Lark Birdsong's List: World

Registan.net covers Eurasian politics and news, seeking to draw more attention to issues and news rarely covered in much depth, if at all, by Western media. Our focus is primarily on the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus and Afghanistan, with an eye to domestic politics, relations with with rest of the world, and foreign policy as well as the occasional report on pop culture.

"Sunday the students all arrived in Amsterdam, at the van Ostadestraat Bicycle Hotel, a nice family-run establishment in Amsterdam’s de Pijp neighborhood by the Albert Cuypmarkt. Some of them had been in Europe for a couple of weeks already, some flew in directly from Seattle, many came by way of Icelandair with a long stopover in Reykjavik. For those who flew in that day, it was the end of a pretty long, tiring day, but as tired as most everybody was, they fought through the jet lag to stay up long enough to get oriented and go out for the first night’s explorations of the neighborhood."

background information internationally

"some nations have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) equal to that of nations with 10 or 100 times as many people"

"WNC delivers the news online from 1,750 newspapers, broadcasts and blogs in 130 countries. It employs a host of translators—human beings, not machines—who turn foreign arcana into fluent English every day. The production cost is surely huge—but it's a secret. That's because WNC's staff is paid from the classified budget of the CIA."

"The study, released April 12 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, found that Americans work about 15 minutes more per day than the average 8 hours worldwide. Chinese work about eight minutes longer per day than Americans. Belgians work the least, at seven hours a day."

"The BRICS countries, five nations grouped together because of their burgeoning economies, are in the spotlight this week as their leaders meet in China. Made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and, as of this week, South Africa, the BRICS countries are grouped together because while they are not yet economic powerhouses, they have the potential to become the world’s most dominant economies in the next few decades."

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The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. "

"Collaborative International Degrees Are on the Rise

By Aisha Labi

Joint- and dual-degree programs are an increasingly common way for universities to further the internationalization of their campuses and raise their global profile, with master's programs the most common types of joint ventures, and the United States and China the most desired partners. These and other findings were part of a report released today, "Joint and Double-Degree Programs in the Global Context," from the Institute of International Education.

The report is based on survey data collected this year from 245 higher-education institutions in 28 countries. Senior administrators were asked about their involvement with and interest in joint- and dual-degree programs. Generally speaking, a joint degree is a single certificate issued by the institutions involved, while in a dual-degree program, graduates receive separate certificates from each institution.

According to the survey, only 33 percent of responding institutions offered joint degrees, while 84 percent offered dual, or double, degrees."

""Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators" is the latest edition in an annual series that analyzes education data from the Paris-based group's 34 member countries, which include many European countries as well as Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States. This year's compilation also includes data from non-OECD countries, including Brazil, China, India, and Russia."

The OECD's data also illustrate how steeply the U.S. share of the global talent pool is declining, as higher-education systems in countries such as China and South Korea expand. Nearly a third of people ages 55 to 64 with college degrees are in the United States, but for 25- to 34-year-olds, the U.S. share is just 18 percent. China, in comparison, has just 6 percent of the global share of the older age group with college degrees, but the figure jumps to 16 percent for the younger generation. South Korea's share grows from 1.4 to 5 percent in the younger generation.

"These students are joining the fast-growing international population at U.S. colleges. About 690,000 foreign students attended in the 2009-10 school year, up 26 percent from a decade ago. China is the biggest supplier of foreign students, providing 18 percent of the nationwide total, according to the Institute of International Education, although India (15 percent) and South Korea (10 percent) are not far behind. Driving the growth are affluent families, many from Asia, who value Western education and can afford to pay full price. Read more at: "

"As vistas of suburban grocery stores gave way to exurban mansions and then hay farms during a ride to the University of Virginia early one summer morning, George Wu sat on a plush bus seat and faced two dozen students aboard the U-Va. Express.

Nearly all were Chinese, and hardly any had set foot in Virginia before their plane landed at Dulles International Airport a few hours earlier. Wu knew they were nervous. Three years ago, he was in their place — a teenager far from home, unsure of his English, headed to the school in Charlottesville."

"Statistical Profile of the United States

The country statistical profiles include a wide range of indicators on economy, education, energy, environment, foreign aid, health, information and communication, labour, migration, R&D, trade and society."

"WELCOME TO EXPAT EXCHANGE

If you're moving overseas, settling in abroad, an expert on international living, a repatriate, or just considering an expatriate adventure, Expat Exchange can help! Since 1997, we've been helping expats navigate international relocation and the phases of culture shock. You'll find hundreds of reports from expatriates living abroad, expatriate resources and articles, international jobs, international real estate, travel warnings and more. Use our forums to get advice from other expats who have mastered the challenges of work abroad, raising third culture kids (TCK) and repatriation. "

"Science, technology and industry scoreboard: how do countries compare?

Where are people losing their jobs? Which are the university hotspots for sciences? Find the latest statistics from the OECD showing how science, technology and industry trends compare by country"

" Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2011
Description: This report describes key education outcomes and contexts of education in the Group of Eight (G-8) countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The report is organized into five topical areas: population and school enrollment, academic performance, contexts for learning, expenditures for education, and educational attainment and income. Results are drawn from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) ongoing Indicators of Education Systems (INES) program, as well as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is also coordinated by the OECD. "

"At the office

Listen at the office using our unique pop-up web player, also optimised for iPad and other tablet devices you may choose to prop on your desk."

"The Official Source for U.S. Merchandise Trade Data

The Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau is pleased to bring you USA Trade Online! With this dynamic service, you can access current and cumulative U.S. export and import data for over 18,000 export commodities and 24,000 import commodities. USA Trade Online provides trade statistics using the Harmonized System (HS) up to the 10-digit level and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) commodity classification codes up to the 6-digit level.

Subscribe to USA Trade Online and obtain monthly and annual trade statistics at the district and port level, as well as state exports! Using this powerful tool, learn how to build customized reports and charts that will keep you on the leading edge of your competition.

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