"九人“排球紀錄片 4/27 在麻州做世界首映

以波士頓華人為主要拍攝對象的“九人（9-Man）”記錄片，將於四月廿七日（週日）下午一點，在尚莫維爾（Somerville）電影院，做世界首映。

 “九人”這紀錄片，追述來自中國台山，九人一隊的打排球玩法。台山人從1938年在波士頓街頭，停車場開始打九人排球後，這種只有台山華人才這麼打的排球玩法，不但傳承至今，還遍佈北美。

導演梁適耗時數年拍成的這部“九人“紀錄片，藉著訪問阮已過世的黃述沾，目前仍是劍虹體育會教練的阮浩鑾等許多波士頓人，帶出這一運動的歷史，也觸及當年在排華法案發生後，華埠社區儼然單身社會，華裔餐館員工，洗衣店工人只能和華裔來往的情景。九人排球給當年的華人帶來很大的精神解脫。

甫卸任的波士頓市長萬寧路（Tom Menino），也現身片中。

八十多年後，這九人排球彷彿成為各地華埠社區彼此聯繫的一個方式。

這部片介紹了九人排球在美國發源於波士頓的歷史與精華，訪問了1967年打入奧運的Kevin Wong，如今九十一歲的華埠排球先驅等許多人，還加差了許多檔案影片，照片，讓人對這如今每年在勞工節時進行整個北美大賽的活動，有更深入的了解。

該片導演梁適（Ursula Liang）在麻州牛頓市長大，目前住在紐約布朗克斯（Bronx）。她是一名新聞從業人員，曾是紐約時報的風采（Style）雜誌編輯，ESPN雜誌的作者，記者，做過WBAI亞太論壇廣播節目的主播，也是獲得艾美獎提名的亞太電視節目“炒（Stir)”的製片，紀錄片“我愛你，媽咪”的副製片。“九人”是她身兼導演，製片，攝影的作品，也是她擔任導演的處女作。

波士頓獨立電影節（The Independent Film Festival Boston）今年甫於四月廿三日開幕，為期一周，將在戴維斯廣場（Davis Square）的尚莫維爾電影院（Somerville Theatre），哈佛廣場的布瑞托（Brattle）電影院，布魯克蘭鎮（Brookline）的庫里吉角（Coolidge Corner ）電影院，以及麻州大學波士頓分校等地，放映約一百部片。“九人”一片是電影節中做世界首映的其中一部片。

紐英崙華人歷史協會將在首映後舉辦接待酒會，邀請觀眾和導演URSULA LIANG見面。首映加接待會的門票價格為23元，只參加接待會，預先購票12元，現場購票15元。購票可上網http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/14578/chk/5195。

            “九人”一片，五月將轉往加州放映。

圖片說明：

            “九人”紀錄片，將在尚莫維爾電影院上映。（圖片取自臉書）

            劍虹體育會創辦人之一阮浩鑾（左），日前和紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦（右）協助宣傳“九人”。（菊子攝）

Grant to fund study of illegal gun trafficking in Boston

Mayor Walsh Convenes Mayors, Municipal Leaders, Law Enforcement for New England’s First Regional Gun Trafficking Summit 

Multi-partner grant will fund study of Boston gun market; Creation of New England Regional Crime Gun Center Would Boost Information Sharing

 

BOSTON - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today hosted the first-ever New England regional summit to address gun trafficking, bringing together mayors, municipal officials, law enforcement, subject matter experts, and community partners to discuss leadership commitments to combat gun trafficking through regional partnerships. Today’s summit addressed three major areas: the need for full and effective law enforcement investigations; the kickoff of important research on illegal gun trafficking and drug patterns in Boston that will lay the groundwork for future action; and the proposed creation of a New England Regional Crime Gun Center.

“Today we’re establishing a bold and united new front in the battle against gun violence in Boston and across New England,” Mayor Walsh said.  “We are all here—together—because we understand that the illegal trafficking of crime guns is a regional problem that demands a regional solution. Lawbreakers don’t respect borders. And more than that, they take advantage of our different jurisdictions to move the guns, the money, and the drugs that are involved in violent crime.”

The day-long summit included a wide range of sessions: a panel discussion with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Attorney’s Office; research presentations on Boston’s illegal gun markets and online gun sales; a roundtable discussion on gun trafficking with city and town officials; a legislation update; and an hour-long discussion with community partners.

 “Day in and day out, we see too many illegal guns on our streets, not just in Boston but across the region,” said Police Commissioner William Evans. “It is very important for us to come together to adopt a regional approach.  Everyone must do their part to keep guns out of the wrong hands and continue the conversations that will help suppress gun violence.”

Grant to fund study of illegal gun trafficking in Boston

Mayor Walsh announced that the Program in Criminal Justice at Harvard University will conduct a detailed study on illegal gun trafficking in Boston. The study will be led by Professor Anthony Braga, who has worked for more than 20 years on violent crime issues in Boston, and will be supported by a $214,000 grant from Everytown for Gun Safety, Fund for a Safer Future, and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston.

 

“Understanding the nature of a problem is critical for developing appropriate responses to it,” Professor Anthony Braga said. “The little we know about how illegal guns end up in the wrong hands in Boston is dated and anecdotal.  Effective crime gun policy needs to be informed by timely and accurate scientific evidence, and this study aims to provide that.”

 

Braga will work in close partnership with the Boston Police Department and in consultation with the US Attorney’s Office and ATF. He will work in the Boston neighborhoods most affected by gun violence to better understand how criminals, juveniles, and other high-risk people acquire illegal guns on our streets.

 

“There is only so much that mayors and other local officials can do to protect their cities from  guns trafficked across state lines – in fact, 90 percent of the guns found at crime scenes in New York City were originally bought out of state and brought to the city illegally,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety and policy advisor to former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “Everytown is proud to support research that will help us understand how guns are being trafficked in New England so we can crack down on this activity across the country and keep our communities safe.” 

The study will use a variety of data and methods to answer questions such as where illegal guns come from and how illegal guns are acquired on Boston’s streets. The study is intentionally designed to make concrete policy recommendations on how the City can reduce the flow of illegal guns to high-risk individuals. A number of legislative, regulatory, enforcement, and community-based interventions will be identified and considered as a result of the study.

The Boston study will also provide a roadmap to help other jurisdictions in New England understand the nature of their illegal gun problems.  Much of the Boston work will be used to inform a regional approach to shutting down cross-jurisdictional pipelines of drugs and guns.  Professor Braga and his team will also be part of this regional effort and will provide analytical guidance to participating cities.

 

Proposed Creation of New England Regional Crime Gun Center

 

Mayor Walsh called on summit attendees to create a working group to support planning for a New England Regional Crime Gun Center. The center will be a centralized location for tracing and analyzing crime guns to disrupt regional gun trafficking networks and better position law enforcement to hold violent gun criminals accountable. Centralizing this information increases efficiencies, overcomes statutory restrictions, and ensures that trafficking leads are directed to the appropriate investigators. The members of the Working Group will be tasked with outlining and establishing the New England Regional Crime Gun Center and formalizing policy for the sharing and distribution of data and data analysis amongst regional stakeholders.

Regional Gun Trafficking Summit Attendees

 

Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas

 

Attleboro Police Chief Kyle P. Heagney

 

Beverly Mayor Michael P. Cahill

 

Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan

 

Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter

 

Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash

 

Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria

 

Fall River Police Chief Daniel Racine

 

Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke

 

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera

 

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson

 

New Bedford Police Chief Daniel Provencher

Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday

 

Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo

 

Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt

 

Salem Police Captain Thomas Griffin

 

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno

 

Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet

 

Providence, RI, Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré

 

Milford, NH, Police Chief Michael Viola

 

Milford, NH, Town Administrator Guy Scaife

 

Manchester, NH, At-Large Alderman Daniel O’Neil

 

Bridgeport, CT, Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett, Jr.

 

Hartford, CT, Police Chief James Rovella

 

Hartford, CT, Sgt. John O’Hare

 

Portland, ME, Police Chief Michael Sauschuck

 

Village of Essex Junction, VT, Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the, Dan Kerin

 

MASSACHUSETTS GRANTED ADDITIONAL YEAR TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES, CONSUMERS TRANSITION TO ACA COMPLIANCE

MASSACHUSETTS GRANTED ADDITIONAL YEAR TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES, CONSUMERS TRANSITION TO ACA COMPLIANCE

BOSTON – Thursday, April 24, 2014 – Governor Deval Patrick was today informed by United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that the Commonwealth has been granted an additional year to transition into full compliance with the Affordable Care Act.

HHS has added another year to the period during which the state’s health insurers may use “rating factors” such as group size or industry to create insurance rates for the small group market. The Commonwealth now has until 2017 to fully transition into the ACA’s requirements.

“I thank the Obama Administration for affording us this flexibility that will help our small businesses more smoothly transition into compliance with the Affordable Care Act,” said Governor Patrick. “The Commonwealth remains a national leader in health care coverage for our residents and we will continue working closely with our partners at the federal level to ensure the ACA is successfully implemented in Massachusetts.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, all but four of the rating factors used to establish health insurance premiums in Massachusetts were eliminated. The allowed rating factors under the Affordable Care Act are age, geography, family size and tobacco status. Disallowed rating factors by which health insurance carriers will be allowed to use in calculating premiums include: industry, group size, participation rate, use of intermediary and membership in a group purchasing cooperative.  Under today’s guidance, the Commonwealth will have an additional year to phase out those disallowed rating factors, easing the transition for small businesses and consumers across the state.

“The extended transition is good for our market,” said Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy.  “The additional year will benefit our small employers and give them extra time to ensure that they are making the best insurance choices for their workers.”

Massachusetts was initially granted a three-year transition period in September 2013 following a request by Governor Patrick.

第 23 屆全美青少年國畫書法比賽 68件作品獲獎

 

中華表演藝術基金會舉辦的第 23 屆全美青少年國畫書法比賽，日前經七名評審逾三小時檢閱，從 429 件作品中選出了 68 件 金銀銅佳作等得獎作品。

中華表演藝術基金會會長譚嘉陵表示，今年共有來自11 州，37 所中文學校、書畫學苑及個人的429件作品。其中國畫 287 件，書法 142 件，目前全部張貼在牛頓市僑教中心 (90 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands, MA)大廳四週牆壁上，供到訪民眾參觀，預定展至四月廿九日止。

68幅得獎作品，將在裝裱展出後，於五月三十日前後，上載到該會網頁 www.ChinesePerformingArts.net。

今年的參賽作品來自馬里蘭州、紐澤西州、加州、纽约州、明尼蘇達州、 德州、康州、佛羅里達州、佐治亚州、新墨西哥州、及麻州等 11 州的37 所中文學校、書畫學苑，以及個人參展者。

譚嘉陵指出，由於今年的參賽作品素質又明顯提昇，尤其是書法 組，件件精彩，讓人有美不勝收之感。藝評家暨專業藝術比賽評審朱蓉、曾任哈佛大學中國歷史教授，現為詩人，作者，藝術品收藏家的陸惠風、波士頓大學中國藝術史教授白謙慎、布蘭岱斯（Brandies）大學亞洲藝術教授阮圓、國畫書法家馬清雄、高靜華、石雕家暨麻州藝術學院亞洲藝術教授謝茵等七名評委，雖然個個都是專家,， 評選打分時也有難以取捨之嘆。

由於全美各地各校的老師經常有變動，今年有很多新學校參加，但也有學校，畫院或畫會，因教師變動完全沒有送件，十分可惜。

譚嘉陵表示，該會今年將依往例公佈入圍者名單，以鼓勵學生們百尺竿頭更進一步，但希望各校老師，家長，勉勵學生們以參與為重，不要太在意是否得獎。

波士頓華僑文教中心週二至週日的每天早上九點半至下午五點開門，查詢可洽 617-965-8801。

這項比賽有 「譚嶽泉蕭運貞文教紀念基金」及社區大眾捐款贊助。查詢可冾譚嘉陵，電話 781-259- 8195，電郵 Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net。

以下為各組第一名，其餘得獎者名單，可上中華表演藝術基金會網站查閱。

國畫A組（九歲以下）， 金獎一人，加州長寧工作室的八歲江夢蘭。國畫B組（十至十三歲），金獎兩人，都來自新澤西州朋朋畫室的十三歲梁知恆，十一歲梁知進。國畫C組(十四歲至十七歲)，金獎兩人，加州宜真美術學院十五歲的譚凱慈，加州長寧工作室十五歲的朱漢瑞。國畫D組（十八到廿一歲），金獎一人，加州大學聖塔芭芭拉分校（UC Santa Barbara）十九歲的吳偉琪。

書法S組（九歲以下），金獎兩人，加州宜真美術學院八歲的唐國瑞，明尼蘇達州海明畫室九歲的韓安迪。書法T組（十至十三歲），金獎一人，加州百度書屋十三歲的許新婕。書法U組（十四至十七歲），金獎兩人，加州汲古書苑十六歲的陳韻涵，加州百度書屋十五歲的王嘉寧。書法V組（十八至廿二歲），金獎兩人，加州百度書屋十八歲的林宗儒，德州清風草堂十八歲的張凱樂。

圖片說明：

            中華表演藝術基金會會長譚嘉陵（右起）和馬清雄，阮圓，謝茵，朱蓉，陸惠風，高靜華，白謙慎等七名評審合影。（圖由中華表演藝術基金會提供）

            張貼在波士頓華僑文教中心的參賽畫作。（圖由中華表演藝術基金會提供）

陸惠風博士為此作詩一首

甲午春，復活節前一日。 中華表演藝術基金會辦青少年書畫比賽，展品以丙組書法最多最佳，短詩二首，識此盛事。 
惠風

八斗才華 年少艾

墨濃幻彩飛煙霞

溫文倜儻丰神雅

骨格清奇又一家

花果靈根能目植

魚龍鱗角掩光華

揮毫頓覺風標異

秀逸清新處處花

共和黨查理貝克選州長 提議給中小企業抵稅優惠

麻州州長候選人查理貝克（Charlie Baker）日前在”州長候選人論壇“中指教育是未來所繫；聯邦政府應該把規範，管理醫療保險的權利，交回給地方；州政府應訂定小企業抵稅優惠（small business tax credit），以創造就業機會，改善經濟。

            22日談及議會將調漲麻州最低工資時，查理貝克表示，到2016年中時把每小時最低工資從8.5元漲到10.5元的這提案，他可以接受。

            查理貝克是麻州州長候選人中，唯一的共和黨籍候選人。麻州州長亞美顧問委員會（Governor’s AAC）與25個支持機構合作舉辦的這“州長候選人論壇”，也特地為他，把論壇場地搬到了共和黨籍范文南(Nam Pham)擔任行政主任的越助中心（Viet -Aid）。

            查理貝克在這場除了華裔，越南裔之外，有多名韓裔，泰裔人士出席的論壇中，介紹自己，闡述他第二次參選麻州州長提出的好工作，好學校，好社區等三大理念。       

            查理貝克認為，麻州內的企業，百分之八，九十都屬於中小企業，要改善麻州經濟，創造就業機會，就要幫助小企業經營，成長。最佳的方法之一是給中小企業抵稅優惠（tax credit），而不是把納稅人的錢用來支撐那些“大到不能讓他們倒下來（too big to fall）的公司”。

            談到醫療保險時，查理貝克一方面指稱聯邦政府的醫療保險制度是仿效麻州早已實施的全民健保，一方面指現行的醫療保險費用過高，在於整個醫療體系營運做法有問題，聯邦政府應該讓各地政府自行找出最好的方法。

            談及學校時，查理貝克指教育是人們改善未來的最重要途徑。他認為每個社區之內都至少有一所很不錯的學校，如果鼓勵各學校交流，可逐漸發揮全面改善各級教育作用。他也贊成辦理特許學校，以容許更多學子獲得更好的教育。

            1956年十一月十三日，在麻州尼罕（Needham）出生的查理貝克，畢業於哈佛大學，獲有西北大學凱洛格（Kellogg）管理學院企業管理碩士學位，目前是

總催化夥伴（General Catalyst Partners）的駐公司企業家。

            查理貝克當天表示，他有豐富的政府，企業經驗，一旦當選麻州州長，最能發揮橋樑作用。

            過去這些年間，他曾在威廉威爾德（William Weld），保羅瑟祿奇(Paul Cellucci)兩位州長任內，擔任行政及財務卿（Secretary of Administration and Finance），推動過許多節省開支，增加效率的改革，1998年還曾獲得全國州長協會的傑出服務獎。在2010年他第一次參選麻州州長之前，他當過哈佛朝聖者醫療保險公司（Harvard Pilgrim Health Care）執行長十年。

            查理貝克在他的競選州長網站上指出，他在哈佛朝聖者醫療保險公司服務期間，不但扭轉了該公司被接管的命運，還讓該公司在會員滿意度，臨床效率（clinical effectiveness）上，一連六年獲得全國最高評價。

他也強調自己的接近民眾，住在他家附近的鄰居都知道他什麼時候會到附近的咖啡店小坐，有意見時，都會直接向他反映。

           

圖片說明：

            越助中心行政主任范文南（中）送紀念品給麻州州長亞美顧問委員會副主席李超榮（左），以及麻州州長候選人查理貝克。（菊子攝）

            查理貝克（立者）在多徹斯特的越助中心，向出席者闡述他參選麻州州長一職的理念。（菊子攝）