EBOLA

                In class we recently did a group project on EBOLA, the deadly disease that has captured the minds of many people in the country. One of the things that I learned was that the disease has a natural host! I did not know that the EBOLA virus was dormant in the common fruit bat. The fruit bat is a winged mammal that lives in Africa. This also brought to my attention that the people that live in Africa can easily get the virus. I thought that the virus was spread from human to human only, not animals. One of the most intriguing things that I found out while studying this is the extent that some people in America are taking this to. There are people that are wearing quarantine suits, leaving the country, and even not coming outside! The fact of the matter is that this disease has been around since the 70’s and no one has said anything about it. Now that it has arrived in the United States, people are freaking out. More people die of the common cold a year, then EBOLA. There is not much to worry about.

 

EBOLA and the WORLD

                The EBOLA craze is sweeping the world. It is on headlines, the talk of the table at local coffee hour, and the world’s number one scare at the moment. People around the world are taking desperate measures to avoid this toxic disease at all costs. I think that people around the world should know about the virus, and its destructivity. The world does need to take some steps in to creating a safe environment, such as screenings in airports, and medical treatment for those that have the virus. How does this affect the world you might ask? Each country has people. People are the carriers of the virus. So, this means that each country has to be aware what could happen to their people. This links the world, because if only the civilized countries shut down their airports and docks, the virus could still spread through the other countries, allowing the chance for someone to make it in to the closed countries, perhaps ending eternity as we know it.

                Hold on, slow down a minute. Mankind will not end. The fact of the matter is that the virus is out there, but it is not going to end humanity. People need to be aware of the virus, but do not need to go to the extremes that some are.

1. First of all, I find it very interesting that companies are paying the government/politics at all!
2. Pharmaceuticals and other health products rake in 120,369,378 dollars so far in 2014.
3. It is surprising enough that the amount of lobbying is decreased so far in 2014.
4. I find it very interesting that the Republican Party has been more supported in the history of payment from medical companies.
5. Medical companies are raking out over a million dollars for a politician to vote their way.
6. This also captures my thoughts, why was there such an increase in paying the government during the 04-09 years?
7. I also would like to know this, to what company is the Cooperative of American Physicians spending their money?
8. I do not understand why nursing homes would have to pay off the government for things? What kind of things do they need?
9. The lobbying totals peaked in 2009, then they started decreasing.
10. The most paid off politician is from Kentucky, does he have a say in major medical decisions?

Health Care

                We recently watched a Michael Moore documentary entitled “Sicko”. This documentary was about how corrupt the U.S’s health care system is. Big company’s control if people get the care they need. Therefore, the big companies are making big bucks on denying people health care. How can this happen? People might not have the right insurance, or enough money to pay their bills, so they get denied. This is not how it should be, in my opinion.

                By watching this documentary I learned that many countries around the world have free health care. Canada, Britain, France, and Cuba are among these. If you were in these countries, you could lose all of your toes, go to the hospital, and pay nothing to get them repaired. If you lived in the United States however, you would have to pay thousands of dollars depending on your insurance. In my view, I think that if the U.S could establish a system like this, it would be very beneficial.

                In conclusion, I would like to say that after watching the documentary, I have gotten a very different perspective on our nation’s health care system. I believe that everyone should have free health care like some of the countries I listed earlier. Why would you want to live in a country where medication costs 120 dollars, where it could cost you 5 cents somewhere else? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

Human Trafficking

                Human trafficking in the world is a big problem. It is one of those things that people say, “slavery was so 150 years ago” (insert snobby, sarcastic voice here). But, the truth of the matter is, it is happening right now.

                This summer I had the privilege to go to a youth convention in Kansas City, Missouri. At this convention we got to learn about sex trafficking in Germany. So, I have some foreknowledge on this subject. I did not know that much of this happened in the United States though. That kind of intrigued me.

                The movie we watched, “Human Trafficking”, really opened my eyes to how these people work, and what they do. The people that run these businesses are mean, ruthless, and dictators of these young women that they are trafficking. I think that every person that runs one of these chains, and gets caught should be forced into federal prison. They should also be forced to promote awareness of human trafficking.

                More people in the world need to know that this is happening. I think that the “End It Movement” is doing a great job on attempting to get the word out to people. I also would like to see more people around the world raising awareness of this situation. Human slavery is not dead, it is very much alive and needs to be put to an end.

Women and Globalization

                Globalization has greatly improved the lives of many men and women across the globe. It has made their lives not only easier, but better. The one topic that still comes up however, is, do women get the same rights?

                According to Globalization 101, “57 percent of the children that do not get to attend school are women”. What does this mean? It means that women do not get the same rights as men. Some people may think this! Some women like to argue that that they do not get the same rights. This leads to protests, and other debates. Here is a link to Globalization 101's website.

                Another place that raises conflicts is working conditions. A lot of women in the world get the low-paying, sweatshop jobs. They get the hard labor jobs that the men either do not want, or just are too lazy to get. This makes many people mad, and brings up big controversy.

                Some of this might take place in the United States, but I do not think that it really happens in South Dakota. I think that it mainly happens in the bigger cities and factories. I do not think that is a problem here.

                In conclusion I think that something needs to be done about this. Someone needs to bring these concepts up to government officials in the overseas countries. This is a crime that should be changed.