星期六, 8月 30, 2014

全美各地留學生人數 波士頓排第三

布魯金斯學會(Brookings Institution)昨(29)日公佈一份報告指出,大波士頓是全美外籍學生最多的地點之一,每年為本地經濟注入成萬逾億元的學費,生活開支費等。
在2008到2012年間,共有53,486名學生持F-1簽證來到大波士頓地區就讀,共交學費18億元,在生活起居,租房子上,花了約9億9300萬元。
來到波士頓的這些外籍學生,依人數排,來自中國的最多,12,695人,其次為印度5,496人,南韓4,339人,加拿大2,772人,以及台灣1,662人。以來自城市看,南韓首爾最多,2056人,其次為北京1874,上海1122,印度孟買1119,以及新加坡的1119
該報告根據2001年到2012年間,美國批准的外籍學生簽證等數據來分析,發現持F-1學生簽證進入美國大專院校就讀的學生人數,從2001年的11萬人,劇增到2012年的524000人。
這些外籍學生,絕大多數集中在都會地區,有85%落腳在118個都會區。大波士頓都會區的外籍學生人數在全美排名第三,僅次於紐約,洛杉磯。若以繳交學費金額來算,排名第二,僅次於紐約。
以全美而言,一半以上的外籍學生,來自94個不同城市,其中來自首爾(Seoul),北京,上海,海得拉巴(Hyderabad),利雅得(Riyadh)的學生人數最多。
根據勞工部資料,在2013年,大波士頓大專院校約聘用了90,000人。
麻州大學達特茅斯(Dartmouth)分校公共政策分析中心主任Michael Goodman表示,這些院校能否順利經營,越來越仰賴他們吸引學生的能力。
以人口地理來,美國本土人口達到升讀傳統大專院校年記者的數目,很平穩,除了精英學校以外,其他學校的成長,幾乎都來自非傳統學生。
該報告還呼籲翻修移民規定,以容許外籍學生拿到學位後,更容易成為美國永久居民。
批評的人指那會限制了美國出生勞工的工作機會,給工資帶來壓力,還造成發展中國家的腦力枯竭(brain drain)現象。
該報告稱美國是”卓越的全球學術培訓樞紐“,而麻州東部更是主要的地點,有著85所大專院校,5萬名以上外籍學生,其中40%是來讀大學的,48%來修讀碩士學位,12%讀博士學位。
那是全美平均數的大約三倍。大約每一千名獲得簽證的學生中,有65個是來大波士頓的,分別到各大城市的每千人平均數為22。
在2008年到2012年間,麻州東部收外籍學生最多的學校有東北大學 (9,279),波士頓大學(8,413) ,哈佛大學 (7,112),其次為麻省理工學院,薩福克大學。所有來到大波士頓的學生中,有39%讀學士學位,48.2%讀碩士,12.3%讀博士。
來美就讀的外籍學生中,三分之二都修讀科技,工程,數學。來到波士頓就讀這些科目的人數,也排名全美第三。27%取得簽證的學生是就讀這些科系。

在大波士頓就讀的外籍學生,有二分之一以上,畢業後決定把學生簽證展延成最多可達二年半的臨時工作簽證。全美的比率為45%

夏日星辰野生動物保護區十月徒步行

岩港(Rockport)劉沙林表演中心八月廿五日舉辦免費歌劇音樂會,紀念作曲家史特勞斯150年前誕生。
高羅士打時報(Gloucester Times)指出,這是劉沙林第三年贊助歌劇音樂會,把國際知名歌劇演唱家,帶到普羅大眾眼前,讓口袋不豐的人,不必顧忌阮囊是否羞澀,也可心情輕鬆的踏進那座建築結構美麗的劇場,欣賞演出。
當晚這場音樂會,由鋼琴大師麥克爾瑞奇秋(Michael Recchiuti)演奏廿世紀最偉大德國作曲家理查史特勞斯(Richard Strauss)創作的歌劇。國際知名歌劇演唱者,女高音畢吉絲(Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs ),以及男高音卡梅隆(Cameron Schutza演唱史特勞斯的最偉大歌劇作品,包括莎樂美(Salome), 玫瑰騎士(Der Rosenkavalier), 達佛涅Daphne), 無影女子(Die Frau ohne Schatten),  阿里阿德捏在納克索斯島上(Ariadne auf Naxos)等等。
麥克爾瑞奇秋(Michael Recchiuti)指出,史特勞斯生於1864年六月,逝於1949年九月,經歷過世界大戰,也見過原子彈爆炸,他的作品文化深度與引人共鳴度,達到了西方文明的最高點。他稱史特勞斯為“音樂鍊金士(alchemist of music.)”,廿世紀最重要的德國作曲家,不但個性迷人,更對世界上的音樂文化,有著不可磨滅影響,把戲劇音樂和歌唱家的敘說,完美結合起來,還把希臘,羅馬的那些神秘的古典傳統,全都揉合成一個個優美的,弗洛伊德時代(Freudian age)故事。
或許由於岩港是麻州著名旅遊景點,和普羅大眾上班地點頗有距離,音樂會的演出時間,又不在週末,當晚的演出現場,東方臉孔屈指可數。
劉沙林透露,夏日星辰野生動物保護區即將完工,預定九月下旬啟用。薩德百麗鼓信託會已定十月四日(週六)早上十點至中午十二點,舉辦“夏日星生野生動物保護區徒步行”。民眾可免費參加,但需事先報名。


圖片說明:

            劉沙林(右二)和鋼琴大師麥克爾瑞奇秋(Michael Recchiuti)(右一),以及兩名歌劇演唱家在演出結束後,接受獻花。(菊子攝)


            劉沙林表演中心有一大片玻璃牆,讓觀眾可看見屋外的海洋。(菊子攝)

星期五, 8月 29, 2014

波士頓藝術節 8/30-31


波士頓市市長的文化藝術辦公室將于八月三十,三十一兩日,在北端(
North End)的哥倫布水前公園(at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park),舉辦第十一屆波士頓藝術節,展演多項表演,教育性藝術活動,並將有45名以上的本地藝術家出席展售作品。
八月三十日(週六)中午十二點至十二點四十五分,中國山東省出生,北京舞蹈學校編舞系畢業,在衛斯理學院,波士頓大學,哈佛大學教過舞的華裔舞蹈家褚玲,將為藝術節做開場演出。
            兩天的藝術節表演時間,八月三十日從中午十二點至晚上十點,八月三十一日(週日)從中午十二點至晚上七點。
            波士頓藝術節在表演活動之外,還在兩天的中午十二點至下午六點之間,安排有公共藝術活動,包括向觀賞者挑戰,請他們經由音樂,科技,藝術品等另一種方式,探索對環境觀感的 The Earl 項目;展示25名本地藝術家作品的迷你現代藝術博物館裝置藝術等。
            拉小提琴,會作曲,畢業於加州柏克萊大學,新英格蘭音樂學院的劉紹龐(譯音,Shaw Pong Liu),將率同青少年藝術家助理,佈置出一個讓人們以水墨書法揮灑出和平的天地。紐英崙藝術學會會長梅宇國將佈置出一張桌子,收集人們的創作,也展示他自己的書法作品。
            溫徹斯特(Winchester)中國文化學校的張海靜(Jennifer Zhang)將在現場教摺紙。
            波士頓市府和水前夏日(Summer on the Waterfront)還將連續第二年合作,在週日晚,也是勞工節週末那天晚上九點,在波士頓海港施放煙火。
            哥倫布公園就在地鐵藍線的水族館站旁,查詢詳情可上網http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/arts_festival.asp

Mayor’s Office of Arts + Culture Announce Final Schedule for 11th Annual “ähts: The Boston Arts Festival” on August 30th and 31st

BOSTON - The Mayor’s Office of Arts + Culture presents the 11th annual “ähts: The Boston Arts Festival,” showcasing diverse performing arts, educational and interactive art activities, cutting-edge temporary public art, and more than 45 juried local artists selling their work. 

“ähts: the Boston Arts Festival” will be held at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in the North End on Saturday, August 30 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday, August 31 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

“ähts: The Boston Arts Festival” is presented in partnership with State Street. 

Saturday, August 30th

12:00 - 12:45 Chu Ling Dance: http://www.chulingdance.com 

Chu Ling, a choreographer from China, is the founder and director of the Chu Ling Dance Academy. She has also taught and performed at many other institutions in the Greater Boston area, including Wellesley College, Boston University, and Harvard University. 

1:00 - 1:45 City Stage Co.: http://citystage.org

City Stage Co. sends original, participatory plays to reach family audiences in the neighborhoods where they live. At ähts, City Stage Co. will perform folk tales with a 30-minute show dramatizing three traditional tales from European, Chinese, and Native American cultures. 

2:00 - 2:45 OrigiNation: http://www.originationinc.org

Founded in 1994 by Artistic Director Shaumba-Yandje Dibinga, OrigiNation, Incorporated is a non-profit organization that produces innovative and dynamic performing arts programs which motivate, challenge, and inspire youth. OrigiNation offers dance, theater arts, and African history education, focusing efforts on providing services to young people from Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan.

OrigiNation will feature four professional youth dance companies—NIA Dance Troupe, Girlz of IMANI, IMANI Jr and Aleye Boyz Troupe— presenting a mix of dance styles from African to Modern Contemporary to Hip Hop, with audience participation.

3:00 - 3:45 Los Rumberso de Boston

Los Rumberso de Boston is a trio of Mexican Bostonians, including guitarists Lito de la Isla and Angel Cespedes and percussionist Paul Sefchovich. The 2013 Boston Music Award winners combine a host of Latin influences with traditional styles in blues, flamenco, rock, dance, funk and reggae. 

4:00 - 4:45 J Hoard and the Greenhouse People: https://www.facebook.com/j.hoardtgp 

J Hoard and the Greenhouse People was formed to popularize a movement into soul pleasing, awakening, connecting music. The group is made of skillful, intelligent musicians who play with a mission to connect to anyone interested in listening.

5:00 - 5:45 Thalia Zedek Band: http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Thalia-Zedek

Thalia Zedek is a Boston singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since the early 1980s, she has been a member of several notable alternative rock groups, including Live Skull Come, Uzi, and Dangerous Birds. Zedek now leads the Thalia Zedek Band, which has released four albums on Thrill Jockey Records. 

6:00 - 6:45 Nick Flynn reciting his poetry: http://nickflynn.org

Nick Flynn’s most recent book, The Reenactments, which Kirkus calls “a truly insightful, original work,” completes a trilogy begun with Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. His previous book, The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands, was a collection of poems linked to the second book of the trilogy, The Ticking is the Bomb, which the Los Angeles Times called a “disquieting masterpiece.” His poems, essays and non-fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, the Paris Review, National Public Radio’s This American Life, and The New York Times Book Review. 

7:00 - 8:00 Animal Hospital Ensemble: http://animalhospitalmusic.com

Animal Hospital is Kevin Micka’s one-man musical recording/performance entity. Formed at the tail-end of Micka’s time with Boston band The Common Cold, Animal Hospital, Kevin has consistently toured the United States, the U.K., and Europe. 

Sunday, August 31st

12:00 -12:45 Cornell Coley: http://www.afrolatin.net/

Born in Kingston, Jamaica of Cuban and Jamaican parents, Cornell Coley, M. Ed. is an arts educator with over 20 years of experience teaching around the world. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University, a M.Ed. from Cambridge College, studied cultural anthropology at UCLA and traveled to Ghana, Africa for one year to study dance. Cornell is an accomplished dancer and percussionist, performing at festivals world-wide. His percussion skills include drum kit, timbales, congas, bongos, talking drum, berimbau, cajon, and other Latin percussion. His dance specialties include Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Congolese, Ghanaian and salsa.

1:00 - 1:45 City Stage Co.: http://citystage.org 

City Stage Co. sends original, participatory plays to reach family audiences in the neighborhoods where they live. At ähts, City Stage Co, will perform folk tales with a 30-minute show dramatizing three traditional tales from European, Chinese, and Native American cultures. 

2:00 - 2:45 Grey Season: http://greyseasonmusic.com 

Grey Season is a 5-piece folk-rock band based out of Boston. 
Their debut EP "Troilus" was released in May 2013, and since then they have performed at a variety of venues throughout the Northeast, from radio stations, basements, pop-up markets, and conventions to galleries, bars, colleges, and concert venues. In January 2014, after a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, Grey Season recorded their first full-length LP, "Time Will Tell you Well." The album was released in April  and can be streamed on their bandcamp site.

3:00 - 3:45 Isis Lune: https://www.facebook.com/ISISLUNEmusic

Isis Lune is a Boston-based band featuring Ella Joy Meir on vocals and piano, Asher Kurtz on guitar, Ran Gil on keys, Aaron Liao on bass, and Tim Merle on drums. 

4:00 - 4:45 Inta Afrika 

Insta Afrika is a drum circle with group participation. 

5:00 - 7:00 The Moth: http://themoth.org 

The Moth, as heard on NPR, is dedicated to promoting the art and craft of storytelling. The goal of The Moth is to present the finest storytellers among established and emerging writers, performers and artists, and to encourage storytelling among populations whose stories often go unheard. The Moth was the only New York-based arts organization to win a 2011 MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions (MACEI), for “sharing humanity’s stories one person at a time.”

Public art events will run from 12 noon to 6 p.m. both days:  

  • The ear1 project (http://brackmorrow.org/), which challenges viewers to explore ways to perceive the environment in alternative ways through music, technology, and artwork.
  • A miniature contemporary art museum installation by artist Pat Falco  (http://www.illfalco.com/) exhibiting the work of over 25 local artists.
  • Water Graffiti for Peace with artists Shaw Pong Liu (http://www.shawpong.com), Mike Mei (http://wahar-art.com/about_the_artist), and teen artist assistants will offer a guided public water calligraphy play area, introducing writing of Chinese characters and encouraging them to create their own symbol for peace. Artist Mike Mei will set up a table to record people's creations and also display some of his ink calligraphy artwork. 
  • Sidewalk Chalk with Christian Guerra
  • UP Truck with artist Cedric Douglas with screen printing t-shirts, live community painting, as well as the UP truck photo booth Live painting Percy Fortini-Wright (http://percyfortiniwright.com) live painting a Boston theme canvas.
  • Jennifer Zhang from Winchester School of Chinese Culture (http://wscc-ma.org) will be teaching the art of Origami. 

As always, the “ähts Village” of juried artists will offer an eclectic selection of local, handmade jewelry, crafts, and artwork for sale. 

For the second year in a row, the City of Boston and Summer on the Waterfront are holding Boston Harbor fireworks at 9 p.m. on theSaturday night of Labor Day Weekend during ähts. Lead sponsor Boston Harbor Cruises and supporting sponsors the Boston Harbor Hotel, the Boston Globe, and the City of Boston are generously underwriting the event. 

Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park can be reached via the MBTA at Aquarium Station on the Blue line. 

For additional details visit http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/arts_festival.asp . 

NEACS華文教師研習會關注數位化教學

新英格蘭中文學校協會(NEACS)承辦的僑委會2014年華文教師研習會,824日圓滿落幕,約45名老師在2天半內,藉現場,遠程教學的雙管齊下方式,共上了不下13堂課,個個都說收獲豐富。
        波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文在開幕式,閉幕式時都向老師們的敬業,認真,表達欽佩之意,也鼓勵老師們繼續在美國推廣中文學習,
            新英格蘭中文學校協會會長陳式儀指出,今年共安排5科遠距教學課,資策會根據他們預先擬定的進修目標,為他們安排了連育仁教“網路資源在教材與課堂教學之運用”,丁惠慈校長嬌“幼兒中文學習樂無窮”,林翠雲嬌“華語文教學中的文化元素與如何呈現中華文化之美”,孫紀真教“非中文家庭學生雙語教材設計與教材選擇”,顏雪芬教“混齡班級之教學策略”。
            該會還借重本地人才,請來葉金惠教“您準備好了嗎?“,王月娥教手工藝,王莉莉教”淺談AP中文的教材和教學“,路永宜教”造型沙拉吧-舞台化妝於教學之應用“,以及李坤珊博士教的”以探索引導幼兒中文教學“。
            陳式儀指出,大波士頓不愧是地靈人傑的地方,僑委會遴選的網路資源老師連育仁在講課時都坦言,有關用iPad,谷歌語音做教學工具等內容,他參考了曾獲選為僑委會年度最優老師,在Shrewsbury中學任教的葉金惠公佈在華語文世界網站的“葉老師工作室”資料。
            出版過“讓寶寶愛看書”,“讓孩子安心做自己”,“帶你長大:讓孩子在愛與信任中成長”等書,獲有南伊利諾大學幼兒教育博士學位,目前在波士頓的教師訓練中心任職的李坤珊,更啟發了許多老師重新思考自己的教學方法。
            今年參加華文教師研習會的老師,背景多元,既有中文學校老師,主流學校的初中,高中老師,甚至還有一名大學中文系主任助理。
            陳式儀表示,借助網際網路,電子工具來加強教學功效,是現代社會無可避免的趨勢。他們的課程中甚至還包括教老師設計二維碼,以期老師們能利用社交網路工具,來進一步的和學生互動。
            新英格蘭中文學校協會將於830日(週六)下午2點至4點,在僑教中心舉辦“全球華文新秀”作文比賽初選,920日舉辦教師節慶祝會,10月份在16192526等四日,在勒星頓中文學校,威廉斯大學等不同場地,舉辦滑語文能力測驗。

圖片說明:

            新英格蘭中文學校協會會長陳式儀還得為上課老師們訂便當。(菊子攝)

            李坤珊老師(立者)認真講課。(菊子攝)

            夏耘(右五)等老師展示她們在手工藝課中做的熊貓。(新英格蘭中文學校提供)

            大波士頓中華文化協會會長冼鳳明(右)到教師研習會中探望老師們上課,大讚特殊化妝效果。(新英格蘭中文學校提供)

            老師分享經驗。(新英格蘭中文學校提供)


            王瑞雲(右三)等老師分組學習。(新英格蘭中文學校提供)