The Government is working on a bill to lower the price of medicines in private pharmacies. The Ministry of Health confirmed that Costa Rica’s drug cost is among the highest in the region. The same drugs cost 75% less in Nicaragua than in Costa Rica.
Additionally, the price of medications can vary up to 35% from one pharmacy to another. Often patients purchase what the doctor prescribes without being advised that other brands offer the same medicine at a lower cost. Because of this, the initiative includes the idea that doctors should prescribe generics, not specific brands.
The bill will be taken to the Legislative Assembly in February. The bill seeks balance among the price of the drugs when they enter the country and the price found at various distribution points.
There are 221 drug stores, 77 labs, and 1,167 private pharmacies in Costa Rica. Some are chains and others independent. The private medicine market in the country amounts to about $550 million annually.
Volaris airline is offering even lower prices now and with daily flights from Costa Rica to Mexico City and Cancun there are many travel options for pleasure and business trips at reasonable costs.
The company is offering an a la carte menu where passengers pay only for what they need. There is a basic fare that allows the passenger to travel without luggage. They are allowed one personal object that fits certain dimensions but has no weight limit.
The airline offers different tariff families to cater to those traveling light, those who require priority boarding, and those who need to bring baggage of various sizes. The basic fare is best for those taking a one-day business trip without may belongings.
For a recent flight from Costa Rica to Mexico, Volaris offered a rate of $185. The next cheapest option was $240. In addition to the significant savings, Volaris offers an inexpensive fare for hand-held luggage, just $9.99.
The land down under has turned up over everyone lately, with people driven into the sea and a billion animals killed in wildfires. Here in northern California, Paradise still casts a long, dark shadow. Microcosm is indistinguishable from macrocosm.
The refrain I heard from an Aussie before the fires rings hollow: “A global transformation in consciousness is happening through innumerable citizen movements where local areas, cities and other citizen-led groups are leap-frogging over their national governments to make transformational changes.”
Another in Australia’s capital, the female founder of a well-known contemplative church, echoed the sentiment: “I absolutely agree about the necessity for a global transformation of consciousness, and feel that this is in fact underway through the renewal of contemplative prayer in a whole range of contexts.”
This idea comes entirely from progressives, people who espouse a global view rather than a nationalistic one.
Contradictorily, the same people speak in terms of national contexts, such as the prominent women’s leader in Canberra saying, “It is my daily preoccupation to find ways to cheer along citizen- led movements in an Australian context.”
Is a global transformation in consciousness already happening,” but it’s just “frustratingly patchy?” Or has it not ignited, and human consciousness is growing darker by the week? Clearly it is the latter. So has the fat lady sung on our age?
Finding out whether a transformation of consciousness is actually underway, or it’s just wishful thinking, is crucial not just for contemplatives and activists, but for anyone who cares about the present and future of the earth and humanity.
Seeing things as they are is not the cause of hopelessness and despair; the refusal to see things as they are and the insistence on seeing them the way you want to see them is.
Clearly, a psychological revolution has not ignited, and to insist that it has, and that just “more deepening and strengthening of the practice of contemplation and activism is still needed,” is a liberal form of denial.
So what are these and many other women and men referring to when they say, “a transformation in consciousness is already happening?” They are speaking of their need to believe that human consciousness is gradually improving, that the gains in women’s rights, civil rights and human rights are not being eroded but built upon.
They are referring to a battle between regressive forces and progressive forces in human history, and boosting themselves with the hope that because the right words are spoken and positive emotions evoked in people they know, a consciousness revolution is underway.
Human consciousness is not radically changing because human nature is not being challenged. In different ways, both progressives and conservatives take human nature as a given, though they can’t or won’t say what it is.
It simply doesn’t cut it to “cheer contemplatives and activists along in an Australian [or any other national or local] context.”
A global revolution in consciousness that puts Australian, American or any other national or local context first is no revolution at all. Doing so, under the guise of global citizenship, is fooling oneself while operating from the same old fragmentary, gradualistic thinking that lies at the core of the human crisis.
The human race is in a race between the worst and best within us, and it does no good to say we’re winning it when people of insight and intelligence are losing to people adhering to power, greed and tribalism.
The psychological revolution that changes the disastrous course of humankind may ignite in one place, but it won’t be local, and will be immediately felt in all places.
How it manifests will vary, though a global, a non-power-holding body that generates insight and helps guide national and international organizations through the perilous passage to a genuine global civilization needs to emerge.
On the political level, it’s fitting to ask: can and should the UN, in the form of the General Assembly, be salvaged and reformed? The UN is an international organization. A global body is urgently needed.
It won’t be an arena where everyone’s opinion must be listened to, much less honored in some quaint, global court of public opinion. It will be a body that generates insight by diverse people questioning together without assumptions.
It’s insight that will save humanity, and contemplatives (which simply means people with an inner life who are igniting insight within themselves) are the true revolutionaries.
Costa Rica Ambassador Fernando Llorca had a meeting with the Office of Consular Affairs in response to an agreement between President Carlos Alvarado and US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, regarding checking into if the country’s reclassification to a higher travel alert was correct.
Llorca presented compelling information, such as that Costa Rica has managed to decrease the murder rate and the amount of tourist robberies. In addition, it is the most successful country in the region for the joint confiscation of drugs. In spite of these achievements, the alert level for those traveling to Costa Rica was raised from “take normal precautions” to “use increased care.”
The change was not a result of comparing Costa Rica’s condition year over year, rather it was due to changes in the criteria to evaluate nations, something that will affect the alert type on most nations. It is very difficult to go back to the original recommended level of care.
There is no expected impact on tourism attraction to the country, as these are not notes on the country rather recommendations, such as “Be attentive to your surroundings during your stay abroad.”
Three Ticas are living in China, in the Wuhan province, a city quarantined because the Government is fighting against further expansion of the coronavirus. The city is mostly empty, with the subway and buses paralyzed and no way in or out.
People are urged to maintain order and stay in their homes, leaving only if strictly necessary. Many bought in bulk at supermarkets so as not to risk going out more than once. They bought enough for weeks and there is little left in the stores.
Tica María Belisa Torres Pérez went out by bike, protected by a mask, to look for water, food, and more masks. The recommended ones are sold out and many pharmacies have closed. To get into any place, they must have their temperature taken and enter wearing a mask. Stuck in her apartment, day after day, she has been keeping in contact with friends and family so as not to feel so isolated in the quarantine.
Another Tica has had even more difficulty because the stores near her are completely empty. She is stretching the food she has to last through this indefinite quarantine.
From the dusty files of HPI, I found the Hamburglar Phantom of Pioneer, this is dated back in 2013 when I was a young paranormal investigator.
March 30, 2013, Saturday 1500 Hours
Tracy Lindstrom in her HPI Phantasm Van headed over to my house and in tow were Chris and Quinn. Tracy picked up Shari (who was waiting at my home watching Breaking Bad) and off we went – road trip to Pioneer.
Pioneer Strike Force / HPI Paranormal Investigators (Roll Call): Paul Dale Roberts – HPI Owner – Catholic House Blesser – Baptist Baptizer; Shirley Hasselbrink – Psychic; Helen Henkel – Sensitive; Lisa Gottschalk – from San Joaquin Paranormal in Stockton; Becky Cardenas – Lead Investigator – Spanish Interpreter; Mark Tatum – Equipment Technician; Tracy Lindstrom – Driver; Jon Koyasako – Security – Lead Investigator; Wendy Maxam – Videographer; Shari Aresta – Lead Investigator – EVP Queen; Chris Singleton – Audio Specialist; Melissa Quinn Maheras – Greek Orthodox Cleanser. Special Note: Tonight, I am conducting a Catholic blessing of the house.
We have two areas to cover, the outside perimeters and the inside of this home / cabin. There are two teams. Team Pioneer – Jon is the lead, on his team is Shirley, Becky and Melissa. Team Hamburglar – Shari is lead, on her team is Helen, Mark and Tracy.
Before we conducted this investigation, I said a Miwok protection prayer for the group and gave a ‘Friends’ book to the Miwok Indian spirits as a peace offering. The book was buried on the property. I then conducted a hedge-of-protection prayer for the group. Quinn blessed the group with oil, as conducted by the Greek Orthodox.
I will now let Lisa Gottschalk explain in her own words about one of the entities that her team encountered known as the Hamburglar Phantom. Lisa, take it away: “While I was talking with Keith about some of the things he was experiencing, I happened to be seeing something move out of the corner of my left eye. I was trying not to be obvious about it as not to alarm Keith. I decided silently to perform my own debunking while standing there. We were under some of the trees, it was around 2:30pm and the sun was shining. Although there wasn’t direct sun beaming down on me there, I was in the area of the movement. I stood there moving ever so slightly left and right, back and forth trying to see if that movement could be recreated. Finally I asked Keith to tell me what the little critter looked like to him. I was seeing a small figure approximately 3 to 3.5ft, with a black cape sort of thing. It would dart quickly from tree to tree peering out from behind. Keith started telling me that he was seeing the same thing I was seeing. He called it a leprechaun. I had to ask him that again because I never knew a leprechaun would sport a black cape. He asked me what I would call it and to the best of my capability I called it, “The Hamburglar” It reminded me of back in the good old days when McDonalds used real food and The Hamburglar tried to steal it. How he would sneak up and peer from around the corner. I know other team members did see dark figures darting throughout the evening. I do not know though if they were the same as the Hamburglar Phantom.“
FIRST INVESTIGATIVE EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
I interviewed everyone individually. Shirley says that she definitely encountered an Indian spirit, it was very elusive and she believes his name is something that starts with a K and sounds like ‘coyote’. Helen: She felt something behind her. Some of the investigators captured major K2 hits with 3 K2 meters in the kitchen. Shirley captured a strange light anomaly in the woods and we can’t determine what it is. After Becky played the Miwok song, Shirley may have captured what sounded like Miwok chanting – her EVP is inconclusive. Jon felt vertigo in the woods and felt something walking around the bedroom. Some other investigators felt vertigo in the woods by what was the old wagon train trail. Chris felt something, but felt it was inconclusive, otherwise he had no personal experiences. Shari felt something walk behind her. Tracy felt a cold spot on her leg. Quinn felt some cold spots in the basement. Becky captured some K2 hits by what is called the vortex in the woods. Mark has no report of anything unusual. Special Note: One of the entities that we want to banish from the house is the Black Cousin It entity with dark eyes. The occupant may have once experienced the Old Hag Syndrome, where an entity was sitting on his chest and it felt like his heart was being pulled out.
SECOND INVESTIGATIVE EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
Jon captured a clear EVP of what sounds like Native Indian drumming and then a sharp voiced female toned ‘yeeeees’. We captured some orb photos – orbs that we captured are inconclusive. We are getting more K2 hits – flashlight communication – inconclusive. So far the strongest evidence we have are the 2 EVPs.
THIRD INVESTIGATIVE EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
On this round, we are conducting 2 separate séances in 3 different hotspots in the house. Wendy was body pushed down the stairs and Mark, Becky & Tracy witnessed this. Quinn was pushed in the bathroom.
No EVPs on this round. Orb photos captured – inconclusive.
FOURTH INVESTIGATIVE EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
The full team is conducting séance sessions in all of the hotspots in this home. Tracy had a very strange experience and she will describe it in her own words: “While in Keith’s daughter’s room, I kept feeling the sensation of someone pressing on the backs of my legs, as if trying to knock me off balance. I asked Mark Tatum to take a pic every time I felt that sensation, and every time, a photo of an orb would appear. I walked over to Mark, asking if he could please take a pic of the backs of my legs, since that’s the place I felt it the strongest. Within maybe 30 seconds, I felt that sensation on my legs, and Mark immediately took a pic, and was able to capture at least 3 orbs, all specifically around my legs. Also, at one point when I asked him to take a pic, I said “I feel something, please take a pic right now”. He immediately took a pic, and said he’d found yet another orb. He began to say “Tre, the orb is on….” and I said “Wait! Is it right here?”, as I gestured to my right, above my right shoulder. Mark looked closely at the photo and said “It’s on your right, just above your shoulder, behind you”, exactly where I’d been feeling a presence. It was pretty amazing. With every feeling, it was very well documented and verified with a photo.” Special Note: I would deem this as ‘paranormal’ and that the orbs surrounding Tre are indeed SCF (Spiritual Containment Fields). At one point of time Keith, the occupant points to a certain area of the wall and says ‘take a picture here’, because he is seeing the orb with his own eyes. Tre takes a picture and captures an orb at the exact location. Mark takes a picture and captures the same appearing orb in the exact location. Again, with the validation of 2 cameras, showing the same appearing orb in the location of where Keith is pointing is validation that it is a SCF (Spiritual Containment Field).
CONCLUSION:
With the EVPs, the orb photos that were taken when an investigator is experiencing being touched, the multitude of personal experiences, I would definitely say that this place is truly haunted. I conducted a Catholic blessing of the home and Keith does not feel the blessing worked. I gave him two options to do if the house blessing does not work. God bless.
The cognitive revolution, which made all 7.7 billion of us “fully modern humans,” with the capacity for diverse languages, cultures, art, science and technology, occurred about 100,000 years ago in East Africa.
The cognitive revolution was not consciously brought about, but the insight revolution can only consciously occur. It is not a goal in the usual sense—an objective achieved by thought—but it cannot happen without the diligent work of many individuals awakening awareness and igniting insight within.
Indeed, as the crisis of consciousness intensifies, and imperils the Earth and the future of humanity, the first task of the living generations, whether they have children or not, is to ignite insight within the consciousness we all share. That’s essential to change the disastrous course of humankind.
We are not separate from the world, but in actuality each one of us makes up the world. By seeing the world in terms of fragments, as the vast majority of people do, we contribute to the fragmentation of the Earth and humanity.
Just as the ecological crisis and the crisis of consciousness go hand in hand, self-determination and democracy are also imperiled by thought-based consciousness. “We are learning how to write the music,” one cognitive scientist said, “and then we let the music make them dance.”
In a global, data-driven society, people can only flourish inwardly, and peoples can only flourish democratically, when the individual is self-knowing and humanity, not ‘my nation,’ is sovereign.
The mainstream media has been and continues to be complicit in the erosion of the human spirit and democracy. “The failing New York Times” (failing in a deeper sense than Trump means), mirrors academic irrelevance with columns such as “Why Trump Persists,” by Thomas B. Edsall.
Straining credulity beyond the breaking point, Edsall praises nonsense like that espoused by Karen Stenner, a political psychologist and behavioral economist:
“Communities with a good balance of people who seek out diversity, complexity, novelty, new and exciting experiences etc., and those who are disgusted by and averse to such things, avoid them, and tell others to do likewise, tend to thrive and prosper in human evolution,” Stenner asserts.
“Finding the right balance,” she adds, “is vital to both societal cohesion and human flourishing.” But, she warns, “We may have tipped the balance too far in favor of unconstrained diversity and complexity,” pushing the boundary beyond “many people’s capacity to tolerate it.”
A little knowledge of evolution, plus a complete lack of philosophical reflection, generates risible ideas like that. We’re way beyond balance. Only an academic could imagine that “unconstrained diversity” is to blame for America’s descent into right-wing extremism.
In a minimally healthy body politic, the pendulum swings from center-right to center-left and back again. When the pendulum breaks however, it remains stuck in the extreme right or the extreme left.
The pendulum has been broken in America for a generation. It’s stuck in right-wing extremism, and nothing but a war and/or a psychological revolution, will keep mob rule from driving us deeper into the abyss.
In some countries, such as Russia before the Revolution, the pendulum broke on the left, and Leninist-Stalinist communism emerged.
But in America, the pendulum broke in the Republican Party during the Clinton years, manifested generally in the warmongering years of Bush-Cheney, and was temporarily halted by the Obama Interregnum before reaching full flower with Trump and his mob of 40 per-centers.
That has nothing to do with human evolution, except to attest that we haven’t psychologically changed in thousands of years, and remain essentially tribal creatures.
We therefore return essential questions. Despite living in an interconnected global society, why do the vast majority of people, on the right and the left, remain identified with a particular group, be it “my tribe” or a nation?
Why does consciousness based on symbolic thought, with its dead weight of tradition and accumulation of useless and destructive memories, remain so dominant, generating the darkness that is synonymous with human consciousness in our age?
In the final analysis, the evolution of ‘higher thought’ both gave us the capacity for true consciousness, and is a tremendous impediment to it.
The responsibility lies with the individual—literally the undivided human being—to awaken insight through self-knowing.
That, not laws or ‘collective actions,’ is the first safeguard against surveillance capitalism and the annihilation of self-determination.
The purpose of this article is to share with you the readers, some of the emails that I receive, information that is dropped in my ear, etc. Some of the stories are fascinating and I think you will enjoy reading some of these stories. Please read on.
CHELSEA’S HAUNTED EXPERIENCE AT ALCATRAZ
First, I’d like to say that I believe in ghosts, but I never go looking for them. I believe they should not be messed with. That being said, took a trip to Alcatraz last night with a friend, more for the history and to hear unique stories, and maybe take some cool pictures. (YOU CAN SEE SOME OF CHELSEA’S PICS AT THIS LINK: pauldaleroberts.imgbb.com/
I had just come out of the ‘hole’ after getting pics taken and I heard my voice…repeatedly coming from different areas of the room (mind you, the room was full of tourists and at first I just thought someone got me on their video, but I kept hearing it over and over at full volume in different areas but couldn’t tell where it was coming from or what words I was saying but I just brushed it off and looked for more photo ops). One pic I took in the hole does not look like me and it actually scares me.
I was freezing the entire time at the prison. Took some pics that I will attach. My friend kept talking loudly and making dumb jokes as usual, but for some reason it made me so angry after I walked into one of the cells on A block that I lashed out at him in the cell, defending the prisoners, feeling so disrespected…but I’ve never been a prisoner…
Right afterwards, the guards were doing a speech about how the cell doors opened with the levers, I felt someone watching me on the 3rd floor in B block, I could feel something looking down on the crowd (I thought it was a camera or something) when I looked up, there was nothing there but it really felt like now something noticed me looking up and was looking back at me now. Fxxx. A few moments went by and I pushed the thought away, but these ice cold shivers fell over me, I had goosebumps everywhere and something was pushing my hair back on the left side of my neck so I pretended not to notice, just shifted my footing instead and moved a few steps to the right. Then on the 2nd floor immediately to my right I could feel multiple things almost breathing my direction, watching. Luckily that’s when the speech ended and I could grab my friend and run back to the boat.
I didn’t mention any of this to him because I would sound like I’m going crazy. But after I got home and was going through pics, a couple things dawned on me. I think my friend was being followed in the ‘barber shop’ area where we later learned from a guard (randomly brought up in conversation) that was where someone was stabbed with a pair of scissors (I think he said in the neck) and the prison guard who was on duty at the time, it was his first day on the job when it happened and that guard ended up staying around working at the prison for the rest of his life or something, but nonchalantly we were told we were standing on the area that the stabbed guy bled out (will attach pics). Also, I think a spirit followed me home…not joking…I can fxxxx feel this thing brushing my hair randomly sending cold goosebumps across my skin (while the central heat is on). And there is no way in hell I’m gonna piss it off and tell it to go away, if it’s already able to invisibly move my hair around while I’m awake and sober. But luckily I will go back to Hawaii on Tues where I’ll be far away from all of this…just won’t be sleeping tonight
Have you heard of anything similar happening to anyone at Alcatraz? Does this sound completely insane? Do you think there’s anything to the pictures?
Thank you,
Chelsea
Special Note: Before I was a paranormal investigator, I visited Alcatraz with my stepson Jason Randall Porter. I was hoping at the time, that I would experience something paranormal while at Alcatraz. This never happened. My stepson didn’t experience anything either. We took a ferry over to Alcatraz. The one thing that I did get out of the whole experience is the history. I loved hearing the stories while walking around Alcatraz. Paul Dale Roberts.
HAUNTED LAVA BEDS NATIONAL PARK
Megan Wheeler, a self-proclaimed sensitive from Bishop, California says that she visited Lava Beds National Park with her husband. They did plenty of hiking and explored Skull Cave. Read more about Skull Cave here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/northern-california/skull-cave-norcal/ Megan tells me that Skull Cave was named by E.L. Hopkins during the 19th century. He named it Skull Cave because he found a massive amount of animal bones and 2 human skeletons. I tell Megan that I visited Lava Beds National Monument when I was 7 years old and I don’t remember too much about it. Megan says that she saw the ghostly apparitions of 4 people inside this cave and when she told her husband, the husband laughed, not believing her. When Megan’s husband laughed, the laughter lasted for a short time, because then her husband started screaming. His back was burning and when he lifted his shirt, there were 4 marks going down his back and the wounds were deep. Megan’s husband looked like he was scratched by sharp fingernails or by the comic book character Wolverine. The odd thing about this is when they left the park and headed home, the marks went away immediately. Megan’s husband no longer had the scratch marks on his back. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Jack%27s_Stronghold
Megan and her husband also visited Captain Jack’s Stronghold, named after Modoc Chief – Captain Jack. Lots of things happened at this location. The Battle of Lost River and the Modoc War happened at this location. The Modoc vs. the US Army and the Modoc won the first time and during the 2nd time, the US Army won. 35 US Army soldiers lost their lives. Captain Jack and 3 of his associates John Schonchin, Black Jim, Boston Charley were captured on June 1, 1873 for their war crimes of killing Reverend Eleazer Thomas and General Edward Canby. Note: Canby was the only general killed in the Indian wars. John, Black Jim, Boston Charley and Captain Jack were hanged at Fort Klamath. Megan claims that she wanted to take a rock from the Stronghold as a souvenir and felt the presence of Captain Jack who whispered in her ear that if she takes the rock home, her family would be cursed forever. Megan immediately dropped the rock and went back to her sightseeing mode with her husband.
A new team of young cyclers has been born in Costa Rica, following the motivation to create a foundation for the sport in the country. The youth team is called Leones Naranja.
It’s members come from all parts of the country. Many were sought out and others applied. They are thinking ahead and dreaming of becoming international cyclists who represent Costa Rica.
For years, sponsors supported already known athletes. The creators of this new association saw the need to invest in minor league athletes who will have the chance to be the next Andrey Amador. By investing in the sport at the roots, they guarantee elite, professional cyclists in the long term.
Any young person can join the school to learn about fundamentals, tactics, and techniques of cycling. They are provided with equipment and can earn scholarships so that they can completely focus on studying and training. Two team members have already won championships.
The son of a businessman was kidnapped on Wednesday around 9 pm while he was walking down a street in the center of Esparza. Several people forced the 19-year-old into a vehicle.
Relatives were sent text messages saying that to see him alive they would have to pay ₡60 million. The family went to the OIJ of Puntarenas for help. Investigators were able to make contact and negotiate with the kidnappers.
The deal was to release the young man at 9 pm on Thursday in the center of Esparza and the ransom would be paid on the condition that they release him first. The boy was freed and money paid but the offenders got only 200 meters with it before being captured by OIJ agents.
The victim was taken to a hospital and discharged in good health. The OIJ raided the house where he was held captive and collected evidence. The accused are at the order of the Deputy Prosecutor’s Office of Puntarenas. A hearing will be held to define precautionary measures.
A plane going from Costa Rica to Colombia plummeted for a few seconds and had to make an emergency landing in Panama. The captain identified an alert in one of the systems and decided to deviate from the planned route for safety.
The crew followed the established protocols for this type of alert. There were 108 passengers and five crew members on board. Those who were not wearing seatbelts hit the ceiling, as did the coffee carts.
Since those onboard went through an abrupt movement, some passengers and crew had to be seen by airport health authorities. One passenger and three crew members were transferred to a hospital.
Another plane will be provided to take the group to their intended destination this morning. Avianca confirmed that some images of the roof broken by the coffee cart were from this flight.
The Government formalized an agreement with the Globalvia company, a highway concessionaire, to extend by 15 years the concession to expand route 27, which was opened ten years ago.
The current contract ends in 2033, after 25 years, but will now be extended until 2048, leaving control of the highway in the hands of the same company. There is much more work left to do. Three more stages of work are planned out.
The letter of understanding signed puts forth terms and conditions to negotiate all the future works that will even reach the La Sabana Metropolitan Park. The rate that the State will pay and that we will pay in tolls is being renegotiated.
Another aspect being analyzed is how many additional lanes will be built per section. There are many possibilities modeled out showing how much tolls would cost and how much contribution from the State would be required in each scenario.
A wonderful pediatric cardiovascular surgeon from Costa Rica, Javier Brenes González, was hired by Dallas Children’s Medical City, in Texas. This 42-year-old doctor is recognized for his service that saved the Pediatric Cardiovascular Program at the Hospital Nacional de Niños, which was in a crisis of high mortality before his arrival.
Brenes had an attractive offer to go back to Dallas, where he was trained, but turned it down until he was sure he could leave the children’s hospital in Costa Rica in capable hands. He mentored two surgeons who he now believes are able to meet the needs of the hospital.
He is taking a six-month leave without pay to try out the job in Texas and may extend it if he feels it’s a good fit. It’s at an impressive hospital that offers fetal diagnosis and treatment of complex congenital malformations.
During his time in Costa Rica, Brenes managed to significantly decrease both mortality rates and rates of post-surgical complications. He also worked on very delicate cases, such as a baby so small that its heart was just 3 centimeters.
The Contentious Administrative Court took a decision on January 13th, in favor of Mauricio Azofeifa, owner of the chiliguaro trademark. The National Liquor Factory violated the right of the brand.
This was done by listing the ingredients chili and guaro in larger letters than the rest of the ingredients on the label, creating a confusion with the Chiliguaro brand. This violated the Law on Trademarks and Other Distinctive Signs.
The product was launched in 2017 under the Cacique brand. It was pointed out that the main ingredients are striking and occupy an important space on the commercial label.
The National Liquor Factory has been notified about the resolution and will comply with the sentence. The internal Legal Department of the institution is analyzing this.
The compensation is less than one million colones, for moral damage. The brand owner did not seek to become rich rather defend the name of his product, which was registered in 2013.
Hello Paul, thanks for reaching back to me and showing interest. My family and I moved into this house around June which is located in Hanford, Ca. The house was built in the 1930’s and has stood on its foundation even through there was a fire that occurred here approximately 5-8 years ago. The wood still stands and was not changed and it still remains underneath the basement and is holding the house together. During the time of the move my family and I did feel an energy but we thought it was only because we just moved in. Well, the 1st week of the stay I had experienced a hard pressure on my chest and I woke up trying to catch my breath. My mother had awoken as well and felt “weird”. Couple weeks passed by and my mother was home alone she heard footsteps in the kitchen as if they were hard steel toe boots. She ignored it and went to sleep, a couple minutes later she felt a hand brush against her thigh and quickly awoke. There have been times my family and others hear things as well. From tapping on the windows, footsteps, bangs, knocks, objects being moved & even voices of a man. It has been the 2nd time the police have arrived to my home in regards to 911 calls being made from a landline here but we have no landline the address is 416 E Grangeville Blvd. On Monday I will go pick up the recordings from the 911 calls u have my number and email now if you want more details call me. I left out the details of the suicide and not a murder but a women passed away here in the fire the man committed suicide and blew his brains out after finding out a family member had stage 4 cancer. I gave this case to Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. They are interested in this case and are in touch with the occupants.
From Our Paranormal Journal:
1/5/2020: Deanna Jaxine Stinson and I (Paul Dale Roberts) were entering off Sunrise Blvd from Highway 50. The time was 1:50pm. Deanna noticed from the Hwy 50 entrance to Sunrise Blvd, that there were very large crows circling the sky. As she watched the crows, she noticed about 50 white objects that looked metallic and had wings flying erratically. They were flying above the crows. I looked into the sky and saw the same thing and said….”what the f is that?” Tried to find a place to pull over and finally pulled into Marriott Hotel. Deanna looked into the sky and could not find the objects. The pictures that she took, did not come out. A woman near the hotel saw Deanna looking in the sky and took a picture of her car and took a picture of Deanna. Could these flying objects been drones or something else? If they were drones, where did they come from and why were they hovering in this area?
The William Westerfeld House
1/11/2020: Talk about jealousy. I learned that one of my employees is spending a free weekend at this haunted mansion. My employee knows the owner very well. I am so jealous. I used to drive by this mansion many times over while visiting San Francisco. At the time, I lived in San Bruno and I would drive around SF with my high school friends and we used to marvel at the site of this mansion. One of my high school friends named Willie Reid even said that he thought the mansion might be haunted. A cast of characters have visited or lived at this mansion, they are: Czarist Russians that stayed there and at the time, they owned a nightclub that catered to Russians; Jazz Musician John Handy; The Calliope Company (a 50 person commune); Promoter Chet Helm; Charles Manson; Kenneth Anger – an underground occult filmmaker; Bobby Beausoleil who joined the Manson Clan and committed one of the Manson Clan’s first murders – probably influenced by ol’ Charlie himself; Anton LaVey – founder of the Church of Satan and Anton’s pet lion cub that left claw marks on one of the panel doors. Rumor has it that they had Satanic rituals at this mansion and even did UFO Hunts by looking at their open windowed ceiling and made claim that they saw UFOs. Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures has been at this mansion investigating. My employee tells me that they did a thorough blessing at this mansion and there is no more paranormal activity. I wish I could find out myself by doing my own investigating……..sigh. To learn more about this historic mansion, stop by here: hoodline.com/2014/10/the-spooky-history-of-the-westerfeld-house
Church Grounds Paranormal Investigation
Date to be there: 1/12/2020. Time to be there: 1600 Hours. Type of Investigation: Demonic. There was a lot of confidential issues that occurred at this investigation. Now for that being said, I will not be writing a full blown article about this investigation. You can learn everything about this investigation at the video links below. After the investigation, Deanna conducted a metaphysical cleansing, I conducted a Roman Catholic House Blessing. We gave Missy a holy water sprinkle baptism with Angela Chessnutt holding her shoulder, Deanna Jaxine Stinson holding her other shoulder, and all 3 of us prayed over her and threw holy water on her and made the sign of the cross in holy water on her forehead and the top of her head. Missy had an attachment and the baptism (a basic form of exorcism) should work. Sacramento Paranormal Haunted Hotline: 916 203 7503 VIDEOS OF THE INVESTIGATION: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzuQN1caTac&feature=youtu.be www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wI7JzMCWEA&feature=youtu.be www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6MNwHHQpcI&feature=youtu.be www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAb4b-q6GDo&feature=youtu.be
Hotel Niles, 804 South Main Street, Alturas, CA If there was ever a haunted hotel, this would be the one! Case #5Y306R400M125. Chairperson Lorissa (Reese) Soriano that I met at Cal-Expo tells me that this hotel is very haunted. A former prostitute ghost roams the 3rd floor hallway and rooms. Doing some research, I discovered that Dean stayed at the hotel and felt a burning sensation on his body. He then felt a body next to him and a woman breathing in his ear and touching him. He got up out of the bed and ran to his car. He looked up in the hotel window, only to see a dead woman staring back at him. Chasing leads on Facebook, Michael Janetti from Fresno stayed at the hotel and was somewhat inebriated. Michael felt the touch of a woman’s hands on his genitals, his back to the unknown woman. He felt the woman’s breath in his ear. Michael said he enjoyed the touch and whispered….”who are you?” The unknown lady whispered back…”Francis Lee”. Michael moaned in pleasurable delight and turned over, only to find out that there was no one there. Michael said he screamed and paced the hallway until the break of dawn. Michael says he will NEVER return to that hotel, he is still traumatized from the experience. If you want to see more of Dean’s story, go here: backpackerverse.com/lonely-men-california-hotel/
A new coronavirus is present in Asia so Costa Rica has activated a protocol in case any cases are brought here by tourists or nationals who have been abroad in Asia. Anyone who has been in China, Thailand, Japan, or South Korea recently and is suffering from respiratory symptoms should seek medical attention and report the travel to the doctor.
The Ministry of Health’s protocol includes informing health professionals about the virus as well as following up on cases that may arise in the country, as it did with previous epidemiological alerts, such as SARS and influenza. If a case is detected, isolation will be coordinated and there will be a strict follow-up of all people the person had contact with.
The general public should take normal precautions like frequent hand washing, cooking meat and eggs properly, avoiding contact with people with respiratory symptoms, and covering coughing and sneezing.
There have been 224 new cases reported in China, two in Thailand, one in Japan, and one in South Korea. Three deaths have been reported.
The Universidad de Iberoamérica, Unibe, has proposed becoming the second private university to train specialists in CCSS hospitals. The Universidad de Ciencias Médicas, Ucimed, was the first to reach such an agreement, two years ago.
The Board of Directors of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, CCSS, is considering the idea, according to the agenda from the January 9th session. The press office of the CCSS will not give more details until an agreement is made.
The school would like to start with training Internal Medicine and Gynecology and Obstetrics. The approval process is before the Council. The agreement with Ucimed came after over ten years of legal actions.
The opportunity to study postgraduate medical specialties at private universities would be beneficial because there has been a lack of medical specialists declared in seven areas. The biggest deficits are in Anesthesiology, Orthopedics, Radiology, and Gyneco obstetrics.
Restaurants are facing a unique situation in 2020 and must rise to the challenge to keep business up. The value added tax didn’t affect them directly, because they already charged sales tax, but the customers’ budgets are affected by the VAT.
The University of Costa Rica did a study that showed 32.8% of families in the country have cut down on meals eaten outside the home. Cuts were also made in recreation and entertainment.
Applebees recently closed because of profitability issues. Restaurant managers in other chains around the country are not worried by this news or the results of the study done by UCR rather they are seeing these issues as a call to innovation.
McDonalds, Subway, and KFC are among the chains taking strides to attract customers. They are working with food delivery services like UberEats. They are also offering greater quality options at more affordable prices, hoping this will increase sales in 2020.
Influencers being recognized by a younger audience have become known as the new generation of influencers. There are a number of them in Costa Rica, some of whom are even living entirely off of their content creation. In many cases, recognized brands even come to them, seeking out the platform to promote their products.
Kristine Dyer has 21,000 followers on Instagram. She prides herself on being genuine about which products she likes, because she has another business that gives her a steady income so she is not convinced by money to promote a product she doesn’t love.
Karla Aviles is living independently at age 23 thanks to her work as a content generator, a term that is preferred over “influencer.” She uses her platform to encourage young people to participate in UNICEF initiatives.
May Alfaro shares her passions, such as travel, fashion, healthy lifestyle, and cinema. She has gone to brands she believes in, such as Almay because it’s hypoallergenic and cruelty-free.
Celeste León grew a huge following without even meaning to. She shares as she would with close family. It came naturally to her. She has been invited to events by big companies.
Juan José Rojas started out making gastronomic recommendations and his platform grew. He is now a brand ambassador. He is very real in what he shows. He has no problem letting followers see him go to work in pajamas. He offers accessible recommendations and teaches as he learns, such as travel tips and new ways to prepare coffee.
The day is cold and gray. For a few minutes however, a silvery light glistens off the rippling creek. The waterway makes a gentle S curve at this spot, and I can see a quarter-mile downstream.
It’s a quiet, relatively secluded picnic site, and I often take meditations during winter here. Young people smoking pot, or homeless people gathering to eat food they’ve been able to find frequent the place.
Graffiti is plastered over the table and benches, and I often pick up litter left behind before taking my seat. But today the place is clean, and someone has erected a stupa stack of small stones in the middle of the table. It brings a smile. One has obviously been noticed taking meditations here.
About 100 meters away, a surprising number of people go by on the pedestrian road across the stream. At the end of the hour, one is completely alone without a trace of loneliness, beyond the world without being separate from it.
Meditation begins when the fire of unwilled attention is ignited by passive watchfulness of the movement of thought and emotion in the mirror of nature. The accretions of the past are burnt away without leaving ashes.
The familiar suddenly becomes unfamiliar, and a gaping hole in a tree trunk stuck in the middle of the stream appears strange beyond words.
Meditation means spontaneously leaving the stultifying two-dimensional reality of the known and entering the limitless multi-dimensionality of the unknown.
It’s a phase shift beyond words and knowledge, bringing an ecstasy beyond personal emotion. Experiencing that state of being is the most important thing in life. Why is it not the rule within one and others?
With every meditation in nature now, the observer/self ends, attention gathers, and thought/time stops. These furloughs from the prison of human consciousness are no longer good enough however.
Since the human brain has the capacity for experiencing the numinous, why isn’t its natural resting place stillness? Why, in other words, do the noise, darkness and suffering of ‘normal’ consciousness still rule?
Some psychologists pronounce that “continuity is everything, and it is change that causes the problems.” That is entirely backasswards. The continuity of thought and emotion lies at the root of suffering, and most mental and emotional illness.
Inner peace and impersonal love have their source in silence and discontinuity of thought, not in the continuity of thought and emotion. When the observer and self yield to choiceless awareness and undirected attention, and mind falls completely silent, there is stability, peace and joy.
Most people are carried along by the tides of human consciousness, driven by inner and outer currents of which they are unaware, comfortable in the illusion that they choose and are in control of their lives.
Reason has failed to bring about inner and outer order. The institutions of the ‘Enlightenment’ have eroded beyond repair. What can bring about a new human being and culture?
Ernest Renan, the French philosopher and historian of religion (he penned such books as “The Life of Jesus,” and “What Is a Nation?”), wrote in 1866:
“Let us enjoy the liberty of the sons of God, but let us take care lest we become accomplices in the diminution of virtue which would menace society if Christianity were to grow weak. What should we do without it?”
What indeed, since the fact that so many Christians embrace a vulgar, venal and completely amoral president as their “chosen one” attests to the moral bankruptcy of Christianity.
The alienation and anomie of a life devoted to indulgence of the self is the outcome of the suppression and control by organized religion.
Puritanism and paganism are two sides of the same coin.
Following the barbarity and bloodshed of the French Revolution, the reactionary Joseph de Maistre advocated a return to social hierarchy and monarchy. He said, “I do not know what the heart of a rascal may be; I know what is in the heart of an honest man; it is horrible.”
That may be so, but it is no reason to become dishonest, or avoid looking into our own hearts, much less revert to the dictums and dictates of organized religion.
Only by seeing, facing and remaining with what is within can what is change. That takes true courage, strength and grit, but I’m sure anyone can live that way.
Cyclist Kevin Rivera is in an ambitious season that could lead him to the Olympics. In the general classification, he won the individual time trial in the sixth stage of the Vuelta al Táchira.
He was the fastest man in the trial from San Cristóbal to Palmira, in Venezuela. It was a 16.1-kilometer stretch. The 21-year-old athlete took the win, beating out John Carlos G Valveiz by 13 seconds.
This is his first victory in 2020, an important year since he aspires to be chosen by the Costa Rican Cycling Federation to represent Costa Rica in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games from July 24 to August 9.
He is a humble athlete, recognizing that if he is worn out from the season it could be better that Andrey Amador is chosen to represent the country. Still, Rivera hopes to be in condition to go.
A bus that was carrying employees of the Four Seasons hotel overturned, leaving 33 injured, including one in delicate condition. The bus was leaving the complex at about 3:30 pm on Friday.
The bus was a 2007 Mercedes Benz model for 48 passengers. The accident happened when taking a turn. The cause is still unknown but will be investigated by the traffic police.
The Red Cross arrived on the scene to evaluate all the passengers. Five had considerable blows. Three were transferred by ambulance in intermediate condition (yellow) and one in delicate condition (red).
A similar accident happened in April 2018 in Santa Elena de La Cruz, Guanacaste. The bus was leaving Liberia carrying workers of another hotel. It was overturned, taking the life of a woman.
As I left my home, I threw on the X-Files theme song, because I knew I was headed for a ghost hunt. This time around I engaged my ghost hunting activities with the S.P.S. (Sacramento Paranormal Society). I drove to Donovan Turner’s home. Donovan Turner is the founder/paranormal investigator/leader of S.P.S. His wife Melissa is the case manager. The day is the 24th of February, the year 2007. The time is 1700 hours. I prepare for my briefing from Donovan. Paranormal Investigation Team roll call included: Donovan Turner, Jason Kowing/Equipment Handler/Intuitive, Deona Joya “DJ” Vastine-Sharp, Janet Michalk/Intuitive, Paul Dale Roberts/Ghost Writer. Location of the haunted home is somewhere in North Highlands in Sacramento County. The occupants of this home wish to remain anonymous. The equipment we are bringing for this investigation are as follows: infrared camera; standard mobile infrared camera; stationary infrared camera; VHS recorder; tripod; temperature gauge; EMF detection meter; digital recorders and sealed recording tapes that are sealed and a witness is used for the opening of the tapes and the sealing of the completed tapes.
The briefing consisted of who the occupants were of the home, the location of home, what their religious beliefs are, how long they lived at this address, which was 1 year and 3 months and many other questions that were provided to the occupants of the home. The occupants related in the questionnaire that they smell cigarette smoke in the house and no one is allowed to smoke in the house, in fact cigarette ashes have been found near the toilet. They heard loud bangs from the pots in the kitchen. Their small child had blankets moved off of him. The blankets moved from the bed to the floor on its own. The whole family sleeps in the living room together, because they are afraid of their own home surroundings.
19:28 hours, we arrive at the residence. The ominous clouds have turned into a rain storm with winds blowing. I think to myself…’ahh, what a great night for a ghost hunt!’ We set up equipment in the garage, various teams go into the house at various intervals. Janet uses her E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) device and her intuitive instincts to track any presences in the home. Jason in front of me uses his EMF detector and registers no spikes in the garage. So far everything is normal. The mother and daughter of this home explain how they have seen shadows crossing the walls, cigarette ashes found in and around the toilet area and the distinct smell of cigarette smoke in the bathroom. She goes on to explain that in the master bedroom, objects have moved on their own accord, such as hats or a basket. We set up a still infrared camera in the master bedroom to see if any objects will move. The mother goes on to explain how the TV has shut off on it’s own and then came back on and at times the channels change. In the kitchen she has heard the freezer door open and the jiggling of ice cubes. On the stove is a picture on a stand and the stand is knocked off on its own, the daughter and mother have witnessed the knocking down of the picture in the picture frame.
At 20:01 hours, Donovan and Jason is the first team into the house, they walk into the son’s bedroom. The room is warm and then at some point of time, they walk into a cold spot. The cold spot lasts for about 2 to 3 seconds, the air felt thick at this time. Jason explains on how his voice recorder had a new battery and the battery was instantly drained. Could this have happened because of spirit activity?
Janet & DJ do a walk through, Janet the intuitive feels the following:
a) When entering kitchen she is drawn to the sink, she feels a presence there. In her head, she feels she is being told to look into the backyard, she calls it a ‘knowing’.
b) In living room, she felt nothing, while walking in the hallway, she is compelled to go into the master bedroom, she says it’s a decisive heaviness in the air, pressure drops in the room, she finds it hard to breathe, there is distress in her voice, there is a tightening to her solar plexus and she feels a slight pain to the right side of her stomach area.
c) In the master bedroom, she feels something old, she is drawn to the hairbrush and hand held mirror. She detects an ‘add-on’ in the bedroom. In the ‘add-on’ section, she detects no presence, in the older part of the bedroom, she feels a presence, in fact she claims to detect 3 entities. The atmosphere of the bedroom goes from heavy to light. Heavy in the older section, lighter in the add-on section.
In the little boy’s bedroom, she feels energy. In the bathroom, she senses giggling. She believes the spirit is young. Other comments from the team, is that the spirit is of a little boy. Janet feels a pain on her left side of her torso. She tries to entice the spirit from the garage area, with me present. While Janet explains to me what she felt inside the house, she feels a tingle on her shoulders. She explains that when a sensitive walks into a haunted home, the spirits are immediately drawn to her, she is like their light. She explained to me feeling body pain, twitching of shoulder area, shortness of breath, because the entities of this home recognize her as a sensitive or intuitive.
Paul and Jason use an Olympus digital voice recorder as they enter the home. We are the next team up. The video camera shuts down twice on its own, for no apparent reason. When DJ was outside taking a break, she felt a presence, she felt like someone was standing on the right side of her. She felt warmth draping part of her back area and then it was gone. Janet approaches DJ and was able to describe where the incident took place at. Janet felt like something was near them.
At 20:45 hours, Donovan witnesses the garage door that leads into the home opening and closing on its own accord. I investigate to see if possibly an open draft could have done it, but the door is too heavy and when it closes, it stays closed, no wind could have opened it, let alone close it again.
Next team is Donovan and I. We investigate the master bedroom, we detect nothing. Then we go into the boy’s bedroom and things start happening. Well, they start happening for me anyway. I use the temperature gauge and detect a spike, from 91 to 65 in a matter of seconds in the same area. One area remains at 65. I place my hand in that area and feel a cold spot and then before my very eyes, a small orb, the size of a pinhead floats up for about 1 foot in length and dissipates. I couldn’t believe it. This was my first experience in this home!
The intuitive’s Jason and Janet relate the following.
Jason: That there was a spirit of a little boy in the house, over 5 years of age. Maybe Portuguese or Filipino. There was also a grown man ghost in the house. This man ghost was frustrated or sad. The little boy was playful and enjoyed playing tricks.
Janet: There was a little boy in the house, about age 7. Little boy had dark skin. He was playful. She also felt like there was a relative of the family in the house and that he had been shot, the family of the house confirmed that what Janet said was true. Janet felt shivers, discomfort and she almost felt like crying. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt a sense of sadness in this house. Janet believes their are 3 entities in the home, but the 3rd one was never identified.
When the investigation was over around the time of midnight and as I drove home in this stormy night, I couldn’t help wonder what was in store for this family. A family that was happy to have us around, they felt safe with us at their home and even wanted us to stay the whole evening so they could get a peaceful sleep. I remember the paranormal investigative reporter named Kolchak: The Night Stalker of the once hit TV show and how he would encounter so many things of the paranormal. Everything from werewolves to vampires to ghosts. Everything he encountered was of the negative. But, can most haunting’s be of the positive? I didn’t feel any negativity in this home and I believe this family is relatively safe.
After Donovan briefed the family of our findings and how he will do a follow-up from the audio/video tapes, there was a glowing smile on the mother’s face. She felt more at ease, especially with the comforting of Janet’s soothing words.
As I approach my home, wouldn’t you know it, on my car radio, the song “Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon” starts to play!
Have you heard of folding smartphones? These could be highly desired by those who love gaming, watching movies, and reading on their phones as they will give a larger screen yet still fit in a pocket.
Samsung is starting the presale of its folding phone, the Galaxy Fold. Few of these phones, in the color Cosmos Black, will be imported to the country due to the high price. Not many can afford it at ₡1,190,000.
The device was launched last year but made even more refined recently. The company added additional edges to protect the screen and made the space smaller so as not to attract dust.
Those interested in making the purchase will be happy to know it comes with a case to protect it as well as Galaxy Buds. If bought during presale, it also comes with a Galaxy Watch Active2 and a Wireless Duo Charger for free.
The tope in Palmares was a bit disappointing this year in that there were noticeably fewer people both in the parade and in the crowd of spectators. The lowered attendance affected the public and horsemen. Additionally, those selling souvenirs reported extremely low sales.
One reason for this low involvement is that changes were made to create a more family atmosphere, discouraging those who wanted to come to party. Another cause for the lowered interest is that the tope in Santa Cruz happened the same day. There was an accident that caused many to arrive late so the start hour was moved back.
This isn’t all bad news, though. The tope also had noticeably more peace. It was very unlike recent years which were full of crime and violence. The atmosphere was much nicer for families. Visitors found it easier to find parking, bathrooms, and food and drinks. Additionally, Senasa reported that this year it did not have to respond to any issues of animal abuse.
“We are going to do the worst thing to you; we are going to deprive you of an enemy.”
Mikhail Gorbachev, 1989
Thirty years ago today I was in the USSR. I had been invited to start a comprehensive joint venture by a Russian I met in San Francisco on a now quaint-sounding program called, “Soviets, Meet Middle America.”
My host Andrei was touted as a leading example of perestroika, the policy of economic restructuring under Gorbachev.
I had no idea what I was in for. Obviously, the attempt to seize the historical moment and help ordinary Americans and Russians work together failed.
Instead of “the best with the best,” as my partners and I sought, we now have the worst with the worst in Putin and Trump. Despite the triumphalism that lingers to this day, the truth is that both the USSR and the US lost the Cold War.
Americans were allowed to stay with Russians in their homes only a few months before. Andrei and Vera had a spacious apartment in Moscow, and they gave me their bedroom while I was there.
The cliché at the time about the scarcity of even toilet paper was true. In a hall closet they had rolls stacked to the ceiling.
I realized I was in the hands of some powerful people. There were always two or three cars waiting for Andrei wherever we went.
When the Berlin Wall fell I felt certain that the Soviet Union would economically and politically collapse within three years.
But I also felt that United States was collapsing ethically and socially, and could benefit by helping Russians build what my partners and I called “an ecologically and ethically sound market.”
My anti-communist mother had often said, “When the Russians finally throw off the chains of communism, we Americans will be there to help them build a market and democracy.” I found myself in the right place at the right time to make the attempt.
I felt that Russians, with their untapped spiritual and intellectual resources, could help Americans arrest and reverse the inner erosion that threatened the foundations of democracy, which have become so apparent today. Ironically, the left blames Russia for the manifestation of America that is Donald Trump.
The degree of openness (glasnost) in Russia when I arrived in Moscow was startling. The first question he asked when we sat down at his kitchen table that night was: “Do we go in a political or an economic direction?”
My partners and I in Silicon Valley had debated that very question in the month before I before I left, and we decided to take an economic rather than political course.
Since Andrei was well connected to the top of the Soviet nomenklatura, he made everything I requested happen.
I asked if I could meet Gorbachev, and he said that could be arranged. To my regret, I didn’t take him up on it.
Since communism was clearly collapsing, it didn’t surprise me that Russians embraced the vision. What surprised me was the support I received from billionaires and top executives in Silicon Valley.
They weren’t ready to plunk down any money, but a number of executives and deep pockets promised that if I were able to make the right connections in Russia, they would back me on my return.
It’s hard to believe in these cynical times, but at that ‘hinge of history’ more than a few people believed there was the chance to change course after 45 years of nuclear standoff by the superpowers.
Later, during the transition to Bill Clinton’s first term, I wrote to Robert Reich, Clinton’s first Secretary of Labor, telling him of my experience and making the case for helping the Russians build a market.
He wrote back, saying they had decided to ‘go multilateral, with a focus on China, rather than Russia.’ And here we are.
Most people think history is inevitable, but it isn’t. America had enormous unrealized capital in Russia. Everywhere I went people expressed affection for Americans and interest in the American way of life.
Now ordinary Russians have no affinity for Americans, and Americans dismiss Russia as a “gas station with a nuclear option,” as Chris Matthews put it yesterday.
The core reason America and Russia remain enemies lies much deeper than their governments, or even the political dimension. It’s rooted in American arrogance and Russian pride.
We stand at another hinge of history, with not just the bipolar order but the international order collapsing.
Humankind can move in a new direction after the smoke clears, but only if ordinary human beings ignite a psychological revolution within, and pour the foundation for a true world order.
Festival Picnic 2020 will be on February 29 in Pedregal and tickets are now available. The event will feature strong Latin and reggaeton music including Manuel Turizo, Piso 21, Justin Quiles, and Cultura Profética.
There will be a total of 13 foreign artists and 17 national ones, according to the producer of the event, Jogo. Some of the artists that will take one of the four stages are Beenie Man, Soja, Zion & Lennox, Bacilli, Trapical Minds, and Fonseca,
There will be two main stages alternating so the music is nonstop. There will also be the Tropical Stage and the Hideout tent. An international surprise will be announced in the next few days.
Tickets can be purchased at eticket.cr. The general admission is ₡48,000. The Picnic Pass for access to the area in front of the stage is ₡75,000. There is also a table for 10 people available for ₡850,000.
Work to build the tunnel in the La Galera intersection will start in February. This overpass is going to expand an exclusive bus lane and expedite entry and exit to and from the road.
MOPT does not anticipate much impact on traffic in the first stage which is prior to the construction of the tunnel in Curridabat. There will be changes, however, including a change in the direction of traffic on the bridge that passes over the Florencio del Castillo road, in order to have four lanes going to Cartago.
Work on the construction of pipelines will be advanced in a way that allows two lanes to pass.
The second phase work on the overpass will be awarded next month and take place in the middle of the year. The idea behind this project is to have a way to eliminate intersections. The cost of the intervention is about $3,000 million.
This is part of a package of works to better traffic east of the city. Also included are a tunnel from ICE to the cemetery in San Pedro and the lifting of the roundabout near Yamuni.
Coca Cola has completed the construction of its plant in Liberia. While the inauguration won’t be until April, the first stage is complete. The closure of the factory in La Uruca has been postponed until the new center is 100% operational.
The deadline of January 2020 was met by the company. It was an ambitious undertaking that the company carried out very well. The operations have begun in this Guanacaste facility.
The plant is 34,000 square meters and located in the Solarium Free Zone in front of the Daniel Oduber airport. This is twice as large as the plant it already had in La Uruca, San Jose.
112 employees have already been hired and many more will be in the coming months. In the new plant, Coca Cola will produce 90 drinks to export to Central America, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
As of the start of 2020, both beef and pork from the USA enter Costa Rica without import taxes. This is due to a free trade agreement that was negotiated to gradually eliminate tax on typically protected agricultural products.
The agreement also eliminates tax on other products over the next few years. In 2022, there will be a 17 year stop of tax of black parts of the chicken, such as thighs. In 2025, there will be a 25 year stop of tax on rice and dairy products.
This situation may or may not have an effect on final consumer prices, being that many factors go into this. The amount being imported and the prices for the product in other parts of the world are factors that have an effect on how much we pay.
This decision will mostly affect large chains that depend almost entirely on imports. Small butchers, on the other hand, will still have to buy locally from a sector not yet self sufficient.
Costa Ricans can now benefit from an amazing genetic test that improves cancer detection. The service started last year, with a technology not widely available in the rest of the region.
The test is given to patients who are thought to have a possible genetic link to cancer. If various people in the family have gotten a specific type of cancer, this test can be applied to the rest of the family in order to either rule out that they also have the genetic variant or confirm that they do and thus take steps to closely monitor in order to catch any precancerous growths at once.
The genetic test hunts through the person’s DNA looking for genetic mutations related to cancer or other diseases with hereditary components.
One boy had a 50% chance of inheriting a mutation that his father had but mother did not. Before this test was available he had to frequently stay in the hospital for tests and observation. Now that he took the test and found out that he does not have the genetic mutation he no longer has to go through such difficulty.
The test can also help backtrack where the mutation came from, such as your maternal or paternal lineage, and therefore know which relatives to alert so that they can be tested.
Many who have the BRCA gene mutation make the decision to have their breasts removed before cancer develops since the probability of developing breast cancer with that mutation is so high.
These are just some examples of how the test is improving the health and quality of life of Costa Ricans.
A car becomes a source of expenses almost immediately after purchase. If your car has already been used, there will be a need to repair it. There are two ways to reduce car repair costs. The path of austerity, choosing which you cut the amount of car maintenance expenses. The first way is fraught with dangers. Choosing it, you gradually reduce the quality of car care and as a result, lose – the malfunctions become more serious. The second way is to optimize costs, which let you not spend extra money but keep a car in good condition and save the commodity value.
Ways to Destroy a Car
Using JCB service manuals, you should abandon several stereotypes in car maintenance.
Save on quality parts
Buying and installing unverified parts, you violate the order of their interaction and proper operation. Such parts wear out quickly, they have to be bought more often. In some cases, non-certified or fake low-cost parts can be dangerous in the event of a sudden breakdown.
2. Savings on repair technology
Many car owners try to repair the car themselves having no experience. Sometimes they use the services of artisans working without special equipment and professional tools. The result is an extremely poor-quality repair, an increase in the cost of re-maintenance.
3. Savings on process fluids
When buying oils, you strive to purchase the cheapest ones possible. As a result, accelerated wear of the engine, gearbox, power steering, clogging and wear of the brake system, cooling circuit, and other components occur. Their repair and restoration are expensive.
4. Diagnostic savings
The car must be in good condition, and for this, you need to conduct timely diagnostics of all its parts. Having missed this point, you are not able to identify malfunctions at an early stage, when they can be eliminated much cheaper. The way of such savings comes to an end with serious expenses after some time – the general wear and tear increases, more expensive and complex repairs are required.
Components Contributing to Your Car Health
How to avoid a high cost of car maintenance keeping it in good condition?
Follow the vehicle maintenance procedures developed by the manufacturer. When you notice a problem, do not wait for it to get worse. A car is a complex technical device, many details interact in it. Incorrect operation of even one of them causes a whole chain of crashes and breakdowns. No wonder, experts always talk about the effectiveness of early diagnosis.
Strictly observe the regulations for the technical fluids and oils replacement. After a certain period, the lights lose their properties and the wear of moving parts increases. The same applies to filters, spark plugs – the manufacturer always indicates the service life of these parts.
Renew engine oil according to the user manual. Use only the oils indicated in the list of permitted oils. Observe the replacement period. All these will help maintain your vehicle in a proper state.
Paranormal Hotline Call. Date: 7/28/2019. Time: 13:14 p.m. Name of Caller: Madison Turncall. Location of Call: Detroit, Michigan. Caller says the following, words to this effect. “Hi my name is Madison Turncall. Is this the paranormal hotline? My answer is “yes, how can I help you?” Madison: This may sound crazy, but it looks like I summoned up a demon. One night at my house, I had 3 buddies over. We were drinking and got bored playing video games. My daughter who was not at home at the time, has a Ouija Board. She never opened it. I got the lame idea of opening the box. It was all in fun and we started playing the Ouija Board, asking questions. We asked if there is a ghost in the room, what is your name? The response was Erakka. We asked who is Erakka? The answer was “demon”. We said ooooooohhhhhhh…..shhhhhhhiiiiiiiit! We stopped playing immediately. Then all of a sudden the closet door in the bedroom opened slowly. We sat there watching the door, then it slammed shut loudly! I heard a voice in my head, it said….”Madison, write my name on the mirror and call out my name three times.” I will appear and grant you your wish. I didn’t do this and I couldn’t believe I was hearing this voice in my head. He kept talking to me and I kept yelling….”no, no, no, no!!” After the last no that I shouted, Erakka appeared to me. The only way I can describe him is that he had long white hair, pink eyes, super white skin, sinewy chest muscles, claws, torn jeans. He is an albino demon! He started choking me, I couldn’t breathe. All of a sudden bright lights came through the bedroom window. A buzzing sound was heard and the demon vanished. The lights vanished and the demon was gone. I practically passed out and noticed I was missing 2 hours of time.
Paul’s Response:
Above is Richard Vasseur – Artist depiction of the creature. When I heard this story, I didn’t know what to think. It sounds like a bit of a demon encounter mixed in with an alien abduction. Of course, if you believe that demons are fallen angels, then demons would be classified as extraterrestrials. I have explained to Madison how he can self bless his home, get a full submersion baptism (in case he has an attachment) and keep me informed on the progress. Madison is going to follow my instructions. I also suggested on how to dispose of a Ouija Board properly and he is following suit.
NOW TO THE INVESTIGATION IN SONORA
INITIAL REPORT
Date to be there: January 4, 2020, Saturday. Time to be there: 5pm. Contact Person: Daniel / Case #20K9P352Y9721. Address to be at: xxxxxx, Sonora, CA / Activity: Crashing sound heard, Daniel investigates and his garage window blows out for no reason. He worked at a funeral home and feels an entity may have followed him to his house. Orbs are now seen throughout the house. Wants investigation and cleansing. Strange sounds are heard throughout the home. Directions: Client called and said that his address may not show up on GPS.
THE INVESTIGATION
HPI PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS PRESENT: Paul Dale Roberts – HPI Co-Owner; Deanna Jaxine Stinson – HPI Co-Owner – Psychic Medium; Richard “Ox” Oxenrider. Daniel lives out in the deep woods and his home definitely has dark spirit activity. He did not want a Catholic house blessing, he only wanted Deanna to go ahead and conduct her metaphysical cleansing, in which she did at the end of the night. Daniel is an outstanding musician and took us into his music studio. Daniel writes some pretty dark music. Music that he channels into him from dark forces. Daniel played some of his original music and the music is very intoxicating. The music is dark and sounds like something that may come from the depths of Hell. One song was in regard to serial killer Leonard Lake. Deanna feels that this is a demonic haunting. Deanna went into a trance when Daniel started playing his music. Definitely bad vibes were felt by all 3 of us. Daniel explained to us that when he worked in a funeral home, he had to handle the corpses and was very verbally graphic in his telling of the stories. We obtained about 3 EVPs and you can hear them on the videos. One of the EVPs, a male voice is telling us to GO, GO, GO! The negative energy from this investigation affected me and Deanna, which caused tension on our 2 hour ride home. When we got home, we discussed the negative energy that we picked up on, when listening to Daniel’s music. By talking about this, the negative energy finally left us and we were back to normal. I truly feel the negative aspects of the music affected all 3 of us. On a lighter note, Daniel has 2 beautiful dogs, chickens, roosters and allowed me to hold one of his roosters and I got to pet him while holding him. Daniel also tells me there is strong UFO activity in the night skies over his home. The area where Daniel lives in referred to as UFO Gold Country Triangle according to Ufologist Bill Birnes. We will have a UFO hunt at his house in the Summertime. I truly believe that the entity that blew out Daniel’s window, is the same entity that told us to GO, GO, GO! I call this entity the Sonora Aggressor! I believe the Sonora Aggressor deposited strong negative energy on me, Deanna and Ox. There are so many factors to this case. Some of the haunting can be from the items in this home. This home is like a museum that is filled with all kinds of items. The haunting can be from the home itself, the land, the dark music and from Daniel himself (who could have brought something back from the funeral home.) Special Note: The occupant had shelves filled with skulls.
The Abusive Ghosts
Date to be there: December 28, 2019. Time to be there: 3pm. Case Number: 9Y163H2049E68. Contact person: Missy. Her message: “Hello, my name is Marissa Simons but I go as, Missy. I have discovered that I am not only an empath but I also am a medium and have psychic abilities. As of now and since last November of 2018 I have been dealing with some very negative and ultra annoying ghosts whom have been difficult to get rid of for good. I can explain more in detail to you when we get into contact. I truly wish for your amazing help and believe you have helped me in the past and my family and I were more than satisfied with your tremendous help. I really forward to receiving your help of your team and I also hope we can plan and schedule a date and time to do so as quickly as possible for this has gone on too long and these now rather petty and more than abusive ghosts are now trying to upset and get through to my poor bf You are more than welcome to either message me back here, by email which is xxxxxxxxxxxxx or you can also call me at xxxxxxxx. I look forward to your response! Thank you, Missy.” Address to be at: 3910 Marysville Blvd, Sacramento, CA
When Deanna Jaxine Stinson and I, arrived, this investigation was cancelled at the last minute. Cancellations are part of the territory for paranormal investigators. I was very disappointed, because I was ready to investigate. Deanna picked up on a little boy ghost on the property and felt nothing but positive vibes on the outside of the trailers and Victory Tabernacle Family Worship Center. If we had conducted an investigation, we would have investigated the church grounds too. If a trailer parked at the church is haunted, then most likely this church would also be haunted. When I received the text for the cancellation, I had to scramble and call Xandean Smith and Richard “Ox” Oxenrider and tell them not to come, due to the cancellation. We made one outside video which showed the church and Deanna talking about the ghost that she picked up on. The video was not significant and I decided to delete it. Let’s talk about a church that is really haunted. Let’s talk about St. Michan’s Church in Dublin, Ireland.
St. Michan’s Church: This church is haunted by disembodied whispering voices from mummies entombed in the vaults. When I went to Dublin, Ireland, I stopped by and saw this church. At the time, the church was locked up and I couldn’t get inside to look around. I wanted to see the mummies and see if I would experience the disembodied whispering. I went to Dublin Castle afterwards and experienced extreme dizziness when investigating below ground of the castle. But, let’s get back to St. Michan’s Church. Let’s talk a bit about the history of the church.
St. Michan’s Church is an Anglican Church located in Church Street, Dublin, Ireland. The first Christian chapel on this site dates from 1095, and operated as a Catholic church until the Reformation. The current church dates from 1686, and has served Church of Ireland parishioners in Dublin for more than 300 years. One parishioner named Peter says that on one day sitting inside the church, he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and no one was there. The tapping happens again, he turns around and again no one is there. The tapping happens a third time around, he turns around and is slapped on the face. A disembodied voice says…”you should be ashamed of yourself”. Peter says that he was thinking about how he recently cheated on his wife and that the spirit that slapped him knew of the incident. In fact Peter was in the church to confess about his cheating. Parishioners have mentioned that they will at times see floating orbs around the church. They will see these orbs with their own eyes. If you have any stories about St. Michan’s Church, I would love to hear about it. You can email me at jazmaonline@gmail.com
Tim R. Swartz’s Big Book of Incredible Alien Encounters:
A Global Guide to Space Aliens, Interdimensional Beings and Ultra-Terrestrials
Main Authors: Tim R. Swartz; Timothy Green Beckley; Sean Casteel and numerous other authors.
Overviewed by: Paul Dale Roberts – Halo Paranormal Investigations
Comments: Holy Smokes!! This book is gigantic! It’s an encyclopedia of UFO history, facts and stories! How many pages? Perhaps over 500! I really had a hard time putting this book down, even for a bathroom break. Reading about Timothy Beckley’s inspirations like John Keel, Gray Barker and Jim Moseley Big names in the UFO community. Yes, they threw in a couple of my stories, they are: Israeli Mossad & Interpol UFO Report and Abduction: The Screams of a Thousand Oaks. I love being associated with the two Tims. Timothy Beckley delves into the history of his life, his legacy with rock and roll and the entertainment business. Both Tims have an incredible legacy! Of course, the people they associate with, like Sean Casteel also have incredible legacies and that’s what makes this book so much fun to read. A gathering of minds all set on the UFO phenomena and placing their knowledge in one fat book to use as a reference guide. Here are some teasers. Arthur Shuttlewood encounters giants that are 8 feet tall with domeheads. A Scottish man is attacked by strange spiked UFOs. Stefan sees Pink Panther type of aliens and they showcase a clear case with the head of a Neanderthal inside that case. Talk of the dreaded Men in Black. You will LOVE the illustrations, the photos in this gargantuan monster of a book! I had a blast looking at everything, it’s like walking into a museum. Artist William Carlisle will be pleased to see his drawing of an alien, Bigfoot and a ghost placed into this book. You will get information on Richard Hoglund’s visit to an underground base with giants, hermaphrodites and dwarves. Is there a connection with demons and UFOs? Find out here in this book! Get more info on when the Palestinian police investigated an alien kidnapping attempt. Tim R. Swartz talks about the Kera UFO Incident and how a beam of light shot out at a 13 year old boy when he confronted a UFO. Learn about 14 year old Hiroshi Mori and the tiny UFO he held in his hand and guess what? He felt movement inside. Tim R. Swartz did a wonderful job in putting this baby together. Tim R. Swartz had an incredible legacy, appearing on Ancient Aliens, visiting the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Great Wall in China. Tim R. Swartz’s Big Book of Incredible Encounters receives a standing ovation, it can’t get any better than this….well, until both Tims come out with a new book! Let me tell you a few more things that you will find in this book. Did you know Rob Zombie saw a UFO? There is a beautiful photo of Sherry Steiger receiving healing rays from a possible vortex at Sedona, Arizona. And when you think you know everything about aliens, you will learn about the Squirrel People and the Owl People (aliens). Damn! I love this book!
