An Interesting View | Miller Valley Indoor Art Market | Prescott, AZ

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Rio

In Prescott, AZ  (531 Madison Avenue)

Donna Meraz with The Eye of the Dragon

An interesting store

And I received an interesting view on presentness by one of the vendors: He mentioned the 4th of July, and I told him that I called it: the farce of july. Then, to answer his puzzled look, I explained that our independence was gone, and a banking cartel called the Federal Reserve owned the country. And I told him about 9/11 (AE 9/11 Truth).

He said that he lived in the present moment, so he didn’t care.

But, living in the present does not mean that we shirk our responsibilities. It means we plan for the future although we don’t live in it, we don’t worry about it. We plan for the future while ready to die today, while being present today. I wonder what would have happened to India had Mahatma Gandhi said: “I live in the present, I don’t care for the future of India.” Just a thought.

Mahatma Gandhi


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Yes! Magazine | Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Rio

Are you aware of Yes! It is helping to build a better world, Here is an example of some of its articles: “The Good Corporation: Workers leading an ownership revolution” and “Boulder’s Local Power: Running their own utility means sun and wind energy instead of coal” This is a link to their location: From Sitting In to Taking Over 

Highly recommended!   www.yesmagazine.org

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Arcosanti AZ | Some Pictures With a Thousand Words Each | A Brief Visit

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Rio

The road to Arcosanti

An empty camp – The workshop has been moved

The Wedding tree above a dry riverbed

My old cubby, a different design

More about Arcosanti here: Arcosanti : Home

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Papago Park I Hole in the Rock | Wilko

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Rio

Papago Park

Hole in the Rock

Papago Park, a view from the hole in the rock, it is cool here.

You can fish in this small lake, but swimming is not allowed.

And today is 104 degrees fahrenheit, so a jump in the lake would have been nice. Nothing like the desert to help you appreciate water. While still in Tucson I was walking one day to the University’s library. Tucson is not as hot as Phoenix, but that day the temperature  was about 100 degrees, and, after walking several blocks, I had to stop for water at Wilko, one of the restaurants at University Boulevard (Park and University). The beautiful young lady at the bar pulled out an ice-cold bottle of water and an equally ice-cold glass, and I drank two glasses of that water. Ah! Nothing like the desert to help you appreciate nothing other than water!

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Beware of Identity Theft | This is a Test!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rio

Okay, can you spot the impostor? One of these sheep is either Goldman Sacks, Citibank, Bank of America, Chase or Wells Fargo. Which one is it? And please, be aware of identity theft, okay? ; )

Look carefully now! We are being taken. Move your money now!

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Good and Evil . . . Are they there? | A Buddhist Thought

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Rio

University Ave. Tucson AZ

I was at University Avenue doing an improvised book signing,  when Michael (whom I had previously met there) stopped by to chat. He had been perusing my blog, and didn’t agree with the way I used the word “evil.” He prefers to use “detrimental.” I can understand his view: there is no “I” that we can (or should) be judgmental about and classify as evil; and there is cause and effect, and the responsibility of humanity as a whole. Indeed!

But in the world of form the ego holds the baton, and it can be the source of extremely “detrimental” actions, which can be considered “evil.” (Evil meaning: “profoundly immoral and malevolent.”) Self-importance can turn a group of people into homicidal maniacs, who can kill 3,000 people to blame somebody else AE 9/11 Truth and make a fortune by killing even more people. I would consider that an “evil deed.” Don’t you think?

If you let me define morality as the way we treat other human beings: our family, friends, neighbors and everybody else, the act described above is not only immoral; it is “evil,” because the persons responsible are not only immoral but also sociopaths without a conscience.

In this world, although a dream, we do need morality because within this construction, the great suffering caused by the ego is obvious. Due to the ego, evil does exist  in this enormous stage, and that ego-mind must be understood and disciplined. Therefore, we have responsibilities to meet, a challenge to face.

“What we are is the result of what we have thought,
is built by our thoughts, is made up of our thoughts.
If one speaks or acts with an impure thought,
suffering follows one, like the wheel of the cart follows the foot of the ox.”–Buddha 

An undisciplined mind will unavoidably lead us astray, toward “detrimental,” “bad,” or even “evil” acts; and that is where suffering comes from. And if there is a selfish entity who is causing enormous  suffering , (with predetermination) for personal gain, that entity and its actions are “evil.” Wouldn’t you say?

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A Picture does not Say a Thousand Words: Part 2 | Tucson, AZ | Occupy

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Rio

In order to give you an accurate picture of a Palo Verde in bloom I had to enhance the photo with iPhoto. And still the photo doesn’t do the tree justice. A blooming Palo Verde is not just a beautiful tree; it sparkles; it beams. This is as close as I could get with my iPhoto. Oh well, you will have to visit the Sonoran Desert during spring sometime.

Blooming Palo Verdes

(Click to enlarge)

My pad in Tucson, in days long past. Remodeled!

The Occupy Tucson movement was recently evicted from De Anza Park, but they are still going strong. I am following them on Twitter. This is their blog: http://www.occupytucson.org/

Tomorrow I’ll visit the Tucson Weekly to see if they’d like to do a review for me. After all, the book has local interest.

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The Road to SLO | The Shell Oil Co . . . Amazing!

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Rio

On the road

I went to San Luis Obispo, CA to try to get a review for The Eye of the Dragon in The Tribune. April used to work there; she is the lady who wrote a review for my first book, A Vagabond in Mexico. She wasn’t there anymore though. And they told me that at the moment they only review books by local authors. I had figured that that was likely to happen, nothing stays the same. But I had to give it a try; it is not far from Santa Barbara, where I’m staying at the moment.

When I arrived, I stopped at the Shell gas station to use the restroom, the one at the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterrey. The attendant, a tall, dark-haired unpleasant youth said that I couldn’t use the restroom unless I purchased gas. Isn’t that amazing! Since I wasn’t ready to purchase gas at the moment, I walked to the building across the street where they let me use their restroom.

I used to do business with Shell regularly. Not that I am looking forward to do business with any of them; they are all part of the entity that controls our government. As soon as I can I am getting an electric car . . . or a bicycle. Let’s boycott all of them.

The Foothills of San Luis Obispo

Pismo Beach, CA

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Occupy or die | 911 truth | Santa Barbara CA | Occupy and Boycott

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Rio

I am occupying Santa Barbara at the moment, with my book and the AE 9/11 Truth brochure. People seem to be aware of the problem here but they have a laissez-faire attitude, as if there isn’t much that can be done.

Alameda Park (click images to enlarge)

I dare say that most people everywhere feel helpless, and don’t realize the magnitude of the problem or the grave implications. 9/11 was (or is)  just the tip of the iceberg. The 1% have big plans for humanity. Brace yourselves! Check out the Patriot Act. 

From Shoreline Drive Park Beautiful! for how long? The area is lined with oil rigs.

Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens 

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A Picture does not tell a Thousand Words | The Fullerton Hostel

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Rio

The tool shed

I am in Fullerton, CA at the moment. I visited the hostel where I used to work in the mid 90’s. The place was closed, the sign said, until June. It used to be open all year.

It was a gloomy, rainy day. I took a stroll to my favorite place but it wasn’t there. Another had taken its place, full of fallen branches and overrun by dry, tall mustard stalks leaning down to the ground, making it difficult to move around. The old eucalyptus and lesser friends were still there. I thought I saw the cat, but she must be dead now. So it must have been my imagination—the slinking black cat who stopped briefly to look at me and then vanished, perhaps stalking  a ghostly prey. Is she still there?

I saw everybody, although no one was there. They were just thoughts. But isn’t everything a thought, a dream? We are being dreamed. And we disappear. Who are we? Have you ever thought of that? Who are we really? 

The Entrance

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