In the first half, mediator/therapist Howard Riback talked about how he overcame his gambling addiction and now helps others to do so. His gambling fascination began on trips to casinos in Atlantic City, where he played Blackjack. An addiction, he said, is when something overtakes your life, and for him, things started getting out of control when he borrowed money from loan sharks to feed his habit. This went on for years, but eventually, he was beaten up when he couldn't pay the loans back, and seriously contemplated suicide. Riback's family staged an intervention, supported him, and paid off his debts. He ended up going to rehab and kicking the habit.
Today, Riback works as a mediator and interventionist himself. Gambling dependence may be worse nowadays, he pointed out, as people no longer have to go to a casino but can easily access games and betting on their phones and the Internet. Sports betting has become an enormous enterprise, such as for the Super Bowl, and there's even more going on off the books, he added. Regarding his work as a mediator, he described an incident when he walked into a gas station in downtown Toronto that was in the midst of a stick-up. He was able to talk down and befriend the gunman, who then turned himself in.
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In the third hour, journalist, pop culture columnist, and author Aaron Sagers discussed the popularity of the paranormal and how he is hosting Netflix's first paranormal investigative series, "28 Days Haunted," which just premiered. Loosely based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, three investigative teams are embedded in different haunted locations for a non-stop period of four weeks. Sagers and Tony Spera (the son-in-law of the Warrens, and the Director of the New England Society of Psychic Research) act as observers from the control room and monitor the paranormal activity, which increases as the days go on, he revealed. Sagers also spoke about his work appearing on the Travel Channel's "Paranormal Caught on Camera."
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In the last hour, metaphysician Linnea Star talked about different ways we can communicate with the spirit world. Departed loved ones can send us signs that they are near, sometimes through such things as coins showing up from a specific year of significance, she said, adding that finding feathers may also represent angelic or spirit communication. You can use the dream realm to have visitations with the deceased, Star noted, and this can be facilitated by meditating about the loved one before sleep or keeping a picture of them by your bedside. During the latter part of her segment, she gave readings for callers.
News segment guests: Christian Wilde, Kevin Randle