(A Love Letter to Political Integrity … or the Lack Thereof) SIGH, corruption – that timeless art that keeps the wheels of politics greased and the dreams of honest citizens thoroughly crushed. It’s the glittering jewel in the crooked crown of governance, the unspoken anthem of “do as I say,
“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart.” – Steve Jobs (1955-2011), American entrepreneur, inventor, and business magnate, best known as the co-founder of Apple Inc. AH, the telephone! The first one I knew was a dreadful, black contraption that
BEH Tukang was not well-to-do by any stretch of the imagination. He lived half the year in his modest house at the foot of a hill, on the edge of our village, earning his living as a handyman. The other half was spent on his paddy farm, several miles distant
I HAVE lost count of the number of forks in the road I’ve stumbled across since the 1950s – literal ones, mind you, not those fancy moral or philosophical ones people mention when they run out of sensible things to say. Most of them came and went without fanfare, vanishing
“The obsessive quest for cleanliness can become its own kind of dirty.“ – Marty Rubina, a relatively obscure but widely quoted American writer, best known for his concise, philosophical, and often paradoxical aphorisms. I WAS a toddler in the mid-1950s when I first encountered soap. Not found, mind you –
I REMEMBER the couple well – the man and his wife – whose lives were eventually shattered by a tangle of wants and needs, desires and demands, pride and frailties that never could find harmony. I knew them both before they married – Usep, the man, and Liris, the woman.
EVEN as a child growing up in the late 1950s and through my teenage years in the early 1970s, I noticed a barrier that shaped the lives of everyone in my village. It wasn’t a wall you could see or touch, but it was there, dividing us. On one side
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela, a prominent South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 IMAGINE telling your parents that you never asked to
THERE are times it feels as though language itself is sprinting to catch up with our phones. Once upon a time, communication meant solemnly laying ink to paper or carefully crafting emails. Now it might mean firing off a stream of yellow faces, aubergines and fireballs before you have even
The pros and cons of social welfare benefits often stir up strong emotions, but it’s hard to deny that they play a crucial role in helping those in need. Are they beneficial in the long run? They certainly provide immediate relief, but there’s concern they might foster dependency. It’s important