Cars and carnival: Singapore gets the F1 formula right

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attendance for the 2018 race: 263,000 (second highest since inaugural race with 300,000)

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had previously revealed that in the race's first 10 years, over 450,000 international visitors had flown to Singapore for the event, generating an estimated $1.4 billion in total incremental tourism receipts.

Former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone had called the Singapore race the sport's "crown jewel". Current supremo Chase Carey said it is "the signature race for Formula One"...And two weeks ago, the twisty and challenging 23-turn track had defending world champion Lewis Hamilton calling the Marina Bay Street Circuit "Monaco on steroids".

The annual cost of hosting the race was estimated to be $150 million, although then Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran said last year that costs had come down by about $15 million to $135 million.

The night race, with Singapore's skyline as the backdrop, has marketed the whole of Singapore - not as a city full of crazy rich Asians, but as a city that can be full of crazy fun.


Qns:

1.     Hosting major sporting events creates more problems than benefits. Do you agree? (Cam. 2005)

2.     Does sport merit the vast sums of money that are spent on it? (Cam. 2010)

NZ Premier makes history by taking baby to UN meet

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Useful example for gender qns....female head of state of NZ: Ms Jacinda Ardern...Note how she is showing by example how a woman can have her cake and eat it too.....anecdote that makes for a colourful BANG!

Qns:

1. Evaluate the claim that equality of opportunity for females is a desirable, but unrealistic goal. (Cam. 2016)

2. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other. (Cam. 2014)

Drone spotted lingering outside HDB windows and toilet areas in Punggol; CAAS launch investigations

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Qn: To what extent has technology had an impact on both privacy and security in your country? (Cam. 2009)

How online trolls divided societies

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MUST READ!!!! contains quite a few excellent examples of how fake news can have repercussions on a nation....relate to the need for regulation and censorship of the media....

"disinformation operations often have the goal of undermining public trust towards democratic institutions, and causing the public to lose trust in institutions like the free media and democratic political parties",

Other disinformation operations also sought to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, and to denigrate and harm presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's electability by spreading negative, untrue stories about her.

disinformation operations in Ukraine ultimately resulted in the loss of territorial sovereignty and Ukrainian lives by fuelling the annexation of Crimea and armed conflicts in Eastern Ukraine.

many of the Russian-linked fighters who fought on Ukrainian soil reportedly said they were motivated to fight by Russian television coverage of supposed Ukrainian "atrocities" against Russian-speaking citizens.

foreign disinformation campaigns by state actors "aim to weaken a country, reduce its ability to resist foreign aggression, change its foreign policy and create conditions for its inclusion in a foreign country's sphere of influence"

Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

Police probe Instagram post that 'advocated terror'

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a good local example on uploading inappropriate stuff online...

"Most millennials like to read memes to de-stress and use memes to express and represent their situation or state of emotion....."The meme post touches on sensitive issues involving topics such as politics, religion and terrorism. While sarcasm can be a form of humour, the post can be deemed too extreme and having 'crossed the line'. This creates tension amongst readers, threatening religious harmony and Singapore's sense of safety."

Qn: Can humour ever be serious? (Cam. 2012)

S'pore-based palm oil trader, NGO face off

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A good example of the role NGOs can play in the battle to save Mother Nature....they can help to keep MNCs on their toes, to abide by environmentally-friendly policies.....they can instigate boycott and condemnation against those businesses which engage in nefarious and clandestine practices that harm Mother Nature...they do this by investigating and bringing to light what terrible things guilty MNCs have been doing, esp those why pay lip service to saving the envmt, yet succumb to the draw of profits...

Qn: Assess the view that attempts to control climate change can never be truly effective. (Cam. 2017)

SCGS old girls launch bid to save 37 Emerald Hill

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It is not just the collective memories of the nation that should be taken into consideration when deciding which old buildings to preserve, in which case only old buildings related to the larger national and historical narrative of the nation will be included; rather, some old buildings containing memories of the personal and selected group should also be considered as these are what grounded and anchored them, give them a sense of rootedness and sens eof belonging to the country, esp old school buildings, where the impressionable formative years of those people concerned....
Relentless demolition of old buildings in the face of modernization will lead to what is known as
national/cultural/personal 'amnesia', where one's memories of the past are invested in these buildings.....with the disppearing of these buildings, so will the memories (At least, they will be weakened, as there's nothing tangible to remind us of the past), and along with this is the weakening of our roots to the nation....then migration and brain brain and weaken of national identity and patriotism and pride...blah blah blah...u get the idea....


Qn: Only modern architecture and modern art have a place in today’s world. How far is this true of your society? (Cam. 2011)

Elephants no longer made to perform at Singapore Zoo

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a 'your society' example on animal rights if u r writing about Singapore....

note that this bodes well for the reputation of the zoo as well, esp if it wants to be known as a world-class zoo, which would include taking the welfare and rights of its animals into consideration...

Qn: To what extent are the rights of animals protected in your society? (Cam. 2012)

颜黎明 has died.....

Yan Li Ming died....her songs (esp those penned by Liang Wen Fu) characterised the chapter of the teenage years of those in my generation, who grew up with her songs, nourished by the dreams spun by them... here are two of them:

Click HERE《沿着寂寞的边沿走》

一个人，
能有几次的青春，
能够几次再沸腾，
能有几许的伤痕。
你看我轻松一张脸，
其实我颠簸已困倦，
傲然笑掩饰脆弱一面。
转过身，
抹去眼角的泪痕，
人群中太多笑声，
听不到我的呼声，
此刻没悲伤的时间，
收拾起步于再向前，
我的心已坚，
哪怕又是一番考验。
从来没人知我苦闷，
成长中彷徨过，
在这旅程温室的小花，
哪有风中的我坚韧，
我用现实冷雨吸取一生激愤，
将我的少年心驰骋星辰，
他日放光辉看你惊异眼神。

Click HERE "你的倒影"

Keeping hope afloat

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An example of how the arts are not just for decoration and beautifying our surroundings, but that they also have a message to convey, to raise awareness on important causes...Note the SIZE of the fresco on the grass.....! (the outstretched hand that the artist is sitting on in the first pic is the SAME hand u see in the second pic below) If that doesn't catch ur attention and blow ur mind away, you're probably not human! 

Qn: 

    ‘For the majority of people, the Arts are irrelevant to their daily lives.’ How true is this of your society? (Cam. 2014)

Myanmar's assault on a truthful press

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a current, interesting example that works well in ur BANG or argument for the qn below...

FOR:
-forbids publishing of any info that will compromise national security, esp those concerning the military...
-undermines the standing and reputation of the nation in the eyes of the international community?
"...legitimate under the Official Secrets Act, a colonial-era law that bars the collection of secret documents to aid an enemy"

AGAINST:
Journalists, being people, are imperfect. But journalism, done right, serves a high public purpose. It produces transparency in markets, holds governments and businesses to account, gives people tools to make well-informed decisions, uncovers wrongdoing, inspires reforms, and tells true and remarkable stories that move and inspire. The United Nations must insist that the suppression of a free press contradicts the very nature of democracy and cannot be tolerated.

Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

The last straw

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'O' lvl students pls note the pun (there's a double meaning) in the catchy title above....u may need to craft catchy titles in SW articles....

An interesting annecdote for ur BANG concerning plastic or any envmtal issues is that a report has stated that there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050!!! (See HERE)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged in June to ban all single-use plastics in the country by 2022.

The same month, fast-food chain KFC stopped providing plastic straws and lids for drinks across its 84 outlets in Singapore, joining corporate giants Ikea and cruise line company Royal Caribbean in their moves against such particular plastic products.

Burberry to stop burning unsold goods

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What caught my eye here is not just the wastage due to consumerism but also the use of animal fur in consumer items such as bags, which is totally a poor excuse for infringing on the right to live of the poor animals...same as using fur in clothes such as mink coats, etc..... think also the Disney Cartoon "101 Dalmatians".

Qn: To what extent are the rights of animals protected in your society? (Cam. 2012)

Poor nations ask rich ones: Where's the cash?

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Under the Paris deal, US$100 billion (S$138 billion) was promised annually from 2020 to help poor nations green their economies and adapt to stronger storms, rising sea levels or longer droughts. The poorer countries, including Pacific island nations, those in Africa and some South American and Caribbean nations, say richer states are not making good on these pledges to provide sufficient money.

Qn: Assess the view that attempts to control climate change can never be truly effective. (Cam. 2017)

'Win-win for all' as Chinese invest in Africa

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Here's an article that gives a different perspective on recent Chinese forays into Africa.....previous posts I put up shows China having some kind of agenda to gain control over key infrastructures...but this article gives a much needed balance on how the Chinese investments do indeed give to boost to much needed infrastructure development in these poor countries, which greatly improves the quality of life of the people....And since the investments are not a kind of humanitarian act, it is only right that China get some economic returns in exchange.....

Point: cooperation can be based on win-win exchanges....

Qn: 'Cooperation, not competition, is the key to success.' Discuss.

Who will save hawker food?

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The rental can come up to $3,000, cleaning services add a few hundred dollars and the prices of ingredients are always going up. But people who eat at hawker centres refuse to pay more than $3 for their wonton mee.

Hawkers able to operate under these circumstances are mostly those enjoying special rental subsidies from the Government granted to an earlier generation and who were prepared to work their life for low earnings because they had few other options.

Qn: Comment on the view that traditional businesses have no future in your society. (CJC Prleim 2017)

Australian media pulls political strings

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An excellent current example for the qn below on regulation of the media....certain media companies are known to have certain political leanings or sympathy, and this has an impact on the kind of news they report to the masses, and how they report it....
Here, we have a case of how the media conspired to erode trust in the PM, cast doubts on his judgement and policies and then instigated a revolt within the party....political instability is the result, causing the nation to witness the 'revolving door' or 'musical chair' phenomenon as its leader keeps changing every few months, resulting in nothing substantial ever gets done in the country....
To a certain extent, the media must support the govt to lend the nation stability and help to build trust between the pple and the govt by explaining the govts policies to the pple and conveying the pples sentiments to the govt...the facilities that operation of democracy, enabling the pple to ensure they put the right pple up there, and that these pple they have put up there are doing their job as per the mandate given to them by the pple...the media thus acts as a two-way conduit btw the pple and the govt.
But a line needs to be drawn when the govt is corrupt cos that is when the watchdog role of the media must kick in and sound the alarm bell to let the pple know about the nefarious dealings and shenanigans the govt is involved in that is detrimental to the nation.....


growing questions about the state of the media and whether it has fuelled the nation's recent political instability. In the past eight years, four prime ministers have been toppled by their own parties.

"We are seeing journalists playing behind the scenes in a way that is not transparent. That is a new role the media is playing - and it should not be its role."

"They're among the biggest bullies in the land and it's about time people called them out for what they are. It's the Australian country that's at stake here."

Some analysts have warned that Australia's media is at risk of a US-style "Foxification", a reference to the Murdoch-owned Fox News in the United States, which is unashamedly partisan.

partisan media had made Australian politics more "vicious, toxic and unstable".

"They (pundits) created or amplified a sense of crisis and made a small group of rebels believe that their champion Peter Dutton (a right-wing MP who lost in a leadership battle against Mr Morrison) - who had so little popular support - could be the party's saviour."


Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

Blind spots and echo-chamber

Someone sent me these....I thought very interesting... the pics give a very good illustration of why we should always give a balance for any argument....and that not all OVs need to be rebutted as you cannot always expect ur perspective to be the only correct ones.... others' perspective are equaly valid and correct even if their views are different from urs....that's the basis behind using Model 2 where ur OV is not rebutted after u mentioned it.....

use this also to understand the concept of 'echo-chamber effect'....we need to expose ourselves to different kind of viewpoints even if we ourselves have very strong views on the issue....Other people's views can help to shed light on the blind spots that we have and make us realise that there are other alternative ways to look at the issue....but if we surround ourselves with people of the same background as us, then all of us will look at the issue from the same perspective; the consequent blindness to other perspectives may severely cripple our problem-solving skills as we do not realise that our perspectives exist....interestingly, the internet, which is supposed to expose us to a wide range of perspectives online, tends to keep showing us info of the same kind due to the algorithm which operates on search engines that throws up links based on our surfing habits.....the so-called filter bubble we become entrapped in on social media only serves to accentuate the echo-chamber effect, resulting in a narrowing instead of a widening of views....

'Worst parents' video warms netizens' hearts

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scroll down to bottom of article in link to watch clip...

Interesting clip....good example of advertisement....recall an earlier example of NTUC featuring Rebecca Lim saying she is going to retire that whipped up a storm of controversy by 'lying'!!!!....this time round, the ad is more tastefully done and thought-provoking....done in the right way, ads do not simply introduce a product to the masses for commercial motive, they can also contain useful, important social messages.....

Recommended by $3m in 'smart' move to boost Marina Bay Cruise Centre

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Relate to the swarm mentality compre AQ of 2017 'A' level paper....in the compre passage, there's mention of how data is shared to allow for greater efficiency in the deployment of vehicles like taxis to certain areas when there is an MRT breakdown or where there is a greater demand.....likewise, in this article, we see a similar scenario where data analytics is employed to ensure efficient deployment of manpower.....

South Korea cracks down on spycam porn in public toilets

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Qn: To what extent has technology had an impact on both privacy and security in your country? (Cam. 2009)

1.4 billion risk disease from lack of exercise: WHO

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Click HERE also for related article: One in three Singaporeans not active enough
Qn: To what extent do you agree with the idea that some teenagers lead an unhealthy lifestyle? Give reason for your views. (Cam. 'O' lvl 2016)

How vulnerable is Singapore to climate change?

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quite a few things happening here, but this one caught my eye:
Singapore has pre-emptively effected coastal policies for adapting to rising sea levels such as by raising minimum land reclamation height from 3m to 4m above mean sea level....

Climate action could add US$26 trillion to world economy: Study

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Qns:
1. In your society, how well are the demands of the economy and the environment balanced? (Cam. 2015)
2. Environmental concerns and economic growth cannot co-exist. Do you agree? (Cam. 2011)
3. Is it realisitc for businesses to be socially responsible when profits are their main concern? (NYJC J2 Mid-Yr 2018)

Petitioners want People's Park, Golden Mile saved

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FOR:
Those who signed the petition discussed the need to better acknowledge post-colonial, local architecture. Some said the buildings represent the aspirations of a freshly independent nation. 

the complexes, which were Singapore's first high-density, mixed-use complexes, represent milestones in the Republic's urban renewal process.

AGAINST:

"There were these little imperfections which were to be expected as we were living in an old structure. It is a pity that the building wasn't more well taken care of over the years."

Critics say they are ugly, while residents note that the buildings are old and have not been well kept.

the air-conditioning system is "badly maintained" and some elderly workers there face respiratory issues.

NOTE the point above on the run-down state of disrepair of the old buildings can be rebutted by renovating them, refurbishing them, retrofitting them with modern furnishings without having to totally demolish them....

1.  Assess the view that traditional buildings have no future in your society. (Cam. 2016)

2. Only modern architecture and modern art have a place in today’s world. How far is this true of your society? (Cam. 2011)

Elderly to make up almost half of S’pore population by 2050: United Nations

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Some of us were discussing the elderly recently, esp if u did the RI prelim 2017 compre....I've tidied up some of the useful stats here:

SINGAPORE:

2017:  
-0.9m (or nearly 1m) of our population aged 65yo and above
-16% of our population aged 65yo and above

2030: 
-1.8m (or nearly 2m) of our population aged 65yo and above [double 2017]  
-28% (or nearly 30%) of our population aged 65yo and above
-1 in 4 Singaporeans 65yo and above;        

2050: 
-3m of our population aged 65yo and above
-47% (or nearly half!) of our population aged 65yo and above

WORLD:

2017: 
-1 billion aged 60yo and above

2050: 

-2 billion aged 60yo and above [double 2017]