January 18, 2013 Without music, life would be a mistake. ~-Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols Why They Hate Music? When the Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran in 1979, he said the following: “Music is no different than opium. Music affects the human mind in a way that makes people think of nothing but music […]
politics
20 lessons to learn from Finland
January 10, 2013 Finland’s education reforms which were implemented 40 years ago have helped place its school system at the top in all the global rankings for education systems. Despite the differences between Finland and the U.S., it continues to surpass other countries with similar size and demography. Here is a list of 20 facts […]
Reflection, Renewal, and Red Underwear
December 20, 2012 At the close of this year—at least in the Gregorian calendar— which is celebrated in Europe and in the Americas, I find myself reflecting on what entering a New Year means to people around the world. As I am at the end of my first year living abroad, the differences and similarities […]
20 International Education Hubs: A Global Movement
December 13, 2012 It used to be that if, for example, a student from Malaysia, Singapore, or Indonesia wanted to earn a degree from a university in the United States or the United Kingdom he/she had to attend the university in the county where it was based. But that’s no longer the case. More and […]
20 Fun Facts About Estonia
December 06, 2012 You may be wondering why we chose Estonia for this blog. We don’t receive too many academic documents from Estonia for evaluation and have not had the opportunity to visit this country, at least not yet! But when we asked one of our staff to pick a country, he chose Estonia. So, […]
Democratizing Higher Education: The Rapidly Changing Face of Online Learning
November 08, 2012 Imagine a world in which the best possible quality in higher education is available to all students, even those in the most remote parts of the planet, and you enter the world of MOOCs. There certainly has been a very intense buzz lately about the efficacy and future potential of MOOCs as […]
Travel: The Bridge to Friendship
November 01, 2012 A few days ago I was at Soaptopia–one of my favorite neighborhood stores–picking up a few bars of their heavenly scented handmade soaps when I noticed the exquisite earrings the lovely young saleswoman was wearing. The earrings were round in shape and made of gold but wafer-thin, almost transparent with detailed carvings […]
Educating Malala
October 18, 2012 By Jasmin S. Kuehnert In a blog I wrote several weeks ago, I mentioned the new law passed by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran that bans women from 70 plus majors at colleges and universities in the country. The new law has sent angry shock waves throughout the country […]
The Decline of Western Civilization: Rejecting Critical Thinking & Embracing Pseudoscience
If there ever were a time to question the quality of education in America, I would say that the recent revelations of political figureheads give us just such an opportunity. From sea to shining sea, the political battleground in the U.S. is brimming with candidates running for state and federal government positions. One would suppose […]
Geography: Do you know where you are?
July 12, 2012 Geography: from Greek “geographia,” lit. “to describe or write about the Earth.” It happened sometime during my junior year at college in San Diego. I was studying at the library for a midterm when a handsome boy (a business major in his senior year) whom I’d seen around campus, asked if he […]