Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan. Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff's edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it's this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it's that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics--the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast's work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning--from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Rael, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast's founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.

Much has been written about the group of 14th-century warrior monks known as the Knights Templar. Some authors, such as Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, portray them as folk heroes wrongly accused. Others disagree, saying the Templar story is ultimately one of greed, deception, and idolatry. Just who were the Knights Templar? And what is their legacy? In The Templar Papers, historian Oddvar Olsen has assembled a veritable Who's Who of experts to unravel the mystery. Instead of rehashing previous scholarship, this book delves into new aspects of Templar lore, such as the origins of the order an its supposed survival after 1314. The Templar Papers offers the inquisitive reader several lifetimes of research and insight. This is a distinctive and truly unique compilation that will stimulate your mind and settle the controversy.

Behaving in the workplace with courtesy and respect is an essential element in the corporate world. To ensure proper etiquette, office manners must be observed at all times. Most of these conducts were introduced to us while we were still young. Still some of the things always need a reminder. Written by the well known author, psychotherapist and counsellor, Seema Gupta, this book is a complete guide on the correct manners and etiquette that a person should practice at all times, especially at workplace to develop an appealing personality. What should be the dress code and posture, his language, his way of greeting people, his conduct while working with his colleagues in office or at home, telephone manners, written communication, etc., all these and many more have been discussed by the author. By reading this book, you can learn the elements of polished mannerisms and etiquette that can impress people instantly and help you become a winner in whichever field you are in.! This book is a must for all those who aim to make it big in their lives and win everyone's heart.

During the summer of 1924, everyone was obsessed with Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, the two wealthy, brilliant, lovers who had brutally murdered a boy with a chisel just for the "thrill." Between the charm and accessibility of the dashing teenage defendants, their "deviant" sexual appetites, and the 1920s' culture wars over the generational shift in acceptable morality, it is no wonder it was labeled the trial of the century. 100 years after the murder, this groundbreaking new biography reveals the motivations behind Bobby's death and the secret life of one of his killers. Pulling on previously unseen archival collections from across the country, Arrested Adolescence looks at the full life of Nathan Leopold to discover the secrets hidden from history.

We are here to remember what happened and to declare solemnly that ‘they’ must never do it again. But who are ‘they’?

HOW TO SPOT A FASCIST is a selection of three thought-provoking essays on freedom and fascism, censorship and tolerance – including Eco’s iconic essay ‘Ur-Fascism’, which lists the fourteen essential characteristics of fascism, and draws on his own personal experiences growing up in the shadow of Mussolini.

Umberto Eco remains one of the greatest writers and cultural commentators of the last century. In these pertinent pieces, he warns against prejudice and abuses of power and proves a wise and insightful guide for our times.

If we strive to learn from our collective history and come together in challenging times, we can hope for a peaceful and tolerant future.

Freedom and liberation are never-ending tasks. Let this be our motto: ‘Do not forget.’

Humans are unique in their ability to create systematic accounts of the world - theories based on guiding cosmological principles. This book is about the role of cognition in creating cosmologies, and explores this through the ethnography and history of Yijing divination in China. Diviners explain the cosmos in terms of a single substance, qi, unfolding across scales of increasing complexity to create natural phenomena and human experience. Combined with an understanding of human cognition, it shows how this conception of scale offers a new way for anthropologists and other social scientists to think about cosmology, comparison and cultural difference.

The Secrets of Life series is written for everyone who, frankly, needs a spot of cheering up, and will provide conversation starters for years after reading! O'Connor's easy- going, conversational style brings an outsider's questioning eye to the great forces behind life. The first book in the four-part series contends that if we set received wisdom to one side and really dig into the facts, there are actually very few 'secrets' in life. Instead, suggesting it's possible to see that from the split second of Big Bang, right up to our present attempts to make the world a better place, everything that's alive has been trying to find strategies to survive the iron Laws of Thermodynamics, to work together to make more from less, and to overcome the constant threat of destructive, entropic forces. How Did Life End Up With Us? delves into explanations as to the reasons behind why cooperation is the strongest force in life, and why altruism is the proof for the 'gene-based theory of evolution'. O'Connor reveals that from the point that life first sparked off some 3.8 billion years ago, every living thing has descended from the original cell by taking blind mutational and genetic 'decisions'. Through The Secrets of Life series, aimed at general readers like himself, O'Connor recognises that life may appear as an endless and violent conflict, yet under the obvious requirement to take one another's energy, there's always been a deeper current that's driving living things to higher and higher levels of cooperation. In other words, the future isn't quite as bleak as you may believe! Example questions posed (and answered) in Book One - How Did Life End Up With Us? Why are mutations like a gambling scam? And why, if DNA is just a bunch of chemical elements, does it behave like a sophisticated hedge fund manager? If DNA is so brilliant at replicating things, then why does the reproduction process make so many mistakes? Why does everything have to die? How were the Beatles witnesses to one of the great scientific breakthroughs? Is natural selection enough to explain evolution?

As the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) spread around the world, so did theories, stories, and conspiracy beliefs about it. These theories infected communities from the halls of Congress to Facebook groups, spreading quickly in newspapers, on various social media and between friends. They spurred debate about the origins, treatment options and responses to the virus, creating distrust towards public health workers and suspicion of vaccines. This book examines the most popular Covid-19 theories, connecting current conspiracy beliefs to long-standing fears and urban legends. By examining the vehicles and mechanisms of Covid-19 conspiracy, readers can better understand how theories spread and how to respond to misinformation.

Vampires and Vampirism (1914) is a work from another era, a time when belief and wonder led some to travel down pathways of knowledge in search of truth and terror, not knowing what they would find. Written in response to an "awakened [popular] interest in supernormal phenomena" in the early twentieth century, Dudley Wright's Vampires and Vampirism traces the history of vampirism around the world, from ancient Babylonia, Assyria, and Greece, to Great Britain, Germany, and Eastern Europe. Beginning with the question "What is a vampire?", Wright seeks to first define the term before moving into an analysis of how belief in vampirism emerged from various and distant religious and cultural traditions. Each chapter uses a scholarly mix of ancient and modern sources to enlighten the reader, and the book culminates in a chapter titled "Fact or Fiction?", which allows the reader to hear from believers and skeptics alike. The book includes harrowing personal accounts of outbreaks of vampirism in British India and Mexico, as well as a lengthy bibliography. In a world where matters of occult nature, such as astrology, have reentered the popular consciousness, Vampires and Vampirism is sure to be of interest. It is also a fascinating document of a time when Europeans-faced with spiritual doubt and inspired by religious traditions and myths from the outer reaches of empire-sought to establish new systems of belief, new orders they hoped could replace those they feared were quickly becoming lost. At times despicable, and always controversial, Dudley Wright was a tireless searcher whose life included conversions to Islam and Catholicism, forays into anti-Semitism-later retracted-and a deep, spiritual involvement with organizations dedicated to matters both visible and invisible, true and beyond belief. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of Dudley Wright's Vampires and Vampirism is a classic of history and horror reimagined for modern readers.

Where did the Coronavirus outbreak originate and was the pandemic predicted? Did aliens help to build the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza, and what were they trying to tell us? Is the food industry colluding to make us addicted to sugar? Prepare yourself for some startling revelations on these topics and many more in this updated and expanded compendium of the world's scariest and strangest conspiracy theories. Leaving no stone unturned, it delves into such conundrums as: the growing number of people who believe the Earth is flat the unsolved disappearance of Flight MH370 the uncertainties surrounding the assassination of Osama Bin Laden the mysterious circumstances of Bruce Lee's death Whether you're a doubter or a self-confessed conspiracy junkie, you'll find a cover-up for every occasion. And remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you...

Written by Peter Moon and Radu Cinamar, a highly placed Romanian intelligence operative, this book heralds the most remarkable archaeological find in the annals of Mankind. Unbeknownst to most, there is an ancient sphinx located in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania. In 2003, the Pentagon discovered, through the use of satellite technology, an anomaly beneath this ancient sphinx. Through the highest levels of Freemasonry, the Pentagon was able to secure an alliance with the most secret department of the Romanian Intelligence Service which is known as Department Zero. Together, the Romanians and the Americans utilised the Pentagon's secret technology to penetrate a hidden chamber beneath the sphinx which was otherwise inaccessible to humans. What was discovered eventually was a holographic Hall of Records left by an advanced civilisation near three mysterious tunnels leading into the Inner Earth. The book chronicles the discovery of these modern day artefacts which represent the dawn of a new era for Mankind. Peter Moon is brought into the fold through his friend, Dr David Anderson, the mysterious scientist who founded the Time Travel Research Center on Long Island and also maintains a similar facility in Romania. Recognising that such satellite technology would had to have utilised Dr Anderson's proprietary space-time technology for maintaining satellites in orbit, Peter Moon pursues these matters further and accepts Dr Anderson's invitation to Romania where he visits the Romanian Sphinx and learns of a mysterious association between the mysterious time travel scientist and Radu Cinamar.

Concise introduction to the development of conspiracy theories during the pandemic. Takes a balanced approach drawing on empirical data and social science research rather than sensationalism. Seeks to understand rather than just condemn or mock conspiracy theorists.

Concise introduction to the development of conspiracy theories during the pandemic. Takes a balanced approach drawing on empirical data and social science research rather than sensationalism. Seeks to understand rather than just condemn or mock conspiracy theorists.

P.T. Barnum: An Account of humbugs, delusions, impositions, quackeries, deceits and deceivers generally, in all ages, written by the famous expert in the field - P.T. Barnum. Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 - April 7, 1891) was an American showman remembered for hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum never flinched from his stated goal "to put money in his own coffers." He was a businessman, his profession was entertainment, and he was perhaps the first "show business" millionaire. He never said "There's a sucker born every minute" but his rebuttal to critics was often "I am a showman by profession...and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me."

National panics about crime, immigrants, police, and societal degradation have been pervasive in the United States of the 21st century. Many of these fears begin as mere phantom fears, but are systematically amplified by social media, news media, bad actors and even well-intentioned activists. There are numerous challenges facing the U.S., but Americans must sort through which fears are legitimate threats and which are amplified exaggerations. This book examines the role of fear in national panics and addresses why many Americans believe the country is in horrible shape and will continue to deteriorate (despite contradictory evidence). Political polarization, racism, sexism, economic inequality, and other social issues are examined. Combining media literacy, folklore, investigative journalism, psychology, neuroscience, and critical thinking approaches, this book reveals the powerful role that fear plays in clouding perceptions about the U.S. It not only records the repercussions of this toxic phenomenon, but also offers evidence-based solutions.

Why did the ancients align their monuments so precisely with the stars? What were the practical and symbolic reasons behind these mysterious configurations? From the author of "The Orion Mystery," the best-selling book that introduced the revolutionary star-correlation theory about the Giza pyramids, "The Egypt Code" reveals an amazing Grand Unified Plan behind the legendary temples of upper Egypt.

Robert Bauval, one of the world's most prominent and controversial Egyptologists, completes his groundbreaking investigation of astronomy as related to Egyptian monuments and related religious texts. "The Egypt Code" revisits the Pyramid Age and the Old Kingdom, proposing a vast sky-ground correlation for the Memphite-Heliopolis region, and presenting the possibility of a grand plan spanning three thousand years of Pharaonic civilization and involving pyramids and major temple sites along the Nile.

The central idea of the book is that the cosmic order, which the ancients referred to as "Maat," was comprised of the observable cycles of the sun and stars, in particular the star Sirius, and that the changes that took place due to the precession of the equinoxes and the so-called Sothic Cycle are reflected in the orientation and location of religious sites.

Born in Egypt and having lived there and elsewhere in the Middle East for much of his life, Robert Bauval has published several papers linking the pyramids with astronomy, and his findings have been presented at the British Museum. He has also written three books with best-selling author Graham Hancock ("Message of the Sphinx," "Talisman," and "The Mars Mystery").