January 3, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 1

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Education

Palestinian-American Speaks Out After Library Photo Reception Taken Over

Laila Kassis had never heard of Skip Schiel’s photography before she was asked to talk at the reception in mid-May for the exhibit “The Ongoing and Relentless Nakba, the Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948 to the Present.” Kassis, a Palestinian-American, said when she did see the 14 or so photos in the show, she noted how underwhelming it all was, given the subject. “It was very simple and innocuous.” There was no big statement or in-your-face message, just photos of the […]

Clean Energy Activist Frank Pao Sees the Light

The U.S. Small Business Administration is lifting a loan program cap for clean energy projects for small businesses. With these new regulations, small businesses will be able to take out as many loans as they would like for up to $5.5 million to fund energy reduction or clean energy projects. These new policies come as part of a series of policy changes urging for cleaner energy from the Biden-Harris administration.Amid these new policy changes, Sampan had the opportunity to speak […]

Editorial: U.S. Is Failing Its Young People

America is failing its children.That is the undeniable takeaway from a report published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Kids age one to 19 are overall dying at a faster rate than they have been in the past half century, found the team of doctors who wrote the report, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among US Youth.”Between 1999 and 2020, nearly a half million kids in the U.S. died, and many from […]

Opinion: Beware TikTok Medicine

Americans are increasingly turning to the internet for health advice. A 2022 study by CharityRx found that 65% of Americans use Google to get answers to health questions before they consult doctors. Around 20% try TikTok first, with the numbers higher for millennials and Gen-Z. As the demand for information grows, so does the supply of online “health influencers” ready to peddle products, supplements, and questionable treatments. According to the CharityRx study, 37% of Americans seek advice from online health […]

Don’t Throw Away That Yogurt Yet: Sampan Interviews Expert on Confusing Sell-by, Use-by Dates

Say you’re grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge, and see its expiration day passed three days ago. It smells fine, but is it safe? The answer isn’t always clear. In many parts of the world, expiration dates are a familiar sight on a variety of foods, particularly those that are perishable such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. The dates play a crucial role in influencing consumer behavior and managing store inventory. But the dates are not always […]

Bilingualism is Superpower

At a Nov 16 2023 national conference organized by the Department of Education, bilingualism was recognized for its profound contribution to the economic and political power toolkits for America.. This event, as a part of the Biden-Harris administration’s initiative to promote multilingual education, brought together experts and policy-makers to discuss the burgeoning role of bilingualism in an increasingly interconnected world. A key focus of the conference was the cognitive and economic advantages of being bilingual. A study done by Michelle […]

Quincy Upper School to Open by Summer, Says Principal Chang

The new Josiah Quincy Upper School faced several challenges during its development — the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and a $30 million cost increase. But now the opening is near. To find out about the planned opening, Sampan spoke with Richard Chang, principal of the Josiah Quincy Upper School about the project to date. Sampan: How is the construction progressing as we close out 2023? Are there any structural changes from the original plans?Chang: The project management team anticipates […]

Book Bans Are Rising in Public Libraries and Schools

According to the American Library Association, there were more than 3300 individual book bans in US public school libraries and classrooms, removing access to more than 1550 unique book titles, during the last school year from July 2022 to June 2023. In Massachusetts, there were 45 attempts to censor books and other library resources in 2022, placing Massachusetts as the fourth state with the highest attempts to restrict access to books. In reality, according to Massachusetts Library Association’s survey, there […]

The Brutality of Hazing Remains a Dangerous Tradition in Schools and Colleges

Boston College’s Swimming and Diving team was suspended this past September due to hazing, targeted specifically at freshmen. The hazing occurred when the upperclassmen excessively pressured the new freshman on the swim team to drink excessively despite being underage. According to the letter written by Boston College’s administration, the hazing occurs on day two of a happening for three days straight. Reports of the incidents showed that freshmen were given bags to wear around their necks for vomit, and the […]

Back to School Concerns as COVID Cases Increase: How to Stay Safe

As children in Boston return to school, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has some tips to stay safe and healthy. In mid-August, BPHC noted that COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the city were low but that the average level of COVID-19 particles in Boston’s wastewater was increasing. This trend has continued over the last few weeks. With the cold and flu season approaching as well, preparation is key to illness prevention. BPHC “strongly recommends that all families stay up to date […]

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