Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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OUT OF AFRICA: Local spearheads Pamoja Project film
Hopkinton native Audrey Emerson speaks with a confidence and determination that belies her young age. She also exudes an unbridled enthusiasm that’s both inspiring and reflective of her youth. Emerson attended the Walnut Hill School in Natick and is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California, majoring in critical film studies. Yet she…
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FEMALE TROUBLE: Advocates address feminine hygiene
Brittany sat under an alcove in Harvard Square, sign in hand and a cup of loose change in front of her. She sets up there nearly every day, she says, with the same sign but with a different Dunkin’ Donuts cup. Her blue-dyed tips peek out of her yellow, owl-printed bandana. Kal stands next to…
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LAST WORD: Tommy D.
Tommy D. has fantastically blue eyes. Outside the Spare Change News headquarters, in the bright sunshine, it’s a little hard to tell exactly whether they’re blue, green or a mixture of both. When I mention how amazing they are, he replies jokingly that it must be something to do with his mixed Cuban/Italian ancestry. The…
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NO FAIRY TALE: MassMouth’s executive director says there is hope to end homelessness
Norah Dooley, the accomplished storyteller, author and executive director of MassMouth, has entertained us with her intricate and heartwarming tales for 28 years now. In addition, Dooley has worked as a passionate social activist, bringing awareness and support to Boston’s large homeless community. Even to a career storyteller, she acknowledges that homelessness is anything but…
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Emotional wounds
My mother was 15 when she met my biological father at a swimming pool in Florida. They married soon after and she moved us to his home in Chicago when I was a baby. He drank a lot and my mother thought she could somehow change him. She was wrong. My father was older than…
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LADIES FIRST: Local nurse weighs in on health care for women
Are women treated differently in the health care field? I recently went to Massachusetts General Hospital to talk to Mary, an infectious diseases nurse, and to get her opinion on the debate. Mary has treated homeless and non-homeless women, men and children in the Infectious Disease Unit. Many of her colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital…
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VOICES FROM THE STREET: Does it really matter?
Another old female friend of mine passed away last week from a drug overdose. Homeless and, as far as I know, alone, she was young—in her early 50s—and a good woman, but I’m not going to bore you with her story, how she lived and how she died. The reason why? Because it won’t change…
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AMANDA PALMER: From Harvard Square busker to international phenom
From Harvard Square busker to international crowdsourcing phenomenon, Amanda Palmer launches a new creative project after writing a best-selling book. Here’s an exclusive interview with Amanda Palmer who started her ride to fame as a busker in Harvard Square. Palmer was the Eight Foot Woman covered in white who stood upon a stool in front…
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SCN 23rd Anniversary Gala
Save the Date! Tuesday May12, 2015 6:00p.m. – 9:00p.m. 23rd Anniversary to benefit Spare Change Newsat Microsoft NERD Center 1 Memorial Drive #1, Cambridge MA 02142 (Kendall/MIT on Red Line).Exhibit: “The Homeless are not Faceless”, Silent & Live Auctions, Hors D’oeuvres , Cash Bar, Entertainment, and Vendor Awards. Tickets: $60, Students and Seniors (65+): $35. All tickets purchased at the…
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VOICES FROM THE STREET: Thinking of U Baby Girl
By the time you read this I will have had my first fundraiser for my new project. Am I excited about it? Yes, but at the same time there is a sadness: I sorely wish that someone was here to share it with me. My daughter Jasmine would have been 21 in February. You would…
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