Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Shadow Fund Organization Helps Low Income Pet Owners Pay for Medical Procedures
In 2007, Diane Sullivan was flipping through the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune when she came across a story about Robert Burke, an ex-marine who was having trouble paying for his dog Shadow’s $3,800 leg surgery. Shadow was in pain and could barely walk after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg. Sullivan wanted to help,…
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A Way to Support Homeless Veterans
My name is Gerald Harrell. I’ve been a Spare Change News vendor since 1992 and want to support organizations that help homeless veterans. I know people say that Mayor Walsh has eliminated veteran homelessness, but there is much more to be done. Too many people who served our country are still on the streets. I…
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National Suicide Awareness Week: How to Save a Life
National Suicide Awareness week took place between Sept. 5 and 11. We saw yellow ribbons tied around trees in memory of people lost to suicide, candle light vigils, community rides, walks and runs. The Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, a group of suicide prevention agencies across the state, offered information on local events and resources…
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Justice Department Orders Phasing Out of Private Prisons
In late August, the Justice Department issued a directive to phase out the use of private companies to operate federal prisons. As each private prison contract comes up for renewal, the Bureau of Prisons “should either decline to renew that contract or substantially reduce its scope in a manner consistent with law and the overall…
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Voices of Youth Count Strives to Represent and Account for the Young and Homeless
Throughout the course of this past summer, Chapin Hall and the University of Chicago have led an initiative to better understand homelessness in youth populations across the United States. The project, called Voices of Youth Count, utilizes 22 teams strategically based around the nation whose job is to observe hot spots of youth homelessness, analyzing…
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State Reduces Number of Homeless Families Sheltered in Motels, but Concerns Remain
The state’s emergency assistance program is celebrating a decrease in families housed in hotels and motels—a problematic practice that Gov. Charlie Baker has pledged to eradicate—but critics say that the shift has its own set of flaws. Massachusetts is a right-to-shelter state, meaning it provides shelter to families, including pregnant women who have no other…
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Is time running out for the Curious George store?
The iconic Curious George store at the corner of Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street in Cambridge may move out of the neighborhood sometime in 2018. Adam Hirsch, owner of “The World’s Only Curious George Store,” a 20-year-old staple in Harvard Square, said he knew the move was coming but hasn’t thought much about…
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Readers Respond
As the executive director of the Homeless Empowerment Project, which publishes Spare Change News, I had the privilege of getting to see all of the responses to Robert Sondak’s survey that ran last month. It was moving to see how many of you took the time to fill out the survey, which included 10 questions…
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Election Issues: Student Loans
Over the next few months, I will explain the finance and economic issues that are going to be important in the upcoming presidential election. In this issue, we will look at student loans, which are a very important issue. College tuition has become increasingly expensive and many students and their families are finding that the…
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Job, Education Access for Ex-Cons Highlighted in Federal Council’s Plans
A newly released report from the Obama administration shows that more is being done to transition former felons into society. The Federal Interagency Reentry Council, established in 2011, was tasked with creating more opportunities for those who were once incarcerated and has since increased efforts to provide this population with access to jobs, education and…
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