Norman Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1922. He dropped out of Emerson College to join the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. He left the Army in 1945 and began writing comedy, which eventually transformed into screenwriting and producing for television and films. His best known projects include the TV shows All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude and Good Times.

Early Life

Television and film writer and producer. Born Norman Milton Lear on July 27, 1922. Lear grew up in a Jewish family in New Haven, Connecticut where his parents, Herman and Jeanette Lear, worked in sales. When Lear was only 9 years old, his father went to prison to serve a three-year sentence for fraud. With his father in jail, Lear turned to his uncle Jack and his grandfather Shya as role models. His grandfather wrote frequent letters to the president on the various political issues of the day. Lear later said his grandfather's political involvement taught him a lesson he never forgot: "that a citizen can matter." Nevertheless, Lear never imagined himself growing up to be a rich and famous celebrity. "All I wanted was to grow up to be a guy who could flip a quarter to a nephew," he once said.

Lear attended Emerson College in Boston, but dropped out in 1942 to join the United States Army Air Forces. He served as a radio operator and gunner during World War II, flying 52 combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater and earning the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. Lear left the military in 1945, and worked for four years in public relations before embarking on a career as a freelance comedy writer.

In 1950, Norman Lear teamed up with Ed Simmons to write The Ford Star Review, a musical comedy variety show that aired for one year on NBC. Although the show's run was brief, Lear and Simmons impressed comedian Jerry Lewis, who hired them to write for the Colgate Comedy Hour, where they worked until 1953. In 1958, Lear moved from writing to production, joining with director Bud Yorkin to found Tandem Productions. With Lear writing and producing, the pair produced numerous feature films, including Divorce American Style (1967), which earned Lear an Academy Award nomination in 1967.

All in the Family

In 1970, Lear got the idea to revamp the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part to fit into an American context. Set in Queens, New York, All in the Family aired on CBS from 1971 to 1983 (renamed Archie Bunker's Place in 1979) and won four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. All in the Family was groundbreaking in many respects, helping to usher in a new era of television programs that tackled controversial and socially relevant subject matter. The show, which centered around the bigoted character Archie Bunker, examined the issues of race, sexuality, and social inequality through the lens of comedy, breaking longstanding television taboos against profanity, racial slurs, and toilet humor.

In addition to All in the Family, Lear wrote and produced a host of other controversial shows that dealt with pressing social issues. In 1972, he introduced Maude on CBS, whose caustic, liberal title character provided a foil to the conservative Archie Bunker. Lear also brought black families into starring roles on primetime television with Good Times (1974-1979) and The Jeffersons (1975-1985). While Lear's shows were often criticized for their sharp political bent, he vociferously defended his right to incorporate his personal views into his writing. "Why wouldn't I have ideas and thoughts," he said, "and why wouldn't my work reflect those ideas?"

Politics and Activism

In order to have a more direct impact on social change, in 1981 Lear decided to leave the world of television for political activism. In that year, he founded People for the American Way, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights, strengthening public education, and promoting electoral and immigration reform. In 2000, Lear founded the Norman Lear Center at USC to support research investigating the intersection of entertainment and society. Four years later, he founded Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan youth voter registration initiative. For his work in both television and political activism, President Bill Clinton presented Lear with the National Medal of Arts in 1999, stating that "Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it."

Lear lives in Los Angeles, California with his third wife Lyn Davis Lear, with the two having married in 1987. He has six children and four grandchildren. Together the couple continues to participate in political causes; in 2009, they founded Born Again American, a group committed to reviving informed citizenship. And in October 2014, at the age of 92, he published his critically-acclaimed autobiography Even This I Get to Experience. 

Asked by an interviewer to sum up his influence on American television and society, Lear recalled one night when he was riding in an airplane. "I remember looking down and thinking, hey, it's just possible, wherever I see a light, I've helped to somebody laugh."

COY MCKINNEY was born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, attended high school in Torino, Italy, obtained a history degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, a law degree from the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, and is a member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (seac.org). Coy works as an urban farmer on multiple projects in the DC area and his primary interest is building small-scale, sustainable communities where appreciation of the environment, and our role within it, is deeply embedded within the culture.

Links:

Instagram + Twitter: @ecoylogy

SW Gardens: https://swgardens.org/ & https://www.facebook.com/swgardens

Psychic medium William Stillman is the internationally known, award-winning author of the Autism and the God Connection book trilogy that explores aspects of spiritual giftedness in many people with autism.

Since 2004, Stillman has worked professionally as a psychic and spiritual counselor at Alta View Wellness Center in PA.  His accuracy in discerning truth and making predictions is truly extraordinary.  He has been contacted on missing person and unsolved homicide cases.  

Living Your Souls Journey is excited about having William Stillman on the show. Be sure and call in with your questions.

Rev. Darrin W. Owens has brought authentic enlightenment to countless souls through a powerful psychic gift that he has carried since birth. Since 1995, Darrin has maintained a highly successful psychic-intuitive healing practice, providing spiritual guidance to clients on an international scale. Many have called him a modern-day prophet announcing a much-needed and renewed perspective to the spiritual journey. Adding more levels to his professional list; Darrin is an ordained minister, certified hypnotherapist and a spiritual faith-healer specializing in spirit releasement and vibrational healing.

Darrin was born in the Ozark hills of Arkansas. At a very young age, he showed signs of highly advanced psychic perception. Not only is Darrin’s psychic and healing skills are God-given, they also hereditary in nature. Darrin’s great-grandfather was a healer. He was not just any healer; he was an old-style mountain healer. Legend has it that one of his “powers” was stopping excessive bleeding by simply reciting a verse from the Holy Bible. Darrin is truly proud of his supernatural heritage and stays true to his spiritual roots.   The public awareness of Darrin's mystical beginnings was introduced in his first bestselling book, Reader of Hearts: The Life and Teachings of a Reluctant Psychic. His most recent title, Mysteries of the Supernatural, delves into Darrin’s passionate study and encounters with spiritualism, folk magick and the paranormal. He has been a featured guest on Coast to Coast Radio with George Noory.

My second guest, Dr. Eric L. Zielinski is a sought-after natural health educator, motivational speaker and author. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Dr. Z’s mission is to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to achieve the Abundant Life. He specializes in natural remedies and empowering life strategies, and coaches clients locally in the greater Atlanta area as well as globally through his Abundant Life Coaching Ministry — a non-profit organization that helps pastors, missionaries, and ministers of the Gospel enjoy Biblical Health. Dr. Z lives in Atlanta with his wife Sabrina and three children Esther, Isaiah and Elijah.

An energy specialist, hands-on healer and pioneer of yoga therapy for the past 30 years, Dr. Gloria Kaye has “touched” the lives of thousands of clients. Working in conjunction with physicians and healthcare practitioners, Dr. Kaye has built a successful practice in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Her clients include well-known personalities, professional athletes, business executives, senior citizens, families, and even adolescents and young children. In the early 1980s, Dr. Kaye received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and health psychology, and proceeded to develop and administer a holistic center for senior citizens. Part of her dissertation was reprinted in the Clinical Journal of Gerontology, and since then, she has taught yoga at several universities.

Dr. Kaye integrated pain management and healing into her practice in the early 1990s, working alongside physicians in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. She lectured on the Healing Touch to first-year medical students at UCLA School of Medicine in the late 1990s. Through the combination of hands-on healing and the practical application of yoga to medical complaints (yoga therapeutics), Dr. Kaye has successfully treated clients with various medical conditions, including arthritis, backaches, migraines, muscle pain, inflammation, sprains, scoliosis and tendonitis. Her comprehensive approach to each case produces dramatic changes in an individual’s mobility, strength, flexibility, and overall health. She has also attended clients in the cancer unit at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and travels extensively to visit her clients, who are located around the U.S.

Dr. Kaye first realized her ability as a healer in her teens. She believes she inherited this ability from her Great Aunt Katie, who was also a healer. Before pursuing healing and pain management as a profession, Dr. Kaye extensively studied yoga, conducting groundbreaking research in the 1970s on yoga as a treatment for substance abuse. She also produced a respected San Diego-area cable TV show exploring yoga as a treatment modality for common complaints such as depression, anxiety, stress, overeating and physical inflexibility.

She has many previous articles and books. Her .lates book published in 2015 is Healer’s Hands, Healer’s Heart. For more information, contact Patti Teel: patti@pattiteel.com or 805.448.0520.

Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss is a spokesman of Neturei Karta, a controversial anti-Zionist grouping of Haredi Jews. Based in New York, he believes that observant Jews should peacefully oppose the existence of the Israeli state: “It would be forbidden for us to have a State, even if it would be in a land that is desolate and uninhabited.” In late 2006 Weiss was condemned by other anti-Zionists, such the Edah HaChareidis and Satmar, for attending a Holocaust conference in Tehran.

Rabbi Weiss is the son of Hungarian Jewish holocaust survivors, who were active in anti-Zionist activities even before the establishment of the State of Israel. His father spent the period of Nazi occupation hiding in a cellar, and survived to immigrate to America. His grandparents and all of his aunts and uncles were lost in the war. Weiss describes his current religious position as Associate Rabbi with Neturei Karta International, an organization that also uses the name Jews United Against Zionism.

Rabbi Weiss often speaks at rallies and conferences in the United States and internationally, criticising Israel and Zionism. In 2001 he attended the UN-organized World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa as part of the Islamic Human Rights Commission delegation. During the conference, US and Israeli delegates walked out over an unsuccessful attempt to condemn Israel for racism. In December 2006 Weiss spoke at the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, held by the Iranian government in Tehran.

During Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York this past week, Rabbi Weiss was part of a delegation of Rabbis who met with him. The President along with a distinguished entourage, which included the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, warmly received the delegation. Both parties then conferred for approximately one half hour.



The President honored the head of the delegation, Senior Rabbi Moshe Dov Beck, a holocaust survivor, to open the meeting. The Rabbi spoke in Yiddish while his colleague, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss translated into English.

The Rabbi began by greeting the President and thanking him for giving of his precious time, which, the Rabbi noted, is a symbol of his warmth the Jewish people, not only in his county but also abroad.

The Rabbi remarked: “the Torah teaches us to make a blessing when one encounters a king: “Blessed is the Almighty who gave of His honor to a human being”.

“We are impressed with Your Excellency’s concern and care for the Jewish community, a fact that we personally have experienced during our visits in Iran. We have visited the Jewish old-age home, the Jewish hospital and we have seen the Matzo bakery which is a necessity for Jewish people. Also it is well-known that the Jewish community is represented by its own member of parliament, despite the fact that the Jewish community does not have the number of constituents required to have a parliament representative” the rabbi said.

Amongst the issues discussed, the Rabbi mentioned that: “There are many many Jews worldwide including in occupied Palestine, who are against the whole concept of Zionism and totally in opposition to the State of Israel”.

The rabbi praised the President for his understanding the difference between Judaism and Zionism.

“We would like to laud Your Excellency for understanding to differentiate between Judaism and Zionism, between good and evil. Far and few between, understand this fundamental difference, Your Excellency is one of the blessed people who understands the difference between the two” the Rabbi said.

In conclusion the rabbi offered his blessings: “May the Almighty help that Your Excellency should have much success to accomplish tremendous amounts of good for the country of Iran, for the world and for the Jewish people amongst them.

On his part, the President responded by expressing his respect and friendship for Judaism and the Jewish people. On a personal level the President expressed his deep friendship for the rabbis. “Now we have been friends for only 7 or 8 years, but our friendship runs very deep, it is as deep as history itself” the President said.

The President responded also to the issue of Judaism and Zionism. “There is today a lot of oppression, which a large portion of this is due to the Zionist. The occupying of Palestine is just a part of this injustice. But the bigger wrong is that they are calling themselves Jews and they justify their horrendous actions in the name of Judaism”.

The President elaborated also on the future:

“We all share the view that the world has to change for the better”.

“We can build a world in which only G-d Almighty is worshiped, in which justice rules supreme and at the same time, everyone can practice their own religion. We can be brothers to each other, and at the same time all of us can practice their own belief freely”.

“We can build a world in which nobody will be oppressing anyone else, a world in which there is no deception and no lies, in which there is no aggression, no discrimination, no invasion and no murder. A world in which everybody is equal with everybody else and everybody is respected. We can build a world in which there is no place for hatred or misbehavior, a world in which there is no poverty and no selfishness”.

“But to have this be materialized, we need the followers of all religions to join hands and become united. It is high time that all believers join hands and try to build a better world”.

At the end of the meeting the delegation presented the President with a pair of two heavy silver candlesticks. Rabbi Beck said: “this is a gift from our hearts to Your Excellency and a symbol of blessing, that the Almighty should continue in the future to brighten the path of Your Excellency.

In response, the staff of protocol of the President, presented each of the delegation with an Iranian made gift.

THE RAY SHASHO SHOW WELCOMES PRODIGIOUS SINGER AND SONGWRITER BETH HART

Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Beth Hart has been recognized across the world as one of the great live vocalists of our time. For 20 years, she has been leveling audiences with her incredible power, range and soul. A Planetmosh critic said, “I was just blown away by Beth’s voice!”, and American Songwriter proclaimed, “Beth’s tough, throaty voice…she uses that powerful instrument to best effect on dramatic, arena filling ballads.” Four of the greatest lead guitar legends in the business knew this, which is why they asked her to perform with them: in concert with Jeff Beck, in concert and on two spellbinding albums (Don’t Explain and Seesaw) with Joe Bonamassa, on two powerhouse records with Slash (on Beth’s own track, Sister Heroine, and on Slash’s Mother Maria) and on a very special blues album (Rhythm and Blues) with Buddy Guy. It’s no wonder she’s been nominated for two Blues Music Awards.

Concert fans know her work all too well, because of the many distinctions her work has earned: • Hit single, L.A. Song (Out Of This Town) - #6 in the Billboard Modern AC Chart and #7 in the Adult Top 40 Chart. • Album, Bang Bang Boom Boom, made it to #3 in the U.S. Billboard Top Blues Album Chart. • Album collaborations with Joe Bonamassa, Seesaw and Don’t Explain, made it to the top (#1 and #3) of the Billboard Blues Albums Chart, to #8 and #22 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums Chart and into the Billboard 200. • Albums Leave The Light On and 37 Days (recorded live) each produced #1 hit singles in Denmark.

And her upcoming album release, Better Than Home, just may be her most profound statement to date, with soulsearching ballads and up-tempo building-shakers. She plans to follow up with an extensive tour that will pack houses all over the world. Time and time again Beth has sold out venues in cities as New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tbilisi, Sydney and Melbourne. But maybe her greatest live performance to date was seen by millions of television viewers, when her tribute to Buddy Guy on the Kennedy Center Honors Special received one of the only 2 standing ovations of the evening, led by President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. Every live performance gets a standing ovation, because no one knows how to rock the house better than Beth Hart. When she sings clocks stop, hearts dance and neck-hair tingles…it’s that compelling!

Beth Hart “Better Than Home” is her latest release …

This album isn’t about the problems Beth’s faced in her life. Instead, she’s choosing to find the good things that have been there all along: accepting and loving her parents for who they really are, appreciating a good husband, facing her fears head on and ultimately finding ways to heal and convert that positive energy into music that moves people. This is an incredibly moving, self written and composed, album that’s going to reach people on a very personal level, because a one-of-a-kind artist found the perfect formula for exposing her very private inner voice and empowering it with her legendary outer voice. Because of that, it simply doesn’t get better than Beth Hart’s, self written and composed, Better Than Home.

Track Listing:

01 Might As Well Smile

02 Tell ‘Em To Hold On

03 Tell Her You Belong To Me

04 Trouble

05 Better Than Home

06 St. Teresa

07 We’re Still Living In The City

08 The Mood That I’m In

09 Mechanical Heart

10 As Long As I Have A Song

11 Mama This One’s For You (bonus)* *Bonus track: available on limited edition only.

For upcoming shows visit Beth Hart's Official Website

WILL ARNOLD

Will Arnold is a martial artist and violinist currently living in Los Angeles. Will began studying the violin when he was eight years old, and performed in symphonies and orchestral ensembles through college. After graduating from the University of Michigan, will began working full time at Bank of America’s global headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Early into his banking career, Will found himself overweight, depressed, drinking heavily, and desperate for a change. Seeking transformation, Will began studying the Russian martial art of Systema. Used globally by spies and special forces, Systema is an art form that teaches practitioners to occupy a flow state of consciousness by meditating through every breath and movement. Early in his training,

Will combined Systema with other forms of spiritual practice and physical therapy, releasing over 80 pounds of body weight and recovering from depression in under two years. Systema also led Will to reconnect with the violin, enabling him to improvise with any genre of music by intuitively feeling patterns and playing without having to think about notes or theory.

Will moved to Los Angeles in 2014 in order to share what he has learned and to help others bring about profound transformations in their own lives. Through his work with Systema, he has helped clients lose weight, recover from depression and PTSD, and has guided many people as they begin their personal spiritual awakening.

As a violinist, Will now plays in five bands and performs regularly around Los Angeles.

JAY ALAN SAMIT

Jay Samit, CEO of the world’s leading multiscreen video services company SeaChange International (NASDAQ: SEAC), is a dynamic entrepreneur and intrepreneur who is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation.  Described by Wired magazine as “having the coolest job in the industry,” he has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for startups, sold companies to Fortune 500 firms, transforms entire industries, revamps government institutions, and for three decades continues to be at the forefront of global trends.

Everyone from the Pope to the President calls on Samit to orchestrate positive change in this era of endless innovation.  Samit helped grow pre-IPO companies such as Linkedin, held senior management roles at EMI, Sony and Universal Studios, pioneered breakthrough advancements in mobile video, internet advertising, ecommerce, social networks, ebooks, and digital music that are used by billions of consumers every day.  Combining innovation with commercial success, Samit is the consummate dealmaker; his list of partners and associates reads like a who’s who list of innovators, including: Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs, Reid Hoffman, David Geffen, Richard Branson, Paul Allen, and Pierre Omidyar. A proven trend spotter, Samit accurately predicts the future because he is constantly working with those who create it.

An adjunct professor at USC, Samit teaches innovation at America’s largest engineering school and is author of the best-selling book Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation (MacMillan 2015). He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and host of its documentary series WSJ Startup of the Year.  Samit frequently appears on ABC, Bloomberg, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, NBC and tweets daily motivation to the over 100,000 business professionals who follow him on twitter @jaysamit. An expert on transformational corporate change, Samit has been quoted in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Economist, Businessweek, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Variety, Fast Company and TechCrunch.

Samit is a change agent, who combines his bold vision and humor, to motivate audiences to become disruptors within their organizations.  Samit gets people passionate about innovation, overcoming obstacles, and teaches them how to think bigger and embrace change.  Samit motivates and delights audiences from Moscow to Mumbai, London to Las Vegas, Phoenix to Philadelphia, Berlin to Beverly Hills, Toronto to Tokyo, Seoul to San Francisco, with compelling keynotes that leave the crowd wanting more.  Samit provides disruptive  solutions for such corporate clients as American Express, AT&T, Best Buy, Clinique, Coca Cola, Disney, Ford, GE, Intel, Linkedin, McDonalds, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble, Starbucks, Unilever, Zynga and dozens more.

His keynote Disruption You! is a high energy presentation on how to create and embrace change in any field.  Designed to be as entertaining and inspiring as it is informative, Samit customizes each presentation to highlight the sales, marketing, and leadership goals of the audience before him. Samit delivers a speech that stays with the audience long after the conference has ended.

Michael Perlin is the director, writer and producer of the Metaphysical film, "3 Magic Words" which reveals the common theme taught to us by all great spiritual masters.  Michael believes that the problems we face in the world today are still going on because we live mostly on a "religious" planet and not a "spiritual" one.  He believes there is an answer - a solution that can only come from a new spirituality that embraces a unifying reality of all the religions and sets aside the old ego-driven idea that there is only one true way.  

The Ray Shasho Show Welcomes Guitar Virtuoso Vinnie Moore

The long awaited new album from legendary guitarist Vinnie Moore has been released on Mind's Eye Music. Titled “Aerial Visions”, Vinnie's 8th solo album features drummer Richie Monica (Tantric, Poppa Chubby), and bassists Dave LaRue (Steve Morse Band, Flying Colors, The Dregs), Rob DeLuca (UFO, Sebastian Bach), Dorian Heartsong (Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience) and Elliott Dean Rubinson (Uli Jon Roth, MSG).



“Everything that Moore throws himself into features his astounding 6-string abilities. Far from being a 'mere shredder', Moore combines insane technique with touch, taste, and stylistic influences that include Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Larry Carlton, and many other diverse talents. He can play sweep-picked arpeggios with a bluesy feel or play blues licks at neo-classical speeds, never sacrificing tone, time,or intonation. It's a unique and musical skill set.” – Matt Blackett, Guitar Player Magazine



Vinnie has released seven critically acclaimed solo albums; five albums and one DVD as a member of rock royalty legends UFO; and one album with band Red Zone Rider. His solo and UFO releases as well as LIVE performances have amassed rave reviews all around the globe from both fans and music press, inspiring guitarists worldwide and launching him into aerial guitar superhero distinction!

Moore also joined Alice Cooper's band for a tour and then appeared on the Hey Stoopid (1991) album.



Says Vinnie, “I have been touring all over the world pretty nonstop for the past 12 years. I started this record about two years ago and have been working on it while at home. I'm totally jacked up about getting it out there for others to hear as well as playing these songs LIVE. Two of the songs on 'Aerial' were written as instrumentals but were included on a UFO record with vocals. I have also done a cover of ZZ Top's 'La Grange' which I have always thought is one of the coolest songs ever. I have done ZZ covers onstage a lot.”



Vinnie has toured several times all over Europe, UK, Scandanvia, Brazil, and the USA, as well as performing in India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, and Canada. The UFO “A Conspiracy of Stars” tour will continue in Europe on October 21, and will include nine shows in December as opening act for Judas Priest on their Redeemer of Souls tour.

Says Vinnie, “With my solo records I can cover a lot more territory stylistically. I enjoy this freedom to be able to follow my muse wherever it leads. All of my influences are in there, from Rock to Blues to Be-Bop to Funk. I am into so many different styles of music that I can't help myself, I’m basically a slave to it all and so there are inspirations from everywhere. Having said that, being a songwriter is the most important thing to me. I try to use my inspiration to create a mood and take the listener on a little journey to wherever.”

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/Vinnie.Moore.Official

https://www.facebook.com/Vinnie-Moore-Official-Fan-Page-227063497501/timeline/

Part of the new generation of spiritual visionaries and thought leaders, Derek Rydall is the author of the #1 Amazon/Barnes & Noble best-sellerEMERGENCE: Seven Steps for Radical Life Change and the world’s expert on the revolutionary Law of Emergence. He has trained top executives at Fortune 500 companies (from American Express to Disney) in empowered leadership and communications, coached celebrities and media professionals (including Oscar and Emmy winners) on creating conscious entertainment, regularly writes for The Huffington Post, and has touched hundreds of thousands around the planet with his message on finding your path, living your purpose and making a powerful impact! In his weekly Emergence podcast on iTunes he reveals cutting-edge spiritual principles and success strategies to achieve financial freedom and abundance, master productivity and creativity, and gain true wealth and happiness.

Chasidy Karpiuk, MA, RCC, CCC, CAP is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who has been working with mental health issues since the early 2000’s.  She is currently enrolled at Adler University completing a Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Chasidy’s clinical work is with adults, families and couples facing challenges related to various areas in life, such as: work/school, relationships/intimacy, friendships, spirituality, and self-care. The following are some topics she has worked with clients on: addictions (substance, gaming, sex, etc.), relationships, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, stress reduction, life balance, and family relationships.

LITTLE STARS

“Zvjezdice” Girls’ Choir is one of the most representative music ensembles in Zagreb and Croatia. It was founded in 1985 and forms part of the Youth Music Centre in Zagreb. The members of the choir are all outstanding students of primary and secondary schools in Zagreb.

In three decades of its existence, the choir has developed a strong cooperation with the most prominent Croatian ensembles and performers, as well as with many conductors – from both Croatia and abroad.

Let us mention some of the best-known projects the choir has participated in: the performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in cooperation with Zagreb soloists and magnificent Croatian artists such as Ruža Pospiš Baldani and Dunja Vejzović, Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 8 by G. Mahler, cantata Carmina Burana by C. Orff, concert performance of Wagner’s Parsifal and Zajc’s Mislav, concert performance of Boito’s Mefistopheles, oratorio The Translation of St. Domnio by J. Bajamonti, scenic oratorio The Representation of the Soul and the Body by E. de Cavalieri, music melodrama Persephone by I. Stravinsky, appearances in operas Carmen by G. Bizet, Fire by B. Bersa, Werther by J. Massenet, The Child and the Magic Spells by M. Ravel, Pagliacciby R. Leoncavallo, Mirjana by J. Mandić,La boheme by G.Puccini,Postolar from Delft by Blagoje Bersa, Hansel und Gretel by E. Humperdinck, Tosca by G.Puccini the War Requiem by Benjamin Britten, oratorioJean d’Arc au Bucher (Joan of Arc at the Stake) by A. Honegger, oratorio Fidelissima advocata Croatiae by J. Magdić, Messe in G major by F. Schubert, concert performance of the opera Hansel and Gretel by E. Humperdinck, Missa apostolica by G. Wirth, etc.

The choir has performed alongside the Zagreb Soloists, the Symphony Orchestra of the Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, the Zagreb Wind Trio, the Windstrings string orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of the Croatian National Theatre (HNK), the Croatian Army Symphony Wind Orchestra, the Tamburica Orchestra of the HRT, etc.

Furthermore, the choir has performed under the direction of many renowned conductors such as V.Gergiev, S.N.Mariner, P. Dešpalj, K. Ono, M. Horvat, N. Bareza, M. Belamarić, R.F. de Burgos, A. Rahbari, F. Shipway, V. Kranjčević, U.Lajovic, S.Dinić, I.Lipanović, M. Tarbuk, M. Bašić, I. Kuljerić, P. Gotovac, M. Prohaska, I.Repušić, S. Britvić, T.Bilić, I.Skender, B.Šipuš, Z. Juranić, A. Bjelinski, J. Šego, etc.

The choir’s wide range of activities inside Croatia also includes a cappella performances at the International Children’s Festival in Šibenik (1990) and Dubrovnik Summer Festival (2000). The “Zvjezdice” choir filled the audience with enthusiasm in Norway, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Russia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.

In a series of its notable international appearances, two United States tours deserve special mention. First came the highly successful tour in 2003 (New York, Pittsburgh, Dayton, Northern Kentucky), when the choir received a major acknowledgement – with December 12 being declared the “Zvjezdice” Day in New York and December 19 the “Zvjezdice” Day in Dayton. The other equally successful tour took place respectively in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in 2004, and included the concert in the Church of the Holy Family at the United Nations Chapel in New York under the high patronage of Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the UN. In 2006, the tour to Australia and Malaysia (Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur) followed, and the tour to Canada took place in 2008.

More recent international successes of the “Zvjezdice” include the concert at New York’s Lincoln center in 2010, as well as the concert held on Europe Day in the Milan cathedral, the participation in Croatia-Slovenia project The Symphony of a Thousand by Gustav Mahler in 2011, the tour to Saint Petersburg in 2012 and the participation in the War Requiem in 2013.

Many works by the leading Croatian composers have been dedicated to the “Zvjezdice” choir, most notably The Four Seasons by Davorin Kempf, Orion, Venus, Andromeda by Milko Kelemen and Djevojačke vede (Maiden Vedas) by Ivo Josipović.

The “Zvjezdice” choir has received many national and international awards and some of the most notable are: two awards for best performance at the International Choir Festival in Llangollen, North Wales (the International Musical Eisteddfod), the outstanding performance awards at the Sligo Choir Festival, Ireland and Stavanger, Norway, the award for the best performance of a contemporary composition at the International Youth Choir Festival Celje. Along with Dunja Vejzović, Ruža Pospiš-Baldani and Zagreb soloists, the choir received the Ivan Lukačić Award for performing Stabat Mater by G. B. Pergolesi at the Varaždin Baroque Evenings in 1991.

The choir has an impressive discography list, consisting of several hundreds of recordings, a series of independent releases such as the CD Ave Mundi Gloria, a double CD titled the Zvjezdice jubilee (released for the choir’s 15th anniversary), DVDs released respectively on the occasion of the 20^th and 25^th anniversary, CD: the Zvjezdice 20 years with Croatian composers, and Christmas editions produced in cooperation with the Zagreb Soloists, the Zagreb Wind Trio, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and the Croatian Army Orchestra. The CD titled “The Greatest Christmas Hits” created in cooperation with the Zagreb Soloists and Jacques Houdekis the award winner of the Croatian discography awards Porin for the year 2010.

Since the very beginning to date the choir’s artistic leader has been maestro Zdravko Šljivac to whom it owes its success and acclaim.

PASQUALE ESPOSITO

Pasquale Esposito was born in Naples, Italy. At the age of seven, while performing in his local church choir, he discovered the power of prayer and music and the divine impact they had on his community.

In 1998, Pasquale immigrated to the United States after winning the Green Card Lottery. He settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and pursued his passion for music by attending San Jose State University’s School of Music under the skillful direction of world renowned tenor, Professor Joseph Frank.

Throughout his tenure at SJSU, Pasquale accomplished and worked on several CDS and theatrical productions that showcased his talents as a tenor both nationally and internationally. Aside from touring, Pasquale takes great pride in performing many of his own compositions arranged in the pop-opera style. In 2009, he released his fifth album: “A Brand New Me” comprised of all of his original compositions and graduated from SJSU.

Following the success of “A Brand New Me,” Pasquale continued his artistic development and expanded into the classical genre. He collaborated with artistic director, Emily Ray, of the Mission Chamber Orchestra. Together, they used an innovative approach to profoundly impact their communities in a positive manner by presenting orchestral shows in the form of benefit concert events. To date, he has benefited: Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, Little Italy San Jose, the Sacred Heart Parish of Saratoga, Carmel Mission Basilica and the American Cancer Society to name a few.

In lieu of his contributions to the community, he was inspired to further give back to the future of music by mentoring young students at the Notable Music Academy that he established in 2010.

Currently, he will be releasing his sixth album titled: “Il Tempo,” a compilation of a variety of songs that have individually inspired and developed his passion as an artist. Following the release of the album, he will embark on a national tour featuring music from the highly anticipated album.

Dr. Sam Berne, a holistic health practitioner and author has been recognized as a leading expert in the field of Behavioral/Neurodevelopmental Optometry and Vision Therapy for more than twenty-nine years.

 

He developed innovative methods for healing the mind-body-spirit through eye therapy. His revolutionary Developmental Learning Program (DLP) provides individuals with natural alternatives for improving vision and overall health. Dr. Berne offers a holistic method that helps children with a variety of developmental delays from autism to Attention Deficit Disorder.  DLP uses Primitive reflex therapy, Continuum movement, Vision therapy, Light/color therapy, Craniosacral therapy and Medicinal Essential oils to aid patients with neurological problems.

 

Via his successful private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico and his informative workshops and retreats throughout the United States and Europe, Dr. Berne has promoted his unconventional philosophy of “throwing out labels, letting go of cookbook solutions and treating patients from the present forward.” Opposed to measuring a patient’s problems based on only mainstream ideas, Dr. Berne  has historically treated patients on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Throughout his career, Dr. Berne has written four insightful books and produced a DVD on autism. His first book,  Creating Your Personal Vision, was a huge success and its publication led to multiple broadcast interviews in New York and Los Angeles as well as nationally syndicated radio shows.

 

Dr. Berne teaches an extensive number of professional workshops in fields from Holistic Vision Therapy, Primitive Reflex Therapy and Helping Traumatic Brain-Injured Patients to Methods to Help ADD-Autism, Light Therapy and Subtle Energies. He lectures as a visiting professor at venues including The Esalen Institute, The Bodhi Manda Retreat Center and The Crossings-Austin with curriculums geared toward cutting edge ideas, human potential and healing.  He leads weekend retreats devoted to Vision Therapy and Electrophotonic Imaging, called Vision Energetics, a process that opens one’s consciousness and healing through the measurement of the body’s energy fields and the use of a variety of eye-vision-brain techniques which incorporate sound, breathe, movement and light/color to help change one’s consciousness.

 

Boasting an international following, Dr. Berne is often asked to lead his holistic health/vision retreats in cities ranging from Hawaii to Bimini, Bahamas where special needs children and their families have the opportunity to swim with Atlantic Spotted Wild Dolphins and have access to treatment.



Attendees experience primitive reflexes, light/color therapy and/or vision therapy activities and engage in therapeutic swimming with the dolphins.   The retreats give the group a chance to live within a community of like-minded people, interact with nature and work on focus, clarity, intention and spiritual expansion of their vision.

 

Dr. Berne takes pride in having earned Special Awards for Service from the Behavioral Optometrists in Mexico for providing many of his innovative holistic ideas to help children. In addition to lecturing and healing, Dr. Berne enjoys giving back to the community by opening up his private observatory to teach children and adults about astronomy. He jumps at the opportunity to share his knowledge of stars to spark the imagination of others.  Dr. Berne volunteers for local organizations where help is most needed, notably he regularly serves food at a local homeless shelter in Santa Fe.

 

Dr. Berne is a warm, compassionate, problem-solver who always strives for creative answers. Working tirelessly to understand the specific condition and needs of each of his patients, he offers honest and reassuring answers to their questions. For the last twenty-nine years, Dr. Berne’s genuine care and personal interest in helping others has driven him to unconventionally heal the mind-body-spirit through his eye therapy.

Dr. Nancy D. Young has over thirty years of experience specializing in therapy with adult individuals, couples, and groups. She is extremely compassionate and nonjudgmental while using a holistic/transpersonal approach. For twenty years, Dr. Young was an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University, teaching Psychology classes such as: Intro to Psychology, Interpersonal Attraction & Romantic Love, Human Sexuality, Sexual Disorders & Treatment, and Chemical Dependency Treatment.

Dr. Young's academic research interests were on romantic love—the differences between intense/compelling and secure/comfortable love experiences, behavioral self-reliance in women, and on the use of videotaped therapy in chemical dependency treatment. 

Past workshops Dr. Young has facilitated have included Romantic Relationships: A Traveler’s Guide, Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Art & Science of Love and clinicians' Level I & Level II Trainings),  Communicating with Heart & Power—How to be Gentle but Assertive, Never on Sunday: Women & Sexuality, and Voice Dialogue. Psychology of Selves & Aware Ego (Voices of Consciousness, Dances with Others, & Stretching of Consciousness)

Dr. Young specializes in a variety of therapeutic methods, including cognitive-behavioral, Voice Dialogue, EMDR, and Gottman Method couple’s therapy. She is certified in EMDR and in Gottman Couple’s Therapy.  She is a certified Art & Science of Love (Gottman) Workshop Leader and Level I & II  Trainer.  And she has been a Voice Dialogue Teacher/Trainer for over twenty years.

Rebecca is Marketing Director for Tourism For Peace. She is working with our graphics, websites, media copy and Scrivener research. In her day job, Rebecca works as Associate Director of Creative Services at Technology Association of Georgia (TAG Education Collaborative), designing, editing and publishing Hub Magazine!  She also develops their logos, marketing material and manages their websites. She is fluent in French and English.