to change Canada immigration detention policy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mahmood Abbas: But before delving into that, let contemplate what might happen once the violence subsides and there is a return to the status quo of continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, according to Rabble. As a result of the 2012 elevation of membership status for Palestine at the UN, PA president Mahmood Abbas has no choice but go the legal route of drawing public attention to Israel violations of its legal obligations in war under international law re: war crimes before the International Criminal Court ICC and The war in Gaza is really about Israel stopping a fledgling Palestinian unity government of Fatah and Hamas that might have paved way for a two-state solution in Israel Palestine. The Palestinian Authority PA in Israel occupied West Bank and a bystander during the hostilities in Gaza, has "one last ace in the hole," says Michael Lynk, a labour law professor and writer on international legal issues with the Israel-Palestine dispute. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Mvogo: Canada would clearly not welcome Mvogo if that is his real name under normal circumstances. He arrived here in 2005 with a fraudulent American passport and only revealed what he now claims to be his true identity in 2011. The U.S., Haiti and Guinea have all refused to receive him. And the reliability of even his most recent story is dubious. He now claims to hail from Cameroon, but that country denies having any record of him, according to The Star. Mvogo is among the longest-serving of the roughly 600 people living in similar extra-legal limbo in this country on any given day. These cases are not simple. Immigration officials must be given the time to investigate thoroughly each case. And the policy should deter others from trying to short-circuit the immigration and refugee system and thus compromise security and undermine the fairness of the process and Living in a free and democratic society entails some degree of uncomfortable risk and unsettling ambiguity. That is the implicit assumption underlying the United Nations call for the immediate release of Michael Mvogo, a man who has been held in an Ontario jail for eight years because immigration officials cannot determine who he is or where he comes from and therefore how to deport him. The problem, as the UN points out, is that the alternative to releasing him Canadas official policy of indefinite incarceration amounts to a human rights violation. The inability of a state party to carry out the expulsion of an individual . . . under no circumstances justifies indefinite detention, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, before urging Canada to join several other countries in establishing a 90-day limit on such lock-ups. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Israel: On Thursday at least 15 people who were seeking safety in a UN-run schoolhouse died in an attack Gazan authorities and eye witnesses described as Israeli shelling. Israels military said that Hamas rockets could have been responsible, and that we do not target UN facilities, according to The Star. But the toll of Israels assault on Gaza has caused a growing outcry, as numbers of Palestinian dead rose to more than 750 in the past 17 days, while Israel has lost at least 32 soldiers in clashes with Hamas, whose fighters have also tunneled their way beneath the closed border into Israel and It was a scene of panic, bloodshed and death that sent shock waves through the international community. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack, saying many have been killed including women and children as well as UN staff, and adding that circumstances are still unclear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Janos Acs: The 60-year-old suicide, near Emerald Street North, ended a troubled life that authorities thought they had saved. , according to Hamilton Spectator. The now infamous Domotor-Kolompar criminal organization was dismantled in 2010 and stands as the largest human trafficking case in Canadian history. Twenty-three members of the extended family were convicted of various charges between 2012 and 2013. "I feel very much betrayed and I'm pretty frustrated," Janos Acs told the Spectator In the early evening hours of June 10, Janos Acs walked onto train tracks in central Hamilton and lay down to die. Acs was among more than 20 people rescued in 2009 by from the hands of human traffickers who lured them from their native Hungary on the false promise of work. Despite the successful prosecution of his abusers and that he and other victims were given safe haven in Canada, Acs lived out his free days moving in and out of shelters, struggling to find work and drinking heavily. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Governor Deval Patrick: It something to think about, in light of Massachusett current role in the immigration debate, when appeals for compassion collide with pronouncements about the law. Here where we stand: Governor Deval Patrick makes a passionate pitch for sheltering undocumented children who fled violence in Central America. Four major gubernatorial candidates rush to agree, which says something about Massachusetts character. , according to Hamilton Spectator. One thing they weren't called, though, was "illegal," because that term hadn't been conceived yet. What if the Irish potato famine had happened today? But public sentiment is split, resistance is vocal and strong, and the language the opponents use is telling. In the 19th century, Irish immigrants were called many of the things you hear hurled at Central American immigrants today: a scourge on public health, a drain on the economy, a threat to American culture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lunar module: The explosion had crippled the service module where water, food and oxygen were stored, but luckily some additional supplies were available in the lunar module, which became the crews life raft. The lunar module was needed as long as possible, but then had to be jettisoned. But how?, according to Globe and Mail. That a tragedy was averted was in large part due to a team of engineers at the university led by Bernard Etkin as the senior scientist who stepped in at the crucial moment with nothing more than their slide rules and powerful brains and It was not supposed to happen. When Apollo 13, the third manned mission intended to land on the moon, took off from the Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, no one imagined that after minutely detailed planning, testing and preparation it would have to be aborted just two days later because of an exploding oxygen tank. The U.S. contractor Grumman Aerospace Corp., which had built the lunar module for put in a call for help to the University of Toronto, where they knew there was a wide range of engineering expertise. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

MacNicol Associates Asset Management: We tend to look at it from 40,000 feet, according to Globe and Mail. Mr. Baker, a senior vice-president with Toronto-based MacNicol Associates Asset Management, manages several alternative asset pools. One of those is the MacNicol 360 Degree Realty Income Fund. More Related to this Story Scott Baker has a rarefied view of Torontos real estate market. Indeed, as the manager of a private pool of real estate assets, he looks at the broader housing picture in North America from that height. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jaffari Community Centre: On July 21, police were called to the Jaffari Community Centre in Thornhill. The words Arab go home and other vulgarities referencing the current Gaza conflict were spray-painted in several places surrounding the community centre , which also serves as a local mosque. Two days later, hate graffiti against Israel was scrawled on a Thornhill bus shelter . I was as offended by that heinous act as I am to hear about it happening to my own community, according to The Star. Immigrants come to Canada in search of a better life, to escape this kind of conflict and to leave hateful discourse behind. We are as interested as any other segment of the population in having a peaceful society here. The notion that this is something only one segment of Canadian society should find outrageous enough to respond to is an affront to everyone who wishes for peace and My own son, born and raised in Canada, which makes him as Canadian as Wayne Gretzky, was told to go back to his country when stepping off of a school bus at the age of 8. It broke my heart to have to explain to him the concept of intolerance at such a young age. I was as offended by these ignorant words as I am to hear about what is currently happening in my community. I realize that this hate comes from a fear of the unknown; people are always uncomfortable with the unknown. If police determine that those acts were motivated by hate, it could lead to charges under the Criminal Code, which prohibits hate propaganda. Surveillance video taken from the community centre has been provided to police. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Vimy Ridge: Its a subtle difference few backyard gardeners would recognize even if they stumbled on the European oaks hidden in a Scarborough woodlot, a living tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge nearly a century ago, according to The Star. His friend Monty McDonald, 69, who spent his summers on the farm as a boy, wants Millers legacy repatriated to somewhere near the Vimy monument in France and The leaves are shaped a little differently than the white and red oaks commonly planted in Ontario. The trees were grown near McNicoll Ave. and Kennedy Rd., from acorns gathered at Vimy by a late Canadian war hero. Leslie Miller planted the seeds when he returned from the First World War on his farm at what is now a bustling corner of Scarborough. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Israel: That photo has been burning a hole in my inbox ever since. I feel helpless in the face of all the carnage raining down on Gaza. I, too, want Israel to stop killing babies in Gaza. I want Israel to end its indiscriminate killing of all Palestinian civilians full stop, according to Rabble. But it gave me an opportunity to reflect on the horrific events happening in the Middle East under the full glare of the lights of International Justice Day. As of this writing, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed the 350 mark. The UN pronounced that 80 perc ent of those killed have been civilians. Under the Geneva Conventions, this is known as a war crime -- the deliberate targeting and killing of civilians. And now, at 60,000 Gazans have had to seek shelter at UN camps and Shortly after Israel began its bombing campaign of Gaza, a fellow Jew emailed me a photo of a guy holding a large sign that read: "I am a Jew. Stop Killing Babies in Gaza." The subject line in my friend email stated, "the photo says it all." Last week was International Justice Day. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute -- the treaty that established the International Criminal Court ICC . The Court is a mechanism for bringing to justice those who commit war crimes, and people around the world use the day to promote awareness of international criminal justice and highlight related issues such as genocide in Darfur and sexual violence in the Congo. Not a day most people would mark on their calendars but an event nonetheless. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group: The inability of a state party to carry out the expulsion of an individual does not justify detention beyond the shortest period of time or where there are alternatives to detention, and under no circumstances indefinite detention, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, according to The Star. Although the Canadian government is not bound by the UN opinion to release Mvogo, the End Immigration Detention Network hopes it can pressure Ottawa to change its current immigration detention policy and align with other countries by limiting the detention to 90 days and Canada should immediately release a man who has been imprisoned for eight years over immigration violations, says a United Nations human rights monitoring body. The opinion, released this week, is in response to a complaint by advocates on behalf of the immigration detainee, Michael Mvogo, who has been held since his arrest in 2006 at a Toronto homeless shelter. It is the first such opinion issued in a case involving Canada since 1994, when records started. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Putin: Now that several months have elapsed since Putin unleashed his "hybrid" war on Ukraine -- first annexing Crimea and then destabilizing eastern Ukraine -- it worthwhile examining Putin objectives and the degree to which they have been realized, according to Rabble. In military campaigns against Georgia to occupy Abhkazia and South Ossetia in 2008, Vladimir Putin introduced elements of a what Russian analyst Julia Latynina has called a strategy of " new war ." In truth, little of this is actually new, although the constellation of irregular conflict elements are a Putin innovation and A dark horse is stalking the Eurasian continent, casting a shadow over all that crosses its path. For 16 years Vladimir Putin was a career officer in the KGB, the infamous Soviet security agency created in 1917 as the Cheka and once headed by Polish aristocrat turned Marxist, Felix Dzerzhinsky before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel to take up a political career, Putin has blazed a trail across the Russian political landscape like no one since Joseph Stalin. Hybrid War: Feints, subterfuge and disinformation (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

human trafficking: Public safety minister Steven Blaney announced Canada has deported 20 criminals convicted in the country largest human trafficking case. He took the unusual step of releasing the names of nine convicted of the most serious of crimes. , according to Hamilton Spectator. The Domotor-Kolompar criminal organization is made up of an extended Hungarian Roma family who recruited their countrymen on the promise of work in their family construction businesses. The families lived in lavish Ancaster homes, where they forced their victims to live in their basements, work for free and eat scraps. The federal government wants the world to know the names of Hamilton human traffickers they've deported to send a message that Canada will not tolerate modern day slavery. "There is no room in Canada" for this type of criminal organization, he said in Hamilton Tuesday morning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.