Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Patrick Speaks About Homelessness and Job Growth in the Commonwealth
Rather than harping on the fact that Boston ranks fifth best city to do business and the state of Massachusetts ranks first in student achievement, health care coverage, veteran’s services and clean energy policies, Governor Deval Patrick noted that there is plenty of room for improvement. Patrick addressed the fact that homelessness remains a significant…
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Project 50/50: Honesty
We’ll begin with a dose of honesty I believe it to be important to qualify the right people before taking advice. This means that before I ask someone what they would do in a given situation, I take a good hard look at their life. Do they have the experience necessary to make this decision?…
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Herald Stories Lead to Reader Action
In recent years, The Boston Herald has printed several articles dealing with issues of homelessness, poverty and social justice. Two of these articles were directly responsible for citizens in the community stepping forward to assist the subjects of the article. The first story was written by writers Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa as part of…
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Haiti: 8 Months Post-Quake
In the aftermath of one the biggest tragedies in Haiti—a country already known for persistent political unrest and economic depravity—the country still lacks the ability to meet basic human needs. Long after the media coverage of the January 12th earthquake has ceased and Haiti’s fifteen minutes of fame appears to have faded, one thing remains…
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A Different Kind of Evil
Who would gun down a child? That’s the question that Im asking myself this week, along with all of Boston. Of course I’m speaking about the shooting in Mattapan last week that left three people dead, including a 2-year-old child, and one person clinging to life in a Boston hospital. The details are in itself…
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Project 50/50: Labels
People gave me a label. And the label puts me in a box. And I can’t live in a box. People say that I am ‘an advocate for the homeless’. They say that this is a ‘road trip to raise awareness about homelessness’. They call me the ‘homeless adventurer’. Someone once called me an activist,…
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SCN exclusive with Tim Cahill
Manufacturing, gambling and basic trades are pivotal to the Massachusetts job market, according to Independent Gubernatorial candidate Tim Cahill in an exclusive interview with Spare Change News. “The job growth problem trickles up to people with Bachelor’s degrees trying to get entry level jobs,” said Cahill, the current Treasurer of Massachusetts, at his campaign headquarters…
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Coming Into View: Advocate’s Website Provides Voice To The Homeless
A cartoon Mark Horvath walks onto the screen wearing jeans and a brown sport coat. He addresses the camera calmly and introduces himself; he’s the man most people know primarily as @hardlynormal on Twitter. What they may not know is that Mark was once homeless, living on the streets, and just barely getting by in…
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Project 50/50
Last January Shay Kelley set out to travel to all 50 states in 50 weeks, collecting food, socks, and essential items for those in need across America. Recently, Kelley rolled into Massachusetts, marking her 35th state. While she was here, Kelley generously agreed to share photos of her journey with Spare Change. Kelley will be…
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Churches Provide Meals to the Homeless
Every Thursday throughout the year, the homeless gather with Cambridge residents for a hot meal prepared by a local cook. The Harvard Square Churches Meal Program is a partnership between two women experienced in hunger outreach, Lieby Bouchard and Laurie Howell, along with two local cooks and a group of Harvard Square churches. This program…
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