麻州八月十五，十六日放稅假

麻州眾議會議長狄樂歐（Robert A. DeLeo），參議會議長羅森伯（Stanley Rosenberg）昨（7月30）日公佈，麻州議會通過議案，今年繼續放稅假，8月15，16兩日，消費者購物，不需付稅。

            一旦麻州州長簽署通過此案，民眾就可在這兩日享受購物二千五百元以下免付稅的優惠。

狄樂歐及羅森伯表示，銷售稅放假，對個人，家庭或企業來說都有如一劑強心針。儘管麻州經濟持續改善，但許多人仍然面對財政困難，通過這一法案，象徵著麻州議會重申他們致力幫助辛勤工作家庭的承諾。

            和往年一樣，銷售稅放假適用於購買二千五百元以下商品，並且不包括汽車，機動船，菸草，餐飲及水電。

Legislature Passes Sales Tax Holiday Bill

Sets Tax-Free Weekend in August to Provide Relief to Massachusetts Residents

BOSTON – Today the Legislature approved a bill creating a sales tax holiday on August 15 and 16, 2015. The legislation is designed to provide relief to consumers and increase sales for local businesses.

“The sales tax holiday is a shot in the arm for individuals, families and businesses alike,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop). “While the Massachusetts economy is continuing to improve, folks are still facing tough fiscal times. By passing this legislation, we reaffirmed our commitment to helping hardworking families, particularly as the school year begins.”

“The sales tax holiday has become an annual event in our state and today the Legislature voted to give a small tax break to consumers and businesses alike,” said Senate President Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst).  “I hope that we will soon review this policy to determine if, after more than a decade, the desired impact is being achieved.”  

“The summer sales tax holiday is a benefit to both consumers and businesses during a particularly slow period,” said Representative Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development.  “Suspending the tax in August leads to an increase in sales at a time when retailers could use a boost and allows families to save on a variety of purchases, including back-to-school items.”

“The summer sales tax holiday is a proven way to encourage people to buy locally and support Massachusetts companies and jobs rather than drive to New Hampshire or go to tax-free websites to shop,” said Senator Eileen Donoghue, (D- Lowell), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development. “The tax holiday is particularly valuable for lower-income earners who disproportionately pay more sales tax and could use a tax break now. I am proud that the Legislature took action on this important incentive to promote continued economic development in Massachusetts”

As in previous years, the sales tax holiday will apply to purchases under $2,500. It excludes vehicles, motorized boats, tobacco, meals and utilities.

The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.

The BRA and UDR select The Society of Arts and Crafts for Pier 4 cultural space after competitive search

The BRA and UDR select The Society of Arts and Crafts for Pier 4 cultural space after competitive search

Newbury Street-based nonprofit will move operations to 20,000-square-foot space on South Boston Waterfront

BOSTON – The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and Colorado-based real estate investment trust firm UDR have chosen The Society of Arts and Crafts as the future tenant for the nearly-complete cultural space at 100 Pier 4. The 21-story apartment building on the South Boston Waterfront includes two levels of interior space that will become the new base of operations for the nonprofit. The 118-year-old Boston institution will relocate after being headquartered for 40 years on Newbury Street, a move expected to enhance the organization’s ability to deliver creative programming to the public.

In April, UDR and the BRA released a Request for Interest to solicit programming ideas and a potential operator for the Pier 4 space. Architects at Sasaki Associates designed the winning proposal for the Society of Arts and Crafts’ new home, which will include eye-catching second floor window displays and a lively public plaza with artwork. The 20,000 square feet of civic and cultural space at Pier 4 is part of a larger plan to activate 127,000 square feet of dedicated public space along the waterfront, as envisioned by the municipal harbor planning process that the BRA has led with the community.

“The Society of Arts and Crafts is a homegrown Boston institution that has promoted local art and artists for over a century,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “This new location will allow this incredible gallery to grow in a modern, energized environment that will better showcase local talent, and draw even more activity to the waterfront.”

"The Society of Arts and Crafts has a proud past and visionary future,” said SAC Executive Director Fabio J. Fernández. “We are thrilled to move to the Seaport District, a neighborhood that is as ambitious and forward-looking as we are." 

In this new location, The Society of Arts and Crafts will expand its reach and become a center for the craft and design community, connecting students, artists, collectors, and the public. A proposed artist-in-residency program will provide makers with a space to create their work in culture-rich Boston. Planned retail and exhibition galleries will show larger and more experimental work. Finally, the outdoor civic plaza will allow for collaborative and educational programming, and exhibitions can expand into this space to include public sculpture.

With a gallery that is always free and open to the public, The Society of Arts and Crafts will make craft accessible to all people visiting the waterfront, providing locals and tourists alike with opportunities to engage with artists, makers, and their ideas. The nonprofit’s first exhibition in the new location will be titled “Radius,” highlighting the talented makers located within a 5-mile radius of 100 Pier 4 who work in clay, metal, wood, glass, and fiber. The inaugural exhibition will be a clear signal of The Society of Arts and Crafts’ intent to collaborate with neighborhood artists and support Boston’s creative economy.

“We’re very eager to see The Society of Arts and Crafts engage with the community and expand its offerings,” said BRA Director Brian Golden. “This historic institution will bring a unique perspective to the neighborhood, building on its past successes in a fresh and purposeful, community-driven way.”

The BRA hosted a public meeting in early July to allow finalists for the civic and cultural space to present their proposals. Steinway Society of Massachusetts and Celebrity Series of Boston were also in the running.

The Society of Arts and Crafts will join other waterfront destinations, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Tea Party Museum, Artists for Humanity, Midway Studios, the Fort Point Arts Community, and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

100 Pier 4 is home to 369 apartments and features an original Dale Chihuly installation in the lobby. Ocean Prime, Cameron Mitchell’s flagship steak and seafood restaurant, will occupy the first floor. The restaurant is expected to open in November.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES OPEN AND PROTECTED DATA POLICY

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES OPEN AND PROTECTED DATA POLICY

Increases transparency, accountability in City government

BOSTON - Thursday, July 30, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released  he Open and Protected Data Policy, designed to increase transparency and accountability by opening more City data to the public. The policy fulfills a commitment made by the Mayor in his  "The City's Open and Protected Data Policy builds on my commitment to openness and transparency in government," said Mayor Walsh. "This new policy will make more data available to the public, encourage business to build useful applications with City data, and increase collaboration between the City and the research community." The Open and Protected Data Policy was created by the Department of Innovation and Technology and the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, with input from the public, City departments and outside experts. The policy will streamline the release of new datasets. It adopts a Creative Commons license for all data released by the City to encourage the use of data for commercial and non-commercial purposes. It also provides a framework for responsibly sharing data with researchers and other partner organizations. To accompany the release of the data policy, the City of Boston has announced the current availability of a number of new datasets: Usage information from the City's ParkBoston meter parking payment program Boston Police Department firearm recovery data Usage information for the City's Wicked Free WiFi initiative Residential recycling/waste tonnage Active user counts from the Boston Public Libraries The City of Boston also announced today that they are joining the Building and Land Development Specification (BLDS), one of a number of emerging Open Data standards. BLDS provides a standardized format for data about development projects and is being adopted by municipalities around the country. "Data standards like BLDS make open data more useful," said Chief Information Officer Jascha Franklin-Hodge. "They encourage private companies to use open data, and make it easier for residents and businesses to access the information they need." Since the Mayor signed the Open and Protected Data Executive Order in April 2014, the City has continued to expand its open data program: The number of published data sets has grown from 342 to 376. New datasets include data on tax assessing for City properties, Liquor Licenses, as well as economic indicators tracked by the BRA. The City was selected as a Knight News Challenge grant recipient to make Open Data more useful by creating data-focused programs within the Boston Public Library. In April, the City of Boston hosted its second HubHacks hackathon, where members of the public were invited to use City data and data from partners to tell the story of Boston through data visualization.

漢字文化節 郭天涵展演學草書訣竅

六機構上週末在紐英崙中華公所會議室舉辦本年度第一次“漢字文化節”，請書法家郭天涵揮毫，談草書，朱紹昌，程嶺吟詩，青少年彈揚琴，讓波士頓華埠再一次洋溢中華文化獨特風味。

曾任書法會會長的黃周麗桃當天擔任司儀，紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦、波士頓僑教中心主任郭大文、波士頓中華書法會會長池元山、陳綺怡，北美藝術家協會會長郭天涵，紐英崙藝術學會會長梅宇國，林浩宗等人分別致詞。另一主辦機構為中華表演藝術基金會。

這次的漢字文化節以書法為主體，由北美藝術家協會新任會長郭天涵主講“草書的梗概知識與怎樣學草書”。

郭天涵在安多福市經營Karma餐廳的兒子郭臻協助下，製作了電腦檔案，把講談重點，書法範例，打在大電腦螢屏上，重點說明草書的發展歷史與特點，以及學習草書要領。

郭天涵認為，學草書時好比選師傅，一要選好字帖，二要讀好帖的文字，不斷背誦觀摩牢記，先學字體大概像，再求神韻形象，堅持不懈練習，三要了解並記住草書的字符替代規律，以及使用習慣，特別是草書的用筆方法 ，包括字與字的連筆藝術和個人的書法感情處理。

郭天涵還就草書字的各種偏旁部首運用，舉了許多例子，並作示範。

活動結束前，郭天涵在古箏樂曲「春江花月夜」的音樂聲伴奏下 ，即席揮毫的以草書寫出蘇東坡水調歌頭詩詞”明月幾時有”的全文，把會場氣氛帶到最高潮。

當天會上的演出，先請張鎮田的學生黃秀儀，吳雅雯彈揚琴”縫衣曲“，”連環扣“，再請本地著名詩人朱紹昌以古代腔調，吟唱他為”抗日戰爭勝利七十週年“創作的古詩。

朱紹昌不但吟唱韻味十足，字裡行間的”每憶蘆溝事，心素總難平“，”寄語四海諸兄弟，歷史不能忘，正經與武備，重之慎勿輕，慎勿輕”，都引人深思

既善金石篆刻，兼及書法，去年在美國考取執照，已在羅德島開業做中醫的北美藝術家協會前會長程嶺，這天以古代名詩人李清照的夫婿也是金石名家的淵源，吟誦了一首“如夢令”。

波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文，紐英崙藝術協會會長林浩宗，中華書法會會長池元山等人都在致詞中指出，文字是凝聚華人，表達自由民主精神，傳承文化的載體，工具，藉著書法，詩詞與樂音，有了多元表現，更發揚光大。

圖片說明：

            漢字文化節出席嘉賓合影。前排右起，吳紹營，池元山，林浩宗，阮鴻燦，梅宇國，黃鏡明，周文熙。後排右起，柳賽英，黃國麟，趙金歡，林卓培，莊著學，黃周麗桃，伍振中，郭天涵，陳綺怡，朱紹昌，方厚正，林蘭詩。

             郭天涵（左）即席示範草書偏旁。（菊子攝）

            郭天涵即席揮毫，以草書寫成蘇東坡水調歌頭全文。（菊子攝）

            郭天涵（右三）的妻子柳賽英（右三），兒子郭臻（左三）都全場支持。（菊子攝）

            朱紹昌（左）吟詩後，笑問出席的年輕人，有沒唸過古詩。（菊子攝）

            黃周麗桃（中）請中華公所主席阮鴻燦（左）來欣賞林卓培（右）為“漢字文化節”活動親手繪製的海報。（菊子攝）

            擅金石篆刻與繪畫的程嶺，雖已在美開業做醫生，仍不忘與藝術圈好友保持聯繫，在漢字文化節時，回來吟首詩。（菊子攝）

            吳雅雯（左），黃秀儀（右）彈奏揚琴。（菊子攝）

紐英崙中華公所董事會籍問題棘手 土地發展備受矚目

中華公所董事們舉手投票。（周菊子攝）

          (Boston Orange 周橘子波士頓報導) 紐英崙中華公所七月廿八日晚在董事大會中，以一票之差，否決職員輪值提案，並再度激烈爭議會籍雙胞的認定及處理。物業小組報告的修繕中華公所大樓，改建喜露街（Herald）50號討論，令人更關切中華公所的未來發展。

        紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦在主席報告中表示，中華民國總統馬英九七月十一日時親自拜訪中華公所，並送出他親筆題字的“繼志光國”牌匾，使紐英崙中華公所成為唯一，或者極少數之一，擁有總統墨寶的特別公所。

紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦（右），核數黃立灰（左）回應董事提問。（周菊子攝）

            中華公所董事會當晚就董事李奇舜所提，在中華公所董事大會內已來回討論三年的“公所取消投票選舉制，職員改以輪流制度產生”議案，投票表決，結果22比21，僅以一票之差，未通過，中華公所今年底將仍以選舉產生下屆職員。

董事李奇舜（前）舉起ㄒ遠票，說明一號是照舊，二號是改選舉為輪值。（周菊子攝）

            在投票之前，中華公所董事們再度為會籍，會員雙胞等問題，爭論不休，從已進入法律程序的龍岡親義公所雙胞案，到世界廣東同鄉總會，海僑聯誼會出現類似雙胞情況，中華公所前任主席黃光野，現任主席阮鴻燦的處理手法，董事們仍然各有不同看法，爭論雖不若以往激烈，也仍然熾熱。

董事陳國華在五月廿日提出的“除非新組織之團體持有法庭或政府有關部門之判令，能取代原有之團體，否則以事發前支援使會員團體為合法會員。如同一會員團體，其內部出現不同之出席中華公所代表，除非其內部協商解決，否則應以事發前之原主席通過會議，派出臨時代表出席中華公所，以等候法庭判另為準”議案，引起董事熱議，該提案是否有如修改章程，若有修改章程之實，就必須經由全體董事的三分之二同意，才能通過。

投票結果，照舊22票，改輪值21票。（周菊子攝）

            董事陳家驊指出，早在1970年代，藝聯慈善社和海僑協會，就曾有過爭議，近年再有龍崗親義公所，以及目前的世界廣東同鄉總會和海僑聯誼會的紛爭，這些紛爭牽涉到會員認定，以及出席中華公所代表的投票權問題，與章程規定當然相關。

            中華公所物業小組當天在會中的報告，主要有兩項，一是中華公所大樓的維修，一是發展商提出喜露街50號土地發展的兩種做法，希望中華公所考慮和該公司合作。

            Thomas J. O’Malley Associates這家商業樓宇顧問公司的Frank De Simone在遞交給中華公所的文件中指出，中華公所大樓是全美最早的學校樓宇之一，如今是分別佔地6000平方呎及1700平方呎的兩棟相連樓宇，五月份檢驗後，他們認為屋頂漏水，建築體有銜接破損，水泥脫落等現象，需要維修。

中華公所董事們舉手投票。（周菊子攝）

            Davis公司提議與紐英崙中華公所合作發展喜露街50 號。該公司提出兩種方案，一是建一座獨立大樓，以大約141,150平方公尺面積，蓋139個單位。這麼做，大約需款64（ＭＭ）萬元，其中22.4ＭＭ元需由中華公所投資，另41.6百萬元建築費用融資，需由中華公所向外申貸。若依照現有的區域規劃（zoning）規定，其中13%必須是可負擔住宅。如果中華公所無償拿出土地來蓋，約可建成27個可負擔住宅。

            另一做法是把喜露街50號和所物街（Shawmut）112號連併起來，一起發展，就可借助計劃開發區域（PDA）優惠，放寬整棟大樓的容積率及高度限制，在加起來的345,250平方呎面積上，蓋319個單位，建築費用就會變成大概是153MM，可負擔住宅的比率也將提高到20%，約73個單位。