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星期一, 11月 25, 2013

經文處教育組辦感恩節餐會關懷留學生

駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處教育組廿三日在波士頓龍鳳酒樓,以中式點心午餐,宴請40餘名領教育部獎學金的留學生,提前慶祝感恩節。
駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處教育組組長黃薳玉表示,這些留學生全是來自台灣的優秀人才,或各有所忙,或因研究領域不同,平日鮮少彼此聯繫,該組才特地藉著感恩節假日,來邀約聚餐,既代表教育部表達關懷慰問心意,也給教育部各類獎學金學生們一個彼此認識,加強聯繫的機會。
黃薳玉在聚餐中,除說明為配合政府組織改造,該組已於今年更名為教育組之外,鼓勵各同學注重本身的身心健康,加強與其他同學的互動,不時踏出個人專業領域,增廣見聞,包括參加加頂大學人專題演講會、專業學術團體所辦研討會等地方上活動。並配合國家政策宣導紫錐花運動等。
根據教育組資料,教育部獎助的獎學金項目繁多,該組轄區內學生領取獎助的項目,有公費留學、留學獎學金、奧林匹亞數理科學獎學金、頂尖大學獎學金及尖端科技培育獎學金等項目。 目前在波士頓的公費生約有10人,留獎生約60多人,奧林匹亞賽得獎學生15人,頂尖大學獎學金3人,尖端科技培育獎學金1人。這些留學生多半是在電機、物理、化工、生物科技、法律、公衛、東亞研究、歷史、音樂等領域裏深造,研究。
其中奧林匹亞數理科學獎學金的得獎學生,有許多都是高中畢業就來美進修,才十七,八歲,非常年輕。教育部因此在各地都聘有在地博士生擔任輔導員。廿三日出席的就有賴建任、李翔傑,張修齊,陳鴻文、吳海茵等不下七名哈佛大學或麻省理工學院博士生獲博士候選人。
他們透露,其實這些奧林匹亞數理科學獎學金的得獎學生雖然年輕,但都很優秀,照顧自己完全沒問題,他們做輔導員的最大功用,只是隨時準備支援,回答一些做作業,規劃未來生涯的問題。他們也透露,麻省理工學院全校共有一萬餘名學生,國際學生約佔8%,其中大概80多人來自台灣,不過大家都很忙,甚至連校內有多少來自台灣的教授都不知道。
當天出席的奧林匹亞數理科學獎學金得獎學生,有陳洋廷,劉昱廷兩人今年八月左右才剛來,目前都在麻省理工學院,依序就讀化學系,物理系 。他們笑說在台灣和在美國上課最大的不同,就是這裡全用英文上課。
座談餐會後,黃組長贈送與會學生每人一本「巧瓷藏珍」年曆記事簿,預祝他們有一個馬到成功、旗開得勝的2014年。


圖片說明:

            駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處教育組組長黃薳玉送給出席學生們,每人一本「巧瓷藏珍」年曆記事簿,預祝他們感恩節快樂。(圖由教育組提供)


駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處教育組組長黃薳玉(後中)和奧林匹亞數理科學獎學金得獎學生,陳楊廷(後右起),楊泓翌,林冠宇,劉昱廷,林瀚山(前右起),以及輔導員賴健任,李翔傑,張修齊,郭育奇合影。(菊子攝)

中華公所辦感恩節聚會發火雞餐給大同村,華福樓居民

 紐英崙中華公所的感恩餐,已事先包裝在塑膠袋內。
(Boston Orange)(周菊子波士頓報導)紐英崙中華公所廿三日下午舉辦感恩節餐會,共有150名大同村,華福樓居民事先辦理登記,到會領取了中華公所分別包裝在一個個塑膠袋內的火雞餐。
            紐英崙中華公所主席黃光野,華埠居民會共同主席余仕昂,大同村管理經理翁麗芳在會中先後發言。
黃光野說明,火雞餐已由義工們事先分裝,到會者有大同村及華福樓居民。他也說了一遍,大同村管理經理翁麗芳稍後重述的大同村管理處將在感恩節期間代收包裹,停車場整修,將在感恩節期間暫停等事務。
紐英崙中華公所主席黃光野(右起),大同村管理經理翁麗芳,
住在大同村的華埠居民聯誼會共同主席余仕昂在餐會中先後發言。
(周菊子攝)
余仕昂提醒出席居民,波士頓的雙語選票法案有落日條款,2013年底就失效了,希望居民們填寫在場中派發的綠色名信片,籲請麻州參眾兩會議長修訂法案,讓波士頓居民長期保有雙語選票。
廿三日下午,大同村居民聯誼會會長司徒焯榮,曾任會長的鄧北海,黃國威等人,和紐英崙中華公所的五名現任職員,黃光野,陳國華,翁宇才,黃立輝,李潔英,以及僱員姚穎,都在會場幫忙。已宣布將參選中華公所職員的李嘉玲,拍照做記錄。
            一名出席的中華公所董事表示,大同村共有214戶,700多居民,這感恩節慶祝活動,不可能提供那麼多餐食,所以採取事先登記制,經費由中華公所支付,部分食品由熱心商家捐贈。

50 Years Since John F. Kennedy’s Assassination

50 Years Since John F. Kennedy’s Assassination
 Yad Kennedy, a magnificent monument honoring JFK, is located on an isolated mountaintop in the Mateh Yehuda Region near Jerusalem. The Kennedy Memorial symbolizes the enduring friendship between Israel and the United States of America.
by Rivkah Lambert Adler
What was it about President John F. Kennedy that touched the hearts of ordinary Israelis? It was already Shabbat in Israel when President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The mood in Israel was somber. Just as Israelis remember where they were when they heard that Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin had been assassinated in 1995, those who lived in Israel 50 years ago recall a similar mood of shock and sadness. Children were sent home early from youth group activities, mothers cried in the streets and the country’s citizens walked around dazed, as news of the assassination in Dallas, Texas spread.
“That day was one of the saddest days that I can remember,” through tears, shared Dedham, MA resident and long-time JNF New England Board, Century Council and Sapphire Society member Lee Aronson. “It was surreal. It really took a long while for what had happened to sink in. I was on my way to the Nevele Hotel in the Catskills with some friends, and we were all thinking maybe we should turn around and go home, but we didn’t. It was a very somber time in our history, and I still cry every time I think about it. It was an absolutely devastating thing, and certainly had an effect on everyone in this country. I find it very sobering that people are still being assassinated. It is sad that all the security that has been put in place doesn't stop the killings.”
“I remember the day Kennedy was assassinated; it was if the world had stopped,” shared Dr. Irving Taylor of Baltimore, Maryland, staunch supporter of JNF whose donation recently funded the renovation of Yad Kennedy memorial. “Everybody was in shock for three days and stayed glued to their black and white television sets. No music or commercials played during this tragic time. JFK was a special human being who was so revered, not because he was the United States President, but he was truly a genuinely good man.”
The State of Israel, just 15 years old when Kennedy was gunned down, recognized a singular promise of friendship and support in the words and actions of America’s youngest president. In a speech to the Zionists of America Convention in 1960, Kennedy said, "Israel was not created in order to disappear—Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom." In 1962, Kennedy was the first American president to sell arms to the fledgling State, backing up his words with meaningful foreign policy actions.
In 1958, when JFK was still a junior Senator from Massachusetts, he spoke prophetically at a Jewish National Fund (JNF) meeting about the importance of planting trees in Israel. "What work could be more heartwarming or more enduring than the great forest at Jerusalem? Your children and grandchildren, when they visit Israel, will find your monument." Just weeks after the assassination, Menahem-Max Bressler, then-President of Jewish National Fund in the United States, introduced the idea of establishing a memorial dedicated to President Kennedy in the very forest Kennedy had spoken of so warmly. Today, thanks to Bressler’s foresight, those who were alive in 1958, along with their children and grandchildren, can visit a stunning memorial honoring President Kennedy built and maintained by JNF.
The distinctive Kennedy Memorial sits high amidst the verdant green of the Jerusalem Forest, where every tree was planted by hand. A unique memorial to a foreign president, the dramatic structure was meant to evoke the stump of a felled tree, symbolizing a life cut short. The main circular hall is supported by 51 gracefully curved columns, each bearing the golden medallion of the official seal of one of the 50 states, along with Washington DC. Each column was endowed by American Jews, often residents of the state whose seal is affixed to the column. The circular stone hall shields a Ner Zikaron, an eternal memorial candle. Forty years after it was inaugurated, the Kennedy Memorial was renovated through a generous donation by Dr. Irving Taylor of Baltimore whose parents, Isaac and Rose Taylor, funded the original Maryland column.

“When I was asked to restore Kennedy Memorial, this was something I couldn’t refuse, especially since my father donated the original Maryland column,” said Dr. Irving Taylor. “Recognizing that it needed updating, it was the least I could do out of respect to my parents and President Kennedy.”
The spacious outdoor plaza provides a panoramic view of the Jerusalem Forest, suggesting a meaningful and scenic place to hold a Bar or Bat Mitzvah or wedding ceremony. On the grounds of the Kennedy Memorial lies the Kennedy Family Planting Circle, where a dozen members of the Kennedy family, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, came to plant trees. Each year, the JNF site hosts 200,000 visitors, including foreign dignitaries and Israeli families who take advantage of the hiking trails and picnic areas surrounding the monument. Israeli school children also tour the site on official school visits, learning about the legacy of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his exceptional support of the State of Israel.
“It was important for Jewish National Fund to build a memorial that honored a great man like JFK,” shared JNF CEO Russell F. Robinson. “Just like we honored the victims of September 11th at JNF’s 9/11 Living Memorial, it is important for JNF to remember the great people of our past who have always supported Israel. Yad Kennedy shows the connection that JNF has with great Americans who stand by Israel, and we must pay tribute to that.”

星期六, 11月 23, 2013

紀念甘乃迪遇刺50週年 麻州州長獻花 博物館辦紀念會

全美各地昨(22)日都在舉辦活動,紀念美國第35任總統甘乃迪50年前這天在德州達拉斯被刺殺身亡。麻州州長派區克(Deval Patrick)昨日也冒著微雨,頂著灰天,一早來到州政府大樓前的雕像前,嚴肅地獻上花圈,致意。
這一致敬儀式,非常簡單隆重。穿著灰綠色風衣的麻州州長派區克,由麻州國家警衛隊副首長史考特萊斯(L. Scott Rice)少將陪同,步上階梯,來到1990年才豎立在州政府大樓側門前的雕像,獻上花圈,並在揹著來福槍的警衛舉著巨幅國旗緊隨,號兵奏樂聲中,右手撫心的向雕像行注目禮後,未發ㄧ言就離開了。
出席儀式的極少數人中,包括2010年時還未滿40歲,2011年接任麻州交通廳(MassDOT)廳長的李察戴維(Rich Davey)。
甘乃迪在19471953年間,擔任代表麻州的國會眾議員,19531960年間擔任聯邦參議員,其後於1961年到1963年十一月他被刺殺之前,擔任美國總統。其實甘乃迪從來都沒在麻州政府大樓內服務過,但1990年州政府為他豎立了一尊雕像。由於2001年發生911恐襲事件,全美加強安全措施,州政府前的庭院深鎖後,就沒多少人來瞻仰雕像了。
麻州政府日前宣佈,為方便民眾誌記甘乃迪總統遭刺殺50週年,將開放雕像,供民眾瞻仰。錯過昨日的民眾,週一(25日)早上十點至下午三點仍可從國家公園局護林員(ranger)駐守的畢肯街的入口,直接拾階而上。
位於麻州波士頓多徹斯特的約翰甘乃迪圖書館及博物館(John F. Kennedy Library and Museum),昨日下午也舉行了特別的紀念儀式,包括麻州州長在內,有許多政要出席。
麻州州長派區克經常說,是甘乃迪啟發了他做公僕的興趣。波士頓環球報指出,派區克在本週早前回憶甘乃迪對他的影響時透露,那是他七歲,還在芝加哥念小學時,聽到甘乃迪被刺殺的消息,然後在祖父母家裏起居室的黑白電視上,觀看葬禮。那也是他第一次見到他祖父哭了。
            大波士頓紀念甘乃迪遇刺50周年的活動,有在約翰甘乃迪總統圖書館及博物館舉行的“全國紀念:向甘乃迪總統致敬”音樂會。1962年應總統夫人賈桂琳之邀進白宮演奏的爵士樂團Paul Winter Sextet,以及歌手暨作曲家James Taylor都應邀出席。麻州長派區克唸了一段甘乃迪的演講詞。
            該博物館將從昨日起至明年二月廿三日,展出取自甘乃迪總統葬禮的文物,以及暗殺發生那天的影片。
            甘乃迪總統在布魯克蘭鎮(Brookline)的出生地(83 Beals Street,),昨日也舉行了簡短儀式,並將於週六,週日向大眾開放。
            波士頓公共圖書館(700 Boylston St., Boston.)將在週一晚六到八點廿五分,放映紀念甘乃迪的影片,Kevin Costner2000年拍攝,描繪甘乃迪在1962年十月,面對古巴導彈危機的“十三天(Thirteen Days)”。
        
圖片說明:

            麻州州長派區克昨早冒著微雨,向甘乃迪總統雕像獻花,致意。(菊子攝)

波士頓准市長第二波交接團隊名單有一名華人李威儀

波士頓准市長馬丁華殊(Marty Walsh)昨(22)日傍晚,宣佈第二波交接團隊名單,增加 3 名共同主席,11 個小組22名領導。根據名單,其中至少有4名亞裔。唯一的華裔為波士頓海港協會會長李威儀(Vivien Li)。
            新增加的三名共同主席中,麻州大學波士頓分校亞美研究院主任保羅渡邊(Paul Watanabe)是波士頓華人社區相當熟悉的日裔美人。他和華人前進會,亞美文化資源中心等機構,都曾經來往密切。
            另外兩名共同主席,一人為在2012年退休前,擔任波士頓兒童醫院執行長達12年之久,目前擔任Franciscan兒童醫院董事的James Mandell。另一人為從2003年起擔任洛士百利科技公司(Roxbury Technology Corporation (RTC))執行長的Beth Williams
華裔李威儀,獲邀和更好城市(A Better City)董事長暨執行長Rick Dimino,一起領導交通小組。
另外幾名亞裔,分別為藝術及文化小組的Mott慈善機構項目主任Cuong Hoang。基本市府服務組的越助中心(Viet AID)My Lam
馬丁華殊陣營表示,獲邀者都將擔任准市長的顧問,在各方面向新政府提出忠告。
            十一個小組,依序為藝術及文化,經濟發展,教育,住宅,人民服務,基本市府服務,公共衛生,公共安全,能源,環境及開放空間,交通,青年。
各小組領導為,藝術及文化組,波士頓名人系列董事長暨執行主任Gary Dunning,及Mott慈善機構項目主任 Cuong Hoang經濟發展組,委瑞森(Verizon)區域董事長 Donna Cupelo,大波士頓會議及遊客局執行長Pat Moscaritolo;教育組,教育顧問 George Perry博士,波士頓兒童博物館早期兒童教育副總裁Jeri Robinson 住宅組, 租戶行動(Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion)執行長Vanessa Calderon-Rosado博士,麻州社區發展公司協會執行長Joe Kriesberg;人民服務組,Kit Clark耆應服務前任執行主任 Sandra K. Albright,前任麻州眾議員 Marie St. Fleur;基本市府服務組,波士頓城中商業改善區董事長Rosemarie Sansone,越助中心My Lam;公共衛生組, 布里吉罕婦女醫院婦女健康組首長Paula Johnson博士,波士頓大學公共衛生系主任David Rosenbloom;公共安全組,波士頓警察局前任副局長Robert Dunford,麻州公共安全卿Andrea Cabral;能源,環境及開放空間組,波市頓壘球場之夢創辦人暨執行長Alex Bok,Barr基金會Amos Hostetter;交通組,更好城市執行長 Rick Dimino,波士頓海港協會會長黎惠儀,青年組,嬉合項目執行主任Mariama White-Hammond,有才項目(Talented and Gifted)主任Ilyitch Nahiely Tabora。
            馬丁華殊陣營表示,完整的交接委員會,還在繼續成形當中,將會陸續增加人選,並召開城鎮會議。有關進展將公佈在網站上Boston14.org。該網站也接受有意加入新政府者提交履歷表。

            該陣營之前宣布的六名共同主席為三名前任波士頓市長候選人,小阿若約(Felix Arroyo),巴洛斯(John Barros),雷琪(Charlotte Golar Richie),以及麻州大學樓宇局主任Katherine Craven,Ashmont 媒體負責人Joyce Linehan,以及 波士頓市政研究局董事長Sam Tyler。(更正版: Vivian Li中文名應為李威儀)