The immigration tale of the senator's wife

By Maria Elena Salinas

All her life, Sascha Herrera wanted to be a dancer. She traveled to the United States from her native Colombia in hopes of reaching her goal and also mending a broken heart. When she arrived in Atlanta, she got more than she bargained for. Not only did she get to dance in a special holiday performance, but she found love in the process, married Georgia state Sen. Curt Thompson and lived happily ever after.

That is, until she got a deportation notice from the Department of Homeland Security.

Her immigration story is not uncommon. She arrived on a tourist visa for six months and contacted a notary public to help her get an extension. The notary was supposed to be an immigration expert. She never doubted his authority, since in Latin America notaries have almost the same powers as attorneys.

It worked. So far, so good. But when Herrera tried to get a second extension so she could stay in the country to study English, she started running into problems. Her options were limited. The notary suggested that she apply for political asylum, but she was not convinced. So she did what many immigrants in her situation do: nothing.

Herrera lived in legal limbo until she decided to apply for a student visa. It was under these conditions that Sen. Thompson met the love of his life. He was swept off his feet watching the Colombian beauty in her dance performance last December. They were married four months later.

The shocker came when, in late November, officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit came knocking on their door.

"Where is your wife?" they asked Thompson. Herrera had violated two golden rules of immigration that she apparently was unaware of.

It turns out that the notary she had contacted years before had gone ahead and sent an application for political asylum on her behalf.

Since she had applied for a student visa months before, it raised a red flag with authorities. Immigration laws do not allow people to have two separate petitions at the same time.

On the asylum case, she was given a date to appear before a judge to review her request, but she never showed up. She claims she had no knowledge of the court appearance because she had not authorized the notary to apply for her in the first place, and that the notice to appear went to his office and not her house. Her failure to appear prompted the order of deportation.

This is where similarities to the cases of other immigrants stop.

Any other person in her situation would either be deported or go into hiding. Herrera confronted her situation and — accompanied by her husband — brought her case to a judge. Her deportation order was temporarily put on hold, pending an investigation.

In most cases, immigrants with a deportation order don't have the option of going before a judge to prevent it from taking place. The deportation is automatic. It does not matter what the personal circumstances of the immigrant are. At times, immigrants are deported without a farewell to their families, even if their family members are U.S. citizens.

Herrera had probably violated the rules when she was put on the list of undesirables, but she had not committed a crime. She just tried — through legal means — to stay in the country she came to know and love to start a new life. Sen. Thompson is using his wife's story to push for a more humane immigration reform. Being married to an influential politician didn't solve Herrera's problem, but it did help get the judge's attention and get her a second chance at love and life.

Maria Elena Salinas is anchor of "Noticiero Univision." Her e-mail address is msalinas@univision.net.

Bring Your Conversation To Life With AIM Buddy Icons

By Daniel Wesley

By buddy icon we mean an image, a symbol or a mere expression. Buddy Icons are those images or signs or expressions, which the users of AOL Instant Messenger use to convey a message in a different way. Now you may think why in a different way. Well, when you chat with someone online you type the message on the keyboard and the same appears on the screen in the form of text. In case of buddy icons, you can convey a message in a more stylish and interesting way by sending an animated or non-animated image or expression. To make use of buddy icons, you have to download them from websites, which offers these icons for downloading. The buddy icons used in AOL Instant Messenger are very well liked.

Creating a buddy icon is not an easy thing and as such, the buddy icons creators take a lot of care in creating these icons and they need to have the required skill and patience for this purpose. These AIM Buddy Icons creators are always working to make their icons better and superior than their competitors so that they can reach or retain the number one position as the AIM Buddy Icons creator. Different people download and make use of these icons for various purposes depending on their individual needs. Did you know that everyday the icons creators are creating more and more icons? Well, it is true. The reason behind the continuous creation is to provide various new and interesting icons to the users. Everyone wants to make use of AIM Buddy Icons because they are a novel, a popular and a fun way to convey a message to your friends. In fact, an increasing number of people in the entire world are downloading the AIM Buddy Icons everyday minute of the day. They are very popular and also very much in demand.

There are a number of websites that offers you AIM Buddy Icons. All you need to do is download them. However, there are few websites, which requires you to pay a certain amount before you download the icons. On the other hand, there are also certain websites from which you can download them for free. The AIM Buddy Icons can be of various kinds like, love buddy icons, Christmas buddy icons, birthday buddy icons, and funny buddy icons. The list of the types of buddy icons available is huge and endless. Usually, the website that offers you these icons will require you to download before using them. Now you must be thinking that the downloading these icons may be a very complicated task but let me assure you that it is a very simple and easy job. After downloading the icons, you will be able to use it in a few seconds. Doesn’t it sound perfect? It is! Now you can make use of the AIM Buddy Icons and have a fun and exciting conversation online with your friends.

AIM Icons are those images, signs or expressions for users of AIM.

China Life seeks mainland listing

By Dune Lawrence


China Life Insurance, the biggest life insurer in the country, said Tuesday that it would seek to list in Shanghai in a $3.61 billion initial offering to tap the surging mainland Chinese stock markets.

China Life, now listed in Hong Kong, did not specify a price range or when it intends to sell up to 1.5 billion yuan-denominated shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, according to a statement on the Web site of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The regulator intends to start reviewing the request Friday.

"It just enlarges their capital base," said Tat Auyeung, a fund manager at Apex Capital Management in Hong Kong. "The A-share market is a very good way for them to raise money," he said referring to yuan-denominated share listed on the mainland.

The Chinese securities regulator last week published new rules governing initial public offerings by insurers, paving the way for China Life to raise money on the mainland stock market, which has more than doubled in size to almost $806 billion this year.

The insurer has increased its investments in mainland companies. Last week, it announced that it was buying a 32 percent stake in China Southern Power for $4.5 billion.

The Chinese stock market capitalization has more than doubled this year to $806 billion as the government has encouraged the biggest Chinese companies to sell shares, reviving investor demand after a four-year slump. Ping An Insurance and Bank of Communications are among the Hong Kong-traded companies that plan to seek mainland listings next year.

"The trend for Hong Kong-listed companies to sell shares on the domestic stock markets is only going to get bigger," said Phillip Chan, research director at Shenyin Wanguo Securities in Hong Kong. "The A-share markets are so liquid now."

China has pushed companies including Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China to sell shares in Shanghai as well as Hong Kong to help develop the mainland capital markets, improve corporate governance and increase investor choice. The nation lifted a 12-month ban on share sales in May.

Seven Hong Kong-listed companies including PetroChina, the largest Chinese oil company, may raise a combined 105 billion yuan, or $13 billion, in the coming months, Chan said.

The mainland stock markets rank 13th in the world, while its economy ranks fourth.

The Shanghai Composite index has risen 89 percent this year, while the Shenzhen Composite index, which tracks the smaller of the two mainland stock markets, has gained 81 percent. The Shanghai index slumped 44 percent from 2001 through the end of 2005.

The stock markets in mainland China have overtaken South Korea, Taiwan and India by capitalization this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares of Industrial & Commercial Bank, the world's fourth-largest by market value, have risen 35 percent since they started trading in Shanghai on Oct. 26, for a capitalization of $180 billion.

China Life appointed China Galaxy Securities and China International Capital to arrange its offering of A- shares, according to a statement on the Web site of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

China Life shares rose 1.6 percent to 19.02 Hong Kong dollars at the close of trading Tuesday. The stock has almost tripled this year.

The Chinese insurance market grew 14 percent to 430.9 billion yuan in premium income in the first nine months of 2006 from last year. China Life's premium income rose 18 percent in the first 10 months to 160 billion yuan, it said Nov. 17.

Ping An Insurance, the second- largest Chinese insurer, may sell as many as 1.15 billion new shares in Shanghai next year, the company, which is based in Shenzhen, said in September.

Bank of Communications, the fifth- largest Chinese bank, said last month it may sell as many at 4.5 billion shares in China next year.

Hulk's girl slams critics

JAMES BISSON

CANADIAN PRESS

Music critics have delivered a super-sized body slam to Brooke Hogan, but like her famous father, the blond bombshell isn't letting the negativity get to her.

"I'm a hard-head," Hogan said. "I don't really let anything get in my way. I'm the kind of person who wants to fight back and get back up in their face, which I can't do. So I let it roll off my shoulders and move on."

Hogan, the daughter of WWE legend Hulk Hogan, was in Toronto yesterday with her dad as part of a whirlwind jaunt through Canada to promote her debut album, Undiscovered.

The 18-year-old is no stranger to the entertainment world, having spent the last 2 1/2 years on the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best.

Though Brooke says she still gets plenty of questions about her father , she's slowly carving her own path. She sang the national anthems at the 2004 Stanley Cup final between Tampa Bay and Calgary. Last month, she became the youngest woman to appear on the cover of lad's magazine FHM.

Still, none of her earlier success could prepare Brooke for the backlash she faced from critics who lambasted her CD, labelling her as a more shrill, less-polished version of Mandy Moore or Jessica Simpson.

"I'd love to invite (the critics) out to lunch and have them get to know the real me," said Hogan. "I think it's childish to judge somebody before you even know them."

Having faced a firestorm or two himself over his 30-year wrestling career, Hulk agreed. "

When your father's Hulk Hogan, people are going to criticize you because your dad's a wrestler," said Hulk.

While Brookeamania isn't exactly running wild — her album has sold fewer than 100,000 copies — the news hasn't been all bad for Brooke, who is also an accomplished pianist and dancer. Her first single, "About Us," has found a home on Billboard's Pop 100 for the past four months.

"I think with Brooke, the fact she plays piano and sings, and because she has that `it' ... she's the sum of all of those parts," said Hulk. "I think she has a really good shot at making it."

Life lessons

There's a place in Wayland where some people go to spend their last days and where others learn a lot about life.

The Wayside Hospice at Parmenter Community Health is nestled off Cochituate Road, close to Dudley Pond and less than a mile away from Wayland High School, where the future seems endless for those inside.

This story is about three people whose lives have been interwined with Parmenter: a globe-trotting investment banker suddenly widowed with two young children; a photojournalist turned art therapist; and a German immigrant who once made headlines as a shrewd financial tycoon but now is quietly giving away millions.

Michael Halloran was just shy of 40 when his wife, Carolyn, died of a brain tumor. At their doctor's recommendation, she was cared for by Parmenter's visiting nurses in their Weston home until she died six years ago, at the age of 38.

"They reached out to me," Halloran said, adding that he was impressed that Parmenter offered help to his entire family.

He received a call from Deborah Marshall, the director of HEARTplay, a program for children experiencing the illness or loss of a loved one.

Marshall visited Halloran's home to meet with his daughters, then ages 5 and 7, and invited them to participate in HEARTplay, which uses art, music, games, and storytelling to help children come to terms with death. They are encouraged to recall joyful experiences to reinforce loving memories.

"The power of having a child come and sit in a circle and be with other children who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling is profound. They always think that they're the only one who has experienced tragedy," said Marshall, 54, who lives in Wayland.

She said the program succeeds in prompting children to reveal feelings they may be reluctant to express to family and friends.

"Often their stories sadden adults, who respond with tears or sympathy," she said.

Marshall, who has two children of her own, founded HEARTplay in 1995. She had previously worked as a photojournalist. One particular assignment helped spur her to change careers, she said. It was in Hamlen Woods, a conservation area in Wayland.

"The police were bringing out the body of a 6-year-old" who had been stabbed to death by his father, Marshall said. "I knew that there was something that I could do that could be more of a preventive educational contribution than taking pictures of body bags."

After interning at several hospices, she enrolled at Lesley University, from which she earned a master's in expressive therapies with a specialization in art in 1996.

These days, Halloran's daughters, now 11 and 13, sometimes assist Marshall in the HEARTplay programs.

"They're continuing their involvement, which is good for them, but they're also realizing that they're [helping] someone else who is going through" a loss, their father said.

For complete story visit http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/11/30/life_lessons/ .