Do or DEI: Trump’s assault on diversity divides America

Click HERE

frontal assault on civil rights that will chill efforts to create a fairer country, dismantling decades of affirmative action that they argue led to a more skilled, representative workforce

premised on the suspicion that people employed through DEI do not merit their success, and are depriving more deserving candidates who are denied opportunity because they are not in a minority.

diversity and inclusion policies ...help ensure the best and brightest rise to the top when they might otherwise be denied the opportunity.

the country is beset by mediocre white men who got their positions through an old-boys’ network of family, friends, connections

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Women as top guns: The need to speak up and lean in

Click HERE

For gender issues....

Anti-corruption rally in Kuala Lumpur puts pressure on PM Anwar

Click HERE

compare with other egs of protests like BLM, the lockdown protests in China during Covid pandemic, the massive public protests in Bangladesh and recently in South Korea (both of which brought down their Prime Ministers)...the Arab Spring (if u r familiar with this) and our very own peaceful -- even carnivalesque -- Pink Dot protest.....and our very own violent racial riots in the past....and dont forget online petitions/protests

Qn: How effective are protests in improving society? (NYJC Promos 2024)

How excessive smartphone and tablet use can hurt child development

Click HERE

The fast-paced visuals common in TV programmes can shorten attention spans and make it harder for children to engage with slower, more thoughtful activities like reading

Social media can lead to negative self-comparisons and lower self-esteem

Using tablets and smartphones as a go-to tactic to soothe upset children could also reduce opportunities for young children to practise emotional coping skills and lead to increased difficulty controlling their emotions down the road....This could manifest as rapid mood shifts and heightened impulsivity. The bright colours and fast-paced app-switching on a tablet can also overstimulate children’s brains, making it harder for them to focus on non-digital activities.

Qns: 

1. To what extent does technology have a positive impact on children?

2. Social media does more harm than good.’ Do you agree? Why or why not? ('O' level 2024)

Global Design: How a luxury hotel uplifts a Beijing hutong where locals still live

Click HERE

Its maze-like grid of court buildings – separated by narrow alleyways called hutong – were once the residences of imperial inspectors, Peking opera performers and business owners, or institutions for imperial scholars. 

While many continue to value the hutong’s historical and architectural heritage, few locals actively seek out a home in these structures, preferring the conveniences of modern buildings. 

buildings were repurposed into eateries, cafes or shops selling snacks and souvenirs to tourists

To preserve the charm of residential life in a hutong, Mandarin Oriental and the Chinese government embarked on an eight-year joint venture partnership to convert selected vacant courtyard houses into hotel suites while preserving the essence of residential life.

JPJC Prelim 2024 on preservation of historic buildings...

Qns:

1. Only modern architecture and modern art have a place in today’s world. How far is this true of your society? (Cam. 2011)

2. Assess the view that traditional buildings have no future in your society. (Cam. 2016)

Hundreds wed as Thai same-sex marriage law comes into force

Click HERE

the kingdom’s equal marriage law went into effect and same-sex and transgender weddings began

The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest place in Asia to recognise equal marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

US President Donald Trump, who on Jan 20 decreed there were only two genders.

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Trump campaign against diversity urges government employees to turn informer

Click HERE

US President Donald Trump’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

DEI programmes attempt to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates have argued such programmes are necessary to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.

Mr Trump and his supporters say DEI programmes end up unfairly discriminating against other Americans and weaken the importance of candidates’ merit in job hiring or promotion.

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Staying healthy in an era of health fallacies and fake news

Click HERE

Robert F. Kennedy Jr claimed that fluoridation in water causes numerous health problems, from lowering IQ to increasing the risk of cancer.

the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also come forward to declare there is no evidence to support the narrative that e-cigarettes are any less harmful than tobacco. Despite growing evidence of the harm they cause, such myths persist and continue to mislead many into believing e-cigarettes are a safe option.

Celebrity endorsements and social media influencers further fuel these trends

social media has democratised the spread of misinformation, exposing the general population to a constant stream of dubious health claims, which can gain a veneer of credibility through sheer repetition.

Even well-educated individuals can struggle to discern credible information from pseudo-science, particularly when it is presented in a persuasive and authoritative manner.

Misleading statements from leaders and political figures contribute to rising distrust. Remember how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, President Trump suggested injecting disinfectants as a cure?

Academics and clinical experts can also contribute to the torrent of misinformation. The infamous case of Andrew Wakefield, whose fraudulent study linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism, sparked a global anti-vaccine movement that persists despite being thoroughly discredited.

Qn: Education, not censorship, is the solution to misinformation. To what extent do you agree? (ASRJC Prelim 2024)

Social media apps are changing how people buy and read books in China

Click HERE

Book discussions on Douyin share similarities with BookTok – such as short-video formats and enthusiastic communities. But they go much further, by embedding the ability to buy books online. On Douyin, book-related videos not only generate interest, they also have links for viewers to buy featured books. It only takes a couple of taps to add books to users’ carts. Online creators can earn a commission in the process.

Douyin’s live streaming e-commerce is also deeply changing how Chinese people buy books. Popular influencers host hours-long live sessions to sell various products while interacting with audiences in real time – books being one of the most popular categories. The book-themed live streaming, which seamlessly blends reading, social entertainment and online shopping, becomes highly engaging for readers.

WeRead employs a gamified approach to create incentives for engagement. Users earn points and unlock free e-books by completing tasks such as sharing highlights, posting comments, gifting books and participating in individual or group reading challenges.

Qns: 

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

2. ‘Online advertisements use increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers.’ To what extent does this  bring more harm than good? (Cam. 2024)

Instagram to restrict features for Singapore users who are under 18

Click HERE

From Jan 21, teens under 18 will be moved into Teen Accounts on Instagram and those who try to change their age to over 18 will be asked to verify their age.

Instagram’s Teen Account settings – which shield accounts from strangers – will kick in for all teenagers. Videos of people fighting or promoting cosmetic procedures, violent movie scenes and other sensitive content will also be kept off the feeds of teen accounts.

Instagram uses a real-time facial scanning technology developed by age-verification tech company Yoti

Signs of social cohesion coming under strain in Singapore: IPS director

Click HERE

three reasons behind why social cohesion here is being strained: income inequality, social media and immigration.

regardless of age or SES, respondents in 2024 were significantly more likely to prefer interacting with people of similar income levels

whether the Government’s own hand in many areas has “crowded out” opportunities for Singaporeans to engage each other organically, and if the state should pull back....likened the Singapore state to a banyan tree and spoke of the need to prune it so that civic participation could grow under its canopy.

critical thinking, like civic participation, is a muscle...while students may know the theory, they, as well as citizens at large, “are not being given the freedom to practise that muscle”.

dealing with “super diversity” in Singapore. One can rethink culture as not one of belonging, but one of becoming, where Singaporeans interact by thinking of where they are headed collectively

Public interest must come before personal beliefs: Shanmugam on the death penalty

Click HERE

you need a kind heart but a hard head in public policy

half of all homicides and more than a quarter of illegal firearm seizures in countries within the European Union were linked to drug trafficking.

Indonesia’s plan to restrict children from social media lauded, but some concerns raised

Click HERE

Without regulations, freedom of information can become a ‘dangerous weapon’,” he said, citing how children could obtain dangerous content on social media, like how to assemble bombs or use firearms.

Social media, he noted, often becomes a platform for children to exchange pornographic content, and where child trafficking networks could find their victims.

Spending by S’pore families on private tuition rises to $1.8 billion in 2023

Click HERE

the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) efforts to reduce academic pressure via recent reforms. These include the removal of mid-year examinations, a new PSLE scoring system, implementing full subject-based banding that lets students take subjects according to their strengths and, most recently, a revamp of the Gifted Education Programme.....MOE has been trying to de-emphasise the obsession with academic grades as the key criterion of success

a sense of competition is still prevalent ...has spilt over to the non-academic arena....referring to the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme

the tuition industry has evolved in response to policy reforms...to also cater to students’ non-academic pursuits. One example is the emergence of sports academies to prepare students for DSA through sports co-curricular activities like basketball

For issues on education...

US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, leaving app’s fate to Trump

Click HERE

emphasized national security concerns regarding TikTok, including that China could use it to amass data on the millions of Americans using the app for harassment, recruitment and espionage.

Qn: In today’s troubled world, should governments impose more restrictions over the media? (SAJC Prelim 2024)

Mark Zuckerberg is taking Meta back to its roots – and the world backwards

Click HERE

Facebook, Instagram and Threads will abandon fact-checking operations and most restrictions on offensive speech and adopt the community-based model at X (formerly Twitter), Mr Elon Musk’s rival platform. ....Mr Zuckerberg claimed that the approach, which relies on users voting to label problematic content as it continues circulating, better protects free speech.

critics claimed that fake news circulating on Facebook contributed to Donald Trump’s first election win in 2016.

Shortly after scrapping content moderation, Mr Zuckerberg announced that Meta would cease its hiring practices that promote diversity, equity and inclusion 

Still, Singapore laws like the Online Safety Act and the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, which impose obligations on foreign social media with Singapore users, would appear to be among those that Mr Zuckerberg wants to avoid. Trump could attempt to make enforcing such laws against US companies a bargaining chip in negotiations.

Qns:

1. Education, not censorship, is the solution to misinformation. To what extent do you agree? (ASRJC Prelim 2024)

2. Education, not regulation, is key to keeping society safe from cybersecurity threats. How far is this true in your society? (TMJC Prelim 2024)

Brigade in Ukraine pioneers remote-controlled ground assaults

Click HERE

combined assault and mine-laying and mine-clearing vehicles guided by drones hovering above

maximally transfer reconnaissance, clearing operations and assaults... to machines that we can afford to lose

The proliferation of cheap attack drones has made the artillery-heavy war even deadlier

In the skies above, Ukraine is also using dozens of domestically made artificial intelligence-augmented systems for drones to reach battlefield targets

For issues on tech and war....

Qn: Does reliance on technology compromise our freedom? (RI Prelim 2024)

Forum: Including sexual orientation in new workplace law would have wide-ranging implications

Click HERE

Singapore is a meritocratic society....anyone should be hired as long as that person is suitable for the job. People should not be discriminated against at work for any personal characteristics that are irrelevant to merit.

same-sex partners were entitled to employment-related spousal benefits. Such a position is at odds with Singapore’s laws and the values of a majority of Singaporeans, who consider marriage to be a union between a man and a woman.

“all women (including transgender women) should be allowed to use the women’s facilities” under the applicable anti-discrimination law. This means that a biological male who identifies as a woman must be allowed access to women’s bathrooms, despite the impact on the privacy of women.

the potential of SOGI anti-discrimination to undermine and redefine the values of our society, and impose a set of norms which a majority of Singaporeans do not accept 

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

App stores to screen age of Singapore users to block kids from accessing apps for adults

Click HERE

app stores must block young users below 18 years old from downloading apps not meant for their age group, including dating app Tinder and adult video games like Grand Theft Auto.

Under the new Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services, app stores targeting users in Singapore must also block children below 12 from downloading apps like Instagram and TikTok, which are rated for ages 12 and above.

App stores are also responsible for monitoring app content, ....This ensures harmful materials such as sexual or violent content and content related to cyber bullying, self-harm and vice, among others, are kept out of reach of children.

use of artificial intelligence, machine learning or facial scans – which it said have “significantly evolved” – to allow for age assurance measures to be implemented effectively. Facial screening technology has been increasingly deployed in apps such as Instagram ... requiring users to take real-time footage of their face, which is analysed by an age verification tech company...Alternatively, platforms can also rely on verified sources of identification, like a digital ID or credit card, to determine the age of a user

Qns:

1. ‘Profits without accountability.’ To what extent is this accurate of corporations today? (DHS Prelim 2024)

2. To what extent does the government have the right to monitor what people do online? (MI Prelim 2024)

Forum: LGBTQ+ workers left behind again in new legislation

Click HERE

The Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL) passed on Jan 8 marks an important step against work-related discrimination in Singapore. Yet, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community were conspicuously shunted to the margins

Pink Dot’s own research with Milieu Insight found that seven in 10 LGBTQ+ Singaporeans face work-related discrimination.

the new anti-discrimination law itself discriminates, by offering protections to other marginalised groups but leaving LGBTQ+ Singaporeans behind.

For issues on discrimination and inclusiveness....

Qn: Assess the view that it is always right to challenge injustice. (Cam. 2024)

Chinese travellers shun Thailand after actor’s abduction

Click HERE

Qn: ‘There is no such thing as bad publicity.’ To what extent is this true? (Cam. 2015)

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s sprint to remake Meta for the Trump era

Click HERE

overhauling speech on its apps by loosening restrictions on how people can talk about contentious social issues such as immigration, gender and sexuality. It killed its fact-checking programme that had been aimed at curbing misinformation and said it would instead rely on users to police falsehoods. And it said it would insert more political content into people’s feeds after previously de-emphasising that very material.

Meta’s makeover continued when the company told employees it would end its work on diversity, equity and inclusion. It eliminated its chief diversity officer role, ended its diversity hiring goals that called for the employment of a certain number of women and minorities, and said it would no longer prioritise minority-owned businesses when hiring vendors.

Meta loosened rules so people could post statements saying they hated people of certain races, religions or sexual orientations, including permitting “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation”.

facilities managers were instructed to remove tampons from men’s bathrooms, which the company had provided for non-binary and transgender employees who use the men’s room and who may have required sanitary pads

at least one person announced their resignation as others privately relayed to one another that they planned to look for jobs elsewhere

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Invisible barriers prevent S’pore women from joining AI boom

Click HERE

subtle prejudice that assumes technical roles are more suited to men

under-representation of women in Stem is a challenge for Singapore, as it limits the talent pool available for the rapidly growing sector, impacting all industries

this imbalance risks perpetuating gender biases in the development of AI solutions...some medical science was initially based only on research done on men...Future products or applications from AI or machine learning may not be able to cater to women if the technology is not designed for the entire population from the beginning

For qns on gender discrimination...

Qns:

1. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other. (Cam. 2014)

2. How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

S’pore must manage new arrivals with utmost caution, but also stand firm against nativism: SM Lee

Click HERE

Singapore relies heavily on immigrants and foreign workers – who raise political sensitivities in many societies – to top up its population base and talent pool

But we must also stand firmly against nativism and xenophobia, and welcome the new arrivals to become part of our extended family

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) with India has helped to foster extensive trade, investment, and travel links between the countries...Many Indian companies have set up in Singapore to serve the region, while many local Indian businesses have successfully forayed into the Indian market

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Biden blasts ‘shameful’ Meta decision to scrap US fact-checking

Click HERE

For qns on Big Tech's responsibility and censorship....

Don’t shield students from screens, but teach them to use devices purposefully: Chan Chun Sing

Click HERE

Singapore does not take a binary view of device usage

the study showed that unsupervised consumption of videos for more than two hours could result in a drop in IQ by the time a child turns seven years old. For teenagers, he said the greatest concerns are video-gaming and how social media can affect self-worth and lead to incessant comparisons with others.

It’s a bit like discovering fire… Fire can be both good and bad. If you don’t know how to use it, you burn down everything. Use it properly, and you can use it to cook and generate electricity

the Ministry of Education is clear that pupils in primary schools will not be issued their own personal learning devices. Instead, they will use shared devices available in school.

Whaling v whale-watching: Will Iceland ever stop the hunt

Click HERE