Lest you think that the World Series is not really a "world"championship, look no further than the rosters of the teams. Just like the Philadelphia Phillies who I wrote about the other day, their World Series opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays, also have a number of immgrant players. They include
Grant Balfour - Australia - Relief Pitcher
Michel Hernandez - Cuba - Catcher
Dioner Navarro - Venezuela - Catcher
Willy Aybar - Dominican Republic - Third Base
Akinori Iwamura - Japan - Second Base
Carlos Pena - Dominican Republic - First Base
Australian writer Peter Carey is an award-winning author of works like Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang. The 65 year old is a long time resident of New York and also the Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Hunter College. He wrote the screenplay for the film version of Oscar and Lucinda as well. Carey is still quite active and is working on a new novel.
Today's New York Times has an opinion piece by activist Irshad Manji that caught my attention. Ms. Manji writes about her experience on October 31, 1972 when the family arrived for entry as refugees in Montreal. They were fleeing Uganda after Idi Amin decided to kick out the Indians who had helped over generations to build up the economy of the central African country. The piece talks about the kindness of an immigration inspector who left an impression so strong on the family that decades later they still remember the woman fondly.
The inspector saw that the family was terrified about being turned away and instead of treating the newcomers with suspicion and as a burden, the officer talked with the family and helped them realize that they would be smarter choosing a different part of the country where they would likely be happier:
As an adult, I've come to understand why I'm so blessed to have immigrated to an open society. Here, the individual - and the choices she makes - matter. The agent chose to practice the first lesson of human rights: just because a problem doesn't affect you personally doesn't mean it ceases to exist. I've seen Ms. Manji on the always witty show Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO and so was somewhat familiar with her work promoting the reform of her Islamic faith. She is the director of the Moral Courage Project at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and the author of the best-selling book "The Troubel With Islam Today".
About The Author
Greg Siskind is a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee, office. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. Mr. Siskind is a member of AILA, a board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a member of the ABA, where he serves on the LPM Publishing Board as Marketing Vice Chairman. He is the author of several books, including the J Visa Guidebook and The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet. Mr. Siskind practices all areas of immigration law, specializing in immigration matters of the health care and technology industries. He can be reached by email at gsiskind@visalaw.com.
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