Death penalty exhibition rejected over ‘false and one-sided’ info, possible contempt of court: IMDA

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the exhibition was refused classification as it “contains materials that cast aspersions on the integrity of, and undermine public trust and confidence in public institutions involved in the administration of justice”.

The Arts Entertainment Classification Code aims to reflect prevailing social norms and protect the young from unsuitable content, while enabling adults to make informed viewing choices. It also gives due consideration to the event’s artistic and educational merits

Qn:  ‘In a free society, there should be no restrictions on freedom of speech.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2020)

Progress report: Inside Singapore’s fight to lift wages at the bottom

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Note that Singapore does not adopt a blanket/universal minimum wage but uses the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) instead, which sets a minimum wage for targeted sectors (those who low wages), with provisions for the workers in these sectors to rise to enjoy higher wages which are pegged to their skill levels. This incentivizes the workers to upgrade their skills and make the model sustainable for employers, with the understanding that the increased skills of workers will lead to higher productivity and more profit for the employers, who can then pay the higher wages for these more skilled workers.

The PWM is first and foremost a wage floor...It mandates a minimum wage for workers in certain sectors and occupations. It also establishes career pathways where salaries rise as workers meet stipulated training requirements. The aim is to uplift wages for Singaporeans and permanent residents whose incomes are in the bottom 20 per cent

It was quite odd that very highly trained personnel… were coming out of ITE (Institute of Technical Education) or polytechnic, and they were paid about $1,000-plus. “No one's going to join your sector in the long term if you continue like this; What's the point of being highly trained and skilled and the salaries are very low?”

criticised the PWM for having “so many additional conditions that the incentives for upskilling turn into loopholes employers use to retain workers on the lowest rung of wages

For its part, the Government is co-funding wage increases at each PWM rung from 2022 to 2026 under the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme to help soften the impact on companies.

There were concerns that a minimum wage could be seen as a maximum wage and form a cap on what employers would pay. Or no wage, because no employer would employ someone if their productivity wasn’t commensurate with income

Qn: How realistic is it for countries to implement a national minimum wage for all their workers? (Cam. 2023)

Navigating health technology: the challenges and the rewards

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Note opening BANG using a similar eg of double-edged sword...

defective genes can now be edited to treat diseases. But the same technology could theoretically be used to design babies before they are born, or select employees and grant university and medical school places based on genetic qualities.

Genomics has made precision medicine possible, which promises to treat serious diseases like cancer, but is very expensive. Left on its own, it is very likely that only the rich will be able to afford precision medicine, leading to serious inequity in healthcare.

use generative AI to reduce toil. One immediate opportunity is to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as routine documentation and reviewing of medical records. ...The information will still have to be reviewed by a healthcare professional, before becoming official medical records. It will therefore not replace the human, but enhance our efficiency

explore the use of AI for imaging, to improve quality of care. A word of caution here: imaging AI is very powerful and can pick up even the most minute anomalies, but not all anomalies seen in a scan are clinically significant. We should use AI imaging technology responsibly, to detect and follow up only on clinically significant signs, and manage them in good time before they become serious, without causing unnecessary worry and alarm.

With AI, it is now possible to have disease prediction models that are far more sophisticated and multivariate, including parameters such as health status, lifestyles and social, economic circumstances. The addition of genetic information can make such models even more powerful.

Qns: 

1. To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

2. ‘Medical advancements have not created a better world for mankind.’ Do you agree? (NYJC Promo 2022)

Forum: Animals don’t exist to entertain humans and have no place in zoos

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Being on display all day long with no privacy or autonomy is acutely stressful for them and may impair their health.

Moo Deng is under siege by onlookers. Visitors can throw things at her, and she seems to be constantly harassed by a “caretaker”, who appears to be focused on getting content for the zoo’s social media posts. The distressed baby hippo bit a handler, but her plea to be left alone was ignored.

We must collectively drive home the message that they don’t exist to entertain humans.

For issues on zoos, esp if u doing the 2019 AQ on zoos --- whether zoos are really a sanctuary for animals....

So, are you pregnant yet? China’s stepped-up push for more babies

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To some, it is outright invasive. On social media, women have complained about being approached by neighbourhood officials, including some who they said called to ask the date of their last menstrual cycle.

The country’s total fertility rate, a measure of the number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, is among the world’s lowest. The rate is estimated at around 1.0, compared with 1.62 in the US last year.

Qns:

1. The government should never interfere with people’s private lives.’ To what extent is this true of your society? (CJC Prelim 2024)

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

Spotlight on patriotic education in China after stabbing of Japanese schoolboy

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learning from history is “not for perpetuating hatred but for avoiding the tragedy of war from repeating itself”.

When Mr Abe was assassinated in Japan in July 2022, eateries in China ran promotions to “celebrate” his death.

burnish the CPC’s credentials in resisting the Japanese invasion...Chinese historical narratives on Japan have changed over time, based on the political objectives of the CPC. For instance, in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping, official propaganda started to focus more on Japanese wartime atrocities and heroic Chinese resistance fighters as part of efforts to boost the CPC’s legitimacy.

Chinese accounts have been one-sided and offer only a partial truth by neglecting other aspects of history that could provide balance...These include the generous economic aid provided by Japan to China that helped the Chinese economy to take off after the war, and the changes in Japanese society since then.

Chinese history education and the narratives in the mass media as a big contributing factor to the situation today (of an antagonistic view towards Japan)...patriotic education in school often focuses on foreign invaders, and patriotic language is often mixed with insults and ridicule, including terms such as “Japanese devils”...possible negative effects of patriotic education, believes that whether intentional or not, educators have sown the seeds of hatred in the hearts of students, to varying degrees.

Even if Japan has committed heinous crimes against China, every later generation of ordinary Japanese people should not be asked to pay for them anew. “When will the cycle of revenge end? The bitter taste experienced by the older generation is passed on to the next. This makes no sense

Qns:

1. How far is it possible for one country to forgive another for its past actions? (Cam. 2015)

2. ‘The past is not dead; it is not even past.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2017)

3. Can we eliminate violence with education? (CJC Prelim 2018)

US may have passed peak obesity

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Example of weight-loss drug: Ozempic and Wegovy

But almost by magic, these new drugs remove the requirement for superhuman willpower, making us feel fuller, reducing our appetite and alleviating cravings.

There has been a tendency in some quarters to view taking drugs to lose weight as cheating, not virtuous, not the way it’s meant to be done. But here’s the thing: It works.

Qn: 'Medical advancements have not created a better world for mankind.' Do you agree? (NYJC Promos 2022)

Want to master tech? Learn Shakespeare, says futurist Lindsey McInerney

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being well-versed in literature helps in honing critical thinking skills, allowing greater empathy in design where the end user’s needs come first.

AI is like steroids for human creativity. In the near future, with rapid changes in technology, humans will use the performance-enhancing power of AI to create better, work faster and stay ahead of the pack

One of AI’s strong suits is that one can use it as an intellectual sparring partner. For instance, before creating storyboards for presentations or a video on social media, it is now possible to engage in a lively debate with large language models such as ChatGPT on a mobile device or a laptop to ask questions about how a concept can be rolled out successfully.

In 2023, economist Richard Baldwin said that AI won’t take your job, but somebody using AI will,...We need to flip the script and look at AI as our very own co-pilot, co-creator and collaborator on creative projects. It’s able to help us bring out ideas from inside our minds and put them on the page faster than at any other point in time in human history.

Qns:

1. To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

2. ‘Artificial intelligence encourages creativity rather than hinders it.’  How far would you agree? (NHHS 'O' lvl Prelim 2024)

The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution bids goodbye to coal. Can Asia follow suit?

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Qn:  ‘Fossil fuels should no longer have a part in the production of energy.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2023)

Our Home: Hong Kong launches national day song on TV in latest patriotic education drive

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Qn: Examine the role of music in establishing a national identity in your society. (Cam. 2017)

Israel’s pager attacks have changed the world

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For qns on privacy, and whether tech has made us safer.....