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
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
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?
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
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
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
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.
The Northstar Journal 