Society expects more of the legal profession, say observers, in the light of trainee lawyers cheating

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As officers of the court, lawyers are held to a high standard in their professional and personal conduct. Good character and integrity are fundamental traits that every lawyer must have

You should be able to trust your lawyers. Ethics and professionalism are the backbone of our profession. "If we don't have that, how can we expect clients to trust us with their problems, their assets, their confidential information? Cheating goes to the very heart of what we do - without integrity, our profession is lost.

The training of lawyers must focus not just on their intellect but also their character,

the question now is to strike a balance between taking the culprits to task and not ending their legal careers before they have even begun.

Providing second chances is an important pillar of the judicial process

Trainee lawyers caught cheating in exam: Is there a culture of cheating among students?

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the move to online assessments during the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic may have also spurred new forms of cheating.

Newer assessment modes like take-home exams and project work, together with online exams, hinge on an honour system, but they do offer more opportunities for cheating

using other forms of assessment, apart from traditional exams. These include oral exams, class debates and presentations, and project work with close monitoring.

In 2020, several NUS students were given zero marks for cheating in a take-home exam.

Last October, ST reported that tertiary students were paying for services that would complete essays and projects on their behalf. Prices ranged from $50 for a simple assignment to more than $100 for a longer essay.

Only 3 in 10 low-income families in rental flats have a computer or tablet: Study

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A survey of 3,000 low-income families living in highly subsidised Housing Board (HDB) rental flats found that only three in 10 families have a computer, laptop or tablet, collectively known as a learning device, and only half have Wi-Fi at home.

Covid-19 pandemic spurred the charity to examine and respond to the issue of inequality when it comes to digital access, especially among the poorest families here.

some children did not attend online lessons as they had no learning device and found it hard to keep up with the lessons using their mobile phones....Other families did not have Wi-Fi.

Artworks worth millions in Singapore: Do you know where they are?

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Note though that not all the artworks featured in the link above are acquired via public money, but through donations or the management of the buildings where the artworks are featured....

Collectively, the artworks found in public spaces here are worth tens of millions of dollars.

art also enhances “the multi-sensory appeal of the mall and provides shoppers with new experiences

Art in public spaces is most meaningful when there is a sense of place-making, allowing the community to engage with the work – intellectually, socially and emotionally,

Qn: In your society, to what extent is it acceptable for public money to be used for the acquisition of works of art? (Cam. 2017)

Two HK actors apologise over Filipina role in TV serial Barrack O'Karma 1968

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Recall the controversy over the Brownface ad that triggered the equally controversial Preetipls youtube clip in Singapore? Click HERE for some background.....

A similar episode happened in HK recently...

The decision by broadcaster TVB to cast a local actress to play the role by darkening her has sparked criticism, particularly among Hong Kong's Filipino population.

"As a public figure, I have to be cautious in every move, filter and review my words and actions to ensure that they comply with equality and ethics."

Forum: Why exclude Soh Rui Yong based on factors not related to performance?

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Should the values of a person be considered other than his/her ability? Relate to recent boycott of sportsmen and artists/musicians (some of whom even lost their jobs)  because they refuse to publicly express their disapproval of Putin or renounce their close ties with him. 

Or consider celebrities (think Jack Neo, Director Polanski, nd the latest being Will Smith).....should they be cancelled because of their values - despite their illustrious achievements in their respective fields?

The most important criterion for an athlete to quality for any Games is to meet or exceed the set target. Soh not only met the criterion set for the marathon, but also beat the qualifying time for the 10,000m by 15.47 seconds.

Fashion Revolution Week aims to raise awareness of overconsumption, exploitation of natural resources

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Relate to 2021AQ on Fashion's impact on the Environment

Earth Day on April 22

Fashion Revolution Week, which commemorates the 2013 Rana Plaza accident, in which 1,134 people died when a garment factory building collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The public can take part in events such as workshops on stitching and upcycling - turning old or damaged clothes into new garments - and panel discussions on sustainable fashion.

Overconsumption, spurred by the rise of fast fashion and a lack of consumer awareness, is a significant contributor to environmental damage.

more people now do not see renting clothes and buying pre-loved apparel as signs of a person's financial difficulty.

With the advent of the sharing economy and sustainability movement, (renting and buying second-hand clothes) have taken on a new aura of being socially conscious and cool

there is more to sustainable fashion than buying an organic cotton shirt. Taking proper care of clothes already in the wardrobe and prolonging their lifespan are other ways to consume consciously.

Balancing scales of justice for trainee lawyers who cheated in Bar exam

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There has been some controversy in recent years in the sentencing of offenders in Singapore who have 'promising future'; e.g. university undergraduates. There's the perception that they can get away with a slap on the wrist (i.e. a lighter sentence) given that they can contribute more to society in the future, and that it will be a waste of their potential if this is thwarted by their criminal records. Think Monica Baey's incident.

The move was described in the decision as "not intended as a punishment" but rather "a little more stretching of time for (them) to reflect on the error of their ways".

To avoid having their actions leave a permanent stain on their records in their nascent legal career, the High Court made an unusual decision to protect their identities.

Some argue that their dishonest acts - they cheated in many papers, including, ironically, one on ethics - should have disqualified them from a profession where they are stewards to uphold justice.

One wonders if trainee teachers or police officers caught cheating in the National Institute of Education or Home Team Academy exams will be allowed to continue in their professions.

It would also be harsh to have one's professional career ended before it has even begun

A case that pricks my conscience is the teenager who played a prank by lying on Instagram in May last year that he was infected with Covid-19. For his two posts that were online for 15 minutes, the 19-year-old was convicted in court last year and sentenced to nine months' probation and 40 hours of community service. He was named and photographed for posterity online.

Qns: 

1. "Schools have failed to impart the right values to students." Do you agree?

2. To what extent is it possible ‘to make the punishment fit the crime’? (Cam. 2013)

3. Too much attention is given to criminals; not enough to their victims. Is this true? (Cam. 2005)

More space, robotics at revamped Tan Tock Seng Hospital rehabilitation clinic

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Apart from conventional therapy equipment, it is equipped with futuristic robots that help people in their recovery journey.

patients can practice walking on different types of terrain or work on their balance on a machine that simulates being in a moving bus.

Besides what we call the silver tsunami, there is also, unfortunately, the disability tsunami

For the Secondary 4 student, rehabilitation involves strapping on a 16kg robotic exoskeleton, which guides his steps and sounds a buzzer when he makes a wrong move.

the importance of pairing state-of-the-art technology with committed manpower and accessible community support

Qn:  ‘Rather than empower our lives, technology has handicapped us.’ Discuss. (SAJC Prelim 2021)

University student's first-class flight raises questions on Malaysia's race-based policies

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The New Economic Policy (NEP), introduced after the deadly 1969 race riots, was aimed at redistributing the nation's wealth - mainly through quotas, discounts and other preferential treatment for bumiputeras in areas such as education, property ownership and business.

Another criticism is that the NEP has further divided the bumiputera and the non-bumiputera, mainly comprising ethnic Chinese and Indians..."Affirmative action should be needs-based irrespective of ethnicity."

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

60% of Singapore's heartland merchants have gone online since digitalisation push in 2020

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Merchants are also trained to use e-payment solutions, and to leverage social media to promote their products and engage customers.

"I had zero digital knowledge so I had to learn everything from scratch, from posting products, taking product images and writing product descriptions," 

A Lazada survey on online shopping habits of consumers in South-east Asia found that 70 per cent of Singaporean respondents consider online shopping integral to their routines, while 85 per cent said that they now spend more online than in physical stores.

Qn: To what extent is lifelong learning beneficial to your country?

Why getting men to step up at home is a national issue

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Singapore has just finished a year of discussions on gender equality issues, culminating in a White Paper on Singapore Women's Development that included, among other issues, how to have a more equal sharing of household responsibilities between women and men.

The caregiving burden falls disproportionately on women, which explains why a significant part of the White Paper deals with ways to support and recognise caregivers.

"The hidden load: How 'thinking of everything' holds mums back", described this as invisible, unlimited labour that might hold working mothers back from doing extra hours at work, which contributes to the gender pay gap.

those who carry out such work suffering financial losses that affect them through the entire life cycle, including in their old age. This can then lead to them becoming dependent on family, community or state resources to finance their ageing.

"Good daughters of today should not become the impoverished elderly of tomorrow."

Public education and discussions that normalise men who are caregivers of family members, or involved fathers, can help shift mindsets over time.

the disproportionate share of unpaid care work borne by women is a critical barrier to their employment and economic empowerment."

The White Paper has put a sharp focus on several key gender equality issues relevant today, including the unfair caregiving burden on women; online sexist bullying of women; and sexual harassment and assault of women.

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

SFA widens recall of Kinder chocolate products over salmonella concerns

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Salmonella can cause food-borne illnesses such as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.

Qn: ‘What an individual eats and drinks should not be the concern of the state.’ What is your view? (Cam. 2021)

Ukraine war - the evil that men do

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Relate to:

=bystander effect

=Edmund Burke: All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

=A world order based on "might is right", or where "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must"(by Thucydides)- such a world order would be profoundly inimical to the security and survival of small states.

=Julius Nyerere, then President of Tanzania, who had said: "When elephants fight, the grass suffers."

Not being able to fully understand evil also means that we would not be able to obliterate it, and we must live with the awareness that it will always be present for as long as humans are around.

But that does not mean we are helpless - the tragedy of evil is not the deeds perpetrated, but the effect and experience of the victim; what matters crucially is how we respond to evil and what we do to relieve the suffering of its victims.

the baffling indifference that the rest of the world had shown to the suffering and industrialised killing of millions of Jews.

this indifference and how it can be both "tempting" and "seductive" as it is so much easier and less troublesome to look away from the victims and get on with our life. But that doesn't get us off the hook. "In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman," he said. "Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response."

Singapore had to act when principles and norms of international law are violated, when a big neighbour invades a smaller one, trampling over the concepts of territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere." If anything, it is our moral duty not to be indifferent. 

Qn: ‘Countries experiencing conflict should be left to sort out their own problems.’ How far do you agree? (Cam. 2016)

Unknown actors fight Ukraine war on the Dark Web

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the battleground has not just been on Ukrainian soil. There has also been an information war - as the Kremlin sticks to its guns in claiming that Russia's "special operation" has hit only military infrastructure and averring that any news about civilians being targeted is fake and part of an elaborate hoax on the part of Ukraine and the Western media.

On the Dark Web, things are taken further by pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine actors alike - with both sides leaking sensitive data and moving to disrupt various services.

distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. DDoS is a form of cyber attack that floods a network with so much malicious traffic that it cannot operate or communicate as it normally would.

some 400,000 multinational hackers have volunteered to help counter Russia's digital attacks.... anonymous projects targeting Russian services are increasing. On March 7, for instance, international "hacktivist" group Anonymous hacked Russian state TV and aired footage of the real ravages of war in Ukraine.

Banks, government ministries, including the Russian security services known as FSB and the Russian Ministry of Defence (MOD), have been in the crosshairs of hackers via DDoS.

More businesses in Singapore gave back to society last year amid pandemic

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Cash donations, sponsorships, and donation of items remained the most popular ways of corporate giving, the same as in 2017. The next most popular method of corporate giving was through doing good within business practices, such as being inclusive when hiring.

Qn: To what extent is charitable giving desirable? (Cam. 2021)

Abolish or rebrand? South Korea's 'feminist' ministry in crosshairs

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Compare with the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development in the preceding blog post....

In recent years, South Korea's #MeToo generation has mobilised on a host of issues, from legalising abortion to demanding prosecutions for "revenge porn".

This has triggered online backlash against so-called "radical feminism", with young South Korean men bemoaning their own lot - chiefly compulsory military service, from which women are exempt.

Mr Yoon appealed to disgruntled male voters, branding himself an anti-feminist and pledging to abolish the ministry.

"Yoon's administration will do all they can to make us burn to keep our mouths shut, but we don't burn because we are the fire."

White Paper has 'moved us further along the path' to gender equality: Shanmugam

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the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development, which sets out a road map for greater gender equality.

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

Was it worth it? F1 race in Saudi Arabia raises questions

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Consider the idea that the hosting of such major sporting events will put the host country in the media glare, giving it the pressure to doing something about its less-than-desirable human rights record in order to show up favourably on the world stage.

Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been accused of “sports-washing” their human rights records by using high-profile sporting events to project a favorable image of the countries.

A familiar refrain is that the presence of high-profile sports events can be a force for change.

I see the unique chance we have in sport to share this passion for Formula One, to drive this positive change.

“Not just on the economics, for the country here, but also in terms of positive change on the society.

Qn: How far should countries have relations with others whose human rights record is poor? (Cam. 2019)

China signals support for Russia as war in Ukraine grinds on

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It is trying to preserve its relations with Russia, which it sees as an important ally with significant strategic weight, while seeking to convince the West that it does not support Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

both Beijing and Moscow have declared that their partnership has "no limits"

Qn: How far should countries have relations with others whose human rights record is poor? (Cam. 2019)