Thursday, April 30, 2020

INS Car Insurance Coverage in Costa Rica

There will be some changes made to the voluntary insurance offered by INS, though the price will remain the same. Among the significant changes, INS will purchase the needed parts directly rather than having individual workshops make the purchases and submit invoices.

The insured will have the option of having the repair done at any workshop of their choosing but the original assessment will be done by INS. The parts needed will then be ordered. If the car is less than seven years old, new original parts will be used. For older cars, used original parts or new generics may be used.

This contractual variation does not change who can be insured nor the price charged. Clients will only see changes should they need to use the policy following an accident. The changes will apply to all current and new clients.

INS officials hope to motivate more people to use the Declaration of Minor Accident Form by exonerating the amount compensated. This form is for anyone who has any voluntary insurance. It is to be used in crashes that only have material damage and no visible injuries or mortalities. The involved agree on their responsibilities in this document and it is valid before Traffic Court. This avoids the need to call Traffic Police and allows traffic jams to clear up quicker.

Movie Theaters Opening in Costa Rica

Cinemas will not reopen on May 1, as was previously announced. The Government would allow them to open this day but only following a design of sanitary protocols being approved by the Ministry of Health.

The details of such a plan take more time to put together. All theaters will have the same plan and will open at the same time. Once the plan is approved by authorities, then staff must be trained in how to implement it.

Upon reopening and through May 15, the cinemas will have permission to operate from 5am to 7pm with only 25% of normal capacity. While it’s not ideal for the businesses to run at 25% or for clients to go to the movies in the daytime, it’s a start.

The chamber of Cinematographic Exhibitors and Distributors of Costa Rica sees that the Government is showing trust in them to keep staff and clients safe and they take that responsibility seriously.

Trump Is the Logical End of Positive Thinking

A local reader wrote to say that she felt my last column was quite “dark.” To most Americans, telling the truth appears to be so. She praised the most pernicious philosophy America has ever promoted—“the power of positive thinking.”

The main progenitor of positive thinking, which had become, until its logical end with Donald J. Trump, an almost unassailable prescription for covering up the ills of the individual and society in America, was a preacher named Norman Vincent Peale. Born near the end of the 19th century and dying near the end of the 20th, Peale was a cleric for over 50 years in New York. He wrote the puddle-deep tract, “The Power of Positive Thinking.”

Peale is mentioned as a “deep philosopher” in Tom Lehrer’s 1959 song, “It makes a fellow proud to be a soldier.” Lehrer was mining a rich vein of satire, absent in present-day America’s “support our troops” climate. Whether literal soldiers fighting endless wars abroad, or metaphorical “front line troops” in an overwhelmed health care system battling Covid-19 at home, war is seen as synonymous with the human condition.

Positive thinking takes a ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ attitude. It thereby allows evil to grow until it rules, and not just in terms of its most visible manifestation in the malignant darling of conservative Christianity.

Positive thinking perverts the proverb, “As one thinks in one’s heart, so one is,” into “As I think in my head, it is.”

Thus positive thinking has provided the soil for the darkest tendencies in American society to grow. Before Trump, the chief exponent of this homegrown American philosophy was George W. Bush. The Trump White House is just carrying out the same unwitting experiment to see just how long pigheaded optimism, coupled with sophisticated marketing and media complicity (in overly focusing on the narcissist-in-chief), can hold sway over the truth.

The “war of choice” in Iraq was a triumph of mulish belief over historical awareness. When the war predictably degenerated into a bedlam of body parts and brain injuries, the White House, pursuing the logical end of positive thinking, began repeating ad nauseam how progress was being made.

And why not, since one of the tenets of positive thinking is that when you believe what you want to believe strongly enough, and repeat it often enough, fiction becomes reality. Why are people in the MSM shocked that wishful thinking is determining policy, rather than testing and data?

The culture and economy have collapsed, and we’re on our own. Willfully staying on the sunny side of life in a culture drenched in darkness insures that one becomes a conduit of collective darkness.

Character will out, and collective darkness can only act through us as long as we cut off from the darkness within us. Of course, this is no longer an American problem. The Internet has become a playground for countless weak and faceless conduits.

To see human nature as essentially good, as New Agers do, is merely the flip side of seeing human nature as essentially evil, as conservative Christians do. The former mindset willfully ignores darkness and evil, and thereby allows it to grow. The latter mindset personifies darkness and projects evil outside oneself, becoming self-fulfilling in its creation of enemies. That’s how the “war on terror” produced many more terrorists, and has made the world much more insecure.

The wars that America has perpetrated abroad have come to “the homeland,” and Trump may well start a much bigger one before this reign of evil is over. How many more people need to needlessly die before people’s lives become more important than tattoo parlors and yoga studios, or for that matter, restaurants? Does the American economy need to completely collapse before sanity, much less caring prevail?

A saying attributed to Jesus goes: “Bring forth what is within you, and what you bring forth will save you; do not bring forth what is within you, and what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

Such an attitude and action is the antithesis of positive thinking, which, as it turns out, is actually negative as hell.

Martin LeFevre

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

When Are Flights to Costa Rica Going to Start Again?

The Coronavirus has had a huge impact on airlines. Here we will tell you the latest updates.

Those that are still suspended until further notice include Aeromexico, Air France, Air Panama, Air Transat, Albatros Airlines, Avianca, Condor, KLM, Volaris, and Wingo.

Some airlines have provided the dates they will resume operations, such as:
Air Canada: June 3 towards Toronto
Alaska: June 1 towards L.A.
American: June 4 towards Miami and Dallas
British Airways: June 27 towards London
Copa: June 1 towards Panama and Guatemala
Delta: May 16 toward L.A. and Atlanta
Edelweiss: May 17 towards Zurich
Iberia: May 16 towards Madrid
Interjet: June 1 towards Mexico
JetBlue: June 1 toward Orlando and Fort Lauderdale
Latam: June 1 towards Lima
Lufthansa: May 17 towards Frankfurt
Sansa: May 16
Skyway: June 1
Costa Rica Green Airways: June 1
Southwest: August 10 towards Fort Lauderdale and Houston
Spirit: June 9 towards Orlando and Fort Lauderdale
West Jet: April 29 towards Toronto
United: May 18 towards Houston

United will also offer a rescue flight April 30 to Houston

Increase in Housing Projects in Costa Rica

In 2019, there was a slight increase in construction of housing. A total of 22,167 houses were built in the country last year. This represents a 1.3% increase over 18. INEC keeps track of the related details based on construction permits issued in the 82 municipalities.

According to the data, the greatest increase was in units of less than 40 square meters. The construction of this size home nearly tripled, from 499 in 2018 to 1,448 in 2019. The average investment in these houses was ₡3,867 million in 2018 to ₡99,040 million in 2019.

Even with the increase in homes, the final figure is less than the total in 2017, by almost 1,000. Experts expect an 8.7% decrease in 2020 due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.

Reports also showed that the construction of condominium apartments represented 10.1% of the construction permits processed.

Tips for Finding Best Air Compressors That Aren’t Loud

The time has come to clean your yard from the fallen leaves and debris, and it’s one of the jobs you never liked doing. It’s essential to keep your curb and backyard clean, so your house would look representative, especially if you’re considering selling it. First impressions are what make the difference.

There are various techniques on how to handle the mount-up leaves and debris in your backyard. Some solutions include manual labor, while others are much simpler. But although these methods are simple, they require an investment in machines like an air compressor and useful add-ons. 

With this versatile tool, you’ll be able to clean your backyard but to do much more other things. Air compressor is a must if you have a workshop, but it’s also useful for DIY painting at home, cleaning dirt and dust from inaccessible places, doing some auto repair, filling tires and portable pools, etc.

You can check for some models at web sources like https://soundproofpros.com/quietest-air-compressors/ for more options. But before you opt for purchase, you must learn as much as possible everything about air compressor machines, how they work as well as which one is the best for your needs.

How to Find the Best Air Compressor

An air compressor is a pneumatic machine that finds application in all segments of the industry. These are professional tools for widespread use, but there are also smaller, easily portable, and lightweight models that can be used in households and smaller workshops.

Choosing a suitable air compressor can seem like a challenge. If you aren’t quite handy with tools, you probably don’t know what to look for in these pneumatic machines. Although, by knowing several vital characteristics, you’ll be able to distinguish the one that suits your needs from the others that won’t do you any good. 

On the page below, check for a simple explanation of the principle of work of air compressions: 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/a151/how-air-compressors-work/.

Factors to Consider

Like with everything else, selecting the best one of them requires at least some basic knowledge. If you don’t have a workshop, but you only need an air compressor for some essential housework, you will look for smaller, cheaper models. 

When you’ve finally found the pneumatic tool that meets all your requirements, did you think of how loud that model is? The bigger the compressor, the louder it will be. Cleaning your backyard with a powerful tool like this is awesome, but if it’s going to destroy the entire neighborhood’s quiet afternoon, it’s not worth it.

Besides the neighbors, you won’t be able to do any housework for a longer time if the machine is way too loud. Sometimes the noise they produce can be unbearable, that even wearing protective headphones won’t help. So consider finding the one that’s quieter than the most. These devices will save you from the unimaginable racket. 

With advanced technology, pneumatic tools are advancing as well. Today, you can find machines that are powerful and produce a more reasonable noise level than predecessors. If the money is not the issue, make sure to check out the latest models from the popular brands, and you’ll undoubtedly find the one that suits your needs. 

The Best Methods for Finding the Noiseless Compressors

First of all, you must know that there isn’t an air compressor in the market that doesn’t emit any noise. All these devices are noisy up to some point, but the newer models have better engines that are designed to emit less noise. Thinking that only loud engines have enough power to work is a common misconception.

When performing research, make sure to look at the decibel levels that these machines produce. Going through the specs sheet is what’ll help you find all the answers you need. Most of the current models available on the market make noise in range from 60 to 80 decibels.

Additionally, if you already have this machine and it’s noisier than usual, make sure that the engine and other parts are clear from debris. All kinds of stuff can get stuck inside the pneumatic tool and can seriously damage the machine.

 Clean your compressor regularly as seen below, and you won’t have this kind of problem:

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Maintain-Your-Air-Compressor/.

Talk to Professionals

In case you don’t understand the specifications of air compressors you’re looking to buy, talk to the dealer from the local store. Tell them why you need a tool like this, and they’ll try to find you the best and the most cost-effective machine.

 If you opt for the online purchase of this pneumatic tool, make sure to buy these tools only from certified web stores. Get in touch with customer support if you have any doubts.  They will give you all the information you need and explain everything that confuses you. 

Purchasing a portable air compressor is not something you will do every season. Buying a quality piece of equipment that will serve you for many seasons to come may seem like an unnecessary expense, but when you see how useful this pneumatic tool is, you won’t be sorry.


Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Are We Paying Attention?

A philosopher cannot help but be philosophical at a time like this. But at the same time, it’s never been more difficult to be philosophical, for philosophers and non-philosophers alike!

Isolation, fear and self-concern are running even more rampant than the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet the response in the mainstream media has been completely inadequate. Besides oblique references to “mental health issues,” there’s been a plethora of personal stories of survival and heroism—the usual tropes of American culture.

The silver lining and positive thinking set, which comprise the vast majority of Americans, are, as usual, trying to have things both ways.

On one hand one reads things like, “Many of us are peering at songbirds through windows we have hitherto hardly bothered to wipe. We are paying attention.”

But in the next breath, “The coronavirus will not reverse the ravages of climate change, and it will not interrupt our progression toward an even more desperate future.”

If we were paying attention, why wouldn’t it “interrupt our progression toward an even more desperate future?”

No idea has been more pernicious in recent years than casting truth as a choice between either/or thinking and both/and thinking. With regard to the former, either/or is often neither. And with respect to the latter, both/and usually amounts to believing we can have things both ways.

Recently, I heard someone say, “I’ve become more comfortable with lack of clarity within myself. That lack of clarity, of not knowing with certitude what is going on means that I’m open and can learn more about what’s going on.”

On the surface, that sounds humble and healthy. But with a moment’s reflection, it makes no sense, and enshrines confusion.

Psychological comfort doesn’t exist. Being “comfortable with lack of clarity” is not the same as feeling “I don’t know.” Though the feeling “I don’t know” is essential from beginning to end, the drive for insight is essential, and clarity is possible.

Some shallow thinkers say, “Our first task when we emerge from this isolation will be to remember.” That is simply false. Our first task is to seize the opportunity during and after the pandemic, to question and attend to what is, inwardly and outwardly.

Waiting is death. If we wait until the pandemic to begin to radically change ourselves, our culture, and our policies and politics, it will be too late when things return to some semblance of normality.

It’s true, we can now “see with our own eyes how ready the natural world stands to reclaim the planet we have trashed, how eagerly and how swiftly it will rebound if we give it a chance.”

However the idea that we must “sear into our memories the pure pageantry of wildness” of coyotes wandering the sidewalks in San Francisco, of mountain lions jaywalking in San Mateo, of red fox sauntering across a driveway in Nashville, and wild boars rooting in medians in Barcelona, is to insure that nothing will change.

Memory is not the basis of right action, much less radical change. Then what is? Simply this: Constant questioning and insight, and attention to what is. Both can and must take flight within us now if humankind is to change course, and cease destroying the earth.

Daytime belongs to the earth, all the diversity of life in nature. The night, especially clear, moonless nights like last night when you could see the Milky Way from the backyard, belong to the universe, and the countless galaxies, stars and planets in it.

Because the earth has given birth to complex life, and evolved brains with the capacity to stand in silent awe before the cosmos on such a night, it is an essential planet, and we are essential beings in the scheme of things.

For we still don’t know how rare life is in the universe. Even if we find single-celled organisms on Enceladus, the geyser-spewing moon of Saturn, complex life, much less conscious, potentially intelligent life, is undoubtedly rare indeed.

Protect your brain. Put knowledge second. Attend to what is, within and without. Feel beauty, mystery and awe every day.

Martin LeFevre

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Was the Coronavirus the Best Thing That Could Have Happened?

I am not asking this question in regards to people that lost loved ones due to this virus. I am asking this in regards to a society that started spending time with family, exercising, and enjoying the outdoors.

I know for me a high risk person it let me have time with loved ones and fishing and spending time on the water.

The newspaper will no longer be doing publishes on Fridays and Sundays because honestly there are better ways to enjoy life than online.

Go outside even when this is over. Spend time with friends and family, Watch the sunrise or sunset with a loved one. Get away from technology.

Love life……we are only given one.

The Worst of Man and the Best of Humanity

Have you ever noticed how the best and the worst are often attracted to the same places? Both the best and worst among us, and in us?

After a few days inside, I drive to the park that runs for four miles along the creek through town. At exactly where I usually take meditation, between two flat stones to lower and raise myself, some wretch has strewn drug paraphernalia.

More than half dozen blue and white capsules, plus opened packets of some kind of prescription cream and a dozen Q-tips have to be picked up before I take my seat. God knows what was ingested there.

I carry a garbage bag and baggies in my daypack to clean up such messes, which I find at various meditation places about once a month. Needless to say, I use a substantial amount of hand sanitizer.

After I take my seat, I am even more dismayed by the sight of a large section of an oak sapling lying in the middle of the stream. I’ve watched the sapling grow over the years. It had started overhanging the creek and begun providing shade.

It takes many years for Valley Oaks to reach maturity. Some man (undoubtedly a man) had stripped the sapling of one of its main branches, and there was a long, fresh gash in the slender branch over my head. How miserable does someone have to be to do such a needlessly destructive thing?

I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some conduit of collective darkness destroy my favorite meditation place, so after cleaning up, I non-judgmentally watched my emotions until the insult and injury were washed away by the rippling waters of the stream.

Friends and I have been grappling with the question: Does the immanent intelligence of the universe, beyond the destructive mind of man, care about the fate and future of humanity?

Today my friend from Italy, Giorgio, and I came to feel that it’s a matter of faith. Not faith that is synonymous with belief systems and organized religion, but faith in the compassion of cosmic intelligence, faith in humanity, and faith in oneself as an individual. Speaking for myself, such faith is not my strong suit, and all three levels are being sorely tested during this pandemic.

Giorgio asked, “Do these domains of faith need to be in sync with each other?” Clearly yes, since that’s the way, perhaps the only way we can move forward during such dark and difficult times.

What does it mean to have faith in cosmic intelligence? It means holding the feeling that the evolution of brains such as ours, which have tremendous spiritual capacity, matters to the cosmic mind that imbues the universe. That is a completely different attitude than the old Christian idea that puts man at the center of the universe.

What does it mean to have faith in humanity? It means totally dispensing with the flipside idea that man is a plague on the earth, and that the planet would be better off if we became extinct. (“I love nature but I hate humanity,” a woman in town irrationally said to me recently.)

What does it mean to have faith in oneself as an individual? It means realizing that our personal lives are secondary, since each one of us is humanity in microcosm, and therefore have to take responsibility for humanity in macrocosm.

The misery of the man taking drugs to escape his suffering, and then ripping a branch off a beautiful oak sapling in his self-hatred, has been in me as well. Seeing its remnants in oneself, one feels compassion for everyone who suffers. That heals one and others.

True compassion is urgently needed in abundance, for it is the only thing that can heal humanity, and change our disastrous course.

Martin LeFevre

Friday, April 24, 2020

Coronavirus Update in Costa Rica

The covid-19 situation continues to change the world we knew. In Costa Rica, there have been 681 patients. Even so, the authorities are working on ways to lift the various sanitary measures safely.

The Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, praised the majority of Costa Ricans for obeying protocols such as hand washing, quarantining, and travel restrictions. He also praised the country’s timely measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

12 new cases were found on Wednesday, including one citizen who entered the country via a flight from Houston on Monday. 355 men and 326 women have been infected. The patients range in age from 1 to 87. There have been 34 seniors, 61 adults, and 34 minors. 180 of them have recovered. 11 remain in the hospitals, including 8 in intensive care. 6 have died from the virus.

Now specialists analyze the epidemiological picture and try to see what we can expect in the future. The virus will be present here for many more months. Authorities stress that even as restrictions are lifted, things are not back to normal. We should continue social distancing and hand washing. The situation is still fragile as most people have not yet been exposed to the virus. We must continue to protect ourselves and others by following protocols.

The Challenge of Returning To Normal After the Coronavirus

The next covid-19 related challenge Costa Rica will face is how to return to something similar to normalcy without seeing a surge in infections and deaths. Keeping the country almost shut down is not a viable long-term solution.

The WHO recommends certain conditions be considered when starting to lift measures. It also recommends strong monitoring in places of high vulnerability such as nursing homes and mental health clinics. While workplaces may start reopening, there should be physical distance between desks or workstations and co-workers should distance themselves in interactions.

We must not rush back to normalcy as Singapore did. That country lifted its quarantine and opened borders and the result was catastrophic. This Tuesday alone, there were more infected than in all of February and March combined.

More cases are expected as we return to normal but we have to seek a balance of getting back to normal without causing many more to fall ill or die. Getting back to a true normal is months away at best. Following protocols may become tedious but we must stay strong in adapting to this new way of life and social interaction.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Galaxy Z Flip Has Arrived in Costa Rica

The sale of the Galaxy Z Flip has been launched virtually from Panama City for all of Central America and the Caribbean. Costa Ricans have been looking forward to this newest Samsung model.

The phone folds to easily fit into a pocket but when opened turns into a 6.7-inch high- resolution screen. If you pay cash, the price is ₡859,900. It can be purchased at Samsung kiosks and telephone operators.

One of the key features of the phone is that it has four rear cameras. The main lens has a 48 MP resolution. Even the selfie camera is great with 20 MP. There are depth sensors and both wide and close range shooting options.

The design is elegant and expressive, ideal for those seeing cutting-edge technology. It has high-end features all around. It has a fiber shield to keep dirt out of the hinge holes. It also has wireless charging. It comes in black, purple, and gold.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Drive “The Anthropocene Age” Into Extinction This Earth Day!

Talking about the metaphysical purposelessness of the coronavirus pandemic is shorthand for insisting on the metaphysical purposelessness of the universe and life itself. It’s facile, and it’s specious.

“Darwinian evolution is true, but it’s also a cold metaphysics,” intones a philosopher who doesn’t want to go anywhere near thorny metaphysical questions. The first part is irrefutable scientific fact. The second is a sloppy, unconscionable leap for any thinking person, much less a supposed philosopher.

Philosophers worth their salt ask questions, even when, indeed especially when they have insights into the questions they ask.

Here’s a big one that I’m grappling with: The movement of darkness, which is generated by human consciousness, pervades human consciousness as never before. Is there a movement of intelligence within human consciousness, coming from beyond human consciousness? And can it prevail?

A more astute philosopher, who doesn’t begin his piece by writing, “Nature doesn’t care about you,” sums up man’s non-relationship with nature in the scientific era this way:

“We kill off tens of thousands of species every year. Our degradation of the land, sea, air and the Earth as a whole grows too quickly for anyone to keep up with. Descend to the lowest values in the culture; it will not help. Let us say the earth is worthless, except for its use to humans. Say the death of millions of the most vulnerable and blameless people is not our concern. The enormity remains, in the unimaginable danger and suffering we are assiduously preparing for our own children.”

“The Anthropocene Age” means that man has become such a dominant force of nature on earth that it requires a special designation, like the Precambrian and the Cambrian Ages. What that hubris does not say, however, is that we are a force against nature, and are rapidly destroying the diversity of life on earth.

Pause for moment and let it sink in: A sentient, supposedly sapient species, which evolved along with all other life, is bringing about only the sixth mass extinction in the entire three and half billion year history of life on earth. The scientific claptrap of the Anthropocene Age does not question how and why that could be.

That is a task for philosophers. I feel I’ve discovered the best explanatory insights for man’s existential conundrum so far, insights that are both distinct from and compatible with scientific facts. The point here however, is that no philosopher worthy of the name can allow the egregious, ill-considered notion of The Anthropocene Age to continue beyond this Earth Day.

Before Einstein, philosophy was both distinct from science and went hand in hand with science. After Einstein, philosophy became such a poodle to science that philosophy became irrelevant.

The emptiness of science without true philosophy, which is distinct from and greater than science, is made plain when a supposed philosopher speaks of “putting our faith in science.” For a philosopher to venerate science in such a way is to belie and betray philosophical inquiry.

We humans have evolved brains that have the capacity to silently commune with the nameless, but are destroying this immensely beautiful planet, and ourselves with it. Those are the horns of the dilemma.

Does nature care? No. Is there a separate God the Father that cares? No. Does consciousness beyond our knowledge permeate the universe? You can find out for yourself.

Martin LeFevre

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Costa Ricans Caught Trying to Smuggle Liquor From Panama

Upon realizing that they had been spotted by the Public Force, Ticos crossed the border to Panama, at an unmanned location, in the truck they were driving. It is believed they had first come from Panama into Costa Rica to bring liquor without paying taxes.

This occured on Saturday morning in La UniĂłn de Limoncito, Coto Brus, Puntarenas. The authorities in Panama were alerted to the situation. They looked for the 1993 Toyota Dyna with Costa Rican Plates.

The vehicle was found abandoned outside a commercial store. The occupants had fled, leaving the windows down and keys in the ignition. In the truck, 600 boxes of different kinds of liquor were found. Among them were wine, beer, and rum.

The joint work between Costa Rican and Panamanian authorities led to confiscating the merchandise, which was placed under the orders of the Customs Authority. This is further proof of the joint effort to curb transnational organized crime.

King’s Skate Country Haunted?

I am wondering if King’s Skate Country roller rink in Franklin, CA is haunted.  I know a few people in the small town of Franklin, CA who make claim that it is haunted.  King’s Skate Country roller rink has the Franklin Cemetery right down the street.  In fact it’s an easy walk from King’s Skate Country to the cemetery.  Buried at the Franklin Cemetery is notable Alexander Hamilton Willard (1778-1865) of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  One of our investigations in Franklin, CA was at Soulution Ink.  Soulution Ink was very haunted and it’s practically right next door to King’s Skate Country.  HPI even had Channel 3 News with us during the 2nd investigation and we obtained evidence of the paranormal right in front of Channel 3 News cameras.

On 4/18/2020 I received a phone call from a person named Steve, they do not want to be fully identified.  Steve says that for a period of 3 years when he lived in Elk Grove, he would head over to King’s Skate Country to roller skate.  He said he met some good people there and always had a blast roller skating with his friends.  Steve says he has some fond memories of King’s Skate Country.  Steve says that on one particular night, he was in the town of Franklin, CA and had parked in the parking lot with his girlfriend.  Steve says it was late and King’s Skate Country was closed.  Steve wanted some alone time with his girlfriend and found it convenient to be parked there.  Steve heard of stories of the ghost of Gunslinger Calvin Colt and was familiar with my investigation of Calvin Colt as seen here: www.thefirering.com/GS_CalvinColt.php

THE RETURN OF CALVIN COLT
Steve never thought he would be experiencing something paranormal at King’s Skate Country, but on this night Steve and his girlfriend saw a frightening image of a man in a black trench coat, black cowboy hat.  This menacing figure just appeared out of nowhere.  Steve tried to start his car, but as hard as he would try to get the car started, it wouldn’t start.  The menacing figure started walking towards Steve’s parked car.  The menacing figure was holding on what appeared to be 2 guns on his waist belt.  The menacing figure kept approaching and all of a sudden there was a crackling sound that came out of nowhere and when they looked again towards the approaching figure, the figure was gone.  Steve believes he may have witnessed the apparition of Calvin Colt.  When the apparition vanished, Steve’s car started back up and Steve sped out of there and dropped his shaken girlfriend back to her home and Steve went straight home and to bed.  The next morning Steve had a sharp pain on the side of his stomach.  The pain lasted for 2 hours and Steve wonders if the pain was from Calvin Colt?  Steve believes the apparition that he saw was Calvin Colt. 

Hearing Steve’s story I do believe that Steve and his girlfriend have witnessed the apparition of Calvin Colt.  My wife Deanna Jaxine Stinson, a psychic medium has picked up on many spirits that haunt the town of Franklin and Deanna says that there is a lot of residual energy in this town too.  I talked to a few people in Franklin and they say that late at night at King’s Skate Country you can hear people roller skating, laughing and talking and there is no one inside, this is probably the residual energy that resonates inside of this roller rink.  Here is an example of a possible haunting at a ice rink, see this link here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ni_s3yMrH0

It’s not unusual for a roller rink or an ice rink where people go to have fun, to have a spirit lingering around or having residual energy remaining inside it’s facility.  If I was a ghost, I would want to haunt a place that gave me good memories.  Here is my investigation at the haunted Iceland Ice Arena in Del Paso Heights, a fine example of a haunting at a ice rink:  www.trueghosttales.com/stories/haunting-ice-arena.php
And to verify a haunting at the Iceland Ice Arena, is testimony from Becky Magnuson as seen here: sacramentopress.com/2010/05/22/becky-magnuson-paranormal-experiencer-del-paso-heights-iceland-ghost-story/
I have never investigated King’s Skate Country, but if you were to ask me if I think this old skating rink is haunted, I would have to say “yes”.  Now if I can get the opportunity to investigate this roller rink, I would be thrilled! 

By Paul Dale Roberts, Demonologist
Halo Paranormal Investigations
www.cryptic916.com/
Sacramento Paranormal Help
www.facebook.com/HaloParanormalInvestigations/

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Delaying Rent Payments Due to the Coronavirus in Costa Rica?

How will those without income pay for rent of their homes or shops? After two weeks of looking at this issue, 27 deputies signed off on a proposal for three months of moratorium on rentals. The tenants would later have to pay the money owed by January 31, 2021.

The proposal has met criticism by some, especially because this will greatly affect those whose only income is from rentals. It has yet to be sent to a vote in Congress.

This would only benefit tenants who can prove that their income has been affected by covid-19. This can be demonstrated by proof of suspension of contract, dismissal, or reduction in the work day from the employer. Independent workers can show the declaration of value added tax. Informal workers can file an affidavit with the testimony of two unrelated people.

If the rental is for a business, the tenants can show the landlord either a sanitary closure order or that their income has decreased significantly.

Whether for a home or a business, if the amount of income lost is 100%, they will have three months of not paying rent (to be paid back later on). If the income lost is 50% to 99%, they will pay half rent. If the amount is between 20% and 50%, then the contract will be based on a payment proportional to the amount lost.

Emptying the Toxins of a Toxic Culture

It’s spring in northern California, and despite the pandemic, or because of it, numerous people cross the footbridge on bikes or foot on a hazy, warm Sunday afternoon. I sit about 75 meters upstream from the bridge, and though I’m in the open, few passersby see me from the narrow park road across and above the stream. I wave at the ones who do.

The water ripples by with washboard effect in this section of the stream, masking most of the noise from vehicles on the road adjacent to the park. Occasionally an especially loud car or truck, or the dark, throbbing bass of a boom box, penetrate the stillness, but the noise does not disrupt the inclusive awareness of meditation.

I look up to see a female mallard less than five meters downstream. She is lingering warily along the bank, treading the gentle current. I can feel her awareness of me, and don’t move. She inches closer in the next few minutes. Suddenly she explosively bursts into the air, so close that I feel drops from the stream rain onto my skin.

Doing nothing–simply intensely and undividedly observing everything that is happening outwardly and inwardly–is the highest action that a human being is capable. Social and economic busyness, most of it non-essential to say the least, has been the American way. Will it resume?

Initiating the movement of negation is essential. Learning the art of negation is vital for the health of the mind and body. The movement of negation spontaneously ignites with sufficient attention to unwilled and undirected attention to thoughts and emotions as they arise.

Obviously, for the brain, like the body, to operate optimally, it has to empty itself of harmful and unnecessary accretions. Psychological and emotional accumulation is taken as a given however, even a good thing. It isn’t. And It’s not just a matter of ‘information overload,’ but of absorbing toxic content from the toxic culture.

The mind stores experiences that are also imprinted on the emotional centers in the brain. If one knows how to observe the movement of oneself, these mental and emotional memories will spontaneously unfold, and tell their story.

The process of being passively aware of mental and emotional accumulations, of allowing thoughts and emotions to flow forth into awareness and be released by choicelessly attending to them, is the process of negation in meditation.

Unless one is actually in a meditative state of awareness, experience leaves a residue in memory and emotion of which we are largely unaware. We try to retain positive experience, and avoid negative ones, but all experience is negative in the sense that that it accumulates, programs us and prevents fresh experiencing.

The universe has no center, so why do we? Observing thoughts and emotions as they arise, without judging, choosing or even naming them, one’s awareness effortlessly shifts from self-centered to center-less. Then we are experiencing life as it is.

Though it requires daily diligence to sit quietly and allow the mind and heart to tell their story without interference, one’s gains mental and emotional health, and remains young in mind and heart. It simply requires an understanding of right observation, which is undivided and unwilled, as well as taking the time every day to passively watch the film of oneself run.

That isn’t the same thing as letting the mind wander. True meditation, as opposed to the techniques and methods that the self-promoters peddle, cannot be bought or taught. It simply involves two things—allowing thoughts and emotions the freedom to be, and attending to them as they arise without choice or interpretation.

Blocking the sunset on a perfect afternoon

Most people, especially in this hyper-individualized culture, are not aware of the culture–the sea in which we all swim. Pointing it out to them is like the fish that awakens and says, “Look at all the water!” To which her friend replies, ‘what water?’

It’s no joke however. Animals near the top of the food chain—otters, seals, birds, dolphins, and even whales—have been washing up dead on the Pacific coast. Scientists think this disturbing phenomenon, whose immediate cause appears to be toxic algae growth, is the result of many factors—pollution, climate change, over-fishing, environmental stress, etc.

But it is both a metaphor and physical expression of the cumulative effects of the buildup of poisons in and from human consciousness. Without regularly initiating the movement of negation through passive awareness gathering undirected attention, toxic accumulations will continue build up–in the environment, and within us.

Martin LeFevre

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Costa Rica Soccer to Return in June?

Women’s soccer exploded last year. The number of fans and sponsors grew exponentially. Some wonder if this will change since the games are on hold until at least June due to the new coronavirus.

As long as the authorities approve it, the tournament will start in June. There are usually two tournaments per season but this year that is impossible so there will only be one. Additional changes might be made to how the tournament is played.

There will be only one national champion of women’s soccer this year. It was clarified that in June the year will start over. The points obtained in the days before the suspension, on March 16, will not be counted.

The decision was shared after a virtual meeting between the president of the league, the clubs, and the National Commissioner. It is not official, however, until approval by the Costa Rican Football Federation.

Queen Nefertiti Was an Alien

Last night I had the weirdest dream.  I dreamed I was wondering around a dark cavern lost.  I was trying to remember where the entrance to the cave was, but the further I went, the more lost I became. My back was aching from bending down as I went into one tunnel and into another.  I was sweating profusely.  Then finally, I saw a glimmer of light and I started slowly moving towards the light.  At times I was crawling towards the light and I was crawling through wet thick mud and slime.  As I reached the light to my amazement, I saw jewels thrown about everywhere.  Sitting on a golden throne was no other than my wife.  Above my wife’s head was a well lit glimmering rainbow.  By the chamber entrance stood a tall man with a cone shaped head that greeted me at this entrance and said…”welcome to Queen Deanna’s chamber.”  Queen Deanna looked at me, pointed her finger at me and said….”seek out the truth”.  Queen Deanna then took off her crown to reveal an elongated skull.  I woke up with a start. Either I have been watching too much Ancient Aliens or something is pushing me towards finding an answer to Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti’s point of origin.  Because in this dream Deanna resembled depictions of this queen, but still maintained the features of my wife.  There is an oddness to this dream, because Deanna also has connections to things extraterrestrial.  Deanna believes she was abducted by aliens when she was a child and you can read her story here:  paranormalhorror.com/2016/01/14/great-mysterious-eye-deanna-jaxine-stinson/

What Do We Know about Queen Nefertiti?

Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti ruled Egypt during (1370 – 1330 BC).  She was an Egyptian queen and the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, an Egyptian Pharaoh. Nefertiti and her husband were known for creating a religious revolution, in which they worshipped one God only.  That God was Aten, or the sun disc. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of Ancient Egyptian history.  Some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly as Neferneferuaten after her husband’s death and before the accession of her son Tutankhamun aka King Tut, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate. If Nefertiti did rule as Pharaoh, her reign was marked by the fall of Amarna and the relocation of the capital back to the traditional city of Thebes.

Mother of Dragons

Nefertiti had many titles.  Remember how Daenerys of the House Targaryen in Game of Thrones had many titles?  She was known as “The First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons”.  Well, back in the olden days, Kings and Queens held many titles.  These were some of Nefertiti’s titles:  Hereditary Princess; Great of Praises; Lady of Grace; Sweet of Love; Lady of The Two Lands; Main King’s Wife, his beloved; Lady of All Women and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt.  Let’s see if I can create some titles for Queen Deanna.  Oh yes, pretty easy.  Here we go:  “Deanna from the House Stinson; Queen of Halo Paranormal Investigations and Seer of all Things Paranormal.”

Back to Nefertiti:

What is very unusual about Nefertiti is that history cannot locate her parents or her place of origin.   Since this is the case, does that mean she is most likely from the stars?  Nefertiti was very beautiful and her husband was known to be jealous of her beauty.  Nefertiti also had an unusual appearance, she had a protruding stomach, long face, very slender fingers and an elongated skull.  Another thing that was unusual for this queen is she was known to have great power and was equal to the King.  Many ancient alien theorists believe she had an extraterrestrial origin.  I also believe that she does.

Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, and her husband, a formidable warrior, led a religious revolution in Egypt. It is believed that this major shift in ideology originated from the alien race that they may have came from.  If they were alien hybrids, then it would still be the alien race they were inbreeded with. 

But from the looks of things, since there is no record of her parents’ place of origin, it’s probably because Nefertiti is full blooded alien.  Instead of paying homage to the over 2000 popular Egyptian Gods, and honoring the stories handed down through the scribes of time, this courageous, royal couple opened their hearts to a single divine being. In so doing, they introduced monotheism to the masses.  How odd that this royal couple believed in one God, similar to how Christians also believe in one God. The royal couple’s God’s name was Aten and he was embodied by the disc of the Sun, the mighty sphere that illuminates creation. 

Queen Nefertiti

It would seem that a ancient alien race would want to steer mankind in the right direction, in believing that there is one God and the way they can do that is placing an alien royal couple on the royal throne to rule Egypt and place their influence upon their subjects.  So again, if you ask me if Nefertiti was an alien, my answer would have to be “yes.”

By Paul Dale Roberts aka The Demon Warrior
Halo Paranormal Investigations
www.cryptic916.com/
Sacramento Paranormal Help
www.facebook.com/HaloParanormalInvestigations/

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Costa Rican Shares Life in Spain During the Coronavirus

A Tica gives a glimpse into life in Madrid, where she has been quarantined for 31 days. She first gave into the anxiety of feeling stir-crazy and went out nearly every day, even if just to buy a bag of peanuts. She referenced people carrying shopping bags to make it look like they had a justifiable reason for being outside. She used to want to borrow a dog just to be allowed outside to walk it.

As the covid-19 situation progressed, it became clear that staying inside was the only option. She wants to stay safe and has even thought about the risk of contracting the virus and, without showing symptoms, passing it onto her roommates.

She is staying in and enjoying virtual drinks with friends back home. She is dreaming of her mom’s home cooked meals. When essential supplies are needed she goes out “lightning quick.”

She sees very few people out and all of them wear masks. Some of the masks are already worn out from so much use. Spain is the country with the second highest number of confirmed cases and third in number of deaths from the virus, behind the U.S. and Italy.

The Company East West Costa Rica is Hiring

The East West Costa Rica company is going to add 50 workers to its growing operations. It seeks those interested in positions such as accounting, logistics, and purchasing as well as electromechanical technicians, industrial engineers, production operators and supervisors. Those interested in applying can send their information to mvargas@ewmfg.com.

The company is in the advanced manufacturing sector and is dedicated to global manufacturing of components, subassemblies, and finished products for OEMs and distributors. It manages projects from design to delivery. It prides itself in having the highest world-class standards.

It expects to grow 25% in sales because of a transfer of projects from the United States to Costa Rica, where excellent results have been obtained. The increase in work requires an investment in plant capacity, automation and personnel.

Why Should You Choose New Websites?

Everyone has heard about the gambling sphere from different sources: news, advertisements on the websites, from friends or colleagues, etc. Probably, you know some games or maybe you play sometimes when you have free time. But why it is so worldwide spread and popular? The reasons are different. But first of all, it is about entertainment and having a lot of fun. Humans love risk by nature and ready to spend time trying to win with small chances even if they’re really small. 

Another reason is also important too – the ability to remain up-to-date. Demands and wills of the players influence a lot on the companies’ directions. From old times there were such games as poker, roulette, simple card games and so on. Some of them became dead or unpopular but instead appeared much more. Thus, in today’s fast-moving world gambling grows even faster than before because everything developing rapidly. One of the results of such activity can be integration in the digital, virtual world.

There are thousands of places through the whole Internet where you can play. Honestly, it is now a normal and familiar thing for many people. And it still keeps growing as fast as possible making more and more sites.

Why is it a good decision to play on a new bingo site? Of course, for a reason!

  • Diversity and big collections of new games. Usually, it is true for the majority of places. Owners of the websites understand the wish to play at more games and they satisfy that need! More game modes allow new companies to attract more visitors and transform them into the regular player.
  • No doubt new places will promote themselves and offer many tasty bonuses or other propositions. Generally, the chance to withdraw more with some extra money is higher. Especially, it concerns newcomers who are able to claim some kinds of welcome rewards and start their loyalty chain prizes.

By the way, there is a chance to find as know “no-deposit” games where you are able to start playing without inputting money.

  • The experience of previous competitors. While it is hard to enter the big market and find an audience there appears one crucial advantage. Many useless things, bad games, and ineffective strategies have been tested out so there will be fewer problems than it could really be. And the successful plans of action are will be more productive not only for a company but for gamblers too.
  • Fresh feelings from a new design can help you if you “stuck” in your preferences of visual components. It is easy today to find a suitable and beautiful composition which will help you to get away from the boredom. 
  • Are you a kind of explorer? If it is about you, it’s a good opportunity to discover something new in the entertainment sphere.
  • A special feature of new sites is the ability to play on different platforms and devices. You will be able to experience all the same opportunities on the go in your smartphone or tablet!

Of course, these aren’t all of the advantages of fresh projects in the marketplace. But you can find out the others right now! Can you do it?

Depression Demons

Deanna Jaxine Stinson – HPI Co-Owner and Psychic Medium was all prepared for the Wheatland, CA investigation and then a text comes in. Ms. Carter, the client has canceled the paranormal investigation and cleansing. The depression episodes that she is experiencing is so severe, that she may be headed for a mental health institution for a period of one month. Her text message to me is that she is so sad all the time. Here is the initial report I received about this investigation below:

Canceled: Paranormal Investigation – The Initial Report
Date to be there: April 18, 2020, Saturday. Time to be there: 7pm / Contact Person: Britta Ny Carter – Case # R91B6889Y9803. Address to be at: 50500 McDevitt Drive, Wheatland, CA //Activity: Deanna did a reading for Brittany and was spot on according to Brittany. Here is what is going on. She is always depressed, she sees shadows in the corner, heard growling noises, entity was cuddling with her, she felt something on her feet, she has become paranoid, she has alternate reality dreams.

I have dealt with many cases in which I had to face off with a Depression Demon. This type of demon could either be an ethereal reality or a mental illness, or both. Let’s see what depression on the mental level is all about.

“A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
Possible causes include a combination of biological, psychological, and social sources of distress. Increasingly, research suggests these factors may cause changes in brain function, including altered activity of certain neural circuits in the brain. The persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that characterizes major depression can lead to a range of behavioral and physical symptoms.”

From what Ms. Carter tells me, she may have a mental illness and also be haunted by an entity. Special Note: Demons look for 3 types of weaknesses. The first weakness is dependency on alcohol. The second weakness is dependency on narcotics. The final weakness is any type of mental health issue. These are the weak links in the fence and a demon will target an individual that has one of these weaknesses or an individual that may have 2 of these weaknesses or even all of them. The mission of a demon is to have an individual become self destructive or destructive to others. I believe Ms. Carter has a mental disorder. The mental disorder that consumes her is “depression”. She is constantly sad. While Ms. Carter is in this state of mind, an entity has now come into her life to give her further torment.

In a situation like this, Ms. Carter should first seek professional help, in which she is doing by committing herself to a mental institution. When Ms. Carter’s mental issues have been rectified and if she is still being harassed by an entity, that is when HPI comes in. Ms. Carter is doing the right thing by seeking professional help first. For now……case closed.

Adonis the Demon
Before I go, I will give you an example of an HPI case that occurred in 2007. The date was 6/2/2007. Location: Fresno, CA. A lady that I will simply call Julia contacted HPI. Julia admitted to me that she has a drinking problem and had 3 DUIs. She tells me that on one particular night she went to the local bar and met a man that has the brightest and sharpest blue eyes that she has ever seen. She tells me that he had ravishing long blonde hair and perfect teeth. His physique was compared to Adonis. In fact Julia calls this man “Adonis”. Julia says that Adonis told her everything she wanted to hear, he was a smooth talker. Julia on that night took Adonis home and they made passionate love. Julia says that during her making love session with Adonis, she kept blacking out here and there, because of her heavy drinking that night. When she would snap out of it, Adonis had gray wrinkled skin, a row of sharp fanged teeth, eyes that were black and sunken, raggedy matty hair. She thought this was her imagination, but it scared her so much, she screamed while Adonis was on top of her.

Special Note from Paul: Demons can appear any way they like, they can appear as a good looking person to seduce you, or they can appear as a monster, animal, etc. Demons can shape shift to whatever appearance they want to be.

In the morning when she woke, Adonis was gone, but she found 3 large scratch marks that ran from her neck to her groin area. Julia for the life of her, could not figure out what happened. Two days later, the voice of Adonis was heard throughout the house, but Adonis was no where to be seen. Adonis was telling her to kill herself. He would say this over and over again. On one night she found herself in her bathtub filled with warm water, her wrists slit and blood mixing with the bath water. Fortunately, Julia did not slice her wrists in such a way, that she would fully bleed out. She survived. I had Julia contact a pastor to receive a full submersion baptism (a basic form of exorcism) because I felt that Adonis was attached to her. I also had Julia join AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) and seek professional help. She did all of this and she survived this horrible ordeal, but now lives a sober life and works as a secretary for a local law firm.

By Paul Dale Roberts, Demonologist
Halo Paranormal Investigations
www.cryptic916.com/
Sacramento Paranormal Help
www.facebook.com/HaloParanormalInvestigations/

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Flight from Costa Rica Arranged to Take US Citizens Home

A flight organized by the US Embassy in Costa Rica will take American citizens home from Costa Rica. It is a paid flight, not a government funded rescue flight. Many Costa Ricans will take advantage of the flight going to pick up Americans by taking it from the U.S. to Costa Rica.

These Costa Ricans, about 138 of them, want to flee the U.S. for Costa Rica because of the coronavirus pandemic. They have to pay for their own tickets for the private charter flight and arrange transportation to Houston where the flight will leave from.

The flights will take place on April 17th, returning Costa Ricans to Costa Rica and Americans to the U.S.A. There are a total of 166 places each way. 85 of the 138 Ticos interested are coming from the New York area, a city devastated by the pandemic.

Five Ticos have died of covid-19 in the U.S. The most recent was an 81-year-old man who contracted it somehow without leaving his home.

The number of patients worldwide is approaching 2 million. 572,000 have been sickened in New York. In Costa Rica, there have been 612 infected and three deaths.

How To Get To Work And Avoid the Coronavirus Vehicle Restriction?

Workers will be able to drive to and from work, avoiding the vehicle restriction, as long as they have an official letter to show Traffic Police from the employer and it meets the criteria put forth by authorities.

Others who disregard the traffic restrictions will be subject to license plate removal and a fine of ₡107,000. Roadside controls have been tightened.

From April 13 to 30, the sanitary restriction will be from 5 am to 7 pm. Those who can not drive on Mondays are those with plates ending in 1 and 2, Tuesday 3 and 4, Wednesday 5 and 6, Thursday 7 and 8, and Friday 9 and 0. On Saturdays, those ending in even numbers will not be able to circulate and on Sundays those with odd numbers will not be able to circulate.

Those expected to work on the day of their restriction are exempt from the measures with a note specifically formatted with important details like name, ID number, schedule, home and company addresses, and license plate number.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Cartago Road Improvements in Costa Rica

In a few years, the drive to and from Cartago will be a breeze. Currently, it’s torturous. A four-level interchange, tunnel, roundabout, and overpass will significantly change the commute of 40,000 vehicles daily.

The relief will come in the form of two intersections, of three and four levels. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the construction will begin in October in Taras and La Lima.

The company awarded the contract is H SolĂ­s-Estrella consortium. The funds will come from the Inter-American Development Bank. This was signed off on by the Minister of Public Works and Transport.

The project should take 28 months from the start date. By the end, those going between the Florencio del Castillo highway and Cartago will be able to do so without stopping. Additionally, sidewalks, bus bays, and bicycle lanes will be created.

Costa Rica Call Center Shut Down Due to Coronavirus Case

There was a case of covid-19 in a call center forcing the CCSS to remove all personnel from the building. The general manager decided to send all the officials to work from home while they disinfect the building.

Measures for the following days at the tower in the Don Bosco will be decided upon soon. The situation was confirmed in a document to staff. The staff that works there include the General, Administrative, Financial, Medical, Infrastructure and Technology, and Logistics managers.

The case detected was on the 11th floor of Tower C of the International Corporate Center, the newest headquarters for the Board of Directors of the Fund, as of February 28. The infected person worked for a call center of a private company in the same building.

The CCSS has been carrying out movements and reinforcements to protect the public and workers from eventual earthquakes and fires. The central building was not safe and will be structurally strengthened over three years. The cost of the work and moving almost 1,000 officials to temporary facilities is over $56 million.

What Is Actually Essential This Easter?

The booming economy and barely functioning society in America have ground to a halt. The consensus in the United States is that “the social structures, habits and ways of life we took for granted are dissolving.” Is that a bad thing?

Ignoring the drivel about closed churches, synagogues and mosques, setting aside pointless considerations about irrelevant belief systems and their traditions, can we reflect, on this Easter of private fears and public privations, on what Jesus actually taught?

By Martin Lefevre

Will we go back to the status quo ante, as the stunted and warped man in the White House, who mocks, by his very presence and hatred, everything Jesus stood for, desperately hopes? Or is there the beginning of a reckoning with the underside of America, which the pandemic has exposed?

Nearly 70% of the deaths from the coronavirus are in the African American community. Jesus embraced the destitute and desperate, the homeless and hopeless.

What group would Jesus reach out to and speak to, the Christian base that elected and upholds the impacted darkness in the highest office in the land, or African Americans and the poor within our borders, and the immigrants caged at and below our southern border?

Conservatives equating Jesus with “people caring for the grieving, the dying and the sick” is a cunning sleight of mind, but it just doesn’t wash. Most Christians supported and continue to be the hardcore base of a man as morally bankrupt as Pilate and the power he represented.

“Jesus issued a call for a relationship with God that would lead to a new ethos and thus a new politics,” Marcus Borg wrote in “Jesus, A New Vision.”

“To a large extent, it was the conventional wisdom of the time—the “dominant consciousness” of the day—that was responsible for the death of Jesus,” Borg said.

The voices of the ruling asses have nothing left to say to the restive masses. They extol suffering and tell the people we don’t need to understand what is happening and why. We just need to return to the medieval mind and lament, rather than ask, as Jesus did, people to repent.

Jesus called himself “the son of man,” not “the Son of God.” He asked people to follow him not as God made man, but to be like him as men and women who know God and grow beyond human darkness and suffering. Standing on false humility by saying, “because we are not Jesus” is a disgrace.

Suffering is personal and particular. Sorrow is collective and communal. Both are unnecessary aspects of the human condition, which can be met and transcended, one human being at a time.

Suffering is a psychological condition, arising ineluctably from psychological and emotional baggage. Jesus carried none, and tried to teach people to do the same, to live by dying every day. Making Jesus a bottomless container for human suffering, as Christianity has done, would be and no doubt is an abomination to him.

Jesus did not suffer, even during the scourging and crucifixion. The pain and death of the body meant little to him. He had gone beyond suffering long before he entered Jerusalem, and the failure of his mission with his crucifixion on Golgotha was a mystery to him (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). It need not and should not be a mystery to us however.

Christianity has been stuck for 2000 years in sin and suffering because patriarchal bishops fused with the power of Rome and deified Jesus. They slyly turned the failure of Jesus’ mission into success, thereby precluding an understanding of why and how his mission went so horribly wrong.

The fiction of resurrection represents the hope of failing generations following Jesus for a do-over, and the belief that for a while at least after his incomprehensible death, people had one.

But why, when so many refuse to look within and do their own spadework, would the “Second Coming” (the very phrase implicitly acknowledges the failure of the first) bring about radical change when Jesus’ life, death and alleged resurrection did not?

Yes, “meaningless suffering is the goal of the devil,” but “bringing meaning out of suffering” is its means of achieving that end, since the continuity of suffering is the accumulation and suffocation of the spirit.

Only the inwardly dead extol suffering as the cornerstone of the human condition. Truly religious people, from the Christian or any other tradition, don’t try to squeeze meaning out of suffering.

True human beings work to free themselves from suffering, by tracing its polluted tributaries to their source.

In finding and ending the source of suffering in the meaninglessness and unnecessariness of man’s fragmentation, disorder and neglect, in our separation from nature and God, one drinks from the pure springs that are the wellspring of life itself.

Martin LeFevre

Come Back Demon of 23rd Street

WHY I CALL THIS THE COMEBACK DEMON:
It’s because the demon that haunts Marcus keeps coming back over and over again. There are times, where it is gone for a while, then as soon as Marcus thinks his life is becoming normal, the demon returns with a vengeance. Marcus can’t take it anymore and needs help. Marcus stays up all night and researches the various local ghost hunting groups and decides to take his chances with Halo Paranormal Investigations. Now here is Marcus story below.

INITIAL REPORT:
Date to be there: April 4, 2020, Saturday. Time to be there: 6pm. Contact Person: Marcus / Case # 7K07R624G95Y07. Address to be at: xxxxx 23rd Street, Sacramento, CA. Here is Marcus email in regard to the activity at his home. Marcus writes: “Demon, spirit, yes definitely paranormal lived it all my life since I can remember I thought maybe I forget about be near me would go away I prayed and went 2 church stopped for a while but i know its back and definitely stronger. I also have like these spikes of energy running through my body and triggers my hair 2 stand up that’s when i know and sense its presence around looking while me and my girlfriend sleep so things got little rougher ever since I moved here 2 Sacramento so yes i now stay in Sacramento so definitely will appreciate all the help u can provide even with the cleansing and honest always sleeping the most hard part is at night 2 weeks ago my girlfriend and her son when it really made its presence known, this extreme cold came 2 the room and i can hear like growling in ways my girlfriend wouldn’t be able 2 hear and see or feel until I allowed a little of it to show but that ill explain the rest in person and what i know of the beyond the most think I’m crazy or doubt my word when I know i lived it thanks Paul for responding back I did everything I could possibly do to figure why things always happened to me and now I figured it out evil the devil and the righteousness of our lord Jesus the son and God the father lord finally answered my prayer so yes i believe in paranormal and always watched and believed on the beyond and my message from our God and through Jesus the son gave my answer and my purpose of being here in earth so I will also like explore what I now seek and continue my purpose through protection in father and son Jesus 2 shield me and help others through the same I went through that most don’t and are 2 blind see truth Amen and thank u again so yes a cleansing and paranormal investigation.”

HPI PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS ROLL CALL:

Deanna Jaxine Stinson – Psychic Medium / HPI Co-Owner; Josh Coyle – Equipment Specialist-Operator/ Technician Consultant; Angela Chessnutt – Anomalous Photographer; Peter Wisham – Observer.  Occupants: Yali & Marcus Perez.
THE INVESTIGATION:

Check out the videos above this article and get Marcus full story in regard to a demonic attachment.  Marcus seems to have acquired an attachment since he was a little boy.  Marcus is a great guy, but this demonic attachment is trying to send him down a terrible path and Marcus wants this attachment to leave, to be GONE!  Marcus was worried that we would not find any evidence, but we found all kinds of evidence and I really don’t know where to start. Well, let me start from the beginning. We conducted 2 investigative sessions and had one debriefing. We investigated the backyard and Deanna did a walk through of the house and backyard.  In the backyard, she picked up on witchcraft that was associated with a family member and Yali confirmed this to be true.  Deanna picked up on a 30 year old female spirit and she picked up on negative energy surrounding Marcus.  We captured many EVPs.  Josh captured EVPs that said “I’m right here” and growling noises.  I captured EVPs in the back bedrooms and in the garage and you can hear the EVPs on Deanna’s live video.  Josh started sweating profusely, he was having a spiritual attack and at the same time Angela had a spiritual attack.  Angela felt something kick her in the stomach.  Josh and Angela both had to step out into the garage.  The demon that is attached to Marcus attacks him in his mind and tells him evil things.  Marcus tried to ignore it, but it has only gotten worse.  Josh was receiving all kinds of spikes and one major spike he captured in the garage, I was able to obtain a “quick and dirty” EVP at the time things were spiking.  Josh was armed tonight with his paranormal PUCK; Electrascope, EMF Reader, digital recorder and other ghost hunting equipment.  Tonight I only utilized my digital recorder, digital camera and night vision goggles.  Angela was recording all kinds of orb activity and some of the orbs seemed to have intelligent movement.  Angela captured a very bright yellow orb.  When I took the group shot, an orb was on the pants of Marcus.  Usually when I take a group shot, I will tell the entity or entities to make their presence known by being in the group shot and many times I will capture an orb or orbs in the group shot.  The entity or entities can harness the energy from the group and be seen in the group shot.  I call this the GROUP SHOT GHOSTLY PHOTO BOMB.

THE CLEANSING & BAPTISMS:

Deanna conducted a metaphysical cleansing of the home.  I conducted a Roman Catholic House Blessing.  Deanna and I prayed over the warm bath water and sprinkled holy water into the tub.  We were preparing for the family’s baptism.  The first one I baptized was Yali, then I baptized Marcus.   They received a full submersion baptism to get rid of any attachments.  Then Yali brought in her young son and I instructed Yali on when to submerge her son into the water.  Josh was filming the baptism and caught an orb shooting into the sky and it’s point of origin was from Yali’s son and bathtub water.   While Deanna and I, blessed the tub water, Josh was receiving high spikes on his EMF Reader and the spikes were centered on me and Deanna.  I believe it was the angels that we called upon to assist us with the baptism.  The angels were causing the high spikes.  The angels were giving us the power to baptize. 

By Paul Dale Roberts aka The Demon Warrior
Halo Paranormal Investigations
www.cryptic916.com/
Sacramento Paranormal Help
www.facebook.com/HaloParanormalInvestigations/

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Costa Rica Public Universities Having Trouble with Online Teaching

The public universities have had trouble giving classes online amid the covid-19 pandemic. The UCR suspended in-person classes as of March 13. While it has offered online education, only 45% of the teachers are active on the platform. This was disappointing to students who were promised this option so as not to fall behind in their courses of study.

Teachers need time to adapt their courseware for this new modality and train in how to use it. Some students do not have computers or internet access. University computers are being given out in some cases.

There were many problems encountered by those who did try the online offer. These include unstable connexions and oversaturated networks.

UNA and ITCR have had to suspend online classes pending more preparation. Universities are taking steps toward being able to offer fuller course loads online after Easter. There have been intensive trainings for teachers, licenses have been bought for platforms like zoom, and an agreement has been reached with Kolbi that it will be free to access university websites.

UTN is an example to follow because it has had some virtual programs since 2008. Private universities have also been using virtual platforms to teach for years.