Italian gallery turns art into hit TikTok clips

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The irreverent clip is one of several on the Uffizi's TikTok account poking fun at its collection of masterpieces, as the museum tries to transform its image from a dusty home of Renaissance art to a place Italy's teenagers want to explore.

For Qns on arts mixing with science and technology....or the impact of technology on the arts....

Singapore GE2020: Public warned to be on guard as hackers target parties with fake posts

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At least three political parties have fallen victim to hackers who are pretending to be them in the lead-up to the general election on July 10, in order to spread fake news, or possibly, to steal money and information.

bad actors have set up fake Facebook pages masquerading as Red Dot United (RDU) and Peoples Voice (PV).

These fake pages are dangerous because you do not know what is on the minds of people who create them. They might want to mislead the public to cause us harm and make us look like extremists or lunatics,"...They might totally misrepresent our party's position.

Such pages are most commonly used to misinform people and push out fake news - to manipulate public opinion. And since fake news is usually controversial, it tends to spread much faster than the official one

Singapore GE2020: The fight for votes hots up as it goes virtual and social

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Singapore's coming general election could well be its first truly Internet election, with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the shift to digital among both voters and candidates seeking to win their support.

Over the past week since the election was called, the online space has been filled with video clips and WhatsApp messages on parties holding dialogues and introducing candidates, as well as an assortment of memes, pictures, cartoons and videos which seek to shape opinions and push messages related to the coming polls.

online election would give smaller, less established parties a boost, since they would have greater reach and more direct access to voters, without the need for intermediaries.

given the new campaign rules and the need for social distancing, all parties have to work around the lack of physical events such as mass rallies and large-scale walkabouts, forcing a greater reliance on digital efforts to connect with voters.

Video recordings also have a long tail and can continue to draw eyeballs even after an event has ended

the WP's videos "may be very nice and very beautiful, people keep sharing it on Facebook and Instagram, but it doesn't necessarily mean voters are voting the WP because the video looks good"

the importance of short and sharp messaging, which better resonates with young people and caters to today's shorter attention spans

parties should not think they have to dumb down their messaging of nuanced issues for voters because it is the Internet. "Quite the opposite. The more controlled the environment, the more able the audience is to absorb complex content. "In a stadium environment, the audience can't absorb any more than headline information because there are so many distractions around them."

But parties still need to find ways to go beyond the Internet, or risk reaching only the tech-savvy portion of the electorate

danger of foreign intervention, such as the use of fake news, trolls, hacks and leaks to sow dissension and cynicism...the Internet has "turbocharged this kind of interference"

the speed at which ground sentiment can gather force, particularly with the viral nature of posts and messages, often anonymously written, that can be forwarded across cyberspace...PAP new face Ivan Lim... became the first casualty of the online election

the importance of balancing voter engagement not just online, but also in traditional media and face-to-face interactions

if a party's platform does not go beyond entertainment, then their message may not prevail when it comes to the crunch

Relate to the impact of social media on politics.

Facebook shares sink as Unilever, Coca-Cola pull ads

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Critics of Facebook who have assailed the social network as failing to adequately police hateful and misleading content on its service 

Unilever's pledge applies immediate pressure on other big companies and presents a risk to Facebook's dominant business....Later on Friday, Coca-Cola said it would pause ads on all social media platforms for at least 30 days, while Honda Motor's United States unit, Hershey and several smaller brands said they would join the boycott.

The social network has been less aggressive than competitors Twitter and Snap in responding to what employees and advertisers say are harmful posts from US President Donald Trump, as well as incendiary content that goes viral.

the company will put a link to the voting hub on all posts related to voting, and will also start marking posts that violate Facebook's rules, although the posts will remain up if they are newsworthy.

Facebook, which already prohibits advertising that discriminates, also sharpened those policies on Friday with a clause saying no ads will be allowed if they label another demographic as dangerous, or if they portray immigrants, migrant groups or refugees as inferior and worthy of disgust.

Consider how the above affect politics and voting outcomes...
Note that not all social media platforms are the same....a notable contrast can be found in Facebook and Twitter. Twitter officially bans all political ads [see HERE] -- the idea being that u cannot use money to convey political messages to the masses. This comes in the wake of fake news and false claims that are rife on social media that had led to Trump trumping Hilary Clinton in the US Presidential Election in 2016.....

Consider also the image of companies that prompted Unilever, Coca Cola to pull ads away from FB...
Also, should the goal of businesses be focussed only on profits?

Singapore GE2020: PAP candidate Ivan Lim pulls out after online controversy

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People's Action Party (PAP) new face Ivan Lim will not be a candidate in the general election, after allegations about his past conduct and behaviour emerged online.

The allegations spread like wildfire online, eclipsing the serious life and death issues we must grapple with,

Mr Lim said an allegation that he was involved in a bribery case concerning his company in Brazil was "completely baseless and untrue".

The idea to note here is similar to that of celebrities, where social media can:
=allow real/fake news of the candidate to go viral online, affecting voting outcomes
=allow netizens to dig out unsavoury bits of the candidate buried in cyberspace long time ago; remember that whatever digital footprints left in cyberspace are permanent!

Qn: Discuss the impact of social media on politics.

Let's Protect the Fruit of Our Labour

Note the useful stats that shows that it is our wastage that is the problem here, as opposed to the insufficient production of food....

Qns:
1) Science is the only answer to global hunger.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2019)
2) Can the transport of food over vast distances be justified? (Cam. 2009)

People need art, art needs people

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If can't access above link, click HERE

Note the opening BANG using an anecdote and the powerful closing BANG using figurative language of the portal, and the comment on the role of the artist....

Survey on Singaporeans' attitude towards the arts:
our artist colleagues, are among those deemed "non-essential" in a survey published last week by The Sunday Times.The arts community has erupted in outrage over the survey, which asked 1,000 respondents what jobs are most crucial in keeping Singapore going. The list of non-essential roles was topped by "artist" at 71 per cent.

it is really hard for me to argue that artists are essential - at least, not in the sense of "essential" used in the survey, which is "someone who is engaged in work deemed necessary to meet basic needs of human survival and well-being, such as food, health, safety and cleaning"... The fact remains that when it comes to the immediate survival of the body, art is not the most urgent of needs....But survival is insufficient, as Emily St John Mandel says in her 2014 post-apocalyptic novel Station Eleven.

Today, few have endured this circuit breaker period without consuming art in some form, from the films you binge on Netflix to the theatre show you watch for free on YouTube, from the comic you chuckle at to the book you curl up with, to the music you dance to alone in your room. None of this would be possible without the input of artists, though it seems not all consumers are aware of this.

Art can:
= heal and uplift. 
=It can provide solace, escape or warning. 
=It can help in articulating the feelings of loss and grief so pervasive now. 
=It can give us ways to envision a future beyond these times and, once we get there, 
=it can record what we went through, so we do not forget.
=Artists have power, which they can use to give voice to and raise those with less privilege.

Author Arundhati Roy has described the pandemic as a "portal", a gateway through which we can "drag the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred... or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world". We count on essential workers to get us through that portal. Artists help us decide what to take through it.

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

Managing Covid-19: What countries can - and can't - learn from one another

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modelling only teaches us so much about an uncertain future, whether the modellers are economists or epidemiologists. Ultimately, one must learn from experience. The more experiences cities, states or nations are having, the faster we can learn from one another.

Why were so many countries so slow?
1) it is simply more convenient to learn from countries with a shared language....Dispatches from South Korea or Vietnam seem to come from a different planet.
2) Ideology matters, too
3) each place has its own institutions, culture and history. In most policy areas, lessons do not easily translate. ... The starting points are so far apart that the lessons are obscure.

The coronavirus is different. It doesn't care about cultural norms and barely about the level of economic development.

Qns: 

1) How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own? (Cam. 2014)

2) Discuss the claim that in the modern world people should care more about international than national issues. (Cam. 2013)
3) "History has nothing to teach us." Do you agree?

Forum: Young people should take greater interest in global affairs

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The general safety in Singapore has given many of our young citizens a sense of comfort. But at the same time, it has also seemingly caused them to be unaware of the news and social issues around the world....This is especially true when it comes to issues that do not concern or interest them directly.

This is not to say young Singaporeans are entirely unconcerned about what is happening in the world. But it seems they pay attention to such matters only when they are directly affected.

For instance, we appear to be concerned with affairs that affect us directly like GST hikes, breakdowns of the MRT, etc.....

Qns:
1) How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own? (Cam. 2014)
2) Discuss the claim that in the modern world people should care more about international than national issues. (Cam. 2013)

Fauci confident in vaccine work, predicts no more US lockdowns

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A growing concern, however, has been a loss of public faith in science, especially during the current crisis. "Even when the recommendations are to wear a mask, a recommendation that I've been involved in making..."And then... you see pictures of people in bars and in congregations without (masks). So again, it's a mixed bag."

Qn: Human actions should be based on scientific fact, not religious faith.’ How far do you agree with this statement? (Cam. 2015)

Embracing tech in Covid-19 fight

1) Coronavirus: Better patient care with improved teleconsultation: Click HERE

2) Coronavirus: Temi reduces exposure of healthcare staff to patients: Click HERE

3) Coronavirus: Ella helps keep Alexandra Hospital clean: Click HERE

Podcast hosts say sorry for misogynistic content

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Does the media portray reality by reflecting what's out there? Or is the 'reality' reflected an 'amplified' and exaggerated one?
In a podcast released earlier yesterday, they had said their language and contents were "amplified" from what they had heard outside

educating a community on respect for women is a lifetime process, and this duty resides with every one, particularly those who have great influence over people through social media.

Does the media encourage the unacceptable acts of violence against women by normalizing or even glamourising it?
"If we continue to perpetuate the image of women being inferior, existing only for the purpose of male sexual gratification, then we have to be held responsible for being one of the perpetrators of violence against women

Does social media simply act as a 'mirror' when portraying the reality out there? Should it act just as a 'mirror', esp when the reality is not palatable? Should the media choose NOT to portray/reflect those aspects of unpalatable reality in case it normalizes it and encourages others to take up such undesirable behaviour and attitudes?

influence should be used to create positive change, and not to perpetuate sexist attitudes and behaviour....."Don't just be a mirror to reflect what we think the society is. Let the misogyny train depart for good so that we can be better,

Note also how once the President spoke up, everyone takes note and the 'guilty' are forced to apologise no matter how popular they are on social media. And the President does not have to wait for social media to pick up her words of condemnation, coz traditional media will definitely pick them up, and we all know most people find traditional media to carry more weight and influence than social media. BUT what if it's Trump is the politician who spoke up here -- one who arguably enjoy less trust and respect among his people? No doubt traditional media will still pick up what he says, but will it have the same kind of influence that President Halimah has in Singapore?

Qns:

1) Does violence in the visual media portray reality or encourage the unacceptable? (Cam. 2019)

2) Consider the view that social media has more influence than politicians. (Cam. 2019)

How to Karen properly

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If can't access above link, click HERE

Note:
1)features in the format of an article:
=title
=byline with designation

2)features of an email
This article is written in the form of an email.....BUT:
=the salutation part in the beginning ("Hello/Dear") should come with a name and be separated from the intro
=there should be a proper signing off (not sign, but write ur name) at the end of the email

3)the informal, lively tone in this informal email

To touch is human

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Link to the idea of how technology (social media) cannot give us the sense of touch, making it a severe limitation when it comes to fostering deep relationships.....ironically, the recent Covid-19 lockdowns worldwide has seen people turning to social media for a kind of 'contactless contact' which is deemed safe in an environment where social distancing is encouraged, and proximity frowned upon.....

Note the use of an interesting anecdote for an OPENING BANG, ans the use of a Shakespearean quotation (with a witty twist!) as CLOSING BANG....

Touch, it is argued, is the first sense to flower and certainly when we are born, we are often placed naked on our mother's bare chest

Touch is its own kind of glue and, eventually, it develops into a vast unspoken language. We touch to console, to make a point, to flirt, to reassure.

What is a book's worth, after all, if it can't be held close and inhaled? As Susan Orlean wrote evocatively of bookstores in The Library Book: "I loved the crack of a newly flexed spine, and the way the brand-new pages almost felt damp, as if they were wet with creation."

Qn: The book has no place in modern society. Discuss. (Cam. 2010)