ANGELINE KEK WRITES — One of the scariest moments of a child’s life takes shape with the realization that our parents are mortal beings no further from death than a wilting flower or a gray-whiskered cat. They have no friendly contract with the grim reaper. With the fleeting time, we…
SARAH LOHMANN WRITES — In this age of scrolling feeds and images, what are we, if not our faces, our best days posted, and our reputations on display for the world to see? The photos we take of our bodies make up the mask we show to the world, so…
CADY ABE WRITES – Real heroes do not come with supernatural powers, unlike the glossy heroes from grandeur cinema and literature. Instead, everyday vigilantes are clad with hard-earned perseverance, passion, and drive to improve the fragile state of the world. In the unsettling and despairing time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the…
GABY RUSLI WRITES — “You can turn her into a prostitute and take the money she earns for as long as she lives,” said the old man. “Or, if there’s no man who wants to be with her, you can chop her up into bits and sell her flesh at…
NELLY CARRILLO WRITES — The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way average citizens go about their life. Additionally, we see significant changes in the way countries govern themselves across the globe. These special circumstances allow elected officials to use different methods to govern and it also allows them to keep…
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH — First it was Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then it was Thailand. And now Myanmar. What’s going on in Asia? Perhaps the Milk Tea Alliance can help you understand the situation in the region. The Milk Tea Alliance began with a tweet by Thai…
ANDREA PLATE WRITES – For 15 years, I was a senior staff social worker at the United States federal government’s Department of Veterans Affairs—the country’s largest integrated healthcare system— in its largest branch, located in West Los Angeles, California. Each year, the system serves 9 million veterans nationwide. One summer…
THE STRAITS TIMES, THE LEADING NEWSPAPER OF SINGAPORE, WRITES – Prominent Singaporean academic Kishore Mahbubani has been elected a member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining the ranks of luminaries such as Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin and Barack Obama. The former diplomat, who is currently senior…
JABER AL SABAH WRITES — Facebook was intended to connect the world and bring people closer to each other. But the current political climate both in the US and abroad is proving to have the opposite effect—the power of connectivity is being used to harness hate and segregation. Facebook has…
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES — On September 6, India’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of legalizing consensual same-sex relations by striking down a draconian law that deemed LGBT Indians to be “against the order of nature.” The landmark ruling marks the culmination of decade-long protests staged by gay Indians and…
NICOLAS SWAYA WRITES — A new type of war is raging across the globe, and the potential aftermath could be devastating. Both cyberwarfare and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important in our world. Countries are learning how to best cope with the cyber threat, some just coming to understand just how…
BOBBY FRETZ WRITES — The world is no stranger to the terrorist organization Daesh, commonly known as ISIS. The group has been a topic of mainstream media for the last five years. With its dramatic uprising in Syria and Iraq in 2013, it might be common for people to view…
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – Alchemiya, the so-called “Netflix for Muslims,” is making a play for Asia. The video on demand (VOD) service is known for shedding positive light on Muslims and Muslim culture. Since its launch in 2014 it has gained thousands of users from 10 different countries and is…
FASSA SAR WRITES – Films that are bold enough to retrace the disheartening memories of those who died and survived during authoritarian regimes, civil wars and genocide expose the silenced wounds of history. “First They Killed My Father,” directed by Angelina Jolie and produced by legendary cambodian filmmaker, Rithy Panh,…
PROFESSOR TOM PLATE WRITES — The U.S. public rarely gives larger-than-life Indonesia, the most populous country in Southeast Asia, more than passing thought, and even on those rare moments it might mainly be thinking about nothing more than a dream vacation in Bali. Yet, as every cosmopolitan knows, the world’s…
