James Shearer Spare Change News Not that anybody asked me … but all this noise about the Chick-Fil-A controversy is, in a word, just noise. The owner of this fast food chain, one Mr. Dan Cathy, made some remarks several weeks ago that his company is all about “family values” and that he himself is…
The Once and Future King: Catching Up With Our Behemoth of Modern Horror
Stories by Patty Tomsky Spare Change News The first Kindle single from Stephen King was about a Kindle with a time-travel feature and it was boss. The second Kindle single was about a car with a Lovecraftian monster inside that kept eating people with its tentacles. It was, my friends, also pretty boss. The current…
Editorial: Get Smart On Crime
“Tough on crime” talk might sounds good to legislators who like surefire-sounding answers that sell well to a crime-weary public. Three strikes and you’re out. Lock ‘em up and throw away the key. Build more jails. But even some of the nation’s more conservative states are learning that being “smart on crime” means more than…
Testing, Testing…HIV: Taking the Stigma Out of AIDS Testing
Noelle Swan Spare Change News “College-educated black women who live in the suburbs and date lawyers don’t get HIV and AIDS. This just doesn’t apply to you,” Kimberly Wilson remembers her doctor saying back in 2004. That was the first time she asked her physician for an HIV-test. Four years, seven bouts of shingles and…
Extreme Weather: Expect More of It
Laura Kiesel Spare Change News On July 17th, the town of Arlington was besieged by a series of intense thunderstorms. That day, I was alone in my apartment in East Arlington when suddenly the wind picked up outside and began blowing hard through my cracked living room windows. A wall of water blasted against the…
Congressman Capuano and the Campaign for Our Communities
Beatrice Bell Spare Change News On July 30th and July 31st, Congressman Michael Capuano and Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson came to Rosie’s Place to answer some questions and have a discussion with the ladies. Tito let us ladies know a very interesting characteristic of Capuano’s — he’s among the most accessible members of Congress,…
Mass. Farms Fight Food Insecurity
Robert Sondak Spare Change News The Produce to Pantries program at the Boston Natural Area Network (BNAN) was founded two-and-a-half years ago as a way to connect community gardens and people with limited means who were also facing food insecurity. Since the summer of 2010, this program has been providing local New England-grown produce gathered…
Poor Planning Mars State’s Homeless Fight
By Sarah Ferris The state’s $65.3 million HomeBase program could have prevented thousands of families from entering emergency shelter last year, if funds had not been drained months into the effort, one of Massachusetts’ nonprofit housing partners said this month. The housing-first effort – spearheaded by Governor Deval Patrick as part of his campaign to…
Music Review: Debo, Ethiopian pop revival
Elliot Strassman Spare Change News Debo, a self-described “Ethiopian pop” group, played the Brighton Music Hall last month to promote the release of its first full-length LP. The group, based in Jamaica Plain and led by tenor saxophonist Danny Mekkonen, draws from Ethiopian pop and folk music of the late ’60s and ’70s to create…
The Poetry of Bob “Bikerwolf” Bryant
Miles Passed By By: Bob “Bikerwolf” Bryant Roads traveled, Lessons learned Righteous Runs, Crash and Burns Scarred body, Wounded Soul Miles passed by as two wheels rolled Friends enter, Friends leave Sometimes happy, Sometimes peeved Yesterdays passed, Feeling old Miles passed by as two wheels rolled Hopefully destined, To always roam Ride with Brothers, Ride…
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