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September 20, 2013
Welcome to another edition of the NewBindian newsletter.
You've probably already heard about Parti Quebecois's proposal for a so-called charter of values. The proposal has sparked a heated debate across the country particularly among visible minorities.
Although this proposal is intended for Quebec, its announcement impacts all of Canada - at home and globally.
Here is Calgary Mayor, Naheed Nenshi's reaction to the Quebec Charter of Values, which
would forbid all public employees from wearing "overt and conspicuous" religious symbols and headgear, including Muslim face veils, Sikh turbans, Jewish yarmulkes, or large crucifixes.
What are your thoughts? Send us a note with your reaction to this proposal (especially if you're in Quebec). We'd love to hear from you.
Within minutes of her award, twitter was ablaze with racist comments which begged the question, "Was she not American enough?". Debates like this actually serve a useful purpose. It brings into the open the discussion on what constitutes being American or Canadian. Does the practice of one's faith (by wearing a hijab or a turban) really impact the neutrality of the state?
If you'd like to feature your event or organization, or share a valuable resource for newcomers, feel free to contact us at team@mybindi.com. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Best regards,
Syerah Virani
Editor-in-Chief & CEO
MyBindi.com
syerah@mybindi.com
 and  to never miss out on breaking news, offers and free giveaways .
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Lowest Airfares from Nanak Flights
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Nanak Flights offers unbeatable prices to India and all destinations in the world. Please find below the sale fares to top metro cities in India. If you are planning to visit India during festival season, please book your seats with Nanak flights. - Mumbai: CAD $1,175 including taxes on KLM,Air France and British Airways
- Chennai: CAD $1,150 including taxes on British Airways
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- Ahmedabad: CAD $1,226 including taxes on Jet Airways
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Nanak Flights has also launched their new Facebook page which you can check regularly for new promo codes and deals. In addition to unbeatable prices and our price drop guarantee that grants you up to $100 credit if the cost of your ticket drops after you purchase it from us, members of mybindi.com will also receive a $10 gas card reward for every ticket booked on the site. The $10 gas card promotion is exclusive to mybindi members only. Please send an email after the booking is done with a promo code MyBindi10. Click HERE for more information. |
CAMP Networking with Guest Speaker Keith Hernandez
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CAMP's upcoming Networking event will feature guest speaker Keith Hernandez (CEO KAH Consultants). The event will include two seminars discussing the topics of 'What it takes to succeed in Canada' & 'Career Building & Social Media Tips'.
When: Thursday, September 26, 2013
Where: The North York Civic Centre - Committee Room #1
Time: 6:15pm to 8pm
Tickets: This is a FREE event however registration is required.
Please confirm your attendance via EMAIL.
Click HERE for more information on CAMP. This event is proudly sponsored by MyBindi.com.
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| Naheed Nenshi On Quebec's Values Charter: Move To Calgary | 
Calgary's popular Mayor Naheed Nenshi has a message for Quebecers facing a controversial religious ban. Move to Calgary. The mayor took a moment after a Pride Parade in Calgary on Sunday to address Quebec's proposed legislation that would reportedly ban public servants from wearing religious symbols. Nenshi referenced "a certain part of our country" and a debate about "how people should be restricted from certain jobs because of their religious faith." Calling the proposed Charter of Quebec Values "short-sighted" he said it was "an absolute violation not just of Canadian morals and ethics, but of what has made our country successful. If we are not able to attract the very best people from around the world to want to work and learn and invest and raise families in this country, we don't have a future as a country." "It is important for people across Canada, and particularly in Quebec, to know that if they don't feel welcome in that community, they're certainly welcome in this one," he added. Click HERE to read more. |
| TATA Tea Now Available in Canada! | 
Shahrukh Khan's favorite tea has arrived in Canada! India's #1 Tea is now available in Canada from coast to coast.
You can brew Tata's bold malty flavor at home for an authentic taste of India. Welcome India's #1 tea by helping us brew some magic in Canada. Tata Tea, now available at major retailers.
SUPER STAR KI PASAND - TATA TEA.
AB CANADA KI PASAND BHI!
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| Why We Need An Indian Miss America | 
Nina Davuluri became the first Indian American to win the Miss America title on Sunday. The 24-year-old University of Michigan graduate performed a Bollywood fusion dance for the talent round. Unsurprisingly, detractors flocked to Twitter after the win, where Davuluri was(wrongly) identified as an Arab, terrorist, and even Chinese. Despite the maelstrom of negative chatter, the young woman has paved the way for challenging discussions on race, culture and beauty in America and globally. Here's why America needed an Indian Miss America: 1.) Her victory forces America to examine what it means to be American. Davuluri is American-born and educated. While her Indian cultural heritage is an important part of her identity, being American is even more so. For a nation of immigrants, built upon a land of opportunity, she epitomizes what "Brand U.S.A." has become so famous for worldwide; a meritocratic society. It's unfortunate she had to be the target in this conversation, but the fact is the definition of what it is to be American is ever-evolving. Click HERE to read more. |
| Empowering young people to become Canadian citizens | 
Are you a young newcomer and want to learn more about your civic rights and citizenship? There's a new online venture, CitizenshipCounts.ca from the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (funded by Citizenship and Immigration).
The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants wants to empower young people under the age of 18 across Canada to take control of their citizenship status by highlighting the benefits of becoming a Canadian citizen, showing young people how to apply, and helping them study for the citizenship test. CitizenshipCounts.ca will walk a young person through the different sections of the Discover Canada citizenship guide, and provide study resources like quizzes, review questions and flashcards. Youth can also earn badges as they learn, to help keep them on track.
Click HERE to learn more.
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Visitors must submit fingerprints and photos to Ottawa for visas
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Starting October 23, travellers from 11 countries must submit their fingerprints and photos when applying for a Canadian visitor, student or work visa.
They include those from Albania, Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Tunisia.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released a country list, following the imposition of the biometrics requirement earlier this month on Colombia, Haiti and Jamaica.
Visitors from these countries must pay an extra $85 for Ottawa to collect their fingerprints and photos in their visa applications - as part of Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act passed last year to tighten border entry to the country.
Officials said the countries were selected for their volumes or rates of visa refusals, removal orders, refugee claims, and nationals arriving without proper documentation or attempting to travel under false identities, as well as their relevance to Canada's foreign and trade policy objectives.
About 20 per cent of the 300,000 visa-required applicants - visitors, students or temporary foreign workers - would have to submit their biometric information in the first year. Children, the elderly and diplomats are exempted.
Click HERE to read more. |
| Foreign service job action threatens Canada's annual immigration target | 
Permanent residency applicants appear to be taking the biggest hit from ongoing job action by foreign affairs officers, prompting concerns about whether Ottawa's 2013 immigration target can be met.
According to government data obtained, the number of immigrant visas granted from May to July of this year has dropped 7.5 per cent, to 60,416 individuals. That compares to 65,255 in the same period last year and a whopping 22 per cent drop from the same three-month period in 2010. The numbers appear to bolster claims by the foreign service workers' union that staff are being diverted to process temporary resident visa applications - for applicants like tourists and international students - at the expense of permanent resident files, which the government denies.
"The processing of permanent resident visas has been ground to a standstill at a number of (visa) sections we targeted," said Timothy Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Services Officers (PAFSO), whose members have implemented rotating strikes and work-to-rule at busy visa posts such as Beijing and Shanghai in China, Delhi and Chandigarh in India, Mexico City and Manila. "All the resources have been thrown at processing the temporary resident visas. They are going to fall far short on their annual immigration target (of 260,000)." Click HERE to read more. |
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What's New on Bindi Blogs
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 Masala chai is a flavored tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs.
The ancient medicinal ingredient in chai is 'sattvic', which acts as a revitalizing agent that helps to sooth the mind & soul. There are also several other ingredients in this classic tea that not only add warmth but also serve as remedies to cure indigestion and breathing & blood circulation issues. During flu season, many of the antimicrobial qualities are often used to fight against a sore throat & cough.
Join in on Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 for Yogapalooza and share a day of FREE Movement, Music and Meditation at Harbourfront Centre. See www.yogapalooza.ca for details.
1. Yogapalooza is Social Entrepreneurship
Doing good for the world, doing good for the community and strengthening families is what we are all about. Yogapalooza is the biggest FREE family friendly outdoor Yoga event in Canada. Our joy is to share the gift of Yoga and raise the consciousness of the world at the same time.
 Choosing an Oil!I get asked often about how to choose a cooking oil. Personally I use EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) that is organic. I haven't started to use coconut oil as yet for cooking (right now I use it as a body moisturizer - the best!) but organic coconut oil is excellent for cooking as well. Here is the quick rule book on how to buy an oil: 1. Choose 'cold pressed' or 'extra virgin'. This means the oil was made by using pressure to extract the oil from the seed/grain/nut etc. and without the use of heat. That is important because heat causes degradation of the nutritional value of the oil. EV also means no chemical solvent was used, nor was it deodorized/altered in any way. 
What happens when you fuse a creative American musical group with a dynamic Indian vocalist? Musical nirvanva, as presented by The Piano Guys and Shweta Subram in their latest single Khushnuma.
Shweta Subram, an accomplished vocalist from Canada, is well-known in the South Asian music scene. Besides performing with Salim-Sulaiman at the IIFA Awards, Shweta has also won Shankar Mahadevan's global singing competition and has worked with renowned artists like Shankar Tucker, Karthik, and Pravin Mani. Click HERE to read more. 
Book Review by Wendy Aujla
"Tears of Mehndi" is Raminder Sidhu's first debut novel that explores the tight-knit community in Vancouver's Little India.
Raminder opens up the dialogue around the social issues that some South Asian's encounter when caught between two cultures and struggling to follow Indian traditions while embracing the values of the Western culture. This novel is written in a unique way, where the reader is introduced to characters that are searching for their dreams and happiness in Canadian society. The painful stories of the eight fictional women are shared as the author intertwines their lives by weaving one story into another which is not an easy task.
Click HERE to read more.
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