The Transcendence of History: Solutions, Truth, and the Dawning of A New World

Ken will talk about his acclaimed book, The Jedi Handbook of Global Education, used in his popular course “Jedi Metaphysics” at St. John’s University. The result of 35 years of research, meditation, and consultation with experts from diverse fields (e.g., Stan Grof, Alan Watts, Tom Altizer), The Handbook proposes a Solution to our planet’s major problems and shows how we can accelerate the advent of the world we all want. He will also share some of the experiences he has had on higher planes of consciousness with Eastern and Western Masters. Possible topics to be discussed are: (1) The End of History – How it happened and what it means, (2) Who we really are and the meaning of life, (3) The coming Revolution in relationships and marriage, and (4) Solutions to crises in Re-ligion, Health (hāl, holos), Education, and Politics.

PRODUCER: Ken Foldes

Ken is an educator, meta-physician, holistic healer, and Fulbright Scholar with a Ph.D. in philosophy.  He has given seminars on metaphysics, science, and spirituality at many Northeastern colleges and universities, e.g., Sacred Heart University, SUNY Purchase, Iona College, and currently St. John’s University (9 years). He has written three books and given talks at venues such as the World Congress of Philosophy, the American Philosophical Association, and the Hegel Society of America. At Cooper Union he studied art and architecture with Richard Meier and in an earlier incarnation played piano, guitar, and sax in classical and rock bands. Ken also sojourned in India and studied under several enlightened Masters. For more, see his “Stream of Consciousness Bio” on his Amazon Author Page.

Kind words for The Jedi Handbook of Global Education:

“In this Handbook, Dr. Foldes takes his previous work to a higher level and makes it accessible to a wider audience… A tour de force!” —John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University
“A long-overdue comprehensive and scientifically grounded Global Educational Program. This is likely to lead to a revolution in education at every level … and presented in an engaging Star Wars format! A major achievement!” —Richard Curtis, Educator and Counselor, N.Y.C. Public Education
“There is no area in health and the healing arts and sciences that will remain unaffected … this Handbook provides a window into how all body and mind healing will be done in the future.” —Ken Young, M.D., CEO and founder of The Forever Young Clinic
“An eye-opener and wake-up call for this generation!” —Agnes Lasetchuk, LCSW, psychotherapist and Interfaith Minister

Websites:

Child Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Prevention and Protection Perspectives

Child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation is a complex phenomenon, requiring multifaceted programs and policies by various stakeholders. Responses focus on three overarching strategies: prevention, prosecution and protection. Prevention activities aim to stop children from being trafficked by implementing strategies designed to combat the demand for sex with children, or to tackle supply factors such as warning potential victims about the perils of human trafficking. Prosecution actions are linked with law enforcement and concentrate on identifying, arresting and criminally prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Protection focuses on the provision of services and interventions for children who have been trafficked and include activities designed to identify victims, ensure their safety, and provide them with appropriate services to ensure their successful recovery and (re)integration into society. This presentation will provide a general overview of child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. It will highlight the human rights-based perspective as an effective theoretical framework to guide the provision of strategies to prevent this crime and to provide aftercare services for children following their identification as victims.

PRODUCER: Yvonne Rafferty

Yvonne Rafferty, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology, Pace University, New York. She teaches courses in both the Psychology Department and Women's and Gender Studies. At the United Nations, she represents the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issus (SPSSI), where she is particularly active with the Working Group on Girls, the NGO Committee on Child Rights; the Psychology Coalition, and the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons.

In addition to her extensive teaching experience at Pace University, Yvonne was also employed at the Academy for Educational Development where she was involved with the evaluation of the New York City AIDS education and condom availability program.  She also worked at Advocates for Children of New York as the Director of Research and Policy – focusing mostly on the educational rights of children who were homeless in New York.  She has testified before the United States Congress, the United States Federal and District Courts, the New York State Assembly, the New York State Education Department, and the New York City Council.

Throughout her career, Yvonne has conducted research on a range of topics including, Child Trafficking, Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Early Childhood Education for Children in Poverty, Homelessness, AIDS and Adolescents, and Children with Disabilities. She has recently returned from an eight-month visit to South and South East Asia where she conducted interviews with representatives from various non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, and aftercare recovery programs.

Website: http://www.pace.edu/dyson/academic-departments-and-programs/psychology---nyc/faculty/yvonne-rafferty

History Part 2

What are your greatest hopes and desires? What are your dreams? What is most personal to you? Whatever your answer may be, Dan Roe thinks it's a bunch of hooey. What's really going on when you "do what you love" are the secret operations of ideology. For most of us, ideology is a dirty word, but its influence is today all the more powerful thanks to its relegated status in public discourse. We can't escape it and we should learn how to use it. Let's break the silence and talk about how ideology. 

For many, ideology is perceived as merely a rhetorical stumbling block for progress, a collection of slogans and doctrines that stand in the way of a true discourse. However, I'd like to argue that ideology operates on a far more profound and unconscious level then the traditional understanding posits, that ideology is an essential element in historical change, and that the return of history requires a new understanding of how ideology operates in and on both individuals and societies. 

Some background: In 1989, political scientist Francis Fukuyama famously proposed that Western liberal democracy represented the definitive end point for history and, whether we knew it or not, the Western world fully embraced this notion on a deep cultural level. The 1990s was thought to be the site of history's culmination, the approaching of its ultimate horizon. We no longer had to worry about swearing allegiance to specific ideologies or our duty to any one nation, and could get on with the task of self-actualization and living life to the fullest.

Then, history came back in full force. For those of us in the West, this return was definitively marked on 11 September, 2001. Yet our national discourse is still entrenched in Fukuyama’s "end of history" mentality. We are in a state of confusion as to how to even talk about our place in history’s narrative, and we are steeped in a denial of the workings of ideology. 

PRODUCER: Dan Roe

Dan Roe is a cartoonist, filmmaker, and educator. His cartoons appear in The New Yorker magazine and his short film Weenie premiered at the 2014 Hamptons International Film Festival. He is currently developing a K12 media studies curriculum for the Ross Institute, where he is also part of the media staff. 

Enlightenment Isms in an Increasingly Unenlightened World

We live in a world gone mad. Beheadings, genocide, destruction of World Heritage sites, flaunting of international agreements and borders, global corporate domination, environmental holocaust, perhaps the end of days? How can modern society make sense of the mounting horrors of the early 21st century? One approach is through the lens of the past. The study of history is a method through which we may find understanding or meaning to present day atrocities. As human society struggles with the conflict between the promise of a technologically based future and a sectarian pre-modern past, three ideas from the 18th century still persevere. This presentation will focus on the concepts of Nationalism, Liberalism and Anticlericalism and their enduring relevance in a increasingly violent and irrational world.

PRODUCER: Matthew Aldredge

He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot. 

Napoleon Bonaparte and my Experience with Past Lives

Through the process of studying in France and writing three plays about Napoleon Bonaparte, memories from her past life involving Napoleon came into conscious awareness. She believes she was The Emperor's Stepdaughter, Hortense de Beauharnais, and later also became his sister in law and the mother of his eventual heir Napoleon III.

Hortense and Napoleon had very deep mutual feelings about good works. This included all aspects of progress: legal, educational, cultural etc. Hortense was particularly concerned about campaigning for the wellbeing of women. Napoleon was always extremely supportive of her work.

In this presentation, the Tanster will explore how researching Napoleon’s life led her to believing that she actually knew him intimately in a past life. 

PRODUCER: The Tanster

The Tanster is a street artist fighting to raise money and awareness for the Coalition for Women's Cancers at Southampton Hospital. Much of this project is inspired by what she believes to be memories from a past life. 

The Tanster grew up mostly in Southampton, NY. She wrote novels, then three plays about Napoleon.  This led to a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, a BA from Stony Brook Magna Cum Laude (2000) and a Master's in Film Production (2003) from NYIT. After helming a full length motion picture Griffith Gaunt, she became a Wire Photographer for Getty Images (2005-2008). This brought her to a front row view of how big time media works.  Now the @gemeinschaftprojekt (Community Project in German) is a Public Art initiative in support of The Coalition for Women’s Cancers at Southampton Hospital.

“I want to use the Internet as an instrument of Compassion. I install Rainbow Public Art placed on trees and utility poles. The Art is invariably removed by someone. The back of the Art includes a request for a donation to be sent directly to the Coalition for Women's Cancers at Southampton Hospital.”

Consciousness Shift as Civilization’s Salvation

The belief held by some people that humanity, or at least some significant portion of it, is undergoing a paradigmatic shift in consciousness will serve as the launching point for this evening’s discussion. We will examine the notions of evolution, progress, consciousness, collective consciousness, complexity, and why they matter, and we will explore the hope that this hypothetical shift in our collective consciousness will save Civilization from its predicament—that is, the twinned crises of ecology and economy, which many of us interpret to be the consequences of civilization’s dominant worldview.  We also want to explore the approaches that have been suggested for facilitating the raising of awareness, both individually and collectively, and the numerous obstacles that have presented themselves along the way. 

PRODUCER: Carleton Schade

For about a decade now I have been researching the many facets of the ecological crisis and the human predicament. In 2010, I co-authored a paper with Dr. Pimentel of Cornell University in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability, entitled Population Crash: Prospects for Famine in the Twenty-First Century (find attached). This was pulled from the second chapter of a book project entitled Dieback: the Science and Soul of the Coming Collapse. The March talk at the Integral Salon comes mostly from its sixth chapter, where the savior potential of the evolution of consciousness is analyzed. 

Consciousness Shift as Civilization’s Salvation

The belief held by some people that humanity, or at least some significant portion of it, is undergoing a paradigmatic shift in consciousness will serve as the launching point for this evening’s discussion. We will examine the notions of evolution, progress, consciousness, collective consciousness, complexity, and why they matter, and we will explore the hope that this hypothetical shift in our collective consciousness will save Civilization from its predicament—that is, the twinned crises of ecology and economy, which many of us interpret to be the consequences of civilization’s dominant worldview.  We also want to explore the approaches that have been suggested for facilitating the raising of awareness, both individually and collectively, and the numerous obstacles that have presented themselves along the way. 

PRODUCER: Carleton Schade

For about a decade now I have been researching the many facets of the ecological crisis and the human predicament. In 2010, I co-authored a paper with Dr. Pimentel of Cornell University in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability, entitled Population Crash: Prospects for Famine in the Twenty-First Century (find attached). This was pulled from the second chapter of a book project entitled Dieback: the Science and Soul of the Coming Collapse. The March talk at the Integral Salon comes mostly from its sixth chapter, where the savior potential of the evolution of consciousness is analyzed. 

Connecting through the Medium of the Written Word

Debra Scott will talk about how, as a writing coach, she helps writers with their novels, screenplays, memoirs and nonfiction. She will focus on elements of both fiction, where the key is for writers to tap into their feelings in order to connect emotionally with the reader/viewer, and nonfiction where writers need to both inform and entertain. She will present an overview of techniques that will help writers present their ideas in a gripping and coherent manner and discuss topics including premise, hook and theme. 

PRODUCER: Debra Scott


Debra Scott is a bestselling author, screenwriter, journalist and writing coach who has worked with countless writers – both novices and veteran writers – with issues from deep structure to getting unstuck. As a journalist, Scott’s work has appeared internationally in magazines and newspapers including British Vogue, Elle Decor and The New York Times. Her editorial staff positions have ranged from The Times of London to Boston magazine where she was food and style editor. Her diverse writings, from humorous personal essays to investigative reporting, have ranged in subject from film, fashion, travel, business, interior decorating, beauty, health, and food to social trends, relationships, celebrity profiles, and crime coverage. As a copywriter, she contributed to prestigious publications including the J. Peterman catalog. She was editor-in-chief of several magazines including HAMPTONS and Trump Style. She currently freelances for many magazines and is the Managing Editor of View, the magazine for the Mandarin Oriental NY.  She is co-author of the book, THE NOUVEAUX PAUVRES:  A Guide to Downward Nobility and spent several years in Hollywood where she wrote and developed screenplays for studios.

As a writing coach she helps writers working on novels, screenplays, memoirs and nonfiction. She believes that writing is a right brain/left brain activity using both creativity and logic. For fiction the key is for writers to tap into their feelings in order to connect emotionally with the reader/viewer. Nonfiction writers need to both inform and entertain. Both need to be aware of devices that will enable them to communicate effectively. It’s about grasping techniques that will help them present their ideas in a gripping and coherent manner.  She will discuss topics including premise, hook and theme. 

Taking the Pulse of Our Local Food Region

This Thursday, I am attempting to give a pulse reading of where we are as a food
region/community. I am defining this region as the East End of Long Island, and including everyone in the food community. Yes, farmers and chefs may be the most obvious players, but we are all included because we all participate by eating, if in no other way. I will be able to speak from my experiences and observations and I will prompt others to speak, as well. To facilitate the conversation, I will be joined by some of those with whom I have worked through the years. 

We are ready for an awakening. We are ready to wake up in the way in which we relate food, culture, and community. We have been asking for it without quite
knowing that we are and without quite knowing what it means and what it might look like. However, on Long Island’s East End the groundwork has been laid. We are ready to see the web we would like to form together. The first step is to recognize where we are collectively.

PRODUCER: Steven Shepsi Eaton

Steve has had the opportunity, over the past 8 years, to gain insight into the food systems of the East End of Long Island. His desire to get ever closer to the "source" of his food has led him to take part in food’s every aspect -- growing, selling, distributing, preparing, marketing, serving, and enjoying. Endeavors have ranged from running his own private catering business, to selling his own produce at farmers markets, to delivering veggies for other farmers, to purchasing produce and farm fresh items for a market and cafe. Steven's interest in the connection between food, culture, and community has grown stronger and evolved through the years. Gathering information from all sides, especially in his current role as Produce Manager at Provisions Natural Foods in Sag Harbor, he feels this is a crucial time for us to communicate and cooperate about where we are as a community and where we hope to go.