Author: Spare Change
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“American Idiot,” One Decade Later
by Jason D. Greenough If you were to say, in September of 2004, that Green Day’s follow up to the less-than-exciting Warning would create a firestorm of epic proportions, a lot of people would have scoffed. But times were turbulent and called for a revolution. What better way to reach the masses than through the…
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The Boston Zine Fest Brings Safe Spaces and Weird Art to Somerville
By Catherine Martin On Saturday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 12 in the Washington Street Art Center and Aeronaut Brewing Company, the Boston Zine Fest took over a little slice of Somerville. The Zine Fest kicked off its first annual event this year with discussion panels, printmaking workshops and a day-long tabling event. Boston’s zine…
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Divest! Harvard Students Challenge Their University’s Fossil-Fuel Investments
By Brian Hoefling Harvard students spent the last week hungry. From Oct. 20-24, a group called Divest Harvard sponsored a fast aimed at persuading the school to sell off its shares in fossil fuel companies. According to Sidni Frederick, a Harvard sophomore and one of the fast’s co-coordinators, over two hundred students participated. Many others…
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“The Skeleton Twins”: Laughter, Followed By A Punch In The Gut
By Marissa Giambelluca Grade: A At heart, “The Skeleton Twins,” a movie directed by Craig Johnson (“True Adolescents”), is a story of a brother and sister both on the brink of self-destruction. Quite literally, actually. The movie opens with Maggie (Kristen Wiig) about to down a handful of pills, but she’s stopped by a phone…
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Garret’s Movie Palace: Insidious, Chapter Two
By Garret Jordan Royal Rating: 2.5 out of 4 crowns Yeah, you read that right. 2.5 out of 4. I was so disappointed. The first Insidious movie came out in 2011, and when I saw it, I was terrified out of my wits. We were introduced to the Lambert family: husband Josh,wife Renée, and their…
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Tea
By Arnie King Tea was born at Cambridge City Hospital 44 years ago and lived his entire life in the Metro region. The early education experience began at home with his mother, a teacher for Cambridge Public Schools. Elementary classes were initiated through the Montessori curriculum, with the circular seating arrangement, at the Friends School…
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Criminalization of Homelessness in US Condemned by the United Nations
By Carey L. Biron NEW YORK, N.Y.—A United Nations panel reviewing the U.S. record on racial discrimination has expressed unusually pointed concern over a new pattern of laws it warns is criminalizing homelessness. U.S. homelessness has increased substantially in the aftermath of the financial downturn, and with a disproportionate impact on minorities. Yet in many…
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Turning Up the Volume
By Andrew Halveron As I settled into the front row seat of my first slam, I felt an active comfort throughout the crowd that was still funneling in. Many faces happy to see each other and many conversations about what was to come from the mic this evening already flowing. I had heard spoken word,…
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Sun of Mercy and Kindness
By Arnie King Sun of Mercy and Kindness, Barthesda was born in New York (Jamaica – Queens) 34 years ago to a Christian father and a Muslim mother. His mother died in a car accident five years later and his father departed two years after that. It’s quite difficult to imagine any degree of mercy…
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Boston Rallies for Michael Brown