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June 10, 2023 0

New Immigration Uncertainty with Title 42’s Expiration

Title 42 expired last Thursday, May 11th, at 11:59 pm EDT. As new migrants flooded the US-Mexico border following this development, many questions have been raised about Title 42, its provisions, and the consequences its expiration could have nationally and in the greater Boston area. Here is a look at the new immigration legislation developments. What was Title 42? The restrictions known as Title 42 derive their name and authority from Title 42 of a 1944 public health law. […]

June 10, 2023 0

The Earth is Burning Up: This is Not Science Fiction

by Chetanprett Singh

The latest Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC, released in 2021, delivered a sobering message: Many aspects of climate change are now inevitable and irreversible. Scientists predict that the world will reach 1.5°C of warming by 2040, leading to more heat waves, intense storms, droughts, and floods. The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgency to take immediate and decisive action to combat climate change. While 2040 looks far and gives the illusion that […]

June 10, 2023 0

Stay True: Hua Hsu’s Memoir About Friendship, Identity, and Assimilation

by Christopher John Stephens

Friendship memoirs can be a tricky genre to navigate. By definition, the writer is on the outside of the narrative: The focus is defining the importance of the relationship. Ann Patchett’s 2004 memoir Truth and Beauty comes immediately to mind. Its evocation of the writer’s relationship with poet Lucy Grealy worked because the focus rested on the symbiotic connection between writer and her subject. In Hua Hsu’s remarkable 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Stay True, that symbiosis takes on an even […]

June 9, 2023 0

Cambridge Expands Direct-Payment Program for Low-Income Residents

by Jeff Millman

In 2021, the city of Cambridge spent $1.5 million on a guaranteed-income program for low-income residents. 130 eligible households received $500 a month for 18 months, with no requirements for what the money could be spent on. In May 2023, Cambridge announced the program would be expanded. Using $22 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the city is starting the Rise Up Cambridge program, which will allow hundreds more eligible, low-income households to receive direct cash payments. This […]

June 9, 2023 0

The Future of ChatGPT Regulation

by Kristen Si

If you’ve been on the internet recently, you most likely have heard of ChatGPT – a new AI natural language processing tool which has gained significant public traction over the past several months. The chatbot was developed by OpenAI, a startup founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Released on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT is capable of everything from returning human-like conversational responses to generating a resume to even writing software on its own. ChatGPT is able to […]

June 9, 2023 0

Immigrants and Their Stories: Meet Rita from Myanmar

by Mary Wong-Sommer

In this series, we interview new immigrants to the U.S. to hear their stories, struggles and dream. Here, we speak with Rita (her name has been changed) from Myanmar. Rita never thought she would leave Burma. Over six years, she had built up her own, successful, catering company with 20 employees. Her customers included many international nonprofits and Rita loved what she was doing. Now in her early forties, she finds herself in America, beginning a new life with her family […]

June 9, 2023 0

In Memory of Former South Cove Community Health Center Director Eugene Welch

by Aili Liu

Editor’s Note: Eugene Welch, CEO/Executive Director of South Cove Community Health Center for 23 years until his 2022 retirement, passed away Monday May 29 at the age of 78. Sampan is re-printing our October 2022 Eugene Welch profile/interview. We asked Eric Tiberi, SCCHC’s new CEO/Executive Director, for a few words about Mr. Welch’s legacy and the future of the Center going forward. Eugene Welch was a mentor, friend, and supporter to all of us at South Cove Community Health Center. He had an […]

May 27, 2023 0

Tufts University Organizes Chinatown Neighborhood Spring Cleanup

by guest

On Wednesday, May 10, Tufts University hosted its 3rd annual Cherish Chinatown Cleanup, a spring neighborhood cleanup in Boston’s Chinatown, the home of the university’s Health Sciences Campus. Over one hundred Tufts students, faculty, and staff volunteers participated in the effort, picking up trash, working on landscaping projects and cleaning up sidewalks, all while learning more about the neighborhood and ways to continue or begin involvement with local nonprofit community partners. With the support of Tufts University’s office of Government and […]

May 27, 2023 0

Preventing a Global Water Catastrophe- One Drop at a Time

by Chetanprett Singh

The earth’s demand for fresh water will outstrip supply by 40% in 2030. This warning comes from The Global Commission on the Economics of Water as we continue to consume water without caution. The World Meteorological Organization also reported in November 2022 that “climate-related shortages in water resources could affect two thirds of the world’s population by midcentury. Complicating these frightening predictions is the fact that extreme rainfalls and flooding are among the consequences of global warming that will likely […]

May 27, 2023 0

Resilience and Beyond: Asian American Film Festival on GBH World

by Sonia Cavazos

GBH WORLD has created a lineup of films in honor of AAPI slated for the entire month of May. There will be a total of four programs on WORLD; three will be full-length documentaries, and seven short films titled, Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond. The intersection of recognizing emerging filmmakers from different backgrounds while highlighting diversity and culture is something that GBH WORLD takes pride in. GBH’s General Manager for Television, Liz Cheng discussed the return to the […]

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