Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Boston Housing Authority receives over $17 million for capital improvements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Boston Housing Authority more than $17 million in its annual capital investments campaign this year, HUD announced on Feb. 11. According to the BHA, it is the largest public housing authority in New England and the sixth largest in the nation. “Our capital funding has…
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At Anime Boston, fans give back
Photo: Kotarou Kagamine Thousands of anime fans, cosplayers, and self-identified geeks will flock to the Hynes Convention Center this weekend for Anime Boston for events like autograph signings, cosplay contests, and special screenings, among others. To outsiders, the annual convention is probably best associated with its costumed participants who flood the Prudential Center, and many…
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City hall hears proposal of just cause eviction law
All photos: Sam Amore Displaced tenants and members of over 35 tenant’s rights organizations gathered outside of Boston City Hall on March 14, advocating that the city councilors pass a just cause eviction law. Also present were members of the Small Property Owner’s Association, a group of local landlords who are strictly opposed to the…
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Plan…? What plan?
A couple of weeks ago, several homeless advocates and I received word that a homeless man from a Boston shelter had died from meningitis. A few things ran through my mind as I talked with the other advocates. Obviously, my first concern was making sure our own vendors were safe. My other thought was: why…
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SCN teams up with Student Journalists
Back in 1992, the founders of Spare Change spoke earnestly of “Building a Bridge between the Haves and Have Nots.” This social justice newspaper was conceived of as more than an economic opportunity for vendors to have an alternative to panhandling for a living. The original purpose was to create a space for dialogue to…
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Jacked Up: Eric Jackman Talks Homelessness, Politics, and Donald Trump
Eric Jackman is a normal guy. He works for customer service at a car dealership in Southern New Hampshire, he is as much of a die-hard Bruins fan as the next guy, he has cookouts in February for him and his friends, and he loves to talk politics. But what sets him apart from the…
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Flipping the Sheet: Reflections on the 2016 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness
All photos: Andrew Giampa “We’re going to do some ice breakers to help us get to know each other better.” The leader told our group of 17 to all get up, stand on a flat bed sheet on the ground, and flip the sheet without anyone stepping off of it. If someone’s foot touched any…
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Women’s Media Center Publishes Report Examining Disparity Between Male and Female Coverage of Reproductive Rights News
Reproductive rights have long been an issue that is front and center of presidential campaigns and social debates. Now with the Supreme Court currently investigating the case of Whole Woman’s Health vs. Cole, which some say will be the most influential abortion case since 1992, women’s health issues are more widely discussed than ever. However,…
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Legislative Action Day 2016: Advocates demand better funding for low-income families and homelessness prevention programs
All Photos: Alena Kuzub Last Thursday morning, around 200 advocates, providers, and homeless people gathered at the State House’s Great Hall for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’ Legislative Action Day 2016. The six hour event consisted of three hours of testimonies, legislative remarks, advice for lobbying legislators, and a call to declare the homelessness…
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Timeline: The chain of events that brought chaos to Boston’s Schools
Photos: StanleyFormanphotos.com, Pulitzer Prize 1977, “The Soiling of Old Glory” The Decision (1954–1974) On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional. On May 31, 1955, the U.S. Supreme Court raised the urgency of desegregation in the Brown II ruling by ordering that…
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