No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveAs in a Glass, Darkly

As in a Glass, Darkly

Clairvoyance, the ability to sense if not actually foresee future events, is not entirely uncommon.

In fact, many major “discoveries” – electromagnetism, evolution, relativity and so on – were

always there waiting in the future to be uncovered by people who saw just a bit further than others.

So as a geneticist, it naturally occurred to me that since certain ethnic groups are generally credited with the gift, there might be a heritable basis. It turns out that Celts, Romanies and Tibetans share the common characteristic of a thymus gland that is both larger than normal and remains active much longer than in other peoples, in whom it degenerates in the mid-20s.

This provided a valuable clue, but working on humans is difficult and expensive, so I chose pigs, which are known for their telepathic powers and, being bred to be slaughtered young, provide ideal subjects. Nevertheless, it took five years of my own life and the lives of innumerable porkers before I located a tiny organelle in the pig thymus that secretes an enzyme I dubbed HSP, for Haruspicase.

By itself it has no effect, but injected intravenously in micromole amounts together with the trigger hormone adrenaline, as HSP/A, the night before a planned slaughter, and only then, it induces a cacophony of squeals, sobs and screams. The sequence thus became clear: the pig is jostled or steps on a stone, secreting a minute amount of HSP/A, becomes apprehensive and, only if death lies in the immediate future, generates a much larger amount of HSP/A, resulting in positive feedback and uncontrollable hysteria.

The next step was to try it on humans, but for security reasons I necessarily had to be my own guinea pig. It took several weeks to get the safe dosage right, but finally I was ready for the crucial experiment. The night before, I studied the historical behavior of a volatile penny stock, and tried to predict its opening price the next day by conventional methods before injecting myself with a moderate dose of HSP/A and then concentrating on my predicted figure.

The immediate effect was as if my perception of time had accelerated enormously, and the figure I was trying to keep in mind kept changing until it stopped suddenly. I managed to write it down just before falling into an exhausted sleep. The next day, amazingly, the opening price was identical to the figure I had written down the night before.

But that’s not the half of it. By imagining an opening price two or three times the predicted figure, and immediately investing a sufficiently large sum to justify the jump, I could make the next day’s opening correspond to my imagined figure – an interesting example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My years of research had paid off, but nothing comes easy in this world; after my third million of profit, both the SEC and the FBI came calling and blackballed me on every exchange. So now I am reduced to investing by proxy and in much smaller amounts. Also, I am becoming progressively more tired.Would you care to help out?

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Reports Renewed Increase in COVID-19 Cases

COVID-19 has once again become the most widely circulating respiratory virus detected in Costa Rica, as health officials urge residents to take basic precautions...

Costa Rica Hands Macho Coca and Compadre to US Agents in New York Cases

Costa Rica surrendered two men wanted on United States drug trafficking charges to American agents on this morning, closing extradition proceedings that had run...

Costa Rica’s “Pecho de Rata” Weighs Possible U.S. Plea Deal

Edwin Danney López Vega, the Costa Rican alleged drug trafficker known as “Pecho de Rata,” could avoid a full jury trial in the United...

Costa Rica Runs Its National Evacuation Drill Wednesday

Costa Rica holds its eighth national evacuation drill Wednesday at 10 a.m. Here's what happens, how to take part, and what to prepare first.

What the Caribbean Green Alert Means for Your Weekend Plans

If you are going to the Caribbean coast or the Northern Zone over the next few days, plan for rain and give yourself more...

Is Costa Rica Losing Its Tourism Edge in Central America?

Imagine that the seven nations of Central America are participants in a race. The race has no finish line. Instead it's an ongoing competition...

Costa Rica Free-Zone Growth Slows to Weakest Pace Since 2020

Growth in Costa Rica’s free-zone economy slowed sharply in June, falling to its weakest pace since 2020 and extending a year-long deceleration in one...

Costa Rica’s Water Squeeze Is Changing What Property Buyers Check First

If you are looking to buy land in Costa Rica, the document that will decide your purchase is not the title study. It is...

American Detained in Costa Rica Over $3.6 Million Investment Fraud Case

OIJ Interpol agents detained a 46-year-old American in Pavas, San José, on an FBI warrant. A US civil case traces nearly $2.8 million to Costa Rican banks.
Avatar
🌴 The Weekly Pura Vida

Costa Rica, Once a Week

The week's top stories, weather & insider tips — delivered every Sunday. One email, zero clutter.

🔒 Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel