Be a proud Singaporean but avoid ‘us-versus-them’ trap

Click HERE

Note how a strong sense of national identity can lead to discrimination.....

Malaysia’s heated ‘Allah’ socks issue exposes feeble govt reaction in tamping down major controversy

Click HERE

Relate to cancel culture and Apology AQ 2020

There are now social media calls for boycotts of other non-Muslim-owned convenience stores that dominate Malaysia’s business landscape, even as the authorities investigate the March 26 incident where a petrol bomb was thrown at a KK Super Mart outlet in northern Perak state.

Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

China turns on new Mekong River dam, despite adverse impact on fishes and farming in S-E Asia

Click HERE

Israel embassy’s post on Palestine ‘unacceptable’, risks undermining harmony in S’pore: Shanmugam

Click HERE

The post claimed that Israel was mentioned 43 times in the Quran, that Palestine was not even mentioned once, and that there was archaeological evidence that the Jewish people were the indigenous people of the land.

 there is a vibrant Jewish community here, and that such posts can inflame tensions, putting the Jewish community at risk if anger from the online post spills over into the physical realm.

But where it affects the safety and security of people in Singapore, the peace and harmony that we enjoy, we do, and we will, intervene

Qn: How far can a culturally diverse society build unity? 

Why are we not doing more about deepfakes and the online abuse of women and girls?

Click HERE

A four-day work week? US weighs the pros and cons

Click HERE

Rich Indians own 40% of wealth in extreme inequality under Modi

Click HERE

the richest 1 per cent of the population now owning 40 per cent of the country’s wealth

further divergence in inequality may fuel social unrest in the country.

The inequality gap will likely not close on its own without policy intervention, said the researchers, who suggested imposing a “super tax on Indian billionaires and multimillionaires, along with restructuring the tax schedule to include both income and wealth”. This could then be used to invest in education, health and other public infrastructure.

Top South Korean university to penalise school bullies in admission exams

Click HERE

In recent years, some celebrities have also been embroiled in bullying scandals.

For example, in 2021, actor Ji Soo was dropped from an ongoing drama after admitting to being a bully and “sex predator” in school. [note the bullying accusation was divulged by an informant via a social media post]

The school-bullying phenomenon is the subject of hit Netflix drama series The Glory (starring Song Hye-kyo), which tells the story of a woman who seeks revenge on her high school bullies after 17 years.

Singapore ranked happiest place in Asia for two years running, 30th globally for 2021-2023

Click HERE

Singapore has been named the 30th happiest country or territory globally for 2021-2023, according to the World Happiness Report 2024.

Singapore also ranked as the happiest country/territory in Asia for 2023, for the second consecutive year. Thailand came in at seventh place, and Malaysia at eighth.

six key factors analysed – the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity and perception of corruption.

Singapore did very well in terms of GDP per capita, one of the highest ranking in our dataset...That means Singapore’s Government is really clean, and its people really have a very low perception of corruption... even lower than Denmark or Norway.

Media must resist pressure to create clickbait, sensationalist content: DPM Wong

Click HERE

There will always be pressure to create clickbait and sensationalist content to attract eyeballs in a highly contested and fragmented media landscape, but media outlets must resist these temptations and continue to uphold high standards

people are increasingly identifying themselves in more narrow ethnic terms and living in echo chambers, it is important to tell stories that bridge divides and keep our society strong and united

More and more, we are being inundated with half-truths and misinformation, which unfortunately spread more quickly than plain, boring facts

Malaysia police seize KK Super Mart vendor’s controversial socks from factory

Click HERE

factory of the vendor which supplied controversial socks bearing the word “Allah” to KK Super Mart...On March 13, photographs of such socks, which were being sold at a KK Super Mart outlet in Bandar Sunway, went viral online.

Make Singapore Indoor Stadium part of Sports Hub’s future plans, say heritage advocates

Click HERE

concern among local architecture and heritage advocates, who worry that the iconic stadium’s days are numbered.

the impact that replacing the SIS would have on the Government’s aim to build a sense of affinity between Singaporeans and the Sports Hub, Dr Tan of Icomos Singapore said razing it “would be anathema to ‘building affinity’”.“You would obliterate all those memories and connections once you tear the building down,” he said. “Then you need to start all over again.”

the current stadium might be seen by visitors as a functional space for sporting events and concerts rather than as a distinct part of people’s identities, which may result in them remembering artistes and sports stars they have watched there rather than reminiscing over memories of the building

Qn: ‘We shape our buildings, but then our buildings shape us.’ To what extent is this true of your society? (Cam. 2020)

21 people with disabilities featured on ‘Purple Parade train’ under initiative to raise awareness

Click HERE

The Purple Parade movement’s latest campaign to raise awareness of and celebrate the abilities of those with disabilities

Singapore is becoming an inclusive society in terms of infrastructure.

S’pore women earn 14.3% less than men; gap narrowed over last five years: MOM data

Click HERE

The median income for women working here was 14.3 per cent less than that for men in 2023, a narrower gap than the 16.3 per cent in 2018, according to the latest Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data.

Singapore’s pay gap was slightly worse than that across Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, which was 12.1 per cent in 2022. But the OECD data also shows the Republic did better than countries like the United States (17 per cent in 2022), Britain (14.5 per cent) and Japan (21.3 per cent).

After removing the effects of occupation and other labour market and human capital factors, Singapore’s adjusted gender pay gap in 203 was 6 per cent, down from 6.7 per cent in 2018. This means a woman could be working in the same job as her male colleague, in the same industry, at the same age and education level, but for lower pay.

The pay gap that remained after the adjustment could reflect the effects of parenthood; caregiving responsibilities; and unmeasured employment characteristics such as work experience, firm type, and job scope; as well as discrimination

Govt remains most trusted institution in S’pore: Survey

Click HERE

Phones used to connect us. Now, they exclude

Click HERE

Phubbing is a new word for a new anti-social act. To phub is to “phone-snub”. 

Smartphones, you must know, are instruments of exclusion, antithetical to the prototypical telephone, which was created as an instrument of inclusion.

The telephone brings a voice from far, far away into your home, and directly to your ear at the very moment of speaking. In the words of Thomas Alva Edison, the telephone “annihilated time and space, and brought the human family in closer touch”.

Despite its name, the smartphone is less a phone than it is a portable computer.

“People,..have become human snails carrying our home in our pockets.” ...smartphones have resulted in “the death of proximity”.

In Singapore today, there are about two million landline phones, 77 per cent of which are in homes. In comparison, in June 2023, there were 9,827,200 mobile phone subscriptions.

Qn: ‘The quality of human interaction is diminished by modern communication devices.’ How far do you agree? (Cam. 2023)

How TikTok became a US-China national security issue

Click HERE

uncannily effective, at learning about your interests – based on how long you stay with a video and whether you like, forward or comment on it. That enables its algorithm to deliver more items of interest to what it calls the “For You” feed.

Two-thirds of American teens use TikTok every day,

Data collection: Along with what you seem to be interested in, TikTok learns your computer’s unique Internet Protocol (IP) address and – if you choose to let it – your precise location data and who is on your contact list. TikTok’s critics say that information could be used to develop profiles of select Americans and subject them to blackmail.

then President Donald Trump broached the possibility that China could use TikTok’s data to “track the locations of federal employees and contractors” and to “conduct corporate espionage”

TikTok could try to shape US public opinion by strategically suppressing or promoting certain videos. One official called the app a “Trojan horse” through which China could manipulate American thought.

For qns on the impact of social media....

Qn: 'Real powers lies with the one who controls the media.' Do you agree?

Singaporeans prefer to have just one child, instead of being childless: Study

Click HERE

From fast fashion to excessive earrings, these trends might be harmful to your health

Click HERE

Fast fashion might be cheap, but its environmental costs are dear. The detrimental ecological effects of the consumer appetite for trend-driven disposable clothing – and the consequential impact on human health – are well known. But toxic clothing is a comparatively under-reported danger of consumers’ continuing love affair with fast fashion.

Waist trainers, brought into vogue this century by Kim Kardashian, are similar to the corsets and girdles of the past. They are designed to pull the wearer’s waist in as tight as possible to achieve an eye-wateringly “snatched” waist – TikTok speak for creating the illusion of a tiny, accentuated waist. Endorsed by influential celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Kylie Jenner, the waist trainer, if worn over a prolonged period, may help achieve a temporary hourglass figure. And like the corset, the waist trainer does seem to have some benefits – it may help improve posture, for example.....muscle atrophy – muscles in the core are used less while wearing waist trainers, so long-term use can lead to muscle wastage. Also, the pressure exerted on the waist and internal organs can cause appetite loss. Perhaps unsurprisingly, prolonged wearing of waist trainers can result in gastrointestinal issues such as acid reflux and, in more extreme cases, the pressure on the diaphragm can cause respiratory problems.

Relate also to the media and celebrity influence...

Qn: Fashion is as much a good thing as a bad thing. To what extent do you agree? (Cam. 2009)

‘Our entire lives depended on her’: How Barbie transformed the lives of women and a Taiwan town

Click HERE

For qns on toys and gender.....

We need to make pessimism uncool again

Click HERE

We seem to have collectively decided that we must at all times pursue and project a sense of relentless, spirit-crushing pessimism. Not only will you sound careless and insensitive to all the suffering in the world if you say anything optimistic or upbeat, but you will also find yourself lacking gravitas and just sounding deeply uncool. 

Pessimists might think that their doom and gloom is helpful in motivating people to act, but many studies have shown the opposite is true.

People think pessimism is a call to action, a way to shake people out of their complacency – that if you tell them the world is ending then people are going to be spurred into action, they’re going to protest on the streets and they’re going to vote for the right party,...But the more catastrophist you are, the more you give people the idea that the window of opportunity has closed and there’s nothing to be done.

It is often said that “it’s the hope that kills you”, but it’s actually the lack of it that is genuinely fatal.

For qns on optimism/pessimism and RVHS Prelim AQ 2022....

Qn: ‘All you need to succeed in life is a positive attitude.’ How far would you agree? (Cam. 'O' lvl 2023)

Some see the need, some feel unprepared: S’pore teachers navigate Gaza war in classrooms

Click HERE

OpenAI’s Sora: How can I tell if a video is made by AI?

Click HERE

For qns on tech and AI.....

‘Visitors can become poor’: Chinese netizens debate whether Singapore is too costly to visit

Click HERE

The Chinese media, especially the tabloids, have also highlighted the high cost of living in Singapore. On Feb 18, Phoenix Weekly, a magazine focusing on social news based in Shenzhen in southern China, ran a story with the headline “The first batch of middle-class Chinese who visited Singapore visa-free has already gone bankrupt”.

Consider the idea that social media posts (unlike most of those in traditional media), are not reported via third party, but are the actual first-hand account of those who have lived through the experience. What impact has this on the convincing factor? With this idea in mind, how likely are you to believe the social media posts of those Palestinians currently living in the war zone now in Gaza? 

Qn: To what extent does the media have an impact on our choices?

Booming resource use driving global environment crises, says UN

Click HERE

Singapore’s total fertility rate hits record low in 2023, falls below 1 for first time

Click HERE

The resident total fertility rate (TFR) in Singapore dropped below 1 for the first time in the Republic’s history. Preliminary estimates indicate a resident TFR of 0.97 in 2023

The persistently low fertility rate comes alongside an ageing population, posing twin demographic challenges for Singapore

Like in many other developed countries, falling fertility rates reflect a generational change in priorities, and young people may not even see marriage or parenthood as important life goals

Sun Xueling calls out Meta for not working with MHA to fight e-commerce scams on its platforms

Click HERE

Qn: 'Too little is being done to hold businesses accountable for the problems they have created.’ How far do you agree? (NYJC Prelim 2023)

Filtration company Sterra under probe over misleading ad on tap water quality in Singapore

Click HERE

Qn: Can the media ever be relied upon to convey the truth? (Cam. 2003)