Nelson Daily Stories

      MILLIONS IN YEMEN ARE IN CATASTROPHIC NEED They are the forgotten people.     And many more will die for absolutely no reason.   “Unless this moment is seized we’re going to see many more people die for absolutely no reason” David Miliband said to Becky Anderson yesterday, March 29, 2021 on the TV program “Connect the World. David Miliband is a British Public Policy Analyst and President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Rescue Committee. Do you want to guess what place in the world they were discussing? That should be easy. Yemen , of course! Where else in the world have children been dying from hunger and lack of medicines for years now? Where else in the world are millions said to be in catastrophic need? Millions? Yes some 3.3 million human beings are in catastrophic need as the Civil War rages on. There are many sides in the conflict, but the war is a man-made catastrophe. Miliband says the opening of ...

 “MORE THAN A HERO, A BLOOD BROTHER!” “It doesn’t take much to help another human being. You just have to have some compassion.” These words come from Army veteran Dan Reynolds, a man who has had his own share of difficulties in his lifetime.  Difficulties? Like what? Like having to live in a van, instead of a house or an apartment, for some time. Dan is a handyman in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. He fixes things. One day after doing some yardwork he noticed that Tony Antonelli, who lived nearby, did not look well, he looked pale and tired. Was there a problem, Dan wondered? He decided to find out. Yes, there was a problem. Tony explained that four years ago he had undergone surgery to replace one of his failing kidneys. He had been given one from his wife, Mary. But now the kidney had started to fail. He did not have much time to find another donor. Without a donor he would have to go on dialysis for the rest of his life. Finding a match is difficult. Without a moment’s hesita...

 MYCELIUM – the green substitute. Have you ever heard of Mycelium? I knew nothing about it until a couple days ago when I read a most interesting article. I must share the information with you. “Mycelium hits the market as green substitute for leather, plastic.” That was the headline for an article on CBC Technology and Science, March 22, 2021. “Designer Stella McCartney unveils mycelium-based clothing.” Written by Emily Chung the article explained how the British Fashion designer unveiled black leather clothing made “not from cow hide - but mycelium which is grown from fungi.” Sounds very strange, doesn’t it? But it is happening.  For some time, those people who did not want to wear leather garments made from animals had to settle for plastic “pleather.” But, according to Chung’s article, later this year, people who want products made with leather should be able to buy more products “made from another bio-based material that is grown by recycling waste.” “Mycelium is already ...

    DESERT JAMAICA, DESERT BOOT, JAMAICAN BEE Clarks International Limited trading as Clarks is a British International Shoe Manufacturer and Retailer. It was founded in 1825 by brothers Cyrus and James Clark in Somerset, England where it still has its headquarters. The company is “described as a brand steeped in British history.”  We read on the company’s website: “After years of developing trade and award winning designs, Clarks went one step further in 1873 when James’ son William mechanized the shoemaking process bringing the company to the forefront of technological innovation. By the early 1910s Clarks became a must-have brand among the style conscious in London, with new premium and fashion forward designs developed for discerning customers.” When I was a child growing up in rural Jamaica my parents sent me off to boarding school in capital city Kingston. One of the things I recall clearly was the pair of Clarks shoes that they packed in my suitcase. The shoes were...

   NATIVE AMERICAN DEB HAALAND MAKES HISTORY                Now she is ready to serve. As the policies and activities of the Department of the Interior and many of its agencies have a substantial impact in the Western United States, the Secretary of the Interior has typically come from a western state; only one secretary since 1949, Rogers Morton was not a resident or native of a state lying west of the Mississippi River.  Deb Haaland, former U.S. representative, chose a ribbon skirt and moccasins for her swearing in as Secretary of the Interior. She made history on Thursday March 18, 2021 when “she began her job as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American member of the cabinet.” Deb Haaland now serves as the 54th US Secretary of the Interior. Along with Sharice Davids she is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress. Deb Haaland was educated at the University of New Mexico School...

  “DAD, YOU ARE MY HERO!”   An idea was born in 1977. Two people began to take part in marathons across the United States of America. In 1980, for the first time, they took part in the Boston Marathon . One of the pair was Dick Hoyt , the other person was Rick , his son. What was so special about the two people? First, Rick could not run. He was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Because of his condition he was confined to a wheelchair, the story in CBS Boston reports. So how could he take part in the marathons? His father, Dick, pushed him in a wheelchair! In 1977 the pair began taking part in marathons across the country. Then in 1980, they participated in the Boston Marathon. In 2014 Dick Hoyt retired from the Boston marathon. But in a generous and loving act Bryan Lyons replaced him so that Rick could continue to take participate in the marathon. Last year, however, Bryan died suddenly. “Dick Hoyt was a fixture in the race for decades” A...

         The world is overwhelmed with bad news but        HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS The world seems to be overwhelmed with the distressing news of ·         “wars and rumors of wars,” (Matthew 24:6) ·           “famines and pestilence” (Luke 21:11). ·           “earthquakes in divers places” (Mark 13:8) ·           Reports of the cries of starving and malnourished babies                and children in Yemen falling on deaf ears. ·           Reports that “hundreds of students, clergy, political leaders    and humanitarian workers” have been kidnapped by separatist fighters in Cameroon since 2017. ·           Report...

    “NEVER FORGET A KINDNESS.” Not many people live to be 87 years old. Not many people can swim. Few people can swim when they are 87 years old. The oldest person to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco (in the USA) and complete it successfully is an 87 year old man.  As if that is not amazing, how about that same person swimming the Golden Gate swim the following day to become the oldest person to complete that swim! It is described as “an incredible swim from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge.”   The advertisement for the Bridge to Bridge swim for November 2021 says, in part: “The swim is about 6.2 miles but we time it with the tide so swimmers will have a strong current in their favor throughout the swim and many will finish in one to two hours. Strong swimmers only!” Now you have an idea of what it is about! Who is the person who did all that swimming? He is retired Judge Robert Beach, one of the founders of the Master’s Swimming Program. “Keeping in goo...

  WAY TO GO, ALEKSANDER DOBA! Aleksander Doba loved planet Earth. He loved its seas, and its mountains.  He kayaked westward across the vast Atlantic Ocean, all by himself and under his own power - the last time in 2017 when he was 70 years of age. He had done it twice before when he was in his 60s. “He was the most accomplished trans-oceanic solo kayaker in the world,” Fiann Paul said. Fiann of the Iceland Rowing Society International (ORSI) wrote about Doba’s amazing record. (But who is Fiann Paul? He is just the world’s most record breaking explorer and holds the world’s highest number of performance-based Guinness World Records ever achieved within a single athletic discipline. He was born in Poland.)  Aleksander Doba was educated at the University of Poznan and graduated as an engineer, but at heart, he was an adventurer. Fiann Paul explained that Doba became the oldest human -powered ocean explorer to successfully perform an ocean crossing when he sailed across th...

  LOVE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 “There’s nothing better than finding your special someone,” American Television journalist Nora O’Donnell commented with a smile at the end of Steve Hartman’s story on CBS News, Friday March 5, 2021. Who was Nora referring to? And why? Nora was speaking about John Schultz and Joy Mauro-Knowlton. Both people have been married twice and widowed twice. But they were both determined to find love again. About a week ago New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey wrote: “We had the honor of accompanying John and Joy for a very special outing. On Friday, March 5, 2021 they went to the Kingston POD site where they received their final dose of the COVID vaccine.     Joy is a former Rondout, CSD schoolteacher. John a businessman and former President of Canfield Supply in Kingston.” For most of the past year they had to “be in a bubble” because of the pandemic. Now, at last, they are vaccinated. Pete Schultz, John’s son, was the person who observe...

 “Covid-19 devastated many communities. But not the Cherokee Nation.” WHAT IS THE SECRET?  The Cherokee Nation is the largest federally recognized tribal government in the United States of America.  It has more than 380,000 citizens around the world. An Opinion piece on March 10, 2021 in the New York Times said that “Throughout the pandemic, Native Americans have been almost twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than white people. But the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has defied statistics.”  Is there a reason for this or did it happen just by chance? “Covid-19 devastated many communities. But not Cherokee Nation.” was the headline for the Opinion piece by Sanya Dosani and Max Cantor. “It all starts with universal health care and a history of self-reliance.” Add to that statement “when the government of the US does not provide support.” Looking back to 1985, health care in the Cherokee Nation was underfunded and inadequate. The people were reliant on Federal dollars...

        “I AM WITH YOU IN YOUR SUFFERING AND PAIN.” Remember that “HOPE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN HATRED, PEACE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN WAR.” The words of Pope Francis during his visit to Iraq, March 5-7, 2021 - the first trip by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church to Iraq.                            ===000=== Ur was an important city of ancient Mesopotamia in what today is modern day Iraq . The site is 6,000 years old. According to Biblical tradition it was named after the man who founded the first settlement there. Why would Pope Francis who is 84 years old attend an inter-religious prayer at the ancient archeological site of Ur in Iraq? Because the ancient site is the traditional birthplace of Abraham . Not only is Abraham revered by Christians, but also by Jews and by Muslims. Abraham is the patriarch, the father of...

  “I DID WHAT ANY GOOD HUMAN WOULD DO.” It started with an argument, then it became a quarrel. Next it morphed into domestic violence. Domestic violence in a moving vehicle. Not a good scene! Not at all! The 27 year old man became angrier. He was so angry that he stopped the vehicle walked around to the passenger side and kept hitting the woman in her head. The woman screamed in pain as she struggled to free herself. She ran onto the road. The man returned to the driver’s seat and drove west on US 90 – in the woman’s SUV. But there was a crying child in the back of the SUV – the woman’s child. The noise and screams had upset the little one so much that he struggled to get out of his car seat. The child’s crying irritated the man. It made him even more angry. His eyes searched the median along the road. He stopped the SUV, went to the back of the vehicle, and detached the car seat. What was he doing? He took the car seat from vehicle and, with the crying child still st...

  WENDSLER NOSIE: “I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” “It is no different from Mount Sinai.” That is an immensely powerful statement to make! Mount Sinai, also called the Mountain of Moses or Mount Hareh is the place in the Biblical book of Exodus where Moses stayed for 40 days and 40 nights, met God face to face and received the Ten Commandments. Wendsler Nosie Sr., former chairman of the San Carlos Apache said this to reporters from ABC News as he spoke about “Oak Flat” a rugged patch of land in the Tonto National Forest, USA. “It is sacred ground where the San Carlos Apache Tribe have gone for hundreds of years to hold religious ceremonies and communicate with the Creator.” Oak Flat is a 740-acre area of oak groves and sheer cliffs. It is, however, on a path to destruction according to the article published March 3, 2021. “The land, which holds special religious significance is scheduled to be transferred to Resolution Copper , a company controlled by two foreign mining giants...

  “IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!”   The Jewish itinerant preacher John the Baptist , who according to the New Testament (KJV) was a relative of Jesus the Christ , told his listeners many important things. One of his outstanding teachings was about caring for one another. He taught that a person who, for example, had two coats should give one to the person who did not have one. In the same way, he said, someone who had food should share with the person who had no food. The scripture came to my mind as I read a portion of an article “Texas is frozen and in Crisis” written by Cathy Free in The Washington Post, February 18, 2021 .                            ===000=== At one point in the article, she wrote that someone said: “I saw some cops putting a sheet over a homeless guy who had frozen to death. That really got me. I decided then that I’d...