3 mass murder sprees in just over a week: What’s driving some Chinese to take revenge on society?

Click HERE

For Qns on importance of addressing social inequality.....

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

In stifling voices after Zhuhai car attack, China recycles crisis playbook

Click HERE

For qns on censorship....

Delhi shuts schools as pollution hits season’s worst levels

Click HERE

Qn: 'City living is no longer attractive.' Do you agree? (JPJC Promo 2024)

Residents in China’s Zhuhai city reel from deadly car rampage

Click HERE

media blackout, which some netizens have attributed to the authorities not wanting bad news to overshadow the ongoing Zhuhai Airshow, a marquee event with more than 1,000 companies and nearly 50 countries participating in 2024.

“I don’t know from (when), even the right to feel sorrow has been taken away, all for social stability.”

Some have also attributed the censorship to the government’s fear of social unrest and copycat incidents.

there was a need to “not cause social panic”, especially with the air show in town.

For qns on censorship...

For lonely seniors, AI companions can be a lifeline

Click HERE

By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be over the age of 65.

Loneliness elevates the risk of premature death to levels comparable with smoking, obesity and physical inactivity...Prolonged social isolation is linked to heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety and even suicide. For older adults, loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 50 per cent and stroke by 32 per cent. 

Over-reliance on these artificial companions could deepen social isolation, particularly for older adults who might start favouring robotic interactions over human connections, under the illusion that these machines genuinely care for them.

Singapore is already embracing technological integration. RoboCoach Xian, for example, guides senior citizens through physical exercise routines, while Dexie, a versatile social robot, is used in dementia care to foster social interaction.  

For qns on loneliness, the elderly and AI....

Why being wrong is good for you

Click HERE

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery,” wrote James Joyce in Ulysses.

In 1888, Lee Kum Sheung, a young cook in a coastal province in southern China, forgot the oyster soup he was boiling on the stove until it simmered down to a thick, sticky gravy. Once he discovered how tasty it was, he decided to sell his “oyster sauce” in jars.

how to build a healthy relationship with failure. In a complex world,... excellence requires taking risks. The important thing is to establish what needs to be done differently next time.

For companies, the occasional failure may be the price of innovation. ...the Amazon Fire smartphone

You cannot error-proof a career or a company. But you can seek to improve

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to America for US$7.2 million, around US$160 million in today’s money, handing its future rival 1.5 million sq km of oil-rich territory and access to the northern rim of the Pacific.

For qns on mistakes and failures....note some of the interesting examples here.....

World’s worst air has nearly half of Delhi seeking medical help: Survey

Click HERE

Nearly half the families in and around New Delhi have sought medical help for respiratory ailments connected to severe pollution engulfing India’s capital

contributes to an estimated one million yearly deaths in the country (India)

Qn: 'City living is no longer attractive.' Do you agree? (JPJC Promo 2024)

Officers from new Community Relations Unit can enter and declutter homes of hoarders

Click HERE

Qn: To what extent should the state interfere with the private lives of its citizens? (RI Prelim 2024)

Police investigating deepfake nude photos of Singapore Sports School students

Click HERE

Singapore proposes unprecedented law to stop stubborn victims from sending money to scammers

Click HERE

With the Protection from Scams Bill introduced in Parliament on Nov 11, Singapore may soon be the first in the world to give the police powers to control the bank accounts of stubborn scam victims, who insist they are not being scammed despite evidence showing they are.

Singapore is losing some $2 million to scams daily.

Numerous anti-scam initiatives have been introduced in recent years, including the “I can ACT against scams” campaign launched in 2023 by the National Crime Prevention Council and Singapore Police Force.

Some felt individuals should bear responsibility for their own actions instead of having the Government intervene in such personal decisions, and others were concerned about the new powers being intrusive and abused.

Qn: To what extent should the state interfere with the private lives of its citizens? (RI Prelim 2024)

Why it’s often luck, not talent, that takes us to the top

Click HERE

An insightful read....

For qns on meritocracy....

What happens when it becomes almost impossible to spot a scam, even for experts?

Click HERE

video job interview with a person who turned out to be a scammer masking his real face using AI.

While AI poses challenges, some scammers do not even bother hiding their real faces now because they are outside of victims’ jurisdictions....“They can use the AI fakes, or simply show their real face because they know the victim doesn’t even know who or where they really are. (The scammers) don’t care.”

it is only going to get more difficult to recognise scams, and that it would require governments and institutions to take responsibility to protect consumers on an infrastructural level.

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

Sting operations, whistle-blowers and detailed menus: China doubles down on food safety

Click HERE

China’s food safety track record has been patchy, with widely reported cases such as those of melamine-tainted milk powder in 2008, and the use of “gutter oil”, or oil taken from drains and other unsanitary quarters, in the 2010s.

In July 2024, media reports on how cooking oil was transported in tanker trucks that carried non-edible fuels or chemicals – without being cleaned between shipments – sparked food safety concerns

Qns:

1. ‘Eating has never been more dangerous.’ Do you agree? (NYJC Prelim 2024)

2. Discuss the view that eating has never been riskier in today’s world. (SAJC Prelim 2024)

Sky-high demolitions: What is behind Singapore’s many skyscraper tear-downs

Click HERE

JPJC Prelim 2024

Qns:

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

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

In Taiwan, an Andy Lau classic sparks cross-strait controversy

Click HERE

Qn: 'Music unites more than it divides.' Discuss.

Young and troubled: More teens in Singapore getting hooked on digital devices and seeking help

Click HERE