Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: That Immigration Thing
I haven’t said much about the immigration debate, though I’ve been following it since it began. I sometimes tend to stay out of political arguments because they can be divisive. People on either side of the debate want you to pick a side. There’s really not much room for a middle ground. No matter what…
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LAST WORD: Garret Jordan
Photo: Alena Kuzub If you’re a regular reader of Spare Change News, you’re probably familiar with one of the newspaper’s most popular features: the Movie Palace film reviews. Garret Jordan has been writing the column since October 2014 when Spare Change News’ former editor-in-chief approached the Black Seed Writers Group looking for writers. “Every Tuesday,…
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Impending Doom: The Collapse of the Mosul Dam
The Mosul Dam is in danger of collapse due to increased rainstorms. The resulting flood would be devastating. As Iraq’s largest dam, it would send a 15-foot wall of water down the river to Baghdad, and Mosul would be engulfed in a flood. The immediate impact would result in approximately 500,000 people’s deaths and the…
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Every Day with Morrie: Mitch Albom on charity and writing
Author Mitch Albom has been a household name in the writing business for over 30 years, and for good reason. Starting out as a sports writer in his early 20s after graduating from Columbia’s School of Business, Albom has since published sports-themed books including “Fab Five” and “Bo.” He has also published four collections of…
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Unleashing the Dogs of War
On November 13, Paris reeled from a series of well-coordinated bombing attacks that rippled through the leisure spaces of the capital city, causing death, panic, fear and injury. We soon learned that 130 people were killed and over 300 were injured injured. The attackers, we are told, are soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq…
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Treatment on Demand
Photo: Zengzheng Wang More and more, we see the opiate epidemic dominating the conversation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. What was once thought to be only an inner-city issue is now affecting every social class in every corner of the state, in every community, whether rich or poor, high, middle or lower class. The need for treatment…
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HUD reports decrease in Mass. homeless population
Homelessness in Massachusetts fell 0.5 percent in 2015, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said. HUD released its 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress on November 19, HUD said in a press release. The report found that 21,135 people experienced homelessness across Massachusetts in 2015, of which 97.2 percent were staying in residential…
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Gun Summit Convenes Amid Concerns of Gun Violence
Photo by Zengzheng Wang Mayor Marty Walsh hosted the second annual Gun Violence Summit on November 19th. Mayors and Police Chiefs from 31 towns and cities throughout Massachusetts Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island were in attendance, along with representatives of Every Town for Gun Safety, Arms with Ethics, Mayors Against Illegal Guns,…
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Report warns Boston at risk of housing deficit
The costs of building new housing in the Boston area have gotten so high that the city is at risk of a “permanent housing deficit,” says a new report from researchers at Northeastern University. “This year’s report emphasizes that we are in or near a period of crisis over the cost and availability of housing…
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Watertown Student Raises “Cards 4 a Cause”
Photo: Zengzheng Wang Earlier this month, about 40 people and a fluffy off-white dog gathered in a chestnut house in Watertown scattered with homemade treats and drinks to help launch Cards4ACause. The intimate setting was reflective of what 14-year-old Watertown High School freshman Joanna Munson-Palomba said she wanted her organization to stand for. “This is…
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