In the 2006 Singapore General Elections, the People’s Action Party (PAP) won a total of 82 out of the 84 elected seats in the parliament of Singapore and received 66.6% of the votes cast. Clearly, PAP is still the political party heading the government in Singapore. The pertinent question is “How did they achieve this?” Certainly, a myriad number of factors contributed to their sustained popularity with Singaporeans. Political success could be said to be only possible via parallel successes in economic prosperity, social security and democracy.

The PAP advocates inter-racial tolerance. It was a stance adopted to prohibit discrimination amongst the races. It was something that was actively promoted through numerous public speeches about racial integration. Yet, was it crucial in establishing the support from the masses that it needed? Yes, it did. In a multi racial society, it is essential to sustain racial harmony. The promotion of racial harmony served as a backbone in ensuring peace, thus allowing Singapore to prosper. This in turn led to economic security - a key factor that appeals to the voters.

Writing can be considered one of the most provocative subject matter ever. Through the art of writing, we convey the message that we wish to put across to our readers. Yet, the feelings and emotions invoked by a piece of writing depend purely upon the subjectivity and reflexitivity of the reader. As such, one’s personal feelings with regard to a piece of writing are framed up by many variables such as personal experience, environment, history and conditions. Therefore, the limits and range of thinking and contemplation that arise out of a piece of written work transcend that piece of A4 upon which it is written upon.

Recently, in conjunction with the revision of our Singapore’s penal code, there was an attempt to repeal Section 377A which criminalised gay sex. This created much furore among the public. In addition, this created an opportunity for a social issue to be discussed by the masses. Instead of taking sides, we could employ our social imagination to help us understand the existing social tensions in connection with the contemporary social realities; evaluate the social factors that determine our norms and values; “and grasp the interplay of biology and history” (Mills, 1959). The issue of homosexuality implicates many disciplines, such as gender and sexuality, deviance, socialization and family. Throughout the discussion, much emphasis will be to evaluate our existing values and relate them to the larger social realities.

The discovery of the deoxyribonuclei acid (DNA) double helix by Crick and Watson in 1953 was milestone in the history of science. It was a discovery with profound impacts that continues to echo in the scientific community today, radically changing science itself. One thing is certain – the scientific field of DNA has implications on various fields such as medical treatment and diagnosis, politics, religion, criminology and economics. With new and exciting scientific techniques such as genetic engineering, the infinite possibilities are just staggering. However, underlying this is the fear that genetic information can be abused.

One cannot help but notice the sudden emergence of the number of Youth Expedition Projects (YEP) in Campus lately. For the uninformed, YEP comprises of an overseas community service, in areas such as education, community income generation, environmental conservation, etc. Upon return form the overseas trip, the team has to do a local community service project. Popular countries include China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and India. For this article, I shall briefly discuss this trend and attempt to readdress some misconceptions that people might have for overseas volunteerism such as YEP.