Photos by Erika Hinton We didn’t let the rain spoil our cookout on August 11! Our vendors, board members, and supporters joined us inside the basement of the Old Baptist Church to welcome our new executive director, Mimi Bouchouar. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and showed support!
Sick and Tired of Bullies? Me too.
I’ve always hated bullies. There’s something about them that triggers rage inside of me. I’ve encountered them all my life in a variety of places: school, work, even in activism. My stepfather was a bully. He abused my mother for years, even after their divorce, until her best friend and I put an end to…
MC5 Guitarist Marks 50 Years of Kicking Out the Jams With Tour, Autobiography
It’s been 50 years since The MC5 burst onto the Detroit rock scene with their groundbreaking sense of rebellion and their loud- and at that point, unheard of stage presence. The Motor City quintet’s music has gone on to influence countless punk, rock and metal musicians over the last half century, and guitarist Wayne Kramer…
Health Care Advocates Call New Insurance Rule Bad for Consumers, Providers
Photo Courtesy of Franchise Opportunities A new health insurance rule is being called another blow to people with pre-existing conditions. On Wednesday, the Trump administration released a new rule that allows insurance companies to expand the sale of short-term insurance plans that don’t cover the health benefits deemed “essential” by the Affordable Care Act. Cheryl…
Commonwealth Could Be National Leader in Renewables
The Massachusetts House and Senate have passed energy bills that dictate the percentage of renewable energy in which the Commonwealth will invest by raising the Renewable Portfolio Standard. That’s the percentage of electricity that utilities have to get from renewable sources. The House wants to raise the RPS to two percent a year, starting in…
The Forgotten Crisis: Nobody Thinks It Could Happen to Them
Sometimes when I talk to groups about homelessness, unless they’re activists, I get a blank stare, like I’m talking to a bunch of empty chairs or an empty room. I get it: homelessness isn’t sexy or trendy like climate change, gun control, LGBTQ rights, or even animal rights for that matter. Those are all important…
Ocean Monuments Have No Impact on Commercial Fishing
Public data on commercial fishing shows no losses from the creation of protected areas off the New England coast, according to a new analysis. The commercial fishing industry had opposed the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, saying that prohibiting commercial fishing in the two areas would cripple the industry. But…
Family Planning Is a Human Right
It has been five decades since the international community affirmed the right to family planning but women still remain unable to enjoy this right, which is increasingly under attack around the world. It has been five decades since the international community affirmed the right to family planning but women still remain unable to enjoy this…
Raising the Profile on the Largest Environmental Issue of Our Time
IPS correspondent Tharanga Yakupitiyage spoke to Robert Scholes, ecologist and co-chair of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service (IPBES) assessment, about land degradation and efforts needed to halt and reverse the catastrophe. Land degradation caused by human activities is occurring at an alarming rate across the world, and the cost will be steep…
Annual Vendor Cookout Coming to Cambridge
The Homeless Empowerment and Spare Change News will host its annual vendor cookout Saturday, Aug. 11 from 11a.m. to 3p.m. at Old Cambridge Baptist Church, located at 1151 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. If it rains Saturday, the cookout will go ahead as planned, inside the church building. HEP/Spare Change News is welcoming Mimi Bouchouar,…