Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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HUD supports housing services for HIV/AIDS community
The Justice Resource Institute received $1.4 million in funding to support tenant-based rental assistance and other supportive services for the HIV/AIDS community in Plymouth, Bristol and Northern Essex counties earlier this month, HUD said in a press release. HUD awarded $24 million in grants nationwide to help more that 1,200 low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS…
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John Lozier Retirement
In 1950, The National Health Care for the Homeless Council was formed with the mission to eliminate homelessness in the United States. After 27 years as the founding executive director of the council, John Lozier will retire on December 31, 2016. “Over the last three decades, we have built a strong organization that is well-integrated…
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Homeless Emergency in Santa Rosa: California town amps up efforts to combat homelessness
A town in California is taking a huge step in combating homelessness, while also trying to give the issue statewide recognition. The Santa Rosa City Council moved to declare a local state of emergency after a homeless man, 32 year old Cirak Tesfazgi, was stabbed to death in a doorway where he often slept. Homelessness…
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Social Justice
My name is George Caponigro. I am a human being living on this planet, a citizen of the United States and the world who spent some time without a home. For well over 20 years, I have worked on the frontlines of social justice at the local, state and national level, and I’ve been exposed…
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When Will We Wake Up?
Until now, I haven’t had much to say about the recent tragedies in Minnesota, Louisiana, Dallas or Orlando. Or should I say murders? After all, that’s what they were. Let’s not beat around the bush here: tragedy is someone being killed in a car accident or a natural disaster. These incidents were cold-blooded murder. Someone…
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“Tales of Repairman Jack” by F. Paul Wilson: A Review
“Tales of Repairman Jack,” published by Tor Books, New York, NY 10010, and Isher Books, distributed by the Gauntlet Press, among others. Repairman Jack is one of the most exciting characters ever to come out of the mind of F. Paul Wilson, who in his spare time is a practicing physician in Wall, New Jersey.…
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Why I Sell Spare Change News!
My name is Michael Thistle and I’ve been a Spare Change News vendor since 2007. I’m currently not homeless, but I use to be on and off for many years. I’m an alcoholic who’s been in recovery for 11 years now. Alcoholism took me to many places in my life that I honestly never thought…
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Vaccinating Against Addiction
There is no magic pill, but one day there could be an inoculation against addiction to certain substances, including heroin and other opiates. Dr. Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute, one of the country’s largest biomedical institutes, in San Diego, California, has been at work for over 20 years formulating vaccines against drugs like…
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Court Case Result Counters Trend on Criminalization of Homelessness
As this past June came to a close, so too did a crucial case which affirmed to the state of Massachusetts that homelessness would not not be considered a crime within its borders. Commonwealth v. Magadini–which was taken on by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts–was a saga beginning in early 2014, when complications…
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Shower to the People puts hygiene on wheels
“We make kitchens mobile—why can’t we make showers mobile?” Jake Austin, founder and program director of Shower to the People, has always been involved in volunteering. He follows in the footsteps of his parents, who’ve run a soup kitchen for almost 20 years. Austin had the idea for Shower to the People, an organization that…
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