Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The Meaning of Barack Obama
I know your image of me Is what I hope to be I’ve treated you unkindly But darlin’ can’t you see These lyrics are from the classic, A Song for You. Though originally written and recorded in 1970 by Leon Russell, a white rocker-singer-songwriter, these lyrics were ushered into the American songbook by soul music…
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Protecting Our Right to the Right Medicine
President Obama’s healthcare reform is about to severely restrict drug treatment options for millions of America’s most vulnerable patients. This certainly wasn’t the president’s intention. But a new, preliminary regulatory ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services required by the 2010 healthcare reform law applies a one-size-fits-all approach to prescription medicines. And the…
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Obama Is Not King
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. The inauguration, which set a record for attendance for any event on the Mall, drew an estimated crowd of 1.8 million people. According to Nielsen, approximately 37.8 million Americans view the inauguration from home. Millions also tuned in from…
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Corporations Are Not People
Election Day is right around the corner, but many voters in Massachusetts are unaware that their ballot will include a question about amending the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s discredited decision in Citizens United v. F.E.C. The question asks voters whether they support a constitutional amendment that would affirm that 1) corporations do…
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Healthy Boston
City of Boston receives $4.6 million grant to reduce obesity and hypertension. On Thursday October 4, 2012, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that Boston has received a $4.6 million from the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant program to help reduce the obesity and hypertension among black and Latino communities around Boston.…
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Trash Tossing
Ah, this place called Earth. Stop for a minute. Look around you. Try to see your earthly surroundings as if through the eyes of a fascinated child. Bask in the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains or stimulate and overwhelm your senses with the geologic colors and magnitude of the Grand Canyon; the lush splendor…
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A Review of Herman’s House by Angad Bhalla
Solitary confinement at the Louisiana State Penitentiary is among the most desperate and forlorn places on Earth. The prison—better known by its nickname, “Angola”—is the largest maximum-security prison in the country, with 5000 inmates. It is a place largely indistinguishable from the slave plantation it once was—a place where sexual slavery and rape are endemic,…
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Hymn To The Sacred Body Of The Universe (Excerpt)
let’s meet at the confluence where you flow into me and one breath swirls between our lungs let’s meet at the confluence where you flow into me and one breath swirls between our lungs for one instant to dwell in the presence of the galaxies for one instant to live in the truth of the…
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Earth First!
In the turbulent late 60’s, radical environmentalists gathered to defend Mother Earth by any means necessary. Resist much. Obey little.”—-Walt Whitman—taken from The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey, one of the Spiritual inspirations for Earth First! Earth First! or the Earth Liberation Front was first formed in 1979. It is an environmental activist group…
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Re-Seeding Boston
The Boston Gardener in Dudley Square is a hot spot for urban gardeners in Boston and is revitalizing it’s surrounding neighborhood. Thinking of gardening in the context of the Greater Boston area, many people’s minds might first gravitate towards soccer moms and parents working in the front yards of their suburban home on a weekend…
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