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C O U R T E S Y T H E R H I N E R E S E A R C H C E N T E R A R C H I V E IN S P R nonfiction I BELIEVE IT OR NOT N AUTHOR STACY HORN EXPLORES A LABORATORY’S INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE PARANORMAL by Renée Alfuso / CAS ’06 n January 15, 1949, he supposed yet another theory: the scientists’ juiciest encounters, T a 13-year-old Mary - The boy himself was behind the from the bizarre (a telepathic horse land boy began phenomena, whether through named Lady Wonder) to the heart - Odemonstrating dis - simple trickery or perhaps psy - breaking (a fame-hungry psychic turbing behavior— chokinesis (the ability to move who strung along the parents of he would projectile vomit and objects via brainpower). Rhine, a missing boy). speak in foreign languages, his bed considered “the Einstein of the A frequent contributor to shook violently, and words ap - paranormal,” believed more in the NPR’s All Things Considered , Horn peared scratched into his body. If abilities of the human mind than was drawn to the once-prominent the events sound familiar it’s be - he did in ghosts. He struggled his lab by her fascination with forgot - cause they would later become whole life to bring psychical re - ten stories, which gives her writ - the basis for the classic horror film search away from the fringe and ing the tone of investigative The Exorcist (1973) and, sure into the realm of science, and is journalism despite a background enough, the boy’s deeply religious the central character of Unbeliev - in telecommunications. Where mother was convinced that he was able: Investigations Into Ghosts, Pol - many would dread the labor of possessed by a demon. But a priest tergeists, Telepathy, and Other sorting through dusty piles of doc - who witnessed the episodes first - Unseen Phenomena From the Duke uments, Horn sees opportunity. handbelievedapoltergeistwasmore Parapsychology Laboratory (Ecco), a Her previous book, The Restless likely to blame, and so he turned to new book by Stacy Horn (TSOA Sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold a higher authority: the Parapsychol - ’89). Using exhaustive research Case Squad (Viking), required dig - ogy Laboratory at Duke University. and countless interviews, Horn ging through warehouses of evi - When J.B. Rhine, who headed chronicles the lab’s work, from dence, and she recalls feeling like the lab, learned of the strange case, 1930 to 1980, and vividly describes “a kid in a morbid candy shop.” DUKE SCIENTISTS OF THE PAST ries. These “spontaneous psychic REVIEW RESULTS OF A PSYCHOKINESIS biblio file TEST USING A DICE MACHINE. experiences,” as the lab carefully dubbed them, showed possible ev - INVISIBLE HANDS: THE MAKING Economist Adam Smith wrote that So the chance to rummage idence of “incorporeal personal OF THE CONSERVATIVE MOVE - an “invisible hand” self-regulates through the Duke lab’s 700 box - agency”—their scientific term for MENT FROM THE NEW DEAL the free market. Political scientist es of archives—which took al - ghosts. The only way to study them TO REAGAN and historian Kim Phillips-Fein most three years—was especially was to venture into the field. (W.W. NORTON) alludes to that unseen force, de - appealing. “If there’s a basement Horn went to Duke expecting KIM PHILLIPS-FEIN scribing how little-known aca- that nobody’s gone into for to uncover the real-life Ghost - ASSISTANT PROFESSOR demics and businessmen—notably decades, I want to go through that busters . But, unlike in the movie, GALLATIN SCHOOL OF Lemuel Boulware of General Elec - door and look at what nobody has the lab’s task was not as simple as INDIVIDUALIZED STUDY tric—worked behind the political for 100 years,” she says. showing up with a proton pack curtain to create a conservative Horn’s interest in Rhine’s and ghost trap. In most cases, the movement rooted in deregulation. work put her in good company: reported disturbances would cease The author illuminates the birth of Helen Keller, Aldous Huxley, before the scientists arrived. Per - modern conservatism in the 1930s Richard Nixon, Jackie Gleason, haps the most elusive was the pol - as a reactionary crusade of those and Carl Jung were among the tergeist—which means “noisy who, enraged by government regu - many who wrote and visited the ghost” and is often exhibited by lation in the New Deal, funneled lab. In the 1930s and ’40s, partic - flying objects and slamming money and energy into promoting ularly following WWII, people doors—because they seldom last a return to laissez-faire economics. desperately wanted proof of life long. But the activity can be pro - This paved the way to deregulation after death and sought out medi - lific, as one Long Island family dis - and the trickle-down theories of ums to reach their dearly depart - covered in 1958, when they were the ’80s. Phillips-Fein delivers a re - ed. The burning question for startled by loud popping noises markably neutral—and timely—his - Rhine was whether such seers and found a crucifix fallen from tory as our government once again were actually communicating the wall, broken toys strewn about, navigates its role in resolving a fi - with the dead or simply getting and bottles, including one con - nancial crisis. —Kevin Fallon their answers through extrasenso - taining holy water, unscrewed and ry perception (ESP). He decided emptied. Five weeks and some 67 the first step was to focus on events later, it stopped as abruptly telepathy—the ability of the mind as it began. BLUEGRASS: A TRUE STORY OF After a night of revelry in 2003, to communicate with another. Over the years, the lab de - MURDER IN KENTUCKY WesternKentuckyUniversityfresh - Eventually Rhine and his col - bunked thousands of reported (FREE PRESS) man Katie Autry passed out in her leagues were testing up to 100 ghosts and psychics, but some in - WILLIAM VAN METER dorm room, where she was then people for ESP each week using cidents remained beyond expla - LS ’96, GAL ’98 raped, beaten, and charred from simple card experiments. By 1940, nation. As decades passed, the her thighs to her neck. With a news - the lab had conducted nearly a lab’s friends and contributors died paperman’s matter-of-factness, million trials, which provided sta - without knowing for certain whe- journalist William Van Meter details tistical evidence that the mind ther an afterlife awaited them. this gruesome tale, piecing togeth - could exhibit telepathic powers. Eventually the university grew er the alcohol-hazed events lead - “Instead of bowing before the un - less interested in parapsychology ing up to the murder, the bungled explainable, we begin to experi - and the lab separated from Duke investigation by campus police, ment with it,” Rhine observed. in 1962. When Rhine died in and the Autry family’s quest for But the public, and even the 1980, at 84, his work had never justice. The case caused a sensa - lab’s financers, weren’t interested been fully accepted by the disbe - tion in Bowling Green, home to the in science. Hundreds of letters lieving scientific community, de - university, and Autry—described poured in each day from people spite years of adherence to modern variously as the sweetest girl ever hungry for answers to inexplicable experimental procedure. Like and a promiscuous partier—was experiences—and they wanted Rhine, Horn is skeptical about impugned in the local press near - someone to investigate them. ghosts but believes that there are ly as much as the two troubled Rhine was reluctant to start chas - happenings we can’t fully ex - young men accused of the crime. ing after things that go bump in the plain—yet. “I don’t know that it’s While Autry was the obvious vic - night, but a 13-year survey of the something from the afterlife, but tim, it’s clear that the whole town letters, which eventually totaled it could be something even more suffered a loss of innocence with more than 30,000, found that 3 interesting,” she says. “And to me her passing. —Nicole Pezold percent of the stories could not be that’s just as thrilling as a paranor - explained by his telepathy theo - mal explanation.” NYU / FALL 2009 / 27 P H O T O S © N O A H K A L I N P IN A R I N T cooking DIY Haute Cuisine FLORENCE FABRICANT SHARES RECIPES, TIPS, AND DAVID CHANG, ONE OF SEVERAL CHEFS FEATURED IN THE BOOK, OWNS FOUR NYC TRENDS FROM NEW YORK’S BEST CHEFS RESTAURANTS, INCLUDING MOMOFUKU SSÄM BAR (LEFT). RAMEN (ABOVE) IS by Andrea Crawford ONE OF CHANG’S SIGNATURE DISHES. he New York City general quality is continuing to and The Grocery—appear along - coctions for domestic use. “I took restaurant scene has improve and there’s more experi - side classics from Bouley, Babbo, these recipes, and I wrestled them had such an influence mentation than ever,” she says, Carnegie Deli, the Four Seasons, to the ground,” she says. “Many Ton Florence Fabri - nodding to the use of more local - Pearl Oys ter Bar, and more. One had to be pared down, slimmed, cant’s life that when ly produced food options. new addition, chicken potpie from and trimmed to accommodate a she speaks of her love for the In this edition, 30 new recipes— the Waverly Inn, the author says, is home cook’s needs, abilities, and “kitchen,” it’s difficult to distin - from the chefs of such newcomers probably the best you’ll ever taste. lack of staff.” Wine pairings (or guish between the one at home as Momofuku, Telepan, Lunetta, Fabricant has mediated the con - other drink suggestions) accompa - and those in restaurants.