The current Ebola outbreak has claimed thousands of lives and has been declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” by the World Health Organization. The alarming rate of new infections in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and the spread of cases beyond West Africa to the US and Europe, continues to challenge the international community’s existing strategies for controlling the infectious disease. Isolated Ebola epidemics have occurred in the past, but what explains the virulence of this particular outbreak and how can it be contained? What essons are governments, NGOs, and doctors learning from this crisis to help them prepare for future outbreaks?

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Why should businesses invest in nature?

Because it is one of the smartest investments they can make, according to Mark Tercek. The services that nature provides— clean water, air, and protection from storms, floods, and other disasters— can help businesses reduce costs, mitigate risks, and protect assets. Join The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Nature Conservancy CEO, Mark Tercek, for a discussion on how business, government, and society can thrive by investing in nature.Mark Tercek is president and chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy and author of the bestselling book Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature.

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Martin Cooper changed the world when he made the first cell phone call 40 years ago, on a two-pound-plus Motorola DynaTAC phone. His first call: to the head of research at Bell Labs, a company that also was attempting to build the first cell phone. It would be over a decade before the first cell phone would be commercially available, but Cooper’s call opened the door to true mobility and continues to affect virtually every aspect of our lives.

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Illinois recently adopted new education standards for math and science–the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, respectively. These programs have been met with diverse political opposition,confusion, andhave hadmisinformation spread about them. What do these new standards really say, and what do they mean for our students, communities and educators? Why were they created? Will they improve educationorare theyjust the next fad in a long series of programs from meddling government officials?

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