Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Vets Do Better in Mass., NH, Maine Than Most Other States
While Memorial Day was a day to honor military veterans, barbecue, shop for sales, or maybe take a motorcycle ride, some vets are having a hard time making ends meet while others in New England states are doing much better. According to a new report by Wallethub, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts rank more favorably…
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Advocates Fear More Discrimination After Masterpiece Cake Ruling
Civil rights advocates fear the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case will encourage more attempted discrimination against LGBT people. By a 7-2 margin, the court ruled that the cake shop owner had not received an impartial hearing at the Colorado Civil Rights Commission over his refusal on religious grounds to make a wedding…
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Boston Jobs Coalition Decries Economic Disparity in Boston
The Boston Jobs Coalition held a press briefing on Wednesday, May 30, to begin their Campaign for Wealth and Income Now, which seeks to help residents stay afloat in a city with an ever-rising cost of living. The campaign — lead by a score of advocacy groups such as City Life/Vida Urbana, the Black Economic…
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Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Discrimination Fears
Civil rights advocates fear the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case will encourage more attempted discrimination against LGBT people. By a 7-2 margin, the court ruled that the cake shop owner had not received an impartial hearing at the Colorado Civil Rights Commission over his refusal on religious grounds to make a wedding…
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Boston Pride talks public accommodations law and legal protections for trans people
Members of the LBGTQ community, in particular transgender people, and allies are working to protect the public accommodations law adopted by the Massachusetts legislature in 2016. The law specifically protects a person based on their gender identity, but could be repealed if voters choose ‘no’ on the ballot question in November. Freedom for All Massachusetts…
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Farmers Condemn Merger of Monsanto with Bayer
The German pharmaceutical and chemical company, Bayer, is known for aspirin, but it is also a key manufacturer of seeds and pesticides. Now it is about to sweep up Monsanto, the U.S.-based agricultural giant. This impacts New England farmers who depend on vegetable seeds. According to Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, the…
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Panel calls for system to hold bad police officers accountable
Activists and members of the legislature are looking to setup a licensure process to hold cops accountable in Massachusetts if they are found guilty of misconduct. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and the ACLU of Massachusetts hosted a panel on the topic on Monday, May 21, and cited reasons a Peace…
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What Comes After Trump? Lots of work.
I was scanning through news stories the other day when I came across a really sad and horrible story. In Florida, a black family was awarded a measly four dollars in damages in a wrongful death suit after a deputy shot the father through a garage door—his own garage door, by the way—because of a…
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Bad Grades Shouldn’t Bar Students From Financial Aid
There are many pathways out of poverty of which education is a prime route. But, I can think of at least two people in my neighborhood who can’t go to community college or any college for that matter. Because of the way that FAFSA is set up, an F or W (withdrawn) on a college…
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Shelter Living: What’s it like Spending a Quarter of Your Life in a Shelter
Nobody wants to be in a homeless shelter. I remember the first day I walked through the shelter doors. It smelled like cleaning sprays, and when I stepped on the brown rug, a cloud of dust rose above my head. The supervisor of the shelter walked us to our apartment door. A million thoughts ran…
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