Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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To Ariel Aluzariaro
We never met. But I saw you. Your grandmother, my friend Jennifer, showed me your picture on her phone. Later, when she showed me the picture again, I smiled and let her know that she didn’t need proof—I’d seen the photo. She got embarrassed, in the manner of a grandmother who was so foolishly, big-heartedly…
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Minority Religions Absent at Obama’s Inaugural Prayer Service
The Presidential Inaugural Committee billed the National Prayer as a celebration of “the values and diversity that make us strong.” But if it was meant to celebrate diversity then it was difficult to see how. The service was held on Tuesday, January 22, the day after President Obama’s second inauguration, at the National Cathedral in…
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Tito Jackson Making History
Spare Change News: Tell me about your childhood. Councilman Tito Jackson: Unlike my older siblings, I like to remind them that I was actually chosen. I was adopted when I was two months old. I stayed in the hospital for about two months and I’m thankful so much for Herbert and Rosa Jackson, they’re my…
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Give What You Can
Walk into the newest member at 3 Center Plaza in Government Center and you’ll notice a familiar atmosphere of breads and soups and a menu you love, but people greet you and explain that it’s not exactly the same. On January 23, the first Panera Cares Café opened up in Government Center in Boston. It’s…
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No Room in the Inn
Since the 1980s, motels have been the place where homeless families with nowhere to turn have been placed. When the state’s emergency shelter system hits capacity, the motels have served to house struggling families and individuals. These motel stints are paid for by taxpayers (nearly $45 million total in the 2012). While nearly everyone involved…
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Helping Hands
In spite of chilly temperatures, a crowd of people gathered on the steps of Cambridge City Hall, coming together to honor the life and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They braved the cold for Many Helping Hands’ Third Annual MLK Day of Service, and over 1,300 people of all ages participated. The number…
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Son of Southie: John "Red" Shea
John “Red” Shea and world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza (courtesy photo) At 25 years old, John “Red” Shea was staring at a 12-year federal prison sentence for refusing to testify against his boss and mentor, James “Whitey” Bulger. It was during those years in prison that Shea, who got into many fights defending Bulger’s integrity…
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Saul Alinsky and Progressive MA Politics
The other day I was re-reading Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and found his observations relevant to Massachusetts progressives, both in terms of criticism and insight. The upcoming special election for the Senate seat, vacated by John Kerry upon his confirmation as Secretary of State, provides opportunities beyond the result at the polls. Because the…
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Food for Free
Over the past three years, Food For Free, a Cambridge-based food recovery organization, has created partnerships with two prominent local food corporations: Boston Organics and the Greater Boston Food Bank. Their purpose is to deliver food to people facing food insecurity in Greater Boston with a population of 106,000 and a median household income of…
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How the Fiscal Cliff Deal Will Impact Homelessness
On January 1, 2013, Congress passed a bipartisan bill called the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. ATRA eliminates or postpones many aspects of the so-called “fiscal cliff.” President Barack Obama signed the bill on January 2. The fiscal cliff is a term for the expiration of several federal tax cuts and the Budget Control…
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