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Butler's Web, Part 3: Grooming the Second Generation
Featured Story, Part Three of a Three-part Series
Butler's Web, Part One
Butler's Web, Part Two
By Christine Gralow
Kailua, HI - When current Hawai'i State Senator Mike Gabbard was 29, he sent a letter from American Samoa to a temple in Bombay. It was January 1977, and Gabbard was then Assistant Dean of Instruction at American Samoa Community College. He sought spiritual guidance from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) - better known as the Hare Krishna movement.
In the letter, Gabbard described how he was first exposed to ISKCON in 1973, through a chance meeting with a man named Vijay, who stopped in Samoa while on a mission to spread Krishna Consciousness in Fiji. Gabbard wrote that Vijay stayed at the Gabbard family's home in Samoa for a week, introducing the family to ISKCON tenets. Soon after, Gabbard began regularly chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, selling Spiritual Sky incense, and distributing ISKCON's Back to Godhead magazine at Mike's Sport Shop, his family business in Samoa. Gabbard also described for Prabhupada his travels to ISKCON temples in California, Colorado, Hawai'i, and New Zealand.
"The four years since my meeting with Vijay has been a roller-coaster ride," Gabbard wrote in the letter. "By roller-coaster ride: I mean that I can understand why Lord Caitanya and you stress association with devotees."
The genuine soul-searching Gabbard expressed in this letter marked an early stage of his family's journey into the dizzying world of Kris (aka Chris) Butler's Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), a secretive sect headquartered here in Kailua, on O'ahu's Windward Coast.
As covered earlier in this series, the SIF network is a complex web of political grooming, shady international financial connections, and alleged cultism. Three long-time, high-ranking Butler followers who have served as SIF financiers – Allan Tibby, Joseph Bismark, and Patrick Bowler - have faced international criminal allegations of money laundering, syndicated estafa (racketeering), and drug smuggling, respectively. In 1977, Honolulu Advertiser investigative reporter Walter Wright uncovered Butler's underhanded involvement in a Hawai'i political party called Independents for Godly Government, which Butler's followers financially floated with mysterious funds.
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a second generation Butler disciple, speaks at a town hall event in Wai'anae, O'ahu, Feb. 25, 2017, as John Bishop, a Butler disciple since the '70s, photographs Gabbard's constituents. (Photo by Christine Gralow)
The Move to Hawai'i and Early School Days
Prabhupada mailed a reply to Mike Gabbard from West Bengal, India, dated February 18, 1977.
"Your idea for starting a Krsna Conscious center in American Samoa is very good," Prabhupada wrote to Gabbard in a letter filed at the Bhaktivedanta Archives in Sandy Ridge, NC, "but first you must be well conversant with our philosophy."
Later that year, Prabhupada died in India at age 81. He had wildly succeeded in spreading his Krishna Consciousness movement in the West, even reaching pop culture through George Harrison and The Beatles. His movement had spread especially quickly here in Hawai'i, among the counterculture hippie crowd.
After Prabhupada's death, Butler declared himself one of Prabhupada's pure devotees and true disciples, despite having had a brief and rocky relationship with the Indian spiritual leader. (As detailed in part two of this series, Prabhupada actually denounced Butler several times and accused him of criminal activity.)
Butler, who has gone by many names, began going by Srila Prabhupada soon after the ISKCON founder's death.
In 1983, the Gabbard family moved from American Samoa to Hawai'i, where they became deeply involved with Butler and SIF. Within SIF, Mike Gabbard became known as Krishna Katha das (also spelled Krsna Katha das), and his wife, Carol, became known as Devahuti dasi. Their daughter, current U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawai'i) was just two when the family relocated to Hawai'i.
By this time, many of Butler's earliest and most devoted followers had young children. Butler strongly advised against sending the children to public schools or even allowing them to associate with non-SIF children. As a professional educator, Mike Gabbard was charged with running a private SIF school on O'ahu for children of Butler's disciples, the Ponomauloa School. Gabbard's deep spiritual devotion to Butler also soon led to his position as Butler's secretary of personal affairs. Carol Gabbard helped run her husband's Ponomauloa School, and she served as the secretary of a SIF branch in Arizona.
In 1984, when SIF's private schools were just starting up, Butler delivered a lecture on education to his disciples in Honolulu. A transcription of this lecture was widely circulated within SIF and leaked to Meanwhile in Hawai'i - along with dozens of other internal SIF documents - by a former Butler disciple who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. Three men who grew up within SIF say they recall repeatedly listening to a recording of this lecture as children at SIF schools. Another former Butler disciple confirmed her presence at the lecture and identified others named in the lecture transcription.
In the rambling lecture on education, Butler discussed his broken childhood dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player. He claimed his family was driven out of Louisiana and tracked by the CIA when he was a "baby," due to the family's communist and civil rights stances. (As covered in part two of this series, his father, the late Dr. Willis Butler, was, in fact, a far-left political activist with communist sympathies.) Butler also railed against public school teachers in the lecture and discussed his father's disappointment in him when he failed classes as an adolescent.
"The teachers aren't interested in teaching," Butler said in the 1984 lecture. "They're simply going for their paycheck, which of course you can know by the fact that they go on strike if they don't get enough money, right? F**k the kids, we want our money, more money, we only make $22,000 a year. You know how hard it is to live with $22,000 a year when you've got three cars and four houses?"
Butler advised against allowing children to watch television, and he lectured against teaching evolution and history.
"Screw the history book," he said.
Butler also discussed his interest in politics, addressed "Krsna Katha das" (aka Mike Gabbard) directly during the lecture, and encouraged the children of his disciples to go into politics.
"What you've got to do is get one of these kids to run for office," Butler said. "Find out why you have to be a certain age to run for office … or a school board."
Dark Days - Inside the Baguio Boarding School
In the late '80s, in addition to Mike Gabbard's school on O'ahu, SIF began running a remote boarding school for the children of Butler's disciples in Baguio City, Philippines. The school was modeled loosely after traditional Indian gurukuls, where children studied directly with a guru away from home. Unlike traditional gurukuls, however, Butler – the guru – did not reside at the Baguio school or have any direct interaction with the children. In place of direct spiritual and educational guidance from their guru, the students listened to Butler's recorded lectures and bowed to pictures of Butler. Children of Butler's followers from the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand were sent to the school.
Butler was "never there," said Ian Koviak, who attended the Baguio boarding school for over four years, from ages 12 to 16.
"My mother joined SIF in late 1989 in New York City," Koviak explained in an email to Meanwhile in Hawai'i. "It was not long before we moved to LA, Malibu, where Butler was at the time, and not too much longer after that I went to the Philippines school."
Koviak, now 38, said he listened repeatedly to Butler's lectures while at the Baguio school, including the 1984 education lecture.
"Some lectures bashed scientists like Carl Sagan and other modern thinkers," Koviak wrote. "Then there were the private tapes that were only for his disciples and close followers. Those went into graphic detail about homosexuality and male on male intercourse."
Koviak said the students also watched a video produced by Mike Gabbard's Stop Promoting Homosexuality organization, which included footage of men having sex in public. Koviak said he began seriously reflecting on this school experience and reconnecting with old classmates in 2011, when he started a blog about the school.
"I started the blog because I was feeling odd about what we went through," Koviak wrote, "I wanted to see if this was the feeling others shared."
Ian Koviak started a blog about his childhood experience at a Science of Identity school in the Philippines. (Courtesy of Ian Koviak)
Koviak and four other former students of the SIF boarding school all say they were regularly hungry and sleep deprived while at the school. They also all say they spent at least four hours a day chanting, often in a dark room. They say Butler disciples Ramon "Toby" Tamayo and Allan Tibby (aka Acharya das) led the school. The former students emailed school pictures and old school newsletters to Meanwhile in Hawai'i. In one of the newsletters, Patrick Bowler – a long-time Butler disciple and SIF financier who was arrested in 1997 for running a major international hashish smuggling ring – is listed as a cash contributor to the school.
While the former students all say their school days involved some traditional classes taught by outside teachers - such as math and grammar – they say the main focus of the school was the SIF philosophy and worship of Butler. Per Butler's 1984 lecture, they did not take history classes, learn about evolution, or watch television. The men all painted a strikingly dark picture of their experiences at the school, and they all say they have struggled psychologically as adults. Four of the men used the term "indoctrination" when describing the school experience.
Only Koviak and Rama Ranson - who has become a vocal anti-Butler critic online - wished to be publicly named. The three other men requested anonymity, because they wish to remain in contact with relatives who still worship Butler, and they fear retaliation. Meanwhile in Hawai'i confirmed these three men's identities, their parents' status as Butler disciples, and their attendance at the SIF Baguio school.
Ranson, also now 38, said his parents sent him and his younger brother to the boarding school in 1993, when he was 14 and his brother was 12. Ranson said he felt "a deep impulse to get out of that school immediately."
After two weeks at the school, Ranson said, he exaggerated an illness to "escape," and he was eventually allowed to return home to his father. He said his younger brother, Sudama, stayed at the school, was raised by non-relative SIF members for the remainder of his childhood, and currently closely serves Butler in Kailua. Ranson now runs the website Rama Ranson vs. the Cult.
A third man, who attended the Baguio school for four years from ages 11 to 15, said, "We were taught to follow the teachings and words of Butler as if they were the holy divine word itself."
"At first it was kinda' cool to go to a new place," the man continued. "But soon I did not like it. We were always hungry. I almost committed suicide when I was there. I really wanted to go home but was told that my parents did not want me to go back home."
The students were taught that, "Fag**ts are taking over and doing disgusting things," the man said. He also told Meanwhile in Hawai'i that he reported sexual abuse at the school and was accused by school leaders of lying about it.
A fourth man, who attended the school for a year in the early '90s said, "We were taught Butler and [his wife] Wai Lana were the only true messengers of God, and serving them would be the ultimate mission in life."
"They strip you of your individual identity," the fourth man said, recalling his memories of the SIF boarding school. "They humiliate you, try to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. You weren't allowed to talk to any outsiders. You were not allowed to contact your family."
"Everything we did there was in preparation for whatever they wanted us to do next."
A fifth man who attended the Baguio school in the early '90s said he suffered from depression and addiction as an adult after realizing that his guru, Butler, did not love him.
Three of the men also attended Mike and Carol Gabbard's SIF school on O'ahu, the Ponomauloa School. They said the O'ahu school was "more mellow" than the Baguio school. Children lived at home with their parents while attending the Gabbards' school, the men said, but they were still taught to worship Butler, and they were repeatedly exposed to sexually graphic, anti-homosexual material.
One former student said the Gabbards were at times good teachers, but all school lessons essentially tied back to Butler's philosophies.
"I know nothing of U.S. history or world history," one of the former students wrote in an email to Meanwhile in Hawai'i. "I am just now reading poems and books, like Catcher in the Rye, one would normally read in school."
The men all say they believe SIF's schools in the Philippines are now run more responsibly, but one man said there is still a "full on indoctrination school" in Bukidnon, Philippines, called Madana Mohana Academy.
The Madana Mohana Academy's website advertises its service to underprivileged children from preschool through 12th grade. The school claims to be "non-sectarian." The website includes a quote by Jagad Guru (aka Butler) and refers to him as "a renowned philosopher and educator." Children can be seen bowing in front of a large, framed picture of Butler in a video shared publicly on the Madana Mohana Academy's Facebook page.
Mike Gabbard did not respond to inquiries from Meanwhile in Hawai'i. Neither did the Science of Identity Foundation.
Rama Ranson said he turned to art and dark comedy to help process his childhood within Butler's Science of Identity Foundation. (Courtesy of Rama Ranson, Creative Commons Copyright)
Tulsi Then and Now
The five men who attended the boys' boarding school in Baguio City all say there was also a SIF girls' boarding school in the Philippines at the time. They all believe Rep. Tulsi Gabbard attended the SIF girls' school as a teenager in the '90s. Two of the men say they also grew up around Rep. Gabbard on O'ahu. Male and female students were strictly separated at the Philippines boarding schools, per Butler's instructions, the men say.
Rep. Gabbard has been strikingly evasive with journalists and constituents regarding her continued close discipleship with Butler and her teenage years in the Philippines. Though it seems she has removed mention of the experience from her official biography, several articles referencing her "two years spent at an all-girls missionary academy in the Philippines" can still be found online.
A Nov. 2017 article on Rep. Gabbard in The New Yorker also mentions that, "as a girl, she spent two years in the Philippines, at informal schools run by followers of Butler." (It is also clear from the The New Yorker article that Rep. Gabbard was less than forthcoming with the reporter regarding her relationship with Butler and SIF.)
Other than these two mysterious years in the Philippines, Rep. Gabbard was home-schooled as a child by her parents. Her ex-husband, Eduardo Tamayo, is the nephew of Ramon "Toby" Tamayo, who ran the Baguio City boys' school. Her current husband, Abraham Williams, is also a second generation Butler disciple. So are at least three of her current, key Congressional staffers, including Chief of Staff Kainoa Penaroza, whose father, William Penaroza, chaired a Butler-connected political party in the '70s called Independents for Godly Government. At least two of Rep. Gabbard's current Congressional staffers are first generation Butler disciples, including her mother-in-law, who manages her Honolulu office.
Rep. Gabbard did not reply to multiple inquiries from Meanwhile in Hawai'i.
Mike, Carol, and Tulsi Gabbard all began their political careers at roughly the same time, in the early 2000s, ostensibly following Butler's advice to go into politics – "or a school board." They all demonstrated strong anti-gay and pro-environmental agendas at the time, reflecting Butler and SIF's views.
Carol Gabbard won a seat on the Hawai'i State Board of Education in 2000. Her agenda as a school board member included supporting private schools and opposing efforts to protect gay students from harassment in public schools. Tulsi Gabbard supported her mother's apparent effort to whitewash the school harassment problem, telling The Honolulu Advertiser in 2004 that figures released by her mother proved, "our schools are not rampant with anti-gay harassment."
Mike and Tulsi Gabbard both won local elections in 2002 – Mike as a Honolulu City Councilmember and Tulsi as a member of the Hawai'i House of Representatives. At 21, Tulsi Gabbard was the youngest legislator in Hawai'i's history.
In 2004, Mike Gabbard ran as a Republican and lost the race for the Congressional seat his daughter now holds. He campaigned heavily against same-sex marriage, and his daughter vocally supported his efforts at the time. He won a seat in the Hawai'i State Senate in 2006. In 2007, he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, causing significant controversy within the Hawai'i Democratic Party.
Tulsi Gabbard joined the Hawai'i Army National Guard in 2003 and served two tours of duty in the Middle East. She ran successfully for her current Congressional seat as a Democrat in 2012, and she won re-election in 2016. She began publicly stating that she supported same-sex marriage equality during her 2012 Congressional race. Her voting record on the issue has since been consistent with that stance.
Rep. Gabbard raised eyebrows within Hawai'i's LGBTQ Caucus, however, when, in 2015, she reportedly told an Ozy journalist that although she officially supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, her "personal views haven't changed" regarding homosexuality.
And just last month, The New Yorker reported, when asked about Butler, Rep. Gabbard said, "I've never heard him say anything hateful, or say anything mean about anybody."
To former Butler disciples like Koviak and Ranson - who say they grew up repeatedly hearing profane, hateful comments from Butler - that statement is hard to stomach.
"It's silly to even conceive that she never heard her own guru's rants and raves about 'fag**ts and homos,'" Koviak wrote.
Rep. Gabbard in Atlanta in 2014 with Vijay Jolly, a leader of India's far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Photo released Aug. 23, 2014, on Jolly's public blog. Gabbard has spoken and fundraised at BJP events in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
On the campaign finance front, Federal Election Commission data show Rep. Gabbard's 2012 Congressional campaign received significant backing from individuals within Butler's SIF network – many of whom also donated to her father's 2004 and 2006 Republican campaigns.
Rep. Gabbard's more recent campaign finances suggest a move away from financial dependence on the SIF network and toward a network of individuals tied to India's far right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rep. Gabbard spoke and fundraised at Overseas Friends of BJP events in Los Angeles and Atlanta in 2014.
Rep. Gabbard gained national popularity within progressive Democratic circles – including calls for a 2020 Presidential run – after she resigned from the Democratic National Committee in early 2016 to support Bernie Sanders' Presidential bid. She has also, however, faced recent criticisms for her perceived Islamophobia and support of foreign dictators, a perception fueled by her international activities and social media posts.
In the past four years, Rep. Gabbard has been criticized for opposing U.S. efforts to hold Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accountable for alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in India; tweeting in support of Vladimir Putin's military campaign in Syria while criticizing Obama for not taking military action in Syria; insisting that Obama use the phrase "Islamic extemism"; traveling with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi; and - perhaps most infamously - traveling to Syria with Syrian Social Nationalist Party escorts to meet with Bashar al-Assad.
Curiously, this reporter also learned last month that D.C. publicist Chris Cooper of The Potomac Square Group was hired to write a letter on Rep. Gabbard's behalf in July 2017 to a mainstream news editor here in Hawai'i. The apparent intent of the letter was to discredit this reporter and prevent this series from being published in Hawai'i's mainstream news media.
Incidentally, in 2016, the same Chris Cooper was hired by Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya's Human Rights Accountability Global Initiative Foundation (HRAGIF) to promote a Russian docudrama aimed at reversing U.S. sanctions against Putin and his financial associates. Veselnitskaya and HRAGIF also happen to be at the heart of the U.S. Justice Department's current Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election.
While this may simply be a coincidence without nefarious connections, it seems an odd professional choice - considering recent questions about Rep. Gabbard's loyalties - to hire a publicist with such ties. Neither Rep. Gabbard nor Cooper responded to questions about the letter.
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Note: Sen. Mike Gabbard did not respond to two emails from Meanwhile in Hawai'i regarding his January 1977 letter to Prabhupada. Meanwhile in Hawai'i confirmed the factual contents of the letter. Two sources with deep inside connections to SIF and Sen. Gabbard also confirmed the authenticity of the letter. The letter was leaked to Meanwhile in Hawai'i by a former Butler disciple. As mentioned above, Prabhupada's letter of response to Sen. Gabbard is on file at the Bhaktidevdanta Archives in Sandy Ridge, NC.
Butler's Web, Part 2: Who is Gabbard's Guru?
Featured Story, Part Two of a Three-part Series
See: Butler's Web, Part One
KAILUA, HI - To his disciples, Kris Butler is a bona-fide Bhakti yoga guru who has helped them live healthy, God-centered lives free of drugs, meat, and sexual deviance. To his detractors and former disciples, he is a deeply homophobic cult figure who has misappropriated ancient Bhakti tenets to achieve financial and political power.
In the Bhakti yoga tradition, which stems from India's Southern Tamil Nadu region, yogis practice loving devotion to a personal God. The practice reached Hawai'i in the late 1960s with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), to which Butler briefly formally belonged in his 20s.
As detailed in Part One of this series, Butler's disciples have included at least five elected officials in Hawai'i, and his Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) maintains legally questionable international financial ties. Butler's most politically successful disciple, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, grew up deeply within SIF's fold and remains actively involved. Her father, Hawai'i State Sen. Mike Gabbard, ran a SIF school and served as Butler's personal secretary in the 1980s. At least five of Rep. Gabbard's current, key Congressional staffers are also Butler disciples.
While Butler and SIF have remained largely unresponsive to local press inquiries amid Rep. Gabbard's national political rise, former Butler disciples have grown increasingly vocal about negative experiences, and mainland reporters have begun to ask questions.
Gabbard's political supporters – including those hoping she'll make a 2020 U.S. Presidential run – argue that her relationship with Butler will prove no more politically significant than Barack Obama's relationship with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, proved. Reporter Kelefa Sanneh, who has explored both relationships in articles for The New Yorker, wrote in his Nov. 2017 profile piece on Gabbard, "But Wright represented only a small slice of Obama's life, whereas Gabbard's life would be unrecognizable without Butler's influence."
Rick Alan Ross, who runs the New Jersey-based Cult Education Institute (CEI), says he rarely receives complaints about leaders of Hindu-based organizations, but he has received many complaints about Butler. CEI's discussion thread on Butler and SIF contains significantly more posts than other threads, and the discussion has been ongoing for 14 years.
While some posts on the CEI discussion board contain inaccurate information, others include verifiable documents detailing the history of Butler's activities. Former SIF members have joined the CEI discussion forum to express concerns about Butler's political involvement, his treatment of disciples, and his hatred of homosexuals. Current SIF members have joined the discussion to claim religious bigotry and defend Butler as a benevolent spiritual leader. Locals here in Kailua - where SIF is headquartered - have chimed in with evidence of Butler's apparent eccentricities, such as the aluminum foiled walls in his home and his requirement that disciples wear respirator masks in his presence.
"I think it would be easier if he wore the mask," suggested one CEI discussion forum user.
CEI's Ross began researching fringe religious groups in the 1980s, after he learned his grandmother had been targeted for recruitment by Jews for Jesus missionaries at a nursing home. Ross has since served as an expert witness in court cases involving accusations of cult indoctrination, and he controversially consulted with the FBI on the siege of the Branch Davidian Waco complex. Ross said he differentiates between benign and destructive cults, and he has concerns about SIF, which he called, "the fringe of the fringe."
"Objectively speaking, Butler has become a very powerful man in a fashion not unlike [the Unification Church's] Sun Myung Moon," Ross said in an interview with Meanwhile in Hawai'i. "Subjectively, some people consider him a psychopath."
Janice Wolf reported on Butler's early guru days in 1970.
Childhood and Sibling Rivalry
The son of a plantation doctor, Butler was born in Louisiana in 1948 and spent most of his childhood on Moloka'i and O'ahu islands. Though born Kris Butler (no middle name), he has often spelled his first name Chris. His father, the late Dr. Willis Butler, was well-known locally for his far-left political activism and his staunch opposition to U.S. involvement in foreign regime change wars, which he considered counterproductive. Dr. Butler was particularly concerned about U.S. funding of groups in Central America that he viewed as terrorists.
Childhood classmates and his older brother Kurt say Kris was an average student, a solid surfer, and a star Little League shortstop. He may have taken his first guru name (Sai Young) from professional baseball pitcher Cy Young. He told the Honolulu Advertiser in a 1977 interview that he got into a lot of trouble as a teenager and was expelled from Kailua High School. He attended Kalani High School for his junior and senior years, graduating in 1966.
Maui resident Kurt Butler says his younger brother Kris was "a playboy type" in high school, "very popular with the girls."
"Popular with the wahines," agreed an old Kalani High School classmate and current O'ahu resident, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. "I remember when Kris showed up, I lost my best buddy. She was just fascinated by him. She pretty much disappeared. Everything was suddenly all about Kris. He had these piercing eyes and this intense way of looking at you."
After high school, Kris Butler began classes at U.H. Manoa. He became deeply involved in the late-'60s psychedelic counterculture scene in Honolulu, heavily exploring hallucinogenic drugs (as documented in his 1970 booklet, Sai Speaks). He also explored yoga and meditation for a few years before he dropped out of college, started going by Sai Young, and declared himself a guru in his early 20s.
Kurt and Kris Butler have long been estranged, and Kurt says they are "philosophical polar opposites." Kurt said in an interview with Meanwhile in Hawai'i that he believes Kris rebelled against their non-religious, communist-minded father by embracing religious fundamentalism and right-wing politics. Kurt said he disagrees with his brother's portrayal of himself as a guru, and he expressed concern for his brother's followers.
"He is indoctrinating his followers into a life of know-nothingism and ignorance, while giving them the delusion that they know everything that really matters," Kurt Butler said of his brother.
Kurt also said his "biggest beef" with Kris - back when they still communicated - was Kris's staunch anti-science stance.
"He used to believe there is abundant life on the moon, because the scriptures say so," said Kurt. "Ergo, the U.S. moon landings must be a hoax. I don't know whether he still believes such nonsense."
Despite calling his organization "Science of Identity," Kris Butler has, in fact, delivered dozens of decidedly anti-science lectures. In one recorded lecture, he mocked Carl Sagan and science experiments. In another, he stated, "There is no evidence that life has ever been created from matter."
Though the lectures are from the 1980s and '90s, SIF still actively promotes them online.
SIF continues to promote Butler's anti-science lectures from the 1980s and '90s.
Early Guru Days
In 1970, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's movement to spread Western love for the Hindu deity Krishna was four years old and spreading quickly in Hawai'i; men in orange robes with shaved heads and tiny pony tails chanted "Hare Krishna, Hare Rama" on the streets of Waikiki; George Harrison released his ISKCON-inspired hit single, "My Sweet Lord"; Kris Butler was a self-proclaimed guru at 22; and Janice Wolf was a 23-year-old religion writer for The Honolulu Advertiser.
As Butler's following approached about 50 young adults living communally on Maui and O'ahu, he crossed Wolf's radar. She found Butler and his early devotees living in a Quonset hut in Sunset Beach, on O'ahu's North Shore. In her July 1970 article, Wolf called Butler the group's "dictator."
The headline read, "Absolute power over devotees … One man rules Haiku Krishnaites."
Wolf, who later became an attorney and the administrator of Hawai'i's courts, interviewed two of Butler's young, female followers. She reported that they told her they did whatever Butler instructed them to do, they did not ask why, and they said they would kill anyone who attacked Butler. Wolf also reported that Butler had arranged the marriage of an 18-year-old (coincidentally named Tulsi) to a man who did business for Butler on the mainland.
In response to Wolf's article, several Butler followers wrote letters to the Advertiser defending Butler and criticizing Wolf as close-minded and uptight.
In an interview with Meanwhile in Hawai'i, Wolf, now a children's rights attorney in Nevada, asked, "So is Kris Butler still around?"
When told Butler now claims thousands of disciples, including a Hawai'i State Senator and a U.S. Congresswoman, Wolf replied, "You're kidding me. I totally didn't see that coming."
Wolf said she recalls having "no preconceived notions" about Butler's group when an Advertiser editor assigned her to write about them in 1970. She said she "didn't expect to express negativity," but when writing the article, she "kept coming back to cult."
"He was very good looking and knew it," Wolf said of Butler. "Very charismatic, a chick magnet. All these young people just worshiped him. He was the center rather than the religion. I remember walking away thinking, 'There's something icky about this.'"
"I didn't see Butler as a spiritual person." Wolf added. "I saw him as living the good life with all this power and control. I never expected to hear he had thousands of followers. I guess I really underestimated that one, but I didn't see how they could support themselves."
As part of a 1977 exposé on Butler's involvement in politics, the Advertiser printed Kathy Hoshijo's campaign ads.
ISKCON Days
Two months after the Advertiser published Wolf's article, a reader who identified as "Mrs. Joseph Ryan" expressed further concern about Butler in a letter to the editor. Mrs. Ryan critically compared two talks she reported having attended – one by ISKCON founder Prabhupada, the other by Butler. Mrs. Ryan wrote that she enjoyed Prabhupada's talk and found him to be wise and well-versed in Sanskrit passages from the Bhagavad Gita. She wrote that a week later, she attended a Butler talk, where she reported encountering a group of teenagers - some she thought to be as young as 15. She described her attempt to discuss the Bhagavad Gita with Butler.
"Apparently, he hadn't read it," Mrs. Ryan wrote.
And, just two months after that, in November 1970, Prabhupada wrote a letter from Bombay to one of his disciples in Honolulu, named "Govinda dasi." Prabhupada discussed his fondness for Hawai'i, and he instructed Govinda dasi to widely circulate a letter about Butler.
"I authorize you to print them profusely and distribute to the public so that the misunderstanding created by [Butler] may be dissipated," wrote Prabhupada in the letter historically preserved at the Bhaktivedanta Archives in Sandy Ridge, NC.
It was a denouncement. The next month, Wolf reported that Butler's group was disbanding and joining ISKCON.
"The Swami recently wrote a public letter denouncing [Butler's group] and disclaiming any affiliation with them," Wolf reported in December 1970. Wolf also wrote that the event "marked the end of a growing rivalry between two Hare Krishna groups here."
Butler promptly renounced all of his disciples, gave a reported $28,800 to Prabhupada, and flew to California to join ISKCON's San Francisco temple. Wolf reported that at least 35 of Butler's early followers also joined ISKCON at the time, and they were sent to various cities around the world as ISKCON missionaries.
Soon after Butler joined ISKCON, Prabhupada encouraged him to recruit lost hippies.
"In your country there are so many confused young men and girls known as the hippies," Prabhupada wrote to Butler in 1971, "and if you work very steadfastly I am sure a tremendous advancement can be done in our missionary activities."
By 1972, Prabhupada and Butler's relationship was already on the rocks again, with Prabhupada accusing Butler of being "detrimental" to the "disciplic succession."
The Butler/ISKCON rivalry was apparently not yet over.
Other letters on file at the Bhaktivedanta Archives detail how Butler traveled to New Zealand and Australia during his time with ISKCON. In New Zealand, Butler began what would become a long-time business/spiritual partnership with David Muncie, aka Tusta Krishna das. Around this time, another New Zealander, Patrick Bowler, also began a close relationship with both Muncie and Butler. Bowler, aka Paramahamsa das, would later become SIF's primary financial supporter in the '80 and '90s. (Bowler would also, incidentally, get arrested in 1997 for running a major, decades-long international hashish smuggling ring.)
In 1973, Prabhupada wrote that Butler and an associate had stolen and sold ISKCON's Hawai'i temple and "went away with all the money without taking any permission from me." Prabhupada seemed equally upset by Butler's abandonment of "the beautiful Tulasi plants" at the temple.
This was "a great fall down on their parts," Prabhupada wrote of Butler and his associate in 1973. "It is actually a criminal act … anyone who follows them will also fall down without a doubt."
Later letters suggest Butler and his associates appeased Prabhupada financially.
"Whenever they see me they give me money," Prabhupada wrote in 1975. "So they are not against me. It is a natural thing for the brothers to fight."
On their side, Butler and his associates claimed threats were made against them from within ISKCON's leadership. Prabhupada dismissed the claims. The archived letters do, however, refer to ISKCON "strong men."
An early IGG document claimed the party was not funded by "a particular religious organization."
Independence and Political Organizing
By the mid-'70s, Butler was back to running his own guru show in Hawai'i. He and his followers began cultivating land on Kaua'i and the Big Island, creating impressive fruit and vegetable farms. Despite Prabhupada's multiple denouncements, Butler continued to expand and tighten his following in Hawai'i. To some, the ISKCON controversy only boosted Butler's reputation as a maverick guru, free of bureaucracy and stifling traditions. Others recall the mid-'70s rift between Butler and ISKCON becoming overly dramatic in Hawai'i, with each side harassing the other and taking paranoid measures to protect themselves.
Not long after Prabhupada's death in 1977, Butler's followers began calling him Prabhupada.
Also in 1977, Honolulu Advertiser investigative reporter Walter Wright was on Butler's trail. Through the course of his investigation, Wright began to see clearly what had eluded his Advertiser colleague Janice Wolf in 1970 - that Butler's group had staying power. While Wolf had certainly seen the intense hold that Butler had on his followers – a hold so strong they were willing to do anything for him - she never imagined they would organize and enter politics.
In a hard-hitting, three-part investigative series, Wright exposed Butler's close ties to a new political party called Independents for Godly Government (IGG). Wright uncovered how IGG candidates William Penaroza and Kathy Hoshijo were Butler disciples, as were the other IGG candidates. Although none of the IGG candidates won election that year, Wright was struck by the group's political ambitions.
"It is just the beginning," Wright reported of the Butler group's political movement in 1977.
Wright also wrote that the IGG party's significant connection to Butler had gone unreported during the 1976 election, because, "The news media didn't dig hard enough, and several candidates skillfully ducked and dodged the questions."
Regarding the IGG candidates' 1976 campaign finances, Wright reported that an unusually high percentage of the strikingly few people who had funded the campaigns were connected to a budding health food business called Down to Earth (the same store now owned by QI Group, covered in Part One.) Wright's campaign finance analysis also found that the legality of Hoshijo's campaign contributions fell in the "mathematically impossible" range.
"The Advertiser was no more successful this year than last in determining precisely where the major contributors to Hoshijo and IGG got their money," Wright reported.
Wright, now retired, recently discussed his 1977 reporting in an interview with Meanwhile in Hawai'i. He went straight to the mysterious finances.
"What struck me was the small, very tight, intricate network of business and politics," Wright said. "Almost all the money was coming from about 20 people."
Wright also recalled how, as a reporter, the Butler/IGG story felt, "so big and had so many tendrils," and he commented on the "worrisome cult aspect."
"And just soaring right out of that stuff now is Tulsi," Wright added.
When given copies of his investigative articles from 40 years ago, Wright read them and replied, "Damn I was good."
And he was.
Note: Neither Rep. Gabbard nor Butler responded to requests for interviews. Last week, Meanwhile in Hawai'i reviewed a letter purportedly written by a Washington, D.C., publicist hired by Rep. Gabbard. The letter is signed by Chris Cooper of The Potomac Square Group. It states that if Cooper has "anything to say about it, Tulsi will not cooperate with Ms. Gralow."
Cooper also claimed in the letter that Gralow "is not a reporter." The rather mysterious letter contained an odd number of grammatical and factual errors, yet Cooper emphasized his eleven years of experience with the Wall Street Journal. Gralow has taken the position that if Rep. Gabbard actually paid for this letter, she deserves a refund. Cooper was apparently trying to convince an editor at another news organization not to publish Gralow's work. Meanwhile in Hawai'i attempted to contact Cooper twice and received no response.
Meanwhile in Hawai'i continues to welcome all perspectives and has a policy of swiftly correcting and apologizing for any errors. Meanwhile in Hawai'i encourages readers to report typos or factual errors when found.
Mahalo for reading.
Butler's Web: Krishna, Politics, and QNET's International Pyramid Scheme
Local Politics July 31, 2014
Local news July 31, 2014
Christine Gralow
Christine Gralow holds Master's degrees in journalism and education. She studied at U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, where she won a Bloomberg Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting. She wrote about autism for a New York Times education blog. Since 2003, Christine has worked as a special educator. She decided to return to journalism part time after stumbling upon concerning activity in her community.


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Dolores Theresa Chabala
Dolores Theresa Chabala, 80, a longtime resident of Swoyersville, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
Born in Wyoming, Aug. 29, 1941, Dolores was one of three children born to the late Charles and Pauline Szura Cuba. She was a graduate of Wyoming High School, Class of 1959. Shortly after high school, she married the love of her life, Francis (Bip) Chabala, with whom she celebrated 59 wonderful years of marriage.
Dolores loved to work and spent numerous years working for Carl J. Schmitt and Associates, attorney Joseph Reisinger, Pugliese Family Eye Care and prior to her retirement, Dr. Frank Bucci Laser Vision. Throughout her years, she developed wonderful friendships that lasted her a lifetime and which she was so grateful for.
Dolores was a lover of academia and learning about anything she could. She always wanted to go to college, but didn't have the opportunity, so it was one of her greatest and proudest achievements to see her children and grandchildren graduate from high school and college.
King's College was a proud part of her existence and she dedicated many years as an active member of the Regina Mothers. Many will remember her at the annual Penny Auction calling out winners, or at the end, counting rolls of pennies and coins, making everyone laugh.
Dolores was a devout Catholic and an active member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Swoyersville. Her love and devotion to both of these areas in her life reflects that Dolores was a giver, through-and-through. Her life mantra was, "If you always give, you will always have," and she knew she was very blessed and loved.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Michael J. Barasha; sister, Maryann Barasha; and brother, Charles (Kaz) Cuba.
She is survived by her loving husband, Francis; son, Stephen Chabala and wife, Kara, Shavertown; son, Paul Chabala and wife, Beth, Shavertown; daughter, Linda Gramlich, Shavertown; four grandchildren, Zachary Chabala and wife, Maura, Albrightsville; Matthew Chabala, Scranton; Anya and Mia Gramlich, Shavertown; sister-in-law, Karen Cuba; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Thank you to the wonderful doctors and nurses in the CVICU at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Fresenius Kidney Care. Colleen and Walter at FKC were not only kind and compassionate to Dolores, but also made Bip's trip there enjoyable. We truly cannot thank you enough.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday from Bednarski Funeral Home, 168 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 116 Hughes St., Swoyersville. Interment will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery, West Wyoming. Family and friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Ann Seton Parish

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CEPET Model
New Mother's Project
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Jalapa Center for Education
Americas Association for the Care of Children
Empowering people through education, compassion and community building
AACC Partnership: Thuksel Early Childhood Learning Center
According to the United Nations' development program, 26.2% of Bhutan's population lives on less than $1.25 US per day and is one of the world's poorest and least developed countries. Around 30 percent of the people live below poverty line. Bhutan's economy is mostly based on agriculture, which together with livestock-keeping is the main source of livelihood for about 80 percent of the population. In the last ten years Bhutan has suffered from a drastic rural- to-urban migration, leaving the elderly alone on the agricultural land and families splitting apart as they live in different areas of Bhutan to find work. There is very little industrialized industry. Most of their products are made in local cottage production. Much of the consumer goods and essentials are imported from India (70 percent) and China. Hydroelectric power is Bhutan's largest export product, yet 70 percent of the population don't have electricity and depend on firewood for energy
Although Bhutan might be a financially poor country, it has rich cultural values. A political framework called Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life more holistically and psychologically than the material Gross National Product (GNP). The concept was introduced to the country and the world in 1972 by the fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchung. Instead of focusing on economic growth, the concept of Gross National Happiness is based on the assumption that society only grows when material and spiritual development go hand-in-hand.
Deborah Young giving the keynote address at the 2012 ISfTE conference at Paro College of Education.
AACC's executive director, Dr. Young, started her work in Bhutan while visiting during a sabbatical from Naropa University. She was invited back by the Vice Chancellor Pema Thinley to lead a three-year national research study on Gross National Happiness pedagogy. The following year, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to begin the research and lead 82 Bhutanese lecturers as co-researchers from the Royal University of Bhutan. During her time in Bhutan she consulted with Thuksel Early Childhood Learning Center providing training and curriculum development for the teachers. Dr. Young also worked with Karm Dorji, one of Paro's lecturers, in the Camp Rural-Urban Friendship Program, bringing children from the city to the rural areas of Bhutan and learning together.
Deborah Young holding class for lecturers from the Royal University of Bhutan during her Fulbright appointment in 2012.
Dr. Young also provided teacher training to lecturers at Royal University of Bhutan during her five- month stay as part of the research project and gave a keynote speech for the annual conference for the International Society for Teacher Education on the importance of teachers in holistic education.
Since then Doreen Trees, Vice President of the AACC Board of Directors, has volunteered her time with Thuksel Early Childhood Learning Center, continuing the development of the program and teachers. Douglas Johnson, former President of the AACC Board of Directors, received a Fulbright Scholarship in 2014, working with the Royal University of Bhutan and furthering relationships with the Camp Rural-Urban Friendship Program.
AACC's Non-Discrimination Policy
Americas Association for the Care of Children follows an equal opportunity employment policy that applies to all employees, volunteers, members, clients, and contractors without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, disability status, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. The coverage of this policy includes internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, delegation members, project participants, use of contractors and consultants, and dealings with the general public.
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White: The Restoration Trilogy Book One By Denise Weimer
I received this book from the author through Celebrate Lit Blogger Program for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.
As historic preservationist Jennifer and brooding bachelor Michael restore his ancestors' historic doctor's residence in a rural Georgia community, they uncover the 1920s-era prejudice and secrets that caused Michael's branch to fall off the family tree. Recent graduate Jennifer is determined to fulfill her first professional position with integrity even if her employer lacks a proper appreciation of history.
With the restoration of each building, Michael, Jennifer and a cast of endearing characters uncover three lessons of heart healing from three different centuries (WHITE, 1920; WIDOW, 1870; and WITCH, 1790) that they learn to apply to their own lives and community. Far more challenging—and sinister—than the social landscape of Hermon are the strange accidents hinting that someone doesn't want them on the Dunham property. Yet Michael's and Jennifer's own pasts pose the biggest obstacles to laying a fresh foundation of family and community. The Restoration Trilogy melds humor and heartache to show how only God, The Master Renovator, can heal our most broken places.
White is the first book of the Restoration Trilogy by Denise Weimer and it is great! This is the first book by Denise Weimer I have had the pleasure of reading and I am so glad I did. As a huge fan of Christian Historical Fiction, this book was right up my alley! Also the fact that it is set in Georgia, where my Dad is from, really piqued my interest. Denise Weimer writes with authority on Georgia now and in the past including the social hierarchy of the 1920's, historical preservation, medical profession, apothecary, and the architecture of the historical homes. I found myself unable to put this book down, from start to finish. The characters in this book are fantastically written. They are imperfect people with messy lives. I loved all the characters in this book, but my favorite would have to be, Stella. Stella is a wonderful woman who loves to help people. She is a motherly type who takes our main characters in her fold to help them recognize who they really are and the importance for them to lean on God for his help. She never gives up on people and holds the key to Michael and Jennifer's questions about the house they are restoring. I really enjoyed Denise Weimer's writing style and her ability to move between past and present seamlessly. She really integrated the past and present well and I liked how the past and present had different fonts. Denise Weimer also weaved fact and fiction together and taught me more about Georgia and the history. I really felt like I was there watching the events unfold. This book definitely has a little bit of everything in it, history, romance, and suspense. I loved the mystery behind the house, the town, and the characters. The Christian message in this book is wonderful and really made me think. I cannot say enough good about this book and this author. I CAN'T wait to read the rest of the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will NOT be disappointed. I give this book
Purchase your copy in paperback here or in ebook here
Guest Post from Denise Weimer
When I speak tobook clubs or people ask me why I started writing historical fiction, I tell them that as I grew up, my parents took me to numerous historical sites. I wondered who lived in an old house or town and what their lives were like. What treasures, what secrets, might I find if I could dig down to the bones of an old mansion? Myactive imagination kicked in, and I started scribbling stories in spiral bound notebooks. I knew from age eleven I wanted to be a writer, though for a time I considered historical preservation as a career. I found the perfect marriage of those desires in The Restoration Trilogy, my new series with Canterbury House Publishing.
The restoration my parents did on their own historic house and apothecary shop inspired White, Widow and Witch. While looking for a residence in a country community, Mom and Dad purchased a property they later learned belonged to a line of regionally famous doctors tracing back to Revolutionary War days. Watching them piece together stories from the past with the help of local historians nudged me to depart from the historical settings of my past novels (Redeeming Grace and The Georgia Gold Series) in favor of modern romantic suspense. Readers follow Jennifer Rushmore, a recent historic preservationgraduate, and Michael Johnson, a brooding bachelor who has inherited property from ancestors he knows little about, as they restore a doctor's house, apothecary shop and log cabin. During the restoration of each, they uncover a story from a different century (1920, 1870 and 1790) containing a lesson of "heart healing" they need to apply in the present.
Most of us have been through hardships in our lives that God would use to refine our characters or expose and heal pain from our pasts. Sometimes we're tempted to just slap another coat of paint over a crack or build a cheap façade over a weakness. God knows that full restoration takes effort, time and expense, so He never goesto work without our permission. However, He is the only one who can bring us to wholeness.
Jennifer accepts the assignment in the eclectic community of Hermon while waiting for her dreamjob in Savannah, never imagining God might have other plans. Country neighbors determined to become friends, a handsome but secretive employer with conflicting ideas about how to conduct the restoration, and strange accidents hinting that someone doesn't want them working on the property strip away Jennifer's personal defenses. She comes to learn that when a person is open to the work of the Master Renovator, one can find blessings in the unlikeliest of places.
When Jennifer Rushmore accepts a brooding bachelor'sjob offer to act as coordinator for the restoration of his family's historic doctor's house (White), apothecary (Widow) and log cabin (Witch) in a rural Georgia community, little does she know it's her own heart that will undergo the greatest renovation. Three stories. Three centuries. Three lessons on the healing of the heart. And one buried mystery that threatens their redemption. White: As historic preservationist Jennifer and brooding bachelor Michael restore his ancestors' historic doctor's residence in a rural Georgia community, they uncover the 1920s-era prejudice and secrets that caused Michael's branch to fall off the family tree. Recent graduate Jennifer is determined to fulfill her first professionalposition with integrity even if her employer lacks a proper appreciation of history. Far more challenging—and sinister—than the social landscape of Hermon are the strange accidents hinting that someone doesn't want them on the Dunham property. Yet Michael's and Jennifer's own pasts pose the biggest obstacles to laying a fresh foundation of family and community.
In addition to The Restoration Trilogy, native Georgian Denise Weimer is the author of numerous magazine articles about her home state, romantic novella Redeeming Grace, The Georgia Gold Series (Sautee Shadows, The Gray Divide, The Crimson Bloom, and Bright as Gold). Bright as Gold won the 2015 John Esten Cooke Award for authentic Southern literature. She holds a journalismdegree with a minor in history from Asbury University, is a wife and swim mom of two daughters, and always pauses for coffee, chocolate and old houses.
Giveway
In honor of the White Celebration Tour, Denise is giving away a print copy of WHITE: Book One of The Restoration Trilogy, a $15 Starbucks card to representing the coffee-loving modern heroine, and a vintage hat to represent the historical heroine.Click to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/96a4
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The Reluctant Duchess: Ladies of the Manor Book 2 By Roseanna M White
I received this book from the author and Celebrate Lit Blogging Team for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.
A Riveting Edwardian Series Set among Britain's High Society
Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough--not for her father, not for the man she thought she'd marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she's willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar.
Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when Rowena's father tries to trap Brice into marrying his daughter, Brice makes a surprising decision.
Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she's reluctant to marry a notorious flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she's about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.
The Reluctant Duchess is the second book in Roseanna M. White's series, The Ladies of the Manor, and it is FANTASTIC. As a huge fan of Christian Historical Fiction I had the honor of reading and reviewing the first book in this series, The Lost Heiress and I was hooked on this series. I could NOT pass up the opportunity to review The Reluctant Duchess, after how much I loved The Lost Heiress. Roseanna M. White writes with authority about England and Scotland during this era, social graces, hierarchy of the times, and legends of the time. I found myself hooked from the first page until the last one, wanting more! The characters are great and complex. The lines of hero and villain are not clear or always what we thought. I also enjoyed meeting new characters, but also learning about some old friends from The Lost Heiress. Even though this is the second book, The Reluctant Duchess can be read stand alone I feel. Roseanna M. White writing ensures that new readers aren't lost but "old" ones aren't bored by too much detail. One of the many things I have always enjoyed about her writing. I also loved feeling like I was there watching the events unfold. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will NOT be disappointed. I wait impatiently for the next book! I give this book 5 STARS.
Purchase your copy here. Will Fleeing the Scottish Highlands Only Leave Her in More Danger? Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she's never felt good enough–not for her father, not for the man she thought she'd marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she's willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping those threatening her life. Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, yet the last thing he needs is the distraction of the newly introduced Lady Rowena. He has enough on his plate having recently come into possession of a rare treasure for which many would kill, yet those around him seem intent on pairing him with this desperate but beguiling girl. Rowena is reluctant to marry this notorious flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she'll end up in more danger than she fled.
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. The Reluctant Duchess is Roseanna's eleventh published book. Her novels range from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.RoseannaMWhite.com
Guest Post from Roseanna White
Though I've written nearly thirty books, thirteen of which will be out by the end of 2016, there's something very special about the Ladies of the Manor Series. The first book, The Lost Heiress, is a rewrite of the first novel I ever wrote—at the age of 12-13. Once I finished that first novel, I made it my goal to keep adding more manuscripts to my "finished" file. I started in immediately on the sequel . . . and soon ran into a problem. You see, I knew who I wanted these characters to be. Brice Myerston, a duke, whom readers would have met in the first book. And a young lady from Scotland who had suffered abuse.
That's it. That's all I knew. And it stymied 13-year-old me, who hadn't a clue what it felt like to suffer such things, and whose imagination, while rich, just lacked a certain basis in the realities of human nature. Probably a good thing that I gave up on the story back then, and didn't dust it off again until my mid-20s, when I was reworking the series. And better still that Rowena had many more drafts to go through before she finally took to the printed page in The Reluctant Duchess.
I narrowed my setting down, during those years, to the Highlands, and I chose Loch Morar because of how perfectly the region of Lochaber suited the story I wanted to tell. Isolated. Stark. Rugged. Beautiful. Sometimes cruel. This was a land utterly perfect for my heroine's family, for her back story. Then came the challenge of picking a clan for her to belong to—because lemme just tell you, one could quite easily offend with such choices, if not portrayed properly, LOL. And because I wanted her father to be chief of her clan, I ran the risk of people mistaking him for the actual chief, if I chose an actual clan.
A writing friend came to rescue and offered her last name for my heroine: Kinnaird (pronounced "kin-AIRD"), which is a sept (branch) of another clan in reality, so had no chief of its own, but was still a well-established Scottish name. Perfect!
So Rowena Kinnaird was born after many years of her character floating in and around my head and computer screen. And I got to pair this backward, sometimes shy, sometimes stubborn Scottish lass with the charming, suave, polished English duke I'd had planned out since I was 13.
I went to great pains in The Lost Heiress to make Brice Myerston a favorite character, so that readers HAD to read his story. Mwa ha ha ha. 😉 So far, so good on that score! Brice is a hero who has his faults, but he also has character. He has faith. He has a good heart, he's considerate, he's understanding. And he's also so accustomed to charming everything female that he doesn't quite know what to do when Rowena doesn't seem inclined to be charmed.
There are clashes. There is tension. There's much healing on Rowena's part. Many trials for them both. But I hope that through this story of The Reluctant Duchess readers see what it means to triumph over past hurts. And how brightly God shines against the darkness.
April 12: Just Commonly
April 12: Book by Book
April 13: Books for Christian Girls
April 13: Melissa Wardwell
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April 15: Splashes of Joy
April 15: Blossoms and Blessings
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April 19: Simple Harvest Reads
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To celebrate the release of her book, Roseanna is giving away a few of Roseanna's favorite things. Click the link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e146afbf20/?
The Cairo Code By Glenn Meade
I received this book from Howard Books Blogger Program for no charge in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The international bestseller takes you on a fast-paced, nail-biting thrill ride from the Great Pyramids in Cairo, to behind the Nazi lines in Berlin, to the very seat of democracy as our hero tries to unravel a plot that could kill FDR and Winston Churchill.
To save the Western Allies, he must kill the woman he loves…
November 1943: Adolf Hitler sanctioned his most audacious mission ever—to kill US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill while they visit Cairo for a secret conference to plan the Allied invasion of Europe, an invasion which threatens imminent defeat for Germany.
Only one man is capable of leading the defiant Nazi mission—Major Johann Halder, one of the Abwehr's most brilliant and daring agents. He is a man with a tortured soul and a talent for the impossible. Accompanied by an expert undercover team and Rachael Stern, the young and beautiful Egyptologist, Halder must race against time across a hostile desert to reach Cairo and successfully complete the assignment, or else forfeit his life and the life of his son.
When US military intelligence hears about the plan, they assign Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Weaver, one of their best officers, to hunt down and eliminate Halder and his team. But for Weaver, as well as for Halder and Stern, there's more than the balance of war and the lives of the Allied leaders at stake—a pact of love and friendship will be tested in the frantic, high-stakes chase to the death.
Based on a real attempt to kill the President, The Cairo Code is a breathless, suspenseful thriller—a heart-wrenching tale of friendship, love, and treachery set against the exotic and intriguing backdrop of wartime Egypt.
The Cairo Code is the latest release of Glenn Meade and it is FANTASTIC. The Cairo Code had been previously titled The Sands of Sakkara. As a huge fan of Glenn Meade's books I was so excited to have the opportunity to read it. This book is a Christian Historical Fiction which my readers know is one of my favorite genres. Glenn Meade writes with authority about The world in the 1930's and 1940's, military intelligence for the United States, Egypt, England, and Germany, archeology, The Nazi Party, the concentration camps, and the attempt on the president's life. As a huge fan of Historical Fiction I have found myself drawn this part in history and I find myself learning so much every time I read one of these books. I found myself drawn into this book from the start and guessing until the end how things would work out. The characters in this book are awesome. They are very complex characters that aren't always what they seem. My favorite characters would have to be Rachel Stern, Major Johann Halder, and Lt Colonel Harry Weaver. They are very complicated characters in very interesting and hard situation in this book. The three of them are a love triangle and all three of them once friends on the same side, end up all on different sides of the war. Their love for one another definitely puts them all in very difficult situations and the interactions are fantastic. I love Glenn Meade's style of writing and I really felt like I was there on this adventure with our characters. The Cairo Code is a Christian Historical Thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction with high action, you will NOT be disappointed. I look forward to reading more of Glenn Meade's books. I give this book 5 STARS.
Back in the Saddle: Double S Ranch Book One By Ruth Logan Herne
I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The Prodigal Is Coming Home
It's been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray's Glen, Washington. He's broke, but not broken, and it's time to check in with his ailing father, and get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.
He doesn't expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there's more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye and he's determined to find out what she's hiding...and why.
Colt's return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick has been Sam's right-hand man at the ranch for years and isn't thrilled at having Colt insert himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch's contentious relationship with the citizens of Gray's Glen asks all the Stafford men to examine their hearts about what it truly means to be a neighbor. And as Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district's wealth and power—or finally the courage to stay in the saddle for good?
Back in the Saddle is the first book in Ruth Logan Herne's latest series, Double S Ranch and it is FANTASTIC. This is the first book from Ruth Logan Herne that I have had the pleasure of reading and I am so glad I did. I haven't read many Western style books but I am so glad I read this one. Ruth Logan Herne writes with authority about: all aspects of ranching, police work, stock market, Washington state, and medical things. I found myself drawn into this book from the start. The characters in this book are fantastic, they are real people with lives that are messy and not perfect. I enjoyed all of them especially Colt. Colt isn't perfect and he knows that. He comes home to do what he has to with his heart hard toward his family, especially his dad and I loved the transformation he goes through and the person he becomes because of the influence of others. As I read this book, I felt like I was there in Gray's Glen as the events unfolded. I loved the themes in this book especially forgiveness. The characters in this book not only needed to forgive others they really needed to forgive themselves for the past and their actions. In forgiving themselves and others they found their way back to their faith and that was a wonderful thing. I learned a lot from this book about ranching and I enjoyed it very much. It sparked some great things in me. I am so glad that I read this book. I have never really be a huge fan of western style books but Back in the Saddle and Ruth Logan Herne's writing really peaked something in me. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction and/or Western Fiction, you will not be disappointed. I have definitely found a new author to add to my favorite list and cannot wait to read the rest of this series. The next book, Home on the Range is due out in October so watch for it!! I give this book 5+ STARS.
Sit, Stay, Love: Love Unleashed Book One By Dana Mentink
Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you're ready for a lesson in love...Tippy style.
Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother's elderly dog, Tippy, he's quick to call on a pet-sitting service.
Gina isn't thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can't abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.
As Gina travels through Cal's world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too...
Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.
Sit, Stay, Love is the first book in Dana Mentink's latest series, Love Unleashed and it is FANTASTIC. This is the first book by Dana Mentink I have had the pleasure of reading and I am so glad I did! As a pet owner and animal lover this book really caught my attention, especially the cover. This book is great, a cute and funny book about an older dog, a cranky pro athlete, and a different dog walker who is typically a school teacher. I could NOT put this book down, from start to finish I was hooked. Dana Mentink writes with authority on dogs, all things baseball including Beep Ball, California, and forgiveness. I loved the fact that Beep Ball had its place in this book because I do know a special young man who has played Beep Ball for years. The cast of characters in this book are a great bunch. I found myself drawn to their love for one another and their faith in God. The interactions between them all made for a fun read but I have to say I loved Tippy. This geriatric dog is hilarious. She is definitely quirky and in the words of the characters in the book, "There's just something about Tippy." This book was a quick read but it definitely packed a lot in it. As much as this book was definitely funny it also had its serious parts. I found myself laughing in many, many parts, sad in others, and holding my breath in others wondering what will happen. The acts of forgiveness and love are a big part of this book and it truly spoke to my heart. This book was absolutely great for my heart, offering me some well needed laughs!! I personally have a heart for older animals and have adopted 2 "older" cats so Sit, Stay, Love really spoke to me. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction and/or are animal lovers, you will NOT be disappointed. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, Fetching Sweetness which will be out in July 2016. I give this book 5 STARS. Please check out Dana Mentink's blog and A Travels with Tippy Prize Pack Giveaway below!
What do you get when you add one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog? A lesson in love—Tippy style—in Dana Mentink's new book, Sit, Stay, Love. As Gina travels through Cal's world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too. . . .
Join Dana in celebrating the release of Sit, Stay, Love with a blog tour and a Travels with Tippy prize pack giveaway!
A copy of Sit, Stay, Love
A basket filled with Tippy-themed goodies
Travel-themed decorator box
Reading dog statue
Dog journal
Poems for Dog Lovers
Snuggle Paws fleece blanket from Animal Rescue Site
Pawprint scarf
Doxie desk pen
Pupmobile auto magnet
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on April 25th. The winner will be announced April 26th on Dana's blog.
Buckhead Dead: A Skye Southerland Cozy Mystery Book One By Deborah Malone
I received this book from Deborah Malone through Celebrate Lit Blogger Program for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Skye Southerland and Honey Truelove have just finished an interior design job for Sylvia Landmark, one of Buckhead's most eccentric characters, and their designs are to die for. After a celebration at Sylvia's home where they reveal the new décor, including a desk with a possible link to the pirate Blackbeard, Sylvia turns up dead, leaving the ladies wondering if this desk is worth more than they bargained for. Skye and Honey are now suspects in the murder of a woman who had few friends, and plenty of possible enemies. In an attempt to clear their names, Skye, Honey, and Honey's lovable cousin Ginger embark on a journey to find the real killer, figure out the history behind the desk, and clear their names before they end up going to jail, or even worse, becoming the next victims! With plenty of warnings from Skye's husband Mitch, and the ruggedly handsome Detective Montaine assigned to Sylvia's case, these girls still manage to get right in the middle of the investigation, while having time to enjoy all that Georgia has to offer.
Buckhead Dead is the first book in Deborah Malone's latest series, The Skye Southerland Cozy Mystery Series and it was great. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of Deborah Malone's books but I am glad to have found a new author to read. This book is well written and researched. Deborah Malone writes with authority on: All things Georgia including the streets, restaurants, and suburbs. Also about antiques, decorating, police procedures, Martinique, and traveling. This book is a fun read that definitely kept my interest and wasn't easy to put down. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Skye, Honey, and Ginger. They are definitely a great group of friends who lift each other up, share their faith with one another to help through their struggles, and would do anything for each other. They are also HILARIOUS. I loved their interactions, they definitely are comic relief! I definitely found myself laughing in many places and holding my breath in others, wondering what will happen next. Buckhead Dead has a little bit of everything thing it including: comedy, mystery, action, and romance. This book kept me my interest from start to finish and kept me guessing until the end. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Mystery Fiction, you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for the next books in this series!! I give this book 4 STARS.
at April 09, 2016 2 comments:
The Lost Heiress:Ladies of the Manor Book 1 By Roseanna M. White
I received this book from the author, Roseanna M. White, for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinion expressed here are my own.
Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. Though raised in the palace of Monaco, she's British by birth and was brought to the Grimaldis under suspicious circumstances as a babe. When Brook's friend Justin uncovers the fact that Brook is likely a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea to the estate of her supposed family.
The mystery of her mother's death haunts her, and though her father is quick to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park are not. Only when Brook's life is threatened do they draw close—but their loyalty may come too late to save Brook from the same threat that led to tragedy for her mother.
As heir to a dukedom, Justin is no stranger to balancing responsibilities. When the matters of his estate force him far from Brook, the distance between them reveals that what began as friendship has grown into something much more. But how can their very different loyalties and responsibilities ever come together?
And then, for a second time, the heiress of Whitby Park is stolen away because of the very rare treasure in her possession—and this time only the servants of Whitby can save her.
The Lost Heiress is the first book in Roseanna White's latest series, The Ladies of the Manor, and all I can say is, WOW! As a huge fan of Christian Historical Fiction and Roseanna White's writing I was so excited to be a part of her team to promote her book. Roseanna White writes with authority about The Grimaldi's history, the world during this time 1910 especially in England and Monaco, hierarchy during this time, social graces, and horse training. I COULD NOT put this book down. The mystery and action kept me wanting to know more. I absolutely loved this characters that Roseanna White created in this book, especially because the good guys and the villains were not clear. I especially loved Brook and her father, The Earl of Whitby. Their interactions were fantastic and in many places humorous and their sense of adventure was fantastic. Brook may not have grown up with him but they are so much alike and their faith was truly unshakable and so similar. I found myself laughing out loud in places of this book, tearing up in others, and scared in others. This book truly had a little bit of everything including romance, mystery, drama, comedy, and action. I loved the history in this book. Roseanna White interweaves fact and fiction so well and was definitely well researched. I found myself wanting to to learn more. I really couldn't put it down and found myself picking it up anytime I found a minute and I really did NOT want to put it down and was sad when it ended because I definitely wanted more. As a Christian Fiction book I did find the deep faith of a lot of the characters and the bible verses very inspiring. I truly enjoyed this book and I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will NOT be disappointed. I cannot wait to start the next book in this series, The Reluctant Duchess. I give this book 5+ STARS.
The Imposter: The Bishop's Family Book One By Suzanne Woods Fisher
I received this book from the author through The Celebrate Lit Blogging Program for no charge in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Katrina Stoltzfus thought she had life and love all figured out: she was going to marry John and live happily ever after. Those plans started to crumble when her father moved the family to Stoney Ridge, then completely collapsed when John decided to marry someone else. Katrina is devastated. How could she have felt so loved, yet been so deceived?
As she struggles to face a future without him, a widow asks for her help to start a new business and Katrina quickly agrees. She needs time to heal her broken heart, to untangle her messy life, to find a purpose. What she doesn't need is attention from Andy Miller, a farm hand who arrives at the widow's farm just when help is most needed--and who always seems to say the right thing, and be in the right place, at the right time. Is Andy
for real, or too good to be true? Deceived once before, Katrina is determined to keep her feelings in check.
When a cascade of events is set in motion by some surprising information, the little Amish church is turned upside down. Soon, everyone has a stake in the outcome, and the community struggles to find the best response to an imposter in their midst. Can they forgive even the most deceitful deeds?
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher introduces her loyal fans to a brand-new series set in their favorite town--Stoney Ridge. As always, Fisher delivers endearing characters and plot twists that keep readers turning page after page after page.
The Imposter is the first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest series, The Bishop's Family and it is fantastic. As a HUGE fan of Amish Fiction and Suzanne Woods Fisher's books I couldn't pass up reading this book. Suzanne Woods Fisher writes with authority about the Amish, their communities, and their faith. Suzanne Woods Fisher has written a few series based in Stoney Ridge and so I was excited to go back there in this new series to meet new characters and to catch up with old friends from the other books. The Imposter picks up where The Inn at Eagle Hill series leaves off but readers can definitely pick up this new series without reading the other books and not be lost. That is one of the many things I love about Suzanne Woods Fisher's writing, as a new reader you do not feel lost by not reading the series before and as an "old" reader the details don't leave you bored. I loved the new characters in this book especially Birdy Glick. Birdy seems to be a timid woman who is consider weird. She is also the bishop's sister and he definitely forces her into uncomfortable situations like teaching but when it comes to doing the right thing, she does what she feels God is leading her to do, not her fear of her brothers. Birdy is a great character, I loved her sense of humor, her ability to find the positives in all situations, and the fact that no matter what the situation she is in she does the right thing. All the characters in this book are real characters who have lives that are not perfect. These characters make it clear that the Amish don't live perfect lives and they struggle just as much as everyone else. I love Suzanne Woods Fisher's style of writing, I really felt like I was back at Stoney Ridge watching events unfold. From start to finish this book was not easy to put down and I found myself completely immersed in this world. I definitely found myself chuckling in parts and in others tearing up. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Amish Fiction, you will not be disappointed!! I am impatiently waiting for Book Two, The Quieting which will be out in May. I give this book 5 STARS.
at April 02, 2016 1 comment:
White: The Restoration Trilogy Book One By Denise ...
The Reluctant Duchess: Ladies of the Manor Book 2 ...
Back in the Saddle: Double S Ranch Book One By Rut...
Sit, Stay, Love: Love Unleashed Book One By Dana M...
Buckhead Dead: A Skye Southerland Cozy Mystery Boo...
The Lost Heiress:Ladies of the Manor Book 1 By Ros...
The Imposter: The Bishop's Family Book One By Suza...


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Tag: Great Gatsby
Long Island Haunts: 13 Creepiest Haunted Places On Long Island
Tristram Fox - October 28, 2016
Originally the ancestral home of Native Americans and later settled by Europeans during the 1600s, Long Island is rich in history and loaded with folklore, myths and urban legends. From ancient Native American burial grounds to remnants of the Revolutionary War to Gatsby-era mansion estates, Long Island is hallowed ground—the stage for countless triumphs and tragedies throughout the centuries.
Do This: Long Island Events September 25-October 1
Long Island Press - September 25, 2014
Funnyman Lewis Black, funk rockers Clutch, Long Beach Irish Fest and rockabilly songstress Imelda May!
'Great Gatsby' Book Sales Soar as Film Debut Nears
Rashed Mian - May 3, 2013
"This is a perennial bestseller without the movie attention, but the attention has helped sales significantly."


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Guitarists and Bands , The Undiscovered
Pursuing His First Love
A music industry veteran, guitarist Matthew Von Doran has done just about everything to make a living. But now, with the release of his CD, In This Present Moment, he has taken some giant steps towards spending the bulk of his time as a performing and recording jazz artist. With a lifetime of guitar playing under his belt, you might imagine his playing to be tight, his chops fluent, and his solo explorations motivic, ambitious and soulful - and you'd be right on all three counts. In This Present Moment features ten instrumental tracks in the jazz and jazz/fusion vein, and showcase the work of additional musicians such as bassist Jimmy Haslip (who also produced the CD), keyboardist Larry Goldings and drummer Peter Erskine, among others. This is a well-recorded, excellently performed CD that is highly recommended to fans of jazz and smooth jazz alike.
Born in Germany in 1960, Matthew grew up in Washington D.C., and Canada before the family finally settled in the Manhattan Beach area of Los Angeles County. He began playing guitar at age 15 and by the time he got to college, in 1978, he started checking out jazz. Matthew eventually enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in 1980 and remained there for a year. Through the '80s, he made a living playing guitar in strictly non-jazz settings while still maintaining his love of jazz. In 1986, Matthew joined the Don Miller big band, which offered him an outlet for playing jazz while also providing him with a steady source of income for the next 16 years.
A few years ago, Von Doran began playing in a fusion cover band called New Trio of Doom (a sly insider reference to the Jaco Pastorius-John McLaughlin-Tony Williams Trio of Doom from the late '70s). He changed the name of the group to the Matthew Von Doran Trio a year ago and has been pursuing a career as a jazz artist ever since.
Michael Bloom Media Relations
E-mail: musicpr@earthlink.net
Web site: www.matthewvondoran.com


Wide Range of Metrics are utilized in Veins simulator.
Fully detailed models of IEEE 802.11p.
IEEE 1609.4 DSRC/WAVE network layers.
Uses a TCP Connection and Python Scripts to enable SUMO whicj act as a mobility model in omnet++ simulation.
Nodes can be freely interacted with the running road traffic simulation.
Veins offers a comprehensive suite of IVC-specific models which serve as a modular framework for simulating applications.
Network simulation is performed by omnet++ along with the physical layer modeling.
Both simulators are bi-directionally vechiles can be coupled.
Simulations are performed on the basis of domain specific models for vehicular networking.
WDM deployment in the local exchange network.
Optical networking trends and evolution.
Performance of probabilistic caching and cache replacement policies for Content-Centric Networks.
Green Networking With Packet Processing Engines: Modeling and Optimization.
Why we still don't know how to simulate networks.
A compound document framework for multimedia networking.
Information Centric Networks for Parallel Processing in the Datacenter.
Ethics in Social Networking: A Framework for Evaluating Online Information Disclosure.
Structure of Dictionary Entries of Bangla morphemes for morphological rule generation for Universal Networking Language.
Integrated Wireless Networking Architecture for Maritime Communications.
Criticality of large delay tolerant networks via directed continuum percolation in space-time.
Differentiated services provision in a converged DVB/IP networking environment.
Motivation – networking – cooperation the Cisco Networking Academy Program from Hungary.
Improved Multi-Path AODV Protocols for Real-Time Video Transport over Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.
Message management in home networking based on XML.
Software defined radio wideband networking QoS test bed.
Cisco Networking Academy Learning Technologies Integration into the National Academic Standardised Study Programme.
IEEE Veins Omnet++ Simulation Projects.
IEEE Standard Environmental and Testing Requirements for Communications Networking Devices Installed in Electric Power Substations – Redline.
Signs of recovery in the optical networking arena.
Next-Generation Applications on Cellular Networks: Trends, Challenges, and SolutionsOn the applicability of Architecture Description Languages to future internet networking environments.
Multimedia communication and its impact on photonic networking.
Using web-based and social networking technologies to disseminate coastal hazard mitigation information within the Pacific Northwest component of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
Stumbl: Using Facebook to collect rich datasets for opportunistic networking research.


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Aleppo, an Ancient City Now Destroyed by Modern War
By Interesting Engineering
You might have heard about Aleppo in news reports describing how this Syrian city has been steadily destroyed by war over the last few years. For the city's inhabitants, this is tragic. It is, however, a massive loss to the rest of the world, too, because this ancient city played an important role in the history of science and culture.
Aleppo is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Covered with olive, pomegranate, and pistachio trees, it has had an important role in science, music and the arts since it was built in the 3rd Millennium BC.
[Image Source: Pixabay]
Aleppo: source of hard soap
Pistachios are widely associated with Aleppo but it also is known for its hard soaps, called Aleppo or Halep soaps. The soaps were made from local olive and laurel and were famous for being healthy and organic.Before it was heavily damaged in Syria's war, Aleppo had the best preserved covered bazaars in the Middle East. These extended for miles through narrow, labyrinthine streets.
Because Aleppo was one of the main stops on the Silk Road, vendors would set up in the bazaars. They were grouped by trade and you could find Aleppo soaps, leather, sesame, spices, pistachios, silk, desserts and more.
Lost history and architecture of Aleppo
Aleppo, a.k.a. Halep, takes its name from a local white limestone called 'kayshani', with which the city was built. Hundreds of settlements located in the Jabal Halaqa and Mount Simeon (Jabal Semaan) regions in the western suburbs of Aleppo were also built with the local limestone.
[Image Source: Flickr]
Lost Architecture of Aleppo
The city was shaped around a medieval citadel, which looks like an acropolis, on a partly man-made hill about 40 m high. It was an intellectual center and a center of traditional Arab architecture, poetry, cuisine, music and handicrafts. Aleppo's archaeological museum displayed impressive ancient artifacts found in northern Syria at several significant archaeological sites.
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
Aleppo contains several types of 13th and 14th century buildings, such as caravanserais, khans, madrasas and hammams. Before the war, these, along with religious buildings and the citadel, were considered to be among the best-preserved examples of medieval Islamic architecture. Having stood for centuries, many of they are now in ruins.
Aleppo's architecture was a mosaic resulting from its historical heritage, which encompassed different nationalities and beliefs. Churches, mosques and synagogues in many different architectural styles graced the streets alongside baroque, Norman, Neo-classic, Oriental and even Chinese styles.
The largest covered souq-market in the world
With an approximate length of 13 km, Souq al-Madina was an active trading center for imported luxury goods, such as spices and dyes from India, raw silk from Iran, and coffee from Damascus. It was also a place to buy to local agricultural products, wool and Aleppo soap.
UNESCO recognition
Aleppo's Old Town, with its cultural and architectural beauty, was given UNESCO World Heritage site status in 1986. Later, in 2011, the western suburbs called Dead Cities were also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name of "Ancient Villages of Northern Syria".
Now, there is almost nothing left behind of this gorgeous city. Watch the video below to see what war has done to Aleppo.
Source : Britannica
Written by Tamar Melike Tegün
5 Interesting Facts About Louis Kahn's National Assembly of Bangladesh
Aristotle's Ideas Laid the Foundation for Evidence-Based Medicine
Trevor English
Space Archaeology and Remote Sensing Are Revolutionizing Archaeology
Deep in the Arizona Desert Lies an Unfinished City of the Future That Time Forgot
Loukia Papadopoulos
Defense & Military


Very vivid imagery – it has stayed with me. The simplicity is enviably deceptive.
An evening of poetry and beer-tasting to celebrate the launch of Parthian Baltic, a series of books showcasing the best writing from Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.
Featuring readings from Madara Gruntmane, Eduards Aivars & Krišjānis Zeļģis (Latvia – photos below), Eeva Park & Veronika Kivisilla (Estonia), Aušra Kaziliūnaitė, Marius Burokas & Giedrė Kazlauskaitė (Lithuania), and translations and discussion from Jayde Will, Rimas Uzgiris, Richard O'Brien & Adam Cullen.
European poetry is going through a remarkable renaissance in avant-garde and innovative practise. A series of poets explore the possibilities of performance, aliveness, space, time and sound. This event is a unique opportunity to witness first-hand the possibilities of an old art in a new century. Sergejs Timofejevs, one of the founders of The Orbita Group is also performing.


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Q: To indirectly and politely ask about something "I wanted to" vs "I would like to" When asking someone for some information indirectly which one is preferable?
"I wanted to" e.g. "I wanted to ask your advice on ..."
"I would like to" e.g. "I would like to ask about your advice on..."

A: In my mind, I barely hear any difference between your two options.  The use of past-tense "wanted" over present tense "want" in the first example could be debated.  However, I feel the most polite way to express this would be "May I ask your advice on ..."
There are some pedantic types out there that would say that all of these are too passive: you are asking permission to ask (i.e. "May I ask you a question?"  "You just did.")
A more assertive statement might be, "If you don't mind my asking, what is your advice on..."

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