More news about "War of the Worlds"

                  Did newspapers hype the panic over The War of the Worlds?

                  No one has pointed fingers this week at The Inquirer, whose 1938 day-after coverage of Orson Welles' radio version ------ in which aliens attacked New Jersey ----- is a classic of deadline writing, anthologized in A Treasury of Great Reporting.

                  I posted about it this week, quoting liberally from George M. Mawhinney's lead story in the 6 a.m. edition of the Oct.31, 1938, paper. 

                  And on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Daily News, in classic knockdown fashion, wrote:

                 "There was not this mass panic," said American University professor W. Joseph Campbell, who wrote about the broadcast in "Getting It Wrong:  Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism."  "The fright that night was very limited to a few pockets of people who were concerned.  To most listners of that show, it was very clear it was entertainment."

                 Slate took a similar tack.  Professors Jefferson Pooley and Michael Socolow blame the coverage on competition ----- the old-guard papers taking a clear shot at upstart radio.

                 Radio had taken advertising revenue from print during the Depression, they wrote, damaging the newspaper industry.  So the papers saw the Welles broadcast as an opportunity to get even.

                 Indeed, the lead paragraph of The Inquirer's next-morning piece asserted that "terror struck at the hearts of hundreds of thousands of persons........"

                 Hundreds of thousands?   Or a few pockets?  Or something in between?

                 Here's another perspective.  As the historian Robert Brown wrote in 1998's Manipulating the Ether, "After the speech of the 'secretary,' Americans had every reason to believe that the end of the world was at hand."  That would be the secretary of the interior, portrayed by an actor.

                 Many Americans did panic, Brown wrote, partly because much of the audience had tuned in to Welles in mid-show.  He q2uotes a Time article from April 1940 that asserted that of the six million people who heard the broadcast, 1.7 million believed it to be true.  Many other polls, taken during the same period, showed similar sentiment, he said.

                 Brown wrote that Americans were wary of gas attacks and in particular wary of Germany, which a month before Welles' broadcast had annexed parts of Czechoslovakia under the Munich Agreement.  The news was relayed during the Munich crisis over radio in bulletins and on-the-scene reporting ---- just the style that Welles capitalized on in his broadcast.

                 A broadcast that Brown says was genius.

                 "A significant part of the listening audience did consider the broadcast to be authenic and ;acted accordingly,he said.

                Here's one more indicator ---- the next-day story that appeared in the Nov. 1, 1938, Inquirer :

                It was generally agreed that nothing has shaken Philadelphia in like degree since the extraordinary "premature" Armistice lacking but a few days of 20 years ago........

Mars Attacks

                  Dateline Grover's Mill

                  Wait a minute!  Someone's crawling out of the hollow top.  Someone or ......... something.  I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks ......... are they eyes?  It might be a face.  It might be ......  Carl Phillips, International Radio News reporter.

                  Seventy-five years ago this week, Orson Welles turned a sleepy burg outside Trenton into ground zero of an alien invasion.

                  After dinnertime on Oct. 30, 1938, his Mercury Theater on the Air presented a radio version of H.G. Wells sci-fi thriller The War of the Worlds ---- a rewrite in which Martian spacecraft made Grover's Mill, N.J., their beachhead.

                 News flashes interrupted a night of dance music by Ramon Raquello and His Orchestra, broadcasting from the Hotel Park Plaza in Manhattan:  An atmospheric disturbance ........ incandescent gas exploding from the surface of Mars ......"like a jet of blue flames shot from a gun."

                 The first Martian cylinder crashed to earth at Grover's Mill, where correspondent Phillips described the unscrewing of a hatch amid ratcheting terror.

                 This was fiction, of course.  There was no Phillips, Like Ramon Raquello, and his orchestra and the Hotel Park Plaza, he was made up ----- portrayed by actor Frank Readick.  Nothing had disturbed the stillness of the town, which was little more than a mill pond, a feed store, a general store and a filling station in West Windsor Township.

                But to many tuning in to Welles' Halloween drama across the country, it sounded like a living nightmare.

                The Inquirer played a role in this reality play.

                Sheldon Judson was a junior at Princeton, a member of the University Press Club, and a stringer for The Inquirer.  A few minutes after 8, another student told him the newspaper wanted him to call back.  The editor asked him, "Do you know anything about a meteor falling in Princeton?"  Judson did not.

                "Then go find out."

                Judson had just declared his major as geology.  He contacted the department chair, who had not heard anything either, but together with another geology professor, they traveled to Grover's Mill, about four miles to the southeast.

                There, they found a sleepy town and nothing else.

                That's not to say there was no news in what happened.

                The next day's Inquirer carried the banner headline, "Radio Drama Causes Panic."

                Under that: "Play Portrays Men of Mars Invading N.J."

                And then: "Thousands in Nation Flee Homes After Fake News Bulletins Tell of Destruction."

                The Inquirer of Oct. 31, 1938, described how in Philadelphia, women and children ran from their homes screaming.  In Newark, N.J., ambulances rushed to one neighborhood to protect residents against a gas attack.  In the Deep South, men and women knelt in groups in the streets and "prayed for deliverence."

                WCAU was one of 151 stations on the CBS network that broadcast the play.  Before night's end, the FCC had promised an investigation.  One U.S. senator from Iowa said there ought to be a law against such disturbances of the peace.

                 In Philadelphia neighborhoods, families scurried to pack their belongings, The Inquirer reported.  One hotel proprietor said every guest had evacuated.  During that one hour, more than 4,000 phone calls flooded the Philadelphia Electrical Bureau.  The Inquirer got so many calls ---- more than 1,000 ------that it put on more operators.

               WCAU was swamped as well and broke into a later program to explain that aliens had not actually landed.

                But that was later.  During the broadcast, panic was the norm, according to the newspaper.  The report, since anthologized as examples of fine newswriting, went like this :

                In scores of New Jersey towns women in their homes fainted as the horror of the broadcast fell on their ears.  In Palmyra, some residents packed up their worldly goods and prepared to move across the river into Philadelphia.

               A white-faced man raced into the Hillside, N.J., police station and asked for a gas mask.  Police said he panted out a tale of "terrible people spraying liquid gas all over Jersey meadows.

              A weeping lady stopped Motercycle Patrolman Lawrence Treger and asked where she should go to escape the "attack."

              A terrified motorist asked the patrolman the way to Route 24.  "All creation's busted loose.  I'm getting out of Jersey," he screamed.

              And who could blame him?  

Drive Not, He Said

                 A remembered rite of passage was nearing ------- her son's getting his driver's license.
                 Except that he didn't really seem to care.   Why?
                
                 I took my driver's license test on my 16th birthday.  In 1984, you could get your learner's permit at 15 years and nine months, so that the day you hit Sweet 16, you could also hit the sweet streets alone.
                My plan ---- which mirrored that of all my friends ---- was to get behind the wheel as soon as possible.  The day I got my license, my mom gave me the keys to her car and off I went to visit my boyfriend.  I remember the moment vividly ---- backing that car down the driveway for the first time all by myself.  Life was good;  I was free.
                Last month, my oldest son, Noah turned 16 years old.  And things in the commonwealth are much different now.
                First, Pennsylvania now has a graduated driver licensing (GDL) system, which means you can't get your learner's permit until you are 16.  Then, you must complete "65 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel skill-building, including no less than 10 hours of nighttime driving and five hours of bad weather driving," before you take the test.  Given the above, it will be at least six more months before my son can drive alone anywhere.
               The rules aside, there is one huge difference that has left me completely perplexed, wondering where I failed as a parent:
               Noah isn't really interested in driving.
               His ambivalence first appeared a few months ago when I eagerly handed him the state drivers manual that I picked up for him at the Department of Motor Vehicles.  He politely skimmed through it and then permanently abandoned it on the kitchen counter.  When I asked him a few weeks later if he wanted to get his permit on his birthday, he vaguely said: "Sure, I guess......at some point."  But he never followed up.
              He's not the only one.  In the last year, I have had conversations with number of parents of teens who are eligible to drive but choose to wait.  A call to my insurance agent confirmed my suspicions.  An Allstate spokeswoman pointed me to a number of statistics, including a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that the percentage of high school seniors with their driver's licenses fell from 85 percent in 1996 to 73 percent in 2012.
             The generational gap feels inexplicably wide here.  We could barely wait o win this rite of passage.  What happened to this next generation's drive?
             I pondered a few explanations:  Driving is too intimidating.  Granted, the process of driving is no more daunting than when I was 16.  But back then, our understandings of the perils of the road were limited to how much we paid attention during the manadatory Driver's Ed screening of Highways of Death.  Ignorance was indeed strength in 1984.  Today, there is a steady drumbeat of public messages and warnings regarding how an innocent ride can go horribly wrong.  According to Allstate Insurance, more than half of all teens will be involved in a car accident before they graduate from high school.  It takes a village to scare a child ----- and we are doing an excellent job.
            GDL is too much trouble.  I wonder if the added hours of GDL have sucked all the joy out of getting one's license.  No doubt the extra training is wise and prudent, but admittedly it does dampen the excitement.  Those who pursue their driver's license these days really have to want it ----- as do their parents, who signed that contract for five hours of bad weather driving.  It's almost easier tojust cart my kid around for the next few years.
             Driving no longer equals freedom.  Herein lies perhaps the most poignant reason for this generation's waning enthusiasm for driving.  Teens don't need a set of car keys to be free.  They already are.   When I was a teenager, if I wanted to engage with my friends, I would have to physically transport myself to a specific place.  Otherwise, I was relegated to the corded telephone, where I could have limited conversations with one person at a time.  Today my kid doesn't need car keys; he needs a Facebook or Google + account to connect with his friends.  They can remotely play one another in video games and are in constant electronic contact, regardless of where they might be.  So driving to spend time with pals is more of a nicety than a necessity.
            At some point during this exercise, I concluded my concern was misdirected.  In my haste to diagnose some deep-seated, emotional reason that my son didn't want to rush over to the DMV, I didn't embrace the gift I was given.
            Truth be told, we hit the jackpot with a son who isn't champing at the bit to take off in our car.  Despite being at this parenting thing for 16 years, I still haven't fully learned that you can't "ungrow" them once they cross a threshold ---- and with every new passage into adulthood comes a fresh set of worries.  Driving is the mother lode of them all.  If Noah isn't in a hurry, then neither am I.
            My son, I wisely yield to you the right of way.
                   

Kennections

                  All five correct answers have something in common.

                  Can you figure out what it is?

1. According to the rap name of actor-musician  James Todd Smith, ladies love him because he's what?

2. In 1954, what was the one-word title of NBC's pioneering Steve Allen talk show, later taken over by Jack Paar and Johnny Carson?

3. What's the first word of the song "Over the Rainbow," as Judy Garland sings it in The Wizard of Oz?

4. The world's oldest international sports trophy is named for what yacht, which won the cup in 1851?

5. In their number from The Sound of Music, the nuns at Nonberg Abbey ponder how to solve a problem like whom?

Bonus : What's the "Kennection" between all five answers?

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Answers :    1. Cool

                    2. Tonight

                    3. Somewhere

                    4. America

                    5. Maria

                    Bonus : All are songs from West Side Story.

F. Y. I.

Still on the Books
In Detroit, it is illegal for a man to scowl at his wife on Sunday.

A Winter's Sleep
The Common Poorwill, which may remain dormant for days at a time in cold weather, was the first bird species thought to hibernate.

Quotable
by  Aldous Huxley, British writer (1894-1963)
"Every man's memory is his private literature."

Film Files
Ronald Reagan was originally announced as the lead for "Casablanca," a ruse intended to keep his name in the press.

State Stats
Utah is the only state with a capital name, Salt Lake City, comprising three words.

Touting the Toilet
Today is World Toilet Day, launched in 2001 to raise awarencess of the global sanitation crisis.

Holiday Hazzards For Pets

                  While we all get fat and happy on delicious food and drink, it is important not to forget what things may harm our pets during the holidays.  While we have passed the Halloween milk chocolate tornado, we enter into the baking chocolate snow storms.  This is the chocolate that harms our pets.  The level of toxicity goes up with quantity, but no amount of Bakers chocolate is safe.  Make sure to keep animals far away from this food item, push it back away from easy access from counteredges, and definitely keep wrapped packages up high and not under the tree.

                  Most dogs and cats love a nibble of the turkey ----- and a small amount of meat is fine.  Avoid any bones, as they can cause obstruction and splintering in the digestive tract.

                 While Dutton Road Veterinary Clinc welcomes all baked goods for their staff and volunteers, we strongly recommend against any pet having access to raw dough.  This will expand in the stomach and create severe pain and/ or Salmonella.  A small cookie for your pet, once baked, is a special treat and is fine (as long as there is no Bakers chocolate inside).

                  Other dangerous food items found through the year include apple seedsk fruit pits, coffee, grapes, raisins and nuts.  Believe it or not, aside from ruining your pet's breath, raw onions are a huge no-no and should be avoided.

                   Some food items are life threatening, others just upset pets' stomachs and cause vomiting and diarrhea.  Cleaning up this mess is the last thing we need during this busy season!

                   Please also avoid the ingestion of ribbons and tinsel and the chewing of ornaments!  They are all hazards to our furry friends.

                   What is safe?  A potato latke, a Christmas cookie once in awhile, a small amount of turkey or ham (no bones!), a litle applesauce, and even a little milk from Santa's cup.  Can't be sure of Santa's response if he knows your pet drank from his glass, but maybe he likes dogs and cats!

                   In summary, when your pet is exposed to or eats potentially harmful things, the result can be painful, potentially harmful things, the result can be painful, pottentially life threatening, and significantly expensive.  Please be extremely careful during this festive time!

                   From all of us at Dutton Road Veterinary Clinic, we wish you a wonderful and warm holiday season.  We are always here if you have any questions about your pet now or at anytime.  We are non-profit veterinary clinic and our proceeds go towards animal rescue.

Aime G. Berman, V.M.D.

Medical Director

Dutton Road Veterinary Clinic

Kennections

                 All five correct answers have something in common.

                 Can you figure out what it is?

1. On average, 57 percent of an adult's body weight consists of what substance?

2. The song "One Night in Bangkok" comes from what musical, which takes place at an international board game championship?

3. Who is the violent husband of Judy in traditional British puppet shows?

4. What relation was William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. president, to Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president?

5. What type of bird is Sonny, the mascot for Cocoa Puffs cereal?

Bonus: What's the "Kennection" between all five answers?

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Answers :   1. Water

                   2.  Chess

                   3.  Punch

                   4.  Grandfather

                   5.  Cuckoo

                   Bonus : All are types of clocks

F. Y. I.

Quotable

by  Napoleon Bonaparte, French military and political leader (1769-1821)

"Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize."

Of Note

A grand piano can be played faster than an upright (spinet) piano.

Still on the Books

In Sarasota, Fla., it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit.

Claim to Fame

Although similar designs existed at the time, Johann Vaaler patented his paperclip in 1901.

State Stats

Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state, with more than 1 million surface acres of water.

What's in a Name?

Poison ivy and poison oak are neither ivy nor oak; both belong to the cashew family.

Kennections

                 All five correct answers have something in common.

                 Can you figure out what it is?

1. Elsie the Cow advertises Borden dairy products, but her cartoon husband, Elmer the Bull, is still the mascot for a brand of what?

2. What's the most popular exercise among American adults?

3. Sportscaster Al Michael's famous "Do you believe in miracles?" call celebrated a 1980 U.S. win over the Soviet Union in what sport?

4. Neapolitan pizza is traditionally topped with what cheese, originally made from water buffalo milk?

5. What Walt Kelly comic strip was named for a philosophical possum living in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp?

Bonus : What's the "Kennection" between all five answers?

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Answers :   1. Glue

                   2. Walking

                   3. Hockey

                   4. Mozzarella

                   5. Pogo

                   Bonus : All are kinds of sticks

F. Y. I.

Quotable

by  Johnny Depp, actor

"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants."

Indulge

Today is National Pizza With the Works Except Anchovies Day.

Beware the Bark

The world's most dangerous tree is the manchineel tree;  its sap blisters the skin and its fruit causes ulcers in the mouth and esophagus.

State Stats

Nebraska has two counties named after animals:  Antelope and Buffalo.

Chew on This

The first known bubble gum, Blibber-Blubber, failed to catch on in 1906 because it was too sticky and brittle to hold together when chewed.

Still on the  Books

In Kentucky, one may not dye a duckling blue and offer it for sale unless more than six are for sale at once.

Stuffing For Beginners

                  How to explain the ins and outs of stuffing a turkey to a bachelor.

                  My favorite nephew is single, has Tom Cruise good looks and lives in a Southern California beach community, in what can only be called a perpetual light-beer commercial.  He is not much of a cook, but he has decided to entertain guests for Thanksgiving.  He invited me but I know he always participates in a strenuous touch football fame on Thanksgiving and I gave that up about the time Y.A. Tittle retired.

                   He loves my turkey dressing, and e-mailed me for the recipe.  I can follow a recipe, but I've never tried to explain some basic cooking concepts to someone with a smaller culinary comfort zone than my own ----- and who only understands several dialects of Bimbo-ese.  I knew I had my work cut out for me when in his e-mail he asked if he should remove the dressing mix from the box before he put it in the turkey.  I decided to approach the project by explaining things in sports metaphors that I knew he would be able to interpret.

                  Here are my instructions:

                  Buy two bags of stuffing mix.  Make sure it has sage flavoring.  It comes loose the way you like to crumple saltines in your tomato soup, or it comes in little cubes.  Stick with the cubes.  How big a bag?  Depends on the size of your bird, but the bags should be the size of one of those models in Victoria's Secret commercials.  (He'll know what I mean).

                 Next get two packages of premium pork sausage.  It comes in a silver wrapper and it is close to the size of a toilet paper roll with about 50 sheets of paper still on it.  Make sure it says "sage" under "premium," with "Our Special Recipe" in red letters.  Look in the meat case near hot dogs.

                 You'll need two or three cans of chicken broth.  Not big cans like those that Australian beer comes in, but cans the size that tomato soup comes in.

                 A stalk of celery.  It's green with a leafy top top that looks like Homer Simpson's head.  And two onions the size of tennis balls after the Williams sisters have been beating on them for nine games.

                 Chop the onions and celery.  Get one of those inexpensive choppers that you pound on like you're dribbling a basketball.  Do the onions first then chop an amount of celery equal to the onions ------- about a cup's worth (better make that a C-cup's worth.)  Oh, don't forget to cut off Homer's hair, and use just the stalks -------- except for the white-ish part at the bottom.

                  Now saute' ..... (Hmm, will he understand saute'?)  OK.  Melt about a half of a quarter stick of butter in a fry pan ------ low heat so it doesn't burn.  When it's melted, add the chopped celery (now turn the heat back up).  Handicap the onions by giving the celery about a three-minute head start; the onions will catch up soon enough.  Cook the onions until they are the color of the hair of that third Laker Girl from the left.  You know, the one we always zeroed in on with the binoculars during halftime at the Staples Center.  In fact you can use her to reference the size of the stuffing mix bags to get.  The celery is done when it's the color of the beat-up tennis balls.  Turn the heat off and set aside the onions and celery.

                  Slit the sausage package down the middle lengthwise like they do autopsies on that crime show "CSI."  Turn the package inside out and push the meat out the wayyour Grandpa used to turn out his suspenders.  Push the meat into another fry pan.  Brown the sausage, mashing it down with a fork the way you used to try to destroy green beans on your plate, thinking they would magically disappear.

                  Mix the onions, celery and sausage in a large pot.  Add about half a can of chicken broth, then half a package of stuffing until it is all the consistency of the stones and glop you would take out of your rockpolisher after it ran for a week.  Continue to add a little stuffing mix with a little chicken broth.  Don't let it get too moist since it will pick up moisture from the turkey while it's cooking.

                  (Will he know about salmonella?)  Don't forget to wash the turkey.  Not with soap, just cold water.  Pat it dry with a soft dish towel ------ gently, almost caressing it.  How gently?  Remember the Laker Girl.

It's a Ponderment !?!

                 When dog food is new and improved and better tasting, who tests it?

                 Why can't women apply mascara with their mouths closed?

                 Why don't people order a double cheeseburger, double fries, and a diet coke?

                 If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go?

Funky Facts

                 Unlike most fresh fruits, grapes will not float in jell-o

                 Grapefruit was not named for how it tastes, but for the way it grows ----- in bunches.

                 Champagne actually gets people tipsy faster than other alcoholic beverages because the carbon dioxide bubbles speed the alcohol into the bloodstream.

                  Cashews are not sold in their shells because the oil that surrounds the shell is highly irritating to the skin, and peeling the nuts by hand can cause blisters.

                  By the time a kid graduates high school, he will have eaten 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches.

The Martians Are Back!

                  An alien attack is on the way.

                  Voice artist Christopher H. Baum has produced a modern adaptation of the infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast that will debut on Halloween night.

                  The original program, which aired live Oct. 30, 1938, on CBS radio, fooled some listeners, especially those in the vicinity of its faux landing site in Mercer County, who thought it was an actual newscast.

                 Baum said although a strong reaction to his work "would be fun," his 75th-anniversary version isn't intended or expected to cause public alarm.  The new "War of the Worlds" will stream on the website Krypton Radio.com at 10 p.m.

                 An adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells, the 1938 broadcast was narrated and directed by Orson Welles, who later found stardom in films.  Styled after a traditional radio newscast, it was an episode of the CBS dramatic series "Mercury Theatre on the Air."  The program featured a Martian attack that starts in Grover's Mill, a village in West Windsor, and spreads, calling the New Jersey Militia into action.  In his version, Baum said, the narrative covers a four-day period and primarily takes place at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, where military personnel attempt to take control of the situation.

               At the corner of Hartford and Centerton roads, across the street from the Navy installation, a cornfield is used as the fictional location of a secret military base entrance.  A grassy hill in the middle of the farmed land marks the spot.

               The general area also serves as the location for a major battle.  Baum wanted to stay true to the original radio show in keeping the Garden State as the aliens' first target.  "I'm a Jersey boy," he said.  Born in Camden, the thespian grew up in Millville, hearing stories from an aunt about Welles' historic broadcast.  Since starting a voice career several years ago, Baum has worked on re-creating the program with his own spin.

             While the original "War of the Worlds" was presented as a live news broadcast, Baum's program is more of a storytelling version. In his role as a survivor, the artist narrates the saga, often relying on audio clips recorded as a devastating war was being waged to provide first-hand accounts.

              Baum used his Mount Laurel home recording studio to capture the narration and edit together about 56 tracks of sound to create the program.  Although much of it was recorded by actors, the terror in the panic scene is real, culled from recordings of a July Fourth event in Philadelphia.

               In forming his roster of voice performers, Baum cast a wide net.

               "It's a very diverse cast.  It's a microcosm of American society," he said.  "None of us are paid for this (project)."

               The cast ranges in age from 20 to the 60s.   Hailing from across the country, many are accomplished artists.

               He brought most of the 15 cast members in with the aid of modern technology.  He "met" some players through the online community Spoken Layer, an audio-narration service.  The talent includes voice artists Marjorie Kouns, a "Dora the Explorer" performer; Jewel Elizabeth, who appeared on "All My Children" and "Celebrity Apprentice"; and Steve Rimpici, an actor with a long resume of animated films and music videos.

Kennections

                  All five correct answers have something in common.

                  Can you figure out what it is?

1. What kind of grain is used to make paella, pilaf, and nasi goreng?

2. In October 2013, the Cleveland Browns, for the first time in the team's 67 year history played in jerseys and pants of what color?

3. What nickname did jazz great Edward Kennedy Ellington receive from his childhood friends?

4. Who built Salt Lake City's enormous Lion House in 1856 to accommodate many of his 55 wives and 57 children?

5. What was the original name for the territory that became Washington State, derived from the river that runs south of its border?

Bonus : What's the "Kennection" between all five answers?

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Answers :   1. Rice

                   2. Brown

                   3. Duke

                   4. Brigham Young

                   5. Columbia

                   Bonus : all are universities

F. Y. I.

Monstrous Turn

The Balkans once believed a pumkin or watermelon left outside for too long after picking could turn into a vampire.

Quotable

by  Mason Cooley, American aphorist (1927-2002)

"Clothes make a statement.  Costumes tell a story."

Sickeningly Sweet

A century ago, doctors blamed candy for the spread of polio.

Grisly Accompaniment

Fifteenth-century Romanian ruler Vlad of Wallachia, considered to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, reportedly never ate a meal without Ottoman Turks, impaled on stakes, dying all around him.

Lore Has It

According to superstition, a spider seen on Halloween may be the spirit of a dead loved one.

Haunted Habitats

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is supposedly home to the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.

The things we lose in gaining an hour

                 Money, Health,and life for starters, studies show.  And in the spring?  Could be worse.
                
                 At 2 a.m. Sunday, by arbitrary human decree, time will stand still for one hour.
                 While this rare interstice of being and nothingness offers great opportunities for philosophical musing ------- Who knows where the time goes?  Does anybody really know what time it is?  And is time really on our side? ----- a price must be paid for messing with the universe.
                 For with this annual lapsing of daylight saving time comes a constellation of ill health effects, from the mildly uncomfortable to the nearly nightmarish.
                 Studies have found that on the Monday after the time changes, more people kill themselves, hurt themselves on the job, and lose money in the stock market.
                 "It's only one hour," said David Dinges, a sleep researcher at the  University of Pennsylvania and editor of the journal Sleep.  "But it's acute."
                The sudden shift of circakian phase disturbs the body's natural rhythms, said Dinges.
                "Our brain contains this old biology that is consistent with the earth," he said, explaining that we are wired to rise with the sun and sleep after dark.  "But the relentless part of our brain keeps pushing us to go everywhere and do everything."
                "Unfortunately, people tend to use that extra hour for waking activity," said Christopher Barnes, assistant professor of management at the University of Washington.
                Barnes' research shows that although people are sensitive to any changes in shut-eye patterns, the effects are worse in spring when the hour is stolen.
                On "Sleepy Monday," the day afteran hour is lost, people suffer more workplace injuries.
                "Mining injuries go up by almost 6 percent and the severity of injuries go up by 60 percent," he said.  Other studies show that after clock changes, traffic accidents increase and people are more prone to heart attacks.
                Furthermore, Barnes said, workers who manage to reach the office alive and well are more likely to waste time "cyber-loafing."
                For decades, research consistently has found that traffic accidents increase after the clocks spring forward.  There is some disagreement, however, about the fender-bending effects of gaining the extra hour in the fall.
               One study looking at alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes in New Mexico found a significant increase not only on the Monday after, but for the entire week after the changes to and from daylight saving time.
               Others have detected a brighter side, so to speak, and contended that there are fewer car accidents when people get back on the road after the clock returns to standard time.
               Stanley Coren, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, found that while traffic accidents rose 8 percent the day after daylight saving time went into effect it dropped by the same percent the day after it ends.
               Several researchers have concluded that the biannual switch flipping of time creates mass "sleep desynchronosis."
              Studies of airline pilots show, "that even one hour of jet lag impairs hand-eye coordination, cognitive ability, and memory," said Mark Kamstra of York University in Toronto.  "And daylight saving time effectively puts most of the continent on jet lag."
               When Benjamin Franklin first conceived of daylight saving to conserve energy, he could not have dreamed of the high-tech fallout.  Every time the clocks change, medical devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators with sleep modes and glucose monitors for diabetics, have to be adjusted.
               Aside from the losses in productivity, the medical costs and damaged machinery, the national wrinkle in time inflicts another weird economic wound.
              With the caveat that, "it is difficult to ferret out these things directly," Kamstra said, "but on the Monday following the daylight saving time changes, the stock market shows lower than average returns."
              In a 2000 study in the American Economic Review, Kamstra and his colleagues reported that the Monday after losing and gaining that precious hour, stocks drop about half a percent.  "Which is a pretty big number for a single day," he said, reporting that the losses amount to about $30 billion.
              Kamstra said his is not to reason why, but he is willing to venture a guess.
              "Think of any weekend when you really disturb your sleep patterns," he said.  "People emotionally are less inclined to take risks.........you're basically just a little more wobbly."
              His work has been challenged, he said.   "It's statistics.  People are skeptical."
              Still, he and his wife, Lisa Kramer, who co-authored the study, have so much faith in the study, that they staked (part) of their own fortune on it.
              "We have traded on that Monday," Kamstra said.   "And two out of three times, we made money."