The story of the child migrant crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico has come to national attention rather suddenly, but the underlying trends and issues have a much deeper history. Among close observers of immigration patterns, these are part of a long narrative that has been building for years.

The traditional borders and spheres of influence of the nation of Iraq appear to be deteriorating and shifting, perhaps giving way to a new, unknown order in that vast region in the Middle East.

The following are some of the best government-related sites for finding data and conducting research.

The world of open, Web-based tools and applications for reporting and communications seems to expand by the day, but it can be hard to keep track of what’s what, and which tools might be the most accessible for non-techies.

The good news is that developers are increasingly designing applications for the average user, someone with no programming skills.

Many countries require labeling and reporting of alcohol levels in beverages, but the accuracy of these claims may be far from perfect, at least in the case of wines.

Economic theory predicts that in the short run, increased immigration in a competitive job market should lower workers’ wages.  Studies have been less conclusive, however, leading to research on how immigration affects workers with different skills or in different demographic categories.

Research shows that early exposure to violence can lead to problems such as substance abuse and delinquency. However, studies have not always controlled for factors that could lead to the same results, such as poverty and low education levels. Whether or not exposure to violence is truly the chief factor explaining negative cognitive and behavioral outcomes for young people in urban settings has remained an area in need of further inquiry.