Drug abuse

...ba href=/drug abuse/a/b, close proximity, Black Metal music and lately, wild parties.

What is wrong with this generation?

Why were they so mixed up?

Is the problem a consequence of lacking in religious upbringing, parental neglect, excessive media and internet influences?

Some may say the number involved is negligible but wasn't there a saying that "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch".

Probably the Malay youngsters are being caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life, entrapped between "cultural shock" and "identity crisis".

Their predicament is made worst with sheer ignorance on values of their religion (Islam), history, heritage and culture.

In the process they tend to lose their resilience.

MORE CHALLENGING LIFE Nonetheless, these youngsters themselves are not the only causative factor for their misdeeds.

Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim), president Yusry Mohamad said Malay youths today live in a more challenging world.

"The information boom, exposure to culture and ideas churned out by the Internet, printed media and television has weakened their resilience.

All these contribute to clashes of values and place them in a more challenging life," he told Bernama.

The society should not be too quick in condemning but should attempt to empathise with them, said Yusry, adding that concerted efforts should be initiated to bring them back to the right path.

"We also need to ensure there are no doors that can lead them to all the negative influences.

If there are too many of such...

... International Crime Summit To Tackle Social Ills .border-bottom-2px { border-top-width: 2px; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-left-width: 2px; border-bottom-style: solid;}.tile-down-left { background-repeat: repeat-y; background-position: left top;}.tile-accross { background-repeat: repeat-x;}.arial-small { font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;}.arial-medium { font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;}.border-thin { border: 1px solid;}.border-right { border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid;}.border-top { border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid;}.border-bottom { border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid;}.border-left { border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid;}.arial-bold { font-family: "arial black", arial, sans-serif, verdana, "times new roman"; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal;} .single_block_0_container{background: #FFFFFF; padding: 0px; width: 500px}a.single_block_0_header:link{font-family: arial;font-size: 13px;color: #FFFFFF;text-decoration:none;font-weight: bold}a.single_block_0_header:visited{font-family: arial;font-size: 13px;text-decoration:none;color: #FFFFFF;font-weight:...

...ba href=/drug abuse/a/b, chronic neuroses, twisted relationships.

Perhaps the only band that came close to imitating Placebo’s inimitable artistic sensibilities were neo-glam rockers Suede, who also dealt in the same sort of sordid subjects, albeit on a more cursory level.

Of course, all this disregards the fact that Brian Molko and his men are basically modern-day updaters when it comes to their musical template, and not a bit derivative too.

The most apparent classic-rock influences on Placebo are easily discerned: Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie; prime T-Rex glam-rock; a sizeable chunk of the raw, visceral power-pop that the Smashing Pumpkins pioneered in the early 90s; and some Gothic electro-pop aesthetics nicked from peak-period Depeche Mode thrown in for good measure.

This is not to say that Placebo songs are imitative and lacking in freshness: far from it, as a matter of fact.

Actually, Placebo’s music is immensely exciting, and filled to the brim with impressive hooks and inventive touches, topped off with Molko’s whiny, sneery and spite-filled screech – one of the most intriguing, if not fascinating, voices in British rock.

The Once More With Feeling retrospective comes at a suitable juncture in the band’s career: having gradually adopted a more electronic-based approach, especially on their last album, 2003’s Sleeping With Ghosts, Placebo now looks ready to embark on a different phase, a step up from their angsty first chapter.

A generous 19 tracks are covered here, includi...