Using Houston’s schools for political purposes

+Vietnamese brides in China, norovirus immunity and international law [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 10 January 2020 [The Conversation]( [Support The Conversation in 2020 with a monthly gift]( [Jamaal Abdul-Alim] A note from... Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor The state of Texas was all set to take over the Houston Independent School District until a judge blocked the move on Wednesday night. Domingo Morel, a political science professor at Rutgers University, Newark, explains [what’s really behind the state’s plan]( to strip the local school board officials of their power. Also today: - [Why many Vietnamese women are marrying Chinese men]( - [What blood types have to do with norovirus]( - [Whether killing an Iranian general violates international law]( Top story The State of Texas is in a legal battle to seize power from the Houston public school board. Eakrin Rasadonyindee/Shutterstock.com [The made-up crisis behind the state takeover of Houston’s public schools]( Domingo Morel, Rutgers University Newark While the state of Texas says it is taking over the Houston school system in the name of school improvement, an expert argues the move is motivated by racism and political power struggles. Education - [Why some public universities get to keep their donors secret]( Alexa Capeloto, John Jay College of Criminal Justice There's no law forcing George Mason University's allied foundation to make the public university's donor deals public. Ethics + Religion - [Killing of Soleimani evokes dark history of political assassinations in the formative days of Shiite Islam]( Deina Abdelkader, University of Massachusetts Lowell 'Zulm,' an Arabic word meaning extreme injustice, could explain why Iran appears to be so united in anger at the killing of Gen. Qassam Soleimani. Politics + Society - [What investigators should be looking for in the Iran plane crash: an expert explains]( Geoffrey Dell, CQUniversity Australia Key evidence from the wreckage can show if the plane experienced engine trouble or was hit by a missile. But first, Iran must decide how much outside help it will accept in an investigation. - [Trump, like Obama, tests the limits of presidential war powers]( Sarah Burns, Rochester Institute of Technology Both President Trump and President Obama used military force without informing Congress, or getting its approval. But the differences reveal more than the similarities. - [The US-Iran conflict and the consequences of international law-breaking]( David Mednicoff, University of Massachusetts Amherst The US and other countries set up the modern system of international law after World War II. Does the US killing of an Iranian general violate those laws? What about Iran's attack on US bases in Iraq? Health + Medicine - [3D printing of body parts is coming fast – but regulations are not ready]( Dinusha Mendis, Bournemouth University; Ana Santos Rutschman, Saint Louis University Bioprinting, an offshoot of 3D printing, is advancing so rapidly that regulators have been caught off guard. Two legal scholars argue patients and manufacturers would benefit from clearer rules. - [Why we are hard-wired to worry, and what we can do to calm down]( James Carmody, University of Massachusetts Medical School Are you a worry wart? Not to worry. Turns out you were born that way, to some degree. Humans have a default mode in their brains that lead them to worry, but there are many ways to switch gears. - [Your blood type may influence your vulnerability to norovirus, the winter vomiting virus]( Patricia L. Foster, Indiana University Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, is highly infectious among people in confined places – like cruise ships. But not everyone is equally vulnerable. Your blood type may determine if you get sick. Science + Technology - [Rotting feral pig carcasses teach scientists what happens when tons of animals die all at once, as in Australia’s bushfires]( Brandon Barton, Mississippi State University; Abby Jones, Mississippi State University Death is a natural part of ecosystems. But it's unusual for a large number of animals to all die at once. Researchers are investigating how a mass mortality event affects what's left afterwards. Arts + Culture - [We’re living in the bizarre world that Flaubert envisioned]( Susanna Lee, Georgetown University Is a 19th-century French author’s cosmic joke turning into a real-life global nightmare? - [Matching Vietnamese brides with Chinese men, marriage brokers find good business – and sometimes love]( Wei Li, Frostburg State University China has 24 million more men than women of marriageable age, putting some bachelors in a tough spot. Some are now looking abroad for wives – and many have their hearts set on Vietnam. From our international editions - [Photographs reveal the personal lives of the Lord’s Resistance Army]( Kristof Titeca, University of Antwerp Photographs give unprecedented insight into the lives and humanity of those involved in the Ugandan rebel movement. - [Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze]( James Stark, University of Leeds The age of the Industrial Revolution also saw a fitness revolution in Britain. - [Prince Harry’s decision to ‘step back’ from the monarchy is a gift to republicans]( Benjamin T. Jones, CQUniversity Australia If Harry and Meghan are seen as separated from the monarchy, or worse yet, victims of it, its long term survival is threatened. Today’s chart - [Enable images to see the chart]( From the article: [Children of color already make up the majority of kids in many US states]( [Rogelio Sáenz] Rogelio Sáenz The University of Texas at San Antonio [Dudley L. Poston, Jr.] Dudley L. Poston, Jr. Texas A&M University [Help fight misinformation and science denial. Support The Conversation.]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111