on May 31, 2020
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died in Minneapolis after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. Chauvin handcuffed Floyd and put his knee to Floyd’s neck, pinning him to the ground for nearly 10 minutes. Captured on video, the incident has inspired protests around the country, once [...]
on May 3, 2020
In many parts of the world, the spoken word is the most effective means of communicating. That’s why Amplio’s Talking Book device, a very simple voice recorder, is so important. It enables governments and global development organizations to share knowledge with the world’s hardest to reach communities. And it’s so important to reach those communities [...]
on May 2, 2020
I’ve made a donation to, and connected with, the Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) group. Today, I made another donation, in response to a fundraising campaign.
on April 26, 2020
I recently connected with the Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) group. Today, the new captain of our neighborhood pod reached and I connected with him. He’ll hopefully connect with a core group of neighbors so we can stay in touch and support one another. I also made a donation to MAMAS, to go toward [...]
on April 25, 2020
Today, I made a donation to the Somerville Cares COVID-19 Fund. The fund will provide emergency funding to Somerville residents and Somerville workers, regardless of immigration status, to help cover basic needs including, but not limited to, food, medications, rent, utilities, childcare, and other basic necessities. It’s hosted by the United Way and administered by [...]
on April 10, 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some households have shifted to buying groceries online. However, people in need are still forced to go to the grocery store, because the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) only allows you to purchase groceries in person. Having groceries delivered is crucial for the health of many SNAP recipients who are older [...]
on March 23, 2020
For the Somerville Homeless Coalition, the coronovirus has a dual impact. On the one hand, demand for its services has gone up, because so many people have found themselves out of work. On the other hand, they had to cancel their gala, a major fundraiser for their operations. So more work to do, with less [...]
on February 17, 2020
Today, I made another Kiva loan, this one to an avocado farmer in Peru. It’s my 18th Kiva loan, to recipients now in seven countries.
on December 31, 2019
Homelessness is pernicious and persistent, robbing people of their dignity. Today, I donated to one small program that is trying to address the problem in Los Angeles. Project Ropa deliver clothing and showers to people experiencing homelessness, provides employment opportunities for previously incarcerated individuals and people transitioning out of homelessness, and runs a recycling program [...]
on September 8, 2019
Starting life over is hard for individuals emerging from homelessness, recovery or prison. Those factors are very limiting in terms of employment and other social supports. Today, I donated on Kickstarter to Phoenix Woodworking, which is an artisan shop in Lawrence, Kansas that specifically employs people with those kinds of obstacles to employment. It’s a [...]
