I received an email from a reader named Derek L. in which he wrote –

Thanks for your great posts/blog. It’s refreshing to see someone telling the truth and not selling more snake oil.

I do have a question…

I’m intrigued by the lineage of thoughts relating to this subject. Since you have a lot of exposure to this material I’m wondering if you have any ideas about where Haanel got his original concepts?

I am often asked that question because there is a lot of mystery surrounding Haanel and his perennial work, The Master Key System. Was he a part of a Masonic conspiracy? Did he receive his knowledge through arcane means? Someone even theorized about some Russian wizard of sorts who shared his knowledge with Haanel.

The history is quite interesting, but more blase than some of the stories would lead you to believe. The Master Key System must be looked at within the context of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The New Thought philosophy was in full swing with many books and magazines publishing the new beliefs for a seemingly ravenous audience. Based on Christian Science as espoused by Mary Baker Eddy, the Christian Scientists and many New Thought-ers held firmly to the belief about what Jesus Christ said about the powers available to each and every person.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. (John 14:11-13)

Thus, with enough faith and belief, one could perform miracles as Christ did. Even a cursory reading of The Master Key System would reveal to someone that this was something in which Haanel believed deeply. That being said, the monotheistic ideas that Haanel espouses is more than likely derived from his participation in Freemasonry – while the Masons do not define their God, their only prerequisite is a belief in one God. It is then through this God that miracles and extreme human potential can occur.

Before going further into this, it is worth pointing out that there were at least two other publications that emphasize the words “The Master Key” prior to the Twentieth Century. The actual phrase has been used since the 17th Century by the Freemasons and for a publication in the 18th century – Hiram, or the Master Key to the Door of Freemasonry, published in 1760. Another use of the phrase can be found in Madame Helena Blavatsky’s famous (or should that be infamous) 600-page Isis Unveiled, with its sub-title A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology, published in 1877. One shouldn’t underestimate the popularity and influence of Blavatsky and those who followed her teachings – the Theosophists.

In the Twentieth Century, two authors released books with “Master Key” in the title. The first comes from L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz fame, and is an early science fiction novel. It was called The Master Key and subtitled An Electrical Fairy Tale. It told of the adventures Rob and the Demon of Electricity. This was published in 1901.

Another book came out at around the same time Haanel was working on his correspondence school. Its advertisement showed a book and a man reading a book inside an hour glass. The advertisement read:

The Master Key ~ Reveals Things You Never Thought Possible. The Hour Glass of Success. You Will Never get Another Book Like “The Master key”.

It was written by L. W. de Laurence and published by The de Laurence Company of Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1914. To quote a few lines from it will show obvious similarities with Haanel’s The Master Key System.

“THE MASTER KEY is divided into Six parts: contains Thirty-seven full Chapters embracing Thirty-five Lessons of graduated difficulty covering Forty individual numbered Exercises in which the fundamental principles of Concentration and Mental Discipline are fully explained.”

L. W. de Laurence, whose full name was Lauron William de Laurence, was an American author, publisher, and owner of a supply mail order house in Chicago. He has been accused of plagiarism and the illegal publication of various occult works. The number of publications by this man seems to be considerable.

De Laurence was active at the same time as Haanel and was in fact only two years younger than him. De Laurence, who was born in 1868 and died in 1936, had connections with AMORC. It is unclear whether there was any connection between the two authors.

This then brings us to the main influence of Charles F. Haanel’s: the New Thought Movement.

When you read Haanel’s The Master Key System, it isn’t long before he starts to use terms that can be cross-referenced. To be fair to Haanel, many quotes he uses have nothing to do with the New Thought Movement. He was a man of his time and a well-read one. He used references from eminent people of the 19th Century and talks about the inventions of that time and the early years of the 20th Century. Other quotes come from the Bible but all are rather enigmatic and symbolic which could point to being influenced by New Thought writers, the Christian Scientists, the Freemasons, or the Rosicrucians. There are several hints of a possible knowledge of Hinduism, but it is unclear of Haanel’s exact knowledge of that subject as references like Pranic Energy or Pranic Ether may be from the Rosicrucian teachings or possibly, and more likely, Theosophy.

There are several words and phrases that may be of interest:

“The Great Architect of the Universe”

“Secret Place of the Most High”

“Universal Mind”

the “I”

“The Law of Attraction”

The “Great Architect of the Universe” is a phrase often used to represent God or Supreme Being by Christians, Freemasons, and Rosicrucians. It may go back to the Middle Ages or beyond. Thomas Aquinas used a similar phrase but with “Grand” instead of “Great”.

“Secret Place of the Most High” can be found in the Bible in Psalm 91:1 –

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

The “Universal Mind” would seem to come from Friedrich Von Schelling and was expanded on by Georg W. F. Hegel. Ralph Waldo Emerson also made use of this term.

The concept of the “I” also seems to have its origins in the works of early German philosophers. It would seem that “I” was the first principle of Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s Wissenschaftslehre – “Doctrine of Science”.

The phrase that is on the tip of the tongues of many today is “The Law of Attraction”. Like the other terms used by Haanel, this was probably not of his own inventing. It seems to have come to light first in the works of William Walker Atkinson (1862 – 1932) and particularly in Thought Vibration or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World published by The New Thought Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1906. Though the phrase itself is much older, its meaning became somewhat different with Atkinson and Haanel.

The Law of Attraction also appears in the syllabus of the S.R.I.A. – The Society of Rosicrucians. However, it is not known how old this syllabus is and it is likely that it is quite modern. The S.R.I.A. was formed in 1909 with the idea of teaching to the general public rather than Masons as with previous Rosicrucian groups. Some other aspects of the S.R.I.A. syllabus bears similarities to Haanel’s works. However, it may be that both this syllabus and Haanel’s ideas are from an older source – or a just coincidence. It is unknown which came first.

Ultimately it may be possible to trace the idea of the Law of Attraction back to certain phrases that were put into the mouth of Jesus Christ in the New Testament of the Bible.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8, King James Version)

Another book that cannot be ignored was published in 1908 and was called The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy by Three Initiates and published by The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It cannot be ignored that this book may have played a part in the development of Haanel’s The Master Key System. It certainly wasn’t a collection of lessons and exercises, but the wording throughout this book is remarkably similar to Hannel’s publications. At one point the phrase “Mental Chemistry” is used. And though there is nothing in the title remotely similar to Haanel’s work, the phrase “Master Key” is used in the Introduction and several times in the body of the book. The Kybalion also delves into the power of thought.

…(T)he Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master-Key which will open all the doors of Occult teachings…. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: ‘He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on the Path to mastery.’ These words are as true today as at the time first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of the Temple…. The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open.

It is believed that The Kybalion is not some ancient document but was written by William W. Atkinson and the other “Initiates” have been guessed at as Paul Foster Houses and Mabel Collins. Atkinson was certainly active in the years leading up to the publication of The Master Key System and it is hard to believe that Haanel would not have known of either the man or his works. Master Key Arcana includes short pieces from the writings of several members of the New Thought Movement, including William W. Atkinson, James Allen, Florence Scovel Shinn, Henry Drummond and Phineas P. Quimby.

Whether Haanel was influenced by Atkinson, or any other members of this Movement, though, is another thing all together and it is difficult to be sure what his sources were.

Much of Haanel’s life is a mystery. Not many records were kept or preserved and the lack of many living descendants who knew him add to us not knowing much about him. C. W. Evans-Gunther researched and examined Haanel’s life as much as possible. His thorough biography can be found at www.haanel.com.

Researching Haanel’s influences and their play on his works is somewhat easier. As was noted at the beginning of this article, when the times in which Haanel lived are examined, you can see the influences and how Haanel used those influences to shape his thoughts and his works.

In the time period in which Haanel lived, the self-help/personal development movement (although not called by those terms) was quite large and actually very similar to today’s scene. As the saying goes, the times may have changed but things remain the same. By some counts, Haanel was a somewhat important player, although he never had the infamy of Blavatsky or a few others of the time.

It was all of these elements (at least) that came together in Haanel’s mind to form one of the greatest books about personal development.

[Please note: This article was researched by C.W. Evans-Gunther. He is also responsible for writing the majority of it. Additional information was added by me. I am also responsible for additional editing and any mistakes that one might find. More information can be found at http://www.haanel.com.]

A Family's Quest for Silence is a short love story involving the history of the Illuminati and how it affected one American family who had roots dating back two thousand years, from a small town named, Galilee. The story quickly brings the reader into modern day times and how the goals of the Illuminati are threaten when the young is born and educated in America.

The story takes place over a span of 2000 years and starts with a secretive family meeting where the head of the family reveals his prophecy of the future and how the family is to respond to the world events. The family is the neighbors and friends of the Family of Joseph of Galilee. Joseph who was also a carpenter, as was his son, may have been a FreeMason, as were most carpenters during that period of time.

The short story gives us an inside peek, at what may, have occurred, in reference to the FreeMasons, and later the Illuminati. This is a fictional story, unless you find truth. The story clearly is not intended to offend any authority, now, or in the past, yet easily explains how "love of the heart" can put a hold on family plans, which may be 2000 years old.

The short story "A Families Quest for Silence" shows just how venerable the most well thought out plans can be, when love enters the picture.

It is said that the present day Illuminati is made up of international bankers and super-rich organizations which control the media, workforce, education, companies, wall street, energy and even governments, and are controlled by the richest people (families) in the world. If our research serves us correctly, the present day Illuminati is made up of an entirely different group then when first organized. The ancient Illuminati were builders, carpenters and architects of cathedrals, museums, and other great buildings down through time.

The rumors of the Illuminati's involvement in the music industry, is no secret and there is no shortage of conspiracy postings, articles and information, online. Based on the conspiracy theories, the world would need to move towards a one world government, which is supported by current factors which include; a rising amount of globalization, free trade, privatization, foreign investment, mergers, international organizations, debt, international problems that need an international solution and peace agreements that give false security.

We found that a well written, short and free online love story, could involve a young woman whose family was involved in the original Illuminati organization, and improvise a disappointment to the family's ancient goals, because of matters of the heart.

Our research took us to places which we were uncomfortable with, however, we provided the information as best we could without showing favor to either side, other than the side of love.

The truth about psoriasis can be hidden no longer. Incredible as it might seem to you, there must be a worldwide conspiracy to cover-up what is surly the best treatment for psoriasis.

Undoubtedly the first thought springing into your mind is, why? The simple one word answer is – MONEY!

When you consider the millions of dollars made by drug companies each year in the form of psoriasis treatment it’s not surprising that a treatment, which is not drug based, is kept hidden. Otherwise the loss in profits for these drug companies would not please their shareholders.

Nevertheless, this article is not about ‘having a go at drug companies’.

I want you to discover for yourself the truth about the best treatment for psoriasis. What’s more, you don’t have to take my word for what you’re about to read, because it’s all been recorded and documented. The main part of this article is an unedited transcription of a tape recording.

I warn you now, what you’re about to read is more tear-jerking than you’ll find in any book or screenplay. It involves the pain, suffering and anguish that a young girl goes through that haunts her until she’s in her early 30’s.

By the time you reach the end of this article you’ll have taken a quantum leap forward in your understanding as to the cause of your psoriases.

What you’re about to read might shock you. It may make you feel uncomfortable as it could easily stir you up at a subconscious level of mind. But keep reading and you’ll discover the best treatment for psoriasis. Better still, you’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you too can cure your own psoriasis.

What follows is a transcription of a hypno-analysis recorded on to audio tape. It’s called “Helen, a case of Psoriasis”. To keep this article as short as possible, the hypnotic induction and the initial part of the analysis is not included in this part of the transcript, although it was recorded. A small section of the end of the session has also been removed, again for brevity.

At the end of this article you’ll find directions as how you can obtain a copy of the full transcription and also the audio recording.

The session was conducted in the autumn of 1998. The woman was 32 years old and for most of her life suffered from psoriasis. Prior to the analysis when I asked her if she knew when here psoriasis started she replied, “I don’t remember. I’ve asked my mum, but she told me she wasn’t sure. Sometime during my childhood, she thought.”

Helen’s psoriasis had resisted the onslaught of a great number of orthodox and unorthodox treatments throughout her life. When she arrived at my consulting rooms she was covered in inflammations from head to toe. Even her face was mildly affected although this was partly disguised by makeup.

What follows is, without doubt, the best treatment for psoriasis. It starts with Helen already relaxed into deep hypnosis …

HYPNOTIST: Now, you’re 8 today, let me ask you again, do you ever have any

problems with your skin, any rashes or anything on your skin there? Anything

like that ever given you any trouble or concern?

CLIENT: Mm, yes.

HYPNOTIST: Yes? Something troubles you about your skin does it? You have a rash or something?

CLIENT: On my shin.

HYPNOTIST: Does mum put ointment or anything on it for you?

CLIENT: Hm, yes, and in my hair.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. So you’ve got a sort of rash on your shin and in your hair?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Yes? And what about brothers? Getting along with your brothers alright?

CLIENT: Not really.

HYPNOTIST: Not really? Is there anything about your brothers that worry you at all? Anything different about them? Anything different they’ve been doing at all?

CLIENT: No, just picking on me.

HYPNOTIST: Just picking on you?

CLIENT: Mm

HYPNOTIST: Alright. What about other members of your family, anything about other members of your family worrying you at all?…..What about grandparents, anything about grandparents trouble you?

CLIENT:…..Don’t see them very often.

HYPNOTIST: You don’t see them very often?

CLIENT: No.

HYPNOTIST: Are they OK?

CLIENT:…….. My Grandad isn’t.

HYPNOTIST: What’s wrong with your Grandad then?

CLIENT: He’s got cancer.

HYPNOTIST: He’s got cancer?

CLIENT: Mm

HYPNOTIST: Does that worry you? Has mum told you that it’s something to worry over?

CLIENT: …….Ehm…..no……it’s very sudden.

HYPNOTIST: It’s very sudden?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now you’re in the bath there, you’ve just become aware of this rash coming up. And you’ve discovered that Grandad’s got cancer. But you’re only 7, so I’m not quite sure whether that really is enough to worry you or not. But something is troubling you. Something perhaps just a day or two before this rash first appeared that’s in your mind. And it’s a big worry, it’s a worry that you’ve carried for many years, even to adulthood.

So I’m going to pick up your hand and drop it into your lap, and whatever that worry is will come very clearly in your mind, but you’ll still be in that bath in your mind. Stay relaxed, watch that happen. 1,2,3. Now what is it that’s troubling you Helen?

CLIENT: They didn’t tell me, I heard them. [client starts to cry, and continues throughout the remainder of the session.]

HYPNOTIST: You heard them? Now who did you hear? Who did you hear? That’s

alright, you can let those feelings come out. Who did you hear then?

CLIENT: Mum and dad.

HYPNOTIST: And what did you hear them say?

CLIENT: That he was dying of cancer.

HYPNOTIST: Is that Grandad?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: So you knew that he was dying?

CLIENT: I don’t think I was meant to know.

HYPNOTIST: No, but you overheard them?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Obviously I can see that it worried you a lot because you knew what that meant didn’t you?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now was that just a short while before that rash come up on your skin?……Your memory’s so good now, you can see that very clearly, in your mind. Because I think that we’ve got to the cause of this skin rash now.

CLIENT:….Yes…….

HYPNOTIST: Did this rash just come along perhaps a day or two after you overheard mum and dad talking?

CLIENT: No, I banged my leg.

HYPNOTIST: You banged your leg?

CLIENT: Mm

HYPNOTIST: And what happened when you banged your leg?

CLIENT: I banged my shin, and it was a cut there or a graze, I don’t know, I can’t remember.

HYPNOTIST: That’s alright. So there was a cut or a graze on your shin?

CLIENT: Hm and that’s where it started.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. So did you have any unpleasant thoughts about that bang on the shin, or anything like that?

CLIENT: No.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. See I can [client interrupts]

CLIENT: I was running.

HYPNOTIST: You were running? And were you running just in fun, or?

CLIENT: Yes. I was trying to get to the room first.

HYPNOTIST: In front of whom?

CLIENT: Oh, just friends and just messing about. Running about.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now why it should start on your shin when you bang it, I’m not quite sure. But just prior to this rash is when you overheard mum and dad talking about Grandad dying, wasn’t it?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: Is that right? There is no doubt about that in your mind?

CLIENT: No

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Because this skin rash has got to be caused by an upset inside you of some form, and it certainly looks like it’s to do with you discovering that Grandad’s going to die. Does that seem right?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now you stay relaxed, because I’m going to pick up your arm and drop it into your lap, and when I do it’s just going to be a week after your Grandad died, did your Grandad die a while after that, while you were still young?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Well, when I drop your hand into your lap it will be about a week after your Grandad died. And let’s see how your skin is then. Stay relaxed and watch that happen. 1,2,3. Now its about a week since Grandad died and where do you find yourself at the moment?

CLIENT:….at home.

HYPNOTIST: At home? Alright. And how’s your skin now? How’s that rash? Is it still in the same place or has it got bigger or less, or?

CLIENT: Bigger and on my knee.

HYPNOTIST: Now I’m going to ask you a question and you’ll know the answer to this beyond all doubt. It’s been about a week since your Grandad died, has it got worse since he died?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: It has? In other words, this skin rash represents your Grandad dying and passing away, is that right?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Your upset.

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now what I’m going to do to make sure we get all this upset out of your system, I’m going to drop your hand into your lap and I’m going to take you back to when you realised that your Grandad had passed away. Now stay relaxed and you just see where you are and how you’re finding that out. 1,2,3. Now, where do you find yourself?

CLIENT: At home.

HYPNOTIST: And what’s happening? How are you discovering that Grandad has died?

CLIENT: …..Dad’s talking to us.

HYPNOTIST: And whereabouts are you?

CLIENT: In the lounge.

HYPNOTIST: You’re in the lounge, and what’s he saying? You can hear his words again.

CLIENT:…..Just that he’d been very ill, and died very suddenly……..that’s all I can remember.

HYPNOTIST: That’s OK. Stay relaxed. If there’s anything else important that dad says that worried you or troubled you in any way at all, when I drop your hand into your lap, it will all come back. 1,2,3. Now is there anything else there?

CLIENT: No. I asked him where mum was?

HYPNOTIST: And what did he say?

CLIENT: That she was with nan, looking after her.

HYPNOTIST: Did you want mum at that point?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Alright. Now, with what you can see, are you clear in your mind that this rash is a result of your Grandad getting ill and dying? Can you see that?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Because I want you to be sure that’s the main thing We’ve got to make sure that we get all the cause of this rash out. See at the age of 7 we could see that you weren’t troubled by any skin problems at all and then we see that you overhear that Grandad’s ill and he’ll probably die and we see the first sign of your skin rash coming along. That’s right, isn’t it?

CLIENT: Yes

HYPNOTIST: And then we see, about a week after he’s actually passed away that your skin rash starts to get worse, doesn’t it?

CLIENT: Hm

HYPNOTIST: Now, what is it, why is it that this problem with losing your Grandad has caused you to have a skin rash? Is it a way of trying to remind you of him, or anything like that?………….What is it? Why is it that in your unconscious mind?

CLIENT: I couldn’t imagine not seeing him again.

HYPNOTIST: You couldn’t imagine not seeing him again?

CLIENT: No.

HYPNOTIST: It’s an upsetting thing for a young girl, isn’t it? That’s it, you stay relaxed, you let those tears flow, you can wipe them up in a while.

CLIENT: He used to make me laugh.

HYPNOTIST: Did he?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: You were very close to him then in that case, were you?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: And that’s why this loss of him upset you so much? Now if we’ve got all the concern and all the worry to do with your Grandad out of your system, then this rash is very quickly going to clear up and disappear away. But first of all we have to make sure that we get all the upset out the way.

So what I’m going to do is pick up your hand and drop it into your lap, and if there is anything else at all in your mind which is still responsible for causing you to have this skin rash, anything to do with your Grandad that’s not out of your system, or anything that’s unresolved or anything later in life which had a significant impact in you having this skin problem.

When I drop your hand into your lap anything else there will come into mind that you need to know to do with this skin rash. Stay relaxed and see if anything is there. 1,2,3. ……Now is there anything else there in your mind that’s troubling you?

CLIENT: Just people taking the mickey out of me.

HYPNOTIST: Because of your skin?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Well, you’re not going to have that anymore. You’re not going to have that problem anymore at all. Now that you know what’s caused your skin problem, is there any reason that you have to hang onto it?

CLIENT: No

HYPNOTIST: There isn’t, is there? After all your Grandad wouldn’t want you to have it, would he?

CLIENT: No

HYPNOTIST: And it doesn’t serve any purpose, does it?

CLIENT: No

HYPNOTIST: So you can get rid of that skin rash now, can’t you?

CLIENT: Yes.

HYPNOTIST: Because I know you’d like that, that’s for sure, isn’t it?

CLIENT: Yes.

Transcript Terminated.

In following up this case it was found Helen is now virtually free of her psoriasis.

All that remains are minor red blemishes on certain areas of her body that had been particularly badly affected. I expect these too will disappear soon.

I’m not suggesting for one moment that all psoriasis is due to the loss of a loved one. However, bearing this in mind, I’ve carried out many hypno-analysis on psoriasis suffers and each time found that their problem was created through repressed emotion trying to express themselves.

————————- END —————————

As one old enough to remember the Pentagon Papers debacle in the Richard Nixon administration, I had an ominous premonition last June that Edward Snowden’s release of what seemed packing-crates-full of classified materials would expose egregious wrongdoing on the part of our National Security Agency (NSA) and the 15 other intelligence services that operate under the aegis of the Directorate of National Intelligence.

Snowden’s trove of papers — perhaps “library” would be more descriptive — were leaked, or betrayed, in digital format to The Guardian in London and The Washington Post here at home. At the time, Snowden was an unknown clerical civilian contractor with ‘top-secret’ security credentials in the employ of the respected Booz Allen Hamilton management consultancy.

Along with the rest of the world, I’ve been waiting now for ten months for the shoe to drop.

Snowden was initially lionized, much as Daniel Elsburg was back in the day, as a man who sought to save the republic from snoop-minded zealots within government who were hell-bent on twisting America into a nation that mirrors George Orwell’s 1984. But “where’s the beef?” as Walter Mondale used to say?

The only person who has been charged so far with breaking any laws is Edward Snowden himself, who breached his own oath to preserve state secrets. The mainstream media, perhaps with its own axe to grind in this case, has been slow to tell us what’s really going on. If indeed anyone really knows.

And now comes Edward Lucas, a distinguished senior editor at what has perhaps become the finest weekly newsmagazine with truly global reach, The Economist, who says in a cogent new ebook, The Snowden Operation: Inside the West’s Greatest Intelligence Disaster, (2014: Kindle Singles), “I cannot see the heroic virtues in the Snowden affair which others have celebrated.”

“Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and deliberate breaches of the law,” Lucas asserts. “In the big scandals of the 1960s, the FBI illegally bugged American citizens and tried to blackmail the government’s political opponents… No comparable examples have been produced now, and I do not believe any will be.”

The most astonishing thing we’ve learned in the ten months since Snowden began his extraordinary disgorgement of classified government materials is how little qualified Snowden was for work within the intelligence community.

Here is a young man who was unable (or unwilling) to complete high school! Yet, as a soi-disant “computer wizard” (words he used to describe himself in an article he wrote for Ars Technica in May 2006), he began an intelligence career after a disastrous 5-month stint in the Army which ended abruptly when, he alleges, he broke both his legs. To me “computer wizard” conjurs up John von Neumann or Alan Turing. Edward Snowden? I don’t think so.

An Army spokesperson confirmed to British media last year that Snowden was indeed discharged September 28, 2004, just 147 days after enlisting on May 7th of that year. Snowden “did not complete any training or receive any awards,” the Army flatly asserts.

OK, so Snowden left the Army without a GCE or any certificates of having completed any training. At this point, he had completed 6th grade in elementary school.

Snowden tread water for a year in 2005 as a “security specialist” at the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language, an entity that is mainly funded by the USG, though it is a public facility with no secret or classified activities. He did not have a security clearance.

And then, beyond credibility, in 2006 he joined the CIA — without so much as a high school diploma and after an Army career that can charitably be described as undistinguished. And this in an environment where new graduates of America’s finest colleges — Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and so many other top schools — vie with one another for highly coveted positions in America’s clandestine services. How could this happen?

Well, it happened in part because Snowden was not an intelligence officer, merely a clerk, a sort of computer mechanic who made sure the gears were oiled in the computer hardware. At no point was Edward Snowden an analyst or case officer. His only job was to make sure computer cogs meshed without squeaking or grinding. Snowden was at the lowest level of the intelligence food chain. He was not doing analysis, much less case work.

After an unmemorable 3-year career, Snowden resigned from CIA early in 2009. Because he still held valid security clearances, Dell then took him on as a lowly “sysadmin” to service computers within a National Security Agency project on a US base in Japan. Dell records show he remained on their payroll for four years, until 2013. It is now thought that it was during his stint with Dell, when he had unrestricted access to hardware within the bowels of the NSA network, that he used thumb drives to copy top secret documents.

By March 2013, Snowden was on the move again, this time to Booz Allen Hamilton. Just eight weeks later, on May 20, 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong to meet with British journalists. And by June 5, 2013, the world learned of him in a series of articles about classified surveillance programs that appeared both in the Guardian and the Post. What motivated him to make this break, or perhaps more important, who motivated him?

Lucas points to evidence that Snowden from the outset was working for the Russians.

In the months that have passed since June 5th of last year, I have been waiting for the media to get a grip on this story and interpret what Snowden has revealed and why. It hasn’t happened.

Lucas’s short ebook (about 80 pages) is the first to raise the absolutely critical issue which no one else has touched: namely, that while it may have been useful in a general way to show the extent of NSA’s covert domestic internet activities and its intrusion into American life, there has been little or no discussion of how seriously Snowden has damaged and compromised the national security apparatus of the United States, the very machinery we rely upon to keep us from suffering a repeat of 9/11.

Lucas is a serious journalist with 30 years’ experience covering intelligence actives. He is no shill for CIA, NSA or GCHQ in England. He wrote Deception in 2011, and The New Cold War in 2008. Lucas makes clear, in lucid, flowing paragraphs ripe with evidence, how gravely Snowden has breached America’s and Britain’s national security apparatus. He points out, quite rightly, that in the clamor to punish governments for allegedly violating the privacy of average citizens, what’s been dangerously forgotten is that America and the UK have potent, lethal enemies whose plans it is essential that our policy planners have access to.

That access is what NSA, GCHQ and others provided, but may no longer be able to provide because Edward Snowden has treacherously revealed sources and methods that have caused the well to run dry. It is possible, too, that double agents in Russia, Iraq, Iran, and other hostile nations have been hunted down, tortured, and liquidated for their cooperation with US authorities. And so the question remains: For whom was Snowden working?

“On June 21st,” Lucas writes, “America revoked Snowden’s passport. He flew to Russia with another travel document — apparently one issued by the government of Ecuador via its embassy in London, where the fugitive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ekes out a claustrophobic existence.”

Did Snowden end up in Moscow by mere happenstance? Or did he go there as part of a long-term plan? We just don’t know.

“Snowden’s life in Moscow is shrouded with secrecy,” Lucas tells us. “He has a job, but nobody knows where. Barring a brief, staged meeting with journalists and activists at Moscow airport, he sees only his supporters… With his public utterances controlled, it would also be easier to prevent him blurting out facts that would undermine the story of an innocent whistleblower acting purely on his own initiative.”

Slowly but surely, Lucas takes us to a place where I was hoping he would not go, a very dangerous place that suggests that Snowden has become a pawn of people whose interests are not in synch with those who seek to preserve American lives.

Snowden “has not given a proper press conference or opened himself to any form of scrutiny (odd behaviour, some might think, for an apostle of transparency). Nobody knows where he lives. None of this inspires confidence in the idea that he is a free agent. It supports the theory that he is a Russian one.”

The jury is not yet in, of course, though Edward Lucas has given us a stunning preview of what the verdict may be. Time is on the side of truth in these matters. It is very likely that, in a matter of months or years, we will know with great confidence just what Edward Snowden was all about and why. In the meantime, we should all be concerned that he was not looking out for the best interests of his country, and that this bright, naïve, undisciplined dilettante with two broken legs and an empty resume has become the witting or unwitting tool of Vladimir Putin, a man whose intelligence credentials are not in doubt.

Lucas has written a stunning, brilliant short book that I could not recommend more highly. It’s by far the best piece of journalism yet to emerge concerning the Snowden scandal. Let’s hope it is not the last. There is more to be told. Stay tuned.

How to pick winning lottery numbers? Good questions, and the answer to which may just be your ticket to being the next multimillion winner. Now do not think that this task will be as easy as it seems. Think about if it was then why would anyone ever bother to finance a lotto enterprise when it could just as easily be bankrupted by an exodus of winners, who had “the secret” to knowing how to pick winning lottery numbers.

First things first there is no such secret, the so called secrets are those conjured in the imagination of hopeful winners who eventually got tired of playing the game just because they believe they will never win in it by reason of some conspiracy in the betting system…please, let us leave the conspiracy theory to Mel Gibson.

If you are one of those who do not have their head in the clouds thinking that they can win in the lotto after a few picks, do continue reading if not, then I am sure you have better things to do. There are no guarantees in playing the lottery and there are no one sure way that will tell you how to pick winning lottery numbers. However, what can be guaranteed by knowing the techniques to go about it is that after knowing the basic strategies you can now be a smarter lotto player.

The first thing to remember is though it may seem that the winning numbers that come out are random, do not think that immediately. Take note if involves numbers there will always be the possibility of forming patterns. The lotto machine may be set to choose random numbers, but if you dig long enough in the history of winning combination there are repetitions that have occurred and these repetitions could form patterns which could guide you in your betting choices.

Secondly, be consistent with your choices. If you are able to come with a set combination or combination based on looking into and using number patterns you observed from previous lotto draws, the next you must not forget is to maintain that combination. After all that is a result of a well thought off and formulated scheme of choosing.

The ability to know easily and more comfortably know how to pick winning lottery numbers takes plenty of trial and errors before it can be perfected. It also entails a degree of maturity on the part of lotto player. Maturity in the sense that although you were able to device a method that gives you the idea on how to pick winning lottery numbers, still it remains to be proven and tested by time.

This being the case it will not do well for the person to be easily discouraged by little failures. Do not forget what you already know from the beginning and that it is, it is not a piece of cake to play and win in this game of lotto, if it were then who would want to finance it anyway.

The UFOs (for a moment assume they exist) use ionization techniques to blast the atmospheric air from in front of their immediate path and around their space craft with criss crossed microwaves to delete gravity and lasers to pummel the air from in front of the craft so they can fly within a tube of virtual space within the atmosphere? Now then judging by the sightings of said UFOs this is one possible technology being deployed. Now then if such a craft were to exit and enter the higher upper atmosphere it would in fact put a small hole in the ozone during each time of transfer. This ozone area would expand as the day went on, causing depletion of the ozone right? Thus our ozone problems could be blamed on the aliens and not the aerosol industry? Which could be good for that industry?

We know that each time we launch a satellite into orbit a small hole is temporarily created from the rockets, yet if we are to ionize the air in front of the rocket a bigger hole may in fact be created temporarily, this would have an adverse temporary effect on gamma rays and X-rays entering the atmosphere, which could cause weather changes, heating of upper atmosphere which would in fact change somewhat the weather patterns also could cause skin cancer too.

Anyway a man who was a conspiracy theorist introduced this idea to me recently at a coffee shop and perhaps it is way out of this world, however might be a warning to us later as we deploy new spacecraft, hypersonic transglobal airline flights to the other side of the planet. It also makes sense to understand as we practice with weaponry to defeat incoming ICBM future technologies or develop such technologies to defeat incoming asteroids or even trips to the Lunar Base Station or future tourist hotel.

So, even though this conspiracy theorist was a little off, he does lead one to discuss future possibilities of ozone depletion through our space program. Perhaps we might wish to mitigate this a little and explore substitute technologies or study the risks to insure we can justify the use of this technology to the degree at which we intend to. In other words if we are going to do it anyway, we ought to understand the other consequences and then figure out a way to control the loss of ozone, by creating another technology to replenish it, since it is important to our species.

Stanley Meyer’s Water Car has been the subject of conspiracy theories and dispute for years. Proponents trust that Stanley Meyer’s Water Car is an everlasting motion machine. Critics have called the Stan Meyer’s water car a fraud and a deception. The high voltage, high frequency HHO generator (oxyhydrogen machine) supposedly generates more power that it consumes via electrolysis. Applying for international patents, Stan Meyer was able to get patents in Japan and part of Europe.

Meyer presented a water-powered dune buggy in 1990 to the unbelieving media. In 1996, the Ohio civil courts found Meyer’s water car to be “gross and egregious fraudulence” and commanded him to compensate investors $25,000 out of more than $60,000 accumulated from people wanting to buy into the water fuel cell car dealerships.

It should be noted that Stanley Meyer had no engineering education so his circuits and descriptions were beyond of convention, which added unbelief from the scientific community. Indeed, Stanley Meyer never graduated from college, which casts more doubt on the water fuel cell car, as he called it.

On March 21, 1998 Stanley Meyer cease to exist at a Ohio cafeteria and the cause of demise established by the regional coroner was a marrow aneurysm. Nevertheless, it was learned that Stan Meyer ran out of the cafeteria claiming he was poisoned shortly before his demise.

Thus, was Stanley Meyer’s Water Car a trick? Most definitely. Was his paranoia and conspiracy theories justify? There is a great probability both of these concepts are genuine and are not mutually exclusive.

The supporters of Stanley Meyer’s Water Fuel Cell point to the conspiracy theories that his device was not hoax or a fraud, but rather true. What is more probably, however is that there was concerned from powerful people who had a much to loose if the Stan Meyer Water Car was veritable.

Two stuff come to intelligence in regard to the paranoia over conspiracy theories in regard to new machinery that will shortens radically the need for oil. First, is that much Hho generator engineers have within the last couple of years reported molestation and themselves have taken arrangements to secure as much anonymity as possible.

Second, and I do not want to muss hydrogen cars with Hho alternator for diesel or gasoline powered vehicles, but there was an incident reported by Roger Billing that is believable. Billings helped develop a hydrogen-powered bus that was housed in Riverside and inform sabotage of his technology, which had to be taken back to his facility in Utah and additional security posted once the technology was delivered back to Riverside, California.

The UN and the World Health Organization admit that the AIDS pandemic in Africa cannot be contained by 2015. This is a severe problem as it could spread to other nations. It maybe necessary to quarantine the entire continent of Africa in order to stop the pandemic from spreading world wide. The AIDS crisis in china is also quite severe and growing; meanwhile Bird Flu is at issue and threatening to spread the world over. We have American Airlines flying into Vietnam daily where there have been the most cases of humans with bird flu? It seems that is problematic and some conspiracy theorists are already asking, why is American Airlines always involved in all the world most deadly events? American Airlines is the vector for the disease to jump continents now, while the WHO and CDC warn the world it is coming?

The World needs to get a little more serious about these things, everyone is not thinking about the obvious spread of this problem. Bird flu once it goes from chickens to pigs may then get into the pigs respiratory system which can then end up into human respiratory systems and spread very fast like any common human flu and everyone says there is nothing we can do including the WHO?

Without buying into the conspiracy theory BS, the human race is being warned about how quick this can spread? Some say that this will help social security from going bankrupt because all the old people will die early before collecting their money. Others say that the Corporations are behind it because they are worried about their under funded pensions. But as far-fetched as all this is, bird flu is a serious issue once it goes from birds to pigs. Some of these same conspiracy theorists say that there are some evil bio-scientists behind helping the bird flu along so that it can make the jump and then launch on the human race simultaneously in many places at once.

The quarantining of the African Continent is inevitable, but what about some of these other countries with bird flu? If it is really that bad of an issue, then why aren’t we taking it more seriously? Is your family safe? Think about it?

At the heart of practically every conspiracy theory which involves the New World Order, there is the shadowy group known only as the Illuminati. Today, there is no one group that claims this title, so it is assumed that everything they do is done in secret so it is impossible to know the identity of any of the members.

However, certain international think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission are often seen as branch organizations of the group. This article will cover a brief history of the group and a few of the plans they have in store for the world’s population.

In 1776, a Bavarian Jesuit Adam Weishaupt created the original Illuminati organization which consisted of major freethinkers of the Enlightenment era. The group had very close ties with another secret society, namely the Freemasons. During their time they were accused of planning to overthrow the government and some believe they were even involved with bringing about the French Revolution. Their organization was deeply at odds with the Catholic Church which condemned them wholeheartedly. Their short lived group was eventually banned in 1784 when Karl Theodor, the ruler of Bavaria, made all secret societies illegal.

There are many conspiracy theorists today which believe that the Illuminati survived, most likely by hiding itself in the Freemasons. Proponents of these theories believe that major world events are being caused or exploited by this group with the end goal of creating a New World Order. This plan entails a one world, government, currency, religion, and language in many cases. These ideals will be shared with the public as a good thing and a final solution to all the wars, famine, bigotry, and other problems in the world, but the true plan involves a small ruling elite with complete control over large number of serfs.

Some of the better known proponents of these conspiracy theories include radio host Alex Jones, author David Icke, and political activist Mark Dice. While each of these persons expresses belief in the New World Order and the secret societies that are out to bring it about, they all have fundamental differences when it comes to the details. Major world figures who these theorists claim to be in the Illuminati include Winston Churchill, David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, among many others. Likewise, there are many different groups accused with being affiliated with the group besides the Freemasons including Skull and Bones, The Bohemian Society, and the Ordo Templi Orientis.

Richard Sharpe Actor Sean Bean will be joined by Lean Hedely of The Sarah Connor Chronicles fame, in HBO's series 'A games of Thrones' based on popular 'Song of Fire and Ice' series of fantasy books by George RR Martin. Lean Hedley will be playing the role of queen Cersei Lannister.

They will be joining Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tamzin Merchant, and Iain Glen, as well as a few lesser known and completely unknown actors who have been confirmed for the pilot. No date has been set for the pilot as yet, and there is no promise that HBO will commit to a full series either, but with an impressive cast list headed up by Bean and Hedley, this project is definitely being taken seriously.

The strong cast is already creating excitement, but with some of the casting is still to be announced, including the unconfirmed but heavily rumored casting of Rory McCann as Sandor "The Hound" Clegane.

The show is been adapted and produced by David Benioff and Dan Weiss. David has suggested a 'crappy' tagline for the project could be, "The Sopranos in Middle-earth", which can only set the imagination racing. With plot elements that will contain spot of conspiracy, incest, child murder, corruption, conspiracy, a rival claimant to the throne across the sea, the still-festering legacy of a civil war 20 years before, a growing threat in the North and did I mention conspiracy?

Production of the pilot will begin in Northern Ireland in 26th October 2009, at Paint Hall Studios in Belfast and has the support of the northern Irish government. It is also likely that the BBC will have a financial involvement in the same way they did in HBO's Rome series.

HBO has a strong history of producing great television drama, and with the strength of the source material, the cast and HBO's pedigree. I think we can look forward to a truly exciting proposition.