Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The Hard Life and Untimely Death of Michael Stearns Jr.
BOSTON, Mass.—Michael lay unconscious for nine days in his hospital bed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His skin and eyes turned yellow from liver failure, and on the ninth day, he died. He was 42. “Ultimately, I watched as his body slowly started to shut down over nine days, his skin became jaundiced and…
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Special Court Seeks to Meet Needs of Homeless Offenders
by Abigail Collins BOSTON, Mass.—Once a month, a small room with welcoming light blue walls at the Pine Street Inn in Boston’s South End serves as a courtroom. The court rises as First Justice Kathleen Coffey enters to begin hearing cases from defendants who have come to Homeless Court. “It’s a non-intimidating environment,” said Elizabeth…
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Showly Nicholson Looks to a New Platform for Helping the Homeless
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Harvard Square is, in many ways, an excellent snapshot of the unique qualities that define the greater Boston area: the same street corners and T stations that are frequented by Harvard University’s most promising students, and homeless individuals who don’t know when they will get their next meal. These streets are also the breeding…
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Angels in the Snow
A frigid wind stung Bobby’s face as he pushed open the door of the package store. Sleet beat a staccato rhythm on the window of the store as he handed the man cash for a bottle of respite. Out the door, back into the yellow-jacket wind. Bobby clutched the bottle right against his body as…
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Does It Really Matter?
So the elections have come and gone, and for the first time in eight years here in Mass. a Republican will be in the State House. I voted this past Tuesday, but like thousands who stayed home I wondered if it would make a difference. I mean, really, does it matter who is in the…
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Garret’s Movie Palace: Into the Storm
By Garret Jordan Well, I was not blown away by this movie — pun intended. I thought for sure that this latest tornado-thon would be better than Twister, given the advances in special effects since 1996. The effects were great, but they just weren’t enough. The exposition and rising action of any story are supposed…
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With a New Album in the Works, M-Dot Looks to What Is Next
M-Dot’s day was nearly derailed by a flat tire. He had CDs, promotional materials and notebooks of rhymes; everything a busy emcee needs for a packed day. But when he stepped outside his home he found his tire flattened, rim to the pavement. So instead of interviewing him somewhere near Berklee–where he was supposed to…
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Remembering Menino: The Former Mayor’s Legacy on Social Justice
The late Mayor Tom Menino’s impact on the city of Boston was easy to see after his death on the morning of Oct. 30. Thousands visited his casket in Fanuiel Hall on Saturday, Nov. 2, and thousands more lined the route of his funeral procession the next day. As the oft-repeated statistic claims, more than…
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New City Commission on Black Men and Boys Comes to a Vote
BOSTON, Mass.—The founder of the New Democracy Coalition, Kevin C. Peterson, recently wrote an opinion piece in the Boston Herald giving Boston’s officials a red flag. “The status of black and Latino men and boys must become one of the city’s priorities,” Peterson said. “If it doesn’t, we are just kicking the can further down…
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