May 21, 2013: Proud to Serve

By Anne Callaghan, Consul General for Vancouver

One of my favorite movies this year was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, Argo. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll try not to spoil it for you! But you know, it’s impossible to ignore the buzz surrounding this film and the incredible true story on which it was based. Like most people, I’d seen varying reports of how much of the film was fact, and how much was fiction; while I have met and worked with several of the former hostages in my 29 year career and postings in seven countries and Washington, DC, I’d yet to encounter one of those who escaped the Nov. 4, 1979 takeover of the U.S, Embassy in Tehran. So, when, during a media blitz following the Oscar win I heard that two of the six embassy staffers featured in the film live just a couple hours away in Washington, I thought, “I can’t be the only one who wants to know what really happened. I should invite them to Vancouver to tell their story!”

Photo courtesy of Mark Lijek
Photo courtesy of Mark Lijek

The Public Affairs team at the Consulate reached out to Mark and Cora Lijek at their home in Anacortes, and, despite their dance card being pretty full these days, they agreed to pay Vancouver a visit. It’s been a real pleasure for me to host them; sure, while they’ve met Ben Affleck and they are the basis for characters in the year’s biggest movie, they are so gracious and unassuming. They do our Foreign Service family proud!

Mark Lijek’s Foreign Service career had just begun, and Tehran was his first posting. For a while, it looked as if Cora would not even be able to accompany her husband, but she and Kathy Stafford, the other young woman escapee featured in Argo, had taken six months of Farsi and a consular course so they were able to adjudicate visas. She was given the green light to leave DC and join her husband. Mark arrived at post in July 1979; Cora two months later. They were in their mid-twenties, and certainly had no idea at the outset how their assignment in Tehran would take such a dangerous turn.

A packed house at SFU-Surrey listen to Mark and Cora Lijek recount their Argo experience.
A packed house at SFU-Surrey listen to Mark and Cora Lijek recount their Argo experience.

The Lijeks recounted their “real-life Argo adventure” for hundreds of people at events in Vancouver and Surrey, and also did several media interviews. The event at the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Vancity Theatre, co-sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage, kicked off with such a pleasant surprise: Ambassador Ken Taylor, who was Canada’s man in Iran at the time, wanted to come to Vancouver to be part of these events, but was traveling overseas. So, he sent greetings to the Lijeks and the hundreds of people in the crowd via a voicemail to a colleague. Hearing from Ambassador Taylor, who assumed great risks to shelter the escaped Americans, was an unexpected highlight, and a special moment for the scores of Canadian public servants in the crowd, who mark National Public Service Week next month. This year’s theme is “Proudly Serving,” and it was inspirational to hear how the Lijeks, the Canadians who helped shelter them, including John Sheardown, whose major role in their shelter was left out of Argo, and so many others did, and do, just that.
VIFF's Barbara Chirinos, Pacific Federal Council's Gerry Salembier, Vancouver Consul General Anne Callaghan, Postmedia Film Critic and event moderator Katherine Monk, and Mark and Cora Lijek
VIFF’s Barbara Chirinos, Pacific Federal Council’s Gerry Salembier, Vancouver Consul General Anne Callaghan, Postmedia Film Critic and event moderator Katherine Monk, and Mark and Cora Lijek

Mark and Cora recalled Nov. 4, 1979 and the days leading up to January 28, 1980, when they ultimately escaped with the assistance of the CIA’s Tony Mendez, with great detail, setting the record straight on some of what was overly dramatized in the film. Crowds at both Vancity Theatre and SFU-Surrey asked them scores of questions, from what was the scariest moment on the day of the takeover, to how they adapted to normal life in the days, weeks, and months following their escape from Tehran. They told us of the camaraderie built among the group of Americans and Canadians, who still hold “reunions” every few years.

The Lijeks finished their program with us at an event hosted by Canada International Council’s Vancouver branch. The Lijek’s story is one of the finest examples of unwavering friendship and commitment between our two countries; despite the great risk for Canada and the people involved, there wasn’t a second thought in the Canadians’ decision to put compassion first and help their six American brothers and sisters. This spirit is alive and well today, and Canada – the Lijeks, and we, thank you!

Girl Rising in Ottawa

Categories: May 2013
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Published on: May 15, 2013

by Manjushree Thapa

Suma Tharu Kathmandu Nepal Production Trip (Copyright:Ten Times Ten LLC)
Suma Tharu Kathmandu Nepal Production Trip
(Copyright:Ten Times Ten LLC)

I’m a citizen of Nepal living in Canada, but I went through high school and college, and even graduate school as a Fulbright scholar, in the United States. I’m always pleased for occasions that bring these three countries together.

Such an occasion arose when the U.S. Embassy to Canada invited me to be part of a team to introduce Girl Rising to Ottawa on April 22.

The team consisted of the film’s producer Kayce Freed Jennings, director Richard Robbins, and two writers: Maaza Mengiste and me.

The Embassy put together a busy, stimulating program. In the morning of the 22nd the team went to the Canterbury School to talk to two classes. The students watched the Ethiopia and Nepal chapters of Girl Rising, and heard about the making of these and the remaining seven chapters.

The students were, themselves, of a creative bent; their questions focused on methodology and technique. They were also from diverse cultural backgrounds. Many of the girls were palpably stirred. They asked Maaza and me about Azmera and Suma, the girls whom we had written about for the film. They were also curious about how Richard managed to stitch together nine stories from nine different countries – written by nine very different authors – into a coherent whole.

I got a special treat at mid-day, when I found myself seated next to Sharon Johnston, the wife of Canada’s Governor General David Johnston, at a luncheon hosted by Ambassador and Mrs. Jacobson. Warm and personable and keenly intelligent, Mrs. Johnston talked about a novel she’s writing, her first, set in Alberta during the first World War. Before long we were discussing our research and writing processes – a subject of perennial fascination to writers.

Manju Thapa at the Girl Rising screening in Ottawa with the Ambassador and Mrs. Jacobson, director Richard Robinson and others. (Credit: US Embassy Ottawa
Manju Thapa at the Girl Rising screening in Ottawa with the Ambassador and Mrs. Jacobson, director Richard Robinson and others. (Credit: US Embassy Ottawa

That evening, Mrs. Johnston, Ambassador and Mrs. Jacobson, and many other figures of prominence came to watch the screening of Girl Rising at the National Gallery of Canada. (Later, I learned that the Canadian historian and author Charlotte Gray was in the audience – alas, I didn’t run into her in the crowd.) The 400-capacity hall was packed, and many audience members stayed on afterwards to listen to us talk about the film, and to ask questions.

Some of the more heartfelt responses came from adolescent girls and young women: some asked for advice (on writing and activism), and others offered us advice. One girl – a budding activist – told us that while it was good that we had made such a fine film, we should do more to end the inequality that girls experience around the world. Another girl asked whether we thought it was necessary for writers to write socially and politically, to expose injustice through their work.

This question interested me, as I have learned from experience to balance my own attraction to socially and politically ‘engaged writing’ against the difficulty of doing so effectively. Too often, engaged writing can be heavy-handed and didactic. It can lecture rather than reveal, and tell rather than show.

Manju Thapa (left) and Maaza Mengiste. (Credit: US Embassy Ottawa)
Manju Thapa (left) and Maaza Mengiste. (Credit: US Embassy Ottawa)

In writing Suma’s story for Girl Rising, I tried hard not to turn her into a poster girl or a spokesperson for girls’ education. I tried to portray her as an individual with as much complexity – and inner strength and beauty and mystery – as any girl in the developed world. I tried to reveal her uniqueness, her individuality.

When I first watched Girl Rising (about a month before Ottawa), I was struck that the other writers had also portrayed the girls in their stories as unique and irreplaceable. I believe this is what makes the film so special. The universal speaks to us through the particular. The film touches viewers because, despite all the differences, they come to understand, and empathize with, nine very remarkable girls.

This issue came up after the screening in a conversation between me and Maaza. It also came up the following morning, during our final screening and talk at the École Secondaire Publique De La Salle. I was just as interested as the students were to hear Richard’s anecdotes about the ups and downs – and challenges – of filming and editing the nine chapters. I left Ottawa filled with thoughts, ideas, questions, emotions – and inspiration.

Police Officer Memorial Day

Categories: May 2013
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Published on: May 15, 2013

by David Brackins, Regional Security Officer for U.S. Mission Canada

The 15th of May was designated Police Officer Memorial Day in the U.S. It is a day set aside by Presidential proclamation to remember those members of law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice. In Washington D.C., the entire week surrounding the 15th is National Police Week. It begins with a Blue Mass at the National Cathedral and culminates with a wreath laying ceremony and National Police Officers Memorial Day Service. Law enforcement professionals from around the world gather in Washington for this somber ceremony where the names of the law enforcement personnel who were killed in the line of duty are read aloud on the west grounds of the U.S. Capitol grounds.
The centerpiece of the Police Week is, however, a set of granite walls at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Along these walls are etched the names of our brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice. I have friends whose names are on the wall and regardless of what time of year, anytime I find myself in the area I stop by to pay my respects. From a friend shot to death by an escaped convict in 1981, leaving behind a wife who had just told him she was expecting their first child, to the two Diplomatic Security Special agents killed in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland; to my friends killed in Iraq. I have etchings of all their names that I keep with me as a constant reminder.

When you see the flag at our Embassy at half-mast on May 15th, it is a sign of respect and mourning for our fallen heroes.

CBP, YVR Launch Historic Partnership with APC Kiosks

CBP and YVR reps cut the ribbon on the new APC kiosks, which will streamline passenger processing and decrease wait times.
CBP and YVR reps cut the ribbon on the new APC kiosks, which will streamline passenger processing and decrease wait times.

by Steve Pike, Spokesman at the U.S. Embassy Ottawa

If you’re like us, you’re looking out your window, seeing the return of blue skies and green leaves, and thinking “Summer Travel!!” And that immediately brings to mind thoughts of plunging into the surf at a warm beach, hiking the mountains under a canopy of green, strolling the streets of a fascinating city, and…

…standing on line at the airport.

Well, some good news. We’re working hard to try to do something about that last one.

On May 7, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) launched Automated Passport Control (APC), an expedited customs entry process that allows eligible passengers traveling from YVR to the U.S. to clear customs more efficiently, while still ensuring the same high standard of safety and security.

This partnership is the first of its kind and aims to help travelers move more quickly through the CBP preclearance inspection process by allowing entry of passport information at a self-service kiosk. Using the APC kiosk eliminates the need to fill out a declaration card, but passengers still need to speak to a CBP officer for final clearance.

The launch of APC illustrates cross-border cooperation and streamlining systems, and will bring significant benefits to travelers, who will experience shorter wait times, less congestion, and faster processing. YVR developed the concept and technology and worked with CBP on implementation and design, ensuring security and privacy requirements were incorporated.

Vancouver Consul General Anne Callaghan introduced CBP Acting Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations John Wagner, who said, “This is a whole new way of doing business for us. We’re taking a decades-old process of clearing airport passengers and doing it in a creative and automated fashion but still making sure we have a focus on the security requirements that we deal with.”

Callaghan and Wagner joined YVR’s President and CEO Larry Berg and Vice President for Simplified Passenger Travel and Chief Information Officer Kevin Molloy at the launch, during which departing passengers demonstrated the user-friendliness of the new system.

Please click here to view photos from the launch.

Embassy to Host “Water, Weather, & Global Warming” Roundtable

Categories: May 2013
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Published on: May 8, 2013

On Wednesday, May 15th, the Embassy will host Sonaar Luthra, CEO and co-founder of Water Canary, for a roundtable discussion entitled “Water, Weather, & Global Warming”: Facing New Challenges with Better Information”. Click on the image below for more details!

Sonaar Luthra speaks at the Embassy on water issues Wednesday, May 15th.
Sonaar Luthra speaks at the Embassy on water issues Wednesday, May 15th.

Listen Up! Ottawa

Categories: May 2013
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Published on: May 7, 2013

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa in partnership with the Ottawa ChamberFest is excited to present a Listen Up! Ottawa with renowned American conductor and educator Rob Kapilow on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

For information on program and tickets please go to http://www.ottawachamberfest.com/listen-up-ottawa
Listen Up! Ottawa

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces new automation procedures for I-94 forms

Categories: April 2013
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Published on: April 30, 2013

Foreign Visitors now able to access their I-94 arrival/departure records online

by Alan Langford, Customs and Border Protection Attaché at the US Embassy

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcement on records automation for Form I-94 represents a big step forward and helps support the United States-Canada Beyond the Border Action Plan to streamline operations at our shared border. Foreign visitors (although not most Canadian citizens) arriving in the U.S. via air or sea who need to prove their legal-visitor status—to employers, schools/universities or government agencies—will be able to access their CBP arrival/departure record information online when the agency starts its records automation on April 30, 2013.

The automation of this process means that affected visitors will no longer need to fill out a paper I-94 form when arriving to the U.S. by air or sea. The change will be implemented at air and sea ports of entry in a phased approach beginning April 30. This change does not affect land border crossing at all. The change affects travelers who require visas to enter the United States only. Most Canadians do not require a Visa for travel across the border. To find out whether or not you need a visa for your entry to the United States, check here.

This automation will streamline the entry process for travelers, use less paper, facilitate security and reduce federal costs. CBP anticipates that the automated process will save the agency an estimated $15.5 million a year. For more information, visit www.CBP.gov/I94.

CBP’s efforts in this area are aligned with the goals set out in the Beyond the Border vision which seeks to streamline processes at the border and to make transit across the border both more safe and more efficient. To learn more about Beyond the Border, visit our BTB website.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

NAC Dance presents a Public Ballet Class with Arturo Fernandez, Ballet Master of Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Categories: April 2013
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Published on: April 29, 2013

Thanks to the generous support of the Embassy of the United States of America, Alonzo King LINES Ballet will be teaching a free dance master class for local Ottawa and Gatineau students. 

Friday, May 3rd, 2013. From 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 Rehearsal Hall B, National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin Street, Ottawa

 (Enter by Stage Door).

For intermediate level ballet students and dancers (aged 14 and up)

As space is limited, you MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE with
Kirsten Andersen, Dance Outreach Coordinator
Email: 
kirsten.andersen@nac-cna.ca or Tel: 613-947-7000 ext 588.

 

Book Reading by Dinaw Mengestu

Categories: April 2013
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Published on: April 17, 2013

On Thursday, April 25th, the Embassy is pleased to present a reading by award-winning American author Dinaw Mengestu at Ottawa’s La Petite Mort Gallery. Click on the image below for full details!

Book Reading by Dinaw Mengestu (365KB PDF)
Book Reading by Dinaw Mengestu (365KB PDF)

The California Wine Fair Stops in Ottawa

By Scott Reynolds, Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the US Embassy in Ottawa

Attendees at the California Wine Fair in Ottawa. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)
Attendees at the California Wine Fair in Ottawa. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)

The California Wine Fair stopped in Ottawa on Friday April 5th at the Westin Hotel. Always a popular event, this year’s edition sold 800 tickets for an evening tasting featuring 400 wines from over 100 different wineries.

The wines featured at this year’s fair showcased the diversity and innovation that California has become known for. They ranged from traditional varietals such as Chardonnay to blends that are becoming more and more popular.

A representative from Buccella, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)
A representative from Buccella, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)

The fair was a rare opportunity for consumers to sample wines from Buccella, a boutique winery in Napa Valley that is not usually open to the public. Kevin Travis, Buccella’s Brand Manager, described the pride the winery puts into crafting such a high quality product, including labeling each bottle by hand. Kevin acknowledged the buzz in the hall that his small batch wines, which retail for about $200 per bottle, were likely the most expensive being poured for tasting at the event.

Representatives from Mahoney Vineyards and Fleur de California. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)
Representatives from Mahoney Vineyards and Fleur de California. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)

Ken Foster, the winemaker for Mahoney Vineyards and Fleur de California, also made the trip to Canada to exhibit his wines. One of the wines he highlighted was a varietal known as Albariño, which is traditionally found in Spain. Ken explained that some of the cooler coastal areas of California have proven to be ideal for some less common varieties usually grown in Spain or Italy. Mahoney has been experimenting with these grapes, bringing a wider variety of experiences to California wine fans.

Sustainability is an important concern for many wine growers in California with several certification systems being developed in the state. One wine grower represented at the fair, Bonterra Organic Vineyards, featured four different wines that are 100 per cent organic. At their vineyard, sheep and chickens are used to control insects and “mow” the grass. Bonterra also uses the Biodynamic® approach to enhance biodiversity and biological activity in the soil by applying special mineral and microbial treatments.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)
Francis Ford Coppola Winery. (Credit: Foreign Agriculture Service/US Embassy Ottawa)

The California Wine Fair may be the next best thing to visiting the state in person. However, for those interested in making the trip, many of the wineries have developed into entertaining tourist destinations. For example, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, one of the exhibitors at the fair, has worked to become a family friendly winery. With a pool, cabanas, restaurant and bocce courts it would be easy for anyone, young or young at heart, to pass an afternoon there.

The California Wine Fair also visited Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. It will be visiting Halifax on May 2. For more information, visit www.calwine.ca.

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Link2US, the official blog of the U.S. Mission to Canada, offers an interactive forum for the Embassy and Consulates across Canada to share information on our activities, policies and programs, and for our Canadian readers to share their views and join in conversation with us on current events and topics of interest.
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Welcome , today is Wednesday, May 22, 2013