麻州州長查理貝克再特赦四人

Governor Baker Issues Pardons to Four Individuals

 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker announced the pardons of four individuals: Christopher Nichols, Thomas Schoolcraft, Zaida Pimentel-Solano and Bertrand Lamitie.

 

The Massachusetts Constitution grants the Governor the power to grant pardons, and Governor Baker issued updated Executive Clemency Guidelines in February 2020.

Petitions for pardons are reviewed by the Advisory Board of Pardons. The Board evaluates the petition, weighing the factors laid out in the Executive Guidelines, and makes a recommendation to the Governor. The Board had recommended the pardons of all of these individuals. The pardons must now be approved by the Governor’s Council.

“Each of these individuals has shown compelling reasons for requesting a pardon, including the need to remove barriers that currently prevent them from accessing more professional opportunities. These offenses all occurred many years ago, and since that time, all four individuals have committed themselves to bettering their lives and improving their communities,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “I appreciate the Governor Council’s careful review of these cases.”

 

For more on Christopher Nichols, see here.

 

For more on Thomas Schoolcraft, see here.

 

For more on Zaida Pimental-Solano, see here.

 

For more on Bertrand Lamitie, see here.

Healey-Driscoll 陣營宣稱志工上週向超過10萬選民拜票

            (Boston Orange) 11月8日就是大選投票日了，麻州州長和副州長候選人，Maura Healey 和Kim Driscoll的競選團隊不但已結盟出動，上週末的週六和週日還一舉出動逾千名志工，逐戶敲門拜會或打電話，共計接觸不下10萬選民。

              Healey和Driscoll陣營表示，在前述的2日週末中，志工們踏進157個社區，共敲了1萬5千戶大門，打了6萬多通電話，發出3萬2千多短信。

             Healey的競選經理Jason Burrell表示，” 提早投票已經開始了，我們的競選陣營也開始揮舞我們從選舉以來經營出的草根力量” 。” 我們的志工都很積極的要確保麻州拒絕川普主義，選出能為每一個人繁榮經濟，保護生育自由的民主黨人。我們要繼續盡可能多的接觸選民，並鼓勵他們出來投票”。

             Maura Healey 和Kim Driscoll的競選團隊還在繼續招募志工，接下來這週末的行程，將於週五公佈。          

Healey-Driscoll Volunteers Contacted Over 100,000 Voters Last Weekend

Will Continue Momentum with Upcoming Get Out the Vote Efforts

BOSTON – As the Healey-Driscoll campaign gears up for a major weekend of action, they are reporting their success from the first weekend of early voting. Last Saturday and Sunday, more than 1,000 volunteers hit the doors and the phones to encourage voters to get to the polls and support the Democratic ticket. In total, volunteers knocked over 15,000 doors in 157 communities, made over 60,000 phone calls, and sent over 32,000 text messages.

“Now that early voting has started, our campaign is flexing our grassroots muscle that we’ve been building throughout this entire election,” said Healey Campaign Manager Jason Burrell. “Our volunteers are energized to make sure Massachusetts rejects Trumpism and elects a Democratic ticket that will grow this economy for everyone and protect reproductive freedom. We’re going to continue to hustle to reach as many voters as possible and encourage them to get out and vote.”

People interested in volunteering for Team Healey can visit here. A full schedule for the weekend’s event will be available on Friday.

麻州共撥款1億4300萬元資助337項地方經濟發展項目

 Baker-Polito Administration Announces $143 Million for Economic Development Projects Through Community One Stop for Growth

  Delivers Funding from 12 State Grant Programs, Including $100 Million in MassWorks Grants

 

PITTSFIELD –

 Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba and MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera were joined by state and local officials in Pittsfield to announce more than $143 million in grant awards to support 337 local economic development projects in 169 communities. The grant awards were made through Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal that provides a streamlined, collaborative review process of 12 state grant programs that fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction and infrastructure. MassWorks is the largest program in the One Stop portfolio and is awarding $100 million in grant awards this year.

Through this round of the One Stop, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development received 523 applications from 207 communities representing every region of the Commonwealth. Of the 337 applications awarded, 31% are located in a rural or small town; 32% are located in a Gateway City; and 43% are located in a Housing Choice Community. This investment is expected to directly support the creation of 6,950 new housing units across the Commonwealth, including 5,068 new market-rate units and 1,882 new affordable units.

“Since taking office, we have been proud to make significant investments in helping our cities, towns and local partners achieve their economic development goals through a range of grant programs and legislation aimed at advancing the diverse needs of municipalities across the state,” said Governor Charlie Baker

. “The projects awarded funding today build upon that work and will create jobs, build housing, revitalize spaces and empower communities in every region of the Commonwealth.”

“Our administration has made partnering with cities and towns and fostering relationships with local leaders a priority, and through the One Stop we’ve been able to streamline their process of applying for grant programs while making the Commonwealth an active partner in local economic development strategy,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “From small towns to Gateway Cities, the programs in One Stop, like MassWorks, are delivering funding to meet the unique needs and priorities of our individual communities.”

FY23 Community One Stop for Growth programs include:

• MassWorks Infrastructure Program – $100 million awarded to 63 projects
• Underutilized Properties Program – $21,683,685 awarded to 49 projects
• Rural and Small Town Development Fund – $4,958,995 awarded to 25 projects
• Housing Choice Community Grants – $3,913,384 awarded to 36 projects
• Site Readiness Program – $2,856,150 awarded to 12 projects
• Urban Agenda – $2,654,370 awarded to 31 projects
• Brownfields Redevelopment Fund – $2,612,740 awarded to 13 projects
• Community Planning Grants – $2,386,800 awarded to 40 projects
• Collaborative Workspace Program – $1,197,000 awarded to 39 projects
• Commonwealth Places – $385,663 awarded to 12 projects
• Massachusetts Downtown Initiative – $350,000 awarded to 14 projects
• Real Estate Services Technical Assistance – $250,000 awarded to 7 projects

The full list of grants can be found here.

“From project inception to getting shovels in the ground, the One Stop is delivering resources from multiple state programs to support economic development initiatives in our communities at every stage,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “I appreciate the hard work of our teams at the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Department of Housing and Community Development, and MassDevelopment, who engaged with communities to identify projects in 169 cities and towns that will have a meaningful impact on local economic growth.”

"The One Stop's single application portal and collaborative review process helps us ensure we take a wide-angle lens in directing funding to communities of all sizes and across all regions," 

said Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba. "This round we were proud to fund about 60-70% of all applications that were submitted in a region, and every region received more awards and more funding than last year."

MassWorks, one of the state’s largest competitive grant programs, offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth. This year, the administration is awarding 63 grants from the infrastructure program – the largest number of awards in a single round since the program’s inception in 2011 – totaling $100 million to 60 communities. Among this year’s MassWorks’ projects, 39 are reactivating underutilized sites, 31 are supporting transit-oriented developments, and 30 have a mixed-use component. Additionally, 17 communities are receiving their first ever MassWorks award.

Including this year’s round, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded 391 MassWorks grants to 197 communities, investing over $709 million in public infrastructure projects throughout the state. These grants have directly supported the creation of over 26,000 new housing units and tens of thousands of construction and new permanent jobs, while also leveraging approximately $17 billion in private investment.

“Congratulations to all of the cities and towns who have received One-Stop Awards this year, we are thrilled to support a variety of excellent local projects across the Commonwealth to promote new housing development, downtown revitalization, and other important economic development efforts,” said Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox. “The One-Stop Application Process provides communities an opportunity to access multiple state resources at once, and we are excited to see cities and towns leverage these high-impact programs to spur new growth and economic activity.”

“The awards announced today represent an investment that will reverberate in communities across Massachusetts for years to come,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “MassDevelopment is grateful to the Baker-Polito Administration for its continued support of these programs, which help communities revitalize vacant sites, build mixed-use facilities, stimulate local and regional economies, and help municipalities plan for the future.”

“MassWorks grants are an important driver for economic development throughout the Commonwealth. I’d like to acknowledge how critical this funding will be for the many worthwhile projects awarded this round and hope that we can fund more in the future to ensure our economic vitality at the local and state level.” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka.

“As Speaker, I’m always proud of the meaningful impact that the Legislature’s economic development appropriations have on the communities that we serve,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano. “It’s our responsibility as elected officials to make investments that will spur the development of new housing and improve critical infrastructure, all while creating jobs in the process. I’m thrilled that Quincy, Weymouth, and Holbrook are receiving state support, and I look forward to seeing these ever-important local projects come to life.”

The announcement was made at the Berkshire Innovation Center in the City of Pittsfield. The Pittsfield community is receiving more than $3.6 million in awards through the One Stop process, including:

• $3 million MassWorks award to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority to convert 16.5 blighted acres of a former GE transformer property into greenspace, roadways, utility corridors, and stormwater management.
• $525,000 Underutilized Properties Program award to Allegrone Companies to restore the nationally listed Wright Building.
• $55,122 Urban Agenda award to Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation Corp., a cohort-based leadership program for Black community members in Pittsfield.
• $15,000 Collaborative Workspace Program award to Berkshire Innovation Center to fund a feasibility study to expand the organization’s coworking environment.
• $15,000 Collaborative Workspace Program award to Berkshire Black Economic Council for feasibility work needed to create a collaborative workspace for underserved Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs in Berkshire County.
• 
  
  

Maura Healey 參訪北安多福電池製造廠KK

 Healey Tours Battery Manufacturer in North Andover

NORTH ANDOVER – On Wednesday, Maura Healey toured the North Andover materials company 6K, Inc., which recently received $50 million in federal infrastructure funding to help build a factory to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles in Wilmington. She was joined by State Senator Barry Finegold, State Representative Tram Nguyen, and candidate for State Representative Adrianne Ramos.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to tour 6K and visit North Andover today with Senator Barry Finegold and Representative Tram Nguyen, who have been incredible leaders for their district,” said Healey. “I want to replicate and ramp up the innovative work being done by companies like 6K across the state as part of our climate corridor. This is how we will create new jobs, attract and retain businesses, and make urgent progress to meet our climate goals – including putting one million new electric vehicles on the road by 2030.”

Governor Baker Nominates Attorney William F. Bloomer as Associate Justice to the Superior Court and Attorney Katherine T. Barkowski as Clerk Magistrate of the Somerville District Court

 Governor Baker Nominates Attorney William F. Bloomer as Associate Justice to the Superior Court and Attorney Katherine T. Barkowski as Clerk Magistrate of the Somerville District Court

 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Attorney William F. Bloomer as Associate Justice to the Superior Court and Attorney Katherine T. Barkowski as Clerk Magistrate of the Somerville District Court.

 

“Attorneys Bloomer and Barkowski will bring valuable knowledge and experience to their new roles if confirmed,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are proud to submit their nominations for consideration.”

 

“These nominees have years of experience in public service that make each of them well-qualified candidates for these new positions,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We look forward to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council.”

 

The Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts, is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.

 

For more information about the Superior Court, visit their homepage.

 

The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the Commonwealth. 

 

For more information about the District Court, visit their homepage.

 

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

 

About William F. Bloomer

 

William F. Bloomer began his legal career in 1988 as a law clerk for the Supreme Court of Rhode Island before working as an associate for Shaheen, Cappiello, Stein & Gordon until 1990. From 1990 to 1999, Attorney Bloomer served as an assistant district attorney for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. Then, until 2004, Attorney Bloomer served as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Attorney Bloomer then served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney until his appointment as Director of the Division of Standards for the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission in 2022. Since 2020, Attorney Bloomer has also worked as an adjunct professor at Boston College, where he teaches criminal law and procedure. In his community, he has served as a member of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors, and as a member of the editorial board for the Massachusetts Law Review. Attorney Bloomer received his bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University in 1985 and his juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1988.

 

About Katherine T. Barkowski

 

Katherine T. Barkowski has over 30 years of legal experience, and first began her legal career in 1992 when she started her own law practice to serve the needs of her community. Since 2001, Attorney Barkowski has served as assistant clerk magistrate for the Boston Juvenile Court. In her community, Attorney Barkowski acts as a lecter at Saint Brendan’s Church in Dorchester. Additionally, she has volunteered for Dorchester’s youth soccer program, and for Friends of the Adams Street Library to support her local library and its programming. Attorney Barkowski received her bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University in 1985 and her juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1991.

波士頓市公佈重振城中區報告

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION REPORT, RE-LAUNCH OF BPDA’S PLAN: DOWNTOWN

BOSTON - Thursday, October 27, 2022 - Today, Mayor Michelle Wu released a report by the City and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on the challenges facing Downtown Boston and presenting a set of initiatives and recommendations to revitalize and reimagine the neighborhood. This report is a result of close coordination among the Mayor’s Office, the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, and the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA).  The release also marks the relaunch of PLAN: Downtown by the BPDA, a comprehensive City planning process for the neighborhood to help further develop and implement the vision in the report.  PLAN: Downtown will restart the community planning process that first began in 2018 and paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan will include a focus on creating more housing in Downtown and will result in new zoning to support housing, open space, and small businesses.  “We envision Downtown Boston as a space where people from all backgrounds come together,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Together with the restart of PLAN: Downtown, this report presents a roadmap for a truly inclusive, round-the-clock neighborhood filled with new homes, diverse businesses, world-class public spaces, vibrant nightlife, and a thriving arts and culture scene.” Before the pandemic, Downtown Boston was the busiest neighborhood in the city, with heavy foot traffic driven by thousands of office workers. However, the shift to remote work is significantly, and likely permanently, reshaping the central business core. The report confirms that downtown foot traffic remains at least 40 percent below pre-pandemic levels, and office vacancy rates are rising in the neighborhood.  The report found that foot traffic recovery remains faster on weekends, demonstrating that non-office uses of the Downtown are bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels more quickly. Overall, the report presents the challenge of post-pandemic recovery as an opportunity for the City to reimagine Downtown Boston as a more diverse and vibrant neighborhood, less reliant on a weekday migration of office workers, and where current and new residents, business owners, workers, and visitors can come together to live, work, and connect in new ways. “This report is another example of the seriousness with which this Administration is taking the issue of revitalizing one of the most important areas of our city: our Downtown,” said Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. “I am grateful to our colleagues across City Hall and all of the stakeholders who provided valuable input on the work we can do together to strengthen local small businesses, attract visitors from across our neighborhoods and the world, and transform our commercial core into a vibrant, more inclusive community.”  "The BPDA is enthusiastically looking forward to relaunching PLAN: Downtown to address the unique needs of this area in a post-pandemic environment and support the effort to revitalize downtown Boston," said Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison. "Our planners are excited to work with the community to help them formulate a vision for the future of downtown that supports, among other things, livability, walkability, and access to open space." The report outlines the City’s visions and primary policy goals for Downtown along with the high-impact actions the City is considering to revitalize the neighborhood. They are aimed at driving economic recovery for Downtown with a focus on equity, resilience, and new opportunity. ​ The BCG team looked globally to survey strategies cities are taking to respond to the new-normal for central business districts long reliant on office workers’  five-day-a-week routine. Five overarching strategies emerged, including expanding the residential focus of downtowns, refreshing office-focused neighborhoods for new industries, investing in tourism infrastructure, incentivizing and reducing barriers to small business growth, and growing the all-hours cultural footprint of central business districts.  To help build a new vision for a thriving downtown, the City hopes to adopt promising elements from each of these strategies. To achieve this, the report lays out six key focus areas for the City to ensure a robust downtown:  Ensuring the continued vibrancy of office space downtown; Expanding housing downtown;  Growing the daily use of downtown by bolstering cultural, art, retail, services, and hospitality ecosystems;  Supporting connectivity and mobility downtown via multi-modal transportation infrastructure and protected infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists​;  Enhancing economic opportunity downtown by supporting women, BIPOC, and other underserved populations, and by strengthening the small business and creative community;  Growing Boston's footprint as a global tourism hub​.   The report lists over thirty policies the City can implement to achieve these six goals. Some are existing proposed initiatives already underway that can be built upon, while others are new proposals and pilots with the potential to be expanded Citywide.  Priority actions to advance the City’s goals include: Supporting conversions of class B/C office space into new uses including residential housing Creating new zoning incentives to allow increased zoning density for new housing (in PLAN: Downtown) Creating low-rent spaces for minority- and women- owned businesses Re-imagining Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market post-pandemic Reopening City Hall Plaza as an anchor of public space with new programing and amenities Piloting pedestrianization of certain streets Creating new spaces, events, and programs to expand nightlife downtown, ideally to attract new populations and demographic/socioeconomic groups The report also includes a detailed analytical baseline conducted by BCG to understand how the pandemic affected foot traffic and economic activity. Dozens of stakeholders from the neighborhood and the business community were consulted during the process including Chinatown Main Streets, BECMA, Amplify Latinx, Boston While Black, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, A Better City, hotel general managers, building owners, developers, and restaurant owners.  "A vibrant, inclusive, connected downtown is essential to ensuring that Boston continues to grow and to thrive," said Rick Dimino, President & CEO of A Better City. "Under Mayor Wu's leadership and with the support of the business community through vehicles like the Greenway BID, the successful implementation of this report will position Boston as the economic engine of our region and location of preference for employers and employees alike." “The relaunch of PLAN: Downtown is an exciting opportunity to shape how future planning and economic development decisions can ensure the long-term vibrancy of Downtown Boston,” said Michael Nichols, President of the Downtown BID. “Generations of Bostonians and visitors have made treasured memories in the streets, shops, and special places of the neighborhood. We look forward to working together to foster equitable economic vitality for business owners of every size and a dynamic and accessible downtown for residents, workers, and visitors.” Supporting a thriving Downtown environment that is responsive to the 21st century needs of residents, businesses, and visitors, especially in a post-pandemic world, is critical to Boston’s continued success. PLAN: Downtown will formally relaunch at a kick-off event on November 9th in Downtown Crossing. At that event, community members and BPDA staff will review work to date and work to come. The relaunched process will include engagement with local stakeholders and community members to directly address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Downtown, including a market and feasibility study of converting underutilized office buildings to residential and other uses. The release of the Downtown Revitalization Report and the announcement to relaunch PLAN: Downtown builds off Mayor Wu’s commitment to creating a welcoming and thriving neighborhood for residents, workers, and visitors alike. In September, the City reopened the temporary beer garden at City Hall Plaza in partnership with 67 Degrees Brewing, a Black, woman, and veteran-owned craft brewery. This summer, Mayor Wu launched Boston Together Again, a series of weekday cultural, food, and wellness events in Downtown that ran from mid-July to mid-October. In April, in partnership with the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, and the Greenway BID, the City hosted Boston Blooms, a one-day block party stretching from South Station to Downtown Crossing that welcomed employees, residents, and visitors back to Downtown.

中華專協第45屆年會引介優質自媒體"台灣僑民"、"熱炒旅行店"

紐英崙中華專業人員協會會長林致中(右二起向左)，董事長周萬欽，講者林欣岫，
前董事長蔡明機，講者楊佳榮，姜安蓉，陳杰揚和部分出席者合影。(中華專協提供)

              (Boston Orange) 紐英崙中華專業人員協會10月22日在哈佛大學科學中心舉辦第45屆年會，以「自媒體時代的經驗與知識傳播」為主題，邀2名播客 (Podcaster)，2名Youtubers分享經驗，讓人深入窺看新型媒體的萬花筒世界。

            人類的溝通媒介，從古至今，不外乎聲音的語言，書寫的文字，以及視覺的影像，也就是人們熟悉的電台廣播，報紙雜誌，電視電影。

紐英崙中華專協董事李小玉(右起) ，波士頓僑教中心潘昭榮，專協董事長周萬欽，
駐波士頓經文處處長孫儉元，專協會長林致中。(中華專協提供)

            但是隨著科技進步，時代變遷，網際網路鋪天蓋地的幾乎無所不在，人們早可藉由很廉宜，迷你的器材，頻道載體，就製作、呈現出早年動輒須斥巨資，出動大批人馬才能完成的那些節目、故事或影集，大眾傳播逐漸變成了分眾傳播，甚至小眾傳播，卻也百花齊放，萬鼓齊鳴的使得資訊更加爆炸。一則消息在報紙，電視，電台播出，就幾乎全民皆知的年代，也早就一去不復返。

紐英崙中華專協董事長周萬欽(左一)、前董事長蔡明機(右二)，會長林致中(右一)送紀念品
給"熱炒旅行店"的楊佳榮。(中華專協提供)

            中華專協今年的年會，就在哈佛大學系統麻省總醫院做博士後的會長林致中聽過”旅行熱炒店”，前會長康雅雰意外發掘”台灣人   (Taiwanese Diaspora)”這2個播客節目中，催生出這有4名不同領域新媒體講者，出席者大讚內容多元精彩的會議。

紐英崙中華專協董事長周萬欽(左起)、耆英趙鍾英和會長林致中(右一)送紀念品
給"台灣人"的林欣岫。(中華專協提供)

           2名播客及講題為” 台灣人 “的林欣岫 (Cynthia Lin)講”播客在三個方面改變了我的生命 (Three Ways Podcasting Changed My Life) ，”旅行熱炒店”的楊佳榮(Jerome Yang) 講” 用聲音帶大家去旅行，一位背包客的 Podcast 創作之路”；2名Youtuber及講題為，”昆蟲島 (Insect Island)”的姜安蓉(Avalon Owens)講” 電燈泡: Firefly flirtation on a light-polluted planet” ，Jon Jon MBA”的陳杰揚 (Jon Chen)講” 下班後如何運營具有社會影響力的教育 YouTube 頻道 (How to run an educational YouTube channel with social impact after work)” 。

            會議結束後，有愛心滿滿的蕭惠菁為大會烹煮的蔬食饗宴，包括苦盡甘來（台式苦茶油麵線），綠野仙蹤:松子香椿飯（羅曼生菜葉），虎咬錢（素掛包），智慧糕（台式素米血糕佐油糕&花生粉），福慧卷（香酥G捲），珍珠滿缽（珍珠丸子），年年有餘（糖醋餘），珍味三杯-時蔬總匯，湯品的蔬食藥膳，甜湯的紅豆紫米桂圓湯，無論是名稱或滋味，都讓與會眾人大呼意外收穫。

紐英崙中華專協董事長周萬欽(左)和會長林致中(右一)，董事李小玉 (右二)送紀念品
給"昆蟲島"的姜安蓉。(中華專協提供)

           當天的會議內容，還有波克來台灣商會秘書長李典璋，以及波士頓台灣人生物科技協會的林仲璞支援中華專協，撰寫了有如行雲流水般暢順詩意的整理文稿。

Three Ways Podcasting Changed My Life

Cynthia Lin (林欣岫) / Taiwanese Diaspora / Podcast

波士頓波克萊臺灣商會秘書長Dian-Jang Lee提供

這是她的尋根之旅，也是她的療癒之旅。

紐英崙中華專協董事長周萬欽(左)和會長林致中(右一) 送紀念品
給"Jon Jon MBA"的陳杰揚。(中華專協提供)

第一代移民遠渡重洋，來到陌生國度建立家庭、養育子女，就像開車沒有地圖一般，或許滿足了物質上的需求，在異國成長的子女卻可能對身分認同感到迷惘。林欣岫便是這樣一個在美國成長的臺灣囡仔：他的父母來自臺灣，阿公阿嬤受過日本教育。即使她小時候排斥學中文，父母還是費盡心思給她一個臺式教育，把她送去中文學校，她的鋼琴老師是臺灣人，連她的小兒科醫生也是臺灣人。她喜歡挑戰自我、探索世界，熱愛攀岩、馬拉松，想要與眾不同，連學音樂都要選薩克斯風—「因為不想和別人一樣」。在探索世界的同時，也是在探索自我的過程，各色各樣的國度和景致，彷彿是一面鏡子，讓她審視自己的來處，她不由得探問：「我是誰？我的文化是什麼？我該怎麼重拾我的母語，保存我族群的文化？」。

曾經氣媽媽送她去中文學校，覺得「學中文有什麼用？」的她，在25歲那年踏上父母出生的島嶼，在師大認認真真地學習中文。從麻省理工畢業，一帆風順的生活，在她迎來人生最大的挫折時，她更藉此機會去充實自己、了解自己、了解自己的文化，並且開始用Podcast訪談，紀錄臺灣人，尤其是美國臺灣人的故事。她訪問過陳富阿姨的移民故事，訪問過當年正投入選舉的吳弭市長，也分享臺灣影展。她的Podcast訪談，正是美國臺灣人的臉譜；透過訪談，我們可以留下他們的聲音和故事，她說：每一個人都是特別的，沒有平庸的故事，每個人的故事都不平凡，如果你樂意的話，請讓我訪問你。

她因為Podcast認識許多僑團、朋友、寫作和Podcast的同好，她也大力為波士頓華埠社區中心募款，讓社群更加茁壯。她對錄音、剪輯要求很高，在器材花費不貲，把自己搞得精疲力盡。也有朋友勸她「不要總是當好學生，偶爾當普通學生（Be a C-Student）吧」，她笑著說她還在學習怎麼當普通學生。

她說，她在馬里蘭老家有一棵樹，因為根不夠深，有一天倒了。對一個族群來說，不也是如此嗎？如果文化根基不夠深，也可能輕易就消失了。她希望盡力去發掘和保留這些我們的、先人的故事。故事實在太多了，但是她樂此不疲，期望自己這輩子不斷地做下去。而且這個Podcast沒有營利，是她給臺灣僑胞的一份禮物。

身為臺灣移民第二代，現在她說：「如果我生孩子，我希望他們會講中文。」

用聲音帶大家去旅行，一位背包客的 Podcast 創作之路

Jerome Yang (楊佳榮) / 旅行熱炒店

波士頓波克萊臺灣商會秘書長Dian-Jang Lee提供

「世界上有很多的人事物，就像是各式各樣的食材，我們沒有注意到它，可能是因為我們沒有一個有趣的方式去感受到它的風味。旅行熱炒店的概念，就像是把這些食材拿過來，嘗試用不一樣的方式，讓大家體驗，原來這些地方這麼特別。」

楊佳榮是一位戴著軟體工程師面具的人文地理學家，他有無窮的好奇心和敏銳的觀察力，探索世界上的偏遠地區和城市中被忽略的角落。他的故事，是一幅幅生動的人文風景畫：在烏茲別克領略老清真寺的莊嚴，從廢棄的宣禮塔感受帖木兒帝國故都的輝煌，在中亞的長途火車上和純樸熱情的人們分享家常菜，在貝南的水上人家和不歸門看見奴隸時代的傷痕。他透過Podcast，用聲音帶大家去旅行。

關於用聲音來描述旅行見聞，佳榮有獨到的見解。在現代生活中人們的視覺已經被各種文字和影像佔據，聲音媒體反而有很大的發展空間。而且藉由口述人文景觀，更能夠引起人們的好奇和想像。他也對自己的聲音、音調、語速下足功夫，研究不同語境帶給聽眾的感覺，更在現場和大家分享一段描述塔特拉山脈U型谷的錄音。

頻道中有許多節目是和來賓訪談分享見聞，從訪綱也能看見來賓的性格。有的來賓只給三個關鍵字，也有的來賓像@Jerry超認真寫了三頁訪綱😅他也分享在開錄前，如何讓來賓和自己放鬆心情、開嗓的祕方。除了內容，聲音作品的包裝也非常重要，標題和封面吸不吸引人，是人們想不想收聽的一大關鍵。標題和封面也會引起大家的討論，甚至分享所學，也是佳榮的意外收穫。

有人問到，為什麼他可以在工作之餘還能做這麼多節目？如今資訊氾濫，媒體競爭激烈，想要一夕之間讓很多人看到並不是容易的事，「如果你想要創作的話，你一定要對你想做的東西有很強的熱情，強到你不講你會受不了，即使沒有人要聽你還是願意講。」回過頭來，「你要問自己說，你對什麼有熱情？」

「多和聽眾互動，那怕只有一兩位會聽你講，也沒關係，那些回饋就是你前進的動力。我的頻道沒有任何收入，所有的業配我都拒絕，我之所以可以做到現在，是因為有很多人的鼓勵。」未來他想做的更多，希望可以觸及到國際議題或深度報導，讓大家了解世界上有許多聲音值得被聽見，有許多議題值得被討論。就像他演講的結尾：「聲音是有力量的，可以用來政治宣傳，可以用來販賣商品，也可以讓我們看見更大的世界。」

電燈泡: Firefly flirtation on a light-polluted planet

Avalon Owens (姜安蓉) / 昆蟲島 / YouTube

林仲璞Chungpu Lin提供

「有可能這隻frog下次就會知道，下次最好不要吃螢火蟲喔…」演講者一邊播放螢火蟲在青蛙體內發光示警的短片，一邊夾帶著中英文，以淺白的方式介紹螢火蟲生態。她是姜安蓉，來自美國愛達荷州，多年前在臺灣成立YouTube頻道「昆蟲島」。

高中一場活動競賽，姜安蓉因緣際會去到夏威夷；當年活動主題是中國與世界，她發現東方藝術文化很有趣，也覺得中文字形、音調、系統都很酷很美，因此萌發學中文的念頭。她上網查，查到偶像劇，於是試著用偶像劇學中文。不確定有沒有學好中文，倒是確定成了汪東城的鐵粉。「我都是看英文字幕，中文沒學到很多，但我愛上偶像劇！也想去臺灣。」因為高中時的活動，讓她第一次接觸到中文，並讓她帶著想學中文的念頭，前往哈佛大學。

哈佛大學有全美最大、最久的中文語言社團，這成為她決定來哈佛唸書的原因之一。她跟著哈佛社團學中文，也去到哈佛北京書院，甚至後來，終於也飛往臺灣，和世界各地來的人一起學中文、獲得臺灣腔。從哈佛畢業後，姜安蓉取得經費，住在高雄，開始學幾句臺語、每天看黃色小鴨，並熱血騎自行車環島；隔年，她拿到臺灣獎學金，順利到臺灣大學昆蟲系唸碩士班。

除了對中文的好奇，姜安蓉對生物、動物也非常有興趣；因為對昆蟲了解不多、大學時學得較少，希望藉由碩士班，多學一點昆蟲。她回憶，當年指導教授問她要研究蜜蜂或螢火蟲，她回問老師什麼是螢火蟲（笑）。在臺大，她第一次學習做研究，並成立YouTube頻道，初衷是希望藉由平台，讓更多人認識大自然。在頻道裡，她介紹美洲蟑螂、白蟻、蝴蝶…等，也分享語言學習與文化差異，甚至經歷人生中的高光時刻－與汪東城對談。她幽默表示，現在看當初拍的快問快答，很多答案都與當年不同了：比如研究螢火蟲，讓她不再早睡早起；不過，與汪東城對談是美夢成真，她至今仍感到問號，為何汪東城不與她交往（觀眾大笑）。她也誠實地聊到，發現自己漸漸被流量數字綁架，觀眾要看的內容大多非與昆蟲、自然相關，甚至因為曝光而出現不友善的留言。她反思，能在小頻道中，默默做著自己最喜歡有興趣的內容，對她來說才是最好玩的。

碩士畢業後，她回到波士頓唸博士班，持續研究她熱愛的昆蟲主題。儘管她自述這幾年就像黑洞般，分享研究過程成果時卻閃爍雙眼。她拋出幾個值得討論的議題讓大家反思：裝上LED燈的橋好看嗎、對動物好嗎？她放上幾張空拍照，對比幾十年前與現今的夜空：我們的世界越來越亮，對用光溝通、調情的螢火蟲而言，他們之間就不容易看見彼此。

臺灣是全世界有名的賞螢國家，也是生態教育做得很好的地方。姜安蓉拿出臺灣觀光局製作的手冊，有著螢火蟲一生、精美圖片與賞螢觀念等介紹，對比美國僅兩面粗淺文字，她認為臺灣是非常棒的學習典範，甚至情緒激動地提到2017臺北螢火蟲年會，臺灣成功地維護螢火蟲棲地，將生態保育精神傳承給下一代，是非常令人敬佩的。

 

How to run an educational YouTube channel with social impact after work

JonJon MBA / Jon Chen (陳杰揚) / YouTube

波士頓波克萊臺灣商會秘書長Dian-Jang Lee提供

陳杰揚是JonJon MBA的共同創辦人，頻道內容包含MBA相關主題、面試與職場技巧。他首先分享對YouTube的市場觀察：YouTube美國使用者男多女少（男性佔56%），年齡則以30-49歲最多（佔40%）。超過70%使用者偏好在行動裝置觀看，62%商業活動會運用YouTube影片來做宣傳，如今90%民眾是經由YouTube發現新品牌或新產品。在臺灣，YouTube更是深入家家戶戶，88%網路用戶每月造訪YouTube，49%的人會為了學習新知在YouTube搜尋。YouTube可以觸及1800萬的成年觀眾，晚上8-11點是最常收看的時段，每人觀看時間超過85分鐘，也有越來越多人用電視觀看YouTube。

JonJon MBA已發布100支影片，訂閱數超過10萬（在臺灣排名2220）。他強調臺灣YouTube市場已經是飽和競爭，能達到百萬訂閱的都是毛麟鳳角。他也大方分享頻道的團隊分工和後台數據，觀眾以臺灣為主，少數來自香港、美國、新加坡和馬來西亞。YouTube播放數、廣告和MBA課程都是營收來源。在各種主題的影片中，面試與職場技巧最能讓觀眾從頭看到尾。為了增加曝光，他也積極建立臺灣人MBA社群、與補習班結盟，目標是成為臺灣YouTube最大的教育類頻道。