Saturday, October 11, 2008

Madeira

A visit to Madeira is like a nice weekend or a day in the country. It is both familiar and a delightful change from routine life for northern Europeans.

Semi-tropical and located in the Atlantic Ocean, 600km off Morocco, Madeira is an autonomous part of Portugal and is therefore within the Euro-zone. The island has been transformed by European Union funding over the past decade. A new airport with a remarkable runway carried on stilts over sea and cliffs allows easier access from mainland Portugal and other parts of Europe. Access to many coastal and inland villages is being improved with extensive tunnelling through the mountainous terrain.

Madeira - An Introduction

Madeira - History

Funchal, Madeira

Funchal Hotels, Madeira

Reid's Hotel, Madeira

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Are International University Rankings Misleading?

A new 2008 Edition of the Times Higher-QS World University Rankings has been released showing a dominance of US and UK universities in the top ten. But research published in the open access journal BMC Medicine concluded that international university rankings are "misleading and should be abandoned".


Are International University Rankings Misleading?