Welcome to Let Kids Be Kids, Inc., advocacy blog "We All Deserve Better." Our goal is to post relevant information that will spark action,discussion and interaction, creating a catalyst for solutions and ideas to impact the challenges we face in our society. We welcome comments, suggestions and submissions in support of those seeking a voice. "...Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear..."
Reporting from the United Nations in New York
"He accused environmentalists of wanting to “kill all the cows.” He personally insulted the Muslim mayor of London. He bashed allies and foes across the globe. He questioned whether the United Nations should even exist.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” President Trump asked a gathering of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, in a meandering, 56-minute speech that extended nearly four times as long as his allotted time limit.
“I’m really good at this stuff,” Mr. Trump said. “Your countries are going to hell.”
In his remarks, Mr. Trump lectured the United Nations and other countries about how they are failing and aired a list of grievances. Those included but were not limited to: a malfunctioning escalator at the U.N.; his not winning a renovation contract at the United Nations during his time as a real estate developer; windmills; other countries’ immigration policies, which he claimed were leading them to ruin; and the way Brazil is being run.
The White House had billed Mr. Trump’s address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly as a chance for the president to lay out his vision for how America should wield its power abroad.
But Mr. Trump’s teleprompter malfunctioned early on, and while he appeared to be reading the speech, he often broke into ad-libs.
There was some policy discussed. He announced a new effort to enforce the biological weapons convention that would use “A.I. verification,” and said he wanted “a cessation of the development of nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Trump also issued a new warning: that the U.S. military would continue to play the role of judge, jury and executioner in killing suspected drug smugglers operating in international waters. “We will blow you out of existence,” he warned anyone moving drugs out of Venezuela.
But he spent nearly a quarter of his speaking time attacking efforts to address climate change.
Mr. Trump undermined the scientific consensus on climate change, saying it was “made by stupid people.” He celebrated the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and “clean, beautiful coal.” He talked about American energy exports and added that “the United States has been taken advantage by much of the world, but not anymore.”
And Mr. Trump called climate change the “greatest con job” ever perpetrated on the world and claimed environmentalists are out to eliminate America’s cows.
“‘No more cows — we don’t want cows anymore.’ I guess they want to kill all the cows,” Mr. Trump said.
He briefly turned to the topic of religion, falsely claiming that Muslim leaders in the West are planning to institute Shariah law, while proclaiming Christianity to be the “most persecuted religion on the planet.”
According to the White House, Mr. Trump had always planned to target “globalist institutions” in his speech. Since taking office, he has made drastic changes to America’s approach to foreign policy.
He has largely eschewed the use of nonmilitary “soft power,” severely cutting foreign aid and dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has declined to pay for more aid to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s invasion or try to put any limits on Israel’s broadened military campaign in Gaza. And he has told strongmen leaders of other countries that the United States would no longer sit in judgment of them.
Several close U.S. allies issued what amounted to a reprimand this week of his go-it-alone vision, joining most of the U.N. body in recognizing Palestine as a state and risking the ire of the president, who has adamantly opposed such a move.
The president, for his part, has made it clear he wants little to do with much of the U.N. mandate. He has withdrawn the United States from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, and ordered a review of America’s role in the organization. The Trump administration clawed back $1 billion in funding for the U.N. and informed Congress of its intent to cut another $1 billion, adding to a funding shortfall at the United Nations.
But at the same time, Mr. Trump has inserted America into peace negotiations in conflicts across the globe, including the war in Gaza. The president has also shown a willingness to use a quick show of force, as he did when he ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Mr. Trump, who is in open pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, trumpeted his role in bringing about several peace agreements or cease-fires during his speech, including a deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Then he argued he was doing, as a side job, what the U.N. should. “Sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them,” he said, adding that “all I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped right in the middle.”
He claimed that all the United Nations does is write “strongly worded letters” and speak in “empty words.”
“It’s sad I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” he said.
Also on his schedule Tuesday were meetings with António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general; President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine; President Javier Milei of Argentina; and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission. He was also meeting with the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The meeting with the leaders of predominantly Arab or Muslim countries comes at a pivotal time for the war in Gaza, as Israel’s military pushes into Gaza City and the country faces allegations in a U.N. inquiry of carrying out a genocide. And it will come with the stark absence of Palestinian leaders, as the Trump administration has denied visas to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and his delegation.
Arab countries have created their own proposal to rebuild Gazaand turn it into part of a future Palestinian state, without Hamas in government. Some of the United States’ longest-standing allies, including Australia, Britain and Canada, now recognize Palestine as a state. Mr. Trump has argued that such a designation rewards Hamas and harms efforts to reach a peace agreement with Israel, and he has cast doubt on any eventual two-state solution.
Mr. Trump has also insisted that he wants humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and lamented the “real starvation” there. But the president has not publicly sought to stop the military push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel or challenge him to restore pathways for aid.
During his speech, Mr. Trump bashed the U.S. allies who were recognizing a Palestinian state. He said those countries should instead unite around a message to Hamas: “Release the hostages now.”
Excellent explanation of everything I could ask for if ever given the opportunity.
Blood Cancer Unide, the new name of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has heard great concerns from patients, caregivers, volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers, community organizations and others who are fearful and confused by NIH spending cuts and other policies being proposed and implemented in Washington.
LLS’s work is nonpartisan, but we do engage with the government. LLS works to advance public policies that improve patients’ health, collaborating with lawmakers who support that goal, regardless of their party affiliation. And we speak out when policymakers take actions that threaten patients’ health, regardless of their party affiliation. As an independent, nonpartisan voice for patients, LLS vigorously opposes any actions that jeopardize their lives and well-being.
Our point of view is not driven by politics; it comes from an understanding of and commitment to the needs of patients. LLS has worked across the aisle for more than 70 years to advance its mission and will continue to do so
Below are answers to some of the most common questions we are hearing.
In February 2025, the current Administration suddenly announced immediate cuts to biomedical research funding administered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling billions of dollars. This includes across-the-board cuts for all current and future blood cancer research supported by NIH.
These sudden funding cuts have been put on hold by the courts—for now.
NIH grants cover “direct” and “indirect” costs. Direct costs are tied to specific projects such as salaries, travel and supplies. Indirect costs cover a portion of grantees’ facilities and administrative costs.
Though they are described as “indirect,” these funds are essential to lifesaving research. As defined by the NIH, they support critical facilities for scientific research, such as buildings and capital improvements, utilities, lab equipment and its maintenance, and other administration and general expenses such as the director’s office, accounting, personnel and other types of expenditures that support the research.
In addition to covering the infrastructure that helps makes the U.S. scientific engine run, indirect costs also cover NIH requirements for tracking dangerous chemicals, hazardous waste disposal and radiation safety.
It is reasonable to have a conversation about how biomedical research is funded; but it is dangerous to unilaterally make sudden cuts without consulting with organizations that understand the full effect of sudden cuts. A more measured approach would reduce the disruption to ongoing and future medical research and ensure we continue to see the incredible successes we have come to expect from U.S. medical research.
While there have been some slowdowns in funding over the years, historically there has been broad bipartisan support in Congress for NIH funding. The majority of senators and congresspeople recognize the vital role federal funding plays in the health of our nation.
NIH is the premier source of government funding for all biomedical and health services research, including for blood cancer. NIH funding can be tracked back to virtually every new drug and medical advancement in recent history.
NIH grants also provide the infrastructure for all pediatric cancer research. Due to their smaller patient populations, pediatric cancer and other rare diseases will likely not be studied without support from NIH.
As the largest nonprofit funder of blood cancer research, LLS funding complements funding from NIH and other sources. The pharmaceutical industry also plays a key role in funding new drug studies.
The U.S. model of public-private-foundation partnership for medical research has led to some of the most important advancements in cancer care worldwide.
LLS does not receive any federal funding. Over the last 75 years, LLS has invested $1.8 billion in research resulting in blood cancer patients living longer and better lives. LLS currently has more than $250 million in research funding commitments to propel the next generation of blood cancer care. Like NIH, LLS grants also include funds for direct and indirect research costs.
LLS makes independent decisions about its research investments. Our work is led by a group of dedicated scientists, with input from independent advisors, who seek out and fund innovative science for every type of blood cancer.
LLS will keep doing all it can to advance the best research and accelerate better and safer treatments to improve the lives of blood cancer patients and their families, but we cannot do it alone. Ongoing funding from government and other entities is essential to maintaining a steady pace of finding new cures and improving the lives of blood cancer patients and their families.
The sudden announcement of these cuts is causing disruptions in cancer research as scientists cannot be certain of their current and future funding streams. Even temporary cuts can take their toll on patients, on their families, and on science, too.
A permanent reduction in funding could result in less research and fewer new treatments in the future. Some institutions may be able to fill in any gaps left by NIH funding, while others will likely have to scale back or slow their research efforts.
A longer-term problem is that reduced NIH funding may push researchers out of U.S. academia, where they perform vital foundational scientific work. In times when NIH funding is uncertain, researchers look for other career paths. From 2021-2022, because inflation reduced available funding, there was nearly a 10% drop in the number of young scientists employed in post-doctoral academic research positions.
Sustained funding from NIH has been the cornerstone of U.S. excellence in biomedical research. Without it, the pace of quality, impactful advances will slow.
Dramatic advances in research have transformed care for many blood cancer patients, but there is so much more to do. Breakthroughs don’t just happen—they are the result of many years of research.
Before a powerful new therapy reaches patients, it undergoes intensive scientific inquiry, analysis, testing and validation. The only way to rapidly achieve better cancer treatments is through consistent, robust funding for science – through the public sector, academia, industry, and nonprofits.
The treatments being approved by the FDA now likely benefited from NIH (and often LLS) research funding years ago. It can take 10 to 15 years or more to bring a new drug to market.
For example, a new type of drug called a menin inhibitor was approved in late 2024 to treat people with acute myeloid leukemia. LLS funded research in the early 2000s that discovered menin’s role in the devastating behavior of AML. Identifying these new connections allows for new kinds of drugs to be developed that may work for patients who have not responded to existing drugs or that work better for all patients.
LLS and NIH committed funding over the next two decades to develop the first compound to inhibit menin, and to do the years of scientific work needed to make the inhibitor potent and safe for use in patients.
Today, thanks to the long-term investments of LLS, NIH and others, one menin inhibitor is available, another is on the way, and work is already underway on next generation menin-based treatments.
Our comprehensive research strategy is designed to generate near team impact for blood cancer patients by supporting drugs that are close to FDA approval through the LLS Therapy Acceleration Program. LLS also focuses funding on seeding the research pipeline through our Academic Grants to keep innovative therapies coming in the future.
LLS leads two master clinical trials. The LLS Pediatric Acute Leukemia Master Clinical Trial (PedAL) is helping to speed up the process of finding new treatments for blood cancer in kids. LLS’s Beat AML® Master Clinical Trial is transforming treatment for adults with acute leukemia. Beat AML has already shown improved survival for patients enrolled in Beat AML compared to those receiving standard chemotherapy.
The LLS Equity in Access research program provides funding to health services researchers who are working to uncover and address the social, economic, and environmental disadvantages that keep blood cancer patients and survivors from accessing the high-quality treatment and care they need throughout their lives.
Through our Office of Public Policy, LLS is encouraging the Administration to partner with patients, clinicians, and researchers to understand and appreciate the full impact that its cuts on funding have on patients and healthcare infrastructure.
To address the threat of funding cuts, LLS partners closely with partner organizations across the cancer community as a part of the One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) coalition. Through OVAC, LLS will engage with lawmakers and push back quickly – as we always have – if needed.
LLS is also empowering those who care about this issue by providing opportunities to make their voices heard. Please see below for more information.
LLS is vigorously defending against actions that threaten the lives and well-being of cancer patients, like cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and proposals to cut Medicaid, which provides healthcare to more than 70 million Americans, including more than 37 million children.
But we are also focused on ensuring lawmakers drive forward our other priorities, like the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act and bills to support the research and development of pediatric cancer treatments and cures.
As we continue this work, your voices can make an enormous difference.
Right now, please send a message to your members of Congress calling on them to publicly urge the Administration to rescind these devastating cuts. It only takes two clicks (or two taps on your phone).
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| Free on Kindle Unlimited |
The review follows these introductory satements.
****
“Meet some unforgettable people who may well change your life!”
“An inspirational book that makes you want to be a better person.” Pikasho Deka
“This book showcases hope, kindness, and perseverance of human beings.”
"...Listen, Listen to My Heart’s Song is a touching compilation of snippets of life, love, happiness, loss, and the invaluable lessons to be learned as we navigate through life. The author tells the stories of others with wit, charisma, and with great care. Each story is conveyed with clever simplicity, allowing for the fullness of the message to shine through. The reader is encouraged to connect with each story and to reflect upon similar themes in their own lives, providing the right blend of enjoyment of others’ experiences and hearkening back to one’s own. Spanning the country and crossing the globe, we meet people from all walks of life in this book, learning and appreciating pieces of their lives as we go..."
“Listen, Listen to My Heart’s Song” celebrates the lives, and stories, of people I have been fortunate to know, if only for a flash of time. I have been lucky to live in several countries and travel a great deal of the world, meeting a wide range of exciting people willing to share their stories.
An African proverb says that: “When an old man dies, a library burns.”
When I first heard that, I was determined to share some of the stories people gently shared with me.
Read about a priest fighting his challenges as he reaches out to those with AIDS.
Meet Bronka, a survivor of Auschwitz and Buna who inspires all who had the opportunity to meet her.
This book is my thanks to them for their time with me.
Net Profits will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The American Cancer Society, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, and the Woodland Park Zoo.
"...I appreciate the desire to tell others’ stories in Listen, Listen to My Heart’s Song by M. Barrett Miller. It provides both contributor and reader the chance to connect, albeit virtually and across the distance of time and place, and to enjoy the commonalities of humanity. The way the stories are told sets the tone for the book, making way for a respectful and pleasant look at lives all at once the same and yet very different from our own. The author is clearly well-traveled and well-connected with people he has known, and, in many instances, helped in one way or another. The author’s generous heart for humankind is the driving force behind the amazing content and touching stories. Listen, Listen to My Heart’s Song is the perfect remedy to a bad day, and the ideal pick-me-up when life feels overwhelming. Well done, Mr. Miller."
****
Reader's Favorite Book Reviews & Award Contests
Reviewed by Natalie Soine for Readers' Favorite
Listen, Listen to My Heart's Song is a book of stories from various
people collected by author M. Barrett Miller, a graduate of Seattle
University and the University of San Francisco
.
Dealing with a venomous snake, making a “bear away” and learning to sacrifice during challenging times are some of the lessons shared in the stories.
The stories are educational and inspire people to become more involved with
welfare organizations, projects, and any programs focused on
helping those in need.
Listen, Listen to My Heart's Song is an absolute delight to read, filled with tales of adversity, survival, and courage.
Author M. Barrett Miller does a fantastic job of capturing each person’s story
and their contributions to society.
The variety of characters is interesting and easy to relate to, including African Americans,
Native Americans, and many more people from diverse cultures and
backgrounds.
I especially enjoyed learning about the various charities supported by the sale of this book, i.e. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The American Cancer Society, the Washington
Talking Book & Braille Library, and the Woodland Park Zoo.
The book is well-written and a smooth comfortable read – highly
recommended for all adults and children. An inspirational journey that teaches people to follow their dreams and never give up.
****
Appearance: 4
The appearance of a book can make a significant impact on the
experience of a reader, whose enjoyment is often enhanced by an
enticing cover, an intriguing table of contents, interesting chapter
headings, and when possible, eye-catching illustrations.
Plot: 5
The characters of a book should be well defined with strengths and
flaws, and while they do not have to be likable, the reader does
have to be able to form a connection with them. The tone should be
consistent, the theme should be clear, and the plot should be
original or told from a unique perspective. For informative books --
those without plot and characters--this rating refers primarily to
your concept and how well you presented it.Development:
Development 5
Development refers to how effectively you told your story or
discussed your topic. The dialogue should be realistic, the
descriptions should be vivid, and the material should be concise
and coherent. Organization is also a key factor, especially for
informative books -- those without plot and characters. The order in
which you tell your story or explain your topic and how smoothly it
flows can have a huge impact on the reader's understanding and
enjoyment of the material.
Formatting: 5
Formatting is the single most overlooked area by authors. The way
in which you describe scenes, display dialogue, and shift point of
view can make or break your story. In addition, excessive
grammatical errors and typos can give your book an amateurish
feel and even put off readers completely.
Marketability: 5
Marketability refers to how effectively you wrote your book for your
target audience. Authors may include content that is above or
below the understanding of their target reader, or include concepts,
opinions or language that can accidentally confuse or alienate some
readers. Although by its nature this rating is very subjective, a very
low rating here and poor reviews may indicate an issue with your
book in this area.
Overall Opinion: 5
The overall starred rating takes into account all these elements and
describes the overall reading experience of your reviewer. This is
the official Readers' Favorite review rating for your book.
