gay education

Morning conference: the meaning of 'gay'
There are reports of rising hostility towards homosexuality in schools. But is it also -- or only -- a language shift?

Should we be worried about the apparent rise in homophobia in schools? A survey by a teachers' union, reported this morning, believes it is "endemic" and on the rise.
Colleagues expressed surprise at this, given that homophobia in other parts of our society appears to have faded. "Even the Daily Mail has given up," said one.
Our news report notes that, "The word 'gay' was reported to be the most frequently used term to put someone down, followed by 'bitch' and 'slag'."
Is this, though, just a change in the use of the word or evidence of growing hostility?
The online Oxford English Dictionary has recorded changes in the use of the word since its first written mention in 1310, when it meant "light-hearted, exuberantly cheerful, sportive, merry".
It takes us through changes until in 1825 it has a recorded slang use meaning a woman living by prostitution.
In 1935 it begins life as American slang for homosexual.
But the OED also notes another change taking place in the US as early as 1978, when it becomes a description of something "Foolish, stupid, socially inappropriate or disapproved of; 'lame'."
Here are the draft additions to the dictionary from 2003:
1978 G. KIMBERLY Skateboard 41 'It looks terrific on you.' 'It looks gay.'
1987 Creem Close-up Presents No. 1. 6 Your so-stupid-they're-funny captions are gay. Get into some [real] humor.
1999 T. PARKER & M. STONE Cartman's Mom is Dirty Slut in South Park Scripts: Bk. 1 150 (stage direct.) As the camera zooms in on their faces, that gay 'Near/Far' song from 'Titanic' plays.
2001 Washington Post 8 May C9 Today, they [sc. teenagers] often use gay as an adjective meaning 'stupid'... A gay movie is a stupid movie or one that makes no sense or one with a lame plot or all of those things.
2002 Independent 3 Oct. 21/3 At last the first official confirmation that the term 'gay' has now ousted 'pants' as the popular youth slang for 'naff.'
So is the word 'gay' in the vocabulary of school students ahead of our general understanding or a reflection of something more sinister?
If it is the latter, possibly adopting the experience of Holland would help. One colleague reported that Dutch equivalent of sixth form students are required by law to have at least a 2.5-hour session on homosexuality, taught by people from gay organisations and not by their usual teachers. Even faith schools are included in this requirement. However, the Dutch government has also reported increasing hostility to homosexuality in schools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooEhBxh0NY

हैप्पी holiday

Pasko ipinag diriwang natin isang beses isang taon, papaano ba natin ipinagdiriwang ang pasko? Diba kapag pasko naglalagay tayo ng dekorasyun, mga Christmas light, at naghahanda tayo ng mga masasarap na pagkain, nagbabalot tayo ng mga regalo, kapag malapit na ang pasko diyan din natin isinasagawa ang simbang gabi ganyan natin ipinagdiriwang ang pasko. ANO NGA BA ANG TUNAY NA KAHULUGAN NG PASKO? Marami ang nagsasabi na ang kahulugan ng pasko ay pagmamahalan, pagbibigayan, pagpapatawaran, pagkakaisa. Para sa akin ang pasko ay isang simbolo lang at pag respeto sa kapanganakan ni jesus. Para sa akin kailangan gawin natin ang pasko araw araw. Sasabihin pasko kaya magmahalan tayo, pasko kaya magbigayan tayo, magpatawaran tayo pasko kasi eh. Pasko lang ba natin pwedeng gawin ang ganyang mga bagay? Diba dapat bilang tao kahit hindi pasko dapat magmahalan tayo, mag kaisa, magbigayan, mag tulungan tayo , kahit hindi pasko gawin nating malinis ang ating puso. hindi yung gagawin lang natin yan kapag pasko.

For i do believed that the true meaning of christmas is "LOVE" as what the famous song lyrics "for god so love the world he gave his only son", for today in order gain peace all we need is LOVE.

life meaning

What's the significance of life? Who are we? Is human life just a dream, from which we never really awake, as some great thinkers claim? Are we submerged by our feelings, by our loves and hates, by our ideas of good, bad, beautiful, awful? Are we incapable of knowing beyond those ideas and feelings?

Are we - and all living beings - just «survival machines, blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes», as Richard Dawkins states? Are we incapable of knowing beyond the frames imposed to us by nature?

Love gives meaning to our lives – as do friendship, or art or faith in God. These are factors of true happiness, of inner peace, of feelings of harmony, allowing meaning to our existence.But there is the other side. There is the cruelty of life, the pain, the evil, not to talk of death. They are the hidden tigers, ambushed and ready to attack the imprudent, to use an image present in the Buddhist Scriptures. Is between these pendulums - the positive, the one that gives happiness and meaning, and the negative - that our lives are lived. And when we meditate about all that, we arrive at a diverse and disagreeing set of thoughts about the meaning and purpose of life.