Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Boston Listed as No. 1 City for Inequality
The Brookings Institution recently released a study examining the increasing level of income inequality in cities and metro areas across the country, with Boston topping the list. Conducted by Alan Berube and Natalie Holmes, the study was released on Jan. 14. Alongside Boston, the study also ranked New York and San Francisco among the top…
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Health workers vaccinate hundreds after homeless man’s death
Three cases of a bacteria-caused illness among Boston’s homeless—including one that proved fatal—occurred in less than two months, prompting the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program to vaccinate 990 shelter clients and staff workers. The illness, meningococcemia, is not usually the cause of widespread outbreaks among homeless individuals, but health experts note that shelter conditions…
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President’s budget proposal ‘a first step’ in aiding homeless families
President Obama is looking to house more homeless families over the next 10 years by providing them with more housing vouchers and short-term assistance, if his budget is approved by Congress. His budget calls for $11 billion more in spending to support these programs, which Megan Hustings, interim director of the National Coalition for the…
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Building a Bridge Between the Haves and Have-Nots
When I accepted the position of Executive Director for the Homelessness Empowerment Project (Publisher of Spare Change News) last September, my hope was to serve as a careful steward of a dream that began back in 1992. Spare Change News is the product of a vision generated by a group of homeless visionaries. Co-founder James…
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The Valentine’s Day Freeze
I was one of the people out in the cold on Valentine’s Day. I’d hoped the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter would stay open, but it didn’t. Dawn, a former founder of the company, called some other shelters for us to see if we could stay there, but they said we couldn’t: they were already full…
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Kids These Days: Harvard Square Youth Bridges Gap Between Students and the Homeless
All photos: Alena Kuzub Y2Y is officially open for business. The shelter, founded by Sarah Rosenkrantz and Sam Greenberg, welcomed guests into its 22-bed facility for the first time in January. Y2Y is for the youth and is also run by the youth, relying on a volunteer staff of over 200 Harvard students, making it…
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Boston Police Salute African American Hero
In honor of Black history Month, the Boston Police saluted the first African American to receive the department’s prestigious Medal of Honor earlier this month. The Boston Police saluted Detective Frederick McLean in a press release February 12. McLean received the Medal of Honor after he arrested two armed men as they attempted to rob…
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A Cold Weather Message from C.O.P.E.
Photo: Sushant Bhosale This weekend’s weather forecast looks bleak, especially for those who call the streets their home. Expected windchill factors could be as low as -23 degrees. I’m feeling a sense of anxiety and urgency. Not for me, but for our friends who will not have a safe and warm place to go as…
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Last Word: Chris Mesfin
February is Black History Month, and Spare Change News vendor and writer Chris Mesfin took some time out of his day to explain to me the importance of the month, not only for him and his community but for the whole of the United States. For Chris, black history involves understanding the past and taking…
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Red Cross has emergency need for blood donations
Source: KOMUnews/Abbie Loveall The Red Cross faces an emergency need for blood donors after harsh January weather cancelled more than 300 blood drives across the country. Every day, the Red Cross has to collect 14,000 blood donations to maintain an adequate blood supply for the 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers in its network, said Mary…
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