紐英崙昭倫公所將推選美東副總長

左起，紐英崙昭倫公所副主席兼英文書記謝如鍵，主席許楊威，中文書記談家權，總務謝中之等人前往西雅圖，出席全美昭倫公所第廿一屆懇親代表大會。

在這為期三日，有三百多人出席的會議中，他們重申昭倫公所是由「談、譚、許、謝」後裔組成的宗親會。由於談家權是唯一「談」姓出席宗親，成為大會中的「談大哥」。

在全美昭倫大會中，宗親們決定把紐英崙昭倫公所劃為包括康州，羅德島州，麻州，佛蒙特州，新罕布夏州，緬因州等共六州的美國東北區，可選送一名代表，擔任昭倫副總長。

謝中之指出，在全美各地的昭倫公所中，加拿大溫哥華的昭倫親義公所比較特別，由談譚許謝阮的五姓宗親組成，現任主席為阮少玲，這次共有三十多人參加全美懇親大會。他透露，根據阮少玲的說明，加拿大的阮姓和昭倫结義，組成了昭倫親義公所，所以加拿大沒有阮氏公所。（圖由謝忠之提供）

2015 BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFIER ACCEPTANCES

2015 BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFIER ACCEPTANCES

Notification to applicants begins Wednesday, September 24

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today continued its notification to applicants of their acceptance into the 2015 Boston Marathon®. In preparation for the 2015 Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. implemented the same registration process for qualified runners as it used in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Marathons, allowing the fastest qualifiers to register first. The 119th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2015 and will mark the 30th consecutive year that the event will have John Hancock Financial as its principal sponsor.

In cooperation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon route, the B.A.A. has set the field size for the 2015 Boston Marathon at 30,000 official entrants. More than 80% of the field will be comprised of athletes who have met the qualifying standards. The balance will consist of invitational entrants, many of whom run for local charitable organizations. Since 1989, between the B.A.A.’s Official Charity Program and principal sponsor John Hancock Financial’s Non-Profit Bib Program for the Boston Marathon, more than $200 million has been raised for charity. 

Registration for runners who met the B.A.A.’s Qualifying Standards for the 2015 Boston Marathon began on Monday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET using a “rolling admission” schedule and continued through Saturday, September 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET. Registration re-opened on Monday, September 15 at 10:00 a.m. and application submissions were received through Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

·         25,493 applications were received during the registration period for qualifiers.

·         23,546 Qualified applicants have been accepted to date or are in the process of being accepted, pending verification of their qualifying performance.

·         1,947 applicants were unable to be accepted due to the large number of eligible qualifiers who submitted an application for entry combined with field size limitations.

·         Details of the B.A.A.’s registration process for Qualifiers can be found on the following web page:http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/athlete-registration.aspx

During the first week of registration, when the fastest of all Qualifiers submitted their application for entry:

·         4,093 Qualifiers accepted met their qualifying time by 20 minutes, 00 seconds or faster.

·         6,490 Qualifiers accepted met their qualifying time by 10 minutes, 00 seconds or faster.

·         6,160 Qualifiers accepted met their qualifying time by 05 minutes, 00 seconds or faster.

During the second week of registration, 6,447 Qualifiers were accepted. These were Qualifiers who were one minute, two seconds (1:02) or faster than the Qualifying time for their age group and gender. (Last year, for the 2014 Boston Marathon, Qualifiers who were one minute, 38 seconds or faster than the Qualifying time for their age group and gender were accepted.)

In addition, 356 Qualifiers who have an active streak of ten or more consecutive Boston Marathon completed also entered during a pre-registration period in August and have been accepted. In the coming months, qualified elite athletes and athletes with disabilities will be added to the field.

Those who submitted a verified qualifying performance that was 1 minute, 02 seconds or faster than the qualifying standard for their age and gender have been accepted into the race. Qualifying performances for the 2015 Boston Marathon must have been run between September 14, 2013 and September 17, 2014.  Notices via email to those accepted will be issued by the B.A.A. beginning today.

The names of those runners who have been accepted will be posted on the “Entrants” page of the B.A.A.’s web site:http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/entrants.aspx

Some of those entrants who ultimately will be accepted will not be notified of their acceptance or have their name appear because validation of qualifying performances is ongoing. The amount of time to verify the performance of qualifiers can vary from race to race.

“We never like to tell anyone who has worked so hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon that there is not space for them in the field,” said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. “Many of us know personally how difficult it is to meet those standards.  But we also need to limit the field size for the race in order to provide the best and safest possible experience for those for whom we do have space.  We run over most of the same roads that were used in the first marathon in 1897, and that requires us to achieve the best balance that we can between inclusion and quality.”

Notices to those who submitted an application for entry but who were not accepted were also issued today.

2015 BOSTON MARATHON : Men’s Qualifying Standards and Accepted Times*

AGE GROUP	QUALIFYING STANDARD	QUALIFICATION TIMES ACCEPTED (faster than and including)
18-34	3hrs 05min 00sec	3hrs 03min 58sec
35-39	3hrs 10min 00sec	3hrs 08min 58sec
40-44	3hrs 15min 00sec	3hrs 13min 58sec
45-49	3hrs 25min 00sec	3hrs 23min 58sec
50-54	3hrs 30min 00sec	3hrs 28min 58sec
55-59	3hrs 40min 00sec	3hrs 38min 58sec
60-64	3hrs 55min 00sec	3hrs 53min 58sec
65-69	4hrs 10min 00sec	4hrs 08min 58sec
70-74	4hrs 25min 00sec	4hrs 23min 58sec
75-79	4hrs 40min 00sec	4hrs 38min 58sec
80 and older	4hrs 55min 00sec	4hrs 53min 58sec

2015 BOSTON MARATHON : Women’s Qualifying Standards and Accepted Times*

AGE GROUP	QUALIFYING STANDARD	QUALIFICATION TIMES ACCEPTED (faster than and including)
18-34	3hrs 35min 00sec	3hrs 33min 58sec
35-39	3hrs 40min 00sec	3hrs 38min 58sec
40-44	3hrs 45min 00sec	3hrs 43min 58sec
45-49	3hrs 55min 00sec	3hrs 53min 58sec
50-54	4hrs 00min 00sec	3hrs 58min 58sec
55-59	4hrs 10min 00sec	4hrs 08min 58sec
60-64	4hrs 25min 00sec	4hrs 23min 58sec
65-69	4hrs 40min 00sec	4hrs 38min 58sec
70-74	4hrs 55min 00sec	4hrs 53min 58sec
75-79	5hrs 10min 00sec	5hrs 08min 58sec
80 and older	5hrs 25min 00sec	5hrs 25min 58sec

* Potential, qualified entrants for the 2015 Boston Marathon must have met the designated time standard that corresponds with their age group and gender in a certified marathon on or after September 14, 2013 and prior to having submitted an entry application. Proof of qualification must accompany each athlete's application, and participants are required to be 18 years or older on race day.

Qualifying performances achieved on or after Saturday, September 13, 2014 will be valid for 2016 Boston Marathon registration submissions. The registration dates for that year’s race have not yet been established.


ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES - QUALIFYING TIMES & REGISTRATION DATES

Registration for Athletes with Disabilities will occur on a "rolling admission" schedule, beginning with the fastest qualifiers on Wednesday, October 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET. For more information, please visit: http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/qualifying/athletes-with-disabilities.aspx

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons in Tokyo , London , Berlin , Chicago , and New York City . More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2014. The 119th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2015. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

波士頓訂十月為大學月

Success Boston and Boston Public Schools teach College Knowledge this October with College Month

BOSTON – College is a family choice, and college planning begins in Kindergarten. These two themes will guide a City of Boston initiative, College Month, from September 27 through October 31. While College Month 2014 may target Boston high school students across the City, Success Boston and Boston Public Schools plan to spark early college awareness in students and families of the state’s largest school district.

Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston launched College Month in 2006 to promote Get Ready for College Day activities for BPS eighth graders, as well as the distribution of a newly-developed BPS College and Career Guide. Eight years later, College Month is sustained by BPS and the community partnerships of the Success Boston College Completion Initiative. Success Boston, launched in 2008, is a partnership of the Office of Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Foundation, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), and more than 50 higher education and nonprofit institutions. The initiative is working to double – to 70% – the six-year college completion rate of BPS graduates.

College Month is a multi-pronged college readiness strategy that combines the collective ways teachers, community organizations, and higher education institutions are talking with BPS students about their futures. “College Month is entirely student-facing,” said BPS High School Network Superintendent Mary Skipper. “It puts students face-to-face with the reality that college planning begins now – no matter which grade you are in.”

College Month 2014 will begin with a College and Career Fair on September 27 at the Madison Park Technical/Vocational High School in Roxbury. The Fair’s sponsors, BPS and Boston Scholar Athletes, expect more than 800 students and parents to connect with 90 colleges and universities from across New England and as far away as Georgia.

Then, on the night of October 1 at the Boston School Committee meeting, School Committee members will kick off October by showing their alma-mater pride in honor of the City and District tradition.

Each week in College Month will highlight a “college knowledge” theme. Students across elementary, middle, and high schools will participate in age-appropriate college awareness.

Week 1: Empowering Students and Families through Financial Aid: uAspire, a non-profit Success Boston member dedicated to helping students apply for and receive financial aid, will reach nearly 1,000 students during College Month through its Afford College 101 Workshops. Adam Reinke of uAspire wants families to know that financial aid is an accessible process. “The workshops empower young people for whom finances must play an important factor,” Reinke said. uAspire is available free of charge to help all students and families with college affordability needs or questions. Last year, College Month financial aid lessons reached as early as first grade, where students saved pennies to learn decision making and to start individual college savings.

Week 2: Ensuring Student and Family Planning and Preparation: The Boston Scholar Athletes, a non-profit organization partnering with A-List Education to offer SAT preparation in 18 BPS high schools, will host College Admissions Awareness week. Along with college and university open houses, and scholarship and college essay strategies, Boston Scholar Athletes expects that College Month will help students and families think about the benchmarks of college planning before sophomore year, such as PSAT and SAT testing. Boston Scholar Athletes will launch its scholarship during Admissions week and hold Tweet Chats along with other non-profits to engage students via social media.

To support students’ college planning, BPS has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), and the Department of Higher Education to launch an online post-secondary planning portal, Your Plan for the Future (YPFF), available at 22 high schools in its pilot year. Each student will have access to individual college readiness data and a wealth of information, tutorials, and application tracking through YPFF. 

Week 3: Bringing BPS Alumni Home: University of Massachusetts-Boston student and BPS graduate Jean Charles is one of 1,800 students supported by transitional coaching models through Success Boston. A Success Boston Student Leadership Committee member, Charles developed an alumni engagement strategy with the National College Advising Corps. Placing recent college graduates as college advisors in 15 BPS high schools this September, the National College Advising Corps’ Boston Chapter and BPS alumni leaders will reach nearly 8,000 students during Alumni Engagement week.

According to Charles, a graduate of the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science, BPS alumni bring a powerful message of college success. “BPS graduates represent different languages, cultures, and high schools,” he said. “That diversity translates well into college and career success. There are BPS graduates everywhere doing amazing things. I want to share that and help promote the great opportunities that college offers. There’s an entire network of people out there who can help every high school student build a future.”

Week 4: Connecting College and Career Readiness: Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), also a Success Boston member, will distribute student take-away cards with degree attainment and total lifetime earnings, and “hot jobs” in sciences, technology and healthcare. According to PIC’s Josh Bruno, teachers used the cards last year in math lessons to conceptualize the value of a college education and career options. Students in early grades will meet with professionals across industries to understand connections between college and career.

Students and families can ask questions pertaining to college, financial aid, and career by using the hashtag, #CollegeMonth.

Boston Public Schools and non-profit partners will extend the lessons of College Month well beyond October 31. In collaboration with Success Boston, BPS is planning follow-up College Boot Camps and in-school initiatives to ensure college knowledge is a daily lesson.