Spare Change News

Author: James Shearer

  • Where Will It End?

    In the last issue of SPARE CHANGE NEWS, there was a news article by Alex Ramirez on sequester cuts: how will they affect federal funding for programs that service the poor and the homeless? For one, housing vouchers (like Section 8) which subsidize rent for those who cannot afford the full price, will be greatly…

  • Tales from the Curb: An American Tragedy

    When I heard that George Zimmerman had been found not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin, I just shook my head; I was disappointed, but not surprised. The prosecution dropped the ball. Most of their own witnesses blew up in their faces. It was obvious that Martin’s friend Rachel Jeantel was not properly prepared. She was…

  • A Step Backward

    As the federal Defense of Marriage Act was being struck down a few weeks ago—the Supreme Court allowing same-sex couples the rights to the same federal benefits that were only available to opposite-sex couples beforehand—another right was being taken away. By a 5 to 4 vote along ideological lines, a key provision of the 1965…

  • Careful, Somebody May Hear You

    The other day I was going through my regular routine, watching and reading the news, when I came across an interesting little story about Red Robin, a fast-food establishment that had recent-ly pulled an ad of theirs from television and their website almost before it had time to sink in. Their latest commercial talked about…

  • Hiding Homelessness

    A few weeks ago, I found myself reading another article about how the city of Boston is once again addressing the so-called problem of aggressive panhandling. The new ordinance that has been in effect since March prohibits all solicitation at bus stops or bus shelters, parking garages, parking lots, sidewalk cafés and crosswalks. It also…

  • A Dishonor to All of Us

    Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. A time for thinking of ice cream, school vacation, and so on. It’s also a time to honor our veterans, our heroes, those that made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us all free. But not all of our vets who survived the wars they fought are so honored;…

  • In the Blink of an Eye

    “ The Marathon, are you kidding me,” That’s what I wrote on my Facebook page as I watched the events unfolding on TV the day of April 15, Patriots Day. I felt the same way as I felt on Sept 11: that I must be watching some type of movie. This couldn’t be real, but…

  • So Long, Mr. Mayor

    I met Tom Menino not long after he had become mayor of Boston, during my days as editor of Spare Change News. He probably doesn’t remember it now, and I remember that he didn’t put on any airs like most politicians do. He wasn’t self-important. He just seemed like the type of person you could…

  • RIP Boston Phoenix

    When this issue of SCN hits the streets, it will also be the same week for the last issue of the Phoenix. I think I nearly lost my breath when I found out that after 47 years, one of my favorite papers would be closing its doors. I started reading the Phoenix when I first…

  • Women & Children Last

    There are times when I can’t believe what I’m hearing or seeing. I watched the news reports in absolute disgust as Oscar Pistorius, the disabled athlete who’d won everyone’s heart during the Olympics last summer, received bail after allegedly killing his girlfriend. He killed her on Valentine’s Day, no less, in their home in South…