Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Boston plans to end chronic individual homelessness by 2018
When the Long Island bridge closed—cutting off access to the city’s largest shelter and many residential treatment programs, some saw the crisis as an opportunity to reform a system that wasn’t working. After all, the only thing more outdated than that 64-year-old rusty bridge was the idea that just sheltering people alone was the best…
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REVIEW: After All the Terrible Things I Do
A play might be important, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective. That’s the case with After All The Terrible Things I Do, a work by Midwestern playwright A. Rey Pamatmat. This two-character play cogently brings to the fore such issues as gay identity, self-loathing, parental pressure and bullying. While it does break…
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VOICES FROM THE STREET: Two Dogs and a Kitten (Part Four)
A man gets out of prison and comes home to the mother of his children and is blown away by the chaos they live in. He’s struggling to stay drug-free but doesn’t have a program. He just got stoned with a friend who had a place to bathe his kids. (Click here for Part One,…
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VOICES FROM THE STREET: Thinking of you, Willa
It’s maddening as a writer when you’re working on your column and you’re way past deadline. Then something pops up. It makes you stop the presses and restart as I’m doing now. I don’t like it but if I don’t get this out it would be lost. By now everyone on the planet has seen…
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TV SHOW: Spare Change News TV launches on CCTV
In case you missed it … below is an archive of Spare Change News TV. The weekly program, airing 5:30 p.m. Mondays on Cambridge Community TV’s channel 9, is a news-driven talk show focusing on the story behind the stories featured in each issue of the country’s oldest continuously operating street newspaper. Click here for…
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LAST WORD: James Shearer
If it wasn’t for James Shearer and the independent news outlet he co-founded in 1992, homeless people on the streets of this city would be seen but not necessarily heard. While mainstream publications like the Boston Globe occasionally run stories on homelessness, their perspective is usually limited to a trip to a shelter and a…
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LION’S ROAR: Lions Lions frontman tackles LGBT and homeless issues on- and offstage
The voices of mainstream musical artists have always been heard when it comes to issues like homelessness and gay rights. What some people may not hear as much, however, are the voices of artists in the local circuit, which are just as valuable and just as rich in support and positive messages. Josh Herzer of…
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VENDOR VOICES: When I was homeless
For me, the 1980s was a time of creativity, a lot of stress and homelessness. I left Boston after six years and went on to complete my associates’ degree at a suburban Long Island college. Once I got back to New York, I registered with a temporary employment agency and worked in my first full-time…
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VENDOR VOICES: We spent millions on the Bolling Building in Roxbury. Why?
Mayor Marty Walsh was at the ribbon cutting ceremony on April 18 to officially open the Bruce C. Bolling Building in Roxbury. It was a nice event until I learned more about the building itself. It’s the new home of the Boston Public School Committee and several other organizations geared toward helping the community. They’re…
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WHAT ARE YOU?: Transgender women face risks in gendered shelters
By Sabrina Caserta Laze Ma coats her eyes with dark liner, adding a few sparkles for fun. She dabs her lips with plum gloss and picks out her favorite dress. Even though she’s been chronically homeless for six years, she’ll do everything in her power not to look it. “I used to wear towels on…
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