This show is a rebroadcast of the radio show, A Baha'i Perspective, produced by Warren Odess-Gillett. Please visit his website to send your feedback.
Episode 198:A Baha'i Perspective: Paul Hoff
Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:05:00 GMT
Paul was born and raised on the north shore of Boston. Growing up Paul was a tinkerer from an early age and is now an industrial modeler. Paul became disillusioned with Christianity and rejected religion totally. It was not until he shared a paranormal experience with his young daughter that triggered his spiritual search
Episode 197:A Baha'i Perspective: Alex Gottdank
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:36:00 GMT
An educator, who at a young age was driven to understand the basis of Judaism and Christianity and all the world's religions. Alex wrote a book that introduces Christians to the relationship between the Bible and the Baha'i Faith, called "Preparing for Christ's New Name".
Episode 196:A Baha'i Perspective: William Diehl
Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:17:00 GMT
Bill is the former director of the Louhelen Baha'i School in Davison, Michigan. He is now the executive director of a 501(c)(3) organization called Diploma Plus.
Episode 195:A Baha'i Perspective: Hans Peterson
Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:01:00 GMT
A Baha'i currently residing in Budapest who directed the film Mocha Frapuchino and has started a Baha'i audio books project. You can see the trailer for Mocha Frapuchino at www.mochafrapuchino.com, and you can see his audio book project at www.voicesdivine.com.
Episode 193:A Baha'i Perspective: Amy Smith
Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:01:00 GMT
Amy is a young woman who grew up in Honduras. soon to graduate and pursue a life of service. When Amy was 16, a tragic event confirmed her faith.
Episode 192:A Baha'i Perspective: Steve Ader
Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:26:00 GMT
Steve grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. His parents were singers active in the Lutheran Church, so music was a very important part of Steve's growing up. He was actually going to study to become a concert pianist but was discouraged. Steve tells his very interesting story on how he ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 190:A Baha'i Perspective: Mehr Mansuri
Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:32:00 GMT
Mehr grew up in Iran, England and the US. She left Iran to go to boarding school in England just before the Islamic Revolution. She came to the US after high school to go to university. After university she developed a thriving acting career. She also uses her voice over talents for audio books, one of which is Saffron Kitchen, where she provides about eight characters. She recently helped in the film "Precious" casting the children and directing the children. She is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Children's Theatre Company.
Episode 189:A Baha'i Perspective: Adrienne Carter
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:56:00 GMT
A mental health counselor who has worked with Doctors without Borders in Kosovo, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and, Myanmar.
Episode 188:A Baha'i Perspective: Jane Jensen
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:47:00 GMT
My interview with Jane is a sequel to my interview with Paul Jensen. Jane's sister became a Baha'i first. At first Jane gave no thought to her sister's belief, even as she passed and ignored the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, IL just about every day. Once her sister got married, her brother-in-law gave her a book called "Thief In The Night". It was that book that got her to consider the Baha'i Faith more seriously. Her life totally took a different turn after becoming a Baha'i.
Episode 187:A Baha'i Perspective: Paul Jensen
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:47:00 GMT
Paul grew up in Denmark during WWII. He had a very adventurous spirit that took him first to Canada, then to the US, and then after becoming a Baha'i to the Bahamas and Panama.
Episode 186:A Baha'i Perspective: Margaret Tash
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:09:00 GMT
This week is fund raiser week at Valley Free Radio so there is no interview to post this week. Instead I am posting a piece by Margaret Tash about the Baha'i perspective on nutrition. Enjoy! I'll have an interview for next week.
Episode 185:A Baha'i Perspective: Jack McCants
Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:15:00 GMT
Jack was an ordained Methodist minister when he ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 182:A Baha'i Perspective: Robert Sapiro
Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:19:00 GMT
Rob loved both sports and acting, but acting became his predominant interest growing up. Then the last few years in high school he also discovered his enjoyment in painting. Rob went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston studying painting. During his last year there, he became very interested in poetry. After college, he discovered the inner-comedian inside him. Rob describes how it was the Bahá'í art of consultation that attracted him to the Bahá'í Faith
Episode 168:A Baha'i Perspective: Tahereh Daliri-Sherafat
Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:56:00 GMT
Tahereh is of Persian heritage. She was born in Brazil and grew up there. Tahereh tells a very interesting story about, as a teenager, narrowly escaping a life-long affliction. After graduating from university, Tahereh went to Tanzania to work for a non-governmental organization or NGO. The NGO is called Chipua and it works with children who are expelled from school because they fail their entrance exams.
Episode 167:A Baha'i Perspective: Raymond Greer
Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:40:00 GMT
Raymond grew up in the Watts area of LA. He was in the movie business in the early 70's first as an actor and then as a casting director. The last movie he was in was the Nutty Professor I with Eddy Murphy. After his acting career Raymond got involved with street youth counseling.
Episode 166:A Baha'i Perspective: Scott Tyler
Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:04:00 GMT
Scott is a Native American who grew up on the Makah Indian reservation in Washington state. His mother became a Baha'I when Scott was very young, so Scott grew up as a Baha'i. Scott went to college and got his degree in museology. He helped establish a museum at the Makah reservation. After finishing the project, he realized he wanted to be a doctor, so he went back to school and got his medical degree. He is now a family practice physician.
Episode 165:A Baha'i Perspective: Ruth Forman
Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:35:00 GMT
Ruth is a published poet whose works include "We Are The Young Magicians" (which was the result of her winning the prestigious Barnard New Women Poets Prize), "Renaissance", "Young Cornrows Callin' Out The Moon", and "Prayers Like Shoes". You can also find her work on the Dawnbreaker Collective Anthology "Arise". Ruth was interviewed on NPR where she had the opportunity to read her work "Cornrows Callin' Out The Moon". I play the interview later in the program.
Episode 164:A Baha'i Perspective: Luke Slott
Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:10:00 GMT
Luke Slott is a musician from Dublin, who has just released his first CD "Don't Go Back To Sleep". He is now in the US working on a second CD project with the producer Kelly Snook. Before playing the interview, I play a clip from CSpan on the subject of the US Congress House Resolution 1008 that condemns the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran. The first speaker is Democratic representative Mark Burman of California. He is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The second speaker is Republican representative Steve Chabut of Ohio. The resolution was passed in the House of Representatives in August 2008.
Episode 163:A Baha'i Perspective: Barbara West
Mon, 09 Sep 2009 22:59:00 GMT
I play two items in this episode. The first is a telephone interview with Barbara West, a 91 year old Baha'i from California. The other is 2 parts of a 7 part series of Oprah Winfrey interviewing Rainn Wilson, star in the hit sitcom series The Office. Barbara West is 91 years old and lives in California. Barbara's mother, Ramona Allen Brown (1889-1975), became a Baha'i when Barbara was an infant, by going to teas hosted by Helen Goodall and her daughter Ella Goodall Cooper. The tea group was called the peaches and Barbara was referred to as the baby peach. Ramona Brown authored the book about her experiences with 'Abdu'l-Baha when he was in the country in 1912 called Memories of 'Abdu'l-Baha. After Barbara's children were grown up, she traveled with Tony Lee's Tours which arranged travel tours to Baha'i holy sites around the world.
Episode 162:A Baha'i Perspective: Tom Price
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:39:00 GMT
Tom grew up in southern California. Tom's initial life goal was to become a lawyer, but circumstances prevented him from pursuing that career. Instead he found himself in Australia, where he studied music and became quite successful as a music producer there. Tom moved back to the US in the late 80's. His CDs include Songs of the Ancient Beauty. For a selection of other CDs Tom has produced you can go to the website Baha'i Distribution Service.
Episode 161:A Baha'i Perspective: Mary-Anne Graham
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:21:00 GMT
At a very early age, Mary-Anne was drawn to the church community even though her parents were not. In high school she became a Southern Baptist. She ran into the Baha'i Faith in her 20's. She tells the story of how she was able to transcend her fundamentalist Christian beliefs to become a Baha'i.
Episode 160:A Baha'i Perspective: Mahnaz Javid
Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:11:00 GMT
Mahnaz came to the US from Iran as an exchange high school student. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, Mahnaz ended up staying in the US. She is a co-founder of the educational service organization called the Mona Foundation, named after a Baha'i high school student by the name of Mona Mahmudnizhad, who was executed in Iran for her beliefs.
Episode 159:A Baha'i Perspective: Elden Kelly
Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:35:00 GMT
Elden is an accomplished musician who graduated from the New England Conservatory. He produced a CD called 1000 Doors which are original musical compositions using the Baha'i writings. You can find his CD on his website EldenKelly.com.
Episode 158:A Baha'i Perspective: Joyce Watanabe
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:00:00 GMT
Joyce was born in a World War 2 Japanese internment camp. When she was 2 her family moved to Seabrook, NJ. When she was 12 her family returned to Gardena, CA where they had lived before the war. Joyce's life experiences dramatically expanded after she became a Baha'i.
Episode 157:A Baha'i Perspective: Ray Zimmerman
Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:00 GMT
Ray grew up as an atheist. He explains how he could become a Baha'i from such a perspective.
Episode 156:A Baha'i Perspective: Kurt Hein
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:38:00 GMT
When Kurt was 18, doing his freshman year at Chapman College, he participated in the Seven Seas division -- a four-month semester circling the globe on a ship. It was a transforming experience for him, allowing him to discover his world community. Kurt describes his finding the Baha'i Faith, and how it informed what he would do for the rest of his life.
Episode 155:A Baha'i Perspective: Phil Christensen
Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:06:00 GMT
After getting his PhD in education at the University of Massachusetts, Phil worked at the Baha'i National Center (as Secretary of the National Youth and Teaching Committees), then spent five years in Canada before going to Kenya in 1980 to develop and implement US Agency for International Development funded social and economic development projects. He and his family have been in Africa ever since. Most of Phil's work in Africa has been on educational development projects. Currently he is about to start up a project for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance the use of radio for agricultural extension to small farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Phil had used radio before in Africa for social and economic development. His first project in Kenya used radio to teach English to children in rural primary schools.
Episode 154:A Baha'i Perspective: Jess Firth
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:19:00 GMT
Jess was born in New Zealand and studied film at university there. He then moved to London and started a film production company called Quest Media Productions. Their first production is called "The Wayfarer" which documents his investigation of the Baha’i Faith by traveling around the world.
Episode 153:A Baha'i Perspective: Juli Redson-Smith
Mon, 25 May 2009 19:14:00 GMT
Juli grew up as a Baha'i and pursued two careers: Computer Information Systems and Singer/Songwriter. Juli recorded a CD in 1998 called Jules From The Heart. Since 1997, Juli has been directing a Baha'i Youth Dance Workshop called NINE, which stands for Now Is The New Era.
Episode 152:A Baha'i Perspective: Nina Dini
Mon, 18 May 2009 17:29:00 GMT
Nina is Iranian and came to this country in the late 70's with her husband to continue their education. Soon after arriving, the Islamic Revolution took place, and because they were Baha'is their funds for continuing school were completely cut off. They ultimately completed their education and Nina now teaches at Springfield College in MA.
Episode 151:A Baha'i Perspective: Steve Hemingway
Mon, 11 May 2009 07:28:00 GMT
Steve describes himself as growing up to become a "marginal" man - not completely integrated with his surroundings. His first encounter with Baha'is was when he was 20 years old returning from England on board a boat in 1957. On the boat were Baha'is returning from the funeral of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. Steve has a number of websites. He mentions his work with laughing yoga, that site is SpiritOfLaughter.com. His website promoting his writing is SLHemingway.com. And the website for his music is SLHemingway.Homestead.com.
Episode 150:A Baha'i Perspective: Snatam
Mon, 05 May 2009 22:28:00 GMT
For this interview I did something different for A Baha'i Perspective. A listener asked if I would interview a Sikh performer. I thought this was an interesting proposition, so I took it on. So here is a telephone interview with Snatam, a Sikh musical performer. Snatam is an American. Her family became Sikhs when she was young and so grew up with the Sikh way of life. She has now started a family and travels performing her music and teaching yoga to children. You can find Snatam's music on the website spiritvoyage.com.
Episode 149:A Baha'i Perspective: Judy Soaring Hawk
Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:40:00 GMT
Judy is the product of a mixed marriage. Her father is native American and her mother is white. She grew up as a pentacostal christian but she had nagging questions even as she preached the gospel. She found herself in an abusive marriage and decided to leave Kansas and go to LA. It was in LA that Judy ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 148:A Baha'i Perspective: Van Gilmer
Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:10:00 GMT
Although growing up, his community knew him as a musician, he went to college to study architectural engineering. However, music stayed with him throughout his life. In 1992 Van introduced the merging of the Gospel musical form and Baha'i scripture at the Baha'i World Congress in NYC. He is now the musical director at the Baha'i House of Worship in Willmette, IL.
Episode 147:A Baha'i Perspective: Charles Cooper
Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:03:00 GMT
Charles was going through life moving up the food chain when the Vietnam War and other personal tragedy hit. This caused him to start questioning the purpose of life and it was the beginning of his spiritual search. When he was about to think there was nothing out there that would feed his spiritual need, he ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 146:A Baha'i Perspective: Kevin Locke
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:05:00 GMT
A Native American who shares his Lakota heritage with audiences all over the world, including the traditional hoop dance and Northern Plains flute playing. You can learn more about Kevin at his website KevinLocke.com. After the close of this program you will hear excerpts from Kevin Locke's CDs Hoop of Life and Midnight Strong Heart.
Episode 145:A Baha'i Perspective: Dell Campbell
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:34:00 GMT
Dell grew up in a musical family in Ohio and was a musician himself. He branched out into audio engineering for radio and then got involved in the movie industry. It was while he was working at Warner Bros. that he ran into the Baha'i Faith. His biggest project was starting up the Baha'i radio station WLGI.
Episode 144:A Baha'i Perspective: Bradford Baker
Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:21:00 GMT
A young man who grew up in a completely dysfunctional family and was heavily into gang activity during his youth, yet was able to rise above this history to become a Baha'i and dedicate his life to service toward humanity.
Episode 143:A Baha'i Perspective: Osmar Ramos-Caballero
Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:35:00 GMT
Osmar is African-Cuban and came to the States when he was 11 years old. In 1999, his family settled in Holyoke, MA where they ran into the Baha'i Faith. Osmar became a Baha'i after his family moved to the Midwest and he stayed behind to attend Holyoke Community College.
Episode 142:A Baha'i Perspective: Nina Gordon
Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:43:00 GMT
Nina grew up in the south, and when a young women at the time of World War II, she was very angry on how African-Americans were treated, so she left the south for CA. She tells a funny story on how she manipulated her husband into going back into the service so she could find what she was looking for (you'll have to listen to the interview to understand what I'm talking about). It was when they were in Guam that Nina ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 140:A Baha'i Perspective: Tim McLane
Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:46:00 GMT
A Baha'i from the San Francisco bay area. He grew up in a very religious and social activist family. When Tim went to college his intention was to become a minister like his father. It was in college that Tim ran into the Baha'i Faith. He left college after becoming a Baha'i and became a professional musician. In 1977 Tim went to Guatemala to help the Baha'i Faith there. It was there that he first started producing Latin music. Today he is writing music for films. His website is TimMcLaneMusic.com.
Episode 139:A Baha'i Perspective: Jack Gordon
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:36:00 GMT
Although, Jack grew up in a religiously blended family, his Jewish culture from his father's side, allowed him to grow up with a Jewish identity. As it so happened his mother's extended family were Baha'is, and it was through one of his cousins that Jack took more interest in the Baha'i Faith while in college. Jack eventually ended up in Madagascar where he became confirmed in the Baha'i Faith. He recently returned to the US and is in the D.C. area watching over his uncle and working on a project called Payam-e-Doost, which in Farsi means "the message from the friend", which he explains in the interview.
Episode 138:A Baha'i Perspective: Louise Matthias
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:45:00 GMT
Louise is the daughter of Dorothy Baker, a well-known historical figure in the Baha'i Faith. Louise tells her story growing up as a Baha'i, and tells us the details surrounding her mother's tragic death. Louise's daughter, Dorothy Freeman Gilstrap, wrote a book about Dorothy Baker called From Copper To Gold: The Life of Dorothy Baker.
Episode 137:A Baha'i Perspective: Denali Weiler
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:53:00 GMT
Denali grew up in the rural northwest. As a teenager she was caught up in the pressures of fitting in and the Baha'i Faith wasn't conducive to that. When she graduated from high school, she decided to go on a Baha'i year of service, which Denali explains is an opportunity for a young Baha'i person to give a year of service to help the Baha'i Faith somewhere. She chose Ecuador because it sounded like a great place to travel and she had certain expectations of what her experience would be like serving in Ecuador. The experience was much different than her expectations, and the hardship of the year of service actually confirmed her in the Baha'i Faith. She wrote a book about her experience titled Arising: A Year of Service Handbook for Volunteers. Before playing Denali's interview, I play an excerpt from the podcast Interfaith Voices by Maureen Fiedler. Maureen interviewed Rainn Wilson in one of her sessions. You can find the Interfaith Voices podcast at InterfaithRadio. org.
Episode 136:A Baha'i Perspective: Lisa Janti
Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:042:00 GMT
Lisa was born in Poland and grew up in New York City where she went to the performing arts school made famous by the TV program FAME. It was there that she discovered her love for acting. When as a young women she moved to Peru with her family and got involved with an American-based theater company called the Lima Theater Workshop. It was there that she was discovered by Hollywood. Her first starring role in a Hollywood movie was called Daughter of the Sun God filmed in Peru. Her stage name became Lisa Montell when she starred in her 2nd movie Jump Into Hell. She retired from the movie industry in the 60s and got involved in the field of human services. She produced a television program called Project People with Tom Bradley before he became mayor of Los Angelos. She later worked on Mayor Tom Bradley's staff. She also wrote a book called Baha'i: The New Vision. She has her own website, LisaJanti.com.
Episode 135:A Baha'i Perspective: James Williams
Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:01:00 GMT
Before James became a Baha'i he was working for a social agency promoting race unity. After becoming a Baha'i, James branched out into a multititude of endeavors. One of them being the sole producer of a local TV news program called "The World Today" in Roanoke, VA.
Episode 134:A Baha'i Perspective: Christina Quinn
Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT
A Baha'i musical artist whose CDs include Crimson Robe and He is the Healer.
Episode 133:A Baha'i Perspective: Janabe Caldwell
Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:07:38 GMT
A Knight of Baha'u'llah who, after World War II, got his engineering degree and became a research scientist. Soon after, he and his wife and young children moved to the Aleutian Islands to help the Baha'i Faith. Janabe describes the difficulties of living on the Aleutian Islands, and the miraculous circumstances of his departure. Janabe is also an author. His books include The Aleut, From Night to Knight, and In the Heart of Words.
Episode 132:A Baha'i Perspective: Randie Gotlieb
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:07:22 GMT
Randie grew up in a culturally Jewish, but atheistic family. She describes her miraculous story on how she ended up becoming a Baha'i. She, along with her husband, Steve, is the author of the book Once To Every Man and Nation. She is now a diversity trainer. Her website is unityworks.net.
Episode 131:A Baha'i Perspective: William Smith
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:07:39 GMT
A Baha'i and executive director of the Center for Diversity in the Communication Industries at Emerson College. Among his many accomplishments is his founding a video, film and multimedia company called ComTel Productions; founding a non-profit organization called Pupil of the Eye: Vision for Unity in Education; and writing and producing the award winning documentary film "The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices", which aired on PBS. And now he is working on a memoir called Remembering The Pupil of the Eye: Stories of Faith, Race and Patriotism. In my first interview with Smitty back in February 2007, he described his growing up in Greenville SC and his encounter with the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 130:A Baha'i Perspective: Phillipe Copeland
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:07:15 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in search of a spiritual community that recognized what he had recognized which was the oneness of all religions. He has a blog called Baha'i Thought where he addresses current events from a Baha'i perspective. It took me a minute or so to get the sound right, so it sounds a little funky at the beginning. But be patient, you'll enjoy this interview.
Episode 129:A Baha'i Perspective: Ladjamaya
Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:07:12 GMT
A Baha'i who started out being a teacher, then discovered the performer within while working at the Baha'i UN office in NY, and is back to being a teacher in Arizona. Before I played the interview, I played a speech by Congressman Kirk. On July 30th, 2008, Congressman Kirk of Illinois spoke on the House floor in support of his resolution #1008 condemning Iran for its persecution of Baha'is. The resolution overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives. After the interview portion of the program I play two selections from Ladjamaya's CD "Intone My Servants" which can be found at Special-Ideas.
Episode 128:A Baha'i Perspective: Vivian Lee White Baravalle Gilliam & Stu Gilliam
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:01:00 GMT
This is a Skype interview with Vivian and Stu Gilliam. Vivian grew up in New Rochelle NY when the school district was segregated. After a stint in the TV industry, Vivian married and moved to Italy. Vivian now resides in the Czech Republic. Stu Gilliam has been an entertainer all his life. He started as a magician then a ventriloquist with the act Stu & Oscar. It was the Stu & Oscar act that got Stu into television. He ultimately became a stand-up comic on such shows as the Ed Sullivan Show, the Dean Martin Show, Hollywood Squares and the Arthur Godfrey Show to mention a few. Vivian & Stu live near an airport so you'll hear planes flying overhead once in a while during the interview.
Episode 127:A Baha'i Perspective: Pasha Mohajer-Jasbi
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:57:00 GMT
Leif Hansen's Bleeding Purple Heart Podcast interview of Pasha Mohajer-Jasbi at Camp Seymour. Pasha tells her humorous story about how she found the Bahá'í Faith.
Episode 126:A Baha'i Perspective: Robert Sylvester
Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:08:00 GMT
Bob is an educator who spent 24 years in Africa living in Zambia and Botswana. Before playing Bob's interview, I play a news piece by Chicago Public Radio. In May 2008 the Baha'is of the United States held their 100th annual National Convention at the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, when they elected their national governing council called the National Spiritual Assembly. Chicago Public Radio covered the convention.
Episode 125:A Baha'i Perspective: Sujata & Mukul Acharya
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:08:00 GMT
Bahá'ís from Nepal currently living in Amherst, MA
Episode 124:A Baha'i Perspective: Fanny Efuo-Dontoh
Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:08:00 GMT
A member of the Amherst, MA Bahá'í community who emigrated to the US from Ghana many years ago.
Episode 123:A Baha'i Perspective: Kenith Wilson
Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:03:00 GMT
A Bahá'í from India who is currently living in Amherst, MA.
Episode 122:A Baha'i Perspective: Donna Kime Jeffers
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:27:00 GMT
Donna started singing professionally when she was 16, starting with Ray Anthony and other bands. After touring with these bands, Donna got the opportunity to debut the Doublemint Gum jingle. Donna returned to working with a band making a couple of albums for the Command label.
Episode 121:A Baha'i Perspective: Derek Cockshut
Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:29:00 GMT
Derek grew up in Lancashire England. At about the age of 15, Derek started looking at other religions such as Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Islam. He also ran into the Baha'i Faith at that time but didn't seriously look into it until he returned from Cambridge where he had studied economics. Derek tells a funny story about his introduction to the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 120:A Baha'i Perspective: Ray Elliott
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:08:00 GMT
A member of the Amherst, MA Bahá'í community who is involved in a number of community associations including the local chapter of the NAACP and the Interfaith Council.
Episode 119:A Baha'i Perspective: Carol Brooks
Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:08:00 GMT
Carol is a Baha'i from the Denver area. She grew up in Buffalo, NY, then moved to NJ and finally settled in the Denver metropolitan area in her teenage years. It was while she was in middle school in Denver that she and her mother discovered the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 118:A Baha'i Perspective: Jean Thompson
Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:25:00 GMT
Jean grew up in the segregated south and became involved with the civil rights movement, starting in the early sixties with the NAACP and then later with the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE). When she moved to California her social activism widened to include the antiwar and antipoverty movements. She eventually moved to western Massachusetts where she ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 117:A Baha'i Perspective: Bruce Randall
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:45:00 GMT
Bruce is not a Baha'i. He heard my program on Valley Free Radio and contacted me with an interesting proposal. What if we do an interview with someone who is not a Baha'i and has questions about the Baha'i Faith. I thought this was an interesting idea, so I went along with it. It turned out to be a wonderful experience.
Episode 116:A Baha'i Perspective: Harry Logan
Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:08:00 GMT
Harry is a Baha'i from Jamaica that was passing through after being in Haifa, Israel as a delegate from his country to elect the world governing body of the Baha'is called the Universal House of Justice. Since I had some time after Harry's interview, I decided to play the audio from an information video on the history of the Baha'i Faith since Harry had touched on it briefly in the interview.
Episode 115:A Baha'i Perspective: Michael Lindsey
Mon, 26 May 2008 22:25:00 GMT
Mike ran into the Baha'i Faith when he and his best friend from high school were seekers of spiritual truth. This search lead Mike to Sufism and then ultimately to the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 114:A Baha'i Perspective: Deb Rodgers
Mon, 19 May 2008 08:00:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in a little town called Camphill, AL during the segregated '60s. She was despised both by the white and the black members of her community because of the lightness of the color of her skin, so she turned to books. However, her mother would beat her when she found out she was reading. When she turned 18 she went off to college to be as far away as possible. She majored in English and became an accomplished journalist.
Episode 113:A Baha'i Perspective: Layli Miller-Muro
Mon, 12 May 2008 08:08:00 GMT
My son, Damian, was in the Washington, DC area and had an opportunity to interview Layli Miller-Muro at the Tahirih Justice Center. Layli is the founder and executive director of the Tahirih Justice Center, which is a free legal service for women and girls who are fleeing human rights abuses. She co-wrote a book titled Do They Hear You When You Cry? which describes the immigration case involving female genital mutilation that inspired the creation of the Tahirih Justice Center.
Episode 112:A Baha'i Perspective: Dorothy Hansen
Mon, 05 May 2008 08:54:00 GMT
An 82-year old Baha'i who had a career in television in the fifties with a TV show in California called Dottie Hansen's High Time, which was a teenage dance show. The unique thing about Dorothy's show at that time was that it was racially integrated, which at times got her into trouble. Like the time she danced with an African-American on the show. She was threatened to be taken off the air. Her show ultimately won an Emmy. After becoming a Baha'i, Dorothy traveled to more than 50 countries.
Episode 111:A Baha'i Perspective: Allison Khoury Grover
Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:39:00 GMT
Allison was raised as a Baha'i and she spent her formative years living in India where she went to the New Era High School, where her parents were administrators. Allison speaks of her time there and the adjustment she had to make coming back to the states.
Episode 110:A Baha'i Perspective: Lou Meyer
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:36:00 GMT
A former priest who realized while teaching at a catholic high school, that he know longer believed in the tenets of his faith. He later ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 109:A Baha'i Perspective: Jafred & Christina Mato
Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:12:00 GMT
A Baha'i couple who met at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel, she is an American and he is Kenyan. They currently reside in Wilbraham, MA. I started the interview with Christina with her new baby on her lap.
Episode 108:A Baha'i Perspective: Vito Benenati
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:29:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Long Island who was adrift after returning from the Vietnam War, but found direction after running into the Baha'i Faith. Before playing this interview, I play a piece from National Public Radio about a Baha'i family hosting an interfaith children's class focusing on virtues.
Episode 107:A Baha'i Perspective: Rainn Wilson
Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:21:00 GMT
My son, Damian, was at the Northeast Baha'i Youth Conference this year where 1000 young people gathered in Stamford CT. At this conference, Rainn Wilson, who plays the supporting character role of Dwight Shrute in the hit TV sitcom, The Office, was there as the keynote speaker. Damian had the opportunity to have a one-on-one interview with Rainn. In the interview, Rain mentions his work with the non-profit organization the Mona Foundation.
Episode 106:A Baha'i Perspective: Heather Cardin
Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:01:00 GMT
This is an interview by Susan Aude, former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIF in Columbia, SC with Baha'i author Heather Cardin who wrote the book "Partners in Spirit: What Couples Say About Marriages That Work". This is a rebroadcast of the radio program Baha'i Bookshelf produced by the Baha'i radio station WLGI in Hemmingway South Carolina.
Episode 105:A Baha'i Perspective: Brande Watson
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:46:00 GMT
Brande's father taught at Wiley College at the same time that Professor Tolson lead his great debate team as depicted in the 2007 movie, The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. Brande describes how he became a Baha'i in Austin, TX in 1960. Brande dedicates this interview to the memory of "my dearest, beautiful wife, Evelyn (Breckenridge) Watson, whom I had seen in a most vivid vision in 1955 at a very low point in my life, but whose corporeal self I first saw in 1987. She passed away April 3, 2003 in my arms." Brande's list of accomplishments include: Listed in 'WHO'S WHO OF INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONALS' vol 2 1998 edition, p. 1439, was national champion sprinter (100 yard dash and 220 yard dash) in 1952, college professor (International Business) at Central State Univ. and Antioch College in Ohio (also debate team coach), dean of the Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Institute in S.Carolina 1973 to 1975.
Episode 104:A Baha'i Perspective: Ken Jeffers
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:32:00 GMT
An 80 year old Baha'i who now resides at the Desert Rose Baha'i Institute. He's just started the World Peace Movement Project that promotes the Baha'i statement The Promise of World Peace.
Episode 103:A Baha'i Perspective: Shay Cooper
Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:29:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Wendell, MA who is co-founder of the Prana Health and Yoga Center in Salem, MA.
Episode 102:A Baha'i Perspective: Bhakti Hough
Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:42:00 GMT
General manager for the Baha'i radio station WLGI at the Louis Gregory Baha'i Institute in Hemmingway, SC.
Episode 101:A Baha'i Perspective: Richard Hoff
Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:35:00 GMT
Richard had a tragic upbringing. At 18 he moved to his uncle's farm and found out he was a great salesman. It was when he was a salesman that he ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 100:A Baha'i Perspective: Jeff Hajibandeh
Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT
In high school, Jeff was reborn as a Christian. When he went off to college he became the worship leader for the on campus Christian fellowship. Jeff tells his story on how he ran into the Baha'i Faith while at college.
Episode 99:A Baha'i Perspectiive: Pamela Brode
Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:13:00 GMT
This is a rebroadcast of the radio program Baha'i Bookshelf produced by the Baha'i radio station WLGI in Hemmingway, SC. The interview is conducted by Susan Aude, former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIF in Columbia, SC. In this segment, Susan is interviewing Baha'i author Pamela Brode about her book The Power of Prayer: Make a Joyful Noise.
Episode 98:A Baha'i Perspective: Robin Chandler
Mon, 27 Jan 2008 00:03:00 GMT
A Baha'i from the Boston area who is both an artist and social scientist.
Episode 97:A Baha'i Perspective: Rhett Diessner
Mon, 20 Jan 2008 00:03:00 GMT
Although Rhett grew up in a Baha'i family, he didn't claim the Baha'i Faith as his own until going to college. He first became a nurse and worked on a Native-American reservation. Then he went back to school and got a degree in school psychology and then went back to the reservation to work in the school system for another three years, at which time he left to get his doctorate. He is the author of the book Psyche in Eros: Baha'i Studies in Spiritual Psychology.
Episode 96:A Baha'i Perspective: William Collins
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:03:00 GMT
At age 13 Bill read the Bible and started asking questions. At age 15 he read the Quran and recognized that same Voice from the Bible. At age 18, Bill knew that these and the other major world religions were linked together somehow, but didn't know what that link was. Bill describes his journey to discovering that linkage. He is a published author and has contributed to the Encyclopedia of Millennialism.
Episode 95:A Baha'i Perspective: Kahani Skydance
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:23:00 GMT
A Baha'i who basically made the Peace Corps her career after becoming a Baha'i. Before the interview I play a piece from the radio program The State We're In produced by Radio Netherlands. This piece updates the plight of Baha'is and other religious minorities in Egypt.
Episode 94:A Baha'i Perspective: Sita Roohi
Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:03:00 GMT
A Bahá'í from India now living in the US teaching pre-school.
Episode 93:A Baha'i Perspective: Fariba Moghaddam Apajee
Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:55:00 GMT
A Baha'i who at 5 years old left Iran with her parents to Saudi Arabia. Soon after that she was sent to the New Era Baha'i School in India. It was there that she discovered her love for Africa and eventually got there and has lived there ever since.
Episode 92:A Baha'i Perspective: Erica Toussaint
Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:24:00 GMT
A Baha'i whose great grandfather, Howard Colby Ives, was a Unitarian minister who became a Baha'i in 1912.
Episode 91:A Baha'i Perspective: Dora Carlyn Horton
Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:19:00 GMT
A Baha'i who lives both in NYC and in Florida. She is an actor, musician and composer, a makeup artist, a chef and a playwright. At the end of the program I play cuts from Dora's new CD, Pathway To Paradise.
Episode 90:A Baha'i Perspective: Susan Aude
Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:43:00 GMT
A Baha'i and former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIF in Columbia, SC.
Episode 89:A Baha'i Perspective: Kamran Hakim
Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:10:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in Iran and came to the United States when he was 18 to go to university just prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It was during this time that Kamran investigated the Baha'i Faith for himself even though he was raised as a Baha'i. In the interview Kamran refers to three Baha'i books and provides a concise summation of each. These books are Some Answered Questions, The Book of Certitude, and The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.
Episode 88:A Baha'i Perspective: Shirin Selph
Mon, 19 Nov 2007 01:44:00 GMT
A Bahá'í from Western MA who was the former Multi-cultural Specialist for the Springfield Public Schools and Global Educator of the Year in 2000.
Episode 87:A Baha'i Perspective: Marc Hensen
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:11:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Long Island, NY who discovered his calling in social work when in college. He discovered the Baha'i Faith from an ad in the newspaper. He has written an introductory book on the Baha'i Faith called Divine Journey: Exploring the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 86:A Baha'i Perspective: Roohina Seihoun
Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:36:00 GMT
A Bahá'í who escaped Iran with her small children soon after the Islamic Republic was formed.
Episode 85:A Baha'i Perspective: Rich Pellegrino
Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:16:01 GMT
A Baha'i who discovered the Baha'i Faith when he was steeped in the hippie culture with all its attendant activities both positive and negative.
Episode 84:A Baha'i Perspective: Jacob Ayvazian
Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:14:01 GMT
A Baha'i of Armenian descent. His parents grew up in Iran and moved to Brazil to help the Baha'i Faith there. Jacob was born in Brazil and lived there until he decided to get his post graduate degree, so he moved to western Massachusetts with his young family in the early 1990s.
Episode 83:A Baha'i Perspective: Howard Menking
Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:06:01 GMT
An 83 year old Baha'i now living in West Virginia. When he first became a Baha'i just after World War II, he went to Brazil for a year. After returning from Brazil, he and his wife, Joanne, were the first Baha'is in Cape Verde, Africa. They stayed in Cape Verde until there was a Baha'i community established there.
Episode 82:A Baha'i Perspective: Jackie Tobias
Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:08:01 GMT
A Baha'i from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Jackie grew up in Michigan and moved to Florida when she was 29. It was in Florida that Jackie discovered the Baha'i Faith, but it took her nine years before she got the courage to officially identify herself as a Baha'i.
Episode 81:A Baha'i Perspective: Carol Rutstein
Mon, 01 Oct 2007 07:35:01 GMT
A Baha'i from Amherst, MA who grew up with the Baha'i Faith. Her father was Curtis Kelsey, who learned about the faith when he was a young man. Carol's husband, Nathan Rutstein, wrote the book, He Loved And Served, The Story of Curtis Kelsey. Carol talks about Nathan's writing career and talks about how his career got started when her daughter inspired him to write Go Watch TV. Carol was a professional singer performing in musical theater and spending about a year traveling with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. When I finished the interview, Carol handed me a CD recording of a talk her father gave in 1970. I took snippets from the talk and created a 20 minute excerpt which I play following Carol's interview.
Episode 80:A Baha'i Perspective: Brett Gamboa
Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:30:01 GMT
Brett is a PhD candidate in English Literature at Harvard University, where he studies Shakespeare and directs plays. In this interview he speaks about growing up in a Catholic family in California, the disintegration of that family through divorce, and his first encounters with the Baha'i Faith.
Episode 79:A Baha'i Perspective: Cara Williams
Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in Bufort, SC. Before she became a Baha'i she owned her own business and did a stint as a private investigator. She is currently the administrator for the non-profit organization One Human Family, as well as working for a non-profit called the Community Re-investment Association.
Episode 78:A Baha'i Perspective: Daniel Lincoln
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 08:00:00 GMT
A Baha'i who, from an infant, grew up in Central Africa. He returned to his country of birthright (the U.S.) to live to complete high school and university. He went to England to get married and get his PhD. Before returning to the U.S., where he currently lives, his family lived in Australia and Rumania. In Rumania he worked for the U.N. organization UNESCO, and now he and a partner are consultants for Social and Economic Development projects.
Episode 77:A Baha'i Perspective: Jeff Bohnhoff
Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:32:00 GMT
A Baha'i musician and musical producer who moved around a lot growing up, going to about 12 different schools. He became a Baha'i after marrying Maya who was a Baha'i. It was the Baha'i book Thief In The Night by William Sears that lead him to becoming a Baha'i. Jeff, talks about filk music, as did Maya in her interview. Visit their website MysticFig.com.
Episode 76:A Baha'i Perspective: Maya Bohnhoff
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:30:00 GMT
A Baha'i musician and author of science fiction and fantasy works as well as short essays on issues related to the Baha'i Faith. Her music is a joint venture with her husband, Jeff, and their musical styles include filk. The music in this podcast is all from Jeff and Maya's work. Their website is MysticFig.com
Episode 75:A Baha'i Perspective: Sorour Payman
Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:37:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Iran whose paternal grandfather was a Zoroastrian in the 19th century. When her grandfather heard about the Baha'i Faith he wrote to Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith and asked Him seven questions. In the Zoroastrian Faith, seven is a very holy number. Baha'u'llah responded to her grandfather in a tablet called "Seven Questions Answered". It has been recently translated into English and can be found in the Baha'i compilation Tabernacle of Unity.
Episode 74:A Baha'i Perspective: Greg Dahl
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:29:00 GMT
An American Baha'i now living in Bulgaria. Greg went to Harvard to study physics but ended up getting his PhD in Economics. After college Greg worked for the International Monetary Fund of the World Bank for 27 years. His work took him to such countries as Haiti, Sierra Leone and Madagascar. In the interview we discuss globalization and his new book One World, One People: How Globalization is Shaping Our Future. I apologize for the poor quality of the recording. I was having difficulty with VFR's studio telos (the thingy that transfers the output of the soundboard to the telephone line). Greg couldn't hear me, so I had to have the microphone way up, which created a terrible hum and allowed background noise to filter into the interview. However, the interview is still well worth listening to. Greg has two short interviews posted on line at the First Business Morning News website: Interview 1 and Interview 2. I started our interview by asking Greg where he grew up and what was it like growing up there.
Episode 73:A Baha'i Perspective: Owen Allen
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in rural Australia; went to the big city for boarding high school and university where he studied physiotherapy. He returned to the rural life after university by settling in a rural part of Queensland, where he ran into the Baha'i Faith. His mother's first reaction to Owen becoming a Baha'i was "why did you join a religion whose members get killed!" referring to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran. This is my first attempt at using Skype for the interview. I'm not thrilled about the quality, but it may be a tad clearer than through the telephone.
Episode 72:A Baha'i Perspective: Bahman Payman
Mon, 22 Jul 2007 01:20:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Iran who came to the United States to finish his medical schooling. After completing his schooling, he returned to Iran and worked at a Baha'i hospital called Red Lion Society. When the Khomeini regime took over, they confiscated the hospital, assassinated the chief of staff, Dr. Hakim, and arrested or killed other Baha'i physicians working there. Bahman and his family happened to be in the US when this happened, so he stayed in the US and practiced medicine here. He's now retired and is volunteering for two Baha'i-inspired institutions, Health for Humanity and the Tahirih Justice Center.
Episode 71:A Baha'i Perspective: Nosrat Scott
Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:57:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Iran. In Iran, Nosrat had to suppress her desire to express her belief freely. So after university, she decided to leave Iran for the United States. She was included in Dan Rather's book, The The American Dream.
Episode 70:A Baha'i Perspective: Bertha Petruski
Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i now living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who spent nine years in Bulgaria. In the interview Bertha refers to the Virtues Project. You can find information about the virtues project at these two websites: http://www.virtuesproject.com/index.php and http://www.virtueoftheweek.org/. Before playing the interview I play an audio clip of a statement by the Baha'is to the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations on June 30, 2006. What Ms. Kit Bigelow describes in this statement is unchanged since this statement was made.
Episode 69:A Baha'i Perspective: Mabel Garis
Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:22:00 GMT
Author of the Uncle Wiggly Series and other books. Former Bahá'í NGO Representative to the United Nations.
Episode 68:A Baha'i Perspective: Minoo Moghaddam
Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:12:00 GMT
A Bahá'í from Wilbraham, MA who escaped Iran with her family after the Islamic Revolution.
Episode 67:A Baha'i Perspective: Kathy Penn
Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:55:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Lancaster, PA, who discovered the Baha'i Faith in Bolivia, and found her true calling in teaching children.
Episode 66:A Baha'i Perspective: Rabi Musah
Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:10:00 GMT
An associate professor of biochemistry at the State University of New York, who grew up in Ghana.
Episode 65:A Baha'i Perspective: Bernard Streets
Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:09:00 GMT
A microbiologist who worked in industry, but when he retired, used his talents to help others in Costa Rica.
Episode 64:A Baha'i Perspective: Somava Stout
Mon, 28 May 2007 09:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i from the Boston area who is a pediatrician and founder of the children's organization, Raising Peacemakers.
Episode 63:A Baha'i Perspective: Hal Williamson & Sharon Eakes
Mon, 21 May 2007 10:44:00 GMT
With Sharon's help, Hal wrote the book Liberating Greatness, The Whole Brain Guide to An Extraordinary Life. Their website is http://www.hopellc.com/.
Episode 62:A Baha'i Perspective: Jay Green
Mon, 14 May 2007 11:59:00 GMT
While I was at the Baha'i Conference Center, Green Acre, in Eliot Maine, attending a workshop called The Holy Spirit's Invitation to Perfect Unity, I contacted my friend Jay Green for an interview. Jay works at the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of New Hampshire.
Episode 61:A Baha'i Perspective: Anthony Lopez
Mon, 07 May 2007 05:11:00 GMT
A Baha'i of both Italian and Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in New York City and found out that he could bring joy to the lives of children by bringing fictional characters to life. He now lives in Florida. Anthonys websites include: http://www.bahaiway.com/ and http://www.4allproductions.com/.
Episode 60:A Baha'i Perspective: Phyllis Ring
Mon, 30 Apr 2007 04:47:00 GMT
I was at the Baha'i Conference Center called Green Acre in Eliot Maine, attending a workshop called The Holy Spirit's Invitation to Perfect Unity. Phyllis Ring (http://www.phyllisring.com/) was one of the facilitators of the workshop. She is a freelance writer living in Exeter New Hampshire.
Episode 59:A Baha'i Perspective: Lars Patenaude Part 2
Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:19:00 GMT
This is part 2 of my interview with Lars Patenaude. In this second telephone interview Lars describes his journey from the point at which he became a Baha'i at the Baha'i Academy called Landegg in Switzerland. He describes his involvement with World Summit for Sustainable Development in South Africa and his work for the non-governmental organization called Education for Peace in Bosnia.
Episode 58:A Baha'i Perspective: Jamshid Afnan
Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:19:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Wilbraham, MA and Vice President of Information Services for ISO New England an independent system operator that coordinates, controls and monitors the operation of the electrical power system for New England. Jamshid is a descendant from the family of the Persian prophet-founder of the Babi Faith titled the Bab, spelled B-a-b, which means Gate in Arabic. In 1844 the Bab declared his mission as the one announcing the coming of He Whom God Shall Make Manifest. Baha'is believe that this is a reference to Baha'u'llah the prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith. The Bab's life was quite miraculous and resembled the life of Christ in many ways including his dramatic martyrdom. I started the interview by asking Jamshid to give a brief synopsis on the Babi religion and its prophet-founder the Bab.
Episode 57:A Baha'i Perspective: Children's Theatre Company of Greater Boston
Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:41:00 GMT
Somava Stout is the creator and director of the kids organization Raising Peacemakers, and the director of the Children's Theatre Company of Greater Boston.
Episode 56:A Baha'i Perspective: Sarah Page
Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:51:00 GMT
Sarah is a Baha'i whose work is clearly a service to humanity. She is currently the assistant executive director of fund development for HAP, a non-profit, Housing Partnership organization.
Episode 55:A Baha'i Perspective: Lars Patenaude
Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:28:00 GMT
Like other folks I interview, Lars Patenaude has more to tell than one hour can allow. In this first telephone interview segment Lars describes his journey that lead him to becoming a Baha'i. It includes dropping out of college, going back to college, being a rock'n'roll band manager, and going to graduate school.
Episode 54:A Baha'i Perspective: Steven Kolins
Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:47:00 GMT
A Baha'i who graduated from the University of Wisconsin with double majors in physics and philosophy, and double minors in psychology and math. He then went to NC to go to graduate school, and it is in NC where Steven met his wife, Sally. He now provides computer support for a school system. He and Sally have been involved in a number of service organizations, and Steven is a wikipedia enthusiast. Steven mentions two works by Baha'u'llah in the interview, "The Seven Valleys" and the "Kitab-i-Iqan" which means the Book of Certitude in English. Steven also makes reference to a 12 step organization called Baha'is In Recovery Fellowship or BIRF for short.
Episode 53:A Baha'i Perspective: William Smith
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:00:00 GMT
A Baha'i and executive director of the Center for Diversity in the Communication Industries at Emerson College. In this interview, I barely scratched the service of Dr. Smith's life. In one hour we covered the very interesting story of how he ran into the Baha'i Faith in high school, while living in a very rough neighborhood. I'll invite Dr. Smith back to talk about his many accomplishments including, founding a video, film and multimedia company called ComTel Productions; founding a non-profit organization called Pupil of the Eye: Vision for Unity in Education; and writing and producing the award winning documentary film "The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices", which aired on PBS; and many, many other endeavors.
Episode 52:A Baha'i Perspective: Susan Maneck
Mon, 05 Mar 2007 10:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i who holds a masters degree in Oriental Studies and a PhD in history. She is currently an associate professor of history at Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Episode 51:A Baha'i Perspective: Stephanie Fielding
Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:47:00 GMT
A Baha'i of Mohegan descent who lives in Uncasville, CT, where she helps to restore the nearly lost language of the Mohegan people. Her story begins in Hawaii where we learn that Stephanie's ancestry also includes Chinese, Hawaiian, African, and Irish heritage, along with her Native American ancestry. Once she married and became a Baha'i at 18, she and her husband Dwayne, started their life together by going to Africa, after a chilly start in North Dakota. Her life adventures take her to such places as Nigeria, Lousiana, Colorado and then to her Native American roots in Uncasville, CT.
Episode 50:A Baha'i Perspective: Seals & Crofts
Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:25:00 GMT
A Baha'i friend of mine, Mike Andros, gave me a cassette tape labeled 1977/1978. When I listened to it, it was a recording of a dialogue between Jimmy Seals, Dash Crofts and their producer Marcia Day after a Seals and Crofts recording session, talking about the Baha'i Faith. Seals and Crofts are best known for the '70s hits Summer Breeze and Hummingbird.
Episode 49:A Baha'i Perspective: Jennifer Hampton
Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:09:00 GMT
Jennifer tells her story of her spiritual transformation. She begins her story by describing her constant moving from place to place during primary school. By the age of 18 she had become the mother of two children and trying to deal with a failing marriage. She describes her spiritual flowering as she endures these trials and tribulations.
Episode 48:A Baha'i Perspective: Deborah Hampton
Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:13:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Chattanooga, TN who found out she had cancer in 1994 and has written a book "Slapped Awake: Living with Breast Cancer; Journey in Poetry and Prose". Deborah mentions an article that she wrote that is an excerpt from her book. You can find that article here: http://www.curetoday.com/backissues/v5n2/departments/readers/index.html
Episode 47:A Baha'i Perspective: Bobbie Pollard
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:19:00 GMT
A 92 year old Baha'i from Lima, OH, now living in Norwich CT, who in the 1940s lost her daughter, Carrie, in a car accident when her daughter was only 11 1/2 years old. Her daughter, Carrie, had become a Baha'i by hearing about it from their neighbor. Before Carrie died, Bobbie happened to pick up one of Carrie's Baha'i books and got interested in the Baha'i Faith too. In the interview, Bobbie refers to a well known Baha'i historical figure named Dorothy Baker, and Baker's husband Frank. They lived in the same Baha'i community in Lima. If any one is interested in learning more about Dorothy Baker, I recommend the book "From Copper to Gold: The Life of Dorothy Baker" by Dorothy Freeman. You'll hear background voices periodically in the interview. Bobbie always leaves her apartment door open, so once in a while hallway chatter comes through.
Episode 46:A Baha'i Perspective: Chet Makoski
Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:04:00 GMT
A graphic designer that started his career & family in Ireland then returned to the US and established himself in CT. He joined an industrial design firm in Farmington, CT and ended up buying the firm with a partner.
Episode 45:A Baha'i Perspective: Sharon Dixon Peay
Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:52:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in the Hartford, CT area. When Sharon finished high school a year early, she went to Yale to study economics. She now works for the CT State Treasurer's Office. In the interview, Sharon refers to the Baha'i peace statement. The document is entitled "The Promise of World Peace". You can find the document here: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/uhj/PWP/pwp-1.html#pg1.
Episode 44:A Baha'i Perspective: Heather Cardin
Mon, 01 Jan 2007 10:59:00 GMT
A Baha'i and author of the book "Partners in Spirit: What Couples Say About Marriages That Work." We also find out in the interview that she is a poet and has other works in the pipeline for publication.
Episode 43:A Baha'i Perspective: Darlene Key
Mon, 25 Dec 2006 14:21:00 GMT
A Baha'i from the south side of Chicago. She moved to Hartford, CT when she started working at Travelers Insurance Co. She soon got married and became a stay-at-home mom in New London, CT, where she became a neighborhood activist. She got involved with the Multicultural Coalition of Southeast CT and the Institute for the Healing of Racism. Now she is a social worker for the state of CT.
Episode 42:A Baha'i Perspective: Druzelle Cederquist
Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:146:00 GMT
A Baha'i and author of the book, The Story of Baha'u'llah: Promised One of All Religions. She also has a blog at http://luminousrealities.blogspot.com.
Episode 41:A Baha'i Perspective: Frances Corgnati
Mon, 1 Dec 2006 10:17:00 GMT
Here is a story of the good little Catholic girl that asked too many questions, so she became a social activist, and then a political radical, before eventually becoming a Baha'i. As a Baha'i her horizons broadened and she felt a calling to go to Africa.
Episode 40:A Baha'i Perspective: John Medina
Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:43:00 GMT
A telephone interview with John Medina, a Native American descended from a Mexican tribe. He graduated valedictorian at his high school in Douglas, Arizona and got his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona. However he found himself needing more in life than working for a consumer electronics manufacturer. He decided to get his masters degree in education and is now teaching 6th graders. He also realized that there was something he had to put down on paper that was also inside him. The product of this effort is his book "Faith, Physics and Psychology: Understanding the Human Spirit." I started the interview by asking John to describe where he grew up.
Episode 39:A Bahá'í Perspective: Patricia McGraw
Mon, 27 Nov 2006 07:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i who has provided individual and group psychotherapy to victims of trauma and abuse for more than 25 years. She is a forensic expert in post-traumatic stress disorder and interpersonal violence and its effects. She has written two books; It's Not Your Fault: How Healing Relationships Change Your Brain & Can Help You Overcome a Painful Past, and her second book is called Seeking the Wisdom of the Heart: The Journey Doesn't End.
Episode 38:Bahá'í Perspective: Beatriz Ferreira
Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:01:00 GMT
A Here is an incredible story of a woman, from a Mexican-American migrant farm-working family; traveling from place to place, season to season, picking crops with her family until she was 19. From these roots, Beatriz Ferreira becomes a lawyer defending the rights of those in circumstances from which she grew up. I started the interview by asking Beatriz to describe what it was like growing up as a migrant farmer. I apologize for the sound quality of the interview; the phone connection was not very good.
Episode 37:A Bahá'í Perspective: Karen Perry James
Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:14:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in New York City; moved to CT after getting married and raised her two kids in New London, CT. She was instrumental in bringing the Institute for the Healing of Racism to New London as a member of the Multicultural Coalition of SE CT.
Episode 36:A Bahá'í Perspective: Brian Lepard
Tue, 07 Nov 2006 08:03:00 GMT
A professor of law at the Univ. of Nebraska. He is the author of two books: Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention: A Fresh Legal Approach Based on Fundamental Ethical Principles in International Law and World Religions; and Hope For a Global Ethic: Shared Principles in Religious Scripture.
Episode 35:A Bahá'í Perspective: Jeanine Sacco
Tue, 31 Oct 2006 08:11:00 GMT
Jeanine is an educator and is currently the co-administrator of the Green Acre Baha'i Conference Center in Eliot, ME with her husband Jim. Together, when they were a young family with two pre-school children, they packed up their belongings and headed for South America. They eventually started a school inspired by the principles of the Baha'i Faith called The School of Nations. They nurtured it for fifteen years, seeing the school mature and stand on its own.
Episode 34:A Bahá'í Perspective: Holly Hanson
Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:04:00 GMT
A Baha'i from South Hadley, MA, who is a professor at Mt. Holyoke College of History and African and African-American Studies. She is the author of two books: Social and Economic Development, A Baha'i Approach; and Landed Obligation: The Practice of Power in Buganda. She recently took a sabbatical to do research on the history of Kampala.
Episode 33:A Bahá'í Perspective: Mary K. Makoski
Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:21:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Suffield, CT who is an actor by training. In the interview she describes how, after meeting her husband, they soon went to Ireland, and when they returned they settled in Suffield, CT. Mary K. has been in plays with the Suffield Players as far back as 1983. She describes how she used her acting talent to help create and perform the two-woman production, Amazing Grace: Stories of Personal Transformation.
Episode 32:A Bahá'í Perspective: Katherine Knaplund
Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:56:00 GMT
A Bahá'í youth currently an undergraduate student at the University of Mass. who did a year of service in India between high school and university.
Episode 31:A Bahá'í Perspective: Marjan Hajibandeh
Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:29:00 GMT
A University of Mass. student who chose to take a year off from her studies to do a Bahá'í year of service in Africa.
Episode 30:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes Part 6
Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:49:00 GMT
In this interview Ray shares a tender story about his mother who died when he was a young child.
Episode 29:A Bahá'í Perspective: Phyllis & Gene Unterschuetz
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:25:00 GMT
A Baha'i couple from the Midwest, who, after their nest of children was emptied, decided to hit the road in service to communities throughout the US; promoting the principles of the Baha'i Faith; primarily in the area of race unity.
Episode 28:A Bahá'í Perspective: Manal Gillett
Tue, 12 Sep 2006 07:52:00 GMT
Manal Gillett is a Bahá'í of Iranian descent, but who was born in Iraq. She knew only Arabic when she moved back to Iran at the age of 22, and then moved to Africa a few years later teaching math and science for nearly 30 years in the country of Cameroon. I start the interview by asking Manal how it ended up that she, being of Iranian descent, was born and raised in Iraq?
Episode 27:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ramin Gillett
Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:50:00 GMT
Ramin Gillett is a 25 year old Bahá'í youth who grew up in Africa, in the country of Cameroon, and came to the United States for university, and lost his way. His story describes the struggle he went through and the reward of finding his calling. He also describes his recent service trip to Rwanda with the service corps organization called the Orien Aid Foundation.
Episode 26:A Bahá'í Perspective: David Gillett
Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:00:00 GMT
A Bahá'í who has lived in Africa, in the country of Cameroon for thirty years teaching English in the public school system.
Episode 25:A Bahá'í Perspective: Dr. Michael Penn
Mon, 14 Aug 2006 08:11:00 GMT
An African-American professor of psychology at Franklin & Marshall college, the oldest college in PA founded soon after the birth of this nation. He teaches psychopathology with courses related to the development of mental illness; and his interests include the relationship between culture and psychopathology; hope and hopelessness; and human spiritual development.
Episode 24:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes Part 5
Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:35:00 GMT
This is the 5th in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Baha'i for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian. In this segment Ray discusses the prophesies in the Bible regarding the 2nd coming of Christ and how he interprets these passages.
Episode 23:A Bahá'í Perspective: Dr. Jim Sacco
Mon, 31 Jul 2006 23:46:00 GMT
The co-administrator of the Green Acre Baha'i Conference Center in Eliot ME with his wife, Jeannine. Jim got his doctorate in education at the University of Mass. After getting married and having two small children, Jim quit his job as an assistant professor at the University of MD to go to serve the Baha'i Faith in Paraquay. Eventually the Saccos ended up in Brazil starting up a school called the School of Nations, which is a Baha'i inspired school in the town of Brazilia. In this interview Jim shares his thoughts and experiences of living as an American in Brazil.
Episode 22:A Bahá'í Perspective: Mary K. Radpour
Mon, 24 Jul 2006 17:03:00 GMT
A Baha'i from Chattanooga TN who is a licensed clinical social worker. In addition to her private practice, she is one of the founders of the Authenticity Project which she describes in the interview.
Episode 21:A Baha'i Perspective: Elena Mustakova-Possardt
Thu, 20 Jul 2006 22:57:00 GMT
I was at a conference called Cultivating Spirituality at the Bahá'í conference center, Green Acre, in Eliot Maine. One of the presenters at the conference was Elena Mustakova-Possardt, a Bulgarian-born educator who came to the United States when communism fell in Eastern Europe, to study at the University of Mass. She focused her doctoral studies on the subject of critical conscientiousness, integrating the heart with the intellect. I was able to pull her aside during the conference to have a few minutes to interview her for A Bahá'í Perspective. The interview is very "on location" so you hear the comings and goings of the conference participants during the interview.
Episode 20:A Bahá'í Perspective: Greg Kagira-Watson
Wed, Jul 12 2006 16:69:00 GMT
Greg is a Bahá'í from the mid-west who has recently finished a doctoral program at Harvard in Education and is now in Atlanta with his wife Waithera.
Episode 19:A Bahá’í Perspective: Ray Estes Part 4
Mon, Jul 03 2006 21:07:00 GMT
This is the 4th in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Baha'i for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian. In this segment Ray discusses how one can reconcile what seemingly appears to be a contradiction between science and religion.
Episode 18:A Bahá'í Perspective: Waithera Kagira-Watson
Mon, Jun 26 2006 21:25:00 GMT
I went to Cambridge, MA to interview Greg and Waithera Kagira-Watson for A Baha'i Perspective. Waithera was a bit reticent about doing an interview, so I did the interview with Greg first. Well by the time I was through with Greg, Waithera was willing to share her story. I happen to have Waithera's interview ready before Greg's, but Greg's will be coming soon. Waithera is a Baha'i from Kenya who followed her sister to the US and ended up getting a Bachelor's degree here and she and her husband, Greg, are relocating to Atlanta Georgia in June.
Before the interview I play an excerpt from the podcast Interfaith Voices hosted by Maureen Fiedler. This interview is of Kit Bigelow, Director of the Office of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, discussing the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran. You can find the Interfaith Voices podcast at http://www.interfaithradio.org
Episode 17:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes, Part 3
Mon, Jun 19 2006 20:47:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes, Part 3 - This is the 3rd in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Baha'i for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian. The Bible story that Ray talks about in this interview is the story about Noah's Ark.
Episode 16:A Bahá'í Perspective: Alfred Kikoti
Sun, Jun 11 2006 20:41:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Alfred Kikoti - A Baha'i from Tanzania who has been drawn to the protection of the wildlife in his country. He started his career as a game warden in a nature conservancy park, but realized more had to be done to protect Tanzania's wildlife. He developed a unique way to have villagers see the wild animals as a resource rather than a liability to their farms and family. He has just completed his first phase of academic work for his doctorate in Elephant Ecology & Conservation at the University of Massachussetts and is returning to Tanzania for a two year stint to perform field work in support of his doctorate studies.
Episode 15:A Bahá'í Perspective: Nathan Rutstein
Sun, Jun 04 2006 20:29:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Nathan Rutstein - A dear friend of the Baha'i Community, Nathan Rutstein, passed away, two hours after sunset on May 22, 2006. We will miss him dearly. In honor of our brother who has moved on to the next world, I'm replaying an interview that I recorded with Nat on September 11, 2005. Nathan Rutstein was an author of some 20 books, taught at the University of Mass in Amherst, and at Springfield Technical Community College. And before that, he was the International News Editor for NBC during the Huntley-Brinkley era.
Episode 14:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes, Part 2
Mon, May 29 2006 11:16:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes Part 2 - This is the 2nd in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Bahá'í for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian, who has studied the Bible for many years and has developed new understandings of some of the Bible stories now that he is a Baha'i. In this interview Ray talks about the Bible story of Adam and Eve. I start out the interview asking Ray what the Bahá'í perspective is regarding the story of Adam and Eve; a story that can be found in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Episode 13:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes
Mon, May 22 2006 07:01:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Ray Estes - A Bahá'í from Chapel Hill, NC who is a commercial designer by trade, but his first love is discovering spiritual truths from the Bible and the Bahá'í writings. This interview is the first in a series. In this interview, Ray describes his upbringing and his spiritual journey leading him to the discovery of the Bahá'í Faith. To him "Life is an adventure".
Episode 12:A Bahá'í Perspective: Soheil Samari
Mon, 15 May 2006 10:21:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Soheil Samari – A Baha'i from Iran who left for the US and started a family soon after the Islamic Revolution. After about ten years in the US he and his wife decided to move to Saipan and have lived there ever since. I started the interview by asking Soheil where he grew up and what was it like growing up there.
Episode 11:A Bahá'í Perspective: Jacki Odess-Gillett
Mon, 08 May 2006 22:31:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Jacki Odess-Gillett – My wife and a Bahá'í from Hadley MA who has lived in New England all her life and describes her spiritual journey that includes spending 8 years in a commune in Western Mass. We started the interview by her describing how this journey began.
Episode 10:A Bahá'í Perspective: Jeanne Swinney
Tue, 02 May 2006 21:08:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: Dr. Jeanne Swinney - A Bahá'í from Amherst, MA who ran into the Baha'i Faith in California after finishing nursing school, then went to Africa for 8 years and when she returned got her doctorate at the University of Texas.
Episode 9:A Bahá'í Perspective: George Goding
Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:05:00 GMT
A Bahá'í Perspective: George Goding – George Goding is a Bahá'í from Rochester, VT who lost his mother at birth, left home at an early age due to troubles at home, served in World War II and the Korean War, and was an engineer job shopper all over New England and as far south as Richmond, VA.
Episode 8:A Bahá'í Perspective: Paul Robbins
Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:58:00 GMT
Paul Robbins is a Baha'i from Wilbraham, Massachusets who was formerly a political consultant and is now a public relations consultant for both corporate and non-profit organizations.
Episode 7:A Bahá'í Perspective: Michael Greenlee
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:40:00 GMT
Michael Greenlee is a young man who, at the age of 16, went off to college at Simons-Rock to pursue his interests in music and religious studies. As part of his studies, Michael fulfilled his thesis requirement by composing a cantata, which I play the first movement of later in the broadcast. Due to legal reasons, the version I can broadcast is computer generated. To hear the live version of the cantata go to http://www.simons-rock.edu/~mgreen01/thesis. I started the interview by asking Michael where he grew up and what was it like growing up there.
Episode 6:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ash Hartwell
Mon, 03 Apr 2006 16:06:00 GMT
In the 2nd segment Ash continued his journey by describing how he ended up in Amherst, MA and ultimately to Uganda and Botswana. In this final segment Ash describes his work in Egypt and finally in Afghanistan.
Episode 5:A Bahá'í Perspective: Dr. Fides Ushe
Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:45:00 GMT
Dr. Fides Ushe, a Baha'i originally from Malawi who is now a professor of mathematics at Springfield College. She talks about how she came to America and how she now gives back to her home country.
Episode 4:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ash Hartwell Part 2
Mon, 20 Mar 2006 08:58:00 GMT
In the first segment Ash described his experiences as one of the first peace corps volunteers, and his adventures in Ethiopia for that assignment. Ash concluded that segment by describing his experience as an educator in the Washington DC school system and the start of the Upward Bound organization. In this segment Ash continues his journey by describing how he ended up in Amherst, MA and ultimately back to Africa to Uganda and Botswana.
Episode 3:A Bahá'í Perspective: Ash Hartwell
Mon, 13 Mar 2006 23:10:00 GMT
Ash is an educator and a Bahá'í who has spent 25 years in Africa and is now residing in Amherst, MA on the faculty of the Center for International Education at the University of Mass. The stories that Ash has to tell are too many to capture in a one hour segment, so this is the first in a series.
Episode 2:A Bahá'í Perspective: Martha Martinez
Mon, 06 Mar 2006 08:21:00 GMT
A Bahá’í youth currently living in South Hadley, MA and is a student at Springfield Technical Community College. A very interesting and moving interview.
Episode 0:A Baha'i Perspective: Owen Allen
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:53:00 GMT
A Baha'i who grew up in rural Australia; went to the big city for boarding high school and university where he studied physiotherapy. He returned to the rural life after university by settling in a rural part of Queensland, where he ran into the Baha'i Faith. His mother's first reaction to Owen becoming a Baha'i was "why did you join a religion whose members get killed!" referring to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran. This is my first attempt at using Skype for the interview. I'm not thrilled about the quality, but it may be a tad clearer than through the telephone.