November 22, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 22

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Top News

Harvard College China Forum Tells the U.S.-China Story Sampan talks with two panelists about China, U.S. and soft power

This year’s Harvard College China Forum (HCCF) included the world’s most respected thinkers on everything China, and the Sampan caught up with two experts, Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, and Andy Zeng, the co-president of HCCF. Founded in 1997 as Harvard China Review,  the forum is renowned as North America’s premier student-run conference focused on discussing the challenges, trends, and issues concerning China. Held annually at Harvard College […]

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 […]

Advocates Welcome, Criticize Census Category Revisions  Some Say Changes Could Reduce Responses From Those Who Feel Un-Represented

Written in bland and unassuming language, newly released policy changes to how the U.S. government and Census categorizes some racial and ethnic groups could have an immeasurable impact on  Americans of Middle Eastern and North African descent, and other minority groups, say immigrant advocates. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget published on March 28 a set of revisions to “Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.” This revision added […]

2024 Boston Marathon Shows ‘One Boston’ Spirit

The city of Boston on April 15 held its 128th Marathon, bringing tens of thousands of runners from all over the world to the city in a show of grit and athleticism. Since its first race, the status of the Marathon has gained high esteem from the worldwide competitive running community, something that is apparent in the increase of participants throughout the decades. The first Boston Marathon, held in 1897, had a participant-list that included only 18 people; in 2022, […]

Thousands of Immigrant Deaths From Greed, Racism: A Painful Reminder

Last month six construction workers were found dead in a red pickup truck submerged in 25 feet of water in Baltimore, Maryland. The truck fell into the river following the collapse of the bridge they were working on. Only the bodies of 26-year-old Dorlian Castillo Cabrera and 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes were found inside the truck, according to USA Today,  According to the media outlet Firstpost, the six construction workers were part of a Central America crew from places like […]

Firelei Báez Brings a New Exhibition to the ICA

A new exhibit has opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston featuring a survey of the work of artist Firelei Báez with 40 pieces of her striking work on display. This is the first museum survey dedicated to her work with the exhibit spanning 20 years of her career.  At a recent press preview Báez spoke about her art, in particular an installation called “A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought in sideways)” created in 2019. […]

Environmental Degradation and Political Corruption In Haiti

The transformation of Haiti from a lush, forested island to a country now grappling with the severe consequences of deforestation is a stark example of environmental degradation and its interplay with political corruption. Once covered 97% by beautiful forests, Haiti’s landscape tells a different story today, with only 2% of its original forest cover remaining. This drastic change is not only an ecological crisis but also a reflection of the broader issues of governance and corruption that have been an […]

A Conversation With Daughters of Shandong Author Eve J. Chung

Historical fiction writers need to serve two masters. The first is a strict adherence to facts, location, and real-life characters. The other is effective world-building through relatable characters. Eve J. Chung’s new novel Daughters of Shandong is a confident, gripping, heart pounding epic that perfectly balances those priorities. Chuang, a women’s civil rights lawyer said “Chinese people have a saying ‘Zhong nan qing nu,’ …’Value men, belittle women.’ Sexism was, and still is, so ingrained in our culture that many […]

Book Banning Escalates in US Public Schools and Libraries

Throughout the United States, book banning is dramatically altering the complexion of the literary and social landscape. In a recent March publication, the American Library Association (ALA) reported a surge in book censorship attempts in 2023. Compared to the prior year, public schools and libraries encountered over 1600 more title challenges, amounting to 4240 total contested works. The Office for Intellectual Freedom, the ALA’s department tasked with intellectual freedom education, disclosed data showing prevalent restrictive efforts against both institutions. While […]

Free Help for Your Tax Needs in Massachusetts

April 15 is a big day for millions of people in America. It is Tax Day, the deadline for people to file their taxes for the previous year. Taxes  play a very important role in our society. Besides being the main source of funding for our government, taxes also provide billions of dollars in aid every year to working class people and families.  We see the effects of our taxes every day: in our roads, our social services, and in […]

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