Category: Profiles
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Unwanted pity, and an unfair hike
James Shearer Spare Change News Just a couple of small items as we finish taking down the tree. Pity is a dirty word As I was selling papers shortly before Christmas, a woman came up to me and said while she couldn’t give me any money, she offered me a holiday bag. Usually I don’t…
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TALKING BACK: A Critical Dialogue On Spirituality Part III
Jacques Fleury Spare Change News “Just for today, do not worry Just for today, do not anger, Honor your parents, teachers and elders. Earn your living hon- estly. Show gratitude to everything”. -Dr. Mikao Usui I have written about how my mother helped to create my own reality, hence my own identity. Now I will…
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Sol Y Canto: Latin roots music to change the world
Nakia Hill Spare Change News The Amador family of Cambridge has a lot to be thankful for this coming New Year. First, the dynamic duo of Sol Y Canto and their 15-year-old twin daughters, Alisa and Sonia, recently released the audio recording of Lola’s Fandango, published by Barefoot Books. Second, they’ve had numerous performances, including…
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Unexpected Blessings And Gifts
Marc D. Goldfinger Spare Change News This is a time when families come together to celebrate in different ways. It is true that some families have been fragmented by sickness, addiction, mis-understanding and mis-communication. The same can be said for the entire world we live in. I was born well over 60 years ago on…
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Algia Benjamin, Spare Change News Vendor
Larissa Butrimowicz Spare Change News Algia Benjamin is one of our Spare Change News vendors who has been with the paper since 1992, three months after the paper was created. He was born in Alabama, but when his parents separated, his mother moved to Boston with him when he was seven. He recalls having a…
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Standing Up for Respect in Porter Square
Anthony Thames Spare Change News Sunday, November 26, was a beautiful day in Porter Square, Cambridge and I was soon to find that it was a memorable and inspiring one. The sun shone brightly and temperatures were in the 60’s (a pleasant surprise for the month of November). Smiles and pleasantries were present in abundance.…
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The 99% And The Politics Of Hope
The 99% And The Politics Of Hope By Marc D. Goldfinger I remember when I was young and we had an insulated metal box out in front of our house for the milkman. He would come about every other day, take the empty bottles to be sterilized and refilled and drop off fresh milk topped…
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Lillian MacDonald: A Success Story
From her second floor studio apartment, Lillian MacDonald looks listlessly out the window. “This is my home,” she says of her humble abode, decorated from wall to wall with pictures, the smell of cinnamon and sweet scents from candles permeating the air. Most of the pictures are black and whites of family members and saints.…
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Trading Places
Have you ever taken the time to wonder what the homeless really have to experience on a daily basis? I know that you pass them daily as you go to and fro, on you way here and there. You may even stop to give them a couple dollars or offer them a cup of coffee…
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Hooked on Black Tar
I’m lucky enough to be watching the ocean right now. It’s haunting to realize how connected all the waters are. My wife and I are at Cape Cod, many miles away from the Gulf of Mexico. The waves are coming in as I sit here close to the window of our rented room. The side…