The Chinatown/South Cove Neighbor-hood Council (CNC) held its monthly meet-ing on Monday, 15 August 2011, at 6 PM inside the Chinatown Consolidated Benevo-lent Association (CCBA) building (90 Tyler Street, Boston). The rainy weather could not stop 16 board members from coming together to discuss community enrichment.

The progress of two affordable hous-ing projects was reported at the meeting. One project was AvalonBay Communi-ties Inc.’s proposal of building a 29-story high-rise on Stuart Street with 404 apart-ments above a 198-parking space garage. Located at the border of Chinatown and

Vol. XXXX August 26 - September 8, 2011 2011年8月26日~ 9月8日

全紐英倫區唯一的中英雙語雙週報The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

With the mission to disseminate Chi-nese language and culture to Chinese and non-Chinese learners, Boston China-town’s Kwong Kow Chinese School (KKCS) combines fun with a healthy appetite for academic excellence. Pairing a heritage of more than 90 years with a constant influx of Chinese immigrants into the Chinatown area, KKCS is kept busy year round – but never more so than during the summer.

This summer, enrollment at KKCS peaked at 286 students – with ages rang-

Hundreds Take Part in Boston Chinatown’s Mid-Autumn Festival

CNC members meet to discuss Community Enrichment

Read articles & view e-paper @ www.sampan.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

BY KANE CARPENTERSampan Editor

BY KANE CARPENTERSampan Editor

BY KANE CARPENTERSampan Editor

Kwong Kow Chinese School “Bridging China and the World”

A group of children playing on the computers in the computer lab at Kwong Kow Chinese School (Photo courtesy of Kwong Kow Chinese School)

The board members of the Chinatown Neighborhood Council (CNC) discuss matters at their monthly meeting (Photo courtesy of Annie Dan Yang-Perez)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Despite a day marred with showers, hundreds turned up to celebrate Mid-Au-tumn Festival at Boston’s Chinatown on Sunday, August 14.

More than twenty-five stalls, selling a va-riety of products, from handmade souvenirs to International calling cards to Asian DVDs, set up white tents to showcase their goods and add to the atmosphere that enveloped Chinatown during the annual celebration.

Mid-Autumn (or August Moon), a fes-tival that dates back some 3,000 years, is one of the most important annual festivals in Chinese culture, equaled only by Chinese New Year and the Winter Solstice. Typical ways of celebrating the occasion include carrying illuminated lanterns, eating moon cake and pomelo, and burning incense.

One of the booths that attracted a lot of attention was one that featured the talents of B.N. Leung, whom hand-crafted colorful flour figurines for the entire day. Dough figurines have been a part of Chinese cul-ture for over two thousand years, with

some written records dating back to the Han Dynasty (206B.C.-220A.D.)

Another festival attraction that left children and adults alike desiring to pur-chase one were the numerous terrapin turtles that were on sale. These terrapins, which typically sold for four to five dol-lars per turtle, were scooped into plas-tic cases and carried home by a copious number of people.

“We were just coming into Chinatown for dinner when we saw [the festival],” said Marc Nozell, a software engineer from New Hampshire who attending the festival with five of his six children. “Of course the girls wanted the turtles.”

When asked if Nozell’s daughters were able to buy a terrapin, a resounding no ensued.

But a Chinatown festival of this magni-tude would not have been complete with-out enthusiastic displays of martial arts, lion dance, and dulcimer performances from many of the local martial arts schools and academies in the Chinatown area.

Musical performances also added to the ambience of the festival, with troupes performing traditional Chinese songs be-neath the iconic Chinatown Paifang gate.

the theater district, the latest plan for this project, with a $12 million budget, had re-cently been submitted to the City of Bos-ton for approval; a process that may take several months.

A representative from the Chinatown Coalition (TCC) updated the board mem-bers on the progress of the second afford-able housing project conversion of the Boston Herald Harrison Avenue property in the South End. At a late July TCC meet-ing, representatives from the National Development, who head the project, pre-sented their plan of transforming the place into a new neighborhood hub with residential areas, retail spaces, parking lots, and the potential of multiple-phasing

ing from kindergarten to those looking to embark on a college career in the near future. “Our capacity is 216, actually,” said Interim Principal Evonne Liu. “So we’re always trying to press down our enroll-ment.”

Offering summer classes that include kung fu, cooking, abacus, and field trips to the Museum of Science (not forgetting the miniature Olympic Games that happens in-house and includes an opening torch-bearing ceremony and closing ceremony), who can blame the children for wanted to get into KKCS?

SAMPAN July 22, 2011

Think you have what it takes to become a CEO?

This coming fall, AACA is part-nering with Junior Achieve-ment to launch the JA Academy Program. Developed by Junior Achievement of Northern New England, the JA Academy is an after school mentoring program for high school students hosted at area colleges and corporate sites. With support from busi-ness professionals and college students as mentors, JA Acad-emy students explore the world of business through forming and managing their own company.

In a 12-week curriculum guid-ed by the mentor team, stu-dents develop and execute a business plan, sell stock to fund growth, and drive production and sales, all while having fun handling the day-to-day opera-tions of their venture.

All you have to do...• Sign up!• Support your fellow stu-dents who are interested in learning about business and entrepreneurship.• Run your own company and sell products with the help of busi-ness professionals and college students.• Commit to meet one afternoon 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. every week for 12 weeks.• Compete for the prestigious title of JA Academy Company of the Year and Outstanding Busi-ness Person of the Year.

For more information, contact: Kenneth Kan617-426-9492 ext. 228ken@aaca-boston.org

------------------------------------------‘Gallants’ Screening at Bos-ton’s Chinatown Gate

Whether you’re a kung fu lover, a film lover, or just haven’t experi-enced watching a film in a vacant parking lot in Chinatown, you need to! In its sixth year, ‘Films at the Gate’ transforms an empty lot near Boston’s Chinatown Gate into a free, outdoor theatre show-casing kung fu classics and clas-sic Chinese-language films. On show tonight, August 26: 2010 Hong Kong Critics Society’s Best Film of 2010 winner ‘Gallants’.

------------------------------------------Asian Breast Cancer Project

RecruitingMark your calendars: The Asian Breast Cancer project is recruit-ing team members to participate in the Komen Race on 10/30 at Joe Moakley Park at 10am. Please register on line at www.komenmassrace.org or make a donation to “Asian Breast Cancer project” - all participants will re-ceive a T shirts and breast health related information.

------------------------------------------Quincy Asian Resources Inc. presents 24th Annual Quin-cy August Moon Festival

When: Sunday, August 21st, 11a.m.-5p.m.Where: 1400-1600 Hancock Street, Quincy Center, MA 02169MBTA Accessible (Red Line to Quincy Center)

A fun-filled festival with enter-tainment and activities and with an estimated 10,000 to be in at-tendance, this year’s event will feature a cultural area with art demonstrations, kite making, and other activities. There will also be traditional and modern Asian music and dance performances, and a children’s area with games and crafts. Local restaurants will serve various types of Asian and American cuisine, and more than a hundred vendors with give-away gifts will participate. The festival is free to attend, MBTA accessible, and free public park-ing is available, so come join us for a day of fun!

------------------------------------------BCNC Annual Oak Street Fair

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) would like to in-vite community organizations to participate in the upcoming 26th Annual Oak Street Fair. We are providing a free outreach table to community organizations that want to partner with us for this family-centered event. This year’s theme is “Fun. Family. Memories.”

When: Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 11a.m. – 2p.m.Where: Josiah Quincy Elementary School Playground Plaza (885 Washing-ton Street, Boston Chinatown).

Chinese Historical Society of New England – 19th Annual Meeting and Dinner

When: Friday, September 9, 2011 at 6p.m.Where: China Pearl Restaurant, 9 Tyler Street, Boston, MA.CHSNE-Waterman Scholarships, Sojourner Award, Davis Woo, Bos-ton Knights Chinese Athletic Club, CHSNE Highlights of the Year.

------------------------------------------New Oil Paintings by Sophia Yee

Title: “New Vision II”Where: Piper Gallery Cary Memorial Library 1874 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MAWhen: August 1st – August 31st , 2011

“New Vision II,” new oil paintings by Sophia Yee, is showing in the month of August 2011 at the Piper Gallery in Cary Memorial Library in Lexington. Consisting of more than a dozen works completed in the past year, Ms. Yee’s new works are vibrant and expressionistic. As she says, “I took further steps in terms of technique and color usage in relation to my previous work. They are more mature, live-lier, and give the viewer a sense of invitation and reflection.” She channels her personal experi-ences through the prism of the Western influences of expression-ism and surrealism, bringing to her paintings of flowers and other natural objects a psychological dept one would more likely ex-pect from paintings of human fig-ures or from self portraits.

------------------------------------------Renew Boston Program

The City of Boston and its part-ners provide qualifying resi-dential customers with low-hassle, no-cost home energy assessments and free efficiency upgrades including insulation, air sealing, water saving devices and high-efficiency light bulbs.

What should I expect during the home energy assessment?On the day of the home energy as-sessment, one of Renew Boston’s professional energy partners will complete a home analysis to iden-tify weatherization options. Fol-lowing the results of this analysis, Renew Boston contractors will then provide up to $3,500 for air sealing and insulation services.

How do I qualify?If you live in a 1-4 family home

in Boston and meet federal “low to moderate” income guidelines, then you qualify. But don’t wor-ry, even if your income is higher, we can still get you a great deal guaranteed to improve the com-fort and energy performance of your home. For more detail, see our program eligibility require-ments or just sign up for a home energy assessment now, and one of our representatives will be happy to help you out.

What home energy improve-ments are available?Renew Boston and its partners provide participating residents with a range of no-cost efficiency services including a comprehen-sive home energy assessment and up to $3,500 for home insu-lation and air sealing. Depending upon the results of the home en-ergy assessment, customers may also qualify for a variety of other free energy efficient products.

How do I sign-up?Please contact Asian American Civic Association (AACA) to sign up for a home energy assess-ment and answer a few quick questions. Once you sign-up, one of our professional energy representatives will verify your program eligibility, discuss en-ergy savings opportunities with you, and arrange an energy as-sessment for your home.

Page 2

SAMPANA Publication of the AACA

www.sampan.org87 Tyler Street

Boston, MA 02111Tel: (617) 426-9492Fax: (617) 482-2316

Editor: Kane Carpenterkcarpenter@sampan.org

English Section:

Contributors:

Lillian ChanAnnie Dan Yang-Perez

Erricka BrownAnna Ing

Jianghe Niu

Copyeditor: Ada Chan

Production: Joanna Zhou

Kane CarpenterAriel ZhangClaire Gao

Chinese Section:

Contributors: Jianghe Niu

Translators:Gong Quan Chen

Keke XuMengyi Xu

Marketing and Advertising:

Advertising & Marketing Manager:

Joanna Zhou ads@sampan.org

SAMPAN is New England’s only biweekly bilingual English-Chinese newspaper. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Founded in 1972, Sampan is published by the Asian American Civic Association. Sam-pan is distributed free in China-town and the Greater Boston area. All donations to the publication are tax deductible. Subscription: $60/year (1st class mail); $30/year (3rd class mail).

The reproduction, in whole or in part, of any information con-tained herein and prior is forbid-den without the express written persmission of the publisher.

SAMPAN is a publication of the Asian American Civic Association

87 Tyler Street, 5th Boston, MA 02111Telephone: (617) 426-9492 Fax: (617)482-2316

Comic

Announcements & Event Listings

At Professional Staffing Group you’ll find exciting contract, temporary, and temp-to-hire positions in:• Office support • Creative• Technical • FinancialTo find the career opportunity that’s right for you, email your resume to jobs@psgstaffing.com or call us at 617-250-1000.Professional Staffing Group values the vitality and strength of a diverse workforce. People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

617-250-1000 or psgstaffing.comProfessional Staffing Group

July 22, 2011 SAMPAN Page 3

KWONG KOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

healthyskin

comes in every

color

At the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Multicultural Dermatology Program, we understand the unique needs of multicultural skin. Our board-certified dermatologists specialize in non-Caucasian skin and nails and understand how specific skin types react differently to medical and cosmetic treatments.

Our experience treating multicultural skin helps us tailor state-of-the-art care – including chemical peels and laser treatments – to address each patient’s unique needs. We believe skin of every color should be as healthy as possible.

Please call us at 617.732.9300 to schedule a consultation.

Vaneeta Sheth, MD | Jennifer Lin, MD | Deborah Scott, MD

Wellesley Public SchoolsWELLESLEY, MA

Please send cover letter and resume to: Salvatore Petralia, AssistantSuperintendent, Wellesley Public Schools, 40 Kingsbury Street, Wellesley, MA 02481 by Friday, September 2, 2011Actively Seeks to Increase the Diversity of its Workforce.

DATA MANAGER/POWER SCHOOL Full-TimeTemporary AssignmentSalary Range: $55,000 - $65,000 The Data Manager reports directly to theAssistant Superintendent and is mainly responsible for managing student and staffinformation in Power School, creating and submitting various reports required by theDepartment of Elementary and SecondaryEducation. The Data Manager develops documentation for the district's informationsystems and provides training and support to staff.

Preferred qualifications include a degree incomputer science or a related technology field, demonstrated experience with PowerSchool student information system, experi-ence with Massachusetts state reporting,FileMaker Pro, and information manage-ment. Experience writing SQL-basedreports are a plus.

Ad# 20885-1Publication Boston GlobeDate 08/21/2011; 08/28/2011Section HW EducationCost $3,585.00 internet includedSize 2 x 74 lines (Modular Size)

Wellesley Public SchoolsWELLESLEY, MA

Ad# 20885-2Publication Bay State BannerDate 08/25/2011Section Education HWCost $185.00Size 2 x 3.5

Ad# 20885-3Publication Sam PanDate 08/26/2011Section Education HWCost $120.00Size 2 x 3.5

Please send cover letter and resume to: Salvatore Petralia,Assistant Superintendent, Wellesley Public Schools,40 Kingsbury Street, Wellesley, MA 02481 byFriday, September 2, 2011Actively Seeks to Increase the Diversity of its Workforce.

DATA MANAGER/POWER SCHOOL Full-Time, Temporary AssignmentSalary Range: $55,000 - $65,000 The Data Manager reports directly to the Assistant Superintendentand is mainly responsible for managing student and staff informationin Power School, creating and submitting various reports required bythe Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The DataManager develops documentation for the district's information systems and provides training and support to staff.

Preferred qualifications include a degree in computer science or arelated technology field, demonstrated experience with Power Schoolstudent information system, experience with Massachusetts statereporting, FileMaker Pro, and information management. Experiencewriting SQL-based reports are a plus.

“[At the end of the day] many of the kids don’t want to leave,” said Liu. “When their parents come to pick them up, the kids will say, ‘You’re not on time’, because they want to keep playing in their after-school activities.”

Founded in 1916 by the Chinese Mer-chants Association (the On Leong Mer-chants Association) to establish an educa-tional institution to help maintain Chinese heritage among overseas Chinese, KKCS is the oldest one of its kind in Boston and one of the longest-running Chinese schools on the East Coast.

The school became a nonprofit institu-tion in 1981 in order to ensure the sustain-ability of the school as a community re-source. Having provided Chinese language and cultural education, academic support, and recreational programs for more than 20,000 children of Chinese immigrants in the Greater Boston/ Eastern Massachu-setts region, the KKCS has a pedigree few can boast of.

The key, one might ask?“We try to combine a cultural educa-

tion with academic excellence, and we try to make things fun for the students, too,” said Liu.

But, according to Liu, fun and games are not the priority.

As one of the only Chinese-language schools to possess a computer lab, as well as one of the only schools in the region to offer free Young Learner’s Chi-nese (YCT) test tutoring, KKCS demands academic achievement.

“A few of our students have already completed level three [out of four on the YCT test score scale], so we’re figuring

out how to get our kids up to level four,” said Liu.Growing up in Guangzhou, and majoring in “many things,” as

she would say, Principal Liu has a knack with children. Walking past each of the country-theme classrooms in KKCS’ four-year-old, 16,892 square feet building at 87 Tyler Street, Liu was approached and waved to by numerous children clad in red school shirts.

“I’ve always had a passion for teaching,” said Liu. “Ever since I was in school I wanted to learn and teach.”

Despite being a Chinese school, classes are taught in a variety of different languages to suit the needs of the class and the students. Interestingly, students at KKCS do not only come from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines, but also native students of Chinese American background, adopted children from China, and students from White, Black, and Hispanic family backgrounds have a place at the school.

An establishment that offers “quality out-of-school activities” to all ages, including Fun Fun Mandarin, and Mandarin classes for adults, the KKCS’ corridor walls are lined with photos of smiling children and adults – learning and performing activities not only meant to be special and meaningful to those, specifically, of the Chi-nese community, but for those who want to learn and excel on their own paths, too.

CNC MEETINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

development when the economy picks up. However, the Chinatown representatives were seeking more affordable housing, more three-bedroom apartments for fami-lies, more open spaces for recreational purposes, and even more density. Taking advice from the TCC meeting, the develop-er is now re-designing their plan and will present their new plan at a CNC meeting in due course.

It was also reported to the meeting that, in response to previous complaints about too few tables and umbrellas along the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, several or-ganizations’ donations made it possible to add 14 more tables and seven more um-brellas for the public to enjoy.

Several announcements were also made at the meeting:

Saturday, 20 August 2011, 6 PM, THE PURPLE HAIRPIN, at John Hancock Hall (180 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116) – Back-row free tickets for affordable hous-ing groups will be available at the door to that day’s show of The Purple Hairpin, a Cantonese opera performed by Que Shing Chinese Music and Opera Group.

Sunday, 21 August 2011, 11 AM to 5 PM, QUINCY MOON FESTIVAL CELEBRA-TION, at Quincy Center, along Hancock Street – Bring your family and friends to

the 24th annual August Moon Festival celebration, presented by Quincy Asian Resources. Enjoy a day of cultural activi-ties, delicious food, live entertainment, and exhibits from more than 100 local businesses and organizations.

Thursday to Sunday, 25 to 28 August 2011, 8 PM, FILMS AT THE GATE, 10 and 12 Hudson Street Vacant Lot (between Beach and Kneeland Streets, Boston, MA 02111) on Thu. & Fri., and Chinatown Park on Rose F. Kennedy Greenway (just north of the Chinatown Gate, Boston, MA 02111) on Sat. & Sun. – The 6th annual ‘Films at the Gate’ will take place this year at two locations with free kung-fu movie screenings and cultural perfor-mances open to the public. Performances or short films start at 7:00 PM; feature films start at 8:00 PM. Please visit www.filmsatthegate.org for more information.

Monday, 12 September 2011, 12 PM, MOY’S FAMILY ASSOCIATION 25TH NA-TIONAL CONVENTION OPENING, at 2nd Floor of China Pearl Restaurant (9 Tyler Street, Boston, MA 02111) – This open-ing ceremony of the 25th National Con-vention organized by Moy’s Family As-sociation, U.S.A. will be free and open to the public.

The next CNC meeting will be held on Monday, 19 September 2011, 6 PM, at its regular meeting place - the CCBA build-ing in Tyler Street.

Visit us at www.sampan.org

SAMPAN July 22, 2011Page 4

Boston Water and Sewer Is Coming to Your NeighborhoodA Boston Water and Sewer Commission Community Services Department representative will be in your neighborhood at the place, dates, and times listed here.

Our representative will be available to: Accept payments. (Check or money order only–no cash, please.)

Process discount forms for senior citizens and disabled people. Resolve billing or service complaints. Review water consumption data for your property. Arrange payment plans for delinquent accounts.

980 Harrison Avenue • Boston, MA 02119 • www.bwsc.org

Need more information? Call the Community Services Department at 617-989-7000.

ChINatoWNChinese Consolidated

Benevolent Association (CCBA)

90 Tyler StreetThursdays, 12–1 PM

September 8October 13

MARk The DATeS! A Corcoran Community in Massachusetts - is a place to call home.

NORTH SHORENORTH SHORE ANDOVER COMMONS (978) 470-2611 30 Railroad Street, Andover

BEVERLY COMMONS (978) 927-2055 Tozer Road, Beverly KIMBALL COURT (781) 933-9900 7 Kimball Court, Woburn

SAUGUS COMMONS (781) 233-8477 63 Newhall Avenue, Saugus THE MEADOWS (978) 441-9167 82 Brick Kiln Road, Chelmsford

SOUTH SHORESOUTH SHORE ACADEMY BUILDING APARTMENTS (508) 674-1111 102 South Main Street, Fall River ADAMS VILLAGE (617) 328-6727 725-735 Adams Street, Dorchester BROCKTON COMMONS (508) 584-2373 55 City Hall Plaza, Brockton FAXON COMMONS (617) 472– 6766 1001 Southern Artery, Quincy HANOVER LEGION ELDERLY APARTMENTS (781) 871-3049 Legion Drive, Hanover

KENT VILLAGE (781) 545-2233 65 North River Road, Scituate LINCOLN SCHOOL APARTMENTS (781) 749-8677 86 Central Street, Hingham QUINCY COMMONS (617) 328-6727 1 Canton Road, Quincy STONE RUN EAST (781) 331-2525 8 Old Stone Way, Weymouth THE LEDGES (781) 335-2626 1 Avalon Drive, Weymouth WEYMOUTH COMMONS/EAST (781) 335-4773 74 Donald Street, #21, Weymouth

There are apartments- and then there are Corcoran managed apartments- well managed, stylish, modern and constantly updated...Take your pick!

WESTERN MASS.WESTERN MASS. PELHAM APARTMENTS (508) 872-6393 75 Second Street, Framingham STRATTON HILL PARK (508) 852-0060 161 W. Mountain Street, Worcester TRIBUNE APARTMENTS (508) 875-8661 46 Irving Street, Framingham

BOSTONBOSTON MCNAMARA HOUSE (617) 783-5490 210 Everett Street, Allston

VISIT US!www.corcoranapts.com

As soon as she stepped out of the air-port she wanted to go back. If she had to sneak on a plane in someone’s luggage, she would. Her mother, sensing her fear, squeezed her hand tighter, reassuring her 13-year-old daughter that things would be OK. It probably would have worked better if she believed it herself.

The girl looked around at the unfamiliar place. She had never seen cars so yellow be-fore. The thing that bothered her the most, though, was the noise. Cars were screeching, people were yelling, babies were screaming, airplanes were roaring. It was too much for a girl who grew up in the countryside.

“Please calm down, my love,” her moth-er crooned in a soft, soothing voice. The girl kept trying to break away from her mother, but she gave up and let her mother guide her to the car, where her uncle was waiting.

The apartment was different from any-thing she had seen before. It was a tall red brick building that seemed to jut out of the ground in the most futile attempt to reach the sky. They followed the girl’s uncle up to the third floor where he showed them both around the apartment. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with a tiny bathroom, a minuscule kitchen, and a nonexistent liv-ing room. As soon as her mother let go of her hand, the girl ran crying into the bathroom.

It was late at night now and the girl re-

Leaving One Home for AnotherBY ERRICKA BROWNCourtesy of Teen Voices Magazine fused to open the door for anyone. She

kept crying, “I want to go back! Let me go back!” She cried herself to sleep for the third time that day.

The girl woke up to a familiar smell. That smell…it was the dish her grand-mother used to make whenever there was a family gathering back in the old country.

“My love,” her mother called from the door. “Wouldn’t you like to come eat this with me? I can’t eat it all by myself.”

The girl warily cracked the door open to peek at her mother. Her mother was holding two steaming plates of the girl’s favorite food. “Please come out, baby,” she pleaded.

The girl slowly inched her way out of the bathroom and sat down to eat with her mother in silence. When they were done, the girl sat obediently in place, ex-pecting a scolding from her mother for locking herself in the bathroom. Instead, her mother wrapped her arms around her in a big hug.

“I know that you are scared to be in such a new and big place. So am I. I can’t promise you that everything will be fab-ulous and we will lead an easy life, but I can promise that everything will be OK.”

The mother and daughter held on to each other in the night, and held on to the unspoken promise they made that night: never to let go of the hope that things will get better.

In a difficult economy, small businesses are essential in creating jobs. In an effort to provide a friendlier environment for more growth in small businesses, the Small Busi-ness Administration (SBA) has launched two lending programs that were intro-duced to the public on Thursday, 18 August 2011, at a seminar organized by East West

Bank (EWB), one of the participating banks providing the service. The well-attended seminar took place at EWB’s Chinatown location (68 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111), where both lending programs - the 7(a) Program for business loans and the 504 Program for real estate loans – were presented.

East West Bank Launches Small Business Administration Lending ProgramsBY ANNIE DAN YANG-PEREZSampan Correspondent

East West Bank SBA Lending Seminar on Thursday, 18 August 2011 (Photo courtesy of Annie Dan-Yang Perez)

SHORE PLAZA EAST600 BORDER STREET

EAST BOSTON, MA 02128(617) 569-7710

THE WAITING LIST FOR 1,2,3, AND 4 BEDROOM APARTMENTS WILL REOPEN ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011, AT 10:00 A.M. AND

APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY - FRIDAY, 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

SECTION 8 INCOME ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS APPLYRENT IS BASED ON 30% OF INCOME

PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED BY:

FINANCED BY MHFA

CONTINUED PAGE 6

July 22, 2011 SAMPAN Page 5

Joining other Hot Pot places in Chinatown (though more are of the Japanese shabu shabu style) is Hot Pot Buffet. In busi-ness for over a year, a constant flow of traffic has funneled right in this two level restaurant lo-cated [70 Beach Street, Boston, MA (617) 338-0808] adjacent to the welcoming Chinatown Gate. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday 11a.m.-4p.m. for lunch or 4p.m.-2a.m. for dinner and costs only $14.95 a person for lunch and $20.95 a person for dinner. Sundays and holiday lunches are not offered. Hot Pot Buffet offers fresh ingredients, no MSG and very little oil for a tasty and healthy dining experience.

Hot Pot (aka steamboat) has a history of over 1,000 years and is enjoyed all over China with variations in other countries. It is a fun way to share a meal and eat with friends especially if you like to cook your own food. It is very easy! First you choose your desired broth out of four options Chinese Herbal, Mala (Spicy) Soup, Black Chicken Soup and the House Special Broth. Then you can pick your desired food to cook. The sheer variety of food options is amazing and there is

Hot Pot Buffet: BY ANN INGSampan Columnist

WOODS AT WAREHAM 36 SWIFTS BEACH ROAD

WAREHAM, MA 02571 508-295-5566

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR ONE, TWO, AND THREE BEDROOM AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS.

WALL TO WALL CARPET, APPLIANCED, PATIOS, OFFSTREET PARKING, PLAYGROUND. RENT INCLUDES HEAT, HOT WATER AND GAS COOKING.

CALL 508-295-5566

Equal Housing Opportunity

Rehabbed textile mill, now a beautiful Section 8 property, accepting applications for elderly housing (waitlist for persons

under age 62 closed except for handicap-accessible units). Mostly one bedrooms, a few twos.

On public transportaion, close to lovely downtown Newburyport, the Merrimack River, Plum Island

1 Charles St., Newburyport, MA 01950 Call for more information

(978) 465-5166 TDD: (978) 465-7598

JAMES STEAM MILL

• Located in Historic Springfield MA• Rents Starting at $550• Heat & Hot Water Included• Hardwood Floors• On-site Laundry• Cable Ready• Minutes to Major Highways, STCC & Technology Park• Guest Entry System Off Street Parking• Convenient to Downtown Springfield• 24 Hours Emergency Maintenance

Professionally managed & maintained by:FIRST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Section 8 certificates welcome. Income Restrictions and qualifying guidelines apply

CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR OUR STUDIO, 1, 2, 3 & 4 BEDROOM APARTMENTS

A Fun and Active Dining Experience

something for everyone! Lobster is at market price ($8.95 each on a recent visit) along with 19 other seafood items to choose

from ranging from salmon fillet, shrimp, clams, crab legs and fish tofu. Then there are six types of-noodles, 33 items under vegeta-

bles (tofu and rice cake too), as well as four types of dumplings, six types of seafood and meat balls, and 11 choices of meats. A

South Cove Community Health Center to be awarded English Works Certificate of Recognition

The English Works Steering Committee has decided to award an English Works Certificate of Recognition to South Cove Com-munity Health Center (SCCHC) during an award ceremony likely to be held in Lynn, Massachusetts on August 31st, pending the gov-ernor’s availability to attend.

The English Works Certificate recognizes businesses and joint labor-management programs that support English language classes for immigrants in the Common-wealth of Massachusetts.

Backed by a Commonwealth

BY KANE CARPENTERSampan Editor

Corporation Learn at Work grant, SCCHC has provided English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes to health center employees in Quincy and Boston in 2010. Employees that receive instruction are allowed 50 per-cent work release time to attend the English classes, for four hours per week.

“The program is going very well,” said Franklin Peralta, Cam-paign Organizer at English for New Bostonians and English Works. “[The program] is the best situation for immigrant workers.”

According to English Works’ website, awardees are encour-aged to make their employees and members, customers, and in-

dustry peers aware of their lead-ership and good civic and corpo-rate citizenship, as demonstrated by their commitment to the im-migrant workforce and related successful business practices.

“They are not learning theo-ry,” said Peralta. “They are learn-ing language they will need at the workforce.”

English-instruction classes at SCCHC started in May 2010 and continued, for 13 weeks, through August of last year. In September of 2011, classes picked up again and ran for 38 weeks.

“It’s easy for [SCCHC] em-ployees to lose the English they learned at AACA’s [Asian Ameri-can Civic Association] ESOL pro-

few exotic items that stand out are the Beef Tongue, Fried Pig Skin, Pig Blood, Quail Eggs, Pork Intestines, Fried Gluten Balls and Wood Ear Mushrooms.

Now comes the fun part! Once you get your broth and food, then you wait for the broth to boil and then you slowly put in your food. The items you choose will determine the cooking time, for example tofu and noodles take longer to cook. Veggies and the thinly sliced meats cook very quickly after a few swishes in the hot broth with your chopsticks. Sa cha sauce (made of chilies, shallots, garlic, soybean oil, dried shrimp and brill fish - which gives it a nice savory slightly spicy tinge found in Fujian, Chiu Chow and Taiwanese cooking) is offered for dipping.

Hot Pot is a great group meal. You can take your time and eat whatever you want. But the best part is the broth at the end of the meal. The soup will have gar-nered an abundance of flavors from all the food that was put into it and it is the highlight of the meal! It is the best part for me! To top it off, sliced oranges were offered with the bill at the end. So if you are hungry and want something healthy, check out Hot Pot Buffet.

gram as they work 90 percent of the time in another language,” said Gillian Burleson, Adult Edu-cation Coordinator at AACA. “But

it’s important that [the employ-ees] are able to communicate in English when needed.”

SAMPAN July 22, 2011Page 6

The two programs aim to aid American companies with an individual net worth of less than $15 million and a 2-year av-erage income of less than $5 million. En-tities need to be located inside the United States and have either U.S. citizens and / or permanent residents as major sharehold-ers (more than 20% share) to meet the basic eligibility standards. The programs feature favorable loan terms like down payments as low as 10%, longer maturi-ties, full amortization, and no balloon pay-ments. They provide financing for non-conventional and special-purpose credits, such as start-up businesses with proven success, business acquisitions, car washes, restaurants, etc. Because EWB is an SBA-designated Preferred Lender, their financ-ing has the advantage of SBA guarantee up to 75% of the loan amount.

The business loan 7(a) Program gives a small- to medium-sized business access to a credit up to $5 million, with the loan’s terms ranging from 7 to 25 years. Rates are variable and usually do not exceed 2.75% over the Wall Street Journal Prime (WSJP). For a typical 7(a) loan, submission from completed application to disbursement of funds takes approximately 30 to 60 days.

The real estate loan 504 Program al-lows small business owners / users to purchase or refinance an industrial or commercial building at market interest rates with a 10% down payment or equity injection. The loan proceeds may be used to purchase or remodel an existing build-ing or to construct a new facility. The bank serves as the first mortgage lender, provid-ing 50% of the total project cost, which can be amortized to a maximum of 30 years with a 10- to 15-year call according to the current market rate. The remaining 40% will be covered by a second mortgage lender, Certified Development Corporation (CDC) / SBA. The CDC / SBA portion will be fully amortized over 20 years at a long-term treasury borrowing rate and is fixed and fully amortized for the term of the loan. For a CDC / SBA loan, the borrower must create or retain one job opportunity for every $50,000 of the CDC / SBA por-tion, and the property must be occupied by the borrowing business by 51% or more. A typical 504 loan undergoes two approval processes, first the bank and then CDC / SBA, with a turnaround time around 45 to 60 days

For more details about the loans, please visit http://www.eastwestbank.com/english/CL_SBALoans.asp or call (888) 245-1756.

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Autism, a condition characterized by vari-ous developmental abnormalities in children, has experienced a rapid increase in inci-dence rates in the recent years. In the 1960s, the incidence rate for Autism was as low as 1/10,000, however, recently, it has risen to 6/1,000, which means that one out of ever 110 children in America is diagnosed with Autism. The patients, their families, commu-nities as well as the society as a whole are not only trapped in severe sufferings, but they are also presented with challenges. At the same time they have given the international com-munity of medical experts pressing demands and questions: What causes Autism? How can Autism be cured? The “Biomedical Advances in Autism 2011” Conference organized by the American Chinese Medical Exchange Society (ACMES), was held on August 21, 2011, at the Mclean Hospital. During the conference, doc-tors and scientists conducted in depth discus-sions about the recent findings in the study of Autism from a variety of fields of expertise, including: genetics, neuroimaging, biochemi-cal parameters, disease detection, diagnosis, mainstream treatment methods and alterna-tive treatment methods. Many medical ex-perts, experienced researchers, social work-ers and parents of autistic children from the Boston area attended this conference, which lasted more than eight hours. During this special opportunity, they engaged in heated discussions and immersed themselves in pas-sionate exchanges about this condition, never letting go any opportunity to ask questions.

This conference was divided into two parts: presentations by experts and research-ers followed by a Q&A session open to the entire floor. The conference was chaired and moderated by Dr. Jufang Shi. Dr. June (Xue-jun) Kong, president and founder of the AC-MES shared with the attendees the mission, resources, current projects, membership information, major academic exchange pro-grams and two publications (North American Journal of Medicine & Health in Chinese, and North American Journal of Medicine & Sci-ence in English) of the ACMES in her opening address.

The first speaker was Dr. William Shaw, the director of the Great Plains Laboratory in Kansas. His presentation was entitled “The Laboratory Testing of Autism”. The Great Plains Laboratory has launched an advanced Autism targeted multi-component detection method, using the patients’ urine, blood and hair samples to test the organic acid, amino acid, fatty acid and cholesterol levels in their body. The laboratory has also developed a cholesterol pill that can potentially treat Au-tism.

Dr. Bai-Lin Wu, an expert in the field of ge-netic analysis, director of Genetics Diagnostic Laboratory and medical director of DNA Di-agnostics at the Children’s Hospital Boston of the Harvard Medical School, then delivered a report named “Developments in Genetic Anal-ysis of Autism”. In this report, he introduced the recent findings of his research team and its collaborators in the genetics and molecular pathology of Autism. For instance, they found the relationship between the recurrent dele-tion of the candidate gene NRNXI and ASD as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. They also found the function of candidate gene SHANK3 mutations. Dr. Wu also main-tains close ties with China. He has Chinese

Current Developments in Autism ResearchBY Jianghe NiuSampan CorrespondentTranslated By Mengyi Xu

patient samples, he collaborates with Chinese researchers, he mentors Chinese students and he holds titles from Chinese institutions including a professorship at the Fudan Uni-versity. He initiated, organized and co-chaired the 2008 “Eastern Forum of Science and Tech-nology” (issue 131) in Shanghai and the 2010 “Xiangshan Science Conferences” (issue 369) in Beijing, with the mission of promoting ba-sic and clinical research in Autism in China. Both events received wide-spread acclaims from the scientific and medical communities. Dr. Wu shared with the correspondent his delight in seeing China’s rapid developments and scientific investments in this area; he also expressed his confidence in seeing his collab-oration with China on the Genetic Analysis of Autism at the forefront of the field.

Dr. Maria Mody, of the Developmental Lan-guage and Reading Laboratory at the Harvard Medical School Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, was also a presenter at the conference. Her talk mainly focused on advances in the brain functional neuroimag-ing of Autistic patients’ language and cogni-tive abilities, including functional magnetic resonance imaging findings. Among all pre-sentations, hers seemed to “deviate” the most from “medicine”. Her cleverly designed ex-periments even had hints of logical deduction. The audience gladly thought about the issue and answered questions that would normally be answered by patients with Autism. Those questions were at times fun but also challeng-ing, especially under time constraint. Dr. You-gen Zhan, also of the Harvard Medical School, noted that Autism could also be caused by synaptic functional abnormalities. Findings from genetic research has also yielded sub-stantial evidence linking synaptic functions to genetic abnormalities, and this has been con-firmed by animal in vivo experiments.

The second half of the conference opened with a presentation by Karen Chenansky of the Boston University Linguistics Depart-ment. Her presentation focused on effective treatment methods for hyperacusis in Autis-tic patients. Such treatments are developed based on behavioral therapy principles, ex-posing the patients to sound stimuli of “hu-man vocal band” by frequently altering the band frequency and pitch. The advantage of this therapy method include the fact that after it is stopped after 30 weeks, the results could be maintained, without additional cost and side-effects. Dr. Michelle Harley-McAndrew, assistant professor at the SUNY-Buffalo Medi-cal School Department of Child Neurology and Director of the Children’s Guild Autism Spec-trum Disorder Center at the Buffalo Women and Children’s Hospital was also present at the conference. She presented to the audience a very exhaustive overview about Autism re-search from the perspective of the neurobio-logical basis of the condition, from its history to current condition, theory to practice. It is worth mentioning that Dr. Hartley-McAndrew drove all the way from Buffalo to Boston, without the slightest delay.

Dr. William Stone, assistant professor of the Department of Psychiatry at the Beth Is-rael Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School and psychiatrist and director of the Harvard Clinical and Translational Re-search Center, is an expert in schizophrenia research. He also centers his research around the identification of cognitive, clinical and biological risk factors that cause mental ill-nesses. In his research, he investigated the overlaps between autism and schizophrenia, and he discovered that the two have substan-

tial similarities in tbe areas of their genetic mechanism, brain damage, social cognition, language, memory and non verbal reason-ing. No wonder before the 1970s, Autism and Schizophrenia used to be the same disease. Dr. Stone also mentioned that these two diseases along with other conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Dissociative Iden-tity Disorder belong to a type of more encom-passing basic system.

Dr. Jin Niu who practices at the Marino Center for Integrative Health in Cambridge, MA, added a new voice to the discussion in his presentation, a voice that differed from the theories and practices of traditional West-ern medicine. He did not consider Autism from the perspective of genetic, neurological or biological factors but rather pointed to in-flammation as a cause for Autism. He outlined five basic methods for as part of his anti-inflammation therapy for Autism: nutrition, antioxidant, herbal medicine, gastrointestinal micro-balance, and acupuncture. Treatment by electro-acupuncture has improved the con-ditions of 70-80% of 34 clinical Autism cases. After the conference, Dr. Liu told our corre-spondent that he is in the process of writing a book, the thesis of which is that almost all diseases are caused by inflammations of some sort. He also believes that while China learns from the West, it also needs to study concepts of alternative or supplementary medical methods.

The last to speak is Dr. June (Xuejun) Kong, physician at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School. She presented currently newest treatment method for Autism - Stem Cell Therapy. She described how stem cell therapy can simulta-neously treat the two major pathophysiologi-cal changes in Austism patients: it has impor-tant treatment prospects for cases of Ischemia and Hypoxia in specific cerebral areas and au-toimmune inflammatory changes. However, this method still faces many challenges and difficulties in terms of technology and clini-cal implementation; its specific mechanism still remains to be confirmed by in vivo ex-periments using animal models followed by clinical trials. Only after this long elaborate process can we ascertain whether Stem Cell Therapy is an effective treatment for Autism - the mystery disease of the century - and bring hope to Autism patients and their families.

Dr. June (Xuejun) Kong is the founder and president of the ACMES. She is also the editor-in-chief and founder of the English publica-tion “North American Journal of Medicine & Science” (NAJMS) and the Chinese publica-tion “North American Journal of Medicine & Health” (NAJMH). Her main interests revolve around Asian health and Autism. She edited and published a special issue on Autism in the NAJMS (www.najms.net, www.najmed.org). She also invited the authors and editors of the special issue to present at the Conference on Autism. At the end of the conference, Dr. Kong invited the vice-president of ACMES Dr. Xu Lin and Ms. Xylina (Xiaoyun) Wu to present the awards - 10 color hardcover copies of the newly published special issue on Autism and the previous two issues of NAJMS and NAJMH - to each of the speakers. All attendees to the conference also received a copy of the special issue.

During the small group discussion panel following the two presentation sessions, the audience asked many questions and consulted the experts for advice. The ambience was very full of energy. This cordial atmosphere filled with academic consultations, business discus-

HEALTH COLUMN

sions and information sharing extended until the post-conference reception. This confer-ence even hosted two scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. They were very happy to be able to learn about the newest discoveries in Autism research. They mentioned that China, especially in the rural areas, still lacks the correct under-standings for this condition. Developmen-tal delays in speech production and various anti-social behaviors in children as old as two or three are often overlooked by their parents. They believe that it is imperative for more people in China to acquire knowl-edge in this area, that the ACMES and its various efforts in this direction are really bringing hope to people.

Health Column is sponsored by Tufts Medical Center