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For once, a book which really lives up to its title. Hall self-published this massive tome in 1928, consisting of about 200 legal-sized pages in 8 point type; it is literally his magnum opus. Each of the nearly 50 chapters is so dense with information that it is the equivalent of an entire short book. If you read this book in its entirety you will be in a good position to dive into subjects such as the Qabbala, Alchemy, Tarot, Ceremonial Magic, Neo-Platonic Philosophy, Mystery Religions, and the theory of Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Although there are some questionable and controversial parts of the book, such as the outdated material on Islam, the portion on the Bacon-Shakespeare hypothesis, and Hall’s conspiracy theory of history as driven by an elite cabal of roving immortals, they are far out-weighed by the comprehensive information here on other subjects.
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“I don’t think you’d feel very much,” says one physicist. Instant death, insists another. One suggests it would feel like 100 billion “pin pricks,” which doesn’t sound fun. How exactly would it feel to have the force of “an aircraft carrier moving at 11 knots” condensed into the size of a sub-atomic particle running through your hand? No one knows, it seems, and no one wants to find out.
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As Arndt explains, the infrequent smokers may have been responding to thoughts of death by trying to reduce their own vulnerability. But students who were heavy smokers reacted to thoughts of death by taking even harder drags on their cigarettes. Arndt suggests they might have been subconsciously attempting to dispel a negative mood with an enjoyable activity. Although the reason is unclear, the finding suggests that the psychology involved in smoking and thinking about death is more complicated than previously assumed. Therefore, graphic warning labels on cigarettes might not have the intended effect on everyone who sees them.
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News that George Lucas is re-releasing his Star Wars franchise in 3-D has created a schism within one of the world’s most passionate fan communities. Starting in 2012 with “Episode 1, The Phantom Menace,” Lucas will release a Star Wars film in 3D every year ending with “Return of the Jedi.” The reaction from diehards has been both swift and diverse.
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A man died after downing a pint of vodka in four seconds, an inquest heard. Richard Davies, 29, from Thornaby, near Stockton, had been drinking with friends before the alcohol knocked him unconscious in January. Mr Davies was found not breathing in a pool of his own blood, and died hours later.
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‘Thanks to Reggie (that’s Obama’s personal aide), my rap palate has greatly improved. Jay-Z used to be sort of what predominated, but now I’ve got a little Nas and a little Lil Wayne and some other stuff, but I would not claim to be an expert. Malia and Sasha are now getting old enough to where they start hipping me to things. Music is still a great source of joy and occasional solace in the midst of what can be some difficult days.’
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We always hear about celebrities checking into rehab for their various addictions, expletive-laden tirades, or episodes of “exhaustion.” Lindsay Lohan just checked in yesterday for the eighth time. Where do they disappear to while trying to get clean? Let’s look.
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Swiftboaters beware! Truthy helps you understand how memes spread on Twitter. With our images and statistics, you can help identify political misinformation and other astroturfing.
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Thanks Carlen Altman
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The pair detailed how they managed it in a paper published in the International Journal of Social Robotics. Two robots — one black and one red — were taught to play hide and seek. The black, hider, robot chose from three different hiding places, and the red, seeker, robot had to find him using clues left by knocked-over colored markers positioned along the paths to the hiding places. However, unbeknownst to the poor red seeker, the black robot had a trick up its sleeve. Once it had passed the colored markers, it shifted direction and hid in an entirely different location, leaving behind it a false trail that managed to fool the red robot in 75 percent of the 20 trials that the researchers ran. The five failed trails resulted from the black robots’ difficulty in knocking over the correct markers.
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Because sexual climax releases dopamine in the brain, the brain can become just as addicted to pornography as it can be to drugs. And like drug use, pornography addiction can intensify, with the person’s tastes becoming more and more extreme as the brain changes itself to compensate for accumulations of the protein delta FosB in neurons. As well, the neural reward networks are strengthened every time the porn addict satisfies his addiction.
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Workaday staple and fashion favourite, blue jeans have conquered the planet. But were they born in the textile mills of New Hampshire, on France’s southern coast or the looms of north Italy? Art historians believe they have found a piece of the centuries-old puzzle in the work of a newly discovered 17th-century north Italian artist, dubbed the “Master of the Blue Jeans”, whose paintings went on show in Paris this week.
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Outrageously, she has been appointed as a “special advisor” to design and lead the bureau, but the administration has not disclosed the exact length of her term. There will be no Senate confirmation hearings, nor will the public or the financial industry be allowed to comment on her appointment. We simply are expected to accept the appointment of an enormously powerful regulator without question, and without regard to the constitutional requirement that the Senate advise and consent with regard to her appointment. This means you, as a voter and citizen, effectively have no say whatsoever for the duration of her appointment. In the meantime, she has unprecedented new powers over private business decisions.
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But Mr. Obama’s critics say that whether statutory authorization exists for his counterterrorism policies is just a legalistic point. The core problem with Mr. Bush’s approach, they argue, was that it trammeled individual rights. And they say Mr. Obama’s policies have not changed that. ”President Obama may mouth very different rhetoric,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. ”He may have a more complicated process with members of Congress. But in the end, there is no substantive break from the policies of the Bush administration.”
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Forty-five per cent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn’t know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.
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Can too much caffeine make you insane – and mentally unstable enough to unknowingly kill someone? That’s a question a Newport, Kentucky, jury will have to answer when they eventually deliberate in the trial of a man whose lawyer is expected to claim that too much soda, caffeine-laced diet pills and the energy drink No Fear – combined with sleep deprivation – meant he had no idea what he was doing when he killed his wife.
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Conjured by o~ SeMeN SPeRmS ~o on September 30, 2010
