Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Boston City Council Discusses Action for Safe Needle Disposal
This past Wednesday, August 19, Boston City Council held a hearing calling for an ordinance that would force pharmacies and other retailers of “sharps”—or disposable needles—to also provide safe and free waste sites for buyers. If the ordinance is passed, retailers would effectively take on a burden that has almost solely been held by public…
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Live Review: Green Day Brings a Revolution to Xfinity Center
All Photos by Jason Greenough Green Day always seems to have the perfect timing when it comes to their politically charged music. The band of Oakland natives brought the summer leg of their Revolution Radio tour to Xfinity Center in Mansfield on Monday night, and with it, they brought a feverish angst that showed their…
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The Battle for Land is a Battle of Words: How Language Shapes Neighborhood Development in Boston
Dorchester has become increasingly yuppified, according to some residents. Honeycomb Cafe, located near the Savin Hill MBTA Station, recently opened. (Photo by Olivia Deng) Shitty. Trendy. Townies. Yuppies. Teamsters. Bourgeoisie. Gritty. Upscale. Bleak. Vibrant. The meaning of these words takes on various dimensions in the context of neighborhood development, as developers and politicians use words…
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Harm Reduction Exists for Heroin Addicts
According to Mike Stobbe of the Boston Globe, there is a safe place where heroin addicts can go to shoot up, and it’s been operating underground in the United States for the past three years. The underground safe place opened in 2014 somewhere in New York. The location has not been revealed because it’s not…
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Fighting For The Right to Rent
On a bright afternoon in early June, I meet Sarah (her name has been changed to protect her identity), a renter in Metro Vancouver and organizer with the newly formed Vancouver Tenants Union. Sarah is a mother of two, who relocated to the West Coast from eastern Canada. Since arriving in Vancouver, she has struggled…
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My Suffering Back Home
After years of illness and abuse, Lucy found healing at Rosie’s Place. -Voices From Rosie’s Place When I was young, I had polio. I did not understand what kind of illness I had. It started with fever all the time. There was no one to complain to. No medical care, no money. I was stuck.…
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United Way’s ‘Homeless Connect’ Helps Families in Need
Families and individuals looking for backpacks, new clothing, job opportunities and on-the-spot dental exams free of charge attended United Way’s “Project Homeless Connect,” an open resource fair held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury on Friday, August 11. Over 350 volunteers guided more than 200 families through the resource and service fair, which included…
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Musings on Charlottesville from a Black man
As I watched the events in Charlottesville unfold, I thought to myself, how in the hell did we get here? Is this all that is left? What has happened to us? Where did all this hate come from to begin with? And I don’t just mean whites. I’ve seen and heard racist dialogue coming from…
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Gentrification Anxiety: JP Residents Demand More Affordable units in New Housing
Earlier this year, activists swarmed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s office and called for more affordable housing to be included in Plan JP/Rox. What attracted Susan Prager and her husband to Egleston Square nearly 30 years ago? The affordability of a single-family home and the diversity of the residents living in the area. Now, this section…
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