Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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A Lot of Work To Do: Brian Marquis Talks the Punk Scene, Homelessness and the Importance of Community
Photo: Dani Fresh. For many music lovers, hardcore has always been just another genre. But for Brian Marquis, it has been so much more than that. It has been his passion and his livelihood, and it has served as a conduit to his social awakening. A native of Litchfield, Connecticut, Marquis immersed himself in the…
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Goodbye Harvard Square?
Late last week, I found out about a meeting taking place at Cambridge City Hall held by the Cambridge Historical Commission regarding the controversial proposal to gut the buildings that house the Curious George bookstore and Urban Outfitters and essentially turn it into a mall. I looked forward to the meeting with some excitement because…
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Review: Run The Jewels at House of Blues
All photos: Jason Greenough When I first heard that Run The Jewels was going to be visiting Boston, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was that it would be a good show with a mix of political angst and downright insane hip-hop skills. My expectations were met and exceeded within the first…
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“I Will Roll My Sleeves Up”: Mayoral Hopeful and City Councilor Tito Jackson Talks Housing, General Electric and Working-Class Boston
Photo: Alejandro Ramirez When Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson announced he was running for mayor—the sole challenger facing incumbent Mayor Martin J. Walsh—he presented himself as a champion of Boston’s working class. A working class that’s being forced out of their homes and their city, he said, while companies like General Electric get $25 million…
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Plan JP/Rox passes after tense meeting and two day sit-in
All photos: Alejandro Ramirez After a public meeting full of disruption from affordable housing advocates and a nearly 48 hour sit-in at the mayor’s waiting room, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) passed the contested Plan JP/Rox development plan. Advocates, mostly from Jamaica Plain’s Keep It 100% for Egleston, packed the hearing on Thursday…
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Mayor Walsh Reaffirms Boston’s Immigrants and Refugee Community
Mayor Marty Walsh poses with children before the forum. All photos: Jessica Colarossi. On Friday, Feb. 24, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center hosted an Immigrant and Refugee Community Forum designed to bring resources from the City of Boston to communities impacted by recent federal executive orders and to…
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Activists Urge Lawmakers to Increase State Funding for Shelters and Programs
Joli Sparkman, owner of A Stitch in Time Textiles in Southbridge, shares her story of being homeless in Nurses Hall at the Statehouse. Photo: Jordan Frias. Homeless advocates appeared at the State House on Thursday, Feb. 16, to let local policymakers know that they need an increase in state funding for the services they’ve been…
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Advocates stake out, sit in at City Hall over affordable housing
All photos: Alejandro Ramirez On Tuesday night, a group of housing advocates crowded Mayor Marty Walsh’s waiting room at Boston City Hall to negotiate higher rates of affordable housing at a new development the overlaps the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods. It ended with a handful of activists staging a sit-in after being told to…
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Paying The Price
About two weeks ago, my chest started bothering me. I couldn’t really describe the feeling; it was like an itching across the inside of my chest. I didn’t know whether it was my heart or my lungs. When I was 11 years, I started smoking Camel non-filters and smoked regularly from then until my last…
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Davis Square bar’s Mardi Gras concert will benefit local homeless coalition
Photo: Sweet Wednesday It will be a sweet Sunday when the band Sweet Wednesday takes the stage on Sunday, February 26 to perform in a Mardi Gras-style concert to benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition at the Burren. Donations collected at the free event, which will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., will go…
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