Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: These lives matter, too
On the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown being gunned down in Ferguson, a friend asked me if I was going to the protest in Harvard Square. I somewhat reluctantly said no. When asked why, I didn’t want to get into it. I simply said I was tired and really needed to go home. I just…
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FRANK TALK: Frank Turner talks fame and volunteering
He’s traveled the world, playing to sold out crowds everywhere from bars and nightclubs like the Paradise Rock Club to full-fledged stadiums like Wembley in London. And for Frank Turner, who visits Boston’s House of Blues on September 25 and 26, it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. From very early on, the…
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CRUCIAL FUNDING: State legislature overrides veto on youth homelessness funding
Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of funding to combat youth homelessness has been overridden by both the Massachusetts Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously. The $2 million in new funding had been recommended by the Massachusetts Conference Committee and was the result of a multi-year effort by several organizations to increase funding specifically for the…
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HAND UP: Report surveys Spare Change News' vendors
Spare Change News under the Homeless Empowerment Project (SCN/HEP) umbrella has always prided itself on helping the homeless by giving them a hand up rather than a hand out. By giving the homeless an opportunity to become self-employed, the homeless get more than a job with a wage. They are given the support of a…
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YOUTH TO YOUTH: Y2Y Harvard Square shelter to open this winter
The Y2Y shelter in Harvard Square has started construction and is on track for a November opening. The shelter, headed by Co-Executive Directors Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz, will serve homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Employing a unique “youth-to-youth” model, the shelter will have 22 beds, assigned by lottery, and will…
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DIRECTOR'S NOTE: Homeless Bill of Rights
Vincent Flanagan, the outgoing executive director of the Homeless Empowerment Project which publishes Spare Change News, testified in favor of the Homeless Bill of Rights last week. Here’s an excerpt from his plea to the assembly at the Massachusetts State House: Our safety net has a huge hole in it. Trying to survive on what…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: How not to go missing
I was reading an article in the Boston Globe about a homeless man that the police found. Well, actually, they found his legs first. They had been severed from his body and were lying by a Connecticut train station. From DNA testing they found out that the man’s name was Ray Roberson. They’ve found what…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Oh hell yeah
On a rare morning last week when I had nothing to do I hastily caught a press conference by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Let’s cut to the chase. “If committing to signing the (host city) agreement is what’s required to move forward, then Boston is no longer pursuing the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic games,” Walsh…
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LOGAN GODFREY: Haverhill rapper rhymes against opioid abuse
Heroin and opiate-related deaths within Massachusetts have seen a significant spike in numbers in 2015. It’s a monster that grows day by day. Haverhill native and up-and-coming rapper Logan Godfrey has something to say about how the epidemic is affecting him, his hometown and his career. “I was writing against opiates and substance abuse even…
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