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.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I paid a visit to my urologist on June 9th. To my h0rror he prescribed what he laughingly called called a procedure, requiring another operation and a one night stay ( more like a nightmare) in my favorite hospital to be done the very next day.
Now I am recovering but feel weak and tottery. My progress is supervised by me. What a lousy idea. Every little symptom is alarming. I want to run screaming to my doctor almost every day. I am suspecting that Dr. Lim's procedure may have failed, I am in a terrible humor.
Good news : It has started to rain for the first time in about three months. Too late, alas, for our garden and lawn. Too late to save large areas of Texas from devastating forest fires. My fig tree is dropping all the little baby figs.
Brilliant red cardinals flit about in the gardens of our neighbors. All we have here is a few forlorn bishops.
It still seems that our elected officials are incapable of doing what must obviously be done for the welfare of the country. Mrs.Obama is not helping very much. She loves to travel along with groups of superfluous companions at enormous ex pence. Mr Obama is a very busy president. Between golfing, fund raising and reading peculiar speeches from his teleprompter there is little time left to attend to the real needs of the country.
Let us select governor Perry for our next president.
Now I am recovering but feel weak and tottery. My progress is supervised by me. What a lousy idea. Every little symptom is alarming. I want to run screaming to my doctor almost every day. I am suspecting that Dr. Lim's procedure may have failed, I am in a terrible humor.
Good news : It has started to rain for the first time in about three months. Too late, alas, for our garden and lawn. Too late to save large areas of Texas from devastating forest fires. My fig tree is dropping all the little baby figs.
Brilliant red cardinals flit about in the gardens of our neighbors. All we have here is a few forlorn bishops.
It still seems that our elected officials are incapable of doing what must obviously be done for the welfare of the country. Mrs.Obama is not helping very much. She loves to travel along with groups of superfluous companions at enormous ex pence. Mr Obama is a very busy president. Between golfing, fund raising and reading peculiar speeches from his teleprompter there is little time left to attend to the real needs of the country.
Let us select governor Perry for our next president.
Friday, June 3, 2011
THE STORM THAT SWEPT MEXICO
NPB occasionally does good things and the program mentioned in the title was , for the most part, remarkable and factual.
This is the history of Mexico post Porfirio Diaz ( Long time dictator from 1890 to 1910 ). The great agrarian revolution that rocked the country through 1920 and beyond is shown with great photos and crude motion pictures of the events. The story is clearly explained in English and Spanish and for the first 2/3 , is factual and accurate. What a story !
After Pancho Villa , Zapata and other agrarian leaders were killed or marginalized, Plutarco Elias Calles more or less stabilized the government under what became the PRI ( Partido Revolucionario Institucional ) which stayed in absolute power for the next 50 years. He seized the land and churches of the Catholic Church. His intention was to destroy the church by such methods as murder and exile of all priests and nuns. He provoked the Cristeros revolt in Guadalajara which was quickly and brutally put down. This was not mentioned in the title program.
At the end of Calles term in office he appointed Lazaro Cardenas president and Cardenas soon turned against his sponsor and took complete control. He is remembered for the expropriation of the American and British oil fields. He made the labor unions powerful allies and with them, became extremely corrupt. One need not hesitate to say he was a communist.
Simply not mentioned in this program was the destruction of the church and the social machinations of Cardenas. Alas, it became a puff piece for the corrupt PRI.
If you can find this program, by all means watch it.
This is the history of Mexico post Porfirio Diaz ( Long time dictator from 1890 to 1910 ). The great agrarian revolution that rocked the country through 1920 and beyond is shown with great photos and crude motion pictures of the events. The story is clearly explained in English and Spanish and for the first 2/3 , is factual and accurate. What a story !
After Pancho Villa , Zapata and other agrarian leaders were killed or marginalized, Plutarco Elias Calles more or less stabilized the government under what became the PRI ( Partido Revolucionario Institucional ) which stayed in absolute power for the next 50 years. He seized the land and churches of the Catholic Church. His intention was to destroy the church by such methods as murder and exile of all priests and nuns. He provoked the Cristeros revolt in Guadalajara which was quickly and brutally put down. This was not mentioned in the title program.
At the end of Calles term in office he appointed Lazaro Cardenas president and Cardenas soon turned against his sponsor and took complete control. He is remembered for the expropriation of the American and British oil fields. He made the labor unions powerful allies and with them, became extremely corrupt. One need not hesitate to say he was a communist.
Simply not mentioned in this program was the destruction of the church and the social machinations of Cardenas. Alas, it became a puff piece for the corrupt PRI.
If you can find this program, by all means watch it.
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