TheZoo

The Watering Hole, Thursday, February 2nd: Don’t Frack with New York!

Jane E. Schneider — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:08:23 +0000

When I was young, my parents managed to scrape together enough money to take us on a week’s vacation nearly every summer, usually to somewhere within reasonable driving distance from our home in southeastern New York. Several of these vacations were in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but some of our other trips were to the Catskill Mountains, a much shorter drive away. While I have only vague memories of a small rustic cabin shadowed by huge pine trees, the highlight of our trips to the Catskills, for me, was a visit to Catskill Game Farm. The game farm was a small zoo, complete with lions, llamas, monkeys, English fallow deer, giraffes, zebras, sheep, goats, etc. Being very small, my favorite part of the visit was feeding the deer and goats. One could buy a handful of feed from a dispenser, and immediately be surrounded by a small herd.

Mum, Jane, and siblings Bobby and Anne with a friendly goat at Catskill Game Farm

Although our visits to the Catskills centered primarily around the Game Farm (which, sadly, closed down in 2006 after 73 years of entertaining families), the Catskill Park itself offers a whole lot more. The entire park consists of 700,000 acres, about 300,000 of which is the publicly-owned Catskill Forest Preserve. The Preserve was established in 1885, starting with 34,000 acres. Situated just to the west of the Hudson River, its rounded, heavily-forested mountains, valleys, waterfalls and streams provide a home to black bears, bobcats, bald eagles and other wildlife. The park’s large landscapes and small, secluded ecosystems are a photographer’s dream. Its reservoirs and streams provide much of the drinking water for New York City.

Unfortunately, with its proximity to the Marcellus Shale, this pristine area is now under threat of being tainted by proposed fracking activity. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has put out an alert to try to stop New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYSDEC from allowing fracking in the Catskill area. The public comment period on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) expired on January 12th, but there is still time to sign the NRDC’s petition to save yet another irreplaceable national jewel from being ruined. This is an area that is near and dear to me personally, and I hope that you’ll all add your signatures for this worthwhile cause.

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to present your thoughts on any topic that comes to mind.

The Wartering Hole, Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Money Wins in Florida Primary!

Briseadh na Faire — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:01:06 +0000

“Do you know what I intend? I intend to be a king in a big palace and when I go out in my coach, all the people will wave and I will shout at them, and…and…in the summertime I will go to my summer palace and I’ll wear my crown in swimming and everything, and all the people will cheer and I will shout at them… What do you mean I can’t be king? Nobody should be kept from being a king if he wants to be one. It’s usually just a matter of knowing the right people.. ..well…. if I can’t be a king, then I’ll be very rich then I will buy myself a kingdom. Yes, I will buy myself a kingdom and then I’ll kick out the old king and take over the whole operation myself. I will be head king.” Mitt Romney, age 5.

(with apologies to Charles Schultz)

This Be the Open Thread O’The Day.

The Watering Hole: January 31 – Late Edition

EV — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:42:51 +0000

This is our open thread. It’s never too late is it?

Watering Hole: Monday, January 30, 2012 – Micro Plastics

Cats r Flyfishn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:05:32 +0000

Many of our clothes and other household items that need washing such as dish cloths and towels, contain plastic fibers woven in with natural fibers. These micro plastic fibers break free in the washing machine and enter our water systems. This is the main source of micro plastic pollution.

There are also nano plastics. These can be found in cosmetics and toothpaste.

This is our Open Thread. Speak Up!

More below…

If you have the time, here is a presentation by Julie Masura from the University of Washington, Tacoma. This is very informative.

Here’s a link to an interview from Radio Times.

Sunday Roast — How Beauty Feels

Zooey — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:29:40 +0000

How do we know something is beautiful? Is it by sight alone, or is it a feeling? Once we decide what beauty is for us, how much power does it hold?

I once knew a woman who was physically quite unattractive, everything about her outside was just off somehow. But being around her for even a short period of time was enough for me to realize she was one of the most beautiful people on the planet.

Actually, this was one of the greatest life lessons for me.

This is our daily open thread — What do you think?

The Watering Hole: January 28 – Sun Tzu and Jan Brewer

WaltTheMan — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:28:31 +0000

Sun Tzu is a Chinese strategist who wrote “The Art of War”. He lived from 544 to 496 BC.

Now what do Sun Tzu and Jan Brewer have in common? He is one of those credited for the proverb – “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Arabs also claim credit for the proverb, but trail Sun Tzu in time.

Here, Jan Brewer has shown herself to be the enemy of Barack Obama at the airport in Mesa, Arizona. In turn, Jan Brewer has also shown herself to be the enemy of Hispanic people and Jan Brewer has already established herself as a spokesperson for the Conservative movement.

Combining the logic, Hispanic people should consider Barack Obama as their friend and will logically find an enemy in the Conservative movement.

Since Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, Conservatives will have a tough row to hoe in current and future political campaigns.

This is our Open Thread. Should Democrats consider Jan as a supporter in the 2012 campaign? Your comments please.

Music Night, January 27, 2012

gummitch — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:00:08 +0000

Sheesh. January is almost over already. This doesn’t seem right to me, like I’m suddenly whizzing faster and faster into old age and death. Stop! I’m still 27!

In case you’re new here, this is the part where you share favored music clips. No themes, no rules.

The Watering Hole: January 27 — The Aurora

Zooey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:27:46 +0000

Absolutely gorgeous.

Video blurb:

Shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures around -25 Celsius.

Brrrrrr…but worth it.

This is our daily open thread — TGIF!!

The Watering Hole, Thursday, January 26th: From Little to Big–Mouse’s Story

Jane E. Schneider — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:15:26 +0000

When Mouse first showed up at our back door, she was a pudgy miniature of her dad, Smokey. (Forgive the quality of the photo, I didn’t want to open the door and scare her.)

Smokey and Mouse

Mouse and her brother, Butterball (aka “Balls”), were inseparable, especially since they were constantly left to their own devices by their mentally-challenged mom, Mamacita.

Mouse and Butterball

Mamacita, in her brief "lucid" period, chooses a toy from the basket

Although both Mama and Balls were social enough with me, Mouse would never let me near her. She had her brother for company, plenty of food, and that was enough for her. Then Balls disappeared, and, sadly, Wayne and I found him dead, near the intersection of our road and the main road. We could only surmise that Balls had followed one of the older males in his ’rounds’, because otherwise he rarely strayed far from our yard. We were devastated, but at least we knew what had happened to him. Mouse, of course, was also devastated, and would sit at the end of the deck, day after day, watching down the yard for Balls to come back. It was heartbreaking to see.

Mouse keeps watch (here accompanied by the local groundhog)

Mouse still would not let me touch her, and, eventually, became pregnant.

Mouse, pregnant, still keeping her distance

She was such a little thing still, and when she went into labor, she had a terrible time. She was in a doghouse that we had set up outside the back door, and I stayed with her for hours while she strained to give birth. Exhausted, she finally allowed me to touch her for the first time, as I wrapped her up, put her in a box, and Wayne and I proceeded to rush her to the emergency vet. In the car, I sat in the back seat lightly petting her, and she purred up at me as if she finally understood that we were trying to help her. At the vet’s, a brief examination revealed the problem: a single kitten was stuck, too big for Mouse to push out, and already dead. Wayne held Mouse still while the vet proceeded to extricate the poor kitten, and was rewarded for his assistance by Mouse biting him deeply on his hand (he forgave her.)

Naturally we kept her in the house to recuperate, and, after that, Mouse became “mommy’s little girl”, insisting on being on or next to me as much as possible. She turned into a loving little sweetie whose favorite thing was to “wash mommy”, licking my hands until she felt that they were good and clean (and red and sore!)

Mouse dozes behind my 'spot' on the couch

While she stayed smaller than most cats throughout the rest of her life, she did fill out quite a bit, eventually turning into a classic Kliban cat.

Mouse lolls on the bed, tongue out and ready to give mommy a 'bath'

A few weeks before my mum’s final birthday, in October of 2004, Mouse was diagnosed with an illness for which nothing could be done, and I stayed with my little girl as she was put to sleep. I miss her deeply still, and will never forget her constant companionship and affection.

The Watering Hole: Wednesday, January 25, 2012: BREAKING GNUS — RNC TO CANCEL REST OF PRIMARIES!

Briseadh na Faire — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:01:49 +0000

In a stunning move, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus informed the Florida Secretary of State that his party was cancelling the Florida Primary, as well as the rest of the primaries set for later this spring. He held a press conference at 5:a.m. Eastern time to announce his decision.

“I’m glad you all could make it on such short notice” Priebus began, addressing the lone reporter who happened by on his way to a nearby Dunkin Donuts. Priebus continued:

We have three candidates, each of whom has won a primary. But their attacks on each other have been so dead-bang accurate that none of them are electable in a general election. I am therefore suspending the rest of the primary season to prevent the further destruction of the Republican Party.

Right now, the polls show that the only Republican Candidate who does not have a 50% plus disapproval rating from independent voters is Stephen Colbert. While I understand he has dropped out of the race for the President of the United States of South Carolina, it is my hope that I can convince him by the time we have our Convention to toss his hat into the ring for President of the United States of America. He alone can save the Republican Party.

The reporter immediately called Stephen Colbert for his comment on this startling revelation. “F— you, Stewart!” Colbert said, “Do you know what time it is? I am not coordinating with you on my Super PAC!”

Later, Colbert gave a prepared statement, “I am deeply honored by Reince Priebus’ call to serve this great country of ours. But before accepting, I would like to know if I get to choose my running mate, because Jane Fonda is hot. Next, I would like to know if I was elected, could I re-design the Oval Office to have some corners? Because I can think of a few Congressmen I would love to see stand in the corner.”

This be the Daily Open Thread. HAPPY HUMP DAY.