星期五, 8月 21, 2015

央視英超聯賽優勝者訪哈佛競演講

中央電視台全國實用英語超級聯賽優勝者中的12人,日前來到哈佛大學做英語演講友誼賽,砥礪英語學習成績。
        英語超級聯賽組委會負責人王鵬表示,英超聯賽是由媒體支持,響應教育部推動青少年國際化,和海外交流所舉辦的活動,由中央電視台中學生頻道裏的新科動漫,數字電視製作,播出。
            比賽每年9月到次年8月,在全國各地分成小學1-3年級,小學4-6年級,初中,高中四個組別舉行。
今年全中國共選出150人到北京,在71416日這三天決賽。34名優勝者中,12人來了美國,其他人了去加拿大。
王鵬指出,這是他們第一次來到美國波士頓地區,2014年他們去了英國的BBC,給了比賽優勝者一個做小記者的實習機會。
透過李浩英,陳東昌協助,英超聯賽訪學團在遊覽紐約,華府等地之餘,日前在哈佛大學教授俱樂部舉行了一場英語演講會,以“我所瞭解的美國”,做全英與演講,並特地從哈佛大學展延學校(extension school)請來哈佛大學教育學院的學術事務聯絡員Samuel Odamah,以及Sally Jackson等人做評審老師,即席講評。
小學生的周思涵,張嘉一,彭靖怡,洪藝恒,宋美涵,初中生的宋美惠,楊念慧,高中生的高雨田,何昊原,牛伯軒,姜曼林,楊雪菲,程宇中等人準備充分,讓其中一名講評老師笑說,他們可以聯合開課,幫助西方人瞭解中國。

圖片說明:


            央視的王鵬(後左三)和李浩英(前右一)、陳東昌(右一)合作,為青少年安排了一場在哈佛大學內演講的活動。

慶祝抗戰、反法西斯勝利 十月千人黃河大合唱

大波士頓地區慶祝抗日戰爭及反法西斯戰爭勝利七十週年活動籌委會籌委朱正亞,日前在劍橋中國文化中心宣佈,1011日晚7點半,大波士頓地區僑學各界,將在波士頓大學Aggains Arena 體育館,舉辦“波士頓2015年黃河大合唱“,慶祝中國人民抗日戰爭勝利七十週年。
            這場預計有千人參加的“黃河大合唱“由北美華人合唱協會主辦,參加者將來自加拿大,中國內地,美國各地,包括1000名合唱團員,200名演奏人員,屆時將在6500名觀眾前浩大演出。
            波士頓地區報名參加的合唱團,包括劍橋中國文化中心夕陽紅老年合唱團,世紀合唱團,東方合唱團等,已有團員400多人,過去數個週末,已趁還是暑假,集中在劍橋中國文化中心大廳開始排練。
            劍橋中國文化中心董事長紀虎民,副董事長暨劍橋中文學校校長陶凱表示,該機構旗下各組織將全力協助。
            合唱活動發起人是北美華人合唱協會總指揮,也是夕陽紅合唱團指揮喬萬鈞。他指出,“千人大合唱”晚會,將有來自廣東省的手拉手藝術團,黃河合唱團表演,以及兩名在美國享有盛譽的男高音,男中音獨唱,這將是中國大陸以外規模最大的“黃河大合唱”。
            協助喬萬鈞與各合唱團,贊助商聯絡,洽借場地的李少娜,王慶,張森林,趙進,吳凱彬等人,過去數週來在微信群上不厭其煩的對譜,核稿,約時間,忙得不可開交。他們甚至還約到一名和陳香梅熟稔的飛虎隊員女兒,要做採訪,以促使更多人關注這場千人大合唱。
在公開,透明的原則下,他們也在微信群上公佈了,迄今已籌得贊助款8000多元,售票款8800多元。
            查詢千人“黃河大合唱”詳情,可上網。
            劍橋中國文化中心昨(20)日還宣佈,該中心剛開通微信公眾號,將可更即時的和會員及學校家長溝通。該一公眾號將由持有工商管理碩士學位的董國貞負責,不但報導該中心及學校的活動,課程,社區重大文化及教育活動,也將在微信平台上同步發送電視五號頻道上的天氣消息。投稿可發微信dongguozhen11,或電郵idealproperty11@gmail.com

圖片說明:

            籌委會宣佈,大波士頓地區慶祝抗日戰爭及反法西斯戰爭勝利七十週年活動,訂1011日舉行。(圖由劍橋中國文化中心提供)


            指揮喬萬鈞(立者右)和朱正亞(中),陶凱(左)宣佈活動。(圖由劍橋中國文化中心提供)

Marty Walsh: Together, Let’s Keep Moving Boston Forward

Together, Let’s Keep Moving Boston Forward
On January 8, 2015, Boston was given the incredible opportunity to explore bidding for the 2024 Olympic summer games. It was a historic moment that sparked a months-long discussion about our city’s future.
And from the very beginning, we were thinking about a future for Boston much beyond the 2024 Olympics. We started thinking seriously about what we wanted Boston to look like – in 2030, 2040, and the many years ahead.
Boston may not be pursuing the Olympics anymore. But that doesn’t mean this conversation about our city’s future has to end. We’ve gained so many bold and exciting ideas from the Olympic process. These are ideas that shouldn’t be forgotten or ignored.
One of the great ideas that came out of this process was the potential for Widett Circle. There may never be an Olympic stadium there. But we could build a brand new neighborhood, connecting the South End and South Boston. We could open up new opportunities for transit, with the Mass Ave. connector to I-93 and the MBTA Red Line.
Another area we’re looking at is Columbia Point, a place once considered to host the Olympic Village. We could build a neighborhood here, too, filled with commercial and retail space, a community service center, and maybe even dorms. This whole area could be transformed.
The bottom line is that the ideas, and the possibilities, are endless. Right now, we are designing Imagine Boston 2030. It’s our first city-wide planning process in 50 years. We will look at how to incorporate the ideas born out of the Olympic bid process. We’ll be looking for new ideas, too.
We are excited to welcome Sara Myerson as our Executive Director of Imagine Boston 2030. She did incredible work serving as our city’s Director of the Office of Olympic Planning. She will continue her leadership in guiding us through this multi-year planning process and mapping out a plan to make Boston a truly thriving, healthy, and innovative city.
Now is the time for us to think bigger than ever before. Boston is currently in its third biggest building boom. More and more people are moving to our city all the time. We need to accommodate this new growth. And we need to make sure that while we grow bigger, we grow better.

Designing this citywide plan will be an exciting and dynamic journey. And public engagement is the heart of this process. Imagine Boston 2030 only works if we are building it together. So we are asking for input from every Bostonian, in every neighborhood, to create this new vision for our city. I invite you all to be a part of this discussion, and to let your voice be heard during this historic time for Boston.

客家鄉親會 8/22 烤肉因雨取消

原訂本星期六舉辦, 一年一度, 期待已久的客家鄉親會烤肉聯誼,現因最新天氣預報活動當天(星期六)12點 至 下午3 點將有倾盆雷雨過境,為了大家安全考量,不得已只好取消本星期六的烤肉活動。

(Because of inclement weather based on the latest forecasts from various sources, I'm sorry to CANCEL the planned picnic on Saturday, 08/22.  Hope to see you all next year.)

若有不便之處,尚請見諒。希望明年再見!

敬祝暑安!( 請多喝水) 萬事如意!

 
紐英倫客家鄉親會


周一男 敬上

星期四, 8月 20, 2015

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES UPDATE ON PLAN TO HOUSE HOMELESS VETERANS

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES UPDATE ON PLAN TO HOUSE HOMELESS VETERANS
BOSTON - Thursday, August 20, 2015 - Following up on his commitment to end veterans homelessness by the end of 2015, Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that 367 homeless veterans have been housed since his Administration launched the program in July 2014." 

"No veteran should have to sleep on the street, and Boston is going to change that," said Mayor Walsh. "I'm proud that the City of Boston is housing veterans at a rate of approximately one per day, and I look forward to announcing the functional end of veterans homelessness by the end of the year." 
As part of Mayor Walsh's initiative "Boston Homes for the Brave," the City's Departments of Veteran Services and Neighborhood Development will host a meeting later today for brokers and landlords to share information on how they can support homeless veterans. The meeting will take place at Brighton Marine Health Center, Inc. at 5 PM tonight. Another meeting will be held at the same location on Thursday, August 27 at 10:00AM. Landlords and property owners who are interested in attending can RSVP by contacting: homes@Brighton-Marine.org or call 617-562-5223. 
"Boston Homes for the Brave" is a part of the federal Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness, which was announced by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in 2014. The First Lady issued a call to mayors across the Nation to make a commitment to ending veterans' homelessness in their cities by 2015. When it was announced, Mayor Walsh challenged the Boston real estate community and business leaders to step up to the plate to help veterans find a safe place to call home by registering their units on a new website: http://homesforthebrave.boston.gov/.
In addition to helping veterans leave shelter and find housing, the City, working with its partners in the provider and advocacy community, has seen a significant decrease in the length of time that veterans remain in homeless shelters. Seventy percent of all homeless veterans who have used the system leave shelter within six months and of those, 45 percent leave in less than two months. A year ago, only 50 percent of homeless veterans were able to leave in less than six months. Among veterans who became homeless since the Mayor announced the initiative, the average length of stay in shelter had dropped even further to only 44 days.
Defining an end to homelessness is challenging. As veterans are housed, other veterans become homeless and enter the system for the first time. To that end, the City and its partners have developed a goal entitled "functional zero," to be reached by the end of 2015. The definition of functional zero is that: 
  • No veteran is forced to sleep on the street
  • When a veteran becomes homeless it will be rare and brief
  • All currently homeless veterans will be either housed or on a pathway to stable housing by the end of 2015
This initiative involves all Boston agencies that work with homeless veterans, including the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services, the City of Boston Office of Veterans' Services, the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development, the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Pine Street Inn, Children's Services of Roxbury and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance.
"The New England Center for Homeless Veterans is honored to be part of Mayor Walsh's bold and transformational challenge to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of this year," said C. Andrew McCawley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans. "The Mayor's focused leadership on this issue has inspired a comprehensive system redesign that directs the efforts of the City's entire community of providers to the goal of ending veteran homelessness. We are confident this will happen, and that every veteran in Boston will be supported to achieve the success they deserve."
In parallel to the "Homes for the Brave" initiative, the City of Boston has been supporting permanent housing efforts for homeless veterans, including helping fund a $31 million upgrade to the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, which expands quality housing for homeless veterans through the creation of creating 35 new efficiency apartments and the moderate renovation of 59 existing units. In addition, South Boston's Patriot Homes project will redevelop the former City of Boston D6 police station into 24 affordable apartments with a preference for veterans, and the planned Brighton Marine development is slated to contain mixed income housing, half of which will be set aside for veterans and their families. 
In June, Mayor Walsh released "An Action Plan to End Veteran and Chronic Homelessness In Boston: 2015 - 2018," which outlines the City's strategies to transform Boston's homeless response system in order to end veterans homelessness by 2015 and chronic homelessness by 2018.

昆市候選人論壇首次由同性戀團體主辦

昆士市在8月18日晚,打破該市歷史紀錄,首次有同性戀團體舉辦候選人論壇。四名市長候選人都稱昆士市是多元城市,當然會和同性戀團體合作,好讓他們感到自己也是昆士市的一份子。
這場候選人論壇是昆士市在9月24日初選前的第二場候選人政見發表會,由昆士市的同性戀晤面群(Quincy’s LGBT Meeting Group)主辦,在“義大利之子”俱樂部的地下一樓舉行,將近百人出席。
在初選中贏得最高票的兩名候選人,將於113日決選。
市長,不分區市議員,分區市議員,學校委員會委員等四個類別的共26名候選人,除了一、二人外,幾全員到齊。
當晚排在最後舉行的是市長候選人論壇。昆市在位市長柯奇(Tom Koch),挑戰市長席位的昆市不分區市議員古楚(Doug Gutro),學校委員會委員馬洪妮(Ann Mahoney),前任昆士市長費林(William Phelan)等人為爭取選票,不敢輕敵的全都出席了,並分別談及市中心的建設,族裔整合,同性戀,吸毒等問題。
費林表示自己卸任市長多年,有些人可能已不認識他,特地自我簡介一番,坦言父親去世的早,讓他更重視家庭,女兒的學習障礙,導致他參選學校委員會委員,也踏上政途。費林表示,昆市如今最需要的兩樣東西,一是強壯的領導力,一是實質管理。
馬洪妮表示,昆市如今陷於泥沼,最大的問題在兩方面,一是開支,一是包容。她認為昆市花錢太草率,不查投資回報率(ROI),必須要換個懂得控制開支的人來經營市政府。許多居民覺得自己沒人脈關係,彷如不是昆士市的一份子。
柯奇表示,昆市政府在為昆市未來做投資,無論是蓋學校,新建老人中心,翻修學校樓宇門窗,全都有大量的聯邦,州政府補助。現在的利率低,也是借錢最便宜的時候,當然要把握時機。以揹債率來說,昆士市只有6%,其他城市卻高達10%,相形之下,昆市花錢很負責。這些是昆市政府有領導力,帶領城市向前的表現。
古楚發言時,一連唸出好幾個人名,顯示他與多名昆市同性戀者熟稔。他指出這是昆士市第一次有同性戀團體舉辦候選人之夜。當年呼籲最高法院簽署同性戀法時,請願書上有兩名昆市居民,他就是其中之一。他以昆士亞裔人口將近25%為例,指如今是昆士市的機會,更加透明,公開,包容,讓各種人在居住,就業,聘雇等等方面都享有平等權利。
出席民眾的提問包括,候選人一旦當選,會做些什麼來讓同性戀者感到他們也是昆士市的一份子,會如何處理將近40%的流浪漢是24歲以下青少年,自殺傾向極高的問題。
費林表示,“你的社區,也是我的社區”,以同性戀酒吧為例,只要有人願意在昆市開,他不會反對。解決同性戀所面對社會壓力問題的辦法之一是從學校開始做起,開辦防止霸凌課程。
馬洪妮則強調昆市必須更加包容,讓彩虹旗幟飄揚,她會站在正確的歷史這邊。
柯奇以昆市有市長亞裔顧問委員會為例,指昆市有很多委員會和政府合作,歡迎同性戀者也成立一個委員會,與政府溝通他們的需求。他強調人們選擇遷居昆市,各有理由。昆市有許多社會服務機構都在為有不同需要的人提供協助。

圖片說明:

四名昆士市長候選人,費林(William Phelan)馬洪妮(Ann Mahoney),柯奇(Tom Koch),古楚(Doug Gutro)。 (菊子攝)

柯奇強調昆市府在投資未來。(菊子攝)

古楚說市政府應公開,透明。(菊子攝)

費林表示自己再度參選是因為他愛昆市。

馬洪妮強調自己有管理大規模機構經驗。(菊子攝)