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星期三, 11月 16, 2022
MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW CITY-OPERATED SENIOR CENTER IN EAST BOSTON
星期二, 11月 15, 2022
慶祝波士頓市府廣場重開 市府訂12/1日辦「Alight」詩歌活動
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星期一, 11月 14, 2022
波士頓學校委員會2委員席位須改選 11/22截止申請
CITY OF BOSTON OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Two four-year terms on the Boston School
Committee are set to expire in January
Mayor Michelle Wu today announced applications are now being
accepted for two 4-year terms by the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel.
The Nominating Panel is a thirteen-member panel composed of parents, teachers,
school leaders and representatives of the business and higher education
communities. Applications for these positions are due Tuesday, November 22nd,
2022 at 11:59 p.m.
The Boston School Committee is the governing body of the Boston
Public Schools (BPS). The School Committee is responsible for:
- Defining
the vision, mission, and goals of the Boston Public Schools;
- Establishing
and monitoring the annual operating budget;
- Hiring,
managing, and evaluating the Superintendent; and
- Setting
and reviewing district policies and practices to support student
achievement.
The seven members of the School Committee are Boston residents
appointed by the Mayor. The Mayor appoints members from a list of candidates
recommended by the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel. The School
Committee also includes a non-voting student member of the Boston Student
Advisory Council.
The School Committee meets approximately twice per month during
the school year to adopt, review and modify policies and practices that support
teaching, learning and improved student achievement. With the exception of
executive sessions, Committee meetings are open to the public, feature public
comment periods and are broadcast on Boston City TV.
Interviews for selected candidates will be held on the week of
November 28, 2022, between 3:00 - 6:00 pm. Interviews will be conducted
through a hybrid format of in-person and virtual options. Please direct all
questions and submit completed applications to scnominatingpanel@boston.gov or
mail/deliver to Room 603 of Boston City Hall. You can learn more about
the Boston School Committee online.
Applications are available in English, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
$1.7 MILLION INVESTED TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE ARTIST WORKSPACES, CREATE NEW HOUSING AT HUMPHREYS STREET STUDIOS IN DORCHESTER
$1.7 MILLION INVESTED TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE ARTIST WORKSPACES, CREATE NEW HOUSING AT HUMPHREYS STREET STUDIOS IN DORCHESTER
The vacant backlot of the studio property will
also become new below market, income-restricted housing.
Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Offices of Arts and Culture,
Housing, and Economic Opportunity and Inclusion today announced that following
work to preserve the artist workspaces and an unprecedented financial
investment from the City of Boston, Humphreys Street Studios (HSS) in
Dorchester is now majority artist-owned and operated. They also announced that
the vacant backlot of the studio property will become new below market,
income-restricted housing.
The acquisition, curated by Bill Madsen Hardy of New Atlantic
Development, was made possible by funding from nonprofit funders BlueHub
Capital and LISC, as well as a $1.7 million investment from the City of Boston
utilizing American Rescue Plan, Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), and
Housing Boston 2030 funds. The deal secures over three dozen artist workspaces
that house over 45 artists and creative small businesses across 26,000 square
feet.
“The Arts and Culture sector has continued to struggle to
re-emerge following the pandemic, but with this funding combined with support
from our partners, our arts community will be able to continue working in
Boston,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are grateful for this partnership
with BlueHub Capital and LISC, and for the opportunity we have to provide new,
below market, income-restricted housing and secure workplaces for our artists
and creative community.”
Humphreys Street Studios and New Atlantic Development created a
new nonprofit, HSS Artist Collective Inc., to operate the studios
through a board of directors which will include a majority of HSS artist
tenants. A parcel adjacent to the artist studios will be developed into
homeownership units. New Atlantic will develop 10 income-restricted housing
units. Four of the units will be sold to individuals earning less than 80% of
Area Median Income (AMI), three units will be sold to individuals earning less
than 100% AMI, and three units will be sold to individuals earning less than
120% AMI. The developer will engage in a community process to ensure that the
residents of the neighborhood have a voice in the design, affordability levels
and size of the homeownership development opportunities.
“With our founding artists' recent passing, it seemed certain we
would be displaced,” said Dorchester resident, HSS artist, and scenic
designer Cristina Todesco. “But, with guidance, we organized, sought community
support, and partnered with New Atlantic to find a creative solution.”
As part of their efforts to preserve their workspaces, the HSS
artists created a campaign called #ARTWORKSHERE, #ARTSTAYSHERE that
included an online petition and community letters of support. The campaign
earned opportunities to expand into exhibitions, events, and connections with
other buildings, artists, and advocates. From this work, the HSS artists
recently launched the #ARTSTAYSHERE COALITION, whose mission is to help other
Greater Boston artist communities fight displacement. The coalition is
currently connecting with musicians, creative small businesses, and other
artists across the Greater Boston region.
“The preservation of this artist community was a direct result
of the artists’ organization and advocacy for affordable artist workspace,”
said Kara Elliot-Ortega, Boston’s Chief of Arts and Culture. “This
solution serves as one model for how the City can keep our creative community
in Boston, contributing to the city for many years to come.”
Creative communities in Greater Boston, like in many other
cities, face recurring displacement challenges and are rarely resourced with
advocates or administrators to help preserve cultural spaces and secure
ownership of their own spaces. The City partnered with the Humphreys Street
Studios artists to find solutions to these challenges. Following news of
the building’s potential sale, the City connected Humphreys Street Studio
artists with New Atlantic Development and supported the partnership through
upfront consulting services.
“We’ve worked with many artist communities,” said Bill
Madsen Hardy of New Atlantic Development. “This project took commitment and
help from many partners to preserve. The property is a unique one, once the
Daloz family drycleaning facility, but became a thriving artist and creative
small business community over the past 20 years. We are also grateful to the
Mayor’s Office of Housing, and Chief Sheila Dillon for the amazing support and
partnership.”
“This project was a unique opportunity for partnership. We are
thankful for the work of both our internal teams and external partners who
helped make this project possible,” said Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon.
“When looking at preserving artist workspaces, creating below market,
income-restricted units and incorporating a vacant lot, New Atlantic was the
right partner. They specialize both in building affordable housing and in
supporting artist communities. With them, Uphams Corner gets to have
both.”
“What we learned along the way is that many artist communities
before us tried to preserve their spaces, too. Most lost,” said Jemuel
Stephenson, owner of Fabwright Designs at HSS. “Even now, our fellow artists
and creative small businesses at 119 Braintree Street (Allston) will soon be
displaced due to development. But, this win is a big win. If we keep at the
advocacy, insisting that #ARTSTAYSHERE, in Boston, long term, we could have
more wins than losses.”
“We learned so much fighting for our studios—to organize, to
advocate, to gather support, to speak up,” said Josh Rose-Wood, Roxbury
resident, architect, and HSS artist tenant. “We continue fighting artist
displacement by helping other artist communities to do the same kind of work.
Our situation is unique – not every artist community will have the same
opportunities or resources we did. But we can share our resources and
experience. It's hard enough just being an artist and to earn a living--never
mind organizing a preservation campaign, during a pandemic, too.”
“This project serves as a step in the right direction as we work
to preserve the arts and culture community in the City of Boston while
simultaneously addressing the need for more affordable housing,”
said Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. “This
important work could not be done without the collaboration of our City
departments, as well as the tireless advocacy from the arts community.”
The artists at Humphreys Street Studios will hold a Winter
Holiday Market on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11 from 11
a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors will be able to visit artists at work in their
studios and purchase holiday gifts directly from artists. Future plans include
annual Open Studios events, fundraising to build a community space, and
opportunities for the public to participate in workshops.
AG HEALEY JOINS NATIONWIDE SETTLEMENT WITH GOOGLE OVER LOCATION TRACKING PRACTICES
AG HEALEY JOINS NATIONWIDE SETTLEMENT WITH GOOGLE OVER LOCATION TRACKING PRACTICES
Coalition of 40 Attorneys General Secures the Largest Multistate Privacy
Settlement in U.S. History
BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today announced that she has joined a coalition of 40 attorneys general in reaching a $391.5 million settlement with Google for misleading consumers about its location tracking practices. This is the largest multistate data privacy settlement ever reached
by attorneys general in the history of the United States. Massachusetts is expected to receive $9.3 million from the settlement.
Today’s settlement concludes an investigation by the attorneys general that found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014. Specifically, Google caused users to be confused about two account settings that control data collection of the users’ location – “Location History” and “Web & App Activity” – and the extent to which consumers who use Google products and services could limit Google’s location
tracking by adjusting their account and device settings.
“Technology companies need to be upfront with users about how and when their data is tracked
and shared, especially when it comes to location information which can reveal personal information about people’s lives,” said AG Healey. “This unprecedented agreement holds Google accountable for these deceptive practices, requires more transparency, and ensures more consumer control over what information is used.”
Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business. Google uses the personal and behavioral data it collects to build detailed user profiles and target ads on behalf of its advertising customers. Location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information Google collects – even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity and routines.
This data has the potential to reveal intimate and sensitive details, including, as Google has cknowledged, whether a person has sought reproductive health care.
The attorneys general opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to,” including when the “Location History” setting is turned off. “Web & App Activity,” a separate account setting that also tracks location, is automatically turned “on” when users set up a Google account, including all
Android phone users. The attorneys general allege that consumers were confused about the scope of the “Location History” setting and did not know the “Web & App Activity” setting existed.
Today’s settlement requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices, including by:
· Showing additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account
setting “on” or “off”;
· Making key information about location tracking unavoidable (i.e., not hidden);
· Giving users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and
how it’s used at an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage;
· Giving users the ability to disable a location-related account setting and delete the
location information stored by that setting without needing to navigate to separate webpages; and
· Automatically deleting location information collected through Web and App Activity after 30 days.
The settlement also limits Google’s use and storage of certain types of location information and requires Google account controls to be more user-friendly.
Joining AG Healey in filing the settlement are the attorneys general of Oregon, Nebraska,
Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The final settlement was also joined by Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
BPDA releases Life Sciences Action Agenda
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星期日, 11月 13, 2022
當年誣指陳霞芬為間諜 美商務部須賠償175萬元
(Boston Orange 綜合編譯)
華裔美籍科學家被美國政府誣指為間諜的一系列案件中，又有一宗獲得平反。法院日前裁決，美國商務部須賠償175萬元給原本是國家氣象局水文專家的陳霞芬。
在一份聲明中，陳霞芬說，“政府調查、起訴我的行動是歧視性，不正義的”，”商務部總算要為做錯的事負起責任了….沒有任何一個其他人應該要忍受這樣的不正義”。
在中美兩國競爭加劇中，陳霞芬的案子是美國政府對華人，華裔美籍科學家越見懷疑的早期個案。經過一年多訴訟的這和解結果，既是陳霞芬的個人勝利，也非常具有象徵性。
在陳霞芬清洗個人名聲的十年長期奮鬥中，包括百人會等許多個人及社團，都積極支持。
百人會獲悉消息後發出聲明稿，稱百人會和Greenberg Traurig法律事務所律師Andrew Chongseh Kim合作的研究分析中，從1996到2020，共有276人被告，其中190人是華人或亞裔姓名，和其他西方人被告相比，這些人被處罰得更嚴重，或被逮捕的機率更高。
2021年十，百人和會亞利桑那州大學公佈了一份向將近2000名科研人員做的調查研究結果，發現42%有華人背景的科學家覺得美國政府種族歧視他們，但非華人背景的科學家，只有8%這麼覺得。
在川普時代的司法部啟動"中國計劃”前，陳霞芬就受調查，被解雇了。儘管該計劃聲稱旨在因應中國的經濟間諜，但卻不成比例地以所謂補助款詐欺或未揭露等議題，針對華裔美籍學術研究人員，而這些案件有很大一部分都在審訊前就四分五裂的不成立了。
美國政府的”中國計劃”，旨在保護國家安全。麻省理工學院科技評論雜誌稱，根據迄今最完整的個案分析，該計劃早已偏離目標。
陳霞芬的案子促使關心局勢的華裔美籍公民成立草根支持團體，為她遊說美國國會議員，讓人更知道陳霞芬的經歷，籌款為她打官司。其中一個支持團體後來成立了”亞太裔正義 (APA Justice)”，這持續反對中國計劃及族裔刻板印象，聲音最大的團體。
陳霞芬是在2014年時被聯邦調查局逮捕，控以間諜罪，稱她非法進入政府資料庫，和中國科學家分享關於美國水壩的敏感資料。進一步的調查顯示，陳霞芬做的其實是分享了一個她辦公室內人員都知道，從資料庫取得她工作資料的密碼。在缺乏證據下，司法部門在遞案5個月後撤銷控訴。但是由於導致聯邦調查局控訴，如今已不成立的同樣理由，陳霞芬還是被解雇了。
那些錯誤資訊來自商務部的內部安全單位，調查及威脅管理服務局 (ITMS)。2021年7月參議院的一項調查發現，該局針對華裔美人及其他員工進行廣泛且毫無根據的有歧視調查，陳霞芬個案就是一個行為不當的例子。這報告發表不久後，ITMS就解散了。
陳霞芬這時也向監管聯邦政府員工聘僱個案的半官方機構，功績系統保護局
(MSPB)，提出不當解雇申訴。不過監管國家氣象局的商務部上訴了。由於人手短缺，這案件MSPB置之不理了好幾年，於是2019年，陳霞芬提出民事訴訟，控告美國政府惡意起訴，錯誤逮捕。她的法律團隊要求賠償500萬元。
陳霞芬案的裁決，先付55萬元，接著在未來10年內付給125萬元，就是那些訴訟的結果。在金錢損失之外，陳霞芬的律師說，商務部將和陳霞芬開一次私人會議，給她一封信，承認她是一名有成就的政府水利專家。
ACLU國家安全計劃資深律師Ashley
Gorski表示，這結果和APA正義，以及1000多名個人和組織簽名，在一年前遞交給商務部部長Gina Raimondo的一封信中所要求的道歉不太一樣，然而和商務部門人員坐下來談，而且答應要給一封承認成就的信，對陳霞芬來說很重要，而這也是他們協商的和解條件之一。
根據麻省理工學院科技評論雜誌去年的調查，”中國計劃”很沒效率，而且絕大部分是針對有華裔血統個人，佔了被告者中的90%。陳霞芬的和解案在” 中國計劃”餘殃蕩漾之際，特別讓人欣慰。
拜登政府在今年2月正式結束了”中國計劃”，但無數的研究指出，該計劃對中美之間的科學合作，有著更廣泛冷卻效應，也導致人們降低了把美國當作高等教育及研究目標地點的興趣。對那些被”中國計劃”這張網黏到人來說，即使他們最後得回清白，曾有的那些經歷卻已揮之不去。
Ashley Gorski說，這使得陳霞芬訟案的結果更為重要，因為這固然是陳霞芬個人的勝利，也是華裔美人社區的勝利。這和解清楚的顯示，當政府歧視，就必須負責任。
G-20習拜要晤談 百人會有話說
(Boston Orange) 美國總統拜登
(Joe Biden) 和中國國家主席習近平即將於11月15、16日在印尼峇里島舉行的20國峰會中見面，美國的華人組織百人會趕發聲明，呼籲找出共識，減少誤解，為有利世界的解決方案努力。
百人會會長黃征宇表示，「沒有什麼事是一次會議就可解決的，但這可以是了解每個國家在關鍵議題上的立場，並尋找共識的好開始」。 「美國和中國都面對著諸如食物供應、能源安全、氣候變遷，以及全球和平等的過渡挑戰。這2個國家必須致力減少對彼此的誤會，並努力爭取對世界有利的明確解決方案。
Statement by Committee of 100 on the Planned Meeting Between
President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping at the G-20 Summit
New York, NY (November 13, 2022) -- Committee of 100, a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today released the following statement on the eve of the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and China President Xi Jinping at the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
“Nothing can be completed in one meeting, but what can start is a better understanding of each country’s position on key issues and the search to find common ground,” said Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100. “The U.S. and China both face transnational challenges such as food supply, energy security, climate change, and global peace. The two countries must work to reduce mutual misunderstandings and strive towards tangible solutions that benefit the world.”
麻州州長查理貝克和波士頓市長吳弭連袂出席波多黎各退伍軍人紀念活動
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| 難得的，麻州州長查理貝克有個和波士頓市長吳弭笑臉相迎的時刻。 (圖片Boston Orange) |
(Boston
Orange 綜合編譯) 11月11日是美國2022年的退伍軍人日，麻州各城市都有紀念，遊行活動。麻州州長查理貝克 (Charlie Baker) 和波士頓市長吳弭
(Michelle Wu) 唯一聯袂出席的是南端波多黎各退伍軍人紀念廣場的誌記儀式。
CBS， WHDH等電視台分別以「我們不忘記任何一個人
(We don’t forget anybody) 」等標題，強調這是個向保家衛國軍人表達感謝的日子。在南波士頓，還有全美第一個越戰紀念碑。
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| 這是麻州州長查理貝克最後一次以州長身分出席波多黎各退伍軍人協會活動。 。(圖片Boston Orange) |
波士頓市在11月5日已經安排了一場盛大遊行，來慶祝退伍軍人節，從波士頓公共圖書館總館沿著波約斯頓街，經過柯普利廣場，遊行到波士頓廣場，左轉進天滿街 (Tremont)後，在和公園街交界處結束。這天的遊行，波士頓華埠退伍軍人會328分會和波士頓榮光會都扯旗參加了。
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| 波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu)強調退伍軍人節是個向保家衛國軍人表達感謝的日子。 (圖片Boston Orange) |
11月11日這天，麻州州長查理貝克
(Charlie Baker) 在州政府大樓內紀念大堂，先出席他在州長任內最後一次的向退伍軍人致敬活動，波士頓市長吳弭
(Michelle Wu) 則是在波士頓市議會議長Ed
Flynn，以及波士頓市退伍軍人服務局局長Robert
Santiago等人陪同下，先到南波士頓，和來自Fitzgerald外國戰爭退伍軍人會，以及Saint
Brigid Parish的退伍軍人們一起遊行。
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| 麻州州長查理貝克等人察看列有吳弭市長名字的紀念碑。 (圖片Boston Orange) |
波士頓市長吳弭在11日下午3點，再到華盛頓街2405號的洛士百利Gourdin將軍黑人退伍軍人公園發表紀念活動談話。
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| 波多黎各旗幟和美國籍麻州旗幟一銅飄揚。(圖片Boston Orange) |
11月11日，其實全美各地都有向退伍軍人致敬的活動或遊行。在尚莫維爾市(Somerville)，今年有在全美各地已巡迴40年的流動越戰紀念碑，來到集合廣場
(Assemble Square) 的麻省總醫院
(Mass General Brigham)大草坪上展示。
昆士市也有從昆士高中走到瑪莉蒙公園 (Merrymount Park)_第二次世界大戰紀念碑的慶祝遊行。
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| 波多黎各退伍軍人廣場的銅像。(圖片Boston Orange) |
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| 波士頓退伍軍人服務局局長Robert Santiago。(圖片Boston Orange) |
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| 波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn。(圖片Boston Orange) |
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| 波士頓市議員Kenzie Bok。(圖片Boston Orange) |
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| 波士頓市議員Erin Murphy。(圖片Boston Orange) |
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