Daijiworld Magazine, Vol.12, Issue 6, November 2020

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8DAIJIWORLD Magazine | November 2020cies such as the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention and the Food andDrug Administration throughout thepandemic. With Biden in charge, onecan expect wide range of governmentagencies that now are going to finallyget a chance to do their jobs properly.Biden’s administration will also re-openlines of communication with othercountries and international organizationsin its fight against the coronavirus.Trump pulled the United States out ofthe WHO earlier this year, criticizingthe international agency for supportingChina, where the outbreak began.Another top priority for Biden will beto reverse many of the policies impactingclimate, the environment and publichealth put into place under Trump.At the top of the docket is the 2015 Parisclimate agreement. The United Statesformally withdrew from this accord onNovember 4, but Biden has said he willrejoin the pact after taking office in January.Biden and Harris also campaignedon a US$2-trillion plan to boost clean energy,modernize infrastructure and curbgreenhouse gas emissions.Biden has already announced his bipartisancoronavirus taskforce headedby three physicians: Vivek Murthy, theformer US surgeon general; David Kessler,the former commissioner of the Foodand Drug Administration; and MarcellaNunez-Smith, who is recognised for herwork on promoting health and healthcareequity for marginalised populations.All are well known in public health, scienceand political circles.The pandemic in the US is now describedas out of control. Hospitals inmany states are overwhelmed, the economyis disrupted, and unemploymentrates are double what they were in February2020.On the other hand, when Joe Biden handpicked KamalaHarris as his running mate, the press sparked a frenzy to trackdown her connections to Chennai, the southern Indian citywhere Kamala’s mother was born. Soon the journalists locatedher grandparents’ home in the Besant Nagar neighbourhood,from where her mother Shyamala Gopalan set off as a teenagerto pursue a doctoral degree at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley.Undated photos surfaced of Kamala and younger siblingMaya in saris, smilingly posing with their grandparentsduring a visit. Many saw Harris a step away from the WhiteHouse, and the de facto Democratic Party front-runner in fouror eight years.Senator Harris is the first person of Indian descent and thefirst Black woman on a major ticket in a U.S. presidential election.The Varasiddhi Vinayagar Temple at Besant Nagar inChennai has a special place in California senator Kamala Harris’heart. Not just because her mother, Shyamala Gopalan,was in the committee when the temple was constructed, butbecause nine years ago, when she contested California’s AttorneyGeneral election, she called her maternal aunt SaralaGopalan with a request - “Chithi (aunt), please pray for me andbreak coconuts at the temple.”A gynecologist and obstetrician by profession, Sarala attributedHarris’ growth to her elder sister Shyamala’s supportand upbringing. According to her, her sister Shyamala wentto the US at a very young age. She never stopped her daughterfrom pursuing her interests.Harris, was fond of her grandfather PV Gopalan, a careercivil servant, who build in her social consciousness at a tenderage. Her mother, of course, was a major influence in her life.She has repeatedly called her mother, ‘a proud woman’ withthe ability to dream and then work to make it come true.When Shyamala died in 2009, Harris flew down to Chennaito immerse her ashes in the Bay of Bengal according to hermother’s wish. She had remained in touch with her mother’sfamily.When the news of Harris’ selection as Biden’s runningmate came, Sarala was reminded of what her barrier-breakingniece told when she was running for the Senate. “Chithi,(aunty) I am not going to stop here and I will keep going.”(Selected from different sources)
DAIJIWORLD Magazine | November 2020 9Joe BidenProfileJoe Biden was born on November20, 1942 in the city ofScranton in northeast Pennsylvania.His father, Joseph Biden Sr.,worked cleaning furnaces and asa used car salesman. His motherwas Catherine Eugenia “Jean”Finnegan.Early years and schoolingHe attended St. Paul’s ElementarySchool in Scranton. In 1955, whenhe was 13 years old, the familymoved to Mayfield, Delaware—arapidly growing middle-classcommunity sustained primarilyby the nearby DuPont chemicalcompany.Biden attended the St. HelenaSchool until he gained acceptanceinto the prestigious ArchmereAcademy. He was a solid studentgraduated from Archmere in 1961.COLLEGE, MARRIAGE ANDLAW SCHOOL:Biden attended the nearbyUniversity of Delaware, where hestudied history and political scienceand played football. He alsodeveloped a sharp interest in politicsduring these years, spurred inpart by the inspiring inaugurationof John F. Kennedy in 1961.On a trip to the Bahamasduring his junior year, Biden meta University student named NeiliaHunter and fell in love with herat first sight. Biden and Huntermarried the next year, in 1966.EARLY POLITICAL CAREER:After graduating from lawschool in 1968, Biden moved toWilmington, Delaware, to beginpracticing at a law firm. He alsobecame an active member of theDemocratic Party, and in 1970he was elected to the New CastleCounty Council. While serving ascouncilman, in 1971, Biden startedhis own law firm.Biden had three children:Joseph Biden III (born in 1969),Hunter Biden (born in 1970) andNaomi Biden (born in 1971).In 1972, the Delaware DemocraticParty encouraged a 29-yearoldBiden to run against the popularRepublican incumbent J.Caleb Boggs for the United StatesSenate. That year, in a tight racewith a large turnout, Biden wonan upset victory to become thefifth-youngest U.S. senator electedin the nation’s history.FAMILY TRAGEDYJust as all of Biden’s wildestdreams seemed to be coming true,he was struck by devastating tragedy.A week before Christmas in1972, Biden’s wife and three childrenwere involved in a terriblecar accident while out shoppingfor a Christmas tree. The accidentkilled his wife and daughter andseverely injured both of his sons,Beau and Hunter. Biden was inconsolableand even consideredsuicide.SENATE YEARSFrom 1973 to 2009, as a distinguishedSenator, Biden wonrespect as one of the body’s leadingforeign policy experts, servingas chairman of the Committeeon Foreign Relations for severalyears. He spoke against PresidentGeorge W. Bush and his handlingof the Gulf War.The transition team featuresmany people who previouslyworked for the Obama administration.This bodes well forstrengthening and rebuildingObamacare into Bidencare. Ensuringpeople have affordable accessto health care has never beenmore important.None of this will be successfulunless, and until, Biden can bringCongress together to act and simultaneouslybegin healing thedivisions in the nation. He mustrestore trust in government andscience, ensure transparency andaccountability, and build a commonpurpose so people will act forthe common good. u
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Daijiworld Magazine, Vol.12, Issue 6, November 2020

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