| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
星期二, 8月 02, 2022
波士頓亞美電影節今晚在AMC 波士頓廣場戲院預映「Easter Sunday」
AG HEALEY JOINS NATIONAL BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE AIMED AT COMBATING ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS
AG HEALEY JOINS NATIONAL BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE AIMED AT COMBATING ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS
BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today announced that her office is joining a nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 attorneys general to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. The Task Force will be focused on cutting down on illegal robocalls.
The Task Force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers – companies that allow foreign calls into the United States telephone network – and other entities that are allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic. Gateway providers have a responsibility to ensure the traffic is legal, but according to the Task Force these providers are not taking sufficient action to stop illegal robocall traffic. The Task Force will also focus on bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry to help reduce the number of robocalls that residents receive.
“Not only are robocalls incredibly invasive and unwanted, but they put vulnerable consumers at risk of falling prey to scams that steal their personal information and money.” said AG Healey. “I’m joining my colleagues in combating this nationwide problem and protecting consumers in our state.”
According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, more than 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day. An estimated $29.8 billion dollars was stolen through scam calls in 2021. These scam calls include imposter scams, in which scammers pose as trusted organizations or individuals in order to gain the trust of the victim and eventually take their money, along with Social Security Administration fraud against seniors, Amazon scams against consumers, and many others that especially affect vulnerable residents. Most of this scam robocall traffic originates overseas. The Task Force is focused on shutting down the providers that profit from this illegal scam traffic and refuse to take steps to otherwise mitigate these calls.
AG Healey offers the following tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:
- Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
- Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Organizations such as the Social Security Administration will not make phone calls to individuals.
- If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang-up and do not provide any personal information.
- Report illegal robocalls and similar scammers to DoNotCall.gov.
- Report robotexts and text message scams to ReportFraud.ftc.gov or forward the text message to 7726 (“SPAM”).
AG Healey is committed to curbing and stopping illegal and unwanted robocalls. In 2018, AG Healey joined a multistate effort, alongside 34 attorneys general to call on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and telephone service providers to implement new technologies and policies that would block more illegal robocalls. In March 2021, the AG’s Office, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and 38 other states, stopped a telefunding operation that affected 67 million consumers with 1.3 billion deceptive charitable fundraising calls, mostly illegal robocalls. In December 2021, the AG’s Office and a coalition of 51 attorneys general successfully helped to persuade the FCC to shorten the deadline by a year for smaller telephone companies to implement STIR/SHAKEN, a caller ID authentication technology that helps prevent spoofed calls. Earlier this year, AG Healey also joined a multistate coalition to send a letter to the FCC, urging them to require gateway providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN, to help prevent robocalls from entering the U.S. telephone networks.
The AG’s Office also frequently holds trainings and webinars for residents, particularly seniors, on how to protect themselves against robocalls and similar scams, through its Community Engagement Division.
第二屆紀念黃述沾排球賽 黑颶風、陌生人分奪男女冠軍
 |
| 阮鴻燦頒獎給女子組冠軍紐約陌生人一事隊 (Strangers Thing One) 。 (阮鴻燦提供) |
(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 2022年度的紀念黃述沾排球錦標賽，7月30日在來自紐約、波士頓的41組排球隊麈戰一日後，男子組由黑色颶風隊 (Black
Hurricanes) ，女子組由紐約陌生人一事隊(Strangers
Thing One)贏得冠軍。
 |
| 阮鴻燦頒獎給男子組冠軍黑色颶風隊。 (阮鴻燦提供) |
黃述沾曾任紐英崙中華公所主席，是洪門兄弟，在世時創辦了北美華人排球協會波士頓分會，每年落力組織波士頓排球選手，在勞工節週末參加輪流於美加六大城市舉辦的全美華人國際排球邀請賽。他的長期努力備受年輕一輩懷念，2012年他辭世後，不但推動了把寶塔公園改名為黃述沾紀念公園，更從2021年起舉辦「紀念黃述沾排球錦標賽」。
第一屆的紀念黃述沾排球錦標賽由阮浩鑾和曾任紐英崙中華公所主席的阮鴻燦主辦，今年交棒給Kevin
Luke帶年輕一輩的Fanny
Tsoi和Doug Goon負責統籌。
 |
| 左起，Kevin Luke，Everett 市的公共工程主任 Jerry Navarra ，阮浩鑾，贊助球賽的駐波士頓 台北經濟文化辦事處由副領事王麗芬，阮鴻燦，波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮，以及年輕 一倍的球賽籌辦人Doug Goon (右一)和Fanny Tsoi (前半蹲者)。 (周菊子攝) |
或許是由於年輕人更知道還有那些年輕人在打排球，去年的第一屆，包括16隊男子，12隊女子，共有28隊參賽，今年這屆陡增至41隊，其中男子22隊，女子19隊，有17隊來自紐約，24隊來自波士頓。
 |
| 紐英崙中華公所也贊助了這場球賽的保險費用。中華公所主席雷國輝 ((中右二)和經文處 王麗芬(中右一起)，波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮，主辦人阮鴻燦，Everett 市的公共工程局 主任 Jerry Navarra ，和阮浩鑾 (左二)及劍虹體育會其中一隊合影。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| 波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮 (前左起)，紐英崙中華公所主任雷國輝，阮鴻燦(前右一)和 波士頓台山隊會長雷洪活(後右一)，隊長雷海(後右五)等隊員。 (周菊子攝) |
其他的波士頓隊有洪青體育會的黑隊，老柴隊，另有激流隊 (Rip Tide)
，低潮隊 (Low Tide)
，潮汐/漲潮隊 (Tidal
Wave/ Rising Tide) 。
最特別的應該是由夏利臣街溫莎餅家老闆雷洪活率領，由雷海當隊長的波士頓台山隊，成員大都是住在波士頓華埠，從事餐館、糕餅等行業的台山人。
男子組有7隊從紐約趕來參賽，地平線隊有Alpha 及 Omega2隊，另有陌生人A隊，Kirin
CASCA，洪門隊，衝擊 (Impact)隊，維京 (Vikings)隊。
女子組中波士頓市有9隊，劍虹體育會有AB共2隊，颶風體育會有黑藍金 3隊，紐英崙至孝篤親也有黑白及少年組(JRS)3隊，另外有一組洪門隊。
 |
| 洪青體育會球隊中曾任波士頓市長亞裔聯絡員的翁耀漢(前右三)、以及刻在聯邦小企業 行政局工作的伍少武(後右三)在華埠社區較多人熟識。 (周菊子攝) |
在黃述沾過世後，波士頓地區的排球賽事，主要由阮浩鑾接辦。今年的全美華人國際排球邀請賽，預定在羅德島州普域敦斯市 (Providence)舉辦，就是由阮浩鑾籌畫，估計有150隊排球隊伍從全美各地來參賽。紐英崙中華公所在5月份的董事大會中已通過捐款2萬5000元贊助這一盛會。 (部分內容轉載自僑務電子報，https://ocacnews.net/article/316525?cid=2。
 |
| 以下為球隊比賽英姿。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
星期一, 8月 01, 2022
Asian American Civil Rights Groups File Amicus Briefs in Support of Holistic Admissions in Higher Education
Asian American Civil Rights Groups File Amicus Briefs in Support of Holistic Admissions in Higher Education
Washington, D.C – Today, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) filed two amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court in SFFA v. Harvard, affirming our longstanding support for race-conscious admissions in higher education.
The five organizations comprising the Advancing Justice affiliation, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Lawyers For Civil Rights, and pro bono counsel Arnold & Porter filed an amicus brief on behalf of a multiracial group of alumni students of color at Harvard who support holistic admissions policies that take into account the entirety of a student’s assets and experiences.
In their brief, the student and alumni amici attested to how a diverse campus benefits all students, including addressing racial isolation and increasing cross-racial understanding and cultural competency that better prepared them for their professional careers. Asian American amici also affirmed benefiting from race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard, which provided them the opportunity to share their whole story, including their race and ethnicity, background, and diverse experiences.
The Advancing Justice affiliation with pro bono counsel, Ballard Spahr, submitted a separate amicus brief joined by 37 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civil rights groups, advocacy organizations, professionals, and student organizations in support of race-conscious admissions programs that improve equal access to educational opportunities for all.
The amicus brief affirms that Harvard and UNC’s race-conscious admissions programs do not discriminate against AAPI students, but rather expand their access to higher education. The brief also highlights the educational benefits of racial diversity for AAPI communities and asserts that eliminating the consideration of race in admissions programs will harm AAPI and other students of color.
“For centuries, communities of color, including Asian Americans, have struggled against racial discrimination and faced systemic barriers to education, employment, and immigration, among other challenges,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Advancing Justice – AAJC. “Race, ethnicity, and our lived experiences are integral parts of our personal story and collective history. Holistic admissions ensures all students have the opportunity to share their whole story in addition to their academic achievements.”
“Our communities know better than to give into extremist strategist Edward Blum’s years-long mission to deny Black, Latinx, Asian American, and other communities of color equal voting rights and educational opportunities,” said Aarti Kohli, Executive Director of Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. “As a parent, my children have had more chances to grow and thrive because of affirmative action, diversity, and anti-discrimination programs in our education systems. As a civil rights lawyer, there’s no question these attacks on the constitutionality of race conscious programs are a thinly veiled strategy to limit educational opportunities for all students of color.”
“For too long, the model minority myth has propagated a false premise that AAPIs don’t benefit from race conscious admissions practices,” said Connie Chung Jose, CEO, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL). “The reality is that our communities also face discrimination and barriers to opportunities that race conscious admissions can address. And for AAPI students and other students of color, having a racially diverse student body is not only important to their educational experience, but often necessary to fully articulate the hurdles, achievements, and personal development experiences intrinsic to college admissions evaluations.”
Justice Roberto A. Rivera-Soto, former Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, former partner/now senior counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP, adds, “We are proud to work with Advancing Justice to support holistic admissions policies that have allowed countless numbers of students to attain great heights and contribute to bettering society for us all. We must continue to cultivate the potential of all students -- including all who have struggled and continue to struggle against discrimination -- to bring us closer to the promise of an equitable society we all deserve.”
華人前進會慶45週年強調功在百姓 州市政要紛來賀
 |
| 華人前進會慶45週年，多名政要到賀。左起，共同主席黃夏儀，湯建華，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn， 市議員Ricardo Arroyo，州議員 Tami Gouveia，市議員 Liz Breadon，波士頓市長吳弭，CPA名譽會長李素影，市議員Ruthzee Louijeun，紐約中領館副總領事錢進，市議員 Kenzie Bok等人和舞獅隊合影。(周菊子攝) |
 |
| 左起，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn，CPA名譽會長李素影，波士頓市長吳弭，市議員 Kenzie Bok, Ruthzee Louijun, CPA行政主任陳玉珍，紐約中領館副總領事錢進等人 在會中合影。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| 波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn頒發所有議員千名的表揚狀給CPA，李素影代領。(周菊子攝) |
慶祝會由胡清白鶴派醒獅團的3頭瑞獅，分別從禮堂的三條階梯，一路舞動上到舞台，再在跳躍舞動中，把台上預先準備好的喜糖，甜橙，擲向觀眾席來揭開序幕。
華人前進會名譽會長李素影為大會做了開場白，邀請政要上台和瑞獅合影，和出席民眾見面。
 |
| 波士頓市長吳弭以中英文雙語致詞。(周菊子攝) |
 |
| 左起，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn， 市議員Ricardo Arroyo，州議員 Tami Gouveia， 市議員 Liz Breadon，波士頓市長吳弭，CPA名譽會長李素影，市議員Ruthzee Louijeun， 紐約中領館副總領事錢進，市議員Kenzie Bok等人和舞獅隊合影。(周菊子攝) |
波士頓市議會議長愛德華費連致詞時指華人前進會過去45年來，在社區中一直扮演著重要角色。甚至新冠病毒疫情爆發後，在全美各地召開的第一個社區會議就是由華人前進會召及，在這昆士小學禮堂舉行的。當天他特地送給華人前進會，一份所有波士頓市議員都簽了名的表揚狀。
 |
| 曾說自己與李素影情同姊妹的聯邦眾議員Ayana Pressley出席道賀並致詞。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| 華人前進會為慶祝45週年，特地演出一場闡述CPA理念的短劇。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| CPA會員表演舞蹈。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| 公立學校老師余仲強 (左)和CPA創辦人之一的胡天錫，闡述CPA創立緣由 及他們支持的原因。 (周菊子攝) |
 |
| 余永興講述他和華人前進會之間的淵源。 (周菊子攝) |
AG HEALEY LEADS MULTISTATE SUPREME COURT BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF RACE-CONSCIOUS ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
AG
HEALEY LEADS MULTISTATE SUPREME COURT BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF RACE-CONSCIOUS
ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Lawsuits
Challenge Use of Race in Admissions; Coalition Argues the Educational Benefits
of a Diverse Student Population Serve Critical State Interests
BOSTON — Massachusetts
Attorney General Maura Healey today led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in
filing a multistate amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reject a request
to overturn more than four decades of precedent allowing higher education
institutions to consider race or ethnicity as part of holistic admissions
processes to promote diversity in learning environments.
The brief, filed in the cases Students For Fair Admissions,
Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students For Fair
Admissions, Inc v. University of North Carolina, urges the Court to reaffirm
its prior rulings in Grutter v. Bollinger, Gratz v. Bollinger, and Fisher v.
University of Texas at Austin that found that a holistic race-conscious
admissions policy is constitutional when necessary to achieve the compelling
governmental interest of conferring on students the educational benefits of
diversity. In the brief, the states contend that the ability to work and serve
diverse populations is critical to meeting the needs of their residents – in
delivering health care, in educating students, and leading and staffing
businesses and government institutions.
“Now, more than ever, it’s critical that our students –
future doctors and nurses, teachers, and business and community leaders – come
from all backgrounds and learn in a diverse educational environment,” AG Healey
said. “We are urging the Court to uphold four decades of precedent allowing our
educational institutions to foster diversity in our schools. Diversity of
thought, background and experience strengthens us as a society.”
According to the brief, the benefits of diversity in higher
education have become more and more critical to states when graduates join the
workforce, participate in civic life and take on leadership roles. The brief
describes how diversity in the healthcare workforce improves health outcomes
and access for all residents – particularly for those in medically underserved
communities. Additionally, increasing the diversity of primary school educators
improves the academic performance of public school students and college
attendance rates. The states also argue that the businesses that fuel their
economies rely on a diverse pipeline of graduates who have the potential to
bring differing perspectives to leadership positions in their fields.
The brief highlights disparities that reversing this
precedent will exacerbate. For example, while Black Americans make up nearly 13
percent of the country’s population, as recently as 2018, only 5.4 percent of
physicians are Black, and, according to the brief, prohibiting medical schools
from implementing a race-conscious admissions program could worsen these
disparities. In fact, the brief points out that medical schools in states that
have bans on race-conscious admissions programs have seen a 37 percent decrease
in enrollment from historically underrepresented communities.
The brief also describes how, nationally, nearly 80 percent
of educators are white and non-Hispanic, but 54 percent of students in public
primary and secondary schools were students of color in 2020. In Massachusetts,
nearly 40 percent of primary and secondary students are students of color, and
just 10 percent of teachers are people of color. Given these disparities, the
growing diversity in our country, and the educational benefits of a diverse
teaching workforce, states need every option available to increase the
diversity of educators. Removing the possibility of using holistic
race-conscious admissions where necessary will be detrimental to future
generations of students.
The states further argue in their brief that their
democratic and civic institutions gain strength and legitimacy when graduates
bring diverse backgrounds and experiences to leadership positions across our
country. “We need to cultivate diverse leaders from and for every corner of our
states, to serve in positions of leadership in our governments – whether as
legislators, judges, mayors, city councilors, sheriffs, or any of the other
elected and non-elected officials who together govern our communities.”
Finally, the states describe how achieving meaningful
student-body diversity while altogether excluding any consideration of race has
proven challenging in states with bans on race-conscious admissions,
particularly at selective institutions that produce so many of the states’
civic, professional, and business leaders. Accordingly, the states argue,
institutions of higher education continue to require the flexibility, where
necessary, to use the kind of holistic race-conscious admissions policies that
the Supreme Court has approved for decades.
Today’s brief was handled by State Solicitor Bessie Dewar
and Assistant Attorneys General Ann Lynch and David Ureña of the Massachusetts
Attorney General’s Office and joined by the attorneys general of California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois,
Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
訂閱：
留言 (Atom)