List of examples for reference:

Media

Fervid patriotism has lead to a timid reportage of the US governments subsequent actions in the
aftermath. Uncritical and polarizing attitudes of media networks were formed after the 9/11 attacks.
The networks desire to support the Bush administration resulted in the abandoning of their duty as
monitor and watchdog of policies.

US film mocking Prophet Mohammad sparked protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia;
leading to the death of 4 americans including the US Ambassador to Libya

Captains of both the Brazilian and German soccer teams stepped forward to deliver anti-racism
messages before the commencement of the world cup semi-finals

1994 Rwanda Genocide: failed to make the top of the TV news bulletins even days after the killings
started mainly due to difficulty of access into Rwanda but also due to the fact that senior
correspondents were busy covering the election of its first black president in South Africa

Pictures from Rwanda that showed the scale of the slaughter were also never aired as they were
deemed too graphic for British viewers

Talent variety shows such as American Idol and Britains Got Talent which invite laypeople to try
their hand at becoming music celebrities, have become immensely popular. The products of these
tawdry televised competitions are performers of formulaic and unimaginative pop music whose
bland celebrity appeal tends to rest on predictable traits such as physical attractiveness and vocal
theatrics. Clearly, these programs are not concerned with musical quality, but with manufacturing
homogenized celebrity cut-outs who may be relied upon to garner television ratings and subsequent
album sales. Once again, artistic integrity has been made subordinate to the lucrativeness of popular
entertainment one more demonstration of how the mass media creates mediocrity.
Science

2011 first successful transplant of a synthetic trachea.

Plastic polymer used, fast and efficient. Persons own stem cells were used, therefore risks of organ
rejection and complications are minimized.

Most scientists rely on private funding for their research.

Impossible for scientists to stay objective when their research threatens the agenda of corporate
sponsors.

Companys business interest will impinge on the researchers academic freedom and emphasize on
research that can be quickly monetized.

Corporate funded studies comparing cholesterol drugs are 20 times more likely to favor the
sponsors drug.

Harvard: Medical researchers who accepted corporate supported subjected to longer delays in
publication of their findings and more confidentiality restrictions.

Journalists have uncovered through anonymous surveys that academics plagiarize and falsify
scientific results due to a high pressure to show tangible outcomes amongst other reasons.

Advancements in space research and technology yielded discoveries of potentially habitable planets
(e.g. Kepler-22b).

$1 invested in space program = $8 returned to economy.

ISS: 15 nations come together in 10 years setting aside borders and differences to design, assemble
and conduct research at the Station.

All observed facts of science might as well be theories because the limits of our human biology
prevents us from seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and thinking about the world with absolute
microscopic accuracy. Given the constraints of human ability to extend research to a point of
certainty and non-contention, it is impossible for us to ever declare scientific theories as truth.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study: US Public Health Service conducted a study in which human guinea pigs
died of syphilis and its side effects. 400 poor black men with syphilis were enrolled. They were never
notified nor treated. While medical knowledge may have enabled progress in the diagnosis and
treatment of syphilis, the end did not justify the means. This is a blatant contravention of the
Nuremberg Code but also a ruthless act of racial discrimination.
Environment

Failed Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen Summit and Rio Earth Submit have revealed that attempting to
among a global trade off between environmental concerns and growth remains an overly ambitious
undertaking

US has yet to ratify the treaty of Kyoto Protocol. Congress refuses to budge. Signals to world that
even the most powerful nation in the world is unwilling to compromise on economic growth for the
environment

Developing countries like China and India made no pledges to address environmental concerns as
they argues that the developed world has caused most of the problems and should bear most of the
responsibility for solving it

(China) Three Gorges Dam: Worlds largest power station in terms of installed capacity, hydroelectric
dam built by the government

While its purpose was to be more environmentally friendly, the government had to cut down on
trees to build the dam (deforestation) and the dam exacerbates water pollution by impounding
waters, trapping sediment and increasing eutrophication.

Why did Three Gorges Dam backfire?

Evaluation: While the government does attempt to resolve environmental issues the lack of
regulations and corruption defeat the purpose of such policies

(China) Government effort to address deforestation was through the Green Wall but it failed
because over 50% of the seedlings didnt take root since the seedlings were not compatible with the
soil

In rural china, the main source of income is through agriculture but farmers dont use
environmentally friendly methods but rather use traditional, cheap farming methods

China has what is infamously known as cancer villages because of the high number of cancer cases
in those villages which happen to use the nearby river as their source of water. Most industrial
factories are located around villages with rivers because they dump toxic waste into the rivers,
cheaper way of getting rid of waste

China, Dengs focus on environmental growth, First raise our growth campaign

Ecotourism doesnt work: 2009 exotic natural areas in Galapagos underwent development for
ecotourism, exterminating a whole species of native butterflies in the process (Scale is tipped in
favor of generating business profits in ecotourism)

It was not until BPs lax oversight that resulted in a major oil spill (2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill)
that hugely dented their reputation and potentially profits that they began intensifying
environmental efforts (Bottomline is still the driving force)

Japans Top Runner program where most energy efficient products in each product category is used
to set the standard to be achieved by all manufacturers of products in the category within the next
four years, allowing Japan to be one of the most energy efficiency economies in the world while
retaining its rank as the worlds 4th largest economy

US Clear Skies Act of 2003: Reduction of air pollution through expansion of cap-n-trade programs.
Frances carbon tax legislation in 2009 (John Keynes): Better to be roughly right than precisely
wrong.

Rise of 1.5C between 2030 and 2060

UNGA, UNDP continuously talks about the environment but no actual clear mechanism, vague terms

Darfur Conflict and Climate Change

Rainfall has decreased 30% over 40 years and Sahara desert is advancing southwards by well over a
mile every year

Southern Nuba tribe and Arab nomad conflict due to Arabs cutting into their trees to feed their
camels

UN Sec-Gen: Conflict is not a military, political or ethnic conflict, rather, it began as an ecological
crisis
Singapore

Firefly Milward Brown: Singaporeans spend an average of 38 minutes per session on Facebook, the
longest globally.

Richest 10% in Singapore own 33% of overall income

High GINI: 2nd highest income divide in the world

Proportion of women who were childless increased from 14% to 20% between 2000 and 2012
among females aged 30 to 39

Advanced Medical Directive has been available in Singapore for nearly 20 years

Singapore has one of the most liberal abortion policies where abortion patients only need to
undergo compulsory counseling two days before the procedure. Ease of access to legal abortions at
public hospitals coupled with heavy medical subsidies has indirectly encouraged abortion amongst
Singaporeans.

Singapore has one of the worlds highest homeownership rates

Trickle down meritocracy sees the growth of the economy and the progress of society driven by its
elite, by the best and brightest. The view contends that the poor are best served by providing the
best and brightest with maximum opportunities to succeed, as they are the ones who create jobs for
the rest.

Spending on tuition doubled in town years to 820 million in 2008. Singapore has been dubbed the
Tuition Nation

Only 20% in the lowest monthly household income bracket ($4000 and below) have kids currently
enrolled in tuition Tuition is less accessible for the poor

23% of all Singaporeans think that kids should start tuition in preschool before they begin
compulsory primary school education
2011 General Elections

Greater proportion of young voters going to the polls: Extensive use of social media by young
electorate to galvanize political opinions.

Quality opposition, not quantity opposition. It is important to have a credible, vibrant and quality
opposition to keep the ruling party on its toes. But it is important to not push opposition into
parliament just because there is a need for a second opinion

As Singapore matures as a society, its political landscape will inevitably be more diverse and
competitive. the question of how Singapore ensures its political system remains inclusive and
representative, and in tandem with the growing democratic aspiration, while increasing
Singaporeans civic participation and democratic ownership of governmental process is still
unanswered. However, the greater involvement of Singaporeans in politics is indeed an affirmation
that Singapore will no longer be the politically apathetic society it used to be, where one party
dictated how the country was ran under the hood of democracy.

Population White Paper 2013

Citizen population reached a turning point in 65 as the first cohort of Baby boomers turned 65

Nearly 1/4 of SGs citizen population will enter their silver years

TFR was 1.2, below the replacement rate of 2.1 in 2011

Currently 5.9 working age citizens for each citizen aged 65 and above, ratio will fall to 2.1 by 2030

About 40% of marriages in Singapore each year are between a Singaporean and a non Singaporean.

Number of PRs in Singapore granted each year fell from high of ~80,000 in 2008 to 30,000 now

Rail network will x3 in length by 2021

Life expectancy of Singapore rose from 66 yrs in 1970 to 82 in 2010

Projected population of 6.9 mil in 2030

Income Gap

Workfare, CPF top-ups, housing grants, utility rebates constituted a 43.3% of annual incomes for
HDB 1 and 2 room resident households in 2010

Fundamental basis of sharing the nations wealth transited from equality to equity

Workfare Income Supplement has been raised to $1900 which will benefit 30% of the citizen
workforce
Meritocracy

Meritocracy is a political or social system in which rewards are allocated on the basis of an
individuals merits, abilities and/or talents as demonstrated or evidenced by his achievements. It is
premised on equality of opportunity.

Singapores meritocratic system places an emphasis on academic merit

Problems: Singapores meritocracy rewards type whereby rewards are allocated to individuals who
are deemed to have the right attributes (Over emphasis of Singapores exam oriented system)

National exams taken early on in life have a disproportionate bearing on the prospects of a child for
the rest of his life

Singapores competitive system focused on sorting the best from the rest has resulted in greater
pressure to gain a competitive edge via non-meritocratic means such as parents volunteering,
leveraging alumni connections or moving to affluent neighborhoods where a number of prestigious
schools are located to get their children into these schools

Correlation between economic background of a child and academic achievements and aspirations in
Singapore

6/10 students in top primary and secondary schools live in private property while only 2/10
Singaporeans do

Preferential access to schools that children of alumni enjoy, higher concentration of good schools in
affluent neighborhoods and greater resources that well-to-do families have for tuition and
enrichment programs are examples of how Singapores meritocracy contributes to inequity and
reduced social mobility

Meritocracy with high and rising inequality sows the seeds of its own demise. If we care about
preserving meritocracy, it is incumbent on us to limit the rise in inequality