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The Cassidy Lecture

          

 

Techniques of Mentalism

 

The Bob Cassidy Lecture- Palo Alto, CA,

December 8, 1997

Copyright ©1997 and 2002 by Robert E Cassidy

 

 

 

The nice thing about a lecture is that I have an 

opportunity to delve into areas which simply wouldn't 

be appropriate (to my mind, at least) in my other 

writings. In my books I try to concentrate primarily on 

original material. That is, after all, what the readers are 

paying for.

 

In a lecture, however, it seems quite proper to deal 

with fundamental approaches to the art and to discuss 

my variations and handlings of standard effects and 

moves.

 

If you see me perform at a gathering of mentalists you 

will see nothing but my original material. When I 

perform for lay audiences, however, (which is most of 

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The Cassidy Lecture

the time) I use effects that I consider to be the strongest 

and most effective. Very often that is standard material.

I like to think, though, that even in the presentation of 

standard stuff, that my approach is at least original.

 

In this lecture I'll be covering the material I carry with 

me all of the time so that it may be presented whenever 

the situation arises. This is the stuff that gets the 

bookings. It's also material that will give you a 

reputation for doing "the real thing."

 

I'll also cover the one stage routine which most 

mentalists consider to be my best creation- my version 

of the three envelope test. Unlike my previously 

published versions, which covered a variety of 

different methods and approaches to the effect, what 

we'll discuss tonight is the way I actually do it.

 

The Name/Place routine will also be covered since I 

use it both in my close up and stage performances. It is, 

I think, one of the most practical things you can do in 

an impromptu setting.

 

 

 

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MY MENTALIST KIT

 

I make it a habit to always carry certain materials with 

me. When I?m wearing a suit, everything fits into the 

pockets. In a jeans and T-shirt situation everything fits 

nicely into a belt pouch or fanny pack. (I would, 

however, suggest that you don't wear the pack on your 

fanny unless you don't mind sitting on your act.)

 

The materials are as follows:

 

A black lipstick.

 

A 35mm film canister

 

A regular die

 

A gimmicked "psychokinetic pen"

 

A packet of billets (blank 3x5 cards which have been 

cut in half)

 

Cornelius's "Perfect Pen"

 

Two "rainbow pads" (3x5 pads comprised of colored 

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The Cassidy Lecture

newsprint stock)

 

At lease two more pens- one that matches the 

gimmicked psycho pen and one that looks similar to 

the Cornelius Pen.

 

DyCypher2- The die divination effect currently 

manufactured by Chazpro.

 

A couple of keys suitable to use as "benders" in case I 

can't find a suitable one in a small audience.

 

Whatever else happens to amuse me at the time- 

currently a Rocco's Dlite which I use to make a crystal 

glow in a variation of and aold effect called  "Laser 

Beam." (The crystal, too, obviously)

 

Here's what all of these things are for. Obviously I 

never do all of this material for one group. In fact, in an 

impromptu setting, I find it much more effective to do 

no more than two effects. More than that actually does 

more harm than good. Rather than creating a 

reputation for yourself by performing something that 

the audience will remember always, if you do too much 

they'll tend to describe you as someone "who did all 

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sorts of things." You don't want that. You want them to 

tell their friends exactly what they think you did.

 

The other stuff is for repeat performances.

 

          

THE BLACK LIPSTICK

 

 

This has two great uses. The first is for my no-gimmick 

version of Fiedler's Memory Die. This has previously 

appeared in my "Principia Mentalia" series but I gave 

myself permission to include it here.

 

This is the effect: The performer exhibits a 35mm film 

canister and an unprepared die. He hands the die to a 

spectator and asks him to concentrate on one of the 

numbers. Next the mentalist hands the volunteer the 

film can and tells him to drop the die into it so that his 

selected number is facing upward. The can is passed 

around so that other spectators can look in and help in 

the concentration process. The last spectator holding 

the canister is told to remove the die and toss it back to 

the performer. 

 

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Casually putting the die into his pocket, the performer 

retrieves the canister. Going into his psychic mode, the 

mentalist successfully reveals the thought of number. 

Since we're discussing the use of black lipstick I think 

the method should be apparent.

 

In the original routine, as described in "Principia 

Mentalia," I simply said to use a lipstick. The 

advantages of using a black lipstick (available in any 

costume shop) hadn't yet dawned on me.

 

Prior to performance you need only insert the lipstick 

into the canister and leave a small dot on the little nub 

which is on the center of the inside bottom. SMALL! 

Too much and you'll make such a mess that you'll have 

no idea what number's being thought of.

 

Don't store the die in the canister. The lid is not used in 

the effect. It is removed from the canister just prior to 

beginning the effect.

 

The handling is just as described above. When the die 

is tossed back to you a casual glance at it, as you put it 

in your pocket, will reveal a slight smudge on one side 

of the die. The number opposite this one is the chosen 

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number. Remember- opposite sides of a die total seven.

(Of course if you didn’t already know this you are 

hardly ready to be a mentalist- or a parlor magician 

either, for that matter.)

 

One problem with the previous effect is that it is 

basically a one out of six shot. It's more effective if you 

use it in place of a force in a triple prediction effect such 

as Jak's classic "This Way Out." The only effective die 

divination routine that I know of is my own and is 

based on the "DyCypher2" prop manufactured by 

Chazpro. We'll get to that shortly.

 

The reason that black lipstick is best is that it won't be 

noticed on a white die with black spots. If seen by a 

spectator he'll just assume that it is a cheap die with a 

shoddy spotting job. Red lipstick, however, while it 

usually won't be noticed if you keep the handling brisk, 

will raise a red flag to an astute observer. My other use 

for the black lipstick is simply a refinement of ideas 

created by Ned Rutledge, Punx, Ross Johnson and 

myself.

 

The original effect was first described by Robert Parrish 

and probably goes back to the days of the fraudulent 

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mediums. This is how it looks:

 

The performer writes the numbers from one to five on 

a scratch pad in a vertical column on the left side of the 

sheet. The spectator is told to think of the first name of 

someone who was important in his or her life. Handing 

the spectator the pen, the mentalist asks him to print 

the name next to any of the numbers. The mentalist, of 

course, does not watch while this is done. When the 

spectator says he is finished the mentalist tells him to 

print random names next to the other four numbers, 

thus disguising the position of the thought of name.

 

The mentalist retrieves the pad and explains that he has 

developed the ability to tell whether or not someone is 

lying simply by observing his body language. The 

spectator is told to say "No"  to each and every question 

about to be asked, even if by saying "No"  he will be 

telling a lie. He is further instructed not to tell the truth 

until the performer tells him to.

 

"Do you understand?" asks the mentalist.

 

"Yes," replies the spectator.

 

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"You don't get it, do you? Let me ask you again- do you 

understand?"

 

"No."

 

"Good."

 

Assume the selected name was Mary and is in the third 

position. The mentalist questions the spectator like this:

 

"Was the name Ralph?"

 

"No."

 

"Was the name Jane?"

 

"No."

 

"Was the name Mary?"

 

"No."   (If he says "yes" to this question you have 

selected an idiot as a volunteer. You'll get a big laugh, 

but the effect is dead unless you've set yourself up to 

do it again. This will require another pen and pad- a 

good thing to have in case of emergency.)

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"Was the name Fred?"

 

"No."

 

"Was the name Ethel?"

 

"No."

 

The performer continues to question the spectator in 

this manner, but continually narrows down the names 

until he is asking the same question over and over 

again, ie. "Was the name Mary."  After the spectator 

says "No"  at least three times the mentalist says, "Now 

tell the truth." The spectator sheepishly responds, 

"Yes."

 

The method is simple and, I think, more practical than 

some of it's predecessors.

 

There is simply a dot of black lipstick on the tip of the 

pen. You only pretend to write the numbers on the pad. 

Actually you?ve written them there before the 

performance.

 

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If you run your left thumb down over the first letters of 

the names, one of them will leave a slight smear.  If the 

smear runs through several names, don’t worry. Just 

look for where the smear began and that is the selected 

name.

 

Again, as in the previous routine, it is essential that you 

only use the tiniest dot of lipstick. Too much and 

everything will smear up. A little experimentation will 

show you the exact amount to use.

 

Originally the effect was performed with chalk on a 

slate. Later it was done with a soft  pencil sharpened to 

a razor point, making the initial letter of the thought of 

name noticeably thinner than the other names. 

Rutledge came up with the idea of using a dot of blue 

carbon paper on the tip of a pen containing red ink. 

Punx used lipstick to go red on red.

 

Red is a lousy color to use. Black on black is best. After 

the performance you needn't worry about leaving the 

paper around. The smear is hardly noticeable.

The presentational aspect is mine and Ross Johnson?s.

 

Try it.

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The Psychokinetic Pen and Keybending

 

There have been several marketed versions of this 

effect and if you don't want to bother making one for 

yourself (which can occasionally be a mess), I suggest 

you go to the magic store and buy one. Essentially the 

effect is that the mentalist causes a pen placed on the 

edge of a table to fall to the floor. Standing alone, the 

effect is meaningless unless you have established 

yourself as being "the real thing."  It follows the key 

bending effect quite nicely as an exhibition of the same 

"force" used to bend the metal.

 

An excellent impromptu routine (which literally scares 

the hell out of people) is a combination of the following 

routines: Banachek's "Psychokinetic Taps," Bruce 

Bernstein's "Ring of Protection" (based on Maskeline's 

"Ring of Power"), key bending, and the "Psychokinetic 

Pen."  Except for the key bending,  these are all 

commercially available and thus it would be unethical 

for me to discuss the methods involved. But, if you 

want a routine you can do anywhere, anytime, that is 

as strong as possible, you can't go wrong with this 

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combination.

 

There are commercial versions of the key bend but 

none is more effective than the no-gimmick version. 

The method has been incorrectly explained so many 

times that it is probably a good idea for me to give you 

my handling as it originally appeared in one of my 

earlier writings.

 

"...The main thing is to find a key with a large slot in it, 

like a KwikSet. Don't use a car key, it is very likely to 

break, which will not go over too well with the owner. 

Remember, this is not the key you are going to bend, it 

is the one that will act as a bender. If possible all of the 

keys used should be borrowed. By borrowing several 

you will almost always find a suitable "bender."  As a 

precaution, though, I always carry a KwikSet key in my 

pocket which is easily added to the borrowed keys if 

necessary.

 

"In previous descriptions of the method, notably 

Randi's, the slot end of the "bender" projects from the 

performer's hand. The tip of the key to be bent is 

casually inserted into the slot and the two are squeezed 

to create the bend. This is done during the collection 

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process, long before the spectators believe that 

anything has happened. This hand position, however, 

makes the bending obvious to anyone who is watching 

you too closely.

 

That is why I always hold the bender with the slot on 

the second joint of my first finger and the shaft laying 

across the middle and ring fingers. This way you can 

insert the other key into the slot and apparently only be 

holding it between the forefinger and thumb. While 

you are moving around you only need to close your 

hand into a fist in order to bend the key in a completely 

imperceptible manner."

 

I realize that the above description may not be totally 

clear which is why this is something best seen at a 

lecture. If you purchased these notes from me you've 

seen the move in action and should have no trouble 

with it.

 

 

Billets- The Name/Place Routine, Center 

Tearing, Switching

 

 

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Billet work is a cornerstone of mentalis technique. 

Unfortunately, very few mentalists or magicians are 

skilled in the proper technique. Here's a paraphrased 

and updated version of what I had to say,  in The Art of 

Mentalism:

 

"...The problem is that billet work is undeniably 

difficult. To be effective, the switches and secret 

readings must be performed completely casually.

 

Here I offer the reader a simplified means of 

performing the technique known as the "pocket read."  

In its original form, using standard three fold billets, it 

was utilized frequently by Annemann, and is described 

in Practical Mental Effects. It's far easier if you take 

some unlined 3X5 index cards and cut them in half, 

creating billets

 1 ½ X 2 ½  inches.

 

If one of these billets is folded into quarters, it will only 

be slightly larger than the standard billet, but it is far 

easier to open and manipulate. Fold about a dozen 

billets and reopen them. Place them, in a stack, in your 

right outside jacket pocket or in the right trouser 

pocket. Fold another blank billet and put it in another 

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pocket or anywhere where you can conveniently finger 

palm it when needed.

 

In performance you simply remove the stack from your 

pocket and hand a billet to an audience member. 

Return the stack to your right pocket. Give the 

volunteer a pencil and have him print his thought on 

the billet. Instruct him to fold it into quarters. Since it 

has been prefolded by you it will end up looking like 

the dummy which you have now conveniently palmed.

 

I then went on to describe some fundamental switches 

which ended up with the spectator's billet unfolded 

against the face of the stack in your pocket. Later, when 

removing the stack, it is an easy matter to secretly read 

the stolen billet while pretending to jot down your 

thoughts. My main point was that it is much easier to 

do the umbrella move with index card stock on quarter 

fold billets than it is with a paper tri-fold billet.

 

This technique is an all purpose approach to billet 

work. Not only does it allow secret access to a 

spectator’s thoughts, but also creates a clean approach 

to prediction work when used in conjunction with 

pocket writing.

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From this evolved the name/place routine which I first 

described in The Art of Mentalism 2.  Here is a 

somewhat shorter description than appeared in that 

book:

 

Speaking about coincidence, the performer selects a 

married couple as subjects. He explains how very often 

people who are close to one another will have similar 

thoughts.

 

The man is asked to think of a famous person and the 

woman is asked to think of a famous place. Each is 

handed a billet and told to print their respective 

thoughts. Neither is to look at what the other one is 

writing. When finished they are instructed to fold their 

billets. The woman takes both of them, puts them 

behind her back and mixes them up so that she does 

not know which is which.

 

The performer asks to woman to hand him one of the 

billets, pointing out that the moment he touches it, it 

will be disqualified. The target billet will be the one she 

keeps, the content of which is unknown to everyone. 

The performer immediately burns the billet given to 

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him.

 

Removing the stack of blank billets from his pocket, he 

writes his thoughts on the uppermost card. This he 

folds and hands to a third volunteer. He takes the 

target billet from the woman and reads its contents 

aloud. The third volunteer is asked to read what the 

performer wrote. It is exactly correct. As a kicker, the 

mentalist now reveals the contents of the burned billet.

 

The method I use is the cigarette lighter switch. This 

will be described in detail during the lecture. 

Alternatively, a finger switch or center tear can be 

used. The latter methods are best in venues where 

ashtrays are not available. Of course you could always 

add an ashtray to your kit but that would take away 

from the impromptu feeling of the effect.

 

The billet first handed to the performer is switched for 

a dummy. The dummy is opened out on the stack in 

the pocket. When the stack is removed for the 

performer to write his initial impressions, he obtains 

the contents of that billet. He pretends to write on the 

billet and then acts as if he made a mistake. Crossing 

out what is written there, he puts the billet on the 

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bottom of the stack and writes the spectator's thought 

on a fresh billet. This is the billet handed to the third 

volunteer.

 

When the performer opens and reads the target billet 

he simply misreads it as the contents of the billet he 

had originally peaked. This gives him the necessary 

information for the kicker ending.

 

 

Perfect VooDoo

 

This is the only version of the pen penetration that 

makes any sense to me. It originally appeared in my 

newsletter "Quintessence." It uses John Cornelius’s  

'Perfect Pen. "  There are, of course, rip offs of this on 

the market, but the original is far superior. Besides, I 

make it not a point to patronize any dealer who has 

ripped of something that rightfully belongs to someone 

else.

 

The performer writes a prediction and hands it to an 

audience member. He borrows a bill of the largest 

denomination available and on it draws an outline of a 

person. As he draws the outline, he points out that 

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there are six major parts to the human body- the head, 

the right arm, the right leg, the left arm, the left leg, and 

the torso. He asks the lender of the bill to call out one of 

those body parts. He says, say, the head.

 

The performer shows the picture he has drawn. It is 

seen that he has numbered each of the named body 

parts from one to six. The head, it is noted, is number 

six. After a brief discussion of VooDoo, the performer 

asks to lender to write a set of initials under the figure. 

"Don't pick real initials- I don't want anyone getting 

hurt!"

 

The performer retrieves the pen and suddenly plunges 

it through the bill- right through the head. Since this 

part is done with the Cornelius pen, it is easy to see 

how the performer can now cause the injured figure to 

"heal."

 

The kicker follows the bill restoration and completely 

takes the heat off the pen. A spectator opens the 

prediction and reads it aloud. It says "I will heal area 

#6."

The only thing left to explain is the prediction- While 

he is drawing the figure, the performer requests that a 

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body part be named. He doesn't number the sections 

until after the part has been selected. All he has to do is 

put the number six on the named part! 

 

I usually put the bill against a card case while I?m 

drawing. This way they'll see me start to draw the 

picture. I then raise the case so they can no longer see 

what I'm drawing. That's when I number the parts.

 

 

 

The Rainbow Pad

 

 

The advantage of Rainbow Pads are that the paper is 

opaque, unfolds quietly, and tears very easily. That 

makes them perfect for the one hand center tear, a 

move that can be found in Corinda's 13 Steps to 

Mentalism, one of the fundamental texts owned by 

virtually every working  mentalist.

 

The easiest way to read a center if you are standing up 

is to open it out behind your subjects back, while he is 

watching his slip burn. Turn your head during the 

burning so you "can't see anything in case the burning 

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slip opens."  Read the stolen center. You can use this 

technique in front of a large audience if you bring the 

assistant to the stage. The angle problems are minimal. 

The volunteer's own body acts as your shield as you 

stand with your arm behind his back.

 

 

 

DiCypher2

 

 

As I said earlier, the following routine is the only die 

divination that makes it more than a one in six shot. It 

uses the commercially available prop which is designed 

to let you know almost instantly which number is on 

top of the brass die encased in a brass container.

 

I present this as a test of remote viewing. On the top of 

the container I have pasted a label prepared on my 

computer. The label reads "Remote Viewing Lab, 

Delphi Associates. Brass- solid B125311-97."  I also have 

phony business cards from this fictitious organization 

which show that I am a psychic researcher. The point of 

the label is important- without it the prop looks like 

something you got in a magic store (which it is.) With 

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it, the box becomes a legitimate looking testing device- 

designed to completely prevent surreptitious peeking 

by the subject.

 

To make this an impressive test, it is done three times. 

The spectator puts the die in the container while it is 

behind his back. He puts it in so he has no idea which 

number is on top. He closes the box and hands it to the 

performer. The performer holds the container to his 

forehead and then places it on a table. He picks up a 

pad and writes the letter  "A."   Next to the "A" he 

writes the number he knows to be on top of the die. 

The spectator is not shown what the performer wrote, 

and the performers pad is placed face down on the 

table. The performer hands another pad to the 

spectator and asks him to open the box and to record 

the number. This, of course, out of the performer's 

view.

 

This exact procedure is followed two more times. No 

one knows if the performer is correctly "remote 

viewing"  the contents of the box until the test is 

finished and the pads compared. He will, of course, be 

correct as often as he wants to be.  In a serious situation 

you can go more than three times of course, perhaps 

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missing on a guess or two to make it look more 

convincing.

 

If you have ethical problems with making a spectator 

believe you've got the real thing, stay away from this 

one. It is a convincer and works well with the sort of 

effects I described with the "Psychokinetic Pen."

 

You're probably wondering why I currently carry a 

D'lite and a quartz crystal in my kit. It's because you 

can make the examined crystal glow when ever you 

want. It works just as well with a crystal ball. I use it as 

a variation on the old Laser Beam effect, the American 

version of Ken Brookes  "Beam Shot."

 

 

 

The Three Envelope Test- The inside dope

 

 

I've described this effect so many times and with so 

many variations that I'm not going to lay the whole 

thing out again here. You'll see the whole routine 

during the lecture. If you want a detailed account you 

can refer to The Art of Mentalism, Parts One and Two. 

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If you don't have those books I really think you'll need 

to look at them to understand what follows. They are 

available through H&R Magic Books.

 

What I'm giving you here is the actual method I use in 

virtually every performance. It is briefly mentioned as a 

postscript to the original effect in AOM1. It is what I 

call "the pocket dump."

 

The bare bones:

 

The envelopes are stacked like this: The Shaxon flap on 

top, flap side up.This contains a folded dummy billet- 

index card type. Underneath is another regular 

envelope, flap side up. Below that is a regular 

envelope, flap down. And below that is a pair of 

envelopes set for a flapless envelope switch. The 

regular of these two contains a folded blank billet. The 

flapless envelope is on the face of the stack. Pencil dot 

the Shaxon set so you know which side is up.

 

The key to making the dump work is to belly both of 

the flapless envelopes out before you prepare the stack.

 

Handling:

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The Cassidy Lecture

 

Two spectators write thoughts on billets. Their billets 

are sealed in envelopes. The first spectator's billet is 

switched via the Shaxon envelope, which she seals and 

holds onto.. The second spectator is given the now 

second envelope down- a crude second deal. She seals 

up her billet herself, you don't touch it.

The performer returns to the front and asks for a third 

volunteer. At the same time he puts the stack of 

envelopes into his right jacket pocket, mouths down. 

He buckles it open and the first spectator's billet dumps 

out. He comes right back out with the stack and puts it 

into his left jacket pocket. This is all done very casually 

and just looks like you don't know what to do with 

them.

 

The performer reaches into his right pocket and 

removes the stolen billet. He opens it while explaining 

to the third volunteer that she is to draw a picture and 

then to refold her slip. It looks like the performer is 

simply showing the volunteer what to do. He is 

actually reading spectator #1's billet. He retrieves the 

stack of envelopes and sticks it into the regular flapless 

envelope on the face of the stack. He pulls on the flap 

and switches for the envelope containing the remaining 

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The Cassidy Lecture

blank billet.

 

The envelopes are later collected and misnumbered  3,  

1,  2,   thus setting up the one-ahead.

 

Again, this will be described in great detail in the 

lecture and these notes should reinforce the important 

points of the routine, but I do strongly recommend that 

you read the previous versions in order to understand 

the virtues of the present approach and to grasp the 

context of the various moves.

 

 

It was great to be in Palo Alto and I hope to see you all 

again one day. Until then, good luck and good 

thoughts to all of you.

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

 

 

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The Cassidy Lecture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Robert E Cassidy

          Robert E Cassidy

 

 

 

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The Cassidy Lecture

 

          Robert E Cassidy

 

 

          Lecture Notes

 

 

          Robert E Cassidy

 

 

          Lecture Notes

 

 

 

 

          Lecture Notes

          Lecture Notes

 

 

          Robert E Cassidy

 

 

          Lecture Notes

 

 

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