Spare Change News

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • House Advances T Bailout Bill That Involves Moving T Ferry Services to Massport

    By Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JUNE 11, 2012….A possible transfer in the next year of MBTA ferry operations to the Massachusetts Port Authority would be studied under a T bailout bill that received initial House approval Monday morning. The bill rescues the T from its near-term budget crisis, but drops…

  • The Poetry of Everett Hoagland

    THE BOTTOM LINE Lo, and behold! Our would be bold new president — nominated, campaigned for, elected by a mainstream political party, by a mainstream political process to head our (inter-) national mess — is neither a comrade, a messiah, nor magician. Not even the so-called American Dream in fruition. Heavens! Unprecedented. Imagine! Of all…

  • How I Arrived At Spare Change News (Part One)

    Marc D. Goldfinger Spare Change News In our lives there are always beginnings and endings. When one door opens, sometimes you step through and find yourself in a hallway littered with debris, and all the way down the hall there are doors on both sides. Some of them are open and various figures stand in…

  • “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”: Teaching, Learning and the Immigrant Experience, Part II

    Jacques Fleury Spare Change News “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.” –Paulo Freire In my previous article, I compared my experiences as a student at a Catholic school for boys in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to…

  • The Need for Public Restrooms: One Plight of the Homeless

    Samson Howard Special to Spare Change News Have you ever seen a sign that says, “Bathrooms for patrons only. Do not even ask!” If you are homeless you probably have. So what does one do? Relief is essential and public urination is a criminal offense. In this matter, dogs have more rights than human beings…

  • New Leader Appointed at Homeless Empowerment Project/Spare Change News

    Adam Sennott Spare Change News The Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP)/Spare Change News recently announced the hiring of its new Executive Director. Vincent Flanagan, who previously served as Development Director for Legal Affairs for Give Us Your Poor, was hired to replace outgoing interim Executive Director Bob Woodbury on May 17. Flanagan stated that he and…

  • Why Are Gay Rights Still Disputed?

    James Shearer Spare Change news Over the past few weeks, discussion has once again come up about gay marriage. It all began with conversations about North Carolina’s proposal to ban not only gay marriage but also civil unions. Somehow, this absurd proposal became state law. (Hey, can we just annex the South and move on?…

  • The Underground Intern Economy

    Most workers reap non-financial benefits from their labor such as new skills and expertise. But for interns, these intangible benefits do not offer a legal or ethical substitution for wages. By Anonymous Unpaid internships are often a recent graduate’s first foray into the professional world. Internships—both paid and unpaid—provide a foot in the door and,…

  • Editorial: Not So Fast on New Tax Giveaways

    “I’m not saying fraud is rampant in the program,” Robert DeLeo was quoted as saying recently in the Chelsea Record. “It’s of a small nature, but what we want to do is tighten up the restrictions during the budget process. When we have to cut other programs that are important to us, any time we…

  • Back in the Closet: “Gen Silent” Explores Challenges Facing Gay Seniors

    Noelle Swan Spare Change News “Long ago we decided, to hell with hiding,” Sheri Barden told a small group gathered at the Fenway Community Health Center last month for a screening of the documentary film Gen Silent directed and produced by Stu Maddox. The 78 year-old South End framer and her partner, Lois Johnson, have…

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