I gotta say, the Titan submersible DID have several trips to the Titanic without imploding.
Now, using American pandemic logic, that means that the majority of trips were FINE and you have NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
So go ahead. Take a dive. Statistically you'll be safe. 🤷♀️ It's science.
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Navigating the Seas of Global Trade: Understanding the Significance of Trade Data Statistics
In the intricate web of international commerce, data reigns supreme. Every day, trillions of dollars worth of goods and services traverse the globe, shaping economies and livelihoods. At the heart of this global exchange lies trade data statistics, providing crucial insights into the ebbs and flows of international trade. In this blog post, we delve into the multifaceted world of global trade data statistics, exploring its significance, methodologies, and implications.
Understanding Global Trade Data Statistics:
1. The Backbone of Global Commerce:
Trade data statistics serve as the backbone of global commerce, offering a comprehensive view of cross-border transactions. These statistics encompass a wide array of information, including imports, exports, trade balances, tariffs, and trade volumes. Governments, policymakers, businesses, and researchers rely on trade data statistics to make informed decisions, formulate trade policies, identify market trends, and assess economic performance.
2. Sources of Trade Data:
Various entities compile and disseminate trade data statistics, including government agencies, international organizations, and research institutions. National statistical agencies play a pivotal role in collecting and analyzing trade data at the country level. Additionally, organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank aggregate and harmonize trade statistics from multiple countries.
3. Methodologies and Standards:
Harmonizing trade data across nations requires adherence to standardized methodologies and classification systems. The most commonly used framework is the Harmonized System (HS), a globally accepted nomenclature for classifying traded products. Moreover, initiatives like the International Trade Centre's (ITC) Trade Map and the United Nations Comtrade Database provide user-friendly platforms for accessing and visualizing trade data statistics.
4. Key Metrics and Indicators:
Trade data statistics encompass a plethora of metrics and indicators, each offering unique insights into global trade dynamics. Key indicators include trade balances (the difference between exports and imports), trade volumes (the quantity of goods traded), trade intensity (the ratio of trade to GDP), and trade diversification (the variety of products traded).
5. Implications for Businesses and Economies:
For businesses, access to accurate and timely trade data statistics is indispensable for market research, supply chain management, and risk assessment. Understanding market trends and consumer preferences enables companies to optimize their strategies and enhance competitiveness. At the macroeconomic level, trade data statistics inform policymakers about the health of national economies, trade imbalances, and the impact of trade policies. Trade deficits or surpluses can influence currency valuations, inflation rates, and employment levels.
6. Challenges and Limitations:
Despite their significance, trade data statistics are not without challenges. Issues such as data inaccuracies, measurement errors, and discrepancies in reporting standards can undermine the reliability of trade statistics. Moreover, the emergence of digital trade and services trade poses new challenges for data collection and classification, as traditional methodologies may not adequately capture these evolving trends.
Conclusion:
In the interconnected world of global trade, data serves as the compass guiding decision-making and policy formulation. Trade data statistics illuminate the pathways of international commerce, enabling stakeholders to navigate challenges and seize opportunities. By understanding the intricacies of trade data statistics, businesses and policymakers can steer towards a more prosperous and sustainable future.
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Why Public Trust In Politicians Hits Spectacular Low In The UK
— Mark Blacklock | March 06, 2024
Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times
Nobody who has watched British civic life in recent years will have been in the least bit surprised that a recent study by the Country's Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found only 12 percent of the public trust their politicians, a spectacular low.
People feel increasingly alienated from those who are supposed to have been elected to represent their interests. Worse, they feel unable to influence the heedless parliamentary apparatus which seems to be being used to serving the politicians more than it serves the people.
The job of the ONS is to gather, process and analyze data about the United Kingdom's economy, society and population, and is widely regarded as a professional and impartial authority. This makes the findings of its annual Trust in Government survey so striking.
The collapse in trust in political parties is an unimpressive 12 percent this year, which is down from an already lamentable 20 percent in the previous analysis. The proportion of adults trusting the government itself also fell - from 35 percent to 27 percent - and trust in parliament, the institution where the politicians operate, plummeted from 34 percent to 24 percent. These figures echo a study from a market research company last year, which said only 9 percent of people trusted their politicians to tell the truth (the lowest level in 40 years). The inevitable conclusion to be drawn is that most Britons think that the political class that has the power to make decisions that control their lives are liars.
One reason the UK public is so disillusioned with their politics is the prevailing doctrine which favors political centrism. Party leaders are reluctant to appear too leftist or rightist for fear of driving support away, so they gravitate toward the center. These are not the politics of conviction or ideology, but of opportunity for self-serving individuals who are willing to change their policies and even opinions to give themselves the best chance of winning.
A general election is expected in Britain this year, in a country that has essentially been a two-party system for generations. The Conservative and Labour parties are electorally dominant and regularly alternate in government, largely because of the country's outdated, unfair and anti-democratic first-past-the-post electoral system, which works to marginalize and exclude voices outside of the center. This makes it difficult for other relevant parties, such as the Greens and especially smaller groups such as communists, to be represented in Westminster.
This feeling of alienation from the process of government is exacerbated by the closeness of the two main parties. At the election, there will be little to choose between the main party's candidates in important aspects of policy. In fact, Rishi Sunak's Tories and Keir Starmer's Labour have recently accused each of stealing the other's policies and mimicking standpoints. Neither of them spoke out against the war in Gaza, for example, until it had been raging for months. Both parties have declared support for rules that prevent families from receiving a state benefit for more than two children - something that affects many low-income households.
At the other extreme, both parties are prepared to lift a cap on bankers' bonuses - something which was devised to discourage reckless investment behavior - and allow them to make unlimited payments. Both parties have also declared the need to continue with austerity-style policies which are blamed for the declining nature of Britain's economy. Both parties favor cracking down on illegal immigration, and approve of higher defense spending, keeping the Trident nuclear deterrent (despite a recent failed test-firing of one of the £17m missiles) and continued support for Ukraine.
If the people, despairing at the lack of choice among those who seek to govern them, should dare to speak out and protest, the establishment has been devoting a lot of time and effort into devising laws aimed at discouraging and restricting demonstrations. The temperature has been further raised by the politicians themselves complaining that the strength of dissent has put them in danger. They call protest marches "hate marches." If there is one that the people hate, it is being lied to and not being served by those whose job it is to serve them. And that is why so few people trust or believe them.
— The Author is a Journalist and lecturer living in Britain.
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Emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in shaping the landscape of education statistics - 2024 Conference on education data and statistics.
The UNESCO Conference on Education Data and Statistics is the first international event dedicated to establishing a collaborative platform for ongoing dialogue and mutual learning among education statisticians. This inaugural conference marks a significant milestone as the first-ever regular, open forum in the field of education statistics, where we delve into pressing questions regarding the present and future of internationally comparable data. Organized by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), in collaboration with UNESCO's Education Sector and the Global Education Monitoring Report, this Conference aims to reaffirm the vital role of Member States as primary agents for coordinating education data and statistics. The conference also seeks to foster international statistical cooperation, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in shaping the landscape of education statistics.
09:15 – 09:45 Opening of the Conference
09:45 – 10:30 Professor James Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics & the Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development, University of Chicago Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics (2000)
10:30 – 11:30 High level panel
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