Tuesday, May 23, 2023. New York City – Palestinians, Anti-zionist Jews, Mexicans, Latinos, Latinas and others commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
On May 15th, 2023, was “the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe). During the Nakba, between 750,000 and 1,000,000 Indigenous Palestinians were driven out of their homes and ethnically cleansed at the hands of Zionist militias and, later, the Israeli army to establish the state of Israel as a Jewish supremacist settler-colony.”_bdsmovement.net
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; New York City.
On Saturday, May 13, 2023, the organization Within Our Lifetime (WOL) organized a rally and a march. The rally was at 72nd and 5th Ave in Bay Ridge. The march was in the same neighbourhood of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn; New York City.
The organization Within Our Lifetime said before the rally and march, “Join us for a takeover of Bay Ridge, the heart of the Palestinian community in NYC. This is more than a protest, it is a community gathering to assert our power and show NYC that we stand with Palestine from the river to the sea, and we support Palestinian resistance and liberation by any means necessary.”
Times Square, Manhattan; New York City.
New York for Palestine Coalition and Human Rights Organizations said before the rally and march, “(On Sunday, May 14, 2023) New Yorkers will rally to commemorate the 75th year of the catastrophic colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the “Nakba”, by Zionist forces – and to protest the ongoing and escalating war crimes by Zionist forces in Palestine. The rally is organized by the NY For Palestine (NY4P) coalition along with numerous other NY based community and human rights organizations.
The Nakba marks the height of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Zionist forces in 1948, wherein Zionists exiled approximately two-thirds of the Palestinian population from their homes and lands and destroyed over 700 Palestinian towns and villages. Since then, Palestinians have been subject to a brutal regime of torture, armed home invasions and demolitions, massacres, policies of Apartheid, expanding military occupation, and theft of their lands, homes, farms, water, and schools. By commemorating the Nakba, Palestinians mark and highlight 75 years of daily policies and practices of brute violence by the Zionist entity, which violate every article of the Geneva Conventions.”
United Nations. Manhattan, New York City.
The Palestinian American Community Center said before the event, “Help us commemorate the Nakba with @wolpalestine and @alawdany on Monday May 15th at 10am at the United Nations. We will be rallying in support of the United Nation’s Historic Decision to acknowledge and commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba.”
The United Nations says on UN.org, “2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the mass displacement of Palestinians known as “the Nakba” or “the Catastrophe”. The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nakba at UN Headquarters in New York.”
Anti-Zionist Jews support Palestine.
Anti-Zionist orthodox Jews of the organization Neturei Karta participated in all the events in support of Palestine.
They say on their website nkusa.org, “Neturei Karta oppose the so-called “State of Israel” not because it operates secularly, but because the entire concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law.
All the great rabbis who in accordance with Jewish Law opposed Zionism at its inception did not do so merely due to consideration of the secular lifestyles of the then Zionist leaders or even for their opposition to Torah heritage and rejection of its values and practices, but due to the fact that the entire concept of a Jewish state is in direct conflict with a number of Judaism’s fundamentals.”
Saturday, May 13, 2023. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; New York City – Palestinians, Anti-zionist Jews, and others commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.JavierSoriano.com
Sunday, June 13, 2021. New York City – In April and May 2021, I saw mute swans incubating their eggs in the beautiful Prospect Park, in the borough of Brooklyn; New York City.
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The first time I noticed them was on Friday, April 2, 2021. The second time I filmed one of the swans incubating the eggs was on Thursday, April 8, 2021. The third time I filmed a swan in the nest was on Friday, April 30, 2021. The four time I filmed the swan incubating the eggs was on Thursday, May 6, 2021. The fifth time I filmed the mother swan was on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. More than two months have passed and they already have babies, 6 beautiful cygnets.
VIDEO: Mother swan and her six baby cygnets.
A male swan is called a Cob. The female is called a Pen and the young are called cygnets (pronounced ‘sig-nets’) until they are a year old. Cygnets are not ducklings. Swans are not ducks, they are much bigger than most ducks, and cygnets are a bit larger than ducklings.
According to the information I found online, female and male swans take turns incubating the eggs, which hatch after 35-45 days.
I love swans, Canada geese, raccoons, squirrels, ducks, northern cardinals (also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal), and other animals in Prospect Park and other public parks in New York City. Animals should be free in their natural habitats and not in prisons (zoos, aquariums, circuses, etc.).
Unfortunately, some people do not like animals. Sometimes I see people harassing animals in parks. Sometimes it is the government that kills animals in parks and other places.
Canada geese used to have babies (goslings) in Prospect Park, in the borough of Brooklyn. The last time Canada geese had goslings in Prospect Park was in 2011. Watch the video below.
Baby Canada geese (goslings) in Prospect Park. Brooklyn, NYC.
On July 8, 2010, nearly 400 Canada geese and goslings in Prospect Park were captured, gassed and thrown into trash bags.
For several years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the NYC government killed thousands of Canada geese. They killed geese in Prospect Park, Central Park, Inwood Hill Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and other places.
A petition (that is closed now) by GooseWatch NYC says, “Since 2009, thousands of New York City’s Canada geese have been killed each summer by USDA Wildlife Services in the name of air safety. The killing is inhumane and lacks scientific merit.”
GooseWatch NYC became inactive at the end of 2016, but for several years, GooseWatch NYC, Friends of Animals and other organizations had rallies to protect Canada Geese, turkeys, deer, coyotes, swans and carriage horses.
7/8/2011. Mary Beth Purdy- Artz singing “This Land is Your Land” with the lyrics adapted to the Canada Geese issue.
On July 8, 2011 was the commemoration of the 1 year anniversary of the slaughter of the Prospect Park Canada Geese. Mary Beth Purdy- Artz sang “This Land is Your Land” with the lyrics adapted to the Canada Geese issue.
On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, GooseWatch NYC and In Defense of Animals had a press conference and rally at Merchant’s Gate (Columbus Circle) Central Park to speak out against the killing of Canada geese in New York City.
Speakers included David Karopkin, Founder and Director of GooseWatch NYC; Ken Paskar, President of Friends of La Guardia Airport and former lead safety representative for the FAA Safety Team; Anja Heister, M.S. Biologist and Director of the Wild and Free-Habitats Campaign; Brian Shapiro, NY State Director of The Humane Society of the United States; Edita Birnkrant, NY Director of Friends of Animals; Suzanne Soehner, resident of the Inwood Hill Park community and Mary Beth Purdy Artz, NYC Wildlife Advocate.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Brooklyn, New York City – Mother swan with her 6 babies (cygnets) in Prospect Park.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.LoveIsAmor.com
In 2018, “a family of mute swans in upstate Oneida was killed by U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife staff after a kayaker complained to state DEC about an “aggressive” male swan. The two adults were shot and the four cygnets were captured and intentionally drowned. In Brooklyn, the seven swans that make their home in Prospect Park Lake have been missing since June 2, according to signs posted this week.
Cymbrowitz and Avella sponsored legislation to protect New York’s mute swans from extermination, with input from Friends of Animals, which was signed into law in 2016. The law established a two-year moratorium on the DEC’s controversial mute swan management plan—which was basically a government sanctioned death sentence. The law also requires DEC to demonstrate that the swans have caused actual damage to the environment or to other species, including humans.”
Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Brooklyn, New York City – Mother swan with her 6 babies (cygnets) in Prospect Park.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.LoveIsAmor.com
Swans
“Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans’ closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although “divorce” sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.
Swans are the largest extant members of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. The largest living species, including the mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan, can reach a length of over 1.5 m (59 in) and weigh over 15 kg (33 lb). Their wingspans can be over 3.1 m (10 ft). Compared to the closely related geese, they are much larger and have proportionally larger feet and necks. Adults also have a patch of unfeathered skin between the eyes and bill. The sexes are alike in plumage, but males are generally bigger and heavier than females.[9] The biggest species of swan ever was Cygnus falconeri, a flightless giant swan known from fossils found on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily.
The Northern Hemisphere species of swan have pure white plumage, but the Southern Hemisphere species are mixed black and white. The Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) is completely black except for the white flight feathers on its wings; the chicks of black swans are light grey. The South American black-necked swan has a white body with a black neck.
Swans’ legs are normally a dark blackish grey colour, except for the South American black-necked swan, which has pink legs. Bill colour varies: the four subarctic species have black bills with varying amounts of yellow, and all the others are patterned red and black. Although birds do not have teeth, swans, like other Anatidae, have beaks with serrated edges that look like small jagged ‘teeth’ as part of their beaks used for catching and eating aquatic plants and algae, but also molluscs, small fish, frogs, and worms. In the mute swan and black-necked swan, both sexes have a fleshy lump at the base of their bills on the upper mandible, known as knob, which is larger in males, and is condition dependent, changing seasonally.”_Wikipedia.org
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Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Brooklyn, New York City – Mother swan with her 6 babies (cygnets) in Prospect Park.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.LoveIsAmor.com
Friday, June 4, 2021. New York City – On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, I saw this double-crested cormorant and some turtles in Prospect Park, one of the most beautiful parks in Brooklyn, New York City.
The double-crested cormorant and some turtles were on a small rock in the lake in the park.
VIDEO: Double-crested cormorant, turtles, swan babies, duck babies, and other friends in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC.
Double-crested cormorant
“The double-crested cormorant is all over the place—the lake in Prospect Park, the Central Park Reservoir, and sometimes the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This large black waterbird is one of the most common birds in the New York City area, and it’s often seen near bodies of water—both large and small, freshwater and saltwater—perching on rocks and small trees spreading its wings out to dry. An excellent fisherman, the double-crested cormorant’s diet consists almost entirely of fish.”_Brooklyn Botanic Garden
“The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. Its habitat is near rivers and lakes as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is an all-black bird which gains a small double crest of black and white feathers in breeding season. It has a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and it must spend time drying them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years.
The double-crested cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet, and a medium-sized hooked bill. It has a body length of between 70–90 cm (28–35 in) long, with a wingspan of between 114–123 cm (45–48 in). Double-crested cormorants weigh between 1.2–2.5 kg (2.6–5.5 lb). Males and females do not display sexual dimorphism.
This species has dark-colored plumage with bare supra-loreal skin and gular skin that is yellow or orange. An adult in breeding plumage will be mostly black with the back and coverts being a dark grayish towards the center. Nuptial crests, for which the species is named, are either white, black or a mix of the two. These are located just above the eyes with the bare skin on the face of a breeding adult being orange. A non-breeding adult will lack the crests and have more yellowish skin around the face. The bill of the adult is dark-colored. The double-crested cormorant is very similar in appearance to the larger great cormorant, which has a more restricted distribution in North America, mainly on the Canadian maritime provinces; it can, however, be separated by having more yellow on the throat and the bill.
The plumage of juvenile double-crested cormorants is more dark gray or brownish. The underparts of a juvenile are lighter than the back with a pale throat and breast that darkens towards the belly. As a bird ages, its plumage will grow darker. The bill of a juvenile will be mostly orange or yellowish.
The double-crested cormorant’s numbers decreased in the 1960s due to the effects of DDT. Colonies have also been persecuted from time to time in areas where they are thought to compete with human fishing.
Recently the population of double-crested cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.”_Wikipedia.org
Prospect Park
Prospect Park is an urban park in Brooklyn, New York City. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With an area of 526 acres (213 ha), Prospect Park is the second largest public park in Brooklyn, behind Marine Park.
First proposed in legislation passed in 1859, Prospect Park was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also helped design Manhattan’s Central Park, following various changes to its design. Prospect Park opened in 1867, though it was not substantially complete until 1873. The park subsequently underwent numerous modifications and expansions to its facilities. Several additions to the park were completed in the 1890s, in the City Beautiful architectural movement. In the early 20th century, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) commissioner Robert Moses started a program to clean up Prospect Park. A period of decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Prospect Park Alliance, which refurbished many parts of the park starting in the late 1980s.
Main attractions of the park include the 90-acre (36 ha) Long Meadow; the Picnic House; Litchfield Villa; Prospect Park Zoo; the Boathouse; Concert Grove; Brooklyn’s only lake, covering 60 acres (24 ha); and the Prospect Park Bandshell that hosts free outdoor concerts in the summertime. The park also has sports facilities, including the Prospect Park Tennis Center, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, and the New York Pétanque Club in the Parade Ground. There is also a private Society of Friends (Quaker) cemetery on Quaker Hill near the ball fields. In addition, Prospect Park is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, a network of green spaces that stretch across western Long Island.
Prospect Park was designated a New York City scenic landmark on November 25, 1975, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980. The park is operated by the Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks.”_Wikipedia.org
Wednesday, June 2, 2021. New York City – Double-crested cormorant and some turtles in Prospect Park, Brooklyn; New York City.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.JavierSoriano.com
Saturday, May 29, 2021. New York City – On Thursday, May 27, 2021, Trans women Joel Rivera and Qween Andy Jean held a rally and march for Trans man Tony McDade.
The rally was in front of The Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, New York City.
Tahanie Aboushi, candidate for Manhattan District Attorney and Cynthia Nixon attended the rally for a few minutes.
5/27/2021. Tahanie Aboushi. Civil rights attorney.
Tahanie says on her website, “Tahanie Aboushi is a quintessential New York story. Born into a Palestinian immigrant family that valued hard work, she learned at an early age that the system was designed to hurt some communities, and that liberty and justice were not for all. Tahanie understands that perception and prejudice can shape and distort how a person is treated. Recognizing how prevalent mistreatment can be for anyone considered an ‘other,’ Tahanie has dedicated her life to fighting for her communities, to ensure liberty and justice for all.”
Aboushi says she supports “full decriminalization of sex work, never prosecute any recreational drug use or possession, advocate for marijuana legalization and work to make sure the benefits of legalization help communities targeted by the failed war on drugs, partner with appropriate departments to create infrastructure that supports community-based mental health treatment.”
Tahanie Aboushi says that as Manhattan DA, she will: “Create a safe space for immigrant communities to focus on the criminal circumstance without fear of ICE presence and deportation, hire immigration attorneys in the early case assessment bureau and throughout each division to assess the impact of charges on immigration status, crack down on wage theft from immigrant workers, etc.”
Thursday, May 27, 2021. Manhattan, New York City – Right to left: Trans woman Joe Rivera, unknown man, lawyer Tahanie Aboushi and Trans woman Qween Andy Jean.
Photo by Javier Soriano/www.JavierSoriano.com
