MAYOR WALSH REMINDS BOSTON DRIVERS OF NEW 25 MPH SPEED LIMIT

MAYOR WALSH REMINDS BOSTON DRIVERS OF   NEW 25 MPH SPEED LIMIT New speed limit goes into effect on Monday, January 9

BOSTON - Friday, January 6, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh is reminding drivers the default speed limit on City of Boston streets will be reduced from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph effective this upcoming Monday, January 9, 2017. If no sign is posted, 25 mph is the maximum speed limit on that street. Drivers are advised to watch for posted signs that indicate a modification to the speed limit, such as in School Zones where the speed limit may be lower than 25 mph. State owned roadways in the City of Boston will not be affected by this new law. "Reducing the default speed limit will create safer roads for all, and I'm pleased our hard work and commitment to safer roads has created this new standard," said Mayor Walsh."This is an important milestone for Vision Zero, the City's commitment to bringing the number of traffic-related deaths to zero. With our new 25 mph speed limit, we are one step closer to achieving our goal." "No one wants to be involved in a serious traffic crash and slowing down vehicles can help to keep us all safe from harm," said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca. "People who drive, walk and ride a bike in Boston are all asked to be aware of others sharing the roadway and to travel on our streets with caution." The speed limit is being reduced from 30 mph to improve safety for all users of Boston's roadways. Studies show that the likelihood of a pedestrian suffering a fatal injury as a result of being struck by a motor vehicle decreases from 20 percent when the vehicle is traveling at 30 mph, to 12 percent when the vehicle is traveling at 25 mph. Slower speeds make it easier for drivers to stop when necessary. It also increases a driver's field of vision making it more likely for the driver to see a pedestrian in the roadway. The City of Boston is committed to providing local streets that are functional and safe for all users. New bicycle infrastructure, leading pedestrian intervals programmed into traffic signal timing, prominent pavement markings, speed radar boards, curb extensions, yield to pedestrian signs, and other traffic safety tools are all being used to meet this goal. Reducing the default speed limit to 25 mph will help to keep resident and visitors from being involved in serious crashes in the City. Boston drivers are asked to travel responsibly and voluntarily comply with the speed limit to preserve the safety of Boston's residents, daily commuters and visitors. The implementation of the reduced default speed limit in Boston is a key accomplishment of the City of Boston's Vision Zero agenda aimed at eliminating fatal and serious crashes in Boston by 2030.  More information on Vision Zero may be found at www.visionzeroboston.org.   For more information on the 25 mph default speed limit and to download informational material in a variety of languages, please visit www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/25-boston.

好事福街22到30號租客面對逼遷壓力

 (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 波士頓華埠租客居住權，近日又再面對挑戰。好事福街22到30號的19戶人家，1月4日晚派代表到華埠居民會(CRA)陳情，希望藉公眾力量逼業主出面談判。

            5、6名好事福街22到30號住戶的代表，1月4日晚到波士頓華埠居民會的月例會陳情，指新業主不維修，清掃樓宇，任令居住環境惡化，還從1月1日起，每月加租200元，顯然有意逼遷。他們多次發信，希望和業主協商，但幾個月過去都無回音，才在華人前進會協助下來到居民會陳情。

            呂振隆，鄒先生，Karen等租戶代表表示，他們在好事福街22到30號都至少住了七，八年到十幾年，一向平安無事，沒想到業主換人，居住環境馬上逐日變差，不但外牆塗鴉無人清洗，樓宇內燈壞了，排氣管不通，地板龜裂，水管漏水，都沒人管，逐漸出現老鼠，蟑螂，讓人十分困擾。最慘是冬天來了，竟經常出現沒有暖氣，熱水狀況，然後又收到新業主通知，要每月加租200元。

            他們指出，知道新業主也是夏利臣街25號業主，大約三個月前才到華埠居民會陳情過，有意在那兒建一座高20幾層樓的旅館，不明白新業主為什麼不肯和他們一起談，唯一的猜測就是以此形式逼遷。

            他們強調，尤其是有子女者，轉學實在很麻煩，大家都願意和新業主協商新租約，但得先做好樓宇維修，然後租約能一簽5年，200元的加租幅度分5年完成。該做的維修包括壞了的窗戶，排氣管，漏水的廚房，廁所都要修好，定期殺老鼠，蟑螂，定期清理走廊，樓梯，檢查大門門鎖，如有損壞，及時維修等等。

            華埠居民會共同主席余顯生提醒這些租戶要團結，一致行動，才有可能促使新業主出面和他們談判。華埠居民會執委陳丹心表示，居民會肯定支持租戶們爭取正義。

            華人前進會共同主席陳玉珍表示，好事福街22到30號租戶所面對的情況，在華埠一帶已不是單一事件，許多租戶都面對類似的業主刁難情況，但該會強調，希望社區能夠支持租戶，也當然會站在租戶這邊，提供必要支援。

            1月4日晚還有鄧肯圈(Dunkin Donuts)為波約斯頓街80號分店預定6月關門，將遷址天滿街(Tremont)147號，先做準備，到華埠居民會匯報。該鄧肯圈店董事長Sean Sullivan和生產設備主任Erik Lania由律師Lesley St. Germain陪同，向華埠居民匯報遷址意圖。匯報遷址意圖。

麻州眾議員就職 伊斯蘭主持加入祝禱行列

(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓整理報導) 麻州第190屆參眾議會議員們，1月4日在麻州正副州長，以及總檢察官，財政廳長，稽核長等要員出席見證中，宣誓就任。伊斯蘭教祈禱主持(Imam)加入領禱行列。

兩年一期的麻州議會，今年跨入第190期。1月4日早上11點，麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)，副州長白莉朵(Karyn Polito)，總檢察長奚莉(Murau Healey)，財政廳廳長高柏珂(Deb Goldberg)，稽核長蘇珊邦普(Susan Bump)等人分別到參眾兩會，見證議員們就任。

都曾經是麻州眾議員的波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Martin Walsh)，麻州大學總校長馬丁米漢(Martin Meehan)也在主席台的嘉賓席上比鄰而坐。

同時締造華人進入麻州議會殿堂歷史的兩名華裔麻州眾議員，黃子安(Donald Wong)，陳德基(Tackey Chan)都順利連任，今年起展開第四個任期。其中陳德基無競爭對手，等額當選。黃子安以12,766票的55%得票率打敗競爭對手，順利連任。

轄區包括華埠的麻州眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)也順利連任。

麻州立法機構的參議會，共有40名參議員。去年底選舉時，有33人是民主黨，5人是共和黨，另有兩席空缺。

選舉時，有25人無競爭對手，等額當選。選後，13名競選連任的在位者，全都順利當選。共和黨籍參議員共6人。五月時贏得特別選舉，代表華埠的參議員Joseph Boncore，因無競爭對手，順利等額當選。有華裔血統的參議員陳翟蘇妮(Sonia Chang Diaz)也順利連任。

麻州眾議會，共有160名眾議員。去年年底選舉時，有123人是民主黨，34人是共和黨，有3席懸缺。選舉結果，116名眾議員在無競爭對手下等額當選。

根據麻州眾議會的就職儀式節目冊，一大早從8點就開始有早餐，參觀州政府大樓等活動。接著民主黨，共和黨黨團各自聚會，11點才開始正式的就職儀式，由在位時間最長的眾議員，Angelo M. Scaccia主禮。

今年的麻州眾議會議員宣誓就職典禮，強調族裔，宗教融合，在祝禱牧師行列中安排了一名新英格蘭伊斯蘭中心伊瑪目，更是破例之舉。

參眾議員就任後，參議長羅森柏(Stanley C. Rosenberg)，眾議長狄樂歐(Robert DeLeo)也都獲同僚支持，再度連任議長。

羅森柏當選議長後發表講話，呼籲麻州改革刑事司法制度，以及令人咬牙切齒的收入差距，令人矚目。

Kmart、梅西百貨、Sears三大連鎖店關店210家

(Orange 周菊子波士頓整理報導)美國經濟是怎麼了?波士頓環球報今(5)日刊出三大連鎖店在全美各地共關閉210家店面，其中5家在麻州的消息。

Kmart要關的店面數最多，高達108家。全都要在今年3月底前關門，只有康州 Cromwell的會在3月中關門，y94賓州Mechanicsburg的二月中關門。麻州有兩家要關，一家在Fairhaven，一家在South Attleboro。

梅西百貨(Macy’s)要關的店數居次，總共要關68家，裁減10,000名員工。其中幾家現在已經關門了，其餘的將在今春或年中關門。在麻州要關的有兩家，一家在Brockton的西門(Westgate)，有79名員工。另一家在Taunton的銀城廊(Silver City Galleria)，有82名員工。

在緬因州Bangor 商場的梅西百貨也會關門。

梅西公司此舉估計可為該公司每年節省5億5000萬元。該公司股價在收市後交易中下跌8%。

西爾斯(Sears)要在三月底前關42家店。南卡羅來納州Florence和賓州Camp Hill的兩家會在二月中關。麻州要關的這家在Swansea。

Isaac Fung等4名波市公校學生獲Posse基金會獎學金

            (Boston Orange)波士頓公校系統今(5)日宣佈，4名波市公校學生將於今晚在費爾蒙柯普利廣場酒店領取Posse基金會獎學金，其中3人是新移民。

            Posse基金會獎學金創立於1989年，獎助在傳統院校挑選過程中可能被忽視，但具有潛在傑出學術成就及領導力的波士頓公校學生。

            今年全美有17000多名學生獲得提名，740人獲選。波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Martin J.

Walsh)將於今晚在頒獎晚會中致詞，波市公校總監張欽堂也將親自出席，恭喜這數名獲獎者。

            獲獎的4名波士頓公校學生分別為Dearborn STEM學校的Melisa

Depina，科學及健康社區學校的Thomas Thermidor，以及”另一個上大學途徑(Another Course to College)”的Isaac

Fung，以及 Giselle Martinez。

            Posse基金會把學生們分成10人一組，給予支持。該會有57個合作大專院校位學生提供4年全部學費的領導力獎學金。迄今，已有7,733名Posse學者獲得11億元的獎學金。

            從1999年起，波士頓市的Posse學者共獲得1億1800萬元的領導力獎學金。今年大波士頓地區共有60名學生獲獎，分別將升讀Bryn

Mawr College, Bucknell University, Centre College, Denison University, Hamilton

College, and Union College.等大專院校，獎學金總額公約1160萬元。

Four BPS Students to Receive Prestigious Posse Foundation Scholarship

Boston, MA - Thursday, January 5, 2017 -Today, four Boston Public Schools (BPS) students, including three who are recent immigrants to the United States, will receive the prestigious Posse Foundation Scholarship this evening at a ceremony at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Founded in 1989, Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Of the more than 17,000 students from across the country who were nominated for the Posse Scholarship this year, 740 were selected for this prestigious award.Mayor Martin J. Walsh will deliver the keynote address, and Superintendent Tommy Chang will be in attendance to congratulate the BPS award recipients. The four BPS students selected for the award are Melisa Depina of the Dearborn STEM Academy, Thomas Thermidor of the Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH), and Isaac Fung and Giselle Martinez, both from Another Course to College. "I am fortunate to have been able to join the Posse community as a friend and supporter," said Mayor Walsh. "Many Posse alumni serve in my administration, and I am proud of their work in the City of Boston. I look forward to seeing how this Posse corps will develop into Boston's next generation of leaders." Posse extends to students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams-Posses-of ten students. Posse's 57 partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. To date, 7,733 Posse Scholars have been awarded more than $1.1 billion in scholarships. Most importantly, Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent and are active leaders on their campuses and in the workforce. Since 1999, Posse Boston Scholars have earned more than $118 million in leadership scholarships. This year, 60 students from the Boston area will be awarded scholarships collectively worth $11.6 million from Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Centre College, Denison University, Hamilton College, and Union College. "Congratulations to our BPS students for receiving this honor," said Superintendent Tommy Chang. "The Posse Foundation works on behalf of our communities. Our students receive a safety net of support and grow into strong leaders at some of the country's most celebrated institutions. Some students then return to our district and become teachers, administrators, and staff, and continue a strong pipeline of support." Depina came to the United States from Cape Verde in 2011 and has already completed her fourth college course through a dual-enrollment program. Her guidance counselor, Timothy Likosky, described her as a "hardworking young woman with great determination and passion toward her education." She will be the first in her family to attend college. Depina will be attending Union College in Schenectady, New York. Thermidor came to the United States from Haiti in 2013 and has since challenged himself in honors and AP coursework at CASH. He is senior class president, a member of the boys varsity soccer team, a participant in the Upward Bound and Summer Search program, as well as an active member of the Build On service learning program. His guidance counselor, Elisabeth Talbot, noted, "Thomas is not a spectator; rather he prefers to participate fully in the life of his school and community." Thermidor will also be attending Union College. Fung is originally from Kenya. His guidance counselor, Kelly Gallagher, considers him to be "a creative thinker with strong analytical skills who communicates his insights clearly and engages in discussions." Fung will be attending Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Martinez will be attending Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Gallagher noted, "[Martinez] has overcome hardships to maintain a quiet but focused presence in her classes, for which she is always prepared." "We are thrilled to have talented young leaders from Boston Public Schools recognized with the Posse Scholarship by our outstanding partner colleges and universities," said Posse Boston Director Andrew Gallagher. "I can't wait to see our new scholars thrive academically and as leaders on campus and beyond." Students were selected for this award due to their tremendous leadership and academic potential. The Posse Foundation is a national initiative with program chapters in Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C. For more information about The Posse Foundation, please visit www.possefoundation.org.

麻州生命科學納稅優惠 2/16 截止申請

I am pleased to announce that the application period for the next round of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's Tax Incentive Program is now open. Applications can be submitted online via the Center's website, with a deadline of February 16, 2017 at noon. The MLSC will again seek to leverage the life sciences assets that are in place around the state, and utilize the Tax Incentive Program to promote growth throughout Massachusetts. Toward that end, the agency is actively encouraging applications from companies located outside of Greater Boston.  The MLSC is also encouraging participation by first-time applicants, minority and women-run businesses, and companies engaged in manufacturing.

The Program addresses the significant capital associated with the life sciences R&D cycle and the high costs of translating research into commercially viable products. There are ten different incentives available through the program.  To qualify, companies must receive certification from the MLSC and must demonstrate both the scientific and economic merit of their expansion plans.  The primary goal of the Program is to incentivize life sciences companies of all sizes to create new long-term jobs in Massachusetts. 

Our Tax Incentive Program has encouraged companies to create thousands of new jobs in Massachusetts, and it has played a major role in encouraging many of the global leaders in life sciences, such as Seimens, and home-grown companies like Alnylam to make significant investments in new or expanded facilities here.  As of June 30, 2016, through seven prior rounds, the Tax Incentive Program has resulted in combined net new hire commitments or actual new hires of more than 5,400 jobs among active and completed awards.

An example of a company that has utilized this program effectively is Lawrence-based NxStage Medical. The company received tax incentives from the MLSC in 2010 and 2013 totaling nearly $1.8 million, committing to create and retain a combined total of 72 new jobs in Massachusetts. Leveraging our tax incentives, NxStage was able to exceed their commitment and increase their Massachusetts employment by more than 170 employees, nearly doubling their total employment in the state since their first award. 

You can learn more about the Tax Incentive Program by visiting the Center's website. The Center will also be offering information sessions for interested applicants throughout the state. The dates and locations of these information sessions are listed below. Click on the location to RSVP.

Location	Date	Time	Address
Waltham	January 13, 2017	9-11 AM	1100 Winter Street 1st Floor
Cambridge	January 19, 2017	9-11 AM	MassBio, 300 Technology Square, 8th Floor
Lowell	January 24, 2017	9-11 AM	M2D2 110 Canal Street, 4th Floor
Marlborough	January 26, 2017	9-11 AM	The Campus at Marlborough, Stanford Room, 100 Campus Drive
Waltham	February 2, 2017	9-11 AM	1000 Winter Street (North Entrance) 1st Floor

Questions about the program can be emailed to TaxProgram@masslifesciences.com

  

Sincerely,

 

Travis McCready

President & CEO
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

MAYOR WALSH AND THE BOSTON WOMEN'S WORKFORCE COUNCIL ANNOUNCE FIRST OF ITS KIND REPORT ON THE GENDER WAGE GAP

MAYOR WALSH AND THE BOSTON WOMEN'S WORKFORCE COUNCIL ANNOUNCE FIRST OF ITS KIND REPORT ON THE GENDER WAGE GAP

BOSTON - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Women's Workforce Council (BWWC) today announced the release of its 2016 gender wage report. Continuing Mayor Walsh's mission to close the gender wage gap in Boston and create a more equitable city, the report is the first in the nation to use real wage data, self-reported by businesses in the Greater Boston area. The report harnessed a software program that anonymizes and aggregates data from individual organizations: data was collected from more than 112,000 employees, representing 11 percent of the Greater Boston workforce and $11 billion in annual earnings. Using this data, the City of Boston and the BWWC created a comprehensive look into the gender wage gap in Boston, and set a baseline for future progress. "Women make up the majority of Boston, but like most cities, companies and nations around the world, women -- especially women of color -- are underrepresented and underpaid in our workforce," said Mayor Walsh. "Our business, academic and civic leaders are working together to fix this, and to create an equitable Boston that has opportunity for all. I'm proud Boston is leading the conversation on how to address the gender wage gap, and this report is another step forward in our mission." The gender wage gap report found a 23 cent wage gap, meaning women make on average 77 cents for every dollar a man earns in Greater Boston. The average total annual compensation for women was $78,954, while the average total annual compensation for men was $103,155. The gender wage gap varied by job category: the highest earnings parity was in the Mid-Level Worker and Administrative Worker job categories, where on average women earned more than their male counterparts. In addition, the report found men's pay was composed of more performance pay: men's total pay was 88 percent annual compensation and 12 percent cash performance pay. In comparison, women's total pay was 95 percent annual compensation, and five percent cash performance pay. The report would not be possible without the support from the business community. 179 companies have signed on to the 100% Talent Compact, committing to report wage data anonymously and to discuss best practices to retain and promote women in the workforce. Included in that number are five lead sponsors: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Partners HealthCare, Putnam Investments, State Street Corporation and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. "As an inaugural signatory of the 100% Talent Compact, State Street is proud to be involved with the BWWC and this report," said Alison Quirk, executive vice president and chief human resources and citizenship officer at State Street. "State Street's continued participation in the Compact underscores our commitment to working to address the root causes of wage disparity in Boston so we can continue to build the diverse and sustainable talent pipeline we need for our future success." "MassMutual is honored to support this important effort, standing with other companies that share our belief that gender should not impact compensation," said Eddie Ahmed, Head of Human Resources for MassMutual Financial Group. "We have a longstanding commitment to making sure our employees are compensated fairly for their work, and that salary differences are based on role, performance and merit alone." Through this report, the BWWC has created a baseline wage gap estimate for the greater Boston workforce using two unique data sets. The BWWC created a data set of wages consisting of all U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filings in 2015, and compared this data to anonymously collected salary data from Compact signers in the same zip codes so that they could compare how representative their sample was. Building off its commitment to investing in long-term solutions, the BWWC also announced today its new academic partnership with Boston University, where the BWWC will now have its office. The BWWC will be hosted at the Hariri Institute for Computing. "This partnership is a natural outgrowth of our collaboration with the BWWC to develop the software platform for privacy-preserving analytics used in the 2017 gender wage report.  It also underscores the importance of connecting computer scientists with social scientists to pursue innovative data-driven research," said Azer Bestavros, Professor of Computer Science and Founding Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing at Boston University. "Working alongside researchers on Boston University's campus will allow the BWWC to expand its mission by developing more sophisticated analytics that identify the root causes of pay disparities as well as quantify the impact of best practices used for mitigation purposes. Together, we can make the necessary progress on closing the wage gap in our data-driven economy." The full gender wage gap report can be found online.

麻州新一輪生命科學稅優惠2/16截止申請

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Announces Opening of Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program

Applications due by February 16th

Waltham, MA -- The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) announced today that applications are now being accepted for a new round of the Center’s Tax Incentive Program. The Program offers tax incentives to encourage the growth of companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. The MLSC will again seek to leverage the life sciences assets that are in place around the state, and utilize the Tax Incentive Program to promote growth throughout Massachusetts. Toward that end, the agency is actively encouraging applications from companies located outside of Greater Boston.  The MLSC is also encouraging participation by first-time applicants, minority and women-run businesses, and companies engaged in manufacturing.

The program addresses the significant capital associated with the life sciences R&D cycle and the high costs of translating research into commercially viable products. There are ten different incentives available through the program.  To qualify, companies must receive certification from the MLSC and must demonstrate both the scientific and economic merit of their expansion plans.  The primary goal of the program is to incentivize life sciences companies of all sizes to create new long-term jobs in Massachusetts. Companies receiving incentives must commit to the creation and retention of a specific number of net new jobs for a five-year period.

“The life sciences sector is an important part of our economy, helping to establish the Commonwealth as an international manufacturing and research and development leader while driving growth and job creation,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “Building a depth of diverse talent, and helping to encourage growth throughout the state will expand local and regional economies throughout Massachusetts and allow us to continue our important investments in life-changing innovations.”

This will be the eighth round of the program. As of June 30, 2016, the Tax Incentive Program has resulted in combined net new hire commitments or actual new hires of more than 5,400 jobs among active and completed awards.

“The MLSC Tax Incentive Program has encouraged companies to create thousands of new jobs across the Commonwealth, including global leaders like Siemens, and home-grown companies like Alnylam that are locating their manufacturing operations here,” said Travis McCready, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. “We want to ensure that this growth continues in all areas of Massachusetts, and with that in mind we are once again actively encouraging companies located outside of Greater Boston to apply to this year’s program.”

NxStage Medical, a leading medical technology company based in Lawrence, received tax incentives from the MLSC in 2010 and 2013 totaling nearly $1.8 million, committing to create and retain a combined total of 72 new jobs in Massachusetts. The company has gone on to significantly expand their local facility and add more than 170 jobs since their first tax incentive award in 2010. Jeff Burbank, CEO of NxStage Medical, said “NxStage invents technologies to help people with kidney failure live a better and longer life; we’re shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs right here in Massachusetts.  The MLSC Tax Incentive Program is one of many important factors that make Massachusetts so competitive.”

All applications are due by noon on Thursday, February 16th, 2017 and can be submitted online via the Center’s website atwww.masslifesciences.com.   Information sessions for potential applicants will be held in the coming weeks in various locations around the state. Dates and locations are listed on the Center’s website.

WuXi NextCODE Selected as Genomics Platform for Singapore Precision Medicine Effort

WuXi NextCODE Selected as Genomics Platform for Singapore Precision Medicine Effort

Leading national stakeholders choose the global standard in large-scale genomics to propel innovation in sequence-based digital health and medicine in Singapore and Southeast Asia

- National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), together with SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine (PRISM) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), spearheads vanguard population precision medicine program

- WuXi NextCODE to install massively scalable database, analytics and reporting suite at NHCS

- Pilot study aims to identify genetic risk factors and novel means to address heart disease risk

- WuXi NextCODE's cloud-based infrastructure will integrate seamlessly into digital health strategies and enable collaboration with other national genomics efforts around the world

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

WuXi NextCODE 

Jan 05, 2017, 07:08 ET

SINGAPORE and SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi NextCODE, the contract genomics organization enabling precision medicine worldwide, and the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), a leading national and regional cardiovascular medicine center, today announced their partnership to advance population-based genomic research and precision medicine applications in Singapore.

This marks an important first step in a national precision medicine initiative that brings together NHCS as a leading research hospital in cardiovascular disease, SingHealth Duke-NUS PRISM, as the institutional flagship program on Precision Medicine, and the IMDA, as a part of its mission to advance Singapore's Smart Nation vision. In addition to co-funding the project, IMDA scoped the initiative's technical requirements. WuXi NextCODE was awarded by NHCS following a competitive review of leading global genomics platforms.

Under the partnership, WuXi NextCODE will create an instantly queriable cloud-based enterprise data warehouse integrating large-scale whole genome sequence, medical and wearables data from both cardiovascular patients and healthy control subjects recruited by NHCS. This proof-of-concept resource will power research into novel genetic risk factors for heart disease in the Singapore and Southeast Asia populations more broadly. It will also enable the generation of clinical reports offering actionable insights on different types of genetic risk, carrier status and drug response, with the aim of informing personalized health and wellness. The partnership contemplates expanding from heart disease into other disease types, and WuXi NextCODE's infrastructure is scalable to hundreds of thousands of participants.

"We are honored to be chosen by such visionary partners to innovate cutting-edge precision medicine in Singapore," said Hannes Smarason, COO of WuXi NextCODE. "We are the backbone for leading precision medicine projects in the US, Europe, China and the Middle East, and Singapore's leadership in digital convergence and healthcare provides a unique opportunity to advance our technology in new ways to benefit patients and people here and across the region."

"NHCS is delighted to partner with IMDA and WuXi NextCODE in this pilot project," commented Associate Professor Yeo Khung Keong, Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, National Heart Centre Singapore. "We believe that the scientific and technical expertise that WuXi NextCODE provides will enable us to integrate precision medicine into clinical care and medical research. I am very much looking forward to this collaboration."

"IMDA seeks to enhance Singapore's technology capabilities through the use of infocomm media to improve the lives of citizens and enhance businesses. Our collaboration with partners such as WuXi NextCODE in bioinformatics is one example of using Singapore as a testbed to develop new innovative technological solutions that bring significant benefits and create high value-added jobs and businesses for ICM professionals in the health and pharmaceutical industries. Creating and applying new infocomm media technologies in healthcare and wellness is an important aspect of Singapore's Smart Nation journey," said Mr Khoong Hock Yun, Assistant Chief Executive (Development), IMDA.

無人駕駛汽車今在波士頓上路測試

(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓整理報導) 無人駕駛汽車2017年1月4日在波士頓上路了。設在劍橋市的NuTonomy和波士頓市府達成協議，先在雷夫連海洋園(Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park)內，做100英里測試。

1月4日上路測試的車是一輛雷諾(Reanult ZOE)，車裡裝有人工智能軟件，照相機，偵測附近物體，以雷射為基礎，名為LIDAR科技的感應器等工具，在3英里路上開了1小時，安然無恙。

這是麻州首次有無人駕駛車輛公開上路。

nuTonomy和波士頓市政府訂有協議，得先在天氣良好的白天時間裡測試100英里，再在夜間，以及天氣不佳狀況測試100英里，然後才考慮正式上路。

nuTonomy是一家使用MIT所發明科技，有劍橋創投(Cambridge Venture)，高地資本夥伴(Highland Capital Partners)等投資了1960萬元創辦的汽車科技公司，2016年8月已在新加坡做了測試。

nuTonomy執行長Karl Iagnemma表示，今年(2017)稍後將增加2輛車做測試。

無人駕駛汽車如今已不是新概念，谷歌(Google)，福特( Ford)，通用汽車(General Motors)，以及響應共享經濟，提供共乘服務的優步(Uber)， Lyft，滴滴出行(Didi Chuxing) 等，都在做這方面的嘗試。

Uber早前已在匹茲堡街道上測試過無人駕駛汽車，正準備在加州受挫之後到亞利桑納(Arizona)測試。BMW也在1月4日，週三這天宣佈，計畫今年稍後要在美國，歐洲做40輛車的無人駕駛測試。Hyundai這兩天也正在拉斯維加斯舉行的消費電子展(CES)讓人試坐該公司的無人駕駛車Ioniq。

羅德島州克蘭斯頓市長馮偉傑最後一次宣誓就任

羅德島州克蘭斯頓市市長馮偉傑(右)在妻子Barbara Ann Fenton(中)注視
中，最後一次宣誓就任。(周菊子攝)

      (Boston Orange 周菊子羅德島州綜合報導)羅德島州克蘭斯頓市(Cranston)市長馮偉傑(Allan Fung)1月2日，最後一次宣誓就任，為照顧88歲老父親的身體狀況，同晚舉行了兩次宣誓儀式，場面溫馨。

      克蘭斯頓市是羅德島州排名第3大城市。根據美國人口統計局數據，該市人口80,387，其中亞裔佔5.6%，華裔佔1.8%，僅1493人。

克蘭斯頓市長馮偉傑(後左一)，母親勞丹萍(右二)，妻子Barbara Ann
Fenton等家人合影。(周菊子攝)

身為廣東移民之子的馮偉傑，從2003年當選為克蘭斯頓市市議員起，仕途順利，一路連任，2008年當選市長後也連任三屆，並於2012年成為克蘭斯頓市首名一任四年的市長。2015年，他再上一層樓的參選羅德島州州長，一度呼聲極高，不料中庸黨(Moderate)的Bob Healey中途參選，攫取將近7萬票，讓馮偉傑最後以和Gina Raimondo僅有 15,000票的差距飲恨。

坊間因此謠傳，馮偉傑將在這4年任內，再次角逐羅德島州州長。不過馮偉傑本人表示，目前先專心服務市民，其他的以後再說。

馮偉傑市長(左三)為父親馮廣運(右三)舉行了一次私人就職儀式。
(取自市長臉書)

      由於克蘭斯頓市實行市長一任四年新制後，市長任期也有了最多兩任的限制。已任市長8年的馮偉傑去年順利當選連任，可再做市長4年，但2017年1月2日的就任儀式，因此將是他最後一次上台宣誓，由他今年6月娶進門的新婚妻子Barbara Ann Fenton陪誓。

      馮偉傑這最後一次的就職演說，因此有點總結市長職務經歷的味道。

他直言，8年前接任市長時，克蘭斯頓市財政糟糕到恐怖程度，不但開銷無節制，來自州政府的經費大減，克蘭斯頓市還同時面對退休金隱現危機等結構性問題。許多人都認為克蘭斯頓市恐怕要宣佈破產了。

在他的第一任市長期間，克蘭斯頓市還遇上歷史性水災。這財務，城市都”深陷水中”的慘狀，讓他在那段時間幾乎上遍每一家全國性新聞節目，

克蘭斯頓市市議員宣誓就任。

這8年，發生了很多事，他向市府員工，部門首長做了許多要求，也要求市民共體時艱。後來他和工會協商成功，把市府結構性的赤字，因多年嘲諷而形成的政治僵局慢慢化解了，

要謝天謝地的是，市內的各個街道，角落，現在有許多新店舖，新遊樂場，翻新的學校，市府財政也有了180度的轉變。如今克蘭斯頓市是整個國家的最佳城市之一。華爾街還連續3年把克蘭斯頓市選為全美最佳的50個城市之一。

克蘭斯頓是市長馮偉傑(中)為市議會正副議長就任主持宣誓儀式。
(周菊子攝)

克蘭斯頓市的商業發展也日漸繁榮，正式的開張剪綵，一個接一個。許多企業首長打電話給他，探問遷址克蘭斯頓市得準備些甚麼，而克蘭斯頓市卻不需要給出任何優惠來吸引人。

馮偉傑也總傑了一些任內成就，包括市府儲備金增至2000萬元，高居羅德島州各市鎮第一名，創造了2200個工作機會，進入克蘭斯頓式的新企業總值逾6600萬元，穆迪，惠譽和標普(Moody’s, Fitch, and S&P)這幾各金融機構都把克蘭斯頓市的債信提高到過去20年來的最高點。連續4年有財政盈餘。如今有全州最佳的公共圖書館系統，在社區研究上獲得全國性獎項。儘管在保留開放空間，保護環境上，地方政府能做的有限，但他要非常驕傲地指出，全市街燈都已換成能節省大筆電費的LED燈。克蘭斯頓市還成為羅德島州的太陽能領頭羊，擁有3座太陽能廠，能生產全州最多太陽能。

克蘭斯頓市也做了退休金改革，每年節省600萬元，減少了3000萬元無經費支持的義務。

過去5年間，還有4年不需要加稅。

克蘭斯頓市當晚的就職典禮，還包括所有新任或連任市議員，學校委員會委員，地方法官等的就職儀式。市議會也在現場舉行了第56屆市議會首次會議，推選出正副議長。

由於馮偉傑高齡88歲的父親最近才住過院。他怕父親過於勞累，特地在正式就職典禮之前，請牧師先主持了一場私人就職典禮，由父親握著他的手，陪他宣誓就任。