TIME AGAIN FOR KUDOS AND RASPBERRIES

KUDOS to some of the news recently. Among them are the following:

* Number One has got to be the news that Ted Cruz has dropped out of the presidential primary race! Now if there were only a way to get Trump to drop out as well, just think of all the campaign money that could be saved. Nothing about the current campaign has been ordinary so far. Anything is possible. So many folks I've talked to say they don't think Donald Trump ever really wanted to be President. He must be as surprised as everyone that he's come this far. 

* Obama deserves a lot of credit for the US tax rule that caused Pfizer and Allergan to scrap the $160 billion deal that prevents companies moving overseas to save on taxes. Pfizer would have saved $1 billion annually by "domiciling" its business in Ireland, which has lower tax rates. Why don't more companies come back "home" to the country that presented them with the opportunities to establish their extremely profitable businesses in the first place? Is it too much to ask them to pay their fair share in taxes for the possibility granted them to become so prosperous? It seems that greed is rampant in America - especially among pharmaceutical companies.

*This video tickled my fancy. Have you ever felt such joy? Animals are not so different from us after all, are they? Nonprofits like AnimalsAsia deserve more than just kudos. If you are interested in their work, please look at their site AnimalsAsia.

(Watch Tuffy jump for joy in his first days outside after being rescued from a bear bile farm where he’d spent years of torture in a tiny cage.) 

*More joyful news was the rescuing of the 33 circus lions who were then taken to a new home in South Africa. Some had never felt the earth beneath their feet, as witnessed by this lion's first experience outdoors.

Can't you feel his joy? Hats off to the group Animal Defenders International for the undertaking of such a humane - and expensive task.

*This past week also saw the rescue of circus elephants. Ringling Brothers was the largest circus to retire them to a preserve in Florida. If any of you read the book or saw the movie "Water For Elephants" you have an idea how many of them were abused in captivity. Elephants are known to have emotions similar to us humans. How they could be held and treated so poorly for so many years is hard to believe. Thank God for all the people who worked so diligently to put a stop to their captivity in circuses in the United States.

The wave of compassion for animals around the globe has grown so much recently that it is indicative of a change in the consciousness of mankind. It must mean that we are evolving into a kinder, gentler species on Planet Earth. As such, this new consciousness must soon reach those who are still perpetrating such violence on our own kind, and help to bring about peaceful resolutions to the wars that have been ongoing for too many years. If we can love and care for the animals, can we not extend that same loving care to our brothers?

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RASPBERRIES

* Number one on the following list should be the story that broke on "60 Minutes" recently  about our elected officials in Congress putting in as much as 30-hours a week making telephone calls to seek campaign donations for not only themselves, but also for their respective parties. It has been rightly compared to telemarketing. We, the American people, pay these Representatives $174,000 a year to work for us -- not to spend more time raising money than they do legislating! If you didn't see this segment, watch it here Dialing for Dollars. Be prepared to have your blood boil. This "do nothing" Congress has been busy on their own behalf not ours!

Florida Representative David Jolly has introduced a bill called "The Stop Act" that would ban all federal elected officials from directly soliciting donations. Needless to say, the bill is not expected to pass. I suggest we each contact our own representatives, and sign the petition to get this bill passed through Congress. Just go to the site Stop Act to add your name to the petition.

* The number of adults with diabetes has quadrupled worldwide in under four decades to 422 million, and the condition is fast becoming a major problem in poorer countries, a World Health Organization study showed recently. Changing diets and obesity are the main culprits. Even in many poorer third world countries, American products full of sugar -- such as soft drinks by major manufacturers, have made their way into the local economies. American corporations' greed extends to those countries most susceptible to their products. The damage these sugary products cause to the health of these nations may not be well-known, due to the lack of information technology in many of the areas targeted.

*  Kids Need Vaccines "As many as 2.1 million American children aren't getting timely vaccinations because of holes in the public health system. That's because a sizable segment of the population -- the working poor -- makes too much money to qualify for federally funded vaccinations but has health insurance so meager that it won't cover some or any immunizations or booster shots. (My emphasis.) This is particularly true of new vaccines, the experts say." Something must be done to fix this problem in our health care system. World health organizations provide these vaccines for free in many cases. Why do so many impoverished children in the U.S. have to go without these important disease prevention vaccines?

The intentionally unvaccinated children in the U.S. and abroad by philosophically or religiously anti-vaxxer parents, not only have their own lives placed at risk of catching diseases that were once almost eliminated, but also put the lives of others -- particularly those infants too young to be vaccinated -- in danger. Many die from these preventable diseases. Some sad stories of these tiny, unfortunate victims can be read here Shot by Shot.

There are so many, many stories coming to light that can delight or dismay us. It's up to us to do something about the ones that deserve our condemnation. And it's also up to us to share the good news and uplifting stories. After all, "What we focus on increases."

Peace, love, and joy,
Marilyn