Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The Vendor
Upon reading “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” by James Agee, the thought struck me that you, the reader, have truly so little understanding of the people you purchase this paper, SPARE CHANGE NEWS, from. We vendors are standing outside in frigid weather, hot weather, rainy weather, stormy weather, dancing back and forth to keep…
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Behind the Curtain
In the last issue of SPARE CHANGE NEWS, there was a story of a woman, Fachon Fetters, who was being evicted from her home by Heading Home, the program that provided her with housing (“Evicted with Six Months to Live”). Apparently, Fetters, who has breast cancer, was being evicted at the behest of her seemingly…
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The Homeless in Detective Fiction
Homelessness has been called the invisible problem in the United States and isn’t often discussed, due to how sensitive the topic is. Even detective fiction, a genre of literature that often tackles uncomfortable subjects, avoids this issue. While Sherlock Holmes may have paid a network of homeless people in London, the private eyes from the…
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Fashion for Freedom Raises Money to Combat Sex Trafficking
On Friday, February 21, the first ever benefit show hosted by Fashion For Freedom, a group that focuses on raising awareness for victims of sex trafficking, was held at Simmons College in Boston. Ayana Auborg, 19, and Adebukola Ajao, 19, are both students of the Colleges of the Fenway, a network of six neighboring Boston-based…
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America’s Segregated Healthcare System
It has been almost 149 years since the American Civil War ended, and although progress has been made in the land of the free and the home of the brave, secession still has a peculiar way of revealing itself. The United for a Fair Economy’s (UFE) 11th annual State of the Dream report, entitled “Healthcare…
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Local Woman Gives the Gift of Warmth
BOSTON, Mass.—In the midst of a winter that seems to be never-ending, one Watertown resident is trying to keep those who are less fortunate in the Boston area a little warmer, inside and out. Cathy O’Grady, a wife, mother and full-time accountant, has found time in her busy schedule to ensure those in need are…
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Is the Massachusetts DCF Failing Children?
FITCHBURG, Mass.—It was only when 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver’s older sister told her elementary school counselor that she had not seen her brother for many months that authorities realized the boy had gone missing. In July 2013, the boy’s day care provider had alerted his social worker to the fact that his mother had withdrawn the…
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MHSA Receives New Funds to Support Housing Program
BOSTON, Mass.—Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) announced that the Boston Foundation has awarded MHSA a $20,000 grant for public policy and advocacy work. The grant is from the Boston Foundation’s Food and Fuel Fund and, will support MHSA in developing and implementing innovative solutions to homelessness. MHSA President and Executive…
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