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Systems modelling
Science, Maths & Technology

Systems modelling

...world as it is interpreted by their creators. The graphs and tables used to sell financial products are models of the expected performance of those products, and at the national level, we are told that Government has a model of ‘the economy’ on which it bases decisions about tax rates, interest rates and other aspects of fiscal policy. At a more fundamental level, all...
Level 1: Introductory 4 hrs
Why Cilla Black was more than just a light entertainment star
History & The Arts

Why Cilla Black was more than just a light entertainment star

...world. But real recording success only came when the pace was slowed to allow her to drape those yearning, keening vocals over two ballads. Her cover version of the classic Anyone Who Had A Heart (an infamously challenging melody, full of unexpected time signatures and octave leaps) is customarily dismissed by purists, who cleave umbilically to the Dionne Warwick...
Has Donald Trump's strike on Syria rewritten international law?
Society, Politics & Law

Has Donald Trump's strike on Syria rewritten international law?

...world leaders welcomed the air strikes and hailed them as a strong signal in the fight to end the use of chemical weapons. German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande issued a joint statement in defense of Trump’s action, and the leaders of countries as diverse as Japan, Turkey, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Italy and Denmark have all...
Birth of the Welfare State
History & The Arts

Birth of the Welfare State

...World War that the British Welfare state took its mature form. In a climate of relief after the war, a climate diffused with an idealism for a new, more just society, welfare legislation had bipartisan support. There was a clear sense of rebuilding a better Britain...[Nye Bevan, who brought Beveridge's vision of a National Health Service to fruition] Bryson's words, from...
Exercising at 50
Health, Sports & Psychology

Exercising at 50

...World Bank, 2018). Half a century later in 2019 when the ‘University of the Air’ is celebrating its 50th birthday, the average number of years that a person is expected to live for has increased to 81.05 years (Sanders, 2018). As the Open University looks to flourish for the next 50 years, can we increase our life expectancy even further? Physical inactivity is one of...
Life as a Railway Worker: An Oral History Testimony by Nan Zaimaitas nee Lamont
Society, Politics & Law

Life as a Railway Worker: An Oral History Testimony by Nan Zaimaitas nee Lamont

...World War. They told me about other parts of the world and the impressive grandeur of the Russian Railway and I watched them staunchly defend colleagues. They could not be cowed and I was able to learn much from their approach, gleaning the knowledge I would later need to defend myself and my colleagues. They also told me that you can always stand against bullying with...
The Psychology of Decision Making
Health, Sports & Psychology

The Psychology of Decision Making

...world. We have developed a range of cognitive mechanisms to cope with adverse environments in which resources are scarce. These mechanisms include a range of simplifying and confidence-sustaining mental short cuts (heuristics) that help us to make quick decisions when pausing to undertake a full analysis would be unwise. While these ways of thinking are not the same as...
The Eurozone: Magnet or Black Hole?
Money & Business

The Eurozone: Magnet or Black Hole?

...world’s currency, borrowing abroad in their own currency – that currently only the US enjoys. What went wrong But there were several drawbacks which the Eurozone’s designers knew about, and some that have come to light since: Member states whose costs and prices rise faster than others can no longer offset this (and avoid an ever-worsening excess of imports over...