US trade deficit widens in Jan; One millionth Syrian refugee; Is college really necessary?

1 US trade deficit widens in Jan (BBC) The gap between the value of imports to the US and exports from the US widened in January. The trade deficit grew to $44.45bn in January from December's figure of $38.14bn, the Commerce Department said.  There was better news on unemployment, with a fall in the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits. The Labour Department said the number of initial claims for state benefits fell 7,000 to 340,000. 

Much of the rise in imports came from a 12% increase in imports of oil. The trade deficit for the whole of 2012 was revised down slightly to $539.5bn, which was 3.6% below the level from 2011. Analysts said that the trade figures would cut the country's economic growth in the first three months of 2013.

2 One millionth Syrian refugee (Antonio Guterres in Khaleej Times) This week, my colleagues registered the one millionth Syrian refugee. A milestone in human tragedy. The exodus from Syria has accelerated dramatically in recent weeks. In early December, some 20 months after the crisis began, refugee figures stood at 500,000. It has only taken three months for that number to double. As violence in Syria spirals out of control, more than 7,000 people arrive in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq every single day. Others make their way to Egypt and Europe. Three quarters of the refugees are women and children.

They have lost all they owned, and family members they loved. But at least in exile they are safe and cared for. The violent Syria they left behind is causing suffering on an unimaginable scale. At least two million people have sought precarious safety in other parts of the country. Syria’s children are the worst affected. The horrors they have witnessed are unspeakable, and many boys and girls are traumatised for life. We are increasingly receiving reports of children being deliberately targeted, abused, beaten, raped and killed. Women also tell harrowing stories of sexual violence, a pattern that indicates rape is being used as a weapon of war.

The Syria crisis would be an enormous disaster anywhere in the world. But this conflict is taking place in a region so fragile that it risks being destabilised beyond control if the fighting spills across borders. What happens in Syria has a direct impact on the rising sectarian violence in Iraq. There are warnings of a potential civil war if the Syria conflict continues. Lebanon is increasingly threatened by instability, with security incidents unsettling its borders. Jordan, long a pillar of stability in the Middle East, is facing a dramatic economic situation that could trigger social unrest. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is looming nearby, and the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive places, is just around the corner.

If the world does not act now, we might soon face an explosion that no international response could manage. This must not be allowed. The Syrian crisis is now at a tipping point. Humanitarian organisations can save lives and ease suffering, but it is up to those who have political responsibilities to stop this war before it is too late.

3 Is college really necessary? (Dale J Stephens in The New York Times) All your life, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors have drilled the idea into your head that you must go to college. It has been made clear that if you don’t get good grades and attend a four-year college, the rest of your life will be a dismal failure. I’m arguing that all of this is wrong. The social cues that defined what you thought about education ought to be questioned.

There is a community of people who are making a different choice. Instead of going into debt, they are taking the future into their own hands. They are using the real world to find mentors and learn practical skills. They are traveling, volunteering, interning and apprenticing. While many might see this path as extremely risky, I argue that going to school and graduating with an average of $26,000-plus in debt is at least as risky in today’s uncertain job market.

Massive open online courses, commonly referred to as MOOCs, are now replacing lecture halls. Students don’t have to sit in a classroom anymore; they can learn on their own terms, at their own pace. Self-directed learners, or hackademics as I’d like to call them, aren’t just learning for a fraction of the cost. In many cases, they’re doing it for absolutely free.

We need to see college as a choice, not a requisite. Social norms dictate that we all need to go to college — but if you look through history, how many times have social norms steered us in the wrong direction? The rules are being rewritten, and colleges aren’t taking action. In fact, it seems that they aren’t even taking notice. Now, life is on you. Now, I’d argue, is the best time to take charge of your education. And by doing so, you might just be taking charge of your life.