Discussion Class

Discussion Class Topics

- Friday the 24th of October -

(12pm)

- America’s Autism Action Plan -

Trump and the US health secretary Kennedy Jr. recently announced changed to drug recommendations for pregnant women. Specifically station to commonly used painkiller Tylenol was at least in some part contributing to rising cases of autism in America. Health experts instantly attacked the administration saying there was no connection and that this was an attack on science and the experts.

But is it wrong? Autism levels are rising in many countries, including America. Some people claim this is because of vaccines, and various other medications during pregnancy and childhood. Some claim it’s because of various fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, and various other chemicals added to food to make them last longer or protect them from disease or pests. Other people say it is simply because the diagnosis of autism has improved and therefore increased over recent years. But does that really explain the total increase in autism cases? And is it wrong to want to do something to reduce future cases?

Link 1

Link 2

Let's discuss this!

- Friday the 24th of October -

(8pm)

- Madagascar coup d'état -

In later September, a coup d'état began in Madagascar, started by Gen Z, fed up with frequent power and water outages, high cost of living, and corruption under president Andry Rajoelina.

Things escalated when a military unit (called CAPSAT) joined the protests and on the 12th of October, the army announced that it had taken control of the country. Parliament voted to impeach Rojoelina, who fled the country. On the 17th, a military colonel was sworn in as an interim (temporary) president.

The African Union and United Nations have condemn the takeover and Madagascar has been suspended from the African Union.

This is after something similar happened in Nepal a few weeks/months ago.

So, this raises the questions: are coups legitimate if the general public support it? Why are these governments being kicked out? Are young generations finally realising the power they have in affecting politics? Will the interim/transitional government give up power and hold democratic elections

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Let's discuss this!

- Sunday the 26th of October -

(11am)

- What should we invest in? -

Making our money "work for us" is one of the most important ideas in financial literacy. However, it can be quite difficult nowadays to know what exactly we should invest in. There are a seemingly infinite number of investment vehicles, each with their own pros and cons. For example stocks can be higher risk but have higher return, while a general savings account might earn even less than the rate of inflation.

So, among them, which would you choose, and why? What factors did/will you take into account when making these types of decisions in the future? Has the best type of investment changed from the past; if so, why? And remember, this is not investment advice.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Let's discuss this!