Itani Family Initiative

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Club of Rome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and former Heads of State, UN bureaucrats, high-level politicians and government officials, diplomats, scientists, economists, and business leaders from around the globe. It raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth. The club states that its mission is "to act as a global catalyst for change through the identification and analysis of the crucial problems facing humanity and the communication of such problems to the most important public and private decision makers as well as to the general public." Since 1 July 2008, the organization has its headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Club of Rome Homepage

New Report issues a warning about humanity’s ability to survive without a major change in direction.

Blue Card (European Union)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Blue Card aka Blue European Labour Card is an approved EU-wide work permit (Council Directive 2009/50/EC) allowing high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the European Union, excluding Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, which are not subject to the proposal. The term Blue Card was coined by the think tank Bruegel, inspired by the United States' Green Card and making reference to the EU flag which is blue with twelve golden stars.

The Blue Card proposal presented by the European Commission offers a one-track procedure for non-EU citizens to apply for a work permit, which would be valid for up to two-years, but can be renewed thereafter. Those who are granted a blue card will be given a series of rights, such as favourable family unification rules. The proposal also encourages geographic mobility within the EU, between different member states, for those who have been granted a blue card. The legal basis for this proposal is Article 63(3)(a) and (4) of the Treaty of Rome, which states that the Council shall adapt measures on immigration policy concerning “conditions of entry and residence and standards on procedures for the issue by Member States• and measures "defining the rights and conditions under which nationals of third countries who are legally resident in a Member State may reside in other Member States".

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Arabic Calligraphy in Japan

Inside the Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo, 15 students of calligraphy raptly practice writing verses from the Qur’an. Yet when the call to prayer is heard, few stir. The instructors and students are Japanese, and only two are Muslims. Here, their calligrapher’s pens (qalam in Arabic) are not made of reeds, as is traditional in much of the Islamic world. Nor do they use the brushes (fude) favored by Japanese calligraphers. Their pens are made of bamboo, which is plentiful in Japan.

For centuries, educated Japanese have been taught the traditions of calligraphy beginning in grade school. At the Nitten, the annual arts exhibition in Osaka, calligraphy is important enough to merit its own section. An appreciation of calligraphy is a lifelong interest for many Japanese, and for some, acquiring proficiency at it is a lifelong study. Yet, over the past two decades, a few have quietly put down their fude and picked up a bamboo qalam to try their hand at calligraphy in Arabic, which, they often find, is not as alien as they had thought.

Yukari Takahashi, who owns an elegant Tokyo nightclub, holds up a sheet of Japanese rice paper with embossed floral patterns framing immaculate calligraphy. I ask her why she studies Arabic calligraphy, and, in her limited English, she answers, “Very beautiful.• Other practitioners - a retired consul-general, a choreographer and dancer, the head of the Tokyo City Retirement Fund—also mention beauty first when describing their attraction to Arabic calligraphy.

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201002/shodo.arabi.htm

NASA - History

Index of American Universities

As home pages are found for American Universities granting bachelor or advanced degrees, they are added here, one page per university. If you know of pages for universities not listed here, please drop me a line. Some universities do not yet have home pages.

List of universities in the United Kingdom

This is a list of Universities in the United Kingdom (alphabetical by substantive name). Below that are lists of university colleges and colleges of higher education, followed by a list of defunct institutions.

List of colleges and universities in France

The French public higher education system includes universities and other higher education institutes, that provide both education curricula and related degrees up to doctoral degree and also contribute to research activities. They are the backbone of the tertiary education institutions in France. They are listed as different categories, depending on their administrative status, size and extents of research activity compared to educational activities.

Aside to the nationally-funded public education system that provides recognised degrees to the vast majority of students in France and that keeps tuition fees low, there exist private institutes.

List of universities in Germany

This is a list of the universities in Germany, of which there are about seventy. The list also includes the 13 German "universities of technology" which have official and full university status, but which usually focus on education in the natural sciences rather than covering the whole spectrum of academic disciplines.

However, the list does not cover the German Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences) and institutions that cover only certain disciplines such as business studies, fine arts, or engineering sciences. Those do not have all of the responsibilities and limitations of old universities and they can not award Doctorate Degrees on their own.

List of universities in Australia

The Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act 2003 sets out three groups of Australian higher education providers: Universities, other self-accrediting higher education institutions, and state and territory accredited higher education institutions. Students at all three types of institutions are eligible for FEE-HELP, an income-contingent loan to cover charges and fees.

What is Google+?

Search engine giant Google has just announced its Google+ social networking platform that's set to rival Facebook. Well, that's the plan anyway. Google doesn't have a particularly strong history when it comes to social networking services with both Google Wave and Google Buzz failing to catch on, but if the demo is anything to go by, it's investing a lot of time and money into making its latest venture a potential Facebook killer. Should Mark Zuckerberg and Co be worried? We took an in-depth look at Google+ to see what it brings to the table. Click here to read the whole article!

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International Relations of the Middle East, Human Rights Law and International Security. Maher Itani

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