Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

I’ll admit vegan isn’t the first thing most people think about when in need of comfort food.  When you’re feeling blue, it’s tempting to reach for processed food filled with unpronounceable additives and preservatives. But in this episode I’m sharing easy, affordable recipes that will console and hopefully put a smile on your face.  (Ratatouille,…

The creators of some of my favorite songs have sordid histories of abusing women.  John Lennon (“Imagine”) confessed in a Playboy interview that: “I used to be cruel to my woman. I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved…I was a hitter…”  Bob Marley (“One Love” “Three Little Birds”) never…

I sang my “feel-good” original songs at the American Cancer Society’s July 15, 2017 fundraiser and paid tribute to family & friends who succumbed to that vicious “dis – ease” as well as to courageous survivors.  It really made me happy to see sick folks smile and say how much they enjoyed my performance.  In…

Surrounded by beautiful flowers and nature in my garden, serene thoughts calm me, but sometimes I can not help thinking about wars, suffering, folks abusing Mama Earth and nuclear winter an all too real possibility. As we approach Earth Day (April 22, 2017) I am reminded of its original mission – peace and protection of…

Thanks and one love to the extraordinary women who have struggled against slavery, sexism and societal oppression. American abolitionist/General Harriet Tubman; Angolan Queen/General Nzinga; Jamaican Queen/General Nanny; Goldman Environmental Foundation award winner Berta Caceres (leader of indigenous Hondurans, murdered in her bed by gunmen); Pakistani Nobel prize recipient Malala Yousafzai (shot in the head by…

In honor of Nina Simone’s birthday, I shared her signature song “I put a spell on you,” not thinking that in 2017 people literally believe they can put a spell on someone. Then I read that Friday, February 24 witches from around the world put spells on Trump. At first I thought it was yet…

When I was in first grade, I passed a lollipop and note to Jesse, this cute boy in my class, with those simple words: “Would you be my Valentine?” He wrote 2 letters on the note, “NO” and passed it back to me. He kept the “lolli.” I laughed then and I’m still laughing. Valentine’s…

Enjoying inner peace in our chaotic world sometimes seems harder than staying clean in a cesspool, but it is possible. For some, peace and comfort comes from religious faith: praying, preaching, reading, chanting… Others rely on psychiatric procedures and drugs. Then there are those who find inner peace through music. Anecdotal testimonies and scientific research…

We might laugh at the guy who believed the fake news story about Comet Ping Pong pizzeria being the Clinton’s child sex slaves headquarters, except he shot a real gun at the D.C. pizza restaurant. That’s an extreme example; most made up stories are harder to detect. For example, “Hillary caught on hot microphone trashing Beyonce with racial slurs.” Facebook…

In the wake of Kanye’s public breakdown, mental illness is trending on social and mainstream media.  Some make jokes about Kanye being “crazy” while others wonder whether it’s all a Machiavellian insurance scheme. (Kanye and other superstar artists maintain insurance to cover them if they are sick and unable to work at their normal and…