Category: A Better World
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Are Singaporeans Creative? Yes, No, It’s Complicated.
Singaporean students are the most creative students in the world. Singapore is also one of the least creative First World societies. Both of these statements are simultaneously true. I am one of Singapore’s most prolific and versatile writers. I have published 17 novels, 24 short stories and 2 non-fiction works. I also have 12 more…
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A Culture Fractured
The old magic is gone. There won’t be another Lord of the Rings. Nor will there be another Narnia, Conan, Shadow, Zorro, or any other cultural icon that will bring a culture together. The ones still in existence have been parasitized by corporate interests, transformed into one part soulless cash cow, one part propaganda machine.…
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Repeal of Section 377A: 15 Years Too Late
During the National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the government will seek to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code. The LGBTQ community and their allies see it as a hard-won victory. For others, it will merely be the start of a long and gruelling campaign ahead. S377A criminalises male homosexual…
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Reclaim Your Face
Last week, the Singapore government lifted the outdoor mask mandate. It still ‘encourages’ people to wear masks when outside. Nonetheless, as Mothership reports, most Singaporeans still wear masks outdoors. This matches with my own experience. Out on the street, less than one in a hundred people do not wear masks—myself among them. For those of…
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When Waves Combine
What happens when the next wave of Covid meets the Great Resignation? Singapore is going to find out—and it will be ugly. The Straits Times presents an optimistic picture of the labour market. Among other things, unemployment fell from 3 percent to 2.6 percent, retrenchments dropped from 26110 to 7820, and the Ministry of Manpower expects…
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Decoupling From Amazon
Over the weekend, Amazon de-listed Galaxy’s Edge by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach. While the series is now back up on the Kindle Store, this event caused a disruption in cashflow and no small amount of confusion and acrimony from GE fans and their circles. Nick Cole speculates that a hacker got into Amazon. Brian…