Cashless Payments 

The advance of technology in our lives has been halted somewhat in New York City.
Lawmakers have passed a bill to ban cashless businesses. With many parts of the
world in a seemingly relentless drive to replace cash with plastic or digital payments,
New York City officials have decided cash still has a valuable part to play in our lives.
The officials have approved legislation that prohibits stores, restaurants and other retail
outlets from refusing to accept cash. They want to provide the ability for people who
prefer to pay via traditional means, through notes and coins. This means businesses in
the city will no longer be able to insist that customers make use of cashless payments in
any transactions.

Businesses that violate the new regulation could face hefty fines of up to $1,500 for
each offense. Critics of cashless businesses say they discriminate against the poorer
sections of society, many of whom do not have bank accounts or credit cards. One city
resident said: "I worry about the real-world discriminatory effect that cashless business
can have on New Yorkers, especially in communities of color." Another said: "I think it's
incredibly discriminatory not to accept cash because some people can't get credit." An
opponent of the bill said it was a sign of government interference: He said: "We are
inserting ourselves in the business of business in a way that we don't have the right to."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'cash'?
What do you know about cashless payments?
Should there be just one world currency?
How important are notes and coins?
What are the dangers of cashless payments?
Why are so many places using cashless payment systems?
Will cash ever disappear?
How do you feel about carrying cash?
Which are better - credit cards or mobile phone payments?
Do we spend more money using cashless means of payment?
What do you think about what you read?
Finland gives parents 7-month parental leave   

Finland is giving new parents more time to spend with their babies. The Finnish
government has decided to give mothers and fathers seven months of parental leave.
This means Finland will almost double the amount of its maternity leave and paternity
leave. The new Family Leave Policy will give 164 days to each parent. This is about
seven months. Parents can also transfer up to 69 of their own days to their partner. This
means it is possible for one parent to take nine months of parental leave. For single
parents, Finland is giving all 328 days to the mother or father. Finland's current parental
leave gives four months for maternity leave, and two months for fathers.
Finland's government said the new rules were necessary to help young families.
Finland's Minister of Social Affairs and Health explained why the country is introducing
the new rules. She said: "The model guarantees the child a place at the centre of family
benefits, and it promotes wellbeing and gender equality." It will also help to increase the
country's declining birth rate. The number of babies born in Finland has dropped for the
past nine years. Last year, Finland had the lowest number of babies born in the country
since 1868. Finland's neighbour Sweden has the most generous leave policy, offering
240 days per parent. The USA has no national paid leave for mothers or fathers.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What do you think of seven months of paid leave for new parents?
How much leave should parents get?
Should parental leave be paid?
Should mothers and fathers get the same amount of leave?
Why is Finland giving so much parental leave?
What effect will the new rule have on Finnish society?
What kind of parent are you or would you be?
What does the government do for young families in your country?
How much parental leave would you like?
Why do you think the USA has no paid parental leave?
Locust Invasion

The livelihood of farmers and other food growers in East Africa is under attack from
locusts. Authorities say swarms of millions of locusts are ravaging large swathes of
farmland and vegetation. Millions of people are at risk after the insects destroyed crops
in Eritrea, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda. The swarms of locusts
are spreading and could affect the agriculture, bushland and forests of neighbouring
countries. The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report that
some swarms have been sighted as far afield as Yemen and Oman in the Gulf. It is the
worst locust invasion in 70 years and some say it is reaching Biblical proportions.

The locust invasion is seriously affecting the lives of over 12 million people. Many of
these were already experiencing food insecurity due to poor harvests from a lack of
rain. The swarms of locusts will only worsen the plight of people living in the region.
Locusts are extremely voracious pests. One locust can eat its entire body weight in just
24 hours. A small swarm could chomp its way through enough food to feed 35,000
people in just one day. Esther Kithuka, a farmer in Kenya, expressed her concern about
the invasion. She said: "We depend a lot on this season and we worry that the locusts
will destroy our harvest and we will end up remaining hungry through the rest of the
year [until] next cropping season."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'locust'?
What do you know about locusts?
What damage can locusts do?
Are locusts harmful to humans in any other way?
Would you eat dishes made from locusts?
Why do you think this invasion is happening?
How serious could this invasion become?
What adversely affects agriculture in your country?
What are the biggest pests in your country?
How can an insect eat its own body weight in just one day?
What would happen if there were food shortages in your country?
What technology could we use to stop the locusts?

Reading Gap Existing among UK Children

A study by the National Literacy Trust, a charity that advocates children’s literacy,
revealed that a reading gap exists among children in the United Kingdom.
According to the charity, over 380,000 children across the United Kingdom do not own a
book. In a survey of more than 56,000 children and adolescents aged nine to 18, the
charity found that over 50% of children with books enjoy reading, while only 18.4% of
those without do. In addition, 22% of children who have books displayed higher reading
proficiency compared to 3.6% who do not own any.
The results also showed that less privileged children were less likely to own a book
than better-off children. According to National Literacy Trust Chief Executive Jonathan
Douglas, books are essential to the development of children’s reading skills, and they
also contribute to children’s happiness and well-being. He added that some children
may find it difficult to maximize their potential simply because they do not have access
to books.

To close the reading gap, the charity has distributed books to children and adolescents.
This distribution is in addition to the over 340,000 books that the charity has given
children in the last six years. The charity also released a book list curated by 24 authors
and illustrators of children’s books to further improve children’s literacy.
Several organizations have jumped on the bandwagon and created their own
campaigns to encourage more children to read. For one, UK newspaper The Sun will
give out $16 million worth of books to schools that sign up for its campaign called
“Books for Schools.” Registered schools must collect 3,500 tokens printed daily in the
newspaper to qualify for the giveaway.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you think donating books to children is enough to close the existing reading gap?
Why or why not?
Aside from donating books to children, in what other ways can the reading gap be
reduced? Explain.
What do you think are the effects of low literacy levels? Explain.
What are some ways to address problems in literacy among children? Discuss.
School Allows Students to “Borrow” Points for Exams

A school in China has introduced a new initiative which allows students to borrow points
to pass exams.
The initiative, called a “grades bank,” was created by China’s Nanjing Number One High
School to alleviate exam stress. According to the school, a passing score and a failing
score may be separated by only a few points. Through this initiative, a student who
failed an exam may get a passing score by borrowing points from other school work.
According to a teacher from the school, the difference between a passing score and a
failing score may greatly impact students’ physical and mental health. The pass-or-fail
culture has been reported to take its toll on students, sometimes pushing them to give
up or cheat. The school’s director hopes to address this issue through the grades bank.
In contrast with traditional testing, she says that examinations should enhance students’
learning and not cause difficulty among students.

The project comes with certain prerequisites. A student may borrow only a certain
number of points, and needs a fellow student to be his or her guarantor. Borrowed
points can then be paid back by getting high scores in the succeeding tests or doing
extra school work.
However, if the student fails to pay back the borrowed points by the end of the
semester, the guarantor can step in to clear his or her classmate’s record. Otherwise,
the student will be banned from borrowing in the future.
People expressed different opinions about the project, saying that the grades bank also
has its setbacks. One education expert says that it is not advisable to use a grades
bank because students will become lazy. Others emphasized that in real life,
opportunities only happen once. Students at the school, however, have claimed that the
grades bank is proving to be a huge help.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Do you think the grades bank is a good idea? Why or why not?
If you were a guarantor, how would you help your classmate pay back borrowed points?
What are the factors that cause stress for students in your country?
What are the ways to reduce school-induced stress?