As we all know a really bad disease can cause a huge epidemic on a worldwide scale but typically we focus on our nation and its safety. But recently our nation’s leader quickly and effectively solved the Ebola epidemic in Africa by looking at it as a worldwide problem. He got help from Britain and France to send nurses and doctors to help minimize spread and provide sterile medical assistance. Obama shocked a lot of people with how well this worked. When he refused to discontinue public travel to the Ebola infected areas people reacted very badly implying it was because of his race or because he felt we should suffer with Africa and so on. The point is people wanted to close off America to keep us safe. However, the CDC calculated if outside assistance wasn’t provided then it would have become a much bigger issue with possibly 1.4 million cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone in just over a year. Obama handled the issue the best possible way he could and it was incredibly impressive compared with a lot of his previous attempts to other issues. Now there is a new virus called Zika and Obama has asked for 1.8 billion from congress. They are hesitant to give it to him even after the remarkable example he set with the Ebola virus. The fear of most is that if they don’t the money soon they will have to later when the Zika virus invades America.

I got lots of info from: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/opinion/congress-to-america-drop-dead.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article&_r=0

Federal funding for harm reduction but not for syringes???

In December of 2009 The Consolidated Appropriation Act ended an almost 3 decade long ban on federal funding for harm reduction. Harm reduction for those of you who may not know about it is a different approach to deal with illegal drug users in our country i'm focusing on heroin users and syringe exchange programs (SEPs). SEPs are were people can exchange dirty needles, potentially HIV-contaminated needles for clean ones. If you don't think heroin is a big problem in america well in 2002 there were over 166,000 heroin users some as young as 12 years old by 2012 this number increased by 50% with 335,000 heroin users. Harm reduction programs have been used in many parts of Europe and recently Canada and now here in the U.S. Before December of  '09 SEPs could only be set up and funded by state and local governments. Now the federal government has decided to help fund them but they refuse to fund any money to the purchase of clean syringes. I just can't seem to think of any reason for this. The federal government finally agrees to help by paying for employees and facility's and anything else these programs need but not the actual syringes the number one thing these programs need.

In the article “My question for the GOP candidates” William Sanford "Bill" Nye, from the popular educational television show from 1993 to 1998 Bill Nye The Science Guy, argues that are current Front-running presidential candidates are not concerned about the climate change and global warming. Bill argues that the world’s science community is concerned with the matter and most of the world is hoping to look to America for a leading example of how to solve this problem. He goes on to talk about how Texas is a great example of a place that could use the jobs created by embracing renewable energy sources. Furthermore he states “if citizens were motivated they could transform the economy in Texas to run not on extraction of oil… but instead on the wind and sun.” he also states that when someone like him make a case for this others like the presidential candidates he is addressing in this article say that it would take too long and be too expensive but he says they are wrong and he will prove it. Then he brings up how his parents and their American peers became known as the greatest generation by changing the world virtually overnight in World War II.

I believe Bill Nye did a pretty damn good job in making this argument he had solid logical appeals, good emotional appeals, and he is obviously a credible person. His best logical appeal I feel was a Stanford University-based Solutions Project that estimated that Texas could get around 60% of its energy from the wind, and the other 40% from the sun. Or it may be his references to American involvement in the World Wars but I believe those references would more likely appeal to any American’s emotional side because we have all studied those wars and know how hard of a time it was for our country. Furthermore to anyone who reads the beginning of this blog and wonders who Bill Nye The Science Guy is I would ask if you grew up under a rock because that was a very popular T.V. show when I was a kid to show in science class when we had a substitute and PBS still shows reruns this gives Bill Nye a substantial amount of credibility. He also addresses people opposed to his argument, a key element in any good argument, which gives him a bit more credibility. There is no doubt in my mind that Bill is right in thinking that the 3 people most likely to be running our country within the next year need to be more concerned about climate change and global warming I would like to know that they intend on doing something about this so far their efforts seem to be focused on terrorism which is no doubt our biggest priority but it is not our only priority there is a lot more to deal with than just ISIS.

The Cuban Revolution of 1959 resulted in the U.S. severing diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 and began focusing on destroying the Communist regime. Also the U.S. imposed an embargo which is a set of restrictions and bans of the Cuban regime. The current U.S. President, Barack Obama, has called for the ending of this embargo. He and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the beginning of a repairing relations between Cuba and the U.S. This has resulted in U.S. airlines submitting proposals to the Transportation Department to fly approximately 100 daily flights to Cuba. Department officials are to review the proposals with benefits to passengers being the main focus. Flights could begin as early as fall. Expanding travel is a key element of the president’s policy he is proposing

I believe the article.U.S.: Flights to Cuba expected to begin by fall is important to read because it brings awareness to the fact that our President is successfully reaching his goal of repairing relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Foreign relations is one of the most important tasks a president must attempt. It is comforting to know the decade’s old embargo is in the process of being dissolved. 

Hello colleagues.