We should recognize that the recent Senate Special Election reflects the strengths and weaknesses of U.S. campaign system. Highlighting the campaign process of culturally similar industrialized countries can help to shed light on alternative campaign practices and spending on elections. Two of our European allies have a comprehensive election system like the United States but similarities change after that. Both the United Kingdom
and Germany permit government and private funding under a managed system of regulations.

It never, well almost never amazes me at the stupidity of some people when it comes to certain things, take the latest idea around homelessness, The state legislature the same folks who brought us the budget crisis are now considering a bill to ban sex offenders from shelters, Check that homeless sex offenders from homeless shelters and homeless advocates are actually OK with this, These are level three offenders and this no doubt is a

James Shearer

1. Gwen, The Homeless Doll

While my position of editor at Spare Change is a hat I wear with considerable pride, it is not the only decoration that habitually adorns my oft-reeling head. In fact, my primary professional role is that of a graduate student in clinical psychology, a field with which I am in frequent contention. Since initiating studies in the doctoral program in which I now matriculate, I have repeatedly questioned the function of clinical psychology in society, the integrity of its practices, and what it means for my own moral dissonance to be an agent of its systems.

I and the rest of the Spare Change editorial staff have intentionally avoided mention of the subject in the pages of recent issues. My thoughts were that there are moments for the raising of awareness and moments when things are better left unsaid. The moment in question, I had thought, belonged to the latter.

James Shearer   

    This past week, Gov. Patrick announced that there was a budget shortfall of oh say $600 million or so. Naturally, Joe Taxpayer will have to pay for it with severe cuts to cities and towns already under the knife, (pun intended). Patrick may even cut some 2,000 state jobs before Christmas. Talk about a lump of coal in your stocking.

After the government of Zimbabwe decided to get rid of the local dollar whose value had been destroyed by inflation, goods have finally begun to reappear in stores and prices are falling. But some Zimbabweans are finding it even harder to make a living because they now have to survive solely off their allowance. People can no longer sell on the black market either, but some are being resourceful and selling the old, worthless Zimbabwe dollars to tourists for as much as $20.

This document was offered on the website of The Boston Globe soon after the July 16th incident. It was then taken down for undisclosed reasons, then later re-posted in abbreviated form. Note the discrepancy between the original 911 call transcript by Ms. Whalen (available at http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1187334&pos=...) and the text in the police report. In her actual words, Ms. Whalen never mentions the race of the men she saw on Gates' porch until prompted by the dispatcher, upon which she says that one might be Hispanic.