Rap video by YouTuber Preetipls crosses the line, says Shanmugam

Click HERE

Go current local example on racism and the use of social media to spread hate....relate also to free speech....and the classic example of Amos Yee.....

This rap video insults Chinese Singaporeans, uses four-letter words on Chinese Singaporeans, vulgar gestures, pointing of middle finger, to make minorities angry with Chinese Singaporeans.....

"And suppose you allow this video? Let's say a Chinese now does a video attacking Indians, Malays using four-letter words, vulgar gestures... And let's say there are hundreds or thousands of such videos. How do you think the Indians and Malays will feel?

The Shrinking Amazon Rainforests....

Some useful stats about the Amazon forests:

=contributes to 20% of our atmospheric oxygen

=in June last month, according to pictures collected by space satellites, there is a staggering depletion rate of an area equivalent to 1.5 football fields every minute!

Record 19 teenage boys committed suicide last year

Click HERE
If can't access abov link, click HERE

Societal stereotypes that demand men be tough could be one of the barriers preventing male teenagers from seeking help. For every 10 suicides last year, seven were by males... "Men are stereotypically expected to be tough, stoic, and financially stable. The slightest hint of vulnerability can be seen as an imperfection. This has to change. Men and women alike need to know that it is okay to be less than perfect and we need to educate the public to understand that a supportive and encouraging environment is far more beneficial than a judgmental one."

Siblings invent walking stick holder to give away to seniors

Click HERE

Good eaxmple for the qn below....some of us discussed this for the qn in the Sculpting An Intro handout Qn 19 ('create inventive gadgets')

Qn: In what ways can a teenager contribute to the less fortunate people in society?

How wastage can harm the environment

Lion King remake has terrifying implications for deep fakes

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Note the idea of how technology can be used to foster trust -- or destroy it! A good current exampe is the gay sex video scandal currently plaguing Malaysia (note though that the video clip in the saga has been reported to be real instead of a deep fake)

There are no civilians in 21st century warfare because the hottest battlefield is the public mind. The front runs between your ears, between your neighbour's, between mine. The enemy's objective (and the enemies are numerous) is to capture our thoughts and convictions. Belief is an immensely potent prize. A leader who is believed can reach the moon - or massacre millions. Without belief - and its distillate, trust - leaders are lost and nations are weakened.

Attacks such as these will become vastly more potent when images of celebrities, elected leaders - even your friends and family - can be seamlessly added to fake scenarios. In fact, given revelations that a Russian company has been collecting millions of images of everyday Americans, you might wake up one day to find yourself co-starring in a deep fake attack.

But I worry that, as a country, we're too slow to armour ourselves against manipulation - and too quick to believe anything that confirms our biases or stokes our resentments. Deep fakes are designed to sap our belief in our institutions and in one another, ultimately bleeding the morale that secures the nation.

Note though the closing BANG in the article using a quotation....but I question the effectiveness of the BANG as its meaning is not immediately clear, though some explanation seems to be given in the para preceding it.

Political movements misusing and abusing religion: Academic

Click HERE

Note the portion on the Religious Harmony Act in Singapore:
The law allows the Go-vernment to issue restraining orders against preachers who engage in conduct or speech that undermines religious harmony, and fine and jail those who breach such orders.... "We wanted a law that could deal with the problem in a very fine way instead of having to resort to the Internal Security Act or the Sedition Act, or to use court prosecution,"

Once again, note the use of figurative language in making ur ideas clearer, more interesting, and unltimately, more convincing:

"It is like trying to use a scalpel to make a precise incision to deal with problem cells, instead of having to use a chopper to amputate."

Interesting idea:
Fundamentalists tend to thrive better when they can depict themselves as being challenged... When they are not oppressed, a lot of their arguments tend to fall apart and become less popular.

"So, a free religious marketplace actually might be a more effective way to manage them and control the level of violence,

For Qns on free speech and religion....

Qns:
1. How far, in your society, should unpopular views be open to discussion? (Cam. 2011)
2. How far should religion influence political decisions? (Cam. 2009)

HK separate from China? An illusion: George Yeo

Click HERE

Note how figurative language can be employed to lend clarity and interest value in writing, and ultimately to convince people.....:

"The monkey was very lively, sometimes very naughty. He would leap 10,000km and still, he cannot leave the Buddha's palm. Hong Kong cannot leave the Buddha's palm. If, one day, the Buddha decides to put a ring around the forehead of the monkey, then the monkey will have to take note..."

Note also how education can plant the seeds of violence:

when Hong Kong was still a British colony, the education system did not encourage the people to be patriotic towards mainland China."I have been told by some young friends... that in primary schools and high schools in Hong Kong, almost all the teachers are anti-mainland. For a student leader in any of the universities to win elections, you need to be anti-mainland. This has seeped into the mentality of the Hong Kong people."

Qn: Can we eliminate violence with education? (CJC Prelim 2018)

Useful Quotation on the Environment

Use quotation by Tolstoy (a famous Russian Writer) for ur BANGs:

No such thing as 'useful' or 'not useful' academic pursuit

Click HERE

Good example [awarding PSC govt scholarship to student to pursue Buddhist studies at Oxford: see HERE] with which to discuss qn below.....

This attitude of compartmentalising academic pursuits into seemingly "relevant" and "useful" is something that needs to change.

Education in the social sciences and the humanities allows one to develop creative and critical thinking skills, and to question established paradigms.

The close study of religion allows one to build up one's repertoire of knowledge and inter-cultural empathy and understanding.

In a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society like Singapore's, such skill sets are of utmost importance. This ability to think outside one's cultural paradigm and to reflect on how different people and societies understand what it means to be human form the fundamentals of good leadership.

Qn: Education should only be concerned with what is useful in life. Discuss. (Cam. 2013)

Have fun with FaceApp at your own risk

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Note latest eg: FaceApp (compare with the one in previous post called NudeApp)
The viral app, created by a Russian start-up....The app is simple to use. Take a selfie and pick a filter - make yourself look older or younger, change your hairstyle or add a smile.

One line in FaceApp's terms of service should ring alarm bells: "You grant FaceApp a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully paid, transferable sub-licensable licence to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform and display your user content and any name... without compensation to you." In short, you have given the company the right to use your image and name in any way it wants, without them having to pay you a single cent.

US Senator Chuck Schumer last Wednesday called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Federal Trade Commission to investigate FaceApp because of its ties to Russia, saying it could pose "national security and privacy risks for millions of US citizens". US Democratic Party leaders also warned campaign teams not to use the app.

Note these good current examples for use in ur BANGs and essays...useful for arguing why people get duped by fake news as these are people whom we place trust in unquestioningly:

In Singapore last year, swimmer Joseph Schooling's manager Ronda Ng Doswell said online ads have been misusing the image and name of the Olympic gold medallist, and a police report has been made about the matter. The ads on Facebook had the headlines "Schooling Reveals His Genius Wealth Strategies" and "What Schooling Is Doing With All His Wealth". Outside of Facebook, other high-profile personalities have found their names and photos used in fake articles or websites and social media accounts - including PM Lee, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and billionaire Peter Lim.

Relate to the 2017 AQ on swarm mentality and danger of sharing data where ur pics in ur social media platform can find their way to other marketing websites (including porn sites -- after they have stripped u naked using NudeApp!) without ur knowing and consent...

Qn: ‘Young people are not careful enough with the use of the internet.’ Discuss.

Gender diversity key to improving corporate performance

Click HERE
If can't access the above link, click HERE

Research shows that a gender-balanced workforce positively supports corporate performance in relation to company profitability, risk reduction or share price. It has been proposed that women's different sensibilities and perceptions counterbalance prevailing attitudes and "group-think" tendencies.

According to McKinsey, across the [Asia-Pacific] region, only one in five people in leadership positions is a woman.

Even in developed economies, few women are represented at a senior level. In Japan, there are no female chief executives in the top 100 public companies.

In 2016, the share of women chief executives was only 6 per cent in Australia and 5 per cent in Singapore.

Additionally, global data show that women earn 40 per cent less than men for comparable work.

Qns:

1. In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (Cam. 2012)

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

Dismantle meritocracy? No, create opportunities for all, for every stage of life

Click HERE

A must-read to get a grasp of meritocracy in Singapore....

Qn: In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (Cam. 2012)

Ditching plastic straws is not as simple as it looks

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Reusable bags take much more energy than single-use paper or plastic bags to make. As a result, they become an environmental plus only after a large number of uses - estimates suggest you need to use a reusable bag almost 40 times to break even in terms of environmental costs.

Not that even as solutions may be available to save the environment, they still require a change in the lifestyle habits of people before the environment can be saved. The antidote may be there, but if people are unwilling to use it, the cure will not be effected and the disease will continue to tear us down....

Indonesia could halt palm oil shipments to Europe

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Palm oil is known to be a biofuel, which is environmentally friendly as it emits less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels and it's renewable. But as we can see here, there is some politics behind it that deter people from using it:
"For biofuels, they say no to palm oil because they want to give room to their sunflower farmers (who produce competing vegetable oil)

But politics aside, there are justifications for this as a lot of these green technologies are actually not so green....it's like they mend a 'hole' in Mother Nature, noly to puncture a new 'hole' elsewhere....Th euse of palm oil as biofuels is one such example. We should be familiar by now how the cultivation of palm oil in Indonesia results in vast deforestation to clear land for planting, not to mention how the land is cleared by burning, causing haze and air pollution.
Nuclear is another example. While it emits no CO2 and hence is regarded as a 'clean fuel', there is the risk of radiation leakage if the reactor is not properly built and maintained (think Fukushima 2011). Besides, the nuclear waste is also highly radioactive and can pollute/contaminate the land if not disposed of and stored away properly.
Likewise, hydroelectric power is also non-polluting in terms of carbon footprints, and there are some 'side effects' that impact Mother Nature in other ways. The building of dams in the construction of hydroelectric power stations actually prevent the fish upstream from reaching downstream. This can have adverse effects on the ecosystem downstream in the long run.

For qn below, do remember to link back to the keyword 'hindered' by saying that benefits of green technology may be wiped out or negated by the new problems created, hence hindering/hampering any efforts to restore Mother Nature to her former health. It's like healing one wound using a dagger to scrape off the pus and remove the dead skin, only to plunge that same dagger into another spot to inflict a new wound!

Qn: Has technology helped or hindered environmental conservation? (ACJC Midyr J1 2019)

Arty mooves

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

'beautiful' in the qn below should be seen BOTH literally and metaphorically. With regard to the latter, think about how the arts contribute to a world with no violence, war and prejudice, where everyone is gracious and kind towards one another, blah blah blah....

The link to the article above can apply to both....on the literal level, it helps beautify our landscape, adding to its aesthetic value....(BUT note graffiti can sometimes be seen as ugly, destroying the beauty of the surroundings....)

On the metaphorical level, some of the murals give us insights into the culture and heritage of other ethnic groups, allowing us to understand them better....understanding of cultures different from others is crucial if we are to dispel any prejudice we have of them; this understanding helps to promote peace and stability, since conflict is only a result of fear and misperception towards others who are different from you.....

Such murals not only capture our heritage and beautify the place, they also attract tourists! Ipoh (Malaysia) is famed for the murals adorning the facades of its traditional shophouses in its old town....Many traditional villages and towns in Europe also have such murals....

Qn: The arts cannot change the world, but they make it more beautiful. Discuss this view with reference to one of the following: painting, sculpture or music. (Cam. 2007)

Falling for falsehoods - a diet for prevention

Click HERE
IF can't access above link, click HERE

-Good read on fake news...
-Good local example on "Green Delights" and the international example on vaccines
-Note also the part on heuristics which explains why we merely 'browse' instead of really 'read' online, accounting for why the internet is blamed for our lack of critical thinking.....
-If u r 'O' lvl, check out the catchy title using alliteration....

The reach of social media was once lauded for facilitating prominent social movements such as the Arab Spring uprisings against oppression, that spread across North Africa and the Middle East in late 2010. 

Once people believe something, they tend to persist in this belief, despite evidence to the contrary....we interpret contrary evidence to favour ideologies or the consensus of groups we closely identify with, and unquestioningly accept claims cohering with our world view.

A study of 750 Singapore citizens and permanent residents conducted by market research firm Ipsos in 2017 revealed that eight out of 10 respondents here were confident of sifting fact from fiction, although 90 per cent of them actually believed at least one of five false news headlines presented to them.

the anti-vaccination movement persists in the face of well-established evidence documenting the safety of vaccines because of mistrust fuelled by political, cultural and religious divides.

When completing routine and intuitive tasks, we often rely on heuristics - mental shortcuts, or "rules of thumb" - that allow us to complete those tasks without expending too much mental effort...One such routine task is browsing social media. Research at Columbia University found that most links shared and commented on, on social media, are never clicked. This implies that article highlights and previews, along with their associated comments, are often read while their body text is ignored. False information often possesses unverified, exaggerated and controversial claims that prey on our frequent use of heuristics and the instinctively lazy brain's preference for quick, easy conclusions.

Qn: To what extent has technology had a negative impact on the skill levels of people? (Cam. 2010)

Police refute allegations of racial bias in Bishan MRT station incident

Click HERE
A good example on whether free speech should be allowed here if people are given the freedom to post this kind of message....
Assuming the person posted this out of innocent curiosity(misinformation)  and not a prank/mischief (i.e. not fake news) or disinformation, the effect would still be the same of stoking racial tensions, and perhaps reinforcing existing prejudice in the minds of people?
But say the police were really guilty of racial profiling in the conduct of their duty, then this kind of free speech would have been crucial in creating awareness and applying pressure on the police to toe the line with regard to their behaviour....

For qns on free speech...

Porn app used to doctor photos of S'pore women

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

If u have done the 2017 compre AQ on sharing data / swarm mentality, relate this to how when u share ur photos on ur social media platforms, there's always the risk they may be exploited by others (i.e. monetized)  and appear on some porn sites.....Now even if they are 'proper' photos, with the rise of deep fakes and AI as mentioned in this article, ur 'proper' photo can be doctored to become naked photos and hey presto --- u have become a pron star overnight....

The photos are believed to have been doctored using a version of the DeepNude app, which was launched several months ago. It uses artificial intelligence to make women appear naked.

victims can use the Protection from Harassment Act to take out protection orders against online users, even if they appear to be anonymous.

For qns on social media....

Is meritocracy preventing Singaporeans from giving back?

Click HERE

As a result of missing the fact that certain inequalities are entrenched and that people may not have the same starting point, the meritocratic principle they hold dear may be preventing society from being generous, 

You see that your paycheck is yours because you worked hard for it and you made all the right sacrifices, and it makes you a less gracious person

"There's always the assumption that because we are a meritocratic society, if people are poor, it must be their fault; they must be not working hard," 

one reason for the poor giving rate is the mentality among Singaporeans that the Government, not them, is responsible for helping the needy.

Singaporeans, especially the privileged, are not aware of what is happening on the ground.....You can live in your cocoon if you go from your wonderful condominium or big house to your office in Shenton Way... Just because you sometimes visit hawker centres and see old people cleaning up (doesn't mean) you know the stories they carry with them."

For qns on meritocracy....

Qn:  Is there still a place for charity in today’s world? (Cam. 2006)

Trump lashes out at 'foolish' May, 'wacky' UK envoy as row escalates

Click HERE

This is a good current political example of how telling the truth need not be a wise thing to do...Diplomacy usually involves withholding ur true feelings, as u may need to work with those whom u do not like. Come to think of it, teamwork very much involves this....It gives an ironic twist to Christ's exhortation that we have to love our enemy as we love our friends -- even if we have to tell lies and give them the impression that we love them? Telling the truth that we dislike them may jeopardise relations. Interestingly, this is at odds with the current climate condemning fake news and the conventional call to uphold truth....
Consider also how lies sometimes need not help to foster ties...a relationship build on lies smacks of insincerity and is likely to not last longl i.e. not resilient. It can be argued that strong ties are built on the truth, no matter how ugly that is...ur best friend is the one who accepts u for who u r -- warts and all.
Note also the use of inverted commas on 'foolish' and 'wacky' in the title. Realise that the intention behind the use of the inverted commas is different from the compre qn type we have discussed. Here, it is to lend authenticity to the report by quoting from the horse mouth, and distancing the writer from it, to show that the writer may not share the same sentiments; and there's no sarcasm involved here...

Qn: "We should always tell the truth and shame the devil." What is your view?

Singaporeans can help offset low birth rates if more work longer: Amy Khor

Click HERE

Qn: ‘People today do not work as hard as they did in the past.’ How true is this of your society? (Cam. 2018)

Dealing with death in family-friendly films

Click HERE

Qns: 

1.  Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality? (Cam. 2014)

2. Should the truth always be told?

Home Front: Helping older ex-offenders rehabilitate and rejoin society

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Qn: 'Rehabilitation, not punishment, should be the purpose of the justice system.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2017)