“It is worth stopping everything and recalculating, and rethinking, and redirecting, and starting over (as many times as necessary), there is no rush.” These are wise words from the Mexican actress Aislinn Derbez.
Derbez, the protagonist of The House of Flowers, is reconnecting with nature for a few days in Costa Rica. She’s showing off beautiful pictures of the tropical trip with her sister on social media.
Before the trip, she wasn’t feeling well and thought nature would help. Her daughter was set to spend some time with her dad so she called her sister and said, “If I go to Costa Rica tomorrow, will you come with me?” Her sister responded, “Let’s see, give me 5 minutes…ok, I’m going.” Aislinn says her sister is a great travel companion.
We can see by her photos they are enjoying sunsets and finding beautiful seashells and rocks. One photo shows Aislin in a therapy that involves being in a tub of cold water and ice on the beach, in the open air.
Coopesa, in Costa Rica, will transform passenger planes to cargo ones for Boeing. This is to keep up with demand for remodeling 40 aircraft, something the company used to do only in three places, all in China.
This is the first of this kind of work in Latin America. Boeing expects a wave of cargo aircraft orders because of the growth in merchandise shipments from electronic commerce and the need to supply chains affected during the pandemic years.
Coopesa was founded back in 1963. It’s executive director explained that they train low-income youth to become aviation technicians. They obtain certifications by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States and the European Aviation Safety Agency. They are highly qualified. There are already 830 technicians and the plan is to add another 500.
After a Boeing 737-800 reaches 20 years of service, it is withdrawn for safety reasons but can still be used for another 20 years if it’s modified and certified to move cargo. This is done by removing the seats and making a special cargo door.
12 years of my life in the US Army was an adventure. Traveling overseas. From 1973 to 1976, working with C.I.D. (Criminal Investigation Division) – D.S.T. (Drug Suppression Team) in Germany. I took a 3 year break from the Army after 1976, and then in 1979, I took (MI) Military Intelligence training in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. I was a 97 Bravo (Intelligence Analyst) with P.I.C.K. (Photo Interpretation Center Korea). I was stationed with the 501st Military Intelligence Battalion at Yongson Barracks. I worked with Image Interpreters that were able to look at a reconnaissance aerial photo and tell you a small dot was a T-72 tank in North Korea. The surveillance photos that they looked at were of North Korea and Red China. My job was to categorize any “hot photos” that could be something that we need to keep an eye on. I would create a sitmap and pinpoint locations that could either be training exercises or a possible build up at the DMZ (38th parallel) which could cause an international incident.
ALMOST AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT Before I go on, I have to tell you a story. They took some of the Military Intelligence soldiers to the 38th parallel and specifically told us do not touch the table on the North Korean side, because the North Korean soldiers may be offended and apprehend us. We were also told not to look at the North Korean soldiers in their eyes, this could also set them off. They told us to take off our Military Intelligence insignia, so that we cannot be identified as MI. As we were walking around the conference table, I started changing the film in my camera and placed my camera on the North Korean side of the table. My Captain signaled me to pick up the camera immediately. When the Captain had me alone, he yelled at me and said…”were you trying to cause an international incident?? What the f— were you thinking??” Yes, the Captain was peeved.
6 UFO PHOTOS On one particular day, 6 aerial photographs came in and the 6 photos were part of a bigger picture. Each photo represented film footage of a possible UFO, captured by either our reconnaissance aircraft or satellites. The 6 photos that came in showed different types of UFOs. Disc shape, cigar shape, globe shape, ball lightning shape, triangle shape, boomerang shape. On the back of the photos, it simply read: “Intelligent Movement”. My job was to give it a secured number for classification and pass the photos to the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency). From the DIA, the photos then went to the CIA and after that, I heard no more about the photos.
HOT ROLLS How we obtained the aerial film footage is by driving a black sedan to Osan AFB. A placard was placed on the dash board, that basically says…”Do not stop this vehicle for any reason, let it proceed to its destination”. The driver would break the speed limit to get to Osan AFB. We were in Osan to pick up “hot rolls”. Hot rolls were reconnaissance aerial footage on reels. To open up the trunk of the car, the driver had ½ half of the combination code and I had the other half. The trunk opens and we take out a black suitcase. On the suitcase is a combination lock. Again, I have ½ of the combination and the driver has the other half. The suitcase opens and we place the hot rolls into the suitcase, close it, lock it and place it in the trunk of the vehicle and head back to Yongson Barracks.
ANGEL STOPS I was intrigued by the photos and I was discussing the photos with someone with a high rank. We discussed on how Project Bluebook was shut down and that the UFO phenomena is explainable as something natural and not supernatural. The “higher up” asked if I knew what “angel stops” were. I told him “no”. He explained to me that on February 20, 1954, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower was on a golf vacation in Palm Springs, Ca. During this vacation, Eisenhower was secreted away to Edwards AFB. Eisenhower had a meeting with two Nordics who were willing to make a deal with Eisenhower. The Nordics would give him knowledge on their technology, if Eisenhower would stop making nuclear weapons. Eisenhower refused this deal. Later in 1954, Eisenhower met with the “Greys”. The Greys offered him a deal, their technology if they could do “angel stops”, abduct humans and cattle for their experiments. Eisenhower agreed and a deal was made. My “higher up” friend, didn’t know how much technology we received, but said that the military was monitoring “angel stops” and the Greys were over exceeding the abductions of humans. The Greys had now did over one million “angel stops” and some of those humans were not returned. The Greys were determined evil by our military and there were secret skirmishes with our military going up against the Greys. My “higher up” friend learned this information by a military person that was “higher up” than he. When I first heard the story, I thought my “higher up” friend was just making up the story, but I learned along the way, that this is a story that may have some kind of foundation of truth.
AFTER THOUGHTS I always wondered if those 6 UFO photos were taken to Operation Tango for storage. Operation Tango is an underground dwelling inside a mountain in South Korea. Military Intelligence personnel and elite forces personnel were whisked away one night to Operation Tango. We were taken by bus with blacked out windows. Inside this mountain called Operation Tango were computers and listening devices. Operation Tango is a listening post of North Korea and Red China. There were many secretive areas of Operation Tango and I wondered if those 6 UFO photos could be filed away somewhere in this mountain? There was one more photo of interest. One day, a photo came in of a possible UFO soldier in Vietnam. He was being escorted by two Vietnamese armed soldiers. Was this possibly an American POW in Vietnam, the year being 1981? On the back of the photo was: “POW?”
pirit Airlines inaugurated on Friday a new flight connecting the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela, to Miami, United States. The direct flight is scheduled once weekly.
Over 150 passengers were on the first flight, part of the US airline’s 2021 announcement of an expansion plan in Costa Rica. Spirit aims to offer international and domestic routes at low cost but with quality standards.
The International Director of Spirit Airlines, Camilo Martelo, stated, “We are excited to expand our presence in Costa Rica with this new nonstop route from Miami to San Jose, connecting two cities rich in culture and recreational activities.” He added, “The vibrant city of San Jose and the natural wonders that surround it make it a great destination to provide our guests with more nonstop flight options.”
The Juan Santamaría International Airport is connected to 26 global destinations, through 21 international airlines.
Gustavo Alvarado, the Minister of Tourism, pointed to the application of health protocols against COVID-19 and the restoration to level 2 of the travel alert by the Department of State and the United States Center for Disease Control and remarked that the new route increases connectivity with a main market in time for high season.
The Government doesn’t have funds for a new National Gymnasium, yet wants to demolish the current one.
The Costa Rican Institute of Sports and Recreation (Icoder) requested a permit to tear down the 62-year-old building that’s located in the southeast corner of La Sabana Metropolitan Park. The Icoder requested endorsement for the demolition from the Heritage Center because it’s located within a park that is Architectural Historical Heritage.
The Heritage Center denied the permit on November 10, because “the works to be carried out constitute the irreversible destruction of a historical architectural asset.” This decision has been appealed and is being analysed by the Ministry of Culture.
Plans for the new proposed gym are registered with the Federated College of Engineers and Architects. It would cost ₡18,600 million. It would measure 21,680 square meters. The current one is 2,548 meters. Many sports federations fight over space at the gym because so many disciplines use it. It’s also used for business, musical, political, and circus activities.
Being a world traveler, I have been to over 59 countries and territories. These are some of the places I have been and I will explain to you why I think they are some of the best haunted places in the world!
1. A Red Light District Studio in Amsterdam: A lady of the night named Cindy works out of a window studio in the Red Light District. Cindy told me that her studio is extremely haunted. Cindy saw the back door opening on it’s own and closing on its own. Cindy has been touched by an unseen entity. Cindy has heard a female voice whisper in her ears. Cindy believes that the lady who worked this window studio before is still around as a ghost. The lady that worked this studio committed suicide and still likes to hang out. Cindy says she is not scared of the ghost and says she likes the company.
2. Papeete & Morea, Tahiti: Tahiti is a fun place. You can swim with the dolphins, you can observe the foggy mist that surrounds the luscious green mountains of the islands. This is the place where Mutiny on the Bounty was filmed at. Everything is done by ‘island time’. This means if you are going to feed the sharks at 5pm and you are waiting for the bus, the bus may arrive at 6pm. As you travel down the road in this bus, it may do a U-turn so the bus driver can pick up her friend. Then the bus will arrive at the spot where they are going to feed the sharks. Don’t worry, everyone is waiting for you to arrive. You arrive on ‘island time’. When we rode on this bus, we stopped at a very old cemetery on the island. It was the most creepiest cemetery I have ever seen. The islanders leave all sorts of family possessions on the graves and it is rumored that late at night in this cemetery, spirits have been seen roaming in and around this cemetery. When night falls upon this cemetery, you must remember there are no street lights, so everything is spectacularly dark!
3. Umoya Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland is a busy metropolis. When I stayed in Auckland, I stayed at the Umoya Lodge. This lodge is rumored to have a Maori doorman ghost that wanders the halls at 3:00 a.m. Once in a great while, a tourist will see this Maori doorman casually walk the halls as if he is looking for something. It is said that he was truly an employee of the hotel and that one night, he suffered a massive stroke while sitting on a couch in the lobby. He has never left the hotel, because he felt the hotel was his home and he loved out-of-country guests. He would always greet the guests of the hotel with a smile.
4. Tower of London – England: When I was in England, I visited Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Square, East End where Jack the Ripper and the Kray Twins frequented. From England, I took a train to Edinburgh, Scotland and a train back that went through Cardiff, Wales. On this train ride, I was looking for crop circles. I didn’t see any. I will never forget my tour of the Tower of London. This place is extremely haunted. Tower of London is on the North bank of the Thames River. This is a place that prisoners were interrogated, tortured and executed. The Kray Twins were the last prisoners of this fortress. Ravens flock to the tower, if the Ravens ever left the Tower of London, the curse says that the Tower of London, The White Tower, the Monarchy and the whole Kingdom would fall. During WWII, most of the ravens were killed, there was one survivor, the Raven’s name was Grip. After WWII was over, more ravens came back to the Tower of London. The Ravenmaster now takes care of the Ravens. The ghost of Guy Fawkes who inspired the movie and comic book ‘V for Vendetta’, was tortured and executed in the Tower of London, he is one of many, many ghosts that haunt the Tower of London. Added note: I also stopped off at: Edinburgh, Scotland and Cardiff, Wales. Edinburgh and Cardiff have many ghost stories and some UFO sighting stories.
5: Puerto Rico: When I stayed in Puerto Rico, I wouldn’t say the island is haunted by ghosts, but it is haunted by the infamous Chupacabra! There are many, many reportings of this odd creature. A creature that is vampiric by nature. It seems that this creature has bat type of wings, it sort of resembles a ‘gray’ alien, it flies, it’s agile and it can drain the blood out of a goat in a matter of seconds. Could this be an offshoot of a ‘gray’ alien? Was there some DNA manipulation done by the ‘grays’, that created this hideous monstrosity? Did the Chupacabras escape the grays and now are trying to survive on the island of Puerto Rico? It is rumored that there is a UFO base off the waters of Puerto Rico. Many UFOs are seen coming in and out of the ocean that surrounds Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico also is in the Bermuda Triangle. This is a very mysterious island and the Chupacabra legend continues to grow. When I was in Puerto Rico, I did not encounter the Chupacabra. Instead I encountered many beachcombers.
6: Bluebeard’s Castle, St. Thomas: I went to St. Thomas to see my sister Sharon get married to a guy named Captain Crazy Jeff Voshell. Jeff was the Captain of his own boat called the Orion. He would take tourists to other islands that were nearby in his vessel. He was also a boat mechanic and one of his client’s was Morgan Freeman, the movie actor. Captain Crazy Jeff Voshell was a legend on the island and it is rumored that the movie “Captain Ron” was based on him. Jeff was just like Captain Ron, very obnoxious, in-your-face type of guy, a real rugged sailor. My new brother-in-law took me to Bluebeard’s Castle, that is reputed to be haunted by the spirits of pirates. Some of the locales claim that the ghosts of the pirate known as Blackbeard and the pirate known as Bluebeard haunt Bluebeard’s Castle.
7. Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland: I have a plaque in my house that reads: Blarney Castle, in the Village of Blarney and the County of Cork, Ireland, I hereby certify that Patricia Mary Roberts, Paul Dale Roberts & Jason Randall Porter of Sacramento, California visited this castle and/having kissed the Blarney Stone is now sent forth with the gift of eloquence which this stone bestows dated this 25th day of March 1997 – signed Richard Lowe(sp) Glohmust(sp) Keeper of the Castle. When I entered this castle, there was a thickness in the air. I would say that Blarney Castle is extremely haunted. There is a fairy passage underneath the castle and I could only walk half way into this dark passage and had to turn back, because I felt a feeling of dread. Are there ghosts at Blarney Castle? You betcha! Added Note: Took a train to Northern Ireland and a lady on this train said that the train going to Northern Ireland was haunted by a little girl.
The drawing above is by William Carlisle and depicts Kolchak – The Night Stalker in the caves of Mount Shasta hunting the paranormal with Paul Dale Roberts.
8. Red Square, Moscow, Russia: I saw the Kremlin, Gorky Park, the KGB headquarters and Red Square in Moscow! There is so much history in Moscow, it would take a whole book to talk about it. Stalin was one time displayed at Red Square and his body mysteriously disappeared. I was able to see Lenin’s body encased in glass. The very first Cosmonaut is buried at Red Square. Many stories are told by the Russian people that spirits are all around Red Square. Some of the spirits that are rumored to haunt this area are the tragic Romanovs.
9. Kwai Bridge, Thailand: When I was in Bangkok, I had to see Kwai Bridge which inspired the movie based on the true story: The Bridge over River Kwai (starring John Wayne), where many, many American soldiers were tortured and lost their lives. There is a museum that displays the horrific episodes that occurred. The Thai people say the Bridge over River Kwai is very haunted. People have heard moaning sounds as if people were either dying or being tortured. This is a good place for a residual haunting activity. Besides the hauntings, Thailand is a fun place. This is where I went para-sailing for the first time. The hotel I stayed at, Centre Point Hotel, Room 805 was a very tranquil room with many accommodations. The people of Thailand are very friendly and there is so much to do. Why do you think they wrote that song…”One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head”? Added Note: Also stopped at Burma, Hong Kong, Pattaya Coral Island. Flew over Vietnam, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Midway Islands, Laos.
10: Morocco, Africa: When I was walking the streets of Morocco, I kept imagining a dark van pulling up next to me, the doors opening and ski masked men grabbing me and pulling me inside the van and driving me away to some unknown location. I was scared in Morocco, especially after 9/11. I wanted to hurry up and catch the ferry back to Gibraltar. Morocco at one time was a romantic place. Movies are still made in Morocco, like Colin Farrell in the movie Alexander, was partially filmed in Morocco. As you walk down the streets, you can purchase a flying carpet at some bazaar. You can eat Couscous, a type of Semolina pasta. There are many ghostly stories in Morocco. There is talk of haunted synagogues. There is talk of families plagued by demons. Perhaps the demon known as The Legion as seen in the movie Exorcist originates from Morocco. Morocco to me, is scary in many ways, not a place I want to stay for a long period of time. Added Note: Also stopped over at Vilar Formoso – Portugal, Gibraltar, Madrid – Spain.
There are many haunted areas in the world, what I tried to do is take you off the beaten path with areas that you may not be aware of. Everyone knows about the Tower of London, but how many people know about the cemetery in Papeete, Tahiti? I have a strong interest in the paranormal and that is why I am the co-owner of H.P.I. (Halo Paranormal Investigations).
2022 is likely to bring an increase in inflation, interest rates, and the exchange rate. Financial forecasts are complicated by the pandemic but there is agreement that we should prepare for a difficult year, financially speaking.
The Central Bank approved an increase of its monetary policy rate from 0.75% to 1.25%, dismissing the historically low rates it had for a year and a half.
The Federal Open Market Committee of the United States Federal Reserve kept the range of federal funds rate between 0 and 0.25%, yet expects three or more increases in the rate this year.
Experts advise that both households and companies budget carefully for loans with variable rates, whether new or old. The situation will also affect those whose income or expenses are based on interest rates. They should keep an eye on the fiscal deficit and foreign loans the Government gets.
Inflation started to accelerate in August. By November it reached 3.34% over the same month the previous year. The Central Bank forecasts general inflation between 3% and 4% for the first half of 2022. This means that for every ₡100,000 you spent last year, you’d have to spend ₡103,000 or ₡104,000 this year.
The fourth wave of COVID-19 in Costa Rica has started.
The COVID-19 contagion rate is currently at the highest level it’s been since the start of the pandemic. It has jumped to 2.09, meaning that 100 infected people will infect another 209. Last week, the 100 would have infected 98.
The rate of contagion has increased by 113.27% in just a week. This is the highest jump since the pandemic started. This increase has been described by specialists as “explosive” and “an explosion with unusual force.”
You may have heard that we had 12 weeks at low levels. This does not mean we should take precautions lightly. After 12 “good” weeks, we then saw the worst week in terms of contagion, so we’re not in the clear.
Experts insist we wear masks correctly and every time we are near people outside our social bubble.
The Omicron variant has been in the country for at least three weeks. It’s confirmed in nine cantons of four provinces, with a total of 18 cases, none of which required hospitalization.
While hospitalizations are down, contagion is up. The daily average of cases rose this week from 52 to 149, which represents a growth of 186.5%.
Sara Donald 