The NBA Sent a Powerful Message By Drafting Isaiah Austin

Adam Silver and the NBA made an incredible gesture by drafting the former Baylor Bears standout center, Isaiah Austin. Austin has been rated quite highly by NBA scouts and was expected to be picked last night. However, a few weeks ago, he was given a career-ending diagnosis of Marfan Syndrome (what is Marfan Syndrome?).

The NBA draft could have carried on without Silver’s tribute to Austin, but he did it anyway. Silver and the NBA has at least fulfilled Isaiah’s dream of being drafted, even though he will not be able to play a single competitive basketball game again. It speaks volumes on how the NBA wants to be on the forefront of promoting positive attitudes towards everyone in society. We can all remember Adam Silver’s press conference during the heat of the Donald Sterling controversy, right? That and last night’s gesture is an amazing display of compassion, inclusion and a move away from the old, horrible attitudes.

I love it.

Thank you, Mr. Silver!

Advertisement

Exploring Autism – A conversation with Uta Frith

“That’s gay”: evidence for the continued existence of homophobia

Having worked in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, I’ve had my fair share of lunchtime and breaktime duties. These times are spent supervising pupils on canteens and playgrounds, listening to their conversations and observing the way they interact with one another. One of the most striking things that I have noticed is their use of the expression “that’s gay” when pertaining to something negative. For instance, a child might say “I’ve got English next”, to which another child would reply “oh that’s gay! I have PE next”. Not only do I hear this in school playgrounds, but in adult conversations as well. People use the word ‘gay’ interchangeably with negatively charged words such as “bad”, “terrible”, etc. I couldn’t help but ask why. Is this a reflection of how we as a society see homosexuals?

According to Cox et al. (2010), society still assumes that everyone is heterosexual unless proven otherwise and that sexual minorities are seen as deviant. With gay rights activists and legalization of gay marriages in certain countries, one would hope that homosexuality is lessened substantially nowadays, but expressions such as the one mentioned still shows that people openly display homophobia and/or a negative attitude towards sexual minorities.

I know from researching this very area that we have moved on from total negativity towards sexual minority to accepting and acknowledging their existence. However, whether you are aware of it or not, using the expression in question does not help the move away from the horrible past. So please, stop using it.

My 2011 in pictures

I spent the first hours of 2011 with my partner, our family and friends.

A few weeks later, my partner celebrated her birthday again, with friends and family…

In April, me and my friends played a benefit gig for the people suffering Aplastic Anemia, which sadly was the cause of why one of our friends is no longer with us.

The gig was a success as it raised quite a bit of money and the people seemed to have had a good time.

We also said goodbye to two of our friends who moved to Den Haag. These guys warmed our hearts with their generosity, whilst inspiring us at the same time with their continuing success in their lives.

Dr. North is a magician on the grill

One of the prettiest moms-to-be I’ve seen:

I visited Pistyll Rhaeadr falls in North Wales during the spring. This place was breath-taking. I didn’t realise that there is such a lovely view in Wales!

A milestone has been reached by my partner in 2011. After 3 years of hard work and dedication, she graduated with flying colours!

I then went back home to the Philippines for a while with my partner. One of the first things we did was watch basketball- courtside! This game between UST and Ateneo was a really good one.

We visited Singapore, the tidiest and one of the most friendly cities I have ever visited…

Look at this for food choices:

And of course, we shopped at Bugis Street:

We then went to Boracay, Philippines, the greatest, most beautiful and relaxing beach I have ever been into…

When we got back to the UK, we moved to Manchester in preparation for the start of my Master’s Degree. Manchester is amazing. The city feels so alive and vibrant. I love how multi-cultural the city is. I also like how the buildings look.

This is a bonus: Old Trafford Stadium, the home of Manchester United Football Club:

Made new friends in uni…

Friends visited me for my birthday…

Remember our friends who moved to Den Haag? We visited them just before Christmas, and look, they have a baby! Thanks again for letting us stay at your place…

We then visited Amsterdam. Most of the pictures we took may offend people so, these are the only ones I will show you…

PS. Thanks, honey for the birthday gift!

My girlfriend and I spent Christmas at our place with our families. Our parents ended up cooking everything and doing everything for us, which was great! Family times are the best times!

Lastly, we had a meal at Wagamama on New Year’s Eve. We decided against cooking and staying in because that’s what we have always done for the past few years.

All in all, 2011 was a fantastic year for me. This is the reason why I do not have a New Year’s resolution this year. I think all I have to do is carry on what I have done. Here’s to another year of awesomeness!!!