South Korea's toxic 'cancel culture' needs to change: Experts

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The 35-year-old is the latest K-idol to be dragged down by the country's unforgiving "cancel culture", which has killed the careers of many scandal-plagued actors, singers, YouTubers and even sports stars.

The social media trend has been sweeping the world, turning fans into haters as they collectively fume over something offensive that was said or done, and withdraw, or "cancel", their support.

K-pop and K-dramas "carry an unusual burden of people's yearning for ideals

Almost everyone is constantly staring at their smartphone - it's true elsewhere, but just more so in South Korea. (Cancel culture is) a form of herd behaviour, facilitated by the omnipresent smartphone

Kim's private life "became a social problem overnight" due to widespread media propagation, leading  many netizens to "attack and criticise (him) indiscriminately" before the truth was revealed.

urged against condemning a celebrity who has not broken the law.

"Is it reasonable to demand such a high level of morality from celebrities who entertain the public by acting, singing and dancing?"

Issues to think about:

=Me-Too movement gone overboard?

=should celebrities be treated differently from ordinary people?

=relate to the recent Singapore example on Youtube Channel NOC (Night Owl Cinematics) saga

Qn: As long as people in the public eye do their job well, does it matter what they do in private? (Cam. 2009)

In Japan, efforts afoot to win hearts, and votes, of the alienated young

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It is no wonder the young do not vote, with many of them saying candidates are overwhelmingly male, old and disconnected from their concerns.

"In this situation, young peoples' voices won't be reflected in politics," said Ms Nojo, 23 and a graduate student. "By not going to vote, life will become more difficult for this generation. Whether it's problems with raising children, or other issues, to get politics to turn to our generation you have to vote, you have to take part."

"I don't go to vote because there's just no feeling it's connected to my life," said Mr Takuto Nanga, 22 and a comic illustrator. "Even if the top changes, there'll still be problems like in the past."

"Clothes are worn daily, it's a form of expressing your opinion and showing yourself

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Revamped Choa Chu Kang Public Library a glimpse into future of libraries

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Visitors will be treated to an indoor garden, a hydroponics room, and new digital learning tools such as live streams of nature and updates from the World Wildlife Fund Singapore. These features aim to increase awareness in sustainable living and environmental issues.

The revamped library boasts an augmented-reality (AR) learning trail, where visitors can experience immersive content by scanning QR codes around the library with their mobile phones.

libraries play a vital role in society by allowing the public to access knowledge and learn about different cultures.

The 4 "National Switches" -- Singapore

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Singapore plans to import 30% of energy from low-carbon sources by 2035

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This move will allow the Republic, which lacks access to most renewable energy options other than solar, to tap sources such as wind energy and hydropower in other countries.

"Importing low-carbon energy will be a key needle mover in Singapore's energy transition in the near to medium term."

Currently, more than 95 per cent of Singapore's electricity is generated from natural gas - the cleanest form of fossil fuel. This fuel is imported into Singapore through pipes from its neighbours or in liquefied form from all over the world. 

solar will likely constitute only about 3 per cent of the country's total electricity demand in 2030.

The Republic is also investing in research into emerging low-carbon technologies such as green hydrogen - a fuel that produces no planet-warming carbon dioxide when burnt - as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology that will enable carbon to be locked away from the atmosphere.

Qns:

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

2. How far should countries aim to be self-sufficient? (Cam. 2011)

S'pore at risk of heatwaves, more dengue outbreaks as climate change worsens health woes: Report

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Health problems caused by climate change, such as heat stress and mosquito-borne diseases, will continue to worsen unless countries do more to slash planet-warming emissions

health impacts that are directly linked to climate change, from the lethality of extreme weather events to food security scares.

over the past few decades globally, the number of hours and days of scorching temperatures - making it unsafe to exercise - has increased.

countries that are ranked high or very high on the human development index, like Singapore, are most vulnerable to increased dengue outbreaks and heat extremes. Warmer weather allows the Aedes mosquito to breed faster.

Qn: 'Current efforts to conserve the environment are futile gestures.' Comment. (ACJC Promo 2021)

In a first, US surgeons attach a pig kidney to a human successfully

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For the first time, a pig kidney has been transplanted into a human without triggering immediate rejection by the recipient's immune system, a potentially major advance that could eventually help alleviate a dire shortage of human organs for transplant....involved use of a pig whose genes had been altered so that its tissues no longer contained a molecule known to trigger almost immediate rejection

Afghan evacuees embrace new life in South Korea

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"In Afghanistan, there is no freedom for women to participate in sports freely like men do," she said.

"It's really satisfying that we can attend taekwondo classes with the boys without wearing a hijab."

Coldplay announce eco-friendly tour with 'kinetic flooring'

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"You know when the frontman says, 'We need you to jump up and down'? When I say that, I literally really need you to jump up and down. Because if you don't, then the lights go out," Martin told the BBC.

They will also plant a tree for every ticket sold. Some 5.4 million people bought tickets to their last tour.

For Qns on celebrity, music and the environment.....

China drafts law to punish parents for children's bad behaviour

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guardians will be reprimanded and ordered to go through family education guidance programmes if prosecutors find very bad or criminal behaviour in children under their care

For qns on state interference into the lives of its people.

Woman raped on Philadelphia train with passengers watching

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Good opening BANG for issues on kindness....

Anybody that was on that train has to look in the mirror and ask why they didn't intervene or why they didn't do something

Chinese tech workers post working hours online in criticism of '996' culture

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Organised by four anonymous creators who described themselves as recent graduates, the "Worker Lives Matter" campaign calls on employees at tech firms to enter their company name, position, and working hours in a spreadsheet posted on GitHub, an open-source hosting website.

A majority of the entries on the spreadsheet show that while a five-day week is the norm, many employees work 10 to 12 hours a day.

"We hope to make a contribution to the boycott of '996' and the popularisation of '955'" said one of the creators on China's question-and-answer site Zhihu in a post viewed six million times. "955" means 9am to 5pm, five days a week.

China's top court in August described "996" as illegal.

The men going to military jail for their faith

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Interesting example of how religion demands and national interests conflict.....

US, China and Russia the top CO2 polluters since 1850, analysis finds

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historical responsibility will be a key focus for poorer, vulnerable nations which want justice for the severe climate impacts they suffer because of the emissions from big economies that have grown rich from burning fossil fuels.

The United States, China and Russia account for nearly 40 per cent of accumulated CO2 emissions from human activity. Brazil and Indonesia (ranked fourth and fifth) are responsible for another 8.6 per cent, largely because of decades of deforestation.

By the end of this year, the US will have emitted more than 509 billion tonnes of CO2 since 1850, according to the analysis. This represents 20.3 per cent of the global total, the largest share

In second place is China, with 11.4 per cent of cumulative CO2 emissions to date and around 0.1 deg C of warming. China has had high land-related emissions since 1850, but its coal-fired economic boom since 2000 is the main cause of its current position

Tertiary exam cheats in Singapore pay others to do their assignments

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More than 200,000 police cameras to be installed islandwide by 2030

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Since their installation began in 2012, the devices have aided officers to solve more than 5,000 cases....cameras have been most effective in solving crimes related to unlicensed moneylending-related harassment and thefts....The cameras also provide clues to track down missing persons

some concerns that the cameras are an invasion of privacy, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said in Parliament in August that such claims overlooked the "basic" fact that most people want a safe and secure living environment.

Ultimately, it still boils down to gathering evidence and having good interview skills when speaking with suspects, witnesses and victims, so we can piece together a comprehensive account of the incident.

Zuckerberg responds to claims that Facebook prioritises profit as 'just not true'

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the company prioritised profit while stoking division.

Instagram made some mental health issues worse for teenagers who use the product.

Facebook doesn't benefit from content that makes people angry or depressed or make all product decisions to maximise user interactions, Zuckerberg said. When it changed its News Feed algorithm to show more posts from friends and family a few years back, the CEO added, the company did so knowing that people would spend less time on the service.

Qn: Do you agree that public good, not profit, should be the focus of the media? (NYJC Prelim 2021)

'Black' and 'golden' tigers point to challenges in India's tiger conservation story

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Relate to 2019 'A' level AQ on zoo, specifically the point on preventing extinction.....useful rebuttal...

This has created isolated groups susceptible to inbreeding over time, potentially putting them at risk of deleterious genetic mutations that could affect their long-term survival.

inbreeding caused by isolation is "most likely responsible" for a high frequency of pseudo-melanism among tigers in Similipal Tiger Reserve in eastern India's Odisha state, resulting in what has been described widely as the "black tiger" phenomenon. This abnormal colouration is the result of a rare genetic mutation 

genetic mutation that resulted in their black stripes broadening and blurring into their tawny coat.

This is not the only instance of colour aberration noted among wild tigers in India. Earlier this year in July, photographs of a "golden tiger" taken by wildlife photographer Mayuresh Hendre in Assam's Kaziranga National Park - one of four such tigers there - were circulated widely online, raising concerns that this too could be a result of inbreeding.

Inbreeding is known to have adverse consequences on the fitness of mammals, and the study points out such examples in several endangered carnivore species, such as grey wolves and Florida panthers, resulting in a higher probability of their extinction.