"Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery" ~Jack Paar

Canada lets in a lot of immigrants, with an average of 220,000 annually since 2000.  We try to lure the best and brightest through out points system, but too often they then languish when their qualifications aren't recognized.  I think that Canada has some of the world's best-educated dishwashers and taxi drivers.  There's even a website full of horror stories called www.notcanada.com (I do not endorse this website, but its an interesting read nonetheless).

But over the Christmas holidays I was enthralled by the story of Atnas Maeko.  An African orphan at 7 when his parents were murdered in Mozambique, he somehow made his way to Canada, was adopted by a Canadian family, and has just gotten the chance to play professional football in the Canadian Football League.  Oh... and he spent his Christmas holidays volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya because his passion in life is to give back to his home continent of Africa.  I'm Atnas Maeko's newest fan.  He's already a star.