2025-10-17 archive

Tangled in Temptation: Why Poison Ivy Always Blossoms on Halloween

There are certain costumes that cling to Halloween like ivy to a crumbling brick wall, creeping into every party, dominating every selfie, and staying rooted in the collective imagination long after the candy wrappers have been swept away. At the very top of that list is Poison Ivy, the queen of leafy seduction, the emerald …

Continue reading

When the Dead Refuse to Sleep: Romania’s Strigoi and the Terror of Restless Spirits

The grave is supposed to be an ending. Dirt falls on the coffin, the mourners leave, prayers rise, and life moves on. But what if the dead do not stay buried? What if the earth fails to hold them, and they crawl back into the world of the living, not as they once were, but …

Continue reading

When the Oil Stopped: The 1973 OPEC Embargo and the Crisis That Shook the World

On October 17, 1973, a group of nations pulled a lever that would send shockwaves around the globe. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, announced an oil embargo against nations perceived as supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. What seemed like a regional dispute exploded into a global …

Continue reading