History education, national identity, and the road to brexit

On June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to exit from the European Union, a move commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The result of the referendum sent shock waves through the nation and had an immediate impact on the international economic and political landscape. Various analysts have suggested a host of reasons for the British public’s decision to leave the European Union, such as general dissatisfaction with falling wages and a declining standard of living, increased political mistrust, widespread concerns over rising levels of immigration, and growing anxiety over a perceived loss of national sovereignty. Notwithstanding these important factors, during the extensive, passionate, and fiercely contested debates that preceded and followed the referendum, it was strikingly evident that issues of national identity were of critical importance. Of significance, during the days leading up to the vote, two of Britain’s most widely read newspapers typically splashed their entire front covers with the British flag and unapologetically used emotive headlines to appeal to nationalist and patriotic sentiment. For example, one urged its readers to “BeLEAVE in Britain” (“We urge our readers,” 2016, June 14) and the other exclaimed on the day of voting: “Your Country Needs You: Vote Leave Today” (2016, June 23). Perhaps not surprisingly, the day after the referendum, one BBC reporter remarked, “What appears clear from the campaign is that the vote to leave was as much a statement about the country’s national identity, and all that involves, as it was about its economic and political future” (Eight reasons Leave won, 2016, June 24)

Regulations governing psychologists: An international survey.

This study aimed to examine legal regulations on psychologists worldwide, such as those related to professional status and training models. An online survey was conducted by members of the Global Psychology Alliance and Asia Pacific Psychology Alliance. The survey included information on the legal status of psychologists in 55 countries. Representatives of 28 countries provided their responses, whereas information on the legal status of psychologists in 27 European countries was obtained from research data reported by the European Commission in 2016. We found that 80% of the 55 countries included in this study regulated professions in the field of psychology by law. Regarding the title of the profession, 53% of included countries regulated the general “psychologist” profession. Results pertaining to educational requirements indicated that a master’s degree or higher was required for general psychologists, amounting to an average period of 5.6 years. The professions regulated varied by continent- and country-specific circumstances and needs. This study provides a general overview of the legal status and training models underpinning psychology practice globally, demonstrating that many regions and countries worldwide are moving toward implementing formal regulatory frameworks, which will facilitate the establishment of global regulatory standards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved

‘The Holocaust is a place where … ’: the position of Auschwitz and the camp system in English secondary school students’ understandings of the Holocaust

This paper presents data drawn from a recent empirical study involving more than 8,000 English secondary school students (aged 11–18) who took part in either a survey or focus group interview. It critically examines the significance of Auschwitz and the wider camp system within young people’s knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. The paper reflects upon the tension between, on the one hand, academic historians’ requirements of clarity, differentiation and the recognition of both complexity and nuance in making sense of this past, and, on the other, the imprecision, abstraction and/or confusion often associated with, and characteristic of, dominant, Auschwitz-centric narratives of the Holocaust. In doing so, it identifies a number of important yet ostensibly widely shared misinterpretations, mistakes and misconceptions reflected in English school students’ engagement with this history

An Analysis of two Sustainable projects in the light of the LEED-NC and LEED-ND rating systems

Abstract: The methodology used in this paper consists in studying how the 5 environmental categories of the LEED New Constructions and Major Renovation plus the 3 categories of the LEED Neighbourhood Development apply to the architectural and urban design strategies of two projects: Masdar City and "Forwarding Dallas". We chose two very different but at the same time similar projects which claim to be environmentally conscious. On one end, there is the self-intituled "world's first carbon-neutral city", Masdar, designed by Foster + Partners and one of the largest and most ambitious developments of its kind. On the opposite end, and in a significantly smaller scale, there is the "Re-Vision Dallas" competition winner project, "Forwarding Dallas", designed by a collaboration of two Portuguese architecture practices: DATA + MOOV. This competition promoted the idea of transforming a vacant inner-city block in Dallas into a carbon-neutral neighbourhood, creating, for that purpose, a prototype for an innovative, sustainable urban community. This paper strives to highlight, through the comparative analysis of these two projects, how the desire to meet high standards of sustainability not only affects the practice of architecture and urban design, but might also generate a particular architectural language with identifiable physical characteristics

Cardiovascular disease in childhood: The role of obesity

In recent years, childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic health problem. It is now evident from many studies that childhood obesity is correlated with adult excess weight status and the development of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in adulthood, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. The exposure to obesity and to the above risk factors during childhood subsequently lead to atherosclerotic development, such as altered vascular structure and function, although the mechanisms are still unclear. Several non-invasive, and thus easy-to-obtain measures of arterial structure and function, have been shown to be clinically useful in providing information about vasculature early in the course of atherosclerosis, including measurement of endothelial function, carotid intima media thickness, and arterial stiffness. The early detection of cardiovascular abnormalities is essential because the control of the atherogenic process is more effective during its early stages. The present review focuses on the cardiovascular consequences of obesity, on the mechanisms and the methods of measurement of endothelial dysfunction in obese children and adolescents, and on the ways of intervention for the improvement of vascular health. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg