Scene Around

OH NO! NOT ANOTHER POEM!

(written by "Yours Truly")

Hello, my friends, I'm still at home...

I guess I'll write another poem,

I have a mask, I have a glove,

And lots of chocolate (that I love,)

But I need more, especially laughs,

I'm tired of living life in "halves,"

I'm going to take my friends to eat,

A fancy restaurant sounds real neat,

We'll celebrate my birthday night,

And drink until the morning light,

I'll stumble home and I'll feel free,

(Until I try to find my key),

I'm elderly, a senior gal,

A label that caused me pain,

Instead of "young and beautiful,"

"OLD" makes me go insane,

But then I thought of all the songs,

The music of my time,

How beautiful and meaningful,

(Not rap... pure crap, a crime),

And famous stars and comics,

Like Benny, Berle and Brooks,

Each a talent (and a Jew),

Remember Baby Snooks?,

The Broadway shows and glitzy acts,

The movies of my day,

Were absolutely brilliant,

Entertaining in every way!

SO WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED????...

(Actually, I'm so grateful to be "elderly." We had great music, great talents, great dancers (like Astaire, Kelly, and ME.)

I began my career in show business as a dancer but after three children, I (and my weight gain) decided to sing!

All kidding aside, this is what is really happening to the earth...

Thank goodness for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, who are meeting the challenges of climate change.

Not only that, but at this crucial time, when world response to Covid-19 is vitally important, Ben-Gurion University has emerged as a leader in the fight against the pandemic, acting swiftly and using all its resources to help not just the nation of Israel, but the nation of humankind. But back to climate change...

Climate change is already affecting our food supply. Researchers recently calculated that the available calories from the world's top 10 food crops are decreasing annually due to the impact of climate change. As a result, researchers at Ben-Gurion University are looking into how lesser-known crops that thrive under adversity can make our global food supply more resilient to climate change.

Also, BGU researchers unveiled a new technology to turn carbon-containing waste into gas for energy production, offering a promising alternative to sending waste to landfills.

And, BGU's professor ITZIK MIZRAHI plans to engineer microbial communities to reduce climate-warming methane and develop more sustainable methods of creating energy and treating wastes

These are just a few examples of how BGU is addressing the climate crisis with the most abundant crop in Israel:

Ingenuity!

I've been watching a lot of TV...

What else is there to do with this coronavirus pandemic but to watch television and eat! (Chocolate!)

One of my favorite shows is an oldy but goody... "Seinfeld." I knew that JERRY SEINFELD is Jewish and also JAY GREENSPAN (oops I didn't mean to say his real name. I meant to say JASON ALEXANDER). And, of course, the late, great, Jerry Stiller, who we recently lost.

What really surprised me though, was JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS whose paternal grandfather was Jewish... and a billionaire to boot!

Who knew?

News from the Jewish Federation...

The Roth Family Jewish Community Center and Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center will reopen on Monday, June 1st.

It will be a "limited and measured" reopening.

You can phone them at 407-645-5933 to see exactly what will be available and ongoing and what will be expected of each person who attends.

The staff will be welcoming but there will be strict rules for everyone's safety.

Shout-Out...

With all that is happening in the world these days, laughing, smiling, lifting spirits, etc., is a wonderful thing!

How lucky I feel to know a terrific lady who makes sure I have funny things to brighten my every day. I refer to LYA EISENBERG,

Lya, the loving wife of Dr. HARRY EISENBERG, a well-respected member of the medical community, our Jewish community and all of Central Florida, makes sure to email me with jokes and funny, clever lines almost every day. (Of course, I pass them along as if they were mine to begin with!)

Thank you Lya, for being you!

One for the road...

Friends and family were at Finchley cemetery for Moshe's funeral. Just before the funeral service commenced, Rabbi Zeller goes over to Ruth, a very elderly widow, and asks, "So how old was Moshe?" 

"He was 99, kin-a-hora," replies Ruth, "two years older than me." 

"So you must be 97?" says Rabbi Zeller. 

Ruth replies, "Yes, hardly worth going back home is it?"

(Oy vay... No, I'm not that old! SHUT UP!)