Feel Good Guru

The under appreciated parsnip came out in my kitchen yesterday to become the star of a wonderful Mellow Yellow Soup. Light and slightly sweet in flavor, parsnips make beautiful purees because of their starchy nature. Where normally you’d need a potato or yam to give a vegan cream soup some creaminess, the parsnip performs beautifully when cooked and blended.

This root veggie is at its best at this time of year. It’s low in calories and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol, so all of you who thought you’d gained a pound at the sight of the word “starchy” can carry on. (more…)

Ten years ago, Mark Johnson was on his daily commute to work in New York when he was stopped in his tracks by the music of two brown-robed monks playing and singing in the subway. He looked around at about 200 people from all ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life sharing the moment together, some in tears, some with their jaws agape.

Then and there, Mark understood that music was the key to a better world. He felt his calling to go out and find “as many of these inspiring human moments as possible.” The result is “Playing for Change: Peace Through Music”. And it’s groovin’ with the woowoo! (more…)

Paul “Moose” Curtis is a filthy man. But he’s making a difference by making pictures by cleaning. It’s called “reverse graffiti”, or as he prefers, “clean tagging” or “grime writing”. He starts with a very dirty surface, like a city wall or traffic tunnel, and creates a contrast by cleaning images into the dirt.

His latest blackened canvas is Broadway tunnel in San Francisco where he created a 140ft mural of trees indigenous to the area.

The self-described “Professor of Dirt” says it shocks people to realize how dirty their city is when they see his art. As a result of his activism, entire walls and tunnels have been cleaned. (more…)