“I have had the good fortune to be surrounded my entire life by wise, generous and supportive family and friends. When my son graduated from high school I started to recall all of the good advice I have received over the years. I started with a handful of items… then the list kept growing. These are lessons I have learned from the patient guiding hands of my parents, friends and mentors as well as my own mistakes.

I hope you are able to find these rules as valuable as I have, and that they’ll assist your son as he begins his journey through life.”

BIOGRAPHY FROM: http://www.ingredientsofoutliers.com/about-john/

John Shufeldt is a serial student, an indefatigable change agent and a multidisciplinary entrepreneur. After earning his BA from Drake University in 1982 and his MD from the University of Health Sciences and the Chicago Medical School in 1986, John completed his emergency medicine residency at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. in 1989. He spent his final year at the hospital as Chief Resident before returning to school to earn his MBA in 1995 from Arizona State University. In order to expand his knowledge, John studied and earned his Juris Doctorate in 2005 from ASU. He is admitted to the State Bar in Arizona, the Federal District Court and Supreme Court of the United States.

John is the CEO of MeMD, a virtual care portal connecting patients to providers, and the Principal of Shufeldt Consulting, which provides consulting services for urgent cares and medical office practices. He has founded many other health and non-health care businesses and continues to practice emergency medicine and law.

He is the medical director and medic for the Phoenix SWAT team, an experienced pilot and writes and lectures on a variety of subject matters to graduate medical, business and law students. John is an adjunct professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where he teaches a clinic on Health Law Entrepreneurism. He remains involved in his alma maters by serving on the Drake University Board of Trustees and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Alumni Board.

Gloria Parker has spent a lifetime creating and performing music to the delight of people of all ages. A consummate entertainer and musician, Gloria fronted several bands including the all-girl band, "Gloria Parker and the Coquettes". Alphonse D'Artega wrote many of the bands musical arrangements and they played D'Artega's hit song "In The Blue Of Evening". She has wowed thousands with her musicianship on the marimba, violin, vocally, and the musical glasses.

Gloria has authored hit songs, appeared in film, conducted for Judy Garland, played with the Hartford Symphony, and appeared with Lionel Hampton, who recorded many of her songs. She has also made several television appearances as a featured guest with Joe Franklin, Alan Combs, The Late Night Show with David Letterman, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Philbin.

Gloria has just finished her new book "Corruption Reigns In Our Courtrooms", Please go to the New Book & CD Tab for more information and see quotes from our many new readers.

Nick Clements has gained employment through working in areas of high social need and by specializing in working with boys and men. Uniquely he combined teaching creativity with community creation, and worked with tens of thousands of people all over the world for 25 years. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of community and participatory arts he was made visiting professor at Staffordshire University in 2009. Over the same period of time he lived and studied with indigenous peoples all around the world, participating in ritual and ceremonies, and developing an understanding and expertise around rites of passage.

He now combines his work with boys and men and indigenous teachings to create community cohesion and rites of passage with community groups in the UK and all over Europe. He is an advisor and consultant to governments, local authorities, companies and charities on the problems associated with absent fathers, and the loss of self-esteem through unemployment.

He runs workshops, courses and gives inspirational talks on masculinity and rites of passage. He is presently undertaking a series of workshops in Bulgaria helping to re-invigorate the ‘Chitalishta’ network of community centres throughout the country.

He has written 6 books, three on creativity and the arts, one on how to work with fathers, and the last two on men and boys. He writes extensively on these subjects for magazines, and is employed by a range of universities to give talks and run workshops. He lives in the UK.

Marc Bekoff is a former Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and a past Guggenheim Fellow. In 2000 he was awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior. Marc is also an ambassador for Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program, in which he works with students of all ages, senior citizens, and prisoners, and also is a member of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute. He and Jane co-founded the organization Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies in 2000. Marc is on the Board of Directors of The Fauna Sanctuary and The Cougar Fund and on the advisory board for Animal Defenders, the Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group, and Project Coyote. He has been part of the international program, Science and the Spiritual Quest II and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) program on Science, Ethics, and Religion. Marc is also an honorary member of Animalisti Italiani and Fundacion Altarriba. In 2006 Marc was named an honorary board member of Rational Animal and a patron of the Captive Animals' Protection Society. In 2009 he was named a member of the Scientific Expert Advisory Panel of Voiceless, The Animal Protection Institute and a faculty member of the Humane Society University, and in 2010 he was named to the advisory board of Living with Wolves and Greenvegans and the advisory council of the National Museum of Animals & Society. In 2005 Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners. In 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the Auckland (New Zealand) SPCA. Marc is also on the Board of Directors for Minding Animals International.

Mark A. Stansberry is an international business man, energy leader and humanitarian from Edmond, Oklahoma. He is founder and Chairman of The GTD Group, author of “The Braking Point: America’s Energy Dreams and Global Economic Realities,” host of “The Weekly Roundtable” radio show on KFAQ 1170 AM in Tulsa, and Chairman of People to People International.

Stansberry founded The GTD Group (Global Trade & Development) in 1988 as a vehicle for helping American businesses expand into international markets and operate skillfully in diverse cultural, political and competitive landscapes. He has led business development and federal government relations initiatives in countries including: Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech
Republic, China, Japan, Mexico and Russia.

In 1997, Stansberry arranged a key meeting between former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus – now President of the Czech Republic – and U.S. Senator Lott regarding NATO expansion.

He has served in an advisory role on advance teams for Presidents Reagan and Ford, and was a staff member for U.S. Senator Dewey F. Bartlett. Stansberry has been a National Republican Convention Delegate three times (1996, 2000 and 2004) and White House event chairman for the Oklahoma Centennial Salute in 2007.

Stansberry was inducted into the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2009.

With more than 30 years of direct experience in the Oklahoma energy industry, Stansberry has become a respected industry expert and media commentator on energy issues. He has been invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, served a nine year term as chairman of the State Chamber of Oklahoma Energy Council and founded the International Energy Policy Conference, now in its nineteenth year. He served on Governor - elect Mary Fallin’s Transition Energy Working Group, 2010 - 2011.

Stansberry is currently on the Board of Directors for PostRock Energy Corp. (PSTR, NASDAQ - Global) and is an ex - officio Board member for The Energy Advocates, a Washington D.C./Tulsa based nonprofit public education organization with former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating serving as Honorary Chairman.

BIOGRAPHY FROM: http://yestolifecoaching.com/meet-yosaif/

I am a steadfast ally of people who want to live their lives with a greater sense of purpose and meaning.

Henry David Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

I help them bring their song forth – so that they lead their lives with purpose,  passion and possibilities.

I bring all of who I am to my coaching clients: my personal qualities and strengths, my values and, of course, my skill sets. My core skill sets are life coaching and experiential education. My professional life coach training was with the Coaches Training Institute; my experiential education training was with the NY Community Training Instituted (affiliated with National Training Labs).  I’ve honed these skills sets through many years of working with a wide range of people in diverse settings.

I’ve been a community organizer, civil rights activist (in Mississippi and New York) experiential educator/trainer, human resources executive, executive recruiter, organization development consultant, award-winning healthcare innovator, author, song writer/composer, chairman of the board of a non-profit arts organization, NIH-funded researcher, presenter, keynote speaker and, of course,  a life coach.  (For the record, I’ve left out great jobs from my teenage years  like hot dog vendor at Yankee Stadium – and more!)

While the gender of my clients has been pretty equal between men and women, I’ve been keenly involved in issues related to men. Over the past twenty three years, I’ve organized and been a leader and mentor of an annual gathering and spiritual retreat for Jewish men.  I’ve also written about issues of particular importance to men.

It’s been said that life is not what happens to you. Rather, it’s what we do with what happens. I’ve lived a life full of twists and turns, very high highs and very low lows.  From these I’ve learned the importance of gratitude, of relationships, of the ever present possibilities of humor, laughter and play, and the value of perseverance and resilience.

I’ve been fortunate to have been able to utilize what I’ve learned in my life, especially the ups and downs, to help other people on their life journeys. One particularly wonderful example of this was my being able to utilize my learnings from the emotionally difficult breakup of my first marriage to create a workshop that helped other people going through similar experiences. Entitled “Separation Soap” (as in soap opera!), it utilized humor as a healing tool to help them move forward with their lives. This approach was considered so innovative that it was featured in major news media around the world and I had the opportunity of presenting it at international and national psychology conferences. It was at one of these presentations, a psychodrama conference in New York City, that I met my future wife (and dance partner), Tsurah, with whom I recently celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary!

I  carry a wonderful legacy from my parents. From my mother I learned about being bold, stepping up for what you want and being a steadfast ally. From my father, I learned about connecting with people, trustworthiness, perseverance and resilience.

I love what I do and feel privileged to be in a position to bring all of who I am to each moment of coaching.  I’m very musical and love to move and dance. When it is appropriate for a particular client, I draw of these and other modalities (meditation, visualization, music, movement, the visual arts, humor, playfulness) to help my clients to bring their “song” forth in their lives:  to see possibilities, move through stuck places and be more fully alive in all that they do.

In my personal life, I’m blessed with a life partner/wife who is the love of my life, two grown children (and their wonderful mates), two delicious grand children, and a robust group of friends.  I consider myself to be a good friend and pay attention to keeping these important connections alive and well. My wife and I love to dance (we’ve been dancing since our first date 34 years ago!). We love being in the natural world, where we hike, swim and go kayaking.  We also share an active spiritual life.

On October 9, 2010, at the age of 86, Gloria Crystal "Teddy" Key passed away at her Florida home, her family by her side.  Nineteen days later, her beautiful Australian-accented voice began to communicate with her eldest daughter, Frances, about the scope and wonder of her new perspective from the afterlife state. This remarkable collection of insights, written in less than a year and divided into three books, has astounded friends, family and a growing circle of readers with its unique analogies, wit, depth of wisdom, and unusual outlook on the human experience.

I graduated from Norwich University in Vermont in 1980 and spent 12 years in military service in the Army, leaving at the rank of Major. During this time, I served as a company commander during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earning the Bronze Star, Kuwait Liberation Medal and Combat Air Medal. In 2010 I earned my MBA from the University of New Haven.

I have always wanted to write a book. Over the years I have started and stopped on several projects, but it wasn’t until New Years Eve, 1999-2000 when my father told me of a true story – his- that I became motivated enough to start (and finish) my first book, Code Name Sonny.

The second novel in the series, Mountains of Fire is available now, and a project has been started for a third book in the series,The 13th Cohort to be released in 2013.

Dr. Susan Shumsky has dedicated her life to helping people take command of their lives in highly effective, powerful, positive ways. She is the author of 8 books, published by Simon & Schuster, Random House, and New Page. A pioneer in the human potential field, she has spent more than 45 years teaching thousands of people meditation, prayer, affirmation, and intuition. Her books have been published in several languages worldwide, and several were #1 Amazon.com best sellers. They include: Divine Revelation, Miracle Prayer, How to Hear the Voice of God, Ascension, Exploring Meditation, Exploring Auras, Exploring Chakras, and her latest, Instant Healing.

Dr. Shumsky is a highly respected spiritual teacher, award-winning author, and founder of Divine Revelation®—a unique field-proven technology for contacting the divine presence, hearing and testing the inner voice, and receiving clear divine guidance. For 22 years, her mentor was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru of the Beatles and Deepak Chopra. She served on Maharishi's personal staff for 7 years.

A sought-after media guest and highly acclaimed professional speaker, Dr. Shumsky has done over 600 speaking engagements and over 600 media appearances since her first book was published, including Woman's World, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Los Angeles Times, nationally syndicated TV and radio on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX news, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and William Shatner's Weird or What? She is featured in the movie 3.

Brian Haggerty has the rare ability to teach, inform, and influence people while simultaneously making them laugh and boosting their self-confidence. His smooth, but powerful voice captures the attention of audiences immediately, while his dynamic and thought-provoking talks create lasting impressions, and have made Brian a successful public speakers.

“Over the years, building trust and relationships was the key to our success in business and politics. And in order to have successful relationships, I had to embody every ounce of good character, responsibility and being of my word.” -Brian Haggerty

Since 2005, Brian has served his local New Jersey community in the role of Commissioner of Public Works, and as Head of the Department of Public Affairs. Through consistent goodwill, honesty, and humor, Brian has proved himself a unique and positive force in his community, capable of engaging minds, and inspiring hearts.

During his many years in politics, Brian's countless public speeches have led the charge toward positive change, and irrefutably improved the lives of people in his community. Brian believes however, that any natural talents for public speaking were passed down through his family. From an early age, he loved to hear stories of his grandfather, a New Jersey attorney whose courtroom manner was so dazzling, that people would take the bus to the Hackensack Court House just to witness him try a case. His father (who also worked tirelessly in government) was also a tremendous public speaker, while his mother (a school teacher of four decades) perfected his grammar, and fine-tuned his manners.

The key to Brian’s success, not only as a public speaker, but as a politician and businessman, lies in his unique ability to:

    Inspire and motivate people to be the best they can be.
    Empower each and every individual, from all areas, backgrounds, and ages, with the gift of who they are and how they can do anything they wish.
    Illuminate before audiences the great value of civility and the importance of how we present ourselves publicly.
    Demonstrate with kindness, how each one of us has a responsibility to conduct his or herself with graciousness, compassion, strong character, and a respect for all people.

A generous and engaging raconteur, Brian shares stories, anecdotes and personal experiences from his life to demonstrate how each principle he teaches has shaped and formed his approach to these ideals. While his personality and delivery is similar for all audiences, stories and experiences are chosen to perfectly fit the audience being addressed.

Brian believes that effective business leaders can learn to refine themselves, expand their knowledge of social and business etiquette, improve upon their communication skills, develop charisma, presence, and strengthen self-confidence for any social or business setting.

William S. Cohean

Secretary of Defense (1997-2001)
Senator (1979-1997)
Congressman (1973-1979)

https://www.csis.org/people/william-s-cohen

In 1974, during his first term in Congress, Time magazine named William Cohen one of “America’s 200 Future Leaders,” and in 1965, the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce named him one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Men in America.” In 1978, he was propelled into the Senate and was quickly asked to be chairman of the Armed Services Committee’s Sea Power and Force Projection Subcommittee and the Governmental Affairs Committee’s Government Oversight Subcommittee. He was also chairman of the Senate Committee on Aging and a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence for a decade, serving half that time as vice chairman and also went on to serve on the “Iran-Contra Committee.” He has won awards from the National Federation of Independent Businessmen and the National Taxpayers Union. Secretary Cohen served on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1989 to 1997 and chaired their Middle East Study Group. He has chaired and served on numerous other study groups and committees at CSIS, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Brookings Institution. He established and led U.S. delegations to the annual Pacific Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the American-Arab Dialogue in Cairo. Beginning in 1985, he led the U.S. delegation of senior executive branch officials and members of Congress to the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy. Secretary Cohen’s service in the House and Senate was marked by electoral success as well, as he was undefeated in six consecutive Maine elections. In 1996, he decided not to seek reelection, but he announced that he would return to private life to promote international business and a more thoughtful public discourse on national political issues. He also launched the William S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce at the University of Maine. It was at this time that President Bill Clinton asked him to lead the Department of Defense, and he was confirmed as secretary in January 1997. During his tenure, Secretary Cohen held substantive meetings with foreign leaders in over 60 countries. He received his B.A. in Latin from Bowdoin College and a law degree from Boston University Law School. During his 24 years in Congress, he found time to write or coauthor 11 works of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. He is also an accomplished athlete, and during college, he was inducted into the New England All-Star Hall of Fame. In 1987, he was named by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to the Silver Anniversary All Star Team, and in 2001, the NCAA presented him with its Theodore Roosevelt Award. Secretary Cohen is currently a member of the Board of Directors of CBS Corporation and the U.S.-China Business Council, where he also serves as vice chairman. He is also a member of the Partnership for a Secure America’s Advisory Board.

Linda Raedisch (New Providence, NJ) writes and lectures on a wide variety of arcane topics. She is a longtime library employee and professional crafts instructor who teaches classes on candle making, broom making, and other oldtime homemaking arts

Julian is a champion of organic farming, and a hands-on President of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside.  He and his partner co-launched a highly successful ‘Campaign for a GMO Free Poland’ while leading a high profile defense of peasant farmers who he holds-up as the true guardians of biodiversity throughout the world.  Regular listeners to BBC radio 4′s Framing To-Day will have heard Julian’s 2007 series of once monthly “Letters from Poland” passionately highlighting the crisis provoked by forcing ‘corporate globalization’ onto traditional family farming communities.  As a result, there are now GMO FREE zones established in Poland, leading the way throughout the global community.

Additionally, Julian is a brilliant author whose articles pierce to the very core of one’s being:  “Reverse-Engineering the Illuminati”  and "Learning from indigenous wisdom and knowledge– To change society a cultural revolution in activism is needed".  His first book is called Changing Course for Life.  His new book is available at Amazon Books this month: “In Defense of Life:  Essays on a Radical Reworking of Green Wisdom.  You can find all of his material, books, research and thoughts on his website:

www.julianrose.info

Paul started his NFL career with the Seahawks in 1983. He played  seven seasons with the Seahawks (1983-1989) as a Safety,  leading the team in interceptions with six in 1988. He played in 98 games starting 30 and was voted special team’s captain in 1987.  Moyer, has carved a unique niche in franchise history as the only person to serve as a player, coach and broadcaster. Paul made his debut in print as one of the co-authors of the book “Then Zorn Said to Largent: The Best Seattle Seahawks Stories Ever Told”.  Paul is currently a game day analyst for the Seahawks Pre and Post game day radio.  Paul attended Arizona State University, He was selected to play in the East West shrine his senior year and was voted the Defensive MVP.  Paul is married to Heather, has two children, Daughter: Taylor a graduate of Boise State University and Son: Nick a linebacker at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Director Regional Manager

AllianceBernstein

Paul joined the firm in June of 2004 as a Vice President Regional Manager. Paul is currently Director Regional Manager covering the Northwest. Previously, Paul held a Regional Manager position with Van Kampen Investments from 2001-2004 and with Conseco Fund Group from 1999-2001. Paul was a player and a coach with the Seattle Seahawks from 1983-1994. Paul has been a color analyst with the Seahawk Radio/TV Broadcast for the past 18 years. He attended Arizona State University.

After an outstanding career in law enforcement, Abraham Bolden was appointed by JFK to be the first African American presidential Secret Service agent, where he served with distinction. They met by chance when JFK used the men's room to which he had been assigned as security. Bolden was a crucial part of a the Secret Service effort that prevented an attempt to assassinate JFK in Chicago, three weeks before Dallas.

But the dream quickly turned sour when Bolden found himself regularly subjected to open hostility and blatant racism. More of a concern was the White House team’s irresponsible approach to security. While on his tour of presidential duty, Bolden witnessed firsthand the White House agents’ long-rumored lax approach to their job. Drinking on duty, abandoning key posts—this was not a team that appeared to take their responsibility to protect the life of the president particularly seriously.

Soon after the assassination, he received orders that hint at "an effort to withhold, or at least to the color, the truth." He discovered that evidence was being kept from the Warren Commission and when he took action, found himself charged with "conspiracy to sell a secret government file" and imprisoned for more than five years, mostly in the psychiatric ward of the Springfield Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. In September 1969, after a short stint at a prisoncamp in Alabama, Bolden was finally granted parole.  

Nearly 45 years later, Abraham Bolden has come forward to tell his story. A gripping memoir substantiated by recently declassified government documents, The Echo from Dealey Plaza is the story of the terrible price paid by one man for his commitment to truth and justice, as well as a shocking new perspective on the circumstances surrounding the death of JFK.  

Abraham Bolden has received The 2008 Baker Street Tankard Award for "Pursuance of Truth and Justice", The 2008 Black Excellence Award for "Outstanding achievement in non fiction literature", The 2009 Alpha Phi Alpha Presidential Inaugural Award for "Exemplary leadership, service, and  commitment and courage", The 2009 Carter G. Woodson "Living Black History Award", The 2009 St. Louis Gateway Classics "Walk of Fame" inductee, The Sodexo Lifetime Achievement Award for " Excellence and outstanding service", and the 2009 Citation from The Honorable United States Senator Roland W. Burris for courage in challenging injustice.

Born in the USA to a family that traces its roots back to Valley Forge, Thomas attended Woodstock and became an underground newspaper publisher and student leader of the anti-war movement at Marquette University. In 1970, Thomas resigned his U.S. Navy flight commission over the false-flag Gulf of Tonkin fabrication and the ensuing civilian slaughter in Vietnam. Shortly after becoming a political refugee in Canada, he co-founded the first photographic gallery on Canada’s west coast, the Mind’s Eye, before winning a much sought-after position as a Vancouver Sun news photographer. But he wanted to shoot color…

In 1984, Thomas completed an eight-year Pacific circumnavigation aboard his backyard-built “media boat” by making the first nonstop passage by trimaran from Japan to North America. Following a solo vision quest in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, he went on to co-found the grass-roots groups Save Georgia Strait Alliance and Green Islands in defense of his natural neighborhood.

During and immediately after Desert Storm, he served in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as a member of a three-man Gulf Environmental Emergency Response Team. His harrowing 30-minute video documentary was extensively excerpted by the CBC, with clips also shown on CNN, NBC and the movie, “The Corporation”. “Eco War” went on to win the 1991 US Environmental Festival Award for Best Documentary Short.

Gravely ill following months of exposure to oil fires, oil spills, minefields and radiological toxins, Thomas eventually recovered to write Scorched Earth. Commission by New Society Publishers, this was one of the first books to document the military’s destruction of the environment in peacetime as well as war.

After breaking the story of Gulf War Illness among Canadian veterans, Thomas was next asked by Earthpulse Press to expand his investigations. Bringing The War Home was the first book to fully-document the unreported syndrome that would strike more than a quarter-million American veterans and their families.

Though Thomas didn’t realize it at the time, in January 1999 an assignment by Environment News Service resulted in his biggest story ever when “Mystery Contrails May Be Modifying Weather” was carried worldwide.

In February of that year, the investigative reporter first appeared on Art Bell’s radio program. The story of a phenomenon Thomas called “chemtrails” went viral as citizens across North America corroborated his findings. Seven subsequent chemtrails updates on Coast To Coast attracted such a large following, William Thomas was mentioned as one of Art Bell’s most popular guests in a Time magazine cover story on the famous radio host.

More documentation followed. Produced by William Thomas in collaboration with B.C. artist Paul Grignon, “Mystery Lines In The Sky” was the first chemtrails video. Thomas’ Chemtrails Conundrum was the first published book on this covert program. The subsequently updated Chemtrails Confirmed has been fully revised and is now available as a downloadable multi-media ebook and DVD.

Then came 9/11. Appearing in December 2001, Thomas’ deconstruction of official mythology was the first published account of Black Tuesday. All Fall Down: The Politics of Terror and Mass Persuasion was followed in 2008 by Days Of Deception: Ground Zero And Beyond. Though this updated book reads like a thriller, it comes complete with extensive documentation.

William Thomas’ writing and photography have appeared in more than 50 publications, with translations into French, Dutch and Japanese. His other books include Alt Health and the downloadable ebook, ABCs Of Cell Phones And Other Hazards Of The Wireless Age.
 
Thomas' most recent book of his ongoing chemtrails investigation is Chemtrails Confirmed 2010. It has now been updated with a revised Chemtrails Timeline to 2013.

Recipient of four Canadian feature-writing awards, Thomas has been writing about wireless hazards since the publication of Scorched Earth in 1991. My most recent ebooks include ABCs of Cell Phones And Other Hazards Of The Wireless Age and Smart Meters For Smarties. I am currently active in the local Smart Meter Resistance.

Lee is the author of The Spirit Recovery Meditation Journal and contributor to Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul. He is an avid blogger at spiritrecovery.blogspot.com and has released a trailer for his upcoming documentary "Dreaming Heaven".

Lee is a partner and co-creator of the Dreaming House in Teotihuacán, Mexico; a group retreat center at the foot of the pyramids.

His pursuits also include being a certified chemical dependency counselor, spiritual teacher, and Toltec Guide trained in the tradition of the Eagle Knight lineage of don Miguel Ruiz.

Guest for tonight:  BEV MARTIN, Spiritual Coach

Miko Peled is a peace activist who dares to say in public what others still choose to deny. He has credibility, so when he debunks myths that Jews around the world hold with blind loyalty, people listen. Miko was born in Jerusalem in 1961 into a well known Zionist family. His grandfather, Dr.  Avraham Katsnelson was a Zionist leader and signer on the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

His father, Matti Peled was a young officer in the war of 1948 and a general in the war of 1967 when Israel conquered the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and the Sinai.

Miko’s unlikely opinions reflect his father’s legacy. General Peled was a war hero turned peacemaker. The general clearly stated that contrary to claims made later, the 1967 war was one of choice, and not because there was no existential threat to the state of Israel. He then dedicated his life to the achievement of Israeli Palestinian peace.

The political becomes personal with Miko’s stories. He might have learned compassion from his mother who, in 1948, refused the offer of an Arab home in West Jerusalem with the understanding that the family who lived there were now forced to live in a refugee camp. As the daughter of one of the signers of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, Miko’s mother could have used her position of entitlement to get a lovely home for herself and her family. But she said, “No.”

Miko grew up in Jerusalem, a multi-ethnic city, part of a system that conspired to keep Palestinians and Israelis separate. The Arabs of Israel, as the Palestinians are called– the laborers, janitors, cooks, etc. are indistinguishable from Arabs across the Middle East and as such had no special connection to Jaffa, Lod, Ramle, Lydda, Haifa, Jerusalem or any other part of the land of Israel. Miko had to leave Israel before he made his first Palestinian friend, the result of his participation in a dialogue group in California. He was 39.

Peled insists that Israel/Palestine is one state. Facts on the ground are undeniable and irreversible– massive investment in infrastructure, cities,schools and malls for Jews only, Jewish only highways bisect and connect ever expanding settlements on the West Bank, the separation wall and the checkpoints have destroyed the possibility of a contiguous, viable Palestinian state. The question for Israelis, worldwide Jewry and the international community is: What kind of a state do we really want to see? An apartheid state with half the population confined to intolerable bantustans, without access to proper nutrition, medical care or clean water, condemned to humiliating long lines at checkpoints?

Or, will Israel/Palestine transform itself into a secular democracy for the five and a half million Israelis and almost five million Palestinians who live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. To become such a sanctuary, Israel must give up the idea of Jewish dominion over all the land and resources.

Before Miko came to hold such a vision, he had to face his fears. Driving alone in the to Palestinian towns in the Galilee or the West Bank in a car with license plates that identified him as Israeli, Miko imagined a terrorist lurking behind every curve of the winding road following the rolling hills. Heading towards the village of Bil’in for the first time, he silently questioned if he was crazy to trust “these people”? Peled was afraid but kept on driving until he found the village and was greeted by friends.

The solution might be obvious but the problem remains, how to change the existing paradigm– from fear and loathing to co-existence? At the heart of Peled’s solution lies the realization that Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace as equals in their shared homeland. At the a gathering in Taos, New Mexico, an Israeli woman who heard Miko speak told Miko that his father was the hero of her childhood, and in fact, a photograph of the general hung in their home. “It is an honor to meet the son of Matti Peled,” she said, “I had given up hope for any kind of just solution and try to stay removed from events there but I see how much you care and meeting you gives me hope.”

Those who cling to fear, mistrust or greed are under the false assumption that Palestinians and Israelis have a choice other than to live as equals. But it’s inevitable – the wall must come down, and the two people must be allowed to live as equal citizens in their shared homeland. Refusing this means condemning future generations of Israelis and Palestinians to ongoing mayhem and violence.

And Miko Peled’s family knows about that too. On September 4, 1997 they have lost their beloved Smadar, 13, the daughter of Miko’s sister Nurit and her husband Rami Elhanan to violence.

The bible tells us a great story of the patriarch Abraham willing to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac to prove his faith. At the moment of truth, when Abraham was about to kill his son an angel appeared telling Abraham not to harm the boy. In the Koran, Abraham is about to sacrifice Ishmael to the same God and the angel of God appears telling him not to harm his beloved son, Ishmael. The moral of the story is quite clear: Neither Israelis or Palestinians are called to sacrifice their sons and daughters to war, in fact, whether we are believers or not we are all called by our God or our conscience to care for our children so that they may live in peace and grow up as the equals that they are.    

ABOUT THE GENERAL'S SON by Miko Peled
In 1997, a tragedy struck the family of Israeli-American Miko Peled: His beloved niece Smadar was killed by a suicide bomber in Jerusalem. That tragedy propelled Peled onto a journey of discovery. It pushed him to re-examine many of the beliefs he had grown up with, as the son and grandson of leading figures in Israel's political-military elite, and transformed him into a courageous and visionary activist in the struggle for human rights and a hopeful, lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Esteemed African-American author Alice Walker has contributed a very moving and thoughtful Foreword to The General's Son.

The journey that Peled traces in this groundbreaking memoir echoed the trajectory taken 40 years earlier by his father, renowned Israeli general Matti Peled. In The General's Son, Miko Peled tells us about growing up in Jerusalem in the heart of the group that ruled the then-young country, Israel. He takes us with him through his service in the country's military and his subsequent global travels... and then, after his niece's killing, back into the heart of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. The book provides a compelling and intimate window into the fears that haunt both peoples-- but also into the real courage of all those who, like Miko Peled, have been pursuing a steadfast grassroots struggle for equality for all the residents of the Holy Land.