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April 12, 2022 0

Concerns Linger Over China Initiative’s Fate

Weeks after news that the Department of Justice’s four-year-old “China Initiative” would be dissolved, some experts now warn the program that largely targeted Chinese immigrants and visiting academics could be revived as easily as it was killed–and that its influence lingers on. “The pendulum could swing back the other way on that,” Mitch Ambrose, who heads science policy newsletters and tracking resources at the American Institute of Physics, told the Sampan. “There’s clearly interest among certain Republicans in bringing back […]

April 12, 2022 0

From Dick’s DeskTax Credits and Deductions for College Education

by Richard Soo Hoo

Dear Dick: I have two children attending two high priced Boston colleges. My son is a junior, and my daughter is a sophomore. So, I have two more years of tuition checks to write. Are there any tax writeoffs I can take to get some relief from the high cost of tuition expense? “Over-educated and Over-Taxed” —————————————————- Dear “Over-educated and Over-Taxed,” I agree, it costs a small ransom to send children to college these days. But you may benefit from […]

April 12, 2022 0

The Air That We Breathe: Testimonies From the Frontlines of Chinatown’s Air Pollution Battle

by Max Wei

Chinatown continues to be one of Boston’s more vibrant communities. However, behind that curtain, the residents, workers, and businesses breathe the dirtiest air in Massachusetts. Joan didn’t know that Chinatown had the dirtiest air in Massachusetts when she moved here eight years ago. But when her two twin girls were diagnosed with asthma two years ago, she was shocked. She couldn’t understand why. No one in her own family had asthma and no one smoked at home. Then her children’s […]

April 12, 2022 0

Haruki Murakami’s “Drive My Car”- a road trip through the stages of grief

by Christopher John Stephens

The film version of Murakami’s 2020 short story “Drive My Car” is a three hour meditation on grief, forgiveness, and redemption. A stage actor and director named Yusuke Kafuku travels from Tokyo to Horshima to mount a performance of the Anton Chekhov play Uncle Vanya. As written by Murakami and interpreted for film by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kafuku comes off as stubborn, stoic, hiding his true self. Kafuku is a prototypical Murakami make. He curates a classical music collection on […]

March 28, 2022 0

Justice Dept. Ends China Program

by Chelsea Wang

A Trump-era Department of Justice initiative that critics say unfairly targets Chinese Americans is ending, but some say the damage has already been done. The “China Initiative” was launched in 2018 when the DOJ was run by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The program was intended to defend the United States against what officials believed to be intellectual property theft conducted by the Chinese government, but it has been criticized for unfairly targeting Chinese scientists in the U.S., and some say […]

March 14, 2022 0

Local Doctor, Scientist Has Invention That Is Truly Out of This World

by Winnie Huang

You could say Dr. Eugene Chan, a local doctor and scientist, has made his mark in the world of scientific and medical innovation. But that wouldn’t be quite accurate. The Massachusetts resident has, in fact, made a mark in outer space, too. Literally. Chan in February saw his company’s blood analyzer that he invented launch on a rocket to the International Space Station. Here is the story of Chan, and how this son of immigrants from Hong Kong, ended up […]

March 14, 2022 0

Anti-Asian Notes Target President of Harvard’s Undergrad Council

by Chelsea Wang

Michael Cheng, president of the Harvard undergraduate council, was the apparent victim of anti-Asian slurs at the campus late last month, in an incident that has been condemned by dozens of organizations and hundreds of members affiliated with the school. “It just crosses a line in many ways,” said Cheng, who’s pursuing a joint concentration in history and mathematics and a concurrent fourth-year master’s degree in computer science. “I just have seen casual stereotypes about Asian Americans thrown about at […]

February 28, 2022 0

SFFA v. Harvard

by Chelsea Wang

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases challenging affirmative action–race-conscious–admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), an organization led by legal strategist Edward Blum, sued the universities in 2014, alleging that their admissions policies discriminate against Asian American and white applicants. SFFA accused Harvard of discriminating against Asian Americans through the personal rating–which purports to measure personality traits such as leadership and kindness–it assigns to each applicant. On January 24, […]

February 28, 2022 0

Five Steps to Getting the Job You Want

by Christopher John Stephens

The most recent Federal job market report showed a strong economy rebuilding itself in spite of Covid waves. Employers added nearly half a million jobs in January 2022. Even more surprising to many, the restaurant and hotel industry has started adding jobs. President Biden noted, with the usual flair seen from Chief Executives, “America’s job machine is going stronger than ever.” What does this mean? We can certainly be comforted by numbers by the definitive objectivity of numbers, but there’s […]

February 15, 2022 0

AACA Launches New Low Income Taxpayer Clinic

by Winnie Huang

On Monday, the Asian American Civic Association (AACA) announced the launch of the AACA Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) to support English as a second language speakers and low-income individuals who need assistance resolving tax disputes with the IRS. Headquartered at the AACA office on Tyler Street in Chinatown, the AACA LITC prides itself in being the only LITC in Massachusetts dedicated to supporting the Asian community, with specialized translation services in Chinese, Vietnamese, and more in development. Though funded […]

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