Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Somerville Reforms Immigration by Withdrawing from Secure Communities Program
SOMERVILLE, Mass.—Mayor Joe Curtatone took historic steps toward the protection of undocumented immigrants on when he signed an executive order to withdraw the city from Secure Communities, a program enacted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) two years ago to remove undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to public safety. “[The program] is a…
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Forum to Come Up with Solutions for Working Families
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. —The White House, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Center for American Progress held a forum in Cambridge last week about solutions to help working families. It is part of a series of regional meetings leading up to the Working Families Summit in Washington D.C. on June 23. The forum kicked off…
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Cambridge Panel Looks at Homelessness and Mental Illness
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Cambridge/Middlesex County (NAMI Cambridge-Middlesex) sponsored a panel called “Homelessness and Mental Illness” on May 6. The program featured authors, activists and professionals in the field working to assist those who find themselves both homeless and managing a psychiatric disorder. The panelists included Ana Miranda, author of the…
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Activists Rally Behind New Farm-Animal Protection Bills with ‘Pups for Pigs’ Rally
BOSTON, Mass.––Many consumers still imagine real farms to be like the idyllic farms displayed on their food packaging. However, many Americans are increasingly conscious of the much different – and, to many, much more disturbing – conditions that exist on modern factory farms. Now, activists across the Commonwealth are promoting bipartisan farm-animal rights legislation in…
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The Birth of Ar Lain Ta, Part Two
I’m a gatekeeper. My kingdom is a subterranean basement where junkies come to dream about what might have been; what should have been; what could happen if only, if only, if only. Sometimes, I tell the stories and he writes them down. I’m not the only one here who tells the stories. Everyone who comes…
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A Matter of Life and Death
Someone once stopped me from taking my life by telling me his story, and I was encouraged to start giving back. Much has been given to me. I am 66 years old, and I am happy. Eleven years ago I married my soul mate. In January, I retired from a wonderful job I held for…
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A Lost Soul
Last week, I lost someone very close to me. As far as I’m concerned, the streets took her, though she hadn’t been homeless in a while. Some people don’t realize how easily one can end up homeless. it can happen in the blink of an eye. It really doesn’t take much; a bad decision, a…
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‘Something a Camera Can’t Get’: David Andrus Draws Cambridge’s Homeless Residents
During the month of April, the Central Square branch of the Cambridge Public Library hosted a gallery of local artist David Andrus’ drawings of the homeless in Central Square. The gallery was taken down April 30. The drawings were mixed medium. For his posed portraits, Andrus used charcoal. However, his main way of working involves…
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Assault: The Beating of a Homeless Man in Allston is Part of a Nationwide Trend
ALLSTON, Mass.— On January 26 at 2 a.m., two men – C. J. Parsons and Anthony Varrichione – allegedly assaulted a homeless man named Michael Hudson in front of a house on Allston St., where the two men were at a party. According to witnesses, Hudson had been asking for money After telling him to…
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