Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
WARM INTENTIONS: BostonWarm @ Old South Church
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a new co-ed day shelter called BostonWarm opened in Copley Square at Old South Church. Located three doors down from the historic church’s main entrance on Dartmouth and Beacon streets, the day center is located in the church’s lower level club room. It’s a warm, safe haven for homeless…
-
BOOK REVIEW: 'The Water Knife' by Paolo Bacigalupi
This book is about water. Imagine the United States fragmented. Texas has fallen away and there’s a fence, much like the one we now put up to block immigrants from Mexico. Angel is what they call a “Water Knife.” He does the dirty work for the power brokers who are fighting for the water rights…
-
BIZARRE BOSTON: The Hermit of Boston Common
Boston Common is America’s oldest public park. It was established as the common property of Boston’s citizens back in 1634 and since then it has been used to graze cattle, hang criminals and (more recently) hold celebrations and performances. The Common wasn’t always public land, though. It was originally the property of an eccentric bull-riding…
-
CHANGE REPORT: Winners and Losers
WINNERS: Olympics Bid The U.S. Olympic Committee chose Boston as America’s bidding city for the 2024 Olympics. Yes, Boston is going for the gold in its quest to host the future summer games and has beat San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles in the Olympic sweepstakes. Dr. Monica Bharel The chief medical officer at…
-
ALL THAT JAZZ: Wally’s Cafe
I boarded the MBTA No. 1 bus and got off at the intersection of Massachusetts and Columbus Avenue before heading up the block to Wally ‘s Jazz Club in Boston’s South End. Wally’s Cafe, the first African-American nightclub in New England, was founded in 1947 by Joseph L. Walcott, originally from Barbados, and his brother.…
-
GARRET'S MOVIE PALACE: Return of the reviews
Happy New Year! Thank you for your patience, my faithful readers. It’s been a while since I’ve written a review and, for this, I apologize. I’ve still been watching movies every month, but none of them have been worth writing about. This holiday season was also a bit difficult for me emotionally, so my heart…
-
LAST WORD: Algia Benjamin
Alabama in the early 1960s wasn’t the easiest place for an African-American woman to raise 10 children, but Algia Benjamin’s mother did just that—until they left for Boston in 1966. Growing up during the Civil Rights movement when segregation was still in place, Benjamin remembers his mother being so afraid that she sometimes felt reluctant…
-
HEART STRINGS: Shelter Music Boston creates human connections
Julie Leven, classical violinist who holds degrees in English and Music from Oberlin College and Conservatory, has always felt an impulse to help the less fortunate and was influenced by her alma mater’s legacy of promoting social justice. Leven also loves music. These two passions came together for her in 2010 when she founded Shelter…
-
EDITOR'S NOTE: Time to make a difference
How did I get involved with Spare Change News? It came to me in a dream. After spending the summer doing research for my fourth book, Haunted Boston Harbor, I became obsessed with the historical back story involving the rusty, old bridge connecting Quincy’s Moon Island and Boston Harbor’s Long Island. “Mayor, tear down that…
-
BLANKET STATEMENT: Cambridge's City Councilor Marc McGovern goes back to the basics
With below-freezing temperatures making life difficult for the area’s homeless population, Cambridge City Councilor Marc McGovern cut through the red tape by launching a crowdsourcing campaign to supply the city’s less fortunate with winter necessities like wool blankets and socks. McGovern raised nearly $7,400 for 750 wool blankets for the city’s homeless this winter through…
Got any book recommendations?