US probe opened over Harvard’s ‘legacy’ admissions policy

Click HERE

Note the similarity to Singapore's policy on admission to top primary schools where children whose parents are alumni of that school are given automatic/priority admission....

Harvard University’s policy of giving family members of former students and donors preference in admissions decisions, documents showed on Tuesday.

Supreme Court decision banned the use of race in college application decisions.

nearly 70 per cent of Harvard applicants with family connections or links to donors are white.

Harvard and UNC, like a number of other competitive US schools, considered an applicant’s race or ethnicity as a factor to ensure a diverse student body and representation of minorities. Such affirmative action policies arose from the civil rights movement in the 1960s, aiming to help address the legacy of discrimination against African Americans.

For qns on equality and discrimination....

Our Oppenheimer moment: The creation of AI weapons

Click HERE

=Note the comparison of the atomic bomb to AI

=the movie "Oppenheimer" is useful as opening/closing BANG!

In one experiment that tested the capabilities of GPT-4, the language model was asked how one could stack a book, nine eggs, a laptop, a bottle and a nail “onto each other in a stable manner”. Attempts at prodding more primitive versions of the model into describing a workable solution to the challenge had failed. GPT-4 excelled. The computer explained that one could “arrange the nine eggs in a three-by-three square on top of the book, leaving some space between them”, and then “place the laptop on top of the eggs”, with the bottle going on top of the laptop and the nail on top of the bottle cap, “with the pointy end facing up and the flat end facing down”. It was a stunning feat of “common sense”

We must not, however, shy away from building sharp tools for fear they may be turned against us.

Qn: The work of scientists should never be restricted. Discuss. (ACJC 2023 J2 MYE)

Hard truths in crisis communication – what to expect with a political scandal

Click HERE

A good read....

Over 50 groups sign 2nd statement urging Govt to ban ferrying workers in lorries

Click HERE

Qn: Is enough being done to care for the vulnerable in your society? (VJC 2023 J2 MYE)

KL music festival cancelled after The 1975 singer criticises Malaysia govt over anti-LGBTQ laws

Click HERE

Homosexuality is forbidden in Malaysia, and laws criminalising sodomy can result in imprisonment or corporal punishment.

After Healy’s speech, the band’s bassist Ross MacDonald walked over to him, and the two men kissed during their rendition of I Like America & America Likes Me.

“What you did may cost us to miss out on a lot of concerts in future.”

Qn: How important is it for people in your society to retain a sense of tradition? (Cam. 2010)

Algorithms are making kids desperately unhappy

Click HERE

A good read....

For qns on social media and technology....

Workers’ Party looking into video that suggests ‘inappropriate exchange’ between Leon Perera and Nicole Seah

Click HERE

For qns on social media and privacy.....

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

Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui resign over affair

Click HERE

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

Govt has to address questions raised over Tan Chuan-Jin, Cheng Li Hui affair: Observers

Click HERE

While news of a politician having an affair would not be newsworthy elsewhere...Singaporeans seem to want to maintain this high standard expected of their leaders, and do not want the Government to be soft on such indiscretions.

does not consider the affair a major public issue – as long as there was no abuse of power or position, no effect on discharge of duties, no harassment, coercion or force, and both parties gave mutual consent..The rest is up to the individuals, their families and their conscience. Those are not matters of particular public interest for me...don’t see why politicians need to be symbols of morality more or less than anyone else.

called for there to be a non-partisan Speaker of Parliament instead of a politician...It could well be his personal feelings...referring to Mr Tan’s hot mic incident. But..the Speaker is required to be impartial and maintain a neutral stance, something he said Mr Tan had failed to do.

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

Pofma orders issued to Kenneth Jeyaretnam, FB user and online site over Ridout Road rentals

Click HERE

falsely stated that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) gave the contract to renovate 26 Ridout Road and/or 31 Ridout Road to home interior and renovation company Livspace”. They had also claimed this was done because the chief executive officer of Livspace is the son of Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

For qns on fakes news and reliability of the media....

Qn: How far can people believe what they watch or read in the news today? (VJC 2023 J2 Midyr) 

Realism with Oppenheimer, or escapism with Barbie?

Click HERE

Note the colourful closing BANG using rhetorical qn and word play:

“Comedies have always done well at the movies,” he said, because they do “something that the movies were made for, which is to reassure people and give them a couple of hours of escape from pretty big problems”. Who wants reality when life in plastic is so fantastic?

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

Airfares, hotel bookings surge in March 2024 as fans flock to S’pore for Taylor Swift shows

Click HERE

For qns on the economic impact of music....

Qn: 'Music is purely for relaxation.' Discuss.

French riots show how entrenched inequalities have become

Click HERE

Drop me a note if u wish to read the full article but don't have access to the above link....

For qns on equality, integration....

Work on Indonesia-Singapore floating solar farm in Batam to start next year

Click HERE

Drop me a note if u wish to read the full article but don't have access to the above link....

For qns on cooperation and self-sufficiency....

Parliament rejects PSP motion to abolish GRC system

Click HERE

the GRC system has two fundamental objectives: to ensure that Parliament is representative of the racial make-up of society, and that politics does not become racially charged

Calling the system a safeguard that ensures Parliament is multiracial, he said it seeks to prevent parties from campaigning singularly for one race....No one can gain an electoral advantage by playing on race, as the team is still required to be multiracial in their approach to appeal to all races in the next election.

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

Modi’s push for a single personal law in India sparks renewed debate and disquiet

Click HERE

In India, matters of marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance fall under multiple religious and customary laws, only some of which are codified. Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Parsis, for instance, have their own rules, resulting in a complex system of laws, some of which have been criticised as patriarchal and backward. The proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) seeks to replace this with a single set of common laws for everyone. 

These fresh moves have revived the debate over the UCC’s practicality and whether it will lead to a dilution of local customs and traditions in the multi-faith and multicultural country of 1.4 billion people. 

The BJP has framed the push for a UCC as a way to achieve parity between the sexes. In 2019, the party said it “believes that there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a Uniform Civil Code, which protects the rights of all women”.

For qns on equality....

Singapore wants successful sporting culture, not solely medals: Eric Chua

Click HERE

the aim is to rally communities together and foster national pride and cohesion

Singapore has spent an average of $90 million annually in recent years to build and operate stadiums, pools and other public facilities

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

S’pore does not ban trade with Myanmar, but prevents some sale of items that can hurt civilians: Vivian

Click HERE

“Let me make clear that it is not the Singapore Government’s policy intention to block legitimate trade with Myanmar. Doing so would further set back the country’s development and exacerbate the suffering of the civilian population of Myanmar,”

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

What’s holding back migrant integration in Singapore and ways to break the barriers

Click HERE

Drop me a note if u wish to read the full article but don't have access to the above link....

Recently, there has been debate over English language proficiency testing for citizenship applications. While the proposal may have its flaws, it reflects the aspirations of a substantial portion of locals who believe that migrants sharing workplaces and living in multicultural housing estates should be able to communicate in English, Singapore’s lingua franca. Perhaps there should be an expectation of basic English language proficiency for many migrant passes, along with opportunities for migrants to improve their English skills and become familiar with the local variety of English used here.

For qns on migration and social integration....