Headlined Guests
Headlined Guests that have appeared on BBS Radio TV
Rickie Byars Beckwith is one of the 21st century’s most revered singer-songwriters whose transcendent music opens the heart, touches the soul, and uplifts the spirit.
Rickie's extensive music catalogue is heard on the radio and on soundtracks for movies and television. Her songs of unconditional love and spiritual transformation are the highlight of consciousness raising events throughout the world. She has performed in five sessions with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at Green Festivals across North America, and at countless Peace Concerts that promote unity and the principles of non-violence.
"Spirit encourages me to be a voice of inspiration," says Rickie. In being an example of change and possibility, Rickie supports numerous organizations that work tirelessly to help improve the lives of others. Several times each year, Rickie organizes benefit performances and music compilations that help gather ideas and resources that bring “Water to a Dry Land.”
In Culver City, California, Rickie is the Music and Arts Director of the Agape International Spiritual Center where she directs the 200-member Agape International Choir. Together with her husband, Rev. Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center, their powerful partnership has resulted in a dynamic catalogue of songs that enable transformational healing through the power of music.
Backed by some of the most accomplished musicians from Los Angeles and beyond, the Agape International Choir is heard daily throughout North America, Europe, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, India – and all places in between. Featured guest artists who regularly perform with the Choir include John Legend, Will.I.Am, Stevie Wonder, Niki Haris, Brenda Marie Eager, and Tim McAfee-Lewis.
Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith,
Founder and Spiritual Director
Dr. Michael Beckwith’s life is a living testament to building spiritual community. In the 1970’s he began an inward journey into the teachings of East and West, and today teaches universal truth principles found in the New Thought-Ancient Wisdom tradition of spirituality. Gifted with a vision of a trans-denominational spiritual community, in 1986 he founded the Agape International Spiritual Center upon his faith in that original vision.
In a personal letter to him Coretta Scott King wrote, "I greatly admire what you are doing to bring about the Beloved Community, which is certainly what my dear husband worked for and ultimately gave his life."
Recently described in “What Is Enlightenment?” magazine as a "non-aligned trans-religious progressive," Dr. Beckwith shares his powerful conviction of creating the Beloved Community through his participation on international panels with other peacemakers and spiritual leaders including Dr. T. Ariyarante of Sri Lanka, and Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi. He is co-founder of the Association for Global Thought, an organization dedicated to planetary healing and transformation.
Dr. Beckwith is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, which he teaches throughout the country along with meditation, scientific prayer, and the spiritual benefits of selfless service. He facilitates retreats, workshops and seminars. His books include: “Inspirations of the Heart”, “Forty Day Mind Fast Soul Feast”, and “A Manifesto of Peace”.
Dr. Beckwith’s achievement as a humanitarian and emissary of peace have been widely acclaimed. In 2003, his activities were enumerated when he was written into the Congressional Record of the 107th congress. He is the recipient of numerous humanitarian awards, some of which include: The 2004 Africa Peace Award, Thomas Kilgore Prophetic Witness Award, Howard Thurman Stained Glass Window Award by Morehouse College, a commissioned oil portrait for Morehouse’s prestigious Hall of preachers, and the Humanitarian Award of the National Conference for Compassion and Justice.
Thousands gather weekly to receive inspiration from Dr. Beckwith at the Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, California. Together, Drs. Michael Beckwith and Rickie Byars Beckwith have written lyrics and music performed by the Agape International Choir in concert venues worldwide. Always in demand, their performances inspire peace and goodwill in the global community. They share their lives with their four adult children and six grandchildren.
Steve Luxenberg, an associate editor at The Washington Post and author of the award-winning Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret, has worked for more than 30 years as a newspaper editor and reporter.
Steve’s journalistic career began at The Baltimore Sun, where he worked for 11 years. He joined The Post in 1985 as deputy editor of the investigative/special projects staff, headed by assistant managing editor Bob Woodward. In 1991, Steve succeeded Woodward as head of the investigative staff. Post reporters working with Steve have won several major reporting awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for explanatory journalism.
From 1996 to 2006, Steve was the editor of The Post’s Sunday Outlook section, which publishes original reporting and provocative commentary on a broad spectrum of political, historical and cultural issues.
Steve has given lectures, talks and workshops about his book, journalism issues and nonfiction writing at conferences, universities, book festivals and discussion forums, and has made occasional guest appearances on radio and television. He also has a TV “credit”: Look carefully, and you’ll see him as an extra in the fifth and final season of HBO’s dramatic series, “The Wire,” which aired in 2008. (Hint: Episode three.)
Annie’s Ghosts was named to The Washington Post’s Best Books of 2009 list and was honored as a Michigan Notable Book for 2010 by the Library of Michigan. It was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and on the Diane Rehm Show. Other media coverage included articles or reviews in as Parade, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, the Buffalo News, the Jerusalem Post.
Several community libraries have selected Annie’s Ghosts for a “One Book/One Community” event, hosting discussions about the book and then inviting Steve for a concluding talk and discussion. The Buffalo News picked Annie’s Ghosts as the January 2011 selection of its Buffalo News Book Club, a monthly feature that promotes one book to the newspaper’s readers.
After the publication of Annie’s Ghosts, Steve was chosen to deliver the 2010 Horace W. Davenport lecture at the University of Michigan. He was also the keynote speaker at the following events: the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s annual Washington gala “Unmasking Mental Illness,” the annual meeting of the Maryland Mental Health Association, the 2009 meeting of the Fellows in Mental Health Journalism at the Carter Center in Atlanta, the 2010 Issues on Aging conference at Wayne State University, and the 2010 Writers at the Beach conference in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Steve also has spoken at the Aspen Institute and at the 2010 Michigan Judicial Conference, moderated a panel discussion at the 2010 MentalHealthAmerica annual conference, and lectured at the National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare’s 2010 Mental health and Addictions Conference.
Steve has also given talks and readings at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Towson University, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City, as well as public libraries in California, Michigan, New York and Florida. His talk about his research methods for Annie’s Ghosts has become popular among genealogy groups.
In his current role as a Post associate editor focusing on special projects, Steve directed a team of reporters that examined the federal government’s offshore drilling policy and regulation of the oil and gas industry as part of the newspaper’s coverage of the Deepwater Horizon explosion in April 2010. Steve also oversaw in-depth stories on the causes and consequences of the financial crisis that unfolded in 2008. One of those projects, on the rise and fall of insurance giant AIG, was a 2009 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Steve is a graduate of Harvard College. He grew up in Detroit, where Annie’s Ghosts primarily takes place. He and his wife, Mary Jo Kirschman, a former school librarian, live in Baltimore. They have two grown children, Josh and Jill.
David Weddle - Writer and Executive Producer for such esteemed shows as Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and CSI
BIO FROM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weddle
David Weddle is an American television producer and writer, best known for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996–1999), The Twilight Zone (2002–2003), Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009-2011) with writing partner Bradley Thompson. They also wrote for the short-lived series Ghost Stories (1997) and The Fearing Mind (2000). Weddle and Thompson are currently writing and producing for the TNT series Falling Skies.
Biography
Weddle's father fought in World War II and saw action during the Guadalcanal campaign and the Battle of Peleliu.
Weddle graduated from the USC School of Cinema, as did writing partner Bradley Thompson, whom he first met in an acting class.
A fan of Sam Peckinpah, Weddle met the director on several occasions. Weddle and his parents knew Fern Lea Peter, Peckinpah's sister, and her family. He was able to watch Peckinpah direct what would be his last film, The Osterman Weekend.
After Peckinpah's death in 1984, Weddle used Peckinpah's production files and correspondence that had been given to the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to write a biography of the director. This biography, If They Move . . . Kill 'Em!: The Life and Times of Sam Peckinpah was released in 1994.
It was the biography that brought Weddle to Deep Space Nine and later to Battlestar Galactica. Ira Steven Behr, a fan of Peckinpah, invited Weddle to Paramount Pictures. This enabled Weddle and Thompson to pitch stories to the show. The two joined the writing staff for DS9's final seasons. They also met and worked with producer Ronald D. Moore on the show.
Weddle and Thompson wrote twelve episodes of Deep Space Nine. Weddle can be seen in the background of the scene set at Vic Fontaine's Lounge in the final episode, "What You Leave Behind". He later wrote a DS9 novel set after the series with Jeffrey Lang. Entitled "Abyss", it focused on Section 31, the Federation's secretive intelligence service.
Weddle considers "Inquisition" to be the best Star Trek episode he and Bradley Thompson wrote, for showing "that the Federation, as perfect as it seemed, had to resort to unsavory tactics and work black bag operations to keep their world safe and pristine".
Weddle and Thompson were invited by Ron Moore to work on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. They served as story editors on the first season of the show and became co-producers in the second season. Their responsibilities as producers increased during the third season, and they achieved supervising producer status for the fourth season.
In 2008, Weddle and Thompson joined the staff of CSI: Las Vegas mid-way through Season 9 as writers and supervising producers.[1] As of Season 10, they became co-executive producers. An episode they wrote for the 11th season, "Fracked," won the Environmental Media Association's 21st Annual Environmental Media Award for Television Episodic Drama.[2]
Weddle has dined and chatted at length with Jerry Lewis on his private yacht in Southern California. He appreciates Jerry Lewis as an "auteur" and wrote an article about the director and actor that appeared in the Los Angeles Times Sunday magazine section suggesting that Lewis be awarded an honorary Academy Award. Lewis won this award on February 22, 2009, though for his humanitarian achievements rather than his work in the cinema.
In 2011, Weddle and Thompson joined the second season of the Steven Spielberg alien invasion drama Falling Skies as writers and producers.
Dr. Timothy Birdsall is a visionary leader in integrative medicine. In 2009, he was recognized by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) as Physician of the Year, and in 2010 received the President’s Award of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
In October 2011, Dr. Birdsall was promoted to Chief Medical Information Officer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). In this role, Dr. Birdsall is leading CTCA in clinical system enhancements and optimization to better serve our patients and those who provide care to our patients. Previously, he served as Vice President of Integrative Medicine, overseeing our unique treatment model, which combines state-of-the-art conventional medical treatments with scientifically supported therapies such as nutrition therapy and naturopathic medicine.
A well-known lecturer and naturopathic physician, Dr. Birdsall is a sought-after presenter at medical conferences worldwide. He earned a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, where he served on the faculty for five years. He is also a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology.
In January 2008, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt appointed Dr. Birdsall to serve a four-year term on the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Birdsall's professional achievements also include serving as Speaker of the House of Delegates and Vice President of the AANP. In addition, he currently serves on the board of directors of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Dr. Birdsall was the founding Editor in Chief of Alternative Medicine Review, the first peer-reviewed medical journal edited by naturopathic doctors to be indexed on MEDLINE. He coauthored the book How To Prevent and Treat Cancer With Natural Medicine. Currently, Dr. Birdsall serves on the Editorial Consultants Board for the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies.
For his extensive experience in the area of naturopathic medicine, Dr. Birdsall has been recognized in American Men and Women of Science, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and Who's Who Registry of Global Business Leaders.
Meet Dr. Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, FACP
Dr. Adam Perlman received his BA from Tufts University and MD from Boston University School of Medicine. He completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine as well as a General Internal Medicine Research Fellowship at Boston Medical Center. In addition, he earned a Masters of Public Health with a concentration in biostatistics and epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health.
Dr. Perlman became Director of Integrative Medicine for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System and founding Medical Director for the Carol and Morton Siegler Center for Integrative Medicine, in Livingston, New Jersey in 1998. In that role, he had primary responsibility for developing and overseeing the Complementary & Alternative Medicine Program, including both the Integrative Medicine Center and the Center for Health and Wellness, for the largest healthcare system in New Jersey.
In 2002, Dr. Perlman became Executive Director for the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), where he is an associate professor of medicine within the School of Health Related Professions. In 2004, he was named the UMDNJ Hunterdon Endowed Professor in Complementary and Alternative Medicine; and in 2007, Dr Perlman was appointed Chairperson for the Department of Primary Care within the School of Health Related Professions. This Department includes the Physician Assistant Program, Respiratory Care Program and the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
His scholarly activities include numerous grants and publications. He was guest editor for the Complementary and Alternative Medicine volume of Medical Clinics of North America, and is associate editor for the Complementary and Alternative Medicine section of the Physician Information and Education Resource (PIER), developed by the American College of Physicians and American Society for Internal Medicine. His diverse research interests have included such projects as a clinical trial evaluating the effect of multivitamin supplementation on school performance in underserved children, a trial assessing the efficacy of massage for osteoarthritis of the knee and a survey exploring the use of CAM in patients with cancer. Most recently, he was the recipient of an R01 Research Grant, funded by the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, to continue his research on massage therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee. Dr Perlman’s research has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and featured in the New York Times.
In 2010, Dr Perlman became Chair for the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, a consortium comprised of 44 leading academic medical centers with integrative medical programs.
In 2011, Dr Perlman moved to North Carolina and became the Executive Director for Duke Integrative Medicine. In that role, he has primary responsibility for overseeing Duke's Integrative Medicine program, including the 27,000 square foot, Duke Integrative Medicine Center.
Dr Perlman has published multiple articles and book chapters on various aspects of CAM and in 2006 authored the book, Own Your Own Health-The Best of Alternative and Conventional Medicine for Pain, published by Health Communications, Inc. He lectures widely and is a frequently featured media expert in the area of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Scott Purcell – Publisher
Mr. Purcell has been in the internet industry since the inception of the browser, founding Epoch Networks in 1994 and building it into the largest privately-held ISP in the country; with 240 POPs and a national tier-one backbone. Epoch served corporate customers (e.g. Hughes Satellite, American Red Cross, FHLB Atlanta, et al) and built a large private label reseller network consisting of telecom companies around the country. In March 1999 Mr. Purcell founded OnAir Networks and quickly positioned it as the leading music distribution service; building the music streaming and downloading services for such companies as Sony and Universal. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Mr. Purcell has appeared before Congress on numerous occasions and helped shape early internet policy with the FCC. He has been on the Board of the Commercial Internet eXchange, and was the internet liaison for the Recording Industry Association of America.
Led by Scott Purcell, Kasidie.com has put in place an initial team with tremendous experience in relevant industries including internet infrastructure, software development, database design and media syndication. The team consists of professionals with substantial experience in taking start-up internet enterprises through growth, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. And, yes, we are active in the swinger community.
Bio Credit to EzineArticles.
As VP Publishing & Communications for Ripley Entertainment, Tim O'Brien is responsible for coordinating the publicity and promotion of the company's 70-plus attractions throughout the world. Serving as the corporate national spokesperson, Tim enthusiastically shares the Ripley product with the public through numerous TV and radio appearances.
Prior to his position with Ripley Entertainment, Tim served as senior editor of Amusement Business, the world's leading business trade magazine for the amusement park and attraction industries. During his 18 years with the magazine, Tim traveled the world chronicling the news and the history of the parks and attractions industry.
Since carving out his journalistic niche as an industry specialist, the award winning photojournalist has had nearly 5,000 articles and more than 3,000 photos published. Tim has visited more than 500 parks and attractions in 18 countries and has ridden in excess of 400 different roller coasters. He has appeared in 10 theme park documentaries on the Travel Channel, The Discovery Channel and National Public Television and has authored nine books, including "The Amusement Park Guide," considered the Bible of theme park and amusement park guidebooks.
As national corporate spokesperson for Ripley, Tim has gotten to know, up-close and personal many of the world's unique pieces of weirdness, including shrunken heads from the Jivaro Indian tribe of Ecuador, South America; Vampire Killing kits from Eastern Europe; two headed cows, chickens, pigs and goats from America's farmlands; to the world's largest hairball.
During the past 12 months alone, Tim has appeared in more than 300 radio and TV interviews, including The Daily Buzz, The Martha Stewart Show, Montel Williams and Good Morning America, talking about his favorite subject - the weird and wacky world of Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A graduate of Ohio State University with a master's degree in journalism/film production, Tim is an accomplished photographer and public speaker, having lectured extensively at industry seminars, high schools, and various civic groups.
In 2001 he won the coveted "Lifetime Service Award" from the International Assn. of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA) for his devotion and his "long-term achievement Award" for his dedication and service to the theme park and attractions industry.
He was born in Columbus, Ohio, grew up on Buckeye Lake, and took his first airplane ride at age 7.
Brian Herbert, the author of numerous novels and short stories, has been critically acclaimed by leading reviewers in the United States and around the world. The eldest son of science fiction superstar Frank Herbert.
Brian has been involved in a wide variety of professions and endeavors, including work as an author, an editor, a business manager, an inventor of board games, and a creative consultant for both television and collectible card games. He did not begin his writing career until he was nearly thirty years old; prior to that he worked as an insurance underwriter and agent, an award-winning encyclopedia salesman, a waiter, a busboy, a maid, and a printer. He and his wife once owned a double-decker London bus, which they converted into an unusual gift shop. Brian also operated a mail-order record and tape business, in which he sold “golden oldies” music to remote regions of the world, including the Australian outback.
When Brian was in his late twenties and early thirties he began to grow closer to his father, who was a complex, enigmatic man. Brian’s efforts to unravel the intriguing mysteries of his father began with a detailed journal that Brian maintained for years, chronicling the fascinating events of the Herbert family—a document which ultimately included the tragic deaths of his mother and father, and which he expanded into a comprehensive biography of Frank Herbert. Tor Books published this work, entitled DREAMER OF DUNE on April 21, 2003. The quest to understand one’s father—which Joseph Campbell has described as one of the epic hero journeys of mankind—continued as Brian studied the entire six-volume Dune series and created a massive Dune Concordance. This would prove to be an invaluable reference book during the writing of additional Dune books in the three-volume Prelude to Dune series, which Brian undertook with Kevin J. Anderson in 1998, and with the publication of the new Legends of Dune series books, DUNE: THE BUTLERIAN JIHAD, DUNE: THE MACHINE CRUSADE, and DUNE: THE BATTLE OF CORRIN.
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.