California: Haunted Bed & Breakfast Inns Available Halloween Weekend

By Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
Saturday, October 24, 2009

Not everyone has kids that need to stick close to home for trick or treating. If you fall into the camp of people who’d rather head to the hills than man your door with candy, consider a Halloween-themed getaway. BnBFinder tipped me off to some haunted bed & breakfast inns perfect for a ghoulish Halloween escape. They have listings of several haunted inns on the West Coast and I’ve plucked a few haunted California hotels that still have availability during Halloween weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, presented below with a description of the hotels’ ghosts and their activity provided by BnBFinder’s Alice Suh.

1859 Historic National Hotel and Restaurant in Jamestown, CA

“Flo, the friendly ghost generally stays upstairs in the hotel and favors rooms in front of the building, although she does float through the dining room and through the walls occasionally. Flo’s presence is always present so each room is stocked with a notebook for guests to leave comments and share their experiences. There have been numerous accounts of doors slamming, lights turning on and off, dumping of clothes from suitcases, a sobbing woman late at night and even housekeepers have claimed to feel a draft of cold air upon entering a room even with a heater on. So, who is Flo? A romantic at heart, she was supposed to marry the love of her life when her fiance was murdered unexpectedly. Flo was found dead inside her hotel room a couple weeks later.”

Availability: When I checked the website, there was availability Oct. 30-Nov. 1 with rooms at $140 per night, pre tax. The website lists descriptions of the hotel rooms.

Weaverville Hotel in Weaverville, CA

“Weaverville is an old gold rush town and known for many ghost sightings. Innkeeper Jeanne Muir at Weaverville Hotel may be immune to ghosts, but many incoming guests have supposedly felt presence from several ghosts. One young ghost that makes herself visible to guests is Mary, a 15-year-old granddaughter of former Irish owners from the late 1800s. She died from typhoid while visiting her grandparents, but never really left. One couple in the honeymoon suite said they heard footsteps and saw an apparition of Mary in a white nightgown.”

Availability: When I called, there was availability Oct. 30-Nov. 1 with rates from $126 to $205 per night. Inquire about AAA and senior discounts.

Note: Bridget Carson, the director of the local historical society museum, offers a free tour of the graveyard Oct. 31. Meet at the bandstand at Main Street and Court Street at 1 p.m. Hear stories about the lives and deaths of the cemetery residents, many of whom were pioneers during the Gold Rush. The tour of Catholic Cemetery of St. Patrick’s Church takes about an hour.

Strawberry Creek Inn Bed & Breakfast in Idyllwild, CA

“Guests have told innkeepers that in the upstairs room of the main house they have felt a strange presence. A local clairvoyant has felt the presence of six spirits in the house, one of them a housewife who wanted to make sure the house stays in the condition it should be in. It’s unclear who these spirits are, it could be former owner LaRue C. Thomas, formerly once the largest Cadillac dealer in L.A. These spirits don’t make themselves known to the innkeepers but only to guests. The innkeeper said there have been several occasions when guests check in and ask why their room is cold, only to return to the room with the innkeeper to find the room warm. According to the clairvoyant, that is a spirit communicating his/her presence.”

Availability: When I checked the website there was plenty of availability Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 with rooms starting at $119 per night.

Groveland Hotel at Yosemite National Park
“The ghost of an old gold miner named Lyle frequently and playfully haunts this historic gold-rush inn. This gentlemanly spirit occupied Room 15 for many years until his death in 1927, but Lyle seems to have remained in the pristine comfort of ‘his’ room. Of the 17 stately rooms in this inn, the resident ghost typically plays tricks on the staff and guests in or near Room 15. Rumored to have been fastidiously hygienic and an eccentric recluse, Lyle is not particularly fond of finding clutter or women’s cosmetics on his dresser. If he finds them there, he typically moves them to a nearby sink or knocks them down on the floor. His other mysterious antics include switching lights on and off as well as turning on the shower when no one is looking.”

Availability: When I checked the website there was plenty of availability Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 with rooms starting at $145 per night.

Supplemental: Persuasive Essay

The Modes of Persuasion
In 350 BCE, Aristotle's On Rhetoric identified what he considered to be the three basic components of a successful appeal.

Logos: Logos is an appeal based upon logic. The idea is that you are more likely to convince people of your position if it is framed in a reasonable manner. In other words, people are most attracted to those ideas that are clearly explained, logically constructed, and based in facts.

Pathos: Pathos is an appeal based upon emotion. People are more likely to be persuaded if base emotions are appealed to. Keep in mind, that the emotions tapped need not be positive. One can be persuaded by feelings of anger or anxiety, just as easily as feelings of warmth or optimism.

Ethos: Ethos is the appeal based upon the credibility of the speaker. This appeal touches on the element of trust. If one trusts the character, motives, and expertise of the person making the appeal, then he or she is more likely to be persuaded.

Fallacies of Logic
These are arguments containing errors in reason. They are extremely common and often very effective. However, the point here is not for you to use these in your argument, but to be able to point them out in opposing points of view.

AD HOMINEM: The Ad Hominem attack will focus on the person, not the argument.

Example: You can't take health advice from her, all she eats is junk food!

RED HERRING: A Red Herring is the introduction of an irrelevant subject, usually introduced in an attempt to drive the argument away (or distract) from its original subject.

Example: Why are we debating a soda tax when it's really Starbucks we need to reign in?

BURDEN OF PROOF: This is the tactic of shifting the Burden of Proof onto the wrong party. One party clearly has the responsibility to prove or dispove something, but instead shifts that responsibility to the opposing party.

Example: Of course, America has the best restaurants in the world. Prove to me they don't.

GOLDEN MEAN: The Golden Mean fallacy assumes that given two opposing viewpoints, the correct solution is invariably the middle or "golden mean." This fallacy is based upon the common belief that neither of two diametrically opposed viewpoints can possibly be correct.

Example: This recipe says to use four cups of flour, while another says to use six. I’ll play it safe and use five cups instead.

SLIPPERY SLOPE: The Slippery Slope fallacy is based on the idea that once you take the first step down a path, you will be inexorably drawn down that path until you reach an inevitable and very bad end. In other words, if “X” is allowed to happen, then “Y” is sure to be the end result.

Example: Calorie counts on restaurant menus will only lead to government mandates telling us what and what not to eat.

STRAW MAN: A Straw Man is a misrepresentation of the opposing view, setup in such a way that it is easy to demolish. At worst, it is a complete fabrication which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original argument.

Example: Vegetarians and vegans make such a big fuss about eating meat because, at the end of the day, all they want is the destruction of capitalism.

LOADED QUESTION: A Loaded Question presupposes something that has not been proven or accepted by all involved. It is posed in such a way that a person, no matter what answer he/she responds with, will inevitably commit him/herself to some presupposed claim.

Example: Are you still a food snob?

BANDWAGON: The Bandwagon is a fallacy in which a threat of rejection by one's peers (or peer pressure) is substituted for evidence in an argument.

Examples: Americans need to join the rest of the industrialized world and eat smaller portions of food at meals. If they can do it, then why can't we?

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION: Guilt by Association draws its power from the fact that people do not like to be associated with people they dislike. If it is shown that a person shares a belief with people he or she dislikes, then one might be influenced into rejecting that belief.

Examples: It's interesting that you enjoy the food at McDonald's. I don't; my food tastes have evolved.

Advertisements
Watch the following ads and look for examples of the modes of persuasion. What are you trying to be persuaded into? Are fallacies of logic used? If so, how?

CLASS CANCELED, 10.22

This cold apparently isn't down with me, so I'm canceling class tomorrow (Thursday the 22nd). Have your first draft persuasion essays ready to go on Tuesday.

Have a nice weekend.

Catering Groups, Sec. 62

Here are the catering group assignments for the final six weeks of class. Again, you and your partners will create one course of a six-course meal.

Guidelines:

• Meals must be at least 75% homemade, 25% store-bought
• Courses must be enough to feed 20-25 people
• Not all partners must cook, but all partners must contribute equally
• You must submit a recipe for your meal (these will be compiled on our website at semester's end)
• Please do not feel the need to spend a lot of money. This will be more challenging for some groups than others, so instead, think of creative ways to keep costs to a minimum.

Last but not least, your six-course meal will be Latin American-themed. Therefore, each course should draw inspiration from traditional or contemporary Latin American dishes. This is a broad theme, encompassing countries as diverse as Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and Panama, with culinary influences ranging from Spanish to African to French to indigenous. With such variety, there's no excuse not to be creative and bold in your course selections.

Appetizer (Th 11.12)
Eric Alvarado
Giang Dang
Greg Evans
Elise Malech
Michael Corley
Andrew Fausak

Salad (Th 11.19)
Eric Doolin
Krista Field
Jennifer Baptisit
Nicole Koch

Soup (Tu 11.24)
Heriberto Carrillo
Jason Cowart
Eric Pagendarm
Mitchell Ethridge
Katie Galas
Brian Campbell

Main (Th 12.3)
Carlos Estrada
Matthew Orsolini
Arjun Prabhakar
Melody Sheppard
Brian Stuart
Ashley O'Connor-Mccuiston

Cheese (Th 12.10)
Claudio Silva
Gabriela Solis
Tyler Wells
Jessica Pederson
Celso Matos

Dessert (Tu 12.15)
Bronson Herrera
Benjamin Powell
Matthew Baca
Jason Yuen
Ann Yuson
Jeremy Davies

Catering Groups, Sec. 64

Here are the catering group assignments for the final six weeks of class. Again, you and your partners will create one course of a six-course meal.

Guidelines:

• Meals must be at least 75% homemade, 25% store-bought
• Courses must be enough to feed 20-25 people
• Not all partners must cook, but all partners must contribute equally
• You must submit a recipe for your meal (these will be compiled on our website at semester's end)
• Please do not feel the need to spend a lot of money. This will be more challenging for some groups than others, so instead, think of creative ways to keep costs to a minimum.

In an unusual twist, your six-course meal will be breakfast-themed. Therefore, each course should draw inspiration from traditional breakfast dishes. Obviously, breakfast changes some of the courses, so perhaps soup may become oatmeal and main may become eggs, and so on. Be creative!

Appetizer (Th 11.12)
Gifford, Ronald
Corona, Rebeca
Garza, Daniela
Li, Wen
Kernahan, Kristopher

Salad (Th 11.19)
Moyles, Kyle
Chuyanov, Nikita
Burd, Stephanie
Vidal, Juan
Jameson, Elliot

Soup (Tu 11.24)
Logan, Austin
Gavarrete, Natally
Coddington, Nicole
Brown, Vivian
Pfitzer, Isaiah M.

Main (Th 12.3)
Bridges, David
Bui, Dieuthy
De Luna, Jessica
Burlini, Christina
Beville, Brandon
Wingate, Alex

Cheese (Th 12.10)
Aranda, Elizabeth
Nguyen, Truong Quoc Thanh
Greer, Desiree
Hastings, Adam
Campusano, Nicolas

Dessert (Tu 12.15)
Pourfathi, Naida
Sanders, Kaitlyn
Castellanos, Lindsay
Nguyen, Vinh
Farias, Daniel

Assignment: Persuasive Essay

Prompt:
Over the course of the semester we’ve examined a number of popular trends in American eating, the most prominent of which is eating organically. As we have seen, people are adopting it for a variety of practical and philosophical reasons. But to fully embrace it often means adhering to a strict behavioral code. Altering purchasing habits, knowing food’s origins, and spending more money are just a few of the requirements of true organic eating. Even so, many organic eaters swear by its positive attributes, and point to benefits ranging from personal to global. Still, others are not convinced that eating organically makes a significant enough difference, personally or otherwise.

For this assignment, you must argue for OR against the merits of eating organically. In a clear and concise persuasive essay, argue why adopting organic eating is, or is not, worth the effort. Cite specific evidence from the essays we read to support your argument.

Also, you may use the term “organic” exclusively as term referring to foods produced under specific conditions, or as a catch-all phrase to include many popular food trends, including seasonal eating, veganism, slow food, flexitarianism, hydroponic eating, locavorism, metabolic eating, etc.

Requirements:

• MLA format, including parenthetical citation
• 2.5-page minimum

The best papers will:

• Have a concise thesis with a clear argument (for or against eating organically)
  
• Utilize rhetorical techniques in order to convince readers of their position
  
• Support their thesis with solid evidence organized in a logical structure
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of your points
• Be in proper MLA Style
  

Due: Monday, Oct. 22 (Draft 1; bring three copies) and Wednesday, October 27 (Final draft)