Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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For Some in Kashmir Marriage Equates to Sexual Slavery
In Kashmir there are thousands of young women who were sold in their teens by their parents to older men, and now living lives governed by restrictions which many equate to imprisonment. Photo by Stella Paul/IPS Haseena Akhtar was only 13 when an agent told her parents that they could earn a good amount of…
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The hidden costs of fast fashion
Photo by Yevgenia Belorusets In recent years, thanks to the global market, garment production has, to a great extent, moved from Asia to the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe. Liceulice discussed the realities of the working conditions in these countries, and Serbia in particular, with Bojana Tamindzija and Stefan Aleksic from the Serbian branch of…
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It’s the system, stupid.
That’s what I have to tell myself whenever I come across a story like the one I’m about to tell you. A dear old friend of mine recently got housing – well, it’s really just a room in one of the few remaining rooming houses around here. It’s part of “Housing First” and when I…
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Are you equipped to respond to an opioid overdose?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1999 to 2017 more than 702,000 people died from a drug overdose. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States. Of those deaths, almost 68 percent involved opioids. Communities are taking…
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‘Clean sweep’ becomes policy
The Walsh administration has announced an initiative aimed at clearing homeless people from the Melnea Cass/Massachusetts Avenue neighborhood, in a follow up to last summer’s action against Boston’s homeless, known as “Operation Clean Sweep,” with its Melnea Cass/Mass Ave. 2.0 plan. “While no neighborhood or group of people has escaped this crisis, the areas of…
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Mass. political leaders hold roundtable on ‘medical deferred action’
Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Edward Markey hosted a roundtable discussion on immigration policies. Photo by Max Reyes Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Edward Markey on Monday questioned how the Trump administration was handling about 400 requests for medical deferred action that were reopened after the administration walked back an attempt to end the practice.…
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FANG Collective works to ‘shut down ICE’
Activists disrupt a meeting being held between ICE officials and Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald in March 2019. Photo courtesy of FANG Collective As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps through immigrant communities, disrupting lives and breaking up families, some local law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts have solidified their desire to help ICE into…
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Mass. protests round up of Cambodian residents
Tammie Christopulos of Lynn was in the shower last Saturday morning when her doorbell rang. She knew what it was: a deportation order for her husband, Saray Im, who was born in Cambodia but has lived in the United States for the last 35 years. “My husband is not a threat to anyone in the…
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How climate change is driving emigration from Central America
Clouds of dust rose behind the wheels of the pickup truck as we hurtled over the back road in Palo Verde, El Salvador. When we got to the stone-paved part of the road, the driver slowed as the truck heaved up and down with the uneven terrain. Riding in the back bed of the truck,…
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SCN Fall Gala
It’s time to buy tickets to the Spare Change News “Celebration of Empowerment” Fall Gala! Tickets are $45, and the event will include a cash bar and silent auction, and will support our mission of helping homeless people to recognize their power and take charge of their lives. Click here to purchase tickets.
Got any book recommendations?