Category: Daisy Tseng
New Hampshire Authors Draw Large Crowds at National Book Festival
NH Books
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 26, 2009
WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall Saturday for a chance to meet their favorite authors, including four from New Hampshire—Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, John Irving and Jodi Picoult.
In its ninth year, the National Book Festival, organized by the Library of Congress, had the best selection of authors it’s ever had, according to Matt Raymond, the Library’s director of communications.
“To see tens of thousands of people with smiles on their face,” Raymond said, “and applauding, and laughing, and being excited about meeting authors, and being excited about books, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Raymond asked, “How often do you see a hundred thousand of people on the National Mall and it’s not a protest, it’s not political?”
Seventy-eight authors, including John Grisham, Judy Blume, David Baldacci and Lois Lowry, met and talked with their fans and autographed books. Dan Brown was invited but unable to come to the festival because of his schedule, Raymond said.
Jodi Picoult said her road to becoming a writer started with a fourth grade assignment she wrote about a piano she practiced on all summer. She wrote it from the point of view of the piano, and her teacher gave her an F, telling her that she didn’t ask for a creative writing assignment.
John Irving shared with the audience that one of the most important parts of writing is repetition, in terms of the use of the language, the theme of the book, and revision of the writing.
“Repetition is the inevitable concomitant of having something worthwhile to say,” Irving said. “You don’t have the choice. You can choose the names of your characters, you can choose the locations, you may fool yourself into thinking that you’re writing a different novel every time, but characters repeat themselves, situations repeat themselves. You have no choice of what your obsessions are. They obsess you. You don’t pick them.”
The pavilion was packed when Picoult and Irving spoke, with some people fighting for seats and space in the aisles.
“It’s great. They did a wonderful job in organizing and managing the book signing lines,” said David Johnson, who lived in Hollis, N.H., for 13 years but now lives in Virginia. He brought “The Hotel New Hampshire” for Irving to sign, and said he had read almost every book Irving wrote.
Ken Burns read “The Little Engine That Could” to children at the book festival, giving them the value of optimism and hard work.
The objective of the book festival is to get people inspired to read, and to continue reading throughout their lives, according to Raymond.
“It’s not just literacy, not just being able to read, but it’s lifelong literacy,” Raymond said.
“I love this place,” Irving said in an interview after his speech. “It’s a place where you see people of all ages. It gives me encouragement to see that so many people come out and stand around in the rain and read books. It’s a unique kind of book festival. It’s like a fair. It’s like a carnival, and I like that about it.”
###
Dartmouth Regional Technology Center Gets $4 Million Stimulus Money Grant
Technology
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 23, 2009
WASHINGTON – A $4 million federal stimulus money grant will allow the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center in Lebanon to almost double the size of its facility.
The center, a private nonprofit formed in 2004 to help start-up businesses by providing office and manufacturing space and support programs, has 32,500 square feet of space. The expansion will add 28,000 square feet, according to Gregg Fairbrothers, executive director of Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network, which works with the center.
The center functions as a technology incubator by giving new companies a home at a reasonable rent until they can afford to move into their own facilities.
“Expanding the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center will help expand the North Country’s growing technology sector and create more than 100 jobs in the area,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who announced the grant Tuesday with Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H.
Shaheen said the investment would particularly help communities in the North Country, “where we must grow emerging industries so that the region can adapt to the changing economy. This grant will help put Granite Staters back to work, which is exactly what we need.”
Hodes said, “This funding will help high-tech firms relocate to the most economically distressed regions of New Hampshire to bring good-paying, long-term jobs to the Granite State.”
In addition to the incubator spaces, the center offers networking for financial information, business resources and seminars to the companies. There are now eight companies in the center.
“New companies start with zero jobs, by definition,” Fairbrothers said. “They usually move into the incubators at most a couple of jobs. As they grow, they obviously start to hire people. The creation of the jobs and the development of new technology are obviously the benefit to the marketplace.”
Mascoma Corporation, one of the first tenants, moved out of the center for a bigger facility r earlier this month. The company had 12 employees in 2006 when it moved in and has 120 employees now, according to Nathan Margolis, the company’s laboratory manager. Mascoma develops low-carbon biofuels technology.
“It’s a really spectacular environment,” Margolis said. “You can imagine all the different ways to help a small company that is trying to focus on developing some new technology. You don’t want to be dealing with snow removal, or something like that. They provide you with laboratory facility and even more technical things. For example, mechanics; they have people who work on technology equipment.”
Adimab Inc., which does research on developing antibodies, moved into the center two years ago and has expanded its staff from 5 people to 43 , according to Errik Anderson, chief operating officer. The company, which once occupied 4,500 square feet, has doubled its space to 9,000 square feet.
###
Ayotte Raising Funds in Washington for U.S. Senate Race
Ayotte
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 22, 2009
WASHINGTON – Kelly Ayotte was in Washington Tuesday raising money for her run for the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. The National Republican Senatorial Committee hosted a $500-a-person reception Tuesday night at its headquarters near the Capitol with special guests Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the committee.
Brooks Kochvar, the campaign manager for Ayotte, said he did not know how many people were expected at the event, which was closed to the press. One of the guests seen leaving the party, though, was Sen. Gregg.
Gregg said Ayotte, who is the former New Hampshire attorney general, was a great candidate. “We certainly hope to raise more money to support her,” the senator said.
Ayotte, as she left the reception, said, “I've been talking to a lot of people through out New Hampshire and working hard for the campaign, and I think obviously New Hampshire voters will decide this election.”
In addition to the committee reception, there were two other fundraisers scheduled in Washington on the same day. One was a fund-raising lunch at Charlie Palmer Steak near Capitol Hill and the other was hosted by Washington-based lobbyist Rick Murphy, a former staffer in Sen. Gregg’s office.
Kochvar said he did not know how much money Ayotte has raised so far. Candidates for U.S. Senate must file quarterly reports with the Federal Election Commission disclosing all their receipts and disbursements. The report for the quarter ending Sept. 30 is due Oct. 15.
Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes, meanwhile, was fundraising for his own campaign for the Senate at an event at the offices of Cornerstone Government Affairs, a Capitol Hill lobbying firm.
####
Gregg Says He is Disappointed by House Student Loan Reform Bill
COLLEGE
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 15, 2009
WASHINGTON—Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged the House Tuesday to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, saying that it could help millions of college students at no new cost to taxpayers.
Duncan spoke at a press conference with House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., and other lawmakers, including Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H.
The House is expected to vote on the bill Thursday.
Students from Brown University, the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts and the University of Arizona wearing their school shirts came to the press conference to show their support for the bill and to display signs that read, “Subsidize students, not banks!” “I can’t pay for college” and “Students over banks!”
Miller said that according to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would not only make college more affordable but would also pay down the deficit, saving $87 billion over 10 years.
“It’s a win-win,” Miller said, “for students, families and employers.”
Duncan said the legislation would not only reduce students’ college debt, but would also improve the graduation rate. He expressed hope financial problems would no longer be a factor in going to and completing college.
“It’s not just about access,” Duncan said. “It’s about completion.”
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said in a statement he recognized the importance of giving students the opportunity to receive a college education. But he said he worried that these opportunities could come at the expense of future generations of students.
“I am disappointed that those in the House have chosen to use false savings and budget gimmickry to expand and create new entitlement programs, while removing competition and choice for students in colleges across the nation.” Gregg said. “This sort of action represents a nationalization of the student loan program which will unfortunately result in less access and more bureaucracy for students, families and colleges. At a time when our nation's debt is threatening to bankrupt our country, it is unconscionable to create additional, costly, big-government programs.”
The Senate version of the student loan reform bill has not yet come out of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on which Gregg is a senior member.
Shea-Porter said she felt confident that the House would pass the bill on Thursday. She said the bill represented a bipartisan effort and that House members recognize the difficulties many middle-class families are facing in sending their children to college.
“Families will see relief very soon after this bill is passed,” she said in an interview.
The legislation would authorize spending $40 billion to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarships to $5,550 in 2010 and to $6,900 by 2019, and an additional $3 billion to bolster college access and completion support programs. It would also keep interest rates low on college loans.
The money for the program would come from the subsidies the federal government has been giving to banks and private lender, according to Shea-Porter.
The bill would replace the Federal Family Education Loan program with direct federal loans. Beginning next July, all new federal student loans would originate under the Federal Direct Loan Program, which is insulated from market swings and therefore can guarantee access to low-cost federal college loans, the Education Committee Web site says.
The bill is intended to foster competition among lenders by allowing private companies to compete for bids to service these loans, ensuring that contracts are given to lenders who offer better customer service, its sponsors say.
###
Listen to the People, Protestors tell Washington
Taxpayer
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 12, 2009
WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Washington Saturday expressing their dissatisfaction with government spending and what they called the intrusion of big government in their lives.
“We are not silent majority anymore,” said Tracy Bruen of Henniker, who came with her husband. “It’s very exciting to see I’m not alone.”
People from all over the country showed up at 9 a.m. at Freedom Plaza to march 14 blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue to the west front of the U.S. Capitol, shouting “U.S.A,” “You lie,” “Spend no more,” and “Can you hear me now?”
People waved American flags and handwritten signs that read, “Don’t tread on us” and “Obama lies, Granny dies.”
“You cannot be spending money and not raising taxes,” said Roger Wilkins, president of New Hampshire Advantage Coalition. “It’s all about spending.”
Wilkins said he thought no company could compete with government-run health care and that some innovative plans might be killed.
Speaking to the protestors in front of the Capitol, New Hampshire state Rep. Joel Winterssaid, “New Hampshire has no state income tax; New Hampshire has no general sales tax. And you know what? It works.”
Bruen's chief concern, she said, was the national debt.
“I don’t have children, but I’m concerned for other people’s children,” Bruen said. “They’re inheriting tremendous debt. It’s not fair.”
“I want them to listen,” Bruen said. “I don’t want socialism; I don’t want universal health care; I don’t want big government; I don’t want corruption. I want them to slow down, and get realistic.”
“The government knows the message: listen to the people,” said Joseph Monagle of Manchester.
“One person’s voice may not count, but this group’s voice will,” said Joe Keenam of Hampton, who came with his wife.
“I’m blown away,” Rob Jordan said of the tens of thousands of people who turned out for the march.
“I didn’t expect anything like this,” said Jordan, vice president of federal and state campaigns at FreedomWorks Foundation, one of the sponsors of the march.
The rally has been planned since April, Jordan said, and they want the government to know that the people are serious about less government and they want the market to work.
“We want less government intrusion in our lives,” said Amy Kremer, founder of Tea Party Patriots, another sponsor of the protest. “We want to remind them that they work for us. They’d better wake up, because the election is right around the corner and we’ll flip the house.”
###
