Commentary

The major search engines, along with most of their competitors, use a linear type of search results. The user simply types a search term, which promptly displays a linear listing of results, with little indication of how those results displayed are connected to each other.

Some 3,000 teachers converged on the state capitol on March 11 from all across Texas to lobby their legislators to restore school funding and talk about issues like high-stakes testing, private-school vouchers, and teacher pensions. The Texas American Federation of Teachers sponsored the rally as AFT members from Brownsville to the Panhandle, from deep East Texas to far West Texas, spent the better part of the day visiting their area lawmakers one by one to make the case for public education.

In April 2013, we will be celebrating “National Financial Literacy Month” for the ninth time. Growing out of earlier initiatives, the United States Senate officially recognized April as National Financial Literacy Month in March 2004. It should not be surprising that much of our population is blissfully unaware of important financial topics such as the wise use of credit, investing, banking, spending, saving, and other areas of personal finance.

In the February 2013 issue of Health Affairs, an article appeared titled, “Patient and Family Engagement: A Framework For Understanding The Elements And Developing Interventions and Policies.” This article provides significant insight into changing roles of patients and providers in the “new structures” of healthcare delivery, such as patient-centered medical home, accountable care organizations and others.