Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Harvard Alumni, Faculty and Law Students Join Campaign to Ditch Fossil Fuel Investments
Cambridge, Massachusets—The campaign to pull Harvard’s stock holdings out of the fossil fuel industry has graduated from primarily a baccalaureate effort, to one that includes law students, faculty, and some of the school’s distinguished and well-heeled alumni. This week, as thousands of attendees and one Oprah descended upon the Cambridge campus for 2013 commencement, and…
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The Background Behind the Uprising in Bahrain
The uprising in Bahrain started on 14 February 2011. Planned and organized by a group of Bahraini youth, it was inspired in part by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt—the beginnings of the Arab Spring. The activists—who camped in the iconic Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the capital of Bahrain—first called for political reform and equality for…
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What’s Really Going on in Bahrain: An Interview with Activist Ala’a Shehabi
Ala’a Shehabi is not a woman to be trifled with. Born in the U.K., she earned a Ph.D. from Imperial College London and has worked for prestigious institutions like Rand Europe and the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance. At the same time, Shehabi has been active in Bahrain’s ongoing uprising. She was at Pearl…
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Bahrain Shows Two Sides of Ambitious Economic Development
MANAMA, Bahrain—”The name ‘Bahrain’ means ‘two seas,’” our tour guide explained as we walked away from the old Portuguese fort on the outskirts of Manama. “There’s the saltwater sea that surrounds Bahrain. Then there’s the fresh water that bubbles up in the middle of the sea to our north.” The fort itself is breathtaking, set…
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The Rocking Chair
She was leaning over the railing at the baggage claim. That was the first time I had seen my mother in over two years. I had my luggage in my hand and came around her from behind, surprised that she hadn’t seen me yet and wondering why she hadn’t seen me waiting for my bag…
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From Local Author to Homelessness and Back Again
I never thought I would end up a homeless veteran. By society’s standards, I did all the right things; I joined the Army, graduated college, and published my first children’s book, The Pet Mouse, on Amazon.com. But time and circumstance can change anyone’s life. In 2009, my life began its unraveling descent into homelessness. Earlier…
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Ev’olutions
In advance of a new release frommultiple awards winning playwright and author Eve Ensler, I attended a production of her seminal work “The Vagina Monologues.” Produced by Cambridge Cooperative at the Central Square YMCA, the play was staged as a V-Day benefit for non-profit My Life, My Choice (MLMC). Created in 1998, V-Day is an…
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You and Your Family Are Guinea Pigs for the Chemical Corporations
A hidden epidemic is poisoning America. The toxins are in the air we breathe and the water we drink, in the walls of our homes and the furniture within them. We can’t escape it in our cars. It’s in cities and suburbs. It afflicts rich and poor, young and old. And there’s a reason why…
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Time for Big Green to Go Fossil Free
The movement demanding that public interest institutions divest their holdings from fossil fuels is on a serious roll. At last count, there were active divestment campaigns on 305 campuses and in more than 100 US cities and states. The demand has spread to Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Britain. And though officially launched just six…
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