Defending Champions Return for B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile

Defending Champions Return for B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile

American record holder Ben True and Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba aim to retain B.A.A. 5K titles, while global medalist Nicole Sifuentes leads B.A.A. Invitational Mile field.

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced an elite field of world class competitors for the 2018 B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile, to be held on Saturday, April 14, two days prior to the 2018 Boston Marathon®. New Hampshire’s Ben True will return to Boston looking to earn his fifth B.A.A. 5K title, while Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba will defend her 2017 crown. 

Following the B.A.A. 5K, Canada’s Nicole Sifuentes and American Drew Hunter will lead world-class fields at the tenth annual B.A.A. Invitational Mile. The B.A.A. Invitational Mile will also include Middle School 1K races and Scholastic Mile races featuring youth athletes from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course.   

A $39,900 (USD) prize purse will be distributed to the top finishers of the B.A.A. 5K, while a $14,500 (USD) prize purse will be available in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile.

True is a veteran and New England favorite on the roads of Boston, having broken the American record twice at the B.A.A. 5K in both 2015 and 2017. A year ago, True timed 13:20 en route to his fifth win in seven years. Coming off a win at the NYC Half in March, True will drop down in distance and face a tough field that includes fellow Americans Eric Jenkins, Tommy Curtin, and Scott Fauble. Jenkins, a native of New Hampshire, is a two-time NCAA champion and was runner-up at last year’s USA Championships 5000m on the track.

Leading the international challengers are 2016 Olympic 5000m bronze medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet, three-time B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Daniel Salel, and last year’s B.A.A. 5K fourth place finisher Philip Langat. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Canada is also in the field.

Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba earned a nailbiting victory a year ago, denying Molly Huddle her fourth straight victory by two seconds. Crossing the line in 14:54, Diriba set a new personal best; since then she’s been a consistent winner on the U.S. road racing scene. Diriba placed third at the B.A.A. 10K in June of 2017, and won the NYC Half last month.

Americans Emily Sisson, Molly Seidel, Diane Nukuri, Sarah Pagano, and Elaina Tabb will all toe the line alongside Diriba. Sisson represented Team USA at the 2017 IAAF World Championships 10,000m, while Seidel finished second at the USA 5K Championships last November. Pagano and Tabb each are part of Team B.A.A. – training in Boston under B.A.A. High Performance coach Ricardo Santos – and have represented the USA in cross country and on the roads. 

Kenya’s Monicah Ngige and Ethiopians Fotyen Tesfay and Gotytom Gebreslase join Diriba as the top women’s international entrants. A field of 10,000 participants will take part in the B.A.A. 5K, the first event of the 2018 B.A.A. Distance Medley. The race starts and finishes on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden, and passes the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street approximately 2.4 miles into the race.

Returning to the B.A.A. Invitational Mile a year after setting a course record is Nicole Sifuentes of Canada. In 2017, Sifuentes clocked an event record 4:33.7 to take the title, finishing a step ahead of Cory McGee. The two-time Olympian returns looking to become the first woman to earn back-to-back B.A.A. Invitational Mile crowns. 

Sifutentes will again face McGee, as well as fellow University of Michigan alums Shannon Osika and Becca Addison. Lauren Johnson, Katrina Coogan, and Amanda Rego round out the field. Johnson is a member of Team B.A.A., and finished fourth at last year’s USA Outdoor Championships 1500m.

The B.A.A. Invitational Mile men’s field features Drew Hunter, a 3:56.79 miler and one of the top young talents in track and field. Hunter will be joined on the line by Patrick Casey, Daniel Winn, Daniel Herrera, Sam Parsons, John Simons, and Julian Oakley. Oakley placed ninth at the IAAF World Indoor Championships last month representing New Zealand.

A detailed start list and schedule of events for both the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile can be found below. The men’s event record for the B.A.A. 5K stands at 13:20, set by Ben True in 2017, while the women’s event record is 14:50 run by Molly Huddle in 2015. The men’s and women’s event records for the B.A.A. Invitational Mile are 4:03.3 (Nick Willis, 2013) and 4:33.7 (Nicole Sifuentes, 2017).

  

The B.A.A. Invitational Mile includes six races, held shortly after the 2018 B.A.A. 5K. The first two races feature middle school age students from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course – Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. The girls’ and boys’ Middle School 1K races include runners between sixth and eighth grade and finish at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street.   

  

Following the Middle School 1K races is the Scholastic Mile, which features girls’ and boys’ races for high school students from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course. The Scholastic Mile follows the same three-lap, USATF-certified course the professional mile athletes run, finishing at the Boston Marathon finish line.

First performance of The Rosenbergs (An Opera) April 12 Cast, post-show conversation announced

First performance of The Rosenbergs (An Opera) April 12

Cast, post-show conversation announced

BOSTON – Performances of the North American premiere of The Rosenbergs (An Opera) begin this week. The special event is produced by Boston University and Brandeis University, and presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (BPT).

This tragic love story—set during the United States’ Communist witch-hunt of the 1950s—is based on the lives of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for atomic espionage. The Rosenbergs was recognized as Denmark’s Best Opera of 2015 by online journal Copenhagen Culture.

Christie Lee Gibson and Brian Church portray Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Gibson is a performer, director, and the General Director of OperaHub. Locally, she’s been seen in The Edge of Peace at Central Square Theater and in OperaHub’s The Four-Note Opera and L’Incoronazione di Poppea, among others. Church is a longtime member of the Choir at King’s Chapel and the Cantata Singers, who has appeared in numerous productions with Guerilla Opera and other area groups. Church teaches piano, guitar, bass, and voice at Music 101 Studios in Melrose.

Running from April 12-22, the opera features a score by Joachim Holbek and a libretto by Rhea Leman. Dmitry Troyanovsky directs, with musical direction by Cristi Catt.

Librettist Leman grew up in post-McCarthy era New York City, the child of Jewish left wing activists. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were often mentioned at the dinner table, and years later Leman would find herself searching for a meaning and reason behind the Rosenbergs’ decisions and actions as she worked to bring their story to the stage.

“I knew about their political motives but what I discovered was their tremendous love and commitment to each other,” Leman says. “Their love became my key to the writing.”

BPT Artistic Director Kate Snodgrass describes The Rosenbergs as “moving and alive without being overtly political, and it speaks to Ethel and Julius’s relationship—which is something that gets short-shrift when we think of this period in our nation’s history. . .We forget that there are real people behind these big stories—people with dreams and loves and deep fears just like us. Whether we think of the Rosenbergs as heroes or traitors, in the end they were people living out a tragic love story.”

A post-show conversation with Snodgrass, Holbek, Leman, Troyanovsky, Catt and the cast will follow the April 14 performance. After the conclusion of The Rosenbergs’s run at BPT, the production will move to Brandeis University for three performances there.

Baker-Polito Administration Announces $15 Million in Additional School Funding to Support Hurricane Evacuees from Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

Baker-Polito Administration Announces $15 Million in Additional School Funding to Support Hurricane Evacuees from Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

More than 3,000 students enrolled in Massachusetts K-12 schools after Hurricanes

BOSTON – Today the Baker-Polito Administration announced additional state educational funds will soon be available to school districts that have enrolled evacuee students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In accordance with Chapter 24 of the Acts of 2018, the administration reported on April 4, 2018 to the Joint Committee on Education and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means on the calculation and planned distribution of funds to school districts during the week of April 16^th.

In January, Governor Charlie Baker filed a supplemental budget bill which included $15 million in additional local aid to help support the costs of educating students who enrolled in Massachusetts schools following Hurricanes Maria and Irma.  Between October and March, approximately 3,000 students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands enrolled in K-12 schools and currently about 2,400 students remain in the Commonwealth.

“Our administration has been pleased to work with the Legislature to provide this critical support to a number of Massachusetts schools that opened up their classrooms to welcome thousands of students and families impacted by last fall’s devastating hurricanes,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are grateful for the Commonwealth’s school administrators, teachers and staff who have done a tremendous job adjusting to the unexpected and providing the necessary support so our fellow Americans from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands can continue their education.”

“Teachers and administrators have stepped up to support these students and their families during immensely difficult times,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “The additional school funding announced today will provide vital resources for them in many school districts and local communities throughout the rest of the school year.”

School districts impacted by increased student enrollments will be given aid consistent with the state’s school funding formula, known as Chapter 70. The $15 million in funding will be distributed in two installments, with the first totaling more than $6.7 million sent to 107 districts this week. A second installment is planned for distribution in June.

“Our schools have done a tremendous job educating children who were suddenly uprooted from their homes and found themselves in new schools and in a new place. These additional funds will help teachers and administrators provide the best possible education for all the students in their schools,” Education Secretary James Peyser said. 

The funding fulfills a commitment made by the Baker-Polito Administration to seek additional aid for school districts that enrolled evacuee students and is in addition to the $15 million included in the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget proposal to support school districts continuing to serve students in the next school year.

“This additional funding for these districts will go a long way in supporting the educational needs of our students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan.“We are grateful for the collaboration with the Legislature to provide this important funding for this year, and look forward to working with them throughout the current budget cycle to provide additional support in Fiscal Year 2019.”

“This is essential funding for Massachusetts students and teachers,” saidSenate President Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester). “Students coming from Puerto Rico are some of Massachusetts’ newest residents, and it should be our goal to deliver them quality education. I am very proud that the Senate could play a role to secure these funds and make that goal a reality.”

“The Department’s recent release of guidance on how displaced students can attain Puerto Rican high school diplomas as well as all of the incredible work that our schools have been doing on the ground is a testament of the care and effort that all involved are putting in to ensure that these students are receiving a strong education in Massachusetts,” Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Education, said. “However, this work is not yet done. This funding will enable our dedicated schools and communities to continue providing these students with the supports they need to succeed in our classrooms and beyond.”

The Baker-Polito Administration continues to coordinate hurricane evacuee assistance efforts across state agencies and works daily with the Commonwealth’s 22 Family Resource Centers and other Community Based Organizations/Centers to help evacuees register with FEMA for disaster benefits and provide critical case management support to individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Maria. 

駐波士頓處長徐佑典拜會僑團

李氏公所。

           (Boston Orange)中華民國駐波士頓辦事處處長徐佑典四月五日晚抵達波士頓，六日接待科技部長陳良基率領的訪才團，七日起展開拜會僑團之旅，預定在兩個週末內，一一問候。

政大外交系畢業，也在政大取得外交碩士學位，現年僅46歲的徐佑典，曾由外交部選派赴英國牛津大學受訓，進哈佛大學做資深行政官員研究員。他從1998年進入外交部工作後，歷任北美司各級職務，奉派駐外，都在華府，來波士頓出任處長一職前，擔任外交部北美司副司長。

紐英崙至孝篤親公所。

四月七，八兩日，徐佑典在經文處副處長陳銘俊，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉，以及兩名僑務委員，蔣宗壬、梅錫銳的陪同下，共拜會了李氏公所，紐英崙至孝篤親公所，波士頓安良工商會，波士頓黃氏宗親會，伍胥山公所，國民黨波士頓分部等僑團，預定四月十四日，還將繼續拜會之旅。

在拜會時，徐佑典和僑團主席，代表們親切交流，探問僑團歷史，人事變遷，互相認識。徐佑典還週到的準備了香油，禮品等作伴手禮。

                      徐佑典預定於十月十四日完成僑團拜會之旅，並將歡迎來自台灣，規模龐大至逾百人的波士頓馬拉松賽代表團。 (所有圖片波士頓僑教中心提供)

黃氏公所。

波士頓黃氏公所。

伍胥山公所。

波士頓總領事徐佑典(左)送上香油，伍氏公所主席伍輝民(右一)，
伍樹俊(中)收受。

波士頓伍胥山公所。

國民黨波士頓分部，內部翻修後煥然一新。舊照片還沒掛回去。

波士頓安良工商會。

獅子會與亞裔學生攜手大掃除 波士頓華埠今日亮晶晶

波士頓華埠獅子會響應華埠清潔日活動，與波士頓大學，波士頓學院的亞裔學生會合作，在波士頓華商會提供清掃設備下，深入華埠街頭巷尾，大掃除一天。(圖由波士頓華埠獅子會余麗媖提供)

波士頓華埠街頭巷尾隱蔽處，竟然藏有許多垃圾。如何提醒，甚至逼使踏進華埠的人，不敢亂丟垃圾，以恢復華埠的清潔，美麗，似乎得參考古代"治亂世，用重典"才行。

哈佛中國論壇2018凝聚時代力量 中國公使周景興揭幕 (圖片)

             (Boston Orange )2018哈佛中國論壇4月6日晚揭幕，先由中國駐美公使周景興為開場致詞，再由五名嘉賓發言，從不同角度闡述"凝聚時代力量"的本屆論壇主題。
             刻在哈佛進修的鳳凰衛視主持人朱梓橦，訪問了橋水基金創始人Ray Dalio，從他的新書"原則"，談做人與做事先要對自己真誠，進而從失敗中學習的成功要。
             哈佛大學費正清中心主任宋怡明強調中國在變，改得好的比變得壞的多。
             元明資本創始合夥人田源，闡述他們自稱"九二派"的一批人創辦了亞布力中國企業家論壇，是為因應中國加入世界貿易組織(WTO)，和歐美成熟企業相比顯然既小又嫩的中國企業必須抱團取暖，謀求生機才成立的。如今發展到中國進入企業家交接的時代，他們希望中國企業家論壇能由新一代在2020年時建成為中國的達沃斯。

橋水基金創始人Ray Dalio。(周菊子攝)

            卡內基梅隆大學教授邢波，也創辦了Petuum。他先闡述何謂人工智能(AI)，繼而侃談那些事可能，但還沒做到的，將來要如何發展，
             長江商學院創辦人項兵呼籲看中國未來，要從長遠看。
              歡迎式的五名嘉賓發言完畢後，6日晚還有"菁英交流會"，由Jeff Locker主持，名演員高聖遠等人座談。

哈佛中國論壇4月6日晚在海港世貿中心揭幕。參會者進場前，先接受論壇旗陣歡迎。(周菊子攝)

哈佛大學費正清中心主任宋怡明(Michael Szonyi)強調中國改變，好的多過壞的。(周菊子攝)

元明資本創始合夥人田源闡述亞布力中國企業家論壇創辦淵源與發展。(周菊子攝)

卡內基梅隆大學電腦科學教授，Petuun 創始人暨執行長邢波。(周菊子攝)

長江商學院創辦院長項兵。(周菊子攝)

哈佛中國論壇2018憐惜主席林雪。(周菊子攝)

演員高聖遠(左)和作家主持人，中文流利的Jeff Locker(右)等人座談。(周菊子攝)

演員高聖遠。(周菊子攝)

長江商學院創辦人項兵(左)和好友合影，(周菊子攝)

陳良基、姚立德率10名大學正副校長訪波招才 推玉山，愛因斯坦計畫(圖片)

中華民國科技部部長陳良基(中)，教育部次長姚立德(左)，由波士頓經文處總領事徐佑典等陪同，與11名大學校長在波士頓龍鳳晚餐，4月7日早上9點至中午12點，再到MIT史隆管理學院E62-276，舉辦攬才說明會。將介紹教育部新推出的玉山學者，玉山青年學者計畫，以及科技部的愛因斯坦，哥倫布計畫。(周菊子攝)

吳弭牽線 民主黨兩州長候選人進華埠(圖片)

聯邦眾議員卡普阿諾(Mike Capuano)和他的華裔麻州主任張潔茵(右)。(周菊子攝)

民主黨麻州州長候選人Jay Gonzalez(右)向陳毓禮問好。(周菊子攝)

民主黨麻州州長候選人Bob Massie(中)和千禧年世代民主黨員拉交情。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu,左二)在陳毓禮(左一)框助下，以年輕一代為對象，為麻州民主黨舉辦籌款會。(周菊子攝)