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February 25, 2023 0

The Interpreters Who Pushed for Higher Pay – and Won

When her daily pay rate finally increased after 17 years, Gema Schaff bought a new pair of shoes. The 75-year-old Spanish language court interpreter originally from Havana was able to upgrade her wardrobe with new flats for work. It was part of her goal to replace “some really worn out” warm weather shoes. “The [other shoes] look really old, and the first thing I thought was: I can get new shoes,’’ Schaff, who currently lives in Cambridge, said. The new shoes […]

February 25, 2023 0

Cannabis Shop Plans Fire Up Some in Chinatown

by Aili Liu

“I’m a recovering substance abuser,” William told Sampan. “My friends know this, my family knows this. I am all too aware of the problems that come when an addict’s drug of choice, like tobacco and alcohol, is legal and easily available. I’m also aware of the regulations in place for sale and distribution and the resources available for treatment to prevent addiction.” He is 67 yrs old, and has owned a Cannabis Shop in Lowell for over 6 years. He […]

February 25, 2023 0

The Missing School Children: Massive Learning Setbacks from the Pandemic

by Jeff Millman

The latest signs of the end of the pandemic are upon us. The Biden administration plans to let coronavirus public health emergency provisions expire in May, and individual states are ending various COVID mandates as well. New York is dropping hospital mask mandates and vaccine mandates for city workers, while California has decided against enacting vaccine mandates for schoolchildren and is ending its own state of emergency on February 28. For most Americans, COVID is no longer a top concern. […]

February 25, 2023 0

Formerly Incarcerated Persons Need to Work: Getting Beyond Society’s Barriers

by Bolin Shen

If you receive a felony, it’s like a life sentence that hangs with you for the rest of your life, making re-employment difficult, if not impossible. This disparity is even greater for immigrants, who often face language barriers and discrimination in the job market, where the hurdles to finding work are even higher. Statistics show that criminal aliens – illegal immigrants who engage in other criminal acts – account for more than one in five federal prison inmates, even though […]

February 24, 2023 0

Mayor Wu’s Rent Stabilization Effort Draws Praise, Criticism

by Kristen Si

In a city synonymous with high housing costs, residents of Boston have long dealt with the soaring cost of rent. In fact, for the past several years, Zillow has listed Boston as one of the top 5 most expensive rental markets in the nation. A recent 2022 report by the Greater Boston Association of Realtors’ showed that between 2019 and 2022, is the same time for the median cost of a single-family home rose by 26%. In the face of […]

February 24, 2023 0

Political Leaders, Activists Seek to Strengthen White House Asian American Initiative

by Sonia Cavazos

As the threat of the Covid-19 has receded, the threat of anti-Asian bias still remains in the U.S. But many activists and politicians are working to finding ways to stand up against the discrimination. And some are pointing to an executive order dating back decades. In 1999, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order, effectively creating The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANAPI). President Biden has now recently worked to expand upon the initiative. […]

February 12, 2023 0

Massachusetts Asian Restaurant Association Leader Reflects: How COVID Changed Us

by Bolin Shen

February 1, 2023 marks three years since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Massachusetts. In the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on businesses in Massachusetts, with many forced to temporarily or permanently close their doors or significantly reduce operations due to government-mandated lockdowns and restrictions. Businesses in Massachusetts, struggled to stay afloat in the face of lockdowns and saw severe supply chain disruptions. While the risk of COVID-19 has lessened as vaccines and boosters […]

a police car parked beside the crime scene

February 12, 2023 0

The Death of Tyre Nichols: Consequences Continue for Memphis Police and America

by Jeff Millman

Following the firing and charging of five Memphis police officers for their role in the death of Tyre Nichols last month, a sixth officer involved has also been fired for violating multiple department policies. Internal police investigations are ongoing to determine further culpability in Nichols’ death, which has tragically resumed a national conversation about the relationships between police officers and the communities they work in. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was stopped by the Memphis police on the night of […]

February 12, 2023 0

Interview with Playwright Wang Chong

by Aili Liu

Intro to Wang Chong Wang Chong is a writer/translator, one of Beijing’s most renowned contemporary theater directors. Intent on refreshing the stagnant Chinese theater scene by combining genres such as political, physical, documentary, multimedia, and cross-cultural, Wang Chong founded the Beijing based performance group Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental in 2008. It has performed over 30 shows in more than 20 countries. Wang Chong’s work has received much positive critical and popular response. “The Warfare of Landmine 2.0” won 2013’s Festival/Tokyo […]

February 11, 2023 0

“We Are All Searching For Meaning”: A Conversation with Professor Alan Lightman

by Christopher John Stephens

“How do our complex human experiences arise from the atoms and molecules we are made of?” Professor Alan Lightman is an MIT theoretical physicist in search of purpose and answers to questions such as this. Lightman is one of the first at MIT to receive a joint appointment in both the sciences and the humanities, Lightman’s made significant contributions to both fields within scientific academia and creative literature. Themes from his 25 books, and contributions to The New Yorker, Harper’s, […]

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