SECRETS OF THE DEAD (Aztec massacre)

PBS has done it again. This great program kept us enthralled . It was the story of the Aztecs and their decline. When Cortes arrived, the Aztecs dominated a large part of central Mexico, using strong arm tactics against the surrounding tribes, principally the Tlaxcalans. The Aztec culture was quite advanced in many ways but primitave in religious practices which included human sacrifuce and rectual canibalism.

Cortes, with a small and stalwart band of men invaded and, with aid of the Tlaxcalans was able to enter Tenochtitlan ( now Mexico City), Their first foray was not successful but later they returned and destroyed the city block by block. Small pox decimated the Indians, making the final conquest easier. This short explanation hardly does justice to the wonders of this history.

My family did have a tiny echo of these historic times. When I was about 12 or 13 my family purchased the historic Los Naranjos, built originally by a Cortes officer. The place was in ruins but it was restored beautifully. As it happened, there was no municipal drainage in Coyoacan and so a large hole was excavated for a septic tank. In this hole there were many pieces of Aztec pottery, mostly destroyed by the careless peons who did the digging. However, two beautiful pieces were recovered intact. I remember them well. All I have is memories. Somehow in the ensuing years these priceless items disappeared.

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT JEWS

The Jews cling to their identity in spite of the terrible things that have been done to them. They have been herded into ghettos, exiled, and slaughtered. Somehow they have survived. Many of them have come to the US which is a relatively safe haven for them.

The American Jew has been subjected to some hardships. There has been a pervasive , covert anti Jewish feeling shared by many. In my younger days the stereotypical Jew was pictured as a loud, pushy, obnoxious New Yorker. Clubs, corporations and universities excluded them. In spite of this they prospered. They avidly pursued education. Although they make up less than 3% of the population, their contributions to medicine, science, music, the arts, literature,and more are outstanding. They are powerful politically all out of proportion to their tiny numbers.

50+ years ago the Balfore declaration allowed the establishment of the State of Israel. Now, about 6 million of them are showing what remarkable people they are. From their tiny strip of desert they have created a powerful industrialized island. They are surrounded by ignorant, poverty stricken Arabs and Muslims whose envy and hatred knows no bounds. Only the US can prevent the overrunning of Israel and the current US administration does not show the support that heretofore they have previously enjoyed.

Today the anti Jewish feeling is fast disappearing. My personal feeling is one of great admiration. I love Israel.

A FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED

With a flurry of media attention,Prince what's his name and his bony bride arrived in California. What's his name played in a polo match. To play against him cost a cool $50,000. To play on WHN's team cost only $100,000. Those who wished to watch this spectacle could do so for $400 unless they wanted to hang around with the skinny princess in which case it was $4,000. The princess, by the way, wore a dress designed by Jenny Packham. We are safe in assuming that Miss Jenny provided the gown free of charge so that her name could be mentioned.

So the motive for this over reported trip appears to be a money making scheme. The enormous amount collected should keep the royals comfortably for a few months of their lavish lifestyle.

The fading monarchy is on life support. It serves no purpose whatsoever. But the suckers will continue to bow and scrape and pay big bucks for the privilege of debasing themselves in the presence of the likes of prince WHN

LAWNS

In the 17th century the only people with lawns were the royals and aristocrats. They mowed with goats and sheep. Lawns slowly spread to the US suburbs as a status symbol. Now they are a symbol of leisure and prosperity. It is now a heavy burden for over 80% of homeowners.

Mowing, fertilizing and watering are constant tasks. An enormous industry has been created. More water is consumed for lawn care than farmers use to raise corn wheat, or any other agricultural product. Some experts estimate that over 1/3 of water from public sources goes toward landscaping. In some of the drier states, this may rise to 70%.

Environment: Lawns are damaging to the environment. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff pollute our steams and lakes. Gasoline mowers emit as much pollution as 11 automobiles. There now exists an anti lawn lobby.

I wonder what people did for their yards before the age of lawns.

MORE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

My recent blog about Mexico reminded me that I lived through the latter part of the Mexican revolution. I was just a child during the Calles regime (l928/1934)

In 1929 or 31 my Dad was still flush from his successful stock market plays.Carl, Dean, Lee and I were bundled off to an upscale boys summer camp in Wisconsin. Soon after that the disastrous world depression caught up with us and Dad had to sell his beautiful plane. Somehow, his business , Mexican Trading Co. survived and later became prosperous again. But there were a few lean years. I was blissfully unaware of this until about 1936. However, my clothes were mostly ragged hand me downs. I also got a lousy little bike handed down to me. Lee, to my chagrin, got a new bike. He was a sullen, rebellious child and got many privileges like bribes.

Work for privileged kids was not available in Mexico. Newspapers were delivered by men on bicycles, trying to eke out a meagre living. Fortunately, beans, rice and tortillas were cheap and formed the backbone of the poor folks diet. Mexican agriculture was all but destroyed by president Lazaro Cardenas (1934/40) and his Ejido program. The haciendas were broken up and given to the peasants in the form of communities. The peasants had neither the knowledge or means to grow large crops. The great sugar industry virtually disappeared. Trainloads of corn and wheat from the US saved the country from starvation.

No wonder I was not aware of the situation. My family ate well even in these times.