In April of 1996 an array of mathematicians converged on Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the Rotafest and Umbral Calculus Workshop, two con ferences celebrating Gian-Carlo Rota's 64th birthday. It seemed appropriate when feting one of the world's great combinatorialists to have the anniversary be a power of 2 rather than the more mundane 65. The over seventy-five par ticipants included Rota's doctoral students, coauthors, and other colleagues from more than a dozen countries. As a further testament to the breadth and depth of his influence, the lectures ranged over a wide variety of topics from...

An investigation into the Holy Grail and the Cathar legacy • Traces the journey of Otto Rahn, the occultist and one-time SS member who sought the Holy Grail and traveled widely throughout Europe as a researcher until his mysterious death in 1939 • Explores the modern legacy of the officially heretical Christian sect known as the Cathars • Follows the author’s own investigations into the location of the Grail and Rahn’s legacy, taking readers on a journey through occult Europe Meticulously following controversial 20th-century occultist, historian, and partially Jewish SS member...