PLEASE LEAVE THEM OUT OF IT

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
June 5, 2022 Volume 14 Number 17
To Donate (Thank You)
In The Time That You Gave Me

PLEASE LEAVE THEM OUT OF IT

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  I don’t know how many of you caught this headline Ukrainian Dog Tasked With Sniffing Out Russian Mines Hailed A ‘Hero’  I obviously did and I can certainly understand the appeal of such news.  But it bothered me.  It bothered me a lot.

Ironically, there was a time when I loved reading about animal heroes and I’m still a patty-melt softie when it comes to films starring them.  My all time favorite in this category is Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey which starred the voices of Don Ameche, Sally Fields and Michael J. Fox.

I am also fully aware of the sacrifices made by the canine corps of all armies and remembered that an injured carrier pigeon named Cher Ami rescued the Lost Battalion during the First World War.

I am acutely aware of life in the woods and the panoply of birth, death and the span in-between.  I am neither mystified nor intimidated by it.  My grandfather, a Trinity Alps rancher, told me that sometimes the heart is the best listener. 

I grew up around people who communicated with all creatures great and small.  I spoke to my first cougar at age 8.

I don’t want them involved in human enterprises which make them heroes.  They were created to live lives of their own. 

I want us to do that and leave them be.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California–born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

This weekend it’s all about Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. She is celebrating 70 amazing years on the throne, making her the longest reigning British monarch in history.  Seeing how devoted and wise Her Royal Highness has been to her nation, it is even more impressive to me how wonderful an inspiration she has been to all women. (I must confess I watched the Royal Parade from home with a glass of white wine to cheer.) 

You, Mishka, know my love of history so it was a pleasure for the eyes to see such a historical event and the traditional salute of the cuirassiers and soldiers to their Queen.

Also it was very interesting watching how Elizabeth changed through times in new BBC documentary  of unseen footage from the Queen’s archive. That made me relate even more as it included letters to her grandmother. She shared her feelings when being in evacuation during World War II or admiring cumulative effect of all good deeds of British people leading to victory. That just made me realize how much in common we all human beings have no matter royal or ordinary. 

Sometimes it makes me think how lucky it is to spend the time on this planet with such interesting people.  It is all we have, quite short period of time, compared to the eternity of Universe? So we need to cherish it and I’m glad we sharing this epoch with you.

Also I was very pleased to find out that my Harmony on her Way to Rescue Green Planet little story in Ukrainian language was acquired in a few libraries over the world including, in Great Britain, the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Libraries. The main protagonist Queen Harmony living in GreenLand inspired by ever green fields of England.

Long Live the Queen. 

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Australia Letter: When Freedom Is Only The Beginning

World’s Biggest Plant Discovered Off Australian Coast

How A Brazilian Town Took A Bet On Basic Income

Extreme E And TNC Partner To Help Restore Brazilian Amazon

In Big Bid To Punish Moscow, EU Bans Most Russia Oil Imports

Turkey Wants To Be Called Türkiye In Rebranding Move

US Sending Medium-Range Rocket Systems To Ukraine

At 100 Days, Russia-Ukraine War By The Numbers |

American Agriculture’s Reliance On Foreign Workers Surges

The American Government Stashes Billions Of Pounds Of Cheese In Missouri Caves  

U.S. Rivers Need More Protection, And Congress Can Help Now

WA State DOLAI Enacts Emergency Heat, Wildfire Smoke Protection For Outdoor Workers

QUALITY OF LIFE

100 Days Of Extraordinary Images From Ukraine

The Harms Of Being Subjugated And Doing The Subjugation

Caring For People Fleeing War In Ukraine | Doctors Without Borders – USA

Center For Gun Violence Solutions | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Commentary: What Growing Up In Rural Germany Taught Me About Guns

The Prison Garden Empowering Women To Pursue Growth 

Suicide Is An Urgent Public Health Problem In America

Women Who Remain Single For Long Periods Of Time End Up The Happiest

HEALTH

Omicron Vs. Allergies: How To Tell The Difference 

6 Herbs With Impressive Antiviral Activity

The Symptoms And Causes Of Monkeypox, As Virus Cases Rise Globally

Early Signs Of Stroke To Know: What Are The Warning Signs? 

How Loneliness Affects Your Health

Signs Of Melanoma: What Does Melanoma Look 

6 Evidence-Based Benefits Of Green Tea

Forest Bathing: What It Is And Where To Do It

HISTORY

How D-Day Changed The Course Of WWI

Churchill And Roosevelt Spent Years Planning D-Day

In 1920s New York, This Woman Typist Became A Pioneering Aerial Photographer

HOME & GARDEN

Gardening Advice From Indigenous Food Growers

How An E-Cargo Bike Can Be Life-Changing

How To Spice Up Your Kitchen Equitably

How To Turn Dirt Into Soil 

These Are The Green Cleaning Products I’ve Been Loving Lately

Try Decluttering This Spring Instead Of Just Cleaning

Use The Work Lessons Of The Pandemic To Help New Parents

Why More Americans Are Rethinking Their Lawns  

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

On The Clean Water Act’s 50th Birthday, What Should We Celebrate?

3 Oil Companies Pull Out Of Alaska’s Arctic National Refuge

Cars Now Release More Pollution From Their Tires Than Their Tailpipes, Analysis Shows

How To Solve The Problem Of Plastic Packaging

What Works To Combat Global Deforestation?

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Engineers Create Zero Carbon Cement That Could Rewrite Course Of Concrete And Steel

Goodyear Wants To Make Tires From Dandelions

Human Hair Is A Surprising Secret Weapon For Cleaning Up Oil Spills

New Zealand Grandmother Converts Old Honda Into Electric Car

Wooden Wind Turbine Towers Promise To Slash Carbon Footprint

EARTH

7 Secret Caves We’d Love To See Inside 

Ancient Rock Arches Sing Songs

Climate Change Is Turning The Alps From White To Green, Study Finds

Get To Know The Planet’s Pollinators

Global Satellite Data Show Where Agriculture Is Wiping Out Wildland

South America’s Unknown Ancient Path

SPACE

Can Binary-Star Planets Support Life?

Could Homeless Aliens Migrate To Rogue Planets?

Hot, Rocky Exoplanets Among Webb’s 1st Targets

How More Than A Century Of Antarctic Agriculture Is Helping Scientists Grow Food In Space 

NASA’s New Mineral Dust Detector Headed To Space Station

The Latest From NASA’s Earth Observatory

TRAVEL

9 New Trails Joining The National Trails System This June

10 Vancouver Must-See Attractions

15 Best Small Towns To Visit In 2022 

Anacortes – A Must Visit Summertime Destination

How To Experience The Healing Power Of Nature In British Columbia

The Kystriksveien: Earth’s Most Beautiful Road Trip?

One Moment in Time – Susan McFadden

Sissel – Slow Down , Featuring The Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Live At Temple Square)

Because All Men Are Brothers – Peter, Paul & Mary

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Dolphins Use Corals As Medicine Cabinets

Janitor Corrals Curious Cougar In Empty California Classroom

Scared Of Sharks? This Photographer Aims To Turn Shark Fear Into Fascination

Scientists Are Using YouTube To Understand How Elephants Mourn Their Dead

Wildlife In The American West: The Good, The Bad, The In-Between

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

IF WE ARE TO SURVIVE AS A SPECIES

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
May 29, 2022 Volume 14 Number 16
To Donate (Thank You)
In The Time That You Gave Me

IF WE ARE TO SURVIVE AS A SPECIES

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  I don’t know what annoys you guys to the point of bad behavior but the thing that tops my list is when people make things unnecessary complicated, simply for the attention it gets them.  When this costs lives, I get infuriated.  I am not currently a happy camper.

If you want to reduce mass murders, first take the glamour out of violence by keeping it histrionic free.  Don’t make a shooter famous for it.  Second, raise the age of purchase of any firearm to 21 and dependent on passing a background investigation designed to weed out criminals and the unstable.  Third, have every person who enters a school or other public building go through the same thing you and I do to board a commercial airliner.

Remember that violence does not spring full grown from the psyche.  It begins with something as simple as a sneer, snub, insult or slap.  And remember that Moses made the trip up to the summit of Mt. Sinai because one rule, however, golden, was not enough.

If we are to survive as a species, that rule must become priceless.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California–born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

Kharkiv, Ukraine in better times.

KHARKIV REQUIEM

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

Thousands of life scenes revolve around war. There are stories we can read in the media but there are hundreds and millions left untold. Everyone will have their story and own personal truth as catastrophic things like that will touch in one way or another anyone. War so similar to natural disaster once unfolded it’s like a storm.  The only thing we know is that one day its force will fade away. But that knowledge doesn’t help in the eye of the storm.

Even though I am safe in the UK, I keep in touch with friends and family who are not.  One friend of mine is producing some amazing photographs of Kharkiv, where he is also a Ukraine soldier.  A family member who was also serving and how their barracks was air bombed while they were at the mess hall eating supper.

Sometimes I have dreams of images of people I haven’t seen in a long time. I just want them all to know somebody is always looking out the window, waiting for them with eyes full of love and a profound desire for a hug.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity

Assam Floods: Flood Leaves Thousands Without Food And Water 

Iran Vows Revenge After Revolutionary Guards Colonel Is Assassinated 

Ship Expands Iran Revolutionary Guard’s Reach To New Waters |

As Millions Face Poverty, Iran’s Government Dissolves Largest NGO For The Poor

Starbucks To Quit Russia But Pay Six Months’ Wages 

British Queen Tours Chelsea Flower Show In Golf Buggy

Oklahoma Governor Signs The Nation’s Strictest Abortion Ban

Documents Shed Light On Secret U.S. Plans For Apocalyptic Scenarios

U.S. Passes 1 Million Covid Deaths; 14 Documentaries Give Context

Biden Launches Indo-Pacific Trade Deal, Warns Over Inflation  

Biden: US Would Intervene With Military To Defend Taiwan 

Goodbye New York City ; Estimates Show Big City Losses, Sunbelt Gains 

Ukraine Slams Idea Of Swapping Land For Peace

War Crimes Watch: Targeting Ukraine Schools, Russia Bombs Future

Russian Sentenced To Life In Ukraine’s 1st War Crimes Trial

QUALITY OF LIFE

After 3 Months Of War, Life In Russia Has Profoundly Changed |

Are Urban Growth Boundaries Effective Or Worthless?

How Ukrainian And Russian Immigrants View The War From Afar

Nature-Based Education Sounds Nice, But Let’s Start By Sending Kids Out To Play

Scientist Says That Humans Are Almost Certainly Going Extinct

Shooter Warning Signs Get Lost In Sea Of Social Media Posts

Washington State’s Gov. Inslee Tests Positive For COVID-1

We Must Treat Gun Violence As A Public Health Crisis | Time

HEALTH

The Health Costs Of Gun Violence Trauma

Walking For Weight Loss – How To Do It

What Are The Signs Of Kidney Disease?

Why The Gym Is Risky For COVID-19, And Tips For Keeping Safe

HOME & GARDEN

5 Easy Herb-Infused Cooking Oils From Your Backyard (That Could Also Heal Your Hands)

Future Foods: What Will People Eat In 2050? 
10 Powerful Ayurvedic Herbs And Spices With Health Benefits

How To Turn Your Yard Into An Ecological Oasis

Who Knew A Vegetable Garden Could Be So Fun?

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

California Shellfish Farmers Need Greater Flexibility To Face Climate Change, OSU Study Finds

Half Of UK Butterfly Species Now Threatened Or Near Threatened With Extinction

Massachusetts Sues 15 Companies Over Pfas Contamination

Meet The 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners

Regeneration Of Abandoned Farmland Can Mitigate Climate Change, Study Finds

US Has Spent More Than $2B On A Plan To Save Salmon. The Fish Are Vanishing Anyway.

West Coast States Face Pressure To Sue Big Oil Over Climate

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Israel Tests Ai-Powered Floating Solar Panels To Generate Clean Energy

Subsea Internet Cables Could Help Detect Earthquakes 

Surprise Sighting: Ukraine’s Stranded Research Vessel

EARTH

6 Facts About Andorra, Europe’s Best-Kept Secret In The Pyrenees

California Faces Summer Blackouts From Climate Extremes

Climate Change Threatens Important African Coastal Site

Guide To The Serengeti, Home Of The Great Migration

Hurricane Names For 2022: Is Yours On The List?

Lost Cities Of The Amazon Discovered From The Air

NASA Snaps Photos Of Underwater ‘Sharkcano’ Erupting

Nature-Based Education Sounds Nice, But Let’s Start By Sending Kids Out To Play

Scientists Map Yellowstone’s Underground ‘Plumbing

The Forest That Gives Seattle Its Water

Unprecedented Fire, Wind And Snowmelt In The American Southwest

SKY

Best Milky Way photos of 2022! Tomáš Slovinský captured this image from Low Tatras, Slovakia. Tomáš wrote: “Although the winter portion of the Milky Way is much weaker than the summer portion, it’s still full of beautiful features that also deserve attention. This part of the galaxy contains many bright stars, particularly those of the Winter Hexagon. Over the subject (me), there’s a bright cone of zodiacal light pointing to a nice conjunction at the time: the red planet, Mars, just between 2 open star clusters, the Pleiades and Hyades.”

The Best Milky Way Photos Of 2022

Latest Images From NASA’s Earth Observatory

The Sun As You’ve Never Seen It

Boeing’s Starliner Reaches The International Space Station

How Webb Will Explore Our Own Solar System

NASA’s New Solar Sail Could Soon Navigate In Space

TRAVEL

North Cascades National Park

Get To Know Denmark’s Gorgeous Faroe Islands In 11 Stunning Facts

Machu Picchu: The Secrets Of This Fabled Mountaintop City

Saipan Is The Most Beautiful U.S. Island You May Not Know |

Transformative Travels: 12 British Columbia Trips For The Conscious Traveler

‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ @ Red Rocks – Celtic Woman
The Dustbowl Revival – “Lampshade On” – Official Video
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws: Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1990)

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Monarch Butterfly Count Up 35% In WWF-Mexico Survey

Montana Firefighters Save Elk Calf While Battling New Mexico Blaze

Vegetarian Birds Are More Social Than Carnivorous Ones

Wandering Young Orca Spends Night In Lagoon Near Paper Mill

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

A CONVERSATION WITH COVID

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
May 22, 2022 Volume 14 Number 14
To Donate (Thank You)

Photo courtesy of http://www.mygodpictures.com

A CONVERSATION WITH COVID

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  I’ve said from the very start that Covid is the planet’s immune system at work.  For two years, I’ve maintained that position.  I’ve also suggested it might be sentient and wondered what a conversation with it might be like.  

Me:  Ma’am, you don’t need to kill any more of us.  We’ve stopped being toxically gregarious

Covid:  Hello, Rusty and I too wish that was true.  But it is not true and we both know that.

Sigh.  It was worth a shot.

Smiling.  You seem in well enough good health for all of this.

I’ve got people in my gene pool who are allergic to kryptonite.

And in your life now, although your mother was awesome.

Like the blonde with the eight million dollar brain.

Like the blonde with the eight million dollar brain, yes.

This will end when humans have learned to love the planet like that?

Yes.  When you love like that, I will say good-bye.

Thank you.

Go with Gaia, Rusty.  And this time, do not let them forget.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

HAPPY VYSHYVNKA DAY

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

Happy Vyshyvnka Day,” we were saying to each other this week as on Thursday was Ukraine’s national day of recognition.  That’s when Ukrainians wherever we are, dress in historically traditional outfits and appreciate with our arts and our gatherings, what it means to be Ukraine.  I live in Brighton Beach.

You know my love of history, Rusty.  There are deep traditional roots to the original patterns that were made on clothes with different goals to protect from evil forces or bring prosperity. I found it’s quite interesting to find out the meaning behind every sign to decode its meaning.  The Meaning Behind Traditional Patterns in Ukrainian Embroidery

It was, as well, quite exciting revealing the history we don’t know. It is easy to buy any shirt with Vyshyvka on it.  Understanding the hidden meanings takes one to the next level. Understanding is everything.

One day I hope to be good enough in sewing to create my own vyshyvanka that, like my ancestors, I would then bequeath to the next generation and they to the next.

Vyshyvanka Day is not just a holiday that aims to preserve the Ukrainian folk traditions of creating and wearing ethnic embroidered clothes called vyshyvankas but also another reminder of how rich our culture is.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Cyber Security: Global Food Supply Chain At Risk From Malicious Hackers

Canada To Ban China’s Huawei And ZTE From Its 5G Networks

Climate Change Swells Odds Of Record India, Pakistan Heatwaves

Protesters Killed While Iran’s Government Blocks Internet and Media Coverage

Kalush Orchestra Wins Eurovision For Ukraine

NATO Chief Hails ‘Historic Moment’ As Finland, Sweden Apply

New Zealand Sponges Suffer ‘Unusual’ Bleaching Following Marine Heat Wave

Record-Shattering Tonga Volcanic Eruption Sent Atmospheric Waves Zipping Around The Earth

UK’s Platinum Jubilee: Eight Towns To Be Made Cities For Platinum Jubile

QUALITY OF LIFE

Dozens Of Rescuers Help Save Dolphins Stranded On Cape Cod

Meet Gleb And Ukraine’s Youth Orchestra In Exile In Slovenia

Saving The Imperiled Saltmarsh Sparrow

HEALTH

Monkeypox Cases Investigated In Europe, US, Canada And Australia

Study: Mrna Vaccines Fare Better Against COVID Variants

U.S. Oil Refineries Expose Communities To Cancer-Causing Benzene, Report Finds

HOME & GARDEN

Buenos Aires’ Unusual Pizza Topping

Most Wine Drinkers Cannot Answer These Four Questions

Gardening: A Tomato Lover’s 7 Tips For Growing Them Bi

7 Sustainable Ways To Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden

Mother And Daughter Team Transform Bus Into ‘Cottage Farmhouse’ On Wheels

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

IKEA To Start Selling Solar Panels In California Stores

‘Not Just A Science’ Vanderbilt University’s New Major Offers A New Way To Study Climate Change

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Built On Stilts: A Small House Built With Concrete-Free Foundations

Computer Powered By Colony Of Blue-Green Algae For 6 Months

Built on Stilts: A Small House Built With Concrete-Free Foundations

EARTH & SKY

Artist’s concept of the robot spacecraft Voyager 1. Some call it and its companion craft, Voyager 2, the little spacecraft that could. Launched from Earth in 1977, the pair is beyond the sphere of our sun’s influence, still heading outward. But now Voyager 1 has started sending back mystery data. Image via NASA. Read more.

Could Ants, Termites and Fishes Make Humans Better Farmers?

More Than 75% Of The World Could Face Drought By 2050, UN Report Warns

The Deep Ocean Is Warming As Climate Warms

Why Are There Continent-Sized ‘Blobs’ In The Deep Earth?

TRAVEL

The Puerto Rican Island Where 1,500 Monkeys Rule | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

Bad Kitty: German Town Grounds Cats To Save Rare Birds

Visit Seattle, Washington

Andy Griffith – Darlings – There Is A Time
2019 Pioneer Day Concert With Sissel – Music For A Summer Evening
Cruel War Is Raging – Peter, Paul & Mary Alive

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born In Wild For First Time In Four Years
The Portuguese Man-Of-War Is Not A Jellyfish And Packs A Nasty Sting
This Spider Can Hide Underwater From Predators For 30 Minutes
Humpback Mothers Are Bing Squeezed From Both Sides

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

TREATING OUR HOME PLANET RIGHT

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
May 15, 2022 Volume 14 Number 13
To Donate (Thank You)

TREATING OUR HOME PLANET RIGHT

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

Sometimes it’s nice to get away from reality and plunge into the world of creativity as

Eurovision has always been.  Even some hints what’s going on still affect even the song contest. Eurovision 2022: Why is Russia not competing this year?

You know I always watch Eurovision just because it gives me positive vibes remembering times of attending Eurovision 2005, the first time it was held in Ukraine in Kyiv after Ruslana’s Wild Dances victory in 2004.

Those were cheerful times indeed and sometimes I have nostalgia on this euphoria and atmosphere of international celebration in the heart of our country. 

This year’s Ukrainian entry is a bit in Ruslana’s style. It again combines authentic tunes and very modern  but this time rap bits KALUSH ORCHESTRA – Stefania . Quite interesting mix.

Also obviously as I live now in the UK, I couldn’t help paying attention to the UK entry Sam Ryder – SPACE MAN Great vocals  and inspirational lyrics. Something Elon Musk would love.

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of humankind’s dream searching the Universe but that even in space our homely Earth will call us back.

Shall we treat our home planet right?

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

Mount Rainier, looking east from Seattle, Washington. Photo by Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller

THE MOUNTAIN WHO INSPIRES ME

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  One of the more dramatic (but reversible) impacts of this pandemic is on landlords who – for whatever reasons good or bad — subdivided properties into human honeycombs.  Collecting the rent now, when each of these tenants could be a pandemic carrier, is dangerous.

I’ve lived in places like this and most of them were of necessity and manageable.  This was pre-pandemic.  I was a lot more gregarious back then.  I imagine we all were.  Like Olya, I enjoy being a body in motion and that includes shopping and running other errands.  Like the blonde with the eight million dollar brain, I too treasure the freedom of the open road including a mile walk to the nearest bus stop.  And to twice monthly cab rides of about $25.00.

My street does not have sidewalks.  My residence itself has a 200 yard drive way which leads to a large ranch style house and commercial garage situated on a three-acre forested bluff overlooking major transportation routes east and west, north and south.  On a clear day, I can see the Amtrak trains across Interstate Five.

I also have a stellar view of the Seattle Tacoma International Airport Tower and am often regaled by airliners coming in for a landing.  I can also see the Olympic Mountains which separate the Puget Sound from the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps best of all, rising majestically, gracefully, beautifully and gently our iconic Mt. Rainier.  She has seen a lot in her life time and she has not only survived, she has grown more beautiful.

In so doing, she inspires us all.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Brazil’s Amazon Breaks Another Deforestation Record

EU Plan Aims To Help Get Wheat From Ukraine To The World

Why Finland, Sweden Joining NATO Will Be Big Deal

Activists Urge UN Rep To Meet Them During Trip To Iran

Iran Protesters At Risk Of Lethal State Violence

Al Jazeera Reporter Killed During Israeli Raid In West Bank 

North Korea Confirms 1st COVID Outbreak, Kim Orders Lockdown

Record-Breaking Heat Wave Prompts Flash Flood, Collapsing Bridge In Pakistan

New South Korea Leader Offers Support If North Denuclearizes

UK Economy Shrank 0.1% In March As Inflation And Ukraine War Takes Toll

US Army Poised To Revamp Alaska Forces To Prep For Arctic Fight

UKRAINE

First Ladies Meet As US Announces New Sanctions

Artist George Butler Sketches Conflict

Germany Reopens Embassy In Kyiv, Supports War Crimes Probes 

Wives Of Mariupol Defenders To Pope: ‘You Are Our Last Hope’

QUALITY OF LIFE

Pilot Down, Passenger Takes Over With ‘No Idea How To Fly’

Wartime Birth Amid The Air Raid Sirens In Ukraine Hospital

HEALTH

How To Shut Off Your Brain When You Can’t Sleep

Paxlovid As A COVID-19 Treatment: What You Should Know

What Are Chronic Migraines? Causes And Treatments

HOME & GARDEN

Have Scientists Designed The Perfect Chocolate? |

Modular Micro-Dwelling Made With Shipping Containers

8 Reusable Kitchen Essentials

Vegan Picnic Foods For Your Spring Adventures

How To Make Your Bedroom An Eco Haven

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

Ben & Jerry’s Puts Cows On A Special Diet To Curb Methane Emissions

Biden Administration Forms New Office Of Environmental Justice

Green Guide To College: 7 Ways To Save Money & The Plane

‘No Mow May’ Movement Seeks To Provide Food For Hungry Bees

Scuba Divers Remove More Than 25,000 Pounds Of Debris From Lake Tahoe

These Anti-Solar Policies Are Threatening U.S. Clean Energy Goal

United States Will Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulb

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Moon Soil Used To Grow Plants For First Time In Breakthrough Test

UK’s Royal Mail Wants Fleet Of 500 Drones To Carry Mail To Remote UK Communities

EARTH

Climate Crisis Is Speeding The Water Cycle, Satellite Data Reveals

Coral Reefs Provide Stunning Images Of A World Under Assault

More Than 90% Of Great Barrier Reef Impacted By Sixth Mass Bleaching Event

Scientists Believe Beavers Can Build Resilience In Northwest Waterways

These US Rivers Are Endangered By Climate Change Pollution

SPACE

Large Asteroid 7335 To Pass Safely May 27

What Is A Super Massive Black Hole?

TRAVEL

A New Statue Of Jesus Is The World’s Tallest

Is This City The New ‘Vegan Capital Of The World’?

These Are America’s10 Most Popular National Parks

I Don’t Know How To Love Him – Sissel
I’ll Sing of Love — Sissel
Three Times A Lady — Sissel

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Rescued Ducks Play A Vital Role On This Vegan Farm

The Wolverine’s World Is Shrinking. But They’ve Found A Safe Haven In B.C. Mountains

Bats Tell Predators To ‘Buzz Off’ — Literally

Rare Deep-Sea Dragonfish Caught On Camera

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

University of Washington & National Public Radio

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

SAVED BY A BOATMAN

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
May 8, 2022 Volume 14 Number 12
To Donate (Thank You)

SAVED BY A BOATMAN

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

Last week I participated in very interesting event- fundraising for Medical Aid Delivered (MAD-AID), one of the charities helping the Ukrainian refugees in Moldova More than £6,000 raised for humanitarian aid for those displaced from Ukraine

I cannot express how much I appreciate the help of organizations like that so it was an honor to meet with the charity founder, Victoria Dunford, the first Moldovan to receive the Queen’s New Years Honors Medal.

Moldova is one of the bordering Ukraine countries that embraced the fleeing war Ukrainians with sympathy and understanding. The history of the conflict between Moldova and Transnistria was quite  a complicated issue.  As a result, though, now the Moldovan people value peaceful equilibrium and have become an example worth emulating.

Despite being a quite poor European country, they are trying their best to help those in needs. Of course the conditions there are not as good as in Poland or Germany but on the positive side, the Ukrainians feel closer in mentality to Moldovans because there is less of a language barrier and more in common culturally.

Another interesting talk was with the author of “Isle and Empires: Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight by  Stephan Roman. He can so much relate to the refugee situation because, a century ago, his ancestors fled Ukraine into Moldova to escape the onslaught of Russian Bolsheviks, and later settled in England. His grandparents were saved by a boatman who took them to other side of Dniester so they escaped CheKa.

Amazing how history repeats itself in our land so unfortunately but rightly called “blood land”.  Mishka, that story really made me cry.  But Roman is right.  Russia has different faces and there still hope that, one day, it will emerge as liberal country.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

THANK YOU, LADIES

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  Today, Sunday, America celebrates motherhood.  Whether or not you are a parent yourself, unless you were created in a test tube, you likely have two of them and one of them is probably biologically female. 

I loved my mom and she deserved it.  She worked hard and sacrificed a great deal.  She was a strong, passionate but painfully vulnerable woman whose awareness level was far too acute for her environment as the wife of a career law enforcement officer.  He left her after 20 years and here life improved a lot after that.

As a career professional, she was an alpha female to the max.  After two unsuccessful marriages to men, she discovered and then embraced her bisexuality and shared a bed with her best friend and her home with the best friend’s daughter.  She and Carolyn were coworkers at a major public utility and mom was her boss.

In this day and age, there might be a lot of talk and controversy around the multiple levels of their relationship.  Back then, there was none.  Both Pat and Carolyn were superb and dedicated professionals.  They were also friendly and always approachable.  Mom quietly kept politics and religion out of the workplace and personal equity issues were adjudicated by the union she invited in.

I miss them both.  Happy Mother’s Day, Ladies.  And thank you.

Love,

Your son,

Scott

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor. Now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Afghanistan: Providing Essential Medical Care Through Thick And Thin At Boost Hospital

EU Leader Calls For Russian Oil Ban In New Set Of Sanctions

Global: WHO: Almost 15M People Worldwide Have Died From COVID-19

Iraq: Five Years After The Battle Of Mosul, Women Still Struggle To Access Health Care

North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Amid Rising Animosities 

Russia: Wealthy Russians Flee To Dubai To Avoid Sanctions

South Sudan: Tens Of Thousands Of People Urgently Need Aid After Fleeing Clashes

Taipei Discovers Active Volcano On Its Doorstep 

US: Shell Profits Nearly Triple As Oil Prices Surge

UKRAINE

Dozens More Civilians Rescued From Ukrainian Steel Plant | AP News
Flowers In The Rubble: Ukrainian Woman Sees A Sliver Of Hope | AP News

Pope’s Ukraine Diplomacy A Political And Spiritual Tightrope 

The Race To Save Ukraine’s Sacred Art

Ukrainian Band Teams Up With Ed Sheeran For Charity Single

UN Conducting ‘Safe Passage Operation’ At Mariupol Steelworks

THINGS YOU CAN DO

Celebrate Black Birders Week And More Natural History

How Farmers In Earth’s Least Developed Country Grew 200 Million Trees

Mass Extinction In Oceans Can Be Avoided By Curbing Fossil Fuels

This Teenager Found A Way To Control Mosquitoes Using Essential Oils And Baker’s Yeast

QUALITY OF LIFE

Fitting Fashion For The Future

For These Dancers, Defending Ukraine Means Sharing Its Culture

Ukraine’s National Poet

HEALTH

11 Best Pairs Of Walking Shoes For High Arches, According To Podiatrists

Health Benefits Of Acupuncture e

How Do Mosquitoes Sniff Out Humans To Bite?

Inside The Effort To Expand Virtual Reality Treatments For Mental Health

What Urine Color Says About Your Health

HOME & GARDEN

Edible Landscaping Tips for Beginners

How Are Heirloom Tomatoes Different From Regular Tomatoes?

Wild Yeasts And Ancient Grains

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

How Do Solar Windows Work?

LA County Bans Single-Use Plastic For Restaurants

This Plastic-Eating Enzyme Could ‘Supercharge’ Recycling

‘Things You Can Do’ Is A Personal Guide To Tackling The Climate Crisis

SCIENCE

New Zealand Rocket Caught But Then Dropped By Helicopter

Science In Switzerland: The Women Driving Change

Snapchat’s Flying Selfie Drone

This Tiny Yellow Robot Spies On Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins

EARTH

Condors Soar Again Over Northern California Coastal Redwoods

Scientists Believe Beavers Can Build Resilience In Northwest Waterways

Two New Giant Dinosaur Species Solve A Mystery

Unique Agates On A Panamanian Island Reveal Submarine Volcanic Activity

What We Can Learn From The Canopy Soils Of The Olympic Rainforest

World’s Most Dangerous Road

SPACE

NASA, ESA Astronauts Safely Return To Earth

Head Of NASA Suggests That UFOs Could Be Alien Technology

Huge Solar Flare Captured In Stunning NASA Image As It Fires Off From The Sun

Russia Will Pull Out Of The International Space Station, Space Agency Chief Confirm

Scientists Say There May Be “Humans” All Over The Universe

What To See In The Night Sky For May 2022

TRAVEL

Discover The Resilience Of Mobile’s Africatown

Flooded By Tourists, Venice To Start Charging Access Fees

New Zealand’s Town That Needs A Passport –

Celtic Woman – Faith’s Song (Live From Johnstown Castle, Wexford

When You Believe – Celine Tam

The Impossible Dream – Jim Nabors (as Gomer Pyle, USMC)

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

New Elephant Moms And Babies Don’t Rest After Birth

Nuclear Sea Otters: A Wildlife Refugee Story

One In Five Reptiles Worldwide Are Threatened With Extinction

Orchid Mantis Looks Like A Flower, ‘Stings’ Like A Bee |

Six New Miniature Frog Species Discovered In Mexico |

Stingless Bees Help Rainforest And Local Communities

Washington State Naturalists Spot First Puget Sound Humpback Whale Calf Of The Yea

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

https://kuow.org

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

ESCAPE

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
May 1, 2022 Volume 14 Number 11

Easter in Ukraine in better times. Photo by Olya Bereza

ESCAPE

Olya Bereza

Hi everybody, from Brighton Beach, England:

I got them out, Rusty, all of them.  They are now with me in the United Kingdom and their journey was incredible.  

They went typical refugee route first with the Red Cross to Poland, Warsaw by bus then by free trains across Europe.  And then the Warsaw-Berlin-Brussels-London route.  On the way, they were fed and  sheltered.  I am moved to tears by all the amazing people involved in this humanitarian endeavour.  There were even volunteers staying with flags on stations, directing and helping Ukrainians.

Of course, lack of language knowledge caused a little bit of trouble when my family went on wrong train but luckily they managed to get changed in time so it didn’t affect much their route. You know I have always been dreaming about trans-European trains east-west and south-north, as that would be such less trouble, especially for all older people, to get the connection right.  Smiling.

All the trains were free, but one needed to obtain tickets. In England it was even easier showing Ukrainian passports and tickets from Eurostar, and then to get all connections – tube, trains, ferry — free without tickets.  It is so wonderful of all European countries to provide the aid and opportunities for refugees like Home for Ukraine Scheme in the UK. After almost a week in transit, they are finally in temporary new homes!  What a journey.

As I mentioned before, they began their journey amid Russian land take overs in East and South Ukraine.  We chose Orthodox Easter Day hoping that — even without a cease fire – it would be more quiet on all fronts.  Thank God, we were correct.  The next day, however, the train was delayed by Russian rockets hitting Ukrainian rail supply routes  I saw smoke from the Krasne station, one of the targets, with own eyes.

Again I’m so grateful to everyone organizing help, to all volunteered. To all catchers-in-the-rye.  Be safe Rusty.  And thank you, cousin mine.  Blessings on all of you who care.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian

Upper Sacramento River

SOMETIMES IMMIGRATION WORKS

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  Since I love my cousin Olya more than life itself, the tale of immigration you have just read hits me viscerally.  It’s a gut-grabber, a heart-breaker, a sad rain song.  It is also the testimonial of millions of dispossessed dating back to Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

No, it is not the first one I have ever read.  It is just one of the best.  Both Celtic branches of my family produced refugees.  I am Irish Roman Catholic and Russian Jew.  Celts, as we know, were the First Europeans, “the Continent’s” aborigines, as it were.

And, like so many Americans, I have had to totally uproot and plant somewhere else.  I had a good job and a radical offset monthly magazine in Sacramento during its Camelot era.  We stood for gay rights, brown rights and environmentalism.  We reached intentional communities in 17 states and three provinces in Canada.

Someone started leaving a Bronx cheer on my answering machine every work day.  That was all.  No words.  Nothing to identify.  Day after day.  And I had to listen to it in order to listen to my other messages.  It got to the point where seeing that red light on that small brown and chrome plastic box made me nauseous. 

Then came the night when someone clubbed me coming out of my apartment on a stormy night.  I woke up bound and gagged in an extremely confined space.  Choking back screams, I worked my hands free and in scooting around, felt the spare tire beneath me.  So I knew I was in the trunk of a car.  Not that great a news flash but better than being buried alive.

I got my feet free and kicked out the back seat.  It turned out to be my own car, with the keys in the ignition, parked in its usual space right in front of my half of a small house owned by a real nice Greek printer named Gus, from whom I rented.

I had vacation time coming and used it to relocate several hundred miles north to the Canadian Boundary crossing at Blaine, where I found work in a tavern pulling beer.  I cut all ties for a year.  At the end of that year, Sacramento had forgotten me and I felt safe.

Sometimes immigration works.  I’ve never been as frightened since.

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor. Now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Global:  Anti-Semitism: Dramatic Rise In 2021, Israeli Report Says

Afghanistan: Former Army General Vows New War Against Taliban

China: Shanghai Erects Metal Barriers In Fight Against Covid-19

China: DJJ Halts Russia, Ukraine Business To Prevent Drone Misuse

Democratic Republic of Congo: New Ebola Outbreak WHO Says

France: Election Result: Macron Defeats Le Pen And Vows To Unite Divided France

France: Macron Promises To Abandon Gas, Oil And Coal, But Will He Deliver?

Germany: Germany Swiftly Building LNG Terminals In Shift Away From Russian Gas

India: Heatwave In India Leaves Millions Struggling To Cope

Japan: Major Railway Now Powered Only By Renewable Energy

Myanmar: Court Sentences Suu Kyi To Five Years For Corruption

NATO Expansion: Finland And Sweden Set To Announce Plans To Join Bloc

Russia: Putin Cuts Natural Gas To Two NATO Nations

Russian Central Bank Slashes Key Interest Rate Again

US: Historic Court Martial Ends With The First Conviction Of An Air Force General

US: NLRB Sues Starbucks For Retaliating Against 3 Workers Involved In Unionizing  

US: Judge Holds Trump In Contempt

US :These U.S. Cities Are Leading The Way On Solar Energy

US: Minneapolis Police ‘Engaged In Pattern Of Racism’ 

US: An Oval Office Visit And A Moscow Trip: Inside The Reed Deal 

UKRAINE

Inside Volodymyr Zelensky’s World

BBC News Ukrainecast  

Ukraine Rail Network Helps Fight Against Russia, With Weapons Shipments And Supplies

Belarusian Railway Workers Who Helped Thwart Russia’s Attack On Kyiv

Fire Engulfs Key Russian Oil Depots Near Ukraine

Putin Gets What He Didn’t Want: Ukraine Army Closer To West

At U.N., Amal Clooney Pushes For Ukraine War Crimes Justice

At U.N., Amal Clooney Pushes For Ukraine War Crimes Justice

Ukraine War To Cause Biggest Price Shock In 50 Years

QUALITY OF LIFE

Father With Down Syndrome Raises Proud Doctor  Proving That Love Is Most Powerful Of All

Bookstore Helps Cats Get Adopted

Older People Worry Less About Aging In Place: Ap Poll

Our Kind Words Mean A Lot To Those We Care About. Let’s Share Them As Often As We Can.

Trevor Reed: Parents Overjoyed At Release Of US Marine In Russia

HEALTH

42 New Genes Linked to an Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, Says ‘Landmark’ Study

Alzheimer’s May Be Caused By Cell Phones, Scientists Say

Psychedelic Mushrooms Are As Effective As Antidepressants

Best Snacks For Weight Loss

This Weight Loss Grocery List Is Nutritionist-Approved

Things You Should Throw Away For Your Health

Almost 60% of Americans Have Had COVID-19, CDC Says

What COVID-19’s New Normal Looks Like Is Up to Us

What Is ‘One-Way Masking,’ How Can It Protect You From Covid?

Why Doctors Are Prescribing Nature Walks for Stress

HOME & GARDEN

11 Things In Your Bathroom To Throw Away Now, According To Experts 

25 Products You Need For A Healthier Home

The Revival Of A Forgotten American Fruit

Your Cup Of Coffee Is Brought To You By The Birds And The Bees

Your Fans And AC Can Tag Team To Keep You Cool And Save Energy 

How I Fixed My Food-Waste Problem

You Can Grow Mushrooms All Around Your Home And Garden 

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

Agrihoods Imagine A Future Organized Around Community Agriculture?

Coastal Wetlands Have An Important Role To Play In Addressing Climate Change

Gorgeous Timber-Covered Bridge Built At Chinese Eco-Cultural Resort 

How To Harvest Seaweed Sustainably

Making Electric Mobility Work For All

Washington State Passes All-Electric Heating Mandate For New Buildings

SCIENCE

Advanced Air Mobility Plans For Vertiports

Large Hadron Collider Breaks New Record Only Days After It Reopens

Solar Energy Fabric That Shades By Day, Lights Up By Night 

Using Sunlight To Cool Cars Strikes Deal With Volkswagen 

EARTH

Colorado River Tops List Of Ten ‘Most Endangered’ Rivers In U.S.

Cousteau Legacy Continues With Southern Ocean Advocacy

Inside The World’s Largest Crystal ‘Cave’

A Look Inside The Lab Helping To Restore America’s Native Plants

Olympic Peninsula Glaciers Expected To Disappear In The Next 50 Years

SPACE

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe, captured this image of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction Friday morning. Venus and Jupiter are the 2 bright ones (Venus brighter). You can see Saturn (top) and Mars (middle), plus a waning 2.6% illuminated moon … all in the orange glow of an emerging volcanic sunrise. Thank you, Peter! See more photos of the morning sky’s stunning line-up of planets.

The James Webb Is Fully Aligned and Ready to Spy on Deep Space

When Is The Next Total Solar Eclipse In North America?

Daylight Fireball Over Mississippi: See The Video

This is one of those total waste of timers I eat like popcorn.  What Kind Of Penguin Are You?

They are not PP&M.  But they sure could be.  Peter Paul And Mary Alive “Blowing In The Wind”

Good!  Resigning Ohio Police Officer Can Keep K-9, Council Decides During Emotional Meeting

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

National Public Radio, University of Washington, Seattle

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Rare White Humpback Whale Spotted Swimming With Dolphins Down Under

Scientists Race To Rescue World’s Fastest Sea Star From Oblivion

These Adorable Squirrels Can Only Be Found On One Japanese Island

Why Ganges River Dolphins Are Endangered And What We Can Do

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment  To donate Thank you.

IT IS RELATIVELY CALM IN DNIPRO

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
April 24, 2022 Volume 14 Number10

Dnipro City Mural.  Photo by Olya Bereza

IT IS RELATIVELY CALM IN DNIPRO

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

I wish I could start this week’s column with news that there is an Easter ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian armies as we are about to celebrate Orthodox Easter this Sunday. But unfortunately there is none Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Russia rejected Easter truce

Obviously little I know about the values of the leaders nowadays.  If they go to church from time to time, does it mean they are religious or is it more Soviet Union aspirations with well known atheism that drives them?

All shows that after the recent withdrawal of the Russian troops from Kyiv and central Ukraine, they are back in attack mode on the Eastern front Ukraine war: Russia launches attacks along 300-mile eastern front as battle for Donbas begins

A friend staying in Zaporizhzhya reports he could hear war going on somewhere in the region. This week there were heavy fights in places like Hulyaipole. Russian offensive campaign assessment, April 20 .

It is relatively calm in Dnipro, where my family lives, but it can be calm before the storm. Another friend urges them to evacuate as soon as possible because they think it will be ‘old school’ Red Army assault – with significant use of heavy firepower.  

And this will displace a huge number of people so again roads will be blocked, trains crammed. No guarantees that the Russians won’t hit railways and roads this time round too (interdiction of supply routes and to cause chaos ‘behind’ the front lines).

So it feels like a storm front is gathering and like with the whims  of nature, it’s out of control. What can we do is to pray for close ones and for peace one day to come.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence

Photo courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation

BERTRAND BUCKTOOTH: A BEAVER’S TALE

Rusty Miller

Bertrand Bucktooth was not your ordinary mountain beaver.  First of all, his namesake industriousness was not something he took particularly personally.  He preferred, instead, to reflect at some length before initiating anything more provocative than a small yawn.

Second, being just a tad claustrophobic, he was not fond of lodges as a habitat.  He incorporated, instead, an old miner’s cabin on Beavers Creek, at the high end of the canyon by the same name.

And finally, while the other beavers lived on a diet of mostly fish and small rodents, Bertrand was inclined toward roots, berries and woodland herbs.  He also wrote poetry, but that’s a story for another time.

Well, beavers being the tight community they are, you can imagine how Bertrand’s lifestyle went over.  Yuppers.  He was thought to be everything from bewildered to a Bolshevik and by the time he reached adulthood, he was pretty much on his own.

At first, Bertrand liked it that way.  It was hard to feel like an outsider with no one around to remind him.  But as the seasons passed, like autumn leaves in the lowers, he began to miss his own kind, for you see, beavers are no more meant to be hermits than most human beings.

So, his heart grew heavier and his pride leaned out some.  Finally, he found he could no longer bear to be alone and started out one winter morning along the banks of gurgling Beaver Creek, down to his former home.

That afternoon, a blizzard struck Beaver Canyon and sheeted everything so thick it sealed the top of the bucktooth lodges, froze the pond to a depth of ten feet out of fifteen, and plugged up the creek at both ends.  Bertrand’s family and neighbors were trapped with a dwindling supply of air.

Bertrand, who’d found an abandoned wolverine’s den to hole up in for the night, awoke at first light and through the ear-shattering stillness, ‘heard’ the cries of his family and community.  Launching himself like a one-person bobsled down the icy, twisting frozen channel Beaver Creek had become, he slid, ricocheted, crashed and careened clear to the bottom, where, of course, he landed in a heap.

It took him a bit, but he finally got the frozen white stuff dusted out of his eyes, and then he surveyed the pond with a seeming lazy gaze.  His dark shiny orbs came to rest on a very old evergreen, an ice cloak of its own, already bending over the pond near the lodges.

Gathering himself up behind a slightly provocative yawn, Bertrand slid down the bank, landed in a heap (of course), took a bit getting his webbed and clawed footing, then ambled on across the frozen pond, fell back on his tail a couple of times trying to climb out, then made his way to that big old leaning evergreen and sat down to rest from his travels.

Off and on for most of the rest of the day, that glacial stillness was interrupted by bursts of a bucktooth chainsaw.  And the crackling of slivers of ice.  There was no rhythm to it.  Nothing you could set your watch by.  It just kept happening.  Sporadically.  But consistently.  Throughout an endless primordial winter day.

And as the blue chill of night begin creeping into the frozen mountains and all life began to twinkle and fade, that venerable evergreen finally toppled.  It shattered the ice in the pond on the first bounce and the noise it made broke the dome of the lodges on the second.  On the third, it got the creeks running again.

After they gathered on the far bank, the other beavers went looking for Bertrand and found him snoring softly against the up-mountain side of what remained of that ancient evergreen.  That evening, his family joined him, kept him warm and fed him fish and small rodents in his sleep.

The next morning, the sun was shining.  And Bertrand Bucktooth wasn’t lonely any more.

Except when he recited poetry which, of course and as you know, is a story for another time, then, eh?

#

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

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American Homebuyers Stymied By Fewer Homes, High Prices, Rising Rates

Koch Industries Reverses Course And Says It Will Stop Doing Business In Russia

China GDP: IMF Slashes Growth Forecast As Coronavirus Outbreaks Increase Uncertainty’

‘We Found Nothing’: Thousands Of IS Victims Still Missing

UKRAINE

BBC News – Ukrainecast

Britain, India Call For Immediate Cease-Fire In Ukraine

UN Rights Chief Sees ‘Horror Story’ Of Violations In Ukraine

QUALITY OF LIFE

‘Optimized For The Nap Experience’: UBC Students Dream Up Dog Bed For Humans

From Ukraine To Russia: Boy Safer, But Not Closer To US Dad

HEALTH

5 UTI Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore, According To Doctors

6 Eating Habits And Foods That Weaken Your Immune System

7 Habits Of Calmness – Zen Habits

HOME & GARDEN

Puerto Rico’s Beloved Mofongo And How To Make It

Should We Be Eating Three Meals A Day?

How To Schedule Plantings For Year-Round Garden Harvests

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

Environmentalism Is For Everyone

How Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ Awakened The World To Environmental Peril

New Microgrid In Seattle Neighborhood Powers Community Center During Outages

SCIENCE

Energy Shift Creates Opening For ‘World’s Largest Batteries’

Holy Lepidoptera! The Hongshui River Walkway Floats Like A Butterfly

How 3D Printing Could Turn An Eastern Or Town Into A High-Tech Housing Hub

London Bridge Has Never Fallen Down, But It Keeps Getting Rebuilt

Tree Grows 40 Different Types Of Fruit

EARTH

10 Cities That Could Be Climate Havens In The U.S.

Over 40% Of People In U.S. Live In Areas With Poor Air Quality – Ecowatch

California Gives Rivers More Room To Flow To Stem Flood Risk

The ‘State Of The Air’ Is Unhealthy And Getting Worse

What’s Really Going On At The ‘Dog Suicide Bridge’?

SPACE

Europa’s Icy Shell May Be Habitable

A New Message To The Stars?

35th Anniversary Photo Features Dramatic Galaxy Cluster

NASA Advisers Call For A Visit To Uranus, Plus More Science During Moon Landings

Will Starship And SLS Herald A Spaceflight Revolution?

The Latest From NASA’s Earth Observatory

TRAVEL

Meet The World’s Longest Sea-Crossing Bridge

Vietnam’s Rong Dragon Bridge Actually Breathes Fire

Hosted By Barack Obama, Netflix Series Explores National Parks

Celtic Woman – Faith’s Song (Live From Johnstown Castle, Wexford
Celtic Woman – A Woman’s Heart
Celtic Woman – Wild Mountain Thyme

http://mashabear.com

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

NORTHSTAR BOOK STORE

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalog of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Minesweeping Dog Helps Clear Away Russian Explosives

Budgies Are Super Social And Make Great Pets

Callery Pears: An Invader ‘Worse Than Murder Hornets’

Ain’t She Sweet: Israeli Startup Saves Bees, Makes Its Own Honey

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment, please go here. To donate to the next, please go here. Thank you.  Rusty

NOT ONE TRUTH, ALL OF THEM

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
April 17, 2022 Volume 14 Number 8

NOT ONE TRUTH, ALL OF THEM

Rusty Miller

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  You know, when you’ve got this many religious holidays gathered in a single weekend, a provident journalist mentions them all, offers a Wikipedia-style explanation of each and rounds it off wishing everyone well.

I am NOT a provident journalist.  I am also not an especially intelligent, complex or complicated human being.  I come from a gene pool of transoceanic explorers who go where only the adventurous go.  And when they get there, they create new worlds for their offspring to explore.

I am also faithless.  Faith is belief.  You don’t need faith when you know stuff.  I know stuff.  For instance, I know that at real important times in human history, events of rapture and holocaust were attended by individuals who far outdistanced the rest of us,

I also subscribe to the universal law that is called by various names including The Golden Rule.  That we treat it as if it was nickel-plated detracts nothing from its intrinsic and immutable efficacy.  

If the Divine is as great as alleged, it is just possible that religion is not one truth.

It is all of them.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

PALM SUNDAY

Olya Bereza

Hi Rusty:

Ukraine Easter is approaching and while Western Christians celebrate this Sunday, ours, Orthodox Easter, comes on April 24.  Congratulations to all who celebrate. 

You know how I wish despite our all differences one day we could create one peaceful and safe world. Although right now that dream seems so far away, I still have belief it will happen. One day there will be no fear, no prejudice, no greed but understanding and desire to live together in peace, acknowledging and cheering our differences.

For we Orthodox, this Sunday is Palm Sunday. On this day, we apologize to each other and apologize for all wrong doing, conscious or unconscious. We have really a lot to confess and say sorry to each other.

At the end of the day, we accept again that humans make mistakes and not even the intervention of the Divine can prevent that.  But it’s like my cousin Mishka, who boxed in the Navy says, it’s not how many times you get knocked down.  It’s how many times you get back up.

It’s how we atone that matters.

Olya

Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian Mountains.  For comments, please go here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

East And Horn Of Africa Prepare For Worst Drought In Decades

In Argentina’s Rio de Janeiro, Rescue Dogs Watch Out For Their Rescuers

American Newspapers Are Losing Statehouse Reporters

India’s Stance On Russia-Ukraine War Looms Large In ‘2-Plus-2’ Talks With US

Polish, Baltic Presidents Visit Ukraine In Show Of Support

Kim Gives North Korea’s Most Famous Newscaster A Luxury Home

South Korea Quietly Makes Other Energy Supply Plans As Russia Faces Fresh Sanctions

UKRAINE

Ukrainian President Speaks With CBS News In Kyiv

Kremlin Crackdown Silences War Protests, From Benign To Bold

Russians Fighting Vladimir Putin In Ukraine

War Crimes Watch: The Woman Who Would Make Putin Pay

Boris Johnson Receives A Surprise Gift On His Visit To Ukraine

QUALITY OF LIFE

Associated Press Explains: Why It Matters If US Calls Ukraine Genocide

Woman Adopts 108-Year-Old Man Abandoned By His 11 Kids And Living Under A Tree

Preschool Farm Stand Battle Opens Doors for Community

Ukrainian Nuns Open Their Monastery Doors To The Displaced

HEALTH

5 Doctor Appointments You Should Stop Postponing

7 Signs You’re Having A Nervous Breakdown

9 Sinus Infection Symptoms—And How To Manage Them

9 Sleep Apnea Symptoms You Need To Know, According To Experts

HOME & GARDEN

Masha And The Bear – Cooking And Eating In The Kitchen With Masha!

How (And Why) To Welcome Insects Into Your Yard

Raising Climate-Resilient Kids

Turning Your Yard Into An Ecological Oasis

10 of the Smallest Homes in the World 

HOW GREEN IS YOUR VALLEY?

Individual Actions Can Reduce Emissions Up To 70%, Says IPCC Report

Reducing Microfiber Pollution

Restore Native Forests On A Small Scale

Cows, Coal And Climate Change: A Q&A With The New BLM Director

SCIENCE

Could High-Flying Kites Power Your Home?

Solar Panels That Can Generate Electricity At Night Have Been Developed At Stanford

Trees Form Friendships And Remember Their Experiences

EARTH

Celebrate Earth Day With NASA

Charlie Brown And Friends Celebrate The Environment

Expanding Drought Leaves Western US Scrambling For Water

SPACE

Four AX-1 Astronauts Enter Station, Meet Expedition 67 Crew

Moon Habitat Project: Can We Cope With The Loneliness Of Space?

Why Is the North Star So Stellarly Important? 

The Latest From NASA’s Earth Observatory

TRAVEL

US Park Service Adds 16 New Underground Railroad Sites To Commemorative Network

How To Travel At Home: Finding New Routes Through Our Daily Lives

12 Tips For More Equitable Travel

BEST OF THE NET THIS WEEK
Winning Images Focus On Wildlife, Climate Change, And Empathy
Baby Seal Found In A Traffic Circle On Long Island Released Back Into The Ocean
Wyoming Mule Deer Wins Friends And Influences Science

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Rare Birth Of Endangered Sumatran Rhino Sparks Hope For Conservation Efforts
Therapy Dogs Help Reduce Pain in Emergency Room Patients
Not Extinct After All: First ‘Widely Accepted Sighting’ Of Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Since 1944

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment, please go here. To donate to the next, please go here. Thank you.  Rusty

ROMANCE ON THE MOVE

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
April 10, 2022 Volume 14 Number 6

Coming in for a landing at the Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) International Airport. Photo by Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller

ROMANCE ON THE MOVE

Rusty Miller, Editor

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  Like probably many of you, I suspect, I’m half daydream believer and half optimistic realist.  I was raised on the right side of the tracks but I could hear the trains at night.  Sometimes, in my daydreams, I talk to famous people as though they were in the same ship’s cabin of a room in which I live facing the ocean.

I’ve come a far piece north from those trains of childhood.  Now, from an eagle’s perspective, I can watch them and the two major Pacific Coast freeways the cover the compass.  I also like it that, to the west, I can see the Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) International Airport tower.  I have a fondness for aviation which apparently, in my gene pool, goes back to Icarus and Daedalus

Olya has a sincere and running love affair with trains.  Mine is with aircraft.  I flew overseas in a big one.  I’ve been a passenger in small ones and I’ve stood on the skid of a Bell Jet Ranger to get a story on helicopter logging in the Oregon Cascades.  Yep, I’ve also known romance in the clouds and this song, by Peter, Paul and Mary, Leaving on a Jet Plane, says it all.

If I could speak directly to the leader of Russia, I would start by saying that I understand where he’s coming from and cite examples from my own life.  And I would agree with him that in a world constantly engaged in lethal geo-political saber rattling and occasionally clashing, all the meek inherit is a blood soaked earth.

But if that is ever to change, it will be because men like him decide it must change.  It is that way for all world leaders.  So it must be with him.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

Ukraine wheat.  Photo courtesy of Messer/Arena.com

NO LIBERATION FOR THE FREE

Olya Bereza, Associate Editor

Hi Rusty, from the shores of Solent.  It’s warm, sunny and quiet here now.  On a day like that in the 21^st Century, it is difficult to believe that some are still making wars when, by Divine Creation, we are given such an amazing world we should all be sharing, lovingly and with mutual enjoyment.

But that is hard to do when one is worried about whether Ukraine and Russia will have a harvest of grains to export to Third World countries this season where so many appear on the threshold of famine. Seems like pain and tragedy just keeps spiraling. How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Could Force 500M People Into Acute Hunger

You know my background in agriculture. Over ten years ago I was also engaged in organizing international meetings for importers and exporters of grains, so for me, this prospect is even more vivid.

We used to have quite an interesting crowd of traders and buyers involved: Ukrainians, Russian, Kazakhi, Canadians and Americans were meeting with all the representatives from countries of Africa and East in order to find the best deals. I must admit I do miss those peaceful times and the feeling of security we lost.

Already, even in Britain, I can see how the world is interconnected and trouble in one part affects others in all the possible ways. On our road trip to Dover, we couldn’t find any petrol and it was by pure luck we just had enough to get back home. Obviously the prices went up also for fuel as probably many others experienced across the ocean. 

On a day like this I wonder how this downspiral can be stopped and we all can reach at least a plateau from which to begin understanding a Universal Truth. Bombs are not bringing peace to those who don’t want to be “liberated” because they are already free.

We all need peace and security and understanding. We are all humans.  We all make mistakes. However, we have also had time enough to correct for our mistakes and to do what we have not done.  We accomplished a great deal in the 20^th Century but we also continued the egregious  practices which turned much of this planet into strip malls and landfills.

If we are to survive as a species, we must behave differently in the 21^st Century.  We were given 2,000 years.  We will not be granted that grace again.  Whatever we need to learn and do, we must learn and do now.

Olya

Northstar associate editor Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian Mountains.  For comments, please go here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

No Obituary For Earth: Scientists Fight Climate Doom Talk

Could A Transportation Revolution Actually Save Us From Climate Change?

Global Hub Launched To Help Countries Slash Methane Emissions

Housing Costs A Major Problem, More Americans Say

How The Next Generation Of Activists Are Tackling One Of The Biggest Climate Issues

NATO Eyes In The Sky, Keeping Europe Out Of Russia’s War

South African Bank Held To Net Zero Standard For GCF Accreditation

Sweden Set To Be World’s First Country To Target Consumption-Based Emission Cuts

UKRAINE

Pope Francis Kisses Ukrainian Flag From ‘Martyred’ Bucha

Russia Faces Global Outrage Over Bodies In Ukraine’s Streets

Ukraine War: Kremlin Spokesman Peskov Admits ‘Significant’ Russian Losses

BBC:  Ukraine Podcast: In-Depth Daily Coverage With Analysis Of The Ongoing Crisis.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Betty Reid Soskin, Oldest National Park Service Ranger, Retires At 100

Mila Kunis Reminded Her Kids Of Their Ukrainian Heritage

Ukrainian Refugees Find Jobs, Kindness, As They Settle In

Veterans Find Peace On America’s Trails

HEALTH

2 New Early Signs of Parkinson’s Disease Have Been Identified

Does Drinking Alcohol Make You Gain Weight? Here’s What Experts Say

New Covid-19 Xe Variant Identified—Here’s What To Know

We Can’t Solve Climate Change Without More Walking

HOME & GARDEN

Organic Food Worth The Cost?

Dirty Dozen Or Clean Fifteen? See Where Your Favorite Produce Ranks This Year

Best Problem-Solving Small Trees for Small Spaces (Zones 7 – 11)

Perfecting the Art of Plant Combinations

SCIENCE

Could A Transportation Revolution Actually Save Us From Climate Change?

Key Particle Weighs In A Bit Heavy, Confounding Physicists

Seevix Replicates Spider Silk To Produce  High-Performance Products

EARTH

An Icy Mystery Deep In Arctic Canada

How Earth Will Look In 200 Million Years

Longest Recorded Lightning Bolt

Methane Emissions Soared To Record In 2021

Tornado Outbreak Slams Deep South

Washington State Preserves 10,000 Acres For Carbon Mitigation

World’s Longest Wave?

SPACE

Cloud Streets: What Are They? How Do They Form?

These Space Scientists Want To Update Earth’s Message To Extraterrestrials

Watch NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission To The Space Station

The Latest From NASA’s Earth Observatory

TRAVEL

The Seven Hells Of Beppu Are Japan’s Seriously Spectacular Hot Springs

10 Of The World’s Best Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots

On The Road With Steve Hartman

BEST OF THE NET THIS WEEK
Amelia Ukrainian Girl Who Sang ‘Let It Go’ In Bomb Shelter Performs National Anthem
Peter Paul And Mary Alive “Blowing In The Wind”
When I’m Gone – Joey and Rory

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

University of Washington National Public Radio

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Photo by author Lilian Koh

One Great Shot: Tiny Home For An Octopus

Curious Owl Inspects TV Weather Station Camera

Wild Honeybees Can Still Be Found In The Galicia Region Of Northwest Spain

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment, please go here. To donate to the next, please go here. Thank you.  Rusty

FOR THE BIRDS

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
April 3, 2022 Volume 14 Number 4

Photo by Merritt Scott Miller

FOR THE BIRDS

Rusty Miller, Editor

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea.  It has been another interesting week, has it not?  Looks like the Ukrainians are getting tougher and the Powers That Are in Russia keep going “Ooops.”  This invasion is uniting the world around the sanctity of statehood and what makes this so bloody important is precisely its global impact. 

Olya, the Russian-born Ukrainian associate editor of this magazine, believes that sometimes bad things happen to good people for a good reason.  Olya is also a blue-eyed blonde with an eight-million-dollar mind and a penchant for batting them out of the ballpark with a fly swatter.

America continues to practice partisanship rather than cooperation and it is frustrating to me that the message of our national symbol, the eagle, seems to be so lost on so many.  No bird flies with just one wing or even with predominantly one.  From the hummingbird, or the smallest democracy, to the eagle, or the greatest, they all fly with both wings .

I feel fortunate, especially now, to be living in a place where cooperation begins at the neighborhood level.  Seattle has been called six cities in search of a town hall (thank you, Mr. Pirandello). 

This of course is not true.  We have a fine city government.  Most of our communities do as well.  And these blend into strong county governments and in mine (King), includes the best bus and commuter light rail system in America, according to Forbes magazine several years ago.

Perhaps what pleases me most is that we learned from other places and now have knowledge and insight of our own to contribute.

Nice going, folks.

Rusty

Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller  is a Northern California  born author, photojournalist and editor now living in Seattle, Washington.  For comments, please go here

PRAYING FOR PEOPLE OF UKRAINE TO BE SAFE

Olya Bereza, Associate Editor

Hi Rusty, from the shores of The Solent this time:

 It was interesting to find the local newspaper,  Isle Of Wight Observer reporting the first Ukrainian refugees to set  foot there. Since the United Kingtom opened its program for refugees on March 18,  More than 100,000 Britons register to sponsor Ukrainian refugees in first hours of scheme opening. That’s very reassuring, how the world can be united to help huge humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with already More than 4 million have fled Russia’s ‘senseless’ war on Ukraine, says UN 

I contacted the local charity organization on the Isle with an idea of creating Saturday schools with teachers who can speak their language, for kids who arrived in the UK.  This will also help the kids more quickly find friends and socialize.  That last part, as according to my experience with a teenager, it could be a struggle under the best of circumstances. 

Another shelling this night on the airport in my parents’ home town Dnipro so depending how the war theater unfolds, I expect many more people will be leaving the country or be displaced within the country to safer regions like West Ukraine  Ukraine Displacement: As Displacements Hit 10 Million Mark Vulnerable Groups are Exposed, Neighbouring Countries Rely on Civil Society and EU Assistance, Commission Rejects Mandatory Distribution of Refugees

Praying for people of Ukraine to be safe

Olya

Northstar associate editor Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine.  Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. She travels Europe in conjunction with a family intelligence technology business and is proactively involved in protecting the forests of the Carpathian Mountains.  For comments, please go here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Biden To Release Up To 1M Barrels Per Day From Oil Reserves

FDA Authorizes Second COVID-19 Booster Shot For Some People

Organizing Across State Lines To Stop A Pipeline

U.S. Will Rename 660 Mountains, Rivers And More To Remove Racist Word

Poland To End All Russian Oil Imports; Germany Warns On Gas

In UK, Five Million Households Face Energy Budget Crunch As Bills Soar Overnight

UKRAINE

Putin Misled By Advisers On Ukraine, US Intel Determines

Number Of Ukraine Refugees Passes Worst-Case U.N. Estimate

Russians Leaving Chernobyl After Radiation Exposure

Ukrainians In US Mobilize To Help 100,000 Expected Refugees

Ukraine Asylum Seekers Begin Reaching Washington State

Ukrainian Pharma Executive Vows To Continue Production ‘Until We Win Or We Die’

Ukraine’s Other Fight: Growing Food For Itself And The World

Ukraine Strike On Russian Territory Reported As Talks Resume

Australia To Send Armored Vehicles To Ukraine After Request

QUALITY OF LIFE

Apple’s Deaf Mute Drama ‘CODA’ Triumphs At Oscars

Can Monthly Cash Payments Make Our Economy More Equitable?  

Dead Butt Syndrome Is One More Reason You Shouldn’t Sit All Day

Janet Sobel: The Woman Written Out Of History

Minimalism May Be Trendy, But It Certainly Isn’t New

Pope Francis Apologizes To Indigenous Delegates For ‘Deplorable’ Abuses At Residential Schools |

Port Moody, BC, Canada Police Praise Man For Saving Child

Single Dad Adopts 13 Year-Old Boy Abandoned At Hospital For 2 Years

Teen Takes His 92-Year-Old Great-Grandma To Prom

Ukraine Soldiers Perform Traditional Music In Kyiv

Washington State’s Missing Indigenous People Alert System Will Be First In The US

HOME & GARDEN

Enjoy Spring Tonic Herbs From Your Garden

How To Plant Edible Climbers And Vines

Rising Food Prices Won’t Slow Down, Per USDA

The Joy Of Discovering My Own Backyard

The Vegan’s Guide To Sugar

Why Sunflowers Are Ukraine’s National Flower

SCIENCE

This Historic Community Is Pushing America Toward A Wind Power Revolution

Oru Lake Kayak Is The Essence Of Origami Design

EARTH

2022 Pew Marine Fellows Work To Improve Ocean Health

A Mysterious Solar Farm Crops Up In Colorado

As US Fails To Pay Its Debt, UN’s Flagship Climate Fund Warns Of Austerity

Australian Carbon Traders Defend Troubled Offset Market Against Whistleblower Claims

Canadian Ex-Minister Catherine Mckenna Named To Head UN Greenwash Watchdog

Canadian Government Ducks Fight With Oil And Gas Industry

Over Half Of U.S. Waters Are Too Polluted To Swim Or Fish

Russia, China Oppose ‘Human Rights’ In Nature Talks, Amid Slow Progress To A Deal

SKY

Grab Your Boarding Pass – We’re inviting people to send their names to be included on a flash drive that will fly on the Orion spacecraft during the agency’s Artemis I mission – and now you can obtain your Artemis boarding passes in Spanish. ¡Vamos a la Luna!

Record-Setting NASA Astronaut Returns To Earth

April Night Sky Guide

Asteroid Ryugu Harbors Life’s Building Blocks

Most Distant Star Yet Seen Spied By Hubble

Voyager 1 Says “Hi” From 13 Billion Miles Away

NASA Seeks More Partners For Lunar Landers

Pluto’s Hidden Ice Volcanoes Hint At The Possibility Of Life

Voyager 1 Says “Hi” From 13 Billion Miles Away

TRAVEL

For Climate Migrants In Bangladesh, Town Offers New Life

Conservation Officials To Revert Land Near Stonehenge To Natural State

On The Road With Steve Hartman

BEST OF THE NET THIS WEEK
Celtic Woman, Téir Abhaile Riú | Live from 3 Arena Dublin
Celtic Woman – A Woman’s Heart
Celtic Woman – Non C’è Piú

SISSEL SUNDAYS  – Not only does she have one of the most beautiful voices in the history of music, she has an inimical and ingenuous person style which makes her half hour television show (in English) on Norway’s Viking TV.   https://www.viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/sundays/sissel-sundays-ultimate-love

KUOW – UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

WRATH OF THE USS TESTAMENT:  A super power no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew are thrust. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.
ROCKY THE ROCKET by Olya Bereza/Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.
RAINBOW RISING by Olya Bereza  This little fairy-tale is dedicated to a pet friend gone chasing the rainbow and a child’s good-bye.. Yep, go here.

International human rights activist Nina Ansary’s imminent best seller is a catalogue of women around the world fighting for a better world.  A five-star Northstar Journal recommendation, it is now available in Kindle and hard copy at amazon.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

Bald Eagle’s Soaring Return Shows That The U.S. Can Change For The Better
Bear That Escaped Ukraine  
Critically Endangered Blue-Eyed Lemur Born at Florida Zoo
Flamingo That Escaped From a Zoo in Kansas Is Spotted Once Again in Texas 17 Years Later
Florida’s Starving Manatees Ate ‘Every Scrap’ of Food in Trial Feeding Program
How One Wyoming Mule Deer Won Friends And Influenced Science
Increased Numbers Of Steelhead Return To The Elwha River
Monkeys Near Florida Airport Delight Visitors
Seven Species Named After Musicians
A Welcome Comeback For Norway’s Walruses

ABOUT US:  We hope you enjoyed this edition.  To comment, please go here. To donate to the next, please go here. Thank you.  Rusty