The Cs that guide us forth

What are the new Cs that will guide today’s youth caught in the world’s deepest recession since the Great Depression? YouthInkers give their two cents’ worth on the shift in values
Build on health and abilities
TO QUOTE a cliche: Youth is wasted on the young. Why? Because we spend so much time and effort chasing the [...]

Twitter: Hot or not?

THE Feminist Mentor is my friend on Twitter.
Well, I’m not sure if it was really Dr Thio Su Mien who acquired a Twitter account and added me during Aware’s impassioned, seven-hour extraordinary general meeting (EGM) at Suntec City on May 2.
But whoever helmed that account certainly showed her – or his – humorous side.
For the [...]

What makes us ready for a Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew

Sound values ingrained in system
SINGAPORE’S model of good governance, built on the principles of meritocracy, fairness and efficiency, has propelled it to great success.
Future leaders from my generation will have to ensure that this system continues to work well. Fortunately, we have what it takes due to the education we have received that is better [...]

The power to destroy…and build

By Eisen Teo
IN CASUAL T-shirt and pants, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, looked like any young commuter at Mumbai’s historic central railway terminus on Nov 26.
Then he and his accomplice whipped out hand grenades and AK-47 rifles, and within minutes, bloodied the place with the bodies of more than 40 innocent people. His [...]

We must not fall victim to thugs

THE inevitable has finally happened: a Singaporean has died in a terror attack.
I say inevitable, because terrorism knows no bounds when it comes to geography or nationality.
In an e-mail to Indian media organisations hours after launching its attacks at 10 locations in Mumbai on Nov 26, the Deccan Mujahideen said the hits were retaliation for [...]

Growing up in ‘tribes’

Are uniforms and ragging really about cliques? YouthInkers have their say.
It’s a jungle out there
A CHILL went down my spine when I viewed the Anglo-Chinese Junior College ragging video.
Was this the culmination of a long tradition of ‘us’ against ‘them’ in schools?
While no former schoolmate has ever laid a finger on me, I was not [...]

Marina South: RIP

By Eisen Teo
EVEN in bright, mid-afternoon sunshine, Marina South’s hulking buildings are eerie.
Walk through them and echoes ricochet off mouldy walls, boarded-up rooms and barbed wire. The place resembles a scene from post-apocalyptic movie 28 Days Later.
Once, this belt of steamboat-barbecue buffet restaurants was a weekend haunt, with popular eateries such [...]

Want to learn about the past? Speak to elders

By Eisen Teo

EVEN at the age of 66, my friend James refuses to sit out the rest of his days quietly at home.
The energetic retiree counts assembling computers, skydiving and backpacking as some of his hobbies.
More importantly, he is also a time portal into the past. A simple conversation with him reveals a side of [...]

What price for a pound of flesh?

YouthInk writers give their take on whether human organs should be traded.
Allow it, but regulate it
AS A young doctor, it is not difficult to take one side of this debate, especially after witnessing first-hand the suffering and scepticism of patients on an organ transplant waiting list.
It is frustrating not to be able to save a [...]

School daze? No, student journalists must get it right too

By Eisen Teo
IN A recent survey conducted by The Ridge, a student newspaper of the National University of Singapore (NUS), 64 per cent of its respondents said they engaged in sexual activities more than once a week. This raised a hue and cry among the public and prompted moral talk about hormone-addled youth.
Fact is, the [...]