Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Reprisals: A Poem by Mike Fiorto

    Up in Shohola we met Nick Dillard, He asked us to come to his house. He had built it, he said, shingle and thatch, Sometimes he lived there with his spouse.   She’s sick now, arthritis, Too hard to come up; she stays in Stroudsburg these days. He comes for the hunting, Bears and coyote,…

  • Who-ray for her

    Who-ray for her

    The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER) – (C) BBC – Photographer: Steve Schofield There aren’t many roles on UK television that garner the kind of media attention that Jodie Whittaker received last year, when it was announced that she would be replacing Peter Capaldi to play the time-travelling alien called the Doctor in BBC’s long running science…

  • At Rosie’s Place, a legal program helps vulnerable women navigate immigration, debt and everything in between

    For over 40 years in Boston’s South End neighborhood, Rosie’s Place has opened its doors to homeless and impoverished women seeking assistance and safety. The bustling lobby rarely — if ever — slows down. A little past the front desk, the office of the legal assistance program has become increasingly in-demand and growing to meet…

  • Boston Housing Authority employee slights the city in letter to residents

    Boston Housing Authority employee slights the city in letter to residents

    Recently, someone mentioned that perhaps the Boston Housing Authority needs a consumer advocacy group made up of tenants and other partner agencies. This group could advise  BHA on problems such as it’s ponderous orientation program and interview process. But after a recent and undoubtedly colossal mistake by the agency, maybe it’s time to just start…

  • With thousands more projected to live in Boston by 2030, city plans to add affordable housing changes

    With thousands more projected to live in Boston by 2030, city plans to add affordable housing changes

    Census data from 2016 has Boston rethinking its housing goals for 2030, which is projected to see 59,000 more residents than anticipated. City officials released a revised version of their Imagine Boston 2030 plan that includes building an additional 16,000 units by 2030, upping the 2030 projected population of people in Boston from 709,000 by…

  • After the smoke has cleared: Following a weekend of displacement, Merrimack Valley families still await gas, reimbursement and a return to normalcy

    After the smoke has cleared: Following a weekend of displacement, Merrimack Valley families still await gas, reimbursement and a return to normalcy

    The line outside the Lawrence Senior Center was dozens of people deep the Saturday after a series of gas leaks and fires displaced thousands of families in the Merrimack Valley. Photo: Alejandro Ramirez. Intro: Thursday night evacuation Around three in the afternoon on Thursday, Sept. 13, a detective at Yahaira Ramos’s home in the southern…

  • Workers rally in the Seaport prior to talks with Marriott hotels

    Workers rally in the Seaport prior to talks with Marriott hotels

    Hotel workers and members of UNITE HERE Local 26 marched through the Seaport on Friday, September 21 to rally against Marriott-owned hotels in the area. The march of 100 plus workers was a continuation of a march held on Labor Day, where union members announced they would force a strike vote if contract negotiations did…

  • If They Come For Me

    Tell them I was here a while, that I loved some good women, but that the ones I loved best left. If they try to break down my door, tell them I wrote a lot of poems, too many, perhaps, and some plays, and two novels. Tell them none of this paid my rent or…

  • The Suboxone Withdrawal Diaries, Part 2

    “Late last night and the night before, Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at the door. I want to go out, don’t know if I can, ‘cause I’m so afraid of the Tommyknocker (dealers) man.” — The Tommyknockers, by Stephen King; a book, that helped me get through this.   August 21 This is day 8 of my…

  • Massachusetts Housing Program is Finalist for $100,000 Prize

    The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance’s “Pay for Success” program is one of the top 10 finalists for the $100,000 Drucker Prize award. The Drucker Institute recognizes non-profit organizations at a national level. Peter Drucker helped create philosophical and practical base for contemporary business and established the institute that has awarded the prize over the…

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