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Welcome To Vilcabamba
"The Sacred Valley of Longevity"


This Is A Privately Circulated Blog, scribbled exclusively for Friends & Familiars, that peers into and pontificates about Expat life in the hinterlands of South America. If your eyesight is less than optimal (like mine), then just click the type size up a notch on your browser..


Here you will find a series of curmudgeonly commentaries that I've posted from atop my rickety old soapbox for the past few years. And yes, there are indeed political rantings, so place your seats in the upright position and fasten your seat belts .... it may be a bumpy ride.






8/18/11

Video-style Presentation About Vilcabamba

Many of you are still asking me about this magical Shangri-la in the Andes Mountains of South America that I call home. So in conjunction with the publication of my new book ...."An Operations Manual For Humankind" .... I've created a kind of video (Power Point Presentation) that helps describe this hidden-away spot called The Sacred Valley Of Longevity. It's about 16 minutes long and, depending upon your bandwidth, may take a moment to load.... (but then, you probably already knew that ;-)

The presentation will start and move along automatically. It is professionally narrated and I think that you'll find it interesting. Just click HERE . Once on that page, click on the image of my latest book, "An Operations Manual For Humankind", which will start the video. You will be glad you did. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

7/15/11

What's in your jar?

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The small pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filtered down through the pebbles and rocks, completely filling up the jar.

He then asked again if the jar was full. This time the students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small, inconsequential stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take a long moonlight walk with your partner. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and repair the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

6/26/11

"I'm Mad As Hell And I Won't Take It Anymore"



Click Here To See Video

Can you sense it? Can you hear that still faint murmuring of dissatisfaction that is slowly evolving into a full-throated roar of anger? It’s there. Listen!

Even the 45% of citizens who either work for the US government or are recipients of its largess, and thus in thrall to The Leviathan, are beginning to stir and grumble at what’s happening. As well they should! It is time for change. Not the political slogan of “change we can believe in,” but change that will dissolve the Police State that the US government and its financial masters have created to rule us.

Jessie Ventura, the outspoken former Minnesota Governor, has spelled it out for all of us in his declaration of outrage directed at The Powers That Be:

“You control our world. You’ve poisoned the air we breathe, contaminated the water we drink, and copyrighted the food we eat. We fight in your wars, die for your causes, and sacrifice our freedoms to protect you. You’ve liquidated our savings, destroyed our middle class, and used our tax dollars to bailout your unending greed.
We are slaves to your corporations, zombies to your airwaves, servants to your decadence. You’ve stolen our elections, assassinated our leaders, and abolished our basic rights as human beings. You own our property, shipped away our jobs, and shredded our unions. You’ve profited off of disaster, destabilized our currencies, and raised our cost of living. You’ve monopolized our freedom, stripped away our education, and have almost extinguished our flame. We are hit…we are bleeding…but we ain’t got time to bleed. We will bring the giants to their knees and you will witness our revolution!”

Unfortunately, not even we who have "gotten out of Dodge" are exempt from most of the above. We are just a bit ahead of the curve .... but we can hear the cries of frustration and anger even from here.

There is in the Declaration of Independence a passage that makes governments shiver in frieght and particularly political and financial establishments more than any other. It reads as follows: Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

6/24/11


I was once called a 'Dunce', and made to sit in front of the class wearing a fool's cap …. simply because I sat and stared out the window, dreaming of becoming an aviator. Of course, today I'd be prescribed some pharmaceutical drug for an Attention Deficit Disorder.

After that humiliating experience, I decided that I didn't want to be a 'flier' after all. I wonder how many of our children today are not going to be able to 'fly high' because they dared to dream? I wonder if Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple fame, both of them dreamers, ever wore dunce caps?

I wonder when we, as a people, are going to honor and encourage our dreamers instead of making them wear silly hats?

"Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask." - From the X-Files

PS: Almost forgot that ultimate dreamer, a guy named Einstein!

5/23/11

My Book Is Published!



I am delighted to announce the publication of the long and patiently awaited book on "living long and well", which I've been scribbling away on for what seems to have been forever.

Thirty years of research, two full years in the writing, "An Operations Manual For Humankind" is indeed a complete compendium of natural health. You can read the entire Introduction at www.vilcabambahealthyliving.com .

This is actionable information that is especially beneficial for Baby Boomers, but it's never too early to start making the kind of lifestyle and dietary choices that will add life to your years and years to your life. The manual tells you how to take charge of your own health choices the natural and far less expensive way. It's all in there.

A recent review stated: “A tour guide to health and longevity, skimming the surface of its topics in an easy, conversational style. From the ageless health practices of our ancestors to cutting-edge longevity science, attaining maximum wellness by properly ‘fueling’ the body is addressed in an easy-to-understand manner.

“The manual doesn’t teach as much as it reminds, helping the reader to remember the cultural truths about nutrition that were handed down by mothers and grandmothers. These ‘forgotten secrets’, particularly the chapter on the energetic Life Force of food, is priceless actionable information.”

It will be available as an instantly downloadable E-Book with the retail price set at $19.95. However, check out the pre-publication offer just below at:

CLICK HERE


There is a whole chapter devoted to "The Living Laboratory Of Longevity", the magical South American Andes Mountain Shangri La that is called Vilcabamba ... said to be one of the four healthiest places on earth, with more Centenarians than can be found anywhere else on our planet.

And that is just one of the twenty-five chapters devoted to healthy nutrition and robust aging. Facts, not filler, truth instead of Big Pharma's and the medical establishment's propaganda. Check it out at: www.vilcabambahealthyliving.com

5/13/11

Says Who?


Recently, my email inbox has been filled to overflowing with messages of Doom & Gloom that surpass even my own curmudgeon mumblings. The truth of the matter is that things are far less dire than the pundits, prognosticators, and pettifoggers would have us believe. So much of what passes for informed opinion is "ignorant twaddle, tendentious, misinformed bullshit, or thinly-veiled axe-grinding" .... as someone with far more adjectives at hand than me once put it.

On the other hand, as the investment guru Doug Casey says: “The nasty things that you think are coming always take longer to arrive than you think they will, but once they get here, they make up for their tardiness by being worse than you thought they’d be.”

Be that as it may, but maybe it's time for us to take a deep breath, sit back, and remember the words on an Enlightened Being some 2,500 years ago, before turning on the nightly news or surfing the internet Blogosphere:



All of which can be reduced to THINK FOR YOURSELF!

5/9/11

A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words



"What Inflation?

Fed Chairman Benoccio

4/26/11

The Longevity Secret of Vilcabamba

Those of you who know me best realize that I have been researching the field of health for many, many years. What some may not know is that about a year and a half ago I put together a very special web site to share some of this kind of information with others. It is at: www.www.vilcabambahealthyliving.com

What you will find there is the amazing story of the Centenarians of Vilcabamba. In this hidden-away valley in the Southern Andes Mountains of Ecuador, you find people who live longer than almost anywhere else in the world. I set out to discover why it was that these people regularly live to be a 100 years or more in good health. It is a story that I think you'll find to be quite interesting and exciting … with some unexpected twists and turns.

There's actually two parts to what you will find there, the introduction and then there is an invitation to download a completely free report called "Vilcabamba Secrets of Renewed Good Health." If you are at all interested in your state of health (and who isn't?), then I recommend you check out the web site. It's a labor of love … nothing is for sale, no donations are requested. It's my way of saying thank you for having lived this long, a way of sharing my information gained over a thirty year period. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

www.vilcabambahealthyliving.com

4/11/11

Is This Shocking, Or What?



OK, move right along folks. Nothing to see here, no one hurt, nothing to worry about, just keep moving right along to "recovery".


3/28/11

Afraid To Tell The Truth?

Here is what one U.S. President had to say about the "transparency" and openness of government, and how he would have answered those who feel that WikiLeaks is aiding and abetting "Terrorism". He was also assassinated for such remarks, among other affronts to the Powers That Be. Listen and remember well his words.



CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

3/21/11

All You Troublemakers, Misfits and Freethinkers ...



If this video doesn't stir your heart, put a lump in your throat and bring a tear to your eye .... well, then you need to call 911 at once and ask for an emergency trauma team for help. You're already dead or dying!

3/19/11

Augustus Owsley Stanley III R.I.P.

Last Sunday, on an obscure roadway in Australia, the former psychedelic entrepreneur named Augustus Owsley Stanley III, took his final "trip". For those who in the 1960's availed themselves of his "Owsley Purple", a heartfelt tip of the hat is offered at his passing. By mass-manufacturing a hallucinogen that the authorities hadn’t gotten around to criminalizing, Owsley was able to singlehandedly create a market where none had existed, and with it a large part of what would become the “counterculture.” I must admit that I was one of his loyal customers ... back then when it was legal.

The only one we know who was as much a perfectionist in his product design and quality as Augustus Owsley is Steve Jobs, the equally brilliant co-founder of Apple. It is rumored that Jobs was also an afficianado of Mr. Stanley's "Purple Pill", a color that Apple has used only once. Steve Jobs is often credited for creating a “reality distortion field” around his products.

Augustus Owsley Stanley III knew a thing or two about that.

Rest In Peace.

3/6/11

The Great 2011 Recovery

Happy days are here again! Stock and commodity markets are strong, company profits are up, bankers are making record profits and bonuses, unemployment is declining, and inflation is non-existent. Obama and Bernanke are the dream team making the US into the Superpower it once was. Hallelujah! We are saved!

Yes, it is amazing the castles in the air that can be built with paper money and deceitful manipulation of all economic data. Excuse me! But I just don't buy it.

Behind the curtain, the Wizards of Ozs who continue to manipulate the silver and gold market are feverishly propping up the $US. The $100 TRILLION in derivatives still have not been settled … and yet, and YET, Happy Days Are Here Again? Hey, call me a conspiracy Wingnut, but something just doesn't smell right about this so-called Green Shoot Recovery. Please wake me up after the political commercial is finished, it's time for me to take my meds!

2/13/11

Dude ... There's No Food!



Newsflash just in from George Ure's Urbansurvival.com Newsletter
(with some editorial additions of my own):

THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF! We are quickly approaching the moment when we have no food to spare. There's no way we can feed the whole planet! We've got that freeze in Mexico which will hit US food prices inside 45 days, we've got Australia offline, Brazil offline, part of Africa, Russia's winter wheat is now freaking wiped out between fires and Europe's freeze, Indonesia's rice fields are flooded, China has got drought and they're now upping their grain purchases through the roof!

Doesn't anyone have any idea how serious this is?

If you do absolutely nothing …. well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where you and your family will be in another 60 days. Our Mormon friends have the right idea, as a matter of the practice of their faith, in laying aside food stuff now for when the bad days come. Hey, guess what? They're here! My suggestion: "Do ye likewise unto the wisest of them that hast ears to hear and eyes to see!"

Oh, and don't forget to get a veggie garden started, if you haven't already. Mine provides me with around 75% of my daily food intake ... for mere "pennies-a-pound". There are no food stamps in Ecuador, none are needed! Everyone grows their own. Just sayin'.

1/20/11

The Red Pill


According to the movie The Matrix, those who ingest the Red Pill begin questioning their lives, refusing to dismiss strange events. Well, it seems that someone slipped such a pill into my oatmeal and I've been caught up in a kind of exuberant playing with possibilities and probabilities ever since. Especially when it comes to Planet X, The Super Wave from the center of the Universe and other such esoteric world-as-we-know-it-ending concerns.

Vilcabamba seems to be a hotbed of "2012 Galactic" activity, but I'm doing my very best to maintain an open and inquisitive mind on all this insistent "Hark, The End Of The World In Nye" kind of Red Pill hullaballoo. A lot of this 2012 stuff is the result of New Age pundits, prognosticators, and pettifoggers, whose Internet blogging and radio interviews have attempted to explain the Great Singularity, as the late Terrance McKenna dubbed the Mayan calendar End of Time. However, I must admit that SOMETHING is happening to quicken the pace of our lives and raise our vibrational level to a near-quivering level of expectation.

To try and get a handle on all this, I have been dusting off a number of long-unused books, reading new ones lent me by well-meaning friends and familiars AND spending a lot of time in front of my computer screen. I'm very much afraid that all of this work has left me with a hopeful yet puzzled attitude of expectation and anticipation, akin to the days of my youth when awaiting the next episode of The Shadow or Green Hornet. Although with those old radio dramas I always knew the Good Guys would win out in the end. This time I'm not so sure.

Perhaps this supposed shift in consciousness (if not in poles) is our one and only answer to all the environmental madness and ceaseless war on this planet of ours. Living here in South America as I do, I tend to pay attention to the mutterings of Mayans and the sayings of Shamans … but I also am aware of the Latin sense of humor: