2016美國總統大選將是希拉蕊、川普之爭

 (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導)美國總統大選，已幾無疑義的將由民主黨的希拉蕊（Hillary Clinton）和共和黨的川普（Donald Trump）一決雌雄。

他們兩人不但都在三月一日的初選中，贏得大多數州的支持，也在提前選舉的愛荷華（Iowa）州，新罕布夏州（New Hampshire），內華達州（Nevada），以及南卡羅來納（South Carolina）等四州中，贏了三州，擁有最多的黨代表支持。

分析家認為，根據歷史，從沒有哪一個候選人在獲得前述這樣的成績後，還不能當上各黨的參選總統代表。

美國總統選舉是代議制，不同黨派在各州擁有不同數量黨代表。要獲得政黨提名，民主黨籍候選人必須贏得2,383 名黨代表支持，共和黨籍候選人須贏得1,237席。

在三月一日初選後，截至3月2日下午四點的計算結果，民主黨中的希拉莉贏得1052席黨代表支持，山德斯（Bernie Sanders）贏得427席。由於全黨共有3,286張黨代表票數，等他們兩人分別爭取。山德斯的競選顧問因此放話，競選還未結束，他將繼續努力。

共和黨部分，共1777張黨代表票，初選有五名候選人，川普（Donald Trump）贏得319票，克魯茲（Ted Cruz）贏得226票，魯比歐（Marco Rubio）贏得110票，John Kasich贏得25票，Ben Carson贏得8票。

下星期，緬因州，內布拉斯加州，路易斯安那州，堪薩斯州，密西根州，以及密西西比州將舉行民主黨提名選舉。三月十五日則有佛羅里達週，伊利諾州，密蘇里州，北卡羅來納州，以及俄亥俄州。今年稍後還會有紐約州，加州辦理總統初選。

Quincy up to help residents to save $150,000 annually

National Grid selects Quincy for Community Energy Efficiency Initiative; Mayor Koch Announces Program to Help Residents Save $150,000 Annually

Quincy– Mayor Koch announced today that National Grid has selected the City of Quincy to participate in its 2016 Energy Efficiency Community Initiative.  To boost home energy efficiency, the City’s new Quincy Saves program encourages residents to take measures to reduce energy used in their homes, while reducing drafts, energy bills and the possibility of ice dams.  

National Grid has challenged Quincy residents to complete 701 no-cost home energy assessments by the end of 2016.  In addition to checking the safety and efficiency of your heating and hot water systems, residents receive LED and CFL light bulbs and water saving showerheads at no cost, and a personalized report specific to your home.  If the measures are recommended, residents are also eligible for a 75% discount of up to $2,000 in insulation, between $300-$1,600 for an energy efficient heating/hot water system, as well as other discounts and rebates, including 0% loans.  Home energy assessments typically take 2-3 hours.  National Grid will track the number of households that have roof or wall insulation installed, replace old inefficient heating systems, and install wi-fi thermostats.  The City stands to earn more than $40,000 from National Grid if City residents achieve all of the initiative’s goals; the funds will be used to pay for energy saving measures in Quincy public buildings.

To improve the efficiency of Quincy homes, Mayor Koch announced the creation of the Quincy Saves program to help residents save energy and money.

“Your electric and gas bills includes an ‘Energy Efficiency Charge’ that National Grid uses to reduce the cost of energy saving measures.  Since you’ve already paid for it, you should use it. The home assessment will find ways to lower your electricity and heating bills and make your home less drafty, while reducing the chance of ice dams,” according to Mayor Koch.   

Quincy Saves is a partnership between the City, the nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), and two Mass Save contractors, Next Step Living and HomeWorks Energy.  Quincy Saves will provide outreach and easy accessibility to energy savings services offered by National Grid through Mass Save. 

“Saving Quincy residents energy is not only good for your own households, but good for the City.  Residents will have lower energy bills, have more money to save or spend as they want, and will reduce the emissions and other harmful environmental impacts associated with natural gas and electricity use,”  said Shelly Dein, Quincy’s Energy and Sustainability Director.

If residents meet the goals outlined in National Grid’s initiative, their collective savings is estimated to exceed $150,000  per year.  Residents can use either Mass Save approved contractor to participate in Quincy Saves.  To sign up, contact: www.HomeWorksEnergy.com/Quincy-Saves/ or call HWE at 617-855-9889, or www.NextStepLiving.com/Quincy or call NSL at 855-704-2992. 

Other communities selected for the 2016 Energy Efficiency Community Initiative are Lowell, Swampscott, Melrose, Somerville, Newton, and Winchester.

The Affordable Care Act: Healthy Communities Six Years Later

FACT SHEET: The Affordable Care Act: Healthy Communities Six Years Later

President Obama promised that he would make quality, affordable health care not a privilege, but a right. After nearly 100 years of talk and decades of trying by presidents of both parties, that’s exactly what he did.

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, putting in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone and protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices. Today, the ACA is working: thanks to the ACA, 17.6 million previously uninsured people had gained coverage prior to this year’s open enrollment period, and the law has driven the uninsured rate below 10 percent – for the first time since we started keeping records. The ability to buy portable and affordable plans on a competitive marketplace is giving Americans the freedom to move, start businesses and dream big American dreams, which is especially important as more consumers become entrepreneurs. And thanks in part to the law’s focus on reducing costs and inefficiencies, health care prices have risen at the slowest rate in 50 years since the law passed, which will benefit all of us for years to come.

These access gains are due in large part to the efforts of local and state elected officials, community organizations and leaders, and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to help their neighbors find access to quality, affordable coverage. During the most recent open enrollment period from November 1 through January 31, the Administration and its partners on the ground nationwide undertook an unprecedented local and regional effort to sign up the remaining uninsured who are eligible for Marketplace coverage.

As part of this effort, the White House launched its “Healthy Communities Challenge” to engage 20 key communities with large numbers or high percentages of uninsured in states across the country where strong federal, state, and community collaboration can have a meaningful impact on reaching the uninsured. Last month, the White House announced that the winner of the challenge is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Under the leadership of Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Chris Abele, about 38,000 people in the Milwaukee area newly selected a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace during this open enrollment period. Together with returning Marketplace consumers, about 89,000 people in the Milwaukee area selected a 2016 Marketplace plan. Nationwide, nearly 13 million Americans signed up for 2016 Marketplace coverage, including people who were previously uninsured, as well as Americans finding coverage as they go through changes in life such as being in between jobs or aging off their parents' plans.

Ahead of the upcoming sixth anniversary of the ACA, tomorrow President Obama will travel to Milwaukee to celebrate the city’s victory and discuss how Americans in communities across the country are benefitting from the law. The President will deliver remarks at the Bruce-Guadalupe Middle School on the campus of the United Community Center, which is a part of the Milwaukee Latino Health Coalition and has hosted ACA outreach efforts. The President will also sit down for a conversation with local residents who have written him about the impact of the law on themselves and their families.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, This is What Health Care in America Looks Like Today:

·         17.6 million consumers have gained health insurance thanks to the ACA, prior to this year’s open enrollment period.  From 2010 through the first nine months of 2015, the uninsured rate has fallen by more than 40 percent and, for the first time ever, more than9 in 10 Americans now have health insurance. In Wisconsin, Gallup recently estimated that the adult uninsured rate in 2015 was5.9 percent, down from 11.7 percent in 2013.

·         As many as 129 million Americans who have some type of pre-existing health condition, including up to 19 million children, are now protected from coverage denials and reduced benefits – practices that were routine before the law’s enactment.

·         105 million Americans, including 39.5 million women and nearly 28 million children, have benefited from annual limits on out-of-pocket spending on essential health benefits – and the elimination of lifetime and annual limits on insurance coverage. These are protections that did not exist before the ACA.

·         Americans now have access to critical preventive services at no cost, like flu shots, yearly check-ups, and birth control. These are benefits that did not exist before the ACA.

·         Over 14 million more Americans have received coverage through Medicaid since the ACA’s first open enrollment period in 2013. States have an option to expand Medicaid to all non-eligible adults with incomes under 133 percent of the federal poverty level, and to date, 31 states and the District of Columbia have chosen to expand the program.  In these states that have already expanded Medicaid, 4.4 million uninsured people will gain coverage.  If the remaining states expand Medicaid, over 4 million more uninsured people would gain coverage.

·         The ACA has provided new transparency in how health insurance plans disclose reasons for premium increases and requires simple, standardized summaries so over 170 million Americans can better understand their coverage information and compare plans. These consumer protections did not exist six years ago.

·         2.3 million young Americans gained coverage between 2010 and October 2013 because they could now stay covered on their parents’ health care plans until they turn 26 – a benefit that did not exist before the law.

·         The ACA created tax credits that, as of September 2015, have helped 7.8 million Americans who otherwise often could not afford it purchase health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces.

·         Health insurers are now required to provide consumers with rebates if the amount they spend on health benefits and quality of care, as opposed to advertising and marketing, is too low.  Last year, 5.5 million consumers received nearly $470 million in rebates.  Since this requirement was put in place in 2011 through 2014, more than $2.4 billion in total refunds will have been paid to consumers.

·         Out-of-pocket costs have been eliminated for preventive services like immunizations, certain cancer screenings, contraception, reproductive counseling, obesity screening, and behavioral assessments for children. This coverage is guaranteed for more than 137 million Americans, including 55 million women.

·         Out-of-pocket costs have been eliminated for 39 million Medicare beneficiaries for preventive services like cancer screenings, bone-mass measurements, annual physicals, and smoking cessation.

·         The ACA expands mental health and substance use disorder benefits and parity protections to over 60 million Americans.

·         The ACA phases out the “donut hole” coverage gap for nearly 10.7 million Medicare prescription drug beneficiaries, who have saved an average of $1,945 per beneficiary. 

·         Accountable Care Organizations now exist, consisting of doctors and other health-care providers who come together to provide coordinated, high-quality care at lower costs to their Medicare patients. Over 477 ACOs are serving nearly 8.9 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.

·         Overpayments through the Medicare Advantage system have been phased out, while Medicare Advantage plans are required to spend at least 85 percent of Medicare revenue on patient care.  Medicare Advantage enrollment has grown by 50 percent to over 17.1 million while premiums have dropped by 10 percent since 2009.

·         Hospitals in Medicare now receive incentives to reduce hospital-acquired infections and avoidable readmissions.  A collaborative health-safety learning network, the Partnership for Patients, includes more than 3,200 hospitals to promote best quality practices. 

In addition, other legislation and executive actions are allowing us to continue to build on this progress and advance the cause of effective, affordable and accountable health care. This includes:

·         Advancing innovative care delivery models and value-based payments in Medicare and Medicaid.  The Administration set ambitious goals of tying 30 percent of traditional Medicare payments to alternative payment models by the end of 2016 and 50 percent by the end of 2018.  

·         Proposals to invest in targeted research and technologies to advance the BRAIN Initiative, Precision Medicine Initiative, and cancer research.

·         A funding pool for Community Health Centers to build, expand and operate health-care facilities in underserved communities.  Health Center grantees served 23 million patients in 2014 and received $11 billion under the health care law to offer a broader array of primary care services, extend their hours of operations, hire more providers, and renovate or build new clinical spaces.

·         Health provider training opportunities, with an emphasis on primary care, including a significant expansion of the National Health Service Corps.  As of September 30, 2015, there were 9,600 Corps clinicians providing primary care services, compared to 3,600 clinicians in 2008.

New England Regional Council of Carpenters Endorses Diana Hwang for State Senate

New England Regional Council of Carpenters Endorses

Diana Hwang for State Senate

Boston, MA – The New England Regional Council of Carpenters today endorsed Democrat Diana Hwang for State Senate.  Hwang, a local non-profit founder and former State House staffer, is a candidate to replace Anthony Petruccelli in the Democratic primary special election for Massachusetts’ First Suffolk and Middlesex State Senate District.

“We're proud to endorse Dianna because she understands and cares about the issues in our industry and in our members' day-to-day lives. The construction trades have traditionally provided career options with good pay and good benefits for those who aren't able or willing to follow the college path. Unfortunately, we've seen industry standards eroded as too many vulnerable workers have been the victims of contractors and an underground economy that thrives on wage theft, misclassification and dangerous worksites,” said Mark Erlich, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, New England Regional Council of Carpenters. “We're confident that Diana's knowledge and experience will help us in our fight to provide justice, safety, training and jobs with good wages and benefits for all of the workers in our industry, whether they belong to a union or not.”

“I’m a candidate for State Senate because I will be a voice for working families, which is why I’m proud to have the Carpenters by my side in this race,” Hwang remarked. “The Carpenters have been fighting for living wages, health care, quality jobs, safe working conditions and other critically important issues for many years. I have spent my career working within the system to change the system so that families like the ones represented by the Carpenters have a voice on Beacon Hill. If elected I will work as a full partner with the Carpenters on issues I know are important to both of us – and to the people of the First Suffolk & Middlesex District.”

The NERCC represents over 20,000 carpenters, pile drivers, shop & millmen, and floorcoverers working in the New England States, including all across Massachusetts. NERCC is part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, one of North America’s largest building trades unions, with nearly a half-million members in the construction and wood-products industries.

The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Diana Hwang is the founder of the Asian-American Women’s Political Initiative – the country’s first political leadership organization for young Asian-American women.  She previously served as a legislative aide in the State House and a Chief of Staff in the Boston City Council.  Diana serves as Board member of the UMass Center for Women in Politics, served as co-chair of the Boston Women’s Fund and is a founding member of Mayor Walsh’s Women’s Commission.  Diana currently lives in East Boston and previously lived in Revere.

Minuteman Hosts Visit from High-Ranking Official and Delegation from Thailand

Minuteman Hosts Visit from High-Ranking Official and Delegation from Thailand

LEXINGTON – As a nationally-recognized vocational-technical school, Minuteman High School is accustomed to seeing visitors from across the United States.  This month, Minuteman played host to an international delegation from Thailand.

Led by the nation’s Minister of Science and Technology, a five-member delegation from Thailand visited Minuteman on March 1.  The delegation was hoping to learn about Minuteman’s STEM initiatives and innovative vocational-technical education programs. 

Officials met with teachers and students and toured Minuteman’s Engineering and Robotics programs.  Teaching in both programs adheres to national curriculum guidelines established by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of K-12 STEM programs. 

Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Thailand’s Minister of Science and Technology, visited the school’s Engineering, Robotics, Carpentry and Plumbing programs and talked with Minuteman students.  He later sat down with Dr. Edward Bouquillon, Minuteman’s Superintendent, to share thoughts about education in Thailand and the United States.

“We need to find innovative ways to change education,” said Dr. Durongkaveroj.  “I want to put more emphasis on the ‘E’ in STEM,” he said. 

The ‘E’ in STEM stands for Engineering.

The Minister indicated he wanted to increase the number of workers in Thailand who are trained in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields, increase awareness of STEM education, and set STEM education as a key national agenda.

“Students want to do something meaningful, instead of just memorizing facts” he said. 

Becky Quay, one of Minuteman’s Engineering Technology teachers, told the Minister:  “Project-based learning is key.”  Quay said hands-on learning brings academic subjects to life and demonstrates their relevance to students.

Minister Durongkaveroj told Dr. Bouquillon that he would like to encourage more businesses to invest in new educational programs.  He said Thailand encouraged such private sector investment through its taxation policy.    

The Minister pointed to Thailand’s Work Integrated Learning program as one way to make learning more meaningful for students.  Through that program, students get hands-on training at private companies, under the supervision of their schools.  

He said educators can also use the Internet to help students learn.

The officials from Thailand were also interested in learning about the structure and organization of career and technical education, how Minuteman determines which programs to offer, and how the school is connected to business and industry.  They also talked about Minuteman’s efforts to build a new school.

At the end of the visit, officials from Minuteman and Thailand agreed to stay in contact.  Dr. Bouquillon said Minuteman would be helpful in any way possible assisting the Minister with workforce development issues from a vocational-technical education perspective. 

“We can learn from each other,” said Minister Durongkaveroj.

David Dimmett, Senior Vice President at Project Lead The Way, said his organization has been focused primarily on advancing applied K-12 learning in the U.S.  However, “we enjoy learning about education from a global perspective so that we can better prepare our students to thrive in a changing world. We all benefit by better understanding our common challenges and the innovative solutions to those challenges,” he said.  

Earlier in the day, the delegation from Thailand visited Harvard University’s Innovation Lab in Allston.  During the week-long visit to the United States, the Minister of Technology and Science was also scheduled to speak at Harvard Business School and at MIT.   

The visit to Minuteman was arranged through Project Lead the Way.

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that integrates robust academic and career & technical learning to deliver a revolutionary competitive advantage. The school serves a diverse student body with multiple learning styles, expanding opportunities for college and career success.

Minuteman has been spotlighted in major media outlets, including The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and National Public Radio.  It was featured in a book, Job U: How to Find Wealth and Success by Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need.

Last year, Minuteman’s Girls in STEM initiative won a national Grand Prize award from SkillsUSA, the organization that sponsors skill and leadership competitions for career and technical education students in the United States. 

3/3 will be the 9th Annual Massachusetts White Ribbon Day

What do Governor Charlie Baker, Andre Tippett of the New England Patriots, Middlesex Sherriff Peter Koutoujian, MassHousing Community Affairs Director Thaddeus Miles, Newburyport High School student, slam poet Charlie Lake, DraMatik Hip-Hop performer Andres Gonzalez, and U.S. Coast Guard Captain Brett Millican all have in common?

These are the newest White Ribbon Day Ambassadors in Massachusetts and each will be speaking (and in two cases performing!) at the State House on Thursday, March 3 at 1 PM at the 9^th Annual Massachusetts White Ribbon Day Proclamation Event.  Details here:  https://whiteribbonday.splashthat.com/

Daily stories of sexual violence and domestic abuse continue to fill the airwaves in cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth and across the globe.  We can and must do better. These men have taken a pledge to be part of the solution in addressing violence against women and all gender-based violence by reimagining manhood and by acknowledging the important role  men play in perpetuating it, even if they are not the ones committing it. This solution requires a wholesale change in how we think about masculinity, aggression, power, and status.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FIVE BPS SCHOOLS WILL PARTICIPATE IN CHILDREN'S SAVINGS ACCOUNT (CSA) PILOT

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FIVE BPS SCHOOLS WILL PARTICIPATE IN CHILDREN'S SAVINGS ACCOUNT (CSA) PILOT

BOSTON - Wednesday, March 2, 2016 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that the Children's Savings Account (CSA) program will launch at five Boston Public Schools (BPS) in fall 2016, giving families the opportunity to create a long-term savings plan for college, post-secondary education and training. The five schools are part of a learning cohort to help the city design a universal roll out in fall 2019, and this pilot phase will allow the City to troubleshoot before the full launch. "One of the most important things we can do for our children in the City of Boston is put them on a pathway to success by bridging education and financial opportunities, and planning in advance for their future," said Mayor Walsh. "A Children's Savings Account is a tool that every family should have access to and I am thrilled to launch this pilot program to help level the playing field for students of all backgrounds and make their dreams of college and post-secondary education become a reality." Selected as the result of an open application process, the CSA pilot program will be launched at the Harvard Kent Elementary School in Charlestown, the James Otis Elementary School in East Boston, the McKay K-8 School in East Boston, the Franklin D. Roosevelt K-8 in Hyde Park and Conley Elementary School in Roslindale. The program, run by the Mayor's Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE), has three goals: 1.  Create a college-going culture in Boston and set expectations that every child in Boston will enroll in and complete some form of college post-secondary education or training. 2.  Increase the percentage of Boston's children who graduate from high school and the percentage of BPS graduates who enroll in and complete college or some form of post-secondary education or training. 3.  Increase Boston's children and families' financial capability to help create lifelong savings and investment habits, a key for success in college and beyond. Possessing a children's savings account can positively impact children's and families' mindsets towards post-secondary education and training. Research and practice across the country strongly suggest that CSAs are an effective tool in impacting higher education outcomes: families with CSAs are more likely to see college as a goal for their children, and low-income children with $500 or less in a savings account, dedicated to higher education, have been shown to be three times more likely to enroll and four times more likely to graduate from college. All Kindergarten (K2) students at the selected pilot schools will have an initial seed deposit set aside for them. Families will be able to save for post-secondary education and training, and will have opportunities to earn incentives along the way. "Preparing for educational and career paths are so compelling when it is integrated at an early age," said Trinh Nguyen, Director of the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development. "Every child, regardless of income, race, and gender deserves to make their dream of post-secondary education and college come true.  The CSA is a powerful tool to align community partners, parents, teachers and students' to work towards building this culture." "We are grateful for the support of the Mayor's Office of Financial Empowerment and the EoS Foundation for helping our students and families in this important area," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang. "Financial literacy and empowerment are important factors to success in college, career, and life, and must be an essential goal for every student and family in Boston Public Schools." CSAs are expected to be rolled out city-wide in fall 2019, and the three-year pilot will allow the City to troubleshoot before the full launch. The pilot program is supported by various private foundations, including theEoS Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by investing in children's futures. Building on OFE's mission to build, grow and reinforce a holistic financial inclusion strategy for the City of Boston, OFE has been awarded a two year grant from the National League of Cities' "Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion" to support the CSA program.  Boston was one of eight cities chosen and will participate in a Mayors' Institute on Financial Inclusion in April 2016 and receive in-depth technical assistance. The participating cities are invited to apply for up to two rounds of funds from a grant pool from $15,000 - $50,000 based on the proposed project and budget.