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Why is East Africa experiencing such a terrible drought?
Nature & Environment

Why is East Africa experiencing such a terrible drought?

...history show us that pastoral communities have become less mobile. Livestock farmers are settling down and becoming increasingly reliant on irrigation and crop growing, which makes them more sensitive to drought. Competing demands to conserve land for wildlife add to the problems. There are a few things East Africans can do to ease the impact of climate change, especially...
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Article 5 mins
Selling Empire: Epilogue – the slow death of heroism?
History & The Arts

Selling Empire: Epilogue – the slow death of heroism?

...history. The latter might be made palatable by being wrapped in tales of adventure, perhaps told through the eyes of a fictional boy or girl. But the old assumptions of British leadership, and settler kinship, were still there. Over time, these annuals’ names changed to reflect the acceleration of decolonisation. The Empire Youth Annual became the Empire and...
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Article 5 mins
Download our Chinese characters learning apps
Languages

Download our Chinese characters learning apps

...history and many of our students are fascinated by how the characters are drawn and the rich culture and stories embodied in characters. They get a real sense of achievement when they can read and write simple texts in characters. If you travel to China or other Chinese speaking places, whether for business or pleasure, you can play with the app at the airport, and land...
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Article 5 mins
About us
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About us

...history to renewable energy, and everything in between. Many of our free courses are adapted parts of OU modules, and all courses enable you to earn a statement of participation. Some even let you earn a free digital badge. You can use your badge or statement of participation to share your achievement with others. Please remember, though, that they do not carry any formal...
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Article 5 mins
On the death of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Society, Politics & Law

On the death of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

...history should judge them harshly but Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was magnanimous as he and South Africa emerged into freedom, peace and reconciliation. There are many challenges to overcome; post-apartheid South Africa was not forged in conditions of Mandela’s choosing and painful compromises were made. It is still a long walk to freedom but Nelson Mandela is surely a...
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Article 10 mins
The US Presedential Election 2016: The first GOP debate
Society, Politics & Law

The US Presedential Election 2016: The first GOP debate

...history could repeat itself, only this time at the Republicans’ expense. Trump’s threat to run as an independent is thus ultimately more important than anything else that happened last night. Anthony Gaughan is an Associate Professor of Law at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. His academic specialties include election law, national security law, and legal and...
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Article 5 mins
Fast Reactors and Thorium
Science, Maths & Technology

Fast Reactors and Thorium

...history of commercial nuclear electricity generation. Indeed the world’s first reactor was a small 25 kW (thermal power) research reactor, which was built in 1946 at Los Alamos in New Mexico USA and named ‘Clementine’. Despite their long history, fast reactors have so far failed to break through to commercial success. There are some important technical differences...
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Article 10 mins
52 things you never knew about OpenLearn
Miscellaneous

52 things you never knew about OpenLearn

...history of Ireland taken from our OU/BBC co-production Ireland with Simon Reeve, and a free course on Gaelic in Modern Scotland as well as articl collections on Red Cydeside. Transcripts STUDENTS Open University students who use OpenLearn are 5-10% more likely to pass and progress to their next module, than those who do not. Interested in our full course catalogue now? We...
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Article 5 mins