Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Sen. Warren Visits Roxbury Health Center, Vows to Fight for Health Insurance for Low-Income People and Kids
File photo Board members, health providers and staff members at The Dimock Center in Roxbury shared their concerns with Senator Elizabeth Warren during a roundtable discussion centered on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Community Health Center Fund in early January. Warren, nationally known for her progressive views, was greeted by a round…
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Healthcare Advocates Slam Proposed Insurance Rule
The federal Department of Labor is proposing a rule that critics say would allow the sale of what some call “junk” health insurance. Published in the Federal Register last week, the rule would loosen restrictions on Association Health Plans, offered by professional groups or other associations to their members. The Labor Department said the purpose…
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Grant allows BPS to join alliance to serve better food to students
School lunches in Boston may change for the better after Boston Public Schools (BPS) joined several of the largest school districts in the country last month as a member of the Urban School Food Alliance. The alliance, formed in 2012, aims to increase the quality of food at schools while keeping costs down, according to…
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Holidays and Gray Hair
My birthday flew by, squashed between three holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas/Chanukah and New Year’s Eve. While time was having its way with me, I had to go to the dermatologist to have various blemishes checked out. The older I get, the more I hate going to the doctor, even though, as my wife Mary Esther says, it’s…
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Kyle Ploof: Local Comic Mines Local Issues for Jokes
From Steve Martin to Eddie Murphy to Bill Hicks, some of comedy’s heaviest hitters knew what they wanted to do—or were, perhaps, destined to do—from a very early age. The same cannot be said for Kyle Ploof. While he was growing up in Weymouth, Ploof despised stand-up comedy because he didn’t relate to grown men…
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World’s Only Curious George Store Negotiates Deal to Stay in Harvard Square
The World’s Only Curious George Store’s desire to stay in Harvard Square has been granted after negotiations with the new landlord of the building were completed. Store owner Adam Hirsch was unsure if the shop could stay in the area once Equity One Inc. bought the building and announced it would be raising rents. Early…
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No More “Free and Open” Internet? Party-Line Vote at FCC Scuttles Net Neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to repeal net neutrality rules. In a party-line vote on Thursday, the FCC approved a proposal to end regulations that prohibit Internet service providers from blocking or slowing down access or prioritizing their own content. Commission Chair Ajit Pai said repealing the Obama-era rules will help consumers and promote…
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Ai Weiwei: “The Only Conclusion is That There is a Lot of Inhumanity in Us”
Ai Weiwei, the Chinese activist, dissident, artist and exile’s new film “Human Flow” focuses on the people the world would rather forget: refugees. The film spans the globe, following stories from Afghanistan to Greece to Mexico. Interviewer: How did people become scared of refugees? Ai Weiwei: There is no one who willingly leaves their home.…
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