Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Freedom for Francisco and Siham: Kids Protest Against ICE Arrests
The sounds of musical instruments, singing and chanting burst through the cold, silent and stiff air outside the South Bay House of Correction on a Sunday afternoon. A bunch of fifth graders from the Boston Workmen’s Circle Center for Jewish Culture and Social Justice Sunday School rallied on Dec. 10 to demand the U.S. Immigration…
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Undocumented Immigrant Francisco Rodriguez Released from ICE for the holidays
Christmas came early for beloved MIT custodial worker and undocumented immigrant Francisco Rodriguez, whose story for months has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Massachusetts. Rodriguez, who spent months behind bars at the Suffolk County House of Corrections, was released from ICE custody on the Thursday before Christmas to his surprise and…
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Homeless Memorial Service 2017
The pews at Church on the Hill were filled with friends, advocates, and members of the homeless community on Thursday to pay tribute to over 100 people who died this past year. The interfaith service marked the 28th anniversary of the National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, though the Boston community has seen a similar event…
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Bookstore Expansion Will Mean More Jobs For Locals
More space for the More Than Words bookstore and warehouse, located on East Berkeley Street in the South End of Boston, means more youth employment and more lives transformed. The nonprofit social enterprise organization celebrated a “breaking ground” for its expansion, which will transform the first floor of the building into a vibrant storefront that…
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Affordable Housing Survives GOP Tax Bill’s Final Edit
The Republicans of the House and Senate released the final version of their tax bill on Friday, Dec. 15, with the intention of voting it into law before the new year. The bill—titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—has received numerous edits since it was originally introduced by House Means and Ways Committee Chairman Kevin…
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Short Story: Are You My Girl Or What?
She sat across the table from me drinking her coffee. Her eyes kept blinking really fast like there was too much light going into them. It was her third cup of coffee and my second was just going down my throat. I got up to get another cupful. “Get me another, okay,” she said.…
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Memories of Thanksgiving on the Street
I enjoyed this past Thanksgiving, probably more than I’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving in quite some time. I got to spend a nice, quiet holiday in my adopted hometown with friends. It was quiet, and I caught up on a lot of sleep and watched movies. I wish I could say that nothing bothered me at all,…
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Triage Tool Uses Health Care Info to House Homeless With Better Support Systems
Mathematica Policy Research released a study demonstrating that a triage assessment tool used by the Massachusetts Shelter and Housing Alliance (MHSA) can successfully predict the emergency resource utilization of chronically homeless individuals. The MHSA partners with organizations and service providers in the state to place chronically homeless people in housing with appropriate supportive services. Since…
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Being About Something: Vanna’s Shawn Marquis Talks Progress, Money in Politics and Life Off the Road
Photo: Lance Donati Shawn Marquis went from playing bass on stages around the world, a profession that seems fairly quixotic, to the more practical world of brand awareness. But what might sound like a lopsided trade-off to some is almost equally as fun an exchange for the mustachioed musician. After Boston-bred hardcore legends Vanna announced…
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