Tequila (Space Image)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  One topic near and dear to many revelers hearts today will be tequila.  Much tequila, of course, comes from the Mexican city of Tequila, seen here in this "Space Image" from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California: 

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA15073

Many beautiful images of other locations are available if you click the "View All Images" link near the bottom of the page. 

If you're celebrating today, please remember to designate a driver. (Especially if you work for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Tequila and jet fuel do not mix.)

Nepal

Even before the recent devastating earthquake, Nepal was a country facing a number of challenges.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been active there for a number of years seeking to "reinforce recent gains in peace and security, stabilize the transitional government, strengthen the delivery of essential social services, expand proven health interventions, and address the global challenges of food insecurity and climate change." To read more about the country both before and since the disaster, see this page from USAID:

http://www.usaid.gov/nepal

To read about the additional aid now being offered by USAID, and to see how you can help too, see this page:  http://www.usaid.gov/nepal-earthquake.

Electronic Cigarettes

"Mind if I vape?"  If you've heard that question, you're likely aware that the usage of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) is on the rise in America.  We don't yet know if e-cigs are a healthier alternative to their tobacco counterparts, but we do know that they sometimes explode unexpectedly.  This October 2014 report from the U.S. Fire Administration discusses incidents of fires and explosions related to e-cigs:

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electronic_cigarettes.pdf

As for the overall health effects of these devices, the Food and Drug Administration is collecting public comments through July 2 to assist them with making appropriate rules.  See this site:  http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm172906.htm.  Until e-cigs are carefully studied and regulated, if you must vape, vape with great caution.

American English

Like Americans themselves, American English is complex and ever changing, which makes it a great challenge for people from other countries to learn.  The U.S. Department of State offers a variety of resources for those who are trying to learn American English, or to teach it to others, including this page on poetry:
 
http://www.americanenglish.state.gov/resources/poetry

Reading a few poems written by foreign students celebrating the wonders of education might even be motivational and/or inspirational for some of the less enthusiastic American students studying English.

Open World Leadership Center

For those of you who often wish we could all just get along, the Open World Leadership Center offers a step in that direction:

http://www.openworld.gov/

The mission of the Center is, "To enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by developing a network of leaders in the region who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and its free-market system."  Qualified organizations in the U.S. can apply for grants to host young leaders from the 18 participating countries. 

I don't know if American hosts are required to buy these young leaders a Coke and sing in harmony with them, but I suppose it's possible.

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Do you enjoy visiting your local libraries and museums?  Did you know that many of the special displays or services you've enjoyed might have been funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)?  "The mission of IMLS is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. We provide leadership through research, policy development, and grant making:" 

http://www.imls.gov/

While you may depend on your local library or museum to enrich your life, they depend on the IMLS to help them do it.

Radio and TV Stations

If your favorite radio station never seems to pause for "station identification," you can likely still identify it by searching on this site provided by the Federal Communications Commission: 

http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/am-query-broadcast-station-search

You can search for stations within a specific state or city, and near the bottom of the page you can even search for stations located within a certain geographic radius.  The site also offers the same information about FM stations and TV stations. 

Thanks for listening.  We now return you to your regular programming.