House of Mystery Radio on NBC

Conspiracy theorists do not wear tin-foil hats (for the most part). They are not just a few kooks lurking on the paranoid fringes of society with bizarre ideas about shape-shifting reptilian aliens running society in secret. They walk among us. They are us.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy. Yet conspiracy theories are not a recent invention. And they are not always a harmless curiosity. In Suspicious Minds, Rob Brotherton explores the history and consequences of conspiracism, and delves into the research that offers insights into why so many of us are drawn to implausible, unproven and unproveable conspiracy theories. They resonate with some of our brain's built-in quirks and foibles, and tap into some of our deepest desires, fears, and assumptions about the world.

The fascinating and often surprising psychology of conspiracy theories tells us a lot – not just why we are drawn to theories about sinister schemes, but about how our minds are wired and, indeed, why we believe anything at all. Conspiracy theories are not some psychological aberration – they're a predictable product of how brains work. This book will tell you why, and what it means.

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Acclaimed writer, bestselling author, and founder of Salon magazine, David Talbot has brought us masterful and explosive headline-breaking stories for over 25 years with books like the New York Times bestsellers Brothers, The Devil's Chessboard, and nationally recognized Season of the Witch. Now for the first time, journalist and historian David Talbot turns inward in this intimate journey through the life-changing year following his stroke, a year that turned his life upside down, and ultimately, saved him.

• A portrait of how a health crisis can truly shift one's perspective on life and purpose

• Includes insider stories on the wild early days of Internet journalism, tech culture, and Hollywood

• Powerful storytelling of the physical, emotional, and psychological impact a stroke has had on the author's identity

Fans of My Stroke of Insight, The Devil's Chessboard and Season of the Witch will love this book.

This book is perfect for:

• Fans of David Talbot

• Anyone dealing with or recovering from health issues (particularly stroke or brain injury) and looking for insight and inspiration

• Gen Xers and baby boomers who understand their risk for stroke

• Entrepreneurs scared of burnout

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Whitechapel, 1888: a spate of brutal murders becomes the most notorious criminal episode in London's history. The killer, chillingly nicknamed 'The Whitechapel Murderer', 'Leather Apron' and, most famously, 'Jack the Ripper', is never brought to justice for the slaughter and mutilation of at least five women in the slums of East London. But the mystery is deepened by a letter sent "From Hell" to Scotland Yard, accompanied by half of a preserved human kidney...

In this comprehensive account of London's most infamous killer, the foremost authorities on the case explore the facts behind the most grisly episode of the Victorian era. Setting the scene in the impoverished East End, the authors' meticulous research offers detailed accounts of the lives of the victims and an examination of the police investigation. The Complete Jack the Ripper is the definitive book by Paul Begg and John Bennett, exploring both the myth and reality behind the allusive killer.

Paul Begg and John Bennett are researchers and authors, widely recognized as authorities on Jack the Ripper. Paul Begg's books include Jack the Ripper: The Facts, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, and he is a co-author of The Jack the Ripper A to Z.

John Bennett has written numerous articles and lectured frequently on Jack the Ripper and the East End of London. He has acted as adviser to and participated in documentaries made by television channels worldwide and was the co-writer for the successful Channel 5 programme Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Story. He is author of E1: A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields and co-author of Jack the Ripper: CSI Whitechapel.

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From the acclaimed author of Death in the Air ("Not since Devil in the White City has a book told such a harrowing tale"--Douglas Preston) comes the riveting story of the birth of criminal investigation in the twentieth century.

Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities--beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books--sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least two thousand cases in his forty-year career. Known as the "American Sherlock Holmes," Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest--and first--forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.

Heinrich was one of the nation's first expert witnesses, working in a time when the turmoil of Prohibition led to sensationalized crime reporting and only a small, systematic study of evidence. However with his brilliance, and commanding presence in both the courtroom and at crime scenes, Heinrich spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious--some would say fatal--flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation.

Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock captures the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon--as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them.

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The apocalyptic group The Family and their guru, Anne Hamilton-Byrne — one of very few female cult leaders in history — captured international headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Hamilton-Byrne, who some followers believed was Jesus Christ, was glamorous and charismatic — and, many allege, very dangerous. From her base in a quiet suburb, she recruited wealthy professionals to join her cult, including doctors, lawyers, nurses, architects, and scientists. She acquired children and raised them as her own, bleaching their hair blonde to make them look like siblings, and her group became surrounded by rumours of LSD use, child abuse, and strange spiritual rituals.

In 1987, police swooped on The Family’s lakeside compound and rescued children who claimed they were part of Anne’s future master race. The children recounted terrible stories of near starvation, emotional manipulation, and physical abuse. But Anne could not be found, sparking an international police hunt that involved Scotland Yard, Interpol, and the FBI. Could they bring Anne to justice?

Today, the elderly Anne has an estate estimated to be worth millions, with only one minor criminal conviction to her name. Her few remaining followers attend her nursing-home bedside.

How did such a notorious group come to flourish? How did Anne maintain a hold over her followers? And why was she never fully brought to justice?

Drawing on revelatory new research, including interviews with survivors, The Family tells for the first time in full the strange and shocking story of one of the most bizarre cults in modern history.

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Over the past two years, Trump’s behavior has become both more disturbing and yet increasingly familiar. He relies on phrases like, “fake news,” “build the wall,” and continues to spread the divisive mentality of us-vs.-them. He lies constantly, has no conscience, never admits when he is wrong, and projects all of his shortcomings on to others. He has become more authoritarian, more outrageous, and yet many of his followers remain blindly devoted. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert and a major Trump supporter, calls him one of the most persuasive people living. His need to squash alternate information and his insistence of constant ego stroking are all characteristics of other famous leaders—cult leaders.

In The Cult of Trump, mind-control and licensed mental health expert Steven Hassan draws parallels between our current president and people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Ron Hubbard and Sun Myung Moon, arguing that this presidency is in many ways like a destructive cult. He specifically details the ways in which people are influenced through an array of social psychology methods and how they become fiercely loyal and obedient. Hassan was a former “Moonie” himself, and he draws on his forty years of personal and professional experience studying hypnosis and destructive cults, working as a deprogrammer, and a strategic communications interventionist. He emphasizes why it’s crucial that we recognize ways to identify and protect ourselves and our loved ones.

The Cult of Trump is an accessible and in-depth analysis of the president, showing that under the right circumstances, even sane, rational, well-adjusted people can be persuaded to believe the most outrageous ideas. Hassan’s book is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the Trump phenomenon and looking for a way forward.

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Some of you may know me as Ron Goldman’s sister. I am. And very proud of that fact.

But I am also an advocate … a writer … a mother … a friend… a daughter … a hockey, basketball and football fan …a radio show host … a shoe enthusiast … and sometimes a philanthropist. I live a very full life, despite the painful road I traveled to get here.

Before my brother was brutally killed in 1994, I was studying to be a child psychologist. After his death and subsequent trials, I left that goal behind and just did what I could to make it through each day and to slowly begin to rebuild my shattered life.

I worked in television for a while but then found my happy place working in the non-profit sector; where I have stayed for more than a decade. I have a passion and commitment for assisting the under-served, which has provided me with so many different opportunities. I was the Marketing Manager for Pallotta TeamWorks, which produced multi-day fundraising events such as the AVON 3Day Walks and the AIDS Rides. I was the Communications Manager for Cure Autism Now, (currently Autism Speaks) which focussed on autism research and launched the first Walk Now event in Los Angeles.  I also served as the State Director for Best Buddies California, which is a non-profit organization founded by Anthony K. Shriver, dedicated to forming friendships between developmentally disabled people and non-disabled peers.

Currently, I am the Executive Director of the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project; a non-profit organization that provides free mental health, crisis intervention, support groups and education and outreach to teenagers in the Santa Clarita Valley dealing with depression, suicide, domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect, sexual assault, bullying, etc. Finally, after all of these years, I found my way back to those long-ago dreams of counseling and therapy.

In my spare time, I am a victims’ advocate and have had the privilege of being a speaker at some amazing conferences; a few highlights include (1995 – 2016): Keynote Speaker for numerous National Victims Rights Week events, Parents of Murdered Children Victims Conferences, Trainer/Speaker for The Department of Justice workshops, The FBI National Academy Annual Conference, Speaker at Governor Wilson’s Conference for Women, and a guest speaker/panelist at a number of universities, media and law enforcement events across the country.

Oh, and I am an accomplished writer too! I was a contributing author to the NY Times Bestseller; His Name is Ron, Our Search for Justice (1998, William Morrow & Co.) In 2007, I authored two chapters for the NY Times Bestseller; If I Did It, Confessions of the Killer. (2007, Beaufort Books). I contributed to The Ricki Lake Show, have a little corner of Huffington Post I can call my own, I’ve written articles for various newsletters and magazines, including Glamour Magazine, in 2007. I finished my memoir, Can’t Forgive in 2014 and my latest book, Media Circus, a Look at Private Tragedy in the Private Eye was released in September 2015. Both books published by BenBella Books.

I am the founding Co-Chair of The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice as well as a member of the California District Attorney’s Association, Victims Rights Committee and served on the Advisory Committee for Crime Survivors, Inc. I participated in a project called Vision 21, which is in place to revamp the victims movement, funded by the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). And am now a Board Member for NCVC and an Advisory Board member for Habitat for Heroes. And most recently, I helped launch the National Compassion Fund, which helps families in mass tragedies receive donations from supporters all across the globe.

In the last handful of years, I have been a guest on various media outlets, including FOX News Channel, MSNBC, CourtTV, CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS and on programs such as Oprah, 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, Dateline, Primetime Live, Dr. Phil and Larry King. I have been interviewed in multiple national magazines and newspapers such as Time, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, People, Newsweek, The Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and The Boston Herald.

I work hard in my community, and was recognized by the Soroptimist International of Santa Clarita Valley with the Making a Difference for Women award in 2008, was honored as one of 40 under 40 Leaders by the Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal, was recognized as a Non-Profit Leader in 2014 and one of the 50 Most Influential People in 2015.

And if that wasn’t enough, I launched a radio show, Broadscast with my dear friend Jackie MacDougall …which is a ton of fun!

But my most important job is being a kick ass mom to a really cool kid!

I hope you come back again, because I am really going to try and keep this site updated! But if I am not here, you can find me on the “social stuff”!

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Anyone with an interest in historical methods, how historical knowledge can be justified, new applications of Bayes's Theorem, or the study of the historical Jesus will find this book to be essential reading. Almost all experts agree that the Jesus of the Bible is a composite of myth, legend, and some historical evidence. So what can we know about the real Jesus? For more than 150 years, scholars have attempted to answer this question.

Unfortunately, the quest for the historical Jesus has produced as many different images of the original Jesus as scholars who have studied the subject. The result is a confused mass of disparate opinions with no consensus view of what actually happened at the dawn of Christianity. And this uncertainty is not unique to the historical study of Jesus. The problems related to establishing the reliability of historical criteria apply equally to any historical analysis of the persons and events that have shaped our lives and the beliefs we hold dear.

This in-depth discussion of New Testament scholarship and the challenges of history as a whole proposes Bayes's Theorem, which deals with probabilities under conditions of uncertainty, as a solution to the problem of establishing reliable historical criteria. The author demonstrates that valid historical methods - not only in the study of Christian origins but in any historical study - can be described by, and reduced to, the logic of Bayes's Theorem. Conversely, he argues that any method that cannot be reduced to this theorem is invalid and should be abandoned.

Writing with thoroughness and clarity, the author explains Bayes's Theorem in terms that are easily understandable to professional historians and laypeople alike, employing nothing more than well-known primary school math. He then explores precisely how the theorem can be applied to history and addresses numerous challenges to and criticisms of its use in testing or justifying the conclusions that historians make about the important persons and events of the past. The traditional and established methods of historians are analyzed using the theorem, as well as all the major "historicity criteria" employed in the latest quest to establish the historicity of Jesus. The author demonstrates not only the deficiencies of these approaches but also ways to rehabilitate them using Bayes's Theorem.

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Mothers & Murderers: A True Story of Love, Lies, Obsession … and Second Chances takes readers on a wild tragicomic ride from the criminal courtrooms of California’s Silicon Valley to the Himalayan mountains of Pakistan to the deserts of Ethiopia.

In delightful, insightful prose, Ellison reflects on her mistakes and her triumphs as she weaves together the stories of how her Pulitzer Prize-winning career almost ended before it began, how she nearly missed marrying the love of her life, and how she unwittingly got drawn into a stranger-than-fiction murder case.

Rich in drama and self-reflection, replete with unique characters --including two bumbling hitmen, a rodeo-riding prosecutor, a flamboyant Beverly Hills defense attorney, and a charismatic stay-at-home mother-of-three who is keeping outrageous secrets-- Mothers & Murderers is a mashup of “Fargo," "Body Heat," and “Eat, Pray, Love.”* It's guaranteed to make you laugh, cry – and think.

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He was the billionaire financier and close confidant of presidents, prime ministers, movie stars and British royalty, the mysterious self-made man who rose from blue-collar Brooklyn to the heights of luxury. But while he was flying around the world on his private jet and hosting lavish parties at his private island in the Caribbean, he also was secretly masterminding an international child sex ring—one that may have involved the richest and most influential men in the world.

The conspiracy of corruption was an open secret for decades. And then this summer, it all came crashing down.

After his arrest on sex trafficking charges in July, it seemed Epstein’s darkest secrets would finally see the light. But hopes for true justice were shattered on August 10 this year, when he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York.

The verdict: suicide. The timing: convenient, to say the least.  

Now, Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales delivers bombshell new revelations, uncovers how the man President Trump once described as a “terrific guy” abused hundreds of underage girls at his mansions in Palm Beach and Manhattan… all while entertaining the world’s most powerful men—including President Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Donald Trump himself.

• How much did they know about his perversions? And did they take part?
• How might they have helped him to continue his abuse, and to escape justice for it?
• What responsibility might they have for his sudden, shocking death?
• And is there a shocking spy and blackmail story at the heart of the scandal?

The answers to these questions and more will be explored in Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales with groundbreaking new reporting, never-before-seen court files, and interviews with new witnesses and confidants.

Combining the very best investigative reporting from investigative journalists Dylan Howard, Melissa Cronin and James Robertson—who have been covering the case for close to a decade—will send shockwaves through the highest levels of the establishment.

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