Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Moral Education
Moral Education By Cryn Johannsen Every Sunday when she was a little girl, she would go to a big Gothic church with her parents and her older, increasingly rebellious brother. With her hair covered in bows and her body clothed in neat little dresses – white ones in the summertime and purple ones in the…
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Climate Refugees: Beyond Absolute Poverty
Sitting in Harvard Square on a cold day was “Grasshopper.” He has been homeless for 52 years straight! His wisdom hits home: “Our mother earth is drained and breaking. We do not have time to figure out who is right and wrong. We have to do something now. The conscious mind is almost ready….” Grasshopper…
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Money and Houses: State Rep. Marjorie Decker Tackles the Issues at Spare Change News’ 21st Anniversary Gala
State Representative and Cambridge City Councilor Marjorie Decker was one of a handful of speakers at Spare Change News’ 21st Anniversary Fundraiser and Celebration. She also acted as an enthusiastic, quick-witted auctioneer. Raised in Cambridge, she shined, entering dialogues with the diverse group of attendees at the event. A democrat, and self-proclaimed “Cambridge progressive,” Representative…
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Ernest Moniz and the Growing No-Fracking Movement
It is very unfortunate that Ernest Moniz, the new Energy Secretary, is, like Barack Obama, an “all of the above” energy guy. In his first week in office last week, he said some good things publicly about energy efficiency and solar, wind and geothermal energy. The problem, however, is that Moniz is a big supporter…
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How Fracking Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor
The fracking industry involves much more than drilling. For the past three years, I’ve covered the controversial oil and gas drilling practice for Truthout. Over the past week, I visited Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio to learn more about the challenges faced by those who live where the fracking process begins and ends – in sand…
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"Human Beings Have No Right to Water" and Other Words of Wisdom From Your Friendly Neighborhood Global Oligarch
In the 2005 documentary, We Feed the World, then-CEO of Nestlé, the world’s largest foodstuff corporation, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe shared some of his own views and ‘wisdom’ about the world and humanity. Brabeck believes that nature is not “good,” that there is nothing to worry about with GMO foods, that profits matter above all else, that…
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Carbon Divestment
Already, the California Teachers’ Pension Fund, the state of Vermont, the city of Seattle, and students across the nation are working on divestment campaigns that will speed the transition to renewable energy. President Barack Obama is on a rhetorical roll on the issue of climate change. “The 12 hottest years on record have all come…
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Is Boston Ready to Break the Mayor Mold?
The election of a new mayor of Boston has shaped up into a battle royal. Before Menino was mayor, there was Mayor Raymond Flynn. Menino’s predecessor won a hard-fought campaign against black candidate U.S. Rep. Melvin H. King in 1983. No stranger to politics, King’s near win came in a time of racial division and…
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Keeping the Faith: Massachusetts Has Become a Center of the Climate Movement
The end of March and the beginning of April saw a toxic mix of unrefined oil and heavy industrial chemicals bleed over lakes, wetlands, residential streets, and front yards in four separate spills across the United States and Canada. The first major spill occurred on March 26, when a train derailed near Parkers Prairie, Minnesota.…
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Making "Patient Protection" Essential in Obamacare
For decades, Americans have demanded a healthcare system that provides lifelong access to affordable care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act looked to be a huge step in that direction. However, recently issued regulations for implementing healthcare reform are threatening to undermine the Act’s fundamental goal of achieving health equity — especially for marginalized…
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