Performance-based pay is a form of compensation for teachers based on the performance of students in extracurricular (i.e. competitions) and curricular activities (i.e. performance on standardised tests)

Extreme Tourism is a type of travel that involves engaging in adventurous and thrilling activities in unique and often challenging environments. It's a way for people to push their limits, experience intense emotions, and explore remote and exciting destinations.

Recently, the ante has increased with it including high octane trips to outer space or to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Quiet quitting is the process of prioritizing boundaries in the workplace, not going above and beyond in your job in order to seek a promotion of better pay. This is often seen as a direct counter to the hustle culture that many companies engage in.

Loud quitting is the process of taking active steps to harm the company, while undercutting their goals and opposing their leadership roles or upper management.

Usury, the practice of charging excessively high-interest rates on loans, is often considered unethical due to its exploitative nature and potential to harm borrowers financially. For lenders, usury can result in higher profits as the exorbitant interest rates allow them to generate significant returns on their loans, potentially outweighing the risks associated with lending to high-risk borrowers. Borrowers with poor credit history may be attracted to usury as it provides them with access to credit that they might not otherwise qualify for through traditional lending channels, offering a potential lifeline in times of financial need.

Various religions around the world incorporate the idea of environmental protection and conservation either implicitly or explicitly. For instance, Genesis 2:15 in the Christan Bible includes instructions from God to 'till and keep' the Garden of Eden and emphasises the idea of 'stewardship' over the Earth. In the Surah Al-A'raf 7:31, the importance of avoiding wasteful behaviour is highlighted.

ESG investing is an approach to investing that focuses on Environmental, Social, and Governance factors alongside financial factors. Environmental factors assesses a company's carbon impact and environmental/green practices; Social factors assesses a company's impact on society, particularly on labour practices, employee diversity, and workplace safety; Social factors assesses how well a company is managed and governed with particular focus on shareholder rights, board composition, transparency, and more.

UtopiaX is a simulated virtual reality (VR). This simulated world is designed to be a utopia where users are able to design their own world using the resources in the VR. Users are also able to interact with each other by joining each other's servers. However, a user's experiences in this VR is limited as physical interaction (i.e. touching, eating) is impossible.

The Wagner group is a Russian state funded paramilitary group composed of mercenaries hired to carry out military operations. They have been instrumental in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has carried most of the specialized strikes in the operation.

Recently, the Wagner group has mounted a mutiny against Putin, marching armed forces into the country, stopping only 200km from Moscow. The head of the mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was greeted warmly by Russian citizens and met as well with strong anti-Putin sentiments. The mutiny was eventually stopped by a deal brokered by Lukashenko, President of Belarus and the Wagner group walked away unscathed from any Russian retaliation with the condition that he never returns to Russia.

The two-state solution is a proposed framework to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by establishing independent states for Israel and Palestine. It envisions Israel existing as a Jewish state and Palestine as a sovereign state, with defined borders and mutual recognition. The aim is to achieve a peaceful coexistence, self-determination, and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. The solution would lead to multiple concessions on both sides regarding territory, standing military and diplomatic relations with each other and the rest of the Middle East.

Currently, both sides are relatively reluctant to start this process

In Lord of the RIngs, Theoden is King of Rohan, a large region of Middle Earth which is ruled by the race of men. Upon the orders of the Dark Lord Sauron, the neighbouring country of Isengard launched an attack on Rohan, forcing the people back into the safety of a fortress in the mountainside. After many battles, the nation of Rohan alone emerged victorious against the invading forces, winning the siege and pushing them out at the cost of the lives of many soldiers and civllians.

A few days after the last major battle, beacons from the nearby country of Gondor are lit, signalling a call for aid from all of the nations of men. Gondor lies at the entrance of Barad-dur, the black gate in which behind lies the hosts and armies of the Dark Lord. It is obvious to all that a call for aid can only mean that Gondor is being attacked by the hosts of Mordor, signalling the start of the Dark Lord's war on Middle Earth. Due to the toll of the war, there remains only 6000 Rohirrim (Rohan's main calvary force) that Theoden can feasibly muster in time for the battle.