Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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"Roxbury Was Quite a Shock for Me": Christ Hedges on Empire, Religion and Resistance
Chris Hedges spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, he’s reported for more than 50 countries and has worked for the “Christian Science Monitor,” National Public Radio, and the “New York Times,” where he was a foreign correspondent for 15…
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Trayvon Martin and America's Justice Gap
ROXBURY, Mass.—Less than 24 hours after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, hundreds of Boston residents rallied in Dudley Square to seek justice for the slain teen. As mothers wrapped their arms around their sons, youth held makeshift signs, and men wore hoodies, they chanted in unison: “The people united will never be…
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"They Accused Me of Many Things": An Interview with Tortured Bahraini Journalist Nazeeha Saeed
In May 2011, almost a year and half after a Tunisian street vendor’s self-immolation sparked waves of revolution still rocking the Middle East, Bahraini journalist Nazeeha Saeed was tortured during her 13-hour detention before signing a confession she was not allowed to read. Saeed, who had been covering Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement for France 24, was…
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Fracking Over the Future: Former Mobil VP Louis Allstadt Warns of Fracking and Climate Change
Quaint, arty Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is perched on the shores of Lake Otsego, which supplies drinking water to the village and glimmering, placid expanses for kayakers and boaters. Louis W. Allstadt, former executive vice president of Mobil Oil, launched his leisure years in this idyllic spot, intending to leave the…
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Alone in The Dark: Solitary Confinement Reform in Massachusetts Prisons
BOSTON, Mass.—When it comes to solitary confinement, prison reform advocated believe some correctional facilities in Massachusetts are not doing their inmates justice. An inmate in Massachusetts can be placed into solitary confinement for up to ten years.These inmates can be kept isolated for up to 23 hours a day. With no access to outside resources…
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Hands on Deck
SOMERVILE, Mass.—The Boston Handmade Show in Union Square on July 13 is one more event in a string of many that gives Somerville its reputation as a community of makers. This was not an ordinary craft show; every handmaker there had fascinating tales to share along with their wares. The Lady Dye, from the eponymous…
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Cape Verdean Family Accuses Brockton Cop of Illegal Home Entry, Excessive Force
BROCKTON, Mass.—Officers of the Brockton Police Department were in court earlier this month in a lawsuit that comes from their handling of a noise complaint in 2008. A trail began this past week after four family members launched a civil suit against the officers in November 2011 alleging warrantless entry, excessive force, indifference to medical…
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Sequester Cuts into Massachusetts Homeless Programs
BOSTON, Mass.—In a press release on July 10, the Patrick Administration’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced its plans for $4 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds it received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to combat homelessness in the commonwealth. According to the release, roughly $1.4 million…
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New Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein Hopes To Make Progress On Housing the Homeless
BOSTON, Mass.—When you think of the homeless, you often think of the familiar faces of men and women panhandling in Central Square, or selling SPARE CHANGE NEWS at Park Street. They sit outside of Bank of America on Mass. Ave. or under the eaves of the Harvard T station as many of us walk past.…
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