The owner of Grupo Orosi reported to the OIJ that Mélida Solís offered him a check for ₡500 million in exchange for not appealing the award of a ₡17,000 million contract given to Conavi for the conservation of national roads. He also reported that Solís, the owner of H. Solís, threatened to throw Conavi machinery at him if he did not leave.
Solís was arrested during raids the OIJ carried out on June 14 for alleged acts of corruption in the handling of road works contracts. The file confirms that Grupo Orosi appealed the tender given to H. Solís. It contains interviews with witnesses and informants that show a high probability of something irregular happening.
The Prosecutor’s Office accuses H. Solís and MECO of illicit agreements related to the distribution of millionaire road contracts. It is thought that H. Solís may have let guarantees of participation in maintenance tenders expire so that they could be awarded to another company for a higher amount.
A young woman of Costa Rican origin is among the missing people thought to have been in the building collapse in Miami. The girl was born in Puerto Rico to a Costa Rican mother. She is in the US for an internship in high fashion.
The girl’s great aunt traveled to the US to seek first-hand information about her great-niece. They don’t know anything yet but are hopeful for good news from on-site rescuers. They’ll make a statement when more is known.
The girl’s boyfriend, two of her uncles, and their mother are also among the missing. At least 159 people thought to have been in the building when it collapsed have still not been found. Four deaths have been confirmed.
Rescue teams are using sound detection and trained dogs to search through the rubble. It’s a complex rescue because there are 13 collapsed floors that they have to use saws and drills to get through.
A little history about the Elks Tower. In 1926 the Sacramento Elks ran out of room for their meetings. The Sacramento Elk members got together and decided to erect a 14 story brick and steel tower on the corner of 11th and J Street. Now there are a few stories that this place is haunted. Here’s a story from a local named Terence White. Terence White attended a friend’s wedding at the Elks Tower. When Terrence went to the restroom, a strong hand grabbed his right shoulder and he turned around, no one was there. Terence went back to the wedding party. Terence was a bit shaken from his experience and Terence believes that this building is haunted. It is said that the Elks Tower is a popular destination for weddings and events. They restored the ballroom and many people have commented on how beautiful everything is inside. At one point of time, the Elks Tower was the city’s tallest building. A little tidbit is the fact that the building owner in 2016, proposed to turn part of the tower into a luxury casino and swanky vintage card room, but legal obstacles got in the way and the waters of that proposal are now stagnant. Elks Tower is built in the style of the Italian Renaissance period. A radio station called KZAP has their transmitter on this building. KZAP is a free form radio station. Elks Tower has 100 hotel rooms and a storefront. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the group which commissioned the building is a fraternal order founded in 1868.
CLOUD CREATURE OF ELKS TOWER: Lena Carpenter also attended a wedding at Elks Tower and when walking down the hallway, came upon a dark mist. The dark mist as Lena describes it, was cloud like. Lena said at one time it was fluffy like a cloud and it was dark. It reminded her of a dark rain cloud. Then two small arms with tiny hands came out of the cloud creature. Lena said she has never told anyone about her experience. Lena says she can still see this cloud creature in her mind. The experience haunts her to this day.
MY EVP: After receiving information about the Elks Tower from Terence and Lena, I had to do some research on the tower and I could not find any deaths connected to the tower. Of course the tower is very old, it was built in 1926, so anything could have happened at this tower. Plus, the fact that it has 100 hotel rooms inside this building. Anything could have happened in any of those rooms, during a long period of time, that starts back in 1926. I have been on the first floor and walked around the building. I did manage to get an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) outside of the building. The EVP was of a man’s voice that said…”why are you here?”
As for anyone dying inside of this building, I cannot locate any records that indicate that, but I did find information on a nearby homicide and homeless people that have died near this building. Another factor is that if someone in the past attended the Elk’s meetings at this tower and died at their home, they may be haunting the tower, because it was a place that they loved going to and a place that they are very familiar with. The dead have a habit of haunting the places they enjoyed while living.
WHO ARE THE ELKS? The Elks originally borrowed a number of rites, traditions, and regalia from the Freemasons. However, by the first decade of the twentieth century, much of this had been abandoned as the Elks sought to establish their own identity. The original two degrees required for membership were consolidated into one degree in 1890, the apron was discontinued in 1895, the secret password was gone in 1899, and the badges and secret handshake were abandoned by 1904.
INITIATION INTO THE ELKS: Initiation and funeral rites still exist, however. The initiation rite is not considered a secret. The initiation involves an altar, with a Bible upon it and chaplain leading the brethren in prayers and psalms. The candidate must accept a “solemn and binding obligation” to never “reveal any of the confidential matters of the Order”. He further promises to uphold the Constitution of the United States, protect brother Elks and their families, only support worthy candidates for admission and never bring political or sectarian questions up into the Order. The funeral rite is called the “Lodge of Sorrow” and also involves prayers.
FIRE SPRITE OF ELK’S TOWERThe strangest story that I heard was that on one of the top floors a tiny fire sprite is seen going from one room to another. I met Randy Laybourn at Bobby McGees in Citrus Heights. Randy said that he was once a window washer for this tower. Randy said a fellow window washer was walking through the hallway and saw a small flying humanoid, probably 2 inches in length, that was on fire, fly from one room to another room. The creature was able to fly through a door like it was butter. From the way Randy was describing this, it seemed like he was describing an elemental, a fire sprite. It makes you wonder, if the Elk members were conducting rituals similar to Freemasons, did they perhaps summon some entities into this building by accident? Is there a portal in this building? Randy says he never saw anything unusual in this building and never had anything considered paranormal happen to him in this building. Randy says that the only strange thing that he witnessed is that he opened up a closet and there were tons of spiders in that closet. Randy says he does not feel this was a a paranormal experience, but perhaps something that is natural. Randy says…”female spiders do lay a lot of eggs?”
Wicca is a faith that’s not so well-known. In Costa Rica there are two types of the Wicca religion, traditional and eclectic. While eclectic Wiccans practice on their own, learning from books and their own experience, traditional Wiccans are part of a group with an initiation and a hierarchy.
Sorcerers and witches who practice this spiritual belief often recount having felt something different in their spirit since they were very young and having tried to find their place and inner peace or happiness in other religions before finding it in this one.
They use their magic to help others and are careful not to do any ritual that goes against someone’s will, such as tying them romantically to someone they don’t want this association with. On the other hand, it is common practice to do ceremonies that strengthen the love bond between couples who want their love to last.
Wiccans typically have altars that include elements of earth, air, water, and fire. They also have symbols of the goddess or the male god and items unique to the person, such as a symbol of their fire and will.
Luis Fernando Suárez led Honduras in Brazil 2014 and has been on the radar ever since. His most recent position was with Atlético Bucaramanga, a team based in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Costa Rica has had an eye on the Colombian strategist and called an extraordinary session of the Executive Committee. On Saturday, the result was confirmed: It was he who Fedefútbol wanted and needed.
There was just one issue, Costa Rica was unable to assume the payment for his departure from the Colombian team, which didn’t want to lose him. Costa Rica made clear that he would have to get his freedom from that contract in order for it to be possible to lead Costa Rica.
Suárez brings extensive experience. He was with Germany in the 2006 World Cup and with Honduras for the 2012 Olympic Games. He’ll bring Costa Rica to the Gold Cup, World Cup, and Qatar 2022.
A friend and editor, knowing that I’ve been feeling that my insights through this column over the last 25 years haven’t made a difference, and that humankind continues to plunge toward the abyss, sent me a quote and link he thought would be helpful. It prompted me to write this piece.
“Humanity is sloppily, awkwardly lumbering toward consciousness.” As much as I would like to believe that myself, it simply isn’t so.
The basic direction of humankind is rapidly becoming darker and direr. The need for hope denies the necessity of seeing things as they are. The human condition and consciousness are worsening by the week.
The few that haven’t given up on humanity believe the choice is between some variation of positive thinking, and what the author of the piece with the title above defines as “the more cynical and pessimistic corners of the internet.”
She immediately contradicts herself however, and proves she’s not seeing things as they are: “Because of the internet, humanity has probably changed more in the last 25 years than it did in the previous 2500.” Yes, for the worse.
The idea that information and knowledge equal change is, like false hope itself, dying a hard death. It’s no choice at all between cynicism/nihilism, and believing that we’re headed in the right direction as a species– they are two sides of the same coin.
Such examples as the knowledge of systemic racism and police brutality in America, and the grotesquely disproportionate use of force by Israel against Palestinians (think party balloons with little incendiary charges lighting brush fires vs. American-made fighters dropping laser guided bombs on apartment buildings) supposedly attest to an “expansion of consciousness.”
In truth, mass shootings are at an all-time high in the United States (17 in 3 days recently). Police, often seen with reason as the enemy, are quitting or retreating into a bunker mentality, rather than rethinking policing and responding intelligently to the many situations to which they’re called. As far as “the Israeli narrative crumbling because of phone cameras,” try telling that to the people of Gaza.
Also flying in face of reality, many parents believe, against overwhelming evidence of mob parties, binge drinking and widespread nihilism, “the young today are the kindest, most sensitive and most awake generation that has ever lived.”
That too I would also like to believe. But a mature adult continuously distinguishes between what they want to believe and what is.
My editor friend’s spokeswoman ends her pollyannaish piece on a more truthful note, except for one glaring clause that gives one pause:
“I don’t know if it will be enough to save us from all the existential hurdles our species faces in the near future; I just know we are rapidly becoming a conscious species, and consciousness and dysfunction cannot coexist. We won’t need to wait long to find out which one wins out.”
The fat lady hasn’t sung for humanity, but has she for our age? I don’t know, but the existential hurdles aren’t in the “near future;” they are now. And humankind certainly is not “rapidly becoming a conscious species,” but speeding toward a reverse omega point, a dark singularity.
Perhaps human consciousness is like the last scene in “2010, The Year We Make Contact,” the mediocre sequel of “2001, A Space Odyssey.” By some unexplained process in “2010,” the monolith begins to exponentially multiply over the surface of Jupiter, engulfing and endarkening that huge planet until at the last moment it bursts into light, becoming a second sun in the sky.
The projection was prophetic, because that is precisely what man is doing to the earth, and to human consciousness in direct proportion. Whether we will burst into the light of insight as a species at the last trumpet does not depend, as progressives are so fond of believing, on the gradual progress of collective action, but on replication without imitation of individual insight.
Clearly, we need to ignite insight, which is the light of the immanent intelligence of the universe, together. But fewer and fewer people care, much less are self-knowingly aware. The race is on, but in this stage in this age at least, humanity is losing.
Either way — dark singularity ending with an explosion of the light of insight, or the deadening prolongation of darkness –self-knowing, inwardly alive individuals need to prepare. The future of humanity depends on it.
The paranormal hotline is my personal cell number, so yes, I receive many phone calls. Some of the calls I receive are prank calls. When I realize I am being pranked, I simply hang up on the caller and block their number. Other calls I receive are your mediocre type of hauntings and I basically give out information on how they can cleanse their home, if that is they live out of state. If they live in Northern California, I offer my services by bringing my team to their home to conduct an investigation and cleansing afterwards. Yesterday (4/22/2021) I received a very unusual call that caught my attention. The caller Terence McGill heard stories that 75 Bluff Road in Fort Lee, New Jersey was haunted. Terence brought 3 friends with him and they investigated outside of the mansion. Terence says that they are amateur ghost hunters and do not have any fancy equipment, all they have are their smart phones and one spirit box. I asked why 75 Bluff Road? Terence told me that it’s a manor that was once occupied by Murder, Inc and the home of gangster Albert Anastasia. Hoping to make contact with the ghost of Albert Anastasia, they actually encountered another ghost. The ghost of gangster Joe Adonis.
Terence said that there was one female with them and as she was walking the grounds late at night at 75 Bluff Road, she heard the following: Pssss, psss, come here dollface! She looked towards where the voice was coming from and saw a man with black wavy hair, a smile on his face, dark eyes and long coat. The woman that this happened to, does not want to be identified. I will call her Lady D. Lady D looked at the man and their eyes connected. The man then faded away into nothingness and Lady D passed out. Terrence and his other 2 friends ran to Lady D’s rescue and revived her. Lady D explained what she had seen. After this encounter Lady D couldn’t shake the feeling that she had some kind of attachment. I asked Terrance if he felt it was the ghost of crime boss Albert Anastasia? Terrence said “no”. I asked him how can he be so sure.
Terrence said after they dropped Lady D at her home, they headed to his house. At Terrence’s house they brought out a Ouija Board and asked who was the man that Lady D encountered. The name that they got on the Ouija Board was “Adonis”. Terrence and his 2 friends were shocked. They immediately looked up Adonis and discovered that he was a gangster named Joe Adonis, real name Joseph Anthony Doto. At some point of time, Adonis was deported back to Italy, but when he died, he was brought back to the United States to be buried in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Joe Adonis family wanted Joe to be buried in the US. Terrence also said that one of his friends had a spirit box and it stopped at the song by Michael Jackson…”Smooth Criminal”, which they felt was very odd, but fitted the occasion. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson can be heard here at this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4
At this point of time, I was doing my own research on Joe Adonis and it really does look like Smooth Criminal would fit his bill. Joe Adonis had an ego the size of Texas, was always primping his thick black hair, always looking in a mirror, thought he was better looking than Rudolph Valentino the actor, loved the ladies and thought he could get away with anything. Of course, he also took the name Adonis. Adonis in Greek mythology is the God of beauty. Joe with his ego and thinking he was smarter than the cops, would have thought he was a Smooth Criminal. At this point of time, I had to chuckle a bit and was blown away that the spirit box would stop at this song. I could only wonder how haunted this manor is and how many ghosts reside at this manor? Buddy Hackett the comedian actually lived at this manor also. Buddy Hackett had experiences with ghosts and his wife used to consult a psychic, so it would be fitting for Buddy Hackett to also haunt this manor. I have no reports of any kind of haunting done by Buddy Hackett’s ghost.
Terence asked why would Joe Adonis continue to haunt the manor? My answer to Terence is that I feel after we pass on, we have the option of going into the light, or not going into the light. If we have unfinished business, we will continue to stay on Earth. Caligula the 3rd Roman Emperor was seen all over Rome after his death and there are stories that he still haunts a palace on Palatine Hill. Hitler’s ghost has been seen in Germany, Paris France and even in England. Hitler when he was alive took a picture while in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower behind him and stayed briefly in England with his brother Alois. So, it would seem Hitler still haunts places that he visited when he was alive. Rolling Stone Magazine had a big article in regard to Jim Morrison’s ghost being seen all over the place. My ex-wife Karen Jean Caruso Walker claimed that Jim Morrison came to her in a vision and explained to her on what life choices she should be making, when she told me that story, I scoffed and didn’t believe her. Then one day, I pick up a Rolling Stone Magazine and found out other people made claim of encountering Jim Morrison’s ghost. So for Joe Adonis to still be here, is believable. This Mediterranean styled home at 75 Bluff Road is probably extremely haunted. I told Terence that if Lady D truly feels she has an attachment, to get a full submersion baptism and the attachment will immediately leave. On 4/28/2021, Lady D did just that and now says that she does not feel she has an attachment. Also, I told Terence that he and his friends need to get rid of the Ouija board and I told them how to do it properly. Terence assured me that they will indeed get rid of the Ouija board and never play with any other Ouija Board.
You may be planning a trip, and the hotels are booked, and you know the outfits you’re going to wear. The plane tickets are all set, and you’ve already mapped out the famous tourist attractions that you’re going to visit. However, other tourists don’t want to commute as they want to have more freedom and flexibility when they are in another country.
Knowing the type of transportation that you’ll use to get around will help. You may want to visit Goautos.no for more information about the available cars in Europe, specifically if you’re going to Norway and in other countries nearby. When you go to your destination, everything can go smoothly if you have all the requirements ready and know what to expect.
Cars are standard in many transportation selections because they offer comfort and practicality. You can easily go into towns and country borders when you have a rental car. Plus, you can take your luggage with you and stop over whenever you see a restaurant along the way.
Factors to Consider in Renting Cars Abroad
Generally, there are factors that you need to consider before making your trip overseas. Some of the questions to ask yourself are the following:
Does the country where you’re going accept your driver’s license?
Are you going somewhere safe, or is the drive going to be hassle-free for you?
Do you need to pay taxes, fees, and more in the region where you’re going?
Do you need to pay toll fees?
Are there safe parking lots along the way?
Does the area have more traffic than you expect?
Is it more advantageous to rent a car?
Can you have any other options besides renting?
You can look on your search engine and research on the internet to find answers to the above questions. There are communities and groups on social media platforms that have already experienced traveling in Europe, and they are more than willing to offer helpful advice. Some of the questions above are answered in detail below.
1. Driver’s License that is Accepted Overseas
You may already have a driver’s license, but you need to know whether it’s going to be accepted by the car rental company of your choice. If you’ve browsed through a selection of companies and found one that you’re interested in, you may want to chat with their representatives first and know whether they will accept the license that you currently have.
It can be an absolute nightmare if you’ve already booked and paid for the car in advance, only to find out that your license is not going to be valid at the car rental company. This can dampen your spirits, and you may need to commute while carrying your luggage with you.
Some countries need translation of your driver’s license. Bring extra documents and get an International Driver’s Permit to be on the safe side. Apply months before your trip so you can obtain them before you go out of the country.
Renting a Car in Europe
Most European countries are part of the EO, and the driver’s license from home countries like the United States and Canada is always valid. The validity coincides with the amount of time you need to stay in the country, and this can range from 30 to 90 days, depending on the length of your stay. However, most companies will still require you to get an IDP, especially if you’re crossing borders.
2. Safety of the Streets and the Destination
Where you’re going can affect your road trip and the preparations that you’re going to make. In countries like Brazil, you need to be prepared to drive in mud cake roads, cracks, and potholes. Most of the countries in Europe are well taken care of, but it’s best if you can always check your map and the areas where you’re going before the trip to make sure.
Another thing to be concerned about is the safety of the roads. There are specific places where you DON’T want to drive. Ensure that the region is safe, and it’s best if you have someone with you, especially if you’re going somewhere far.
3. Fees, Taxes, and Other Specific Rules
You wouldn’t want to receive a fine or a ticket while you’re in another country because this can reflect in your records when you get home. You may need to go through the rules of each region, specifically regarding the taxes and fees that you may encounter.
In most cities around the world, there are charges on the parking lots. If you are unsure, you can ask an officer nearby, download an application, or buy tickets from machines whenever you need to.
Busier cities may prohibit driving in central areas on a specific day or time of the week. You have to pay fees if you’re driving at the center of Gothenburg and London, so ensure that you know these before going.
4. Tolls Along the Way
Consider the toll fees, and there will be several of them on the total cost of your trip. Check the rates beforehand and prepare more or less a reasonable amount for the toll alone. Bring cash to make the trips more accessible and exchange them into the country’s respective currencies at the airport.
Not all the tolls in Europe and other places overseas work in the same way. For example, Portugal regulations require you to pay at the post office five days after you’ve driven through the tollways. Read more about a guide of Portugal toll roads here: https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/europe/the-ultimate-guide-to-toll-roads-in-portugal/. You may not expect these, but they are something that you need to follow.
5. Safer Parking During your Stay
One of the best bets when leaving your car when you take some rest is in a hotel parking lot. However, they may not be available, especially if you’re going to an area where there are plenty of tourists. Check this information or book in advance when visiting a city.
Read websites and blogs about where to find safe parking when most of the lots in the area are full. Another thing is that you can look for secure and free parking whenever you can, which can translate into savings along the way.
Check for AirBnB apartments and hostels where there’s a parking lot nearby. They can offer their garage, especially when the parking spaces are hard to come by.
6. Lots of Traffic in the City?
You need to know how bad the traffic is in the city where you’re visiting. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend hours getting stuck in traffic and not enough time exploring the attractions and food in the place.
If the city is known to have bumper-to-bumper traffic jams, you may want to go before the rush hour to avoid extra headaches. You may want to visit the castles and countryside to breathe fresh air, and it will help if you go early to the distant regions. Another alternative can be public transportation, but you may want to get the most out of your car rental and visit the other popular destinations later on when others are going home.
7. Will It Be Worth Renting?
If you compare this to other forms of transportation, renting has its own advantages. It’s very worth it if you have a family, you’ll go to a far place, you need to visit a villa in the Northernmost region of Tuscany that does not have public transport, or you’re in a rush.
One advantage is that driving your own vehicle can give you comfort regardless of where you are. You have your own space, and you don’t have to be in a crowded place where there’s a higher chance of you contracting viruses and getting sick. This transportation will let you keep your stuff around, and you can go to other routes whenever you want.
Aside from this, many people actually benefit from the prices compared to when they buy train or bus tickets. They are cheaper, and you can get the most out of your trip when you stop by at beautiful beaches and take pictures.
8. Other Transportation Options?
In some cases where transportation options are limited, renting a car can be a good idea. For example, you may need to go to places inaccessible by public transport and take the least amount of time possible.
However, if you’re going to stay in a country and sample the “local life,” you may want to take the bus instead if you’re going within city limits to save on gas. You will also not have to worry about parking spaces, but this is perfectly up to you.
Neuroscientists are discovering more and more how the human brain works, even as they understand less and less the Mind in meditation.
For example, “aphantasia” refers to an apparently inherited neurological condition in which the person so afflicted, or blest, has no ‘mind’s eye.’ In other words, their brains appear to not create and traffic in images.
Having an image of a person or thing is the meaning of seeing “through a glass darkly.” So how does this condition relate to the greatest capacity of the human brain: experiencing the numinous?
A clue may be found in the finding that “people with aphantasia can have the same feelings from their experiences, but they don’t amplify them later through mental imagery.”
That sharply contrasts with what happens during mystical experiencing. A complete, temporary cessation of memory, words and images occurs when sufficient unwilled and undirected attention gathers in the brain. This state of stillness of thought in all its functions allows the brain to be imbued with direct perception of the wholeness and holiness of the earth and the cosmos.
At this point we need to understand what science can and cannot do. Neuroscientists maintain that the scientific study of the human brain can encompass and explain mystical experiencing, because they believe the meditative state arises solely between skull bones.
The premise is false on the face of it. The scientist studying any phenomenon is inherently and necessarily separate from the phenomenon s/he studies. That defines the inherent limits of science, and of knowledge itself.
It’s also arrogant for scientists to assert, explicitly or implicitly, that their observations, machines and theories encompass and supersede actually experiencing a meditative state.
What if a scientist who studies meditation through brain scans also actually brings about meditative states within him or herself?
There is no insurmountable barrier to being both an adept meditator and an expert scientist. However such a person would understand, firsthand, that science and knowledge must take a backseat to the actual experiencing of the wholeness and holiness of nature and the cosmos.
Regarding the question of aphantasia, the strange thing is that even for someone with a tendency toward strong mental imagery such as myself (called ‘hyperphantasia’), there is no urge or desire to “amplify [mystical experiences] later through mental imagery.”
Why? Because “brain scans looking for circuitry that give rise to aphantasia and hyperphantasia suggest that mental imagery emerges from a network of brain regions that talk to each other.” Whereas the meditative state arising from the complete stillness of thought neither records mystical experiences in any detail, nor gives rise to the desire to “amplify them later through mental imagery.”
In short, there’s no crosstalk between different regions of the brain when it is attentively, silently and holistically aware of the movement of thought in the mirror of nature.
Experiencing the sacredness that imbues life and permeates the cosmos depends on complete stillness of thought.
Therefore to the extent scientists put science and knowledge before stillness and mystical experiencing, they contribute to the fragmentation of humanity and the earth.
Martin LeFevre
Link: “Many people have a vivid ‘mind’s eye,’ while others have none at all”:
There has been a significant increase in the cost of raw materials used in construction. INEC measured prices of 54 products last year and this year. Only eight of them decreased or stayed the same. All the rest increased.
According to the Construction Price Index of the Buildings Sector, 11 construction products increased over 30% in price in just one year. One of them, copper tube, had a variation of 55% from April 2020 to April 2021.
Many factors came into play to create this situation. The coronavirus pandemic has caused mines and mills to close and also led to a high consumption of plastic in the medical industry, the exchange rate for the Dollar has increased, and there’s greater international demand for construction-related products.
Another factor is the cost of international freight. There’s been a reduction in the marine fleet that changed the cost of shipping a 40-foot container from China to Costa Rica from $2,500 to $11,000.
Sara Donald 