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Sir Andrew Caldecott (1884-1951), a distinguished British civil servant born in Boxley, Kent, ventured into the realm of fiction following his retirement from the colonial administration. Educated at Uppingham School and Exeter College, Oxford, Caldecott's administrative career in Malaya, including roles as Acting Governor of the Straits Settlements and Governor of Hong Kong, showcased his diplomatic skills. Beyond his administrative prowess, Caldecott's multifaceted life included presidencies in football associations, a governorship during World War II in Ceylon, and a unique talent for settling ethnic disputes in Malaya. After marrying Olive Mary Innes in 1918 and, following her passing, Evelyn May Palmer in 1946, Caldecott embraced various hobbies, including writing, and authored two collections of supernatural fiction, "Not Exactly Ghosts" (1947) and "Fires Burn Blue" (1948), marking his late foray into the world of ghost stories. These tales, inspired by M. R. James, masterfully convey a sense of unease by transforming the ordinary into the unnerving, reaffirming Caldecott's literary legacy beyond his administrative achievements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank was born in 1886, the son of Sir Thomas Firbank, MP, and Lady Firbank. He had an older brother, a younger brother, and a sister. At the age of ten Firbank went briefly to Uppingham School, and then on to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He converted to Roman Catholicism in 1907. In 1909 he left Cambridge without taking a degree. Living off his inheritance, he traveled around Spain, Italy, the Middle East, and North Africa. Openly gay and chronically shy, he was an enthusiastic consumer of alcohol and cannabis. He died of lung disease in Rome, aged 40, having composed some dozen novels. For this episode of "Read Me to Sleep, Ricky," your host Rick Whitaker reads Firbank's 1923 novel "The Flower Beneath the Foot." Support the show
Branch Line to Benceston by Sir Andrew CaldecottBranch Line to Benceston was published in the collection Not Exactly Ghosts in 1947. He turned to writing after retirement from the Malaysian Civil Service, again like many of our ghost story writers, he had a career in the Colonial Civil Service of the British Empire. Sadly, he didn’t live long after retirement and died aged 65. Sir Andrew Caldecott (1884–1951) was born in Kent. He was educated at Uppingham School and at Exeter College, Oxford, where he became an Honorary Fellow in 1948. His father was a clergyman. Spooky. how this happens so much. He had a very distinguished career in the Colonial Service and was Governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1937 until 1944 (so during the Second World War), and before that Governor of Hong Kong (1935–1937). He also worked in Malaya and Singapore and there is a station named after him in Singapore. He had a lifelong interest in the supernatural and, as is evident from his two volumes of supernatural tales, he was an accomplished writer, but it wasn’t until after his retirement in 1944 that he published his first volume of ghost stories. Not Exactly Ghosts was published in 1947 by Edward Arnold & Co. It contains twelve tales. Interestingly, features of Caldecott’s own interests, such as playing the piano, crop up in his stories and I suppose that is true for most writers, hence my frequent mentions of Hawkwind. In ‘Branch Line to Benceston’, Adrian Frent, a railway enthusiast and herbalist, is the first tenant of ‘Brentside’, the newly-built house next to the narrator’s own house in Brensham. Frent is a partner in a firm of music publishers, but he hates the other partner with a vengeance, feeling that the man has messed up his life stence since they were boys. He wishes his partner dead, and then when he does die, things turn weird. But the story is not exactly a ghost story. C aldecott does a couple of things wonderfully. Firstly; this story is a portrait of Metroland, the area outside London that was developed in the first half of the twentieth century with the benefit of faster rail connections to allow the middle classes, to have the benefits of living in a suburbia that appeared and was sold as being the English countryside, while still able to travel easily into London to their day jobs. Vast swathes of the Home Counties were gobbled up and railways proliferated. John Betjeman, the English poet laureate captured all of this in his film entitled: Metroland and much of his poetry is set in this half-and-half land bathed in the sunlight of the English dream. The second thing I think Caldecott does well is the set up of the story. The death of the Dachshunds and the herbalism and poison seems to be a red-herring. Though giving his great enemy Paul Saxon one of the tinctures he makes reminds Frent of his wish to kill Paul, and thus his sin, he does not actually poison the man. This is a misdirection, I think: a red herring. However, the real set-up is the trap-door. We have already been told how Frent tends to go off half-cocked, but after a brief mention of this trap-door, Caldecott leaves it. This is subtle and I didn’t get that until the end. Caldecott is a great wit and his comment about the coroner’s view that these houses are death-traps being ignored as normal with coroner’s comments reflects his own professional experience, I am sure, and is a bit of a joke because we are going to ignore this clue too, at least I did. Caldecott even flags this clue up saying he has recorded it for a reason that will become clear later. This to me is a great example of burying the obvious, and doing it well. The picture of Frent’s fire escape being one you swarm down a rope on, hand over hand, like you did at prep school is hilarious and worthy of P G Wodehouse or Evelyn Waugh. I began to suspect something about the clock when it was mentioned it was set five minutes fast. Caldecott sets up all the railway stuff too with the... Support this podcast
Ferdinand Steinbeis, MD of boarding school consultants von Bülow Education (www.buloweducation.com) interviews Dr Richard Maloney, headmaster of Uppingham School.
In this episode, we are talking about the importance of sleep on young people, and how it impacts their performance, well-being and mental health. Helping me discuss this is Dr Richard Maloney, head of Uppingham School who educates staff and pupils on the benefits of sleep, and Nick Littlehales, a sleep coach who has worked with elite sports stars from Manchester United and the Tour De France.
Phil will be appearing at the show on Thursday 31st May. Phil Spencer was born in 1969 in Canterbury, Kent. Brought up on a family farm, he’s a country boy and spent his entire childhood messing around outdoors on the farm with his three siblings, learning about nature and conservation and playing lots of cricket. Phil was educated at Uppingham School in Rutland. He left school after A-levels in 1988 with dreams of either joining the army or playing professional cricket. After a year teaching sport in a school on Australia’s Gold Coast he joined the British Army on a 3 month Potential Officers course and played junior county cricket for Kent. His passion for property emerged when, after a stint working for an estate agent in Canterbury, he decided to head to University and sat a 4 year degree course in General Practice Surveying at London’s Southbank University. Having gained his Surveying degree, in 1996 Phil founded the company Garrington Home Finders (www.garrington.co.uk), and was one of the very first property professionals to specialise in looking after the interests of purchasers. The business model took off and has since been much emulated. As founder and Chief Executive Phil developed Garrington over the following 12 years into an organisation with 4 offices, a staff of 30 and an annual turnover of £3.5 million. Although he has not been involved with the business since 2008, Garrington continues to thrive and is run out of offices in Cambridge. A natural ability to understand and interpret house hunters needs, to find them houses and negotiate deals led Phil to being contacted by a Scottish production company. They were looking to develop a program idea that followed the thrills and spills of couples going out house hunting, but had limited knowledge of what was actually involved in the process. Although initially approached for his property advice and as a consultant on the format, he was subsequently asked to record a screen test as presenter. Kirstie and Phil then screen tested together and immediately hit it off. Location Location Location was born and Relocation Relocation followed shortly afterwards. The 20th series of LLL has just been recorded, making it the longest running and most successful program of its type on UK TV. Phil is also the presenter on Phil Spencer's Stately Homes and Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it. Whilst Kirstie and Phil have become something of a double act and love working together, they have both gone on to present numerous other programs. They spend six months of the year working on LLL and six months on individual projects for their own production business. In 2010, Phil and Kirstie set up Raise the Roof Productions with their long-term production partners Sarah Walmsley and Jane Muirhead.
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP5 Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny". THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BOSIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932). Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage. Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ... VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.com SOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.com VINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.us JON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.com HYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.com TRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COM Seymoure - "Your Ghost Host"
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP3 & EP4 Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny". THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BOSIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932). Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage. Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ... VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.com SOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.com VINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.us JON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.com HYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.com TRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COM Seymoure - "Your Ghost Host"
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP1 & EP2 Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny". THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BORRIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932). Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage. Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ... VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.com SOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.com VINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.us JON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.com HYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.com TRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COM Seymoure - "Your Ghost Host"
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP5Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny".THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BOSIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932).Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage.Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career.PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ...VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.comSOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.comVINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.usJON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.comHYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.comTRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.comTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COMSeymoure - "Your Ghost Host"
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP3 & EP4Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny".THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BOSIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932).Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage.Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career.PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ...VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.comSOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.comVINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.usJON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.comHYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.comTRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.comTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COMSeymoure - "Your Ghost Host"
BORIS KARLOFF RADIO SHOW - 1957 - EP1 & EP2Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (Camberwell, London, England, November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who migrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in 1931 film Frankenstein. His popularity following Frankenstein in the early 1930s was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or, on some movie posters, "Karloff the Uncanny".THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT BORRIS KARLOFF - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969) better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor. Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). His popularity following Frankenstein was such that for a brief time he was billed simply as "Karloff" or "Karloff the Uncanny." His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). He also had a memorable role in the original Scarface (1932).Karloff was born at 36 Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak, London, where a blue plaque can now be seen. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His paternal grandparents were Edward John Pratt and Eliza Julia (Edwards) Pratt, a sister of Anna Leonowens (whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam [now Thailand] were the basis of the musical The King and I). The two sisters were of Anglo-Indian heritage.Karloff grew up in Enfield. Karloff was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He later attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School, and went on to attend King's College London where he studied to go into the consular service. He dropped out in 1909 and worked as a farm labourer and did various odd jobs until he happened into acting. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat. Karloff was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy. He conquered his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable all through his career.PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS ...VIRTUAL SANTA - Have Santa in your home this year - http://virtualsanta.comSOUNDS OF TERROR - Halloween's Premier Haunted Sound Effects Company - http://soundsofterror.comVINTAGE ADS - The BEST Vintage ads, videos and sounds on the internet - http://vintageads.usJON HYERS VISUAL EFFECTS - BEST Halloween Projection Effects - http://jonhyersvisualeffects.comHYDRATING BEADS - Water your plants for up to (90) days without water - http://hydratingbeads.comTRUE POWER SOLAR - Live in Southern California? ... Get all your home improvements here - http://truepowersolar.comTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!SCARE FM - SCAREFM.COMSeymoure - "Your Ghost Host"