#Basic Life Support by American Safety and Health Institute

[fatsalpakistan]

Basic Life Support in Lahore on Apr 28

Basic Life Support (BLS) program is for participants to gain or improve knowledge and skill proficiency in high-quality CPR skills. In our hands-on approach, students participate in scenarios and learning stations to become a Lifesaver! BLS reflects the latest resuscitation science and treatment recommendations published and conforms with the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines Update for…

[undocumented-economics]

Undocumented Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Beginning in the final week of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the globe, affecting the livelihood of almost everyone and killing millions. During this period, undocumented workers were not privy to the strategies that many elites or middle-class individuals were capable of using to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on individuals. For instance, while a majority of undocumented workers live above the designated "poverty level" in the U.S., many still earn below a living wage, and thus require the hours that they are paid for in order to maintain their lifestyle. Additionally, many undocumented workers, disproportionately more so than other communities in the U.S., find themselves in critical positions in American infrastructure, with many being nurses, delivery drivers (5% of all delivery drivers are Undocumented), or in the agricultural industry (25% of all workers in agriculture are undocumented). As such, their labor is necessitated more than other groups of workers, in order for the rest of the U.S. to continue operating.

In addition to the inability for many to avoid work, undocumented workers are generally ineligible for government health programs such as medicare and medicaid, with the exception of emergency care when "deemed necessary to protect life or guarantee safety in dire situations" (National Immigration Forum, 2022). Whether due to fear of discovery or policy of insurance providers, undocumented persons also "compose the largest group of uninsured individuals in the country. With an estimated 45% to 71%of them lacking health coverage" (National Immigration Forum, 2022). Therefore, treatment is less accessible and more prohibitively expensive for undocumented workers than for many other groups. While the long term effects of COVID-19 on the human body have yet to be studied, it could be inferred from current short term studies that, because undocumented workers are more exposed to conditions where COVID-19 could be contracted, they will be disproportionally subject to the long term respiratory effects of COVID-19 because of that.

Lastly, undocumented workers have benefitted far less than other groups in the U.S. from COVID-19 recovery efforts. In February, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan, which, among other things, offered significant basic need assistance, providing relief to people facing economic hardship due to the pandemic. However, very little of this program specifically targeted undocumented workers. Certain states with high concentrations of undocumented persons, such as California and New York, have begun to implement programs to specifically support undocumented workers overlooked by federal relief efforts. Provided the role which undocumented workers filled before and during the pandemic, and continue to fill to the present day, these efforts should be more widespread and accessible to undocumented workers across the country, not just local or state level relief efforts.

Sources:

“Addressing Covid-19's Impact on Undocumented Workers.” 2021. Open Society Foundations. Open Society Foundations. July. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/covid-19-and-undocumented-workers.

“Fact Sheet: Undocumented Immigrants and Federal Health Care Benefits.” 2022. National Immigration Forum. National Immigration Forum. September 21. https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-undocumented-immigrants-and-federal-health-care-benefits/.

“Profile of the Unauthorized Population - US.” 2023. Migrationpolicy.org. Migration Policy Institute. February 1. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/US.

Svajlenka, Nicole Prchal. 2021. “Protecting Undocumented Workers on the Pandemic's Front Lines.” Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress. November 7. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/protecting-undocumented-workers-pandemics-front-lines-2/.

[infomedia08]

Best BLS Provider Trainers in Boynton Beach, Florida

Boynton Beach, Florida is a great place to learn about basic life support (BLS) training.

There are many providers in the area that offer BLS training to healthcare professionals, including nurses, paramedics, and other medical staff. Here are some of the best BLS provider trainers in Boynton Beach, Florida:

Palm Beach State College: This college offers BLS training to healthcare professionals through its Continuing Education program. Classes are held on a regular basis, and students can choose from either in-person or online classes. The instructors are experienced professionals who have real-world experience in emergency medicine and are certified by the American Heart Association.

Boynton Beach Fire Rescue: This organization offers BLS training to healthcare professionals and the general public. Classes are held on a regular basis and are taught by certified instructors with experience in emergency medicine. The curriculum is based on the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association.

American Red Cross: The American Red Cross offers BLS training in Boynton Beach, Florida through its local chapter. Classes are held on a regular basis, and students can choose from either in-person or online classes. The instructors are experienced professionals who have real-world experience in emergency medicine and are certified by the American Heart Association.

First Aid Training and Safety Institute: This training institute offers BLS training to healthcare professionals and the general public. Classes are held on a regular basis, and students can choose from either in-person or online classes. The instructors are experienced professionals who have real-world experience in emergency medicine and are certified by the American Heart Association.

Health Care Academy of Palm Beach County: This academy offers BLS training to healthcare professionals and the general public. Classes are held on a regular basis, and students can choose from either in-person or online classes. The instructors are experienced professionals who have real-world experience in emergency medicine and are certified by the American Heart Association.

In conclusion, Boynton Beach, Florida is home to many providers of BLS training, including Palm Beach State College, Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, American Red Cross, First Aid Training and Safety Institute, and Health Care Academy of Palm Beach County. Each provider offers a high-quality training program that is taught by experienced and certified professionals, and all are based on the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association. If you are looking to learn about basic life support, these providers are a great place to start.

>> Also Read: What is the best place to get CPR certified in Florida, United States

[mtaylor-project2-ce534]

Homeless and What is Available

Homelessness is unfortunately a prevalent and serious problem within the American culture today. The growing number of homeless individuals within our country is alarming, but the reasons behind why are not shocking. Socioeconomic status defines the structure of America's population. Since the founding of our country, there have been noticeable divides between those who are of status and those who are not. The theory of classism has been a part of American history since the very beginning. Many would agree that the class system in America can be defined as Structural classism, making the social and institutional practices the reason for the discrimination against those in the lower classes (Hays, 2018, p.195). The structure of the social class system creates an impossible barrier for people to cross, making homelessness an unavoidable consequence of this.

While Minnesota's homeless population is smaller than in warmer areas of the country, I see many individuals each day while living my everyday life/routines. There is an intersection near my house that is underneath an overpass, it is noticeable how the number of people increases as the temperatures start to decline. The many challenges that individuals who are experiencing homelessness face each day are trying and demanding. Knowing what is available to use as support as you go through this experience can greatly change how it will play out. But what is available for the homeless community?

Below are a few resources I found in the Twin Cities that provide a variety of support for those in need:

Agate Housing + Services

-> Agate Housing + Services provides a list of resources that can assist an individual in finding support with food, shelter, public assistance, healthcare, education, employment, legal services, and services for immigrants.

-> The Handbook of the Streets is a packet of locations that provide a variety of necessary services to ensure the health and safety of an individual. This can be accessed in digital or paper format and is updated yearly to insure accurate information is being provided.

-> They provide a copy of Minneapolis and St. Paul specific resources. Below is an image of the Minneapolis handbook from the Agate Housing + Services website.

-> Inside these handbooks, individuals can find information on all provided services mentioned above, broken down into sections. Inside, one will find the address, phone number, hours of operation, and services provided at each location. There is also a list of emergency numbers and hotlines to utilize in times of need.

Hennepin Waypoint

-> Hennepin Waypoint is another organization that provides services to individuals experiencing homelessness and financial hardships. They have nine main categories of services offered: shelter, food, clothing, public restrooms, crisis lines/outreach, medical/health assistance, employment/job training, legal assistance, and activities/events.

-> Each category is broken down into smaller sections. For example, the tab labeled "food" is broken down into 3 smaller sections; meals, food shelves, and foodstamps/SNAP. Each tab within the broad topic will bring you directly to a map of the area with a list of resources available. Directions and addresses will be found here.

Youth Services Network

-> Youth Services Network focuses on youth experiencing homelessness. Services provided include shelter, food, outreach, health & wellness, mental/emotional health, education, resource hotlines, employment, pregnant & parenting youth, and basic need drop-in centers.

->Each tab provides addresses and contact information for the resource being provided. As well as the hours of operation, the ages services are provided to, information regarding LGBTQ+ friendly options, and activities offered.

Individuals who experience poverty have higher chances of developing mental health concerns or making the preexisting condition decline significantly (Hays, 2018, p.203). Unfortunately, the farther down the social ladder you go, the fewer resources are available to utilize. Isn't ironic that the people who would benefit the most from access to mental health resources are the same people who have the least amount of access? Knowing the options of the services that are available can have the largest impact on those experiencing difficult situations. Sharing them with others will help spread the information to a larger number of people, which can be a life-altering event for many.

References:

Hays, D. G. & Erford, B. T. (2017). Developing Multicultural Counseling Competence: A Systems Approach, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN-10: 0134522702, ISBN-13: 978-0134522708

[whitehotharlots]

Privilege Theory is popular because it is conservative

Privilege theory, as a formal academic thing, has been around at least since 1989, when Peggy McIntosh published the now-seminal essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Even within academic cultural studies, however, privilege theory was pretty niche until about a decade ago--it’s not what you’d call intellectually sound (McIntosh’s essay contains zero citations), and its limitations as an analytical frame are pretty obvious. I went through a cultural studies-heavy PhD program in the early twenty teens and I only heard it mentioned a handful of times. If you didn’t get a humanities degree, odds are it didn’t enter your purview until 2015 or thereabouts.

This poses an obvious question: how could an obscure and not particularly groundbreaking academic concept become so ubiquitous so quickly? How did such a niche (and, frankly, weird and alienating) understanding of racial relations become so de rigeur that companies that still utilize slave labor and still produce skin whitening cream are now all but mandated to release statements denouncing it? 

Simply put, the rapid ascent of privilege theory is due to the fact that privilege theory is fundamentally conservative. Not in cultural sense, no. But if we understand conservatism as an approach to politics that seeks first and foremost to maintain existing power structures, then privilege theory is the cultural studies equivalent of phrenology or Austrian economics. 

This realization poses a second, much darker question: how did a concept as regressive and unhelpful as privilege become the foundational worldview among people who style themselves as progressives, people whose basic self-understanding is grounded in a belief that they are working to address injustice? Let’s dig into this:

First, let’s go down a well-worn path and establish the worthlessness of privilege as an analytical lens. We’ll start with two basic observations: 1) on the whole, white people have an easier time existing within these United States than non-white people, and 2) systemic racism exists, at least to the extent that non-white people face hurdles that make it harder for them to achieve safety and material success.

I think a large majority of Americans would agree with both of these statements--somewhere in the ballpark of 80%, including many people you and I would agree are straight-up racists. They are obvious and undeniable, the equivalent to saying “politicians are corrupt” or “good things are good and bad things are bad.” Nothing about them is difficult or groundbreaking.

As simplistic as these statements may be, privilege theory attempts to make them the primary foreground of all understandings of social systems and human interaction. Hence the focus on an acknowledgement of privilege as the ends and means of social justice. We must keep admitting to privilege, keep announcing our awareness, again and again and again, vigilance is everything, there is nothing beyond awareness.

Of course, acknowledging the existence of inequities does nothing to actually address those inequities. Awareness can serve as an important (though not necessarily indispensable) precondition for change, but does not lead to change in and of itself. 

I’ve been saying this for years but the point still stands: those who advocate for privilege theory almost never articulate how awareness by itself will bring about change. Even in the most generous hypothetical situation, where all human interaction is prefaced by a formal enunciation of the raced-based power dynamics presently at play, this acknowledgement doesn’t actually change anything. There is never a Step Two. 

Now, some people have suggested Step Twos. But suggestions are usually ignored, and on the rare occasions they are addressed they are dismissed without fail, often on grounds that are incredibly specious and dishonest. To hit upon another well-worn point, let’s look at the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. The majority of Sanders’ liberal critics admit that the senator’s record on racial justice is impeccable, and that his platform would have done substantially more to materially address racial inequities than that being proffered by any of his opponents. That’s all agreed upon, yet we are told that none of that actually matters. 

Sanders dropped out of the race nearly 3 months ago, yet just this past week The New York Times published yet another hit piece explaining that while his policies would have benefitted black people, the fact that he strayed from arbitrarily invoked rhetorical standards meant he was just too problematic to support.  

The piece was written by Sidney Ember, a Wall Street hack who cites anonymous finance and health insurance lobbyists to argue that financial regulation is racist. Ember, like most other neoliberals, has been struggling to reconcile her vague support for recent protests with the fact that she is paid to lie about people who have tried to fix things. Now that people are forcefully demanding change, the Times have re-deployed her to explain why change is actually bad even though it’s good.  

How does one pivot from celebrating the fact that black people will not be receiving universal healthcare to mourning racially disproportionate COVID death rates? They equivocate. They lean even harder on rhetorical purity, dismissing a focus on policy as a priori blind to race. Bernie never said “white privilege.” Well, okay, he did, but he didn’t say it in the right tone or often enough, and that’s what the problem was. Citing Ember:

Yet amid a national movement for racial justice that took hold after high-profile killings of black men and women, there is also an acknowledgment among some progressives that their discussion of racism, including from their standard-bearer, did not seem to meet or anticipate the forcefulness of these protests.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, the legal scholar who pioneered the concept of intersectionality to describe how various forms of discrimination can overlap, said that Mr. Sanders struggled with the reality that talking forcefully about racial injustice has traditionally alienated white voters — especially the working-class white voters he was aiming to win over. But that is where thinking of class as a “colorblind experience” limits white progressives. “Class cannot help you see the specific contours of race disparity,” she said.

Many other institutions, she noted, have now gone further faster than the party that is the political base of most African-American voters. “You basically have a moment where every corporation worth its salt is saying something about structural racism and anti-blackness, and that stuff is even outdistancing what candidates in the Democratic Party were actually saying,” she said.

Crenshaw’s point here is that the empty, utterly immaterial statements of support coming from multinational corporations are more substantial and important than policy proposals that would have actually addressed racial inequities. This is astounding. A full throated embrace of entropy as praxis. 

Crenshaw started out the primary as a Warren supporter but threw her endorsement to Bernie once the race had narrowed to two viable candidates. This fact is not mentioned, nor does Ember feel the need to touch upon any of Biden’s dozens of rhetorical missteps regarding race (you might remember that he kicked off his presidential run with a rambling story about the time he toughed it out with a black ne'er do well named Corn Pop, or his more recent assertion that if you don’t vote for him, “you ain’t black.”). The statement here--not the implication: the direct and undeniable statement--is that tone and posturing are more important than material proposals, and that concerns regarding tone and posturing should only be raised in order to delegitimize those who have dared to proffer proposals that might actually change things for the better. 

The ascendence of privilege theory marks the triumph of selective indignation, the ruling class and their media lackeys having been granted the power to dismiss any and all proposals for material change according to standards that are too nonsensical to be enforced in any fair or consistent manner. The concept has immense utility for those who wish to perpetuate the status quo. And that, more than anything, is why it’s gotten so successful so quickly. But still… why have people fallen for something so obviously craven and regressive? Why are so few decent people able to summon even the smallest critique against it? 

We can answer this by taking a clear look at what privilege actually entails. And this is where things get really, really grim:

What are the material effects of privilege, at least as they are imagined by those who believe the concept to be something that must be sussed out and eradicated? A privileged person gets to live their life with the expectation that they will face no undue hurdles to success and fulfillment because of their identity markers, that they will not be subject to constant surveillance and/or made to suffer grave consequences for minor or arbitrary offenses, and that police will not be able to murder them at will. The effects of “privilege” are what we might have once called “freedom” or “dignity.” Until very recently, progressives regarded these effects not as problematic, but as a humane baseline, a standard that all decent people should fight to provide to all of our fellow citizens. 

Here we find the utility in the use of the specific term “privilege.” Similar to how austerity-minded politicians refer to social security as an “entitlement,” conflating dignity and privilege gives it the sense of something undeserved and unearned--things that no one, let alone members of racially advantaged groups, could expect for themselves unless they were blinded by selfishness and coddled by an insufficiently cruel social structure. The problem isn’t therefore that humans are being selectively brutalized. Brutality is the baseline, the natural order, the unavoidable constant that has not been engineered into our society but simply is what society is and will always be. The problem, instead, is that some people are being exempted from some forms of brutalization. The problem is that pain does not stretch far enough.

We are a nation that worships cruelty and authority. All Americans, regardless of gender or race, are united in being litigious tattletales who take joy in hurting one another, who will never run out of ways to rationalize their own cruelty even as they decry the cruelty of others. We are taught from birth that human life has no value, that material success is morally self-validating, and that those who suffer deserve to suffer. This is our real cultural brokenness: a deep, foundational hatred of one another and of ourselves. It transcends all identity markers. It stains us all. And it’s why we’ve all run headlong into a regressive and idiotic understanding of race at a time when we desperately need to unite and help one another. 

[96thdayofrage]

During an interview with a podcast entitled “The Ezra Klein Show” – some of which was published in the New York Times – Obama was asked several questions based on some of the things he shared in his memoir. Among them was how he decided when it was more expedient to avoid “calling out arguments that you think are kind of really wrong” for the sake of success in politics.

“I think every president has to deal with this,” Obama answered. “It may have been more noticeable with me – in part because, as the first African American president, there was a presumption, not incorrect, that there were times where I was biting my tongue. That’s why the skit that Key and Peele did with the anger translator, Luther, was funny. Because people assumed Barack’s thinking something other than what he’s saying in certain circumstances.”

He continued, “A lot of times, one of the ways I would measure it would be: Is it more important for me to tell a basic, historical truth, let’s say about racism in America right now? Or is it more important for me to get a bill passed that provides a lot of people with health care that didn’t have it before?”

Obama added that not telling the truth about racism and America’s history at times did take its toll on him. “There’s a psychic cost to not always just telling the truth. And I think there were times where supporters of mine would get frustrated if I wasn’t being as forthright about certain things as I might otherwise be, Obama said. “Then there are also just institutional constraints that I think every president has to follow on some of these issues. And it was sort of on a case-by-case basis where you try to make decisions.”

The admission comes after years of criticism from many of Obama’s one-time supporters, specifically, those who are Black Americans. Many say they felt betrayed by the 44th Commander-in-Chief. As the nation’s first Black president, some even posit Obama didn’t do anything substantial for the Black community other than providing symbolism. They expected more and were quick to point this out in response to Obama’s interview.

“@AprilDRyan Obama said he couldn’t even speak out on the killing of black people by police because institutional constraints. Would you please investigate and provide the people with a list of institutional constraints he was talking about?” Twitter user @sncstanley wrote. “I ask because, Obama served as the most powerful man in the world for 8 years, and for 8 years he’s now saying he was restrained from speaking up/doing “anything” about the police killing black people.”

User @notyerrrnegro added, “some of the angriest years of my life were during the Obama administration man all that nigga did was bomb civilians abroad and play in Black people’s face when they were demanding structural change happen. Representational politics will be the death of us.”

While Obama said he recognized why some people were frustrated – noting there were times when he was “sufficiently disappointed” and “would just go off” about issues like failure to pass gun safety after exhausting every other possibility – he also persisted in his belief that tradeoffs like avoiding broaching topics like racism and America’s history in certain cases when trying to pass policy are just necessary at times.

“That’s been the history of America, right? There is abolition, and the Civil War, and then there’s backlash, and the rise of the K.K.K., and then Reconstruction ends, and Jim Crow arises, and then you have a civil rights movement, a modern civil rights movement, and desegregation. And that in turn leads to push back and ultimately Nixon’s Southern strategy,” Obama said. “What I take comfort from is that in the traditional two steps forward, one step back, as long as you’re getting the two steps, then the one step back, you know, is the price of doing business.”

[jennymanrique]

Three California Republicans share views on future of GOP

Members of the Republican Party in California share their views on why they believe they offer the best representation for ethnic Americans.

In an overwhelmingly blue state where according to the California Public Policy Institute, the majority of African American, Latino, and AAPI voters are Democrats, Republicans flipped four districts in the last congressional election with minority candidates.

According to the new faces, their agendas seek to “raise the conservative voices” of minorities, and find “bipartisan consensus” to legislate.

“The Republican Party for me, is not the great old party, but the great opportunity party,” said Young Kim, US representative to the CA 39th District, which includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange County, one of the most diverse districts in the country where Joe Biden won by 10 points.

“Asian Americans should not automatically be considered as members of the Democratic Party. We have our voices, we have our shared values, we have our conservative views.”

Kim is an immigrant from South Korea, mother of four children, and one of four Korean-Americans who were sworn into the 117th Congress. She is also one of 11 Republican women who flipped a Democratic seat in the last election, and who was recently ranked as the most bipartisan freshmen in Congress.

One of her bills approved with Democratic support was the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act that gives small business owners two more months to access unspent funds from that program in order to keep their doors open and their employees on payroll. “That small extension allows 2.7 million small businesses to receive $54 billion,” she said.

She also supports legislation that provides a permanent solution to DACA recipients and to foreign students who get their education at US universities, but cannot adjust their status to stay in the country. “As we talk about immigration reform, I would like to see separate legislation to fix DACA,” she said.

While she supports Biden’s $ 1.2 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill, she disagrees that the $1.9 trillion budget to deal with COVID-19 is redirected to other purposes, “such as caring for migrants who are in the community”.

“As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of Congress will play a large role in dictating our future,” Kim said. “And by getting the government out of the way and making life more affordable for workers and families, we can get our economy and our lives back on track.”

Daughter of farmworkers

Suzette Martínez Valladares, who represents District 38 in the California State Assembly, which encompasses the northwestern suburbs of Los Angeles, Ventura County, the Santa Clarita Valley and Simi Valley, is also faithful to her party’s fiscal conservatism.

Martinez is the only Latina Republican in the assembly. She says that Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies “are crushing the middle class” and that the handling “of the lockdown and closures had little to no guidance” so that “our businesses are going at an alarmingly negligent pace”.

The Assemblywoman is co-sponsoring bill 420 which seeks to adjust state guidelines to allow amusement parks, regardless of size, to be opened safely. Her interest comes from her first work experience at Six Flags Magic Mountain where she started as a summer intern, to end up working 8 years later as an asset protection and loss prevention investigator.

“There has been clear mismanagement for so many industries that have been shuttered and closed for over a year… 1.2 million Californians have not accessed EDD (unemployment benefits), and the distribution of vaccines has been a debacle,” Martinez said, although official data showed that California has the highest percentage of vaccinations in the country.

Born in the San Fernando Valley, her grandparents came from Mexico to work in the fields of Kern County. Every summer her father, who was born in Puerto Rico, would pick crops with them.

“Throughout my life, my parents taught me the value of hard work. My dad said that I didn’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but the hardest working person in the room.”

Martínez said that she experienced extreme poverty while in high school and that she witnessed a lot of crime and drugs in her neighborhood. “I looked around me and all of my representatives were Democrats who were supposed to be the party that supported minorities and the poor. Why was I not seeing change in my own community? That forced me to look at the Republican Party,” she said.

Public safety

Walter Allen III, a Covina city council member for more than 20 years, said that although he did not consider himself a political person and was basically a “non-partisan person,” having worked with different law enforcement agencies inclined him to join the GOP “for its platform on public safety.”

“One of the major concerns I have as a local elected official is exactly public safety … and it doesn’t make any difference whether you are Republican or Democrat, I am concerned about the notion of defunding the police,” said the African-American councilmember who is also the director of the Rio Hondo Police Academy.

Born in East Oakland, where he witnessed “high crime rates,” Allen believes that perceptions about the police stem from many people not paying attention to data. “It is victims, crime reports and issues that deal with crime that disproportionately send police into communities of color,” he said. “And for some reason, people think that police officers run around, making their point to target Blacks or Latinos, and that’s simply not the case.”

Allen condemned the murder of African American George Floyd at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin as a “horrible thing”.

“I don’t know of any police officer that wasn’t sickened by that,” he said. But he quoted various figures according to which out of 1,000 people who were shot last year, about 235 were black, and “most of those people were armed and dangerous.”

The council member said that in his academy, 80% of the officers he trains belong to minorities and that the training is focused on de-escalation techniques, how to deal with the mental health of the homeless population, and cultural diversity.

“As a mandatory requirement they have to go to the Museum of Tolerance for a day of cultural diversity training,” he assured. “We train officers how to be guardians, not warriors,” he added.

Allen believes that his party must constantly reach out to communities of color and not just during election season. “Unfortunately, a lot of Republicans are leaving the state. But I’m optimistic if we continue with the grassroots effort, we can gain some folks of color into the party,” he concluded.

Originally published here

Want to read this piece in Spanish? Click here

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

For democracy, it’s a time of swimming against the tide (AP) The old Nicaraguan revolutionary, with his receding hairline and the goatee that he had finally let turn grey, spoke calmly into the camera as police swarmed toward his house, hidden behind a high wall in a leafy Managua neighborhood. Decades earlier, Hugo Torres had been a revered guerrilla in the fight against right-wing dictator Anastasio Somoza. In 1974, he’d taken a group of top officials hostage, then traded them for the release of imprisoned comrades. Among those prisoners was Daniel Ortega, a Marxist bank robber who would become Nicaragua’s elected president and later its authoritarian ruler. And on this hot Sunday in mid-June, amid a weekslong clampdown to obliterate nearly every hint of opposition, Ortega had his old savior arrested. In the last few months, the growing ranks of dictators have flexed their muscles, and freedom has been in retreat. The list is grim: a draconian crackdown in Nicaragua, with laws that now let the government paint nearly any critic as a traitor; a military takeover in Myanmar, with bloody repression that the United Nations says has left more than 850 people dead since Feb. 1 and more than 4,800 arbitrarily detained; a tightening grip by Beijing on Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous enclave where activists and journalists have been harassed and imprisoned under a sweeping national security law. 2020 was “another year of decline for liberal democracy,” said a recent report from the V-Dem Institute, a Sweden-based research center. “The world is still more democratic than it was in the 1970s and 1980s, but the global decline in liberal democracy has been steep during the past 10 years.”

Companies Target a New Market: The Stressed Out (WSJ) Drivers climbing into the new Lincoln Nautilus enter “a sanctuary,” Lincoln declares in the car’s ads. Seats offer massage, vents emit refreshed air and sound-dampening materials eliminate outside ruckus. Long before Covid-19 hit last year, rising stress was identified as one of Americans’ major concerns. Now, more than a year into the pandemic, consumers’ stress levels have been soaring. In June, nearly one-third of Americans reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, only 11% of Americans reported such symptoms, according to a comparable survey from the National Center for Health Statistics. With so much of the population stressed out, more consumer product companies see soothing anxiety as an opportunity. Makers of everyday goods from cars and note paper to makeup, cereal and beverages are framing marketing messages and launching products to target worried consumers. Many consumers say they are receptive to mental health advice coming from companies. They are looking for support for their emotional well being, and many say they welcome products that promise to make them feel better. Younger consumers especially report having a new perspective on managing their mental health. Some 50% of consumers ages 18-24 reported that they have changed their approach to mental health, compared with 28% of people ages 57 to 75, an Ernst & Young survey of 1,001 U.S. adults conducted earlier this year found.

Residents in Florida Condos Fear They Could be Next (NYT) In the days since the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex in the town of Surfside, residents of other condos are increasingly worried that their homes could also be at risk. The Champlain Towers collapse has brought rattling uncertainty to the long line of high-rise residences that abut the South Florida coastline. At Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach, seven miles from the collapse in Surfside, residents had just hours to go in and recover their belongings on Friday, a week after an evacuation was ordered to make way for long-delayed repairs. A second condominium in the city also evacuated its residents last week, while a private engineering firm warned officials of dangerous conditions in a condominium in Kissimmee, south of Orlando. The problem was not only with residences: Miami-Dade County officials on Friday announced the full evacuation of the old Dade County Courthouse after an engineering survey identified safety concerns that warranted an immediate closure of the upper floors.

In Honduras, it’s raining fish (El Heraldo) “Sunny with a chance of fish...” In one area of northern Honduras, weather forecasters await the unlikely arrival of a kind of “fish storm” in the summer months, which allows locals to feast on small silver pesces. It’s a phenomenon with no clear scientific explanation. The most recent “Lluvia de Peces” (“Fish Rain”) happened in Yoro, the department along the country’s Caribbean coast, as the Honduran daily El Heraldo reports. Locals say it has been observed in parts of Yoro since the 19th century. After a strong rainstorm subsides, they go out with buckets to collect the fish—experts have compared them to sardines—and enjoy them collectively; in many places the bounty is distributed equally and it’s looked down on to profit from the harvest. Indeed, many in this religiously devout region see the bizarre event as a blessing. Many locals believe that the fish began to appear after Catholic missionary Manuel de Jesús Subirana prayed to God to alleviate the poverty he saw in Yoro when he arrived in 1858. It seems he got his loaves and fish, and then some.

Cubans Denounce ‘Misery’ in Biggest Protests in Decades (NYT) Shouting “Freedom” and other anti-government slogans, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets in cities around the country on Sunday to protest food and medicine shortages, in a remarkable eruption of discontent not seen in nearly 30 years. Hundreds of people marched through San Antonio de los Baños, southwest of Havana, with videos streaming live on Facebook for nearly an hour before they suddenly disappeared. As the afternoon wore on, other videos appeared from demonstrations elsewhere, including Palma Soriano, in the country’s southeast. Hundreds of people also gathered in Havana, where a heavy police presence preceded their arrival. Hundreds of people marched through San Antonio de los Baños, southwest of Havana, with videos streaming live on Facebook for nearly an hour before they suddenly disappeared. As the afternoon wore on, other videos appeared from demonstrations elsewhere, including Palma Soriano, in the country’s southeast. Hundreds of people also gathered in Havana, where a heavy police presence preceded their arrival. The protests were set off by a dire economic crisis in Cuba, where the coronavirus pandemic has cut off crucial tourism dollars. People now spend hours in line each day to buy basic food items. Many have been unable to work because restaurants and other businesses have remained on lockdown for months.

Gangs complicate Haiti effort to recover from assassination (AP) Gangs in Haiti have long been financed by powerful politicians and their allies—and many Haitians fear those backers may be losing control of the increasingly powerful armed groups who have driven thousands of people from their homes as they battle over territory, kill civilians and raid warehouses of food. The escalation in gang violence threatens to complicate—and be aggravated by—political efforts to recover from last week’s brazen slaying of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti’s government is in disarray; no parliament, no president, a dispute over who is prime minister, a weak police force. But the gangs seem more organized and powerful than ever. While the violence has been centered in the capital of Port-au-Prince, it has affected life across Haiti, paralyzing the fragile economy, shuttering schools, overwhelming police and disrupting efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. “The country is transformed into a vast desert where wild animals engulf us,” said the Haitian Conference of the Religious in a recent statement decrying the spike in violent crime. “We are refugees and exiles in our own country.” Gangs recently have stolen tens of thousands of bags of sugar, rice and flour as well as ransacking and burning homes in the capital. That has driven thousands of people to seek shelter at churches, outdoor fields and a large gymnasium, where the government and international donors struggle to feed them and find long-term housing.

In symbolic end to war, U.S. general to step down from command in Afghanistan (Reuters) The U.S. general leading the war in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, will relinquish command on Monday, U.S. officials say, in a symbolic end to America’s longest conflict even as Taliban insurgents gain momentum. Miller will become America’s last four-star general on the ground in Afghanistan in a ceremony in Kabul that will come ahead of a formal end to the military mission there on Aug. 31. While the ceremony may offer some sense of closure for U.S. veterans who served in Afghanistan, it’s unclear whether it will succeed in reassuring the Western-backed Afghan government as the Taliban press ground offensives that have given them control of more territory than at any time since the conflict began. Biden acknowledged on Thursday that Afghanistan’s future was far from certain but said the Afghan people must decide their own fate. “I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,” he said.

Jordanian ex-royal court chief sentenced to 15 years for alleged plot (Reuters) A Jordanian court on Monday sentenced a former royal confidant, Bassem Awadallah, and a minor royal to 15 years in jail on charges of attempting to destabilise the monarchy. The court said it had confirmed evidence backing the charges against the pair and that they had both been determined to harm the monarchy by pushing former heir to the throne Prince Hamza as an alternative to the king.

Frenchman starts hunger strike by Tokyo Olympic Stadium in desperate bid to see his kids (Washington Post) Frenchman Vincent Fichot began a hunger strike this weekend close to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium in a desperate bid to regain access to his two young children, who were taken away by their mother three years ago and whom he hasn’t seen since. Japan is unique among developed nations in not recognizing the concept of joint custody. In practice, its courts almost always award sole custody to whichever parent is physically looking after the children at the time. The policy creates a cruel incentive for parents—flee a marriage with your children at your side and you will almost certainly win custody of them, without any enforceable obligation to grant the other parent access. Lawyers say that is exactly what happens in tens of thousands of Japanese families every year, and it’s exactly what happened to Fichot: When his marriage broke down and he sought a divorce, his Japanese wife simply took off with their nearly 3-year-old son, Tsubasa, and 11-month-old daughter, Kaeda. That was Aug. 10, 2018. “My children were kidnapped three years ago and since then I haven’t heard from them,” Fichot said in an interview on Sunday, on the second day of his hunger strike. “I don’t know where they are. I don’t know if they are healthy, or even that they are alive.”

6 dead in South Africa riots over jailing of ex-leader Zuma (AP) Rioting triggered by the imprisonment of former South African President Jacob Zuma escalated Monday as shopping malls in Johannesburg were looted, major roads were blocked by burning tires and the police and military struggled to contain the violence. The unrest started last week in KwaZulu-Natal province after Zuma was imprisoned for contempt of court. What began as fairly small-scale blocking of roads in Zuma’s home area intensified and spread to Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, including Johannesburg, the country’s largest city. At least six people have been killed and more than 200 arrested, according to a police statement issued Monday. Soldiers have been deployed to help the police.

Oh Deer (WSJ) North America’s got a deer problem. Having killed or removed pretty much all of their natural predators, white-tailed deer in the Eastern U.S. have exploded in population. Prior to European settlement, there were about two to four deer per square kilometer. Once that density passes eight deer per square kilometer, they eat everything, and that significantly harms the ecosystem, with songbird populations declining and native plant species in free fall. In some developed parts of the U.S., there are 50 to 114 deer per square kilometer.

[theculturedmarxist]

Public health officials and doctors in the US are warning that thousands of people infected by the Covid-19 virus will die this week. “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Fox News Sunday. “There’ll be a lot of death,” Donald Trump added Saturday.

In Europe, nearly 3,000 people died Saturday as the disease continued to burn through Italy, France and Spain. In the less developed countries of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, where large portions of the population live in extreme poverty, the death toll will certainly be in the hundreds of thousands.

The United States has emerged as the global center of the pandemic. The total number of deaths is approaching 10,000, with 1,331 deaths on Saturday alone. However, this number, according to an article posted Sunday in the New York Times, undercounts the actual number of victims.

“In many rural areas,” the Times reports, “coroners say they don’t have the tests they need to detect the disease. Doctors now believe that some deaths in February and early March, before the coronavirus reached epidemic levels in the United States, were likely misidentified as influenza or only described as pneumonia.”

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, for his part, made clear that it would be a “false statement” to say the United States has COVID-19 “under control.”

This, to put it bluntly, is an understatement. The lack of even an accurate account of the number of dead is just one more grotesque example of a spectacle of disorganization and chaos almost defying description.

The United States still does not have a policy of testing and isolating all suspected cases, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Over 90 percent of cities throughout the country are missing the most basic supplies, including face masks for first responders and medical personnel. Ninety-two percent do not have enough test kits, and 85 percent do not have enough ventilators.

Meanwhile state and local governments continue to warn that they face an imminent shortage of ventilators. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has said his state is expected to exhaust its supply of ventilators by Monday, while Mayor Bill De Blasio warned that New York City is slated to run out of the lifesaving devices by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The government’s combination of incompetence and indifference is personified by Trump himself, who, in his daily rambling press conferences, can hardly bring himself to express sympathy for the victims of the pandemic.

To the extent that there is any element of the catastrophe that really agitates Trump, it is the impact of the pandemic on the corporate bottom line. Fauci has said that the spread of Covid-19 can be significantly slowed, if not entirely stopped, by shutting down all nonessential businesses and maintaining a nationwide social quarantine that must likely last for several months.

But Trump himself, while occasionally paying lip service to the warnings of Fauci and the scientific community, declares repeatedly and with far greater conviction, as he did at his Saturday press conference, that Americans “have to get back to work.”

“Think of it,” he said. “We’re paying people not to go to work. How about that? How does that play?”

It would be a mistake to see Trump’s indifference toward human life as merely the manifestation of his sociopathic personality. However crudely, Trump is expressing a position that has widespread support within the ruling elite.

Under the slogan, “The cure should not be worse than the disease,” the capitalist media began arguing that the economic damage caused by the shutdown of businesses and factories would, in the long run, prove more harmful to society than the deaths that would result from a rapid return to work, even if the pandemic was not under control.

With consummate cynicism, the media presents itself as the champion of working people and the poor. For example, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, which has never complained when corporations slashed jobs and cut wages to boost corporate profits, now professes, in an editorial statement published Friday, to worry about the shutdown’s “psychological toll on Americans who can least afford it.”

Viewing the pre-pandemic economy through rose-tinted glasses, the Journal asserts, “The tragedy [of the shutdown] is all the worse because the main victims are the low-skilled and blue-collar workers who had been gaining the most in the last couple of years.”

Gaining the most! Compared to whom? Perhaps the CEOs and other corporate executives whose average annual salaries, not to mention bonuses and earnings from investments, are several hundred times greater than the average worker.

And for all its concern about the burdens caused by a prolonged shutdown of unsafe workplaces, the Wall Street Journal—which happens to be owned by the multibillionaire reactionary Rupert Murdoch—does not identify the section of the population that is likely to suffer the highest mortality rates from a premature return to work.

Stripped of all deliberate obfuscation, the demand to “balance” saving lives against the “economy” means nothing more nor less than sacrificing human lives for the profit interests of the capitalists.

From the standpoint of the ruling class, the process of class exploitation through production must continue. And those who die can be replaced. The single overriding concern is the growth and expansion of stock market values for the enrichment of the financial oligarchy.

In another article published Friday, Politico declared, “Yes, We Need to Measure Lives Against Money.”

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the same argument is being made.

In Britain, the Economist argues, “Covid-19 presents stark choices between life, death and the economy.” The weekly writes, “It sounds hard-hearted but a dollar figure on life, or at least some way of thinking systematically, is precisely what leaders will need if they are to see their way through the harrowing months to come. As in that hospital ward, trade-offs are unavoidable.”

The Economist continues: “When one child is stuck down a well the desire to help without limits will prevail—and so it should. But in a war or a pandemic leaders cannot escape the fact that every course of action will impose vast social and economic costs. To be responsible, you have to stack each against the others.”

And what does the “stacking” consist of? In column A there is a global tally, country by country, of the numbers of people who are likely to die if there is a speedy return to work while the pandemic rages. In column B, there is another tally, bank by bank and corporation by corporation, of the billions in profits that will be forfeited.

The choice, according to the Economist, is clear. The consequences of a prolonged regime of factory shutdowns and social distancing are, from a sober-minded business point of view, too terrible to contemplate: “Markets would tumble and investments be delayed. The capacity of the economy would wither as innovation stalled and skills decayed. Eventually, even if many people are dying, the cost of distancing could outweigh the benefits.” [Emphasis added]

The stone-hard heart of the nineteenth century capitalist economist and hater of mankind, Thomas Malthus, still beats in the breast of the British ruling class.

Der Spiegel, writing on behalf of the German ruling class that gave the world Adolf Hitler, declares that it is “dangerous idea” to believe that the country “can ride out a multi-month lockdown without suffering any grave consequences.” Initially “it was right to follow the advice of virologists and to shut the country down in order to stem the uncontrolled spread of the virus. … But in the coming weeks and months, we will have to continually reassess. At that point, serious decisions will have to be made about what risks we are willing to take in order to get the economy back on track.”

The “risk” that capitalist governments are preparing to take is with the lives of the working class.

The demand for a return to work on the part of substantial sections of the political establishment has emerged as a clear line of social division between the working class and the financial oligarchy.

The calculations made by the ruling class and its apologists assume that all social and economic decisions must be based on the needs and interests of the capitalist profit system. Any policy or action that undermines that system or threatens the wealth of the ruling class is illegitimate.

But the working class, as an objectively progressive and revolutionary social force, has a completely different set of priorities and interests that are fundamentally incompatible with those of the capitalists.

Last month, the major Detroit automakers were forced to close down production amid a growing wave of walkouts by workers. Employees at Amazon, Instacart, and Whole Foods went on strike last week to demand safe working conditions and the closure of nonessential production. And nurses and other healthcare workers staged protests to demand the vital safety equipment they have been denied.

There can only be one priority in this pandemic: the saving of lives. All nonessential production must be shut down until adequate testing and contact tracing protocols are in place and the disease can be contained. All essential workers, including those in medicine, transportation, and food service, must be provided full protective equipment and guaranteed safe working conditions.

Yes, the issue of economic hardship is an important one, which must be addressed. As long as the pandemic makes it impossible for workers to safely return to their jobs, they must be fully compensated. The economic resources must come from the cancellation of the multitrillion-dollar bailout of the corporations and the reallocation of the funds to support the working population.

The fight for these demands must be developed into a broader struggle to end private capitalist control of economic life, transform the large corporations and banks into public utilities democratically controlled by the working class, and thereby establish a socialist economy that is based not on the procurement of private profit, but on the advancement of the interests of humanity on a global scale.

As the World Socialist Web Site wrote last week, “the alternatives present themselves as the capitalist profit system and death, or socialism and life.”

Andre Damon and David North

[westcoastcure99]

The Hemp Community and Healthcare Marijuana Controversy

Hashish is also acknowledged as pot, grass and weed but its formal recognize is really hashish. It comes from the leaves and flowers of the plant Hashish sativa. It is regarded as an unlawful compound in the US and a whole lot of countries and possession of marijuana is a legal offense punishable by regulation. The Fda classifies cannabis as Program I, substances which have a truly large possible for abuse and have no confirmed overall health-connected use. Much more than the several years several scientific studies assert that some substances found in hashish have medicinal use, particularly in terminal illnesses this form of as most cancers and AIDS. This commenced a intense dialogue over the execs and downsides of the use of wellness treatment cannabis. To settle this discussion, the Institute of Medicines unveiled the well-known 1999 IOM report entitled Cannabis and Medicine: Assessing the Science Foundation. The report was comprehensive but did not give a extremely obvious minimize confident or no answer. west coast cure The reverse camps of the wellness-associated hashish situation usually cite portion of the report in their advocacy arguments. Nonetheless, even even though the report clarified many items, it never ever at any time settled the controversy following and for all. Allow us research at the concerns that support why wellness care cannabis should be legalized. (1) Cannabis is a typically taking place herb and has been utilised from South The usa to Asia as an natural medicine for millennia. In this doing work day and age when the all regular and organic and organic are vital wellness buzzwords, a normally taking place herb like marijuana may possibly be considerably far more fascinating to and safer for customers than synthetic drugs. (2) Marijuana has effective therapeutic future. Several scientific studies, as summarized in the IOM report, have seen that cannabis can be employed as analgesic, e.g. to manage pain. A pair of investigation confirmed that THC, a marijuana factor is successful in dealing with extended-phrase distress skilled by most cancers individuals. Nonetheless, reports on acute discomfort this type of as individuals skilled for the duration of surgery and trauma have inconclusive scientific studies. A quantity of research, also summarized in the IOM report, have demonstrated that some cannabis variables have antiemetic residences and are, for that purpose, efficient towards nausea and vomiting, which are frequent facet implications of most cancers chemotherapy and radiation remedy. Some scientists are particular that cannabis has some therapeutic possible from neurological conditions this type of as several sclerosis. Distinctive compounds extracted from cannabis have sturdy therapeutic feasible. Cannobidiol (CBD), a crucial ingredient of marijuana, has been demonstrated to have antipsychotic, anticancer and antioxidant homes. Other cannabinoids have been revealed to quit huge intraocular anxiety (IOP), a key threat aspect for glaucoma. Drugs that include energetic components current in cannabis but have been synthetically made in the laboratory have been accredited by the US Fda. One particular certain instance is Marinol, an antiemetic agent indicated for nausea and vomiting linked with most cancers chemotherapy. Its energetic part is dronabinol, a synthetic delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). (3) A solitary of the major proponents of medical marijuana is the Cannabis Protection Undertaking (MPP), a US-largely based firm. Numerous wellness-connected specialist societies and businesses have expressed their support. As an circumstance in position, The American Faculty of Physicians, suggested a re-evaluation of the Plan I classification of cannabis in their 2008 area paper. ACP also expresses its robust help for evaluation into the therapeutic placement of cannabis as properly as exemption from federal jail prosecution civil liability or specialist sanctioning for physicians who prescribe or dispense well being treatment marijuana in accordance with condition regulation. In the exact same way, protection from lawful or civil penalties for clients who use health care hashish as permitted underneath point out policies. (four) Wellness treatment marijuana is legally employed in a good deal of designed international areas The argument of if they can do it, why not us? is one more robust stage. Some nations around the world, which includes Canada, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, and Finland have legalized the therapeutic use of cannabis under stringent prescription control. Some states in the US are also enabling exemptions. Now listed here are the arguments from health care hashish. (one) Deficiency of understanding on security and efficacy. Drug regulation is based mostly on defense extremely 1st. The safety of marijuana and its factors even now has to really initial be set up. Efficacy only comes next. Even if hashish has some useful effectively being outcomes, the advantages should outweigh the hazards for it to be considered for healthcare use. Except if of course hashish is verified to be much better (safer and a whole lot much more powerful) than prescription drugs at current obtainable in the market place area, its acceptance for wellness treatment use could be a extended shot. According to the testimony of Robert J. Meyer of the Place of work of Wellness and Human Vendors getting accessibility to a drug or medical treatment method, without having comprehension how to use it or even if it is successful, does not advantage any individual. Merely possessing receive, without getting simple basic safety, efficacy, and sufficient use data does not aid victims. (two) Unfamiliar chemical elements. Wellness care hashish can only be easily offered and cost-effective in herbal type. Like other herbs, cannabis falls underneath the classification of botanical goods. Unpurified botanical items, even so, come across many difficulties such as entire lot-to-great offer regularity, dosage perseverance, efficiency, shelf-daily daily life, and toxicity. In accordance to the IOM report if there is any long term of cannabis as a drugs, it lies in its isolated areas, the cannabinoids and their artificial derivatives. To totally characterize the distinct factors of cannabis would cost so considerably time and income that the expenditures of the medicines that will occur out of it would be way way too higher. At current, no pharmaceutical firm appears fascinated in investing income to isolate significantly a lot more therapeutic parts from cannabis earlier what is beforehand supplied in the market place place. (a few) Attainable for abuse. Hashish or hashish is addictive. It may possibly not be as addictive as difficult prescription drugs this type of as cocaine even so it can't be denied that there is a probably for content abuse related with marijuana. This has been revealed by a amount of reports as summarized in the IOM report. (four) Deficiency of a protected provide program. The most recurrent type of shipping and delivery and delivery of cannabis is by way of cigarette using tobacco. Considering the current tendencies in anti-making use of tobacco legislations, this kind of shipping will by no means be acknowledged by well becoming authorities. Reliable and protected supply plans in the sort of vaporizers, nebulizers, or inhalers are even now at the screening stage. (five) Symptom alleviation, not mend. Even if cannabis has therapeutic outcomes, it is only addressing the indicators of specified ailments. It does not manage or treatment method these conditions. Presented that it is efficient towards these signs and symptoms, there are at the moment medicines obtainable which work just as correctly or even better, with out possessing the side consequences and threat of abuse associated with cannabis. The 1999 IOM report could not settle the discussion about health care marijuana with scientific proof available at that time. The report certainly discouraged the use of smoked cannabis but gave a nod in direction of marijuana use by means of a overall health-connected inhaler or vaporizer. In addition, the report also suggested the compassionate use of hashish under rigorous well being care supervision. In addition, it urged much more funding in the examine of the basic protection and efficacy of cannabinoids. So what stands in the way of clarifying the inquiries released up by the IOM report? The overall well being authorities do not search to be fascinated in getting an additional assessment. There is limited details supplied and no subject what is supplied is biased in the direction of safety difficulties on the adverse repercussions of smoked hashish. Data presented on efficacy largely arrive from study on artificial cannabinoids (e.g. THC). This disparity in info tends to make an objective threat-benefit evaluation challenging. Medical scientific scientific studies on cannabis are variety of and hard to perform many thanks to constrained funding and rigid guidelines. Owing to the reality of the challenging legalities involved, truly handful of pharmaceutical businesses are investing in cannabinoid investigation. In a lot of scenarios, it is not apparent how to define healthcare cannabis as advocated and opposed by a number of teams. Does it only refer to the use of the botanical items hashish or does it consist of artificial cannabinoid components (e.g. THC and derivatives) as correctly? Artificial cannabinoids (e.g. Marinol) offered in the market are extremely expensive, pushing gentlemen and women toward the significantly more cost-effective cannabinoid in the kind of hashish. Of education system, the worry is additional clouded by conspiracy theories involving the pharmaceutical sector and drug regulators.

[fatsalpakistan]

Basic Life Support | Apr 28 | Lahore

Basic Life Support (BLS) program is for participants to gain or improve knowledge and skill proficiency in high-quality CPR skills. In our hands-on approach, students participate in scenarios and learning stations to become a Lifesaver! BLS reflects the latest resuscitation science and treatment recommendations published and conforms with the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines Update for…

[rawgardencarts56]

Health care Cannabis - The Debate Rages On

Cannabis is also recognized as pot, grass and weed but its formal title is in fact cannabis. It will come from the leaves and flowers of the plant Cannabis sativa. It is considered an illegal substance in the US and a lot of nations around the world and possession of marijuana is a criminal offense punishable by legislation. The Food and drug administration classifies marijuana as Plan I, substances which have a quite large possible for abuse and have no established medical use. In excess of the a long time numerous studies claim that some substances discovered in marijuana have medicinal use, specially in terminal illnesses this sort of as cancer and AIDS. This started out a intense debate more than the execs and cons of the use of healthcare marijuana. To settle this discussion,raw garden carts  the Institute of Medication published the popular 1999 IOM report entitled Cannabis and Drugs: Assessing the Science Foundation. The report was comprehensive but did not give a distinct reduce sure or no answer. The opposite camps of the health-related cannabis issue often cite element of the report in their advocacy arguments. Nevertheless, although the report clarified a lot of issues, it never ever settled the controversy once and for all. Let us seem at the concerns that assistance why healthcare marijuana should be legalized. (one) Cannabis is a normally occurring herb and has been used from South The us to Asia as an organic medication for millennia. In this day and age when the all organic and organic and natural are critical well being buzzwords, a by natural means taking place herb like cannabis might be a lot more desirable to and safer for buyers than artificial medicines. (two) Marijuana has robust therapeutic prospective. A number of scientific studies, as summarized in the IOM report, have noticed that cannabis can be utilised as analgesic, e.g. to handle discomfort. A handful of research confirmed that THC, a cannabis component is successful in managing chronic ache experienced by cancer sufferers. However, studies on acute discomfort this kind of as people skilled during surgical treatment and trauma have inconclusive reviews. A number of studies, also summarized in the IOM report, have demonstrated that some marijuana components have antiemetic properties and are, therefore, effective in opposition to nausea and vomiting, which are common aspect consequences of most cancers chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Some researchers are convinced that hashish has some therapeutic prospective from neurological ailments such as several sclerosis. Particular compounds extracted from cannabis have robust therapeutic prospective. Cannobidiol (CBD), a key ingredient of cannabis, has been revealed to have antipsychotic, anticancer and antioxidant homes. Other cannabinoids have been demonstrated to prevent substantial intraocular pressure (IOP), a key chance element for glaucoma. Medicines that contain energetic components existing in marijuana but have been synthetically made in the laboratory have been accepted by the US Fda. A single example is Marinol, an antiemetic agent indicated for nausea and vomiting associated with most cancers chemotherapy. Its lively component is dronabinol, a artificial delta-nine- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). (3) A single of the main proponents of medical marijuana is the Marijuana Plan Project (MPP), a US-based mostly firm. Numerous health care expert societies and businesses have expressed their assistance. As an example, The American School of Physicians, advisable a re-analysis of the Routine I classification of marijuana in their 2008 situation paper. ACP also expresses its powerful support for investigation into the therapeutic role of cannabis as nicely as exemption from federal criminal prosecution civil liability or expert sanctioning for doctors who prescribe or dispense health-related marijuana in accordance with state legislation. Likewise, defense from criminal or civil penalties for individuals who use health care marijuana as permitted underneath condition laws. (four) Health care cannabis is lawfully utilized in a lot of produced nations The argument of if they can do it, why not us? is yet another strong stage. Some nations, like Canada, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, and Finland have legalized the therapeutic use of marijuana beneath rigorous prescription management. Some states in the US are also enabling exemptions. Now below are the arguments from medical marijuana. (one) Deficiency of information on basic safety and efficacy. Drug regulation is based on basic safety first. The protection of marijuana and its components nevertheless has to 1st be established. Efficacy only comes next. Even if marijuana has some advantageous overall health consequences, the positive aspects need to outweigh the risks for it to be regarded for healthcare use. Except if marijuana is confirmed to be better (safer and far more powerful) than drugs at present obtainable in the market, its acceptance for health care use may be a long shot. According to the testimony of Robert J. Meyer of the Section of Well being and Human Services getting obtain to a drug or medical therapy, with out knowing how to use it or even if it is powerful, does not reward anybody. Simply getting entry, without getting basic safety, efficacy, and sufficient use data does not help patients. (2) Mysterious chemical factors. Health care cannabis can only be very easily obtainable and affordable in herbal kind. Like other herbs, marijuana falls underneath the class of botanical goods. Unpurified botanical goods, nevertheless, encounter several problems including lot-to-lot regularity, dosage perseverance, efficiency, shelf-life, and toxicity. In accordance to the IOM report if there is any long term of marijuana as a medicine, it lies in its isolated factors, the cannabinoids and their artificial derivatives. To fully characterize the diverse components of cannabis would price so much time and cash that the costs of the medicines that will arrive out of it would be too higher. At the moment, no pharmaceutical company appears interested in investing money to isolate much more therapeutic factors from marijuana over and above what is already available in the market. (three) Possible for abuse. Cannabis or hashish is addictive. It may not be as addictive as difficult medicines these kinds of as cocaine nevertheless it cannot be denied that there is a prospective for material abuse connected with marijuana. This has been demonstrated by a number of research as summarized in the IOM report. (4) Absence of a secure shipping technique. The most frequent form of supply of marijuana is by way of smoking cigarettes. Considering the existing traits in anti-smoking cigarettes legislations, this type of supply will in no way be authorized by wellness authorities. Reputable and protected delivery systems in the form of vaporizers, nebulizers, or inhalers are even now at the testing phase. (five) Symptom alleviation, not remedy. Even if cannabis has therapeutic consequences, it is only addressing the indicators of certain conditions. It does not take care of or heal these sicknesses. Provided that it is effective towards these signs, there are currently medicines offered which perform just as nicely or even greater, without the side effects and threat of abuse connected with cannabis. The 1999 IOM report could not settle the debate about health care cannabis with scientific evidence offered at that time. The report absolutely discouraged the use of smoked marijuana but gave a nod in direction of cannabis use by means of a health care inhaler or vaporizer. In addition, the report also recommended the compassionate use of marijuana below rigorous healthcare supervision. Moreover, it urged much more funding in the analysis of the protection and efficacy of cannabinoids. So what stands in the way of clarifying the questions brought up by the IOM report? The wellness authorities do not seem to be to be fascinated in having an additional assessment. There is minimal information offered and whatsoever is available is biased toward security problems on the adverse outcomes of smoked cannabis. Knowledge offered on efficacy largely appear from scientific studies on artificial cannabinoids (e.g. THC). This disparity in data helps make an goal chance-advantage assessment challenging. Medical scientific studies on marijuana are number of and tough to perform thanks to limited funding and rigorous regulations. Due to the fact of the difficult legalities associated, extremely few pharmaceutical businesses are investing in cannabinoid research. In several situations, it is not distinct how to define health-related cannabis as advocated and opposed by many teams. Does it only refer to the use of the botanical product cannabis or does it include synthetic cannabinoid factors (e.g. THC and derivatives) as properly? Synthetic cannabinoids (e.g. Marinol) obtainable in the market place are incredibly costly, pushing folks in direction of the far more reasonably priced cannabinoid in the sort of marijuana. Of training course, the problem is more clouded by conspiracy theories involving the pharmaceutical sector and drug regulators.

[tainted-sentimientos]

Barack Obama’s DNC Speech

“Good evening, everybody. As you've seen by now, this isn't a normal convention. It's not a normal time. So tonight, I want to talk as plainly as I can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come.

I'm in Philadelphia, where our Constitution was drafted and signed. It wasn't a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery and failed to guarantee women -- and even men who didn't own property -- the right to participate in the political process. But embedded in this document was a North Star that would guide future generations; a system of representative government -- a democracy -- through which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles, we improved this Constitution to include the voices of those who'd once been left out. And gradually, we made this country more just, more equal, and more free.

The one Constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us -- regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have -- or who we voted for.

But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardless of ego, ambition, or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect, and defend the freedoms and ideals that so many Americans marched for and went to jail for; fought for and died for.

I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

But he never did. For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.

Now, I know that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind. But maybe you're still not sure which candidate you'll vote for -- or whether you'll vote at all. Maybe you're tired of the direction we're headed, but you can't see a better path yet, or you just don't know enough about the person who wants to lead us there.

So let me tell you about my friend Joe Biden.

Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother. Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I quickly came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe's a man who learned -- early on -- to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: "No one's better than you, Joe, but you're better than nobody."

That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts -- that's who Joe is.

When he talks with someone who's lost her job, Joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he'd lost his.

When Joe listens to a parent who's trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as the single dad who took the train back to Wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed.

When he meets with military families who've lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit; the parent of an American soldier; somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is.

For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president -- and he's got the character and the experience to make us a better country.

And in my friend Kamala Harris, he's chosen an ideal partner who's more than prepared for the job; someone who knows what it's like to overcome barriers and who's made a career fighting to help others live out their own American dream.

Along with the experience needed to get things done, Joe and Kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.

They'll get this pandemic under control, like Joe did when he helped me manage H1N1 and prevent an Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.

They'll expand health care to more Americans, like Joe and I did ten years ago when he helped craft the Affordable Care Act and nail down the votes to make it the law.

They'll rescue the economy, like Joe helped me do after the Great Recession. I asked him to manage the Recovery Act, which jumpstarted the longest stretch of job growth in history. And he sees this moment now not as a chance to get back to where we were, but to make long-overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody -- whether it's the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off, or the student figuring out how to pay for next semester's classes.

Joe and Kamala will restore our standing in the world -- and as we've learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators. A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change, terrorism, poverty, and disease.

But more than anything, what I know about Joe and Kamala is that they actually care about every American. And they care deeply about this democracy.

They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred, and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballot, not harder.

They believe that no one -- including the president -- is above the law, and that no public official -- including the president -- should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters.

They understand that in this democracy, the Commander-in-Chief doesn't use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents aren't "un-American" just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn't the "enemy" but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.

None of this should be controversial. These shouldn't be Republican principles or Democratic principles. They're American principles. But at this moment, this president and those who enable him, have shown they don't believe in these things.

Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here's the thing: no single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional -- you give me your vote; I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability -- to embrace your own responsibility as citizens -- to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.

Because that's what at stake right now. Our democracy.

Look, I understand why many Americans are down on government. The way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress make it easy for special interests to stop progress. Believe me, I know. I understand why a white factory worker who's seen his wages cut or his job shipped overseas might feel like the government no longer looks out for him, and why a Black mother might feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around this country and wonder whether there's still a place for him here; why a young person might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and crazy conspiracy theories and think, what's the point?

Well, here's the point: this president and those in power -- those who benefit from keeping things the way they are -- they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can't win you over with their policies. So they're hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn't matter. That's how they win. That's how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love. That's how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well-connected, how our health systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That's how a democracy withers, until it's no democracy at all.

We can't let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Don't let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends how they can vote too. Do what Americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this -- all those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and injustice.

Last month, we lost a giant of American democracy in John Lewis. Some years ago, I sat down with John and the few remaining leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement. One of them told me he never imagined he'd walk into the White House and see a president who looked like his grandson. Then he told me that he'd looked it up, and it turned out that on the very day that I was born, he was marching into a jail cell, trying to end Jim Crow segregation in the South.

What we do echoes through the generations.

Whatever our backgrounds, we're all the children of Americans who fought the good fight. Great grandparents working in firetraps and sweatshops without rights or representation. Farmers losing their dreams to dust. Irish and Italians and Asians and Latinos told to go back where they came from. Jews and Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, made to feel suspect for the way they worshipped. Black Americans chained and whipped and hanged. Spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote.

If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work, and could not work, it was those Americans. Our ancestors. They were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of America strayed from the myth. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together and said somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words, in our founding documents, to life.

I've seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads so that families wouldn't be separated. So that another classroom wouldn't get shot up. So that our kids won't grow up on an uninhabitable planet. Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state, that Black Lives Matter, no more, but no less, so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism.

To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better -- in so many ways, you are this country's dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth. For you, it's a given -- a conviction. And what I want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of self-government can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions.

You can give our democracy new meaning. You can take it to a better place. You're the missing ingredient -- the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.

That work will continue long after this election. But any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes to win. So we have to get busy building it up -- by pouring all our effort into these 76 days, and by voting like never before -- for Joe and Kamala, and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country we love stands for -- today and for all our days to come.

Stay safe. God bless.”

- Former President Barack Obama

To the decided:

To the undecided:

To the opposed:

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Graphics by Ryan Best

With even hard-hit states like New York allowing businesses to bring their stores back to life, Americans are wrestling with one of COVID-19’s most painful tradeoffs: a damaged economy with millions out of work because of public health measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus.

And most Americans do think the public health risks of reopening the economy are still important to weigh. But there is also growing evidence that several months of economic hardship have changed the way some people are evaluating the costs. According to a new poll from the American Enterprise Institute conducted from May 21 to June 5, 41 percent of Americans say the government should allow businesses to open back up even if it means putting some people at risk, up from 22 percent in late March.

But not all Americans are anxious for businesses to reopen. In fact, there is a fairly stark divide among white, black and Hispanic Americans in their responses to this question. Black Americans, in particular, still overwhelmingly favored keeping businesses closed. The AEI poll found that 82 percent of black Americans said it’s better for the government to take all necessary steps to ensure the public is safe, even if means keeping businesses closed for longer and hurting the economy, while only 16 percent said that businesses should be allowed to open back up if some are put at risk — a finding that was basically unchanged since March. A solid majority (65 percent) of Hispanic Americans also thought public health needs should come first, although that has fallen from 81 percent in March.

The share of white Americans who prioritized public health over the economy has plummeted, however, from 76 percent in March to 50 percent now. In the June survey, nearly half of white Americans (49 percent) thought the government should reopen the economy, even if it means putting some people at risk.

Other polls have found a similar trend. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted from June 7 to 9, only 8 percent of black Americans said it’s safe right now to reopen the economy nationally, compared to 15 percent of Hispanic Americans and 25 percent of white Americans. And as the AEI survey underscores, huge racial disparities exist within the COVID-19 pandemic — with black and Hispanic Americans bearing the brunt of both the health and economic consequences of the virus. The public health crisis is particularly acute for black Americans, who are dying of COVID-19 at a much higher rate than either white or Hispanic Americans. In interviews, black Americans who participated in the survey spoke to those concerns, telling us that their desire for a government approach that prioritizes public safety isn’t reflected in many states’ plans. Some even said they’re afraid that more people may die as a result.

Dominique Anderson, 30, said he’s been alarmed to see his home state of Texas allow restaurant occupancy levels to increase, even though case counts have been spiking. “I don’t think it’s safe, how we’re going about [the reopening of the economy] right now,” he said. The topic was particularly emotional for him, he added, because a close family friend had died of COVID-19 only a few weeks earlier. “I understand that this is threatening people’s livelihoods — I know a lot of people who have lost their jobs,” he said. “But I fear that reopening so quickly is going to cost more people their lives.”

The AEI survey showed that Anderson’s experience is far from unique, particularly for black Americans, who were more likely than white or Hispanic Americans to know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. As the table below shows, a majority (54 percent) of black Americans reported that they or someone they know personally has tested positive for the virus, compared to 46 percent of Hispanic Americans and 40 percent of white Americans. And a series of AP/NORC surveys conducted between April and June found that black Americans were much likelier than white Americans to report that someone close to them had died of COVID-19.

More black Americans know someone with COVID-19

Share of respondents who said they know someone in each of these categories who tested positive for the coronavirus

Answer White, non-Hispanic Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Myself 1% 2% 2% Someone in my household 1% 1% 3% Someone outside my household 39% 44% 50% I don’t know anyone 60% 54% 46%

Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding or because some respondents didn’t answer. Survey conducted from May 21 – June 5, 2020, with a sample size of 3,504 adults. Answers are not mutually exclusive, excluding “I don’t know anyone.”

Source: American Enterprise Institute

Perhaps because of these personal connections, black Americans are more closely monitoring news about the pandemic’s impact and trajectory, too: Fifty-nine percent of black Americans said they were following news about the coronavirus outbreak very closely, compared to 44 percent of Hispanic Americans and 43 percent of white Americans.

And they’re much more pessimistic about what lies ahead. Only 25 percent of black Americans believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us, compared to 37 percent of Hispanic Americans and 42 percent of white Americans. In fact, 69 percent of black Americans believe the worst is yet to come, compared to 54 percent of Hispanic Americans and just 45 percent of white Americans. “I watch the news a lot, and I get really frightened and disturbed when I see the [case] numbers going up,” said Leslie Ann Jordan, 59, who lives in Virginia. “It feels like people think we’ve got this virus under control, and they can just go out and live their lives like normal, which is just not the reality we’re living in.”

It’s not hard to see why black Americans would have a bleaker outlook on the trajectory of the virus, either. In addition to being more likely to know someone who tested positive for COVID-19, they are also bearing the brunt of the economic hardships that have resulted from the shutdown orders. According to the survey, black and Hispanic Americans were substantially more likely than white Americans to say that since February, they’ve fallen behind on rent or bills, had problems paying for food, withdrawn money from a savings account or 401k or borrowed money from family or friends.

What’s more, the survey found that black and Hispanic Americans were less likely than white Americans to have said they had an emergency or rainy-day fund that would cover their expenses for three months, leaving them particularly vulnerable if they suddenly lost their jobs or became sick. But the survey also found that the pandemic is forcing black Americans who do have savings to spend down their bank accounts at a much faster rate than white Americans. Almost half (48 percent) of black Americans said they’ve spent at least half of their rainy day funds over the past few months — including 19 percent who said they’ve spent their entire emergency savings account. Only 12 percent of white Americans, by contrast, said they’ve spent down at least half of their emergency fund, and only 3 percent said they have spent all of their rainy-day savings.

And black families are facing other kinds of stress. The survey found that 28 percent of black parents with children under the age of 18 said that child care responsibilities have been very difficult for them to handle during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 18 percent of Hispanic Americans and 8 percent of white Americans. One respondent, who asked that his name be withheld, said that figuring out schooling for his two small children while juggling lost income and trying not to visit stores has been unbelievably stressful. “You’re just living in this state of uncertainty, feeling very vulnerable,” he said. “What if I lose my job and can’t support my family? What if I get sick? What if my kids don’t go back to school in the fall? It all feels possible right now.”

In general, black Americans thought it will take longer for life to get back to normal. In the survey, many black Americans said they were very uncomfortable with the idea of returning to many everyday activities that involve close contact with other people — like going to church, a nail salon, or a movie theater.

And a solid majority (61 percent) of black Americans said that life in the U.S. will not mostly return to normal before the end of the year, compared to 53 percent of white Americans and 49 percent of Hispanic Americans. That could be because they have a particularly negative view of how the federal government and President Trump are handling the COVID-19 outbreak.

Overall, Americans are down on how the federal government and Trump are responding to the pandemic, but that’s particularly true among black Americans. For example, only 40 percent of black Americans thought the federal government is handling the pandemic well, down from 57 percent in March. In contrast, the majority (51 percent) of white Americans still said the federal government is handling the pandemic well — which is a more modest 10-point drop from March. Black Americans were also especially likely to think that the government needs to do more to help people who have been hurt by the crisis: Seventy-four percent of black Americans said the federal government should do more to help people who lost their jobs, compared to 59 percent of Hispanic Americans and 57 percent of white Americans.

“We don’t have the leadership,” said Gregory Coney, 57, who lives in Massachusetts. “The response is about fighting and power and not [about] doing what we need to do to protect people.”

Jordan, who is particularly nervous about her own health because she has asthma, said she understands why some Americans want to mitigate the economic damage — she feels lucky to still have a paycheck. But she told us that even though she also doesn’t know someone who tested positive for the virus, she sees that as luck, not something she can count on going forward. “I really don’t think we should be messing around with this disease,” she said. “And yet everyone is out and about. I’m worried we opened up too soon. If I’m being honest, I’m more fearful now than I was before.”

[fatsalpakistan]

Basic Life Support by ASHI USA | Apr 28 | Lahore

Basic Life Support (BLS) program is for participants to gain or improve knowledge and skill proficiency in high-quality CPR skills. In our hands-on approach, students participate in scenarios and learning stations to become a Lifesaver! BLS reflects the latest resuscitation science and treatment recommendations published and conforms with the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines Update for…