If past trends hold for Annise Parker’s successor, this fall Houstonians may well be in actuality electing the person who will guide the city until January 2022.
Advancements in technology have increased access to health information and self-monitoring for individual consumers, as well as increased health care providers’ ability to diagnose, monitor or treat their patients remotely. This summary provides a snapshot of the scope of health-related technology available on the market and may provide insight into the current needs or demands of patients and providers.
“Blue marble health” was introduced in 2013 as a policy framework to better understand new trends in the geographic distribution of the major neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)affecting human populations that live in extreme poverty. An analysis of information released by the World Health Organization reveals that the concepts of blue marble health extend beyond neglected tropical diseases to also include “the big three diseases”: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Iran — as it has since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 — represents a challenge to U.S. foreign policy. But it is one best addressed through a combination of firm action where necessary and flexible diplomacy where possible.
In April 2015, Chile passed a gender quota law as part of a larger reform to the country’s election laws. Quotas are not new to Latin America, and Chile is, in fact, one of the last countries in the region to adopt such a law. Yet, expectations for success must be tempered by what scholars know about making quotas effective for increasing women’s legislative representation. Analysis of gender quota laws in Latin America suggests that Chile’s quota may be less effective than proponents hope.
Texas loses between five to six million acre-feet of water per year to evaporation from surface water supply reservoirs. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), whereby water supplies are stored underground, may provide a useful strategy for managing and protecting water supplies.
The ties binding the Arab Gulf states into the global economy are both deep-rooted and long predate the discovery and extraction of oil in the 20th century. In this research paper, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East, assesses the multifaceted reasons behind the Gulf states’ uneven record of integration into the world economy.
Boko Haram may be reaching its bitter end in Nigeria as the the country's military, with the support of Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, plans a massive ground invasion of the insurgents’ long-controlled safe zone, the Sambisa Forest. Outgoing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has refused the offer of the United Nations to send troops, expressing confidence in the regional Multinational Joint Task Force's (MNJTF) ability to rout Boko Haram before the May 29 handover to the new president. However, Boko Haram remains deadly as long as sharia is the precondition for political and economic gains to the Muslim north.
The Center for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy announces a
new annual grant program to support outstanding students conducting innovative fieldwork in the Middle East or North Africa. Apply by May 15, 2015, to receive up to $3,000 (undergraduates) or up to $5,000 (graduate students). Download the PDF for more information.
