波士頓重建局批准城中心建47層高大樓

波士頓重建局（BRA）一日批准了一項大規模發展計劃。波士頓市國會街和新賽德百利街交界處，市中心區的停車場，將由一座高528英尺的圓弧形玻璃大樓取代。

            NBBJ建築公司的首席建築師Alex Krieger表示，人們經常抱怨，不像上海或杜拜，波士頓的高樓都很乏味，但這棟大樓卻將成為波士頓內大不尋常的建築。

            發展商HYM投資集團表示，希望明年動工。

        這項發展計劃，估計需資逾十億元，將在拆除連接在國會（Congress）街的停車場，建成一座47層高的辦公室大樓後，建一座42層樓高，約450個出租或出售單位的住宅大樓。

            總的來說，這項發展計劃將建成六座大樓，約230萬平方英尺的商住面積。西邊會見三座高樓，另外三座比較小的大樓會沿著綠路（Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway）建造。綠路和運河街（Canal Street.）會由一個零售廣場連接起來。

            儘管國會街上的停車場會被拆掉，但國會街和新賽德百麗（New Sudbury）街這邊的核心大樓，會保留1100個停車位。那個停車場會藏在新的摩天大樓後面。

            波士頓重建局（BRA）已批准了這一發展計劃，但每一棟樓的建造計劃，都還得經過該局的設計委員會審批通過。波士頓重建局的代理局長高登（Brian Golden）週三（一日）時表態強烈支持。

            發展商奧布瑞（Thomas N. O’Brien）表示，該棟大樓的建築造型設計，就是為了要讓人注意到該棟大樓將為波士頓城中區帶來多大的改變。他也說，在城中心區五畝大的土地上大動土木，是前所未有的機會。新港（New Haven）的Pelli Clarke Pelli建築公司將和波士頓的CBT建築公司一起設計。

        這一發展計劃的主要投資者包括國家電力福利基金（National Electrical Benefit Fund），以及英國的路易斯信託集團（Lewis Trust Group）。

蔡志堅訪波士頓展彩墨畫

2002年獲評為國家一級美術師，來自南京的畫家蔡志堅，日前在劍橋中國文化中心開畫展。逾百幅有水墨韻味，油畫感覺的風景，動物畫，讓不少參觀者駐足良久。

            今年高齡七十六歲的蔡志堅，從南京藝術學院美術系畢業後，就在繪畫這條路上，努力不輟，早在1981年就被聘為南京市徐悲鴻畫院副院長，曾師事劉海粟，陳之佛，陳大羽，謝海燕，出版過七種個人畫集，2002年獲聘為江蘇省文史研究館館員，中國美術家協會會員，2007年曾赴香港參加“港澳書畫名家作品聯展”，2013年獲得第二屆海峽兩岸名家水墨畫集書法精品展金獎，今年來美國加州，麻州辦展覽。

            美中生物醫藥協會早期元老之一，目前在中國無錫開辦好芳德藥品公司的沈立新，和美中生物醫藥協會的現任董事長林世文，回中國上海出任強生強生（Johnson & Johnson）化學醫藥部主管的萬昭奎，開幕那天都特地到會，賞畫，晤友。

            蔡志堅當天展出的彩墨風景，樣式繁多。他放在會場供人瀏覽，由華僑藝術為他出版的“赴美畫展專輯”，還有國父孫中山孫女孫穗芳為畫冊寫的序，有曾任台灣國民黨黨主席連戰的“品藝精敏”題字。

圖片說明：

            右起，林世文，沈立新，萬昭奎等人特地到會欣賞蔡志堅（左二）的畫展。沈立新透露，當年他還在加拿大唸書時，就和前往當地展畫的蔡志堅認識，並結為忘年交，友情維繫至今。（菊子攝）

            蔡志堅和他自己頗為欣賞的一幅畫，“黑龍江五大連池寫生”。（橘子攝）

Ben Shields outlines key strategies for team success in the $750 billion sports industry

Winning isn’t everything: A new book by MIT Sloan School of Management’s Ben Shields outlines key strategies for team success in the $750 billion sports industry

Sports organizations must forge an identity, reinvigorate their venues, use business analytics to drive revenue, and maximize technology and social media to engage fans

Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 3, 2014—In the $750 billion sports industry, many teams try to employ the same strategy: win as many games as possible and money, media, and fan support will inevitably follow. But a new book by MIT Sloan School of Management lecturer Ben Shields offers a different approach for achieving success.

“Building and growing a sustainable sports organization requires more than just racking up wins,” says Shields, one of the authors of The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High-Performance Industry (Oxford University Press, 2014). “The most successful franchises of the past couple of decades have maximized strategies off the field that—unlike winning—can be controlled and shaped.”

What’s driving this trend, he says, is that winning has become a commodity. As leagues and conferences extend their seasons, more and more teams now declare play-off success: In MLB, for instance, it used to be that the league leaders won the pennant and then went to the World Series; now, five teams in each league make the play-offs. In the NBA and the NHL, more than half of all teams earn post-season play.

“The mantra of youth sports where ‘everyone gets a trophy’ is now permeating professional leagues and college conferences,” he says. “This means that teams have to work harder to stay top of mind with their fans. They have to forge an identity and facilitate storylines around that identity; they have to provide memorable experiences at the stadium; they have to capitalize on big data analytics to increase revenue; and they have to engage fans using social media.”

In the book, Shields and his co-authors, Irving Rein, a professor of communication studies at Northwestern University, and Adam Grossman, the founder and president of Block Six Analytics, the sports marketing firm, blend academic expertise with real-world case studies.

Take the Dallas Cowboys, for instance. Over the past 19 seasons, “America’s team” has not been particularly successful on the field—its record is 146-142 during that time—but the Cowboys remain the most valuable franchise in the NFL valued at about $3.2 billion.

“The Cowboys stand for nostalgia and patriotism—and fans relate to that,” says Shields. “The team also does a brilliant job cultivating storylines across all platforms, including social media. Its cast of characters includes: Tony Romo, the flawed hero, Jason Garrett, the coach who is always in the hot seat, and Jerry Jones, the team’s ringleader. It’s a reality show broadcast live from Dallas 365 days a year, keeping the team relevant even when it’s not on the field.”

Sports organizations must also create a “memorable and immersive” venue experience for fans, according to Shields. “One of the biggest challenges today is getting people out of their interconnected living rooms, away from their big-screen TVs, and back into the stadium,” he says. “An even bigger challenge for sports organizations is making it work within a budget. Rather than building a new park from scratch, the South Bend Silver Hawks, a minor league baseball team, incorporated a nearby historic synagogue into its ballpark grounds and transformed it into its team store. The ballpark synagogue has become an award-winning, must-see attraction whether the team wins or loses.” 

His book arrives at a time when sports organizations are fighting harder than ever for the wallet share and engagement of fans, media, and sponsors, while facing unprecedented competition both domestically and internationally. The cost of doing business continues to rise, while traditional revenue streams are under increased pressure. 

“Winning games will always be important in sports, but building a winning business off the field is the key to success over the long-term,” says Shields. “In response to this challenge, we’re already seeing breakthrough innovations and new perspectives on difficult problems.”

Ben Shields is a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management

黃絲帶，黑手環 波士頓華人支持香港雨傘革命

哈佛大學學生準備了中英雙語支持香港的海報。（菊子攝）

出席者紛紛在“支持香港”，“香港加油”的海報上簽名。（周菊子攝）

            (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)大波士頓地區昨（ㄧ）日有不下五，六百人冒雨趕到波士頓廣場，點燃蠟燭，別上黃絲帶，帶上“香港堅強，香港民主”的黑手環，黑隔海支持香港人爭取民主、自由、真普選。

 陳家慧（左）向聚集在波士頓廣場前的民眾說明她發起集會的經過。（周菊子攝）

            香港的“佔中”行動演變成學生衝進限制區，民眾上街靜坐，警方出動辣椒噴霧後，情況越演越烈，不但香港之內情緒沸騰，海外有香港人的地方，也全都群情激動。

 左起，戴嘉侖（Cameron Target），陳家慧，張灼盈是昨日活動的主要發起者。（周菊子攝）

            波士頓地區的哈佛大學，波士頓大學，塔芙茨大學，愛默生學院等多校來自香港學生，海外香港華人民主人權促進會，以及許多來自香港，甚至廿多名來自台灣的關心人士，昨日有不下五，六百人撐著雨傘，穿著雨衣，匯聚在波士頓廣場的圓亭前，為支持香港人的追求民主，自由行動，表達一份心意。

            發起活動的哈佛大學Heather Pickerell，剛從紐約上州一大學畢業的陳嘉慧，在邦克丘學院就讀的張灼盈，在愛默生學院就讀的戴嘉侖（Cameron Target）等人，以及來自中國大陸，波士頓大學畢的王斯賢，剛從中國來波士頓讀書沒多久的李海寧等人，一一發言。

在香港出生，十九歲才來哈佛讀書的Heather Pickerell（右）在哈佛
大學校內，發起了支持香港民主行動，還設立了臉書專頁。（周菊子攝）

            陳家慧表示，她十九歲的弟弟，是被警方包圍的第一批學生之一。有不下五個小時，和家人失去聯絡，全家焦慮非常，整件事後來的發展，讓他們覺得香港政府瘋了。她昨日呼籲出席支持香港的群眾，不要只熱情一天，香港需要更多人持續關懷。

            在香港出生，長大的Heather Pickerell和哈佛大學教育系的Jared B. Fries都說，這是民主，自由的問題，全世界的人都在看。問題關鍵在中國政府

  昨晚波士頓下雨，到波士頓廣場出席支持香港民主活動群眾，
紛紛撐傘聚會。（周菊子攝）

        一名來自台灣，但不願表明身份者表示，看到香港的情況，他感到同情，也為台灣的未來感到緊張。他說，至少有廿多名從台灣來的人，特地趕來支持香港的民主自由。

出席支持香港活動者，都別上黃絲帶。（周菊子攝）

            一名剛來美國的年輕大陸學生表示，九月廿七日那天中午，他才去波士頓市府廣場參加五星旗升旗典禮，晚上就在喜臨門大酒樓看到支持香港民主人士在酒樓門外示威，酒樓內參加慶祝活動的人，為視而不見，把窗簾拉下，讓他感到很荒謬。

            從香港來美已四十多年的威威餐廳老闆許揚威表示，這都什麼年代了，中國實在應該跟上時代，和世界接軌，走上民主自由的道路。他說雖然自己已有將近廿年沒回過香港了，但是對香港還是很有感情，香港有事，當然要出來支持。

            四歲時從香港移民來美的陳俊暉，不但在臉書上支持香港爭取民主，昨日也趕到波士頓廣場。

謝中之（左），高秉浩（右）參與協辦支持香港民主活動。(周菊子攝)

        在香港出生，長大，來到愛默生學院進修一個月的戴嘉侖（Cameron Target）以流利的廣東話表示，香港是他家，他當然關心香港的命運。他和海外香港華人民主人權促進會的謝中之都呼籲香港不要放棄爭取民主自由的行動。

            參加支持香港民主活動者，昨晚在波士頓廣場聚會後，轉往麻州州政府大樓，把黃絲帶綁在樓外鐵欄杆上，為支持行動留下痕跡。

    

           

        

          

馬若德建議習近平邀香港學生晤談

哈佛大學著名中國問題教授馬若德（Roderick MacFarquhar）昨（一）日在講座中建議，習近平不妨邀香港學生到中國談話，告訴他們香港是中國未來的模範，但目前中國需要穩定發展。

            馬若德昨日為蕭慶倫，傅高義教授主持的“中國面對的重要問題講座系列（Critical Issues Confronting China Seminar Series）”演講，暢談“中國轉型中：習近平的影響”。由於香港問題情勢熱到全球關注，在回應聽眾提問時，他笑說如果他是習近平，他會告訴香港學生們，香港是模範，有一天中國也會走到香港這一步，但現在的中國需要穩定，學生們應該放眼綜觀全局，從整個中國的角度來想問題，而不要僅僅只看香港。

        馬若德表示，如果這說法成功說服了香港學生，對習近平來說就是雙贏局面，他認為香港的情況，或許有如當年毛澤東時期的百花齊放，起初看來很具威脅性，結果沒有太大影響。香港事件目前的情況是沒有真正的領袖，或核心分子，不像六四民運的有廣場指揮部，要有進展，不太容易。至於香港問題到底會如何落幕，還得看後續發展。

圖片說明：

哈佛大學著名中國問題教授馬若德（Roderick MacFarquhar）(左)在傅高義（右）主持的講座中，談中國，香港問題。（菊子攝）

“Bird’s-eye Boston” 3D model exhibit opens in City Hall lobby

“Bird’s-eye Boston” 3D model exhibit opens in City Hall lobby

Share your favorite views of the city on Twitter using the hashtag #BirdseyeBoston

BOSTON – The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics have teamed up to launch a new exhibit in the third floor lobby of City Hall that blends public art and urban design. Dubbed “Bird’s-eye Boston,” the installation invites people to explore a three dimensional model of Boston’s downtown. Some of the city’s most iconic buildings are highlighted on the model to help visitors orient themselves to the unique view. Staff will lead brief guided tours that offer insights on the history of downtown’s redevelopment.

If you live or work in Boston, odds are you have enjoyed its skyline from many different angles. Millions of visitors each year are treated to impressive views from flights arriving at Logan, as planes descend over the Harbor, gliding just above the water for passengers to gaze out at the Prudential Center, the Hancock Tower, the Federal Reserve, and other downtown landmarks before coming to rest on the tarmac. But the opportunity to take in an aerial view without having to leave the ground is likely a first for many.

“If you spend a lot of time in the city, it’s easy to overlook some of the truly special views and destinations that are in our own backyard,” Mayor Walsh said. “The Bird’s-eye Boston exhibit will help activate the main entrance to City Hall and give people an opportunity to learn a bit about the history of buildings in the downtown area.”

The exhibit’s curators are encouraging people to share their favorite views of Boston on social media using the hashtag #BirdseyeBoston. Visitors can tweet questions and photos to @BostonRedevelop.

The three-dimensional model of downtown, which was recently restored by CBT Architects, was originally created by the BRA in 1975 to showcase Boston’s developing skyline. It displays about three square miles of the city (approximately one sixteenth of Boston’s land mass) on a scale that makes the Hancock tower, the city’s tallest building at 790 feet, a diminutive eight inches high. While it doesn’t capture all of the intricate details of Boston’s most recognized structures, the model uses color to differentiate between building types. It has been updated over the years to reflect the current build out of downtown and portions of the Back Bay and Beacon Hill.

Starting today and running through mid-December, the exhibit will be located in the third floor lobby of City Hall and open to the public during business hours, which are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The BRA maintains a larger working model in its offices on the ninth floor that is used to study project proposals and inform city planning initiatives. Visitors to Bird’s-eye Boston are also invited to see the working model. Twice a week, on Monday and Friday afternoons, the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and the BRA will offer guided tours and answer questions about the working model.

“The models are great conversation pieces and learning tools,” said BRA Acting Director Brian Golden. “Urban design is complicated topic, and the exhibit offers an easy way for everyone to discuss how our city is built. We’re excited to be able to share it with the public.”

In a city filled with history, the exhibit model has a notable story of its own. In 2004, it was loaned to public safety officials for security planning around the Democratic National Convention.

In late December, the model will be moved to a permanent home at Boston Society of Architects’ BSA Space at Atlantic Wharf.

Whole Food招聘說明會 逾百人出席

預定明年初在墨水塊（Ink Block）大樓開張的全食（Whole Food）超市連鎖店，將招聘250人，十月七、八兩日會辦兩場咨詢會，十月十日下午三點半，截止受理書面申請。   

華人前進會九月廿九日晚在昆士小學飯堂召開社區會議，報告該會和全食超市談判的協議結果。

華人社區對全食超市工作機會感興趣者，人數極多。昆士小學飯堂當晚坐得滿滿的，粗估逾百人，面孔大多年輕。

華人前進會劉衛恆報告後，陳玉珍當晚負責解說。她以幻燈片指出，全食超市與華埠達成協議，將與華人前進會，堡壘村住客聯誼會等地方組織合作，優先聘請社區居民，提早兩週向社區公佈工作機會，安排咨詢，提供雙語申請工作協助，辦理雙語面試，向社區匯報招聘結果，也會和社區合作，提供培訓，給培訓畢業學生面試機會。

全食超市是一家在美國，加拿大，英國，共有將近400家分店的公司，以銷售天然有機食品出名。預定2015年1月在墨水塊開張的新店，將是該集團在波士頓最大的分店，會聘用250名員工，起薪每小時十一元。

目前訂定的人員招聘時間表為，十月七，八兩日，舉辦咨詢會，回答有意應聘者的疑問，十月十五日至十七日，第一次面試，十月廿八，廿九兩日，小組面試，十一月十二日至十四日，最後面試，十一月十七日至十八日做聘請決定。該公司將在每次面試後，向社區匯報面試結果。有意申請該公司職位者，必需上網填寫申請表。

為期兩天的咨詢會，將都在天滿街464號二樓的堡壘村社區室社舉行，時間為十月七日（週二）早上十一點，下午三點，下午六點，以及十月八日（週三）的早上九點，十一點，下午六點。

有意申請全食超市工作機會者，可到天滿（Tremont）街476號的堡壘村住客聯誼會，所物(Shawmut)街405號的IBA，雅樹（Ash）街28號的華人前進會，遞交申請表，或是在全食超市十月七，八兩日的咨詢會現場遞交。

全食超市將於十月十日下午三點半，截止受理書面申請。

            華人前進會表示，近年來華埠一代的發展項目，已創造了超過2000個建築業工作機會，還有上百個永久性的工作機會，將陸續出現，這些土地發展計劃包括位於廟街（Temple Place） 59號的旅館，預定2015年年底開張的羅氏兄弟（Roche Brothers）超市，以及全食超市。

圖片說明：

            華人前進會舉辦的全食超市工作機會說明會，有逾百人參加。（菊子攝）

            陳玉珍（右）用幻燈片說明全食超市的工作機會申請時間表。（菊子攝）