Huwaida Arraf (born 1976) is an American Palestinian Christian human rights activist, lawyer and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organization focused on assisting the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using non-violent protests. Her law practice is based in Ramallah.^[1]

Arraf, who is Christian, is the daughter of a Palestinian mother and father. Under Israeli law, she has Israeli citizenship through her father, an Israeli-Arab. Her parents moved from the West Bank to Detroit, Michigan, Arraf's birthplace, to be able to raise her away from the violence in the West Bank. She and her parents were able to visit Israel every few years until Arraf was ten years old.^[2]

Arraf majored in Arabic and Judaic studies and political science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She spent a year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and studied Hebrew on a kibbutz.^[3] Arraf later earned a J.D. at American University's Washington College of Law. Her focus was on International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, with a particular interest in war crimes prosecution.

As a law student Arraf conducted research for the Public International Law and Policy Group, which provides pro bono legal assistance to governments involved in conflicts. Arraf also worked with the International Human Rights Law Clinic at the Washington College of Law, where she represented clients before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on issues ranging from indigenous lands rights to cross-border abductions and irregular rendition.^[4]

In the spring of 2000, Arraf traveled to Jerusalem to serve as program coordinator for Seeds of Peace, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that seeks to foster dialogue between Jewish and Palestinian youth.^[5]

In 2001 her title at the Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem was Regional Coordinator.^[6] Arraf married Adam Shapiro, another ISM co-founder, in 2002. They met while both were working at the Jerusalem center of Seeds of Peace.^[7]

Arraf co-founded the ISM in 2001, while living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. She founded the ISM with members of two Palestinian foundations with strong international ties, the Holy Land Trust and the Rapprochement Centre. At the ISM, she has participated in the training of thousands of volunteers from around the world in non-violence and in human-rights monitoring and reporting.

Arraf ’s ISM brands its method as “nonviolent direct action”: the members of the group knowingly place themselves in controversial situations and intentionally provoke physical confrontation. Arraf and Shapiro made clear that there was a difference between their own philosophy and that of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. They stress that it is important to understand “that Palestinians have a right to resist with arms, as they are an occupied people upon whom force and violence is being used.” They also advocate that Hamas send men eager for jihad to stand out in roadblocks as martyrs, saying this is as noble as carrying out a suicide bombing and that they would still be considered shaheed Allah.^[8]

Arraf has acknowledged that the ISM has direct contact with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP -- all US-designated terror organizations. She later clarified, saying that, in acknowledging those connections, she was offering them examples of ways they could take part in nonviolent resistance.^[9]

During the second Intifada, Arraf organized what she termed a demonstration against Jewish settlers in the west bank but which devolved to a riot with young Jewish children being injured by rocks. The Arab villagers who they helped organize threw rocks and molotov cocktails at Jewish drivers and their passengers--often young children on their way home.

Arraf was the chair of the Free Gaza Movement,^[10] the organization behind the Gaza Freedom Flotillas - a series of groups of ships carrying Pro-Palestinian activists that were organized to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. She was aboard the 2008 Free Gaza boats^[3] as well as the 2010 flotilla that was raided by Israeli commandos on May 31.^[11] Using a satellite phone on board, Arraf stated that their plan was to have the boats keep heading toward Gaza “until they either disable our boats or jump on board.”^[11]

At the time of the raid, Arraf was aboard the Challenger 1,^[11] one of the smallest ships (30 feet) of the flotilla. On Thursday, 3 June 2010, she provided her version of the events on Challenger 1 in an interview on Democracy Now.^[12]

Arraf resigned from this position in October, 2012, following a series of anti-Semitic tweets posted on the official Twitter feed of the Free Gaza Movement. ^[13]

Adam Shapiro (born 1972) is an American co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organization, the stated mission of which is to bring civilians from around the world to resist nonviolently the Israeli occupation of West Bank and previously the Gaza Strip. He became famous for visiting Yasser Arafat in his Mukataa (government palace) in Ramallah while it was besieged during the March 2002 Israeli military operation in the West Bank and Gaza.

Shapiro was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and brought up in a Jewish home, but he doesn't "identify as Jewish. I see it as a religion rather than an ethnicity and, as I have no religious feelings, I don't regard myself as Jewish."^[1]

Shapiro received his B.A. in political science and history from Washington University in St. Louis in 1993. He subsequently spent a year studying Arabic in Yemen after receiving his M.A. in Arab studies at Georgetown University. He received his M.A. in political science from New York University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate at American University in Washington.

His interest in the Palestinian cause started with his involvement with "Seeds of Peace," an organization seeks to foster dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian youth. In 2001, he was Co-Director of the Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem.^[2] There he met Huwaida Arraf, a Christian Palestinian American, whom he married in 2002. In 2001 they co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).^[3]

During the 2002 Israeli incursions into the West Bank and Gaza, ISM members would ride in ambulances in the hope of expediting their passage through checkpoints. Shapiro, who was living in Ramallah, volunteered with Irish activist Caoimhe Butterly to ride in ambulances. He recounts hearing that there were wounded people at the headquarters of Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority, and "several members of the movement marched by Israeli tanks into the Palestinian leader's office."^[4] Trapped inside by Israeli fire towards the compound,^[3][5] they remained overnight and Shapiro had breakfast with Arafat. Shapiro was allowed to leave when a doctor took his place.^[3] At the time he left the compound, over 300 people were inside, mostly policemen, though also civilian employees at the headquarters.

Shapiro's visit to Arafat's headquarters was reported in the American press. A New York Post columnist labeled him "the Jewish Taliban", after John Walker Lindh, "the American Taliban" who was captured serving in the Taliban army in Afghanistan. Shapiro's life was threatened, as well as that of his family, credit for which was taken by local chapters of Betar and the Jewish Defense League. His parents were temporarily forced out of their home by threats.^[3]

In 2004 Shapiro was part of a collective that released About Baghdad, the first documentary after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It features the return to Baghdad of the poet Sinan Antoon. In a Democracy Now interview Shapiro said: "I think it's hard to compare although what we’re seeing today in Iraq, unfortunately, and really tragically, is very reminiscent and of the tactics of the occupying forces that we find among Israeli forces."^[12][13]

In 2006 Shapiro, with Aisha Bain and Jen Marlowe, released Darfur Diaries. Filmmakers explored the history of the conflict in Darfur and interviewed refugees and displaced persons, particularly victimized women and children.^[14] Shapiro explained his interest in a Democracy Now interview, saying: "[J]ust looking around and seeing what I had been doing in the Occupied Territories, the recent film I had done in Iraq, I realized that if nobody else was going to do it, then it's incumbent upon us as individuals to try to do whatever we could."^[15]

Shapiro's next documentary, Chronicles of the Refugee, is a six-part documentary series about the experiences of Palestinian refugees worldwide. Shapiro conducted over 250 interviews in 18 countries. It was filmed for Palestinian and Arab audiences. He was inspired by his experiences trying to find homes for Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq and having trouble finding countries to offer asylum and resettlement.^[16]

Mick Quinn - founder of Choice for Enlightened Living Fellowship

Currently residing in Utah with his wife, Debora Prieto, this Irish-born author was the founder and CEO of several multimillion-dollar companies and is quoted regularly in many publications, including CNN Living, The Washington Times and The Wall Street Journal. He chose to give up his American Dream lifestyle in 2001, and studied Buddhism, Christianity, and the evolution of consciousness - all in search of discovering and expressing his eternal motives.

The Uncommon Path is the second book by Irish author, Mick Quinn. Mick's work was first published in Spanish as Poder Y Gracia, by Corona Borealis Publishing in the summer of 2007.

Mick's life was radically transformed in the summer of 2001 while sitting in meditation with spiritual teacher, Andrew Cohen. As a result of this inner transformation, Mick left his former life behind and began to write and teach about the seed of great potential which rests with each one of us.

Mick's work is touching the hearts, minds, and spirits of all those who come in contact with its direct, yet gentle message. An essential aspect of his teachings points to identifying and transcending concealed conditioning on the path of awakening.

Mick is the founder of Choice for Enlightened Living Fellowship (CELF), a non-profit organization devoted to the discovery and expression of conscious values in daily life. He, along with his wife, Debora Prieto, who trained with Genpo Roshi in the Big Mind Process are currently leading a comprehensive consciousness course together. In addition, Mick and Debora offer joint and separate Integral-Coaching programs to clients worldwide.

Candida Royalle first came in to the public eye for her internationally acclaimed line of erotic films from a woman's perspective. Innovating the concept of "couples erotica", she created Femme Productions, Inc. in 1984 in order to produce adult films that spoke from a woman's voice and could be entertaining while promoting positive sexual role modeling for couples to view together.

Royalle's work has been favorably received by both viewers and the media, as well as the sexology community. She has become a sought-after speaker, having lectured at such venues as the Smithsonian Institute, the American Psychiatric Association's national conference, and the World Congress on Sexology, as well as several sexuality conferences and universities including Princeton, Columbia, Wellesley College and New York University. She is the first erotic filmmaker to have been invited to become a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists due to the message of "positive sexuality" in her films.

Continuing to lead the way in women's sexual empowerment and pleasure, Royalle partnered with Dutch industrial designer Jandirk Groet, whose product design repertoire ranges from Nordica ski boots to Ricoh compact cameras and Panasonic TVs to the cockpit of the Fokker aircraft, and together they created the Natural Contours line of high-style, discreet ergonomically designed personal massagers. The line debuted in 1999 to favorable reviews in ID (Industrial Design) Magazine, Mademoiselle and Glamour, to name a few, and quickly became best-sellers in women's mainstream health catalogs. Drugstore.com launched its sexual wellness range with the Natural Contours line and Holland's leading drug store chain, ETOS, features the line as part of its family planning outreach.

In October '04 Royalle authored her first book, "How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do," published in the U.S. by Simon and Schuster/Fireside, and in the U.K. by Piatkus Press. The paperback was published in February '06.

Royalle recently created a new line of "ethnic erotica for couples" called Femme Chocolat in order to provide high quality intelligent erotica for the largely underserved market of ethnic women and couples.

She is now moving on to the role of mentoring young new female directors so that they may continue the Femme line while expressing their own visions and ideas.

What makes Ms. Royalle's story particularly interesting is her rich and varied background. The daughter of an accomplished professional jazz drummer, she trained and performed in music, dance and art, having attended New York's High School of Art and Design, Parsons School of Design, and the City University of New York, where she was active in the women's movement of the late '60's and early '70's. In San Francisco she hooked up with some of the original members of the infamous Cockettes including the late Divine to create avant garde jazz and theater productions. In '74, looking to finance her unconventional lifestyle, she entered the world of erotica as an actress, performing in about twenty-five adult feature films. She returned to her native New York City in 1980 and stepped behind the camera to create Femme Productions in 1984. Since then she has been a guest on almost every news and talk show from Anderson Cooper to Dateline NBC, and has been written up in countless magazines and newspapers from The New York Times, Time Magazine and The London Times to Glamour and Marie Claire.

Candida Royalle is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, (AASECT) and a founding Board member of Feminists for Free Expression (FFE). Her work is distributed by Adam and Eve Pictures.

As Founder, Chairman and CEO, Allie T. Mallad holds safe the vision that wowgreen can free the world of toxic chemicals, one household at a time. A former Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, Allie made his name as the world's largest Little Caesars franchisee with revenues reaching over $100 million per year with over 2,000 employees. He leveraged his success to become owner of 10 national franchises, such as Applebees, Baskin Robbins, Jiffy Lube, and more, and was voted a Top 50 franchisee in 1998. Allie's business acumen led him to Network Marketing where in just 6 months he became the largest Metabolife distributor in the United States. As a true motivator of people, Allie T. Mallad is a leader ready to direct wowgreen International to the top of today's green revolution. With 25 years of business experience at the top, associations with industry leaders, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a passion that goes far beyond the norm, Allie will help guide wowgreen to a brighter, greener future.

Author of The Black Alchemist (1989), From the Ashes of Angels (1996), The Cygnus Mystery (2004), and The New Circlemakers (2009), Collins lectures worldwide, and is the organiser of the annual 'Questing Conference', one of Britain's annual events on forbidden archaeology and ancient mysteries.

Andrew Collins, is a science and history writer and the author of various books that challenge the way we perceive the past. They include From the Ashes of Angels (1996), which shows that the Watchers of the book of Enoch were shamans responsible for the Neolithic revolution, and that their homelandthe biblical Edenwas southeast Turkey, where archaeologists have recently found the oldest stone temple in the world; Gods of Eden (1998), which reveals that Egyptian civilization is thousands of years older than is conventionally believed; Gateway to Atlantis (2000), which demonstrates that Platos Atlantis was located in Cuba and the Bahamas, and The Cygnus Mystery (2006), which argues that veneration of the Cygnus constellation was responsible for the worlds earliest sky religions.

A recent book, Beneath the Pyramids, explores Gizas cave underworld, rediscovered by the author in 2008. Andrew, born in 1957, lives with his wife Sue near Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Charles R Mallett, your host at the Silent Circle, established the Crop Circle information center in 2002. He has been researching the Circles and related phenomena for thirteen years. Over these many years of front-line experience, research and consideration he has had a number of highly amazing encounters with various paranormal phenomenal. Seeing the objective evidence for himself Charles has been driven to promote and publicize these enigmatic mysteries. This he does through his Silent Circle facility.

WALTER CRUTTENDEN is an amateur theoretical archaeo-astronomer and author of the binary theory of precession. As Executive Director of the Binary Research Institute he researches the celestial mechanics of the precession of the equinox, as well as myth and folklore related to this phenomenon. He is the writer-producer of The Great Year, a PBS broadcast documentary film (narrated by James Earl Jones) that explores evidence of astronomical cycles of time known to cultures throughout the ancient world.

Most recently Cruttenden wrote Lost Star of Myth and Time, a book that provides an alternative view of history based on the solar system’s motion through space. It is his belief that the myth and folklore depicting a repeating cycle of Golden Ages and Dark Ages may have a basis in fact, due to the alternating stellar forces that affect Earth as our solar system moves in a 24,000-year binary (dual star) orbit.

THE SEARCH FOR THE BINARY STAR
Cruttenden frequently speaks to groups about the ancient mystery of the precession of the equinox. His talks explain how cutting edge scientific evidence challenges the current theory of precession. Due to the work of Cruttenden and others, interest in ancient knowledge and solar system theory is on the rise as more people become aware of the importance of our present Age and the potential it holds for humankind. Cruttenden founded the Galileo Awards to further stimulate research and interest in precession and help in the search for our Sun’s binary companion. Cruttenden was featured on several television and radio programs, including CNBC, CNFN, KOCE. Recently he has given talks at the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, East-West Bookstore in Palo Alto, University of Virginia, University of Arizona, University of California at San Diego, Newport Film Festival and the Society for Scientific Exploration.

In 2004, Cruttenden founded and appeared at the Conference on Precession and Ancient Knowledge (CPAK) in Vancouver, BC, Canada along with other authors and researchers: John Major Jenkins, John N. Harris, Karl-Heinz Homann & Uwe Homann. He sponsored and participated in the Second Annual CPAK conference in Sedona, Arizona in November, 2005 which included as speakers Graham Hancock, the author of Fingerprints of the Gods, geologist and author Robert Schoch, known for his work redating the Great Sphinx in Egypt, John Major Jenkins, author of Maya Cosmogenesis, and several other experts on ancient cultures. The 2006 conference is currently scheduled to take place in October in Newport Beach, California.

Cruttenden is married, has four sons and resides in Southern California. He enjoys surfing, hiking, and esoteric studies.

Actress Traci Dority brings her humorous nature, quiet strength and business savvy to her career, striving to touch the humanity of audiences everywhere.

Traci was first inspired to be a performer at an early age when she watched her older sister participate in school plays and longed to jump on stage alongside her. Most young girls suffering from shyness and a nervous stutter wouldn’t even consider it, but nothing would stop this determined young girl. Instead, she would start out as a young dancer and even discover her silly side riding a unicycle with the group, Supercycles. It wasn’t until years later in college, when Traci enrolled in an acting class that she would realize her true passion for acting.

On And Off Stage

With a head for business, Traci’s off-stage career began to flourish forcing her to take a break from the performing world and step behind the camera. While working as a Producer for a Washington, D.C. public relations firm, Traci would lead creative projects earning her top industry honors, including the Golden Eagle Cine, Galaxy and Telly awards. Traci then journeyed to a Wall Street investment firm, where she quickly earned accolades as a top sales person and became a two-time winner of the company’s prestigious Gold Circle Award.

Even while achieving success in the business world, Traci’s passion for performing never diminished. It was during this time that she competed for and was crowned Miss Virginia-USA and went on to be in the top 15 at the Miss USA pageant. Not long afterwards, Traci returned to the stage, appearing in local productions and finally made the decision to move to Los Angeles and continue her entertainment pursuits.

Film Credits

Traci’s decision to head to Hollywood quickly paid off when she landed the role of “Jenny Slater” in the cult classic film, Grosse Pointe Blank, and then a series of guest appearances on several television shows, including Baywatch, Pacific Blue, Moloney, and Passions. Traci has become a regular in the indie film scene, often cast in roles that are similar to her in temperament but not circumstances. In the 2008 New York Film Festival favorite, Redemption: The Barry Minkow Story, Traci is an up-and-coming journalist struggling for credit in a male dominated world. In the drama, Lunch, Traci portrays a woman stuck in society’s ideal, but searching for more, earning rave reviews and screenings in 2008 at the CineGear Film Series and La Femme Film Festival. And, in On The Eve, Traci is a widow challenged with raising her pre-teen angst daughter and striving to find a connection.

BEST-SELLING "LETTING GO" author Guy Finley's encouraging and accessible message is one of the true bright lights in our world today. His ideas go straight to the heart of our most important personal and social issues -- relationships, success, addiction, stress, peace, happiness, freedom -- and lead the way to a higher life.

Finley is the acclaimed author of The Secret of Letting Go, The Essential Laws of Fearless Living and 35 other major works that have sold over a million copies in 18 languages worldwide. In addition, he has presented over 4,000 unique self-realization seminars to thousands of grateful students throughout North America and Europe over the past 25 years and has been a guest on over 400 television and radio shows, including appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR and many others. He is a member of the faculty of the Omega Institute and a daily contributor to Beliefnet.

Finley is Director of Life of Learning Foundation, the non-profit self-realization school in Merlin, Oregon, and his popular Key Lesson e-mails are read each week by 200,000 subscribers in 142 countries. His work is widely endorsed by doctors, business professionals, celebrities, and religious leaders of all denominations.

Guy's career reached this point through a circuitous path. Born into a successful show business family, he is the son of Late-Night TV and radio pioneer Larry Finley. His childhood friends were the sons and daughters of the most famous celebrities in the world. As a young man Guy enjoyed success in a number of areas including composing award-winning music for many popular recording artists including Diana Ross, The Jackson 5, Billy Preston, The Four Seasons, as well as writing the scores for several motion pictures and TV shows. From 1970-1979 he wrote and recorded his own albums under the Motown and RCA recording labels.

Throughout his youth, Guy suspected there was more to life than the type of worldly success that led to the emptiness and frustration he saw among his own "successful" friends and colleagues. In 1979, after travels throughout North America, India and the Far East in search of truth and Higher Wisdom, Guy voluntarily retired from his flourishing music career in order to simplify his life and to concentrate on deeper self-studies.

Doctor of Spiritual Counseling, Holistic Heath Practitioner,  International Sexpert, Certified Tantra Educator

I am a Doctor of Spiritual Counseling, Holistic Heath Practitioner, Certified Tantra Educator and Therapist, intimacy and relationship expert. I have studied sexual surrogacy and Tantric bodywork. In ‘love doctoring’ I facilitate sexual healing, erase dysfunction, increase intimacy, deepened relaxation and improve overall body/mind/spirit health.  25 years ago I wanted to heal my childhood anger over past issues. I turned to my first Tantra teacher, Charles Muir. I ultimately found such an inner joy, I KNEW I’d be fulfilled by sharing these teachings and this blissful JOY with others.

I’ve traveled to the temples of India, Indonesia, Japan, China, Thailand,  Africa, and the Yucatan.  I have studied sacred Tantric, Taoist and Hindu practices and continue to research ancient sex practice of  other indigenous tribes. It is my calling to bring these teachings into the present day, where sexuality can again be lovingly and reverently celebrated as the art form it truly is.

I have studied with the top Traditional and modern Sacred Sexuality Teachers. I’ve also been blessed with many opportunities to actually teach with many of these Sacred Sex Teachers /Authors, some of the world’s most highly respected teachers of Tantra and sacred transformational healing. I offer ALL these ceremonies.

I love and have created these Tantra based rituals and Healing Ceremonies. My female ancestors all have gifts as intuitive healers. My own personal  journey integrating sex with spirit has been one of healing, empowerment and rediscovery of my God-essence. It has uncovered many past lives and insights that continue to help as a Priestess and servant to Goddess. I am committed to the life I was meant to live and assisting others on this journey!

I believe women play an important extremely important role and education is essential. In 1994 I founded Temple of the Goddess Healing Centre in an effort to recreate the magic of the ancient sacred healing temples where people come for initiation, cleansing past karma that held them back, healing, awakening and learning.

I’m a powerful guide when it comes to teaching women, couples and men techniques for healing, awakening AND RECLAIMING the pleasure which is their BIRTHRIGHT. Unlock joy and limitless possibility! It is a divine gift to experience this at ANY age! Goddess Worship Ritual – make an appointment with me when I am in town or you can visit me or sponsor me to your area!

As a student of Psychology as well as Eastern Philosophy and religion I draw on and ancient practices and meditative techniques. I use integrative bodywork and Chakra balancing to align body, mind, and spirit. I take my students to new heights of wholeness and open them to limitless pleasure potential. I also employ trance healing through guided visualization, yoga, and chant to explore the subtle, deeper realms of the soul body. I accept serious new clients who are committed to positive transformation through regular Tantric practice.

Dr. Corynna Clarke is an international spokesperson for sacred sex and has taught workshops all over the world. She can be found on major radio and television stations in the US, India and has been featured in publications such as: the front page of the Wall Street Journal, Mirabella, Gentleman’s Quarterly, Maxim, Yoga Journal, the Orange County Weekly and Los Angeles Magazine, LA Yoga Journal. She is available for personal appearances, writing articles seminars and film work of a related nature.

I have been writing poetry and fiction since I was a child. As an adult, I added nonfiction of multiple kinds to my writing loves. I’ve published more than 50 articles in magazines and newspapers and authored seven books on natural medicine, including The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism and Natural Medicine First Aid Remedies (see Books for the others). My work has been included in poetry, prayer, and travel-writing anthologies and I am the editor of the anthologies Audacious Aging and Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change.

My most recent book is What the Animals Taught Me: Stories of Love and Healing from a Farm Animal Sanctuary. In 1997, a miniature horse named Pegasus started me on the path to creating the Animal Messenger Sanctuary, a safe haven for farm animals. The book tells the story of the sheep, donkeys, and wild animals and birds who made the sanctuary their home. For their health, the sanctuary sheep need to be sheared annually. I offer the loving energy of their wool through organic wool comforters that can be purchased to support the sanctuary.

My healing practice, Energy Healing for Animals, grew out of years of helping the animals on the sanctuary heal from illnesses. Now I offer Healing Touch for Animals® (HTA) and other energy medicine modalities to clients with animals who need healing assistance. Energy medicine rebalances and strengthens the energy system; supports the animal’s innate ability to heal; and helps with injury, illness, pain, trauma, behavioral issues, surgery recovery, disease prevention, and end-of-life care. I treat cats, dogs, horses, sheep, donkeys, and any other creatures who need me.

Since 1993, I have run Angel Editing Services, an editing and writing consulting business specializing in nonfiction books, with a particular focus on psychospirituality, natural medicine, and other alternative thought.

Originally from Philadelphia, I went to high school in the Virgin Islands, college in New Hampshire and Wisconsin (earning a BS in dance therapy from UW-Madison), traveled the world, moved every year for a decade or so, but have been pleased to call the San Francisco Bay Area my home since 1979. I live in beautiful Sonoma County north of the City.

William J. Birnes, the publisher of UFO Magazine, can be seen in the weekly series, UFO Hunters on History. Each week, he and his team of researchers travel to the sites of world-famous UFO events where they use high-tech equipment and cutting-edge investigative techniques to explore the encounter and arrive at answers about what really happened. Birnes is well-qualified to lead such a team, having written and edited over 25 books and encyclopedias in the fields of human behavior, true crime, current affairs, history, psychology, business, computing, and the paranormal. He is the co-author of The Day After Roswell, which was a New York Times bestseller in 1997, and subsequently a documentary on The History Channel. Birnes is a frequent radio and television talk-show guest, having appeared on "Good Morning America," "Dateline, NBC," "Entertainment Tonight," "Coast to Coast AM," "UFOs in Russia," "USOs, Underwater Submersible Objects," and "Black Box UFOs." His previous cable feature, The Riverman—based on the book he co-authored with detective Dr. Robert Keppel about how serial killer Ted Bundy helped police track Green River Killer Gary Ridgway—was broadcast on A&E in September 2004. Birnes' other cable documentary, on A&E and The History Channel, was The Haunting of the President, based on his and Joel Martin's book of the same name. His title Black Dahlia Avenger, recently sold to New Line, is currently in development as is his title Life in the Balance by Billy Sinclair at Karmic Studios. As a television producer, Birnes' first cable feature was When Husbands Cheat for Lifetime Television with Hearst Entertainment Television. Among his books are: Worker in the Light with George Noory, Space Wars with William Scott and Michael Coumatos, The Grisly Business Unit with Robert Keppel, The Killer Next Door with Joel Norris, Signature Killers with Joel Norris, The McGraw-Hill Personal Computer Programming Encyclopedia, When You are the Headline with Robert Irvine, and Selling at the Top. Birnes is currently completing two criminology textbooks: Signature Killers, with Robert Keppel, Ph.D., and Mass Murderers with John Liebert, M.D. He holds a law degree and received a Ph.D. from New York University in 1974.

Arthur Kurzweil's own personal quest eventually led him to explore his spiritual identity, which resulted in his seminal book on Jewish genealogical research, the classic best seller From Generation to Generation.

Realizing that there were relatively few serious Jewish books available to the English language reader, Arthur Kurzweil developed what has been described as a visionary plan to transform the experience of the Jewish seeker looking for nourishing Jewish books. During his tenure as an editor and publisher, Arthur Kurzweil has commissioned and published over 700 volumes of Jewish interest.

Arthur is the author of On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz: 25 Years of Pre-Dawn Car Trips, Mind-Blowing Encounters and Inspiring Conversations with a Man of Wisdom. The book is Arthur’s spiritual memoir about his experiences as a student and chauffeur for one of the great Jewish leaders of our time, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Arthur is also the author of Pebbles of Wisdom from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (2009), a collection of teachings on a wide range of subjects by Rabbi Steinsaltz.

Arthur was approached by the famous “for Dummies” series, who invited him to write Kabbalah for Dummies, based on his serious private studies with some of the leading authorities in the field of Kabbalah, and because of Arthur’s reputation as a teacher who is able to explain difficult spiritual concepts in down to earth, accessible language. Arthur is also the author of The Torah for Dummies.

Arthur has had a lifelong passion for books. Trained as a professional librarian, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Book Club for 17 years, past president of the Jewish Book Council, Judaica acquisitions editor and literary agent, Arthur Kurzweil came to a personal conclusion that the ultimate book for him is the one often described as the cornerstone of Jewish culture, the Talmud.

With the guidance of his teacher, the renowned Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Arthur Kurzweil has inspired many people across the United States to discover and get entangled with the Talmud. As the Coordinator of the Talmud Circle Project, under the direction of Rabbi Steinsaltz, Arthur Kurzweil's mission has been to introduce the Talmud to Jewish spiritual seekers. He has been the catalyst for many individuals as well as synagogue groups who now study Talmud regularly.

Arthur Kurzweil is also an accomplished magician. A member of the Society of American Magicians (founded by Harry Houdini) as well as a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Arthur Kurzweil blends his spiritual interests with magical effects, adding his own insights and weaving together an enchanting presentation for his audiences.

Often described as America's foremost Jewish genealogist, Arthur Kurzweil's name has become synonymous with Jewish genealogical research. His highly praised book, From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History, has become known as the definitive guidebook to the field. Arthur Kurzweil has spoken before hundreds of Jewish groups on a variety of topics related to Jewish genealogy. A co-founder of the very first Jewish Genealogical Society in the 1970's, today there are nearly 70 Jewish Genealogical Societies throughout the world.

Arthur Kurzweil is also the author of The Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy as well as My Generations: A Course in Jewish Family History. My Generations is a popular textbook that has been used for almost twenty years in many synagogue schools throughout the United States and Canada.

As a writer, Arthur Kurzweil has been published by New York Magazine, the L.A. Times, the Miami Herald, Newsday, most of the national Jewish periodicals, and for two years served as a weekly columnist for the Jewish Week of New York.

Arthur Kurzweil is the recipient of the Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the Melton Center of Ohio State University for his unique contributions to the field of Jewish education. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. For many years he has been one of the most popular teachers at the annual conference of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education as well as at Elat Chayyim: The Jewish Spiritual Retreat Center.

In addition to his work as a literary agent representing a number of authors, Arthur Kurzweil also serves as Judaica consultant for Jossey-Bass, a division of John Wiley Publishers, where he has begun to build another list of important Jewish books. A popular, engaging, humorous and moving lecturer and entertainer, Arthur Kurzweil has spoken and performed before hundreds of audiences of all ages.

At the age of 5, Victoria’s journey began with Angels as one appeared to her. At that time, she realized her gifts of Intuition, Visions and Prophetic Messages. Victoria’s accuracy has proven to be extremely exact and accurate as she receives information from the Angelic Realms and Benevolent Brotherhood of Space. She had dedicated her life to serve as an Ambassador for the Stars & Other Worlds, uniting humanity again with their Star Families, and has been instrumental in “seeing beyond this reality.”

Victoria’s healing practice, music and singing plays a major role in activating personal cellular memory for healing, empowerment, and is transforming for those who experience her via lectures and personal sessions.

All of her life, Victoria has encountered Angels, The Masters, Light Beings, as well Light Ships (UFO’s) and Heavenly Manifestations. Since 1994, Victoria has captured on Video and photography, her incredible journey with the other Dimensions, which includes spectacular UFO’s projecting on Film, holographic pictographs i.e., angels, people, the earth, doves, dolphins. The messages Victoria receives as she film this phenomena is pertinent to our “Earth Changes”, and the Transformation Humanity is experiencing presently.

Serving in the healing arts for 30 years, Victoria is a gifted therapist for healing and transformation through her unique intuitive and spiritual gifts, blended with altered state journeys into the subconscious via hypnosis. A Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, with 30 years in Specialized Body Work & Massage, Kahuna Energy, and Spiritual Intuitive Consultation, Victoria has assisted many to connect with Angels, Spirit Guides and to understand their Star Connection. Victoria’s Film and Photography have been analyzed and accepted by specialists in the paranormal and UFO arena.

Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and occasional actress, best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular recordings including "Crimson and Clover", "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Do You Want to Touch Me", "Light of Day", "Love Is All Around", "Bad Reputation". She has three albums that have been certified Platinum or Gold, and she has been referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" many times during her career.

Gene Baur has been hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by Time magazine. For 25 years, he has traveled extensively, campaigning to raise awareness about the abuses of industrialized factory farming and our cheap food system.

A pioneer in the field of undercover investigations, Gene has visited hundreds of farms, stockyards, and slaughterhouses documenting the deplorable conditions that exist. His pictures and videos exposing factory farming cruelties have aired nationally and internationally, educating millions about the plight of modern farm animals.

Gene has also testified in courts and before local, state, and federal legislative bodies, advocating for better conditions for farm animals. His most important achievements include winning the first-ever cruelty conviction at a U.S. stockyard and introducing the first U.S. laws to prohibit cruel farming confinement methods in Florida, Arizona, and California. His efforts have been covered by top news organizations, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, Gene’s book, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, became a national bestseller. As a recent guest on The Martha Stewart Show’s first-ever “vegan show,” he inspired viewers to eat in alignment with their compassionate values.

Gene began his activist career selling veggie hotdogs out of a VW van at Grateful Dead concerts to fund farm animal rescues. Today, he serves as president of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, with shelters in New York and California. Providing rescue, refuge, and adoption for hundreds of farm animals each year, Farm Sanctuary shelters enable visitors to connect with farm animals as emotional, intelligent individuals. Gene believes these animals stand as ambassadors for the billions on factory farms who have no voice, and he has dedicated his career to advocating on their behalf. Gene holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University, Northridge, and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University.

Hardy Jones is a former journalist with CBS News and UPI. He has been making television documentaries about the oceans and marine mammals in particular for more than 20 years. "The experience of forcing Japanese fishermen to release hundreds of dolphins simply by pointing a camera at them led to the original concept of BlueVoice.org," says Jones. "The advent of the internet has given us a tool of unprecedented power to end some of the brutalities committed against marine mammals and the oceans."

Our film "If Dolphins Could Talk," hosted by actor Michael Douglas, complimented the work of many environmental organizations when we broadcast video footage of dolphins dying in tuna nets. Soon afterwards Heinz announced it would no longer accept tuna caught by surrounding dolphins with nets.

BlueVoice.org draws on the hundreds of hours of film produced by Hardy Jones/Julia Whitty Productions, a leading production company specializing in films onthe marine environment.

BlueVoice.org is an ocean conservation organization founded in 2000 by Hardy Jones and Ted Danson. Its mission is to protect dolphins, save the whales, and other marine mammals and to raise popular awareness about toxic chemicals in the oceans. BlueVoice has fought to end the slaughter of dolphins in Japan and to expose the harmful levels of toxins in the marine environment, including mercury, PCBs, and persistent organic pollutants, and their impact on both marine mammals and humans.

Denise Linn has been called "America's best-kept secret." For the last three and a half decades she has traveled to the far corners of the world speaking to standing-room only audiences of thousands. Her spiritual journey began as a teenager when she had a near-death experience after being shot by an unknown gunman. The revelations she received on the "other side" and the subsequent amazing healing of her wounds led Denise to eventually become an internationally respected healer, writer, and teacher.

A world-acclaimed expert in feng shui and space clearing, Denise has distilled the information and wisdom into her teachings that she gained from indigenous cultures around the planet— the aborigines of Australia, the Zulu in Africa, the Maori of New Zealand (where she was given the title of tohunga), as well as from her own Native American roots.

Denise has taught seminars in 20 countries and has written 15 books, including the best-selling, "Sacred Space," and "Soul Coaching" as well as her newly released personal memoir, "If I Can Forgive, So Can You!" Her books have been translated into 26 languages, and she has been a featured guest on Oprah, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, BBC TV, NBC and CBS. She is also the founder of the International Institute of Soul Coaching.

Denise and her husband, David, live at Summerhill Ranch in the wine country of the Central Coast of California with their two dogs, Pepper and Sadie, and with their five chickens. Their home is located on 40 acres of oak-covered hills surrounded by vineyards with the Santa Lucia Mountains in the distance. To the far west is the Big Sur coastline where cliffs drop suddenly into the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. And to the far south are vast sand dunes delicately carved by sea breezes. To the east is the Corizo Plain which is awash with brilliant wildflowers in the spring. At night the stars sparkle in the crisp night air of Summerhill, while owls hoots and coyotes howl in their nightly chorus.

On their land, they have a small orchard with 15 different kinds of fruit, 100 grapevines for home-made wine and grape juice, olive trees for olives, and a large organic garden. Whenever possible Denise and David use the bounty of their land to help supply food for the retreats held there. The land also offers sanctuary for many kinds of birds and animals. Summerhill Ranch is host to bobcats, coyotes, badgers, foxes-gray and red, porcupines, skunks, voles, moles, raccoons, pack rats and an occasion mountain lion, as well as over 40 different kinds of birds.

Denise and David's daughter Meadow is 33 years old and enjoys working with her parents at the Ranch. In addition to handling Soul Coaching registrations, she is also the resident Summerhill Ranch chef and will delight your senses with colorful and flavorful dishes from around the world. Meadow writes a blog about love, life, and food. The blog is rich with her tantalizing recipes. 

Aaron Goodwin (born April 1, 1976) is an equipment technician, camera operator and co-investigator of Ghost Adventures. In need of a cameraman for their documentary, Groff introduced Goodwin to Bagans to assist them with primary filming and B-roll taping of the series.

Before joining Bagans and Groff, Goodwin had worked as a camera operator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and several behind-the-scenes film premieres in Las Vegas.^[16] Prior to his experiences in Virginia City, Nevada,^[12] he "never really thought twice about ghosts." Goodwin looks perpetually terrified on the show and now considers himself "a hundred percent – no, a thousand percent – believer."^[13] Goodwin is often left alone in the hotspots during lockdowns to act as bait for whatever may happen.^[17][18]

At Preston Castle, the crew claimed that marks which appeared on Goodwin's left leg were similar to those that appeared on Bagans' back during the first Bobby Mackey nightclub investigation.

They set up an experiment at the Winchester Mystery House, where they hoped to communicate with demonic entities at Bobby Mackey's Music World and Washoe Club. To facilitate this, they used very low frequencies, coil antennae, and satellite communication. Due to his nausea and fatigue, combined with overall feelings of dread, Goodwin was the prime target of these demonic attacks. He was simultaneously mentioned in multiple EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenons) at Bobby Mackey's 2,400 miles away during their investigation. He was possessed in Bobby Mackey's.^{[citation needed]}

Originally from Portland, Oregon, as of 2012 he resides in Las Vegas.