Richard Matthew Stallman is a software developer and software freedom activist. Born in 1953, he attended Harvard starting in 1970 and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in physics. From September 1974 to June 1975 he was a graduate student in physics at MIT.

He worked at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT from 1971 to 1984, learning operating system development by doing it, except for the year he was a graduate student. He wrote the first extensible Emacs text editor there in 1976, and developed the AI technique of dependency-directed backtracking, also known as truth maintenance.

In 1983 Stallman announced the project to develop the GNU operating system, a Unix-like operating system meant to be entirely free software, and has been the project's leader ever since. With that announcement he also launched the Free Software Movement.

Stallman began working on this project on January 5, 1984, resigning from MIT employment in order to do so. In October 1985 he started the Free Software Foundation, of which he is president as a full-time volunteer. Stallman developed a number of widely used software components of the GNU system: the GNU Compiler Collection, the GNU symbolic debugger (gdb), GNU Emacs, and various others.

The GNU/Linux system, which is a variant of GNU that also contains the kernel Linux developed by Linus Torvalds, are used in tens or hundreds of millions of computers, and are now preinstalled in computers available in retail stores. However, the distributors of these systems often disregard the ideas of freedom which make free software important, and even include nonfree software in those systems.

That is why, since the mid-1990s, Stallman has spent most of his time in political advocacy for free software, and spreading the ethical ideas of the movement, as well as campaigning against both software patents and dangerous extension of copyright laws.

Stallman pioneered the concept of copyleft, and is the main author of the GNU General Public License, the most widely used free software license, which implements copyleft.

Stallman gives speeches frequently about free software and related topics. Common speech titles include "The GNU Operating System and the Free Software movement", "The Dangers of Software Patents", and "Copyright and Community in the Age of the Computer Networks". A fourth common topic consists of explaining the changes in version 3 of the GNU General Public License, which was released in June 2007. Another topic is "A Free Digital Society", which treats several different threats to the freedom of computer users today.

In 1999, Stallman called for development of a free on-line encyclopedia through the means of inviting the public to contribute articles.

Stallman is officially a Visiting Scientist at MIT.

Free Software, Free Society is Stallman's book of essays. His semiautobiography, Free as in Freedom, provides further biographical information.

• 1986: Honorary life time membership in the Chalmers Computer Society
• 1990: MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
• 1990: The Association for Computing Machinery's Grace Murray Hopper Award "For pioneering work in the development of the extensible editor EMACS (Editing Macros)."
• 1996: Doctorate honoris causa from Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology
• 1998: Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer award
• 1999: Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award
• 2001: The Takeda Techno-Entrepreneurship Award for Social/Economic Well-Being
• 2001: Doctorate honoris causa from the University of Glasgow
• 2002: United States National Academy of Engineering membership
• 2003: Doctorate honoris causa from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• 2003: Honorary professorship from the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería del Perú
• 2004: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad Nacional de Salta, in Argentina
• 2004: Honorary professorship from the Universidad Tecnológica del Perú
• 2005: Fondazione Pistoletto prize
• 2007: Honorary professorship from the Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, in Peru
• 2007: First Premio Internacional Extremadura al Conocimiento Libre
• 2007: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad de Los Angeles de Chimbote, in Peru
• 2007: Doctorate honoris causa from the University of Pavia
• 2008: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, in Peru
• 2009: Doctor of Science honoris causa from Lakehead University in Canada
• 2011: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, in Argentina
• 2012: Honorary professorship from the Universidad César Vallejo de Trujillo, in Peru
• 2012: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad Latinoamericana Cima de Tacna, in Peru
• 2012: Doctorate honoris causa from the Universidad José Faustino Sanchez Carrión, in Peru
• 2013: Inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• 2014: Doctorate honoris causa from Concordia University in Canada
• 2015: Doctorate honoris causa from Universidad las Américas in Peru.
• 2016: The Association for Computing Machinery's Software and Systems Award for development of GCC, the GNU Compiler Collection.

Dr. Jean Logan is an ordained minister, has a doctorate in Nutritional Healing and has an extensive knowledge of many types of energy healing. Jean is the author of “Unlocking the Power of Glyphs,” “Sacred Symbols of Light,” “Symbols of the Dawn” and recently released “Sacred Symbols Healing Cards.” Her books are now in over 80 countries with all profits going to a provide services to indigenous children through her nonprofit Holy Ground Farm, Inc. 

As a conscious channel for over 15 years, Jean Logan, uses her gifts to bring in glyphs, symbols, and healing messages to assist humanity in the elevation of consciousness. Her unique ability has assisted thousands of people all over the world with healing their emotional and physical issues.  Jean is the author of the international best sellers Unlocking the Power of Glyphs, Sacred Symbols of Light, Symbols of the Dawn and Sacred Symbols Healing Cards. All profits from the sale of the books and cards are used to assist homeless children. Dr. Jean Logan is an ordained minister, has a doctorate in Nutritional Healing and has an extensive knowledge of many types of energy healing.  Now in over 70 countries, her manuals are available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel; printed or eBooks

Howard is the Executive Vice President of HeartMath® LLC. He is an internationally sought after speaker on the HeartMath approach to advancing human performance based on compelling scientific research linking heart function with health, emotional well-being and intelligence.

Howard Martin brings more than 30 years of experience in business and personal development to the position of Executive Vice President, Strategic Development.

Howard's responsibilities include global alliances, marketing, and program and product development.

He has been instrumental in assisting Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath, in the development and teaching of HeartMath's programs since its inception.

Howard is one of the co-authors of the ground-breaking book Heart Intelligence, Connecting with the Intuitive Guidance of the Heart.

He is also co-author with Doc Childre of The HeartMath Solution, published by Harper San Francisco. He also developed Nightingale-Conant's tape series, The HeartMath Method.

Howard is a key spokesperson for HeartMath and has conducted hundreds of news media and documentary film interviews including CNN Headline News, ABC Good Morning America, and ABC World New Tonight.

Dick Summer is a story teller.... as stated in the (New York Daily News)

Dick Summer has one of America's most comfortable and familiar voices. He was a top radio personality on the NBC Radio Network in New York City and Boston. Dick is now heard every day on national radio and television commercials. He is also a pilot, a poet, and a hypnotist. He created Quiet Decisions in New York City where he used hypnosis to help people heal. His five highly successful "Lovin Touch" books were published by Random House and Bantam Books. His current best seller is, "Staying Healthy, Happy, and Hot."

Would you like 1,000 monks praying for you?  My two guests today have developed technology to give you an energy that is comparable and will raise your vibrations/consciousness.  Meet Jeffrey Stegman and Clayton Stedmann.

Jeffrey Stegman’s focus has been on creating a high consciousness culture in his businesses, which parallels his own personal spiritual path. Jeffrey is the co-owner of two manufacturing businesses, including one that has been in business since 1835. FLFE is a confluence of Jeffrey’s manufacturing, engineering, business and spiritual evolution.

Clayten Stedmann has worked in the education, training and coaching business for over 30 years. For the last 20 years he has focused on business as a spiritual path in his coaching practice. Since discovering Consciousness Kinesiology (CK) in 2004 he has done over five million CK calibrations and created over 10 consciousness assessments and several unique energetic medicine protocols. FLFE is a continuation of his purposeful intention to create the conditions for humanity to have a higher level of consciousness.

Focused Life Force  (FLFE Innovations Corp) is a service company providing a subscription to greatly increase the level of consciousness of a property and around a mobile object to a very noticeable and beneficial level and provides a free trial so that people can feel it themselves.

For centuries people have been making pilgrimages to places around the world known for their cleansing, healing, restoring and loving energy. The highest aspects of this energy can be expressed on the spiritual path and also by being a loving parent, a devoted husband or wife, a hobbyist gardener, a full-time farmer, a dedicated photographer, a steadfast employee and a business owner.

For almost as long people have been working on ways to re-create and harness this energy through study and inventions. People such as Albert Einstein,  Nikola Telsa, Masaru Emoto and Buckminster Fuller are just of a few of the better known of hundreds of researchers who understood that perhaps the greatest contribution to humanity’s evolution that we can make is to raise our own consciousness and sought ways to accelerate that process.

The study of atoms and later quantum physics confirmed what ancient spiritual teachers had been stating for centuries; ‘the law of nature states that everything has a vibration.’ Today most of us use terms like ‘ I do/don’t like the energy or vibe of that room, business or person.’

As humanity evolves new ways of measuring these vibrations emerge. A recent discovery has made it easier to measure vibration in everyday life in order to facilitate positive changes in people’s level of consciousness.

In the latter half of the 20th Century, a very successful psychiatrist, David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., after treating thousands of patients, began to see common levels of thinking, feeling and acting.  He realized that people’s challenges and advances depend on their level of consciousness. He first outlined a scale measuring levels of consciousness or vibration, named the ‘Hawkins Map of Consciousness’, in his New York Times bestselling book ‘Power Versus Force’ (1995). Hawkins, along with a group of researchers, over a period of more than twenty-five years, used kinesiology to measure the level of consciousness in everything they could imagine; people, books, music, events, countries, locations.

Hawkins documented these consciousness levels in a scale from 1 to 1,000. On this scale 200 is the level above which we begin to add energy to everything around us. Below 200 we are net consumers of energy. A few of these levels are: Shame, which vibrates at 20, Fear is 100, Courage is 200, Acceptance is 350 and Love is 500. Enlightenment levels range from 600 to 1000. Today tens of thousands of Hawkins students and practitioners in multiple disciplines use the Hawkins Map to measure and effect change in quality of life and personal evolution.

In 2008 two men met through a mutual friend. They were both working on accessing and utilizing high consciousness fields.  Jeffery Stegman was creating high consciousness fields and cultures in business and Clayten Stedmann, as a coach in business as a spiritual path, was creating high consciousness fields for healing the human mind, body and spirit.

They came together with an inventor who had devoted his life to creating free energy for humanity.  Although he did not create a free energy device, He had discovered a way to re-direct and focus large amounts of life force energy (also known as subtle energy) on an object.

Between Jeff’s experience in engineering and Clayten’s knowledge and extensive practice in Consciousness Kinesiology and the Hawkins Map they re-engineered the original device to broadcast a high consciousness wave to specific locations around the world. At first, Clayten and Jeffrey used the device and associated technology to raise consciousness around the world as a public service project. As they were able to increase the power available and the ability to positively affect a property, they brought the consciousness raising technology to the public as ‘Focused Life-Force Energy’ (FLFE). FLFE Innovations Corp was formed in Nelson B.C., Canada to create the infrastructure to offer the service and to support customers on the FLFE wave.

Today after an additional 8 years of research and hundreds customers and testimonials Jeffrey and Clayten are beginning the process of increasing public awareness of this unique consciousness raising technology. FLFE Innovations Corp offers a monthly FLFE subscription on a property or on a mobile object (FLFE Mobile, also known as the FLFE Bubble).  The technology associates (entangles) the FLFE device with an address or photograph of an object using custom developed software integrated with the FLFE device and creates the FLFE wave that works with the property or object. The FLFE wave will clear negative history (on a property), raise consciousness and increase greatly the positive energy available for people and animals on the property or in a specific radius around the FLFE Mobile Object, as well as many other enhancements.

Dr. Pedroni is an Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies and Policy Sociology and Director of the Detroit Data and Democracy Project. He teaches courses in critical education studies, curriculum studies, critical youth studies, and critical theory.  A central concern in his teaching and research is the promotion of schools as sites in which youth develop the analytical skills and leadership qualities to identify and act upon problems that impact the community and region.  



His current research examines educational and social inequality in relation to the post-welfarist educational policy complex of Detroit. Dr. Pedroni has published articles in peer-reviewed journals including Teachers College Record and Urban Review, as well as a number of chapters in edited volumes. His first book Market Movements: African American Involvement in School Voucher Reform (Routledge Critical Social Thought series) received the 2009 Critics’ Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association.

Mary Rodwell is a professional counsellor, hypnotherapist, ufologist researcher and metaphysician. Mary is the founder and Principal of ACERN (Australian Close Encounter Resource Network) and is recognised Internationally, as one of Australia's leading researchers in the UFO and Contact phenomenon. She is the Vice-President of Star Kids Project Ltd and an Advisory Committee member of Exopolitics.

She has lectured in the USA, Canada, Hawaii, UK and New Zealand and appears regularly in national and international media news programs such as the Australian documentary OZ Files, the BBC television program, Paranormal Files(UK) and Discovery Channel Animal X. She has also participated in a University debate forum on this phenomenon, in 2006 at Oxford University, UK.

Mary's research shows while many "Star Children" sometimes called "Indigo's" have telepathic abilities, and are spiritually awakened and describe seeing "Beings of Light" (angels or light beings), the main difference is that "Star Children" have recollections of encounters with extraterrestrial beings and of being taken aboard extraterrestrial spaceships. Mary's research also explores the evidence from scientific, medical, psychological, and historical perspective to support what she believes is a genetic engineering program, which is part of an upgrading of homo sapiens, and creating a paradigm shift in human consciousness, which these children demonstrate.

ACERN - Australian Close Encounter Research Network

Following is a brief history of the Perth-based UFO Abductee/Contactee Support Group , which was formed in late 1996.  Its evolution has sparked interest not only from its participants, but also from organizations Australia-wide, the media and from overseas.

In 1996, a group of Western Australian UFO researchers decided to form a support group for those people who have had 'encounter' experiences.  In ufology terms, these are called 'Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind' and simply refer to anyone who believes he or she has had some contact or interaction with extraterrestrial life forms.

At this time, they had in mind at least one facilitator for the group.  This was Elizabeth Robinson, a professional therapist/counsellor, trained in group work, who had had her own abduction/encounter experiences.  When Mary Rodwell heard about the proposed support group, she contacted the UFO researchers and explained to them that she had already considered forming a support group for the growing number of such clients she was seeing in her counselling practice.  Mary informed them of her qualifications and background and a meeting was arranged where Mary learnt that they had already formed an advisory committee which included a psychiatrist to ensure that a professional support group was formed.  This was totally in line with Mary's view because, as she had spent ten years in the counselling field, having trained in the UK and had experience in group work, she understood the need to create a credible, professional support network.

It was arranged for Elizabeth and Mary to meet in December 1996, with the hope that they would work together.  The goals were to provide a professional and supportive resource for all those abductees/contactees who needed it.  This support group would offer total confidentiality, with the understanding that they would honour the clients’ experiences and support them emotionally and psychologically.

As both Mary and Elizabeth were keen to begin, they advertised the Abductee/Contactee Support Group in NOVA, Western Australia’s Holistic Journal in March 1997 and the following month. They obtained further publicity for the group by having two articles published in the May 1997 issue of NOVA.  These were 'Counselling the Abductee', written by Mary and a 'A Secret Life Awakened', written by Elizabeth which was about her own encounter experiences.

Mary and Elizabeth also had enquiries from people who were interested in the phenomenon and wanted to attend the group out of curiosity.  It was important to explain to them that this was a therapeutic support group that was only for abductee/encounter experiencers, where group privacy and confidentiality were paramount.

Time and time again, with small variations, they were the typical abductee/contactees pattern.  One young woman in her twenties, who was severely traumatised by her experiences, said it took tremendous courage for her to attend the meeting.  She said afterwards how pleased she was that she had found the courage to come. "I had always dreamed of something like this, but never believed it would happen."  This statement epitomised how valuable a support group is and confirms the need to continue with it.

It was clear that the needs of the group were not just about isolation and past experiences, but also for therapeutic support for on-going experiences.  There is a desire by many abductees/contactees to try and make sense of this enigma, a desire to understand it and its meaning in their lives.  This includes support for the paradigm shifts that many of them have to make.

One of the main stumbling blocks to any new venture is money.  Mary and Elizabeth had no financial resources, so the support group has had to fund itself.  There was no money for advertising.  Some of the abductees/contactees said they would do their own publicity for the group, via word-of-mouth, but they had to find other ways to inform those people in isolation where they could find help.  They did have some assistance with this from the local UFO researchers, who referred clients to them

They also had support of some periodicals from complementary fields that kindly advertised their Support Group free of charge.  These were Astrally Yours and The Healing Circle.  Although this advertising was very welcome, it did not inform the wider community.  Soon it meant that they had to go public via media outlets such as magazines, newspapers, radio and television.  To do this was hugely confronting for both Mary and Elizabeth.  They were both professional people who had credibility in the conventional therapeutic world.  They could not predict what the consequences would be both professionally, or personally.  For Elizabeth, there was the added dimension of exposing herself as an abductee/contactee.

Both Mary and Elizabeth knew that with the media, much of the material would be sensationalised and put out of context.  In fact, this did happen in several popular women's magazines who told their version of the story -often in lurid colour and with prose that resembled a horror script!  With resignation Mary and Elizabeth finally subscribed to the saying: "All publicity is good publicity!"

Mary suspects they will struggle for credibility for some time.  "It goes with the controversial nature of this phenomenon.  Media exposure, no matter how lurid, can still reach those who are looking for help.  For the open-minded in the community, it may just start them thinking.  The close-minded, however will probably remain so.  Even if a spaceship landed on their front lawn, they would probably want to deny it was there."

To date, the Support Group's exposure had been quite successful and has reached many of those in isolation with this experience.  One letter received from a gentleman in his forties said: "Thank you so much for what you are doing, at last I now know I'm not mad!"

It was important to access more information from the professional therapeutic world and it was discovered that the USA had the most to offer in this respect.  Mary contacted the PEER (Program for Extraordinary Experience Research) organisation president, Dr John Mack, who is a psychiatrist and the author of Abduction.  This organisation invites professional therapists to share their information through newsletters and workshops.

The second resource was the Academy of Clinical Close Encounter Therapists (ACCET) in Sacramento, California, a professional organization whose members are psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors and those in the therapeutic field who are working with abductees/contactees.  ACCET run workshops worldwide.  Mary became a clinician member of ACCET in 1997 and from their list of members has access to other therapists.  It was with interest that to date, Mary counted one hundred and five members.  Only recently, a gentleman from Hobart, Tasmania, was referred to her through ACCET.  This proves that building contacts and networking is so important.

Moreover, as a result of the media publicity and amount of advertising that had been done, Mary and Elizabeth started to receive an increasing number of telephone calls from local psychologists, therapists, counsellors and others in the healing fields.  So, in the latter part of 1997, they were invited to meet with Mary and Elizabeth to share in their understanding of the phenomena and to inform them of what they were doing. Mary and Elizabeth were delighted and heartened by their support and enthusiasm during the meeting and as a consequence, formed the Australian Close Encounter Resource Network  (ACERN).

It was under the banner of  ACERN  that Mary and Elizabeth attended the Australian International UFO Symposium, in Brisbane in October 1997.  Before their departure, they had three main aims, which were: to advertise  ACERN,  to network with other support groups and professional therapists and to gather the latest information.  They were able to achieve much of the above and were delighted when one of the symposium speakers, Cecilia Dean, not only showed support and interest in their organization, but also advertised and spoke about it at the symposium and took the information back to America.

The trip had been extremely worthwhile and it had been very special for  ACERN to meet so many well- informed individuals and be able to resource them for information.  They also attended the Budd Hopkins' workshop for therapists and experiencers.  Through this exchange, they received further validation that they were on the right track.

As the Abductee/Contactee Support Group celebrated its first anniversary in April 1998, over seventy individuals with abduction/contact experiences had contacted  ACERN,  as well as local and overseas therapists, researchers and UFO groups.  The group continues to prosper, with many of the initial members saying how they now feel more confident and less isolated.  Some have been courageous enough to go public.  It has been an amazing group journey.  The ages range from fourteen years to sixty, with more females than males.  Some of the members support other family members who are experiencers, but do not attend the group.  For some, it is their children who are having the experience.   ACERN  has heard from a broad section of society, including housewives, schoolchildren, farmers, labourers, university students, teachers and psychologists.  The experience has also touched the Aboriginal, European and Asian cultures.

Most of those attending the group have on-going experiences.  Meetings are held monthly and have a set agenda.  Minutes are recorded for all meetings and then the members are invited to share any new experiences.  Techniques or strategies are discussed and they share whatever is helpful, including their intuitive understanding of the experience.  Resource material is discussed, including books and videos.  If they need one-to-one support, they ask either at the meeting or later by phone.  Apart from verbal discussion, strategies for integration such as drawing, meditation and written expression are encouraged.  A 'buddy system' has been introduced and for the members, who wish to participate, it has been very helpful.

ACERN continues to explore opportunities to advertise, as their priority is to reach the  many abductees/contactees out there which they believe may be having difficulty coping.  It is important to say that of the many people who are having encounter experiences who have contacted  ACERN, slightly less than a third are traumatised.  Many people cope with this experience quite well and some say that it has been a very special experience, which has transformed their lives.  They really believe it has opened them to a 'greater multi-dimensional reality'!

Awakening: How Et Contact Can Transform Your Life: How Extraterrestrial Contact Can Transform Your Life by Mary Rodwell