What Really Happened To Jesus?

As I write, Christianity is commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, which purportedly took place between noon and 3 pm on Good Friday before he physically resurrected from the dead on Sunday.

(Even as a boy, I questioned a literal Resurrection, and whether Good Friday should have been called ‘Black Friday,’ though that term now refers to another dark day of the year.)

Growing up in the upper Mid-West, everything stopped for these three hours. It’s hard to imagine now, but towns and cities shut down, and an eerie silence pervaded the streets. You couldn’t help but think, ‘these are the hours that Jesus suffered and died on the cross.’

Attending Catholic parochial school, we were compelled to go to Mass six days a week—five before school and once on Sunday, when it was a ‘mortal sin’ (hellfire forever) to miss.

Until I entered high school, the Mass was still in Latin (a fair amount of which we were required to memorize as altar boys), and the priest faced away from the congregation. This lent, to the childhood imaginations of both children and adults through the ages, a false sense of mystery to the proceedings.

I was a good Catholic boy until one day after Mass in the 8th grade when I witnessed an act of extreme physical abuse by a nun in our school.

Unbeknownst to me, the boy that I had served Mass with was flirting with girls at the most sacred moment. We were holding the golden plate (meant to catch a falling consecrated wafer, “the body of Christ”) under the communicants’ chins. The girls were in line for communion on one side of the priest, and I was on the other side, with the boys.

Sister Clementsia, whose very name still evokes fear in those who remember her, had seen the flirtatious miscreant, and later charged down the school hall at me and a friend, who looked like the boy with whom I had served Mass earlier. Without saying a word, she began striking my friend on the face and head, screaming something about Mass that morning.

It took me some seconds, which seemed like minutes, to figure out what the hell she was talking about. By the time I was able to get through to her, repeating, ‘Sister, this is not the boy that served Mass with me this morning,’ the damage was done. My friend’s face was red with welts, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

This ‘bride of Christ’ then simply turned on her heels and walked away, without saying a word. The experience initiated my questioning of Catholicism and all organized religion. (I had no experience or knowledge of priestly pedophilia, although I just heard that a priest who later served in the same parish has been indicted.)

I made a quiet study of the history of the Church in high school: the debauched Renaissance popes; the persecution of Jews (which initiated the Inquisition); and the power and wealth that the Roman Catholic Church accumulated for centuries, especially when it ruled Europe during the Dark Ages and Black Plague.

So it was, after careful deliberation and with unshakable conviction, I went down one Sunday as a senior, when it was still a mortal sin to miss that day, and announced, “I’m not going to Mass today or ever again.” My parents went ballistic, but I never returned, except to accompany mother at Christmas, or attend her funeral and forgive her for not forgiving me for having left the Church.

I hadn’t thought about Jesus in 20 years when I met a Chinese woman while recovering from eating bad chicken and coming within two days of death after nearly bleeding out rectally. (There are three ways to become a vegetarian—from the head, the heart, or the gut. The first way doesn’t stick, and I don’t recommend the third.)

The Chinese lady that had escaped the Cultural Revolution walked straight up to me through a noontime crowd in a small park directly across the street from what was then Apple Corporate Headquarters. In broken English, she asked if I was a vegetarian, and then said, “I’m the Buddha.”

Instantly catching my look, she added, “I’m not crazy.” I replied, so what do you mean? “The Buddha spirit flows through me,” she said from great depth. Then, very curiously, she began to speak of Jesus. This was not the Jesus of my youth, but a flesh and blood human being, whose essence was forgiveness. It felt as if he was standing there, like a silent friend and brother.

Can we ever have an abiding insight into what actually happened with Jesus? I’ve come to feel that Jesus’ greatness was that though he knew his mission had failed, he saw it through to the excruciating end without giving up on humanity. His pain was not primarily physical, as portrayed in Mel Gibson’s pornography of violence, “The Passion of the Christ.”

Jesus’ pain was for his people and humanity. Two thousand years of Christianity have extolled his suffering, but suffering is a psychological and emotional condition. Jesus did not suffer. Love does not suffer.

Martin LeFevre

How To Get Around on Costa Rica Transportation

Costa Rica Living – Whether you prefer to save money or time, travel alone or with tourists or with locals, there are many transportation options in Costa Rica.

Taxis are convenient and affordable when going from place to place in the same city. Authorized cabs are red and have meters to show how much you owe. Don’t take illegal cabs, those of other colors or without meters. Make sure the driver starts the meter, “la maria.”

Public buses are even cheaper but you’ll need to have a working level of Spanish to avoid getting lost.

Shared shuttles are popular among tourists and tend to cost about $50 from one tourist town to another, such as San Jose to Manuel Antonio. Interbus and Gray Line are shuttle companies.

Domestic flights are the quickest way to get somewhere remote like Drake Bay, Tortuguero or Osa.

Boats and ferries also go to remote locations. A birds eye view cannot compare to the beauty seen by bus or boat.

And of course in and around San Jose there are trains that can take you to the suburbs of the capital of Costa Rica.

Medical & Dental Tourism in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Health News – Costa Rica has become world renowned for its offerings in medical tourism.

It’s a top destination for this purpose. The ministry of tourism recently cited that medical tourism accounts from about 7% of the total number of tourists entering the country each year.

Some popular types of medical tourism in Costa Rica include dentistry and plastic surgery. Costs can be less than half what it would cost in North America or Europe.

The health system in the country is ranked first in Latin America and is ranked even higher than the United States by the World Health Organization.

There are entire clinics and practices dedicated to tourists. Clients are usually pleasantly surprised at the level of personal care and attention they receive. They are treated as guests.

Some of these clinics offer all inclusive packages so there are no surprises on your bill. They can even include your hotel or recovery house and some special activities like tours or a day pass to hot springs.

A Spiritual History of Vegetarians

I started my journey to become a vegetarian when I was 15 years old.  That is when I had the chance to be around another vegetarian at the dinner table and I realized that it was ok to not eat meat. I had always picked at that food, imagining the life that used to be within the flesh. Maybe it took so long because I had spent the time in hunting crazed places such as Montana that I never had a chance to meet a real vegetarian but when I finally became who I was supposed to be, I became much happier.
This choice that I made seemed to affect everyone around me, which was not something that I truly expected. I was never one to try to control other people with my beliefs, after all I was born with pagan ways and that polytheistic belief system has never left me. By just simply being who I am, and honest about it, I made other people angry. It was very surprising, I never expected this. People feel deeply about this. Most of the fear that they showed from my choice was from ignorance of this situation. Many people thought that I was trying to lose weight, it wasn’t being cooked properly, I couldn’t survive properly and other fantasies like that. I actually get quite sick eating or being around fish for consumption, and so to me it seemed the natural choice.

I was uncomfortable with eating meat and I wasn’t going to do it any longer. My parents told me they felt that I should eat animals because they do in the bible yet it says in the bible that animals have spirits and I believe that. I do not want to be a part of suffering for anyone.

From then on, we were purchasing veggie burgers. My friends and their families that really love me also would purchase me veggie burgers for their barbecues and that meant a lot to me. I was also happy to see more vegetables around, because you need vegetables to have a healthy body.

When people attack me for my beliefs, I simply stand up for myself peacefully. I can be friends with people who eat meat and not feel the need to attack their beliefs but for some reason I experienced a lot of bullying when it came to my choice, which I can also compare to being polytheistic. All it takes sometimes at a dinner table with other people is for me to order a veggie meal, for a debate to break out. I admit it is tiring, but no matter what, I can’t suddenly become somebody else that I was never meant to be.

I believe they are more upset at the myths around it and not at me. It seems to come from a place of fear more than anything else. I have been dealing with this for years, and we have to be prepared for this when we speak the truth. Fear turns into hateful and harmful actions sometimes which make my stomach turn.

Practice Compassion
Many religious people throughout the ages, such as various Buddhists, practice compassion to all life, not just humankind. This is a choice to eat animal. Vegetarianism and veganism is statistically low for an American’s diet, last time I looked it was something like 10% or less.

In other places, such as Asia, the choice to leave meat off of your place is a healthier and happier choice than to live knowing of suffering of animals and contributing into it.

Vegetarianism originated in India originally from separate religions, such as Jainism which requires that no members eat meat. This religion also requires a path of non-violence and self-control among its members.

In this religion, even an insect must be escorted outside, not harmed. Throughout the ages, many who believed in achieving a higher sense of being on the Earth, have chosen to abstain from eating meat, and it is not a hard choice once you truly develop compassion for these beautiful beings. I have compassion for people who eat meat as well because I know that they do so out of respect for their culture and families, and so I do not judge you as a terrible person, even if you get angry at me.

We are all born as royalty in this life, whether or not we see it. Our choices are made in life and we can make decisions for animals, who are enslaved to humankind and they do so peacefully and graciously, as if it is God’s will. You will never hear the cries of these spirits when you sit down to enjoy a meal but just know, the animal did suffer to bring you sustenance and it should be honored and respected, not ignored. All animals are sacred.

Feed the soul, starve the flesh and be yourself.

More information on a meat free lifestyle; http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_and_religion
http://www.vrg.org/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/dietary_needs/vegetarianism.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/in-india-the-world-039-s-first-vegetarian-city/india-palitana-food-meat-fish-gujarat/c3s17132/

By; Deanna Jaxine Stinson, Vegetarian
Halo Paranormal Investigations – HPI International
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HPIinternational/

Round Trip Flights to Costa Rica At $225

Symptoms Of Hormone Deficiency In Adults

The endocrine system can undergo different changes during the lifetime. The right hormone condition of the body depends much on how well all the organs function. If the body lacks certain hormones, major health problems are very likely to appear.

Growth hormone disorder is one of the disbalances that happen because of problems with pituitary gland. It is possible equally in adults and children. However, obviously, older patients will have more difficulties in overcoming the issue. To undergo growth hormone or any other hormone replacement therapy, one should address endocrinologist. it is also better to visit a  recommended clinic where your friends or relatives have already undergone treatment, instead of consulting in just any random clinic.  

Symptoms of GHD

Almost any hormone disorder causes considerable changes in human body and mind. However, growth hormone causes a range of problems, from mild to severe. There are some symptoms:

• Unnatural body proportions, usually considerable excess weight.
• Muscle weakness and low energy levels. That is why for adults with GHD it is hard to exercise. They quickly get tired, never get toned and demonstrate from small to no muscle growth.
• Unusually thin and dry skin. The reason is that skin cells also stop regeneration, or “growth”. As a consequence of poor skin quality, hair also gets damages, may fall out and become thinner and weaker.
• Lack of growth hormone also influences mental health. The person becomes anxious and depressed, and this bad mood stays for long periods of time (from one week and more).
• Bone density is reduced. This symptom is not easy to find out, usually people get aware of this when they break a bone, or get diagnosed with osteoporosis.

These are the main symptoms of growth hormone deficiency. If one suffers from it, help of a professional doctor is needed. The best option is to address a clinic that is specialized in hormone therapy.

How To Deal With Hormone Deficiency

The deficiency of growth hormone is diagnosed in many people. Due to that, innovative methods of treatment are developed every day. One of the most efficient options is hormone replacement therapy that introduces synthetically developed hormones into the body to balance the endocrine system. If the therapy is successful, the patient’s health will improve:

• The body will increase the muscle mass and reduce the level of fat tissues.
• Cells will regenerate faster and skins and hair will become thicker.
• Energy levels will rise.
• Mentally, emotional stability will improve.

Immediately after the replacement therapy begins, some people may experience certain discomfort like muscle pains, headache, etc. In this case, the doctor should be consulted immediately to make the screening, perhaps the medication should be changed. In other cases, after a week or two in therapy, improvements begin to show.

Where To Undergo The Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy

If one needs human growth hormone replacement therapy, he has to approach the choice of the clinic very seriously. The best option is to contact the clinics that specialize in hormone therapies only. Not every doctor can conduct the replacement therapy correctly. It requires years of practice. It also requires detailed medical screening of the patient. Never trust the clinics that offer you a ready treatment option straight away. This has nothing to do with proper therapy of the endocrine system.

The human growth hormone replacement is a lengthy process. The initial medical screening may take more time and effort than development of treatment plan. Therefore, careful and step-by-step approach is crucial, and this is available only in reputable clinics that employ experienced professionals in the field of endocrinology.  

Business’ Innovative Component as a Factor of Economic Development by Max Polyakov, Ph.D.

The constantly changing business environment makes the task of finding innovative approaches to form a stable economy for the country, as one of the highest priorities. The financial and economic crisis that affected many countries, led to economic stagnation and the aggravation of burning problems like increasing poverty and corruption. Max Polyakov, Managing Partner of Noosphere Ventures, claims that in order to get out from the economic slowdown, it is necessary to completely change existing approaches to economic management.

The main idea of his work is that intellectual activity and science-based approaches must be the driving force of innovative progress and the formation of a strong and healthy economy in general. Throughout the years of his scientific activities, Max Polyakov has been trying to measure the impact of entrepreneurship on the economy. After analyzing a number of scientific works, Max Polyakov has formed his vision of the main economic issues and he is convinced that the success and life-cycle of businesses are directly related to the business innovation component. Max Polyakov believes that implementing innovative technologies in each sphere of business and human everyday life is the main key to economic success.

Due to the ongoing processes of economic transformation, the basis and studies of the Economics of Knowledge has become very prominent today. For example, V. Vishnevsky and V. Dementiev define innovation as a key way to maximize company profit. In addition,     U. Lazonik, as one of the authors of the theory of innovative enterprise, determined that innovation as the basis of the company strategy, which influences the choices made in strategy, finance and organization. In his scientific research, Max Polyakov lifted knowledge to the level of the key productive tool and necessary factor for a strong and stable economy. He believes that in times of fierce competition, the best solution for today’s entrepreneurs is to regularly search for and implement new technological and innovative ideas and approaches in business. This tactic will help business-owners to outperform their competitors.

Max Polyakov is sure that by using the core principles of the knowledge economy domestic businesses will broaden their range of abilities and, as the result, they will have more chances to increase company income. According to his work,  modern businessmen receive more money from their activity by providing knowledge-related services.

Besides this, in his work Max Polyakov praises the synergy of IT and digital technologies. He is sure that these components are the basis for business development.

Clearly the rapid transformation from a traditional economy to a knowledge-oriented one is a long and labor-intensive process. It will take years for each country to move up to the new model in their national economies. But with the basic principles of the knowledge economy, the economies of different countries will enter a new phase of their development

Where to Take a Honeymoon in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Travel – Costa Rica has long been a honeymoon hotspot. Everyone wants to honeymoon in Arenal, it seems.

There are some other lesser known spots in the country that would also make for a great lovers’ getaway.

Some family members of mine honeymooned in Tortuguero and were blown away by the beauty. Tortuguero’s canals are nice for spending the day calmly canoeing as a couple. Seeing turtles lay their eggs at night and baby turtles hatching in the morning is something spectacular the two of you will never forget.

If hues of bright green and wild animals you’ve never seen before sounds up your alley then maybe you’d like Osa. The Osa Peninsula is one of the world’s most biologically diverse places. It’s also romantic in that you can only access it by boat or plane. You can really get away with your partner here.

Then there is a turquoise river. Rio Celeste is something you’ve surely seen pictures of. The water is “Robin-egg blue.” It’s bound to give you honeymoon photos you’re friends can never beat.

“La Gallina Pintadita” Tickets on Sale Now in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Entertainment – Presale tickets are available for the popular children’s show “La Gallina Pintadita.” The event will take place on May 12th, according to Musart Producciones, in charge of the show.

The children’s show has a Spanish and English version on Netflix and Youtube and entertains kids from all over the world with songs and dances.

It’s characters will be brought to life in the 60 minute live musical that will be in the country for the first time.

Prices range from ¢7,500 and ¢35,000, for a limited time.

The last day for presale has not yet been determined but afterwards the tickets will be regularly priced, from ¢11,000 to ¢44,000.

The tickets are sold through www.publitickets.com and you can use “Minicuotas de Credomatic” to pay for them over time.

What Are The Top Casinos in Costa Rica?

,Costa Rica Casinos – As the most popular tourist destination in Central America, it is fair to say that the nation’s hotels and leisure industry specialists know more than a little about how visitors like to relax. Despite changing times and evolving leisure habits, an evening spent at a top casino remains the perfect example of a great night out.

Casinos have a certain magical quality for which they probably have Hollywood to thank. From Bond films like Casino Royale to classic caper movies such as Ocean’s Eleven it is not so much what happens in a casino as the overall atmosphere of fun, glamour and maybe just a little bit of danger that remains a constant draw.

Remaining relevant in the 21st century

Of course, anyone who has not spent the past decade living on another planet will know that today’s casino goers are as likely to indulge their hobby online as in the real world. There are literally hundreds of online sites that offer tempting promotions and free offers, as seen here at comparison site Casino Reef. However, far from tempting people away from land-based casinos, sites like these have actually encouraged more people to try their hand at blackjack, roulette and the rest. And once they have developed their online skills, they are keen to put on a dinner jacket and try them out in the real world!

Here, we take a look at three very different locations in Costa Rica where they can do so.  

1) Hotel Cocal, Playa Jaco

This ocean-front hotel in Playa Jaco offers under-stated comfort at competitive prices. The casino has the usual range of slots and table games. No high-rollers here, the focus is on fun, and a warm welcome is assured. It is an ideal location for those who might be new to casino culture. There is also a golf course in easy reach, should you tire of the beach during the day.

2) Croc’s Casino Resort, Playa Jaco

Just to the north of Hotel Cocal lies Croc’s. This luxury destination is one of those places where tourists can arrive on day one and never need to leave the boundaries of the resort, should they so wish. The resort offers a five star pool, a spa and beauty salon and a choice of restaurants and bars.

The Vegas-style casino claims to be the most modern gaming facility in the central pacific. It boasts more than 150 slot machines and a range of table games including blackjack, roulette and poker.

3) Hotel and Casino Taormina, San Jose

From the wide open expanse of the pacific, we move to the hustle and bustle of the capital. San Jose has several casinos of its own, and the Taormina is one of the best-known. Its central location makes it a popular destination for locals, tourists and business travellers, so this is a venue that always has a lively, cosmopolitan feel.

The casino is airy and welcoming – nothing like those hushed and darkened rooms from the movies – and as well as the usual slot machines and tables, there are frequent raffles, competitions and special events.

Yoga Gift Ideas: 7 Things for a Real Yogi

,Entertainment News – Do you know a secret to a perfect present? No, it is not about how expensive, cheap, sparkly, new, unique, or outstanding your surprise is. Everything is about expediency. A gift which is going to be used on a daily basis or is going to become a huge part of somebody’s hobby or activity is the best one. But how does it relate to yogis particularly?

Looking for gifts for yogis is a real pleasure. You have a plenty of options to choose from without fear that your present will be unnecessary or inexpedient. At the same time, it is a tricky experience, because you can get lost in all those choices you have very fast.

Today we’re going to help you to make the right decision by introducing only those gift ideas, which are suitable for anyone from a yoga beginner to someone who has been into it already for years.

7 Yoga Gift Ideas

The following list of presents can be a choice for any holiday, season, and occasion. So, don’t hesitate to choose something from the list to present either on Christmas or as a Birthday gift. Believe us, the following gifts are perfect for all of those who love yoga.

• Yoga clothes. You don’t have to buy the entire wardrobe. Just pick the most beautiful piece of clothing, which you can find in a store. It may be a colorful sports bra or black leggings of a very qualitative material. There are hundreds of brands on the market, which offer different styles as well as prices;

• Necklace. In case you don’t know, there are special jewelry brands, which create necklaces, bracelets, and earrings related to yoga. The jewelry is not too expensive, but very meaningful. For example, check such brands as Daisy London, Satya Jewelry, and Blooming Lotus;

• Travel yoga mat. If your friend already has a simple yoga mat, presenting a portable travel version is a good idea. Travel mats are not so thick and large, so they are easier to carry with you, allowing to practice yoga wherever you want;

• Yoga journal. This present is especially helpful for a novice, who’s only at the beginning of his/her yoga practice experience. This journal is used to create a daily plan of positive action by committing to a daily yoga practice;

• Water bottle. A water bottle is usually used not only when doing yoga exercises but also while being outside the house. So, it is a universal gift. Remember, you can never go wrong with giving a nice water tumbler;

• Yoga equipment. Present a set of yoga blocks, straps, and pillows, which are used during the long meditation sessions. Just find out what your friend specifically needs;
• Book. It can be a history of yoga, an instruction to starting a practice, or something else.

Hopefully, these ideas are helpful enough to solve the eternal problem of what to choose for a present to make your yogi friend a little bit happier.

Costa Rica’s 911 Emergency System Updates

Costa Rica News – Costa Rica’s 911 emergency system will hopefully get updates soon, both in financing and logistics. There is a bill regarding the system that the Legislative Assembly will see after Holy Week.

It would refinance the system and empower it to update its platforms.

ICE had to forgive a huge debt in order to keep the service up and running last year. Financing is also needed for additional operators to meet demand for the service.

Among the updates desired is to be able to receive alerts by text messages and Whatsapp. This is so that if someone is in a situation where they fear being overheard on a call they can request help in another way. Additionally, this would allow the deaf population to reach out to 911. If the legislation is approved, by December 2019 emergency reports via texts and apps will be received.

Another update is the development of technology to allow the operators to know the origin of the communications. This will help locate lost or in need individuals as well as apply fines to those who call with jokes or insults distracting operators from real emergencies. 5,000 illegal calls are received per month.

Lastly, there will be a way that people can register so that if they call in an emergency the system will already have relevant information like cardiac or diabetic conditions.

2018 – 2019 Costa Rica Coffee Harvest is At Risk

Costa Rica News – 40% of the 2018-2019 coffee harvest in some parts of Costa Rica is at risk.

The Ministry of Agriculture is considering declaring this a very serious “phytosanitary emergency.” The State Phytosanitary Service and Icafé are carrying out reviews to make the declaration of emergency.

The issue is an increase in the incidence of a fungus due to increased rain over these months in Pérez Zeledón, Coto Brus and Turrialba. The fungus leads to stem rust in coffee plants.

The Institute of Coffee of Costa Rica has confirmed that the coffee plantations in these areas are infected and owners are urged to take preventative actions to keep it from spreading. Effects can be reversed if owners of coffee plantations take measures to fumigate.

The coffee harvests of these areas represent 25% of the national production. 85% of the crop from these plantations is exported. 98% of the producers are small coffee farmers, meaning the spreading of the fungus would economically hurt many families.

Facebook’s Launches New Data Privacy Tools

Technology News – Facebook is trying to correct course after a major data harvesting scandal by giving the social network’s 2 billion users an easier way to manage their data.

The company announced a suite of new, more intuitive privacy controls Wednesday morning, including a way to download and delete data, a redesigned settings menu, and additional shortcuts for controlling private information.

“Most of these updates have been in the works for some time, but the events of the past several days underscore their importance,” said Facebook’s vice president and chief privacy officer Erin Egan and Ashlie Beringer, vice president and deputy general counsel, in a blog post.

The release of the new tools comes as Facebook grapples with questions about user privacy and how it handles your personal data.

DOWNLOADING AND DELETING USER DATA
Over the past week, many Facebook users have been downloading their data, and in the process, reliving old messages with exes, seeing phone numbers of people they had forgotten about and learning how Facebook lets advertisers target them.

That trove of data is unwieldy and can be as much as 400,000 Word documents. Now, Facebook wants to make the process of managing a user’s data more streamlined through a portal called “Access Your Information.”

Users will be able to see their every action on Facebook and decide if they want to delete it. That includes every like, message, event response, and any other mundane action on Facebook that could be used to profile a person.

The idea is to make it more useful for people to take control of their information, allowing them to see what Facebook has collected — and to wipe the slate clean, if they so choose.

A SINGLE SCREEN FOR SETTINGS
Settings can be a tricky and less-than-intuitive place for users to navigate. Facebook’s mobile settings were previously spread across nearly 20 screens, but will now be condensed into one.

Users will be able to jump right into their personal information or change their password in the security section, among other actions, instead of going through layers to find the one setting they really need.

PRIVACY SHORTCUTS
This is Facebook’s one-stop shop for finding more information about privacy, security and ads. Privacy shortcuts have been around for a few years (you may recall the cartoon dinosaur mascot Facebook attached to them).

The Privacy Shortcuts menu is also getting a simplified makeover to make the experience more visual and easier to navigate.

This is the menu where users can manage their audiences for various posts and review friend requests they’ve sent, posts they’ve reacted to, and other actions, all with just a few taps. Don’t like something? Facebook will let users delete it here.

The revised menu also provides some practical security options, enabling users to turn on two-factor authentication, which requires them to enter a code sent to their phone when they log in from a new device, creating an extra layer of security.

Facebook says the new tools are just the start. In the coming weeks, they’re planning other measures to be more transparent, including an updated policy about the data they collect and how it is used, along with proposed updates to Facebook’s terms of service that underscore the social network’s commitments to its users.

by Alyssa Newcomb, NBCNews.com

Classy Khazri Goal Gives Tunisia Victory Over Costa Rica in Soccer

Costa Rica Sports – NICE, France (Reuters) – Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazri emphasised his potential worth at this year’s World Cup with a classy first-half goal to hand the north Africans a 1-0 win over fellow finalists Costa Rica in a friendly played on the French Riviera on Tuesday.

Khazri, 27, might not have set the Premier League alight with Sunderland last season but he sent a clear message about his match-winning ability to England, as well as Belgium and Panama who will share Group G in Russia in June.

He ran onto a ball played over his head from inside his own half, controlled it and swept past a defender before striking it against goalkeeper Keylor Navas and then getting his foot to the rebound first in the 36th minute for the only goal of the game.

The strike by Khazri, who is on loan at Stade Rennes, earned a second win in five days for Tunisia who beat Iran 1-0 at home on Friday when Costa Rica, who are in Group E with Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland, won by the same score away to Scotland.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Healing Ourselves, Healing Humanity

This insight seized me in the shower this morning: Homo sapiens is an experiment in consciousness that is failing. Why are we failing, and can we stop?

The vaunted victory of capitalism has enshrined selfishness and greed on a global scale. On the other hand, the inevitable failure of communism arose from the denial of the individual.

The individual matters, not as the fundamental unit of capitalism and consumerism, or even so-called democracy, but because the freedom and creative potential of the individual is sine qua non of humanity.

Unlike words like “unpack” and “problematic,” two philosophical terms that have become commonplace to the point of meaninglessness, there’s an old Latin term that’s not likely become a commonplace—sine qua non. It literally means ‘without which, not.’ That is, “an essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary.”

Right observation is the sine qua non of right living, true relationship, and growing as a human being.

Speaking personally, I’m at once strongly contemplative, philosophical and political. These are three distinct but overlapping aspects of my nature. I’ve found a rough balance between the inner life and the intellectual life, but the political animal remains…problematic.

Essentially, I’m trying to combine vita contemplativa and vita activa (the contemplative life and the active life) within myself in a harmonious way.

However, can anyone live in this world as a true human being? Humankind continues to plunge toward the abyss, but I’m giving a contemplative political strategy one last attempt in my lifetime.

As regular readers know, I feel the original and ongoing ‘sin’ (that is, mistake) is the psychologically infinite regress of thought in the form of the observer/self that separates us from the Earth, each other, and immanence (God if you like).

With respect to this first principle, a friend asks, “Are you talking about a state where the brain reaches a place of total superiority where it acts and thinks on its own without the conscious presence of the “observer” or person?”

I’m talking about a state in which the fictitious observer simply ends, and the brain is simply observing, without the filter of the operating program of the observer that judges, chooses and interprets.

When the observer ends, the brain is just observing things as they are in the moment. The person is still there, though not in terms of ‘me’. There is no sense of superiority, simply an ending of the false and fictitious conditioning of the separate observer and self. The brain doesn’t assume some kind of privileged position; it simply operates correctly.

At present our brains operate incorrectly, because psychological separation and the tribalism of nationalism still rule us. It remains a mystery to me why that is so, and why nature would place such a high bar for awakening in purportedly self-aware creatures.

Mouthpieces of darkness moronically propose more of the disease as cure, uttering such treasonous trash against humanity as: “All we have to do is live up to this privilege of being American…because a million immigrant ancestors left it for us by suffering for it, by dying for the American Creed.”

That’s the sound of an ideology in its death throes. For those who are serious about meeting the human crisis, the ending of the observer is the place to begin, and it can happen every day within one.

Observing without the observer is not too difficult. A person just has to take half hour a day to passively watch the movement of their thoughts and emotions as a single movement in the mirror of nature, without any judgment, interference or interpretation.

This caliber of watching allows awareness to grow quicker than the infinite regression of the observer, and the very act of attention ends the observer. Can you do it? I feel anyone can, and that it needs to be taught and shown by example to children. Then they will not become conditioned as Americans or any other divisive thing.

My friend asks, “I’m curious to know what the benefits of this would provide as opposed to not reaching this state?”

That’s a strange question to my mind! Look how humans are destroying the earth and each other through division, conflict, greed and fragmentation. The ultimate source of man’s disorder is the observer/self that separates and thinks first and last of itself.

Thus the negation in methodless meditation of psychological separation is essential to heal the individual, and change the disastrous course of humankind.

I realize it is paradox, though hopefully not a contradiction, to attempt to convey in words that which is only possible when one lets go of words completely. Playfully experiment with attention!

Martin LeFevre

Bribing Your Way to a Driving Test in Costa Rica

Costa Rica News – Hundreds of complaints are found across social media sites about Costa Ricans waiting for an appointment for a driving test.

There are never enough appointments available to meet the demand yet some sites on Facebook offer appointments for a bribe of ¢10,000. The OIJ is investigating.

A General Audit issued an “Urgent Warning” on March 19th about the possible illegal sale of appointments for driving tests. This black market offer has gone uncontrolled due to a computer error that prevents tracking the IP addresses of the person or group selling the appointments.

The General Directorate of Road Safety includes between 9,000 and 12,000 driving tests per month. This number corresponds to the 37 evaluators in the country.

The spots are taken up in about an hour after being released but nothing can be done without more evaluators.

Each evaluator can do 14 tests per day. About 70 are needed nationwide to handle demand.

Chocolatito is Moving Next Phase of Training Camp To Costa Rica

Costa Rica Sports – Former four division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez will hold the next phase of his training camp in Costa Rica, lasting approximately one month, confirms his manager Carlos Blandon.
Roman has had more than a month of training at the Roger Deshon gym in Nicaragua, supervised by Gustavo Herrera and Alfredo Corrales. He currently weighs under 130 pounds and is said to be in great shape.

Gonzalez and his handlers are hoping to return to the ring on May 5th, as part of the card which is going to feature a main event with middleweight king Gennady Golovkin fighting a rematch against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Gonzalez is looking to bounce back after suffering back to back defeats to WBC super flyweight world champion Srisiket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand.

At one time rated as the best pound for pound boxer in the world, Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) lost a twelve round decision to the Thai puncher. In their fall rematch, Gonzalez was brutally knocked out in four rounds.

After some soul searching, Gonzalez has decided to stick around in the super flyweight division.

He was offered the opportunity to take part in last month’s Superfly card in Los Angeles, in a potential fight with WBA world champion Kal Yafai, but Chocolatito felt it was way too soon for that contest.

Now they are hoping that Cinco De Mayo weekend will be their comeback path – as long as Canelo is cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to face Golovkin.

“May 5 is a date that has interested us a lot, but nothing is confirmed yet. What we have is a lot of faith so that Roman can return to that card. That´s why we will move the camp to Costa Rica, which is where he has previously found very good conditions in which to train,” said Blandón.

From BoxingScene.com

Semana Santa In Costa Rica: Politics, Religion And Soccer

Costa Rica Semana Santa Events – Semana Santa (Easter Week) this year brings together the three passions of most Costa Ricans: Politics, Religion and Fútbol. From Sunday (yesterday) to Sunday next, as the saying goes (in Spanish), “se le juntará el ganado” (all the cows come home).

Politics

This year the presidential elections that did not see a clear winner on February 4 will see one of the two Alvarados – Fabricio Alvarado and Carlos Alvarado, no relation – elected president. Ticos are expected to cut their Easter week vacation to return to their hometown on April 1, Easter or Resurrection Day, to cast their vote. Many others will be out defending ‘their’ candidate. Whatever the results there will be an Alvarado in Zapote come May 8. On Saturday the electoral campaigns came to a close, but it won’t mean there is a respite from political discussions and arguments. Costa Rica is known for households to be divided in their political affiliations, husband and wife out, together, promoting their respective candidate.

Religion

Sunday (yesterday), was also Palm Sunday. And as is tradition in Costa Rica, Catholic faithful took to the streets in religious processions in many towns, even in downtown San Jose. The rest of the week will be full of religious ceremonies and processions througout the country, most likely, though not viewed with a good eye by the overseers of the election process, politics in the midst.

Soccer

Yesterday, Sunday, was the “Clasico” – the duel between the two bastions of Costa Rican soccer, La Liga (Alajuela) and Saprissa (San Jose). Tomorrow, Tuesday, La Sele (the national team) will face Tunisia in their second friendly of the World Cup 2018.

“Until recently futbol was always in first place, but these days, just for these weeks of the second round, politics is a priority,” according to sociologist Guillermo Acuña, a professor at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA).

“Mentally we are still a church town, soccer field and bar, where everything is talked about, even politics. The Tico is still moved by three great passions,” added the sociologist.

There is sure not to be a dull moment this Semana Santa in Costa Rica!

From QCostaRica

Choose The Right Website To Write The Academic Paper For You

The academic writing is complicated due to numerous requirements it has to meet. The student has know everything about the topic. He has to research beforehand and make a well-developed analysis. It requires much effort and time.

Many students find it hard to produce academic piece of work. If that if the case for you, find website that help you write an essay very quickly and at the moderate price. There are many such platforms in the internet. They provide quality writing services for students.

Why Academic Writing Is Complicated

Academic writing is particularly hard for several reasons:

• It requires research. Researching is not easy. Only people with analytical skills can do it. Every person who wants to research has to use certain methodology. He has to gather multiple sources and to distinguish reliable source from unreliable ones. Research always includes critical thinking. The student has to find some scientific problem and ways to solve it.
• It requires making conclusions. Even if your research does not include experiment, it does not mean you do not have to derive the conclusions. Even if you simply summarize the information and classify data, you still have to justify your methodology. Every type of research needs to be finished with analytical conclusions.
• The student has to write accordingly to academic style. It is a very specific formal type of writing. It requires a person to use certain vocabulary. In order to master such vocabulary you will need to work with dictionaries and grammar books. The tone required for academic writing has to be clear, simple, formal, and objective. Slang, personal pronouns, contractions are not allowed.
• The student has to structure his paper in a certain manner. You can’t decide what structural elements your work will include. Each type of academic paper has its own defined structure. If you miss any of structural elements, your work will be graded as low quality.

These features make writing for college rather hard. That is why students gladly order the services of academic writing platforms.

How To Choose A Reliable Website Of Academic Writing Services

You will find many platforms in the web, that offer services of academic writing. The tricky thing is to choose the right one for you. Here are some features what make the academic writing platform reliable:

• It prices its services in a moderate way. That means the prices are neither too high, nor too low. In order to understand what average market price is, simply check several websites in a row. Remember, the platforms that offer academic writing too cheaply, as a rule, deliver low quality papers.
• It has the wide database of authors. When you choose the writing platform, pay attention to how many authors it has. In order to cover wide range of topics, the platform has to cooperate with many authors. Than the clients will certainly find the one who can compose his paper well.
• It has efficient communication channels. The communication between the client, author and staff is important. The client must be able to change the task details if needed. He has to able to post his comments. Each writing platform has to ensure such communication.
• It has to accept various payment methods. The students should be able to pay by any type of bank card or e-wallet. That will save the time greatly.

These are some characteristics of reliable and reputable writing platforms. If you would like to know more about the quality of service you will be provided, it’s good to look for clients comments online. The students who ordered the services, will share with you their opinion about the quality of service. Engage in communication with recent clients online in social media, and find out how well the platforms works.

Is It Legal To Order The Writing Services?

Ordering writing services is fully legal. The content that is written by the authors is 100 authentic. That means you won’t have problems with plagiarism. Virtual platforms functional on the legal basis. They pay taxes. You have nothing to worry when ordering the services from such a website. You will get unique content absolutely legally.

However, colleges and universities usually forbid ordering academic papers from writing services, because the students are expected to do all college tasks themselves. So, despite the fact that writing academic papers and ordering them is ok in terms of the law, it may be a violation of the college rules. So, it is better to double-check this issue.

Haunted Johnny Cash Trail & Folsom Prison

Ghosts & The Supernatural – Meadow Manning from Foster City, CA hiked the new Johnny Cash Trail in early March 2018 and claims he and his wife saw a black form crossing the trail. The form looked like it had a human form, but it was sort of like a black fog. As the dark form walked away, they noticed that it had legs. The form faded away into nothingness. The sighting freaked out his wife so much, she wanted to go back to the car. When they got back to the car, his wife looked at Meadow and said…”take me home now!”

They drove back to Foster City and Meadow noticed his wife was trembling after this experience. Meadow says he doubts that they will ever go back. I had 2 family members who were correctional officers at Old Folsom Prison, last names of Best and Mitchell. During my times when I was in touch with them, they never talked about any paranormal activity, but did mention all of the brutality that they witnessed. Seeing other prisoners hurting other prisoners. They mentioned there were many murders and suicides at Folsom Prison. They recently opened up the Johnny Cash Trail, located at 50 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA.

I have been to this trail when it was the Folsom Lake Trail and I have visited the Folsom Prison Museum. At one point of time at Folsom Prison, I felt a feeling of dread. The feeling of dread overcame me and lasted for about 3 minutes, then it was gone. When I walked along the Folsom Dam Crossover Bridge, I heard distinct steps behind me, and when I turned around, there was no one there and the sound of steps stopped. The Johnny Cash Trail is nicely done, with paved roads for hikers and bicyclists. Sometimes when I go hiking, I hate it, because there are no signs indicating where to go. This trail is equipped with signs and you feel secure knowing that you are traveling the right path. There are meadowed areas with signs indicating that this is prison property and no trespassing.

When I listen to Folsom Prison Blues, I always chuckle, because Johnny is saying he shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Well, if that was true, he would be in a prison in Nevada, not California. Reno is in Nevada and they would not place him in a California Correctional Facility, he would be doing his time in a Nevada Correctional Facility. Johnny has his jurisdictions wrong with this song. Oh well, it is what it is.

According to former Correctional Officer and Operations Manager of Folsom Prison Museum James Brown, he says that Folsom Prison is definitely haunted. Phantoms are seen in the corridors and catwalks. One of the stories is the story of the Folsom Phantom, who haunts the main gate. The Folsom Phantom is believed to be either Ray Singleton, a prison guard that was stabbed in the prison library during the 1927 prison riots or it could be Charles Gillies who had a massive fatal heart attack while manning the post at the front gate during the 1927 prison riots. At one point of time, prison guards saw the Folsom Phantom on the cross walk. The guards asked this entity to stop and the entity kept walking. The guards opened fire and the bullets went right through the phantom and the phantom still continued to walk. It finally faded away.

Folsom Prison has a lot of history. I mean a lot of history. Some of the notable prisoners it housed were: Eldridge Cleaver of the Black Panthers; Thor Nis Christiansen – Serial Killer; Rick James, Sonny Barger of the Hell’s Angels; Charles Earl Boles aka Black Bart; Joseph Gamsky of the Billionaire Boys Club; Edmund Kemper – Co-Ed Killer; Suge Knight of Deathrow Records; Timothy Leary – LSD Guru; Charles Manson; Erik Menendez; Shorty Rossi – Star of Animal Planet’s Pit Boss; Leo Ryan (working undercover as a prisoner); Danny Trejo – movie star. When the death penalty was prominent at the prison, 93 prisoners were hung by their neck until they were dead. Many gangs have been incarcerated at Folsom Prison from the Mexican Mafia to the Black Guerrilla Family to the Aryan Brotherhood.

A former prisoner who only wants to be identified as Luggam claims that there is a ghost inside the prison that the inmates called Deadringer. Deadringer is known to walk the corridors, he is about 6’2”, wears dark clothes and prisoners are unable to make out his face. Deadringer will stop at a cell and look at a particular prisoner and wear that prisoner’s face. If that happens you are automatically cursed and something bad will happen to you. While Luggam served his time, he saw Deadringer look into a cell at a prisoner and had that prisoner’s face with a smirking grin. The prisoner yelled…”he has my face, he has my face, help me!” The next day that prisoner was shanked. Another time Deadringer looked at a prisoner and having that prisoner’s face, the prisoner was found the next day hanging from his cell. Luggam said the third and last time he encountered Deadringer is when he looked at a prisoner with the prisoner’s face and the prisoner had a massive fatal stroke. Luggam says that prisoners do not talk much about Deadringer, because they feel Deadringer will hear them and make his appearance.

Luggam says the one time that Deadringer was mentioned and no one saw him is when another prisoner was taunting another prisoner and yelling…”Deadringer is coming for you!” The next day the prisoner doing the taunting was found dead in his cell, killed by his cell mate, throat slashed. The cell mate could not remember cutting his throat and tried to say he murdered his cell mate while sleep walking. Luggam says it has been over 20 years since Deadringer has been seen.

Special Note: Another prison I went to that has a reputation of being haunted is San Quentin. My former best man Sandy Ewing and his wife who at the time was the acting warden at San Quentin invited me to lunch inside the prison. While having lunch, I was instructed not to make eye contact with any inmates. I did not feel any paranormal presence at the area I was dining at, but I do believe this prison is haunted along with all of the prisons in the world, due to the tragedies that occur in prison on an almost daily basis.

Deanna Jaxine Stinson and I, will be exploring this trail in the near future and we will search for any entities that may be present on this trail. We will let you know our results.

By Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations – HPI International.
www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HPIinternational/

To Block or Not Block Banco de Costa Rica Facebook Page

Costa Rica News – The Constitutional Court is forcing Banco de Costa Rica to unblock the Facebook account of a citizen who claims to have been blocked for commenting on the bank’s Facebook page.

The bank alleges that the user has been unblocked since November and has not been blocked again.

The citizen, named Castrillo, made a public request on the bank’s official wall, asking to be “treated, received and helped in the same way” that Mr. Bolaños was, in order to fulfil his dream of having his own business. Businessman Juan Carlos Bolaños had been granted a loan for $20 million dollars for the import of Chinese cement.

When Castillo’s comment was blocked, he emailed management to express his claim. He did not receive an answer to the email sent on September 13. He considers the situation to damage his fundamental rights and filed for help.

The result was the ruling stating that “a public authority cannot validly block a user from Facebook, without there being a reason to justify it.”

China’s Space Station is Falling to Earth

World News – An out-of-control Chinese space station is expected to plunge to Earth in about a week. Experts say it’s extremely unlikely that large pieces of the schoolbus-sized Tiangong-1 will survive re-entry through the atmosphere, much less that any of these pieces would land on a populated area. But no one knows for sure.

Tiangong-1 will likely fall from orbit sometime between March 29 and April 4, according to Andrew Abraham, a senior member of the technical staff at the Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research organization based in El Segundo, California. Abraham has been tracking the 18,000-pound space station since 2016.

“We won’t have a firm idea of precisely when — or any clue of where — until several hours prior to reentry,” he said. “There’s still a fair amount of uncertainty.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Tiangong-1 and its impending fall.

WHAT’S TIANGONG-1’S BACKSTORY?

Tiangong-1, which translates to “Heavenly Palace,” was launched in 2011 as a prototype space station. China sent two crewed missions to the outpost while it was still operational, but the space station has hosted no astronauts since 2013.

In a 2017 update to the United Nations, China said Tiangong-1 had “ceased functioning.” It is assumed that China is unable to control or communicate with the station, though Chinese officials have not confirmed that.

WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHEN THE STATION WILL FALL?

Tinagong-1’s orbit has long been decaying — meaning that Earth’s gravity draws it a bit closer with each orbit it makes around our planet. As it draws nearer, it bumps into more and more air molecules, which slow the station and close its orbit to decay even more precipitously. This drag force depends in part upon Tiangong-1’s position and whether the station is tumbling, which is hard to know for sure. And the density of the upper atmosphere fluctuates from one day to the next, Abraham said, which affects how much drag is exerted on the falling space station.

WHERE COULD THE SPACE STATION FALL?

Based on Tiangong-1’s orbit, researchers say the space station will reenter the atmosphere between 43 degrees North and 43 degrees South latitude. It will be impossible to narrow down the location until a couple of hours prior to reentry.

Although there are several major cities within the possible landing zone, including Los Angeles and Houston, debris from the station is likely to plunge in the ocean or on unpopulated land. “It’s more likely than not that this thing will reenter over an unpopulated area and it may be that no on ever sees it,” Abraham said.

AM I IN ANY DANGER?

According to Aerospace, “the probability that a specific person (i.e., you) will be struck by Tiangong-1 debris is about one million times smaller than the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot.”

Only one person — Lottie Williams of Tulsa, Oklahoma — is known to have been hit by space debris falling to Earth. Williams was struck on the shoulder by a small piece of a rocket’s fuel tank in 1997 while out for a walk. She was uninjured.

WILL I BE ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING?

It might be possible to see streaks across the sky — similar to a meteor shower — at the time of reentry. But that depends, of course, on how close you are to the falling debris as well as the time of day and the amount of cloud cover, according to Abraham.

IS IT UNCOMMON FOR A SPACECRAFT TO FALL TO EARTH?

It’s not at all uncommon for rocket parts, old satellites, and other bits of space debris to fall to Earth. To date, the largest structure to plummet through the atmosphere was the 268,000-pound Russian Mir space station, which made a controlled descent and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in March 2001.

by Denise Chow, NBCNews.com

Movilizate; Learning New Teaching Techniques in Costa Rica

Costa Rica News – 150 teachers participated in Movilizate, a meeting in which they learned about various online applications and platforms to facilitate teaching and learning in science classes in a more attractive format, making use of modern technology.

An international speaker, César Poyatos Dorado, from the Autonomous University of Madrid, came to give the course.

It was meant to advise tico teachers to introduce smartphones to make learning more interesting and effective.

This was the third year the event was organized by the Directorate of Technological Resources in Education of the Ministry of Public Education, the Telefónica Foundation and the Omar Dengo Foundation.

Dorado stressed that it is the work of educators to teach the students to make good use of the devices and know how to find data and judge whether it is valid and scientific, a skill needed for the present and future.

Dolphin Surprised Dozens Of Tourists on Costa Rica Beach

Costa Rica News – A female dolphin surprised dozens of tourists at Playa Herradura beach (south of Jaco on the Central Pacific), when she approached the shore and died.

The reasons why she came to the beach, apparently wounded or beaten, to give birth to a calf and then died, are unknown.

The vacationers sought help but could not do anything to save the poor animal.

We can only hope that this animal was not tortured or beaten and if she gave birth her calf is alive and well.

Travel Explorer; Discovering Cheap Airline Tickets to Costa Rica

Costa Rica Travel – A Tico couple brings us alerts about airline deals.

Altán Cabal Lombodorzh and his wife, Anita Lucía Hernández, created Travel Explorer, a software that searches for the best offers.

Some deals they have found from Costa Rica, with all taxes included, are Miami for $200, New York for $300, L.A. for $300, Canada for $300, Cuba for $300, Iceland for $600, Asia for $900, Europe for $600, Colombia for $300, Chile for $600 and Guatemala for $200.

You no longer have to spend hours searching each airline or going through dozens of agencies. The software looks for the best deals on your behalf. It was designed for their personal travels then shared with friends and relatives. Now all Ticos have access to it.

The couple doesn’t sell the tickets, they just alert us to the deals and direct us to the appropriate websites. Deals are often limited and demand is high so it’s best to purchase as quick as possible.

You can get more information on their website or on their Facebook Page    

Costa Rican Lucía Jiménez; More Than Just Dancing with the Stars

Costa Rica Entertainment – Lucía Jiménez is known in Costa Rica from her exposure in the national contest “Dancing With the Stars” on Teletica.

She has also won several prestigious world competitions. For example, she took two awards at the World Salsa Summit 2018.

She was an Olympic gymnast from age 6 until leaving the discipline at age 14. She then trained in hip-hop, ballet and tap. At age 22, she considered dancing just a hobby. She was making a career in advertising, public relations and communication in marketing.

She took a Merecumbé class and the Latin rhythms like salsa, bachata, merengue and swing caught her attention. She took it seriously and started teaching and choreographing there.

She organized a salsa competition in Costa Rica that lead to the World Salsa Congress.

She spent time in New York and is now back in Costa Rica. She loves the world of professional dance and is dedicated to it.

NFL New England Patriots Player Detained in Costa Rica for Alleged Marijuana Possession

Costa Rica News – New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon was denied entry into Costa Rica and sent back to the United States after customs officers allegedly found marijuana and paraphernalia in his luggage Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday, via a source informed of the situation.

Harmon was allegedly caught with 58 grams of marijuana inside a can of iced tea, three pipes with cannabis oil, a THC candy, and four glass containers with compressed marijuana that weighed 4.3 grams, Rapoport reported.

Harmon was not arrested, Rapoport added.

Harmon acknowledged the incident and apologized in an Instagram post Saturday evening.

We are aware of the situation involving Duron Harmon Friday night in Costa Rica,” a Patriots spokesman said. “He has since returned to the U.S. and we are seeking to gain more information. At this time, we have no further update.”

Harmon, a Patriots third-round pick in 2013, started 21 regular-season and postseason games for New England over the past five years, logging 14 interceptions.

He could be subject to potential discipline by the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy.

From NFL.com

Atacama Skeleton Not Alien But Human

World News – It looks like a tiny little alien, with its elongated head and oval eyeholes.

The mummified skeleton found in Chile’s Atacama desert has been the source of many an alien-conspiracy theory, despite many studies showing the poor thing was human.

Now, genetic research shows the six-inch-long skeleton belonged to a human fetus that had multiple genetic defects. They may have been caused by the mother’s exposure to chemicals from nitrate mining, the researchers said.

And the researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco say their analysis of the little skeleton could help living people here on Earth, because it’s pointed them to a batch of damaging genetic mutations that doctors did not know about before.

The skeleton puzzled researchers and excited conspiracy theorists when it was found in 2003 because it was so strange. Tiny and deformed, it seemed human-like but was missing two of 12 ribs and had features that made it look adult-like, despite its very small size.

Doctors soon identified it as human and possibly the remains of a miscarried fetus, but some of the deformities defied analysis — further feeding suspicions of some kind of cover-up.

Garry Nolan of Stanford University decided to do a deep dive into the DNA of the skeleton, which was only about 40 years old and well preserved from having been mummified in the super-dry Atacama.

“You can’t look at this specimen and not think it’s interesting; it’s quite dramatic,” Nolan said in a statement.

The analysis turned up many different mutations.

“In the Ata specimen, we have identified known mutations in genes associated with disease such as cranioectodermal dysplasia and Greenberg skeletal dysplasia, which each produce (physical effects) similar to that observed in the Ata specimen,” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Genome Research.

For instance, patients with cranioectodermal dysplasia can have elongated skulls with prominent ridges.

Mutations in several genes appear to have caused development of a club-shaped leg bone — the femur — they said, while other mutations led to a small body length, and four other mutations caused deformities in the arm bones.

The baby also appears to have had a premature aging disease that gave the bones features that made them appear to belong to a six-year-old child instead of a six-month fetus.

“The diseases identified were mostly associated to bone disorders, including scoliosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a disease of the joints and connective tissue), and musculoskeletal abnormalities,” they added.

There were other genetic defects that would have killed any newborn, including one that would have made it impossible to breathe normally.

“Given the size of the specimen and the severity of the mutations described above, it seems likely the specimen was a preterm birth,” Nolan’s team wrote.

“Although we can only speculate as to the cause for multiple mutations in Ata’s genome, the specimen was found in La Noria, one of the Atacama Desert’s many abandoned nitrate mining towns, which suggests a possible role for prenatal nitrate exposure leading to DNA damage.”

High doses of nitrates can cause birth defects.

Atul Butte of UCSF said the research was interesting but also offers an important lesson about checking out all the possibilities.

“For me, what really came of this study was the idea that we shouldn’t stop investigating when we find one gene that might explain a symptom. It could be multiple things going wrong, and it’s worth getting a full explanation, especially as we head closer and closer to gene therapy,” Butte said in a statement.

“We could presumably one day fix some of these disorders, and we’re going to want to make sure that if there’s one mutation, we know that — but if there’s more than one, we know that too.”

by Maggie Fox, NBCNews.com

Experience Is the Enemy

Below my feet, after days of heavy rain, the little creek on the periphery of town is like a gray-green animal surging ferociously and relentlessly forward. Above my head, as the wind blows hard from the east, a great wall of dark clouds hangs like the curtain of God over the western sky.

The scene is at once ominous and astoundingly beautiful in the dwindling open space between the city and the foothills. But you can still see for miles to the south, and it feels as if the entire earth is here.

The cloudmass moves over the flat plain, briefly opening patches of brilliant sunshine before again threatening a storm. Except for a few sprinkles however, the rain holds off.

I sit awestruck for nearly an hour and half. The self is swept away like the mote of insignificance it actually is.

As the meditative state deepens, a question seizes the mind and heart: Why is the earth so immensely beautiful and yet we humans are so small, especially since we have the capacity for communion with the numinous?

Thought is the generator of darkness. There is no darkness in the universe except what the mind of man and creatures like man make, wherever thought dominates minds, hearts and brains.

Are there only two movements—that of darkness, which is what the world has always been and human consciousness has increasingly become; and its negation in meditation in the individual, allowing the rare person to commune with the sacred imbuing all things except man? (Commune briefly if one is semi-illumined, or continuously if fully illumined.)

Or is there a third movement, that of the work of transmutation and psychological revolution, which is as old as humankind itself? In short, does humanity, and potentially intelligent life anywhere in the universe, matter to the cosmic mind?

Hard core atheists believe that there is nothing but random activity, and that this is just one of an infinite number of ‘parallel universes’ in which every possible combination of energy and matter exist. That’s our scientific age’s equivalent of decaying medieval theology, upholding to the last the defunct hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Living in terms of idea rather than insight, so-called realists pit themselves against idealists, pontificating about people “whose idealism rarely seems dented, and only occasionally informed, by experience.”

Contented to speak half-truths in support of power and the status quo from their teetering perches, one wonders, who or what they are actually attacking?

Experience has taught us little or nothing. The chances of a nuclear war increase by the week, while hundreds of thousands of young people march in the streets because American culture and polity don’t have the common sense to get rid of assault rifles. This is what passes for idealism in young people.

Idealism and realism are two sides of the same coin anyway. The real question is the place of experience in human life. Is experience merely the rotten foundation on which ‘realists’ smugly believe they firmly stand?

The value and validity of experience goes unquestioned. We are conditioned to believe that with experience comes wisdom, but that’s false. Experience is part of conditioning, and insight and compassion flow from a completely different source.

Sober commentators in North America speak of “a broad global crisis from which apparently there is no escape.” Though I’m certainly no optimist, this is a defeatist attitude.

Is it precisely because the dominant economic and political ideology in America and beyond is a “repository of loathing and despair” that a psychological revolution is more possible than ever before? Is that which is eminently necessary imminently possible?

So what would a psychological revolution look like, and how can one contribute to it? It certainly won’t include marches in the streets, the sad holdover of the mass movements of my youth, which didn’t end the Vietnam War a month earlier than it otherwise would have ended.

Since it hasn’t occurred before, at least on a global scale, a psychological revolution wouldn’t be something that will fit into comfortable categories of recognition.

Even so, every decent person, with at least a ventricle still pumping in his or her heart, knows it has to occur if “the poor doll humanity” is to change course. If not now, when?

Martin LeFevre

Costa Rica Prepping to Fight Organized Crime

Costa Rica News – The law now requires that specialized offices be put into operation by October to deal with organized crime.

The Court asks for another year, however, because of needing a budget, an adequate building and staff training.

Once in operation, these courts will hear cases related to drug trafficking organizations, groups dedicated to human trafficking, pornography and gangs of bank robbers. It will also hear cases of those groups that come from abroad to commit a crime.

The plan includes specialization of criminal judges, prosecutors, public defenders and special courts and courts of appeals. This special jurisdiction will be used when dealing with a group of three or more people in a group that has a division of tasks.

The OIJ attributes over 40% of last year’s homicides to organized crime. In 2017, there were 603 murders and many of them were committed with cruelty.

Ecuadane; Bringing The Culture of Other Countries to Your Home

Entertainment News – Three American sisters grew up with a respect for culture and travel.

They’ve since made it their mission to share the gift of travel, one that opens minds and hearts and brings us an understanding of how cultures are so unique and beautiful.

They have seen how craftsmanship is applied in different cultures and give us a way to share in an online market of curated high quality products from around the world.

These pieces bring us to another part of the world and support families from a diversity of cultures, traditions and lifestyles.

On the site www.ecuadane.com you can find various products ranging from blankets and scarves to jewelry and handbags. Each piece from “Ecuadane” represents the beauty of the human experience.

The specialty blankets come in many designs. There are some for skiing, others for Christmas, and my favorite, the Inca Collection.

These make the best blankets for snuggling up under the stars or by a nice fire on a chilly night.