Pope Francis

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 17, 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013 being named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis has charmed millions with his humility, his emphasis on caring for the poor, and his stance that the church must not obsess over divisive social issues. In the United States alone, 92% of Catholics have a favorable impression of him according to a poll from ABC.

One of the most controversial topics that the Pope mentions is homosexuality. "If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?" Pope Francis said in an interview when asked on his view towards homosexuality. The Catholic Church often has opposing views, being completely against it, but Pope Francis has brought a new light to the situation saying that if God endorses the existence of homosexuals with love, [we] must do the same. 

Pope Francis also advocates that the Big Bang Theory and Evolution are effectively proven fact. He claims "the Big Bang does not contradict the creative intervention of God. On the contrary, it requires it." With different views from other popes as well as some of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is making the connection between science and religion much more clear and relevant. 

Citations:

Breslow, Jason M. "Pope Francis In His Own Words." PBS, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2014

"Pope Francis Endorses Big Bang Theory." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, Web. 31 Oct. 2014

Russia's Imperialistic Views

Russia's president Vladimir Putin has been a hot topic in the United States since his comment to the U.S. stating "We have warned many times that we would have to take corresponding countermeasures to ensure our security." Putin also openly states that Russia has been developing nuclear weapons.

Other than talk about potential war, Russia has been busy with the newly annexed Crimea as well as continuing to fight for the control of the eastern side of Ukraine. Russia has deployed over 45,000 soldiers, over 100 tanks and over 1,000 armored vehicles in Ukraine and continues to push farther in to Ukraine. Since the annexation of Crimea, Russia occupies the entire eastern boarder to Ukraine and now part of the southern boarder. Many Crimeans were and are still in favor of being under Russian control. (Some believe it is because of Russia's close history with Crimea.)

Following Crimea's reunification with Russia in March 2014, NATO has been boosting its military presence close to Russia's border. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the increasing NATO military presence. President Vladimir Putin believes that NATO is using the crisis in Ukraine to help revive itself.

 

Citations:

Greene, David, and Lauren Migaki. "In Crimea, Many signs of Russia, Few of Resistance." Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Neuman, Scott. "Putin: Russia To Upgrade Nuclear Forces In Response To West." Web. 29 Oct. 2014

The Ebola Outbreak

Ebola has been in the United States since 1989 when researchers discovered that the virus killed experimental monkeys in a lab in Virginia just outside Washington D.C. Several humans tested positive for the virus, but none showed any symptoms or illness. The hype about Ebola dissipated for nearly 25 years until another recent outbreak in Africa in 2014. It was soon brought to the United States and has put people into an excessive panic. Here are some facts about Ebola that people may not have been aware of:

• It is less contagious than other common viruses. 

• It is NOT airborne which means it can only be transmitted through bodily fluid. 

 

• It is however still contagious and the fatality rate is around 70% (Compared to some diseases or viruses which have a 90% fatality rate).

• There are experimental drugs to try to stop Ebola, but they need more testing.

 

• People who have come in contact with an Ebola patient should be quarantined for at least 21 days.

Citation:

Hensley, Scott. "Poll: Broad Support In U.S. For Ebola Travel Ban." NPR. NPR, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.