My Benjamin Netanyahu Story March 8, 2012
Posted by judylobo in Jewish Stuff, Photography, Politics, Religion, wildlife, Zoos.Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu, Central Park Zoo, Politics
2 comments
My friends are now rolling their eyes and saying ‘Nooooo – not the Benjamin Netanyahu story AGAIN!’ But since he is back in the news as the Prime Minister of Israel some stories just need to resurface. So here goes –
Time: March 2001
Place: The Central Park Zoo
Background: As a long time volunteer Zoo Guide in the education department at the Central Park Zoo I was asked ‘if I minded’ giving a tour to the recently ousted Prime Minister of Israel and his young family. Did I mind? Did I mind? (We Jews like to repeat ourselves). Heck, no. I was thrilled.
Story: So after the formal introductions, Bibi, his wife, their two young sons, two undercover Israeli agents, two under cover NYPD officers and the head of security at the Central Park Zoo and I took off for an informal tour of the Zoo. The boys were excited, the Netanyahu parents seemed relaxed and the under cover officers were tense. I was trying to look cool, calm and collected. The only Hebrew I could recall was ‘shalom’ and how often can you say that on a zoo tour?
Meat of the story: As we toured the upstairs close-up gallery in the tropical rain forest we stopped at the tarantula exhibit. I spoke for a very short while about tarantulas. The boys and Bibi were fascinated by the creepy crawly critters.
I say to Bibi – “Do you have tarantulas in Israel?”
Without skipping a beat, looking straight into my eyes, Bibi replied – ‘”Only in politics”.
Oh yes, he was good. Very good. I just wish he were not such a hawk. Oh well. That is my Benjamin Netanyahu story. The above photo was taken of us by Tom, the head of Zoo Security. I told Tom at the time that if the photo did not come out – I would have to kill him.
Net Neutrality, Shmet Neutrality April 7, 2010
Posted by judylobo in Animal Videos, Photography, Politics, Videos, wildlife, Zoos.Tags: Central Park Zoo, FCC, snow leopard, Tea Partiers, US Court of Appeals
4 comments
Oh oh – you think the Tea Partiers are CRAZY? Wait until the people rise up when they learn (and understand) that their Internet provider could some day, in the very near future, decide which websites will be fast or slow to view.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. That was a big victory for Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest cable company, which had challenged the FCC’s authority to impose such “network neutrality” obligations on broadband providers.”
So, if I understand this correctly, The FCC, which is supposed to be in charge of the nation’s infrastructure system has NO authority to regulate broadband? Oy vey. We are so screwed. Raise your hand if you think that a win for Comcast can possibly be good for you.
In other news – a recent poll stated that 18% of the country had never heard of the Tea Party. What could this possibly mean? Where have these people been? What do they watch? What do they read?
This is the sound I made when I heard the above news:
An Unsettled Base (that would be us) April 1, 2010
Posted by judylobo in Animal Videos, Links, Photography, Politics, Videos, wildlife, Zoos.Tags: Bill Clinton, Central Park Zoo, Financial Reform, offshore drilling, second best Republican President
add a comment
– President Obama’s base (that would be us) is unsettled. Yes, we are happy that heath care reform was passed, but boy oh boy, it sure was a messy process and we almost gave away the kitchen sink.
It seems that the Obama team, complete with a forest full of olive branches to offer to the ‘party of NO,’ is confident that no matter what cockamamie idea is offered – we will still vote for the ‘team.’ The sad part of that political position is that they are probably right. What other choice do we have? We have seen the other side and it sure ain’t pretty.
So now we are presented with the idea of some offshore drilling. Huh? A big sigh can be heard throughout Blue Land. I understand what the ‘team’ is doing but it sure is not pretty. The Repugnants are already screaming that it is not enough and it will be interesting to see if any of the Repugnants step out on line when a vote comes to the floor on Energy.
– Along with the messy upcoming fight on energy we have the ongoing fight on Financial Reform. This one might be fun to watch as the Repugnants shout from the roof tops in favor of the big banks and against a Consumer Protection Agency and regulatory laws.
I see the Obama team, with all of their olive branches, veering further to the right with each ‘victory.’ Before you know it, President Obama will be the second best Republican President ever (after of course, Bill Clinton).
– Yesterday’s news about the federal judge’s ruling that government investigators illegally wiretapped the phone conversations of an Islamic charity and two American lawyers without a search warrant was a BIG thing. Basically the ruling says that the Bush Administration program of illegal wiretapping (without FISA) was unconstitutional. “The ruling came after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the lawsuit threatened to expose ongoing intelligence work and must be thrown out. In making the argument, the Obama administration agreed with the Bush administration’s position on the case but insisted it came to the decision differently. Holder’s effort to stop the lawsuit marked the first time the administration has tried to invoke the state secrets privilege. Under the strategy, the government can have a lawsuit dismissed if hearing the case would jeopardize national security. Holder said Judge Walker had been given a classified description of why the case must be dismissed so the court could “conduct its own independent assessment of our claim.” That was a departure from the Bush administration, which resisted providing specifics to judges handling such cases about what the national security concerns were. Holder previously said the administration would respect the outcome of Walker’s review’.
– And just for fun watch this little Cotton Top Tamarin lick his window clean at the Central Park Zoo.
The Great White Ugly March 28, 2010
Posted by judylobo in Animal Videos, art, Dogs and cats, Links, Photography, Politics, Videos, wildlife, Zoos.Tags: Antony Gormley, Benny the dog, Census, Central Park Zoo, Chinstrap Penguins, Event Horizon, Frank Rich, Gento Penguins, King Peguins, Madison Square Park, Recess appointments, The Hill
add a comment
– The great white anger of the day is ugly to watch and baffling to those of us who live in diverse communities. Living in NYC is a bit like living near the Tower of Babel. I hear different languages, see different colors, races and cultures everyday and like to believe I am richer for that privilege. The anger out there is all about fear. The United States these crazies used to know (or believe they knew) is fading into the distance. You think it is a coincidence that these same angry people do not want to fulfill the Constitutional obligation of a Census? They are afraid the numbers will be even worse than they think. Nobody says it better than Frank Rich. Check out his column today for the real reason those very angry white people are hurling invectives and making overt threats.
‘That a tsunami of anger is gathering today is illogical, given that what the right calls “Obamacare” is less provocative than either the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Medicare, an epic entitlement that actually did precipitate a government takeover of a sizable chunk of American health care. But the explanation is plain: the health care bill is not the main source of this anger and never has been. It’s merely a handy excuse. The real source of the over-the-top rage of 2010 is the same kind of national existential reordering that roiled America in 1964.’
– Yesterday President Obama did what many Presidents do (for the record, when Bush did the same thing it made me crazy)- he made recess appointments. He cleared 15 nominees to assume posts that have remained vacant for months due to insurmountable congressional roadblocks. Among the 15 named just days before the Senate departs for Easter recess are Craig Becker and Mark Pearce, the White House’s two, hotly contested nominees for the National Labor Relations Board. Check out the article from THE HILL for the other names and details.
– Check out Antony Gormley’s 31 life size sculptures in the Madison Square Park neighborhood through August 15, 2010. It is a great way to enjoy my neighborhood with its rich history and great architecture. See if you can find all 31 sculptures and you never know – you might catch me and my dog Benny sniffing around. Yes, that is Benny in the above photo doing his ‘art critic’ thing once again.
– My latest video features one minute of the fabulous new penguin feeding regimen at the Central Park Zoo. You can see our new King Penguins along with the Gentoo and the Chinstraps. It’s a fish frenzy of fun!
Sunday Fun August 16, 2009
Posted by judylobo in Animal Videos, Photography, wildlife, Zoos.Tags: Central Park Zoo, Columbus Zoo
1 comment so far
Taking a break from politics today to enjoy some fabulous faces from the Central Park Zoo.
– So what kind of toy do you give a 600 pound baby elephant? How about a 2-foot round blue plastic ball? Enrichment items such as Boomer balls are commonplace in zoos today. These toys and activities add variety and exercise to the animals lives and help to encourage their natural behaviors. As for Beco and his Boomer Ball that enrichment has double benefits it also helps mom Phoebe get a break from looking after 600 pounds of bouncing baby elephant energy.