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星期五, 7月 31, 2015

律師界挺吳弭競選連任波士頓市議員

(本報實習記者戴斯夢波士頓報導) 波士頓律師界組成的委員會,昨(七月三十)日辦籌款會,希望鼓動更多人捐款,投票,支持波市首名華裔市議員吳弭當選連任。
昨日的籌款,造勢會,格調頗高,在明茲利文(Mintz Levin)律師樓,由曾任聯邦參議員的柯文謀(Mo Cowan),曾任麻州電信局( Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications) 局長的陳光耀(Geoffrey Why)擔任主持人,包括統籌人之一的李超榮在內,共有五十多人出席。
吳弭今年再度獲得“艾米莉名單(Emily's List)”支持。昨日她在金融大廈一號38樓的明茲利文律師樓辦公室裏,輕聲細語,重述自己從政緣由,瞻望未來將關注的四個重點。
吳弭在22歲那年,從波士頓辭去高薪工作,回芝加哥照顧生病了的母親,為謀生技,打算開餐館,沒想到向政府申請各種證件,許可時,手續繁雜,時間冗長的讓人心力交瘁。這個人經歷,讓她充分體會到,小企業的創業艱辛,也因此後來進波士頓市府做市長顧問,以及其後當選波市議員,都竭力推動簡化手續,規範表格。
今年一旦當選連任,她將在未來任期內關注四個重點,包括精神疾病患者的醫療,新生嬰兒家長在帶薪假後的選擇,讓學生更公平的獲取教育資源,不再受居住地區域劃分限制,幫助面對房價高壓力的年輕人在波士頓安家立業等。
昨日出席活動的四,五十人,有高中校長,商人,政治家等。
談及波士頓華處處可見支持她的海報時,吳弭雙手合十表示,非常感激華埠給予的支持。當年她到波士頓,華埠也是她第一個接觸,了解的社區。在哈佛求學時,每個週末,她都到華埠當志工,為耆英入籍美國上課。她坦言,來自父母的東方教育和性格品質,已是她生命中的非常重要的一部分。
活動組織者之一,曾任聯邦參議員的柯文謀(Mo Cowan)肯定弭的才能和品質,直言『她的才華和能力可以讓她在別的領域過上更好的生活,但她投身了政治,努力改善這個社會。

圖片說明:


前聯邦參議員柯文謀(Mo Cowan(左)和如今都在明茲利文律師樓工作的陳光耀(Geoffrey Why),向出席者介紹波市議員吳弭(中)。(戴斯夢攝)

華林功夫太極學校奪美國國際武術聯盟賽總冠軍

華林功夫及太極學校參賽學生合影。(圖由華林功夫太極學校提供)

(Boston Orange) 華林功夫及太極學校傳出捷報,甫於週一(七月廿四日)贏得2015年美國國際武術聯盟冠軍賽總冠軍,參賽隊伍中有三人還贏得九月到阿根廷參加世界國術聯盟冠軍盃比賽資格。
 獲獎學生及家長合影。(圖由華林功夫太極學校提供)
摩頓市華林功夫太極學校今年出動47名年齡在642歲學員,遠征馬里蘭州巴爾的摩(Baltimore)市,參加2015年美國國際國術聯盟冠軍賽,面對來自美國,中國,巴西及秘魯的競賽者,贏得150面獎牌,其中三分之一是金牌。
左至右,梅之榮,蘇靜恩,翁榮均,陳城熹,Michelle Ngo, Yen-Nhi Chit。  

            由於在分組比賽中表現優良,華林功夫及太極學校的成人武術家Amy Tran,蘇靜恩(Andrea So) 及 鄧稀賢(Austin Tang),將於九月代表美國到阿根廷,參加第五屆世界國術聯盟冠軍賽。
年度競賽者得獎者及獲提名者。(圖由華林功夫太極學校提供)
            摩頓市的華林功夫太極學校創辦人余翠梅表示,該校學員有此成績,歸功於家長們毫無怨言的接送學員,載運器械,道具,策劃並陪同學員們到巴爾的摩參賽。
            余翠梅本人演練北派螳螂功夫,已有28年,更是大波士頓地區為數極少,獲得認證的女工夫師傅之一。她師從Bob Rosen,以及華林派創辦人陳培學習,其後任教,迄今也已逾20年。
            余翠梅的學生來自大波士頓南北各地,每天趕到摩頓市的功夫學校,不只練身體,還砥礪心神。其中入圍年度競賽者的16歲學生 Ricky Mei表示,無論是作為個人,或是武藝學習者,他都收穫良多。
          這是華林功夫太極學校第二度參賽,華林學校的青少年組
及成人組,都表現極佳。今年也是該校在參加擂台全接觸攻打類別
Lei Tai full contact fighting category)時,以整體表現,首次贏得王卓人盃(Wang Cheuh-Jen Cup)。此外,該校的蘇靜恩(Andrea So),陳城熹(Thomas Tran),翁榮均(Max Weng)Michelle Ngo等四人,還都獲得年度競賽者獎。


         

瘋一夏馬戲體驗營結業 師生同樂

波士頓華僑文教中心指導,『璞石中華文化工作室』主辦的暑期營隊《2015瘋一夏馬戲體驗營》,日前結業,以9項表演,展示學員們結合腦力,體力的學習成果。
            推動成立璞石中華文化工作室,策劃《2015瘋一夏馬戲體驗營》的路永宜表示,坊間有各種以語文,音樂為主題的夏令營,她因而決定藉自己文化大學戲劇系的學經歷,編排更為動態的夏令營,給本地青少年多一個選擇。
            今年該營請到國寶級雜技大師李棠華嫡傳弟子王光華,2009年中正盃扯鈴比賽冠軍簡志祐,以及刻在麻州藝術學院就讀的郭瑞欣,分別教授雜技,扯鈴,工藝文化。
王光華這次再度應邀來波士頓授課,教雜技基本功,還帶來180吋專業大螢幕,教新課程------光影戲。簡志祐教魔幻立方體,扯鈴及日字框。目前在麻州藝術學院任教的郭瑞欣,教中國工藝,文化。
經過為期一週的研習後,學員們在結業式中,分別表演少林連步拳,扯鈴,旗開得勝,以球,單輪車,晃板,高蹺等表演的雜耍會串,黏舞的旋轉乾坤,影子舞,原民疊羅漢等,紛紛說這個夏令營,不一樣。

           
圖片說明:

            路永宜(左一)和簡志佑(左三),李玉英(右一)等教職員慶祝夏令營結業。(菊子攝)


            簡志佑的日字框,以螢光管製做,在黑暗場景中,顯出特殊效果。(菊子攝)   

星期四, 7月 30, 2015

Governor Baker Highlights Record $11.5 Million for YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program

圖由麻州州長辦公室提供
麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)昨(七月三十)日和一百名參加麻州“青少年工作(YouthWorks)”項目的青少年們晤談,藉以強調及早獲得工作經驗和長期職業發展成功之間的相互關係。
麻州今年約有4000名年紀在1421歲之間的青少年參加“青少年工作”項目,進入公家機構,私營企業或非牟利機構做暑期工。
“青少年工作“是由麻州政府資助,管理的半官方機構,代表麻州州長辦公室的勞工及人力發展辦公室辦理服務。麻州州長查理貝克在早前簽署的2016會計年度預算中,編列了1150萬元給“青少年工作”辦理下一年度暑期工項目,數額之高打破歷年紀錄。
麻州州長辦公室表示,全美迄今只有麻州由州政府撥款,為低收入青少年辦理準備就業,及早獲取就業經驗的項目。
2007年迄今,已有33,000名青少年曾藉由“青少年工作”獲得工作經驗。
查理貝克昨天和麻州勞工及人力發展卿朗納沃克二世(Ronald Walker, II),波士頓紅襪隊營運長山姆甘迺迪(Sam Kennedy),以及波士頓警察局副局長William Gross等人,一起到麥特潘(Mattapan)參觀了辦理這項目的機構之一,波士頓社區發展行動(ABCD)經營的鄰里中心。
波士頓警察局每年雇用大約60名青少年。
波士頓社區發展行動(ABCD)和大約250個雇主合作,今年夏天為大約1,050名波士頓青少年提供了暑期工機會。

根據調查,在上高中期間,每週工作20小時以上的學生,和那些不工作的學生相比,後來大學畢業的比率更高。那些有工作經驗的青少年,在職業生涯後期的職位,一般也較高。


Governor Baker Highlights Record $11.5 Million for YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program
Program provides over 4,000 teenagers invaluable work experience in public, private, non-profit sectors

BOSTON – Highlighting the importance of early work experience and its correlation to long-term career success, Gov. Charlie Baker today met with nearly 100 young people benefitting from the Commonwealth’s YouthWorks summer jobs program.

Approximately 4,000 teenagers across the Commonwealth are participating in the YouthWorks program this summer, which provides summer jobs in the public, non-profit and private sectors to lower-income young people ages 14 to 21.

YouthWorks is a state-funded program administered by Commonwealth Corporation – a quasi-public state agency – on behalf of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The Fiscal Year 2016 budget signed by Governor Baker earlier this month allocated $11.5 million to YouthWorks – the highest amount ever for the program – for next summer’s programming.

Massachusetts is one of the only states in the nation to invest in state-funded early work experiences and work-readiness programs for low-income young people.

Since 2007, more than 33,000 young people have been employed through YouthWorks.

Gov. Baker on Thursday visited a neighborhood center in Mattapan operated by Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) – one of the non-profit organizations that facilitates the YouthWorks jobs program.

“With YouthWorks, we are aligning what employers tell us they need in future workers with experience, education and skill-building programs,” Governor Baker said. “We need to replicate what works and do more of it so young men and women can find a path that leads them to a job and ultimately a career.” 

Governor Baker was joined by Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker, II, and Boston Red Sox’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Kennedy, along with Boston Police Superintendent William Gross. The Boston Police Department employs approximately 60 teenagers every summer. 

“Companies tell us again and again they cannot find enough skilled workers to fill available jobs,” Secretary Walker said. “By supporting young people in acquiring the skills they need to enter and be successful in the workforce, we’re also meeting the needs of businesses for a pipeline of skilled workers.”

“We are tremendously grateful to Governor Baker and our state legislators for their support of state funding for youth summer jobs, including expanded funding for next summer,” said John Drew, president and chief executive officer of ABCD. “That increase is a critical step in serving the needs of thousands of Boston teens from low-income families who are eager to work, learn and succeed.”

ABCD, through its SummerWorks program, partnered with 250 employers to provide 1,050 Boston teens jobs this summer. The young people are working in museums, health centers, and day camps, among other places. The Boston Police Department employs young people every year, offering teenagers mentorship and class discussions in order to strengthen relationships between inner-city teens and police.

The rigors of the program were raised this year with new requirements aimed at ensuring teens leave with a plan to help them find their next job in the private sector. Young people who get jobs this summer must have a résumé, and a portfolio describing the skills they earned when they finish working.

They must also participate in “Signal Success,” a new hands-on work readiness education program overseen by Commonwealth Corporation.

Work experience is critically important for the long-term success of young people. Research shows teens who work have long-term gains in employment, future earnings, and educational outcomes.

Students who work up to 20 hours per week during high school are more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than students who do not work, research shows. Teens with early work experience also tend to attain work in higher-level occupations later in life, and tend to have jobs with pension plans and employer-provided health insurance.

MassDOT Secretary Announces MBTA Leadership Team

MassDOT Secretary Announces MBTA Leadership Team
Former Marine to serve as Chief Administrator heading up financial reforms; DePaola to handle operations
Boston – Today, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary Stephanie Pollack announced Brian Shortsleeve will serve as the Chief Administrator for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), working alongside the newly appointed Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB), interim General Manager Frank DePaola, who will continue in his current role focusing solely on operations and Jeff Gonneville, a 14-year veteran of the MBTA who will serve as the permanent Chief Operating Officer.  
Under the MBTA reforms Governor Charlie Baker recently signed into law, the MassDOT Secretary was given the ability to name the MBTA’s General Manager. Given the immense reforms underway at the MBTA, Secretary Pollack has divided the T’s leadership into two positions in accordance with the recommendations of the Governor’s MBTA Special Review Panel. The Chief Administrator will focus on the fiscal health of the organization, enabling the General Manager to focus on improving service for customers.
“Brian is a proven leader with a successful track record fixing and running complex organizations large and small and his expertise is exactly what is needed to get the job done,” said Governor Baker. “The taxpayers of Massachusetts deserve a transportation system they can rely on and together with the Control Board, our new leadership team at the MBTA can implement the reforms outlined by our panel of experts.”
“With the governance and leadership in place, I believe the MBTA is on track for a transformation designed to ensure that customers receive the safest and most reliable, innovative and customer-responsive transit possible,” said Secretary Pollack.“The Fiscal and Management Control Board is moving quickly and with Brian’s intense focus on the financial health of the organization combined with Frank and Jeff’s experience with system operations, we are moving ahead to fix the T.”
The Fiscal and Management Control Board met today for the second time since the Governor signed it into law and swore in its members, and is working toward the required 60-day report to the legislature as well as the immediate service improvements and track upgrades already underway at the MBTA. The MBTA is also currently implementing the $83 million Winter Resiliency Plan which is making investments this summer and over the next five years in snow removal equipment, infrastructure upgrades and operations during harsh weather to improve service reliability.
 About the MBTA Leadership Team:
 Brian Shortsleeve, Chief Administrator, has nearly twenty years of leadership experience in the public and private sector managing change in complex organizations.  He served in our country's Armed Forces as a United States Marine Corps officer and in the business world as an adviser and investor in businesses which were undergoing periods of both rapid growth and operational turnaround.  Serving as an officer for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps after college, Brian led teams of Marines who deployed to the Persian Gulf and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  After serving as the political director for Mitt Romney’s successful 2002 campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, Brian returned to Bain & Company where he focused on working with the management team to develop and implement strategies to improve operational efficiency and increase revenue growth.  As an investor at H.I.G. Capital and General Catalyst Partners, Brian has worked closely with management teams as they managed periods of both rapid-growth and operational turnaround by implementing strategic and operational efficiency plans, and more effectively allocating capital.  Brian received an MBA from Harvard Business School and lives with his wife and three sons in Wellesley where he is a Commuter Rail rider.
Frank DePaola, Interim General Manager, has served in his current role since February, and brings over 30 years of design and construction experience from the public sector, including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) where he is the Chief Operating Officer and formerly the Administrator for the Highway Division. DePaola joined MassDOT in 2009 as the Assistant General Manager for the MBTA’s Design and Construction Directorate. He previously served as Senior Project Manager for Infrastructure for Harvard University’s Allston Development Group and Director of Construction for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). DePaola is a licensed, registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and holds a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Jeffrey D. Gonneville, Chief Operating Officer, has been with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for nearly 15 years, dutifully working toward improving the agency, and as a result, rising through the ranks. A graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Gonneville has been deeply rooted in public transportation for decades, responsible for administration, efficiency, contract management, and maintenance. Mr. Gonneville became the Acting Chief Operating Officer in May and most recently served as the Chief Mechanical Officer of the MBTA, responsible for the maintenance, oversight, long term strategic planning and all other related tasks for maintaining a state of good repair for the Authority’s 210 light rail, 432 heavy rail, 1,000 bus, and 1,100 non-revenue fleet.